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Play Slideshow >>
Water woes
Photo: Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam
Contractors with Garver Construction inspect the damage on a 96-inch steel water transmission main.
A Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam engineer repairs interior cracking in a 60-inch prestressed concrete cylinder pipe water main in downtown Houston.
Crews from Texas Sterling Construction repair a 42-inch prestressed concrete cylinder pipe water line near Houston's Sims Bayou Pump Station.
Immediately following the rupture, city crews mobilized to shut the 60-inch valves and isolate the failed section. The city then collected informal competitive bids and expedited an emergency purchase order (EPO) to an experienced local construction contractor. While initial repairs using this EPO progressed, LAN personnel and the city worked to develop an on-call contract for emergency repairs to large-diameter water mains. That way, a contractor would be kept onboard with pre-established pricing to perform work in such instances.
As the effort to fully inspect and rehabilitate the line unfolded, the city transferred work to the on-call contract. Repairs to the 60-inch line included replacement of approximately 1900 linear feet of pipe; installation of a steel liner in three pipe sections where excavation was not possible; installation of a 60-inch isolation valve, and replacement of two isolation valve operators; installation of eight new cathodic protection test stations to monitor the water line; and other solutions.
Though the point replacements provided an immediate solution, the remaining pipe likely will continue to deteriorate. The city established a long-term maintenance program to continue monitoring rehabilitated sections and assess remaining portions of the line.
The third failure occurred in a 42-inch PCCP water line, installed in 1992. In June 2004 the line suffered a failure in a section extending east from Houston's Sims Bayou Pump Station, causing several residential properties to be flooded.
"On the failed section, we saw clear signs of corrosion on portions of the wire and on the exposed parts of the steel cylinder." said Jajoo. "This corrosion coincided with some external and internal cracking of the pipe section." The cracking was a clear sign of structural distress, caused by repeated rapid closure of an emergency shut-off valve at the plant.
Because this line was needed to meet high water demand during the upcoming summer, another quick repair solution was needed. With only eight months to design and construct rehabilitation for 25,000 linear feet of the distressed line, the city agreed with LAN engineers' recommendation to slipline the 42-inch inside diameter with a 36-inch diameter high-density polyethylene pipe.
A bid-ready package was prepared within 30 days of this decision. This option was constructed successfully and placed in service within six months. By electing sliplining rather than open-cut installation of a new line, the city was saved more than $2 million in construction costs.
The need for a system to assist in managing situations such as these catastrophic pipe failures became evident after the first incident. After meeting with the city to determine its needs, the team concluded a standard time and materials (T&M) contract would not guarantee that a contractor would work efficiently for emergency pipe repairs and would leave a great deal of uncertainty in the final cost. Another concern was that contractors on a T&M contract may use less-experienced employees. Other contracting methods needed to be set to help the city mitigate risk, ensure competitive bidding, and save time and money.
"After extensive consultation with the city, LAN developed a cost curve based on historical prices of new pipe and repairs in an urban environment as an alternative to T&M methods," said Jajoo. "Alist of more than 250 bid items was compiled with costs assigned to each. These items are expected to account for approximately 80% of possible events. This list, accompanied by a table of pipe diameter multipliers, would be used to determine the cost of the repair once a scope is developed."
Because much of the work likely would occur around the clock, a premium time multiplier was included to encompass work performed 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., on a Sunday, or on a legal holiday. Contractors would bid an adjustment factor, used to account for their individual overhead costs in the final price. The initially established bid item prices appeared to be fair as listed based on the low bidder's overall adjustment factor submitted.
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(973) 448-1901
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The AST5400 wet/wet differential pressure transducer is commonly used to measure differential pressure across filters or calculate flow across an orifice plates. With its digital compensation, the AST5400 DP offers excellent linearity and performance over temperature.
The electronics offer a fail safe condition on the output signal.
The AST5400 DP can be manufactured using 316L, 17-4 PH, Inconel 718, or Hastelloy C276 and is available for hazardous locations.
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AST warrants that AST5400 wet/wet differential pressure transducers shipped will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from date of shipment.
For complete warranty information visit: http://www.astsensors.com/warranty.php

subset: commoncrawl


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For more information about this meeting, contact Qingtian Zhang.
|Dynamics of Neural Networks and Birdsong Syntax
|Mathematical Biology and Physiology Seminar
|Dezhe Jin, Department of Physics, Penn State University
|Songbirds learn to sing like humans learn to speak. The songs of many species consist of sequences of discrete syllables. The sequences follow syntactical rules that have some rudimentary similarities to grammars in human language. Experimental and computational works have converged to unveil how the collective dynamics of connected neurons in the songbird brain controls the syntax. Neurons form unidirectional chain networks that drive the syllables. The chains are connected into branched networks. Neural activity flows along the branched pathway to produce syllable sequences. At a branching point, one of the connected chains is selected to carry on the activity, producing a probabilistic syllable transition. These results may shed light on how human speech is encoded in the brain.
Room Reservation Information
|Room Number:
|12 / 05 / 2013
|11:00am - 01:00pm


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Champagne StudyParis BIA, Spring 2012
This week I went with the Luxury Marketing class on their field study to the Champagne region of France! I learned all about the process of making champagne and the strict rules of production. It is illegal to call sparkling wine champagne if it was not made in the Champagne region. [gallery link="file"]
You May also like:
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Featured Video
Check out the Official Video for my recent Collab with TimeCop1983 'Don't Let Go' directed by Albert Art!! ENJOY!! XO DJP
"Princess Superstar meets Mike Tompkins!"
- Perez Hilton
"So Creative"
- Nicki Minaj
"Classic sounding ElectroPop goodness"
- Electronic Rumors
My name is Dana Jean Phoenix and I'm a Retro Electro-Cabaret Vocalist (which is what happens when Blondie meets Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, and Bette Midler)!!
Welcome to my website!! Have a look and listen - I'm really excited to share it all with you!!
Check out my original and cover music (you can listen in the music player at the bottom of the page), latest videos, photos, and join my new mailing list You'll get a free original song when you do)!
If you have any suggestions on how I can make the site better send me a message HERE or Tweet me.
I'm working at making this THE cool spot for everything Dana Jean Phoenix! So come in, relax, look around, listen, and enjoy!!
xoDJP :))
I'm so happy to announce that, 'DRRTY SHOOZ', my first full-length album is available NOW on iTunes and on Bandcamp!! The Bandcamp version features an exclusive bonus track!! Check out the album sampler video above!! :) DJP
Excited that 'Summer Breakup' Feat. Sunglasses Kid is on 'The Walking Deceased' Soundtrack, available now on iTunes!! :)) DJP
We've hit ONE MILLION+ channel views on YouTube!! I say "We" because I couldn't do any of this without your awesome support!! Thanks so very much!! :)) DJP
Just found out that my song 'Muzik' - was featured on VH1's 'Hollywood Exes'!!
Check out my interview on "Fine Tuning347" - Thank you for the support!!
Join my safe new email list to keep informed of
what's happening and receive a FREE download
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ESPN broadcasters, executives discuss title game, new playoff format
ESPN broadcasters and executives met with the media in anticipation of Monday's night broadcast of the BCS Championship Game. John Saunders moderated a panel discussion Sunday morning that featured broadcasters Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, senior coordinating producer for college football Ed Placey and senior vice president of college programming Burke Magnus. Here are some of their shared thoughts on various issues regarding this game and the college football landscape.
On the playoff system starting in the 2014 season
"The known part right now is that the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl were done as separate agreements, and so will be part of the rotation," Magnus said. "As I understand it from Bill Hancock (executive director of the BCS as well as the future playoff system), the commissioners are working starting Tuesday to finalize some of the other details in terms of the other three sites, the national championship game site, how the rotation is going to work."
Magnus also said that of the six games associated with the new playoff, the three so-called "access" bowl games would be played on New Year's Eve with three more "contract" games, including the two semifinal games, on New Year's Day. The national championship game, he said, "would take place on a Monday night, "seven to twelve days later."
"You're going to have these six games play out over two days in a new tradition, in a way reclaiming some of the glory of New Year's Day, but also establishing a really strong tradition of three games on New Year's Eve," Magnus said.
Herbstreit expressed excitement for the new four-team format, which he considers to be a definitive upgrade over the system that began in the 1998 season.
"I don't know if we're ever going to have the perfect answer to how to crown champion, but I think we're getting closer," Herbstreit said. "And I think we're all getting excited about two years from now. "
"Imagine after watching Oregon play their game, getting excited about this game and then next week all getting together somewhere and watching the winner of this game play Oregon."
Magnus added, "I've been sort of referring to it as the last great championship in American sports."
On the Notre Dame-Alabama Matchup
Herbstreit and Musburger offered their perspective on some of the major storylines surrounding the game. Herbstreit said he felt that weather could play a major role in determining the outcome.
"Watching these Alabama guys practice, and I've watched them practice, they're laboring to fight through this (heat), to get through it," Herbstreit said. "Now they're doing it, but it reminds me of watching a two-a-day practice. You go to the game, I know it's at night, but it's still humid. I really think conditioning and who does a better job of getting their team to have fresh legs…I think in the second part that's going to be a big key to this game."
Herbstreit also discussed the highly anticipated matchup between Alabama's vaunted offensive line and Notre Dame's equally lauded defensive front.
"While (Notre Dame linebacker) Manti (Te'o) gets most of the attention," Herbstreit said, "I've been to four Notre Dame games and I've watched every game they've played. Their defensive line is really why they're in the national championship.
"What I want to see is can that defensive line and those linebackers stop this running game without having to get their safeties down to help out," he continued. "See Notre Dame has been spoiled this year because they've defended the run, which is unusual without using their safeties. Their safeties are back there helping their corners."
Musburger thought the ability of the Notre Dame secondary contain Alabama's passing game would become a major factor.
"The question of the Irish defense is going to be the secondary because the Irish are going to find out that (Alabama quarterback AJ) McCarron is a much better deep passer than he gets credit for," Musburger said.
Musburger hesitated to draw comparisons between this game and the celebrated Sugar and Orange Bowl matchups between the schools in the 1970s, saying today's players are a different breed.
"I think because athletes are bigger, faster, stronger than they were then, it's a little bit different," Musburger said. "When you walk and see the size of these youngsters, I'm amazed at how well these kids move. The kids today are built and play more like the NFL players back in the 70s when you go watch them. It's a different universe, and first downs are going to be hard the come by."
On fans rooting against a particular side.
Musburger noted that while much of the talk has centered on the great tradition of the two programs, there are also a lot of people who'll be watching the game to root against one particular side. Musburger pointed out that within just the city of Miami alone, there's plenty of local fans who strongly dislike Alabama head coach Nick Saban for leaving the Miami Dolphins to take the Alabama job and also plenty of fans whose disdain for Notre Dame stems back to the 80s rivalry between the Fighting Irish and the University of Miami.
"What we have coming into this game is not only this great passion, this great love, this great feeling for the SEC and for Notre Dame, but we've got people that are just begging that the other side wins," Musburger said. "You have probably the ultimate matchup in college football coming together here with these two."
"There are many people in the Northwest and the Northeast and the Southwest who can't wait for the SEC to lose one of these games. And there's other people who say that's a fluke that we've got Notre Dame in this, they've got special rules, they've got their own television network."
Herbstreit also touched on this issue of fans from outside the Southeast tiring of the SEC's continued success. He said that he's received a lot of criticism from fans for his perceived bias towards the conference.
"My style as a broadcaster and an analyst is to just be objective," Herbstreit said. "And sometimes when you're being objective, people outside the SEC think that you're an SEC homer. If the SEC lost all their games, we'd be talking about how bad the SEC is, but when they play well, we talk about how great they are."
"If Alabama were to lose this game, I think it would create some momentum going into the offseason that the mighty SEC isn't what it once was," he added. "Whether it's true or not, I think that's what fans outside of the region are hoping for."


