text:
Buy online and ship.
Buy online and pickup in store.*
Call to reserve a book in our store for pickup.
      *Call store to confirm availability.
Complete How to Book of Indiancraft - by: Hunt, W Ben (Paperback)
ISBN: 002011690XPublished: Jan, 1973Description: Reading to good condition
Complete Idiots Guide to Scrapbooking - by: Smedley, Wendy (Paperback)
ISBN: 0028643720Published: Jan, 2002Description: 2nd Edition
Joy of Crafts - by: Blue Mountain Craf (Hardback)
ISBN: 0030144817Published: Jan, 1975Description: Reading to good condition
Elaine Slater's Book of Needlepoint Proj (Hardback)
ISBN: 003017516XPublished: Jan, 1978Description: isbn: 003017516X
Designing in Batik and Tie Dye - by: Belfer, Nancy (Paperback)
ISBN: 0132019965Published: Jan, 1977Description: 0132019965 Previous owner's name on ffep, crease
Gifts from Your Garden - by: Bales, Suzanne (Hardback)
ISBN: 0133561550Published: Jan, 1992Description: 9780133561555
Learn to Crochet: Step by Step How to's - by: Leisure Arts (Paperback)
ISBN: 028906055429Published: Jan, 2011Description: Reading to good condition
Designing for Embroidery from Ancient an - by: Messent, Jan (Hardback)
ISBN: 0289706009Published: Jan, 1976Description: 0289706009


text:
PRZOOM - /newswire/ -
Austin, TX, United States, 2010/10/22 - The website Signs Reviewed now talks about what it's like to use signage to advertise your business. The whitepaper aims to help small businesses of all sizes.
In 2010, the tough economic climate has made running a successful business more challenging than ever. With lending institutions more hesitant than at any time in the last decade to provide loans to small businesses, it has become essential to stay afloat through solid business practices. Two very important parts of running and maintaining a successful business involve building your brand and generating awareness through advertising. If you want your business to grow, you need to take certain steps to make sure it is marketed. If you communicate with potential supports, clients, and consumers, you will be better able to spread the word about your business goals, products, services, and agenda. However, before you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on advertising the traditional way, you might want to consider your options so you can see if other beneficial strategies might work for you. Signage is a diverse and relatively new way of communication that allows you to send all sorts of messages to potential consumers, helping you promote your business.
What is signage?
Advances in technology mean marketers can move beyond the traditional still advertisements and take advantage of platforms that let you exercise more control and creativity. This platform is signage. Digital signs are visible on a variety of electronic display screens including LED screens, LCDs, and flat screens. You can usually find them where people tend to gather, such as in public areas in malls, student centers, and town squares. Through such signs, you can get a lot more money for your dollar in comparison to traditional forms of advertising. When you have the ability to create slots with animation and flashing graphics, you have an edge over the competition that translates into greater sales.
When you compare digital signs to regular modes of advertising, including fliers, posters, and dreaded telemarketers, it is easy to see why this is becoming one of the most popular ways of spreading messages to the public. Digital signs bring numerous advantages to the table, including animation, full color, eye catching graphics, sound, and similar sensory experiences that attract attention and wallets. When you create a sign, the only true limits to your potential are your own inspiration and creativity. You can express your messages and views clearly with the freedom provided by this medium, which means you are more likely to reach the customers you want to attract.
What are some more advantages of signage?
Traditional advertisements are one shot affairs; if you print something out and find typos or misspellings or errors in phone numbers or contact information, the only options are to reprint everything or to hope people don't notice when they come in for more information. None of these options are very professional, and having poorly made ads will likely lead to decreases in potential sales.
On the other hand, with signs and digital technology, you can update, edit, or modify your content whenever you want. signsreviewed.com/create-a-sign.php is a great resource site to check out if you're thinking about creating your signs with an online sign company. With an online sign company, you have as much control as you are interested in having over all of the details of your ads. For example, if you want certain ads to display during the daytime and other ads to display during the nighttime, you can choose this. You can make certain ads play only on certain days, such as immediately before a weekend sale, and have them turned off when they are no longer relevant. Such sign technology comes with software that you can use to build ads from the ground up, add a number of audio and visual effects, and put them on the billboards within minutes of creation. Because the technology is digital and run through computers, it is even possible to edit the content on your signs without leaving your office.
Closing thoughts
When choosing your advertising platform, it is important to think about how effective it will be in getting your particular message across. Of course, you will want to reach as many people as possible, but you will also want to leave a positive impression. Your only choices in the past were static advertising, but through digital signage technology, you have an entirely new world of possibilities available. You can take advantage of them and bring your business to new heights of success.
Agency / Source: Anchor Elements
Availability: All Regions (Including Int'l)
Traffic Booster: [/] Quick PRZOOM - Press & Newswire Visibility Checker
Distribution / Indexing: [+]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Just thought I would check in and let everyone know that the family and I are good....only thing was lost power during hurricane (I was working downtown when storm hit) and flooded streets during the rain the night after Ike. The power got turned back on last night and water is gone...i have yet to check it out cause I have been at work since before the storm friday. Good luck to those that did not fair to well...if anything is needed feel free to ask and I will help if I can and anyway possible.
cheap tows (pay for gas maybe a little more depending on situation) for anyone that may have got stuck in the water
glad to hear you are okay.
Rob firstname.lastname@example.com
Space City LX, Houston's Premier Modern Mopar Enthusiast Organization
The Cars Bring Us Together... The People Set Us Apart
Gathering Owners... Connecting Enthusiasts


text:
Sheriff: Man kills, dismembers victim in Cassatt
CASSATT, S.C. (AP) -- Investigators say a man killed another man, then dismembered the victim and put the remains in several black plastic bags in Kershaw County.
Sheriff Jim Matthews said the suspect told a relative what he had done after suffering heart problems, and that relative called police Monday morning.
Matthews says the suspect in is custody and being questioned by investigators. Authorities have not released the suspect's name or a motive for the killing.
Deputies and State Law Enforcement Division agents are at the mobile home park in Cassatt where the body was found gathering evidence.
Investigators say a dispute over money and drugs led to a man killing another man with a pipe wrench and dismembering his body in Kershaw County.
The sheriff says the suspect is being guarded at the hospital, but no arrest warrant has been issued.
The name of the victim has not been released.
Matthews says deputies had dealt with both men in the past


text:
Nov 12, 2013 at 4:16 pm
MONTICELLO, Minn. (KNSI) An 81 year-old Monticello man was killed in a single vehicle crash Tuesday.
The Wright County Sheriff's Office says it happened just before 2:00 pm at 127th Street Northeast and 120th Street Northeast in Monticello Township.
The driver was southbound on 127th Street when his Jeep Wrangler left the road, traveled into the ditch and struck a tree.
The driver of the vehicle was the only occupant and was dead at the scene. His name will be released Wednesday, pending notification of relatives.
The crash is being investigated by the Wright County Sheriff's Office and the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office.
Temp: 61°F (16°C)
Dewpoint: 52
Wind: 14 W
Weather: Cloudy


text:
Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that the cumulative unit sales of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) have reached the 70 million mark. It was originally released on December 12, 2004 in Japan, before being released March 2005 in North America, May of the same year in Asian countries and regions, and September in Europe/PAL territories.
In a statement, Sony also said "more than 3200 titles on UMD are available worldwide, with cumulative software sales reaching 298 million to date."
Both these hardware and software figures will be comforting news to Sony on the same day that it revealed the successor to its original handheld, the PS Vita - due for release worldwide by the end of 2011.


text:
The appearance of advertisements and product information on this site does not constitute an endorsement by Equipment World Magazine, and Equipment World Magazine has not investigated the claims made by any advertiser. Product information is based solely on material received from suppliers.
Bridgestone's M775 on/off-highway drive radial, widely used with logging and oil field service fleets in Canada, is ideal in severe -service applications. This aggressive drive delivers superior traction and exceptioanl removal mileage while being usable at highway speeds to 65 mph. The specially designed aggressive block tread and open shoulder design digs into soft surfaces, such as mud and snow, for superior traction. Thirsty angled block sipes enhance wet traction by breaking up pocketed water for a solid grip on wet surfaces. With a tread over one full inch deep, the M775 offers more than exceptional tire life. Tough tread compounds combat lug base cracking, a common problem with other ultra-deep drive radials.


text:
Discussion in 'Disney Cruise Line Forum' started by bicmize, Jan 9, 2013.
Was just looking over all the dinning options on the Dream and there are so many? How do u decide?
You will be assigned to each main dining room for dinner at least one night during your cruise (usually more depending on the length of your trip). For breakfast and lunch, I suggest eating constantly.
Log in or Sign up
to hide this advert.
You don't for dinner you will be assigned a time to be the one of the three Main Dinning Rooms. Each night you will be in a different Dinning Room but have the same servers. As for Lunch and Breakfast they will sometimes have one or both of the dinning rooms open , plus the buffet will be open too.
Thanks! I was getting worried about all the options! It's nice to know it has already been planned out. Do u know if there is a place to get a late night snack?
How late? The poolside quick serve areas generally close about 9-10. I think the pizza place may be open until 11. Some of the lounges will have snacks (chips, salsa, hot dogs, veggies and dip, cakes) at night. And room service is 24/7.
For dinner we usually eat in the MDRs (which they assign to you ahead of time, you'll get to see all three on your cruise).
But, for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, you are right, there are a LOT of options! Kind of like going to Disney World for a few days and picking from the seemingly hundreds of eating places!
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast one day in one of the dining rooms. Try it up top another day. Same with lunch. Both venues offer their own rewards. Have a nice afternoon snack from one of the counter service locations up top.
Consider good dining at Palo, and extremely fine dining in Remy.
But...no matter what you choose, you will have a lot of fun, and you won't be able to get to them all. Just something to look forward to on a future cruise!
Separate names with a comma.


