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The dataset generation failed

Error code:   DatasetGenerationError
Exception:    ArrowInvalid
Message:      JSON parse error: Missing a closing quotation mark in string. in row 157
Traceback:    Traceback (most recent call last):
                File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/packaged_modules/json/json.py", line 145, in _generate_tables
                  dataset = json.load(f)
                File "/usr/local/lib/python3.9/json/__init__.py", line 293, in load
                  return loads(fp.read(),
                File "/usr/local/lib/python3.9/json/__init__.py", line 346, in loads
                  return _default_decoder.decode(s)
                File "/usr/local/lib/python3.9/json/decoder.py", line 340, in decode
                  raise JSONDecodeError("Extra data", s, end)
              json.decoder.JSONDecodeError: Extra data: line 2 column 1 (char 2328)
              
              During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:
              
              Traceback (most recent call last):
                File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 1995, in _prepare_split_single
                  for _, table in generator:
                File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/packaged_modules/json/json.py", line 148, in _generate_tables
                  raise e
                File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/packaged_modules/json/json.py", line 122, in _generate_tables
                  pa_table = paj.read_json(
                File "pyarrow/_json.pyx", line 308, in pyarrow._json.read_json
                File "pyarrow/error.pxi", line 154, in pyarrow.lib.pyarrow_internal_check_status
                File "pyarrow/error.pxi", line 91, in pyarrow.lib.check_status
              pyarrow.lib.ArrowInvalid: JSON parse error: Missing a closing quotation mark in string. in row 157
              
              The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:
              
              Traceback (most recent call last):
                File "/src/services/worker/src/worker/job_runners/config/parquet_and_info.py", line 1529, in compute_config_parquet_and_info_response
                  parquet_operations = convert_to_parquet(builder)
                File "/src/services/worker/src/worker/job_runners/config/parquet_and_info.py", line 1154, in convert_to_parquet
                  builder.download_and_prepare(
                File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 1027, in download_and_prepare
                  self._download_and_prepare(
                File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 1122, in _download_and_prepare
                  self._prepare_split(split_generator, **prepare_split_kwargs)
                File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 1882, in _prepare_split
                  for job_id, done, content in self._prepare_split_single(
                File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 2038, in _prepare_split_single
                  raise DatasetGenerationError("An error occurred while generating the dataset") from e
              datasets.exceptions.DatasetGenerationError: An error occurred while generating the dataset

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pred_label string	pred_label_prob float64	wiki_prob float64	text string	source string
__label__cc	0.703189	0.296811	While we were following the instructions from Rain Newcomb, and Bobby Mercer's Smash It! Crash It! Launch It! 50 Mind Blowing, Eye Popping, Science Experiments, to make our clothespin catapult, we saw another experiment, that answered a question we had left over from our water rocket experience. Why do rockets have fins? First, you take a long balloon, blow it up, and release it, to watch it's crazy, looping path as it deflates. It's actually a fun game in itself, to release several balloons at once, and see who can get theirs across a net, or finish line. Next, you cut three, or four triangular fins out of paper. The book says to use card stock, we tried cardboard, and found it too heavy, and then switched to typing paper. Fold the edges of them, so you can tape them onto the balloon, equal distances apart. You, might want to use a clothespin to hold the balloon closed, while you're taping on the fins. Then, let the balloon go again, and observe how the fins change the flight path. We did this outside, with a slight wind, so our balloon didn't go straight, but it did make less sporadic loop de loops. Inside, we found it curved, depending on how the fins were tilted, but traveled in a generally straighter fashion. Our water rocket seemed to do fine without fins, but we used a CokeZero bottle, that does have a sort of built in fin-type shape to it, anyway. You can find more fun with science at this week's Science Sunday link-up, hosted by Adventures in Mommydom. Labels: Sunday Science How fun! I really like your habit of testing different approaches - I can see that the best learning happens this way. The fins question made me think of October Sky, have you ever seen it? It's about a kid from a mining town who gets into rocketry, and he spends a lot of time trying to figure out the perfect shape for his fins. And, I am so doing a balloon race game, as soon as I can figure out a good way to do it that doesn't involve me blowing all of them up. Great way of explaining why Rockets have fins! Fun! I have never even thought about why rockets have fins before! It looks like a very fun experiment! We may have to give it a try.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line0
__label__cc	0.739939	0.260061	Home PVC Schedule 40 PVC Schedule 80 CPVC Schedule 80 CTS-CPVC Information My Account Shopping Cart Checkout Information > PVC Information > California Proposition 65 > Returning Customers PVC Information Privacy Report Proposition 65, officially the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, is a law that requires warnings be provided to California consumers when they might be exposed to chemicals identified by California as causing cancer or reproductive toxicity. The warnings are intended to help california consumers make informed decisions about their exposures to these chemicals from the products they use. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) administers the Proposition 65 program and publishes the listed chemicals, which includes more that 850 chemicals. In August 2016, OEHHA adopted new regulations, effective on August 30, 2018, which change the information required in Proposition 65 warnings. We are providing the following warning for products linked to this page: WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/ © 2023 1PVC 1PVC.com division of Oak Hill Brands Corp 5365 Walnut Ave - Downers Grove IL 60515 - USA Phone: 1-630-922-5007 - sales@1pvc.com	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line7
__label__cc	0.711333	0.288667	You are at:Home»Army»Paper: Army QB to miss spring practice following shoulder surgery Paper: Army QB to miss spring practice following shoulder surgery By on January 31, 2011 Army, Football Army quarterback Trent Steelman runs the ball during the Cadets' win against North Texas in September. (Mike Groll / The Associated Press) Army quarterback Trent Steelman had offseason surgery on his shoulder and will not be participating in the Black Knights spring practice, the Times Herald-Record is reporting. It is not clear which shoulder the right-handed Steelman had surgery on. He injured his non-throwing shoulder during the Hawaii game in September. Steelman, a sophomore, has been a model of durability while directing the triple option offense during his two years at West Point. He’s started all 25 games in the past two seasons and this year helped guide the Cadets to their first winning season since 1996 and their first bowl victory since 1985. Army’s spring practice begins Feb. 16.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line9
__label__cc	0.739654	0.260346	Patti's Story Part 16© Arctic Hares I was having a difficult time yesterday giving you the location of the run in with the Muskoxen but I finally found a better map. My diary is not as complete as I would wish. I'm not a writer. Will recorded everything. He wrote in his diary every morning, a kind of discipline that he has always exercised. He has been helping with details. Before our meeting we had crossed the Lewis River earlier in the day and met this bull some miles further up the river. The presence of wildlife was centered around Lake Hazen. Freshwater Hazen is about 45 miles long, 7 miles wide and 900 feet deep. The Glacial Rivers flow into the lake and the water flows out the Ruggles River to Chandler Fjord on the SE side. Near the west end of the Lake we encountered beautiful white Arctic Hares. Arctic Hares can be as long as 28" tall and weight up to 17 lbs. When there's snow on the ground they are camouflaged. We did not see any of the legendary herds of Hares but did come upon a number of smaller groups. I had never seen big white rabbits in the wild. It was so wonderful!! They seemed mythological! We are walking along these tabled, stepped moraines. In the distance I can see 3 pure white Arctic Hare statues, sitting perfectly upright looking straight ahead. They think they are camouflaged but there is no snow. The dogs haven't noticed them yet. We grab Blackie and Oscar and get them clipped in and are just trying to get Chester clipped when he catches site of them and starts running. Zap bursts after him. They get amazingly close to the Hares before the hares realize their dilemma and bolt up the moraines with the dogs in pursuit. There was no concern that the dogs could catch the Hares but we needed to get the dogs under control. Hares are very fast!! I was holding on to the remaining boys while Will took off after Chester and Zap. Up and over a huge moraine would go the Hares and then disappear on the other side. Next Chester and Zap would run up and over and disappear. Then Will would run up and over and disappear calling their names louder and louder. Then I would see the hares reappear running up and over the next stepped moraine and disappearing. Following them, the dogs appeared though further behind, still in the hunt and then disappear. Behind them would go Will, up and over and disappear. Then again the Hares would reappear and repeat the same, Chester and Zap again and Will following. It was completely hilarious. I wish I had a movie to show you. Eventually Zap emerged off to the right side, heading back my way. He knew he was in trouble and elected to circle route himself back. I called him and as he lumbered back to me I could see Will still running after Chester. Young Chester. Lots of energy. Will finally caught him and returned. He didn't see the humor in it at the time. I might not have if I had been the one chasing them. It was wonderful!! Enjoy Your day! www.mukluks.com Be sure to follow / like us on Facebook - Pinterest - Twitter - Google+ ! Get an email when a new post is made! Patti’s Story Part 15© On To Lake Hazen The terrain became easier to handle as we descended to the big Lake.There were miles of finer rock raised moraines with flat tops that stepped up again and again. These were the result of receding of glaciers over millions of years so they were not peaked like the ones we had traversed in the Rollrock Valley. Musk Oxen Skull The first photo is a Muskox skull. Dropping into the approach valley we had been walking along a high river bank for about 10 miles. We walked over a rise and came face to face with a lone bull Muskox. We were standing about 25’ or less apart. There was a sharp drop to the riverbed to our left. Will quickly clipped the necklines of the dogs together. They were barking and lunging so we had to calm them down and hold them back. My immediate instinct was to back up slowly and get out of his line of sight. Will, instead, wisely said we Patti and dogs hiking lake in background should hold our ground and stand. Facing down a lone bull Muskox is an interesting experience. Meeting one is a very dangerous experience. Muskox horn tips are razor sharp, effective killing tools. The lone bull is an old male who has been pushed out from his herd, challenged by a younger, stronger bull. People working in the Arctic understand that these lone bulls have killed and how important it is to avoid them. Our adversary was very excited by our appearance and became instantly aggressive. Snorting ferociously and pawing the ground it seemed as though he would charge us at any moment. I’m not sure how long it lasted though it seemed like a long time. He would lunge forward and back up. I stood there as I was instructed. Everything happened in slow motion. Will calmly spoke in quiet tones to make sure I was okay. I understood from being a dog musher that it was important not to show fear. Animals can smell fear. The stand off ended in a flash as the old boy dove over the edge of the river bank to the valley below. We ran to the edge. In an instant he was about 30 feet below us running along the river in his original direction. You learn a lot about yourself in these kinds of circumstances. I’m laughing to myself as I write that. For those of you who have faced down a lone bull muskox, of course you understand. Laughing out Loud. Ask your questions. The answers are out there. The information will come if you are listening or if you can read and do research because it’s certainly a lot easier now with the Internet! The most difficult thing I’ve done is to build my company. Events like the Muskox changed my mindset. Almost anything is possible. New School/Old School Patti's Story Part 14 © Rivers, Glaciers, Mountains In the first photo I'm sitting at the base of Rollrock Glacier. Patti sitting at base of Glacial wall I have my all purpose mug out for a drink of the glacial water melting down the side where I'm sitting. Incredibly amazing to be able to say that I got to do that. I'm 64 years old now. In this picture I am 30 years old. The glaciers in these photos have dramatically receded. I'll have to do some more research on that. Patti and dogs crossing stream The second photo shows another river crossing. We wore tennis shoes in rubber boots for much of this trip. It was a lightweight system and worked very well. The tennis shoes dried quickly overnight. We had been carrying our hiking boots but eventually left them at one of the camps. They were heavy and never dried out. Interesting that much of the gear we assumed would work did not. You have to be open to new ideas, listen to everyone with Arctic experience! Patti and dogs mountain background The third photo shows the dogs and me hiking. The forth is an incredible shot of a valley of Arctic Poppies on our route as we descended to Lake Hazen. Red flowers in Mountainous Valley Dogs in Arctic Cotton The last photo is one of my favorites of Zap and Blackie. Oh my noble boys! I loved those dogs. They were amazing. Be Well ~ Rollrock River The following are photos from our packing trip en route to Lake Hazen through the mountains, along the Rollrock River and around glaciers. Not much explanation is needed. Scrambling up the side of river Hiking along moving river Hiking under ice bridge Hiking up side with dogs along river The photos show how difficult the terrain was. The title could be 'Patti and dogs hiking and scrambling along Rollrock River.' The final two are of us hiking under a huge glacial ice bridge that was formed by the rushing waters of the river. Timing in the Arctic is critical. Conditions change quickly and dramatically. Ciao ~ Packing 300 Miles Begins We spent 9 days at Tanquary Camp during which we hiked the surrounding mountains at night. The dogs needed time for their paws to heal and toughen up again. The watery trip had been hard for them. On July 14 we were ready to go. 34 years ago to this exact week, we started the 300 mile packing trip from Tanquary Fjord north around Lake Hazen and back. I just realized that as I was looking at my calendar, calculating how many days we were on the trail. It took us 30 days, including rest days, to complete the circle route. We hiked between 10 and 15 miles each travel day. Blackie, Zap, Oscar, Chester, Creswell portrait Some of the dogs stayed with Sean the Camp Manager and Mary the Cook at Tanquary. We took Blackie, Zap, Oscar, Chester and Creswell. You can see them pictured here on the tundra. Handsome boys all! Our packs were all heavily loaded as we headed out and up the Rollrock Valley, along the Rollrock River in sight of the Rollrock Glacier. The Valley was filled with Arctic Cottongrass as you can see from the second photo of me with the dog. Patti and dogs in Arctic cotton The first glacier we encountered was Steeprock. Steeprock and Rollrock both poured out from the mountains, into the valley and met the Rollrock River. We had some difficulty after rounding the front of Steeprock. Instead of being able to follow the riverbed we were forced to climb the rocks to the glaciers edge and hike the moraine which was not difficult once you got up there. As glaciers recede they deposit rock and sediment debris called moraines. You can see this in the third photo even though its a bit dark. This is most difficult for the dogs. We stayed together and helped them each maneuver around boulders and over the rocks. The top was fairly even and walking improved. Hiking on glacial skree I make a note in my journal about our amazing dogs and all they have been through. They’ve traveled in trucks and trains, been flown all over the arctic in helicopters,Twin Otters, Hercules Aircraft, commercial jets, ridden in boats, pulled sleds for thousands of miles and now they are packing through the high Arctic. The tales (tails) they could tell. An occasional pun is good. Camp at Glacial foot Under these rough conditions it’s necessary to continue traveling until you find a suitable place to put up a tent. Some days it’s sooner than expected and other days it seems to take a very long time. We made our camp between the glaciers along a beautiful glacial stream. I spent the evening making notes on how to improve the design of the dogpacks. We had tested them in Minnesota before leaving but it was impossible to imagine these conditions. As a designer I don’t think there has been anything I’ve ever created that I did not feel compelled to continue improving. Patti’s Story Part 11 © Scientists and Quonset Huts Tanquary Camp is a Facility/ Camp. Back in 1982 it had one permanent quonset hut shaped metal Butler building. We didn’t measure the Butler but as I recall it was about 30’ or 40’ X 40’. The rest of the structures were quickly erected fabric shell quonset huts. Imagine a stack of large wood boxes (again all measurements are approximated ) about 16” thick, 4’ x 8’ rectangle. These boxes were opened and the process of putting the structure together would begin. They were/are a home in a box. The braces, windows, doors, shell et al are stored in the boxes. The boxes themselves become the floor and the quonset is built atop those. The fabric shell colors were dark so the insides had lights run from a generator. It was comfortable. I assumed the choice of dark fabric colors made it better for sleeping in with the 24 hour daylight. I only saw the quonset huts assembled. The crew explained the process of putting them up and taking them down and storing them in the Butler building to me. Tanquary Camp Beginning in the late 19th Century, a mix of mapping expeditions and scientific expeditions began across the Arctic. In 1947 the Eureka Weather Station was established and subsequently manned. In 1957 Hazen Camp on Lake Hazen was established. In 1958, as part of the International Geophysical Year, the U.S established Drifting Stations Alpha and Bravo. Since then scientific groups have been coming to the Arctic and Ellesmere Island to study the Geology, Botany, Climatology, Meteorology Glaciology, Ice Formation, Permafrost and Wildlife. You can imagine, in order for this all to occur with airplanes, there is a method for leapfrogging barrels of flight fuel. We passed fuel depots during our trip. There are few of places level, solid and long enough for a plane to land. In those spots a camp went up and the fuel barrels began accumulating. It reminded me of the pictures I’ve seen of Mt Everest littered with equipment and empty oxygen bottles. Wherever humans go, there seems to be litter. During this time, Canada was making an effort to document this problem and eventually clean things up. Fuel Barrels In the Arctic Spring, when the groups would fly into these locations, they would pack an overabundance of food, equipment and other provisions. The cost of a flight had some calculation having to do with weight transported. At the end of the summer when the groups were departing, the value of their samples and work exceeded the value of any leftover food and gear so the rocks and specimens would be loaded but the rest would be stashed in some manner. At Tanquary Camp the sheer volume of this leftover rubbish accumulated to the point of installing the metal Butler building. It was like a grocery store. There were mountains of inedible old canned meats and butter. If you loved noodles and rice, JACKPOT! I enjoyed some of the instant coffee left there by the more recent British TransGlobe Expedition, Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The best was the Klim (milk spelled backwards). There were old cans of Klim everywhere. It was dried whole milk and while it was tough to get it mixed in well, tasted fantastic. Until recent years you could not find Klim. They had stopped making it. BUT!! right now you can go on Amazon and purchase Klim!!! 1.76 lbs. for $18.99 + shipping if you are not a member of Prime. Wonderful Klim memories. Along with all the food were many old komatik sleds and lots of very old gear. There were Caribou hides used as sleeping mats that were shedding badly. There were useless canvas tents and ice axes for climbing. There were old snowmobiles and some kind of small tundra buggy. All of these were old and of no more use. The arctic preserves all. The summer back then ranged in temps about the same as my refrigerator so nothing except the canned meats with the lead seals were questioned. I will repeat the Tanquary Camp picture and add one from an old Friend, Jerry Kobalenko and add his website here. He is a famous Canadian Photographer. www.kobalenko.com You’ll see that Steger Mukluks is listed as one of his many famous magazine covers. Enjoy! The Arctic has many faces. Labels: Jerry Kobalenko, mukluks, stegermukluks Arriving Tanquary Fjord Camp on the 4th of July Good morning! Our next move was to prepare to walk the rest of the way to Tanquary Camp. In order to make the trip we had to abandon our sled. We intended to go back by boat and retrieve it later which we did. We began the long hike with backpacks on ourselves and the dogs. We each had to manage as much weight as we could carry. As part of our gear I had designed and made saddle packs for all of the dogs. It was a welcome change for them the be free of the cold water and then being loose on land! Wow! The weight they carried didn't dampen the thrill of freedom! The trek took us two long days. We three Americans and all of our American dogs except Creswell arrived at Tanquary Camp on The 4th of July! How apropos! Tanquary-Fiord The Camp that was currently housing a couple dozen Canadian and European Scientists and staff members including two cooks and a Camp Manager. We received a warm welcome, especially the dogs! We were immediately invited to join them for supper. It’s always an attractive thought to me, after spending any amount of time on the trail and in tents, that I might be soon sitting in a chair. I love chairs to this day and have an unnatural attachment to them. I should design chairs instead of footwear! We found a fairly flat spot a good distance from the main camp. When you have dogs, any barking can be an annoyance. We were always conscious of that fact. It helped that our sleep routines were opposite. We made a comfortable camp and then walked to the mess hall (quonset building) and enjoyed something more extravagant than the rice, noodles, cheese and beans we were accustomed to. We were also aware that the following day Bob would be flying out and we would be traveling alone for the foreseeable. Our last supper together. The only other American influence in this midst was a helicopter pilot named Webb who had married a Canadian woman and became Canadian. The next morning we said our sad goodbyes and Jim Webb flew Bob back to Eureka Weather Station where he would catch a Twin Otter to Resolute Bay, then a Commercial flight from Resolute Bay to Yellowknife and on and on south. We spent a few days at Tanquary Camp getting to know people and preparing for the next leg of our journey, a 300 mile dog packing trip. I don’t have photos of Tanquary Camp so have grabbed one from Google images. The surrounding mountains were spectacular and I was anxious to see the terrain. Patti's Story Part 8 © The Big Lead Big lead #1 moving gear We had been traveling for about 12 days when we ran into the wide open lead pictured here. I estimated it to be about 50' across. As was our habit when running into these ever widening leads, we would split up and ski or run along either edge looking for a narrow place to cross. One of the phenomenon in this pristine place is sound clarity.We could be long distances apart and still have conversations albeit with enough volume. At The Big Lead, (named after Robert E Peary's Big Lead during his North Pole Expedition) we failed to find a better crossing spot. Bob and I returned to the spot where Will was standing staring at the other side of the lead. Our other option is normally to calculate wind direction and start heading with it towards shore. Traveling along, hoping the wind would not shift in the opposite direction, it was our likely opportunity that the wind was pushing the ice into shore and we could step onto land. Big Lead #2 moving gear and dogs Will kept staring at the other side of the lead during this 'option' conversation. Then he said, 'I think that long piece of ice might be detached from the side.Here comes life again... it did not appear to be separated to me but as we stood looking at it, it magically started to move away from the side and floated free. Whatever you want to call this, life seems full of these events. They never cease to stun me! We were there the day and the very moment that the ice detached. I cannot calculate the odds on this happening at just that moment. We tied a pail to a long rope and took turn tossing and trying to get the pail flopped over the top to the opposite side of that ice. The object was to get the pail filled with water and it would act as a sort of hook. We were laughing with amazement and made a contest of it. I won! I'm pretty proud of that. We managed to wedge the length of it to either side, creating a bridge. You can see in the photos how long it was! Will and I used ice screws to anchor either side. I went across first and the job of getting this expedition going again began. Last across were the dogs, the sled and Will who had been photographing the entire event.