text:
Sometimes the names of the fathers who sired future super achievers turn out to be a lot more interesting than those they bestowed on their progeny. For example, Truman Capote's dad's name was Archulus, Humphrey Bogart's was Belmont, Bela Lugosi's Istvan and Marc Chagall's Khatskel. Intriguing appellations, yes, but we'll go here with the more wearable ones.
Ross MacManus
Picture 10 of 12
Elvis Costello, née Declan Patrick MacManus, was the son of Ross MacManus, a successful musician in his own right. And now that Friends has faded into syndication land, it might be time to reevaluate this gentle, understated single-syllable Scottish surname name. One of Ross's other derivations is as a nickname for a redhead.
Post Categories:


text:
Members of the European Union have ratified an agreement with China to resolve the trade dispute over the alleged dumping of Chinese solar panels into the European market. The deal, which was first proposed in July, would allow participating manufacturers to avoid paying anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties if they set a minimum price on their products sold in Europe while also restricting the volume of imports. This decision would end the two inquiries that began over a year ago and will be effective from December 6 onwards. ((Bloomberg)) We believe that these developments are positive, particularly for tier-one Chinese solar companies, since it would allow them to continue business in Europe without significantly increasing the landed cost of their panels. The agreement is also likely to come as a shot in the arm for European downstream solar companies who had been contending that tariffs would be detrimental to their business.
See Our Complete Analysis for Chinese Solar Stocks Yingli Green Energy and Trina Solar
Details Of The Deal
- Why Is The Chinese Government Stepping In To Help Yingli Green Energy?
- Yingli Posts Tough Q3 Amid Focus On Upcoming Debt Payments
- Yingli Q3 Preview: OEM Play In Focus As Panel Shipments Continue Descent
- Yingli Green Energy Price Estimate Cut As Debt Concerns Hurt Operations
- Yingli's Debt Woes Begin To Hurt Core Operations
- Why We Cut Our Price Estimate For Yingli To $1.20
Chinese panels would have to be priced at a minimum of 0.56 euro (about $0.76) per watt in order to qualify for the duty exemption, with a cap of 7 gigawatts (GW ) of solar panels being exempt per year. After this volume limit is exceeded, panels would attract anti-dumping duties that range from 27.3% to 64.9% as well as anti-subsidy duties that would range from 3.5% to 11.5%, depending on the manufacturer. There are a total of nearly 90 Chinese companies – including Yingli Green Energy (NYSE:YGE) and Trina Solar (NYSE:TSL) – that will be participating in this agreement. The anti-subsidy and anti-dumping protection would be in place for two years, which is less than the typical five year term that the E.U. normally offers. [1]
Tier-One Chinese Manufacturers Could Benefit At The Expense Of Smaller Producers
Chinese solar manufacturers have been reporting average selling prices of roughly $0.65 per watt over the last quarter, which is around 17% below the base price set by the E.U. We believe that the move to set a pricing floor in the European market could bode well for some tier-one Chinese manufacturers such as Trina Solar and Yingli Green Energy, who could benefit at the expense of small and medium-scale producers. Tier-one companies are likely to be in a position to compete head-to-head with European manufacturers given their differentiated products and technology. On the other hand, we believe that smaller producers, whose products are less differentiated, could suffer as they would have to price lower quality products at the minimum price.
Despite the agreement, it is still likely that a significant portion of Chinese panels exported into Europe will face duties. Total new solar installations in Europe stood at around 17 GW in 2012 and Chinese players held close to 80% of the market, translating to over 13 GW of shipments. [2] Assuming that installations and market share stay relatively flat or even decline modestly going forward, it would still mean that the total volumes of Chinese panels sold would exceed the 7 GW limit, therefore attracting duties.
Understand how a company's products impact its stock price on TrefisNotes:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Automated guest management for small hotels and B&B.
Are you an innkeeper running a small hotel or a Bed and Breakfast? Straighten up your paperwork, eliminate errors and make your life easier with automated guest management!
Inn Planner takes care of all accounting issues in a small inn establishment of up to 30 rooms. It handles everything from reservations to invoicing to generating financial reports.
Being the first truly visual product to help small hotels manage their rooms, guests and services, Inn Planer visualizes the availability of your rooms as color-coded blocks, allowing you to see immediately what rooms and what rates are available on certain dates. Making a reservation for your guests is as simple as a few mouse clicks!
Inn Planner is an ideal companion for handling extra charges. It accounts for all additional fees for the extras such as meals, room phone calls and services, conveniently maintaining a database of these charges. Needless to say that Inn Planner generates a complete invoice with all necessary taxes and surcharges applied at the time of check-out!
Coupons and discounts are handled as easily as the extras. Inn Planner allows you to create a complex promotional campaign, manage agent discounts and issue and accept discount coupons. At a later time, you can analyze the performance of any promotional campaign by automatically generating a corresponding report. Season discounts are easy with Inn Planner. Simply enter your seasonal rates, and your entire reservation system will be automatically updated.
Different rooms can provide different levels of accommodation within the same establishment. Inn Planner fully recognizes this need, and allows you to differentiate prices among the rooms.
Inn Planner has been developed in tight cooperation with three successful B&B, and 12 competing products were analyzed. These efforts allowed to create a product that is both powerful and simple use.
Keywords: Reservation, Management, Inn, Hotel, Hostel, Accounting,
Recent Changes: Not Established
Install Support: Install and Uninstall
Supported Languages: English
Additional Requirements: Ms Windows
PAD file URL: http://www.innplanner.com/innplanner_pro.xml
Home | Featured | Submit | Link To Us | Contact Us | FAQ | About Us | Advertise | Sysop Login
Copyright © 2006-2017, by Soft93.com, All rights reserved. Privacy statement | Terms of use


text:
Brian E Eisinger
Affiliation: University of Wisconsin
Country: USA
Detail Information
- Development of a versatile enrichment analysis tool reveals associations between the maternal brain and mental health disorders, including autismBrian E Eisinger
Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
BMC Neurosci 14:147. 2013..As a simple alternative, we have developed the Modular Single-set Enrichment Test (MSET), a minimal tool that enables one to easily evaluate expression data for enrichment of any conceivable gene list of interest...
- Large scale expression changes of genes related to neuronal signaling and developmental processes found in lateral septum of postpartum outbred miceBrian E Eisinger
Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
PLoS ONE 8:e63824. 2013..This study suggests that both large changes in neuronal signaling and the possible terminal differentiation of neuronal and/or glial cells play important roles in producing the maternal state...
- Genes showing altered expression in the medial preoptic area in the highly social maternal phenotype are related to autism and other disorders with social deficitsTerri M Driessen
Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, USA
BMC Neurosci 15:11. 2014..Finally, a subset of microarray results was validated using quantitative PCR...


text:
WH: Does that mean the ACA covers the cost of co-pays for your annual gyno exam, since you're going strictly for preventative services?
MA: One of the services covered by the women's preventive service guidelines (added in 2011) is your well-woman visit. It's the idea that women need to go to the doctor to check on our health care status, so it's an opportunity to have multiple things checked but more importantly to talk to our doctors about our health and be informed consumers. The point is really to empower women to take control of their health.
WH: If a woman goes into her OB/GYN office and is told she owes a co-pay, how can she ensure she gets that cost covered?
MA: She should check with her insurance provider to confirm what the situation was and why she was charged a co-pay. If the response from the insurer is not sufficient to her understanding of the ACA, she can check with her insurance commissioner's office, the state agency that handles insurance administration, or in states that have them, the consumer assistance program.
WH: What kinds of birth control (if any) are covered without a co-pay under the ACA?
MA: The ACA actually covers all FDA-approved contraceptive methods. What we want to try to do in practice is ensure women have access to the services that are right for her, so this includes barrier methods, hormonal methods, and implanted devices. (Check the full list of FDA-approved methods.) The one clarifying thing you should know about: insurers are able to use reasonable medical management techniques to control their costs. So they may cover a generic drug without cost-sharing (so you wouldn't pay anything for this), but then charge if the woman chooses to go for a brand-name drug. The only instance where that's not the case is when a doctor prescribes a particular brand-name method based on the woman's needs.
WH: Does that mean emergency contraception is also covered?
MA: It is, so long as it comes with a prescription from the woman's health care provider. Right now if you're over 17 you could technically buy it over the counter, but that's not covered by the Affordable Care Act.
WH: HIV and STD screenings (for HPV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphillis, etc.) are covered without a co-pay. But do I still have to pay lab or blood work fees?
MA: The covered service is the screening itself. For HIV, for example, the test is covered—and that's a blood test. Same with chlamidia and gonorrhea. The test itself is the lab work that has to get done, so that is covered. The only instance where a woman would be charged a co-pay is if, for example, you have a headache and you go to the doctor's office for that reason, but then decide while you're there to get an HIV test. The doctor cannot charge a co-pay for the HIV test, but he can charge you a co-pay for the visit itself since you didn't go to the doctor for the preventive service, you went because you had a headache. There is an opportunity to educate both consumers and medical professionals more about these types of situations.
WH: Is it true that people will be penalized if they don't have health insurance? If so, when will this go into effect, and how exactly will they be penalized?
MA: There is an individual responsibility requirement as part of the Affordable Care Act. Starting in the year 2014, what we call the "individual shared responsibility provision" requires everyone to have minimum essential health coverage. (Read more about what counts as minimum essential coverage.) And if they don't, they do have to make a payment when they're filing their federal income tax returns. When you file for 2014, that's when you have to make that payment. That applies to all people of all ages, including kids. Open enrollment for the marketplaces does start this October, though, so we can all take advantage of health insurance through that. You ask many people who don't have health insurance why they don't have it, and it's not because they don't want to—it's because it's a confusing process, it's expensive, and they don't know how to navigate it. The marketplaces will address these concerns and ensure people have somewhere to go for affordable coverage where they can compare options and make an educated decision about which insurance best meets their needs.
WH: What will the penalty be for not having minimum essential coverage?
MA: The first year the penalty is $95, and it progressively increases as we move forward (the fee increases to $325 for 2015 and $695 for 2016), but there are exemptions for people with hardships. It's important to note that in Massachusetts when they launched their health care reform—and that's one of the best examples we can use—a lot of people were subject to a very small fine. We didn't find people paying that fine. You found people excited to get insurance and wanting to enroll, and we hope that same thing happens here.
WH: The ACA points out that being female can be considered a pre-existing condition. How do you know if you're being charged more by your insurance company for simply being a woman?
MA: When we've done analyses and looked at different research, we've found women were paying 150 percent more for a premium than a same-aged young man would pay. It was pretty astronomical. We expect more of the same types of surveys and analyses to be done (and that information to be included on the Health Insurance Marketplace that launches in October) so we can be informed about the market and what it looks like for women and men. The idea of this Health Insurance Marketplace is to level the playing field and do away with these unfair practices.
WH: So is there any way to know right now, before that launches, if you're being charged more just because you're a woman?
MA: It's interesting because it's got a lot to do with where you live right now, so it's hard to say. Insurance companies can also charge more for other pre-existing conditions, like disabilities or health problems. All of these market reforms, they don't take place until 2014. So they will go into effect on January 1, 2014, and insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate because of these conditions.
It's so important that not only do we do away with the gender discrimination, but the idea that we can't turn people away because of pre-existing conditions. For women that have had breast cancer, for women who were pregnant, or women who were victims of domestic violence—these could all be considered pre-existing conditions. These were real women who were turned away from health insurance because of circumstances beyond their control. This is literally a lifeline for them.
WH: You hear about lawsuits over the ACA. Is there a possibility that it will be overturned? What would happen then?
MA: The Supreme Court made their decision in June to uphold the ACA, and we're very excited about that opportunity because it means we can move forward with ensuring millions of people have access to health insurance. Obviously there continue to be people raising questions and we'll continue to want to educate people on the law as we move forward. This law is like any other law; it would have to be overturned by both houses of Congress, and the President has confirmed over and over again his commitment to the law. So onward we're charging and ensuring that we make sure everyone has access to health insurance.
Check back on Friday for the final installment in this week's ACA series.
More From Women's Health:
Your Crash Course on the Affordable Care Act
From Michelle Obama: Taking Control of Our Health
Get Social for Healthcare
Lose up to 15 lbs in just six weeks with The 8-Hour Diet. Buy the book!


