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Scattered across the globe is a wide range of unique
scientific resources: large experimental facilities (which
will include the Spallation Neutron Source under
construction at ORNL), supercomputer centers, petabyte
data archives, the high-speed Internet, and, most
importantly, the expertise of scientists at laboratories and
universities around the world.
"The easy science problems have been solved," says Thomas Zacharia, ORNL's associate
laboratory director for Computing and Computational Sciences. "Tomorrow'�s scientific
breakthroughs in biology, nanotechnology, and physics now require large,
multidisciplinary teams and the ability to effectively use the scientific resources
distributed around the country." In fact, all scientific fields have the need to bring
resources to the fingertips of area experts.
To connect scientists, instruments, computing, and data, the Department of Energy is
establishing a DOE Science Grid, one of several grids being constructed by science
agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration. According to the DOE Science Grid Web site, "The vision for
'grids' is to revolutionize the use of computing in science by making the construction and
use of large-scale systems of diverse resources as easy as using today's desktop
environments." Collectively, all these grids are part of a global science grid.
This science grid creates a "virtual laboratory" environment that allows scientists to
tackle tomorrow's problems more effectively. It enables innovative approaches to
scientific computing through secure remote access to online facilities, high-speed Internet
access, collaborations among scientists separated by distance (e.g., at different DOE labs
in "collaboratories"), shared petabyte datasets, and large-scale distributed computation.
Scientific communities must have the capability for multiple users to remotely access
high-performance computing resources and large data archives to both perform
simulations and analyze the results of experiments. Researchers also need to collaborate
with scientists at different sites who are involved in the simulations or experiments. They
must coordinate access to and use of the resources.
The complex and evolving nature of scientific discovery requires general services that
can be combined in many different ways to support different problem-solving approaches
and the ability to evolve along with the scientific understanding of the problem. Resource
management for such dynamic and distributed environments requires global naming and
authorization services, scalability, fault tolerance, data management, security,
authentication, and protection of proprietary data.
"The goal of the science grid," says Al Geist, who is overseeing ORNL's efforts in
developing the DOE grid, "is to provide a common and supported set of services across
all the scientific resources so that scientists can easily access, use, and share these
resources and results more efficiently with the larger scientific community."
The design and deployment of large, multi-site grids are still evolving. You can learn
about the state of the art and stay abreast of new developments by accessing this ORNL
Web site.


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Tag Archives: arstechnica
goodbye google answers
Google stops accepting questions over at Google Answers. They'll stop accepting answers by the end of the year. Ten to one they roll out some freebie service a la Yahoo Answers or Askville within the next six months (I have … Continue reading
Posted in 'puters Tagged arstechnica, google, googleanswers, rip 3 Comments

subset: commoncrawl


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Pierpont Community and Technical College and Fairmont State University were added to the 2013 Military Friendly School list.
The schools made the list by exhibiting leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience.
Victory Media is a veteran owned small business that put the list together after surveying more than 12,000 VA-approved schools nationwide.
The schools strive to make the transition from military to student life a little easier.
"We are just grateful for the services that the veterans and military personnel provided to our country and we think this is one way to show our gratitude by making it easier for them to make that transition," said Cynthia Hudok, Financial Aid Director.
The schools hope to continue expanding programs and services directed towards helping veterans and military personnel.
Victory Media has also named Davis and Elkins College a Military-Friendly School.
This is the third straight year the school has made the list.
Victory Media focuses on military personnel making the transition back into civilian life and honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities, and trade schools doing the most to embrace veterans.
Among other distinctions, the school was commended for counting military training for college credit and for having a veterans organization with a veterans center.


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Artist description:
Ok... Ummm... The picture seems to be from some game (I haven't played it). I saw the picture on google and I really liked it. Hope u like it too. :) Rate and comment. Thanks!
Flash Draw Created Oct 14, 2010 338 x 470px Unless noted Copyright 2010 white_youkai.
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your so talented
This is awesome!
@kaju this is samus, so it cant be halo, its metroid.. anyways, i love the picture!! beautiful!
nice this is amazing, i think the game is called halo
yes really we like it so much .u r nice artist
This is so cool! 5H :D
Hey,. nice one! i Luv samus youkai,.. nice draw.
Gorgeous very well done..5/5
Very nice!


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Artist description:
No description entered.
Flash Draw Created Sep 07, 2006 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2006 glynis.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
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i guess it kinda looks like steven tyler... i love aerosmith... but the lips would b too small for him... i have no idea who it looks like...
I agree with midnight. It's still really good though.
When I look at this I think more Steve Tyler of Aerosmith. Not Jim Morrison.


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Tigers roar into regionals
No. 7 Parkway boasts offense similar to Destrehan, Valdin says
Last week, the 23rd-ranked Tigers beat the 10th-ranked St. Paul Wolves in Covington, 25-21.
Hahnville head coach Lou Valdin said his Tigers have an edge this week by being able to play at home.
"The biggest advantage that we have is were in Tiger Stadium," Valdin said. "We have a team coming in from Shreveport thats never been here, so this place has to be rocking Friday night."
The last game the Tigers played at home was homecoming night on Oct. 19. In that game, they shutout L.W. Higgins 21-0.
Following that game, it was a real possibility that the next time the Tigers seniors entered the stadium it would have been as mere spectators.
"We knew we were going to be a low seed so there was going to be a possibility we were going to be on the road twice and we knew in the first round we were playing a tough opponent," Valdin said. "Our seniors are thrilled to death to wear that purple jersey one more time and come through the tunnel."
Although the Tigers continued to make mistakes in the ball control game by losing a few fumbles against St. Pauls, the offense shined as a whole.
Quarterback Easton Melancon had his best game of the season, connecting on 14 of his 26 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, tailback Sergio Medina racked up 124 yards on the ground and had one touchdown.
In five out of six games since he was moved from starting middle linebacker to tailback, Medina has turned in plus 100-yard performances, including a 240 yard, four touchdown performance in week 10 versus Destrehan.
Valdin said the teams performance in the running game is the main reason why the Tigers were able to open up the passing attack against St. Pauls.
"Thats what has been carrying us for the past few games," Valdin said. "Because we have been able to run the football the play action pass has been very good to us."
Valdin said the Panthers run a similar defense to St. Pauls and he is hoping for a repeat of last weeks performance from his offense.
"They are similar to St. Pauls, similar to Destrehan – bend but dont break. With teams like that if you can run the football on them then that opens everything up," Valdin said. "They cant just sit in a defense. Youve got force them to do something. If they box the guys up in the run then you are going to start slinging it."
Valdin said his overall goal is to stop Parkways explosive offense.
"They are very, very good offensively," he said. "Offensively they are similar to Destrehan. They have a big quarterback that can throw the ball, a tailback that can fly and some really, really good receivers."
Valdin said the best way to stop Parkway from taking over the game offensively is by Hahnvilles offense being able to sustain long drives.
"Keep Parkways offense off the field, move the chains. Run the football play action pass," he said. "Parkways best players are on offense and weve got to keep them off the field."
On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers are planning on keeping it simple.
"They are similar to St. Pauls in that they do a lot of things – a few plays out of a lot of formations. The more complicated the offense the more simple you need to be on defense," Valdin said. "We need to play base defense and make sure we dont get beat."
The game will be played at Hahnville High School on Friday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.
If the Tigers win on Friday there is a good chance they will host a game in the quarterfinals, assuming Barbe wins their matchup with Byrd. Barbe is seeded second in Class 5A.
To see the full playoff bracket, see 4B.
|More News and Events


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0.35cts Princess Cut Shaped Diamond Wedding Ring
Princess cut diamond shaped wedding ring created with 0.35cts of channel set diamonds along a gently shaped channel with 2.8mm ring width.
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Purchase your diamond wedding ring or eternity ring from Canada and receive your parcel within 1-3 days from when we sent out your ring. All deliveries arrive fully insured by Fedex with all duty and tax considered before purchasing on our website. Most rings take around 4 weeks to create before we ship, beautifully presented in luxury packaging.
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Toyota Passo Hatchback 2007 for sale
474 Views
Green G
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- Vehicle
- 2007 Toyota Passo
- Body
- Green Hatchback
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Add to Calendar
November 21, 2017 @ 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Carol Cooney has a scrappy approach to quilting and shows various options for students to use their stash effectively. Pattens and notes are given each class. Various topics are discussed, such as ways to make it scrappy, storage, using pre-cuts etc.) After the lesson, students work on whatever projects they wish and Carol gives individual attention throughout the day. 3 classes $75, or $30 for a single class, but must register first