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line11
__label__cc	0.718032	0.281968	Issue 2014/3, 15 September 2014 Your quarterly update on Europe's environment Editorial \| Interview \| Indicators & data \| EEA news \| In the spotlight \| Upcoming events A strong environment as the basis for Europe’s future economy Europe selected its new policy makers. They will need to address not only today’s challenges but also set in motion policies that will affect Europeans well beyond their five-year mandate. What do they need to do today to make sure that Europeans live well in the future? By taking action at the EU level and tackling environment and climate issues, EU policy makers can actually revive the economy and guarantee our long-term well-being. By Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director Environmental spatial data: what is happening where? 'Spatial data tells us what is happening where. In the case of flooding, we could see not only the size of the area that is affected, but also what is in that area. Does the area include towns, agricultural land, forests, etc.? Is it a highly populated area? Where can you be exposed to pollution?' says Stefan Jensen. Interview with Stefan Jensen on spatial data and how it improves our understanding of the environment. Indicators & data updates Agriculture: EEA indicators on irrigation water requirements and water-limited crop productivity in the context of climate change, Biodiversity and ecosystems: Natura 2000 barometer; EEA indicator on species interaction in the context of climate change Coasts and seas: EEA indicators on ocean acidification and ocean heat content in the context of climate change Air pollution: European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) data; EEA indicators on emissions of primary PM2.5 and PM10 and emissions of ozone precursors Climate change: EEA indicators on Greenland ice sheet, Arctic and Baltic sea ice, snow cover and permafrost, extreme temperature and health, precipitation extremes and mean precipitation, global and European temperatures, and global and European sea-level rise Land use: Interactive map viewer Urban Atlas now includes land cover information for 117 cities across Europe EEA news New Chair of the EEA Management Board takes up duty On 1 September 2014, Elisabeth Freytag-Rigler succeeds Karsten Sach as Chair of the European Environment Agency (EEA) Management Board. The 'green economy' can encourage jobs and innovation Europe can create jobs and encourage innovation by using resources much more efficiently, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) which describes a range of policies with proven environmental and economic benefits. Air pollution still harming Europe's ecosystems, despite reduced emissions Emissions of nitrogen-containing pollutants continue to harm sensitive ecosystems, according to two new reports published by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Nonetheless, both reports show a marked improvement over the last two decades. Ljubljana wins European Green Capital Award for 2016 Slovenian capital Ljubljana has been named European Green Capital 2016 at a ceremony in Copenhagen, the current holder of the Green Capital title. Increased collaboration project with five European Neighbourhood countries In response to the interest expressed by Jordan, Israel, Morocco, Palestine and Republic of Moldova, the EEA initiated a new project aimed at 'Increased collaboration with EEA and further implementation of Shared Environmental Information System' with these five European Neighbourhood countries. Read more 24-26 September 2014 - 15th Global Conference on Environmental Taxation, Copenhagen, Denmark GCET15 will cover issues relating to environmental taxation and emissions trading in an era of climate change. The EEA Executive Director will deliver a keynote speech. Read more 20-21 October 2014 - Global Green Growth Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark The 4th Global Green Growth Forum will bring together green growth leaders and decision-makers around the theme “Changing Production and Consumption Patterns through Transformative Action”, focus on the entire value chain and sectors like energy, water and food. Read more 28-31 October 2014 - UN ECE Committee on Environmental Policy, Geneva, Switzerland The 20th session of the UN ECE Committee on Environmental Policy will address environmental issues including sustainable development, multilateral agreements, monitoring, assessment and reporting, cross-sectoral activities in UNECE region. Read more Web Version \| Subscribe \| Unsubscribe www.eea.europa.eu Ask your question: community.eea.europa.eu	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line22
__label__cc	0.703264	0.296736	Back Row Copyright Law - Hargreaves Report Thread: Copyright Law - Hargreaves Report Good news today, the coalition government has decided to implement the recommendations in the Hargreaves Report into Copyright and Intellectual Property to get the law on copyright into line with the digital age. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ipreview-finalreport.pdf Lots of common sense in the report, but two items of great interest to many members of this community: i) Copying of media from one format to another is to be made legal. If you buy a dvd, you will now be legally entitles to rip it to another format, provided it is for private use only. ii) Orphan works, where the copyright owners are unknown or cannot be traced, should be allowed to be used. Chapter 4 of the report discusses orphan works in depth and this change alone could see hundreds, if not thousands of obscure films from the archives becoming more visible. In C4 of the report the BFI is actually quoted in its submission as saying that if they were allowed to trade in orphan works they could significantly boost their income! Interesting developments, many of which are long overdue and once implemented should bring considerable benfits to all concerned. Last edited by Nick Dando; 04-08-11 at 12:57 PM. This looks like excellent news! Onedin Yeah.......saw that on BBC Brekkie this morning..............nice one! Copyright of TV screencaps in books? By WarFilmBuff in forum Publications Copyright permission is it needed By tv horror in forum General Film Chat Another view on film copyright By MrT in forum General Film Chat Jack Hargreaves By pustice in forum Looking for a Video/DVD (TV) Frost Report By thedoc in forum Looking for a Video/DVD (TV)	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line30
__label__wiki	0.615098	0.615098	Tag: Bobbie Chase Erik Larsen Interview February 13, 2017 Jamie Coville Characters, CollectorTimes, Comics, Creators, DC, Interview, Marvel This is my very first comic creator interview. I used to hang out on an IRC chat channel called #ComicBooks and one of the other participants was Sheryl Roberts. She said she wanted to put together an online fanzine and was looking for contributions. At the time I was part of a Fin Addicts Online mailing list devoted to Savage Dragon and also on there was Erik Larsen. Through the mailing list we’ve responded back and forth to each other’s messages and thought since we “knew” each other I could do an interview with him. I asked Erik ad he agreed. This interview was published in the very first CollectTimes issue, in April of 1998. Erik Larsen 2008 San Diego Comic Con An Interview with Erik Larsen Erik Larsen once wrote and penciled Spider-man stories for Marvel Comics. In 1992 he left Marvel to help form Image Comics and produced his own comic called the Savage Dragon. While continuing Savage Dragon, he has recently sent proposals to write Marvel and DC titles. Erik will be writing Aquaman starting with issue #50. With this interview, we ask him about his Incredible Hulk proposal, The Savage Dragon, Aquaman and writing in general. Jamie: Erik, Sorry to hear you didn’t get the Incredible Hulk job. How were you told that you didn’t get the job, and how do you feel about it? Erik Larsen: I got a phone call from Bobbie Chase and she gave me the news. I don’t feel too good about it, as you might expect. Jamie: Can you tell us any details about your Hulk proposal? Erik Larsen: Yes, but I’m not going to. It was pretty involved–eight pages, single spaced. There’s no point going into it. Jamie: Some people are still suspicious about you proposing for two books that Peter David just left. Why did you propose for these books? Erik Larsen: Well– I just thought I needed to get out and do something else for SOMEBODY. It’s been six years since I’ve done any work for anybody but myself and I wanted to get my name out there. I was talking to Chris Eliopoulos and frankly, I don’t know anybody up at Marvel or DC anymore. I asked him to let people know I was looking for a book to write and Kevin Dooley at DC called me about Aquaman. Now, I’ve never read the book so I had nothing to go by. Kevin sent me a few issues and I visited an Aquaman website to get up to speed on the basics. I thought about it and put together a proposal. Later, Peter left the Hulk and since that was the book I always wanted to do–I HAD to do a proposal for that even knowing that it was a long shot since most hiring at Marvel goes to their lunch buddies. It wasn’t so much of a “Peter David thing” as it was “these are the books that are open.” Had Kevin offered me Green Lantern, I’d be doing a Green Lantern proposal and trying to get caught up on that title. Jamie: Will you be sending proposals for other Marvel and DC comics? Erik Larsen: Not to Marvel– I’ve had my fill. At this point I’m a little burned out of the whole proposal process. At some point I’ve got to think that perhaps my body of work can speak for me. I really hate to piss away days out of my schedule to have the job be given to whoever shows up at the door. It’s quite frustrating. Jamie: Are you trying for any writing job or are there characters in particular that you want to work with? Erik Larsen: The Hulk was a character that I was very familiar with and I wanted to write–Aquaman was just the book that was available. I’ll make something out of it and I’m sure I’ll think he’s cool as all hell in a few months but I never thought of it as a book that I desperately wanted to do. Jamie: What Marvel or DC character currently without a title would you like to do a new series with? Erik Larsen: I’m not so ambitious that I want to do that at this point in my life. I liked Nova at Marvel and some of the Kirby characters that have been folded into Jack Kirby’s Fourth World at DC such as the New Gods and Mister Miracle but those are hard to sell without a strong artist attached to the project. It’s much easier to keep a boat floating than to build or repair a boat. You just look out for rocks and icebergs. Jamie: Writing wise, how many other books can you take on? Erik Larsen: If I wasn’t drawing–a lot. As it is–maybe four. Jamie: Over the last 5 years with Savage Dragon, you have chosen not to use gimmicks like special covers or major crossovers. Why? Erik Larsen: I’m more interested in doing cool comics. I’ve tried a few things to get some attention but I keep falling back on doing what I think are cool comics. Jamie: What can you tell us about Savage Dragon #50? Erik Larsen: It’s the conclusion of the Unfinished Business story where Dragon goes back to Chicago.The Dragon takes on the Vicious Circle in a final desperate battle. Carnage is the order of the day as the S.O.S. comes in to help Dragon against the most vile group of bad guys imaginable. An extra-length dose of Savage Dragon for those diehard Dragon fans! Dragon faces Horde at long last and damn near everybody gets into the action. It’s a 100 page spectacular! Featuring pinups by the best guys in comics– Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo and more than a few surprise artists (superstars >all)! Wizard Comics’ much sought after Savage Dragon 1/2 is reprinted for the first time along with Mighty Man stories that detail the past of Dragon’s most despicable bad guy–Horde! Plus, a never-before seen Freak Force yarn by Larsen, Vic Bridges and Al Gordon tells the story of how that team came together band more Desperate Times from Chris Eliopoulos! Savage Dragon #50 wraps everything up in a nice neat bundle and paves the way for a brand new story in a completely new direction. It’s great jumping on point for new readers! Comes with our Highest Possible Recommendation!! You’ll blow a fat $5.95 on this thing. Jamie: You have created a lot of weird villains in Savage Dragon. Who are your favorites and why? Erik Larsen: Whoever I’m doing at the time. BrainiApe is a lot of fun to draw as is Octopus and OpenFace. Jamie: Will Savage Dragon ever become a cop again? Erik Larsen: That would be telling. I don’t like to give away much of anything. Jamie: Are you involved with the Savage Dragon appearance in Big Bang Comics? If so, are you a fan of the Silver Age? Erik Larsen: I’m involved as a reader. I enjoy the book a lot. I’m a big fan of comics from all ages. Jamie: You have taken books like A Distant Soil by Colleen Doran “under your wing” into Image. Are there any new books coming in under you that we should watch for? Erik Larsen: Desperate Times by Chris Eliopoulos. Jamie: Will you be giving Aquaman any new powers? Erik Larsen: No. Jamie: What makes Aquaman an interesting character? Erik Larsen: He’s underwater–his world is a different world than the one we live in. The fact that he’s a king. There’s a lot of cool stuff and potential. Jamie: Do you plan on creating any new villains or supporting characters for Aquaman? If so can you tell us about them? Erik Larsen: There will be a LOT of new stuff. First there’s Noble-who comes from the hidden city that is deep below where Atlantis now sits. It was his understanding that HE ruled the sea and since he’s never run into Aquaman and since his race predated the sinking of Atlantis–se seems to be in the right on this one. Noble is young and handsome–He’s clean shaven, dark haired and has a cleft in his chin–very dashing. Think Lancelot. He sweeps Mera off her feet and forces poor Arthur to fight for her affection. Lurkers– are Noble’s people. They’ve dug a maze of tunnels through the earth that are like subway tunnels to other oceans. This is all in the darkest depths of the ocean and very appealing to the Atlantians and Aquaman in particular. These tunnels will lead to the discovery of many undersea races and cities all over the globe. Rock Creatures– are the race of lava men whose path the Lurkers crossed to build theit underground tunnels. They’re stupid and deadly. Land Lovers. Blubber, Sheeva and Lagoon Boy are three characters who fall in love with and want to explore the surface world. Blubber is an intelligent whale (son of Pakkul: Aquaman’s whale friend while growing up) who’s an inventor. He’s fashioned mechanical legs and arms for himself and a wheel chair for the mermaid Sheeva. Lagoon Boy is a kid version of a Creature from the Black Lagoon type who can puff himself up like a blowfish to frighten off prey. This intrepid trio is earthbound for adventure. Plus a lot more–especially villains. Jamie: Do you have plans for other DC heroes appearing in Aquaman? Erik Larsen: Not right away. Okay–some right away but none are there to hang out for long. My first issue Aquaman #50 has his birthday and folks drop by to pay their respects. Although Aquaman is in the Justice League– I’m not going to dwell on this. In terms of the character and the book–Aquaman should never seek their help. That’s not to say that they wouldn’t ever show up but that he’d feel that asking for their help was a sign of weakness–to Aquaman, they need HIM–not the other way around. I want to make this a great comic that stands up on its own–not one dependant of guest stars to keep it going. That means I’m going to have to make Atlantis and Aquaman the focus– not dwell on other characters from comics outside of my influence. I can’t plan anything long term with a guest star so why go there when I can do something better that’s internal and can have lasting effects on the book? Jamie: Thanks again for the interview. Any other comments you want to add? Erik Larsen: Buy lots of my funnybooks so my kids can eat. Leave a comment Aquaman, Bobbie Chase, Chris Eliopoulos, Desperate Times, Erik Larsen, Hulk, Michael Dooley, Peter David, Proposal, Savage Dragon	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line48
__label__wiki	0.519099	0.519099	NELFA press release 5 May 2017 Home 2018 July 13 NELFA press release 5 May 2017 #IFED2017: Love makes a family! Join the celebrations worldwide of the 6th International Family Equality Day The 6th International Family Equality Day (IFED) will be commemorated worldwide on May 7th as a sign of solidarity and pride to promote equality for all families. In 2016, IFED was celebrated in 74 towns and 36 countries. This year, six new countries will join the IFED family: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, China, the Philippines and Thailand. This year’s motto is “Love makes a family”. The first IFED was launched in 2012 and the Council of Europe has recognised it as an important tool to combat homophobia and transphobia and to promote a tolerant and cohesive society. The period of activities this year goes from May 7th to May 17th, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT), as the focus of IDAHOT this year is “Families”. We invite advocates for LGBTIQ* equality, their friends and allies to take action in support of diverse and safe families. IFED celebrations cover a broad range of initiatives: from surveys and guidelines, photo competitions, exhibitions, boat tours, picnics, children’s workshop for diversity to movie screenings, story telling or panel discussions – it’s possible to celebrate family diversity in so many ways. One particular highlight will be the first Asia-Pacific Rainbow Families Forum in Hong Kong, which will raise awareness of the existence of rainbow families in the Asia-Pacific region and highlight the importance of family support, highlighting the urgent need for recognition, protection and equal treatment of rainbow families and LGBTIQ* persons. You can find an overview of the activities here: https://internationalfamilyequalityday.org/live/ Caroline Ausserer, NELFA Board Member and liaison person to IFED, says, “IFED motivates people to join this global networking, to support each other and to share resources, knowledge and privileges. We want to make family diversity visible, in particular for those who are unable to raise their own profile. We want to stand up for the rights for all families.” The IFED founder, Maria von Känel, adds, “I am glad that IFED is gaining popularity all over the world. Our message is clear: all kinds of families have a right to non-discrimination and need to be socially and legally recognised. With IFED we empower each other and strengthen and celebrate family diversity worldwide.” Worldwide #IFED campaign Join us (FB, Twitter): https://twibbon.com/support/love-makes-a-family-2 Hashtag: #IFED2017 Here you will find further information: IFED Website: http://www.internationalfamilyequalityday.org GET INSPIRED: http://internationalfamilyequalityday.org/wordpress/highlights/ GET INVOLVED: http://internationalfamilyequalityday.org/wordpress/get-involved/ BEST PRACTICE: http://internationalfamilyequalityday.org/wordpress/annual-reports/ IFED Facebook Creative Network: https://www.facebook.com/groups/500398236747224/ IFED International Mailing List: E-Mail queries to info@internationalfamilyequalityday.org Yours cordially, Network of European LGBTIQ* Families Associations, on behalf of the International Family Equality Day (IFED) Network About NELFA: NELFA is the European platform of LGBTIQ* families associations, bringing together LGBTIQ* parents and parents-to-be from all over Europe. NELFA currently represents 32 organisations in 19 European countries with more than 26,500 members. NELFA is a member of ILGA-Europe and Transgender Europe. Website: http://www.nelfa.org Download our new leaflet: http://nelfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/NelfaLeafletUpdate2017-02.pdf Download our recent NELFA Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2ntlSY5 Maria von Känel (IFED Coordinator): +41 79 611 06 71 NELFA press release 22 September 2017 NELFA PRESS RELEASE ART including surrogacy? The debate must be open, honest and critical! The non-profit US-organisation “Men... NELFA press release 12 July 2018 bjoern sieverding, 13th July 2018 11th March 2019 , press archive, 0 NELFA PRESS RELEASE Fundamental rights are not negotiable: Freedom of movement for rainbow families within the EU! The Network... NELFA PRESS RELEASE IFED 2017: Celebrations of Rainbow Families in 44 countries! The International Family Equality Day (IFED) as... NELFA press release 23 October 2017 NELFA PRESS RELEASE: A marriage is a