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Writer in Residence Charles Hood: "Writing Flash Fiction"
Beach=Culture at the Annenberg Community Beach House
Monday, January 14, 2013 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (PST)
Event Details
5:15-6:15pm Docents available to discuss the site at the Marion Davies Guest House
6:30-8:00pm Workshop
Flash Fiction, Short Shorts, and the Instant Story – how to make magic happen in one page or less:
A growing trend in writing is the so-called micro story or flash fiction, terms that apply as well to memoir and travel writing. This hands-on workshop will look at those trends, sharing shortcuts for making a traditional narrative arc of beginning, middle, and end all happen in just a page or two. We will look at titles, opening lines, character development, the role of dialogue, how images and metaphors need to work, and just what the heck is fair to leave out without perplexing our audience. Charles Hood will share his own successes and failures, including recent rejections and acceptances from editors, plus comments about trends in online submitting. Each participant can hope to leave with a page of her or his own original writing, as we wrap up the evening by putting theory into practice. All levels welcome; no previous publication experience necessary.
Charles Hood begins his Residency November 26, and is working from the Resident Office upstairs in the Marion Davies Guest House through February 4, 2013. He holds public drop-in office hours most Saturdays from 11am-2pm. Hood is spending his time at the Beach House working on a series of fictional biographies currently titled Back Stories, based around the "orphaned portraits" created by Don Bachardy over many years. Bachardy is a longtime resident of Santa Monica and his life with author Christopher Isherwood has been immortalized in print and on the screen. Bachardy's works have been featured in exhibitions across the country, with portraits residing in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Huntington Library and Gallery, the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, the Smithsonian Institute and the National Portrait Gallery, London. Among the portraits Bachardy made of the known and the beautiful (Tom Ford, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda), he also painted sitters whose identities are now lost — a friend of a friend of a friend, a surfer he met on the beach, an amateur model. With these "orphans" there is often little but a date, or possibly a name. Hood's project weaves a fictional history for these faces, welcoming them back to the common narrative.
A Los Angeles native, Charles Hood has been a dishwasher, a factory worker, a ski instructor, and a nature guide in Africa. He attended Glendale College, Cal State Northridge, U.C. Irvine and the University of Utah, and also did Fulbright work in New Guinea, translating tribal poetry. For birdwatching, photography, or writing research, he has been to the South Pole (on a National Science Foundation Artists and Writers Grant), to each of the continents, and most of the way to the North Pole. His ninth book won the Hollis Summers poetry prize and will be released this spring by Ohio University Press; his eighth book, 25 Tigers, came out last month. His current projects include a survey of the Solar System titled 200 Moons, and a meditation on faith and history titled Melville in the Holy Land. Hood teaches writing, photography, and journalism at Antelope Valley College. He lives in Palmdale with a wife, a cat, a dog, two kayaks, and five mountain bikes. Follow his Residency updates in person or at beachhouseair.blogspot.com.
Stop by early for information on the Beach House by docents from the Santa Monica Conservancy.
Tickets are free but space is limited and reservations are required. If you would like to attend, please reserve online. Please plan to arrive by 6:15pm to retain your reservation. Late seating, even for reservation-holders, is not guaranteed. To adjust or cancel your reservation for this event, email email@example.com. We appreciate your keeping in touch!
Directions: The Beach House is located at 415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica, CA 90402 on the west side of Pacific Coast Highway, a half mile north of the California Incline and a half mile south of Chautauqua Blvd. Plenty of public parking is available - enter off PCH at the Beach House Way traffic light. The facility is easily accessible by foot or bike from the beach bike path, although the Beach closes at sunset. There is ample bike parking at racks throughout the site - remember to bring your own lock.
Parking: For weekday evening Beach=Culture events October - April starting at 5pm, there is a special $5 parking charge at the park and pay machines available in three areas of the ACBH parking lot. Machines take cards and cash and this special rate is only for Beach=Culture attendees; please inform the attendant you are here for Beach=Culture and display your receipt on your dash. For regular fees and parking lot hours, please check the website for details.
Other events: To view & make reservations for future free Beach=Culture events, check http://annenbergbeachhouse.com/beachculture.
General Info: For hours, events and more, visit http://www.annenbergbeachhouse.com, or call 310-458-4904. Back on the Beach Café hours are subject to change but generally close by 3pm on winter weekdays - call ahead.
When & Where
415 Pacific Coast Hwy at Beach Coast Way
Santa Monica
Monday, January 14, 2013 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (PST)
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Beach=Culture at the Annenberg Community Beach House
Welcome to Beach=Culture, a year-round series of free arts and culture events at the Annenberg Community Beach House. The Beach House is a City of Santa Monica facility and is open to all - no membership required. For more information, please visit annenbergbeachhouse.com. Join our email lists for more information. #ArtSaMo


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Initially set up as the Centre for Applied Research in Information Systems (CARIS), based in Kingston University, London, CARIS became a limited company in 2003, to provide more flexibility and confidentiality to commercial clients than a university centre could offer. Progressively, CARIS Research Ltd came to supersede the original research centre, since non-governmental clients sponsored most of the work.
Chris Wills and Robin Hirsch have worked together since 1987 and still form the core of CARIS Research Ltd. However, the company is also able to call upon a broad range of experienced associates in the UK, across the European Union and further afield in the USA, and Hong Kong.
These are either successful IT professionals with their own consulting businesses working for blue chip clients, or senior academics with in-depth knowledge of the issues involved in the project at hand. In either case, they are normally people whom we have known and with whom we have worked over many years.
See our privacy policy (PDF Format)

subset: commoncrawl


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She's known for being a powerful woman who's always in control, and yet Pink turned to mush when she got a surprise visit from one of her celebrity crushes last night (May 23).
They've been married since 2006 and it seems Pink and her husband Carey Hart have had a hard time keeping their romance alive since the arrival of their four-year-old daughter Willow.
Her live shows are legendary and when Pink comes off the road, she's all about indulging her inner foodie with plenty of gourmet goodies.
She's certainly not a prude, but Pink was less-than-thrilled that a porn site took over her Twitter handle on Monday night (June 8).
The "So What" songstress' social media account proclaimed, "Free Site For Adult Movies & Adult Content #Porn #Adult #Sex," and interestingly a few hundred followers retweeted and favorited the post.
It's hard to believe that anyone would have anything negative to say about Pink's appearance, however the "So What" singer received some less-than-loving remarks from fans when she showed up on the red carpet at a weekend cancer benefit event.
She's never been afraid of making bold statements, and Pink just unveiled her brand new 90-foot billboard image as part of the new PETA "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" Times Square ad campaign.
The "Raise Your Glass" songstress is super sexy in the snapshot, pulling her knees into her chest to cover up her modesty as she smiles for the camera.
She loves being a mom and Pink (real name Alecia Moore) is incredibly grateful for her beautiful and brilliant daughter Willow Sage.
During her visit to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," the "Get the Party Started" songstress stated, "She's wild- she gets that from papa [Carey Hart]. I'm physically cautious. I'm physical, but I'm cautious. He's reckless and she's reckless."
There's nothing timid about pop superstar Pink so it's not exactly surprising that she elected to get nude for her Who Magazine cover shot.
The "So What" singer covered her naughty parts for the sexy photograph which also happens to put her fabulous tattoo art on full display.


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Test: 2005 Nissan NISMO Frontier 4x4 King Cab
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With the new 2005 Frontier, Nissan adapted the Nismo badge to its off-road packages for both 4x4 and 4x2 models. This follows similar moves by other manufacturers who have been successful in creating brand awareness for rugged off-road equipment. The trend is so profitable that off-road packages are no longer options; they're now distinct models or trim levels. In recent years, the Nismo team earned solid credentials in strengthening the performance attributes of Nissan's sporty cars. But increasing grip on the skid pad requires far different engineering than maintaining control over desert whoop-de-doos.
After a torrential Texas thunderstorm cancelled any off-road excursions during my first ride in the new Frontier, I was eager to get a properly equipped Nismo model for a week-long test that would include a day in the dirt. My test model was a King Cab 4x4 Nismo equipped with an automatic transmission. I would have preferred a 6-speed manual to better compare the Nissan to the Toyota Tacoma Access Cab 4x4 with the TRD Off-Road package that I recently tested in the desert.
Briefly, the new Frontier is clean-sheet design based on the Titan's F-Alpha platform with no major parts carried over from the previous generation. It comes only in King Cab and Crew Cab configurations, both nestled on a 126-inch wheelbase. That's about 10 inches longer than the old model, and the truck also widened to nearly 73 inches. The King Cab gets a 73.3-inch bed while the Crew Cab shortens up to 59.5 inches. Overall, the Frontier is roomier and certainly more powerful with a 265-horsepower 4.0-liter V6 engine.
Most off-road packages are a blend of increased durability products, protection equipment and cosmetic upgrades. The Nismo package follows that strategy and also includes a host of available technological innovations. These additional features can improve safety but also make off-roading more manageable to mainstream driving abilities. Here's what the Nismo package includes:
My test vehicle came equipped with Hill Start Control (HSC), Hill Descent Control (HDC) and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), which is an electronic stability control system. All are available only with the 5-speed automatic transmission and all work as intended, but that doesn't mean you want them engaged all the time. My first move as soon as I left the pavement was to switch off the VDC. There's no doubt that this feature would be a blessing in the snow or on icy roads, but when you want to have fun in the dirt it's an annoyance. It was hitting the brakes and cutting back on the throttle at the least little wheelspin and slowing down any progress through loose conditions. With the VDC off I could use the throttle to control the skids and maintain momentum when desired. Again, this would not be a concern if I had the 6-speed as these controls are not offered with the manual.
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I suggest the latest version of internet browsers
See new version browsers 32 bit - - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zdlcigiilizz ... Bwipa?dl=0
Enjoy the Internet
Google Chrome can not be run as root. To run as root, you must specify an alternate --user-data-dir for storage of profile information
su guest -c '/path/to/chrome'
root -c '/path/to/chrome'
ralcocer wrote:To fix it go to the directory chrome is at and open the script google-chrome.sh and in the last line add --user-data-dir to the end of the last line.
It works for me
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


