text:
The Matchless Pearl
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- Format: Folded Gospel Tract
- Paper: Gloss Text
- Size: 3.5" x 5.5"
- Pages: 6
- Versions: KJV, NKJV
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A heavy splash was followed by many ripples and then the water below the pier was still. David Morse, a missionary, crouched low on the pier, his eyes riveted where a stream of little bubbles rose to the surface from deep under the water. In a moment his old friend Rambhau, an Indian pearl diver, appeared and clambered onto the dock, grinning.
"Look at this one, sahib," said Rambhau, taking a big oyster from between his teeth. "I think it will be good."
Morse took it and pried it open with his pocketknife. "Rambhau! Look!" exclaimed Morse, "Why it's a treasure!"
"Yes, a good one," shrugged the diver.
"Good! It's perfect isn't it? Have you ever seen a better pearl? " cried Morse, turning the pearl over in his hands.
"Oh, yes, there are better pearls, much better. Why, I have one…" his voice trailed off. "See here—the imperfections—the black speck here, this tiny dent. It's not even round, but good enough as pearls go."
"Your eye is too sharp for your good, my friend," lamented Morse. "I would never ask for a more perfect pearl!"
"It is just as you say about your God," answered Rambhau. "To themselves people seem without fault, but God sees them as they really are." The two men started down the dusty road to town.
"You're right, Rambhau, but God offers a perfect righteousness to all who will simply believe and accept His free offer of salvation through His beloved Son—"
"No, sahib. As I've told you so many times, it's too easy. That is where your religion breaks down. Perhaps I am too proud, but I must work for my place in heaven. Do you see that man over there? He is a pilgrim, perhaps to Bombay or Calcutta. He walks barefooted over the sharpest stones—and see—every few paces he kneels down and kisses the road. That is good. The first day of the new year I shall begin my pilgrimage. All my life I have planned it. I shall make sure of heaven this time. I am going to Delhi on my knees."
"Rambhau! You're crazy! It's nine hundred miles to Delhi! The skin will break on your knees and you will have blood poisoning or leprosy before you ever get there."
"No, I must go to Delhi. The suffering will be sweet, for it will purchase heaven for me."
"Rambhau, my friend, you can't! How can I let you do this when Jesus Christ, by His death and resurrection, has already done all to purchase heaven for you?"
But the old man could not be moved. "You are my dearest friend on earth, sahib Morse. Through many years you have stood beside me. In sickness and want you have been sometimes my only friend. But even you cannot turn me from this great desire to purchase eternal bliss. I must go to Delhi." It was useless. The old pearl diver could not understand, could not accept the free salvation of Christ.
Later one afternoon Morse answered a knock at his door to find Rambhau there.
"My good friend!" exclaimed Morse. "Come in."
"No," said the pearl diver. "I want you to come with me to my house, sahib. I have something to show you."
The heart of the missionary leaped. Perhaps God was answering his prayers at last. "Of course I'll come."
Inside Rambhau's home, Morse was seated on the chair where many times he had sat explaining to the diver God's way of salvation, Rambhau left the room to return with a small but heavy strongbox. "I have had this strongbox for years," he said. "I keep only one thing in it. Now I will tell you about it. Sahib Morse, I once had a son."
"A son! Rambhau, you never said a word about him!"
"No, sahib, I couldn't."
As the diver spoke, his eyes were wet with tears. "Now I must tell you, for soon I will leave, and who knows whether I shall ever return? My son was a diver, too—the best pearl diver on the coasts of India. He had the swiftest dive, the keenest eye, the strongest arm, the longest breath of any man who sought for pearls. What joy he brought to me! He always dreamed of finding a pearl beyond all others. One day he found it, but in his desire to get it, he stayed under too long. He lost his life soon after. All these years I have kept the pearl, but now, my friend, I am giving it to you."
The old man, shaking with emotion, worked the lock on the strongbox and drew from it a carefully wrapped package. Gently folding back the cloths, he picked up a mammoth pearl and placed it in the hand of the missionary. It was one of the largest pearls ever found off the coast of India, and it glowed with a luster and brilliance Morse had never seen. It would have brought a fabulous sum in any market.
For a moment the missionary was speechless and gazed on the pearl with awe. "Rambhau! what a pearl!"
"That pearl, sahib, is perfect," he replied quietly.
The missionary looked up quickly with a new thought.
"Rambhau this is a wonderful pearl, an amazing pearl. Let me buy it. I will give you ten thousand dollars for it."
"Sahib! What do you mean?"
"Well, I will give you fifteen thousand dollars for it, or if it takes more I will work for it."
"Sahib," said Rambhau, as his whole body stiffened, "this pearl is beyond all price. No man in all the world has enough money to pay what this pearl is worth to me. I could never sell it. You may only have it as a gift."
"No, Rambhau, I cannot accept it that way. Perhaps I am too proud, but that is too easy. I must earn it."
The old pearl diver was stunned. "You don't understand at all, sahib. Don't you see? My only son gave his life to get this pearl, and nothing you would do could ever earn it. Its worth is in the life-blood of my son. Just accept it as a token of the love I have for you."
For a moment the missionary could not speak. Then he gripped the hand of his old friend. "Rambhau," he said in a low voice, "don't you see? That is just what God has been saying to you."
The diver looked long and searchingly at the missionary and slowly he began to understand.
"God is offering salvation to you as a free gift. It is so great and priceless that no man on earth could buy it—millions of dollars are too little. No man can earn it—in a thousand pilgrimages you could not earn it. It cost God the life-blood of His only Son to make the entrance for you into heaven. All you can do is accept it as a token of God's love for you, a sinner.
"Rambhau, of course I will accept the pearl in deep humility, praying God I may be worthy of your love. But won't you accept God's great gift of eternal life, in deep humility knowing it cost Him the death of His only Son to offer it to you?"
Great tears were rolling down the face of the old man. The veil was lifting. He understood at last. "Sahib, I see it now. I could not believe that His salvation was free, but now I understand. Some things are too priceless to be bought or earned. Sahib, I accept His offer of salvation."
"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).
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Selected Community Events for Church Events
Go Back
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/327875751.html | 327875751
Fruita Faith Baptist Church 60th Anniversary
Event Dates and Times
10/4/2015 - Starts: 10:30 AM
180 S. Elm Street, Fruita, CO
"Celebrating God's Harvest" is the theme for our 60th Anniversary at Fruita Faith Baptist Church. We are having a special service beginning at 10:30 A.M. followed by a chili bar and fun and games at Reed Park following afterwards. The public is invited to come out and help us celebrate this historical event.
Pastor Paruch 970-858-3542 or 970-858-1989
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/265531951.html | 265531951
Weird Animals VBS
Event Dates and Times
7/14/2014 - Starts: 9:00 AM - Ends: 12:00 PM
7/15/2014 - Starts: 9:00 AM - Ends: 12:00 PM
7/16/2014 - Starts: 9:00 AM - Ends: 12:00 PM
7/17/2014 - Starts: 9:00 AM - Ends: 12:00 PM
7/18/2014 - Starts: 9:00 AM - Ends: 12:00 PM
Living Stone Church - 2971 North Avenue, Grand Junction, CO
At Weird Animals VBS, kids will learn about some of God's most creative creations! They'll participate in memorable Bible-learning activities, sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, make and dig into yummy treats, experience cool Bible adventures, collect Bible Memory Buddies to remind them they are one of a kind, and test out Sciency-Fun Gizmos they'll take home and play with all summer long
Andy Baker, Living Stone Church 970-256-7012, lsgj.org
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/263614011.html | 263614011
Victory Kids VBS - How Sweet It Is
Event Dates and Times
7/21/2014 - Starts: 9:30 AM - Ends: 12:30 PM
7/22/2014 - Starts: 9:30 AM - Ends: 12:30 PM
7/23/2014 - Starts: 9:30 AM - Ends: 12:30 PM
7/24/2014 - Starts: 9:30 AM - Ends: 12:30 PM
Victory Life Church, 2066 Hwy 6 & 50, Fruita
Come and join us for our "SWEET" VBS
There will be:
And much more!
Registration is $10 / covers the cost of a t-shirt
Register on-line @ vlcgv.org
Click on the VBS Registration tab
Janice Brunswick, Children's Pastor
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/242273201.html | 242273201
Celebrate Recovery
Event Dates and Times
1/27/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
2/3/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
2/10/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
2/17/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
View Additional Dates
2/24/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
3/3/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
3/10/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
3/17/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
3/24/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
3/31/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
4/7/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
4/14/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
4/21/2014 - Starts: 6:30 PM
2867 Orchard Avenue, Grand Junction
A Biblical Christ centered 12-step recovery program to help people overcome life controlling habits, hurts and hangups.
Pastor Steve, NineSevenZero Church, 970-812-3741
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/225354782.html | 225354782
Eckert Presbyerian Country store/Craft sale
Event Dates and Times
10/11/2013 - Starts: 9:00 AM - Ends: 4:00 PM
10/12/2013 - Starts: 9:00 AM - Ends: 2:00 PM
Eckert, CO
Country style store selling crafts, soup served on the 11th and sandwiches served on the 12th.
Bobbie Jones (970)-835-8112
Marilyn Colbaugh (970)-874-3792
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/181745301.html | 181745301
Caroling at Grace Point
Event Dates and Times
Grace Point Church located at 606 28 3/4 Road in Grand Junction.
Join them each Sunday for Christmas caroling at Grace Point Church and they will show how each song relates to the original Christmas story.
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/133438528.html | 133438528
Holiday Concert
Event Dates and Times
6:00 pm
Northeast Christian Church
2nd Annual Holiday Concert featuring the Bookcliff Barbershop Chorus, quartets & additional numbers by church groups.
Jim Witt, 242-2657 or 209-9241
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/132058538.html | 132058538
Horn O'Plenty Bazaar
Event Dates and Times
11/11/2011 - 11/12/2011
Crossroads United Methodist Church, 599 30 Road
Crossroads United Methodist Women are hosting their annual Horn O'Plenty Bazaar. We will be selling Christmas items, crafts and baked goods. We will also have our popular Cookie Walk on Saturday. Proceeds benefit women's and children's causes locally and globally. If you have questions, please call the church office at 242-0577.
Robin Iles, 200-2766
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/128676958.html | 128676958
Redlands United Methodist Church Fall kick-off
Event Dates and Times
9/11/2011 - Starts: 9:00 AM
Redlands United Methodist Church
Redlands United Methodist Church will be holding its annual fall kick-off, Sunday September 11.
A combined Contemporary\Traditional Church Service remembering the events of 9/11 and celebrating the Hope that transpired from this Historical Tragedy will be held at 9:11 a.m. followed by a pot luck brunch.
Please join us during this time to celebrate the resilience of the American people as well as learning more about the ministries Redlands United Methodist Church offers. Sunday school for all ages will be held during the service. A nursery will be available during the service and pot luck.
RUMC Youth Group also begins its fall schedule that evening. Grades 6-12 will meet in the fellowship hall from 5-7 p.m. Students are invited to come and participate in a spiritual journey among friends from around the Valley.
Redlands United Methodist Church is located at 527 Village Way off of Broadway.
If you have questions please call RUMC at (970)245-1478
Gary Haddock
http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/83390212.html | 83390212
Come As You Are Saturday night service
Event Dates and Times
Montrose United Methodist Church 19 S. Park Avenue Montrose
The Montrose United Methodist Church will begin a new Saturday "Come As You Are" Service on Feb. 20. Preschool - 5th grade Children's Church and infant and toddler child care are available. Dinner served at 6:15 PM during Lent. Call 249-3716 for more information.
Sheila Reeves at 970-249-3716
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subset: commoncrawl


