text:
- The period of about 365 1/4 solar days required for one revolution of the earth around the sun.
- The time required for the apparent sun to return to an arbitrary fixed or moving reference point in the sky.
- The time in which a planet completes a revolution about the sun.
Source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
5th October 2004, Tuesday, 12:00 noon:
"Welcome to Daksh ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to IBM Daksh!"
The words echoed in my head for a while.
A short announcement followed, informing us about the events to follow. By 7:00 pm, the time the joining formalities were over, I had written down my particulars over twenty times and signed around 30 delarations of various kinds. I was exhausted.
The only settling factor was that everyone who had joined with me in that room was in the same boat. If I remember correctly there were 9 of us. I was the youngest, and one of two freshers.
I didn't utter a word throughout the day. I was nervous, unsure of what to say, not wanting to put my foot in my mouth. I remember this lady (also a new joinee), Aditi Malhotra, attempted to strike a polite conversation with me. I think the couple of replies I did manage were monosyllabic and without a hint of enthusiasm. She gave up almost immediately. Little did she know that this lost soul would come around to haunt her, and maybe even make her cry one day.
When all the formalities were over, we were informed that we could leave. As I walked out of the building and started walking towards my car, I felt disappointed to the point of being unsettled.
Thought: That's it? That was my first day at work? Isn't the first day supposed to be memorable? Aren't you finally supposed to feel in control of your life, untangled at last? Why is this happening? Maybe I'm not ready for this. Maybe I should go home and get back to travelling.
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud "Bye!" I waved back at Shweta, the DU History teacher turned housewife turned Voice and Accent Trainer at IBM Daksh, who had also joined the same day.
As I settled into the the driver's seat of my car, I finally felt in control. I welcomed the feeling, considering it had eluded me throughout the day. After I turned on the ignition, I pressed hard on the accelerator. I think I did it just because I could. Then with the push of a button, I had U2 calm my nerves. Well, almost.
"Is it getting better? Do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now, if you got someone to blame?"
The traffic was heavy. My head, in comparison, was still heavier with the thoughts from the day. And now, these lyrics. I should have changed the song then and there, switch to happy music. Something like I'm like a bird or whatever.
Did I disappoint you? Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love... *Click*
I switched off the music system.
It took me almost two hours to reach home. Sitting in the car that day, crawling home at a snail's pace, I did something I hadn't done in a long time. I thought about where my life was heading.
5th October 2006, Thursday, 5:00 pm:
Two years, three managers, four office spaces and a different department later, I can safely say that I'm one of the familiar faces around. It's a comforting feeling. A walk through the corridors, or lunch at the cafeteria involves making polite conversation with almost everyone. I think they think of me as the nice guy who's been around.
Aditi Malhotra, well... Adi (she insists I call her that), sits in the adjacent room. I think she and I moved out of training around the same time. I moved into quality and she moved into Research and Development. We're the only two left in the training division from the bunch that joined that day. The only difference being that Aditi was promoted to the post of an assistant manager in April.
I receive an email from the HR department congratulating Adi and me for achieving this 'milestone.' The mail is copied to every one in my business unit. Within a minute, I 'm in the process of deleting the clutter from my inbox and frantically replying to congratulations messages from people I don't know of, haven't met or ever said hello to.
I get this email from Karishma Bajaj. It says 'Congratulations Fossils.'
The phrase stays in my mind for a while and I continue staring at the colourful screen. Flowers, satin ribbons, twinkling light and designer font make for stylish viewing. I remain unmoved, wondering when the nostalgia will kick in.
Viren (close friend and colleague) backslaps me rather violently, ordering me to join him for a smoke downstairs. I look at my watch, 5:10 pm; time for the hot chick from Tower-A of the building to come down on her smoke break. We don't want to miss out on the limited viewing pleasure we have at our disposal. So I lock my desktop and we hurry downstairs.
After two cigarettes and a little disappointment (the chick never showed up), Viren suggests we go back upstairs and get back to work. While we are in the lift lobby, I ask him to carry on and tell him I'll be up shortly. He asks me if everything is alright (I hate perceptive people). I say Yes! and he gives me the look of How did you know I was going to ask you that??? He doesn't protest, and takes the next elevator.
I walk out of the lobby, into the open. I go straight to 'Costa Coffee' and buy a cold coffee. Once out of there, I light a cigarette and go park myself at the far end of the building. The area is dimly lit, but provides a fantastic view of the commotion around. It's also an area where you can find class four taking their beedi breaks. And every now and then you can spot a couple, desperate for some alone time.
Today, strangely, there is nobody.
As you may have guessed, the nostalgia had kicked in the elevator lobby.
6th October 2006, Friday, 3:51 pm:
Yesterday evening, as I sat there with my cigarette and cold coffee, I reflected on the two years gone by. It was more an act of recollection than actual pondering over the events.
Here is what I could remember:
My first day at work. In retrospect, that day does hold a lot of significance. It may not have been eventful but memorable it was, simply because I will never forget it.
Rohit Chopra. Inspirational boss and fantastic manager, now reduced to a detail in my phonebook. Even now, when I wear floaters to work, I think of how he used to pull me up and urge me to wear formals. I'll never forget that smile of his, a smile of general well being and of unconditional acceptance.
Mimansa. Colleague, dear friend, angel. She taught me how to dress, where to party and in many ways, how to live. She doesn't work here anymore but I try and meet her as often as possible, even if all she has to offer is a reality check.
Viren. Best friend, fellow negro, golfer, dancer, and in many ways, a philosopher. He taught me how to appreciate video games and vampires at an artistic level. Currently, he's teaching me how to play golf. Every now and then he also tries to teach me how to dance, much to his and my frustration beacause I'm still pathetic at it. He also taught me that it's never too late to make a best friend.
Chinese and Thai Cafe, Gurgaon. Nights of endless alcohol, useless conversation, dancing in the parking lot to Alan Parson, and more. Half my income is in the club's bank account.
Sugandha. Trainer, gambler, wanderer, friend, guide, snob, philosopher, critic... the list is endless. 'Sugi' is my inspiration in many ways, and I think she knows it.
Leon, Maxwel and Siddharth. A comic, an achiever and an alpha male. A day at office is incomplete without Leon's useless (and fantastic) jokes, Maxwel's favours and Sid's almost dictatorial pieces of advice.
IBM. I love being here. In some trying times, I've often wondered why. Maybe because of the space and comfort I've been given, or maybe because it's my only means to a socially acceptable identity.
U2's One. Club, Disco, Parking lot, Dance Bar no bar. Whenever this song plays, you will find Tanmay, Leon, Viren, Mimansa, Sugandha, and whoever else is there locked in a group hug, singing loudly and out of tune. There is something about this song. I wonder now, as to why I turned it off in the car on my first day at work.
There were a lot more flashes of people and places, of accomplishments, disappointments, embarrasments and more. But the cold coffee was long over and my last cigarette had just died on me, almost burning my fingers.
When I came back to reality, I found myself sitting cross-legged on the grass. I got up immediately and dusted the dirt off my trousers. As I walked to the elevator lobby, I thought of how much these last two years meant to me.
I am more complete as a person today than I ever remember being, good or bad notwithstanding. A subject matter expert in training, a reasonably good colleague, an amature golfer and writer, a socialite. When my trainees meet me, they never forget to flash their widest grins and try to convince me about how often they think of me. I think I must've made a difference, however miniscule, in improving their life. My colleagues always tell me that I'm great with meeting deadlines. And Viren never forgets to talk about my flair for golf when we're in mixed company. As for the writing, I'll let you decide.
I think all this makes for an interesting profile for a 22 year old.
I feel it could do with a little improvement though, I still can't dance.