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Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
Not a single negative point for this hotel. We enjoyed our stay very much and would recommend it to everyone! Best kept secret in the Steiermark mountains. None
Excellent location, flexible cancellation policy unique in a ski area Staff attentiveness well below expectations for this hotel category


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Prêt à Voyager.
"Home is a Room with a View.
When I tell people I live in Paris, people generally have an idea of what it's like, but it's not always quite as glamorous as one would think. I spent the past two years living in a 12m2 (129sf) shoebox. While I've been living the life in France – and ironically working from home a lot – many of my friends in the...
Read More »
guest post: Prêt à Voyager.
today, we're taking a wee trip to paris, with Anne S. Ditmeyer — a graphic designer / editor and author of Prêt à Voyager. She's been a Design*Sponge contributing editor sharing "sneak peeks" since 2008, and her work has been published in Anthology, Dwell, and more. Follow her travels as @pretavoyager on Twitter, Instagram and Everplaces.
Read More »


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The RNC had Clint Eastwood. And the DNC had Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington. All three addressed the auditorium in Charlotte on Thursday, after James Taylor and Mary J. Blige performed.
Here's a bit of what each had to say:
Said ScarJo, 27: "It's an honor to be here tonight. I speak to you not as a representative of young Hollywood, but as a representative of the many millions of young Americans, particularly young women, who depend on public and non-profit programs to help them survive."
Said Washington, 35: "I'm so grateful to be here with all of you tonight! I'm here not just as an actress but as a woman, an African-American, a granddaughter of Ellis Island immigrants, a person who could not have afforded college without the help of student loans and as one of millions of volunteers working to re-elect President Obama!"
Said Longoria, 37: "Mitt Romney would raise taxes on middle-class families to cut his own — and mine," Longoria, best known for her role on the TV show Desperate Housewives, said Thursday in a speech at the Democratic National Convention. "And that's not who we are as a nation, and let me tell you why: because the Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy's flipping burgers — she needed a tax break. But the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not."
Earlier, after she sang for the crowd, Blige weighed in Obama's job performance, telling CNN:
"With the mess he was tossed, I think he did a great job. Seriously, I mean, he's only one man." Blige also said she wishes people would just "chill out and let the man do his job ... let him finish his work."
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A Simplified Method for Monitoring Pump Performance
Pump users should regularly monitor the condition of their critical centrifugal pumps to keep them operating efficiently. Otherwise, lost production, product releases, or fires could occur.
However, monitoring performance in the field has always been a challenge due to an absence of field-mounted instrumentation, the time required for testing, and imprecision from the cumulative uncertainty of all performance variables involved.
A practical, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly method can determine the pump's health and whether repairs are economically justified. The simplified pump performance assessment method described here, as researched by D. Budhram, M. Russek, and myself, is based upon comparing expected horsepower consumption with actual horsepower consumed at a given pump flowrate.1 Process pressure measurements are not required.
Traditionally, machinery engineers have used the following equation to assess centrifugal pump efficiency:
η = pump efficiency =
flow x head x
(specific gravity ÷ brake hp) x 3,960
(Equation 1)
This method is often used for pumps with electric motor drives, since the brake horsepower can readily be determined using the following equation2:
bhpmotor = (V x I x PF x √3 x ηFL) ÷ 746
where: V = voltage
I = current
PF = power factor
ηFL = motor full-load efficiency
(Equation 2)
This method can be quite challenging due to the numerous variables involved and the difficulties surrounding flow and pressure measurements. Flow presents problems because flowmeters are not always found in the field, or those available are hampered by uncertainties of 5 percent or more. Pressure is a challenge because the analyst must verify gauge accuracy before each usage, locate a pressure connection close to the pump, and deal with process leakage associated with installing and removing the pressure gauge.
You must measure six variables (flow, suction and discharge pressures, specific gravity, voltage and amperage) in the field and know the motor efficiency and motor power factor variables to calculate pump efficiency with reasonable confidence. This collection of uncertainties can lead to an efficiency uncertainty greater than the efficiency loss in question.
An alternate method of assessing pump performance evolved from ideas suggested by Bloch3 and Lightle and Hohman4. For specific speeds (Ns = N x Q1/2 / H3/4) from 200 to 3,000, they suggested that pump horsepower requirement increases as wear ring clearances increase (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Horsepower losses and consumption increases as wear ring clearances increase.
This is intuitive, since pumps with low specific speeds tend to generate more pressure per stage and experience more leakage between stages than similar-size pumps with higher specific speeds.
This internal leakage is very sensitive to actual wear ring clearance, which can change with time due to wear. We can model this by depicting internal leakage as a spillback line from discharge to suction (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Internal leakage can be modeled as a spillback line from discharge to suction.
As the internal seals wear, internal leakage increases, as depicted here by opening a valve in a spillback line. This recirculation flow, QL, leads to lost horsepower. As Figure 3 shows, for an overall measured flow, QM, how internal leakage, which is depicted as spillback line flow, QL, leads to a lower differential head across the pump and an increased horsepower requirement. The process "sees" QM as the net flow, but the pump "senses" that it is pumping QM +QL, thus requiring more horsepower than expected.
Figure 3. Internal leakage increases horsepower requirements.
If you rewrite Equation 1 in terms of horsepower you get:
bhpexpected = (flow x head x specific gravity) ÷ (3,960 x pump efficiency)
(Equation 3)
If we select a certified performance curve for a given pump and specific gravity, we can say that head, H, and efficiency are functions of flow. Therefore, we can write:
bhp = (flow x H(flow) x specific gravity (constant)) ÷ (3,960 x η (flow))
(Equation 4)
For a given certified performance curve with a set fluid, brake horsepower is strictly a function of flow – assuming that the pump is in "new" or ideal condition. To assess a pump's condition at a given flowrate, you must compare actual horsepower consumed with ideal horsepower predicted for a given pump. Only flow is required, but an elimination of variables causes a loss in some performance insight. To understand the method's limitation, we will examine what conditions are required, what assumptions are made and what is being lost along the way.


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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Collectania -
Wolf Eduction, Live Wolf Cam.
You have to watch a short ad first but that is becoming more and more common.
The Day the Music Died in Mali. (and you can see the video by going to my Videos Page
Coffee Cup Art from the Met. Go look
Trained Dolphins find Torpedo - The History Blog
GeoGuesser will have you spending a lot of time trying to figure out where you are.
I shared this on Facebook but it is fun so I thought you would enjoy it here also.
1 comment:
- Ur-spo said...
it's clever,but I like Mr. Lehrer's rendition better.
- May 21, 2013 at 11:42 PM
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When the BRITs were done and dusted last night, the celebs went straight out to celebrate (winning) or commiserate (making Adele come off stage midway through her winners' speech - awkward).
But while James Corden looked a bit sombre at the Universal Music Brits Party hosted by BACARDÍ at the Soho House Pop Up at the Tate Modern (woah, mouthful) with his fiancee Julia, everyone else looked like they were taking a more sensible approach - milking the free bar for all it was worth.
Jessie J seemed to be trying to face palm Will.I.Am, while he looked a little bit scared (but happy - Jessie J was quite close to his face) and Florence was doing a classic 'dance around the DJ during his set' move. If she wasn't asking him to do some requests, we'd be very surprised. Florence also took to the decks for a set herself.
Chloe Green was seen chatting to Dizzee Rascal, so we'll marry those two off in our heads, and Pixie Lott was rocking a little red number when she arrived. And probably when she left too, unless things got really drunken.
Abbey Clancy was at the party, though we're not sure what contribution she's made to British music other than 'listening to it' but she looked very lovely anyway.
The most glamorous attendee definitely goes to Nicole Scherzinger, who wore a full length yellow maxi with that lovely hair flowing right over her shoulders. And all the way down to her boobs for that matter, but we won't lower the tone by going on about that.


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Member's Bill to Ban Street Prostitution
Asenati Lole-Taylor MP
Spokesperson for Social Policy
20 February 2013
Member's Bill to Ban Street Prostitution
New Zealand First has submitted a Member's Bill into the ballot that if passed into law would make street prostitution illegal, effectively restricting prostitution to brothels.
Social Policy spokesperson Asenati Lole-Taylor says the Prostitution Reform (Control of Street Prostitution) Amendment Bill comes at a time when offensive and criminal behaviour by street walkers and their pimps is turning some city suburbs into sleazy red light districts.
"There has been a raft of failed Bills treating street prostitution as some sort of genteel occupation instead of acknowledging that it is a conduit for serious anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.
"Our Member's Bill would make it easy for the police to take enforcement action to rid New Zealand of street prostitution and allow people to again feel safe in their neighbourhoods.
"Police are hamstrung by current laws which only allows for them to arrest street walkers and pimps for offensive behaviour.
"The Member's Bill sends a strong message to the prostitution industry that New Zealanders have had enough of street prostitution and all the damage it causes," says Mrs Lole-Taylor.


