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Plantronics Voyager 520 Review
— Get the best prices and free delivery on the Plantronics Voyager 520 at Amazon —
Before the Plantronics Voyager 520 came along it's predecessor the Plantronics Voyager 510 was one of the most popular Bluetooth headsets available on the market, and for good reason. The Voyager 510 was comfortable, easy to use, had great audio quality and was reasonably priced. A year later and Plantronics decided it was time for a much-needed update. Enter the Voyager 520, a Bluetooth headset that leaves its predecessor in the dust. It looks drastically different from the 510 (being of in-ear headset design rather than over-the-ear) but it is still a quality device that fits well and has even better performance. The Plantronics Voyager 520 is also affordable and is available at many online stores for less than $50.
The Voyager 520 has a simple tear-drop Bluetooth headset design. It is fairly long and narrow, measuring about 2.5 x 0.7 x 0.5 inches and weighing close to 0.63 ounce. Some people have commented that it looks a little conspicuous when you're wearing it, and the black-and-silver color scheme is perhaps not the most interesting.
Despite the questions over design it's the fit and comfort that count and the Plantronics Voyager 520 shines in this resect. Behind the headset is a simple in-ear earpiece that sits comfortably just inside the ear canal without any discomfort. The Voyager 520 also has an ear hook that's made out of a very flexible silicone material, and it can rotate to fit either ear. The headset is comfortable enough to wear for several hours without any discomfort.
— Get the best prices and free delivery on the Plantronics Voyager 520 at Amazon —
Plantronics Voyager 520 Specifications
General Specs
- Product Type: Headset – Bluetooth 2.0
- Weight: 0.6 oz
- Recommended Use: Cellular phone
- Additional Features: Volume control, Answer/end button, Noise canceling circuit, Voice activated
- Headphones Type: Headphone – Monaural
- Headphones Form Factor: Over-the-ear
- Headphones Technology: Dynamic
- Connectivity Technology: Wireless – Bluetooth 2.0
- Bluetooth Profiles: Hands Free Profile (HFP), Headset Profile (HSP)
- Sound Output Mode: Mono
- Type: Built-in
- Microphone Operation: Mode Mono
Wireless Link
- Transmission Range: 33 ft
- Power Device: Power adapter – External
- Voltage Required: AC 120/230 V
- Battery: Headset battery – Rechargeable – Lithium polymer
- Run Time: (Up To) 8 hour(s)
- Standby Time: 180 hour(s)
We hope this information about the Plantronics Voyager 520 has been of interest to you, and please feel free to contact us with any questions.
— Get the best prices and free delivery on the Plantronics Voyager 520 at Amazon —


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65 Broward schools getting free breakfasts for all students
Stay up to date on South Florida news! Click here to subscribe for email news updates from BrowardNETOnline.comStarting this school year, Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) will offer a Universal – Free Breakfast Program to students attending 65 District schools. The schools qualified to participate in the program are determined by the state of Florida, which makes universal-free school breakfast meals available to all students in each elementary, middle and high school where 80 per cent or more of the students are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals.
Breakfast is served at all BCPS for $1.10 for elementary school students and $1.20 for middle and high school students. Students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, also qualify for free or reduced-price breakfast. Qualifications are based on household income and are completely confidential.
School breakfast provides the necessary energy to start a day of learning and achievement, providing 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance of protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and C and calories and meeting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Breakfast is served before the start of the school day. Parents may contact their child's school to confirm breakfast serving times.

subset: commoncrawl


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I made my design, draped it on a size 6 dress form and voila. Sorry I don't have a pattern of anything but having a dress form really helps.
Sewing knits however is a big headache as it moves as you sew.
I used jersey material. It was a knit project.
Jan 3, 2012, 03.08 AMby wardrobe-cat
Pretty and simple. Nice.
Dec 8, 2011, 06.09 PMby Tokie Ang
nice :)
Dec 7, 2011, 07.41 PMby Timea Schmidt
Dec 7, 2011, 12.39 AMby schnui
Gorgeous dress!! And beautiful colour.
Dec 6, 2011, 11.00 PMby turtlegirl00
this is a wonderful dress. i love the flowers—tute tute tute please!!!
Dec 6, 2011, 10.59 PMby jennyrecorder
Wish I had a gorgeous back, this beautiful! Hint: when sewing knits, you need to pull the fabric quite taut, it makes the sewing very easy :)
Meg's Magazine Mash Up!
Check out Meg's latest mash up of our Straight Skirt, and how she made it look so yummy!
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The latest Elie Saab collection inspired this hand-beaded dress by chanel2005.
Editors' Pick
Celebrate with lovely dresses, sparkly dolman tees, and an embellished peplum skirt.
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This week's new BurdaStyle Videos release is "Sewing a Thread-Chain Belt Loop." Check it out!
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The Corvette ZR1 was introduced for the 2009 model year as a take-no-prisoners attempt to build the fastest production Corvette in Chevrolet's history. As the C6 Corvette approaches its extinction, time is running out for the ZR1, but that doesn't mean the car is going quietly into that... read more
Ferrari's Corse Clienti program visited California's storied Laguna Seca circuit last weekend, tied to the Ferrari Challenge North America race. The event drew... read more May 22, 2012 by Kurt Ernst
Who needs an excuse to spend a few minutes watching a 2012 Porsche 911 circulate around Laguna Seca? Certainly not us. If you do, however, we'll give you a few. First, the... read more October 26, 2011 by Nelson Ireson
Aston Martin Racing, the official motorsports division of the automaker Aston Martin, has won the annual Laguna Seca race of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) on its return... read more September 19, 2011 by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
Yesterday we brought you live images of the 1961-1970 Jaguar E-Type in action at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion, but today, we have a special gallery: all E-Types, all in... read more August 21, 2011 by Nelson Ireson
Imagine every incredible vintage racing car you've ever wanted to see. Now imagine them all in one place. That's the paddock at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion. There are... read more August 21, 2011 by Nelson Ireson
A bevy of electric car owners took to California's famous Laguna Seca this past Sunday to wring out their rides at the 3rd annual ReFuel EV race. The yearly event is to allow... read more June 28, 2011 by Tom Pease
High Gear Media spent the first part of the week out at Laguna Seca testing the 2012 Ford Mustang BOSS 302, and today we have video of executive editor Marty Padgett hitting... read more February 24, 2011 by Nelson Ireson
Ford provided Motor Trend with video footage of the new 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca, and the venerable buff book put it on YouTube for all to enjoy. Take a look... read more December 31, 2010 by Tim Healey
The Corkscrew, the Andretti Hairpin, Rainey Curve. Laguna Seca is one of the premier road courses in the world, and one of the most challenging as well. So what better way to... read more June 8, 2010 by Nelson Ireson
America does horsepower, it even does handling, but aside from the Corvette ZR1, it doesn't really do supercars--at least not in the modern sense of the word. But there are a... read more November 24, 2009 by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
America does horsepower, it even does handling, but aside from the Corvette ZR1, it doesn't really do supercars. At least not in the modern sense of the word. But one... read more August 14, 2009 by Nelson Ireson


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Home | Search | Founders | Guestbook | Survivors | Dedications | Contact Us |
Vesta Nichols |
April 21, 1918 - December 6, 2007 |
This is dedicated to the memory of my mother Mrs. Vesta Nichols. Mrs. Nichols journey began at the age of 81 in November of 1999 with high fever and intermittent mental confusion that began two days after the funeral of her younger sister, whose death had been rather sudden. We were not surprised that she had a "flu-like illness" because of the tremendous stress and lack of sleep for the past two weeks. She began experiencing tremendous pain in her legs and feet, so I made an appointment with her doctor that day, but she wouldn't or couldn't move fast enough to make it to the office before her doctor left. Of course, she did not want to go to the hospital, but finally was dragged there under great protest. Things began to fall apart at the hospital. In the emergency room a high white cell count and fever gained her immediate admission. A shot of Demerol relieved the pain, but also dropped her blood pressure to levels that then gained her admission to the intensive care unit. She was in respiratory arrest by time we were pushing the bed off the elevator to enter the unit. While this was happening, sheets of skin began to drop off her feet and legs. Empirically, several antibiotics were started, and two days later, narcotizing fasciitis was confirmed by the culture results. Except for some osteoporosis of the spine, several allergies, and some well-controlled glaucoma, Mrs. Nichols was in excellent health - no diabetes, no hypertension, perfect weight, and a cholesterol better than a teenager's. Her good health helped her survive the next 5 weeks in the hospital. Doctors called her "The Miracle Lady." She had multiple skin grafts, but about three months later, these began to fail, and she was left with the terrible choice of above knee amputations or daily dressing changes. She chose the latter even though it meant often suffering nearly constant pain, and finding unique ways to contain the constant wound drainage. My father became her personal nurse, becoming an expert at the dressings, and designed and sewed soft fabric boots to fit over those dressings. They went everywhere together, and he helped her maintain her passionate community and church work. Maybe it was the stress of being a caregiver, or maybe it was simply being 85 years old, but my father suddenly died in 2002. Of course, other caregivers and I filled the void, and Mrs. Nichols continued to live an active life. Although she needed a wheelchair when she was out, she was still able to take care of her activities of daily living because she could stand on feet. She also was determined to find some way to heal her feet, and she contacted NNFF and many others, hoping something was out there. In July 2006 she developed an infection in one of her feet that sensitive to very few antibiotics. She did well for the next year. Then the infections started coming back, and she was hospitalized four times between July and October 2007. During the last hospitalization, she said, "Enough is enough. I am going home." She was discharged on IV antibiotics for another three weeks, but then began to have a series of small strokes. On December 6, God took Mrs. Nichols home, to suffer no more. She will be eulogized December 14 in Springfield, IL. I have asked for friends and family to make donations to NNFF, in memory of the valiant fight of Mrs. Nichols. Thank you for your great efforts in the battle these patients must wage. |
Victoria Nichols-Johnson, MD firstname.lastname@example.com Springfield, IL USA December 2007 |
Copyright © 1997-2003 National Necrotizing Fasciitis
Foundation (NNFF)
All Rights Reserved. December 16, 2007 |