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From the Editors
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Whatever Happened to Egypt's Democratic Transition?
There is a paradigm nobody talks about much anymore in regard to Egypt: the democratic transition. The problem with the idea of democratic transition, dearly beloved by the Barack Obama Administration, most of my colleagues in political science, and the Muslim Brotherhood, was that it presumed the institutions of the state would be passed, intact, from the old regime to the new. Through elections, constitutions, and the circulation of new elites, popular sovereignty and democratic practice would re-invigorate the barren institutions of the old order. Where necessary, new ones would be created.
What, we are impelled to ask, went wrong in Egypt? What made it, as one analyst is reported to have said, the stupidest transition ever or the revolution that never was? Or did the fault lie not in our Egypt but our selves? Not least in our inability to recognize that the complicated and confusing period, lasting a decade or more, between the first observation of revolutionary upheaval and its conclusion, is both more important and more uncertain than we feel comfortable with.
I want to begin at the point where theories of failed revolution and failed democratic transition diverge: the institutions of the old order. Theorists of failed revolution tell us that too many of Egypt's old institutions and old elites survived the 2011 upheaval: the Armed Forces, the judiciary, the bureaucracy, and the old elites. Theorists of failed transition might seem to believe that not enough of the old institutions survived but on closer inspection they have a different concern: Given free elections and the doctrine of popular sovereignty, not enough Egyptians seem to have taken the outcome of elections with sufficient seriousness. Specifically the winners of the parliamentary and presidential elections, the Muslim Brothers, have not been accorded the legitimacy of a freely and popularly elected government.
This is puzzling. Free and fair elections are the tonic of transition. All theorists of transition recognize that free elections are not "enough," as they put it, to ensure democracy, but free elections, by definition, are the way in which the people express their will. Once elections have been held, it is up to the new government to do its work and for the people to wait a decent interval before judging its performance at the ballot box rather than through ongoing and defiant street demonstrations and conflict. This is even more puzzling because it is difficult to argue that this has something to do with Islam since the Islamist parties won and they have no problem with asserting the doctrines of popular sovereignty and electoral legitimacy.
The dominant concern in Egypt today is the high, and increasing, level of polarization. It seems to be common in the US and Europe to describe this a conflict between the country's minority urban secular middle-class and its religious (Islamic) majority. That Egypt has become increasingly polarized is apparent, but it is doubtful that the polarization that paralyzes the country is between the secular middle-class and the rest of Egypt. Much of the violence in the streets today is occurring outside of Cairo in the Canal Zone and the provincial cities of the Delta, places not known for their large, secular middle classes. The violence is often specifically between the Muslim Brotherhood, its direct supporters and its occasional allies on specific issues, and the restive lower middle and working classes in these cities. Socially, we can speak of polarization on many dimensions. There is a marked rural/urban dimension to what we see. There is also a clear aspect of educational attainment. In terms of religion there is also an obvious Christian/Muslim dimension, but within the Muslim community there may also be an antagonism based on how the Brotherhood understands Islam in the modern world. Lastly, there is a rather widespread dissatisfaction with what many Egyptians perceive as the Brotherhood's own internal lack of transparency and democracy and aggrandizing organizational ambitions. These, in turn, provide both local and national elites with the basis through which they have opposed the Brotherhood but over which they have very little direct influence.
It is possible to use electoral maps to see a geographic dimension to this increased polarization. Egypt has had two constitutional referenda, parliamentary elections (and run-offs) for two chambers, as well as a presidential election and runoff. The elections are not strictly speaking comparable but what we see is a decline over time in turnout, relative support for the Muslim Brotherhood, and an increasing polarization centered on the Delta. Specifically three quite different provinces—Gharbiyya, Cairo, and Menoufia—have emerged as localized centers of opposition to the Brotherhood. All three of these provinces, which voted no in the December 2012 constitutional referendum, had voted yes in the March 2011 referendum. They also voted against Morsi in both the initial and runoff stages of the presidential election. Gharbiyya is the province in which the textile center of Mahallah is located, whose 2006 strikes are often referred to as the origin of the collapse of the Mubarak regime. Tanta, however, also a textile center, is even more strongly opposed to the MB. What may differentiate the two is the presence of the headquarters of an important Sufi order, the Badawiyya, which is located there and to which there is an annual pilgrimage. Cairo is the most urban of the governorates and, of course, has the largest concentration of the so-called secular middle class. Menoufia is quite unlike both Cairo and Gharbiyya and the best anyone can come up with to explain its behavior is that it was the home of both Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak, but this argument seems weak.
Given recent events it might now be possible to add the Canal cities of Suez, Port Said, and Ismailiya to the list of anti-MB strongholds. There are some specific grievances in each of these three cities of which the most well-known stems from the deaths of seventy-nine people at the Port Said soccer stadium on 1 February 2012 during a match between the local team, Al-Masry, and the Cairene Ahly team. The death sentences handed down to twenty-one defendants in Port Said on 26 January 2013 led to demonstrations and riots in Port Said and demonstrations in support of the verdicts in Cairo. The next day, itself the anniversary of the uprising that toppled Mubarak, massive riots broke out in Port Said and the other Canal cities as well as Alexandria. In response, President Morsi declared a state of emergency and curfew, which the demonstrators promptly and publicly broke by announcing street demonstrations to begin at the same hour as the curfew. The army refused to enforce the curfew with force and Morsi was left to slowly withdraw it and then allow it fade away.
One of the peculiarities, then, of the last two years is that the authority of the executive and the legislative branches of government has, for the time being, diminished while the authority of judicial branch and the Armed Forces (especially in the months since it relinquished power to President Morsi in August 2012) has increased. The Armed Forces have become more independent, constitutionally and even practically, from the executive branch than at any other time in recent history and the judiciary has intervened in politics with remarkable independence over the past two years. Sometimes, as when they dissolved Mubarak's National Democratic party, the courts gained universal praise. At other times, as when the Supreme Constitutional Court proclaimed the first post-Mubarak parliament elected in violation of the constitution, less so. The courts in Egypt, as elsewhere, are a counter-majoritarian institution. Their role may seem to be hard to explain in the context of the Arab world generally where such an independent court system that asserts such broad powers of review is anomalous. It is, in fact, anomalous within the context of the French jurisprudential system from which Egypt's judicial system springs. Briefly, what we are seeing is the result of two trends. One is the culmination of at least one hundred years of judicial culture in Egypt based on asserting the necessity of the rule of law as a way for the ordinary courts to control the executive and asserting claims of constitutional interpretive power. The other is the reality that, of the three branches of government, the courts have been the one to which ordinary Egyptians have resorted most frequently and with most success over the past hundred years. The courts can be arbitrary, corrupt, and unresponsive, but they have proven to be more useful than the other branches.
It is, I think, for this reason that there has been, in the years since 2011, so little popular response to calls for the establishment of revolutionary tribunals. Egyptian experience with exceptional tribunals, whether revolutionary or military, has not been positive.
Looking forward, then, we can see two institutional forces with significant legitimacy: the Armed Forces and the courts. And we can see, two institutions, paradoxically based on liberal notions of legitimacy—an elected presidency and legislature— are having the most trouble establishing broad acceptance. One problem for the president is that he tries to wield the power of his office in ways consonant with a regime that is dead (the old republic) or with a regime that has not yet been born.
Let us recall his attempts to deploy the power of the presidency in the interregnum between the old constitution and the new one. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) had dissolved the lower house after the Supreme Court ruled it had been elected unconstitutionally. On assuming the presidency Morsi tried to issue his own constitutional declaration ordering the lower house back into session. The courts, the SCAF, and significant portion of public opinion rebuffed his attempt. I have already noted that his recent attempt to create a state of emergency in the Canal provinces failed. In November he issued a constitutional declaration that allowed him to replace the Public Prosecutor and also shielded the work of the committee writing the constitution from judicial oversight. Massive demonstrations, including attacks on the presidential palace, forced Morsi to rescind the declaration, although not its effects. The committee wrapped up its work in record time so that a referendum could be held, thereby putting the threat of judicial review behind it.
So, going forward, politics in Egypt appears to be bounded by four forces: the judiciary, the army, the elected legislature and presidency likely controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood, and the mass public protest. Mass public protests, rare between 1952 and 2011, have often had the effect of forcing the executive to back down on policies and the last two years, in which they have become common, are no exception. Unfortunately these protests have, over the past year, increasingly turned into street battles between the Muslim Brotherhood and their opponents, especially in the provincial towns. Even casual viewers of Egyptian television recognize that the Canal cities and other towns of the interior are now the scenes of pitched battles in which people—clearly not the secular westernized intelligentsia—are determined to attack and destroy the Muslim Brotherhood's local offices and headquarters. The most obvious example occurred in early December 2012 when the national headquarters of the MB in Moqattam (Cairo) was torched. Generally the police do nothing as they do nothing in most street fighting unless they themselves have been attacked. But there are also indications in many provincial cities that Muslim Brotherhood militias and those based partly on soccer clubs now engage in routine street battles with each other.
It may come as a surprise, then, to realize that the Morsi government has been able to carry out some of its responsibilities even if it has chosen to do so in ways that maximize the influence of Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, in politics. The government has recently managed to pass a law allowing it to issue Islamic bonds over the opposition, not of the secular liberals who play almost no role in the Shura Council (the upper house) but over the opposition of Al-Azhar and the Salafi parties. The government has been able to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the absence of an agreement has more to do with concerns about Egypt's unstable politics than with the incapacity of the government to reach an agreement with the international body. The government does not, it is clear, have much control over the police, but the opposition leadership does not have much control over the demonstrators. If the opposition leadership often appears weak and divided it is equally clear that its base, especially in the industrial cities, is unwilling to tie its future to the National Salvation Front. In other words, the broad outlines of power are far from settled in the country.
New parliamentary elections will be held beginning in April. The opposition has, for the moment, decided to boycott the elections. Not to participate is to allow the MB and other Islamists to dominate the parliament completely which, given the new constitution, will allow them fairly wide power over society. Whether that will come with the ability to solve the country's pressing economic problems and increasing polarization is far from clear. Obviously, the Muslim Brothers hope to ride out the storm, but if they do there is every reason to believe that their preference will be to impose rather than negotiate policy.
And indeed, neither they nor any other government will have much time given the rapid decline of Egypt's foreign exchange reserves, the evident lack of competitiveness in the export of manufacturing or agricultural products, and the country's declining tourism (itself in part subject to competitive pressures since the primary tourist destination is the country's beaches not its Pyramids).
Egypt is by no means a country engaged in a democratic transition. It is a country in the midst of a revolution. For better or worse, however, unlike the classic revolutionary situations, Egypt has a functioning and still respected court system (not true of France, Russia or China) and a functioning Armed Forces, which will intervene to prevent the collapse of the state but not much more.