text:
Hi all, We are running performance tests using PG 8.3 on a Windows 2008 R2 machine connecting locally over TCP. In our tests, we have found that it takes ~3ms to update a table with ~25 columns and 60K records, with one column indexed. We have reached this number after many tweaks of the database configuraiton and one of the changes we made was to perform the updates in batches of 5K as opposed to the pervious transaction per event. Note that our use of batches is to have only one transaction, but still each of the 5K events is independently SELECTing and UPDATEing records, i.e. it is not all contained in a stored procedure or such. Still these times are too high for us and we are looking to lower them and I am wondering about the TCP/IP overhead of passing the information back and forth. Does anyone have any numbers in what the TCP could cost in the configuration mentioned above or pointers on how to test it? Many thanks, Ofer
Next: From: Andy Date: 2012-04-01 22:01:49 Subject: Re: TCP Overhead on Local Loopback Previous: From: Bob Lunney Date: 2012-04-01 02:20:03 Subject: Re: database slowdown while a lot of inserts occur


text:
Welcome to Funkoters Forum. Registration to this forum is free! We do insist that you abide by the rules and policies detailed below. If you agree to the terms, please check the 'I agree' checkbox and press the 'Proceed...' button below. If you would like to cancel the registration, click here to return to the forums index.
General Rules
* Phishing sites are strictly forbidden in Funkoters.
* You agree not to post any abusive, racist, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. Appropriate actions will be taken if doing so.
* Do not attempt to bypass our word censor. Attempting may result in warning or banishment.
* Do not advertise or promote other sites in this forum, if you'd like to advertise in the site, you may contact an administrator or email to support[at]funkoters.com and make the necessary arrangements.
* Funkoters has the sole discretion to remove/edit/delete users, articles, external resources, or any other user-submitted content to protect itself from legal harm at any time should we see fit.
* Be friendly and respect all members and staffs of this forum and helping others, especially new members. The use of abusive language against any forum member will result in negative feedback and actions will be taken appropriately.
* Moderators shall only moderate the forum to ensure that it says functional: ensuring there are no blank articles, links work, people don't spam, etc. All moderators actions will be logged. They shall not abuse their privileges, and reports of such cases will be investigated.
* Respect decisions of the staff, as they are usually final.
* If you are having a problem with another user in this forum, report a staff (moderator/admin) by a personal message (pm) about the situation and we will try our best to solve it.
* Follow the posting, avatar, signature and rules.
Posting Rules
* Post in the correct and appropriate forums. Read the forum descriptions before posting
* Always make sure that, files posted do not contain any viruses, worms, Trojans and browser hijackers before posting.
* If you want to include a part to the post you posted previously, edit the post by using the edit button instead of making double post.
* Do not post hacking utilities flooder, spam tools, Virus making tools/tutorials, or anything that can do potential damage.
* Do not double post or bump posts unnecessarily. Please wait a reasonable amount of time before bumping posts.
* Do not double post the same links which is already posted, especially if you have your own independent topic for a set of links and yet still post the same links in related topics with the intention of gaining exposure.
* Information is very Important so please always add it to Your post, Always try to add more information like reviews, screen shots.
* Make sure the links you are posting are working and post direct links only.
* We do not encourage users to reply to threads that are more than 20 days old as this will alter the normal communication flow of the forum.
* Many topics have already been covered & discussed in many threads. Please use the SEARCH button before posting a question/ reply or new thread.
* Do not use CAPS in your post, it could look offensive.
* No mini-moding. That means, no member may act in the forum as if they were a moderator. Leave the moderation up to the moderator team. Topics or posts requesting things like making this or that topic a sticky, or request title or status change of this or that user won't be tolerated. If you have any problems/concerns/questions regarding the actions of someone from the moderator team please drop a pm to any admin.
* No member may ask for reputation increases in any of their posts, except messages like "if you like my post, give me a reputation" are allowed.
* Code your links.
Example: (write without the spaces)
[C O D E]http://www.funkoters.com/download.zip[/ C O D E]
* Don't forget to click "THANKS" if the thread is usefull for you.
This is mean guest / member need to post first and refresh 1 times before user can see the link.
* Please use attachments just to upload your photo / avatars / your own mixtape [you also can upload your mixtape to hotfile, 4shared, etc..]
* Please don't attach any MP3 full albums, original sountrack or movies that may abuse the law
User names
* Each username must contain a minimun of 3 letters from the english alphabet.
* User names should not include any Special Characters except - (dash or hyphen) and _ (underscore).
* A user name must not contain the special characters more than once.
* Multiple User Accounts are unacceptable.
* It cannot be bigger than 80 by 80 pixels or 60 KB.
* It must not contain any porn, nudity or offensive material.
* Signature cannot be longer than 1000 characters including BBCode markup.
* The image of your signature should not be bigger than 600 by 150 pixels and if you are uploading, maximum size of your custom image cannot be larger than 600 by 150 pixels or 200 KB.
* Images placed in the signature must not contain any porn, nudity or offensive material.
* Political or a religion signatures are not allowed!
Warnings & Banning
* A maximum of 3 warnings can be given to each member of the forum and these can be earned by breaking any of the above rules.
* After receiving a 3rd warning, your account will be banned.
* You maybe banished/warned temporarily/permanently with or without a warning.
Some ways to get warning/banned
* Arguing with a moderator/admin of the forum may give you a warning/ban and they have the rights.
* Flooding.
* Topic hijacking.
* Topic bumping.
* Repeating posting in order to increase your post count and double posting (not editing the post if there is a part to add or repeating posts).
* Posting or requesting porn/offensive contents.
* Requesting in a non-requesting section.
* Sending spam personal messages.
* Register using Special Characters.
* Multiple User Accounts Registrations.
* Flaming/Spamming/Rudeness will not be tolerated.
* We urge you not to post advertisements
* Repeated usage of any language other than English.
* Attempts to bypass the word censor.
Immediate Banning
* Please refrain from posting meaningless threads, one word (or short) non-sense posts, or such.
* Do not use offensive text such as discrimination, racism, swearing.
Shoutbox Rules:
* Use the shoutbox for small talks only
* Do not request or comment to threads in the shoutbox
* If you need help, use the help desk instead of the shoutbox.
* Advertising is forbidden in the shoutbox
* Do not use abusive/offensive language in the shoutbox
Those who fail to follow these rules will be banished from the shoutbox with or without any notice.
The forum rules/guidelines can be changed/altered at will, whenever required, and notification may or may not occur.
If any member encounters a post or topic that is breaking the rules please press the report post button adding a comment. This will send an email to all the moderators in the forum alerting them to the situation. However the abusive use of this button can result in negative feedback for the offending user.
If any question regarding these rules, please don't hesitate to send a pm to any of our staff member (moderator/admin).


text:
I have a severe diastasis recti and small ventral hernia and have seen a general surgeon who would like to repair this with mesh and a vertical incision . I am wondering what this would do to the shape of my abdomen ?
Severe Diastasis Recti Repair with Vertical Incision and Mesh Also Repair of Ventral Hernia? (photo)
Doctor Answers 4
Fleur-de Lis may be your best option
It is difficult to tell from your photos exactly how much of your abdominal protuberance is from diastasis rectus and how much is being contributed by your ventral hernia. Either way, you should have both corrected for an optional contour. Further, you will likely need vertical and horizontal incisions in a Fleur-de-Lis pattern.
Severe Diastasis Recti with Ventral hernia
Thanks for posting your questions along with the photos. Your ultimate abdominal shape will be determined by the degree of underlying diastasis, your weight, and whether or not you are having any skin resected. The diastasis and hernia repair should move your rectus muscles back into the midline and get rid of the upper abdominal bulge that you have. However, the key component is your weight. If you are obese (bmi >30), you will see a modest improvement in your contour, but overall, you will probably retain much of the protuberant shape. If you are closer to normal weight, you will see a profound improvement, particularly if you get rid of the lower abdominal skin excess. You can see if your GS will do this operation with a PS so that you can approach this via an abdominoplasty incision to hide the scar in your underwear line. Good luck with your surgery.
Diastasis Recti Repair with Vertical Incision and Mesh Also Repair of Ventral Hernia
It is hard to answer your question without more info--like height and weight. You certainly would have some improvement, but with a vertical scar that is hard to conceal. The vertical skin excess would not be addressed, so the skin overhang will persist.
Most plastic surgeons would favor a lower abdominal incision and would do this procedure along with a tummy tuck to trim the excess skin. The diastasis would be repaired, the hernia would be repaired (often by a second surgeon, a general surgeon), and the excess skin would be removed.
By either approach the outcome would be better if you are close to your ideal weight, and that I can't tell from these photos.
Thanks for your question, best wishes.
You might also like...
i would recommend that you see a plastic surgeon who can do both the hernia and the diastasis repair with the tummy tuck .
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


text:
It's Vikings vs. Bears week! That storied time of the NFL season where two behemoths of the NFC North face off in a no-holds barred football action that is certain to draw the attention of the country, as the implications of this game have resounding effects throughout the league, shape franchise destiny, and can propel a team to the Super oh nevermind.
OK, so this weekend's Vikings and Bears match up probably isn't that interesting. With Smoking Jay Cutler still expected to be out with an engorged hymen, and Christian Ponder still expected to play because the Vikings franchise is filled with idiots, this game isn't really expected to be a fantastical show of football prowess. However, since both defenses suck horse ass, there is a good chance it will be rather entertaining in the level of idiocy involved by all parties. So be on the look out for that.
Because of this, it is still important that during this Vikings and Bears week, we take the opportunity to make fun of Chicago Bears fans, and in general, people from Chicago. Remember, it's the important things like this that build tradition during the holiday season.
First, here's a video of a drunken Bears fan getting into a footrace, for some idiot reason, outside of a bar. The race ends SMASHINGLY, as you can imagine:
Next, we make fun of Chicago in general by checking in with Jon Stewart and his The Daily Show rant from a few weeks back where he (rightfully) takes Chicago pizza to task for essentially being bread bowl tomato soup. What's wrong with you people?
Finally, even though he's not playing, we'd be remiss if we didn't include this SWEET ASS Jay Cutler high school highlight mix tape, which also includes a couple of amaze-balls slam dunks from his glory hole days of high school basketball player. How moist do you think Cavallari's panties get when she watches this hot, teenage action?
Of course, not to be outdone, let's not forget how awful life is as a Vikings fan. With Cutler out this weekend, we get to face Josh McCown. Remember him? Mr. McCown? Use to play for the Arizona Cardinals? I'm looking forward to more of this on Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving!


