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Developer Challenge
This week's developer challenge is by no means a new one, reaching all the way back to January when nullptrstudios' sent us a request to give Ramen Ninja a shot. So, almost a year later, I did. Let it never be said I am not a man of my word…unless you urgently need me to rescue you from falling into a sudden magma flow or something. Then I'm probably not your best option and you should call your mother, she's worried about your sudden interest in being an unpaid volcano tour guide.
Let's talk about ninjas though, shall we? Personally, I think ninjas kind of peaked for me back in 2002 when realultimatepower was circulating and it's all basically been downhill from there, with a notable exception for Dr. McNinja because it combines almost everything I love about doctors, ninjas and the Irish. That's popular culture for you though, if one or two people do something funny or interesting, everyone else is going to go nuts trying to imitate it. Ours is a culture of memes. I wish I could say it annoys or enrages me anymore, like a proper nerd, but the older I get…the more predictable the cycles are and the less provocation they elicit. It's not always a bad thing either, some truly bright stars can emerge from the clamoring seas of "me too!" imitators.
The aesthetic here plays off of one of the multitude of inevitable iterations of this idea: the "cute" step. You know, like the one where people make plushies out of an ancient, maddening priest of the Old Ones who sleeps in his ancient home beneath the sea. It starts off well enough with nullptrstudios' most comical idea in the game, our titular ninja's antagonist: a corporation that makes Udon (and apparently employs satyrs) that have nothing better to do than steal a farm full of ramen. Seriously. The absurdity of that opening scene is charming, but there's nothing approaching it for the rest of the playthrough and I think a bit more of that would have gone a long way toward making the progression in the game tolerable. As it stands, the game is a series of disconnected stages that never feel like there's any purpose for the Noodle Ninja to be there. Then, after 20 of them, it just ends with a similarly brief exit cutscene.
If the ninja had been say, climbing a tower or infiltrating Udon's "base" or something, it might have felt a bit more fluid in presentation. Also, by the time the incredibly pointless zombie levels show up, something justifying that would have been nice. Anything, really. They feel so tacked on and out-of-place with the rest of the game that they stand out even more.
If there was an award for "Most Generic Screenshot of 2012" – this is it.
At the end of the day though, it's all just window dressing. A competent game is still just that, no matter what it's wearing to dance. Unfortunately, the design suffers from the same lack of originality as the theme it embodies; from start to finish, there's almost nothing to be excited about in Ramen Ninja. This is a stealth game, and it is stealth only. Despite the general expectation of ninjas to flip out and kill people, this ninja seems to be more of the pacifist mindset. I personally prefer making the choice between leaving a level full of recently frappéd corpses or perfectly healthy, unwitting dudes with their blood safely tucked away inside. Making the fight or flight decision in stealth games lends some real weight to the consequences of screwing up and unless you're specifically making a title about being terrified and powerless (Clock Tower, Amnesia), I can't help feeling there's only half of the game that could be here. There are plenty of ways to penalize players or encourage them to play through on an "ideal" run without removing options from them entirely.
I'm willing to grant that wasn't the designer's intention and say that as a pure stealth game, Ramen Ninja still has problems. First off, the general controls will be evident to anyone who's played a title like this before: walk softly for little noise ("sneak"), crawl for none, or stomp to get a guard's attention so you can run somewhere else. While having to choose between sneaking and crawling seems like it might matter in some situations, the truth is that you should never, ever use "sneak". The distance sound carries in the game just isn't obvious enough and even sneaking past guards, I would alert their attention often enough to make me entirely distrust attempting it. Then again, sometimes I would run around the level like a total asshole and never alert anyone.
The actual vision cones for the enemies worked fine, and even accounted for differences in height (crawling under counters in front of someone for instance) which I have to admit I really liked. They weren't particularly attractive and didn't help to draw me into the experience but Ramen Ninja isn't really a looker. I would say the graphics are serviceable at best, and mostly just feel like amateurish copy/paste tile work. The soundtrack is simple, repetitive, short, repetitive, and annoying.
The question I still have is: who put all these ramen bowls everywhere?!
There is no control for the camera that I can find, which I thought was a huge shame, because the ability to pan around would make a huge difference. The difficulty in these games should be figuring out timing and making a perfect run, not a trail-and-error series of mishaps until you learn the level. Which isn't to imply that Ramen Ninja was particularly difficult – even taking all of the various complaints into account, I'd wrapped it up in about an hour and a half. I didn't five star everything, so if that adds anything to the game, I don't know but I didn't really feel any particular compulsion to do so either.
At the end of it all, do I feel like Ramen Ninja deserves a spot on the leaderboard? If you've read this far, that pretty much answers itself. So, is it worth a dollar? Well…kind of, but no. As much as I hate to continue a string of zeros, the fact remains I only put in about as much time with this as FromPulse – which at least feels like a work with some real heart, even if I didn't think it was put to particularly great use. It felt like the kind of game someone wanted to make. Ramen Ninja feels like any one of dozens of other games; everything here has been done before and better, even what works well doesn't stand out. It's bland and uninspiring. I can't bring myself to hate it, but there's nothing that really makes it worth recommending either.
If you'd like a copy of Ramen Ninja, just drop a comment below and let me know what you think the best thing ever related to ninjas is.


