text:
The Three Graces
Unique Bronze
14" x 8.5" x 8.5"
The Three Graces, celebrated in
classical literature and art,
were the daughters of Jupiter
(or Zeus in Greek mythology),
and companions to the Muses.
They included Aglaia
(elegance, brightness, and splendor),
Thalia (youth and beauty),
accompanied by Euphrosyne
(mirth and joyfulness).
Together they spread charm,
beauty, and creativity.
Available in the
Artist's Collection
Vessel of the Innocents V
Unique Cast Bronze
7'10"Hx 2'2"W x 1'3"D
approx. 150 lbs.
A life-size figure holding a down-turned vase on her hip
stands next to a large tree.
Vessel of the Innocents IV
Here the figure holds a trident shape
with an open spiral vessel (symbolizing infinity) at her feet.
Unique Cast Bronze
79" x 20" x 12"
Vessel of the Innocents III
Unique Cast Bronze
79" x 27" x 12"
(To view number I and II, see Past Works Sold)
This work was commissioned into 2 smaller versions for clients.
See below -
Two smaller variations of "Vessel of the Innocents III" were created and renamed "Garden Parasol I & II" -
- both sold.
I often recreate larger or smaller variations of my favorite sculptures - some as commissions.
4'10" x 1'9" x 12"
The piece shown here was purchased by Dr. Susan Walsh for the Merced College Learning Resource Center.
The "Vessel of the Innocents" series was inspired by
"Fountain of the Innocents"
- Marble Reliefs by Jean Goujon - 1548
My series "Vessel of the Innocents" was inspired by 4 marble nymph reliefs by Jean Goujon, 1548, from a dismantled work in the courtyard facade at the Louvre Art Museum in Paris titled "Fountain of the Innocents". The classical beauty and the contrapposto S-curve of their forms captured my admiration. The female form is symbolically a vessel for new life, knowledge and spirit.
Rain Charmer
Unique Cast Bronze
5'3" x 1'4" x 10"
Rain Charmer is currently in the Artist's Collection
as I plan to reproduce both smaller edition copies and enlarge her with the use of a 3D printer for a public commission.
Limited Edition of 7
17.5" x 10" x 5"
This enigmatic figure stands alone, strong and confident. Half of a vase appears partially hidden by an imaginary wall, while the other half casts a shadow on the floor. Again the woman is a metaphor for the vessel of life.
Pandora's Puzzle
27" x 10.5" x 4"
The Greek myth of Pandora addresses the question of why is evil in the world - which is a puzzle. Pandora, which means "the giver of all" was the first mortal woman on earth who was created by the Gods who adorned her with beauty, boldness and cunning. Here Pandora stands on a puzzle with another puzzle hovering over her head like a cloud. Her curiosity later leads her to open a wedding gift, a jar from Zeus, that release all miseries upon the world that would torment mortals, but she closes it quickly before 'hope' can escape.
Window of the Night
Limited Edition of 7
35"H x 25"W x 7"D
Next in the edition available upon request.
In my first home, my studio was a large room upstairs on the second story. Often at night at the end of my day, I would ascend the stairs to ponder my new artworks and view the night sky out my window. Here I wanted to create the perspective of distance, with the illusion of the larger figure in the foreground appearing closer, as the smaller figure climbing the stairs visually drops back into the distance.
A Breath Between Us
Edition of 7
35.5" x 14" x 4.5"
Next in edition available upon request.
A couple stands strong, bonded by the
strength of their love and commitment
as a soft breeze floats in the air between them.
Unique Cast Bronze
16" x 4.5" x 4.5"
This is another variation using the small figure
from Window of the Night.
All my figures represent strong, independent women of passion & conviction - a reflection of myself.
This work would make a lovely enlargement someday.
Seen below in the Eleonore Austerer Gallery
along side Georges Braque and Henry Moore.
A Breath Between Us III
Unique Cast Bronze
15" x 5.5" x 4.5"
This couple stands strong side-by-side
adorned in their kimonos.
A Breath Between Us II
Unique cast bronze
13"H x 6"W x 3"D
For every one work that gets cast into bronze, another nine waxes go back into the melting pot to be resculpted. Occasionally, a piece without much merit refuses to go back into the pot. Yet, a client will fall in love with that particular piece - so to each his own. I try not to be too overly critical of some works and choose to concentrate on productivity instead.
Cast Shadow #1
Unique Cast Bronze
15.5' x 13.5" x 3.5"
In this series, the base became a reflection of the figure's shadow.
back view -
The back of the figure's coat has a large X in the design
that appears in the negative space of the cast shadow.
A few edition copies are still available from The Months Series
In the mid-1980's I was inspired by the history of the calendar months as they evolved from classical Greek mythology.
Limited Edition of 7
32" x 14" x 3"
May leans against a doorway like a seductive geisha girl and represents Maia the goddess of spring, meaning the great one.
Limited edition of 3
30.5" x 6.5" x 3"
September stands strong and confident, at the crossroads of fall.
In Latin September means the "seventh" month, as the original Greek calendar had only 10 months. Edition #3/3 is available, then all others could be ordered for 3D printer copy, enlargement and casting costs.
Limited Edition of 7
36" x 14" x 3"
October maintians her strength and poise, although she is a broken fragmented vessel. She looks like an ancient verdigris bronze artifact excavated from the bottom of the ocean. October is Latin for the "eigth" month, when the Greek calendar had only 10 months.
Cast Shadow #4
22" x 8" x 5"
- a few details of images...
Visit artist's garden gallery & studio to see more bronze, clay and steel works not shown here on webpage.


text:
8 Confessions of Church Spies
Debbie Holloway
Debbie Holloway is a storyteller, creator, critic, and advocate having adventures in Brooklyn, New York.More
- 2013 Aug 14
Have you ever gotten lost trying to find the sanctuary of a church? Gotten wrong (or no) directions from a church website? Listened to a worship team which seemed to barely know the song in question? I have. My fiancé and I went on a brief church-visiting stint last year, and we definitely had uncomfortable moments in the process.
In his article "Eight Confessions of Church Spies," Chuck Lawless tackles the impressions that churches often give to outsiders, particularly first-time visitors. Lawless' church consulting company provides "spying" services, he writes; they send in "spies" to visit churches and take note of how churches can improve from an outsider's perspective. The results show that often churches have many factors working against them, from outdated, "useless" websites, to poorly secured childcare areas, to weak preaching. Perhaps the biggest shame of all can be found in his second and fourth bullet points, entitled, "Churches are not friendly" and "Churches aren't prepared for guests."
Lawless writes,
"Our spies know to take note of how many people greet them apart from a time when the worship leader tells the congregation to welcome one another. More often than not, no one greets our representative before or after the service. Churches are friendly, but most often only to people they already know. I once served as a spy myself, and the church greeter escorted me to the "friendliest class in the church" – where not one of 60+ attendees spoke to me!"
The line between making your church friendly and welcoming to visitors, and obsessing over a consumerist vision of church that feels more like a Starbucks, is a tricky one to walk. No, churches can't be in the "people pleasing" business. But we still want people to want to come to church, right?
Crosswalk.com and Christianity.com authors offer some suggestions for creating a solid and welcoming church environment. Dr. Julie Barrier writes that breaking down cliques inside a church can happen when we remember to see visitors and members alike as unique, when we ask each other questions, when we comfort each other, and when we make our church a safe place.
On the subject of preaching sermons that will actually hold the attention of parishoners, J. Warner Wallace suggests "reason[ing] through the evidence of Scripture," and Eric McKiddle writes that pastors much remember to have variety in their sermons, hitting various biblical genres and stepping out of one's comfort zone.
Finally, Crosswalk blogger Trevin Wax reminds churches that, in addition to having a website where people can learn about your church's doctrinal statement and church programs, it's crucial to be aware of the church culture propagated inside the walls of the church itself.
"If your website says "missions" is a core value, and yet the music ministry budget is four times as big as your missions ministry, your church culture doesn't line up with your stated values…
Look at what your church is doing, the activities your church is involved in. And ask yourself where your practice aligns with your philosophy and theology. What are the signs that your people actually believe the confessional statement about evangelism? Or the core value of hospitality?"
So…is your church prepared for "spies" – or are you lacking in an area crucial for welcoming guests? According to Lawless,
"If there's good news here, it's that churches can address these issues – but they must be honest first."
Debbie Holloway is the Family Life Editor for Crosswalk.com
Publication date: August 14, 2013

subset: commoncrawl


text:
We have a staff of highly skilled Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists. We specialize in helping children succeed in activities of daily living in the home, school and community. Our OTs are uniquely trained to help children detect, interpret, and regulate sensory information which, in turn, allows for appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Our SLPs are exceptionally skilled with extensive experience with all ages and ability levels to guide our clients toward improved communication skills.
We will identify foundational problems that are effecting daily life.
We will help you understand how problems impact all aspects of learning, social skills and behavior.
We will empower you with resources, tools, and strategies for success.