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Every city has at least a handful of strangely named businesses -- it's an inevitable expression of local quirkiness pretty much wherever you go. There are different categories of weird, though, so ... More >>
It's not yet 9 a.m. as John Peterson cautiously steps off the westbound 780 bus near the intersection of Hollywood and Highland and crutches his way to a stretch of sidewalk a couple blocks to the eas... More >>
You return to your car to a disgusting sight: a rectangular slip of paper tucked under your wiper, which could cost you $63, $68, $93 or more... More >>
There are all sorts of unusual places names in this part of the country we call "The Southland." We have names of historic English derivation, not so unlike what you'd find back in the civilized East ... More >>
You're on the Westside at night, trying to take the 405 north during endless freeway construction. How ridiculously convoluted and frustrating... More >>
One of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2013 issue. Check out our entire People 2013 issue here. People who spend lots of time around Shrikanth "Shri" Narayanan may not hea... More >>
The helicopter hangs in the air over downtown L.A. for what seems like a very long time, its whirring blades adding the slight chill of potential alarm over the otherwise quiet Sunday night streets. T... More >>
See also: *Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera and Friends Create a YouTube Channel *Our Profile of YouTube Star Jenna Marbles *Our YouTube Issue Some people like to have only egg whites in their omelet,"... More >>


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« Stim Bill job numbers: What could you do with $533,000? |
Blog Home Page
| The Medicare vise »
October 16, 2009 Did the Democrats just approve the 'nuclear option' on health care vote?
Connie Hair at Human Events thinks so. She points to a hearing held by Charlie Rangel in the House Ways and Means Committee that apparently certified the House version of health care reform as meeting the requirements to become part of the "budget reconciliation process."
The bill certified for "reconciliation" is the Ways & Means version of H.R. 3200 that was passed out of committee before the August break, and before it was read aloud at town hall meetings across the country and blasted by voters across the country.As this Fox News report shows, Rep. Paul Ryan also believes this presages the use of the nuclear option: "The secret of the week is that Democrats pulled the trigger on the nuclear option," warned Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., top Republican on the House budget committee and a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee. "They built their vehicle today." Are the Democrats really getting ready to use the nuclear option in the Senate? I think Hair is slightly overstating the case regarding Harry Reid's decision to go nuclear. There are more than a few Democrats in the Senate who are opposed to the idea - including Robert Byrd whose word on parliamentary procedures still carries much weight. Some of the more moderate members like Kent Conrad are also uncomfortable about invoking the nuclear option. Other Democrats are worried that the GOP response will be so dramatic that it will doom Obama's agenda for the foreseeable future. But Ryan and Hair are correct in saying that everything will soon be ready for Reid to go with the nuclear option on health care reform if he wants to. |
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Archived Story
Oak Mountain blanks Shades Valley
Published 11:59pm Friday, March 15, 2013FROM STAFF REPORTS
The Oak Mountain Eagles scored six runs in the first inning to take a 9-0 win over Shades Valley March 15.
Jacob Bowman allowed no runs on three hits with five strikeouts for Oak Mountain. Heath Quinn batted 1-for-1 with a triple, a walk and two runs scored. Justin Hoyt went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a double. Josh O'Shields went 1-for-1 with a double and a RBI.


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All HCPL branches will close at 5 PM on Monday, December 23 and will be CLOSED through Wednesday, December 25th in Observance of Christmas. We will reopen on Thursday, December 26 for regular hours. Cy-Fair will be closed December 22-25.
ADA Info
This summer, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Book Club is featuring My Antonia by Willa Cather and Palace of Illusions by Chitra Divakaruni in conjunction with the exhibitions in their American Art gallery and the Arts of India gallery. Discussion of the books encourages fascinating conversation with and about the artists´ works on view. Local book clubs are invited to read these literary works and make reservations to come to the MFAH for a special tour.
The Bear Creek Book Club met on Wednesday, March 3rd and discussed the book My Antonia by Willa Cather. They will meet again On April 7th at 7 pm to discuss The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.


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Capt. Robert Verret II
123 Sugar Street
Mathews LA, 70375
Captain Verret is an expert in marine operations and safety. He is active employed as a Ship Master in the Merchant Marine. His career has spanned over 27 years, including 20 of these years, in the capactity as Captain.
He holds a United States Coast Guard Unlimited Master Mariner's license for Vessels of Any Gross Tonnage Upon the Oceans. Earned serving aboard fully tugboats, supply vessels, specialty vessel, lift boats, icebreakers, research vessels, drillships and pipe laying ships.
He also has extensive DP knowledge as has taken part in Dynamic Positioning FMEA audits, along with conducting for himself, FMEA audits.
He also has knowledge of Common Marine Inspection Documents (CMID's). These are safety inspections affiliated with International Marine Contractors Association.
Currently, Captain Verret is providing consulting services to the maritime industry and the legal profession.
USCG Unlimited Master Mariner's license for Any Gross Tonnage Vessel Upon the Oceans.
Vanuatu Unlimited Master Mariner Oceans license for Any Gross Tonnage Vessel Upon the Oceans.
Panamanian Unlimited Master Mariner Oceans license for Any Gross Tonnage Vessel Upon the Oceans.
Dynamic Position Operator's Certificate Unlimited issued by The Nautical Institute.
ARPA Radar Certified
Basic and Advanced Dynamic Positioning Operators Course
Basic First Aid / CPR
Basic and Advanced Fire Fighting
Bridge Resource Management
Confined Space Entry
FCC GMDSS Radio Operator
HUET Training
ISM Code Internal Auditor Training
Personnel Basket Training
Rig Pass
Rigging Safety
Safe Gulf
Swing Rope Training
Vessel Security Officer
Well Control School
Water Survival
Offshore Construction Company: Master, DP/Pipelaying ship vessel (DP class 2). Gulf of Mexico and International.
Drilling Contractor: Chief Officer. Newbuild drillship. DP2 vessel. International.
Offshore Contractor: Master. Multipurpose vessel (ROV vessel). DP2 vessel. Gulf of Mexico.
Surveying Firm: Senior DP Auditor. Took part in FMEA and other audits.
Offshore Contractor: Chief Mate. Derrick Ship. DP2 vessel. Gulf of Mexico.
Drilling Contractor: Master. Drillship. DP2 vessel. International.
Offshore Contractor: Master. Multipurpose vessel (Seismic, Icebreakers, Oil Field Supply, Anchor Handling Supply, Tugboats, Specialty vessels). Majority were DP2 vessels. International.
Training Center. Instructor. Taught various marine courses.
Offshore Contractor: Master. Lift barge.
Offshore Contractor: Mate. Offshore towing vessels, Oil response vessels.
Offshore Contractor: Deckhand/Crane Operator. Lift barges.
Offshore Contractor: Deckhand. Towing vessels
Offshore Contractor: Deckhand. Supply Vessels
Membership of Professional Organizations :
Member of The Nautical Institute.
Member of International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA).
International Dynamic Positioning Operators Association (IDPOA).


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Posted 12th March 2008 by Jeanne, tagged work and family, networking for women, social networks
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Flag as inappropriate Posted by on 18th January 2013
Flag as inappropriate Posted by mamajama on 12th March 2008
Check out our favorite things from around the web.
Check out our favorite quick and easy recipes, perfect for busy moms.
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Admission Requirements for MSA
- A four year Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the U.S. or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree from a recognized institution if the degree was earned outside of the U.S.
- The MSA program is designed specifically for students who do not have a background in Accounting. To qualify for the MSA, an applicant may not have a degree, concentration, or certification in accounting.
- An applicant's grade point average should be 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 semester/90 quarter units of study. An absolute minimum of a 2.5 is required for graduate admission consideration at San Jose State University.
- Applicants who have earned a degree from a higher education institution in which the primary language of instruction was not English must take an English-language proficiency exam. The MSA requires a minimum score of 90 on the internet-based TOEFL, 7.5 on the IELTS, or 75 on the PTE. Please note that these scores are higher than the minimum scores required by San Jose State University for graduate admissions consideration. (The University requires an absolute minimum score of 80 on the internet-based TOEFL, 7.0 on the IELTS, or 68 on the PTE.) The examination can be waived if the applicant has:
-Earned a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited U.S. institution.
-Completed 3 years of full time study in a U.S. institution.
- GMAT or GRE - A total GMAT score of 550 or better is preferred, including scores equal to or above the 50th percentile on both the quantitative and verbal sections of the exam. For the GRE, a comparable score is 151 in Verbal Reasoning and 152 in Quantitative Reasoning.
- Statement of Purpose Essay
- Resume
- Interview -The MSA Program admits a limited number of new students in May of each year. Not all applicants will receive an interview. Only finalists will be invited for a personal interview on campus. Interviews via Webex or Skype will be permitted under extenuating circumstances provided that video capability is available.
- Prerequisite Course - The MSA requires one prerequisite course for admission, Principles of Financial Accounting. The course must be the equivalent of three semester hours and completed with a grade of B or higher prior to Orientation in mid-May.
The acceptable course offered at San Jose State University is Financial Accounting, Bus 20. We also accept courses offered by other regionally accredited higher education institutions. Local California community college courses that qualify can be found at http://www.sjsu.edu/bsac/concentrations/equiv_courses/. Additional prerequisite equivalencies will be approved by the MSA Program Admissions Committee. Please send the course description to Dr. Laura Ingraham at email@example.com.
All MSA students must be eligible to work in the United States. All applicants who
hold visas that do not permit employment, such as an H-4, must apply for an F-1 visa
upon an offer of admission to the MSA program. The F-1 visa will allow completion
of the internship portion of the program.
Application Deadline: February 28, 2014
Document Deadline: March 15, 2014