text:
If you're you a fan of scary movies Florida theme park Universal Studios could have the experience for you.
The Florida theme park is holding a Haunted House Experience in advance of the release of horror film The Thing, in October. The ride is set to send even the most hardy of scary movie fans through a terrifying experience. The film, set in an abandoned research facility in Antarctica, is about a group or researchers that are slowly infected by The Thing – a virus type paranoia.
From September the Florida theme park will host it's Halloween Horror Nights 21 – a series of events in a haunted house similar to the one in the film. Guests will have first-hand experience of the fear and paranoia that sweeps through the group of researchers like a virus and will encounter an exact replica of The Thing. To add to the paranoia, The Thing can take on any shape or form, so guests at the Florida theme park will not know about it until it's too late.
The eerie surroundings and lighting heighten the adult-only experience as the theme park goes all out to make people feel like they're in the film. This authentic setting has been achieved by the Florida theme park teaming up with the film's producers, Marc Abraham and Eric Newman.
Eric Newman said: "We want people to live the film and experience the same terror that affects the film's characters. Our collaboration with Universal's creative teams brought the vision of the film to life. We're excited for Halloween Horror Nights guests to experience The Thing in this frighteningly real way."
Senior vice president of entertainment at Universal Orlando Jim Timon said: "Having recreated well-known horror films in the past, the same level of attention to detail has gone into creating a house experience that will completely immerse guests into the storyline and environment of The Thing."
Halloween Horror Nights 21 starts on September 21 and will run for 25 nights through to October 31.


text:
IKKADIAN - "Life Is Awesome If You Choose To Make It So"
October 7, 2012, 4 years ago
There's cocky and there's confident. No one likes to hear band guys be cocky, but it is refreshing to hear some genuine confidence. And when the music you're releasing is as excellent as that of Virginia's IKKADIAN, the confidence is understandable."I've never been as confident in any music project I've ever been a part of," says Ikkadian drummer Michael Arcane about the band's debut album, Of Alpha And Omega. "I listen to this album over and over, and there's no doubt in my mind: I know this album is good. Maybe that sounds cocky, but to me it's not. It's just a fact."
But while I say the supremely good blackened death on Of Alpha And Omega warrants confidence to such a level that indeed it might seem cocky, not every member of the band is so sure. John Cornnell, who handled both guitar and bass on the album, says that despite the solid end result, the recording process was a bit more unsure for him."Confidence may be a far stretch, at least to me," he says. "Personally I had no idea how this would turn out, so I generally just did the best I could and tried to maintain cool composure and confidence while laying down the guitar and bass tracks."
Arcane says that the album's relaxed, dominating sound—no small feat for a death metal band on their debut—comes from the fact that Cornnell and himself met in another band, who he won't name, who were dominated by a "leader" who gave no room for creativity. So once they bust out of that situation, the death metal just spilled out of them."When John and I quit together and decided to form Ikkadian, we were like caged animals breaking out," says Arcane. "I think that's where the confidence came from. And when we sat there and looked at the core of material we'd come up with, we took a pause and said, 'No, we have to make this perfect.' You say there is confidence in the material, but, in a way, we were slaves to it."
"The songs 'Alpha' and 'Omega' are the perfect example," he continues. "The music is too good to treat lightly. We were both scared to death of those two songs, and we recorded everything for them last, because of how intimidating they were. The music was confident; I think we were just hoping to do it justice."
The album is a concept disc (wait, keep reading!) about, in Arcane's words, "claiming your own power and strength." He says it's a positive album, one that counters the negative aspects of certain metallic subgenres. He points to a song like "Lambs Before Lions," saying it's about if people turn their back on the truth, they choose to be a lamb, not a lion, and the lions will use them, and will rule them."That's what I don't get about whiny nu metal," says Arcane, "crying about how life sucks and people suck, and humanity is some kind of virus or plague. Fuck that. Life is awesome if you choose to make it so. Humans are the alpha predator, the top of the pyramid; our power is limitless. If you want to believe people are shit and call yourself a maggot, knock yourself out. I am a lion. Our fans are lions. We know the way forward is to carve your own path through life; no one will give it to us, we must take for ourselves what we desire. And we will."


text:
From The Linux Foundation
- 1 Minutes of the Open A11y Expert Handlers SIG Call 2008/12/15
- 1.1 Preliminary Business
- 1.2 Minutes of Expert Handlers Conference Call 2008/12/15
- 1.3 Wrap Up
Minutes of the Open A11y Expert Handlers SIG Call 2008/12/15
Note: Expert Handlers meetings have been adjourned until 5 January 2009.
Preliminary Business
- Neil Soiffer (NS/chair)
- Gregory J. Rosmaita (GJR, scribe)
- Janina Sajka (JS)
- regrets: Pete Brunet, Alexander Surkov
Agenda Review
Approval of Last Meeting's Minutes
- Minutes from 2008/11/17 Expert Handlers Conference Call
- approval postponed until today due to lack of quorum and cancelled meetings
Action Item Review
- ACTION GJR: separate XML-wrappers from truly specialized content which poses rendering or input problems
- status: done
Note: This meeting has not yet been held.
Minutes of Expert Handlers Conference Call 2008/12/15
Topic 1: Specialized Markup Languages Revisted
Talking Points & Resources:
Topic 2: Expert Handlers Requirements, 0.1
Talking Pointes & Resources:
- Requirements, 0.1
- Requirements Discussion Page
- what is and what is not an expert handler?
- when are Expert Handlers necessary and in what cases are they superfluous?
Wrap Up
Identify Topics for the 2008/12/22 Expert Handlers Call
- the Expert Handlers SIG meetings have been postponed until 5 January 2009
- adjourned: 2208h UTC
- Agenda for 2009/01/05 Expert Handlers Call


text:
Tobacco Use Among Adults—United States, 2005
This page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being updated.
October 27, 2006 / Vol. 55 / No. 42
- Intro
- Highlights
- Full text
MMWR Introduction
According to the article, Tobacco Use Among Adults—United States, 2005 released in the October 27, 2006, issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the 8-year decline in U.S. adult smoking rates may have stalled. Between 2004 and 2005, there was no observed change in U.S. adult smoking rates. In 2005, 20.9%—45.1 million people—in the United States were current smokers, and 50.8% of ever smokers—46.5 million people—had successfully quit.
- Page last reviewed: November 8, 2010 (archived document)
- Content source:


text: Naish International is pleased to announce the addition of Dave Kalama to both the Naish stand up board team and Naish product design group, where he will work alongside Harold Iggy, Rick and Robby Naish and product manager Michi Schweiger in their ongoing efforts to keep Naish at the forefront of SUP development. For complete info and more on Naish's 2009 product line up (website just went live!) see http://www.naishsurfing.com/news.html


text:
I just added the 39th book to my TBR pile. Thankfully, most of the pile is ebooks otherwise I'd need an entire bookshelf to hold all the stuff I haven't read yet! The great part is I finished reading one yesterday so, I get to dig into the pile and pick a new adventure. The bad part is I can only choose one.
|Photo by See-ming Lee
How about you guys? Do you have an out of control TBR pile, too? Do you read them in the same order you purchased them or do you pick the one that appeals to you most at the moment?
|$0.99 sale ends today!


text:
Beastie Boy Mike D Talks About Grunge and the '90s
In a new video interview with Vanity Fair, Beastie Boys member Mike D talks about the '90s and, in particular, the influence of grunge on the era's music scene.
In the two-and-a-half-minute clip, Mike D (who was born Michael Diamond) chats about pot (and its blooming culture), zines and hip-hop too. But it's his take on the decade's sludgy music that stands out. You can watch the video above.
He calls grunge a "death sentence to the rock that had preceded it," specifically targeting hair-metal bands that dominated the airwaves in the late '80s.
"All of a sudden, grunge came in [and] it wasn't cool anymore if you were a guy at the gas station to be into Warrant," he says. "You couldn't have big, fluffy long hair — you had to have f—ed-up shorter hair and a plaid shirt. You couldn't be walking around the gas station in spandex anymore."
He also briefly touches on the burgeoning indie-rock scene, mostly focusing on the DIY zines that sprung up at the time and their eventual influence on the music they embraced.
And here's just about as grungy as the Beasties got back in the day:
Subscribe to K945, The Hit Music Channel on


text:
Robert Pattinson has done a VERY good job of dodging the press following girlfriend Kristen Stewart's scandalous affair, but will he be able to dodge Scientologists as well?
It's fair to say that Tom Cruise's divorce from Katie Holmes hasn't shown off Scientologists in the best light, so it makes sense that the religious group are busy hunting for a fresh young face to represent them.
And they have selected Robert Pattinson, in his newly vulnerable and defensive state.
One follower has revealed that Scientologists would like Rob to be the new face of their religion as the 'Twilight' star is like a "young Tom Cruise":
"Robert Pattinson is young, he's talented and he's got a lot of money. Rob's like a young Tom Cruise. He would appeal to younger people in a way that older celebrities, such as Cruise and John Travolta, might not."
We suppose that makes some sense.
The National Enquirer have also reported that Kirstie Alley is "spearheading the efforts" to lure RPattz into becoming a Scientologist, even turning up at Robert's house in an attempt to speak with him about it.
Sources have reported that RPattz has had a plethora of strange visitors at his home lately:
"I didn't get a good look at the driver except that I noticed that the person had a lot of hair — so it was probably female."
Yes. A "probably female" visitor is almost definitely a reason to suspect Kirstie Alley is out on a Scientologist round-up...
Robert Pattinson 'Heartbroken' After Kristen Stewart! Music To Heal The Pain
Kristen Stewart And Robert Pattinson 'Were Planning A Baby' Before Cheating Scandal
Tom Daley's Mum Reveals His Big Secrets! He's Not Had A 'Proper Girlfriend'
Don't Give Up The Day Job Just Yet! Rob Kardashian's Law School Entry Denied


