text:
Friday, November 12, 2010
Makeup Artist Assistant Needed ASAP!
I need your help. I am directing makeup for a shoot here in Atlanta on Sunday November 14th from 9:30 am to 6pm. One of my makeup artist assistants isn't able to make it. If you are an aspiring makeup artist looking for great hands on experience, I'm looking for you! I prefer someone with a complete kit and some experience. This is an unpaid opportunity but you will get amazing hands on experience and the chance to have your work published on a major web site. If you're interested or know someone who is, please have them email me at email@example.com asap. Thanks guys!
8 comments:
- Bratz Doll. said...
Me! :) I Am An Aspiring Make-Up Artist With A Kit & Brushes.
- November 12, 2010 at 2:57 PM
- MakeupByRenRen said...
are you in atlanta? if so, please email me asap! thanks!
- November 12, 2010 at 2:59 PM
- Bratz Doll. said...
I'm In Houston, Texas! :(
- November 12, 2010 at 3:00 PM
- Tysh said...
Damnnnnnnnn, I am all the way in NYC.....
- November 12, 2010 at 3:21 PM
- Princess Zmunda said...
I know it's very late but are you still looking? If so I am available and can travel.
- November 13, 2010 at 10:10 PM
- Makeup by Sherry Blossom said...
I would have loved the opportunity I think your one of the best at what you do. I'm a budding makeup artist in NYC, if you ever come to this area look me up
hope you find a great assistant and have fun!
- November 14, 2010 at 8:12 PM
- ♥charity♥ said...
was it for the blackhairmedia website? i think i saw a pic of you on their fb page for their holiday photo shoot or something? i may be wrong. hee hee
- November 16, 2010 at 2:33 PM
- Mai Oh Mai said...
Hey girl I'm just starting to get into makeup and I would like hands on experience in the makeup artistry world.. I live around the Atlanta area if you ever need any assistance in your future projects please let me know. I would really love to help you out. Please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com :)
- November 25, 2010 at 9:43 PM


text:
Not Available
Canvas Storage Collection
- Overview
Designed to hold everything from laundry and diapers to toys and keepsakes, our Canvas Storage Collection brings order and style to kids' spaces.
- Fabric is woven of pure cotton canvas.
- Detailed with easy-to-grab handles.
- Can be collapsed for easy storage when not filled.
- Each box includes 9 label cards.
- Catalog / Internet only.
- Click on swatches below to view all colors and sizes.
- Dimensions & Care
- Square totes are constructed of sturdy chipboard and covered with 100% cotton canvas.
- Floor totes are woven of pure cotton canvas.
Small Floor Tote
- Overall: 12" diameter, 14" high
- Handles: 1.5" thick, 3" projection
- Weight: 13 ounces
Medium Floor Tote
- Overall: 16" diameter, 20" high
- Handles: 1.5" thick, 3" projection
- Weight: 24 ounces
Large Floor Tote
- Overall: 21" diameter, 24" high
- Handles: 1.5" thick, 3" projection
- Weight: 2 pounds 13 ounces
Pop-Up Tote
- 10" square, 10" high
Small Canvas Box
- 9" wide x 13" deep x 5" high
Large Canvas Box
- 13" square, 8.5" high
- Vacuum with brush attachment. For tougher stains, spot clean with a cold-water soap solution.
- Shipping & Return Info
This is a general shipping item.
View Our Shipping Information
Return Policy
At Pottery Barn Kids, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction is our priority. We carefully inspect your order prior to shipment; upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage. We will arrange for a prompt replacement. If, within 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery and 30 days for all other products, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value.
If your return for Merchandise Credit Cards is greater than $10,000, we will issue $10,000 in Merchandise Credit Cards to you that day, and then mail additional Merchandise Credit Card(s) for the amount in excess of $10,000 to you.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, special-order items, or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. We also cannot accept returns of final-sale items, which are identified by a price that ends in $0.99.
For returns of items purchased from your Pottery Barn Kids registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later.
For assistance, please contact Customer Service at 800.993.4923
International Returns: Online returns are available only for items that were shipped to the United States. If you would like to return items that were shipped outside the US, please see International Returns and Exceptions.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Stephane Ross, Narek Melik-Barkhudarov, Kumar Shaurya Shankar, Andreas Wendel, Debadeepta Dey, J. Andrew (Drew) Bagnell, and Martial Hebert
November, 2012.
|Autonomous navigation for large Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is fairly straight-forward, as expensive sensors and monitoring devices can be employed. In contrast, obstacle avoidance remains a challenging task for Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) which operate at low altitude in cluttered environments. Unlike large vehicles, MAVs can only carry very light sensors, such as cameras, making autonomous navigation through obstacles much more challenging. In this paper, we describe a system that navigates a small quadrotor helicopter autonomously at low altitude through natural forest environments. Using only a single cheap camera to perceive the environment, we are able to maintain a constant velocity of up to 1.5m/s. Given a small set of human pilot demonstrations, we use recent state-of-the-art imitation learning techniques to train a controller that can avoid trees by adapting the MAVs heading. We demonstrate the performance of our system in a more controlled environment indoors, and in real natural forest environments outdoors.
|Imitation Learning, MAV, Control, Vision
Sponsor: ONR through "Provably-Stable Vision-Based Control of
High-Speed Flight through Forests and Urban Environments" MURI
Associated Center(s) / Consortia: Vision and Autonomous Systems Center
Number of pages: 8
|Text Reference
|Stephane Ross, Narek Melik-Barkhudarov, Kumar Shaurya Shankar, Andreas Wendel, Debadeepta Dey, J. Andrew (Drew) Bagnell, and Martial Hebert , "Learning Monocular Reactive UAV Control in Cluttered Natural Environments ," November, 2012.
|BibTeX Reference
author = "Stephane Ross and Narek Melik-Barkhudarov and Kumar Shaurya Shankar and Andreas Wendel and Debadeepta Dey and J. Andrew (Drew) Bagnell and Martial {Hebert }",
title = "Learning Monocular Reactive UAV Control in Cluttered Natural Environments ",
booktitle = "",
publisher = "ArXiv",
month = "November",
year = "2012",
number = " 1211.1690",
|The Robotics Institute is part of the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.
Contact Us | Update Instructions


text:
Compare Dodge Garages and Specialists in Fleet with Who Can Fix My Car.
Enter your registration to check prices and reviews, and get your Dodge booked in today!
Compare Dodge Garages and Specialists in Fleet with Who Can Fix My Car.
Excellent service I would recommend anyone to use him also having more work done on other vehicles
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Service was great ,Mechanic arrived very shortly issue was resolved in 10-15 mins , would recommend it
I am very happy with the work carried out by Delilah's mobile mechanics. Joe was brilliant!
Great door2door service, highly recommended.
Great service, produced invoice for cambelt change. Offered friendly advice throughout. Will be using again. Very professional.
Great service, returned my car on the time agreed. Produced an invoice for the cambelt change, Job done. Friendly nature, offered advice throughout procedure.
Took car in for cam belt and water pump, friendly and would recommend to anyone, have already booked another car with them to do 100%
Absolutely brilliant can't say how happy j was with it all . Would highly recommend this garage they do what they say and get it done quickly . Great communication . Brilliant job brilliant garage .
Right from the start Andy was really professional to deal with -- our initial phone conversation gave me a lot of confidence that he's an expert at what he does. He dropped by our house to check the car and he was able to accurately diagnose the fuel leak and showed me the exact cause of the leak. He was then able to recommend a cost effective solution unlike Ford and Halfords who gave an inaccurate and hasty diagnosis that would have cost me an arm and a leg to fix. I've now got the car back and I'm so pleased with Andy's professional quality service that I can confidently say that he's going to be our go-to guy for all future repairs -- not just for myself but for friends and family as well.
Really good guy and great mechanic been here before aswell had clutch replaced bit more than was expecting but i was phoned up and told before anything went through and was kept up to date with everything. Will be using this garage a lot as its very reasonable prices
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Very good garage work hard and got my car done the same day even late at night got a few more performance jobs to do to my car and i will be using this garage again in the future
Came round collected my car dead on time like said, put it on the back of the trailer. Carried out the work with regular updates, hard working and a very genuine guy! Definitely using again!
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It is a Nice team, offering me a car to pick up children. Quick as promised, and will recommend to friends for sure,
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Extremely friendly, very genuine so will certainly use them again.
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I was very pleased with the customer service that i received at Service4less, and i would be very happy to go back in the future. Friendly staff and always with a smile. They were reasonably priced and kept me up to date all throughout the work they were doing.
Thank you so much to Leon at Service 4 Less. Could not recommend you guys enough, kept me well informed throughout the week (my mini needed a new timing chain so took a little while to replace) used terms I could understand (I'm not great with cars!) and were always so polite and professional. I called a lot of garages in my area in Basingstoke, and this was the best price too. My car is now an absolute dream to drive, and thank you for the free valet, oil filter and oil. Thank you so much again, will be using Service for Less again and again.
I can't fault fault Leon in anyway he picked up my car from my home and kept me informed of the job the whole way through would definitely recommend service4less to anyone
Would highly recommend and will be using again. Price was only higher because I chose to have more work done to the car at a really reasonable price. They are incredibly accommodating and nothing appears to be too much trouble, as a female this was very reassuring.
More than happy. Very competitive quote and no sucking of teeth once I got there. No problems. Friendly. Courtesy car (with petrol in it). Would use again.
Very friendly service, clear communication, quick and thorough work. Provided courtesy car - would definitely recommend!
Spot on job, courtesy car provided and clear communication!
TOP SERVICE!!! got some welding done good price, helpful and happy to help.
I had a cambelt and water pump fitted by Car Care Auto Services, Alton and I am very pleased with the work and the service I received. This garage sent a quick response, they were helpful and answered all my questions, not just about this job both other mechanical queries I had. The job was carried out efficiently, there was good communication and I even had the use of a Courtesy Car which was well maintained, clean and tidy. I got 6 quotes in all, 4 from this website and 2 additional. This garage was not the cheapest quote and it was not the closest to me but I liked their response and I felt confident that this was a competant garage. I was not disappointed .I would certainly use them again and I would, without hesitation, recomment this garage to friends and family.


