text:
add contact to address book
Samuel Shetzer Associate Professor of American Jewish Studies
Office Location(s): 5125 Angell Hall
Phone: 734.764.2276
View Curriculum Vitae
The endowed chair in American Jewish Studies honors the memory of Samuel Shetzer, a native of Suwalki, Poland, who immigrated to Detroit, Michigan, in the early 1920s. He had an abiding interest in Jewish affairs and a strong commitment to Jewish education. Julian A. Levinson, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, is the first incumbent of the Shetzer chair.
Jean & Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies
2111 South Thayer Building202 S. Thayer St.
Ann Arbor, MI
ph: 734.763.9047
fx: 734.936.2186


text:
An easily understood introduction to digital photography for students and enthusiasts of all ages. Camera's, lenses and techniques for taking professional looking images are covered. Photography is fun, and can be rewarding, if the basic concepts covered in this book are understood.
Future Creatives (Reg No. 2290286) provides photography services to schools and college's. We teach photography and run projects supporting BTEC, A level and cross curriculum courses. Many of our projects are run with partner organisations. We work with all ages and abilities and testimonials can be see on our web site from a range of clients.
Comment posted.
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School's Out 2012 Published September 04, 2012
Exotica Published January 24, 2012
Ipanema Published August 23, 2011
Amanda & James 4th June 2011 Published August 22, 2011
Leaving School Published July 27, 2011
Tettenhall Wood Published July 03, 2011
South Wolverhampton & Bilston Academy Published July 01, 2011
Penn Fields Published May 06, 2011

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In Salt we must answer the question: is Evelyn Salt a CIA operative or a Russian sleeper agent planted in the U.S. years earlier?
Whether she is or isn't is really a moot point, as this films twists and turns more than a rattle snake hanging by its tail in a stiff Santa Clarita wind.
We first meet Salt (Angelina Jolie) when she is captured by North Koreans and interrogated. An American spy's fate seems to be her destiny until she is rescued by her CIA mentor Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) in a prisoner exchange pushed for by Salt's gallant, arachnid loving hubby Mike (August Diehl).
Later, an old Russian KGBer, Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski), comes into CIA headquarters claiming to know the identity of a Russian sleeper agent. During the interrogation Salt conducts on Orlov, he reveals the name of said agent to be Evelyn Salt!
Cue the music swell, lots of horns, not too basey. Okay, you are now caught up on the premise in case you missed the movie's trailer or commercials.
Salt is enjoyable, as the film is a well done spy thriller with its feet planted firmly in the unreality of one person being able to slaughter a dozen other (supposedly trained) agents with nary a scratch, whilst not even breaking a sweat (or in Jolie's case, a nail)!
The acting here is less about the craft and more about the genre so don't blame Jolie, take umbrage at Schreiber, or even chastise Olbrychski for delivering performances that make mannequins look passionate by comparison.
Basically a set up for another Angelina Jolie action franchise (sort of a Lara Croft: Spy Raider), Salt has some pretty good punch, and might spawn even better movies in its sequels. Think of it as a femme version of the Bourne Identity with a bit of the Borscht belt flavor.
Not a roller coaster by any stretch, still fasten your seat belts, the ride's not so bad, you might even be sorry when it's over.


text:
Get the latest Flash player
Views: 2905
Runtime: 1:20:00
Added: 9 years ago
Samson in the Amazon's Land
The mythical Hercules begins a quest to save his friend Samson from an all female tribe known as the Amazons.Many beautiful females will stand in his way,using every thing at their disposal to stop him. He must save his friend before he is killed by the Amazons,but these seductive ladies have a different plan for Hercules,this all female tribe must fulfill their sexual frustrations and lust.
Studio: The Body Shoppe VP | Production Year: 2006


text:
Collection 3D Showtimes and Tickets
Read Movie Reviews about Collection Write a Movie Review for Collection
Release Date: 2012-11-30 (Nationwide)
Genre: Horror,
Rating: R
Duration: 1hr 21min
Also available in: Standard
When Elena's friends take her to a secret party at an undisclosed location, she never imagined she would become the latest victim of The Collector, a psychopathic killer. The Collector kidnaps and transports her to an abandoned hotel he's transformed into his own private maze of torture and death. Upon learning of his daughter's disappearance, Elena's wealthy father hires a group of mercenaries to retrieve her from the vicious grips of The Collector. These mercenaries coerce Arkin, the only man to have escaped the wrath of this heinous monster, to lead them through the gruesome labyrinth. Now, Arkin finds himself fighting for his own life in order to save Elena.
Cast and Crew
- Starring
Christopher McDonald, Josh Stewart, Navi Rawat, Lee Tergesen, Daniel Sharman
- Directed by Marcus Dunstan
- Produced by Mickey Liddell, Julie Richardson, Brett Forbes, Jennifer Hilton Monroe, Patrick Rizzotti
- Written by Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan
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text:
George Cummins, Crops Field Specialist, Northeast
Problem Statement:
The Conservation Security Program (CSP) is the first USDA Farm Bill to reward farmers who have adopted best management practices related to Nutrient and Pest Management; Soil and Water Quality; Grazing and Wildlife Management; and Energy Management. Qualified applicants can earn annual payments up to $45,000 with contracts extending up to 10 years. Enrollment is limited to select watersheds each year. The original intent was to complete initial signup in 7 years. Because of funding constraints, signup opportunities have been delayed/extended further into the future. Under current rules, if producers miss their initial signup opportunity, they will need to wait till the watershed rotation is complete and a new signup is announced in their watershed.
Producers in the Blue Earth River Watershed (2004) and the Upper Wapsipinicon/ Turkey River Watersheds (2005) have had the opportunity to apply for CSP payments. For a variety of reasons, only 15% of the total watershed acres and 16% of potential producers were accepted into the CSP. NRCS personnel who administered the signup in the 2005 watersheds indicate that 75 90% of the producers they worked with who made the effort to complete the application process, qualified at some payment level.
The Cedar River Resource, Conservation and Development District (R, C and D) serves 8 counties in NE Iowa. The opportunity for CSP signup in the Cedar River Watershed is expected within the next few years. Producers need to be aware of the CSP and its requirements and begin preparing now to qualify for the program.
Programmatic Response:
Kurt Hoeft, the Cedar Valley R,C and D executive director; Mike Webster, the NRCS CSP education coordinator; the 8 NRCS District Conservationists and the ISU Crop Specialist developed an informational folder and a ppt presentation to explain the CSP program and signup process; the Soil Conditioning Index, RUSLE2, and the Iowa Phosphorous Index which are used to determine eligibility; ISU recommendations related to nutrient and pest management; and recordkeeping systems to document various practices. Darrin Seifken, former Bremer Co CEED, was hired to organize 6 meetings for producers and 3 meetings for Ag Professionals to provide information about the CSP and how to prepare to qualify- hopefully at the higher levels. Each 2-hour meeting was hosted by a local SWCD Commissioner with teaching responsibilities split between the County NRCS DC and the ISU Extension Crop Specialist.
Total attendance (475) at the 6 producer meetings had a range of 37 to 98 and an average of 75. The first 2 meetings for Ag Professionals attracted 33 participants which included bankers, crop consultants, company agronomists and farm managers eager to learn how to help their producer clients qualify for CSP. These numbers far exceeded our expectations and are also greater than informational meetings being held in watersheds currently open for signup. R, C and D and NRCS staff have received requests for copies of our program and materials to use in their watersheds.
These meetings have generated increased office contacts related to the topics discussed at the CSP meeting for all the sponsoring agencies and also to Ag Professionals from their clients. This meeting series provided the opportunity for R, C and D, NRCS and Extension staff to work together cooperatively; to share experiences related to problems from previous sign-ups; to share information on current watershed and on-farm demonstration efforts in the 8 counties; and to identify areas where extension recommendations and agency guidelines may be incompatible or in conflict. The conflicting issues identified by this project have been shared on campus and with agency staff in Des Moines to encourage debate and resolution.
These meetings provided a teachable moment for the ISU Crop Specialist to showcase new technologies (NH3 application equipment, GMOs, GPS/ GIS, etc) and to explain current ISU research findings and recommendations related to sampling procedures and test interpretation, Maximum Return to N Tables, pesticide and nutrient use related to water quality; equipment calibration; tillage and soil quality; and sustainable ag production systems.
The ultimate measure of the impact of this meeting series (successful signup % and payment level) will not be realized until the Cedar River Watershed is selected for CSP signup. All involved agree that the meeting participants will be better prepared for the signup when it comes. There is also general consensus that adoption of the BMPs and ISU recommendations would reduce input costs, improve efficiencies and/or increase profitability. These meetings would provide economic benefit even if the opportunity for CSP enrollment never materializes.
March 22, 2006
103 - Nutrient Management; 142- Integrated Pest and Crop Management; 147 - Sustainable Agriculture
Page last updated:
July 10, 2006
Page maintained by Linda Schultz, email@example.com