text:
Sorry, the book that you are looking for is not available right now.
We did a search for other books with a similar title, however there were no matches. You can try selecting from a similar category, click on the author's name, or use the search box above to find your book.
Women want romance and they're not getting enough of it. That's because they are looking to their partners to provide the spark, the passion, the magic, in their relationships.
Eat Chocolate Naked shows you that the key to filling that romantic void is to stop waiting for him to read your mind, and to start finding meaningful and exciting ways to spark romance every single day.
Whether you're looking for the ultimate seduction or true connection with your partner, Cam Johnson offers the latest information on all things sexy. Included are creative tips and tricks for 142 sexy, silly, passionate or just plain fun activities to do with or for your partner, along with a whole new way to think about romance.
About the Author
Cam Johnson is the premier television interview of the Northwest, hosting Seattle's only indepth daily news interview show. In addition to her interview show, Cam is also Northwest Cable News's primary weeknight anchor, anchoring newscasts at 6, 8, 9 and 11 pm. She lives near Seattle with her husband, also a newscaster, and their children.
Audience: General
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 335
Published: 1st December 2003
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 20.3 x 15.2 x 2.5
Weight (kg): 0.522


text:
Fans always die for their heroes as they visualize themselves in them and consider them as their own mirror image. However there is limit for everything. In the name of hero worship if fans do social activities like blood donation, provide free education, food for poor etc people will appreciate and it will also bring good name to their heroes. However when they read between the statements of other stars and try to attack them rather than taking them in the right spirit then problems arises.
Tollywood young hero Rana who made his debut with Leader and then featured in flims like Nenu Naa Rakshasi, Naa Ishtam, Dum Maro Dum,Department is still looking for success and is coming with Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum. When scribes asked why he did not score a hit, he drew comparison with Megastar and said only 40% of his films were mega hits and one can not predict whether a film would be a success or hit.
There is nothing wrong in the statement but mega fans are up in their arms canvassing that Rana insulted their hero. Rana only said one can not predict the fate of the film and not all films would become hit.


text:
Yes, the acronym for "queer" has expanded at least to LGBTQIAOP, and that's long and annoying and I can't even tell you what some of those letters represent, but is ditching all the individual orientations and identities in favor of simply "gay" really a wise decision? Leave it to Gay.com, owned by The Advocate's Here Media, to make the case for gay men to secede. The only winner in this argument? The owner of the most obvious "gay brand": Gay.com.
Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us
Tagged: Gay.com, Here Media, Language


text:
Russia's newly inaugurated President, Dmitri Medvedev, just completed his first state visit over the weekend. His choice of locale was not a surprise: Beijing. During the visit, there were predictable headlines in the press about Medvedev and President Hu Jintao denouncing U.S. plans for missile shields in both Europe and east Asia. The U.S. says they are to help its allies defend against possible attacks from Iran and North Korea. Moscow and Beijing don't really believe that, but the fact is, that train has left the station. Both countries, on their own, will have to decide how to respond should missile defenses go up
But the day-after wire service stories miss the larger point about the Hu-Medvedev meeting. What was most important is what didn't happen. If the outside world had access to China's intelligence service the Guojia Anquan Bu or National Security Ministry this is how an after-the-fact debriefing on the Medvedev visit might have gone from one of Beijing's official Russia specialists (an expert who, for the sake of literary license, was educated in the U.S.) addressing the Central Committee and the State Security Council:
"Yet another bad date. The young Russian President he's only 42, and actually looks much younger in person sounds a lot like the old one, which shouldn't be surprising, since Mr. Medvedev is a place holder for Mr. Putin, now the Prime Minister.
"First things first: China's interests when it comes to Russia don't have anything to do with American plans for missile defense. We can certainly afford to build a few more nuclear weapons if we genuinely feel threatened by missile defense, but our attitude should be wait and see: our U.S. assets say the likely new President, Mr. Obama, will shelve plans for missile defense because he wants everyone to like America. We'll wait and see.
"No, we need to build trust with the Russians on bilateral security matters relations between them and us, one on one. And while we've settled some border disputes over the past couple of years, and we continue to buy their weaponry, there is one thing that would demonstrate to everyone looking that our relations had truly entered a new era, where trust finally supplants suspicion. They need to sell us oil and gas lots and lots of it at a reasonable price.
"As the Americans like to say, 'This ain't rocket science.' The Russians have oil and gas tons of it and we need it. We need it now. We'll need it tomorrow. And we'll still need it decades from now. But we still can't get a deal done with Moscow. Not on oil and gas. We've talked and talked and talked and issued to the international press a string of optimistic sounding half-truths for the last four years but we still don't have much to show for it.
"Oh sure, they agreed to sell us $1 billion worth of uranium. Unlike some people who prattle on endlessly about global warming but don't do anything about it, we're expanding our nuclear generation capacity massively: That's the New 'China syndrome,' folks.
"But more than anything we need hydrocarbons oil for the 25,000 new cars that we add to our streets every day in China, because they're not Priuses. And we need natural gas for our power plants. For years we've talked about various proposals, but we still can't agree on price. The Russians want us to pay for natural gas what the rich Europeans pay. Sorry, we can't do it, not when we're supposed to subsidize the construction of the pipeline in the first place, plus pay bribes to everyone in Moscow. An international energy consultant, a Chinese-American fellow by the name of Edward Chow, once said the Russian-Chinese energy relationship isn't a marriage, 'it's a series of bad dates.'
"He isn't far from the truth. That's why, by the way, we sent the Russians a signal just a month before this weekend's summit: we signed a $60 billion long-term liquefied natural gas deal with Qatar. We wanted to show the Russians we had options, that they couldn't dictate prices to us. And so we did. The fact is, we trust sources of supply in the Middle East more than we do the Russians. After all, we haven't fought a war against anyone in that part of the world like we did against the Soviet Union in 1969 (and that one almost got out of hand). Things are much better now, of course. But the Russians are right there, across our border, and instead of seeing our vast population and rapid economic growth as a golden economic opportunity, their military and security ministries still look at us and feel nervous. It is an anxiety Nikita Khrushchev wrote about ages ago and it hasn't changed.. The Russians see the vast relative emptiness of their own land mass and the riches that lie beneath it and think we might to be tempted to take some of it someday.
"They're nuts to think that, but what are you going to do? For now, we'll buy our energy elsewhere. After all, the Americans still patrol the Persian Gulf, guaranteeing that all the oil and gas we buy from there (including Iran's!) will get to China without incident.
"For now anyway, that arrangement's OK. Because the fact is, despite all the bluster about missile defense this past weekend, if it comes down to a question of who we trust less the Americans or the Russians well, that's no contest. Do svedanya, Mr. Medvedev."


text:
Earthquake reported in Jordan, Palestinian territories and Israel
An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 rattled parts of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories Wednesday morning, shaking Amman, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Gaza for several seconds. Some buildings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were evacuated in fear they will collapse, ynet reported.
In the city of Bethlehem, a girl was lightly injured after a wall collapsed as a result of the earthquake.
Jordan's minister of energy and mineral resources, Azmi Khreisat said that many light earthquakes started in the
early hours of the morning but the strongest took place at 10:14 in local time. A source at the ministry told Petra news agency that subsequent light earthquakes
are expected but citizens might not feel them.
Reports said quake's epicenter was the Dead Sea. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the earthquakes are associated with the northward movement of the Arabian plate. On 22 November 1995, a magnitude M-7.2 earthquake took place in the central Gulf of Aqaba area causing damage in nearby communities in Jordan, Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. An aftershock sequence lasted for more than 1 year with numerous shocks exceeding M-5.0.
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


text:
Sweet Olive
- 2 total posts
- 1 review
- 1 comment
Reviews & Stories
First Time Restylane - United Kingdom
As a child & teens I had many surgeries on my eyetooth & surrounding bone which continues with invasive treatment today. I feel like the shape of my face and mouth have changed over time and I missed the lips I used to have. I made an appointment with a local dentist and after the consult he recommended Restylane in my top lip only. Initially I turned down the offer of a numbing... READ MORE
Recent comments from Sweet Olive
Day 3 and no more swelling, just the 4 small prick marks at the cusp of my top lip. I'm wearing full make-up today with liner & gloss and basically look like I did a few years ago. No one has noticed a thing because it's so natural... READ COMMENT


text:
Greg Cypes is the Tech Lead and Evangelist for Open AIM. He has developed and designed the core instant messaging software for AIM, ICQ and AOL including SMS, location services, audio, video and peer-2-peer technology in AIM. In his nine plus years working on AIM, he has enjoyed his role in transforming AOL's client software from a self-contained entity to one of the most robust and powerful open messaging and peer-2-peer networks in the world. In his free time, Greg has developed and contributed dozens of extensions to the Open AIM community and other social networks.
For information on exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at the conference, contact Yvonne Romaine at firstname.lastname@example.com.
For media-related inquiries, contact Maureen Jennings email@example.com.
View a complete list of GSP East contacts.