text:
Annie Chun's, Roasted Seaweed Snacks, Sesame, Mild, 0.35 oz (10 g) (Discontinued Item)
Shipping Weight:?0.56 lbs (0.25 kg)Shipping WeightThe Shipping Weight includes the product, protective packaging material and the actual shipping box. In addition, the Shipping Weight may be adjusted for the Dimensional Weight (e.g. length, width & height) of a package. It is important to note that certain types of products (e.g. glass containers, liquids, fragile, refrigerated or ice packed) will often require protective packaging material. As such, these products will reflect a higher Shipping Weight compared to the unprotected product.
- Product Code: ANE-11010
- UPC Code: 765667110102
- Package Quantity: 0.35 oz (10 g)
- Dimensions: 2.7 x 4 x 5.3 in, 0.05 lbs (0.02 kg)
- Low Fat
- Dairy Free
- Vegan
- 100% All Natural
- Good Source of Vitamins & Minerals
- No Preservatives · No MSG
- Snack Your Way to Good Health!
- All Natural Asian Cuisine
- Savory Roasted Korean Seaweed with Sesame Oil
Here's your chance to discover a delicious new snack that's bursting with flavor and chock-full of vitamins and minerals to keep you going all day long. Our Korean seaweed is roasted to perfection and then seasoned with a dash of salt and sesame seed oil, creating a savory taste sensation that promises to delight your palate. Go ahead. Indulge. Your friends will have culture envy.
Other Ingredients
Seaweed, canola oil, sesame oil, salt.
|Supplement Facts
|Serving Size: 10 Sheets (5 g)
|Servings Per Container: 2
|Amount Per Serving
|% Daily Value*
|Calories from Fat
|Total Fat
|2.5 g
|70 mg
|Total Carbohydrate
|1 g
|1 g
|Vitamin A
|Vitamin C
|Not a significant source of saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, sugars, calcium and iron.
|*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Great snack
Verified Purchase
Great snack
I love this seaweed snack because I really enjoy the umami flavor it has and it satisfies my "salt" tooth without actually being too salty. I also enjoy the crispy texture.
Do not like
Verified Purchase
Do not like
I think it has taste of old fish skin - tested on friends and family with the same result. Even the cat did not like it
Annie Chun's Roasted Seaweed Snacks Is Great! Very Tasty!
Posted by BeckySue on Mar 17, 2015
These seaweed snacks taste good! Tasty food for snacking and not too many calories. Very nutritious!
Didn't like it a all
Posted by 5018655888278919073 on Oct 06, 2014
I'll never buy this again
Posted by 5570419141832484742 on Jul 09, 2014
this was so yummy. So sad it was discontinued. :-( :'(
Not for me...
Posted by MentaPiperita on May 19, 2014
I'm not sure what to say... These are nice and taste OK but it's just nori sheets with sesame oil. It sure is a healthy snack, but honestly these were lying there in my kitchen for months, nobody would touch them. I think you could shred them and sprinkle on food like a seasoning, but I don't recommend them as a snack unless you love eating nori sheets.
Snack sesamo
Posted by 5412488339528765827 on Apr 13, 2014
Esta bueno, pero para mi gusto poco picante, me gusta mas el de wasabi


text:
13406 E. Philadelphia St. Whittier, CA 90608
Vistas abound at Whittier College. There are views of urban downtown Los Angeles from Turner Hall, sweeping green lawns stretch from Deihl Hall to Painter Ave.; and from the third floor of Wardman Library you can get a bird's-eye view of Hoover Hall's elegant dome.
And now, there is another—this one praising neither nature nor man-made monoliths. Rather, this one is an energetic, multi-hued mural with a story to tell.
Whittier College's story, that is.
Thanks to key funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the College was granted the opportunity to move forward with the creation and installation of a unique art piece--a mural outside A.J. Villalobos Hall intended to visually connect the upper and lower areas of campus.
The project, as proposed and executed, would be created for students by students, specifically by a core group of 26 young Poets enrolled in a paired course on art and politics, which examined historical, social, and cultural aspects of why people paint on walls.
One question remained: who would help this team synchronize their ideas into a single mural?
A number of nationally and internationally distinguished artists jumped to the challenge, but it was the tag team of Wayne Healy and David Botello, otherwise known as East Los Streetscapers, appointed to lead the charge, working in tandem with course faculty Deborah Norden, political science, and Jose Orozco, history.
For more than 40 years, Healy and Botello have collaborated on murals throughout the Los Angeles area, creating iconic symbols of cultural pride and identity for countless Angelenos, as well as sources of inspiration for the thousands of visitors who see their murals all across Southern California and the West. Their works have been recognized internationally and have been included in exhibits at landmark Los Angeles museums, including the Getty, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and, most recently, in an exhibit at UCLA's Fowler Museum entitled, "Mapping Another L.A.: The Chicano Art Movement."
In March, Healy and Botello began to hold weekly meetings with their student team to dialogue, research, and design a mural that reflected the community of Whittier College and its history.
"It was intimidating at first," admits student Jose Gutierrez '14. "Here were Healy and Botello – known artists – explaining that murals are didactic pieces of art, meant to teach a lesson. However, they got through to us, saying over and over again that the mural was ours and that they were simply intermediaries. The mural became a collective expression of not just the Whittier College community, but of all of Los Angeles—and it reflected things that were familiar to all of us."
In the weeks that followed, a number of students, faculty, and staff picked up paintbrushes to bring the mural to life. What resulted was a colorful collage of Whittier lore, appropriately titled Poets' Wall.
Images depicted in the mural include the College's namesake, John Greenleaf Whittier, alumnus Martin Ortiz '48, retired mascot Friday the Squirrel, famed football coach Wallace "Chief" Newman, campus landmarks, the view of Downtown Los Angeles from Turner Hall, a scene of the Uptown Whittier Farmer's Market, a Richard Nixon campaign pin, the Whittier College seal, two students participating in the Light of Learning ceremony, a directional sign pointing to countries around the world, and a Dia de los Muertos altar.
Healy and Botello continued to refine and finalize the piece throughout the summer months. At their weekly painting sessions, it was not uncommon to hear a paint-stained radio pouring oldies music into the air or to see their brushes moving in sync.
"I've been on many college campuses, but Whittier was definitely a charming place to be," said Healy. "I was so amazed throughout my visit here. Students were very enthusiastic about the project and worked diligently."
"I was amazed, too," seconded Botello. "We were able to park right in the middle of campus."
All joking aside, Healy and Botello walked students through a meaningful experience. The young Poets saw, firsthand, how art could beautify and enrich the campus environment at Whittier.
On an even larger scale, Poets' Wall presented students with a second opportunity: to have a hand in situating Whittier College among those cultural institutions, both in Los Angeles and around the globe, furthering the history of a unique art form.
"Poets' Wall isn't about David or me," said Healy. "We presented ideas and held the brush, but it was the students who initiated this project. I want students to look at Poets' Wall as though it's their very own looking glass. I want them to lay claim to it."
Though it was completed in time to greet new students during Orientation, a formal dedication ceremony for Poets' Wall was purposely delayed until Whittier Weekend, when the maximum number of alumni, families, and friends could join in the celebration of this new campus landmark. As a result, the event was appropriately tied into the 41st Annual Tardeada.
"The story told on this wall—and the way it was composed—aligns with Whittier's rich heritage and present day," said President Herzberger at the dedication. "Our community actively lived this project—contributing from design through execution—and as a result, it is more than just a pleasing work of art. It is a visual embodiment of many voices, blended in complex harmony.
"In essence and in action, it is a vibrant portrait of our institutional history, and a keen reflection of our mission."
(First published 5-13-2013)


text:
Two Adirondack Amendments On Election Day Ballot
To The Reader's Forum:
When voters head to the polls this upcoming Election Day, they will have a unique opportunity to vote on two ballot initiatives that are specific to the Adirondack Park.
Support for these two constitutional amendments is broad and includes the Adirondack Council and Adirondack Mountain Club, local elected officials and various business and labor groups. The State Legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor of both proposed amendments to ensure each one's place on the ballot this November.
The first, Proposition 4, will settle a century-long property dispute in a very small, quaint community called Raquette Lake located in the Town of Long Lake in Hamilton County.
The results of approving this amendment are two-fold. First, attractive land will be added to the State Forest Preserve at no cost to the taxpayer. Second, local residents will be able to gain clear title to property on which many have paid taxes for decades. The local school, firehouse and waste transfer station in this very rural community also will benefit.
Simply put, this amendment will put an end to costly and time-consuming litigation that has persisted for many years while providing the public better recreational lands in exchange. To learn more please visit twp40.com.
The second proposed amendment, Proposition 5, will help maintain jobs at one of the largest employers in Essex County while adding approximately 1,500 acres of recreational forests to the State Forest Preserve again at no cost to the taxpayer.
The land to be added and forever protected as part of the State Forest Preserve is desired by environmental groups for its recreational and ecological value. And, the amendment will enable a major employer, NYCO Minerals, to keep employees working and generate economic activity important to the local and state economies. Additional details can be found at www.adirondacklandswap.com.
As proponents of both measures, our hope is that voters take a little time between now and Election Day to understand the importance of each amendment and to remember to cast their votes on Tuesday, November 5.
Senator Mark Grisanti, 60th District and Chair, Senate Environmental Conservation Committee
Senator Betty Little, 45th District
Senator Hugh Farley, 49th District