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In order to keep up with state mandates for residential development, Murrieta is considering allowing homebuilders to pack nearly twice as many units per acre as is now permissible in some of the city's most rural areas.
Also, city officials are working to find a place where an emergency shelter could be built to satisfy a separate state mandate.
The Murrieta Planning Commission will review a 130-page report drafted by planning officials known as the city's Housing Element. The commissioners will analyze the report at the end of Wednesday's meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 24601 Jefferson Ave.
City Council members are scheduled to review the document onSept. 1, said City Planner Mary Lanier. Once they approve the plan,which is essentially a long-term blueprint for residentialdevelopment in Murrieta, it will be forwarded to the StateDepartment of Housing and Community Development for finalapproval.
The Housing Element is one of seven sections the city must include in its overall plan for future development. It's the only section that the state reviews, and the state's approval is required in order for the city to apply for and receive certain state grants.
The housing element is a way for cities to show that they will have enough developable land to accommodate projected population increases. It is expected to show where housing developments could be built to accommodate high-income residents, where apartments and condominiums could be built to accommodate low-income residents, and where an emergency shelter could operate.
City officials have been working to determine where an emergency shelter or transitional housing could be built without special approval by city planners, which would make it much easier to open such a shelter. City regulations allow a shelter to be built in areas designated for commercial and office development, but planning commissioners would still analyze the project to determine whether a shelter would be compatible with the surrounding businesses.
Lanier said planners have not yet identified a particular area where such a shelter could be built without an extra layer of scrutiny by planning officials.
While the state does not require that the city build any homes or even approve residential development applications, the city must identify areas in the city where more than 6,300 housing units can be built by 2014.
Murrieta is already well-stocked with housing for people who make at least average incomes, but there is a smaller supply of homes for those who earn low and very low incomes. The state is requiring the city to identify areas where as many as 2,600 homes ---- typically apartments ---- for low-income residents could be built.
To accommodate the requirement, planning commissioners will consider seven areas where developers might one day be allowed to build as many as 30 units per acre. The maximum number of units that can be built on an acre now is 18.
"We don't have anything that dense here in Murrieta, so it definitely would be a new designation," Lanier said.
While the City Council is taking steps to make office buildings and corporate offices the primary focus of future development for the area around the Clinton Keith Road/ Interstate-215 interchange, city planners also believe apartments could be suitable there.
Planning officials see the potential to develop low-income housing on 9.4 acres northeast of the I-215/Clinton Keith Road interchange. The area is designed to accommodate rural homes, but housing officials believe as many as 176 low-income apartments could be built there.
Another 308 units could be built nearby between Baxter and Running Rabbit roads, the report states.
And a total of 935 units could be built on the west side of the city bounded by Washington and Adams avenues, and Lemon and Magnolia streets; at the northeast corner of Jefferson Avenue and Juniper Street; at Adams Avenue and Ivy Street; south of Ivy Street, north of Murrieta Hot Springs Road and west of Madison Avenue; and at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Murrieta Hot Springs Road.
With city leaders carefully crafting a plan to bring in businesses that would increase sales taxes and the number of high-paying jobs, Planning Commissioner Tom Butler said it's also important to make careful suggestions about where homes should be built.
"Murrieta is approaching build-out, so it's more and more important to wisely use the land we have remaining," Butler said. "We only have so much of those (still-undeveloped) large parcels left to go around, so you have to get the best use out of it."
Call staff writer Nelsy Rodriguez at 951-676-4315, ext. 2626.


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With the potential No. 1 pick in June's amateur baseball draft being pitched around like Barry Bonds in his homer-happy steroid cream days, USD coach Rich Hill opted for a dramatic adjustment.
On April 13, Hill moved Kris Bryant, the nation's leading Division I home run hitter, from the No. 3 spot to leadoff.
The reasoning was obvious. Teams were pitching around the Toreros' third baseman, walking Bryant 24 percent of his plate appearances.
"We know at least one time per game you're going to have to pitch to him," said Hill. "His on-base percentage is off the charts (.507 going into Friday's game at Saint Mary's). His slugging percentage is astronomical (.844).
"If you want to walk him to lead off the game, we have an RBI opportunity in the first inning. You never want to end the game with him on deck."
Bryant, take II
Bryant's stats, and USD's record, have not altered significantly since the switch. Bryant's stats in the 33 games before the switch: .351 batting average; 16 home runs; 46 RBI; 43 walks.
Bryant's stats in the seven games batting leadoff: .333 batting average; 6 home runs; 8 RBI; 10 walks.
The Toreros were 19-14 (.576) when Bryant batted primarily No. 3. Their record in the first seven games Bryant moved to leadoff: 7-5 (.583).
"I don't mind hitting leadoff at all," Bryant said. "I hit there when I was in Little League, so I'm comfortable hitting there, and I love to hit as many times as I can in a game."
Not gym dandies
This Just In gym rant: At the 4S Ranch L.A. Fitness, there are mats designated for stretching or abdominal work. Via creases, the mats are divided into sixths. Common courtesy says you don't take up more than one-third of the mat.
Yet some rude people, usually women, sprawl out, stretching like they're training for Cirque du Soleil. You're probably the same person driving a Beemer, taking up two spots in the parking lot. Show some respect. …
In fairness to women, here are frequent gym complaints about men ... slamming weights against the floor; excessive grunting; ogling and failure to wipe up their sweaty messes.
Big gamble by the Padres offering Chase Headley a multi-year contract that would make him the highest-paid player in franchise history. Fantastic season last year: 31 homers, league-leading 115 RBI. Average home runs and RBI the previous three seasons 9 and 55. …
Can we please cease with the Manti Te'o, fictional girlfriend fodder? Let the guy's performance with the Chargers determine how much, or little, attention he receives. …
Forty-three years after the book first came out, TJI is finally getting around to reading "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton. Review to soon follow.
Media matters
Many draftniks are already wasting time, reaching at bubbles floating in the sky, mucking up their 2014 NFL mock drafts.
Sports Illustrated's obviously not expecting much of the Bolts next fall, assigning the Chargers the No. 6 selection. The pick: Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews. On the positive side, SI writes, "(Matthews) might be better than No. 2 pick Luke Joeckel." …
TJI prefaces the following comment by admitting I've listened to very little of the show. But when I have tuned in to Lee Hamilton and JD Hayworth on the Mighty 1090, it didn't take long to switch back to XTRA Sports 1360's Ben Higgins and Chris Ello. …
"Hacksaw" and Hayworth, their bit … just … sounds … so … o-l-d. … Now you Hacksaw fans, I respect Lee. I admire how hard he works. … I just don't listen. …
And Lee, when you rip TJI on Monday, it's Norcross, not Knucklehead. Make sure both listeners know.
U-T Prep Sports
Guests on this morning's U-T TV's Prep Sports will include Canyon Crest surfer Stephanie Schechter and Hilltop sprinter Donald Molton.
A longboarder, Schechter is sponsored by seven companies and will attend UC Santa Barbara next fall.
U-T Prep Sports airs 11 a.m. to noon on Cox Cable (Ch. 114) and AT&T U-Verse (17), plus utsandiego.com.


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Police Not the Solution to the Attacks on Women, Says Danino
'Phenomenon of women's exclusion is mainly a social trend, so the police cannot provide the whole solution,' Police Commissioner tells Knesset.
Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino said Monday that the police have been acting for some time now to arrest both the perpetrators who attack Palestinians and those who exclude women from public venues, but since such acts are a "social trend," the police cannot be seen as the only solution to the problems.
"We have acted and will continue to fight resolutely to arrest and indict more of them carrying out both 'price tag' attacks and discriminating against women. But the phenomenon of women's exclusion is mainly a social trend, so the police cannot provide the whole solution," Danino said at the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Police top brass are angry at Knesset members and ministers who are demanding the police solve the problem of ultra-Orthodox exclusion of women, instead of dealing themselves with the situation that was ignored by all the governments that knew of the phenomenon and chose not to act against it.
A senior officer said the police today stand facing the problem alone. "The police officers should not remove signs [barring women's access] and detectives shouldn't escort children to school, that's not the job of the police," one officer said.
Officers said they know the entire police force will have to deal with manifestations of women's exclusion from the public sphere in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, just as the entire police force was mobilized to deal with the rightist extremists' acts against Palestinians and IDF soldiers.
Danino has no intention of letting the police become the politicians' punching bag, an officer said, explaining the cabinet is trying to push the police into dealing with the ultra-Orthodox public.
MK Meir Sheetrit (Kadima ) said at the meeting "it's time the police stop being nice and gentle in the face of the crimes taking place in the streets. It's time the police start cracking down on those who objected to taking down the sign in Beit Shemesh."
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STARmeterSEE RANK
Up 22,924 this week
Jack Smethurst
Jack Smethurst was born on April 9, 1932 in Collyhurst, Manchester, England. He is an actor, known for Love Thy Neighbour (1972), Chariots of Fire (1981) and For the Love of Ada (1970). See full bio »
Born:in Collyhurst, Manchester, England, UK
More at IMDbPro » Contact Info: View agent