text:
Chicken And Biscuit Dinner
Community Baptist Church of Millers Mills 4th Annual Chicken & Biscuit Dinner
Additional Information
There will be a Chicken & Biscuit Dinner and Chinese Auction on Friday September 20th from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM at the Cedarville Fire Department 960 State Route 51 in Ilion. The cost is Adults – $9.00 Children Age 5-12 – $5.00 Under age 5 FREE.
Serving Homemade Chicken Gravy, Real Mashed Potato's, Piping Hot Homemade Biscuits, French Style Green Beans Lyonnaise, Coleslaw, Homemade Gingerbread With Whipped Cream and Drinks.
Many, Many items to bid on at the Chinese Auction, too! Serving from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM NY 13357


text:
Union Co., SC. Deed Book "F" 1797-1802, pg181-182 On 24 Jan. 1799 Elijah TURNER <---Listed 1800 Census Union Co. Pg247 sold 80 acres of land to John CRITTENDON <---Listed 1800 Census Union Co. Pg247 of Pinckney Dist., Union Co., SC; Wit: Charles CRITTENDON, <---Not Listed 1800 Census Union Co. John TURNER, <---These are Brothers NOT sons John b. c1797 Mathis TURNER; <---These are Brothers NOT sons Mathias b. c1800 Recorded 04 Jan. 1799 (of Rutherford Co., NC) Elijah TURNER in 1800 Census, Union Co., Pg247 20110-00110 H/H Elijah TURNER, (26 to 45) <---Could be our Elijah Female (26 to 45) <---Unknown Female (16 to 26) <---Could be Edy SARRETT Male (16 to 26) <---Unknown Male (10 Under) <---Could be John Male (10 Under) <---Could be Mathis Our Elijah TURNER family in 1800. H/H Elijah TURNER, age 28, b. c1772 (26 to 45) Wife: "Edy" (SARRATT) TURNER, age 22, b. c1778 (26 to 45) 1st Son: John TURNER, age 03, b. c1797 (10 Under) 2nd Son: Mathias TURNER, age 00, b. c1800 (10 Under) Union Co., SC. Deed Book "I" pg184 On 27 Nov. 1801 Elijah TURNER <---Listed 1800 Census Union Co. Pg247 sold 100 acres and 112 acres of land to Richard COLE <---Listed 1800 Census Union Co. Pg249 of Union Dist. Wit: John CRITTENDON; <---Listed 1800 Census Union Co. Pg247 Wm. SMITH; <---Listed 1800 Census Union Co. Pg237 George HICKS. <---Not Listed 1800 Census Union, Spb; York Union Co., SC. Deed Book "G" 1803-1818, pg339 On 22 Nov. 1803 Elijah TURNER age 31 bought 100 acres of land laying "on Certain Mill Creek called Long Branch from Wm. McBRAYER, Sr. <---Listed 1800 Census Union Co. Pg248 Wit: John SARRATT, <---F-I-L Listed 1800 Census Spartb. Co. Pg169 John GILMORE <---Listed 1800 Census Union Co. Pg221 D. M. CAY; <---Not Listed 1800 Census Recorded: 19 Sep. 1805 The Elijah TURNER in 1810 Census, Union Co., Pg270 12010-30010 matches up with Our Elijah TURNER family in 1810. H/H Elijah TURNER, age 38, b. c1772 (26 to 45) Wife: "Edy" (SARRATT) TURNER, age 32, b. c1778 (26 to 45) 1st Son: John TURNER, age 13, b. c1797 (10 to 16) 2nd Son: Mathias TURNER, age 10, b. c1800 (10 to 16) 3rd Son: L. Allen TURNER, age 09, b. *1801 (10 Under) 1st Dau: Silvy TURNER, age 05, b. c1805 (10 Under) 2nd Dau: Matilda TURNER, age 04, b. c1806 (10 Under) 3rd Dau: Nancy TURNER, age 01, b. *1809 (10 Under) Union Co., SC. Deed Book "G" 1803-1818, pg354; Indenture #467 On 09 Dec. 1811 Elijah TURNER, age 39 bought 58 acres of land adjoining Elijah TURNER, <--Self was already living there! John GILMORE, <--of Rutherford Co., NC. William CAMP; <--of Rutherford Co., NC m. Rebecca WOFFORD Wit: Wm. CATLETT, Peter HARRIS, Daniel GILMORE; <--s/o John GILLMORE above! Recorded: 18 Jan. 1812. NOTE: NO RECORD FOUND WHERE ELIJAH SOLD THIS LAND IN UNION Co., SC. Spartanburg, SC. Deed Book "Q" 1819-1859, pg369-372 On 07 Jun. 1719 (sic 1819) Elijah TURNER of York Co., SC. bought 547 acres of land in three parts from William HOLOWAY of Spartanburg Co., SC. 1. 290 acres sold by Joseph CHAMPON to William HOLOWAY 2. 290 acres; border NW of William HOLOWAY, NE & SE William DAVIDSON and E. NE, N Side S-Vacant; Grant to William HOLOWAY; excepted that William HOLOWAY sold to Anthony SARRATT on S side of Halfway Bridge (this leaves 70 acres) and 3. 187 acres sold by Robert MELOORE to William HOLOWAY. Wit: Fendal M. ROBERTSON Charles COOPER. Wit. oath Fendal M. ROBERTSON to Joseph CAMP. Dower renounced Nancy HOLOWAY to ....? Elijah TURNER in 1820 Census, Spartanburg Co., Pg280 300101-23010 H/H Elijah TURNER, (45 Over) <---Could be our Elijah Female, (26 to 45) <---Could be our Edy SARRATT Male, (16 to 26) <---Could be our L. Allen Female, (10 to 16) <---Could be our Silvy Female, (10 to 16) <---Could be our Matilda Female, (10 to 16) <---Could be our Nancy Female, (10 Under) <---Could be our Arrney Male, (10 Under) <---Could be our Ross B. Female, (10 Under) <---Could be our Sally Male, (10 Under) <---Could be our Phillip V. Male, (10 Under) <-- Unknown Our Elijah TURNER family in 1820. H/H Elijah TURNER, age 48, b. c1772 (45 Over) Wife: "Edy" (SARRATT) TURNER, age 42, b. c1778 (26 to 45) 1st Son: John TURNER, age 23, b. c1797 (16 to 26) Mar. prior 1820 2nd Son: Mathias TURNER, age 20, b. c1800 (16 to 26) Mar. prior 1820 3rd Son: L. Allen TURNER, age 19, b. *1801 (16 to 26) 1st Dau: Silvy TURNER, age 15, b. c1805 (16 to 18) 2nd Dau: Matilda TURNER, age 14, b. c1806 (10 to 16) 3rd Dau: Nancy TURNER, age 11, b. *1809 (10 to 16) 4th Dau: Arrrney TURNER, age 09, b. c1811 (10 Under) 4th Son: Ross B. TURNER, age 05, b. *1815 (10 Under) 5th Dau: Sally TURNER, age 02, b. c1818 (10 Under) 5th Son: Phillip V. TURNER, age 00, b. c1820 (10 Under) F-I-L John SARRATT in 1820 Census, Spartanburg Co., Pg281 Elijah TURNER in 1830 Census, Spartanburg Co., Pg318 0021000100000-0011000100000 H/H Elijah TURNER (50 to 60) Female (50 to 60) Female (15 to 20) <---Could be our Arrney Male (15 to 20) <---Could be our Ross B. Female (10 to 15) <---Could be our Sally Male (10 to 15) <---Could be our Phillip V. Male (10 to 15) <---Unknown Our Elijah TURNER family in 1830. H/H Elijah TURNER, age 58, b. c1772 (50 to 60) Wife: "Edy" (SARRATT) TURNER, age 52, b. c1778 (50 to 60) 1st Son: John TURNER, age 33, b. c1797 (30 to 40) m. c1821 2nd Son: Mathias TURNER, age 30, b. c1800 (30 to 40) m. c1830 3rd Son: L. Allen TURNER, age 29, b. *1801 (20 to 30) m. *1826 1st Dau: Silvy TURNER, age 25, b. c1805 (20 to 30) m. c1827 2nd Dau: Matilda TURNER, age 24, b. c1806 (20 to 30) m. c1828 3rd Dau: Nancy TURNER, age 21, b. *1809 (20 to 30) m. c1831 4th Dau: Arrrney TURNER, age 19, b. c1811 (15 to 20) m. c1833 4th Son: Ross B. TURNER, age 15, b. *1815 (15 to 20) m. *1841 5th Dau: Sally TURNER, age 12, b. c1818 (10 to 15) m. c1840 5th Son: Phillip V. TURNER, age 10, b. c1820 (10 to 15) m. c1842 6th Son: Elijah, Jr. age 08, b. *1822 (05 to 10) m. c1841 Spartanburg, SC. Deed Book "V", pg498 In 1830 Elijah TURNER of Spartanburg Co. bought 521 acres of land on "Sarrett Creek" from Samuel LOWRY of York Co. <---Listed 1820 Census York Co. Pg300 Wit: Aaron WILKINS, <---Listed 1840 Census York Co. Pg279 Anothy SARRATT; <---Nephew s/o John & Nannie (MORGAN) Recorded 1835 Spartanburg, SC. Deed Book "V", pg588 On 06 Jun 1835 Elijah TURNER of Spartanburg Co. sold 226 acres of land to John TURNER (1st Son) Wit: David ELLIS, <---Son-In-Law m. Sally TURNER Carter POPE. <---Son-In-Law m. Matilda TURNER Recorded 1836 David & Sally (TURNER) ELLIS liv 1840 Spartb. Co. Pg154 Carter & Matilda (TURNER) POPE liv 1840 Spartb. Co. Pg 079 Spartanburg, SC. Deed Book "Y", pg385 In 1835 Elijah TURNER of Spartanburg Co. "Deed of Gift" to Elijah TURNER, Jr. <----6th Son) Wit: John TURNER <----1st Son), Phillip TURNER <----5th Son). Elijah TURNER in 1840 Census, Spartanburg Co., Pg075 (Need Record) Mrs. Edith "Edy" (SARRATT) TURNER, died 04 Dec. 1844, at the age of 66 years, in Spartanburg Co., SC.; Buried in the Ellis/Turner Cemetery Grassy Pond, Spartanburg Co. SC. Located on present day 150 Hwy, 3 miles from Gaffney, Cherokee Co., SC. in the Grassy Pond Community Elijah TURNER in 1850 Census, Spartanburg Co., Pg247b #13 Elijah 78 years, b. North Carolina <----Note! Neighbors: L. GREEN; Nobel SARRATT; G. SARRATT; Benjamin GREEN; Elijah, Jr. TURNER; M. GLOVER; John TURNER; W. LEMONS A. ELLIS; John ELLIS.
Second Generation!
Elijah TURNER,
s/o M/M Henry TURNER, NC Not Proven!
b. __ ___ 1772, Rutherford Co., NC.
d. 12 Aug 1859, a87y (old Union Co.), present-day Cherokee Co., SC.
Buried in the David Ellis Family Cemetery, Kings Mt., Cherokee Co., SC.
Where a headstone marks his grave. [See Map 10p, Pg 117]
At the age of 25y he married (bfr 1797) in Spartanburg Dist. , SC. to
Fifth Generation!
19 year old Miss Edith "Edy" Jane SARRATT;
(2nd d/o John,2 & Nanny (MORGAN) SARRATT) of Spartanburg, SC. The "Loyalist" ARW
(1Gs/o...SAMUEL,2 & ELIZABETH SARRATT, of Prince George's Co., MD. to Mecklenburg Dist., NC.
(2Gs/o...SAMUEL,1 & ANNA SARRATT, of Prince George's Co., MD. to old Tryon Co., NC.
(3Gs/o...JOSEPH,1 & KATHERINE SARRATT, of France to Prince George's Co., MD. "The American Progenitor!"
b. __ ___ 1778, West Broad River, Spartanburg Dist., SC.
d. 04 Dec 1844, a66y, present-day Cherokee Co., SC.
She is buried along side her husband in the
David Ellis Family Cemetery, Kings Mt., Cherokee Co., SC.
They had 11 Children born to this Union: (6 Sons & 5 Dau's) Son/Dau Click on Name for More Inf. b.-d. Married/Info. Ch. FGS 1.1.01. 1st Son: John,1 TURNER, SC c1797-1864 a67yrs SC. m. c1821 Susannah HOPPER, 4Ch. fg29 1.1.02. 2nd Son: Thias Matthews TURNER, SC c1800-1864 a64yrs NC. m. c1830 Anna RIPPY, 13Ch. fg30 1.1.03. 3rd Son: Lawrence Allen TURNER, SC *1801-1861 a59yrs SC. m. *1826 Levina PETTY, 14Ch. fg31 1.1.04. 1st Dau: Silva Jane TURNER, SC c1805-1861 a56yrs GA. m. c1827 Elijah POPE, 5Ch. fg32 1.1.05. 2nd Dau: Matilda TURNER, SC c1806-18?? a??yrs GA. m. c1828 Carter POPE, 6Ch. fg33 1.1.06. 3rd Dau: Nancy TURNER, SC *1809-1890 a80yrs NC. m. c1831 Charles E. ELLIS, 8Ch. fg34 1.1.07. 4th Dau: Arrney TURNER, SC c1811-1845 a34yrs SC. m. c1833 Zachariah A. HOPPER, 0Ch. fg35 1.1.08. 4th Son: Ross B. TURNER, SC *1815-1867 a52yrs NC. m. *1841 Mariah McBRAYER, 11Ch. fg36 1.1.09. 5th Dau: Sarah/Sally TURNER, SC c1818-1881 a63yrs NC. m. c1840 1st David R. ELLIS, 8Ch. fg37 " " " " " " m. *1858 2nd John M. TURNER, 0Ch. fg1078 1.1.10. 5th Son: Phillip Victor TURNER, SC c1820-1859 a39yrs SC. m. c1842 Nancy LANCASTER, 6Ch. fg38 1.1.11. 6th Son: Elijah TURNER, Jr. SC *1822-1879 a56yrs NC. m. c1844 Lucinda HUMPHRIES, 8Ch. fg39 83 Known Grandchildren/1st Cousins!