text:
Institutional Research (IR) is responsible to the Vice Provost for Enrollment for compiling, analyzing and reporting the university's official data. IR provides analytical and research support to the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, Provost, academic departments, research laboratories and centers.
Answers to many of the frequently asked questions regarding campus data can be found in IR's Factbooks, Facts at a Glance, or UMass Lowell's Common Data Set.
Telephone: 978-934-2501
Fax: 978-934-4016
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
|By Business Wire
Article Rating:
|February 4, 2014 11:35 AM EST
ABI Research estimates that at the end of 2013 Samsung had 166 million mobile business customers defined as employed individuals using their smartphone for business and personal reasons. However, most of these customers are the more fickle BYOD users. Samsung wants to capture more share of the corporate liable smartphone market, and wants more enterprise apps developed for its platform. In a new report, ABI Research quantifies Samsung's success with estimates of subscriber activations through 2019 on two of its enterprise platforms: SAFE and KNOX. The report also examines Tizen's role as an enterprise platform, and the role that virtualization will play. The report concludes with an assessment of Samsung's impact on other market participants including Apple, BlackBerry, Nokia/Microsoft, Android smartphone OEMs, and mobile operators.
"Samsung continues to make strides in the enterprise and remains confident in their strategy to support enterprise mobility efforts," comments Jason McNicol, senior analyst. "If you look at other device OEMs with an enterprise mobility focus, they tend to have a single solution available. Samsung on the other hand has SAFE, Knox, virtualization, and possibly Tizen as enterprise solutions. No other OEM is taking such an aggressive stance towards enterprise mobility."
Samsung's move towards the enterprise began in 2009 and has slowly built up momentum since. Key initiatives along the way have led to twenty-three smartphones and tablets being released and deemed enterprise ready as a result of a diversified partner network that focuses specifically on enterprise needs.
McNicol continues, "This past year, however, showed Samsung is not invincible as evidenced by launch delays and security issues in KNOX, its flagship enterprise mobility platform. Samsung has the capabilities and resources to overcome these hurdles, but is the market willing to wait? Fortunately for Samsung, the enterprise mobility market has lots of room to grow."
These findings are part of ABI Research's Enterprise Mobile Devices (https://www.abiresearch.com/research/service/enterprise-mobile-devices/) and Cybersecurity (https://www.abiresearch.com/research/service/cyber-security/) Research Services.
ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research's worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.
"Plutora provides release and testing environment capabilities to the enterprise," explained Dalibor Siroky, Director and Co-founder of Plutora, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @DevOpsSummit, held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City.
Jan. 17, 2017 05:45 AM EST Reads: 3,479
SYS-CON Events announced today that Enzu will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, and the 21st International Cloud Expo®, which will take place October 31-November 2, 2017, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Enzu's mission is to be the leading provider of enterprise cloud solutions worldwide. Enzu enables online businesses to use its IT infrastructure to their competitive ad...
Jan. 17, 2017 05:30 AM EST Reads: 1,523
In his session at DevOps Summit, Tapabrata Pal, Director of Enterprise Architecture at Capital One, will tell a story about how Capital One has embraced Agile and DevOps Security practices across the Enterprise – driven by Enterprise Architecture; bringing in Development, Operations and Information Security organizations together. Capital Ones DevOpsSec practice is based upon three "pillars" – Shift-Left, Automate Everything, Dashboard Everything. Within about three years, from 100% waterfall, C...
Jan. 17, 2017 05:15 AM EST Reads: 9,256
SYS-CON Events announced today that MobiDev, a client-oriented software development company, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, and the 21st International Cloud Expo®, which will take place October 31-November 2, 2017, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. MobiDev is a software company that develops and delivers turn-key mobile apps, websites, web services, and complex softw...
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In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Claude Remillard, Principal Program Manager in Developer Division at Microsoft, contrasted how his team used config as code and immutable patterns for continuous delivery of microservices and apps to the cloud. He showed how the immutable patterns helps developers do away with most of the complexity of config as code-enabling scenarios such as rollback, zero downtime upgrades with far greater simplicity. He also demoed building immutable pipelines in the cloud ...
Jan. 17, 2017 03:45 AM EST Reads: 3,370
DevOps is being widely accepted (if not fully adopted) as essential in enterprise IT. But as Enterprise DevOps gains maturity, expands scope, and increases velocity, the need for data-driven decisions across teams becomes more acute. DevOps teams in any modern business must wrangle the 'digital exhaust' from the delivery toolchain, "pervasive" and "cognitive" computing, APIs and services, mobile devices and applications, the Internet of Things, and now even blockchain. In this power panel at @...
Jan. 17, 2017 03:45 AM EST Reads: 2,711
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place June 6-8, 2017 at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, is co-located with the 20th International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. @ThingsExpo New York Call for Papers is now open.
Jan. 17, 2017 03:45 AM EST Reads: 3,525
SYS-CON Events announced today that Catchpoint Systems, Inc., a provider of innovative web and infrastructure monitoring solutions, has been named "Silver Sponsor" of SYS-CON's DevOps Summit at 18th Cloud Expo New York, which will take place June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Catchpoint is a leading Digital Performance Analytics company that provides unparalleled insight into customer-critical services to help consistently deliver an amazing customer experience. Designed ...
Jan. 17, 2017 03:15 AM EST Reads: 6,221
Web Real-Time Communication APIs have quickly revolutionized what browsers are capable of. In addition to video and audio streams, we can now bi-directionally send arbitrary data over WebRTC's PeerConnection Data Channels. With the advent of Progressive Web Apps and new hardware APIs such as WebBluetooh and WebUSB, we can finally enable users to stitch together the Internet of Things directly from their browsers while communicating privately and securely in a decentralized way.
Jan. 17, 2017 03:00 AM EST Reads: 537
While many government agencies have embraced the idea of employing cloud computing as a tool for increasing the efficiency and flexibility of IT, many still struggle with large scale adoption. The challenge is mainly attributed to the federated structure of these agencies as well as the immaturity of brokerage and governance tools and models. Initiatives like FedRAMP are a great first step toward solving many of these challenges but there are a lot of unknowns that are yet to be tackled. In hi...
Jan. 17, 2017 02:15 AM EST Reads: 3,747
With the proliferation of both SQL and NoSQL databases, organizations can now target specific fit-for-purpose database tools for their different application needs regarding scalability, ease of use, ACID support, etc. Platform as a Service offerings make this even easier now, enabling developers to roll out their own database infrastructure in minutes with minimal management overhead. However, this same amount of flexibility also comes with the challenges of picking the right tool, on the right ...
Jan. 17, 2017 01:45 AM EST Reads: 5,216
The cloud market growth today is largely in public clouds. While there is a lot of spend in IT departments in virtualization, these aren't yet translating into a true "cloud" experience within the enterprise. What is stopping the growth of the "private cloud" market? In his general session at 18th Cloud Expo, Nara Rajagopalan, CEO of Accelerite, explored the challenges in deploying, managing, and getting adoption for a private cloud within an enterprise. What are the key differences between wh...
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One of the hottest areas in cloud right now is DRaaS and related offerings. In his session at 16th Cloud Expo, Dale Levesque, Disaster Recovery Product Manager with Windstream's Cloud and Data Center Marketing team, will discuss the benefits of the cloud model, which far outweigh the traditional approach, and how enterprises need to ensure that their needs are properly being met.
Jan. 16, 2017 11:45 PM EST Reads: 4,207
WebRTC has had a real tough three or four years, and so have those working with it. Only a few short years ago, the development world were excited about WebRTC and proclaiming how awesome it was. You might have played with the technology a couple of years ago, only to find the extra infrastructure requirements were painful to implement and poorly documented. This probably left a bitter taste in your mouth, especially when things went wrong.
Jan. 16, 2017 09:00 PM EST Reads: 7,448
Up until last year, enterprises that were looking into cloud services usually undertook a long-term pilot with one of the large cloud providers, running test and dev workloads in the cloud. With cloud's transition to mainstream adoption in 2015, and with enterprises migrating more and more workloads into the cloud and in between public and private environments, the single-provider approach must be revisited. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Yoav Mor, multi-cloud solution evangelist at Cloudy...
Jan. 16, 2017 08:45 PM EST Reads: 4,582


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- 66% rayon, 30% nylon, 4% spandex
- 27" (69 cm) body length
- Rise: 7" (18 cm)
- Hand wash
- Imported
- Model is 5'9" and is wearing a US size S
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Today, Secretary Clinton met with Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. Secretary Clinton said, "[I]t's a great pleasure to welcome the first minister and the deputy first minister from Northern Ireland. I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with both of these leaders, and I am delighted that they are coming here to the United States having successfully concluded the devolution agreement known as the Hillsborough Agreement. And I look forward to discussing with them the way that -- the ways that the United States will continue to support a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of Northern Ireland."Full Text
U.S. Supports Peaceful, Prosperous Future for People of Northern Ireland


