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Corey Alexander and Wyatt Farris will take on the 2014 AMA SuperSport field with Celtic/HVMC Suzuki.
Celtic Racing is pleased to announce that Corey Alexander will return to the team for the 2014 AMA Pro Racing season, alongside new teammate Wyatt Farris. Celtic Racing has renewed its partnership with Hudson Valley Motorcycles and will field a pair of Suzuki GSX-R 600 motorcycles with support from Suzuki. Orient Express and K-Tech Suspension will continue to provide technicians and valued trackside support for both riders, extending a relationship that has brought numerous wins, podiums, and championships. The Celtic/HVMC Suzuki team will compete in the SuperSport class with Corey Alexander riding the #5 Suzuki GSX-R 600 that he used to win the 2013 AMA SuperSport East championship, and finished second overall in 2013. Wyatt Farris will ride the #19 Celtic/HVMC Suzuki GSX-R 600 in his return to the SuperSport class where he finished third in the West championship and fifth overall last season. Together, Alexander and Farris provide Celtic/HVMC Suzuki with a formidable presence in the SuperSport class, and everyone anticipates great results over the course of the season.
Richie Alexander and Barry Gilsenan have worked together for the past several seasons while Alexander was one of the managers of Michael Jordan Motorsports. 2014 will see Alexander step forward to a more visible roll running the newly formed Celtic/HVMC Suzuki team. Alexander has extensive experience in AMA Pro Road Racing, and vast relationships across the industry which he will put to use in this new position. "There are so many pieces in play this season, I am glad we were able to get a program together for Corey and Wyatt, and I really appreciate the trust Barry has placed in me. We have a great team, loaded with potential – which should translate into race results!" stated Alexander.
Celtic/HVMC Suzuki welcomes returning sponsors to the team for 2014, as well as several new sponsors who have all pledged support for continued success. Sponsors for the team include: HVMC Racing, Suzuki, MJRS Freeman, Orient Express, Jon Block Group, Yoshimura R&D, Bazzaz, Gemini, K-Tech Suspension, Pitbull, Maxima Racing Oils, Galfer, Chicken Hawk, Motion Pro, Armour Bodies, Saddlemen, Star School, DesignStar3, Zero Gravity, Signs Ink, GB Racing, DID, and Vortex. The 2014 AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport season begins with a return to Daytona International Speedway, March 14th through the 16th.
Corey Alexander is excited and enthusiastic about the 2014 season and stated "I'm extremely happy to be back with Celtic Racing for 2014. After wrapping up the 2013 Supersport East Championship, I'm tremendously anxious to head back to Daytona to start the fight for the 2014 SuperSport National Championship. We've made some crew changes and I've got Wyatt as a new teammate this year. It's a whole new adventure, and I'm very confident in the Celtic team and myself. I would like to thank Barry Gilsenan as well as my uncle, Richie Alexander, for putting the whole program together, I think it will be my best year of racing so far! I would also like to thank my personal sponsors for their continued support including: Hudson Valley Motorcycles, Spidi Leathers, XPD Boots, Arai Helmets, AMMO NYC, Oakley, and Defy All Odds Apparel." Please follow Corey Alexander on twitter and Instagram via @corey5alexander , keep track of him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/corey5alexander , and check out his webpage – www.corey23.com – as well.
Wyatt Farris may be a newcomer to the Celtic/HVMC Suzuki team, but he is no stranger to racing. Wyatt brings a wealth of experience and passion, and has expressed that he is "very excited to be riding for Celtic/HVMC Suzuki, they have a championship winning program and I'm looking forward to a great year. Having the Jon Block Group aboard again is huge, and I can't thank them enough for their confidence in our program. Between the Celtic Racing crew and the equipment we are on, our program is going to be very strong this year. I want to thank all of our team sponsors along with my personal ones: Jon Block Group, Cortech, Shoei, Above Category, and CT Racing. I can't wait to get the Celtic/HVMC Suzuki on the high banks at Daytona." You can keep up with Wyatt Farris via Instagram @wyatt_farris and twitter @wyattfarris9 or join him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wyattfarrisracing .
New sponsors Jon Block Group added "Wyatt's ongoing level of dedication to his road racing campaign continues to impress us. After assessing his fitness level during the 2013 season, we were pleasantly surprised to see his report card stamped "elite". Going into 2014 Wyatt found ways to further improve his fitness, spending much of the off-season training with top cyclists, along with intense action sports training at the P3 Peak Performance Center in Santa Barbara, California. We look forward to Wyatt leveraging his superior fitness to achieve top-of-the-box performances on the track this year. Furthermore, we are pleased to see he will have world-class support from Celtic Racing to insure all the tools are in place to realize a championship."
MJRS Freeman has provided support for the Celtic team in the past, and also helped Corey Alexander participate in two World SuperSport rounds at the end of the 2013 season. Jon Freeman sees continued success for Corey and stated that "The Celtic team's long history of winning, combined with Corey Alexander's first place performance in last year's SuperSport East Championship provides all the ingredients for a repeat of performance in 2014. Corey's strong drive and persistence in pre-season testing continued to impress – his dedication, focus, and determination is nothing short of amazing."
Celtic Racing was established in 2001 by Barry Gilsenan, and over the past 13 seasons has established itself as a premier privateer racing team. Celtic Racing has seen consecutive championship seasons in AMA Pro Racing SuperSport from 2012 to 2013. Development of riding talent began with two-stroke 125cc, and 250cc machines competing in professional and regional championship events. More recent Celtic Racing efforts have focused on AMA Pro Road Racing in the Daytona SportBike and SuperSport classes with Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha four stroke motorcycles. Gilsenan's talent for coaching racers of all ages and abilities has brought Celtic Racing worldwide attention and recognition, with many former Celtic Racing riders now competing on World Championship levels. For more information regarding Celtic/HVMC Suzuki please join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/celticracing and follow @celticracing on twitter and Instagram – we appreciate all your support!
Hudson Valley Motorcycles has been serving New York's Hudson Valley and Westchester County as well as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New England with Ducati, Kawasaki, and Suzuki Motorcycle/ATV Sales, Parts, and Service since 1966. Established by Richard Alexander Sr, the dealership is a family run business with employees who have been part of the family for decades in some cases. With deep and long standing customer relationships around the region, Hudson Valley Motorcycles is known for outstanding customer service, in-depth product expertise, and the foremost service department for machines of all brands. Please visit www.hvmotorcycles.com, join them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HVMotorcycles or follow them via @hvmotorcycles .
Established in 1973, Orient Express is celebrating it's 40th year as a high performance motorcycle parts distributor and race shop. Orient Express offers engine and motorcycle building services, precision machine work, suspension servicing, and dyno tuning services. Orient Express has an extensive history of racing, including support of both professional and amateur race series and individuals. For more information regarding Orient Express, or to find out what Orient Express can do for your racing success, please call 800.645.6521 or 631.231.9552 (NY/International), visit http://www.orientexpress.com or join them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OrientExpressRacing .


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Student Conduct
The mission of Cornish College of the Arts is to provide students aspiring to become practicing artists with an educational program of the highest possible quality in an environment that nurtures creativity and intellectual curiosity, while preparing them to contribute to society as artists, citizens and innovators.
Code of Conduct
Admission to Cornish College of the Arts carries with it the presumption that students will conduct themselves as responsible members of the College community; will obey the law and comply with rules and regulations; will maintain high standards of integrity and honesty; will respect the rights, privileges and property of other members of the College community; and will not interfere with legitimate College affairs. Cornish College of the Arts may take appropriate disciplinary action when student conduct interferes with the personal rights or privileges of others, or with the College's educational responsibilities, or when a student commits any offense of conduct described herein. Read Student Rights and Responsibilities: A Code of Student Conduct.
Grievances (Non-Academic)
The purpose of the Grievance Procedures are to provide a process for students to grieve perceived violations of College Policy. If students feel they have been dealt with in a capricious or unfair manner, they may resort to the steps outlined in this procedure Grievances can be brought against Faculty, Administrators, staff or other students.
Sexual Harassment
Cornish believes that all students are entitled to study in an environment free of harassment, and expects that all employees and students will treat each other with courtesy, dignity, and respect. We take our obligation to maintain a learning environment free of harassment very seriously. Sexual harassment is a form of misconduct that constitutes a serious offense and may subject offenders to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. In cases of sexual harassment of one student towards another student, a student may file either an informal or formal grievance directly with the Director of Student Affairs pursuant to the grievance procedures, (an official copy of the Grievance Procedure may be obtained from Student Affairs). In cases of sexual harassment by a Cornish College of the Arts employee (faculty, administrator or staff) towards a student, a student may file a grievance informally or formally directly with the Director of Student Affairs, who will in turn refer it to the Director of Human Resources. The Director of Human Resources will then conduct an investigation into the matter. Read Student Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedure B.
Student Handbook
The Cornish Student Handbook contains information about Cornish policies, programs and services. It provides students with information on how to find the right office to answer your questions, what to do in an emergency and referrals to numerous resources in the nearby neighborhood and in the greater Seattle area. Read Student Handbook

subset: commoncrawl


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Why digital photography sucks.January 13, 2003
I've noticed through two digital cameras and multiple scanners that something's not quite right about digital imaging technology. I always attributed it to the inherent differences between CCDs and traditional film, but my knowledge ended there.
Found on Slashdot, this lengthy Discover article details the next revolution in digital imaging, called X3. It turns out we're only getting, quite literally, half the picture, as CCDs capture only a single channel (Red, Green, or Blue) at a time and interpolate the rest.
Based on the knowledge that the Green channel is used quite heavily in actual image detail, CCD manufacturers create a mosaic of sensors that capture 25% of the red and blue light in an image and 50% of the green. The rest of the colour data is interpolated based on surrounding pixels. This approach introduces complicated, ugly moiré patterns and discards about two thirds of the available colour data.
Using a layered silicon approach, X3 offers digital technology the ability to capture all available colour data for the first time. The resulting images are sharper, brighter, and much more representative of the source image than traditional methods have allowed.
This is the point where digital will really take off as an alternative to film.