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Volume: 25 Issue: 8 (August 2002)
Ascension's Nest of Birds Tracker
Nest of Birds comes with one to four sensors that attach to subjects' arms, heads, or bodies, and transmit motion-capture data in real time. The product is also optimized for CAVE environments. Standard coverage range is three by four feet, but an extended range transmitter is also available for coverage of up to 12 by 14 feet. The Nest of Birds is based on DC magnetic tracking technology, which the company claims makes it five times less susceptible to distortions from nearby metals than are older AC magnetic trackers.
Pricing for the Windows-based system ranges from $6000 to $7500, depending on the number of sensors included. (Ascension Technology Corp.; www.ascension-tech.com) -JD
infoNOW 62
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An unsavory character has been pulling down the underwear of five women in public in the Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys, Calif. suburbs of Los Angeles, and the police are releasing some surveillance photographs with the hopes of catching the creep.
The Los Angeles Police Department from the Van Nuys Division released the photos and past sketches of assault victims and they urge that you contact them immediately if you know anything about them, or recognize the photos (also look through the gallery).
Look at the photos and the drawings and if you know anything, immediately call Van Nuys detectives at 818-374-0040 or 877-527-3247.
Police detectives released the surveillance videos on Thursday, and they are hoping that the release of the photos may lead to the capture of the culprit. The women were walking on streets in public suburban areas of Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys, and the five of them were approached by the man. The suspect pulled down the pants and underwear of the women.
The sexual battery assaults took place on the women on five separate days in June in generally the same area. The assaults happened in an area bordered by Halbrent Avenue on the west and Cedros Avenue on the east, Hatteras Street on the north and Morrison Street on the south, according to the police.
In all of the incidents, the women were walking along and they were with their dogs in the early mornings. He makes eye contact and then attacks them from the back, pulling down their pants and underwear.
Some of the sketches in the photo gallery above were made after victims described the suspect during the attacks in early June. The other photo surveillance photos were made after the latest attack.
The suspect:
White or Hispanic, black or brown hair, brown eyes,
5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9 inches tall
145 and 160 pounds,
possibly in his early to mid-20s,
driving late model four-door gray Toyota Camry or Ford Taurus.
Again, if you know anything or see anyone matching this description call Van Nuys detectives at 818-374-0040 or 877-527-3247.
For police information about protecting yourself from Sexual Assault, go here: http://www.toaks.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=6988
Suggested Links
- Crime spikes and residents are scared and upset
- The passing of my Mom, Rose Szymanski, a true survivor of many Holocausts
- My dogs were poisoned—and no one seems to care
- Underpass ghost haunts area where man's body was found in burning trunk
- What was that explosion this morning? A blast blew the roof off a pick-up truck


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Associations have no room for board member bullies
Of all the complaints I hear from reader, the one that makes my blood boil the most is bullies on association boards.
I serve on a board, I know how difficult and time-consuming it is to volunteer to help the association run daily operations and annual budgets. And I know how, rather than thank yous, board members are too often treated to threats, criticism and false accusations. But hey, it comes with the territory.
On the other hand, there is no excuse for those who serve only to create their own fiefdoms, reigning as if the association and all of its assets and people belonged to them. They create unfair rules or implement existing rules unfairly. They favor certain owners over others. They enforce the rules for others but don't follow them. They hire friends and associates as office managers, accountants, landscapers, etc. They shout down or otherwise treat rudely those owners who ask questions or demand to see records. They host association meetings without properly notifying owners.
And they get away with it because other owners are too tired or frightened to fight back. Or the process of recalls or replacing the board it too onerous without the help of other owners. And the reign continues.
This morning I received a long note from an owner named "lost" (too afraid to offer his or her name) who is certain her association is supplying false budget numbers to appear in the black, overcharging owners with special assessments and employs a management company that is more than willing to bend or break rules for the favor of the board president and vice president. But the reader's biggest complaint is about the vice president who uses shouting and the promise of violations to intimidate owners, chase them from meeting and force them to go along with the program.
"Lost" says he or she is not the only who is finally fed up, but says no other owners will stand up. And like so many others, feels his or her condo investment has become a living nightmare.
What do you say? What can be done to combat board bullies? Have your own nightmare story?


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After upgrading MySQL to version 5.6.10 from version 5.5 I'm getting the following errors when starting MySQL server:
2013-03-19 05:32:38 2666 [Note] /usr/sbin/mysqld: ready for connections. Version: '5.6.10' socket: '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' port: 3306 MySQL Community Server (GPL)
2013-03-19 05:43:27 2666 [ERROR] Incorrect definition of table mysql.proc: expected column 'comment' at position 15 to have type text, found type char(64).
I checked out the mysql.proc table and the comment field is set to TEXT. I ran mysql_upgrade after the upgrade. I tried running it again with --force after seeing that error, but that didn't fix it.


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Area athletes set to declare college choices
Fans follow it, athletes agonize over it, and many coaches' jobs depend on it -- today is National Signing Day. Around the United States today, athletes from many sports will make their college choices official. Signing a letter of intent ends what, for many, is an intense, high-pressure period of their life. The following area high school athletes are expected to sign letters of intent today:
Sport: Baseball
High school: Cathedral Prep
College: Concord College (W.Va.)
Flynn is an all-region utility player and one of the top hitters in the area.
Sport: Baseball
High school: Cathedral Prep
College: Indiana (Pa.)
Hess is a solid catcher and was voted to the all-region first team as a junior.
Sport: Cross country
High school: Cathedral Prep
College: Dayton
Louis was a two-time all-district cross country runner and one of the most consistent runners in District 10 in his career.
Sport: Cross country
High school: Corry
College: Penn State
Pondel was a dominant cross country runner the past two seasons, including being named all-district twice, the District 10 co-player of the year and the District 10 Class AAA champion.
Sport: Soccer
High school: Harbor Creek
College: California (Pa.)
An all-district defender, Kuzilla was a leader for the District 10 Class AA champion Huskies this year and voted the Region 5 Player of the Year.
Sport: Soccer
High school: Mercyhurst Prep
College: Duquesne
Augustyniak was one of the faces of Mercyhurst Prep soccer over the past three years with her dominant play on defense and at midfield, including an appearance in the 2010 PIAA Class AA championship.
Sport: Soccer
High school: Mercyhurst Prep
College: Cleveland State
Kaiser left her mark at Mercyhurst Prep as the all-time scorer and was a huge part of the Lakers' success over the past four years, including being named District 10 player of the year as a senior.
Sport: Track and field
High school: Corry
College: Youngstown State
Corbett had a breakout performance as a junior when she won the District 10 Class AAA championships in javelin and shot put.
Sport: Volleyball
High school: Fort LeBoeuf
College: Shippensburg
Peluso was named the District 10 player of the year after being an important part of the Bison's run at a PIAA Class AA championship.
Sport: Wrestling
High school: Fort LeBoeuf
Weight: 220
College: Clarion
Daley has put together an impressive career and is a PIAA title threat this winter.