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Pop Culture
Hollywood Now: Chris Pine, Rachel Weisz & Ari Graynor, Plus So Many Babies!By Gerri Miller
New flicks with celebs in interfaith relationships and from interfaith backgrounds, plus their baby news!Go To Pop Culture
Tag Archives: Esav
The End of Genesis
We have gotten to the end of the book of Genesis, the book of Bereishit (Beginnings) — the beginnings of the world and of our people. This last parasha in Genesis is called Va-Yehi (And He Lived), commenting on the life of Ya'akov (Jacob) that we have been following for weeks. But just as the parasha Chayei Sarah (Sarah's Lives) begins with the death of Sarah, so too here, Va-Yehi paints a picture of Ya'akov on his death-bed (even though we might have thought, from the title of And He Lived, that the parasha would be about his life, not his death).
There is also a curious puzzle in Va-Yehi that is captured by the very form in which the Hebrew letters are written in the scroll. The puzzle is why Ya'akov loses the prophecy he wanted to convey to his sons before he took his leave of this world. What happened to him that the prophecy just escaped from him so completely?
What exactly, is that form that echoes the mystery of the missing prophecy? Well, Ya'akov is "blocked," somehow prevented from delivering a message of final redemption to his sons. And our parasha is also "blocked" or "closed off." Very rarely in the Torah scroll we see something called a "closed parasha," referring to the actual physical layout of the letters on the parchment scroll. They appear on the same line as the last words of the parasha of the preceding week, instead of the typical separation of at least 9 blank spaces, which would separate last week's reading from this week's. The form echoes the content. Ya'akov is blocked and our parasha is written in a "blocked" format, as if to emphasize our patriarch's lost prophetic vision at the end of his life.
In fact, in Genesis chapter 48, when we get to verse 8, Ya'akov seems befuddled and lost. OK, he's about to die, but he had just given a whole speech reminiscing about his life, and mentioning his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. And now, a moment later, he is asking, "who are these boys?" What's going on here? Is he losing it or not? And then he does something very curious: he wants to bless the boys that he has just formally adopted (chapter 48 verse 5) but he switches his hands so that the younger son, Ephraim, gets Ya'akov's right hand, and the older son, Manasseh, receives his blessing from Ya'akov's left hand. Do you think this is a subtle reminder of how he "stole" the blessing from his own twin brother Esav (Esau) so many years before?
In the present, Yosef (Joseph) tries to correct his dying father's apparent mistake, but old Ya'akov is still sharp (so he isn't losing it) and tells the assembled family that he wants to bestow the blessing just the way he indicated. Read what Ya'akov says in verses 19 and 20.
To this day, parents give this exact blessing to their sons on Friday night, as part of the ritual welcoming Shabbat. Why do you suppose we ask God to make our sons like Ephraim and Manasseh instead of any of the other brothers or even the patriarchs? (By the way, girls are blessed to be like the matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.) One possible hint may have to do with the lack of sibling rivalry associated with these two sons of Yosef; whereas, at least in the generation of Ya'akov and Yitzhak, there were terrible and sometimes violent sibling struggles.
In Chapter 49, Ya'akov says his last words, called blessings, to each of his sons, spoken in poetic form. Each little poem recalls things that happened earlier in their lives. We call these snippets of poetry "blessings," but they often don't sound like what we think of as blessings; they are more like "this is what you did so now you will get what you deserve." In verse 29, Yakov gives his final instructions; and in verse 33, the long life of Ya'akov ends. As you can read in Chapter 50, he is given quite a funeral, paralleling how we bury great leaders in our day and age. Senior members of the Pharaoh's court joined the family to mourn Ya'akov, and the mourning period lasted 7 days, just like "shiva" today.
Not only does Ya'akov die in this "closed" parasha called "And He Lived/Va-Yehi," but Yosef also dies, at the age of 110. It is as if the author of this story wanted us to know that we are leaving the patriarchal and matriarchal tales and moving onwards. And where are we moving to? Look at the very last word in the book of Genesis to find out.
So we conclude Genesis at the same time as we conclude the year 2012. I have learned to read each parasha with an eye towards what is actually happening right now in our world, not limiting myself to thinking that the parasha is about some history that happened thousands of years ago. At the end of each book of the Torah we say, "Chazak, Chazak, V'Nitchazek" (be strong, be strong, let us be strong). As we say those words this Shabbat, I think we are encouraging each other to be strong in the face of the many challenges we face as we repair our communities from both deadly storms and massacres and have the strength to find ways to sustain and celebrate life.
To consider:
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Drama
Last week, the parasha (Torah portion of the week) ended with a chronology, a long list of names of the descendants of Esav (Esau), the twin brother of Yakov (Jacob), with whom he struggled, even in the womb, before they were born. The brothers finally made peace with each other and the Torah honors Esav by spending lots of time detailing his family. This week, however, it is clear that we are moving on to the key protagonist descended from Yakov: Yosef (Joseph), the 11th and the favorite son, borne by Yakov's favorite wife, Rahel (Rachel).
Our opening scene sets the stage for what is actually a novella, the first in the Torah, the story of Yosef and his adventures. Andrew Lloyd Weber famously wrote a hit musical about some of our story that you may want to check out:
But we really don't need a Broadway hit to let us know that this story has everything that makes a good novel or novella work: intrigue, plot twists, character development, changes in identity, dreams, lies, sibling rivalry, and more than a little a hint of sex.
In fact, just reading the text we see why the great German Jewish novelist of the early 20th century, Thomas Mann, produced a masterpiece of literature, Joseph and His Brothers, based not only on this story, but also incorporating the rabbinic midrashim (stories) that embellish the torah text. A new translation by John E. Woods is described as "a major literary event. Thomas Mann regarded his monumental retelling of the biblical story of Joseph as his magnum opus. He conceived of the four parts — The Stories of Jacob, Young Joseph, Joseph in Egypt, and Joseph the Provider — as a unified narrative, a 'mythological novel' of Joseph's fall into slavery and his rise to be lord over Egypt. Deploying lavish, persuasive detail, Mann conjures for us the world of patriarchs and pharaohs, the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine, and the universal force of human love in all its beauty, desperation, absurdity, and pain. The result is a brilliant amalgam of humor, emotion, psychological insight, and epic grandeur."
Embedded in the opening part of this novella, the biblical authors do something so crafty. They begin the story in Genesis chapter 37 and build it to a crescendo, leaving Yosef at the point of being sold to an Egyptian after a terrible ordeal, and poor old Yakov, back home, mourning for his favorite boy. We really want to know what happens next… kind of the way you feel when you watch an episode of Homeland and you are just dying to know what will happen to Carrie and Brody. However, chapter 38 is a total departure from the Yosef story; we detour to read a completely separate story about Yehuda (Judah), Yakov's 4th son, borne by Leah. It is the tribe of Judah that gives the Children of Israel their eventual name, Yehudim (Jews), and it is from this tribe that both King David and Jesus are descended.
The entire detour story tells us that Judah (Yehuda) had 3 sons, and when his oldest, Er, came of age, Yehuda arranged a marriage between Er and Tamar. Unfortunately Er dies and Yehuda sees fit to have Tamar marry another son, Onan. The story devolves (you can read it in chapter 38 verses 8-11). After Onan dies, Tamar is left a widow, childless, and she hatches a plot to make sure she can remarry and have children. In her cleverness, she reminds us somewhat of Rivka/Rebecca, the great-grandmother of Tamar's husbands. Neither of these women possesses any overt power in this patriarchal society.
In order that the right thing will be done, each woman resorts to subterfuge — each one uses a cover-up to get the right outcome. Two generations before, Rivka puts skins on the arms of the smooth twin (Yakov) to make him feel hairy, like his twin, Esav, when their blind old father touches him. Now Tamar dons a garment that makes her resemble a cultic prostitute; she waits at the crossroads to entice Yehuda into a one-night-stand that she hopes will make her pregnant. He doesn't recognize her; she takes his seal, cord, and staff as a voucher (for a goat) that she can later redeem — he will send the goat to her with a friend (chapter 38 verses 17-20).
Later, the townspeople tell Yehuda that his daughter-in-law is pregnant; and since he knows that she hasn't re-married, he tells everyone "Bring her out and let her be burned!" Tamar comes out, shows the seal, cord, and staff, and says "I am pregnant by the man who owns these." Yehuda recognizes his things and realizes that he should have given Tamar his youngest son to marry (but didn't), and says "This woman is more righteous than I — I should have given her my youngest son." This couple is not intimate again, but later in Genesis, we will see how Yehuda develops. It is one of the twin babies, Perez, born of this coupling, who is the progenitor of the Davidic line, the line of the Messiah.
Finally we get back to the Yosef story in Chapter 39 and 40, and our parasha ends with Yosef interpreting dreams that are "spot-on." Doesn't this sound like a great novel, movie, or TV series???
To consider:
Brothers: Wrestling or Embracing?
Our story about the twin brothers who became mortal enemies continues. Of course, we know they are enemies partially due to their family dysfunction.
This week, Ya'akov (Jacob) and his twin, Esav (Esau), are destined to meet each other after many years apart. The fabulous writer and novelist Dara Horn is the narrator for G-dcast this week, and her reading of the meeting of the twins presents us with core questions: how are our identities linked to our names? how are our relationships with our closest loved ones? how does God work in our lives? and what does this text want us to learn from the enigmatic story of the wrestling match at the Yabok River?
Just in case it isn't obvious, this motley tribe descended from Avraham and Sarah is known as The Children of Israel. And since there was no place yet named Israel, we learn that we are the children of the man called "Yisrael/Israel;" that is the new name Ya'akov receives after his midnight wrestling at the river. He is given a new name by the being he wrestled with. YISRA-EL. "…for you have striven with beings divine and human and have prevailed" (Genesis 32 verse 29). The scientific etymology of the word Yisrael is unclear, but the folk etymology stuck, perhaps because the people descended from Ya'akov liked to think of themselves as "God-wrestlers." Isn't that what Jews are often known for even today? Arguing and wrestling with the meanings of the text, trying with all their might to figure out what the text is saying and what it wants us to take away as a lesson?
This dramatic passage of the midnight encounter bears a close reading. I invite you to read the 10 verses (Genesis 32: 23-33) as you would a poem, wrestling with the meaning. What are we supposed to make of this mysterious nighttime encounter? Ya'akov is tired and scared. He sends his wives and children and servants across the Yabok River (doesn't that sound very much like his name?). "He is left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn" (verse 25). Is Ya'akov dreaming? Who is this man he wrestles with?
Dara Horn gives us a few ideas: he is wrestling with his conscience, he is wrestling with an angel, he is wrestling with his twin brother, Esav. Can you think of other possibilities? Could he be wrestling with the various parts of himself, his very character? Does the setting of midnight at a river provide you with hints that this is more than just an encounter with another human being? When you see two people in a wrestling hold, can you imagine that they are actually locked in an embrace? What do wrestling and embracing have in common?
Questions, questions, questions…. and no definitive answers.
And then the denouement, in verse 31: "I have seen a divine being face to face yet my life has been preserved." Ya'akov finally meets his real life twin brother, Esav, in Chapter 33, and they reconcile. And we hear an echo, Ya'akov once again says something similar about having seen God: "No, I pray you; if you would do me this favor, accept from me this gift; for to see your face is like seeing the face of God, and you have received me favorably" (verse 10). With this utterance, Ya'akov creates a standard for an I-Thou relationship, so well described by Martin Buber, centuries later.
A couple of other interesting tidbits in this parasha:
Last question: when the Bible says, "to this day," what do you think it signifies?
"And He Went Out"
"And he went out" are the opening words of the parasha this week, continuing our cliffhanger from the end of last week's portion when Ya'akov /Jacob fled his home to avoid incurring his twin brother's murderous wrath. If I were reading this story for the first time, I sure would be mighty curious to see what happens to this guy, who cheated his brother from getting the blessing of the first born son, and who stoops to deceiving his old blind father — at the behest of his mother. Talk about dysfunctional family dynamics!!
After fleeing home, the first night Ya'acov beds down by the side of the road, and uses a stone for a pillow. Seems like when you use a stone for a pillow you have very strange dreams. Ya'acov dreams of a ladder that has angels going up and down on it. (This is where we get the expression, Jacob's Ladder.) He has a vision that God speaks to him (Genesis 28, verses 13-16). Ya'acov hears the same promise that was already made to his father and to his grandfather. When he wakes up in the morning, he realizes that this spot is special, even holy, and he says: "Indeed [or WOW!] the Lord is in this place, and I, I did not know." Rabbi Larry Kushner wrote an entire book on how different commentators throughout history have interpreted this one little sentence.
Ya'acov then creates an altar to consecrate the spot and utters a very puzzling vow to the Lord — kind of a conditional vow — giving us another bit of insight into his character. He is looking more and more like a kind of schemer, wheeler-dealer type, which will develop further in later chapters. Then, he "lifts up his feet" and continues on his journey, like a man with a mission.
When he gets to his destination (his mother's home town,) he sees a watering hole, a well, where the sheep are given water, and he begins a conversation with the local guys. If meeting at the well reminds you of something, you are correct in remembering that Ya'akov's mother, Rebecca/Rivka, met the servant who would bring her to her husband at a similar well. The well is kind of like the office water cooler, or maybe like the after-work local bar. Serendipity is at play, and it's easy for boy-meets-girl kinds of things to happen. In fact, there are other boy-meets-girl scenes in the Bible — they are called "type-scenes" by Robert Alter in his illuminating book, The Art of Biblical Narrative. Here's the thing: our Torah was once an oral tradition. The storytellers wanted to keep the attention of the audience and there's nothing like a "meet-cute" romantic touch to please the listeners.
It turns out that a cousin of Ya'akov is approaching: she is none other than the beautiful Rachel! Ya'akov summons up all his strength. He rolls the heavy rock from the mouth of the well, waters her sheep, kisses her, cries (out of relief??), and then gets invited home to meet his uncle, Laban, his own mother's brother.
The conversation between uncle and nephew (Genesis 29, verses 14-28) is a gem. These two seem like they "speak each other's language" in that they both like making deals and have more than a touch of deceit in their make-up. You probably can guess by now, if you're unfamiliar with this story, that Ya'acov is head-over-heels in love with Rachel and wants to marry her, and Laban agrees, but, ultimately, he out-schemes our schemer, Ya'acov. Read what happens on the wedding night! (And by the way, the narrator has told us, way back in verse 17, that Rachel has an older sister…. hmmmm, older sister…. not so subtle a reminder of Ya'acov's older brother?)
Another hint drops into our story: a hint to uncle Laban's character. His name means "white," but once we see his manipulations on the wedding night, we understand that calling him "white" is just a polite way of saying he's the bad-guy twisting his moustache and wearing the black hat… The no-goodnik who is, at his most basic, a liar and deceiver.
And so we are introduced to the 3rd generation of our foremothers and forefathers, with all of their personality flaws as well as their good features. Ya'akov ends up marrying two sisters, Rachel and Leah, and gets two more concubines (Zilpah and Bilhah) in the deal. These four women give birth to the sons who will become the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and let's not forget the one daughter mentioned, Dinah, who has her own story. This week's g-dcast tells us about the birthing competition in some detail:
What I love about this parasha is how many echoes of personality traits as well as verbal expressions we are given by the narrator. These days we know how genetics determines so much about who we are, what talents we have, what diseases we might inherit, how we present ourselves to the world, how we articulate, and how we think. Back then, when these stories were written, we learn that their authors recognized the same genetics at work. They might not have the language of science to label these phenomena "genetic," but surely, as seen in this parasha, they showed us how history repeats itself in the different generations of the same family.
To consider:
This Family Is Headed For Trouble!
When I sat down to write about Toldot, my husband said, "This is one of your favorite parshiot (plural of parasha – portion), isn't it?" I laughed and said, "Yeah, it definitely ranks right up there with the best." So, why do I like it so much?
Well, for starters, the family trauma-drama continues: We see what happens to our plucky heroine, Rebecca, after being married to Yitzhak/Isaac for 10 years, but still not blessed with children. Then she gets pregnant — with twins, no less!! She has a difficult pregnancy (having no clue that she is carrying twins). She is far from her own home, perhaps with no kinswomen to consult with, and decides to "inquire of the Lord" (Genesis 25: 22-23). The Lord tells her she is carrying the progenitors of two nations, given in the form of an oracular poem — terse and mysterious.
She gives birth to twins who look, and, later, behave, very differently. The eldest is called Esav (Esau) and the younger is called Ya'akov (Jacob). The descriptions of them in verses 25-28 tell us how different they are, but with no judgment. Many hundreds of years after the Bible was written, when the Jews were defeated, exiled, and subjugated by the Romans (in the first centuries of the common era), the rabbis of the Talmud did make judgments about Esav and Ya'akov and in fact, called Esav "wicked." This week's G-dcast narrator uses that midrashic interpretation. Check it out:
However, what I find the most illuminating in these verses is notT later interpretation but the actual Torah text as we have it right here. We read just a few words that provide remarkable insight into the family dynamic. Verse 28:
What jumps out at you?
I see a strong hint of major family dysfunction. Dad loves one twin because of what that twin does for him (this child brings his dad tasty wild game) while Mom loves the other twin (for no apparent reason, or at least we aren't told)! We have all heard about unconditional love that parents are supposed to have for all of their children; we know the pitfalls of preferring one child more than the other. It is almost as if the author of this narrative is holding up a bright neon sign saying: WATCH OUT FOLKS, THIS FAMILY IS HEADED FOR TROUBLE WITH A CAPITAL "T."
Let's remember, Rebecca is the one who has heard the oracular pronouncement concerning who she will give birth to, and what will become of these twins. Does Yitzhak/Isaac know what Rebecca knows? What do you think? The text doesn't say one way or the other. And let's also remember that Yitzhak/Isaac may have suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome after his near-sacrifice and might not have been sensitive to nuance.
This parasha also has the famous story of Esav selling his birthright for a pot full of "red-red stuff" (probably lentil stew). We read about God appearing to Isaac, repeating the promise given to Abraham…. plus a bunch of other juicy tidbits, but I am saving the best for last.
Chapter 27 is one of the most well crafted stories in all of Torah. Some of the lines are actually famous even today, and used as metaphors: "the voice is the voice of Jacob and hands are the hands of Esav…" (verse 23).
I invite you to think of this chapter as a one-act stage play with 7 scenes, some longer than others. In each scene (except for one) there are 2 characters on the "stage" in dialog with each other. Other characters lurk, but we don't actually see them on the "stage." The characters appearing are: Yitzhak, Rebecca, Esav, and Ya'akov.
In verse 35 we get the most poignant and pitiful cry of any in all of Torah. The twin whom dad loves the best has been cheated of the blessing of the first-born son; his younger twin brother (Ya'akov) came and pretended that he was the eldest! Now the deed has been done and Esav cries out with a "great and very bitter outcry, and he said to his father, 'Bless me too, Father.'" Doesn't this just break your heart?