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Kizomba DVD Level III offers you the perfect opportunity to improve your Kizomba dancing with two of the world's finest Kizomba teachers. This DVD includes many new spectacular moves and sequences for you to learn within the comfort of your own home. Nelson & Sophia will take you through all the moves step by step, separately explaining ladies' and men's footwork, leading and following technique and styling. Additionally, they will go through all the sequences with you with music, making the whole experience of learning Kizomba even more enjoyable and effective.
Level III Dance DVD Kizomba
Running Time: 78 min
Kizomba Act 1 : Beginners
Kizomba Act 2 : Intermediate
Salsa Mambo - Advanced Level - Volume 1
Salsa Open Shines - Advanced level - Volume 1
Estilo Cubano


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When Canada turns 150: Sheila Copps says 2017 a chance to help overcome regional differences
OTTAWA — Sheila Copps knows a thing or two about the political risks of trying a new idea to foster Canadian patriotism.
In 1996, as federal heritage minister, she proposed giving the Canadian flag to one million people for free. Political critics excoriated her for the cost to taxpayers: roughly $20 million, it was estimated, once the program got going.
But it was a hit with Canadians. To this day, as she walks through airports, Copps say she is still thanked by Canadians from the 560,000 "households" that received one of the flags.
"Until that point, we had never really had the nerve to fly the Canadian flag," the former Liberal MP says. "We were very quiet Canadians."
As she looks toward Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017, Copps says the country's leaders need to set a "vision" for how to mark the occasion.
"I think governments need those big dreams and sometimes when you're in an economic recession, a difficult period, they kind of park the dreams," says Copps. "But I think an anniversary or a birthday is a good way to reignite dreams."
Copps says that means Prime Minister Stephen Harper should guide the anniversary planning, and politicians of all stripes should stop sowing regional discord.
Copps recalls that as a politician from a Hamilton, Ont. riding, "the best fight you could ever pick was with Toronto."
Now, she says, "I think we spend far too much time focusing on our regional divisions and we don't work very hard at trying to bridge them."
One way to repair regionalism for 2017 is to find ways for young Canadians to travel within their own country and meet their fellow citizens, she says.
"They grow up never knowing each other.
"I think those key areas of between the ages of 17 and 22 – that are really formative years for kids – are really important times for them to experience something different in a different part of the country."
Copps says young people need to step out of their own "comfortable milieu" and discover what it's like to walk in another Canadian's shoes.
"It's a personal growth experience, but I also think for the country it's a way of beating down the myths that we, as politicians, propagate."
Copps also says the government needs to assemble a "high-calibre" team to organize the celebrations and perhaps reach out to "creative" entrepreneurs such as Guy Laliberte of Cirque du Soleil.
"I don't think Canadians express their patriotism that overtly," says Copps. "I think having a kind of hidden flame, you do run the risk of having it snuffed out."
She urges the government to avoid simply pumping money into "bricks and mortar" – new buildings or monuments
"If I was picking projects, I'd try to pick something that had a national span, without necessarily being physically in one place."
As an example, she points to the continued digitization of records at museums so that Canadians can see national treasures from their own home computers. The challenge is simple: "How do you shrink Canada, this huge country?"
Copps, who visited the Expo 67 World's Fair in Montreal with her Hamilton high school class, says she vividly remembers the jolt of national pride Canadians experienced that year.
"It was sort of like, 'Wow, we really are a happening place.' Canada was sort of this sleepy little hamlet."
Nearly a half-century later, she says the country has grown more individualistic, with less focus on the "collective spirit" promoted by Canadians of past generations.
"In that sense, 2017 should be about re-connecting with how the country as a whole is bigger than the sum of its parts."
Sheila Copps at a glance
— Born Nov. 27, 1952 in Hamilton
— Father, Victor Copps, was Hamilton mayor and mother, Geraldine Copps, was city councillor.
— She became a journalist, worked at Hamilton Spectator and Ottawa Citizen
— Ran unsuccessfully in 1977 provincial election in Ontario.
— Won provincial seat in 1981 election, served as member of Ontario legislature until 1984.
— Won federal seat (Hamilton East) in 1984 and became high-profile MP in Liberal opposition.
— Ran unsuccessfully for Liberal leadership in 1990, behind Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.
— Appointed in 1993 to Liberal cabinet, holding several posts over a decade: environment, citizenship, deputy prime minister and heritage.
— Ran unsuccessfully in 2003 leadership race won by Martin.
— Failed to win riding nomination for Liberals in 2004, returned to journalism as newspaper columnist.
Related articles
- Canada at 150: Ordinary citizens, not government, should plan festivities, poll says (o.canada.com)
- Canada at 150: Ethnic communities to mark 150th by focusing on 'Canadian' values (o.canada.com)
- Canada at 150: Governor General sees ways to bring Canadians together (o.canada.com)
- Canada at 150: Celebration tempered with sadness for indigenous peoples (o.canada.com)


text: Chisinau is the Moldavian capital as well as its most populated city (752,900 inhabitants). Located in the centre of the historic region of Bessarabia, Chisinau rises along the banks of the "Byk" river, it is considered to be one of the cities in Europe with the most open spaces, parks and gardens.The origins of its name are uncertain, a possible etymology is "kesene", a Cumaean word which means "crypt". When visiting Chisinau you can't miss a trip to the imposing statue of "Stefan cel Mare" located in the entrance of the homonymous park.This place represents the heart of the city centre as well as the main usual meeting point for local people.Until 1991, the statue of Lenin dominated the area, where nowadays there is the statue of "Prince and Saint Stefan cel Mare" also known as the hero of the struggle for freedom against the ottoman invasion. The homonymous park, which spreads behind the monument, is without doubt the most preserved and beautiful of the city.In the park you will find a beautiful fountain (closed in winter) as well as several statues of Rumanian and Russian writers and poets. Leaving the park, along the path with the statues, crossing the "Bulevard Stefan cel Mare", you reach the Opera and Ballet Theatre. The Square in front of it has been recently rebuilt and include two flood lit "dancing" fountains which creates an evocative image at night.Among with the most important buildings, it's worth mentioning the Presidential Palace, locally also known as the "Crystal Palace". The orthodox Cathedral of "the birth of our Lord", in classical Russian style, consists of a central part and a tower with a separate bell tower; it was originally a work by the architect Abraam Melnicov who planned and ended it in 1836.The Cathedral is surrounded by a park full of flowers where, in the week ends and during holidays, a colourful handicraft market is held.On the side of the park, along the Banulescu-Bodoni street, you will find the main open-air flower market, open 24 hours a day.


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Elmeg is the ideal blow moulding supplier to the automotive sector because of its flexibility, and stands out from the crowd through its customer-centred approach. Elmeg can lay claim to all-round know-how that covers all the aptitudes and skills from the blow moulding and co-design processes to manufacturing and customer support. Nowadays, Elmeg is a trading partner of excellence that delivers reliable solutions that are at the leading edge of blow moulding technology.
Company websites
www Website


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Rise-and-Shine Breakfast Recipes
Try some of these filling breakfast recipes to start your day. The aroma of fresh-basked biscuits and cheese grits is reason enough to rise early and gather round the table.
Nobody does breakfast like Southerners. We love our comfort food in the South, and that doesn't exclude breakfast. Southern breakfast is a wonderful thing: from praline-pecan French toast to a stick-to-your-ribs sausage and hashbrown casserole, we've collected some of our favorite ways to start the day here. From classic dishes–we had to include grits!–to new ideas like waffles Benedict, breakfast down South is a beautiful thing. We've got plenty of sweet Southern breakfasts here, from a coffee cake that you won't want to stop eating, to a breakfast buttermilk cake that you'll want to sneak pieces of any hour of the day. (Oh, and we should mention our blueberry muffins with lemon cream cheese glaze. Make a double batch of those, because they're irresistible.) Savory Southern breakfast is well-represented, of course, with casseroles and our best-ever buttermilk biscuit recipe. The only difficult thing about these breakfast recipes is choosing what to make first.


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Amazing: Harlem Girl Who Was Kidnapped As A Newborn By A Fake Family.. Is Reunited With Her Real Family After After 23 Years!
"Stolen as an infant, Carlina White was raised by her kidnapper for 23 years before returning home. "
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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Ex-news: Overview standards of the 60079 series
In this newsletter you will find the first overview of standards relating to explosion safety. The first overview contains the standards of the 60079 series, an actual overview of the standards and the actual status of every standard.
The data for these overviews comes from several sources. We cannot accept any claims relating to these documents. If errors are detected, please notify us.
We will update these documents every upcoming newsletter.
Overviews of standards such as the 61241, 80079 and standards for non-electrical apparatus will follow.


