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BOSTON - Investors continue to place an unusually high premium on safety. How else to explain the record low yields they're willing to accept for lending to Uncle Sam?
The rate on the 10-year Treasury note sank as low as 1.39 percent this week. That's paltry payback for locking up their money for a decade.
Investors can earn significantly more by taking on just a bit more risk. Yields of mutual funds that specialize in government-backed mortgage bonds known as Ginnie Maes are currently more than double those of Treasurys maturing over a similar number of years. Several such funds are generating yields exceeding 3 percent.
The category's recent solid performance doesn't necessarily mean that Ginnie Mae funds will be a good addition to any portfolio. Here are five key considerations:
1. Steady returns
2. Not all are alike
3. Prepayment risk
4. Rate risk
5. Costs count
Ginnie Maes typically generate modest returns, and fund expenses can eat up much of what investors earn if they're not careful. A savvy Ginnie Mae fund manager can sometimes significantly outperform most peers, but the margin is typically smaller than with stock funds and many other bond fund categories. So pay close attention to fees. Vanguard's Ginnie Mae fund charges the lowest among the group, with an expense ratio of 0.21 percent.
Even without considering costs, Tjornehoj, the Lipper analyst, says there's plenty to like about these funds.
For starters, there's Ginnie Maes' current yield advantage over Treasurys: "They stack up pretty well, given the low rate environment we're in, and how richly priced the safest assets like Treasurys have become."The rate on the 10-year Treasury note sank as low as 1.39 percent this week. That's paltry payback for locking up their money for a decade.
These funds invest in pools of home mortgages that carry the explicit guarantee of the Government National Mortgage Association, or Ginnie Mae. Investors in Ginnie Mae bonds are ensured full and timely payment of principal and interest, regardless of whether borrowers make payments.
"If you're conservative, and looking for that steady diet of payments, Ginnie Mae funds can be a great option," says Jeff Tjornehoj, a bond fund analyst with Lipper Inc.
It's decent income for risk-averse investors who may appreciate the monthly cash distributions they can elect to receive from their fund's investment returns. Funds specializing in Ginnie Maes attracted more than $7 billion in new cash over the last 12 months, according to Lipper.
The 15 funds in the category - most bearing the abbreviation "GNMA" - have posted an average total return of 5 percent over the last 12-months. Returns have ranged as high as 7.1 percent for Payden GNMA (PYGWX) to as low as 3 percent.
Expect smoother returns than you'll get from higher-risk segments of the bond market. For example, in 2008, the Vanguard GNMA fund (VFIIX) returned 7 percent, as Ginnie Maes offered safety during the financial crisis. Compare that with the 2008 losses averaging 26 percent for funds specializing in high-yield corporate bonds.
These funds are required to invest at least 80 percent of fund assets in Ginnie Mae bonds. But managers have leeway with the other 20 percent. Non-GNMA mortgage investments can be found in their portfolios, as well as other government bonds such as Treasurys. So returns can vary significantly from fund to fund.
Some bearing "Government" in their name but not "GNMA" invest in Ginnie Maes as well, but don't focus on them. Although those funds' broader investment mandates can sometimes result in stronger returns, risks are typically lower at a fund that largely sticks with the agency's guaranteed bonds.
One unique aspect of Ginnie Maes makes them slightly riskier than other government-guaranteed bonds. Declining interest rates means many homeowners are trying to refinance to less expensive mortgages, creating "prepayment risk" for Ginnie Mae funds. When refinancing activity spikes, some of the higher-rate mortgages in Ginnie Mae funds are replaced by lower-rate mortgages. That squeezes the interest payments that a fund's bond portfolio earns, and fund returns can be reduced.
Typically, fund managers discuss their strategies for dealing with prepayment risk in quarterly commentaries sent to investors. Gary Greenberg, co-manager of Payden GNMA, says the smaller-than-expected number of mortgages refinanced through the Obama administration's anti-foreclosure programs has been a positive for Ginnie Mae investors. However, if it appears the programs might eventually become more successful, Greenberg says he's prepared to adjust his fund's portfolio to limit prepayment risk.
Just like those owning other types of bonds, Ginnie Mae investors could see returns shrink if interest rates rise. Market values for mortgage investments bought when rates were lower would drop as investors seek higher returns from newer mortgages paying higher rates.
Investors wishing to protect against this risk should check disclosures listing a fund's duration, a measure of vulnerability to rising rates. Most Ginnie Mae funds currently have durations of 2.5 to 4.5. The bigger the number, the more risk an investor faces from a potential rate increase. However, that risk isn't imminent. The Federal Reserve doesn't expect to raise its benchmark rate until late 2014, at the earliest.


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The extent of the media's influence to shape public opinion was on full display in a new Pew Research Center poll that shows, even though gun crime has dropped by half since its peak in the mid '90s, most Americans (56 percent) wrongly think gun violence has increased.
In an L.A. Times article that highlighted the poll, Emily Alpert posited "It's unclear whether media coverage is driving the misconception that such violence is up. The mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., were among the news stories most closely watched by Americans last year, Pew found."
According to a recent MRC study there is nothing "unclear" about media coverage "driving the misconception" that violence is up. The MRC found, in the wake of the Newtown shootings alone, the Big Three (ABC, CBS and NBC) networks flooded their programs with 216 panicked segments that discussed gun policy. The study also found stories advocating more gun control outnumbered stories opposing gun control by 99 to 12, or a ratio of 8 to 1.
On Tuesday, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that the number of gun killings fell by 39 percent between 1993 and 2011. Yet as Alpert noted, the Pew poll found a huge disparity in statistic reality and the perception of Americans:
"Despite the remarkable drop in gun crime, only 12% of Americans surveyed said gun crime had declined compared with two decades ago, according to Pew, which surveyed more than 900 adults this spring. Twenty-six percent said it had stayed the same, and 56% thought it had increased."
On Tuesday night NBC's Brian Williams and CBS's Scott Pelley actually reported on the drop in gun crime on their evening shows, but both failed to mention the Pew Research Center results, ABC has yet to report on either.
The following briefs were aired on the May 7 editions of NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley:
BRIAN WILLIAMS: In light of the post-Newtown gun debate in this country some new stats from the Justice Department show that, on the whole, gun related crime is actually much lower than it was two decades ago. Gun murders dropped a full 39 percent between '93 and 2011. Other gun crimes fell even more sharply, down 70 percent. But 70 percent of all murders are still committed with guns, most of them handguns.
SCOTT PELLEY: You know we've seen so many high profile murders involving guns we were surprised today when the Justice Department reported that gun violence has declined sharply in the past two decades. In 1993 there were 18,000 homicides involving firearms. In 2011 there were just over 11,000. That is a drop of 39 percent.