text:
String to timestamp
This function generates a timestamp by parsing the human-readable date and time-between December 13, 1901 and January 19, 2038-from the string time:
integer strtotime(string time)
strtotime function
strtotime function parse about any English textual datetime description into a Unix timestamp. The function interprets several standard representations of a date, as shown here:
Absolute dates and times
$var = strtotime("25 December 2002"); $var = strtotime("14/5/1955"); $var = strtotime("Fr1, 7 Sep 2001 10:28:07 -1000");
The current time: equivalent to
time( ).
$var = strtotime("now");
Relative times
echo strtotime("+1 day"); echo strtotime("-2 weeks"); echo strtotime("+2 hours 2 seconds");
Care should be taken when using
strtotime( ) with user-supplied dates. It's better to limit the use of
strtotime( ) to cases when the string to be parsed is under the control of the script, for example, checking a minimum age using a relative date:
// date of birth: timestamp for 16 August, 1983 $dob = mktime(0, 0, 0, 16, 8, 1982); // Now check that the individual is over 18 if ((float)$dob < (float)strtotime("-18 years")) echo "Legal to drive in the state of Victoria";
Note that both timestamps are cast to floating-point numbers before comparing them to avoid the integer overflow problem highlighted earlier. A different solution to this problem is presented in tutorial 7.


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Comments about 'Baptism records show that cattle, sheep herder is oldest living person in the world'
- Oldest first
- Newest first
- Most recommended
If eating skunk is the key to long living, I will take steak, and live to 80
- 5:45 p.m. Aug. 16, 2013
- Like (6)
- Report abuse
If you what the Aymara ate, trust me, you'd prefer skunk.
- 6:32 p.m. Aug. 16, 2013
- Like (1)
- Report abuse
It's always great to see these people with such great relationships with their wives and family! What a wonderful example. The real key here is he shows us how to live not just long, but happily -- help your wife around the kitchen and go on long walks. ;-)
- 11:58 p.m. Aug. 16, 2013
- Like (8)
- Report abuse
If a fast food with golden arches opened in his neighborhood and he started to eat their fries, he would not last another week.
- 6:40 a.m. Aug. 17, 2013
- Like (2)
- Report abuse
It ain't age. It's character and what you do that counts.
Although it is different, think of the "choice" Alexander the Great or maybe Achilles had. The choice was a "short life with glory" or a "long life of obscurity."
That could also apply to good/bad or other things.
- 8:14 p.m. Aug. 17, 2013
- Like
- Report abuse
Having served in the L.D.S. mission in Bolivia - La Paz spanish speaking. I was around the Aymara and Quecha people and this is amazing as the average life span is like 42 years old as disease runs rampant.
- 9:12 p.m. Aug. 17, 2013
- Like (5)
- Report abuse
Average lifespan in Bolivia is almost 68. Almost 2/3 of the population consists of Aymara and Quechua (not Quecha) people. ImABeliever is pulling statistics out of his imagination, which seems to look down on Bolivia and its people. For those who don't know it, serving a mission somewhere doesn't make someone an expert, or even minimally informed about an alien nation, a distant state, a new city, a foreign language.
- 5:49 a.m. Aug. 18, 2013
- Like (2)
- Report abuse
No Pasta? What about Potatoes which are a staple in that part of the world?
- 11:44 a.m. Aug. 18, 2013
- Like
- Report abuse
Deep in the south , possum is the meat of choice to flavor greens especially
collard greens , now a young skunk will do in a pinch , but possum is well known
for its greasy flavor.
Course most people gobble up all that gmo food and wonder why they have no energy or are sick all the time and eventually when all food is gmo , the herd will start getting thinned out in a hurry.
Nonesense you say - LOL just wait and see Obama Care is the Key
- 1:57 p.m. Aug. 18, 2013
- Like
- Report abuse
@Aggielove and @no comment, LOL! Hilarious exchange.
@TimBehrend Jeez, cut him some slack. Even your statistics make his point. And I disagree with your assessment of someone who lives among a people for an extended period of time.
- 6:53 p.m. Aug. 18, 2013
- Like (1)
- Report abuse
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text:
March 6, 2013
DALLAS (SMU) - On the heels of its fourth straight bowl appearance, SMU has announced its 2013 football schedule. The slate is highlighted by six games on the SMU campus, including a season-opening, Friday-night matchup against Texas Tech to be aired nationally on ESPN. Other 2013 visitors to Ford Stadium will be Montana State and new conference foes Rutgers, Temple, UConn and UCF.
After the SMU-Texas Tech game on Friday, Aug. 30, SMU will host its first Saturday game of the year when three-time reigning Big Sky Champions Montana State visits Ford on Sept. 7. After an off weekend, SMU will pay back-to-back visits to Texas A&M (Sept. 21) and TCU (Sept. 28), with the Mustangs and Frogs playing for The Iron Skillet.
SMU then opens play in its new conference on Oct. 5, when Rutgers comes to Dallas. After an Oct. 19 trip to Memphis, SMU will host Temple on Oct. 26 and then travel to the Queen City to face Cincinnati on Nov. 9.
The Nov. 16 game versus UConn game holds historical significance, as it is a rematch 1989's "Miracle On Mockingbird." When SMU returned to the football field in 1989, critics claimed that it was going to take a miracle for Forrest Gregg and the Mustangs to win a game. SMU started the season with a 35-6 loss to Southwest Conference rival Rice, and two weeks later, the Connecticut Huskies were in town to take on the Mustangs in just their second game since the end of the 1986 season. With five minutes to play in the game, it seemed that SMU was headed for certain defeat, as the Mustangs trailed 30-14. Some SMU fans decided that the game was out of reach and started to head home, but the Mustangs scored 17 points in the final five minutes to win the game, 31-30. That first victory that many predicted might take as many as five years to achieve took just two games and was quickly dubbed the "Miracle on Mockingbird."
After a trip to Tampa to tackle USF (Nov. 23) and a nationally-televised game at Houston on Friday, Nov. 29, SMU will close out the regular season by hosting UCF on Dec. 7.
The full schedule is available here.
Other kickoff times and TV information will be announced at a later date.
For Mustang ticket information, call the Athletics Department Ticket Office at (214) SMU-GAME (768-4263).


text:
Home > Restaurants > Shalimar Restaurant, Bar & Lounge > Add a recommendation
Add a recommendation for Shalimar Restaurant, Bar & Lounge
13 Summerfield Village Centre
Wilmslow, Cheshire
01625 444845
Please note: All Reader Recommendations will be passed on to the Restaurants. Postive Reader Recommendations will be published, negative ones may not be depending on content and feedback. If your Reader Recommendation is negative please indicate when you visited, if you brought the issue up at the time of visit and include a valid email address. Your rating will go towards top fives and league tables.


