text:
If You're Mad at Obama….
We can look at this past election in two ways:
1. God appointed its members to their offices.
2. God used people as a means of bringing about the members to their offices, thus allowing judgment on the nation.
We were outnumbered in the 2008 elections. Simplest explanation. There were not enough grass-roots, conservative Christians in America to elect a God-fearing man to office.
Consider these commands from a different angle:
"Be fruitful and multiply."
"If you obey Me, I will bless you; if you disobey Me I will curse you."
We said, "No thanks."
And I think God said, "Fine, have it your way." Just like He does in every area of life in which we don't submit to His authority and direction.
A once godly nation–a nation whose first President boasted…
"… Let me live according to those holy rules which Thou hast this day prescribed in Thy holy word … Direct me to the true object, Jesus Christ the way, the truth and the life. Bless, O Lord, all the people of this land."
has elected a President who recently commented…"We are not a Christian nation."
"Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth." Malachi 2:14,15
I probably talk about this issue a lot precisely because I don't see it as much a personal one, as we would like to believe. What God's people do in their personal lives affects God's people in every way.
Again, broad statement, fully aware there are sometimes other details to consider. But on a whole, we said "no" to God's heritage in our land, and we're paying for it.
We would do well to consider.
45 Responses to "If You're Mad at Obama…."
Amen sister! Our country did not get in the state it is in overnight. Christians sat in their pews too long and got too comfortable. Instead of shaping society, we let the society shape us.
Amen – you nailed it!
OR, you could look at it this way….they are being used to JUDGE God's people…not fun!
Many Blessings
I think Billy Grahams daughter hit it right on. During an interview after Hurricain Katrina, when asked why God would let this happen, she replied "We've been telling God to get out of our schools, out of our government, and out of our lives for years. He is a gentleman, He stepped out and let us have our way. And now you wonder where he went?" So very true. But all hope is not lost, the tide can turn and we can raise up a Godly nation yet.
Sorry, wanted to add in case that was confusing. I meant that you could look at it as though OF COURSE they are appointed by God (nothing gets by Him but it may be, and it would seem to be, to bring Judgement on an unrepentant and sinladden country….not a saving grace.
Many Blessings
Yes, I meant that precisely; in fact, I'm going to clarify that in the post.
What did the Iseralites do while they were in Egypt? They married and had children. They did as God told them to do and they PROSPERED! Was that not why Pharaoh was so angry with them? It was their numbers and prosperity that Egypt feared. Isn't God all about numbers? Multiplying! Increasing! Taking Dominion!!!
God said with obedience there would be blessings and with disobedience there would be curses.
Kelly: amen.
"There were not enough grass-roots, conservative Christians in America to elect a God-fearing man to office."
I actually disagree. There plenty of conservatives in America- they just weren't all on the same page.
Most voted for McCain but a sizable number voted for varies other candidates. Some don't believe in women voting at all. Some decided not to vote out of protest. And yes, some conservative Christians voted for Obama.
While liberals on the other hand weren't so divided.
I am very upset about the direction our country is headed in so quickly. But I think a lot of people voted for Obama bc they were so upset about how things had gone under Bush. Also many Christians I knew wanted to see our country finally have a black president. I bet there are a lot of Christians out there who didn't think if they voted for Obama that things would get like this. I have heard more than a few people say that they regret how they voted. Very scary times we are in.
I agree many people voted for Obama because they wanted to be a "part of history". Good grief! I've also heard it called White Guilt. I really could not care any less about a person's skin color, it's about INTEGRITY and ISSUES!!!
Lots of work to do so we CAN MAKE A CHANGE!!!
A hearty AMEN, Kelly. By the way, I love that verse, it is one of our favorites. Actually one of the very verses the Lord used to lead us to trust Him and Him alone with the amount of 'Godly seed' He would bring forth from my womb. I can't but LOVE that verse!
I wish I could quote all the numbers that I hear about how many children Christians are having verses how many Muslims and such are having. It is so sad that the average number of children Christians have is something like less than 2.
I am not advocated having babies just to have babies. I'm just saying, Who should know better how many 'Godly seed' should be brought forth??? Whether that be one or two or a whole passel. I know I don't want that kind of decision on my shoulders.
Thank you again for making us all think.
Love ya Sister,
Laura Ashley,
You're right; perhaps "conservative Christian" is no longer a specific enough definition; there were not enough Christians who understand government, understand God's law, and deeply desire leaders who are truly God-honoring and God-fearing (we could go backward from here, because there weren't even major candidates that fit this description). In this election, I don't mean we were outvoted in that "democrat won over republican"…we were outnumbered a long time ago in our representation of what the country is willing to even tolerate as a candidate.
I agree that we did not have the perfect choice in this election. We chose as a nation a long time ago the candidates that would be available in 2008.
We chose during The Great Depression to have so many of our liberties taken away and for government to take care of us so that we could eat. Yes, I guess starvation would do that.
I heard from older people during this election, scared of not having food on their table ,that would vote for anyone that promised to send this country on a more prosperous path again. Doesn't matter the cost.
During this election we heard a lot of talk about how things were during the Depression, not so much since.
When I say we chose a long time ago, I mean before you and I were born when a godly nation chose not to trust in God anymore and, instead, chose to trust in government.
We chose to limit family size and all able bodies work to make sure we had food on the table, because "no one can survive on one income anymore"(I hear that a lot). So without moms home to be involved in all aspects of childrens lives, schools had free reign to teach whatever because we were too tired and not paying attention anymore.
We have chosen, as a nation, to turn away and let someone "more qualified"(big government) direct our lives. God has given us over to what we wanted.
"We are not a Christian nation."
No, we're not. We're a free nation. Free to worship how an individual chooses to worship. Free to not worship if we choose not to worship. The pilgrims left England because of religious persecution. Why? They wanted the freedom of choice.
What gives Christians the right to demand that this nation be a Christian nation, governed by Christian leaders? This country was founded on freedom. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…"
"Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place'" (John 18:36). God's kingdom is not here. We are not to set up God's kingdom on earth.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matt. 28:19, 20). We are called to baptize, to teach all nations how to live. But everyone has the freedom of choice to choose God or reject God.
I am a conservative Christian. But sometimes I'm afraid to call my myself a Christian because I might be labeled as a legalist, judgmental, and unwilling to accept someone who believes differently. I believe in freedom of choice. And if this makes people think I'm not a "grass-roots, conservative Christians" then I don't want to be one.
I have to agree with Laura Ashely and Belinda on this one.
In addition, I would have to say that this was a difficult election. Many who were on board with John McCain jumped ship when he chose Sarah Palin as his VP. Obama is a charismatic speaker, and his abilities as a diplomat read to many as wisdom. Moreover, the significance of having a black president is not something we can or should undermine. He made many black (and other minority Americans) believe that, for the first time, they might have a president who really cared about THEIR issues. That's significant. And, for some people, yes, that was worth the vote. Unless we have been in their place, we cannot understand that decision.
Besides, I don't think we can say that just because a president is God-fearing he will make good, godly decisions (anymore than we can say it about a pastor) or that just because a president is not a conservative Christian that God cannot use him to establish His Will (just look at all the pagan kings in Scripture that God used to His Glory). I think the important thing is that we CONTINUE to trust God, no matter what the state of our government. Jesus was crucified by His government, and look what became of it! That's not to say that we should be nonchallant about presidential elections or that they have no bearing on anything; certainly they are very significant. But, God is still in control, not the president.
Regarding the nation being founded on freedom and thus "not a Christian nation"…
I think there is a lot of confusion about this. We think that freedom means annihilation of any religion.
A deeper study of our beginnings reveals a BLATANT claim by our nation's founders that CHRIST is Lord. That does NOT mean that they were forcing every citizen to be a Christian. In that regard, yes, it was about freedom and still is.
But they stated that our government would operate under the principles of God–unashamedly warning that when we turned from that we would destroy ourselves.
So to reclaim our CHristian roots is not to say "if you're not a Christian you're not welcome here".