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The Family Leave Act a Financial Burden
Ninety percent of the women taking maternity leave at Sibley remained out for the full 16 weeks of family leave. Many of them added their accumulated paid leave to the time off, extending it to as long as 29 weeks, or more for complicated births. (Rather than having paid sick days, holidays and vacations, Sibley allots each employee paid days leave, based on years of service. The employees accrue hours each week that can be rolled over each year until the employees have a maximum of 13 weeks of unused paid leave on the books.)
To cover the absent employees, Sibley had to pay overtime to other staffers, and premium rates for credentialed temporaries. "When you have 83 people take leave in a little more than 18 months, it gets very expensive," says Shari Pollard, vice president of HR at Sibley.
One job cost the company $60,600 to cover. A pregnant employee took 12 weeks of paid leave and 16 weeks of unpaid family leave. Because she worked in a position that required extremely specialized skills, the company couldn't find any qualified replacements in its local area. In addition, most of the people across the country who had the skills needed for the job had permanent positions and weren't interested in temporary assignments. As a result, getting someone to fill the position during the leave required Sibley to pay for the replacement's round-trip airfare, pay her $400 a week for housing, rent her a car for the 28 weeks and pay her a salary of $56,000.
Although the company didn't have to pay the leaving employee her salary for the unpaid portion of her leave, it did have to continue paying for her medical benefits. To top things off, at the end of her leave, the employee informed the hospital that she wouldn't be returning to work. After the expense of temporarily filling the position, the company now had the expense of recruiting a permanent employee.
In February 1993, President Clinton signed into effect the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), mandating 12 weeks of leave for all workers at companies that employ 50 or more people (see "Advice for Coordinating Federal, State and Local Leave Laws"). Will having this law in place cause the Sibley scenario to repeat itself at companies across the nation? There has been much speculation about the financial impact of the act on companies.
In the preamble to the Family and Medical Leave Act's regulations, the Department of Labor summed up the comments of 400 people who responded to its notice of the act. "Several commenters expressed concern about the law's impact on their operations," the publication states. "They indicated, for example, that the FMLA would impact profitability because:
- Of the burden of recruiting, selecting, placing and training temporary workers to fill clerical and labor vacancies at a much lower rate of efficiency
- Managerial employees can't be replaced by temporary workers
- The employer becomes liable for unemployment costs of temporary workers
- Temporary workers aren't typically eligible for hospitalization coverage until after 30 days of employment, which increases hospitalization costs
- Temporary workers have more accidents, adding to workers' compensation costs." (It's important to note, however, that none of the people commenting provided any data or cost-specific information to the Department of Labor.)
Several studies indicate that the act will have as tremendous a financial impact on other companies as it has for Sibley. A Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) study, cited in a February 2, 1993, House of Representatives' Minority Report, indicates that the costs associated with recruiting new temporary-replacement workers, the training of replacement workers and the lower level of productivity of temporary replacement workers could total $56 million nationally. (This number is based on a U.S. General Accounting Office estimate that approximately 30% of the employees who would take advantage of the FMLA leave would be replaced by temporary workers).
A study conducted by the Small Business Administration in 1990 titled Leave Policies in Small Business, estimated the cost of six weeks of unpaid maternity and infant care leave to be $612 million, nationally, a year. The amount for 12 weeks of leave, as mandated by the FMLA, would be double.
Certainly, many small companies fear the truth of these studies. Beth Moser, HR specialist at ESH Inc. located in Tempe, Arizona, says that she's afraid that the legislation will have a tremendous financial impact on her company. ESH, which designs and manufactures print and circuit boards, employs 75 people. In many of the departments, only one person works per shift. "We've got to cover those departments to keep functioning," says Moser. "We'll be forced to either go to a temporary service or bring in floaters who can go from department to department."
Moser says that the company has had leave policies in place for at least 10 years, allowing employees to take up to six weeks off without pay. Only four employees in 10 years have taken the leave, and they only took a portion of the available time. Even these few, short leaves, Moser says, impacted the company. She anticipates that a greater number of people will take leave now because the FMLA has been so publicized.
Carol Sladek, head of the work-and-family consultancy of Lincolnshire, Illinois-based Hewitt Associates, agrees that more people are likely to take leave as a result of the act, even in companies that have offered leave in the past. "This has been so widely publicized, I think more people will know that they're entitled to this type of leave," says Sladek. She says that without the legislation, many companies have offered leave on a case-by-case basis, rather than as a universal right.
Also, without the legislation, companies weren't required to continue paying for employees' benefits while they were on leave. Now they're required to continue benefit coverage under the same terms as before the leave. "If an employee goes on leave and isn't being paid, it's pretty difficult for him or her to come up with insurance premiums for a few months," says Sladek. Having the insurance paid during this time may encourage more people to take leave.
Beverly King, HR director for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, has similar predictions. She says that with the burden of paying for benefits gone, more people will take leave. Already, the company has seen an average of 600 women a year (5% of its work force) taking maternity leave. Before the FMLA, however, these women were responsible for covering their own insurance costs. Now, the company must pick up the tab. King estimates the impact of the continuation of benefit coverage to be $1.5 million. "People do take leave, they always have taken leave," says King. "However, they have never taken leave with a continuation of benefits—they paid the benefits themselves. Now, that cost is transferred to the company."
In a February 1, 1993, report titled Family and Medical Leave Cost Estimate, the General Accounting Office (GAO) estimated the cost of continuing insurance coverage for employees on leave to companies nationally to be $674 million annually. However, the GAO foresees the cost of insurance coverage as the only added cost the FMLA will incur. Based on the results of a survey on the usage of parental leave, the GAO found that there's no measurable net cost to businesses associated with replacing workers. Most absences are handled by reallocating work among the remaining work force.
Kathleen M. Williams, HR manager of New Jersey Superior Court, has found this estimate to be true. New Jersey has had a state leave act for several years. The law mandates employers who have 75 or more employees to provide 12 weeks of leave every 24 months for births, adoptions and illnesses of children, parents and spouses. It requires that group health insurance coverage be continued for state employees.
Although Williams says that the leave has been used extensively by superior court employees, it's had no financial impact on the business. "It's been our practice not to fill positions with temporaries," says Williams, unless it's a position such as court reporter that requires a person present. In the majority of cases, Williams uses the rest of the work force to get the job done. Even when the company must hire a temporary, the company can pay him or her up to the amount the leaving employee would be making without causing a financial burden. As far as benefits are concerned, Williams says the company would be paying them for the leaving employee anyway.
The financial impact of the FMLA will vary from business to business.
So, will or won't the FMLA have a financial impact on businesses? The answer seems to be: It depends on the company. Many factors influence how much impact the act might have. Sibley Hospital, at which the state leave act has had tremendous financial impact, is victim to a great number of the factors.
The health-care industry is predominantly female-oriented. Studies have shown that the majority of leave taken in companies is maternity leave. Therefore, companies that employ a majority of females will see a greater number of people taking leave than male-dominated companies, even though the law stipulates that males are entitled to the same leave as women for the birth of a child. (A June 1993 poll commissioned by The Bureau of National Affairs Inc. found that only 7% of working men would take 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, compared with 43% of working women.)
Combined with the fact that Sibley's work force is predominantly female is the fact that those females are in upper-middle-class families. The majority of the women taking the full amount of leave time are in professional positions, and many are married to professional men. "Most of our employees who use leave for maternity purposes have spouses who are working, and [the women] can afford to be off work for an extended period of time," says Pollard. "People who are in other areas and receive lower rates of pay might not be able to afford to be off."
Ted Pippin, director of HR for Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., confirms this. He serves as vice president of a local health-care chapter that represents 62 hospitals in the metropolitan area. Of those 62, only Sibley has had a large influx of people taking leave for the maximum amount of time. At Pippin's hospital, which employs 2,000 people, only 35 workers have taken leave in the two years that the Washington, D.C., law has been in effect, and most of them took less than the full amount of time. "What we've found is that because it's unpaid leave, a majority of the people can't afford to stay away from work for that period of time," says Pippin.
Although Providence has fewer people who take leave than Sibley, Pippin says that it too experiences a financial impact when people who have specialized skills and who are in short supply take leave. This is a factor that people in other industries are concerned about as well. Matt Lynch is executive director for Build Rehabilitation in San Fernando, California, a public charity that trains and then finds jobs for adults with disabilities. It has had leave policies for approximately 10 years, but, just like Providence Hospital, few people take it because they can't afford the time off without pay. In addition, a recent analysis of the work force at Build Rehabilitation indicated that although 90% of the females employed there (which total 65% of the work force) are of child-bearing age, the majority of them are single. Lynch says that the company hasn't been put yet in the position of having to hire temporaries to cover for employees taking leave. It also hasn't yet had an employee who's in a specialized-skills job take an extended leave. Lynch is concerned about the impact that it would have if it happens. "There are certain jobs that only can be done by the individual who has had extensive training and experience," says Lynch.
A company's benefits and decisions about those benefits can affect the amount of impact the FMLA will have on the bottom line as well. For example, the law requires that companies continue paying only for medical benefits while a person takes leave. If employees are at least partially responsible for life insurance and disability benefits as well, they may elect not to pay these premiums while on leave. What happens when those employees return to work? Will they have to requalify for the same level of benefits that they were receiving before the leave? Can the company require the employees to pass a medical exam? "The ability to restore someone to exactly where he or she was before taking leave may require some changes in one of two things," says Karen Ross, an associate at the New York City-based law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel, and formerly a director of benefits at GTE. Either changes need to be made to the employer's benefits plan or the employer will need to pay the premiums for the employee so that there's no lapse of coverage. Ross says that companies need to look at their current policies and decide whether to continue the payments.
Gerald Uslander, an attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of William M. Mercer, agrees with Ross that employers need to evaluate their benefits packages carefully. "Is it more trouble than it's worth to stop coverage or to dock pay [for insurance premiums] while an employee is on leave?" Uslander asks. "An employer may be forced to continue benefits during the leave to satisfy reinstatement requirements."
Preventative measures lessen negative effects.
Although the potential does exist for the FMLA to negatively affect the bottom line in particular companies, there are things that can be done to discourage it. Many companies that have had to deal with state-leave laws have found cross-training to be an effective way to minimize the use and expense of temporary workers. Williams says that cross-training has been imperative for her to abide by the New Jersey Superior Court's policy of hiring a minimal amount of temporaries.
The court operates under a team concept, so cross-training is part of its procedures. Every member of each team must know how to perform every process. "When someone goes out on family leave, although there's a hole [in the team], most of the time we can maintain [operations] for that period of time," says Williams. Employees are able not only to fill in for each other but for department heads as well.
A.L. (Al) Smith, vice president of human resources for Natco in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has an HR staff of five. They're all cross-trained. "I have everyone learn one anothers' jobs so that they can fill in for one another," says Smith. Just recently, Smith's benefits administrator went on maternity leave. Rather than looking for a temporary worker who had the specialized skills to handle the administrator's job, Smith moved his secretary into her job and hired a temporary secretary. This minimized the expense, ensured greater efficiency and empowered the secretary with greater responsibilities, raising her morale.
In addition, Smith brought all of the benefits administrators from the company's operating units to Tulsa and trained them to handle certain aspects of benefits administration from the operations. This would assist the secretary in covering the leaving employee's job.
The V.P. says that although the tank company doesn't have a formal policy for cross-training, it's general practice. Certain positions, he says, need to have backup. So the company provides backup by training others for the job.
What's been just as vital as cross-training for Smith is communicating the importance of cooperation to Natco's work force, which consists of fewer than 500 people. Smith has found that working out alternative solutions to unpaid leave helps both the company and the employees. For instance, one woman needed to take several months off between the end of last year and the beginning of this year. Smith arranged for her to work on a consultant basis at home. He kept her on the payroll. The woman was able to continue receiving paychecks, and Natco got its work done.
Lynch works with his employees at Build Rehabilitation in a similar way, which has enabled him to avoid hiring temporaries for employees who take leave. "The company works with employees to use them on a part-time basis [during their leave] so that they can still get paid something and we can more easily keep the job open for them," says Lynch.
The executive director explains that many of the jobs at the company require at least a year's training for workers to acquire specific skills. Most of the people in these jobs recognize the fact that Build is a public charity and that the staff, totaling fewer than 200 people, including the disabled workers, must work together as a team. "They have a camaraderie with their fellow employees and realize that they would be hurting everybody else if they were gone for 12 weeks," says Lynch. Most employees who do take leave call in every day, if possible, to help their co-workers perform their jobs.
Pollard used a similar system with employees at Sibley who required leave before Washington, D.C., enacted the local leave act. When a large number of women in the hospital's critical-care unit requested maternity leave during the same period of time, Pollard suggested that they work together to come up with a plan. "We told them, 'Look, this is how many people we can have gone at one time,'" says Pollard. The women worked out schedules of when they absolutely had to be gone, and some volunteered to work part-time for a portion of their leave. They even made arrangements to care for each others' children while they came to work. "They worked it out as a team so that we could continue to provide care for our patients," says Pollard.
Since the local leave act, however, Pollard says that the company hasn't been able to convince workers to make these types of arrangements. She says that the employees know that the company is required to give them the requested leave and that they have the right to take it. They say that they believe that it's the company's problem, not theirs, to cover their positions while they are gone. Pollard explains that many of the women are in professional positions and work because of a career commitment rather than for economic reasons.
The makeup of Sibley's work force has made it a prime target for family-leave takers and the ensuing expense. For other companies, family-leave policies have been insignificant to their bottom line. Only time will tell what the financial impact of the FMLA will be on corporate America. It seems likely that the effect won't be as bad as many anticipate, especially if companies prepare for it. "The bottom line," says Natco's Smith, "is how employee-oriented is your company? What's the moral obligation of management? How do managers feel about employees? If you're an employee-oriented company, you've probably already been taking care of your employees, and [the FMLA] won't make any difference."
Personnel Journal, September 1993, Vol. 72, No. 9, pp. 48-57.