text:
Hillary Clinton Deployed to Middle East to End Gaza Conflict
Just wrapping up some loose ends during her final days in office.
The fighting in Gaza has continued to escalate in the past few days, so the Obama administration is taking action. The White House says that on Tuesday Hillary Clinton will wrap up her trip to Cambodia with the president and head to the Middle East, where she'll meet with Israeli, Palestinian, and Egyptian leaders and attempt to mediate a truce. Even if Hillary manages to achieve peace in the Middle East in her final weeks in office, John McCain will only complain that they didn't send the Clinton he suggested.


text:
Kriswontwo is a young and extraordinaire Scandinavian music producer. His signature-style production—is not only mesmerizing, but it is a breath of fresh air in today's music scene. I got a chance to converse with Kriswontwo, and through the wire—this is what he had to say.
ZT: Growing up, who were some of your influences?
K: I was very inspired by Madlib growing up and also the whole Soulquarian movement. My father is a piano player and he always played soul, funk & jazz at the house, like Stevie Wonder, Weather Report, Randy Crawford, Miles Davis and all there is in between. Also, my mother went to church a lot so we listened to loads of gospel too.
ZT: What's the greatest obstacle you had to overcome and how did you overcome it?
K: Musically every track is kind of an obstacle. I always start from scratch with songs, and don't use templates or anything pre-made. So I expect to learn a lot every single time I create. In that sense the obstacle isn't a negative thing. It's like if you always stay in your comfort zone, you never find new cool ways to do stuff. Or, like if you're at the gym but never lift heavier weights... I'm just hungry to make beautiful music.
ZT: What would you say is your greatest accomplishment?
K: Ha-ha, I don't know. That's a crazy question. I would say the new "Ms. One" Ep with Georgia Anne Muldrow. I love this Ep! G is one of the main reasons why I make music in the first place. So, to have done this project with her is a great honor!
ZT: What's the worst advice anyone has ever given you?
K: Ha-ha, good question. You can always learn from what people say, but when people say something like, "Why don't you make something more radio-friendly?" I laugh. But never the less, I always try to listen to what people have to say. Like one time a Danish musician that I have a lot of respect for asked me, "Why don't you make your music simpler and stop using all those sounds?" First I was like, "Yeah whatever. I'll do my music how I like!" But later that same night, I took it as a challenge and went into the lab and made something really dope with that concept in mind. I kept it simple. The beat actually ended up on my upcoming debut album and Edgar Allen Floe is rhyming on it! He is so dope!
ZT: How would you describe your sound?
K: It's always changing. I try to do new stuff all the time. So that's what you can expect, always something on the edge.
ZT: What advice would you give to an aspiring producer?
K: Do you. Work hard.
ZT: Years from now, when people say Kriswontwo, what will they say?
K: Something good I hope. I don't really worry about things I can't control.
ZT: What's your favorite word and why?
K: "Gumbo." My tracks are kinda like gumbo because I mix a lot of crazy stuff together. That's also how I cook. I like to mix all kinds of styles or just make something delicious with whatever is in the fridge. Kinda like a fusion style. Making something out of nothing.
ZT: How can people get in contact with you?
K: www.kriswontwo.com is where it's at!
ZT: Thanks for a great interview, and as an honored guest, is there anything else you would like to say?
K: Thank YOU my friend.
ZT: In conclusion, I want to end this Q&A session with Mel Blanc's famous catchphrase, "That's All Folks!" Thanks again for reading another Through The Wire article, and always remember that (P) Positive, (E) Energy, (A) Always, (C) Creates, (E) Elevation (PEACE).


text:
I installed SourceMage Linux on my laptop and the ethernet and wireless interfaces don't exist after loading the required modules (
tg3 and
ath9k). On other distros (Xubuntu, aptosid) the networking worked.
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation Device 1692 (rev 01)
08:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. Device 002e (rev 01)


text:
Feb 16, 2011 8:00 AM
Stila impresses us with the way they have the pulse on the latest makeup trends. They know that we're going more natural these days, that many of us are moving toward a simple morning routine in which we moisturize our faces and call it good. It's especially easy to call it "good" when there's a little skin-correcting color and SPF in our moisturizer, much like we find in this Stila Tinted Moisturizer ($34)
If you've got a product or service that you'd like to promote on Outblush, click here to find out about our advertising opportunities.
Outblush is a blog for girls who love to shop. Our staff digs up the best clothes, home stuff, beauty items, and more. New items are posted every day — bookmark us and check out:


text:
The two spacecraft were designed to be deployed in a single launch of a Vostok booster. The spacecraft had the specific task of mapping the Van Allen radiation belts at higher inclinations than that achieved by US satellites of the time (60 degrees vs 30 degrees latitude). Decrees authorizing design and building of the Elektrons were issued on 9 May 1960 and 13 May 1961. Design work began in July 1960. Elektron A, with a design mass of 350 kg, was 325 mm in diameter and was designed to be placed in a 425 km x 6,000 km orbit and map the inner Van Allen belt, simultaneous with Elektron B's study of the outer radiation belt. The spacecraft also measured cosmic rays and the upper atmosphere.
Gross mass: 340 kg (740 lb).
First Launch: 1964.01.30.
Last Launch: 1964.07.10.
Number: 2 .


text:
- Directory Directory
- Alerts Alerts
- Email Email
- SouthwestNet SouthwestNet
- D2L Brightspace D2L Brightspace
- Quick Links Quick Links
Main Page
Academic Program
- During the first semester, each student works individually with the Honors Program Director on designing their own program of study. Once a proposal is developed, the student then meets with a Review Board of representative faculty. The Board reserves the right to recommend changes in light of its directive from the faculty to guarantee depth and breadth in these programs of study.
- The program is intended to provide an education with a broad foundation that also fulfills the needs of the gifted student. The Board will seek to strike a balance between what the student perceives to be their needs and what the Board perceives to be those needs.
- A great deal of thought and consideration goes into the planning of the program. It is intended to give students an opportunity to pave an individual path of study for their own college career. The Board will respect the student's right to defend their proposal and is always attentive to the student's concerns. As a rule, proposed programs are altered very little.
- Students usually complete the approval process within their first year.
Print View Feedback
Date Last Modified: 09/19/2006
Date Last Modified: 09/19/2006


text:
A University of Cincinnati nursing student raised alarm in her hometown of Lebanon, Ohio when she reported to police that she had been kidnapped early last Monday morning and raped by two unknown men in a wooded area near her home. She now has admitted to police, however, that she made the entire story up.
Kristen Lamb, 21, of 607 Franklin Avenue in Lebanon was reported missing by her parents after they believed that she had attended classes but failed to return home. Late in the day Monday, Lamb staggered home with her hands bound in front of her with zip-ties sparking a search for two unknown men.
In her initial story, Lamb claimed she was grabbed by a group of men at approximately 4:00 a.m. while taking out the trash. She told police that she was taken to a wooded area and raped, but was able to escape. Lamb was reported missing by her parents around 2:30 p.m. Monday and found in her parents' yard around 10 p.m. Monday.
Lamb told police on Thursday, May 27, that she faked the entire event, going so far as to take props from her Franklin Avenue home and bind herself with zip ties.
Lamb will learn this week what charges will be filed against her. Lebanon police are expected to present their report to prosecutors this week and seem to be seeking a felony charge of making false alarms. Sgt. Jeff Mitchell of the Lebanon Police Department believes that charge "really fits this particular set of circumstances. It essentially says you can't allege that something occurred when you know in fact that it didn't occur."
Lamb's charge may very well be a fifth-degree felony which carries with it a possible term of imprisonment of up to 1 year.
Follow Joshua on Twitter and subscribe at the top of this page to stay up to date on the latest Ohio and Cincinnati news. Joshua is also the Hamilton County 2010 Elections Examiner and Cincinnati Political Buzz Examiner.