text:
Sandra Jansen just confirmed she's running for the leadership of Alberta's Progressive Conservative party. This is good news because her campaign will test Jason Kenney's assertion that there's no such thing as a progressive conservative.
Kenney is peddling the line that there are only two kinds of people in Alberta—small "c" conservatives who yearn to merge the Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose into a single "free enterprise party" and a bunch of nutbars who accidentally elected the NDP.
Before everyone leaps on the NDP bashing bandwagon, let's put our minds to leadership.
Jansen acknowledges the PCs demonstrated poor leadership in the past and suggests PC leadership candidates should take a hard look at themselves and figure out how they can be better leaders and better MLAs.
Which leads one to wonder why Jason Kenney, notwithstanding his high praise for the PCs under Peter Lougheed and Ralph Klein, decided the best PC leader is one who buries the party, rather than rebuilds it.
Birds of a feather flock together—except when they don't
Kenney says if Peter McKay and Stephen Harper could unite a bunch of small "c" federal conservatives under the Conservative Party of Canada banner, merging Alberta's PCs and Wildrose parties will be a "walk in the park".
He points to a recent report published by the Manning Centre as evidence he's right.
The Manning report says that since May 2015 when the NDP came into power the majority of the Wildrose and PC MLAs voted the same way 90.2% of the time on legislative votes and 95.8% of the time on money votes and this demonstrates there's little of substance separating the Wildrose from the PCs.
Aside from the fact that the Manning report is not a quantitative analysis—the issues put to vote range from inconsequential to significant and the number of Wildrose and PC MLAs voting on each issue varies from vote to vote—it fails to address two instances where the Wildrose and the PCs are sharply divided, namely fiscal policy and democratic renewal.
Fiscal policy
In June 2015 the PCs proposed Bill 201, Assuring Alberta's Fiscal Future. The Bill required the government to invest 25% of all non-renewable resource revenue into the Heritage Fund. The investment obligation jumped to 50% in years where operating revenue was expected to exceed operating expense.
Every Wildrose MLA voted with the NDP to reject the PC's Bill.
The Wildrose opposed it on principle because in their view it was "borrowing to invest". The Wildrose would suspend investment in the Heritage Fund until there's a budgetary surplus in both the operating and capital accounts—something no one expects to see in the foreseeable future.*
A merged "free enterprise party" must reach consensus on fiscal policy. If the Wildrose and the PCs can't agree on how to balance long term savings against debt repayment how will they ever agree on the allocation of scarce resources to fund public services and infrastructure.
Democratic renewal
In March 2016 the Wildrose introduced the Election Recall Bill. They characterized recall as "a core western Canadian, small "c" conservative principle" which would increase Albertans' access to democracy. The Wildrose feel deeply about recall as a fundamental principle and have brought a recall bill to the Legislature three times in the last six years.**
Wildrose MLA, Mark Smith, was prepared to consider any number of amendments if the Assembly would simply accept the bill "on principle". His plea fell on deaf ears and the PCs voted with the NDP to reject the Bill. The PCs had a number of concerns including the fear that recall drives short-term thinking and weakens an MLA's resolve to take a stand on unpopular issues.
The primary focus of a merged "free enterprise party" is likely the economy but fundamental differences concerning the democratic process cannot be ignored.
Slogans vs Vision
Jason Kenney says Albertans are sophisticated and will be able to see through the objections to merger thrown up by naysayers.
That's true. Albertans can also tell the difference between a politician spouting vacuous slogans and one with a vision for Alberta that goes beyond simply getting into power.
It's time for Mr Kenney to show his respect for Albertans by telling them what he would do the day after he's elected premier to address climate change and convince Justin Trudeau not to impose a federal carbon tax after Kenney eliminates the provincial carbon tax and how he will ensure religious schools protect the rights of LGBTQ students…and that's just for starters.
Because a campaign built on destroying two political parties in order to unseat a third isn't going to cut it.
*Hansard, June 22, 2015, 130
**Hansard, Mar 10, 2016, 92, Mar 14, 2016, 122 and 129


text:
What's dangerous about exorcism?
Global migration has brought radically different religious cultures into close contact with one another, and the consequences can be painful. Recently the respected British think tank Theos issued a judicious report by Ben Ryan on Christianity and mental health, which among other things discussed the possible medical interpretations of reported episodes of demon possession and exorcism. The report warned properly of the danger of "Christian over-spiritualizing"—a "tendency to ascribe anything and everything to spiritual causes when other medical ones may exist."
For all its cautious words, Ryan's report was inevitably seized on by the media for the section that reported an "astonishing increase in demand" for exorcisms. These "are now a booming industry" in the United Kingdom, it said, partly though not entirely because of "immigrant communities and Pentecostal churches." Distorted media accounts told of mass "spiritual abuse" by churches that exploited and harmed the mentally ill and vulnerable.
Exorcism is a crucial matter for many of Britain's immigrant churches, especially those from Africa, where belief in possession and witchcraft is very widespread. (Britain today has around 1.5 million African-born residents.) Such churches view apparent possession cases in terms of demonic activity rather than as a mental health issue treatable by secular means.
Any dispute over the propriety of exorcism is particularly sensitive in the British context, because it recalls a dreadful religious and racial confrontation at the start of this century. In 2001, a sensational child murder case indicated the practice of witchcraft on British soil involving ritualistic killing and a trade in human body parts.
Obviously, such extreme criminal behavior demanded a strong and effective official response. But the media soon attributed such horrors to Pentecostal and charismatic churches themselves. In the sensational coverage that followed, the press launched shrieking exposés of immigrant churches that believed in spiritual warfare or practiced exorcisms. These came to be known as Witch Churches.
A potent racial theme pervaded this coverage, with a classic Heart of Darkness scenario portraying African primitivism and violence. Media accounts segued from reporting on exorcisms undertaken to fight diabolic forces to depicting the rituals themselves as a form of primitive jungle savagery dressed in Christian guise. Rituals designed to combat witchcraft were presented as a singularly dangerous manifestation of witchcraft and ritualistic child abuse. The regular conduct of immigrant churches involving exorcism and healing—without any abusive or violent element—was seen as deeply problematic and demanding police intervention.
The government responded by enforcing far stricter rules for African clergy and ministers seeking to enter the United Kingdom, a draconian sanction introduced well before any like restrictions were imposed on extremist Muslims who flagrantly preached hatred and violence. In retrospect, the Witch Church affair was a grim example of religious intolerance— and in this instance, one directed against Christians.
We must hope that such hysteria will never be repeated. But the whole exorcism issue does raise potent questions about the role of spiritual warfare ideas within Christianity, and in the mainstream, not just on the fringes. Just what do we do about exorcism?
As the Theos report noted, exorcisms figure in scripture. The Gospel writers clearly believed that Jesus was confronting literal demonic powers and that his healings went far beyond mere psychosomatic intervention. The real and objective nature of spiritual evil emerges, for instance, in the sequence of stories like Luke's chapter eight, which is very popular in African churches. Once the Gerasene demoniac has been exorcised, the evil spirits possessing him have to go somewhere.
Nor can such beliefs be confined to the earliest Christian ages. During the British media witch hunts of the last decade, one newspaper quoted an expert as declaring that "there are clearly exorcisms taking place in this country," with several major investigations then in progress. Such a tiny figure might be justified if we are restricting ourselves to sensational horror stories (think of Linda Blair's rotating head), but in terms of exorcisms generally, it is a ridiculous underestimate. After all, every single baptism within the Roman Catholic Church includes an act of exorcism—less explicitly phrased than in earlier years but still very much present. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs (no. 1237), "Since baptism signifies liberation from sin and from its instigator the devil, one or more exorcisms are pronounced over the candidate." And although it is not actually an exorcism, my own Episcopal Church requires the baptismal candidate or the sponsors to "renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God." So is devil-talk acceptable provided we don't take it too seriously?
A version of this article appears in the September 27 print edition under the title "Speak of the devil."


text:
Some of life's greatest pleasures involve sitting in a chair while your stylist gives your hair body and bounce, or lying face first on a massage bed as a masseuse works oil into your skin. But life's day-to-day demands don't allows allow the time for these pleasures. This kind of relaxation should be a prerequisite for us all, but often you'll find that life is more grocery store than salon.
So when there isn't quite the diary space for hammams and facials, or you're in-between hair appointments, bring the spa home with our selection of the best products to indulge in.
The Body Polish TreatmentBuy now with free delivery
SpaRitual is the vegan, eco-friendly home spa brand. Each SpaRitual body treatment has therapeutic benefits blended to energize a specific chakra. The chakras represent seven forces within the body that work together as a delicate energy system.
This scrub and masque in one gently exfoliates and refines the skin for a more streamlined manicure, pedicure or body treatment. Micro-algae smoothes rough areas and sloughs off dead skin cells and wildcrafted Indonesian ginger essential oil energizes the solar plexus chakra.
The Chocolate FacialBuy now with free delivery
Silky skin is one scoop away with FarmHouse Fresh's chocolate mask. This skin-softening, wrinkle-defending, and revitalizing sundae is a natural, blended active face mask with soothing wholesome ingredients like cocoa, coconut milk and honey in addition to powerhouse enzymes that boost your natural defenses against wrinkles and sagging – including CoQ10, live carrot fruit cells and ginseng extract. This mask leaves your face feeling tight, smooth, and radiant!
The Deep Conditioning Hair TreatmentBuy now with free delivery
They say Frédéric Fekkai's Soho salon fuses the luxury and sophistication of uptown with the edge and modernity of downtown.
New York-born, Paris-trained, Frédéric Fekkai's sanctuary salon takes indulgence and intimacy to gorgeous new heights. If you can't squeeze in an appointment, give your hair the luxury treatment: nourish, condition and restore smoothness with the PrX Reparatives Duo, which fortifies and strengthens hair against damage.
The Spa Retreat in a BottleBuy now with free delivery
Unwind with a bath full of Ren's Moroccan Rose Otto Oil, a glass of wine and some spa tunes. This product will nourish the skin and leave it lightly fragranced with roses. Rose Oil's exquisite, sensual scent is also known for its stress relieving and soothing properties.
The Hair CleanseBuy now with free delivery
Brought to you by the doyen of hair color, Christophe Robin, hisThe Cleansing Mask with Lemon is specially formulated for coloured or sensitive hair. It's a non-detergent shampoo that improves colour, enhances shine and restores strength, all whilst removing impurities and soothing the scalp. Enriched with lemon zest extracts, chamomile and St. John's Wort, it also prevents colour fade and keeps your hair feeling soft and supple.
The FacialBuy now with free delivery
Sundari's antioxidant powerhouse, Nighttime Nourishing Oil has been specially blended to revive fatigued matured skins. Vitamin-rich neroli oil and invigorating eucalyptus oil work in harmony to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and restore a radiant, youthful complexion.
Extracted from the fragrant flowers of the Bitter Sour (Seville) orange trees. One ton of flowers are needed to produce 2 pounds of oil, an aspect that makes neroli very difficult and expensive to use. The fragrance of this oil is slightly hypnotic as well as healing.
The Spa AtmosphereBuy now with free delivery
Ease your mind and relax your body with the Liquid Yoga Candle.
Meditate, relax and restore by the warm glow of the flickering candlelight. It's an approach that's been used for centuries to ease any tensions and aid better sleep. The lavender-mint scent uplifts your mind, body and soul and puts you in a place of pure relaxation.
So rest your weary eyes, take a deep breath and let the flickering wick and soothing scent lift you into a cloud of pure calm and instant zen.
The Five Star ShaveBuy now with free delivery
The luxe Gentlemen's Tonic salon in London's prestigious Mayfair is a state of mind. It's where the modern day dandy visits to escape the busy city lifestyle.
When there isn't time for a quick flight to the UK, treat Him to the ultimate set from Gentlemen's Tonic the brand, so he can experience the cut of a master barber. The pre-shave oil and shave cream work in harmony to give a premium shave, and the aftershave balm ensures skin is kept silky soft. There's also a razor with a Mach III blade and a super-fine badger brush.
The MassageBuy now with free delivery
Balance your spirit and your mind with Elemental's Herbology Massage Oil Earth Balance. This therapeutic oil contains a pure blend of natural plant oils for a luxurious treatment experience.
It features a nourishing and aromatic blend of cedarwood, mandarin, lime, bergamot, frankincense and geranium oils combined with a base of sweet almond, peach kernel, coconut and jojoba oil, working in harmony to soothe and balance both the skin and mind. Ideal for those prone to mood changes, indecisiveness and fluctuating energy levels.
The Mud BathBuy now with free delivery
AHAVA's Natural Mud and Salt Gift Set is your mud bath at home. The set includes the brand's best-selling, mineral rich, Dead Sea body mud and 100% natural bath salts to relieve stress and reveal soft, glowing skin. The therapeutic black mud stimulates circulation and improves skin texture and tone. Rich in health-inducing minerals from the region including magnesium, calcium, and potassium, the relaxing natural bath salts ease muscle tension and stimulate skin hydration.