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The Raiders on Saturday finalized a one-year contract with running back Darren McFadden that keeps the 2008 first-round draft pick in a silver-and-black uniform for a seventh season.
McFadden, 26, averaged only 3.3 yards per carry last season, marking the second straight season he finished with that figure and 2 yards or so shy of the 5.4 and 5.2 he posted in 2010 and 11, respectively.
He missed six games last season, which resulted in the Raiders turning to Rashad Jennings as their primary back the latter part of the season.
"I am really excited to be back in Silver and Black," McFadden said. "There is no place I'd rather be. I want to prove to the team that drafted me that I am a top running back in this league, and I really want to help this team win."
Given how Jennings outperformed McFadden at every turn, it seemed likely that the Raiders would re-sign Jennings and let McFadden depart via free agency.
Instead, the Raiders re-signed McFadden and let Jennings sign with the New York Giants without making much of a push to bring him back.
Overall, McFadden has missed 29 games during his six-year Raiders career, and he failed to develop into the elite player the Raiders envisioned when they selected McFadden with the fourth pick of the NFL draft out of Arkansas.
Only once has McFadden rushed for more than 707 yards in a season. That came in 2010, when he amassed 1,157 yards and caught a career-high 47 passes in only 13 games.
He has yet to play in more than 13 games in any NFL season, yet the Raiders are confident that he has the potential to regain the form he showed in 2010-11.
McFadden is regarded as the lead back for now, with second-year player Latavius Murray and third-year players Kory Sheets and Jeremy Stewart in the mix for backup spots
McFadden officially back with Raiders for seventh season
The Raiders on Saturday finalized a one-year contract with running back Darren McFadden that keeps the 2008 first-round draft pick in a silver-and-black uniform for a seventh season.


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The funky, rhythm-centric acoustic slide guitar playing of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Ben Harper[/lastfm] has given him the opportunity to work with a plethora of different artists whether that be covering their songs, hopping on stage to jam out on songs together, or crafting originals.
With musical influence that are so eclectic comes the flexibility to work with a diverse array of artists from different genres including [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Jack Johnson[/lastfm], [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]INXS[/lastfm], [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Pearl Jam[/lastfm] and the [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Blind Boys Of Alabama[/lastfm].
This May 18th, Harper might jam with someone on one of these Ten Collaboration Songs for his Live on Letterman webcast right here at 8pm, ET/5pm, PT.
10. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Ben Harper[/lastfm] & [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]John Lee Hooker[/lastfm]-"Burnin' Hell"-
When legendary jukejoint blues guitarist, John Lee Hooker, put out his own collaboration album in 1998 called The Best of Friends he recruited music notables like [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Carlos Santana[/lastfm] and [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Bonnie Raitt[/lastfm] to hop on his old school blues train.
Ben Harper got to lend his talented guitar skills to smouldering bar burners like "Burning Hell."


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Features & Highlights
Why you should buy this product
Pantech Breakout cell phone accessories today to make using your phone tomorrow a little better! All of the accessories for Pantech Breakout are ready to ship and will simplify your life. The Geeks love simple things. We are committed to providing our customers with products that will better their lives and keep it simple. AccessoryGeeks carries top quality Pantech Breakout accessories like a MICROSD memory card with a maximum of MicroSD (up to 32GB) that will store your important data and media. Because the phone is 5" x 2.54" x 0.47" (127 x 65 x 11.9 mm), it is easy to drop it. Among our extensive line of Pantech Breakout accessories, we carry cases that will shield your phone from damage during those drops.
You Might Also Be Interested
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One of the more interesting local electronic artists on the rise: the enigmatic Shoni, whose sound blends a classic shoegazer sensibility with downtempo beats and an ethereal aesthetic. She has many great things planned for 2014 -- but one more major event planned for 2013: a video release party at Rain Dogs for her new song "Space Bars", available on Spotify.
The video that she will premiere Wednesday evening, she informs Folio, has high production values, reminiscent of a Hype Williams joint. It took two days to shoot, and when Shoni saw it just last night, she tells Folio that "it gave me chills."
The local media was clamoring for an interview with the reclusive Shoni... but Folio Weekly snagged an exclusive, in-depth Q&A. Read on to find out more about the event, her influences, how she creates music, and the Ludacris cover that started off what Shoni fans call Shonimania!
Folio Weekly: Tell us about the event you have at Raindogs 12/18.
Shoni: The Space Bars music video premiere is being hosted at Rain Dogs on Wed, Dec 18. There will also be live performances by Shoni, Ritual Union, and Ascetic (all female-fronted music projects that employ digital instruments).
FW: Why did you pick Rain Dogs for this event?
Shoni: We chose Rain Dogs for the music video premiere because of its relationship to the music and arts scene here in Jacksonville. It's quickly becoming a haven for members of the local arts community with its open mic nights and intimate appeal. I like the energy there.
FW: What does it mean to "employ digital instruments"? Do all of you have similar sounds?
Shoni: What I and the producers I work with create is music through the medium of technology. Sometime I'll sit down with an electric guitar and work out chord progressions and sometimes I'll start my work on a recording program using MIDI inputs. The result is usually a dreamy, downtempo sound. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an electronic artist, but I do rely on digital methods to produce much of the instrumentation.
FW: Is there significance to being female electronic music artists? Have you encountered resistance In The Industry?
Shoni: I like seeing female artists like Grimes use elaborate mixers and computers to produce sound on stage. She's an incredibly talented producer and showcasing her skills live adds to her appeal as a multi-faceted artist.
What I do right now is play backing tracks that either myself or a producer friend has created and perform just the vocals live. I use a vocal processor to add texture and variation throughout each track.
Folio Weekly: Tell us about Space Bars.
Shoni: Space Bars is a collaborative track with music and production by James West, who makes music under his moniker Slomile Swift. I would describe Space Bars as a retro-futuristic sound collage; I was hooked the first time James sent me the track. There are some elements he used that I didn't expect, like the wind chimes and "spinning plates" effect. I immediately started adding vocals over it after the first listen.
FW: How has your sound evolved over the years?
Shoni: My sound has definitely evolved. I started out tinkering with keyboards a child then picked up an acoustic guitar at 16. From there, I've gone from recording simple guitar arrangements on cassette tapes to producing multi-layered tracks on digital recording programs. The first time I heard MIDI keys on a composition I recorded in 2010, tears started welling. I thought it was magical. Since then, I've been shaping an ethereal sound anchored by heavy percussion. Working with producers has helped move my sound into a new direction.
FW: Tell us about your infamous Ludacris cover, and if you plan to go deeper into hip hop -- or covers....
Shoni: The "Move" cover started as a joke. While I was living in Gainesville a few years ago, some friends and I were jamming and one of us started rapping. I think there was a keyboard and bursts of laughter involved. Anyway, I thought about how entertaining it would be to hear a female with soft vocals cover a song with harsh language. What I like about performing "Move" is that it's completely unexpected. Here I am in a bar strumming my seafoam electric guitar and then all of sudden, I'm moving across the stage and telling people to move. People look bewildered and then start laughing. It's very gratifying.
Actually, that Ludacris cover is what prompted me to shift from playing guitar on stage to adopting more of an emcee delivery. After playing months of shows with that cover at the end of each set, I realized that I lit up when I was free to move around on stage and focus only on my vocals. I find it easier to connect with an audience when I can move freely and make hand gestures without worrying about hitting the right guitar chords.
I don't have plans to work with any hip-hop artists but am totally open to the idea.
FW: But "Move", and Luda in general, is pretty grimy -- and misogynistic. Any conflict between being a female artist and doing this kind of material?
Shoni: There can be many interpretations of the lyrics in "Move," all of which are valid. That's the great thing about poetry; it's up to the listener to interpret the meaning. One of the reasons I perform it is to bring the audience out of their comfort zone. With that said, there is definitely a feminist subtext in performing a song that uses 40 expletives in 4 minutes. There's a dramatic shift from a rich and romantic ambiance to this harsh, aggressive anthem that challenges the stereotype of a solo female performer who makes dreamy music. That's what music, as an art, should do – pull you out of your comfort zone. Plus, the song has a killer beat and gets my adrenaline pumping on stage.


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The Auditing Programs provide adults not currently enrolled in college with the opportunity to attend selected lectures drawn from the University's offerings in the Arts and Sciences during the academic year.
Auditors are encouraged to attend class and to keep up with the reading. No examinations or papers are required, no grade is assigned, and no credit is granted for course completion.
Auditors are silent participants in class and may join in discussions only at the discretion of the instructor.
The courses available to auditors are typically posted a week prior to the start of the term. To view the courses open to auditors, please go to the Directory of Classes, Columbia's online course bulletin. You can search for auditing courses by clicking "A" in the "Course Listings by Department" box and scrolling down to where the Auditing Department is listed.
In addition to the General Auditing Program, Columbia offers the Lifelong Learner's Auditing Program for individuals who are 65 or older.
- Only academic-year courses may be audited. Auditing is not allowed for Summer Session courses.
- Foreign language and literature courses are not open to auditors.
- Audited courses may not be repeated for credit.
- No more than three auditors are permitted in courses with an enrollment of less than 30. No more than five are permitted in classes with an enrollment greater than 30. No exceptions are made to this limitation, even if an instructor grants permission.
- Under no circumstances may seminars, limited enrollment courses, or courses above the 4000 level be audited, even if the instructor gives permission.
Columbia University Employees
Officers of the University who wish to take advantage of their tuition exemption benefit may not enroll in the auditing program. They must take courses for credit in order to receive the tuition benefit and should apply to the School of Professional Studies's Postbaccalaureate Studies program. For more information regarding tuition benefits please visit the University's Human Resources website.
International Students
In order to qualify for a visa, international students must be registered for 12 or more credits. The Auditing program is a noncredit program. As such, it does not meet the visa requirements. It is not possible for international students to study in the Auditing program using other types of visas.