subset: commoncrawl


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Start your engine get the show on the road. The Genuine BMW accessories open a world of endless possibilities – use the BMW holder for the Apple iPad™ to watch movies, check your emails or surf the internet on your iPad with ease. The BMW DVD system allow you to watch movies, documentaries or sports broadcasts in the greatest of comfort. With the ALPINE hi-fi system you can enjoy the music of your choice in brilliant, crystal-clear sound and powerful bass. The ALPINE hi-fi system is compatible with Apple iPod™ so you always have your personal playlist to hand. Discover the world of entertainment now. In your BMW.
Simply fasten the BMW holder to the headrest of the front seat and click the Apple iPad™ into place in the frame. Now you can relax and use the device from the back seat.
The BMW holder for Apple iPad™ is part of the 'Travel & Comfort System' accessory range.
Top-quality entertainment in the back row: the DVD System Tablet with two 7-inch displays and built-in speakers plays films and music from DVDs, CDs, USB media and a large range of memory cards.
Available for many BMW models.
Docking system to connect standard mobile telephones with the Bluetooth hands-free facility. Optimum network connection via the external aerial of the vehicle, automatic charging of mobile phone.
Available for many BMW models, such as the BMW 3 Series and BMW 5 Series.
Whether you have an iPod, iPhone or MP3 player your mobile device is always within reach in the centre console and can be directly connected to the audio system of your BMW via the universally-compatible USB-iPod interface. The device can be convenient operated via the iDrive Controller, the multifunction steering wheel or the radio. Playback can be set up according to your preferences and appears on the Control Display.
For example, for your BMW 1 Series Convertible (available for all BMW models).
The infrared stereo headphones with XL Neodym speakers impress with their outstanding sound and resonant bass. Controls on each set of headphones allow the volume to be set right there. Weighing only approximately 160g they are extremely comfortable to wear and their stand-by time of 80 hours guarantees extended enjoyment on long journeys.
For example, for your BMW 5 Series Sedan (available for all BMW models).
The BMW DVD system in rear plays DVD videos and audio CDs. It also allows you to view or listen to all regular data formats like JPEG and MP3 data in brilliant quality - even from a USB stick. The 7-inch monitor colour display can be viewed without glare from any angle and can be folded away easily and securely into the armrest. The BMW DVD system is also available with infrared stereo headphones as an optional extra.
Available for BMW X1 and BMW X3.
Specially developed and adapted hi-fi system from ALPINE electronics. Easy to install in the existing speaker positions. For reproducing fine sound nuances in concert-hall quality.
Available for BMW 1 Series, BMW 3 Series and BMW X1.
Short, stylish rod aerial for adding a sporting touch to your vehicle. Suitable for BMW models with navigation system, radio or Bluetooth mobile phone preparation. Length 105 mm.
Safely tucked away in the BMW CD/DVD storage sleeve, your favourite discs are protected from scratches and always within easy reach. This Genuine BMW Accessory holds seven CDs or DVDs and can easily be fastened to the sun visor.
Available for all BMW models.
The multimedia bag is always ready to hand in the centre arm rest, protects your multimedia devices and allows you to store them safely and conveniently.
Available for BMW 1 Series and BMW 3 Series.
Find out more about this product here:
Watch movies, check emails, surf the internet or play games: whatever you wish to do with your iPad, the BMW holder for Apple iPad™ lets you find the right position with ease and leaves your hands free. Set it either in Movie Mode at eye level behind the headrest to enjoy a relaxing video or in Office Mode below the headrest to make using the onscreen keyboard more comfortable. Both modes allow you to rotate the holder through 90° in either direction to find the best position for the iPad and use it in landscape and portrait position. Thanks to the stand supplied, you can enjoy the benefits of the BMW holder for Apple iPad™ outside of your BMW, too.
For maximum benefit, you should use the BMW holder for Apple iPad™ in combination with the BMW Car Hotspot, the wireless hotspot for your BMW.
The benefits at a glance:
Fully-fledged rear entertainment system consisting of two portable monitors and two holders that fasten to the headrest support bars. For playing video DVDs, audio CDs as well as data CDs and DVDs. Includes USB port and slot for SD/MMC/MS memory cards. The built-in speakers can be switched off when headphones are used. For wireless listening pleasure we recommend the infrared headphones, which are available as an optional extra.
Inconspicuous device - strikingly effective result: the BMW Snap-In Adapter guarantees perfect operation of your mobile phone while you are on the move.
Thanks to the secure and stable docking system, your telephone remains safely fastened in the vehicle. A connection to the external aerial channels the electromagnetic radiation out of the passenger compartment and improves reception. And - as an added bonus - your mobile phone is automatically charged during the journey.
You can obtain the BMW Snap-In Adapter tailor-made for common Bluetooth-capable mobile telephones from Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson as well as for the Apple iPhone™ and the RIM BlackBerry®. Contact us to find out which mobile phone models the snap-in adapter is available for.
Available for many BMW models, such as the BMW 3 Series and BMW 5 Series.


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Using Your Benefits
Get Started
Come talk to us to get your benefits linked to Evergreen or to transfer your benefits from one school to another. We can help you find and complete the forms you need.
You may only receive veterans benefits for two quarters as an unadmitted special student (someone who has not yet gone through the formal admission process ). You must be admitted by the third quarter for us to be able to certify you with the Veterans Administration and keep your benefits.
Types of Benefits
Each of these benefits has different requirements and funding. You may apply online, but you might also want to come to the Veterans' Resource Center to discuss your options. Every situation is unique.
Benefits for Active Duty and Retired Service Members
- Chapter 30, Montgomery GI Bill® (MGIB) – Active Duty: applies to active duty service members or veterans who served from 1984 through 2008.
- Chapter 31, Montgomery GI Bill® (MGIB) - Vocational Rehabilitation: for active duty service members and veterans with service-connected disabilities.
- Chapter 32, The Veterans Educational Assistance Program: applies to veterans who served between 1977 and 1985.
- Chapter 33, The Post-9/11 GI Bill®: applies to active duty service members or veterans who served after September 11, 2001. Includes a housing allowance and book stipend.
Benefits for Reservists
- Chapter 1606, Montgomery GI Bill® (MGIB) – Selected Reserve: applies to members of military branch reserve components, Army National Guard, and Air National Guard.
- Chapter 1607, The Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP): available to all reservists who, after September 11, 2001, complete 90 days or more of active duty service "in support of contingency operations." This benefit provides reservists return from active duty with up to 80% of the active duty (Chapter 30) G.I. Bill benefits as long as they remain active participants in the reserves.
Benefits for Dependents
- Chapter 35, The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program (DEA): provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition, or who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition.