text:
|Mom and Dad's first Metro ride. Their expressions say it all.
If you're visiting DC for the first time, there are somethings you need to keep in mind. First, if you're claustrophobic and don't like crowds, don't take the train. Second, check for scheduled maintenance on the Metro line on the weekend. It could keep you standing on a crowded train for an hour if you're not careful. (There is a wonderful Android app for that.) Third, exercise before you come here. If you're not used to walking, you won't survive here more than a few hours.
Last weekend, my parents, brother and cousin made their first trip out to DC and learned these lessons the hard way. I think they're all still recovering from the experience.
|The Washington Monument at sunset.
My dad is the claustrophobic one. He really hates crowds, doesn't like to be in large groups of people and gets kind of freaked out in small spaces. I was kind of impressed on how he dealt with the train. I was actually the one who got more irritated by the delays we experienced trying to get out to Pentagon City Mall.
I think we all were worn out by the end of Saturday. So much that we didn't even walk the length of the reflecting pool to get to the Lincoln Memorial. We did however, get some half-way decent shots of it from the World War II memorial. And some pretty decent shots of the WWII Memorial itself.
|Obligatory family photo at Mt. Vernon.
We spent Sunday in Virginia. I didn't realize how much I missed real trees, open spaces and large areas of grass until we got to Mt. Vernon. It's already a beautiful place, but that beauty was magnified by the fact that I'd spent the entire previous two weeks in a concrete jungle.
|This was as close as we got to Lincoln.
|Pretty World War II Memorial. This is why you must see the monuments at night.
|Samantha and I at the National Mall.
|My "little" brother.
|With Dad
|With Mom. I still haven't figured out why the color is so different in this picture.


text:
I originally wrote this article for SharperIron.org. Reprinted with permission.
This is a sad little story, because we see sad little men rejecting their great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. They have made void the word of God through their tradition (cf. Mk 7:13). In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus' early confrontations with the Pharisees come quickly, one after the other. This particular account is where the water boils over.
Mounting Opposition
First, they questioned why Jesus shares a meal with such "worldly" and "disreputable" people (2:15-17). They don't ask Jesus; they ask His disciples (Mk 2:16). We're not sure why the Pharisees don't approach Jesus directly. But we can guess, knowing ourselves, that they're a bit tentative and unsure of themselves. Perhaps, they thought, it'll be better to take the indirect route and cast doubt on His credentials to His followers.
Jesus, ever the polite diplomat, answers immediately with a burst of sarcasm. "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners," (Mk 2:17). This is a warning shot across the bow, and it's the first direct contact Jesus has with the Pharisees in Mark's gospel. This is clearly an adversarial relationship from the very beginning. Jesus didn't mince words when it came to self-righteous and blasphemous legalism. Matthew preserved another bit of the story, in which Christ verbally backhanded the Pharisees ("Go and learn what this means . . ." Mt 9:13) with a quote from Hosea 6:6.
The next episode follows right on the heels of this discussion (2:18-22). The Pharisees[1] demand to know why Jesus' disciples don't fast. Jesus responded and prophesied His own death (2:19-20). He then explained the Old Covenant (the old garment) cannot be patched up like an old sweater, or jerry-rigged to accommodate the New Covenant; "new wine is for fresh wineskins," (2:22). We're not sure how much of this the Pharisees understood, and Mark didn't tell us. But, I doubt it was a pleasant conversation.
The final episode is the alleged Sabbath violation (2:23-28). Jesus cited a Scriptural precedent for violating the strict letter of the law under emergency circumstances (2:25-26). He then claimed a divine and Messianic title ("son of man") and declared He was "lord even of the sabbath," (2:28).
Mark gives us these incidents one after the other, and the reader is left almost reeling as this freight train of hostility and opposition springs forth from seemingly nowhere. This early enmity comes to a crescendo with the Pharisees storming out of the synagogue and colluding with their enemies to kill Jesus (3:6).
The Confrontation in the Synagogue
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him (Mk 3:1-2).
Again, Mark doesn't tell us who "they" are, but the context assures us it is the Pharisees.[2] Why is the man there? Is this a coincidence? We know the Pharisees are watching all the time,[3] waiting, their little black notebooks at the ready, cellphone cameras on standby – anxious to gather evidence against Jesus. It is tempting to see the man as a prop, a poor sucker planted there as bait. We don't know whether that is the case. But, we do know Jesus is being set up. If the Pharisees didn't plant the poor man there, we can be sure they were at least "pleased" he was there.
Ironically, the Pharisees deny Jesus the right to do good on the Sabbath, while they actively plot to do evil![4]
This little episode is about more than proof for Jesus' divinity. It is about this single miracle as one of a series of signs and wonders which announced the kingdom of God to those who had ears to hear. The prophets wrote that, when God returned for His people, the blind would receive sight, the deaf would hear, the lame will leap for joy and "the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing," (Isa 35:5-6, 10). Christ appealed to these texts as proof that He was, indeed, the Messiah who had come to bring His people into the figurative promised land of eternal rest (Lk 4:16-21; 7:18-23; cf. Heb 4:1-11).
Rather than ponder the implications of Jesus' teaching coupled with these signs and wonders, the Pharisees lie in wait in the synagogue like impotent little spiders, weaving a pathetic web of trickery. The man with the withered hand may have been a plant, or just somebody who happened to be there, but one thing is certain – the Pharisees didn't care about him at all. He was a prop. He was nothing. They didn't care if Jesus did heal him; they just wanted the evidence for a trial. Like serial killers who take genuine civic pride in obeying the speed limit, these legalists have it all backward.
And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come here." And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent (Mk 3:3-4).
Jesus knew everything (cf. Jn 2:24-25; Lk 5:6-7; Lk 6:8, etc.). He knew what the Pharisees were up to. He did not run away to fight another day. He felt discretion was no valor at all. He asked an open and rhetorical question designed to unmask their legalistic and blasphemous tradition about the Sabbath. This is the only time in Mark's Gospel that Jesus initiates a healing without being approached. Clearly, He decided to make a decisive stand here.[5]
Nobody answered. Nobody said a word. Why not? Jesus had what we now call "command presence." People listened to Him. He taught with authority (Mk 1:27). I suspect the Pharisees couldn't have spoken even if they'd wanted to. Mark recorded another, similar incident later in his Gospel (Mk 12:34). They are speechless before this teacher who had such passion, such presence and such intrinsic authority.
What does Jesus mean by asking, "to save life or to kill?" Some commentators believe Jesus was referring to the Pharisees' own intentions towards Him (cf. 3:6).[6] If that is so, no wonder they dared not answer. "While Jesus is preparing to do good, they are plotting his death! Which is the real Sabbath violation?"[7]
And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored (Mk 3:5).
This is an instantaneous healing, and a true miracle. Jesus does not appeal to God for healing; He simply performs the action Himself. This is very, very different than what the OT prophets did (cf. 1 Kgs 13:6). Jesus is a prophet, but He is as qualitatively different from His Old Covenant counterparts as a glowworm is from a floodlight. He is divine. They were not.
What about the Pharisees' hearts upset Jesus so much? Their inability to answer His question? Their callousness by using this poor man as a prop for their own wicked ends? Their inability and unwillingness to face the implications of His own teaching and the signs and wonders He performed? Perhaps it was all of this.
The word is usually rendered as "hardness" or "stubbornness" here. Hardness implies they are spiritually insensitive (e.g. Tyndale, "blindness"). Stubbornness gives the sense of stiff-necked inflexibility; they are wilfully rebellious. The NEB translates it as "obstinate stupidity," which is a delightfully appropriate phrase!
Yes, this miracle is more proof for Jesus' divinity. But, that is not why Mark wrote it. His didactic purpose is to highlight the scribes' and Pharisees' growing opposition in the face of Jesus' explicit preaching, teaching and divine signs. These miracles are proof that "the kingdom of God is come unto you," (Mt 12:28). People are healed. Demons are cast out. Jesus, by the Spirit of God, has bound Satan and is plundering his house (Mk 3:27). What must this mean!?
The Pharisees don't care what it means. They have their evidence. The healed man is irrelevant. He's served his purpose. Away with him! They ignore him, like some men would ignore a filthy dog (cf. Jn 9:34). Jesus is all that matters; not the implications of His teaching, but the evidence for His alleged "blasphemy."
Throughout His ministry, Jesus shows a deliberate contempt for the oral tradition which "fenced" the Old Covenant law. The Pharisees feel this is a fundamental betrayal of orthodoxy, and act in fury out of righteous indignation. They are sincere, but they are sincerely wrong. Jesus, however, is not moved by pettiness or or self-righteousness. He is filled with righteous anger.
The Pharisees went out, and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him (Mk 3:6).
The "Herodians" were widely castigated as liberal compromisers.[8] They were not devout. It says something that the Pharisees sought to form an alliance with these men – all in order to kill the Lord of glory. This is their furious response to a whole host of escalating confrontations.[9] Their blood is up. Jesus is a blasphemer who despises the traditions of the fathers. He has now violated the Sabbath twice, and they have the evidence to prove it! Jesus must be destroyed – the law demands it (Ex 31:14-17)! Surely, they reason, God agrees with their zeal . . .
They Did Not Recognize Him . . .
So, off they go, in a huff. Jesus has righteous anger, these Pharisees have self-righteous resentment.[10] The Kingdom of God has broken into human history. The proof is here – behold the signs and wonders! The Messiah is here – behold His teaching! The legalistic externalism of the Pharisees is condemned. True worship flows from the heart and is proven by devoted action (cf. 1 Sam 15:22-23).
This little miracle proves Jesus' deity, but it is a sad account. Confronted with their Savior, the Pharisees plot His death. The Apostle Paul was right:
For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning him (Acts 13:27).
[1] The Greek doesn't specify who came to Jesus; it is simply a third-person plural verb (ἔρχονται). The closest antecedent are the scribes of the Pharisees (2:17). It is reasonable to conclude the Pharisees asked Jesus this question.
[2] See Walter W. Wessel (Mark, in EBC, vol. 8 [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984], 639) and Mark Strauss (Mark, in ZECNT [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014], 147).
[3] The verb here is imperfect (παρετήρουν αὐτὸν), which gives the general sense of an unfolding, continual action in the past. I think the NASB did well to render it as a descriptive imperfect ("they were watching Him . . .").
[4] Mark Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark, in PNTC (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002), 98.
[5] Strauss (Mark, 147).
[6] Edwards (Mark, 100) and William Hendriksen, Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1975), 116.
[7] Strauss (Mark, 148).
[8] For more on the Herodians, see H. W. Hoehner, "Herodian Dynasty," 5, in Dictionary of the New Testament: Backgrounds, ed. Craig Evans and Stanley Porter (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2000), 493-494.
[9] See William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, in NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974), 121-122.
[10] Hendriksen (Mark, 117).


