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My 5-year old can comprehend the mechanics of evolution perfectly well, yet you in your willful pride, arrogance, and blindness, refuse to see the revealed truth given freely to humankind by the labor of minds far greater, far more profound than your own. I have Christian relatives—deeply religious Christians—who as far back as the 1960s had the sense and intelligence to understand that evolution is the expression of God's grace, and here we are nearly half a century later enduring the foolishness and egotism, the self-righteousness of persons like yourself who refer to them as "compromisers." I assure you, no EDUCATED, THOUGHTFUL Christian—or Jew, or Muslim for that matter—today imagines that the Bible can be taken as a literal version of Earth's history. That is nothing less than atavism, and what then does that say about you? I suggest that it is proof of mental deficiency. One day your imbecilic belief system will be a dim memory—thank God.
—M.A., Canada
Two Lives Transformed
[This testimony was sent to an AiG supporter. It is used here by permission of the author.]
I wanted to tell you how much it meant to both [my wife] and I to be welcomed into your house this past weekend. The fellowship that we experienced with you, your wife, and your son-in-law was great. The [Creation Museum] was truly a "life-altering experience" for both [my wife] and myself.
Before the trip to the museum I can shamefully say that I believed in creation but allowed the indoctrination of the school system to warp my perception of the truth. I strongly believed (past tense) that the world couldn't have been anything less than millions and millions of years old. For years I criticized my mother telling her that she just didn't understand evolution and natural selection enough to know what she was talking about. This was an absolute shame.
I don't know how someone that was bought by Christ could have fallen so far away from His written Word, but I did. When [my wife] and I walked into the museum, [she] turned to me and joked that there were robotic dinosaurs and humans sitting together in the lobby exhibit. She stated that "this was going to be different." Different was right. As we walked deeper into the museum we hardly spoke. You have to know that the only reason I really agreed to the trip was to silence my poor mother, and I had every intention and hope that there would be holes large enough to allow for my misguided views. This was not the case.
When I was sitting in the Last Adam theater, I could feel the Spirit and knew that my views were shameful. [My wife] told me later in the day, after we returned, that she was so convicted that she had bought into evolutionary ideology. We both cried out to God and received forgiveness. Forgiveness for our stupidity and unbelief.
The museum and the work you and your wife have done are truly a blessing. I don't know much about how to fight off evolutionist thinking at the moment, but I now have a deep desire to spread the truth to others. On Monday when we returned, I got the chance to explain to one of my instructors [about] the message of the Creation Museum. When I was finished she wanted the website (which I gave her). It is my prayer that now instead of trying to find holes in the Word of God that I will trust—and help spread God's words of Truth.
—B. and F. S., U.S.
Have Something to Add?
Let us know what you think.
My 5-year old can comprehend the mechanics of evolution perfectly well, yet you in your willful pride, arrogance, and blindness, refuse to see the revealed truth given freely to humankind by the labor of minds far greater, far more profound than your own.
Thank you for contacting AiG. I certainly respect your right to disagree with the articles on this website; however, I pray that you will carefully consider my response to your comments.
First of all, you might be surprised to know that the "mechanics of evolution" are not at issue, since these are readily defined in textbooks, websites, and documentaries. According to most sources, evolution, in its basest sense, is the change in gene frequencies (sometimes "heritable traits") in a population over time (this is often stated as "descent with modification"). These changes are often caused by mutations, genetic drift, and natural and artificial selection.1 If I were to forget, I have no doubt that I would be reminded of this any time that I picked up a magazine or went to a museum. The supposed mechanics of evolution are, after all, well represented in secular culture.
However innocuous the definition might sound concerning present-day events, the implication behind Darwinism is that all organisms originated from a common ancestor over millions of years. That is, mutations, gene duplication mistakes, and natural selection not only lead to changes in allele frequencies, but also caused fish to become fishermen. Humans are simply the end result of chemical interactions over time. There is no reason to doubt that the observable process of natural selection does occur (as does speciation); however, observing speciation is not the same as postulating that mutations and natural selection could result in changing dinosaurs to birds, for example.
In fact, evolutionists are often guilty of a bait-and-switch fallacy. Many point to natural selection as proof of what they believe happened in the past and then interpret all evidence based on that belief. But natural selection can only act upon the genetic information that already exists. Thus, one must be careful not to conflate the two ideas. There are supposedly other methods for scales to become feathers, but these are not readily observable and depend, instead, upon reconstructions of fossil evidence, genetic "histories," and, frankly, storytelling.
The point is that what are often referred to as the "mechanics of evolution" blur the line between what we can repeatedly test and see (e.g., natural selection, reactivation of dormant traits and characteristics) and what is supposition about past events (e.g., the origin of whales). Making suppositions about how something unique happened in the past is a valid means of research. We, in fact, postulate on how the Genesis Flood happened and test this through experimentation and fieldwork. However, evidence from the present cannot independently verify what happened in the past, since all evidence is passed through a worldview filter.
Although you likely don't personally know anyone at this ministry to accurately assess their mental acumen, I will agree with you, speaking for myself, that certainly some evolutionists have been and are more intelligent, although not just because they believe in evolution—as if the treasures of knowledge were stored in that one field of study (although God makes this claim of Himself in Colossians 2:2–3). The general concept of intelligence is usually quantified by assessing analytical/mathematical and verbal skills. I really can't see that evolution could wholly comprise these two basic quantifiable traits. It is interesting, however, that you would call evolution "revealed truth." After all, in a pure evolutionary worldview, one Darwin or Gould is only the end result of countless mutations, as is his brain. For any of these, no doubt, intelligent men to discern truth, they would have to have some sort of objective vantage point from outside the machinations of the evolution machine. Their very thoughts are ultimately nothing more than the end result of billions of years of particle collisions. So, to call anything truth, there would have to be some objective source for judging what is and is not simply a genetically predetermined manifestation of the electrical interactions in the human brain. If evolution explains the universe, then we would have no way to know if the thoughts they had (and have today) simply offer some sort of survival advantage instead of being grounded in an objective reality. To play the evolutionary psychology game, perhaps the belief in evolution is conserved because certain individuals gain prestige and power by espousing it.
It is ironic that skeptics often mock Christians in general because we depend upon authority for truth, and yet your comments highlight the same appeal to authority that we often see from anti-creationist positions (e.g., "most scientists agree," "there is no debate," and other such comments). To be sure, we believe that the Bible is revealed Truth from the only One who can be objective to this universe. He alone knows what happened at the beginning and will happen at the end. Because of this, there have been—and are—intelligent thinkers who view the earth as young, but the foundation of a Christian's belief should not have anything to do with a consensus—save only a consensus of one: God. How is this the arrogance we are being accused of having? Yet, ironically, your own comments reveal a clear condescension—to the point of comparing our intellectual capabilities to that of less than a five-year-old. We all trust in authorities (if for no other reason than there isn't enough time to look into everything ourselves); the real concern is where we place our trust.
I have Christian relatives—deeply religious Christians—who as far back as the 1960s had the sense and intelligence to understand that evolution is the expression of God's grace, and here we are nearly half a century later enduring the foolishness and egotism, the self-righteousness of persons like yourself who refer to them as "compromisers."
In one point, I agree. It is very easy for all humans to fall into the sin of pride, which is the original sin. No one is immune from that, and every person can promote a viewpoint in a prideful manner, which is why all articles we post pass through several levels of editorial review. However, perhaps you should examine the definition of compromise before you make such an accusation. A compromise is "something intermediate between or blending qualities of two different things."2 You mention that your relatives had the "sense" to incorporate evolution into their worldview because of their intelligence. Obviously, the implication is that evolution was not original to the Bible and had to be added or blended in because of what they learned from the world. That is the reason we use the word compromise. One wonders why the compromise must always be unidirectional, though. I think it is unlikely that you would be willing to even entertain the notion that a straightforward reading of Genesis, which not even a five-year-old (that is, a person who would read it without imposing preconceived ideas) would deny, certainly indicates that the universe was created in six days.
Salvation is not in any way dependent upon our beliefs about evolution or the age of the earth—only in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
I do not doubt that your relatives are Christian and deeply religious. Being saved and truly following Christ means that they have believed in Jesus for their salvation, which is the only name that has been given to humanity by which we are saved from death (Acts 4:12). Salvation is not in any way dependent upon our beliefs about evolution or the age of the earth—only in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. But even Christians can fall victim to incorrect beliefs. For example, after Christ's resurrection, Paul had to rebuke Peter because the latter was worried what other Jews would think if he ate with his Gentile (non-Jewish) brothers in Christ (Galatians 2:11–21).3 In the same way, the question for any Christian evolutionist is this: do you accept evolution because God's Word teaches it, or do you accept evolution because you are concerned with what the world will think about you if you don't?4
Anyone approaching the Bible without any prior knowledge of evolution would certainly not suddenly discover Darwin's hypothesis tucked away somewhere in Deuteronomy. Could God have used evolution? Yes (though the death-focused process is contrary to God's nature as shown below), but it's not about what He could have done; it's about what He (not we) said He did. Christians are not called to tell God how He must have created. We should all be careful when we assume that God would use the unrepentant and anti-theistic to "reveal" something contradictory to His revelation (which, by the way, He closed to modification Revelation 22:18–19). Evolutionary history makes statements that go against the history recorded in Genesis. Those arguments must either supersede what the Bible says or be rejected.
As for your interesting use of evolution as God's "grace," I assume that you mean that, if evolution were true, this god of evolution would reveal his grace through billions of years of unjustified death, pain, suffering, destructions, extinctions, cancer, diseases, starvations, pestilences, and other means. After all, if those things have been happening since the first single-celled organism popped into existence, then what impact did human sin have? Death? No, in the evolutionary worldview, that always existed. Parasites? No, those would have been around for millions of years. Bloodshed (as important as blood is to the Christian understanding of life, sin, and death)? No, that too would have existed in animals since far back in the tree of "life." In fact, how could such a god of an old earth and evolution condemn humans if he himself was guilty of such horrors? Such a god's "grace" would be far worse than anything humans could do. And it is this very concept of what god would be if evolution were true that drives many from the incomparable Holy God revealed in the Bible. In fact, what justification would there be for condemning any sin if evolution were true? After all, true materialistic evolution means that all our actions are predetermined by the course of natural events. We wouldn't need grace if we were all just genetic robots.
But the God of the Bible did not create a world like that. The world He created, and the world we still see traces of, was designed to be free from death. It is almost impossible for us to imagine such a world today, since the effects of this fallen one have been progressing for so long (Romans 8:18–25). True grace, though, means being given something we don't deserve. We are all sinners, and what we don't deserve is a way out. But God has given that to us. If evolution were our unmerited "grace," then I would hate to see what we do deserve.
Proverbs 3 tells us not to resent a rebuke. We biblically rebuke those Christians who worry what the world will think about them if they reject evolution and millions of years because we want them to return to the fear of the Lord as the beginning of all wisdom (Proverbs 1). Christians are called to be the salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:13–16), but what good is salt if it has lost its saltiness? The only revelation that evolution gives us is how far humans will go to remove God from the equation. After all, Darwin was certainly not motivated by any interest in glorifying God.5 Those who try to see God in evolution would do well to remember that.
I assure you, no EDUCATED, THOUGHTFUL Christian—or Jew, or Muslim for that matter—today imagines that the Bible can be taken as a literal version of Earth's history.
This is, of course, a loaded argument since you are defining "educated" and "thoughtful" to mean those who accept evolution no matter what a straightforward reading of the Bible says. Merely to refute this statement I offer, for one example, that I graduated college summa cum laude, have a 4.0 GPA in my graduate courses, and do quite well on IQ tests. I also believe what the Bible says. There are also many PhDs all around the world that understand evolution, but reject it. But ultimately this is a non-issue. Even if no one (or everyone) believed what the Bible says, it wouldn't make it any less true.
That is nothing less than atavism, and what then does that say about you? I suggest that it is proof of mental deficiency. One day your imbecilic belief system will be a dim memory - thank God.
Atavism implies that something that was no longer in existence or practiced is now being returned to. Thankfully, a straightforward reading of the Bible has never been without support.6 The Internet has made organizations like ours more prevalent, and books like The Genesis Flood (first published in 1961) have generated more interest in scientific creation. However, this argument is, as has been much of your letter, an appeal to human authority and popularity as means to prove your argument. Whether we have the support of others or not is beside the point. Our goal, instead, is to hear God's "well done" because we remained true to what He says.
Your entire letter seems to be an attempt to discourage. But, in fact, it reveals the reason why we do what we do. Evolution and the ancient age of the earth will wax and wane as the fashion of the day, and something else will one day take its place, since attacks on God's authority have existed and will exist until this present universe ends. Some Christians will, no doubt, blend the next attack in with the Bible, and groups like AiG will be accused of "mental deficiency" for denying the next "undeniable." And you are right, we will all pass away and fade from memory. But God's unadulterated Word will not.
I pray that you will consider my response and consider most of all the claims of Christ. A straightforward Genesis is important to understanding God's grace, but accepting Christ's atoning death and resurrection is beyond measure in eternal importance.
In Christ,