For Continuation of these families see;
"World Connection" SFA GEDCOM site at:
Elijah TURNER, ID# I162
The SARRATT Family - 1897 by Nobel Sarratt
[REF:#155, Pg5,6]
Aunt EDY SARRATT married ELIJAH TURNER, who died Dec. 2, 1811, aged 66 years and whose children were;
1. JOHN, <----m. c1821 Susannah HOPPER,
2. THIAS, <----a.k.a. Mathew, m. c1820 Anna RIPPY
8. ROSS, <----a.k.a. Ross B.
10. PHILLIP, <----S/b Phillip V.
11. ELIJAH, <----S/b Elijah, Jr.
4. SILVEY, <----S/b Sliva J.
5. TILDY, <----S/b Matilda
6. NANCY, <----Ok
7. ARRENA and <----S/b Arrney
3. ALLEN. <----S/b Lawrence Allen
Possible Record Problem! Nobel, did NOT list the Children in order of birth?, he only listed 10 of his Aunt's TURNER Children?
He omitted #9, 5th Dau: Sarah/Sallie TURNER, b. c1818
Union Dist., South Carolina
Deed Book, "E", 1797-1802, Page 162,63
Dated: Sep 10, 1797
Richard CANNONof Union Co., SC. conveys to Elijah TURNER, age 25 (same) for consideration (omitted) some 120 acres of land laying on the "Reedy Branch" on "Pacolate waters"
Wit. Timothy HANEY;
Wit. Sarah HANEY.
Recorded: 13 Feb. 1798
[No listing H/H of R. CANNON or Timothy & Sarah HANEY in the 1790 Census! ..prs]
[In 1895, this property, was re-organized to present-day Cherokee Co., SC.
Union Dist., South Carolina
Deed Book, "E", 1797-1802, Page 162,63
Dated: Sep 11, 1797
Elijah TURNER, age 25yrs bought 100 acres of land in Pinckney District (Union Co.) at "Pacolate Waters"; Part of Grant 01 Aug. 1785 to Turner KINDERICK. <---Listed 1800 Census Union Co. Pg248, (Kinderick family of Rutherford Co., NC.)
Will & Testament Elijah TURNER 13th August 1857
State of South Carolina }
Spartanburg District }
In the name of God Amen,
Know all men by these presents that I, ELIJAH TURNER, of the District and State aforesaid, being at this time of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding, but advancing in age and infirmities, by which those blessings will necessarily cease, for the purpose of adjusting and arangeing my temporal concerns while in possession of my mental powers do make, ordain and constitute the following as my last will and testament. To wit:
In the first place I will and recemmendd my soul to the mercy and acceptance of that God who gave it me, and my body to a decent Christian burial.
2nd Place: I will and devise that all my just debts and my funeral expenses be paid out of my effects.
3rd Place: I will and devise to 7. Zachariah HOPPER one dollar, it being all that I allow him out of my estate both real & personal.
4th Place: I will and devise that the under named legatees,
1. 1st Son: John TURNER, 60yrs m. c1821 Susan HOPPER, 4Ch. 2. 2nd Son: Matheus TURNER, 56yrs m. c1830 Anna RIPPY, 13Ch. 3. 3rd Son: Allen TURNER, 56yrs m. *1826 Levina PETTY, 14Ch. 4. 1st Dau: Silvy IURNER) POPE, 51yrs m. c1827 Elijah POPE, 5Ch. 5. 2nd Dau: Matelda (TURNER) POPE, 50yrs m. c1828 Carter POPE, 6Ch. 6. 3rd Dau: Nancy (TURNER) ELLIS, 47yrs m. c1831 Charles E. ELLIS, 8Ch. 8. 4th Son: Ross B. TURNER, 41yrs m. *1841 Mariah McBRAYER, 11Ch. 9. 4th Dau: Sally (TURNER) ELLIS, 38yrs m. c1840 1st David R. ELLIS, 8Ch. 10. 5th Son: Phillip TURNER, 36yrs m. c1842 Nancy LANCASTER, 6Ch. 11. 6th Son: Elijah TURNR, 34yrs m. c1844 Lucinda HUMPHRIES, 8Ch. Make a calculation of the amount they have received. Their calculation is to be made from the accounts and receipts to be found in my account book, and those that have received the least are to be made equal with those that have received most, so that they all shall be equal. Then all the remainder of my estate both real and personal to be equally divided between these ten last named legatees.
5th Place: I will and devise that part of my estate both real and personal to my four daughters herein mentioned to them and the heirs of their bodies.
Lastly: I do hereby nominate constitute and appoint JOHN TURNER and ALLEN TURNER Executors to this my last will and testament, hereby revoking and making void all other wills by me at any other time made and do declare this my last will and testament.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 13th August 1857, one thousand eight hundred & fifty seven.
Signed sealed published ELIJAH TURNER (SEAL)
& acknowledged in presence of
WILLIAM N. FOSTER - [1825-1915, m. Sarah Lettice SARRATT
BRYANT BONNER- [Rev. Bryant 1817-1879 m. Hannah M. FOSTER]
LUTHER BONNER Unknown Bonner ?
CODICIL - ELIJAH TURNER 4 March 1858
State of South Carolina }
Spartanburg District }
Whereas I, ELIJAH TURNER, have made my last will and testament in writing being date on the 13th day of August 1857, and have thereby made sundry devises and bequests according to the then existing circumstances, but which circumstances have now materially changed, I do by this writing which I hereby declare to be a codicil to my said will, to be taken and construed as a part thereof, will and direct -
1st I will and devise that my Executors pay to SALLY (TURNER) ELLIS one hundred dollars [$100] as her needs require, this to be all that she is to receive of my estate.
2nd The balance to be paid to:
of my estate to the above named children specified in my will to SALLY ELLIS and the hheirs of her body. The division to be made equally by my Executors to the above named children.
In testirrony whereof I hereunto set my hand and seal this 4th of March 1858.
Signed, sealed, published ELIJAH TURNER (SEAL)
& declared by the said ELIJAH TURNER to be a Codicil or part of his last will & testamentin presence of us who at his request & in his presence & in the presence of each other do subscribe our names as witnesses thereto.
BRYANT BONNER- [Rev. Bryant 1817-1879 m. Hannah M. FOSTER]
P.O. GOFORTH- [Preston P. 1817-1895 m. Emline SARRATT]
G.W. BONNER- [Geo. W. 1839-1924, m. Wife Unknown]
Spartanburg Herald, Spartanburg, SC., Issue Thur. 18 Aug. 1859
"We learn that Mr. Elijah TURNER, a87y, near Grassy Pond, SC, was killed on Friday last [12 Aug. prs], by being thrown from his horse, while returning from church. He was eight-six years of age, a man of considerable wealth, and much respected. Mrs. Nancy (Turner) ELLIS, his daughter, age 50yrs was in company with him. Her mule took flight and scared her fathers's horse. Mrs. ELLIS' thigh was broken."
Turner/Ellis Cemetery, Grassy Pond, Cherokee Twp., Cherokee Co., SC.
Located on present day 150 Hwy, abt 3 miles from Gaffney, Cherokee Co., SC. in the Grassy Pond Community.
There are only 8 plots identified, but possible 3 more plots marked by Fieldstone/Footstones: 1. Edy J. (Sarratt) Turner, 1778-1844 age 66yrs Wife of Elijah TURNER, 2. Elijah Turner, 1772-1856 age 84yrs Husband of Edy Sarratt 3. Arreny (Turner) Hopper, 1811-1845 age 34yrs m. Zack A. Hopper 4. Mary Marsilla Ellis, 1833-1847 age 14yrs GDau of Elijah & Edy (Sarratt) TURNER, 5. Mary M. Ellis, 1846-1847 age 1yr GDau of Elijah & Edy (Sarratt) TURNER, 6. David B. Ellis, 1810-1857 age 47yrs Husband of Sally Turner 7. Eady Amelia (Ellis) Brem, 1835-1852 age 17yrs (with baby) d/o Charles & Nancy 8. P.V. Turner, 1820-1859 age 39yrs s/o Elijah & Edy (Sarratt) TURNER, 8.b Nancy (ancaster) Turner, 18??-1862 age ??yrs Wife of Phillip V. TURNER, 9. Unknown, 10 Unknown, 11 Unknown, Possible Record Problem! In 1984 Moss & Amos Cemetery Book, Vol. 2, Page 117 [REF:#67.1] Calls this Cemetery as "Ellis Family Cemetery", located in Kings Mt., SC. Map 10P
Blacksburg, Cherokee Co., SC. (GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 35.1631, Longitude: -81.5844)
Records can be found in the "Baptist Historical Collection" at Furnman University & there are records in the secured vault at the C & S Bank, in Gaffney, Cherokee Co., SC. Located abt one mile South of the North Carolina state line, that show Elijah TURNER was a member, Deacon, and a delegate to the Broad River Baptist Association for many years.
Source: [REF:#143] Helen B. Smith, 2736 Henry St. Augusta GA. 30909; Sent to this writer Jul. 20, 1991. prs
End of File. ..prs
Source and Reference Notes [REF:#001] Paul R. Sarrett, Jr. firstname.lastname@example.com
Sarratt/Sarrett/Surratt Families of America (SFA)©
Bibliography County Histories
Cherokee Co.
"The Old Iron District a Study of the Development of Cherokee County. 1750-1897" by: Bobby G. Moss, Clinton, SC. Jacobs Print., [1972] vii. 390pp.
"Around the Clock in Cherokee" by: Cluggson Black, Gaffney, SC.; Southern Renaissance [1974[ 67pp.
Spartanburg Co.
"History of Spartanburg County" by: John B. O'N Landrum, Atlanta, GA. Franklin Press & Pub. Co., [1900] viii 739pp. (Reprint Spartanburg Reprint Co., 1977, 739pp. Computerized Index, Park City, Utah. by: Hamilton Computer Service Co., [1978] 88pp.
"A History of Spartanburg County" Compiled by: Writers' Program of W.P.A., Spartanburg, SC. Pub. Band & White, [1940] 304pp. (Reprint with Index, Spartanburg Reprint Co. [1975], 304pp.)
"Spartanburg County: a Pictorial History" by: Phillip N. Racine, Virginia Beach, VA., Pub. Donning Co. [1908] 189pp.
Union Co.
"A History of Union County, South Carolina" by: William R. Feaster, Greenville, SC.' Pub. A Press, [1977] 133pp.
"Union County Heritage, South Carolina" Editor: Mannie L. Marbry, Union, SC., Union Co., South Carolina Heritage Commette, [1981], 500pp.
[REF:#002] Jerome T. Wylie firstname.lastname@example.com
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 10:33:53 AM Eastern Standard Time
My line is Elijah and Edith,
2. 2nd Son: Mathias & Anna (RIPPY) TURNER;
1st Son: Drury, Hasiel, Lecur (L.B.), Julia Turner Wylie,
SC. - Index
SFA - Index
Source & Ref.
Census Records | Vital Records | Family Trees & Communities | Immigration Records | Military Records Directories & Member Lists | Family & Local Histories | Newspapers & Periodicals | Court, Land & Probate | Finding Aids