text:
The Intelligencer January 10, 1917 (page 2)
"A splendid banquet was given at the Quinte Hotel last evening, by Captains Meath, MacLean and James of the 235th Battalion, to staffs of their departments. The boys lined up to the number of twenty-five, at the Headquarters Office, and marched to the Quinte, where they did ample justice to a well served meal. The toasts of the evening were 'The King,' proposed by Captain Meath. 'The Officers of the 235th Battalion,' proposed by Quartermaster Sergeant Ince, and 'The boys who help us keep our jobs,' proposed by Captain Meath.
The fun grew as the evening lengthened, and songs and speeches were the orders of the day. Great fun was caused by the excellent elocutions rendered by Captains Meath and MacLean. The comradeship noticed between officers and men augurs well for the future, and many of the men made silent avowals that they would willingly pass through 'hell' if need be, for such officers. The evening concluded with 'God Save the King,' sung as only the soldiers can sing it."


text:
Learning Management System (LMS) is the software that offers varied learning styles for students as well as trainers. Modified learning forms make learning more systematic and effective that helps that helps learners in every aspect. By the help of LMS educational knowledge can be easily shared from every where.
LMS provides learning material and resources for all types of education materials on the same platform and different features of LMS like audio- video learning , virtual lectures and much more provides you freedom from black board classes and makes learning session more interesting, dynamic and increases learning hours.
LMS is a platform based on e-learning which holds all the desired characteristics of a beneficial and profitable learning. You can access learning anywhere by using LMS.
In recent time's different organizations, schools and institutions increased the rate of using LMS and make learning more efficient and effectual.
Now teachers can easily provide learning schedules, curriculum and can also check performance reports by using LMS and can deliver more customized learning to their students.
Let's take a look on below infographic depicting how LMS provides more beneficial learning.
SOURCE: http://learnbase.com/learning-management-system-features-and-benefits


text:
CIA Director Mike Pompeo hasn't yet been confirmed as secretary of state after the ousting of Rex Tillerson. Yet President Trump must feel confident about Pompeo's chances because he confirmed in a tweet that his nominee secretly met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang over Easter weekend (as first reported by the Washington Post). According to Trump, the "[m]eeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed." Pompeo apparently also laid some groundwork for denuclearization talks that are expected to go down during the upcoming meeting/summit (due to happen before late May) between Trump and Kim.
This clandestine meeting signals yet another diplomatic stride on behalf of Kim Jong-un, the famously reclusive leader who has been atypically outgoing lately, possibly because severe economic sanctions on North Korea leave him no other choice. He recently embraced South Korean culture by attending a K-pop concert and reportedly even pledged to put down the nukes while visiting China. Kim also wants to secure a peace treaty when he meets with Trump, but critics of Pompeo's visit say that it wasn't as productive as it should have been and sets an unpromising precedent for the Trump meeting.
That is to say, Pompeo returned "empty handed" in a sense because he didn't come back from North Korea with the three American detainees that are being held by Kim Jong-un's regime. CNN quotes Adam Mount, a nuclear deterrence expert at the Defense Posture Project at the Federation of American Scientists, on why this looks like a bad U.S. strategy:
"It's strange to see the nominee for Secretary of State come and go from Pyongyang without securing the release of the three Americans imprisoned there. I expect they will be released, but the United States should not pay a price for their freedom."
Meanwhile, no one is quite sure where Trump and Kim plan to hold their summit/photo op next month, but the venue definitely won't be located in the U.S. American officials have suggested the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along with Sweden (an obvious choice for its neutrality factor) or possibly Singapore or Malaysia. More details are sure to come soon.
(Via Washington Post & CNN)


text:
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Tangled Maples Study
Acrylic on Canvas
As the biannual Square Foot Show approaches at the Loft Gallery (opens November 18th), I endeavour to paint a large number of these 12"x12" paintings. My favourite part (beside the freeing feeling that I can really "play" with this size canvas - versus painting a much larger one where I definitely tighten up), is lining up all finished pieces. It is like looking a a number of little "gems". Very satisfying! This was my first one painted for the show, but I just may have to keep it for myself...
Labels: 12x12, acrylic painting, autumn, forest, landscape, maple trees, water
Posted by jennifer woodburn at 5:34 PM 2 comments
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Leading Me Home
Labels: 36x60 acrylic, Beaver Valley, landscape, ontario road, painting
Posted by jennifer woodburn at 4:07 PM 1 comments
Friday, October 21, 2011
A Stone's Throw
Labels: 48x42 acrylic, forest, landscape, painting, rocks
Posted by jennifer woodburn at 5:17 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Carried Away
Labels: 24x48 acrylic, birches, landscape, maple trees, painting
Posted by jennifer woodburn at 11:13 AM 2 comments
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Old Blady In Bloom
Acrylic on Canvas
Fall is here and the colours are amazing. I had a great Art Tour weekend over Thanksgiving, and even got out plein air painting in the Beaver Valley on Friday with a friend. This is the painting I completed that day from the top of Beaver Valley Ski Club, looking out towards Old Baldy (part of the Niagara Escarpment).
Labels: 16x16 acrylic, Beaver Valley, landscape, Old Baldy, painting
Posted by jennifer woodburn at 4:09 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tour of the Arts and Swept Up in It All
Acrylic on Canvas
This Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (Oct 8-10) marks the beginning of another local studio and gallery tour of my region. Tour of the Arts, in Thornbury, Clarksburg and Kimberley, Ontario opens artists studios (and galleries) to the public, with a chance to see behind the scenes artist activity! As always I will be located at the Loft Gallery in Clarksburg, giving painting demonstrations each day of the weekend from 11am - 5pm, along with Debra Lynn Carroll and Laurie DeCamillis. I also have a number of new fall works hanging in the gallery. Hope to see you there!
Labels: 24x48, acrylic, birches, Canadian Thanksgiving, landscape, Loft Gallery, painting, tour of the arts
Posted by jennifer woodburn at 8:08 AM 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
As low as 3,000 credits per year
Consider purchasing dedicate SSL certificates for your store only if you would like to use your own domain name. All online shop under .bentoweb.com sub domain already come encryted with SSL/TLS certificate by default.
Customers are looking for confidence before entering their personal information such as their names, delivery addresses, or credit card information. HTTPS:// and lock seal on browser's address bar are what people are looking for on your online shop. Get them by installing SSL/TLS certificate on your site.
Google is very serious about online security. It favours HTTPS-encrypted online shops and will boost their ranking in search results as presented in https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal.html Our SSL/TLS certificates not only helps you establish trust with your customers but will also help you get found more.
You can extend your target customers by just adding more payment options to your store. SSL/TLS is a security layer that you need to help your customers buy more with confidence.
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. It is an encrypted communication protocol between customers' web browsers or mobile phones and servers of your online stores. SSL/TLS makes sure that all communication are private and cannot be viewed by online thefts.
SSL is simply a trust mark that help your customers make purchase on your online store with confidence. Having SSL/TLS certificate installed on your site will also push your search ranking higher on Google.