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James Pritchard
Celebrating his testimonial year, Pritchard is one of the longest standing members of the club having originally joined in 2001. Following three years at the club, Pritchard moved to Plymouth Albion, Perpignon and Northampton Saints before moving back to Bedford Blues in 2006. A former Blues captain, James's successes on the field are clear for all to see and last season he overtook Andy Finney as the Blues all-time leading point scorer. This achievement was coupled with the international equivalent when he surpassed Gareth Rees's record of 491 to become Canada's leading point scorer. Pritchard is also set to feature in his fourth Rugby World Cup with the Canucks in September.


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All Drug Marketing is Local
When a Pfizer sales representative came to his hospital last year pitching the pain drug Lyrica, Dr. Hiroshi Nishino pressed for details — he wanted to know just how the drug works on a molecular level.
"I'd want to try a new drug with a different mechanism of action because" that might give it an edge over existing treatments and provide a reason for trying something new, says Dr. Nishino, a general practitioner 60 miles from Tokyo.
What persuades doctors and patients to use a particular drug, it turns out, is local.
In the U.S., doctors tend to focus on a new drug's clinical trial results–the medicine's safety and effectiveness. But doctors in Japan often have other interests, too, particularly the biology behind a new therapy's development, industry officials say.
Japanese physicians also want to know how it performed specifically in Japanese patients. "That's a significant hurdle upfront, because they're hungry for evidence," says Tony Alvarez, Merck's Japan chief.


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Pastors on the Move
Ending Well, Beginning Well: May 6, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
For transitioning pastors, a move from a current congregation to a new one brings challenges and opportunities – both professional and personal. Often, it's hard for a pastor to find a safe space for frank conversations about transitional concerns, including the effects of moving on their families, parishioners and selves.
This one-day workshop provides that space and covers issues including leaving or entering conflict; who to talk to about issues; family upheaval; and support for singles.
Register now
CEU credit
Each participant will receive a continuing education unit certificate awarding 0.5 credits at the conclusion of the workshop.
Dr. Jim Gebhart is an elder in the United Methodist Church and a licensed psychologist who has been in independent clinical practice since 1978. He is past president of both the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and the College of Pastoral Psychotherapy and Supervision. In addition, Jim has served as a pastoral evaluation specialist within the United Methodist Church.
Dr. Lisa Withrow served three churches following her 1987 ordination in the United Methodist Church. Currently professor of Christian leadership and associate academic dean at MTSO, she consults by invitation with churches who are working on church growth or conflict issues. Lisa's published books include Bible studies, liturgies and a process for church growth with integrity. She also partners with the pastoral care offices of OhioHealth and is an adjunct instructor for the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving.
A single $20 tuition payment covers all sessions, lunch and 0.5 CEU credits. After completing the registration page, you'll have the option of paying online or by check.
Visit the registration page for Pastors on the Move.