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Jury Awards LAFD Whistleblower $2.75 Million in Retaliation Case
A Los Angeles Fire Department whistleblower who allegedly faced severe backlash after speaking out against waste and fraud within his station has been awarded $2.75 million by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury.
Stephen Meiche, who joined the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1980, said his LAFD colleagues ostracized him and subjected him to differential treatment that diminished not just his peace of mind but threatened his safety, NBC News Los Angeles reported.
Mr. Meiche, a certified diver and diver instructor for the LAFD said his troubles started in March 2014 after he complained that members of the dive team and other personnel were wrongfully destroying and discarding equipment purchased with taxpayer funds.
According to the whistleblower complaint, Mr. Meiche said dry diving suits and other LAFD property purchased with Urban Areas Security Initiative funds provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Grant Program were being destroyed in violation of grant money rules and that records were "likely falsified" to cover up the destruction, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Mr. Meiche's whistleblower complaint also accused the LAFD personnel of falsely overstating their training hours in order to increase the amount of federal grant funds they received.
But instead of responding to his concerns or even investigating them, the LAFD allegedly turned the tables on him, subjecting him to harassment, discrimination, and other forms of retaliation, Mr. Meiche's whistleblower complaint alleged.
Although the LAFD refused to look into his concerns about waste and fraud within the department, it did investigate claims made against him by other department members, he claimed. As a result, he was marginalized, denied overtime, and effectively "excluded from participation in the unit [he] helped build," the whistleblower complaint stated.
Additionally, he claimed his safety was compromised and worried whether his colleagues would assist him if he became injured or imperiled in a dive.

