text:
Ships in 2 to 3 business days
Domestic and International Shipping Options
Other Formats Available
Product Description
Bookshelf eBook users: Because of the large amount of content in this eBook, we recommend viewing in scroll mode for optimal results.Leading scholar and author John L. Sorenson brilliantly synthesizes in this volume his work from 60 years of academic study of ancient Mesoamerica and its relationship to the Book of Mormon.
Here Sorenson reveals that the Book of Mormon exhibits what one would expect of a historical document produced in the context of ancient Mesoamerican civilization. He also shows that scholars' discoveries about Mesoamerica and the contents of the Nephite record are clearly related. Indeed, Sorenson lists more than 400 points where the Book of Mormon text corresponds to characteristic Mesoamerican situations, statements, allusions, and history.
Are we to simply suppose that mere coincidence can account for similarities of this magnitude? The parallels are too striking and too sweeping to answer in the affirmative. Even the greatest savant of the early 19th century—let alone a marginally literate frontier farm boy—could not possibly have produced a volume as rich in Mesoamericana as the Book of Mormon.
The only format in which a record such as the Book of Mormon could have been preserved is that of a native Mesoamerican book, referred to by scholars as a codex. According to the record itself, the text was compiled by a man named Mormon, who lived in the Mesoamerican isthmus area in the late fourth century. Mormon passed the record to his son Moroni, who survived him by more than 35 years and made modest additions to the text.
A significant contribution to the fields of Book of Mormon studies and Mesoamerican studies, Mormon's Codex is John Sorenson's magnum opus. It contains copious explanatory material, extensive footnotes, over 1,300 bibliographical references, illustrations, an appendix, and detailed maps. This long-awaited volume will appeal to informed general readers, archaeologists, and scholars alike
Mormon's Codex is the culmination of a lifetime's labor by Mormonism's preeminent Mesoamerican specialist. Since 1949 John Sorenson has been collecting archaeological and anthropological evidence to show that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from a native Mesoamerican codex, or book. Now, having assembled a mountain of evidence, he boldly challenges scholars to take the Book of Mormon seriously as a priceless source of information about Mesoamerican history and culture. —Richard Lyman Bushman
Mormon's Codex will immediately serve as the high-water mark of scholarship on the Book of Mormon. —Terryl L. Givens
For decades, John Sorenson has been among the foremost students of the Book of Mormon, and the principal advocate for a limited Mesoamerican geography. I vividly remember the excitement of reading An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon back in 1985. Now, in Mormon's Codex, we have the rich results of nearly 30 years of additional study. I have eagerly anticipated this book. —Daniel C. Peterson
Product Details
- Size: 7" x 9.5"
- Pages: 826
- Year Published: 2013
About the Author
John L. Sorenson has been intrigued by applying scholarly methods to Book of Mormon studies ever since 1949, when he finished a mission to New Zealand and the Cook Islands and enrolled in the new archaeology program at Brigham Young University. Years of advanced training in archaeology and anthropology (MA, BYU; PhD, UCLA) coupled with experience as a "dirt" archaeologist in Mexico, as chair of BYU's anthropology department, and as an active Mesoamerican researcher uniquely prepared him for what has proved to be a lifelong project: investigating little-known aspects of the cultures of Book of Mormon peoples.
In his scholarly career, Sorenson has written more than 200 books and articles, among them An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (Deseret Book and FARMS, 1985), a landmark study that matches empirical data from scientific research with hundreds of geographical, historical, and cultural details gleaned from the Book of Mormon narrative. His research and publications in this area continue to flesh out a coherent, plausible model whose text-based criteria cannot be ignored when seeking to place the peoples and events of the Book of Mormon within a real-world setting.
Sorenson was closely involved with the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) for 28 years, including 5 years as editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. Earlier he worked as an applied anthropologist, as director of social sciences for General Research Corporation in Santa Barbara, California, and as founder and president of Bonneville Research Corporation in Provo. His legacy at BYU includes the introduction of anthropology into the university curriculum. In his so-called retirement years, he has vigorously pursued the interests that first captivated him: the cultures of Book of Mormon peoples, ancient Mesoamerican civilization, and social dimensions of Mormonism.
Mormon's Codex: A Preview
John L. Sorenson – 08-14-2013
This document serves to introduce readers to the content of Mormon's Codex: An Ancient American Book (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, and, Provo, UT: Brigham Young University, Maxwell Institute Press), to be released in September 2013. The Preview conveys the intent of the book and provides a sample of the technical details included in the 800+ page hardbound volume.
Beginning as early as 1955 I undertook to synthesize what I was learning about ancient southern Mexico and northern Central America to answer the question, how did the Book of Mormon relate to the civilization that once occupied that area? I have repeated that effort a number of times since. I have now published what will probably be my last major work reporting what I have learned over more than 60 years of professional study of this matter: Mormon's Codex: An Ancient American Book. The work is issued in both print and e-book editions by the Maxwell Institute Press at BYU jointly with Deseret Book. This presentation contains a sample of its essentials.
The book is written in language meant to reach both the informed general reader and archaeologists thus I have avoided professional jargon as much as possible. The book provides full explanations of how the scriptural text relates to scholarship on Mesoamerica, as well as maps, illustrations, and extensive documentation. A great deal of preparatory research lies behind the book that may not be readily apparent. Typically I have worked out in detail crucial aspects of the data used, especially when they contradict the position of conventional scholars. As a single example, note that I (with Martin Raish) have previously addressed the question of whether voyagers to or from the New World in ancient times actually crossed the oceans. Our definitive bibliographical work comprised two volumes of some 1200 pages that abstracted relevant content from over 5,000 printed sources. This and other comprehensive and labor-intensive studies preceded and under-girded my decision seven years ago to produce Mormon's Codex as the capstone of my research on this topic.
I chose to follow a research model recently used in studying the relationship between the Old Testament and archaeology. William Dever used it in his 2001 book What Did the Biblical Writers Know & When Did They Know It? (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans). There he vigorously disputed the view held by some modern scholars that the Hebrew scripture was first written out only in the last few centuries BC on the basis of oral traditions and historical inferencess projected back by anonymous writers on the previous several thousand years. Dever, an eminent archaeologist, successfully redeems the status of the Old Testament as a broadly reliable history.
He proceeds by identifying "convergences," which is what he calls specific points of agreement between statements in the text and finds by archaeologists. When the written source is supported by sufficiently "hard" external evidence, no explanation for the convergence of factual information of the two sorts makes sense except that the archaeological data and the scriptural record refer to the same moment in time and that the author of the written account could not have put down what he did without contemporary knowledge of the circumstances and history of that area.
For example, Dever explains that "The many biblical passages that mention city gates . . . fit remarkably well with [what is known from] excavated gates at a number of sites of the tenth to seventh centuries [BC], and only of this period. . . . No writer living [several centuries later] could have 'invented' [references to] city gates like [those], known only long before." Using numerous instances of this logic, the author shows convincingly that the historical skeleton whose bones, as it were, show through in the Old Testament was real.
I follow the same logic in identifying what I call "correspondences" between the archaeological record for Mesoamerica and the text of the Book of Mormon. While Dever identified a few score of "convergences" to demonstrate the historicity of the Old Testament, I identify hundreds of correspondences that tie the Book of Mormon to the picture of ancient Mesoamerican civilization constructed by archaeologists and other researchers.
A vital step in this procedure was to identify Book of Mormon lands. It was a simple matter for Professor Dever to specify the Syria-Palestine area as the setting where he found his Old Testament parallels. Everyone knows that Palestine is where the Israelite narrative took place. But the where of the Book of Mormon account is not obvious. First it is necessary to establish the location correctly, or else any references to potential Book of Mormon comparisons to archaeology would be in error.
Two steps are required to settle Book of Mormon geography. The first is to reconstruct an internal map that accommodates all 600 passages in the Book of Mormon that state or imply geographical facts. I did this in previous books, determining that all of those statement fit consistently into what I call "Mormon's map" – the map he had in his mind of the scene of the events he wrote into his volume. The second step was to compare the map in Mormon's mind, based entirely on statements in the text, with the geography of the Americas in order to find the best fit. That task is simplified by the fact that Mormon's Nephites are said to have dwelt in cities and compiled many books containing their written history. Only one area in the New World meets those conditions: Mesoamerica.
The remaining question, then, is, in what portion of that sizable area do the details of "Mormon's map" fit? Researchers have suggested scores of possible correlations but all of them except one display fatal flaws that rule out their identification as the territory Mormon had in his mind [based on his eyewitness/personal experience]. The one satisfactory answer goes like this:
- The Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico is the narrow neck of land of the Nephites;
- The highlands of southern Guatemala was the location of the land of Nephi;
- The basin of the Grijalva river and adjacent areas in extreme southern Mexico is the land of Zarahemla;
- Areas immediately north and west of the isthmus are the land northward; and,
- One of the Tuxtla Mountains a little north of the isthmus was the hill Cumorah where the Nephites and Lamanites fought their final battle.
In general this defines the area where it makes sense to look for correspondences between the Book of Mormon and the archaeological/cultural record.
The Correspondences
Beyond the introduction, Mormon's Codex is arranged in two parts. The first consists of 14 chapters treating various cultural topics–for example, writing and records, society, government, warfare, and religion. The five chapters that follow deal with history and archaeology.
Because of the large numbers of correspondences discussed in the book, it will be impossible to present here more than a sample of the total, for the detailed arguments and documentation in support of their identification are lengthy. See the book itself for the details.
Geographical Correspondences
Starting with the broad geographical placement already sketched, the book identifies 25 pointed correspondences between specific map features near the Isthmus of Tehuantepec on the one hand and lands according to the Book of Mormon on the other. Here I list only three of the total:
- According to the Nephite record, a "narrow pass" connected the land northward with the land southward at a strategic point within the narrow neck. In Mesoamerican terms a minor elevation a number of miles long occurs in the geology of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec that forms a "pass" over which ancient (and modern) communication links run northward and southward above surrounding annual flood waters.
- The account in Alma chapter 2 of a battle between Nephite rebels and loyalists begins on a hill across the Sidon river immediately east of the capital city; from there the rebels were pursued up to the nearby land of Gideon, then they moved back down to the Sidon, where a battle ensued at a ford across the river. Precise, plausible parallels are found in the upper basin of the Grijalva river (and there only) for all the geographical features reported.
- The hill Ramah of the Jaredites, which was the same as the hill Cumorah of the Nephites, was where the final extermination of both peoples took place; that hill corresponds in all relevant parameters to Cerro El Vigía in the Tuxtla Mountains of south-central Veracruz state, Mexico.
Writing Systems and Records
- The Book of Mormon describes literate cultures from the third millennium BC to the end of the record early in the fifth century AD. The Book of Mormon reports multiple writing systems in use. Mesoamerican cultures used writing systems of a similar nature from at least the second millennium BC down to the Spanish conquest. Several distinct scripts were in use in that area as far back as several millennia ago, although little is yet known about them.
- Many uses of written documents are known from Mesoamerica. At least 14 of those uses are represented or are referred to in the Nephite record: for example, they kept records of contemporary events, letters of correspondence, adventures of individual heroes and villains, and genealogies.
- In Mesoamerica as in the Book of Mormon "lineage histories" provided validation of a lineage's right to rule or other political claims and were displayed and read publicly on ceremonial occasions to assert that fact. Furthermore, Mesoamerican lineage histories and the Book of Mormon also correspond in more specific ways. Four of them are:
- The accounts were geographically selective, telling only of events and figures important for the people whose history they comprised, while effectively ignoring groups deemed not significant.
- Competition among elite factions for the right to rule meant that histories were considered political weapons; winners tried to eliminate the position of rivals by destroying their records.
- These records included predictions about the lineage's future history.
- Lineage histories also served to define relationships to neighboring peoples.
Human Biology
- The skin color of some native American groups in Mexico and Central America according to early Spanish observers was virtually the same as European "white " people. This corresponds to the Book of Mormon description of its Nephite population as (at least in part) "fair" as against the darker, more numerous Lamanites.
- Artistic representations of individuals from ancient Mesoamerica patently show among them Mediterranean- or Near Eastern-looking folks, as well as Asians, Oceanians and Africans. Moreover, a minority of specifically Semitic people are seen to be one component among ancient Mesoamericans.
- Mesoamerican art also represents men with substantial beards whose parallel in ancient times is almost exclusively with the Near East. Those representations are concentrated in the area in Mesoamerica where and at the times when Book of Mormon peoples apparently dwelt.
Political Economy
- Both in Mesoamerica and in Book of Mormon societies an elite formally dominated in political, social and economic terms, similar to the pattern in essentially all ancient civilizations (but very different from rural New York state in the 19th century).
Both sources further confirm that:
- Rulers and their dependents held their positions in accordance with an ideology that considered traditional (sometimes "divine") rulership as part of the natural social order.
- The perquisites of the ruling elite granted them legal power and an economic mechanism through tribute assessments to amass considerable wealth. Customs associated with kingship and nobility limited their personal use of that wealth, nevertheless they exercised much power by virtue of it.
- Priests were usually closely related to the dominant elite. Their teaching of a traditional ideology provided validation for the structure of exploitation.
- Mesoamericanist scholars have concluded that the primary social actors in ancient Mesoamerica were not individual persons so much as social groups. Social bodies made most decisions and took most responsibility. Analysis of Book of Mormon societies reveals the same; individuals as such did not count for as much as social elements, especially those based on extended kinship. (Again this view is contrary to the norms of early 19th-century USA).
- One of the nuclear family's primary functions in society, both in Mesoamerica and according to the Nephite record, was to provide instruction to children and youth through frequent use of formal moral discourse.
- Polygynous marriage was practiced on a limited basis in Mesoamerican as well as among some Book of Mormon societies.
- Full-fledged social class structures prevailed in many Mesoamerican societies. The primary distinction was between nobles and commoners, according to both the scripture and native history. Moreover social classes among the Nephites were important during two particular periods, the first and second centuries BC and the third and fourth centuries AD, both times when Mesoamerican classes were highly visible.
- Sociopolitical factions anxious to gain power and privilege were endemic in Book of Mormon societies. Their jostling caused most of the sociopolitical stress the scripture reports. Mesoamerican factionalism was equally pronounced and disruptive.
- Religion was an important basis for differentiating social groups according to both secular and Book of Mormon sources. Groups usually held a dominant deity as their integrator and protector.
Material Culture
- Cultivation and transport, according to both the Book of Mormon and Mesoamerican sources, were virtually without the use of animal power.
- "Wine" referred to in the Book of Mormon could have been prepared using several plants, including the same grape as in the Old World; but distilled liquors were not known. When the Spaniards arrived, they invariably called native intoxicants "wine," and they spoke of plots containing maguey plants (the source of the intoxicant pulque) as "vineyards," a term used in the Book of Mormon for plantings that yielded "wine."
m - The single Jaredite mention of "elephants" (in the third millennium BC) corresponds with paleontological discoveries that mastodons survived in certain environments in the Americas as late as 2000 BC or even later, long past the supposed date of extinction of those animals.
- A dearth of timber is reported by Nephite colonists of "the land northward" in the first century BC; it is said that "cement" then became their preferred building material. North and west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec archaeology shows the extensive use of cement began about the first century BC.
- Sacred "towers" were constructed by the Nephites that were similar in form and function to Mesoamerican "towers" or pyramidal substructures. All such constructions had a primarily religious purpose. Moreover the one instance, in the book of Helaman, when a private tower was used as a site for personal prayer and religious discourse has Mesoamerican parallels.
- The model for Nephite "temples" was specifically the "temple of Solomon," which featured two non-structural pillars standing at either side of the doors of the temple. Some Mesoamerican temples displayed similar structurally unnecessary pillars.
- "Silk" and "linen" are mentioned in the Book of Mormon as fabrics utilized by its people. At least five fabrics specified as "silk like" were reported from native Mexico by the Spaniards. Henequen, a widely used Mesoamerican fiber, made a fabric that was the equivalent of linen.
- Hundreds of miles of roads were constructed in Mesoamerica as early as the time of Christ. At that time the Book of Mormon speaks of both roads and "highways" that were "cast up." Mesoamerican highways were often "cast up," that is, constructed of raised fill that was then smooth-surfaced.
All of the correspondences in this list are documented by both Mesoamerican sources and in the Book of Mormon.
- Central to ancient governance was the idea that kings (or at lesser levels, lords or nobles) could be divinely designated (or were themselves considered divine) rulers with powers conferred on them "by right." (This of course was contrary to ideas in New England where the Book of Mormon was first published.)
- Governments were evidently fragile; factionalism in the ruling stratum was endemic.
- Political schisms or fissions often resulted in dissident social elements fleeing in order to establish independent kingdoms or cultures.
- Election or ratification of a new ruler by "vote" of his subjects was sometimes customary.
- Major rulers occupied a "palace"; residences of lesser rulers were not considered "palaces."
- A new (younger) king was sometimes installed before the death of the previous ruler, who then served out his lifespan as "emeritus" king.
- The judicial function required a corps of judges who served under the nominal chief judgeship of the monarch; several levels of judicature existed, difficult cases being referred to a higher-level.
- Warfare was of major significance in the culture history of both Mesoamerica and Book of Mormon peoples. Recognition of its significance represents a major change in archaeological thought in recent decades; that area's recognized war practices now align more directly with those described in Mormon's book
- Wars in Mesoamerica were typically fought during the time of year when they did not interfere with agricultural activities, society's greatest priority. The same timing is reflected in Book of Mormon accounts of warfare.
- Religion played a major role in warfare and was sometimes the primary cause of conflict, according to both sources. For both Mesoamerican culture and the Book of Mormon all the following military features correspond:
- Guidance was sought through priestly oracles in planning and conducting military operations.
- Violent feuds between contending peoples could last for generations.
- Armed forces were composed of geographically based militia "armies"; there were no large standing armies. Mass hand-to-hand combat was the normal fighting mode.
- The heads of local "armies" were called "captains," ("chief captains," etc.) who held rank according to a hierarchical pattern.
- Companies of warriors were sometimes called "sons" by their captains.
- Some Mesoamerican armies were composed of units of 10,000 men, as were Nephite units at the time of their final war.
- The most widespread form of fortification was made by excavating a dry moat, throwing the soil up on the inner bank against a timber palisade and building another line of erect timbers atop it.
- At least five types of weapons said to be used by Book of Mormon armies correspond to with those used in Mesoamerica.
- Moroni1 carried a flag or virtual battle standard while rallying his force. In Mexico a standard on a pole was strapped to a commander's back as he led his men into battle.
- Mesoamerican wars sometimes continued until the victorious commander was able to "drink the blood" of the enemy leader. A Lamanite leader made that very threat against a Nephite captain.
Ideology and Religion
- A complex of 355 cultural patterns having to do with religion and ideology was present both in the civilizations of the ancient Near East in the second and first millennia BC and in Mesoamerican civilization. Those detailed correspondences can only be explained by calling on transoceanic voyaging, plausibly including voyages reported in the Book of Mormon.
- At least 62 of the 355 features are documented in or implied by the Book of Mormon.
- Mortality was viewed, by at least some Mesoamerican thinkers as well as by Nephite prophets, as a test of a person's conformity to a set of moral standards, the degree to be a matter for divine judgment.
- Some Book of Mormon peoples as much as certain Mesoamericans anticipated a post-mortal residence in "paradise" and ultimately a "resurrection."
- Spiritual renewal was symbolized by a seed or plant growing from the visceral organs of human bodies.
- In certain times and cultures a Mesoamerican cult of salvation appeared that promised immortality to observant persons. The same was true of Book of Mormon believers.
- A Mesoamerican myth of the "fall" of the "first couple" as a result of disobedience to the creator's command matches in important respects the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as repeated in the Book of Mormon.
- The practice described by Nephite historians as "priestcraft"—exploitation of devotees for priestly economic gain—is documented in the Book of Mormon and is supposed by scholars to have been a common feature of Mesoamerican religious life.
- Prophets, both legitimate and "false," and "seers" who gazed into sacred, oracular stones, were shared further features of religious life.
- A form of ritual washing termed "baptism" was also shared.
- Sacrifice was extensively practiced in the Mesoamerica and among the Nephites. The commonest type was the shedding of the blood of an animal, although offerings of other substances were also made.
- A form of communion was practiced both by Mesoamericans and Nephites in which food emblems representing the body of a savior deity were eaten.
- Legends in Mesoamerica tell of the disappearance of special persons said to have been taken away without suffering death; some persons are characterized in the same manner in the Book of Mormon.
- A pattern of ritual and belief (that is, elements of the cult referred to above that had arrived anciently from the Near East) was abruptly terminated in the first century AD, at least in southern Mesoamerica. This change corresponds in time, place, and in part in nature to that reported in the Book of Mormon at the time of Christ's command to the people of the Book of Mormon that they cease performing rites of the law of Moses.
Archaeology and History: Before 600 BC
- The book of Ether pictures early Jaredite demography to make clear inferentially that an indigenous population already occupied the land where they arrived. That fact agrees with the scientific picture of multi-ethnic Mexico in the third millennium BC.
- The first tradition of civilization ("Olmec") in Mexico was followed later by a variant "theocratic" tradition" that continued up to the arrival of the Spaniards. Much the same picture is encompassed over the same time frame by the histories of the Jaredites followed by the Nephites/Mulekites/Lamanites as civilizations.
- A decline of the society in which the Jaredites lived took place over a period of several centuries before their extinction around 600 BC. The Olmec cultural tradition declined and disappeared from the culture history of Mexico at the same time.
- The archaeological site at San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a preeminent Olmec city, coincided in time and place with the "great city" built by Jaredite king Lib at a spot "by the narrow neck of land."
- The Jaredites used at least one writing system that their founders had brought from Mesopotamia. From three to perhaps five (still poorly known) systems of writing were employed in Mesoamerica by the end of the Jaredite era.
Archaeology and History: 600 BC to about 1 BC
(citing only 13 of 79 correspondences)
- Soon after their arrival in their promised land (presumably in Guatemala), the Nephites moved up to nearby highlands where they became farmers. Lamanites remained in the lowlands where they lived by hunting and took on darker skins. Guatemalan Pacific lowlanders at the time of the Spanish conquest had notably darker skins than highlanders, perhaps for environmental reasons.
- Small clay figurines from the Valley of Guatemala dated about 300 BC have (skin) surfaces shaded white (figurines from Old World Jerusalem dated when Lehi's party left there were white). Other figurines from Guatemala show skins that are shaded reddish-brown. These differences of course agree with those between "fair" Nephites and "dark" Lamanites. But about 200 BC the light-complexioned figurines ceased being made in highland Guatemala, about when Mosiah1 led his Nephites away to Zarahemla.
- Near the time when Mosiah1's party left, some evidence of warfare is found in the archaeology of the valley of Guatemala along with a decrease in population that may mirror the Mosiah1 group's departure.
- A 22-feet high earthen "Great Wall," so named by archaeologists, protected at least a portion of the ancient ruined city now called Kaminaljuyu, in suburban Guatemala City (only limited parts of the site are accessible now to be excavated), dating around the sixth to third centuries BC. In concept, scale and date it was apparently similar to the wall built by the Nephites around the city of Nephi.
- At Kaminaljuyu, the oldest "great city" in southern Mesoamerica, rapid urbanization from about 600 to 200 BC compared with what the Book of Mormon pictures for the city of Nephi. The scale of public works erected then is impressive.
- Writing (found only on scattered monuments) was in use at Kaminaljuyu from 500 to 200 BC and perhaps also later, confirming the early status of "civilization" at the place. The Book of Mormon reports literacy at the city of Nephi between ca. 575 and 200 BC as well as among the Zeniffites and some Lamanites later located there.
- An early pyramid at Kaminaljuyu suggested by archaeologists to have functioned in part as a military watch-tower agrees in time, place, and function with a Book of Mormon description of such a structure in the second century BC.
- A major source for obsidian used to make weapons and tools is located near Guatemala City; it meets in essential respects the requirements for "the place of arms" spoken of in Alma chapter 47.
- After the general collapse of Olmec society around 600 BC, a modified version of that tradition continued around the site of La Venta in the Isthmus. Art representations there are interpreted by some archaeologists as showing local leadership being taken over by immigrants who look like Jews. This hybrid culture site came to an end by 450 BC. In Book of Mormon terms the end of Jaredite society near 600 BC was followed by a period when some survivors of the earlier people must have combined with the tiny party of Mulekite colonists in or around the Nephite "city of Mulek." The use of Jaredite personal and other names among the Nephites/Mulekites confirms the same phenomenon.
- A conflict zone has been detected by scholars that extended across southern Mesoamerica where speakers of Mixe-Zoquean tongues near the isthmus confronted northward-expanding populations of Maya-language speakers. Correspondingly the combined Nephites and Mulekites in the narrow neck zone were under constant expansive pressure by Lamanites of the land of Nephi on the south along a corresponding border.
- Ceramic and linguistic comparisons indicate that some people from highland Guatemala arrived in central Chiapas on the order of 200 BC, approximately when Mosiah1 led his Nephite party from the land of Nephi to settle in Zarahemla.
- At the ruined ancient city at Santa Rosa on the upper Grijalva river, which qualifies as Zarahemla, a major ceremonial structure was erected in BC times in two distinct halves by different segments of the population. That social duality is confirmed by the presence of two residential zones. Plausibly the Nephite populationbuilt the one half structure and lived in one of he zones while "the people of Zarahemla" occupied the other.
- Book of Mormon statements dating to the middle of the first century BC tell of the migration of colonists from the land southward to the land northward. Significant populations moved from south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the north around that time as documented by archaeology in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz.
Archaeology and History: about AD 1 to 200
- The transition of the culture into the so-called Classic era near AD 200 is often represented by archaeologists as an abrupt shift from a condition before civilization arose to one where civilization became evident. But that picture now seems greatly oversimplified. Now we know that in the so-called Pre-Classic full-fledged civilization was already present in Mesoamerica. That agrees with the Book of Mormon.
- Areas in Mesoamerica suffered nearly simultaneous natural disasters—at least from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes—in the first half of the first century AD. These phenomena caused sudden population declines, cultural disruptions, and other elements of discontinuity. Corresponding natural disasters occurred at some point between AD 25 and 30 as reported in the Book of Mormon.
- As part of that natural disaster Mormon's record reports the destruction of the city of Jerusalem in the land of Nephi resulting from its being "covered with water." Submerged ruins dating to about the time of Christ have been discovered beneath the waters of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, where our geographical correlation places the city of Jerusalem.
- No later than the second century AD archaeological evidence suggests the presence of the developed cult of the Feathered Serpent or Quetzalcoatl in Mesoamerica. Some scholars consider this cult to have been based on the teachings of a "man/god" as reported in Mexican traditions. The Book of Mormon tells of the appearance of the resurrected Christ among the Nephites in similar terms.
- A new pattern of society that resulted from acceptance of Christ's teachings was characterized by a localized, communalist economy and a classless social structure. In some parts of Mesoamerica archaeologists have used language to describe social conditions at this period that are congruent with these features. For example, burial customs tend to show that tombs were no longer used, nor were any rich burial offerings made, indicating an unranked society.
Archaeology and History: AD 200 to 400
- In this period the cult of the Feathered Serpent was melded or syncretized with variant cults. The Book of Mormon reports that in the third century "the church" of Jesus Christ lost its dominance among the Nephites as rival belief systems arose.
- Wealth expanded dramatically in step with a rise in trade and population in this period, both in Mesoamerica and according to the Nephite record.
- The rise of factions, probably based on ethnic and cult differences, complicated governance and distinguished regions from each other in much of Mesoamerica at this time. Ethnic/tribal rivalries were renewed among Book of Mormon groups at the same time; no unified, widespread government existed.
- Militaristic imagery became common in art, and fortifications indicate that warfare now became a major feature of Mesoamerican cultures. In the third century mass warfare became general between the Nephites and Lamanites across the old conflict zone between their traditional territories.
- AD 350 the Central Depression of Chiapas was depopulated almost totally due to war instigated by invaders from Guatemala. At that very time the land of Zarahemla of the Nephites was largely emptied of its population when the Nephites retreated northward due to a Lamanite invasion from the south.
- Nephites and Lamanites made a calendrical appointment in setting up their climactic battle in the land of Cumorah. Mesoamerican commanders made such appointments for battle on an astrological basis.
- Human sacrifice appears in the archaeological record at least by the fifth century AD; the Nephite historian reports its appearance among Lamanites in the fourth century.
- Genocidal war, as in the case of the Lamanites who exterminated Nephite society near AD 400, is the ultimate end of conflict according to the Book of Mormon. The Mesoamerican record of the Terminal Classic era in the Maya area a few centuries later shows just such a type of genocide.
- Moroni, the last record keeper, reported continuing warfare among Lamanite factions and "robbers" in the early fifth century, years after the destruction of the Nephites. Mesoamerican wars continued during the same period.
The intent of this book is to demonstrate that the Book of Mormon exhibits characteristics one could expect (only) in a Mesoamerican historical document. The material mustered shows that what scholars have discovered about that civilization and what the Nephite record says are plainly related, often in specific details.
It is not rational to suppose that mere coincidence can account for correspondences of this scale. The parallels are much too striking and too sweeping to allow that casual explanation.
The question of who wrote the Book of Mormon has been answered by some critics by supposing that young Joseph Smith was a remarkably creative author who composed the volume himself. Literary critic Harold Bloom considered Smith a "religious genius," as though that label explained how he was able to dictate this intricately plotted book of 270,000 words in less than 75 days without revising what he had dictated. Others have supposed that Smith melded together romantic notions about American Indians that were being bruited about on the New York frontier in the 1820s along with language borrowed from the Bible. Yet another explanation is that someone more literate than he created the manuscript of the Book of Mormon which Smith pirated.
The hundreds of Mesoamerican correspondences pointed out in Mormon's Codex make any 19th-century New York origin for the book unbelievable. Furthermore correspondences to a local New York scene fall short. For instance would anyone writing a book based on that area fail to mention snow, ice or cold, even a single time, or tell about military action carried out in exhausting heat at new year's?
No such facile interpretation can account for the abundance of Mesoamerican culture and history in the book. Even the best-educated scholar in the early 19th century, let alone a marginally literate young frontier farmer, could not possibly have produced a volume this rich in Mesoamericana. In fact even the best-informed scholar now in the 21st century would probably find it impossible to hew so closely and subtly to the picture of Mesoamerican civilization as does the Book of Mormon.
Young Smith could not have been acquainted with significant scholarly knowledge about antiquity; such knowledge simply did not exist. Smith's had no scholarly knowledge whatever. His wife, Emma Hale Smith, said "Joseph Smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictating a book like the Book of Mormon."
Only one explanation for the Mesoamerican content shown by the Book of Mormon is plausible, that the text was written by a native person from southern Mexico who lived in the fourth century AD. That historian/editor had to have been an eyewitness of some of the events recorded and was intimately familiar with the exotic geographical setting where the actions took place. How his record reached New York state and got into Smith's hands, and how he translated it, are questions nobody is able to answer objectively at this time, but they pale in comparison to the question of how the original work came to be.
The only format in which such a record could have been preserved from antiquity was as a native Mesoamerican book, called by scholars a codex. In fact some contemporary descriptions of the record Joseph Smith had in his hands make it sound like such a codex. The most detailed is from Charles Anthon, a professor at Columbia College in New York City. In 1828 as Smith was beginning to translate the record from the metal plates, he made a copy of "a considerable number" of the "characters" from the record. That copy was given to an associate, Martin Harris, who took the documents to Professor Anthon in New York City for confirmation of its antiquity and the accuracy of Smith's translation. It is not entirely clear what the savant told Harris during their interview, but years later Smith's critics asked Anthon for his version of what transpired during Harris's visit. An 1843 letter from him contains perhaps the best description we have of what Harris displayed:
The characters were arranged in columns, like the Chinese mode of writing . . . . Greek, Hebrew and all sorts of letters, more or less distorted, . . . were intermingled with sundry delineations of half moons, stars, and other natural objects, and the whole ended in a rude representation of the Mexican zodiac.
Such a description suggests what someone might say after a naïve look at a Mesoamerican codex—-perpendicular columns of "singular characters," "natural objects," segmented circles, a Mexican calendar, etc.
The volume may be appropriately called Mormon's Codex. Supposing it is authentic, it constitutes the oldest and most extensive Mesoamerican codex known. Scholars engaged in the study of that civilization have the possibility, and even the responsibility, of studying this unique document as such a codex.
Of course there are statements—lots of them—in Mormon's Codex that are puzzling to Mesoamericanist scholars. The same is true of the Old Testament in relation to Syro-Palestinian archaeology, yet Dever, while granting that certain details in the biblical history of Israel cannot be squared with the current archaeological model for that area, insisted that "this [people] Israel, must not be written out of history." Meanwhile the findings of modern archaeology continue to reduce the apparent disjunctions.
Archaeologist John Clark has pointed out a similar relationship between Mesoamerican archaeology and study of the Book of Mormon text: "The trend over the last 50 years is one of convergence between the Book of Mormon and Mesoamerican archaeology. Book of Mormon claims [have] remain[ed] unaltered since 1830, so all the accommodation has been on the archaeology side."
Mormon's Codex carries that process of convergence further, consequently I say, in the spirit of Professor Dever, "these Nephites must not be written out of Mesoamerican history."
Nephi, Alma, Mormon & Moroni would be proud
by Kirk - reviewed on September 12, 2013
First came "The Book of Mormon as a Mesoamerican Codex" published in 1976. That was followed in 1985 by Sorenson's landmark "An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon." And now, at age 89, the dean of LDS Mesoamericanists has given us his magnum opus, the result of his 60+ year disciplined & meticulous study (love affair, really) of the Book of Mormon and things Mesoamerican. John L. Sorenson is in an elite class with Hugh W. Nibley and John W. Welch as defenders of the faith and exegetes of the Mormon canon. This book will become a classic. Like his 1985 work, it will remain in print for decades. It will define John L. Sorenson to the next generation of Book of Mormon students and scholars. Don't let the hefty price deter you. Serious students of the Book of Mormon should read this handsome book. It has thoughtful insights on nearly every page. Heavily footnoted, with an 85 page bibliography, John's careful scholarship is obvious without getting in the way of a good read. Author of more than 200 scholarly works, John L. Sorenson is one of a handful of LDS scholars honored with a festschrift. For nearly 30 years, he and Welch built F.A.R.M.S. (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies) into the pre-eminent Book of Mormon research organization in the Church (now the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU). In 1953, Sorenson participated in the first N.W.A.F. (New World Archaeological Foundation) season of fieldwork in Tabasco and Chiapas. His experience has informed the Foundation's excellent work ever since. In 1980, Sorenson was the founding chairman of the BYU Department of Anthropology. This is a monumental book. It will occupy a place of honor in LDS and Restoration Branch libraries for years to come.
Readable, professional, accurate and packed
by Adam - reviewed on May 25, 2014
I studied Book of Mormon archaeology from non-LDS sources first and found the Mesoamerican model to fit the scriptural and modern-day prophetic references. Research led me to this book back in September in 2013. I had studied the Heartland model from both non-LDS and LDS sources to be educated, but disagree on most of it's conclusions. As a previous student of geology, science and psychology, I've found Sorenson's research to really target what is known and it's possible correspondences to the Book of Mormon. Sorenson's professionalism is markedly outstanding. He educates the non-scientific reader of important research facts, areas of weakness and most notably uses correspondences to share information rather than labeling anything as a "fact" of Book of Mormon evidence. For an authority on the subject, I'm incredibly impressed. Though I haven't finished the book yet, I've enjoyed learning more about Mesoamerican historical culture and learning the seemingly-likely "whys" of sociocultural passages that were included in the Book of Mormon. This has really made the Book of Mormon have the historical tangibility that I've always believed it to contain. Research for the Book of Mormon and it's physical and social evidence has exploded since the late 1990's and is well captured in this book. I've been thoroughly impressed with the research, cited references, and certainly the sociology. Most "anti" questions are resolved with good education and the Spirit, but many evidences found here are very validating. Though my testimony came from the Spirit, I must say that I have never felt like I was holding an actual copy of a record of our ancient prophets like I feel I do now. I didn't know there was so much I didn't know, and each paragraph has been a treat. There is so much information in here. If you want 800 pages of a summary of decades of research, unforced correspondences, and a place where all the Book of Mormon references have a physical and social setting that mesh well, here it is, and it's a comfortable read. ANDROID SIDE NOTE: I have the hard copy and eBook for Android. Unfortunately I've been very disappointed with the Deseret Bookshelf app, and this book exaggerates at least one of its issues. The chapters are very large on this book and take a while to load on my relatively fast phone, and then re-navigating to my bookmark takes little bit too. General problems with that app are very poor highlighting (hard to select and competes with the native highlighting) and bookmarking is limited to certain areas so you can't mark exactly where you left off. In this book, the paragraphs can get pretty lengthy so the bookmarking issue makes it even more difficult to find where you were last.