See more about benefits for dependents.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website, http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Quarterly Student Verification of Attendance (SVA)
If you are attending and receiving Chapter 33 MGIB benefits, you will need to complete one Student Verification of Attendance (Word) each quarter.
Submit your SVA to us no later than the end of the seventh week of each quarter. Please deliver to the Veterans Resource Center by email, fax or in person.
We send Student Verification of Attendance email notifications during the fifth week of the quarter. Be sure to check your email.
Veterans receiving Chapter 30 MGIB benefits can use WAVE to submit monthly verifications instead of a Student Verification of Attendance form.
As always, if you need assistance, contact us.
Pausing or Re-Starting Your Benefits
If you take a leave of absence or are called to active duty, make sure you notify us or we have a copy of your orders before you leave and let us know when you return.


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Saturday, February 28, 2009
February 28 - Martyrs in the Plague at Alexandria
Yet, things changed when a plague began sweeping through the Roman Empire and claiming victims on all sides. It seemed that the disease cared little for whom allegiance was paid to as it killed both Christians and non-Christians with ease and speed. Alexandria was particuarly hard hit by the plague with over 5,000 people dying every day in its deadly grip. Soon, people began abandoning those who showed any trace of a symptom of the disease and fleeing to the countryside so that they might escape with their lives. With the density of the urban population, the disease spread quickly. Many fled even going so far as to abandon their children, parents, and spouses in the streets because of fear of infection. Having escaped they did their best to keep a watch on the city so that the infection might die out with its victims and they might return.
Once their persecutors had fled in the wake of the plague, the Christians of Alexandria began to come out of hiding and to take care of the sick and dying. They knew that it would likely cost them their lives yet they felt compelled to care for the abandoned and dying by the faith they refused to deny even under threat of torture and death. Soon, the non-Christians who had fled Alexandria began to hear that many of the Christians had stayed behind and had chosen not to save their own lives so that they might comfort those who were already losing theirs Since the city had been abandoned by all those who could afford to escape, there was little persecution of the Christians even though they had come out of hiding. They met in public to worship and proclaim their faith and were welcomed by those who remained because they offered hope and healing when everybody else had run for their lives. Most of those who remained died and were buried with the ones they cared for. Since their faith bade them stay and the world bade them go, they are martyrs having died on account of a faith that changed and held them.
Friday, February 27, 2009
February 27 - Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Dancer, Passionist, Long Avoided His Calling
Francesco's sister--Mary Louisa--died from cholera some time later and Francesco was shaken to the core by her death. After their mother's death it had been Mary Louisa who had become a second mother to him. He had been shaken by his older brothers' deaths (one from suicide) but the death of Mary Louisa was distressing in a way he could not clearly or cleanly articulate. The clergy of Spoleto processed an icon of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, through the streets as an act of healing and prayer for the community then beset by cholera. As the icon passed by, he was enthralled and heard a voice questioning him, saying, "Why are you still part of the world that you've been called out of?" He didn't have an answer. So, he finally became serious about a life devoted to ministry and decided to join the Passionist order. At first, his father laughed him off since he had declared his devotion before only to back out after some time. Yet, he persisted and his father finally sent him to the monatery with his blessing.
As Francesco traveled, he visited relatives along the way to see how they were doing. Yet, his father had primed them with questioning speeches and thoughts in hope that if this was yet another insincere commitment that he would return before he ever arrived at the monastery. They were unsuccessful in persuading him to give up on the life he had finally truly committed to. While a novice at the monastery, he was an excellent student and obedient to a fault to his superiors. He took his vows and the name Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. Yet, he contracted tuberculosis before he was ordained a priest. He thanked God when he was diagnosed because he had prayed for some time that he might die slowly and make his dying a spiritually formative experience in his life. He spent his remaining days praying and practicing the Faith that held him. Shortly before his death, he ordered all of his writings but his letters to be burned so that he might not be arrogant or puffed up with regard for his own writing or intellect. The man who had so long avoided the vows he had made had finally found comfort in a life of devotion and service. He died peacefully and was buried shortly thereafter.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
February 26 - Photina, The Samaritan Woman at the Well
A Samaritan woman named Photina came to get water from the well while Jesus was there but the disciples had gone to the city to get food. Jesus asked Photina for a drink and she responded: "Aren't you a Jew? Would you really ask a Samaritan woman like me for a drink?" She knew well that Jews refused to associate or share with Samaritans.
Jesus responded, "If you really knew what was happening here, then you would have asked me and I would have given you living water."
"You have no bucket, sir, and this well is very deep so where are you going to get this 'living water' you're talking about?" she asked, "Whether you like it or not, Jacob dug this well and his sons and flocks--the ones the Jews claim as only their own--drank from it. Are you greater than Jacob?"
Jesus said to her, "If anybody drinks the water from this well, they'll become thirsty again but the water I offer is different. When you drink the water I offer, within you it becomes a spring of ater gushing up to eternal life." Still not quite getting it, the woman relented and, perhaps somewhat incredulously, asked Jesus for some of his water so that she might never be thirsty again and might never have to return to the well. Jesus understood that she still didn't quite get it and so he said to Photina, "Go, get your husband and come back with him." Photina told Jesus in a small voice that she did not have a husband and he responded with all the truth, "You're right when you say you have no husband but you've had five before and you're living with a man now who is not your husband." Photina was shocked and perhaps struggled to find the words, at first, but she was starting to get it.
She responded, "Sir, I can tell you're a prophet, so answer a question for me: Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain here but you Jews say that the right place to worship is in Jerusalem. Which is correct?"
Jesus said to her, "Believe me, the time is coming when that question won't matter. Right now, you worship what you don't know and we worship what we know--don't forget God's promise to Abraham that salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming--in fact, it's here right now and right at this well--when the true worshipers of God will worship God not in Jerusalem or in Samaria but in spirit and truth. This is what God desires is worship, after all. God is spirit, and those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth."
25Photina said to Jesus, "Oh, I know that Messiah--salvation--is coming and when he comes, he will proclaim all things to us."
Jesus smiled and said to her, "I am he. I am the one you're waiting for."
As he said that, his disciples rounded the corner with food in their arms. They were astonished that he was speaking with a Samaritan woman by himself at the well but they knew better than to rebuke either Jesus or Photina. Photina returned to the city and gathered people to come with her saying, "You won't believe whom I met at the well. I met a man who knew everything I had ever done. Could this one be the Messiah?" The Samaritans came out to the well with Photina.
31At the same time, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat but he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." They didn't understand what he meant. They were not quite getting it. So, he continued, "What sustains me is doing the will of God and to complete my mission and work. Don't you say, 'Look at the fields...only a little while longer to the harvest?' Stop for a second and look around and you'll see how the fields are ripe for harvest--people are ready for salvation. Some are already being brought into the fold. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' You've been sent out to reap and harvest what you didn't sow. You've not started salvation, you've joined in with salvation already in progress."
