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No more cuddling in bed, laughing about new discovers, arguing in philosophical rambles, no more going out to breakfast at "our" spots, laughing together, walking in the rain sharing an umbrella, getting mad at the dirt you brought in or wondering what we will do today…. you this…me that…. playing with the dogs together, you bringing the coffee and the conversation, sharing our day…. what did you do… and really caring, going out hand 'n hand, celebrating, crying, laughing, getting mad and getting happy, grabbing a bite to eat, did you get your water, always being late because you forgot something, packing the dogs and us off for drive, a visit, a hike, exploring, an adventure… new discoveries, going shopping, wondering when you're ever going to get off the phone, wondering why you have to be so nice to everyone, watching you fix things knowing I could do it better and faster, calling you a million times 'cause you won't answer the phone, wondering where the heck you are, meeting at midnight, going for a walk at 2 am, propping up pillows, giving a shoulder massage, just doing stuff together…. a lot of stuff together because we like it, waking up to a new day that is ours. .. . . . .. . No more of this….. no more shared times, no more arguments, no more kisses, no more of that feeling happy and content to just be in the same space…… No more learning about the world from you, hearing your appreciation of me being me….. Why on a holiday? …. Just because. A holiday alone is every other day alone. Alone with memories. Alone with missing.
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When text becomes data it opens up a phenomenal amount of possibility for insight and creative exploration. The problem is that most Natural Language Processing (NPL) tools are hard to use unless you have a good foundation in programming to begin with. We use a lot of NLP in our work at The Office for Creative Research and I've often wondered what it would mean to make a language tool designed for open-ended exploration. I've also thought a lot about the role a tool like this could play in the classroom. English teachers could use it to explore both basic language (what is an adverb?) and more complex questions (how did Shakespeare use hyphenates?). History classrooms could examine patterns in language over time (how does Twitter compare to Moby Dick?). Because the tool would be open source and would have an API, Computer Science instructors could use it as a basis to teach about computation and language.
With all of this in mind I built WordPlay, a freeform NLP tool that lets you search across various bodies of text without having to know how to code or to learn any kind of strange syntax.
It's really easy to use. Whatever you type into the query box will be used as a pattern to search across the current corpus. For example we might search for text similar to 'a terrible fate' across the Shakespeare's collected works:
Here is the same search, performed across the Bible:
And within Sigmund Freud's A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis:
The system works by trying to find a match to the query text in two different ways:
First, it tries to match to part-of-speech. 'A terrible fate' contains a determiner, followed by an adjective, followed by a noun, so the best results will also have these parts of speech, in the same order.
Next, it attempts to match how the query sounds. Specifically, it considers the stressing pattern of the word or phrase: in the case of 'a terrible fate' it'll look for other phrases with the same syllable counts (1-3-1) and the same stressing pattern.
The result of these two strategies is that the top search results in WordPlay should really sound like the query. And it works– go ahead and sing the results to the Shakespearean Danger Zone (Kenny Loggins, eat your heart out!).
WordPlay is meant to be a simple tool, so I'll end the explanation here. Go play with it.

subset: commoncrawl


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Shelburne, Vermont
|This article is a stub. Help us to expand it by contributing your knowledge. For county and town page guidelines, visit U.S. County Page Content Suggestions.
Shelburne is a town in Chittenden county, Vermont. It was formed in 1763 in N.H. from Addison county. The probate and court district for Shelburne is Chittenden. For more information, contact the town at P.O. Box 88, Shelburne 05482. On the attached map, Shelburne is shown as 10 in Chittenden county.
For information about the state of Vermont see Vermont Family History Research.


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The Open Internet & Public Engagement
The utopia of net neutrality is an impossible goal to obtain.
Net neutrality is a perfect situation which will not be achievable. Sorry but there is no utopian ideal solution. The internet is like a lot of roadways and you have to allow authorities like the FCC and internet service providers to perform throttling, limits on total bandwidth use and modifications based upon access and ability to pay for excessive speeds so that the net can conduct its business reliably for the most... more »


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God's Rescue Plan—To Be Delivered, You Have to Let Go
One Sunday morning, as I was getting ready for church, I felt discouraged and bone weary. Belle, our three-year-old bichon frise, looked up at me with heartfelt empathy, as if to say, "If you're going down, I'm coming with you." That's how I felt that morning. Many things in my life were going very well, but there were a few areas where I felt very hopeless.
As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I heard God speak four words to me:
I will deliver you!
I didn't hear an audible voice, but in my spirit God's voice was unmistakable. I was startled by the clarity of the message.
This is not a common occurrence for me. I often hear God speak through the Bible, through my pastor or friends, or through the beauty of nature. But very rarely have I heard his voice so commanding, clear, and deeply personal: I will deliver you!
It seemed as if my bathroom floor had become holy ground. I knew deep down exactly what situation God was assuring me that he would deliver me from. To pretend any longer that the issue that had been weighing on my heart and soul like a frozen winter lake was under control was stretching even Belle's blind devotion, never mind the almighty, all-knowing God of the universe.
I thought, How will God deliver me from this? My question revealed a lot about my attitude to being rescued. I am more comfortable with a straightforward scenario—I have a problem, God rescues me, and we all move on with life. But God wants much more for us. God wants to extend us a freedom that goes far beyond a one-time intervention; he wants us to experience a lifestyle of liberty.
My question was answered quickly and clearly, as God's words came ringing back to me: I will deliver you!
As I heard God's strong and loving voice again, I knew that the "how" had nothing to do with me. Not only that, but the "how" was ridiculous in light of the "who."
All God was asking me to do was receive his promise and trust him. Nothing more.
I prayed a very simple prayer in response: "Father, thank you. I believe you, I trust you, and I will try to rest in your promise. I have no idea what my deliverance will look like or when it will come, but you do and that's all I need to know. Please give me your grace on the days when I will find it hard to trust and look for more. Help me to let go when I want to try to fix things that only you can fix."
What does it mean to be delivered?
That morning at church, "coincidentally," our pastor taught from the apostle Paul's letter to the church in Philippi:
I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ. . . . and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. . . . For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:12–13, 18–19)
As I reflected on that passage during the next few days, my mind was flooded with questions:
• How did Paul know his present circumstances would work out for his deliverance?
• What does it mean to be delivered?
• Does deliverance always involve a change of circumstances, or do the circumstances sometimes remain the same while God changes us?
• Is there a biblical time frame for how and when deliverance takes place?
• Does God always deliver his children? If not, why not?
• Does every believer need to be delivered?
I knew that I needed answers—and that I shouldn't give up until I had more peace about the issue. So began this quest to study and understand what it means as a believer to be delivered.