text:
Enterprise Software for Manufacturers and Distributors Now Available for Apple Mac OS X 10.4
OpenMFG, the leading provider of open standards-based enterprise solutions for small manufacturers and distributors, today announced that its flagship OpenMFG Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Suite has been certified for Apple Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger."
The OpenMFG Suite is a next-generation, Internet-enabled and fully- integrated ERP application. Both the OpenMFG Client and the OpenMFG Server have been certified for use on "Tiger," as well as past versions of Mac OS X. Available modules include Inventory Management, Part Definition and Costing, Work Order Management, Master Scheduling, Capacity Planning, Purchase Order Management, Sales Order Management, Shipping and Receiving, Sales Analysis, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Bank Reconciliation, and a full General Ledger.
The OpenMFG ERP Suite also features a graphical report writer and renderer, OpenRPT, with support for leading document sizes and label formats, barcodes, images, and watermarks. OpenRPT for Mac OS X ships standard with the OpenMFG ERP Suite, and is also available separately as a fully embeddable report writer and rendering engine for other Mac OS X software. OpenRPT is available as free, open source software under the GNU General Public License (GPL), or under a commercial license for customers who do not wish to be bound by the terms of the GPL.
"We've seen an enormous amount of interest from customers and partners in running OpenMFG on Tiger," said Ned Lilly, OpenMFG's president and CEO. "It's clearly the best Mac operating system yet, and a powerful and stable environment for mission-critical applications like OpenMFG."
One OpenMFG customer making the move to Tiger is Area, Inc., an independent maker of sophisticated bedding and home accessories based in New York City whose products are distributed throughout North America. Area was seeing growing demand for the original designs, natural fibers, and informal yet sophisticated style that characterize their growing product line. Having made do with a simple accounting program running on the legacy MacOS 9 for many years, Area made a companywide decision to update their business systems to the OpenMFG ERP Suite running on Apple Mac OS X "Tiger."
"We are a company that believes in the marriage of functionality and design," said Anki Spets, the founder and president of Area, Inc. "OpenMFG on Tiger gives us incredible power underneath a very clean and simple interface. It's important that as we grow our business, our technology systems allow us the flexibility to run our company in the way we see fit."
All OpenMFG products are built with robust open source components including the PostgreSQL database, and the Qt framework for C++. This underlying technology, invisible to the user, enables OpenMFG and its partners to deliver sophisticated ERP functionality at a very low total cost of ownership. It also enables a true multiplatform solution for individual workstations; in addition to Mac OS X, the OpenMFG Client runs on Windows, Linux, and various commercial Unix systems. By leveraging this open source "stack," and through an innovative partner program which borrows from the open source software development process, OpenMFG brings a competitive new approach to a sorely underserved market.
About OpenMFG
OpenMFG, LLC, develops enterprise software tailored to the needs and budgets of small, entrepreneurial manufacturing and distribution companies. OpenMFG products give companies visibility into costs, supply chains, processes, inventory and financial operations with a lower cost of ownership than competing enterprise resource planning (ERP) products, and are sold to end-user customers through a network of value added partners throughout North America.
Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.


text:
I got rear ended in my Smart on the freeway on Friday. Traffic was slowing down; I took my foot off the gas pedal, looked in the rear view mirror and saw the Toyota Sienna also slowed down behind me. All of a sudden the van behind me accelerated and hit me at 40 - 50 mph; driver behind me must have stepped on the wrong pedal. I am 38 weeks pregnant, and thanks to the safety features in the car, I…
© 2017 Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
Powered by
Badges |
Report an Issue |
Terms of Service
Please check your browser settings or contact your system administrator.


text:
I should have been doing something productive last night, but instead I ran some analysis and aggregation against perl.org's caught spam mailboxes.
The end result, a lot of numbers, not enough pretty graphs. What I really want to do is put the data into RRDtool, and update it regularly -- but properly configuring RRDtool to do fancy things is a black art I have not mastered yet.
In the end, we get a whole lot of spam and viruses every day. We get around the same number of messages -- but the viruses take up an order of magnitude more space. (And don't compress very well either.)
On the positive side, we're not passing this stuff on to the mailing lists or @cpan.org users. On the negative side, there's no sign of this tapering off. The spam level has stayed relatively constant for the past few months, although we've begun trapping a bunch more since we started using SURBL. Virus levels fluctuate widely.
If anyone is interested in playing with the data, let me know. I'd expect some pretty graphs in return.
I'd plug National Shoot a Spammer Day, but really it's the virus writers. Why can't they write small viruses? In some ways, the latest MyDoom variant is progress. In my book, it gets classified as spam.


text:
Both a resident and
shop owner retailer in Roscoe Village, Lauren Chatman's irrepressible passion for city living is wonderfully obvious in her self-professed love of wine, architecture, sushi, taking, and laughing. A native of the Chicagoland area and a graduate of Columbia College, Lauren's expertise in marketing and sales means that she is the perfect go-to gal at the Roscoe Village children's boutique, Little Threads, 2033 W. Roscoe St., where she can be found helping customers choose that perfect onesie or hostessing a fun storybook event.
Lauren's charming sense of humor is evident not only in her choice of vocation, but also in that she readily admits to loving Wet Naps, liking peanut butter only half the time, and always being confused by the Taco Bell drive-thru.
1. Where is your favorite spot to relax in Roscoe Village/West Lakeview?
My husband and I are big fans of The Village Tap and when I am out with girlfriends its most definitley Volo. I actually told a friend of mine when we were there recently that Volo equals a massage in terms of relaxation. It is THAT relaxing…Oh, and the wine helps too!
2. How has the neighborhood changed over the past five years or so?
We have lived in the neighborhood for about seven years now, and I am not sure if it's because we have a child now, but it certainly seems as if there are more kids, strollers and dogs….Don't drink the Roscoe Village water unless you want one of the mentioned "Village accessories."
3. What's the goofiest thing you have seen in the neighborhood lately?
The goofiest thing would have to be almost getting run over by a child in an almost to scale Hummer toy car on the sidewalk. My husband and I were just casually strolling down Roscoe with our son and literally had to jump off the sidewalk because this child was barreling towards us in his ginormous toy Hummer. I swear he was going 20 miles per hour and was going to run us down. Swear.
4. There are so many good breakfast places in that area! What's your go-to place and what is your favorite dish?
Hands down: Victory's Banner. Their french toast is ridiculous. If you are with other people, you don't even have time for chit chat because it is THAT good. You want to savor every bite.
5. When you need some retail therapy, what shop in the area always has that perfect little something?
It's a tie between Glam to Go and Fixture. Both are always SPOT ON for gifts and I feel like I can always walk in with a budget in mind and find the perfect thing and of course walk away with something for myself each and every time!


text:
Niagara USA Chamber president named "Woman of Distinction"
Deanna A. Brennen, president and CEO of the Niagara USA Chamber, has been honored by the State Senate as a "Woman of Distinction," State Sen. George D. Maziarz announced Thursday.
Brennen worked for 13 years for the Niagara County Community College Small Business Development Center before becoming head of the Chamber in July 2007. She also served on the board of the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency until earlier this year.
The Senate's "Woman of Distiction" program was started in 1998 as a way to honor one woman from each Senate district whose achievements "serve as an example to all New Yorkers."


text:
I'm 26 yrs old, 105lbs, 32F boobies! I got large breasts the moment I hit puberty. I have always hated the size and been very uncomfortable in my own skin. So in 9 days it will be "bye bye saggy boobies" and "hello twins with perky ones"! I am having a breast lift with implant. I will be going from an F to a D. I'm extremely excited and very nervous! But I can't wait to wear my first strapless sundress without a bra!
The Countdown Has Begun! -Dothan, AL
I'm 26 yrs old, 105lbs, 32F boobies! I got large...
Day of surgery and post op
My surgery went great and I'm very happy with what I see so far. They are extremely sore and swollen. This is to be expected, but I'm taking it easy like the doctor said.
1 1/2 weeks later!
Well it's been almost to weeks since my surgery and I'm feeling great. Still a little sore but no pain and my bombs look great. Bruising is gone and the stitches are starting to itch. Only four days until they finally come out!
Was this review helpful? {{ voteCountOthers + ' other' + (voteCountOthers == 1 ? '' : 's') }} found this helpful


text:
Support » Plugin: Buddypress Sidebar » Data for Buddypress Sidebar
5 years, 8 months ago
I was using BP sidebars in a development version of the site. It was working as expected, but our needs changed and it was deleted. I had to sort out a change that resulted in BP Sidebars being reintroduced. In the admin area I am only using it for 2 areas (Groups and Members). No problems with those, but I am seeing one the PRIOR sidebars show on a page that was associated with BP sidebars prior. I cannot find a place to clear the data or setting.
Where is the data stored for BP sidebars. Also, I am using the plugin Content Aware Sidebars for non-buddypress pages. I was having problems with BP Sidebars working properly outside of BP pages, specifically on pages that are based on a custom post type (called Books in this case).