text:
Prof Howdy Calling In Sick Video! ¢
This Blog Has Moved:
- - Great & Humorous Videos - -
Editor of 'Thought & Humor'
E-mail Newspaper (Read by
up to two million weekly in
offices, dorms & homes worldwide since July 26,1997).
A Better Hour
Inspiration for Change
November 15, 2007
Research shows that teenage boys spend on average around 58 minutes a day playing video games. Girls were only slightly behind at 44 minutes a day. USA Today reports that teens spend about 16 percent of their time each day surfing the Internet or e-mailing. And then there is television, that omnipresent invader of our lives.
Could there be a better way to spend an hour than television-watching, Web-surfing, or gaming? Eighteenth-century English poet William Cowper thought so.
Cowper lived in a time as degenerate and self-indulgent as our own. Poverty, violence, prostitution, murder, thievery, and general lawlessness flourished. The wealthy benefited greatly from the horrid slave trade in which Britain owned more than half the slave ships. Gambling was a national obsession; obscene literature sold well; executions known as Hanging Shows attracted huge crowds.
But in the midst of this, a small group of men and women living in and around Clapham, a suburb of London, England, decided to do something about the situation. As the movie Amazing Grace (now available on DVD) so brilliantly captures, this little group was ultimately able to reform England by calling the British to what William Cowper referred to as "the better hour." The group, often called the Clapham Sect or the Clapham Circle, began to meet in each others' homes to discuss what needed to be done and to take action to accomplish what they planned.
Today, teens like Zach Hunter are following in the footsteps of Wilberforce and his Clapham Circle by speaking out against human trafficking in our day. Hunter, who is the tenth-grade author of Be the Change, founded the group "Loose Change to Loosen Chains." As its name implies, the group encourages gathering loose change to put toward the cause of stopping human trafficking around the world. Zach is the spokesperson for The Amazing Change campaign, also sponsored by the movie Amazing Grace, as well as a new contest that your teenage son or daughter should not miss.
The Better Hour Contest for high-school students seeks to engage teens in service projects that reflect the concerns of William Wilberforce, the British parliamentarian who fought to end the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and helped launch 69 societies for the reformation of culture in early nineteenth-century England.
With funding from the John Templeton Foundation, this contest offers a $10,000 first prize and up to $40,000 in total prizes for the best essay about what students have done. Students can use any ongoing project as long as they register and submit according to the contest guidelines, or they can embark on something entirely new. But they need to register now for the Better Hour Contest in time to execute their idea and meet the final project deadline of March 1, 2008. Awards will be presented in U.S. Congress in May 2008. Visit our website, www.BreakPoint.org, for more information.
I cannot think of a better way students could spend an hour than by engaging in the causes so near to the heart of William Wilberforce and his Clapham Circle. So pick up a copy of the new DVD Amazing Grace, watch it with the teenagers in your life, and then encourage them to enter the Better Hour Contest. One hour like this might encourage a lifetime of better hours serving others.
After finishing the great videos
on this site, remember to return
to Professor Dr. Howdy's other
award winning blog:
Click Here
Just what is
'Thought & Humor'
Watch Video:
Click Here
Just what/who/where
is UNC anyway???
Watch Video:
Click Here
All of us, at one time or another,
have experienced the strange
physiological reaction of zygomatic
stimulation and subsequent larynx
This strain upsets the respiratory
system, which results in deep,
noisy gasps. The mouth opens
and closes as the lungs struggle
for oxygen.
The struggle for oxygen causes
the face to turn various shades
of red and strange, unique noises
emerge from deep within. What
is this strange, physiological
reaction I am describing?
It is laughter!
We normally associate laughter
with humor. But, gelotology,
the study of laughter, suggests
another trigger for laughter
called the incongruity theory.
This theory suggests that
laughter arises when logic
and familiarity are replaced
by things that don't normally
go together--when we expect
one outcome and another
happens. Generally speaking,
our minds and bodies anticipate
what's going to happen and
how it's going to end based
on logical thought, emotion,
and our past experience.
But, when circumstances go
in unexpected directions, our
thoughts and emotions suddenly
have to switch gears and laughter
emerges out of the tension
between what we expect--and
what actually happens.
- - Margaret Manning
The material at this blog is not
suitable for those who are deficient
in humor or thought challenged!!!
Do not click above - you have been
warned. Preconceived ideas and
biases could be endangered.
A unique blend of the jocular
with provocative rumination
is on this blog for your
Undoubtedly America's fastest growing
sensation online, 'Thought & Humor'
has arrived after winding its way
through the Internet's highways and
byways to your idiosyncratic computer.
We welcome all our great readers to
another unique blend of the jocular
with provocative rumination for your
daily entertainment - usually
platitudinous & bromidic but never
nefarious, prurient, besmeared, or
perfidious and delivered gratis to
offices, homes & dorms ubiquitously....
'Thought & Humor' has been read in all
50 States, all 230 Countries, 7 Continents,
Oxford, Cambridge, every Ivy League
School & all major American
Universities including UNC!!!
Please forward this newspaper to your
colleagues, friends, and family, and let
them know they can subscribe by sending
an e-mail to:
Bible - God's Word to you in different languages...
Click Here
(Not amalgamated with 'Thought & Humor')
"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has
ever given to man. All the good from the
Savior of the world is communicated to
us through this book." -- President
Abraham Lincoln
"For we must consider that we shall be
as a City upon a hill. The eyes of all
people are upon us. So that if we shall
deal falsely with our God in this work
we have undertaken, and so cause
Him to withdraw his present help from
us, we shall be made a story and a
byword throughout the world."
--John Winthrop, Governor of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630
"It is impossible to rightly govern the world
without God and the Bible." - President
George Washington
"The Bible is no mere book, but a Living
Creature, with a power that conquers all
that oppose it." - Napoleon
"That Book accounts for the supremacy
of England." - Queen Victoria
"If there is anything in my thought or style
to commend, the credit is due my parents
for instilling in me an early love of the
Scriptures. If we abide by the principals
taught in the Bible, our country will go on
prospering and to prosper; but if we and
our posterity neglect its instructions and
authority, no man can tell how sudden
a catastrophe may overwhelm us and
bury all our glory in profound obscurity."
- Daniel Webster (Founding Father)
"The Bible is worth all other books which
have ever been printed." - Patrick Henry
(original member of the Continental Congress)
"The Bible is the anchor of our liberties."
- President U.S. Grant
"It is impossible to enslave mentally or
socially a Bible-reading people. The
principals of the Bible are the ground -
work of human freedom." - Horace
Greeley (Editor)
"That Book is the rock on which our
Republic rests." - President Andrew
"In all my perplexities and distresses,
the Bible has never failed to give me
light and strength." - Gen. Robert E.
"Bible reading is an education in itself."
- Lord Tennyson (Poet)
"So great is my veneration for the Bible
that the earlier my children begin to read
it the more confident will be my hope that
they will prove useful citizens of their
country and respectable members of
society. I have for many years made
it a practice to read through the Bible
once every year." - President John
Quincy Adams
"The existence of the Bible, as a Book
for the people, is the greatest benefit
which the human race has ever ex -
perienced. Every attempt to belittle it
is a crime against humanity."
- Immanuel Kant (Philosopher)
"The New Testament is the very
best Book that ever or ever will
be known in the world."
- Charles Dickens (Author)
"All human discoveries seem to be
made only for the purpose of
confirming more and more strongly
the truths contained in the Sacred
Scriptures." - Sir William Herschel
"There are more sure marks of
authenticity in the Bible than in
any profane history."
- Sir Isaac Newton (Scientist)
"Let mental culture go on advancing,
let the natural sciences progress in
even greater extent and depth, and
the human mind widen itself as much
as it desires; beyond the elevation
and moral culture of Christianity, as
it shines forth in the Gospels,
it will not go." - Goethe (Author)
"I have known ninety-five of the world's
great men in my time, and of these eight -
seven were followers of the Bible. The
Bible is stamped with a Specialty of Origin,
and an immeasurable distance separates
it from all competitors." - W.E. Gladstone
(Prime Minister)
"Whatever merit there is in anything that
I have written is simply due to the fact that
when I was a child my mother daily read me
a part of the Bible and daily made me learn
a part of it by heart." - John Ruskin
(art critic and social commentator)
"The Bible has been the Magna Charta of
the poor and oppressed. The human race
is not in a position to dispense with it."
- Thomas Huxley (Author & Scientist)
"The whole hope of human progress is
suspended on the ever growing influence
of the Bible." - W.H. Seward (Secretary of State)
"America was born a Christian nation.
America was born to exemplify that
devotion to the elements of righteous -
ness, which are derived from the
revelations of Holy Scriptures.
Part of the destiny of Americans
lies in their daily perusal of this
great book of revelations. That
if they would see America free
and pure they will make their
own spirits free and pure by
this baptism of the Holy Spirit."
--President Woodrow Wilson
For Christians, the life and death
of Jesus are the ultimate expressions
of love, and the supreme demonstrations
of God's mercy, faithfulness, and
redemption. Since Christ's miraculous
Resurrection on Easter, more than
2,000 years ago, Christians have
expressed joy and gratitude for this
wondrous sacrifice and for God's
promise of freedom for the oppressed,
healing for the brokenhearted, and salvation.
--President George W. Bush
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly
or too often that this great nation was
founded, not by religionists, but by
Christians; not on religions, but on
the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this
very reason peoples of other faiths
have been afforded asylum, prosperity,
and freedom of worship here." -Patrick
Henry (original member of the Continental
Wist u dat de God van u houdt?
Avez-vous su que Dieu vous aime ?
Wußten Sie, daß Gott Sie liebt?
Avete saputo che il dio li ama?
Você soube que o deus o ama?
¿Usted sabía que el dios le ama?
Click Here
Q: Why is 'Thought & Humor' so long?
A: All newspapers & magazines are long!
Q: What if I can't read all of it?
A: Delete it. Most folks don't read every word
in every newspaper/magazine either?
Q: Am I required to memorize each article?
A: Nope! Delete what you don't have time
for or save for another time.
Q: Is 'T & H' Spam?
A: No, it's made entirely of ham.
Q: Can I forward to friends & family?
A: Please do.
Q: How many people have had opportunity
to read 'T & H' E-Mail Newspapers?
A: Well over 1 million + many forwards by you.
Q: Who is Howdy?
A: We let him think he's the boss...
Take the best medicine of all for what
ails you -- laughter:
"A person without a sense of humor
is like a wagon without springs--jolted
by every pebble in the road." ~Henry
Ward Beecher
"Laughter is a tranquilizer with no
side effects." --Arnold Glasow
"Laughter is by definition healthy."
--Doris Lessing
"If somebody makes me laugh, I'm his
slave for life." --Bette Midler
"The human race has one really
effective weapon, and that is laughter."
--Mark Twain
"What soap is to the body, laughter
is to the soul." -- Yiddish Proverb
"Laughter is an instant vacation."
-- Milton Berle
"Laughter is the shortest distance
between two people." -- Victor Borge
To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under
the heaven: A time to be born, and
a time to die; a time to plant, and a
time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time
to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
(King Solomon)
NOTICE: The jokes published in this list were
either submitted directly to 'Thought & Humor'
or are, we believe, in the public domain. If you
think that we have published a joke without
giving proper credit to its author/owner,
please let us know and we will provide
appropriate credit in a future mailing.
But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up,
that I may show My power in you, and that My
Name may be declared in all the earth. Ex 9:16
And this Good News about the Kingdom will be
preached through all the world for a witness to
all people; and then the end will come. Mat 24:14
Four Important
Things To KNOW:
1) For ALL (Americans, Muslims, Jews,
Catholics, Hindus, Buddhist, Asians,
Presbyterians, Europeans, Baptist,
Brazilians, Mormons, Methodist,
French, etc.) have sinned & fall
short of the glory of God.
2) For the wages of above (see #1)
are DEATH (Hell, eternal separation
from God, & damnation) but the Gift
(free & at no charge to you) of God
(Creator, Jehovah, & Trinity) is
Eternal Life (Heaven) through
(in union with) Jesus Christ
(God, Lord, 2nd Person of the
Trinity, Messiah, Prince of
Peace & Savior of the World).
3) For God so greatly loved & dearly
prized the world (Americans, Muslims,
Jews, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhist,
Asians, Presbyterians, Europeans,
Baptist, Brazilians, Mormons,
Methodist, French, etc.) that
He even gave up His only begotten
(unique) Son, that whosoever (anyone,
anywhere, anytime - while still living)
believes (trust in, relies on, clings to,
depends completely on) Him shall
have eternal (everlasting) life (heaven).
4) Jesus said: "I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH,
& THE LIFE. No one (male/female - American,
Muslim, Jew, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist,
Asian, Presbyterian, European, Baptist,
Brazilian, Mormons, Methodist, French,
etc. ) comes (arrives) to the Father (with
GOD in Heaven) EXCEPT BY (through)
ME (no other name).
This wonderful loving GOD gives you the choice - - -
(Rev. 3:20)
{Please note that church membership,
baptism, doing good things, etc. are not
requirements for becoming a Christian -
however they are great afterwards!!!}
Jesus said, "Wide is the gate and broad
is the road that leads to destruction
(Hell, damnation, eternal punishment),
and many enter through it. But small
is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life (Heaven, eternal happiness,
forever with God), and only a few find it.
Write me sometime:
howdythoughthumor {at} gmail [dot] com
(No spaces or punctuation except
for one dot.)
The "E-Mail Newspaper" containing
'Thought & Humor' is sent out FREE
via e-mail w/o ads. This information
was sent to you because you made
the request, 'Thought & Humor'
is one small attempt to obey "The Great*
Commision". First published in the last
century (July 26, 1997).
Soli Deo Gloria...
________ "E-Mail Newspaper (Free4u)" _________
References gleaned for great humor & information:
Merry Heart, Daily Dose, Joke of the Day,
Kim Komando, MIKEY'S FUNNIES , The Daily
Tease, Crosswalk.com, CLEAN LAFFS
& Gophercentral.
Quoting one is plagiarism; quoting many is research.
But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up,
that I may show My power in you, and that My
Name may be declared in all the earth. Ex 9:16
Here's some blogs that I found
of interest as I negotiated my way
through cyberspace:
Every Student
Religion Comparison
Around the Well
Danish Cartoons
Arabic Cartoons
Muhammad or Jesus???
Answering Islam
Is Jesus God?
A Short Look At Six World Religions
God's Word in different languages...
How to become a Christian
Who Is Jesus?
See The Word
Watch The Jesus Movie
Spanish Cartoons
German Cartoons
Chinese Cartoons
Italian Cartoons
Greek Cartoons
Japanese Cartoons
Portuguese Cartoons
French Cartoons
Hindi Cartoons
Russian Cartoons
P U R P O S E of 'Thought & Humor:
But these are written so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the
Son of God, and that by believing in
Him you will have life. Jn 20:31
Seek the Lord while He may be found;
call on Him while He is near. Let the
wicked forsake his way and the evil
man his thoughts. Let him turn to the
Lord, and He will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for He will freely
pardon. "For My thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways
My ways," declares the Lord. "As the
heavens are higher than the earth, so
are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down
from heaven, and do not return to it
without watering the earth and making
it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed
for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is My word that goes out from My
mouth: It will not return to Me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and
achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth
in peace; the mountains and hills will
burst into song before you, and all the
trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the
pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle
will grow. This will be for the Lord's
renown, for an everlasting sign, which
will not be destroyed." Is 55
O Lord, you have searched me and you
know me. You know when I sit and when
I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying
down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know
it completely, O Lord. You hem me in -
behind and before; you have laid your
hand upon me. Such knowledge is too
wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where
can I flee from your presence? If I go up
to the heavens, you are there; if I make
my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide
me and the light become night around
me," even the darkness will not be dark
to you; the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you. For you
created my inmost being; you knit me
together in my mother's womb. I praise
you because I am fearfully and wonderfully
made; your works are wonderful, I know
that full well. My frame was not hidden
from you when I was made in the secret
place. When I was woven together in the
depths of the earth, your eyes saw my
unformed body. All the days ordained
for me were written in your book before
one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts,
O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would
outnumber the grains of sand. When
I awake, I am still with you. Search me,
O God, and know my heart; test me
and know my anxious thoughts. See
if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Ps 139
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
- - Isaac Watts
O God, You have taught me from my
youth; And to this day I declare
Your wondrous works. Now also when
I am old and gray headed, O God,
do not forsake me, Until I declare
Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.
Ps 71