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From his post at the end of the horseshoe-shaped bar, Joseph Nebel counted out the till.
Not much there. A few hundred dollars, one personal check. It had been a slow Monday night at Gig's bar, a neighborhood joint in the back of a building on E. Gay Street Downtown.
A few guys had been in to play pinball, and a couple of regulars had come to eat dinner. A handwritten sign on the wall announced the special: ham steak and potatoes, $2.95.
Michelle Granger, the barmaid, already had restocked the coolers and cleared the tables. The latter chore hadn't taken long; there were only 11 of them.
It was nearing 3 a.m. Tuesday, and she'd started her shift at 7. Now, it was finally time to head home to her son, who was not yet 4 years old. She set her purse and leather jacket atop the bar and got ready to go.
Elton Shorter, a regular, had popped in. It was his favorite haunt, when he wasn't traveling for his job as an executive with McDonald's. He sat on the Naugahyde-covered barstool, a fur-collared topcoat covering his plaid, three-piece suit. The soda glass in front of him was empty.
There was someone else in Gig's at closing time. Another regular, detectives presume, because there's no way Joseph would have counted the money in front of strangers.
And whoever else was in there was angry. Angry enough to kill three people.
Two gunshots took Joseph down, a ballpoint pen still clutched in his right hand.
Elton fell back from where he sat and lay splayed across two barstools. His fedora dropped to the carpeted floor.
Michelle went down between the bar and the wall, slumped next to a stack of Miller Lite 12-packs.
The piece of paper by the till was evidence that Joseph had just finished counting the night's take: less than $1,000 in all. And not even all of that was missing.
A robbery, then? Not likely. Each of the victims had necklaces, medallions, watches and rings. The men had wallets. Michelle's purse was in plain sight.
"If your sole motivation is robbery, why don't you take it all?" asked Columbus Police Detective Steve Eppert, a member of the Homicide Cold-Case Unit. "That's me? I'm not leaving anything behind."
The detective theorizes that the shooter had a partner, someone who maybe kept a gun trained on the others to keep them from running once the shooting began.
All told, five shotgun blasts were fired early that morning of March 9, 1982. The ammunition was high-powered, the kind, detectives said, that's loaded into a gun for only a profound purpose.
"They took a weapon in there that's used for one thing — to kill people," Eppert says.
* * *
Herma Shorter met her husband at a pub when he was stationed with the Air Force in Germany. They fell in love, married and came to Columbus in 1969 to settle in North Linden.
By 1982, Elton was well into his successful corporate career with McDonald's, and they owned several rental properties. They had an 11-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter.
They vacationed in a Volkswagen with a pop-up camper top and spent many Saturdays picnicking on the grounds of the Franklin Park Conservatory. The children were beneficiaries of Elton's love of history and math: They visited every museum they came across and worked algebra problems together just for fun.
On that fateful night, he called his wife about 7 p.m. and told her he was going to stop for an after-work drink. She wasn't worried; he never was very late.
Midnight came and went. Then 1 a.m., 2, then 3. She called the hospitals to see if Elton had been hurt. She phoned police to see if he'd been arrested for driving drunk. She checked with authorities to see if there were crashes on his route home.
By morning, she was angry. She sent the kids off to school, penned her husband a nasty note and left it on the kitchen table, then headed to her Tuesday morning bowling league.
About the same time, a janitor arrived at Gig's bar only to find that when he put his key in the door it wasn't locked. He ran from his gruesome discovery and called authorities.
A couple of hours later, a Columbus police officer came to Amos Bowling Lanes on Cleveland Avenue and asked for Herma Shorter. Now, she knew. "I had to go home and tell my kids," she said.
She is 71 now and in poor health. She has never remarried and still lives in the house she and her husband shared all those decades ago. She has five grandchildren, who know their grandfather only by the pages of a scrapbook. She has waited 30 years for answers about his death.
"I didn't understand. We were afraid all of the time," she said. "I always wonder if they're ever going to solve it, maybe before I die. Then I know my kids would get closure."
Faded newspaper clippings tell the stories of the bartender and the barmaid.
Michelle was 26, working part time at Gig's and as a waitress at the Holiday Inn on Lane Avenue to make ends meet while in college. Friends described her back then as happy-go-lucky, sweet and wholly devoted to her son.
Joseph, "Joe-Joe" to his friends, was 21 and a roommate of the bar's co-owner and manager, David Cramer. He was, by accounts, carefree and loving life. He made friends with his customers and loved to challenge them to a game of Pacman or pinball whenever they came in.Police checked all their backgrounds and found no enemies. The bar and its owners also were clean. No one was running drugs from there and, though Downtown prostitutes were known to hang out inside, there'd been no history of trouble.
"You have three people gunned down and gone in a second," detective Eppert said. "Even after 30 years, they deserve justice, and there are three families out there who deserve answers."
* * *
So how does one go about solving a three-decades-old homicide? Start at the beginning, the detective says. And that's with the one person who saw something.
It turns out that Downtown wasn't deserted that early morning. A woman working third shift at the Ohio Bell Telephone Co. on 4th Street had been having trouble with people breaking into her car. So this time she parked in front of Gig's so that she could see it from a 14th-floor office window. She looked out around 3:15 a.m. She later told detectives that she saw two black men leaving Gig's, one taller than the other. She says they started to get into a parked car — it was burnt orange or a faded, rusty red with a light-beige vinyl top, she said. One man stopped, then put something in the trunk.
"One can assume that was a shotgun," Eppert said.
Both men got in and the car pulled away.
Detectives learned of a regular customer, a guy who lived on the Near East Side. He'd been in the bar that night, but no one remembered how long he'd stayed. He had a friend known only as "Jim" from Cleveland. And someone told police that Jim drove a car that could be described as burnt orange or faded rusty red with a light-beige vinyl top.
The Columbus man was interviewed, but he said he'd left the bar earlier that night and knew nothing. Eppert intends to track him down — he lives in Pennsylvania now — to see if time has brushed the cobwebs from his memories.
No one ever figured out who "Jim" was. Eppert wants to find out.
He has gathered old evidence — a few glasses, a couple of beer bottles — to see if they yield new clues.
And he has pulled the shotgun shells collected at the scene. Someone had to touch them to load the gun. DNA forensic technology was nonexistent in 1982, so Eppert has sent the shells to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's crime lab to see what technicians can find.
It has been 30 years since someone killed Joseph Nebel, Michelle Granger and Elton Shorter inside that dimly lit Downtown bar.
It is Eppert's hope that a little speck of evidence left behind will, all these years later, tell him who.
Central Ohio Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case. Tips can be submitted anonymously online at Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, www.stopcrime.org, or by calling Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477 or toll-free at 1-877-645-8477. Information also can be directed to the Columbus Police Division's Homicide Cold-Case Unit at 614-645-4036.


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Hi Bellas,
Last week I was able to do the makeup for an Amazon themed photoshoot. We wanted an edgy vibe and went with a more abstract makeup style. I ended up using my Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow palette for the lips and some fluidlines for the eyes and that's about it.
I've also included the before and after at the bottom. Feel free to click on the pics to enlarge them. Take a looksy!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Amazon Inspired Photo Shoot
Posted by MakeupByRenRen at 8:32 AM
Labels: before and after, photoshoot
9 comments:
- yummy411 said...
gorgeous ren! great photographer and model too! i'm so happy for you!
- June 4, 2008 at 11:11 AM
- Askmewhats said...
BIG WOW!!!! That' s agreat look and I love the before and after shot..really ..a total change :) love it! Congrats
- June 4, 2008 at 8:35 PM
- Lily said...
i love the lips!! it looks awesome1
- June 5, 2008 at 1:17 AM
- MakeupByRenRen said...
yummy: thanks so much! i'm glad it's finally all happening
askmewhats: thanks sweety, i'm trying to do more before and afters :)
lily: thanks! i wanted something fun and edgy :)
- June 5, 2008 at 9:21 AM
- Yellow Fever said...
omg! that's absolutely gorgeous! sounds like it was a fun photoshoot too!
- June 5, 2008 at 9:31 AM
- Vanessa said...
Nice! I love it!
- June 5, 2008 at 5:58 PM
- alien man?! said...
omgosh, i'm so proud of you!!! these are AMAZING!!!
- June 6, 2008 at 3:29 AM
- Bliss said...
Gorgeous Look, really edgy feel and im loving the eye and lip colour combo. Congrats :D
- June 6, 2008 at 10:51 AM
- ShanSoPink said...
wow! Ren great job!!!
- June 6, 2008 at 11:46 AM
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Feeling insecure after watching professional mixologists shake, rattle and roll? Before you host your next home party, be prepared to take advantage of a few insider secrets.
Mark Spivak, author of Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History, shares a few suggestions for making your next bash a success. "Cocktails are a mix of art and science," says Spivak. "The simpler they appear, the more precise you have to be." Here are some of his tips for becoming an enviable home bartender:
- Use fresh, clean ice. Would you drink water from the tap in your neighborhood? If not, don't make ice with it. While you don't have to cut your own cubes from a block like the pros, you should---at the very least---invest in a water filter.
- Use top quality ingredients. There's a world of difference between Grey Goose and Popov, or between Maker's Mark and Old Crow. Spending a few extra bucks will improve your cocktails enormously, and make you look like a hero.
- Invest in a recipe book. Just in case one of your guests confuses your home bar with "Stump the Stars" and throws you a ringer, have a copy of Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide on hand for reference.
- Follow directions. You certainly won't be expected to stock orgeat syrup or orange flower water, but if a recipe calls for bitters, use them---they lend another dimension to a cocktail.
- Experiment with the Hard Shake. This Japanese technique involves snapping of the wrists, a circular motion and an over-the-shoulder position, and results in creamier and better-blended drinks. Practice first, and you'll look like Tom Cruise in Cocktail.
About Mark
Mark Spivak has been the Food and Wine Editor of Palm Beach Illustrated, educating our readers on the finer points of wine and spirits as well as reviewing the top culinary spots of South Florida since 2001. Visiting wine regions, distilleries and culinary meccas around the globe, Mark's voice, an authoritative pen of the epicurean scene, can also be read on his blog Global Gourmet, where he writes about his experiences and insights, exclusively on palmbeachillustrated.com.
Mark is also the author of The Affordable Wine Guide to California and the Pacific Northwest (also available as an e-book), and his newest tome, Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History [Lyons Press], which hit bookstands November 2012.
Iconic Spirits is a must read for any and all interested in the world of the high-proofed. The book chronicles twelve unique spirits and categories that helped forge the cocktail culture of today, telling the untold stories and the hidden tales of each, followed with cocktail recipes, many of which are classics and genre originators.