text: With the 2006 NFL draft less then two weeks away, there is a lot of uncertainty at the top of the first round. However, there is one thing for certain, and that is that USC RB Reggie Bush should be the first overall selection. The dynamo all-purpose back had a combined 2,890 yards last season as a junior. He rushed for 1,740 yards, caught 37 passes and averaged 9.9 yards per punt return and 17.6 yards per kickoff return. He is a big-time player who knows how to light up the scoreboard, scoring 19 touchdowns last season. Everything about Bush says he is going to be a special football player. He is a threat any time he touches the ball. He can play many different roles within the offense and on special teams. He has excellent running skills and exceptional vision, and he runs with excellent lean and body control. Is he small? Yes. Does that hinder him from breaking tackles? No. Bush is also one of the most elusive runners to come out of college in some time. Speaking of size, it baffles me as to why a lot of experts want to knock Bush on his dimensions. Barry Sanders' size never hindered him. Marshall Faulk, Ahman Green and Priest Holmes are all under 6 feet tall. I understand Bush is 201 pounds, and the above-mentioned players are in the 210-215 range, but they weren't when they came into the NFL. Like them, Bush will add bulk to his frame and likely will end up eventually settling in at 210 pounds as a playing weight. Speaking of Faulk, he is a nice player to compare Bush to. Both show excellent run skills and vision. Both are extremely elusive with the ball in their hands. Both catch the ball extremely well out of the backfield. In his prime, Faulk kept defensive coordinators up at night, something Bush will do from day one. Bush also brings the added dimension of his return skills and is more of a home run threat than Faulk ever was. Nonetheless, they have similar running attributes and styles. If the Texans select him, what is the best way to use him? As with any young player, they would need to bring him along slowly. They would want to put the ball in his hands 15-20 times a game. They will look to accomplish that in many different ways. He will get five to seven carries a game early on. They will look to get him the ball another five times as a receiver out of the backfield. Add in a few punt returns, and the Texans have a guy who will be able to break the game wide open at any point. A lot of experts have talked about Bush's not being a good pick for the Texans because they already have a solid No. 1 RB in Domanick Davis. The Texans would make a mistake by not taking Bush because rule No. 1 is, you always take the best player available regardless of position (and you don't draft for needs). It has also been proven time and time again in the NFL that having a two-headed monster at the running back position is a good thing. Davis has never been a durable player anyway, so having Bush could lessen his workload and keep him fresh late in games and late in the season. Having two talented running backs would be a huge help to the Texans' offense, which finished the 2005 season ranked 30th in total offense (253.3 ypg) and 26th in points scored (16.3 ppg). How about Davis and Bush in the lineup at the same time? That would be scary. The Texans would have the ability to really use the split-back formation and have two credible receiving threats coming out of the backfield. They also would be able to utilize their three-receiver/two-back package. With the addition of wide receiver Eric Moulds to go along with Andre Johnson and potentially Jerome Mathis, this is a package that would give the Texans their most explosive unit. In general, the addition of Bush opens up the field for everyone. Because of his skills set, he has to be accounted for on every play. His presence in the lineup will force teams to focus on him, opening up the field for the Texans' other offensive weapons. So what are some factors that could prevent Bush from reaching his ultimate potential? First and foremost, I think we need to talk about expectations. If there is one thing that truly holds back any top-10 pick it is media, fans and organizations expecting too much too quickly. Bush is not going to be a player who comes into the league and rushes for 100 yards and scores two touchdowns on a weekly basis. We are so used to seeing him run rampant through opposing defenses at the college level, so it is natural to think that will carry over. At USC, Bush was the biggest fish in a smaller pond. In the NFL, he will still be a big fish, but it will be in a much bigger pond. That pond will include the likes of teams having multiple defenders who can run, chase and hit. How will Bush deal with those expectations? Will he be able to handle on-the-field adversity? Will he be able to fight through the rough patches? I think he is a player with excellent work ethic, maturity and character, so he should be able to handle these situations well. However, it is important for people not to expect too much too early. The other issue that could prevent him from "stardom" is how a team might use him, at least early on. It is natural to want to get him involved in every facet because he was the ultimate weapon as a college player. It is important that he is not asked to do too much, though. One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is asking a player be the face of the organization before he is ready. From my days with the Browns, it was very apparent this was a mistake we made with quarterback Tim Couch and defensive tackle Gerard Warren. They weren't physically or mentally prepared to do some of the things we asked them to do. We built them up, but when you do that, you open yourself up to a lot of criticism if that player does not play up to his potential early in his career. That player then starts to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. Bush is also a little on the light side. He will need to mature physically and add bulk and strength to his frame. Overuse could result in injuries. One of the biggest setbacks for a young player is getting injured early in his career. It causes a player to miss important time on the field taking reps. Mental reps in the classroom are great, but I can't stress how important it is to be on the field working with your teammates. There has been talk in recent days that the Texans are entertaining trade talk for the New York Jets (who have the No. 4 pick). Unless the deal is overwhelming, the Texans would be crazy to make the move. "A Bush in the hand is better than" … well, anyone else they could pick in the 2006 NFL draft. Jeremy Green is director of pro scouting for Scouts Inc. He has been an NFL scout for 11 years, including two as director of pro personnel for the Cleveland Browns.


text:
Present Remotely
Send the link below via email or IMCopy
Present to your audienceStart remote presentation
- Invited audience members will follow you as you navigate and present
- People invited to a presentation do not need a Prezi account
- This link expires 10 minutes after you close the presentation
- A maximum of 30 users can follow your presentation
- Learn more about this feature in our knowledge base article
Do you really want to delete this prezi?
Neither you, nor the coeditors you shared it with will be able to recover it again.
Make your likes visible on Facebook?
Connect your Facebook account to Prezi and let your likes appear on your timeline.
You can change this under Settings & Account at any time.
Wolf Island
Tracey Williamsonon 5 August 2011
Comments (0)
Please log in to add your comment.
Transcript of Wolf Island
Wolf Island aboard mainland mild population balance of or having to do with boys or men of or having to do with girls or women the chief landmass of a country, or continent, as different from an island layer a steady, secure position the people or animals living in a place gentle or calm; not harsh or sharp male Vocabulary female male female island on or into a ship, train, or an airplane I can get on board a ... one thickness of something Mmm, a three layer cake! What else comes in layers? Soil To understand mild, think of the opposite. Definately not mild Ahhhh, mild! Not mild! What are some animals that need good balance? What are some activities that you do that need good balance?Full transcript


text:
Ask an Eye Doctor and Get an Answer ASAP
Hello, Welcome to Just Answer
Could you please elaborate a bit more on what her eyes look like ?
Hello, they look like a horse shoe
The cornea is the transparent curved part of the eye whereas the iris is the inner dark pigmented ( colored) part of the eye.
the pigmented part of the eye is like a horse shoe the centre of the eye cuts through the pigmented part of the eye
Have you noticed it in both eyes? Has it been there since birth?
I have noticed it in both eyes, but i'm not sure if it's been there since birth
From the given description I would think it is something like a sclerocornea which is a congenital anomaly giving rise to a cloudy cornea.
Is it something that she will grow out of, is it dangerous, could she go blind from it?
Do you see anything whitish or cloudy in the centre of her eyes?
No nothing
Sorry for so many questions but I do not want to unnecessarily end up giving you a false picture.
Well in that case it would not necessarily be a sclerocornea.
Are her pupils round in shape?
No, they are like a teardrop
If you could just hang on for a few seconds I can possibly show you a picture which could be similar to the one in discussion.
Please follow the above link to see if this is how her eye looks like?
Another similar picture.
In both the pictures the pupils look like tear drops.
Is this what you have observed in her eyes?
Unfortunately, i'm not able to access the pictures
So sorry about that.
If it is as the pictures, what can be done about it?
Well, if the pupils are to be tear drop shaped then it is likely to be an iris coloboma. It is a congenital anomaly in which there is deficiency in the closure of a particular fissure in the eye thus resulting in a coloboma. It has different types depending on the amount of failur of closure of the fissure. It can be incomplete or complete type. An incomplete type is less problematic and may not cause much of a problem but for some amount of refractive error which can be corrected with glasses to some extent.
Can this cause blindness?
The complete type may cause reduced visual acuity( poor vision) as it affects the deeper layers of the eye. A detailed evaluation of her eyes is a must so as to know the exact diagnosis and its prognosis.
No I would not say blindness but can result in reduced vision ( the extent of it can only be assessed after a fundus exam - dilate pupils and look into the inner layers of the eye).
What happens if the pupils do not dilate?
The inner layers can still be viewed through the pupil and a rough assessment can be made. If the inner layer is also affected then the visual prognosis is poor( but not blindness).
Many thanks for your help


text:
Urgent: Casting Attractive Men and Women for "Joe Dirt 2" (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Casting Call Details:
*** Joe Dirt 2 – Working on Tuesday 12/2 ***
We are now taking submissions for clean cut and young looking males and females to work on Tuesday 12/2 in Covington, LA. You must be 18 years old or older, but look very young and very clean cut / wholesome.
Please submit a picture of yourself and your contact info.
Casting Calls Categories: Feature Film Casting Calls
Audition Date: Base on Submission
Project: "Joe Dirt 2"
Casting Call Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Casting Call Submission Form:
SPECIAL OFFER: Save 30% off the regular price of Backstage, including Backstage.com and Backstage Magazine. Casting You Can Trust: Start your acting, modeling, and singing career today!
This Casting Call/Audition filed in: Casting Calls in New Orleans, LA / Feature Film Auditions and Casting Calls / Paid Roles Casting Calls


text:
International Edition
September 24, 2017
About Us
Contact Us
Southeast Asia palm oil problems could hit consumers worldwide
By Sam Reeves, AFP Monday, May 12, 2014, 12:03 am TWN
JAKARTA--Southeast Asia's booming palm oil industry is facing a double blow from a recent drought and a possible El Nino weather phenomenon later this year, with analysts warning a production shortfall could spark a jump in consumer goods prices.
From biscuits to shampoo and make-up, the oil has become a key ingredient in numerous products found on supermarket shelves across the globe, fueling rapid growth of the industry in the world's top two producers, Indonesia and Malaysia.
But a drought in January and February in the countries, which provide some 85 percent of the world's palm oil and are home to vast plantations where swathes of rainforest used to stand, has raised the prospect of a drop in production later this year.
Dry weather does not have an immediate effect on the fruit, which needs to be deprived of water for some months before any impact is noticeable.
While palm oil prices have risen slightly in recent months in Indonesia, the country's Palm Oil Association put it down to other factors, and industry observers predicted the drought's impact would start to be felt later in 2014.
Consumer Price Rises Likely
"We are likely to see the effects starting in September to October, and in terms of production, we are likely to see a double-digit percentage drop in Indonesia and Malaysia," said Tan Chee Tat, a Singapore-based investment analyst at Philip Futures whose work has focused on palm oil.
"There is a high likelihood companies will pass on the price rise to consumers."
Another threat could come hot on the heels of this year's dry weather — forecasters are predicting an El Nino weather phenomenon later this year, which could spark another drought that will hit production in 2015.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology issued an El Nino alert this week, warning the likelihood of the weather pattern developing was at least 70 percent, and it could appear as early as July.
This follows recent warnings from other weather agencies there is a good chance of an El Nino.
El Nino, which develops every two to seven years, occurs when water warms around Indonesia, shifts eastward and rises to the surface in the eastern Pacific.
The warming water changes wind patterns and draws rain and thunderstorms toward South America and away from countries in the western Pacific.
Billions of Dollars in Damage
It typically brings floods to usually arid countries in western South America and drought to Indonesia and other countries in the region.
If this year's El Nino is as strong as the 20th century's worst in 1997-98, which was blamed for tens of thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in damage, it could wreak havoc on palm oil crops, analysts fear.
Fadhil Hasan, executive director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association, said that production was hit in 2008 following an El Nino, and prices rose to US$1,200 a tonne. They are currently at around US$930 a tonne.
However he said that other factors, such as market speculation, may have also contributed to the rise.