subset: commoncrawl


text:
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
A huge congrats on that! I actually immigrated from Canada to the US, and it was a huge pain in the ass. I've been here a year and a half so far.. it's hysterical how much you check the mail, huh?! I hope things go quickly and smoothly for you guys. At least it's all worth the wait


text:
Arts reporter Euan Kerr and Stephanie Curtis the Movie Maven are the Cube Critics, and they come your way every Friday on All Things Considered. They're always available to you as well on Twitter @ Cubecritics.
The Devil Inside
The Iron Lady
Cube Critics is produced and edited by Chris Roberts


text:
8 holiday-themed local movies and TV episodes to watch
The holidays are a time for families to come together for hearty meals, share in small talk about the year that's been and, eventually, plop down on the couch with full stomachs. So what better way to spend the lazy days off of work (and away from the busy shopping centers) than revisiting classic holiday films and shows. For those glued to the round-the-clock rotation of Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel (which started on Halloween), be sure to tune in… Read More »


text:
Missile Command rights holder Atari is banking on Hollywood's creatively bankrupt studios to warm to a movie based on the 30-year-old trackball game in which missiles are commanded and cities are saved.
The LA Times reports that Atari is in "active discussions with studios" to option the rights to Missile Command as a film, hinting that some studios may already be prime destinations for the license. Yes, it does sound about as exciting as the movie based on Asteroids plus relationships.
But you'd be right in opining that a movie based on Missile Command is not as exciting a prospect as director Peter Berg's adaptation of Hasbro's Battleship. Why we're talking about any of these properties in advance of Yar's Revenge: The Movie in 3D is beyond me.
Atari's Missile Command, a potential Hollywood franchise [LA Times]


text:
Are You Ready for a Career Change?
Taken 753 times18 Comments Share
This Quiz has 10 questions.0% complete
Working 40 hours a week or more can be wearing on anyone, especially when you're stuck behind a desk. So how can you tell if you're just suffering from worker's blues or need to find a completely different career? We're here to help. Take this quiz to find out if you just need a vacation or really need to consider getting out.