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|Book of Concord (Triglot Concordia): The Symbolical Books of the Ev. Lutheran Church | Calvin's Institutes | Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ | Heretics by Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936) | Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis | Josephus: The Complete Works | Orthodoxy by Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936) | Sermons on Gospel Themes by Charles G. Finney (1792-1875) | The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1628-1688) | The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life by Brother Lawrence (Nicholas Herman, 1605-1691) | Walther's Law and Gospel | Westminster Confession & Catechisms |
That We Obtain Remission of Sins by Faith Alone in Christ
Corresponds to Disputation II of the Papal Confutation
The Confutatio Pontificia gives the same dispute for Articles IV, V, VI, and XX of the Augsburg Confession. All are dealt with here.
We think that even the adversaries acknowledge that, in justification, the remission of sins is necessary first. For we all are under sin. Wherefore we reason thus:–
To attain the remission of sins is to be justified, according to : Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. By faith alone in Christ, not through love, not because of love or works, do we acquire the remission of sins, although love follows faith. Therefore by faith alone we are justified, understanding justification as the making of a righteous man out of an unrighteous, or that he be regenerated.
It will thus become easy to declare the minor premise a if we know how the remission of sins occurs. The adversaries with great indifference dispute whether the remission of sins and the infusion of grace are the same change b. Being idle men, they did not know what to answer c. In the remission of sins, the terrors of sin and of eternal death, in the heart, must be overcome, as Paul testifies, : The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, sin terrifies consciences, this occurs through the Law, which shows the wrath of God against sin; but we gain the victory through Christ. How? By faith, when we comfort ourselves by confidence in the mercy promised for Christ's sake. Thus, therefore, we prove the minor proposition. The wrath of God cannot be appeased if we set against it our own works, because Christ has been set forth as a Propitiator, so that for His sake, the Father may become reconciled to us. But Christ is not apprehended as a Mediator except by faith. Therefore, by faith alone we obtain remission of sins, when we comfort our hearts with confidence in the mercy promised for Christ's sake. Likewise Paul, , says: By whom also we have access, and adds, by faith. Thus, therefore, we are reconciled to the Father, and receive remission of sins when we are comforted with confidence in the mercy promised for Christ's sake. The adversaries regard Christ as Mediator and Propitiator for this reason, namely, that He has merited the habit of love; they do not urge us to use Him now as Mediator, but, as though Christ were altogether buried, they imagine that we have access through our own works, and, through these, merit this habit, and afterwards, by this love, come to God. Is not this to bury Christ altogether, and to take away the entire doctrine of faith? Paul on the contrary, teaches that we have access, i.e., reconciliation, through Christ. And to show how this occurs, he adds that we have access by faith. By faith, therefore, for Christ's sake, we receive remission of sins. We cannot set our own love and our own works over against God's wrath.
Secondly. It is certain that sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ, as Propitiator, : Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation. Moreover, Paul adds: through faith. Therefore this Propitiator thus benefits us, when by faith we apprehend the mercy promised in Him, and set it against the wrath and judgment of God. And to the same effect it is written, : Seeing, then, that we have a great High Priest, etc., let us therefore come with confidence. For the Apostle bids us come to God, not with confidence in our own merits, but with confidence in Christ as a High Priest; therefore he requires faith.
Thirdly. Peter, in , says: To Him give all the prophets witness that through His name, whosoever believeth on Him, shall receive remission of sins. How could this be said more clearly? We receive remission of sins, he says, through His name, i.e., for His sake; therefore, not for the sake of our merits, not for the sake of our contrition, attrition, love, worship, works. And he adds: When we believe in Him. Therefore he requires faith. For we cannot apprehend the name of Christ except by faith. Besides he cites the agreement of all the prophets. This is truly to cite the authority of the Church. d But of this topic we will speak again after a while, when treating of "Repentance."
Fourthly. Remission of sins is something promised for Christ's sake. Therefore it cannot be received except by faith alone. For a promise cannot be received except by faith alone. : Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure; as though he were to say: "If the matter were to depend upon our merits, the promise would be uncertain and useless, because we never could determine when we would have sufficient merit." And this, experienced consciences can easily understand e. Accordingly, Paul says, : But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. He takes merit away from us, because he says that all are guilty and concluded under sin; then he adds that the promise, namely, of the remission of sins and of justification, is given, and adds how the promise can be received, namely, by faith. And this reasoning, derived from the nature of a promise, is the chief reasoning f in Paul, and is often repeated. Nor can anything be devised or imagined whereby this argument of Paul can be overthrown. Wherefore let not good minds suffer themselves to be forced from the conviction that we receive remission of sins for Christ's sake, only through faith. In this they have sure and firm consolation against the terrors of sin, and against eternal death, and against all the gates of hell. g
But since we receive remission of sins and the Holy Ghost by faith alone, faith alone justifies, because those reconciled are accounted righteous and children of God, not on account of their own purity, but through mercy for Christ's sake, provided only they by faith apprehend this mercy. Accordingly, Scripture testifies that by faith we are accounted righteous, . We, therefore, will add testimonies which clearly declare that faith is that very righteousness by which we are accounted righteous before God, namely, not because it is a work that is in itself worthy, but because it receives the promise by which God has promised that for Christ's sake He wishes to be propitious to those believing in Him, or because He knows that Christ of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, .
In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul discusses this topic especially, and declares that, when we believe that God, for Christ's sake, is reconciled to us, we are justified freely by faith. And this proposition, which contains the statement of the entire discussion h, he maintains in the third chapter: We conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the Law, . Here the adversaries interpret that this refers to Levitical ceremonies i. But Paul speaks not only of the ceremonies, but of the whole Law. For he quotes afterward () from the Decalog: Thou shalt not covet. And if moral works j would merit the remission of sins and justification, there would also be no need of Christ and the promise, and all that Paul speaks of the promise would be overthrown. He would also have been wrong in writing to the : By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works. Paul likewise refers to Abraham and David, . But they had the command of God concerning circumcision. Therefore, if any works justified, these works must also have justified at the time that they had a command. But Augustine teaches correctly that Paul speaks of the entire Law, as he discusses at length in his book, Of the Spirit and Letter, where he says finally: These matters, therefore having been considered and treated, according to the ability that the Lord has thought worthy to give us, we infer that man is not justified by the precepts of a good life, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
And lest we may think that the sentence that faith justifies, fell from Paul inconsiderately, he fortifies and confirms this by a long discussion in the fourth chapter to the Romans, and afterwards repeats it in all his epistles. Thus he says, : To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt . But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Here he clearly says that faith itself is imputed for righteousness. Faith, therefore, is that thing which God declares to be righteousness, and he adds that it is imputed freely, and says that it could not be imputed freely, if it were due on account of works. Wherefore he excludes also the merit of moral works k. For if justification before God were due to these, faith would not be imputed for righteousness without works. And afterwards, : For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. says: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, i.e., we have consciences that are tranquil and joyful before God. : With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. Here he declares that faith is the righteousness of the heart. : We have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law. : For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.
: To them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. : As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish. Likewise, : For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned.
: Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses. How could the office of Christ and justification be declared more clearly? The Law, he says, did not justify. Therefore Christ was given, that we may believe that for His sake we are justified. He plainly denies justification to the Law. Hence, for Christ's sake we are accounted righteous when we believe that God, for His sake, has been reconciled to us. : This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. But the name of Christ is apprehended only by faith. l Therefore, by confidence in the name of Christ, and not by confidence in our works, we are saved. For "the name" here signifies the cause which is mentioned, because of which salvation is attained. And to call upon the name of Christ is to trust in the name of Christ, as the cause or price because of which we are saved. : Purifying their hearts by faith. Wherefore that faith of which the Apostles speak is not idle knowledge, but a reality, receiving the Holy Ghost and justifying us m
: The just shall live by his faith. Here he says, first, that men are just by faith, by which they believe that God is propitious, and he adds that the same faith quickens, because this faith produces in the heart peace and joy and eternal life n.
: By His knowledge shall He justify many. But what is the knowledge of Christ unless to know the benefits of Christ, the promises which by the Gospel He has scattered broadcast in the world? And to know these benefits is properly and truly to believe in Christ, to believe that that which God has promised for Christ's sake He will certainly fulfill.
But Scripture is full of such testimonies since, in some places, it presents the Law and in others the promises concerning Christ, and the remission of sins, and the free acceptance of the sinner for Christ's sake.
Here and there among the Fathers similar testimonies are extant. For Ambrose says in his letter to a certain Irenaeus: Moreover, the world was subject to Him by the Law for the reason that, according to the command of the Law, all are indicted, and yet, by the works of the Law, no one is justified, i.e., because, by the Law, sin is perceived, but guilt is not discharged. The Law, which made all sinners, seemed to have done injury, but when the Lord Jesus Christ came, He forgave to all sin which no one could avoid, and, by the shedding of His own blood, blotted out the handwriting which was against us. This is what he says in : "The Law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Because after the whole world became subject, He took away the sin of the whole world, as he o testified, saying : "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." And on this account let no one boast of works, because no one is justified by his deeds. But he who is righteous has it given him because he was justified after the laver p. Faith, therefore, is that which frees through the blood of Christ, because he is blessed "whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered," . These are the words of Ambrose, which clearly favor our doctrine; he denies justification to works, and ascribes to faith that it sets us free through the blood of Christ. Let all the Sententiarists, who are adorned with magnificent titles, be collected into one heap. For some are called angelic; others, subtile, and others irrefragable q When all these have been read and reread, they will not be of as much aid for understanding Paul as is this one passage of Ambrose.
To the same effect, Augustine writes many things against the Pelagians. In Of the Spirit and Letter he says: The righteousness of the Law, namely, that he who has fulfilled it shall live in it, is set forth for this reason that when any one has recognized his infirmity he may attain and work the same and live in it, conciliating the Justifier not by his own strength nor by the letter of the Law itself (which cannot be done), but by faith. Except in a justified man, there is no right work wherein he who does it may live. But justification is obtained by faith. Here he clearly says that the Justifier is conciliated by faith, and that justification is obtained by faith. And a little after: By the Law we fear God; by faith we hope in God. But to those fearing punishment grace is hidden; and the soul laboring, etc., under this fear betakes itself by faith to God's mercy, in order that He may give what He commands. Here he teaches that by the Law hearts are terrified, but by faith they receive consolation. He also teaches us to apprehend, by faith, mercy, before we attempt to fulfil the Law. We will shortly cite certain other passages.
Truly, it is amazing that the adversaries are in no way moved by so many passages of Scripture, which clearly ascribe justification to faith, and, indeed, deny it to works. Do they think that the same is repeated so often for no purpose? Do they think that these words fell inconsiderately from the Holy Ghost? But they have also devised sophistry whereby they elude them. They say that these passages of Scripture, (which speak of faith,) ought to be received as referring to a fides formata, i.e., they do not ascribe justification to faith except on account of love. Yea, they do not, in any way, ascribe justification to faith, but only to love, because they dream that faith can coexist with mortal sin. Whither does this tend, unless that they again abolish the promise and return to the Law? If faith receive the remission of sins on account of love, the remission of sins will always be uncertain, because we never love as much as we ought, yea, we do not love unless our hearts are firmly convinced that the remission of sins has been granted us. Thus the adversaries, while they require in the remission of sins and justification confidence in one's own love, altogether abolish the Gospel concerning the free remission of sins; although, at the same time, they neither render this love nor understand it, unless they believe that the remission of sins is freely received.
We also say that love ought to follow faith, as Paul also says, : For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. And yet we must not think on that account that by confidence in this love or on account of this love we receive the remission of sins and reconciliation, just as we do not receive the remission of sins because of other works that follow. But the remission of sins is received by faith alone, and, indeed, by faith properly so called, because the promise cannot be received except by faith. But faith, properly so called, is that which assents to the promise r. Of this faith Scripture speaks. And because it receives the remission of sins, and reconciles us to God, by this faith we are s accounted righteous for Christ's sake before we love and do the works of the Law, although love necessarily follows. Nor, indeed, is this faith an idle knowledge, neither can it coexist with mortal sin, but it is a work of the Holy Ghost, whereby we are freed from death, and terrified minds are encouraged and quickened. And because this faith alone receives the remission of sins, and renders us acceptable to God, and brings the Holy Ghost, it could be more correctly called gratia gratum faciens, grace rendering one pleasing to God, than an effect following, namely, love.
Thus far, in order that the subject might be made quite clear, we have shown with sufficient fulness, both from testimonies of Scripture, and arguments derived from Scripture, that by faith alone we obtain the remission of sins for Christ's sake, and that by faith alone we are justified, i.e., of unrighteous men made righteous, or regenerated. But how necessary the knowledge of this faith is, can be easily judged, because in this alone the office of Christ is recognized, by this alone we receive the benefits of Christ; this alone brings sure and firm consolation to pious minds. And in the Church t it is necessary that there should be the u doctrine v from which the pious may receive the sure hope of salvation. For the adversaries give men bad advice w when they bid them doubt whether they obtain remission of sins. For how will such persons sustain themselves in death who have heard nothing of this faith, and think that they ought to doubt whether they obtain the remission of sins? Besides, it is necessary that in the Church of Christ the Gospel be retained, i.e., the promise that for Christ's sake sins are freely remitted. Those who teach nothing of this faith, concerning which we speak, altogether abolish the Gospel. But the scholastics mention not even a word concerning this faith. Our adversaries follow them, and reject this faith. Nor do they see that, by rejecting this faith they abolish the entire promise concerning the free remission of sins and the righteousness of Christ.
|Book of Concord (Triglot Concordia): The Symbolical Books of the Ev. Lutheran Church | Calvin's Institutes | Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ | Heretics by Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936) | Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis | Josephus: The Complete Works | Orthodoxy by Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936) | Sermons on Gospel Themes by Charles G. Finney (1792-1875) | The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1628-1688) | The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life by Brother Lawrence (Nicholas Herman, 1605-1691) | Walther's Law and Gospel | Westminster Confession & Catechisms |