text:
If you don't fancy taking part in any of our sponsored events, why not organise your own?
Pub quizzes, coffee mornings, dress-down days, pamper nights and raffles – the list is endless and it is the ideal opportunity to showcase your creativity!
We have a dedicated team of fundraisers who will be happy to provide you with support and advice so that your event runs as smoothly as possible.
We can also provide fundraising materials including sponsor forms, letters of authority, posters and flyers.
To discuss further, please contact our community fundraiser.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Norco plans for its future in China.
Topics: dairy-production, trade, raleigh-2454
| UpdatedThe Norco dairy co-operative is reporting a better year than anticipated.
Topics: trade, dairy-production, lismore-2480, surfers-paradise-4217, raleigh-2454
Topics: dairy-production, raleigh-2454
Raleigh Dairies, a 835 ha operation south of Coffs Harbour, will be publicly listed for sale next month. Colliers International's agribusiness director, Rawdon Briggs, says several parties, including from overseas, have already expressed interest.
Topics: agricultural-marketing, dairy-production, raleigh-2454
Topics: dairy-production, raleigh-2454
| UpdatedSeveral parties have expressed interest in a major dairy business in NSW ahead of its market listing next month.
Topics: agricultural-marketing, dairy-production, raleigh-2454
The Federal Opposition leader says he'll be participating in the Coffs Coast Cycle Challenge this weekend.
Topics: cycling, charities, federal-government, federal-parliament, coffs-harbour-2450, toormina-2452, bonville-2441, raleigh-2454, bellingen-2454
A New Zealand based dairy company's withdrawal a development application for Bellingen shire project is being described as a victory for 'people power'.
Topics: community-and-society, urban-development-and-planning, rural, livestock, cattle-feedlots, dairy-production, raleigh-2454, australia, nsw, port-macquarie-2444
A record number of public submissions have been received for a controversial proposal to intensify two existing dairies at Raleigh.
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, community-and-society, environment, environmental-impact, raleigh-2454, australia, nsw, port-macquarie-2444
A proposal for an intensive dairy operation near the Bellinger river estuary will be the focus of a meeting on the mid north coast today.
Topics: dairy-production, environment, environmental-impact, rivers, water-supply, rural, livestock, raleigh-2454, australia, nsw, bellingen-2454
| UpdatedFloodwaters surround a house at Raleigh, south of Coffs Harbour on the mid-north NSW coast, on April 1, 2009, after the heaviest rain in the area for more than 10 years.
Topics: disasters-and-accidents, floods, rainfall, raleigh-2454