subset: commoncrawl


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Reinier Saxton became only the second Dutch player to win the Amateur Championship after easing to victory in the 36-hole final at Turnberry.
The 20-year-old from Amsterdam held off the spirited challenge of Southport teenager Tommy Fleetwood to win 3&2.
Saxton's feat emulated that of fellow countryman Rolf Muntz, who landed the title at Muirfield in 1990. The victory earned Saxton a place at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and at next year's US Masters.
He started strongly, with birdies at two of the first three holes, but was hauled back to all square by Fleetwood at the ninth, when the Englishman chipped in for a three. Saxton edged two ahead but Fleetwood hit back at the 17th and 18th to level once again.
The second round was equally tense but, having inched ahead with a 15-footer for birdie at the 24th, Saxton made a telling move just after the turn. He made a fine up- and-down from the green-side bunker at the 29th for a par, while Fleetwood stumbled to a bogey, and went three up at the 30th with a nine-foot putt for birdie.
"The 11th and 12th in the afternoon were big holes but even at three up there was pressure," admitted Saxton.
• Rising German star Martin Kaymer is poised for his second win of the year - and a probable leap to sixth on the Ryder Cup table.
Last season's European Tour Rookie of the Year, who will be making his Open debut at Birkdale, goes into the final round of the BMW International Open in Munich with a six-stroke lead.


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Doug Norlen
For 18 years, Doug Norlen has conducted successful advocacy to achieve environmental, developmental and accountability policy reform of multilateral trade and finance institutions, export credit agencies and private banks. His work has been instrumental in successful efforts to achieve improvements in U.S. bilateral financing policies, beginning with reforms at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation announced in 1997 by President Clinton. More recently, his efforts have helped establish and implement climate change and accountability reforms at OPIC and the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Mr. Norlen is also a leader in international NGO coalition efforts to reform export credit agencies. His work has helped lead these agencies to adopt environmental and social policies that, since 2002, have been applied to over $130 billion in financing for environmentally risky projects worldwide. Mr. Norlen has also worked extensively with local communities to address environmental and developmental impacts of extractive and energy projects funded by public and private finance institutions. Mr. Norlen received a master's degree in International Studies from the University of Oregon.
Medium, Report reveals deadly U.S. government-funded coal project, Dec. 2, 2015


