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text:
FAIRBORN, Ohio - Lyman Good is heading to the finals of Bellator's Season 7 welterweight tournament, but not without a bit of controversy.
Although he dominated Michail Tsarev for nearly two round read news >>
All four Season 7 welterweight tournament semifinalists were given the green light at Thursday's Bellator 78 weigh-ins. read news >>
In a clinch-heavy three-rounder, Lyman Good was better than Jim Wallhead every step of the way.
Only a late-fight point deduction for an errant knee diminished the
ex-Bellator champ's performance read news >>
Lyman Good made it clear: he wants what once belonged to him. read news >>
As Bellator closes down their last season of action before moving to Spike TV, they have crowned another welterweight tournament winner in Russian Andrey Koreshkov. read news >>
A confident, undefeated Russian prospect is all that stands between Lyman Good and a rematch with Bellator Fighting Championships welterweight titleholder Ben Askren. read news >>
Bellator's Season 7 welterweight tournament field had its finalists set at Friday's Bellator 78 event.
Video highlights of the tournament's semifinals now are available.
They include Andrey read news >>
Four fighters are one step closer to their shot at Bellator Fighting
Championships' 170-pound title, as the company's season 7 welterweight
tournament semifinalists all made weight for Friday's Bel read news >>
LEMOORE, Calif. - Former Bellator Fighting Championships champion Lyman
Good, took the first step toward reclaiming his belt from current
title-holder Ben Askren with a unanimous-decision win over read news >>
Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov was too big and strong for Benson Henderson on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The 25-year-old Russian dominated the form read news >>
When the Bellator brass decided to put new free-agent signing Benson Henderson in a title fight with Andrey Koreshkov, there was the potential for its reigning champion to receive a huge boost in pro read news >>

subset: commoncrawl


text:
We are adding 63 rooms, a pool and a junior ballroom on the outer edges of the Cloister property.
Creativity Conference
Daily Lectures
Friday, February 12–Saturday, February 13
Expand your horizons and stimulate your mind by engaging with extraordinary thinkers and innovators from the arts, sciences, and media during Sea Island's third annual creativity weekend. The two-day program includes talks, Q&As, activities, and socializing with visionaries across many different fields.
2016 Conference Schedule
Ecologist Dr. Mark Moffett and his wife and frequent expedition partner, Melissa Wells, will serve as conference hosts. "Sea Island is a gorgeous spot surrounded by nature (golden marsh lands, protected oyster beds, and sea turtles), with amenities for a rejuvenating and stimulating weekend. We were impressed with our experience at Sea Island and jumped at the chance to help create a conference of like-minded creatives."
Mark W. Moffett, Ph.D
Mark W. Moffett, a.k.a. "Doctor Bugs," has discovered new species and behaviors from the tops of the world's tallest trees to sink holes a quarter-mile deep. He has writing and photography credits for more than 30 articles for National Geographic and is the recipient of the highest honor in exploration, the Lowell Thomas Award from the Explorers Club.
An entomologist at the Smithsonian Institution, he created a solo exhibition, "Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants." He is a 2008 Yale Poynter Journalism Fellow with three books, The High Frontier: Exploring the Tropical Rain Forest Canopy, Face to Face with Frogs, and Adventures Among Ants, which The New York Times said was written "with an entertainer's instinct for hooking a restless audience."+
Melissa Wells
Melissa Wells is an expert at managing healthcare systems in the US and abroad. When on expeditions with fellow explorer Moffett, she also captures the work and inspiration of scientific researchers through photography and film.+
Dan Ariely
Dan Ariely, professor of psychology at Duke, director of the Center for Advanced Hindsight, and author of Predictably Irrational, the Upside of Irrational¬ity, and The Honest Truth About Dishonesty, carries out remarkable experiments to reveal why, despite our intentions, we often fail to act on our own best interests.+
Martin Chalfie
Columbia University professor Martin Chalfie won the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry for working out how to use fluorescent proteins to track the physiology of cells and tissues, a technique that has become indispensible for biologists and medical researchers—and used by artists to make glow-in-the-dark bunnies.+
Billy Collins
Billy Collins, two-time poet laureate of the United States, has been described as "America's favorite poet" by the Wall Street Journal, and is often compared to Robert Frost. As J.J. Abrams tells us in the New York Times, Collins "is able, with precious few words, to make me cry. Or laugh out loud. He is a remarkable artist."+
Dr. Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University, is a spokesperson for people with autism and a pioneer in improving the treatment and welfare of farm animals. She has made Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people and is the subject of the acclaimed movie, "Temple Grandin."+
Graham Hawkes
Graham Hawkes designs and builds super-fast submarines that you strap into as if you were in an airplane. His machines, owned by Richard Branson among many others, are so beautiful they've been displayed at the Smithsonian's museum of design, the Cooper-Hewitt, which calls Hawkes "our 21st century Jules Verne."+
Kevin Kelly
Technology and internet guru Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired magazine and its executive editor for seven years, was a former editor of Whole Earth Review. He has written What Technology Wants, New Rules for the New Economy, Out of Control and other books, and currently runs the popular website, Cool Tools.+
Apollo Robbins
Apollo Robbins, an expert on pickpockets, confidence crimes, and deception, is "widely considered the best in the world at what he does, which is taking things from people's jackets, pants, purses, wrists, fingers, and necks, then returning them in amusing and mind-boggling ways," reports the New Yorker.+
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini, actor, filmmaker, model, and author, is known for her roles in movies such as Big Night" and "Blue Velvet". Currently a student of animal behavior at Hunter College, she has been screenwriting, directing, and appearing in Green Porno, a series of films for the Sundance Channel on animal sexual behavior.+
Gary Shteyngart
Leningrad-born Gary Shteyngart has been lauded for his humorous pieces in the New Yorker, his memoir Little Failure and the novels Absurdistan, Russian Debu¬t¬ante's Handbook and Super Sad True Love Story, which have each been named among of the best books of the year by dozens of newspapers and magazines.+
Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Wainwright, III, the Grammy-winning singer, musician, and stage performer, has a new one-man show, "Surviving Twin." He is also known for such acting roles as the "singing surgeon" for the television series M.A.S.H. In April 2015 he was awarded the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award for songwriting.+


text:
Verizon Grabs More Than 12 Percent of iPhone Market
Verizon, which began selling the Apple iPhone 4 in the U.S. on Feb. 10, has already grabbed as much as 12.7% of the U.S. iPhone market, according to stats released by ad network Chitika.
Chitika Insights is monitoring iPhone numbers via a live tracker based on Web usage of people hitting 100,000-plus websites using its ad network. The Verizon number had dropped to 9.3% as of 9 a.m. EST Wednesday, with AT&T owning the rest. A month ago, Verizon had a 3% share, according to Chitika.
About the only stumble so far for the Verizon iPhone has been a spring-ahead clock glitch reported by some users related to the daylight saving time change.
AT&T had been the exclusive iPhone carrier in the United States since 2007, when the smartphone made its debut. Verizon is now selling the iPhone directly, as well as through retailers such as Best Buy and Walmart.
It remains to be seen how the numbers will shape up once Apple releases its next iPhone, possibly called the iPhone 5. That device, expected to boast a dual-core processor, could come as soon as June, according to Apple watchers.
[APPLE IPHONEYS: The iPhone 5 edition]
[MORE IPHONE: Apple exec confirms white iPhone on the way]
Stats released recently by Chitika also show the iPhone as the leading U.S. smartphone over Android phones, though Chitika notes its numbers are based on website usage, not apps. Several market watchers have released stats showing the Android mobile OS was now No. 1 globally and in the United States.
In addition to now selling its iPhone via Verizon, Apple also markets its iPad and iPad 2 tablets with Verizon.
Track Bob on Twitter.
Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.
Apple 32GB iPhone 4 (CDMA, Verizon)PCWorld Rating
This iPhone 4 is the same great device we've come to know, but now it's using the popular Verizon network.