How about you? Have you ever wondered what it means to be delivered? To feel delivered? God's declaration that he would deliver me implied many things that caused me to stop and think. If he would deliver me, then I needed to let go of the pieces of the puzzle I couldn't make fit, no matter how hard I tried. That was a struggle for me because each piece was precious, and I felt as if I should be able to make them fit. I sensed, though, that God was offering much more than a quick-fix or rescue; he was offering me a whole new way to live. I wasn't sure if I was ready or even had the stamina for the journey that might lie ahead. Even so, the choices were painfully clear. I could continue to struggle all alone, pushing myself through one more day, or I could take God at his word—and let go.
Start with grace
I don't know what made you pick up this book. You may be in financial trouble, in a bad marriage or a difficult relationship, shackled by the pain of your past, or simply want to live in all the fullness that Christ offers. Whatever the case, I imagine that somewhere deep inside you, you long to be delivered. Set free. And so I welcome you to this book. I hope and pray it will be a blessing to you. And I want you to know I will be beside you on this journey.
I also want you to know that I value your time and energy. Very few women have spare time to sit around and think, Well, what can I do now? Because of that awareness, I have carefully chosen the biblical insights and personal stories in this book to make a difference in your life and in your walk with Christ.
We will examine many of the issues women often struggle with—but before we do, I believe that the perfect place to begin is with grace. If, like me, you have exhausted your own resources, you are in the perfect place to receive God's grace. Where law imprisons, grace liberates. If you are being beaten up internally or externally by the merciless taskmaster of the law, there is fresh grace available just for you.
Perhaps you are weighed down by events in your past. My heart aches as I think of the time that we as daughters of Eve have lost living in regret. Christ died to put us right with God. He paid for the crushing debt that caused a breach in our relationship with our Father, yet so often we spend our lives in debtors' court as if the bill was still to be paid. Dear sister, you are free—you just have to let go.
What if you are imprisoned by unforgiveness? We live on a fallen planet where terrible injustices rain down on us, often when we are least prepared. When the wound comes from the hand of someone we trusted, the pain and resulting anger can be crippling. I have discovered that one of the most powerful spiritual weapons God has tucked into our arsenal is the gift of forgiveness. Revenge makes us feel powerful, but it handicaps us. It is one of the most difficult things to let go of. Perhaps that is why when we learn by God's grace to let go of revenge and to embrace forgiveness, the freedom that results is outrageous.
Are you plagued by recurring habits that seem to keep you from being the woman you want to be? Have you given your weaknesses the food they most desire, secrecy? There are freedom and deliverance from every act or behavior you hide and grace to love and accept yourself in the process.
Secrecy's cellmate is shame. Shame tells you that you don't belong, that you are hopelessly flawed, not worth loving or saving. Christ's death on the cross for you is a deafening cry to the contrary. In this book, we will look at the journey of the Lamb of God, who became your shame so that you can become God's beloved daughter.
Do you ever find yourself questioning the purpose of your life? Does it matter that you work so hard at taking care of your family? Does anyone really care that you conduct all your business with integrity and honor? As you wait in line to wash your hands in the ladies' restroom on Sunday morning, do the women gossiping in front of you know or care that you were the one who put fresh soap in the dispensers and fresh flowers on the counter? In a culture that worships charisma over character, I want to show you that your life matters to God. It's as if we have been let in on a divine joke where what seems to matter doesn't matter at all, and things our culture brushes under the carpet as insignificant service will one day be revealed to be pure gold when God pulls back the carpet's edge.
What about fear? Do you find yourself looking to the future with dread, wondering how your life will unfold? Are you held back from taking Godly risks because of the what-ifs? In a world where there was no God, fear would not only be appropriate; it would be inevitable. That is not your birthright. As a daughter of the King, you are living out the pages of a love story. Don't confuse this love story with the stuff of daytime dramas and Hollywood hype. This love story is sealed with the precious blood of Christ. You are his, and no one can snatch you out of his hand.
Are you lonely? Many of us live busy, lonely lives. We can be surrounded by people, even family, and still feel isolated and alone. It's risky to be known. What if in a moment of finally stepping out of our cocoon, ready to spread our wings and fly, someone laughs at us—or worse still, simply turns her back and continues with her conversation? When a child is born and the very first face she focuses her eyes on is the face of her adoring mother, part of the rip of Eden is healed. When that love and acceptance are further strengthened through the years by her father, and by family and friends, it will be hard to convince this little one that she is not worth loving. The trouble with the human experience of many is that the love they needed and craved as a child was withheld, and the tear of separation that began in Eden has gotten bigger. One of the greatest spiritual gifts of rebirth when we give our lives to Christ is that we have fresh eyes to look into and see how much we are treasured. You have a Father who adores you, who delights in your laugh, who celebrates your gifts, and who catches every tear that falls from your eyes. His love will give you the courage to leave the cocoon behind and fly.
Perhaps you begin this journey as I did, experiencing a level of hopelessness. As you look at your circumstances, you despair of anything ever changing. It's not that you doubt that God is in control, but you live in a world where the decisions of others often affect your life. Can God deliver you even before your circumstances change? I believe that he can. I have and am experiencing that he can. So these are the issues we will look at together. We will look at our own stories and the stories of others, and we will dig deep into the Word of God.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ wants to deliver you into the grace and peace that are your birthright as his child. Jesus left all the glory that was his and embraced all the brokenness and sin that is ours so that we can be free—truly free.
As we begin our journey together in this book, this is my prayer for you:
Dear Father,
As we stand at the gateway of this book, we ask that by your grace, you will anoint our ears so that we can hear. Anoint our eyes so that we can see. Anoint our hearts and give to us the will to follow you.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Chapter One
Fresh-Baked Grace for the Spiritually Hungry
Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right. All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn't, and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. — Romans 5:18–20 MSG
A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart. —Charles G. Finney
Grace binds you with far stronger cords than the cords of duty or obligation can bind you. Grace is free, but when once you take it, you are bound forever to the Giver and bound to catch the spirit of the Giver. Like produces like. Grace makes you gracious, the Giver makes you give. —E. Stanley Jones
So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. —2 Corinthians 4:16 MSG
That is the mystery of grace: it never comes too late. —François Mauriac
She never wanted her children to worry, but the loss of her husband had been devastating. Some days, the only thing that helped her get out of bed in the morning was knowing that she had three hungry mouths expecting to "Snap, Crackle, and Pop."
Without her husband's salary, the family struggled, especially when it came time to buy clothing. The girls were easier to keep well dressed—through the kindness of friends in her small church who had daughters just a little older than her girls, there was a steady supply of skirts and sweaters.
It was harder with her son. He had one friend in the church, but he was the same age and size, so when pants and shirts were too small for the friend, they were too small for her boy too. And he was growing so fast, it was clear his school pants were far too short.