Egypt is also a country whose urban population has been mobilized as never before and which has stayed ready to take to the streets long after most people had written that possibility off. It is primarily the pressure of the streets that have pushed the political situation forward, but at some point the political leadership of the country must take up its real responsibility. Egypt is now in a situation reminiscent of what, in 1975, Michel Crozier, Samuel Huntington, and Joji Watanuki called the crisis of democracy. What they meant was that the levels of mass mobilization had undermined traditional (that is, previously existing) relations of authority within the state, the religious institutions, and elsewhere. The masses were too eager to participate and thus, through an excess of democratic aspirations and activity, threatened democracy itself at least as Crozier, Huntington and Watanuki (and the Trilateral Commission) understood it. The decline of authority, or haibat al-dawlah as the Arabic equivalent employed in Egypt today has it, was a moral as well as a political crisis in the minds of these three distinguished conservative intellectuals. They could hardly imagine how such a chaotic situation would end well. The world of the advanced industrial societies differs today from the one that existed in the first two-thirds of the twentieth century and probably also from the one that the authors of the report might have preferred. The revolutionary democratic impulse that they feared was contained for many reasons, not least of which was the adjustment of institutions and elites to new ways of governing. To paraphrase Lenin, revolutionary situations occur when elites can no longer govern in the old way and large numbers of people want to live in some as yet unspecified new way.
What might this mean for Egypt? For the Muslim Brotherhood, this may mean that winning elections is no longer anywhere near sufficient as a goal. To succeed they will need to find a different way of governing. Today's polarizing conflicts in Egypt are far from limited to differences between the Muslim Brotherhood and a secular, middle class (or Facebook) opposition. It is possible that, for example, many of the young people who showed up to dance the "Harlem Shake" in front of the Muslim Brothers' national headquarters were engaged in middle class mockery. If that were the opposition with which the Muslim Brotherhood had to contend they would be in a very different situation than they find themselves. The dock workers who have several times shut down the port at Ain Sokhna (most recently in mid-February 2013) were interested neither in embarrassing the Muslim Brotherhood nor in line dancing. Nor are industrialists like Magdi Tolba dancing for joy: the weakened pound is causing nearly as many problems as it solves for textile exporters like him.
The National Salvation Front faces its own problems. Frequently derided as feckless and irresponsible, they have the opposite problem of the Muslim Brotherhood: A political coalition that is sufficiently broad and whose institutional connection to its possible electoral base is sufficiently tenuous that they cannot find a way to compete coherently in the electoral process. Whether the boycott strips the elections of legitimacy or locks the opposition into the political wilderness remains to be seen.
Even a large electoral majority in parliamentary elections may not, for the foreseeable future, translate into viable governance as popular demands continue to be expressed in ways that are both democratic and disruptive and as the political leadership of the country finds it difficult to agree on a common path forward.
[A version of this article appears in Nisr al-Nasr.]
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Moderator: Quack Wacker NC
aunt betty wrote:They are both acceptable firearms to be used in pursuing waterfowl.
They say that the Beretta is softer to shoot but the Benelli is more reliable. The Benelli feels a little bigger and clunkier to me. I've shot both and I think I'd like a Benelli but I already own a Beretta.
Release the Kracken.
WTN10 wrote:He was funny like a Pomeranian getting kicked over a fence.
pgquackstacker wrote:I actually started bringing a gun with me on dates, so I bring the girl's father out to my car and tell him if he tries to cock-block me I'll kill him.
CutEm214 wrote:Can't really go wrong with either. Aside from being ugly, I think the Vinci has the advantages of being easier to break down in the field and requiring less cleaning (inertia vs gas).
ryandir wrote: It's very easy to clean and feels really solid. I wish Beretta had a website like Benelli with their video for tips and maintenance.
I also bought a Beretta 92FS so I'm not Benelli brain washed. I think you would be happy with either one.
SAHunter1983 wrote:Shoot just read that he went with the Vinci... Sorry to re up the thread. Sorry your forced to shoot 1 1/8 oz or higher ;)
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
jstewart_1981 wrote:I too have had the Vinchi and Super black eagle II's. it is a really nice gun and it shoots and performs flawlessly. I dont think anyone who has used one can find much negative to say about them. They are inertia guns they do recoil more than a gas gun but hunting that dont bother me one bit.
Like the above guy just mentioned I too had the same middle finger busting experience and trophy days are done for me. I now have what I think is going to be a permanent knot there. It hurts like a ****. During season it was almost the size of a marble, now just a half marble and nice scar. I dealt with it for 2 seasons and I now own a Beretta A400 and an Extrema 2 (since season closed). I have shot both of these guns several times and really like them. No cycling issues even with light 2 3/4 shells and I have also shot heavy 3.5" duck loads and no finger thump whatsoever. These are also very easy guns to assemble/take apart, like the Benelli. I wished I could give you an A plus field rating on the Beretta's but I have yet to hunt with them. I will tell you if they perform half as good as my Benelli's did I will be satisfied. Just be advised of the "benelli"finger thumping you may get.
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movie trailer (apple.com - quicktime)
NOTE: This spoiler was sent in by Snowriderz64.
The film starts out with baby Buddy (who later grows up to be Will Ferrell) is in an orphan house and is just going to bed on x-mas eve. Santa comes down the chimney and goes to eat some cookies and buddy crawls out of his bed into Santa's toy bag.
30 years later
Buddy (Will Ferrell) is all grown up and lives in the north pole and makes toys. He is the tallest of all the elfs which becomes a problem. Papa elf (Bob Newhart) finally gets enough courage to tell buddy that he really isn't an elf. Buddy is just a human and should leave the north pole to find his real family. Buddy agrees and decides to go and find his father since his mother died when Buddy was little.
Buddy figures out that his dad, Walter (James Caan) lives in NYC. Buddy leaves the north pole as soon as he can to find his father. After a long journey Buddy finally reaches NYC.
Papa Elf gave buddy a snow globe which has the empire state building inside so Buddy decides to look for the Empire State Building where he believes his father works. Buddy goes inside the building looking everywhere. He finds an office and asks for his dad. Walter's office is on another floor and Buddy goes inside and sees his dad. Buddy is all excited to see his father but Walter doesn't think that Buddy is his real son. Walter and Buddy get a DNA test and the results reveal that Buddy really is Walter's son.
Walter takes Buddy back to his house where Walter has a wife (Emily) and a son (Michael). The family sits down to dinner and Emily asks Buddy if he would like to stay with them in their apartment. Buddy agrees. The next day Buddy wanders into the mall and sees an x-mas store which draws Buddy's attention. Buddy steps inside and the boss of the store thinks Buddy is an elf who helps out with the store while "Santa" visits the store so children can see him. Buddy wanders around the store and meets Jovie (Zooey Deschanel).
The two talk and get to know each other. Buddy is rambling on about random x-mas things and mentions signing and Jovie said that she hates singing and she is embarrassed to sing in front of people.
Early before the store opens Buddy sneaks in to decorate it. When the store opens everyone is amazed at the work that Buddy has done. The boss says that Santa is coming and Buddy gets all excited and claims that he knows Santa. (Obviously know one believes him) When Santa comes Buddy notices that its not the real Santa and Buddy gets fired from the store after buddy yells at the Santa and the two got into a big fight.
Buddy decides to pick up Michael from school and takes him around central park, making snowballs. Buddy takes Michael into the store and meets Jovie. Michael tells Buddy that he should ask Jovie out to dinner. Buddy does and Jovie says that she is excited.
The next night Buddy goes to pick up Jovie to go out to have some fun. The two have a great evening and Jovie says that she would love to do it again soon. Buddy goes to Walter's office to help out but Walter gets so mad that he yells at Buddy to leave and never come back. Buddy gets very upset and decides to go back to the North Pole.
Buddy leaves a note in Michael's room saying that he is going for good. Michael gets really upset and runs to Walter's office to try and tell Walter. Michael tells Walter that he feels that he doesn't have a dad because he is always working and never home. Walter feels upset and decides to help Michael look for Buddy. Buddy is wandering around central park and sees Santa flying towards NYC (because its x-mas eve). Santa's sled breaks down because the sled runs on x-mas spirit and the motor is shot .
Buddy helps Santa to try and fix the sled. Michael and Walter meet up with him and also help Santa with the sled.
The news comes to central park because people have been saying that they thought they saw something up in the sky. The news reporter is all sarcastic about it being the real Santa. Jovie sees this on TV and goes down to central park. Jovie meets up with Buddy and he explains why the sled isn't running and why it is broken. Jovie gets an idea to bring back x-mas spirit. Jovie starts singing x-mas songs in front of central park and all the people including the news starts singing, giving Santa's sled just enough power to run. Walter decides that he wants Buddy to stay in NYC.
We later see Buddy, Jovie, Walter, Emily and Michael in their house celebrating x-mas.
We also learn that Jovie and Buddy get married and have a baby. Buddy and Jovie visit the north pole once in a while..
nice happy ending.....
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Koren Siddur
The Koren Siddur refers to a family of siddurim published by Koren Publishers Jerusalem beginning in 1981.[1]
Eliyahu Koren began work on a new prayerbook in the 1970s. Koren created Koren Book Type for the project, and an innovative design for which the siddur would become famous.[2] Rather than allow the text to run continuously across page turns, Koren maintained lines and paragraphs within individual pages. He set individual sentences line by line, according to their meaning. The result was a prayerbook, published in 1981, that facilitated uninterrupted prayer and elucidated the underlying meaning of the text. The siddur became one of the most widely used Hebrew-only prayerbooks. In 2009, Koren Publishers Jerusalem introduced a new Hebrew/English edition of the Koren Siddur, the Koren Sacks Siddur (below), with an introduction, translation, and commentary by the Orthodox Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Lord Jonathan Sacks.
Koren Siddurim[edit]
Eliyahu Koren's philosophy regarding the siddur can be summed up in his statement that, "The prayers are presented in a style that does not encourage habit and hurry, but rather inspires the worshipper to engage both mind and heart in prayer." The Koren Siddur thus employs a subdued, elegant layout throughout,[3] and uses a poetry-line format in many of the included prayers.[4]
Koren Sacks Siddur[edit]
The Koren Sacks Siddur is the Hebrew-English edition of the popular Koren Siddur,[5][6] edited and annotated by Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth Jonathan Sacks and designed by Raphael Freeman. The translation and commentary are based on the UK's 'Authorized Daily Prayer Book' (see Simeon Singer#Works).
It was first published in 2009,[1] signaling Koren's entry into the English-language siddur market, long dominated by ArtScroll. The Koren Sacks aims to fill a niche by becoming the main prayer text in Modern Orthodox congregations.[7][8] The siddur has also been well received by non-Orthodox Jews.[9]
While on a speaking tour in the United States to promote the siddur in May 2009,[10] Sacks told The Baltimore Sun that he aimed for a "new, simple, straightforward, . . . reasonably lucid translation—one that captured a little of the rhythms of the Hebrew itself and gave a little of the poetry of the more poetic prayers". He said that his commentary is intended to "shed some light on the inner logic of the prayers",[11]
Differences from other Orthodox siddurim[edit]
- The translation and commentary, although based on the Authorized Daily Prayer Book, has been improved by Rabbi Sacks and a team of translators from Koren. The prayers follow the Koren tradition, including prayers not present in previous UK Singer siddurim.
- There are some differences of nusach (liturgical choices) and instructions, as this siddur is for a North American readership. The Ashkenazi rite of Orthodox and Conservative Jews in the United States and Canada differs slightly from that of Orthodox and Conservative Jews in the United Kingdom.
- Includes prayers for the government and armed forces.
- More extensive prayers for holidays, including Ushpizin, Akdamut, Kaparot, Viduy and Selihot
- Additional prayers intended for the reader to use while praying in the State of Israel.
- This is the first Orthodox siddur to be endorsed by the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA). Prayers are included for the birth of a daughter, for women to recite, after birth, when they return to synagogue; has prayers for women to constitute a quorum for grace after meals; prayers said traditionally only with male grammar ("Modeh Ani") now have feminine and masculine options.
Koren Publishers Jerusalem followed up on The Koren Sacks Siddur with the publication of The Koren Sacks Rosh HaShana Mahzor in 2011, The Koren Sacks Yom Kippur Mahzor in 2012, The Koren Sacks Pesah Mahzor in 2013, the Koren Yom Ha'atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim Mahzor in 2014, The Koren Sacks Sukkot Mahzor in 2015, and The Koren Sacks Shavuot Mahzor in 2016.
- ^ a b http://www.korenpub.com/siddur/siddurcatalog.pdf
- ^ Friedman, Joshua J. (June 30, 2009). "Prayer Type: How Eliyahu Koren used typography to encourage a new way to pray". Tablet. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ Wilensky, David A. M. (July 10, 2009). "The Koren Siddur. Thank God.". Jewschool. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ http://www.koren-publishers.co.il/HTMLs/articlen.aspx?C2078=12656&BSP=12638&BSS2065=12656&BSCP=12638&BSS585=12638&BSS295=12650 Archived October 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Sacks, Jonathan. "Sacks Siddur". Koren Publishers Jerusalem. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- ^ The Koren Siddur. Translated by Sacks, Jonathan (1st bilingual ed.). Jerusalem: Koren Publishers. 2009. ISBN 9789653010673.
- ^ Ben Harris (May 25, 2009). "Can Britain's chief rabbi sell in America?". JTA. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ Steve Lipman (May 13, 2009). "Battle Of The Books". The Jewish Week. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ Finally, A Book Of (Mostly) Common Prayer, Leon A. Morris, The Jewish Week, 5/13/09 [1]
- ^ "Rabbi Jonathan Sacks To Speak On Long Island, May 21". Five Towns Jewish Times. May 13, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ Matthew Hay Brown (May 15, 2009). "Recapturing the Spirit: Jewish Prayers Retranslated to Address the Modern World". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 7, 2011.