text:
Terminal 3, Corridor C, Counters C17-C24
(Check-in counters are closed punctually 60 minutes before scheduled departure time)
|Terminal 3E, opposite to Gate E21
|Opening Hours:
|Daily: 0530 - last flight departure
For further information, click on the website of Beijing Capital International Airport
International to International:
Minimum connecting time 90 minutes for transit within Terminal 3;
Minimum connecting time 120 minutes for cross-terminal transfers from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 or 2.
International to Domestic:
Minimum connecting time 120 minutes for transit within Terminal 3;
Minimum connecting time 160 minutes for cross-terminal transfers from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 or 2.
Beijing 72-hour Visa-free Transit Programme
Beijing offers 72-hour visa-free transit programme for foreign visitors who are:
72-hour Visa-free Transit programme is valid for passport holders from the following countries:
Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Ukraine
For more information, please visit: http://en.bcia.com.cn/server/notice/72visafree/
To city centre:
Taxi: Approximately CNY90
CNY90, included in air fare.
Children under 12 are exempted.
Passengers aged 18 or above are entitled to the following duty-free quota:
Tobacco Products
Alcoholic Beverages
Please note that all departing and arriving passengers are required to fill in a new customs and declaration form.


text:
Doris Betts Fiction Prize Now Open For Submissions
- Details
- Written by Administrator
- Category: Network News
NORTH CAROLINA—The 2016 Doris Betts Fiction Prize is now open for submissions. The Doris Betts Fiction Prize awards the first-place winner $250 and publication in the North Carolina Literary Review. Finalists will also be considered for publication in NCLR.
The competition is for previously unpublished short stories up to 6,000 words. The Doris Betts Fiction Prize is open to any writer who is a legal resident of North Carolina or a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network. North Carolina Literary Review subscribers with North Carolina connections (lives or has lived in NC) are also eligible.
The deadline is Monday, February 15.
The final judge is NCLR fiction editor Liza Wieland. She the author of seven books and three collections of short fiction. She has won two Pushcart Prizes, the Michigan Literary Fiction Prize, a Bridport Prize in the UK, and fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts, The North Carolina Arts Council, and the Christopher Isherwood Foundation. She has recently been awarded a second fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council. Her newest novel is Land of Enchantment.
For over twenty years, East Carolina University and the North Carolina Literary & Historical Association have published the North Carolina Literary Review, a journal devoted to showcasing the Tar Heel State's literary excellence. Described by one critic as "everything you ever wanted out of a literary publication but never dared to demand," the NCLR has won numerous awards and citations.
Doris Betts was the author of three short story collections and six novels. She won three Sir Walter Raleigh awards, the Southern Book Award, the North Carolina Award for Literature, the John Dos Passos Prize, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Medal for the short story, among others. Beloved by her students, she was named the University of North Carolina Alumni Distinguished Professor of English in 1980. She was a 2004 inductee of the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.
Brad Field of Wilmington won the 2015 Doris Betts Fiction Prize for his story, "Achmed's Lesson," a story offering deceptively simple language and a kind of cultural critique that transported readers to a world unfamiliar to many.
Kathryn Etters Lovatt's "Eminent Domain," a first-person reminiscence, won second place and also was selected for publication.
Here are the full guidelines for the 2016 Doris Betts Fiction Prize:
- The competition is open to any writer who is a legal resident of North Carolina or a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network. North Carolina Literary Review subscribers with North Carolina connections (lives or has lived in NC) are also eligible.
- The competition is for previously unpublished short stories up to 6,000 words. Multiple entries ok, but each requires a separate entry fee. No novel excerpts. Stories do NOT have to relate to NCLR's annual special feature topic.
- The deadline is Monday, February 15
- Simultaneous submissions ok, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
- Submit previously unpublished stories online at https://nclr.submittable.com/submit. Submittable will collect your entry fee via credit card ($10 NCWN members or NCLR subscribers / $20 for non-members/non-subscribers).
- To pay submission fees by check or money order, make payable to the North Carolina Writers Network and mail to: Ed Southern, PO Box 21591, Winston-Salem, NC 27120- 1591
- If submitting by mail, mail story manuscript with a cover sheet providing name, address, email address, word count, and manuscript title, to:
ECU Mailstop
555 English
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
(but mail payment to the Network as per instructions above)
The winner and finalists will be announced by May 1. The winning story and select finalists will be published in the next year's issue of the North Carolina Literary Review.
Kate Sweeney to Judge 2016 Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition
- Details
- Written by Charles Fiore
- Category: Network News
WILMINGTON—The 2016 Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition is now open for submissions. This contest awards $1,500 in prizes to a piece of lasting nonfiction that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians. Subjects may include traditional categories such as reviews, travel articles, profiles or interviews, place/history pieces, or culture criticism.
The first-, second-, and third-place winners will receive $1,000, $300, and $200 respectively. The winning entry will be considered for publication by Ecotone.
The final judge is Kate Sweeney. While pursuing her MFA at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, she spent time with obit writers, funeral directors, and ordinary Americans who found themselves involved with death and memorialization. The result is the popular nonfiction book American Afterlife (University of Georgia Press), which won the Georgia Author of the Year Away in the Essay category for 2014.
About American Afterlife, Paste Magazine wrote, "Sweeney writes the perfect story for our time, in the best possible way." Bestselling author Thomas Lynch calls the book "a reliable witness and well-wrought litany to last things and final details."
A resident of Atlanta, Kate's radio stories appear regularly on Atlanta's NPR station, WABE 90.1 FM, and she has won five Edward R. Murrow awards as well as a number of Associated Press awards for her work. Her writing has appeared several times in Oxford American Magazine, as well as Utne Reader Online, Atlanta Magazine, and New South, among other outlets. Creative Loafing Atlanta named Kate an "author to watch" in 2013. She has taught creative writing and English at Emory Continuing Education, Clayton State University, and the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
The 2016 Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition is administered by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington Department of Creative Writing, a community of passionate, dedicated writers who believe that the creation of art is a pursuit valuable to self and culture. The contest is open to any writer who is a legal resident of North Carolina or a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2016 (postmark).
The 2015 winner was Jillian Weiss, whose essay "Beach Baby" was a structurally innovative rumination on the death of a sister, jealousy, and Christmas.
Ecotone's mission is to publish and promote the best place-based work being written today. Founded at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2005, the award-winning magazine features writing and art that reimagine place, and our authors interpret this charge expansively. An ecotone is a transition zone between two adjacent ecological communities, containing the characteristic species of each. It is therefore a place of danger or opportunity, a testing ground. The magazine explores the ecotones between landscapes, literary genres, scientific and artistic disciplines, modes of thought.
Rose Post worked for the Salisbury Post for fifty-six years as a reporter, feature writer, and columnist. She won numerous state and national awards for her writing and earned the N.C. Press Women's top annual award four times. She received the O. Henry Award from the Associated Press three times, the Pete Ivey Award, and the School Bell Award for educational coverage. Nationally, she won the 1989 Ernie Pyle Award, the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award for human-interest writing, and the 1994 National Society of Newspaper Columnists' Award.
Here are the complete guidelines:
- The competition is open to any writer who is a legal resident of North Carolina or a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network.
- The postmark deadline is January 15.
- The entry fee is $10 for NCWN members, $12 for nonmembers.
- Entries can be submitted in one of two ways:
- Send two printed copies through the U.S. Postal Service (see guidelines and address below), along with a check for the appropriate fee, made payable to the North Carolina Writers' Network.