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Ebola Virus Death Toll Hits 3 In Nigeria As Patrick Sawyer Nurse Dies At Yaba Isolation Center
Ebola Virus Disease Death Statistics In Nigeria Hits 3 As Patrick Sawyer Nurse Dies At Yaba Isolation Center
Ms Ejelonu, a primary contact to late Patrick Sawyer at an hospital in Obalende Lagos has died.
She passed away on Thursday at the isolation center behind the Mainland Hospital in Yaba.
Until her death, the outspoken nurse was at the center of a campaign to get the Zmapp experimental drugs to Ebola victims in Nigeria. John Okiyi-Kalu started the Internet campaign a few days ago.
Ms. Ejelonu was one of the primary contacts with Patrick Sawyer at a Lagos Hospital where he received treatment after he was rushed from the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos where he collapsed.
The deceased died at age 25. She is the third Nigerian to be killed by the virus since the death of Patrick Sawyer.


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Brian Dukes
March 25, 2009, 12:19 AM
I'm trying to get an action apart on an older Remington Woodmaster semi auto, and I'm having trouble getting the 3/32" drift pin out of the operating handle. I've already broke a 1/16" punch and bent another; I'm trying to soak some oil in. I'm affraid to whack it too hard becuase the pin is in the bolt, which is floating in the action, and probably shouldn't be subject to too much abuse.
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions?