marriage – and should be recognised as such! – NELFA claims on... NELFA PRESS RELEASE Romania: The failed referendum should be a turning point! – NELFA demands new legislative efforts to... bjoern sieverding, 13th July 2018 4th October 2018 , press archive, press release, 0 NELFA PRESS RELEASE Children’s Rights Matter: European Rainbow Families Meeting in Berlin. Last weekend, LGBTIQ* parents and their children... NELFA press release 7 April 2017NELFA press release 29 May 2017	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line51
__label__cc	0.583709	0.416291	Jellynovel The Abandoned Husband Dominates – Chapter 19 dogs refuse read-p1 Chapter 19 dogs known Daniel mentioned on the other side of the cellphone, “Mr. Collins, not one person has applied for work at our accommodation. I’ve questioned a number of associates, and so they all stated so.” “Surely Jordan is not… checking out in a space, correct!?!” Tyler’s phrase improved immediately. Tyler got out his cellphone, scrolled with the associates for quite a while prior to a telephone call. Hailey was infuriated. “During the banquet just now, we clearly explained to all people that people want to shut down his method of a livelihood, but, he’s for interviews. He clearly doesn’t go ahead and take Camden family members very seriously!” Tyler said, “Let’s go in and examine.” At this point, Hailey mocked, “Right, you’re will no longer a survive-in daughter-in-regulation, but an abandoned one particular! That’s much more embarra.s.sing out than a are living-in daughter-in-rules!” Jordan went out of the lawyer’s business and couldn’t guide but be psychological. At this point, Hailey mocked, “Right, you’re not anymore a are living-in daughter-in-legislation, but an abandoned a single! That’s more embarra.s.sing over a stay-in son-in-legislation!” Hailey also started to be dubious. “Is it the best way to the flight terminal?” Tyler took out his cellular phone, scrolled with the relationships for a short time before you make a telephone call. He smiled and mentioned, “He should be making Orlando by workout. He cannot earn an income in Orlando, and he has no personal savings frequently. If he doesn’t keep, he won’t manage to endure in Orlando.” somebody’s little girl country song Tyler explained, “Let’s go in and take a look.” Joyce of the North Woods Jordan not any longer planned to say everything to the realistic gal who only cherished hard earned cash. He hailed a cab casually and left. Hailey laughed and lightly punched Tyler playfully. “You’re so signify.” Hailey nodded and mentioned, “It’s now purple. That’s not very negative. Properly, divorce is often a joyous event for us, isn’t it?” lectures on calvinism After several minutes, Tyler suddenly stated in puzzlement, “This is just not the best way to the exercise station.” Tyler mentioned in exasperation, “Does this kid not rely on my proficiency!?! Just you hang on, I’ll create a phone.” “Hey, Daniel, are you still being employed as a administrator at To the west Lake Hotel? I actually have some guidelines on your behalf. A punk rock referred to as Jordan Steele has gone in your hotel to try to get a career, don’t acknowledge him. That’s all.” Hailey was infuriated. “During the banquet just now, we clearly advised anyone that people desired to cut off his way of a livelihood, however, he’s for a meeting. He clearly doesn’t get the Camden household severely!” Jordan not wanted to say everything to the realistic female who only loved funds. He hailed a cab casually and left behind. “What?” Tyler was baffled. Tacitus and Bracciolini If Jordan did not have a job on the West Lake Resort, what could he go there for? ‘It’s under your control to convey whatever you want!’ The Abandoned Husband Dominates ‘It’s under your control to say whatever you want!’ Hailey also turned out to be doubtful. “Is it the way to the air port?” The attendant solved, “I’m sorry, but this issues the guest’s security. We can’t reveal it.” Daniel winked on the attendant, who then finally gifted in. “Yes.” After several minutes, Tyler suddenly stated in puzzlement, “This is just not easy methods to the coach station.” “What?” Tyler was puzzled. Tyler took out his mobile, scrolled through the relationships for quite a while before you make a phone call. If Jordan did not apply for a work at the To the west Lake Motel, what would he go there for? His up coming practical experience has got to be enterprise project, so he was required to invest himself to his vocation! Both of those alighted and walked on the reception of your Western Lake Hotel. Tyler said impatiently, “Find out quickly if Jordan Steele is staying in this article!” “Okay.” Hailey just wished her loser previous man to quickly go away from Orlando. Tyler shook his head and reported, “No, he’s visiting the To the west Lake location.” Boskerfiction The Abandoned Husband Dominates webnovel – Chapter 27 false buzz to you-p1	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line54
__label__wiki	0.536285	0.536285	Metal Genres Review: QuetzalQoatl - Uitzilopóchtli www.facebook.com/QuetzalQoatl Uitzilopóchtli Label: More Hate Productions Year released: 2016 Tracks: 8 Review online: June 2, 2017 Reviewed by: Luxi Lahtinen Rated 3.71/5 (74.29%) (7 Votes) This two-man band from Russia plays Death Metal with lyrics focusing on ancient Aztec civilizations. Uitzilopóchtli is a pretty interesting and well-executed record all in all, with relatively atmospheric and powerful parts squeezed into the songs. Some distant references to bands like a stripped-down version from Nile's early material could be made, and even Dimmu Borgir for some haunting and darkish guitar riffs (check out "Atonatiuh", which reminds me a bit of "Sorgens Kammer"). Their Death Metal works surprisingly well, and there's little to complain about here. The vocal lines are basically your average, deep Death Metal grunts, which are "just ok" for the most part. Click below for more reviews Latest 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Various Books/Zines The Metal Crypt - Crushing Posers Since 1999 Copyright © 1999-2022, Michel Renaud / The Metal Crypt. All Rights Reserved.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line59
__label__cc	0.701979	0.298021	Reviews for My Saddest Pleasures My Saddest Pleasures differs from most both in its size and in its succinct considerations of how travel changes not just self, but the environments that the traveler encounters. The combined flavor of wonder, new experiences, ecological and social reflection, and adventure brings with it a newfound opportunity to understand the traveler's impact on a deeper level than most. Domestic and foreign experiences alike are outlined with these lessons in mind. Midwest Book Review Libraries strong in travelogues, short travel essays, and thought-provoking experiences captured in word and image will relish the wide-ranging encounters outlined in My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road, a portrait of discoveries, change, and "what ifs" in a pre-pandemic world of opportunity. Walker delights in this chapbook, with amusing and touching anecdotes, insights into the lessons of travel, and good old-fashioned storytelling. Craig Storti, author of Why Travel Matters and The Hunt for Mount Everest In My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road, Mark Walker celebrates fifty years of wandering the globe from isolated areas of the highlands of Guatemala to the highest reaches of the Andes to his present home in the desert Southwest. In his engaging and informal style, Walker shares his trials and tribulations. Whether you’re an armchair traveler or a seasoned one, Walker’s life and travels will be an inspiration! Susan Pohlman, author of Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought our Family Home and A Time to Seek: Meaning, Purpose, and Spirituality at Midlife. This is a book that touched many chords within me. As a fellow world traveler, I delighted in his international travels and various adventures in places not often frequented by ordinary mortals. Anyone interested in intriguing corners of the world and a life lived by an unusual American man over the past half-century will find much to appreciate in this remarkable book. Mark G. Wentling, author of the three-volume Africa Memoir, 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life. Reviews for Different Latitudes …It’s one of the best RPCV memoirs I’ve read (and I have gone through quite a few). Glenn Blumhorst, RPCV Guatemala, President of NPCA (National Peace Corps Association) I’ve experienced a virtual rollercoaster of emotions reading your book… At times your vivid descriptions provoke a sense of deep warmth, smiles, laughter…. But reading other parts… bring back tears and long suppressed feelings of anger and outrage towards the evil of it all. It surprises me at times how strongly those memories still affect me after all these years. Buck Deines, RPCV Guatemala, Held executive roles with Medical Teams International, World Concern and Food for the Hungry. Mark Walker recounts a delightful life journey filled with adventures, fascinating people, and remarkable achievements to help build a better world… Along the way, he discovered multiple truths and he shares them with us in this marvelous book. Charles F. “Chic” Dambach, RPCV Colombia. Past President, National Peace Corps Association, President of the Alliance for Peacebuilding and author of “Exhaust the Limits”. …He writes with the same passion that he lives, and like him, his memoir is full of life and the joy of service. Reading Mark's memoir not only inspires one to get involved, it provides a framework for making a difference in a hungry and hurting world. Writing with clarity and insight, Mark has distilled his decades of service into a valuable resource for all of us. Ray Buchanan, Founder & International President, “Stop Hunger Now” and Co-Director of the Society of St. Andrews Especially in these days of Covid, it’s too easy for me to forget about the world: the broad world filled with other cultures, in many of which people struggle just to survive. Different Latitudes brings that world home. Its stories are evocative, sometimes humorous and always compelling. Because I was in the Peace Corps myself, in El Salvador, and because I married a Salvadoreña, I found the sections on Central America especially moving. But Mark Walker truly has his eye on the wide world, and his concern for the poor of Africa, Asia and South America is what guides this inspiring book. It starts with the Peace Corps and expands from there. Walker, I imagine, has been keeping notes, or a journal, his whole life, for his stories are filled with the graphic details that make a book sing. John Thorndike, RPCV/El Salvador, award winning author of, A Hundred Fires in Cuba Mark's socio-political overview of the multi-decade cultural and civil war in Guatemala is both insightful and accurate, and a timely primer on human rights injustices and their insidious perpetration by authoritarian rulers the world over. It is a lesson we should all be studying as we prepare to address the possibility of such changes in our own countries and communities. Ellen Urbani Hiltebrand, RPCV Guatemala 1991-1993. Author of, “When I Was Elena: A Memoir.” "We enjoyed your essay as much as a thirsty man enjoys water in the desert. And you can guess why I'm saying so. Reading about travel when the entire world is home fills us with joy. " Onkar Sharma, Editor of Literary Yard Immigration: "Crossing Borders, Building Bridges: A Journalists Heart in Guatemala," Revue Magazine, July Issue, 2021 http://www.revuemag.com/2021/07/crossing-borders-building-bridges-a-journalists-heart-in-guatemala/ “Crossing Borders, Building Bridges: A Journalist’s Heart in Guatemala” “Hugs not Walls: Reuniting the Children,” Arizona Literary Magazine 2020, November 2019 Reissued in Revue Magazine, December Edition, 2019 https://issuu.com/revue/docs/revue_magazine_december_2019?fr=sZGFmNTE4NzMw “Trouble in the Highlands,” WorldView Magazine, Summer Issue, 2019 Reissued in Revue Magazine, September Issue, 2019 http://www.revuemag.com/tag/mark-d-walker/ “Migrant Caravans and Social Justice,” WorldView Magazine, October 2019 “Justice & Responsibility: The Plight of the Immigrants from Central America,” Quail Bell, July 2019 http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/the-real-20/essay-migrant-caravans-and-social-justice Reissued by Peace Corps WorldWide, October 2019 Reissued by Revue Magazine, November, 2019 “Luis Argueta: Telling the Stories of Guatemalan Immigrants,” Revue Magazine, December 2018 http://www.revuemag.com/2018/12/luis-argueta-telling-the-stories-of-guatemalan-immigrants/ “Luis Argueta: Guatemalan Filmmaker, Recipient of a Global Citizens Award,” Revue Magazine, July 2019 https://issuu.com/revue/docs/revue_magazine_july_2019 Yin & Yang of Travel: "Expatriate Journeys Through the Land of the Eternal Spring," part of the Yin & Yang of Travel Series. Wanderlust Journal, September 9, 2022 https://wanderlust-journal.com/2022/09/09/expats/ "My Saddest Pleasures: First Stop Guatemala," part of the Yin and Yang of Travel Series. Revue Magazine, May, 2022 My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road – First Stop, Guatemala "Allegro to Guatemala: An Expatriate Journey Through The Land Of The Eternal Spring," Revue Magazine, June, 2022 Allegro to Guatemala: An Expatriate Journey Through the Land of Eternal Spring https://www.revuemag.com/allegro-to-guatemala-an-expatriate-journey-through-the-land-of-eternal-spring/ "Traveling Through the Land of the Eternal Spring: A Literary Journey," Literary Traveler, April 27, 2022 Traveling Through the Land of the Eternal Spring: A Literary Journey https://www.literarytraveler.com/articles/traveling-through-the-land-of-the-eternal-spring-a-literary-journey/ "Time Among the Maya: Travels in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico--Personal Reflections," Revue Magazine, April Issue, 2022 https://www.revuemag.com/2022/04/time-among-the-maya-travels-in-belize-guatemala-and-mexico-personal-reflections-by-mark-d-walker/ "Traveling Through the Land of the Eternal Spring: A Literary Journey," Revue Magazine, February, 2022 https://www.revuemag.com/2022/02/traveling-through-the-land-of-the-eternal-spring-a-literary-journey-by-mark-d-walker/ "La Pulcera (the Bracelet)." Part of the Yin & Yang of Travel Series, Literary Traveler, November, 2021 https://www.literarytraveler.com/articles/la-pulsera-the-bracelet/?fbclid=IwAR2wYYqErOvddRwmxz9N4qKC4b-HPW-5_QhPnJ9MGYf2d-uetjxl-g3gUeA La Pulsera (The Bracelet) "Tschiffley's Epic Equestrian Ride: Over the Andes Through Guatemala to Washington D.C." (Part of the Yin and Yang of Travel Series), Revue Magazine, April, 2021 http://www.revuemag.com/2021/04/tschiffelys-epic-equestrian-ride-by-mark-d-walker/ "Tschiffely's Epic Ride: Part of the Yin & Yang of Travel Series", Literary Traveler, February, 2021 https://www.literarytraveler.com/articles/tschiffelys-epic-ride-part-of-the-yin-yang-of-travel-series/https://www.literarytraveler.com/articles/tschiffelys-epic-ride-part-of-the-yin-yang-of-travel-series/ “Life's Little Travel Lists,” Literary Yard, May, 2019 https://literaryyard.com/2019/05/28/lifes-little-travel-lists/ “The Yin & Yang of Travel: Traveling Tandem,” Literary Traveler, June 2019 “Traveling in Tandem with a Chapina,” Revue Magazine, August 2019 http://www.revuemag.com/2019/08/traveling-intandem-with-a-chapina-mark-d-walker/ “The Yang of Travel: Traveling Solo”, Literary Yard, April 2020 Reissued in Peace Corps Worldwide, April 2020 https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/the-yang-of-travel-traveling-solo/ "The Yang of Travel: Traveling Solo," Revue Magazine, July 2020 Revised article with new photographs https://issuu.com/revue/docs/revue_magazine_july_2020/38 Moritz Thomsen Series: "The Saddest Pleasure: A Journey of Two Writers," Literary Yard, January Issue, 2022 https://literaryyard.com/2022/01/05/the-saddest-pleasure-a-journey-of-two-writers/ "The Saddest Pleasure, Moritz Thomsen: A Personal Reflection from a Former Peace Corps Volunteer, Mark D. Walker," ELAND Press Newsletter, London February issue, 2022. https://mailchi.mp/c51c73106797/eland-newsletter?e=50a5c2a617https://mailchi.mp/c51c73106797/eland-newsletter?e=50a5c2a617 “Living Poor: Moritz Thomsen’s Classic Captures the Spirit 50 Years Later,” Worldview Magazine, page 30, Winter edition, 2018 https://issuu.com/peacecorpsconnect/docs/18win.globaled “Rhythm of the Grass: Letters from Moritz Thomsen,” Peace Corps Worldwide, March 2019 file:///C:/Users/markd/OneDrive/Documents/Million%20Mile%20Walker/A%20Writer%20Writes%20%E2%80%94Moritz%20%E2%80%9CRhythm%20of%20the%20Grass_%20Letters%20from%20Moritz%20Thomsen%E2%80%9D%20by%20Mark%20Walker%20(Guatemala)%20_%20Peace%20Corps%20Worldwide.html “Moritz Thomsen: His Letters & His Legacy,” Scarlet Leaf Review, January 2020 http://www.scarletleafreview.com/non-fiction2/category/mark-d-walker “Moritz Thomsen: His Letters & His Legacy,” Peace Corps Worldwide, February 2020 https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/moritz-thomsen-his-letters-and-his-legacy-ecuador/ “Ramon & Moritz: A Partnership on the Black Coast,” pending "Christmas in the Land of the Eternal Spring (Guatemala)", Peace Corps Worldwide, December 25, 2021 https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/christmas-in-the-land-of-the-eternal-spring-guatemala/https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/christmas-in-the-land-of-the-eternal-spring-guatemala/ "Uncovering the Art of Francisco Goldman," Revue Magazine, October issue, 2021 http://www.revuemag.com/2021/10/uncovering-the-art-of-francisco-goldman-by-mark-d-walker/ Uncovering the Art of Francisco Goldman by Mark D. Walker "The Future of the Peace Corps in Guatemala," Revue Magazine, February issue, 2021 http://www.revuemag.com/2021/02/the-future-of-the-peace-corps-in-guatemala/ "Victor Montejo's Dream for a Secure Maya Community," Revue Magazine, October issue, 2020 http://www.revuemag.com/2020/10/victor-montejos-dream-for-a-secure-maya-community-by-mark-d-walker/ “Crested Butte 2020: What Comes Around Goes Around,” Crested Butte News, September 7, 2020 http://crestedbuttenews.com/2020/09/crested-butte-2020-what-comes-around-goes-around-transitions-part-2/ “Crested Butte 1970: Reflections on a Town in Transition”, Crested Butte News, September 7, 2020 http://crestedbuttenews.com/2020/09/crested-butte-1970-reflections-on-a-town-in-transition-part-1/ "The Legendary Educator of the Gunnison Country," Crested Butte News, July 31, 2020 http://crestedbuttenews.com/2020/07/the-legendary-educator-of-gunnison-country-duane-vandenbusche/ “Maya Gods & Monsters”, Revue Magazine, April, 2019 https://www.revuemag.com/2019/04/book-alert-maya-gods-monsters/ “The Making of the Kingdom of Mescal: An Indian Fairy Tale for Adults,” Revue Magazine, April 2018 http://www.revuemag.com/2018/04/in-the-kingdom-of-mescal/ “My Life in the Land of the Eternal Spring: The Coffee Plantation,” Ragazine, July, 2018 https://www.ragazine.cc/mark-walker-creative-nonfiction/ “My Life in the Land of the Eternal Spring,” Wising Up Press anthologies, The Kindness of Strangers and Crossing Class: The Invisible Wall, 2018 “The Fundraiser: Running risks in Nepal and Bolivia,” page 31, WorldView Magazine, Spring, 2018 https://issuu.com/peacecorpsconnect/docs/wv_spring_2018 https://issuu.com/peacecorpsconnect/docs/wv_spring_2018 “Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond,” (Book) Advancing Philanthropy, Summer, 2017 https://afpglobal.org/news/books-different-latitudes-my-life-peace-corps-and-beyond “How the Peace Corps and Rotary led me to a life of international service,” Rotary Services in Action, May , 2017 https://rotaryserviceblog.org/2017/05/31/how-the-peace-corps-and-rotary-led-me-to-a-life-of-international-service/ “Strengthening the connection between Peace Corps Volunteers and Rotary members,” Rotary Services in Action, May, 2017 “What brings Rotarians, returned Peace Corps volunteers together?” Rotary Voices, July, 2019 https://blog.rotary.org/2019/07/05/what-brings-rotarians-returned-peace-corps-volunteers-together/?fbclid=IwAR1OK1udtnZYE2mmD-FSnf7geFTWK7xShr7H_B_klIrefzgK1ehjiQuDG-Y	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line60
__label__cc	0.602192	0.397808	- Audi - Citroen - Hyundai - Lamborghini - Mitsubishi - Peugeot - Range Rover - Renault - SEAT - Skoda - Smart - TVR - Vauxhall - VW - JAE Ford Focus 4x4 Ford are planning on extending their Focus range with a new 4x4 which should be in the showrooms before the end of next year. The number of 4x4 cars on the roads has grown massively in recent years, and that's sufficient proof that there is an ever growing market for these vehicles. The Focus, of course, won't be a huge Chelsea tractor like some, rather it will provide some of the benefits of 4 wheel drive in a more compact shell. It probably will stand somewhat taller than the current Focus, and will look a little more rugged than the mini people carrier C-Max. The car is expected to use the 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litre petrol engines shared with the rest of the Focus range. We think the timing of Ford's release of this car, just before the winter months is great as buyers will appreciate the extra grip that the car will offer over the winter months. Conversely, this October sees the release of Ford's Focus CC - the convertible coupe variant of the Focus. We can't think of a worse time for the company to release a convertible, unless they're hoping that thousands of rag top owners will see it as a preferable option for them over the winter months. A new Mini Cooper S will be seen by the public for the first time at the Paris Motor show in September 2006. Ford's new Ka is due to arrive in the UK in 2008, and early indications are that it will be a popular new release. Toyota can read your mind Toyota are said to be developing mind reading devices for inclusion in future models of their cars, and these will be used to adapt your car's settings according to how you are feeling. But don't expect to your Celica, MR2, Avensis or Corolla adjusting itself to your mood any time soon. Hyundai Coupe Facelift Hyundai have facelifted their popular Coupe once again, and it looks good. The 'Korean Ferrari' has changed shape several times in its life and not always to the customer's liking. However, this latest revision, which will be on sale towards the end of 2006 looks great; the lines are leaner and meaner with a relatively agressive look from the front. Yet another peformance car built on the Golf platform will be available from early 2007 in the shape of the incredible Audi S3. Lotus Elise Electric & Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen SE A Californian Company (Tesla Motors) have developed a 100% electric version of the Lotus Elise with input from the Norfolk company. And before sports car enthusiasts switch off, thinking that electric cars are slow and boring, the new car is claimed to have a 0-60 time of about 4 seconds! Ralliart Mitsubushi Lancer Evo IX FQ-360 UK Performance specialists Ralliart have released a 366bhp variant of the current Mitsubushi Lancer Evo. VW Polo Blue Motion VW have stepped up the ante in the value for money stakes with their Blue Motion Polo; the new model is capable of over 72mpg and has a C02 rating of 103g/Km. WWW.T600.NET Content Management SAREENA.CO.UK News, Reviews and Information	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line64
__label__cc	0.745307	0.254693	Radio Emulators Posted March 2, 2017 May 19, 2020 admin We typically develop hardware and software solutions that are components of larger systems, with both upstream controlling applications and downstream controlled components. With a focus on digital communications, we have had to develop radio emulators to be able to successfully develop and test our primary applications, or as part of a broader simulation/emulation environment. Our engineering team uses emulators right from the beginning of a complex communications development