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IT strategy expresses how IT departments intend to support the delivery of corporate strategy. Fundamentally this means organizations need their IT departments to run daily operations efficiently and allow new products and services to be made operational quickly and cheaply. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is good at this but it is no nirvana.
The table below highlights a sampling of the good, the bad and the ugly business aspects of SOA are described.
Table 1. Good Bad Ugly
|Good Business Implications of SOA
|Bad Business Implications of SOA
|Ugly Business Implications of SOA
|Agility - SOAs allow business processes to be developed more quickly and it allows them to be changed more easily. This allows organizations to adapt to changes in their business environment more rapidly. This translates into a real market advantage since it allows products and services to be brought to market more quickly than competitors.
|Change in the organization structure - At the heart of every SOA is a Centre of Excellence (COE). The COE is a new entity that controls the technical development of the SOA and provides expertise to the rest of the organization. The SOA COE is a new addition to any organization and hence its introduction can lead to conflict when it is resourced and when decisions made here effect the rest of the organization.
|It's not easy - Transforming and organization to become services oriented is not easy. The transition is to a SOA is characterized by an evolution and not a revolution. Organisations that have traditionally been organised as silos my need to change their structure to take full advantage of becoming services oriented. This shift can be complex, expensive and there is no shortage of opponents to the change.
|Alignment - A closer cooperative relationship between business and IT removes traditional barriers the hindered the IT implementation of business requirements. The footprint of a service in the business domain is a business function and it is described in business terms. The details of its implementation are hidden.
|Change in organizational power structure Placing the ownership and control of services into the domain of business changes the power structure in organizations. This is typically met with resistance from those who have a vested interest in keeping the status quo.
|Change in culture - A SOA represents more than a change in technology. Attendant to this type of transformation comes a change in an organization's culture as it becomes value driven. The organization must learn what it means t be agile and how best to exploit this agility for itself. The ugly truth is that this is one of the most difficult lessons to learn.
|Business Process Improvements - Typically any SOA is associated with a rethinking of business processes. This business process reengineering is an opportunity to optimize how the organization operationally is going about its business. Doing a good job of this reengineering can make a significant improvement to a business's operational efficiency.
|New challenges for business - Business must get more involved in giving direction to IT. Business lines must take ownership and responsibility for services and their enhancements hence initiating the development and change cycle as they will drive this process. This is not a role typically filled by business lines and will make for an uncomfortable change.
|Flexibility - The adherence to good software engineering practice in SOA allows IT to be more responsive to business needs. Time to market for products and services is shortened and the cost of development and change process is reduced.
|IT landscape becomes more complex before it can become simpler - SOA is enabled with a set of technologies like a business process execution engine and ESB. Adding technology to an IT landscape does not make it simpler even when the advantages out way the costs. But just because the IT landscape is more complex does not mean it can not appear simpler. The introduction of the service allows the complexities in the IT to be a secret. Consumers of the services need to know nothing about what goes on inside a service. As a result any rationalization that takes place in the back end can be hidden behind the service interface.
|Technology alone will probably not show value - A SOA that focuses on infrastructure and technology is likely to fail. A SOA initiative is founded on the promise of delivering business value more quickly and more cheaply than before. A SOA that is too technology focused is unlikely to deliver on that promise since they will not show value in terms business people want to see it. Flexibility is only recognised as business value when it accelerates operationalising business requirements or reduces the cost of operational systems by allowing their rationalisation. Technology focused initiatives typically do not do this.
|Data Unification -
The service interface provides an opportunity to unify characteristics of the data so that service interfaces consume data that adheres to a unified data model. Common here means common:
|No One view of data - Standard interfaces for services require a common view of the data. This common view typically does not exist and trying to develop it often shows how disparate views in the organisation may be.
|Unification may not be possible - To get all the characteristics of data consistent is seldom possible. Beyond the issues above are the ever present problems associated with "dirty data". Dealing with the inconsistencies is one of the great challenges of designing service interfaces. The ugly truth is that a uniform service interface is very difficult to build.
|Operational Monitoring -
The technologies and principles used to enable a SOA make monitoring business processes easier. This type of monitoring allows feedback from daily operations. This feedback can be used to measure how well the organization is doing against its strategic goals
Traditionally business processes (BP) and presentation logic where all written into the same programs that contained business logic. The best one could hope for was that the different types of logic where at least grouped together but even this is often not the case. The upshot of this is that it makes monitoring of categories of logic very difficult. For example business processes could only be monitored as part of the application since it could not be separated out.
SOAs, typically come with a business process execution engine. The introduction of this technology encourages business process logic to be located in one spot. Having the BP logic in one spot makes BP monitoring possible without the need to have the BP logic in the application logic. This is not unique to a SOA but the technology used to enable a SOA along with the discipline that comes from SOA's good software engineering practices make it easier in a SOA.
|Monitoring complexity - Developing a monitoring model for business processes that feeds back to organizational goals is a significant piece of work that requires specialist skills.
|Leveraging operational systems - A SOA uses operational systems to supply the business functionality for services. This means that the investment in existing systems can be used by repackaging it into services.
|Technical misfits - In some cases operational systems do not relent easily to being repackaged as is the case when the structure of business functions does not match the requirements. For example if a transaction to add a new customer has a commit point after the name and address has been added to the customer data base and a second commit point after the security data has been added then these two operations are inexorably linked.
|Changes may be needed - In some cases operational systems may need to be changed. When the changes need to be made in ERPs vendors are reluctant to make these changes. If the organization decides to make the changes in house the maintenance cost must be considered in the funding of the service.
For SOA to be a success, business and IT must align there purpose and objectives. IT driven SOAs fail because they are perceived as a change in technology that has no direct benefit to business. The case for SOA must strengthen the organization's existing goals and strategy and this goes beyond an IT centred approach. This represents a culture change to where business expectations drive the priorities for IT which when coupled with a culture of co-operation between business and IT lays the ground work for success.
- Norbert Bieberstein, Sanjay Bose, Marc Fiammante, Keith Jones, Rawn Shah Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) Compass: Business Value, Planning, and Enterprise RoadmapIBM Press, 2005.
- William A. Brown, Rober G. Laird, Clive Gee, Tilak Mitra SOA Governance, Achieving and Sustaining Business and IT Agility IBM Press, 2008.
- "A practical application of SOA, Combine the technology and business perspectives of SOA implementation"(developerWorks, March 2007).
- In the Architecture area on developerWorks, get the resources you need to advance your skills in the architecture arena.
- Browse the technology bookstore for books on these and other technical topics.
Get products and technologies
- Download IBM product evaluation versions or explore the online trials in the IBM SOA Sandbox and get your hands on application development tools and middleware products from DB2®, Lotus®, Rational®, Tivoli®, and WebSphere®.
- Check out developerWorks blogs and get involved in the developerWorks community.
Dig deeper into SOA and web services on developerWorks
- Overview
- New to SOA and web services
- Technical library (tutorials and more)
- Downloads and products
- Open source projects
- Standards
- Events
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South Australia
Fringe delivers $66 million boost to state from 1.9 million attendances, 4000 artists
- From: The Advertiser
- June 13, 2014
THE 2014 Adelaide Fringe delivered a $66 million economic benefit to South Australia.
The Fringe had commissioned the study from Adelaide's Economic Research Consultants, and released its findings today.
It shows a Fringe that reigns supreme on Australia's cultural event calendar.
It has a total economic expenditure associated with the Fringe of $66.3 million, with a new record 1.9 million attendances, and ticket sales up 10 per cent to 447,000 tickets.
The economic benefit is calculated through the Fringe's ticket sales, overall attendances, accommodation, transport and hospitality.
Economic Research Consultants also measured the number of Fringe artists and surveyed 1700 Fringe participants.
It calculated that there were 61,000 bed nights occupied by interstate and overseas visitors, a whopping 17 per cent increase from 2013. Interstate and overseas visitors spent $18 million in South Australia.
The Fringe had more than 4000 artists presenting 966 shows in 350 venues this year. Half the shows were premieres, and 1100 of the artists came from overseas or interstate.
One in three shows was a 90 to 100 per cent sell out.
The Fringe had 220 volunteers, and the opening night parade attracted 30,000 people to line King William St.
Adelaide Fringe Chair Judy Potter said the Adelaide Fringe continued to make an important cultural contribution to South Australia.
"It creates jobs, boosts local businesses and attracts thousands of interstate and
overseas visitors to our wonderful state," Ms Potter said.
Arts Minister Jack Snelling said the Fringe brought vibrancy to the city.
Next year's Adelaide Fringe will run from February 13 to March 15, 2015.
The program will be launched on November 28 this year.
Originally published as Fringe pays out $66 million
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All Blog Posts Tagged 'terror' - Atheist Nexus 2016-10-23T08:06:59Z http://atheistnexus.org/profiles/blog/feed?tag=terror&xn_auth=no In Solidarity With France! tag:atheistnexus.org,2015-11-14:2182797:BlogPost:2655643 2015-11-14T16:28:27.000Z Hiram http://atheistnexus.org/profile/Hiram
Nous Sommes Tous La France! - Society of Epicurus' Message of Solidarité in Light of the Paris Attacks

Nous Sommes Tous La France! - Society of Epicurus' Message of Solidarité in Light of the Paris Attacks
 Charlie Hebdo and the Terror of Free Expression tag:atheistnexus.org,2015-01-07:2182797:BlogPost:2529723 2015-01-07T18:00:00.000Z Hiram http://atheistnexus.org/profile/Hiram
Originally written for The Autarkist.