text:
Sudden death of leading Canadian dressage horse Orion
One of Canada's top dressage horses Orion has died at the age of 18 after undergoing colic surgery.
Ridden by Pia Fortmuller, the Dutch Warmblood gelding (Jazz x Consul) died on January 19.
Orion and Fortmuller were the sole Canadian dressage athletes competing at the elite level (CDI4* and 5*) in Europe over the last year.
On January 18 Orion showed symptoms of colic and was taken to a vet clinic. He was stabilised with medication, but during the night Orion suffered from another episode of colic and by the next morning his conditioned had worsened to the point that surgery was required.
During surgery the veterinarian discovered that the colic was caused by a tumor the size of two fists that had cut off the circulation of Orion's intestines. "When this happens the intestines start digesting themselves and Orion was past the point of saving," Fortmuller said.
"In less than 24 hours my Orion, who is famous for his zest and fight for life took his last breath and has moved on to greener pastures, but his spirit will live on forever in my heart.
"Orion was still in top form right up to his last day and it is a shock to absolutely everyone how suddenly he has left us," Fortmuller said.
"Before the surgery began I asked for one last moment with Orion, and when I looked him in the eye, Orion let me know that his time had come. Anyone who spends so much time with their four legged partner knows that over time a connection can develop so strong that words are not needed to communicate. And it was in this moment that I knew that I had to let my team mate, my anchor, go. As I closed my eyes and gave Orion one last kiss I had only one thought that I wanted to share with him, and that is "Thank You".
Orion and Fortmuller were the sole Canadian dressage athletes competing at the elite level (CDI4* and 5*) in Europe over the last year. Most recently the pair attended the CDI3* Zakrzow competition, held in Poland in November where they won the Grand Prix before moving on to take second in the Grand Prix Freestyle.
Additionally, Fortmuller and Orion travelled to the prestigious Vienna Masters in Austria, where they earned a top 10 placing against an elite group of international competitors in the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle and FEI4* Grand Prix classes. They were also invited to compete at the CDIO5* level during the World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen in Germany this past July, where once again, Orion demonstrated his incredible talent and heart, taking the pair to ninth place in the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle against some of the best equine dressage athletes in the world.
Fortmuller called competing at Aachen "… a dream come true," and commented that, "It was an honour to be able to dance down the centerline with Orion in Aachen."