She didn't have any extra money that month to purchase new pants, so she decided to ask God for help.
Although she didn't want the children to worry, she did want them to know they were being watched over by a very practical, loving Father who understood their needs and was willing and able to meet them. After supper that night, she told them what was going on.
"Your brother needs new pants and I don't have enough money to buy them, so we're going to ask God to provide them," she said.
The younger daughter was skeptical. "Does God keep extra pants in heaven? I didn't think angels wore pants," she said.
"That will not be a problem to God," the mother said with a smile. "If God can make a planet out of nothing, he can certainly find some pants for your brother."
So they joined hands, and she prayed, "Father God, thank you for taking care of us. Thank you that you know what we need even before we ask. But you have invited us to ask in Jesus' name. You know that we have a need for pants, so I ask you to provide those and thank you in advance for your loving provision."
"What now?" the younger girl inquired. "Will an angel ring the doorbell or will the pants come in the mail?"
"Let's just wait and see!" the mother said with a conspiratorial wink.
The following evening, the mother's friend dropped by for a cup of tea. When she left, she gave her a package. "I bought these for Tom, but he seems to have grown several inches overnight! These are far too short. Could your son wear them?"
Inside the mother found three pairs of brand-new pants that were just perfect for her son. She was deeply grateful . . . but you could have knocked the younger daughter over with a feather.
Seeing God in Everything
Charles Finney once said, "A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart."1 That statement was a timely challenge for me. Do you ever read something like that and recognize the truth in the words, yet you struggle with what "seeing God in everything" looks like in real, day-to-day life?
Take your life at this moment and run it through that grid. Is it hard to see the hand of God in everything that is happening right now? What are you dealing with right now that you don't remember signing up for?
I think of one of my friends whose daughter is sick. She and her husband are waiting for test results. I think of a school friend of Barry's whose young son has been very ill and has gone through so many painful procedures—and he is not out of the woods yet. I think of a female soldier in Iraq who wrote to say that she listens to audiotapes from our Women of Faith conferences, and at times they are the only thing that keep her sane when she sees friends' lives lost in the war.
All these and other harsh intruders in life often make it hard to recognize the fact that our God is always present. But some of the greatest surprises to me on this spiritual journey are those moments when it becomes clear God has been faithfully cultivating my heart—those times when things don't go as planned, and I do see God is in control. They don't have to be extreme situations like I described above. Often it's in the little things we see God's work. That is grace, and that is a gift.
The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Men
I didn't realize at the time I read Charles Finney's statement and wrote it in my notebook that God had tucked this little phrase into my pocket for a day like yesterday. As I reflect on the events of yesterday, I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. Either way, I am a recipient of grace. Let me give you a little background.
In January 2008, Barry and I decided that since we hadn't had a real vacation in five years, our family would travel somewhere fun for spring break. Barry did some research and found a great deal at a hotel in Cancún, Mexico. Since we live in Texas and Cancún is only a two-hour flight for us, it seemed ideal.
A few days before we left, I pulled together everything I thought we'd need. I looked at our three passports and noticed Christian's had expired. Barry called the airline and was told that all we needed for Christian was his birth certificate.
The big day arrived and we got to the airport in lots of time to catch our morning flight. We presented our two passports and Christian's birth certificate at the desk.
The agent asked, "Where's the third passport?"
"We don't have one," Barry said, "but we do have his birth certificate."
"You can't fly without a passport," she said.
"But we called and talked to one of your agents," Barry replied, his bubble of hope beginning to vaporize.
"You can't travel out of the country without a passport—everyone knows that!" she said, looking at us as if we had just crawled out from underneath a haystack.
"That's why we called, ma'am," Barry bravely continued.
"Not my problem," she said. "Next in line!"
By this point Christian was in tears. I felt so bad for him. He had been very excited about our vacation, and now we were stuck at the airport with a plethora of luggage and nowhere to go, and the friend who dropped us off had left.
"I'm so sorry, Christian," I said. "We'll try to work something out."
Christian and I dragged our bags over to a seating area while Barry remained at the counter, trying to fix the problem. Thirty minutes later, we called for a cab. As soon as we arrived back home, we immediately got online to see what could be done. We discovered that if we could get to Houston, Texas, the passport office there could issue Christian a passport when it opened the following morning and we should have it the same day. We drove back to the airport and got on a flight to Houston.
"We'll find a hotel close to the passport office or the airport when we get there," Barry said.
Oh, really?
When we arrived in Houston, we called every hotel we could think of; but they were all full. We got down to the Motel 6, the Motel 5, and the Motel 2½, but there was no room in the inn. Apparently there was a convention of helicopter pilots in town—who knew there were so many! Finally, as we were about to start looking for a stable and manger, we found a hotel with one room left. By this point, we were all very hungry and tired.
"Mom, do you think I could have a steak?" Christian asked. "I'm starving."
"It's your vacation, babe," I said. "Let's see what the hotel has to offer."
Well, that would be . . . nothing. They told us their restaurant was closed, but they would be happy to drive us to one. We told the desk clerk we wanted a steak place, but not anything too formal since we looked a bit bedraggled by this point. She told us about a great restaurant with a new chef who used to work at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. Frankly I didn't care if he'd worked at a Denny's in Darfur; we just needed to eat. The hotel van dropped us off outside a steak-house and said they would pick us up in an hour. Perfect!
We sat down at our table, and I picked up my menu. I suddenly became painfully aware that Christian was kicking me in the ankle.
"What are you doing, babe?" I asked.
"Mom, that woman is naked!" he whispered.
I looked up and for the first time became aware of the fact that the walls were covered in red velvet and festooned with black-and-white pictures of women with no tops on!
"Barry! Look at the walls!" I said, but he already was.
"Good grief, what is this place?" I whispered. I looked at my menu. It was called The Strip Place. I had naively thought that applied to the strip steak—but apparently not.
Christian went into dramatic mode. "My eyes, my eyes; my beautiful, innocent eyes!"
I said to him, "Just keep your eyes down. Look at your napkin."
When he exploded with laughter, I realized that the same people who'd done the walls had obviously designed the napkins too.
In my evangelical panic, I thought, Let's sing a hymn; we'll sing a hymn! What came to mind was one of my grandmother's favorites, "Rock of Ages." Verse two seemed beyond poignant:
Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to thy cross I cling.
Naked come to thee for dress . . .
I added my own earnest plea to that of Augustus M. Toplady:
Lord, please get me out of this mess;
Good grief, look at the size of that woman's chest!
We were stuck. We were hungry, we had no transport, and we were surrounded by pictures of women showing us how good God had been to them.
