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Editors' Note Appended
Granted, probably the very last thing you'd want to hear over the public address system from the cockpit of an airplane is someone shouting ''Allahu akbar!'' which translates as ''God is great,'' but also is known as a terrorist battle cry.
Still, a pilot who gets on the public address and says, essentially, ''Let us all now pray to Jesus'' is also sure to make more than a few passengers nervous, for any of a number of religious, cultural or strategic reasons.
This was the situation faced by passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 34 on Friday morning, soon after the Boeing 767 reached cruising altitude after takeoff from Los Angeles en route to New York.
Many were startled when the pilot, Rodger K. Findiesen, came on the public address and asked those passengers who were Christians to raise their hands.
An American spokesman, Tim Wagner, described the incident as he said the pilot himself later related it to his superiors.Continue reading the main story
''This pilot had recently returned form a Christian fishing trip to Costa Rica and felt like he should share his excitement,'' Mr. Wagner said. ''He did ask that the Christians on board raise their hands and identify themselves, and suggested that everyone who didn't raise their hands might want to speak to those who did about their faith'' during the four and a half hour flight.
When the plane landed, many passengers reported being upset.
News accounts over the weekend said that the pilot called passengers who did not accept Christ ''crazy,'' but Mr. Wagner said that it was American's understanding that the pilot actually ''said something along the line of 'look at all these crazy people who were willing to raise their hands.'''
Mr. Wagner added, ''He did say that if any passenger wished to speak to him he would make himself available after the flight to talk.''
Reached at his home yesterday in Annapolis, Md., Mr. Findiesen said he had no comment.
American Airlines began a private inquiry Friday into what Mr. Wagner described as the pilot's ''poor judgment'' and ''inappropriate'' comments.
The pilot has not been suspended, but is ''not scheduled to fly for a few days,'' he said.
American's 11,000 pilots are covered by ''policies that affect all our employees'' regarding the discussion of ''topics that are inappropriate in the workplace with other employees and with our customers,'' he said.
''Our policies center around making all of our customers feel comfortable when they fly on American. We realize that we operate in a society with people from varied and diverse backgrounds.''
Flight crews are not only intensely supervised by airlines and federal regulators, they also have strong internal controls -- through peer pressure and labor union procedures -- that work to identify and correct violations of professional standards or behavior.
Even if it had not become news, an instance of a pilot's using his authority on a plane to evangelize for religious converts would have been immediately reported by other crew members and dealt with appropriately, one pilot I spoke with said.
Most airlines have training procedures and operational policies in effect to cover things like flight announcements.
''Our crews have specific guidelines, and one of those rules is to not express personal or political views,'' said Julie King, a spokeswoman for Continental Airlines.
Catherine Stengel, a Delta Air Lines spokeswoman, said, ''we pretty much do it in training; we go over what the speaking announcements are,'' though crew members are sometimes ''allowed to tailor those announcements for special circumstances,'' among them the often poignant speeches some pilots made to passengers shortly after 9/11, she said. ''We haven't had any problems,'' Ms. Stengel added.
Turning the airplane into a revival tent aside, there is nevertheless a trove of cockpit lore about pilots who get innocuously carried away on the public address system -- sometimes with flights of eloquence set off by something as mundane as a pretty cloud formation.
G. Bruce Hedlund, a pilot for 19 years with a major airline, recalled once being in the cockpit after a takeoff on a dark, cloudy day when the aircraft suddenly burst through the clouds into a bright blue sun-washed sky.
Beside him, his co-pilot took to the public address system and seemed to stay on for an inordinately long time.
''I flipped the switch to monitor the P.A. just in time to hear him complete the final two lines of the poem, 'High Flight,''' said Mr. Hedlund, who repeated for me the first two lines of the long, rhapsodic poem (beloved by pilots), by John Gillespie Magee Jr., a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot killed in action in the early days of World War II:
''Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings!''
''He had recited this whole thing to the passengers because it was just such a beautiful day,'' said Mr. Hedlund, who added, ''I also flew with a guy who would blow a train whistle on the P.A. when we were ready to go.''
Some airlines -- among them Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, Delta's Song and a few other low-cost carriers -- actively encourage crews, especially flight attendants, to entertain passengers with jokes and wisecracks.
While this has received good notices, I can imagine such fun and games may sometimes rub some people the wrong way. I'd like to hear from readers who have views either way on that.
Rene Foss is a flight attendant for a major airline who is the author of the humorous book ''Around the World in a Bad Mood'' (Hyperion, 2002) and who performs on her off-time in a one-woman show with the same title. She isn't a fan of ad-libbing in the air.
''My motto personally is pretty much stick to the script, by the book,'' she said. ''Of course, I can get up on the stage later and say whatever I want to say.''
On the Road appears each Tuesday.
Editors' Note: February 11, 2004, Wednesday The On the Road column in Business Day yesterday discussed the recent incident in which an airline pilot made a public address announcement evangelizing for Christianity. The column's opening sentence, discussing the probable unease among some passengers, imagined a situation in which an announcement from the cockpit was a shouted ''Allahu akbar!'' The column said that while the phrase translates ''God is great,'' it is also ''known as a terrorist battle cry.'' The actual plane incident did not involve Islam. And the depiction of a central creed of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims as an emblem of terrorism was unwarranted. It should not have appeared.Continue reading the main story


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Results 1 to 2 of 2
07-15-04, 14:30 #1Registered User
- Join Date
- Mar 2004
- Posts
- 205
Unanswered: How to do data import from a flat file ?
How to load the data from a flat text file having delimiter ',' between columns ?
Please give a sample query.
07-16-04, 08:04 #2Registered User
- Join Date
- Apr 2003
- Location
- Tunisia
- Posts
- 192
You can do
The easiest way is to use http://www.dbtools.com.br thats support importing delimited text.
The other way is to as if you implementin a dump of a table this is structured this way :
Create Mytable(
[Tabl defintion]
then the data
Copy Mytable([Tabl defintion]) from stdin;
Row1 row2 row3 row4
Row1 row2 row3 row4
Row1 row2 row3 row4
--End of table
the delimiter id nothing else tabs
Then you have to inset that into databse :;
Psql -T TableName < InputFile
GoodLuck !Open up
Take a look to my Blog http://www.rundom.com/karim2k

subset: commoncrawl


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***½/**** Image B+ Sound A- Extras B+
starring Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence
screenplay by John Carpenter & Nick Castle
directed by John Carpenter
by Bill Chambers Is there a person alive who can hear the opening theme from John Carpenter's Escape from New York and resist the urge to tap the keys of an invisible synthesizer? Composed by the director himself (who knows how to write memorable bad music, as much an asset as the ability to write good music), the Mike Post-in-spurs riff is a fitting anthem for The Apocalypse, as well as a textbook example of how to draw, nay, ease the audience into a film that will feel the whole time like you're staring through a filter at other films, chiefly those belonging to the western, vigilante, and zombie genres. The gift for acclimatizing an audience to his idiosyncratic vision through a simple, melodic overture is one that Carpenter shares with idol Sergio Leone; another is an affinity for the 'scope aspect ratio, although he steers clear of the extreme close-up (Leone's signature), probably half out of plagiarism-worry and half because he's not a sensualist. Carpenter barely even bothered to exploit cheesecake-ready Adrienne Barbeau the two times he directed her--even if she was his wife back then, that takes indifference. I think that men love John Carpenter movies, especially his early shoot-'em-ups, because Carpenter's action figures are so chaste as to evoke the sexless joy of boyhood roughhousing.
Continue reading "Escape from New York (1981) [Special Edition - DVD Collector's Set] - DVD" »


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Get email delivery of the Cadence blog featured here
Specmaniacs rejoice: Cadence has uploaded the OVM e Scoreboard Infrastructure Package to OVM World. Here are the highlights from star guest blogger Efrat Shneydor of Methodology R&D:
The OVM Scoreboard provides a substantial scoreboard framework, applicable to many kinds of systems and checking requirements. With this framework you can define a scoreboard unit, connect it to the environment monitor(s), and customize its matching criteria and checking algorithm. Specifically, the OVM e scoreboard provides:
The "ovm_scbd" package itself contains:
Download: ovm_scbd_1.0.1.tar.gz
For more information about using the new package please contact email@example.com
Happy verifying!
Efrat ShneydorCadence Methodology R&D
The architecture of the OVM is independent of verification language -- OVM supports e, SystemC, and of course SystemVerilog. In fact, OVM was actually derived from the mature and successful "e Reuse Methodology" (eRM), hence the challenge when creating OVM (over 2 years ago now) was to build upon its concepts to leverage SystemVerilog and SystemC construct and work flows. And given this e/eRM heritage, evolving eRM into "OVM e" to align with the resulting broader OVM framework was pretty straightforward.
Here are some prior posts with more background:
OVM Multi-language Libraries – A Closer Look
Users Report on OVM in a Multi-Language World: Results From DVCon
Does this answer your question? Another interpretation of your question could be, "if I have a verification environment that's mostly OVM SystemVerilog, how do I integrate an eRM or OVM e verification component into it?"
Please advise.
Team Specman
I'm confused. How does a specmen e component fit into the overall SystemVerilog OVM framework?


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Tasmanians see 4WDs as risky: survey
New research shows that more than half of Tasmanian drivers are concerned about the number of four-wheel-drives on the state's roads.
The survey found that 65 per cent of the state's drivers believe 4WDs are more dangerous for other road users.
The research by insurer AAMI found that 56 per cent of people surveyed thought people in cities should be driving smaller cars.
The state manager of AAMI, Trent Sayers, says the results show that four-wheel-drives and their owners have an image problem.
"There would seem to be a propensity that came out in the research that highlighted four-wheel-drive owners have a higher degree of arrogance on the roads, a larger vehicle and much more imposing vehicle, so I think that would be behind those impressions of attitudinal issues around four-wheel-drive drivers," he said.
Topics: driver-education, tas


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First Tutors enables you to find a home drama teacher in Hornchurch and anywhere in the UK. Private drama tuition is an excellent way to boost confidence while improving grades and doesn't have to be boring! Please use our service to find Hornchurch drama tutors and select the one who best suits your requirements.
First Tutors is the only place to find the most suitable Hornchurch drama tutors for your needs, helping you find a local Hornchurch drama tutor for any subject, for example, GCSE English, A-Level Maths or even university Physics. We also help with language tuition, so if you want to learn Italian, take a Russian course or prepare yourself for French life, we can help - and all in Hornchurch! Our search will order drama Hornchurch teachers in your area by drama lesson costs and distance from you.
If you are a Hornchurch drama tutor wishing to offer your private drama tuition services in Hornchurch or anywhere else across the UK, please register with First Tutors or find out more about what we offer here. Home drama tuition is a great way to re-affirm your own drama knowledge while helping someone else, all in the Hornchurch area!