If people really understood the wisdom of God's law, and recognized Him as Creator, they would understand that a nation opearating as "a Christian nation" is good for all, even those apart from Christ.
It's not a forcing of religion; it's a recognition that God is supreme, and His laws are perfect for all people, whether you choose that particular religion or not.
Complicated, yes…but I would strongly encourage Christians to study this concept deeply and get a full grasp of what our forefathers intended as this nation.
And I agree with Belinda; this problem began a LONG time ago…forsaking God's ways little by little created an impossible situation for Christians in this election.
This post was slightly tongue-in-cheek meaning, oour problems didn't begin this year, nor could they have been solved this year. The "outnumbering" of God's people has been taking place for decades and I was trying to make a simple point that when God's people increase, that is, His obedient people, the land will prosper–it's a promise from Scripture that we saw for many years and are now seeing be revoked.
I completely agree that we need to have vision and think beyond this generation. That is, in fact, what our forefathers did. They wanted to establish a nation of freedoms for their childrens' children.
But, if there are no children and we live only for ourselves…well, here we are.
We have to have the babies raised in Christain homes with vision that is instilled everyday.
Deuteronomy 7 comes to mind, especially 7:1-7.
I agree with Laura Ashley. Sad state of affairs, for sure. Glad our home is ultimately not here!
I think we are just getting what we deserve…God isn't welcome here anymore…In so many aspects of even"christians" lives it is all a personal choice…As the mother of 9 children,my husband and I hae been ridiculed publicly for our ignorance, sometimes it feels like children unless they are #1 or #2 aren't welcome either.
In 1999, while pregnant with baby #6 and #4 and #5 on each hip, i was picking up more prenatal vitamins..A young church lady came in to pick up her rx, birth control pills..she told me if i would get some of her pills, i would stop getting into this kind of difficulty. This very sweet young woman, is the backbone of her church, and flash forward 2009 she is barren, and will never be able to carry a child, coincidence, i don't know. I do know that God has been in control of the size of our family, and even with 3 losses, he has blessed us greatly. Being open to life or pro-life is so much more than being opposed to killing a baby.
I think I'll post some things from our founders to emphasize the reality that yes, we were supposed to be a CHRISTIAN nation…but have subverted that understanding with the false idea of what freedom means.
I wish I could print flyers of this post, along with the comments, to hand out, mail out, put under windshield wipers of cars….it has reminded me that….
Christian woman are strong, diverse, educated, committed, knowlegeable
We will not set Biblical correctness aside for political expediency, in government, church, or in our personal lives. The truth can be spoken in love.
We don't call names – we agree, disagree, encourage, enlighten and engage one another – steel sharpening steel
We are not mean-spirited, narrow-minded, or backward thinking – as hard as the media try to suffocate
us under those ugly labels
I have been chewing on the gristle of the current administration and political climate for too long, so I decided, sitting in Church yesterday, to spit it out. Political correctness and "open-mindedness" are false idols, but so is the idol of blame….that's looking backward, which is the opposite of the ressurection saga.
There is nothing to be done about the crucifixion – the ugly work was done.
I believe that our founders were rooted in the word of the Lord – that this nation is in fact blessed, and that our heritage is unmistakeably, undeniably Christian. That concept is what gives our founding documents their context. Saying we're not a Christian nation makes as much sense as saying Israel is not a Jewish nation. It doesn't mean we're a theocracy, nor does it mean you have to be a Christian to participate in the fullness of the blessings of this nation, constitutionally speaking….we are a nation of laws, generated, inspired, captured, by God's law.
I agree that we are called to bring forth Godly seed – not just through childbirth, but through the lost soul standing right next to me in line at the store, or the post office, sitting by me in church – who is just waiting for a word, for a touch, for an invitation to join us in this incredible journey of following Christ.
Ressurection, Redemption, Reconciliation, are all within God's power. I'm going to start with fervent prayer that I am doing what God means for me to. I think sharing our faith in thought, word, and deed, is far more powerful, politically, than all the name calling and blame-laying I can muster (which is a lot, sad to say). It's the enemy who loves to see us brawling and contentious, not God. Activism, like charity, begins in the home.
Sorry, Kelly, I think I bloggged on top of your blog, please accept this as a long winded thanks and letter of appreciation for being brave enough to express your positions, wisely and thoughtfully.
Good topic and gives us all a lot to chew on. You are right.
The Cottage Child, I LOVE what you said. Especially the part about reaching the lost…
"I believe that our founders were rooted in the word of the Lord – that this nation is in fact blessed, and that our heritage is unmistakeably, undeniably Christian. That concept is what gives our founding documents their context. Saying we're not a Christian nation makes as much sense as saying Israel is not a Jewish nation. It doesn't mean we're a theocracy, nor does it mean you have to be a Christian to participate in the fullness of the blessings of this nation, constitutionally speaking….we are a nation of laws, generated, inspired, captured, by God's law."
I agree completely with this. However, I also recognize that we are a long way from where we once were. Waves of immigration, Depression years, a trend away from libertarianism and towards government programs and subsidies have caused our country to grow and shift. When we think of England being a Christian nation or of Iran being a Muslim nation, we are speaking of nations that have been founded on these things, have grown and struggled and morphed over time…over centuries! We are still such a young country that, despite what our country was "founded on", it is hard to see exactly where we are now and where we are going. What little history we have is a clear indication that, if nothing else, we are a country that love progress–in whatever direction!
As much as I, personally, would rather our country remained firm on its foundations (though, I am very grateful for the Catholic influx of the 19th century, being a Catholic myself), I can't help but resonate with some of what Cassandra has written. While we may have been founded as a Christian nation, there is not necessarily any indication to claim that we still are. As I said, we are a PROGRESSIVE nation (not saying whether that's good or bad, just stating the fact), and some of that progress has definitely shifted us onto a more secular foundation than the one we began with. It is hard, then, to claim that we are still a Christian nation, anymore than to say we are an English-speaking nation. Technically, yes, most Americans speak English, but we do not actually have ANY national language. Could it be that, in the same way, we were founded with an underlying root of Christian belief (just as our forefathers also spoke English), but the way our country has grown over the past couple of centuries has left our foundations open to change?
I'm just thinking out loud now. So, I guess I'll stop.
I am extremely interested in this topic and have been reading all the comments. I have seen websites devoted to proving our nation was founded as a Christian nation as well as websites disproving it. I'll be interested to hear what you have to say.
I do have questions… if you'd rather I not continue this discussion, please let me know and I will stop responding.
What I want to know is how you make a nation Christian. You say that "It's not a forcing of religion; it's a recognition that God is supreme, and His laws are perfect for all people, whether you choose that particular religion or not." So what does this mean in reality? What laws are to be enacted by the government? God's law is the 10 commandments. Are you saying that the laws of the land should enforce the 10 commandments? All 10? Or are you talking about Moses' law in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, etc?
Blessed be the NAME of the LORD!
Today the sun came up.
God is still on the throne and prayer changes things.
Our fine country will lose blessings when we turn our back on ISRAEL. God tells us that if we bless Israel, then we will be blessed.
Yes, God is in control and we will suffer fallout from poor choices we make in our personal lives as well as in public lives. The Politicians and Public Officials that are elected have free will to make ungodly decisions as well as to support ungodly laws.
I don't agree that we the people select the presidential candidates that are put on the voting block. In a sense, in my opinion, both presidential parties become puppets to a higher authority than what is publicly announced. It isn't God they bow down to nor the ones that supposedly voted them into office. It's a group of bankers that believe in controlled conflict to control the masses. Sound weird?
As for O b a m a…yes, we need to pray for our officials.
I just know that while looking you square in the eye a muslim can be comfortable with lying if it fulfills their cause.
Deanna- "I don't agree that we the people select the presidential candidates that are put on the voting block. In a sense, in my opinion, both presidential parties become puppets to a higher authority than what is publicly announced." Yes!
Cassandra- I'm with you. I think it's confusing (and probably inaccurate) to say we are a Christian nation. Other nations are "Christian" because they have a STATE RELIGION (England is the Anglican Church, for example). We don't have a state religion. This is what I was trying to say before. We may be founded on Christian principles, but there is nothing in our laws or the construct of our government that DECLARES us as a Christian nation. Does that make sense? So, it's hard for me to understand our country that way, even though my personal decisions and voting may be based on my faith in Christ.