"Okay, Christian, here's the deal," I said. "I know we don't normally let you watch mp3 movies in restaurants, but this is what I would describe as . . . unusual circumstances. So put on Sponge Bob SquarePants, and don't look up until I am approaching your mouth with a forkful of something."
Well, we made it through dinner and got back to our hotel. After we had our extended devotions and prayed together, Christian asked me, "Do you think that made God angry?"
"Do you mean angry that we stayed?" I asked.
"I don't know, Mom—just the whole thing," he said.
"I don't think God was cross with us at all," I told him. "I think it made him sad that those ladies felt they had to take off their clothes. I know he loves them and wants the best for them."
"Do you think he loves them as much as he loves you?" he asked.
"Every bit as much," I said.
"Even though they're doing something he wouldn't want them to?" he asked.
"Christian, God's love for us is not based on our behavior," I assured him. "It's based on his heart and his character. That's grace."
Grace in All Things
I am aware that this silly inconvenience doesn't hold a candle to the life-and-death situations I described earlier. But that's actually my point. As a believer of forty years (I gave my life to Christ when I was eleven), when I am faced with life's crises, I usually know enough to turn to God for strength, grace, and guidance. It's the small stuff that gets me. It's the moments when my plans are messed up, and it feels like no one really cares one way or another. Those are the times I must learn the lesson over again—to trust God. It's hard for me, because it means I have to let go of my agenda.
As Christian and I sat there in the airport in Dallas surrounded by our bags and disappointment, it was a moment of true humanity and grace to let our heads touch as we asked God to help us through. We didn't have to be strong. We didn't have to do it on our own. We didn't need to follow any rules or live up to any expectations. We just had to be honest and real.
We finally made it to Cancún two days late. But we were there. The three of us sat on the beach, side by side, as the sun was setting. Christian said, "Well, it sure took a while to get here, and I saw things no grandson of a Baptist should ever see, but God was with us every step."
For me, that is the miracle of grace. Not that we finally made it to our vacation, but that God was with us every step—and an eleven-year-old boy knew it, even when our plans seemed to fall apart.
As I look back over my life, I can think of many times when this kind of situation happened and my response was very different. I know now that God's grace was right there every single time, but sometimes I didn't reach out and receive it. To have my hands free to receive grace, I have to be willing to let go of whatever I am clinging to.
Think about your own journey. Can you see in your own life how you are growing in grace, not just in the big moments but all those little moments that can rob us of peace and joy?
That's Not Fair!
As I have watched my son grow in his understanding of grace, the greatest obstacle for him has been the way he often connects God's favor to his behavior. Christian thinks when we do good things God applauds our righteous behavior, and when we slip and fall he frowns on us. (Do you know how hard it is for me as a mother not to let that belief sit there for a few more years, until he's, say, thirty?) I have to tell him again and again God is not a Scout leader or an etiquette coach. His love is lavish and without repentance.
I think this is one of the hardest doctrines to wrap our hearts and minds around. There is something in us that wants to feel we have contributed in some way to whatever we receive. With the grace of God, we contribute nothing. That's hard for us to swallow. We know we don't bring as much as God does to the table, but we want to feel as if we've done our bit for the team! Not only that, but God's grace is fresh every single day, which means you don't have to rely on what was available yesterday. In fact, yesterday's grace is stale. Yesterday's grace was baked fresh by God for the events of yesterday, but today there is a whole new supply for every single thing you will walk through today.
Christian is not a big breakfast eater. He often runs out to shoot hoops with his friends on a summer morning with nothing more than the aftertaste of toothpaste in his system. Then he'll come dragging in and say, "Mom, I'm starving!"
Do you ever find yourself spiritually starving halfway through your day? Fresh grace is available from the moment you open your eyes until you crawl back under the covers at night.
When we are satiated with God's grace, it is much easier to extend grace to others; but when we are on starvation rations ourselves, we have little to spare.
There is also something in us that finds it hard to see that same lavish grace extended to those who seem particularly undeserving. Perhaps no parable illustrates that more clearly than one found in Matthew's gospel. Jesus told the story of a vineyard owner who hired his first workers of the day at 6 a.m. and agreed on a wage of one dollar. He hired more field hands at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.
When it came time to pay the day's wages, he told the foreman to begin with those who had worked only the last hour. When the workers who had sweated in the field all day realized that the tail-end stragglers were receiving one dollar, they were encouraged for a moment, assuming their own paycheck had been bumped up exponentially. Not so. They were given the same dollar as the rest. The workers who had worked all day were furious, and they appointed the loudest mouth in the group to complain to the manager. But the manager wouldn't entertain their argument.
He replied to the one speaking for the rest, "Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?" here it is again, the great reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first. (Matthew 20:13–16 MSG)
The kingdom of God has nothing to do with our scales of justice. From our perspective, it's easy to pick out the good guys and the bad guys; but God says there is no such thing as a good guy. We are all sinners standing in need of the grace of God: "Scripture leaves no doubt about it: There's nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God" (Romans 3:9–10 MSG).
If you're like me, you've thought, Well, sure, I understand that we're all sinners in a broad sense, Lord, but there are some of us who mess up a lot less than others. You can't tell me that doesn't count for something.
It is so tempting to categorize sin, to see others as less deserving of God's grace than we are. The clarion call of a grace-filled life is that we are required to lay down our internal scales of justice, not only as we see ourselves but also as we see and judge others. In terms of our salvation and God's love for us, our list of what we view as our good behavior counts for nothing.
The Promise of Grace
We've looked at the problem of legalism, so now it's time to embrace the promise of grace. It's hard to extend to others what you have not allowed yourself to be blessed by, but the truth remains:
• As you are, right at this moment, God loves you.
• He knows all that is true about you, and he loves you.
• Even when you can't forgive yourself, he forgives you.
• There is nothing you can do to make him love you more.
• There is nothing you can do to make him love you less.
This is the grace of God.
Take a few moments and be quiet with these truths. How do they sit with you? Are they hard to believe? Perhaps as we look at our past and bring it to the foot of the cross, it will help us receive the grace of God. Remember, as Martin Luther said, "A man must completely despair of himself in order to become fit to obtain the grace of Christ."2
Deliverance Discovered
1. Do you believe—not just in your head, but deep in your soul—that God loves you as you are right now? Explain.
2. Do you think there is anything you could do to make God love or approve of you more? Explain.
3. Who in your circle do you find it the most difficult to extend grace to?
4. Why do you think that is?
A Prayer of Deliverance
Father God,
Thank you for the grace you offer me right at this moment. Deliver me from self-doubt and fear. Help me to feast on your glorious gift of fresh-baked grace every morning. Thank you that your love and grace invite us all to the feast. May I share this feast with someone else today.