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2019 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Highlander TM
- $63,990 DRIVE AWAY Condition: New Make: HYUNDAI Model: SANTA FE Badge: HIGHLANDER Series: TM Manufacture Year: 2019 Body Type: WAGON Seating Capacity: 7 Exterior Color: Green No. of Gears: 8 Transmission: Sports Automatic Drivetrain: 4x4 Engine: 2.2L Fuel type: Diesel Kilometres: 12 Unregistered Stock No: F301599 VIN: KMHS381CSKU179960
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This morning our lesson is taken in the Scripture from the 8th chapter of Matthew. Matthew, chapter 8. We'll look at verses 23 through 27. Matthew 8:23-27. Let me give you some background to our thinking this morning. When God created man, God ordained that man was to be the king of the earth, that man was to be the monarch. The book of Genesis says that God gave man dominion, or sovereignty, or rule, or kingship over the earth. And then, when man fell into sin he was dethroned as the king, he lost his sovereignty, he lost his right to rule, he lost the majesty and the wonder and glory of an innocent earth, the kingdom that God had given him. The earth was immediately cursed by God. And as a result of that curse, the control of the earth fell into the hands of the usurper, Satan, who is called the prince of this world, the god of this age. And so man lost his dominion and the earth lost its glory. What was the result of this? Let me just give you some of them: sickness, pain, death, difficulty in human relationships, war, sorrow, injustice, falsehood, famine, natural disaster and demonic activities. These are the things that result from sin, and the earth endures all of these things constantly.
But the Bible unfolds for us a great and glorious redemptive plan in which God is not only redeeming man, but redeeming man's environment, redeeming man's earth, redeeming man's universe, reversing the curse. Now according to God's plan, in order to do this God would come to earth twice. The first time He would come to redeem man. The second time He would come to redeem the earth and the universe. And so we see in the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ that He went to the cross and rose from the grave for the redemption of man. The second time He comes in blazing glory, establishes a thousand-year millennial kingdom, and then a new heaven and a new earth throughout eternity, thus redeeming the whole of creation. Now that is the plan, and Christ was the one to carry out the plan. The ultimate design, then, is a universe with no sorrow, no tears, no pain, no sickness, no death, no disease, no difficulties, no disasters, no demons, all righteous, all holy, all lovely, all beautiful, all glorious, forever. That is the coming kingdom of God.
Its first phase is the thousand-year millennium when the Lord reverses the curse in the earth itself. The second phase is in the eternal state, when He creates a new heaven and a new earth unlike the one we have now. Everything is going to change in the future. Everything that we know of as a curse—everything that blights man's existence, everything that breaks man's heart, everything that steals man's joy, everything that takes away from him the dominion and dominance that God intended him to have, the sovereignty that God designed—will be reversed. And the Bible says that we will reign forever and ever with Christ on His throne. That's the redemption of the universe. Things aren't always going to be the way they are.
Now as we look at redeeming the earth and the universe, as we look at the glorious coming kingdom of God, it becomes patently obvious to us that man can't effect that change. We can't change anything in our environment. We can try to deal with some of the problems, but we can't eliminate them. We don't have the power. Now we can shoot off little rockets into space, but all we do is pollute space. We can build all kinds of machinery and equipment, but all we do is pollute the environment around where we're building and using those things. As a medical doctor told me, for everything in medicine that we solve we create six other problems that must be solved. So the hurryer we go, the behinder we get; the greater our advancement, the more severe the complications. Man cannot bring about a renewed earth. Man cannot eliminate the curse. He doesn't have the power. As powerful as our rockets, as clever as we are in dealing with energy sources, as well as we have been able to develop nuclear power, and so forth, we still cannot apply those things to changing our environment, changing our universe. Now if the earth is going to be changed and if the environment is going to be altered, and if there is to be a new heaven and a new earth, it's going to have to be done by somebody far superior to any man. In fact, it is not only a power beyond man it is a power that is inconceivable to man. We can't even imagine the kind of power it will take to reverse the curse—to create a new heaven and a new earth—any more than we can imagine the kind of power that it takes for God to create in the beginning and to uphold creation.
In Psalm 62, the Bible says, "Power belongs to God." In Job 26:14, it says, "The thunder of His power who can understand?" In Psalm 79:11 it says, "The greatness of Thy power." In Nahum 1 it says, "The Lord is...great in power." In Isaiah 26:4, it says, "The Lord God is everlasting power." In Psalm 65:6 (I read this morning) it says, "Who by strength establishes the mountains, being girded with power." No wonder David said in Psalm 63, "Oh God, Thou art My God. Early will I seek Thee, my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee...to see Thy power." What kind of power does God have? It's visible to us; Romans 1. "The things around us revealed to us, the power of God," says Romans 1:20. What kind of power is it?
The more we look at the universe the more shocking it becomes to see the power that is exhibited there. Puny little man, if he wants to run a 450-horsepower bulldozer for one day, has to use 100 gallons of diesel fuel just to putt that thing around to move dirt. What kind of power does it take to move the universe beyond our imagination? Our little telescopes can take us out four billion light years or twenty-five sextillion miles; or if that doesn't help try seven times ten with sixty-seven zeros. We can look out there and we know we haven't even come close to the edge of space, and everywhere we look we find power, movement of heavenly bodies energized with incredible power. We live on a ball twenty-five thousand miles in circumference, eight thousand miles in diameter, and the earth weighs six septillion 500 sextillion tons and it hangs on nothing. We say, "Well, gravity holds it up." What is gravity? What power is gravity that holds this thing in space? Not only that, it makes it spin. Where are the rockets that make us spin a thousand miles an hour? That's how fast we're going this morning, folks, a thousand miles an hour in a circle. And you know, it's so accurate that you can measure time to the split second. And not only that, we're not only going around at a thousand miles an hour, but we're careening in an orbit around the sun that covers 580 million miles at a speed of a thousand miles a minute. And not only that, our whole solar system is careening through endless space in an orbit that takes billions of years to complete at a faster speed than that. We're going in three speeds. Where's the fuel? Where's the energy? What makes us go? And did you know that a codfish at one shot lays nine million eggs? Just thought I'd throw that in.
God is not only the God of the big, but He's the God of the little. Do you know that they have measured that the horsepower of the sun is 500 hundred million million billion horsepower and there are at least 100 thousand million suns in our galaxy and who knows how many millions of galaxies. Where's the power? What keeps it all moving? And did you know that a teaspoon of water has a million billion trillion atoms in it? And do you know what an atom is? An atom is nothing but energy, that's all, just a little energy thing. You say, "Well there's matter in the middle." Do you know how much of an atom is actual matter? One trillionth. You say there are a million billion trillion atoms in a teaspoonful of water and one trillionth of that atom is volume and the rest is just energy and motion? That's right. Put it another way. If you took me—and some of you wouldn't for a minute, but anyway—if you could squeeze out of me all the empty space and just reduce me to the matter, do you know how much of me is actual matter? Figuring just a little over six feet, one one-hundredth millionth of a cubit inch is matter. The rest is energy and motion.
Now what makes this whole thing go? When the Bible says Jesus upholds the world with His power, it doesn't mean He holds up the matter. It means He energizes every atom in the universe, and the universe goes so far it's inconceivable the power of God. What kind of power? Do you think God has the power to recreate the earth? I think He does. He has the power to reverse the curse. He has the power to bring back Eden, the power to create a new heaven and a new earth, and I believe that's why Jesus came, to show us that power. I believe that Jesus came into the world to declare once and for all that He was God and that He, as God the Son, had the power to bring the kingdom of God to a cursed earth, that He was the promised King, the promised Messiah, that He could give back the sovereignty to man, that He could restore the earth, that He could eliminate sin. He had all the credentials.
In Matthew 1, Matthew said He had the right genealogy. He was of the line of Abraham and David. In Matthew 2, He had the right birth; He was born of a virgin. And then He had the right baptism; He was confirmed by the Father and anointed by the Spirit. And then He had the right test, the temptation in which He showed His power over Satan. And then He gave the right message; He confirmed the word of God with absolute authority. And now He says in Matthew 8 and 9 He has the right power. If there is one who is going to reverse the curse, God said He'll come from the line of David. Jesus did. God said He would be born of a virgin. Jesus was. God said He would be approved by the Father, and Jesus was. He would be more powerful than Satan, and Jesus was. He would speak the truth, and Jesus did. And here it says He would have the power, and He had it.
Look at Matthew 9:6: "But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power." You see—and you can stop right there—that is the whole issue in the miracles, that men might know He has power. The miracles were foretastes of kingdom power. When He healed the sick He was giving a preview of a glorious kingdom where there would be no sickness. When He raised the dead He was giving a preview of a glorious kingdom where there would be no dying. When he calmed the waves on the sea He was previewing a glorious kingdom where natural elements would never be out of control. When He cast out demons He was previewing a kingdom where there would be no demonic activity at all. When He spoke the truth He was previewing a kingdom where there would be no lies, but only truth. When He manifested His holiness He was previewing a kingdom where there would be righteousness and that's all. You see, everything He did was to say to man, "I am the One who can reverse the curse. I am the One who can bring back sovereignty to man in a glorified eternal kingdom."
And in chapter 9, for example, verse 8, the multitude saw and they marveled "and glorified God, who had given such power unto men." In chapter 10, verse 1, "When He had called unto Him His twelve disciples He gave them power." He gave them power in two areas: over demons and over disease. And those are the only two areas of miracles. The apostles never, ever were given power to do miracles that dealt with nature. Only Jesus did those, but they were given power. In Matthew 28, He said, "All power is given unto Me," all power. In Mark 9:1, "He said unto them, 'Verily I say unto you, there be some of them that stand here who shall not taste death until they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.'" What was He talking about? "Some of you are going to be alive when you see the kingdom of God come with power." He was referring to His transfiguration. He immediately went to a mountain and there were those that were dead, Moses and Elijah, appearing there; and He had brought them back. That's power. He transfigured Himself and let His glory be seen. That's power. They saw the power that would be fully manifest in the kingdom.
In Luke 4:32: "And they were astonished at His doctrine, for His word was with power." Verse 36: "And they were amazed...for with authority and power He commanded the unclean spirits." In Romans 1:4, Paul sums it up, "He was declared to be the Son of God with power." And where was that power most revealed but in His own resurrection from the dead? In fact, in I Corinthians 1:24, it is said that He is "Christ, the power of God." Now what Matthew was showing us is that Jesus Christ has power over every facet of the curse: over disease and death and Satan and demons and natural elements and animals and pain and everything, therefore qualifying Himself as the rightful heir to the earth, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Now we've already seen the first three miracles. There are nine miracles in chapters 8 and 9. The first three dealt with disease, didn't they? We've already seen these. The next three show His power over the natural elements, the supernatural world, and over sin. So you go from disease to the natural elements, the supernatural dominion of demons, then sin and even death later on; all of these marvelous pictures of His power. Now let's look at the text verses, 23 to 27. I'm going to show you four points: the particulars, the panic, the power, and the portent. First, the particulars. Now remember, as we look at verses 23 and 24 and get the scene, Matthew has presented three miracles and then a response. The response was in verses 18 to 22, how the people reacted. He's going to give us three more miracles and then another section on response, showing us the different ways the people responded to Christ. Now remember the last group. They were fascinated, they were interested, they were curious, they were thrilled with His power. But when He put it right down on the bottom line and said, "If you're going to follow Me you're going to leave everything. You're going to pay a deep, severe price, and you have to come right now with a full commitment," they went away. They weren't interested. That was the first response.