I really appreciate all the viewpoints expressed here, including Kelly's. I recently found your blog when doing a scripture search during my daily devotion.
It seems no one with my perspective has jumped in yet, so I will:
I am not only a Christian, but I am a descendant of one of the oldest Christian communities in the history of the religion. Members of my cultural/ethnic group accepted Christ as Lord hundreds of years before Europeans stopped their persecution of the new religion.
Today, we are persecuted within our country of origin, by the government and our neighbors who are all members of the majority religion–it is a NON-Christian religion.
Because of this persecution, many of our families fled to other countries to be able to worship freely.
Members of the older generation who immigrated have been so traumatized by what they suffered, that the thought of an officially Christian country is a balm to them. They have clutched onto this possibility and, in doing so, have forgotten that instituting ANY religion–even the One, True one–as an official religion of the state will cause equal suffering to other people down the line, and ultimately corrupt the name of the Christ we serve.
Those of us who were raised in the West are adamently opposed to Christianity becoming the religion of state. NO STATE must be linked to a religion, a race, a tribe.
Humans–especially those who have risen to power–inevitably corrupt, misappropriate, and ultimately destroy the religions they claim to live by. Those of you of European ancestry have already seen this in your own heritages, and you shall see it again.
When the state is based on one religion, one ethnic group, one tribe–all bloody hell breaks loose in the name of God and family.
Believe me. I have lived it.
"But Christianity is different," you might say. "It is a religion of peace. Jesus does not force people by the sword to accept him; minorities in America can choose not to accept him and they shall be given civil rights."
Christianity may be different, but its followers–humans all–are NOT different. We are no different than the rest of the human race. Eventually, there WILL be members of Congress or a Supreme Court or a President who interpret Christianity as religion-of-state to mean that they can oppress the non-Christians. That they can oppress those Christian denominations and sub-groups that don't match their own.
And make no mistake—-they will be able to garner much support for their views, here in our democracy, in which the majority holds special power (the word "majority" is poison to those of us who have been minorities our whole lives. I have been a Christian minority, and trust me–a representative democracy composed of my former neighbors makes a chill rush up my spine).
It may not happen during our lifetimes–those first Christian rulers of our state might be the faithful and loving people I find here on this blog. The second generation or lifetime's worth might be, too. But, eventually,
there will come along "Christian government leaders" of this "Christian nation" who want to find ways to get more power for the "us" and to deny voice to the "them."
And other schoolchildren in this country will cry the same tears we ancient Christians cried in our public schools, when we walked into the classroom and symbols of a different faith to ours were displayed, and teachers taught lessons about the majority religion, and the majority schoolkids taunted and beat us because if our minority religion was not listed on the state documents and laws and in the textbooks like THEIRS was, well, then surely the members of this minority religion were available to mock and despise.
And when all of this happens, non-Christians within the U.S.and around the world will stare in horror at America and cry, "Who is this Jesus that his followers cradle power to themselves and stamp their names on every engine and expression of state power? These CHRISTIANS [no, they will not distinguish between the evildoers and you or I, the loving, Christ-like ones] ar emonsters, and their religion clearly monstrous. We want no part of Jesus."
Until you have lived in a state in which the official religion of your country not your own; in which evil government officials and police–who have existed since the beginning of time and will forvermore–persecuted us; in which you were not allowed to build churches or worship on vertain dates or in certain ways….until someone has lived this experience, I believe their argument for "a Christian nation" must be given less weight than the perspectives of those who HAVE so suffered.
I did not vote for McCain OR Obama, but I can assure you that any president who moves us closer to a secular state equally accepting of all religions and endorsing of NONE is vastly preferable to a Christian one who sets up the religion of the current majority as the national religious standard and thus, who ultimately will bismirch the name of Christianity.
If that means no Ten Commandments on the school walll, we need to accept that and in fact applaud it. Just imagine that they were the five pillars of Islam or the "Blessed Be" of Wicca. Worse yet, imagine 75 years in the future with a power-hungry and oppressive "Christian-professing" government leader who points to the Ten Commandments on the wall with one hand while using the other to harm people.
I urge everyone here to heed the warnings rooted in two thousand years of ancient Christian experience, and to listen to the voices of the world's earliest and most persecuted Churches: If America officially becomes a "Christian nation," our precious religion and the Holy Name of Jesus WILL be destroyed.
If the suffering of future generations of non-Christian Americans does not give you pause, perhaps the corruption of our own faith might.
Salaam, Peace to you, women of God.
I hesitated to reply because my initial comment was so long – I just wanted to clarify my belief with regard to the concept of our nation being a Christian nation.
Our founders intended the US to be nation with no state religion – and with no ability by the state to impose religion on the people. That is as it should be. I hope I wasn't unclear on that. As I understand it, the very principle of inclusion without coersion is a Godly one…it's how Christ makes himself available to us…ever willing to have us, at OUR choice.
My point is that our founders acknowledged the rights of man being conferred by God, not decided or gifted by other men – As a creation of God, we can't be stripped of those rights, regardless of circumstances. The values – and I'm not suggesting we live up to them as we should, whole other conversation – upon which the nation was built were indeed Christian values.
I don't want to take up anymore of Kelly's forum, I'll continue on the cc side later this week.
The Founding Fathers were on the whole deists who had a very abstract conception of God, whose view of God was not a God who acted in the world today and manipulated events in a way that actually changed the course of human history. Their view of religion was really a view that stressed ethics and morals rather than a direct divine intervention. That's an important contradiction. In fact, In God We Trust did not appear on currency until the 1960's!
I find it fascinating that we are probably more religious than the society that created the American Revolution. Sixty percent of Americans belong to churches today ,20 percent belonged in 1776. Counting the idea that slaves belonged, it reduces the figure to 10 percent of the society that belonged to any kind of religious organization.
So this country is NOT founded as a Christian nation in the manner that you're assuming.
The idea that our founding fathers were deeply Christian is a very common myth. They were not. And their collective vision of this country was quite clear – freedom of worship. That principle has never faltered and has been upheld.
When Obama said this was not a Christian nation, he was simply reiterating the truth – that all religions and faith were meant to be welcome here. And I for one am very glad that they are!
"When the Founders wrote the nation's Constitution, they specified that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." (Article 6, section 3)
This provision was radical in its day– giving equal citizenship to believers and non-believers alike. They wanted to ensure that no single religion could make the claim of being the official, national religion, such as England had. Nowhere in the Constitution does it mention religion, except in exclusionary terms. The words "Jesus Christ, Christianity, Bible, and God" are never mentioned in the Constitution– not once.
The Declaration of Independence gives us important insight into the opinions of the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson wrote that the power of the government is derived from the governed. Up until that time, it was claimed that kings ruled nations by the authority of God. The Declaration was a radical departure from the idea of divine authority.
The 1796 treaty with Tripoli states that the United States was "in no sense founded on the Christian religion" (see below). This was not an idle statement, meant to satisfy muslims– they believed it and meant it. This treaty was written under the presidency of George Washington and signed under the presidency of John Adams.
To be clear, this country was founded on principles of the Enlightenment. Some dovetailed, but they are not Christian in this way.
The translation of the Treaty of Tripoli by Barlow has been found faulty, and there is doubt whether Article 11 in the version of the treaty ratified by Congress corresponds to anything of the same purport in the Arabic version.[18]
In 1931 Hunter Miller completed a commission by the United States government to analyze United States's treaties and to explain how they function and what they mean in terms of the United States's legal position in relationship with the rest of the world.[19] According to Hunter Miller's notes, "the Barlow translation is at best a poor attempt at a paraphrase or summary of the sense of the Arabic" and "Article 11… does not exist at all."