For Jesus' sake, amen
Let Go: Live Free of the Burdens All Women Know
Copyright 2008 by Sheila Walsh
Reprinted with permission of Thomas Nelson, Inc.. All rights reserved.


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How high can the car market go? That's the question a lot of industry observers have started to ask after looking over November's automotive sales figures.
The month brought significant relief to an industry struggling to climb out of one of the worst downturns it has suffered since the Great Depression. Overall, sales volumes surged 17 percent in November. Other than industry giant Toyota, which is still suffering from its ongoing safety recall problems, most major carmakers saw double-digit gains.
Ford, for example, said its November sales were driven by truck sales that rose 34 percent, while sales of the Fusion jumped 28 percent. Ford said it has already set a full-year sales record for the midsize sedan.
It's a very different scenario from the beginning of 2010 when car manufacturers seemingly couldn't give their products away. Last year saw U.S. motorists purchase a grand total of just 8.6 million new cars, trucks and crossover vehicles — that's barely half the record sales levels the industry set early in the last decade. The current year didn't get off to a much better start, so for all of 2010 the new car market will still just nudge past the 11 million mark, according to industry research firm J.D. Power and Associates.
Still, the industry sales freeze looks set to thaw in October and November. It's an odd time for sales to pick up, but warming demand has seen the annualized sales rate nudge 12 million for the last two months. That's still down 30 percent from the industry's peak, but a big improvement nonetheless.
Now, the guessing game begins. Will industry sales suddenly return to their former vigor or continue to creep along with just marginal gains? Will the industry eventually match the peaks of the last cycle or has the trend line unexpectedly shifted direction downward, meaning a much smaller recovery than hoped for?
Mike Robinet, a senior analyst with IHS Global Insight is upbeat.
He's not forecasting a big sales recovery, but he expects sales to grow modestly to 12.8 million in 2011. After that, it's off to the races. His firm's annual sales figure jumps to 14.8 million in 2012, and it keeps going, all the way up to 17.2 million by 2016. That number would come within a hairsbreadth of the 17.4 million sales rung up in 2000.
J.D. Power, meanwhile, is forecasting a similar, 12.8 million number for 2011 and a bigger jump — to 15.1 million — the following year. The research firm has not yet made public a projection for 2016.
Such optimistic forecasts depend, of course, on a number of assumptions, as well as identifiable trends. In the latter category is the emergence of the Gen-X and Millennial motorist as a driving force in the new car market. Add in immigration and IHS estimates there will be 25 million new drivers in the U.S. over the next decade, although obviously not all will be shopping for a new vehicle.
Robinet also points to what he calls "the engineering of demand." Governments are mandating new safety, emissions and mileage standards, while the industry is adding plenty of other features, like the Ford "MyTouch" infotainment system, which could attract existing owners to trade in or upgrade.
But new government mandates and upgraded content in vehicles could also backfire because these changes are likely to raise vehicle prices, other analysts caution — this could drive car buyers to move downmarket or switch from the new to the used car market.
Of course, there are plenty of other reasons to question whether the market will climb to — or at least near — new highs.
While the economy certainly looks better than it did in the months following the onset of the financial crisis, the latest data on the employment market show that the after-effects of the Great Recession remain with us.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the jobs category. Last week's government jobs report for November saw the nation's unemployment rate climb to 9.8 percent, a seven-month high, as hiring slowed sharply. Overall, U.S. employers added just 39,000 jobs last month, a sharp decline from the 172,000 created in October, and many analysts now believe that the nation's jobless rate will climb above 10 percent in the coming months.
True, factories seem to be producing more, but American business seems to be learning to get by with a leaner workforce. And that, insists Frank Stronach, founder of — and still consultant to — the Canadian auto mega-supplier Magna International, doesn't bode well for the automotive industry.
"We have to focus on creating jobs in America because if we don't, who will be left to buy cars?" he asked.
There are other factors that could restrain the growth of the American automotive market, including what General Motors' sales chief Don Johnson describes as "a fundamental shift in American buying habits."
With vehicles proving more and more reliable, there's less pressure to trade in a three or four-year-old vehicle, he acknowledges, while the newfound focus on value could reduce the number of vehicles that American families feel they need to own.
Los Angeles Auto Show
As a result, it's a "very realistic" possibility, said Johnson, that the industry won't see another 17-million unit sales peak anytime soon. If that's the case, just how much of a recovery the industry experiences remains to be seen. Even a more modest 15 million units a year could look much better than it did in the past.
Consider GM, which is expected to end 2010 with a multi-billion-dollar profit, despite the weak automotive market. It would be the company's first profitable year since 2004, and even before then it was struggling to stay in the black during some of the best years the industry ever had.
The automaker's 2009 bankruptcy has created a leaner more efficient company. But the economic crisis led its competitors to also do some serious restructuring. So there's far less profit-gobbling excess capacity in the North American market, and even if the U.S. car market doesn't return to its glory days in terms of sales, the industry could still be churning out record profits.


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DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Pe'Shon Howard wasn't supposed to be the one racing up court trying to win the game, but he knew how many dribbles he had before time would expire. And he used them perfectly.
Howard caught an inbounds pass with the score tied with 4.7 seconds left, dribbled up the right sideline and swished an off-balance 3-pointer from deep on the wing as time expired Sunday to lift Southern California to a 79-76 overtime victory over Dayton.
On Thursday, the Trojans (8-4) were in a similar situation at Long Beach State, but Byron Wesley shot too soon from too far away and the Trojans lost 72-71. The play Sunday was supposed to go to Wesley again with the hope he could dribble into the lane where he had already scored most of his 26 points.
"J.T. (Terrell) told me if I can't get it to him, I'm coming to you," said Howard, who scored 12 points. "I think I'm a good shooter so I was trying to get to the 3-point line. So I came across half court and two guys came over late, so I just tried to lean and get the shot off."
Dayton had kept the ball away from Wesley, but coach Archie Miller did not like how his team defended the play.
"We didn't execute a simple strategy to really corral the ball coming down the floor," Miller said.
Vee Sanford ran at Howard and had a hand in his face as he let the shot go.
"When it left my hand it felt good, and as I'm watching the ball, 'That's in, that's in,'" Howard said. "I had to flop, too, so maybe I could get a foul."
First-year Trojans coach Andy Enfield, said Howard's shot isn't one that often goes in, and was happy his team learned from the Long Beach game.
"When you have over four seconds you can at least get to the 3-point line or close to it," Enfield said. "You don't need to throw up a half-court shot. Our players didn't understand that our last game, and I'm just glad they figured it out."
Miller was just as unhappy that the Trojans even had a chance to win the game. The Flyers gained possession with 35.5 seconds left and tried to hold for a last shot after a quick timeout. But Devin Oliver missed a reverse layup, and USC got the rebound and called time out with 4.7 seconds left.