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Fully Licensed & Bonded
##Property Location \nWith a stay at The Milburn Hotel in New York (Upper West Side), you'll be minutes from Beacon Theater and close to Central Park. This hotel is close to Rockefeller Center and Broadway.\n\n##Rooms \nMake yourself at home in one of the 124 individually furnished guestrooms, featuring kitchenettes with refrigerators and microwaves. LCD televisions with cable programming provide entertainment, while complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and desks.\n\n##Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities \nTake advantage of recreation opportunities such as a fitness center, or other amenities including complimentary wireless Internet access and a fireplace in the lobby.\n\n##Dining \nA complimentary continental breakfast is served daily.\n\n##Business, Other Amenities \nFeatured amenities include limo/town car service, a 24-hour front desk, and multilingual staff.


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At Gemvara, we believe that the jewelry you wear should be one of a kind, like you. That's why we make each piece to order, one at a time, just the way you want it. Choose black onyx and palladium or black diamond and rose gold: it's your choice. Mix and match gems and precious metals for a look that's exactly you. It's jewelry for all life's occasions, from an engagement or graduation to your own personal milestones and celebrations. Gemvara uses only the highest quality materials to craft your yellow gold round august birthstone jewelry design with meticulous attention to detail. Our precious metals are recycled or responsibly mined. The August birthstone, peridot, is a refreshing lime that blends well with both neutrals and pastels. Round gemstones are the most brilliant of cuts, with angles and proportions that reflect and refract light to dazzle the eye. The most popular fine jewelry alloy in America, 14k yellow gold is 58.5% pure gold mixed with other metals that give it excellent durability. Our wide selection of yellow gold round august birthstone jewelry by Gemvara Essentials, Ji Hwang, Just Like You Designs, and other talented designers means you can find jewelry that's exactly your style. You can also shop by style, choosing our Key, Delicate, or Celebrity Style Collections. Gemvara's fine quality yellow gold round august birthstone jewelry is designed to be passed down for generations to come, crafted by hand in the United States.
We can help right away. Chat with a jewelry expert now!


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Star Wars: Darth Bane - Path of Destruction Paperback
by Drew Karpyshyn
Part of the Star Wars series
Thousands of years before the rise of Darth Sidious and Darth Vader, the Old Republic was rife with the evil Sith, who were a constant thorn in the side of the Jedi.
But greed and hunger for power were eating away at the Sith Order, destroying it from within.
In the midst of this rose a new Sith, Darth Bane, who recognized that the Sith Order would fall if nothing was done.
Thus it was he who, learning to cultivate patience and cunning, hid from the strife until it was over, and then rose to become the most powerful Sith Lord ever.
This is the story of the transformation of Des, a young miner, into the legendary Sith Lord Darth Bane.
Des - like many of the disenfranchised who live on the Outer Rim - is disillusioned with the stagnancy of the Old Republic.
When the Sith unite to bring the Republic down, Des is one of many to join their cause.
His heroism and skill in battle - along with his remarkable connection to the Force - draw the notice of the Sith Masters, and Des eventually finds himself studying at the Sith Academy on Korriban.
He takes the name of Bane and, amidst the deception and back-stabbing of the other students, he learns to unlock his latent dark-side talents.
As his power grows, Bane realizes the Sith have lost their way.
Under the leadership of Lord Kaan and his Brotherhood of Darkness, the Sith have turned their back on the true nature of the dark side.
Through manipulation, cunning and strength, Bane destroys Kaan's Brotherhood and wipes out all the other Sith so he can found a new Order based on the rule of two: one Master, one apprentice.
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 416 pages
- Publisher: Cornerstone
- Publication Date: 01/07/2007
- Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)
Standard Delivery
Within the UK
Also by Drew Karpyshyn | View all
Also in the Star Wars series | View all
Available with free
standard delivery


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The Eastern Cape Hotels
Most hotels along the coast get booked up over summer vacation (December to January), and the Wild Coast hotels are even busy over the winter school vacation... Read More
- B&B/Inn
- Hotel
- Resort
Best For
- Business
- Family
- Fodor's Choice
- Fodor's Value
- Green
- Historical
- Service
- Views
- Casual
- Intimate
- Lively
- Quiet
- Sophisticated
- Central
- Countryside
- Near the beach
- Near the mountain
- On the beach
- Remote
- Residential Area
- Casual Chic
- Design
- Grande Dame
- Local Flavor
- Luxurious Retreat
- Practical Base
1. Addo Elephant National Park Main Camp
$ | Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa
One of the best SANParks rest camps, this location has a range of self-catering accommodations, such as safari... Read More
2. Bayethe Tented Lodge
$$$$ | Shamwari Game Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Huge air-conditioned safari tents under thatch roofs create comfortable accommodations, and private decks with... Read More
3. Blue Lagoon Hotel
$$ | 17–19 Blue Bend Pl., East London, Eastern Cape, 5205, South Africa
Overlooking the mouth of the beautiful Nahoon River and within easy reach of Nahoon Beach, this is a great pla... Read More
4. Buccaneers Lodge and Backpackers
$ | Vincent, Cintsa, Eastern Cape, 5217, South Africa
Half hostel, half B&B, this very casual establishment is a shirts-and-shoes-optional sort of place, and it... Read More
5. Bulungula Lodge
$ | Bulungula River Mouth, Nqileni Village, Mthatha, Eastern Cape, 5099, South Africa
Even though it is relatively isolated, Bulungula's one lodge is, in spirit, just an extension of the village.... Read More
6. Cape St Francis Resort
$$$ | Da Gama Way, Cape St Francis, Eastern Cape, 6313, South Africa
This big, bright beachfront resort offers a wide range of different accommodations, from luxury self-catering... Read More
7. Coffee Shack on the Beach
$ | Bomvu Beach, Mqanduli, Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, 5080, South Africa
The main (but certainly not the only) attraction of this vibey backpackers' lodge are the surfing lessons (R50... Read More
8. Eagles Crag
$$$$ | Shamwari Game Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Very different from the other Shamwari options, this sleek, modern lodge makes use of light wood, pale sandsto... Read More
9. Ecca Lodge
$$$$ | Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa
This classy lodge combines understated modern elegance with vibrant African colors. High, white, open-raftered... Read More
10. Forest Hall Guesthouse
$ | 84 River Rd., Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Located in the leafy and affluent suburb of Walmer, just a 5- to 10-minute drive from the airport, the friendl... Read More
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{{ oPoiResult.review_snippet }}... Read More


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China Discover
Share on:
This tour unveils you the splendid Chian via the viabrant metropolis - Shanghai, ancient capital - Xi'an, and imperial Beijing. Not only can you feast best-known scenic spots including the Bund, Terracotta Warriors, Forbidden City as well, but you also can enjoy delicious local snacks and exquisite souvenirs.
Upon arrival, your guide will greet you at the airport and accompany you to the hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day or explore the splendid nightlife of Shanghai on your own.
After breakfast, you will visit the Yuyuan Garden, an amazing Chinese traditional garden. Then you will be fascinated by the exquisite handcrafts and souvenirs at Yuyuan Market. Afterwards, take a stroll on the famous Nanjing Road and the Bund. Standing on the Oriental Pear TV Tower, you will get a panoramic view of the Bund and Pudong New District.
You will be transferred to the airport for the flight to Xi'an after breakfast. Your local guide in Xi'an will great you and guide you to the hotel. In the afternoon, you will tour the Ancient City Wall.Strolling or Cycling on this largest and best-kept city wall in China is quite an experience. Then proceed to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda which offers an insight to Chinese people's religious life.
You will visit the incredible life-size Terracotta Warriors in the morning. Enjoy your delicious lunch in the restaurant near the scenic spot. In the afternoon, you will continue to tour the Great Mosque and the surrounding Muslim Quarter. Then take the night train to Beijing.
Your guide will pick you up at the train station and send you to the hotel. Enjoy the breakfast, you will stroll at the largest city plaza - Tiananmen Square,which always filled with kite-flyers. Follow up is the magnificent Forbidden City and the exquisite Summer Palace.
Today you will drop by the Changling Tomb,where Zhu Di, the Emperor of Ming Dynasty, and his queen were buried together. Also you will visit the Sacred Road of the tombs, which was originally built to lead to the Changling mausoleum. Then you will have an excursion to the Mutianyu Great Wall, the superior place where you can take the first-rate cable car to enjoy the superb views of the Great Wall.
After breakfast, you will visit spectacular Temple of Heaven and you can see many locals practicing morning exercises here such as Taichi. Today's highlight is rickshaw tour to Hutong - the old civilian house areas. When tour finishes, transfer to airport for flight to your next destination.
-- City transfer by air for economic class: Shanghai to Xian-- City transfer by overnight train for soft sleeper class: Xian to Beijing-- Accommodation in Beijing, Xian, Shanghai. Deluxe hotels are 4 star, superior hotels are 3 star.-- Private escorted tour in Beijing, Xian, Shanghai with service of English Speaking tour guide.-- Private land transfers by air-conditioned company coach.-- All entrance fees of attractions mentioned in the itinerary.-- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary "B" stands for American breakfast, "L" for Chinese Lunch in local restaurant. "D" for Chinese dinner in local restaurant.
-- Other optional tours and add on activities in Beijing, Xian and Shanghai.-- Insurance.-- Flight arriving Shanghai, departing Beijing. -- Expenditure of a personal nature, such as drinks, souvenirs, telephone bill, laundry etc.-- Other tours & meals not mentioned in the itineraries.-- Gratuities to service staffs. Please read our "Tipping Policy".
Policy in China
Customer:Cristof ReiserUpdate Date: Friday, 18 October 2013
Customer:Peng Balzat;)Update Date: Thursday, 07 March 2013
Customer:JoanneUpdate Date: Monday, 23 July 2012
Customer:HassaneUpdate Date: Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Customer:Graham MoxeyUpdate Date: Wednesday, 25 April 2012
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In the past few years I have had to ask for help in a couple of different areas. Food is the first and foremost need. I have needed to avail myself of the services of The Harry Chapin Food Bank. They volunteers are kind, helpful, and friendly. Everyone associated with the organization does their level best to be of assistance. I have found recently that when you are in need some people look upon you as though you are a bum. Just looking for a handout, in fact that is hardly ever the case. I hope to be able to return some of their kindness by volunteering in their organization.
The Harry Chapin Food Bank of SW Florida has a four star (highest) rating from Charity Navigator, meaning that this food bank effectively uses its funds to feed the poor and needy, rather than spending it on fundraising or organizational costs; this is a great food bank and deserves recognition!