text:
Burton Cinch Backpack
Sometimes the simplest answer is the best one. Stash-and-go ease with an interior zipper pocket for the little essentials.
For simple tasks – like rolling to the gym or hitting a summer show – an overbuilt pack is just too much. The Burton Cinch Pack takes it easy as a quick stash-and-go alternative. A straightforward cinch closure keeps it all together while a single zippered interior pocket stows all the key stuff in one spot.
- Drawstring Closure
- Internal Organization
- Zippered Pocket
- Webbing Shoulder Straps
- Lifetime Warranty


text:
London (May. 10)
Professor Einstein, speaking in German, delivered the first of his three Rhodes lectures at Oxford yesterday. His subject was the Theory of Relativity: its Final Content and Present Problems. The other two lectures will be on the cosmological problem and the latest developments of the Relativity Theory.


text:
Emulinx Turns Philips Pronto Remotes into Virtual AMX Touchscreens
Former AMX dealer creates emulator so consumers can use relatively more affordable TSU series universal remotes instead of AMX touchscreens
If your customers love AMX, but not the price or the button configuration of its touchscreens, they can use Philips Pronto remote controls instead.
Former AMX dealer Brian Anderson of Axis Control has created Emulinx for Pronto – software that basically turns a relatively affordable Pronto into an AMX touchscreen.
In a demo at the Philips booth during CEDIA Expo 2009, Axis demonstrated the emulation software pitting a Pronto TSU9800 Web-enabled touchscreen against an AMX Modero touchpanel.
Sure enough, the two touchscreens tracked each other perfectly.
Anderson said he got the idea last year at CEDIA when he visited the Philips booth with a friend who was a heavy Pronto user.
"I didn't really understand how powerful ProntoScript is," he says of the Pronto JavaScript programming environment.
Emulinx is not necessarily plug-and-play but Anderson says, "If you can program AMX and you can program a Pronto, it's pretty easy."
At CEDIA 2009, Philips introduced a number of new partners who have created two-way drivers for Pronto's TSU series controllers.
The Pronto TSU controllers started out as universal remotes with two-way control for Lutron RadioRa and Escient Fireball. Now supports about 140 products including multiroom audio, security (HAI) and surveillance.
How much will you save using Emulinx and Pronto versus the touchscreen counterparts from AMX and (coming soon) Crestron?
Emulinx spells it out here.
(Note: the chart mistakenly lists the TSU9600 for $1,299. The correct price is $1,499)
Emulinx is having a show special: $1,500 for the software (unlimited use). The regular price is $2,500.
You tell us: Is it worth the hassle?
In the Words of Emulinx
EmuLinx is a software solution which enables you to incorporate the Philips Professional line of Prontos into a control system. With almost no extra programming, you can have a TSU-9800, TSU-9600 or TSU-9400 running side by side with the control systems interfaces. In fact, they can replace the standard interfaces all together. This can substantially bring down the cost of doing a full automation system.
The EmuLinx software packages is the perfect solution for the current economic conditions. Fewer customers are willing to spend the many thousands of dollars each proprietary touchscreen can cost. Instead of reducing the number of touchscreens interfaced into the control system, why not spec in a few Prontos for quite substantially less? This not only saves the customer money, but also increases the usefulness of their automation system.
Considering the cost of the TSU-9400, the system can be spec'd with a controller in almost every room. Think how much easier it will be to bid on projects with competitors who can only spec propietary panels. EmuLinx included bids will always come in lower than any other bids of considerable scope.
Julie Jacobson, recipient of the 2014 CEA TechHome Leadership Award, is co-founder of EH Publishing, producer of CE Pro, Electronic House, Commercial Integrator, Security Sales and other leading technology publications. She currently spends most of her time writing for CE Pro in the areas of home automation, security, networked A/V and the business of home systems integration. Julie majored in Economics at the University of Michigan, spent a year abroad at Cambridge University, earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and has never taken a journalism class in her life. She's a washed-up Ultimate Frisbee player currently residing in Carlsbad, Calif. Email Julie at [email protected]
Follow Julie on social media:
Twitter · LinkedIn · Google+
Julie also participates in these groups:
LinkedIn · Google+
Universal RemotesCore Brands Rallies Around Elan at CEDIA
Logitech Video Q&A: Harmony Pro Remote Is Ideal for IoT Mid-Market
Elan Debuts HR30, HR10 Remote Controllers at CEDIA 2017
After Son's Diabetes Diagnosis, IoT Exec Sees Big Role for Home Automation in Disease Management
Exclusive: URC Total Control 2.0 is Complete Overhaul of Flagship Home Automation System
View more on Universal Remotes


text:
Capsule Stage Reviews: RENT, Three Murders and It's Only Monday, Who Was That Masked Man?
RENT The rock musical RENT, inspired by La Bohème, recreates Manhattan's East Village, with its poverty, artistic drive and the ever-present specter of AIDS. But in the Stage Door production, the exuberant joy of living bursts through the grime to make this a celebration of life, love and the transforming power even of death. This production succeeds in creating a Dickensian world populated by fully drawn, flesh-and-blood characters. Director Marc Anthony Glover has staged it so brilliantly that the audience is transported totally into the world created by Jonathan Larson, who wrote the music and lyrics — and died on the day of the 1996 off-Broadway premiere. Glover is aided enormously by the superb set he created with Dario Failla; the set seems unobtrusive but comes to exciting life as its multiple levels are put to dramatic use. The cast is huge, and almost all the ensemble acting is breathtakingly good. Leslie Sharp as Mimi singlehandedly covers every inch of the stage in a vocal and dramatic tour-de-force. She is authentic and riveting, as is Alexandra Musgrove as political activist Maureen, who has a lover but hasn't quite grasped the concept of fidelity. Patrick Barton has strength as both a singer and an actor, and brings emotional depth to his role as Angel's lover. Robert Pimentel plays the young Angel with sensitivity and warmth, wearing his stunning drag outfits with poise and style. Almost all the costumes, by Paula Malik and Susie Sutton, are exciting, and the complicated lighting, by Glover and Failla, is highly effective. The production delivers so much pleasure that it may be churlish to find fault — but I will, anyway. As documentary filmmaker Mark, Bryan Burleigh seems out of place in the seething maelstrom of pulsing humanity elsewhere onstage. He has altar-boy good looks, and sports glasses and a blue-and-white scarf so big it wears him instead of the other way around. It all seems oddly preppy for Avenue B, where it's considered suburban to wear matching socks. Jimmy Brady plays songwriter Roger, and he has a powerful stage presence and a wonderful voice; with these gifts, it's not necessary to "sell" the acting, which should be invisible. And I didn't feel the poignancy of his yearning for one great song. None of this detracts from the wonderful staging, including the death and funeral of Angel, both of which could hardly have been presented more effectively. Jonathan Larson would be proud. Through August 14. 284 Pasadena Town Square Mall, 832-582-7606. — JJT
Three Murders and It's Only Monday Prolific playwright Pat Cook, a resident of Houston, knows the mystery genre to a fare-thee-well and spoofs it entertainingly in Three Murders and It's Only Monday. Revered conventions are shattered to smithereens as the fourth wall is not only breached but assaulted with devastating comic force. Detective Harry Monday, well played by Christopher Roney, dominates the proceedings. Roney creates the desired film noir ambience, wearing a worn fedora with a snap brim as though born with it on. The down-on-his-luck detective's pants aren't even close to matching his jacket, perfectly capturing his financial straits. But he is as adept at ferreting out killers as he is at marching downstage to brief the entranced audience on developments. The audience is not only loyal, it verges on devout — a recurring plot event is a generator failure that darkens the stage, and when this occurs the audience bursts into applause as though an especially well played scene has just ended. This is not always the case, as some of the performers are better than the others, and a tone of woodenness occasionally mars the goings-on. The acting, rather than being ensemble, has the tone of "every man for himself"; since this is a satire, it works better than one might expect. The plot, of course, involves a will and beneficiaries being killed. The dialogue is deliberately obtuse — one example will suffice: A scream is heard. "What was that?!" "A scream." Joey Hancock displays admirable enthusiasm as an American Indian, and Glenn Ropiequet has a powerful stage presence as Dr. Morrissey. Crystal Stampes finds her evil twin in a bravura ending involving a knife pointed directly at an audience member. Cheryl Mills wears long white gloves with aplomb but is given little to do. One actor has movie-star looks but not a glimmering of how to project her voice for the stage. The entire cast is adept at ducking for cover or hitting the floor whenever a gun is brandished, which is often. And the yearning to break the fourth wall themselves is realized in a hilarious passage. The proceedings are directed by Larry Ransberger, who finds the humor. It is very entertaining. Sit back and savor — this is a spoof, not Agatha Christie — and even the awkward moments will surprise and possibly delight. Through August 20. Playhouse 1960, 6814 Gant Rd., 281-587-8243. — JJT
Who Was That Masked Man? The term "meller-drammer" says it all — outlandish acting, deliberately exaggerated actions, simple plots, a mustachioed villain and a damsel in distress. Hisses at the villain were encouraged, as were cheers for the hero, and Theatre Suburbia capped it all by providing popcorn to throw at the cast, who sometimes threw it back. An uncomplicated set permitted something like a theater-in-the-round arrangement, and a bar in Slick Willy's Saloon doubled as a teller's cage for the local bank. The widow (tearfully well-played in the expected histrionic mode by Susan O'Connor) was slated to lose her home to the evil bank president whose mustache and black cape are certain emblems of villainy. Glenn Dodson played the morally challenged villain with confidence, but I did miss some of the lip-smacking relish and the savoring of pure evil that's the traditional hallmark of roles such as these. I especially liked Donna Dixon, who played the barmaid in an attractive red gown with eye shadow to match, and who dominated the stage with her powerful self-assurance. Daniel Corrigan was great as the dim-witted, bungling sheriff, and he managed to add nuance — believe it or not — to his role. Amesti Reioux played the widow's daughter — she can flutter a mean eyelid, nailed the ingenue smile and made us want to protect her virtue from the inevitable assault. The young Andrew Miles was effective as the Magnolia Kid, a gunslinger dressed in black but with so much cherry-red jacket fringe that I feared it might slow down his quick draw. The hero was the Masked Man, played by James Plake, and, while I found him unconvincing as the hero, he came to life in a dance routine in a dress — no, not cross-dressing, just a disguise. There was more dancing in the play, including an energetic, engaging can-can by a woman well past the first blush of youth. And there was singing as well, by the cast and the audience — a song-sheet was provided with the program, though the songs are familiar classics. The entire cast worked well together under the able direction of Doris Merten, creating a world of high jinks and low humor that, much to my surprise, I came to believe in. The events were enhanced by Alice Smith's appropriate piano accompaniment. Nineteenth-century histrionics were displayed shamelessly onstage in a fun-filled performance, and unless you're a curmudgeon by nature, you'll enjoy it. See it — you may exit with popcorn in your hair, but there will be a smile on your lips. Through August 27. Theatre Suburbia, 4106 Way Out West Dr., 713-682-3525. — JJT
Related Location
4106 Way Out W. Dr.
Houston, TX 77092
Get the ICYMI: Today's Top Stories Newsletter Our daily newsletter delivers quick clicks to keep you in the know
Catch up on the day's news and stay informed with our daily digest of the most popular news, music, food and arts stories in Houston, delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday.
Recommended for You
Powered by SailThru
Upcoming Events
Love On The Floor
TicketsFri., Oct. 27, 8:00pm
Escape to Margaritaville (Touring)
TicketsTue., Oct. 31, 7:30pm
Jeanne Robertson
TicketsSat., Nov. 4, 7:00pm
"The Secret Garden"
TicketsTue., Oct. 10, 7:30pmpowered by goldstar
Sponsor Content


text:
Ford coverage
Bert, Seaford: A belated comment on Saturday's Celebrate the Ford cover of the paper. Opening it up gave a truly gigantic impression of the industry that's available in Newport News. The view of the ship with the person on the side is quite impressive. Thank you for the people who came up with it and for printing it. I still have my copy.