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The Ink Twins город Тольятти, Russian Federation
The Ink Twins band formed in the "Russian Motor Town" presents a single from their upcoming album Russian
A hard rock band The Ink Twins is thrilled to announce a brand new release titled Apple of My Eye. The single, available on iTunes beginning May 28, 2014, contains two songs — Apple of My Eye and Ocean from the band's debut album. ... more
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אנחנו בפייסבוק
Analysis: With peace negotiations on brink of failure, Israeli and Palestinian officials come up with creative suggestions, including plans of joint custody of Jerusalem's old city, unilateral pullout, single state of Israelis and Palestinians.
Associated Press
Published: 04.26.14, 08:45 / Israel Opinion
Associated Press
Nine months of US-driven diplomacy have left Israelis and Palestinians less hopeful than ever about a comprehensive peace agreement to end their century of conflict. Although a formula may yet be found to somehow prolong the talks past an end-of-April deadline, they are on the brink of collapse and the search is already on for new ideas.
Mitzna and a host of others, including former minister Yossi Beilin, architect of the 1990s accords establishing the Palestinian Authority, call for an interim arrangement in which the Palestinians would get statehood on most but not all the land they seek. They would get nothing on the refugees, but would not have to renounce any further claims either.
There are plenty of Israelis who cannot envision a peace deal of any kind yet still fear the demographic issue enough to want a pullout.


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VC Outlook: For Onset's Opdendyk, It's All About Repeat Business
As 2010 comes to a close, we asked several venture capital investors to reflect on the past year and give us their outlook for 2011. We'll be bringing you their responses over the coming days.
First up in the series is Terry Opdendyk, founder and general partner of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Onset Ventures. Opdendyk, who invests in information and medical technologies, is seeing a mismatch between a diminishing level of venture-capital dollars and an unprecedented number of repeat entrepreneurs.
Q. What are your feelings about 2010?
We have an incredibly robust company creation process taking place in the IT, medical and energy sectors. Onset Ventures alone saw over 2,000 new start-ups in the last year, but there's many more experienced people starting companies today, unlike past start-up booms. That's because 10 years ago there were a large number of companies created, and now many of those companies are getting liquid and their people are moving on to new start-ups. Of the companies we funded this year, over 80% were with repeat entrepreneurs, and a high percentage of those entrepreneurs had worked with Onset before.
Also, existing venture-backed companies are getting liquid. As a result there were distributions of cash to limited partners in 2010. Many firms, ours included, are shipping more cash back to their limited partners than they are taking from them – this is the way venture capital used to work. Limited partners like to get real cash back rather than nice words in quarterly reports.
Q. What do you feel will be the biggest challenge for your part of the industry in 2011?Keeping the liquidity rolling. Limited partners need to see liquidity, primarily M&As, as a continuing trend. Companies are bought, not sold; and that means business-development relationships with start-ups and major partners need to begin years in advance to keep future acquisitions coming.
It also will be a challenge to keep existing venture-backed companies funded in 2011 with new syndicated financings. This is the first time I've seen the dichotomy of both robust company-creation taking place while the money going into the venture capital is shrinking. Venture capital must continue flowing, to keep these new companies funded.
Q. What is your New Year's wish for the venture capital industry in 2011?
May your syndicates be strong and your liquidity events frequent; and a sustained IPO market for the cherry on top! We don't need a 5x run-up on one hot IPO stock; we need 10 solid company IPOs, with eight of them making everyone happy.


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24 Feb
The Unique Cupcakes Ideas
Linda Carol Wilson is a housewife who stays home and really enjoying making delicious food for her family. She have some really great cakes recipes, but also, some amazing cooking and decorating ideas.
Cupcakes make the perfect for treat or perhaps a best snack food for team conferences or celebrations of any type. But if you don't give a small style, cupcakes can be monotonous. Luckily, there are lots of excellent cupcake suggestions to give a small prosper to those scrumptious treats and enhance any event!
If you're doing desserts for those kind of vacation event, think about cupcake tips associated with that particular holiday break. You can always find a good homemade recipes for cupcakes, that will be amazing for further decoration. For Halloween night, try out designing desserts as pumpkins or spirits. Christmas time demands Santa Clause and reindeer head or even a "Christmas pine" created of cupcake decorations. Independence day could be famous along with red-colored and azure topping garnished with pearl sugars or whitened chocolate sprinkles to signify stars.
Valentine's might be celebrated along with theme heart frosting styles, but when you want some thing unique, try doing heart-shaped desserts. To get this done, all you need to do is spot a pebble in every pocket of the cupcake container to ensure that a couple of humps are shaped towards the top of the paper cupcake sleeve. As soon as prepared, just enhance desserts properly with red-colored, pink or any other Valentine frosting!
If you want cupcake suggestions for sports, think about selecting frosting that suits team colorings. Obviously, it's also simple to help to make desserts that appear to be just like baseballs, basketballs, football balls as well as hockey pucks. You may have to obtain imaginative using the frosting to create footballs, however it can be achieved. You may also help to make desserts look like soccer headgear for a body choice if preferred.
An excellent concept for cupcake tips is selecting a preferred children's favourite cartoon character. Whether it's Hello Kitty, Donald Duck or Garfield, designing desserts as toons is simple. In the situation like Mickey Mouse, try including little biscuits for your ear. Such things as choc chips or gumdrops is often useful for eye and noses. Enjoy the designing so those experiencing the desserts will love consuming all of them.
Blossoms are an excellent concept to make your desserts special. Merely select a suitable shade for any flower petals and swirl the frosting in a correct design. Take by including a couple of green simply leaves. No matter if you want red flowers for the partner, yellow-colored mums for the mom or violet tulips for the closest friend, flower desserts certainly are a wind to style.
To create your cupcake suggestions even more thrilling, search for good recipes and think about making all of them in 3D. Make use of the frosting to show circles into spheres. This makes your own styles be noticeable much more. Virtually whatever could be created like a ring could be broadened right into a ball. Clearly it might function perfectly for sports balls, it also suits cartoons and blossoms and many every other design also.
Discovering cupcake tips is actually just restricted to your creativity. Almost everything from easy spherical forms like golf balls and exoplanets to more complicated forms such as celebrities and wacky character types could be symbolized on these types of delicious sweet goodies. It's enjoyable being imaginative, so don't keep back. Go wild using these cupcake tips or envision a few of your personal!
Related articles
- Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe: Recipe Sunday (ifyoucanread.com)
- Cupcakes Are Ruining Everything [Dessert] (jezebel.com)
- Easy Christmas Cupcake Decorations (proflowers.com)


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This is a historic building in beautiful condition. The room was lovely... conveyed a sense of history and time. The ceiling was constructed from the trunks of trees. One of them even showed the markings of woodpeckers who were quite busy over a century ago before the trees were felled. Everything in the room was beautiful, of high quality, in... More
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TripAdvisor gives a Certificate of Excellence to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers.