Now we move into the second three miracles and he is going to give us, at the end of these three, a different response. Notice, back at verse 18, and let's set the scene. "Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him He gave commandment to depart to the other side." Now skip to verse 23. "And when He was entered into a boat, His disciples followed Him." Now the pressure of the crowd had reached a point where Jesus no longer could deal with it and so He said, "It's time to leave." And they were on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, or literally, the Lake of Galilee, just a little lake, thirteen miles long and eight miles wide at the widest point. And He said, "We're going to the other side." They had taken all they could take; they had accomplished all they could accomplish. Jesus, I believe, was tired. He was weary. The Sabbath Day was over. I believe it was nighttime by now, because it's already evening in verse 16, and now it's after evening, it's late in the night. The crowd has pressured Him more than He can bear in His humanness. "We have to go now. We have to leave now." And what that did was it forced the issue. Three disciples, would-be disciples said, "Boy I'd like to come but I got to do this and I got to do that and I got to do that," and Jesus confronted them and they stayed. But some were willing to follow, and verse 23 says, "When He was entered into a boat, His disciples followed Him."
The three we looked at in the end of the last section, they didn't follow. But some did. And so, as the little boat left the shore by Capernaum to sail maybe six, five or six, miles to the other side, several other little boats went along. "His disciples followed Him," simply means in other boats, obviously. They didn't just hang onto the outside of the boat. In fact, Mark says, "There were also with Him other little boats." And by the way, the Sea of Galilee is just covered, in Jesus' time, with little boats. That is a farming and fishing area. Fish proliferate in that area even to this day. If you go over there they'll feed you what they call St. Peter's fish, which is a little fish; looks like a perch, freshwater fish, very tasty, and they're very plentiful there. Fishing and agriculture was the way that area functioned. And so there were many little boats, and a little flotilla begins along with Jesus as they go to the other side.
Notice, at the end of verse 23—very important to note this—His disciples followed Him. Now Jesus is in a boat with some of His disciples; and by the way, by this time it is recorded in Mark and Luke He has already selected the twelve. It's very likely a portion of them were in the boat with Him, in other boats, and other disciples in other boats, and all moving along. But He had already selected the twelve. But the word here, "His disciples followed Him," is much bigger than the twelve. It is a very broad word and I want to speak to that for just a moment. There's a confusion about this in the New Testament. When it says, "His disciples," to whom does it refer? Well, you have to look at the context. The word itself doesn't tell you anything. The word mathetes, here in this case, or mathetai, means pupils, learners, followers; that's all. It's a very broad word. Now some people have tried to say that when you have the word disciple in the Bible it refers to a second level Christian, a higher category of spirituality, the top kind of Christians. In other words there are just plain Christians, believers, and then there are disciples, and they are the super saints. But that's not the case. You cannot make that word mean that in the context, as we shall see in following our thoughts.
Now, one of the reasons we can't see it as a legitimate disciple is, for example, go back to chapter 5:1: "And seeing the multitudes He went up into a mountain and when He was seated His disciples came unto Him." Now, what disciples? Well, some people think this is the twelve, and therefore, if this is the twelve, the Sermon on the Mount is given to the twelve; therefore it can't be a message on salvation because they already believe. The problem with that is it is a message on salvation and it assumes that they may not necessarily believe and that the word disciple here simply means learners. You have the multitude that are sort of indifferent and then you have the people who are saying, "Hey, I want to hear what this guy says. I'm very interested." The level of their commitment is undetermined at this point. And so He speaks to them on the matter of salvation because that is the key issue.
Now you come to chapter 8 again, verse 21. One of those who is called a disciple says, in effect, "I'm not going to follow you until my father dies." And Jesus says, "You'd better leave the world to take care of its own dead." In other words, "You'd better be about preaching the kingdom of God." The implication is the guy didn't go. He just turned around and went home. So he was called a disciple but he didn't follow Christ. Now, let me put it in context of right here. All of you sitting in this church are disciples of John MacArthur. You are mathetes. You are learners. Why? You are here, you are listening, you're sitting under the teaching. Now some of you are enjoying it, some of you are rejecting it, some of you may think it's good, some of you may think it's bad, some of you haven't made your decision yet. But all of you here are exposing yourself to what I say; you are a disciple, a learner. When you go to UCLA or Cal State Northridge or Pierce College or anywhere else, the Los Angeles Baptist, or Biola, or Calvert Seminary, or wherever you sit in a class, you are a mathetes. You are a learner. You may not accept it all; you may not believe it all; you may believe it. The verdict is something other than just being a disciple. That just means a learner. There are all kinds. For example,
in John 15, it says, "Any branch that abides in Me and doesn't bear fruit is cut off and thrown in a fire." What does it mean to be "in Me?" It means to be a disciple. There were some disciples who were connected with Christ who had no fruit, no righteousness, no holiness, nothing to mark true salvation. They were cut off and burned. They were around, they were disciples, but they weren't for real. In Matthew 13 you have four soils. They are all the soils that were following Jesus, four kinds of disciples. The seed is sown: on three it dies, on one it grows. One was real; three were not.
In Matthew 10, Jesus said, "My true disciples are the ones who endure to the end." And He had Judas in mind when He said that. Judas didn't endure to the end and showed he wasn't a true disciple. There were learners around Jesus but just because they are called disciples doesn't mean that they are believers. That yet has not been determined. The word in itself is not an indication of anything except that they were attracted to Jesus' teaching and they were listening.
Now we could reduce disciples to four categories and this might be helpful for you. First of all there were the curious; curious disciples. They followed Jesus: they listened; they were fascinated; they were intrigued; they were enthralled by what He said. But you know what happened? In John 6, Jesus said to them one day, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood," in other words unless you take all of Me in, unless you're willing to identify with everything I am, unless you're willing to affirm my total lordship in your life, you cannot be My disciple. You cannot follow Me. You cannot enter My kingdom, and it says, very simple, "And these disciples walked no more with him." They were the curious, not the committed. And then Jesus said, "Will you also go away?" And Peter says, "To whom shall we go? Thou and Thou alone hath the words of eternal life." And then he says this, "But we believe and are sure that You are the Son of God." In other words, it says many of His disciples walked no more with Him, but Peter said, "We believe and are sure." He says, "We're not the kind of disciples that are curious. We are the kind who are committed. We know You speak the truth. We're sure." So they were the curious. They came and went.
Then there were the convinced. These were the disciples who were intellectually convinced. Nicodemus is a classic illustration. He hung around. He listened to what Jesus said. He saw what Jesus did and he came to Him by night and said, "I think that you're from God." Intellectually convinced, but it doesn't say necessarily that in the fullest sense he believed. And then there are the clandestine, the secret disciples like Joseph of Arimathea, who kept it a secret but believe quietly. And then there are the committed, the bold, the open, who follow Jesus. But you see all those categories are possible. So when it says disciples you've got Peters in there, and you've got Judases in there, and you've got Nicodemuses and Josephs of Arimathea and a whole bunch of no-names who would bail out the first time it got tough. The word doesn't signify anything specific, so they were all along. And Jesus was about to put on a display for them that was absolutely beyond belief. And He had to set it up, so it says in verse 24, "Behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, in so much that the boat was covered with the waves." You can stop right there.
Now those are not big boats folks. Those are just basically little boats, probably open boats without any protection. Just an open boat, and there came a storm. Now the sea is a small place, as I said, very small. It's a lake. It's just a lake. The Jordan Valley is below sea level. It goes to the Dead Sea, which is over a thousand feet below sea level, and it rises to the Lake of Galilee, by the way, which is 608 feet below sea level. So you have the Mediterranean Sea up here, and then you have Mount Hermon that rises to 9,200 feet, and then you have this plummeting from Mount Hermon clear down to 608 feet below sea level. And all the way down those there are ravines, valleys and gullies. And when the cold winds of the north come over from the Mediterranean and start down the slopes of Hermon and those mountains, they come careening through those valleys and they meet the warm air that settles down in the little basin where the Lake of Galilee is. And they create incredible storms and they can come very, very rapidly. And then once they hit that, and they hit the cliff on the eastern shore, they begin to swirl and whip in that little basin. They can come without any warning at all; very common.
I'll never forget my own experience of getting on a boat in Capernaum; just a little boat, maybe thirty feet long, I think. And we were going across and it was like glass, very lovely, and by the time we reached the middle there were just white caps billowing everywhere. Water breaking over the bow was drenching people sitting clear in the stern—and the boat had two decks and we were just literally—people took off their shirts and just let it happen. They were soaked to the skin, and it came out of nowhere and they said it's very common.
And so there they are. It's night, it's dark, and it says, "a great tempest." By the way, the word in the Greek is seismos, which means earthquake. We get the word seismograph from it. It means a great quaking or a great shaking. Now we don't know whether he just shook the sea or He shook the earth under the sea. But God decided it was time to move; and I just think that, like you would do with a big bowl full of water, God began to shake the earth. And when you shake the earth the water reacts. And the thing began to shake, and then the Greek word used in the Mark and Luke account is a different word that means a whirlwind or a storm. You have an earthquake and upheaval, a whirlwind, a plummeting of the wind coming down those tremendous slopes and all of a sudden there is a storm that is not usual. They get usual storms, but it says that the disciples, or rather verse 24 says, "And behold there arose." And the word, behold, means lo. It's a statement of exclamation. In other words, this was a shocking, surprising, unexpected, severe thing. They had seen—these sailors had—lots of storms; they had been on that little lake lots of times when the wind had blown and so forth, but never was there anything like this. This is a great seismos, a quaking, an upheaval, a violent shaking, as the winds and the movement of the earth hit that little boat through those waters. I can't imagine what it would be like. I remember this summer we took that Maid of the Mist ride up to Niagara Falls. Some of you may have done that. That's about all I could take. We got up underneath those falls and that thing was going like this and we're all drenched. They put something on you, just leaves your face exposed, that's all, and you're completely to the floor covered in rubber suits. And that thing is pitching and heaving, and just millions of tons of water is crashing down in front of you, and it takes them about 15 minutes to turn it around, and you're singing hymns and all kinds of other encouraging things, but you keep thinking, "They do this all the time." I mean, they just run these boats all the time. This is no problem. But if you were in a situation like that and you had no such knowledge of security or safety you can imagine how tense it would be, and here they are in the night and they can't even see what's going on.