I woke up this morning to news of Islamic…

Originally written for The Autarkist.

I woke up this morning to news of Islamic militants in France killing 12 people in order to avenge their prophet Muhammad for the imaginary crime of depicting the prophet. Immediately, thousands of secular activists took to social media to decry the demented incident and to express their solidarity with free expression.

The tradition of mocking false prophets goes back to 2nd Century Roman satirist Lucian, who authored "Alexander the Oracle-Monger". In the concluding paragraph, Lucian stated:

My object, dear friend, in making this small selection from a great mass of material has been … to strike a blow for Epicurus, that great man whose holiness and divinity of nature were not shams, who alone had and imparted true insight into the good, and who brought deliverance to all that consorted with him. Yet I think causal readers too may find my essay not unserviceable, since it is not only destructive, but for men of sense, constructive also.

Alexander was a false prophet from what is now Turkey who claimed to have been sent by Apollo to give oracles and to confer healing upon the people. To impress people, he carried around a large snake-god known as Glaucon, some effigies of which still exist. Concerned about the Epicureans' persistent attempts to expose him as a fraud, and about the potential loss of clients as a result of Lucian's accusations, the prophet pretended to befriend and assist Lucian on a journey, and paid someone to have him murdered at sea, so that his body would never be found. The mercenary repented as a result of how affable and friendly Lucian had been to him, and Alexander's strategy failed.

Lucian lived, but because (then as now) religion enjoys so much favor among the powerful, Lucian was unable to have Alexander prosecuted for attempting to kill him. So his act of vengence, in the end, was to write shit about him, to expose him once and for all, via one of the most enjoyable satires of religion ever written. Alexander the Oracle Monger is one of the earliest works of secularist comedy ever written, if not the earliest.

We are in the 21st Century. So much has happened since Lucian, yet so many things remain the same. Religious privilege remains, to a large extent, unchallenged. False prophets abound in every culture. We still hear reports of quackery and faith healing.

And mercenaries are still sent by false prophets, even dead ones, to kill comedians.

These mercenaries equate laughter, comedy, satire, with terror and avenge them in kind. They are terrified of this mystery of free expression, terrified of how the ink of a pen acts like blood, giving life to our ideas and making their ideas obsolete. The pen (or its modern version, the keyboard), today as in the days of Lucian, is a weapon of mass destruction and the words of comedians are bombs from which no shelter can protect them. Like radio waves, they expand in all directions, aren't bound by gravity, and the entire world can be exposed to the dangerous radiation within seconds. This is the power that content creators today have, and the religious fascists are terrified of the irrevocable advance of this new power, unable to accept and understand that this is a new paradigm, that we've entered the age of information.

Please join me in striking a blow for Epicurus today by reading, enjoying and sharing Alexander the Oracle Monger in solidarity with #CharlieHebdo.

#JeSuisCharlie #Laicité #Solidarité #Secularism #Solidarity #Laicismo #Solidaridad

 I really hate Jesus. tag:atheistnexus.org,2012-07-29:2182797:BlogPost:2016673 2012-07-29T23:42:11.000Z Lexi http://atheistnexus.org/profile/Lexi
Okay usually you get people that just like "historic Jesus" or think the concept is neat, or like the happy feel good hippy junk he preached about.

But no, I cannot stand Jesus, not at all.

Why is this?

Well it can be summed up as: He is an inconsistent, hypocritical, asshole.

Without getting too theologically involved, lets take the trinity, in which you believe "God" and "Jesus" (not their actual names but the most frequently used aliases the followers use when…

Okay usually you get people that just like "historic Jesus" or think the concept is neat, or like the happy feel good hippy junk he preached about.
But no, I cannot stand Jesus, not at all.

Why is this?
Well it can be summed up as: He is an inconsistent, hypocritical, asshole.

Without getting too theologically involved, lets take the trinity, in which you believe "God" and "Jesus" (not their actual names but the most frequently used aliases the followers use when talking to or about them) are the same being. It's been described as water having it's three stages but always being the same basic being with slightly different properties at that time.

If you maintain that "God" and "Jesus" are one in the same, then you would also believe they would have the same morals, goals, and expectations.
But that's not true at all.

First of all, in the OT, there was no such thing as Hell, no afterlife, absolutely nothing damning other than the world you and I are living in right now. There was no eternal promises or threats.
In the OT, God had prescribed the death penalty for many things, had committed or sponsored genocide on many occasions including wiping out the entire human and other land dwelling animal populations other than one small family from each animal.

Now lets get into the story of Jesus, lets start at conception.
This "virgin" is pledged to be married, she is approximately 12 years old and against it, but has no real choice. It is discovered she is pregnant, now if you are like most people you would think she was a non virgin who would say anything she could to get out of being stoned to death in a desperate attempt to save her life, and her fiancee would feel guilty for allowing her death and was upset, or at least didn't want to waste his money and try to find a new raping bag.
However if you believe in what she said, then the god they worship showed up one night and decided to rape and impregnate her and force her to give birth to...well the rapist that impregnated her in the first place.
(strikes against Jesus 1)

Now lets see, growing up he would wander off, get lost, and space out, like most children do, but instead of owning up to his mistakes he just says that he was busy praying to himself and so no one would be angry with him, also keep in mind this same being had said to never make a show of your praying but to do so privately, and if discovered you would be cursed.
(strike 2).

Now lets see here, he also seemed to have a problem with the death penalty that he had issued for any number of things, prostitution, where and how you plant your crops, the fabric of your clothes, women who are sexually impure, homosexuality, working on Saturday, and any other number of things.
Yet he directly opposes the death penalty.
(strike 3)

On more than one occasion he talks about how he is love, and forgiveness and all those other neat things people love to clutch onto (except if they are thinking about the gays, or women!)
when they grab at their first century torture devices dangling from their necks, but then he directly opposes that much by inventing Hell, and eternal punishment and suffering.
(Strike 4)

Supposedly Satan then started trying to steal souls and tempt people, which lead me to ask what he was doing for the last 4,000 years or so. Maybe he's only mentioned when convenient, I don't know.
(strike 5)

And then you have Jesus wandering around breaking all kinds of laws that HE PUT INTO PLACE, such as, not touching pork, working on the Sabbath, and associating with those not "pure" enough to name a few. Now he says he's here not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, but then he breaks the laws that he made and says this about it every single time "THIS LAW NO LONGER APPLIES...IT DOESN'T MATTER IN THIS CONTEXT....JUST LEAVE ME ALONE...!!!!".
(strike 6+ not sure how many times he directly opposed himself for these examples)

And to just throw this out, when not in Jesus form he gambled (a sin) with Satan for the soul of someone, and had killed his family, slaves, livestock, and all in all ruined his life, and this guy was stupid enough to still "love" that god that did that, and that story proves that God knows everything, loves everyone, and will not foresake you.