MOD- I agree that our constitution and government were not founded on Christianity, per se (though we find many Judeo-Christian values to be the backbone of some of our basic values and principles in our systems of law and government). I also agree that there clearly has never been a state religion in the US (for which, I am personally very thankful).
But, wouldn't it be fair to say that much of our CULTURE as a country was founded in Christianity? After all, the Pilgrims were the first European settlers here, and Christianity had a very big presence in the founding years of our nation (as we know it…because of course, our nation is originally Native American pagan, if we get into it). Even if some of our founding fathers were Deists, and even if much of their thought was influenced by the secular Enlightenment, we cannot deny the pervasive influence that Christianity also had on their understanding of the world. Even if they were not church memebers themselves, they were greatly affected by the beliefs and values of many of the Protestant leaders and denominations of the day (particularly, Calvinist and Anglican influences). Perhaps this is more what many commenters are referring to?
I see your point Belinda. I agree in part. But being influenced by Christian principles does not mean that this country was established as a Christian Nation.
You can say that you disagree with Obama, you can bemoan the lack of morality in America today if you like – but you simply cannot insist that the writers of the Constitution were all about Biblical Christianity. Taint so. There's evidence Benjamin Franklin was interested in the Occult – fun fact! 😉
I'm sorry – Bethany! Not Belinda.
MOD- I agree that there is a huge difference between saying we are a "Christian Nation" and saying that we are a nation that was founded (culturally) on Christian values. But, I think sometimes we confuse the semantics, y'know?
Btw… Yes, Benjamin Franklin was a very interesting character. My husband and I were doing a biographical study of his life a few months ago. Some very sketchy stuff there…
And, Kelly, I'm sorry if I'm using up too much of your forum space. Please, tell me to stop writing for the day, if you want to I just find this all very interesting.
just returned from my Drs. appointment and had a lot of catch-up reading to do!
I am posting a few quotes from our founders in a new post, and simultaneously contemplating the comments here before I make another one…I want to frame my thoughts before blurting them out–that gets me in trouble some times 😉
the cottage child,
A sincere "you're welcome" to a thoughtfully written comment…you made some important points…much appreciated.
I'm glad there's no official "national" religion, and hope there never will be. But there's a BIG difference between that and using good principles to guide our country, alongside a healthy understanding of the purpose and roots of our country. Incidentally, someone mentioned how England has a state religion, which is true, but they also manage to have freedom of religion. Not saying we should have a state religion or force everyone through the state to be Christians, just pointing out that it's not dichotomous.
You don't have to be a Christian to understand and apply Christian values, and that's kind of the point…what our nation was founded upon, the intent of the government, are principles that are true and right because they are true and right, not because they are religious. They apply to everyone, not just the followers of a religion. When we stray, bad things happen. History has shown this to be the case, and history is currently repeating itself…
I've had considerable trouble wording what it is I want to say about this issue; seems our terms/interpretations get tangled up and make this debate complicated.
I have endeavored to find something already written that expresses my belief; one such article is here (copy and paste in your browser to view):
Here is a quote that defines my belief:
"The concept of a Christian nation is often written off because of misconceptions as to what this means. A Christian nation is not one in which al people in a society are all Christians, just as in an Islamic country, not all people are necessarily Moslems. But in a Christian nation, as our Founders would have defined it, the principles and institutional foundations are Biblically based and the people in general share a Biblical world-view.
Nor should we confuse the term "Christian Nation" with a "Christian state." since the word state refers to a political body or the body politic of the nation, the term "Christian state" would mean one in which the government ruled in religious matters through a state church. This would, of course, preclude religious liberty.
Nevertheless, it is imperative to understand that all laws of a nation are the codification of a presuppositional world-view, i.e., the laws of the Untied States have presupposed form the beginning that the Bible was the foundation of our system. Rev. John Wingate Thornton said:
"The highest glory of the American Revolution, said John Quincy Adams, was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIANITY."
The other thought in response to those who *doubt* whether we were orgininally established as a Christian nation is that we can't rewrite what our forefathers said; they implicity used the term "Christian nation" to describe America. It is silly for us to deny fact in its face.
What stumps us, I think, is the lack of understanding about what such a statement implies…and as the article I just linked to describes, founding a nation upon the principles of a religion does not make that nation a theocracy that persecutes its citizens over their religious choice.
One of the most remarkable things (for its time) about the Law in ancient Israel is that there was the same law for the Israelites and the aliens among them. Not all of these laws are tolerant or acceptable to our sensibilities, but in many places, the law was harsher on foreigners and slaves and more lenient for those who violated their rights. Considering this, it would be blasphemous to call ourselves a Christian nation while depriving those following different gods the liberties we afford ourselves.
On state religions–
There shouldn't be one. However, everyone has a worldview, and these are the products of our beliefs. The problem is when institutions established by the government prohibit their employees from religious belief and expression. Because "religion" and the accompanying worldview have been disallowed in public schools, the worldview taught there is instead secular humanism, which is in itself a religion, though a Godless one. Education cannot happen apart from worldview, so the government cannot be in charge of education.
I think that, when the country was founded, it was widely understood that, whatever one's religion, we share a common moral law that allowed us to coexist. Our self-government was a prerequisite for government, and a people incapable of self-government could not be governed.
Today our jails are overflowing, and mothers kill their children, and fathers abandon their families, and pets have more legal rights than entire classes of humans. The only natural law by which most of society lives is "If it feels good, do it."
I don't have the answer, though.
Cassandra, I can really appreciate what you said. I am one who never wants to force anything, or override the free will of a persons choices….even religion. I also believe peoples choices are to be respected, as much as I desire mine to be respected. Anyway, I really resonated with your posts. Thank you!
I also wonder where all the 'correct information' can be found on this subject. Many of the founding fathers have questionable acts in their history. It gets confusing.
A Christian nation.
"We are not a Christian nation."
'are' being present tense, this statement is true. Christians, do not sacrifice their unborn to the god's of the market place nor allow the cultural decay which is rampant in today's society. Christians uphold a moral law, higher than that of their unbelieving neighbors.
There is no logical ground to prove that the Founding Fathers were not Christians. They were, who else would acknowledge a Supreme Being in such important documents (1)? Yes, some such as Benjamin Franklin were Deist, but even they hold basic Christian principles. But 'on a whole' they were devout Christians.
"The separation of Church and State" (2), which is not, nor ever was the majority opinion of the states at the time of ratification. It was solely the opinion of Thomas Jefferson. The majority opinion was there will be no National Church, we would never have a Church of America, such as the Church of England, which was founded, run and funded by the federal government.
John Adams for instance, as President, proclaimed "As the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and blessing of Almighty God;…"(3) He goes on to proclaim and day of fasting and prayer which everyone in Congress observed and participated, including the Deist.
Although we are currently living as a pagan nation, we are a post Christian nation. Why is this so important? Because history has proven that any nation that does not use biblical principles will not prosper. The Founding Fathers used the biblical model(4) of government, which is that of representation, a Republic.
We as Christians know that biblical principles are the only ones that will endure, since we are also Americans we long to see America prosper, therefore we fight for the moral law that will see it through the decay of the culture. The culture is swayed by the tide of public opinion, but laws, Constitutions, hold firm. This our Founding Fathers knew.
We do hold dear a freedom of religion however, so you do not have to be a Christian to uphold good morals. Just as you don't have to be a Doctor to understand that eating tablespoons of sugar or living on Twinkies is not good for you and will be your demise.
1.Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation etc…
2. Quote from Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist Association.
3. Proclamation of Fasting and Prayer, 1798 John Adams
4. Exodus 18:17-23, Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, lays out to Moses the biblical model of government.