text:
We were recommended palazzo a Merse B&B by chef Gina Stipo who runs a cooking school on the premises. it was our best experience in Tuscany. The proprietor was warm and welcoming. Breakfast was a delight. Our B&B was most comfortable and cozy. We didn't want to leave.
- Also Known As:
- Palazzo a Merse B&B San Rocco a Pilli, Province Of Siena, Italy


text:
Bolton confirm Coyle appointment
Bolton Wanderers have confirmed the appointment of Owen Coyle as their new manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract. Predecessor Gary Megson was sacked by the relegation-threatened club last week.
The former Burnely boss takes charge ahead of Arsenal's visit to the Reebok Stadium next Sunday's, after Saturday's Premier League clash with Sunderland was postponed due to adverse weather conditions.
Coyle, who played for the Trotters in the mid-1990s, told the club's website: "I'm absolutely delighted to be back at Bolton Wanderers. I look forward to the opportunity of bringing the good times back to the club for everyone."
Bolton chairman Phil Gartside said: "Owen was our number one target and we are naturally delighted that he has returned to the football club as manager. He was an inspirational player who leads by example and a great motivator, and on behalf of everyone at Bolton Wanderers, I would like to say welcome home.
''It's been a long, drawn-out week,'' Gartside admitted. ''Owen was the only one on the list. I'd got a list of 30 names but the only one we wanted was Owen. We haven't interviewed anyone, we haven't contacted anyone. It was just Owen that we wanted.''
As for what makes Coyle special, Gartside added: ''It's his desire. He had to come back here, really.
''He's well known to the place, he came through an era which was special to everybody, including me. Bruce Rioch revitalised Bolton in the early 90s. That three-year period was special and Owen was part of that. He is infectious. He still is infectious, even more so than before.''
The delay in confirming Coyle's appointment was largely due to Bolton's ongoing negotiations in thrashing out a compensation deal with Burnley. A settle figure of £1.5 million has been reported.
The 43-year-old Scotsman led Burnley into the top flight for the first time in 33 years after moving from St Johnstone in November 2007, but believes Bolton is a better option.
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.


text:
A scifi raygun from an earlier time.
Inspired by BBC radiophonic workshop effects - this was generated by SoundForge FM synthesis and assorted effects.
I used this in Saucer Wars - a game for Android phones.
Full version here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.timjeanes.saucerwars.full
Free version here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.timjeanes.saucerwars.free
1 comment
Please log in to comment


text:
Dr. Martin Luther King remembered with speeches, parades
Mon, 20 Jan 2014 22:48:18 GMT —
Around the nation, and on the Grand Strand and Pee Dee, Americans honored the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr. Monday.
During a breakfast service at the Canal St. Recreation Center in Myrtle Beach, Dr. King's leadership in the civil rights movement was remembered with speeches, music and drum major awards bestowed on Grand Strand citizens, in keeping with King's quote about being a "drum major for justice".
That was followed by a parade, led by an Army colonel and Myrtle Beach native, who's now an advisor to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Col. Reginald Bostick says King was more than just a drum major; he was a soldier.
"He took on a number of issues, he put himself in harm's way, time and time again and he's an inspiration to every American, so I think his work stands as an example to all of us, especially to those of us that are in the military," said Bostick.
Some parade-goers said King's work is remembered on this holiday, because he helped America live up to its promise of being the greatest country in the world.
"It's because of Dr. King that we can honestly say to every child, you can be whatever you want to be. He opened up the community, he opened up the future," said Dr. Beverly Boone of Myrtle Beach.
Others participating in King's Day observances say one big part of his legacy and a main reason why he's remembered by events around the country is that he brought hope to so many people.
"Not only just for people of color but for the masses as a whole, so we continue to reflect on what he did and looking forward to the future," said Greg Mitchell of Myrtle Beach.
Mitchell says King deserves to be remembered because of the doors he helped to open for all African-Americans.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was first observed as an official holiday in January, 1986.


text: v. also known as forswearing, is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. It is important that the false statement be material to the case at hand—that it could affect the outcome of the case. It is not considered perjury, for example, to lie about one's age, unless that person's age is a key factor in proving the case. (added 8/08GPC)


text:
Download this easy to use mobile app today and get the latest news, tweets, FB updates and info from CNN all in one place from your phone
Lenovo Vibe Z smartphone was launched in November 2013. The phone comes with a 5.50-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels at a PPI of 401 pixels per inch.
The Lenovo Vibe Z is powered by 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and it comes with 2GB of RAM. The phone packs 16GB of internal storage cannot be expanded. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Lenovo Vibe Z packs a 13-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel front shooter for selfies.
The Lenovo Vibe Z runs Android 4.3 and is powered by a 3000mAh non removable battery. It measures 149.10 x 77.00 x 7.90 (height x width x thickness) and weigh 145.20 grams.
The Lenovo Vibe Z is a single SIM (GSM) smartphone that accepts a Micro-SIM. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, FM, 3G and 4G. Sensors on the phone include Compass Magnetometer, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer and Ambient light sensor.
How to download CNN World News form Lenovo Vibe Z?
- Check the Android version to verify compatibility of CNN World News with Lenovo Vibe Z.
Find Android version: go to "Settings" - "About the phone" - "Android version". Make sure CNN World News is compatible with Lenovo Vibe Z.
- Click the download button to download CNN World News in Lenovo Vibe Z.
- Once the download and installation are complete, find CNN World News in your home screen and tap the icon to open it.
Related apps to Lenovo Vibe Z
DW - Breaking World NewsDownload
NYTimes - Latest NewsDownload
Aplicaciones androidDownload
Android Central - Tips & AppsDownload
BBC PersianDownload
Thadin - All Your Myanmar NewsDownload
Dailymotion FreeDownload
Nigeria Daily NewsDownload
BaBe - Baca BeritaDownload
NDTV News - IndiaDownload
ARY News TV Live HD StreamingDownload
LAUNCH DAY (NBA 2K15)Download
Other supported phone models
Intex Cloud 3G Gem
Asus ZenFone 4 A450CG
LG X screen
Acer Liquid Jade 2
Huawei Ascend Y600
Gionee M2017
Wickedleak Wammy One
Spice Mi-270
iBall Andi 5K Sparkle
Adcom A400
InFocus M350
Celkon Millennium Vogue Q455
ZTE Blade L
LeEco Le Max Pro
Motorola Moto G Forte
Micromax A25
Sony Xperia M
Panasonic T31
Samsung Galaxy Beam 2
Swipe Marathon
HTC Desire 601
Lava Iris X1
Idea Magna
Videocon A55qHD
Alcatel One Touch Idol 2 Mini
Coolpad Mega 3
Karbonn A8
Lyf Flame 5
Archos 55 Helium
Philips S308
Xiaomi Redmi 4
Oppo A57
Blu Vivo XL
Maxx Mobile GenxDroid7 AXD11
Zen Admire Thrill
Meizu Pro 6
Vivo X6S Plus
Xolo One
iBerry Auxus Nuclea X
Yu Yureka Note
Zopo Speed 7
Fly Fly F351
Nokia 3
MTS Duet 2
Datawind PocketSurfer3G5
Ringing Bells Freedom 251
Obi S500
BlackBerry KEYone