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Olivia Sari-Goerl... Photographer
TX-PhotographyPhotographer Male Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
My Website: TX-PhotographyMy MM URL: http://www.modelmayhem.com/sheriqbal
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About MeHaving picked up photography as a hobby in 2008 , Iqbal has since been immersing himself in a wide variety of projects. This includes capturing portraits, landscapes, various events such as weddings and even snippets of urban life. His style is best described as, "emotional", "atmospheric" and "nostalgic", brought to fruition with a very specific and continued emphasis on vintage eras,landscapes and texture work. Not restricted to still frames, he has also been involved in a few adventures with film.
Don't size him up with just this biography, though. Let his pictures show you what he can do.
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Sketching at Farmers Markets always poses a dilemma: should I just capture the stalls full of fresh fruits and veges? Or try and build in the sea of humanity that walks through too quickly? If I build in the people, I end up blocking the view of most of the produce, the most attractive, colorful part of the market. Here are a few of my Farmers Market sketches from early in the season. I'd love suggestions on how I capture more of the action…
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Currently, Arizona, Hawaii, the eastern time zone portion of Indiana, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Source: World Almanac and Book of Facts 2005, p. 387. California Energy Commission web site.
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Skyward Sword Link help?
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Zelda & Kimono Obsessed
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,322
I can't be of much help on anything aside from the harp... But I have to tell you, to make a real working harp is probably more trouble than it's worth (and technically you'd be trying to make a lyre, not a harp). It's a helluva lot of work, and in a convention setting, rather pointless to have since you wouldn't be able to hear it. It also depends on the quality you're going for - are you making the equivalent of a shoebox guitar or shooting for a quality instrument?
While I've yet to see a real harp or lyre in the shape of the Goddess Harp, I did find
this blog on how to make a real harp
. If you still want to try go ahead, though I'm not sure how wide a variety of sound you can get with a true Goddess harp styled lyre.
Just remember, it's probably very possible, with tech nowadays, to make a prop harp and put some sort of sound device in there to make it sound as if it is being played.
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|Sam Hodgson <hodgson_...@hotmail.com>
|Secondary Index Validation Type Parse Error
|Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:02:10 GMT
Hi All, Getting the following parse error when trying to create a CF with a secondary index using the bytestype attribute, the index is for a column called 'subject': java.lang.RuntimeException: org.apache.cassandra.db.marshal.MarshalException: cannot parse 'subject' as hex bytes Im doing all my validation in php however im unable to validate some UTF8 sources accurately (using mb_detect_encoding) - Cass picks up on bits of non-UTF8 compatible text that the php doesnt so its throwing exceptions. Figured id set everything to bytestype to try and effectively turn off validation in Cass? Im using the following to try and build the CF: create column family subjects with column_type = 'Standard' and comparator = 'BytesType' and default_validation_class = 'BytesType' and key_validation_class = 'BytesType' and rows_cached = 200000.0 and row_cache_save_period = 0 and row_cache_keys_to_save = 2147483647 and keys_cached = 200000.0 and key_cache_save_period = 14400 and read_repair_chance = 1.0 and gc_grace = 864000 and min_compaction_threshold = 4 and max_compaction_threshold = 32 and replicate_on_write = true and row_cache_provider = 'SerializingCacheProvider' and compaction_strategy = 'org.apache.cassandra.db.compaction.SizeTieredCompactionStrategy' and column_metadata=[{column_name: subject, validation_class: BytesType, index_type: KEYS}]; Any help is greatly appreciated! :) Cheers Sam
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4/20: State Representatives Smoke Cannabis at NH State House with Crowd of 100+Since 2009, on April 20th at 4:20pm people from across New Hampshire gather in front of the State House in Concord to commit mass civil disobedience by smoking, vaporizing, or otherwise consuming cannabis in public. As has happened in previous years, we were again joined by multiple state representatives including Libertarian Caleb Dyer of Pelham, NH as well as Keene's Ward One Democrat, Joseph Stallcop, and Republican Glen Aldrich of Gilford.
Representatives Dyer and Stallcop were both featured speakers and also toked up with a crowd of over 100 people while representative Aldrich took photos, as he has done for years at the rally. Also photographing the event was Granite Haze of Mind blogger Justin Campagnone – you can check out his albums here. I had the honor of video recording the event, including all the speakers. I'll be posting each speech to the Free Keene YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell on the YouTube channel to see the videos as they are released! Meanwhile, here's a video with some highlights of the event to tide you over:
This year's event began with speakers at 3pm including representatives Dyer & Stallcop, me explaining the right of Jury Nullification, and Libertarian Party of NH chairman Darryl W Perry. The overcast weather threatened rain which thankfully never materialized and the temperature was cool and pleasant with a couple dozen already in attendance at 3pm by the street, smoking cannabis and chalking messages on the pavement. As we closed in on 4:20pm (the time that cannabis is used in celebration globally) the numbers of attendees swelled to easily over 100 people.Event organizer and executive director of the 420 Foundation, Shire Dude emceed (and live streamed) the event. As the crowd gathered directly in front of the state house close to 4:20, we heard from speakers including Carla Gericke of the Foundation for New Hampshire Independence, the executive director of the NH Cannabis Freedom Festival, Rick Naya, and medical cannabis consultant John Padellaro who told us how cannabis helped him with his inoperable brain growth. Padellaro also said, "I don't support legalization. I support ending prohibition." This sentiment was echoed by speakers Perry and Gericke, with Gericke also calling on New Hampshire's new governor, Chris Sununu, to pardon all peaceful drug offenders and end funding for "Granite Hammer". Perry and representative Dyer's speeches focused on the current legal status and future of cannabis reform in New Hampshire while Naya reflected on the previous 420 rallies and people we've lost to prohibition. In his off-the-cuff speech, representative Stallcop of Keene told the attendees, "we need to stop looking at each other in terms of left or right. I see, in all honesty, there is right and there is wrong…We will stand together as one people and say that this is our decision, this is our choice." (more…)