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# of Bedrooms: 1
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subset: commoncrawl


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Dave Van Horn - Aggies Rainout
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn talks ...
Dave Jorn, pitching coach at the University of Arkansas, talks with the media Friday, Feb. 7, 2014 at the University of Arkansas baseball media day at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.
If Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn know who is starting the three games in next weekend's season-opening series against Appalachian State, they aren't saying yet.
Sports, Pages 19 on 02/08/2014
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Need a light? by akatheToadWatch
©2010-2016 akatheToad
Meltdown again in her various incarnations. Liked playing with the light. Not brilliant at it yet or anything, but yeah.
She looks fantastic!!!
I really love this! Great work. I adore her pose.
This is pretty awesome, love the lighting and your design of her. Especially the tattoo.
AWESOME!! Maybe she is spelunking with the Toadster. Whee!


text: I agree with you, Corp, but this begs an interesting question/discussion: Since a government can be either good or evil, is it wise to only have one government? In a world with multiple governments, if one happens to be evil, you can leave, and you have another government that can potentially fight off the evil. In a one world government, what happens if the government becomes evil? Where will you go?


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Lung ultrasound has been shown to be highly effective and safe for diagnosing pneumonia in children and a potential substitute for chest X-ray, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Results are currently published in the medical journal Chest. Read More
Paul G. Falkowski, Distinguished Professor Rutgers University, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences and Department of Geology, takes viewers deep into the microscopic world to explore how microbes made life on Earth possible—and how human life today would cease to exist without them. Read More
After 3 days of incubation in Trichomonas broth at 37 C degrees . Easily seen under 40x microscope, protozoa flagellates . Clinical sample was vaginal secretions . Read More


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Deals (1)
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A Great Mix of Music and Message
I really like it when a group has a mix of styles on an album while they keep an overall consistent tone. These girls do a great job on both fronts. I really enjoyed "That Swing Song (Boogie)" and "Never Gonna Stop" and their creative lyrics set to Swing. Then we get treated to a gorgeous acappella rendition of "Be Thou My Vision" which shows off the ladies' versatility. But my favorite has to be "I Can See Him" since I'm a fan of acappella, but I wish the song was twice as long! I hope to see more from this group.


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What do you do to make a product for the 21st century woman? Make it pink and load it with everything a gal could need. At least that is what Eurostar thought when they brought the ePad Femme to the market last year. According to ABC News, it not only 'caters' to all the stereotypes, […]
20 May 2014


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Going solo
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Kathleen Bradley 13 January 2009 at 17:44
Career Transitions
What a beautiful story of transition, Anna. Thank you for sharing it. Speaking as one who has been through a number of transitions myself, and watched others do the same, I can say that there is almost always gold on the other side if we manage ourselves through the process. Best of luck on your solo endeavours!
Barbara Cookson 14 January 2009 at 08:54
You are not alone
Great article and inspiring. Corproate clients should take note. If you are looking for specialist expertise – shun the law factorys and go for a solo. I went Solo three years ago and since Intellectual Property is one of the areas law firm consultants have identified as not fitting in with the profile of their big ticket work ambitions, there are a surprising number of solo IP practitioners around the country. So many we have a very informal group accessible via the Blog .Between us we have a wealth of experience that can help with administrative issues. As the previous comment identifies insurance can become a problem if you need to keep the practising certificate – but do you need too? If you act as a consultant not as a solicitor you can access normal professional insurance which can protect the family without demanding huge percentages of your fees.
Anonymous 14 January 2009 at 12:48
PI Insurance and the Law Society
When I spoke with the Law Society on this subject I was informed by the Ethics team that if I worked for more than, say, 4 different law firms I would be regarded as trading on my own account and would need my own indemnity insurance. Anna, and any others, should check this point with them for further guidance.
Carolyn Elefant 15 January 2009 at 03:07
Congrats on Your New Life
I have been blogging at MyShingle.com, US based law site on starting a practice for 6 years. In that time, I've come across a number of stories like yours in the US, but not in other countries. I would love to learn more about the solo experience in other countries and invite any solos to contact me if they've published similar articles online.
Shireen Smith 15 January 2009 at 12:26
This is the future and how to handle PI issue
Ana, what an interesting way to tell your story.
My business model for Azrights Solicitors, providing intellectual property and technology services, is actually based on using consultants. The economics work out much better when I use consultants who do not have their own law firms because they can charge a much lower hourly rate. So their services will be more in demand. I am convinced this is the way of the future, and anyone now starting out on their own would do well to steer clear of setting up their own law firm. Consultants need a practising certificate if they are being introduced to clients as solicitors. However, whoever said they need their own PI insurance is wrong. What they should do though is insert a clause in their contracts with law firms excluding liability except for dishonesty or fraud etc, and obtaining a waiver in respect of any deductible payable by the firm under the indemnity rules, and any tope up insurance cover and other unindemnified or uninsured losses. I am happy to provide the wording to you Ana if you want to get in touch with me at http://www.ip-brands.com/
Best of luck Shireen Smith
Anonymous 16 January 2009 at 12:18
PI Issues
Shireen makes a very good comment so far as claims against an individual are concerned. However, before suggesting that "whoever said they need their own PI insurance is wrong" I suggest Shireen speaks direct to the Law Society. Working for one firm or up to 4would not cause an issue. However, the Law Society stated that if it was more than 4 they would require the consultant to have their own PI insurance. This would be uneconomic for most.
Anna Rabin 16 January 2009 at 16:31
Thank you
Thanks to everyone who has read my article and for all the kind words and emails I have received. I hope you are all inspired and have stopped, or are at least trying to stop, biting those nails down to the quick. Your support is greatly appreciated. Let's all try and have a good year!
GoneToPluto 16 January 2009 at 20:09
Sorry but although inspiring that one person could do this most are still pretty hard done by. Even if every laid-off lawyer were to become a consultant, we are in a recession and there is not enough work to go round. I was made redundant from a large investment bank after 4 years of working in their derivatives transactions legal team and that was 4 months ago. Agents are still stock piling CVs and mine is amongst them but the jobs just aren't there.
Shireen Smith 16 January 2009 at 21:16
Not being a consultant myself it's difficult to give a complete answer to the point raised that the Law Society requires the consultant to have their own PI insurance if they work for more than 4 firms. I would want to find out chapter and verse why they say that and then look at how to get round it – because it is possible to get around. I know consultants who work this way and if they had to have their own insurance it would be completely unviable. Some consultants appear on the firm's practising certifcate as solicitors working for the firm, so I guess that might be the way to get round the problem. If Ana appeared as a solicitor on all the PC forms for the firms for whom she has worked the previous year she would effectively benefit from their PI cover.
Anonymous 22 January 2009 at 21:51
Virtual community of unemployed lawyers
Dear Anna, thank you for sharing with us your experience. I have also come to the conclusion that the only way to find work at the moment is to create its own work, however it is quite difficult when you have been pampered for years by a large law firm and have worked only on huge transactions which are not entrusted to sole practitioners. An idea could be to create a virtual community of lawyers who are in a similar situation to exchange ideas, referrals, do common marketing, offer below the market fees and move forward.