"They should've never gotten the ball," Miller said. "Coming out of that timeout there was a very, very direct message to our team that we take the last one."
Dayton took the lead twice in overtime on 3-pointers by Jordan Sibert, but the Trojans regained the lead once with two free throws by Julian Jacobs and a second time on a 3-pointer by Howard to lead 76-75. But Oliver tied the score with a free throw, and Jacobs missed on a drive with 35 seconds left to set up Dayton's chance to win in the final seconds.
Wesley tied the score 67-67 in regulation with a driving shot in the lane with 1:45 left. Dayton regained the lead on two Jalen Robinson free throws with 50 seconds left. But Wesley came back with a driving layup to tie the score again. Dayton held for the final shot, but Khari Price missed a 3-pointer from the left corner.
"Dayton's a great team," Howard said. "They play hard, they're disciplined, so I think we really grew up. Everybody stepped up and made the plays we needed."
Wesley didn't start for the second straight game. Enfield called it a coach's decision. Against Long Beach State, he scored two points in 21 minutes. He played 41 minutes Sunday, made 11 of 17 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds. Wesley and Howard's ability to drive against the Flyers' man-to-man defense resulted in baskets for them and putbacks for the big men to keep the Trojans close and occasionally put them in the lead.
"We just weren't good enough defensively for much of the game," Miller said. "Our biggest problem was just guarding straight-line drives."
Dayton faced zone again against the much bigger Trojans, who start 7-foot-2 Omar Oraby and 6-10 Nikola Jovanovic. Those two battled foul trouble, but 7-foot D.J. Haley scored seven points in the first half to help the Trojans rally from nine down. The big trio combined for 27 points and 21 rebounds.
Sibert led Dayton with 21 points with five 3-pointers, but the Flyers shot only 25.8 percent in the second half and made only 5 of 23 3-pointers for the game. Pierre, a 6-6 forward, worked inside for 16 points.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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EAST LANSING, Mich. A Michigan State University surgeon is teaming up with a Lansing-area dental benefits firm on a clinical trial to create a simple, cost-effective saliva test to detect oral cancer, a breakthrough that would drastically improve screening and result in fewer people dying of the world's sixth most common cancer.
Barry Wenig, a professor in the College of Human Medicine's Department of Surgery and lead investigator on the project, is working with Delta Dental of Michigan's Research and Data Institute to compile study data and recruit dentists. The study will enroll 100-120 patients with white lesions or growths in their mouths and tonsil areas to test as part of the clinical trial.
Wenig and his team will be looking for certain biomarkers previously identified by researchers at UCLA; the biomarkers have been shown in studies to confirm the presence of oral cancer. By creating a simple saliva test which could identify the biomarker's presence, physicians and dentists would know which patients need treatment and which ones could avoid needless and invasive biopsies.
"Most white lesions are benign, so a majority of people who develop them are getting biopsies that are not needed," Wenig said. "Conversely, a simple test would allow us to identify those patients with malignant lesions and get them into treatment quicker."
Oral cancer has a poor survival rate linked to late detection, Wenig said: Only 60 percent of patients live beyond five years after diagnosis. Among black males, the survival rate is less than 38 percent.
"The key challenge to reduce the mortality and morbidity of oral cancer is to develop strategies to identify and detect the disease when it is at a very early stage," he said.
In addition to Delta Dental's Research and Data Institute, which works with researchers from leading universities to monitor advances in science, Wenig is collaborating with PeriRx, a Pennsylvania company that will sponsor upcoming trials with the Food and Drug Administration.
"The results of this trial could be life changing for many people," said Jed Jacobson, chief science officer at Delta Dental and a licensed dentist. "It is a tremendous opportunity for the dental community to participate in what could be a groundbreaking research project."
Wenig and members of his team recently returned from southern California, where they met with UCLA colleagues, who are working to develop saliva diagnostic tests for other cancers as well.
"These tests are as noninvasive as it gets; patients simply need to spit into a cup," Wenig said. "The ease of the test will greatly expand our ability to effectively screen for the cancerous lesions.
"Right now, there are no early screenings available for most head and neck cancers."
The test also has the potential to accelerate health care savings, he added, since the number of biopsies can be dramatically reduced.
Anyone seeking more information on the trial can call the Department of Surgery at (517) 267-2042.
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
|Contact: Jason Cody
Michigan State University


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The developmental genetics of space and time
The developmental genetics of space and time
The developmental genetics of space and time
Albert Erives, associate professor in the University of Iowa Department of Biology, and his graduate student, Justin Crocker, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Farm Research Campus, have conducted a study that reveals important and useful insights into how and why developmental genes often take inputs from two independent "morphogen concentration gradients."
The study appears in the Genomes & Developmental Control section of the online June 1 issue of the journal Developmental Biology. The complete paper can be found at: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012160613001310.
Understanding the concept of morphogen gradients—the mechanism by which a signal from one part of a developing embryo can influence the location and other variables of surrounding cells—is important to developmental biology, gene regulation, evolution, and human health.
Morphogen gradients subdivide a field of cells into territories characterized by distinct cell fate potentials and allow cells to "know" their position within a developing embryonic tissue and to differentiate appropriately. In order to function, such systems require a genetic mechanism to encode a spectrum of responses at different target genes.
This genetic mechanism takes the form of transcriptional enhancers, which are DNA sequences that display a cryptic code of transcription factor (TF) binding sites. During development and/or environmental perturbation, these enhancers serve as assembly scaffolds for TF protein complexes that orchestrate differential gene expression.
However, enhancers targeted by morphogen signaling may drive temporally inappropriate expression because morphogen gradients also provide temporal cues. That is, the morphogenic gradient builds up and decays over a specific window of developmental time.
Using the powerful Drosophila (fruit fly) genetic system, which includes diverse species with fully sequenced genomes, the Erives Lab identified a case of spatial and temporal conflict in the regulation of the ventral neurons defective (vnd) gene, which must be precisely regulated in order for the fly's nervous system to be properly specified. The vnd gene is induced by a concentration gradient of a key embryonic factor (dorsal/NFkB) that patterns the dorsal/ventral (D/V) axis of the embryo. In particular, the vnd gene plays a critical role in specifying distinct D/V neural columnar fates of the ectodermal compartments by encoding a repressor of additional regulators.
The role of vnd in this regulatory hierarchy requires early temporal expression, which is characteristic of low-threshold responses, but its specification of ventral neurogenic ectoderm demands a relatively high-threshold response to the morphogen.
