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A lifetime ago I worked in an office that, like most others, had a tacit dress code. A tie was not mandatory unless you were meeting clients; otherwise a collared shirt and sensible slacks (or a nice blouse and a long-enough skirt) sufficed. One Friday, however, my bohemian colleague rocked up in a tee, jeans, and something the kids these days would call “shoes”. When someone asked him why he was dressed that way, he shot back a quizzical look and stated matter-of-factly, “It’s Casual Friday”. After a private chuckle, I didn’t think too much of it until the following Friday when something unexpected happened: other people were wearing casual clothes. Then the next week, more people were in their civvies. And so on every week until eventually everybody was embracing “Casual Friday”. Now, Casual Friday is an institution at this company. You would look very strange indeed if you turned up in a suit. As I reflected on this little episode, I pondered the teachings of Fred Kofman. In Conscious Business, Kofman defines the difference between a “victim” and a “player”. A victim blames all of his or her woes on external factors – the bus was late; the traffic was horrendous; my boss is an idiot; our IT sucks; we don’t have a learning culture around here. In contrast, a player responds to the environmental conditions to his or her advantage – he calls ahead to push back that meeting; she leaves half an hour earlier to beat the traffic; he buys a judiciously chosen book for his boss for Christmas; she experiments with externally hosted social media; he engages the few employees in the organisation who are hungry to learn. In other words, the player exploits his or her “locus of control”. Of course you’re not the CEO, so you can’t make anything happen just by decreeing it. However, you do have a sphere of influence. Are you using it? If Kofman’s work is a bit too self-helpy for you, let me rephrase it in edu-speak: Sometimes the ones most guilty of the knowing-doing gap are ourselves. As L&D professionals, we know most learning undertaken in the workplace is informal. We know social learning works. We know our target audience is addicted to their smartphones and tablets. So what are we doing about it? The moral of the story of my bohemian friend is that we are more powerful than we realise. A single person can make a world of difference, if he or she has passion, courage and persistence. I’m certainly not goading you into making drastic wholesale changes that are going to bankrupt your company or get you fired. All I’m saying is that sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission. If my bohemian friend had asked to wear his jeans that Friday, he would almost certainly have been declined. So he didn’t ask; he just did it. If it backfired, he simply would have fallen back into line the next Friday. (And no doubt try something else!) So I put to you: What do you wish would change at your workplace? Are you a victim or a player? What can you influence? What can you sensibly risk asking for forgiveness for rather than for permission? Do you have the guts to make a difference? It’s time to wield your power of one.
Have you ever wanted to get the Bitmap Data (pixels) of a Visual (Canvas, Grid, etc) in WPF or Silverlight from memory and without having to add it to the root visual. After doing a lot of trial and error here is a quick piece of code and a sample project that can help you accomplish exactly that. There are plenty of cool ways to extend this project including some cool transition and other code based animations. Just let your imagination go wild! First, create a new WPF Application in Visual Studio or [download a sample project]. In your Window1.xaml give the Grid an x:Name value. You’ll use this to add your elements later on. <br /><grid x:Name="VisualRoot"></grid><br /> Now lets add a new Page to our project. We’re going to alter the Page to extend a Canvas rather than a Page for no other reason then when I’m creating animations I prefer to work with a Canvas. We are going to put some visuals onto our canvas. In the sample it’s a blue square with a red circle next to it and a little bit of text below it. It could be any UIElement including another Canvas/Grid, Images, Text anything. In our Window1.xaml code behind we’re going to create an instance of our Canvas1 and call the methods to have WPF Measure, Arrange, and UpdateLayout in memory. We need to call these methods in order for WPF to figure out where all the pixels are positioned in our visual to return accurate Bitmap Data. These methods are called automatically when you add a Visual to WPF using the Visual.Children.Add() method. The CreateBitmapSourceFromVisual function was taken from a project on CodePlex, unfortunately I can’t recall the link. I’ll add it here if I run across it again. That function takes a Visual and returns a BitmapSource object with the pixel data. It automatically updates the dots per inch (DPI) to 96, which is required for WPF to render properly). Here is the code behind from our root Window. /// Interaction logic for Window1.xaml public partial class Window1 : Window Canvas1 myVisualElement = new Canvas1(); myVisualElement.Measure(new System.Windows.Size(0, 0)); myVisualElement.Arrange(new Rect(new System.Windows.Size(0, 0))); // Note the myVisualElement is never added // Use myVisualElement to get our Bitmap Source Data. BitmapSource myVisualElementBitmapData = CreateBitmapSourceFromVisual(300, 500, myVisualElement, false); // Create an Image for your Bitmap Source Image myImage = new Image(); // use our Bitmap Data myImage.Source = myVisualElementBitmapData; // Add our Image to the Grid public BitmapSource CreateBitmapSourceFromVisual(Double width, Double height, Visual visualToRender, Boolean undoTransformation) if (visualToRender == null) RenderTargetBitmap bmp = new RenderTargetBitmap( DrawingVisual dv = new DrawingVisual(); using (DrawingContext dc = dv.RenderOpen()) VisualBrush vb = new VisualBrush(visualToRender); System.Windows.Point myPoint = new System.Windows.Point(); dc.DrawRectangle(vb, null, new Rect(myPoint, new System.Windows.Size(width, height))); You can run the sample project and you will see the visual we created in Canvas1. We used the BitmapSource object of the Canvas1 as the Source of our Image. Note: we never added Canvas1 to the root visual, we simply created it in the code behind and retrieved the pixel data from that visual to use as on our Image. I leave it to you to play with this technology to create cool WPF/Silverlight animations. [Download Source Code] as Visual Studio Project.
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Evelyn Lozada is ready to face the public and tell her side of the story, with a few conditions. The “Basketball Wives” star has agreed to be interviewed—in a private setting—by “Good Morning America,” according to TMZ. The reality star, who has been keeping a much lower profile since she was allegedly injured by husband Chad Ochocinco Johnson, won’t be visiting the show’s studios, though. She wants the show to come to her, which producers have apparently agreed to do. The interview was supposed to take place this week, but has been postponed due to the failing health of “GMA” correspondent Robin Roberts, according to TMZ. Robin is reportedly scheduled to receive a bone marrow transplant in coming weeks. “Friday will be @RobinRoberts’ last day before leaving for her bone marrow transplant and treatment for MDS,” read a post from the “GMA” Twitter account. So, Amy Robach will be filling in for Robin and sitting down with Evelyn for the first time since the alleged abuse. It’s not clear exactly when the episode will air. Since the incident between Evelyn and Chad took place, rumors circulated that Oprah Winfrey would interviewe her; however, Evelyn’s publicists denied that story. While she’s been avoiding the public—staying off Twitter and reportedly canceling engagements—Evelyn was spotted on a beach in Miami last week. She is believed to be in Barbados now. Click on the thumbnails of Ev & Ocho below for larger images from days when things were better. See more Evelyn photos below. —Tracy L. Scott Will you tune in to watch Evelyn tell her side of the story? Send your well-wishes to Robin Roberts. Leave your comments below.
If the flap doesn't close, it'll up the vent temp by 10 degrees or more. posted by 72.244.66... Posts in this Thread: Members can receive an alert when someone posts in this thread. - what is the expected performance of a/c?, TML, Thu, 5 Jul 2012 07:33:57 - Is Recirc Working?, thatbobguy, Fri, 6 Jul 2012 20:34:57 - AC? What's that? You mean air comes out of those vents?, turrbo , Fri, 6 Jul 2012 07:24:23 - expected performance of a/c?, dref, Thu, 5 Jul 2012 09:42:06 - 35 psi is a little low at 95F, jjacob, Thu, 5 Jul 2012 09:26:44 - Re: what is the expected performance of a/c?, BobS, Thu, 5 Jul 2012 08:10:00 Post a Followup The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2012 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com. This is a moderated bulletin board - Posting is a privilege, not a right. Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no Spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY. Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages. This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes type of forum. Saabnet.com has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the Saabnet.com Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are not anonymous. Site Donations Your address is: 126.96.36.199 - Using CCBot/2.0 - Logged. Site Members do not see red text instructions, green links, and bottom of the page banners. Click here to see all the Site Membership Benefits!
Saatva (which means truth). Our belief is that people can make an intelligent mattress buying decision without high pressure or a phony sale. Our extremely efficient online business model allows us to sell our luxury mattresses online for so much less than our competitors who operate stores. It's clear that more and more consumers are becoming e-commerce savvy. Through our world class e-commerce site, we are able to make all the necessary information clear and precise, so you can take your time and shop at your leisure. We have made buying a luxury mattress easy. At Saatva, you receive a 30 day home trial, with no pick up fees, no restocking fees. The only cost you would be responsible for is your original delivery fee. This is the friendliest return policy in the luxury mattress Retail stores continue to charge excessive fees inclusive of exchange/restocking fees and pickup charges for returning a mattress. E-commerce businesses generally have better return policies, so we must exceed your expectations. That's our philosophy, and that's what we do every day. Buying online is simple, smart and efficient. We hope you enjoy our web site. Additionally, please know we take great pride in our ability to build the best mattress available and that each Saatva mattress is handcrafted in America. We select the best mattress manufacturers in America that service our local distribution areas to craft our proprietary product. We promise to do everything in our power to exceed your expectations. Take visiting a mattress store off your "to-do" list. Please note: Our Saatva luxury mattresses are American handcrafted and height measurements might vary slightly.
Experiments on the resynthesis of symbiosis in Convoluta roscoffensis with different flagellate cultures Provasoli, L. and Yamasu, T. and Manton, I. (1968) Experiments on the resynthesis of symbiosis in Convoluta roscoffensis with different flagellate cultures. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 48 (2). pp. 465-479. Full text available as: The symbiotic condition of Convoluta roscoffensis has been resynthesized in vitro by feeding new-born colourless larvae with various clones of Platymonas convolutae Parke & Manton available in culture. Greening has also been brought about by feeding larvae with other species distinguishable from the natural symbiont by pyrenoid characters, but subsequent growth of the greened larvae was less and the length of time required for greening greater. The minimum presentation time effective in initiating greening with alien symbionts in 100% of tested larvae was also greater. Cell multiplication of successful symbionts is mitotic, division stages being demonstrated in sections of worms with different types of symbiont. When cultures of potential symbionts were made available competitively in pairs, greening normally involved only one member of a pair, success being apparently determined by the order of relative efficiency demonstrated in the single-culture infections. A chimaeral condition, with two different symbionts present together, was produced and is demonstrated-but only as a temporary phase in an experiment designed to give an alien symbiont a very long start before admitting the real one. In this experiment effective greening with Prasinocladus marinus did not impede prompt entry of Platymonas convolutae when it was supplied, and this was followed by rapid and complete elimination of the alien symbiont. An interpretation of these various findings is discussed in a preliminary way. NMBL Staff Only: edit this record
The more people I talk to about my plans for leaving IBM and experimenting with business, the more real the idea becomes. The more excited and confident I get about it, too, which is a good sign. Today I sent my formal resignation e-mail, the one that kicks off all the associated HR processes. I named February 17 as my date: four years, four months, and two days after I joined IBM. I expect to feel more nostalgia as the date approaches, and perhaps uncertainty. That’s all normal, which is why I’m brainstorming and writing down my reasons. The notes will come in handy if I hit a slump. It looks like all systems are go, though. It’s clearly a good idea for me at this point in time. I’ve found people to take over all of my extracurricular interests. I’ve been braindumping enough throughout my time at IBM to not worry as much about transitions. I’ve always worked on things with the lottery/bus factor in mind: would the project be endangered if I won the lottery or got hit by a bus? (The lottery is highly unlikely, since I don’t buy tickets; I usually look both ways when crossing the street, but one never knows what could happen in the streets of Toronto.) I’ve written lots of notes and shared as much as I could as publicly as I could, and now it’s easy to link things together in a knowledge map on a wiki page that people can even update after I’m gone. My manager told me of ways back in, and contracting companies that IBM is used to working with. It might be an option. I’d like to spend some time up front seeing if I can develop a business. Freelancing sounds like a reliable alternative, but it’s similar enough to what I currently do at IBM that I think I would learn lots more from trying to build a proper sustainable business with compounding value. One step at a time. The project that I’m working on looks decent in IE8, IE9, Firefox, and Safari, and it looks a heck of a lot better than it did when I took it over. I’m on track to wrap that up well. Then there’s some HR paperwork to take care of, and more braindumping of memories and thoughts before they fade into fuzziness. Then the transition! Then slowly easing into experiments and feedback cycles and little bets…
Narrated Al-Bara' bin 'Azib:The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "The first thing that we should do on this day of ours is to pray and then return to slaughter the sacrifice. So anyone who does so, he acted according to our Sunna (tradition), and whoever slaughtered the sacrifice before the prayer, it was just meat which he presented to his family and would not be considered as Nusuk." A person from the Ansar named Abu Burda bin Niyyar said, "O Allah's Apostle! I slaughtered the Nusuk (before the prayer) but I have a young she-goat which is better than an older sheep." The Prophet I said, "Sacrifice it in lieu of the first, but it will be not sufficient (as a sacrifice) for anybody else after you."
True Christian Religion, by Emanuel Swedenborg, , tr. by John C. Ager at sacred-texts.com I foresee that many who read the Memorable Relations annexed to the chapters in this work will believe them to be inventions of the imagination. But I affirm in truth that they are not inventions, but were truly seen and heard; not seen and heard in any sleeping state of mind, but in a state of full wakefulness. For it has pleased the Lord to manifest Himself to me, and to send me to teach those things which will belong to His New Church, which is meant by "the New Jerusalem" in the Apocalypse. For this purpose He has opened the interiors of my mind or spirit, whereby I have been permitted to be in the spiritual world with angels, and at the same time in the natural world with men, and this now during twenty-seven years. Who in the Christian world could have known anything about Heaven and Hell, had it not pleased the Lord to open the sight of someone's spirit, and show and teach him? That such things as are described in the Memorable Relations do appear in the heavens is made clear by the like things seen and described by John in the Apocalypse, also in the Word of the Old Testament by the prophets. In the Apocalypse are the following: John saw the Son of man in the midst of the seven candlesticks; he saw in heaven the tabernacle, the temple, the ark, and the altar; he saw a book sealed with seven seals; he saw this opened, and horses going out of it; he saw four animals round about the throne; twelve thousand chosen out of each tribe; locusts ascending from the abyss a woman bringing forth a male child, and fleeing into the desert on account of the dragon; two beasts, one going up out of the sea and the other out of the earth; an angel flying in the midst of heaven having an eternal Gospel; a sea of glass mingled with fire; seven angels having the seven last plagues; bowls poured out by them on the earth, the sea, the rivers, the sun, the throne of the beast, the Euphrates, and the air; a woman sitting on a scarlet beast; the dragon cast into a lake of fire and brimstone; a white horse; a great supper; a new heaven and a new earth; the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, the gates, walls, and foundations of which he describes; also the river of the water of life, and trees of life bearing fruit every month; with many other things, all of which were seen by John, and seen when as to his spirit he was in the spiritual world and in heaven. Add what was seen by the apostles after the Lord's resurrection, and later by Peter (Acts 11), and what was seen and heard by Paul; and still further what was seen by the prophets in the Old Testament, as by Ezekiel, That he saw four living creatures, which were cherubs (Ezek. 1 and 10). A new temple and a new earth, and an angel measuring them (40-48). He was carried away to Jerusalem and saw the abominations there, and also into Chaldea (8 and 11). With Zechariah like things occurred: He saw a man riding among myrtle trees (Zech. 1:8-11). He saw four horns; and afterward a man with a measuring line in his hand (1 and 2). He saw a flying roll and an ephah (5:1, 6). He saw four chariots between two mountains, and horses (6:1-8). Likewise with Daniel: He saw four beasts coming up out of the sea (Dan. 7:1-8). He saw the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, whose dominion shall not pass away, and whose kingdom shall not be destroyed (7:13, 14). He saw the battles between the ram and the he-goat (8:1-27). He saw the angel Gabriel, and he talked with him (9). The servant of Elisha saw chariots and horses of fire round about Elisha, and saw them when his eyes were opened (2 Kings 6:17). From these and many other passages in the Word it is evident that those things which exist in the spiritual world have appeared to many, both before and since the Lord's coming. What marvel, then, that they should be seen now also, when a New Church is commencing, or when the New Jerusalem is descending from heaven? A THEOREM PROPOSED BY A CERTAIN DUKE, AN ELECTOR IN GERMANY, WHO ALSO ENJOYED THE HIGHEST ECCLESIASTICAL DIGNITY. I once saw in the spiritual world a certain duke, an elector in Germany, who also enjoyed the highest ecclesiastical dignity, and near him two bishops and two ministers, and from a distance I heard their conversation. The electoral duke asked the four bystanders whether they knew what constitutes the head of religion in Christendom. The bishops replied, "The head of religion in Christendom is faith alone justifying and saving." Again he asked, "Do you know what lies concealed within that faith? Open it, look into it, and tell me." They replied, "That there was nothing concealed within it but the merit and righteousness of the Lord the Savior." To this the electoral duke answered, "Is there not concealed in it, then, the Lord the Savior in His Human, in which He is called Jesus Christ, because He alone in His Human is Righteousness?" To this they replied, "That certainly and inseparably follows." The electoral duke persisted, saying, "Open that faith, look into it further, examine it well, and see whether there is not something else in it." And the ministers said, "The grace of God the Father is also concealed in it." To this the electoral duke answered, "Obtain a right conception and perception of the subject, and you will see that it is the Son's grace with the Father, for the Son begs and intercedes. Therefore I say to you, since you confess, revere, and kiss that faith alone of yours, you ought by all means to confess, revere, and kiss the Lord the Savior in His Human alone; for, as just said, He in His Human was and is Righteousness. That in this Human He is also Jehovah and God I saw in the Sacred Writings from the following passages: Behold, the days will come, when I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as a King and prosper; and this is His name whereby He shall be called, Jehovah our Righteousness (Jer. 23:5, 6; 33:15, 16). In Paul: In Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fullness of Deity bodily (Col. 2:9). And in John: Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life (1 Epistle 5:20). Wherefore He is also called: The God of faith (Phil. 3:9). INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS [This is the Author's Index. The figures refer to the numbered paragraphs] I. I heard certain new-comers in the spiritual world talking together about three Divine persons from eternity; and then a certain one who in the world had been a primate opened the ideas of his thought respecting that mystery, saying that it had been and still was his opinion that the three sit upon high thrones in heaven, God the Father upon a throne of the finest gold, with a scepter in His hand; God the Son at His right hand, upon a throne of the purest silver with a crown on His head; and God the Holy Spirit upon a throne of shining crystal, holding in His hand a dove, in the form of which He appeared when Christ was baptized, with lamps hanging around about them in triple order, glittering with precious stones; while at a distance innumerable angels were standing in a circle, worshiping and singing praises. He also spoke of the Holy Spirit, how He introduces faith, purifies and justifies. He said that many of his order favored his ideas, and he trusted that I also as a layman gave them credit. But as an opportunity to speak was then given me, I said that from my childhood I have cherished the idea that God is one. I therefore explained to him what the trinity involves, and what is signified by throne, scepter, and crown, where these in the Word are ascribed with God. To this I added that all who believe in three Divine persons from eternity must necessarily believe in three Gods; and, furthermore, that the Divine essence cannot be divided (n. 16). II. A discourse of the angels about God,-that His Divine is the Divine Being (Esse) in itself, and not from itself; and that it is One, the Same, the Itself, and Indivisible; also that God is not in place, but is present with those who are in place; and that His Divine love appears to the angels as a sun, the heat from it being in its essence love, and the light therefrom in its essence wisdom (n. 25). That the proceeding Divine attributes which are creation, redemption, and regeneration, are attributes of one God, and not of three (n. 26). III. Perceiving that avast multitude of men are in the persuasion that all things belong to nature, and consequently that nature is the creator of the universe, in a certain gymnasium where there were persons of this kind I spoke with a certain gifted man respecting these three things: (1) Whether nature is a property of life, or life of nature; (2) Whether the center is from the expanse, or the expanse is from the center; (3) Respecting the center and the expanse of nature and of life; that the center of nature is the sun of the natural world, and the expanse itself of that center is its world; and that the center of life is the sun of the spiritual world, and the expanse itself of that center is its world. These propositions were discussed on both sides, and lastly it was shown what the truth is (n. 35) 5) IV. I was conducted to a kind of theater of wisdom where angelic spirits from the four quarters were assembled with an injunction from heaven to discuss three arcana: (1) What is the image of God, and what is the likeness of God. (2) Why is not man born into the knowledge proper to any love, when even the beasts and the birds are born into the knowledge proper to all their loves. (3) What do the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil signify. And further, they were to unite the answers to these three in one opinion, and refer this to the angels of heaven; this was done, the opinion was referred, and was accepted by the angels (n. 48). V. From evil spirits who were just above hell a sound was heard like the roaring of the sea; which was from a tumult that arose among them from their hearing it said above them that the Almighty God had bound Himself to order. A certain one ascending therefrom, addressed me sharply on the matter, saying that as God is omnipotent He is not bound to any order. And on being questioned about order, I said: (1) God is Order itself. (2) He created man from order, in order, and for order. (3) He created man's rational mind in accordance with the order of the spiritual world, and his body in accordance with the order of the natural world. (4) Therefore it is a law of order that man from his little spiritual world or little heaven should govern his little cosmos or little natural world, just as God from His great heaven or spiritual world governs His great cosmos or natural world. (5) Many other laws of order flow forth from these, some of which are recited. What afterward befell those spirits is described (n. 71). VI. Concerning the reasoning between certain Dutch and British in the spiritual world on the subject of imputation and predestination; on the one side, why God, since He is omnipotent, does not impute the righteousness of His Son to every man, and thus make them redeemed, for being omnipotent, He is able to make all the satans of hell angels of heaven; and even, if it be His good pleasure, He can make Lucifer, the dragon, and all the goats, to be archangels; and what is needed for this but a little word? On the other side, that God is Order itself, and that He can do nothing contrary to the laws of His order; because to act contrary to them would be to act contrary to Himself. Also much beside, about which they contended on this subject (n. 72). VII. I afterward spoke with others who had believed in predestination, deducing it from God's absolute power or omnipotence; saying that otherwise God would have less power than a king in the world who is a despot, and who can as easily change the laws of justice as he can turn his hands, and can act without restriction, like Octavius Augustus and also like Nero. To which it was answered, that God created the world and each and all things thereof, from Himself as Order, and thus impressed order upon them; also that the laws of His order are just as many as are the truths in the Word. Some of the laws of order were then recited, - what they are, and the nature of them, on God's part, and also on man's part. These cannot be changed, because God is Order itself: and man was created an image of His order (n. 73). VIII. I spoke with clergymen and laymen who had gathered together, concerning the Divine omnipotence; and they said that omnipotence is unlimited, and that limited omnipotence is a contradiction. To this it was answered, that there is no contradiction in acting omnipotently according to laws of justice with judgment. It is said in David that "Justice and judgment are the support of God's throne" (Ps. 89:14); and that there is no contradiction in acting omnipotently according to the laws of love and wisdom; but there is a contradiction in God's being able to act contrary to the laws of justice and love; which would be to act from what is not judgment and wisdom; and such contradiction is implied in the faith of the church of the present day, which is that God is able to make an unjust man just, and endow the impious with all the gifts of salvation and the rewards of life. With much more concerning this faith and concerning omnipotence (n. 74). IX. When I was once meditating upon the creation of the universe by God, I was led in the spirit to certain wise ones who at first complained of the ideas they had acquired in the world which related to the creation of the universe out of chaos, and creation out of nothing; because these ideas obscure meditation upon the creation of the universe by God, and degrade and pervert it. Therefore when asked for my opinion, I replied that it is idle to try to form any but a speculative conclusion about the creation of the universe, unless it is known that there are two worlds, the spiritual and the natural, and that in each of these is a sun; and that the sun of the spiritual world, in the midst of which is God, is nothing but love, and that from it are all spiritual things, which in themselves are substantial; while the sun of the natural world is nothing but fire, and from it are all natural things, which in themselves are material. From these knowledges it can be concluded in regard to the creation of the universe, that it is from God, and how. This was also slightly traced out (n. 76). X. Some satans of hell desired to talk with the angels of heaven, for the purpose of convincing them that all things are from nature, and that God is a mere word unless nature is meant. They were permitted to ascend. Then certain angels descended from heaven into the world of spirits to hear them. When the satans saw the angels they ran up to them furiously and said, "You are called angels because you believe that there is a God, and that nature is relatively nothing; this you believe although it is contrary to every sense; for which of your five senses has a sensation of anything but nature?" After these and many other bitter words, the angels called to the remembrance of the satans that they were then living after death, although formerly they had not even believed that they would so live; and then they caused them to see the beautiful and splendid things of heaven, and told them that these were there because all there believe in God; and afterward they caused them to see the vile and filthy things of hell, and told them that these were there because those there believe in nature. From seeing these things the satans were at first convinced that there is a God and that He created nature; but as they descended, the love of evil returned and closed their understanding from above; and when this was closed they believed as before, that all things are of nature, and nothing of God (n. 77). XI. A type of the creation of the universe was shown me in a living way, by angels. I was conducted into heaven; and it was granted me to see there all things of the animal kingdom, of the vegetable kingdom, and of the mineral kingdom, which were in every respect like the objects of those three kingdoms in the natural world. And then they said, All these things in heaven are created in a moment by God, and they continue to exist as long as the angels are interiorly as to their thought in a state of love and faith; and this instantaneous creation furnishes a clear proof of the creation of similar things, and even a similar creation, in the natural world, with the sole difference that natural things invest spiritual things, and that this clothing was provided by God for the sake of generations one from another, by which creation is perpetuated. Consequently, the creation of the universe was effected in a way similar to that in which it is effected every moment in heaven. Nevertheless, all the noxious and hideous things in the three kingdoms of nature (which are enumerated), were not created by God, but sprang up along with hell (n. 78). XII. In a conversation relating to the creation of the universe, with some who when in the world had been celebrated for learning, these spoke from the same ideas that they had formerly entertained. One of them said that nature created itself; another, that nature gathered its elements into vortices, and that by the collision of these the earth was formed; and a third that the origin of all things was chaos which in extent had equalled a great part of the universe; and that first there burst forth therefrom the purest elements, of which the sun and stars were formed; and afterwards those less pure, of which the atmospheres were formed; and at last the grosser matters, of which the terraqueous globe was formed. To the question, "What was the origin of human souls?" they answered, that the ether gathered itself into little individual globules, and that these infuse themselves into those who are about to be born, and make their souls; and that after death these globules fly away to their former company in the ether, and afterward return into others according to the doctrine of metempsychosis of the ancients. After this a certain priest, by solid arguments in favor of the creation of the universe by God showed all the things which they had said to be an absurd medley, and put them to shame. But still they held to their former delusions (n. 79). XIII. A conversation with a certain satan about God, and the angelic heaven, and religion; who, not knowing that he was not still in the former world, declared that God is the universe, and that the angelic heaven is the atmospheric firmament, and that religion is nothing but a bewitchment of the common people, besides other follies. But when it was brought to his remembrance that he was then living after death, and that he formerly did not believe in that life, for the moment he confessed that he was insane; but as soon as he turned and went away he was as insane as before (n. 80). XIV. I saw by night an ignis fatuus, often called a dragon, falling toward the earth. I noticed the place where it fell; the ground there was sulphurous, mixed with iron dust. And looking there in the morning, I saw two tents; and just then a spirit fell from heaven. I went to him and asked why he had fallen down from heaven. He replied that he was cast down by the angels of Michael, for saying that God the Father and His Son are two, and not one. He also said that the whole angelic heaven believes that God the Father and His Son are one, as soul and body are one, and that they prove this by many things from the Word and still further from the reason, that the soul of a son is from the father only, and that this is a likeness of the father and from it the likeness is in the body. And he added that he indeed had confessed in heaven, as before on earth, that God is one; but because the confession of the mouth and the thought of the mind disagreed in regard to this, they said in heaven that he did not believe in any God, because the confession and the thought dissipate each other; and he said that this was the cause of his being cast down. Returning the next day to the same place, instead of the two tents I saw two statues composed of the same sort of dust, which was a mixture of sulphur and iron. One of these represented the faith and the other the charity of the church of the present day, both beautifully clothed; but the garments were induced by fantasies. And because they were made of dust, when the rain descended from heaven both of them began to effervesce and burn (n. 110). XV. In the spiritual world it is unlawful to say anything except what one thinks; if he does, the hypocrisy is distinctly manifest to the ear. In hell, therefore, no one can utter the name Jesus, because Jesus signifies salvation. In this way an experiment was made to ascertain how many in the Christian world at this day believe that Christ even as to His Human is God. Therefore, when many of the clergy and laity were assembled, it was proposed that they say "Divine Human;" but there were scarcely any who were able to draw forth from the thought these two words at once, and so to utter them. It was proved in their presence by many things out of the Word, that the Lord even as to His Human is God as by the following: (Matt. 28:18; John 1:1, 2, 14; 17:2; Col. 2:9; 1 John 5:20; and in other places also); still they were not able to utter the words Divine Human,- and, what seemed surprising, neither were the Evangelicals able to do this, although their orthodoxy teaches that in Christ God is Man and Man is God; and still more, neither could the monks, although they most devoutly adore the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. From all this it was ascertained that Christians at the present day for the most part are interiorly either Arians or Socinians; and that these, if they adore Christ as God, are hypocrites (n. 111). XVI. An altercation about a little book entitled, A Brief Exposition of the Doctrine of the New Church, published by me at Amsterdam; and especially about this doctrine in it, that not God the Father, but the Lord God the Redeemer is to be approached and worshiped. It was argued that on the other hand it is said in the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name: Thy kingdom come," And that consequently it is God the Father who is to be approached. I was summoned to end this strife; and I then showed that God the Father cannot be approached in His Divine, but only in His Human; and as the Divine and Human in Him are one Person, that the Lord is that Father. This also was proved by the Word; both by the Word of the Old Testament, where the Son of God is called Father of Eternity, and in many places called Jehovah the Redeemer, Jehovah our Righteousness, and the God of Israel, and from many passages in the Word of the New Testament; consequently when the Lord the Redeemer is approached, the Father is approached; and then His name is hallowed, and His kingdom comes. With much beside (n. 112). XVII. I saw an army on red and black horses, with the faces of all the riders turned to the horses' tails, and with the hinder part of the head turned towards the horses' heads; they were crying out for battle against those who were riding on white horses. This ludicrous army was from the place called Armageddon (Apoc. 16:16), and consisted of those who in youth had become imbued with the dogmas relating to justification by faith alone, but who afterwards, when they had been promoted to prominent offices, had rejected all things pertaining to faith and religion from the internals of their minds to the externals of their bodies, where at last they disappeared. A description of those who were seen in Armageddon; and it was heard that they wished to meet and contend with the angels of Michael; which was permitted, although at some distance from that place. The contention was about the meaning of these words in the Lord's Prayer; "Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come." It was then said by the angels of Michael that the Lord the Redeemer and Saviour is Father to all in the heavens; since He taught, that the Father and He are one; that the Father is in Him, and He in the Father; and that he that sees Him sees the Father: that all things of the Father are in Him; also that it is the will of the Father that men should believe in the Son, and that those who believe not the Son shall not see life, but that the wrath of God will abide on them; also, that He has all power in heaven and on earth; and that He has power over all flesh; and moreover, that no one has seen or can see God the Father, except the Son only who is in the bosom of the Father; and more besides. After this combat, some of the vanquished Armageddons were cast into the abyss mentioned in Apoc. 9, and some of them were banished into a desert (n. 113). XVIII. I was in a temple in which there were no windows, but a large opening in the roof, and those assembled there were conferring about Redemption, saying unanimously that redemption was wrought by the passion of the cross. But while they were engaged in that conversation, a black cloud covered the opening in the roof, and because of this it became dark in the temple; but a little after that cloud was dispelled by angels descending from heaven, who then sent down one of their number into the temple to instruct them about redemption. He said that the passion of the cross was not redemption, but redemption was the subjugation of the hells, the restoration of order in the heavens, and thus the restitution of all things which were in disorder both in the spiritual world and in the natural world, and that without it no flesh could have been saved. And of the passion of the cross he said, that by it was completed the inmost union with the Father; and that when it is taken for redemption many things unworthy of God, and even unfit to be spoken, follow as consequences; as that He passed sentence of damnation upon the whole human race, and that the Son took that damnation upon Himself, and that thus He propitiated the Father, and by intercession brought Him back to His Divine essence, which is love and mercy; besides many other things, which it is scandalous to attribute to God (n. 134). XIX. The sun of the spiritual world was seen, wherein is Jehovah God in His Human. Presently there was heard from heaven, that God is One. But when this descended into the world of spirits it was changed according to the forms of the minds there, and finally into the expression three Gods. This was confirmed by one there by this reasoning: that there is one who created all things, another who redeemed all, and a third who operates all things; also that there is one who imputes, another who mediates, and a third who inscribes, and thus implants faith in man, by which He justifies him. But because the belief in three Gods had perverted the whole Christian church, from a perception granted me I disclosed to them what, with the one God, is meant by mediation, intercession, propitiation, and expiation; namely, that these four are attributes of the Human of Jehovah God; that because Jehovah God without the Human cannot approach man, nor be approached by man, mediation means that the Human is the intermediary; that intercession means that it mediates perpetually; that propitiation means that an approach is mercifully opened for every man to God; and that expiation means that this is also for sinners; and all these through the Human (n. 135). XX. I entered a gymnasium, where they were discussing what is meant where it is said of the Son of God, that He sits at the right hand of the Father. Concerning this there were various opinions; yet it was the opinion of all that the Son actually sits thus; but they were discussing why it was so. Some supposed that it was done on account of redemption; some that it was from love; some, that He might be a counselor; some, that He might have honor from the angels; some, because it was given Him to reign instead of the Father; some, that His right ear may hear those for whom He intercedes. They further discussed whether it was the Son of God from eternity who sits thus, or the Son of God born in the world. Having heard these things, I raised my hand, requesting that I might be permitted to say something, and to tell what is meant by sitting at the right hand of God. I said that it is the omnipotence of God, by means of the Human which He assumed that is meant; for by means of this He wrought redemption, that is, subjugated the hells, created a new angelic heaven, and established a new church. That this is meant by sitting at the right hand, I proved from the Word, in which "the right hand" signifies power; and afterwards it was confirmed from heaven, by the appearance of a right hand over them, from the power of which and the terror therefrom they all became almost lifeless (n. 136). XXI. I was conducted in the spiritual world to a certain synod at which were assembled celebrated persons who lived before the Nicene council, and who were called Apostolic