text:
Blog | Comments |
WoW | 28 Comments |
Recent Comments:
Urgent maintenance for select realms {WoW}
Jan 27th 2010 9:22AM Double Death/Double Loot sort of happened to me last week on the weekly raid (XT-002). He died and we all got badges but was suddenly back up at 5% and we killed him again for double badges.
The Twelve Days of Winter Veil: Day nine - BlizzCon goody bags {WoW}
Dec 26th 2009 12:09AM yay
More dungeon finder tips {WoW}
Dec 14th 2009 11:01AM you should just be able to requeue the instance. open lfg (group leader) and select the specific instance you want, should give you a new version of whatever normal you are running. It's a sound theory anyways, lol.
Corehound Pups in the mail with patch 3.3 [Updated] {WoW}
Dec 8th 2009 4:29PM worldofwarcraft.com main page is down, trailer coming soon?
Realm Status: Coming back online {WoW}
Dec 8th 2009 3:06PM this, but Dragon Age!
Ask a Faction Leader: Lor'themar Theron {WoW}
Dec 1st 2009 1:44PM Damnit Phantom, he's a politician not a soldier! He can't be expected to remember all of those facts and stuff when they don't apply to his paperwork!
WoW 5th Anniversary Giveaway: World of Warcraft novels {WoW}
Nov 25th 2009 11:06AM it's like christmas in november!
WoW 5th Anniversary Giveaway: 3 Tiny mount loot codes {WoW}
Nov 25th 2009 9:49AM yay
WoW 5th Anniversary Giveaway: 5 Razer Naga gaming mice {WoW}
Nov 24th 2009 11:47AM //For the Horde!
WoW 5th Anniversary Giveaway: 2 Tuskarr Kite loot codes {WoW}
Nov 24th 2009 8:44AM //commented