text:
The Love Alive Mass Choir first rang with the voices of children 25 years ago. Its heartbeat was gospel music. Valentine Bemiss Williams, a musician and educator already well-known to Jazz Fest-goers at the time, brought together youth from all parts of the community to sing in a summer workshop.
Soon, the choir was in demand for performances in school auditoriums, church fairs, local festivals and under the Gospel Tent at Jazz Fest. First known as Love Alive Fellowship Choir, the youth choir merged three years ago with its sister adult choir, Dimensions of Faith, to become Love Alive Mass Choir.
The choir celebrates 25 years of "Powerful Gospel Music" on Friday at 7 p.m. at New Hope Baptist Church, 1807 LaSalle St. The Rev. John C. Raphael is the host pastor.
The theme of the concert is "One Thing That I Desire." Williams will direct the choir. Luther McClain directs the musical orchestration. The event is free. Call 504.400.6018.
The annual men's conference of Free Mission Baptist Church, 1821 Egania St., will be held Saturday, 9 a.m. until noon. The theme is "Investing in our Future: Our Sons." A barbecue will follow.
Sponsored by the church's Parenting Program, issues to be discussed are coping with anger, building a successful future and the current identity crisis among males. The Rev. Johnny Jones Jr. is pastor and director. For information, call 504.201.5391.
Vacation Bible School continues tonight and Friday, 6 to 8 p.m., at First Pilgrims Baptist Church, 1228 Arts St. Classes for all ages are provided.
The theme is "Finding the Heavenly Treasure." The Rev. Eugene M. Mitchell is pastor. For information, call 504.944.0504.
Music Camp returns to First Baptist Church, 5290 Canal Blvd., July 16-20, 12:30 to 4 p.m., for children who have completed kindergarten through sixth grade. Special guest musicians will contribute.
The registration fee of $35 per child, and $25 for additional children in the immediate family, includes a T-shirt and a CD.
The camp follows a Vacation Bible School that runs July 16-20, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Bible school is free and open to the public.
The children of music camp will perform at Parents Night for VBS on July 19 at 6 p.m. Each child is asked to bring a sack lunch. Space is limited.
"The music camp complements Vacation Bible School very well," said Faye Scott, children's minister. For information, email email@example.com or call 504.482.5775.
The Loving Four Baptist Tabernacle, 2900 Thalia St., honors the Rev. Matthew Tanner Jr. on his first pastoral anniversary Friday at 7 p.m. with a praise and worship service featuring choirs, soloists and gospel groups from the Greater New Orleans area.
Bishop Blaise D. Polks Sr. of Pleak Village, Texas, is the guest speaker. The Rev. Dale J. Sanders, Fifth African Baptist Church, is the guest preacher Sunday at 10:30 a.m. for the special anniversary celebration service. All are invited.
St. Louis Cathedral hosts the Marine Corps Band New Orleans, with director Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Sherlock, and the Navy Band New Orleans, led by Lt. Jane Hoffman, in Fourth of July joint concerts Monday and Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The concerts are free. Tickets can be obtained by emailing email@example.com. Doors open for ticket holders at 6 p.m. and open for the public at 6:20 p.m.
St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church welcomes the Rev. Myron C. Madden, a former pastor and longtime director of pastoral care at Southern Baptist Hospital, as guest speaker Sunday at 11 a.m. His visit comes as the church is establishing the Myron C. Madden Institute for the Study of Faith Communities in Health and Healing. For information, visit www.scabc.org or call 504.861.9514.
How to start and conduct a successful Vacation Bible School is the theme of Saturday's 10 a.m. to noon workshop at Pure Light Baptist Church, 3944 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Ashan Owens is the director.
The cost is $20 per church for up to 10 attendees or $5 for individuals. A continental breakfast is included. For registration and information, call 504.899.6061, ext. 329 or fax 504.891.0347.
Marilyn Stewart writes about religion in Orleans Parish. Send news and events to firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Recording good music means nothing if there's no lasting impact. For Bun B and the late-Pimp C – collectively known as UGK – they've done both. It's crazy to believe the group's debut album, Too Hard To Swallow, turned 20 years old last week. In association with that milestone, a mini-documentary of sorts was crafted detailing Bun and Pimp's place in the hallowed halls of Hip-Hop.
Testimonials from 9th Wonder, A$AP Rocky, Freddie Gibbs, Big Boi, Killer Mike, Lupe Fiasco, Mos Def, Waka Flocka and more populate the near 30 minute clip. By the end, one conclusion should be more than apparent. Pimp and Bun put Port Arthur on the map, but it's the lives they touched far beyond the Texas state lines that tell the true story. UGK isn't "one of the best Southern groups ever." They're one of the best, period.


text:
FilmColony has acquired Girl of the Moment by Lizabeth Zindel, hoping to adapt the novel as a half-hour comedy series for television.
Development executive Melanie Donkers will produce alongside FilmColony president Richard N. Gladstein. Zindel will write for the show. The producers will pitch the project next, looking for a "perfect home" for the adaptation. Here's more from the release:
When Lily's dad gets fired and needs help paying for her college tuition, Lily lands a part-time job working for Sabrina Snow, the infamous daughter of a rich and powerful New York businessman and politician."Sabrina Snow is like American royalty and Lily gets thrown into a world that most people only dream about," says Zindel, who signed a three-book deal with Viking."


text:
LAUSANNE (Aug. 30)
Arab demands on Israel would out the new state to one-third of the territory allocated to it by the United Nations partition decision of November 29, 1947, it became obvious here today following an analysis of the Arab reply yesterday to a U.N. Conciliation Commission questionnaire designed to bring to light those problems which must be resolved before a permanent peace settlement can be obtained.
The Arabs demand Eastern Galilee as well as Western Galilee, the whole of the Negev, the Israeli-occupied corridor to Jerusalem, the internationalization of Jerusalem and Jaffa and an international corridor through Israel to link Jaffa with the Arab part of Palestine.
While the Commission found some difficulty in treating most of these demands as serious proposals, members expressed the fear that once again, as a result of this document, Arab public opinion may be led to expect far more than it could legitimately or reasonably hope for. Therefore Commission members feel they still have before them a long and painful task in reconciling Arab and Israeli views on the Jewish nation's frontiers.
Reuven Shiloah, head of the Israeli delegation, arrived back in Lausanne today after a week-end visit to Tel Aviv. He brought with him Israel's reply to the Commission's questionnaire on frontiers and refugees. This will be handed to the Commission at a meeting scheduled for Thursday.
The Jerusalem committee today signed its report to the United Nations General Assembly. The report has been dispatched to Lake Success and will be published next week.


text:
Howard County officer, two others injured in crash
A Howard County police officer, a man he had in custody and a driver who hit them are all in the hospital after an early morning crash.
Shortly before 2 a.m., Trooper First Class James Smith of the Maryland State Police responded to a crash on Rt. 144 near Griffith Road in Mount Airy.
Smith found several Howard County units parked on the eastbound shoulder. He learned that the crash to which he had been dispatched had occurred in Howard County.
Driver Matthew Griffis was involved in the crash and had left the scene on Penn Shop Road but was found and taken into custody by Howard County Officer Richard Romberger.
Romberger was standing on the passenger side of his patrol car with Griffis when they were hit by a 2000 Volvo S-70 driven by Ricky Epperson. State police believe Epperson was traveling east toward the stopped police cars, all of which had their emergency lights activated, when he failed to stop. He clipped the front on the parked State Police patrol car, hit the Howard County patrol car and hit Officer Romberger and Griffis.
Trooper Smith called for medical personnel to respond and Maryland State Police helicopters transported the three injured men.
No charges have been filed at this time.
{ }


text:
- Latest
- Popular
- Blogs
- Authors
- Topics
- Our Blog
… Mindset `1. The challenge: Social media technology is always changing. Negative: You wake up thinking "oh no, what will Facebook do today to further destroy their algorithm. Positive: You wake up and think "ooh what news will there be today that offers better technology changes for me connect with my audience and clients? 2. Challenge: Business…