project. The use of a high-fidelity emulator boosts the requirements phase, saves time, and lets teams work on the features a lot earlier than before. Beyond the time savings, the development of an emulator brings cross-functional teams together early in the process and lets them envision aspects of a project or product right from the start. Simulation versus emulation, what is the difference? The following quote describes the differences in terminology. Emulation is the process of mimicking the outwardly observable behavior to match an existing target. The internal state of the emulation mechanism does not have to accurately reflect the internal state of the target which it is emulating. Simulation, on the other hand, involves modeling the underlying state of the target. The end result of a good simulation is that the simulation model will emulate the target which it is simulating. For our developments, we distinguish the term “network emulation” from “network simulation” primarily on the real time nature of network emulation versus simulation. Most of our hardware in the loop (HWIL) developments require real time emulation — whereas OPNET and other products such as ns-3, are discrete event based network simulators that are not real-time. The differences between the terms network emulation and simulation are further described in the news post Network Emulation vs. Simulation. Network emulation typically occurs at the control plane for networked devices, but can also require emulation of the data plane such as when emulating the queuing and delay characteristics of a bandwidth constrained device, to emulate and test network latencies (representing the transfer of data over a wireless shared medium). The necessity for developing custom network emulators stemmed from the custom real-time messaging protocols or content required, and the behavioral characteristics that were not achievable through the use of either a commercial or open source network emulation packages available at the time of the development. The following paragraphs describe these custom real time network emulation developments. iNET Radio Emulator For the iNET Link Manager, while we developed the radio control application, we were not provided the actual radio hardware, which makes it virtually impossible to develop, test, and verify our controlling application. Radio hardware can be both expensive and often times development time lines do not coincide with our development ambitions, so we had to create substitutes. On the iNET program, as a result of a lack of actual physical radio hardware, we developed a radio emulator application that executes on desktop Linux and/or embedded Linux on a cluster of Raspberry Pi hardware. This application, written in C++ using the Qt cross platform framework, emulators from the control plane perspective of the radio’s network interface, the messaging and timing of the RF transceivers. This emulator responds to custom binary control messages from the iNET Link Manager, which consists of TDMA transmit opportunities relative to a synchronized clock. This application verifies and records the integrity of the control messaging from the iNET Link Manager to verify that transmit opportunity values are correct. Transmit opportunities from the iNET Link Manager are based on the radio’s outgoing queue loading and link quality metrics in closed loop fashion. To craft different test scenarios, the content of outgoing messaging generated by the radio emulator application were soft coded with content specified by a loadable spreadsheet. The spreadsheet contents provided queue status and link quality metric values as a function of time with repeat patterns. Like a player piano, once emulation begins, beginning at the start of the next minute, the radio emulator provides queue status and link quality metric values based on the test defined sequences of values. In the iNET system, radios can be combinations of connected types: ground, airborne, or airborne relay. To support these three types, the iNET radio emulator imitated the control plane messaging for all three of these radios in a single program. Separate user interface tabs were used for the three radio types displaying information, statistics, and control. The tabbed user interface allowed enabling or disabling logical “links” between each of the 3 radio types to test out the behavior of dropped and reconnected links and the handover procedure. Value Change Dump (VCD) logging was provided on the iNET radio emulator to allow for microsecond precision capture and analysis of messaging timing for system verification. Defense System Networked Radio (DSNR) Emulator Radio emulators allow for testing control and data plane interface messaging, timing, and concepts in advance of the actual development of a deployed radio. This introductory design and development effort is an important risk abatement process whose purpose is to work out many of the network interface protocols and behavior to inform the future system software design and development. For the Defense System Networked Radio (DSNR) project, we developed as part of a broader simulation and emulation task, a radio emulator. This emulator was deployed on a network of Linux desktops to act as radios for real time emulation. The radio emulation application that executes on the hardware platform was written in C++ and used the wxWidgets cross platform GUI library for it’s user interface. The RF interface of the radios was emulated by a hard wired network connection between each Linux desktop by way of a secondary network interface card to a hub — thus representing a digital only lossless emulated RF test environment as the over the air interface. The primary network interface to the radio simulator provided a host facing interface to Cisco routers. The radio emulator provided a bandwidth constrained transmit path with delay and queuing characteristics that mimicked the characteristics of the target radio to emulate a wireless network. The networked radio to be developed, and by inference the radio emulator, had data and control plane exchanges with a host device by way of Cisco routers in a Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) configuration. This is part of Cisco’s Mobile Ad Hoc Networks for Router-to-Radio Communications strategy. In this Cisco strategy, the PPPoE protocol is extended to enable a router or radio to query or report link-quality metric information. The MANET implementation uses PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) sessions to enable intra-nodal communications between a device and its partner radio. Each radio initiates the PPPoE session as soon as the radio establishes a radio link to another radio. After the PPPoE sessions are active, a PPP session is established end-to-end (device-to-device). This procedure is duplicated each time a radio establishes a new radio link. The virtual multipoint interface (VMI) on the device can aggregate multiple PPPoE sessions and multiplex them to look like a single interface to the routing processes. Underneath the VMI are virtual access interfaces that are associated with each of the PPP and PPPoE connections. A PPPoE session is established between a device and a radio on behalf of every other device and radio neighbor located in the MANET. These Layer 2 sessions are the means by which radio network status gets reported to the Layer 3 processes in the device. The figure below shows the PPPoE session exchange between mobile devices and directional radios in a MANET network. The radio emulator required developing the PPPoE protocol implementation between the radio and a directly connected paired Cisco router to achieve point to point links. To control the rate at which a sender can transmit data for each PPPoE session, extensions to the PPPoE protocol as credit flows (per RFC4938) were implemented as part of the control plane. The credit flow implementation minimized the queuing in the radio. In order to emulate the bandwidth constraints and delay timing of an actual radio, the data plane implemented in the radio emulator used a configurable delay mechanism between host data from the wired interface to the simulated wireless network. This allowed for evaluating credit flow and bandwidth limitations of the emulated wireless channel. The radio emulator also provided an SNMP agent interface and support for a custom MIB, so that an upstream SNMP manager could be developed in advance or parallel to the radio’s design and development. To inform an upstream SNMP Manager, this application generates event notifications via SNMP traps, and SNMP is used for customizing radio parameters such as neighbor lists, packet latencies, packet drops and bandwidth allocations per link. By emulating both the data and control planes of the networking radio, an inexpensive collection of Linux desktops was created that pioneered not only the technology necessary to be implemented in the actual radio, but allowed external upstream control systems to have a stand-in for testing and development. In addition, much of the developed source code from the radio emulator was utilized in the development of the actual physical radio firmware illustrating the importance of emulation/simulation at the physical hardware and networking layers towards a successful radio implementation. Flight Test Telemetry Radio Emulator A customer of ours had the challenge of being able to test out a network of high performance telemetry receivers at a time when they were shipping receivers as quickly as they could be built and tested. There are times when it is simply not economical or possible to maintain a network test lab of physical devices. We were able to port the networking and web interface components of this telemetry receiver firmware based on the lightweight embedded Arch Linux operating system to a very low cost cluster of Raspberry Pi hardware running under a generalized distribution UbuntuMATE embedded Linux operating system. The radio emulator emulated in real time the control plane networking message protocol of the actual radios along with the web interface to permit testing out the telemetry receiver’s networking software at scale without tying up actual physical telemetry receivers. Smart Munition Network Messaging Application What do you do when you need to develop a network based device which interfaces with both upstream and downstream components from other vendors, but you will never receive those external devices from the other vendors due to their own parallel development time lines? The answer is you must develop a custom test application to emulate the interface messaging from the external components in real time to allow you to develop and test your own network based device. Radio emulators are not the only custom test applications that we have developed. We developed a Windows based test application in C++ and MFC that emulated the control and status messages for a smart anti-personnel munitions network. This custom application allowed for synthesizing the interface control messages and all message arguments through an easy to use GUI based user interface. This test application was used by ourselves and other component vendors for a networked based system of several components from different vendors. The test application allowed an operator to first script a sequence of messages along with message arguments to be issued for testing, and then run the scripted configuration wherein the created message stream is sent to a device under test (DUT). Received messages from the DUT are captured and decoded from binary format into human readable format. Simulation is a cost-effective method for developing, deploying and managing network-centric systems throughout their entire lifecycle. Users can evaluate the basic behavior of a network, and test combinations of network features that are likely to work. The telecommunications industry has recognized the strong benefits of network emulation as a risk abatement measure to the development of a network based product. Network designers are constantly challenged by the growing complexity of communications protocols and the increasing scale of network deployments. In order for network organizations to innovate, they need robust network emulation software to easily and intuitively model the intricate end-to-end behavior of protocols. The solution must also be able to efficiently analyze the performance of these protocols and technologies in network infrastructure models of realistic scale. We have OPNET modeler emulation capabilities and expertise for testing out networking and communications protocols at scales that are difficult to replicate with hardware. At the real time physical networking level, we have developed radio emulators with very specific custom behaviors, timing, and messaging protocols. These emulators allow for system level development and testing in the absence of the actual radio hardware. The following list summarizes the features: These networking device emulators operate real time on the control plane of a network device. As required, the emulators operate on the data plane as well such as when mimicking the delay and queuing characteristics of a network device by storing and then forwarding host data over a simulated RF network. Control plane messaging responses (e.g. queue status and link metrics) can either be externally scripted to the radio emulator to implement a specific test scenario using message contents loaded from an external spreadsheet, or may be naturally occurring as a function of data plane activity reflecting bandwidth constraints. SNMP agent interfaces can be implemented for network devices that are SNMP network managed devices to allow upstream SNMP management development to occur using the SNMP agent interface provided in the emulator. Web interfaces and REST API interfaces can be added to the emulators to allow for HTTP/HTTPS control and status of a emulator, and for upstream REST API clients to be developed. We can leverage this broad experience to create emulators for your specific requirements — which extends beyond radio emulators to simulating any form of real time network accessible device where network control and possibly data plane emulation is required. OPNET discrete event network simulation coupled with real time platform based network emulation provide the full suite of tools necessary for prototyping and evaluating systems in advance of the relatively longer and more expensive cycle of designing and developing an embedded networked communications product. ⟵Remote Browser-based Monitor & Control (RoboScope) Network Visualizer (RoboComNV)⟶ RoboCom Technologies develops embedded and PC software with a focus in wireless networking for commercial and government customers which leverages unique analysis, simulation and test visualization tools resulting in lower program costs and deployment risks. PO Box 532103 Cincinnati OH 45253 info@robocomtech.com © 2021 RoboCom Technologies.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line75
__label__cc	0.74657	0.25343	THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION LETS US DOWN A word to the wise is usually sufficient. However, even those who are supposed to be clothed in their right minds in this FNM people’s time Government seem to have lost their reason. We say the words of Mark Anthony at the funeral of Julius Caesar as penned by William Shakespeare: “O judgment thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason.” We direct those words to Jeffery Lloyd not personally but as the Bahamas’ Minister of Education How can you stand up in front of six hundred people, and tell a bold faced untruth that these low level workers at the Minister of Education were not hired properly? And even if that were the case, how can you threaten to fire them and to talk down to grown men and women like children? How can you a former Catholic Deacon stand up and say such a cruel and heartless thing in the name of being frank and direct and honest? Who mistreated them? Who disrespected them? Some of those people have been on contract for as many as ten years, meaning that they may have been hired by the FNM administration. It was Perry Christie who agreed last July and announced the regularization of 3500 people in the public service in the position of being on contract without any end in sight. You are no longer a Deacon and no longer a talk show host, you are the Minister. Your role is not to describe problems but to fix them. How can you stay in a Government that persistently and consistently lies about the state of finances of the country and its public policy? How can you be a part of scrapping an immigration policy which is designed to protect the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and secure that everyone within its borders are registered and we know who is within are borders and what we are doing here? If the immigration policy is scrapped, you will open the floodgates to every illegal immigrant to come to The Bahamas. It will be open season. One cannot be so FNM that you cannot see the truth. Many people were counting on you not to get swallowed up in the FNM fervour. This is too much for many to bear. Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 23 September, 2017 up to midnight: 311,670; Number of hits for the month of September up to Saturday 23 September, 2017 up to midnight: 1,055,535; Number of hits for the year 2017 up to Saturday 23 September, 2017 up to midnight: 9,775,377. PrevPreviousGLEYNYS ASKS: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COMMISSIONER? NextA Comment On The Electricity Bills And The Special ListNext	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line92
__label__cc	0.52491	0.47509	Pat Meares #2 - Minnesota Twins - 2B Patrick James Meares Born: September 6, 1968 Salina, KS Bats: R, Throws: R Sponsorships are an affordable way to show your support while promoting your business. The Pat Meares page is available for sponsorship for $4. Pat Meares Batting Stats 1993 24 MLB AL MIN 111 346 33 87 14 3 0 33 7 0 52 4 5 4 3 1 11 .251 .266 .309 .575 1994 25 MLB AL MIN 80 229 29 61 12 1 2 24 14 0 50 5 1 6 3 2 3 .266 .310 .354 .664 1995 26 MLB AL MIN 116 390 57 105 19 4 12 49 15 0 68 10 4 4 5 11 17 .269 .311 .431 .742 1996 27 MLB AL MIN 152 517 66 138 26 7 8 67 17 1 90 9 4 4 7 9 19 .267 .298 .391 .689 1997 28 MLB AL MIN 134 439 63 121 23 3 10 60 18 0 86 7 7 3 7 16 9 .276 .323 .410 .733 1999 30 MLB NL PIT 21 91 15 28 4 0 0 7 9 0 20 0 0 2 0 2 1 .308 .382 .352 .734 2000 31 MLB NL PIT 132 462 55 111 22 2 13 47 36 6 91 1 0 5 3 8 13 .240 .305 .381 .685 2001 32 MLB NL PIT 86 270 27 57 11 1 4 25 10 3 45 0 2 1 1 2 9 .211 .244 .304 .548 Career MIN 742 2464 304 653 120 21 41 303 95 2 432 42 25 24 30 45 71 .265 .301 .381 .682 Career PIT 239 823 97 196 37 3 17 79 55 9 156 1 2 8 4 12 23 .238 .294 .352 .647 Career Majors 981 3287 401 849 157 24 58 382 150 11 588 43 27 32 34 57 94 .258 .299 .374 .673 Pat Meares Batting Splits 1993 24 MLB AL MIN 95 1 23 1 0 0 4 4 0 15 2 1 2 2 0 4 .242 .267 .253 .520 1993 24 MLB AL MIN 251 32 64 13 3 0 29 3 0 37 2 4 2 1 1 7 .255 .266 .331 .596 1994 25 MLB AL MIN 167 25 46 10 1 2 16 10 0 33 3 0 5 2 1 2 .275 .317 .383 .700 1995 26 MLB AL MIN 121 15 28 7 0 5 11 1 0 26 2 1 0 1 3 6 .231 .254 .413 .667 1995 26 MLB AL MIN 269 42 77 12 4 7 38 14 0 42 8 3 4 4 8 11 .286 .336 .439 .774 1997 28 MLB AL MIN 99 12 18 5 0 1 12 2 0 19 3 3 2 3 7 2 .182 .243 .263 .506 1997 28 MLB AL MIN 340 51 103 18 3 9 48 16 0 67 4 4 1 4 9 7 .303 .347 .453 .800 1999 30 MLB NL PIT 44 3 15 1 0 0 3 3 0 6 0 0 2 0 1 1 .341 .396 .364 .759 1999 30 MLB NL PIT 47 12 13 3 0 0 4 6 0 14 0 0 0 0 1 0 .277 .370 .340 .711 2000 31 MLB NL PIT 121 18 28 5 0 3 9 8 1 22 0 0 1 0 5 3 .231 .306 .347 .653 2000 31 MLB NL PIT 341 37 83 17 2 10 38 28 5 69 1 0 4 3 3 10 .243 .304 .393 .697 2001 32 MLB NL PIT 209 19 45 7 1 3 19 9 2 37 0 1 1 0 1 9 .215 .251 .301 .553 Career vs LH 874 94 213 35 4 17 93 35 3 160 15 9 9 12 22 24 .244 .286 .351 .638 Career vs RH 2413 307 636 122 20 41 289 115 8 428 28 18 23 22 35 70 .264 .304 .382 .686 Pat Meares Profile Baseball Almanac: Pat Meares	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line93
__label__wiki	0.956665	0.956665	Zim league champs in Caf Champions league doubt Zimbabwe Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions Chicken Inn’s participation in the 20th edition of the Caf Champions League championship hangs in the balance as the club leadership said yesterday that they are unlikely to take part citing prohibitive costs. Chicken Inn, who clinched the title with a game to spare following their 3-1 win over Harare City at Luveve Stadium last Saturday, are bankrolled by conglomerate Innscor Africa. “Nothing final yet but indications are that we are unlikely to participate in the safari although we are still weighing our options,” said Chicken Inn chairman Lifa Ncube yesterday. He said the club had to make a decision to either put resources to retaining the title next year or participate in the Caf Champions League. Ncube said the club did not want to blindly decide to participate in the Caf Champions League like what other teams did in the past without assessing the costs to the team. “We don’t want to strain ourselves which will in turn affect us in our bid to defend the league title. I’m certain that by Friday we would have come up with a clear position so that we give authorities time to probably find a replacement,” said Ncube whose executive must be hailed for standing by coach Joe Antipas especially last season when things weren’t looking all that rosy. The deadline for confirmation of participation in both the Champions League and the Confederations Cup is November 30. If Chicken Inn stand by their decision not to participate, cash rich FC Platinum, who are likely to finish as runners up to the Bulawayo side, could be the Zimbabwean representatives in the race to become kings of African club football. If they decide to, the Norman Mapeza coached side will be venturing into the African jungles for the third time inside four years, having first participated in the Caf Champions League in 2012 after coming second to Dynamos while this year they competed in the less glamorous Confederations Cup after winning the Chibuku Super Cup last year. FC Platinum spokesperson Chido Chizondo said this week that they would gladly take the offer to represent the country but would only make that confirmation after their last match of the season on Saturday as they are not yet guaranteed a second spot finish. By: Chronicle Online	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line95
__label__cc	0.649532	0.350468	Norman Van Aken Announces NEW Restaurant Row Location Chef Norman Van Aken and partners Tom and Kim Wood announce that they are re-opening their flagship restaurant on Sand Lake’s famed Restaurant Row in the iconic Dellagio Town Center. Plans for a unique renovation of the 7,500 square foot space, revealed in first quarter 2020, will show a complete reimagining of the anchor space at the corner of Sand Lake Road and Della. Including a bold new look for 1,750 square feet of outdoor event space. The grand opening for NORMAN’S is targeted for late summer 2020. NORMAN’S will feature a contemporary menu that will be announced in late Spring but is reported to include some of Chef Van Aken’s signature dishes as well as some of the legendary Chef’s newest inspirations. The company is continuing to employ Yusuf Yildiz as general manager of the new restaurant and Laura Fletcher as private event manager. In August of 2019 Chef Norman Van Aken, Florida’s sole chef recipient of The James Beard “Who’s Who in America” Award, celebrated the 16th anniversary of the flagship restaurant, NORMAN’S at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. He said this about the decision to move to Dellagio: “As we enter the next part of our journey - we are activating a space that is almost twice as large as our old space. This is in alignment with our goal of creating more world-class events in Orlando. Restaurant Row’s proximity to the Orange County Convention center allows us to better serve the estimated 1.4 million expected convention-goers in 2020. Dellagio is the perfect fit for our expanding vision of food and service to the community and to travelers.” NORMAN’S features Chef and decorated Cookbook Author Norman Van Aken and his culinary team. Chef Van Aken’s internationally acclaimed “New World Cuisine” is an exciting, healthful and delicious fusion of Florida with the power of Latin, Caribbean and Asian roots. “NORMAN’S will be an anchoring presence for Dellagio. We are working closely with the team at Norman’s on the stunning, genre-defining renovation taking place. We are excited about the prestige that this award-winning brand and iconic personality bring to the Dellagio collective footprint and to Restaurant Row.” Joe LeBas, President, Managing Director and Founder, Concorde Group Holdings, LLC Osphere Restaurant Coming to Thornton Park Taste Of Chengdu - Chinese New Year Bread & Co Shaved Ice Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards Taglish Medellin Burger in Altamonte Springs	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line107
__label__cc	0.707153	0.292847	Home > William Ramirez > Meet the Authors of our Unpublished Clash! Meet the Authors of our Unpublished Clash! *this clash hosted by Sr. Editor, April W Gardner Voting has just closed, but wasn't it great?! Amid the mountain of submissions we received, those two excerpts blew me away, and I couldn't wait to share them with you. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. If you missed your chance to read them, you can do so HERE! And it's still open range for entering our drawing. One book, donated by WhiteFire Publishing, is being given away during this clash. The drawing winner will get to choose one author Roseanna M White's novels (shown below). Don't miss this opportunity! You can enter multiple times by commenting on any Unpublished Clash post, by "following" our blog, or by "liking" us on Facebook (see sidebar for both). Now that you've fallen in love with the excerpts, I invite you to fall in love with the authors. Excerpt A is from the novel, Chasing the Lion, and belongs to Nancy Kimball. Nancy wrote off and on for fun until 2010 when an online friend told her about this little thing called NaNoWriMo. The rest is history. She loves experiencing history and writing it, along with bass fishing or tinkering under a hood. A little known fact is she was a crew-member on the 1877 tall-ship Elissa one summer. At the top of her bucket list is visiting the Colosseum in Rome to be photographed holding her book. She would eat Mexican food everyday and never do laundry if she could. About Chasing the Lion: From the blood-soaked sand of the Roman arena, a divine destiny will rise. For as long as Jonathan Tarquinius can remember, everyone has wanted something from him. His brothers want him dead. His master’s wife wants his innocence. The gladiator dealers want him to fight, and die, for their greed. The humble slave girl who tends the wounds on his body and the hidden ones on his soul yearns for him to return to his faith in God. God wants something from Jonathan, too. Something more than anyone could ever imagine. What Jonathan wants is simple—freedom. The young warrior’s journey will push him to the very limits of human endurance and teach him the only true freedom is found in Christ. The greatest battle Jonathan ever fights will not come in the arena, but deep within himself, when he is forced to choose between vengeance and forgiveness, knowing the fate of all he holds dear hangs in the balance. Excerpt B is from the novel, Soul Yearning, and belongs to William Ramirez. Will grew up with a love for God's Word and fantastical worlds. The first passion led him to pastor Calvary Chapel Lighthouse for the last 16 years. The second passion led him to create the world of Adme, the setting for his current work, Soul Yearning. He lives in Central Florida with his bride of sixteen years and their four children. Despite hundreds of dirty diapers, he's never been a fan of complaining, so he encourages Christians to be thankful on his blog Rejoice Evermore. About Soul Yearning: In the land of Adme, powerful beings who pose as gods compete with each other for followers. But in every age the Most High God marks a group of mortals to bring about their destruction. When a young priest receives his mark, the pantheon unites to move against him...Albione is a young priest whose sole desire is to bring honor to his family's name. Upon receiving a strange mark, his temple turns against him, and the fallout catapults him into the role of the prophesied godslayer. Come back next week to meet these super friendly authors! In the meantime, answer this question/s to be entered to win one of the novels shown here. Don't forget to leave your email address! What is your favorite Valentine's candy? Did you receive it this year? If so, is there any left...? :-) Item Reviewed: Meet the Authors of our Unpublished Clash! Rating: 5 Reviewed By: April Gardner Interview with Clasher Will Ramirez Interview with Clasher Nancy Kimball Spotlight on Lisa Lickel! Free Book! Thanks to WhiteFire Publishing A Privileged Glance, COTT's Next Unpublished Clash... The Healer And The Pirate: Meet The Authors A Thyme For Love: Meet Pamela S. Meyers Weavers of Romance Revealed! Spotlight on Michelle Massaro! One Breathless Moment... And the Amish Clash Winner is... Chatting It Up with Vannetta Chapman	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line112
__label__cc	0.719371	0.280629	Let us walk into Nations! The term Tentmaking is becoming more familiar in the Indian mission context these days as more and more people are willing to use their professional identities for strategic proliferation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I present before you an abstract of Tentmaking opportunities based on my observations during my field mission assessment trips to these neighboring countries of India. All of this is presented with faith that people would stand at the gap for the issues at hand, through prayer and active Christian collaboration. The Nation: Thailand is called the land of smiles and is famous for the pleasant and courteous hospitality of its people. Thailand is predominantly Buddhist and tourism is its most thriving industry. Thai is its most prevalent language. Religious Snapshot: 95% of Thailand is Buddhist, 4% is Muslim and a meager 1.7% is Christian. The Thai Christian church was instituted by the colonial rulers of Thailand. The church to this day is influenced by its colonial legacy and past. Their type of worship and lines of thinking belong to an era gone by. The one great failure of the Thai church is that it has not been able to adapt and diffuse itself within the local culture or society. Information in Context of Missions: Thailand best resembles Sodom and Gomorrah as spoken of in bible times. The sex industry is the most flourishing and contributing industry to the economy of Thailand. One reason why the sex industry thrives in Thailand is because of the inflow of a huge quantity of foreign tourists. Foreign tourists indulge with lust in the no-limits barred sex trade within Thailand. The trade of human flesh is a sad reality in Thailand, as close to 2 lakh Thai women are exported as sex objects from Thailand every year. Not alone are Thai women exploited, but close to 40000 women from neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia are imported and trafficked within the local Thai sex industry. I see this as Thailand’s most captivating bond. For the nation to be transformed, this bondage of lust needs to be broken. Out of every ten visiting male seven of them come for sexual pleasure. RS.60000 Crores is the income to the Thai economy through foreign tourists. Because it includes variables as strong as money and lust, I consider it as a significant spiritual stronghold. Another big stronghold is the religion of Buddhism. Everywhere you go you get to see Buddhist monasteries and monks around in Thailand. Buddhism encourages a short time monk commitment which is quite popular with the young Thai people and you get to see several of them dressed up in red flowing robes walking from monastery to monastery in a kind of a pilgrimage. This gives them a perception that their sins have been washed away and they return to normal life. This spiritual blindness imposed by the religion of Buddhism in Thailand is another powerful stronghold. Status of Christian work: The local Thai church is very much held back from progress as it continues to be short sighted, unable to break barriers and build bridges with the local sentiments. Even an international Christian conference held inside Thailand did not feature significant local Thai representation. I am not very encouraged looking at their evangelical thrust and their desire to do ministry. But there is a lot of foreign missionary involvement all over Thailand. These foreign missionaries minister through orphanages and such social homes for the deprived. A few of them minister to a focused Muslim population. A few others work as professionals in the cities and act as spheres of influence in the high societies they mix. Some others work among the sex workers themselves. They work toward rehabilitation these sex workers, caring for their ignored or orphaned children, offering sex workers a way out of the sex trade, and help them achieve self dependency through a healthy livelihood and pattern of life. Opportunities for Ministry: I want to see a revival among the local Thai church in a bigger way and I’m sure that it can’t be achieved without the local church breaking its barriers and embracing the local way of life in Thailand. That is when the whole of Thailand can be reached with the Gospel of Jesus. Though several foreign missionary agencies are working in the urban parts of Thailand using some help from the local Thai church, there is not much ministry happening in the interior parts of Thailand. The local Thai church needs to be motivated to reach these forgotten interior parts of Thailand. From the Indian perspective, I believe it’s a good opportunity for people from the seven north Eastern states of India to venture out as missionaries to these parts of Thailand. I say this because their mongoloid features will easily help them break mental barriers and feel accepted. Any other outside missionary going into Thailand should attach himself to local Thai Christians and work by motivating them. Another important feature about Thailand is it’s a free nation and it does not impose restrictions on freedom of religion. This is an open door in front of us. I encourage Indian Christian professionals to make use of this opportunity and take up Tentmaking jobs in Thailand and be spheres of influence for our Lord in Thailand. The Nation: Myanmar is a nation under military rule and so life in Myanmar is full of regulations and impositions. Every government department is headed by an army chief. 7 states and 7 divisions comprise the whole of Myanmar. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, where poverty and inflation has made life miserable. For a comparative statement 50 Indian Rupees is as valuable as 1250 Kyat (Currency of Myanmar). Yangon is its capital. Myanmar is frequently hit by natural disasters like cyclones and flooding of the Yangon River. Opium trade is another significant feature about Myanmar. Religious snapshot of Myanmar: Myanmar is a Buddhist nation, 89% of its approximately 5 crores population is Buddhist, 4% Christian and 1% Muslim. There are a lot of migrants from India and Bangladesh. South Indian Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam speaking migrant groups are a significant minority. Status of Christian work: Myanmar being a military governed nation, the church functions with a lot of fear in its heart. All sorts of denominations are found within Myanmar; Methodists, Baptists, Seventh day Adventists, Catholics, Assemblies of God, and more. 4% out of the total population is a significant number. We can see big cathedrals and British-style church architecture scattered as remnants from the colonial era. But in spite of the gripping fear and prevalent poverty the churches of Myanmar show great desire for ministry and souls. Opportunities for Ministry: The interior parts of Myanmar have much need. The local church involvement needs to be encouraged and channelized towards Evangelism and outreach. Their desire to do something needs to be productively leveraged. There is a reception availability of a large number of Tamil satellite channels through which effective Christian broadcasts reach into Myanmar. Christian programs orienting viewers with evangelical thrust and programs encouraging them to reach out to the unreached among their countrymen need to be broadcast. Tamil Christian messages and songs, CDs and DVDs are very much available within Myanmar. This too can be used to influence directive Christian agenda within the church at Myanmar. Another great opportunity for Indian mission organizations to work within Myanmar is through social work and disaster time relief as successive natural disasters have left much of Myanmar still a wreck. The Nation: Singapore is a very small nation but has made its strategic location count as it has galvanized itself into an economic world hub. Singapore speaks many languages, the predominant of which are English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. The population of Singapore is approximately 50 lakhs. Singapore is a free trade zone country providing the most open of economies for trade to flourish, and hence has become one of the most sort after countries in the world. Religious snapshot of Singapore: 51% of Singapore is Buddhist, 15% of it does not follow any religion, 15% of it is Christian and 4% is Muslim. Singapore is a tolerant and balanced religious society, where even residential apartments are ensured to be balanced with a fair mix of races and religions to ensure racial harmony. The Church in Singapore is a vibrant, activity rich, and evangelical in its functioning. There are many small groups and focused worshipping fellowships too within Singapore. Opportunities for ministry: Singapore suffers from work sophistication, and much of its people are bound by their very work and careers. GEMS PROFIT(PROfessionals Fellowship of Indian/International Talents) has made this opportunity count by encouraging professionals towards reaching out to colleagues in their respective work place. GEMS PROFIT has initiated gatherings known as PROFIT CHAPTERS among the medical professionals, engineers and doctors in equipping them for workplace evangelism. These PROFIT CHAPTERS draw upon the core values of GEMS, Bihar and defines itself in a corporate setting. Several non-Christians are reached out through group outreach activities of these PROFIT members. I see Singapore as not just a hub for business, but a hub for ministry through which the whole of South East Asia can be reached out with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Another significant factor in Singapore is that, Christians are dispersed into all levels of Singaporean society, which when well tapped or networked can contribute wholesome societal change. The greatest need and hence our opportunity is the ‘Work-o-holic’ Singapore addicted to the hold of the mundane. Kingdom principles and perspectives need to be instilled among the work obsessed Singaporeans. Conclusion: As so much of Indian mission work has come to mean concentrating on people groups, villages, tribal people etc, focus on another large chunk of people has been compromised. Let us be open to viewing India and other nations through the eyes of God. May God open our eyes to look at the un-reached Urban Crowd, Corporate Sectors, Government Offices, Educational Campuses, Closed Countries, and Creative Access Countries. God sees people only as the saved and the lost; the reached and the un-reached; and as Christians and Missions we are meant to reach the un-reached and the lost, irrespective of what the term Mission work has come to represent. The Lord has a call for us wherever we are. The call to stand at the GAP! The call to care for nations! Rajesh Duthie Dr. Rajesh Duthie is serving as one of the Assistant Directors in GEMS. He heads the Research and Development department of GEMS. He also facilitates Tentmaking and Research Network of IMA (India Missions Association). Starting Trouble! What made them do it? Bone-crushing hunger, Frightful desperation, suicidal itch, heroic madness, hopeless guts, insane spark of logic, tombstone insight, survival tactic, divine destiny, God’s super-intension? Before you decide to call it ‘whatever’, hold-on, there is more! They do it again? This time call it can’t-keep-it-to-themselves-overflowing-abundance, fear of retribution, better-late-than-spontaneous inclination to share, and such. What is this build-up about? In bits, pieces and in-between the lines, it’s the story of the 4 Samaritan lepers that unfolds in 2Kings 7:3-10 that I am encouraging you to wonder about. Out of all of what unfolded, there are two distinct moments when they make up their minds to do something. It is these two moments and the line of unique variables that led to the two decisions that I am building up your attention towards and if I ended up achieving that, I would like to hold it there a wee bit more. The two lists of variables have a practical contemporary connection to what goes on in every professional Christian’s head when he goes through the ‘do-I-say’ or ‘do-I-not-say’ perplexity of workplace evangelism. The devil with his murky intentions or classical Christianity with its misplaced high intentions have made the first list of imaginary variables sink deep into every Christian’s thought-realm, that whenever workplace evangelism becomes a personal choice, these ‘call-it-whatever’ issues freezes him even before he would start. I am convinced that you don’t need to even consider the first list of variables to pass Jesus around in your workplace. If you look at the whole Samaritan incident as the bible depicts it as, it seems a perfect analogy for resolving personal workplace evangelism challenges. The devil builds up so much pre-hyper-heat about workplace evangelism, but the bible assures you that it just could be like the middle part of that story - walking in to a deserted enemy territory and claiming the free spoil. But it is a personal choice. If you want to be there, it’s a decision you got to make for yourself. That’s the truth on how you should handle the pre-hyper-heat. Coming back to the second list of variables, it is one that I earnestly urge you to consider. ‘Can’t-keep-it-to-themselves-overflowing-abundance, fear of retribution, better-late-than-spontaneous inclination to share, and such’. Maybe this is a list of issues that we all need to let linger in our conscious mind spaces. I am not attempting to dwell more than this into strengthening your Christian convictions of obligation and call to duty; rather I am convinced that you would make the personal choice of ‘yes-I-decide-say’ in your workplaces. This magazine space last time around answered the question on whether one can be a corporate missionary and promised more subsequent inputs in answering the how side of the question. Here it goes, four practical pointers to crack the mission field of your workplace: 1. Be Available - “Hey! You can count on me…” 2. Build Relationships - “Wow! You are doing a good job…” 3. Be Sensitive to the Felt Needs - “Oh! I understand I went through a similar phase…” 4. Be Prayerful - “O! Lord, hear my prayer for my coworkers!!...” Be Available: In the present day workplace, one of the biggest traps that a Christian falls into is that, he is not available for people. Do remember that God always used people who were available irrespective of their ability. “People don’t care how much you know till they know how much you care”. The only ability that’s a genuine eligibility is availability. When people know you are available, they will count on you. This creates an open door to share your faith. Of course, this comes at a cost. You cannot be available to people without that hurting you. Even when you don’t want to, even when you feel like saying ‘I-just-can’t’ and when you find it the most difficult; it is then that you need to be most Available. Having ‘Compassion’ for people helps, which will automatically enable you to enjoy being available for other people, to listen, to care, and to be with them and so on. Luke 10:33 - But a certain traveling Samaritan came upon him, and seeing him, he was filled with pity. (MKJV) Mar 6:31 And He said to them, come aside into a deserted place and rest a little. For there were many coming and going and they had no opportunity even to eat. (MKJV) In the Good Samaritan parable, the Samaritan, had his own things to accomplish, but when he happened to see the person in difficulty, made himself available. This is expected out of every Christian. In every walk of life, in every kind of moment we are expected to be available. In Mark, chapter 6 - Jesus is rejected in his own hometown, hears the news of his first cousin John’s sad demise, is physically exhausted, wants to be alone with his band, but didn’t have the heart to deny people with need. In both the above incidents, we find that “Compassion” led them to go the extra mile making themselves always available for people in need. Build Relationships: When two persons have something in common, a relationship begins. This is defining relationship in its most elementary form. But, to have a quality relationship, it needs to be “Worked On”. Relationship is a big topic in itself and here it is limited to a very basic practical understanding needed to build and work on relationships. Find common areas of interest and build your relationship starting from there. Once you find yourself in the ‘Accepted Realm’ of a person, they will listen to you. Act 17:23 For as I passed by and saw the things you worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Not knowing then whom you worship, I make Him known to you. (MKJV). Paul finds a common platform to communicate the Scripture meaningfully. It is no manipulation to build a genuine relationship with your peer while sharing the Faith. Conversation and activities in the common areas of interest will provide you the space, freedom and comfort to build relationships and make them count for better. Moreover, this gives us an opportunity to understand the person more clearly and Gospel can be shared in context to that person’s life Sports, Politics, Music, Art, etc. are few examples of areas you could trace a common interest with your peers. Only be cautioned to avoid loose moral conversations and activities that could pave your own spiritual downfall. Keep the bar safely high, and don’t sell yourself cheap by trying to please everyone or every bit of someone. Be Sensitive to the Felt Needs: Felt needs, are areas of active struggle in a person’s life which are real and genuine. Only the Lord is able to fulfill the felt needs of any man. Identify that area and introduce Jesus - the only way, the truth and the life. But let them be informed that Jesus promises no shortcuts to ‘nirvana’. Accepting Jesus is only a Start. For the solution of problems and completeness of life it requires growth within Him. Once relationship with Christ is initiated, discipleship has to follow, which most often than not, involves TIME. Luke 5:5-8 Simon said to Him, Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing. Yet at Your word I will let down the net. (6) And doing this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish. And their net was being torn. (7) And they signaled the partners, those in the other boat, to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they were sinking. (8) And seeing, Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord. Here Peter is in need. In outspoken terms it is strictly business! Jesus answers the felt need of Peter and it paves the way for Peter to accept Jesus as his Saviour. The business need being met seems like having