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Contrasting views regarding creative services procurement
The need for Procurement services is a divisive issue. Many agencies
complain that it is a stick that the brands owners use to beat them down
on price, as it takes no account of the value that an agency brings to
the relationship between the purchaser and the supplier.
Contrast the latest views of Paul McIntyre,
who is editor-at-large at AdNews Australia with the opposing opinions
of commentators in the procurement business. Paul contends that Agencies
get caught up in a 'race to the bottom'; -
are their own worst enemies but the myopic nature of corporate
procurement means quality has to take a hit. For media agencies, their
way out is to start passing on the pain to media owners with all manner
of inventive schemes to bolster their own bottom line – some bordering
on dubious. Alongside innovative media and production arrangements,
younger people with less experience are taking bigger roles, resulting
in more client frustration'.
However Steve Puttock,
MD of Schawk in London suggests it's time to unbundled creative spend
from production, arguing that media should be managed by specialist
media houses with global reach.
'First, with media fragmentation
and the subsequent re-allocation of advertising budgets across new
media channels, the agency is a less obvious choice for production as
campaigns now need to be deployed consistently at consumer touch points
that go beyond advertising's remit. Second, the increasing geographical
reach of brands can lead to brand inconsistencies across different
regions. By bringing production into a pre-media house that mirrors
their global footprint, brands can save money while also maximising
brand impact and uniformity.'
Is it time for a reality check? Should 'agencies should grow up quick' (as suggested by Ralph Daniel of Third i Marketing).
'The uncomfortable truth for agencies
is that the chief marketing officer is in on this development. The
squeeze in fees that the advertising industry is experiencing is as a
result of better communication between marketing and procurement, not
worse. The end result, as far as the CMO is concerned, is that their
marketing dollar goes further – without a drop in quality.'
the competitive situation faced by most creative services it is
unlikely that the pressure on delivering value for money services will
diminish. The key is how well the business is equipped to capitalise on
its margins and recover costs from existing and new prospective clients.
Where the agency portfolio includes a proportion of retained
clients that 'demand satisfaction' there will be capacity available from
others that have a less prescriptive outlook. The agency needs to look
for ways to identify these hidden gems.
Please share your views at firstname.lastname@example.com if you are interested.


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Mon 29 Nov
For the record, I really do think that open systems are better than closed ones. But not always. Sometimes, open systems turn into a complete mess.
I was thinking about this as we get into the holiday season, a time when lots of new consumer audio-visual electronics are purchased and make their ways into our homes. Last year I purchased what was recommended to me as a very good "home theater in a box," i.e., a single-unit, multi-speaker system that serves as a central hub for audio from my cable box, Mac mini, Apple TV, Blu-Ray player, Wii console etc. Along with our television, it's the principal interface for basically everything my family does in the living room.
Buying a receiver and a set of speakers bundled together in a box is not something that true audiophiles really do, so that makes this system something less than an expert's product. Still, as I've discovered through use, it's not for casual consumers, either. Mere mortals and the faint of heart will surely pale at the manual, which includes diagrams like this one:
In fact, the whole manual is rife with this kind of schematic nonsense. None of it does much to remedy the fact that what should be simple hookups — like connecting a television — in fact require a disheartening level of intricacy.
The most bewildering part to me though is not so much the complexity of hooking up hardware components to the receiver, but resolving the way audio works, which is the whole reason I bought it in the first place. Here's just one of many completely incomprehensible tables that outline what 'listening modes' are available for various kinds of audio sources.
There are six pages of these tables in the manual, with hardly any attempt at explaining, in plain language, what any of it should mean to me.
Why is this manual so incomprehensible? Why is this system so difficult to use? The answer is not that this technology is inherently complicated or that the designers of this system are incompetent — or rather it's not just for those reasons. The real reason is that the consumer audio-visual product space is in effect a platform composed of an unruly mess of standards with no rationalizing centrality.
In its entirety, the A/V platform may not be truly open (many of the standards used are at least partially closed), but the effect is the same: any manufacturer can create products that plug into any other system, including this one that I own. And so this system must support at least eight different kinds of cables and jacks, all communicating in an alphabet soup of protocols that are beyond the comprehension of consumers with better things to do with their time.
The market that results is a robust one, I suppose, as manufacturers seem to profit from it and most any new player can get into the game. But the net effect is that consumers must pay the price for an opaque ecosystem. We are the ones left to deal with a tangled mess of acronyms, wires and user interfaces that waste our time and energy. To me, that's not so much an example of openness winning as everyone losing.
Wow. Definitely agreed. Even I who consider myself a seasoned A/V enthusiast (more A than V, actually) cringe when I see such over-the-top diagrams. We own a Marantz receiver whose manual is as thick as a dotcom-era Wired mag and looks like a set of instructions to assemble an atomic bomb. This also brings to mind the exact opposite of this (albeit still another closed system): Apple. It doesn't take a lot of pondering to see how keeping everything simple within anyone's reach (toddlers with iPads, anyone?) has played a big part in their rising user's market share.
Of course, unlike most other manufacturers Apple can afford the luxury of defining and deploy their own standards - hook line and sinker, while the rest are forced to accomodate whatever is already out there into their products. Unifying all these data protocols into a single one that cuts into the cable mess and insanity certainly wouldn't hurt, but I'm not aware of any defined efforts in that direction yet… not to mention it to be a mammoth paradigm shift. What we have now is a pile-up of protocols and technologies added over the years, and fixing it for real would mean discard them all and start over. Which may eventually happen, but not overnight…
Khoi, I'm curious if the remote control which goes with this system is equally complex.
I can recognize that as an Onkyo manual from twenty paces. Mine is a little less complicated because it is pre-HDMI. I love my Onkyo because it's very flexible as far as the combinations of audio and video inputs, but I'm both a computer programmer and an occasional recording engineer. For me, the concepts are obvious. However, I have a good friend who owns an Onkyo and he is absolutely baffled by the thing. I can get it set up so it's simple for him to use, but whenever he gets a new piece of equipment he can't hook it up without my help.
But what's the option? Use composite video, stereo analog audio, and VHS for all eternity? It's a tough one.
My favorites are "component video" and "composite video," both of which take three RCA jacks. I wonder how we wound up here.
I get that those "listening modes" tables are complex and confusing, but the truth is it's only a problem because the manufacturer has needlessly exposed you to *far* more information than you should ever need to be bothered with. If you've hooked up your desired number of speakers to the appropriate terminals, you should never need to know how or why the unit has automatically chosen a "listening mode," or what it's named.
I can think of two likely reasons for these tables to be in that manual:1) it's in the contract requirements from the companies that license the codecs and such (annoying, but it doesn't obviate the need for the codecs), and 2) just like the Bloomberg terminals are needlessly designed to be so complex- and daunting-looking, maybe these manuals include big/important-sounding tables of information to feed the egos of the most chest-puffed audiophiles (perhaps more important when it's a bundle set like this).
Jim: That might be partly true but the sound from this system in my experience falls short of 'just working.' Much to my chagrin I've had to do a lot of fiddling with listening modes and other controls in order to get DVDs to play at comparable sound levels to other audio sources, for example. The tables haven't helped, to say the least. What's more a previous home theater system I owned had similar problems, with equally inscrutable options. The whole thing is frustrating and needlessly complex.
i think within the a/v industry especially, there has been a glut of evolutionary design thinking at work, rather than revolutionary. feature creep and bloat seem to be par for the course, as new standards are bundled on top of those released 30 years ago (among DTS and THX, my receiver sports a mono listening mode).
i'd consider myself a pretty advanced user, yet i regularly use about 5% of the buttons on my remote, and stick to 3 or 4 of the 20+ listening modes the receiver offers. i'd venture to guess that user testing and research is not often employed by the engineers designing this stuff. it's too bad because this is an area that clearly could use some help.
> Of course, unlike most other manufacturers Apple can afford the luxury of defining and deploy their own standards - hook line and sinker, while the rest are forced to accomodate whatever is already out there into their products.
Their own standards? Like what? I can think of one, the iPod connector, and in that case they also accommodate the 3.5" audio jack.
Apple is keen to adopt newer standards and abandon old ones (hence Apple TV only has an HDMI port), but other manufacturers can do that too. They choose not to.
Sad fact is, someone probably sold you something more complex than you needed, so you got into a situation where you had to bang your head against the wall before it all clicked into place. But I'm sure you learned some valuable lessons from the trials and tribulations, which you can of course put to good use in helping friends and family with their own AV stuff. It's how it's always been. I do think there are design-level and industry-level hurdles to overcome with these types of things, and it would be nice to simplify and/or redesign them…but that's why you had other, simpler, more elegant options from which to choose.
The thing is, "open" or "incredibly complex" products that require silly amounts of dicking around will always have a market amongst the tinkerers who don't value their own time very highly (see Android and Linux). But, just as the news media are supposed to act as gatekeepers for the news that's FIT to report (LOL, days gone by, eh?), salespeople at electronics stores are also supposed to be able to advise you on what will best suit your needs (double LOL).
Jim: I have to disagree with you. As I mentioned in the post, a home theater-in-a-box is not the kind of thing most audiophiles would go for. It's an all-in-one product, sort of like an iMac. Yes there always will be products that are more tech-oriented. But this isn't one of them, and is certainly not marketed that way. There shouldn't be any reason that someone like me, who can set up an iMac straight out of the box, shouldn't be able to understand and use an all-in-one home theater product.
The receiver being the brains of the living room, you'd think it'd be smarter. But with all its complexities of connection choices, you gain flexibility from a larger community. At the cost of simplicity, which is said to be overrated and does not sell to the average consumer. How often do we connect to the hidden interface of our receivers? Normally I'll plug-in and done, while newbies spend time learning the acronyms, till they realize that the square pegs are meant for the square holes, and round for the round holes. Very similar to playing with the Light Bright toy which is a no-brainer. Afterwards you're an expert for years to come. And that would be the last time anyone would ever see the back of their receiver. At least till a new device gets introduced or a living room reconfiguration. By then, you're already experienced and well familiar with the device, except how to change the time and weather on it.
"As I mentioned in the post, a home theater-in-a-box is not the kind of thing most audiophiles would go for."
Yes, this sentence is entirely true. However, even a cursory glance at the product we're talking about tells a different story, and it's a story that's easily understood on the salesroom floor. This receiver can and does stand alone. Just because the receiver came in a box with a set of speakers (and perhaps some other components) does not make this one of those "all in one" units that have always been understood to be "not for audiophiles."
Technically, you could have bought a *much* simpler all-in-one system that actually outputs better sound, takes up less space, is easier to set up, and isn't quite as compatible with components you don't own or need…but either you didn't know you had such options, or you chose this one over them all, for your own reasons.
I think the biggest problem here is the manual. In order to be usable with every likely system (as well as some featuritis) there are a LOT of connections, and the manual has a LOT of diagrams to helpfully help you hook up to one of the now dozen or so "typical" setups.
Aside from the raft of speaker wires (I am at 7.1 now) there are really very few connectors used now. The new DVD player has:
- Toslink
- Ethernet
- Power
Easy. But the connection guide in the manual goes on and on and on. A quick-start card and some better manual organization would help. Then admit the manual is for nerds, and let the nerdy bits be that way, so it scares off the everyday user.
There are lots of other issues when you get to using stuff. I had to get a new "connected BD" player, that is a DVD player that does Netflix. But oh so much more. It's cool, but too much. And also not enough. (more, if you care, here: http://shoobe01.blogspot.com/2010/11/convergence-in-my-living-room.html).
And having seen it, I think Google TV and similar devices are not going to fix it. As far as Apple: Anyone seen the converter boxes? You cannot just not have a lot of these connections. People will fill the gap with yet more boxes with their own manuals and a pile of cables.
but what is the alternative? a closed, single-vendor system? would you be willing to trade your blu-ray player, the wee, and the cable for a row of iDevices that would be simpler to set up?
i am not so sure the tradeoff would be worth it..
Totally agree. Maybe 10 years from now the other standards will have died off, leaving us only with simple, universal HDMI. I kinda doubt it…
Saying that Khoi could have bought a simpler unit doesn't disprove his point that the industry is dominated by poorly-designed products. It just means that some exceptions exist—and the kind of product you mentioned would definitely be an exception from what I've seen.
Ironically, when I first started reading your comment, I actually thought you were pointing out another design flaw, namely: that this device was marketed so poorly that Khoi (and the person who recommended it to him) thought it was considerably simpler than it actually is.
Sorry, but its a complicated product with lots of different standards to be supported in one device. Each device you are plugging in has multitude of output types as well further complicating matters.
Personally I don't find the above manual difficult to understand at all and probably performs the job very well.
User error.
I know precisely where you're coming from. What's worse is having the somewhat technophobe wife ask why she can't hear the dialog from the movie when the background noise is higher, after she was able to hear everything fine from the television speakers, and I'm unable to give a good answer other than screwing with the receiver again. And I'm supposed to be the saavy one!
I agree with Tim. Traditional AV products have always supported legacy connections (and some would argue they are superior to HDMI for audio). This inevitably results in more complicated manuals than those associated with Apple products. I doubt Apple could do better.
I don't think it's inherently a problem of open vs closed systems. Indeed the 'richness' of the open audio standards leads to this sort of potentially confusing product. But the fault here surely lies with the lack of 'human-scale' communication: I'm sure that most of the diagrams and references could be split into different sections - relevant to specific users - and explained in easily understood language.
I think the logical (and sometimes disastrous) conclusion of closed systems is not only (the very appealing) iPad and iPhone, but also the insanely inefficient interface of QuickTime X - an interface that is totally unusable for professional use, and (here's the key fact) which does not include any user-controlled Preferences!
Closed systems can lead to this sort of arrogance and disregard for your end-users, where there is no manual because the system is simply: 'take-it-or-leave-it'.