text:
Extra body fat increases a person's risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, kidney and liver failure, amputation, blindness, early death and a long list of other problems nobody wants. Research tells us that. But how does it actually happen? The Gazette-Mail asked medical experts to explain, in plain language."Start with this fact," Dr. Sally Swisher said. "If you eat more sugar than you burn with exercise, your body generates fat." Swisher is a neurologist and bariatric doctor at Charleston's Medical Weight Loss and Skin Care Clinic. The body turns food into glucose, she explained. It's straightforward, almost mathematical. Your muscle cells use most of the glucose for fuel. If you exercise a lot, your muscles burn up a lot of glucose. If you're a couch potato, your glucose doesn't burn up - and the body converts it into fat. Globs of sunny yellow fat - unused glucose - float through your arteries in your blood to the organ or tissues where they are deposited. "Picture your arteries coming out of your heart like big rivers," Swisher said. "The farther they are from the heart, the smaller they get, and the easier it is for fat to clog them up. By the time arteries get to your feet and hands, they're tiny." Fat cells float through these arteries. Along the way, they are deposited on tissue and organs. When fat finds a home in an organ, it can cause problems. If enough fat is deposited, it causes big problems. That's an "extremely simplified version of the way it happens," Swisher said. Inside the arteries, fat aggravates the walls as it floats along, then inflames them, Swisher said. "Fat cells slip underneath the inflamed lining. That constricts the artery. It used to be called hardening of the arteries." If the inner artery wall becomes harder and rougher, the blood has a harder time getting through, and blood clots are more likely to form. "There is bad fat and good fat," Swisher said. Exercise generates good fat, known as HDL cholesterol. It lowers all kinds of health risks. Bad fat - called triglycerides and LDL cholesterol - inflames artery walls. "It's not just innocent baby fat," Swisher said. "When we are children, our bodies create the number of fat cells we will have for the rest of our lives, research shows," she said. "If people have too many fat cells when they reach adulthood, they are more likely to have trouble with weight for the rest of their lives." What damage can it cause? Extra weight can raise a person's risk of many different kinds of problems: Heart failure: "A hundred extra pounds makes your heart muscle thicken, just like any muscle working overtime," Swisher said. "A bigger heart eventually leads to heart failure." A heart has to work extra hard to pump blood through a large body. The strain can cause a heart attack or stroke. Fat can be especially dangerous inside arteries that supply the heart. It interferes with heart function and can set off heart attacks. Sleep apnea, which is almost always caused by obesity, Swisher said. "Obese people often have fat in the back of their throats. When they lie down, the weight of their chest is on top of them. They don't have enough oxygen, so they wake up tired, or their spouse hears them struggling to breathe." Diabetes: Belly fat has a lot to do with Type 2 diabetes, which used to be called "adult onset" diabetes. Thirty years ago, people under 20 almost never got it. Now it is showing up in obese teenagers and children. Type 2 diabetes - 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes - can be prevented with exercise and healthy diet. Parkersburg native Dr. Frank Schwartz, who directs the diabetes/ endocrine program at Ohio University, explains the role fat plays in diabetes: Glucose (digested sugar) can't enter the cells to provide fuel without insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. Insulin interacts with the glucose and lets it enter the cells, like a key that opens the door to the cell. But fat secretes hormones that can keep the key from working. When glucose can't enter the cells, that's called insulin resistance. The more fat, the more interference. The more interference, the more insulin resistance. When glucose cannot enter the muscle cells, a person has diabetes. Digested sugar stays in the person's bloodstream and his or her blood sugar goes up. The body converts much of the sugar into fat. Type 2 diabetes can start in the body 10 years before a person feels symptoms, research says. If a 30-year-old develops diabetes, it might have started at age 20. When a 15-year-old develops diabetes, it might have started at age 5. Physical activity counteracts insulin resistance and increases the amount of glucose that can reach the cells. "That's a major reason why physical activity can prevent diabetes or help make it better," Swisher said. Amputation: When little arteries get clogged with fat, circulation is cut off to the body parts farthest from the heart: including feet and hands. They don't heal well from infection and may get ulcers and gangrene. "That puts you at risk of amputation," Swisher said. Kidney failure: "If small arteries leading to the kidneys get clogged, your body tries to overcome it, but after awhile, your kidneys just quit working," Swisher said. After that, a person needs expensive, time-consuming dialysis - often four hours a day, three days a week, running the entire blood supply through a cleaning machine. Stroke: Diabetics are more likely to have strokes, caused by constriction of small brain arteries. "That leads to clogging of the carotid arteries, which leads to strokes," Swisher said. Plaques of inflamed cells and fat build up inside the artery. "People in their 30s and 40s with high cholesterol who smoke can have a premature stroke," she said. "If we don't get a grip on this, it's a matter of time till teenagers start having heart attacks and strokes." Alzheimer's disease: In 2008, researchers found that obese people are twice as likely to get Alzheimer's as healthy-weight people are. Healthy-weight people with a "spare tire" are twice as likely to get dementia as healthy-weight people with no spare tire, they found. Nobody knows yet why that happens. Liver disease: Fat deposited on the liver can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Obesity causes more liver failure than alcoholism does, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cancer: Estrogen is stored in fat, so excess fat creates higher estrogen levels in the blood. "Extra estrogen in the blood also puts you at risk of cancers of the breast and uterus," Swisher said. The lining of the uterus may also get thicker with excess weight, which can cause cancer. "Colon cancer is also related to obesity, though nobody knows why," she said. Sexual dysfunction: Diabetes causes impotence in men, and very obese young women often don't ovulate. "They're infertile and have high insulin levels," Swisher said. "If they lose weight, they can become fertile again. Doctors joke that pregnancy is a side effect of weight loss." Incontinence: "If a woman has 50 or 60 extra pounds, and she rides a bike or just sneezes, the pressure of the belly against the bladder can force urine out," Swisher said. A woman can undergo surgery to lift the bladder - or she can lose weight, making the surgery unnecessary. Musculoskeletal problems and arthritis: "If weight-bearing joints carry too much weight: knees, feet and, to a lesser extent, hips, the amount of arthritis accelerates as you get older," Swisher said. "Overweight people don't get over it as easily. Rehab is harder." Blindness: Diabetes also can cause blindness. Fat clogs the artery leading to the retina, and "that can cause stroke in the eye," Swisher said. Young overweight girls can also go blind with "false tumor" condition, she said, in which fat creates pressure inside the skull, causing severe headaches. The bulge in the optic nerve may resemble a brain tumor. "None of these things has to happen," Swisher said. "That's the important thing to remember. It's possible to prevent them all with exercise and diet. It's within most people's reach. "If I were queen of the world," she said, "the first thing I'd do is take control of school lunches and get kids outside playing every day again." KATE LONG | Sunday Gazette-Mail I have patients lift this rubber model of five pounds of fat when theyre disappointed that they only lost five pounds, said Dr. Sally Swisher, neurologist and bariatric doctor at Charleston Medical Weight Loss and Skin Care Clinic. They feel how heavy it is and realize that five pounds is a wonderful thing not to have to carry around anymore. Reach Kate Long at 304-348-1798 or email@example.com. This story was written with the help of the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism, administered by the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships at the USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
© 2012 Sunday Gazette-Mail. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved


text:
May 13, 2009
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - This weekend several Yale track and field athletes will compete in the ECAC Championships in Princeton, N.J. Athletes from the 90 NCAA Division-I member schools who have met the qualifying standards will compete in the three-day meet, which will take place Fri.-Sun., May 15-17. The ECAC hosts the women's track and field championship for eastern schools concomitantly with the men's IC4A Championships at Princeton. This year, Yale has five individuals and three relay teams who have qualified for the weekend.
The qualifying standards for the meet can be found here. This is the first time qualifying for the ECAC Championships for many of this year's Bulldogs.
Senior captain Jennifer Lin qualified for the 400-meter hurdles many weeks ago; she ran a personal best this past weekend at the Heptagonals Championship of 1:01.82 to place fourth. That time would have earned her a fifth place finish in the ECAC finals in the event in 2008.
Junior Claudia Duncan qualified in the 400-meter dash just this past weekend, when she set a school record of 55.49. Duncan had been finishing just above the standard for several weeks, and finally qualified in her third-place finish. She should run even faster with better competition.
Senior Bevin Peters and freshman Anne Lovelace both qualified for the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Lovelace qualified at the very beginning of the season when she ran 10:54.87 at UC-Irving in March. Peters has a personal best of 10:50.48 from the Harvard-Yale vs. Oxford-Cambridge competition at Yale in April. That is only .23 seconds above the NCAA regional qualifying standard, and she will be trying to make the 10:50.25 standard when she runs on Friday. Her best would have placed her 11th last year in the steeplechase competition.
All-American sophomore Kate Grace has qualified for the 800-meter run and the 1,500-meter run. Grace was named first-team All-Ivy this past weekend after winning the 800-meter run at the Heptagonal Championships. Grace's personal best in the 800-meter run is 2:07.83, which more than qualifies her for NCAA regionals. Last year at ECACs, Grace competed in the preliminary heats and qualified for the 800-meter finals, but did not compete in them. This year Grace has also qualified to compete in the 1,500-meter run, and she has a personal best of 4:30.31 from the Harvard-Yale invitational on Apr. 18.
Yale's three relay teams have also qualified to compete this weekend. The 4x100-meter relay team performed best at the first meet of the season in late March, when it finished in 47.96 seconds. Last weekend at Heps a team of freshman Alexa Monti, Duncan, Grace and sophomore Jennifer Parker placed fifth in a time of 48.01 seconds.
The 4x400-meter relay team posted its best time at Penn Relays, when Duncan, Lin, Parker and Grace pulled off a close 3:47.93 finish. Last year that time would have been just shy of qualifying for finals in the event.
Yale also had its best showing in the 4x800 meter relay at Penn Relays. Junior Stephany Reaves, Grace, Duncan and junior Erin Walsh passed the baton around the track in 8:56.42. The team's current best time would have placed them fourth in the event in 2008. Yale performed well in the preliminary heat last year, and then finished sixth in the finals.
This meet is the last chance athletes have to qualify for the NCAA regional championships, which will be hosted by North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C. on May 29 and 30. Thus far only Grace has qualified.
Distance events and the 3,000-meter steeplechase will be held on Friday, while Saturday will be a day of trials in most events and Sunday will showcase finals. A complete schedule of events can be found here.
Results will be posted live at LancerTiming.com and at YaleBulldogs.com at the end of each day.
Report by Kyle Eichner '12, Yale Sports Publicity


text:
The Colombian city of Pasto, population 400,000, sits at the foot of Galeras Volcano. Several small villages also flank the mountain.
Despite a history of violent eruptions, many locals say they don't fear the giant in their midst; explosions have only claimed a handful of lives.
But Galeras is a threat, and UB's Center for GeoHazards Studies is working to improve disaster preparedness by helping residents better understand how vulnerable they may be.
Since 2009, the center has been partnering with Colombia's government and Pasto's Universidad de Nariño to bring community representatives, scientists, political leaders and emergency responders together to discuss the danger Galeras poses.
The short-term objective is to create trust between parties and give locals a voice in decision-making.
The end goal is to produce a risk assessment showing how volcanic activity could affect surrounding communities and the things they prize—not a simple task, says center director Greg Valentine.
"If we talk about risk in our culture, it's typically in terms of fatalities or economics," Valentine explains. "But other cultures don't necessarily value the same things we do.
"One of our stakeholder groups at Galeras is an indigenous people who, culturally, are very strongly tied to the land," he says. "They want to know about risk in terms of their connection with the land, which may be more difficult to quantify."