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Beautiful big volumous Red curly afro, long hair.
This amazingly huge afro is gorgeous. It's big, bold, and beautiful. And the coloring is to die for!Big, Culy and amazing.Fire Engine Red.
Company: Mieka Hairdressing Nuance Collection Hair: Tracey Hughes Colour: Olivia Zynevych Photography: Amber Toms Make-Up: Sue Marshall Fashion Stylist: Elaine Marshall Products: Redken


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iHerb Customer Reviews
Savings of: $0.96 (17% off)
Posted by Reviewer1071159 on Jan 01, 2014
Love this tea and all it does for me.
Delicious and Useful
Posted by 5096803907917106777 on Mar 24, 2015
I can't say for sure if it actually helps with water retention, but it makes me *feel* better, and it tastes good, so I can't complain.
love the taste!
Posted by babessa on Jan 04, 2016
love the taste!
love the taste
Posted by 4825762915799538104 on Apr 09, 2016
I like its taste
Refreshing tea.
Posted by Reviewer3046836 on Jul 04, 2008
It's a very refreshing tea. I add a bit of honey inside to make the tea tastes even better..
Tasty Tea
Posted by Reviewer2095169 on Dec 26, 2008
A nice treat
Very nice!
Posted by Reviewer3338411 on Apr 02, 2011
This tea make me stay calm and keep concentrate on my work. I love it! Es, the chinese herbal smell is impressive!
Weightless Cranberry
Posted by Reviewer1399463 on Dec 29, 2011
Love the fragrance and taste
Traditional medicinals, Orginic Weightless Cranberry Herbal Tea
Posted by 5302307555959902799 on Aug 27, 2013
The taste is soothing and fragrance is mild.
Posted by dbelle on Sep 18, 2015
all ingredient mixed well n taste good, love it


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Board approves permit for power line move
MARSHALL – The relocation of a power line in Stanley and Fairview townships was one of the items on the agenda for Lyon County commissioners on Tuesday. Commissioners voted to approve a conditional use permit for the project.
Luke Olson presented commissioners with the county Planning and Zoning Board's recommendations on moving a 41.6 kilovolt transmission line owned by the Ottertail Power Company. The line needs to be moved to make way for construction on the CapX 2020 transmission line project, Olson said. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approving the move, along a route running west and south from a substation in Section 28 of Stanley Township. The line would run west from the substation, south along Lyon County Road 9, and west again along the half-section line in Section 32 of Stanley Township. Olson said part of the recommended route would jog further south and follow the quarter-section line, before moving back to the half-section line. The power line route would then turn north along 280th Avenue to a point of connection.
Commissioners voted to approve a conditional use permit to move the power line.
Commissioners discussed several other items Tuesday, including possible repairs on the Lyon County Historical Museum's roof. County facilities manager Ron Krause said the museum is having problems with an oil leak in the air-conditioning unit on the roof. The oil leak damaged the roof and allowed water to enter.
Krause said he obtained an estimate from Buysse Roofing Systems on what it would cost to replace the roof membrane and insulation. The estimate came to $76,000. A new roof on the museum's loading dock area would cost an additional $9,500, Krause said.
Commissioners voted to move ahead with the process of obtaining quotes for the roof work. However, Commissioner Steve Ritter asked Krause if, in the future, general estimates could be made without a contractor's name attached. Naming a contractor could affect the quotes the county receives, he said.
Commissioners voted to accept a petition from Roger and Steve Coudron to build a private tile line with an outlet going into County Ditch 68. The tile would drain a 40-acre parcel of land in Clifton Township. County ditch inspector Todd Hammer said there have been two other outlets built on the ditch system in the past five years.
If commissioners appointed ditch viewers for the petition, Lyon County Attorney Rick Maes said, he recommended that one or more of the viewers have an engineering background. Commissioners voted to accept the ditch petition and appoint three viewers.
Commissioners voted to approve a landfill permit renewal, engineering and consulting contract with SAIC, for the Lyon County sanitary landfill. SAIC's services under the contract would include planning for an additional cell at the landfill. Building the new cell would help keep the landfill operational until 2022, a SAIC representative said.


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April 27, 2009 WIC Update
SUBJECT 1: Helping Americans Achieve Public Health Goals - Breastfeeding and Obesity Prevention
SUBJECT 2: Viewing Lost or Stolen Checks in Participant's Checks History Tab- MOWINS
SUBJECT 3: WIC-24 May Invoices
SUBJECT 4: Help Desk Coverage on May 8, 2009
SUBJECT 5: New Food Package Information Packet to Healthcare Providers
SUBJECT 6: New Labels (Gentlease LIPIL and Enfamil A.R.LIPIL)
SUBJECT 7: 2010 National WIC Association Calendar (NWA) – Spanish version
SUBJECT 8: Invitation Issued for Community Food Projects Funding
- Helping Americans Achieve Public Health Goals - Breastfeeding and Obesity Prevention - Washington, DC: As the country celebrated National Public Health Week, there has been much discussion of how the United States is falling behind in many important health measures, despite the fact that we spend more on health care than any other nation. Yet amid the talk about life expectancy, infant mortality, and health disparities among minority populations, the very earliest act of disease prevention--breastfeeding--is often overlooked. Attached is information from the United States Breastfeeding Committee encouraging more involvement throughout the country in the promotion of breastfeeding. If you have any questions, please contact your district nutritionist.
- Viewing Lost or Stolen Checks in Participant's Checks History Tab- MOWINS:
A fix has been applied that now allows checks keyed as lost or stolen for a participant to be viewed in the checks history screen. Previously, only the voided checks were showing in this window. Click the 'view details' button on an individual check in order to see the lost or stolen status. To assure this fix works on your computer, you must do the following four steps in order:
- Right click on the W in the lower right corner of task bar. Click on "Reset Local Reference Data".
- Right click on the W in the lower right corner of task bar. Click on "Update Local Reference Data".
- Right click on the W in the lower right corner of task bar. Click on "Log Off".
- After the W disappears, log back into the clinic application and view a participant's checks history where checks have been keyed as lost or stolen.
All four of these steps must be done in order for the change to go through. Simply logging off and back on to MOWINS may not work. See attached screen shots for example.
If you have questions, please contact Melissa Seaver at firstname.lastname@example.com or 800-554-2544.
- WIC-24 May Invoices: WIC-24 Invoices for May 2009, or earlier, submitted for payment in the month of June, must be submitted through the Online WIC Invoicing Application by close of business Friday, June 5, 2009. Any invoices submitted after that date will be held and paid in July 2009. This change in schedule complies with State Fiscal Year 2009 payment processing deadlines. If you have questions please contact Laura Weiler at: firstname.lastname@example.com or 573-526-7901.
- Help Desk Coverage on May 8, 2009: There will be coverage of the MOWINS/HANDS Help Desk from 8:00-5:00 on May 8, 2009, Truman Day. However, the State WIC Office will be closed on May 8 2009, as this is a state holiday. If you have questions contact Mark Davis at email@example.com or 573-526-5323 or 800-392-8209.
- New Food Package Information Packet to Healthcare Providers: The State office is pleased to announce that New WIC Food Packages information packet will be sent to Healthcare Providers in MO during the month of April. It is important to note that issuance of some WIC foods in the New Food Packages will require more physician involvement. LWPs are encouraged to share this information packet with Healthcare Providers within their communities. The State office will continue to provide more information and training material to Healthcare Providers, LWPs and Participants before and during the implementation process. This Healthcare Provider Information Packet includes the following:
- Healthcare Provider Letter
- Breastfeeding Promotion and Support and the New Food Packages
- Flyer of Sample Food Packages of Children and Women
- Summary sheet of the food package changes
If you have questions please contact Rose Sipakati at firstname.lastname@example.com
- New Labels (Gentlease LIPIL and Enfamil A.R.LIPIL): Mead Johnson Nutritionals (MJN) will have a small label change to two infant formula products Gentlease LIPIL and Enfamil A.R. LIPIL. These formulas with new labels may be at WIC vendors in Missouri in June 2009. Please share this upcoming label change with your staff and advise participants who are receiving these products. If you have any questions, please contact TakakoTagami at firstname.lastname@example.com.
- 2010 National WIC Association Calendar (NWA) - Spanish version - The State office will be purchasing the 2010 NWA WIC Calendars. If your agency would like to have the Spanish version of the WIC calendar, please e-mail the following information to Sheila Dessieux at firstname.lastname@example.com by May 15, 2009.
- Agency Name
- Agency Number
- Quantity Requested (WIC Calendar - Spanish)
If you have any questions, please contact Takako Tagami at email@example.com.
- Invitation Issued for Community Food Projects Funding: On April 7, 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a request for applications (RFA) for approximately $5 million in grants under the Community Food Projects (CFP) program. CFP projects are designed to help meet the food needs of low-income individuals and communities through planning, infrastructure development, marketing, and comprehensive approaches to food, farm, and nutrition issues.
Non-profit organizations are eligible to request up to $300,000 in funding for projects that can be up to three years' duration. Federal funds received must be matched one-for-one with non-federal resources. Applications are due by May 13, 2009. For additional requirements, review the RFA at: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/pdfs/09_community_food.pdf.
The Community Food Security Coalition will continue to provide free written guidance and one-on-one technical assistance to Community Food Projects (CFP) applicants this year. More information about CFP grants and assistance available can be found at http://www.foodsecurity.org/funding.html.
Breastfeeding Promotion and Support and the New WIC Food Packages
Breastfeeding Promotion
Enfamil LIPIL AR-12.9oz New Architecture
Enfamil LIPIL Gentlease-12oz New Architecture
Healthcare Provider Letter- New Food Package
Lost or Stolen
Poster - New Food Package
Summary of Changes