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So am I as the rich, whose blessed key Can bring him to his sweet up-locked treasure, The which he will not every hour survey, For blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure. Therefore are feasts so solemn and so rare, Since, seldom coming, in the long year set, Like stones of worth they thinly placed are, Or captain jewels in the carcanet. So is the time that keeps you as my chest, Or as the wardrobe which the robe doth hide, To make some special instant special blest, By new unfolding his imprison'd pride. Blessed are you, whose worthiness gives scope, Being had, to triumph, being lack'd, to hope.
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We arrived late at night and didn't have any reservations. Fortunately they had some space in a four female bed room. They were very nice at the reception, but you have to know that this is a catholic hostel so in case you drink or smoke this is not allowed on the hostel. They also have talks every night about... More
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What To Look For In A Web Hosting Company?
Starting a website is not an easy task, especially for anyone who has never gone through the process. Poor Web hosts can easily double the amount of frustration involved in building a website, so before choosing a particular service it's crucial to know what to look for in a Web hosting company.


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'nextdoor raw' is a compilation CD of young, Central Coast based, original singer/songwriters, produced by Brent Murphy for Rascal Music, with all proceeds going to the ACMF.
'nextdoor raw' is being launched at Lizotte's Kincumber on Tuesday 26 June at 7.30pm and all the artists on the CD will be performing on the night.
Click here to watch the YouTube videos of the musicians on the CD.
The CD is available for sale at Macron Music Erina & Tuggerah and also on iTunes.
This compilation was recorded live over 2 nights in March 2012 at Jack's Bar, Erina. Big thanks to the management and staff at Jack's Bar for hosting the recording nights and to all the performers at the fundraiser held on 14 January. Special thanks to Serena Vickers, Bryan Clarke, Maryellen Gillard and Miranda Douglas.


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Fees for keynote addresses, corporate training, workshops and ASEN membership fees will be quoted on enquiry.
Carol Yip's "Smart Money-User" books are available online or at any of her workshops and keynote addresses.
For your convenience, you have the option of paying for our services or books in several ways:
An Abacus Advisory gift certificate is the perfect gift for any occasion! Your family members loved ones or employees will appreciate your gesture for the rest of their life!


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Recent Traveler Reviews
Here is a selection of the most recent reviews of the Auckland Highlights combined with Wilderness Experience Eco-Tour submitted by actual travelers. Read what travelers liked, what they loved, and what they thought could be improved.
Select a datex
Thank you for an amazing day, informative and very friendly guides, this tour takes in so much a must for a short stay in beautiful Auckland
Reviewed by: Marian O, July 2013In spite of the drizzly weather, this was a wonderful tour. Alexander was the guide for the morning tour of Auckland - he was excellent. Wayne and Dion took over for the afternoon, when we went to the rain forest and volcanic beach. They also were excellent. All three were informative and entertaining! We enjoyed the day very much.
Reviewed by: wayne m, March 2013Excellent day tour around Auckland city and wilderness tour, both guides were very knowledgable and friendly highly recommended
Reviewed by: Daryl C, March 2013The guide was great. Very knowledgeable. Saw a lot in one afternoon. If we are ever back in Auckland, we will certainly use Viator again.
Reviewed by: Paul S, February 2013Excellent tour guide. beautiful scenery
Reviewed by: Jeremy H, USA, February 2013excellent
Reviewed by: Jim H, February 2013Our guide, Alexander, did an outstanding job. He was knowledgeable and moved at an easy pace. I especially enjoyed the Wilderness eco-tour. I am glad I used my time in Auckland in this manner.
Reviewed by: Laurie B, July 2012Driver guides were attentive and knowledgeable.
The itinerary was great--contrast of city tour with beach and rain forest tour.
Reviewed by: Michael R, USA, December 2011We only had 2 days in Auckland and this tour was perfect! Both of our guides were great - very informative and flexable. I really liked how the day was broken into 2 parts, giving a good overall view of the area. We have done other tours where we were on the bus most of the day, but this one got us off quite a bit which was nice. We LOVED the Karekere waterfall, the black sand beach, and seeing all the volcanoes. All in all, it was a great trip. I was a little confused from the description what we would be doing for lunch, but they dropped us off at a fish market where we had a choice of what to eat. Overall - we really enjoyed this day.
Reviewed by: Christopher H, December 2010The tour operator provided a very carefully balanced day of city highlight views and close up experiences of the bush surrounding the city. There are short treks in the bush and along the beach. The guide was both informative and convivial. This tour was well worth the effort.
Reviewed by: MICHAEL B, January 2010