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Back to Reality: A Critique of Postmodern Theory in Psychotherapy
The author critiques postmodern/narrative theory, with its underlying antirealist/constructivist philosophy that the knower makes rather than discovers reality. As an alternative, she introduces readers to the integrative/eclective therapy movement and proposes "modest realism."
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Iron Stomach
This cheat is only available each time you return to a US City after taking a World Tour. It allows all food to be digestable. It also means that normal items that would make one of the monsters puke before, will now restore some health like normal food.
* George: Hold Down and press Jump button 3 times
* Lizzy: Hold Down and press Punch button 3 times
* Ralph: Hold Down and press Kick button 3 times
Triple Score For Health Powerups
Enter the code for the respective character after the jumbo jet ride before the world tour begins.
* George: Press and Hold Up, then press Jump, Jump, Jump
* Lizzy: Press and Hold Up, then press Punch, Punch, Punch
* Ralph: Press and Hold Up, then press Kick, Kick, Kick
Rampage World Tour Cheats
By Eric Blattberg on 2 June 2007
Iron Stomach


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This vegan Roasted Grape Oatmeal is a flavor-packed, sweet and savory breakfast (or brunch) that's ready in 30 minutes.
Let's chat about grapes. Yes, that's right– those sweet little balls of juicy wonderfulness. Leave them alone– they're the perfect snack. Pop them in the freezer, and they become refreshing sweet and sour icy bites. Let them ferment, and they turn into glorious, decadent wine.
Recently, though– I've been grape-obsessed– and not with plain, frozen, OR fermented grapes. My current grape infatuation is with roasted grapes– grapes that have been heated in the oven until the juices sweeten and the grapes burst into a miraculously fabulous topping. This recipe for Roasted Grape Oatmeal is the perfect breakfast– hot, creamy oats topped with the flavor-packed grapes, all ready in about a half hour.
Making Roasted Grape Oatmeal
To make these tasty bowls of grape-filled deliciousness, start by roasting the grapes. Remove the grapes from their stems, toss them in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and rosemary, and then lay them out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 25-30 minutes, or until the skins begin to blister and soften.
While the grapes are roasting, prepare your oatmeal. I prefer steel cut oats,* which take about 25 minutes to cook on the stovetop. That means, yes– you guessed it– the grapes and oats will be finished at almost the exact same time! (Perfection isn't always this easy, folks.) Stir the grapes, along with all of their juices, straight into your oats. Add a little sweetener (if you want to), and dig in to this hearty bowl of oaty goodness.
*If you prefer rolled oats, or that's all you have in your cabinet, go right ahead and use them! Just make sure to follow the cooking directions on the rolled oats packaging instead of the steel cut directions in the recipe.
Roasted Grape Oatmeal
Gourmet-Style Breakfast
Roasted Grapes:
- 2 cups red grapes, taken off stem
- 1 TB balsamic vinegar* (see recipe notes)
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 4 sprigs rosemary, taken off stem
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats
- 1 1/2 cups milk OR milk substitute OR water
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss grapes in balsamic, olive oil, salt, and rosemary. Spread onto baking sheet in single layer, and bake 25-30 minutes, until grapes begin to blister and burst.
While grapes roast, bring milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Then, lower heat to medium and add oats. Simmer oats for about 25 minutes, stirring often.
Divide oatmeal into 2 bowls and top with grapes.
Recipe Notes
*If you have any fruit-flavored balsamic vinegar (like fig or blackberry), this is a great time to use it!
*Calorie Information was calculated per serving using My Fitness Pal. Calorie calculations used 2% milk.


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Galvanize is opening in Phoenix in the New Year and we're bringing new opportunities to help entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses with us! We're hosting a Happy Hour on Nov. 22nd for local entreprenuers to connect and talk about the opportunities that we'll be providing. Please join us for food, drinks, and conversation!
Galvanize is a dynamic tech learning community that offers education, workspace and networking for students, startups and large companies. Galvanize offers support and workspace to over 700 member companies, provides over 200 networking events across nine urban campuses throughout the nation, and teaches web development and data science to students. Galvanize campuses bring together entrepreneurs, students, investors, mentors, and great people and companies to develop the skills, mindset and networks necessary to thrive in a technology driven world. To learn more about Galvanize:
Visit our Website: http://galvanize.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GalvanizeHQ
Follow us on Twitter: @Galvanize.


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Fri 2 Mar 2012
Making History VI: You're the architect
Posted by Jan Jacob Mekes under Features, Games & Game Design
[10] Comments
Architecture is perhaps the epitome of human creativity. For thousands of years, it has been one of the most (if not the most) powerful ways of human expression. You can read about Egyptian culture in countless history books, but their culture only comes alive in all its imposing grandiosity when you see those testaments in stone they built. You may have read a thing or two about the power of religion in the Middle Ages, but you only truly experience the meaning of those words inside a cathedral. Even a despicable man as Hitler understood the potency of architecture, making architect Albert Speer one of the most important men in his Reich.
It's easy to see how architecture has always been an important aspect of human culture, so unless you plan on making a game set in a barren wasteland and/or not featuring human(oid)s, it's something you'll need to pay attention to as well. Even if you're not making a historical game, you'll be able to find plenty of inspiration in the real world for your fictional universe.
A good example in this case is Grim Fandango, a game set in a fantasy world that nevertheless drew a lot of inspiration from real-world architecture in different eras. If you want to find out more about the specific inspirations for that game, consider reading the treatise I wrote for one of The International House of Mojo's Secret History features. For this article, let's just limit ourselves to saying this mishmash of architectural styles made Grim Fandango a damn pretty game.
Architecture does not just serve to display beauty, however. Throughout history, it has also been used to convey certain ideals, whether they be political, religious, or otherwise. Architecture is perhaps the best mass medium to carry out this task: it's everywhere, often in prominent places, and the message it wants to get across is universally understood, even reaching illiterate people.
If you're looking to use architecture in your game as a means of distributing a regime's ideas, it's worthwhile to take a look at some historical examples. For instance, the arch is an often used motif to symbolize conquest and grandeur. To commemorate Titus' victory in Jerusalem in the first century AD, an arch was constructed in Rome. Many centuries later, Napoleon copied this idea, ordering construction of the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Hitler had planned to construct a huge triumphal arch in Berlin, while Kim Il-sung actually succeeded in erecting an impressive arch in Pyongyang.
Elsewhere on the political spectrum, we can point to Eastern European architecture with roots in communism and socialism. Like the movements they're based in, those buildings are sober and uniform, their only embellishments being an extravagant use of geometrical shapes. At the same time they're awe-inspiring in their grandiosity, instilling a sense of humility in whomever looks at them. You can see some examples here and here.
If you're not bothered about the idealistic roots of architecture, and you just want to use it as a nice backdrop for your game, do be aware of one pitfall: monotony. It's easy to pick a particular architectural style you like (perhaps based on a photograph you've seen) and stick with it, without doing further research. Because if you do look into it a bit more, you'll find that even within architectural movements there are many different branches.
Let's take Jugendstil (or art nouveau, if you prefer French) as an example. The stylistic movement, with its graceful natural lines and obsession with geometrical shapes, is instantly recognizable. Yet it appears in many forms, varying between countries and even cities – the Barcelona strand is particularly remarkable, in its emulation of nature. So if you're confining yourself to one single architectural style in your game, there's no reason to shy away from variation.
There's another way in which you can make the architecture in your game stand out: think outside the box. Architecture as an art form is preeminently suited to this, as evidenced by its evolution in recent years. A great real-world example, and one that would add a lot of flavour to any game, is that of natural architecture, of which you can view some exemplary pictures here. But really, it's one of countless real-world examples, and I'm sure a walk through town will reveal many sources of inspiration to you.
Apart from making use of various branches within a particular style, and incorporating unusual elements into the architecture featured in your game, there is yet a third way in which you can combat monotony: add in details! This can mean the difference between a bland world and one that feels rich. Take the Gothic cathedrals, for instance. All those ornaments, each with a symbolic meaning behind it, give those buildings an air of history. If you incorporate such detail into your game world, you will make it feel that much more believable.
Now, before you rush off and start populating your game with architectural structures, there's one question you need to ask yourself first: does it make sense? What I mean by that is, you'll need to make sure the buildings you have in mind can be built with the materials at hand. It doesn't make much sense to have a lot of stone buildings in a jungle, for instance, where wood is a much more logical resource. Don't worry about this limiting your possibilities though: the ancient Egyptians built some pretty impressive things with simple stones.
If you've settled on an architectural look and decided it fits in with the game world, there's just one more step before you dive into production. It's an optional step, but it can be enlightening in more ways than one: build models. Yes, it will be time-consuming, but if you're a DIY type, it'll be fun! You'll be able to design buildings and sets to see if their structural integrity holds up, and if they're as pretty as you'd imagined. And who knows, you might enjoy the process so much that you'll decide on using those models straight in your game, as backdrops, or even as stop motion sets.
Whatever you'll decide upon though, architecture is an important and not to be overlooked part of designing a game. You can let yourself be inspired by a visit to a cathedral, a walk through town, or even some old photographs… but by all means, be inspired, and go forth and build!
Enjoyed the article? Check out Jan also in the role of the storyteller at http://bouffonbooks.com
10 Responses to " Making History VI: You're the architect "
Nice article with lots of pretty pictures=D I like your third point about the details; I think that can add a lot of character and feeling to an environment.
One of my favourite buildings here in London is the Museum of Natural History. I created a 3D model of the entrance hall for an university assignment. I spent a lot of time researching the building, even pacing out the floor measurements (good thing it wasn't a bank; security would be more than a little suspicious!). During my research I learned about the curator's insistence that past and present be kept seperate: hence one wing was originally used for extinct specimens, while the other 'current' ones. This is reflected in the architecture: everywhere you look you can see little creatures crawling around the columns and vaulted ceilings. Most people were lost in the exhibits, but for me the building is the real spectacle.
I recently spent a holiday in Barcelona where I visited Casa Batlló by Antoni Gaudí. Now there's a building to inspire! From the doorknobs and baulastrades sculpted to perfectly fit your hands so you feel the building, to the swirling ceilings, and coloured tiles tactically arranged to maximise light. I could go on and on;-) There's lots of inspiration out there.
Glad you like the article, and the pictures I took! I saw the Natural History Museum featured in a Poirot episode, and I found it quite impressive. In fact, the entire Poirot series is a goldmine as far as architecture is concerned.
I'd say the whole thing reminded me of Broken Sword: as far as I can remember, it paid a lot of attention to the architecture of the different parts of the worlds, from France and Scotland to Spain and Central America.
P.S. So, any details about your project? ;))
Another excellent piece in the brilliant Jan Jacob saga!
Let me just add that -anyone going for a realistic take at cities- should restrict oneself to one architectural style. The history and evolution of the city made sure of its varied and eclectic buildings.
Besides, class and function must also be taken into account. A workers house and a capitalist's mansion have huge differences. As do a church, a museum or a stadium.
You make some good points. Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing an article on the subject from your hand… after all, you studied for it, whereas I'm writing from a layman's perspective (well, apart from the historical tidbits).
Ah, great – a new Making History text! 🙂
While reading this text I constantly had to think of Syberia 1.
In my opinion in this game the job of creating an appropriate architecture for every part of the journey was perfectly done.
Hey, that's most definitely a particularly interesting idea. I'll see what I can come up with then 🙂
Oh, and do keep them Making History articles coming, will you?
Cool, looking forward to that! 🙂
And I'll keep writing those articles, I've still got a few ideas lying around. I secretly hope to accumulate enough material for a book. 😛
Yeah, I figured he was wondering about your project, Igor, that's why I left the question open. 🙂
Unless you want to know all about what I'm working on, MisterT, in which case I'll send you a 24-volume epic detailing that by post. 😉