text:
13 Comments »
Same with my Target. Luckily there isn't much clogging those pegs but I still don't like it.
And both lines are cheaper than the "always low prices" of Wal-Mart, especially DCIH. Good for Target.
A regional department store I was in on Monday was selling DCIH for $2.77 each.
$2.77 ?!?! What characters did they have? THAT is a steal!!! I love the DCIH line and cannot seem to track down a Nightwing. I just found Scarecrow today. (I'm in South Bend, IN)
The irony of me fonding DCIH for $2.77 each is that I have zero interest in collecting the line, so I didn't even bother to look at which characters they had. I was getting a Wolverine figure for a friend of mine and was kind of startled that I was paying $8.99 for that and all those DC figures were $2.77.
Dollars to donuts that the MU were still selling better at the price difference.
I haven't seen any at my local Targets though. They must still be behind. But you can purchase the same 3 or 4 DCIH guys.
I don't know how long Hasbro will be able to support those prices at this scale. They will have to come down if they want people to buy these figures, especially when they are side by side with DCIH.
I don't know about that tekwych. I think a number of people are willing to pay the extra money for the accessories, the articulation, the ability to get Marvel characters in 3.75 inch format. DC's reveals for upcoming figures are mostly repaints and the like, or re-releases of figures they've already put out in 3-packs, while Marvel gets the luxury of being the "fresh new thing".
I'm surprised at how quickly the Wolverine figures, at the same price as Marvel Universe, have been going off shelves near me. The movie's not even out yet and I'm seeing a lot of empty pegs, or in some cases a few stores stuck with a few left over brown costume Wolverines.
Yeah, I've been going bonkers on the forums about the Fury Files invading the DC product at Target. I'm not convinced that the Targets that do it this way are correct. Some people are reporting that the DC pegs are left alone, and had the Fury Files figures set alongside of them.
How do you think Mattel feels about half of their retail space for JLU and Infinite Heroes getting cut in half? It's not difficult at all to grab four additional peg hooks from the backroom and create the space instead of squatting on another's.
DC collectors don't need yet another Target roadblock to overcome in order to collect Mattel product.
On a side note, I wish that ALL of Hasbro's action figure prices would come back down to Earth. Eight bucks for any single figure is too much. $5.99, maybe $6.99 but not eight bucks. Too much.
And this is at the Target just down the street a few blocks away from Mattel's HQ.
They should hire me to go around and handle their business at local stores. I could definitely shape up my local stores. I have one Walmart that only carries Dark Knight movie figures. How terrible is that?
What kills me..4.99 at my target for JLU and DCIH…and 7.99 for the marvel figures.
8 bucks is stupid. Way to ruin toys for me.


text:
Events showcase talent of new art faculty
The work "Painting" from Adrienne Callander's current project, Ball Series.
New faculty in Mississippi State's Department of Art will showcase their artwork during an exhibition running through Feb. 23.
Titled "New Associations: Works by New Faculty in the Department of Art," the show in the gallery in McComas Hall will feature works by Adrienne Callander, Neil Callander, Gregory Martin and Suzanne Powney.
A Jan. 16 New Faculty Panel at 6 p.m. in the Giles Hall Harrison Auditorium will accompany the exhibit. An open discussion between the four new faculty and members of the audience, the artists will talk about their work and how moving to a new environment is a strong influence on their artistic inspiration.
On Jan. 17, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., there will be a public reception at the gallery in McComas Hall where the artists will be present to talk about their work. Both events are free and open to all.
Adrienne Callander is the department's most recent addition as a lecturer in 2-D design and art appreciation. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Reed College in Portland, Ore., a post-baccalaureate from Maryland Institute College of Art and a master's from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Before becoming foundations coordinator and the drawing, painting and design assistant professor at MSU, Neil Callander taught painting and drawing at the University of Louisville and Indiana University Southeast. Callander received his bachelor's degree from Indiana University and his master's from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. His work has shown in the 2011 WaterTower Regional, the 2011 Paint Snob Invitational in Waco, Texas, and First Look at the New Jersey Center for Contemporary Art.
Martin, assistant professor of drawing and design, received his bachelor's degree in illustration from CSU Long Beach and his master's in painting from Claremont Graduate School. Previously, Martin was a visiting lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design, USC Roski School of Fine Art, and U.C. San Diego Visual Arts.
MSU's new assistant professor of letterpress, graphic design and advertising, Powney received her master's degree from the University of Houston. Her works have exhibited as part of a group show at the University of Houston's Blaffer Art Museum, and she has been a member of the Museum of Printing History Printers Guild and the American Institute of Graphic Design of Houston. She also is the letterpress printer and operator for BlackDog Letterpress.
For more information about the events, contact the art department at 662-325-2970.
Margaret Kovar | University Relations


text:
The University of Calgary in Qatar offers two unique streams leading to a Bachelor of Nursing degree and a Master of Nursing program. If you are not sure what program you should be applying to, come visit Student Services or contact us at email@example.com.
About the University of Calgary in Qatar - YouTube
Discover Nursing! - YouTube
students at UCQ
We are diverse. Currently we have over 450 students of 39 different nationalities.
Canadian faculty
We are bringing qualified faculty members to Qatar to help enrich Qatar's health and wellness.
research application success rate
We are active contributors and leaders in the Qatar research community.
We are located on Al Furousiya Road in Al Rayyan, opposite the Horse Race Track. For specific departments, please visit our contact page.
View larger map.
Copyright University of Calgary in Qatar © 2017


text:
The last post explored the assertion that by any historical definition of "true church" the African American church (writ large) is not one. At the top of the list of woes contributing to this situation was this critique:
This is by no means an original observation. There is a trail of African Americans lamenting the woeful state of black preaching, including some of African America's greatest church statesmen.
The Word is not rightly preached in most African American churches. That is, the biblical Gospel is wholly absent in far too many churches. Forget about a commitment to exposition... topical rules the day and ironically, many African-American preachers sound like white plantation preachers (only it's not "slave don't steal massa's chicken," it's "black folks, you gotta vote democratic down the line or God wants you rich"). Different lyrics, same tired tune.
For example, Bishop Daniel A. Payne, one of the most influential and tireless bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church described the preaching in his day this way:
First, then, the preaching of the Gospel. What do we understand by this? Various are the answers given. Some there are who believe it to consist in loud declamation and vociferous talking; some in whooping, stamping and beating the Bible or desk with their fists, and in cutting as many odd capers as a wild imagination can suggest; and some err so grievously on this subject as to think that he who hallooes the loudest and speaks the longest is the best preacher. Now all these crude ideas have their origin in our education, for we believe just what we have been taught. But if any man wishes to know what is preaching the Gospel, let him not ask of mere mortal man, but let him find his answer in the teachings of Him who spake, and whose wisdom is without mixture of error. Hear him in the matchless sermon on the Mount, teaching us to find blessedness in poverty and meekness, in peace and righteousness, in mercy and purity, and to find exceeding great joy in persecution for righteousness sake. See with what divine skill he expounds the moral law, and carries its application beyond the outward and visible conduct into the interior and invisible workings of the human soul. Behold Him either in private houses or on the sea shore, or in the temple, by parables of the most striking beauty and simplicity, unfolding the great principles upon which the moral government of the universe is based, enlightening their understandings and warming their hearts with the sunbeams of eternal truth. This is preaching—preaching of the highest kind. We will do well to imitate it.... ("Who Is Sufficient for These Things?", 1852).
Payne's assessment of African-American preaching prior to Emancipation was that it was largely a product of education (read, miseducation) and full of "loud declamation and vociferous talking." He is, in effect, calling for preaching that takes Jesus as the model, that is preaching that is expositional, doctrinal and application oriented.
Dr. Frances J. Grimke, for 55 years the pastor of the prominent 15th Street Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. and long-time activist in the cause of racial equality, assessed the African-American pulpit of his day in these words: "If we turn now and examine carefully the character of the pulpit ministrations of the Afro-American pulpit, its three leading characteristics will be found to be emotionalism, levity or frivolity, and a greed for money." Does that ring a bell for us?
Grimke went on at length to describe the emotionalism, frivolity and greed he saw. Consider this long description of emotionalism and its effects (I'd highly commend the entire sermon, "The Afro-American Pulpit in Relation to Race Elevation," 1892):
First, it is emotion. The aim seems to be to get up an excitement, to arouse the feelings, to create an audible outburst or emotion, or, in the popular phraseology, to get up a shout to make people "happy." In many churches where this result is not realized, where the minister is unable by sheer force of lung power, and strength of imagination, to produce this state of commotion, he is looked upon as a failure. Even where there is an attempt to instruct, in the great majority of cases this idea is almost sure to assert itself, and become the dominant one.Now, where emotionalism prevails, three things will be found to be true: First, there will be little of no instruction from the pulpit. The minister whose sole or chief aim is to get up a shout, to excite animal spirits, will not give much time to the study of God's word, or to the instruction of the people in the practical duties of
Second: Where emotionalism prevails there will be a low state of spirituality among the people, and necessarily so. Christian character is not built up in that way. It is a growth, and comes from the knowledge and practice of Christian principles. If the body is to grow, it must be fed, and fed on wholesome and nutritious food. And the same is true of the soul; and that food is God's Word, line upon line, and precept upon precept. There is no other way of getting up out of the bogs and malarious atmosphere of selfishness and pride, and ill-will and hatred, and the many things which degrade and brutalize into the higher regions of love and purity and obedience and felicity, except by the assimilation of Christian principles, except by holy and loving obedience to the will of God. We cannot get up there on the wings of emotion; we cannot shout ourselves up to a high Christian manhood and womanhood any more than we can shout ourselves into Heaven. We must grow up to it. And until this fact is distinctly understood, and fully appreciated, and allowed to have its weight in out pulpit ministrations, the plane of spirituality upon which the masses of our people move will continue low. Shouting is not religion. The ability to make a noise is no test of Christian character. The noisiest Christians are not the most saintly; those who shout the most vigorously are not always the most exemplary in character and conduct.
Third: Where emotionalism prevails the underlying conception of religion will be found to be false, pernicious, and degrading. The conception which James gives us of religion is this: "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this—To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." The conception which Paul gives is,—"Covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I you a more excellent way." "Charity suffereth long and is kind," etc. The conception which Micah gives is: "What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God" (Micah 6:8). The conception which the blessed Lord himself gives is: "When I was an hungered, ye gave me meat; thirsty, ye gave me drink; sick and in prison, and ye visited me" (Matt. 25:35), etc. Running through all these statements of principles, the dominant, controlling idea is character. In emotionalism, however, this element is entirely overlooked, or sinks almost entirely out of sight. The measure of one's piety is made to depend upon the strength and the amount of his emotions. Thus the true ideal is shut out from view, the standard set up is a false one, and the result is not only stagnation but degradation. The ideal of religion which is held up in our pulpits, and which is cherished by the people, must be in harmony with the facts as revealed in the Word of God, if it is to have an elevating and ennobling effect upon their everyday life.
Ouch. Just scanning the popular preaching of our day, the preaching that most regard as "good Black preaching," I'd have to say we've not made much progress since Payne or Grimke. I'd have to conclude that emotionalism, frivolity, and greed are still ravaging too many pulpits.
If reform is to happen, we need men in the pulpits of our churches who are:
- Committed to bring the Word of God to the people of God as the only manna by which they must be nourished. Teaching is needed, not entertainment. God's Word is needed, not pop psychology and the latest business fads. Now this will mean distinguishing between style and substance (and casting off "style"); faith that God works in the world by His Word; a life of serious study; reverence before God knowing that those who teach receive a stricter judgment; and great love for the people of God such that we want to see them grow up into Christ in all things. What an abuse it is to take the Word of God out of the mouths of God's people. What an unloving and hateful practice.
- Committed to exposition. Exposition of the Scriptures should be the primary form of that teaching. Personally, I tend to think we need men to teach through entire books of the Bible. Having said that, though, even topical series should be comprised of solid expositions. We need men to open the meaning of God's Word and convey that meaning as the main point of their sermons week after week.
- Doctrinally sound. Most revivals in church history have accompanied doctrinally rich preaching. Moreover, emotions rise and fall, so preaching to emotions or felt needs inevitably leave people "tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine." We need preachers rooted in solid systematic and biblical theologies, and who bring those categories to their preaching and to their people.
- Evangelistic preaching. In every sermon, we need men to preach the gospel. We may preach more than the gospel, but we should never preach less than the gospel. The Good News of Jesus Christ must be prominent, clear, penetratingly applied, and driven from the text. If, as Jesus taught, all of Scripture points to Him, then all of our preaching should point to Him whether in the OT or the NT, and specifically point to Him as the only fulfillment of God's promises and man's need for a Savior.