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By Kent E. St. John
Senior Travel Editor
Less than ten minutes after leaving the airport on St. Lucia, I was pulling up to the Coconut Bay Resort. Within fifteen I headed to the beach, cocktail in hand.
St. Lucia was a destination I longed to see but knew little about. I found out a lot after a few days of exploring one of the Caribbean's best eco-destinations. In fact Natural History Magazine picks it for one of the top fifty eco-tourism destinations in the world.
From volcanic peaks to working fishing villages, St. Lucia has an abundance of activities, but it's also a great place to relax -- your choice. Even a hard-working travel editor needs some down time between adventures. St. Lucia and Coconut Bay fit the bill.
De Fish, Mon
Near Coconut Bay is one of the quaintest villages to be found anywhere in the Caribbean, Soufriere. This gem is the second largest settlement on the island and still a fishing village; its island decay is charming.
One can almost feel as if Pirates of the Caribbean is still taking place. To top it off St. Lucia's landmarks, the primeval Pitons twin peaks, pop up nearby. The sheer steep peaks of Petit Piton and Gros Piton are as glorious a vision as any traveler could want. Seeing as they top over 2000 feet, they have long been a beacon to pirates and those that pull an existence from the rich fishing grounds nearby.
In the harbor small crafts paced and circled and large vessels become a high diving board for the local kids. On the streets proud roosters prowled and French Creole could be heard around the stands selling local produce. Small shops served the locals and luxuries are not to be found.
If you are doing the shopping tourist gig head to Castries the capital, Soufriere is for those who want to immerse.
As we headed out via small boat to Marigot Bay the magnificent Pitons rose far above the villages and waves crashed at their base. As our captain noticed my fascination with them he tells me that climbing them is possible with permission from the Forest and Lands Department. I filed the info because I had other fish to fry.
Raiding Rodney
The stunning Marigot Bay with its glazed white beaches and swaying palm trees could be another pretentious beauty mark of the Caribbean, fortunately it isn't. It's true that there are classic yachts docked and luxurious lodgings to be found there but the feeling is pure St. Lucia.
In St. Lucia history has a hold and it is in fact in this bay that British Admiral George Brydges Rodney chose to camouflage his ships with palms for an attack on French frigates.
That feeling is amped up at the Restaurant de Paletuvier where I attacked fresh fish served with spicy Creole sauces. Deep fried balls of crab made me declare amnesty to a wee bit high cholesterol intake. Sugar birds land at empty nearby tables to serenade those lingering over a cappuccino, gathering strength for a snorkel stop on the return to Soufriere.
Under the Sea
My wife once described snorkeling as laying on the world's best water bed. Anse Chastenet makes for one great bedroom! This reserve located on the left of the bay provides visual delight, schools of fish pass effortlessly. Coral in a wide range of colors completes the picture. If snorkeling isn't your thing the sandy beach will be and it is stunning.
As if I was in a Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) daze I heard the sounds of a string quartet penetrate beneath the surface. On the cliff above the quartet was playing for a wedding. St Lucia is a great place to wed and this couple picked a premier spot. All too soon it was time to head back to Soufriere for a cold Caribe beer.
Heaven and Hell
On an island filled with diversity I decided to pick two extremes both located near Soufriere. Stop number one was the Diamond Botanical Gardens located on what was once an old estate. The estate was called the Soufiere Estate and was built by the French in 1713. The estate was used for cultivating cocoa and sugar until 1785 when the mineral waters were commissioned for French troops and baths were built.
Even today the baths are available for soaking. Old paths meander through the gardens and take you through lush vegetation with thousands of plant species. Especially grand is the Diamond Waterfalls that glimmer in multiple colors due to the mineral deposits that the flowing waters leave.
The falls have starred in several movies such as Romancing the Stone. It is no wonder that the gardens have been named as one of the top 25 nature experiences in the Caribbean.
On the flip side of lush is the burning bubbling sulphur water of Sulphur Springs Park, a drive-in volcano. While the last major volcanic eruption on St Lucia occurred about 40,000 years ago, in 1780 the island spit up and continues today to vent sulphur, and the heated pools are above boiling temps.
Today the seven-acre depression is called a caldera; the surface crust is soft and over a soft substrate. Since a guide fell into the scalding water a few years ago, the observation is from solid overlooks. He survived and went on to father several children.
The colors around the 24 boiling pots are multiple due to the deposits of iron, copper oxide, magnesium and many other minerals. Further below the caldera are springs with therapeutic water values comparative to the springs of Onzendaki in Japan and Prezzuoli in Italy.
It's a Bird; it's a Plane it's…
From my perch about 40 feet from the rainforest floor everything seemed small except for the platform that lay downhill that looked tiny. As soon as I pushed off, Sani's instructions ran through my head, "One gloved hand behind the pulley and one on the harness."
By the second zip line run I felt like Indiana Jones. By the third I could actually concentrate on fluorescent butterflies, multi-colored birds and thick foliage found only in the rainforest. The sound of water flowing in the stream below mixed with rushing wind and beating heart.
The course has nine platforms and six zip lines running through 9000 acres. This is one cool adventure and it is set in the spectacular interior of St. Lucia.
Read more GoNOMAD stories about ziplining.
After a few days of looking out to sea, I discovered that not all islands begin and end at the water's edge; St Lucia is a prime example of that. Kayaking, mountain biking and nature hiking all have their place on the island. Get a lunch packed at the Coconut Bay and head out for multiple adventures.
Put the Wallet Away
After my daily dose of adventure, I returned nightly to the Coconut Bay Resort for a few ultra cold Piton beers and a dip in the freeform pool. Nightly a festive atmosphere took hold and happy smiley faces joined together for great food and lively entertainment. Yet solitude and privacy could easily be found on the property.
The long beach curved the length of Savannes Bay and a quiet pool near the spa gave me room to chill. The 85 acres of lush grounds were a delight to explore and amenities plentiful. Perhaps the best reason besides value for dollar was the resort's location on the south side of the island, relatively undeveloped and peaceful.
From my balcony the sound of the ocean swirled with the sounds of a local band playing at the jump up or local feast. The moon shone bright and the breeze was heavenly as I planned my next day's adventure. I never thought relaxing could be so active.
Helpful Links
Intimate yet encompassing best describes my base for my stay; life at the Coconut Bay Resort and Spa is easy and the grounds are spacious. No neighboring megaresorts sitting side by side as is often found in the Caribbean, this place stands alone. Its location on 85 lush coconut fringed beaches has space and privacy for all. The all inclusive price provided great food, drinks and plenty of activities. For more accommodation options, find other unique St. Lucia hotels and tours of the island.
Day adventures can be arranged at the concierge desk at Coconut Bay or by contacting St. Lucia Palms Services (758) 458-0908. The zip line Canopy Tour is priced at about $75 and well worth the cost.
Information on the Volcanic pools can be found at Planetware.com.
And for the Daimond Botanical Gardens at Spas.About.com.
For an overview of all St Lucia offers go to the tourism site at StLucia.org.
|Visit ourKent E. St. John Page with links to all his stories.
|Read more GoNOMAD stories about: Bicycling - Canoeing - Hiking - Horseback Riding - Kayaking - Rafting - Sailing - Snorkeling - Skiing - Snowboarding - Surfing - Ziplining
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in smoke and steam, the Caribbean Sea sparkling to our right in the late afternoon sun, and below
By Paul Shoul We all have images planted in our minds of the perfect Caribbean Island. Waves lapping upon
Read Caribbean Hotel Reviews A Read more about the Caribbean on GoNOMAD Trinidad
and gemlike that it glistens like liquid sapphire, this resort totally embodies the ultimate Caribbean
several times by the French and now independent), Dominica is often overlooked by Caribbean
fifty-foot sail boat and adventured to parts unknown in the Caribbean. A The trip took place over
influences this small island, the Caribbean calm and Latino zest remain undisturbed. While everyone


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Meat Cleaver
From Grand Theft Wiki
The Meat Cleaver is a blade-like tool usually used by butchers to cut slabs of meat into smaller pieces. In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, it is used as a melee weapon. Like other knives in the game, the meat cleaver it can damage cars and people and can leave the victim bleeding, leaving a trail of blood drops on the ground.
- GTA Vice City
- Vice Point, Vice Beach - Behind The Well Stacked Pizza Co.
- North Point Mall, Vice Point, Vice Beach - Available to buy from Tooled Up for $50.
- Washington Beach, Vice Beach - Available to buy from Bunch of Tools for $50.
- Little Havana, Vice City Mainland - Available to buy from Screw This for $50.
- The meat cleaver is dropped by a chef during the mission "Back Alley Brawl."
- GTA Liberty City Stories
- Chinatown, Portland - Available in the middle of the shopping alley in Chinatown next to a noodle stand.
- Some Triads can be seen wielding the meat cleaver.