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Dementia Service
Hornsey Housing Trust is delighted to be working in partnership with the Alzheimer's Society to provide dementia support services within the Trust and the local community – the first initiative of its kind in Haringey. By working together we aim to make a real difference to our residents, their families, and others living within the immediate local community.
Dementia Support Worker
The Dementia Support Worker's experience and knowledge of dementia enables her to improve quality of life for people living with or supporting someone with a diagnosis. From the beginning of someone's journey with memory loss or dementia the Dementia Support Worker can work with individuals, their families and carers to provide information in the right way, at the right time and to signpost people to support. The Dementia Support Worker can provide information to help people with dementia and their families make informed decisions.
If you have any questions about dementia, or would like more information about dementia, living well with dementia or the Dementia Service, please contact Hornsey Housing Trust on 020 8340 6374 .and we can arrange to put you in touch with the Dementia Support Worker.
Dementia Café
Dementia Cafés provide people with dementia and their carers a platform to socialise, get support and advice, and talk openly about living with dementia within a relaxed and informal environment. Everybody is welcome, whether Trust tenants or other members of the community, and you do not need to book in advance.
The Café convenes every Wednesday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm, in the residents' lounge at the Trust's Abyssinia Court scheme in Crouch End. As well as being an opportunity to socialise, relax and enjoy a cup of tea, attendees have the opportunity to hear from a variety of guest speakers, including health and social care professionals and representatives from the local community, about topics and services relevant to them. A range of activities are also available each week, designed to stimulate the mind and maintain well-being; including arts, crafts, gentle exercise sessions, music, dance and others designed around the needs of attendees.
The Dementia Cafe is run by the same dedicated Café Coordinator each week, which means attendees can develop a good relationship with somebody who understand their interests, concerns and needs.
If you would like to attend the Café or just find out more, you can call Hornsey Housing Trust on 020 8340 6374. The Trust's Events and Activities calendar is also a great way to find out about all the exciting things happening at the Café each week.
The Café always welcomes volunteers, with opportunities including using one of your talents to present to the group, engaging with others to provide support, or the all-important making of the tea!


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Could it be that the late, loopy pianist Liberace was just as talented in the kitchen as he was at tickling the ivories? A new book says yes.
Joy of Liberace: Retro Recipes from America's Kitschiest Kitchen brings together many of the recipes Liberace prepared in hotel rooms as he toured, according to a review in the Las Vegas Sun by Kristen Peterson:
As a mobile society we're moving about the country more than ever. Liberace teaches us that sticking to our dietary habits while traveling is not impossible. While touring, Liberace Martha Stewart-ed his way cross-country, proving that there is no need for McDonald's when you've got utensils, pots, pans, dishes and an electric stove to make You'll-Thank-Me-Later Codfish Cakes or Flamboyant Flambe in your hotel room.
Speaking of codfish cakes, Liberace's recipes are a miracle of midcentury dining. Succotash, crab balls, even the symphony of white creaminess that is the Angel Bling Cake Pie: These are recipes that are as evocative of a certain dining era as paging through those vintage cooking pamphlets.
Not surprising: Authors Karan and Michael Feder have immortalized Liberace once before, in their book Liberace: Your Personal Fashion Consultant. Surprising: This isn't the first cookbook of recipes by Liberace. In 2003, Liberace Cooks—A Cookbook! was published by the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts. I guess if you can have several cookbooks about Elvis's favorite foods, we should give Liberace his due as well.


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My husband is reading Dr. Furman's Eat to Live, where he extols (and we've heard this all before) that the American diet of highly processed, over fried, over sweetened, over salted foods are making us fat and unhealthy. Leo looked at his diet of several sandwiches a day with deli meats and cheeses. Although he snacks on plenty of fruit, he knew he needed to eat more vegetables. He decided to make a soup every week to pack in his lunch cooler. He could warm it up in a microwave and eliminate one of his sandwiches per day. Here is how he makes it in under an hour.
Vegetable Soup
3 containers (32 oz. each) of vegetable stock
chopped onions, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, potato, celery,
turnips, summer squash, green beans,
and every other veggie you can think of
but especially mushrooms!
Throw all your chopped vegetables in a stock pot. Pour vegetable stock in until pan is filled, leaving 2 inches from the pan's rim so that the contents can boil without overflowing. Bring to a boil, and turn down heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. At this point you may add canned or frozen vegetables if fresh are not available to heat through for 5 minutes or so. Salt and pepper to your tastes. If you want to add an interesting texture, try spaghetti squash. You have to cook it separately in the microwave (puncture with fork holes and cook on high until it is softens under your touch) then you cut it open, remove the seeds, then tease out the long fibers out of this marvelous squash with a fork.
Beer Biscuits
2 cups of flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of shortening
3/4 cup beer
I was complaining about botching an egg-less, milk-less corn bread, which I will not go into the gory details here, but my helpful friend suggested these biscuits...no eggs and no milk!! They taste good and smell great baking too.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Sift together dry ingredients, cut shortening into flour mixture until it has corn meal consistency. Stir in beer and kneed lightly.
- Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter or round cup or glass.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.