The study shows that the vnd gene's Neurogenic Ectoderm Enhancer (NEE) takes additional input from a complementary gradient of the Dpp morphogen via a highly-conserved Schnurri/Mad/Medea silencer element (SSE), which is integral to its NEE module. In this regard, the NEE at vnd is unlike NEEs at other genetic loci, which are not involved in the neural specification circuit and have no resident SSE. They also show that an SSE could be added to a single-input NEE and cause spatial restriction of its activity. These results show how requirements for conflicting temporal and spatial responses to one morphogen gradient can be solved by additional inputs from complementary morphogen gradients.
The Erives Lab at the UI's Department of Biology studies the structure, function, and evolution of enhancers within the context of gene regulatory circuits underlying the evolution and development of animals by using molecular, genetic, and evolutionary genomic approaches. Within these areas, the Erives Lab has published several landmark papers notable for demonstrating how whole genome sequences can be used to accelerate biological research on outstanding questions in biology.
The study is supported by an NSF CAREER award to Albert Erives (NSF IOS1239673).


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BREA (AP) — American Suzuki Motor Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and says it will cease selling automobiles in the U.S. as part of a plan to restructure its business.
The company, based in Brea, Calif., is the sole distributor of Suzuki Motor Co. vehicles in the continental U.S.
It said Monday that it will focus on selling Suzuki motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and marine outboard engines once it exits bankruptcy protection.
The company estimates its debts and liabilities range from at least $100 million to as much as $500 million.
American Suzuki Motor says it decided to exit the car business because of slow sales, unfavorable foreign exchange rates and high costs due to U.S. regulatory requirements.
The bankruptcy and reorganization are unrelated to Japan-based Suzuki Motor Corp.


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Harang returns to Cincy
Aaron Harang was recognized by the Reds prior to tonight's game for his contributions to the Cincinnati community. He spent the previous eight years pitching in Cincy before joining the Padres in 2011. Thanks for the Reds for providing photography of the ceremony.
1 Comment
Hey mr. Harang, thanks for the autograph you gave me today. You are pitching well this year. I met you in your old neighborhood with my grandma


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Hollywood Ending
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|Allen continues two recent disturbing trends: making mediocre comedies, and making creepy casting choices when picking his female leads. This time he's Val Waxman, a a down-on-his-luck, nuerotic director about ten years past his prime with a hot ex-wife, Ellie (Leoni) who's engaged to a smarmy studio head (Williams). He's also managed to snag a hot dim-bulb wannabe-actress girlfriend (Messing). When Ellie uses her connections to get Val a job directing an "Ode to New York" pic, his hypochodriac tendencies go into haywire and he goes blind. Woody's made some great comedies in the past, and if this was 10-15 years ago, this one might've been great, too. But his overwhelmingly annoying screen persona, and the missed execution of some pretty good setups, this one goes to the forgettable file. Leoni, Williams, and Rydell do well with what they're given.
|Directed by:
|Woody Allen
|Letty Aronson, Gravier Productions, Perdido, Dreamworks Pictures.
|Woody Allen, Tea Leoni, Treat Williams, Debra Messing, George Hamilton, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Mark Rydell, Isaac Mizrahi, Marian Seldes, Peter Gerety, Greg Mottola, Mark Webber, Lu Yu, Barney Cheng, Jodie Markell


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As Securities and Exchange Commission Chairwoman Mary Jo White gave lawmakers on Tuesday stark statistics about the limited number of examiners the agency has to oversee advisors, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said that she was "pushing very hard" to secure support for her user fees bill to fund advisor exams.
During her testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, White reiterated the agency's need for adequate resources.
"I need funding to carry out my job, which I do not have now," White told lawmakers. "Bottom line is that we are under-resourced for the responsibility that we have, and it's a great concern to me."
White underscored the importance of boosting the number of advisor exams, stating that from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2014, advisors' assets under management jumped almost 200% to $55 trillion. In 2004, the SEC, she said, "had 19 examiners per trillion dollars in investment adviser assets under management. Today, we have only eight."
Last year, White said that the SEC was in a position to only examine 9% of registered investment advisors. "More coverage is plainly needed, as the industry itself has acknowledged," she said.
In fiscal year 2013, examiners conducted approximately 1,615 examinations, including 438 broker-dealers, 964 investment advisors, 99 investment company complexes, 42 transfer agents, 17 clearing agencies and five municipal advisors. The staff also conducted 50 market oversight program inspections.
Last year, White also said that the SEC filed 140 actions against investment advisors, "several" of which resulted from risk-based investigations, which she described as "proactive measures to identify misconduct at an early stage so that timely action can be taken and investor losses minimized."
But White told ThinkAdvisor in a recent interview that while the risk-based exams allow the agency to be "a lot smarter" in singling out advisors to examine, she said "that's just not sufficient coverage."
President Barack Obama's 2015 budget proposal would give the SEC $1.7 billion, a 26% boost from the agency's 2014 enacted level, and would allow the agency to add 316 staffers to the agency's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, with 240 of those examiners devoted solely to overseeing advisors.
The SEC's fiscal year 2015 budget request, White told lawmakers, "would permit the SEC to increase its examination coverage of investment advisors who everyday investors are increasingly turning to for investment assistance with retirement and family needs."
Rep. Waters' user fees bill, the Investment Adviser Examination Improvement Act of 2013, H.R. 1627, would allow the SEC to collect user fees to fund advisor exams. Waters, ranking member on the committee, reintroduced the bill last April; it has garnered little support among the Republican-controlled committee.
Neil Simon, vice president of government affairs for the Investment Adviser Association, said in early March that IAA and other planning groups are "working hard" to get a bipartisan user fees bill introduced in the Senate that mirrors Waters' bill.
Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee who now serves as chairman emeritus, told White during the Tuesday hearing that despite his failed attempts to get a bill passed supporting a self-regulatory organization to help boost advisor exams, that she continue exploring options to increase advisor exams.
The "advisor community," Bachus said, "seems to embrace" the user fees concept. "I would urge you to continue to keep this [advisor exams issue] as a priority, and that all of us will work together to resolve this."
During the nearly three-hour hearing, White also said the she has spoken with Labor Secretary Thomas Perez about the SEC's fiduciary rulemaking process as well as the department's rule to amend the definition of fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., told White that while the DOL appears to be "plowing ahead" on its fiduciary rule, "it's my opinion that there's more expertise within the SEC" and the two agency's rules "should be harmonized."
Moore asked White if the SEC is providing its expertise to the DOL. White replied that the SEC is providing its expertise concerning impacts of a DOL fiduciary rulemaking on the broker-dealer model. "I've ratcheted up that collaboration" between the SEC and DOL, White said, adding however that "at the end of the day, we are two different agencies" operating under two different statutes.