text:
"VR will take a long time to become truly mainstream," says OculusVR founder
OculusVR founder Palmer Luckey believes it's going to take a long time for virtual reality to become a mainstream technology.
Speaking to TrustedReviews at Gamescom 2015, Luckey explained that he believes it's going to take quite some time before virtual reality becomes widely adopted, including the Oculus Rift.
"Virtual reality is going to take a long time to become something that's truly mainstream," explained Luckey.
However, that's not to say that Luckey believes it won't be a success – especially when it comes to the games industry and its hardcore members.
"Maybe this is stereotyping, but I think most people who already have PCs capable of running a VR device at a high enough framerate are already into gaming enough to invest in this kind of technology."
Related: Palmer Luckey thinks games have spent 20 years getting ready for VR
He believes that this is partly down to the look of virtual reality headsets at the moment, because after all they are big black boxes you put on your head (or white if you're talking about Project Morpheus).
"We're not trying to make something like Google Glass where you wear it out all day, where you really have to make it part of your fashion and you have to redefine what is acceptable in public. It's just something that you use at home, and I think most people in our target audience right now won't have a problem with that.
He does think that this will change with time though, as the technology becomes more advanced and allows for varying designs.
"In the long run, as more people get VR exposure and as the technology gets more slim and more comfortable, and down to eventually the point where it's not much bulkier than a pair of normal glasses, I think people will have had enough exposure and be happy enough with the form factor that it won't be an issue.
Read more of our interview with Palmer Luckey and how he thinks


text:
Fun fact: If you've ever gone outside and wondered why you couldn't see any of the corners of the world, let alone all four ones…then you're spending too much time playing carelessly programmed videogames. Well, or perhaps you're just living in the precise middle of nowhere. Which, actually, would fully justify spending a lot of time playing videogames, so…uh, where was I going with this?
Anyway, K'ip and Si'ri haven't arrived in the precise center of nowhere, but in the center of the Ad'nanapart plains, aka the geographic center of the continent. Which they're immediately made aware of by a helpful and giant marker to that effect. If maps of fantasy kingdoms are to be believed, such large markers were pretty common, back in the days of yore…although none seem to have survived to today. I guess they weren't permanent markers.
You can still find these, though, which are similar in concept:
(image from wikipedia, see here)
Ironically, they're most often to be found in the middle of nowhere, or thereabouts.
More on Mon…uh, Thursday.


text:
I woke up of my own accord at 7.51am today. That is a flipping miracle.
I didn't 'sleep through the night' as it turns out that after 6m of waking every few hours to deal with baby… I now struggle to 'self-settle'. However… I got a solid 6 hours of sleep, even with some quiet periods of – erm – wakefulness. I woke up feeling – for once – 'normal' – you know, 'normal' sleepy' and 'normal bring caffeine quick'.
Rather than jump up and start Being Mum today, I'm going to hide in bed and write this. My First Blog Post. On My First Mothers Day.
This post is a shout out to the brilliant / resilient / bonkers Mums who've got me to this point. I'd be crazy without you. So here's to some Top 5 Mums.
- Starting with my own. Lives in Dorset and couldn't come stay with me when my bundle of noise was born. Sent endless text messages (as early mums don't have time to chat, right?!) with love and support. Agreed that breast feeding is awful (sorry – it was, my baby hated it – but that's another post…). Looked after me and baby in Dorset – regularly, 24h, when I escaped 'home' for some mum-time. Laughed while my breast-pumped moo-ed at me and we watched tv while baby slept. Stayed up with me every feed in those early nights. Helped me grow in confidence. Showed me how to keep burping – and then burp some more – a colicky baby. All Night. Did last night's night feed so I could sleep!
- In the same category of Awesomeness: my MIL. Came to live with us for a week post-baby. Absolutely in love with her tiny shrieking grandson – even though he initially repaid that love with a lot of 3am projectile poop. Has travelled up from Dorset to London to help more times than I can remember – including when baby was 9 weeks and we NEEDED A NIGHT AWAY. This was in the middle of Colic Time and we were very, very battle weary. Seemingly endless capacity to love everything about her tiny grandson – even the gross bits.
- The NCT Heroes! You, Mums, have been my daily lifeline. The WhatsApp messages that make us all snort with laughter. The messages that remind us to happily call BULLSHIT on our new role (it can be seriously underpaid). The ideas for lumpy boobs, sterilising breast pumps, Things To Help Baby Sleep, chapped nipples, constipated babies… Jesus, I've learned more from you lot than I ever wanted to know. I feel like we're the recruits to become Navy Seals. We drink to build rapport (didn't realise pubs are full of prams by day). We Don't Give-Up. We find the weakest link, and we get together to pick them up when they've been feeling a bit wobbly. We purée together. We party together. We drink a lot of tea together. We ate too much cake together. And we're now starting to find Ourselves, again, together (including our waistlines). You're forgiving when mistakes are made, and you respect boundaries. We're not the same in our natures, approaches, or home and career ambitions… but we've pulled together. No Mum is putting down her helmet and ringing that bell, on our watch! I admire and respect you all individually, and together.
- My Best Mums. You're my best friends. You now have babies. It can be really shit. It has awesomeness about it, but as new jobs go, there are some serious howlers of reality that weren't listed in the job spec. We know it. We talk honestly and openly about it. We resist our natural Career Woman urges to problem solve for each other – but we listen, we help, we support. We give each other space with our babies and our new mummy friends – because we know that we'll be here for each other every year. We're in this for the long run. We forgive cancelled dates. We change plans and travel by car with screaming babies. We never judge. When times get tough we PUPD to get that baby sleeping, and plan future family holidays! Booze will be included. A lot of it.
- The Experienced Mum. For me, this was my Doula who came in the early weeks after baby was born. Sarah cleaned, made lunch, helped me as I tried to establish breast-feeding, and came out on my first Solo (ish) Baby Walk. She shared ideas but really focused on Me and not the baby. I didn't know what it would be like to have a post-birth doula, but – an absolute lifeline in those early days. Other Experienced Mums of note include the kind health visitor who takes her time with you in those early days, when you're dripping milk and crying a lot. And the Mums in Cafes, who smile as you trundle in with your pram and bags of Stuff You Might Need. Giving you a look that says – it's going to get better!
Love you, Mums. Happy Mothers' Day!


text:
Islamic state militants (Isis) have blown up a significant shrine in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the latest in a series of holy sites reportedly destroyed by the jihadist group. On 24 July, Isis members detonated explosives in the Mosque of the Prophet Younis. The militants said that "the mosque had become a place for apostasy, not prayer", according to Agence France Presse. The Nabis Younis mosque, thought to be the burial place of Jonah (the prophet swallowed by a whale), was built around 1393 upon the ruins of a Christian church.
Islamic Militants Destroy Muslim Shrine in Mosul
30 Wednesday Jul 2014
Posted Heritage Sites - Iraq - Destructionin


text:
North Palm Beach, Florida Fishing Boat Charters
North Palm Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches around. Whether you want to relax and sunbathe on the shore or get out in the blue water, you are sure to appreciate the natural beauty of the area. However, to truly enjoy what nature has to offer, why not get out into the water and go fishing?
The waters in the area are some of the best in the Atlantic. No matter what time of the year you head out, you will find something! We regularly reel in snapper, tuna, dolphin, mahi-mahi, Kingfish, Wahoo and many other types of sport and game fish.
Launching from nearby Lake Park Marina, the "MadSon" is the perfect size for groups of up to six. Unlike larger capacity charter boats, we can give you one-on-one attention and help you with the fishing process. We feel like you get the best possible fishing experience when you choose to ride with us.
Although we mainly offer half-day trips, we do take the boat out for longer trips on certain occasions. We can even work with you for a fishing tourney if you desire. You will simply pay our normal charter fee plus your tourney fees.
North Palm Beach is a great place to visit or a great place to live—but you'll love your time there even better when you book a great fishing trip. Call MadSon Charters at (561) 324-3454 to book a trip on the "MadSon" today. We look forward to seeing you soon!


text:
Sit with me this early morn.
Shhhh, listen to the silence
while we gaze at new fallen snow.
Watch candles flicker
in the midst of holly and ivy.
Sip hot steaming aromatic coffee
and savor nana's cranberry bread.
Sit with me this early morn
and we shall recount life's blessings,
thankful for every day.
Yuletide Meditation
Sit with me this early morn.


text:
Hi! I'm Bartholomew Tiberius Beanstalk, but you can call me Belly Bean! Being raised in the backyard of a writer and best friends with his daughter Maddie and their dog Logan, I'm curious about everything! As we go on trips with Maddie's dad to research his next story, that curiosity gets us into all sorts of adventurous situations.
So, grab my hand and come join me on my adventures! Adventures that won't just be fun and exciting, but will teach you all sorts of amazing things about the world around you!


text:
I'm not watching many new shows right now. Blame it on the lack of cable or the lack of exciting things on network television or maybe I'm just old or something. Not sure. Most of the shows we're watching now are old news to everyone else. Which is kind of great, because those shows are perfect for binge watching.
If you are looking for a new show to OMG over – or even better, an old show to say "What took me so long?" here are some of the ones I'm loving right now.
Veep | You probably already know about Veep – like I said, none of these shows are new. But just in case you aren't familiar: This is a 30 minute comedy on HBO that I stream on Amazon Prime. It stars Julia Louise Dreyfus as the sweary, imperfect, and kind of awesome Vice President of America. I really just started watching this one, I'm still on Season 1, but so far so good.
The X-Files | It's almost ridiculous that I never watched this show before a few months ago, but here we are dealing with that reality. My husband and I are making our way through this one rather slowly as we seem to suffer for nights where we have enough time to watch a one hour drama. But it's so worth the wait! A very young Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny is everything I need in life. The entire freaking show is available to stream on Hulu and we definitely have our work cut out for us.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | This might be the smartest show on television so it's absurd that I only just finished the first season. For some reason it keeps getting buried on my Amazon Prime queue and again, it's another hour long show. I'm bad at keeping up with those. But if you haven't checked out this show by Amy Sherman Palladino, you need to fix that immediately.
The Good Place | We're actually rewatching this one from the beginning with the kids because my oldest asked about it and we decided they were just barely old enough to watch it with us. I won't lie, there is some occasional language and content that makes me think that my nine year old should not be in the room. On the plus side, it's usually as an example of what Bad Behavior looks like. But I wouldn't recommend it for watching with your kids unless you really think your kids can handle it and you're up for the explanations and discussions that will ensue. But I definitely recommend it as a show in general. It is so smart, and so funny, and the cast is incredible. And for what it's worth, my kids both love it. You can stream the first two seasons on Netflix and the current season is available on Hulu.
Doctor Who | We just finished the current season which I personally loved. A lot of Dr. Who fans are apparently not as in love. I will admit, it feels like a departure from the normal tone of Doctor Who, with very few references to seasons and aliens and baddies past. This makes it a great place for new people to jump in though. Still, we loved the new season, especially my daughter who has found a new role model in this new regeneration of The Doctor. We are also rewatching the older episodes with the kids, at least all of the ones streaming on Prime. We watched all of the 9th Doctor and are about halfway through Number 10. If I play my cards right, I'll never have to be not watching Doctor Who.
What are you watching these days?
I'm link up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop today. All the cool kids are doing it, so…