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
February 25 - Ash Wednesday
As we prepare to journey with Jesus through the desert that leads to Golgotha, we must take time to prepare for what it will cost both us and our Lord. We know that Easter will follow shortly in the devastation of that fated day because Jesus has come to offer life more abundant and not even death and sin will prevail over him. But, we cannot see that day from here. So, we must take time to prepare for the journey.
On this day, Christians all over the world will gather together to take their first step in the season of Lent that anticipated Good Friday and places its hope in Easter. It is in this time that we invest ourselves in hope for we need strength for the journey. It is as this time that we take time to repent and lay aside the burdens that will wear us down as we seek resurrection. So, we take a sign upon our head--a cross made of last year's palm ashes--to remind us that the beginning of this journey toward death and resurrection begins with repentance. May this cross remind us that it is from the dust that we were made and it is to the dust that we return.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
February 24 - Matthias, Disciple, Apostle, Thirteenth Member of the Twelve
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
12So, when they had been given their mission and a new understanding of their calling they returned to Jerusalem. When they had entered the city, they went to the room where they had been staying. The eleven remaining members of the twelve--for Judas had taken his own life in remorse for his betrayal of their Lord--were all there and they must have felt not only the absence of their Lord but also the absence of their friend Judas. 14Those of the twelve who remained, Jesus' brothers, and several important women--including Mary the mother of Jesus--devoted themselves to one of the things that Jesus had been devoted to: prayer.
15After a little while, Peter--the one who had denied Jesus, had been reconciled with a calling to feed Jesus' sheep, and would eventually become a martyr--stood up among the disciples gathered there (there were approximately 120 there) and said to them, "Brothers and Sisters, we all know what happened to Judas. He went out and took his own life in the field that his blood money had purchased. We all know that nobody owns that field of blood, now. It was terrible but it had to happen because it was part of God's plan and it had been foretold by the Holy Spirit through David. Yes, he was one of us and he shared in our ministry but he became the guide of those who arrested our Lord. Remember that it is written in the psalter: 'Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it' and 'Let another take his position of overseer.' So one of the disciples who have been with us throughout our Lord's time among us must become a witness with us to his resurrection. One of Jesus' disciples must help us fulfill this new calling he has given us. It must be one of the disciples that was with us from the time John the Baptizer baptized Jesus. This person must have been with us until Jesus was taken to be murdered." 22
So two men were suggested: Joseph called Barsabbas--who was also known as Justus--and Matthias. The disciples prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25to take Judas' place in this ministry. Judas turned aside from your will to work his own will. Show us the one who will become an apostle in his place." 26And so they cast lots to determine which of the two men would take Judas' place and the lots indicated Matthias. With unanimous agreement, Matthias became the thirteenth member of "the Twelve." He would go on to live a life much like the other apostles even dying a martyr in later years. He would devote himself to his calling--Jesus' calling--even if he wasn't one of the original twelve. He was aware of the need and was willing to play his own role in the grand story of the Faith.
Monday, February 23, 2009
February 23 - Polycarp, Martyr, Apostolic Father, Bishop
One of the men that Polycarp taught and mentored was Irenaeus who would go on to grow Polycarp's investment of time and attention by guiding the Church through another challenging and nebulous time of his own. Polycarp's love for Irenaeus quite literally changed the world even if Polycarp himself never saw or knew it. Looking back, this kind of love and devotion is what differentiated Polycarp from his opponents. While there was much argument it was not always full of love and compassion. Polycarp on the other hand seemed to be genuinely affected and transformed by the faith that held him. He was not brilliant or well educated but he was sincere and loving and this lended weight to his arguments. The marks of transformation on his life suggested that he had truly consumed and been sustained by the Bread of Life and the life-giving water of Jesus' teaching. When he told the story of what God had done in his life people were inspired to hand their lives over to the same God he followed. He led by example and not simply be beautiful, rhetorical flourishes.
When he was an old man (as old as ninety years by some estimates), he was arrested for being a Christian by a government that was growing increasingly hostile to those who were devoted to another power. On some level he had seen this coming for Ignatius and John had already been murdered for their faith. He was accused of being Christian and, ever sincere and honest, he gladly admitted that he was--he could see no reason to be ashamed for his faith. They gave him an opportunity to deny his faith in public or be executed. He responded: "How am I supposed to blaspheme my King and Savior? Do whatever you will." They did whatever they willed by building a large pyre of sticks and flammable items. They tied him to the top of it and prepared to drive nails through his body so that he might not escape. He smiled at the worker and assured him: "Don't worry about the nails. The God who gives me strength to endure the fire will give me enough to sit still without your help." They didn't nail him down but they must have expected him to cry out once the pyre was lit. Yet, he didn't. Instead, it seemed that he was unscathed by the flames as he prayed and sang hymns. The crowd looked on amazed and many would be converted because of this sight but his executioners were enraged that he didn't have the courtesy to die screaming like they had hoped he would. Finally, they stabbed him in the chest with a dagger and he died as a martyr.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
February 22 - Sophie Scholl and Companions, Martyrs, Opponents of the Nazis, Nonviolent
Sophie and Hans must have been anxious as they approached the university building where hundreds of students were attending class. They carried suitcases and this would be very conspicuous for two young people during the day. But they had no other easy way to carry the leaflets into the hall without the suitcases and so they did it anyway. Few knew who the members of the White Rose were but loyalists were on the lookout for suspicious behavior. They arrived at the class building and began quickly unloading the leaflets into several piles in the common area to where the classes would be dismissed. Once the classes began to empty, the students would pick up the pamphlets and read yet another stirring argument against passive acceptance of evil. The Nazis had recently lost the battle of Stalingrad and so the White Rose hoped to capitalize on it and convince yet more people that the Nazi campaign was not only evil but doomed to failure. Its writing harkened back to the first leaflet they had released: "Isn't it true that every honest German is ashamed of his government these days? Who among us can imagine the degree of shame that will come upon us and our children when the veil falls from our faces and the awful crimes that infinitely exceed any human measure are exposed to the light of day?"
Hans and Sophie had dropped off the pamphlets and were fleeing before classes were dismissed when they noticed a handful of pamphlets still in the suitcase. Sophie grabbed them quickly and ran back to the building. She ascended the stairs and in a poetic--and partially prophetic--gesture she flung them into the air and let them flutter down to the floor. She was witnessed by the custodian who turned in Hans and Sophie. Soon, Sophie and all those who associated with her were arrested and facing trial for treason. They had dared to speak ill of those who would not accept the truth. For this, they were tried and condemned to be beheaded. On February 22, 1943, they were executed in the guillotine. Sophie was strong and confident to the end of her life and was not deterred by those who hoped to whitewash their sins. She died a martyr because she refused to stop seeing and decrying the atrocities that were being perpetrated. Her dying words were: "God, you are my refuge into eternity" while Hans preferred the prophecy of "...your heads will fall as well."