text:
UTAS Home › Faculty of Arts › School of Humanities › People › › Dr Kristyn Harman
Lecturer, Aboriginal Studies
Cert Arts (Massey)-
BA (Hons) (UTAS)-
Grad Cert University Learning and Teaching (UTAS)-
PhD (UTAS)
Contact Campus | Sandy Bay Campus |
Building | Social Science |
Room Reference | 302 |
Telephone | +61 3 6226 7527 |
Fax | +61 3 6226 2575 |
firstname.lastname@example.com |
Career Summary
Kristyn Harman is a social historian and the author of Aboriginal Convicts: Australian, Khoisan, and Māori Exiles (UNSW Press, 2012). She is a lecturer in the School of Humanities, and has been a Visiting Scholar with the Centre for Postcolonial and Gender Studies and International Research Training Group, Univeristät Trier, Germany, and a Visiting Researcher, Monash University, Prato, Italy. Kristyn is committed to teaching excellence, and has received a number of teaching awards, including a Vice Chancellor's Citation for Outstanding Contribution to to Student Learning. Her research interests include contact history across the British Empire, domesticity at colonial frontiers, warfare, and experiences of captivity (including convicts, and prisoners of war). Kristyn's research is published in international scholarly journals including Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History and Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History. She has presented her research at academic conferences in England, Europe, Austraslia, and New Zealand and also enjoys discussing it at public events such as Adelaide Writers' Week.
Kristyn has developed, co-ordinates, and delivers a range of undergraduate units, predominantly with a historical focus. Units in which she is currently involved include:
HAU254 Empire: Ambitions and Aftermath
HAB202 Special Topic in Aboriginal Studies (individual research project)
HAB210 International Indigenous Tourism
HAB211 Van Diemen's Land: Contested History, Contested Place
HAB217 Indigenous Warfare: Conflict & Collaboration
HAB252 Indigenous Life Histories
HAU354 Empire: Ambitions and Aftermath
HAB302 Special Topic in Aboriginal Studies (individual research project)
HAB310 International Indigenous Tourism
HAB311 Van Diemen's Land: Contested History, Contested Place
HAB317 Indigenous Warfare: Conflict & Collaboration
HAB352 Indigenous Life Histories
Aboriginal Convicts: Australian, Khoisan and MÄori Exiles, UNSW Press, 2012.
Journal Articles
'"Making Shift": Mary Ann Hodgkinson and Hybrid Domesticity in Early Colonial New Zealand', Journal of New Zealand History, Vol. 47, No. 1, 2014.
'Protecting Tasmanian Aborigines: American and Queensland Influences on the Cape Barren Island Reserve Act 1912', Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, Vol. 41, Issue 5, 2013.
'Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in Colonial Australia, 1805 – 1860s' (with Associate Professor Hamish Maxwell-Stewart), Journal of Colonialism & Colonial History, Vol. 13, No. 2, 2012, DOI: 10.1353/cch.2012.0023.
'Innovations in Co-ordinating Undergraduate Students' Oral Tutorial Presentations', Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, Vol. 1, Issue 1, 2010.
'Send in the Sydney Natives! Deploying Mainlanders Against Tasmanian Aborigines', Tasmanian Historical Studies, Vol. 14, 2009, pp. 5-24.
'"The Same Measure of Justice": Aboriginal Convicts in the Australian Penal Colonies', Australian Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2009, pp. 1-20.
Chapters in Books
'The Rin Tin Tin Plaque: A Man, his Dog, and a Japanese Prisoner of War' in Annabel Cooper, Lachy Paterson and Angela Wanhalla, eds., The Lives of Objects, Otago University Press, Dunedin [forthcoming, 2015].
'Black Peter the Bushranger', Island 130: Tasmania Now, 2012.
'The Art of Cutting Stone': Aboriginal Convict Labour in Nineteenth Century New South Wales & Van Diemen's Land, in N. Fijn, I. Keen, C. Lloyd & M. Pickering (eds.), Indigenous Participation in Australian Economies II: Historical Engagements and Current Enterprises, ANU e-Press, Canberra, 2012.
'Multiple Subjectivities: Writing Duall's Life as Social Biography' in P. Read, F. Peters-Little, and A. Haebich (eds.), Indigenous Biography and Autobiography, Monograph 17, Aboriginal History Monograph Series, ANU e-Press, Canberra, 2008.
Further Details
Authorised by the Acting Head of School, Humanities
12 March, 2014
Future Students | International Students | Postgraduate Students | Current Students
© University of Tasmania, Australia ABN 30 764 374 782 CRICOS Provider Code 00586B
Copyright | Privacy | Disclaimer | Web Accessibility | Site Feedback | Info line 1300 363 864