text:
As a Palestinian citizen of Israel, it is a strange experience to watch your humanity become a subject of national debate between a prime minister and a model. Responding to criticism by the well-known Israeli actor Rotem Sela this week, Benjamin Netanyahu took it upon himself to declare, via Instagram: "Israel is not a state of all its citizens. According to the nation-state law we passed [in July 2018], Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people – and not anyone else." His assertion quickly dominated international headlines. Israeli Hollywood actor Gal Gadot (who played Wonder Woman in the 2017 blockbuster), President Reuven Rivlin, and other public figures joined the fray to defend Sela, who had posted the question: "When the hell will someone in this government convey to the public that Israel is a state of all its citizens and that all people were created equal?"
Sela's remarks are commendable. But Netanyahu is right: Israel is not a country built for all its people, a fifth of whom (more than 1.5 million) are Palestinian Arab citizens of the state. This was the case long before the "Jewish nation-state law" was enacted last year, and long before Netanyahu returned as prime minister a decade ago. Since the state's establishment in 1948, more than 65 laws have been used to restrict the rights of Palestinian citizens in all fields of life, with more being passed every year. While many of these laws may not appear discriminatory at face value, their racist impact is evident to the people they target.
For example, as a non-Jew in Israel, I cannot buy property in the vast majority of the country, and I can be barred by an admissions committee from living in a small, community town if I am not deemed "socially or culturally suitable". I am unable to study Palestinian history at a state school because it is not taught, and I could put a theatre at risk of losing state funding if I promote a play describing Israel's independence as a Nakba, or catastrophe, for the Palestinian people. If I wished to marry a Palestinian from the occupied territories, I could not bestow residency or citizenship on her so she could live with me and raise a family inside Israel; any Jew in the world, however, can fly into Ben Gurion airport and become a citizen.
In many ways, the nation-state law changes little for Palestinian citizens of the state, as the legal infrastructure for their inferior status has always been in place. And yet, by anchoring Jewish supremacy as a constitutional rule, the law also changes everything: now, Israeli courts and state bodies are obligated to carry out racial discrimination. This includes demoting Arabic from its former status as an official language, and, most dangerously, pursuing exclusive Jewish settlement as a "national value". With this law, the avenues for Palestinian citizens to combat inequality – an already Sisyphean undertaking – are narrowed even further.
This year's Israeli elections – and the spat between Sela and Netanyahu – must be understood in the shadow of this law. Until now, the political coverage has largely focused on the possibility of former army chief Benny Gantz replacing Netanyahu, or on Netanyahu's facilitation of the fascist Jewish Power party to enter the Knesset. The real issue that should be examined – and that should matter in every Israeli election – is why none of the main parties are discussing true equality, or the end of the occupation, as a central issue. The answer is simple: most Jewish-Israelis agree that anyone who questions Jewish superiority, or Israel's rule over all people between the river and the sea, is not welcome in the public discourse.
The distaste for such discussion is systemic. Last year, the Knesset Presidium refused to allow a bill entitled Basic Law: State for All Its Citizens, proposed by Balad, a secular Arab nationalist party, to be brought to the floor. Another bill entitled Democratic, Multicultural and Egalitarian State, proposed by Yousef Jabareen of an Arab-Jewish party, was dismissed in the early stages of parliamentary debates. Just last week, the Knesset's central elections committee disqualified Balad-Ra'am (a joint slate of Balad and the Islamic Movement) as well as Ofer Cassif, a Jewish member of Hadash, from running in this year's elections. (Adalah, the legal centre where I work, is representing both Balad-Ra'am and Cassif before the Israeli supreme court this week in an attempt to cancel the committee's decisions).
Although the supreme court is expected to allow their participation, this marks the sixth consecutive election in which Arab-led parties and their candidates have had to fight disqualifications. These decisions have been endorsed by rightwing and centre Jewish parties alike, accusing the Arab parties of supporting terrorism because they criticise the occupation, or denying Israel's character as a "Jewish and democratic" state because they demand a racially just society, a "state for all its citizens". What this shows again is that, as far as the Israeli political spectrum is concerned, Palestinian citizens are not to be regarded as equals, and their demands for human rights are a national threat. It should not have taken an Instagram post by a Jewish-Israeli actor to expose that reality.


text:
(Nov. 26, 2010) Former executive director of Energy Probe Tom Adams tells the Toronto Star that the Green Energy Act is politicizing energy in Ontario and placing utility regulation in the hands of a cabinet that rules by directives.
Cap and trade
Whatever the public perception of George Smitherman's political career, no one can deny that he exits a stage with verve.
The Green Energy Act, his swan song as Ontario's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure before he left to run for mayor of Toronto, was as ambitious as the man himself.
More than a year after leaving Queen's Park, Smitherman still pops up on the ministry website boasting that the GEA will propel Ontario to the status of North America's clean-energy leader.
But like Smitherman's mayoralty campaign, the GEA has wobbled on the way toward its goal of replacing coal-fired electricity in the province with clean, renewable energy.
Now being implemented by Brad Duguid, Smitherman's successor as energy minister, the act looks less like model legislation for other jurisdictions and more like what happens when politics are allowed to compromise economic prudence.
The GEA began life as a clean-energy policy (with hefty input from greenish special-interest groups). But then the Liberals began broadening it to accommodate related economic objectives.
Tacking on a wish-list of additional responsibilities — such as job creation, export sales and support for aboriginal and community groups — compromised its original primary focus: a clean, reliable system that provides electricity to consumers at the lowest price. "It became an economic development policy as much as it was energy procurement," says Adam White, an energy policy professor at the University of Toronto and a consultant at the Association of Major Power Consumers of Ontario.
Bruce Sharp, senior consultant at Aegent Energy Advisors Inc., compares the legislation to what happens when a golfer tries to correct a bad golf swing by adding different fixes one by one. "You add all kinds of crazy gyrations and machinations," he says, "but you become so contorted you don't have a chance of hitting the ball."
Energy consultant Tom Adams, an acute observer of the province's electricity industry and a former executive director of Energy Probe, is blunter. He says the GEA has politicized energy, placing utility regulation in the hands of a cabinet that rules by directives.
"I think it's an unspeakable disaster and has devastating economic consequences. It has eviscerated the principles of independent public utility regulation in Ontario."
Some consequences have already come home to roost. Premier Dalton McGuinty and Smitherman vowed at the time of the GEA's introduction that it would add no more than 1 per cent to the average homeowner's power bill.
Instead, electricity prices have soared 18 per cent this year. Sharp, who analyzed the electricity market through the lens of the GEA last summer, forecasts a 26 per cent hike in rates in 2011, which he said would translate into a price jump of 3.04 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) and add about $304 to a typical consumer's electricity bill in 2011.
By 2015 the typical Ontario household will be paying between 38 per cent and 41 per cent more for power.
Last week, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan — himself a former energy minister — corroborated Sharp's numbers. To placate an electorate increasingly irate over energy costs, he added yet another entry to the electricity industry's bewildering array of acronyms and programs.
The Liberals conceded that the 1 per cent rate increase promised a little over a year ago was wildly optimistic, and that the hike would be 7.9 per cent annually for the next five years. To cushion the blow, a new Ontario Clean Energy Benefit offers a 10 per cent rebate on electricity bills. Duncan calculated that in 2011 that would lop about $13 from the average monthly household bill of $128.
A week later Energy Minister Duguid got into the act, adjusting the rates paid during two evening hours from the peak price of 9.9 cents per kWh to 5.1 cents per kWh.
The changes have the whiff of micro-tuning by a government less than a year away from an election, rather than showing signs of a coherent long-term macro policy to address Ontario's electricity picture.
As well-meaning as the GEA may have been in the beginning, it has increasingly contributed to the province's electricity conundrum, according to some observers.
The GEA's feed-in tariff component has become a lightning rod for critics. Under the Feed In Tariff (FIT) program, the province contracts to pay suppliers a premium price for electricity, provided it is generated from renewable sources and using equipment sourced mainly in Ontario. As part of the deal, the province is obligated to hook the electricity into the provincial grid.
But setting the FIT price to be both an incentive to the renewable energy industry and to also avoid distorting the electricity marketplace is more black art than science.
And it's a skill the province hasn't quite mastered, some argue.
The wholesale electricity price (which utilities pay for the power to distribute to their customers) fluctuates according to demand. It was about 4 cents per kWh in mid-November. Even at its highest, in July, it hit only 6 cents per kWh, according to the Independent Electricity System Operator that manages Ontario's power grid. Yet under the GEA's "microFIT" program, designed for small suppliers such as homeowners and businesses generating 10 kW or less from green sources — mostly roof-top solar panels — Ontario pays 64.2 cents per kWh for electricity. It pays bigger FIT participants, who generate more than 10 kW, 71 cents per kWh.
"Compared to any credible competition, the price being paid for solar (under the GEA) is crazy," says Adams. He acknowledges that solar is a small part of the Ontario's total power supply, so the effect is so far minimal. But the gold-rush style take-up on the FIT program by green-power generators eager to get onto the grid is evidence that it's a good deal for suppliers, he says.
Tim Butters, a spokesman for the Ontario Power Authority, which administers provincial electricity policy, says the microFIT program, aimed primarily at homeowners and small businesses, has attracted 19,000 applicants. Until the end of the summer they were promised 80.2 cents per kWh — about 20 times the wholesale price of electricity.
Nor has lowering the fee to 64.2 cents per kWh for applications received after August proved discouraging. By the beginning of November, the OPA had approved about 1,900 contracts, primarily with small businesses and homeowners, to purchase about15 kW of power.
Supporters of the GEA — including equipment manufacturers who stand to profit from it — point out that encouraging development of new sources of clean energy to replace coal was the intent of the subsidized FIT component of the act.
But as more operators pump their renewable energy into the grid, it creates an unintended consequence — the need for more generation powered by fossil fuels.
Wind and solar are unlikely in the short term to replace the electricity still generated by the province's four coal plants. Even Enbridge's solar park in Sarnia, the world's largest facility of its kind, produces only 80 megawatts of electricity (a megawatt, or MW, is one million watts) — which Enbridge says is enough to supply about 12,800 homes.
And wind and solar electricity generation are intermittent: something has to fill in when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow.
Gas-fired plants have been earmarked as the alternative. But while gas is a cleaner fuel than coal, it's still a finite fossil fuel that produces emissions, and whose price fluctuates.
Gas plants aren't particularly favoured by communities, either. Indeed, a new one slated to be built in Oakville that would have supplied 900MW was cancelled this fall. Locals went so far as to parachute in famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich to help kill the project.
The disparity between the conventional price of electricity and that available with the green subsidy under the FIT program has made investment attractive to businesses with otherwise wasted rooftop space. The day after the Oakville plant was axed, IKEA announced a deal whereby it has been promised 71.3 cents per kWh from the province for power generated by solar panels on roofs of three of its stores.
That compares with about 10 cents per kWh the province would have had to pay for electricity from the Oakville gas-fired generator.
IKEA will spend $4.6 million to install the solar panels, which will generate a total of 960,000 kW. At the FIT rate, the province will pay IKEA $684,480 a year for 20 years versus about $115,000 it would have had to pay for electricity from the Oakville gas-fired facility.
Under the FIT rate, IKEA will pay for its solar equipment in 6.7 years.
The province also contracted to pay 71 cents per kWh to about 1,200 bigger operators generating 10 kW or more under FIT. "And applications are still coming in," says Butters.
Not insignificantly, however, cancelling the Oakville plant may have had less to do with economics than politics: The area in which it was to be located — adjacent to a giant Ford plant — is served by two Liberal MPPs who fielded constituent complaints and whose seats the government was not eager to jeopardize.
In addition to concerns over high prices, some observers worry the 20-year contracts make no sense. Presumably, the idea is that as demand rises, so will wholesale prices overall, more closely aligning them with the price of green power.
But Adam White points out that demand has actually been in decline, from about 27,000MW in 2006 to less than 24,195 MW last year. True, that 3,000MW drop is due in part to the recession, which isn't going to last forever. Conservation has played a role as well. But the effect in the short term has been to widen the gap between high-priced electricity from renewable sources and that from conventional sources.
White also worries that 20-year contracts lock Ontario into today's prices and eliminate any benefit that new generating or conservation technology might introduce during the next two decades that lowers electricity costs. "It's not like buying something and having buyer's remorse for a year," White says of power purchased under FIT. "We could have buyer's remorse for the 20-year life of the contract."
Adams goes further, suggesting that the FIT program in general is open to manipulation. He points to a deal announced last April that will see a Korean consortium of Samsung and Korea Electric Power Corp. develop 2,500 MW of electricity from wind and solar installations.
Ontario is also paying $437 million in incentives to the Koreans over 25 years in exchange for a commitment to build four plants between 2013 and 2015 that will manufacture wind and solar generating equipment.
Even without the incentives, Ontario made the deal attractive for Samsung. In addition to agreeing to purchase power from its solar and wind equipment, it also promised the Korean company priority access to the provincial grid.
But the grid is already close to capacity. Provincial favouring of Samsung has raised the hackles of operators of wind and solar projects who have struggled to get hooked up.
How could the government have miscalculated so drastically? In a recent speech, Duguid, echoing McGuinty, pulled out a familiar excuse andblamed the previous Conservative government for allowing the provincial electricity infrastructure to erode.
Some suggest that the government has been in thrall to the persistent lobbying of special interest groups. The 4,000-strong Green Energy Act Alliance claims to have been instrumental in the creation of the GEA, for instance. Curiously, much of its funding comes from public sources, including provincial ministries.
The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, which also claims a role in the GEA's creation, pushes government toward green initiatives to the benefit of its equipment manufacturing members. It's funded in part by the ministries of agriculture and energy, and by the Trillium Foundation, funded by Ontario's lotteries.
In other words, Ontario pays unelected non-government organizations to lobby the government.
Sadly, for all their manoeuvring, the Liberals aren't much closer to reducing carbon emissions by 20 per cent, their goal when they took power. They've steadfastly avoided introducing a tax or a cap-and-trade system that would put a price on carbon generated by fossil fuels.
Adams contends the Liberals' failure to develop a coherent energy policy could become their legacy. If McGuinty survives in power until 2012, Adams says, "he could acquire the dubious distinction of being the only premier of Ontario to have prices double on his watch."
What: A market-based system designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
How: A government issues a "cap" on emissions permitted in its jurisdiction. Companies that come under their emissions allowance, as measured by approved methods, build up a surplus allowance that they can sell. Companies that exceed their emissions allowance must purchase allowances from those who have a surplus.
Why: The idea is to encourage companies to introduce technology and conservation methods to create a commodity — a surplus emissions allowance — that has a price.
The value is established by supply and demand. If the allowance supply is high, the price remains low and there is little incentive for companies to spend to curb emissions.
Government, however, can steadily lower the cap, which pressures companies to purchase "cap room" allowances to comply.
As demand for the allowances goes up, so does their price. Eventually, companies operating using inefficient, high-emission methods recognize the economic value in curbing emissions to remain competitive.
Wayne Lilley, Toronto Star, November 26, 2010