Saturday, February 21, 2009
January 21 - Charalampus, Martyr, Old Man, Evangelist by Peace
So, soldiers came in and began torturing hm by raking his body with iron combs. His aged skin came off in strips and chunks and his blood flowed easily but he did not cry out or even stop smiling. He patted one of the soldiers on the hand and thanked him for what he was doing by saying, "Thank you, brothers, for scraping off my old body and further preparing my soul for new and eternal life." The sincerity in his voice, his remarkable endurance, and the soldiers' discomfort at torturing an old man combined to effect the conversion of the soldiers. They confessed their faith and trust in Charalampus' Lord because of the sermon he preached with his suffering. The soldiers were immediately beheaded for this treason and others continued the task of his torture. When agonized screams could not be brought out of him, it was decided that he would be transferred to the emperor--Septimus Severus--to be punished and killed more effectively. At this pronouncement, three onlooker women began to loudly praise God and were immediately martyred as well.
Charalampus was brought into the presence of Septimus Severus but already rested within the presence of his God as he devoted himself to prayer on the journey while the soldiers had dragged him along by his beard. When he arrived, he was tortured with a variety of cruelties including fire and being impaled. When he remained alive, the emperor was incredulous and demanded to know by what power he maintained his life. Charalampus responded that it was by the power of Christ. The emperor had a task for Charalampus and brought a man before him who had been possessed by a demon for many years and asked what Charalampus might do about that. With a prayer and one spoken word he cast the demon out of the man and infuriated the emperor. Claiming that he must be a sorceror, the emperor condemned him to be executed. As the executioner approached with his sword drawn Charalampus yelled: "Lord, you know that all people are only flesh and blood...forgive them for what they do and bless them all." With these words, he died before the executioner had even begun to strike. The daughter of Septimus Severus became part of Charalampus' legacy as well when she converted on the spot and became a devoted follower of Jesus.
Friday, February 20, 2009
February 20 - Frederick Douglass, Reformer, Abolitionist, Safe of Anacostia
It was while he was serving the Auld family near Baltimore that he first encountered the written word as anything more than another way for those with power to maintain it. The slavemaster's wife taught twelve year old Frederick the fundamentals of reading and writing. Frederick took to it with his natural intelligence and was soon beginning to read and write on his own. But the slavemaster found out and insisted that this was inappropriate on the grounds that slaves who could read might question their lot in life and become dissatisfied with slavery. Hugh Auld knew well that education was a liberator and literacy was the gateway to education. What he didn't know what the already powerful dissatisfaction that brewed in the hearts of Frederick and his brothers and sisters. Auld put a stop to the lessons but the fire of knowledge burned bright and quick in Frederick's mind and he continued to teach himself to read even though he was warned not to. After honing his skills, the adolescent Frederick took to teaching reading to other slaves on Sundays. Given time by their oppressors to worship, they did so but Frederick was keen to teach them to read their New Testament. In it, they found stories of liberation and freedom. In these stories, they began to be freed from their many bonds--all except their most physical and real. Frederick was beaten for these lessons and suffered severe punishments but would not stop teaching or questioning the injustice of slavery upon religious grounds. He was turned over to a particularly cruel slavemaster for his persistence.
When he was twenty years old, Frederick finally escaped slavery on his third attempt. He boarded a train, he adopted a guise, and in twenty-four hours he was a man finally freed from his physical bonds. He became an ardent activist and abolitionist campaigning not only for the end of slavery but also the end of all injustice and oppression--he even ran to be the first African-American Vice President on an equal rights ticket with Victoria Woodhull (the first woman to run for President). He was quick to strike at the hypocrisy of the religious elite in their use of the scriptures that proclaimed liberation and life as tools of oppression and death and insisted that true religion was not a matter of control but of love and freedom. His work as an abolitionist hastend the end of slavery in the United States and testified to a Christian faith that found its root and power in a Lord who had been oppressed by the powerful.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
February 19 - Elias and Companions, Martyrs, Comforters, Inspiration to Others
Rome was exceptionally adept at discovering and identifying Christians. By most accounts, they were also fairly successful at breaking the faiths of those whom they captured. They knew well that those who visited Christians in prison and slave camps were likely to be Christians themselves. When Elias and his companions visited their brothers and sisters, they marked themselves for Rome's attention. As they were returning home they were stopped in Caesarea by a group of soldiers assigned with their interrogation. Their captors asked them why they had made the journey and probably expected to hear some complicated lie that might cover over what Rome knew very well: these men were Christians and therefore unwelcome in the Empire. What they heard however was a frank admission by the men that they were Christians and they had traveled to comfort their brothers and sisters. Surely, they were surprised at the ease with which they had confessed--it was as if they weren't ashamed of the fact. The men had counted the likely cost of their journey--their own lives--and found it to be an acceptable price for serving God. They were tortured and asked to deny their faith but they did not. They would not be broken. Finally, they were beheaded.
Yet, after their deaths two men came forward named Porphyry and Pamphilus and insisted that these men who had traveled far to provide comfort deserved to be buried. They confronted the Empire and insisted on kindness. They must have known the likely outcome of their insistence since Rome was not interested in being kind so much as they were interested in controlling and dominating the minds and hearts of the people. They were accused of being Christian because of their insistence that the men be buried and mourned. They admitted that they were and were tortured before being burned to death. This wasn't the end, however, as another man named Seleucus came forward and spoke loudly in praise of the men who had been willing to lay down everything to follow after their executed Lord. He spoke highly of Pamphilus' and Porphyry's courage and bravery in the face of a grisly death. The soldiers seized Seleucus and he was also exposed as a Christian. For this crime and for the crime of speaking highly of those whom Rome despised and had killed, he was beheaded. It seems that all had indeed counted the cost and were willing to pay it for the privilege of following after a God who had been executed for loving too much, as well.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
February 18 - Philothei, Martyr, Spiritual Mother, Domestic Abuse Survivor
Philothei became a widow after three years of torturous marriage and she inherited his great wealth. She moved back into the home of her parents and continued to age and mature. She was unwilling to marry again and her family did not push her to do so. Perhaps they realized that the first marriage has been harmful and were unwilling to try again. Regardless, she spent his wealth in a variety of ways that aided the poor and the hungry. She didn't see the great wealth as a thing to be used to defend or secure herself but as a commodity best used by distributing it among those with the most need. Her parents died when she was twenty-five and she was once again the recipient of a large estate. Now that she was no longer bound to a home and now that she had considerable wealth to spend on others, she took up a live of prayer and service that exceeded even her earlier devotion. The money was put into able hands that would administrate its use. In so doing, many churches and monasteries were built with it but Philothei had already turned her attention to founding a convent for women that she felt she had been directed to build by Andrew the Apostle in a vision. She did so and the convent became a refuge and sanctuary for women to flee to from abuse or persecution. A particular group of women--members of Turkish harems--became aware of this convent's willingness to take them in and soon they were coming in droves. For her willingness to shelter these women from abuse such as she had received, she would be further abused.