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Thailand's dtac TriNet has become the latest customer of Ericsson's Device Connection Platform as it looks to expand its role in the country's growing M2M market.
The operator – a subsidiary of Thailand's dtac (Bangkok), itself owned by Norway's Telenor (Fornebu) – says the deal will give it everything needed to deploy, manage and monetize millions of M2M and consumer electronics devices.
"We partner with a number of companies that are experts in creating M2M applications that provide relevant and affordable services to the community," said Jon Eddy Abdullah, dtac's chief executive. "Ericsson's Device Connection Platform will enable dtac TriNet to provide flexibility and greater manageability in offering end-to-end M2M products and services to our enterprise customers."
dtac already provides a number of M2M services, including smart metering and point of sales solutions, fleet management, logistics and delivery, personal tracking and mobile surveillance.
According to Ericsson (Stockholm, Sweden), the platform will give dtac TriNet's customers the ability to monitor devices anytime and anywhere and access information quickly and accurately, and can be integrated easily into existing systems.
Those features should help M2M customers to increase revenues, lower costs and reduce time to market.
Ericsson says dtac TriNet will also be able to take advantage of its local and global expertise to accelerate M2M plans.
"We work closely with dtac and support their strategy to grow their M2M market and to lead M2M services in the country," said Joacim Damgard, the president of Ericsson Thailand. "This strategic partnership is in line with Ericsson's vision that there will be more than 50 billion connected devices around the world – mainly through M2M – by 2020."
The deal gives a further boost to Ericsson's Asian M2M interests and signals growing cooperation between Ericsson and Telenor.
In May, the Swedish equipment maker had struck a similar deal over its Device Connection Platform with DiGi (Shah Alam, Malaysia), Telenor's Malaysian subsidiary.
In February, Ericsson had also signed up Indonesia's XL (Jakarta) as a customer of the Device Connection Platform, while other high-profile M2M customers include Swisscom (Worblaufen, Switzerland), MegaFon (Moscow, Russia), TeliaSonera (Stockholm, Sweden), Three UK (Maidenhead) and, of course, Telenor Connexion – the M2M division of Telenor.
Ericsson acquired Telenor Connexion's M2M platform in August 2011 and subsequently incorporated the technology into its own Device Connection Platform offering.
The latest deal between dtac TriNet and Ericsson is particularly interesting because of the operator's focus on 3G services.
dtac TriNet received a spectrum license to operate 3G services in the 2.1GHz band in December last year, and Ericsson believes such mobile broadband services will increasingly be used to support wireless M2M applications.
Serving about 26.6 million customers at the end of March, dtac is Thailand's second-biggest mobile operator.


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About Us
Contact Us
Our Founding Documents
Merry Kwanzaa or Whatever
David Huntwork
December 30, 2013
If you didn't know better you might think that the word Christmas was the dirtiest of dirty words and one not worthy of being uttered in public. Salvation Army bell ringers with their red kettles, Christmas carols, colored lights and Christmas trees are now increasingly considered to be "controversial." Celebration of the 'holidays' abound but to actually spot the word Christmas is increasingly rare and worthy of notice. Both corporate America and government institutions have abandoned the spiritual, cultural and traditional celebrations of Christmas.
Instead, the Winter Holiday PC police prowl the nation threatening public schools who might dare to have red and green napkins at their annual holiday party during the Winter Break. Anything that might remotely trigger the word Christmas or conjure up images of a baby in a manger has become a target ripe for extermination. No longer are we treated to Merry Christmas at retailers but are forced to settle for a vague Happy Holidays as we rush to pick up our 'holiday tree' at the local haven of mass consumption. Of course, it would appear that the fact that the word holiday is a shortened version of holy day has escaped those seeking to purify the public spaces from the evils of Christianity. Just wait until they figure out that the fat, jolly man in the red suit is loosely associated with a 4th century bishop and saint. What a mess that will turn out to be.
But not only do our liberal masters demand the dilution of our current Christmas celebrations but the reverent celebration and commemoration of entirely new holidays to help replace it.
The following incident below took place a few years ago but I believe it is one worth sharing.
My business banked with Wells Fargo so I visited the local branch on a daily basis. As the formerly Christmas season was upon us they had put up some very generic signs up about the holidays in 'non-Christmas colors' and then had a big sign talking about Wells Fargo's commitment to the seven principles of Kwanzaa. There are no references to Christmas whatsoever and the usual salute to the relatively minor Jewish holiday of Hanukkah was noticeably absent.
When I spoke with one of the tellers and mentioned their lack of Christmas references she proudly pointed out a newly erected Christmas tree as their commitment to Christmas. It was slowly and patiently explained to me that Kwanzaa is a 'cultural' holiday and not a religious one so it's 'ok' for them to refer to it by name. She then proceeded to tell me about a number of complaints from customers that they had received in regards to their primary focus on Kwanzaa. Apparently, I was not the only one who remembered the reason for the season and what holiday the vast majority of Americans actually celebrate.
You have really got to hand it to those public relations experts at Wells Fargo. What a bunch of spineless, politically correct dolts. I wonder if they are aware that the founder of Kwanzaa rejected Christmas and believed that blacks shouldn't celebrate a "white man's holiday?" I, for one, proudly saluted Well's Fargo Bank for performing exhaustive research in preparation for the annual 'Christmas controversy.'
So as I returned to my local Wells Fargo bank the following day the Kwanzaa sign had been removed and I asked again if there had been some complaints. At this the teller stated that they were tired of the complaints and then she rather icily informed me that mine "had been the last straw". Apparently Wells Fargo had not appreciated my informal research into the acceptance of Kwanzaa by the general public. And my earlier politely stated, but pointed complaint about this anti-white holiday designed by a neo-Marxist, celebrating black nationalism, and crafted to help diminish the Jewish-Christian heritage of this country was just enough to tip the balance. Chalk one up for Christmas.
Some may say that at best we may gain only small, paltry victories in our opposition to the gangs of grinches. The fact that there is a "Christmas controversy" at all reflects the spiteful vision and hateful pettiness of those who tirelessly toil to remove every vestige of Christianity, and religion in general, from the sight and sound of the average citizen. The concept that in this great country we have the freedom of religion, not the freedom from religion, seems to elude them. And so every victory in regards to this battle, whether big or small, is a sweet and important victory indeed.
So what is one to do but to personally take a few small, but courageous, steps to help fight off the stifling cultural tyranny by those who so desperately seek to drive Christ from Christmas. By standing up for principle, individually and collectively, the good guys might just win one once in a while.
"People think it's African, but it's not. I came up with Kwanzaa because black people wouldn't celebrate it if they knew it was American. Also, I put it around Christmas because I knew that's when a lot of Bloods were partying." – Dr. Ron Karenga, the inventor of Kwanzaa
I'm tired of made up, racially based, politically correct, liberal crap and I'm not standing for it anymore or being quiet about it either. Enough is enough.
Copyright ©2013
Read more by David Huntwork
Send us and/or the Author your comments and questions about this article.
David Huntwork is a conservative activist, columnist, and the proud father of three daughters. The son, grandson, and great-grandson of Ministers of the Gospel he brings a unique blended background of theology and ideology to the great debates of the day. He believes that Faith, Family, and Freedom is the formula for success and the key to a good life and a healthy nation. David blogs at TheConservativeCitizen.com. You can contact him at
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European Stocks Climb for an Eighth Week; Santander Jumps
European stocks rose for an eighth week as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande joined European Central Bank President Mario Draghi in promising to do everything to protect the euro.
Banco Santander SA (SAN) jumped 14 percent as Spanish lenders led gains on the benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 Index. (SXXP) Barclays Plc (BARC), the British lender fined for rigging Libor, climbed 4.9 percent as it posted first-half profit that beat analysts' estimates. MAN SE slumped 7.4 percent as the German truckmaker controlled by Volkswagen AG cut its earnings forecast for 2012.
The Stoxx 600 added 0.6 percent to 259.81 this past week, its eighth consecutive advance for the longest stretch of weekly gains since January 2006. The gauge has rebounded 11 percent from this year's low on June 4 as central banks from Europe to China eased monetary policy to help spur economic growth. The Stoxx 600 has risen 3.4 percent so far this month.
"The real focus for everyone is Europe and the comments made by Draghi and Merkel," said Chris Beauchamp, a market analyst at IG Index in London. "They make a strong defense of the euro. But if you do not see these words backed up with real action, disappointment could quickly set in."
The ECB may begin a new round of joint-bond purchases to ease borrowing costs in Spain and Italy, as Merkel and Hollande pledged to do everything to protect the euro.
"France and Germany are fundamentally attached to the integrity of the euro zone," the two leaders said in a joint statement on July 27. "They are determined to do everything to protect it."
Draghi's Speech
The leaders of the euro area's two biggest economies issued their statement a day after ECB President Draghi said that the central bank will act to preserve the euro.
"Within our mandate, the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro," Draghi said in a speech in London. "And believe me, it will be enough."
In the U.S., a Commerce Department report on July 27 showed that the world's largest economy expanded at a faster pace in the second quarter than economists had predicted. Gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced, rose at a 1.5 percent annual rate after a revised 2 percent gain in the first quarter. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had called for a 1.4 percent increase.
U.K. Growth
In Europe, a report showed that the U.K. economy shrank the most since 2009 in the second quarter, pushing the country into a deeper recession than economists had predicted. Gross domestic product fell 0.7 percent from the first quarter, the Office for National Statistics said on July 25. Economists had forecast a 0.2 percent decline, according to the median of 36 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey.
Banco Santander surged 14 percent even as Spain's biggest bank reported second-quarter profit on July 26 that dropped 93 percent because of costs for purging bad loans.
Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA soared 12 percent, while UniCredit SpA, Italy's biggest lender, rallied 11 percent.
Barclays climbed 4.9 percent. The lender, which is looking for a new management team following the Libor scandal, posted pretax profit excluding one-off items for the six months to the end of June that rose 13 percent to 4.23 billion pounds ($6.7 billion). That beat the 3.9 billion-pound median prediction of eight analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
Carmakers Rally
Daimler advanced 4.8 percent after saying second-quarter sales increased 10 percent to 28.9 billion euros ($36 billion). The world's third-largest maker of luxury cars also posted earnings before interest and taxes of 2.24 billion euros, in line with the 2.2 billion-euro average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. An index of auto shares in the Stoxx 600 gained 2 percent this past week.
Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc (RR/) added 1.9 percent after reporting first-half profit that beat projections. Underlying pretax profit increased to 637 million pounds. That exceeded the average analyst prediction of 617 million pounds.
MAN plunged 7.4 percent after lowering its projected return on sales to about 6 percent. The Munich-based truckmaker also posted second-quarter operating profit that slumped 50 percent to 218 million euros. That fell short of the average analyst estimate for earnings of 311 million euros.
BT Group Plc, the U.K.'s largest fixed-line phone company, slid 2.8 percent, its biggest retreat since November, after reporting fiscal first-quarter sales of 4.48 billion pounds. That missed the average analyst estimate of 4.58 billion pounds in a Bloomberg survey.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Morgan in Frankfurt at firstname.lastname@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Rummer at email@example.com