Fathers; also men renowned in the ages after that council; and I saw that some of the latter appeared with beardless chins, and in curled wigs of women's hair; but all the former with bearded chin, and in natural hair. In front of them stood a man, a judge and critic of the writings of the present century, who began by a kind of lamentation, saying, "A man from the laity has risen up, who has dragged down our faith out of its sanctuary, which yet is a star shining day and night before us; but this is done because that man is blind to the mysteries of that faith, and does not see in it the righteousness of Christ, and thus not the wonders of its justification; and yet that faith is a faith in three Divine persons, and thus in the whole Deity; and because He has transferred his faith to the second Person, and not even to Him, but to His Human, it cannot be otherwise than that naturalism should flow from it." Those who lived after the Nicene council favored his speech, saying, that it is impossible that there should be any other faith, or from any other source. But the Apostolic Fathers, who had lived before that age, being indignant, related many things which are said in heaven respecting the Nicene and Athanasian faith, which may be seen [in the text]. But because the president of the council was affiliated in spirit with that writer in Leipsic, I addressed him, and showed from the Word that Christ, even as to the Human, is God; and also from the dogmatic book of the Evangelicals called Formula Concordiae, "That in Christ God is Man, and Man God;" as also that the Augsburg Confession especially approves of the worship of Christ; besides other things; at which he was silent, and turned away. Afterwards I spoke with a certain spirit who was affiliated with an eminent man in Gottenburg, who defiled the worship of the Lord with a still greater reproach. But at length both of these slanders were declared to be lies craftily invented to turn away men's wills and deter them from the holy worship of the Lord (n. 137). XXII. There appeared a smoke ascending from the lower earth, and it was said that smokes are nothing else than falsities collected together. And then certain angels were seized with a desire to ascertain what the falsities were that thus smoked; and they descended, and found four crowds of spirits, two of which were of the learned and unlearned of the clergy, and two of the learned and unlearned of the laity, who were all proving to each other that an invisible God is to be worshiped, and that the worshipers then secure holiness and a hearing. It is otherwise when a visible God is worshiped. Holiness and a hearing from an invisible God they proved by various things; for which reason they acknowledge three Gods from eternity, who are invisible. But it was shown that the worship of an invisible God, and still more of three invisible ones, is no worship. To confirm this, Socinus and Arius with some of their followers, all of whom had worshiped an invisible Divinity, were brought forth from below; and when these spoke from the natural or external mind, they said that there is a God, although He is invisible; but when their external mind was closed, and the internal mind was opened, and from that mind they were compelled to avow their belief respecting God, they said, "What is God? We have neither seen His shape, nor heard His voice. What then is God, but a figment of reason or nature?" But they were taught that it had pleased God to descend and assume the Human, that they might see His shape and hear His voice. But this was said to them in vain (n. 159). XXIII. First concerning the stars in the natural world; that perhaps they were of the same number as the angelic societies in heaven, since every society there sometimes shines like a star. Afterwards, I spoke with the angels about a certain way that appears crowded with innumerable spirits, that it is the way by which all who depart out of the natural world pass into the spiritual world. I went in company with angels towards that way, and we called from that way twelve men, and asked them what they believed about heaven and hell and a life after death. And because they were recently from the world, and did not know but what they were still in the natural world, they answered from the idea which they brought with them The First. That all who live a moral life go to heaven; and as all do live a moral life no one goes to hell. The Second, That God rules heaven, and the devil rules hell; and because they are opposite, one calls good what the other calls evil; and that the man who is a dissembler, because he sides with both, can live equally under the dominion of the one and of the other. The Third, That there is no heaven, and no hell. "Who has come thence and told us?" The Fourth, That no one is able to come back and tell, because man, when he dies, is either a ghost or a wind. The Fifth, That we must wait till the day of the last judgment, and then it will be told, and you will know all about it. But when he said this he laughed in his heart. The Sixth, "How can the soul of man, which is only a wind, re-enter its body that has been eaten up by worms, or be clothed with a skeleton that has either been dried up or has crumbled into dust? "The Seventh, That men can no more live after death than beasts and birds, are not these equally rational? The Eighth, "I believe that there is a heaven, but I do not believe that there is a hell, because God is omnipotent, and is able to save all. "The Ninth, That God, because He is gracious, cannot send any one into eternal fire. The Tenth, That no one can go to hell, because God sent His Son, who has made expiation for all, and taken away the sins of all. What can the devil do against that? The Eleventh, who was a priest, That those only are saved, who have attained to faith, and that election is according to the will of the Almighty. The Twelfth, who was a politician, "I do not say anything about heaven and hell; but let the priests preach about them, that the minds of the common people may be kept bound by an invisible bond to the laws and rulers." On hearing these things the angels were astonished; but they waked up the twelve by teaching them that they were already living after death; and they conducted them into heaven, but they did not stay there long, because. it was found that they were merely natural, and that from this the hinder part of their heads was hollow; concerning which hollowness and the cause of it, something is lastly said (n. 160). XXIV. There was heard a noise like that of a mill, and following the noise I saw a house full of chinks, to which there was an entrance opening under ground, and in it a man collecting from the Word and books many things concerning justification by faith alone; and at his side copyists were writing his collections upon paper; and when asked what he was now collecting, he said, "This, that God the Father ceased to be gracious towards the human race, and that He therefore sent the Son to make expiation and propitiation. "To which I answered, that it is contrary to Scripture and contrary to reason, that God could fail of grace, for this would be also failing of His essence, and thus He would not be God. And when I demonstrated this even to conviction, he grew warm, and ordered his copyists to cast me out. But when I had gone out of my own accord, he threw after me a book that he happened to lay hand upon; and that book was the Word (n. 161). XXV. There was a discussion among spirits whether one can see any genuine truth in the Word unless he goes immediately to the Lord who is the Word itself. But as some objected to this an experiment was made; and therein those who went to God the Father, did not see any truth; but all who went to the Lord saw. During this discussion some spirits ascended from the abyss (see Apoc. 9), where they discuss the mysteries of justification by faith alone, saying that they go to God the Father and see their mysteries in clear light. But it was answered that they see them in fatuous light, and that they have not even a single truth; at which, being nettled, they brought forth from the Word many things which were true; but they were told that while these were true in themselves, they were falsified in them. That this was so, was proved by their being led into a house where there was a table upon which light from heaven flowed directly; and they were told to write those truths which they had brought forth from the Word upon paper, and lay it upon that table; and when this was done, the paper on which the truths had been written shone like a star; but when they came up and fixed their gaze upon it, the paper appeared blackened as if by soot. Afterwards they were led to another similar table, upon which lay the Word encircled with a rainbow; and when a certain champion of the doctrine of faith alone touched this with his hand there was an explosion as if from a gun, and he was cast into a corner of the room, and lay as (lead for half an hour. From all this they were convinced that all the truths that they had from the Word were true in themselves but falsified in them (n. 162). XXVI. There are climates in the spiritual world, as in the natural world; thus also there are northern zones where are snow and ice. On one occasion, being brought thither in spirit, I entered a temple then covered over with snow, illuminated within by lamps, and behind the altar there was seen a tablet, upon which was written this, The Divine Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are essentially one, but personally three. And I heard a priest preaching about four mysteries of faith respecting which the understanding is to be kept under obedience to faith, which may be seen [in the text]. After the discourse, the hearers thanked the priest for his sermon so rich in wisdom. But when I asked them whether they understood anything, they answered, "We took in everything with full ears; why do you ask whether we understood? Is not the understanding benumbed by such matters?" To this the priest who was present added, "Forasmuch as you have heard and have not understood, you are blessed, for thereby you have salvation." And other things (n. 185). XXVII. The human mind is divided into three regions, like the heaven in which angels dwell; and in those who love truths because they are truths theological matters have their seat in the highest region of the mind; and under these, in the middle region, moral subjects, and beneath these in the lowest region, political subjects; and the various sciences constitute the door. But theological matters with those who do not love truths have their seat in the lowest region, and mingle themselves there with what is man's own, and thus with the fallacies of the senses; and for this reason some cannot perceive theological principles at all (n. 186). XXVIII. I was brought to a place where those were who are meant by "the false prophet" in the Apocalypse; and I was invited by those there to see their temple. I followed and saw it, and in it the image of a woman clad in a scarlet robe, holding in her right hand a golden coin, and in her left a chain of pearls; but these appearances were produced through fantasy. But when the interiors of my mind were opened by the Lord, instead of the temple there was seen a house full of chinks; and instead of the woman there was seen a beast, such as is described in the Apocalypse (13:2); and under the floor there was a bog, in which lay the Word, deeply concealed. But presently, an east wind springing up, the temple was carried away, and the bog was dried up, and the Word lay exposed; and then, by the light from heaven, there appeared there a tabernacle like that of Abraham when the three angels came slid foretold to him the birth of Isaac; and afterwards, light being sent forth from the second heaven, instead of the tabernacle there appeared a temple similar to that of Jerusalem; and after this a light shone upon it from the third heaven, and then the temple disappeared, and the Lord alone was seen standing upon the foundation stone where the Word was. But because an overpowering sanctity then filled their minds this light was withdrawn, and in place of it light from the second heaven was let in, which caused the previous view of the temple to return, and also that of the tabernacle within it (n. 187). XXIX. There was seen a magnificent palace, in which there was a temple, and in this seats were placed in triple order. In it there was a council convoked by the Lord, in which they were to deliberate concerning the Lord the Saviour, and concerning the Holy Spirit. When as many of the clergy were present as there were seats, they began the council. And because they were to consult in regard to the Lord, the first proposition was, Who assumed the Human in the virgin Mary? And then the angel standing beside the table read before them what the angel Gabriel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and the holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35; and also from Matt. 1:20, 25); and many other things from the Prophets, that Jehovah Himself was to come into the world, and that Jehovah Himself is called Saviour, Redeemer and Righteousness; from which it was concluded that Jehovah Himself assumed the Human. Another deliberation concerning the Lord, was, Whether the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are not thus one, as soul and body are one; and this was proved by many passages in the Word, and also from the creed of the present church; from which it was concluded that the soul of the Lord is from God the Father, and consequently that His Human is Divine; and that the Human is to be approached that the Father may be approached, since by means of it Jehovah God sent Himself into the world and made Himself seen before the eyes of men, and thus accessible. This was followed by a third deliberation concerning the Holy Spirit; and then first the idea respecting three Divine persons from eternity was discarded, and it was proved from the Word that the Holy Divine, which is called the Holy Spirit, goes forth out of the Lord from the Father. At length, from the deliberations of this council, this conclusion was reached: That in the Lord the Saviour there is a Divine Trinity, namely, the Divine from which (a quo) which is called the Father the Divine Human which is called the Son, and the Divine going forth which is called the Holy Spirit; and that therefore in the church God is one. When the council was ended, splendid garments were given to those who sat in it and they were conducted to the new heaven (n. 188). XXX. I saw in a certain stable large purses, in which there was silver in great abundance, and near them young men as guards; in the next room, modest virgins with a chaste wife; and also in another room, two little children; and at last a harlot and dead horses. And afterwards I was taught what each of those things signified; and that by them was represented and described the Word as it is in itself and as it is at this day (n. 277). XXXI. Writing was seen, such as there is in the highest or third heaven, which consisted of inflected letters with little curves turning upwards; and it was said that the Hebrew letters in the most ancient time were somewhat like these when they were more curved than they are at this day, and that the letter h, which was added to the names of Abram and Sarai, signifies the infinite and the eternal. They explained before me the sense of some words in Psalm 32:2, from the letters or syllables alone there, which is, that the Lord is merciful even to those who do evil (n. 278). XXXII. Before the Israelitish Word there was a Word, the prophetical books of which were called Enunciations, and the historical, the Wars of Jehovah; and besides these, also one called the book of Jasher; which three are mentioned in our Word; and this ancient Word was in the land of Canaan, Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia, Assyria, Chaldea, Egypt, Tyre, Sidon, and Nineveh; but because it was full of such correspondences as remotely signify celestial and spiritual things, which gave occasion for idolatries, this Word, through Divine Providence, disappeared. I have heard that Moses transcribed from this Word the things which he related concerning the Creation, Adam and Eve, the Flood, and Noah and his three sons, but no further. And I was told in the spiritual world by the angels from Great Tartary that this same, Word is still preserved among that people, and that they draw from it the precepts of their faith and life (n. 279). XXXIII. On account of the distinction between spiritual and natural, or what is the same, between the substantial and the material, those who are in the spiritual world cannot be seen by those who are in the natural world, nor conversely; thus spirits and angels cannot be seen by men, nor men by spirits and angels. From this is the fact that spirits and angels have altogether a different language, different writing, and also different thought from what men have. That this is so, was made evident by living experience, which was done by their going in turn to their associates, and returning to me, and thus comparing. In this way it was discovered, that there is not even one word of spiritual language that is like any word of natural language; and that their writing consists of syllables, each of which involves a meaning pertaining to the subject; and that the ideas of their thought do not fall into the ideas of natural thought. The cause of these differences is, that spirits and angels are in principles, but men in derivatives; or that the former are in prior things which as causes are the origin of posterior things, and that men are in posterior things from those that are prior. It was said that there is a like difference between the languages, writings, and thoughts, of the angels of the third heaven and those of the angels of the second (n. 280). XXXIV. On the state of men after death, in general, and the state of those who have confirmed themselves in falsities, in particular. In regard to all of these the following things were observed: (1) For the most part men are commonly resuscitated the third day after death, and then they do not know but that they are still living in the former world. (2) All go to the world which is intermediate between heaven and hell, which is called the world of spirits. (3) There they are transferred into various societies, and thus their characters are ascertained. (4) There the good and faithful are prepared for heaven, and the evil and unfaithful for hell. (5) After the preparation, which continues for some years, a way is opened for the good to some society in heaven where they are to live forever, but a way for the evil into hell; besides many more things. Afterwards the nature of hell is described; and it is stated that those there who are in falsities from confirmation are called satans and those who are in evils of life are called devils (n. 281). XXXV. From the lower earth, which is next above hell, I heard shouts, "0 how just! 0 how learned! 0 how wise!" and because I wondered how there could be any just, learned, and wise persons in hell, I descended, and first went to the place where they were crying, "0 how just!" and I saw there, as it were, a tribunal, and in it unjust judges who could skillfully pervert the laws, and turn judgments to the favor of any one whatever; and that thus their judgments were purely arbitrary judgments; and when the sentences were carried out to the clients, they cried out for a long distance, "O how just." Concerning these the angels afterwards said, that such are unable to see any least particle of what is just. After a while these judges were cast into hell, and their books were turned into playing-cards, and instead of judging, they were assigned to the task of preparing paint, with which they daubed the faces of harlots, and thus turned them into beauties (n. 332). XXXVI. Afterwards I went to the place where they were crying out, "0 how learned" and I saw a company of those who were reasoning whether a thing is so or not, but not thinking that it is so; and therefore they stopped at the first step concerning any subject whatever; thus they merely touched it from without and did not enter into it; so they also argue concerning God, whether there is a God. That I might know for certain whether their character was such I put to them the question, What kind of religion is necessary for the salvation of man? They answered, "It must be considered (1) Whether religion is anything. (2) Whether one religion is more efficacious than another. (3) Whether there is any eternal life, and thus whether there is any salvation. (4) Is there a heaven and a hell?" And then they began to discuss the first, Whether religion is anything. And they said that this required so much investigation that it could not be finished in the space of a year; and one among them said, that it could not be finished in a hundred years; to which I replied that in the meantime they would be without religion. But still they discussed this first point so skillfully that the company standing by cried, "0 how learned!" I was told by the angels, that such appear like graven images; and that afterwards they are sent out into deserts, where among themselves they gabble and talk nothing but nonsense (n. 333). XXXVII. I went on further to the third company, where I heard the cry, "0 how wise!" and I found assembled there those who are unable to see whether truth is truth or not, and yet are able to make whatever they wish seem true, and are therefore called Confirmers. That they were such, I also saw from various answers to propositions as that they could make it true that faith is the all of the church, and afterwards that charity is the all of the church, and also that faith and charity together are the all of the church; and because they confirmed whichever of these they liked, and adorned them with appearances so that they shone like truths, therefore the by-standers cried, "0 how wise!" Afterwards some ludicrous things, also, were proposed to them, that they might make them true; for they say that there is nothing true, except what man makes true. The ludicrous things were these: that light is darkness, and darkness light; and also that a crow is white, and not black; which two they made to appear as wholly true. The arguments for these may be seen in the text. I was told by the angels that such do not possess a single grain of understanding, since all that is above the rational with them is closed, while all below the rational is open; and by this man can confirm whatever he pleases, but cannot see any truth to be truth therefore, this does not belong to a man of understanding, but it does belong to him to be able to see that truth is truth and that falsity is falsity, and to confirm it (n. 334). XXXVIII. I spoke with spirits who, in the natural world, had been famed for erudition, who were disputing among themselves about connate ideas, whether men have any, as beasts have; and then a certain angelic spirit thrust himself in and said, "You are disputing about goat's wool. Men have no connate ideas, neither have beasts. "At which words all were enraged. But afterwards, opportunity to speak being given, he spoke first concerning beasts, saying, "They have no connate ideas; for the reason that they do not think, but only act from instinct, which they have from their natural love, which makes in them something analogous to a will, and this flows immediately into the senses of their body and excites that which agrees with and favors the love; and yet ideas are predicable only of thought. "That beasts have sensation only and not thought, he confirmed by various things, especially by the wonderful things which are known respecting spiders, bees, and silk-worms, saying, "Does a spider think in its little head, when it forms its web, that the web is to be so woven for the rake of such or such uses? Does a bee think in its little head, 'From these flowers I will suck honey, and from these I will gather wax, out of which I will build compact rows of little cells, and in these I will put honey in abundance that it may be sufficient also for the winter?' besides other things. Does the silkworm think in its little head, 'Now I will betake myself to spinning silk, and when I have spun it I will fly forth and sport with my companions, and provide for myself posterity?' besides like things with beasts and birds." Concerning men he said, that every mother and nurse, and the father also, know that new-born infants have no connate ideas, and that they have no ideas at all until they have learned to think, and that then ideas arise and are produced according to every kind of thought which they have imbibed by instruction; and that this is so because man has nothing born in him except a capacity to know, to understand and to be wise, and an inclination to love not only himself and the world, but also the neighbor and God. These things Leibnitz and Wolfe heard at a distance; and Leibnitz favored, but Wolfe did not (n. 335). XXXIX. Once a certain angelic spirit illustrated what faith and charity are, and what their conjunction effects. He illustrated it by comparison with light and heat, which meet together in a third; because the light in heaven in its essence is the truth of faith, and the heat there in its essence is the good of charity; therefore as light without heat, such as there is in winter-time in the world, strips the trees of leaves and fruits, so is faith separated from charity; and as light conjoined to heat, such as there is in spring-time, vivifies all things, so is faith conjoined with charity (n. 385). XL. Two angels descended, one from the eastern heaven where love prevails, and the other from the southern heaven, where wisdom prevails, and spoke concerning the essence of the heavens, whether it is love or wisdom; and they agreed that it is love and wisdom therefrom; consequently, that the heavens were created by God, from love by means of wisdom (n. 386). XLI. After that, I entered a garden, where I was led around by a certain spirit, and at length to a palace which was called the Temple of Wisdom. This was four-square, the walls of crystal, the roof of jasper, the substructure of various precious stones. And he said that no one can enter it who does not believe that what he knows, understands, and is wise in, compared with what he does not know and understand and is not wise in, is relatively so little that it is scarcely anything. And because I believed this, it was granted me to enter; and it was seen that the whole of it was built to be a form of light. In that temple I related what I had lately heard from the two angels about love and wisdom; and they asked, "Did they not also speak of a third, which is use?" And they said that love and wisdom apart from use are merely ideal entities, but that in use they become real, and that it is the same with charity, faith, and good works (n. 387). XLII. One of the spirits of the dragon invited me to see the delights of his love; and he led me to something like an amphitheater, upon the seats of which sat satyrs and harlot, And then he said, "Now you shall see our sport." And he opened a door, and let in, as it were, calves, rams, kids, and lambs; and presently through another door he let in lions, panthers, tigers, and wolves, which rushed upon the flock, tearing them and slaughtering them. But all these things which were seen were induced by means of fantasies. Having seen this I said to the dragonist, "After a while you will see this theater turned into a lake of fire and brimstone "The sport being finished, the dragonist went out, attended by his satyrs and harlots, and saw a flock of sheep; from which he inferred that one of the Jerusalemite cities was near by; on seeing which, he was seized with the desire to take it and cast out the inhabitants; but because it was surrounded by a wall, he planned to take it by stratagem. And then he sent one skilled in incantation, who being admitted spoke craftily with the citizens about faith and charity; especially as to which of them is the primary, and whether charity contributes anything to salvation. But the dragonist, enraged at the answer, went out and gathered together many of his crew, and began to besiege the city; but when he was endeavoring to reach and invade it, fire out of heaven consumed them according to what is foretold in the Apocalypse (20:8, 9) (n. 388). XLIII. A paper was once sent down from heaven, in which there was an exhortation to acknowledge the Lord the Savior as the God of heaven and earth, according to His words (Matt. 28:18). But two bishops who were there were consulted as to what should be done. They said that the paper should be sent back to heaven from which it came. When this was done that society sank down, but not very deep. The next day some ascended therefrom and told what lot they had met with there; also that they went to the bishops there and reproved them for their advice, and that they had talked much about the state of the church at this day, and had censured the doctrine of the bishops regarding the Trinity, of justifying faith, of charity, and other things which pertained to their orthodoxy, and asked them to discard those doctrines because they were contrary to the Word; but to no purpose. And because they called their faith dead and diabolical, according to James in his Epistle, one of the bishops took off the miter from his head, and laid it down upon the table, saying that he would not resume it until the scoffing of his faith had been avenged. But then a monster appeared coming up from below, like the beast described in the Apocalypse (13:1, 2), which took up the miter and carried it away (n. 389). XLIV. I went to a certain house where those assembled were arguing one with another, whether the good which a man does in the state of justification by faith is the good of religion or not. There was an agreement that by the good of religion the good which contributes to salvation is meant. But the opinion of those prevailed who said that no good that is done by man contributes anything to salvation; since no voluntary good of man can be conjoined with what is free, because salvation is bestowed freely neither can any good from man be conjoined with the merit of Christ, by which alone is salvation possible; neither can the operation of man be conjoined with the operation of the Holy Spirit, that does all things without the aid of man. From which it was concluded that good works, even in the state of justification by faith, contribute nothing to salvation; but faith only. On hearing these things, two gentiles who stood at the door said to each other, "These men have no religion. Who does not know that to do good to the neighbor for God's sake, thus from God and with God, is religion?" (n. 390). XLV. I heard the angels lamenting that there is such spiritual destitution at this day in the church that they know nothing else than that there are three Divine persons from eternity, and that faith alone saves; and about the Lord they know only the historical facts; and that they are profoundly ignorant of the things that are taught in the Word respecting the Lord, His oneness with the Father, His Divinity and power. And they said that a certain angel had been sent down by them to discover whether there was such destitution at this day among Christians; and that he asked a certain one what his religion was. He answered, that it was faith. Then he asked him about redemption, regeneration, and salvation. He answered that they were all matters of faith; and also in regard to charity that it is in faith; also, whether any one can do good from himself. Afterwards the angel said to him, "You have answered like a man playing but one note on a flute; I hear only faith; but if you know nothing else but that, you know nothing." Then he led him to his companions in a desert, where there was not even grass. Besides more (n. 391). XLVI. I saw five gymnasia encompassed by different kinds of light, and with many others I entered into the first, which was seen in flame-colored light. Many were assembled there, and the president proposed that they should declare their opinions respecting charity; and when they had begun, the first said that in his opinion charity is morality inspired by faith. The second, that it is pity inspired by commiseration. The third that it is doing good to everyone, both virtuous and vicious alike. The fourth, that it is to serve by every means one's relatives and friends. The fifth, that it is giving alms to the poor and assisting the needy. The sixth, that it is building hospitals, infirmaries, and orphans' homes. The seventh, that it is to endow temples and to do good to their ministers. The eighth, that it is the old Christian brotherhood. The ninth, that it is to forgive every one his trespasses. Each of them fully confirmed his opinion; which confirmations cannot be recited because they are many; they may therefore be seen in the Memorable Relation itself. After this there was given me an opportunity to express my opinion; and I said that charity is to act with judgment from a love justice, in every employment and office but from a love derived from no other source than the Lord the Savior; and after this had been demonstrated, I added that all those things which had been said before respecting charity by the nine celebrated men were eminent examples of charity when done with judgment from justice; and because justice and judgment are from no other source than the Lord the Savior, they are to be done by man from Him. This was approved by most of them in their internal man, but not as yet in the external (n. 459). XLVII. At a distance there was heard something like the gnashing of teeth, and mingled with this a kind of beating; and I went toward the sounds, and saw a small house built of reeds plastered together; and instead of the gnashing of teeth and the sound of knocking, I heard within, in the little house, disputes about faith and charity which of them is the essential of the church. And those who were for faith brought forward their arguments, saying that faith is spiritual because it is from God, but charity natural because it is from man. On the other hand, those who were for charity said that charity is spiritual and faith is natural unless it is conjoined to charity. To these things a certain syncretist wishing to settle the dispute added to this the proof that faith is spiritual and charity only natural. But it was said that moral life is of two kinds, spiritual and natural, and that in the man who lives from the Lord it is spiritual-moral but in the man who does not live from the Lord it is natural-moral, such as exists with the evil and sometimes with the spirits in hell (n. 460). XLVIII. In spirit I was brought into a certain garden in the southern quarter, and saw certain persons sitting there under a laurel, eating figs. I asked them how they understood that man can do good from God, and yet do it altogether as if from himself. And they answered that God works good inwardly in man; but if man does it from his own will and from his own understanding, he defiles it so that it is no longer good. But to this I said that man is only an organ of life; and that if he believes in the Lord he does good of himself from the Lord; but if he does not believe in the Lord, and still more, if he does not believe in any God, he does good of himself from hell; and further, that the Lord has given to man freedom of choice in acting from the one or from the other. That the Lord has given this freedom was proved from the Word, in that He commanded man to love God and the neighbor, to perform the good works of charity as a tree produces fruit, and to keep God's commandments that he may be saved, and that everyone will be judged according to his deeds; and that these things would not have been commanded if man could not do good of himself from the Lord. When this had been said, I gave them twigs from a vine, and the twigs in their hands put forth grapes. And more beside (n. 461). XLIX. I saw a splendid dock-yard, and in it vessels large and small, and on benches there were boys and girls, who were waiting for tortoises to rise up out of the sea; and when they emerged, I saw that they had two heads; one, which at pleasure they drew back into the shell of the body, and another which appeared in form like a man, and from this they spoke with the boys and girls: and these caressed them, because of their elegant discourse and also gave them presents. When these things had been seen an angel explained what they signified; namely, that there are men in the world, and as many spirits from the world after death, who say that in those who have acquired faith God does not look at anything that they think and do, but only looks at the faith which He has stored up in the interiors of their minds; and that these same persons bring forth before the congregations in temples, holy things from the Word just as others do, but this they do from the greater head which appears as a man, into which they then insert the little one, or draw it into the body. The same persons afterwards were seen in the air in a vessel flying with seven sails, and those in it were decorated with laurels and purple garments, and they cried out that they were the chief of the wise of all the clergy. But the things seen were images of pride flowing from the ideas of the minds of such. And when they were upon the earth I spoke with them, first from reason and afterwards from the Sacred Scripture; and by many means I proved that their doctrine was unsound, and, being contrary to the Sacred Scripture, was from hell; but the arguments by which I proved this were too extended to be set forth here, but may be seen in the Relation itself. Afterwards they were seen in a sandy place, in garments of rags, and girt about the loins with network like fishers' nets, through which their nakedness was visible; and at last they were sent down into a society bordering on that of the Machiavelians (n. 462). L. An assembly was called together which sat in a circular temple, in which at the sides there were altars, and near these the members of the assembly sat; but there was no president; therefore each one of himself rushed forth into the midst and spoke out the feelings of his mind. A discussion began about Freedom of Choice in spiritual things. The first speaker, rushing forth, cried out that man has no more freedom of choice in those things than Lot's wife when turned into a statue of salt; the second, that he has no more than a beast or a dog; the third, that he has no more than a mole, or than a bird of night in the day-time; the fourth, that if man had freedom of choice in spiritual things he would become a maniac and believe himself to be as a God who can regenerate and save himself. The sixth read from a book of the Evangelical, called Formula Concordiae that man has no more freedom of choice in spiritual things than a stock or a stone, and that he has no ability whatever to understand think, or will in respect to these things, or even to adapt and accommodate himself to receive what is spiritual; besides other things (of which above, n. 464). When this had been said, and there was also given me an opportunity of speaking, I said, "What else is man, without freedom of choice in spiritual things, than a brute? And without it, of what use is anything theological?" But to this they replied, "Read our theology, and you will not find therein anything spiritual; you will find this so concealed within that not even a shadow of it appears. Therefore, read what our theology teaches respecting justification, that is, the remission of sins, regeneration, sanctification and salvation; you will not see there anything spiritual, because spiritual things flow in through faith, without any consciousness on man's part. It has also removed charity far from what is spiritual, and repentance also from contact with it. And besides, as to redemption, it attributes to God purely natural human properties, as that He included the human race under a universal damnation; that the Son took that damnation upon Himself, and thus propitiated the Father; and what else are intercession and mediation with the Father? From all this it is clear that in all our theology there is nothing spiritual, and not even what is rational, but merely what is natural below them." But then suddenly a thunderbolt was heard from heaven, and the assembly, seized with terror, rushed forth, and each fled to his own home (n. 503). LI. I talked with two spirits, one of whom loved good and truth, and the other evil and falsity; and I found that both enjoyed the same ability to think rationally. But when the one who loved evil and falsity was left to himself, I saw a kind of smoke that arose from hell and extinguished the lucidity which was above his memory; but when the one who loved good and truth was left to himself, I saw, as it were, a gentle flame descending from heaven and illuminating the region of his mind above the memory, and from that the things below it. Afterwards I spoke with the one who loved evil and falsity respecting freedom of choice in spiritual things; and at the mere mention of it he fired up and cried out that no one can move his foot or hand to do any spiritual good, or his tongue and lips to speak any spiritual truth, and thus that he cannot even adapt and accommodate himself to receive any such thing. He said, "Is not man in such things dead, and merely passive? How can what is dead or merely passive do good and speak truth of itself? Does not our church so speak?" But the other, who loved good and truth spoke thus respecting freedom of choice in spiritual things: "Without it what would the whole Word be, or what the church, what religion, what the worship of God, thus what the ministry? And from the light of my understanding, I know that man without that spiritual freedom would not be man but a beast; for man is man and not a beast because of that freedom; and moreover, man without freedom of choice in spiritual things would have no life after death, thus no eternal life, because no conjunction with God; therefore, to deny this is the part of those who are insane in spiritual things." Afterwards there was seen an appearance of a fiery serpent upon a tree, which handed fruit therefrom to him who denied freedom of choice in spiritual things; and when this had been eaten a smoke appeared ascending from hell, which extinguished the light in the higher part of his rational mind (n. 504). LII. There was heard a grating sound like that of two mill-stones grinding on each other; and I went up to where the sound began and saw a house in which were many little cells, and in these the learned of this age were sitting and confirming justification by faith alone; and going up to one, I asked what he was now studying. He answered, "Concerning the Act of Justification which is the head of all things of doctrine in our orthodoxy." And I asked whether he knew any sign by which to tell when justifying faith enters, and when it has entered. And he said, that this is done passively, and not actively. To which I replied, "If you take away what is active in it, you also take away receptivity; and thus that act would be a purely ideal thing, such as is called a figment of reason, thus nothing more than the state of Lot's wife, composed of mere salt which tinkles when scratched by a scribe's pen or fingernail." The man growing warm picked up a candlestick, to throw it at me; but the light going out suddenly he threw it at his companion (n. 505). LIII. There appeared two flocks, one of goats and the other of sheep; but when they were viewed closely, in place of goats and sheep men were seen; and it was perceived that the flock of goats consisted of those who make faith alone saving, and the flock of sheep of those who make charity and faith together saving. To the inquiry why they were there, those who were seen as goats said that they were sitting as a council because it had been disclosed to them that the saying of Paul, "That man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Rom. 3:28)" is not rightly understood; because by "faith" here is not meant the faith of this day, but faith in the Lord the Savior; and by "the deeds of the law" are not meant the deeds of the law of the Decalogue, but the deeds of the Mosaic law which were rituals; which also was shown. And they said that they had concluded that faith produces good works as a tree produces fruit. This teaching was favored by those who constituted the flock of sheep. Then an angel, standing between the two flocks, cried out to the flock of sheep, "Do not listen, for they have not receded from their former faith." And he divided the flock of sheep into two, and said to those on the left, "Join yourselves to the goats; but I tell you that a wolf is coming which will carry them off and you with them." Then it was asked how they understood that faith produces good works as a tree produces fruit; and it was found that their perception concerning the conjunction of faith and charity was altogether