text:
1963 Mercury Meteor S-33 Custom Hardtop.
April 28, 2016/ Posted by Ben Piff / 3 comments
lots more: 1960s, coupes, Mercury, Meteor, quad rounds
3 comments:
- Garrysr said...
I like that.
- April 29, 2016 at 8:10 AM
- Sneaky Pete said...
Neato-guido! Holy crap! A show car, parked on the street?! That thing looks like it's brand new. They were great cars. Simple and basic, and yet they had style and appeal -feats which automakers today can't seem to pull off. Ones with the straight six got better MPGs than the stupid little econoboxes do today.
- April 29, 2016 at 9:09 AM
- Justin said...
Man, that is sharp as hell.
- May 3, 2016 at 7:24 AM
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text:
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text:
Re: T2 and Davis Vantage Pro 2
Expand Messages
- I lowered the serial I/O speed and the weather packets started appearing. Thanks.
--- In email@example.com, Scott Miller <scott@...> wrote:
> A '0' beacon rate means don't beacon, so that's working as designed.
> The easiest way to troubleshoot is to use the serial splitter cable, put
> the station on port B, and use the WXINFO command to check that it's
> getting data. You can also use SNOOP to watch port B activity, but make
> sure port A is faster than port B. You can use SNOOP HEX to watch
> binary data, but make sure port A is at least twice as fast as port B.
> You might also try running a lower baud rate for the weather station.
> It should handle 19.2k, but I don't remember what speeds I tested it at.
> Scott
> On 8/7/2011 5:58 AM, wrgiffen wrote:
> > I have a Davis serial data logger I'm trying to get working with a T2. I
> > have the T2 setup with port A set to "Davis" and "19,200 baud." The data
> > logger is set to 19,200 baud. The T2's output goes to a Yaesu handheld.
> > If I set the T2 to beacon every few minutes I get good beacon packets,
> > but no weather information. If I set the T2 beacon rate to "0" the T2
> > never transmits anything.
> >
> > Any thoughts on setup issues?
> >
> > Thanks, Bill, WG0W
> >
> >
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text:
Definition

Slip of the pen is an informal term for an inadvertent mistake made while writing, usually the substitution of one letter, word, or phrase for the correct one. Also called a verbal slip or lapsus calami.

A slip of the pen is regarded as a type of heterophemy, the unintentional use of an incorrect or inappropriate word or phrase in speech or writing.

The expression slip of the pen dates from the mid-17th century.

See Examples and Observations below. Also see:

Assemblage Error

 Copyediting and Proofreading

Grammatical Error

Haplology

Metathesis

Neurolinguistics

"On Inaccuracy," by Hilaire Belloc

 Slip of the Ear and Slip of the Tongue

Typo

Examples and Observations

"Once in a while [Martha Ballard] refers to a presentation as preternatural as a physician might, but her designation of one woman's labor as supernatural was surely a slip of the pen."
(Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812. Alfred A. Knopf, 1990)

"By a slip of the pen when I was writing out the heading for the first group of poems, I put Raymond Lully's name in the room of the later Alchemist, Nicolas Flamel."
(W.B. Yeats, quoted by Timothy Webb in Selected Poems. Penguin Modern Classics, 2000)

"[T]he patent declared the two parcels of land as 'being adjacent,' ignoring the fact that they were actually separated by more than a hundred thousand acres. The governor's slip of the pen—which Livingston neglected to correct—increased the size of Livingston Manor from 2,600 acres to 160,000 acres, stretching from the east bank of the Hudson to the Massachusetts and Connecticut lines."
(Tom Lewis, The Hudson: A History. Yale University Press, 2005)

 Hawthorne Interprets a Slip of the Pen
"What a vile slip of the pen was that! How absurd in me to talk about burying the bones of Byron, whom I have just seen alive, and encased in a big, round bulk of flesh! But, to say the truth, a prodigiously fat man always impresses me as a kind of hobgoblin; in the very extravagance of his mortal system, I find something akin to the immateriality of a ghost. And then that ridiculous old story darted into my mind, how that Byron died of fever at Missolonghi, above twenty years ago. More and more I recognize that we dwell in a world of shadows; and, for my part, I hold it hardly worth the trouble to distinguish between shadows in the mind, and shadows out of it. If there be any distinction, the former are rather more substantial."
(Nathaniel Hawthorne, "P.'s Correspondence." Mosses From an Old Manse, 1846)

 Hilaire Belloc on Inaccuracies
"I know well enough why one bothers so absurdly about accuracy in such details; or, to put it otherwise, why mere slips of the pen and misspellings frighten us so much. But what I do not understand is how and why they take place in subjects which one knows as well as one's own name."
(Hilaire Belloc, "On Inaccuracy," 1920)

 The Relative Infrequency of Pen Slips
"Handwriting proceeds much more slowly than speech and typing, so that pen slips are infrequent by general principle. The relative predominance of anticipations over transpositions among pen slips may also follow from the slowness of handwriting: because pen slips can be detected very rapidly relative to writing speed, writers can stop after detecting the first letter of transpositions, leaving on paper something indistinguishable from an anticipatory error (van Nes 1971). . . . Finally, words are more often left incomplete following pen than tongue or typing slips (van Nes 1971), as if writing slowness allows writers to detect an error, stop, and begin the word anew."
(Donald G. MacKay, "Slips of the Pen, Tongue, and Typewriter: A Contrastive Analysis." Linguistic Disorders and Pathologies: An International Handbook, ed. by Gerhard Blanken et al. Walter de Gruyter, 1993)

 Hazlitt's Comment on Robert Southey's Extended "Slip of the Pen"
"Mr. Southey, in his late pamphlet, has very emphatically described the different effects of money laid out in war and peace. 'What bounds,' he exclaims, 'could imagination set to the welfare and glory of this island, if a tenth part, or even a twentieth of what the war expenditure has been, were annually applied in improving and creating harbours, in bringing roads to the best possible repair, in colonizing upon our waste lands, in reclaiming fens, and conquering tracts from the sea, in encouraging the liberal arts, endowing schools and churches,' etc. This is a singular slip of the pen in so noisy and triumphant a warmonger as the Poet Laureate. But logical inconsistency seems to be a sort of poetical license. Even in contradicting himself, he is not right. For the money as he proposes to employ it, would only degenerate into so many government jobs, and the low-lived mummery of Bible Societies."
(William Hazlitt, "On the Effects of War and Taxes," 1817)