And just one more complaint, how is it seriously not considered child abuse for a child centered group use such fear mongering to get them to do as they wish as to scar the children even past childhood, even after they stop believing in what you told them.
I say this because I (ironically) listen to Flyleaf, which for those that do not know, is a band that does not say they are Christian but I dare you to find a single fan that says otherwise or a single song that doesn't make some reference to Christian theology.
Anyway Flyleaf has a song that is very triggering to me from when I was about 10 years old, I believe it's called Chasm. I remember hearing about that part of the bible in children's church and having nightmares and being terrified to the point of physical illness, and even now that song comes on and I become a mess. It's very graphic and frightening to children, and if it was a Muslim band, and a Muslim concept, and Muslims teaching that to children I'd bet you anything we as a nation would be up in arms against such abusive indoctrination of children.

This is what Wikipedia says about the reference that Chasm makes:
"

Chasm is based on the New Testament parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. In the parable, the rich man dies and goes to hell. From hell, he looks up to Heaven and sees Lazarus, a beggar who had scrounged crumbs from underneath his table, sitting next to the Jewish patriarch Abraham. The rich man begs Abraham to allow Lazarus to dip his finger in water and come down to hell to soothe his burning tongue. This is impossible because of a wide chasm between Heaven and hell. The rich man then begs Abraham to send Lazarus back to Earth to warn the rich man's brothers to follow the Law of God so that they won't end up next to him in hell. This request is also denied. Abraham responds that his brothers have the words of Moses and the prophets. If they won't believe Moses or the prophets, they won't believe Lazarus even if he returns from the dead.[1]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasm_(Flyleaf_song)

 Year of the Bible? Give Me a Break tag:atheistnexus.org,2012-06-08:2182797:BlogPost:1975128 2012-06-08T02:51:37.000Z Donald R Barbera http://atheistnexus.org/profile/drbarbera
Pennsylvania legislators recently adopted a resolution that among other things encourages Pennsylvanians to study the tenets of the Bible and says there is a "national need to study and apply scripture." The Freedom from Religion Foundation filed suit charging that the resolution violates the "separation of church and state."…

Pennsylvania legislators recently adopted a resolution that among other things encourages Pennsylvanians to study the tenets of the Bible and says there is a "national need to study and apply scripture." The Freedom from Religion Foundation filed suit charging that the resolution violates the "separation of church and state."

The lawyers will handle that fight and more than likely, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will receive a lesson in Constitutional law. Meanwhile, the idea that the Bible has anything constructive to say about life and living struggles after nearly 2,000 years of Christian conflict, war and terrorism.

Politics and Christianity contributed mightily to the fall of the Roman Empire and that was after years of internal fighting among the various Christian groups in and around Rome. Obviously, the Bible beaters in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives know nothing about the millions slaughtered in the name of Christianity during the Arian, Novatian, Donatist, and Albigensian heresies. This all happened while Christianity was still brand new and consolidated by force. Then came the Crusades.

Christians spent from 1100-1600 slaughtering Muslims and rival Christians during a period known as the Crusades, which the Keystone State representatives may or may not know of since it is history. Hordes of Bible believing followers with special dispensation murdered and raped their way to the Holy Land and back in the name of God.

They might know about the Inquisition that lasted into the 1800's. Perhaps, the Protestant Reformation might ring a bell. Millions were tortured and killed during that shameful period. Christian colonialism aided with the extermination of nearly 20 million Native Americans. Once the slaughter of the natives landowners, the Bible helped account for millions of slaves brought to the country as "free" labor. A war was necessary to override biblical sanction of slavery.

Surely, they must know about Northern Ireland, where Protestants and Catholics took turns murdering each other. What about Bosnia? What about a preemptive war with Iraq, after a president inspired by God decided to commit troops in a war that killed thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of Muslims.

Christian terrorist groups operate around the world. They give themselves a variety of names, but they are not new. In ancient Rome, groups of men surreptitiously roamed the streets assaulting and murdering members of other Christian sects, a sure way to eliminate the competition. Over the centuries, Christian terror groups organized to punish and frighten those with differing religious views, racial backgrounds and points of origins.

From Romania and India to Uganda and the United States, Christian terrorist groups exist around the world. In the United States, the Ku Klux Klan is is just one such Christian organization. There are other organizations and individuals such as those that spurred the killing of abortion doctors.

There is nothing in the actions of US Christians that indicates Bible study improves moral behavior. In fact, in the instances of racism, hatred, misogyny, child-abuse and the mistreatment of females, there is evidence the Bible makes the behavior even worse. Although the Bible contains many instances of positivity and love, it also packs an equal amount of mayhem and murder, as well as commands that if followed today would result in long jail sentences or lethal injections.

The Year of the Bible? Humbug! The world has suffered under 2,000 years of the Bible and Pennsylvania legislators would do well to remember. Also, as of yet, no major research facility, hospital or laboratory has announced a cure for stupidity.
 Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says "Islamicism biggest threat to Canada" & Tony Blair says "Iran is our Real Enemy" tag:atheistnexus.org,2011-09-10:2182797:BlogPost:1627444 2011-09-10T05:48:27.000Z Sassan K. http://atheistnexus.org/profile/SassanK
It is refreshing to see that our northern border ally has too come to see the true threat facing humanity in the 21st century. It is also refreshing to see the visionary and bold former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom taking a clear stance against the illegal regime of the Islamic Republic - especially since he has strong influence with the Quartet - I am feeling more and more confident that the international community will soon stand more firmly with the Syrian people…

It is refreshing to see that our northern border ally has too come to see the true threat facing humanity in the 21st century. It is also refreshing to see the visionary and bold former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom taking a clear stance against the illegal regime of the Islamic Republic - especially since he has strong influence with the Quartet - I am feeling more and more confident that the international community will soon stand more firmly with the Syrian people in assisting with their liberation and that this will trickle down to Iran when Iranians rise up en masse in approximately 2-years during their next round of fake Presidential elections when the people can use it as an excuse to spill in the streets - I have included both articles below:

http://www.businessinsider.com/tony-blair-iran-is-our-real-enemy-2011-9

TONY BLAIR: Iran Is Our Real Enemy

Adam Taylor | Sep. 9, 2011, 8:15 AM

In an interview with the Times of London to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says that Iran is the real enemy.

He told the British paper:

"Regime change in Tehran would immediately make me significantly more optimistic about the whole of the region..."

"If Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons capability it would destabilize the region very, very badly.

"They continue to support groups that are engaged with terrorism and the forces of reaction. In Iraq one of the main problems has been the continued intervention of Iran and likewise in Afghanistan."

Blair also said he approved of regime change in Syria. In his view, President Bashar Assad "has shown he is not capable of reform. His position is untenable. There is no process of change that leaves him intact."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/harper-says-islamicism-biggest-threat-canada-032041587.html

Harper says 'Islamicism' biggest threat to Canada

CBC – Tue, 6 Sep, 2011

In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the biggest security threat to Canada a decade after 9/11 is Islamic terrorism.

In a wide-ranging interview with CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge that will air in its entirety on The National Thursday night, Harper says Canada is safer than it was on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaeda attacked the U.S., but that "the major threat is still Islamicism."

"There are other threats out there, but that is the one that I can tell you occupies the security apparatus most regularly in terms of actual terrorist threats," Harper said.

Harper cautioned that terrorist threats can "come out of the blue" from a different source, such as the recent Norway attacks, where a lone gunman who hated Muslims killed 77 people.

But Harper said terrorism by Islamic radicals is still the top threat, though a "diffuse" one.

"When people think of Islamic terrorism, they think of Afghanistan, or maybe they think of some place in the Middle East, but the truth is that threat exists all over the world," he said, citing domestic terrorism in Nigeria.

The prime minister said home-grown Islamic radicals in Canada are "also something that we keep an eye on."

Harper said his government will bring back anti-terrorism clauses that were brought in in 2001 but were sunset in 2007 amid heated political debate.

There were two clauses at the heart of the debate:

One allowed police to arrest suspects without a warrant and detain them for three days without charges if police believed a terrorist act may have been committed.

The other allowed a judge to compel a witness to testify in secret about past associations or perhaps pending acts under penalty of going to jail if the witness didn't comply.

Neither clause was used by police or prosecutors in the five years before they expired.

In October 2006, a parliamentary committee recommended extending the two provisions.

The Conservatives put forward a proposal to keep the measures in place for three more years, but the three opposition parties united to defeat the proposal in February 2007 by a 159-124 vote.

The rest of the legislation remained in force.