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Quince Paste
February 3rd—Fearlessly Archived—Still a fun read; price & availability may have changed.
If you're a true turophile, you're likely familiar with Quince Paste, and have likely enjoyed it alongside an assortment of quality cheeses. If Quince Paste is unfamiliar to your palate, now is an excellent time to add it to your "must-try" foods list for 2014.
Quince trees date back thousands of years, and their fruit has long been considered a symbol of love and commitment. The fruit tastes like a cross between an apple and a pear, though because of its dry texture and high pectin content, it is most commonly used in cooked preparations like preserves and Quince Paste. A supplier in New Zealand, where Quince Paste is a tremendously popular companion to cheese, makes Trader Joe's Quince Paste exclusively for us, by hand, in small batches. It's a sliceable, semi-firm paste that pairs well with all kinds of cheeses, and adds a bit of true turophilia to a cheese plate. We especially like it with our Cave Aged Blue Cheese.
Because Quince Paste is considered a "specialty" food, many markets mark it up to a terribly high price. We don't work that way at Trader Joe's. We're selling Trader Joe's Quince Paste in a 4.2 ounce tub for $2.99, every day. You'll find it in our cheese case, of course.
Related Items:


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An organization is a sea of humanity, arranged in units/departments, working together for a common cause. And human interaction is more common in an organization more than anything else. Thus it becomes imperative that an organization make a 'company employee search' available to all its employees.
Now, that is exactly what ADSelfService Plus, Windows Active Directory password reset software, provides you as a free bonus feature: a smart corporate directory search, more popularly known in the industry as employee search or people finder. This Active Directory search tool even presents you several filter based 'common search key' options e.g. employee search by email id, to widen your employee search in various domains. Four operators - "contains", "starts with", "ends with", and "equals" - make your employee search as simple as it could get! End users can access this free corporate directory search through the employee self service portal (situated at the top right corner).
That is not all! With this employee lookup software, IT administrators and Help desk Agents can view information such as Object GUID, Object Class, Object Created Time, etc! That means administrators are now free from typing long search queries in Windows Active Directory!
(Like self-update, this search utility needs no enrollment)
NOTE: 'Self Update', 'Employee Search' and 'Organization Chart' are bonus features and will stay free forever, even after product undergoes further enhancements in the future. As an incentive to its customers, ManageEngine usually offers certain utilities - which are staple business for some - for free!
ADSelfService Plus offers you a free organizational flow chart known as 'Organization Chart' using which; you can view your position in your organizational hierarchy. Besides displaying your ranking, this feature also puts light on various details that concern to your account.
ADSelfService Plus addresses the web based Identity Management challenges of "user accounts security" along with securing many other self-service identity management solutions against any malicious attacks by intruders. The crucial "help desk ticket volumes" that bite into the organizations budget are greatly reduced.
Free Active Directory users from attending lengthy help desk calls by letting them self-service the password reset task. Password reset just a click away with ADSelfService Plus!
Portal that lets Active Directory users update their latest information without the help desk assistance. Self-update feature also ensures that Active Directory database is up-to-date with the user profile changes.
Hassle-free password change for Active Directory users with ADSelfService Plus. Without help desk assistance users can change their passwords from 'Change Password' console.
Free Active Directory users of 'remembering account/password expiry' issue with 'automatic password reset/account unlock' feature that automates password reset/account unlock task for users.


text:
Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Dave Barry's Money Secrets: Like: Why Is There a Giant Eyeball on the… (original 2006; edition 2006)
by Dave Barry
Work details
Dave Barry's Money Secrets : Like, Why is There a Giant Eyeball on the Dollar? by Dave Barry (2006)
No current Talk conversations about this book.
Basically about what you'd expect from Dave when he turns his humour-columnist gaze to the world of finance: plenty of jokes about Donald Trump, recurring gags involving photographs that are attributed to incongruous sources, and amusing anecdotes from his own life (especially ones that make him look silly). I was particularly amused by his thesis of "Furniture-Induced Brain Shrinkage": the idea that corporate executives make boneheaded decisions because they are surrounded by high concentrations of nice office furniture. And if you've read his books on turning 50 or raising children, you'll nod in recognition when he discusses the high costs of college tuition and the perilous state of Social Security. This book is probably worth reading if you're a completist, but if you're new to Dave you'll probably want to try a collection of his columns first.
My blog post about this book is at this link .
One of Barry's funniest books, all original material.
Dave Barry is funny as always, but this book seems to lose focus and get (really far) off the topic on a regular basis. Good material, doesn't always go with the theme.
I got this copy at a book signing in KC.
References to this work on external resources.
Wikipedia in English
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0307351009, Paperback)Did you ever wish that you really understood money? Well, Dave Barry wishes that he did, too. But that hasn't stopped him from writing this book. In it, Dave explores (as only he can) such topics as:
• How the U.S. economy works, including the often overlooked role of Adam Sandler
• Why it is not a good idea to use squirrels for money
• Strategies that will give you the confidence you need to try for a good job, even though you are—let's be honest—a no-talent loser
• How corporate executives, simply by walking into their offices, immediately become much stupider
• An absolutely foolproof system for making money in the stock market, requiring only a little effort (and access to time travel)
• Surefire tips for buying and selling real estate, the key being: Never buy—or, for that matter, sell—real estate
• How to minimize your federal taxes, safely and legally, by cheating
• Why good colleges cost so much, and how to make sure your child does not get into one
• How to reduce the cost of your medical care by basically not getting any
• Estate planning, especially the financial benefits of an early death
• And many, many pictures of Suze Orman
But that's only the beginning! Dave has also included in this book all of the important points from a book written by Donald Trump, so you don't have to read it yourself. Plus he explains how to tip, how to negotiate for everything (including bridge tolls), how to argue with your spouse about money, and how much allowance to give your children (three dollars is plenty). He also presents, for the first time in print anywhere, the Car Dealership Code of Ethics ("Ethic Seven: The customer is an idiot"). Also, there are many gratuitous references to Angelina Jolie naked. You can't afford not to buy this book! Probably you need several copies.
What kind of financial shape are you in right now? This scientific quiz will show you.
Be honest in your answers: If you lie, you'll only be lying to yourself! The place to lie is on your federal tax return.
What is your annual income?
1. More than $50,000.
2. Less than $50,000.
3. However much I get when I return these empties.
Not counting your mortgage, how much money do you currently owe?
1. Less than $10,000.
2. More than $10,000.
3. Men are threatening to cut off my thumbs.
How would you describe your portfolio?
1. Conservative, mainly bonds and blue-chip equities.
2. Aggressive, mainly options and speculative stocks.
3. My what?
When analyzing an investment, what do you consider to be the most important factor?
1. The amount of return.
2. The degree of risk.
3. The name of the jockey.
How do you plan to finance your retirement?
1. Savings.
2. Social security.
3. Sale of kidneys.
—from the Introduction: "Why You Need This Book"
Also available as a Crown eBook.
From the Hardcover edition.
(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:13:56 -0400)
The popular humorist explores the world of finance, sharing his unique advice on the stock market, the art of making and losing money, furniture in the CEO's office, getting rich in real estate, and the financial benefits of an early death.
(summary from another edition)
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Pitti Uomo SS13: Moorer's New, Tech-Infused Jackets
The fairgrounds of Pitti Uomo are always a great place to spot the latest in technical innovation. And here at Moorer, they've gone with something called Ventile, seen left, which is a matte performance cloth that dates back to World War 2. For something more novel, don't miss the brand's new glen plaid nylon jacket, which is filled with superlight goose down to keep you stylish in the transitional seasons.
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Using all of the arrows in our quiver now will leave us extremely vulnerable when the next crisis hits, which it will.
And the third arrow, which packs the greatest punch, may never be pulled from the quiver.
What arrow does Gingrich have in his quiver besides the great debate one-liner that expresses right-wing grievance?
The House speaker has no arrows in his quiver in the fiscal-cliff talks—his caucus will revolt if he caves.
The horse wilts like a rent air-balloon, and is dead without a quiver.
Or was it the quiver of the coach over the gravel in the road and the swaying of their seat?
In the summer he was a great archer, and strutted about with a bow and quiver.
"I am not afraid," said the boy, and his lip began to quiver, though he did not cry.
He held on grimly, crushing the life out of the slender writhing form until it ceased to quiver and throb, and hung limp.
Now the thicket was seen to quiver a few feet to the left of the camp.
"case for holding arrows," early 14c., from Anglo-French quiveir, Old French quivre, cuivre, probably of Germanic origin, from Proto-Germanic *kukur "container" (cf. Old High German kohhari, German Köcher, Old Saxon kokar, Old Frisian koker, Old English cocur "quiver"); "said to be from the language of the Huns" [Barnhart]. Related: Quiverful.