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The few weeks leading up to Christmas give us time to think about the spiritual meaning of Christs birth. These are weeks to make preparations in your heart and for your hearth.
You could begin by laying out an advent wreath on the dining room table or a side table. Make room by putting the usual knickknacks away for the holidays. I like to use this time to give away what I dont really need or use any longer.
In the center of your wreath set up candles to burn the four Sundays preceding Christmas, and place a fancier candle in the center for Christmas Day - I like either a tall thick red candle or a decorated candle large enough to burn all day.
Burning candles each of the four Sundays reminds me that the light of the world will again be centered in our hearts and thoughts. If you have a tendency to slip away from meditation and spiritual practices over the course of the year, this is a joyous time to renew your devotion.
I love burning all my candles down on Christmas Day, the remainders from the four Sundays and the special Christmas candle. If it is available surround your wreath with evergreens and change as necessary to keep them fresh. Some lay them in a shallow bowl of water like we provide for the Christmas tree.
Before going to sleep each night of Advent spend time in a meditation on the birth of Christ and what it means to you. Is it a renewal of kindness in your heart and actions with others? Is this your time to align with other virtues that will uplift you into daily harmony?
Close your meditation with a little Advent prayer:
Come to me sweet holy babe
Make a cradle in my heart
I will cherish you each day
While learning lessons you impart.
I invite you to join me in a daily group cyber meditation for personal and planetary peace. Click the article here to read about it.
Meditation Lessons for Teens and Adults
More than 70 offerings, from guided meditation techniques to on-the-go stress relief and relationship meditations interspersed with verse, and a section of special occasion prayers. 114 pages. PDF Ebook | EPUB | Paperback | Mac Users | B&N NOOK eBook
Meditation for All Kids
Sitting, walking, dance and group circle meditations, along with positive affirmations, verses and benefits of meditation for kids of all ages and abilities in a 100 page book with illustrations. PDF Ebook | EPUB | Paperback | Mac Users | B&N NOOK eBook
Sign up below or in the right-hand column for our meditation site newsletter. It only requires your email address and is never given out or sold to anyone. If at any time you wish to stop receiving it, each newsletter contains a link to unsubscribe. Each person must sign up themselves. We can't sign up for you. It is an easy way to keep abreast of new articles on the meditation site. Make meditation part of your daily routine and let the bellaonline meditation articles help you select just what kind of meditation is right for you, whether you are a child, teen, or adult, a beginner, or advanced practitioner.
Advent article and prayer by Susan Helene Kramer
Prayer in memory of my dear friend, Nancy C. Kaehler (June 30, 1931 - October 20, 2010)


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Ice Storm Trailer : Gustavo Guardado edit this trailer in 2005 for the Ang Lee directed drama The Ice Storm.
VOD is all the rage right now, and for good reason (check out our July VOD list). But while it's gratifying to know that you can watch pretty much anything with the simple click of a button, there's something comforting about tearing into a DVD/Blu-ray case and popping the disc into your player. Tha...Read More »


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|Oracle FAQ
|Your Portal to the Oracle Knowledge Grid
Home -> Community -> Usenet -> comp.databases.theory -> Re: Can I do this using SQL?
On Fri, 10 Feb 2006 09:13:18 +0000, Roy Hann wrote:
> falling into the trap of assuming that the first N rows
> will give the N highest values.
Thanks for bringing this up. I've see this potentially serious error in code from many sources.
And there seems to be a terminology problem.
In my mind, there is
Now, it seems:
I've written about the subjects at http://troels.arvin.dk/db/rdbms/ (section: "Limiting result sets").
-- Greetings from Troels ArvinReceived on Sun Feb 12 2006 - 02:06:33 CST
Original text of this message


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Axia NetMedia reports FY2010 financials
Axia NetMedia, a provider of real broadband Internet protocol services and solutions, reported its fiscal 2010 financial results last week. Although fourth quarter sales were up 5.8 per cent to $18.3 million, annual revenues declined 1.9 per cent from $69.8 million in 2009 to $68.5 million in 2010. Bottom line earning figures were also down year-over-year, falling 42.8 per cent from slightly less than $6.0 million in 2009 to a little more than $3.4 million in 2010.
Art Price is the Chairman and CEO of Axia NetMedia:
"During fiscal 2010, Axia's sales continued to grow according to plan and new trends in the ICT sector evolved to become part of mainstream strategic planning amongst industry leaders. The four key trends are Cloud Computing, Software as a Service, data mobile services and sensor technologies. Over time these will become the key drivers of demand for Axia's Next Generation Network Services."
For complete details on Axia NetMedia's operating results, have a look at its audited FY2010 financial release.


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Make The Change---In case you have missed it, it has been snowing in Marana, Arizona. Actually really snowing, up to four inches, possibly more on its way.
And why is this significant. Marana, Arizona is the home of the WGC-Accenture Match Play on the PGA Tour, played at the Jack Nicklaus designed Dove Mountain course, where the tournament is going on this week.
This is an important event on the PGA Tour and has a wonderful field. It is no secret, or perhaps I am revealing the secret, this is not the most favorite stop on the PGA Tour for the players and not their favorite golf course. Many PGA pros will tell you privately they would love to see this event moved.
And if moved, I have the perfect spot. How about Bandon Dunes, on the Oregon coast. The legendary golf courses that make up Bandon Dunes are perfect for match play. I can also pretty much assure you that at Bandon Dunes in the middle of February, it will not be snowing four inches. And I am not trying to fool anyone, weather on the Oregon Coast can be unpredictable, but so can match play, if I dare say, a perfect MATCH.
I think the players would totally embrace this change. Great golf courses, it is still on the west coast and a wonderful spot to visit. So let's get it done, hopefully Bandon Dunes would want a great event like this and I know golf fans in Oregon and all over would flock to see this, just too great of a field not to be present.
Golf Lesson---Another great golf lesson and tip from David Ogrin in Crawford's Clubhouse, as he answers a reader's question.
"Mr. Ogrin I am just beginning the game and Mr. Crawford through this column has made me think lots about getting good in golf. I always read your tips about how you need to refine your wedge play, so I work on them constantly. So how should I figure out a target, if the target is there or not?" Thanks, Jon--Portland, Oregon
"Jon here is a short game primer. On shots we call pitch and runs I have found a rule of half in the air, half on the ground is a good rule of thumb. Then on chip shots look for the first 4 feet on the green and use the club that will get it onto the green and run all the way to the hole, just like a putt. For pure wedge shots you "fly" the ball to the hole as a rule. Even for a beginner, a WELL STRUCK wedge shot will stop.
The idea though is as a learner keep it simple and use the actual flag as a target. From bunkers I suggest at the start, get it out in one shot and the whole green is the target. As you get better and more experienced then we can fine tune. And there is no substitute for practice. Play well. David Ogrin---Director of Instruction, Three Crowns Golf Course---Caspar, Wyoming.
Charity Golf----As many of you are preparing your tournaments this summer, which will benefit a charity, Crawford's Clubhouse is glad to give you some advance publicity and recognition on your charity. Please just email me the information, at least three weeks in advance. Thank you and we are here to help. always.
Rules Question---Just like David Ogrin, we are lucky to have Jim Gibbons answering your rules questions. Jim Gibbons is one of the foremost authorities on golf rules in the world.
"Mr. Gibbons, a little different question for you. How can we bring out etiquette on the golf course? It seems like we are losing the battle at both public and private clubs. Thank you, Sylvester---Baltimore, Maryland.
"Sylvester, your question is so important to the true basis of golf. For hundreds of years, how golfers behave on the course has been as important, or more so, than how they play. The R&A and USGA must feel strongly about this. The Rules of Golf book has three sections. The first section is on etiquette. I feel it is placed first, because of its importance. This is followed by sections 2 and 3, the definitions and then rules.
Many golfers compare playing golf over time as being similar to living life and the challenges we have to overcome. As we learn to deal with and overcome adversity, we ourselves become better in life and golf. As such, golf reflects much of society and vice versa. Currently there is less focus on formal behavior in sports, politics, television shows, concerts and so on. While that may affect some golfers, it is important that many of us continue to set an example around golf.
Golf gives us an escape from hectic everyday life. Also we can support programs that foster fine characteristics in new and young golfers. The First Tee programs offer a structure to teach young golfers honesty, integrity, respect, confidence, responsibility, courtesy and judgement, all core values of their program and of life. If we all engage in these traits and set examples off and on the course, it can be contagious-which in this case would be a nice thing for all of us to catch. To learn more, visit www.thefirsttee.org and support your local organization. Thanks---Jim Gibbons
Greg Crawford, Golf Insider, CSNNW.com


text: Atlanta, GA -- One of the state's top home builders is cutting 11% of its Georgia staff. The Georgia division of Pulte Homes tells 11 Alive the job cuts are across all parts of the company except sales. Company leaders say workers will be given a chance to apply for other positions within the national organization.The cutbacks come at a time when the Commerce Department is reporting construction of single-family homes in June at a 17-year low.