different from that comparison, and thus that it was a fallacious mode of speaking. When these things were understood, the flocks of sheep reunited themselves into one as before, to which some of the goats joined themselves, confessing that charity is the essence of faith, and that thus faith separate from charity is only natural, but conjoined to it it becomes spiritual (n. 506). LIV. A discourse with angels concerning the three loves, which are universal, and therefore with every man; which are, Love of the neighbor, or the Love of uses, which in itself is spiritual; the Love of the world, or the Love of possessing wealth, which in itself is material: and the Love of self, or the Love of ruling over others, which in itself is corporeal; and that when these three loves are rightly subordinated in man, he is truly man; and that they are rightly subordinated when love of the neighbor forms the head, love of the world the body, and love of self the feet; it is altogether otherwise when they become fixed in man in a contrary order. And it was shown what man is when the love of the world forms the head, and what he is when love of self; that then he is an inverted man; and in respect to the interiors of his mind is a wild beast, and in respect to his exteriors and the body is an actor. After this there was seen a certain devil ascending from below, having a dusky face with a white circle around the head; and he said that he was Lucifer, although he was not; and that in his internals, he was a devil, but in his externals an angel of light; and he declared when in externals he was moral among the moral, rational among the rational, and even spiritual among the spiritual; and that when he was in the world he had preached; and that then he accursed evil doers of every kind, and this is why he was called "Son of the morning;" and, what he himself wondered at, when he was in the pulpit he had no other idea than that it was as he spoke; but otherwise when he was out of the temple. This he said because in the temple he was in his externals and then in the understanding only, but out of the temple in his internals and then in the will; and thus he was raised into heaven by his understanding while his will drew him down into hell; but that the will prevails over the understanding, because it disposes the understanding according to its beck and nod. After this the devil who pretended to be Lucifer fell down into hell (n. 607). LV. There was seen a round temple, the roof of which was crown-shaped, its walls continuous windows of crystal, its door of a pearly substance. In it there was a pulpit, on which was the Word enveloped in a sphere of light. In the center of the temple was a sanctuary, before which was a veil, at that time raised, where stood a cherub waving a sword in his hand. When this had been seen it was explained to me what each particular signified; which may be seen. Above the gate there was this inscription, Now it is permitted; which signified, that now it is permitted to enter understandingly into the mysteries of faith; and it was given me to perceive that it exceedingly dangerous to enter with the understanding into dogmas of faith which are from self intelligence and thus in falsities, and still more to confirm these from the Word; therefore, by the Divine Providence the Word had been taken away from the Roman Catholics, and with Protestants it had been closed by their dogma that the understanding is to be kept under obedience to their faith. But because the dogmas of the New Church are all from the Word, it is permitted to enter into these with the understanding, because they are continuous truths from the Word, and also shine before the understanding. This was what is meant by the writing above the gate, Now it is permitted, and by the veil of the sanctuary being raised, within which the cherub stood. After this there was brought to me a paper from an infant who was an angel in the third heaven, on which was written, Enter hereafter into the mysteries of the Word which has been heretofore shut up; for the particular truths therein are so many mirrors of the Lord (n. 508). LVI. I was seized with a grievous disease, from the smoke that came in from the Jerusalem which is called Sodom and Egypt (Apoc. 11:8); and I was seen by those Who were in that city as dead; and they said one to another that I was not worthy of burial, just as it is said concerning the two witnesses in the same chapter in the Apocalypse; and meanwhile I heard blasphemies in abundance from the citizens on account of my having preached repentance, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But as a judgment came upon them, I saw that the whole city fell down and was overflowed with waters; and afterwards that they were running about among the heaps of stones, and lamenting on account of their lot; when their belief was that, by the faith of their church they were born again and were thus righteous. But it was said to them that they were anything else than such, since they had never performed any actual repentance; and were therefore unaware of any damnable evil in themselves. Afterwards it was said to them from heaven, that faith in the Lord and repentance are the two means of regeneration and salvation; and that this is very well known from the Word, and still further, from the Decalogue, baptism, and the holy supper; concerning which see the Relation (n. 567). LVII. All who after death come into the spiritual world at first are kept in the externals in which they were in the natural world; and because most men who are in externals live morally, frequent churches and pray to God, they believe that they will certainly come into heaven. But they are taught that every man after death gradually puts off the external man, and the internal man is opened, and then the man is known, as he is in himself, since man is man from his will and understanding, and not merely from action and speech: and from this it is that man can in externals appear like a sheep, although in internals he is like a wolf, and that he is such in his internal man unless he examines the evils of his will and of his intention therefrom, and repents of them; with more besides (n. 568). LVIII. Every love breathes forth delight. In the natural world the delights from love, are but little felt, but in the spiritual world they are clearly felt; and there they are sometimes turned into odors; and the nature of the delights is then perceived and what love they are from; and the delights from the love of good, such as are in the heavens, are perceived as fragrance in gardens and flower-beds; and on the other hand, the delights from the love of evil, such as are in hell, are perceived as the pungent and fetid smells from stagnant waters and from cesspools; and because they are so opposite, the devils are tortured when they are sensible of any sweet odor from heaven, and on the other hand, the angels are tortured when they are sensible of any ill-smelling odors from hell. That it is so, was confirmed by two examples. This is why the oil of anointing was prepared from fragrant things, and why it is said of Jehovah that He smelled a sweet savor from the burnt-offerings; and on the other hand, why it was commanded the sons of Israel that they should carry unclean things out of their camps, and that they should bury their excrements; for their camps represented heaven, and the desert outside of the camps represented hell (n. 569). LIX. A certain novitiate spirit, who in the world meditated much upon heaven and hell, desired to know the nature of each; and it was said to him from heaven, "Inquire what delight is, and you will know." Therefore going away he inquired; but among spirits merely natural he inquired in vain. But he was led to three companies in succession; to one where they searched out ends and were therefore called wisdoms; to another where they investigated causes, and were therefore called intelligences; and to a third where they inquired into effects, and were therefore called knowledges: and by all these he was taught that every angel, spirit, and man has life from the delight of his love; and that the will and thought cannot move a step except from a delight in some love; and this is to everyone that which is called good; and still further that the delight of heaven is a delight in doing good, and the delight of hell a delight in doing evil. That he might be further taught, a devil providentially ascended, and there before him described the delights of hell, that they were the delights of revenge, fornication, plunder and blasphemy; and these when perceived there as odors are perceived as balsams and therefore he called them the delights of their nostrils (n. 670). LX. A company of spirits was seen praying to God that He would send angels to teach them about various things pertaining to faith, inasmuch as in most things they were in doubt, because churches so differ one from another, and all their ministers say "Believe us; we are the ministers of God, and we know." And angels appeared, whom they questioned in regard to charity and faith, repentance, regeneration, God, the immortality of the soul, and baptism and the holy supper; about each of which the angels gave such answers as fell into their understanding; saying further that whatever does not fall into the understanding is like what is sown in the sand which, however it may be watered by the rain, still withers away; and the understanding when closed against religion, no longer sees anything in the Word from the light therein from the Lord; and even if the Word is read he becomes more and more blind in the things of faith and salvation (n. 621). LXI. How man, when prepared for heaven, enters it; namely, that after preparation he sees a path that leads to the society in heaven in which he is to live to eternity; and near the society there is a gate which is opened; and when he has entered an examination is made whether he has in him the same light and the same heat, that is, the same good and truth as are in the angels of that society. When this is determined he goes about and inquires where his house is; for there is for each novitiate angel a new house. When this is found he is received and numbered as one among them. But those who have not in them the light and heat, that is, the good and truth of heaven, have this hard lot, that when they enter they are miserably tortured, and because of the torture cast themselves down headlong. This happens to them because of the sphere of the light and heat of heaven, in the opposite of which they are; and afterwards they no longer desire heaven, but are affiliated with their like in hell. From this it is clear that it is idle to believe that gaining heaven is merely an admission from favor, and that those who are admitted enter into the fruition of the joys there, like those in the world who are admitted into a house where there is a wedding (n. 622). LXII. Many who believe that heaven is a mere matter of admission from grace, and after admission there is eternal joy, were permitted to ascend into heaven; but because they could not endure the light and heat, that is, the faith and love there, they cast themselves down headlong; and they appeared to those who stood below like dead horses. Among those who stood below and who thus saw them, were boys with their master; and he taught them what their appearing like dead horses signified, and who those are who so appear at a distance, saying that they are those who when they read the Word think materially and not spiritually about God, the neighbor, and heaven; and that those think materially about God who think about essence from person, and in regard to the neighbor about his quality from the face and speech, and in regard to heaven about the state of love there from place; but those think spiritually who think of God from essence, and from essence of person; of the neighbor from his quality; and from quality of his face and speech; and of heaven from the state of love there and of place from that. And afterwards he taught them that a horse signifies understanding of the Word; and because the Word with those who think spiritually when they read it is a living letter, so such appear at a distance as living horses; and on the other hand, because the Word with those who think materially when they read it is a dead letter, so those at a distance appear as dead horses (n. 623). LXIII. An angel was seen descending from heaven into that world with a paper in his hand, upon which was written the marriage of good and truth and it was seen that in heaven the paper shone, but in its descent gradually less and less, until neither the paper nor the angel was seen, except before some unlearned ones who were simple-hearted. To these the angel explained what the marriage of good and truth involves, namely, that all and each of the things in the whole heaven and in the whole world contain the two together, because in the Lord God the Creator good and truth make one; and therefore nothing is anywhere possible which by itself is good, nor anything which by itself is true; consequently in each and everything there is a marriage of good and truth, and in the church a marriage of charity and faith, since charity pertains to good and faith to truth (n. 624). LXIV. When I was in profound thought about the second coming of the Lord, I saw heaven from the east to the west luminous, and heard a glorification and celebration of the Lord by the angels, but from the Word, both the prophetic Word of the Old Testament and the Apostolic Word of the New Testament. The passages themselves by which the glorifications were made may be seen in the Relation (n. 625). LXV. In the north-eastern quarter there, are Places of instruction, and those who interiorly receive instruction there are called disciples of the Lord. Once when in the spirit, I asked the teachers there whether they knew the universals of heaven and the universals of hell; and they answered that the universals of heaven are three loves, the love of uses, the love of possessing the goods of the world from the love of performing uses, and true marriage love; and that the universals of hell are three loves opposite to those three, namely, the love of ruling from the love of self, the love of possessing the goods of others from the love of the world, and scortatory love. It is described afterwards what the first infernal love is, which is the love of ruling from the love of self; that it is such with the laity that, when loose rein is given to it, they wish to rule over all things of the world, and with the clergy, that they wish to rule over all things of heaven. That such a hallucination possesses those who are in that love was proved by the like in hell, where such are together in a certain valley, who find enjoyment for their minds in the hallucinations that they are emperors of emperors, or kings of kings; and elsewhere that they are gods; and it was seen that at the sight of these latter, the former, whose minds were so elated, fell upon their knees and worshiped. Afterwards I spoke with two, one of whom was the prince of a certain society in heaven, and the other was the high-priest there; who said that with those in that society there are magnificent and splendid things, because their love is not from the love of self, but from the love of uses; and that they are surrounded by honors and that they accept them not for the sake of themselves, but for the sake of the good of obedience. I then asked them, "How can anyone know whether he does uses from the love of self or the world, or from love of uses since uses are performed from all these loves? Let it be supposed that there is a society consisting of satans only and a society consisting of angels only, and I can imagine that the satans, from the love of self and the world, would perform as many uses in their society as the angels would in theirs. Who, then, can know from which love the uses are?" To this the prince and priest replied that satans perform uses for the sake of reputation, that they may be raised to honors and acquire wealth, but angels perform uses for the sake of uses. And the latter are distinguished from the former especially by this, that all who believe in the Lord and shun evils as sins perform uses from the Lord, and thus from the love of uses; but all who do not believe in the Lord and do not shun evils as sins perform uses from themselves and for the sake of themselves, thus from the love of self or the world (n. 661). LXVI. I entered a certain grove and saw two angels talking with each other. I drew near them and they were speaking of the lust of possessing all things of the world, and it was said that many who in actions appear moral and in conversation rational are in the madness of that lust, and that that lust is turned into hallucinations with those who let their minds dwell in ideas concerning it. And because everyone in the spiritual world is permitted to delight himself in his hallucination, provided he does no evil to another there are even congregations of such in the lower earth; and as it was known where they were, we descended and went to them; and we saw that they were sitting at tables, upon which there was an abundance of gold coin, and they said that this was the wealth of all in the kingdom; but it was only a vision of the imagination which is called a hallucination, whereby such an appearance was created. But when they were told that they were insane, they turned away from the tables and confessed that it was so; but because they were exceedingly delighted by the vision, they could not help returning again and again, and indulging the allurements of their senses. To this they added, that if anyone deprives another of his goods, or otherwise harms him, he falls down into a kind of prison under them, and is kept there at work for food, clothing, and some little pieces of money; and if they also do evil there, they are deprived of these and punished (n. 662). LXVII. A dispute was heard between an ambassador of a kingdom and two priests, whether intelligence and wisdom, and thus also prudence, are from God or from man. The ambassador insisted that these are from man, but the priests that they are from God; nevertheless it was perceived by certain angels that the priests inwardly in themselves believed the same as the ambassador, namely, that intelligence and wisdom, and prudence therefrom, are from man. That this, therefore, might be made clear, the ambassador was requested to lay aside the garments of his office, and to put on the garments of the sacerdotal ministry, and when this was done the ambassador began to prove by many things that all intelligence and also prudence are from God. And afterwards the priests also were asked to lay aside their garments, and to put on the garments of ministers of state; and when this was done the priests spoke from their interior selves, saying that all intelligence and prudence are from man. They so spoke because a spirit thinks himself to be such as his dress is. After this the three became hearty friends; and as they conversed together they went the way that tended downwards; but afterwards I saw them brought back (n. 663). LXVIII. First those are treated of who in the Word are called the elect, and it is known that they are such as are found after death to have lived a life of charity and faith, and who are separated from those who have not lived that life; thus the elect mean those who are then elected and prepared for heaven. Therefore to believe that only some, before their birth or after it, are elected and predestined to heaven, and not all, since all are called, would be to accuse God of impotence and also of injustice (n. 664). LXIX. It was said in heaven, by a certain new-comer that no one in the Christian world knows what conscience is; and because the angels did not believe this, they said to a certain spirit that he might call together with a trumpet the intelligent, and ask them whether they know what conscience is. And it was so done; and they came, and among them there were statesmen, scholars, physicians, and priests. First, the statesmen were asked what conscience is. They answered that it is a pain arising from fear anticipated or actual, of the loss of honor or wealth; or from a hypochondriacal humor arising from undigested substances in the stomach; and more besides. Afterwards, they asked the scholars what they knew about conscience. They answered that it is a sadness and anxiety infesting the body and from that the head, or the head and from that the body, from various causes, especially from applying the mind to one thing only, which is done especially when the reigning love suffers; giving rise sometimes to hallucinations and deliriums, and with some to a kind of brain sickness in religious matters, which is called remorse of conscience. Next the physicians were asked what conscience is. And they said that it is only a pain arising from various diseases, which they enumerated in abundance; also that they had cured many by means of drugs. The diseases from which the pains called those of conscience spring may be seen enumerated in the Relation. Finally the priests were asked what conscience is. They said that it was the same with the contrition that precedes faith, and that they had cured it by the gospel; moreover, that there are conscientious persons of every religion, true as well as fanatical, who make to themselves scruples about matters of salvation, also about indifferent matters. The angel from hearing these things perceived it to be true that no one knew what conscience is; therefore they sent down one from themselves to teach. He standing in the midst said that conscience is not a pain, as they had all imagined, but is a life according to religion; and that that life is especially in those who are in the faith of charity; and that those who have conscience speak from the heart what they speak, and do from the heart what they do. This he illustrated by examples. So, when it is said of anyone that he has a conscience, it is meant that he is upright; and conversely. When all this had been said, those who had been called together divided themselves into four bodies; those who understood and favored the words of the angel passed over into one; those who did not understand but still favored, into another; those who had no wish to understand, saying to each other, "What have we to do with conscience?" passed over into a third; and those who scoffed, saying, "What is conscience but a breath of wind?" passed over into the fourth. After this the two latter bodies were seen to go aside to the left, and the two former to the right (n. 665). LXX. I was led to a place where the ancient Sophi dwelt who had been in Greece, which place they called Parnassium; and I was told that at times they send out some to fetch new-comers from the world that they may inquire about wisdom, how it is at this day on earth. Then two Christians were found and brought, who were presently asked, "What news from earth?" And they answered that this was new there; that they had found human beings in the woods, perhaps left there in early childhood; and that they appeared from the face to be men, and yet they were not men; and that from this it was concluded in the world that man is no more than a beast, except that he can articulate sound, and thus speak; and that a beast could in like manner become wise if endowed with the ability to make articulate sounds; besides more. The Sophi from hearing these things drew many conclusions respecting wisdom, what changes it had undergone since their times; especially from this, that they do not now know the distinction between the state of man and that of a beast, nor even that man is born merely the form of a man, and becomes man by instructions and such a man as the kinds of instruction he receives; that he becomes wise from truths, unwise from falsities, and inwardly a wild beast from evils; and that he is born merely a capacity to know. understand, and become wise, in order that he might be a subject into which God might inspire wisdom, from the first degree of it to the highest. They said further that they understood from the new-comers that wisdom which in their time was in its rise, is at this day setting. Afterwards they instructed the new-comers how it is that man, created a form of God, could be turned into the form of the devil. But concerning all this the Relation may be seen (n. 692). LXXI. There was again a meeting appointed in the place where the ancient Sophi were, since they had heard from those sent out by them that they had found three new-comers from the earth, one a priest, another a politician, and a third a philosopher; these were brought and were presently asked, "What news from earth?" And they replied, "This is new; we have heard that a certain man says that he speaks with angels and spirits; and he relates many things concerning their state and among them that man lives a man after death as much as before, with this difference only, that he is then clothed with a spiritual body, but before with a material body." On hearing which they asked the priest what he had thought about those things on earth. He replied that because he had believed that man was not to live again as a man before the day of the last judgment, he with the rest of his order were of the opinion that the things the man told were visions, and afterwards fictions, and that at last he was in doubt. Then he was asked whether the inhabitants of the earth could not see from reason that man lives a man after death, and thus dissipate the paradoxical notions concerning the state of souls in the mean time, which are, that souls meanwhile are flying about like winds in the universe, continually awaiting the last judgment that they may be combined with their bodies; which lot would be worse than the lot of any beast. To this the priest replied that they talk, but they do not convince; and that they ascribe the combining or re-uniting of souls with their bodies and skeletons in the sepulchre to the omnipotence of God; and when they name omnipotence and also faith, all reason is exiled. Afterwards the politician being questioned concerning the things heard, replied that in the world he could not believe that man would live after death, since all of man lies dead in the grave, and thus he thought that that man saw specters and believed them to be angels and spirits but that now for the first time he was convinced, by his very senses, that he lives a man as before, and that he was therefore ashamed of his former thoughts. The philosopher related nearly the same things concerning himself, and concerning others of his school; saying, moreover, that he referred those things which he had heard respecting the things seen and heard by that man, to a place among the opinions and hypotheses which he had collected from the ancients and moderns. On hearing these things the Sophi were astonished, especially that Christians, who are in light above others from revelation, should be in such thick darkness respecting their life after death; when yet they and the wise men of their time knew about and believed in that life; saying further that they had noticed that the light of wisdom had lowered itself since that age from the interior of the brain even to the mouth under the nose, where it appears as a brightness of the lip, and in consequence the speech of the mouth appears like wisdom. To this one of the tyros added, "How stupid are the minds of those who now dwell on the earth! Would that the disciples of Heraclitus who laughed at everything and the disciples of Democritus who wept at everything were here, and we should hear both great laughter and great weeping." After this there were given to the new-comers plates of copper on which hieroglyphics were engraved and they departed (n. 693). LXXII. New-comers from the world were found, and were brought to the city under Parnassium, and were asked, "What news from earth?" And they answered that in the world they had believed that after death there would be rest from all kinds of labor, and yet they had heard, when they were coming hither, that there are here administrations, offices and employments, as in the former world, and thus that there is not rest. To this the wise ones there replied, "Thus you believed that now you are to live in mere idleness, and yet idleness produces a languid, torpid, stupid and sleepy state of the mind, and from that of the whole body, and this is death and not life." And then they were led about in the city, and to the administrators and workmen; on seeing which, they wondered that there should be such things, since they had believed that there would be some empty place in which souls were to live until the new heaven and new earth came into existence. They were also taught that all the things that here appear before the eyes are substantial and are called spiritual; and that all things in their former world are material and are called natural; and that there is this difference because they are from different origins; namely, that all things in this world exist and subsist from a sun which is pure love, and all things in that world exist from a sun which is pure fire. They were also taught that in this world there are not only administrations, but also pursuits of every kind, and also writings and books. The new-comers were delighted with what they were taught, and when they were going away, some virgins came with pieces of needle-work and embroidery made with their own hands, and gave these to them; and they sung before them an ode in which they expressed in angelic melody the affection for useful labor and its charms (n. 694). LXXIIII. I was introduced into an assembly where some of the ancient philosophers were present, and was asked what they knew in my world about influx. To which I answered, that the only influx they knew about was that of the light and heat of their sun into the things which are of nature, both into animate and into inanimate things; and that they knew nothing about the influx of the spiritual world into the natural world, although from that influx are all the wonderful things which are beheld both in the animal kingdom there, and in the vegetable kingdom (these were in part recounted). And because they are ignorant of this influx, they confirm themselves in favor of nature, and become naturalists, and at length atheists (n. 695). LXXIV. I spoke with the followers of Aristotle, Descartes, and Leibnitz, concerning physical influx, occasional influx, and pre-established harmony, and heard how each confirmed his hypothesis; but as they were able to look into that subject only with an understanding subordinated to confirmations, and not superior to them, they ended the dispute by lot, which came out in favor of spiritual influx, which to some extent coincides with occasional influx (n. 696). LXXV. I was taken into a certain gymnasium in which the young were initiated into various things pertaining to wisdom, and this was done by the discussion of some subject which was there proposed by the president; and the subject then under discussion was, What is the soul, and what is its nature? There was a desk into which those who were to answer ascended. And presently one ascended, who said that no one since the creation of the world had been able to find out what the soul is and what its nature is; but since it was known that there is a soul in man, man had sought to know where it is. There was one who held that it has its seat in man in a certain little gland which is called the pineal gland, which is situated between the two brains in the head; and that at first he had believed this; but as it was rejected by many, he afterwards receded from this view. After this the second ascended, and said that he believed the seat of the soul to be in the head, because the understanding is there; but as he was unable to conjecture where in the head it resided, he acceded now to the opinion of those who said that its seat is in the three ventricles of the brain; now to the opinion of those who said that it is in the striated bodies there; now to the opinion of those who said that it is in the medullary or the cortical substance, and now to the opinion of those who said that it is in the dura mater; adding that he would leave it to everyone to think what he liked. The third ascending said that the seat of the soul is in the heart and thence in the blood; and this he confirmed from the Word where it is said, heart and soul. The fourth next ascending said that from his childhood he had believed with the ancients that the soul is not in one part but in the whole, because it is a spiritual substance, of which place cannot be predicated, but impletion; and further, as soul and life mean the same thing, the life is in the whole. The fifth ascending said that he believed the soul to be something pure, like ether or air, and that he believed this because it is supposed that the soul would be such after it had been separated from the body. But the wise ones in the orchestra, perceiving that none of them knew what the soul is, requested the president, who had proposed the problem, to descend and teach. He therefore descending, said, "The soul is the very essence of man; and because an essence without a form is not anything, the soul is the form of man's forms; and this form is the truly human form, in which wisdom with its perceptions and love with its affections universally reside; and as you believed in the world that you would be souls after death, you are now yourselves the souls;" besides more. And this was confirmed by this declaration in the Book of Creation, "Jehovah God breathed into the nostrils of Adam the soul if lives, and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7) (n. 697). LXXVI. There was seen an angel with a trumpet, with which he called together those celebrated for erudition among Christians, that they might tell what they had believed in the world concerning the joys of heaven and eternal happiness. This was done because it had been said in heaven that no one in the Christian world knew anything about them. And after about an hour there were seen six companies coming from the learned Christians, who were asked what they had known about the joys of heaven and eternal happiness. The first company said that they had believed them to be merely an admission into heaven, and then into its festive joys, as one is admitted into a house where there is a wedding and into its festivities. The second company said that they had believed them to be most cheerful companionship and the sweetest conversations with angels. The third company said that they had believed them to be feastings with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The fourth company said that they had believed them to be paradisal delights. The fifth company, that there would be supreme dominion, boundless wealth, and more than royal magnificence. The sixth company, that there would be a glorification of God and a festival enduring to eternity. Therefore that these learned ones might know whether those things which they had believed to be the joys of heaven were so, it was granted them to enter into those their joys, each company by itself, that they might learn by living experience whether those joys were imaginary or real. This takes place with most of those who come from the natural world into the spiritual (n. 731- 733). And then presently the company that had thought the joys of heaven to be most cheerful companionship and sweetest conversations with angels, were let into the joys of their imagination; but because they were external joys and not internal, after some days they were affected with weariness and departed (n. 734). Afterwards those who had believed that the joys of heaven are feasts with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were let into like things; but because they perceived that such joys were only external and not internal, they became weary and went away (n. 735). The same was done with those who had believed that the joys of heaven and eternal happiness consist in supreme dominion, boundless riches, and more than royal magnificence (n. 736). Also with those who had believed that heavenly joys, and consequently eternal happiness, are paradisal delights (n. 737). Afterwards with those who had believed that heavenly joys and eternal happiness are a perpetual glorification of God, and a festival enduring for ever. These were finally taught what is meant in the Word by the glorification of God (n. 738). Finally, the same was done with those who had believed that they would enter into heavenly joys and eternal happiness if only they were admitted into heaven; and that they would then have joys like the joys of those who enter into the house of a wedding, and join in the festivities there. But when they were shown by living experience that there are no joys in heaven except for those who have lived the life of heaven, that is, a life of charity and faith, but instead, heaven is a torture to those who have led an opposite life, they withdrew and affiliated themselves with their like (n. 739). Because the angels perceived that as yet no one in the natural world knows what the joys of heaven are, and thus what eternal happiness is, the angel with the trumpet was told to choose ten from those who had been called together, and introduce them into a society of heaven, that they might see with their eyes and perceive with their minds what heaven is and what the joys there are; and so it was done. And when they had been admitted, it was granted them first to see the magnificent palace of the prince there (n. 740). Then the paradise near it (n. 741). Afterwards, the prince himself and his great men in splendid garments (n. 742). Then, being invited to the table of the prince, they saw such an entertainment as no eye had ever seen oil earth; and at the table they heard the prince give instruction respecting heavenly joys and eternal happiness, that they consist essentially in internal blessedness, and from this in external enjoyments; and that internal blessedness derives its essence from an affection for use (n. 743, 744). After dinner, by command of the prince some wise men of the society were sent for, who taught them fully about the nature and source of internal blessedness, which is eternal happiness; and that this causes external enjoyments to be joys; besides more concerning all these things (n. 745 746). After this they were permitted to see a wedding in that heaven, (of which n. 747-749). And finally, to hear preaching (n. 750, 751). When they had seen and heard all this, full of knowledge concerning heaven and joyful in heart they descended (n. 752). LXXVII. Revelation is here treated of. It has pleased the Lord to manifest Himself to me, and to open the interiors of my mind and to enable me thereby to see the things which are in heaven and hell and thus He has disclosed mysteries which in excellence and dignity surpass all mysteries hitherto disclosed. They are as follows. (i.) That, in each thing and all things of the Word there is a Spiritual Sense, which does not appear in the sense of the letter; and that consequently the Word was written by means of the correspondences of spiritual things with natural. (ii.) The Correspondences themselves, what they are has been explained. (iii.) There has also been a revelation concerning the Life of men after Death. (iv.) Also respecting Heaven and Hell, what the one is and what the other is; also respecting Baptism and the Holy Supper. (v.) Respecting the Sun in the spiritual world, that it is pure love from the Lord who is in the midst of it, the light proceeding from which is wisdom, and the heat proceeding from which is love; thus that faith and charity are from it; and that all things that go forth from it are spiritual and thus alive; also that the sun of the natural world is pure fire, and therefore all things that are from the sun are natural, and thus dead. (vi.) That there are three Degrees hitherto unknown. (vii.) And furthermore, matters have been revealed relating to the Last Judgment; the Lord the Savior as the God of Heaven and Earth; the New Church and its Doctrine; the Inhabitants of the Planets, and the Earths in the Universe (n. 846). (viii.) Also respecting Conjugial Love; that with the spiritual it is spiritual with the natural it is natural, and with adulterers it is carnal (n. 847). (ix.) The angels discerned by inquiry that although these mysteries are more excellent than any mysteries hitherto disclosed, still at this day they are regarded by many as of no account (n. 848). (x.) A murmur was heard from some in the lower earth that they would not believe those things unless Miracles were done; but the answer was made that they would no more believe through miracles than did Pharaoh and the Egyptians; or no more than the posterity of Jacob when they danced about the golden calf in the desert; or no more than the Jews when they saw the miracles done by the Lord Himself (n. 849). (xi.) Finally, why the Lord revealed these mysteries to me, and not rather to some one of the ecclesiastical order (n. 850). The things contained in the Memorable Relations which follow the chapters are true; and like things were seen and heard by the prophets before the coming of the Lord, and like things by the apostles after His coming, as by Peter, Paul, and especially by John in the Apocalypse; which things are set forth (n. 851).
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Here we are again, another trip to our favorite place on Earth, Disneyland! I can't think of a better way to spend Mother's Day weekend. Really, I can't. So much so that we will be spending the extra money and investing in Annual Passes for each of us. A gift that will get used multiple times over the next year. How can you be looking forward to going someplace you have been multiple times? Not just once, but many times in the next year? That is frequently wall to wall people, crying children, and examples of bad parenting? Who the heck chooses to stand in long lines for a kiddie ride? Wait! Isn't that place for kids? Princesses and Mickey? What would make a grown woman and her husband and two teens want to go back again and again? And who the heck can afford that!? Don't you live 8 hours away? Sound about right? I hear every one of these questions from friends, family and acquaintances. Every. Time. We. Go. But, I have converted a few of those same doubting Mustafas. Really I have. And I can convert you too. If only you will give me half a chance. So let me start with a little background.... Prior to high school I lived just minutes away from Disneyland. My Daddy was the absolute best at making that drive much longer. I think he was scared to let us know how close we truly lived. We would have insisted on more frequent trips. As it was we went at least once a year, and probably more. Then we moved to Northern California and I kind of forgot about Disneyland. So sad. I grew up, got married, had children. And those children started asking about this mythical place that friends were getting to go to. The place that their favorite movies retired its characters to. So we decided Santa would take us to Disneyland for Christmas. A family gift, if you please. Hubby had only been a couple of times and was game to go again. So, on a cold January day we packed the kids up in the trusty Subaru and made the overnight drive down I-5. By morning we were in Anaheim. I had forgotten how beautiful Southern California is and how perfect the weather can be. Old Man winter was left behind in Northern Nevada and gave way to sunshine and pleasant temps. Flowers were blooming, trees were green. Paradise. Disneyland? She had us at "Hello". We came back that same May with hubby's parents, and then again the following Christmas. We decided to buy our first annual passes that year, on our third trip in less than a year. We have had passes most years since. I think our longest stretch without a trip has been nine months. And we still have not done everything the resort has to offer. So how do we do it? How do we... a) afford it? b)keep the experience new? c)maintain our sanity on the busiest of days? I'm gonna let you in on all of our secrets. Some are well known, but often overlooked. Others are out there, if you do your research. Some are more obscure. A few are even controversial (eeeeekkkk). But they are all tried and true. So here begins another series for Sagebrush Ridge. Every Wednesday leading up to our trip in May I will share our Disneyland tips, tricks and secrets for an amazing visit. Who will benefit? First timers, peeps with a few tips under their belt, single day trippers, multi day visitors, families with babies, young children and teens or any mix thereof, couples... anybody really. When I get back I will share anything new that I learn. And, yes, there is always something new to be learned. Disneyland is ever changing, so is touring it. But remember, this series will only apply to Disneyland Resort in Anahaim, CA. NOT DisneyWorld in Florida. Totally. Different. Beast. Totally. Trust me. First post will be up tomorrow! See you there!