When asked by Mansbridge if he would try to bring those laws back, Harper replied: "That is our plan."

"We think those measures are necessary. We think they've been useful," he said. "And as you know … they're applied rarely, but there are times where they're needed."
 Tolerance tag:atheistnexus.org,2011-05-07:2182797:BlogPost:1248198 2011-05-07T21:52:21.000Z Rational-Thinker http://atheistnexus.org/profile/RationalThinker Islam, as I stated in my last post, is an evil religion, however, I would like to say that fundamentalist Christians are not much better. Their attitude towards homosexuality is appalling, (as is Islam's by the way), and their conviction in their beliefs are no less baffling. The difference is the actions that are taken based on these beliefs. While fundamentalist Christians might picket a soldier's funeral, waving banners with vile claims of their god's hatred of "fags", they still do not go… Islam, as I stated in my last post, is an evil religion, however, I would like to say that fundamentalist Christians are not much better. Their attitude towards homosexuality is appalling, (as is Islam's by the way), and their conviction in their beliefs are no less baffling. The difference is the actions that are taken based on these beliefs. While fundamentalist Christians might picket a soldier's funeral, waving banners with vile claims of their god's hatred of "fags", they still do not go to the lengths of extremist Muslims. By the way, calling them "extreme" is really a misunderstanding, they are simply following their scripture. Moderate Muslims are only different in the fact that they don't strap bombs to themselves. To say there's a difference in their beliefs would be incorrect, for Islam is not a peaceful religion as is so often claimed by "moderates." They are just not following the scripture precisely, but rather, letting their non-religious, rational, evolution-born morality have a say. They know it's wrong to kill people, despite what their faith teaches. With these people I have no problem, they are free to waste their lives believing in whatever ridiculous hate filled deity they wish (though I would of course prefer if they didn't, wouldn't it be a much more pleasant world?). What I have a problem with is a world where these faiths that allow such extremism are tolerated. Not just tolerated, given special treatment. Given an extremely wide birth. Well, as you can probably tell by now, I will not humour the notion of religious tolerance. I of course will also not incite hatred against anyone of faith, or act inappropriately towards such people. I would treat them as I do any other human being. However, I believe the tolerance needs to end. It should simply not be acceptable for religion to trump all else. I'm ending my tolerance right here. Who is the Enemy? tag:atheistnexus.org,2010-07-12:2182797:BlogPost:906207 2010-07-12T18:45:18.000Z John B Hodges http://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnBHodges
(This was written shortly after September 11, 2001, for a general audience.)

I've followed, more or less, the discussions about who the "enemy" is, in the "war on terrorism"; the "Clash of Civilizations" thesis, and so forth. I confess I think of it in different terms. The enemy is theocracy. It comes in Islamic, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, AND secular forms.

The freethinking, skeptical, scientific "frame of mind" is functionally and…

(This was written shortly after September 11, 2001, for a general audience.)

I've followed, more or less, the discussions about who the "enemy" is, in the "war on terrorism"; the "Clash of Civilizations" thesis, and so forth. I confess I think of it in different terms. The enemy is theocracy. It comes in Islamic, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, AND secular forms.

The freethinking, skeptical, scientific "frame of mind" is functionally and emotionally different from the religious "frame of mind"; beliefs may be held religiously, as Truth revealed by authority, or may be held as "working hypotheses", subject to the test of evidence and experience, to be discarded if they don't pass muster. Secular ideologies can be held religiously, and when they are, they cause the same sorts of damage as theistic religions. For example, Marxist beliefs have usually been held religiously.

Since Marxism is usually atheist, in what sense is it "religious"? I would call it religious because of the attitudes of its adherents. Marxism provides meaning and purpose for their lives, and they are not willing to abandon it in the face of contrary evidence. Marxists generally have not taken an empirical or scientific attitude toward deciding the truth or falsehood of Marxism's tenets. Marxism has had its equivalents of scripture, priesthood, and Popes.

Those who MAKE ideology, call them "priests", and those who rule by force, call them "thugs", have always worked in concert; the particular form the alliance takes has varied through the centuries. Before the 19th century, the "divine right of Kings" and the dominion of the True Faith justified war and tyranny; in the 19th century nationalism and imperialism was supported by racist ideology. In the 20th century we saw the ideology of class struggle become an important means by which they sought to rule.

But since that time both racism and Marxism have been discredited. I don't think either will ever vanish entirely, but at present neither is the inspiration for large popular movements. The rising threat to reason and freedom for the 21rst century, strangely enough, seems to be theocracy. Fundamentalist religion is leading popular movements, inspiring revolutions, justifying oppressive states.

What to do about it? A large subject.

Following is one piece of what is needed; challenge any claim of alleged "revelation", and challenge any need for one.

-----------------------------------

ATHEISTS AND MORALITY

The belief that ethics can only come from religion is the central core of the grandest swindle ever pulled, the main tool of the continuing criminal enterprise that is organized religion. Religion takes many forms, there are many varieties, many different myths and theologies, but they all claim to speak with authority on ethics. The bottom line of them all, without exception, is that everyone is morally obligated to do as the priesthood says.

They all teach that religion is the only possible source of ethics, that atheists are without morals, because their claim to authority in ethics is the source of their power. It is their method, their tool, by which they rule the Earth, as much of the Earth as believes their claim.

Humans are predisposed to learn ethics in early childhood, in the same way, and for the same reason, that they are predisposed to learn language. Both language and ethics are vitally important tools for living, for a species that survives by cooperating in groups. Because we learn it in childhood, we first learn ethics from our parents; we know what is right and wrong because our parents tell us. Morality, for a small child, equals obedience to parents. Religion hijacks this childhood instinct, claiming to report instructions from a Cosmic Parent. Humans are suckers for this sort of claim, it is a weakness of our species.

If there WERE any Cosmic Parent, it would not need human messengers; it could speak directly to whomever it wished. If a divine being wants me to do something, they should tell me, not you. If they have a message for all humankind, they could write it on the face of the Moon, in letters five miles wide. Any alleged "revelation" DELIVERED BY HUMAN BEINGS is presumptively fraudulent.

Their claim to speak for the Great Cosmic Parent is a lie, as even a few minutes of thought will reveal. One "prophet" says "Yahveh decrees death for all who work on Saturday." (Exodus 31:14-15, Exodus 35:2) Another says "This rule is no longer in force, because the Great Gesargenplotz, who created Yahveh in the first place, came back in 1962 and ate Yahveh, setting humankind free." Such "prophets" claim to hear voices in the air, but we have no way to know if they actually do. If they do, we have no way (and THEY have no way) to know WHO is speaking, or whether the speaker is telling the truth. (Yahveh, for example, is reported to lie in 1 Kings 22:23, Ezekiel 14:9, Ezekiel 20:25, and 2 Thessolonians 2:11-12. But neither we nor the "prophets" can tell if this is the "real" Yahveh, much less the "real" Creator of the Universe- it is just as likely to be some demon, imp, or ghost, playing a practical joke.) There are many such prophets, and their teachings conflict on every moral issue; there are "divine" supporters of imperialism and pacifism, celibacy and polygamy, honesty and strategic deception, asceticism and the accumulation of wealth, equality and heirarchy, capitalism and socialism, monarchy and theocracy.

It is not enough for atheists to reject the priesthood's claims to speak with moral authority. Morality is a vitally important tool for living, people will get it from somewhere. We have to offer a workable alternative ethic.

Where can we get "objective" ethics? Look at the consequences of actions for real people in this world. A consequentialist system has an ultimate goal and a lot of derivative values, which are recommended means to that goal. An objective ethic is a consequentialist ethic that has an ultimate goal that is objectively measureable. It then becomes an objective question whether a particular recommended means will in fact lead to that goal, whether another means might be more effective. The statement "If you want X then you ought to do Y" becomes a statement about cause-and-effect relationships that is objectively true or false, and can be investigated by scientific procedures.

What is ethics for? Ethics is a set of rules and policies for maintaining peaceful and cooperative relations among people, so they all can work to pursue happiness, achieve their various goals, within the limits that ethics defines.