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This 30 hands-on competency-based adult learning resource ranging from Getting My Driver's License to Managing my Money was created with Quebec's Common Core Curriculum in mind.
The skills targeted in this Orientation Unit will help you to lay down the foundation for learning:
A home can be a very important part of one's life. A home is not only a shelter; it is where you go to relax and be with your family. This is why it is a good idea to think of ways to improve your home and keep it safe.
This unit will help you to discover what a community is, what you can get from it, and what you can give back.
In this unit, you will learn what it means to be a Canadian citizen. This unit is particularly useful for learners who wish to obtain their Canadian citizenship.
Food is an important part of life. A person's diet has a direct impact on how they feel. In this unit, you will think about the food you eat.
No matter how much money a person has, it is important to know how to manage it. Many people think money management is a lot harder than it really is. In reality, a few money management basics go a long way. Such basics will help you to do what you want in life.
Pretty much anywhere you go, someone will try to sell you something. Companies have many ways to get you to buy their products. They try to convince you that you need their product, or that it will improve your life. This is why everyone should know how to shop.
In this unit, you will explore the things that make you who you are. Understanding what makes you an individual will help you to better appreciate yourself and the people around.
Good communication leads to job success and strong relationships. In this unit, you will explore ways to communicate effectively.


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Listen to Heartbreak on a Full Moon (12 Days of Christmas Edition) by Chris Brown
As promised, Chris Browm delivers his latest album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon. The track is extremely long, consisting of 46 tracks. Stream Heartbreak on a Full Moon below.
Update: Chris Brown re-released the album for cuffing season and dubbed it the 12 Days of Christmas Edition. The album holds 57 songs now and even has a Trippie Redd feature. Listen below.


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- This event has passed.
May Day in Chicago
05/01/2018 @ 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm CDTFree
Come out May 1st and celebrate the International Worker's holiday in Chicago, IL, at the place where it all began, Haymarket Square, Chicago. Join Bucky and some friends at the monument located on Des Plaines and Randolph, about 2:30. Check back often for updates. This is a FREE event open to the public.


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Sustainable Cyber-Hygiene for Industrial IoT
Cybersecurity for IoT devices is hard, and physical security devices are some of the hardest IoT devices to secure. Cybersecurity is hard for any networked computer but is harder for IoT devices because they are not "ordinary" computers.
- Most of the devices deployed in the past 20 years have no built-in security.
- Those that do have some security features have still been found to be vulnerable.
- There are many such devices and they make attractive cyber targets.
- They can be weaponized and used to attack other targets.
- Because IoT devices operate on their own without continual user interface, they can be hijacked without the owners knowing about it.
- IoT device owners don't think of the devices as computers. They don't realize the computing power they contain, or their need for cyber security, although that is changing due to some highly publicized cybersecurity events and device vulnerabilities.
- Any network-connected device is a potential target for outsider or insider threats and must have appropriate cybersecurity measures put into place.
- IoT devices are cyber-physical systems, meaning that they don't just operate in cyberspace. They operate in physical space and interact with the physical world.
This white paper gives practical advice and direction on how to cost-effectively achieve sustainable cyber-hygiene of your physical security systems.


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More than one hundred years ago a small group of Swedish immigrants gathered in the presence of God to mark the beginning of Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Church. Today, Emanuel is still located at the corner of Peak and San Jacinto Streets in East Dallas, celebrating uninterrupted worship services since 1906.
The church building was built in phases with the hands-on participation of parishioners with the first service in the Sanctuary celebrated on September 14, 1931. The education building, Ericson Hall, opened in 1966.
A Pivotal Decision
In 1956 the congregation made a pivotal decision to remain at the East Dallas location and not relocate in spite of the changing nature of the neighborhood. This decision was not without controversy, and approximately half of the congregation left Emanuel to join other congregations. Emanuel remains commited to the neighborhood around Peak and San Jacinto.
Emanuel has evolved to serve its ever-changing community over the years, renamed Evangelical Emanuel Lutheran Church in 1930. Worship in the beautiful little sanctuary has been celebrated in the language of the community, starting in Swedish, moving to English, adding a Spanish-language service in 1975. Always welcoming diversity, in the 1980s Emanuel was blessed with Asian refugees living in the surrounding neighborhood and for a while the Gospel was heard in Vietnamese and Cambodian.
Today, the neighborhood is changing again. Gone are the Swedish and Asian immigrants, although Spanish is still spoken by many. The older apartments populated by the poor are gradually giving way to new apartments full of busy professionals. Emanuel's parishioners come from the neighborhood, but also come from across the Dallas-area, drawn by the mission of the church and its warmth and inclusiveness.
A Brief Chronology
|Founded as the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Church with 10 communicants.
|Property at Peak and San Jacinto purchased for $3,650. Building campaign commences.
|First service celebrated in current Sanctuary September 13. More than 200 attended Christmas service.
|The congregation had grown and was divided with some wanting to relocate to the suburbs. Part of Emanuel broke away, moved to North Dallas and formed Bethany Lutheran. Those who remained recommitted to serving the surrounding inner city community.
|The education building, Ericson Hall, was completed. In addition to housing Sunday School and other church activities, Emanuel Lutheran Day Care Center began operations at Ericson Hall, primarily serving low income neighborhood children.
|Spanish ministry founded. Community programming expanded with Food Pantry, ESL classes, GED classes, reading program.
|Congregation sponsors an Indochinese ministry as hundreds of Indochinese refugees resettle in the neighborhood.
|Head Start takes over management of the day care center, expanding services for neighborhood children at Ericson Hall.
|Emanuel is recognized as a national historic place and is registered with the Register of National Historic Places with the United States Department of Interior.
|Building restoration work is completed.
|Head Start program leaves Emanuel.
|Centennial celebration. Ground breaking for the New Century Project to add administrative space, and improve accessibility.
|New Century Project is completed.