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- Entries will not be returned. Winners will be announced in March.
- If submitting my postal mail, send submission to:
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ATTN: Rose Post
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text:
The Ten Commandments
A book by Joseph Lewis
The Third Commandment
... chapter continued from previous file ...
The Clergy and the Third Commandment
One of the most amazing things I have discovered in analyzing the Decalogue is the ignorance of the clergy concerning the origin and meaning of the Commandments. For more than a thousand years, billions and billions of dollars have been spent building institutions for the specific purpose of inculcating the doctrines of the Bible, on the assumption that these Commandments were a special revelation from God; and millions and millions of men and women have devoted their energies to this useless task. The salvation of the soul was dependent not only on the strict observance of these so-called Commandments of God, but also on the acceptance of everything else in the Bible as "inspired knowledge" -- indisputable facts and incontestable truths of life to the contrary notwithstanding. Anyone who dared to question these dogmatic edicts of the Bible was summarily suppressed. That a civilized world should engage itself in not only a useless and fruitless endeavor, but one that has the most demoralizing and stultifying results, is hardly believable.
The labors of men and women in writing and printing endless volumes of "explanation" of Biblical doctrines furnish only one example of wasted energy. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the books of the clergy offering their explanations of this particular Commandment, and the code of conduct to be followed in its observance.
Dean Farrar gives this inspired opinion:
"The ordinary notion of this Third Commandment is that it forbids profanity and perjury; and therefore those who are guilty of neither think that it little concerns them. But 'the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword; and pierceth even to the dividing of the soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.' ... And before I have ended, even the most self-satisfied of us may well tremble lest we too should stand within the judgment of this Third Commandment, for its violation is practical Atheism. Thou takest His name in vain when thou triest to forget or to ignore Him; to live without Him; and, yet more defiant than the very devils, to believe, yet not to tremble." [*124]
This explanation is an example of the religious fanaticism that dominated the mentality of the clergy during the early part of this century. An already overstimulated imagination reached the breaking point in appraising the Bible Deity, and any act that could be construed as not conforming with the most slavish devotion to this tyrant of the sky was considered a breach for which the culprit was to receive punishment that might well make him "tremble."
The Rev. J. C. Masse widens the field of acts which violate this Commandment, saying: "...Every man or woman who violates in thought, desire or deed the marriage vow or the marriage relation has blasphemed the Holy Name"; equally culpable are "church members who have changed residence without changing church membership." [*125]
In studying religion, and particularly its exposition by its leaders, one wonders how people not unintelligent in other fields can be so mentally unbalanced in explaining religious conduct. If the Rev. J. C. Masse says that "every man or woman who violates in thought, desire or deed the marriage vow or the marriage relation" violates this Commandment, then let me ask him what acts violate the Seventh Commandment. I have read many explanations of what constitutes a violation of this Commandment, but "church members who have changed residence without changing church membership" is a new one. Beware, you roving church members who fail to let your local preacher expound his doctrine of hell-fire, or take the consequences of violating this Commandment!
The Rev. G. Campbell Morgan says that "a man takes the name of God in vain when he does not use it in the way God intended it should be used, when he himself is not true to the revelation of God that the name makes." [*126] One of the purposes of this study of the Decalogue is to understand the Commandments so as to be able to determine what their meaning is and what must be done to observe them. This "explanation" only adds confusion to confusion. How does anybody know how God "intended" us to use his name? It is difficult enough to understand the meaning of the written words that God is supposed to have said without attempting to presume what he also intended. What is the revelation of God that the name makes? How can anyone be true to such a thing when he hasn't the slightest conception of its meaning? The Rev. G. Campbell Morgan's explanation that every man is a law unto himself in this matter may account for the vast number of religiously insane who have attempted to observe this Commandment as "God intended it should be used." What religious hallucinations have not resulted from the attempt to be "true to the revelation of God that the name makes"!
As further evidence of the qualification of the Rev. G. Campbell Morgan to speak with authority on this subject, the following public statement is pertinent:
"'You must not believe these lying spirits,' was the answer today at the twenty-first annual general Bible conference of the Stony Brook Assembly of the Rev. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to reports that Dr. Morgan had given up his belief in the second coming of Christ, thereby surrendering his views as a premillennialist.
"'I understand that someone on the campus has questioned my belief in the second coming of the Lord,' said Dr. Morgan, 'and my premillennial views as to his return. You must not believe these lying spirits. If I did not believe in the second coming of our Lord and his glorious return as the only hope for the world, I would quit preaching.'" [*127]
In reaffirming his faith in the second coming of Christ, does the Rev. G. Campbell Morgan mean to imply that some of his brother clergymen violated this Commandment by their false accusation as to his changing his beliefs on this matter? Or are they observing it according to his own explanation by claiming that their expression was the way God "intended" them to speak?
This gem of wisdom comes from the brain of the Rev. John Anderson Powell, Jr., Ph.D.: "Hypocrisy and profanity, perjury and irreverence, these are the sins against which the Third Commandment is directed." [*128] He also states, in his discussion of this Commandment, that "we have come to a pretty poor pass when profanity on the stage is thought to be funny," and gives as an illustration, "when some woman came out to sing a song in which she used God's name coupled with the proverbial 'damn.'" [*129]
For the edification of the Rev. Mr. Powell, I wish to state emphatically that this Commandment has absolutely nothing whatever to do with profanity, perjury or irreverence. "Profanity" is merely a vulgarization of speech; "irreverence" has to be defined, as it differs according to time, place and thing. The Roman Catholics condemn those who do not accept their religious tenets as being irreverent, and I am irreverent for not accepting yours.
The Rev. Henry Sloane Coffin tells us that "this Commandment was primarily a safeguard for the sanctity of oaths...," and that "it requires no small effort to fulfill our Lord's Commandment to make our yea exactly yea, and our nay precisely nay." [*130] If "this Commandment was primarily a safeguard for the sanctity of oaths," what was the Ninth Commandment intended for?
Rabbi Isaac Warsaw says that this Commandment "is intended to be a lesson in reverence." [*131] Reverence for what? For so-called "holy things" -- and what are they? Did Mark Twain violate this Commandment in his book, Innocents Abroad, when he poked fun at the ugly and repulsive statues of the saints in the Vatican, and the ridiculous adoration of them by their slavish devotees? Who is to say what are the holy things to be reverenced, and who is to determine the standard of reverent conduct?
The Rev. John Alexander Hayes implies that to protect God's name against misuse, it should have been registered in the United States Patent Office like any other trade-mark! [*132] That is indeed a splendid idea. The licensee should pay well for the privilege of its use, and infringers should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. In this way, too, all criticism of the Bible would be prohibited as in violation of patent rights. He also states that "this Commandment is violated ... by calling into question the truth of scriptural statements ... jesting at holy things, such as the Holy Scriptures and the Church of God ... it forbids making a mockery of sin." [*133]
Rabbi Nathan Krass, formerly of Temple Emanu-El, New York City, says: "When a man pretends he is a saint and is living in a state of sinless perfection, using the Church of God to place himself on a pedestal above his fellows, he violates the Third Commandment by taking the name of God in vain, merely through his hypocrisy." [*134] If every person who places himself on a pedestal above his fellowmen violates this Commandment, then the majority of the religionists are the greatest offenders. They consider themselves as having supreme religious authority on the assumption of being vicars of God on earth. Do not ministers of religion pretend that their prayers obtain better results than those of parishioners?