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- 3 years ago by Ashley Cardiff
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Whenever the Kid's Choice Awards roll around, we have our work cut out for us because the looks are generally dreadful and we generally have to be nice because kids are wearing them. Luckily, Jenna Jameson came along today and gave us a red carpet look we can really explore. More


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*Detroit Lakes
*October 8, 2009
-Birds mentioned
Cackling Goose
Ring-necked Duck
Northern Harrier
Franklin's Gull
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Long-eared Owl
Black-backed Woodpecker
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Pipit
Orange-crowned Warbler
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Harris's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Brewer's Blackbird
Purple Finch
Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: October 8, 2009
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (firstname.lastname@example.com)
This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, October 8,
2009 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You
may also hear this report by calling (218)847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888.
As I compile this on Thursday, we are bracing for the first hard freeze
in most of the northwest. Activity at the feeder tonight revealed that
the birds are also. Surprisingly the bird bath was also busy, full of
robins splashing and drinking. With the advent of cold weather, one can
expect the feeders to be more active and perhaps some new species will
be seen after the relatively quiet migration so far.
Craig Mandel reported over five thousand FRANKLIN'S GULLS at Pelican
Lake in Grant County on October 4. On the 7th, two plegadis IBIS were
see at Spink WMA along CR 34 just west of CR 54. A EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVE was seen at the corner of Pacific and 5th Street.
In Wilkin County, Mark Otnes saw a LONG-EARED OWL that flushed from the
north end of Manston Marsh. Other species seen in Wilkin County that day
included three NORTHERN HARRIERS, WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, and HARRIS'S
Becker County sightings by Craig Mandel at Tamarac NWR on October 6
included more than 120 TRUMPETER SWANS,thousands of RING-NECKED DUCKS, a
HARRIS'S SPARROW at headquarters and PURPLE FINCH. Other county
sightings included CACKLING GEESE near Hamden Slough, AMERICAN PIPIT,
SPARROW, and BREWER'S BLACKBIRD.
In Polk County on October 4 , Bruce Flaig reported a SONG SPARROW, and
many DARK-EYED JUNCOS.
Maggie Anderson at Agassiz NWR in Marshall County observed a HARRIS'S
SPARROW on the lawn at headquarters on October 2.
Diana Morkassel saw a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER north of Bemidji in
Beltrami County on October 9.
Roseau County sightings reported by Beth Siverhus included RUBY-CROWNED
KINGLET and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW on October 5.
Thanks to Beth Siverhus, Bruce Flaig, Craig Mandel, Diana Morkassel,
Maggie Anderson, and Mark Otnes for their reports.
Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than
Thursday each week, at email@example.com OR call the Detroit Lakes
Chamber's toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders
please call 847-9202. Please include the county where the sighting took
place. The next scheduled update of this report is Thursday, October 15,
Jeanie Joppru
Pennington County, MN
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By: Trey Hunter
Staff Writer
Mustang Times
Mustang dropped it's only loss of scrimmage week to Southmoore on Thursday, serving as a clear measuring stick for the upcoming season according to new coach, Bryan Howard.
"It lets you know where you're at and how you can get better," he said. "Southmoore is the defending champ and the team to beat."
The Lady Broncos fell 5-2, but left 10 runners on base over seven innings. Mustang had problems pushing runners in at the Yukon Scrimmage Festival last week as well, something Howard thinks the team must improve on as the season approaches.
"The biggest thing that's hurting us is that we're not scoring early," he said. "They're getting closer to understanding what we do and the aggressiveness at this level. Our young ones aren't being aggressive enough early. They will. They started getting after it in the fourth and I don't think that's because the pitcher changed. They just got a little more aggressive."
Mustang starter, Jayden Chestnut, retired the side to start the game, however, gave up two runs in the second and had trouble getting ahead in counts. She would bounce back, shutting Southmoore down until the Sabercats opened their lead with a three-run, fifth inning.
That's when Mustang came alive. The Lady Broncos looked more aggressive at the plate in the final two frames, pushing across a pair of runs to tighten the deficit. Although it wasn't enough to comeback, their late rally proved the team is just a few steps away from one of the state's powerhouse teams.
"Once we get about 10-15 games in, you will see a completely different team," Howard said. "We start five freshmen and when they come up I'm 100 percent confident they will hit. We just have to pick better pitches and be a little more aggressive as we go at it."
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- Day: Tuesday Date: November 15 th, 2012.
- Time: 22:30 - Al Qassam Brigades fire 4 Grad missiles at Asqalan.
Military Communiqué
Al Qassam Brigades fire 4 Grad missiles at Asqalan
Al Qassam Brigades is declaring its responsibility for the following operations as a response to Zionist aggression on the Palestinian civilians:
These operations are part of the repelling operations against the occupation assaults on Gaza Strip and West Bank, and as a response for the ongoing aggression against Palestinian people.
Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades
Information Office
November 15th, 2012


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Star Trek: Insurrection (Special Collector's Edition)
Oh. My. God. How did the once gloriously second-rate Star Trek franchise sink so low? Insurrection is obviously intended for those weird fans of The Next Generation, and we know who we are, but even that target audience may have a hard time enduring this flabby excuse of a film.
The Movie:
All the Generation main players are present including Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn), Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes also the director), Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and perennial favorite, Captain Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). They come out of semi-retirement when their normally capable android, Data (Brent Spinner), goes off-program and runs violently amok on a planet inhabited by the charming Baku people during what was supposed to be an innocuous, but secret, mission to observe their quaint customs. The mission is led by the Sona, an evil race of narcotics addicts with oddly squashed-up faces. Their leader, Ruafo (F. Murray Abraham) is evil to the core but the Federation forces dont understand his true motives at first so Data is allowed to assist him. And as for the Baku? Well, they like to stroll through their bland, manicured village wearing handwoven cotton tunics and smiling gently at the little birdies chirping overhead; sometimes they kick around a hackysack for extra excitement. (Need I say more?)
Jean Luc becomes suspicious when he learns that someone deliberately tampered with Datas controls, and the puzzle pieces fall into place when he discovers that the Baku are all young and attractive because unusual metaphasic radiation on the planet bestows eternal youth. It turns out that the Sona want to savagely eliminate the Baku and steal the good stuff for themselves, thereby flouting the Federations rules against harassing other cultures. The Enterprise crew considers its options, then says Fk scruples and joins the Sona exploitation scheme -- just kidding of course, virtuous Picard and friends would never do such a thing and thats unfortunate because it leaves Insurrection in a state of flaccid anti-suspense.
There are many of the flashy Star Trek battles that we expect and some of their standard effects have been updated. When people or humanoids are transported these days they shimmer and pixelate before vanishing and thats great, but other clumsy features have been retained from earlier Treks, much to my delight. I especially appreciate the low-tech shaking of the camera to indicate tremors onboard a spaceship.
Stewart was a respected British theater actor before American TV paychecks lured him to Next Generation (hes said as much in interviews). This makes him the only cast member with any real acting chops and director Frakes knows it so he has lots of screen time. As Jean Luc, he pontificates endlessly about the Federations directives, and shoots many ugly Sona but sometimes he just stares vacantly into space while posed against a dramatic space backdrop. What is he thinking about? The nature of good and evil? Whether or not he should pull the plug on Data? Maybe hes just contemplating the impressive cleavage on Anij, (Donna Murphy) his Baku love interest, and how her St. Pauli girl outfits are the best features of this film.
Stewart does the best he can but the other actors couldnt pull off a convincing stare if their lives depended on it. Their talents were always slim and time hasnt improved them. Worf is pretty grotesque when he mentions a Klingon-sized zit thats formed on his nose but Deanna and Riker are even worse during a love scene in a bubble bath: their lack of chemistry combined with Rikers slight double-chin might trigger nausea in viewers with weak stomachs.
But the problem isnt really the predictable story or the stilted acting (those have always been part of the Star Trek mystique) its attitude. On the televised Next Generation the cast always like they were barely holding back their laughter during truly stupid scenes about stuff such as holograms gone wrong, or intergalactic love. They acted as if theyd been interrupted during a hilarious party and couldnt possibly straighten up just to deliver some crappy lines. It was fun for them and fun for viewers.
But alas, those days are gone because this writer/director has gone preachy. They desperately want to comment about the evils of big powerful countries that interfere with smaller nations and, although this has always been a worthy and popular Trek theme, Insurrection overdoes it big-time. Specifically, Captain Picard sermonizes incessantly about the endangered Ba'ku, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. And thats really too bad because we cant take his lectures very seriously when his staff includes slutty psychic Deanna Troi, and his fiercest warrior, Worf (the Federations Schwartzkopf) wears what looks like an abalone shell on his forehead. There are some attempts to recapture the humor of the glory years like when Data assures Anij that in event of a flood he can be used as a flotation device, but theyre wobbly.
Basically, the fun is gone. I never thought I would say this but its enough to make me pine for Captain Kirk, who strutted proud and pudgy in his tight unitard while he seduced outer-space babes. At least William Shatner looked like he was having a good time.
The Disc:
The disc of extras covers basically every aspect of the film, and then some. Definitely more than anyone but the most hardcore trekkies would ever need and even they might fast-forward through portions of It Takes A Village where the creation of the Bakus uber-hippie village is described. Hitting the major points:
The sound is good. The nicely pulsating base gives explosions a solid thump, especially if you have a quality subwoofer. I didnt notice anything exceptional about the visuals.
The Directors Notebook features Jonathan Frakes musing about how challenging it was to make a film that contains 288 visual effects shots, but then he lapses into reminiscing about how much fun it was to be reunited with his Next Generation family (especially Marina Sirtis, the one he gets to hang with in the bubble bath scene). During The Story screenwriter Michael Piller talks about how he incorporated a classic Trek theme the Federation must a protect weak nation (Baku) against a strong one (Sona) into a story of a battle for eternal youth; I liked it until he, too, veered off-topic to gush about the wonderful Generation family cast members. During discussion of how Insurrection was filmed on location in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (previous films were staged almost completely on studio sets), Patrick Stewart rhapsodizes about you guessed it the wonderful family hes created with his colleagues. And on and on. Its great that this cast has close working relationships dating back more than a decade before Insurrection but this is a big disc to fill with nothing more than tributes to friendship. In fact, I characterize most of the disc as filler, but with a few notable exceptions.
In The Art of Insurrection the films art director shows illustrations of the various ships used and talks about how he was inspired by the overall shape and inner strings of a grand piano, especially when he created Sona vessels. In Creating the Illusion theres discussion about how CGI technology was utilized to show battling ships, and chase scenes. It was good to see because space vehicles in flight or fight are really the meat and potatoes of any Trek offering. In The Star Trek Universe, Michael Westmore, chief makeup designer for the franchise for the past 12 years describes how strange, real-life insects and mammals have inspired most of the Trek aliens.
But the only segment that I rate as a must-see, is Star Treks Beautiful Women because it follows lascivious Trek history all the way back to Kirks era. The best thing about it is that none of featured hotties are, theoretically anyway, women at all! Its all footage, all the time, of horny, alien space goddesses. From bodacious Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), to a pre-Sex in the City Kim Catrall playing an ice-queen Vulcan, then back further to someone called the Green Orion Slave Girl (I think she had the hots for Kirk but the green face paint makes it hard to tell) this one is a winner through and through. All of the interviewed actresses enjoyed talking about their former sexcapades within a multi-galaxy context, and I laughed along with them and had to play it again. If only the entire disc could rise to that standard.
This disc has its bright spots but it drags, much like the film. Bigger isnt always better.
Reviewed By: Sarah Flick
Release Details