pulled strings within his heart and making him realize that he is a sinner, making him aware of a deeper need; that is the need of Jesus. So watch out for unmet needs of your colleagues, for they could be doorways of their salvation. And these unmet needs could be physical, emotional, relational, mental or spiritual. A possible way to identify an un-met felt need of a person is to trace an exhibited sense of frustration or irritation due to failure or insecurities. Smarting from past hurts is a felt need too which when healed could trigger a more God conscious conscience. Be Prayerful: you come across many people in life who are smart in seemingly outsmarting the Gospel message itself. In the times that you happen to be the person sharing the message and find yourself cornered for truth by force of argument by a smart and aggressive colleague, quite often you find yourself being despised too. It is possible that there is a hidden spiritual context that requires prayer to unravel. Deal the situation spiritually while sharing the Gospel. Prayer is one of the key elements which cannot be ignored nor substituted. For we know that everything has a root spiritual implication. If we take grip of the implication in the Spiritual Realm in the authority of the Holy Spirit, He can help in releasing people from Satan’s bondages and thereby bring them into God’s Kingdom. Mark 9: 17-29 “He replied, this kind of spirit can come out only by prayer…” (29). In a normal practical view, the disciples had the right intentions and were formally empowered by the Lord Himself, but they faced outright defeat because of the lack of prayer. A person who is not able to be controlled by anyone might have spiritual bondages that need to be dealt with in the spiritual realm by Jesus. So ‘go in’ after having strengthened and prepared yourself with adequate prayer. Be Available! Build Relationships! Be Sensitive to the Felt Needs! Be Prayerful! A PROFIT (PROfessionals Fellowship of International Talents) recommended formula to succeed as a CORPORATE MISSIONARY. Arun Venkit Arun Venkit serves as the Research Associate in GEMS R&D and also as the International Facilitator of PROFIT a mission initiative of GEMS for equipping professionals to be directly involved in workplace evangelism. When God is not spelt JESUS We live in deceptively seducing times rampant with irreverent cynicism and in an age when people have a form of godliness but deny its power, as was fore-warned in 2Timothy 3:5 so as it would fore-arm us for the last days. When we crack the contemporary issues of the world around us using the bible as key, we are all the more quickened to appreciate and give in to the truth it reveals. ‘When God is not spelt JESUS’(WGINSJ) derives no influence from possible conspiracy theories on how Barack Obama could possibly be the Antichrist or any other ‘doctrine of fear’ leveraging the dread of the ‘Abomination of desolation’. Rather it draws upon the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who shows wonders in the heavens above, signs on the earth below, and guides us into all truths before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord, by convicting us of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. ‘WGINSJ’ in bits and pieces is the poignant contemporary story about the country called United States of America and the almost tragic Christian moral it imparts. America was founded a Christian nation and its constitution declared that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. The founding fathers of America were not just passionate in keeping their Christian faith personal but were also explicitly outgoing in injecting it into the foundations of their government. Even as many look upon modern day America, there are remnant signs to suggest its Christian origin. For example, “God bless America” is a phrase that even Hollywood reveres and was famously used as a slogan by the patriarchs of America. The dollar note till not so long ago used to contain a small quote "In God we trust". However, these signs that indicate America as a Christian nation are merely the few remains of the foundation of true Christianity that America was once built upon. In America not long ago, God and His word were at the very heart of the nation where the BIBLE was proclaimed as the absolute truth. It was the love for God and respect for who He is that brought people to try to live morally and in accordance with Scripture. Such respect for God can be seen in the words of one of America’s forefathers, President Lincoln (1861-1865), “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Here we see a President willing to place God above all others and not afraid to boldly declare God to be the One around whom our lives should revolve, rather than God revolving around our lives. The first president of America, George Washington is known for his famous quote: It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. George Washington, rightly called the Father of America was an exemplary Christian and one who was an epitome of America’s stance as a Christian nation. America has welcomed a new horizon as Barack Obama has taken over as the 44th President of the USA. However, will this be a new beginning for God to be restored to His rightful place or will this so called Christian country simply fall further away from their Christian beginnings and from proclaiming the true identity of God? Obama is a professing Christian, whose speeches do often give reference to God. However, his speeches do not always seem to profess the God of the Bible as strongly and clearly as some of his predecessors and some of his ethics seem to conflict with the Bible’s teaching. It is possible that his faith in God is genuine and Biblical; however, it is also possible that the faith he proclaims is a faith that concurs with the new diluted American version of God. Christianity was once understood, respected and declared by America as the absolute truth, but new age and free thinking has created a new line of thought which claims no absolute truth. This line of American thought proclaims that you can believe what you want and no one should be able to tell you that you are wrong. This is something the next generation is eagerly accepting with tolerance being over-emphasized in religious studies at schools. While tolerance to other beliefs and religions is necessary and right, it seems that America has gone beyond that to elevate these other beliefs and religions to a level equal with Christianity. Christianity, while still talked about and practiced by many, for much of America it has become simply a religion that is listed along with many others. The God of Christianity is no longer set apart and exalted above all others. For many the God has become a god. By dishonoring the God of the Bible, the morals of the Bible have also lost their inviolability. Without the absolute truth of God to support moral principles, people have less of a conviction to live by those morals. The following analogy explains more clearly this principle: Consider five year old stealing sweets from a shop and having got away with the act. He is told by a friend another five year old friend not to steal sweets. Having managed a successful lift the boy knows that if he does steal sweets there will be no consequences as his friend does not have the authority to tell him what to do. However, if the boy is told by his father not to steal sweets, the boy knows that he must obey because his father has authority over him and there will be consequences if he disobeys. It is not the moral message that makes the young boy obedient, but it is who commands him that becomes important. Without the authority of his father the boy decided there was no reason to not do as he wished. Sadly, this same thinking has become true for many in America, without God there becomes seemingly little reason for individuals to not do as they wish. The tragic effect of this thinking becomes clear when we consider the following statistics. In America there is one murder every 22 minutes, one rape every 5 minutes, one robbery every 49 seconds, and one burglary every 10 seconds. These are shocking statistics for a nation that many refer to as Christian. It is clear however, as previously mentioned, that the name of God has not completely disappeared from the lips of America. Many A-list celebrities are heard confessing their thanks to God, and have declared themselves Christian with the genuine belief that they are Christian, when by biblical standards and truths; this is clearly not the case. The answer is that their society and country have diluted Christianity and along with the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, according to these diluted standards, they are Christian. Much of America lives in the delusional mindset of a new age generation that cries out “if it feels good, do it” and “do whatever makes you happy”. It seems that they have tried to adapt Christianity to not stand out from, but to harmonize with these new age principles. They have become delusional to who God really is and created God to be who they desire Him to be. Therefore, although there are some genuine Christians throughout America, for many the Christianity they claim is merely a Christianity fabricated by human convenience and conception. This once great Christian nation seems to be in an awful spiritual state where widely either God has been left out completely or been replaced by a new American god. ‘WGINSJ’ is no comprehensive case presentation of American society but just a contemporary snapshot of the obviously prevalent. But it is an attempt to caution Christendom of similar decays of spiritual truths, fervor, values, standards and stances that might set into our lives, our societies and our churches. Beware of small inroads of the devil. Beware of all stances, cults, people, fellowships and doctrines representing the seeming harmony of religions and the promotion of universal good-values such as democracy, peace, fraternity, art of living, etc, but fail to mention it as according to what our Lord Jesus ordains it in His Bible. If you give in to such ‘make-yourself-feel-better’ orientations you are in for diversion and deception on the long run. Cracking the Contemporary using the Bible as key equips us to be loyal unto death for our Lord. If you would want to be counted among the faithful and not to be duped by the master of slow evil deception, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit of God and draw upon His strength and inspiration. But, you could also do this! Remember the ‘WGINSJ’ story of United States of America. Vicky Gibson Vicky Gibson is an Irish student of theology who visited GEMS for Indian mission exposure as part of her curriculum. If God can use a donkey, God can use [Insert your name] Long, long time ago in a land where kings ruled, the temple reigned and men farmed, something amazing happened to a little donkey named Sam. You see, Sam the Colt was a young fellow with great imagination, wild dreams and spades of impudent determination. Mostly, he aspired to be like his big, strong and talented dad. His dad, Abbott went on long adventurous trips, helped their owner, Mr. Nathan herd goats and even carried all the harvest to the market. Sam always wanted to help, he wanted to do grown up things; he wanted to be useful just like his dad. However things never worked out for Sam; whenever he attempted to lend a hand or a hoof in Sam’s case, it always ended in disaster. One day Mr. Nathan planned a trip across the river to a distant land to sell some of the precious colored wool; collected from the sheep on the farm. Sam decided without telling his dad that he would join the trip and help lead the way, just like his dad always did. Sam’s dad had such a keen sense of direction; Sam believed it was hereditary. “I am sure I can help lead the way”, Sam thought. As Mr. Nathan was leaving for the long journey across the river, Sam tagged along without the knowledge of Mr. Nathan, or his father. Sam decided he would go ahead of the other donkeys and lead the way; since it was quite dark and no one would suspect it was him until sunrise. Sam would than take the credit for leading the way, once they arrived at their destination. An hour had passed by and Sam continued to gallop at a steady pace, making sure to follow the trodden path. However, Sam was not used to not having any light, or any experience to lead the way. There was a fork in the path up ahead, but Sam did not notice; he continued to the right, as the only light on offer was the shine from the moon. After two hours of forceful trotting, Mr. Nathan was in dire confusion when they had not reached their pit stop. All the donkeys needed some rest and water. Mr. Nathan soon realized that they were lost. He came to the head of the line and realized that Sam was leading the way. Mr. Nathan was quite upset and replied “Sam, You got us lost!” “Could we be lost?” Sam thought. “No way! We can’t be lost, I am genealogically prone to find the way, just like my Dad” Sam was lost even in his thoughts. Sam soon realized that he had made a mess of the whole trip. Sam was so terribly sad, because they were lost. Sam was not one to give up easily, so the next day, Sam thought that he could help herd the goats with the other donkeys, so he went along. “How hard could it be?” he thought. “I always see the other donkeys doing it; all I have to do is run after the goats.” So that is exactly what Sam did, he ran after a goat, “I am going to be the best herd donkey ever”, he thought and so he ran and ran after the goat. He heard some yelling from behind, “I guess the other donkeys are cheering for me” he said to himself. “I’ll show them, I am the best herd donkey ever”. Until suddenly, it started to rain and he stopped running and looked around. He couldn’t believe it, where was everybody else? He looked around and saw the herd in the far distance. “Oh no! I chased this goat in the wrong direction!” Sam realized. He slowly walked back to the farm without the goat. He was so embarrassed. “What is everyone going to think of me, not only did I herd in the wrong direction, but I lost a goat” he thought. As he finally reached the farm, the other donkeys gave him derisive looks and jeered, saying “Sam is so dumb; he can’t even herd one goat”. Sam was so terribly sad, because he felt dumb. Sam woke the next day and felt the sun shine on his face. His fur all clean after the drench-wash in yesterday’s rain, he felt a new sense of hope to do something useful. Sam decided to help Mr. Nathan carry the morning farm items to the market. Sam always wanted to carry things like his big strong Dad. So he got up real early the next day and prepared to wait at the gate to make sure Mr. Nathan will choose Sam to take to the market. Mr. Nathan was already upset that a goat was missing and that he had gotten them lost previously. However, Mr. Nathan was a kind fellow who loved God and gave everyone a chance, even young Sam. So as Sam waited at the gate, Mr. Nathan came out and said “Not you again! You want to help but you are too weak to carry the heavy load to market”. Sam hee-hawed saying “No! I’m strong, just try me!” Mr. Nathan understood that Sam wanted to help, so he said “Okay, I’ll give you a chance”. Mr. Nathan slowly lifted the milk and eggs onto Sam’s back, one by one. “This is not that heavy, ha! It is so light!” Sam thought as Mr. Nathan had put 10 jars of milk. Next Mr. Nathan loaded another 10 jars of milk of the other side of Sam’s back. “Okay it’s a little heavy, but I can bear this”, Sam thought. Next Mr. Nathan loaded 10 dozen eggs on top of the jars. “I’m sure that dad doesn’t carry this much to the market, this is really heavy, but that’s okay, the market is not that far away” Sam thought. Mr. Nathan took hold of the rope and lead Sam. Just as Sam took his first step, he placed one of his hoofs in a ditch, Sam tripped, and couldn’t keep his balance due to the heavy load, and he fell. The eggs flew up in the air and crashed on Mr. Nathan’s head and the jars broke and milk puddled the ground. “Oh no!” Mr. Nathan shouted “I knew you were too weak to carry the load!” Mr. Nathan lamented. Sam felt dreadful; he had completely destroyed all the items Mr. Nathan needed to bring to the market. Sam was so terribly sad, because he felt so weak. As Sam returned back home, Mr. Nathan tied Sam off at the doorway of his house on the street, so that he could get cleaned up before taking Sam to the Farmhouse. For the first time in Sam’s life he felt so sad that tears began to fill his eyes, his heart began to wobble and his head was locked towards the ground. All Sam wanted to do is be useful, just like his dad, but every time he tried, he just failed. Everyone thought he was lost, dumb or weak; and now Sam too thought the same. What was the point of being a donkey, if he couldn’t do anything? Just then, Sam heard the voice of two men running towards him yelling “There’s the donkey!” He looked up and at once felt joy beyond measure “Are they talking about me? Are they calling me? They couldn’t be, could they?” Sam wondered. Sam was startled when the two men reached him, and started to untie him. Sam hee-hawed so loud that even Mr. Nathan heard the loud commotion and came to see what was going on. When Mr. Nathan saw what was happening, he questioned the two, even though he was frustrated with Sam saying “What are you doing, are you trying to steal my donkey?” When the two men raised their faces and looked at him; Mr. Nathan had something unexplainable happen within himself. All of the frustration and anger that Mr. Nathan felt towards Sam disappeared. At once he was remorseful at the way he had treated this young donkey. The two men then replied “The Lord has need for this donkey; we will return this young colt after using him.” At once, without question and unlike Mr. Nathan, he replied, “yes, take him.” Even though Sam was startled and didn’t know these men, he felt such delight at the thought of being used for the Lord. The two men lead Sam to the village of Bethphage at the Mount of Olives and placed clean cloths on his back. The men were readying Sam for the Lord; but Sam felt insecure. “What if I get lost when I lead the way? What if He thinks I’m too dumb? What if, I’m too weak to carry Him?” Sam thought. Just then, Sam looked up and he saw the most enduring eyes. They called him “Jesus”. Jesus gave Sam a good pat on the back, a great sense of peace overwhelmed Sam. All the questions that made him feel weak, dumb and lost were suddenly answered. Sam with his quintessential hope said to himself “I am going to be used for the Lord”. Jesus smiled at Sam, (like he knew exactly what Sam was thinking). Jesus climbed on to Sam, and Sam felt strong. A great multitude of people were gathered to see Jesus. Sam started to slowly trot through the crowd, knowing precisely what way he should go; since Jesus was with him he knew he would never be lost. As he entered the crowd, the people exclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of David!, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” The large crowd laid down there cloaks and waved palm branches. All this happened to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the Daughter of Zion ‘See your king comes to you gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. Before Sam was even born, God had a great purpose for him. God looked down at the heart of Sam, because he was so eager to be used. God used Sam for a great purpose; he was the chosen donkey that Jesus rode on. Jesus, the King of King and Lord of Lords chose Sam. The moral of this story is: If God can use a donkey; he can use [INSERT YOUR NAME]. Anne is a Canadian volunteer who served in the GEMS Hospital on a short termcommission. What keeps you awake at night Night; makes one feel inconspicuous; provides a restful emptiness; is mysterious by evoking a sense of potential and possibility. Black is the colour of night and so too is the colour of thoughts. There is something about black that makes one feel hidden away in it. Black is the color that absorbs everything. It’s the colour we obtain when we mix various colours. So also when our minds contemplate certain complex waves of thoughts, perhaps our mind becomes like a melting pot mixing contradicting notions and then our feelings become darker and darker until they become predominantly black. In the still night In the deepest, darkest night Where there is no moonlight Where there’s not even candlelight Where there’s no light Under my bed, or in my head Monsters lurk! Night is the time when the mind reflects and it is natural that young people’s thoughts turn to the one ‘object of desire’ that captures their imagination, triggers their passion and exposes their vulnerabilities. Not a young man or woman goes through the fleeting fantasy of youth-hood without those sleepless nights, with their minds churning with powerful feelings for that one dimple-cheeked sweet dolly girl or that blue eyed Romeo. Here a story for you to understand the outcome of it all. Dolly could not sleep! She looked out of the window; it would take long before the sun rose. She felt very lonely; her world had imploded. She didn’t want to face the day ahead. Tears were streaming down her eyes. Hadn’t God warned her a humpty number of times? -and her parents too that Tom was in reality a flirt and would ditch her sooner or later. Dolly had been so passionately involved about Tom that she had dreamt of him all the time. Yes! He was going to be the man – her man. She had spent many a sleepless night deriving pleasure dreaming of her love. She was so soaked into her dreams that she was prepared to die for them to come true; but she had only waited to see her dreams crash!!!!! It all began on a rainy June day, none of her friends had come to college, and in fact only a few students had come. Dolly sat all by herself, wondering what lay in the day’s folded fist. That is when she saw him, a tall-dark-handsome young guy walking towards her. She acted as if she didn’t notice him but then he sat in the bench next to hers and looked straight into her eyes. A current passed through her body- that was …… the notorious guy of the college -Tom. Was she to…just shun his presence…or be rude to him and cut his friendship right away? After all she was bored? What was wrong in enjoying his company? All her friends had boy friends; probably they thought she was not capable of having one, or pretty enough to. It will be pure friendship and she as ever before would draw a line there. They began to talk initially about their subjects, then about their lecturers, interesting books and then their own likes and dislikes……The talk was getting more and more personal. Suddenly Tom threw a personal remark on her beautiful hair, smile and her ringing laugh. Never before had she felt so good. She wanted to just keep on talking to him. When they went to the games ground, she kept watching and admiring the way he played. Indeed he was the best football player of her college! Tom very well knew that he had been successful in making enticing claim to this sweet innocent girl’s virgin heart. The day came to an end and the NIGHT came and Dolly’s mind was a melting pot of feelings. Tom’s thoughts kept racing back and forth in her mind. She couldn’t sleep the whole night. She didn’t want it otherwise too, for there seemed to be a curious kind of pleasure in imagining, dreaming and inferring warmth out of all that had and had not come to pass. She thought this was what people called as ‘Love’ and that now it had come her way and she had to respond too. But she was in a dilemma about- Was she right? Dolly was actually a shy girl who limited the world around herself. Although she had many friends, no-one ever understood the deep urges of her heart. She always felt a vacuum within her. She herself could never clearly address her longing, let alone others to ever understand her. With all these thoughts in her head she chose to convince herself that her parents might call her ‘bad’, her friends would have no