text:
- dotTech - http://dottech.org -
[iPad] Read all your ePub books in one place with Bluefire Reader
Posted By Kathryn On September 21, 2012 @ 11:30 PM In iOS | No Comments
[1]I love to read. If you see me out and about, there's either a book in my bag, or (more often) my Nook in my bag. But I like to be able to read on any device I carry around. For the iPad, I use Bluefire Reader.
Bluefire Reader is an eReader app for the iPad that specializes in ePub format. You can load books onto it through iTunes, or by using Dropbox (clicking an ePub file in Dropbox will open it in Bluefire Reader). You need to have an Adobe ID and be signed to read the eBooks with DRM protection on them. Bluefire Reader comes with a very in depth guide that will tell you how to sync your Adobe ID and (if you use third party eBook sellers) Vendor ID so that all your ePubs and PDFs will be viewable in Bluefire Reader.
[2]Once you have your books loaded on Bluefire Reader, the app features several different ways of displaying your collection. You can view them in a list, or as if they were sitting on a shelf in front of you with Covers view. You can also sort into recently-read, or by title or author. Removing a book from Bluefire Reader is easier than loading one on — tap the "edit" button in the upper right hand corner in your library, then just hit the X next to the book you want to delete before tapping "save."
Bluefire Reader features many different customizations to make reading personal and easy on your eyes. There are several different themes to choose from for the reading pages. The classic black on white, or (what I use) white on black, are just two of the options. When you select some text, you can create a bookmark and add your own notes to it. I do miss the Nook's "tap bookmark" feature and keep finding myself accidentally turning pages when I try to put in a bookmark. Their bookmark system could use a little work, but other than that, this is a great way to get your ePub and PDF books on your iPad.
Price: Free
Version reviewed: 1.7
Requires iOS 3.0 or later
Download size: 20.8 MB
Article printed from dotTech: http://dottech.org
URL to article: http://dottech.org/81951/ipad-read-all-your-epub-books-in-one-place-with-bluefire-reader/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://dottech.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/BlueFireReader.jpg
[2] Image: http://dottech.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/BluefireReader2.jpg
[3] Bluefire Reader on Apple App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bluefire-reader/id394275498?mt=8
Click here to print.
© 2008-2012 dotTech.org | All content is the property of its rightful owner.