An interesting exercise is to compare the relative web traffic between the largest advisory analyst firm (Gartner), the largest IT market research firm (IDC) and a very visible analyst who has his own blog. Using the site comparison feature of Compete here is the graphic showing Forrester analyst extraordinaire and social media poster boy Jeremiah Owyang’s (bio, Twitter handle, blog) personal blog Web Strategy by Jeremiah, Gartner.com and IDC.com: Click here or on the graphic to enlarge. The top blue line is Jeremiah’s blog, the green middle line is Gartner.com and the bottom orange line is IDC.com. There is not a single month in the past year where Web Strategy by Jeremiah did not receive more unique visitors (an average of 136,000 per month) than Gartner.com and IDC.com combined. Not an apples-to-apples comparison… and that is the point Of course, comparing two very different types of websites, a blog vs. corporate sites, is not an apples-to-apples assessment. Rather this illustrates how a savvy analyst can leverage a personally branded blog to obtain unique access to a broader audience than he could even on the regular research website of a $1.2bn but very traditional analyst firm. This is because the analyst blog is easily (more…) Filed under: Social media \| Tagged: A Software Insider's Point of View, analyst list, analyst relations, AR, blog, blogging, Forrester, Gartner, IDC, Jeremiah Owyang, Ray Wang, tweets, Twitter, Web Strategy by Jeremiah \| 8 Comments »
- Angelella Guardagnoli - Colomba of Rieti Legend says that at her birth, angels gathered around Columba’s house to sing. During her Baptism, a dove suddenly flew down to the font. From that point on, no one used her by her given name (Angelella = little angel), but called her Columba (= dove). She was raised in a poor but pious family; her parents gave away nearly everything thing they had to people even poorer than themselves. As a small girl Columba learned to spin and sew; she and her mother repaired the clothes of the local Dominicans. Educated by Dominican nuns. Columba quickly developed a strong devotion to Saint Catherine of Siena and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. While still in her teens she prayed about her vocation in life, and received a vision of Christ on a throne surrounded by saints. She took this as instruction to dedicate herself to God, and so she cut herself off from the world, made a private vow of chastity, and spent her time in prayer. Unbeknownst to Columba, her parents had arranged a marriage for her, but she cut off her hair and sent it to her would-be suitor, an accepted way at that time of telling him that she was devoting her life to God, not marriage. She had the gifts of prophecy, healing, exorcism, raising the dead, and miracles. Given to ecstacies during one of which her spirit toured the Holy Lands. Dominican tertiary at age 19. Her reputation for wisdom and holiness spread throughout the region, and she was a much sought after counsellor. Some people from the city of Narni, Italy tried to kidnap her so she could be their miracle worker, but she escaped. Following a revelation that she should leave Rieti, Italy, she walked away with no destination in mind. Along the way she was arrested in Foligno, Italy as a vagrant, but she eventually stopped and stayed in Perugia, Italy. On 1 January 1490 she and several other women took vows as a community of Dominican teritary nuns. Noted spiritual counselor to any who sought her advice. During an epidemic she worked among the sick, healing many by praying for them. She offered her own health in exchange for the city; when the general epidemic ended, she became ill, eventually recovering through the intercession of Saint Catherine of Siena. Her sanctity caused her to be persecuted by Lucrezia Borgia for years; at one point Borgia had a decree issued accusing Columba of practicing magic. - 20 May 1501 at Perguia, Italy of natural causes - at the moment of her death, her friend, Blessed Osanna Andreasi, saw Columba’s soul as a radiance rising to heaven - the whole city turned out for her funeral, which was paid for by the city fathers - Dominican tertiary receiving the Eucharist from a hand reaching down from heaven - Dominican tertiary receiving the Eucharist from an angel - Dominican tertiary with a dove, lily, and book - Dominican tertiary with a wreath of roses, cross, lily, and rosary - Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate - Catholic Encyclopedia, by F M Capes - Katherine Rabenstein - Kirken i Norge - New Catholic Dictionary - Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Linda Day of Central Oklahoma had worked hard all her life, but she still wanted an engaging activity to enjoy when she retired. She started making quilts, a relaxing hobby that she and her husband could both share, and those quilts were given to the Veterans Administration hospitals and nursing homes. Linda made quilts so well and so fast, she realized the organizations couldn’t take all the quilts she was making. When Linda was younger and her children were small, she knew firsthand the difference The Salvation Army made in the lives of those in need. When her family faced a financial crisis and Christmas was out of the question, she turned to The Salvation Army, which provided her family with more than she thought possible. Now, in a position to help others who are in need, she told her husband that she would start giving the quilts to The Salvation Army, and for the past two years, The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command has received more than 700 quilts from Ms. Day for the Christmas Angel Tree. Ms. Day was one of hundreds of Salvation Army volunteers who gave so much of their talents and skills to The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command in 2011. She also received special recognition this morning at the Annual National Salvation Army Week Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast. Although all our volunteers received certificates and thanks, a handful received special recognition for their outstanding contributions. Mrs. Perry has been an Advisory Council Member for The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oklahoma for about 1 year. Her leadership in helping the Club host the Harlem Ambassador’s Charity Basketball Game enabled the Club to raise nearly $7,000. She was instrumental in securing a venue for the event and handled most of the logistics for the night. She went above and beyond the call of duty to make things happen and the event was a success. Her participation on the Advisory Council has been helpful to the Club staff. Whenever guidance and advice is needed, she is there. If it’s mentoring the kids that come to the Club, she is readily available. Mrs. Perry has a keen understanding of the environment that the Club kids come from and she understands what it takes for them to succeed. She was recently awarded Middle School Principal of the Year and The Boys and Girls Club is proud to honor her as our 2011 Club Volunteer of the Year. The Rotary Club 29 began their support of the Christmas Kettle drive in 1943 under the leadership of Rex Hayes. They started out as a small, but a powerful group of men and have grown to over 582 strong. With the growth of the club also came growth of their support. They now cover 14 kettle locations for an entire day during The Christmas Kettle season. Rotary Club 29 has raised over $260,000 throughout the years. Citadel Senior Center’s Wanda McPherren teaches Bible study every Tuesday. She is dedicated to God and to teaching his word to the people that attend her class. She is faithful in her service and allows nothing to cause conflict with this commitment she has made. Our members look forward to her class every week. Reding Center’s Eva Zamora is a wonderful volunteer. She is still active at 85 years young. She speaks limited English but doesn’t allow this to be a barrier in her serving. She faithfully wraps eating utensils, serves lunch and takes care of delivering meals to our homebound. The Reding Center is a better place for our members with having someone like Eva. Warr Acres Senior Center’s Oma Bennett Nolan is a dedicated volunteer and always full of fire and life. She is to do anything that needs to be done and always exceeds what is expected. Ms. Oma has a perpetual smile of joy, and her energy keeps the senior center hopping. Shelter Programs: Rebecca Marfurt Rebecca’s first experience with The Salvation Army was at the annual bike assembly in 2009 when she helped assemble hundreds of bicycles for Angel Tree children. At the time, she had been going through a difficult time of life, and she decided that volunteering would lift her spirits and bring her happiness. After helping assemble bikes, Rebecca decided to look into ongoing opportunities for helping at The Salvation Army. When she saw the garden area for the Family Shelter, it peaked her interest. Rebecca has a love for gardening and creating a beautifl space at the shelter was an opportunity for her to share that joy with others. It became her personal goal to make the entry to the Family Shelter inviting to whomever walked through the front gates. She gardens during her lunch break and she takes pride in the beauty that is shared daily with all who enter. “Volunteering for The Salvation Army has been far more rewarding than I could ever imagine,” said Ms. Marfurt. Social Services: Shannon Ballesteros Since March 2011, one group of volunteers have provided thousands of hours and personal funding during 2011 by taking a “personal ownership” of the Social Services Department of The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command’s “Food Pantry.” Although this is a family effort, Shannon Ballesteros took the lead, guiding her family in an effort to make the food pantry more efficient and organized. This family of volunteers began with that one vision and has since gone beyond what most volunteer groups can accomplish. This group, compiled of seven volunters, has cleaned, sorted, built shelving, racks and carts, procured equipment, totally re-organized the pantry, trained others to be productive volunteers and solicited assistance from both area companies and individuals. Ms. Ballesteros even used personal funds to purchase needed items that would have otherwise not been available. She can also be seen sorting and organizing the thousands of coats that are donated in the “Warmth 4 Winter” program. Do yearn to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate? Do you have talents and time you wish to share with others. Volunteer today with The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command. Call our volunteer coordinator at 405-246-1101.
The ambassadors at il Salviatino are eager to arrange your visit to what The New York Times terms a “Must-See” and a once-in-a-lifetime affair. The exceptionally brilliant and innovative director of the Strozzi Museum in Florence, James Bradburne, has created the very first retrospective celebration of the works of Agnolo di Cosimo (Bronzino), 1503-1572, which spills out of the Palazzo Strozzi into almost every corner of Florence (September 24, 2010 – January 23, 2011). The city is alive with examples of and tributes to this prolific and influential artist. Some of the most recognizable of Bronzino’s works such as the profile portrait of Cosimo il Vecchio: or the spectacular portrait of Eleonora of Toledo with her son: and then Andrea Doria as Neptune: have long been icons of Italian Mannerist Paintings in the mid-1500’s. One fascinating revelation in this powerful exhibit is the introduction after almost 300 years of a unique painting – a double-sided canvas – known as the Portrait of Dwarf Morgante. Disguised by moralists with over-painting as a Bacchus serving wine: It is being re-introduced, front and back (after restoration) as the fully nude, favorite court jester of the Medici family just like Bronzino painted it. Documented in an article by Rossella Lorenzi at Discovery News (http://news.discovery.com/history/naked-dwarf-revealed-again-in-painting.html), the dwarf Morgante was a favorite of Cosimo I de’ Medici, and records testify that he was often mortified, and even had to fight, naked, with a monkey. The portrait was designed to stand in the center of a room like a statue. Bronzino was involved in a debate about which was the nobler art – painting or sculpture? He hoped this portrait would prove painting to be the higher art. It shows the passage of time, which a sculpture cannot do: i.e., the front view shows Morgante with the tools of a hunter, while the reverse depicts him at the end of the hunt holding his catch. Members of Club Salviatino may receive special discounts and access to the exhibit at the Palazzo Strozzi as well as be eligible for a personal, guided tour of the significant works of Bronzino around Florence. Just ask an ambassador, or any staff member at il Salviatino, your 5 star hotel in Florence. We welcome everyone to Florence this fall for a once-in-a-lifetime experience – art by day; Devarana Spa in the evening; gourmet candlelight dining at night.
According to the United Nations, about 3.6 million people are at risk of starvation in Somalia and 12 million people across the Horn of Africa, including in Ethiopia and Kenya.” - ABC News Online -- The worst drought recorded in 60 years. An estimated 30,000 children have died in Somalia this year from malnutrition. Camp Dadaab in Kenya, the world’s largest refugee camp, is now home to 400,000 displaced people in need of food, clean water, shelter. Andrew's poster will be on display with 29 more at the Thirty exhibition on November 9 at 1000 £ Bend in Melbourne. Like the appeal and the poster? Share with others on facebook and/or twitter now >> Tonight at 19 Karen is the ONE x ONE x ONE skate deck exhibition. The project aims to raise funds for Skate Programs working with under-privileged youth all over the world. TUSK's Art Director, Andrew Suggit, has a piece ( below ) on show, so come on down tonight to show some support and see some of the amazing talent the Gold Coast has on offer. Unless you've been living under a rock these last few weeks, you'll be aware of the 'Occupy' protests gathering momentum around the world. The guys in our Melbourne studio were caught up in the 'Occupy Melbourne' protest last Friday when the group made their way down Lygon St and setup directly out the front - see the pic here One of the better executions we've seen in the way these groups are getting their message out there, comes from the States in this concept for 'Occupy George' . As the website states: Money talks, but not loud enough for the 99%. By circulating dollar bills stamped with fact-based infographics, Occupy George informs the public of America's daunting economic disparity one bill at a time. Because money knowledge is power. "Just 400 Americans control as much wealth as the bottom half of the entire country." "The income growth disparity in America is wider than it was pre-Great Depression." "In America, the average CEO earns 185 times more than the average worker." "The richest 1% of Americans control over 1/3 of the wealth, leaving the bottom 80% with less than 1/5." "Unless things change, it's safe to assume that our money will ultimately end up in the hands of the one percent." Today marks the birth of Jonas Salk, the inventor of the Polio Vaccine. Therefore today also marks World Polio Day, whereby the Polio breakthrough came decades ago in 1955. Since this time the number of Polio diagnoses has decreased by 99% - #almostthere We would like to again congratulate TUSK Graphic Designer Mark Trzopek who has made it to the final shortlist for the 2011 Monster Children Photography Competition. 1 of his 3 shortlisted images has made it the the finals and Mark will be flying down to Sydney for next Thursday evenings exhibition event, whereby all 3 of his images will be showcased and the winners will be announced. He and we alike, all hope he takes home the $$$$ Following on from what was such an exciting inaugural season, the Gold Coast SUNS celebrated in style with their first 'Best and Fairest Awards' event. TUSK we are asked to brand the overall event including developing print ads, tickets, programs and menus - the brief: to keep it 'simple, clean and elegant' Big congratulations to all those involved in the club for such a great first season and to Gary Ablett for taking out the top award for 'Club Champion'. There is plenty already underway and we'll have some great new projects to show you in the coming weeks. If you missing your footy fix and/or just want to keep up to date with all thats going on, you can follow the SUNS here. In 2012, the Southern Gold Coast will be home to the city’s newest and most exciting Festival - Bleach Surfing the Fringe. Bleach is Gold Coast’s premiere and inaugural Surf Culture Festival celebrating artistic expression and creativity inspired by surf and beach culture. Via a mix of eclectic pop up art installations, photography and film exhibitions, and music events all targeted to represent the surfing lifestyle, Bleach will take over the spectacular beaches, foreshores and major venues unique to the Southern Gold Coast. Finding tools to assist with the management of social marketing can be an arduous task in itself. We recently stumbled upon this little gem, WebTrends which provides management tools and metrics for mobile, social, web and more. From scheduling in facebook posts to comparing your page with competitors, this management and analytical tool boasts an array of useful features. Want some help managing your social assets?... Take a look now >> Like? Share? Want?... That's right folks, welcome the 'want' button. The 'want' button will be available across facaebook, as a bookmark button in your browser, on your website, as an iphone app + more. To find out about all 'want' button applications, click here. Etsy has grown to an e-commerce powerhouse, offering a unique platform for the sale and purchase of handmade and vintage goods. Acting as a testiment to the sheer opportunity for sellers, are Etsy's intimate video portraits of their successful contributers. A profile of Rob Ryan has recently been released and offers an insight into his creatity and its outlet - Etsy. View the video >> “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs Ride 2 Work day is upon us. Grab your helmet, your fanciest 2 wheels and peddle push your way to work this October 12th. Last years event saw over 100,000 people board their bikes for work and this years event is set to top this figure. Gear up for the event with our tips below: The sweetest dreams are had sleeping inside a giant Sleepyhead Chocolate Bar....or Sardine Can. Designer and business owner Sophie Farquhar always dreamt of sleeping on a piece of toast with a buttered sheet and tin spaghetti doona. This idea has been brought to life in 2011 with the launch of Bed Toppings – Fun for Sleepyheads. All designs are crafted in Australia and feature Sophie’s hand drawn illustrations. Bed Toppings turn kids beds into giant objects. Other bedding labels sell sheets and doona covers separately. But with Bed Toppings, the whole bed can play dress ups. Each set includes a doona cover, flat sheet, fitted sheet and pillowcase, all made with beautifully soft 100% cotton with 200 thread count. Practical Engineering combines technical skill with practical know-how to produce innovative and functional outcomes. This new brand combines a thought bubble encased by a technical drawing element in order to reinforce their business function and processes. In addition, a single colour red identity system was chosen, emphasising strength and quality.
Mine to Keep Cape Falls, 3 Welcome to Cape Falls, a town with old-fashioned values. Amy Grant survived much at the hands of her ex-husband. Now all she wants to do is live her life and provide a good home for her two children. When complaints from the residents of Cape Falls force her out of a job, Amy has no choice but to turn to Gabriel Anderson. Gabriel has felt a deep connection to the young mother ever since he saved her from a brutal attack from her husband. He opens up his home to her in the hope she will soon be his. However, Gabriel holds a dark secret. He is a dominant man with the need to see Amy submit to him. With such a hard past behind her, will Amy be able to accept the kind of passion Gabriel wants? Or can Gabriel finally let the darkness inside him go for the woman he loves? Be Warned: bondage, public exhibition. “Take off your clothes.” Amy went to the buttons of her shirt and slipped each button through the slit. She knew he would have to see a few of her scars eventually, and she’d rather get it over with. Gabriel closed the door and walked towards her. She couldn’t stop herself from staring at him. This was the first time in her whole life that she wanted to get naked with a man and have sex. Her heart was pounding inside her chest. The wetness pooled in her panties. She wanted him so badly. She removed her shirt and went to her jeans. Gabriel stood in front of her and pulled his white shirt over his head. His muscles rippled with every movement. She reached out and touched him. He was warm and hard. “You’re so big,” she said. His chest beneath her hand made her look so small and pale. “I’m a lot bigger than you.” He pulled her closer, tilted her head back, and kissed her. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, making love to her with his lips. She accepted him, teasing him back with gentle strokes. Gabriel pulled the straps of her bra down her shoulders. Amy moved her hands free and wrapped herself around him. With easy movements her bra was on the floor, and her jeans pushed down for her to step out of. She wore a pair of white cotton panties and nothing else. Gabriel released her and took a step back. She crossed her arms over her breasts. He held her hands away, exposing her body. “You deserve to be in thongs and silks. Would you wear the underwear I buy you?” he asked. Her nipples budded under his ardent gaze. “I’d wear everything you bought me,” she said and meant every word. “Good. Take your panties off.” His voice changed. He no longer asked her but ordered. The thrill that went down her spine shocked her. Staring into his blue eyes, she pushed her panties to the floor and stood out of them. “Go and lie down on the couch,” he said. She walked to the couch without hesitation. The need to please him filled her body. Amy lay down and watched Gabriel as he removed the last of his clothes. She stared down his body, taking in every line and muscle. He was right. She’d been with a man and had borne two children, but she was an innocent. The only time she’d seen male anatomy like this was in a textbook or the Discovery Channel. Her lips parted on a gasp as her gaze moved down to what lay at the juncture of his thighs. He was long and thick. The red tip was bulbous, and the slit at the top looked wet. He sat down next to her on the couch. They were both naked in his sitting room, and she’d never felt more alive than she did in that moment. “Do you want to stop?” he asked. “Never. I feel something for you, Gabriel. I’m not sure what it is, but I never want to stop.” She tried to explain everything to him. If she could voice all that she was feeling maybe she could make sense of it all. “Tell me everything, Amy. This is what I want. For you to be open with me.” Amy nodded and took his hand. She’d read many books and seen stuff in the movies. Nothing she had read or seen was anything like being part of it. Taking a deep breath, she dived into this new world Gabriel had opened up. “I ache here,” she said, placing his hand on her breast. “It feels so tight and good. I want to feel you touching my breasts.” “Tell me where else.” Down her body, she moved his hand. Her tummy quivered with the touch. She went down until his hand covered her pussy. “It aches here. I’m so hot and wet.”
Sammamish City Council rejects proposed names for Southeast Eighth Street Park March 2, 2013 By Caleb Heeringa New: March 2, 11:16 a.m. The Sammamish City Council gave it’s blessing to the first set of improvements to the city’s newest park, though several councilmembers continue to question the scope of long-term plans for the property. Southeast Eighth Street Park, which is being donated by local resident Mary Pigott piece-by-piece to the city over the next decade or so, will receive 40 roadside parking stalls, improved trails and new restrooms as part of the plan. The city hopes to begin designs this summer with construction likely following in 2014. The $457,000 project focuses only on “Site A” – the only parcel currently open to the public, just south of Southeast Eighth Street. Councilmembers were generally supportive of the improvements, but several had qualms about longer-term goals and the $3.9 million total price tag in the park’s master plan. That’s a common refrain from several on the council, who have raised red flags about similar long-term plans at Sammamish Landing and Beaver Lake Park. “The problem with our master plans is that I think we overplan financially from a cost standpoint,” Councilwoman Nancy Whitten said. “It’s too much to accept a $3.9 million plan for a park that was supposed to be passive.” The broader plan calls for the 51-acre property to serve as something of a nature-themed educational experience, with elevated walkways bringing users through wetlands and the tree canopy and an “educational circle” allowing student groups to come and learn. The park also contains several buildings, including a newer home on the north property that could be used as some sort of senior activity center and several older buildings on the southern parcel that could host heritage-themed events, including the recently moved Reard House. Parks Director Jessi Bon and City Manager Ben Yazici repeated a common refrain: that master plans reflect broad goals that could take 20 or 30 years to accomplish as money becomes available. The city adopted the master plan process for its parks shortly after the city incorporated to make sure any parks improvements were being coordinated with the future in mind rather than in a haphazard fashion, Yazici said. Councilman Don Gerend said he the long-term vision of the plan reflects Pigott’s request for how the property be used. He noted that the city had already trimmed down its initial designs for the land, which included a community orchard and small outdoor amphitheater. “I am comfortable with this design,” Gerend said. “The citizens have been asking what vision we have for (the park.) The first vision felt too intensive so we modified it and scaled it down.” The question of what to do with the buildings on the property continued to give several councilmembers pause. Initial attempts to turn the Reard House and nearby Tanner House into heritage-themed event halls that could be rented met fierce opposition from neighbors just north of Southeast 20th Street, who complained that the resulting traffic would ruin the residential character of their cul-de-sac filled neighborhood. The result leaves the buildings in a bit of a limbo – the Sammamish Heritage Society continues to use grant money to repair the outside of the home, but there are no immediate plans for what to do with it once it is restored. The master plan does call for 10 parking spots to be added near the home – considered a bare minimum for access to the southern parcel. The property contains other outbuildings that could be torn down as a part of development. Whitten said it makes no sense to agree to a long-term plan for the property that leaves out crucial details about what to do with the buildings. “Instead of ducking the issue I think we need to take a position as part of the master plan,” she said. Bon said the city is in a unique position in that it doesn’t currently own the property in question. The south parcel is due to be donated to the city in the next three to five years. “We don’t own this property,” Bon said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to plan to tear down structures we don’t even own yet. When the property is transferred we’ll have that discussion.” Whitten also took issue with the plan to install “waterless restrooms” similar to one that was recently installed in Evans Creek Preserve. The restrooms are essentially pit toilets, and thus don’t require a sewer connection, but use solar-powered ventilation to cut down on odors and remove the moisture from human waste. “I’m tired, as a woman, of having to use second-class bathrooms,” Whitten said. “It’s an unpleasant experience to go into a waterless bathroom. It may be more appropriate at Evans Creek Preserve that’s out in the county but this is in the middle of the heart of the city.” Gerend countered that the city hopes to eventually connect the park to Lower Commons, which has nicer bathrooms available. The council approved moving forward with the first phase of park development on a 4-3 vote, with Whitten, Mayor Tom Odell and Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama opposed.
High Quality Suits. One of my favorite shops in Fashion Valley. Service is excellent unlike Louis Vuitton. The suits aren't too expensive and fabric is amazingly comfortable. I have purchased over 6 suits from them and keep coming back. Nordstrom also sells Hugo Boss, but the company itself has better service and more knowledge about their suits they sell.
I first went to TransMasters about 4 years ago with a 1995 Ford Windstar with 137K, totally gone reverse gear. Sam informed me that this transmission model was only used in select Ford models and was known for problems after 100K miles. I had them install the new transmission and drove it until it DIED at 350K (NOT A TRANNY PROBLEM!) During this time I sent a friend with a PT Cruiser that had been into the DEALER 6 time in 4 years for tranmission problem without being fixed. Sam worked with this neighbor since she didn't have alot of money, and fixed her car right the FIRST time! This PT Cruiser has now traveled for San Diego to Boston 2 time without and problems. Recently I picked up a 1998 Windstar that (CLUNKED) from 1st to 2nd. Taking to to TRANSMASTERS Sam said that it needed to be opened up and looked at to figure out what the problem is. Well the presure disc was leaking and stripped out the gears, total rebuild. OK lets do it and 7 day later I got it back running fantastic. Yesterday my check engine light came on and the trans seamed sluggish, took it into Sam this morning. Said the CODE was O2 sensor not transmission, but instead of just leaving it at that and saving WE CAN CHARGE YOU for whatever, HE SAID I WILL HAVE MY TECH TAKE A LOOK AT IT for FREE!!!!!! Come to find out a hose to the EGR was loose, easy fix and the check engine light is off. I don't know what else anyone would look for in a TRANMISSION shop. They have treated me right, and I will send everyone I can there. Sam is the Man, excellent service. Sam is very understanding and cooperative. I like the honesty and professionalism. the work is excellent and the price is right. like to do business with this shop and i trust them. Transmasters on Miramar Road. i have been very fortunate to locate TransMasters on Miramar Road. When my Honda hit the 100,000 mile mark and my Honda warranty expired, I went to Poway Honda to price a complete 105,000 mile service. Their price was $2400. I located TransMasters in the Yellow Pages and went to their shop (with Honda's list of services to be performed) and spoke with Sam Muniraj, the manager. He was very knowledgeable and explained in detail the requisite service to be performed- his list of necessary service was more extensive than Poway Honda's and included such items as complete brake and transmission fluid flushing in addition to the usual timing belt and water pump replacement and other hoses/fluids. His price was $1150. Needless to say, I chose him and was very happy with the service rendered. I have used his service several additional times (power steering rack and master brake cylinder replacement, brake job) and recommend him very highly. I simply do not believe the one negative review of his services, particularly when negative statements are attributed to him. Negative statements do not represent his true character. Great Service, Honest & Respectable. Any time you go somewhere you've never been before you have concerns especially when dealing with your car...especially when you don't really know much about cars. I was referred to Sam and Transmasters and they did not disappoint me. I was debating on buying a new car or get my transmission rebuilt. Sam took a test drive with me and explained to me my options in words that I can understand. I didn't feel any pressure and he was very straight forward with me. They had my car for 3 days as he mentioned. I've been driving my car for almost 2 weeks and my car feels like its brand new. I went back today for a check-up per their recommendation to make sure everything is where it needs to be and it was. I have a warranty on it as well as long as i brought it in after driving it for a week. All in all i'm happy with the decision to get my car fixed and have Sam and the team to do it. They are honest and I felt comfortable there. I saw there was a complaint on one of the reviews and they seem shady and looking for money. It saddens me when great people and a good business who tries to do right can get slammed by people who are only out for themselves. I highly recommend Sam and Transmasters. They are personable and easy to talk to. I will be taking my car here for my oil change and will refer to all my friends and family. Thanks Sam for making me feel safe to drive my car again! Honest & Reliable. This has been our family auto service shop since I can remember. Growing up in San Diego, whenever we've had any issues with our cars, we've always taken it to Transmasters. I've since moved to Orange County, but still only trust Sam at Transmasters. I own a 2001 Nissan Maxima. I recently (27k miles ago) had Transmasters redo my transmission and its still running great at 121k. Having been ripped off by other shops, I now plan my work trips to San Diego around my oil changes and vice versa. We have two cars in our family and both are maintained by Transmasters in Mira Mesa. I highly recommend Transmasters. You won't find a more honest and straight forward auto service shop. Responce to Rasoul Compalint ID 8108765. Transmasters Response to BBB findings on this complaint: Transmasters built a quality transmission and guaranteed it for 2 years and 24,000miles. 66796 miles and 3 years later, with NO maintenance services, Ms. Rasoul has posted a damaging complaint that even states the repairs made by Transmasters are not related to her problems. Further, she wants a full refund plus “$1000 in damages due to negligence for building a transmission that EXCEEDED the warranty by more than 40,000 miles! Transmasters has offered to repair the vehicle for parts cost only, provide free labor, in order to provide customer satisfaction. Per Customer this is not enough! Transmasters provides quality repairs and tries very hard to please their customers. Here is the BBB administratively closed the complaint : for your reference we have enclosed. BBB of San Diego 5050 Murphy Canyon, Ste. 110 San Diego, CA 92123 Trans Master's Transmissions 1191 E Main St #104 El Cajon CA 92021 This message is in regard to a complaint submitted to the BBB about your business on 2/18/2010 1:52:30 AM by Elizabeth Rasoul . This complaint was assigned ID 8108765. Although the consumer has not expressed satisfaction in the resolution of the complaint, the Bureau has determined that the response from your company addresses the disputed issues and exhibits a good faith effort to resolve the complaint. Therefore, the Bureau has decided to close the complaint and not pursue it further. Should the consumer provide additional information, we will forward this on to you. Please feel free to contact us with any further questions. The Better Business Bureau This place is NOT good! They shouldn't even get one star!. Transmasters told me a complete transmission overhaul was necessary for my vehicle. They kept my vehicle in their shop for 10 days and when I got my car back they had put over 500 miles on it! They simply said it took that many to drive test it to ensure it was working correctly. They also could not get the check engine light to ever go off and claimed it was probably a computer or electrical error that would cost me even more to fix. Just to be safe I purchased the 24 month/24,000 mile extended warranty. Less than a year later I began to notice shifting issues when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear but I had moved up to Orange County. Since Transmasters claims to be part of the ATRA I contacted a local ATRA shop since they are bound together by the so called "golden rule warranty". DON'T be fooled this warranty does not exist unless you actually receive a certificate! I didn't know this at the time and took my vehicle to two different transmission shops in my area Tustin Transmission in Tustin Transmission Masters in Santa Ana. Apparently neither shop wanted to deal with it because I was told by both of them that the problem was not transmission related. This was false but I didn't know it at the time! This year I moved back to San Diego& the problem is getting even worse. Several shops charged me for what they claimed was the problem but never fixed it! It has now been about 3 years since the transmission rebuild and according to the paperwork it is out of it's 2 year/24,000 mile warranty, but I decided I would give Transmasters the opportunity to make all of this right! I took my vehicle back in to their shop drove test it with them and they AGREED it was a problem with the transmission! I then showed them the paper trail of history and struggle I had since leaving their shop hoping they would do the right thing and honor my original warranty, however I was denied! I was basically told to pound sand by both the Manager Sam Muniraj and supposed "customer relation rep" Dave Stall. I am now going to attempt to take them to small claims court and hope to get all or some of my money back. It's been a complete nightmare! Also FYI they are not recognized by the BBB and have a score of a D- because of other complaints and license expirations! BEWARE!!! Honest Auto Repair. I brought my vehicle here from a recommendation from another auto repair facility. My check engine light was on and indicating my transmission was faulty. These guys gave me several repair options. They gave me prices for three different scenarios; (1) repair only what they visibly see as needing repair, (2) have them rebuild the rtranny, or (3) have the dealer rebuild the tranny. We opted for them to repair it, because there was no extra warranty offered from the dealer. They "rebuilt" my transmission. They gave a fair price and were upfront about all of the associated costs. They even showed me a few other things that may cause problems in the future. "Sam" was a stand-up guy and even gave me a military discount. So far, the car is running as promised. I'd recommend them to anyone having transmission problems. Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Facebook to see what your friends are up to!
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SAN JOSE (KCBS) – The man wanted in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a Campbell woman amid a crime spree last week has been arrested in West Sacramento. San Jose police said 33-year-old Paul Ray Castillo was taken into custody on Sunday night. “Our officers will often follow the case even if it leaves this jurisdiction here in San Jose,” said San Jose police spokesperson Jose Garcia. “In this case, they were on the trail. Once they obtained certain leads, they went into West Sacramento. We had sufficient officers with our special operations unit for them to be able to safely take them into custody.” Castillo began his alleged rampage on Friday morning when police claim he shot a 42-year-old man during a robbery at a Chevron gas station in Willow Glen. That victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive after suffering non-life threatening injuries. Police said the suspect then fled the scene in a Nissan 300Z that had been reported stolen more than a week earlier. The car was found nearby at The Plant shopping center at Monterey Road and Curtner Avenue. Police said 60-year-old Cindy Nguyen, a Campbell resident, was carjacked at that center around noon after she had stopped there reporting problems with her car. “We know that he approached her and subsequently kidnapped her and took her car,” said Garcia. “Later that evening, the officers spotted the suspect in Cindy Nguyen’s car over in the northeast part of San Jose where they had a confrontation with him. They discharged a firearm and he fled on foot and escaped.” Nguyen’s body was found Saturday morning in a home on the 500 block of North 12th Street. Nguyen was a popular Vietnamese-American radio host and also the office manager at PN Real Estate. Her colleagues were stunned by the news that she had been killed. KCBS’ Betsy Gebhart Reports: “It’s a giant loss for the community, not just her family. There are a lot of friends and co-workers that loved her,” said Nick Pham, the owner of PN Real Estate. Pham said Nguyen last talked to her co-workers on Friday. She told them she was going to be late for work but that a man had stopped to help her with her car. “She’s so friendly that she would shake everyone’s hand,” said Pham. “The reason why she didn’t want us to come out (and help her) is because there was someone else that was helping her.” Nguyen was a single mom with three children. Her colleagues are planning a memorial event later this week. (Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Search this site Junior College Football San Jose State Home TSX Files: Can SJSU Keep Rolling In The WAC? Guard James Kinney has emerged as Spartans' leader Special to Inside Sparta Posted Jan 2, 2012 Junior college transfer guard James Kinney averaged a team-best 16.7 points through San Jose State's pre-conference schedule. Can he keep rolling through the WAC? There aren't high expectations for the Spartans in conference play, but if Kinney keeps on scoring, then maybe SJSU has a chance. He is coming off a career-best 31-point performance as San Jose State beat host Seattle 84-74 in the title game of the Elgin Baylor Classic on Dec. 30. "I shot the ball with more confidence," Kinney said. "I worked hard off the ball to be ready when I got the ball." Kinney began his college career at in the 2009-10 season, averaging 9.7 points in 19 games before being dismissed from the team in mid-February. He spent last season at Eastern Utah College. He's been a very good replacement for , who led the WAC in scoring last season at 24.0 points per game. Kinney and form a dangerous backcourt for the Spartans. Shamburger was the MVP of the Elgin Baylor Classic, as SJSU won two games away from home, including a victory over Coppin State. That moved the Spartans to 6-8 and gave them a boost before the opening of WAC play. "It feels good to win two games on the road," Shamburger said. "These are wins we needed before conference play." --San Jose State committed a season-high 18 turnovers against Seattle, which pressed the entire game. Although the Spartans only got off 50 shots, they managed good looks after surviving the press and knocked down half of their shots overall and from 3-point range (12 of 24). That game should serve as good practice for future meetings against New Mexico State --The Spartans set a school record by making 16 3-point shots against Coppin on Dec. 29. Keith Shamburger, each made four shots from behind the arc. San Jose State also set a school record by taking 40 shots from 3-point range. --The win at Seattle on Dec. 20 was SJSU's first road victory in seven tries this season. The Spartans had some close calls before that, losing in overtime at San Francisco and Weber State, and losing by two at UC Riverside. STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL THIS WEEK'S GAMES: , Jan. 7 Hawaii has been tough at home, beating , and losing a five-point decision to on Dec. 31. The Warriors have been led by 6-foot-6 senior guard Zane Johnson, who was averaging 15.1 points through the team's 8-6 start. Hawaii was having trouble finding a shooting complement to Johnson, though. The problem for San Jose State is it is a poor rebounding team, and Hawaii's Vander Joaquim might be able to dominate down low. D.J. Brown redshirted as a freshman guard last season, when the Spartans were loaded in the backcourt with Adrian Oliver, and Keith Shamburger. Now, there is more room for Brown, who averaged 14.0 minutes in a reserve role through 14 games, averaging 5.8 points. He gives the Spartans another 3-point shooter whenever Shamburger or is taking a breather. transferred to San Jose State from Santa Clara over the summer. Cunningham (6-8, 225) averaged 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds a game for Santa Clara. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining after he sits out in 2011-12. --PG Keith Shamburger entered the week leading the WAC with 5.1 assists per game. --SG James Kinney entered the week second in the WAC in free throw shooting, having made 86.4 percent (38 of 44). Join the rest of the Inside Sparta community in discussions of this article, and more, on the Inside Sparta Discussion Forums! TSX Files: Spartans Open Conference Play Jan 7, 2012 TSX Files: SJSU lives and dies with 3-pointer Jan 9, 2012 TSX Files: SJSU takes aim at .500 road trip Jan 13, 2012 2014 Scout.com Recruiting Yearbook with an annual Total Access Pass Free Email Newsletter Don't miss any news or features from InsideSparta.net. Subscribe to our newsletter to have our newest articles emailed to you on a daily or weekly basis. Click here for a list of all Team Newsletters Add Topics to My HotList Get free email alerts with news about your favorite topics. Click link to add to Basketball > San Jose State View My HotList Places to go: Junior College Football Things to do: Things to buy: Things to know: Terms of Service Advertise on MSN About our ads © 2013 Microsoft
Links to Current Events and News Please click on the links below to visit selected news and events within the SRJC Insider (PDF) document. Note that it is strongly recommended that you use either Firefox or Internet Explorer on a PC for your browser. Chrome on a PC does not support named destinations within PDF documents. If you are using the Safari browser on a MAC, you must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer. If you are using Firefox you must have the latest version (with the Adobe Reader plug-in) to view named destinations. To see the entire INSIDER please click here.