The Turks who controlled Greece at the time were enraged that Christian women were helping their harem women to escape and so they began to apply pressure to Philothei and the women she was like a mother to. The politically minded hoped to crush her because of her resistance. The religiously minded hoped to afflict her and persecute her until she converted to their own religion. If they could crush or convert her, they suspected that they could do the same to all who shared her devotion to Jesus. They reasoned that she was a prime target because she was a woman and would be unable to stand up their abuses because of her sex. Neither group was successful. When they had given up on coercion, they resorted to violence. They knocked down the doors of the convent and drug her into the street by her hair. They beat her savagely while demanding she renounce her faith. She refused their demands and offered forgiveness to them for their abuse. For this, they beat her further. She died of her wounds while professing a faith that taught her to love her abusers and give her life for others.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
February 17 - Richard Wurmbrand, Prisoner, Preacher, Voice of the Martyrs
Richard had been born to a Jewish family in Bucharest, Romania, in 1909. When he was young his family moved regularly and even lived in Istanbul for some time. His father died in 1918 and his family moved back to Romania in 1924. As a youth, he became infatuated with the ideals and methods of the Communist Party. This was less than a decade after the Bolshevik revolution. So, a Romanian teen must surely have thrilled to imagine the dreams that were publicized and suggested by the Party. He moved to Moscow as a young man to study Marxist thought and philosophy. In Moscow, he had not been comfortable or happy. So, he returned to Romania secretly and against the wishes of the Party. They were none too pleased that the young man had escaped and slighted them and so the secret police captured and arrested him. He was imprisoned for a short while for this crime and while in prison he renounced the communism of his youth because of its excesses and failures. After his release, he was married in 1936. In 1938, however, his world was changed when he and wife befriended a Romanian carpenter who seemed especially friendly and loving. Soon, they heard the Gospel from this man--Christian Wolfkes--and were converted to the Faith that would sustain them for the rest of their lives.
As converted Jews themselves, they took part in evangelism efforts through the Anglican mission to the Jews. Eventually, he would be ordained an Anglican minister. After World War II, he was ordained a Lutheran minister in his native country of Romania. The Soviets moved into Romania in 1944 and Richard, his wife, and his congregation were forced to become a part of the underground church. The Communists were unwilling to allow the Church to function in their State and so it became a secretive thing that demanded much and promised adversity. It grew wildly. He began preaching to his fellow Romanians and the Soviety soldiers. In 1948 he was arrested for his ministry and imprisoned. He served his time and continued to be a minister in the prisons that he was held in. In 1956 the Soviets released him and told him never to preach again if he wanted to remain free. He began preaching immediately. In 1959, they arrested him again, beat him, tortured him, and sentenced him to twenty-five years of prison life that promised to be full of more beatings and torture. Roughly five years later he was released from prison as part of an amnesty agreement brokered by western Christian groups.
Richard spent the remainder of his life preaching the Gospel he had been willing to sacrifice everything for. He wrote book after book about his experiences in prison and the stories he saw there. Further, he wrote about the plight of the underground Church so that others might know what was going on in countries where the Church must be hidden to escape the Communist Party. This effort became a group now known as "Voice of the Martyrs" and it worked to raise awareness of the abuses perpetrated against peaceful Christians in the name of State security. Eleven years before his death Richard and his wife were able to return to Romania for the first time since their escape through amnesty. Richard died in California on February 27, 2001.
Monday, February 16, 2009
February 16 - Janani Jakaliya Luwum, Martyr, Priest, Enemy of Idi Amin
It was January 16, 1977, when Janani was arrested along with two other cabinet ministers. Idi Amin and his henchmen immediately went to work spreading slander and lies about Janani's politics and offenses. He was labeled a traitor and paraded before a crowd. As he and a large audience looked on, other men were brought onto a stage who confessed to knowing about and participating in illegal activities with Janani and his companions. Idi Amin insisted to all who would listen that Janani had been trying to initiate a coup against him and was intent on violent insurrection. The men who had confessed had never met Janani but Idi Amin had used them to implicate the Janani and his companions. The "confessors" were freed for they had done their part and there was never any intention to punish them--they were merely there to win the crowd's approval. After the supposed "confessions" were heard, Janani and the men were put into a car to be transferred to an interrogation center. The next day, it was reported that they had crashed on their way to the interrogation center and all three had died from their injuries.
Yet, when they found the bodies and prepared them for burial they noticed that Janani had been shot mulitiple times are relatively close range. He had been shot once with a pistol in his mouth and three times in the chest. The story leaked out that they had been transferred to a military base where they were beaten, tortured, threatened, and finally shot to death. Idi Amin himself pulled the trigger that stole the life of Janani. He died a martyr because he refused to compromise the truth and he would not be frightened by the threats of those in power. For this offense, he died. By this offense, he proclaimed life deeper and more real than any that the world's powers could offer.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
February 15 - Ben Salmon, God's Slacker, Pacifist, Prisoner
When asked why he refused to serve he cited his faith and insisted that he didn't have the right to wage war on those that Christ called him to love. For this, he was the object of a military court martial and sentenced to death. This sentence was later reduced to twenty-five years in prison but it cannot be forgotten or avoided that the State was willing to impose death upon somebody because of their refusal to support State-sponsored death. He was routinely moved from prison to prison because he refused to do any work that might be related to the military system or might support a war he saw as a compromise of the his Christian calling. Even after the war was ended--shortly after he was incarcerated--he was held by the State as a prisoner. For long periods of time he was held in solitary confinement, sustained on only bread and water, and forced to live in hot, small, dark cell over the the sewers. He would write why all this happened in a letter: "Far more than two years I have been illegally imprisoned because I refused to kill or help to kill."