text:
Barbie Forteza, Bing Pimentel, Che Ramos, cinemalaya, drama, feminism, Jerrold Tarog, Marikina, Mariquina, Milo Sogueco, Mylene Dizon, philippines, Ricky Davao, shoes, women
The society defines women as mothers. Surely, nothing is wrong with choosing to raise your children, setting aside your own career, and staying inside the house to do the "dirty" works. But, when you choose otherwise, you are seen as useless, incompetent, and un-womanly. This 2014 film talks on how being a wife and a mother are more often than not prescribed roles. It is a story on how a woman courageously left the situation she thinks she does not deserve. Her tale is told on a backdrop of the dying shoe industry of Marikina.
As the daughter (named Imelda) of a famous Marikina shoemaker arranges the wake of her father, she makes amend with the past and looks back to their family's most difficult years. She visits her memories with her absentee mother and a psychologically detached father. She then resolves within herself questions that have been bothering her for the past years. Why did her mom leave their family? Why do her parents need to separate? Why has her father unable to make their family intact?
The film beautifully integrates the local shoe business in its plot. It provides a timeline of events using the economic and political history of the Philippines. In its story, the Marikina shoe industry eventually failed when foreign investors were scared off by Marcos' Martial Law declaration. When the economy fell down, many family-owned small businesses suffered. This style of story-telling is necessary for a nation that often times forgets its history. Context of events is important in the plot.
Although Mariquina was subtle in its discussion of maternal affairs, it is a good text to examine the growing debate of whether women necessarily need to be mothers. It offers an example of a woman's dilemma whether to choose her own happiness or to continue serving her child and her husband.
The acting of strong women cast namely Mylene Dizon, Barbie Forteza, Che Ramos, and Bing Pimentel gave depth to the feminist nature of the storyline. In this film, Forteza showcased a mild yet powerful acting (to be seen again in 2015 film Laut) which won her Best Supporting Actress award in Cinemalaya 2014. Their performances were supplemented with equally superb acting from veteran actor Ricky Davao.
The film's screenplay (written by Heneral Luna Director Jerrold Tarog) made the sequence of events easy to follow. Its subtle treatment made the merging of the past and the present natural.
In the latter part of the movie, it was revealed that Imelda also left her family in Hawaii to start her own business in the Philippines. This resembles the situation of her mother as well as many Filipinas today. They have to enter the working force in the hope of delivering better lives for their children. When fathers choose to focus on their careers, they are lauded for being good providers. In contrast, mothers who choose the same are thought to be selfish and irresponsible. We dream that one day, the Filipino society comes to terms with these inequalities.
Mariquina speaks of a multitude of issues. From microeconomy to adolescence, it was able to join together various topics in its one and a half hour narration. For a movie crowd who is not always given with a discussion focusing on women, the film is a chance to step into women's shoes.
Mariquina can be watched on iflix. Avail of their monthly or annual plans now and tell them we sent you!


text:
…and The Schleicher Spin's 564th bad horror film you should not watch this Halloween season:
Children of the Corn – and all its misbegotten sequels. Like seriously, what the hell was Stephen King thinking? How much corn whiskey was he drinking back then? Instead, you should watch these films or this film.
…and here are a few shots from inside a corn maze in Egg Harbor City, NJ taken a few weekends ago:
Disclaimer: No corn was harmed during the making of these photos.
Photographed by David H. Schleicher


text:
For the last year I have done my blogging on Facebook Jonathan Woolrich. A lot has happened. Unfortunately little Aphie is no longer with me. She was run over on the nearby A30 in January. She was such a bold little hunter. She just had to go and look. Now she's buried in the garden. I plan to plant a Hamamelis Aphrodite over her in the autumn when they are available. The other big event has been my retirement/redundancy on 1st July. Still getting used to it. Having a lot of fun.
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
olejki konopne cbd w… on 2015/03/24 protobikes on 150309 Miss von Brandenburg on 150309 Mr Larrington on 280214 Mr Larrington on 230414


text:
Our company is operated by industry professionals with more than 35 years of direct experience in providing customers with all types of specialty wheelchairs. We have grown from typical wheelchair accessory equipment, to a full line of wheelchairs made by Quickie.
Eight waterproof, non-slip treads that self-stick to virtually any clean, dry surface. Provides safe traction in tubs, on bathroom floors, stairs, etc. - anywhere theres the danger of slipping!
Be the first to review this product, add your review today!


text:
Having recently celebrated its 70th birthday, a health-check on the NHS reveals critical symptoms: painfully long wait times, hospital beds filling the hallways and staff stretched to full capacity all point to a service under significant strain. Faced with an ageing population and a sharp rise in the number of patients suffering chronic conditions, our health service is in dire need of transformation if it is to continue serving its purpose.
Read Article >
Artificial Intelligence continues to dominate the headlines of business publications, blogs and social media updates as the practical applications of machine learning become increasingly widespread. Of course, the AI we know today is far from the image conjured in science fiction stories. In order to create fully-autonomous intelligent androids capable of understanding the world as well as any human, we would first have to master Artificial General Intelligence.
Artificial intelligence is fast making headway into the modern business landscape; the many applications of this once futuristic technology already proving pivotal in driving efficiency and boosting productivity. In fact, according to figures from IDC, global spending on AI and cognitive technologies will reach $19.1 billion by the end of 2018, up 54.2 percent compared to a year ago. By 2021, AI and cognitive spending is set to hit $52.2 billion.
If you've been tasked with selecting a new Enterprise Resource Planning system for your organisation, it's likely you've already browsed the market to get a taste of the options available. Given the magnitude of the decision, however, this isn't one to be rushed. Your choice of ERP will largely depend upon functional software requirements, future scalability, goals and objectives and budget capacity.
This website uses 'cookies' to give you the best, most relevant experience. Using this website means you're happy with this. You can find out more about the cookies used by clicking this link.