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WINTER RENTAL AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 4 2017-Beautiful apartment located in the heart of West End. Minutes away from the beach, Monmouth Medical, Monmouth University, restaurants, schools, and shopping! Hardwood Floors, updated kitchen, and bathroom. Laundry room on premises, private parking...MU STUDENTS WELCOME!
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Originally Posted by MinnesotaMike
Global warming. People often assume that simply means the temp is warmer. Actually, it means more radical shifts in weather patterns (both warm AND cold...as well as precipitation, flooding, tornados, etc...) I really don't understand how so many people can still turn a blind eye to the world around us, and what we are doing to it.
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
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New Montcalm County 4-H Fair Board president takes over
MONTCALM TOWNSHIP — Mike McGonigal took over Montcalm County 4-H Fair Board presidential duties last November, replacing six-year president Pat Schuster, who is now chairman of finance and fundraising.
"I would never have stepped aside if he hadn't taken over," Schuster said. "I think very strongly he's a perfect fit."
This is not McGonigal's first rodeo. As a 4-H club leader, parent and board member, McGonigal, a pharmaceutical salesman, has been getting ready for fair for many years. This year, as board president, fair preparation has new meaning for him.
Getting ready for the fair
The Montcalm County 4-HFair will take place June 24 to 30 — one week earlier than usual — at the new fairgrounds located at the corner of M-91 and Peck Road in Montcalm Township.
The 15-member volunteer fair board is putting in many hours to make sure the fairgrounds are ready.
"We're working very hard to be sure buildings and grounds are prepared," McGonigal said. "And getting grass on the ground to keep the dust down, which was a problem last year."
The board's main priority is to get the exhibit building ready to house still exhibits, such as artwork, food, plants and woodworking projects.
The exhibit building — named the Ash Foundation Building after philanthropists Stanley and Blanche Ash – was partially funded by a $250,000 endowment from the Ash Foundation.
"We have a way to go on finishing the interior," McGonigal said. "The initial donation put up the shell and concrete, and hopefully we'll have bathrooms soon. 4-H families, leaders and groups have really stepped up to help."
Getting operational campground sites before fair is another priority. Several electricians are donating their time to get electrical and water to at least 50 campsites before fair, according to McGonigal.
"With the new fairgrounds, we have to look at things differently," Schuster said. "Mike's younger and has kids in fair. I'm more of a grassroots kind of guy, and Mike uses technology to get things done."
Benefitting local youth and economy
Nearly 500 youths participate in the Montcalm County 4-H Fair each year and 15,000 to 20,000 people visit.
Horses, cows and livestock are a big part of 4-H, but McGonigal said it also has a broad spectrum of other offerings.
"If your child has an interest in writing, woodworking, public speaking, you name it, 4-H is able to offer your child something," he explained. "For children who live in the city, it builds awareness of how animals are raised and taken care of, as well as the role agriculture plays in the community."
McGonigal s known 4-Hers who have pursued careers in animal science or veterinarian medicine. He believes participation not only builds an important foundation for youth, but helps contribute to the livelihood of the local economy. He boasts of the quality of the fairgrounds facilities and different types of venues he hopes will bring in great revenue.
"Supporting the economy is of huge value," he said. "We realize what an asset this can be to the local community."
Making it even better
"To make the best better," is the 4-H motto, as well as McGonigal's.
"People are just now beginning to realize the potential of what we can offer that we weren't able to do at the old fairgrounds." McGonigal said.
He wants to keep steering in the right direction for future growth by marketing year-round fairgrounds activities – weddings, banquets, animal shows, and group meetings, among others.
"We're much focused on keeping everything family friendly and a pulpit for the community."
Many activities already are scheduled, including a notable Michigan Quarter Horse Association Show, the District 5 Michigan Interscholastic Horsemanship Association (MIHA) competition and a tractor pull and camping during the Danish Festival.
"How quickly we progress will depend on the future level of contributions," McGonigal said. "The esthetic details – plants, brick driveways and gardens – will come last. The main priorities are to finish the exhibit building and get power and water to campsites. Building one more animal barn and a third horse barn is yet to come."
Schuster said McGonigal is headed in the right direction as fair manager.
"I'm still on the board as chairman of finance and fundraising, so I'm not going anywhere," Schuster said. "I'll help him as much as I can. The new fairgrounds needs to be utilized 100 percent for community."