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Backgrounder #2577 on Housing
July 12, 2011
July 12, 2011 | Backgrounder on Housing
Abstract: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—the government-sponsored mortgage giants—must be shut down. Both entities distort the market by issuing mortgage-backed securities with subsidized government guarantees that the mortgages will be repaid. If such guarantees are necessary, they should be priced and issued by the private sector, not by the state. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must be closed down completely and permanently. Heritage Foundation expert on financial institutions David C. John details specific steps to achieve this shutdown carefully and methodically without further upsetting the delicate housing market—and without making the situation worse.
The housing crisis that continues to affect housing prices across the country is due in large part to the activities of two special government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs): Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In the years since housing prices peaked in the second quarter of 2007, the value of household real estate has fallen by about $6.6 trillion[1]—30 percent—and it continues to fall. Real recovery is not likely until both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are replaced by a new housing finance system that does not include government distortions of the market.
The transition will not be easy, but both entities have outlived their usefulness. This paper discusses the roles of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and recommends ways to eliminate both institutions without further damaging an already weak housing market. As noted at the end, one way not to fix the current system of two GSEs would be a proposal that would create dozens of new GSEs issuing mortgage-backed securities with a government guarantee. Such a move would only guarantee additional GSE bailouts and the loss of additional hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.
How to Eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are creations of government, not the market. It is impossible to create a modern housing finance system while they continue to exist. However, the housing market is currently very weak, so their elimination must be handled carefully to avoid further instability.
The specific steps necessary to eliminate both entities are:
How Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Became Mortgage Giants
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are two stories of government programs gone wrong. The Federal National Mortgage Association (its popular name "Fannie Mae" comes from its acronym, FNMA) was chartered in 1938 as a government-owned entity designed to purchase home mortgages from banks and savings and loan associations[2] so that they would be able to underwrite additional housing loans. The purchased mortgages were insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and later mortgages were insured by other government agencies.
Fannie Mae was created to encourage additional mortgage lending, especially for moderate-income Americans. Purchased mortgages were either held by Fannie Mae or sold to other investors. As time went on, this mortgage purchase program developed into a secondary market for mortgages.
In 1954, Fannie Mae was converted into a mixed-ownership corporation in which individuals owned the common stock while the federal government retained preferred stock. In 1968, budget pressures, due in part to the Vietnam War, caused the government to convert Fannie Mae into a publicly held corporation in order to remove its debt and finances from the federal budget. At that point, Fannie Mae was divided into two entities, the now-private corporation still named Fannie Mae, which continued its activities in the secondary market, and a government entity, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), which retained certain management functions and insured FHA and other government-issued and -guaranteed loans.
By 1970, Fannie Mae was allowed to purchase any privately originated mortgages, but Congress was concerned about its potential for monopoly powers. As a result, Congress also created the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (which became Freddie Mac) as a competitor designed to provide additional support for housing. Freddie Mac is now a private corporation, but it was initially owned by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB), which was the regulator of savings and loans and similar financial institutions and charged with promoting the industry.
During this time, the mortgage-backed security, whereby an investor could purchase a piece of a pool of mortgages rather than having to purchase entire mortgages, developed when a private-sector issue was guaranteed by Ginnie Mae. The new securities were much easier to sell to other investors than entire mortgages, while the pooling of many securities reduced the risk of default. Initially, these securities were known as "pass through" (the mortgage payments being passed through the originator of the bond issue to the investor) or participation certificates. Freddie Mac issued its first pass-through certificate in 1971, with Fannie Mae following suit in 1981.
In 1989, Freddie Mac was removed from FHLBB ownership and made a fully private corporation like Fannie Mae. However, the market recognized that both entities have a special relationship with the government and that both are therefore known as government-sponsored enterprises.
In 1992, Congress decided to use this special relationship as a way to meet affordable housing goals without having to appropriate funds for them by requiring both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy a set proportion of mortgages that were made to lower-income and moderate-income homeowners. This proportion grew steadily over the years before 2008, when both suffered such severe losses from their investments that they did not have sufficient liquidity to remain in business. At the same time, both GSEs began to invest in and issue mortgage-backed securities that consisted of mortgages of lower credit quality, such as Alt-A and subprime mortgages. Congress encouraged this trend by allowing these lower-quality mortgages to be counted toward Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's affordable housing goals.
As private companies, both GSEs were under pressure to have continuously growing earnings, which led them into accounting scandals, and to direct some of their resources into investments in various types of mortgage-related securities. Essentially, both companies became hedge funds in addition to their role in the mortgage financing industry.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's Role in Housing Finance
Although Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are separate companies, both housing finance giants essentially do the same thing: Both of them purchase "conforming" mortgages[3] that meet certain size and credit quality requirements and combine them into mortgage-backed securities, which are sold in turn to investors of all types. For decades, both GSEs financed these purchases by issuing bonds that were sold to financial institutions and other investors. Before their failure in 2008, both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were considered to be extremely safe companies and were able to borrow money at extremely low rates. Although both denied it, many investors assumed that the U.S. government backed them, which was another reason for their very low borrowing costs.
Mortgage-backed securities are shares of large pools of mortgages, mainly all of a set type of loan and credit quality. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchase the mortgages from banks and other loan originators, which use the cash to finance additional mortgages, which they often also sell to the GSEs. Sometimes, the originators receive mortgage-backed securities in payment for their mortgages, which they can hold or sell to another investor.
Once the pool of mortgages is established, both entities guarantee that the interest and principal will be repaid on schedule to bondholders and then divide the pool into pieces with a set face value and sell them. The investor receives a continuing cash flow from the mortgage payments made by the homeowners and can resell the bonds at any time to other investors. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac earn fees both for creating the mortgage-backed securities and for their guarantee and other services. The guarantee fee is subtracted from the mortgage payments before the money is sent to the bondholders.
For decades, mortgage-backed securities issued by the two mortgage giants were considered to be extremely safe. Analysts had figured out precisely what percentage of homeowners in a pool would default on their mortgages or repay or refinance them early, and the bond underwriters took these figures into consideration when they priced the bonds. This allowed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as the bond purchasers, to know almost exactly what cash flow would come from a set issuance of bonds and, thus, what their value was.
However, these valuations depended on knowing the credit quality of the mortgages underlying the bonds, and when credit quality slipped, bond owners were uncertain what proportion of the mortgages would be repaid on time. Without certainty about the repayment of the underlying mortgages, investors were unable to determine the actual value of their bonds.
Since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were guaranteeing the repayment of the mortgages, they were subject to huge losses. Some of those losses have been recaptured from the loan originators, who presented their loans as being of a certain quality when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchased them. Since certain loans were not of that credit quality, both entities can legally sell them back to the originators. However, many originators have since gone out of business. Today, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac claim to be very careful about checking the quality of mortgages before purchasing them.
Mortgage-backed securities still play a key role in mortgage finance. While demand and prices are down from earlier years, loan originators still expect to sell new mortgages rather than hold on to them. Before 2008, a majority of mortgage-backed securities were originated by private companies, but most of them have left the market, and today, almost all are issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The 2008 Government Takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
In addition to their traditional role of packaging and issuing mortgage-backed securities, the pre-2008 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also built an extensive portfolio of mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. Under their former management, both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac responded to pressure to have continuous growth in earnings by investing in mortgage assets (issued by them as well as by other companies). Essentially, both acted as hedge funds, betting on the movement of interest rates and the value of specific types of mortgage investments. Together, the two amassed a portfolio totaling about $1.5 trillion worth of these assets. While they helped to build earnings before the sudden collapse of the housing bubble, afterwards, they contributed to the substantial losses that put both GSEs into serious financial difficulties.
By mid-2008, both firms had very low capital levels compared to their assets and liabilities. While both were still solvent, these capital levels and growing liquidity problems raised serious concerns about their ability to cover the growing losses as the housing bubble continued to shrink and delinquent loans grew. Faced with a situation that was similar to the earlier failure of Bear Stearns and growing concerns about the health of Lehman Brothers, federal regulators determined that it would be better to take corrective action before Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac defaulted than it would be to deal with the aftermath of such a situation.
As a result, on September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency took both firms into conservatorship. While this action allowed both entities to continue in business without defaulting on their obligations, it also placed complete control of their activities—and thus much of the housing finance market itself—in the government's hands.
How to Eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: The Details
If all goes well, by the time that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are completely eliminated, the housing market should be fully recovered from the 2008 crash. Most of those involved in the housing and mortgage finance industry fear that eliminating the two GSEs could crimp that market's slow recovery. While they are understandably reacting to the past few years, they are not looking toward the future. A careful and considered phaseout should create conditions that encourage private companies to package mortgages into securities, and credit should be available to all creditworthy potential home buyers.
To avoid disrupting the housing market's slow recovery, the end of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should come gradually—but with a clear, unambiguous understanding that they will be phased out completely and permanently. While some level of presence may be necessary while the housing sector recovers, there is a growing consensus that neither organization will be necessary in the future. The private sector is more than capable of producing mortgage-backed securities and other innovative ways to finance mortgages and appropriately pricing a guarantee that should satisfy investors. There are plenty of investors who would be willing to buy mortgage-backed securities with a private guarantee instead of a government guarantee.
As the crash of 2008 showed, the old structure of housing finance was a spectacular and expensive failure. Allowing it to remain in place—or, even worse, recreating it—is the very last thing that homeowners or taxpayers need to bequeath to future generations. Instead, both legislators and the Obama Administration should work to structure a mortgage-finance system based in the private sector that has the flexibility to meet market needs while ensuring that mortgages still meet strict underwriting standards and protecting consumers from predatory lending practices.
Since 2008, privately issued mortgage-backed securities, which once had a market share in excess of 50 percent, have virtually disappeared. These securities are important components of housing finance because they allow new money from investors who buy the securities to finance additional mortgages. Restoring private issuers will take time, and policymakers should encourage this restoration by following these steps:
Both GSEs have huge portfolios. As of 2010, Fannie Mae had about $789 billion worth of mortgage investments, while Freddie Mac had about $697 billion. Some of each entity's investments are of such poor quality that they are essentially worthless; the rest should be sold off to recoup as much as possible of the taxpayers' money that has been spent on covering the GSEs' losses.