text:
Showing All "Rachel Zoe" Posts
Feb 21st, 2013 22 Comments
Steve Martin & Joel McHale photobomb Amy Poehler & Maya Rudolph -BuzzFeedCeleb
Watch a trailer for The Real World: Portland. Aaaahhh! -MTV
Patton Oswalt To Guest Star On Parks and…   Read Story »
Aug 5th, 2010 41 Comments
It was literally Saturday night, and Big Shots, a night club that was literally near the airport, was literally filled with people. Tucked away in a back corner booth, Rachel Zoe and her girlfriends…   Read Story »
Aug 3rd, 2010 279 Comments
This one literally does not deserve a full post, but it is still surprisingly fun to play. "YOU LITERALLY CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH," etc. "Momma always said life was literally a box of chocolates." You…   Read Story »
Aug 2nd, 2010 59 Comments
Hopefully at least one of us is using that word correctly.   Read Story »


text:
Up, Up and Away
March 16, 2011
For alumna Laura Harkonen, '03, choosing a major was easy - whatever would allow her to follow a dream of becoming a missionary pilot. Now that dream, a dream her husband Timo, '00, '02, shares, is nearly a reality. Laura, Timo and their children, Janey and Richard hope to be living and working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by next year. However, before they can leave there are several things they must accomplish. The family needs to raise financial support by August before they can leave for nine months of French school in Canada. They also have to learn Swahili, which they are studying through the Rosetta Stone Program. Of course, all of these things have to happen in sequence before they can move on to the next step. In an effort to garner financial support for their trip and the duration of their stay in the DRC, the Harkonens are sharing information about themselves and the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) with churches and various other groups. Laura, who came to Averett to learn how to fly, will be working with MAF as a pilot. She will be delivering doctors, vaccinations, pastors, teachers and supplies to remote areas in the DRC. "The airplanes bring in hope to people who don't have any," Laura said. "I first learned about MAF while on a mission trip to Zimbabwe in high school. I knew then I wanted to be a mission pilot. Averett fully prepared me for a career as a pilot. Mr. Vance was instrumental in my training at Averett. He worked hard to ensure that we were knowledgeable and prepared for even the strangest situations." Timo's role once they reach the DRC is less clear at this point. However, once they are actually in the country he will have the opportunity to use his business training from Averett as well as the master of divinity degree he is finishing to help local pastors with education, business or technology needs. It's possible that he might even homeschool the children. "I'm excited to go and participate in whatever God is doing in the DRC," Timo said. "I don't know yet what that will look like." MAF, a nonprofit interdenominational mission, was founded in 1945 by former World War II pilots who wanted to spread the gospel. Since then, it has grown into an organization that provides medical assistance, disaster response, community development and training and development of indigenous people in 42 countries throughout Asia, Africa, Eurasia and Latin America. To follow Laura and Timo and their family as they prepare to leave visit their website at MAF. To contact them for more information e-mail Laura.


text:
The latest version of Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video. Please click on the link below to download the latest version. Thanks!
Recent flooding in Central America has left hundreds dead and thousands homeless.
In El Salvador, floodwaters swept away entire crops of corn, beans and rice, devastating many small farmers.
Families fled as the rain and swollen rivers engulfed their homes.
More than 6,000 people found safety in emergency shelters, but when the floodwaters overwhelmed shelters, nearby evangelical churches opened their doors.
"We value it highly. We appreciate it greatly, and that's the supportive spirit of the evangelical churches," said Jiquilisco Mayor David Barahona.
"The pastors have had a great spirit of love for their neighbor. And we have a lot of evangelical churches that are functioning as shelters," he added. "Besides that, the pastors have joined in with their families, their wives, to care for our brothers."
"To see people who were flooded out in the lower Lempa. They were cold. We really couldn't resist," explained Elim Church pastor Millan Chorro. "This is a time when you don't work with the mind, but you work with the heart."
Relief organizations, including CBN's Operation Blessing, distributed food bags full of beans, flour, corn, salt and rice.
Doctors provided medical care to critical patients and emergency packages to families.
Rebuilding will take time.
The flooding affected about 278,000 farmers in El Salvador.
Find out how you can help Operation Blessing International's disaster relief programs around the world and here at home.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting? Are you facing a difficult situation?
Find peace with God, discover more about God or send us your prayer request.
Call The 700 Club Prayer Center at 1 (800) 823-6053, 24 hours a day.
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
CBN News is a national/international, nonprofit news organization that provides programming by cable, satellite, and the Internet, 24-hours a day. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Sign up for the CBN News Dispatch and receive CBN News Reports in your inbox each day.Subscribe Now >>
Add CBN News, articles, latest videos and blog feeds to your favorite RSS reader. Subscribe Now >>
E-mail us your news tips, story ideas, questions & comments. Contact Us >>


text:
Current Articles | RSS Feed
Real-time location systems (RTLS) have long offered the sexiest features in RFID. As adoption of passive RFID accelerates, the question remains, "Why hasn't RTLS done better in the market?"
All RFID systems offer identification, location and time stamps. However, it's the precision of the location data delivered by RTLS that gets users excited. Well engineered RTLS solutions can show you on a facility diagram, where an asset is at any given time. It is like an indoor Global Positioning System (GPS).
Typical passive RFID systems offer you event based tracking which indicates the location of the reader that identifies the asset and the time of the event. You can infer where the asset is by knowing when it last passed by a reader or occasionally by its current location within a reader's visibility (i.e. interrogation zone). Since you are only deploying readers at choke points, the infrastructure cost is much less. Combine this with tags that cost a couple of orders of magnitude less than active RTLS systems and the cost savings further increases.
Regardless of cost, that GPS-like RTLS display makes for great demonstrations and often good business value. So why is passive RFID growing like a virus and RTLS seems stuck in the mud?
Ann Grackin of ChainLink Research tackles this topic in a recent article. She posits that RTLS growth may be languishing because providers are selling to the wrong people. While end users certainly accrue the benefits from RTLS, it may drive adoption faster if the asset manufacturers (e.g. hospital equipment, manufacturing tools) integrated the capabilities in their products. This would make it easier for end users then to adopt without feeling like they must retrofit every asset as an extra step prior to tracking.
At ODIN, we see two key barriers to adoption of traditional, active RFID based RTLS:
RTLS tags cost much more – 10's of dollars instead of 10's of cents. The reader infrastructure is expensive because of the density requirements (N.B. this is true even for WiFi RTLS which typically requires many additional access points to deliver accurate location). Users receive better location resolution, but do so at a higher cost. Often the cost is justified because it reduces cycle times or significantly increases asset utilization, operational efficiency and security. However, the second adoption barrier is much bigger.
All active RTLS systems are proprietary. The tags and software are not interchangeable among vendors. In some instances, you can use common wireless access points (WAP), but only after you install proprietary software. What this guarantees is something that Ms. Grackin captures clearly in an online forum, "there is no leverage between one installation and the next." RTLS customers get their system, but they are hostages to a single vendor. Unless their business partners and sister divisions utilize the same vendor, the value ends at the front door.
By contrast the rapid spread of passive RFID systems in High Frequency (HF) and Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF) spectrum were catalyzed by the adoption of global ISO standards. When you install an ISO standard passive RFID system, you can mix and match hardware, tags and software from different vendors which enables better access to superior features and lower cost. An end user's system will also interoperate with the RFID systems of other organizations. Leverage is immediate.
A 2005 study forecasted RTLS would grow from $20 million to $1.6 billion by 2010. By 2009, the total market was estimated at $153 million. That represents a 66% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) which would be the envy of many industries. However, it is far less than the projected 200% CAGR.
IDTechEx's current estimate is that this $153 million market will only exhibit a 33% CAGR over the next ten years – half of the growth rate over the past five years. The math suggests it may end up as a $2.6 billion market in 2019 which certainly has some scale. However, the slower growth will set it up for displacement by competing technologies. Regardless of the outcome, the numbers explain the general mood that RTLS has not lived up to its projected potential.
I can make an argument that RTLS vendors are selling correctly based on the situation they face. They must sell to end users because they are the ones who must adopt the reader infrastructure and software. Having manufacturers tag their product may be convenient, but could also pose problems if the end user wanted to work with a different RTLS vendor's platform. But I think this discussion misses the point. The real key to expanding RTLS growth will be standards that encourage interoperability. The vendors can only grow faster, if they agree to cede some technical control and cooperate. That cooperation will remove the key barrier of the desire of end users to adopt standards-based systems and reduce total cost of ownership at the same time. Until then, you can expect growth that is more akin to 33% annually than 200%.
What do you think will happen with the RTLS market? Comment below.
Allowed tags: <a> link, <b> bold, <i> italics


text:
This item qualifies for Mac's Low Price Guarantee! (click here for details)
**Please note that this tub is not drilled for a faucet. The faucet shown here uses our Free Standing Leg Tub Supply Set (see link below).
Share on Facebook
E-mail a friend about this item.
Return to Catalog
Copyright © 2015 Mac the Antique Plumber . All Rights Reserved.


text:
I was fortunate this week to attend a forum on STEM education - Science, Technology, Engineering and Math - hosted by the local affiliate of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and came away very impressed by what our state is doing on both a government and business level to address the educational needs of our future workers in the manufacturing and technology fields.
Too often we hear the words, "Somebody should do something about that..." whenever there is a problem that needs addressing. But in this case, many people are doing something.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have three boys who are being encouraged to focus in these areas, so I have a vested interest in this subject. (Although, despite my encouragement thus far, one boy wants to be Larry Fitzgerald, another wants to be Indiana Jones, and the third wants to be Justin Bieber, so I still have work to do.)
On the public sector side, we have groups like the Maricopa Community Colleges, ASU and Science Foundation Arizona devoting significant resources and working to develop programs to encourage STEM skill sets. In many cases, these groups are moving away from traditional methods of teaching in order to discover better ways to work with a generation that has never known a world without smart phones and the Internet.
Coming to bat for the business sector are companies such as Intel and Raytheon, who are putting their money where their mouths are and rolling out a plethora of programs, and doing so all on their own dime.
Raytheon hosts a myriad of websites, such as mathmovesu.com, and competitions for all ages to encourage the development of STEM skills. But its most fascinating endeavor is a partnership with Disney which enables kids - young and old - to design their own ride, plug the ride card into a simulator at Disney World and take off on an experience of their own design.
Ten years ago, you would have been hard pressed to find someone outside of academia who knew what STEM meant, but these days it is imperative not only to know what it means but also to be an active participant in supporting it for the continued success of the industry.
Just the other day "Bieber" and "Jones" approached me wanting a tree house built in our backyard, so I took the opportunity to encourage some STEM skills. We bought a book on tree houses and they have been charged with reading it, coming up with the parts and supplies list, as well as a design. Assuming I don't saw off a digit or shoot myself with a nail gun, it should be fun!
• Steve Macias is the president of Pivot Manufacturing and the chairman of the Arizona Manufacturers Council.