text:
The latest addition to the Sony smartphone family is the impressive mid-range Android smartphone, the Sony Xperia SP.
The SP is actually smaller and heavier than its big brother, the Xperia Z, but it still manages to feel nice in your hands in terms of weight and dimensions. See also: Sony Xperia SP review: mid-priced Android phone is a class act.
The 4.6in display is just about the perfect size in terms of the average thumb's screen reach. The display itself boasts 720 x 1280 pixels and looks very sharp.
The SP has a very solid feeling aluminum frame, complete with a removable plastic back where you can access the phone's SIM card, and boost the device's storage capacity by up to 32 GBs by adding a removable microSD card.
The microSD slot is a welcome addition to the Sony Xperia SP as the device only comes with 8 GB of internal storage, of which only 5.8 GB is available to the user.
Under the hood, the SP has an ample 1GB of RAM and a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, which isn't exactly a beast, but it's still got a good amount of oomph.
When using the phone for average day-to-day tasks we noticed very little difference between the SP and superior high-end smartphones such as the Sony Xperia Z or the Galaxy S4.this is perhaps the biggest compliment we can pay a mid-range Android smartphone.
There are two cameras on offer here. The rear facing 8Mp is decent enough, but its certainly no world-beater. It comes with all the standard smartphone camera features you'd expect, including intelligent auto-focus, a LED flash and various different capture modes.
Connectivity includes dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and it is also 4G compatible
The SP posted above average scores in all of our benchmarking tests and even managed set a record for the highest score we have ever seen from any smartphone in the GL HD framerate benchmark.
The Sony Xperia SP comes with Android OS v4.1 Jelly Bean installed. Its interface and feel is very familiar for those who are used to Sony's Android phones. If you are an Android phone user, there will be no issue with getting used to this phone's software.
Battery life is pretty consistent with the rest of the smartphone market, offering power for just over a day of 'normal' usage.
The Sony Xperia SP is a seriously impressive and good looking mid-range android smartphone.


text:
Debt relief or debt cancellation is the partial or total forgiveness of debt, or the slowing or stopping of debt growth, owed by individuals, corporations, or nations.
From antiquity through the 19th century, it refers to domestic debts, in particular agricultural debts and freeing of debt slaves. In the late 20th century, it came to refer primarily to Third World debt, which started exploding with the Latin American debt crisis (Mexico 1982, etc.). In the early 21st century, it is of increased applicability to individuals in developed countries, due to credit bubbles and housing bubbles.
The HIPC programme has been subject to conditionalities similar to those often attached to International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank loans, requiring structural adjustment reforms, sometimes including the privatization of public utilities, including water and electricity. To qualify for irrevocable debt relief, countries must also maintain macroeconomic stability and implement a Poverty Reduction Strategy satisfactorily for at least one year. Under the goal of reducing inflation, some countries have been pressured to reduce spending in the health and education sectors. While the World Bank considers the HIPC Initiative a success, some scholars are more critical of it.
The Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) is an extension of HIPC. The MDRI was agreed following the G8's 31st G8 summit in July 2005. It offers 100% cancellation of multilateral debts owed by HIPC countries to the World Bank, IMF and African Development Bank.
The increasing size of the non-housing personal debt market and ease with which one can obtain personal credit has led to some consumers falling behind on payments. As of Q3 2017, student loans have the highest rates of serious delinquency (90 or more days delinquent) with approximately 9.6% of all student loan debt falling into this bucket. Credit card debt and auto loan debt have serious delinquency rates of 4.6% and 2.4% respectively.
When consumers begin to fall behind on payments, they have several options to discharge the debt, either in full or in part. The first method is declaring bankruptcy, which has the immediate effect of stopping any payments made to creditors. In the United States, the two primary avenues of bankruptcy for an individual are Chapter 13, Title 11, United States Code bankruptcy and Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code bankruptcy. Another option is to consolidate these debts into a single loan, commonly known as debt consolidation. Debt relief, on an individual level, refers mainly to the negotiation for a reduction of a debt by either the consumer or a debt settlement agency. Through this arrangement, consumers agree to pay the creditor a fixed amount of money (generally a discount on their outstanding debt) either in a lump sum or under a payment plan. The debt settlement industry has had significant regulatory scrutiny since its inception with changes implemented in 2010 by the FTC.
The primary mechanism of debt relief in modern societies is bankruptcy, where a debtor who cannot or chooses not to pay their debts files for bankruptcy and renegotiates their debts, or a creditor initiates this. As part of debt restructuring, the terms of the debt are modified, which may involve the debt owed being reduced. In case the debtor chooses bankruptcy despite being able to service the debt, this is called strategic bankruptcy.
Certain debts can be defaulted on without a general bankruptcy; these are non-recourse loans, most notably mortgages in common law jurisdictions such as the United States. Choosing to default on such a loan despite being able to service it is called strategic default.
Debt slavery can persist across generations, future generations being made to work to pay off debts incurred by past generations. Debt bondage is today considered a form of "modern day slavery" in international law,[http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/asiaproject/Gupta.html The Bondage of Debt: A Photo Essay], by Shilpi Gupta and banned as such, in Article 1(a) of the United Nations 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery. Nevertheless, the practice continues in some nations. In most developed nations, debts cannot be inherited.
Debtors' prison has been largely abolished, but remains in some forms in the US, for example if one fails to make child support payments.
In modern times, the most common alternatives to debt relief in cases where debt cannot be paid are forbearance and debt restructuring. Forbearance meaning that interest payments (possibly including past due ones) are forgiven, so long as payments resume. No reduction of principal occurs, however.
In debt restructuring, an existing debt is replaced with a new debt. This may result in reduction of the principal (debt relief), or may simply change the terms of repayment, for instance by extending the term (replacing a debt repaid over 5 years with one repaid over 10 years), which allows the same principal to be amortized over a longer period, thus allowing smaller payments.
Personal debt that can be repaid from income but if it is not being repaid may be obtained via garnishment or attachment of earnings, which deduct debt service from wages.
Inflation has been a contentious political issue on this basis, with debasement of currency a form of or alternative to sovereign default, and the free silver in late 19th century America being seen as a conflict between debtor farmers and creditor bankers.
Inflation, in an economy that is growing, is caused by more money being introduced into circulation by the central bank. If the amount of tender remains constant, a currency ''grows or falls'' at the rate of the reserves that back it. The global prevalence of fractional reserve banking has caused most currencies to decline in value consistently. In a non-fractional (fully backed) reserve system, the growth of a currency is equal to the growth (or decline) of the assets backing it, fees are charged in an upfront manner, and money is worth by what it is backed.
Fractional reserve banking has resulted in a transfer of wealth from the holders of currency to investors. Under fractional reserve banking the money supply is allowed to be increased whenever new interest-bearing loans are issued and is often constrained by a reserve ratio, which mandates that banks hold a portion of the wealth they lend out at interest in the form of real reserves. Many nations are in the process of eliminating reserve ratios.