Given that humans are biological beings evolved by natural selection, who normally survive by cooperating in groups, we would expect the vast majority of them to desire the health (defined as the ABILITY to survive) of their families and the peace of their communities. This gives us a "natural" standard of ethics: The Good is that which leads to health, The Right is that which leads to peace. A "good person" is a desirable neighbor, from the point of view of those who seek to live in peace and raise families. This standard would be expected to be popular and persuasive across all human cultures, because it is based on universal human nature.

Adopting "the health of your family and adopted circle" as your standard of the Good gives an ethic that is consequentialist, objective, and Aristotelean. "Health", defined as "survival ability", implies other derivative values. The more knowledge you have, the more friends you have, the more freedom, the more wealth, the more wisdom, other things being equal, the greater your ability to survive, and promote the survival of your circle.

Adopting "the peace of your community" as your standard of the Right gives a "social contract" ethic. In THE ELEMENTS OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY, (an introductory textbook), James Rachels writes (p. 129): "The key idea [of the social contract approach to ethics] is that morally binding rules are the ones that are necessary for social living. It is obvious... that we could not live together very well if we did not accept rules prohibiting murder, assault, theft, lying, breaking promises, and the like. These rules are justified simply by showing that they are necessary if we are to cooperate for our mutual benefit."

There are many different ways a peaceful and cooperative society might function. The terms of the implicit peace treaty are constantly being renegotiated. But as the Maryknoll Sisters said, "If you want peace, work for justice". A peaceful society should not leave some part of the population seething to change the treaty, or cheat on it, the first chance they get. Consider the Silver Rule, "Do not do to others what you would not wish done to you." By itself, this might imply that the ideal of peace is best served by Equal Rights and Equal Opportunity for All.

The ethics of Peace give a minimum standard but leave many questions open. The remaining questions can be decided by the ethics of Health. Alternative forms of society can be judged better or worse according to whether they are a "healthy" place for your kin "unto all generations" to live in. The ultimate goal of the ethics of Health is Sustainable Civilization.

We need not, and must not, give the field of morality to religion. We should not invite frauds and swindlers to write the rules of society. We need not defer to mysterious Authority, as if we were children. As adults among other adults, we can understand where morality comes from and what purpose it serves; we can look at consequences and apply reason to the task.
 I support Everybody Draw Mohammed Day! tag:atheistnexus.org,2010-05-19:2182797:BlogPost:828028 2010-05-19T19:30:00.000Z Wonderist http://atheistnexus.org/profile/Wonderist Blasphemy is a victimless crime. In fact, blasphemy is a worthwhile pursuit in support of human rights and freedoms.

The religious taboo against depicting the religious person Mohammed does not, and cannot, have any rational or ethical justification. The only way to 'justify' such a taboo is through ostracism, intimidation, coercion, force, and ultimately violence. None of these 'justifications' are valid. They are all founded on the principle of terror.

I reject terror, in… Blasphemy is a victimless crime. In fact, blasphemy is a worthwhile pursuit in support of human rights and freedoms.

The religious taboo against depicting the religious person Mohammed does not, and cannot, have any rational or ethical justification. The only way to 'justify' such a taboo is through ostracism, intimidation, coercion, force, and ultimately violence. None of these 'justifications' are valid. They are all founded on the principle of terror.

I reject terror, in favour of wonder. Wonder implies imagination and creativity, freedom to express ourselves, even if other people don't like our expressions. As long as a person stays within reasonable ethical boundaries, no amount of personal expression should be oppressed by unreasonable dogmatic taboos.

And the oppression is real. Hundreds of people have been killed in the name of this particular taboo. Human rights to free speech and expression are being smothered as I type this. This is no hypothetical situation. It is real.

And taking a passive or 'tolerant' position on this issue is disingenuous from my perspective. Being passive is simply apathy. Being 'tolerant' of such religious intolerance is simply complacency. To wonder is to desire for something better than the status quo. Religious tyranny must end.

And the best way to support freedom of speech and expression is to speak and express oneself, publicly, frequently, and unapologetically.

And so, I support Everybody Draw Mohammed Day! Although I've lost what little talent I had for drawing, I will draw Mohammed as I see fit, on May 20th, 2010. If that offends you, too bad for you. There is no such thing as a human right to not be offended, and anyone who thinks about it seriously for two seconds should be able to see why such a 'right' would be absurd on the face of it. In fact, if anyone proposes that such a right exists, I will be personally, deeply, terribly, incredibly offended!


text:
State Finals Notebook: Devils healthy and hungry
To reach Week 15 of the high school football season is simply an amazing accomplishment.
So many things on top of being an exceptionally good team have to go your way to make that possible and health is probably the biggest component.
St. Clairsville head coach Brett McLean, who will lead his Red Devils into the Division IV State Championship Game Friday afternoon at Canton's Fawcett Stadium against Clarksville Clinton-Massie, has said time and time again that the Ohio prep football season – and especially postseason – is a war of attrition.
Avoiding injuries is sometimes a bigger key than any scouting report because more often than not, depth is a factor.
"Knock on wood," McLean said. "We're another half season into this and we're still fairly healthy."
The Red Devils enter this weekend's action fairly healthy, but there are a couple of players who won't be suiting up this week.
Ben Coleman, who was a mainstay at linebacker, suffered a serious knee injury in the second-round game against Piketon.
"Ben's been a huge part of the success in us getting here and my heart breaks for him," McLean said. "He's facing a long rehab to get back, but I am sure he'll do everything he can to get back for next year."
Zach Dopkiss also sustained a knee injury during the regional championship game during special teams. He, too, won't be suiting up Friday.
Juniors Michael Ferns and Jaylon Brown both left the game briefly last Friday, but both will be able to play this week.
HIGH FLYING FALCONS: It's hard to believe, but Clinton-Massie has set a new state record for points (776) scored this season and has thrown for less than 900 yards in 14 weeks.
Clinton-Massie works almost exclusively on the ground, racking up 5,279 rushing yards and 82 touchdowns.
En route to those points, the Falcons have hung 70-plus on the scoreboard three times and more than 60 three other times.
However, head coach Dan McSurley insisted during Monday's conference call with the coaches that he and his team never disrespected an opponent.
"No one goes into a season expecting to score 776 points," McSurley said. "There were a lot of games where we had our first team out early in the third quarter. We don't disrespect anyone, but we have to let our kids play. That's why you practice and work hard in the off-season, so you can play to another level."
WHO TO ROOT FOR?: St. Clairsville graduate Caroline Guindon finds herself in a tough spot this Friday. Guindon graduated from St. C. in 2010 and now attends Willmington College, which is located in southwest Ohio. She's a student trainer for the Clinton-Massie football team.
Regardless of the final score Friday, Guindon will be heading home with something to smile about.
NO CHANGE IN PLANS: Even though when the Red Devils leave the fieldhouse this evening, they know – win, lose or draw – that it's their final practice of the season. However, McLean doesn't plan on anything too emotional forthcoming.
"We have traditions," McLean said. "Every coach talks every Thursday to the team, but we're not going to do much more than we normally do. That's not to disfavor these kids or anything, but I really don't want this to be a shut-down mode. I don't want this to be like a good-bye because we'll see each other."
COMPETITIVE COACHES: The Red Devils don't only want to win football games every week. They want to win at everything, which is the kind of culture that McLean has tried to create since taking over.
Actually, McLean and assistant coach Ryan Clifford have Devil decals on the back of their coaching hats because of their dominance in euchre against other members of the staff.
There is also a yearly golf scramble and fantasy football league that the coaches take part in to keep the competitive juices flowing and also make the experience of coaching enjoyable.
"We want to keep it fun for the guys, too," McLean said.


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Being crazy about horses is a lifestyle. It's getting up at 4 in the morning for a horse show and not complaining; it's seeing an empty field and imagining the barn you could build there; it's happily cleaning a stall when your room is a disaster, it's about putting everything you have into your passion for everything equine.
Here you can share your love of horses with girls who understand!
Hi, I'm Sydney - the founder of Horsecrazygirls.com - and, like many of you, I am a true horsecrazy girl. I currently reside in beautiful sunny Florida, with my parents, my Labradoodle Sampson, and my horse Sinatra. I started this site so I could share the things I love - everything equine of course.
Instantly, I heard from girls from all over the world who told me they are just as crazy about ponies as me.
The truth is this isn't really my site - it is yours!
Every day, girls from around this world share so many awesome things here:
I feel so lucky to get to connect with so many of you who love these gorgeous creatures as much as I do! I hope you'll find a warm welcome here.
Comment, share, and be part of our worldwide riding
P.S. Be sure to join my free horse club. When you sign up, you'll be the first to know about new competitions and new things on the site.