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SPORTS: Neah Bay football players dominate all-league selections; other football all-league honors
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The Northwest Football League, Olympic League and Nisqually League Division 1 have handed out their postseason football honors.
Considering the success by the area's 8-man teams this season, it's no surprise that the Northwest Football League All-Division teams are packed with players from the North Olympic Peninsula.
Neah Bay has seven players on the Northwest Football League North Division first team, including two-way first-teamers John Reamer and Tyler McCaulley — Reamer as an offensive and defensive lineman and McCaulley as a running back and linebacker.
McCaulley also was named to the second team as a defensive lineman.
Josiah Greene was named the first-team quarterback for the second year in a row. He is also on the second team as a defensive end.
Leyton Doherty and Zeke Greene were the Red Devils' other first-teamers, at defensive back and defensive end, respectively. Both players also are on the second team as wide receivers.
Only Lummi, with 10, had more players than Neah Bay named to the North Division first team.
Second-team honorees for Neah Bay are Dale Dawson (offensive line), Cody Cummins (linebacker) and Joey Monje (defensive back).
Crescent is represented on the North Division first team by offensive lineman Gene Peppard and receiver Derek Findley.
Findley (defensive back) and Peppard (defensive lineman) also are on the defensive second team.
Other second-teamers for the Loggers are running back Eric Larson, offensive lineman Josh Sowders and linebacker Mike Zapien.
Clallam Bay's Matt Mohr was named to the second team as a running back and a linebacker.
Offensive lineman Joe Maneval and defensive back Jeremy Rock also represent the Bruins on the All-Division second team.
The Northwest Football League South Division first team looks a lot like the Quilcene starting lineup.
The only position on the first-team offense not filled by a Rangers player was quarterback, and Jacob Pleines was named to the second team there despite missing a good portion of the season.
On the South Division first-team offense are running backs Eddie Perez and Josh King, linemen Tyson Svetich and James Hanson, and receivers Jason Smith and Lucas Murphy.
The first-team defense features six Rangers: King and Svetich at linebacker, defensive linemen Hanson and Devon Greenwood, Pleines at defensive back and Lucas Murphy at defensive end.
Jason Smith was named to the second-team defense as a defensive back.
Quilcene coach Nic Dahl is the South Division Coach of the Year after leading the Rangers to a 4-0 division record.
The Northwest Football League does not name individual MVPs.
Olympic League
Sequim offensive lineman Al Serrano is the only Peninsula player named to All-Olympic first team.
The junior also made the honorable mention list as a defensive lineman.
The Wolves have four players on the second team, while Port Angeles has three.
Sequim running back Lopaka Yasamura's strong finish to the season netted him a spot on the second-team offense along with teammate Jared McMinn, an offensive lineman.
McMinn is also on the second team as a defensive lineman.
Christian Miles is a second-team defensive back and an honorable-mention wide receiver.
For Port Angeles, offensive linemen Mike Myers and Eric Wahl and linebacker Brian Cristion earned second-team honors.
Cristion and Wahl also received honorable mentions; Cristion as a running back, despite only carrying the ball in the last few games of the season, and Wahl as a defensive end.
Tyler Rixon is a two-way honorable mention recipient for his work as a defensive lineman and offensive tackle.
Sequim players earning honorable mention are defensive lineman Fred Serrano, linebacker Austin Law and offensive lineman Andrew Shimer.
Port Angeles received the team sportsmanship award.
North Kitsap quarterback A.J. Milyard was named the Olympic League MVP.
Bremerton quarterback Mikey Lawrence and linebacker Lucas Anderson won the offensive and defensive MVP awards.
Nisqually League
Port Townsend filled six spots on the All-Nisqually League Division 1 first team.
Jacob King earned two of those spots as a defensive back and return specialist. King is also the second-team quarterback.
Lineman Skyler Coppenrath and linebacker Matt Cain were first-team defensive honorees.
Both players are also on the second-team offense, Cain at running back and Coppenrath at tight end.
Senior running back Mitiku Little and junior lineman Alex Reierson were named to the first-team offense.
Reierson is also on the defensive second-team, as are linebacker Tim Russell and defensive back Dillon Ralls.
Max Ghai is a second-team offensive lineman.
Eatonville earned a lot of awards in its first year in the Nisqually League.
Zach Fairhart is the Division 1 overall MVP, Lucas Hatton earned defensive MVP and George Fairhart was named coach of the year.
Bellevue Christian's Scott Miller is the offensive MVP.
The All-Nisqually League Division 2 teams, which included Chimacum players, were named earlier in the month, as were the All-SWL-Evergeen Division teams, featuring Forks.
Read the Peninsula Daily News story on those all-league honors here: http://tinyurl.com/
Last modified: November 17. 2012 5:17PM


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Writing process covered in EVERY chapter. Focus on the writing process throughout the book, not just as an added element but as an integral part of the literary study. This allows students to improve their writing while enjoying the study of literature.
This combined introduction to literature and writing guide begins with writing basics, then moves on to specifics: writing about short fiction, structure, imagery and symbolism, point of view, setting and atmosphere, theme, persona and tone, poetic language, poetic form, dramatic structure, and character. Diverse selections make up the anthologies of literature, poetry, and drama that are included. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.


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The do's and don'ts of openingand closing remarks
A dynamic opening statement and closing argument can impress the judge and engage the jury, say Steven Peskind and Anita Ventrelli, both of whom have been faculty at the American Bar Association Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute. Peskind, principal of the Peskind Law Firm in St. Charles, Ill., and Ventrelli, partner at Schiller DuCanto & Fleck in Chicago, gave advice on crafting opening and closing statements, including do's and don'ts, as part of their ABA CLE "How to Impress Judges: Analytical Steps to a Well-Organized, Concise and Engaging Trial."
Following are some of their top tips.
Remember why we do opening statements. "First of all, we're using them to set the tone for the trial," Ventrelli says. "Second, we're using them to tell the court what facts the court needs to look and listen for in the proofs to get to the right conclusions on the legal issues. Lastly, they're a practical tool that helps us assess facts that we do and don't have to support our theories of the case, identify our bad facts — and when you've done all that, you're in a unique position to set realistic client expectations about how strong your case is on each of the issues."
Do unto the other side as you would have them do unto you.
Begin with a concise statement of your case theme. Ventrelli recalls a story of one lawyer even singing a theme: Aretha Franklin's R-e-s-p-e-c-t. "And boy did she catch the judge's attention," she says. "You also want to end on a high point that repeats the theme of your case."
Be dynamic and interesting in your style. "You can go to court and watch good lawyers put on cases, and you'll quickly see that no two really use the same style," Ventrelli says. "Different things work for different people."
Ventrelli encourages lawyers to try out many different styles and personalities and seek feedback "because that's the only way you're going to know whether things that you're doing are connecting."
Make eye contact. It emphasizes your sincerity. "Do not read a script because if your face is pointed down toward the podium, you're going to have lost much of that punch of your argument," Peskind says. "It's not going to be interesting to the judge if you're not connecting with the judge."
Organize the closing just as you organize the opening around case theory and theme. "You'll summarize the facts and tie them into the legal theories in a forceful and assertive way using your persuasive words," Ventrelli says. "To do an effective closing, you have to do what we call blocking out the hard issues in the case."
Using this blocking approach involves identifying the most heavily contested issues in the case and finding a way of setting off each of those issues with a conclusory statement or a rhetorical question, Ventrelli adds. "You're going to tell the court … in a straightforward way why your evidence is persuasive on the point. You're going to identify what the other side did to oppose your evidence and then you're going to tell the court why the evidence they introduced is not as persuasive as the evidence you introduced."
Unto the other side as you would have them do unto you, Ventrelli says.
Skip the opening statement. If you have a reluctant judge, try to talk to the judge at a pretrial conference about his or her willingness to hear your opening, Peskind says. "Make it short. Make it concise. Make it focused," he says. "If you can get one done that's short and helpful, you're in forever with that particular judge. They key is doing it right. If you get up there and you just ramble … you're going to have much more pushback from judges than when you do it short and crisp and focused."
Run away from your warts. "You need to show them. You need to put a little makeup on them," Peskind says. "But you can't deny them; you can't hide them."
"Sometimes you have no choice but to say, 'Your honor, you're going to hear evidence that on a couple of occasions, Mrs. called the police when Mr. asked her if he could come into the foyer of the house, and you're going to hear that Mr. believed that it was inappropriate conduct on her part,'" Ventrelli says. "'Whether it is or it isn't, the litigants in this case are only human, and human beings make mistakes.' It's a way of taking the sting out of something, particularly when you're the petitioner, because you get to go first."
Think that every statement needs to be prefaced by "the evidence will show." That's not a good presentation, Peskind says. "You want to tell your opening in the format of a story," he says. "And as long as it's a fair recitation of what the evidence will show, you don't need to qualify it as the evidence will show. That's terrible. That's boring."
Disrespect the judge. "Even if the judge is kind of conflictual and aggressive, take a breath and listen to the [judge's] question," Peskind says. If you don't agree with the judge's underlying assumption, "you say, 'with all respect, your honor, I don't agree with the court's position, and let me tell you why.' The judge will deal with it the way they want, but the key is respect."
State your personal beliefs about the witnesses or the case during the closing argument. "Whether you think the witness is credible or not isn't the issue," Ventrelli says. "Whether the judge thinks they're credible or not is the issue. If your personal belief is that their business valuation expert is trying to put one over on the judge, the way to highlight it in the closing is to say, 'your honor, their expert used these three to four methods. You heard the testimony of our expert on why those methods weren't the most rock-solid choices. These were the reasons.' You undermine them without coming out and stating the conclusion."
Allude to matters where there has been no evidence. If the opposition does this, object, Peskind says.
Appeal to the trier of facts' personal prejudices, even if you know what they are, Ventrelli says.
Make personal attacks on opposing counsel that aren't supported by the record. "Even if the record supports it, be careful with that because you don't want to turn this into a personality fight between the lawyers," Peskind says. "You want to stay focused on the evidence and the merits of your case."
This CLE was sponsored by the Section of Family Law , the Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division and the Section of Litigation.
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Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani goes by the nickname Il Mago (The Magician) back home in Italy.
Which is good, because he may need the power to disappear at times given the media scrutiny he is expected to be under when the Raptors touch down in Treviso, Italy on Sept. 29 for the first day of training camp.
The Raptors will train in Treviso, where Bargnani played for two seasons in Lega A (Italy's top basketball league), from Sept. 29-Oct. 4, before heading to Rome, where Bargnani was born and raised, for pre-season games against the Boston Celtics (Oct. 6) and home side Lottomatica Vitrus Roma (Oct. 7).
In both cities, it's expected that the Italian and Toronto media will clamour for interview time with the young NBA standout, above and beyond the usual 15-minute scrums.
Still, Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo is not overly worried that the 21-year-old Italian sports icon will be distracted to the point where it will affect his training -- although head coach Sam Mitchell certainly expressed those concerns in a conference call with the European media last week.
"He will be pulled in 15 difference directions, as will Garbo (Jose Garbajosa) and Jose (Calderon) in Spain," Colangelo said yesterday. "But they're European stars and we're visiting their home countries and, in the case of Bargnani, his home city. But this is nothing new to them."
Bargnani certainly was under the media microscope when he played for Treviso as a teenager, averaging 15.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.85 steals during his final year in the Italian league when he was named Top European Young Player.
After the two games in Rome next week, the Raptors head to Madrid where they will play European powerhouse Real Madrid on Oct. 11, a homecoming for Garbajosa and Calderon.
Colangelo, who has deep ties to Italy, does not share Mitchell's worries that there will be too many distractions in Europe for the Raptors, particularly the European players.
Still, the Raptors certainly have more than just training and pre-season games on the docket when they get to Europe.
There will be a number of open practices and scrimmages, including an Oct. 3 scrimmage in Treviso before 200 U.S. military personnel and their families.
After touching down in Rome on Oct. 4, the Raptors will attend a meet and greet session at the Canadian Embassy and, the next day, some players will take part in a court dedication, along with the Celtics and the Virtus Roma team.
In Madrid, members of the team will take part in a Basketball & Education Youth Outreach reception at the U.S. Embassy.
On top of all that, the Raptors management plans some other social events for the team, such as spending an afternoon touring Venice. But again, Colangelo said there will be enough time between the European and Toronto portions of the pre-season to ensure that the players are well rested for the regular season.
The Raptors who played at the recent European championships in Spain -- Calderon and Garbajosa (both with Spain), Bargnani (with Italy) and Rasho Nesterovic (with Slovenia) -- remained in their respective countries after the event.
The rest of the team departs Toronto for Treviso on Friday night.