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Welcome to the Clinical Laboratories at Cincinnati Children's, where we deliver reliable, timely, accurate and cost-effective services for healthcare providers and families. We offer routine tests and those not commonly available in clinical laboratories, and new tests are always in development. Our laboratory professionals are highly skilled at handling the unique needs of children, even the youngest patients.
For your convenience, we provide testing services at our main hospital or at many of our neighborhood locations. We have extended hours during the weekday, and times on the weekend, to accommodate busy schedules. Plus, we are one of the few laboratories open for blood work on Sunday.
Each of our laboratories has a medical director who provides clinical consultation and test interpretation to help healthcare providers deliver the best possible care for their patients.
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Four members of the Old Dominion University student body were publicly executed and their corpses summarily expelled from the school when it was discovered the students had callously and deliberately played the song "Stacy's Mom" at a Opening Week Bar-B-Que. The song, written and performed by the terrorist front group Fountains of Wayne, features lewd and indecent lyrics which insist that "Stacy's mom has got it going on" and depicts the treasured societal icon is a state of undress ("with just a towel on".)
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Mothers Depicted As Sexual Beings On Virginia Campus; Nation Shocked And In Mourning
Four members of the Old Dominion University student body were publicly executed and their corpses summarily expelled from the school when it was discovered the students had callously and deliberately played the song "Stacy's Mom" at a Opening Week Bar-B-Que. The song, written and performed by the terrorist front group Fountains of Wayne, features lewd and indecent lyrics which insist that "Stacy's mom has got it going on" and depicts the treasured societal icon is a state of undress ("with just a towel on".)
Posted by Rich Horton at 8/26/2015 05:44:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: way beyond moronic
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
The Rise Of Anti-Semitism Continues Unabated
Now a Jewish artist cannot perform at a music festival unless he proves he's the "right kind of Jew." -
Jewish groups protest as Spain festival drops US singer
Jewish groups have criticised a Spanish festival for cancelling an appearance by a Jewish-American singer because he refused to air his political views.
Matisyahu, a reggae singer, had been due to appear at the Rototom Sunsplash near Valencia on 22 August.
But he says he was asked by organisers to state his "positions on Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict".
In a post on his Facebook page, Matisyahu said the pressure to air his views was "appalling and offensive".
A campaign to cancel Matisyahu's appearance was launched by the Valencia branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign....
"The festival kept insisting that I clarify my personal views; which felt like clear pressure to agree with the BDS political agenda," Matisyahu - whose real name is Matthew Miller - wrote on his Facebook page.
"Honestly it was appalling and offensive, that as the one publicly Jewish-American artist scheduled for the festival they were trying to coerce me into political statements."
The singer, born in Pennsylvania, said he did not insert politics into his music, and that he wanted it to be accessible to all.What is equally disgusting is the only groups complaining about this are Jewish ones.
Sadly, I was sort of expecting this kind of Spanish Inquisition.
Posted by Rich Horton at 8/18/2015 01:25:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: just like the old anti-Semitism, the new anti-Semitism
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Charity In The New America
From the wisdom of Justice Kennedy in the Obergefell dictum:
Finally, it must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned. The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered. The same is true of those who oppose same-sex marriage for other reasons. In turn, those who believe allowing same sex marriage is proper or indeed essential, whether as a matter of religious conviction or secular belief, may engage those who disagree with their view in an open and searching debate.How generous of him to not criminalize people's religious thoughts. Yet. H/T Hot Air
Posted by Rich Horton at 6/27/2015 10:47:00 AM 0 comments
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Straw Meets Camel's Back
Shit gets you down. A lot of shit gets you way down. And sometimes sports doesn't give you a break from shit, it only piles it higher and deeper.
Granted my shit baseline is pretty deep these days. I've been unemployed for ten months and, if employers are to be believed, I'm simply unemployable unless 'you'd like fries with that' becomes my career path. So, you can imagine how "helpful" it is to me to sit down and watch Adam Wainwright blow out his Achilles tendon, or to hear the news last autumn about Oscar Taveras.
And then we get to the St. Louis Blues. There is no way I can do a post-mortem because I simply cannot stand it or them anymore. They have mattered so much to me since I was a 10 year old kid that they have used me up. It turns out 36 years of futility is my limit. It is impossible for me to believe someone could be a fan, and I mean a real fan, and last longer than I did. Every year they trot out some Cubs "fan" who claims 70 years plus, but that has to be bullshit. There is no way someone who really cared could last that long. I've known mothers that have disowned their own children, human beings they loved with all of their heart and soul, for less than what the Cubs have done to their fan base routinely. The only way you could last that long is if deep down you really don't care. And, don't get me wrong, that's cool for the people who are just enjoying following sports as a bit of play acting. It can be loads of fun to pretend you care about something. Why else would people adopt Cinderellas so readily. You don't actually care that that 14 seed you'd never heard of before they won a couple games in the NCAA gets knocked out in the Elite Eight. It's just fun to act like you do. When the ride ends, it ends.
In many ways I've always thought the film Fever Pitch, and here I'm talking about the real English soccer version and not the Americanized abomination, got a lot right about being a real fan. When the girlfriend of the main character chirps in the helpful "It's only a game!" the response is dead on. "Don't say that. That is the stupidest thing anyone could ever say. It quite obviously is not only a game. If it was do you honestly think I'd care this much?!"
What it misses out on is the hopelessness it can engender. The character Paul in Fever Pitch, and the author Nick Hornby on which the character is based, only had to endure a drought of eighteen years between Arsenal championships, and even then they won an FA Cup in the longish interval. The angst there is having been good and failing for awhile to reach those same heights. The Blues, on the other hand, have never been that good. Ever. Even when they reached the Stanley Cup finals, before I was born and when I was less than a year old, it was a fluke born to dodgy business decisions. They truly didn't belong there. The real championship was the semifinals played in the other conference. Everyone knows it even if they are too polite to talk about it that way. That is what the Blues were and what they have always been.
Seemingly it is what they always will be too, and that is what I cannot stomach. It's taking too much out of me and not putting anything back in. There is no joy to be had there any longer so I'm putting the Blues away. I'm not watching them, or the NHL in general, any longer. I've already boxed up everything I own with the Blues logo and tucked it away deep in a closet possibly never to be open again in my lifetime. But, at least I'll have the satisfaction of knowing it won't be the Blues or the NHL sending me to an early grave.
That is something I suppose.
Posted by Rich Horton at 4/26/2015 06:19:00 PM 0 comments
Sunday, November 09, 2014
The "Us vs. Them" Pope
There are good reasons why someone like Cardinal Raymond Burke would have made a terrible pope. At the crux of the matter there is the marked tendency he has shown to treat issues like ideological footballs which he would try to pick up and power down the field down his opponents throats. Now, that might make some sense when dealing with forces like a highly partisan and unfriendly to hostile to Catholicism press corps, like the one we suffer from here in the United States. Where it makes little to no sense is in the pastoral work of the church, where to do so is to divide the Church into issue groups, some labelled "friends," others labelled "enemies."
Unfortunately, if such is true of a Cardinal, it's is more true of a sitting pope and Pope Francis seems to have forgotten that fact, if he was ever aware of it at all. It has been the policy of many traditionalists to give Francis the benefit of the doubt, but it is becoming increasingly clear that he sees the world, and as a result the Church, as being filled with combating ideological camps. He's President Bush standing in front of us all and saying "you are either with us or against us." That Francis is being lionized by people who love neither the Church, nor the real flesh and blood human beings that make it up, and seems to be actively seeking their approval, makes me sad beyond words.
It's not that I didn't know it was coming. It's sort of like your own demise. It's one thing to acknowledge one's inevitable end. It's another to see it looming up before you.
Posted by Rich Horton at 11/09/2014 03:09:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: catholicism, pessimism (its what's for dinner), religion
Friday, November 07, 2014
A New Venture
And now for something completely different...
I've actually been contemplating putting together a philosophy tinged podcast which would kind of be like an audio version of James Burke's Connections, only infinitely more trivial.
Posted by Rich Horton at 11/07/2014 07:17:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: music, my damn vanity
Thursday, October 09, 2014
I'm Tired Of Dishonest Bullshit
This is the straw that broke my back.
I'm sorry but it is impossible for any thinking person to be against people having government issued ID. To be against it you must be either A) some sort of neo-nazi white supremacist type, or B) committed to perpetuating a permanent helpless underclass for your own, and you privileged class's own, political benefit.
Without a valid government ID one cannot get a job, buy alcohol, drive a car, write a check, travel outside the country, travel on an airplane, travel on Amtrak, travel on a Greyhound bus, buy medications that contain pseudoephedrine, or even purchase prescription medication. I'm sorry but what kind of person wants to keep people from having such personal agency in their lives?
I'll tell you who. Evil sons of bitches. That's who.
If people like Lewis Black spent HALF the time they do bitching about Republicans helping people enter the 20th Century already none of this would be an issue. The truth is they don't want poor Americans to enter the 20th (or 21st) century. They want them helpless and dependent.
Posted by Rich Horton at 10/09/2014 11:18:00 PM 1 comments
Labels: economic freedom, evil scum bags
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Sleepless In America: 2014 Edition
God only knows how anyone in this country can sleep when we don't know if the redhead from the Wendy's commercials has the correct beliefs.
And what about the GEICO gecko?
Insomnia here we come.
Posted by Rich Horton at 9/25/2014 03:04:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: dumb stuff, political culture
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Unwanted Thoughts Of A Rank Outsider
The long awaited vote is on in Scotland. I have absolutely no dog in the question of an independent Scotland. Not a one. Oh, I think there is some Scots blood in me somewhere, but I'm pretty sure it is awash in a sea of Irish and English red that it amounts to not a lot. I certainly have never been one of those Americans that searches back through his genealogy in order to know what tartan to order. I look terrible in plaid anyway.
Indeed, the going on in Scotland lately have been about a form of nationalism that has very little to do with the American experience. In many ways the Union that forms the UK is a little more in keeping with our national experience in the US than the clarion call of the monoculture that is good old fashioned nationalism. Its particularly strange as those most loudly proclaiming the need for Scottish independence seem to have no idea how conservative such a call really is. As well, the romance of it all can be a bit intoxicating, especially for us American observers. The United States has very little that smacks of the "ancestral" about it. When we use the term it is almost always used metaphorically. To live in a place where it actually applies.... well, that is the stuff of fiction for us.
Which may explain why part of me hopes Scotland says "no" today. The ancestry is real all right, but I wonder if the romance of it all isn't just as fictional for them as it would be for us. Think of the fantasies of those who romanticize the antebellum South. In these flights from the real world difficulties are never faced and the drawbacks and dark sides are ignored or completely forgotten. In the debates on Scottish independence I've seen on CSPAN there was a disturbing amount of faith put into slogans by the "Yes" proponents, as if translating them into reality would be the easy part. No. Spouting slogans is the easy part. All the rest of it is very hard.
Whatever happens all I can say is good luck to the people of Scotland, and the UK as a whole.
Wait? This won't affect the price of Scotch...
will it?
Posted by Rich Horton at 9/18/2014 03:47:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Scotland, The Late Great Great Britain?, World News
Sunday, September 07, 2014
If You Ever Wonder Why I Don't Blog Much Anymore....
....here is exhibit #7688:
That link takes you to a website called "The Moderate Voice" [sic], which these days apparently believes the KKK style hate ravings of one Hart Williams qualifies as "moderate."
Posted by Rich Horton at 9/07/2014 11:21:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: doing it the wrong way (blogging that is), political ennui (my bad case of)
Thursday, July 03, 2014
The Ignorant Intolerant and Narrow Minded Left
I used to think that description only accounted for 10-15% of the political left in this country, and the vast majority of it confined to the far (loony) left. Even that was forgivable, in a sense, because the far left has been dominated by varieties of Marxism for over a century and they, as a group, are too ideologically stupid to be anything other than ignorant, intolerant and narrow minded.
However, of late ignorant, intolerant and narrow minded has gone mainstream in the Democratic party. For example, you have these morons claiming in the name of tolerance you cannot have pluralism. And for another, more distressing, example you have the main streaming of anti-Semitism called BDS:
What is particularly scary about this state of affairs is there seems to be no dissent from these positions in the entire Democratic party. In fact the Democratic party seems more monolithic about, well, everything than it has been since the 1860's. To be left of center in America increasingly means living in a monoculture where different ideas and ways of life are viewed as being anathema to every tenet of common human decency. Indeed you would be hard pressed to find an example of a mainstream Democratic writer who even pays lip service to the idea that one can disagree with a Democratic party policy and NOT be morally bankrupt. However, in the increasingly Orwellian newspeak of the Democratic hegemony intolerance is branded tolerance, moral zealotry is called open mindedness, and intellectual chicanery is called scholarship. I call myself frightened.
Posted by Rich Horton at 7/03/2014 10:59:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: morons, pessimism (its what's for dinner), reason (hate filled people being beyond), the new anti-Semitism
Tuesday, July 01, 2014
The New York Dumb Times
I have often lamented that we live in an era of degraded journalism. Journalists of today are less independent, less articulate, less well read, and less intelligent than journalists of decades past. The depth of their deficiencies comes to the forefront when you read, frankly, garbage like the following from the editorial board of the New York Times:
The Supreme Court's deeply dismaying decision on Monday in the Hobby Lobby case swept aside accepted principles of corporate law and religious liberty to grant owners of closely held, for-profit companies an unprecedented right to impose their religious views on employees. It was the first time the court has allowed commercial business owners to deny employees a federal benefit to which they are entitled by law based on the owners' religious beliefs, and it was a radical departure from the court's history of resisting claims for religious exemptions from neutral laws of general applicability when the exemptions would hurt other people.For starters, in what way does Hobby Lobby not paying for abortifacients "impose their religious beliefs" on anyone? Here is the answer: it doesn't. Hobby Lobby employees are free to spend all their spare time taking abortifacients if that is what floats their boat. They just have to pay for them. Secondly, a mandate is NOT a "federal benefit." If the federal government wants to provide cheap abortifacients to people they can fund a program to do so, if they can get the votes. The moment you require a private party to provide something via a mandate you automatically have the possibility of running against other rights. The idea that the you can make Hobby Lobby or any other private company or organization a de facto arm of the government that is forced to give up ANY constitutional protections by issuing of governmental mandates is simple nonsense. (It wouldn't be in a fascist or communist system, but we don't live in either of those... unless Justice Ginsburg has her way of course.) "The full implications of the decision, which ruled in favor of employers who do not want to include contraceptive care in their company health plans, as required by the Affordable Care Act, will not be known for some time." Of course this isn't what this case was about. None of the three companies involved claimed a right to not cover all contraceptives, nor did the Supreme Court assert any such thing. This is a product of the over-heated imaginations of the chronically stupid and insipid. And, indeed, if you are unfortunate enough to read the rest of the Times' editorial, and you have a functioning brain, you will be left saying three things: 1) What the hell are they blathering on about? 2) I wonder what color the sky is in their world? And 3) When did real journalism die?
Posted by Rich Horton at 7/01/2014 12:50:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: journalism, morons
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Your Domestic Terror Update
In case you were wondering, yes, all of the suspects on the FBI's Domestic Terrorism list are still of the ideological left.
Move along. Nothing to see here.
Posted by Rich Horton at 6/10/2014 09:01:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: evil scum bags
Saturday, June 07, 2014
Federal Judge Declares Voting "Unconstitutional"
"In any voting situation," stated the judge Ty Rant, "there is inherently the chance voters might vote for something our elites do not favor. As our elites must be catered to in every particular, being that they are better than the hoi polloi, voting must be considered outmoded and something we have progressed beyond."
Judge Sonia Sotomayor immediately signaled her acceptance of judge Rant's opinion.
Posted by Rich Horton at 6/07/2014 07:24:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: law, political culture
Monday, June 02, 2014
It's Garbage Like This That Gives Social Science A Bad Name
From the WaPo: Female-named hurricanes kill more than male hurricanes because people don't respect them, study finds
People don't take hurricanes as seriously if they have a feminine name and the consequences are deadly, finds a new groundbreaking study.The lack of even rudimentary scientific methodology is staggering. For starters, comparing the effects of pre-1970 storms with post-1970 storms is difficult because of an important historical change, namely the introduction of satellites to accurately track hurricanes. This "study" blindly treats these two era the same. Well, they are not the same. Pre-1970 storms (oh, and all of this data was collected from their supporting data) averaged 35.4 deaths per storm. Post-1970 storms averaged 16.8 deaths per storm.
Female-named storms have historically killed more because people neither consider them as risky nor take the same precautions, the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concludes.
Researchers at the University of Illinois and Arizona State University examined six decades of hurricane death rates according to gender, spanning 1950 and 2012. Of the 47 most damaging hurricanes, the female-named hurricanes produced an average of 45 deaths compared to 23 deaths in male-named storms, or almost double the number of fatalities.
They cannot even make the Prima Facia case for their paper. Male names have only been in use since 1979. Since 1979 male named storms have produced an average of 17.9 deaths. Females storms have produced on average 15.8 deaths per storm.
Honestly, this paper took 15 minutes to completely destroy. How it could be published by the National Academy of Science is beyond me.
Posted by Rich Horton at 6/02/2014 11:40:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: crappy social science, hurricanes