 Sigmund Freud's Slip of the Pen: "Lapses in Writing"
"On a sheet of paper containing principally short daily notes of business interest, I found, to my surprise, the incorrect date, 'Thursday, October 20th,' bracketed under the correct date of the month of September. It was not difficult to explain this anticipation as the expression of a wish. A few days before I had returned fresh from my vacation and felt ready for any amount of professional work, but as yet there were few patients. On my arrival I had found a letter from a patient announcing her arrival on the 20th of October. As I wrote the same date in September I may certainly have thought 'X ought to be here already; what a pity about that whole month!' and with this thought I pushed the current date a month ahead. In this case the disturbing thought can scarcely be called unpleasant; therefore after noticing this lapse in writing, I immediately knew the solution. In the fall of the following year I experienced an entirely analogous and similarly motivated lapse in writing. E. Jones has made a study of similar cases, and found that most mistakes in writing dates are motivated."
(Sigmund Freud, Psychopathology of Everyday Life. Macmillan, 1915)

 The Lighter Side of Pen Slips
Marianne Patourel: Why did you send for me?
William Ozanne: I'll tell you, Marianne. Now I must tell you. I never wanted you to know. I never thought you would ever find out. But now . . .
Marianne Patourel: What did you never want me to find out?
William Ozanne: That I accidentally wrote your name instead of [your sister] Marguerite's in the letter to your father.
Marianne Patourel: You accidentally wrote my name? Our whole marriage has been a . . . slip of the pen?
(Lana Turner and Richard Hart in Green Dolphin Street, 1947)


text:
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STARS IN THE SKY ANGEL FIGURINEUSPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING TO UNITED STATES ZIP CODES INTERNATIONAL BUYERS FIRST CLASS MAIL INTERNATIONAL Please note that any CUSTOMS fees, taxes, tariffs or other charges that may be assessed in any country outside the US are the responsibility of the buyer. All payments are to be made in US $$. Brand New In Gift Box Each item is beautifully packaged in a wood grain finished gift box, with a rich metallic, embossed pewter sleeve. Approximately 9" H x 5"Wing Span x 3 ¼" "Base Stars in the Sky Angel Figurine It is a delight to share with you these lovely Elements™ Angels which are exquisitely crafted and feature Barbara McDonald's signature Birchwood accents and intricate pewter detailing. Gifts that inspire and touch every heart and soul best describe Elements™ Angels. Beautiful designs joined with elaborate detail, Elements™ Angels carry touching heart-felt sentiments inscribed into each piece. All Elements™ home accessories are great gifts for others and for your home. Sentiment Inscribed on Figurine: Perhaps they are not Stars in the sky, but rather openings where our Loved Ones shine down to let us know they are happy. Elements™ items are designed by artist Barbara McDonald. ... read more


text: Bring a serene art on to your wall with this great piece of single frame. The frame is 0.75" wide and 0.40" deep made of solid wood and premium quality glass to protect the art. It is available in sizes 33x43 cm and 40x52 cm, and a dust cover is also provided at the back.


text:
King & Spalding has bulked up its presence in the Middle East with the addition of five lawyers to its offices in Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Counsel Mazhar Khan and associate Hassan Al Jarrah join in Abu Dhabi, senior associate Phillip Sacks joins in Dubai and associates Sanjarbek Abdukhalilov and Martin Forster-Jones join in Riyadh.
Khan comes from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he was a senior associate in the firm's corporate department.
Al Jarrah specialises in corporate and commercial law and he moves from Simmons & Simmons.
Sacks comes from Walkers, where he concentrated on funds and corporate work in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
Abdukhalilov advises on M&A, joint ventures and corporate restructurings and he joins from SNR Denton.
Forster-Jones comes from Bonheur, a London-based legal outsourcing provider he founded after leaving Linklaters. He focuses on debt capital markets and finance transactions, securitisations and restructurings.


text:
GraphicRiver Fist 9754937
Stock Vector \ Characters \ People
VectorFist \ Isolated \ Object \ Strike \ Strength \ Salute \ Solidarity
Stock Vector - Fist 9754937 by ded_Mazay @ GraphicRiver
Stock Vector \ Characters \ People
Fist. Isolated object. No transparency or gradients used. JPG and EPS vector files.
Layered: No; Graphics Files Included: JPG Image, Vector EPS; Minimum Adobe CS Version: CS.
Keywords: aggression, anger, arm, cartoon, character, conflict, fighting, fist, freedom, furious, hand, human, illustration, manual, persuasion, politics, power, pressure, protest, protestor, rebel, revolt, revolution, right, riot, salute, solidarity, strength, strike, vector.


text: Oilfield service companies were not nearly as lucky as their oil producing counterparts. While net income in the oil producing industry was up over the 1998 third-quarter, oilfield service companies were still feeling the pain of the low oil prices from earlier in the year. While the stock market - the global business measuring stick - has generally been positive on the offshore oilfield sector throughout much of the year, there has been a relapse of sorts in October, as uncertainty surrounding OPEC output quotas has largely dampened the year's progress. In fact, a major tracker of offshore industry stocks, Warburg Dillon Read, in mid-October cut its ratings of four oilfield equipment and services companies. Among individual factors, Warburg cited expectations of flat oil rig demand everywhere except the Gulf of Mexico.Global Marine Inc. was cut to "hold" from "buy," based on delays in the construction of two new drillships, the CR Luigs and Jack Ryan, and the resulting rising costs, Global's high 71 percent debt-to-equity ratio and the probability of negative cash flow in 2000 produced the downgrade; R&B Falcon Corp. cut to "hold" from "buy," due to the company's share price, the 2000 outlook for jackup and deepwater rig demand in Brazil, the North Sea, West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico and R&B Falcon's leveraged balance sheet; Transocean Offshore Inc. was cut to "hold" from "buy" with a 12-month price target of $32 a share after its proposed merger with Sedco Forex, with the expectation the deal will close by the end of the year; and Diamond Offshore Drilling Corp. was cut to "hold" from "buy," with a 12-month price target of $35. And, although many CEOs don't necessarily see the remainder of 1999 being highly lucrative, the outlook for the year 2000 is quite positive. ENSCO Announces Net Loss in 3Q ENSCO International Incorporated reported a net loss for the three months ended September 30, 1999 of $11 million on revenues of $76.4 million, compared to net income of $59 million on revenues of $179.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 1998. ENSCO had a net loss of $0.8 million on revenues of $283.5 million for the first nine months of 1999, compared to net income of $226.8 million for the first nine months of 1998. The average day rate for the company's jackup rig fleet was approximately $20,500 for the third quarter of 1999, compared to approximately $51,600 in the third quarter of 1998. Utilization of the company's jackup fleet decreased to 74 percent in the most recent quarter, from 80 percent in the prior year quarter. In the marine transportation segment, average day rates in the third quarter of 1999 for the company's fleet of oilfield support vessels decreased to approximately $4,100, compared to $7,000 in the year earlier quarter. Average utilization for the company's marine fleet was 63 percent in the third quarter of 1999, compared to 76 percent in the third quarter of 1998. "As expected, our third quarter results reflect the difficult market conditions that have prevailed during 1999, and we do not expect any significant improvement over the remainder of this year," said Carl Thome, chairman and CEO. "That said, we are beginning to see some strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico drilling market, both in terms of activity levels and day rates. International markets remain soft, however, and we currently believe that meaningful recovery in these markets will lag recovery in the Gulf of Mexico by nine to twelve months." Noble Drilling Reports Lower Net Income Noble Drilling Corporation reported net income for the third quarter of 1999 of $25.2 million on operating revenues of $176.8 million, compared to net income of $32.6 million on operating revenues of $195 million for the third quarter of 1998. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 1999, excluding the effects of non-recurring items, was $78.8 million on operating revenues of $532.4 million, compared to net income of $129.2 million on operating revenues of $600.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 1998. "We are beginning to witness renewed confidence by our clients as oil and natural gas prices remain robust. Clearly we are pleased with the results which have exceeded market expectations," said James C. Day, chairman and CEO. Utilization of the company's active rigs in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico averaged 72 percent for the third quarter of 1999 compared to 64 percent for the third quarter of 1998 and 66 percent for the second quarter of 1999. International offshore utilization averaged 64 percent for the third quarter of 1999 compared to 89 percent for the third quarter of 1998 and 76 percent for the second quarter of 1999. Day emphasized, "Regions of the world that should witness improved activity near term will be the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Brazil and longer term, West Africa. Obviously we are encouraged by the early signs of a recovery in the sector." Halliburton Sees Net Income Gain Halliburton Company reported the company's 1999 third quarter net income was $58 million compared to a loss of $527 million in the 1998 third quarter. The year earlier quarter was impacted by a $722 million after-tax special charge related to the company's merger with Dresser Industries, Inc. and other restructuring activities. Halliburton's consolidated revenues totaled $3.5 billion in the 1999 third quarter, approximately four percent below 1999's second quarter and 16 percent below the year ago quarter. Landmark Graphics Corporation signed a major contract with BP Amoco to standardize its drilling, reservoir engineering, geology and geophysics applications utilizing Landmark's extensive integrated and open suite of software applications during the third quarter. Additionally, Halliburton Energy Services deployed a new, state-of-the-art $35 million vessel (MV Cape Hawk) to Carmen, Mexico to enhance its well stimulation contract with PEMEX. Sperry Sun and Baroid, in conjunction with Diamond Offshore Team Solutions, Inc., participated in the successful drilling of the world's deepest water-depth turnkey well, drilled in more than 7,200 ft. of water in the Gulf of Mexico. Dick Cheney, Halliburton Company's CEO, said, "Significantly higher crude oil and natural gas prices have lifted customers' cash flows considerably, and they are now beginning to increase spending in certain geographic areas, particularly in North America. I am optimistic that as our customers' year 2000 spending budgets are finalized, we will see further activity increases throughout the world." Transocean's Net Income Down Transocean Offshore Inc. announced net income for the three months ended September 30, 1999 was $46.9 million on revenues of $204.3 million. Comparative net income for the corresponding three months in 1998 was $84.4 million, excluding a non-recurring after tax gain of $8.5 million, relating to the sale of certain non-core assets and surplus drilling components. Revenues in the prior year period were $269.0 million. For the nine months ended September 30, 1999, net income totaled $188.5 million on revenues of $746.2 million. Comparative net income for the nine months ended September 30, 1998 was $217.7 million exclusive of non-recurring, after tax gains totaling $22.4 million relating to the sale of non-core assets and surplus drilling components referred to above, and the settlement of a dispute with Global Marine Inc. Revenues during the initial nine months of 1998 were $778.9 million. Utilization of the company's 26 fully owned and operational mobile offshore drilling rigs was 80 percent during the three months ended September 30, 1999, including a utilization level of 86 percent for the company's 20 semisubmersibles and drillships. The utilization measures compare to levels of 81 percent and 87 percent, respectively, during the three months ended June 30, 1999 and 98 percent and 99 percent, respectively, during the corresponding three months in 1998. At September 30, 1999, five of the company's mobile offshore drilling units were idle, including three semisubmersibles and two jackups. "Quarterly results were better than external expectations due in part to a stable fleet utilization level, which was down only slightly from the level experienced during the second quarter of 1999," said J. Michael Talbert, chairman and CEO. "Two previously idle rigs returned to work during the quarter while existing contracts on two other rigs did not expire during the quarter as expected. "Also, mobile rig operating costs continued to trend lower, due to cost containment efforts. The average dayrate for our 20 floating rigs declined to $116,200 during the third quarter of 1999, down from $128,100 and $124,800 during the second quarter of 1999 and the corresponding three months in 1998, respectively. "This average dayrate measure is expected to continue to decline into 2000 as contracts on several floating rigs, which were signed prior to the onset of weakening market conditions, expire and new contracts are negotiated." Talbert added, "Opportunities for new drilling programs are limited at present, especially in the deepwater segment of our business. Drilling assignments awarded by customers tend to be short-term in duration, with recent industry contract signings in Brazil being a welcome exception. These market conditions tend to keep rig availability and competitive forces high. The timing of any recovery in the floating segment of the offshore industry is unpredictable, but several factors may indicate a firming fundamental base, including resilient commodity prices, stronger OPEC resolve to adhere to production quotas and a declining production base, particularly in the U.S." Schlumberger Operating Revenue Down 23 Percent Schlumberger Limited reported 1999 third quarter operating revenue of $2.25 billion was 23 percent below third quarter 1998. Net income was $139 million, 60 percent lower than the same period last year before the 1998 third quarter charge. Oilfield Services revenue decreased 28 percent year over year as the rig count declined 16 percent. Compared with the second quarter of 1999, revenue increased 2 percent. In North America, quarterly revenue of $375 million increased 18 percent sequentially and declined 23 percent year over year as the rig count declined 11 percent. The Sedco Forex Offshore rig utilization rate was 76.4 percent compared with 94.2 percent in the third quarter of 1998. The semisubmersible utilization rate decreased from 95 percent to 72.2 percent, while the jackup utilization declined from 100 percent to 90 percent. The industry offshore rig utilization was 69 percent versus 88 percent in the third quarter last year. At the end of September, the Sedco Forex Offshore fleet consisted of 24 semisubmersibles, 10 jackups, 2 drillships, 4 tenders, 6 swamp barges and 2 land rigs. In addition, 3 semisubmersibles and 1 jackup are under construction. Sedco Forex Offshore revenue and pretax operating income in the quarter were $165 million and $29 million, respectively, compared with $292 million and $132 million, respectively, last year. The merger transaction in which the offshore contract drilling business of Schlumberger will be spun off and combined with Transocean Offshore is expected to be completed by year-end 1999. Parker Drilling Revenues Decline Parker Drilling Company reported unaudited revenue of $80.1 million, and net income of $1.33 million for the three months ended September 30, 1999. The prior year's results for the same quarter reflect total revenue of $116.6 million and a net loss of $3.7 million. Third quarter 1999 results include the gain on the sale of the company's lower-48 land rigs, as well as several non-recurring and non-cash expense items. Adjusting the third quarter 1999 results for those special items results in a net loss of approximately $15.0 million. "Based on the increased activity we are seeing in our Gulf of Mexico barge and jackup rig markets, we are encouraged that the third quarter will be the trough for our company," said Robert L. Parker, Jr., president and CEO. "We are highly leveraged to natural gas drilling activity in the Gulf of Mexico with our fleet of barge, jack-up and platform rigs, and our rental tool company, Quail Tools."