And I love the next line, the end of verse 24, "But He was asleep." That's terrific. He slept well. Anybody who could sleep through this was very tired. And that speaks to me of Jesus' humanness. He was not only so tired He went to sleep, but even a storm couldn't wake Him up. He grew weary, so weary. Mark says He made a little cushion for His head. They had a little cushion in the back lying on those planks. He put a little cushion under His head and He slept and He must have been soaked to the skin by now, but He was asleep. Plus, it was also part of the divine scene. He was sleeping. The sea is raging, the storm is howling, the wind is careening around, the little boat is tossed like a cork on the ocean, it's filling up with water, the other gospels tell us, and the Creator of the world is asleep. And by the way, while He was asleep He was upholding every atom in the universe at the same time. The tense in the Greek indicates that He was sound asleep, peacefully asleep. Oh, I see the loveliness of His humanity there. And I see the confidence He had in God. He's so peaceful that He doesn't even fear. Absolutely trusted the Father's care, total absence of any fear; oh, that we could live like that. We get tossed around by circumstances in our world and we begin to mistrust God and we panic. The heart of Jesus was perfect calm. He was omniscient and knew everything in the universe, yet He was unconscious of His own surroundings, so peaceful was He in the care of God.
Well as the storm increases, undoubtedly the sailors had done everything they could to take care of it and then it says in verse 25 that they came to Jesus. And that takes us to point two: the panic; from the particulars to the panic. And by the way, folks, when the sailors asked an ex-carpenter what to do in the storm you know you're in a lot of trouble. Jesus hadn't even lived on the coast. He lived in Nazareth, which was inland. In verse 25, the panic, and His disciples came to Him and awoke Him saying—and if you put the whole thing together with all the gospel records the full saying is: "Master, Master! Save! Don't you care? We're perishing!" A whole lot of short, pithy statements: "Master, Master! Save! Don't you care? We're perishing! We're drowning out here! Wake up!" Desperation! Such indifference! The fact that they turned to Jesus, as I said, is interesting. How could He help these sailors? But they had nowhere else to turn. They're not so much convinced that He is God at this point, as they are hoping that He is. But they were right where God wanted them. Sometimes God has to bring us to desperation to get our attention, doesn't He? They had run out of human solutions; they had run out of human answers; they wanted a divine answer. That was their hope, that the miracle worker who could handle sickness maybe could handle the sea, and they had fear mixed with faith. You see if they had total faith they'd have been asleep like Him, confident in the Father's care, because they were just as tired as Jesus was, perhaps.
The scene couldn't be more dramatic. They broke in on Jesus' sleep. As men are wont to do, they come to Him only in desperation. Like the sea captain who was always announcing he didn't believe there was a God, and then he got washed overboard and began to cry out for God, and they hauled him in and said, "I thought you didn't believe in God." He said, "Well, if there isn't a God there ought to be one for times like that." There are those of us who cry to God in the foxhole. We get sickness in our family or disease or death, or we lose our job or we have problems with our wife or husband and we begin to cry out to God in our desperation. Even salvation is an act of God in response to the desperation of a sinner. But often our first cry is like theirs. As is recorded in Mark, it says, "Don't you care? We're drowning." Have you ever done that? You know you get into a circumstance and you say to God, "Don't you care, God?" That's the lack of faith. You don't understand His love.
By the way that's nothing new. Saints of old did that. Psalm 10: Remember that? Verse 1: "Why standest Thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest Thyself in times of trouble?" God you're never around when I need You. Don't you care? Then there's Psalm 44:22: "Yea, for Thy [Listen to this: "For Thy...] sake are we killed all the day long. We're counted as sheep for the slaughter." God, for Your sake we're being massacred. Awake, why are you sleeping, O Lord? How can You be sleeping when we're dying for you? Find the same thing in Isaiah 51:9, the same kind of approach, which shows such a lack of faith. "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days. Wast it not Thou who hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?" The prophet is saying, "Awake! Get up, God! Don't you see the terrible dilemma of Your people? How can You possibly sleep through this?" Well, it's not unlike our approach to God. How can you let this happen, God? How can you be indifferent? How can you be unkind? How can you let me go through this? And the reply is a classic. Verse 26: "He said unto them, 'Why are you fearful?'" Stop right there.
Why are you fearful? You say, "You've got to be kidding. What kind of question is that? Look around you. It's the middle of the night. There's a storm here like we've never seen. The boat is full of water. Why are we fearful?" And by the way, the word fearful is the Greek word for cowardly, cowardly. And it is a sin, because in Revelation 21:8 the same root word is used in the list of sinners who will not enter the kingdom. The fearful and the abominable, and it's the same word: the fearful, the cowardly, those with no faith. In fact, Mark says—where it says here, "Oh ye of little faith"— Mark says: "Why do you have no faith?" Don't you believe in Me and My love and My power? Those are the two key things. If you believe in God's love and God's power you can weather any storm. Number one, you know God cares about you; and number two, you know He can handle the situation, right? That's all you need to know. God loves me and God has the power to deliver me. That's it! And they were questioning whether He cared, and they were questioning whether He was able, and He says, "Oh ye of little faith."
What do you have to see? He had performed miracle upon miracle upon miracle. Chapter 4:23-25 said just miracles of all kinds, and then you've just seen three illustrations and those are only samples. Verse 16: He was healing the people possessed with demons, He was casting out spirits with a word, He was healing all that were sick. They had seen a plethora of miracles and they're saying, "Don't you care?" Why, if they didn't know He cared about human suffering they were as blind as bats. And what are you going to do about it? If they didn't think He had the power, they were ignorant. Isn't it amazing how we can see the demonstration of God and then, when the circumstance becomes ours, we forget His power altogether. "Oh, it's so wonderful what the Lord has done over here," and then, "Oh, I want to give testimony the Lord did this over here and over there and over there," and as soon as something tough happens in your life you begin to question God's love and God's power when it comes right down to home. Oh, you of little faith.
The disciples first, finally I should say, learned that they didn't have enough faith. So in Luke 17:5 they said, "Lord, increase our faith." And you know what He did? Right after that He healed ten lepers. He said now check that one over and see if that'll help with your faith. Faith needs constant strengthening. He says, "Oh, ye of little faith." Trace that sometime in your Bible study, the concept of little faith. Basically what it means is distrust in God's ability. You don't believe God can provide; that's all. You don't believe it and so you worry, you get anxious, you panic, you fear, you're cowardly, you don't believe that God can take care of you. Either you don't believe He cares, or you don't believe He can; one of the two or both. Oh yeah, He cares; He just can't do anything. Oh yeah, He can, but He doesn't care. But if He cares and He can, what are you going to fear?
By the way, even if they were drowning they shouldn't have been afraid, because that would have been in His will anyway and He would have delivered them from there into His Father's kingdom. They surely knew the Old Testament Psalms. Psalm 89, remember Psalm 89? "O Lord God of hosts; who is like Thee, almighty Lord? Thy faithfulness also surrounds Thee. Thou dost rule the swelling of the sea; when its waves rise, Thou dost still them."
How about Psalm 46, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof."
We will not fear; not fear the natural elements. Maybe they forgot Psalm 107. I love this: "Those that go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters; they have seen the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He spoke, and raised up a stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, and were at their wits' end." Can't you see that picture on the sea and they're rolling and reeling and tossing? "They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, so that the waves of the sea were hushed.... So he guided them to their desired haven." That's an explicit prophecy of what Jesus did. God does this in Psalm 107. Jesus does it in Matthew 8. The conclusion is unarguable: Jesus is God.
And so, they had nothing to fear. We see, thirdly, from the particulars to the panic to the power; to the power. William Cowper penned those great lines:
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm....
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Verse 26: "Then He arose [middle of the verse] and rebuked the winds and the sea." And there was a great calm. Mark 4:39 says He stood up and said, "Silence," and instantly, not just a calm, but a great calm, a total calm. Now if you stop the wind, the sea will continue to ripple until the waves have run their course. He said, "Silence." Or as one commentator translates it, "Hush," and the sea became as glass. The waves stopped, the wind stopped, and it was still. Now folks, that's power. That is power. It's impossible to measure the power of the wind that was existing in that kind of a storm because we don't know how far that storm extended. But just in a normal storm there are millions upon millions of units of horsepower generated in a storm through the wind and even more through the rain, if that was involved. No one could even measure the power of the earthquake, incredible power, and Jesus stopped it with a word.
You see this is Matthew's message to us. This is the one who can conquer disease. This is the one who can handle nature and later He'll tell us He is the one who controls the demons. He is the one who forgives sin. He is the one who raises the dead. Think about it, beloved, He is the one who lives in your life.
Well, they had seen God, that's plain and simple. And what did they do in reaction? Verse 27: the portent. The dictionary says portent means to marvel. Something portentous elicits wonder or marvel, amazement, and it says in 27, "The men marveled, saying, 'What kind of man is this?'" Potapos is the Greek word. We don't have any categories for Him, is what they're saying. What slot does He fit in? What kind of person is this that even the winds and the sea obey Him? Now listen to me. Mark in his parallel account says, "They were exceedingly afraid." Mark says when the storm came they were afraid. Mark says when Jesus stopped the storm they were exceedingly afraid. You know what's more fearful than being in a storm? Realizing you're standing in the presence of the living God. That's awesome. What an experience to know that God is in your boat. That was far more terrifying than any storm.
When Job saw God through the circumstances of his life he said, "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of my ear, but now I've seen you with mine eye and I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes." When Isaiah saw God he said, "I'm a man of unclean lips. I have a dirty mouth." When Daniel saw God in Daniel 10 (We saw a couple of weeks ago.) he began to shake and quiver and he fell into a heap into the dirt and his mouth was frozen in dumbness in the presence of God. When Peter saw God on the occasion of the fishing of the sea, he said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, oh Lord." When the apostle Paul saw God in the form of a resurrected, glorious Jesus Christ he fell on his face in the dirt and he was blind. And you would be so overwhelmed with holiness if you were to stand in His presence. These disciples knew that God was there and the awesomeness of it was terrifying. They were unmasked. The omniscient One could read every thought, knew everything in them. They were in the presence of God.
The next boat trip they took, recorded in Matthew, brought them to a similar situation and they said, when it was over, after He stopped another storm, it says, Matthew 14:33, "They that were in the boat came [listen] and worshipped Him saying, 'It is the truth. You are the Son of God.'" The next time, if there was any doubt at all, it was removed. He was the Son of God. Even the winds and the sea obey Him. Let me ask you a question. Is He the One who can reverse the curse? Does He have the power to change the earth? Does He have the power to restore the kingdom? The answer is yes. The songwriter has written:
We sing the almighty power of God,
Who bade the mountains rise,
Who spread the flowing seas abroad
And built the lofty skies.
We sing the wisdom that ordained
The sun to rule the day;
The moon shines, too, at His command,
And all the stars obey.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed
Where'er we turn our eyes,
When'er we view the ground we tread
Or gaze upon the skies!
There's not a plant or flower below
But makes Thy glories known;
And clouds arise and tempests blow
By order from Thy throne.
And then he closes with this verse:
On Thee each moment we depend;
If Thou withdraw, we die.