text:
Cultivating the Seed of the Divine
A Sermon by the Rev. Beth Miller, Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel, CA
How many of you have ever had 'running away from home' fantasies? You know what I'm talking about, the kind of fantasy where you leave everything behind, everything, except maybe the cat, and just go somewhere and start a new life.
Well, a couple of weeks ago on my day off, I had such a fantasy. I fantasized that I ran away from home to a small southern seaside town here on the East Coast and I got a job in a diner. I was like these two ladies in a local cafe near where I live in California—serving breakfast and lunch, knowing the regulars and greeting them by name, taking care of those that need a little extra help, giving directions or information or advice to the tourists.
In my fantasy, I was still doing ministry—just a different kind of ministry. I thought that maybe, with my almost ten years of experience in the professional ministry, I might be a pretty good cafe minister. I would take orders, serve eggs and pancakes, fill coffee cups, clean up tables, and just love people. Just love people.
I can't say just what prompted this fantasy. I had just come back from a five-day vacation the previous week. Maybe five days wasn't really enough to recharge my batteries.
Then on Friday during Alice Mann's presentation, I was struck by the complexity of the challenges we all face as congregations in transition to becoming mid-size, Program churches. And I was struck by the reality of the conflicting demands we ministers feel in the process of that transition. I realized that while our appropriate roles are quite different in Pastoral churches than they are in Program churches, we can't just drop the one and take up the other. We have to wean ourselves and our congregations, playing both roles, really, and often changing roles maybe even several times a day. Maybe that's why I'm having fantasies of a simpler life.
I'm not really going to run away from home, I love my congregation and I'm more often energized by the challenges because I have the great good fortune to serve a congregation that's committed to growth and change and that has the resources to make it happen.
But it was a pretty seductive fantasy at the time. I was still thinking about cafe ministry and shared it with my Spiritual Director a couple of days later, on Wednesday. Then, the most amazing thing. The very next day, on Thursday, I read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the very person who I could adopt as my role model for this fantasy of cafe ministry. St. Frances of the Grill the headline read. The article goes on:
No one ever went away hungry or mad at Ann's cafe in Oakland.
There is no one in Oakland with as many friends as Frances Bienati.
She's made them one at a time, just like the 100 pancakes, 15 dozen eggs and 50 to 60 pounds of potatoes she's grilled up at Ann's cafe every day, five days a week for the last 42 years.
Every city has a place like this, a hole-in-the-wall breakfast spot that is heavy on atmosphere and legend, and the food is, well, it's filling.
The service and camaraderie are priceless. And that's what will be missed when Frances hangs up her spatula for the last time on Friday. She and her husband, Frank, are retiring and closing the doors to the Fruitvale Avenue cafe...
Three things are sure to happen anytime you pass through the door: You will be greeted and treated like a returning son or daughter. You'll be served so much food that you will not finish the meal, and if you're single, expect to be introduced or referred to someone Frances has chosen especially for you.
Everyone, regardless of ethnicity or social standing, has a place in the 19-seat cafe, which is standing- room-only most of the time in a space about the size of a mobile home. The cafe bears the name of Frances' mom, Anna Cucchiara, who opened it in February 1958.
Frances is a friend to cops and crooks, people down on their luck, and self-conscious over achievers. They come from the neighborhood and beyond. A retired Oakland cop drove all the way from Monterey just to say goodbye this week...
There is more, but you get the idea. Frances Bienati is doing cafe ministry.
I don't know if Frances would consider herself a religious person or not. Don't know if she ever goes to church. But she definitely offers a ministry in her little corner of the world.
She has spent forty-some years making that corner of the world a better, more loving, more cheerful place for thousands of people. And just think for a moment—if just ten percent of those people were sufficiently touched by this woman's ministry to pass it on, her influence for the good has been immeasurable.
We each have a ministry to perform. We are each called to serve in some way. Any one of us, at any time, may be used as "God's hand" offering a hand to one who is wounded and in need of a little lift. The Rev. Gordon McKeeman says that ministry is speaking and living the highest we know... and that, wherever there is a meeting that summons us to our better selves, wherever lostness is found, ...fragments are reunited, ...wounds begin healing, ...spines straighten, and ...muscles grow strong for the talk, there is ministry.
The purpose of the church is not to be the beginning and the end of ministry. The purpose of the church is transformation.
We each gather with others in our own churches on Sunday mornings for worship or to teach our children. We gather in smaller groupings on weekday evenings for Board meetings, committee meetings, covenant groups, adult programs, choir practice. We come together on the weekends for social times together, for workshops, or to help with a fund-raising activity. Some of us come during the week to compile the newsletter or help out in the office.
Why? With the many demands of our lives and the many opportunities for activity of all kinds in our communities, why do we offer some our gifts and spend a portion our time at church?
We come together to be part of a transformational ministry. We come to help create that ministry in a myriad of large and small ways. And we come to receive the healing power of that ministry; to be strengthened and empowered by it so that we might take our own ministries out into our own little corners of the world.
Our churches are and ought to be many things to many people. A place for friendship and community—fine. A place for intellectual stimulation—okay. A substitute family for those who have none—terrific! A place to seek truth and meaning—most definitely. Our churches are all of these things and more. But if we stop short of transformation, it isn't enough. If a significant portion of us are not empowered and supported in our own ministries—both in the church and in the world-—then despite all the wonderful things we are doing to be a church, we are missing the mark.
The Reverend Bernice King talked to us about transformation. For her, transformation comes through the power and the spirit of Jesus, just as it may for some of us. But for Unitarian Universalists, the context is broader. Revelation is not limited to one path. Remember the sources in our statement of purposes and principles. "Judeo-Christian teachings" is only one of several sources we might consider transformative. We are also open to the transforming power of the rest of the world's religions. We are open to the transforming power of humanist teachings and secular wisdom. We are open to the transforming power of earth-centered spiritual traditions, and so on.
What is transformative for each of us is that which calls us out of our complacency and into our very best selves, our divine selves, that part of us that deeply wants to offer itself in service to something higher than our immediate wants or needs. How does the church go about being transformational, eliciting this best part of ourselves, and motivating us to put ourselves into service?
I'm going to paraphrase my colleague and teacher, Roy Phillips, with whom I've had the privilege of being in workshops three times. I've also read his books, and I've been trying to apply his concepts in my ministry setting for several years. I'm not sure just which words are actually Roy's and which are my interpretation of his words, but I give him credit and thank him for my current understanding of what is required for a transformational church.
In Roy's model, the church has to focus clearly on three things:
- a vision of how the world ought to be,
- a sense of mission that grows out of that vision,
- and specific, concrete goals that empower people to claim the vision as their own and to live out of the mission in their lives.
As Unitarian Universalists, I believe we really do have a clear vision of how the world ought to be. It is riddled through-out the history of both our Unitarian and our Universalist forebearers. And our vision evident in our seven principles. When you look at our history and boil down our principles, our saving vision is the very basic Judeo-Christian values of love and justice. Love God and love your neighbor, and do justice.
We have our own ways of understanding love of God and neighbor and doing justice. Our principles give us some specific examples of how the world ought to be as a place of love and justice. It ought to be a place of acceptance, justice, equity, compassion, freedom, human rights for all people. It ought to be a democracy in which all can participate, a place of peace and liberty for all people. The world ought to be a place where truth can be openly sought and spiritual life can be freely developed. And our world ought to be a place where the interdependent web of existence is recognized and taken care of.
The job of a transformational church, is to teach and clarify and elaborate upon this vision of the world as a place of love and justice.
Secondly, our congregational sense of mission needs to be about what we can do to bring this vision to reality. Our sense of mission needs to be about helping people to live their whole lives in the context of love and justice. Our sense of mission needs to be about so much more than our life together at church. A transformational church helps people develop a personal sense of mission around this vision of the world as we believe it ought to be in all places and for all people. It empowers them and supports them to live lives grounded in this vision—even when it's very hard to do. And a transformational church does not loose faith in people, even when they break their vows—a thousand times, to echo Barbara Wells' sermon yesterday. It says, come, yet again, come.
And third, in a transformational church, leadership takes as goals specific things to do and concrete ways to be with one another to give actual help to people as they claim the vision and live out of the sense of mission in their individual lives. What can we do together, how can we be together, to make this world we share begin to align a little more with our vision of how the world ought to be, starting with our own congregational life? And what can we do to empower ourselves and one another to live and to share the vision of love and justice in the separate day to day worlds we each inhabit?
A transformational church is about empowering and supporting people for ministry in the world. Why? Why must the purpose of our church be transformation instead of just intellectual stimulation, or a warm and accepting community, or any of the other fine things a church might be? Two reasons:
- because we are essentially and deeply made for transformation
- and because the world so needs to be transformed.
Roy Phillips referred to William Ellery Channing and claimed him as America's theologian in his address on Thursday evening. Channing said, "the divine dimension is a seed in each person. The purpose of religion is to help cultivate that seed."
We are essentially made for transformation. It is who we really are. For some the seed of the divine is dormant when we first find a spiritual home. For others it has sprouted and already has a few leaves. For some it has grown to be a full, bushy plant already. In all of us, however, the seed of the divine is always growing. It never stops growing, as long as we live. For those of us involved with religion, for we who make church a serious part of our lives, whether clergy or laity, our presence and our participation have two spiritual aspirations:
On the one hand, we are there to cultivate the seed of the divine within ourselves. We want to become and be and live out of our very best selves. And on the other hand, our participation contributes to cultivating the seed of the divine in others with whom we share the church. For, there is no church lest the people gather to make it so. We are the church. We provide and we receive transformation.
Channing's notion of the seed of the divine in us brings to mind part of a Galway Kinnell poem:
The bud
stands for all things,
even for those things that don't flower,
for everything flowers from within,
of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to re-teach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on the brow
of the flower,
and re-tell it in words and in touch,
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within,
of self-blessing.
The bud, like the seed, is within each of us. The church doesn't put it there. Religion doesn't create it. It is just there, and something in us knows it and loves it and blesses it. It flowers of self-blessing. But, oh, we break our vows again and again and again.
We so need the support of others, the invitation and the reminder and the permission for the seed to sprout, for the flower to blossom. Sometimes we need to be re-taught, to have a hand on our brow, to re-hear in words and in touch, that we are lovely, and beloved. The purpose of the church is transformation, to help us flower again—and again and again—of self-blessing.
A few moments ago when I rhetorically asked why the purpose of the church is transformation, I said there were two reasons. Yes, because we are essentially and deeply made that way; but also, because the world so needs to be transformed.
Reverend Bernice King told us about this. She told us that at the core of the social problems we face are deep spiritual problems. She talked about Humpty Dumpty and how all the experts applied their problem-solving expertise to try to put Humpty together again. But they all failed.
That image had great power for me. The problem, Reverend King told us, is spiritual and you can't fight spiritual problems with the mind alone or by just throwing money at it. Non-spiritual tools won't work without a spiritual foundation. The problem, Rev. King told us, is that we have rejected the word of God.
Now I know that many of you got stuck—right there. Bernice King spoke in only one religious dialect—she used only one faith language and imagery, a language that we are commonly uncomfortable with. We're not used to this and it's jarring. If your congregation embodies the kind of theological diversity we say we value, your preacher is religiously multi-lingual. And because of the predominance of our members' conversion experiences from more conservative or orthodox religions to this liberal faith, your minister probably uses the language of Rev. King very sparingly,—if at all. So it's understandable that many of us were blocked. We were stunned by her language and unable to hear behind that language the profound truth of her words.
The problem, she said, is that we have rejected the word of God. Our social problems are fundamentally spiritual problems. They are the spirit of arrogance and elitism, the spirit of materialism and greed, the spirit of selfishness and fear. In Bernice King's native tongue, these spiritual problems are in opposition to the word of God.
In the pit of my stomach and in my heart of heart, I do so believe that she is right. Her words were a revelation for me, and they transformed my understanding of what is required for us to be agents of love and justice in the world. The difference for me is that I understand the word of God more broadly. For Rev. King, God's word is spoken only through Jesus Christ. She would say that we are wrong, that we live in ignorance or denial of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the way and the truth and the light; that in seeking other paths, we are lost, and that puts us on the side of evil.
In this regard, I disagree with Rev. King, and I put my faith in her being wrong. Because I believe God speaks in many languages and appears in many guises. Revelation, for Unitarian Universalists, is not exclusively available in the life of Jesus, nor is it sealed at the end of the New Testament. We are not limited to just this one path. Jesus is one of many sources of inspiration and wisdom that might be transformative for us.
So, I invite you—no—I implore you, to do your best to hear behind and beneath the idiom Rev. King used to sort out and understand—in our own faith context—the deeper, penetrating truth of her proclamation. Just because her exclusivity speaks for us an untruth that does not mean there is no truth in her witness. Truth does not always come in nice, neat, tidy packages that we can fully embrace, wrappings and all.
I'm reminded of my good friend, Clare, a highly intelligent, rational lawyer in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I served for 5-1/2 years. Clare found her life ungrounded some years back, and so she went off in search of a spiritual path. She spent one summer studying and experiencing the path of Creation Spirituality with Matthew Fox and others. And another summer, she went to France and spent time living in a community called Larche, a community for the mentally disabled founded by a Catholic brother, Jean Vanier. There are a number of Larche homes, and they invite people to come live in community with them and take Spiritual Direction with the resident priest in exchange for helping with the chores.
In spiritual direction one day, Clare was struggling to understand some important insight, and the priest said to her: "Clare, just for a moment, close your lawyer's mind and open your child's heart. God is trying to talk to you."
For Clare, this moment was transformative. It changed her life and allowed her to discover the path she could follow, a path that includes her keen and insightful mind and her warm, loving, open heart.
"Close your lawyer's mind and open your child's heart. God is trying to talk to you."
We must listen behind and beneath Bernice King's context with our open hearts in order to hear the deeper truth of her witness. And why?—because—the world so needs the transforming power of our faith to address the spiritual nature of the social problems we face.
And just what is the essence of that transforming power? What is our 'saving word', to quote Bill Sinkford? What is our clear vision of how the world ought to be, to repeat Roy Phillips' paradigm? Again, it is the basic Judeo-Christian values embodied in our history and in our Principles: love and justice.
Denny Davidoff asked us last night, reading from a letter from the Fulfilling the Promise committee. She asked: "Who are we?" At our best, living out of our vision and putting our mission into action, we are agents of love and justice in the world. That's who we are. That's who we are called to be.
And we are all called. We each have gifts to offer and a ministry to perform in this broken world. Your gifts are your unique combination of personal qualities, physical, emotional and spiritual make-up, talents, interests, and skills or potential skills. Your gifts are to be used in the service of your values. Your highest values can be found in those things that touch, move, call, or deeply disturb you. Your gifts are to be used in response to a sense of call. If you are careful in discerning your gifts, if you use them to serve your highest values, and if the arena in which you offer your gifts fits for you, you are answering a call.
It may be as obvious and as outstanding as the burning bush was for Moses. Maybe you will hear your call on the wind. Perhaps, like Elizabeth Tarbox, you will imagine the voice of the Creator speaking to you. You may not hear anything at all. It could be that there will just be moments when you know—deep in your heart and in the pit of your stomach—that what is in your mind to pursue is right and true for you; when you know that it matters not that you are less mighty than you think you ought to be; when you find courage despite your insecurity and fear; and when you just know that you have found your ministry.
At such moments, it is good to take off your shoes, for you are standing on Holy Ground.


text:
Cape Town - The trial of one of the men accused of murdering honeymooner Anni Dewani will start on Wednesday in the Western Cape High Court.
Judge Robert Henney told the State and defence at pre-trial proceedings on Monday that he would accept no further delays in the case against Xolile Mngeni.
The court heard that a recent medical report confirmed Mngeni was fit to stand trial, even though he had a malignant brain tumour.
His lawyer Matthews Dayimani said the report concluded his client's "attentional focus" was slightly reduced.
At a previous appearance, Dayimani said he doubted his client would be able to concentrate during proceedings.
Mngeni faces charges of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, murder, and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Dewani, 28, was shot in an apparent car hijacking while on honeymoon with her husband Shrien in Cape Town in November 2010.
Co-accused Mziwamadoda Qwabe pleaded guilty to the same charges last week, as part of a plea and sentencing agreement. He was sentenced to in effect 25 years in jail.
The plea agreement offered insight into the apparent sequence of events the night of the murder and implicated Shrien Dewani as the conspirator in a contract killing.
Qwabe alleged that he and Mngeni agreed to the job in exchange for R15 000.
He further alleged that Mngeni was the one who pulled the trigger. - Sapa


text:
John Milton
John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674 / London, England)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
Psalm 87
Among the holy Mountains high
Is his foundation fast,
There Seated in his Sanctuary,
His Temple there is plac't.
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
- Posts: Number of visitors who posted the poem to a friend (via e-mail) on the given date.
- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.