text:
Printer Friendly Version
Standard ECMA-309
Corporate Telecommunication Networks
- Signalling Interworking between QSIG and H.323 - Call Diversion
Supplementary Services
2nd edition (June 2001)
This Standard specifies signalling interworking between "QSIG" and "H.323" in support of call diversion supplementary services within a Corporate telecommunication Network (CN).
"QSIG" is a signalling protocol that operates at the Q reference point between Private Integrated Services eXchanges (PINX) within a Private Integrated Services Network (PISN). The Q reference point is defined in ECMA-133. A PISN provides circuit-switched basic services and supplementary services to its users. QSIG is specified in other Ecma Standards, in particular ECMA-143 (call control in support of basic services), ECMA-165 (generic functional protocol for the support of supplementary services) and a number of standards specifying individual supplementary services. ECMA-174 specifies the QSIG protocol in support of call diversion services.
"H.323" is a set of signalling protocols for the support of voice or multimedia communication within a packet network, in particular a packet network that uses the Internet Protocol (IP) as its network layer protocol (IP network). H.323 signalling protocols operate between endpoints in an IP network, either indirectly via one or more gatekeepers, or directly. An endpoint can be a terminal or a gateway to another network. H.323 is an "umbrella" recommendation referring to various ITU-T recommendations, in particular Recommendations H.225.0 and H.245 (basic communication capabilities) and Recommendation H.450.1 (generic functional protocol for the support of supplementary services). Recommendation H.450.3 specifies the H.323 protocol in support of call diversion services.
NOTE H.450.3 applies only to the 1998 version of H.323 (also known as H.323 version 2) and to later versions.
This standard is applicable to any interworking unit that can act as a gateway between a PISN employing QSIG and an IP network employing H.323.
The following file can be freely downloaded:
This Ecma publication is also approved as ISO/IEC 21411.
The previous replaced "historical" edition of this Ecma Standard is available here.


text:
Your shopping cart is empty!
Safety first (write your message) - 450x600mm rigid PVC with wipe clean over laminate | Model Safety Signs
Product Code: APR7
Availability: In Stock
Price: £0.00
We have developed a range of signs with a specialist dry-wipe surface which allows the sign to be updated time after time with a water based dry-wipe pen. This range allows a company to highlight key performance information and messages as and when required.
Lightweight, gloss white PVC with dry wipe surface offers high impact strength. Easily drilled for wall fixing.
Write a review
Note: HTML is not translated!
Rating: Bad Good
Enter the code in the box below:


text:
MarabuFineliner GraphixPen Sets
DiversifiedWoodcrafts Fab-LabWorkbenches
Blick ChelseaMetal GalleryFrames
BlickWater-SolubleBlock PrintingInks
BlickPencil Case
UtrechtColor WheelGuide
15% Off Orders of $45 or More + Free Shipping
Available Offers
Today's Deal
Free Shipping
On Orders of $35 or More**
15% Off
Orders of $45 or More*
Use Code: CEUZ
*Exclusions apply**After discounts taken
On Orders of $45 or More**
**After discounts taken
Browse more:
Amsterdam Acrylics have the viscosity, pigmentation level, and lightfastness that professionals demand. The range of genuine artists' colors is formulated with high concentrations of authentic, non-fading pigments, guaranteeing strong and intense colors.
Color Swatches created using heavy application/medium application/50% tint and were applied on acrylic primed canvas (7 oz) material.
organic, aminoketone
Transparent Pyrrole Orange is a yellow-shade orange with optimum performance; high saturation and excellent durability, excellent bleed resistance, and intrinsic strength coupled with good opacity and moderate rheology. It is semi-opaque, less opaque than Cadmium Orange.
Transparent Pyrrole Orange has been demonstrated to have excellent stability and lightfastness in automotive applications.
The Australian government's Department of Health and Aging, reported in its Summary Report: NA/238 that "Irgazin DPP Orange 16AOA is likely to be of low oral and dermal toxicity in humans and to be non irritating or very slightly irritating to the eyes and skin. It may cause lung irritation due to its particle size."
Irgazin Orange was developed as a lead-free alternative opaque orange pigment. It is used in decorative, industrial, and automotive applications, often to color plastics and polymers.
Irgazin Orange, Bright Orange, Aritint Ornage, Unisphere DPP Orange, Dipyrrolopyrrol Orange
Pigment PY74 is one of the most commercially important pigments of the Hansa Yellow group, considered superior to many others in its class based on both tinting strength and lightfastness. Several PY74 grades with different particle sizes are available. Grades with finer particle size are more brilliant and transparent. Pigment PY74 ranges from reddish yellow to greenish yellow, with temperature shifts from cool to warm hues. It has high tinting strength and average to slow drying time.
This Hansa Yellow has better lightfastness that other yellow monoazo pigments, particularly in the darker shades.
Hansa Yellow has no significant acute hazards, though its chronic hazards have not been well studied.
Hansa Yellows were first made in Germany just before WW1 from a series of synthetic dyestuffs called Pigment Yellow. They were intended to be a synthetic replacement for Cadmium Yellow.
Arylide, Arylide Yellow, Azo, Brilliant Yellow, Monoazo, Monolite Yellow, Permanent Yellow.
Your cart is currently empty.
Your cart currently contains N item.
Material Safety Data Sheet
® Amsterdam is a registered trademark of Royal Talens.


text:
Chris Brown's Private Jet Forced to Make Emergency Landing Due to Smoke-Filled Cockpit
Yikes! Things got scary for Chris Brown yesterday (May 6), as a private jet on which the singer was traveling had to make an emergency landing in Burbank, Calif. due to the fact that the cockpit had filled with smoke. That's beyond terrifying.
Thankfully, everyone is okay, but it got scary for a sec as the Gulfstream 3 malfunctioned.
Breezy was on his way from Cali to Teterboro in New Jersey, just outside of NYC. He was planning to get dressed up and attend the buzzed-about Met Gala last night. Turns out nothing, not even a smoke-filled plane, was going to stop him from attempting to make his appointed rounds, but more on that in a sec.
The "doomed" flight was about seven minutes deep when smoke began to fill the aircraft. A source told TMZ that "it was A LOT of smoke ... everywhere."
The pilot ditched the original flight plan and returned to Burbank safely. While the passengers were freaking out, the pilot remained steady and calm.
The Met Gala was clearly a priority for Breezy, since he boarded another private vessel an hour later to head to NYC so he could attend. He eventually landed on the East Coast, but not in time to make the actual event. It was not meant to be.
The newly single singer did, however, attend the parties that took place after. He may not be wife-ing up, but be he is focused on being seen at A-list events. More power to him for being brave enough to fly immediately after being on a problem plane.
Watch the Chris Brown 'Fine China' Video


text:
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter Suri was verbally assaulted by a photographer on Tuesday as she made her way to her mother's car.
The 7 year old was clinging to a classmate and Holmes when they were swarmed by the paparazzi in New York City.
In video footage of the incident posted online, the exasperated little girl is featured shouting, "We're trying to get in the car! Stop it! Get out of the way!"
But when Suri finally hopped into the waiting vehicle, a male snapper yelled out, "Bye, Suri, you little brat!"
The unidentified man was immediately scolded by a fellow photographer for being so rude to the youngster, but he refused to express remorse for his actions, responding, "I don't care. She's a b—, dog. A little brat kid."