The similarity of the quotations by these clergymen leads one to the conclusion that they all must have got their ideas from the same source. Each seems to have repeated the mistaken notion of the other, and all combined show their complete ignorance of what this Commandment is supposed to mean. They use such expressions as profanity, reverence, perjury, without the slightest understanding of what these words mean in relation to this Commandment.
The Third Commandment and Oaths
Does this Commandment really deal with the question of invoking the name of God to prevent the crime we call perjury, or with the sanctity of an oath "to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth"? If it were intended to prevent perjury, why was it not more explicit? If it were intended to prevent lying, either in a court of law or anywhere else, it was a simple thing to state this plainly. If this Commandment said, "Thou shalt not lie," and warned that "I the Lord thy God will not hold him guiltless who disobeys this Commandment," then there would be no question as to its meaning. But no such interpretation was intended by the one who wrote this Commandment. When it was promulgated, modern jurisprudence was not in existence.
As we have previously noted, this Commandment was written for one specific purpose, and this has not changed in the slightest degree. For the clergy to interpret it in any other way than as a primitive taboo associated with mentioning the name of one's god is indisputable evidence of their utter lack of understanding of its real meaning. In fact, to invoke the name of God in taking an oath is in itself a violation of this Commandment and not an act in observance of it. [**135]
If society depended only upon invoking the name of the Bible Deity when taking an oath, to secure the truth in legal matters, I fear that our entire system of jurisprudence would crumble into dust. Taking an oath, with the hand upon the Bible, and invoking the name of God, has about as much effect as any other ridiculous and meaningless gesture. [**136]
If this practice caused people to tell the truth, we should have no need for prosecuting attorneys. Instead, the moment a witness is sworn in and gives his testimony, he is immediately subjected to a searching and relentless cross-examination by the opposing attorney to prove that the testimony which he swore was the truth, was a premeditated lie! Significant is a statement of the Hon. Joseph N. Ulman, Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Baltimore, Maryland, in an article entitled "Perjury in the Courts." He wrote that some of the most shameless lying he ever listened to was done by rival groups of religious trustees in a contest over the control of some church property. [*137]
The use of an object, sacred or otherwise, or invoking a curse, as a pledge to tell the truth, is a custom that belongs to the primitive past, and its prevalence among the Biblical Hebrews attests to its primitive origin. For such a system to be practiced in our courts of law is to place us on the same footing as ignorant tribal groups. Oath-taking is a form of sympathetic magic and is a survival of the belief in animism. The fear of magic power accounts for oaths being associated with the curse of retribution. Attesting by the name of a deity prevails in many primitive societies, as it is believed that treaties and business transactions are not binding otherwise.
The Negroes of Loango believe that Zambi, their supreme being, who punishes fraud and perjury, uses his name in giving testimony. The god Leza of the Awemba, who rewards the good and punishes thieves, murderers and adulterers, is invoked both in blessings and curses; the injured man prays that Leza will send a lion to devour the evildoer. In the Ewe-speaking Ho tribe on the Slave Coast, the great god Maws, who is said to inflict punishment on the wicked, is frequently appealed to in law cases by the judge as well as by the plaintiff and the accused. The Mpongwe, we are told, always invoke Mwetyi, their supreme being, as a witness when a covenant is about to be formed among the different tribes. He is commissioned with the duty of visiting vengeance on the party who violates the contract. Without this, their national treaties would have little or no force. And when a law is passed which the people wish to be especially binding, they invoke the vengeance of Mwetyi upon the transgressor; this, as a general thing, is ample guarantee for its observance. [*138]
In Egypt especially, it was the belief that there were certain gods who were the guardians of the truth. Truth, "the judge in heaven," was invoked when the person's words were intended to convey the truth. [*139] There is a survival of this superstition even today. It is not uncommon to hear a person who wants to impress you with the truth of his words say, "God is my witness." Among certain tribes, witnesses, before giving testimony, used to swear to its truth by placing their hands upon their genitals, [*140] the inference being that if they spoke falsely they would lose the use of their vital organs. [*141] This form of swearing was eventually abandoned because it was discovered that the genital organs of those who were false to their oath were not affected. In Tibetan law courts the great oath is taken by placing a holy scripture on the head, [*142] sitting on the reeking hide of an ox, and eating part of the ox's head. Hindus sometimes swear by holding some water of the Ganges River in their hands, sometimes by touching the leg of a Brahman. The Kandhs frequently take an oath on the skin of a tiger, "from which animal destruction to the perjured is invoked." [*143] The Angami Nagas, when they swear to keep the peace or perform any promise, place the barrel of a gun or a spear between their teeth, signifying that if they do not live up to their agreement, they are prepared to fall by either of the two weapons. The Chuvashes put a piece of bread and a little salt in the mouth and swear, "May I be in want of these, if I say not true," or "if I do not keep my word."
The Ioaw (Indians) have a mysterious stone wrapped in seven skins on which they make men swear to speak the truth. The people of Kesam, in the highlands of Palemnang, swear on an old sacred knife; the Bataks of the South Toba on their village idols; the Ostyaks on the nose of a bear, which is regarded by them as an animal endowed with supernatural power. Among the Tunguses, a criminal may be compelled to climb one of the sacred mountains, repeating as he mounts, "May I die if I am guilty," or "May I lose my children and my cattle." [*144] There is a survival of this superstition even today, not only among orthodox Hebrews, but among nearly all religiously inclined people. Very often we hear a person who wishes to emphasize the truth of what he is saying, state that he hopes never to see his wife and children if he is not telling the truth. We know today that there is absolutely no connection whatsoever between his telling the truth and the security of his family. It is still common to hear expressions like "I would not believe that person if he swore on a stack of Bibles."
Arabs swore by dipping their hands in the blood of a camel. The Latins swore by Jupiter Lapis, holding the sacred stone in the hand. In Samoa the accused lays his hand on the sacred stone of the village, and says "I lay hand on stone. If I stole the thing, may I speedily die." Among the Tunguses, the swearer drinks the blood of a dog, the throat of which has been cut and the flesh cut up. The swearer says, "I speak the truth, and that is as true as I drink this blood. If I lie, let me perish, burn or be dried up like this dog." [*145]
Innumerable examples could be quoted to show the prevalence of this custom among primitive tribes. Despite the fact that we now look upon this method of attesting as having no value or effect, it nevertheless persists with superstitious stubbornness. Although an insult to modern intelligence, our own government papers invariably state, after the proper signatures are affixed, that they were "done in the year of our Lord," etc.
How much longer will civilized people continue to follow customs that place them in the same category and on the same level as primitive and savage tribes? Fortunately there is an ever-increasing number of intelligent people who refuse to take oaths, and who merely affirm to tell the truth. If the penalties of perjury are not a sufficient deterrent to prevent false testimony, invoking the myth of God will not accomplish it. Quakers do not swear, and I will match their degree of veracity with that of those who insist on making God a witness to their testimony. Fetishes of all kinds have been used by different peoples of nearly all lands for the purpose of extracting the truth; yet, despite the methods used and threats of punishment, the widespread prevalence of perjury attests to the inadequacy of the oath.