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What's New With You:
It's been kind of a slow month by your standards buddy. But there has still been plenty to celebrate. While you've never been the prototypical baby when it comes to teething (i.e. crying out of control), you still don't do discomfort real well. Over this last weekend you were SUPER-cranky for Mom and Dad. We were pretty dumb-founded by this because you've been in a pretty awesome mood lately. Mommy later spied another molar pushing its way through your little gums. I'd be pissed too.
Mom and Dad have been pushing hard to get out of all the boxes still sitting around the house, and you love to dig through them and toss their contents all over the place….so, thanks for that
You love to explore your new house.
You've become quite the big helper when Dad is building something or fixing something around the house.
Learning, learning, learning:
You're really getting this whole walking thing buddy. Once you started moving; you haven't stopped. You still love to climb the stairs, and in fact you still keep Mom and Dad on their toes when you sprint for the stairs and get half way up before we can reach you. You're starting to show signs of wanting to pull yourself up on furniture, but thank goodness our couches are still a bit too high for you because I don't think I'm quite ready for all that yet. Your speech patterns are starting to develop too. You've learned a couple of words to date. You've saying "Uh Oh" for a few months now, but your new favorite word is "NO," and boy do you love to say it to Mom and Dad a lot….wonder where you learned that from. You've also started experimenting with a few other words like "Door, Sock….and Mine." The last one we're not super hip on because you are well aware of what "Mine" means.
These are the moments to remember:
The last two Mother's Days you've shown a habit of debuting some new/sweet skill that just makes Mommy's day. Trust me kiddo, keep that going in the coming years; it will only help you in the long run. Last year it was the genuine laugh that pushed Mommy to tears of joy; this year's trick; giving Mommy a kiss upon request. Mommy was simply over the moon when she asked you for a kiss and you ran up and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
Oh, and you know exactly the kind of gifts Mommy loves. Way to One-Up your Dad bro, lol
Unfortunately buddy this month had some bummer moments too. You got really sick with a double ear infection and strep throat. Daddy especially loved it when the doctor told him kids can't get strep throat, right as your results came back as not only positive for strep, but over the top positive. You slept a lot; so much that Mommy and Daddy were really scared. But, once you got your meds, you felt so much better.
What's on the menu:
We've found out that you love chicken noodle soup…and that's pretty much all you want to eat. This has proven to be both awesome and trying for Mom and Dad.
You're likes are pretty much the same. Walking is your #1 favorite thing to do. But most of all you want to go outside all the time. Mom loves this about you. She loves to be outside.
You love to connect with your peeps via social networking. Or maybe you're the E-Trade baby and we didn't know it. Can you give Mom and Dad some stock tips?
You clearly do not like to be told what to do. Certainly you don't like being to you can't do something, and you are pretty good at expressing your displeasure about it.
While it might have been a "slow" month, we got in some awesome quality time together. Your buddy FG came to see your new digs and Mom and Dad got to have some "adult conversation" with her Mommies; we needed that. On Mother's Day you, me and Mommy went over to the garden park by our house for a little afternoon fun. You had a great time playing with all the rocks and branches laying around. You also got your second haircut (ALREADY!!). You have the same hair as Daddy; it grows quickly. You look like such a big boy now. Last weekend we all went to a fun BBQ. It was a friend's house from church. Mommy and Daddy got to relax and talk with friends, and you had a great time playing with your buddies that were born around the same time you were. All in all, great month Big Guy!


text: Five Guys opened its flagship store in Canary Wharf, London earlier this year. The 23rd London site for the group opened at the former Wildwood site located at unit 22/23 Jubilee Place on Bank Street. The international burger chain is known for selling hand-formed 100% prime beef burgers grilled to perfection with a range of free unlimited toppings, fresh cut fries cooked in pure peanut oil and milkshakes. Since 2014, when Five Guys opened its first UK site in Covent Garden, Chapman Ventilation have worked with the burger chain to open numerous sites across the U.K as well as Europe and UAE.


text:
Copps offers rebuttal to FCC report on the future of news
WASHINGTON — Federal Communications Commission member Michael J. Copps is calling for reinvigorated federal regulation of broadcasting to encourage more, and more serious journalism. Expanding on his June 9 remarks following the release of the FCC's staff report on the information needs of communities, Copps criticized the report's optimism about the Internet. "What we have gained on the Internet," said Copps (pictured left), "does not match what we have lost" due to cutbacks in newspaper and broadcast newsrooms. And he urged new FCC regulatory initiatives to help create new and strengthened forums for journalism and debate….


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Italy: a masterpiece of taxation
By Andrea Enrico Maria Eliseo and Prof Stefano Loconte, Loconte & Partners
In addition to the aesthetic return generated by art, there are many good reasons to consider art as an attractive asset class in terms of long-term investments. Art retains value and generates moderate real return, which is why art and collectible assets represent sizable assets for many high net worth individuals (HNWIs).
Italy is a particularly tax-friendly country for those who inherit or sell artwork, especially those who face high taxation – as is the case with the USA, the UK, France and Germany – where private collectors may need to undertake estate planning, resorting to the creation of trusts or similar vehicles for tax purposes.
Firstly, Italy's Wealth Tax is not applied to works of art owned by individuals or companies.
In addition, income tax for individuals depends on whether the individual is engaged in a commercial activity: no tax is levied on income that does not result from a commercial activity (e.g. non-recurring sales made by private collectors).
Furthermore, the current Italian tax regulations on inheritance and gifts are more favourable than those applied in France, Germany, the USA and the UK, where taxation can be up to 40% of the value.
With regard to inheritance tax, the value of the art assets subject to taxation (including money, jewellery and furniture, defined as the personal property intended for use or decoration of housing including unrestricted cultural assets) may be limited to 10% of the entire estate.
Therefore, let's recall the words of Andy Warhol: "Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art". With this in mind, remember that Italy is one of the most tax-friendly countries for those who inherit or sell works of art.
Andrea Enrico Maria EliseoLoconte & Partners, Bari, Italy
Andrea Eliseo is an Associate at Loconte & Partners, a member of the firm's Global Wealth Management department and a full member of STEP. His practice focuses on advising high net worth individuals and family offices regarding private client matters (including trust, asset protection, generation skipping and estate planning).
Prof. Stefano LoconteLoconte & Partners, Bari, Italy
Stefano Loconte Stefano Loconte is the founder of the law firm Loconte & Partners. He is a Law and Tax Consultant to the Ministry of Labour, counsel to the Chair of the VI Permanent Commission – Finance of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and a Professor of Tax Law, International Tax Law and Trust Law at the Università LUM "Jean Monnet" in Casamassima, Italy.
Publishes: October 2016 l Photo: bluraz - Fotolia.com