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Chisako Sugiyama Garners Weekly Laurel
Feb. 3, 2009 Player of the Week: Chisako Sugiyama earns her first weekly honor of the 2009 campaign after defeating three nationally ranked opponents over the weekend, helping the 19th-ranked Wolverines to a 1-1 record at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The senior Wolverine began the weekend with an upset over 47th-ranked Sanaz Marand in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) at No. 1 singles during Michigan's 5-2 loss to No. 18-ranked North Carolina on Saturday. Sugiyama then led the Maize and Blue to an impressive 5-2 upset over No. 16-ranked Texas on Sunday afternoon. The Parsippany, N.J., native teamed up with junior Tania Mahtani for a pivotal 9-8(5) triumph over the ninth-ranked Longhorn tandem of Vanja Corovic and Marija Milic at No. 1 doubles. With the win, Sugiyama and Mahtani improved to 7-3 on the season, and helped Michigan gain a 1-0 lead heading into singles play. Sugiyama then provided the clincher at No. 1 singles with a 6-4, 6-4 win over 60th-ranked Corovic, marking her second victory over a nationally ranked opponent in as many days. Sugiyama has won three of four matches at the top singles spot and both of her matches at the No. 1 doubles position. This marks the sixth career weekly laurel for Sugiyama, who earned the award three times in 2008 and twice during her sophomore campaign in 2007.


text: The Gallery News Both Sides Now 18 March 2011 Ella Alexander SAM TAYLOR WOOD says reversing her day job behind the camera and posing as Louis Vuitton's new muse did not come naturally. The film-maker, photographer and artist stars in the label's new Double Exposure campaign (read the full story here).SEE THE FULL CAMPAIGN HERE"I much prefer my position," she tells us, "but truly it was an honour. It was great to be part of a process which is so different to the way photography generally works at the moment. Today's pictures are so instant. I love how archaic these look."To create the campaign's dream-like aesthetic, Taylor Wood was asked to hold her position for 20 seconds as each photograph was being taken."It wasn't easy," she tells us. "Can you imagine staying still for that long? I was wearing heels too which isn't usually how I do things. One picture took three hours to do because I just can't sit still."She is, however, happy with the finished product."I'm really pleased with them," she says. "I suppose I shouldn't say that - it's a little immodest of me isn't it?"SEE ALL THE LAUNCH PARTY ACTION Related Gallery Double Exposure


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The only reason they don't get one star it because the help is usually nice and the place tends to be keep.
The only reason they don't get one star it because the help is usually nice and the place tends to be keep.
Nice and clean to eat inside. Be careful in the drive thru and check your bag before leaving. For example, they do not give you croutons when you order those $$ premium salads. I think that is odd because every other McDonalds has them neatly in a little bag with your dressing without asking. Sad when you get to work... More
Very dis-organized location. I heard the manager say "I hope we don't have any secret shoppers tonight" Then people who were running the registers went in the back to try to help make food. The drive thru was going crazy, people yelling telling them just put a burger in the bag when they ordered a chicken wrap...my food was cold... More
Salt, Sugar & fat "fast food" garbage. Unhealthy and kids are getting fat! Let it cool off and you'll get an idea of what you are really eating.
Nice staff at this McDonalds, clean and fast service. Parking is easy to get to and it has nice grassy areas for walking doggies
Very friendly service, and fast. However, the sitting area was quite a mess.
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FRANKLIN — The jury trial for one of the three defendants charged in the death of a Naponee toddler has been moved to Hastings and is set to begin the first Monday in May, with time set aside for the rest of that week.
Peter Draper, 48, is charged in the death of his 2-year-old grandson, Joseph Rinehart Jr.
His charges include committing intentional child abuse resulting in death, a Class 1B felony, which is punishable by 20 years to life in prison.
Following a Jan. 18 hearing, Peter also was charged with intentional child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to 50 years in prison.
A date for the trial was established in a telephone conference between attorneys Monday afternoon.
To read more, see Tuesday's Hastings Tribune or the Tribune e-edition.>>>


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EASTON, Md.— Police on Monday arrested an Easton man accused of assaulting a woman with a knife.
Easton police said officers responded to 202 Port Street for a reported altercation between an Easton woman and 43-year-old James D. Warren, also of Easton. According to authorities, an argument between the two had led to a fight in which James placed a knife to Dupree's throat, causing a small cut.
Police arrested Warren for first-and second-degree assault. According to police, the victim refused medical treatment.
Warren was ordered held at the Talbot County Detention Center on $10,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 18.
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Carnes Funeral Home is dedicated to providing caring, personalized and detailed burial services to you and your family in your time of bereavement. You can choose a fitting burial service that meets your circumstances and wishes.
Perhaps you are planning ahead and at the beginning of the information gathering process. Or you may have just lost a loved one and are feeling overwhelmed by the various legal and financial considerations involved.
In either case, our experienced and compassionate staff is ready to answer your questions, address any requirements or concerns and provide advice and professional management of the entire process.
Our Carnes Direct Burial Service Package includes:
A Carnes Funeral Home Graveside Burial Service includes a short service held at the gravesite conducted before your family and friends of the deceased.
The Graveside Burial Service may be conducted immediately following a Traditional Funeral Service; it also is an alternative should you prefer not to have a visitation or a funeral service at our funeral home or your church. The Graveside Funeral Service consists of family and friends meeting at the grave for a short service conducted by our Funeral Director.
Our Carnes Graveside Burial Service Package includes:
Carnes Funeral Home can advise, assist with and take care of all pre-planning and performing of your chosen burial, funeral, cremation, memorial, or medical body donation services.
And we will accept your burial plan, even if you purchased it at another funeral establishment.
Carnes Funeral Home provides services at lower than competitive prices, easing the pressure of your "at time of need" experience.


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As we strolled through the hallowed aisles of the fabulous Global Market, a new Bites feature was born. From time to time, as the mood strikes us, the Scene's staff of gustatory experts will venture out to Global or one of Nashville's other international markets and return with some intriguing foreign foodstuff that piques our preoccupation with piquant, perplexing and perhaps preposterous palatable pleasures. (By the way, if you've never been, Global Market is a gold mine for epicurean adventurers. It's a little hard to find, but well worth the search. It's at 918 Vine St., just across the street from Adventure Science Center.)
We've chosen to christen our feature by looking across the pond at that curious and distinctly British condiment, Branston pickle, whose very existence is closely and fatefully intertwined with the birth of our own U.S. Constitution. The list of ingredients—including, "in variable proportions," carrots, rutabaga, marrows (the vegetable, not the bone stuff), gherkins, sugar, malt vinegar, dates, apples, tomato paste and other assorted seasonings—leads us to believe Branston pickle was invented when someone accidentally ate a spoonful of the compost pile.
According to the label, it's great on cheese, salads, cold meats and sandwiches. (Whatever you do, DON'T attempt to put it on hot meats. God have mercy on the fool who tries.) We sampled it with cheddar and crackers, and reactions were mixed. Among them:
"Branston has a dark, savory flavor with plenty of salt and tang. This flavor is rounded out by the awesome crunch of assorted diced veggies."
"The stuff was reminiscent of a tart, chunky steak sauce—which I suppose makes it rather unlike steak sauce. A lot of worcestershire flavor, though."
"The color and packaging lead, at least the Southern palate, to expect the sweet flavors of chutney, molasses or apple butter, making the vinegary kick all the more jolting."
"It has a sharp smell, salty taste. Not offensive, not tasty. Wouldn't seek it out but don't mind it."
"I guess there are worse things you can do with leftover vegetables and salt."
"It's a little like vomit. But it tastes better."
"It has the kind of tang that normally appeals to me, but I didn't like the chunks."
Personally, I like me some Branston pickle—I'd even buy it again. It's definitely not an everyday condiment, but if you're watching one of those British period pieces where repressed people bandy about in prissy outfits and bemoan their unrequited love, I can think of no better snack than some Branston and Stilton on some Carr's water crackers.
And what's the connection between Branston pickle and the Constitution, you ask? Well, though it was first made by Crosse & Blackwell in Branston, a suburb of Burton upon Trent, in 1922, the relish is currently made in the Suffolk town of Bury St Edmunds, where in 1214 the English barons met in an abbey—the ruins of which still stand in the town center—and swore that they would force King John to accept the Charter of Liberties, which led to the creation of the Magna Carta, which in turn influenced the development of the document that outlines our democracy's supreme law.
So in essence, Branston pickle and the U.S. Constitution are virtually synonymous.
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In 2008, Clay Marzo's profile film, Just Add Water documented his lifelong struggles with Asperger's Syndrome, a rare form of autism. Despite the social setbacks, Clay was gifted with incredible physical ability and zen-like focus on certain tasks– most notably, surfing. In the water, Clay is able to focus on one aspect of his surfing over and over until it's close to perfection.
As you watch this video, you'll notice that Clay is all about repetition– lefts, and plenty of them. Any tube on offer will be threaded, regardless of size. And anytime a barrel fails to present itself, he proceeds to execute his mechanical fin-blows.
While the lifestyle of a freesurfer fits Clay far better than life under the microscope wearing a contest jersey, one can't help but wonder what could have been– if only the tour consisted of slabby lefthanders in Indo.
Here are outtakes of Marzo from Super's latest flick, Sorry We're Open.


text: I have the older polk 6 3/4 separates in the front stage and 5 1/4 Polk DX separates in the rear built on to a plate. Right now I have the fronts crossed over at 100Hz with a 6db slope. And the rears at 125Hz with a 12db slope. I was wondering is this is the way to go or should I be doing something differently. I have 2 12 inch Image Dynamic IDMAX subs crossed over at 70 hz 18 db slope. I crank my music pretty loud so I don't want to distort the mids. that is my reason for the kind of conservative crossover points. Should i lower the crossover points? Should I Change the Slopes 6,12,18,24 are my options. The separates are getting about 60 wrms. Thanks in advance.