text:
Blog | Comments |
WoW | 19 Comments |
Recent Comments:
Breakfast Topic: What WoW figure do you want on your desert island? {WoW}
Jan 13th 2011 8:47AM dude she is the aspect of life, we could create some sexy half elf/dragon babies! Only elf form btw!
Breakfast Topic: What WoW figure do you want on your desert island? {WoW}
Jan 13th 2011 8:06AM Alexstrasza's sexy self, to keep me busy!
WoW Insider's Cataclysm Launch Giveaway: Ethereal Portal loot code {WoW}
Dec 7th 2010 10:59PM Oh pick a Ginger please! =D
Win a 10-Man Raid eyeshadow set from Geek Chic Cosmetics! {WoW}
Aug 17th 2010 3:17PM I would LOVE some of this! I would wear it every raid night as well as when I go out!
Totally loving Fear Bomb and Shammy!
WoW Moviewatch: Don't Trust a Rogue {WoW}
Jan 13th 2010 12:40PM She stole my BE hairstyle! It's on now!!!!111!
Eliza Dushku starts playing WoW {WoW}
Oct 28th 2009 3:38PM Melissa Haro (a very beautiful model) plays a Blood Elf warlock =)
WoW Moviewatch: 84 85 - World Of Warcraft (Cataclysm) {WoW}
Oct 1st 2009 12:37PM I really liked it! Great vocals and the vid was funny!
Who plays what in the WoW movie? {WoW}
Aug 19th 2009 11:55PM Alexander Skarsgård for Arthas!
15 Minutes of Fame: Fantasy author muses on WoW themes, Part 2 {WoW}
Aug 18th 2009 6:50PM What a lovely author you interviewed! I am looking up her books now. She is wonderfully interesting.
The Queue: Hump Day {WoW}
Aug 12th 2009 11:53AM Why is Lady Sylvanas's new voice less menacing and more cute? It really is awful. I want the old voice over back!


text:
John Brooks, who had been working on the structure at 125 Cedar Springs Road, told Deputy Kolby Duckett of the Bradley County Sheriff's Office someone entered the house Monday or Tuesday and took a Craftsman circular saw, a jigsaw and an extension cord. A Stihl chainsaw was also missing from the house.
Brooks said the house had been locked prior to the burglary.
Evidence was left at the scene by the intruders, according to the report. The missing tools were valued at $580.
Investigation is continuing.
n A Nintendo Wii and games were reportedly stolen from a home on Overhead Bridge Road.
Helen M. Goins filed a report with Deputy Tim Mason of the Bradley County Sheriff's Office.
Her granddaughter, Christina Wilcox, aided Goins in filing a report.
According to the report, Goins and Wilcox arrived home and discovered a game system and games missing.
Detective Rob Wilson of the Bradley County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division is in charge of the investigation.
According to the report, no signs of forced entry were evident at the home.
The missing games and game system were valued at $130.
n A statewide amber alert has been issued for the Memphis Police Department for 2-month- old Adrian Delk Jr. He is a male with black hair and brown eyes, is 17 inches long, and weighs 15 pounds. He was reportedly taken by his biological father, Adrian Delk Sr., 24, today.
Delk allegedly assaulted the child's mother, stabbing her multiple times. He fled with the baby in a 2006 silver Nissan Altima with Tennessee registration C0161N.
Delk is a black male with black hair and brown eyes, is 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and weighs 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue shirt and dark pants. Delk reportedly has a history of domestic violence and should be considered armed and dangerous, according to the Amber Alert information. Anyone having information on the child, suspect, or vehicle, please call the Memphis Police Department at 901-636-4479 or 1-800-TBI-FIND.


text:
Use this form to get a username and password!
This week we found a sexy Brazilian girl that was all about the cock. We had her over at the house out back under the bright sun. She was loving it out there and soon started showing off and playing with her self. By this time she was itching to get some cock and start sucking. Dont miss out on this freak getting all her holes filled up, hot!!


text:
*smile* I was following a link from google and landed at this site.
I was going to respond to the post in question, but, by the time that I registered, and tried to find the post in question again, I became hopelessly lost. I'm posting this because I think that it might be of some help to those people that enjoy making lip balms. - my response -
Licking your lips can cause them to chap (which is what you're using the lip balm to prevent)
When I sell my balms, I *always* encourage my customers 'not' to lick their lips. I use "SoapCrafters" for most of my flavorings and ingredients. I've used several other sources, but, haven't found any of the others to have the quality that SoapCrafters maintains in their lip balm ingredients. http://www.soapcrafters.com/ Good luck and best wishes.
Follow-Up Postings:
I have not tried the SoapCrafters flavor oils. I have tried the ones from the sage.com. Good results. Also, if one wants sweetened flavors, they sell one called Sugar Kisses. BTW, I suspect licking your lips too often is not good for them, but not because of digestive enzymes in saliva. The only digestive enzyme contained in saliva, digests starch. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Soap & Candle Making Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here


text:
For a bedroom to live up to surroundings and views like ours, your only choice is to fill them with the best. That's why ours are the ultimate in understated opulence. You can tuck up in the Main House, take over the Coach House or get closer to the forest in the Garden Lodges and snuggle up with your own log fire - oodles of rustic charm. Click here to see where you could be sleeping.
A comfortable room in the main house with beautiful views looking out over the grounds and forest.
Unbelievably comfortable. Indulgent even. With great views of the Forest.
Larger than Cosy Rooms. Great views of the Forest and filled with lots of handpicked art.
Large rooms, very comfortable, many with stylish free standing baths in the room, good sized bathroom and great views of the grounds and surrounding forest.
Forest Suites
Classic suites with a separate lounge, large bathroom and beautiful bedroom. Discreet, relaxing and a bit like staying at a friend's country house.
Forest Hideaway Suite
Set over two floors, (some with open fires) lounge, dining area and bedroom. Unbelievably comfortable.
Forest Lodges
Our largest most luxurious suites. Indulge.
Forest Cottages & Cabin
Our latest arrivals are Forest Cottage 1 & 2, our Forest Cabin and they are perfect for families. These suites have a master bedroom, a bunk or twin room and two bathrooms as well as a living area with cosy log fires and a little kitchenette.
Cancel within 48 hrs and we will charge for one night unless we can relet room. First night stay to guarantee the reservation.
Bells and Whistles
- King sized bed
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- A well stocked in-room pantry
- Telephone line
- Spacious bathroom
- Satellite TV
- iPod docking station with iPod
- DVD player
- Personal safe and hair dryer
- Fluffy bathrobes and slippers


text:
Unigine Heaven Benchmark
Version and / or Patch Used: 1 and 2
Developer Homepage: http://www.unigine.com
Product Homepage: http://unigine.com/press-releases/091022-heaven_benchmark//
New benchmark grants the power to unleash the DirectX 11 potential in the gift wrapping of impressively towering graphics capabilities. It reveals the enchanting magic of floating islands with a tiny village hidden in the cloudy skies. With the interactive mode emerging experience of exploring the intricate world is ensured within reach. Through its advanced renderer, Unigine is one of the first to set precedence in showcasing the art assets with tessellation, bringing compelling visual finesse, utilizing the technology to the full extend and exhibiting the possibilities of enriching 3D gaming.
Note: If a card doesn't support DirectX 11 the benchmark will be left out, if it does it will be included along with the DirectX10 results.
Under Heaven we see that V1 performance between both HD 5870s is very similar. When we look at the V2 performance, though, we can see that the HD 5870 SOC from GIGABYTE has a more noticeable increase in performance.
Compared to the NVIDIA offerings, we can see that the ATI cards do fall behind the new NVIDIA ones when using the latest version of Heaven.


text:
West Ham United youngster Dan Potts has extended his contract with the Club until June 2015 with an option for a further year.
The 20-year-old defender, who made two first team appearances last term, is delighted to have put pen to paper on his new deal with a sustained first team breakthrough his aim for the season ahead.
Potts has come through the ranks at the Boleyn Ground, emulating his father Steve, who is now the Academy's Under-18s coach.The left-back expects 2014/15 to prove pivotal in his development in east London and is keen to hit the ground running when pre-season gets underway on 3 July.
He told West Ham TV: "I'm very excited to have signed the new contract. We're into the summer break now and it's good to put pen to paper.
"I'm looking forward to pre-season already and can't wait to get back going. Hopefully I can get a good pre-season under my belt and push into the season itself.
"It's going to be a massive year for me personally. Not only for the Club, but also from my point of view it's a big year and I'm hoping to push on this pre-season and force my way into the team.
"If I can get into the manager's eyes, hopefully I can be in with a shout going into the first game of the season."
Potts made his first team debut in the 2011/12 Championship Play-Off winning campaign and after fleeting moments of action to total 12 appearances, he sees this as the time to grasp his opportunity.
He added: "The last few years I've had a couple of games here and there, but from my point of view I want to be playing week in, week out. There's no better league to do that than the league we're in and growing up around West Ham, around the Club and as a fan myself, it would be a dream come true to be playing week in week out for this Club in the Premier League.
"I think pre-season says it all, especially as a younger player. It's a great opportunity if you manage to play a couple of games, to get in the manager's eyes. That's where it will all start."