Camp debate an issue in Congressional race To view our videos, you need to install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now. Then come back here and refresh the page. ELLENVILLE, N.Y. -- A political feud brewing over a Jewish summer camp in the Hudson Valley could complicate a New York City Congressional race. Control over this kids camp in Ellenville, which is more than a two-hour drive from Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez's district in Brooklyn, is kicking up a decade-long feud between two sects of the Satmar Jewish Community: the Zalmans and the Aaronites. The camp is at risk of not opening. Velazquez said she doesn't want one group to control the camp, but according to some, that's an unpopular decision. Assemblyman Vito Lopez said, "It's a poor political decision on her part because the overwhelming number of people, if majority rules and 80 percent of them are in need and support this, it's sad that she has taken the minority position." Rep. Velazquez said, "The person that you mention went up there to advocate for the four camps to be given to one group," said Velazquez. "I am not advocating for that. I am advocating for all the girls." Ulster County Executive Mike Hein met with representatives of both sides, but it is still unclear whether the camp's gates will be open at all this summer.
Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat in beautiful gold designer embroidered halter neck saree blouse. Gold embroidered sequins buttes all over blouse. igned by Anita Dongre at Jai Maharashtra Channel Launch. Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor in beautiful red designer georgette dupatta. Paired with red designer 3/4th saree blouse for back with wide neck pattern. Red embellished work all over.Designed by Manish Malhotra at Manish Malhotra Spring Summer Collection 2013. Bollywood and South Indian actress Sridevi in beautiful white designer sleeveless saree blouse. White embellished with patch work all over blouse. Designed by Manish Malhotra at the Party Celebrating Sridevi’s Padma Bhushan.
Waiting for Godot “Searching for Serbia’s roots in the spiritual life of Velika Hoca” The idea of isolated Serbian enclaves in Kosovo evokes images of broken phone connections, power shortages and constant tension that complicate the lives of local residents. But the sum of these words hides another more subtle existence: a no less important struggle to preserve cultural identity. Villages with hardly 700 inhabitants today are unique in many ways. They remain very proud and still unconsciously determine the fate of Serbia’s connection with their roots. The fact is that there are many important Orthodox Christian medieval churches in these lands. They lie upon a holy land called “Metohija’’ which belonged to church even before The Ottoman Empire. Those villages are in an Albanian area, like Velika Hoca, they are very much cut off from other Serbian areas and needs to be defended. Large-scale emigration of ethnic Serbs, especially since the conflict in 1999 and 2004 leaves them as the only major ethnic group in Kosovo that is naturally disappearing. My mother was born in Metohija and I have instantly felt a deep emotional connection with my roots and childhood here. I need to explore how life exists here today, for myself and for my nation. The Serbian government has high hopes for the returnees to the holy Serbian land and preservation of cultural monuments, but this is hampered by their disputed jurisdiction since Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008. I believe it is just a marketing gimmick by Serbian establishment to manipulate the electorate and gain time until the next election. The Serbs who remain in Kosovo are dependent on donations from non-governmental organizations from Serbia and the other from the Kosovo institutions, but some of them feel mistreated by those institutions. This creates a paradox and leaves Serbs almost crucified in real time where their future life becomes uncertain. What they have left is days full of wandering and waiting for something to happen. Perhaps they are waiting for the Godot who may never come. Serbs need to reconnect with those villages soon, in order to preserve their own heritage.
Category Archives: Home Here’s the story I wrote for MindBodyGreen: When I made the decision to live a cleaner life, I was grateful to learn so many new things; things that would be better for me, my family, and the environment. But then … Continue reading These simple flower shelves and vases are made from salvaged wood by Anzfer Farms. Perfect for small spaces. Via Re-nest. The Environmental Working Group created this checklist to help encourage a less toxic environment for you and your family. I love this teal and light blue color combo and old loom inspired design of this market weave organic cotton zip pouch from Pacific Northwest-based Slide Sideways. It’s also hand screen printed with non-toxic water based inks. Their organic cotton … Continue reading More burlap love, this time from brin and nohl – they make housewares from upcycled materials such as reclaimed coffee sacks from their local coffee houses and vintage military blankets. Also available at Poppytalk Handmade. Via Poppytalk. Vintage etsy shop hindsvik almost always has something that we’d want to purchase if money wasn’t an issue. I’m especially fond of this medicine cabinet. Green Depot is the largest U.S. green building supplier. It’s now also New York State’s first LEED Platinum Retail Building with its flagship NYC store located at 222 Bowery. Continue reading here. Incredibly beautiful handmade porcelain pieces by Sydney-based Samantha Robinson. Far from lackluster, here’s some great finds from etsy shop Lackluster Co.:
For some reason, the government here finds itself compelled to get involved in organizing cultural events even when they suck at it. Why? Maybe because they don’t allow non-governmental organizations that usually play such roles in other countries. Or maybe because they want to keep the matters of arts and culture under control. Anyway, they keep organizing these events and it is very rare that anything good comes out of them. Recently, the Ministry of Culture and Information (MOCI) organized in Riyadh what they called the second intellectual forum. The word ‘intellectual’ here is a vague term used to describe a diverse group of people who work in the fields of arts and culture: writers, novelists, columnists, artists, journalists, etc. This forum that took place in the Marriott hotel included discussion panels and meetings with senior government officials. It was also a chance for these so-called intellectuals, many of them have known each other for years, to meet and talk. Like most of these events, the forum almost passed unnoticed. That is, until al-Watan daily columnist Saleh al-Shehi tweeted this: ما كان يحدث في بهو ماريوت على هامش ملتقى المثقفين عار وخزي على الثقافة.. آمنت أن مشروع التنوير الثقافي المزعوم في السعودية يدور حول المرأة— صالح الشيحي (@SalehAlshehi) December 31, 2011 Translation: What happened in the Marriott lobby on the margins of the intellectuals forum is a shame and a disgrace.. I believe that the so-called cultural enlightenment program in Saudi Arabia is centered on women That tweet generated some angry responses by other people who attended the forum. Author Abdo Khal, winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction aka the Arabic Man Booker, tweeted: “Your allegation has crossed the line. Either you prove it or face trial for libel. You should apologize before things get there.” Abdul Aziz Khoja, the minister of information and culture, and whose this event is happening under his auspices, also took to Twitter to make his feelings clear: ان يقفز النقد فوق اهدافه وآدابه ويصل الى مرحلة القذف والتشويه، هذا هو الخزي. ولا ازيد— aziz khoja (@abdlazizkhoja) January 01, 2012 Translation: For criticism to cross its goals and ethics and reaches the stage of libel and slandering, that is what’s shame. And I will say no more. Al-Shehi was unapologetic. He insisted that as a good Muslim there was no way he could remain silent about what happened at the Marriott lobby. He also said that he plans to sue Khoja. This kind of talk struck a chord with the conservatives, who took his tweet and ran with it because it reaffirms their view of the so-called liberal intellectuals as a group of immoral men and women. During a talk show on Rotana TV, Khal pressed al-Shehi to say what did he see exactly that he deemed too scandalous. The latter kept refusing to answer, but at the end of the show he agreed to provide one example: some women there did not cover their hair. The horror. Seriously? All this fuss over a few strands of hair? People thought al-Shehi saw some orgy going on or something. I mean look at these photos: some really hardcore stuff, no? Some people think the government must be thrilled to see the elite of society bickering over trivialities like this instead of demanding political reform. For a government that paid billions in money handouts and made some merely symbolic concessions to prevent the Arab Spring from reaching their shores, a controversy like this one is certainly a welcome distraction. The past few months have seen a wave of conservatism that al-Shehi and his supporters seem more than happy to ride. Hardliners are on the rise, and that shows in the heavy-handed manner in which authorities are dealing with recent calls for reform. Earlier this week, the interior ministry ordered the arrest of 23 citizens wanted in connection to last October’s unrest in the city of Awwamiya in Qatif in the eastern part of the country. The ministry held a press conference to make the announcement and released a list of names and photos in a way that eerily similar to how the government dealt with Al Qaeda cells few years ago. Few days later, the organizers of an event for arts and culture in Riyadh were ordered to cancel all the musical segments in their program, and two days ago long-time activist Mohammed Saeed Tayeb was stopped at the airport when he tried to board a plane to Cairo to attend his daughter’s wedding there. In July 2010, Saleh al-Shehi wrote about meeting Abdo Khal in a Parisian cafe, where “girls of all nationalities and ages were flying around us like butterflies in the Spring season.” Why is he now all worked up about some Saudi women not covering their hair? Halal in Paris, haram in Riyadh? Saleh al-Shehi kept repeating the word “shame” to describe what he saw at the now-infamous lobby, but failed to provide any specific examples except for the uncovered hair of some women. If some free strands of hair offend his sensibilities that much, then he probably should not be there in the first place. However, there are many other things in the country that he, and all of us, really, should be ashamed of like injustice, corruption and discrimination. For shame, Saleh. For shame.
I’ve been singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” as I have moved back to Indiana from Kentucky. I believe the state of Indiana has a good knowledge of the cemetery locations within the state. In July 2000 the Indiana General Assembly Passed IC 14-21-1-13.5, which authorized the Indiana Department of Natural Resources – Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA) to locate and survey every cemetery and burial ground in the state. They appointed Jeannie Regan-Dinius as Cemetery Registry Coordinator. I have met her and she is a lovely lady who really seems to care about Indiana cemeteries and she is glad to give you information. She can be contacted by email at email@example.com. Jeannie works with hundreds of interested volunteers to help get all Indiana Burial Gounds registered in the state by county. This project will not read every tombstone to document individual burials. The DHPA welcomes public involvement in this program, contact Jeannie for information on how to volunteer. Indiana has ninety-two counties and the data collection varies from county to county. Each year DHPA co-sponsors with the Indiana Historical Society a series of workshops to teach cemetery preservation. Indiana law gives the responsibility for maintaining abandoned cemeteries in the state to the township trustee. They must keep the cemeteries in a respectable condition by removing all unsightly accumulations and debris. The one problem is that the funds for any maintains is taken from the township funds. So many will do minimal work in each cemetery. They are always in need of volunteers and funds to help with the cemeteries. The trustee may also run active public cemetery using any plot fees to help maintain the cemetery. Until 1999, farmers could legally remove the stones and plant over the cemetery. They could even build on top of them. The Indiana Pioneer Cemetery Restroation Project begun in 1997. Many volunteers join this effort to generate public awareness about neglected pioneer cemeteries in Indiana. I attended the Fall meeting at the Monroe County History Center and nearly 30 people came. After lunch attendees visited White Oak and Rose Hill Cemetery. The next meeting will be held Saturday April 6, 2013 at Franklin College in Franklin, IN. For more information about the Indiana Chapter please contact Chapter Chair Joy Giguere at firstname.lastname@example.org
After way too much time, Savvy has found its new name. It’s Grood. It means Good plus Great. Grood. Thanks for waiting. For all new Grood music and videos, go to the following: The new idea for the new band: “Just do it already!” We just decide on a name, we just make videos all the time, and we just write music constantly and don’t give it too much of a second thought. There will be mistakes all the time but everything will be just fine. And you should come to shows and check out our art. And make mistakes. Just do it already.
Moscow Mules have become the new “it drink” and ironically, many people have no idea what’s in them. With a punch of fresh ginger and citrus, these libations are refreshing and super easy to make…plus they’ll make you feel uber trendy Cheers! ~1 1/2 shots of top shelf vodka or gin ~Juice from half of a lime ~2 thin, peeled ginger slices ~Splash of Soda *Crush and muddle ginger slices with lime juice, add ice, vodka, soda, and fill with ginger beer. Serve in a traditional copper tin mug or opt for a footed copper goblet as shown above.
Innovative Eye-Safe Wavelength High Power Fiber Laser High power fiber lasers have made significant progress in the last several years. Ten kW of diffraction-limited output power at 1 micron from one single mode fiber has been demonstrated. Department of Defense (DoD) needs 100s of kW for missile defense as well as for protection against rockets, artillery, and mortars (RAM). There is serious concern about current 1 micron fiber laser system potentially causing collateral eye damage due to scatter off of target surfaces. AdValue Photonics proposes to develop an innovative eye-safe single mode fiber laser with output power greater than 5kW using our proprietary glass fibers, and scale up the total power to 100s-kW with good beam quality using an innovative beam combining technique. In Phase II we shall further optimize erbium doped double cladding fiber, demonstrate cladding pumped fiber laser with slope efficiency greater than 85%, demonstrate output power of 500W, and design the proposed 100kW fiber laser system. Small Business Information at Submission: AdValue Photonics Inc 4585 S. Palo Verde, Suite 405 Suite 405 Tucson, AZ - Number of Employees:
Greetings Fellow Storage Central 101/T Enthusiast You may have found us while researching Netgear’s Storage Central products. Our focus here is on recovering files from the SC101/T – we are not affiliated to Netgear in any way. If you need support help from Netgear, you can visit their Knowledge Base. We specialise in recovering data and we’re here in response to growing demand from SC-101 owners needing access to their critical stored data on those rare occasions where the SC fails and found that Netgear was unable to help them. We recover all your data from the hard drives your Storage Central SAN has stopped seeing. Many people are attracted to the Storage Central devices due to their extremely low cost (when sold direct and unpopulated). The devices are straightforward to set up and provides amazing value as network storage. We know many people who have used them as a way to soak up and recycle IDE hard drives from main PCs following upgrades. The SC101-T does the same job for SATA drives. They are generally reliable and provide many years of excellent service but be aware that it has the potential to fail, like any piece of equipment. We maintain our own data under the truism that nothing is backed up until it is in at least two places. Data which is on a Storage Central device but not duplicated elsewhere has not been backed up, it has been merely moved from one unsafe location to another. It’s no safer than where it was originally. This device (like any other data storage device) is not a back-up device unless the data also exists elsewhere. But If you get caught short, give us a call on 0845 094 0027, we can spare your blushes and rescue your data.
As many food traditions as there are for Christmas, New Year's celebrations have always had a somewhat less significant and much less 'strict' array of dishes on offer (at least in my family). I suppose most people cook so much for Christmas that by the time it's New Year's everyone feels like something easy and quick, yet celebratory food for the occasion. In my family we often prepared some light salads, different kinds of herring and finger foods. Here in Australia I haven't yet quite figured out what dishes 'should' be on the New Year's Eve menu. This red cabbage and lentil salad may not be traditional, but I certainly wouldn't mind including it in my (yet non-existing) New Year's repertoire. I adore the deep, rich colours and the mild flavours perfect to accompany any other dish you may want to have on the table. This makes a big batch suitable to be scooped on a big platter and shared amongst friends. New Year's Salad 1/4 red cabbage 1 medium sized beetroot 100g beluga lentils 2 tablespoons sherry or apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil 1 tablespoon red peppercorns, slightly crushed 5 tablespoons raw, unsalted pepitas 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds 1 teaspoon ground celery seed pinch of sea salt 1. Cook the beluga lentils in plenty of water until just tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. 2. Thinly slice the cabbage and julienne the beetroot. Add in to the bowl and toss well with the lentils. 3. Add in vinegar and oil and the red peppercorns. 4. Place the pepitas, mustard seeds and celery seed in a dry frying pan. Season with salt and toast for a few minutes on medium heat until the mustard seeds start to 'pop'. Add the mixture into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and toss well to combine.
Bill Hobbs: Meet the New Pope cokeribbon.gifThere was Pope Classic. Now there is New Pope. I’m not Catholic, nor do I believe the papal system has any basis in the Bible. Smash: We Have a Pope — WHITE SMOKE billowed out from a stovepipe on the roof of the Sistine Chapel and bells pealed across… Wizbang – As soon as I saw the white smoke -and well before the new pope was announced- I predicted it would take some moron 2 hours to whine about the choice of pope. and Wizbang – The white smoke has flowed and the bells have rung. German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was selected as the 265th holy father on the second day of the conclave. He will be known as Pope Benedict XVI. [The 16th] Outside The Beltway – God’s Rottweiler” arises from the white smoke: Professor Bainbridge – Reuters’ “gracious” announcement reads: German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the strict defender of Catholic orthodoxy for the past 23 years, was elected Pope on Tuesday despite a widespread assumption he was too old and divisive to win election. Widespread among whom? The left-liberal elites that Reuters reporters hang out with? The Anchoress – Yesterday, Cardinal Ratzinger closed his very Christ-centered homily thusly: We live out our ministry in this way, as a gift of Christ to humanity! But at this time, above all, we pray with insistence to the Lord, so that after the great gift of Pope John Paul II, he again gives us a pastor according to his own heart, a pastor who guides us to knowledge in Christ, to his love and to true joy. Amen. Jeff Jarvis – Cardinal Ratzinger issued his attack against “relativism” as the cardinals went into their conclave. Of course, one can easily turn that around and say that he was merely defending orthodoxy — his orthodoxy: “We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism that has at its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires,” Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger told his fellow electors…. Michelle Malkin – Go see her , she has a good round up of sites.
I have been playing roller derby for about 15 months. This is my first full season, I am the captain of my home team, the Psycho Ex-Girlfriends and I play on our travel B team, Pulp Friction. I absolutely love it and have worked really hard to do well in it. The league’s freshmeat is having a beta bout today. A beta bout is essentially a glorified scrimmage of freshmeat girls that isn’t for rankings but is open to the public. It helps them get used to skating in front of people and gives them a chance to show off. They are a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the experiences when I was in freshmeat. It really helped when had your first game in home teams/travel teams. One of the teams needed a last minute coach and I was asked if I would be willing to help out. I’m Terrified. I am totally afraid of not being able to help them as much as a coach should. I believe your coach needs to know your players and know their skill level. I have some idea but I haven’t seen most of these girls skate in weeks and never as a full team. When you skate roller derby at a freshmeat level you can learn entire new skills in a few weeks. I am also not a very authoritative person if I’m in a position I don’t feel comfortable with. I do not feel comfortable coaching. at all. I get super nervous in front of people especially when I ’m not 100% sure I know everything they need to know. I want these girls to do well and love derby as much as I do. I’m going to try to focus on that and hope that it goes well. Wish me luck! LET’S GO BACK BAY BOMBSHELLS!!!!
Dear the Reading Hexagon Congratulations on maintaining your position as one of the top provincial theatres in the Thames Valley named after a kind of shape! I have attended a number of events within your hallowed halls - BB King, Rowan Atkinson, The Marriage of Figaro, a pantomime starring TV's Keith Chegwin - and I feel that the time is right to apologise for the behaviour of both myself and my peers when we allowed a drunken former colleague to defacate in one of the plant pots in your downstairs bar many years ago. We were young, we were reckless, we were work-shy civil servants, for which I offer my most profuse apologies. But this is not the reason I write, for I have a most pressing request to make of you. You see, as we get older, we get more pedantic. And in my tragic case, this involves writing well-meaning but pointless letters to facilities such as yourself hoping - not unreasonably - to address the root cause of WRONGNESS and BLASPHEMY. It's this: You're not a hexagon. I've driven past you virtually every weekday for the last two decades, and it is abundantly clear you are a Truncated Hexagonal Pyramid. You heard. And yet you still - quite wrongly - call yourself The Hexagon. Sort it out, me laddo, or I shall write another letter, or possibly invite Dave the Jockey back for another leaving do. Nobody wants to see that happen. And don't get me started on the Sheffield Octagon. Your pal, etc
Hello friends yes I had a fun time at the meet today as dream jade even know I am no good at socialising gomen it was fun though we started the day like this … and ended up like this \|i'm gonna make you do 2 also: fashion show and i have a lot of feelings HOP TO IT\| its called fashion look it up \|can you post pictures of you licking your elbow? a talent as rare and special as that needs documenting (and appreciating)\| For you, strange anon.
Mary McLeod Bethune Scholarships The Mary McLeod Bethune Scholarship (MMB) provides financial assistance to undergraduate students who meet scholastic requirements, demonstrate financial need, and attend Bethune-Cookman University, Edward Waters College, Florida A&M University, or Florida Memorial University. Available funds are contingent upon matching contributions from private sources on behalf of eligible institutions. MMB is a decentralized state of Florida program, which means that each participating institution determines application procedures, deadlines, and student eligibility. What are the Initial Eligibility Requirements to Receive Funding? The student will: - Be a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. A student’s residency and citizenship status are determined by the postsecondary institution. Questions regarding such status should be directed to the financial aid office or admissions office of the institution the student plans to attend. - Not owe a repayment or be in default under any state or federal grant, loan, or scholarship program unless satisfactory arrangements to repay have been made. - Not have previously received a baccalaureate degree. - Enroll at Bethune-Cookman University, Edward Waters College, Florida A&M University, or Florida Memorial University as a degree-seeking, undergraduate student for a minimum of 12 credit hours per term or the equivalent. Applications must be obtained from financial aid offices at Bethune-Cookman College, Edward Waters College, Florida A&M University, or Florida Memorial University. - Have earned a minimum, unweighted, cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent, for high school subjects credited towards a diploma. How Does a Student Apply? - Demonstrate financial need as specified by the participating institution. - Meet the application procedures and deadlines established by the participating institution. Applications may be obtained at the financial aid offices of eligible Florida colleges and universities. For more information, visit: http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/SSFAD/home/ProgramsOffered.htm or contact the Financial Aid Office of eligible Florida colleges and universities.
Archive for June, 2012 In my current series of blog posts on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, I left off last time talking about the rational aspect of true love. Now, of course very few men and women would be satisfied with their partner loving them for purely rational reasons. Let us suppose that for some reason Ferdinand has to choose between his marriage with Miranda and his rich kingship of Naples. He chooses Miranda and poverty, and quite literally has to be a “patient log-man” for the rest of his life. As the initial amour wanes, he also finds his patience waning, and regret over the fulfilling life he has given up comes knocking at his mental door. Say this feeling of regret grows increasingly stronger, and his feeling of love diminishes into nothingness. He still carries those logs for Miranda and their mutual children. Steered by Reason, he still does his best to serve and help them. But all his service his tainted by regret. If such a state lasts for years, and his negative feelings are consistently much stronger than any feelings of love, he probably should have a talk with Miranda whether there might not be other alternatives for them and their children’s futures. Reason is vital for love; otherwise it would have hardly made sense for the author of John’s Gospel to tell us that Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another. Clearly, then, love has to be more than just a feeling, and sometimes it has to act against one’s feelings. But it is equally clear that one cannot erase feelings from love on a permanent basis. Reason might be the helm of love, but feelings are the wind in the sail. Taken together, they are what we call “character.” The more developed someone’s character, the less schizophrenia there will between his Reason and his feelings.
"A special kind of beauty exists which is born in language, of language and for language." - Gaston Bachelard, French Philosopher Amount: $1000 - $5000 Per Year Eligibility: High School Seniors and Transfer Students Application available: August 1st Applications accepted: September 1st Deadline to apply: December 1st The French Scholarship competition consists of a written exam and an oral interview. Both must take place during an official on-campus visit. Students enrolled in their third year of high school French or those who have completed the equivalent level of study may apply. The scholarship is not awarded to native speakers of French. Apply for admission to University of Dallas. Complete the Departmental Scholarship Application and submit two weeks prior to your campus visit and interview. Email to email@example.com or mail to the following address: University of Dallas c/o Drew Klein Office of Undergraduate Admission French Department Scholarship 1845 E Northgate Drive Irving, TX 75062 Submit a letter of recommendation from your high school or college French teacher. Schedule an on-campus interview with the French Department by registering for Odyssey Days or a personalized visit here. The French Department Scholarship is renewable annually for four consecutive school years, dependent upon the student's academic performance and the criteria stated below:
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The STS-108 crew and Expedition 4 crew answer questions from the media during an interview session. With the microphone is Commander Dominic L. Gorie. From left are STS-108 Pilot Mark E. Kelly, Mission Specialists Daniel M. Tani and Linda A. Godwin, and Gorie; Expedition 4 Commander Yuri Onufrienko, Carl E. Walz and Daniel W. Bursch. The crews are at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities that include emergency exit training from the orbiter and launch pad and a simulated launch countdown. STS-108 is a Utilization Flight that will carry the replacement Expedition 4 crew to the International Space Station, as well as the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello, filled with supplies and equipment. The l1-day mission is scheduled for launch Nov. 29 on Space Shuttle Endeavour. (Photo Release Date: 11/09/2001 ) KSC-01PP-1680 - Raw ASCII Text Caption file KSC-01PP-1680 - Low (GIF Format, 320x240 pixels x 256 colors, approx 50 Kbytes) KSC-01PP-1680 - Medium (JPEG format, 1024x768 pixels x 256 colors, approx 250 Kbytes) KSC-01PP-1680 - High (JPEG, 2040x2640 pixels x 16 million colors, approx 400 Kbytes) STS-108 KSC Photo IndexNext Image KSC-01PP-1681 DISCLAIMER: No copyright protection is asserted for these photographs. If a recognizable person appears in this photograph, use for commercial purposes may infringe a right of privacy or publicity. It may not be used to state or imply the endorsement by NASA of a commercial product. These photographs are available for preview and download in electronic digital form ONLY. They may not be ordered from NASA in photograph form. (See NASA Copyright Notice)
destinyland writes "One in 12 men suffers from colorblindness, though '[t]he good news here is that these folks are simply missing a patch of DNA ... which is just the kind of challenge this Millennium is made for. Enter science.' But NPR's Moira Gunn (from Biotech Nation) now asks a provocative question. Is it wrong to cure colorblindness? She reports on an experiment that used a virus to introduce corrective DNA into colorblind monkeys. ('It took 20 weeks, but eventually the monkeys started distinguishing between red and green.') Then she asks, could it be viewed differently? 'Are we trying to 'normalize' humans to a threshold of experience?'"
Sorry for missing in action. Lots of new articles in various PLoS journals yesterday and today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Mendeley, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one click. Here are my own picks for the week – you go and look for your own favourites: Distinguishing between a fair and unfair tackle in soccer can be difficult. For referees, choosing to call a foul often requires a decision despite some level of ambiguity. We were interested in whether a well documented perceptual-motor bias associated with reading direction influenced foul judgments. Prior studies have shown that readers of left-to-right languages tend to think of prototypical events as unfolding concordantly, from left-to-right in space. It follows that events moving from right-to-left should be perceived as atypical and relatively debased. In an experiment using a go/no-go task and photographs taken from real games, participants made more foul calls for pictures depicting left-moving events compared to pictures depicting right-moving events. These data suggest that two referees watching the same play from distinct vantage points may be differentially predisposed to call a foul. Normally, in sexually reproducing organisms, the sex ratio (ratio of males to females) is 1:1. However, examples are known where this is not the case and there are more females than males in a population. Extreme bias in sex ratio can lead to females failing to find a mate. We studied Cheilomenes sexmaculata, a ladybird species that has females that produce more female than male offspring. In aphid-eating ladybirds, this phenomenon has been widely reported and is known to be due to the presence of bacteria that live inside the mother and are passed via her eggs to her offspring. In eggs destined to become male, the bacteria kill the embryo by some unknown mechanism. This is known as male-killing. Female offspring develop normally. Evolutionary theory predicts that in such systems, the genome of the host can fight back if a variant arises that stops the bacteria killing male offspring. In C. sexmaculata we found females that carried the male-killer but the sex ratio of their offspring depended on the male that they mated with. We carried out breeding tests to show that some ladybirds had a version of a gene that rescued the male offspring from the pathological effects of the male-killer. Differential herbivory and/or differential plant resistance or tolerance in sun and shade environments may influence plant distribution along the light gradient. Embothrium coccineum is one of the few light-demanding tree species in the temperate rainforest of southern South America, and seedlings are frequently attacked by insects and snails. Herbivory may contribute to the exclusion of E. coccineum from the shade if 1) herbivory pressure is greater in the shade, which in turn can result from shade plants being less resistant or from habitat preferences of herbivores, and/or 2) consequences of damage are more detrimental in the shade, i.e., shade plants are less tolerant. We tested this in a field study with naturally established seedlings in treefall gaps (sun) and forest understory (shade) in a temperate rainforest of southern Chile. Seedlings growing in the sun sustained nearly 40% more herbivore damage and displayed half of the specific leaf area than those growing in the shade. A palatability test showed that a generalist snail consumed ten times more leaf area when fed on shade leaves compared to sun leaves, i.e., plant resistance was greater in sun-grown seedlings. Herbivore abundance (total biomass) was two-fold greater in treefall gaps compared to the forest understory. Undamaged seedlings survived better and showed a slightly higher growth rate in the sun. Whereas simulated herbivory in the shade decreased seedling survival and growth by 34% and 19%, respectively, damaged and undamaged seedlings showed similar survival and growth in the sun. Leaf tissue lost to herbivores in the shade appears to be too expensive to replace under the limiting light conditions of forest understory. Following evaluations of herbivore abundance and plant resistance and tolerance in contrasting light environments, we have shown how herbivory on a light-demanding tree species may contribute to its exclusion from shade sites. Thus, in the shaded forest understory, where the seedlings of some tree species are close to their physiological tolerance limit, herbivory could play an important role in plant establishment. Traditional treatment of bacterial infections relies heavily on the use of antibacterial compounds that either kill bacteria (bactericidal) or inhibit their growth (bacteriostatic). Typically, the targets for the main conventional antibiotics are essential cellular processes such as bacterial cell wall biosynthesis, bacterial protein synthesis, and bacterial DNA replication and repair. However, resistance to these drugs arises and spreads very rapidly, even to such an extent that bacteria have been identified that are simultaneously resistant to all available antibiotics . The increasing occurrence of resistant bacteria gradually renders antibiotics ineffective in treating infections and has enormous human and economic consequences worldwide. As a result, the identification of novel drug targets and the development of novel therapeutics constitute an important area of current scientific research. An alternative to killing or inhibiting growth of pathogenic bacteria is the specific attenuation of bacterial virulence, which can be attained by targeting key regulatory systems that mediate the expression of virulence factors. One of the target regulatory systems is quorum sensing (QS), or bacterial cell-to-cell communication. QS is a mechanism of gene regulation in which bacteria coordinate the expression of certain genes in response to the presence or absence of small signal molecules (Figure 1). Can hearing a word change what one sees? Although visual sensitivity is known to be enhanced by attending to the location of the target, perceptual enhancements of following cues to the identity of an object have been difficult to find. Here, we show that perceptual sensitivity is enhanced by verbal, but not visual cues. Participants completed an object detection task in which they made an object-presence or -absence decision to briefly-presented letters. Hearing the letter name prior to the detection task increased perceptual sensitivity (d′). A visual cue in the form of a preview of the to-be-detected letter did not. Follow-up experiments found that the auditory cuing effect was specific to validly cued stimuli. The magnitude of the cuing effect positively correlated with an individual measure of vividness of mental imagery; introducing uncertainty into the position of the stimulus did not reduce the magnitude of the cuing effect, but eliminated the correlation with mental imagery. Hearing a word made otherwise invisible objects visible. Interestingly, seeing a preview of the target stimulus did not similarly enhance detection of the target. These results are compatible with an account in which auditory verbal labels modulate lower-level visual processing. The findings show that a verbal cue in the form of hearing a word can influence even the most elementary visual processing and inform our understanding of how language affects perception. Adaptation of sessile animals, such as molluscs, to stress is achieved by a number of molecular mechanisms, few of which are clearly understood. Insights from this research can provide clues about stress tolerance both for sessile and mobile organisms. The Mediterranean mussel, of the genus Mytilus, is a model organism for the study of stress at the molecular level, with sufficient gene structure and function data available. We have thus investigated a key stress response gene, Hsp90, and in particular its upstream region, using a combination of sequence and expression analysis approaches. We demonstrate that this region, responsible for the regulation of heat shock-associated gene expression, exhibits an unparalleled structural and functional complexity compared to other model organisms, as well as subtle gene expression patterns across multiple tissues. These results form the basis upon which the heat shock response can be used as a molecular biosensor for environmental monitoring in the future. Anecdotal information and case reports suggest that intravenously administered vitamin C is used by Complementary and Alternate Medicine (CAM) practitioners. The scale of such use in the U.S. and associated side effects are unknown. We surveyed attendees at annual CAM Conferences in 2006 and 2008, and determined sales of intravenous vitamin C by major U.S. manufacturers/distributors. We also queried practitioners for side effects, compiled published cases, and analyzed FDA’s Adverse Events Database. Of 199 survey respondents (out of 550), 172 practitioners administered IV vitamin C to 11,233 patients in 2006 and 8876 patients in 2008. Average dose was 28 grams every 4 days, with 22 total treatments per patient. Estimated yearly doses used (as 25g/50ml vials) were 318,539 in 2006 and 354,647 in 2008. Manufacturers’ yearly sales were 750,000 and 855,000 vials, respectively. Common reasons for treatment included infection, cancer, and fatigue. Of 9,328 patients for whom data is available, 101 had side effects, mostly minor, including lethargy/fatigue in 59 patients, change in mental status in 21 patients and vein irritation/phlebitis in 6 patients. Publications documented serious adverse events, including 2 deaths in patients known to be at risk for IV vitamin C. Due to confounding causes, the FDA Adverse Events Database was uninformative. Total numbers of patients treated in the US with high dose vitamin C cannot be accurately estimated from this study. High dose IV vitamin C is in unexpectedly wide use by CAM practitioners. Other than the known complications of IV vitamin C in those with renal impairment or glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, high dose intravenous vitamin C appears to be remarkably safe. Physicians should inquire about IV vitamin C use in patients with cancer, chronic, untreatable, or intractable conditions and be observant of unexpected harm, drug interactions, or benefit. Neurons communicate primarily with stereotypical electrical impulses, action potentials, which are fired when a threshold level of excitation is reached. This threshold varies between cells and over time as a function of previous stimulations, which has major functional implications on the integrative properties of neurons. Ionic channels are thought to play a central role in this modulation but the precise relationship between their properties and the threshold is unclear. We examined this relationship in biophysical models and derived a formula which quantifies the contribution of various mechanisms. The originality of our approach is that it provides an instantaneous time-varying value for the threshold, which applies to the highly fluctuating regimes characterizing neurons in vivo. In particular, two known ionic mechanisms were found to make the threshold adapt to the membrane potential, thus providing the cell with a form of gain control. Uncertainty and predictability have remained at the center of the study of human attention. Yet, studies have only examined whether response times (RT) or fixations were longer or shorter under levels of stimulus uncertainty. To date, no study has examined patterns of stimuli and responses through a unifying framework of uncertainty. We asked 29 college students to generate repeated responses to a continuous series of visual stimuli presented on a computer monitor. Subjects produced these responses by pressing on a keypad as soon a target was detected (regardless of position) while the durations of their visual fixations were recorded. We manipulated the level of stimulus uncertainty in space and time by changing the number of potential stimulus locations and time intervals between stimulus presentations. To allow the analyses to be conducted using uncertainty as common description of stimulus and response we calculated the entropy of the RT and fixation durations. We tested the hypothesis of uncertainty compensation across space and time by fitting the RT and fixation duration entropy values to a quadratic surface. The quadratic surface accounted for 80% of the variance in the entropy values of both RT and fixation durations. RT entropy increased as a function of spatial and temporal uncertainty of the stimulus, alongside a symmetric, compensatory decrease in the entropy of fixation durations as the level of spatial and temporal uncertainty of the stimuli was increased. Our results demonstrate that greater uncertainty in the stimulus leads to greater uncertainty in the response, and that the effects of spatial and temporal uncertainties are compensatory. We also observed compensatory relationship across the entropies of fixation duration and RT, suggesting that a more predictable visual search strategy leads to more uncertain response patterns and vice versa. Classical morphological taxonomy places the approximately 1400 recognized species of Scleractinia (hard corals) into 27 families, but many aspects of coral evolution remain unclear despite the application of molecular phylogenetic methods. In part, this may be a consequence of such studies focusing on the reef-building (shallow water and zooxanthellate) Scleractinia, and largely ignoring the large number of deep-sea species. To better understand broad patterns of coral evolution, we generated molecular data for a broad and representative range of deep sea scleractinians collected off New Caledonia and Australia during the last decade, and conducted the most comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis to date of the order Scleractinia. Partial (595 bp) sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene were determined for 65 deep-sea (azooxanthellate) scleractinians and 11 shallow-water species. These new data were aligned with 158 published sequences, generating a 234 taxon dataset representing 25 of the 27 currently recognized scleractinian families. There was a striking discrepancy between the taxonomic validity of coral families consisting predominantly of deep-sea or shallow-water species. Most families composed predominantly of deep-sea azooxanthellate species were monophyletic in both maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses but, by contrast (and consistent with previous studies), most families composed predominantly of shallow-water zooxanthellate taxa were polyphyletic, although Acroporidae, Poritidae, Pocilloporidae, and Fungiidae were exceptions to this general pattern. One factor contributing to this inconsistency may be the greater environmental stability of deep-sea environments, effectively removing taxonomic “noise” contributed by phenotypic plasticity. Our phylogenetic analyses imply that the most basal extant scleractinians are azooxanthellate solitary corals from deep-water, their divergence predating that of the robust and complex corals. Deep-sea corals are likely to be critical to understanding anthozoan evolution and the origins of the Scleractinia.