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Exclusive Interview with Miranda Cosgrove
Where did you grow up?
"London — in leafy Roehampton."
What was the worst popular trend when you were going to school?
"For some reason, all the girls started wearing glittered lipstick in all kind of atrocious colors! Also, huge platform shoes like the Spice Girls wore were popular."
Outtakes from Leighton Meester's February Cover Shoot


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Robert Ford, artistic director of TheatreSquared, stood before a crowd of New York theater professionals — producers, the press, artists and patrons — and told them about Northwest Arkansas' love of theater.
"We've learned in Northwest Arkansas that people love live, intimate and challenging work," Ford said.
Ford was in New York on Oct. 24 to accept the 2011 National Theatre Company Award from the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards. The $10,000 recognition honored TheatreSquared as one of the nation's 10 most promising emerging theaters.
Founded in 2005, TheatreSquared is one of Arkansas' only companies to employ paid artists to create its original productions. The theater, which is the region's only year-round professional theater, is also distinguished by the intimacy of its space. Located inside the Walton Arts Center's Nadine Baum Studios in Fayetteville, the theater has 175 seats, and the back is just 15 feet from the stage.
The major story at TheatreSquared through the past few seasons has been its rapid growth. The theater's audience increased from 4,000 to 18,000 annual attendees between 2009 and 2012.
Building on this momentum, the company recently announced a seventh season that it calls its "most ambitious yet." The lineup includes four professional productions in Northwest Arkansas, a tour of Arkansas high schools and the theater's fifth annual Arkansas New Play Festival in Fayetteville and Little Rock.
With the new season of 125 performances set to begin Aug. 30, the stage is set for Northwest Arkansas' reputation to grow as a destination for professional theater.
Subscriptions for TheatreSquared's new season are on sale at the Walton Arts Center box office with prices beginning at $84 for a four-play package. Information on the theater's season seven lineup and programs can be found at theatre2.org or by calling (479) 443-5600.


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10 summer sales to shop right now
from acne to urban outfitters.
There are some universals truths in life, and one of our favorites is the fact that there's no better therapy than retail therapy. Lucky for you, it happens to be summer sale time! And many of our go-to retailers are offering awesome duds at wallet-friendly prices.
Oh, and since some of these sales end soon, the best time check them out is right now. So if you've been feeling restless, moody, or just plain bored, time to kick the summertime blues in the most fashionable way possible.


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I don't have any firsthand experience with Glocks, I'm primarily a 1911 fan. I've considered picking one up from time to time though just for kicks - a Baby Glock in .45ACP or a 20/29 in 10mm. Overall I think they're good quality weapons and it mainly comes down to whether or not the grip profile and trigger pull feel "right" to you.
I do prefer a manual safety on my autos but Hell, my edc is one of two S&W revolvers so I guess it's not much different. :wink:


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Administrators offer to take a 3 percent pay cut to save $75,000
Budgeting blunders have created a new financial headache for the Forest Grove School District, which already cut $7.5 million from its 2011-12 budget and has seen its enrollment drop by 77 students this fall.
Business manager Mike Schofield told the school board Monday night that faulty expenditure projections made before he arrived have put the district on target to finish this fiscal year $207,264 in the red.
Left on the current trajectory, the gap could grow to a chasm by June 2013.
'If we did nothing, we'd be about $3.2 million in the hole,' said Superintendent Yvonne Curtis. 'We know we can't do that. We have a plan to end the year in the black.'
21 months
Schofield said he has '21 months to fix things,' meaning the district will strive to end 2012-13, the second in a two-year budget cycle, with money in the bank.
He'll start by implementing $780,000 in adjustments: a $55,000 cut from substitutes, temporary employees and extra-duty personnel; a $175,000 cut from purchased services, such as utilities; a $350,000 cut from technology; and a $300,000 cut from deferred maintenance. He plans to add $100,000 to the district's expected obligation to laid-off staff members filing for unemployment benefits.
Between now and the end of the current school year, Schofield will propose another $900,000 in cuts to bring the district into the black by $572,000 on June 30, 2012.
'We owe the board that much in cuts to stay on plan,' he said.
A piece of the solution could come from district administrators, who offered Monday to take a 3 percent pay cut in the wake of the bad budget news.
If the board takes them up on it, 22 central office employees, principals and vice-principals will surrender a total of $75,000 this year, Schofield said.
They received a 1.5 percent pay hike last spring.
Off the mark
It turns out that three major expense categories - Public Employee Retirement System payouts, substitute pay and a combination of Social Security, Medicare and employee insurance contributions - were far off the mark in the budget blueprint handed to Schofield when he returned to the district after a four-year absence July 1, replacing Darin Davidson.
Since the district spent nearly $2 million on substitutes last year, Schofield sensed the newly-budgeted figure was low at $1.1 million. But when he realized last week exactly how skewed it was, 'I was sick to my stomach,' he said.
On the positive side, the district's ledger showed an ending balance of $581,182 on June 30, Schofield noted. On the negative side, expenses were unexpectedly high.
Retirement payouts up
The district's PERS costs unexpectedly rose by about $1 million after the Oregon PERS board of directors hiked payout rates from 5 to 13 percent, a move Schofield attributed to 'losses in the stock market and real estate markets the last few years.'
Careful to point out there had been 'no wrongdoing, and no misappropriation of funds,' Curtis said she was glad to have found out about the additional shortfall early in the year rather than later.
But with the recession dragging on and state revenue receipts anything but certain, she's directing her staff to continue to look for ways to save money.
'We really thought we'd planned carefully to come up with a sustainable budget,' said Curtis, who front-loaded the 2011-12 budget with most of the cuts she planned to make over a two-year period. 'These are areas we didn't know about.'
Areas of concern include a potential drop in federal funding for district programs, future state funding shortfalls, higher unemployment costs and further enrollment losses.
'We'll take a good look at all that,' said Schofield, who plans to make regular reports to the school board all year.
Enrollment 'a big deal'
Every pupil enrolled in the district brings in about $6,000 in state funding. 'If we continue to decline, it's a big deal,' said Schofield, who's keeping a wary eye on the district's flat student numbers.
As of Sept. 21, the district recorded an enrollment of 5,800 students, down 77 from the same date in 2010. But it's an increase of 35 over the report Human Resources Director Dave Willard gave the board Sept. 12.
'Our trend is to grow from now until Oct. 1,' Willard noted. He added that K-8 numbers fluctuate throughout the year while high school numbers tend to decrease.
Not included in the total were 199 students enrolled at Forest Grove Community School, he added.
'Our total claimed to the state is 5,899,' Willard said.


text: Politics 23 October 2009 Is Miliband heading to Brussels? Could he become Europe's first foreign minister? Sign up for our weekly email * Print HTML It's been a good week for David Miliband. On Tuesday he was touted as the man to save the Labour Party and today the Times and the Guardian report that he is in line to become Europe's first foreign minister. Miliband is said to be admired in Paris and Brussels as one of the few genuine Europhiles in Gordon Brown's cabinet. An EU diplomat remarks: "He is effective and well liked. He has an ability to combine tactics with an understanding of the political big picture and people find that very impressive." But would he run for the post? As Miliband contemplates the prospect of life in opposition, it would be strange if he were not tempted by the high politics of Brussels.Yet his success would be dependent on the failure of his mentor, Tony Blair, to become EU president. It would be unacceptable for two British figures (and two Labour figures) to claim both of the posts created by the Lisbon Treaty. There is no doubt that Miliband has the talent and the ambition to take on the job. Since becoming Foreign Secretary, he has overseen the creation of a genuinely alternative approach that favours soft power and diplomacy over military intervention. But it would be a pity for Labour to lose one of its most cerebral and articulate figures from a cabinet that remains, by historical standards, profoundly undistinguished. I would still be surprised to see Miliband leave the domestic scene. His stock has been rising since his impressive conference speech lambasting the Tories' sinister European alliance. He will not miss his opportunity to claim the leadership next year. › Question Time BNP: Disgusted -- but by Griffin's fellow panellists George Eaton is political editor of the New Statesman. Subscribe from just £1 per issue More Related articles The three avoidable mistakes that Theresa May has made in the Brexit negotiations Who really controls the Labour Party now? Lord Sainsbury pulls funding from Progress and other political causes Subscription offer 12 issues for £12 + FREE book LEARN MORE Close This week's magazine


text: In the article "Good Design, Happy Cats?" published on October 11, 2007, The New York Times reviews several pieces of modern cat furniture and discusses the merits of good design for cats and their owners. Writer Chris Colin, and his two cats Sam and Bobby, personally tested the Buddha cat shelves by Square Cat Habitat, the Cat Cocoon by One Form Design, Pounce from Everyday Studio, and several other modernist-inspired products. He describes Sam and Bobby's reactions to the new items, including Sam's regard for "expensive cardboard as his birthright." Great article!