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Excellent Cruise out of Bayonne 3/19/12: Explorer of the Seas Cruise Review by icemom
Overall Member Rating
Excellent Cruise out of Bayonne 3/19/12
Destination: Eastern Caribbean
Embarkation: New York (Manhattan)
We arrived at Bayonne about 1:00 PM and within ½ hour we were on the ship. We hired a limo bus from Premier Limo in Berlin, CT to take us to the pier. We arrived, got off the bus and walked into the pier. Our luggage was taken care of by our well tipped driver! That first day was windy and chilly; however, by the afternoon of our first sea day we were able to sit out at the pool and enjoy the sun. It was very windy on the upper decks, but lovely pool level. (So so many chair hogs (everyday) though!!)
We walked the track most mornings; some were so windy that it was difficult to walk. The first two days that ship was rocking and I found it difficult just to walk the track. I'm not complaining though...loved every More minute of our cruise.
It was around 4PM before our luggage arrived. We unpacked, got settled in and headed to the dining room to check our seating arrangement. We had hoped for a table for 12 but found we had two round tables for 6 located at the window, starboard side. It worked out great for our group; but at first we did have our waiters a bit confused as we changed seats each evening so we could visit with the others in our group. Our waiters, Naaja from Tanzania and Danielo from the Philippines. Both were just wonderful -- we couldn't have asked for better waiters! They were always happy/smiling and very very helpful. We quickly learned that Naaja was an expert at recommending the best dishes for the evening. First dinner, I had the pan seared sea bass. All dinners were served piping hot and very tasty. Portions were small, but very sufficient. I loved the chilled soups and was thrilled to see they were still on the menu. The duck was exceptional! I don't eat lobster; everyone else did and enjoyed as many lobster tails as they could eat. I had the prime rib -- very good. I've read that some folks complain about the quality of the food. I have no complaints! They're serving thousands of eaters, it's banquet food and it was great!
Each morning we had coffee delivered to our room. The coffee was on the strong side so I kept extra creamers in our fridge. Coffee in Cafe Promenade was excellent, but I like to have coffee on the balcony before I get ready to leave our cabin.
We stayed in cabin 7570; Jeffrey was our room steward. He was excellent; our room was always spotless upon our return. On day two I had asked him for ice....from then on we always had a bucket of fresh ice. We would carry back two glasses of ice water to put into our water bottle and store that in our fridge. Our fridge was not cold at all, but sufficient for water. I had mentioned in my posting that the temperature on board felt warm. Our room was fine, never too warm for us; but we did for the most part have our thermostat turned up all the way on the cool setting. Yes, you can cool your room quickly by opening your balcony door and your cabin door; however, Jeffrey told us he's seen too many injuries and even a few lost fingers because the vacuum is so powerful when the ship is moving. So, please be careful. We found the dining rooms to be warm also.
We had the 6PM seating for dinner, which worked well for us. After dinner we enjoyed the shows, whether it was the RC dancers, twice we had a comedian! (None of our group was interested in the Ice shows) Richard Spacey was our cruise director and he is just a hoot! Gotta love his sock collection. You must get up to Dizzy's Jazz and listen to the band Take Four!! They are awesome. Elaina was our waitress, keep in mind there were always at least 10 of us sitting together. She remembered all our names and never ever needed to write down an order. She has quite the memory. She was such a pleasure. One night there was a buffet poolside at about 11 or 11:30 PM; that was the only one for the 10 days. No worries, there is always plenty to eat. We would stop by the Cafe Promenade most evenings before retiring for the night. Hubby would have a cookie and twice I tried one of the mini sandwiches. Very very tasty sandwiches. They are the perfect size for a light snack. One evening I wasn't hungry and didn't bother to have a sandwich, they were egg salad with pickles -- I understand they were delicious. Cookies, in my opinion, were over cooked and too hard. Worked out great for me; if they were soft and chewy I know I would have been eating those also.
One evening there was a problem with the plumbing, in the forward section of the ship. We couldn't flush our toilet in our cabin, when I called maintenance they told me they had shut the system down and were working on the problem. After dinner, all was back to normal. This certainly wasn't an issue for any of us.
With two sea days in front of us before our first stop, I must admit that the ship was rockin' and rolling! Most all of us (crew included) could feel the ship moving constantly. I don't know how the dining room and bar waiters keep from tipping and spilling everything. I was so grateful that we had started taking Ginger Root before we left on the ship. I know if I hadn't, I probably would have gotten sick! I do get motion sickness very easily. We found Natural Whole Herb Ginger Root 550 mgs at Wal-Mart. We took two each morning and two before bed. I continued to take them for 3 days after getting off the ship and found I experienced very mild sea legs. On my previous 2 cruises, I did not take ginger root and suffered sea legs for 5 or 6 days after getting off the ship. Not a good feeling.
Our first stop was Labadie Haiti. We did have a lovely day; weather (other than windy) was perfect. I was not impressed with Labadie; actually, it was kind of sad to see the natives behind the fence begging for food, when we had all the food we could possibly eat. We did try to shop a bit but found we were being pulled in too many directions. The water in Labadie is beautiful -- beware of the biting fish - and the beaches were lovely. I had signed up for the zip line but as of 10:00 AM it was cancelled due to the wind. Hubby and a couple of the other men went out on jet-skies. While out, the guide stopped and they were approached by a small boat selling handmade items. Hubby paid $10 for a plastic necklace, I'm not sure what the others bought, but it was obvious this was part of the plan for the natives. I was looking forward to trying the Labadoozees....they were good, very expensive though; $8.25 plus 15%. Not much alcohol in them, but refreshing. Getting back onto the ship was quick as we waited until almost all were cleared out of the main area. Long long lines and we were the only ship in port.
The next stop was San Juan. Before arriving in San Juan at 2PM, we went to lunch at Johnny Rockets. OMG the burgers were excellent! Once we arrived in SJ, we went over to the Bacardi factory. Trying the rum was fun. I hadn't realized there were so many flavors and they were quite tasty. The tour was nice, wish it was the actual factory though. After Bacardi, we went over to Old San Juan, wow, is it ever beautiful up in the forts. The views are spectacular. Then we headed out to do some shopping, but found it just too crowded and headed back to our ship. We enjoyed some wine and snacks on our balcony while people watching below. We didn't have dinner this evening as we were still full from our lunch at Johnny Rockets.
St Maarten is just lovely. Hubby and I headed out for our snuba excursion. I believe it was Great Bay where we picked up the snuba boat, which took us around the corner to Little Bay. The water was on the rough side (thank goodness for Ginger Root). While it was nice, we were somewhat disappointed. Years ago we had snuba'd in Belize, we had gotten off our ship and into a boat that took us about 35 minutes east...to an island in the middle of the Caribbean sea...with about 11 palm trees and nothing else. We were instructed on how to snuba while kneeling on shore, then while on our knees in 2 feet of clear, calm water we practiced breathing. In St Maarten we had to jump off the boat and practice while holding onto the raft. Therefore, there were several who opted to not do the snuba because they just could not get the hang of it while holding onto a small raft in choppy water. The water was choppy enough that one of the passengers on our boat became ill. The water was very cloudy and while we could see a few fish here and there, it was not what we thought it would be. The crew was great and very very helpful. We made the best of it, had a great time and headed back to the ship. We showered, ate a bit of lunch and headed out to check out this side of the island. We ended up walking over to Front Street (saw mountain goats along the road, it's amazing how they can navigate their way through those rocks/trees). We ended up running into the rest of our party and stayed on the beach with them until about 4, when we walked back to the ship. It was truly a beautiful beach and we all wished we could have spent 2 or 3 days there to allow us to really see and enjoy the entire island. We did try a guavaberry drink.........delicious, and now I'm sorry I didn't buy a bottle of two of Guavaberry rum!!
Our next stop was St Thomas. Once off the ship we headed over to the Sky Ride. A 5 minute walk from the ship and well worth the $$. It was early and not crowded at all in Paradise Point. We sat up there and just took in the lovely view. We headed back as we had an excursion booked for the St John Champagne Catamaran, the twelve of us went on this excursion and loved it! We traveled by open-air bus to the other side of the island (about 30 minutes) where we boarded our catamaran. It's another half hour to Honeymoon Beach in St John. It is so beautiful there that we all had wished we could have had a full day tour. The water was amazing; snorkeling in the clear water was unbelievable. I, unfortunately, did not see any sea turtles, but many others did! I did see hundreds of beautiful fish though, and could have snorkeled for hours! The time passed too quickly and we were on our way back. Heading back, the captain cut the motor and we sail away, music, rum punch, champagne, cheese, crackers, fruit, and bread. So very much fun. Our captain Sean and his crew, Joe and Suzanne, were awesome. The waters of St John were just fabulous, as was the crew that took us there and brought us back safely!! By-the-way; we were the group that was "spiking the spiked punch"!! As it turned out some of the girls had shopped before heading out on our excursion. The had purchased a few pint size bottles of the flavored Bacardi rums that they were planning on trying someday at home...well, they pulled them out on the catamaran and we enjoyed double --spiked rum punch that was delicious. That was it, before we knew it we were headed home.
Weather on the way home was great. Even on our last day we were able to sit out in the sun and relax. We were told that the seas on our way home were the calmest they had ever experienced. I must admit the water looked like glass! So much nicer than when we headed out.
All-in-all, this was a wonderful cruise. Every crew member was kind, helpful and happy to help! We never ever ran into any issues at all, other than the toilets not flushing for a couple of hours one evening) The ship was clean, the Windjammer food was fine for buffet food. Cafe Promenade was very nice. Make sure you see the band Take Four -- they are great and a lot of fun! Take the Champagne Catamaran excursion offered through the ship, it was well worth the $$. Bring home some Guavaberry rum, you can only get it on St. Maarten! Your trip will be what you make it. Take Ginger!! We cannot afford to do this very often, our mindset was that we were going to have a great time, and we did. Enjoy! Less
Published 03/29/12
Cabin review: G7570
We had cabine 7570 - no complaints!! Room / bathroom was clean! While the closets are small, I brought many extra hangers and had no storage issues at all!
Read Cruise Critic's Explorer of the Seas Review >>
Never Disappoints
Sorry to report
Cruising the seas with RC on t...
First Cruise
Hard beds and terrible food!
A pleasant but average cruise ...
Sorry to report
First visit to Habana, Cuba
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Jumbo Toilet Rolls
Jumbo toilet rolls come in two sizes - Standard and Mini, each with two possible core sizes - 57mm (2.25") and 70mm (3"), so please check your dispenser before purchasing so you get the right one. Standard rolls come in packs of 6, with each roll being 300-400m long, Mini jumbo rolls come in packs of 12 with lengths of 150-200m.
We mostly supply 2 ply tissue jumbos but also have single ply available as well as our EcoNatural recycled paper made from drinks cartons that is bleach free for customers requiring a great value, eco-friendly product.