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American Music Awards
Incubus Going Back on Hiatus After Honda Civic Tour
"I have been tinkering around, potentially, with a second solo record," says frontman Brandon Boyd.
As it nears the end of its cycle promoting 2011's "If Not Now, When?," Incubus' plan "is to have no plan" according to frontman Brandon Boyd.
"We have no plans, to tell you the truth, at the moment," Boyd told Billboard.com during a conference call with reporters to promote Incubus' Honda Civic Tour run with Linkin Park and Mutemath, which kicks off Aug. 14 in Boston. "I have been tinkering around, potentially, with a second solo record. That's probably the most likely scenario. But as far as Incubus right now, we'll probably take another break. Hopefully it won't be as long (as the five-year wait for "If Not Now, When?') but what we'd like to do is arrive with the best of intentions and try to create music from a sense of urgency as well as purity and not necessarily based on a schedule. I know that can be frustrating for our listeners and stuff, but I think we'll make better music as a result."
Candid Covers: Yuna Sings Incubus
Boyd also noted that Incubus has entered a new world order on its business side. "If Not Now, When?" wrapped up the group's deal with Epic Records (Legacy Recordings is putting out the upcoming "Incubus HQ Live" on Aug. 14), and Boyd said he and his bandmates are "trying to get our bearings to what we should do next, just as a band but also a band that is off in new territory again... I'm personally very excited about being in complete control, being a total control freak. That doesn't mean we wouldn't sign with another record label at some point, but it would have to be very, very specific, not get into just a good old fashioned record deal again, if they even exist."
Boyd said Incubus' tenure with Epic ended on an unhappy but educational note, with "If Not Now When" caught up in the label's transition to new chairman L.A. Reid. "There was a lot of changing of the guard sort of going on...(Reid) wasn't quite there yet, even though he's the guy," Boyd recalls. "There was a real lack of direction and leadership when we kind of needed it most. It was hard and it was frustrating, but it was also very telling for us and perhaps educational because we were forced into ingenuity... It forced us into thinking outside of that normal music industry paradigm we had gotten so accustomed to. So in that sense the lack of attention from our record label... was really good and really beneficial for us as a band because it gave us a sense of what we might be doing in the coming years."
Boyd says the Incubus HQ Live project documented on the three upcoming multi-disc packages was a response to that changing relationship with Epic. The group set up shop for six nights in a Los Angeles storefront, playing intimate shows for fans and streaming them online. Boyd says the project gave Incubus "ideas about subscription-based concerts online" along with other ideas for future marketing and distribution. "It ended up being a really scary and stressful project," Boyd acknowledges, "but the fruits of it are still kind of revealing themselves."


text:
I had a problem with my Fedora 11 system suddenly shooting into 100% CPU utilization. Looking at
top, the culprit was a perl script, and tracing back up the process tree its parent was logrotate. After some searching, it turned out that the size of my
/var/log/messages file had got way out of control – 5.5Gb. I thought the whole point of logrotate was to stop that sort of thing happening. Anyhoo, removing
/var/log/messages, and
/var/cache/logrotate/*, then
kill -hup'ing the wayward perl process has restored CPU sanity to my system. I've added a size limit to
/etc/logrotate.conf to try to ensure that it doesn't recur, though I'm still not quite sure how it got so bad in the first place.
del.icio.us: fedora, linux, cpu, system-maintenance