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I am the great and powerful Quackzalcoatl. All-knowing, all-seeing, and infinitely humble. Master of the metaphysic. Philosophical genius. Channeller of musings from transdimensional minds.
I am versed in all things. Interested in all things. And am oft to write about all things.
Nothing happens by accident. If you are reading this, you were meant to be here, on this page, reading these words. Your life will change forever, because the power of these words are beyond comprehension…
Very sorry quack I didn't thankyou sooner for your like and follow of my blog.
Your blog has been an important venue for me for these ongoing dialogues of faith and doubt… God Bless 🙂
Posted by | 26 January, 2014, 12:23 am
Unlike Ark, Gregory cannot stand to accept the posts on his blog of anyone who dares to disagree with him.
Posted by | 26 January, 2014, 7:43 pm
Thanks for accepting a diversity of views Quack. It is good to know those who are open to various opinions, even though they may not always agree..
Posted by | 26 January, 2014, 8:57 pm


text:
Today's a big day in Turin, where Casa Jasmina is OPEN! This casa is no normal casa: it's a connected apartment driven by and designed with open-source ideals. Hosted by one of our favourite makerspace Cospaces – Toolbox Turin – in an old industrial building populated by Officine Arduino and Fablab Torino.
Curated by science fiction writer and futurist Bruce Sterling, this is an incubator think-and-do-tank for concepts and examples of open-source making, in the field of the Internet-of-Things. This is the first time that the space will be open to the public! Here's what you'll find there:
Local Maker furniture, an Italian selection of Valcucine kitchen appliances, household works by International Open Source designers (OpenDesk, Jesse Howard, Aker, Open Structures), and a small display of various connected objects and artifacts, which might be glimpsed around the home.
You will also find electrical products from Energy@Home, and artwork on the Internet of Things from the Torino Share Festival. Down the road, Casa Jasmina will be hosting workshops, programmes and talks. AND it will even be available on AirBnB for futurist weekends in Turin!
A reflection of the amazing spirit of the Torino Mini Maker Faire, happening simultaneously, the Casa is a project of making today, for opening possibilities of new ways of making and living tomorrow.
Take a look to learn more here, and if you're in Turin enjoy their second annual Maker Faire this weekend!


text: Behind the Bronze: Bruce Smith 12/20/2011 See All News Only 267 bronze busts reside in the Hall of Fame Gallery inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. They "immortalize" the greatest players, coaches, and contributors that this game has produced. Each week during the 2011 NFL Season we will sit down for a Q&A with one of these legends. Bruce Smith, Class of 2009 Bruce Smith's Hall of Fame bio>>> HOBBIES: I'm a huge golfer. I still like to fish on occasion, but golf is something I have really become quite fond of. FAVORITE MUSIC: I love all kinds of music. I love R&B, I love Hip Hop, I love Jazz, and there are some country songs I love. So I'm a big fan of music in general. FAVORITE MOVIE: I thoroughly enjoyed "Born Free," and that probably has to go down as being the all-time great for me. FAVORITE FOOD: I love Italian food and I love soul food. FAVORITE NFL TEAM AS A CHILD: The Pittsburgh Steelers FAVORITE NFL STADIUM OTHER THAN RICH STADIUM OR FEDEX FIELD: Joe Robbie Stadium. WHY DID YOU PICK NO. 78? I think number 78 chose me. It was somewhat destined for greatness. I don't ever recall picking that number, but it just suited me and fit me well. DID YOU HAVE ANY PRE-GAME SUPERSTITIONS? I do know that there were some guys on the team that did, I didn't necessarily have any superstitions. I knew that if you don't block, tackle and execute you lose. WHAT'S BETTER ABOUT THE NFL TODAY THAN WHEN YOU PLAYED? I think the safety of the game has drastically improved for the players and the integrity of the game. I think for the most part players are well protected in this era. WHAT WAS BETTER ABOUT THE NFL DURING YOUR CAREER THAN THE GAME TODAY? I don't think things got blown out of proportion to the extent that they do now and that's probably a result of the heightened media outlets and media coverage. I really think that in some particular cases it can damage a player's career or even affect their family's mindset from a standpoint of tarnishing their careers. FAVORITE ATHLETE EVER IN ANY SPORT: Muhammad Ali. Watch: Bruce Smith recalls his favorite NFL moment. ONE PERSON WHO INFLUENCED YOU MOST IN LIFE: My father. WHAT MAKES YOU MOST PROUD ABOUT YOUR HALL OF FAME CAREER? To amass the number of tackles that were made and more importantly the unprecedented number of sacks amidst double and occasional triple teams because the 3-4 system that I played in that is unheard of for a 3-4 defensive end. WHEN IF EVER DID YOU REALIZE YOU MAY SOMEDAY MAKE THE HALL OF FAME? I never though about the Hall of Fame until the latter part of my career when other players and other coaches and other fans started to bring that to the forefront. I was just enjoying the game, trying to be the best I could possibly be and meanwhile they were whispering "you could potentially be the best that's ever played the game." HOW DID YOU LEARN OF YOUR HALL OF FAME ELECTION? I was actually in the green room at the Hall of Fame announcement special at the Super Bowl in Tampa. WAS YOUR DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR TED COTTRELL YOUR ONLY CHOICE AS A PRESENTER? No I thought very long and hard about who I should get to present me. I certainly thought about Marv Levy, because he had a profound impact on my career and my life as well. But Ted Cottrell was the one which took me under his wings as a young player, a player that needed a player's coach so to speak, someone which I could relate to, someone I could confide in, someone that looked out for me and cared about me as a person and then thought about the game of football. IF YOU COULD DO YOUR ENSHRINEMENT SPEECH OVER TODAY, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY DIFFERENTLY? I think I pretty much summed it up and said it all, but I would be remiss if I did not continue to acknowledge how blessed and thankful I am to have had so many important people from a standpoint of the relationships I've built that have enriched my life. My teammates, my high school football and basketball coaches Cal Davidson and Zeke Avery, and the village back in Norfolk, Va. They helped to raise me as a kid and saw more in me than I saw in myself at that young age trying to keep me on the straight and narrow, guiding me and never giving up hope on me that one day I would achieve goals beyond anyone's wildest imaginations. TOUGHEST PLAYER YOU FACED: It's very difficult to narrow down to one particular player, but I will say on the few occasions that I played against him, Barry Sanders, was probably the most elusive, and the most determined player that I happened to play against. WHAT'S YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT OFF THE FOOTBALL FIELD? I would have to say my mission. I went on a mission trip to Kenya with Operation Smile and I had the opportunity to participate in several operations to repair cleft palates, cleft lips on young children and give them a sense of having a self-worth again. And the other one, I would have to say is the USO Tour I took a few Christmases ago to spend the holidays with our troops over in Iraq. Behind the Bronze series archive>>> Back to news