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Cover Crush: Out of the Easy, Mind Games & more
Each week we round up the most crush-worthy covers to hit the web (or just to hit our eyeballs).
Today a stunning new debut cover was revealed for Erin Bowman's Taken, along with the background story from the designer on the cover process. Behold, and read about it here!
Ruta Sepetys has already had some amazing cover luck with her beautiful debut novel, Between Shades of Grey. Well lightning can definitely strike twice. Her sophomore novel, Out of the Easy, has an even more beautiful cover than her first novel. Read Entertainment Weekly's interview with Ruta here to hear more about Out of the Easy.
Feast your eyes on Kiersten White's new novel (unrelated to her fab Paranormalcy books), Mind Games, now with a colorful, mercurial cover.
Corey Ann Haydu's OCD Love Storymakes pathological repetition seem sexy with this colorful, fun cover!
Kristin Halbrook's cover pose for Nobody But Us (coming Winter 2013) turned so many heads, the YA Highway authors took their own stabs at recreating it! Check them out here.
The cover for Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter is beautiful. (Almost as beautiful as the fake cover she designed for her Friday the Thirteeners challenge. It was like Katy Perry meets Fabio.)
No sophomore slump for these authors' covers! Brodi Ashton just shared the sequel to Everneath, Everbound, and she's offering up the chance to win an ARC! Leanna Renee Hieber's just revealed her Magic Most Foul sequel, The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart.
Speaking of paranormal series continuations, some of our favorite series have new covers to add to their arsenal: the fourth book in Colleen Houck's Tiger's Curse series, Tiger's Destiny; book #3 in Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising series, The Rising, and the tenth House of Night book, Hidden.


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Using weather to teach science
Jack Williams was among the 10 men and women who offered teachers ideas for using meteorology in the classroom at the 2011 National Weather Association Teachers' Workshop on Oct. 17 in Birmingham, Ala.
Williams offered suggestions on how teachers could use graphics and text in his AMS Weather Book: The Ultimate Guide to America's Weather. He mentioned that the Book's Web site has links to more information, including sources for further exploration of topics covered.
Dr. Greg Forbes, the Weather Channel's severe weather expert, was the Workshop's Keynote speaker, discussing "Tornadoes 2011–Superoutbreak 2."
In his talk Jack made some of the same points made in his Blog posts below:
- Jack's answer to a teacher about using the AMS Weather Book as a high school text
- Science Lessons from Hurricane Ida (This post offers some advice on how teachers could use the hurricane to meet some of the national standards for each science.)
- Teaching the Science of Weather
- Science Lessons from a Big Snowstorm
- Wildfires: A window into science


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Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O), facing pressure in its core business, said on Thursday it is launching a wireless service with an unlimited data plan, making it the first major USA cable provider to enter the highly competitive wireless market.
Importantly, Comcast Xfinity Mobile is only available to the cable company's existing subscribers.
USA wireless carriers Verizon Communications Inc VZ.N , AT&T Inc T.N , T-Mobile US Inc TMUS.O and Sprint Corp S.N have recently offered unlimited monthly plans ranging from $50 to $90 for a single line.
Most Comcast customers will be able to subscribe to an Xfinity Mobile plan with unlimited data for $65 per month per line, but customers with some of the more expensive X1 TV plans will be able to get it for only $45 per month. Comcast wireless pricing also will offer some unique options, including an option to pay on a per-gigabit basis, no access fees, an unlimited offering and the ability to switch plans in the middle of a billing period.
Xfinity Mobile will offer the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, - both also available in (PRODUCT) RED variants - iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone SE as well as the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge or the LG X power. The list of carrier bundles is used by iTunes and iPhones to determine whether the iPhone's SIM is supported by a service provider with whom Apple has an agreement, then provisions the phone accordingly.
Comcast is an infamously ruthless company. That's part of why Comcast is emphasizing this as a WiFi-first service.
US Rep. Maxine Waters: Bill O'Reilly 'needs to go to jail'
Human Rights Commission spokesman Seth Hoy said he could not comment. Jenny Craig said late Tuesday it had pulled its ads from the show.
Potential Xfinity Mobile subscribers will also benefit from Comcast's other service offerings. Even with data usage, Comcast won't support seamless handoffs between its WiFi footprint and Verizon's cellular network. "How we approach the marketplace will be in packaging and bundles, and we'll approach our existing customer base", said Dave Watson, CEO of Comcast Cable. However, Comcast plans to offer competitive pricing for the service.
Xfinity Mobile isn't meant to be a direct competitor to market leaders like AT&T and Verizon, as the service will only be available as a bundle add-on for existing Xfinity subscribers. Some analysts say Comcast could use its new spectrum to renegotiate its network leasing deal with Verizon on better terms. There's an option for customers to pay per gigabyte at a price of $12/GB, for those who wish to only pay for what they feel they'll use.
However, Comcast may wait to see if Sprint and T-Mobile merge, which could ease fierce competition in the wireless industry.
So there's Comcast's entry into the wireless market. Other wireless operators have been rolling out unlimited data plans, so Comcast is entering an already crowded field. Verizon's network is very, very good. Instead, Comcast is telling users that its network uses the "most reliable 4G LTE network".
When will Xfinity Mobile be available? You can either choose to buy the devices upfront or choose a 24-month payment plan, but you cannot bring your own device to the service to start, at least not now; Comcast may add that option in the future.