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Autor: Leslie Keeney
Datum: 26.08.2010
Category: Urbane Mission, Wahrheit & Pluralismus
There is a common feeling among Christians that modern culture is, as Obi Wan Kenobi said, a "wretched hive of scum and villainy." These people see society as immoral (or at best amoral) and imagine a great divide between their own values and anything that mainstream culture might have to offer. Worldly is a synonym for lacking any moral center. Because they view the culture-at-large as having an essentially contradictory basis for morality, these people also reject any opinion held by a Christian that happens to agree with the presiding culture as the first step on the road to hell. The possibility that culture might actually have something positive to offer never enters their mind.
The problem with the assumption that secular culture is a moral wasteland can be demonstrated biblically, historically, and anecdotally. In Roman 2:13-15, Paul describes a group of people who do not have the law, but who are convicted by their conscience because they know intuitively what the law requires. Paul's point here is that there are people who do not know the Jewish/Christian God but who nevertheless instinctively know right from wrong. C.S. Lewis referred to this universal, intuitive sense of right and wrong as "moral law." Tim Keller refers to this same instinct as "moral obligation" and describes it as "a belief that some things ought not to be done regardless of how a person feels about them within herself, regardless of what the rest of her community and culture says, and regardless of whether it is in her self-interest or not." Even John Calvin, the father of total depravity (metaphorically speaking) believed in what he called "common grace," the idea that all people, not just Christians, have an echo of God's divine nature in them that provides an instinctive knowledge of right and wrong.
The belief that most people have an intuitive understanding of right and wrong is considered by many to be one way of demonstrating that the source of that morality— God—must exist. If most people have a common understanding of what is right and wrong, the logic goes, then there must be something upon which that standard is based? I don't have time to go through the full argument here, but you get the idea.
For people who find all this philosophizing tiresome (which, I have heard, is most people), there is also both historical and anecdotal evidence that this intuitive sense of morality exists. Historically, it has been secular society, not necessarily the church, that has increased the awareness of things like sexual and spousal abuse, hate crimes, animal cruelty, bullying, and a whole host of other evils. Yes, Christians have been involved in these issues, but it is the culture as a whole, including atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, and worshippers of the goddess Isis, who have together agreed that these are the values of a good society. It is society as a whole, and not just Christians, who respond to every natural disaster with money, resources, and volunteerism. And shockingly, many of us even have kind agnostic neighbors who shovel their elderly neighbor's driveway.
For anecdotal evidence of what society values, just turn on the television. Yes, materialism and sex are a huge part of what entertains us (as it has been for thousands of years), but take a look at something like the crime drama, which has been around at least 200 years longer than the reality show. The entire genre is predicated on society's need to believe that justice will prevail and that good will conquer evil. Serial killers, pedophiles, liars, and shallow rich people are bad. People who catch them are good. Heroes vs. villains. Good vs. evil. Anyone who thinks that culture is immoral needs to watch less Jersey Shore and more Criminal Minds. "Do you really think evil exists?' agent Morgan asked at the end of one episode. "After seeing everything we've seen," agent Rossi responds, "do you really think it doesn't exist?"
Let me be clear that I am not saying that culture should be the primary source of our values. Biblical revelation in partnership with the Holy Spirit should always be the last word. What I am saying is that if there is an intuitive moral law that resides in the general population—and if that moral instinct comes from God—then it is inconsistent to leave culture out of the discussion. Yes, adding another seat at the table makes the discussion more complicated. It's much easier to wrestle with just the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and the local church, without adding something as untidy and complicated as culture to the mix. But maybe it's the right thing to do. What do you think?
Stichwörter: culture, values, morality
Isn't it interesting and telling that we can see the good, the bad, the ugly, the mundane, the boring, the funny, the ridiculous, the silly, the stupid and every other way you can describe an event, an action, a scene or a person in the course of every single day of our lives? And, what's even more interesting is that two people can be in the same place seeing the same thing and have totally different takes on what they just witnessed. That is what makes our world so amazing, so frustrating, so mysterious.
Sometimes we can choose the response we will have to a given event/situation. Sometimes we can't. Some days I can listen to the news and it drives me nuts. Some days I don't even care to listen at all. Some days I want to smush the bug crawling in my house that doesn't need to be there. Other days I marvel at the lightening bugs that light up my yard on a summer's evening.
And, some days there are people who make me want to "lose my religion" or who would "make a preacher cuss" as some of my mountain relatives and friends would say. And, the next day I find myself having extraordinary conversations with those same people about faith and life.
There is always good to be found in anything that God has a hand in. Whether the person involved in the good knows anything about God or not, that person or that even can still be used by God to show God's love to others. And, it is our vocation as followers of Christ to reflect that love in ways that people can see God, even if they don't know what they're looking at. Only after they have witnessed it can we have a chance to go deeper into the meaning of it.
Culture is one area that can have a fine line and I do believe that there has to be strength when enough when going into any realm that reaches outside of what may be typical for one's norm'-in their box of comfort. When going to other into the mission field, into other countries, and other ethnicities other than ours, we must, of course, present the message in their realm, in the manner that they will understand. And Lausanne has amazing resources to aid in this process if one does not already have them from their church or otherwise. But, also in the area that we live in, in our own backyards, neighborhoods, we must pay careful attention to the next generation, and be sure to keep them (or even sadly bring them back) to the church and in relationship with Christ. Now, in doing so, presenting worship service, music and praise, and even sermon presentation style, must has become more and more relaxed and energetic. I love the style of praise music from Hillsong, and others along the likes of theirs. We are not leaving behind our message; on the contrary, if you watch, you will see the sincerity of the youths eyes, and actions in these services, and realize their walk is amazingly real; in my opinion moreso than many that have been going to the same format of church service for 60 years with no increase in the closeness of their walk with Christ (with no push, no avenue for them to have influence of such even). I hope this makes sense enough for you to understand that in doing so we bring in and keep the young, And, we need to liven up the elders, to some degree (somehow?...), so that their walk is revived...Just some thoughts...
Nice blog. I believe this intuitive moral law is the conscience that God put into man and woman in the beginning. What could possibly have guided Enoch or Noah to live righteous lives, or even Abraham though God did somehow call him to follow?
What evangelicals have failed to do in the past is to let culture (and society) inform their decision-making regarding the approach and how to present the Gospel. I found much moral thinking among the rural and tribal peoples I worked with in Asia. My heart bled for many Muslims who had a clear and deep conscience and desire for peace who were caught up in a society that fostered hostility and hurt.
I think we have made great strides in recent years toward an awareness of the need for being better informed. Of course, we need to be careful not to let the culture bleed into the message we have to deliver and so to contaminate it. And the danger is most apparent where it appears that culture is affirming the Christian message when really it is only toying with it or using it as theme for its own agendas.
I am right there with you. I think that God placed what we are calling "moral law" into our very being. The existence of evil and spiritual warfare is what jumbles everything up.
Our approach in presenting the gospel should always be relevant to our culture. This was how Jesus was. He spoke their language, understood their problems, and showed them what it means to follow him.
I think this is a very interesting discussion but i would have to say no, i dont think culture should inform our values. Our culture will determine the laws and rules by which our country runs but when it comes to our own personal values and the principles which we live by i don't think we should let our culture have much input at all. I say this because our culture's standards of what is acceptable and normal are changing, values such as having no sex before marriage are now being widely accepted as the norm. The standards are slowly going down as we are 'disensitized'(not sure how to spell that) by media etc. and i don't want my values do the same. Thanks so much for the thought provoking article:)
I think it is very easy to be desensitized by our culture. The gray areas are what get many of us because we don't take the time to figure out our stance on these issues. Often times this is due to the fact that our churches, our Christian circles, don't take the time to discuss such things. If the Church can't figure it out, how will anyone else?
Thanks for this article.
Culture never informs my theology and practice of mission. Theology informs my culture. Yes culture has in many ways helped us to take note of the evil within. But there is no absolute moral in culture. The Jewish/Christian ethic has led the way in the formation of many of our Western laws. Within the Post Modern era however there will be no moral absolute. It will end up being the law of the jungle. Christianity can bring a powerful word to culture as each believer steps up and lives out their faith. This is a discussion that I find helpful. Thanks for initiating it.
I understand what you are saying in your response to her questions. I could see how culture does not inform your theology but culture should have some influence on how you practice mission. Our practice of mission should be relevant to our culture or else there will be a disconnect between believers and non-believers.
Your post is very thought provoking. I believe that there is in fact a moral law that many follow. Moral laws seem to also be shaped by the cultures they are a part of.
If we believe in Scripture which says that human beings were created in the image of God, then surely even with sin being a part of our world, this part of a human was not completely destroyed.
It's true that so many people can do good things apart from Christ but that's where following Christ must stand to be different. The Scriptures teach that simply being a good person does not gain you access into the kingdom of God. It is when you love even your enemies, when you pray for someone who mistreats you instead of seeking out vengeance, when you show mercy and compassion...these are the characteristics that surpass the moral law of culture (Luke 6:27-36). It is when you forgive and love even those who choose to crucify you. This is what makes the gospel of Jesus such a radical gospel.
Thanks for the response. While I have worked in other countries, it has always been with indiginous believers. I appreciate hearing from someone who has worked with non-believers that the moral law is, indeed, evident in cultures throughout the world.
Thanks for this excellent posting !
Thank you Keeney for that write-up. It is true that we should not try to shut out culture from our Christian life and experience. But it needs to be given only its rightful place in the light of the Scriptures. I live in a society where culture and non Christian religion are so mixed up that at times it is difficult to know which one is which if you are not well informed about both. On the other hand we are facing opposition to the gospel because of the Western culture which is showing up in the Christian Church in general. So we have a quite a difficult situation to deal with. Christians here will have to learn to keep the balance. That is neither to be held in local culture influenced by religion and nor to be attracted by a foreign culture which may though be more compatible with the gospel message but not essential in following Christ lest our witness be rejected.
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Vectors of Tick-borne Diseases in New York City Residents
Box 1. What to Tell Your Patients About Preventing Tick-borne Diseases
Box 2. For Patients Who Have Found a Tick on the Skin
Box 3. How to Safely Remove an Embedded Tick
Figure 1. Petechial Rash - Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Figure 2. Erythema Migrans Rash - Lyme Disease
Table 1. Brief Guide to Diagnosing Tick-borne Diseases
Most ticks go through 4 life stages: egg, 6-legged larva, 8-legged nymph, and adult, and must eat blood at every stage after egg. Ticks will attach to a host (usually small mammals such as the white-footed mouse) and suck the blood slowly for several days. If the host has a bloodborne infection, the tick will ingest the pathogens with the blood. At the next feeding, the tick can potentially transmit the disease when attaching to a person, pet, or other animal.1,2
Continue to TICK SURVEILLANCE IN THE NYC AREA on the next page >