text:
"The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murders of men" Leonardo da Vinci
If only the time would come sooner, Leo! Many of the greatest minds in history have commented on the treatment of animals and the state of society. Compassion is crucial if we are to survive as a species. David G. Coles presents this topic with a moving video and demonstrates why we should care about not just how we treat other humans, but also how we treat the weakest and most vulnerable living beings. It's an 11 minutes worth watching and also worth sharing.
Thank you David for this informative and important reminder. Please watch, spread the word and share your thoughts below – change needs to come from within.


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U.S. Renews Sanctions Against North Korea
Warren Mass | The New American
25 June 2009
In a statement published by the White House on June 24, President Obama, using emergency powers, extended a set of economic sanctions on North Korea for another year. The order becomes effective on June 26, the day the previous sanctions issued by former president George W. Bush were due to expire. They will remain in effect for one year.
By issuing Executive Order 13466, the statement said, the president "declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ... to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the current existence and risk of the proliferation of weapons-usable fissile material on the Korean Peninsula."
Obama's action continues restrictions on property dealings ordered by former president Bush. At the same time Bush issued those sanctions, however, he removed North Korea from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and from the Trading with the Enemy Act, in accord with an agreement reached earlier with North Korea in the nuclear forum that includes South Korea, China, Japan, and Russia.
An AFP news report of June 24 commented on the background behind these latest actions:
Bush at the time [of issuing last year's sanctions order] was racing to clinch a denuclearization deal with North Korea late in his term. He also took Pyongyang off a list of state sponsors of terrorism, to the dismay of Japan and some US conservatives.
Diplomacy with North Korea has since quickly deteriorated, with the hardline state in recent months testing a nuclear bomb, firing missiles and bolting from a six-nation agreement that set a framework for denuclearization.
In a report on this latest presidential order, a Reuters news writer made a logical connection between the president's executive order and the recent UN Security Council's resolution to tighten sanctions on North Korea, following up a quote from the Obama order with this observation:
The expanded U.N. sanctions ban all weapons exports from North Korea and most arms imports. U.N. member states are also authorized to inspect North Korean sea, air and land cargo and destroy any goods that violate the sanctions.
Obama has said the U.S. military is prepared for the possibility that North Korea may attempt to launch a missile toward Hawaii in response to the new U.N. sanctions.
Though the presidential order did not mention the UN sanctions, a report ("A Unanimous Vote on North Korea") on the Security Council's June 12 passage of U.N. Resolution 1874 posted on the White House website states in unequivocal terms that our government is committed to enforcing the UN action. The report cites United States Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo's remarks following the vote on Resolution 1874, noting:
[DiCarlo] said that the United States welcomes the strong and united response to North Korea's nuclear test, and is committed to implementing the provisions outlined by the Security Council.
The message of this resolution is clear: North Korea's behavior is unacceptable to the international community, and the international community is determined to respond. North Korea should return without conditions to a process of peaceful dialogue. It should honor its previous commitments to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. It should shun provocation and proliferation. But for now, its choices have led it to face markedly stronger sanctions from the international community. [Emphasis added.]
It is interesting that Ambassador DiCarlo used the phrase "international community" three times in such a short statement, as if to remind the world that the United States has no sovereign foreign policy of its own, but must rely on whatever the "international community" agrees to.
It remains an interesting irony of history that this rogue state that has come under sharp criticism of late from the UN "international community" owes it existence to the UN. Were it not for UN control and deliberate mismanagement of the 1950-53 Korean conflict, the government based in Seoul would no doubt now govern the entire peninsula. It seems that, in order to justify its own existence, the UN must ensure that an adequate supply of outlaw states must be allowed to exist.
Periodically, the UN initiates economic and/or military actions against these incorrigible regimes, and the United States is expected to supply a heavily disproportionate share of men, money, and materiel to put them out of business.
Then, the UN can take credit for maintaining the peace.
One would think the majority of Americans would have figured out this charade by now.
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