text:
Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, and the Catholic Imagination
by Addison H. Hart
In 1985, the Royal Shakespeare Company's musical version of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables opened to less than enthusiastic critical acclaim. The majority of critics were dismissive of the production. "There is a string of impressive sights over the three-and-a-quarter hours," wrote John Hiley, "but little to grip the ear and still less to trouble the mind."1 Susie Mackenzie chimed in: "[O]ur admiration is solicited not on the grounds of something truthful and profound, not on the grounds of something intelligent and stimulating, but on the grounds of melodrama, contrivance and artifice."2 Lynn Gardner called the production a "load of sentimental old tosh,"3 and Christopher Edwards wrote it off as simply "sentimental and melodramatic."4
The rest, of course, is theatrical history. Les Miz, as this contemporary opera has come to be affectionately nicknamed, was an instant and resounding popular success, pace the critics. It has gone on from the original "French concept" of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg to become, under producer Cameron Mackintosh, an international phenomenon, playing to enrapt audiences in numerous translations worldwide. Needless to say, this came as a surprise to those critics who initially doubted it could last a season.
What is it about this story that has so captivated so many? What is the secret of this "melodramatic" and "sentimental old tosh," which made those abject critics of the professional aesthetic elite cringe, and the people love it?
But then, this all happened once before. It happened when Victor Hugo's massive novel first appeared in 1862. Critics lambasted it, the public loved it. Once again, despite the critics, it went on to become an international best-seller.
In America, the critics from New England seem to have had a particular distaste for Les Misérables. The New Englander ran a review that stated: "[We look in vain] for any powerful dominant idea, pervading the whole and resolving itself into a determinate form."5 Boston's Atlantic Monthly showed nervous reaction to the perceived message of the book in its review: "[I]ts morbid elements are so combined with sentiments abstractly Christian that it is calculated to wield a more pernicious influence than Byron ever exerted. Its tendency is to weaken that abhorrence of crime which society possesses, and it does this by attempting to prove that society itself is responsible for crimes it cannot prevent, but can only punish."6
Again, why was it that the popular response to Les Misérables was one of enthusiasm? If those critics from New England were to be believed, with all their concern for public morality, how could the general public be so led astray by "sentiments abstractly Christian" as to come under the spell of the novel's "pernicious influence"?
I believe that the Atlantic Monthly critic stumbled on the truth of the matter and inadvertently provided us with at least one key for understanding the perennial appeal of Les Misérables, whether in its novel, stage, or numerous film versions. That key is simply the phrase "sentiments abstractly Christian." Intended to suggest a deceptive veneer, a mask of hypocrisy, concealing the book's more sinister tendencies, this phrase may actually unlock for us the real appeal of the work. If by "sentiment" we mean "a thought prompted by feeling," then "sentiments abstractly Christian" are a positive good; and it should be encouraging to those of us who are Christians that such "sentiments" are seen to hold appeal for men and women everywhere. In fact, we Christians might well be instructed from the popularity of Les Misérables about precisely those "Christian sentiments" for which many hearts yearn.
A Blemished Writer, A Christian Work
This is not to say that, for orthodox Christians, blithely embracing Victor Hugo does not present its difficulties. We should not assume more than the biographical facts warrant. Hugo was not a Christian, and there is reason even to doubt that he was baptized. Religiously, as the foremost French Romantic figure of his age, he was a deist of sorts (his poetry, for example, indicates that he held to the concept of God that has since been termed "panentheism," a belief that God both transcends and permeates all creation7). During his fifteen-year exile on Guernsey he developed an interest in the occult, attending séances in an attempt to contact his beloved daughter, Leopoldine, who had died tragically with her husband in a boating accident in 1843. His poetry further reveals the religious influence of Swedenborg, Reynaud, and Cheneau, and he frequently made use of theosophical metaphors in his writings. He was a dabbler in heterodoxy, to say the very least.
For anyone in search of a "Christian role model," his personal life fares no better under scrutiny. His vanity was legendary; he is even said to have thought that Paris should be renamed in his honor. G. K. Chesterton comes to Hugo's aid here, when he writes: "The truth is that Hugo represents all the ultimate and fundamental things—love, fury, pity, worship, hatred, and consequently, among other things, vanity."8
Nevertheless, Hugo's sexual conquests and his fifty-year adulterous relationship with Juliette Drouet are not so easily excused. They present us with further reservations about his moral character. It should be noted, however, that this particular aspect of his life was not something he was proud of, and it only began after the shattering revelation of his wife's infidelity with his closest friend, Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve, in 1831.
So we have before us a man of blemished religious and moral character by basic Christian standards. To be fair, we must also point out that Hugo possessed a generous and good spirit, a deep compassion for the sufferings of individuals and mankind in general, and an abiding trust in God's love. But we cannot call him a Christian any more than we can Dickens. Thomas Merton, on the other hand, in a brief discussion of Faulkner's novels, wrote what might be applied equally well to Victor Hugo: "We have by now become wise enough to realize that a writer can be profoundly biblical in his work without being a churchgoer or a conventional believer, and we are also aware of the fact that in our time it is often the isolated and lonely artist, facing the problems of life without the routine consolations of conventional religion, who really experiences in their depth the existential dimensions of those problems."9
In this sense Les Misérables is a profoundly "Christian" work. Victor Hugo, with all his Romanticism, panentheism, theosophical musings, spiritualism, and moral struggles, still managed to come closer to the practical heart of Christ's gospel than many authors of a more orthodox faith. To step across the threshold into the world of this vast novel is immediately to encounter the three greatest themes in all literature: God, mankind, and the human soul. More to the point, it is to encounter those themes, within the context of a sprawling and enthralling epic narrative of nineteenth-century France, in terms we recognize from, say, Luke's Gospel.
The God of Hugo, Melville & Moby Dick
I am tempted to compare Les Misérables at this point with another nineteenth-century masterpiece of Romantic literature, Herman Melville's Moby Dick. If I were designing a course for serious postgraduates, I would assign a back-to-back reading of Moby Dick and Les Misérables, for Les Misérables is a sort of "anti-Moby Dick." Both the similarities and antitheses between these two great novels are striking, if not at first apparent. "This is a leviathan I am about to ship to sea," said Hugo before the publication of Les Misérables, reminding one of Melville all the more. To focus just on the more salient aspects, Melville and Hugo stand in stark contrast to each other in their respective views of God, mankind, and the soul.
Melville's "God" is so absolutely deterministic as to be downright malevolent where man is concerned. His view of mankind's situation is one of helplessness before relentless and crushing exterior forces. His view of the soul is best imaged by Ishmael adrift in the vast expanse of ocean, alone, tiny, and clinging to a coffin. Moby Dick has echoes of Job, Ecclesiastes, and Jonah. The last of these, The Book of Jonah, is in fact used by Melville in an inverted fashion, in direct opposition to that biblical book's ultimate intention of revealing God's mercifulness.
In contrast, Hugo sees God as loving, knowable, present, and merciful. Mankind's situation is, ideally, "the march from evil to good . . . from Hell to Heaven, from nothingness to God."10 His view of the human soul is anything but insignificant. Whereas Melville depicts the exterior forces overwhelming the lone soul in oceanic terms, Hugo uses the sea and sky to image the infinite depths of the soul made for God: "There is one spectacle greater than the sea: That is the sky; there is one spectacle greater than the sky: That is the interior of the soul." He continues, looking into those depths of the individual soul:
There, beneath the external silence, giants are doing battle as in Homer, melées of dragons and hydras, and clouds of phantoms as in Milton, ghostly spirals as in Dante. Such gloom enfolds that infinity which each man bears within himself and by which he measures in despair the desires of his will and the actions of his life!11
These ruminations, significantly, appear in the midst of a description of an internal moral struggle by the protagonist, Jean Valjean, who consequently makes the hard choice to sacrifice himself, his wealth, and his freedom for the sake of another man.
For Hugo, man's soul is free to be responsible in the face of exterior forces that threaten to overwhelm it—the infinite psychological depths within each of us do not preclude our moral freedom, as long as we do not deny God. This last point is crucial, because God is indispensable if the soul is to act in freedom and love, according to Hugo. As Baudelaire commented: "Victor Hugo is for Man, and yet he is not against God. He trusts in God, and yet he is not against Man."12 The contrast with the outlook of Melville could not be more pronounced. While it is true that Hugo renounced the Catholic Church, it is equally true that he retained the Catholic imagination, especially as he delineated the relationship of God to the human soul.
Now, it could be the case that someone (a critic, perhaps) might fault Hugo for holding far too high a valuation of the individual human soul; and it is a frequent mark of Romanticism, to be sure. But it is also redolent with Jesus' own valuation of the soul (as Hugo well understood): "For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36) We will fail to appreciate Les Misérables fully if we first fail to perceive the hidden presence of Christ in it like leaven in the three measures of meal.
A Tapestry of Redeeming Love
Les Misérables is so complex a tapestry of social commentary, historical depiction, philosophical pondering, war story, detective story, love story, revolutionary saga, fictionalized autobiography (Hugo is especially visible in the character of Marius), and portrait of old Paris, that one may be overcome at first by the sheer richness of the cumulative effect and not notice the simple repetition of motifs running throughout. But we can tease out three "abstractly Christian" threads: redemption, laying down one's life for others, and death and resurrection. And these are more than simple "threads"; they are in fact the governing themes of the whole novel.
The first and most dominant theme is that of redemption. The word "redeem" means "to buy back," and much of the plot turns on this issue of "buying." The most notable passage in this regard is the one, early in the novel, where Jean Valjean, the paroled convict, robs the saintly bishop of Digne and is brought back to him under arrest in order to confess to the crime and make restitution. Instead, the bishop gives Valjean the stolen silverware and, in addition, the two candlesticks which he had not stolen.
Then turning to the gendarmes, [the bishop] said, "Messieurs, you may go." The gendarmes left.
Jean Valjean felt like a man about to faint.
The bishop approached him and said, in a low voice, "Do not forget, ever, that you have promised me to use this silver to become an honest man."
Jean Valjean, who had no recollection of any such promise, stood dumbfounded. The bishop had stressed these words as he spoke them. He continued, solemnly, "Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!"13
This is the moment upon which the remainder of the novel depends: the redemption of the undeserving Valjean, his transforming encounter with the forgiveness and charity of God embodied in the bishop.
Hugo gets it theologically right: first comes the grace of God and the astounding discovery that God loves us even in our most undeserving condition, thus making it possible for us to begin to love him. Then comes our repentance, the active intention of the heart to turn around and draw near to this good and forgiving God. We see this in the woman who loved Jesus much because she knew herself to be already forgiven of her sins by him (Luke 7:36–50), or, again, in the willingness of Zacchaeus the despised tax collector to respond extravagantly to Jesus' graciousness shown towards him first (Luke 19:1–10). It is not until the end of the following chapter of Les Misérables that we fully see the impact of the bishop's display of grace on Valjean, when, kneeling outside the door of the bishop's cottage, he repents of his past deeds and resolves to begin life anew as God's purchased possession.
Hugo even provides hints of this redemption theme in the names chosen for his characters. The bishop of Digne, M. Myriel, is known to the poor of his district as Monseigneur Bienvenu ("Welcome"); and Jean Valjean discovers the truth, taught by another "John," that "God is love" (which would also be the theme of Hugo's theological poem, God).
The significance of Hugo's choice of names is also glimpsed in that of the character Fantine. Fantine (from énfantine) means "childlike." She is, in fact, one of those "little ones" who has been led into sin (cf. Luke 17:2), betrayed, exploited, and reduced to the living nightmare of prostitution. She does whatever she must to provide for her illegitimate daughter, Cosette, who is under the abusive "care" of the brutish Thénardiers. It is Jean Valjean, now the beloved Mayor "Madeleine" of Montreuil-sur-mer, who rescues Fantine from both her condition and her arrest by the grim Inspector Javert (loosely based on a true 1841 incident in the life of Hugo). At his own expense, Valjean cares for her, promising to retrieve Cosette and restore her to her mother. Valjean's only reason for showing such gratuitous love to Fantine is his own profound experience and awareness of God's love in his own life. Stricken with illness, Fantine dies, and Valjean, once again on the run, "buys" Cosette from the Thénardiers in fulfillment of his promise to the dead mother. Cosette is the "lamb" of Valjean's redeeming.