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Google cleared in ringtone lawsuit
A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit alleging Google displayed fraudulent ringtone advertisements on its AdWords platform. According to the ruling by District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel, the federal Communications Decency Act clears Google from any liability for pay-per-click ads created via AdWords: "Providing third parties with neutral tools to create web content is considered to be squarely within the protections of [the law]," Fogel writes. "Even if a service provider knows that third parties are using such tools to create illegal content, the service provider's failure to intervene is immunized."
The suit against Google was filed by New Jersey resident Jenna Goddard, who claimed she was billed for a ringtone subscription after entering her mobile number into a fraudulent site she discovered through AdWords. Goddard's suit argued Google violated its own stated policy requiring mobile content ads to direct consumers to landing pages with accurate pricing information. Fogel dismissed the case without prejudice, effectively allowing Goddard to file an amended complaint at a later date.
Goddard was represented by law firm KamberEdelson LLC. Earlier this year, the firm won a lawsuit awarding refunds to AT&T subscribers subjected to unauthorized third-party mobile content charges--the settlement involved more than a dozen lawsuits filed by AT&T subscribers across the U.S., and although the financial terms remain unclear, the operator agreed to pay $4.3 million simply to cover the plaintiffs' legal costs. KamberEdelson also won a settlement in a class action suit alleging mobile entertainment provider Mobile Messenger with allowing unauthorized mobile content charges, saying the firm failed to install adequate safeguards to ensure customers were only billed for services they agreed to purchase. In addition, KamberEdelson was one of several firms that successfully brought suit against footwear and clothing manufacturer Timberland for unauthorized text messages advertising its products.
For more on the Google ringtone suit:
- read this MediaPost article


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Since Angelina Jolie is in a foreign country with children in need, and she's Angelina Jolie, there's been a lot of speculation she would take a child back from Haiti with her. She sets the record straight in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour airing this weekend, and seems a little irritated that we would even suggest it.
"I'm always open to children around the world," she says. "We're that kind of a family; Brad and I talk about that. But that's not what we're focusing on at this time, by any means. We're not here for that." Watch the video after the jump.
Focus people, there are real problems at hand. Angelina needs to help Anne Hathaway with her kissing.
Here's Jolie with the one that started it all, Maddox Jolie Pitt, as they left the Mary Poppins show on Broadway on January 3, 2010.