The Rev. Frederick David Niedermeyer says that this Commandment is not only a call for reverence, but "all false swearing, such as perjury, is forbidden because it is in effect making God a witness to a lie ... and the severity of the penalty reveals how vital it is for man to fear God." [*146] If this Commandment was intended to prevent perjury, and if God is a witness to the oath when his name is invoked, then it reveals his impotence when he fails to punish the utterer of the lie! If a witness to a lie remains silent and fails to reveal the truth, he is just as guilty as the liar himself. An accessory to a crime is as guilty as the perpetrator. If this Commandment was a warning of "the severity of the penalty" to be inflicted for committing perjury, and if, when it was being disobeyed, the person suddenly became tongue-tied, then indeed it would have some value and "reveal how vital it is for man to fear God," by experiencing "the severity of the punishment." But nothing like that happens. This Commandment is valueless as a deterrent in preventing perjury. If this were not true, how could we account for the widespread prevalence of perjury in our courts of law by the very ones who profess this Commandment to be a prohibition against it?
Men and women have been put to death on perjured testimony for crimes they did not commit and to which others have later confessed, yet the author of this Commandment was as silent as the Sphinx during the commission of these irreparable mistakes. Hundreds of thousands of innocent men and women have been deprived of their property and have suffered the loss of their liberty as the direct result of perjured testimony by persons who invoked the name of God in taking the oath upon which their testimony was given.
If this Commandment means what the ministers of religion say it does, why does not God show his disapproval of false testimony, especially when the innocent are made to suffer and the guilty not only remain undetected, but enjoy the fruits of the labor of others? How can ministers of religion account for such a state of affairs? Unless the innocent are repaid for their suffering and recompensed for the loss they have sustained, of what benefit is God's not holding "guiltless" the one responsible for the crime? Punishing the guilty is not protecting the innocent. A wrong once committed can never be undone.
If ever a situation demanded the exercise of omnipotent power, it is when the defenseless weak are robbed by the unscrupulously strong.
If the Bible Deity could smite Ussah for touching the Ark, and kill more than fifty thousand people for merely looking at the Ark, then surely he could prevent false testimony by the wicked against the good. [*147] If the Bible God is a witness to an irreparable crime which he possesses the power to prevent, and yet remains silent, then the blood of murder stains his hand.
The essence of a truly moral philosophy is to live so that no act requires forgiveness; then there is no need for expiation to make amends.
Robert G. Ingersoll said that an oath
"furnishes a falsehood with a letter of credit. It supplies the wolf with sheep's clothing and covers the hands of Jacob with hair. It blows out the light, and in the darkness Leah is taken for Rachel. It puts upon each witness a kind of theological gown. This gown hides the moral rags of the depraved wretch as well as the virtues of the honest man. The oath is a mask that falsehood puts on, and for a moment is mistaken for the truth. It gives to dishonesty the advantages of solemnity. The tendency of the oath is to put all testimony on an equality. The scoundrel is delighted with the opportunity of going through a ceremony that gives the ring of true coin to base metal. To him the oath is a shield. He is in partnership, for a moment, with God, and people who have no confidence in the witness credit the firm." [*148]
We know that to invoke the name of God to prevent perjury is an act in vain. It has proved barren of results. You will not be rewarded if you do invoke his name, and you will not be punished if you don't. The person who testifies falsely soon discovers that no secret vengeance is wreaked upon him; as a result, taking an oath by invoking the name of God has lost its effect, its value and its significance. Shakespeare expressed this when he said:
"'Tis not the many oaths that make the truth,
How well do Ingersoll's words apply here: "The alchemist did not succeed in finding any stone the touch of which transmuted baser things into gold; and priests have not invented yet an oath with power to force from falsehood's desperate lips the pearl of truth." [*149]
Henry Thomas Buckle, in his great book, History of Civilization in England, after stressing the prevalence of perjury due directly to the manner by which the oath was invoked, quotes Archbishop Whately, who declared that "if oaths were abolished, leaving the penalties for false witness ... unaltered, I am convinced that, on the whole, testimony would be more trustworthy than it is." [*150]
Truthfulness is not achieved merely by taking an oath. It is part of the intellectual development of the individual, and to achieve it requires the same careful education as to learn any phase of behavior. To be able to tell the truth is a sign of moral development. The higher the social order, the more scrupulous the ethical conduct, the more readily is the truth told. The ignorant, uncivilized man has no regard for truth or honesty for its own sake.
Taking God's Name in Vain
One of the most heart-rending sights ever witnessed was that of a mother in fervent prayer to save her dying child. Her prayer went unanswered; her child died; her appeal to God was in vain.
A girl who loved not wisely but too well found herself abandoned by the boy she had trusted. She appealed to God to save her from what she felt was inevitable disgrace. Never did a human being plead more strongly for divine assistance in her hour of trial, but the only answer was the "echo of her wailing cry." She took the name of God in vain, for she found solace not in prayer but in a poison potion.
When crops fail and famine stalks the land, in vain do the starving people appeal to Heaven for a morsel of food to stay the agonizing torture of death by starvation.
The maimed and the crippled, the heavily burdened, the despondent and the depressed have all taken the name of God in vain when they appealed for assistance to help them meet the emergencies of life.
What is more pitiful than the drowning man as he sinks below the water, his prayer to God for help in vain?
The whole human race has taken the name of God in vain for centuries. When man has appealed to Heaven to help solve the problems of the race that have caused so much misery, suffering and injustice, it has been in vain. If God would answer but one prayer and stop human beings from murdering one another, we might forgive him his callous attitude toward our other requests.
Three little innocent, playful children wandered aimlessly into a vacant house. Unconscious of the time and busily amused, they were unaware that night had fallen. It grew darker and darker. The smallest child became frightened and began to cry. The oldest groped her way from room to room in search of light. She came upon some matches. The anguished sobbing of the other children filled the empty and abandoned house with terrifying sounds. Frightened almost beyond the endurance of her childish mind, the oldest girl, in her eagerness to lead the others out of the darkened house, stumbled and fell. The lighted match ignited her dress and in a few moments she was aflame. She screamed for help. Her cries, mingled with those of the other children, reverberated with such hideous noise that the already terror-struck children became paralyzed with fear. Within a short time the house was on fire and the flames swept the building. In the meantime the frantic parents were looking feverishly for the children, uttering prayers to God for their safety. The whole neighborhood was aroused. Alarms were sounded. They finally came upon the burning building. The children had been taught that in an hour of trial they should pray to God for help and their prayers would be answered. There they found the charred bodies of the three children. One was lying flat upon the floor, the other two were found in a kneeling position, indicating that the little ones, in a last desperate moment, fell upon their knees and prayed to God to save them from so horrible a death. These children took the name of God in vain! [**151]
Do you want me to tell you why appeals in the name of God are uttered in vain? Do you want me to tell you why prayers are not answered? I will tell you. There is no such thing as a God who answers the prayers of man. The sooner we come to that realization, the sooner the human race becomes cognizant of this fact, the sooner will man set about to accomplish for himself all that he has appealed to God for in vain. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain...." Thou canst not take the name of God in any other way.
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Bay Area leaders describe the role of SmartMeterTM and the promise of the green economy.
PG&E and Wellington Energy, an authorized, independent contractor for PG&E, began upgrading gas and electric meters in 2006. The SmartMeter™ program is already the largest in the nation, and by mid-2012, will be available to all of the millions of gas and electric customers we serve.
The SmartMeter™ system provides new features for you: More convenience and better, faster service; New rate choices and more control over your energy bills.
Check on SmartMeter™ Installation Progress to see where SmartMeter™ equipment has been installed and when it will be installed in your area.
PG&E will send you a letter a few weeks before the meter is scheduled for the upgrade. As long as the meter is accessible, you don't need to do anything.
You will continue to receive the same dependable service you receive today. Once read remotely, you can see your daily/hourly usage online to make smarter energy choices.
Learn what SmartMeter™ can do for you by exploring the benefits of SmartMeter™ technology and how the SmartMeter™ System works.