text:
Careers at Electronic Imaging Materials, Inc.
Updated January 29, 2015
Die Cut Labels- entry level operator (weekday daytime full-time)
Demonstrate your mechanical ability via hobby or work background manufacturing, troubleshooting, sewing, cutting, printing, or another experience you show is relevant. Printing knowledge is a plus. References verifying your dependability a must. Comfort with basic math helpful, but full training provided. Benefits for full-time work including health/disability/life insurance, education, and retirement plans. We are a locally-owned company 28 years in Keene recognized for community involvement and customer satisfaction with a tradition of internal promotion. Visit www.eiminc.com/career or stop by Electronic Imaging Materials 20 Forge Street Keene, NH - off Route 12 North. See below for how to apply.
Internship opportunities
Part-time paid internships regularly available in Communications / Journalism / Marketing, Graphic Design, Management, Safety / Quality and additional related fields. Electronic Imaging Materials has been in Keene for over 25 years, with second generation owners who have attended and taught classes at Keene State. Several KSC students have advanced to additional positions at our company after the initial paid internship.
To Apply for All Positions:
Drop by our office or download the Employment Application. You may need to right-click the link and choose "Save to Disk" to download properly. Please fill out the employment application using any version of Microsoft Word from 97 to 2013 if available. If you do not have a copy of Microsoft Word available, please use the Word Viewer to print it and fill it out by hand, or stop by our office to request a paper copy.
We welcome resumes, but please be sure to also submit the entire application for employment, answering all questions completely even if you have to attach additional material. Incomplete applications may be rejected without further consideration. No telephone calls please. Send or bring your completed application to our office.
Electronic mail: see instructions within application
Postal mail / in person:
Electronic Imaging Materials
Attn: Human Resources
20 Forge Street
Keene NH 03431
Forge Street is located off Route 12 North, just uphill from Wyman Road and Corporate Drive.
What to expect after you submit your application
Candidates with strong applications may be contacted to schedule a phone interview. After the phone interview, you may be invited to our facility to complete a simple math test, a business writing test for office positions, and an initial screening interview. We may select a small number of applicants to proceed to additional interviews. Please note that incomplete applications may be rejected without further consideration, and resumes may not be used in place of a fully completed application.


text:
The latest version of Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video. Please click on the link below to download the latest version. Thanks!
The Obama administration says it wants to make changes in military spending-- increasing resources in Afghanistan while making significant cuts in other areas.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposed, Monday, that reductions take place in missile defense programs, the Army's future combat systems and Navy shipbuilding.
"This department must consistently demonstrated the commitment and leadership to stop programs that significantly exceed their budget, or which spend limited tax dollars to buy more capability than the nation needs," he said.
Still, Pete Hegseth of Vets for Freedom calls the proposal "dangerous." Hegseth served in Iraq and started the group to gain support and awareness for the war on terror.
Click play to watch as he explains how military spending cuts could affect the U.S. when it comes to future threats and why it's important for programs to have an appropriate budget.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting? Are you facing a difficult situation?
Find peace with God, discover more about God or send us your prayer request.
Call The 700 Club Prayer Center at 1 (800) 823-6053, 24 hours a day.
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
CBN News is a national/international, nonprofit news organization that provides programming by cable, satellite, and the Internet, 24-hours a day. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Sign up for the CBN News Dispatch and receive CBN News Reports in your inbox each day.Subscribe Now >>
Add CBN News, articles, latest videos and blog feeds to your favorite RSS reader. Subscribe Now >>
E-mail us your news tips, story ideas, questions & comments. Contact Us >>


text:
Select Registry Quality Inspection
The Honor Mansion is proud to announce they are the FIRST and ONLY Select Registry Inn, out of the 375 member Inn's, to receive two perfect quality inspections for two consecutive inspections!
" Having been involved with the Quality Assurance Program for many years, I know how difficult a perfect score is to attain. To receive a second perfect score, to my knowledge has never been done. We are proud of our members who continually strive to provide the utmost in guest satisfaction. "
Carol Riggs Membership/Quality Assurance Director
Press release
The Perfect Getaway: Select Registry Celebrates Record-Breaking Year With 2010 Quality Inspections
MARSHALL, Mich. (Dec.1, 2010) – Select RegistryTM, Distinguished Inns of North America is pleased to announce that three members have achieved perfect scores in their 2010 quality assurance inspections. In the organization's 40-year history, this is the first time ever that a trio of inns have aced this inspection in a single year.
Select Registry's 2010 perfect-scoring properties are: The Honor Mansion in Sonoma Wine Country, CA; Rabbit Hill Inn of Lower Waterford, VT; and Historic Jacob Hill Inn in Providence, RI.
Established in the early 1970s, Select Registry's inspections are the inn-keeping industry's longest running and most comprehensive quality assurance program. To gain admission to this "best-of-the-best" collection, inns must undergo rigorous evaluations on an ongoing basis. Of the 20,000 inns and bed and breakfasts in North America, only 400 have qualified to join this elite portfolio.
"We are delighted to recognize Rabbit Hill Inn, Honor Mansion and Jacob Hill Inn for their commitment to excellence," says Will Carlson, Select Registry's executive director. "In the entire history of our organization, no more than 10 properties have ever achieved perfect scores. That makes us particularly proud of the unique accomplishments of these three exemplary inns.
"Our quality assurance program is exacting, to say the least," Carlson continues. "It is designed to give travelers the confidence that each inn or B&B they visit has met the very highest standards."
For objectivity, Select Registry inspections are performed by an independent hospitality consulting firm, Quality Consultants, Inc., based in Rhode Island. Under the Select Registry system, an inspector with years of industry experience checks into the inn anonymously, spends the night and conducts a meticulous assessment. The evaluation covers the full gamut, from appearance, ambiance and hospitality down to minute details of the grounds, common areas, check-in, guestrooms, dining, service and check-out. Are the gardens well tended, the check-in friendly, the bedding plush, faucets gleaming, breakfast freshly baked and served right out of the oven? Is the staff friendly and well informed? Can the innkeepers recommend excellent restaurants within a 15-minute drive?
Each inn is evaluated on a 200-point system, which translates into a pass/fail grade for the property. To gain admission to Select Registry and retain that membership, each inn must pass periodic inspections with a grade of 86% or higher. With an eye ever focused on the enhanced guest experience, Select Registry recently raised the bar, voting to increase its minimum passing grade to 88% effective 2011.
"Our stringent membership requirements and periodic evaluations assure every Select Registry inn is exceptional," Carlson explains.
"This year's quality inspections set new records in a couple ways," he adds, "including the fact that Honor Mansion and Rabbit Hill are each celebrating perfect scores for the second consecutive time. This is truly a remarkable achievement."
"Honor Mansion is one of the best properties we have ever visited," the inspector reported. "Our guestroom suite was superb, with a comfortable bed and an outdoor private Jacuzzi, among other amenities. Breakfast was great, with special touches, such as mimosas. It was a very hard setting to leave after only one night, and I would certainly make every effort to return."
Located in the heart of Northern California wine country, Honor Mansion garnered top marks for its elegant setting and exceptional amenities: a solar-heated lap pool and spa pavilion, PGA putting green, jogging trails, walking gardens, tennis courts and quarter-acre of Zinfandel vines. The AAA Four Diamond property sits at the confluence of the world-renowned wine growing appellations of Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley, which host more than 100 world-class wineries and tasting rooms. Nestled on four landscaped acres, the 13-room resort inn is an easy walk to the historic Healdsburg town plaza, with lively shops, galleries, bakeries and restaurants.
"Rabbit Hill is a spectacularly maintained and appointed property!" the inspector said about his inspection of this 19-room lodging in pristine Northeastern Vermont. "(Innkeepers) Brian and Leslie make guest satisfaction their priority, providing dinner and breakfast options of the highest quality and appointing guestrooms to a degree that makes guests feel supremely relaxed and pampered."
This romantic hideaway was among just three country inns recognized in Travel + Leisure's 2009 World's Best Hotels list. Rabbit Hill occupies a refurbished house and tavern, both more than 200 years old. Guestrooms feature fireplaces, double whirlpool tubs, and private porches, offering spectacular views of the White Mountains. Among the other comforts: free Wi-Fi and in-room massage service. The award-winning gourmet restaurant serves seasonal, "pasture-to-plate" fare from local farms, all in an elegant and intimate setting.
"A few inns excel in virtually all categories of the evaluation process," said the inspector after his visit to Historic Jacob Hill Inn. "Usually the one outstanding differential quality of these inns is their hospitality. Jacob Hill Inn is a perfect example of this concept. Building and grounds were well maintained, guestrooms were in excellent condition, breakfast was delightful and hospitality was over-the-top."
Situated on a country estate just 10 minutes from downtown Providence, Historic Jacob Hill Inn houses 12 guestrooms and suites, many with canopy beds and gleaming wood floors that reflect flames from the property's original fireplaces dating from 1722. Breakfast in the main dining room is warm and elegant. With a culinary program that goes above and beyond, Jacob Hill's Fun For Foodies Vacations Packages offer hands-on cooking classes featuring celebrated chefs from Johnson & Wales College of Culinary Arts.
To find out more about Select Registry's exceptional inns across North America, visit www.selectregistry.com.


text:
Joshua Wright Erickson Sentenced in U.S. District Cour
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on March 24, 2009, before Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell, JOSHUA WRIGHT ERICKSON, a 23-year-old resident of Helena, appeared for sentencing. ERICKSON was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 30 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 3 years
ERICKSON was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to being in possession of a firearm after having been previously committed to a mental institution.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
In 2003, ERICKSON was involuntarily committed to Warm Springs after the district court found that ERICKSON was "an imminent threat of injury to himself or to others."
On March 14, 2008, in Helena, two police officers responded to a man with a gun complaint. ERICKSON answered the door with a Sig Sauer .45 caliber pistol in his hand.
When questioned, ERICKSON admitted to possession of the Sig Sauer pistol. He was clear that no round was chambered in the pistol. ERICKSON thought the police were friends playing a trick on him. He also admitted to flashing the gun at the other vehicle that cut off he and his friend. ERICKSON admitted that he is a violent offender and did not want to get into trouble over this incident.
ERICKSON'S friends who were present when the police arrived also confirmed ERICKSON'S possession of the pistol.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that ERICKSON will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, ERICKSON does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette L. Stewart prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Helena Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This conviction is yet another important outcome from Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national priority of the United States Department of Justice. PSN is designed as a partnership between federal and local law enforcement to reduce violent crime and gun-related crime through the vigorous enforcement of the criminal provisions of the federal firearms laws. In Montana, the effort under PSN is called "Catch and No Release."