text:
Luke DeCock
DeCock: NCCU's LeVelle Moton has team on verge of first NCAA bid
A decade ago, before he became basketball coach at his alma mater at the age of 34, long before he took N.C. Central to a MEAC regular-season title, 17-game winning streak and the verge of its first NCAA tournament bid, LeVelle Moton did a very LeVelle Moton thing.
Moton, only a few years removed from a pro career that took him to Israel, Germany, Cyprus and Indonesia, was little more than a middle-school basketball coach and summer-camp director when he ran into Oprah Winfrey outside Justin's Restaurant in New York.
"It was just a big mob," Moton said of the crowd outside the restaurant once owned by rapper Sean Combs. "I saw her, we were walking past and they were trying to get her in the car because it was raining. I said, 'I'm really going to be on your show one day.' She was like, 'OK,' and got in the car."
Moton mentioned the chance encounter on Twitter recently, where Oprah was merely one name among the celebrities and athletes he frequently mentions. It's not idle talk. Moton, in addition to being a pretty good basketball coach, knows just about everyone. And it seems like just about everyone knows him.
He has served as a mentor to an entire generation of basketball stars from the Triangle, including John Wall, Rodney Purvis and Dez Wells. He's a close friend (and former N.C. Central classmate) of 9th Wonder, the Grammy-winning producer who has worked with everyone from Jay-Z to Mary J. Blige. Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski often reference Moton's success at N.C. Central, unprompted.
His Twitter feed is a combination of personal history, devotional messages and celebrity sightings, which makes it not all that different from an actual conversation with Moton, who has most of the good movie lines from the past 20 years on instant recall. In attesting to the wisdom of his players, Moton once said, "they're not going to fall for the banana in the tailpipe," referring to a scene from "Beverly Hills Cop." He's also a world-class name-dropper.
Among those who have made appearances recently: Bel Biv Devoe, Donald Williams, Oscar Robertson, P.J. Tucker, Jim Harbaugh, Jerry Stackhouse, Buzz Williams, Reggie Bullock, Warren Sapp, Rodney Rogers, Grant Hill, Mike Tomlin, Ivory Latta and John Lucas.
"He knows everybody," N.C. Central point guard Poobie Chapman said. "His personality is infectious. You can't be around him and not smile. You wonder, 'Why is he so happy?' He's a genuine guy. When he says something, you hang onto it."
In his book, "The Tipping Point," the author Malcolm Gladwell has a name for these kinds of people: Connectors. They spread ideas and trends through wide networks of disparate people through sheer force of personality, "with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances." In the basketball world within and beyond the Triangle, Moton is a Connector.
When N.C. Central beat N.C. State this season, Moton said he received 436 text messages. That number actually seemed low. It's hard to imagine how many he'll get if N.C. Central wins this week's MEAC tournament in Norfolk and goes to the NCAA tournament for the first time.
"I grew up with a lot of guys, and when I grew up with them, or mentored them, whatever, they were just those people," Moton said. "Then they became famous, and now they're superstars. People are like, 'How you know Jerry Stackhouse?' I'm like, 'Man, me and Jerry Stackhouse played together since we was 12 years old,' you know? 'Ask Jerry Stackhouse how he know me,' that's what I'm thinking. I was the star on the team."
Return to N.C. Central
None of this is accidental. Moton grew up in tough neighborhoods in Boston and Raleigh before starring at Enloe High and N.C. Central. He made it out, made a career for himself in basketball, but not without help from people who shepherded him along, opened doors, showed the way. And he'll never forget that. Everything he does is about paying that back.
Which is how he ended up advising big-time players like Wall, who attended Moton's "Poetry N' Moton" basketball camps; Purvis, whose mother was a basketball player at N.C. Central when Moton was there; and Wells, whose mother ran a store in the Southeast Raleigh neighborhood where Moton grew up.
Wall and Purvis repaid the favor by including N.C. Central among their college options, no small gesture given the national attention paid to their decisions.
"It's not because of how good he was as a basketball player or a basketball coach," said Wells, a sophomore at Maryland who played at Word of God. "It's because he's a great person and great people are drawn to other great people."
Moton returned to N.C. Central – where he was CIAA Player of the Year in 1996, graduated as the school's third-leading scorer and had his jersey retired in 2005 – as an assistant coach in 2007 after three years as head coach at Sanderson High. Two years later, he was in charge.
Slowly and painstakingly, he has overseen the program's transition to Division I, exceeding expectations last season when the Eagles lost the MEAC regular-season title (and automatic National Invitation Tournament bid) on a fluky tiebreaker before flaming out in their first game at the conference tournament
This year, they have left as little doubt as possible. After narrow losses at Wichita State and Cincinnati and the win at N.C. State, the Eagles (25-5) have won 17 straight heading into the MEAC tournament. Led by Chapman, like Moton an Enloe product, the Eagles have benefited from the same advice and mentorship Moton has provided the Triangle's NBA-bound stars.
Chapman went to Moton's basketball camp for six years. "Because it was free," Moton said. "I could have used the $200." Chapman attended gratis because his father played basketball with Moton growing up. Another favor repaid.
"He'll chew you out, but he'll be telling a joke that's so funny, but you're getting chewed out, so you can't laugh," Chapman said. "He gets his message across. It's never mistaken. It may be funny, but he gets his message across. Everything he does has a purpose. As a young freshman and sophomore, I used to kill myself trying to figure out, 'What is this for?' But he knew. And he knew I'd figure it out eventually. It's all coming together right now."
Before the season, 9th Wonder was one of several outsiders Moton invited to speak to the team about issues beyond basketball. His message, about mastering their craft, about persistence, about how many thousand beats he crafted before someone decided one had the makings of a hit, still resonates with the players. His talk had no small impact on the way the Eagles approached the season, especially after the way the last one ended.
Moton remains unsatisfied. He gestures to the wall at McDougald-McLendon Gym, the one where the 1989 Division II championship banner hangs not far from the one honoring Moton's own No. 15. There's a lot of history on that wall. It's not enough.
"I need a banner," Moton said. "That's just me. I don't care about coach-of-the-years and regular seasons and all that stuff. I want the ultimate prize and right now the ultimate prize is the NCAA tournament."
As for Oprah, Moton is still waiting, but with every step N.C. Central takes, he's one step closer to that promise, among so many others.
"We're still working on that," he said. "I mean, if she's listening, I'm ready."


text:
Here's a photograph seemingly plucked from The Twilight Zone. Chances are you're familiar with artist Grant Wood's iconic 1930 painting American Gothic, but you may not know that Wood recruited his sister and his dentist to pose for this slice of unsmiling Americana. And in 1942, the dour duo of goths reunited for the following press clipping:
On show with the late Grant Wood's American Gothic, one of the most famed U.S. paintings of its generation, went the models who posed for it, Nan Wood Graham, the painter's sister, wife of an oil-station operator, and Dr. B. H. McKeeby, a dentist. Occasion was the first showing of the picture in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Wood painted it twelve years ago.
In another reality, there are entire high-school cafeterias filled with blasé teenagers bearing sensible haircuts and coke-bottle glasses, listening to Siouxsie Sioux sing about butter churns and rhubarb harvests.
[Roger Bourland via Retronaut]


text:
New Car Review
2014 Honda CR-V: New Car Review
The 2014 Honda CR-V is a compact, 5-passenger crossover vehicle that builds on the success of its predecessors. Arriving in the U.S. in 1995, the CR-V was an early player among crossovers. The 2012 model introduced the current, fourth-generation version of the CR-V, and the 2014 model is largely unchanged.
The latest CR-V still offers shoppers more than it did when it arrived as a 2012 model. It's now rated with five stars for safety by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency that handles vehicle crash tests.
The 2014 CR-V is available in LX and EX versions with various available options, including full-time all-wheel drive, leather and navigation. The fourth-generation CR-V uses an updated version of the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine and 5-speed automatic transmission found in the third-generation model.
What's New for 2014?
Though the CR-V is mostly unchanged for 2014, there are a few updates. They include newly standard Pandora Internet radio connectivity on all models and automatic headlights for the upscale CR-V EX.
What We Like
Honda reliability; comfortable driving position; big interior space
What We Don't
Outdated powertrain; uninspired looks
How Much?
Fuel Economy
The 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine in the 2014 CR-V produces 185 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque. Although these power output numbers are higher than the figures for the third-generation CR-V, fuel economy has actually improved slightly. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the fuel economy rating for the front-wheel-drive CR-V is 23 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. The all-wheel-drive CR-V is rated at 22 mpg city/30 mpg hwy.
Standard Features & Options
The 2014 Honda CR-V is offered in three trim levels: base-level LX, mid-level EX and upscale EX-L.
The LX ($23,500) comes standard with a long list of features, including luxury items such as a rearview camera, Bluetooth, a USB audio interface and Pandora Internet radio connectivity. Other standard features include keyless entry, cruise control and a split-folding rear seat.
Drivers who step up to the EX ($26,000) receive a power sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lights and an upgraded sound system. For 2014, the EX also has automatic headlights as standard equipment.
Topping the range is the EX-L ($29,500), which adds dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery with heated front seats, a power driver's seat and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The EX-L can also be outfitted with an optional rear-seat entertainment system or a touchscreen navigation system.
Every 2014 CR-V has standard electronic stability control, ABS with brake assist, and side-curtain and front-side airbags. There is also an occupant position detection system on the passenger's side, and the front seats help reduce injury severity in case of an accident.
Both 2- and 4-wheel-drive versions of the 2014 CR-V earned a top 5-star rating in government crash tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also rated the 2013 CR-V a Top Safety Pick, with the highest possible scores in each of its crash tests.
Behind the Wheel
With significant size and weight but only modest, 4-cylinder power, the CR-V may not sound as if it's equipped to deliver a thrilling driving experience. And because it's a popular seller, it may not turn heads in a valet stand like a premium brand vehicle. But the CR-V isn't intended to be either a performance or luxury model. Instead, it delivers reasonably peppy acceleration, good handling and a pleasurable ride. From the driver's seat, it feels both spacious and solid. The CR-V delivers confidence in virtually any weather, especially with 4-wheel drive.
The CR-V's interior is not much like that of any other crossover on the market. Other small crossovers' interiors replicate the space and utility of larger SUVs, but the CR-V's interior is more like that of a three-quarter-scale Honda Odyssey minivan. Front passengers enjoy a tall seating position but have plenty of headroom. The gearshift juts out from the center of the dash much like the minivan, and Honda includes several storage spaces beneath it. Between the two front seats is a large center console storage unit with a sliding top, which, again, is just like the Odyssey.
In the back, the CR-V resembles a more conventional crossover and features a 60/40 split rear seat that folds almost flat. With the rear seats up, the CR-V provides 37.2 cu ft of storage space. With the rear seats folded, that space is increased to a substantial 70.9 cu ft.
Other Cars to Consider
Mazda CX-5 -- Starting at $20,695, the 2014 CX-5 is among the newest additions to the crossover market. The base CX-5 features Mazda's 2-liter SKYACTIV 4-cylinder engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. Impressively, the CX-5 is rated at 35 mpg hwy.
Ford Escape -- Starting at $22,470, the Escape is a recently redesigned compact crossover and a best-seller in the segment. Ford also offers a hybrid version of the Escape and high-tech extras such as an automatic parallel parking feature.
Chevrolet Equinox -- Starting at $25,015, the Chevrolet Equinox is a surprise contender in the compact crossover game. The Equinox is bigger than the CR-V but just as fuel efficient, thanks to its 6-speed automatic transmission. For those who prefer more power, Chevy offers a V6.
AutoTrader's Advice
Customers who are looking for a roomy, fuel-efficient crossover with proven reliability will be happy with the CR-V. We recommend upgrading to the better-equipped EX-L to get features such as leather, a moonroof, automatic climate control and upgraded audio. We'd recommend sticking with 2-wheel drive unless you really need all-wheel drive, but we'd opt for the rear entertainment system over navigation.


text:
A Missing Person includes, but is not limited to any of the following:
A minor (person less than 21 years of age) who is missing voluntarily or involuntarily.
An adult who:
- May be in need of assistance
- May be the victim of a crime or foul play
- May be in need of medical attention
- May have a pattern of running away or disappearing
- May be the victim of parental abduction
- Is mentally or physically impaired
*Please note: According to New York State Department of Justice guidelines, the investigating agency is normally the agency jurisdiction in which the missing person lives. Therefore, the Syracuse Police Department will only investigate a missing persons report for those who reside within the City of Syracuse jurisdictional guidelines.