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A PAIR of wannabe winners had their weeks ruined by crashes on the notorious Portarlington course in the second stage of the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic.
Belinda Goss, who loomed among the most likely to challenge defending women's champion Rochelle Gilmore, received a broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder, forcing the Tasmanian rider to withdraw from next week's national titles; while veteran pro Graeme Brown was left not only with body blows but serious misgivings about the circumstances of his fall.
In considerably better humour after yesterday's racing were Tiffany Cromwell, who produced an outstanding lone ride that saw her come close to lapping the field and also reinforce the dominance of her Honda team, and Australia's under-23 road race world champion, Michael Matthews, who defeated three-time grand tour stage winner Simon Gerrans in a two-man sprint finish.
Matthews, a sky-rocketing talent known as ''bling'' in the peloton for his partialness to accessorise (yesterday the 20-year-old sported a gold crucifix necklace, an eyebrow spear and a diamond earring), caused a shake-up of the pecking order before tonight's flat stage on the Geelong foreshore. In what is his first Bay series, Matthews set the pace for much of yesterday's hour-long spin - at one stage gaining 32 seconds on the field riding with Gerrans - and then claimed the leader's yellow jersey from Matt Goss.
Dual Olympic gold medallist, and 2009 Bay Classic champion, Brown was visibly seething with events as he sat in an ambulance receiving treatment for his cut and grazed limbs following a late spill that proved particularly costly given the veteran was not allowed to re-join the peloton and accumulate points at the finish. After initially refusing to comment about why he fell, other than to say it involved ''twitchy riders'', the Rabobank rider later told The Age it was an unfortunate ''racing incident''. He ruled himself out of contention to win his second Geelong title - he is ninth overall - and said he would attempt to support Matthews.
Several riders were concerned by the difficult Portarlington course that narrowed significantly in one section.
Gerrans stopped short of complaining but said the light pole in the narrow part of the circuit was ''not ideal'' and had motivated him to get a break from the pack so he could negotiate his passage as safely as possible.
Goss, the men's stage-one winner who was stuck in the main chase group yesterday, agreed: ''It wasn't the best, having a telegraph pole there when there are 20 teams of riders here, it was very tight to get through that small space.''


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479 Vanessa Court, Saline 48176
See more homes for sale in Saline, MI
This property has been Sold!
07/20/2016 at $370,240
FOR COMP PURPOSES ONLY-NEW SAS. Popular 'Belmont' Model.Granite counters,hardwood flooring,A/C,Hardi-plank siding,9'main floor,pre-plumbed egress basement,gas fireplace,4'kitchen island, ceiling fans and more. Located in the new Cypress Ridge Development. Walk to downtown Saline and Mill Pond Park. Award winning Saline School System. Quality built by Livonia Builders.
Property Information
- Total Finished SqFt
- 2,250
- Above Grade SqFt
- 2,250
- Garage Desc.
- Attached, Door Opener, Electric
- Water
- Public
- Sewer
- Public
- Year Built
- 2016
- Home Style
- 2 Story, Bungalow, Colonial
- Association Fee
- $300
Rooms and Land
- MasterBedroom
- 19 x 14 2nd Floor
- Bedroom2
- 14 x 11 2nd Floor
- Bedroom3
- 12 x 12 2nd Floor
- Bedroom4
- 14 x 12 2nd Floor
- Breakfast
- 10 x 11 1st Floor
- Dining
- 11 x 12 1st Floor
- GreatRoom
- 14 x 16 1st Floor
- Kitchen
- 11 x 10 1st Floor
- Basement
- Egress, Full, Plumbed for Bath
- Cooling
- Central
- Heating
- Forced Air, Gas
- Lot Dimensions
- 62x165
- Appliances
- Dishwasher, Disposal, Microwave
- Fireplace Desc.
- One
- Interior Features
- Cath/Vault Ceiling, Ceiling Fan(s), Master Bath, Sump Pump
- Exterior Materials
- Aluminum, Brick, Fiber Cement Siding
- Exterior Features
- Cable Available, Porch, Sprinkler System
Mortgage Calculator
Listing Broker
Listing Courtesy of Keller Williams Saline
Office Address 1212 Waterways Drive
Listings last updated: . Some properties that appear for sale on this web site may subsequently have been sold and may no longer be available.
Our Michigan real estate agents can answer all of your questions about 479 Vanessa Court, Saline MI 48176. Real Estate One, Max Broock Realtors, and J&J Realtors are part of the Real Estate One Family of Companies and dominate the Saline, Michigan real estate market. To sell or buy a home in Saline, Michigan, contact our real estate agents as we know the Saline, Michigan real estate market better than anyone with over 100 years of experience in Saline, Michigan real estate for sale.
The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site appears in part from the IDX programs of our Multiple Listing Services. Real Estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Real Estate One includes the name and address of the listing broker where available.
IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Provided through Ann Arbor Association Board of Realtors. © 2017 Ann Arbor Associate Board of Realtors Ltd. shareholders.


text:
So I started the process by looking for a cute gift as the main idea, aside from ringpops. I looked all over the internet and in wedding magazines and nothing really stuck out. Finally, I was online one day looking at these wine glasses that were custom made and it dawned on me--that would be the perfect gift for my bridesmaids, if only the lady could customize them the way I needed! I immediately emailed the business who makes them and asked everything I needed to know. To my surprise, I got a response back that same night and the lady making them said she thought she could do what I had asked and quoted me a price--it was that easy! I sent out all the information needed the next day (names, colors, etc.) and within a few short weeks I had these!
I chose the colors blue and white as those are our wedding colors (along with silver). Each glass has swirls all over it, and then on one side, a dress, with the initial of the girl on it. On the back side, written in cursive, the glass reads "Will you be my bridesmaid?" On the bottom of the glass it has the girls name written out and also has swirls all over it. I thought they turned out wonderful!
After receiving them, I went to Target and bought blue shredded paper, gift baggies, and Hershey Hugs-n-Kisses. I stuffed the shredded paper down in the glass about half way, then put the gift baggie in and filled it with the candy. I then tied it off with gold or silver ribbon hanging off the top. I thought filling the glass this way was the perfect way to make it look full, since I obviously couldn't send them a glass full of wine :)
With that being complete, I started thinking of something small to add to it, that reiterates the fact that they not only mean a lot to me, but also that I want them beside me on my special day. Finally, I was laying in bed one night and literally just started typing away on my phone. I was starting over and editing, starting over and editing, and finally I ended up writing this...
I dragged Ryan to a few scrapbooking stores the following week and ended up buying all the paper and ribbons needed and got to work! I have to admit, I didn't go with the theme colors, although that would have looked better, simply because this leopard print paper was too cute to pass up! I ended up printing them, piecing them together, laminating them, and finishing them off with ribbon the following week.
|I changed them all a little bit, depending on which girl it was going to..."BCF" is what my cousins and I call ourselves; it's like BFF but Best Cousins Forever...silly, right? :)
I then tied them to the top of the wine glass and wrapped them up in pretty tissue paper. Finally, to make each more individual, I finished off each gift with a card made specifically for each bridesmaid. I told them how much they mean to me and how thankful I am to have each and every one of them in my life.
Finally, I was ready to give them each their gifts. I was so excited to give them to each of the girls, that I could hardly contain myself--I wanted to tell SOMEONE. Of course, the people I wanted to tell ALL ABOUT THEM were the ones who would be receiving them though, so I had to keep quiet for a few weeks as I found the time to give each theirs. Finally, after they all got theirs, I was more than happy with the outcome!! The girls seemed to really enjoy them and one friend in particular (my bestie) said she couldn't quit smiling for two days and her whole family kept asking what was going on with her haha. So cute! My sister couldn't stop crying for 20 minutes when she opened hers! :)
If anyone reading this has been a bride, I would LOVE to hear what you did for your bridesmaids!! Were you as excited to ask them as I was?!
I just recently got asked to be the Maid of Honor in a friends wedding also!! (So excited!) Here is how she asked!! Now share YOUR stories and ideas with me! I'd love to hear how you asked your bridesmaids/maid of honor!!
**You can find the rest of my wedding planning/proposal things here
**See how I asked my flower girl here


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Here's footage from the (amateur) Qu8k launch. Personal tests of whether or not a videos is share-worthy: My jaw has dropped / My eyes are bulging / Expletives.... check, check, and check.
"Qu8k Rocket Launch Highlights - On-board GoPro HD at 22+ miles above earth"
"Qu8k (pronounced "Quake") launched from the Black Rock Desert in Nevada to an altitude of 121,000' before returning safely to earth. Above 99% of the atmosphere, the sky turns black in the middle of the day and the curvature of the earth is clearly visible. The rocket motor produced 4,000 lbs of thrust for 8 seconds accelerating the vehicle to over Mach 3 at over 10,000'. After that, momentum carried the rocket skyward for another 84 seconds to a peak altitude of 121,000.'"
Video Credit: d3deville
Via NASA/Goddard's Flickr. A different, but similar video to the popular one going around right now.
"Auntie Em! It's a Twister!"
"...NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded this eruption on the sun's surface that looks much like the tornadoes that appear on Earth. This tornado, however, swirled a thousand times faster, with whirling gases reaching speeds of over 186,000 miles an hour -- compared to tornadoes on Earth that are closer to 100 miles per hour."
Video Credit: NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center / SDO / AIA / NCAR
"Haunting Images from the Sun"
"In the last year, the sun has gone from its quietest period in years to the activity marking the beginning of solar cycle 24. SDO has captured every moment with a level of detail never-before possible."
Video Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA
Off of Vimeo. Quite impressive.
The Stars as Viewed from the International Space Station. from AJRCLIPS on Vimeo.
And finally, another gem from Vimeo. Beautiful, this one evokes a lot of emotion, for me at least.
"This is the perfect opportunity for a Carl Sagan quote: 'Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.' The footage in this little film was captured by the hardworking men and women at NASA and The European Space Agency with the Cassini Imaging Science System."
CASSINI MISSION from Chris Abbas on Vimeo.
Thanks to Camilla SDO on G+ /
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text: My ties seem to suffer more abuse in a two piece suit. I'm upgrading my wardrobe and buying better ties. In the process I've grown fond of several ties. Perhaps I'm over protective, but I'd like to know if a waistcoat will help prolong the life of a few of my favorites. Any opinions? Experiences?