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Dec. 30, 2006
Washington State 55, USC 52
December 30, 2006
Los Angeles (Galen Center)
--Washington State won for the first time in its last nine road games when trailing at halftime...USC led 25-21 at intermission.
--The Cougars broke and eight-game Pac-10 road losing streak.
--WSU is 1-1 after the first week of conference play for the fourth straight season.
--Junior Kyle Weaver recorded five assists to move past Ken Jones (1975-78) into 14th place on the Cougar all-time list with 211.
--Junior Derrick Low made a pair of 3-pointers to tie Josh Akognon (2005-06) for 15th on the Cougar all-time list with 83.


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May 8, 2007 11:12 AM
You may own several pairs of black sandals, but none as stylish and comfortable as the Cole Haan Amaya Air Slingback ($275). Featuring concealed Nike Air cushioning for maximum padding, these sandals have a 3.5" sculpted wedge heel and a dainty crossed peep toe.
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:


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Wilmington native running for Congress
Published: Monday, July 29, 2013 at 2:03 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, July 29, 2013 at 2:03 p.m.
A Wilmington native is gunning to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Mel Watt of Charlotte.
State Rep. Rodney Moore, 50, is one of several Democrats interested in the 12th District seat.
Watt was tapped by President Barack Obama in May to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
When his seat is vacated, Gov. Pat McCrory would be expected to call a special election, though that depends on the timing of Watt switching jobs, which requires a confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Moore now represents Charlotte in the General Assembly but said he makes regular visits to his hometown of Wilmington. In fact, he held one of his first fundraisers there, but said he was unable to attend because he was needed to vote on the Voter ID bill in Raleigh.
Moore said he plans to hold another fundraiser and community event in the region soon, which he plans to attend to thank neighbors and others he has known for years.
"It's important wherever you go that you remember your base and what shaped you, and Wilmington has shaped me," Moore said.
The 12th Congressional District runs from Charlotte to Greensboro and includes parts of Winston-Salem. Though it does not take in the Cape Fear region, Moore said Wilmington could benefit by having a friend in Congress.
Moore said he would advocate for economic development utilizing the port of Wilmington. He also said he would support consumer finance protections and small-business growth.
Metro desk: 343-2389
On Twitter: @StarNewsMolly
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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The future of Australian manufacturing hinges on our ability to compete with globally adopted efficiencies.
Don't get left behind!
Microsoft and Scalable Data Systems presented Australian Mnaufacturers with the innovations commonly utilised around the world today.
In joint partnership with an established speaker in global manufacturing circles, the 'Innovate your Manufacturing Supply Chain' series was presented to Australian Manufacturing organisations in three central locations – Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
If you would like to access some of the presentation and video material, please register here.