text: Dave Hingston March 22, 2008 7:28 AM Good effort by both Toyotas to get into the top ten, especially Trulli. Fantastic drive. I''m sure Webber will also be very pleased to outqualify his team mate yet again as well as make the top 10. Reply Report abuse 1 agree 1 disagree


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GreetingsDouble click on any word to get a popup explanation of the word and sample sentences Dictionary | Wikipedia | Synonyms | News
Greetings Meaning and Definition in Dictionary
Would you like to add your own explaination to this word 'Greetings'?
Wikipedia Meaning and Definition on 'Greetings'
- Season's Greetings from Perry Como: Mohr and Franz Gruber) Season's Greetings from Perry Como at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 June 2011. "Season's Greetings from Perry Como". Kokomo. Archived
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- Greetings from L.A.: Greetings from L.A. is the seventh album by singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, released in 1972. It was recorded at Far Out Studios in Hollywood, California
- Greetings & Salutations from Less Than Jake: the album combines two previously released EPs, Greetings from Less Than Jake (2011) and Seasons Greetings from Less Than Jake (2012), along with two new
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- Greetings from the USA: Greetings from the USA is a comedy album by The Bob & Tom Show, which was never released to the general public but only to members of the US military


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Posted by Boris Evelson on May 6, 2016
Posted by John M. Wargo on May 6, 2016
I've been a part of several development organizations, and, for several of those teams, security was an afterthought to the development process. We'd secure databases and even implement field level encryption but we rarely had to consider many attack vectors as we were building internal apps for enterprises and the risks were there, but not as great.
Fast forward to the Mobile First world we live in and that lazy attitude is no longer acceptable. S&R teams have real concerns and actively work to protect their computing environments – both internal-facing and external-facing. Development teams work the other side of that and implement secure code as part of their daily activities (right?). With an appropriate level of trust between the two organizations, many use code scanning utilities to verify delivered code and hunt for vulnerabilities. There are many sources of vulnerabilities; it could come from code written by the company's developers, code pasted in from Stack Overflow or even added through some third-party or open source library. In my experience, static code scanning tools are effective and can catch a lot of potential vulnerabilities but, from a developer behavior standpoint, what the ultimately do is simply teach developers how to get their code to pass the scans, not actually deliver more secure code.
Posted by Kate Leggett on May 5, 2016
Years ago, I worked at a large customer service vendor. Our CEO had tasked us to "eat our own dog food" - that is implement our own solutions for our customer service operations which comprised of 40 or so tier 1 and 2 customer service agents. With these marching orders, I put a group of consultants and business analysts together to get this done. And after several months, the project stalled; got restarted; stalled again; then finally died. We limped on with our old systems in place for many more years.
Why did this project fail? It was because of a mismatch between the complexities of the solution that we were trying to implement, and the company's business needs. The customer service company that I worked for made enterprise software solutions, suitable for large organizations, which was typically implemented in call centers of many hundreds, if not thousands of call center agents. These solutions offered robust case management, with very customizable workflows, queuing and routing rules. These solutions also offered complex knowledge management, email and chat engines that could support millions of interactions a month. Implementation tended to span many months, where professional services consultants dove into the business processes that agents followed, and then reproduced them in these enterprise solutions.
Yet these solutions - as powerful as there are - were too complex for our simple needs. There were no simple "out of the box" best practice process flows. There were no rapid deployment options to get a company up and running quickly. There were no simple ways of setting up FAQs or simple knowledge, or creating simple email and chat routing rules for a moderate volume of digital interactions. What we needed was a highly usable solution, with a quick time-to-value, which contained just the most common functions of the enterprise solution.
Posted by James McCormick on May 5, 2016
Digital intelligence (DI) is the practice of bringing together the big data that we have on our customers to analyze and generate insights in so as to deliver the best, optimal and/or the most relevant experiences during moments of their digital interaction. Firms that get it right have a major competitive advantage in the digital age of the customer (For more information on the digital intelligence approach, see the "Optimize Customer Experiences With Digital Intelligence [61276]" Forrester report).
This hot topic is why I am excited to announce the publication of the brand new Forrester report entitled "TechRadar™: Digital Intelligence, Q2 2016 [76021]". In this report, I analyze and review the business success and growth of the 15 core technologies for digital data management, analytics, and experience optimization needed to deliver great digital intelligence capabilities.
Some of my findings include:
Posted by Rowan Curran on May 5, 2016
Knowledge is power. And in a time where insights drive business differentiation, knowledge is also the origin of power. In our daily routines as consumers, search is probably the most common application we use to find knowledge, and it forms the basis of our personal systems of insight. But at long last, search in the enterprise is catching up. A new wave of search-based applications and search-driven experiences are now being delivered by companies who understand the need to empower their employees and customers with immediate, contextual knowledge in an easily-consumable format.
These applications are not for mere search and results, but also for knowledge discovery. And increasingly, they are a foundational component of cognitive application experiences. Building cognitive experiences can seem arcane and mysterious, but by taking advantage of familiar search technologies at the foundation, enterprise developers can start on the cognitive journey.
In our new research, Mike Gualtieri and I look at how the emerging landscape of cognitive search experiences are incorporating advanced analytics, natural language processing (NLP), and machine learning to enable organizations to see across wide arrays of enterprise data and stitch together insights hidden among them.
Cognitive Search Is Ready To Rev Up Your Enterprise's IQ
Posted by Anjali Lai on May 5, 2016
Today in the US, we are gearing up to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with lively music, ice-cold margaritas, colorful clothing — the works. But while many Americans use the day to revel in the trappings of Mexican culture, they often don't realize that the holiday is actually met with little pomp and circumstance in Mexico itself.
Cinco de Mayo is one of many traditions that have been adopted — and appropriated — across country borders. But the holiday represents a larger concept that applies to people, too: As individuals relocate around the world, they spark cultural variations and build unique identities in their own right.
For example, Forrester's Consumer Technographics® survey data shows that Mexican-born individuals who now live in the US develop distinct behaviors and attitudes: Not only do these longer-tenured US residents become more comfortable sharing sensitive data (like financial information) online, they also increasingly execute digital transactions:
It's interesting to note that even though metropolitan Mexico and the US have similar mobile penetration rates, the device profile, technology attitudes, and digital behaviors that characterize Mexican consumers shift after they settle in the US.
Posted by Boris Evelson on May 5, 2016