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As the gold confetti settles, The Voice of 2013 Harrison Craig sings Unconditional. And the crowd is clapping along. It's not a great surprise, he has won so many people over.
"It's been an absolute joy and pleasure," he managed to farewell the screaming crowd before driving off into the night with a slightly scary looking driver.
The Voice finalist Harrison Craig. Photo: Danielle Smith
The winner is Harrison Craig
Favourite Harrison wins The Voice
Harrison Craig, 18, has overcome a speech impediment to win The Voice 2013.PT0M30S http://www.smh.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2oeqb 620 349 June 17, 2013
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Luke has thrown a few tears in for himself: "I was coming on to the show to try and heal my own life I was coming on to the show to turn over a new leaf." He's on an upward trajectory from depression.
Joel's standing on a mountain with a sword - weird.
But it's Ricky who has got enough "love and light" enough for him. "You've brought some light even to my life... Don't let anyone shut that beautiful voice that you have ... share it with the world."
Black suit versus white suit, Harrison Craig and Luke Kennedy now get to watch their audition reels all over again and we can't escape the emotion pouring out of the judges/coaches all over again. Harrison's story got a standing ovation. And there's tears.
"You're incredible Harrison .. you made us all fight harder. You sang for a lot of people without voices... Your mother is amazing, you're a credit to this show and I think you're a credit to your country and we've all fallen in love with you," says Seal.
"Standing on stage with you tonight will go down as one of the highlights or my life."
Tough gig to follow Luke.
Thanks for the love and remembering that it's about the great talent you have in your country. Glad to be a part of their journey— Seal (@Seal) June 17, 2013
Ricky Martin gives such a polished performance with his new single Come with Me, it just shows how raw these finalists still are... or maybe it's just how much choreography is needed to be considered a standout these days.
On second reflection there was something very off about the timing of Ricky's singing. I'm starting to think that the finalists got a raw deal.
It's getting closer, will it be Luke or Harrison? Or is it just obvious? The signs are there that Harrison could make a clean sweep of this.
And then there were two
The first to go home are Danny Ross and Celia Pavey.PT0M29S http://www.smh.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2oeoq 620 349 June 17, 2013
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Such a close call, I'm sure Celia will go on to great things. Her Joelene and Christina Perri's A Thousand Years gives me shivers.
In third place it's ... Celia Pavey!
The Voice finalist Celia Pavey. Photo: Danielle Smith
Danny Ross singing Old Man was a great moment, he needs to stick with it. Well done Danny.
In fourth place it's ... Danny Ross
The Voice finalist Danny Ross. Photo: Danielle Smith
It's crunch time .... $60,000 awaits for the winner
I'll admit it, I like Delta's Heart Hypnotic. It was fun and funky, with enough change ups to make it interesting and it certainly was one of her more energetic performances, but then again it is her own song. My only reservation is that the voltage may have been a little high on her microphone because her hair got a little scary towards the end.
The coaches on The Voice.
After hearing so much about being brothers, was it too obvious that Seal and Harrison Craig should sing He's My Brother? Look even though I had to stop myself from laughing, it was amazing.
Poll: Who should win The Voice?
- Harrison Craig
- Celia Pavey
- Luke Kennedy
- Danny Ross
Total votes: 1132.
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Poll closed 18 Jun, 2013
These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.
Ooooo Robin Thicke has made me forget all the pains of this grand finale so far, with his sexy Blurred Lines. I'm not sure the sunglasses are necessary but the man is so smokin' onstage all is forgiven. Six weeks at No.1 in Australia, it seems I am not alone.
This could have been a gorgeous tribute to Fleetwood Mac's classic but apart from a possible odd yodel or two, the only bigger mistake a coach could make was upstage her ward with a song clearly designed for deeper vocals. Oh right, Delta did do that.
Delta and Celia perform
Celia Pavey and her coach Delta Goodrem perform the Fleetwood Mac hit, Go your own way.PT0M29S http://www.smh.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2oelf 620 349 June 17, 2013
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Oops spoke too soon, Tedder's kick to the mic stand just came off really uncool.
There's clearly strong Irish roots among the Pavey family, and it's been revealed she'll be singing Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way with Delta. But first, Ryan Tedder with OneRepublic with Counting Stars. And he doesn't need fire to look like a rockstar, sorry Joel.
Okay, what the hell?? ... Seal and Joel seemed to have a Ford-sponsored singing fit that makes no sense, before going to the ad break.
Luke Kennedy is trying to outshine Ricky Martin with compliments for his mentor. But boy, they do make a well-matched pair singing Roxanne (originally The Police's big hit but this is more like Moulin Rouge's version).
Joel Madden and Danny Ross perform Pompeii by Bastille on a flaming stage, don't worry it's not as spectacular as it sounds. In fact there was a moment when it looked like Joel stopped singing. Danny this was definitely your moment.
Delta is also looking phenomenal in a white Grecian-like number, with crystals. But what is again up with Joel's hair? Lime green, I mean c'mon.
Luke Kennedy on The Voice.
Luke Kennedy was perhaps the strongest voice in that showcase.
I take that back, it seems that Johnny Farnham has in fact united these youngsters. Celia is looking stunning in a sequinned dark blue dress, while the men are looking slick in slim cut all black suits. And they are "not sitting in silence" or "living in fear".
And then there were four
The final four and eliminated contestants open The Voice final with the John Farnham hit, You're the Voice.PT0M29S http://www.smh.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2oej3 620 349 June 17, 2013
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So they'll perform with their coaches first up, let's hope our finalists give their coaches a run for their money.
It's now here - let the games begin
A quick size up of our Voice finalists:
Harrison Craig - He's an 18-year-old Victorian crooner who prefers the styles of Michael Buble and Tony Bennett. It's only when he speaks that you notice his tendency to pause at odd moments due to a speech impediment. But will a fresh-faced One Direction lookalike, with a sad history be the type to sell out stadiums and handle the pressures of fame and life on the road? He's fought this hard, here's to hoping.
Celia Pavey - This 19-year-old NSW songstress has a sweet, soul-filled voice on her side and a glorious mane of red hair to inflame the darkest of hearts. She is walking a well trodden path to success, with the success of Julia Stone still ringing in Australia's ears, she just may one day reach her pinnacle as Australia's own Joni Mitchell.
Luke Kennedy – He's already made a successful career out of singing, with those in-the-know having no doubts about his talents as a performer, the question is will it be enough for this 30-year-old Queenslander to overcome some pretty daunting iTunes success from Harrison Craig or the guileless grace of Celia Pavey?
Danny Ross – He comes across as a sometimes strangely attired cool cat, but there is a certain charm to this 30-year-old from NSW. He too has had a troubled childhood but it has led to some pretty exotic experiences and it certainly hasn't held him back from chasing what he desires. It's when you think Ross is out that this dark horse suddenly makes a dash towards victory.
What a season we have had for The Voice, with many highs but some equally astonishing lows. No one has forgotten coach Joel Madden's tumultuous week, after he was allegedly removed from his Sydney hotel following a police raid and his "brother" Seal causing a further stir with that Twitter spat (which he later recanted), but there were also several stumbles during the blind auditions. There is no denying Delta Goodrem's gaffe about Steve Clisby being more suited to Seal's team ventured into dangerous territory, but weren't we glad that she made up for it by getting him so close to the grand final. And then there was that Abby Dobson smack to the head, 'are you serious' moment when no one picked this veteran singer.
But the true upset for all die-hard fans was seeing Steve Clisby, Miss Murphy, Mitchell Anderson and Kiyomi Vella's wings being clipped last week; denying these fallen angels a seat at the table of The Voice gods' finale. No doubt they will be making an appearance tonight, even if it's only in a group song - that's of course once the coaches have had time to up-sell their latest singles, like Delta's Heart Hypnotic and Ricky Martin's Come with Me.
Poll: Who has been the best Voice coach?
- Ricky Martin
- Delta Goodrem
- Seal
- Joel Madden
Total votes: 809.
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Poll closed 18 Jun, 2013
These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.


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Rashomon (1950) Showtimes and Tickets
Read Movie Reviews about Rashomon (1950) Write a Movie Review for Rashomon (1950)
Release Date: 1951-12-26 (Limited)
Genre: Drama, Suspense/Thriller
Rating: NR
Duration: 1hr 28min
Set in feudal Japan, this film presents an intriguing tale of violent crime in the woods, told from the perspective of four different characters -- a bandit, a woman, her husband and a woodcutter. Only two things about the incident seem to be clear -- the woman was raped and her husband is now dead. However, the other elements radically differ as the four participants and/or witnesses relate their own stories (with the dead man, eerily enough, speaking through a medium). As each account is revealed, what seemed black-and-white turns to various hues of gray, leading to surprising -- and confounding -- revelations.
Cast and Crew
- Starring
Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Takashi Shimura, Noriko Honma, Masayuki Mori, Minoru Chiaki
- Directed by Akira Kurosawa
- Produced by Minoru Jingo
- Written by Akira Kurosawa, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Shinobu Hashimoto
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