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Now enrolling students for grades K-12
Enrollment: For more information or to apply online, visit CCS Admissions
Visit our Job Opportunities page for more information on open positions and information on how to apply.
CCS Building Project
On August 24th, 2015 Christ Covenant School moved upper school students into our new facility on Worthington Road. This is our phase (1) building which currently houses just over 100 students in grades 7 - 11 plus faculty and staff.
CCS has gained a great reputation among discerning area families who desire a Christ-centered education that offers strong academics and extra-curricular programs, in a safe and nuturing environment. We are excited about our plans to begin construction of a 3-phase building project for a new K-12 facility that can accomodate 650 students on our Worthington Road property.
Click here for details regarding our building project.
Check out the aerial view of our new building!
News and Info


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Click on the picture above to view the LeadingAge Virginia "Be the Difference" short film
LeadingAge Virginia (formerly the Virginia Association of Nonprofit Homes for the Aging or "VANHA") is a statewide organization of not-for-profit retirement housing communities, assisted living communities, nursing homes, continuing care retirement communities/life plan communities, adult day services providers, and other organizations serving Virginia's senior residents.
Our membership base also includes business organizations providing a diverse array of products and services intended for the aging services industry.
*** 2016 LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO ***
Registration is now open for the national LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO to be held October 30 - November 2, 2016 in Indianapolis, IN.
Click here for more information and to register
*** 2017 LeadingAge Virginia Call for Presentations ***
LeadingAge Virginia and LeadingAge Maryland are collaborating on our 2017 call for session proposals. Just complete one submission form and send it to two addresses to be considered by each of the conference planning teams!
LeadingAge Maryland conference is April 24-25, 2017
LeadingAge Virginia conference is June 7-9, 2017
Joint Call for Presentations Submission Form
Upcoming Program and Event Highlights
View the calendar for all scheduled LeadingAge Virginia events.
Key Takeaways from 19th Annual Ziegler Senior Living Finance and Strategy Conference (Ziegler) NEW
Walker Healthcare CPAs Releases Results of Survey of Single-Site CCRC Finance FTE Positions (Walker Healthcare CPAs)
Senior Living Financial Market Dashboard (BB&T Capital Markets Healthcare Finance Group)
Ziegler CFO Hotline Survey Reveals Information About Community Investment Policies (Ziegler)
Sodexo Launches New Content Sharing Hub, Sodexo Insights (Sodexo)


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WA Laser Eye Centre
You're in the best hands with Dr Robert Paul at WA LASER Eye Centre
WA Laser Eye Centre is Perth's premier refractive laser eye surgery centre. With branches at Nedlands and Melville for your consultation, you will be cared for by our professional staff, and the centre's principal surgeon, Dr Robert Paul.
Dr Rob Paul was the first Fellowship trained LASIK laser eye surgeon in Perth. For over 20 years Laser Eye Surgery has helped 22 million people achieve visual freedom. He is one of Australia's most respected Laser Surgeons training others to perform the surgery.
We are experts in the Perth laser and refractive surgery arena and our Centre offers the most advanced techniques available to correct short-sightedness (Myopia), long-sightedness (Hyperopia), Astigmatism and Presbyopia (age-related need for reading glasses).
All laser treatments at our centre are 100% blade-free. We perform Lasik Laser Eye Surgery, PRK surgery , Implantable Contact Lens Surgery, Artisan/Verisyse phakic lens surgery, Lens replacement surgery with Multifocal implants as well as the revolutionary new Laser Cataract Surgery. If you wear reading glasses ask about our LASIK MD procedure.
Why choose WA Laser Eye Centre?
WA Laser Eye Centre takes pride in being a leader in the field of refractive surgery with one of the most experienced and highly professional teams in the country. With a commitment to providing the highest quality care using the latest and safest refractive techniques, our team is dedicated to ensure the most superior outcome for each person. Being able to provide a variety of treatment solutions means that some individuals who were previously not suitable for laser eye surgery may now be able to have vision correction. Only Corneal Specialist surgeons work at WA Laser Eye Centre and this ensures the best results.
WA Laser Eye Centre has a perfect record of patients achieving the driving standard. 98% of patients achieve 20/20 the day after the surgery. We are the only major Laser centre in Perth that offers a lifetime of free Laser retreatments in the very unlikely situation where the laser correction undergoes regression. It is reassuring that our surgeons have 25 to 30 more years of practice ahead of them.
Using the fastest Laser Eye Surgery suite in the world, LASIK in Perth has never been easier with a painless and safe treatment that's completed in seconds. With over 15 years experience performing Laser Eye Surgery in Perth we are one of the highest volume Laser Centres in Australia. Approximately 40 cases a week of Laser and Lens surgery is performed in our Perth Laser Vision centres. We also were the first in The Southern Hemisphere to use the fastest Laser system in the world …the Wavelight EX500.
Other firsts at WA Laser Eye Centre:
- Performing the bladeless Intralase Lasik technique South of The River
- Performing Live Cataract Surgery at an International Meeting
- Performing the first Bladeless Laser Cataract operation in Perth
- Inserting The Kamra Corneal Inlay for Reading difficulties
- Inserting the New Symfony lens to remove dependency on reading glasses
Refractive Lensectomy is a procedure similar to cataract surgery and it involves removing the natural lens of the eye and replacing with an artificial lens to improve the vision. There are a number of lens implants used including Multifocal and Monofocal Refractive Intraocular Lens Implants such as the Restor, Zeiss trifocal and Symfony intraocular lens.
Dr Paul also has extensive experience in phakic intraocular lenses, which are an additional lens added to the eye to improve the focusing power including the implantable contact lens.
Lens implants are a suitable option for individuals not suited to LASIK and/or who have very high refractive error (glasses prescription).
WA Laser Eye Centre also provides the latest in laser assisted cataract surgery, using the new LensX Femtosecond laser. The role of femtosecond lasers in cataract surgery is to assist or replace several aspects of the manual cataract surgery.
Keratoconus patients can be treated with Kerarings, Intacs or Corneal crosslinking at WA Laser Eye Centre.
If you've been thinking about laser vision correction and want a lifestyle independent of glasses or contact lenses, the first step is to contact us at WA Laser Eye Centre, to schedule a FREE appointment and discuss your treatment options.
Dr Paul reminds everyone that Lasik is an approved medical procedure and patients should be careful of choosing low cost centres claiming they use the latest and safest technology, as outdated techniques with prolonged recovery are often used.
Our refractive consultants are available to assist with treatment bookings and can provide information on our Interest Free Finance Options.
BUPA Ultimate Cover will pay for your Laser eye surgery with Dr Paul.
Please contact us today – maybe you'll see life in a whole new way.
For more information on Laser Eye Surgery, you can also visit the Better Health website or Wiki.
About Dr Robert Paul MBBS FRANZCO
Dr Paul is the Medical Director, and Principal Surgeon at WA Laser Eye Centre & one of Perth's most experienced & qualified refractive surgeons, & the first to perform live surgery at an International meeting. He was also the first surgeon in WA to have formal higher training in Laser Eye Surgery & the first surgeon to perform the Intralase (Bladeless) procedure at St John of God Murdoch. Dr Paul was also the first surgeon to insert approved Phakic Intraocular lenses.Awards & Credits
- Awarded the Helen Jane Lamard Prize by the University of WA for being the best in Surgery in 1992.
- He was an examiner of Canadian Ophthalmologists and Western Australian medical students.
- He trained Eye Surgeons as an Ophthalmology Consultant at Fremantle Hospital 2002 -2007
- He is a mentor for Fellowship training in laser refractive surgery.
- He is the Treasurer of the WA Branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO).
- He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of NSW.