Check out Mary Jo White: The 2014 IA 25 Extended Profile on ThinkAdvisor.


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VANCOUVER - After nearly two years of negotiations, the provincial government has cancelled a proposed $40-million deal with Telus to rename BC Place Stadium.
The deal fell through after the provincial cabinet balked at renaming the iconic stadium Telus Park, even though market research done by the B.C. Pavilion Corp. and Telus showed public support for renaming the facility if the money would go toward paying down the $563-million cost of renovations.
And it throws into disarray an expansive digital telecommunications deal that Telus pushed ahead with last year in the expectation the government would approve the renaming deal. As a result, negotiators for both Telus and PavCo have to go back to the table to unwind portions of that agreement.
Documents obtained by The Vancouver Sun outline a detailed rebranding strategy for the stadium that would have promoted the tag line "Super, Natural British Columbia" in concert with Telus' well-known nature image — even going so far as to rename gates after trees and flowers. The deal was so advanced that Telus had spent millions of dollars on signs that were to be mounted externally on the stadium.
But Pat Bell, the minister of jobs, tourism and innovation, told The Sun Wednesday the government killed the deal after it felt the iconic building should retain the name it was born with nearly 30 years ago. He said cabinet was opposed to Telus' demand that all public reference to BC Place should cease.
"PavCo has terminated their discussions with Telus," Bell said. "For us the underlying principal came back to the name BC Place. There are many in cabinet and many across the province who believe that name has tremendous value to it and we wanted to retain that."
"Telus was certainly of the view that they didn't want any reference to BC Place, and I understand that," he said. "They felt very strongly about it. Cabinet felt equally strongly in the other direction and in the end we thought it was important to retain the integrity of the name BC Place."
But in later interviews, Premier Christy Clark and Finance Minister Kevin Falcon said the deal "wasn't in the best interests of taxpayers."
"Not every deal is the best deal for taxpayers. This one wasn't," Clark said. "The minster's view and Treasury Board's view, quite clearly, is that we can get a very good source of revenue on selling the inside advertising at BC Place."
Telus president and CEO Darren Entwistle was unhappy but said he accepts the decision.
"I think Telus is deeply disappointed with this decision, which we find regrettable. We believe that Telus, our brand, and our 25,000 team members across British Columbia, would have been a great partner for one of the premier sports facilities in all of North America," he told The Vancouver Sun's editorial board.
"We respect the decision that has been taken, and Telus will instead focus on operationalizing our unparalleled $3-billion investment in this province and the welfare of its citizens."
PavCo has long sought to rename BC Place as part of the revenue options for paying down recent renovations, including replacing the iconic air-supported dome with a retractable roof. PavCo Chairman David Podmore said the Crown corporation initially sought companies it thought would want a 25-year branding opportunity. Bell Canada, a sponsor of the Vancouver Whitecaps, turned the idea down. But Telus was interested and put together a bid, eventually negotiating a deal with PavCo for about $2 million a year for 20 years, he said.
Telus said those negotiations directly led it to offer and develop an innovative plan for a sweeping digital technology upgrade of the stadium.
That concept, based around the creation of 800 Wi-Fi access points, 100 new wireless sites and 1,150 high-definition digital screens, would turn the stadium into Canada's first "all-digital stadium," putting it on par with Yankee Stadium in New York and Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.
That technology debuted last September when the facility reopened to the public. PavCo had signed a letter of intent with Telus in March 2011 and the upgrades were completed while the two sides waited for the provincial government to approve the overarching naming agreement. Telus would not say how much it has spent on the upgrades, but Podmore told The Sun a portion of the work was bought by PavCo "at cost" with the rest provided by Telus as part of the planned operating agreement.
Bell said the government had already drafted a letter cancelling the deal when Telus announced last week it would invest more than $3 billion in B.C. over the next three years, including $750 million for a new office and residential complex and important and wide-ranging expansions of its digital, wireless and broadband services across the province.
NDP leader Adrian Dix was at the announcement, but Premier Christy Clark was absent in part because Telus had specifically not invited her because they were still in sensitive negotiations and did not want to expose her to questions about the state of the deal, the company said.
Hours after that announcement, Podmore informed Entwistle that the BC Place naming deal had been cancelled.
Falcon said PavCo and Telus could negotiate any arrangement they wanted, but it was up to cabinet to approve the renaming of a public building.
"At the end of the day, they can negotiate the best they can but it's got to come back and it's got to be acceptable to government and government makes that decision on a number of areas and it's got to meet the test of public interest and taxpayer interest," he said. "After a long negotiation, it was determined that this did not meet that test."
Podmore said he expects the province to "relieve" PavCo of the need to find $40 million in naming rights now that it has rejected the Telus deal.
But Bell, the minister, said killing the deal now lets PavCo sell advertising sponsorships on the inside of the building that he thinks will amount to more than $40 million over the same 20 year term. "It is too early to tell right now. We will work through the individual advertising agreements to see what emerges," he said.
Podmore would not discuss what the value of a new contract with Telus for its completed work may be. Telus said it would likely be weeks before a revised deal is finalized.
New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix was highly critical of the way government has handled the negotiations. When a company spends millions on signage for a building, they expect they have a deal, he said.
"This is just ineptitude, business ineptitude on the part of the Liberal Party," he said. "They [the government] engaged in this process. Clearly they decided to do it. There was a belief, presumably, on the part of the largest private sector employer in the province that they had a deal," he said.
"Then the government has decided now, it says, that it changed its mind. Isn't that incompetence? Isn't that pure Liberal incompetence?"
Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi wouldn't comment on the cancellation of the naming rights deal but it will clearly be easier now for the club to keep calling the field of play at BC Place the "Bell Pitch" – in recognition of Telus competitor Bell, a major Whitecaps sponsor.
BC Place general manager Howard Crosley recently said the Whitecaps' lease with PavCo didn't specifically state the club could name the field after Bell and the two sides discussed the issue while Telus loomed as a likely naming rights holder.
B.C. Lions president Dennis Skulsky said he was surprised by the decision to cancel the Telus naming rights deal. Telus is a major Lions sponsor.
"We were very excited about the opportunity to have one of our partners – a strong company with B.C. roots – working to be part of a naming rights program," he said. "We're a little surprised but at the end of the day, it sounds like the government has their rationale as to why they didn't go in this direction."
Skulsky likes the name BC Place but noted stadiums around the world now commonly embrace corporate names.
"I respect the decision because a lot of money has been put into the stadium and, as a taxpayer in the community, that building is BC Place," he said. "I don't know how you measure the value of BC being part of that name but the province must feel there's some good value in that."
Blog: www.vancouversun.com/jefflee
With files from Bruce Constantineau and Jonathan Fowlie in Victoria