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Guardsmen and Reservists Encouraged to Nominate Supportive Employers for Nation's Top Honor
ARLINGTON, Va. – Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, is now accepting nominations for the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the Department of Defense's highest award presented to civilian employers for support of their employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve. Nominations may be submitted by Guardsmen, Reservists, or family members acting on their behalf, at www.FreedomAward.mil through January 21, 2013.
Nearly one million Americans serve in the Guard and Reserve, making up almost one-half of the nation's total military. For more than 10 years, these Citizen Warriors have responded to unprecedented national security demands and humanitarian missions spanning the globe. The civilian employers of Guardsmen and Reservists have shared in their service to our nation by standing firmly behind employees, providing essential support and greater peace of mind.
"Employers of every size and industry continue to go to extraordinary lengths to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to employees serving in the Guard and Reserve," said James G. Rebholz, National Chair, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. "I urge all Guard and Reserve Service members who have benefited from their employer's support to nominate that employer for this most prestigious award. A Freedom Award nomination allows service members to acknowledge and thank their employer for the essential role they play in supporting their military career and in our nation's defense."
Each year, up to 15 of the nation's most supportive employers are selected as recipients and honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Past Freedom Award recipients supportive measures have included arranging childcare services for deployed employees, sponsoring trips to visit injured employees, and working longer hours to cover the shifts of employees at military training.
About ESGR and the Freedom Award:
The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of ESGR to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. In the years since, 175 employers have been honored with the award. Established as a DoD agency 40 years ago, ESGR develops and maintains employer support for Guard and Reserve service. ESGR advocates relevant initiatives, recognizes outstanding support, increases awareness of applicable laws, and resolves conflict between service members and employers. Paramount to ESGR's mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce.
For questions or interviews regarding the Freedom Award, please contact Beth Sherman, ESGR Public Affairs, at 571-372-0705 or by email at email@example.com.
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Yesterday I saw that someone had posted some Galactic Federation of whatever videos here. I couldn't help thinking to myself NEWBIE. It seems so long ago since folks actually talked about the GFL I had almost forgotten it was still kicking around out there. It kinda occurred to me that there's this sorta natural progression of spirituality, or truth seeking, that has kinda formed itself up. Probably mostly on an internet basis, probably ONLY on the internet. But I thought it was kinda interesting to look back over my personal path and see that I sorta did follow that progression. I know quite a few of us here have because of blogs and vid posts and such. It's like the internet sorta has this 'school' that's formed itself as folks have awoken, and we move along through the 'grades' as we have our awakening.
A few years ago I was blogging about the idea that the internet might be the 'second coming'. Seemed to me that when humanity needed to receive great messages in the past Universe has sent down a human avatar with the info we needed. We've had heaps of those avatars down our history. Jesus of Nazareth is probably the most famous, but there's also Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed and some others I've probably forgotten. Like messengers to humanity they appeared on Earth at the appointed time, shared their wisdom and then departed again. Now I'm certain that each of those messengers made a difference in things on Earth...heck, we can still see the influences of those messages across the globe. We even tend to make war with folks who believe in different messages than we do...right now, today don't we? There's no question that each of these avatar messengers were part of why humanity is the way it is now. BUT for some reason most of those messages have been badly interpreted and translated and alla that so that those in power could manipulate the masses. Grand idea, but somehow humanity has managed to twist it all into something I don't think those messages ever meant to be.
Now here we are again, at another of those 'turning points'. Time for Universe to send another messenger on down to humanity. Universe has figured out though that no matter WHO it sends down here, we simply don't get it do we? We listen, and maybe for awhile those lessons create some change, but humanity always manages to 'forget' the true message and get right on back to our game of control and competition. Called for a whole new tactic I reckon. I can imagine Universe thinking to itself I gotta try something different this time, what can I do? They don't seem to take very well to the avatars. They might do better if I just get them talking to themselves. Talking and listening to EACH OTHER might be a better system. I gotta come up with a whole new idea here. How can I do that? How can I GET them talking to each other? Have humanity deliver the messages to itself, one person at a time? No big crowds and rallies will work anymore. Those in control don't actually LIKE folks getting together in large groups these days. What we need now is a person to person network, that everyone, or at least a whole lotta folks, can have access to. A system of allowing humanity to deliver its own awakening messages to itself. One on one. With time for private study and review as that information flows in. Thus the internet.
Humanity took to the internet like ducks to water. Huge numbers of people joined up with the internet and started their own personal explorations. Course there's a whole buncha OTHER stuff that folks use the internet for, commerce, business, delivery systems, accounting and a whole buncha other stuff. Some folks have hijacked the internet for all sorta ugly reasons as well. We've got hate mongers on here, kiddie porn folks, scammers and just plain old criminals. It IS a polarity planet, so I guess that was only to be expected. BUT, at the same time many of us accepted the internet for what Universe probably intended it to be, a way to assist each other in our awakening processes. Seems to me that the whole awakening thing on the internet has had this sorta natural progression. Along the way we have grown and expanded our consciousness and at various points along the way some of us have moved beyond certain things we once gave credence. Those Galactic Federation things is a perfect example. I think if any of us was totally honest with ourselves we LISTENED to the federation guys for awhile. I gotta give credit where credit is due, our listening and learning provided us with some basics that we needed to move on down our paths. BUT, after awhile more and more folks started talking and we moved along to listen to what they had to offer. I guess the next 'big thing' was channeling, and spirit guides and personal angels and such. Again, much wisdom on offer, but many of us kept seeking beyond those messages. Seems the more we questioned, the more folks came along with something new. New discoveries in ancient sites and prophecies and such like. Kinda like Universe said, hey, wait a minute, don't jump on every bandwagon that comes along...keep going...don't just stop at the first comfortable level of awakening you experience cause that's just the beginning. And we did. Over time it seems the whole business of 'outside' messages sorta started falling by the wayside. Yeah, there are folks who took up this or that path along the way, federations, saviours, off planet rescue, all sorta stuff like that are still there. The folks who saw that as their personal soul choice. They are happy to just stop there, accept what feels right to them and begin to live accordingly. Many many others though just kept on going. Kept on seeking. Driven by our hearts and souls to find a bigger picture. AND instead of folks from elsewhere, in federations, or angel suits or whatever, folks are listening to each other. Learning and growing as new discoveries are made every day. NOT information delivered to humanity by some personality, but a sorta natural progression of more and more folks realizing more and more about how Universe actually works. All sorta ancient scrolls and such have come to light. Discoveries have been made about such things as the layout of sacred sites and ley lines a more natural, nature based, from a different starting point. From HERE. NOT from someone who isn't from here, hasn't actually lived thousands of lifetimes in this game. But from OURSELVES. Finding the true history of mankind.
Maybe the most important bit of info we collected in this particular stage of the game was that Universe and Mother Earth and the Sun, and all of cosmos is made of up 'people like us'. Not in physical bodies, but live and feeling beings. It was kinda like we stopped seeking off world assistance and just decided to learn and grow and expand TOGETHER. Whole buncha folks tossing their own personal puzzle pieces onto the table for sharing. I find it kinda interesting that folks who have recently awakened seem to be 'following in footsteps of other'. Like alla that information has been put on the internet by now, and it's all available, but folks still tend to start at the 'beginning' and move through the same progression many of us have. Ultimately I think everyone ends up exactly where they belong in accordance with their own life plans and sacred contracts, so we've actually created 'factions'. But lately it seems to me that folks are much more aligned with the ideas of us being part of cosmos. An integral part, that everything is connected and everything is...well, everything. We have become aware of the consciousness of Universe and our planet and everything else. We even recognize the consciousness of rocks and trees these days. We try to act in alignment with what the natural world has to tell us. What our Dear Planet herself has to tell us.
There was this really strong energy in the world about 21 December being the 'big day'...the ascension. Somewhere along the line I think that energy, or belief, or whatever you wanna call it has waned...a whole lot. I hope something magical happens on Solstice this year and humanity is suddenly zapped into a wonderful new earth, but it just doesn't seem to feel as certain as it used to. Something has changed. It seems humanity mighta 'pushed back' the date. Perhaps so more of us could 'come on board'. Let's face it, we are seeing folks we NEVER thought would get it asking us for info. Beginning to feel a deep dissatisfaction with the way things are going on our world, and are starting to see the game for what it is. Folks are resenting the controllers, longing for new freedoms. The whole sovereignty movement was born, occupy, alla that sorta thing. Conspiracy theories sorta popped up at this point as well. As the love motivators grew larger and larger in number, so did the the opposite side of things 'mature' as well. Fear became a major factor. THEY are gonna destroy our world. they are running things into the ground. They are gonna use up all our resources and then kill of a large chunk of humanity so they can have the game they way they want it. Along came the Alex Jones sort, Drake, alla those guys who seem to want to use THEIR own weapons back against THEM. At the same time, and I think perhaps even in equal numbers, we had folks coming out who are 'solution oriented'. Free energy, communities, all sorta revelations about our natural past as a species, how we got here, and why, and where we are going next. I guess that's pretty much where we are now. A sorta balance between the love and light factions, the science factions, the natural organic path of ascension along with the planet, and most important of all I think...the knowledge that this whole process is a DIY project. Go inside for your answers. You ARE cosmos manifested into a human being, here to experience this particular game on this particular D. We have also come to realize that we have selfs across ALL the Ds, and that even now, while we are here playing this game we are at the same time being planets and universes and galaxies of our own. Once we began to realize that, that we have our own answers to all our own questions, well, everyone started exploring their own inner universes, and that's where we find ourselves today.
We are not only discovering our true being, we are beginning to put that way of being into practice in our daily lives and it's kinda contagious. Other folks are beginning 'to catch it' as more and more of us awaken. I guess lottsa folks have chosen various 'stop off points' along the way. Found their niche with federations or channels or 4D astral beings. Good on em...I wish them every good thing.
Many of us though have found a new level of being. A level of self realization that makes alla that off world stuff seem foreign and strange to us. We have a whole new alignment with Mother Earth, with all of cosmos, and we have moved beyond the need for federations, controllers, or anyone else, to tell us how to be. There will probably become several new versions of whatever game humanity chooses next. A sorta separation of pathways so to speak. Some folks will look forward to going onto ships, or following ascended masters or space guys to their destinations. Not me. I'm already AT my destination. Here, on this beautiful planet being held in the loving embrace of not only Mother Earth, but the galaxy, the Universe, heck, all of creation. Sorta changes the game doesn't it? I mean once you sorta move into 'direct contact' with your higher aspects of self, ya just get a different picture of how things are gonna be.
Whatever is gonna be, whether on 21 December, or next year or next decade, I believe humanity is focused on what comes next. We are seeing the present game falling into pieces all around us. Personally I'm not gonna be looking to federations or factions, or governments or anyone else to tell me 'where to go'. I'm already here.