The first step in the process would be to require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to stop any and all purchases of mortgages that are not part of the securitization process. This step would recognize that while most housing mortgages are securitized very quickly, it may take time to accumulate mortgages on multi-family structures for securitization. Thus, purchases of mortgages on multi-family structures could continue if the goal is to include them in securities.
Next, both portfolios should be transferred to a new and temporary subsidiary of the FHFA that is patterned on the old Resolution Trust Corporation, which liquidated the assets of failed savings and loans between 1989 and 1993.[5] To avoid flooding a still-shaky market for these securities, the sales should be handled over a number of years, and there is no reason to tie liquidation of the two GSEs to the fate of their portfolios. Moving them under the FHFA subsidiary staffed with liquidation and investment professionals would ensure that the taxpayers received the maximum amount possible. This subsidiary would separate the quality investments from the rest and sell them off as the market for them gradually firms up. At the same time, the low-quality assets could be sold for whatever the FHFA can get for them—again, over time to avoid flooding the market.
Reduce conforming loan limits. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are limited by law to purchasing housing mortgages that are below a set dollar size for repackaging into mortgage-backed securities. Known as conforming loan limits,[6] these are currently set at $417,000 for single-family dwellings in normal-cost areas and $729,750 for areas that the FHFA has designated as high-cost areas where the average housing price is well above the national average. Higher amounts are allowed for multi-family dwellings, depending on the number of units contained in the building.
The conforming loan limits are already scheduled to decline this fall to a maximum of $625,500, but that should be only the first step toward further reductions. Rather than a legislatively established schedule for reducing these limits, Congress should give the job to the FHFA along with clear and unequivocal instructions to reduce the conforming loan limits gradually as market conditions allow and as mortgage-backed securities issued by private competitors appear. In order to avoid seriously disadvantaging certain high-cost housing markets, the phaseout of the loan limits should be based as much as possible on the median housing cost in each local housing market rather than simply on the national average.
As with the conforming loan limits, the FHFA should have the authority to increase the guarantee fees gradually over time, using an announced schedule that can be altered as market conditions change. The goal is to enable privately issued mortgage-backed securities without a government guarantee to become more competitive and gradually increase their market share until they dominate the market and the GSEs are no longer needed.
There is an open question about whether a guarantee fee is essential to the existence of the 30-year mortgage and also whether such a guarantee could be provided just as easily by the private sector as by the government. There is no reason why a credit quality guarantee could not be provided by private companies at an affordable cost.
In fact, gradually increasing the federal guarantee fee will also provide valuable information about the actual size of the subsidy provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which in turn will enable the market to determine whether such a fee is essential. As some academics have noted,[7] the United States is one of very few countries where a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is widely available, and there is no reason to assume that this type of mortgage is essential either to the health of the housing market or to the ability of most consumers to purchase a house.
Move low-income housing subsidies and policy goals to HUD. Low-income housing policy goals and subsidies that are currently imposed upon Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be separated from their market-oriented activity so that they do not distort incentives and decision making. The actual cost of these subsidies should be made transparent and placed on the federal budget and then transferred to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Financial Housing Enterprise Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, which imposes affordable housing goals on the GSEs, including funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, should be repealed, and other housing policy goals that were the responsibility of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be moved to HUD. Once the subsidies and policy responsibilities are under the purview of HUD, Congress can eliminate those that are not necessary, cost-effective, or affordable.
Congress should not sell pieces that are geographically based, since these could be reattached to recreate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Instead, portions that are sold should contain a geographically dispersed share of mortgages and should be sold to purchasers of different sizes and in differing locations, including at least some smaller banks, credit unions, or other financial entities. If the housing finance system had been allowed to develop naturally, firms that handle the specific needs of small financial institutions and other entities would have developed naturally.
However, cleaning up the current distorted market by selling off pieces of the two GSEs' existing operations could lead to large financial firms outbidding everyone else, with the result that the mortgage finance market would be dominated by those large firms. Creating an open and competitive market requires measures such as setting aside pieces of the existing GSEs for smaller firms to ensure that the new system is healthy, competitive, and innovative.
Continue congressional oversight and consideration of alternative mortgage financing methods. To ensure that these changes are taking place, Congress should hold regular detailed oversight hearings on both the phaseout of the two existing GSEs and the development of a modern housing finance system. This is an area where Congress must continue to be actively involved, or industry fears and other political pressures could stall efforts to end Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A regular congressional re-examination of the phaseout process would also allow Congress to see whether market conditions allow for the process to be conducted faster.
In addition to the conventional forms of securitized mortgages, Congress should encourage further exploration of covered bonds—a mortgage-financing mechanism used successfully in other countries to finance additional mortgages instead of mortgage-backed securities—and similar innovative financing methods. While U.S. market conditions differ from those of other countries, certain financing mechanisms could be adapted to this country. In addition, Congress should be alert to innovative housing finance methods that could arise as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reduce their role and should ensure that artificial restraints do not inhibit their growth.
How to Guarantee Future Housing Bailouts: What Not To Do
Some Members of Congress have decided that if two GSEs are a problem, that problem should be solved by creating dozens of clones with the power to attach a government guarantee to their mortgage-backed securities. This would do nothing other than to guarantee that more GSE bailouts will be necessary, costing additional hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.
Policies contained in the Housing Finance Reform Act of 2011, H.R. 1859,[8] introduced by Representatives John Campbell (R–CA) and Gary Peters (D–MI), while well intentioned, would cause much more damage than the current system. The bill would allow the creation of any number of GSE clones with carefully delineated powers and capital requirements. Each would be empowered to issue mortgage-backed securities with a government guarantee that both the principal and interest from the underlying mortgages would be repaid as promised. Supporters believe both that a government guarantee is essential if the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is to survive and that its survival is the key to a healthy housing market.
There are many explicit problems with this approach. The first is that, rather than allowing the private market to price a guarantee of the underlying mortgages (or to decide whether such a guarantee is even necessary), the proposal would price the guarantee by government fiat. Putting aside for the moment the fact that governments have proven time and time again that they cannot accurately price any guarantees, the proposed legislation states that these guarantees would be priced by the FHFA based on the results of a study by the Government Accountability Office of the mortgage-backed securities market. But in Section 1387(d)(2), the bill then states that the FHFA should create "a pricing structure for guarantee fees by associations that provides for a reasonable rate of return to associations." Thus, the purpose of the pricing structure is to ensure the success of the dozens of new GSEs rather than to accurately reflect the potential risk to the taxpayer of providing such an ill-conceived guarantee in the first place.
In theory, taxpayers would be further protected by a reserve fund made up of fees paid by the new GSEs, but Section 1388(c)(3) of the bill says that the fees should be set after taking into consideration "general economic conditions," "trends in housing prices," and "other such factors that the director deems appropriate." Again, this indicates that the real purpose of the Campbell–Peters bill is to ensure the profitability of the new GSEs.
The legislation recreates the same serious policy error that helped to cause the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s by mixing the Federal Housing Finance Agency's current regulatory functions with the duty of pricing and providing the federal guarantees. A similar confusion in the role of the old Federal Home Loan Bank Board caused it to fail to regulate the financial institutions under its care adequately, thus enabling them to engage in a host of risky and often illegal practices.
Finally, the proposed legislation would create a moral hazard as some of the new GSEs use the government guarantee to hide the poor credit quality of the mortgages underlying their mortgage-backed securities. While the bill requires the new GSEs to have fairly high capitalization, neither it nor the proposed reserve fund would cover the potential losses. Instead, taxpayers would again be at risk.
The Campbell–Peters bill is a genuine attempt to solve a very real problem. However, it would create a system of corporate welfare for both the new GSEs and the housing industry as a whole, which would eventually cost taxpayers much more than would solving the problem by eliminating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. GSEs, whether there are two or dozens, are a market distortion that taxpayers cannot afford.
Fannie Mae et Freddie Mac Delenda Est
Around 157 B.C., the Roman statesman Cato the Elder began to conclude all of his public speeches, regardless of what the topic of the talk was, with the phrase Carthago delenda est, "Carthage must be destroyed." Cato did this to keep the focus on the ultimate goal of eliminating the major threat to Rome's supremacy. In 146 B.C., Carthage was destroyed.
While "Fannie Mae et Freddie Mac delenda est" is certainly questionable Latin, it is important to keep the focus on the end result: a housing market free of the massive distortion that is Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Although the current weakness in the housing market requires that both GSEs be eliminated slowly and methodically, Congress should not allow itself to be distracted by unreasonable fears or bureaucratic inertia.
Creating Fannie Mae and then creating Freddie Mac were serious policy mistakes, as was subsidizing them through privileged access to federal funds and implicit guarantees. These mistakes should never be repeated. Nothing less than the complete elimination of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is acceptable. This is not a development to be feared, but rather the first step in rebuilding a modern housing finance industry that would provide Americans with greater opportunities to own their own homes without the risk of another multi-hundred-billion-dollar bailout.
—David C. John is Senior Research Fellow in Retirement Security and Financial Institutions in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
Show references in this report
[1]"Q1 Flow of Funds: Household Real Estate Assets off $6.6 Trillion from Peak," CalculatedRisk, June 6, 2011, at http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2011/06/q1-flow-of-funds-household-real-estate.html (July 5, 2011).
[2]A savings and loan (S&L) was a special type of financial institution that took in deposits and loaned them out as small loans and mortgages. The government, which then controlled the interest rate that could be paid on savings, allowed the S&Ls to pay depositors an additional 0.25 percent over the rate that banks could pay in order to attract more money for housing. All S&Ls were initially owned cooperatively but were later allowed to have the same ownership structure as banks. Most S&Ls disappeared in the 1980s and 1990s, but a few still exist today.
[3]A conforming mortgage is smaller than the maximum-size mortgage that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are allowed to purchase for inclusion in mortgage-backed securities. Until September 30, 2011, the maximum conforming mortgage in high-cost areas will be $729,750. After that date, it will drop to $625,500. In other areas of the country, the conforming loan limit is $417,000 throughout 2011.
[4]For an explanation of the conservatorship, see Mark Jickling, "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in Conservatorship," Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, September 15, 2008, at http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/110097.pdf (July 5, 2011).
[5]For a history of the Resolution Trust Corporation, see Lee Davison, "Politics and Policy: The Creation of the Resolution Trust Corporation," FDIC Banking Review, Vol. 17, No. 2 (2005), at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/analytical/banking/2005jul/article2.pdf (July 5, 2010).
[6]Fannie Mae, "2011 Single-Family Mortgage Loan Limits," January 11, 2011, at http://www.fanniemae.com/aboutfm/loanlimits.jhtml (July 5, 2011).
[7]Michael Lea and Anthony Sanders, "Do We Need the 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage?" Mercatus Center Working Paper No. 11-15, March 2011, pp. 9–10, at http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/publication/Do%20We%20Need%2030yr%20FRM.Sanders.3.14.11.pdf (July 5, 2011).
[8]Housing Finance Reform Act of 2011, H.R. 1859, 112th Congress, at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1859 (July 5, 2011).