text:
In The News
25th Annual Christmas Store Toy Drive
Join us to help make Christmas brighter for deserving families! Please donate new, unwrapped toys and gifts for children and teens at Union Rescue Mission.
Suggested Gifts:
*Action figures * Hot Wheels * Lego sets * Board games * Sports jerseys * College Apparel * Dolls * Barbies * Watches * Jewelry * Cameras * Lotion sets * Electronic games * Headphones * Gift Cards
*Teen Gifts are our greatest need
Last day for donations is December 9th
For more information, contact:
Phillip L. Anderson
13th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Pre-PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
Kitty Davis-Walker or Alexandra Monsibaez
(213) 673-4585 or (213) 507-5562 (213)673-4882 or (213)200-1758
VP of Public Relations PR Coordinator
email@example.com firstname.lastname@example.com
13th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN JULY
JULY 13th 2016
LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA (July 2016) On Wednesday July 13th 2016, Union Rescue Mission (URM) will host their 13th Annual Christmas in July thanks to their longtime partner SUBWAY® Restaurants! Christmas in July will feature fun games, prizes, and face painting! Over 200 kids of all ages from URM and Hope Gardens Family Center will be treated to 20 TONS OF SNOW!
"Christmas in July" is sponsored by SUBWAY® Restaurants who will cater lunch for all of the families, along with cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, and special guest appearance from Santa Claus in Bermuda shorts because it is July after all! The fun begins at 10:00am so watch out for flying snow balls and lots of fun for hundreds of deserving children experiencing homelessness on Skidrow.
"I am not sure who has the most fun, our precious kids, their moms who jump in and become like kids again, our Union Rescue Mission staff, SUBWAY, or me? This event leaves smiles on our faces for weeks!" says Andy Bales, Union Rescue Mission Chief Executive Officer
Media Photo Opportunities:
- Children playing in the Snow 10:00 a.m.
- Santa Claus arrives at URM 11:15 am
- SUBWAY Caters Lunch to the Children 12:00 noon
About URM
URM is one of the largest missions of its kind in America — bringing help and hope to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. URM provides comprehensive emergency and long-term recovery services to our guests to help them escape the dangerous streets of Skid Row and transition from homelessness to independent living.
About URM's Hope Gardens Family Center
Nestled in the foothills of the Angeles national forest, HGFC offers a peaceful setting and transitional living to moms, children, a number of single women and permanent supportive housing to senior women. In addition to food and shelter, HGFC offers the real help women need to escape homelessness forever, long-term rehabilitation programs, job training, counseling, training and encouragement.
Twitter: @URM
Facebook: www.fb.com/UnionRescueMissionLA
Instagram: @UnionRescueMission
Youtube: www.youtube.com/UnionRescueMission
24th Annual Christmas Store Toy Drive
Join us to help make Christmas brighter for deserving families! Please donate new, unwrapped toys and gifts for children and teens at Union Rescue Mission.
Suggested Gifts:
*Action figures * Hot Wheels * Lego sets * Board games * Sports jerseys * College Apparel * Dolls * Barbies * Watches * Jewelry * Cameras * Lotion sets * Electronic games * Headphones * Gift Cards
*Teen Gifts are our greatest need
Last day for donations is December 10th
For more information, contact:
Victor Ortiz
(213) 316-2779
The Mission — November 2015
Marisa's Merry Christmas
How you are giving a precious child and her family the chance to rebuild their lives — and learn the real meaning of Christmas.
When I was younger, I thought Christmas was all about decorations, looking at Christmas lights, and getting presents," says 12-year-old Marisa. "But it's really about Jesus. I didn't know that before I came to Hope Gardens. Now He's my real dad." That's important to Marisa because her birth father was a raging alcoholic who emotionally and physically abused his family. He controlled their movements through intimidation and threats, often keeping them prisoner in their own home. And he's now in jail for other child-related crimes. Marisa is just one of nearly 80 children who live with their moms at Union Rescue Mission's Hope Gardens Family Center, a 77-acre sanctuary that offers transitional housing to families experiencing homelessness like Marisa's. "She's changed so much since we got here," says Marisa's mother, Jessica. "She's beautiful, talented, and smart. I'm so proud of her." Marisa came to Hope Gardens, along with her mother and younger brother, in February 2014, after struggling with homelessness for three years after the arrest of her father. Because of the abuse and trauma she experienced growing up, Marisa has trouble remembering much about her childhood. But she is opening up and thriving, thanks to the care she gets at Hope Gardens. "I like Hope Gardens," she says. "I met my two best friends here." She's also very involved in the praise dance group, Bible studies, and other activities. "But the best thing about Hope Gardens," she says, "is that my mom and I got to know each other better. Before, we were always stuck in bad situations. Now we're safe and we get to spend more time talking about stuff." She also enjoyed spending last Christmas at Hope Gardens. "We watched Christmas movies, made wreaths and stockings, and we even built a gingerbread house," she recalls. "We also worshipped Jesus. And that's important, because I know I'm a better person than I was before I met Him." Like any child, Marisa still enjoys the excitement of opening presents on Christmas morning. But thanks to friends like you, Christmas means so much more now. And she can look forward to a real future when all is calm. And all is bright.
Celebrating 125 years of Transformed Lives
In 2016, Union Rescue Mission will celebrate 125 years of continuous service to people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. URM was founded in 1891, when we took to the streets in gospel wagons to offer food, clothing, and salvation to the less fortunate. Over the years URM has continued and expanded its efforts to feed both the body and the soul, helping individuals and families break the cycle of poverty and achieve self-sufficiency.
But really, for 125 years, the work of Union Rescue Mission has been YOURS — YOU are the Mission. Your faithfulness and generosity has transformed countless lives. Stay tuned over the coming weeks and months in 2016, as we celebrate YOU and God's faithful care for precious men, women, and children.
Grateful Awareness of Mercy: Watch how God brought Alan to the Mission and how Alan learned that God wants you as you are. Through God's mercy and love, Alan now knows he is good enough.
Time's Running Out
When you make a gift of any kind to Union Rescue Mission before December 31, not only will you make the New Year brighter for men and women experiencing homelessness, you will receive a charitable tax deduction on your 2015 tax return.
For more information, please call Armi Ramirez at
(213) 673-4825 or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Asleep in Heavenly Peace — At Last
Marisa's mother, Jessica, experiences Christmas happiness at Hope Gardens Family Center.
Christmas is probably my only good memory from childhood. My mom loved Christmas and went all out every year — decorations, lights, Christmas cookies, the big tree, everything. The problem was the rest of the year. Both my parents were addicts, and my father was also physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive. There was never much love in our home. Then I met my husband when I was 21. At first, I thought he was kind and just wanted me to stay home so he could take care of me. We had two children together — Marisa, who's 12, and Jesse, who's 9. We were married for 11 awful years. He drank every day, all day. He was so controlling, we could never leave the house. The kids weren't allowed to have friends. We lived in constant fear. I tried to escape many times, but I just couldn't make it on my own. We only got out after my husband went to jail. But we struggled with homelessness for three years before we finally came to Hope Gardens. We've been here for a year and a half now, and I can't believe how blessed we are. It's so beautiful here. My kids and I are safe, we have our own space with room to breathe, we can relax, and I feel like we're getting to know each other for the first time without all the fear and trauma hanging over us. And there are so many other great mothers here who each make me stronger. The classes here have also helped me grow into a stronger, healthier, mature woman and mother. They taught me better financial management. We've all received Bibles, we're going to church, and we're growing in our faith. And now I'm preparing to go back to work. Last Christmas, here at Hope Gardens, was the best ever. In fact, I can say it was the first time in my life I was ever happy. My kids got to relax and be kids. We didn't have any money, but thanks to Union Rescue Mission's Christmas Store, I got to give presents to them. We celebrated the birth of Jesus together, because without him we have nothing. And we celebrated our new lives. This Christmas, I really will sleep in heavenly peace.
Notes from Andy
125 Years of Mission
In just a few weeks, Christians will celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, when Jesus brought healing and hope to a world filled with fear, cruelty, darkness, physical and spiritual hunger, and hopelessness.
Beginning in January 2016, we'll also celebrate another birth of healing and hope — the 125th anniversary of Union Rescue Mission's birth on Skid Row. That's 125 years of bringing the hope and transforming power of Jesus to precious human beings struggling to survive on these mean, cruel streets.
In many ways, Skid Row is worse than ever. But there's still hope, especially inside Union Rescue Mission, where Christ's Light still shines, where peace dwells, and where lives are transformed for eternity. It's our mission. But it's not really our Mission. It's yours. For 125 years, thousands and thousands of lives have been saved on Skid Row, because thousands and thousands of generous, caring people like you have partnered with Jesus, and with us, to bring His hope and healing into the dark world.
So in 2016, we plan to celebrate — to celebrate 125 years of Jesus' presence on Skid Row, and to celebrate YOU. Because YOU make it all possible.
To read Andy's blog, please visit revandysblog.com
URM's 25th Annual Christmas Store
Give Kids Experiencing Homelessness Joy at Christmas
Thanksgiving and Christmas can be difficult for families experiencing homelessness. But for 25 years, Union Rescue Mission's Christmas Store has brought joy into their lives when they needed it most.
This year, thousands of precious children at Union Rescue Mission, Hope Gardens Family Center, and other agencies serving underprivileged kids throughout the greater Los Angeles area, will receive brand-new gifts because of the 25th annual Christmas Store.
On December 10, more than 700 moms and dads with little or no income will enjoy the dignity of being able to provide their children with gifts they select themselves (for free) and give to their children personally.
All year-round, Union Rescue Mission embraces people experiencing homelessness with the compassion of Christ, and offers healing and hope to help them find their way home. And thanks to the Christmas Store — and generous friends like you — hundreds of families will find that new hope this holiday season.
For information about donating toys to the Christmas Store this year, please contact Victor Ortiz at (213) 316-2779.
Give Hurting People Something Meaningful — Hope
For most of us, the holiday season is a magical time of excitement and anticipation, gifts, good food, and time spent with loved ones. But for men, women, and children on Skid Row, Christmas is often a painful time without presents, food, a home — or even hope.
At Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens Family Center, however, men, women, and children experiencing homelessness will wake up with Christmas joy — and the hope for a new life — thanks to generous people like you.
This holiday season, your generous gift of $25, $35, or more will help provide special holiday meals, clothing, and shelter — and, yes, hope — to hurting individuals and families at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens. Please send the most generous gift you can today. Thank you!
For more information or to put your gift to work even faster, go to urm.org/ChristmasHope
Sign Up for Rev. Andy's Advent Email Devotionals
The season of Advent leading up to Christmas is a wonderful time for thoughtful reflection and joyful anticipation as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
This holiday season, please sign up to receive Rev. Andy's Advent series of daily devotional emails. Each day from now until December 25, you'll receive scripture and messages focused on the Joy of the Season. To sign up for these special email devotionals, please visit urm.org/AdventDevotionals
Because of you: Kenneth's Story
After my parents got divorced when I was in high school, I ended up living with friends, in group homes, and in foster care while my parents battled over custody. When my dad finally got custody, however, we didn't have adequate housing, so we came to Union Rescue Mission in December 2008. Union Rescue Mission gave us a roof over our heads and gave me the stability I needed.
We left Union Rescue Mission in March 2010. Today, I'm a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and now I'm planning to go to law school. One day
I hope to go into politics and run for office so I can make an everlasting difference in the areas of homelessness, foster care, and elder treatment.
My goal is to one day be mayor of Los Angeles, and eventually governor
of California.
Help Union Rescue Mission Win a $100,000 Grant!
Union Rescue Mission needs your help! We're competing to win a $100,000 grant from LA2050! Visit their site and vote for Union Rescue Mission today!