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This Father had a heartbreaking request from strangers!
This story is very sad and heartbreaking but so sweet at the same time. it's tragic that this family had to go through such an awful event but it was so nice of people to try and give this Father what he asked for. This i what the Father asked for.
"Photoshop Request: My daughter recently passed away after a long battle in the children's hospital. Since she was in the hospital her whole life we never were able to get a photo without all her tubes. Can someone remove the tubes from this photo?"


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Some have asked for my view of original sin and the connection between Adam and us. I cannot do better than recommend Bernard Ramm's Offense to Reason: A Theology of Sin (Harper & Row, 1985). It was one of his last books and one of his best. (It's a bad title because Ramm did not think original sin is irrational; he thought it is beyond reason's ability to comprehend.) Ramm covers all the Christian options including Barth's idea of saga. The Bible calls sin the "mystery of iniquity." If we could "explain" sin we would be explaining it away so that it is no longer sin. It would become ignorance or fate or something else. Either sin is existential mystery or it is not really sin in the full biblical sense.
Book recommendation about original sin
Related posts from Roger E. Olson:
- Bob Brown
A truly great book that makes the case for "the fall" of the human race.
- Clay Knick
I read this fine book in theological school. I really like Ramm's other books, too.
- Ivan A. Rogers
Ivan A. Rogers writes: "Adam's death process actually did begin the very moment he disobeyed, but continued in transition until he attained the age of 930 years. Accordingly, it can truly be said that in the interim, Adam was a 'dead man walking.' And we, his genus, walked the path of death in lock-step with Adam until Christ came to set our feet on the path of life. When Christ died and rose from the dead, so, too, did we — in him. Even so, many people find it difficult to believe that their old Adamic nature with its 'dead works' (past, present, and future) has already been judged and is now deceased, having been nailed to the cross with Christ (see Col 2:13-15). They find it equally difficult to believe they have been miraculously re-created with a new life in the resurrected Christ."
(An excerpt from a new book, "Dropping Hell and Embracing Grace," by Ivan A. Rogers. Available from Amazon.com. Also available on Kindle).
- Mikael Stenhammar
Thanks for this! Please keep more of these kinds of recommendations coming.
While on it, can you recommend any study or reading on Satan (not just evil in a broader sense, but evil personified as such)? I found Grenz's covering of it in his "Theology for the Community of God" very interesting yet too short.
- rogereolson
The best book I know on the subject of Satan is "I Believe in Satan's Downfall" by British evangelical/charismatic theologian Michael Green–a wonderful theologian who has sadly been overlooked by too many evangelical. The book was published by Eerdmans in 1981. It was in the series "I Believe…" but Green refused to write a book entitled "I Believe in Satan." So he and the publisher settled on the rather unusual title. But it is a book about Satan.
- Mikael Stenhammar
Great! Thanks for that. I have benefited much from Green before, esp his "I Believe in the Holy Spirit." In it he touches on the devil and also exorcism in what I find to be a very wise way. I was unaware of this book you mention. Thanks a lot!
- Tim Reisdorf
At one time in my life I disagreed of the doctrine of Original Sin. I was persuaded by the Church of Christ (in my experience) against it; trusting, rather, in the principle of Ez 18 "the soul who sins shall die". I've moved from there to loosely holding to Original Sin.
I see it this way: there is a present reality of universal sinfulness in want of a theory to explain it. The theory of Original Sin makes compromises that I wouldn't have chosen in relation to "an individual's responsibility for another individual's sin." Yet, I have no better theory. (Why is it that everyone sins? "It's the human condition." Not a theory and explains nothing.) Worse still, I have the Romans 5 passages to explain. So, even if I don't like it, I will say that I agree and hold to Original Sin, but without enthusiasm.
- rogereolson
Why do we need to explain it?
- Tim Reisdorf
I'm not sure that it's always wise to try to explain things that may be obvious to observe but more dicey to tease out the origins. But, of course, finding out how things work and behave and come to be are legitimate lines of inquiry – and are largely considered the domain of science. Would they not also be legitimate lines of inquiry for theology?
Maybe it is also true of this subject when it is said, "Curiosity creeps into house of the unfortunate . . . ."
- rogereolson
Yes, but much of that needs to be labeled speculation.
- http://www.opentheism.info William Huget
Augustinian/Catholic/Reformed 'original sin' is traditional, but may not be truth. We do have revelation about what sin is and is not. Sin is volitional, moral, selfishness, disobedience, lawlessness, rebellion, etc. It is not genetic, metaphysical, nature/being, etc. The original sin is Adam's fall (post-Lucifer fall), the occasion for sin entering the race, but not the cause of all men being sinners. Rom. 1-3 is the hamartiological passage with proof texts in Ps. 51 and Rom. 5 needing to be interpreted in light of it. We are sinners because we sin, not because our parents conceived us, no fault of our own. Babies lack mental and moral capacity to sin and be condemned to hell. All men are condemned sinners in need of a sinless Savior. Denying 'original sin' is not a denial of salvation truths. The will and mind are sufficient explanations for sin, not Federal Headship, transducian theories. Moral Government Theology (not to be confused with Pelagianism) seems more coherent, biblical than the traditional view: http://www.gospeltruth.net/menbornsinners/mbsindex.htm


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Retype the following passages, proofreading for errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and usage.
The Epic
an epic is a long narrative poem or story about a hero who belongs to a noble or royal family. In many epics, there is someting supernatural or magical about the hero's birth and death? The hero's central motivation is to perform brave deeds, that will protect his people. Many of these brave deeds involve quests, or long difficult journeys hunting for a rare treasure, a magical sword, ore a kidnapped princess.
Epic heroes sometimes fight other human beings they also battle monsters and spirits. An epick hero can win the day by fighting hard, behaving honorably, and protecting the innocent. Often the hero's enemy will suggest a trade and then try to cheet. That means the enemys downfall is the enemy's own fault.
Some epic heroes of ancient literature is King Arthur of the Round Table, the Babylonian Gilgamesh, hercules, and Beowulf. In more recent times, Superman, Batman, and other superheroes from comic books had many qualities of an epic hero. Modern science fiction stories and movies often have main characters who possesses many traits of the classical epic hero