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Free personalized radio that
plays the music you love
Chrono Trigger
Features of This Trackdowntempo influences
classical influences
headnodic beats
a rhythmic intro
melodic part writing
synth riffs
a highly synthetic sonority
a dry recording sound
radio friendly stylings
and many other similarities identified in the Music Genome Project
These are just a few of the hundreds of attributes cataloged for this track by the Music Genome Project.show more
Similar Tracks
1 crono trigger
2 dragons dogma
3 crisis core
4 final fantasy 7
6 final fantasy x
7 world of Warcraft
8 runescape 3
9 illusion of Gaia
10 Mario rpg
So yeah when i played this my cuz, sis and I said:
DBZ----CT counterpart
Goku---Crono ( S n e s only had 5 letter names)
Chichi---The princess(her name escapes me) Marle! Got it!
Bulma----Luc c a
Gohan(teen)- - - Frog human forme
Vegeta--- that silver haired villian.
Picolo--- theres a green dude in the opening for the PS1 version anime opening.
Theres a blonde gal----who looks like the dino time gal.
And it looks like Dragon Ball because one of the game artists was the guy who drew Dragon Ball.
And the last thing Chrono Trigger needs is a remake with crappy motion controls! ;)
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text:
William and Kate's Jungle Fashion: Duchess Remains Composed Amidst Topless Photo Scandal
Kate Middleton has proven to be a true royal princess.
The Duchess of Cambridge put on smiles amidst the media frenzy over her topless photos, managing her way through the events in the nine-day Diamond Jubilee tour of South East Asia and the South Pacific with Prince William.
Some surreal time away in the jungle, perhaps, helped Middleton find peace.
Though William and Kate are reportedly "very very angry" over the topless photos published on French Closer magazine Friday, the Duchess especially impressed the world with her calm and composed manner. Middleton managed to smile every now and then, and even was seen giving a hand of support to her husband, who did show signs of frustration.
Following their Malaysia tour, the royal couple spent three hours Saturday, touring the Danum Valley Conservation Area in a rainforest in Borneo.
The Duchess and Duke were then hoisted up a 130-feet tree in the rainforest.
"I'm going to go 'whee' and fly the way up," Kate joked as she was propelled into the sky, reported The Hollywood Life.
Prince William even talked about wardrobe malfunctions.
"Girls don't have the same wardrobe malfunctions as men do," William said as he looked up at his wife, according to The Daily Mail.
"I hope I don't have any wardrobe malfunctions. It's not quite as impressive as the Shard."
Though she was not seen in her usual glamorous dresses, Kate Middleton revealed her innate elegance in her jungle outfit. The Duchess donned a green blouse, slim-cut beige cargo pants and a leather belt, paired with brown walking boots.
Middleton was looking forward "immensely" to visiting this "virgin jungle," according to royal aides.
And the grand nature did help the Duchess refresh her mind from the disturbing scandal.
"That was rather surreal, wasn't it?" Middleton said of the 10 minutes she spent up in the canopy.
"It was amazing, such a treat, really brilliant to be up there. I could have stayed up there for hours, even though there were a lot of ants."
"They enjoyed it immensely and they weren't scared of the heights. They asked about the primates, birds and insects and they were interested in how the forest is sustained," said Kalsum Yusah, who greeted the royal couple on the tree.
"They enjoyed it because it gets them into the midst of the canopy, where there's nothing much else going on."
That's probably what Kate exactly needed – a time away from all the eyeballs looking at every inch of her life.
"The visit is a means for The Duke and Duchess to experience the ecological wealth of Sabah's forests and the importance of supporting the efforts of the scientists working to understand and conserve them," a Buckingham Palace statement reads.
The topless photos of the future queen was published Friday, leaving the Duchess and Duke saddened and furious. The royals have filed for lawsuit against Closer magazine for the breach of privacy.
William and Kate were informed of the scandal on Friday morning, during their trip in Malaysia. Middleton smiled her way through a Diamond Jubilee tea party that afternoon, and kept her elegance undisturbed by the frenzy.
Through the crude trials thrown by the media, Kate Middleton seems to only prove her qualification to be the future queen.
Sep 15, 2012 11:29 AM EDT


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Boxing News
Andras Nagy passes
By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing
Hungarian light heavyweight boxer Andras Nagy (3-0) has passed away in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia after he a head clash during a gymnasium sparring session on May 1st. Andras suffered a brain hemorrhage. He was taken to hospital and operated on twice but could not be saved. The Hungarian was a silver medalist in the world youth championships in 2002 and had won all his three professional bouts. Nagy went to Australia in January for financial reasons and also learn English. He planned to stay six months. The 23 year old was scheduled to box in Melbourne on May 22nd.


text: How to Unlock Huawei 3G Modem E173, E1550 and E1750? Like zte, micromax Huawei is the leading manufacturer of 3G Modem as we all know. Before starting the unlocking process of Huawei Modems, there are few things which you should know. First, make sure that your data card is detected in your desktop / laptop / PC and you should know your IMEI number (IMEI number is a 15 digit number printed on the device). To know the 15 digit IMEI of your modem, see the back side of the modem. Universal master code calculator How to unlock your Huawei E173, E1750 or E1550 data card : 1. Download Universal Master Code.exe from the download link which is provided at the end of the article. Enter your 15 Digit IMEI number in Huawei tab, as shown in the below screen and press Calculate for Unlock Code and Flash Code. 2. Plug your data card with an unaccepted SIM to your PC. 3. For E173, It will prompt for an unlock code, just enter the Unlock Code you got from Universal Master Code.exe. (Your Huawei E173 modem is now unlocked and can be used with any another SIM after creating the profile). Note : But, E1750 and E1550 modems does not prompt for unlock code, hence, you have to download HUAWEI_MODEM_Code_Writer.zip from the below link and continue to step 4. 4. Extract the zip file and run HUAWEI_MODEM_Code_Writer.exe 5. Press " Please select Com Port " 6. Press " Detect" and choose your modem type in dropdown list. Then press " Accept". 7. Press " Unlock Modem ", a pop up window will appear asking you to enter the Unlock Code. 8. Enter the Unlock code from Universal Master Code in the field provided and click " OK ". 9. Press " Unlock Modem " (Your Huawei modem E1750 or E1550 is now unlocked and can be used with any another SIM after creating a new profile). Note : The above guide cannot be applied with Customized Firmware modem, to unlock customised firmware you need to flash the modem first, then it will accept the unlock code. Universal Master Code Calculator Final 2013.rar