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In 2015 Aksal Group announced that they intended to repeat the experience of Morocco Mall, but this time in Rabat. With this ambition in mind, Aksal Group appointed again the architect behind the hughly successful Morocco Mall, Davide Padoa of Design International.
The mall is to be part of the larder 'Wessal Bouregreg' project, which has been launched under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI as part of the 'Royal Vision' for making Morocco an international destination. The 'Wessal Bouregreg' project will cover an area of about 110 hectares and be truly mixed-use, consisting of residential, cultural infrastructure, a hotel, a marina and of course, a shopping centre. The cultural infrastructure element will include a Grand Theatre and a National Library, as well as a Museum of Archaeology and Earth Sciences.
Davide Padoa, CEO of Design International commented, 'We are delighted to be involved in this project. The design will reflect the richness of the historical architectural heritage of the city of Rabat, while complementing the Grand Theatre, which is being designed by Zaha Hadid.'
The Morocco Valley Mall will be both outdoor and indoor, with an element of fluidity leading to the organic heart of the city. The shopping centre will also be full of greenery, and be designed to a highly sustainable level. It will be built on a total area of approximately 6 hectares and will house over two hundred prestigious retail and leisure brands, as well as cinema complex. The hotel will be an international 'signature' hotel and be directly linked to the mall, as one would expect from an international tourist destination.


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VideoHive Abstract Liquid Loop HD Red 81126
Stock Footage \ Motion Graphic \ Elements \ Abstract
Liquid \ Seconds \ Perfectly \ Contains \ Channel \ Looped \ Animation \ RedThis
Motion Graphic - Abstract Liquid Loop HD Red 81126 by Stefoto @ VideoHive
Stock Footage \ Motion Graphic \ Elements \ Abstract
This is animation of abstract liquid made in full HD 1920 X1080 It's 10 seconds long and perfectly looped and contains alpha channel.
Alpha Channel: Yes; Looped Video: Yes; Resolution: 1920x1080; Video Encoding: Quick Time PNG Compression; File Size: 367mb; Total Clip(s) Length: 0:10.
Blockbuster Cinematic Trailer Titles; Simple Flat Logo Reveal Pack; Accelerator Logo Reveal; Aggressor Cinematic Trailer; Clock Animation; CyberTech HUD Infographic Pack; Sea Sunrise.
Keywords: hd, liquid, loop, orange, red.


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Analysis One Law for All Israel's Civil Union Bill Must Apply to Everybody, Not Just Same-sex Couples
An egalitarian arrangement would prevent gay marriages from being 'second-class,' and raise the status of common-law spouses.
There are three bills on Knesset members' desks that aim to extend the eligibility for civil...
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text: Haven't seen this anywhere so... Basically just what the title says. Will we? I've been at work all day and haven't really had much time to look at much, I just know it's going to be on T-Mobile, but that it will be unlocked... I don't know too much about the radio end of things for phones, but doesn't T-Mobile run on GSM or something of the sort? And Verizon is CDMA, so I'm guessing an unlocked version of this phone would only be compatible with AT&T? Haha, sorry for my ignorance regarding this subject, basically what I'm asking is can I use this unlocked phone on Verizon and if not (pretty sure that's the answer) will we ever see one for Big Red?


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Adrien Rabiot's personal revelation about Barcelona's Comeback will enrage PSG fans
Barcelona's historic comeback
Barcelona's comeback against PSG a fortnight ago will live long in the memory.
Having lost the first leg 4-0 in Paris, Barca faced the mammoth task of trying to reverse the tie in the 2nd leg by scoring at least 4 goals to take it into extra-time – while simultaneously ensuring PSG didn't score.
Barca seemed to have done the hard part, scoring 3 goals, only for PSG to apparently put the tie to bed when Cavani scored – meaning Barcelona would need to score 6.
Yet somehow, the Catalans managed to do it, ultimately winning 6-1 after an epic finale.
So, Barcelona made history by recording the greatest ever comeback….and PSG completed the worst ever bottling exercise.
The collapse is still a bitter pill for PSG fans to swallow; both in terms of how the team performed and the controversial refereeing decisions.
And Adrien Rabiot's fresh revelation won't do anything to dissipate the bitterness.
Rabiot played injured
Because the young Frenchman has now revealed that he played the second leg with a serious injury.
Speaking to the French media today, Rabiot revealed that he played the 2nd leg with a lung infection:
'Yes, I can confirm it (that I played with a lung infection). It was quite difficult, but I really wanted to play this match.
I regret it now because I wasn't 100%; maybe it would have been better to leave my place to someone else.'
As anyone who watched the game will remember, Rabiot had a horrible game at the Camp Nou.
Imagine how PSG fans will feel about this knowing they had an ill player, and hence a passenger on the pitch…
(Via RMC)


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I had a bone to pick in the past year ( † & ‡ ) with Ben Witherington (W), one of the most active and best known conservative apologist cum scholars living. I have absolutely nothing against the man personally. I just have a low tolerance for bad history that tries to disguise itself as authorative. I have been listening to a series of podcasts from an Australian radio show in which the issue of the historicity of Jesus is discussed from varous perspectives. One of the episodes features Mr. W being interviewed by the host, a man named Cameron Reilly. True to form, the good professor waxes decisive and infallible on things that have been openly contentious in academia for centuries.
During the course of this interview, he says a few things that are so untrue that it saddens me. It saddens me to hear them coming out of the mouth of someone who is seen as a respectable expert in his field by the many students under his tutelage, who naturally assume he is being honest. Now, I'm not talking about contentious matters such as the dating of Mark, or whether there is any evidence of eyewitness reporting, or whether Q was an actual document that was used by the authors of Matt and Luke—these kinds of things are arguable and I'll not comment on them except to say that W invariably takes the orthodox view on all of these. No, what bugs me is the outright falsehoods that he let slip out in his passionate rhetoric during this interview. Moreover, not only are they egregious falsehoods; they are stated so haughtily, so smugly, that it makes them doubly shameful to my eyes.
Again, I have nothing against W personally, and I normally would have just let my annoyance at his usual bedside bad manner slide . . . But then I saw that N.T. Wrong posted the list of 50 top bibliobloggers for December . . . and, who should be holding the top spot for two months in a row? Surprise! It's none other than our man W.
Since I doubt that any of the parade attendees at his crowning will call him on any of his guile (nice suit you got there, dude!), I will.
whopper #1
First Whopper comes at about the 15 minute 20 second mark in the interview. At this point the conversation centers on whether the various near-contemporary Pagan sources are useful historically:
- Q — Did Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, [or] Pliny actually claim to have seen Jesus?
- W — They claimed that there were Roman records that he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and you don't have records about crucifixion of people that didn't exist. I mean, that's just absurd. They don't just make up those kind of Roman records. There's no reason for them to do so. So, it's an absurd point of view to start by asking' Did Jesus exist?'. Of Course he exists!
Okay, let's take a brief looksee at what these ancient pagan gentlemen actually said; shall we?:
About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not cease. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life. For the prophets of God had prophesied these and myriads of other marvellous things about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still up to now, not disappeared.
Josephus, Antiquities 18.63
Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.
Annals 15: 39–43
[...] as the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus.
. . . . . . . .
Punishment by Nero was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition
Life of Claudius
Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ — none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do — these I thought should be discharged. Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshiped your image and the statues of the gods, and cursed Christ.
Letter to Trajan
Now, where exactly does any of these historians claim "that there were Roman records that [Jesus] was crucified under Pontius Pilate"? As a historian, W is entitled to speculate on where they might have gotten their information from. He is completely justified in saying something like: 'It has been suggested that Tacitus [etc] may have used one of Pilate's reports to the emperor as the source for his statement that "Christus" had been crucified by Pilate.' But W is not entitled to assert what he does say. Phrasing it like he does —"they claim that there were records"— makes his statement an outright lie, in my opinion. And yet folks just keep bestowing him with honors and a platform in which to spread the crap around, all the while praising the cut of his fine threads.
whopper #2
My second example of a whopper comes at about 42 minutes 45 seconds into the interview. At this point the conversation centers on whether Josephus' reference is authentic or an interpolation:
- Q — There's the fact that Origen, who was very well aware of Josephus' writings, makes no mention of this passage [Josephus' Flavium Testamonium] as support.
- W — That's not true. That is absolutely not true. I had a patriscic seminar this summer. He certainly did mention this passage.
- Q — Where does Origen mention it?
- W — In his Gospel of John. No question. He certainly did. So, I'm sorry [but] that's not true.
- Q — So, tell me where Origen mentions this. Because this is news to me.
- W — It's in the commentary on the Gospel of John. There are fragments of the commentary on the Gospel of John. The person to ask about this is Warren Smith at Duke University. He's a patristics expert. He came and did a seminar for us.
This particular whopper floored me. I'm not going to bother to cite Origen here. I will only say that nowhere in his extant work does he suggest what W says he does. Not even in his commentary on John. This is just plain bullshit.
Like in the previous example, the good professor would be justified in saying something like, 'There are those, such as Warren Smith over at Duke, who believe that a case can be made that Origen knew of the Josephan passage.' But, instead, what W says is "No question! He certainly did!" This makes him a liar, in my opinion, and his poor students keep obliviously taking notes, not knowing any better. (There'll be a quiz on Wednesday, and all that jazz.) This is professionally irresponsible.
In closing . . .
Allow me to digress and address something which is not necessarily a complaint about W specifically, but is instead a complaint about the tendencies of NT scholars in general (including W) when it comes to discussing the ultimate fate of the disciples of Jesus. It is wonderfully illustrated by W when he says (somewhere around 17 min 20 sec into it):
- W — The earliest disciples of Jesus, who very clearly are depicted as flawed human beings during the ministry of Jesus—they ended up betraying, denying, or even deserting him in his eleventh hour. And yet after the death of Jesus, after the crucifixion, the most shameful way to die on planet Earth—after that, they became world leaders. They went out and promulgated the fact that they had seen the risen Jesus, and they were prepared to die for their conviction. Now, what kind of person is it, who promulgates a fraud, and is then prepared to die for the fraud? I don't know anybody like that. And I certainly don't know of any ancient persons who went around selling fictitious stories and then were prepared to be martyred for them.
This canard is so pervasive in the literature and collective subconscious of its adherents that it absolutely astounds me that no one bothers to point out the big elephant in the middle of the room. Namely, the fact that, other than a passing reference in the Acts of the Apostles (a Christian document) regarding the execution of James the son of Zebedee, there is absolutely NO contemporary or near-contemporary textual evidence regarding the death of ANY of Jesus supposed disciples. None. This is a fact. The closest thing we have to it is a vague reference to Peter's (and Paul's) "witness" in the first letter of Clement, which is an anonymous work dating from roughly around the turn of the century, according to the current majority view (though I would argue that no one really can say with any degree of certainty and that such a date is a wishful surmise at best).
The continuing dissemination of such bad apologetics underscores for me the main thesis of Hector Avalos' excellent book, The End of Biblical Studies, which, in a nutshell, is that the field of religious studies (and New Testament and historical Jesus studies in particular) is rapidly disintegrating before our eyes into a dance of self-congratulatory circularity. I think he's spot on.
But hey!, I can call it like I see it. :)
Finally, if Ben Witherington is a paragon of scholarship in the field of academic NT studies, like his rating in the biblioblogosphere suggests, then I'm afraid that NT scholars are in big trouble, and may even indeed be in need or prayer.