It is hard to prove, but the evidence certainly leads in that direction. The former Bachmann campaign official in question is Luke Hellier, previously featured on Quiche Morain here. There is no doubt whatsoever that Hellier’s commentary on the Minnesota Democrats Exposed blog, regarding editing of Jim Meffert’s Wikipedia entry was dishonest. I had not mentioned this in my earlier post at QM, but Ed Kohler of The Deets clearly and painstakingly documents that Hellier “quote mined” the Wikipedia change log to make it look like a Meffert volunteer was acting inappropriately. It turns out that the volunteer was fixing vandalism that had happened earlier on Meffert’s site. And there is some evidence, not conclusive but … interesting … that this vandalism was carried out by Luke Hellier. The details are complex and I would not do justice to the argument to repeat it here. Visit The Deets to learn more: @LukeHellier’s Lie of Omission Regarding Wikipedia Vandalism.
W hy is it important for scientists to contribute to science education? Our nation has failed to meet important educational challenges, and our children are ill prepared to respond to the demands of today?s world. Results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study ( TIMSS )--and its successor, TIMSS-R--show that the relatively strong international performance of U.S. 4th graders successively deteriorates across 8th- and 12th-grade cohorts. Related studies indicate that U.S. PreK-12 curricula lack coherence, depth, and continuity and cover too many topics superficially. By high school, unacceptably low numbers of students show motivation or interest in enrolling in physics (only one-quarter of all students) or chemistry (only one-half). We are rapidly approaching universal participation at the postsecondary level, but we still have critical science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce needs and too few teachers who have studied science or mathematics. Science and engineering degrees as a percentage of the degrees conferred each year have remained relatively constant at about 5%. In this group, women and minorities are gravely underrepresented. The consequences of these conditions are serious. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 60% of the new jobs being created in our economy today will require technological literacy, yet only 22% of the young people entering the job market now actually possess those skills. By 2010, all jobs will require some form of technological literacy, and 80% of those jobs haven?t even been created yet. We must prepare our students for a world that we ourselves cannot completely anticipate. This will require the active involvement of scientists and engineers. How is NSF seeking to encourage scientists to work on educational issues? The NSF Strategic Plan includes two relevant goals: to develop "a diverse, internationally competitive, and globally engaged workforce of scientists, engineers, and well-prepared citizens" and to support "discovery across the frontiers of science and engineering, connected to learning, innovation, and service to society." To realize both of these goals, our nation?s scientists and engineers must care about the educational implications of their work and explore educational issues as seriously and knowledgeably as they do their research questions. The phrase "integration of research and education" conveys two ideas. First, good research generates an educational asset, and we must effectively use that asset. Second, we need to encourage more scientists and engineers to pursue research careers that focus on teaching and learning within their own disciplines. All proposals submitted to NSF for funding must address two merit criteria: intellectual merit and broader impacts. In everyday terms, our approach to evaluating the broader impact of proposals is built on the philosophy that scientists and engineers should pay attention to teaching and value it, and that their institutions should recognize, support, and reward faculty, as well as researchers in government and industry, who take their role as educators seriously and approach instruction as a scholarly act. We think of education very broadly, including formal education (K-graduate and postdoctoral study) and informal education (efforts to promote public understanding of science and research outside the traditional educational environment). What does it mean to take education seriously and explore it knowledgeably? Any scholarly approach to education must be intentional, be based on a valid body of knowledge, and be rigorously assessed. That is, our approach to educational questions must be a scholarly act. NSF actively invests in educational reform and models that encourage scientists and engineers to improve curriculum, teaching, and learning in science and mathematics at all levels of the educational system from elementary school to graduate study and postdoctoral work. We recognize that to interest faculty and practicing scientists and engineers in education, we must support research that generates convincing evidence that changing how we approach the teaching of science and mathematics will pay off in better learning and deeper interest in these fields. Here are a few of the most recent efforts to stimulate interest in education that might be of interest to Next Wave readers. (For more information, go to the NSF Education and Human Resources directorate's Web site .) The GK-12 program supports fellowships and training to enable STEM graduate students and advanced undergraduates to serve in K-12 schools as resources in STEM content and applications. Outcomes include improved communication and teaching skills for the Fellows, increased content knowledge for preK-12 teachers, enriched preK-12 student learning, and stronger partnerships between higher education and local schools. The Centers for Learning and Teaching ( CLT ) program is a "comprehensive, research-based effort that addresses critical issues and national needs of the STEM instructional workforce across the entire spectrum of formal and informal education." The goal of the CLT program is to support the development of new approaches to the assessment of learning, research on learning within the disciplines, the design and development of effective curricular materials, and research-based approaches to instruction--and through this work to increase the number of people who do research on education in the STEM fields. This year (FY 02) we are launching some prototype higher education centers to reform teaching and learning in our nation's colleges and universities through a mix of research, faculty development and exploration of instructional practices that can promote learning. Like other NSF efforts, the Centers incorporate a balanced strategy of attention to people, ideas and tools. We hope to encourage more science and engineering faculty to work on educational issues in both K-12 and in postsecondary education. If you are interested in these issues and want to pursue graduate or postdoctoral study, or want to develop a research agenda on learning in STEM fields, find the location and goals of the currently funded centers and also check later this summer to find out which higher education CLT prototypes are funded. The following solicitations all involve the integration of research and education as well as attention to broadening participation in STEM careers: The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program ( STEP ) program seeks to increase the number of students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) pursuing and receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within STEM. The Faculty Early Career Development ( CAREER ) program recognizes and supports the early career development activities of those teacher-scholars who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century. The Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program seeks to improve the quality of STEM education for all students and targets activities affecting learning environments, course content, curricula, and educational practices. CCLI offers three tracks: educational materials development , national dissemination , and adaptation and implementation . The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training ( IGERT ) program addresses the challenges of preparing Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the multidisciplinary backgrounds and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The Vertical Integration of Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences ( VIGRE ) program supports institutions with Ph.D.-granting departments in the mathematical sciences in carrying out innovative educational programs, at all levels, that are integrated with the department?s research activities. The Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers (ADVANCE) program seeks to increase the participation of women in the scientific and engineering workforce through the increased representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Teacher Preparation ( STEMTP ) program involves partnerships among STEM and education faculty working with preK-12 schools to develop exemplary preK-12 teacher education models that will improve the science and mathematics preparation of future teachers. The Noyce Scholarship Supplements program supports scholarships and stipends for STEM majors and STEM professionals seeking to become preK-12 teachers. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
3. Responses and Execution > 3. Creative Momentum > Surprise Set-up Which of the following best describes what you need to know to set up a surprise. - I need to understand how to psychology of competition makes surprise both possible and necessary. - I understand the psychology, but I need to understand the role of proven methods in establishing the basis for surprise.
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Disqualified Sierra Leone housemate in the Big Brother StarGame is currently chilling in the UK after being slapped by Ghana’s DKB in the Big Brother house that eventually led to their disqualification thus ending their dreams on the prize of USD 300,000. During her time in the house, she was voted as the housemate with the most flava while in the Downville house. Zainab, Keitta and Maneta are the only Downville housemates who have had a chance to step into the VIP Upville house. Having crossed that line meant that she was playing the game well and could easily be one of the finalists as she had started giving the Upville housemates a run for their money. The Olympic Games will officially kick off on the 27-July-2012 in London. Zainab like very many sports fans intending to grace the games, they have made their way to UK early enough to avoid disappointments. Meanwhile, appearing on the Big Brother Africa reality show has simply opened more doors for the Istanbul based model. She was this morning interviewed on BBC Network Africa in London. Uganda Online
Hermida hit an RBI infield single in the 10th inning and the Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 Friday night for their fifth straight victory. • The Marlins are off to their best start in franchise history at 9-1. • Since 1969, 17 other teams started a season 9-1 or 10-0; nine of those teams went on to make the playoffs. • Jeremy Hermida hit an RBI infield single in the 10th inning to give Florida its fifth straight victory. • Cristian Guzman, who was put on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain after the game, had three hits and an RBI for the Nationals. -- ESPN Stats & Information John Baker and Cody Ross homered for Florida (9-1). The Marlins' previous best start to a season came in 1997 and 2004, when they opened each year 8-1."It's great. It's always important to get off to a good start, but the thing is, it's such a long season you've got to keep it going," Dan Uggla said. "This start's not going to be worth [anything] if we don't keep it going."Jorge Cantu got the winning rally started with a two-out single off Saul Rivera (0-2) and moved to third on Uggla's bloop hit to right. Hermida hit a grounder deep in the hole at shortstop, and Alberto Gonzalez's only play was a late throw to first.Ross set the stage for Hermida's winning hit, driving a 2-2 pitch from Joel Hanrahan down the left-field line to tie it at 2 in the ninth."To come back in the ninth, with two outs left and you hit a home run to tie the game, it naturally gives you a spark," Hermida said. "It kind of jump-starts the team, and gives us a little momentum. Even though it's a tie game, we felt we had the momentum right there."Leo Nunez (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth. Matt Lindstrom worked the 10th for his second save, getting three outs after allowing a leadoff double to Elijah Dukes.Gonzalez, filling in at shortstop with Cristian Guzman sidelined by a sore left hamstring that sent him to the 15-day disabled list after the game, had three hits and an RBI for the Nationals.Washington has dropped eight of nine to open the season. The Nationals left 12 men on base and the game drew 19,026 for the smallest crowd in the two-year history of Nationals Park."We haven't been executing very well -- runner on third, less than two out and runner on second, no outs," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "You have to add on when you have the opportunity."John Lannan breezed through the first three innings but Baker connected with one out in the fourth to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead. Baker hit Lannan's first pitch into the second deck above the Nationals bullpen.Washington scored two runs in the bottom half. Jesus Flores reached on a one-out infield single and scored on Gonzalez's double to left-center. Gonzalez advanced on Lannan's groundout, finishing a 10-pitch at-bat against Ricky Nolasco, and scored on Anderson Hernandez's single to left.Nolasco gave up two runs and seven hits in four innings and wasn't happy about being yanked by manager Fredi Gonzalez after throwing 87 pitches."I thought I made my pitches when I needed to, made a couple mistakes, but what are you going to do?" Nolasco said. "Skipper's the skipper."Fredi Gonzalez thought Nolasco had gone as far as he could with sub-par stuff."He was begging to go back out there," Gonzalez said. "The positive thing for me -- a lesser pitcher, it's not two runs he gives up, it's five or six he gives up. His stuff wasn't quite there today like we're used to, but he still kept us in the game."Lannan struck out eight in 6 1-3 innings. He yielded a run and three hits. Acta was ejected by plate umpire Tim Timmons between the third and fourth innings for arguing balls and strikes. It was the second career ejection for Acta. ... Washington's Adam Dunn played right field for the first time this season and walked in the first. He has reached base in each of the Nationals' first nine games. ... The jerseys worn in the first three innings by Dunn and 3B Ryan Zimmerman had the team's name misspelled as "Natinals." They later donned tops with the team name spelled correctly. ... Florida 3B Emilio Bonifacio, in a 1-for-11 slump that dropped his average to .386, was out of the lineup for the first time this season. Bonifacio, who had led off each of the Marlins' first nine games, entered the game as a pinch runner in the seventh. ... Washington will replace Guzman by selecting the contract of INF Alex Cintron from Triple-A Syracuse before Saturday's game.
Archive for October, 2010 I had a great time talking to the folks at the Houston TechFest. Much thanks also to Addison-Wesley for sponsoring my trip to Houston. If you are interested in becoming an technical author, let me know and I can put you in contact with the editors at Addison-Wesley (email@example.com). As promised, my slides and code are online: www.scottseely.com/downloads/HoustonTechFest-Seely-WCFRIA.zip. Let me know if you have any questions about the code, the presentation, or life as an author.
Back To Packing List Gear Advice: First Aid Kit (Small) A good first aid kit is essential to a pack trip, but knowing how to use it, and how to deal with medical emergencies is even more important. Make sure that someone in your group has some experience with this as getting hurt in the back country can easily turn into a major problem. The spall or personal first aid kit may include is really for every day issues including splinters, blisters, aches & pains, burns, etc. When on North Manitou Island, the ranger gave a good talk explaining how things you do every day at home could become life threatening on the island. He gave a story about a pickup game of baseball done using sticks and rocks. You can imagine the rest. When something like that happens miles from the road, out of cell coverage, 911 is not an option. Play it safe when on the trail. I run the REI's "Hikers first aid kit", and have included a number of extra medications (lots of Ibuprofen), Band-Aid Blister Block Cushions, second skin, various ointments, etc.
Today I am going to show you how to create your own faux metal embellishments using embossing powder and a heat tool! You will need: - Versa Mark Ink Pad - Heat Tool - Embossing powder - and Cardstock This is the card I created: Tools you will need Cut your paper to the size you want your embellishment to be - leave a little extra on the side so you don't burn your fingers when heat embossing! Tap the paper into the Versa Mark ink and make sure you get an even coverage. Also have your stamp ready and inked up with Versa Mark ink, this will protect your stamp. Sprinkle your embossing powder over your cardstock and tap off the excess. I store my embossing powders in tupperware pots with a plastic spoon - creates less mess! Using your heat tool, heat the embossing powder until it melts - see in the middle it looks shiny. When the whole piece has melted, quickly pour another layer of embossing powder on whilst it is hot so the embossing powder sticks. If you are not able to work this quickly, let the entire piece cool and then repeat the step of applying Versa Mark ink and then embossing powder. Apply a total of FOUR layers of embossing powder, it should end up looking something like this: Wait 10 seconds for it to cool just a little bit and then place your stamp in the melted embossing powder - apply even pressure and leave it there for 20 seconds. Remove stamp and Tada - your own faux metal embellishment! You can use any stamp and any colour embossing powder - have fun with it! Here are a few others I made Bazzill White and Brown Cardstock Fancy Pants Traditions Cards 12x12 Cardstock Fiskars Scallop Edge Punch Imaginisce I Rock Tool Imaginisce Compact Jewels Provo Craft Cricut and Christmas Cheer Cartridge Ranger Stickles Icicle Silver Embossing Powder and Heat Too Hero Arts Holiday Sayings Stamps Have a great day!
Paula Wright's Profile - Scrap Girls Design Team - Active Posts: - 231 (0.11 per day) - Most Active In: - Do We Have It in the Scrap Girls Boutique? (21 posts) - 28-August 07 - Profile Views: - Last Active: - Apr 09 2013 04:57 PM - Member Title: - Scrap Girl Scrapper Devotee - 56 years old - September 14, 1956 - Website URL: Paula Wright The new club designer is ME! I have had so much fun working on it. The colors were inspired by a road trip with my boys. Feb 01 2013 11:25 AM scrapper11 Feb 01 2013 07:09 PM It's beautiful Paula - love the colours too & the templates - thanks so much... I've just downloaded it :) BarbaraC1977 Feb 02 2013 12:28 AM fabulous club, Paula--thank you! Syndee Feb 02 2013 01:46 AM Looks great Paula!! So happy to see a new club from you :) Paula Wright Thank you for the nice comments on this month's club products. I was fun for me to think about how all of you might use them. Have fun! Sep 02 2011 12:26 PM no_idea Sep 02 2011 10:33 PM Such a wonderful club kit Paula, thank you for your hard work! Smiles Sep 05 2011 11:59 AM Paula, it's really, really beautiful! Such lovely heritage stuff, but still useful for other things. I have a group of photos of places where my stepmother grew up to scrap for her - this will be perfect! scrapper11 Nov 14 2012 06:35 AM
Friday, May 28, 2010 Jamie Campbell-Bower has been cast as King Arthur, with Tamsin Egerton as his queen Guinevere. 21 year old Jamie has recently filmed the role Caius in Twilight:New Moon as well as Ser Waymar Royce in the pilot for the highly-anticipated HBO series Game of Thrones. Also in the latest two Harry Potter instalments, Jamie is reported to be engaged to Harry Potter star Bonnie Wright. Tamsin Egerton, a child actress who went on to star in the St Trinians movies, can also be seen in Noel Clarke's 188.8.131.52 movie which has just premiered in London, and has just wrapped filming on the comedy Chalet Girl. Photo/Image Disclaimer All Photos used on Screenterrier are not necessarily owned by us. The site uses freely available photos from Internet search engines, most particularly google and yahoo. We do not claim any ownership of these photos, all rights to these photos belong to their respective owners. Photos are never used for making direct profit through distribution under our brand name or by selling to a third party, and are only used for viewing on the web. If you see an image that belongs to you and want credit or want the image removed, please feel free to Contact Screenterrier.
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A man and his love of rugby, those who play it, and the camaraderie of the culture. Compete, drink, eat, and sing together. The picture is not of me, but I like it. I do not claim ownership of anything in this blog unless I label it as such. If anyone should see something he or she owns and wants it removed, contact me, and I will remove it as quickly as possible.
Subscribe to State Senator Kevin Dahle’s E-Newsletter Here’s how to sign up to receive State Senator Kevin Dahle’s Official E-Newsletter Visit State Senator Kevin Dahle’s legislative webpage: www.senate.mn/senatordahle Step Two: Click on the “Subscribe” Tab Check the “subscribe” circle then enter your e-mail address and click on the “Submit Information” button. Friday 5: Five Things to Know About State Senator Elect Kevin Dahle’s New Term 5. State Senator Elect Kevin Dahle has been assigned to the following committees: Commerce, E-12 Division, Education, and State & Local Government 4. He will be the Vice Chair of the Education Committee. 3. This is Senator Dahle’s second term. His past service will count towards his seniority in the State Senate. This matters when committee positions are being assigned. 2. The term of a State Senator is 4 years. Senator Dahle will be up for re-election in 2016. 1. Senator Dahle has a new official photo. You can view it here: http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_photo.php?mem_id=1160&parm_status=ACTIVE Check out our facebook events page for details on Senate District 20 Democratic Farmer Labor Party’s convention. Join us on facebook! Check out our facebook page.
Taylor Guitars Shows Off New ModelMonday, January 28, 2013 El Cajon-based Taylor Guitars has introduced a new model of guitar — and it’s a big one. The Grand Orchestra is among the manufacturer’s largest guitars, with a body almost 21 inches long and 5 inches deep. Taylor said its design team had originally wanted to “revoice” its Jumbo model, but ended up building a new model from the ground up. The new model has more capacity to support the low notes, Taylor said in its promotional material. Despite power at the low end of the scale, it offers “surprising balance and responsiveness for a big guitar,” Taylor said. For now, Taylor is producing three models of the Grand Orchestra, all in limited editions. Taylor’s suggested retail price ranges from $3,518 to $5,658. The Grand Orchestra made its debut at the recent National Association of Music Merchants show in Anaheim. — SDBJ Staff Report
Vikas Jadhav 2013-01-24, 13:21 Harsh J 2013-01-24, 15:09 Praveen Sripati 2013-01-24, 16:52 -Re: Modifying Hadoop For join Operation Vikas Jadhav 2013-01-24, 19:11 HI Thanks @ Harsh for replying I am attaching paper called Map-Join-Reduce I want to implement similar kind of architecture. Currently MapReduce Proccess join job using Map or reduce Side join For Reduce Side join job it has drawback -->for large datasets there is lot of traffic(data movenment) from mapper to reduces(one option We can filter out record using Bloloom Filter like technique) FOR THIS I WANT TO PROCESS ALL JOIN IN SINGLE MAPREDUCE JOB 1) MAP PHASE- processes all datasets and filter out record 2) REDUCE PHASE - reduce phase divided in to join and reducer join - joins all datasets reducer - does aggregation for R join S join T mapS -----> mapR join mapS => RS =>RST --> Reducer(aggrgation) If you have any idea plze share it. any other suggestion also we welcome if it reduces completion time for joining large dataset On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 8:39 PM, Harsh J <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Can you also define 'efficient way' and the idea you have in mind to > implement that isn't already doable today? > On Thu, Jan 24, 2013 at 6:51 PM, Vikas Jadhav <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Anyone has idea about how should i modify Hadoop Code for > > Performing Join operation in efficient Way. > > Thanks. > > -- > > Thanx and Regards > > Vikas Jadhav > Harsh J Thanx and Regards* * Vikas Jadhav*
FILTER BY DATE 2 results for "5 on 5" Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: The Timberwolves on Sunday finally, officially extended that supersized $45.5 million offer sheet to restricted free agent Nicolas Batum. Portland now has three days to answer simply with the formality of matching it....Blog \| July 16, 2012 The New Orleans Hornets can do little wrong these days. On a night featuring multiple instances of last-second heroics, the Hornets had one of the most dramatic victories, edging the Oklahoma City Thunder, 91-89 on a David West hoop with 0.5 secon...Blog \| January 25, 2011
FILTER BY DATE 2 results for "justice" Catch up on the latest high school sports news as Phil Murphy of ESPNHS recaps an OT thriller in SoCal, the Football Players of the Week, an amazing state semifinal game-winner and the national volleyball champion.November 17, 2011 Justice Hayes of Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.) takes a moment to talk with ESPN RISE at the Nike Football Training Camp in Columbus, Ohio. (Video by: Trey Barclay and Brian Inman)May 11, 2010
FILTER BY DATE 3 results for "oakley" 3-time Olympic champions Kerri Walsh talks about how she redefines the lines as a mom and pro athlete.December 13, 2012 Julie Foudy sits down with beach volleyball duo, Jen Kessy and April Ross.August 01, 2012 Julie Foudy gets a snack and some cool eyewear during her tour of the Oakley Safehouse in London.July 27, 2012
Please login using the form on menu list.\| It is required to login for Full-Text PDF. A 315 MHz Power-Gated Ultra Low Power Transceiver in 40 nm CMOS for Wireless Sensor Network IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Electronics Vol.E95-C No.6 pp.1035-1041 Publication Date: 2012/06/01 Online ISSN: 1745-1353 Print ISSN: 0916-8516 Type of Manuscript: Special Section PAPER (Special Section on Analog Circuits and Related SoC Integration Technologies) low noise amplifier, ultra low power, Full Text: PDF(2.4MB) A 315 MHz power-gated ultra low power transceiver for wireless sensor network is developed in 40 nm CMOS. The developed transceiver features an injection-locked frequency multiplier for carrier generation and a power-gated low noise amplifier with current second-reuse technique for receiver front-end. The injection-locked frequency multiplier implements frequency multiplication by edge-combining and thereby achieves 11 µW power consumption at 315 MHz. The proposed low noise amplifier achieves the lowest power consumption of 8.4 µW with 7.9 dB noise figure and 20.5 dB gain in state-of-the-art designs.
Content. This buzzword in the SEO space has grown to astronomical levels. As I speak with companies on a regular basis, they constantly tell me that they've been advised to write new and unique content by the boatload -- no matter the Web site or space they're in. It's time we review the advantages of content, and where it may be applicable. Let's look at a few sites that will either need heavy amounts of content or little to no content. These sites need content: - Affiliate sites, which typically add little to no value by simply copying from others. These sites need a specific value-add, to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. - Sites with heavy amounts of graphics, Flash, video, or any other site that may be difficult for a user requiring a screen-reading program to view. - E-commerce sites that use a set amount of content from a massive distributor, like Ingram Micro or Tech Data. Each merchant has access to the exact same data -- what makes your site different from the rest? These sites don't need heavy amounts of SEO-specific content: - Sites with a large community of content contributors who spend a good portion of their time writing about the topics surrounding the subject matter of each site. - Sites that generate content on a regular basis, such as news sites or blogs. Instead of trying to manipulate search engines, consider providing a way for your users, distributors and/or manufacturers to give you unique and well-written content. It's likely that they have written marketing materials that won't make it to their standard (and usually expensive) forms of distribution. This content could add a great deal of value to products and/or services that may be offered by many other online dealers with either the same or slightly different data. When creating content, keep in mind that it can come in multiple forms -- services, contests, games, video, and even news . It's critical that the content is interesting and compelling, so it has the chance of being linked to by a "fan." It's very important that if you offer a special guarantee, such as a price match, you honor it to any possible level. By having complicated terms that make it nearly impossible to use -- the Starwood Price Match Guarantee, for example -- you'll wind up upsetting your client base. While you may get links to your site, it will hurt your reputation. It's also extremely important to have a "yes we can help" customer service attitude. Your loyal customers can be solicited to come back and write about their experience. This most important feature has helped companies such as eBay and Zappos. The retail sector, such as stores like Best Buy, has lost this attitude. In many cases, no matter how small the request, they just say no. You wind up spending an enormous amount of time arguing with them that you're right. However, if you buy the same product at a site like Zappos, with their very friendly customer service attitude, you'll be satisfied through the entire process and come back to buy more. Join us for SES San Jose, August 18-22 at the San Jose Convention Center. Introducing SES Online Want to view one of the sessions you missed or listen to an especially informative presenter a second time? SES New York sessions are available for purchase on ClickZ Academy's new e-Learning site. SES is now Online!
File compression is to perform some algorithm on the file that reduces it in size but the reverse of the algorithm will return it to its original form. In data files, the compression and decompression must be lossless which means that the data must be returned to its exact form. There are various methods to do this: some hardware implementations and some software. The most popular ones that are implemented in hardware usually use a Limpel-Ziv algorithm to look for repeating sequences over a set span of data (the run) and replace that with special identifying information. Compression does save space but may take extra time (latency). Video and music data are typically already compressed. The compression rates are usually very high because of the data and the fact that a lossy compression algorithm is used. It can be lossy (meaning that all bits may not be decompressed exactly) because it won't be noticeable with video or music. Zip files are the result of software compression. Another compression round on already compressed data will probably not yield any substantial gain. Evaluator Group, Inc. Editor's note: Do you agree with this expert's response? If you have more to share, post it in our Storage Networking forum at http://searchstorage.discussions.techtarget.com/WebX?50@@.ee83ce4 or e-mail us directly at firstname.lastname@example.org. This was first published in December 2001
Discography: p. -282. Includes bibliographical references and index. Brief Biography-- Works and Performances-- Individual Songs-- Discography-- Filmography. (source: Nielsen Book Data) A brief biography and comprehensive bibliography of the life and work of American composer and icon of the American Jazz Age, George Gershwin. The biography examines Gershwin's influences and situates him within the cultural context of his time, whilst the bibliography provides a complete cross-reference list of all his compositions. There is also a discography of more than 1150 items, and a descriptive filmography. The bibliography includes writings by both George and Ira and more than 2100 entries about George's compositions. A separate index lists itineraries for the famous Paul Whiteman tours (1924-1925) and the Leo Reisman tour (1934), at which Gershwin's music figured prominently. (source: Nielsen Book Data)
Hershey, PA : Information Science Reference, c2009. xxi, 417 p. : ill. ; 29 cm. "Premier reference source"--Cover. Includes bibliographical references (p. 362-407) and index. Now established as an effective tool in the instructional process, multimedia has penetrated educational systems at almost every level of study. In their quest to maximize educational outcomes and identify best practices, multimedia researchers are now expanding their examinations to extend towards the cognitive functionality of multimedia."Cognitive Effects of Multimedia Learning" identifies the role and function of multimedia in learning through a collection of research studies focusing on cognitive functionality. An advanced collection of critical theories and practices, this much needed contribution to the research is an essential holding for academic libraries, and will benefit researchers, practitioners and students in basic and applied fields ranging from education to cognitive sciences. (source: Nielsen Book Data)
Three summers ago our friends started what has become a July tradition. “Big Mike” as my kids call him, has been brewing beer and smoking meat for years, and his girlfriend is a fabulous cook, gardener, and all-around party planner. When these New York City mice decided to buy a New York country house, they put their talents together and Smokefest was born. Of course the highlight of the party is the meat. Mike gets up at 7am to start the smokers and prepare the 16 racks of pork ribs and 15 lbs of brisket. The brisket and half the ribs are prepped simply with salt and pepper, and the other half of the ribs get a dry rub the night before. He may be a barbeque weekend warrior, but he’s no hack. In fact, while smoking ribs for a charity event in Connecticut, Jacques Pepin stopped by for a taste and proclaimed “THOSE are some great ribs!” Daniela makes a wide variety of side dishes—fresh from the garden. This year she had a 6 foot grill loaded up with summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, onions, and 4 dozen ears of corn. If that wasn’t delicious enough, she and Mike make a Cilantro-Lime Butter sauce (see recipe below) to brush on the corn which is De. Licious. There are also salads galore—from potato, to tomato-peach, to cucumber, and more. This year one neighbor brought some killer mac-and-cheese which you just couldn’t stop eating. My favorite thing is the “Tavern”, a quaint little outbuilding (which Mike says is a character itself for this party), where little lights are strung along the ceiling, and coolers are filled with homebrewed beer (I loved the “6″ a blonde beer), chilled whites and roses, water and soda. Out back is a fire pit—where my kids spent most of the day filling s’more orders (you could choose from ‘burned’, ‘golden brown’ or ‘plain’ marshmallows, and could have your chocolate ‘very melty’ or just ‘kind of melty’). It is so much fun to go to a party that’s all about the food. It’s not anyone’s birthday and no one is being feted. It’s just a gathering of people who love food, hosted by people who REALLY love food. I can’t think of a better reason for a celebration! Go Meat! Smokefest Cilantro-Lime Butter Courtesy of Mike and Daniela 3 limes, juiced 2 sticks unsalted butter 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped In a small saucepan, reduce the lime juice until it is syrupy. Add butter, and melt. Season to taste with salt and add cilantro at the end. Brush on grilled corn or any veggies (also makes a great topping for clams!) Hint: Mike says you can spice it up by adding 1/2 tsp of chipotle!
September 1985: England regain the Ashes at the Oval, the Super Mario Bros. video game is released by Nintendo and, in momentous motoring news, SEAT UK opens for business. The first right hand drive SEATs arrive at Ramsgate in September 1985 25 years ago this month the Spanish brand’s fledgling UK operation opened its doors for the first time and a handful of dealers across the country introduced British motorists to the delights of the original SEAT Ibiza. A mere quarter of a century later, with a little under 500,000 sales to its name, SEAT UK is a thriving business with a strong and growing market share – currently running at a record 1.6% – an enthusiastic band of loyal customers and an ambitious plan to further expand its sales success. The story of the Spanish brand in this country is one of consistent growth built on an impressive array of sporty, engaging and great value cars. When the company first set up shop here it was as a franchised importer owned by Tiny Rowland’s sprawling Lonrho conglomerate – the group which at the time was also operating the UK’s Audi and Volkswagen franchises. Entitled SEAT Concessionaires and headquartered in Reading, with the ex-Volkswagen premises in Ramsgate as its distribution centre, the business was led by managing director Douglas Clare, a former marketing manager for Volkswagen. 1985 SEAT Ibiza Mk1 Sales got off to what can only be described as a ‘considered’ start: September 1985 saw the brand notch up 24 registrations – 405 for the year. The handful of dealers focused their attention on the Mk I Ibiza, the first model to be developed entirely by SEAT alone rather than with previous co-owner Fiat, along with the Malaga saloon. 1988 SEAT Malaga The Spanish outfit’s mix of value, style and sporting intent quickly struck a chord with British buyers and in 1986, its first full year of operation in the UK, 5,922 new SEATs found homes here. 1986 was important to SEAT for other reasons, too, as it was also the year that Volkswagen AG grabbed a 51% stake in SEAT, Spain’s only major car maker. Progress continued apace and within five years SEATs were being sold through a network of more than 130 dealers nationwide. Annual sales topped 10,000 for the first time in 1988, new HQ offices opened near Gatwick Airport in Crawley, cars were being imported via Southampton and Alan Priest had taken over as managing director. In 1990 Volkswagen completed its takeover of SEAT S. A. and the Germans bought out Lonrho as the UK importer, making SEAT the first of the Volkswagen Group brands in the UK to be factory-owned. The following year Stan Cholaj, previously with Nissan, took over at the helm of the UK business. 1991 SEAT Toledo Mk1 Meanwhile, the relentless development of new and exciting models continued in Spain as SEAT took full advantage of its new position within the Volkswagen Group. A new factory on a greenfield site at Martorell, new cars such as the first Toledo and a renewed programme of aggressive pan-European marketing resulted from Volkswagen’s £4 billion-plus investment over a frenetic three-year period. By the mid-90s SEAT sales here had hit 18,500-plus, fuelled in no small part by the debut in 1993 of the all-new second generation Ibiza, the Cordoba and, shortly after, the Alhambra. 1995 SEAT Ibiza Mk2 The 90s also saw SEAT once again branch out into light commercial vehicles with the arrival of the Inca, the Spanish firm’s follow up to the characterful Terra and even more characterful Terra Vista models of the 80s. 1995 saw SEAT UK move to its current home in Milton Keynes, coinciding with the appointment of Kevin Rose as the brand’s charismatic new boss. A period of consolidation followed and, by the turn of the millennium, SEAT was selling upwards of 20,000 cars in the UK. The SEAT range at the turn of the Millennium In the last ten years, SEAT’s sales have continued their broadly upward trend peaking, along with the market, in 2007 when 34,790 products of Martorell and Palmela found their way onto British driveways. Today, aided by one of the broadest product ranges in its history comprising Ibiza SC, Ibiza 5dr, Ibiza ST, Leon, Altea, Altea XL, Exeo, Exeo ST and Alhambra, and led by dynamic brand boss Peter Wyhinny, SEAT UK is targeting further ambitious expansion. 2010 SEAT Ibiza ST Indeed, 2010 could even see the brand equal its best ever sales total while grabbing its biggest slice of the UK car market to date. Traditionally a success with private buyers SEAT is, increasingly, seeing savvy fleet and business buyers turning to it as the cars’ enviable mix of quality, value and style appeal both to hard-headed fleet managers and image-conscious user choosers. 1998 SEAT Cordoba WRC - World Rally Car Motorsport has been integral to SEAT’s success both here and across Europe, with various race and title wins over the past 25 years in both World Rallying and World Touring Cars – the latter with the globe’s most successful diesel-powered WTCC car. 2009 SEAT Leon WTCC Car Sponsorship and marketing activities have been as varied as the brand’s products with, in the UK, notable successes around Colombian pop star Shakira’s UK concerts, Red Bull Air Races and, today, SEAT’s extensive sponsorship of the UEFA Europa League. Commenting on the Spanish firm’s successful first quarter century of operation here, SEAT UK boss Peter Wyhinny said: ‘It’s been an exciting, eventful and above all successful first 25 years for SEAT in the UK. With almost half a million cars registered here over that time, and with an exciting range of new models in the pipeline, I truly believe there’s never been a better time to be associated with the brand.’