genuine concern for her, and would use her story as good gossip to spread round. In her mind she convinced herself that she was on the right track. The next day, she took special interest in adorning herself for Tom. She was waiting to see him. Although it was raining, Dolly decided to go to school pushing away the advice of her parents. How everything about her seemed to have changed so very fast seemed to first shock her! But then her mind convinced her that this was who she was always meant to be. How very obedient she had been to her parents! But now she just wanted them to stay away from her. Even before she stepped out of the college bus, she saw Tom running towards her with an umbrella in his hand. The story that she had built up in her head last night seemed true and colorful. “Tom really loves me! How much concern he has for me!” were Dolly unspoken thoughts. Tom held the umbrella for Dolly and walked very close to her. A new feeling surged through her - ‘Tom was hers’. Dolly felt proud as her friends looked at her and assumed that it was envy in their eyes. All advices; from bosom buddies; caring professors and concerned elders fell on deaf ears as more days spent with Tom and even more nights spent dreaming about him kept Dolly in a trance. Though she respected most of the people in that list and distantly understood their concern, long nights spent deriving pleasure out of stimulating and lustful thoughts of Tom overpowered her. The climax was when Tom even proposed to her. She felt vindicated about all her thoughts and energy spent tossing them within her all those several nights. Then came the unexpected day- It was exactly a year since Tom proposed to her and Dolly hadn’t met Tom for days…She had wondered why he seemed to just avoid her these days. After all everyone knew of their affair; she had even talked it out with her parents. After a lot of hesitation, they had to consent. With questions in her head Dolly stumbled upon Tom in the canteen. Dolly would have shouted a greeting, which was when she saw him touch the hair of Pinky - a popular girl at college who was extremely pretty. She was close enough to hear Tom say- “I have never seen any girl with such pretty hair as yours”. Dolly just turned back and ran. It was night and Dolly could not sleep! She looked out of the window; it would take long before the sun rose. She felt very lonely; her world had imploded; she didn’t want to face the day ahead. Tears were streaming down her eyes. Hadn’t God, family and friends warned her humpty number of times? She had spent many a sleepless night deriving pleasure dreaming of her love and now the price for those cheap thoughts seem to be painfully high, for the same pleasurable nights seem to come back to haunt her. Dolly not wanting to face any one in college dragged herself to the college chapel, to cry by herself. Probably the pouring out would pacify her, she reckoned. The verse written on the blackboard brought deep regret to Dolly “I wouldn’t listen to my teachers. I paid no attention to them. And suddenly I found myself publicly disgraced” Proverbs 6: 25 & 35. Well, this was her story too. A special group had come to the chapel that day. As Dolly walked in, God was in the song they sang that day, for it captured the exact words ringing in her heart. It went like this…… She was young and beautiful. She captured my heart with a smile She was anytime on the phone I talked to her all the time She said that she loved me And would be with me all my life. (Oh)But she lied all the time, She had many others on her mind. She wasted all my time and made me cry all night. All these things made me recall Proverbs Chapter 5 Honey dripped from her lips Smoother were her words I loved her more and more And gave her all of my time I thought that she is the one And the only women of my life The preacher’s sermon was on Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent”. Dolly now realized that there was still hope for her. She felt as if every word was spoken just for her. Yes, God had sent his angels there for her sake so that she would repent. How loving and caring this God was, who she had not listened to all these days and all those nights! That night tears of repentance flowed down her cheeks. And in no time love, joy, peace and hope flooded into her heart and an assurance that it comes with no hidden painful costs. My Jesus I cried out You filled me I’d been waiting to fill You finally filled No matter who you are, if you are young you will have to deal with and conquer the NIGHT and its base issues. Not all lessons need to be as painfully learnt as was by Dolly. There is a much easier way. All of Bible shows that God has his own plans for the night. God has revealed himself in visions to so many of his children from Jacob to Paul during the nights; the Israelites were liberated out of Egyptian captivity during the night; Gideon tested God in the night; Nehemiah used the night to scout and sketch the Jerusalem-wall-architecture-project; Lord moved kings like Artaxerxes to do his bidding during the night; God gives His children songs to sing in the night; People have secretly sought Jesus in the nights; and God’s heavenly dew fell in the night to prepare for manna to fall upon it in the morning. So nights can be a revelation, or can be used for preparing yourself to receive fresh revelations for tomorrow or also to communicate a whole range of emotions to God like David did. In the book of Job, the Bible says that in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, God may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn man from wrong doing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. Take care of what you do in the nights, restrain your thoughts or even better, call on Him to share His secrets and reveal His mysteries. And nights will never be the same again. Till that day without letting the night dawn upon us; let the light shine amidst the encircling gloom of the darkest of nights. Be sure to analyze and introspect the moments of the day and repent, correct and redirect your thoughts and life in line to God’s best. Sleep well or dream about God. But choose in between the two; that is good. So, as you settle in to your cozy bed tonight ask yourself, WHAT KEEPS ME AWAKE AT NIGHT? Angeline Mariyosh Angeline Mariyosh works as English teacher in GEMS English School, Bihar & is married to GEMS missionary J.Mariyosh If God can use a donkey, God can use [Insert your ... Can't say NO! Every man has a Call	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line115
__label__cc	0.657921	0.342079	The Gu’ Band - Showcasing the Pang Instruments of PANArt We featured the Gu’ Band briefly in a post we published earlier in the year titled, Gamelan, and the Pang Orchestra - which discussed the connection between the instruments/sound-sculptures of PANArt (the Hang makers), and the Gamelan instruments of Indonesia. And while PANArt themselves may have moved on somewhat from their original Hang design (which would become the prototype for the entire Handpan instrument-type), it’s natural that most fans of the Handpan should have an at least partial interest in what the parents of the Handpan are up to, and putting out, with each subsequent new addition to the Pang family of sound-sculptures. And as it turns out, one of the best ways of doing this, is by following the activities of the musical ensemble going by the name of "Gu’ Band". An outfit that features exclusively the Pang instruments of PANArt. And primarily the newer Pang instruments, such as the Hang Bal, Hang Gudu, and Gubal... The unprecedented access that the Gu' Band appear to have to PANArt's complete range of next-generation Pang instruments suggests that PANArt themselves could be involved in some manner with the project. Or at the very least, have given it their blessing. And in addition to featuring PANArt's next generation percussive instruments, and the original Hang, the Gu' Band are the only place we've yet to see in use (other than PANArt's own videos) the stringed Pang Sui, Pang Sai, and Pang Sei... You can hear more from the Gu' Band over at YouTube: HERE. Or find them at Facebook: HERE Post Date: December 18, 2016 Fixing Broken PANArt Hang (and Other Handpan) - With Blesspan When towards the end of 2011 PANArt withdrew their previous offer of re-tuning, and maintenance work for their earlier Hang instruments (anything prior to the Free Integral Hang if we remember correctly, though certainly for first, and second generation Hanghang) thousands of Hang owners suddenly found themselves with nowhere to turn, should their Instrument (sound-sculpture) become detuned, or fall foul to some other tragedy. And while very few things these days come with any kind of life-time warranty, with the ability to tune Hang, and/or Handpan, being an especially rare skill (particularly at the time), to say it was a godsend, when some of the newer makers began to extend offers to pick-up where PANArt had left off, and provide tuning services for the Handpan’s earliest Swiss incarnations, would be underselling it. And one of the first to officially offer maintenance work for Hang in need (and other Handpan) was Italian Handpan maker, Tommaso Varriale, of Blesspan. Who according to the resume on his website, has to date retuned at least thirteen PANArt Hang. And below you can watch him perform a complete restoration of a first generation PANArt Hang, in Yu Shang Diao tuning... And while PANArt employee, Micheal Paschko, raised The Ship of Theseus conundrum over at YouTube (now removed) regarding Tommaso’s work - with PANArt no longer offering to re-tune or repair earlier Hang themselves, the argument is essentially moot in this instance. And of far more use are the videos provided by Tomasso Varriale, of some of his previous work on Hang, to which those in need can listen, and decide for themselves… You can find more information on the re-tuning services offered by Blesspan: HERE The MEINL Range of Sonic Energy Harmonic Art Handpan It has been impossible to move through Handpan-circles this last week without stumbling across talk of German percussion manufacturer and distributor MEINL’s first foray into the Handpan market. Bringing with it renewed talk of the “Yamahang”, a term that has been in use since at least as far back as 2009 (and likely before) to describe the oft-feared-by-many introduction of a mass-produced Handpan, that would with its birth suck all traces of artistic-integrity from the art-form. And force trend-setter types the world over to ditch the now soul-less instrument in numbers - in favour of some other newly discovered and hard to acquire fad. While for the rest of us, MEINL’s newly introduced range of Handpan represent nothing more than yet another option to be considered under their own merits (or lack thereof depending). At time of posting MEINL are offering three different sound models / tunings, under the title of “Sonic Energy Harmonic Art Handpan“, each priced at 2.490,00 € (approx $2650), including bag, and protective shell (and you can see how this compares price-wise to a handful of other brands: HERE). Unfortunately though, there's nothing in the way of audio, or video being offered up by MEINL to demo their new Handpan range over on their site (that we can find). But thanks to YouTube user, borisak, you can at least catch a brief soundcheck of one of the MEINL pans (below). Arguably more interesting, and relevant to MEINL's newly offered range of Handpan, than the whole YamaHang debate (which has been levied against at least half a dozen other "non-conforming" Handpan operations over the years), is the origin of these particular instruments. Because while these may be a new offering from MEINL, Colombian Handpan makers, "Harmonic Art", who appear to be producing these on MEINL's behalf, are certainly no new entity to the world of Handpan. And while some might consider Harmonic Art's own past to be among the most controversial and checkered in Handpan history, their instruments have certainly shown considerable improvement since their earliest days. And with sound-samples for the MEINL range of Handpan being thin on the ground at time of posting. Should you be considering purchase - you might do well to take a listen to some of Harmonic Art's own videos (below). In order to gain a more thorough idea of approximately what it is that you might be spending your money on. And/or possibly even grab yourself a better deal by purchasing directly from the makers (though it's worth pointing out that when purchasing the MEINL range through distributor Thomann you receive a thirty day money back guarantee, and a three year warranty, which may, or may not be offered when purchasing directly)... What Kind of Handpan Could $800 (or Less) Buy You at eBay? (2016) Loiter too long in certain Handpan hotspots on the internet, and you will find yourself force-fed such dogma as “Rule number one: NEVER buy on eBay!”. Here at HPM, we tend to be of the opinion that any kind of advice that comes in blanket-form, is usually of a very low quality . If we were Star Wars geeks (and we are a little) we might state that “Only Sith deal in absolutes”. And being Handpan-Jedi through-and through, we would ourselves instead advise caution, accompanied by an open mind. And here’s why… What kind of Handpan Could $800 (or less) buy you at eBay? In a recent post we established that the average cost of a Handpan when purchased directly from a known/established maker is somewhere around the $2000 mark. And while as far as we’re concerned, that is a fine and fair price for a quality handmade instrument, it feels fair to say that that price point was set at the highest wave of Handpan-madness - when it was near impossible to get your hands on a decent Handpan of any kind, and instruments by the likes of Pantheon Steel were selling for as much as $15,000.00 at open auction. Things have changed a little since then though. And during mid-2016 we announced having added our one hundredth name to our list of Handpan makers. And while prices have been slowly falling over at eBay (a marketplace we monitor closely), very few of the more established makers have really tested their price-point at open auction following this past years influx of new builders. And the only one who has in more recent times, found that the prices people were “happy” to pay (even if they might be willing to pay more in a closed sale), had fallen considerably. So, with this post, for comparison purposes, first we’ll be sharing a video of a Handpan from the Saraz team that sold recently in way of direct sale via their website for the cost of $2400. And we're singling out Saraz here only due to the fact that as makers they are now about as established as any are, and because we have a known price point for the sale of this particular instrument which was sold recently via flash-sale... And then next we'll share videos of the last three Handpan that sold via eBay over the last few weeks at under $800 (at a combined cost of $2157 for the three instruments)... (1) Handpan Hand Steel Drum Q-Handpan Shaolin Scale (Sold for $777)... (2) Handpan by Logam Acoustic ''Agnima" (Sold for $730)... (3) handpan prototype pantam percussion with heat treatments (Sold for $650)... Of course, price isn't necessarily the only factor a prospective Handpan purchaser should be considering. But for some it could be a deciding factor. And for comparison purposes, hopefully this post demonstrates what kind of instruments do come up for sale for your consideration at auction at the sub-$800 price point, at time of posting. Leaving readers free to decide how much of, and where they choose to spend their money - for themselves. Get the latest eBay Handpan Auctions shared to your Facebook news feed How Much Does a HandPan Cost? - Average Price (2016) “How much does a Handpan cost?” is one of those questions that we find people frequently reaching this website researching. And with there now being well over one hundred known makers at time of posting, it is not a question that can easily be answered in simple terms. Each Handpan maker charges whatever price they are willing to sell their instruments for, and ultimately, that is the cost of any given Handpan. However, to give readers a rough idea of how much money they could be looking at spending on the purchase of a Handpan, it’s easy enough to take some known prices and figure out the average. And so with that in mind, below are the last known prices we could find being charged by a handful of established makers. Followed by the average cost of a Handpan, based on these prices (in U.S. dollars). Zephyr: $1479 Harmonic Art: $1700 Spacedrum: $1507 Vision Instruments: $1400 Panstream: $1450 Dave’s Island Instruments: $1800 Innersound: $2260 Tzevaot: $2800 Saraz $2400 Pantheon Steel Halo $3000 Average = $1979 As you can see from the above list of prices the cost of a Handpan can vary considerably. And in real-world scenarios such things as geographic locations, shipping costs, and currency exchange rates are deserving of greater consideration. But based purely on the data above, we can take the average price of a Handpan when purchased directly from a maker to be close to the $2000 mark (at time of posting). The Echo Sound Sculpture DuBas - Bass Handpan A number of Handpan makers have experimented with the concept of a “Bass Handpan”, including both Pantheon Steel, and Aura. And recently it has been the turn of Switzerland-based makers Echo Sound Sculpture to unveil their experiments in this area, with the release of video footage of the ESS “DuBas”... When it comes to Handpan, essentially, the lower the note, the larger the space required upon the dome for the tone-field. Which is why the DuBas from ESS in the video above features only three notes (and three Ding-like structures to allow for Ding-singing). However to make optimum use of the additional surface space available, in this second video (below) ESS have mixed things up by also squeezing three TaK’s in between the tone-fields, for increased sonic-diversity… Designing an Electronic Handpan Tone-Field - with Lumen Attempts to produce an electronic version of the Handpan have been appearing on our radar here at HPM since back in 2011, with “Dome Control”, by Sonic Fingers. And the more recently announced “Oval”. However, one of the main concerns with these new digital versions of the Handpan, is whether they could in any way replicate the subtle nuances of the Handpan, or would ultimately turn out to be little more than expensive Handpan-shaped MIDI controllers. With one of the main issues in this area being the function and sensitivity of any given electronic Handpans tone-fields. In their most simplistic definition, “tone-fields” are often thought of as being the "notes" that make up a Handpans scale,or sound-model. But in reality, the tone-fields of a well-tuned Handpan are more complex than that, incorporating such things as overtones, and octaves, and harmonics. And with earlier electronic Handpan like the Dome Control being lacking in even basic velocity sensitivity - any real world comparison between digital Handpan, and the real thing, has thus far been bleak (though the Oval also shows promise). However, recent updates from the team behind the development of the Lumen Electro-Accoustic Handpan, have shown that this is an issue very much at the forefront of their minds. With the announcement of their newly designed sensors. That have been constructed to offer force-measurements across ten different zones (see right). Combined with an intention to use this technology to more closely mimic the complexities of a hand-tuned Handpan. Unfortunately at time of posting there is still very little in the way of actual audio/video footage of the Lumen out there for consumption. Other than the original video of the prototype (below). But design updates such as the new sensors, and other recently announced refinements are suggestive of a strong desire to produce an electronic Handpan that offers as close an experience (and perhaps in some ways more than) its steel-made counterpart. And with the first Lumen expected to reach their owners come January, 2017. We don't have too long now to wait, to see if they hit their mark. You can get the latest on the Lumen over at their Facebook page: HERE Post Date: October 29, 2016 The Handpan Art of SoHung While traditionally Steel Tongue Drum have made up the flashier looking members of the melodic steel UFO family, with the outward beauty of Handpan being a little more subtle. As makers from around the world have begun to experiment with, and tweak almost every other aspect of the instrument type, visual appeal too, is a quality that has not been forgotten entirely. So that whereas the first generation of Hang were fairly simple looking creatures, increasingly the instruments of some makers, are becoming as pleasing to the eyes, as they are to the ears. That said, It is likely that preference in terms of looks will vary considerably person-to-person, but if you’re a fan of the more highly ornate looking creations, such as the instruments of Vadjraghanta - you might also find pleasing the recent Handpan-art of Russian-makers, SoHung. Historically, the painting of Handpan has been discouraged among the Handpan community, due to a belief that paint restricts the vibrations of the Handpan, and dulls the sound. However when questioned over at Facebook as to how these Handpan are decorated,the answer came that: “This special drawings with inks and polish that allows us to use high temperatures if tuning is needed and also it prevents the pan from scratches and rust.” For more information and to follow the SoHung Art experiment you can join their Facebook group. Or find them at YouTube. At-TaK of the UFOs - The Handpan and the Rise of the TaK When we first discovered the Hang a whiles back now, it seemed to be an instrument in a fairly concrete state of form - eight tone-fields (notes) circling a central ding. Since then though have come the inpex, booty taps, grace notes, and a number of other maker-explorations big and small. And recently, one thing we’re seeing more and more of, is the “TaK”. A subtle, yet distinctive addition to the sounds of these UFO-shaped steel instruments. While we weren't entirely sure which maker first employed the TaK, as we noticed them coming into use around the same time by both Swiss-makers Echo Sound Sculptures, and Italian-makers Vision Instruments. According to Handpan musician, Adrian Portia, in reference to the mutant-esque Handpan “LoDu” instruments of ESS (see video below): “On my signature model i have introduced what i call TaKs. The TaK is a tuned high pitch note/tone that's placed in designated areas around the surface, designed by me and produced by EchoSoundSculpture they add a new percussive element for the player on this very cool and unique sounding instrument.”... While in definition the TaK sounds to be similar to the "grace notes" employed by Pantheon Steel on some of their Halo instruments. While grace-notes are essentially just another tone field squeezed in above-and-between, TaK (just about visible in the center in the video below) are more percussive in tone and nature. Fairly un-pronounced in appearance, but bringing yet another possible dimension to the sounds of the Handpan, TaK, look to be here to stay... The Dalai Lama Plays the Handpan While the title of this post might be a little misleading, with his Holiness the Dalai Lama employing little more than a few cursory taps, and while the video itself (below) might be of a pretty poor quality, we’re sharing it anyway. Because as far as we’re concerned, a man of the Dalai Lama’s stature being introduced to the Handpan, particularly while during a visit to the city of Bern, the birthplace of the PANArt Hang (and the Handpan instrument by default), is an event of note, for this world of UFO-shaped singing-steel that we celebrate here at HPM... And as it happens, while this may well be the Dalai Lama’s first introduction to a bona-fide Handpan, it is not his first meeting with a member of the melodic-UFO family. When back in 2012 the Dalai Lama got to try his hand at playing the Steel Tongue Drum... As a point of note, over at Facebook - HangBlog author Micheal Paschko has stated that despite the Handpan in question being presented to his Holiness the Dalai Lama as being a Bern made Hang, in the very birthplace of the instrument, “I have discussed this with Felix (one of the Hang-makers) and Frank (admin of the now defunct Hang-forum) and we are sure: This is not a Hang. Our best guess is: A BElls from Bellart. But I'm not completely sure. Perhaps a handpan from another maker.”