At Union Rescue Mission, we believe that jobs are the first step to financial stability for those experiencing homelessness on the streets of Los Angeles. Our Jobs Program helps the men and women we serve do just that – find good, living wage jobs. With this $100,000 grant we can expand our current program and double the number of men and women securing employment (currently at 75) to 150 during 2016.
View the entry and vote for Union Rescue Mission today!
Our friends at GIVE are also competing for a grant! Please also vote for them.
In a context of land and water shortage and of fresh food access issue in underserved areas, Green Institute for village Empowerment (GIVE) program is to install sustainable garden towers, serving communities in need. GIVE will also train job-ready, former Skidrow residents of Union Rescue Missions' Job Development Program and Little Tokyo residents in the maintenance of the tower gardens and in growing profitable herbs and vegetables.
Urban Farm is not just cultivating food but Community!
The Mission – October 2015
" Skid Row is horrible, like a nightmare . . . I completely wasted my life out there."
"When you're an addict, living on a sidewalk, Thanksgiving's just another day to get high," says Willie, who called the streets home for almost 25 years. "Skid Row is horrible, like a nightmare. Crowds of people smoking crack, shooting heroin, drinking. Rape. Prostitutes. I've seen folks get their heads busted in for $2. I saw one guy crawl into a dumpster and get eaten up by rats. I completely wasted my life out there." Skid Row is a long way from his middle-class childhood, when his life felt stable, when Thanksgivings were spent with family, good food, warm feelings, and laughter. Before the pain and confusion of his parents' divorce sent him into an emotional tailspin, and he started hanging with the wrong friends. At 22, Willie discovered crack, and his life spiraled completely out of control. Drugs cost him his savings and his job. Then his home. He ended up in and out of jail too many times to count. When he was free, he ate, and sometimes slept, at the Missions on Skid Row, including Union Rescue Mission. "Crack and alcohol finally sent me to my knees, crying out for help," he recalls. "I knew if I stayed out there much longer, I was going to die. I had people who cared about me — sisters, my mom, nieces and nephews. I needed help, so I came to Union Rescue Mission on November 11, 2013."
Willie took advantage of everything Union Rescue Mission offers: Bible studies, chapel service, physical fitness, work therapy, counseling with his chaplains, health care — he even got new teeth through the Mission's dental clinic. But one of the highlights was Thanksgiving, he says. "I was here the past two Thanksgivings," he recalls. "You can't believe the number of people who come here to serve folks like me. Those folks really care, and they make a whole lot of people on these streets happy.
In fact, last Thanksgiving I got to help serve, too. "When you start ministering to someone else, all of a sudden, all your problems don't seem so big. So now, whenever I can help someone else out, I'm going to do it. "God and my chaplains helped me through the whole program," he continues. "This is the longest I've been sober in over 25 years. I'm healthy. I got my family back. I'm engaged to be married. And I feel so good about myself. I'm thankful God never gave up on me."
Thanksgiving Meals and a Way Home — With Your Help Today
All year-round at Union Rescue Mission, your gifts offer precious men, women, and children experiencing homelessness with safe shelter, nutritious meals, long-term care — and even the help they need to find their way home. Thank you! But right now, due to California's ongoing drought and a severe drop in food donations, we're facing a severe crisis this holiday season — our busiest time of year. We desperately need your help! Your gift of $33.74 will provide 14 holiday meals!
It still costs just $2.41 to provide a holiday meal to a hungry man, woman, or child. This season, we expect to serve more than 180,000 meals. Your gift of $33.74 will help feed 14 people, $67.48 will help feed 28 people, or any amount you can send will help. So please give generously. Thank you!
To put your gift to work even faster, go to urm.org/ThxFamily
Special Opportunity to Love Your Neighbor!
On November 14, URM will hand out 3,000 special kits to all neighbors on Skid Row. These kits are filled with shampoo, soap, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, razors, socks, and a special invitation to celebrate Thanksgiving with us at Union Rescue Mission. For just $3, you can provide one of these special kits to one of our Skid Row neighbors — and add a personalized blessing signed by YOU! Please check the special $3 box on your remit form, then sign the Blessing Card with your first name only. It's a wonderful way to love your neighbor this holiday season!
I grew up in East L.A. I never thought I'd end up on the streets of Skid Row. But I got hooked on alcohol. I lost a good job. I lost my marriage. My drinking got so bad, my own family didn't want me around. So I ended up homeless here. By October 2013, I was broken down, sick, crying, and defeated by life. Then I came to Union Rescue Mission. Thanks to this place, I opened my life to God. I found what I'd been missing all my life. I found the life God has for me. My family has welcomed me back and I'm even going back to school!
Notes from Andy
A Day of Gratitude and a Moment of Joy
People are pouring into Skid Row like never before. The sidewalks outside Union Rescue Mission are crowded and I've never seen so much desperation. It's just chaos out there. But every Thanksgiving — thanks to your generous support — we take these precious folks away from their desperation for a day of joy. With music playing on the sidewalks, dancing in the streets, and the smoke of fried turkeys wafting down the streets, we make sure our guests enjoy the most splendid Thanksgiving ever — and maybe a reminder of how loved they really are. And when that happens, some will take the courageous step to leave the streets behind and transform their lives. Celebrating Thanksgiving at Union Rescue Mission gives us the chance to show our gratitude for all God has given to us by giving ourselves to those who have nothing at all. How well you and I pull this off is a true reflection of how grateful we really are. So I invite you to join with us again this year, offering your time and your financial support to display to the world our thankfulness and our love for others.
The Mission – September 2015
The Mission – August 2015
"For most of my life, the world viewed me as trash," says Gary, 57. "But God used Union Rescue Mission to make me a treasure, and to show the world what He can do with someone like me."
Gary grew up in poverty, the son of a struggling mother who had difficulty providing for her family. "We never had what the other kids had," he recalls. "They dressed nicer than we did. I guess that affected my self-esteem."
By high school, Gary was snatching purses, burglarizing homes, stealing cars, and gambling on the streets. Then his brother introduced him to crack cocaine. He was immediately hooked, and his life spiraled even more out of control. Between 1998 and 2012, he was constantly in and out of prison. And when he wasn't in prison, he wasted his life away on Skid Row.
"I wanted to change," he says. "I would see other people get clean, but I didn't t
hink it would ever happen for me. Then one day around 1999, the Lord spoke to my spirit: 'Satan's trying to destroy you. But I got you.'"
It took 10 more years to see the fruit of God's promise. In 2009, Gary surrendered his life to Jesus Christ in prison. Before long, he was leading Bible studies and preaching in chapel services, and he even felt God's call to one day go into ministry.
When Gary was released from prison in 2012, God led him straight to Union Rescue
Mission. "I needed a place to stay and I wanted to be in a stable Christian community," he says. "The Mission fed me, gave me clothes, all of that. But the most important thing is,
they raised me up in the Word of God, and they gave me purpose and direction. The chaplains here modeled for me what ministry is all about."
Soon Gary joined Central City Community Church, where he now serves as an assistant to
the pastor. He even got married for the first time in February 2013, and in July 2014, Union Rescue Mission hired Gary full-time to drive a truck for their new thrift store in Covina.
"I'm a truck driver," he says. "I pick up used items that we sell at the thrift store. But it's more than that. I know what I'm doing is going to benefit others and to God's glory. So I drive my truck with joy, because I know I'm a part of this incredible ministry. I'm a part of something glorious and honoring to God."
Real Jobs for Real People — Thanks to You!
by Glynn Coleman, Employment Skills Specialist
Many of the men and women who come to Union Rescue Mission have a spotty employment history, a lack of marketable job skills, and a history of felonies that can hurt their chances at gaining full-time employment and becoming self- sufficient. These precious people need more than meals and shelter, they need jobs. Real jobs.
And that's where you come in. Your financial gifts and support to URM do far more than provide meals and shelter. Your gifts help transform lives and help prepare men and women experiencing homelessness with job-preparedness training, work skills, and even job opportunities with employers all over Los Angeles.
Thanks to you, our Employment Program has already helped more than 100 men and women find sustainable employment that has not only helped them support themselves, but often their families, as well.
Summer heat on Skid Row is dangerous for the men and women who call these streets home. They desperately need your help. Yet every summer, donations to Union Rescue Mission drop way off, threatening our ability to meet their needs. Your gift today will provide cold water, cool shelter, nutritious meals, and another day of hope to precious people who need your help the most this summer. So please send the most generous gift you can today. Thank you!
— Anytime it's 85 degrees or hotter, we pass out cold bottled water on Skid Row. Water Walks take place Monday through Friday at 2:00 p.m. Text the word WATERWALK to 51555 to receive notifications for our next Water Walk.
Because of You!
Annette's Story
In 2013, I ended up homeless with my two small children. It got so bad, we had to live in a tent for awhile. Then we came to Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens. Hope Gardens helped me give up alcohol and drugs, helped me get closer to God, and they helped me in so many other positive ways. Today, I'm still living at Hope Gardens, but I have a job now and soon I will move into my own place with my children. All I want is to be able to support my children, and thanks to Hope Gardens and generous friends like you, I'm able to do that now.
Notes From Andy
More than Meals
Struggling men and women who come to Union Rescue Mission seeking help need more than meals and shelter. They need more than sobriety. They need jobs. Real jobs.
I know one guy here at the Mission who came to us after a 20-year addiction. He's clean, sober, and ready to go home. But he's scared. What will happen to him when he leaves? He worries that if he can't find work, if he can't support himself with dignity and self-respect, he may end up right back where he started.
Thankfully, he's now participating in our Employment Program and going to school. He knows we will provide him with the skills, the support, and the connections he needs. And we will walk with him every step of they way until he finds a much-needed job. But really it's you. Your financial gifts to URM help provide men and women experiencing homelessness with training, work skills, and even job opportunities with employers all over Los Angeles.
A life transformed, followed by a job, followed by a home. That's our strategy. But you're the one who makes it happen.
Lost Angels Children's Project – Year Two!
Lost Angels Children's Project founder Aaron Valencia is at it again! This year he is building a 1936 Ford Coupe to giveaway at the 13th annualVentura Nationals Custom Cars & Motorcycle Show on Saturday, September 5th.
Last year, the Lost Angels Children's Project car build giveaway raised money to off-set the cost of the build plus donate $17,110 each to the youth department of Union Rescue Mission and Grace Resource Center.
This generous donation from Lost Angels Children's project was used to buy washers and dryers for the families currently living at URM, recreational and fun activities, "Horses in the Hood" camp, afterschool supplies, school supplies, and other essential needs for our children, youth, and families!
This year, Aaron and his dedicated team are working even harder to raise more money and double what they raised last year! This can only happen with your help. Purchase a beautifully designed poster for $20 and you will automatically get free ticket to enter a chance to win the custom made 1936 Ford Coupe. There is NO limit on how many posters you can purchase.
The more you buy, the more chances you have to win the car and the more money raised for children who are experiencing homelessness.
To purchase your entry to win please contact Christine at (213) 347-6342 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Ted Mosby Quotes
You didn't ruin a wedding, just the reception.
Barney: I picked the right tie didn't I?
Ted: You nailed it.
Barney: Here's your toast, single file ladies! No fatties!
Ted: That's ridiculous.
Barney: Yeah you're right, it's Cleveland. Single file ladies!
The happy couple needs to hear this! Things end, but from the ashes of your statistically probable divorce, hope can rise anew.
Wow Marshall really took a two-flusher on that one!
Oh thank God! Barney Stinson needs you right before his wedding, you assume there's at least one dead stripper in the closet.
And kids, that's how I met your mother. Psych! It was just some chick.
Ted: Robin you want to get...
Robin: (Raspberry Sound) Get it together bro.
Ted: Do you know how many people it takes to change fifty-thousand light bulbs?
Barney: Are these people Irish? Polish? Blondes? What are we dealing with here?
Sometimes things have to fall apart to make way for better things...we're done here.
New York is never finished Theodore. She's a lady only a handful of architects ever get to dance with. Do not miss your turn.Barney
First of all, no ninja is getting the jump on me.