Delivering broad access to data and analytics to a diverse base of users is an intimidating task, yet it is an essential foundation to becoming an insights-driven organization. To win and keep customers in an increasingly competitive world, firms need to take advantage of the huge swaths of data available and put it into the hands of more users. To do this, business intelligence (BI) pros must evolve disjointed and convoluted data and analytics practices into well-orchestrated systems of insight that deliver actionable information. But implementing digital insights is just the first step with these systems — and few hit the bull's eye the first time. Continuously learning from previous insights and their results makes future efforts more efficient and effective. This is a key capability for the next-generation BI, what Forrester calls systems of insight.
"It's 10 o'clock! Do you know if your insights support actual verifiable facts?" This is a real challenge, as measuring report and dashboard effectiveness today involves mostly discipline and processes, not technology. For example, if a data mining analysis predicted a certain number of fraudulent transactions, do you have the discipline and processes to go back and verify whether the prediction came true? Or if a metrics dashboard was flashing red, telling you that inventory levels were too low for the current business environment, and the signal caused you to order more widgets, do you verify if this was a good or a bad decision? Did you make or lose money on the extra inventory you ordered? Organizations are still struggling with this ultimate measure of BI effectiveness. Only 8% of Forrester clients report robust capabilities for such continuous improvement, and 39% report just a few basic capabilities.
Posted by Mary Shea on May 4, 2016
In a recent blog post, "Why Millennials Struggle For Success", well known psychologist, author and MacArthur Fellow Angela Duckworth, explores the question many experienced business leaders and managers ask as well: What's wrong with Millennials? Why do they keep changing jobs? Why do they complain when work needs to be taken home over the weekend? And so on. She asks if it's because they don't have enough grit. Duckworth believes the secret to outstanding success is not talent but rather a special blend of passion and persistence called grit. Duckworth developed a Grit Scale and now has scores from thousands of Americans where her data reveal that grit and age go hand and hand.
So what do we do with those Millennials? Today, Millennials make up one third of the workforce and in four years time they will be half. With the average age of the US B2B sales rep at 40 years old, millennial sellers are, or soon will be, the future revenue generators and business leaders for their firms. Smart sales and marketing leaders realize that status quo communication, management approaches and tools will fail to inspire, and are adapting their enablement strategies and tech stacks to resonate with this important group of employees.
Posted by Carlton Doty on May 4, 2016
We had a fantastic event last week in New York, as 750+ marketing leaders converged on Forrester's Marketing 2016. The big theme this year was how to succeed as a marketer in a post-digital world.
What's "post-digital" you ask? Well, we're living in that world today and it's time to acknowledge it. Digital technology is embedded in our daily lives as consumers, as professionals – as human beings. I opened the event describing how marketing evolves in three phases: The pre-digital era was characterized by a mass-media centric, one-to-many approach; the digital era ushered in a data-driven, one-to-one mantra; and today we're in a post-digital world, and your success will be determined by your ability to adapt to one-to-moment marketing.
The digital distinction now dissolves into our daily lives. This raises the stakes for marketers because your customers aren't just empowered by digital technology – they're actually entitled. They think they deserve something, they want it now, and if you can't provide it, they will quickly find it somewhere else. Forrester and industry speakers explored this phenomenon over the course of our 2-day forum. Here are the top 5 key takeaways from last week:
1. Adopt A Post-Digital Mindset.
Posted by Travis Wu on May 4, 2016
This year's Microsoft Analyst Summit took place at the St. Regis hotel in Singapore, a prestigious place that hosted more than 90 analysts from the entire region. The Forrester team was impressed by Microsoft's strategies in cloud, digital transformation and partnerships, and in particular, the main takeaway for us throughout the 2-day event was Microsoft's innovation capabilities and ambition, especially in the APAC region.


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Yesterday, I assisted to a special event organized by Canada World Youth. The event featured youth from Canada and Ghana together as they showcase music, dance and literature from Ghana.
For more info about the event, please see http://lacasitadedoris.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/uproot/
It was so motivating to see such collaboration and friendship, they were no boundary between them. They were simply one unified group, no matter the colour of the skin, nor the culture. It gives hope that the future can be bright if we have so many young people involved into making the world a better one. It was truly inspirational seeing them all together.
I really enjoyed your blog piece on the UpRoot Culture Show. It sounds like it was a great event and offered a great opportunity for exchange and fellowship for all present! As you said you are in the international development field, I am currently studying international development. An event like this is such a proactive approach to embracing cultural diversity and breaking down any barriers, which is very much needed in this world and field.
Wishing you all the best!
Heather Ley
Thanks for sharing about this wonderful event. I think movement (dance) is such a wonderful way to connect across culture & borders. I also enjoyed reading your blog. And I look forward to hearing more.
Many blessings, Carrie
Hi Carrie,
Thank you so much for reading and for your lovely comment! I will try my best to bring up more of those stories. It is truly one of the most motivating things to see that young people are getting involved in such an amazing way, to bridge the gaps and to bring people together.
The co ordination and collaboration of minds is always essential while connecting two cultures or two minds. Such events shall always help in creating a platform for the idea of universal unity throughtout. Thanks for sharing Soumya
Best wishes,
Worldpulse Community Champion
Leadership group
Hi Soumya,
Thank you for reading! I agree 100% with you. It was very inspirational that those youth went the extra mile to build a bridge between them.
Thank you for sharing your impressions and experiences about this event! It sounds like a wonderful collaboration. Art as a medium of experession to connect us is truly powerful - and inspiring to hear so many youth involved!
Warmly, Megan
Megan Keav


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I have a lot of existing data in my database already, and want to develop a points mechanism that computes a score for each user based on what actions they do.
I am implementing this functionality in a pluggable way, so that it is independent of the main logic, and relies on Spring events being sent around, once an entity gets modified.
The problem is what to do with the existing data. I do not want to start collecting points from now, but rather include all the data until now.
What is the most practical way to do this? Should I design my plugins in such a way as to provide for an index() method, which will force my system to fetch every single entity from the database, send an EntityDirtyEvent, to fire the points plugins, for each one, and then update it, to let points get saved next to each entity. That could result in a lot of overhead, right?
The simplest thing would be to create a complex stored procedure, and then make the index() call that stored procedure. That however, seems to me like a bad thing either. Since I will have to write the logic for computing the points in java anyway, why have it once again in SQL? Also, in general I am not a fan of splitting business logic into the different layers.
Has anyone done this before? Please help.