O may we ne'er that God offend,
Who is forever nigh.
Same Jesus Christ that stilled the sea is the One that keeps all those atoms moving in your body, the One that keeps this earth whirling in space, the One that keeps this universe in balance. That same Jesus Christ will one day come and set up His eternal kingdom. The question is: Will you be a part of that kingdom by faith?
Father, thank you for our time this morning in Your word. We've learned so many lessons, lessons of trust and faith in the midst of the storms of life, because we know You care and we know You can. Lord, save us from being of little faith, not trusting in the midst of the darkest times. And Lord, help us to know beyond shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is the living God, the only One that can redeem man and can redeem this cursed earth and set up the glorious eternal kingdom. Father, I pray this morning that no one will leave this place not knowing Christ, not having come in faith to believe, to be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the One who died and rose again, that they might put their faith in Him. And those of us who are Christians, Lord, remind us of the infirmity of our flesh, our doubtings, our questionings. How many times we've said, "Don't You care?" Self-pity has entered in, questioning the love You've promised us, questioning the power at our disposal. Teach us those lessons You would have us learn. And may we teach them to others. In Christ's name. Amen.
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Whatever you want to name them, they're the final 2, and they both deserve to be there. Adam Lambert, 27 (can you believe that??) and Kris Allen, 23, are the finalists for Season 8 of American Idol. In this -MDOC- special annual post, we'll take you back to get a glimpse of their journey on American Idol.
Firstly, the auditions. Adam Lambert auditioned in San Francisco. He walked into the room already looking like a star (with less mascara). Adam sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", but it was too theatrical. The judges weren't too keen on Adam, but he was already garnering a strong following along the way. We first saw (or rather, a little peep) Kris Allen in Louisville, where he sang "A Song For You". We soon forgot Kris after 5 seconds. Of course, both made it through to Hollywood.
Adam: 1 || Kris: 0
Hollywood Round was next! Kris Allen appeared alongside best buddy Matt Giraud in the group rounds, where they formed a group with two others and dubbed themselves as "White Chocolate". Their performance of "I Want You Back" was easily the best performance of the day. Adam Lambert joined forces with fellow top 36 contenders Matt Breitzke and Jesse Langseth, and they performed "Some Kind of Wonderful". It was good, but wasn't really that memorable. The contestants then had to perform individually on Day 4. Adam Lambert didn't really pull off his rendition of Cher's "Believe". At least he was shown, Kris Allen was no where to be seen. Both of them made it to the top 36. Even though he wasn't really shown much, Kris gets a point for excelling in White Chocolate.
Adam: 1 || Kris: 1
Now to the top 36! Both finalists originated from Group 2 (along with 4 out of 5 of the top 5, indicating that Group 2 was certainly the best), which was so packed to the brim with talented contestants that we couldn't really choose who to vote for. Kris Allen appeared, singing "Man In The Mirror". We were all wondering, who was this guy? Yes we know he's cute, but will looks get him so far? How did this cannon fodder end up in the top 36? He'll be gone, that's for sure. But lo and behold! Kris beat out favourites Megan Corkrey and Matt Giraud to round up the three finalists for Group 2. Hmm, maybe he got lucky with his good looks, but he'll be gone soon. Adam Lambert, of course, received the (first of many) pimp spot, and he did an unforgettable performance of "Satisfaction". Unforgettable, because no one would forget all that screaming and fierce stomping around the stage. A new, fresh talent! Adam's definitely getting votes. As expected, he got into the top 13 without any challenge at all. Adam wins this round. (A trivia! All four contestants who got the pimp spot during the top 36 made it through to the top 13, and all four of them ended in the top 7.)
Adam: 2 || Kris: 1
Time for the top 13! It was Michael Jackson Week. Kris Allen performed "Remember The Time", while jamming it out on his guitar. His guitar didn't really suited the song, but it definitely helped him to form an image of who Kris Allen was. Adam Lambert did "Black and White" and was given the title of best performance of the night. It was expected, since the whole theme was very theatrical anyways. Adam wins.
Adam: 3 || Kris: 1
Top 11! Country Week. Kris Allen was really smooth with his heartwarming performance of "To Make You Feel My Love". Judges all loved it, Simon even hinted that Kris could win this (how right you are, Simon). And to the most infamous performance of the season, Adam Lambert's "Ring of Fire". He was touching himself all over. Ummm, what? No one knew what to do, what to say, what to comment. Flabbergasted, hypnotized, starstruck, cat got our tongues? In the end, Simon made it clear for us: either you love it, or hate it. While Adam fans may love (or pretend to) it, the rest of us despised it.
Adam: 3 || Kris: 2
The Idols tackled Motown in the top 10. Kris Allen gave a forgettable rendition of "How Sweet It Is", accompanied by his friend, the guitar. As usual, his guitar didn't really help much. It was a clumsy performance. Judges didn't like it. Adam Lambert was out to rule the world. This was the week where all the spotlights were on Adam, as he crooned "The Tracks of My Tears" in a classical suit and his hair slicked back. Girls were screaming, fans were voting. Adam was now the frontrunner of the competition, off to face Danny Gokey in the finals.
Adam: 4 || Kris: 2
Oooh, Adam is leading. Top 9 was Top Downloads Week. Adam Lambert got his hair combed back once more, and the high notes were back. Haven't we seen and heard those before? Adam performed "Play That Funky Music". Not a fan of it, it was a very typical performance, even for Adam. Indulgent! Kris Allen finally got the pimped spot and ended the show beautifully with "Ain't No Sunshine", one of his best performance of the whole season. It was wonderfully done, with Kris behind the piano, and after it ended we were groaning wanting more. Artistry! (Trivia! "Artistry" and "Indulgent" were probably the most uttered word by Kara and Simon this season, and are the most hated words used, chosen by fans.)
Adam: 4 || Kris: 3
The top 8 was next with the songs from the year they were born. Kris Allen tried to emulate Matt Giraud by singing in the mosh pit, but got the same bad reviews as well. Kris performed "All She Wants to Do Is Dance", and was forgotten by the end of the night. His pulled out his guitar, and once again, it wasn't useful at all, as he got drone out by all the music. Adam Lambert gave the best performance of the night, and probably the most talked about one of the whole season. He did "Mad World" superbly, with the dim lights and minimal music in the background. It was all about his power vocals, and he pulled it off amazingly. It was very haunting and eerie. Simon announced that Adam was going to win. And at this point of the game, we all believed that as well.
Adam: 5 || Kris: 3
Top 7 Week, Songs from the Movies, was basically a trainwreck. Almost everyone gave sub-par performances, none outshining the other, it was all a snoozefest. Adam Lambert screamed another one, this time it was "Born To Be Wild". It was getting kind of old. Next! Kris Allen gave one of his top performaces of the season, "Falling Slowly". His vocals were very controlled, he did everything splendidly. Initially, I didn't connect with his performance at all, but I can now say that it was one of his best.
Adam: 5 || Kris: 4
Disco Week was slotted in at the last minute for the theme for the top 7, since Matt Giraud was (deservingly) saved. Of course, being disco week, everyone was expecting Adam Lambert to have the upper hand and pull off another performance full of screaming and cheesy dance moves. But he surprised us once again, this time doing a slow march of "If I Can't Have You", portraying perfect emotion, which reduced Paula to tears. We all now know that this guy can do practically anything. Kris Allen caused heads to turn by shopping in the women's department and giving an acoustic version of "She Works Hard For Money". It was fresh, current and great. Of course, it had absolutely nothing to do with the theme. But do we or the judges care? No. Kara was all about her artistry crap as usual, but this we can agree on: Kris was starting to define himself as an acoustic/guitar/pop/soul artist. And we really liked that.
Adam: 5 || Kris: 5
The top 5 delivered the best week of the season with Jazz Week. Kris Allen did a slow, mid-tempo performance of "The Way You Look Tonight", and it was really really good. His vocals were spot on, and the way he switched keys while singing was beautiful. Plus his studio recording is a track that you can replay over and over again without getting tired of it. Even though it's the top 5, we still haven't crossed Kris Allen off yet as one of the contestants who could easily be sent home. But again, he prevailed. Adam Lambert strutted down the huge staircase in the middle of the stage in his immaculate white suit, singing "Feeling Good". While his voice was impeccable, it wasn't really that great. Same ol'. Seen there, heard that. Adam caused an "uproar" when he landed in the bottom 3. Oops, Adam is losing steam! He peaked too soon, and was going downhill. Both get points for doing great. (Trivia! Kris and Adam have both landed in the bottom 3 only once, and this was the week. Hmmm, what a coincidence!)
Adam: 6 || Kris: 6
Rock Week was the theme for the top 4, perfectly suited for Adam Lambert. He was the first contestant in Idol history to perform a Led Zeppelin song. Adam performed "Whole Lotta Love" exactly as any other rock star would have. Props all around. He was really comfortable on the stage. Later, he received the pimped spot once again, duetting with Allison Iraheta, who was eliminated on the same week. The duo pulled off an amazing performance of "Slow Ride", and was easily the best performance of the night. It was so full of energy you could feed off it while watching. Kris Allen didn't gave up, albeit his pissed off face, he managed to survive another week by performing "Come Together", and later, "Renegade" with Danny Gokey. Both performances weren't that good, they were only average. Rock is not doing good for Allen. No no.
Adam: 7 || Kris: 6
The top 3's race to the finale was closer than ever. While everyone was still thinking that Kris Allen was the weakest link, Danny Gokey was (rightfully) sent home instead. Kris performed two songs, the first was "Apologize", which was incredibly average, nothing new. However, his second performance, an acoustic cover of "Heartless", totally won us over. It was hands down one of the best performance of the season. It was exactly the sort of music you would want to hear blasting out of your car radio while driving on the road. As Simon put it, it redeemed him, and gave him a spot in the final 2. Adam Lambert on the other hand was starting to wane and gave only decent, not great, performances of "One" and "Cryin'". (Trivia! Adam has had the pimped spot for a total of FIVE times this season, probably higher than any other contestants ever had on the show. And a majority of his performances were positioned at the second half of the show, making Adam one of the most (if not the most) pimped contestant ever in Idol history.)
Adam: 7 || Kris: 7
They're neck in neck! So who will win? Let's give an extra point so that a winner will be chosen! Adam Lambert came into the show with loads of coverage, and was pimped throughout the show, gave outstanding performances week after week, hit insane and extremely high notes, getting rave reviews from the judges and the media, dubbed as a frontrunner, being a revolution and inspiration for being a gay contestant, garnering huge fans since the beginning, has good looks, and even appearing on a magazine cover. Kris Allen on the other hand, came into the show with almost ZERO coverage and pimping, was dubbed as a cannon folder, constantly being called the underdog, constantly being underrated, picked up a massive following along the way, has good looks, can play instruments, is current, relevant, was only in the bottom 3 once and still managed to land in the finals.
From my point of view, Kris definitely worked really hard to get to the end. Kris is gaining momentum and picking up steam now, his fire isn't about to go out anytime soon. I feel that Adam has peaked too soon and is now starting to be overshadowed. Maybe people are getting tired of Adam. But one thing is for sure, Kris has a shot at winning this. Note that last week, the top 2 was separated by a mere ONE MILLION VOTES. That is not a huge margin! If it was Adam who was leading Kris by a million votes, that means that Kris is sneaking up on Adam and can easily win it all. If it was Kris who was leading the pack, that means that Kris is already on his way to the win. Besides, Kris will be getting most of the votes from Danny's fans, since the latter was eliminated last week. And Danny's fanbase is HUGE, so that will help boost the numbers.
Adam: 7 || Kris: 8
Therefore, unless Adam produces another heart-stopping performance tomorrow, I am fairly confident that Kris has this in the bag. This is probably the closest finale ever. We say that every year, don't we? Hehe.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for the underdog to sweep the crown under the frontrunner and take it all.
I hereby announce Kris Allen as the winner of American Idol 2009.
Hey, what do you know? "Falling Slowly" is currently playing on my iTunes. 😉
What do you think? Who will win it all? Please leave comments!