Eventually, Ben engaged in a hunger strike with the intention of either being freed or being starved to death. He was no longer even willing to cooperate in the State's abuses that kept him alive. He wrote to a military group: "My hunger strike is not a negative program, but a positive appeal to humanity that they substitute Love for Force. If I succumb in this attempt to hold myself aloof from Militarism — organized murder — I hope that you gentlemen, who are mainly responsible for my predicament, will, with your co-murderers, make some provision for the needs of my widowed-mother, wife and child. whom you have thus far robbed of their breadwinner, and whom, in the event of my demise, will be prevented from obtaining the support that I could otherwise provide." They forced milk down his throat and did their best to keep his hunger strike secret from the public. Yet, when his hometown paper found out about it they referred to him as a "slacker" and "the man with a yellow streak down his spine as broad as a country highway." He found few friends in his quest to proclaim life and peace. He was denied the sacraments by priests, he was labeled a heretic for not supporting the State's war and suggesting that Christ called us to peace, and he was vilified and abused with regularity. Finally, though, they released him because of his hunger strike. He was free from his bonds but not from the reputation he had developed. He died shortly after his release because of his deteriorating health. He died a man who remained convinced of his early suggestions: "The justice of man cannot dethrone the justice of God" and "There is no such animal as a 'just war.'"
Saturday, February 14, 2009
February 14 - Valentine, Martyr, Enemy of the State, Priest
Luckily--or perhaps unluckily--Claudius took a liking to Valentine. Perhaps it was because of Valentine's association with marriages or perhaps it was because Claudius felt that Valentine was associated with love. Surely, Claudius felt he understood love--he was the emperor, a divine being according to the senate--but he did not truly understand what Valentine had been doing and preaching. Instead, he knew a love that took, demanded, coerced, and manipulated. Yet, he conversed regularly with his prisoner and found it enjoyable. At least, he found it enjoyable until Valentine tried to preach to him. He was outraged that anybody would try to preach to the emperor as if the emperor didn't already know everything. He ordered Valentine to be beheaded for this offense.
As Valentine was bound in chains and retrived from his cell, the jailer seemed to want to ask something. Finally, the jailer could withhold himself no longer and told Valentine about his deaf and blind daughter. Though the jailer was the emperor's man he recognized true power and true love in Valentine and felt that he might be his daughter's last chance. With a smile that denied he was headed for death, he pronounced a prayer of healing for the jailer's daughter. When he would return home later, he would find her cured of her blindness and deafness. In that moment, he would feel the beginnings of his own conversion away from the empire and toward the God who had called Valentine. Before he would find out, though, he would take Valentine to the place where the emperor demanded. There, Valentine was beheaded for swearing allegiance first to a God who is love after he refused to deny his God in favor of the emperor.
Friday, February 13, 2009
February 13 - Prisca and Aquila, Martyrs, Husband and Wife, Theologians
We're not sure if it was before or after Paul's arrival in Corinth that Prisca and Aquila were converted but it is certain that they were involved in his ministry in Corinth regardless of when they vowed to follow after their crucified Lord. The three of them shared a profession and worked together so that they might find stability again. The preaching of Paul was infectious and soon they found themselves encourage and invigorated in their faith. Paul even lived with them for nearly eighteen months. Paul had decided to move on to Syria--to continue to preach the Gospel and found churches--and Prisca and Aquila went with him. Along the way, they stopped in Ephesus and when Paul moved on from there, they remained behind as pillars of the Church community. Often, the services would take place in their own home. They were leaders and foundational members of the Church in Ephesus. In fact, when Apollos was preaching an incomplete Gospel--he only knew about John's baptism--they took him aside and tutored him in Christian theology. In this way, they were committed to the health of the Body of Christ and were willing to spend their time and attention building up fellow believers in a world that was increasingly less accomodating for Christians--even Christians who were successful business people.
Prisca and Aquila moved back to Rome through Corinth once the ban was lifted and were known as encouragers along the way. At some point, they saved Paul's life by risking their own. This couple was united behind one cause: a Gospel that proclaimed life even at great risk and cost. After they had been returned to Rome they were victimized by the Empire. Their possessions were seized, they were beaten severely and humiliated, and finally they were beheaded. Though they had hoped to return to their home from far away, they had changed much in their travels. Their faith was a vibrant and surprising thing that led them to work alongside Paul to do great things in a rapidly expanding world. They were instrumental in the founding of the Church at both Corinth and Ephesus and although those congregations had challenges, the communites were also pillars of the Body of Christ for many years.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
February 12 - Scholastica, Nun, Twin, Abbess
It was her practice to meet once a year with her brother to discuss the spiritual life and to read scripture together. The communities that they led were only five miles apart but they met on some neutral ground partly to emphasize that there was some special connection between brother and sister that was worth honoring with a change in location. The last time they met they weren't certain that it would be a final meeting but Scholastica was aware of her own failing health. They met for longer than they ever had and even longer than they had intended to meet. They discussed scripture. They prayed together. They broke bread and communed with one another. They encouraged and challenged each other as only a brother and sister in the Faith can. Then, as night was falling Benedict got up to go and return to his monastery where he might rest in his cell. Scholastica asksed him to stay even longer so that they might continue in their fellowship--perhaps she even intuited that this would be their last chance. He insisted that he must return home as it was his calling to be there. She simply nodded, folded her hands, and began to pray.
As Benedict watched his sister pray, he felt the sudden cold gust of wind that preceded a thunderstorm. His eyes widened in surprise and confusion. At the first peal of thunder, he went to the window and looked outside to see the first large rain drops strike the dirt outside of the building. Turning to Scholastica, he said, "May God forgive you, sister," and asked, "What have you done?"
She responded simply: "I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me and return to your monastery." With these words, she began packing up her things knowing very well that he would now stay but she wanted to indicate to him his freedom to choose. Benedict stayed with his sister and they talked later into the night. Shortly thereafter, Scholastica died and Benedict mourned the loss of his sister but thanked God that he had had a little more time with her.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
February 11 - A.J. Muste, Pacifist, Minister, Nonviolent
Eventually, he became a minister in a congregational church but he was committed to non-violence after his experience of World War I and the people whom he met with and with whom he conversed. This was an odd stance for a man such as A.J. but it became a hated stance as he persisted in it through the years approaching and including World War II. But, he was convinced that God had called him to a way of peace and nonviolence that revoked any right he felt toward self-defense or preemptive violence. By A.J.'s reasoning, there was no just war and so not even World War II could be rationalized or accepted. When a son of a member of the congregation that he pastored died in the war, he did not veer from his intended topic for the Sunday sermon: "The Futility of War." It was another opportunity for him to raise his famous question: "The problem after a war is the victor. He thinks he has just proved that war and violence will pay. Who will now teach him a lesson?" By A.J.'s thinking there was no time when war or violence would pay or would be acceptable. When he had said this, he must have known he would suffer for it. That afternoon the congregation called a meeting and voted to terminate him as their pastor. He, his wife, and his children were forcibly moved out of the parsonage that night and had to find somewhere else to live.