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Sample Syllabus: WORLD RELIGIONS
Required Readings:
All "basic" readings available at www.patheos.com.
Diana L. Eck, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India (Columbia)
Eugene Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery (Vintage)
Peter Brown, The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity (Chicago)
Farid Esack, On Being a Muslim (Oneworld)
Class Schedule and Readings:
Thursday 17 September - Introduction to the Course and Judaism
Readings: http://www.patheos.com/Library/Judaism.html
Thursday 24 September - Rethinking God
Readings: Elie Wiesel, Night.
Thursday 1 October - Christianity
Readings: http://www.patheos.com/Library/Christianity.html
Thursday 8 October - Creating Community
Readings: Peter Brown, The Cult of the Saints.
Thursday 15 October - Islam
Readings: http://www.patheos.com/Library/Islam.html
Thursday 22 October - Religious Identity in/and the Modern World
Readings: Esack, On Being a Muslim.
First Exam Due
Thursday 29 October - Hinduism
Readings: http://www.patheos.com/Library/Hinduism.html
Thursday 5 November - Seeing and Knowing the Divine
Readings: Diana L. Eck, Darsan.
Thursday 12 November - Buddhism
Readings: http://www.patheos.com/Library/Buddhism.html
Thursday 19 November - Ritual Practice
Readings: Eugene Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery.
Tuesday 24 November
Second Exam Due


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Science Matters archives
Leaders rally to keep the tiger's future burning brightDecember 1, 2010
The Year of the Tiger ends in early February. Chinese zodiac aside, this hasn't been a good year for the tiger. Even golfer Tiger Woods has had a better year... More »
Senate's move to kill bill a blow to Canadians and democracyNovember 25, 2010
On November 16, Canadian senators killed Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act, with a surprise vote. The way the vote was carried out is an insult to Canadians and... More »
We have much to learn from our eldersNovember 17, 2010
As I approach my 75th birthday, I find myself often thinking about mortality. I'm in the last part of my life, and that's reality. This is the time when we... More »
Drilling in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is not worth the riskNovember 11, 2010
Given the importance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the provinces that border it, and indeed to all of Canada, we just can't afford to risk a spill like the one that devastated the Gulf of Mexico. More »
Day of the Dead is a time to celebrate life — and monarch butterfliesNovember 4, 2010
Every autumn, tens of millions of monarch butterflies take wing in southern Ontario, embarking on a miraculous 3,000-kilometre, two-month journey, arriving in central Mexico in late October and early November.... More »
Ozone agreement shows that progress is possibleOctober 29, 2010
International leadership based on sound science can lead to great results. For proof, we need only "look up, look way up," as one of my colleagues at CBC used to say. The ozone layer is no longer shrinking. More »
Making cities more livable may save the worldOctober 20, 2010
Most of the world's 6.9 billion people live in cities. City dwellers consume about three quarters of the world's energy and generate most of the greenhouse gases that cause climate... More »
Tiny sardines offer great guilt-free valueOctober 13, 2010
When the six-year-old daughter of David Suzuki Foundation sustainable fisheries analyst Scott Wallace returned from a birthday party, excited about the hockey cards she got in her loot bag, her... More »
Shady practices are good when it comes to coffeeOctober 6, 2010
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, after oil. And as with oil, the massive scale of production necessary to meet our insatiable demand for coffee results... More »
We need to protect the local farms, fields, and fisheries that feed usSeptember 30, 2010
As we move into fall, the bounty of Canada's farms, fields, and fisheries is filling local markets across the country: artisan cheese in Montreal, fresh sockeye salmon in Vancouver, plump... More »


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First-of-Its-Kind Ranking Measures Luxury Brands' Digital IQ
109 Brands in 11 Categories Evaluated on Four Criteria; Reveals Digital Competence of Iconic Brands
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple, BMW, Audi, Sony, Porsche, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Tag Heuer are "Geniuses" when it comes to using digital applications to strengthen their brands, according to the new Digital IQ Ranking. The Ranking was created by Scott Galloway, NYU Stern School of Business clinical associate professor of marketing, and a team of experts who scored 109 luxury brands in 11 categories including fashion, beauty and skincare, watches and automobiles. The study, the first and largest of its kind, measured brands on the effectiveness of their digital competence based on criteria including search engine optimization, brand translation, ability to leverage technology and use of social media. "Best of class" brands that scored highest in their category include:
"2009 represented a tipping point concerning the importance of digital competence in the luxury industry"
- Electronics: Apple
- Automobiles: BMW
- Fashion: Louis Vuitton
- Watches: Tag Heuer
- Jewelry: Tiffany
- Hotels: W Hotels
- Wines & Champagnes: Veuve Clicquot
- Skincare: Clinique
- Credit Cards: American Express
- Home: Viking
- Tours: Orient Express Hotels
Each brand was assigned a Digital IQ value and a corresponding term of Genius, Gifted, Average, Challenged or Feeble. Key findings of the study include:
- Luxury and digital competence are negatively correlated. Higher price point brands registered lower digital IQs
- Selling online leads to greater IQ across all dimensions as brands become more comfortable in the medium
- Social media optimization ("SMO") may soon rival SEO strategy for driving traffic to sites as upstream traffic from social media platforms to these brands' sites is growing
To download the ranking and preview of the report go to: http://bit.ly/MGpX1
"2009 represented a tipping point concerning the importance of digital competence in the luxury industry," said Scott Galloway. "While the industry grappled with double-digit revenue declines, traffic to luxury brand sites increased an average of 61 percent. With this study, we've devised a metric these companies can use to benchmark specific features of their digital competence against their competitors, and highlight which area each firm stands to gain the greatest return on incremental investment in digital."
About New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business
New York University Stern School of Business, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, is one of the nation's premier management education schools and research centers. NYU Stern offers a broad portfolio of academic programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels, all of them informed and enriched by the dynamism, energy and deep resources of the world's business capital.


text: Vissians Category page Revision as of 21:08, November 14, 2007 by Gvsualan (Talk | contribs) (diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 40,393pages on this wiki edit this page Edit source History Discuss0 This category includes all Vissian individuals. Subcategories This category has only the following subcategory. [×] Memory Alpha images (Vissians) (7 F) Pages in category "Vissians" The following 6 pages are in this category, out of 6 total. C CallaCharlesD DrennikT TraistanaU Unnamed VissiansV Veylo Retrieved from "http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Vissians?oldid=708033" Categories: Individuals


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Standardized Assays Are Driving Preemptive Genotyping...
Where Does Your Region Stack Up...
GEN's Expert Panel Reviews Filtration's Triumphs,...
Immunoassays Are Incorporating Brighter Signals and...
Prometheus v. Mayo will be an open-and-shut U.S. Supreme Court case for Mayo Collaborative Services, judging by GEN's poll on the outcome of this lawsuit.Some 70% of respondents predict that the high court will rule against Prometheus Laboratories, overturning the decision by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last December. While 10% of respondents were undecided, 20% believe that Prometheus will win out.
The key question wrought by the patent litigation is: When does a claim involving diagnostic and treatment-related chemical observations, among examples of natural phenomena, meet the threshold for patent eligibility? The case is being closely watched by molecular diagnostics companies seeking direction about what intellectual property they can and cannot patent.
One theory for explaining "success," put forward by Amy Chua Jed Rubenfeld, posits cultural traits such as a superiority complex, personal insecurity and impulse control. Union College professors Joshua Hart and Christopher Chabris counter that intelligence, conscientiousness, and economic advantage are the most likely elements of success, regardless of ethnicity. Do you think that Hart-Chabris make a better argument for achieving success than the Chua-Rubenfeld theory?
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