text:
Are you ready to expand your creative horizon, explore new approaches and enrich your artistic practice?
You are always welcomed with a smile and will be supported in developing your own unique visual language.
You can read more about my approach to my workshops here.
Make sure you are signed up on my mailing-list to be informed of new workshops listed.
Get a group together of 4 and I will run a workshop at my studio just for you. Contact me to discuss.
Get out of your Mind and into your Art
Do you feel stuck creatively? Would you like to loosen up your style and be freer in our art? Then this workshop is for you.
A unique opportunity to really focus on your creative journey with plenty of support and inspiration in an art studio environment.
Mixed Media Workshop
Join me for a journey into mixed media and colourful abstraction. Relax with like-minded creatives and learn new techniques to enrich your art.
Abstraction from Within
Explore the world of expressive abstract painting. With gentle guidance you will be creating your own unique abstract artwork.
Experimental Works on Paper
Using everyday objects, we will create collagraph prints and mixed media artworks on the beautiful medium of paper.


text:
Eye-catching yellow "Spill Kit" text on black background stands out on container
Durable, 4 mil vinyl with acrylic adhesive is moisture-resistant and suitable for outdoor useNon-glare surface is easier to read1 per packageBlack with yellow letteringComposed of vinylDimensions: 5" L x 3" WProduct Data Sheet (PDS)
All Risk® Triage Tags, Non-Wristband First responders are facing challenges that were once unimagined. The once unthinkable threat of radiological, biological or chemical contamination of our civilian population is now a reality. To successfully manage these incidents new strategies and tactics must be developed. The triage tag developed by Disaster Management Systems provides first responders with a tool to identify, process, and triage contaminated patients. The tag also provides rescue personnel with a means to tag and identify clothing and other personal property. Optimized for use as a secondary assessment and patient tracking tool, the All Risk® Triage Tag provides treatment personnel the ability to document patient condition and care while awaiting transport. The enhanced transportation receipt, when used with the receipt holder, streamlines ambulance loading and ensures that patient number, acuity and destination are documented and available for quick reference.Features:► Waterproof / Blood Proof► Bar Code for Tracking & Property ID► Evidence Identification► Presence of Contamination► Primary & Secondary Decon► Blast Injury Indicator► Tourniquet Applied► Airway Management (OPA/NPA)► GCS Indicator► Known Allergies AreaSold by the pack of 50


text:
The Global Social Venture Competition provides the next generation of social entrepreneurs by providing them with mentoring, exposure and over $80,000 in prizes to transform their ideas into ventures that address the world's most pressing challenges. Teams from across the globe learn how to design scalable models through a process that emphasizes stakeholder discovery, business innovation and social impact assessment. Originally founded by MBA students at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business in 1999, in 2016 it received nearly 500 entries from 50 countries.
Click here for more.


text:
Living in La La Land Valentines Goodies
Ginger Snaps Valentines Party
Just Us Four Valentines Project Party
Free Printables Linky Party
this is so cool! thanks for linking up :)ReplyDelete
Very cute! I love it! My boys will have a blast with this!! Thanks for linking up with us at the Find Some Love Fest!!
All The Love In The Universe
This is so neat! Would look great colored and framed! We have had so much fun with the Find Some Love Fest link up! It's a great way to connect and support fellow bloggers.
We are following you and would love for you to visit our blog.
Jayme & Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings
Wow! That is cool. Thank your for linking up at the {Free} Printables Linky Party!ReplyDelete
This is awesome, I am definitely going to print one for me and my son! Thanks for linking up!
Chacoy @Living in La La Land!
Love this coloring page! so fun for valentine's day!!
Thanks for linking up!
Wow that is great coloring page! How sweet of you to share it!! Thank you so much for linking up my dress form ball! I had no idea such a site existed!!


text: The Office Gurus® has risen to become one of the leading global BPO companies. Businesses in all industries find that in-house call centers and customer service teams can be expensive and time consuming to manage. We make the process easy with superior customer support outsourcing solutions that will keep your business operations streamlined and your customers happy.


text:
There is a lot of stuff going on the City, and we can't write about it all. Here are some interesting things some of our friends have written up lately.
- 6sqft ⇒ First Look at BKSK Architect's Upcoming Condo Tower Planned For 200 East 21st Street
- Brooklyn Street Art ⇒ Artists Bring 22 New Murals to "Coney Art Walls 2016″
- The Coney Island Blog ⇒ Where to go AFTER the Mermaid Parade?
- Daytonian in Manhattan ⇒ The John Iselin House -- No. 59 East 79th Street
- DNAinfo New York ⇒ How Emotional Support Animals Are Upending No-Pet Rules in NYC Buildings
- Forgotten New York ⇒ Revolutionary Cemetery, Bay Ridge
- Gothamist ⇒ Sunday Funday Drunch Now Begins at 10 A.M. On Sundays
- Guest of a Guest ⇒ Urban Hiking: 10 NYC Walks to Take This Week
- Thrillist ⇒ Best Brunch in Every New York City Neighborhood, Boozy and Bottomless
- Untapped Cities ⇒ 10 Famous Mob Hangouts in NYC
Something wrong with this post? Let us know!
Shop Related Products…
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


text:
Bearskis go Design Festa in Tokyo
"I don't know what just happened." That was Bearskis' reaction when Project Art Lounge introduced them to Design Festa vol. 40 at Tokyo Big Sight on November 8th. Understandable. Sprawling over two floors of Tokyo's largest international and futuristic exhibition center, Design Festa brings together a wild and crazy assortment of creative characters. Artists, designers and performers of all types present their paintings, photographs, toys, clothes, masks, bags and all sorts of other things. Visitors, too, get into the act, many complete with outfits and costumes to emote their favorite meme. Coming on the heels of Halloween, vol. 40 was like a art fair dress-up party or Harajuku on steroids with a punk band playing on the outdoor parking lot. Design Festa cannot be compared to other contemporary art fairs, but careful observers will discover some talented young creators. The interesting thing about this fair: anything goes. First timers may be surprised and a little overwhelmed, but it's definitely a trip worth taking. Welcome to Tokyo everybody.


text:
You would expect two people who have got to know each other in an online forum to have plenty to say to each other. After all, they already know a lot about each other, and so they can continue to discuss actions, thoughts, feelings that they have written about on the forum. If they don't happen to suffer from social anxiety.
Social anxiety sufferers, even those who are verbose in an online forum, can be very quiet in actual, face-to-face meetings. The pressure caused by the physical presence of another person causes them to forget what they wanted to say or worry so much about how and whether to express it that they end up keeping quiet. Well, not completely. They usually manage to talk, but their speech is often hesitant and sporadic.
I say "they", but I can include myself in that, to varying degrees depending on external factors, and probably every other social anxiety sufferer to varying degrees depending on the person themself (is that a word, these days?) and on external factors.
So you can understand that when two social anxiety sufferers get together, the conversation doesn't exactly flow. Each one struggles with inner thoughts and worries, and neither is able to make up for the lack of input from the other side.
S and I have met at least three times before. Each time, we spent a few hours together and struggled to keep the conversation going. It's not that I didn't enjoy the experience. I did. But when it was over, I heaved a sigh of relief from the absence of pressure.
This time is different; we have more of an agenda. We're at the boat show in Southampton, a most impressive array of yachts and other boats. The weather is glorious, and we spend our time seeing how the rich live, driving yachts,
(I wish), examining fish in a marine research boat:
and watching a freight ship (or whatever it's called):
Conversation isn't so necessary, and so it comes more naturally, mostly spawned by the things we see.
We have lunch under the sun in the dining area – fish and chips. And visit the tourist shops on the way out. In all, a very pleasant day.
In the evening, I see a TV programme about Vera Lynn. She's 92 and seems very active and alert. Good for her! She is interviewed by David Frost, who doesn't look all that young himself!


text:
Discover the nature of the Pyrénées… through the hiking trails of the Natural Parks in Andorra
In Andorra there are three protected Natural Parks, plenty of hiking trails of progressive level, for both families and the most expert mountain hikers:
The Valley of Madriu Natural Park, declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2004, offers hiking trails of various levels.
The Sorteny Valley Natural Park, very close to the hotel and to the Ordino-Arcalis ski resort, is a Natural Park perfect for everyone: a botanical garden, a picnic area, hiking trails for all levels and a just remodelled hut.
The Comapedrosa Valley Natural Park is the most thrilling one for the hiking trails lovers: amongst its trails, you will find the trail that leads to the Comapedrosa Peak, the highest in Andorra. On your way up, you will find a hut to rest. You will be amazed by its flora and fauna (hundreds of butterflies and moths) and by the simple beauty of the traditional shepherd buildings.
Ask at the Hotel reception about the hiking trails in Ordino: we know perfectly our Natural Parks.


text:
Grape, Ginger and Wine Jam
I love making jams and preserves at home and I had seen this one at Chinmayee's blog last year and its been running on my mind since that time. So … Continue reading
Mangalore in my kitchen : Jane DSouza's delightful cookbook
A while ago I had posted that I am looking for some books exploring the marathi cuisine, I got a lot of recommendations and at the same time Ruth told … Continue reading
Saying NO one step at a time
So I have been trying, trying to say NO to processed and preservative filled foods we buy over the counter one at a time as much as I can. Sometime … Continue reading
Strawberry Balsamic Pepper Preserve
I love strawberries, I have been buying them by the kilos from my grocer and using them in everything. Baking with them, eating them just like that, making a jam, … Continue reading
Strawberry Jam
Its that time of the year when you get fresh red strawberries every where you go…Those slightly tangy sightly sweet, pretty looking red berries with a lovely green little leaf … Continue reading
Orange Marmalade
I love making jams and conserves at home… They are a bit of hardwork but the satisfaction you get post that is amazing…usually I make mango jam during the mango … Continue reading