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by John MacArthur
It's obvious that the early church knew its flock well. In Acts 20, Paul exhorted the elders of the Ephesian church to faithfully watch over and shepherd their people. But it's very difficult to shepherd if you don't know who your flock is. And sheep don't survive well just roaming around on their own.
While the New Testament never speaks of church membership in today's terms, the principles of life in the early church lay the foundation for faithfully submitting and belonging to a local congregation. While the original membership process might vary from today's patterns, there's no doubt that New Testament Christians were lovingly united and bound to their local body of believers.
While the church was being born during Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:41 says, "So then, those who had received his words were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls."
Added to what? Added to the others. What others? Acts 1:15 says that about one hundred and twenty people were already gathered together in the upper room—the three thousand people saved on the day of Pentecost would have been in addition to the core that already existed after Christ's ascension.
It's possible their names were even physically added to a list by a secretary or someone keeping track, but that's not what is most important. The moment these men and women were saved, they were baptized as a physical testimony of their transformed lives and as a way to identify with the other believers. They were immediately welcomed into the church.
Just a few verses later, Acts 2:47 says, "And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." The influx of new members didn't stop at Pentecost. The church met daily, and every day the Lord was drawing new men and women to Himself and into fellowship with His people.
That explosive growth wasn't short-term. A few chapters later, in Acts 5:14, the church was still growing exponentially: "And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number." The implication is that someone was keeping track of the ever-expanding size of the flock.
Of course in the earliest days of the church, everyone met together. After Stephen was murdered, believers were scattered by persecution. A church started in Antioch, and then others began through the ministry of Paul. Eventually the church extended in all directions through the apostles' missionary endeavors. What began with one massive congregation was now reproducing itself from city to city as the teaching of the gospel spread and new men and women were saved.
But no matter where they were being saved, the implication is always that they were immediately welcomed into a local gathering of believers. In fact, any time someone moved or relocated, they brought with them or were preceded by letters of recommendation to their new congregation. Acts 18:27 describes how Apollos was commended to the church at Achaia by the disciples. It would have been typical to notify the church receiving him that he came with the blessing of his previous congregation.
Paul followed the same pattern. In Romans 16:1-2 he wrote,
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.
Phoebe's journey to Rome was no accident—it's likely she was the one who delivered Paul's letter to the church there. So at the end of his passionate epistle, Paul paused to make sure she was looked after and cared for by the believers in Rome. He was eager to keep track of his sheep, letting the other congregation know her faith was genuine. It was a pattern he repeated with other epistles as well.
And with good reason—the early church was very concerned to maintain its purity and to keep the tares out. There were many factious, heretical, sinful people who posed an immediate threat to the church. As genuine believers moved from place to place, authenticating their faith and their character helped protect the church from error, division, and corruption.
That protective attitude is appropriate. The Lord loves His church—He shed His blood and died for His church. We are His body in this world as He works through us to accomplish His will. And we are His bride in eternity, the object of His affection and love. He demands a chaste and pure bride. He wants the church to be all it should be.
One of the key ways the church can guard itself from error and maintain its purity is to confirm the faith of its people and keep them accountable. The early church didn't have a name for that—they didn't need one. Today we call it church membership.
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Thank you pastor! I've been immersing myself in your different sermons and with another pastor I also listen to have finally made the decision to seek membership at the church which is not as close to my home. The reasons: 1. The interim pastor is just as passionate about God, Christ and the Holy Spirit and his sermons are soul searching. 2. The people have welcomed me with open arms as if I was a long lost child. 3. They have multiple small groups that meet different times and days. So far I'm going to the seniors group which meets Sunday morning during the 930 sermon and I'm will still go to the ladies group which meets on Thursday morning.
Thank you so much for your teaching!
May you continue to allow God to lead and direct your teaching.
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A great blog post, Brother John. While I didn't always feel strongly about church membership, I sure do today. Sadly, I wonder if we'll ever see the exponential explosion in membership of our local churches today like they did in the New Testament churches. Won't it be wonderful to see the 'bride' though? I also liked your comment about accountability. Spot on yet not enough of it being practiced today. Again ... great blog.
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I am having trouble understanding accountability by way of church membership. I really need to understand practical ways accountability works out in the local body.
Gloria Steen
Thank you pastor John Macarthur! My name is John and I come from the Faroe Islands. I am located in a little town where the population is about 1.200 people. I'm attending a local brethren church where we are about 4-6 people gathering every sunday. This church doens't have any leadership, elders or pastor. I believe that God has a plan for this little church so I guess that I'll just need to be faithful to this church, use my gifts and maybe in the future, God willing if the church will grow we will be thinking about establishing a leadership in this church. But at this moment I'm not able to submit to any biblical church leadership. Please pray for us.
I am a pastor of a church plant in North Dakota and have really appreciated your ministry being such a biblical model. As we have stood firm in our beliefs of biblical church structure and membership it arouses questions. This shows how few churches take it serious. Thank you for that article! As we pray for you and your ministry may you remember us also as we seek to honor God with a church that patterns what Scripture teaches.
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Advanced Micro Devices has disclosed a die shot of the accelerated processing units (APU) for low-power devices that will be available commercially starting early 2011. Apparently, there are two versions of AMD's low-power APUs: Ontario, which will power netbooks and ultra-mobile devices as well as Zacate, which is designed for inexpensive notebooks.
AMD's low-power APUs Ontario and Zacate will generally have similar designs and similar set of capabilities. Both low-power APU versions feature two "Bobcat" x86 cores and graphics processing engine derived from code-named ATI Cedar chip that fully support DirectX11, DirectCompute and OpenCL. Both APUs also include a new UVD dedicated hardware acceleration for HD video including 1920x1080 (1080p, full-HD) resolutions.
The main difference between Ontario and Zacate processors will be power consumption: the former will have thermal design power of just 9W and will be aimed at netbooks and similar small devices, whereas the latter will have TDP of 18W and will compete on the notebook market. This means that Ontario has more aggressive technologies to trim power consumption as well as lowered clock-speeds. Still both chips will come in very small form-factors.
The die shot does not reveal a lot due to the fact that the chip's "hot spots" are heavily distributed and the image itself has been altered due to competitive reasons. Although it is likely that L2 cache cells are located on the upper side of the die shot, it is not completely clear what are the regular structures in the middle of the chip.
AMD plans to ramp up production of Ontario and Zacate microprocessors later this year and plans to launch the Brazos platform supporting both central processing units early next year. It is also expected that AMD partners will introduce the first devices powered by the new technology early in 2011.
Tags: AMD, , Ontario, zacate, 40nm, Brazos