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This week's Wave includes:
The story of how one man's cine-geeky joke with friends turned into a highly attended production that mixes Shakespeare and zombies.
Best Bets include: a sold out Jason Aldean show at Amsoil, another weekend of Ides of March, the Minnesota Ballet's production of "Firebird" (Also: See Friday's DNT for the story), Renegade Theater Company's mix of the Bard and the brainzzzz, Nerd Nite gets nerdier with NASA, a weekend of bluegrass will go on — at a new venue and there is an all-ages metal show Sunday at Grandma's Sports Garden.
Tony Bennett review's Low's "The Invisible Way." (Here's Sunday's story on the band).
Homegrown Music Festival releases its schedule. The gist here; Actual schedule here.
Catch The Basement crew from KUMD-FM on mtvU starting Tuesday.
A local crew is making a horror film "How Pretty You Die," which promises to be downright bloody. They aren't asking for much.
Here are the deets on NXN, a month of arts-centric activities in the Twin Ports.
Here's what happens when Kevin Kling passes along storytelling techniques to teens. The author, playwright, storyteller, NPR commentator met with local high school students on Tuesday at Denfeld.


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It's going to cost a whole lot more money to get your legislator's attention, or get your corporate welfare, or tax loophole, or whatever. The bill to change the campaign donation limit from $500 to $10,000 in exchange for full donor disclosures and effectively ending CCEs (Committees of Continuing Existence), HB-569 – the darling bill of House Speaker Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel) – is moving ahead.
This page recently criticized a so-called watchdog group for its endorsement of this ridiculous bill and the false equivalency argument presented. Somehow Floridians are so stupid that they believe increasing campaign donation limits by 20 times the current level is a fair trade for closing down CCEs and their primary function of funneling money. Further, Floridians are unable to imagine how money will make its way to politicians without CCEs. Duh.
Let's see how this change in the donation cap might impact the finances of three local elected legislators.
Jack Latvala
Not everyone is either stupid or silent. State Sen. Jack Latvala (R-St. Petersburg) has a capacity to buck the trend and engage in plain speak at different times. He has chosen this bill on which to unload some refreshing common sense:
"If you say you're going to reform the process, then reform the process," said Latvala
"Every candidate can get up to $10,000 per contributor and give an unlimited amount from the party and that leads to a whole new area for money," he said. "The last thing we need in this process is more money."
"I raised $600,000 this year without breaking a sweat and I gave $150,000 to charity," Latvala said. "What would I do with four times that much."
He didn't even have a serious opponent; she raised $950.
Technically, Latvala raised $591,000 in 2012, so raising sufficient funds was not much of an issue. Since candidates – incumbents in particular – have to be adept at fundraising, let's consider what might happen to 3 candidates if the top donation was $10,000 instead of $500.
Not every $500 donation is automatically going to turn into a $10,000 donation if this bill passes the Senate where it has drawn the most skepticism. But certain donors have the ability to write a bigger check than $500 and would do so willingly. Remember, Sen. Latvala didn't even have serious opposition and over a half million dollars rolled in. He didn't have to beg; many candidates don't.
Taking campaign finance information from the Florida Division of Elections web site which candidates are required to report, we can gauge what some impact from this change might be. Let's look locally.
Dennis Baxley
State Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) has served in the Florida House for over eight years, having been elected to his fifth term. With time comes seniority and Baxley is definitely a leader in the House who has gotten key committee assignments. His new district is redder Republican than his old one, so he is unlikely to face a serious challenger until he has to step aside in 2018 due to term limits. There was no challenger in 2012 and he still raised $96,000.
Taking his richest reporting period, October 1-December 31, 2011 when he raised over $60,000, a look at the donors reveals $500 donors among associations like Florida Pharmacy PAC CCE, Florida Sheriffs CCE, Florida Dental PAC, Florida Bankers Association, Florida Outdoor Advertising, etc. Then there are some dandy corporate donors like Genentech, TECO Energy, CSX, Chevron, Walgreens, Progress Energy and Duke Energy, Publix, Walt Disney, Abbott Labs, Liberty Mutual, Caremark, etc. These are organizations – not considering individuals – that would likely drop $2,500 into the hat if that was the expectation. Counting 78 such organizations making $500 donations in this one filing, making it $2,500 would convert $39,000 into $195,000, or almost twice the entire donation amount for all 2012. Obviously, that's really low-balling the possible impact, but it allows that not all would put up $10,000 and without real competition, they may hedge on $5,000. But $2,500? Sure.
If half of those – 39 donors – gave $2,500 and the other half gave $10,000, the total jumps to $487,000! Just 39 donors at $10,000 would yield $390,000. Again, that is only one reporting period.
Clovis Watson
Now let's try rookie State Rep. Clovis Watson (D-Gainesville) who is also in a district where he is supposed to win and is unlikely to face a major challenger unless he severely alienates his constituents. His only real challenge was in the primary, facing middle school teacher Marihelen Wheeler.
Watson was doing just fine with fundraising in this easy district, but he sought and received the endorsement of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. Up to that point, he had raised about $40,000 to Wheeler's $30,000. The Chamber's seal of approval changed his campaign finances really fast. By November, his campaign had raked in almost $90,000. A look at Watson's report from the period before the primary – July 21-August 9 – was his richest 2 ½ weeks at $23,615.
Thanks, no doubt, to the Chamber, a lot of the same donors appear as in Baxley's report. Florida Architects Political Action, Florida Cattle PAC, Florida Hospital Association were a few associations listed. Noteworthy corporate donors include NextEra Energy (Florida Power), Walt Disney, Publix, Plum Creek, HCA, WellCare, WalMart, Progress Energy and Duke Energy, and Health Management. Using the same criteria, those $500 donor organizations on this one report reveals 35 such donors who, if tossing aside $2,500 instead, would convert that $17,000 into $87,500, or nearly the whole amount his campaign raised in 2012, this amount from just a few of the deep pocketed organizations who gave to his campaign.
Again, half of those donors giving $2,500 – just 17 – produces $42,500, while half giving $10,000 – only 18 – brings the grand total of this group for just this single reporting period to $222,500! More than twice the whole take for all of 2012! Cha-ching!
Dorothy Hukill
Let's do one more: newbie State Senator Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange) whose grab for this open Senate seat was heavily contested by Volusia Democrat Frank Bruno. Hukill raised $540,000 to Bruno's $377,000. In her last report – October 15-November 1, 2012 – Hukill recorded about $63,500 in donations in those 2 weeks, better than 10% of her total. Using the same criteria, if those $500 donor organizations on this home stretch report – 103 such donors over just 2 weeks – could juice the gift to $2,500, it would convert $51,500 into $257,500.
Watch what happens when we tweak the numbers; half of these donors – 52 – giving $2,500 bring $130,000 and the other half – 51 – at $10,000 boosts the total to $640,000 just for this 2 week period! It's more than the campaign raised in all of 2012, captured in just 2 weeks.
You can see how State Senate races would command multi-million dollar campaigns routinely if this bill passes. Even State Representatives in safe seats would have to figure out how to dispose of $250,000 and up every two years. The math is staggering.
Hopefully, Sen. Latvala and the other senators will squash this abomination posing as "campaign reform" legislation. There is plenty of money flowing into campaigns without lifting the campaign donation limit, and there is no way lifting the caps in exchange for fast, full disclosure reporting is at all reasonable. There should be fast, full disclosure reporting regardless.
Kill Will's bill!
Suggested Links
- Campaign Finance: Are "no caps" and "full disclosure" good ideas? (Video)
- Campaign financing and fundraising: Not a matter of free speech
- Campaign finance reform, part 2: Supreme Court issues ruling on spending limits
- Campaign financing and super PAC influence
- Campaign finance reform, part 3: An American aristocracy?


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Joseph E. Johnson, 83, died Sunday, Dec. 29th, at his home, with his wife, Mildred (Permar) Johnson by his side. Joseph and Mildred celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June with a cruise to Bermuda in Sept.
He was known to his family as "Bud" and friends as "Jadie".
He was a Korean War Veteran, serving two tours of duty in the U.S. Navy.
He worked as a printing press operator at Paramount Packaging, Chalfont, for 30 years prior to his retirement in 1993.
He was a sports enthusiast, traveling to Clearwater, FL, for the Phillies spring training and attending all of his son's and grandchildrens' sporting events.
Surviving his wife are his son, Eric (Patricia); daughter, Adeline Giblin (Thomas); grandchildren Kristen Hack (Bryan) and Matthew; a great-granddaughter due in April; brothers, Richard (Daisy), Ronnie Wood, Wayne Wood (Vera); sisters, Bernadette Jones (Courtland-deceased) and Norma Reimer (Pete). He was predeceased by a daughter, Cindy Lou, and a brother Lewis Wood.
A memorial service will be held on Fri, January 3rd at 10:30AM at Jeffrey A. Naugle Funeral & Cremation Service,135 W. Pumping Station Rd, Quakertown.
Memorial contributions can be made to Bucks County SPCA, 1665 Street Rd, New Hope, PA 18938


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Linkin Park has updated its tour dates with the addition of concerts in New Zealand and Australia next year from February to March. The 21st of February marks Linkin Park's return to New Zealand at the Vextor Arena in Auckland. Then the band will head to the Soundwave Festival in Australia. Tickets for Auckland go on sale September 7th. More information will be coming soon.
Source: LP TwitterLinkin Park will be heading to New Zealand and Australia in February and March. On February 21, they'll be playing at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. They'll then head to Australia for Soundwave Festival. Tickets for Soundwave are on sale now HERE. Tickets for the Auckland show go on sale September 7, with LPU members getting access to pre-sale tickets before that. More information coming soon. Join the LP Underground at LPUnderground.com.