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Yep, it's sad, but the actual Stanford site is behind. The best site that I know of to check the most up to date stats is Extreme Overclocking. (Link below) Fellow folders, if anyone knows of a better site or agrees, please let us know! http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_list.php?s=&p=2
Stats The main one will be the Extremeoverclocking http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=50711 The Kakao Stats is interesting 'cos gives us results in between the 3 hours period, based in the ExtremeOC period. http://kakaostats.com/t.php?col=10&t=50711 I also give a shot @ this one: http://hardfolding.com/fh_stats/index.php?pz=101&tnum=50711 ...is a very fancy one and gives you a ton of statistics options.
Just joined. Currently have my E2200 running F@H, my other rigs will join later this week when I access them.
I've got my laptop set up and folding! It gets surprisingly hot, so i've... boosted its cooling. Yes, thats a stock intel heatsink on it, with a 92mm fan sitting next to it (running off a phone charger!) It has managed 6% in 9 hours, 54 PPD.
Maybe I will... where is it? That other HS is a PIII HS, sitting on the GPU. THat doesn't get very hot, but the CPU would be hot enough to fry eggs on! Also, on my main PC I've gotten a "225" point WU for each CPU core; it seems to be running really slowly compared to other low-point WUs I've gotten. Is this meant to happen?
My computer tends to crash a lot more now that I've switched to Vista. Also when Vista crashes, my client has to start over which is affecting my score :[
I'm using the GPU client, and my GPU folds for a few ours then it stops using the GPU and gets in some sort of "Timer requesting checkpoint" loop until I restart the client. Any ideas? It is limiting my productivity.
I've been trying to do CPU folding. My name doesn't show up on the website (doing the stephanie thing) No clue if it's working or not. Seems like it isn't. It says I've got nothing accomplished. /sad. Don't think my X1800XT can fold.
Is your GPU overclocked at all? If it is, then put it to stock speeds. If it isn't, then maybe its getting hot? My laptop does the "Timer Requesting Checkpoint" thing about 4 or 5 times between each percent of work, but thats because it takes over an hour for each 1%. You could always try adjusting the time between checkpoints, see if that does anything.
That's why I only run XP Pro in my farm. I have Vista in my HTPC and it crashes all the time when i fold with it. Set up a dedicated folding rig and go XP with it. I would finish the current work unit and un-install/re-install the GPU client. Also check your setting for "interval between checkpoint" when you configure the client. Set it to "15 min" or more.