. Which is a little strange. But regardless of the make, HDL seemed to be visibly impressed with the Handpan, just as he was with the Steel Tongue Drum before it, and so for that, we’re chalking him up as yet another fan of the instrument-type, and (however briefly) member of the Handpan-playing community. You can read more about the Dalai Lama’s visit to Bern, and his meeting with the Handpan (and watch a much better quality video that we are unable to embed here) over at bernerzeitung.ch HandPan Tuning Stand / Rings for Sale from NaturePan In traditional Steelpan making where pans are typically produced from 55-gallon oil barrels, the body of the barrel itself essentially acts as both the stand, and tuning rings for the creation of the instrument. But with Handpan being made from specially formed steel domes, most commonly known as “shells”, or alternatively as “raw-forms”, something else is required to hold the steel dome (or steel sheet) firm, for the purposes of sinking, shaping, and tuning (as required). Tuning rings themselves are usually comprised of a pair of metal rings within which the shell or steel sheet are clamped, utilising bolts to hold the steel firmly in place. And while Handpan makers of varying levels have created for themselves many ingenious solutions for budget-minded tuning over the years, a stand such as those being offered for sale by NaturePan over at ETSY, that holds the tuning rings in a convenient all-in-one form, that allows for convenient 360 degree movement of the shell, for ease of tuning, obviously has its benefits. And with NaturePan additionally also offering Handpan shells designed specifically for use with their tuning stand, and custom-made Handpan tuning hammers, if you’re looking to source a one-stop Handpan building solution, you might like to take a browse over at NaturePan’s ETSY store: HERE. Vibrational Healing Through the Sounds of the HandPan While here at HPM we often feel a little uncomfortable heading into the realms of things like “Auras”, “Chi”, “Chakras”, and so forth. Particularly with regards to the Handpan instrument, which, during its earliest years developed a certain kind of mystique around it, that had more than a touch of the ultra-spiritual about it. Despite preferring to see the Handpan as just a musical instrument, there is something kind of special about it - that even we might describe as being a kind of “healing quality”. Listen to the lyrics in PANArt’s recent video of the Hang Bal, and the suggestion that this is an instrument that is in some way intended to heal, is hard to overlook. “If you a smart phone slave, surfing non-stop on a digital wave, if your life has become indeed too virtual, if you are looking for a better ritual, you are maybe ready to deal, with the new PANArt Hang Bal Spiel. If your hands are tense, your fingers blocked, burned out your spirit, your life somehow shocked - you would like to dance your own dance, you can get it, there is a chance…” And while the above words may have been intended solely to describe the newer Hang Bal, there has been something about the sounds of the Hang, and the Handpan, that have drawn those in need of a little extra “something” to it from the very beginning. With PANArt listing in their book Hang: Sound Sculpture: therapists, caretakers for the terminally ill, the sick, the stressed, and the mentally unwell, among the distinct demographics that would frequently write to them in a bid to get their hands on one of their sound-sculptures. And hands in the air, and cards on the table, there was a little of that in our own initial journey to seek out and play the Hang/Handpan. The vibrations of the Hang recorded using holographic interferometry. PANArt themselves refer to the Hang as being a “Mirror to the Soul”, and perhaps therein lies its healing abilities. The intuitive playing style that requires little in the way of musical training, combined with the instruments emotive, fragile quality of sound, that has been described as being reminiscent of a "Choir of Angels", makes it easy to let whatever is inside, out. Which can be therapeutic in its own right. And even putting any metaphysical beliefs that one may, or may not harbour towards the instrument type, with regards to vibrational healing aside, here at HPM, we like to look towards the science of Cymatics for something a little more concrete. For when we consider that the average human body is roughly made up of 60% water, Cymatics helps to demonstrate in a very visible way how the vibrations of the Handpan’s enveloping sound bath, could provide a kind of sonic massage, at the very least, in a way not clearly visible to the eye. Ultimately, whether you consider the Handpan to be an instrument with healing attributes, or not, we leave to you to decide. But on a personal note, we’ve yet to find anything more soothing, when feeling blue, than to pick-up a Handpan, and give audible form to that which ails us. “...On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” - Hunter. S. Thompson. PANArt’s Hang Bal - Hangin’ Round Ya' Neck When PANArt retired the Hang back in 2013, it felt like a huge blow. Many people around at the time were only just beginning to discover the instrument, and then, all of sudden, it was seemingly gone. As it turns out though, PANArt’s announced retirement of the Hang hasn’t been quite the catastrophe that it felt to be at the time. Because for a company that stopped making Hang, PANArt continue to produce a whole lot of instruments, that are very "Hang-like" (with recent additions even partially adopting its name). The Hang Bal All this week we’ve been considering instruments for possible inclusion in our own imagined Handpan-centric-orchestra. But when it comes to PANArt, they have always very much had their own orchestra in mind - the orchestra of Pang. And the recently announced Hang Bal, is the latest addition to that family. With no more than a passing glance at the Hang Bal, you’d likely find it difficult to find much to separate this newer PANArt-produced instrument from its older sibling. However, despite its visual similarities, there are strong differences between the original Hang, and its newer incarnation. The Hang Bal features a neck strap, and is designed to be played in a standing position - or while “dancing”, which makes for an interesting concept. But even placing that to the side, the Hang Bal is tuned in a fashion more complimentary to another Hang successor, the Gubal. And other more recent Pang instruments. Essentially taking the Hang design (with minor variations - such as its protruding Gubal-esque bottom), and bringing it back into line with the concept of the Pang orchestra. And while as with other more recent PANArt instruments, here at HPM, we've not been as instantly enamoured with the Hang Bal, as we were on first discovering the original Hang itself, upon watching the following video from PANArt showing the dance of the Hang Bal in action, and considering the possibilities of the “collective groove” - it’s difficult not to find a certain charm in, and of the idea, and the instrument itself... Find more information on the Hang Bal over at PANArt's website: HERE Buy an Evatek HandPan Case from Hardcase Technologies via ETSY When Handpan players hit up one of the now many and varied online communities in search of recommendations for a decent case to protect their Handpan, one brand is offered up as being the best option, time-and-time again, by those in the know. And that is the products of Hardcase Technologies. A company based in Italy, that has been ingrained within the Handpan-world, since near the beginning of the birth of the Instrument type. While the Handpan cases produced by Hardcase Technologies have undergone a number of evolutionary steps along the way, their current incarnation (at time of posting) is in the form of the Evatek. And anybody who has followed HCT man Alessio’s journey along the way, enjoying videos of him jumping on, stomping on, flinging, and generally beating the living-daylights out of his cases in any way he can imagine, in a personal quest to design the ultimate Handpan case, will know that this is as much a labour of love, as it is a desire to establish a workable business model. So you know that despite the many advocates from within the Handpan community who speak very highly of the Evatek range of Handpan cases, arguably the best recommendation worthy of consideration when giving thought to the purchase of an Evatek, is the fact that Alessio himself feels comfortable with its current form. Shock resistant in its base form, the Evatek can also be transformed with the purchase of optional Handpan “shields” into a full flight-case. Is 100% waterproof. And is available in different sizes to suit different sized Handpan. In addition to featuring a number of other well thought out design elements that keep the needs of the travelling Handpan player well in mind. >> Evatek Handpan cases for sale over at the Hardcase Technologies ETSY Store Porn Stars Vs Singing Steel - Miss Cherry Crush While in the past here at HPM we’ve adopted Handpan-playing celebrities from more mainstream media, such as Golshifteh Farahani, to our knowledge, Miss Cherry Crush (pictured right), is the first singing-steel performer to have emerged from the racier world of "Adult Entertainment". It’s at this point that we should probably suggest that if you’re offended by such things, you might want to hit the back button now. Because while it would be unfair to write Miss Cherry Crush off purely as a porn star - with her also running a heavily-subscribed to YouTube channel through which she entertains her followers in a variety of means and methods, she does run a nice sideline in used panties, and photos of her sticking things up her own bottom. Then let’s meet Miss Cherry Crush, performing on her steel tongue drum (an instrument considered by some to be the Handpan’s little brother)... Hailing from the U.S., Miss Cherry Crush has just short of 130,000 YouTube subscribers (that's nearly twice as many as top Handpan ambassador Daniel Waples). And while you might expect her fans to be there for one thing only, the comments on the video above have revealed considerable interest in the instrument itself... "Where did you get the drum? i feel like it's something that could make a persons life 100% better..." Which just so happens to be a GUDA Drum Freezbee. And in addition to her "naughtier" activities over on her adult-only site, Miss Cherry Crush also uses YouTube to offer such things as relationship advice, and tips for dealing with anxiety and depression. You can find Miss Cherry Crush at YouTube: HERE. Or (Warning Adult Content) visit her "other" website mycherrycrush.com: HERE. Post Date: September 26, 2016 The Oktava Mk 12 Microphone - More Handpan Recording Samples With the Oktava Mk 12 being one of the microphones awarded special commendation by Handpan musician, David Kuckhermann, in his recent Microphone comparison video - with this post we’ll be presenting a little more video footage from over at YouTube, of various Handpan recorded using them. The following video from George Gain's YouTube channel titled, “Oktava MK-012 Pair TEST” tests a number of singing-steel instruments against a pair of the Mk 12s. Including Hapi Drum, RAV Drum, and an Overtone Handpan. While for extra good measure also demos a whole bunch of other instruments too. To provide a solid look into how the Oktava holds up, against pretty much anything that you might choose to throw at it. While the following videos offer further example of how the Oktava Mk 12 sounds in use by Handpan musicians around the world. Jean-Matthieu Bourgeot presents his Meraki Kurd9 Handpan recorded using a pair of Oktava MK-012 plugged into a ZOOM H4N… An official video from Ayasa Handpans pits a pair of Oktava against an Ayasa Adiyuga - E Kumo... While YouTube user, djimbej, demos a Saraz F# Minor 9, again using two Oktava MK012's... The Gu’ Band - Showcasing the Pang Instruments of ... Fixing Broken PANArt Hang (and Other Handpan) - Wi... What Kind of Handpan Could $800 (or Less) Buy You ... Designing an Electronic Handpan Tone-Field - with ... At-TaK of the UFOs - The Handpan and the Rise of t... Buy an Evatek HandPan Case from Hardcase Technolog... The Oktava Mk 12 Microphone - More Handpan Recordi...	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line132
__label__cc	0.667329	0.332671	Skippy- Best App to Learn English Skippy is an application categorized under “Education” in Google play store. This app developed by Plain Bagel has content applicable for individuals aged 3+. The app is compatible with smartphones with android version 5.0 and up and was last updated on August 16, 2019. The latest build of the app is 1.16.0 with a size of 29 Mb. The app has in-app purchases that further enhance the user experience. This application has more than 1,000,000+ installs and has been reviewed by more than 23,300 users giving it a 4.5 rating in the Google play store. They say the best way of learning English is by actively participating and listening to native speakers. This is often a difficult task as the native speakers that we look for are rare and hard to find in many countries. Often people are subjected to undergo mediocre English classes in order to learn the language. The Internet is much less harsh but it is difficult to filter out the good and bad content and often times our best interest in not kept in mind when content creators make videos, what sells will always be on the top. Skippy is perfect at filling this gap. Skippy is a video steaming app that primarily promotes educational and informative videos. The abundance of channels present in Skippy gives the users plenty of categories and content to choose from so app users are never bored and constantly learning. Skippy is great for competitive English examinations like IELTS. Skippy can enhance users English speaking, listening and reading skills substantially. With all the videos having subtitles users can pause videos and use Skippy’s personal dictionary to better understand the meaning of the word and sentence. This is extremely beneficial for exam takers as these exams usually assess the reading, writing, listening and speaking of the candidates. Skippy has many features like  All the available videos are subtitled.  Skippy provides a real time easy to use Dictionary.  Vocabulary lock screen.  Speed control on videos in case you were having a difficult time keeping up. Skippy covers many topics such as — Inspiration – An abundance of self help, motivational and inspirational videos to help you be in the best frame of mind. Listen from hundreds of motivational speakers that will fill you with motivation and a new found purpose. Technology and science- Learn about the latest discoveries in science and technology. Social studies- Learn about the evolution, destruction and creation of human society. Art and culture – Discover and understand the different ways of life and art reflected through many vivid eyes. Skippy curate videos from TED, TED-ed, Bloomberg, BBC, Quartz, Crash Course, Vox, Kurzgesakt, Khan academy and many more. The wide selection of educational content and self help videos makes Skippy a must have for anyone seeking knowledge. The app is the perfect learning partner for anyone wanting to write competitive exams, users of the app will have global exposure and will understand the culture and ways of other nations. Status Saver-Downloader for WhatsApp Video- Best App to Download Whatsapp Status Earthquake Alert- Best App for Alert	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line134
__label__cc	0.648367	0.351633	Blu-ray Reviews: The African Queen Originally published in Sound and Image, 2011 Download scan of review (JPEG, right click, Save As) The African Queen 1951 - Beyond Home Entertainment Director: John Huston Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull, Theodore Bikel, Walter Gotell, Peter Swanwick and Richard Marner Set in Africa and actually -- rarely for the period -- shot in Africa, to the modern sensibility this movie seems at the start to be somewhat paternalistic to the natives. But except for the opening section they rarely even make an appearance. Instead it is a road trip -- or river trip -- movie. Circumstances (a German atrocity in the First World War) throw Humphrey Bogart, a rough Canadian riverboat trader, and Katharine Hepburn, a missionary, together. He being male, she being female, this forty-something couple move from stiff formality to love. Meanwhile, they determine that they can perhaps make a contribution to the war effort, if only they proceed down the Ulanga River. Doesn't sound enticing? There's a reason why it scores a pretty good 8.0/10 on the Internet Movie Database: it builds to become surprisingly intense. And how can you be a real movie fan unless you've experienced both Hepburn and Bogart at their best? By the way, watch out for the tease around 33 minutes in. Pretty risque for 1951 I'd say. If you examine the star ratings, you will see that I've only given this movie 3.5 out of 5 for picture quality. But that's a good thing! Hey, this movie is sixty years old, and Technicolor to boot. I'd say 70%, compared to the best modern movie, is pretty good indeed. Of course, the Techicolor colour is a little strange. In part that would be due to the natural balance of the three strip process employed, but also thanks to the arguably idiosyncratic views on colour of Natalie Kalmus, who set the standards for the company for fifteen years. She was gone (thankfully, in the eyes of some movie makers, who her found her very demanding) by 1951, but her influence on colour balance continued. To the modern eye, the palette is biased somewhat towards browns and greens. However this only lasts a moment, because behind the human eye is a mightily powerful 'Auto White Balance' processor which does wonders on making it all look quite natural. It was made a couple of years before widescreen, so it is presented in the 'Academy Aspect' ratio of 1.37:1. This is presented within a 16:9 full HD frame by means of black pillarboxes to the left and right. The clarity of the picture is good, if not brilliant. A banner on the box proclaims 'Special Restoration Edition', but no explanation is provided. Certainly the picture is clean, free of obvious scratches and noise, and the occasional colour registration problems of the three strip colour process do not seem obvious, and perhaps have been digitally removed. Sound wise, you get mono losslessly delivered in two channel 24 bit LPCM. I imagine that this has also been processed. It is certainly clean, with no obvious scratchiness or distortion. Indeed, it does not seem to be constrained by the 'Academy Curve' frequency response normal for the period, avoiding the usual period 'pinched' feel. Of course, the 144dB dynamic range afforded by the 24 bits of resolution allows the track to faithfully reproduce the entire noise floor which, I estimate, uses at least half that. But that's quibbling over something that certainly doesn't degrade performance. A full Blu-ray movie collection should have this one within it. It looks good, sounds adequate, and is a fine story well-delivered. Picture: 1.37:1 (pillarboxes on 16:9 frame), 1080p24, MPEG4 AVC @ 23.22Mbps Sound: English: LPCM 24/48 2/0.0 @ 2304kbps; Commentary (by Jack Cardiff): LPCM 16/48 2/0.0 @ 1536kbps Extras: Documentary (1080p24 - 59 mins); 2 Slideshows (1080p24 - 4 mins); Trailer (1080i50 - 3 mins); Star profiles (Text) Restrictions: Rated (Australian rating); Locked to Region B Here are some comparisons between the Australian PAL DVD and the Australia Blu-ray version of this movie. The Blu-ray was supplied to me by Beyond Home Entertainment. The PAL DVD is the MRA Entertainment Group Pty Ltd version, purchased by me in 2003. At the top of each is the full frame (suitably shrunk down) used in the comparison, with a 250 pixel wide detail from the frame underneath. The left side is from the PAL DVD. The image was captured digitally from the disc, scaled up from its native 720 by 576 pixel resolution to 768 by 576 (to present in the correct aspect ratio) by the application. I then scaled it, in order for it to be comparable to the Blu-ray version, to 1,440 by 1,080 pixels. The Blu-ray is not going to win any prizes for having the sharpest and most detailed picture ever, but the colour on this version has that distinctive Technicolor look, and the detail is immensely greater than the DVD.	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line135
__label__cc	0.74534	0.25466	NGSS Standards- A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas Core Idea LS 1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes how individual organisms are configured how structures function to support life, growth, behavior, and reproduction Core Idea LS 2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics organisms’ interactions with each other and their physical environment how changing environmental factors affect organisms and ecosystems Core Idea LS 3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits the flow of genetic information between generations the environmental and genetic causes of gene mutation and the alteration of gene expression Core Idea LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity changes in the traits of populations of organisms over time how variation of genetically-determined traits in a population may give some members a reproductive advantage in a given environment natural selection can lead to adaptation, that is, to a distribution of traits in the population that is matched to and can change with environmental conditions Life Sciences 6-13 Traits are passed from one generation to the next via genes. Topic includes genes, traits, alleles, chromosomes, sexual reproduction, mutations and variations, environmental variation, DNA, nucleotides, RNA Biodiversity affects humans. Topics include biological evolution, evolutionary relationships, natural selection, genetic variation, adaptation, antibiotic resistance, naturally-occurring and human-induced changes in the physical environment, species extinction, and overpopulation. Natural Selection and Evolution HS-LS4-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: 1) the potential for a species to increase in number, 2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, …and 4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment. HS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations. NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. http://www.nextgenscience.org/ http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/HS%20LS%20topics%20combined%206.13.13.pdf Medical Records Specialist Gathers and maintains patients’ health information such as medical histories, symptoms, physical and mental exam results, test results, treatments and recommendations. They maintain, manage, and organize health information data. Education Associate’s degree at a community college; many employers require professional certification Average Salary $34,160 Deadly Ebola Outbreak The deadly Ebola outbreak that started in West Africa in 2014 became the largest Ebola outbreak in history. It affected multiple countries, including the U.S., Spain, the United Kingdom, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal. One in two people who get this Ebola virus die. Image: Ebola virions http://phil.cdc.gov/Phil/details.asp	cc/2023-06/en_middle_0037.json.gz/line146

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