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is a busy man as of late. This year alone, he has directed upcoming movies Machete Kills and Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (which will appear in 2014), while working on other parallel projects, like the short . And now it seems like his works are going to reach the television medium with a show based on his popular 1992 film, El Mariachi .
El Mariachi was Rodriguez's directorial debut at the tender age of 23. It featured a Spanish-speaking cast, since it was intended for a Mexican audience. The deciders over at Columbia Pictures liked it so much, though, that they bought the American distribution rights and spent a small fortune 'cleaning up' and marketing the film, which became so successful that it spawned two sequels: Desesperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. All three films went on to be known collectively as Rodriguez's 'Mexico Trilogy.'
Now, Univision and Sony are serializing the violent saga, with a surprisingly large number of hour-long episodes (70) commissioned for production. Rodriguez's name wasn't seen during the announcement of the development of this show (except when credited as the director of the original movie on which it is based). What little we know about the project seems to underscore the importance of the shooting location - every single scene will be filmed in Mexico. Angélica Guerra, a SVP and production managing director for Sony's Latin American audience, said as much:
Staying true to the story, we are producing the series in Mexico shooting in magnificent locations and utilizing some of the country's best talent.
The plot isn't expected to change much from the movies. A solitary mariachi (a musician belonging to a folkloric band) faces off against violent drug cartels on his quest for revenge. Confirmed for the cast are Iván Arana (playing the titular protagonist), (as Celeste Sandoval) and (Fernando Sandoval).
Since it'll be a while until we see the end results, you can either quench your thirst for mariachis with this epic trailer below; or if you still need more, you can watch the full movie El Mariachi here.


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Brighton and Dover
Brighton Travel Blog› entry 12 of 14 › view all entries
Brighton is a really nice city in the South of England. Thre's lots to see: The Royal Pavilon is a former Royal palace built as the home for the Prince Regent during the early 1800s and is notable for its Indian architecture and Oriental interior design. During the WWI the Pavilion was used as a hospital for wounded Indian and West Indian servicemen. Dead Sikh and Hindu Indian soldiers were cremated on the Downs to the north of Brighton, where a Pavilion style memorial was constructed in their memory.
Brighton Pier (formerly the Palace Pier) was opened in 1899 and is the largest pier in Brighton. It features a large funfair , restaurants and arcade halls.
It was begun in 1891 and opened in May 1899. A concert hall opened two years later. By 1911 this had become a theatre, but it was removed in 1986, under an understanding that it would be replaced.
The white cliffs of Dover, are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches up to 350 feet high, owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk (pure white calcium carbonate) accentuated by streaks of black flint. The cliffs spread east and west from the town of Dover, an ancient and still important English port.
The cliffs have great symbolic value for Britain because they face towards Continental Europe
across the narrowest part of the English Channel, where invasions have historically threatened and against which the cliffs form a symbolic guard. Because crossing at Dover was the primary route to the continent before air travel, the white line of cliffs also formed the first (or last) sight of the UK for travellers.


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10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management : Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace Paperback
by Hyrum W. Smith
This guide presents a system that goes far beyond what is usually considered "time management" to change not only how people plan their time, but also how they approach their lives.
It shows readers how to make the most of their time and lives, as well as how to obtain what the title promises - inner peace.
The book's strategy of planning, prioritizing and value analysis enables readers to organize their time and life in a "meaningful" way by: determining the highest priorities in life and what is most valued; reevaluating what events can and cannot be controlled; establishing SMART goals to put one's life in line with values; getting rid of "time robbers"; using the ABC valuing system - a plan that works for getting things done; and a planning system now used by more than 2 million people worldwide.
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 324 pages
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton General Division
- Publication Date: 01/10/1994
- Category: Time management
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Top V8 drivers have lauded the new season ending Sydney 500 race, but warn likely hot conditions could turn it into a survival test.
The event will take place on roads around the Sydney Olympic Park complex on December 4-6.
Current drivers and former multi V8 title winner Mark Skaife, who helped design the street circuit, admitted to being underwhelmed by the original plan but were more than enthusiastic after visiting the site.
"People think we are just talking the event and the track up, but I can honestly tell you that I think it's fantastic," championship leader and team Vodafone Ford driver Jamie Whincup said at the event launch on Saturday in the Sydney CBD.
"It's the characteristics of each corner."
Whincup's closest challenger, Holden's Will Davison, was equally enthusiastic.
"It's unbelievable, it's double what I thought it was," said Davison, who trails Whincup by 114 points.
However, Whincup and Sydneysider Mark Winterbottom both warned the race would be a gruelling test.
"Who knows what the weather is going to be, we can predict a 35 degree day here in December, 65 degrees plus in the car," Whincup said.
"It's just going to be survival of the fittest."
Ford driver Winterbottom, who was born not far from the circuit, was also wary of the potential problems a western Sydney summer's day could pose.
"It's going to be tough and it's hard to keep your fitness there all year as well, so it's going to be a battle of the toughest and hopefully you are fit enough to cope with conditions," said Winterbottom, who is currently running 12th in the standings.
Skaife felt the new street circuit wouldn't favour a particular driver, car or manufacturer if the championship went down to the final round.
"Only people that acclimatise quickly to new tracks, that are very au fait with their set up and their car," Skaife said.
Defending champion Whincup downplayed the possibility he could have back-to-back titles wrapped up before Sydney.
"We've only had three rounds, let's not forget that, we're rapt and proud of our results so far," Whincup said.
"But we still need to keep our head down.
"We still need to keep developing."
Davison, who stepped into the seat vacated by Skaife who retired after last season's championship, stressed he expected to improve over the second half of the series.
"In the first half of the year while I'm learning, there's going to be some ups and downs," Davison said.
"But I'm second in the points and I'm just getting started with this team and I've got a long way to improve.
"I think the second half of the year is going to be where I really come on strong. I'm confident we are going to be in the hunt all year."


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Fresno County Transportation Modeling
Fresno COG Activity-Based Model Update Request for Proposal
As one of the 18 MPOs in California that are subject to Senate Bill (SB)375 for Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) development, Fresno COG is developing tools to address increasing interest in measuring impacts from compact and mixed-use development, active transportation, transit, pricing, etc. Fresno COG is requesting proposals from qualified consultants to update Fresno COG's activity-based model (ABM) to better address such issues. The proposal is due on November 4, 2016.
Fresno COG Transportation Demand Model
Fresno COG MIP2 Model Documentation
Fresno COG MIP Model Description and Validation Report - January 2014
Fresno COG MIP Model Executive Summary - August 2012
Fresno COG MIP Model Documentation - August 2012
Fresno COG MIP Model Users Guide - August 2012
San Joaquin Valley Demographic Forecasts 2010-2050 - March 2012
2013 Inter-Agency Consultation Instructions for 2014 RTP - October 2013
Powerpoint Presentations on the new Fresno COG MIP Transportation Model
Model Steering Committee meeting 2-25-2014
Update on Fresno COG Modeling Activities - Mike Bitner
Population Projections and Envision Tomorrow - Kathy Chung, Seth Scott
The New Fresno COG MIP Transportation Model - Mike Wallace, Ferh & Peers
Traffic Counts
Fresno Regional Traffic Monitoring Report 1990 - 2002
Monitoring Report 2005 -2006
Model Steering Committee


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Day 11 - Katakolon (Olympia) Greece
Katakolon Travel Blog› entry 11 of 13 › view all entries
We made good time since leaving Santorini yesterday and we were already docked in Katakolon (ka-TA-ko-LON),
The site contains many areas other than the actual contest arenas such as a gymnasium for training, a temple to Zeus, Roman baths, and an area for people attending the games to stay (camp). It was also interesting that the training area for javelin and discus throwing contains several columns that they believed were used for the judges to hide behind so that they could avoid being hit.
The original stadium is a grass oval with upward sloping sides where the spectators sat on the grass similar to the Circus Maximus in
Hera's Alter was a bit of a let down. This is the spot where the Olympic flame is ignited beginning each Olympic relay. Now, it is understandable that they can't leave the large reflective lens that is used to capture the sun's rays out all the time for the public to see; but as a result, the only thing there is the alter foundation. After two weeks of the Acropolis, Delos,
Next stop was a hotel/restaurant in
The town of
Since Katakolon was our final stop for the trip, I guess this is my final post on places visited. I will probably write some words on the over all cruise experience during the day tomorrow and get them posted during the afternoon or early evening. Hope everyone has enjoyed taking the trip along with me.


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Loyellen Drive, Rogue River, Oregon
$150,000- BedsActive
$150,000- BedsActive
Loyellen Drive, Rogue River, Oregon 97537 - Fantastic building lot with irrigation rights! This property will make you feel like your in the country and yet just minutes from the very desirable town of Rogue River. It's tucked away at the end of a cul-de-sac that makes it somewhat private. property is almost 10 acres and has a nice variety of trees through out. The north left corner connects to BLM land for hiking and ect. Property has some nice gentle slopes and faces the South East for great sun exposure. There are two great areas for Home Site with beautiful views of the mountains and town. septic approval is done, Buyers need to do their own due-diligence with the county on easements and developing.
Listing Courtesy of Bradley Realty