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OLD DRUM Season has begun!!!!!
by bryan goodwin on 08/16/11
OLD DRUM Season has begun and we have tuned in and turned on to this years bite!!!! It's been almost exclusively a nighttime bite , but we are prepared with plenty of additional lighting on our boat for nightime fishing...
Our best evening so far we went 9 for 9 in less than 3 hours of fishing!!!
Enjoy the pics and call me to book your trip!
Capt. Bryan 252 725-3961
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A Sermon on the Services and Death of Abraham Lincoln, Blake, Rev. John Falkner,
Easter Sunday, April 16th, 1865. Repeated April 19th, 1865.,
Christ Church, Bridgeport, Conn., April 16th; North Congregational Church, Bridgeport, April 19th.
Services and Death of Abraham Lincoln,
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 16th, 1865.
APRIL l9th, 1865.
The following sermon was preached in Christ Church, Bridgeport, on the Sunday morning following the assassination of the late President: and repeated in the North Congregational Church on the day of his funeral obsequies, by request of a Committee of citizens appointed at a meeting called by the Mayor of Bridgeport to make arrangements for the proper observance of that day.
BRIDGEPORT, CONN., 20th April 1865.
The undersigned, having listened with great interest to your discourse delivered in the North Congregational Church, on the evening of Wednesday last, the day of the obsequies of President Lincoln, would respectfully request a copy for publication.
GENTLEMEN: In reply to your note, I send yon the manuscript of my recent sermon on the death of Abraham Lincoln. Thanking you for the kind feeling which prompted you to request it,
I am yours, sincerely,
DEUT. iii: 23, 24, 25.
And I besought the Lord at that time, saying,
O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?
I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.
DEUT. xxiv: 1-6.
And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho: and the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,
And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
Our Church has appointed this season for the celebration of one of the great Festivals of the Christian year. We are accustomed at Easter to
come to the house of God, and, while our souls are overflowing with Joy--to mingle our glad voices in triumphant songs, and to cry out from the depths of grateful hearts, "The Lord is risen." But, this year, a greater than the Church --Almighty God--has appointed the day as a day of trouble and anguish, and again is brought to pass throughout the land, that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet saying: "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping, and great mourning." It seems as if "there was not a house in which there was not one dead."
The people's shout of victory has not yet ceased echoing from hill to hill; but it is drowned in the wail of agony which comes up from a broken-hearted nation. On Good Friday, God's great deliverance was so fresh in our thoughts, that we scarcely knew how to fast and mourn; but on this Easter, His hand is so heavy upon us, that we are constrained to hang our harps upon the willows and sit down and weep; for we know not how to sing!
The leader and liberator of the American people has fallen by the dastardly hand of an assassin, whose accomplice, another cowardly adherent of the foulest cause ever known under Heaven, has, with bloody hand, forced his way to
the sick-bed of our chief Minister of State--lying already near to the gate of Death--and attempted to plunge a dagger into his heart!
Our beloved President is dead! Lost forevermore to us! Lost forevermore to his country! What is there so dear, that you would not freely have given it to have saved him for the nation? I know that there are thousands of patriots, the language of whose hearts to-day is, "Would to God I had died for thee!" I am sure there are those here present, who, if the Almighty God had given them the choice, would have said: "Take my child, my only child; but, oh God, spare the head of the nation."
I know the depth of your love for our murdered President, and therefore I ask you to weep with me to-day while we consider his late relations to us as a people. As I ponder over them, they seem to me to bear a striking analogy to those which Moses sustained to the children of Israel.
First, if we ask how Mr. Lincoln came to be the President of the United States, I think the spontaneous answer of every heart will be, God called him to the position, even as He called Moses.
When we consider the position of the young Hebrew in the household of Pharoah, it seems impossible that he could ever become the liberator
of the Hebrew slaves. From infancy he had been brought up in the palace. All its glories were around him to dazzle, all its luxuries at his command to enervate him. He was so high in the favor of the royal family, that he was called "the son of Pharoah's daughter," and there was even reason to believe that he might one day sit upon Pharoah's throne. On the other hand there were the despised children of Abraham, slaves of the king, oppressed by cruel task-masters. Who would have supposed that, from out the palace of the oppressor, he would come forth who was to bid the oppressed go free? that Moses, spurning the pomp of Pharoah's court, would himself be their leader? Yet so it was; for God said: "So let it be."
It was equally improbable to human reason, that Abraham Lincoln should be the President of the United States. Born, and brought up, in the land of slavery, in the State of Kentucky, accustomed to the manual labor of the farm and of the forest, associating with unrefined and uneducated people, until he shared somewhat in their characteristics, but thirsting for knowledge, and rising superior to circumstances, we find him after many years established as a humble lawyer in the State of Illinois.
It was here that the nation found him. Why did it seek him? Not for his fame, for he was comparatively unknown outside of his own State. Not for the greatness of his intellect, for that had not then been made manifest. Not for his unequalled honesty, for such a quality was hardly to be expected in a Western lawyer. The politician may say he was sought because he was available. The Christian, as he regards subsequent events, will say, "GOD raised him up to be the President of the United States." The man came with the age, and God sent them both.
As we regard the difficulties which stood in the way of Moses, on entering upon the work that he was called to perform, we wonder that he was not appalled. The power seemed to be all on one side. What could the unarmed slaves do in a contest with the armed hosts of Egypt? But Moses remembered that God was on his side, and he became lion-hearted.
When our people had spoken through the ballot box, and decided who should be their President, who can measure the difficulties and dangers which beset the man of their choice? You remember how the flag had just been dishonored, and that the then President sat in his chair "like a sleeping Jove,"--the thunderbolts which God
and his country had given him to hurl, with giant force, at the foes of the nation, lying idle and harmless in his hand. You remember how he was surrounded by corrupt cabinet officers--may their names go down to history eternally infamous; for they had been cooperating with the enemies of the country to deliver it up to them. You remember how the ships of war had been sent to peaceful foreign ports; how the public monies had been squandered--how the munitions of war had been placed in the hands of the foe. You remember how the constitutionally elected President of the country had to creep to his post of danger at the Capitol in disguise--how it required all the skill of the Lieutenant-General to prevent the rising of a mob on the day of Inauguration-how soldiers had to be mingled with the crowd who witnessed the ceremony, with strict injunctions to each, to watch every person near him, lest a deadly weapon should be aimed at the President elect while he was taking the oath of office. I was in that crowd, and I well remember the intense anxiety which was felt. I recall too that the Lieutenant-General sank exhausted on his chair in the evening, saying: "Thank God the day has passed without bloodshed! It is more than I expected!" You remember how nearly half the States were in
rebellion, and that we expected daily to hear of the assassination of the new President; and as you ponder upon these and other difficulties and dangers, do not the circumstances in which our lamented President first took charge of affairs seem appalling? It was the Lord's work which was to be done; His servant began its performance without fear, and he was saved, for God's hand was over him, until it was all finished.
What was the work which Moses was called to do? It was nothing less than to deliver his race from slavery. The work before our late beloved President was the same. God called him to free the nation. When we formed what we called a free country, and declared to the world that "to all men inalienably belong life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," African slavery--shame on us--was allowed to remain in many of the States. We proclaimed the truth with our lips, and denounced it as a lie by our actions. We sowed to the wind, and we reaped the whirlwind.
We became a nation of slaves. The slaveholders became slaves to the worst of passions. They gradually went backward, till they arrived at a state of semi-barbarism. We want no better proof of this than the commencement of this
war, which, in the words of one of the ablest of the traitors--and I quote them because they cannot be too deeply impressed upon our minds--"was inaugurated not because the Government was unrighteous; not because the Southern States had not received fair and honorable treatment; not because they had not enjoyed more than their share of privilege and office, but for the purpose of establishing a government, in the nineteenth century, whose corner stone should be human slavery;" an institution which England--with all her selfishness--had abolished in her colonies, while even Russia had overthrown--as unworthy of the age--a system far superior to American slavery. If this is not proof sufficient, then take as evidence the Southern conduct of the war. Let their cruelties--which would disgrace the wild tribes of Africa--speak; let the graves of the sixty thousand soldiers whom they murdered by starvation bear their testimony; and if this is not enough, ask yourself if any one, not possessed of the devil of slavery, could have murdered the South's best friend, or have attempted to assassinate a sick man in his bed.
But more than this; we of the free North became slaves to the slaveholders. We kneeled and knuckled to them. We gave up one right
after another. We allowed our free New England hills to become their hunting grounds for panting fugitives. We gave up our liberty of speech and press. We proclaimed our ministers of Christ politicians, if they dared to pronounce the sacred obligations of a black man's marriage, or the right of a black woman to her own child, or the right of black people to the education of the minds which God had given them. Thus, then, black and white, we had all become slaves, and as God sent Moses to deliver the children of Israel from slavery, so, I believe, he sent Abraham Lincoln to deliver us.
We are not yet quite free. I do not know but some, to-day, will call me politician for defending the poor and lowly, and denouncing their oppression. If this is their definition of politicians, then I gladly accept the name, for they could call me by none of which I would be so proud. If this is to be a politician, I have always been one, and, God helping me, I shall always be one. We are not yet quite free, but our chains have become loose, and are about to fall from us. Soon we shall stand before the world as free men.
Go back again to the land of Egypt, and behold Moses making his appeals before Pharaoh. His words, at first, are without threats. He hum-
bly, yet fearlessly, in the name of his God, prays for that which is due his oppressed people. When his appeals are not heeded, he thunders in the ear of the proud king the threatened judgments of the Almighty, and, when appeals and threats fail, the judgments come; disaster follows disaster, till the whole land groans, and at last "there is not a house in which there is not one dead."
Even so it was with our late leader. How earnest, how tender were his appeals to our misguided Southern brethren! How he tried to convince them by argument! How he appealed to every high and noble feeling! His first Inaugural address closed with the following words:
"In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The Government will not assail you.
"You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the government; while I shall have the most solemn one to 'preserve, protect, and defend it.'
"I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break, our bonds of affection.
"The mystic cords of memory, stretching from every battle-field and patriot-grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
Thus he held out the olive-branch--thus he for-
bore threatening--but, when every gentle means failed, he proved to them that the magistrate "beareth not the sword in vain." The door of the temple of Janus was opened, and red and bloody war stalked through their land. The war-horse neighed and pranced upon the summits of all their hills. The tread of innumerable soldiers shook the earth as they marched over it--conquering and to conquer, capturing men, subduing cities, blasting and desolating the fertile fields. The ships of war thundered at the gates of all their ports, battered down their forts, and took possession of their harbors, till they fled like sheep from the whole coast. Again were they driven and scattered by our forces upon the land, and it was but as yesterday that the flower of their army surrendered; and now, powerless and stricken, the Southern confederacy is cursed of God and forsaken by man. It stance before the world shivered and blasted like a forest struck by lightning. No bird sings in it--no leaf flutters on its scorched and blackened branches--yet, from out the ashes and desolation and darkness of that place of death and hell, creeps forth the solitary assassin, and, led on by the foul Fiend, strikes a blow which makes the heart of that nation to bleed whose sceptre it has in vain defied. Worthy
conclusion of an infernal cause, which gives to law and liberty a martyr, and to itself eternal infamy. Amen and amen.
Not the Egyptians alone had Moses to contend with. He had scarcely passed from sight of the oppressor, than his own people began to murmur against their deliverer. They sighed for the flesh-pots of slavery, and longed to return to bondage.
Here, again, how strong is the parallel! Was ever man murmured against as was our late President? Friends and foes have alike cried out against him. Some denouncing him because he was too lenient--others because he was too severe--while still others have applied to him every vile and low epithet which bad hearts could invent. How often has he had occasion to cry out: "Save me from my friends!" Yet in the midst of it all he went forward; "his eyes looked right on and his eyelids straight before him." He had but one aim. As Moses only thought of bringing his people to the promised land, so he had no thought but to save his country and to lead it to a glorious and united future. On his first journey to Washington he said in an address to the Mayor of the city of New York:
"There is nothing that could ever bring me to willingly consent to the destruction of this Union, under which not only the great
commercial city of New York, but this whole country, acquired its greatness, except it be the purpose for which the Union itself was formed. I understand the ship to be made for the carrying and the preservation of the cargo; and, so long as the ship can be saved with the cargo, it should never be abandoned, unless it fails the possibility of its preservation and shall cease to exist, except at the risk of throwing overboard both freight and passengers. So long, then, as it is possible that the prosperity and the liberties of the people be preserved in this Union, it shall be my purpose, at all times, to use all my powers to aid in its perpetuation."