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Andy climax as Prince refuses security check
Political Correspondent
Page Tools
Prince Andrew yesterday.
Photo: Kevin Stent / SUNDAY STAR TIMES
PRINCE ANDREW was stopped from boarding a Qantas jet to New Zealand after refusing to be screened by security guards at Melbourne Airport.
After a tense stand-off, the Duke of York reluctantly agreed to be searched with a hand-held detector.
Airport and security officials were surprised at Prince Andrew's actions last Wednesday, believing he would have understood the importance of security in the wake of the London bombings.
Officials said the incident showed no one was exempt from Australia's airport security.
Prince Andrew was on a private trip to Melbourne. He had made a surprise visit to Ivanhoe Grammar School on Monday, along with deposed Greek King Constantine II, to attend the opening of a global conference on schools.
As a VIP and a royal, Prince Andrew was met by airport officials at a special gate at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday. But when told he needed to pass a security check, he refused.
"There was a bit of consternation on both sides," one source said.
"Managers and security were called and it was suggested to the Prince that he sit down in the next room and think about it for a while.
"He was told he would not be allowed to board the flight unless he agreed to be screened, because it was the law. Eventually he reluctantly agreed."
The incident follows controversy in March when Brisbane Airport security officers ordered Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to remove his shoes, and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was given a body scan for explosives at Sydney Airport in 2003.
Sir Michael described his incident as an "insult" and ordered an official diplomatic cable be sent to Canberra demanding an explanation.
Officials are said to be " nervous" about Sir Michael's official four-day visit to Australia, which starts on Tuesday.
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text: Tuesday, August 7, 2007 Post 9/11 Next Steps for General Aviation Security Air Safety Week Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, aviation security has focused overwhelmingly on commercial aircraft. But flying in America's skies are thousands of small airplanes, many of them owned and operated by individuals. A national aviation security plan should ensure that the skies are as secure as possible from the most likely threats--and like every measure intended to protect the homeland, air security should be implemented in a manner that helps to keep the nation safe. A Cessna 172 makes a poor weapons platform for another 9/11-style terrorist attack, but existing programs for accrediting pilots and tracking aircraft should be strengthened to prevent general aviation from being used to transport contraband, whether illicit drugs, "dirty" bombs or smuggled people, according to a new study by the Heritage Foundation. Among other things, the report says Department of Homeland Security subordinate agencies and local law enforcement should patrol for general aviation threats, integrating border security with general aviation security. The Heritage Foundation also believes a Trusted Pilot Program and interoperable databases between government agencies would streamline the general aviation security process. New technologies, such as GPS locators and biometric pilot's licenses would also help keep the terrorists at bay. General aviation (GA) is an industry that comprises 5,288 community airports in the United States, serving approximately 219,000 general aviation aircraft that account for 77 percent of all U.S. air traffic. As a result, the sheer size and diversity of the general aviation sector makes it difficult to craft a single comprehensive security policy for the industry. Most of the small, single-engine aircraft hold about the same amount of cargo as a Honda Civic. Ten percent are medium-size jets that weigh over 12,500 pounds and are usually chartered for business travel. Some have intercontinental range. The over 19,000 landing facilities that service general aviation exhibit similar diversity: Some have grass runways and are located in the wilderness, while others are fully functioning international airports in large cities. In addition, airports are scattered throughout the United States, including Alaska and the Hawaiian islands. Because there is no standard size, shape, or function of a general aviation airport, it is difficult to devise uniform security standards. Transportation patterns are likewise diverse and fluid. Aircraft flights range from the occasional pleasure flight to the activity of corporate business jets. Depending on the size, speed, and destination of the aircraft, pilots might need to file formal flight plans or simply radio the control tower when they reach their final destination. This distinction makes it virtually impossible to track the majority of aircraft when they are in transit. The single characteristic that all general aviation flights share is that, unlike commercial flights, they operate on an on-demand basis and are not routinely scheduled. Most general aircraft can do only a fraction of the damage that a large commercial airliner could cause. The recent crash of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle shows that small aircraft do not cause significant damage to buildings or the people inside of them. The only people to die in the crash were Lidle and his instructor on board the aircraft. Even an aircraft packed with explosives would have modest potential as an air-delivered weapon. Most critical infrastructure is resilient enough to withstand such attacks. For example, nuclear power plants are designed to sustain an accidental crash from a commercial airliner. Another often-overstated threat in the realm of general aviation is that crop dusters could be used to disseminate biological or chemical weapons. Experts, however, doubt the practicality of such a tactic. Conventional sprayers on crop dusters or air tankers that are used to fight forest fires, for example, probably would not be very effective at dispensing biological agents. Mechanical stresses in the spraying system might also kill or inactivate a large percentage of particles--by some estimates, up to 99 percent. Nor could they carry sufficient volume to conduct a significant chemical attack. As a result, the most worrisome threat from general aviation comes from using aircraft as a transportation platform. General aviation is a fairly discrete means to move cargo in a short amount of time over a long distance, and the security standards for travelers, particularly passengers, is much more lax than for commercial airliners. While private pilots have their identities and credentials checked on a regular basis, passengers may not be screened, even when they fly internationally. On domestic flights, cargo is virtually never inspected. Drug smuggling demonstrates the potential to exploit the general aviation sector for illicit activity. The study believes that the right solutions for making the skies safer and maintaining a vibrant general aviation sector that has room to grow and innovate requires principled proposals that address the threat in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. A new national general aviation security policy should consider a layered approach. For example, security measures at flight schools, hangars, and airports should be organized to screen for possible terrorists before they get access to the skies. The best way to stop illicit exploitation of general aviation is to keep malicious actors out of the cockpit. A security program that works for corporate business jets would not necessarily be effective for small Cessna planes or hobby aircraft. Programs must be tailored to different types of aircraft, airfields, and aviation services. The authors of the report feel that some of the new security measures that have been established since 9/11 reflect principled security. Others do not. One of the first security improvements was the "Airport Watch" program. Airport Watch is a joint venture between the private and government communities and was co-founded by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This partnership resulted in an elaborate "neighborhood watch"-like program at thousands of local airports nationwide: a network that includes over 650,000 pilots, as well as airport officials, who serve as eyes and ears for observing and reporting suspicious activity to state and local law enforcement. "Initiatives like Airport Watch provide a decentralized network for reporting security threats. By making the everyday pilot the eyes and ears at his airport, it provides an additional layer of security on the ground. It is also cheaper than training thousands of additional government security officers and deploying them at airports around the country," the authors stated. After 9/11, the private sector worked with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the TSA to make flight training a more transparent and secure process. The first step was advanced screening of pilot databases against the TSA threat watch lists. This regulation was adopted on January 24, 2003, and means that individuals who show up on TSA watch lists can have their certificates suspended or revoked. Another security measure created by many private flight schools applies to foreigners who are training for pilot certificates. All foreign nationals applying for flight training will now be subject to a Department of Justice background check before entering their training programs. A more stringent screening process is in place for foreigners seeking to learn to fly jet aircraft over 12,500 pounds. This rule, dubbed by experts the "Twelve-Five Rule," became law as part of the FAA reauthorization legislation in 2002. Additional federal legislation requires that flight school instructors be trained in identifying suspicious circumstances and activities of individuals enrolling or attending a flight school. On the domestic end, U.S. student pilots must show a government-issued photo I.D. to verify their identity before enrolling in flight school, and many flight schools require instructors to be present any time a student pilot is on the tarmac or near training aircraft. The Heritage Foundation study advocates a Trusted Pilot Program. This program would be vital in preventing general aviation from shutting down completely in the event of another terrorist attack or natural disaster. A trusted pilot program with certification for first responders, for example, would ensure that they are always granted access to the air to respond to emergencies that might shut down U.S. airspace. This program would also speed up customs inspections for trusted pilots when they re-enter American airspace from abroad. With the numerous databases already in use in the Department of Transportation, the TSA, the FAA, and the private sector, interoperability is the key to inter-agency security cooperation. Making the databases and watch lists available to everyone in the GA sector will ensure that pilots and flight students are checked against every source of information before they are allowed in the sky. Establishing secure credentials for pilot certificates and credentials is also critical, the authors believe. National standards for these credentials should be established to obtain pilot licenses and should be similar to those for motor vehicle licenses. The Heritage Foundation study says "improving general aviation security should be part of the national effort to make the skies safer. Much has been done since 9/11 to establish security measures that are appropriate for the threat. More needs to be done." Post your opinion on this story in the CAA General Aviation Forum http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php *****************************************


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Los Angeles Times
March 22, 2005
This month, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Charles Townes won the $1.5-million Templeton Prize, an award given out for "progress toward research or discoveries about spiritual realities." What does it mean that a religious prize is being given to a physicist?
Townes, in fact, is the fifth scientist to have won the award (the world's most lucrative academic prize). Fellow physicist winners include Freeman Dyson of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., cosmologist Paul Davies, general-relativity expert George Ellis and particle physicist John Polkinghorne.
"Religion," Townes told the journal Physics World, "is aimed at understanding the purpose and meaning of our universe, including our own lives. If the universe has a purpose and meaning, this must be reflected in its structure and functioning, and hence in science." In 1966, in the wake of his Nobel Prize, Townes was even bolder. In an article published in MIT's Technology Review, he wrote that differences between science and religion "are largely superficial the two become almost indistinguishable if we look at the real nature of each."
The idea that science and religion coalesce in the structure of the universe has been expressed by a slew of physicists in recent years. Among them are Davies, in his bestselling book "God and the New Physics," and Stephen Hawking, in "A Brief History of Time." In this view, science and religion both find their apotheosis in a Theory of Everything — a unified account of all the world's forces and particles. Know the final equations, Hawking tells us, and you will know "the mind of God."
There is nothing new about this notion, but there is something fundamentally missing from this portrayal of the religious enterprise, at least from a Christian point of view.
Contrary to widespread belief, religion and science have not always been at odds. The idea that science may illuminate the divine predates Christianity and goes back to the great pioneer of mathematics, Pythagoras of Samos in the 5th century BC. Pythagoras believed that numbers were literally gods, and he associated the numbers 1 through 10 with the major gods of the Greek pantheon.
In Pythagorean science, to find mathematical relations behind physical phenomena was to find the divine harmonia by which the universe had been created. This was the original "music of the spheres," an idea that was to have a profound effect on the evolution of modern physics.
From the 13th through 17th centuries, the Pythagorean notion of an underlying cosmic harmony gradually gave rise to the idea that the Judeo-Christian God had created the world according to a divine mathematical plan — the "laws of nature." To discover and understand these laws was to decipher God's plan, and therefore an essentially religious act.
As Isaac Newton's great predecessor, Johannes Kepler, wrote: "For a long time, I wanted to become a theologian . Now, however, behold how through my effort God is being celebrated in astronomy." Newton himself saw his scientific work as one long argument for a beneficent Creator. The elision of God and physics today follows directly from this tradition, but there is a critical difference between the scientific theologizing of Kepler and Newton and that of physicists like Hawking and Townes.
The Christian God has two aspects: God the Creator and God the Redeemer. The former acts at the beginning of time, the latter reigns at the end. For most of Christian history, intellectual reflection was focused on God the Redeemer, for the core of Christian theology and faith has always been the end-time promise of resurrection and atonement. Christ died and rose to heaven as the guarantee that eventually all true believers would follow him into the everlasting bliss of paradise.
Kepler and Newton were adamant that the value of their work lay in its support for God's salvific function. Yet as time went by, God the Redeemer has gone missing from the "god and physics" discourse. That is because material science can say nothing about sin and grace, let alone heaven, a place that by definition is beyond the purview of modern science.
Of the five physicists who have won the Templeton Prize, four are practicing Christians. (Townes, for example, is a member of the First Congregational Church in Berkeley.) While the claim they make for the discoveries of science supporting their faith in God the Creator is certainly, legitimate, that is surely only half the task. "Progress" in religion must be judged not by our knowledge of particles and forces but by action toward a more just, equitable and humane society.
By equating God with the "structure and function" of the material world, Christians play a losing game. As the Jesuit philosopher Michael Buckley has pointed out, rational inference can never substitute for personal experience of the divine — which is, and must remain, the grounding of faith.
Margaret Wertheim is the author of "Pythagoras' Trousers" (Norton), a history of the relationship between physics and religion, which in 1996 won a book prize funded in part by the Templeton Foundation.