Valjean's own redemption has spread to the redemption of others. The love of God that he first experienced through Monseigneur Bienvenu has led him to the love of others—not passively, but actively on their behalf, for their good. Hugo challenges the reader to grasp the truth that a genuine encounter with God's immense love must impel us to do the maximum for others. We cannot remain complacent. Les Misérables, like the Bible, like all great literature, is a work that asks us pointed questions about ourselves. Writing in 1862, Baudelaire noted this very thing:
[Les Misérables] is a book of charity [i.e., caritas, agape, love], that is to say a book intended to excite, to stimulate a charitable spirit; it is a book that raises questions, that poses complex social problems, agonizing and terrible in nature, that says to the reader's conscience: "Well, what do you think about this? What is your conclusion?"14
Sacrifice & Resurrection
And this leads directly to the second theme, virtually ubiquitous, running through the novel, that of laying down one's life for others. As we might expect, we see this preeminently in Jean Valjean. To save Champmathieu, a man falsely accused of being Jean Valjean and consequently on trial, Valjean gives up all that he has acquired as the mayor of Montreuil-sur-mer and turns himself in instead. On the courtroom wall, Hugo pointedly notes, hangs the crucifix.
Later in the novel, Valjean, at great risk to himself, saves the life of the wounded Marius, carrying him to safety from the barricade via the dark, cloaca-filled sewers of Paris ("the intestines of leviathan"). This is all the more poignant because he is rescuing the man who will be responsible for his loss of Cosette. And it is this final blow, the loss of "his angel" in marriage to Marius, that finally leads to his own death from a bereavement he cannot bear. He lays down his life.
Others in the novel are also willing to sacrifice their lives on behalf of others, including Marius himself and the young insurrectionists led by Enjolras into the Paris uprising of 1832 (expressing Hugo's acceptance of revolution as a necessary evil for the cause of human progress), and, of course, the tragic Eponine, Thénardier's daughter, who saves her beloved Marius by taking a bullet meant for him. Willingness to lay down one's life for another is the extent to which love must reach if it is genuine.
The third motif, intertwined with the last, is that of death and resurrection. It is Jean Valjean who repeatedly experiences the demands that redeeming love places on his life, and so his life's pattern becomes cruciform—one of "dying" and "rising" again.
His encounter with the bishop is, of course, a death to his old way of life and a rising to a new one. But that is not the end of it for Valjean. He is not allowed to remain content in Montreuil-sur-mer. The implacable Inspector Javert takes him back to prison. He escapes by "drowning," and once again emerges to a new life on the outskirts of Paris. Again it is Javert who chases him to find refuge at the convent on the Petite Rue Picpus. There Valjean takes up yet another new life as one of the convent's two gardeners, but not before first having to undergo the harrowing experience of being buried alive in a coffin in order, by subterfuge, to gain a proper entrance for himself and Cosette to the convent. His later descent into the sewers, bearing Marius, is nothing less than a descent into the underworld (a hell of filth, flood, and fragments of historical detritus), literally carrying his "cross" (the man who threatens all his happiness in the world).
The Refusal of God's Love
Those are the three dominant themes. However, one cannot conclude without some mention of the role Inspector Javert plays in relation to all three. In a novel that features an ex-convict, a prostitute and her illegitimate daughter, and youthful insurrectionists, it is Javert the policeman who proves to be the ultimate rebel (one begins to understand a little the nervousness of those New England puritan critics). This "guardian of the peace" is described by Hugo as "stoical, serious, austere: a dreamer of stern dreams; humble and haughty, like all fanatics." His life, says Hugo, is summed up "in two words: waking, watching." Javert "marked out a straight path through all that is most tortuous in the world; his conscience was bound up in his usefulness, his religion in his duties; and he was a spy as others are priests."15 To put it succinctly, he plays the Pharisee to Valjean's repentant publican, but with an added dash of the relentlessness of Captain Ahab in his pursuit (although this last feature of his character has usually been overplayed in dramatic and film versions of the book).
Javert is the dark, lurking embodiment of law without grace, justice without mercy. At every turn on his life's road, Valjean finds Javert there. Javert is "the accuser," for whom such notions as the redemption of sinners, selfless love, a new and transformed life are incomprehensible in the real world. So when Valjean spares his life at the barricade instead of executing him for the spy he is, Javert is scandalized and dumbfounded by this act of mercy. Later, when he has Valjean in his custody once again, he strangely returns the favor and lets Valjean go free.
But the damage has been done. Javert, acting out of mercy, has found himself behaving in a way that violates the ironclad obligations imposed by the law; indeed, he has violated all that he holds sacred.
"[O]rder was his dogma and was enough for him; since he had reached the age of a man and an official, he had placed almost all his religion in the police. . . ."
He had a superior, M. Gisquet; he had scarcely thought, until today, of that other superior, God.
The new chief, God, he was feeling unawares, and he was perplexed by that.16
All this is such torment to Javert that, unable to take hold of this inexorable God who has reached out to him (in contrast to Valjean before the bishop), he ends his life in confusion and suicide, drowning himself in the Seine. Rather than submit to such love and mercy, he dies in utter rebellion.
It is with Javert's suicide, as also with Thénardier's practical atheism, that we see that Hugo is no sentimentalist. The human soul, even in the presence of divine mercy, really does have the frightful capacity to choose the abyss instead of the love of God.
The themes of Les Misérables, as presented here, are Christian themes, themes that would be inconceivable without the unique revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Victor Hugo consciously drew on these "sentiments abstractly Christian," even though he himself stood on the boundaries of the Christian faith. If nothing else, this very fact testifies to the inherent power of the themes themselves, no matter what the limitations of the writer might be. Hugo was a heretic, but his book is a path leading us back to the God who became man and redeemed us. It is a book that may even provoke us to pray and live as better Christians. And, finally, it is the vision of God's love that Les Misérables conveys, so close to the heart of the gospel, to which people respond in their hearts for reasons they might not fully understand. Christians could do worse than recognize the nature of its inherent appeal and consider how we ourselves present to others the love we see in Christ.
I leave the concluding word to Baudelaire:
I believe that even for those who find in orthodox doctrine, in pure Catholic theory, an explanation, if not complete, at least more comprehensive, of all the disturbing mysteries of life, Victor Hugo's new book should be Bienvenu [welcome] (in keeping with the name of the bishop whose triumphant charity it relates); it is a book to be applauded and to be appreciated.17
1. Listener, Oct. 17, 1985.
2. Time Out, Oct. 17, 1985.
3. City Limits, Oct. 18, 1985.
4. Spectator, Oct. 19, 1985.
5. The New Englander, Vol. XXIII, No. LXXXVIII, July 1864.
6. The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. X, No. LVII, July 1862.
7. E.g., his poem, Athée? entendons-nous, prêtre, une fois pour toutes, in the volume L'anée Terrible (1872).
8. G. K. Chesterton, "Victor Hugo," Pall Mall Magazine, 1902 (reprinted in A Handful of Authors: Essays on Books and Writers, edited by Dorothy Collins, Sheed and Ward, 1953).
9. Thomas Merton, Opening the Bible, Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fortress Press, 1970.
10. Les Misérables, Vol. V, Bk. I, Chap. XX. (Quotations are taken from the translation by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee, based on the classic C. E. Wilbour translation, Signet Books, 1987).
11. LM, Vol. I, Bk. VII, Chap. III.
12. Charles Baudelaire, Le boulevard, April 1862.
13. LM, Vol. I, Bk. II, Chap. XII.
14. Baudelaire, art. cit.
15. LM, Vol. I, Bk. V, Chap. V.
16. LM, Vol. V, Bk. IV, Chap. I.
17. Baudelaire, art. cit.
Les Misérables (1998)
The newest film version of Les Misérables (May 1998) is an elegant piece of competent moviemaking from veteran Danish director Bille August. It delivers powerful performances, excellent cinematography, and historically accurate costuming and production design. Arguably, Uma Thurman is the finest Fantine the screen has yet seen, making the desperation, degradation and ugliness of her character's descent haunting and vivid. Geoffrey Rush is a suitably driven Javert. Liam Neeson, as always, is thoroughly convincing in his role as Jean Valjean, a role that is guaranteed to demand much from any actor who undertakes it. Neeson carries all the aspects of Valjean's character effortlessly, from menacing ex-convict, to redeemed man and respectable mayor, to hunted and fearful "father." (I was not, however, greatly impressed by either Claire Danes or Hans Matheson in the roles of Cosette and Marius.)
Still, for anyone familiar with the novel, the film cannot help but disappoint. It goes without saying that no production of Les Misérables can reproduce the sheer embarrassment of riches found in Victor Hugo's 1,400-page epic, and even the much-loved musical cuts many corners and characters to make the story manageable for the stage. Sadly, the new film was seemingly made without any genuine effort to present little more than the barest bones of the tale, especially in its second half. For this, it seems that the screenwriter, Rafael Yglesias, deserves the blame.
Gone for the most part is the Thénardier family, including Eponine and Gavroche, who are not insignificant characters in the book (or musical, for that matter). Gone is the shady cast of characters from the Paris underworld. Marius has been utterly transformed from the novel's rather confused student of law to a leader of revolutionaries (thus dispensing with the need for retaining the charismatic character of Enjolras), and there is no mention of his strained relations with his Royalist maternal grandfather, or the link between himself and Thénardier through his father's wounding at Waterloo. The 1832 Paris uprising, such a major feature of the novel, gets about thirty seconds of screen time, and Valjean's harrowing flight through the sewers is reduced to action-flick dimensions. The historical panorama and symbolic significance of all these things are absent. So is the significance of Javert's death as portrayed in the novel, as well as the content of the last 100-plus pages of the book—thus avoiding the potential "downer" of Valjean's hastened death (Hollywood doesn't care much for "downers"). So much is missing or—worse—"improved."
Still, for Christian viewers, many of the gospel-related themes remain effectively intact. For once, Hollywood (or Yglesias) did not see fit to downplay or undermine the religious dimension.
Perhaps the definitive screen Les Misérables will eventually be made. For purists, the 1956 French version with Jean Gabin as Valjean will do. And, of course, there is the musical, in which the gospel themes mentioned in the article are abundantly emphasized.
Even more valuable than that, there is the novel. Comparatively, there are few books more nourishing for the soul of one who "takes up and reads" than this monumental masterpiece (and not an abridgment of it, for heaven's sake!).
—Addison H. Hart
Addison H. Hart is retired from active ministry as parish priest and university chaplain. He is the author of Knowing Darkness: On Skepticism, Melancholy, Friendship, and God and The Yoke of Jesus: A School for the Soul in Solitude (both from Eerdmans). His forthcoming book is a study of the Sermon on the Mount. He lives and writes in Norheimsund, Norway.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe to Touchstone today for full online access. Over 30 years of content!
subscription options
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
Purchase Print &
Online Subscription
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access for only $29.95. That's only $2.50 per month!
Your subscription goes a long way to ensure that Touchstone is able to continue its mission of publishing quality Christian articles and commentary.
*Transactions will be processed on the secure server of The Fellowship of St. James website, the publisher of Touchstone.
from the touchstone online archives
Touchstone is published by
All content The Fellowship of St. James — 2017. All rights reserved.
Returns, refunds, and privacy policy.


text:
Decision point. Which state to live in? CO, UT, WA, NH
View Single Post
November 20, 2012, 08:22 PM
Bart Noir
Senior Member
Join Date: August 5, 2000
Location: Puget Sound, USA
Posts: 2,055
Getting the carry permit is cheap and easy. Background check and a fee and it's available quickly by mail.
Regarding Washington State, the above is simply not true. I just got mine renewed and even the renewal required in-person form signing. The original application requires the taking of fingerprints and the wait for a background clearance, after you have filled out the forms in person.
But all else mentioned about WA in this thread is accurate. I've lived in WA all my adult life, not that I really know when that actually started. 21? First child is born? First gray hair? Or maybe it hasn't started yet.
I cannot say anything about the legal business but the Joint Base Lewis McChord near Tacoma is where the bulk of military-oriented legal practice will happen. And you already know that area so I'll shut up.
Now that WA is legalizing pot there must be a truly bad joke using the term "joint base"....
Bart Noir
Be of good cheer and mindful of your gun muzzle!
Bart Noir
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Bart Noir
Page generated in
seconds with