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Hargroves Cycles is one of the largest dealers of Scott Bikes in the UK. We have been involved with Scott since 1995 - one of the first dealers to adopt the brand in the UK. Scott have also previously sponsored our own race team. In 2010 the team had great success riding the Scott Addict CX to numerous victories including a National Champions jersey.
Many of our staff ride Scott bikes as we realise the quality and technology that go into Scott frames and that they are at the pinnacle of pushing the boundaries at what you can do with carbon fibre as a frame material.
View our 2016 Scott Bike Range
Scott were born in 1958 - Ed Scott was a talented engineer and Ski racer. His first invention was the tapered aluminium ski pole. In 1986 the first Scott mountain bike arrived and the rest as they say is history. 1992 saw the first Scott full Suspension mountain bike. 1995 and the Scott Endorphin was born - a revolutionary carbon mountain bike. 2003 and Scott launch the CR-1 and the Genius. 2007 and Scott Launch the Addict - a 790 gram road frame. In 2008 Scott celebrated its 50th anniversary.
What's new for Scott 2016 Bikes?
The Foil gets a makeover - 2016 sees the established Foil Road Bike get a makeover to make it even more aero and improve the technology that has already been built upon. A culmination of 2 and half years of development Scott say it has improved the Foil in every way, making it more aerodynamic, lighter, stiffer, and more comfortable than the model that it is replacing.
27.5 Inch goes Plus Sized. - The newest addition to the plethora of wheel size options is the 27.5 Plus, which is effectively a hybrid version of a FAT Bike and 27.5 tyre. Offering a width up to 3 Inch gives you a much plusher ride without compromising on rolling resistance. Overall the benefits of plus sized tyres and the wider rim are outstanding traction, superior rollover, faster lines and no more slipups.
Scott enters the Fatbike market - If you want something new to the usual bikes out there, the Scott Big Ed Fatbike can cater for you. Following the current trend of Fatbikes it offers some serious gains in terms of comfort and terrain tackling. Coming complete with the new RockShox Bluto fork this bike is ready to rock on any terrain at any time.
Cyclocross makes a welcome return - Scott have re-released the Addict CX to be a world beating Cyclocross Race bike with all the modern features you would expect from today's cross bikes. On the top of the line models this includes Hydraulic Disc brakes, 1x11 SRAM groupset and Bolt Thru axles. The other claim to fame is the Addict CX is now currently the lightest disc brake-optimized frameset ever produced.
Scott products are only eligible to be sent within the UK.
Our Top Picks for 2016 - Available with 0% Finance
The Addict CX is back, and let us tell you, the Cyclo-Cross world better be ready. Having the lightest disc brake-optimized CX frameset ever produced, the Addict CX 10 Disc is just yearning to get to that predecessor, added vertical compliance for thru axle and a slew of cleverly designed CX details, this rig will be with you every stpe of the way as you crush cross event after cross event.
The phrase "Any Trail, Any Time" was coined a few years back to describe the Genius series. The all NEW Genius 720 Plus makes that phrase ring even truer. Adding plus sized wheels to what is already one of the most capable rigs on the market ups the level of traction, comfort, and most importantly fun hogging. Sporting an Alloy frame, the 720 comes in at a lower price point. Rocks, roots and boosts beware, this bike is ready to rumble.
The legend of the FOIL continues, and things are about to get even better. The all NEW FOIL 20 has been designed to be even more aerodynamic, more comfortable, and to still have that incredibly laterally stiff nature of its predecessor. Featuring an HMF Carbon Fiber frame, and integrated Syncros components, the FOIL 20 is a race ready machine at a fraction of the cost.
The SCOTT Scale 935 boasts a super light Carbon Fiber frame. The 935 comes fully equipped with a FOX 32 Float Performance fork with three modes, along with our RideLoc Remote Lockout technology to always optimize your ride.
NEW for 2016 is the Speedster CX 20 Disc. The race inspired alloy frame with its internal cable routing, added tire clearance and disc brakes is well equipped for every cold, muddy cross course that you throw at it. What's even better? It comes in at a fraction of the price of its Carbon cousin. There is a nice hot beverage at the finish line, get after it!


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'Who Has Deleted Ya' Scam Hits Facebook
As All Facebook reports, the scam is currently spreading via Wall posts that read: "i cant believe how many people av removed me from your friends list! well i kno who you all r now, & im coming 2 get ya!" This eyesore of a message is accompanied by a link to an application called 'Who Has Deleted Ya!' Clicking on the link, however, will only post the exact same message on all of your friends' Walls. In the meantime, the link will take you to a site that promises a new iPad or iPhone 4 -- as long as you fill out a survey. If you actually do complete the survey, the spammer behind the operation will earn a commission, and, not surprisingly, you won't win any prize. You won't be able to see who's deleted you, either.
Unlike other scams, though, 'Who Has Deleted Ya' is strangely transparent. On the survey site, for example, is a disclaimer that reads: "Participation required. Click for details." If you click on this link, you'll find out that there really is no gift involved, and that the site is only interested in the survey. But, by that point, you'll have already spammed the rest of your friends, so, as always, it's best to avoid clicking on it in the first place.


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Capertee Valley
Glen Davis Road, Capertee New South Wales Surrounded by the wonders of World Heritage listed wilderness, the Capertee Valley is the world's second largest canyon. Sandstone cliffs dominate the
Capertee Valley Bird Trail
Capertee Valley, Capertee New South Wales The Capertee Valley Bird Trail has 19 easily accessible bird watching sites each marked by a numbered roadside sign. The bird trail lies within the tr
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Historic Wisconsin building houses new HomeStore
January 21, 2014,
A ceremony marks the grand opening of the Ashley Furniture HomeStore in Prairie du Chien, Wis.
"It's been a long time coming," said JoAnn Evans, owner of the store at 219 N. Marquette Road here. "We're excited and ready to go."
The showroom occupies 19,000 square feet and the former A.W. Thompson Building accounts for 10,000 square feet on the upper level. An elevator shaft, receiving room and utility room with four furnaces are part of an addition on the northwest corner of the building.
The exterior of the store features a rustic log cabin look. The front porch was designed by Blair Dillman and is made from pine timbers that were taken from a farm that Dillman owns. All of the brick, inside and out, came from a former Campion building, which was taken down many years ago. The interior features brick pillars, walnut trim on the windows, and a large staircase leading to the spacious upper level, which has a higher ceiling.
"We offer something for everyone," said Evans, who said the store offers various styles of furniture, and accessories.
She said that there are 12 employees at the store and a nearby warehouse.
The historic building was constructed in 1914 and was a tobacco warehouse and sorting and grading facility for White Owl cigars. It was sold to the Delhury family in the mid-1960s and became an animal feed manufacturer known as Dr. Thompson's Minerals and Pre-Mix.
Furniture Today Staff | Staff Editors
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Reduce maintenance, improve efficiency and solve key pump application challenges with variable frequency drive technology.
Maximizing system efficiencies and protecting valuable assets help operators and pump manufacturers reach the overall goal—driving down energy consumption and improving system reliability. Increased awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable operations are driving change in industry regulations. It is critical to adapt quickly to evolving industry regulations and realities by adopting new technologies to control costs and reduce energy requirements.
Typically, energy consumption is 90 percent of the total cost of pump ownership. Best practices within pump applications today involve energy conservation, process efficiency and reliability, and a strong emphasis on long-term benefits.
Five Key Pump Application Challenges
Operators face many challenges that VFDs can help solve. They are detailed in this section.
Pump Cycling
Pumps turn on and off throughout the day. Starting a pump across the line creates mechanical stress on the system, which shortens the life of valuable assets. Variable frequency drives (VFDs) reduce flow, enabling the pump to run slower and continuously, which helps solve this problem.
Comparatively, other typical methods to reduce the impact of pump cycling involve valves or storage tanks, which either create maintenance issues or waste energy. Specifically, storage tanks allow the pump to fill extra liquid into a reservoir, buying time and avoiding some start/stop cycles. However, they can create ongoing maintenance issues by introducing another system, additional up-front costs and the need for extra space. Valves can be used to reduce flow, without making numerous starts and stops. However, that wastes a tremendous amount of energy because the pump continues to run at full speed even when it is unnecessary.
Water Hammer
The sudden shutoff of pumps and valves creates a backflow of water within the system that slams against the closed valve. Water hammer creates additional mechanical stress and wear on the pipes and valves, which reduces the life of valuable system assets. Reduced-voltage starting has evolved to help manage inrush currents and peak voltages. Solid-state soft starter technologies have also emerged to further eliminate shock to mechanical equipment. They reduce the load and torque applied to the motor powertrain during startup. Additionally, reduced voltage soft starters offer a wide range of current limit settings, providing greater control flexibility. For pumping processes, soft starters also help avoid water hammer in pipes by reducing line pressure so that valves can close gently and prevent a surge wave. Today, a wide range of motor starters offers high system configurability and flexibility for control gear design.
VFDs can eliminate water hammer by decreasing the pump speed rather than abruptly stopping the flow. VFDs offer all the protective features of reduced voltage and soft starters, while variable speed control allows the process to match energy consumption with process demands. By matching power consumption directly with process requirements and maintaining optimal operating parameters at all times, the energy savings realized by VFDs can generate investment payback periods of less than two years.
Under Load, Torque Protection
In many pumping applications detecting under-load or under-torque conditions is important. When a pump is starved, deadheaded or stalled, the current and power demands drop. Typical overload devices, such as bimetallic relays, will not differentiate between full load and any value less than full load, therefore allowing a pump to run when one of these conditions is present. This can create mechanical wear on the pump and wasted energy, especially if demand requires that a second pump start. Beyond detecting current, VFDs measure power consumption or torque and allow the user to predefine thresholds. Demand curves produce a linear relationship between power or torque and load. This allows for a consistent sensitivity versus a sloped curve when compared with the relationship between current and load. With a sloped curve, the sensitivity on each end of the curve is lost. At full load, a slight change in that load results in a drastic change in current consumption. At a lower load, a slight change has almost no effect on the current, making the detection and prevention of an under-load condition difficult (see Figure 2).


text:
F and L Legacy BoatingF and L Legacy Boating
Slater Memorial Park
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Map This Location
Phone: 401-305-0259
Email: Use the online form to contact this property
Swan & dragon paddle boats. Located in Slater Park on the water across from the Looff Carousel.
Listing Category: Listing in Travel Guide, Listing on Web
Region: Blackstone Valley
Guide Category: Family Activities
Access: Special arrangements upon request (H1)
Admission: Charged
Family: Children's activities, Kid friendly
Method of Payment: Cash, Debit, Major credit cards
Parking: Parking free
Restrictions: Pet friendly, Smoking areas available
Seasonality: Other
|Function Space Available:
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