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Lady Gaga Rocks Statement Hat + Seashells in Her Hair in London [PHOTOS]
Londoners are known for their ornate hats, which are works of art disguised as head toppers. Lady Gaga, who is currently in London, was the girl about town in a quirky black hat with feathers, and seashells (as part of her mermaid motif) in her mane of thick, brown curls. She is known for her fondness for millinery.


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kareem.naouri needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 93 designs submitted by 27 freelance designers.
We are a SaaS solution for companies working in the logistics and freight industries.
Professional, trust-worthy, user friendly.
No preference for colors.
Homepage: single page design that includes the following sections:
1. Slogan + short summary + a button to schedule a demo.
2. Paragraph about having a global scale of customers and offices.
3. Left half of the page about our first product (freight management system), right half of the page about our second product (CRM). Both halves include a short summary and a link to that product's features page.
4. Logos of the systems that we are integrated with. This will include 5 logos and a "and more!" text.
5. Awards section.
6. Testimonials section (short sentences by 4 or 5 customers).
7. A "Ready to get started? Contact us to schedule a demo and try the system" section.
8. Footer.
The second page is the "Company" page. It includes the following sections:
1. About LogistaaS
2. Our Offices
3. Partners
4. News
5. Careers
6. A "Ready to get started?" section
7. Footer
The third page is the features page. It will include 11 headers (for example "Connected and Integrated" and "Smart and Efficient Workflow"). Every header will include 4 or 5 points that show more details.
Please do not use a start-up or cute design. We want our website to mean business :)
I have attached the content for each page. It is not the absolute final one, but there will not be any major changes on what has been attached.


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Hey everyone, I just wanted to announce I finished my first add-on to the game. It adds a small event called, "Apocalypse store", that will unlock a new location, the "clothing store".
The clothing store contains several new items of clothing; the Apocalypse Mini-Skirt, Apocalypse Shorts, Apocalypse Hoody, and the Apocalypse Scarf. All the items have been written with full descriptions.
I already uploaded the file to GitHub, but I wanted to post o here as well because it's an easier place to communicate, (and because all my other posts disappeared after the crash.) Also, I wanted to ask if it would be possible to add the face mask effects to the scarf, I looked in the extensions, but couldn't find the effects.