In his first inaugural address he said:
"I therefore consider that, in view of the Constitution and the laws, the Union is unbroken; and, to the extent of my ability, I shall take care, as the Constitution expressly enjoins upon me, that the laws of the Union shall be faithfully executed in all the States. Doing this, which I deem to be a simple duty on my part I shall perfectly perform it, so far as is practicable, unless my rightful masters, the American people, shall withhold the requisition, or in some authoritative manner, direct the contrary.
"I trust that this will not be regarded as a menace, but only as the declared purpose of the Union, that it will constitutionally defend and maintain itself.
"In doing this, there need be no bloodshed or violence; and there shall be none, unless it is forced upon the national authority.
"The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the Government, and collect duties and imposts; but, beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among the people anywhere."
An eminent author said of him:
"Surrounded by all sorts of conflicting claims, by traitors, by half-hearted, timid men, by Border-State men and Free-State men,
by radical abolitionists and conservatives, he has listened to all, weighed the words of all; waited, observed; yielded now here, and now there; but in the main kept one inflexible, honest purpose, and drawn the national ship through."
From the time he took his first oath of office till he went to his rest, his every official act was performed to this end. If other questions came up, and among them the slavery of the black race, the Almighty, and not man, forced them into the struggle. To use his own words: "I desire to save the Union--that must be preserved; and if it cannot be preserved with slavery, then slavery must cease." God ordered that the country could not be saved with slavery, and, glory to His name, slavery dies.
His interest in the soldiers, who stood sword in hand to help him to save the Union, was most profound. He delighted to be personally present on occasions when efforts were made to add to the comforts of the men suffering on the field. At a ladies' fair, when asked to give a word of encouragement, he remarked:
"Ladies and gentlemen, I appear to say but a word. This extraordinary war in which we are engaged falls heavily upon all classes of people, but the most heavily upon the soldier. For it has been said, 'All that a man hath will he give for his life;' and, while all contribute of their substance, the soldier puts his life at
stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then, is due to the soldier.
"In this extraordinary war, extraordinary developments have manifested themselves, such as have not been seen in former wars; and, among these manifestations, nothing has been more remarkable than these fairs for the relief of suffering soldiers and their families. And the chief agents in these fairs are the women of America.
"I am not accustomed to the use of language of eulogy; I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women: but I must say, that, if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women were applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during the war. I will close by saying, God bless the women of America!"
That blessing was implored on every noble woman here, who in the silence of her own chamber has prayed and toiled for the brave children of the nation, and all the people say, Amen!
I cannot forbear here to say one word in regard to his personal interest in the lowly. An incident will illustrate what I mean. A newspaper correspondent, writing from Washington, says:
"I dropped in upon Mr. Lincoln on Monday last, and found him busily engaged in counting greenbacks. 'This, sir,' said he, 'is something out of my usual line; but a President of the United States has a multiplicity of duties not specified in the Constitution, or acts of Congress: this is one of them. This money belongs to a poor negro, who is a porter in one of the departments (the treasury), and who is at present very sick with the small-pox. He is
now in the hospital, and could not draw his pay, because he could not sign his name.
"'I have been at considerable trouble to overcome the difficulty, and get it for him; and have at length succeeded in cutting red tape, as you newspaper-men say. I am now dividing the money, and putting by a portion labelled in an envelope with my own hands, according to his wish;' and his excellency proceeded to indorse the package very carefully. No one who witnessed the transaction could fail to appreciate the goodness of heart which would prompt a man, who is borne down by the weight of cares unparalleled in the world's history, to turn aside for a time from them to succor one of the humblest of his fellow-creatures in sickness and sorrow."
But to return. Moses leaned upon his God. Here was his strength. Without this he could not have performed the work which God gave him to do. See him at the Red Sea. The people are murmuring--the waves are rolling before him--the hosts of the Egyptians are darkening behind him. With strong faith he looks up to Heaven and cries out to his God, and, lo! the answer comes, for "the Lord said unto Moses, wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." Moses in faith lifts his rod, the waters open, and stand on either side as a wall, and the children of Israel pass through dry shod; but the hosts of Pharoah, following, are engulfed in the deep.
And now it is with grateful joy that I turn to
our late President's trust in his God. Do you remember that, when he left Springfield for Washington, he asked the people of that town to pray for him? He said to them:
"My friends, no one can appreciate the sadness I feel at this parting. To this people I owe all that I am. Here I have lived more than a quarter of a century. Here my children were born, and here one of them lies buried. I know not how soon I shall see you again. A duty devolves upon me which is perhaps greater than that which has devolved upon any other man since the days of Washington. He never would have succeeded, except for the aid of Divine Providence, upon which he at all times relied. I feel that I cannot succeed without the same divine aid which sustained him; and in the same Almighty Being I place my reliance for support; and I hope that you, my friends, will all pray that I may receive that divine assistance, without which I cannot succeed, but with which success is certain. Again I bid you all an affectionate farewell."
I am sure they granted his request. Who has not prayed for him? How fervently have your prayers always gone up from this house, and from your private closets, that God would help him! Glory be to His name, our prayers were answered, and God did help him!
To the President of the Ohio Senate he said:
"It is true, as has been said by the President of the Senate, that very great responsibility rests upon me in the position to which the votes of the American people have called me. I am deeply
sensible of that weighty responsibility. I cannot but know, what you all know, that without a name, perhaps without a reason why I should have a name, there has fallen upon me a task such as did not rest upon the "Father of his Country;" and, so feeling, I cannot but turn, then, and look to the American people, and to that God who has never forsaken them."
To the Synod of the Old School Presbyterians of Baltimore, who waited upon him in a body, he said:
"I saw, upon taking my position here, I was going to have an administration, if an administration at all, of extraordinary difficulty.
"It was, without exception, a time of the greatest difficulty this country ever saw. I was early brought to a lively reflection, that nothing in my power whatever, or others, to rely upon, would succeed, without direct assistance of the Almighty. I have often wished that I was a more devout men than I am: nevertheless, amid the greatest difficulties of my administration, when I could not see any other resort, I would place my whole reliance in God, knowing all would go well, and that he would decide for the right.
"I thank you, gentlemen, in the name of the religious bodies which you represent, and in the name of our common Father, for this expression of respect. I cannot say more."
You are most of you familiar with the following incident. A gentleman, having recently visited Washington on business with the President, was, on leaving home, requested by a friend to ask Mr. Lincoln whether he loved Jesus. The business being completed the question was kindly
asked. The President buried his face in his handkerchief, turned away and wept. He then turned and said: "When I left home to take this chair of State I requested my countrymen to pray for me; I was not then a Christian. When my son died, the severest trial of my life, I was not then a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg, and looked upon the graves of our dead heroes, who had fallen in defence of their country, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ. Yes, indeed, I do love Jesus."
How have his proclamations and speeches been full of childlike devotion to his Heavenly Father? Was ever such a document sent forth by the head of any nation as his last inaugural address? It could not have come forth but from the depths of a Christian heart.
The President was a man of prayer. An incident has gone the rounds of the newspapers which illustrates this. As related in the public prints, it has many inaccuracies. It was given to me two or three days after it occurred, by an eminent clergyman of the city of New York. A distinguished lawyer of New York, himself a professing Christian, and an intimate friend of my informant, had occasion some time since to see the President in Washington. He went to
his house, met Mr. Lincoln, and asked for an interview of one hour. Mr. Lincoln said that the press of public duties forced him to decline such an interview. He urged that it was important. The President still declined. The gentleman was leaving when Mr. Lincoln stopped him and asked if he would be willing to come at five o'clock the next morning. He gladly agreed to do so, and arrived at the house next morning, as he supposed, at five o'clock. On consulting his watch by the street lamp, he found he had made a mistake of an hour, and that it was only four o'clock. He determined to walk about the grounds until the time agreed upon. Coming near a window of one of the rooms of the presidential mansion, he heard sounds of apparent distress. On listening, he found it was the voice of the President, who was engaged in an agony of prayer. The burden of his petition was: "Oh God! I cannot see my way; give me light. I am ignorant, give me wisdom; teach me what to do and help me to do it. Our country is in peril. Oh God! it is Thy country; save it for Christ's sake!" Here the gentleman felt his position to be questionable, and passing on he left the President with his God. On entering the house he mentioned what he had heard to the usher, who informed him that
the President spent the hour between four and five every morning in prayer.
Here, I think, was the secret of his single, straight-forward course. He has cried to God, and God has told him to go forward, sometimes when difficulties have been before and behind him as great as those which beset Moses; but he has gone forward in the strength of God, and deeper waters than those of the Red Sea have been opened for him, and mightier foes than the Egyptians have been overwhelmed behind him.
Moses, at last, comes to the borders of the promised land. He has shared the weary toils and marches of his people, and with them has arrived almost at the land of Canaan. For a long time they linger on the border, and then the Lord commands him to go up to the top of Mount Pisgah, that he may behold the promised land. "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho: and the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah unto the utmost sea, and the South, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him, This is the land
which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying: I will give it unto thy seed. I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord." Some time before, Moses had prayed that he might enter the promised land, but God refused his prayer.
How affecting--how beautiful is the parallel here! For more than four long years our late beloved President has borne this nation upon his heart. He has shared her troubles--yea, he has carried more of her sorrows than any of her children. Sorrowfully, wearily, prayerfully, he has watched and waited for the dawn of peace. We have long believed that we have been near to the glad morning of peace. Victory after victory has come to us. For many a day every flash from the electric wire has brought us good tidings from Tennessee, from Alabama, from Georgia, from South Carolina, from North Carolina--now the capture of Atlanta--now the triumphant march through Georgia--now the fall of Savannah--now of Wilmington--now of Charleston--now the victorious raids of Sheridan--and now the cries of despair from the traitors' capital Could the
end be far off? How easily can we imagine the President kneeling in that room in the nation's house, offering to the God of nations the prayer of Moses: "Oh Lord God, Thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand; for what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according to thy works and according to thy might; I pray Thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain and Lebanon." How he must have longed and prayed to see the blessed result of God's work, of which he had been the instrument! and, had his prayer been granted, I believe he would have been ready to say with Simeon: "Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation."
Last Sunday, the last he was to spend upon earth, came the news of the surrender of Lee's great army, which, as we believe, was the death-blow of the rebellion. God spared him to see this. The plot was prepared to take his life on the fourth of March, but God spared him to see this. Blessed be His holy name. It is as if in mercy he took him up the mountain, to show him the good things which he had prepared for his nation; but, as Moses was not permitted to enter
the promised land with his people, so he was not permitted to partake with us of the blessings which he has so laboriously earned for us, and for which we shall all love him and weep for him till we are cold in death.
But let us not sorrow as those without hope. The land of Canaan was a goodly land, it flowed with milk and honey. Sweet would have been its rest to Moses after his weary marches in the wilderness; but God had prepared for him a fairer land than that of Canaan, a more glorious mountain than that of Lebanon--the Canaan beyond the flood--the everlasting hills.
And so of our revered President--the liberator of his people--our beloved friend. It would have been a bright, a glorious day for him, could be have seen the nation which he had saved once more united and happy--purified as by fire and rejoicing in the blessing of God. But his Father and ours has taken him to a better land than this. Having finished his work--a work which will live forever --we believe he has entered into his rest. And though
"The mourners throng the way, and from the steeple
The funeral-bell tolls slow;
Yet on the golden streets the holy people
Are passing to and fro;
"And singing as they meet: 'Rejoice! Another
Long waited for, is come;'
The Saviour's heart is glad, a younger brother
Hath reached the Father's home!"
Even his enemies are willing now to acknowledge his worth. I am credibly informed that yesterday, when the rebel General Ewell heard of the assassination, he wept like a child.
And now farewell, beloved President! The nation, without distinction of party or sect, mourns for thee as a stricken family. A liberated people says to thee: "Well done, good and faithful servant," and our Father says to thee: "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."