House of Fashion Couture designer and recent Bay Area transplant Marta Kappl has a new a combined clothing boutique and collaborative “designer incubator” in downtown Seattle. Browse the store’s retail racks Mondays through Saturdays for designer evening wear, casual wear, jewelry and more truly-local creations. Read Kate Calamusa's profile of the store from the February issue to learn more about the emerging designers in-residence now. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m; 113 Virginia St.; 206.299.1713, seattleldi.blogspot.com. The Music of Billie Holiday Check out Columbia City’s new music venue The Royal Room, where talented local songstress and Cornish jazz vocals professor Johnaye Kendrick performs the timeless standards of “Lady Day.” Backed by local musicians, including Craig Flory and Matthew Weiner, this promises to be a romantic evening perfect for jazz connoisseurs and casual listeners alike. If you haven’t heard of Kendrick, it may be because she’s often out of town, singing around the country with Nicholas Payton SEXTET, the Ellis Marsalis Quartet and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. 2/3, 2/17, 2/24, 8:30 p.m. The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave. S; theroyalroomseattle.com I Am My Own Wife Local theater superstar Nick Garrison (famous for his lead role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch) brings more than 30 characters to life in this play (by Doug Wright, of Quills) about Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a real-life German transvestite who dodged the Nazis by dressing as a woman. A unique story of survival, I Am My Own Wife garnered both a 2004 Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for Best Play. Directed by Jerry Manning and with sets by Jennifer Zeyl, the local revival of the show is doubly exciting. 2/3-3/4 Times and prices vary. Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St.; 206.443.2222; seattlerep.org Thom Jones and David Long in Conversation with Brangien Davis Seattle mag arts & culture editor Brangien Davis talks with with two towering timbers of the Northwest writing community, in celebration of the new issue of Granta literary journal. David Long (The Inhabited World) and Thom Jones (The Pugilist at Rest) join Davis at Elliott Bay Books to discuss their work and the theme “Exit Strategies.” 2/7, 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 Tenth Ave.; 206.624.6600; elliottbaybook.com 4 Food Groups of Super Bowl Sunday Food critic Allison Austin Scheff is best known for reviewing fine dining establishments, but with previous experience in the catering world, she’s also a legit hostess-with-the-mostess. Just in time for the Super Bowl this Sunday, she shares simple, but essential tactics for offering the most satisfying casual party snacks, whether you’re making them at home, or ordering them to-go.
Delridge area's 'food desert' gets fruit, veggie oasis A "healthy corner store" project in West Seattle's Delridge neighborhood aims to bring better food choices to a neighborhood without any sizable grocery store that leaves residents — especially those without cars — with few convenient options for a healthful diet. Seattle Times staff reporter At the register of Bhim Singh's Super 24 Food Store is a sight not typically associated with convenience stores, especially those in low-income areas such as West Seattle's Delridge neighborhood: a batch of shiny red apples. Lemons and limes populate the refrigerator. Onions, potatoes, garlic and ginger dot a shelf in back. "Sometimes people go to market and they forget the onion," Singh says. "I sell for 69 cents — two for a dollar." As efforts grow to improve health among the nation's poorer communities, the Delridge Neighborhood Development Association is hoping to make healthy variety the norm along its largely neglected corridor. Delridge lacks any supermarket of significant size, which makes buying produce inconvenient, even unlikely, for those without a car. The association's "healthy corner-store project," which aims to get stores to trade fried chicken and jo-jos for pears, beans and greens, is waging its crusade with the aid of a King County-run Kellogg Foundation grant. The foundation is funding efforts in nine U.S. communities to fight such issues as obesity, diabetes and infant mortality. In neighborhoods like this, convenience stores usually focus on low-cost items with long shelf lives. Such items — chips, cigarettes, malt liquor — are usually not healthful. As a result, "responsible people aren't making irresponsible decisions — they're making decisions based on the options they have," says Randy Engstrom, the neighborhood association's founding director. "We're trying to compete with an economic model that's been around a long time." Rather than fight the problem by bringing in farmers markets, the group aims to partner with local farmers to either supply existing stores or use them as customer-pickup sites in community-supported-agriculture (CSA) arrangements. "Farmers markets are rad, but that's not sustainable," Engstrom says. "There's only so many farmers and only so many days of the week." For its pilot project, group leaders chose the Super 24, with which they already had a relationship through regular store visits. The store is less than a mile from the association's offices. Singh, who bought the store four years ago, is already imagining the possibilities. Where the slush machine is now, he foresees veggies: spinach, lettuce, celery, cilantro. "All green stuff," he says excitedly. "That's what I'm thinking." Not getting veggies For lifelong resident Ranette Iding, the reason Delridge is often termed a "food desert" — a place with little or no access to healthful food — is no mystery. "Where we live now, we have to drive to get groceries," she says. Residents without cars "are resigned to the fact that they have to take a long bus ride, or eat out all the time, or go to a minimart." Delridge and several adjoining neighborhoods — an area bordered by the West Seattle Bridge to the north, Southwest Roxbury Street to the south, 35th Avenue Southwest on the west and the West Duwamish greenbelt to the east — have roughly two dozen convenience stores and only one supermarket near the southern boundary. "That's a huge area with no grocery," Iding says. Delridge offers no plot of land large enough to hold a supermarket, association director Engstrom says. "Also, there's the perception that this isn't the kind of neighborhood that would support one." Supermarkets in West Seattle's Admiral District or at Westwood Village can actually be easier to reach by bus from White Center, to the south, than from Delridge. Walking can require formidable uphill treks. Iding has heard tales of time-strapped parents delivering fast-food meals to schoolkids. One local day-care staffer told her that when the care center asked parents to supply lunches for a week, "kids came in with little plastic bags from the minimart, with corn dogs and a candy bar." The retail project is one of two — the other is in White Center — overseen by the King County Food and Fitness Initiative. In addition to healthful eating, the initiative aims to provide spaces promoting physical activity and community. Though unconnected, the Delridge project also mirrors efforts of the national Healthy Corner Store Network, which local organizers are eyeing for inspiration. "Convenience stores thrive on providing food that's not healthy," says Delridge resident Galena White, who's leading efforts to start a permanent produce stand in the area. "The goal is to show that providing healthy food can be profitable." But when local project leaders contacted store owners with the idea, only four responded. "For some, there's a language barrier," Engstrom says. "Some are second- and third-generation owners. This is what their family does. And then here comes this fancy letter from some organization talking about changing their store." Admittedly, store owners are being asked to take some risk, "but we're also offering to help them grow their customer base," Engstrom says. In addition to stocking stores with fresher, more healthful food, project leaders plan to spiff the stores up and help promote their new offerings. Store owners will be asked to provide wall space for community bulletin boards rather than beer or cigarette ads. Eventually, the group wants to create a brand label that member stores could use to promote themselves. For now they're working with Singh, considering his customer base and suggesting items to add or reduce. That might mean, for instance, asking that he devote 10 percent of his snack racks to granola bars rather than candy bars. Already, the store has been outfitted with a new mural showing a halved apple and a bird on a branch, with handprints of lime and Kelly green. It reads: "Healthy cornerstore, Super 24." Can this work? "I guess what it boils down to is getting enough people into the store who will buy healthy food," says the co-op's White. "We have to get people to know there is good food in the stores, and we have to provide a selection that will keep them coming back." Singh knows it's not easy for stores like his to carry produce; when customers aren't used to looking for it, it often goes unsold and spoils. That's lost money. "The first couple of months was hard," he says. He ate a lot of apples and bananas. Everything else, "I take home. My wife uses them. Why waste?" But then customers began to keep up, and he's excited about the possibilities that the project could bring. Another wave of customers rolls in. One man grabs two 99-cent bags of jo-jos. A woman buys Snapple and a bag of Doritos. Aisha Zaffino, 5, roams the aisles, seeking something to pair with her bag of Funyuns. "You already got chips," says her mother. The two are frequently at odds. "She wants a lollipop, and I want her to have an apple," Destiny Zaffino says. They live not far away, and because of her schedule, Zaffino often has to squeeze in late-night grocery runs. A convenience store is often the easiest place to go. Knowing she can find produce at the Super 24 gives her some peace of mind, she says, and the prospect of stores offering even more is reassuring. "That's definitely a good thing," she says. "Everybody should do it." Marc Ramirez: 206-464-8102 or email@example.com Information in this article, originally published Dec. 5, 2009, was corrected Dec. 5, 2009. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Delridge and several adjoining neighborhoods have no supermarkets. There is one supermarket near the southern boundary. Sam and Sara Lucchese create handmade pasta out of their kitchen-garage adjacent to their Ballard home. Here, they illustrate the final steps in making pappardelle pasta. Furniture & home furnishings POST A FREE LISTING
Snohomish County Council bans slaughter of horses for food Moving to pre-empt the revival of slaughter houses that kill horses for food, the Snohomish County Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to ban the practice. Seattle Times staff reporter The Snohomish County Council voted unanimously Wednesday to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption — pre-empting any effort to reinstate the controversial practice anywhere within its jurisdiction. The council's action followed impassioned testimony from both sides. It comes about a year after the federal government reinstated inspections of horse-slaughter facilities, making it possible, after a five-year hiatus, for horses to be killed in this country for food. While not widely consumed in the U.S., horse meat is eaten in parts of Europe, South America and Asia. Under federal law, inspections of slaughterhouses where horses are killed are mandatory, and when funding for those inspections ended in 2007 it essentially ended horse-slaughtering operations in the U.S. The Snohomish County ordinance, introduced by Councilman Dave Somers and backed by a broad coalition of animal rescuers and advocates, was aimed at preventing the revival of horse slaughtering at Florence Packing, a company located just outside Stanwood. Owner Wayne Lindahl slaughtered horses at his facility for more than two decades until 1992. These days, he ships an average of 2,000 live horses a year to a Canadian slaughterhouse, Bouvry Export. Bouvry in turn ships horse meat to markets around the world. Allen Warren, founder of the equine sanctuary Horse Harbor Foundation in Kitsap County, said he was told by sources inside Bouvry that the Canadian company had planned to reopen horse slaughtering at the Florence facility now that federal inspections have been allowed to resume. Florence's proximity to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, he said, made it ideal for shipping to an expanding Asian market. Florence also is the only facility in the state where slaughtering could begin almost right away, without requiring the kind of approvals, including environmental, that would be required for a newer facility. Animal advocates said they also found out through a Freedom of Information Act request that Bouvry had requested a permit from the Food and Safety Inspection Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to slaughter horses in this country, although a representative of Bouvry said he could not confirm that. Given what they say they've learned, Warren said, "We connected the dots." In addition to pre-empting such facilities in Snohomish County, Warren and other animal advocates are working to ensure that funding for inspections is stripped from the federal agricultural appropriations bill, essentially prohibiting horse slaughtering once again. Florence's owner, Lindahl, said that despite the persistent rumors he has no plans to restart his slaughterhouse and is not in talks to sell his buildings. He's running a stripped-down operation, he said. "We have no refrigeration, no equipment. It's been like that since 1992. I'm done with this business; I plan to retire by the end of next summer." He said, "What the horse people don't understand is that there's no place for these horses when they're not being used anymore. We're not taking saddle horses and sending them for slaughter. They are older or ex-bucking horses." Animal advocates point out that most of the horses sent to slaughter are not old, but are healthy. They also maintain that slaughtering is not humane but cited an inspector's testimony before Congress in 2008 that horses often are conscious during the killing process. Jack Field, executive vice president of the Washington Cattlemen's Association, which voiced strong opposition to the ban, said there's a need for a slaughter system in this state that has strong state and federal inspection and oversight. It's important, he said, that decision makers not allow "emotion to cloud science and good judgment on this issue. You mention horses and people think of these great majestic animals with their mane and tail blowing in the wind." But that's different from reality, he said. "What they don't see are the horses dumped on public or private lands by people who can no longer afford to manage and maintain them. "Where's the science that drives this decision?" Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or firstname.lastname@example.org. On Twitter @turnbullL.
This story has been updated since its Dec. 14, 2003, publication. Sunday, December 14, 2003 - Page updated at 12:00 a.m. Union, district joined forces to block records When The Seattle Times asked the Bellevue School District for information about teachers and coaches accused of sexual misconduct, school officials and the state’s most powerful union teamed up behind the scenes to try to hide the files. The Bellevue teachers union organized a districtwide personnel-file review so teachers could go through their files and remove materials. The district says no sexual-misconduct records were removed, but the past president of the union said records The Times asked for were removed in one case. The alliance between school districts and the teachers union began last December after The Times asked 10 of the state’s largest school districts for public information on sexual-misconduct complaints against teachers. The newspaper was looking in particular for complaints against teachers who also worked as coaches. The Edmonds and Lake Washington school districts released the information promptly, giving names and assignments in cases with outcomes ranging from suspension to oral warning to unproven complaint. Bellevue took a much different approach. “There is no reason we would ever want to drag current or former employees through public attention to such matters — even those who were found to have committed misconduct,” Sharon Howard, an attorney and an assistant Bellevue schools superintendent, wrote in an e-mail obtained by The Times. Rather than fight the newspaper directly, Howard invited the Washington Education Association (WEA) to sue the Bellevue district under the names of teachers with sexual-misconduct complaints. “The best course of action was to work with the WEA to arrange for them to bring (lawsuits) to stop this,” Bellevue attorney Howard wrote to a teacher. “I’d be delighted if we could share as little as possible” with The Times, she wrote in another e-mail to the WEA general counsel. Howard later told a reporter that asking for sexual-misconduct files was “intrusive” and that it was “wise” to ask the WEA to sue the district. WEA President Charles Hasse supported the fight. “You give up a lot to be a schoolteacher,” he said. “There should be some privacy preserved.” Tyler Firkins, an Auburn lawyer, filed a lawsuit asking the court to stop the Bellevue, Federal Way and Seattle school districts from releasing the records of 36 teachers accused of sexual misconduct. He argued that the teachers’ privacy would be invaded and claimed in court to have been retained by each of the teachers. In fact, the WEA — not the 36 clients — hired Firkins. Some of the teachers told The Times they hadn’t even heard of Firkins. Asked about the lawsuit supposedly filed for him, former Seattle teacher Michael Wiater said, “It was without my consent.” Firkins also filed on behalf of one teacher, claiming to represent his interests, but the teacher was dead. The Times had not expected such a fight. The state Supreme Court ruled in a 1990 case, Brouillet v. Cowles Publishing Co., that records of teacher sexual misconduct shall be open to public inspection and that revealing them does not violate teacher privacy. The Times’ lawyer, Michele Earl-Hubbard, argued that the public had a right to see all complaints, even those that were not pursued by officials or that did not result in a reprimand. Otherwise, the public would never learn of valid teacher-misconduct complaints that were ignored, or cases in which the teacher wasn’t punished even though evidence supported it. By withholding teachers’ names, even in minor or dismissed complaints, the public would not be able to learn if the coach was pushed out and got into trouble at other districts or was still involved with young people. Yet districts and the union lawyers tried to conceal records, even in one case in which a teacher had been convicted of sexual misconduct. For example, Firkins filed a lawsuit on behalf of past WEA President Reese Lindquist, a former Seattle teacher who in a highly publicized 1992 case pleaded guilty to communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Asked why the union wanted to prevent public scrutiny in these cases, WEA general counsel Jerry Painter said, “Somebody dropped the ball.” As for the teachers who unknowingly became part of the lawsuit, Firkins said he was working under a tight deadline and didn’t have a chance to ask them all if the union could sue on their behalf. As The Times battled in court for access to teacher-misconduct records, the Bellevue Education Association, organized an unprecedented, districtwide plan for teachers to review their personnel files. In February, the union sent members an “Alert!” about the request and outlined a defensive tactic: The union would host a “building file party” at each school so teachers could review their personnel files. As part of their union contract, Bellevue teachers can have complaints and misconduct records purged from their files, including reprimands that are remedial and older than three years, after approval by the building principal or director of employee relations. Many other teachers’ contracts in Washington contain similar provisions. The district said a month later that group reviews weren’t allowed. At least 64 Bellevue teachers reviewed their files at schools across the district, mostly one at a time or one after the other on the same school day. Debby Nissen, BEA president at the time, said that as a result of one file review, a teacher was allowed to destroy notes about a sexual-misconduct complaint The Times was seeking. Nissen said the complaint detailed in the destroyed records did not result in discipline. District officials deny any sexual-misconduct records were removed. In addition to having the union fight their battles, several school districts shared legal advice about “taking on The Times,” according to a memo obtained under a public-records request. The WEA argued that the Brouillet case applied to sexual-misconduct records only if a teacher was given a “letter of discipline, even when the teacher admitted to the misconduct. After the union made this argument in court, the Seattle School District tried to alter the wording of documents in at least one teacher’s case, recasting a discipline letter as a “letter of direction.” Under the WEA’s argument, this change would keep the teacher’s record concealed. In April, King County Superior Court Judge Douglass North issued a ruling. All told, The Times won 21 cases, including five in which districts did little or no investigation. He ruled for the union in 15 cases, saying the teachers had not been formally disciplined. The Times appealed the decision to the Washington Supreme Court. The Times won similar cases in Grant and Pierce counties. The union is still fighting The Times in a Thurston County case involving seven teachers. Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company Home delivery \| Contact us \| Search archive \| Site map \| Low-graphic NWclassifieds \| NWsource \| Advertising info \| The Seattle Times Company Back to top
Low-graphic news index \| Thursday, August 23, 2012 - Page updated at 07:00 p.m. Tainted tattoo ink blamed in rash of nasty skin infections By The Associated Press and Seattle Times staff ATLANTA — Health officials said Wednesday they are seeing more cases of a nasty skin infection caused by a common bacteria traced to the ink used for tattoos. Five confirmed cases have been reported in Washington since last fall, health officials said. Three people were infected at a tattoo parlor in Snohomish County, including one King County resident. Two more King County residents were infected at a parlor in King County and 26 Washington residents had possible infection, according to the report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In all cases, investigators concluded the culprit was the ink, said Michael Kinzer, an epidemic intelligence officer from the CDC working with King County's health department. The tattoo artists appeared to be meeting all the regulations, he added. There are no health regulations for the production of tattoo ink, Kinzer added. In the largest outbreak, 19 people in Rochester, N.Y., ended up with bubbly rashes on their new tattoos, researchers reported Wednesday. In the past year, there have been 22 confirmed cases and more than 30 suspected cases of the skin infection in Colorado, Iowa, New York in addition to Washington, health officials said. Hepatitis, staph infections and the superbug known as MRSA have been tied to tattoos. Dirty needles and unsanitary conditions are often to blame. But all the New York cases were linked to an unidentified artist who wore disposable gloves and sterilized his instruments. The infections were tied to ink or water used to dilute the ink. Tattoo artists and ink makers should use only sterile water to dilute ink, health officials advise. The illnesses were caused by a bacterial cousin of tuberculosis named Mycobacterium chelonae (pronounced chell-OH-nay). The bacteria can cause itchy and painful pus-filled blisters that can take months to clear up, and involve treatment with harsh antibiotics with unpleasant side effects. The bacteria are common in tap water and have been seen in the past when tattoo artists used contaminated water to lighten dark ink. The ink used in New York was "gray wash," used for shaded areas of tattoos. The ink was recalled and has not returned to the market. "Even if you get a tattoo from a facility that does everything right, it's not risk free," said Dr. Byron Kennedy, deputy director of the health department in New York's Monroe County. He is lead author of a report on last fall's Rochester cases that was released by The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday. Some ink manufacturers add witch hazel or an alcohol preservative to lower risk of certain viruses, but those additives don't kill the hardy chelonae bacteria. An estimated 1 in 5 U.S. adults have at least one tattoo, according to polls. Copyright © The Seattle Times Company Low-graphic news index Graphic-enabled home page
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 15th and final undergrad POST Crazy week. Amy Dalbon called me Sunday night to tell me there was going to be a job opening in Zanesville at WHIZ in the Sports Department. This would be the perfect size market for me to break into. I delayed working on it a couple days (STUPID) but finally I left a message with their Media Operations Manager on Wednesday night. I drove down to Zanesville (yea I know... it took me like 3 hrs) Thursday afternoon to drop off my tape and materials. It was a long trip but I hope that now they know I'm real serious about this job, I would be the perfect hire for them because Zanesville is a lot like Lawrence County, a small college and very important high school sports...basically what I've covered for the past 3 years. I also spoke to Josh Reed the new Sports Director in Hagerstown about the opening in his Sports Department. Bob Hannon (who he worked with at WYTV before moving to Hagerstown) gave him my tape so I'm hoping that's a good sign. I called and asked If I should send my stuff in (resume, references, cover letter) and he said to call back in a week and he'll let me know if I need to send stuff in. I figure if he tells me I do then I should have a decent shot at getting called in for an interview, and that's all I need. 2 promising leads... I HOPE! What a busy week this one was. The Broadcast festival went well, I thought all the presentations were pretty entertaining. I had a lot of friends and faculty come out for mine, which was very flattering. Coach Scott and Coach Dafler both made it and it was very thoughtful of them to set aside some time (I made it worthwhile for Coach Scott when I played the last 30 seconds of my call from the Dickinson game). I didn't prepare as much as I should have, and I had to run around a little bit last minute but everything went ok. Then I got interviewed on the radio for our live remote (it was so weird to be on the other side of the questioning). The final County line was also this week. We had 3 packages in sports, 1 of which was my piece on the Lawrence County Sports Hall of Fame's annual inductions. It was a very classy event, and It made me feel weird that I personally knew half the people in the room. Ron Galbreath, Terry Verelli, Don Nogay Sr. the list goes on and on... I guess I've come to know Lawrence County sports pretty well. 1 more week down and 1 more week left of the County Line. Justin and I are gonna co-host the last couple shows I think, in an attempt to make the transition smoother for the viewing public. I am definately going to miss TitanTown Sports, but I do feel like I've left my mark and I'm hoping that they keep the segment name because it'd be nice to come back in 5-10 years and say "I started that". I pretty much cover the internet looking for jobs, but I realize something. If you send out tapes blindly you have a 1:50 or 1:75 chance of getting hooked up. Making a contact at the station is so key. I'm realizing another thing too, my strengths are in reporting, anchoring, shooting, editing not so much in the being persistent and calling people like twice a day. That has to change if I wanna find a job. I actually did some stuff this week. I went to visit Bob Hannon the Sports Director over at WYTV. He took a look at my tape along with his 2-guy Bill Castrovince. They both seemed to like it and it gave me a lot more confidence to shop it around. I feel like I finally have a final product that I can send out there. There are so many job banks that I feel stupid signing up for one that pays, but TV Jobs.com seems to have a lot of good information and jobs. For now I'm logging in as a guest, which only gives me limited access, but enough to find some of the jobs. I've applied for jobs in places such as Lincoln, Nebraska and Lufkin, Texas... so I'll go both far and small. Only a couple more County Lines before Justin officially takes my job, I know I'm going to miss it. Our final week looks like its going to be packed. On a side note, Bob Hannon has been totally helpful. Right after he watched my tape he immidiately got on the phone with Ryan Allison (the new Sports Director at WKBN) to talk me up. Seems like KBN has already decided on what they want, which is fine I'll just have to keep looking. He also told me about a potential job opening in Hagerstown, MD where I would be a 3 -guy which would be perfect since Hagerstown is almost right in the middle of Westminster and Bethesda. Sunday, April 10, 2005 Another week down as we close in on graduation. I had the opportunity to cover an awesome story on Saturday. It was an adult dodgeball tournament between businesses from New Castle and Neshannock with the proceeds going to charity. The atmosphere was so intense as the weekend warriors went after glory one last time. I can't wait to put it together later this week, it should turn out as one of my better stories. My goal for my resume tape will be late Sunday night so that I can send it out Monday for the WKBN job. I also applied for a position at ESPN as an associate producer. Ill keep working on my contacts as the week progresses. I dont have the link, but there was an article on the fron page of the New York Times about XM radio and how big it is, hopefully that means more jobs.
If you would like to understand how to conceive a boy, you must take note of the ovulation period. This is the stage exactly where the egg has left the ovary and travel by way of the fallopian tube to stay within the uterus even though waiting for a sperm to fertilize it. It is a truth that the male sperm will decide the gender of the baby. Nevertheless, determining your precise ovulation will aid enhance your chances of conceiving a baby boy. At this time, it could be great to follow these tips if you want to understand how to have a boy. To understand how to have a boy, you must have a sexual make contact with together with your partner in the day of ovulation and not a lot more than 12 hours soon after you ovulate. Then, you are going to have higher chances of getting a boy in the event you monitor the pH balance of the physique and your vaginal fluids as well. Male sperm cannot live in a very acidic atmosphere that it really is necessary to decrease the acidity. You’ll be able to aid control the pH level of your body by changing your diet regime. Eat foods rich in sodium and potassium like bananas and salty foods. Don’t take foods high in acid such as milk, yoghurt, and also other dairy products. You could also employ douching to assist lower the all-natural pH of the vagina but make sure you consult your medical practitioner very first prior to doing so. An additional tip that’s valuable on how to have a boy is always to know which positions to use. Given that the male sperm is weaker, it demands a position that permits deeper penetration to assist the male sperm swim towards the uterus easily. Reaching your climax is also valuable in producing a son. A woman’s orgasm will aid pull the sperm closer towards the egg and enhance the opportunity of getting a male sperm reach the egg. You could also use supplements on how to have a boy to enhance the quality of cervical mucus and facilitate the conception of a boy than a girl. Furthermore to these, the father has also a thing to complete in knowing how to have a boy. He should refrain from hot showers if you are planning to have a boy. Hot water may possibly reduce the capacity of the male sperm to live. It is also valuable to keep the testicles cooler to make sure a lot more male sperm is produced. He can do this by wearing boxers as opposed to briefs. Boxers permit a lot more airflow in between the legs keeping the testicles and the sperm cooler. A caffeinated drink is also valuable on how to have a boy. He should drink a cup of coffee prior to sexual make contact with to enhance the power of the male sperm to reach the egg. These tips are just overview of what you can get from “Prince or Princess” e-book. If you would like to learn a lot more on how to have a boy, you may acquire the guide for a
\|Start About The Resort Rates Gallery Guestbook Contact\| ·Secret Garden Guestbook·Leave us a note. Silvia Kwak [Shanghai China/ Boston, MA USA] Looking for availability 3 nights Dec 27-0Dec 29th 2 Adults and 2 children ages 8 and 10 17 Dec 2012 Hi,do you have any double room available for 3 nights from 27/12 to 30/12? Thanks! 14 Dec 2012 hello, do you have room available for 12/24-12/31? We are couple and want to stay in Chiang Mai for a week. Please give some suggestion for lodging. thank you. 06 Dec 2012 ron frew [Burnaby BC] Need for accomodations from to feb 11/12 for two people do you have any places available in that time frame 05 Dec 2012 \|Secret Garden - Bungalow Resort\| Bor Sang \| Chiangmai \| Thailand\| Our recommendation for Koh Samui: Bay View Resort Samui
\|Start About The Resort Rates Gallery Guestbook Contact\| ·Secret Garden Guestbook·Leave us a note. Garry & Lisa [Townsville Australia] My name is Garry and we are from Australia. We are planning a family holiday and would like to visit Chang Mai Thailand for the first time in September / October 2012. Travelling will be myself, wife Lisa, daughter Darcy 15 years old and son Thomas 13 years old. We would love to stay at your wonderful Secret garden resort arriving Wed 26 Sept departing 02 Oct 2012. I f you are available to help us with accommodation, cost and with our itinerary would be appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to help us. 07 May 2012 Kate Lawrence [Alice springs NT Australia] My friend gayle Roberts and I hope to book at secret garden from 8th November for 1week. 2 bungalow rooms. Please advise on availability, recommended rooms, etc. 02 May 2012 02 May 2012 paul girling [pattaya] hi, do you have a bungalow available 1st may for 4 or 5 nights, there will be my wife and myself, mother in law and 3 year old baby, thank yoi 20 Apr 2012 \|Secret Garden - Bungalow Resort\| Bor Sang \| Chiangmai \| Thailand\| Our recommendation for Koh Samui: Bay View Resort Samui
\|Start About The Resort Rates Gallery Guestbook Contact\| ·Secret Garden Guestbook·Leave us a note. cathy dunne [Sunshine Coast Australia] Do you have accomodation for 3 adults and 3 children 10th July to 15th July. Children 15,15,and 10. Thanks 01 Jul 2012 Grace Wei [Singapore] Do you have room for 3 people? 28 Jun 2012 Heidi Carroll [Cooktown] Do you pick up from the airport? 26 Jun 2012 Anna Hartman [Rzeszow Poland] Hello from Poland, do you have a room for 2 adults and 1 child of 11 from 9 November till 13 November 2011? Best regards Anna 28 May 2012 \|Secret Garden - Bungalow Resort\| Bor Sang \| Chiangmai \| Thailand\| Our recommendation for Koh Samui: Bay View Resort Samui
Pay attention to your intuition, or just simply: What do you feel like using as a system? We’ve discovered people tend to resist the GTD® implementation process enough as it is, so you need all the help you can get to be motivated to work the system. If you know you’d like to be digital, don’t waste time on a paper system. But if you like the look and touch and feel of a cool notebook, go for it. No system works unless you work it.
Ok. I'm a newbiw (Script kidde) and I want to learn more about Metasploit. Not for fun, but to understand what exploits are, how they are used, and deployed. I've heard a lot about the Metasploit framework being good. I've even started reading the Offensive Security with metaspolit tutorials but I'm finding it somewhat hard to follow as they've really introduced a lot of new jargon. Also, I'm more used to coding stuff and I learn more by interacting so, I'd like to do more like a "Hello World" sort of thing. However I didn't find any such resources. Can anyone provide me any resources/links? The thing is that metasploit infact is a framework, so a collection of exploits. The beautiful thing about a framework is that you don't need to understand what's happening behind the scenes. I think that if you want to learn more about exploits and how they work, you pick yourself up some basic books like The Shellcoder's Handbook. If you want a more hands-on experience, it's better to start with easy exploiting challenges. Check out http://smashthestack.org/. They have different challenges that start really easy and steadily increase in complexity. You can then apply what you read in the previous named book. If you find yourself in a pickle, there should be ample information on the net.
This is a thought experiment on the interaction between Tor, OpenID and one (or more) compromised nodes in the secure path. I'm focused on how to use technology in a way that adds value to a secure cloud solution. I have no interest in using this technology for nefarious purposes. Suppose I have a multi-tenant server where each customer determines the visibility of their domain. For example: x.myhost.com can choose to be "public" and xyz.myhost.com is private and only accessed by a hidden As I understand it there are two ways for a server to interact with Tor: - Do nothing, use SSL, and trust that the last exit node has not been compromised - "Hook" into the Tor network using a hidden service and a .onion address From what I understand, the session is vulnerable to a compromised .EXIT node. Some hacks I've read about include: - disclosure of data protected by SSL - Loss of anonymity if the user uses many services over the same Tor network, enabling correlation Now that the world is moving to claims-based authentication, SAML, and OpenID, how should Tor be used with these technologies, considering that .exit nodes could be compromised? Given that correlation hacks exist, should OpenID/SAML be used at all? Some questions that affect architecture include - Is public OpenID less secure than those with forms-based authentication? - Does using OpenID/SAML enable session correlation? Are some OpenID providers better than others? - Should the OpenID/SAML server has a .onion address? Will that help prevent correlation attacks? - Are there benefits of using a public OpenID server (Google/Yahoo) to a private one (Microsoft ADFSv2)
Toronto's parks department dumps the excrement from the animals at the High Park Zoo in the middle of the park. The poop does not have a fence around it to sequester it nor is there any sign to warn users of the park about it. The poop pile is very close to a path that people walk along and is also adjacent to the dog off leash area. Because it smells very attractive to dogs and is not fenced, it is very easy for dogs to access the pile. In addition, this is an area that coyotes are sighted and I wonder if the smell of the animal waste is also attracting coyotes. I think that dumping animal excrement in the middle of one of the city's most beautiful parks is both a health and an environmental hazard. Downhill from the pile is a stream that ends up in Lake Ontario and I am concerned about runoff, particularly bacteria parasites such as giardia. I have no objection to composting animal waste but it needs to be done properly in an area that is not accessible to the public. All of the dog owners that I have spoken to think the pile is disgusting and it either needs to be moved or adequately fenced. I have contacted Sarah Doucette's office, Public Health and the supervisor of High Park about this. No one is taking my concerns seriously. The supervisor of High Park refuses to do anything about the pile because they have been dumping the waste there for decades. They claim that if the area is fenced off the pick up truck will not be able to dump the @#$% there. Shouldn't human health and the environment take precedence over these feeble excuses. Help!