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I've mentioned my Saeco Espresso Machine many times over on this here site, but the latest from Jura Impressa is really making me think (god forbid) or trading mine in. These wood finished Swiss machines (do the Swiss make good coffee?) are finished beautifully. "The Jura wood editions are variations of their Impressa J5 coffee machine which feature a wood veneer front. The Impressa J5 can make anything from a simple espresso to a highly complex cappuccino with ease, it features variable water temperature, an adjustable coffee spout and a coffee bean monitoring system." Damn, this is a tough one… (via sybarites)
Selectism is now part of Highsnobiety. To read more stories like this, click here!Selectism
Jura Impressa J5 Wood Espresso Machines
What To Read Next


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Comprehensive DescriptionRead full entry
BiologyAdults inhabit shallow seaward reefs, from the intertidal zone to 25 m depth (Ref. 9710, 529). Oviparous. Eggs are demersal and adhesive (Ref. 205), and are attached to the substrate via a filamentous, adhesive pad or pedestal (Ref. 94114). Larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow, coastal waters (Ref. 94114).


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Featured MNV Articles:
BHI Crosses Above Key Moving Average LevelBy Energy Stock Channel Staff, Friday, January 4, 11:12 AM ET
BHI) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $43.09, changing hands as high as $43.20 per share. Baker Hughes Inc. shares are currently trading up about 1.5% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of BHI shares, versus its 200 day moving average:
Looking at the chart above, BHI's low point in its 52 week range is $37.08 per share, with $52.96 as the 52 week high point � that compares with a last trade of $43.15.
Special Offer: Find out what Dave Moenning is holding in the ETF Channel Flexible Growth Investment Portfolio with 30 Days Free.
According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, BHI makes up 5.57% of the iShares Dow Jones U.S. Oil Equipment & Services Index Fund ETF (AMEX:IEZ) which is trading up by about 1.6% on the day Friday.
�����See what other ETFs contain BHI �
This Article's Word Cloud: AMEX Above According Baker Channel Crossing Dave Days ETFs Finder Friday Fund Growth Hughes Looking Moenning NYSE Special Start Stocks Their about above average below changing chart compares currently held high iShares last makes moving other point range raquo share shares slideshow that trading versus week what which with year


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Asi is a Turkish television drama serial. The series originally aired from July 21, 2007 to June 15, 2009. It ran for two seasons on Kanal D. Wikipedia
From this profile you will find 229 photos, 2 trivia items, 32 magazines, 24 lists, 1 award, 1 news story, and key facts about Asi!
Asi is a member of the following lists: 2007 television series debuts, 2009 television series endings, Turkish television series, Turkish drama television series, 2007 Turkish television series debuts, 2009 Turkish television series endings, 2000s Turkish television series, Kanal D shows, Film Genre: Drama and Film Genre: Romance.
Need more information? Read more about Asi »
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The chapter of Gamma Phi Gamma at Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio, has been booted off campus after a pledge lost a testicle during a hazing incident.
Local10.com reports that last fall during a fraternity ceremony, a 19-year-old pledge was struck with "towel fashioned as a weapon."
JPMorgan settles Madoff fraud claims for $1.7B
NEW YORK — JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay $1.7 billion to settle claims related to Bernard Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme.
Today's editorial cartoon
What Others Say: Legislators likely to ignore tough issues (Rome News-Tribune)
The Editor's Desk: Legislating religion
Elsewhere among today's opinion offerings, an editorial reprinted from the Rome News-Tribune suggests the state legislative session starting Monday, likely to be truncated by the setting of May 20 primary election, will be notable for the important work — ensuring protection of children in state custody and addressing staffing issues in the state prison system are two examples offered by the newspaper — that doesn't get done.
Das: Climate change cooling as policy issue
Broncos' Fox proves his flexibility since return
Lucky strike: QB gets second chance to test himself against Brady
Seattle's pass D hopes to be great vs. Saints
In 14th season, Brady still fired up for playoffs
UGA roundup: Ryan, Zilinskas earn weekly SEC swimming, diving honors
Prep roundup: Athens Christian girls, boys basketball sweeps Providence Christian
Prep Sports Honorable Mention for Jan. 8
Been there, done that: SEC opener a doozy again for Bulldogs
Prep Player of the Week: Moss 'everywhere' for Madison County basketball
For the last five seasons, Madison County's girls basketball program has been one of the most consistent and successful in the Athens area, posting four 20-or-better-win campaigns, three state tournament appearances (reaching the elite eight in 2010) and three region titles.
Greg Maddux won't be unanimous Hall selection
No room for complacency: Fisher, FSU turn focus to next season
Auburn RB Mason: We let up off the gas pedal
College football roundup: Florida State breaks SEC run as final No. 1 in polls
US figure skaters intent on seizing the moment
Olympics roundup: More Colo. Avalanche players to play in Sochi
Braves Maddux, Glavine look to enter Cooperstown together
Frigid temperatures force area basketball teams to postpone games
Apalachee coach Kevin Morris can't remember postponing basketball games due to freezing temperatures. "We've lost games because of snow, but we've never lost games because it's cold outside, with no precipitation outside," Morris said.
Florida State athletics' store sells T-shirt with wrong game score
The Internet has been buzzing all day about Florida State's win over Auburn but one T-shirt being shared on social media has become the hot topic.
A T-shirt went on sale today on the Florida State Athletics website commemorating the BCS win by the Florida State Seminoles. The T-shirt showed the correct score of 34-31, but the names of the teams were switched.
Greg Maddux won't be unanimous Hall selection
NEW YORK — Greg Maddux won't be a unanimous selection for the Hall of Fame.
Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, a former reporter for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, says the only player he voted for was Jack Morris. The pitcher is on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot for the 15th and final time after falling 42 votes shy last year.
Gurnick said Tuesday that he excluded "everybody from the Steroid Era."
Nancy Kerrigan to be NBC analyst during Sochi Olympics
Fisher cautious about new college football playoff
Fisher kicked Winston out of practice before BCS
VIDEO: Injured Lindsey Vonn skipping Sochi Olympics
Lindsey Vonn will miss the Sochi Olympics because of a right knee injury, leaving the Winter Games without one of its biggest stars.
VIDEO: No. 1 Florida State beats No. 2 Auburn in BCS title game
PASADENA, Calif. — Jameis Winston and Florida State faced down adversity for the first time this season, and showed they could take a punch if that's what it took to win a national championship.
Prep roundup: North Oconee wins 10-team meet
NORTH OCONEE WINS 10-TEAM MEET: At the Habersham Aquatic Center in Clarkesville, the North Oconee girls posted 1,012 points and the North Oconee boys registered 942 points to win their 10-team meets and finish first overall with 1,954 points, one of the highest overall point totals in school history.
First-place finishers for the boys included the 200 medley relay team (Tiaan Human, Dylan Kalessa, David Seo and Kyle Hutto) and Jack Wright, who won the 500 freestyle.
South, East brace for polar temps, wind chills
INDIANAPOLIS — Frigid air that snapped decades-old records will make venturing outside dangerous for a second straight day Tuesday, this time spreading to southern and eastern parts of the U.S. and keeping many schools and businesses shuttered. Residents driven from their homes by power outages in the Midwest longed to return to their own beds.
Streetcar parade ushers in Carnival season in La.
NEW ORLEANS — Frigid temperatures that dipped below freezing overnight didn't stop costumed revelers from ushering in the Carnival season aboard a New Orleans streetcar.
Gay couples' rush to marry in Utah grinds to halt
SALT LAKE CITY — More than 1,000 gay and lesbian couples in Utah have exchanged wedding vows over the past two weeks in jubilant celebrations — but the rush on same-sex marriage licenses has come to an end.
Sandusky bid to restore pension is hearing subject
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Jerry Sandusky's campaign from behind bars to have his Penn State pension restored will go before a hearing examiner in Harrisburg this week, more than a year after his child molestation conviction led the state pension agency to revoke it.
Insurance Commissioner offers tips on frozen pipes
ATLANTA — The Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner's office is offering tips to homeowners dealing with frozen pipes as the region faces sub-freezing temperatures early this week.
Temperatures plunge to minus 6 near Georgia mountain
ATLANTA — Temperatures plunged to 8 degrees in Atlanta and 6 degrees below zero at a remote weather station in the north Georgia mountains as the coldest air in years settled over the state.