The worldwide battle to get away from the coal and oil industries has been underway for some time. Countries are fighting to gain a share of the new green manufacturing industries with millions of jobs and trillions of dollars on the line. Country after country is executing plans to grab a share of this new industry. But not us. Oil-funded conservatives are trying to keep us from even fighting in that war. Oil And Coal Are The Problem Look around you, the climate is changing, the seas are rising, terrible storms are hitting, huge fires are burning, terrible droughts are causing crop failure, and plants, animals and insects are migrating to new areas. (In DC right now you might not be able to turn on a light because of that huge, freak storm you just had, so maybe wait and look around you after the sun comes up.) We have to stop burning oil and coal, and find a way to get that carbon back out of the air. Aside from the terrible effects of climate change, our country has a trade deficit that is partly about buying oil, and those purchases send money to places that use that money against our country’s interests. Other countries get all of this. But our country is in the grip of an oil-and-coal-funded propaganda machine that tries to keep us from getting it. Green Job Opportunities We are in a worldwide economic competition to build the post-oil economy. This is a competition for millions of jobs and trillions of dollars. Every country wants a share of the design and manufacturing of wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal systems, biofuels, electric cars, high-speed rail, urban and suburban light rail, advanced batteries, smart-grid power transmission systems, and all of the rest. And there is also the fight for the construction, installation and maintenance contracts for all of these systems. Many countries are fully engaged, and have national plans to capture a share of this new industry. They compete with us as countries, and see us as a country to compete with even if we do not. Because we refuse to act as a country, we send our companies out to compete with countries, and as big as our companies are they cannot compete with the resources of engaged countries. Conservatives Demand Surrender Our top competitor is China. Shots have been fired; China is helping their companies compete, and this has cut solar prices. So a few American companies are going under. In response, America’s oil-backed conservatives are demanding immediate surrender. In fact, they don’t just demand surrender, they are giving aid and comfort, even actively helping the other side, running down America’s efforts to fight for a share of the new green economy. This huge effort by conservatives to keep our country out of the world competition for a share of the new green economy kind of makes you wonder about the secrecy surrounding all of the money that funds the conservative movement, its think tanks, media outlets, and now even funds political campaigns. We don’t even know where the hundreds of millions funding these horrible, negative ads comes from! Does any of it come from our economic competitors? Shouldn’t we at least be able to find out who (or where) is funding the conservative propaganda and political machine that is running down our own government and demanding we surrender the new green economy to China? Solyndra And Chevy Volt Conservatives celebrated the fall of Solyndra, declaring that its demise meant that green energy in general is a “bad bet,” or losing technology. They also have been trying to convince people not to purchase hybrids and new technologies like the Chevy Volt. The next time you hear someone of FOX running down our country’s green energy efforts, knocking the Chevy Volt or denying climate change, think abougt this: Fox’s second-largest shareholder is a billionaire Saudi oil prince. Fox might just have an agenda beyond backing conservatives here. Speaking of conservatives, though, keep in mind that the Koch brothers == oil. Abound Solar Goes Under Last week solar panel manufacturer Abound Solar filed for bankruptcy. NY Times reports in “A 2nd U.S.-Supported Maker of Solar Panels Will Close,” Republicans, including Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, seized on Solyndra’s failure as evidence that the Obama administration was wasting taxpayer money by supporting clean energy companies. … The company said it could have been profitable if it had had large-scale manufacturing under way, but “aggressive pricing actions from Chinese solar panel companies have made it very difficult for an early stage start-up company like Abound to scale in current market conditions.” Abound Solar was unable to compete with low solar prices resulting from Chinese subsidies for their own solar manufacturers. (Add to that, China’s currency manipulation which keeps the prices of everything made there up to 30% lower, even bore their subsidies, trade barriers, etc.) Federal officials froze their credit line last year, after the Solyndra failure, so Abound was unable to draw on credit to scale its manufacturing to a level that could compete with subsidized Chinese imports. Conservatives immediately stepped up their drumbeat of demands that we surrender to China. Here are a few examples of conservatives blaming America first, calling America’s efforts a failure, or generally running down efforts to fight for a share of the new green economy: Hot Air: Yet another DOE-backed solar panel company bites the dust Good grief. I feel like these ailing Department of Energy-backed loan guarantees are so laughably many that they’re barely even worth noting anymore, but you’re darn tootin’ I’ll continue to do so as long as President Obama keeps acting like it’s the federal government’s divine right to pick and choose winners in the energy market on the taxpayers’ dime. … This article tries to spin the situation to suggest that the company’s failure is the result of too much unfair competition and global oversupply, and we should therefore direct our ire at China. No — just no. This is the fault of the Obama administration. Maybe if we had just left the decision to develop solar (or not!) up to the private sector, we would’ve quickly figured out that investing in solar energy was a bad idea. Weekly Standard: Video: Obama Touted $400 Million Loan to Another Solar Company Now Declaring Bankruptcy Washington Moon Times: Yet another government-backed solar company turns out the lights News of the company’s demise prompted early criticism from Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican and chairman of the House subcommittee on regulatory affairs, stimulus oversight and government spending. In a statement, Mr. Jordan, among other Republicans, said Abound’s collapse shows that “our government is not good at picking winners and losers in the marketplace but has certainly proved it is good at wasting taxpayer dollars.” National Legal and Policy Center: Yet Another DOE Green Failure as Abound Solar Goes Bankrupt And now with failures like Solyndra and Abound Solar, in addition to several others, these crony redistributors leave the political fallout to others and just move on to their next “green” scheme. Unfortunately we won’t find out if the ultimate political price is paid until November, but in the meantime DOE continues with its renewable energy “investments,” which will undoubtedly lead to more pain for taxpayers. Abound had borrowed about $70 million against these loan guarantees. That would have bought a lot of health care for poor people, but the Obama Administration blew it on solar panel junk instead. Heritage Foundation: Another Stimulus Backed ‘Green Energy’ Company Goes Bankrupt Another stimulus-backed green energy company has filed for bankruptcy, further fueling criticism of Energy Department programs that backed highly-risky investments on the taxpayer dime. Like Solyndra and a number of other green energy investments made under this administration, Abound Solar had a very poor credit rating, but enjoyed a wealth of political connections. So … should we respond as a country to this economic attack on us by other countries who see us as a country and compete with us as a country? Or should we surrender the new green economy to others? This post originally appeared at Campaign for America’s Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF. Sign up here for the CAF daily summary
By Catherine Shu Baidu (BIDU) shares have fallen 18% over the last quarter as investors worry that the search giant won't be able to monetize its mobile business quickly enough to outpace domestic competitors like Qihoo 360 and Tencent Holdings. But Baidu, known as China's Google (GOOG), is confident that it will be able to remake itself as a platform provider for both mobile and PC. Though it may be a couple years until Baidu can close the monetization gap with mobile, the company's director of international communications, Kaiser Kuo, said the company is on target to reach its goal of having Baidu's new browser installed in 80 percent of Android smartphones in China by the end of this year. China is currently the world's largest smartphone market and, like Google, Baidu has been building up its mobile assets to maintain its position. The company announced last Tuesday that it is raising $1.5 billion in a two-part bond sale to write down debt and build its war chest. Part of the proceeds from the sale will be used for acquisitions both in China and abroad. Baidu is currently pouring 25% of its research and development budget into mobile and cloud computing (it has announced plans to invest US$1.6 billion in a new cloud-computing center). It now counts over 100,000 developers in its mobile ecosystem. The goal is to build a smartphone ecosystem that will allow users to "seamlessly migrate from PC to mobile," said Kuo. The company's open data platform, Project Aladdin, launched in December 2008, supports developers providing structured data, including sports scores, travel schedules and currency conversions. For Baidu's PC users, "the chances of having some kind of resource delivered to you in a Chinese-language search result from a third-party developer is about 70%, some kind of Aladdin-driven result," said Kuo. Project Aladdin's objective, he added, is "at the heart of what we are doing in mobile. We believe that in the future, search will come to supplant operating systems today." Perks offered to domestic and international mobile app developers by Baidu include free access to Baidu's API, search products, location-based services, cloud storage that can be passed down to their users and a mobile test center. But while investors are currently focused on Baidu's mobile business, Kuo said they are making a mistake by discounting PC-based search. "There has been a lot of reporting that we're only looking at mobile things and that's just not true," he said. "We want to be at different points of access. We will be interested in any M&A activity that helps drive Baidu dominance at various access points to the Internet." "Our bread-and-butter is small and medium enterprises. It's still shy of 300,000 paying customers in a typical quarter," he added. "There are something like 40 million small and medium enterprises in China, so in a quarter we are touching less than one percent of them and there is still a lot of room to build our customer base." Though much recent analysis and reporting of Baidu pits it against Qihoo 360, an antivirus software company that launched its own search engine in August, the company refused to comment on its rival. "All I can said is as with any competition, we are not sitting on our hands," said Kuo. He added that Baidu is confident that it will shape China's emerging Android app market. "It's a different environment, but I think it's similar enough that we can adopt a lot of the best practices in more developed markets and we are very actively studying how other companies have done this," Kuo said. "We are pretty good at figuring out the idiosyncrasies and bizarre topography of the Chinese Internet landscape."
American Software Inc. (AMSWA) develops, markets, and supports an array of software designed to address: enterprise management and collaborating supply chain solutions around the world. It has three segments: Supply Chain Management; Enterprise Resource Planning; and Information Technology Consulting. American Software has an average dividend yield of 3.91%, with a payout ratio of 65.85%. Two key ratios give this company a healthy grade with us. Not only does it provide a nice dividend, but it is a good value stock. With regards to the growth potential of this stock, we can look at the price/sales ratio. The lower the better, and as we compare it to the (Application Software) industry as a whole, it comes in at 2.47 to 7.59. So, in effect, it is a very healthy stock, set for future growth. If we want to look at the cash flow compared to its price, we have to see the price/cash-flow ratio. The lower the ratio, the more money it has to use. Comparing American Software to its industry, we have a strong showing for the company, as it comes in at 16.5 to 20.2 - almost 20% lower. In my opinion, American Software looks like a strong little company, with good dividend payouts. CA Inc. (CA) sells software that help automate IT tasks such as managing databases, backing up data, and checking for compliance with regulations such as security standards. Over 99% of Fortune 1000 companies and other governmental, educational, and corporate customers use CA's services. CA is another (Application Software) company that pays out an annualized dividend of 3.71% . Trading at 28.94 after a huge run in January that saw the stock spike on a gap from 22 to 25, it has held its ground and continues to inch its way up. This company is fundamentally strong. It recently expanded its dividend, has put together an aggressive buy-back program, and management continues to work on improving execution as accompany. Analysts believe this is a good company to buy and hold for dividend investors eyeing the long term. Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
Bubbles start in areas where we do not expect and continue until they reach such a size that eventually they collapse upon themselves. It has been said that bubbles need more and more money to keep expanding but eventually they collapse upon themselves. Currently, the largest bubble ever seen has entered the public eye but has yet to be recognized by the public or financial markets. That bubble is governments and their debt all around the world. One can say that the start of this bubble was when former President Bush embarked on a program to give money back to the people via a $500 disbursement. Spending then exploded throughout the prior decade as the financing of two wars and loose credit created a mortgage bubble of epic proportions which almost brought down the entire global financial system. The last four years have seen the US spend every possible dollar they could create exploding budget deficits and threatening the future of the US Dollar as a global reserve currency, credit rating, and the fiscal sustainability of the country itself. Over in Europe the IMF and the EU appear to be engaged in a sort of shell game to raise capital from investors and then continually throw it at imploding banking systems and sovereign governments. Take the LTRO program as an example. The central banks expected the banks to borrow at ultra low rates using strong bonds as collateral and in return lend the borrowed funds to companies kick starting economic growth. In reality, the banks dumped their worst garbage on the ECB as collateral in return for money which was either kept on deposit or used to purchase slightly better quality sovereign debt. So bad was the garbage put up as collateral that the Bundesbank push the ECB to revise their rules to give sovereign nations the right to refuse bonds if they saw fit. Now the IMF believes that they can raise $400 billion dollars to provide a firewall against the crisis when the flames have already spread from Greece to Portugal to Spain and now to the Dutch. That is like bringing a water pistol to a raging forest fire. The mountain of debt that has been created by sovereign governments in Europe and the US is weighing heavily upon the markets as seen by the rolling over of major indices as the mopping up of capital by sovereign nations constrains the ability of companies to expand. Across the board in Europe and China manufacturing PMI's are coming in below expectations and the fears of a global slowdown and recession are rising. Investors hoping that this rally may continue into the summer should watch the indices very carefully as two important technical patterns are playing out. The first is a head and shoulders top within a much more important 3 Peaks and a Domed house pattern (more info here). As the newsflow begins to turn negative over the coming months and worries over a debt restructuring in Spain grow the market will turn lower leaving investors wondering what happened to their first quarter gains. During the current market conditions investors should look for a pullback to the 200 day moving averages in the Dow (DIA), S&P 500 (SPY), and Nasdaq (QQQ) where we can properly assess the risks emanating not just from the EU's failed programs but the results of upcoming elections across Europe which are already generating surprises for investors. Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. Additional disclosure: I am short the broader market through some leveraged ETFs as part of my overall strategy to be long gold and short the broad market.
After exposing numerous Chinese reverse merger frauds we recently added to our focus the identification of U.S. companies that may be misrepresenting their stories to investors. Our piece on Raystream (RAYS.OB) was our inaugural U.S. Pump & Dump (P&D) fraud report. We highlighted our RAYS expose on 12/08/2011 at $1.75 and followed up with a 40 page report on 12/29/2011. The stock now trades under $0.40. There are now new issues regarding the RAYS story including our findings that the company has collapsed its German operating subsidiary, yet to be disclosed in U.S. filings. Has Raystream written its final epitaph? Our curiosity is now piqued by Sefe (SEFE.OB). We view SEFE no differently than any other Pump & Dump that use exaggerations of the truth and sexy story lines for which promoters at times spend millions of dollars to orchestrate massive pump moves. The stock has risen from $0.64 on 2/24/ 2012, reaching a high of $2.96 on 3/25/2012. The pump and dump universe is just a game of who will be the greater fool holding the bag? And we bet the promoters who get paid in stock will not be those fools. Neither will large holders of SEFE stock as is evident by a schedule D filed on April 13, 2012 revealing that investors, including insiders, registered to sell $8 million worth of shares. "Third parties" have spent at least five million dollars to peddle this story to unsuspecting investors by utilizing some of the most notorious promotional organizations out there such as Stocks Digest Magazine (received $2.5 million in cash and $2.5 million in shares), Stock Hunter, The Stock Detective and Awesomestocks. SEFE is being promoted by the same outfits that successfully pumped the Sunpeaks Ventures (SNPK.OB) story. However, in just one day SNPK gave back nearly all of its massive gains and now trades at around $0.50. SNPK pumped from $0.42 on 3/8/2012 to $2.40 on 4/18/2012 before experiencing its first massive dump on the same day, reaching a low of $0.55. On April 18, 2012 SEFE was also eager to announce that it had signed a term sheet for $2 million in financing with its financial partner, Riverbend, LLC. The company stated: "it has signed a term sheet for $2 million in financing through a nonconvertible preferred debenture. A debt structure was chosen rather than equity financing in order to preserve shareholder value and avoid dilution." What SEFE failed to mention in the press release was that they issued Riverbend warrants to purchase 500,000 shares of stock at $1.00. Management only later discloses this fact in an 8k filed on April, 25 2012. Notice that we have not even mentioned what SEFE does yet. That is because we do not believe it matters. We could stop writing the article at this point since all investors really need to know is that legitimate companies will likely not find themselves associated with what many consider pump and dump outfits. Furthermore, from our point of view, with 50 million shares outstanding and no revenues, the capital structure makes this story a no go from the get go when you consider the funds this development stage company will have to raise to generate revenues, if you want to even believe they have a legitimate operation. But let's move on. History Reveals More Red Flags SEFE was incorporated in the State of Nevada on September 24, 2004 under the name, Midnight Candle Co., a failed business venture. On July 16, 2010 Midnight Candle purchased intellectual property rights, via the issuance of 30 million shares, to a firm called SEFE, Inc. Thus, SEFE the public company was born. Since this transaction, the company has raised $637,000 from stock offerings and amassed around $600,000 in debt in from July 16, 2010 through March 11, 2011. The July 16 asset acquisition included a related party transaction: "Pursuant to the July 16, 2010 Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement, the Company assumed liabilities totaling $250,000 in the form of convertible notes payable, due equitably to two holders, one of which is a related party entity." All told, two of the debt obligations from July 16, 2010 through March 11, 2011 originated from related party transactions and were eventually sold to "other individuals" and were converted into 9 million shares (to settle "defaults"). Predictably, as of December 31, 2011 the company had already converted $370,000 of defaulted debt into 11.8 million shares of SEFE stock to settle its debts. At December's 31, 2011 closing price these shares were worth $5.9 million. At SEFE's peak price of $2.96 on March 25, 2011, the shares were worth $35 million. As gleaned from the 2011 10k, all told the company: "will have arranged with our note holders to convert $590,000 of our bridge notes, into 17,999,998 shares of our common stock" What does SEFE have to show for these fund raising activities? - Zero revenue - Defaults on all five debt instruments issued from July 16, 2010 through March 11, 2011. - Some investors that have likely made a handsome sum of money from a company that has yet to generate one penny of revenues. Are We Starting to See a Reason for a Pump and Dump Campaign? So what is this business plan that has yielded no revenues and numerous defaults on debt? All we had to do was read SEFE's description to postulate that something is not right: "SEFE focuses on pushing the boundaries of what's possible, embracing innovation and employing the cutting-edge to solve problems, and offering sustainable solutions to a world hungry for invention, direction and leadership. SEFE is technology- and solutions-driven, focusing on developing inventions that provide a real-world impact and true profitability. So, success is measured by both a sustainable return on investment, as well as a project's sustainability from an environmental perspective." We had no idea what this meant, so we continued to probe into SEFE's business plan. SEFE has produced a video that can be viewed directly on its website which gives a general overview of the concepts regarding how the technology would work. The premise of the technology is to float some sort of tethered balloon in the lower atmosphere, capable of collecting electrostatic energy that would be sold to utility and mining companies. The company is not explicit on how much energy could be produced. Furthermore, SEFE's Director of engineering, Michael Hurowitz, poses a serious question in the video that, on the surface, seems to raise some doubt in the viability of the company's technology: "The big question for us? Can we design a system to harness this high voltage electrostatic energy in a significant way?" Are you telling us that this stock is worth tens of millions of dollars ($153 million market cap at a peak price of $2.96) on a system with a rather large QUESTION MARK? The 2011 10k issued on March 29, 2012 confirms that the company has no product to market: "We currently have no marketable units and therefore have not begun to distribute any products." And even if we wanted to believe that SEFE was on the cusp of some ground breaking technology we presume it could take years before it would be able to bring a product to market. Although we are by no means experts in the arena of harnessing power from unproven methods, we can still assume that regulatory approval would likely first be needed from the likes of the Department of Energy (DOE) or the Federal Aviation Administration since an object would be permanently floating in the sky. The Characters Involved What about the characters tied to this SEFE story? Posts from around the web reveal information regarding some of the names involved: Given our findings we were surprised to see a Market Wire press release issued by Grass Roots Research that helped inspire a massive multi-day run in SEFE shares from $1.65 on April 23, 2012 to $2.96 in mid-day trading on April 25, 2012. Grass Roots research dubs themselves as the #1 small cap research firm. On April 23, 2012 they issued the paid-for bullish report (for which they received $15,000) on SEFE with a price target of $5.95. We urge investors to visit Grass Roots website and decide for themselves if this "research" outfit follows impressive small cap companies. Grass Roots offers up an impressive looking financial model that predicts SEFE will see its revenues explode from $1.6 million in 2013 to $279.8 million in 2019 with pretax margins ranging from 41% to 56%. Grass Roots estimates that this enviable growth will be accomplished by issuing no debt and just $5 million worth of stock. What they may have failed to do is read SEFE's 2011 10K which states the following: "We are actively raising additional capital by conducting additional issuances of our equity and debt securities for cash." There are other reasons to believe that Grass Roots did not pay close enough attention to SEFE's filings. The firm estimates that total operating expenses will amount to $600,000 in 2013 and just $1.2 million in 2014. Yet, the 2011 10K shows that SEFE incurred operating expenses of $900,00 on zero sales, before even "ramping" up alleged operations. Is it logical that operating expenses will go down as SEFE spends dollars to test, develop and market their product? We view the Grass Roots report as a fluff piece to push shares that the firm may own higher (the company is sometimes paid for commercial advertisements and distribution in cash, stock, Rule 144 stock warrants, options or other securities) GeoInvesting would like to pay homage to the memory of Nikola Tesla, the man who invented the alternating current (AC) that ushered in the modern day era. Several parts of SEFE's video showed one of his great inventions called the "Plasma Lamp". Tesla died broke in a hotel room in New York. I'm sure if he were alive today he would be thinking, "These bozos haven't even designed anything yet and they are already multi-millionaires". He must have be rolling over in his grave as this charade plays out. We conclude that SEFE is an ideal pump and dump candidate that will surely end badly for those who don't sell before the inevitable dump. Remember this is all a game. The promoters and others involved in pump and dump schemes who receive stock need to eventually sell their stock. It is that simple. It is always just a matter of timing. At that point, it does not even matter if the story has legs. Have fun on the way up, but sleep with one eye open as the stock is already breaking down. For the record, we will not stop at SEFE. Our pipeline of brazen pump and dump stocks is growing, and we will pounce at any opportunity to spread the truth about some of the largest schemes that ultimately bilk investors out of millions of dollars.
On Wednesday August 1st, Gross said "The cult of equity is dying ... Investors' impressions of 'stocks for the long run' or any run have mellowed as well." His phrasing of "stocks for the long run" is the title of a well-known book by Jeremy Siegel. Siegel is a Professor of Finance at the Wharton School and has written books emphasizing stocks. Bill Gross manages the $252 billion PIMCO Total Return Fund. To drive his point home, Gross likens historical stock market returns to a "Ponzi scheme." Those are loaded words, deliberately used to make his point. However, Siegel is on the right side of this argument because history is on his side. This time is NOT different. Siegel emphasizes buying quality stocks that pay dividends and then reinvesting the dividends. This means that at lower prices, you will purchase more shares. It's like dollar-cost averaging. And it has worked for stocks like Merck (MRK), Procter & Gamble (PG), and Altria (MO) just to pick three of many. A 50 year chart of the S&P 500 or a one-hundred year chart of the Dow Jones Industrials make the point that over the long run, stocks go up. I know the components of the averages change regularly, but stocks have provided a greater return than bonds over time. Even over the last 12 years, a time of great volatility, stocks ended up about where they started. The ride has been quite bumpy but the trend was not down. And dividend reinvestment in quality companies would have produced quality results. In addition, to make money in long-term bonds, you've got to believe the current interest rate will drop even further. That's a stretch. But can we predict the stock market future from the past? Well, nothing is certain, but the three stocks above have steadily increased their dividends for at least 20 years (though in Merck's case, not every year.) Procter & Gamble and Altria have increased dividends yearly for over 40 years. These companies aren't going to disappear. And there are many others with familiar names that could be mentioned. Just think of the many market swoons that occurred since 1972 - the Recession of 1973-74, the crash of 1987 where the market dropped 22 percent in one day, the two year drop in the S&P of 45 percent from 2000-2002, and the drop of 56 percent from 2007-2009. Many of us thought the financial world was going to end. Through it all, two of those stocks kept raising their dividends yearly. Reinvestment of dividends bought more shares at lower prices. And there are many others that have raised their dividends for over 25 years, in all sorts of stock market environments. See David Fish' list here. The argument for bonds, of course, isn't going away. And maybe a portfolio should have both. Investors have recently pulled billions out of stock-based mutual funds and put them into high yield bond funds. Gross says that economic growth has outpaced stock market returns for a long time, but it can't do so forever. He says stock market returns like Siegel emphasizes are "an historical freak, a mutation likely never to be seen again as far as we mortals are concerned." In other words, this time IS different. I don't think so. As Siegel said on June 4th, "This is the first time in 60 years that dividend yields on the market exceed long-term interest rates. It's the first time in 60 years when you don't need gains in stocks to have a higher return than gains in bonds." The current yield on the S&P 500 is about 2.0 percent and the 10-year Treasury yields about 1.5 percent. And many quality stocks yield more than 3 percent. Even buying an index fund mirroring the S&P 500 and reinvesting the distributions would work. But we can do far better by picking our own quality stocks. We ignore dividend-paying stocks at our peril, no matter what we might hear.
The Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report was released this morning for last week. The 382,000 new claims number was a 15,000 increase from the previous week's upward revision of 2,000. The less volatile and closely watched four-week moving average rose to 375,000. Here is the official statement from the Department of Labor: In the week ending September 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 382,000, an increase of 15,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 367,000. The 4-week moving average was 375,000, an increase of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of 371,750. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending September 1, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 1 was 3,283,000, a decrease of 49,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,332,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,316,500, a decrease of 7,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,324,000. Today's seasonally adjusted number was above the Briefing.com consensus estimate of 369K. Briefing.com's own forecast was for 370K. Here is a close look at the data since 2006 (with a callout for 2012), which gives a clearer sense of the overall trend in relation to the last recession and the trend in recent weeks. As we can see, there's a good bit of volatility in this indicator, which is why the 4-week moving average (the highlighted number) is a more useful number than the weekly data. Occasionally I see articles critical of seasonal adjustment, especially when the non-adjusted number better suits the author's bias. But a comparison of these two charts clearly shows extreme volatility of the non-adjusted data, and the 4-week MA gives an indication of the recurring pattern of seasonal change in the second chart (note, for example, those regular January spikes). Because of the extreme volatility of the non-adjusted weekly data, a 52-week moving average gives a better sense of the long-term trends. This metric has now fallen below 400,000 for the first time since late November 2008. I've now added a linear regression through the data. We can see that this metric has started to slip below the long-term trend stretching back to 1968. For a broader view of unemployment, see the latest update in my monthly series Unemployment and the Market Since 1948.
Jeff Nielson is from Canada and is a writer/editor for Bullion Bulls Canada (http://www.bullionbullscanada.com/#content). He has a personal background in law and economics. Bullion Bulls Canada provides general macro-economic and political commentary, since the precious metals markets are among... More Instablogs are Seeking Alpha's free blogging platform customized for finance, with instant set up and exposure to millions of readers interested in the financial markets. Publish your own instablog in minutes. Stocks that instabloggers have most recently written about
Small Stocks. Big Returns. The SmallCap Network is one of the web's leading small cap stock trading communities. While large caps tend to receive the majority of media attention, small and micro cap stocks as well as penny stocks can often offer the most potential for investment gains. The... More Instablogs are Seeking Alpha's free blogging platform customized for finance, with instant set up and exposure to millions of readers interested in the financial markets. Publish your own instablog in minutes. Stocks that instabloggers have most recently written about
We are registered investment advisors to high technology companies and we manage the accounts of our investment clients. We are located in Raleigh, North Carolina. We are the holders of a patent on how to select stocks for inclusion into an investment account, which is based upon our theory,... More Instablogs are Seeking Alpha's free blogging platform customized for finance, with instant set up and exposure to millions of readers interested in the financial markets. Publish your own instablog in minutes. Stocks that instabloggers have most recently written about
Dressup247.com is a website with thousands of best collection of online dress up, makeover, fashion and fun games. This site has carefully selected the best fashion, makeover and dress up games and they also expert in delivering good quality games. The website is designed in an innovative manner in which the players can send messages to other players and the players can also chat with each other. August, 2010: The dressup247.com site is a house of dress up and fashion games which are classified into various categories to help the players for easy navigation. The home page of this website holds the main categories of dress up and fashion games. Some of the main dressup games categories include Girl Games , Doll Games, Fashion Games, Barbie Dressup Games, Couple Dressup Games, Room Decor Games, Cooking Games, Sue Games and Fun games. Each of these main categories holds many different types of dress up and fashion games. Each dress up game has their own options, themes, accessories and so on. Basically dress up games are of two type one is simple dress up games in which player have to dress up the doll with using simple options like dress, footwear, hairstyles and accessories. And the other type of dress up games is complex one which has many varieties of options, such as dress, hair styles, make-ups for eye, eyebrow, eye lashes, footwear, jewelry, lipstick, lip shape, eyebrow shape, accessories and list goes on. Simple dress up games are very easy where as complex dress up games provided by dressupm247.com need some skill to dress up and to make up the doll. There are many special collections of dress up and fashion games are available at dressup247.com, one of such game is Celebrity dress up games. The players are very much interested in these types of games as they like to dress up their favorite celebrity. All these dress up games have a particular situation and theme which differ from each other. For example, Teen Spring Fashion and Fabulous Custom Party are comes under the same category, but they hold different theme, dress, accessories etc. There are many special dress up games available in this site, for example couple dress up games in which the player has to dress up the couple in such a way that they should match each other and their outfit should suit their situation, theme or occasion. Another special collection of dress up games include Boys Dress Up Games category in which many boy dress up games are offered, some of them are Harry Potter Dress Up, Good Looking Boy, Young Man Wardrobe, Handsome Guy, Vogue Guy, Sweet Looking Boy and many more. Some of the other special games on this site include cooking games, fun games and so on. With all these colorful online dress up and fashion games, dressup247.com holds a separate place among young children. These online dress up and fashion games at dressup247.com not only entertain the players but they also give some ideas to children on how to dress up for different occasion or situation. Games at dressiup247 can entertain all range of players from small kids to young children to teenagers.
Romiosini – The Soul of Greece http://crete.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/romisini-the-soul-of-greece The trouble with Romiosini is that it is what could be called Greek fundamentalism. No two Greeks that I know have ever given the same definition. It is tied up with their identity and their soul, but it is not exclusively either. It is about Greekness, but not the Greek State as such. It is Hellenic and Byzantine and it is almost incomprehensible to foreigners and difficult to describe,even by Greeks. All agree that the origin of the the word Romiosini is from being part of the Roman Empire – eastern Rome which became the Byzantine Empire which was largely Greek and based around its capital Konstantinopoulos and included the borders of the Black Sea and Mikra Asia – Asia Minor. The ‘Megali Idea’ was the concept back in the 1920s that this Empire could be regained, an enterprise which resulted in catastrophe and the exchange of populations with a result of nearly two million refugees. Theodorakis sings “Romiosini”, one of his best and most politically powerful works, based on the poem of Giannis Ritsos. The songs in this video are: 1) Afta ta dentra, 2) Oloi dipsane, 3) Otan sfiggoun to heri. The songs in this video are: 1) Tosa hronia, 2) Bikan sta sidera, 3) Dentro to dentro. Maria Farantouri sings Taner Aykol http://vimeo.com/27487333 Lyrics and compositions by Memet Çapan, Arranged by Taner Akyol, Berlin Concerto Chamber Orchestra conducted by Symeon Ionnidis Charles Lloyd and Maria Farantouri, the Athens Concert http://vimeo.com/29510403 Historic concert at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus on June 4, 2010. Lloyd and Farantouri are joined by Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers, Eric Harland, Sokratis Sinopoulos and Takis Farazis to perform Lloyd originals along with a Byzantine prayer, traditional and contemporary songs of Greece and compositions by Mikis Theodorakis. History of Romiosini http://greece.org/Romiosini #romiosini #rwmiosynh #romiosyni
May 20, 2009 The Cook Islands are closely associated to New Zealand. Air New Zealand is the only air carrier that flies directly from the U.S. to the Cook Islands. As you will see below, the Cook Islands use the NZD as their currency. Despite some 90,000 visitors a year to the capital island, Rarotonga, the Cook Islands are largely unspoiled by tourism. There are no high-rise hotels, only four beach buggies and very little hype. The Cook Islands offer a rare opportunity for an authentic island holiday. There are a total of 15 islands in the heart of the South Pacific spread over 850,000 square miles with a population of approximately 15,000. The Islands most visited are Rarotonga and Aitutaki which are only 140 miles apart. Cook Island History Ru, from Tupua’i in French Polynesia, is believed to have landed on Aitutaki, and Tangiia, also from French Polynesia, is believed to have arrived on Rarotonga around 800 AD. Similarly, the northern islands were probably settled by expeditions from Samoa and Tonga. Cook Island Climate Cooled by the gentle breezes of the Pacific, the climate of these islands is sunny and pleasant. Roughly speaking, there are two seasons: from November through May the climate is hot and humid, and from June through October the climate is warm and dry. Most of the rain falls during the hot season, but there are also many lovely sunny days during these months, with refreshing trade-winds. Cook Island Geography The Cook Islands consists of two main groups, one in the north and one in the south. The southern group is nine “high” islands mainly of volcanic origin although some are virtually atolls. The majority of the population lives in the southern group. The northern group comprises six true atolls. Cook Island Southern Group Aitutaki, Atiu, Mangaia, Manuae, Mauke, Mitiaro, Palmerston, Rarotonga (the capital island), Takutea. Cook Island Northern Group Manihiki, Nassau, Tongareva (Penrhyn) also known as Mangarongaro, Pukapuka, Rakahanga, Suwarrow Cook Island Time Zones Rarotonga and Aitutaki are in the same time zone. Cook Island Currency New Zealand dollar. Cook Island Language English and Cook Island Maori. Call the “Island Travel Gal” at 800 644-6659 or email email@example.com to secure your seats to the idyllic Cook Islands If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Hello Welcome to my Blog, I work as a freelance Interior & Lifestyle stylist in London, for many Magazines and Catalogues. I am also the author of 4 Best Selling Interiors books Bazaar Style, Romantic Style & Homespun Style all shot with photographer, Debi Treloar and published by Ryland Peters & Small. My 4th book Pretty Pastel Style, with photography by Catherine Gratwicke has just been released. Please follow my blog to see a selection of my latest work and inspirations. Also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Flickr. KK Magazine Avon Barbie - Paul's Boutique SHE magazine Daily Mail Byron & Byron Eaglemoss Essentials UPPERCASE Adore Lotus Publishing Wedding Ideas Magazine Wedding Magazine Style at Home Heart Home Magazine Mollie Makes Independent on Sunday The Lady The English Home Confetti Magazine House & Home Magazine Crafts Beautiful Making Magazine Brides Magazine Dobbies Garden Centre Su Bach Valspar

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