He remained a minister, associated finally with the Quakers, and committed to nonviolence even if it had cost him his job. He was at one time an advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr. and considered an authority on nonviolent resistance. He and his colleagues and associates were arrested repeatedly for hopping fences at military facilities, paddling their boats into nuclear test sites, and sympathizing with those whom the State insisted they hate and fear. For these things, A.J. received and still receives derision but he could not more veer from these convictions than he could stop being who he was. He had become an advocate for peace and nonviolence at all costs and had proven repeatedly that he was willing to lay down anything for a chance at peace. If it is true that the peacemakers are blessed--and I do believe it so--then surely A.J. Muste has a share of blessedness for his refusal to abandon the way of peace even in the face of adversity.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
February 10 - Paul, Martyr, Apostle, Preacher
Paul knew sailing would be rough and so he told his captors--Roman soldiers transferring him as a prisoner to Rome for trial--that it would be a costly trip because of a storm. But the pilot said differently and the centurion was convinced that the pilot was right. The harbor wasn't a good place to be in the winter and so the crew felt pressure to get out on the water and arrive in a different port--maybe Phoenix?--to weather the winter. So, they disembarked and began their journey when a decent wind blew from the south and they became confident that they could make it to the next stop. Yet, they stayed close to the shore.
13Soon after, the wind picked up and changed direction. The crew fought with the wind but were unable to gain control and were forced to go where the wind willed. 14The storm beat upon the poor boat for days and drove it a great distance. They began throwing cargo overboard like Paul had predicted but it wasn't enough. Each hour their hope for escape weakened until eventually the crew had given up any hope for safety. At this time, Paul came to the crew and said, "I told you that we shouldn't have sailed but it's okay. Don't worry--we'll lose the boat but nobody will lose their life because of this storm." The crew was convinced that they were facing the end and so they laughed at him and asked why he was so confidence since he was in the same place as them. Paul replied, "Last night an angel of God--whom I belong to and whom I worship--appeared and said, 'Don't be afraid, Paul, you'll make it safe to Rome where you will be tried. God is protecting the people on the ship.' So, don't worry friends--I have faith that God will do this thing that God has promised. We'll end up shipwrecked but we'll be alive."
21After two weeks of persisting in the storm, Paul noticed that some members of the crew were anxious about how close they were getting to the land. They began testing the depth of the water compulsively and eventually determined that it wasn't safe to continue in their boat. They tried to deceive the rest of the crew and the prisoners by releasing anchors and saying they would wait for morning to determine what to do. Under the cover of night and storm, they also released a raft and were preparing to get into it when the centurion stopped them because Paul had said any who did not stay with the boat would die. They cut the raft loose and remained on the boat. Before morning broke, Paul was found eating while the crew continued to be anxious about what they would do. Paul encouraged them to eat and stop worrying because soon they would wreck and the food on their stomachs would be more valuable than the work they did to save a boat destined for wrecking. So, all 276 people ate while Paul broke bread and gave thanks to God for God's blessings in the midst of the storm.
33In the morning, they saw land and rejoiced. Though they did not know precisely where they were the crew was prepared to land at all costs. So, the sailed the boat toward the shore. As they drew closer, they struck a reef and the ship was immobilized upon it. The waves beat against it and they were forced to abandon their boat and swim for land. The soldiers knew their duty and so they drew their swords with the intention of killing the prisoners so that none might escape. The centurion stepped in and stopped them, though, and ordered all people to swim for the shore if they were able. Those who weren't able picked up pieces of the boat to float upon and made their own way to land at a slower pace. All 276 of them made it safely to land just as Paul had insisted they would.
39Upon the shore, the crew and passengers were cold and wet but greeted warmly by the native people of the island they learned was called "Malta." The Maltans built a fire and gathered the shipwrecked passengers and crew around it. Paul wanted to do his part in helping to sustain this generous act and so he gathered a bundle of wood. The warmth of the fire had roused a viper and when Paul released the wood, the serpent struck out and bit his hand. It held on and released its poisonous venom with speed. The Maltans began to speak under their breath about Paul that he must be some terrible murderer if justice would pursue him so far as to strike at him with poison after he survived a shipwreck. All eyes were on Paul as he shook off the serpent and went about his business with no anxiety of fear. All those gathered on the beach waited for Paul to succumb to the terrible venom and became increasingly surprised as Paul remained healthy and fine. They insisted he was a god. He insisted he was God's. He didn't see the big deal--God had promised he would be safe and he had no reason to doubt the one who had called him on that road to Damascus. He preached the faith that gripped him and many were converted from among the Maltans and the boat's passengers and crew.


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AKA, The 4th Annual Hot Rod Revolution
When's a traditional hot rod show not typically traditional? When it's not the typical traditional cars we're traditionally used to, traditionally speaking. More precisely, when it's a show aptly named The Hot Rod Revolution.
Now in its fourth consecutive year, the Revolution is truly a grassroots hot rod event put on by grassroots-fueled hot rodders Ryan Cochran (The Jalopy Journal), Keith Tardel (Rex Rod & Chassis), Steve Wertheimer (The Continental Club), and Will Muntz (Lucky Lounge). This time around, they received additional help from the U.S. Army and Texas Military Forces Museum, appropriately, as the show was staged at Austin's Camp Mabry, the Lone Star State's oldest active military base.
While the Revolution's focal point is based on pre-'48 "traditional" hot rods—and customs—as show founder Cochran states, "Its focus is on quality, not quantity." And that quality is definitely what sets this show apart from pretty much all the rest, as the particular quality goes well beyond the vehicles themselves. No, you won't encounter tattoo, pin-up model, or pompadour contests at this event, as it's not about cheese ball culture—it's about true gearheads with true passion and respect for real hot rodding heritage.
Interested in learning more about The Hot Rod Revolution? Next time you're perusing the Internet, check out a little place called The Jalopy Journal—you'll find what you need (and more) there. In the meantime, have yourself a look-see at our sampling of photos from the show.


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Even The Little Guy Does His Chores!
(aka how I got my sons to be active participants in the way our household runs)
First off, let me just state that I am NOT Supermom. My kids have tantrums, all my ideas don't necessarily work – all the time, and I have been known to yell from time to time (like today). However, I have found ways to get my children to happily participate in the way our household runs. "Chores" is not a bad word in our house.
My biggest suggestion to bringing kids on board to helping out with the daily work is to START EARLY. As soon as my son could reach the top of the counter, he was clearing his dishes off the table. At three, he makes his bed (okay, not the way *I* like for it to be made, but the point is that he makes it), he sets the table for dinner each night, and he takes our recyclable items to the recycle bin. On weekends, he is the paper-getter and retrieves the newspaper from the driveway. These are not new jobs for him; he has been doing them for a while. They are habits we have instilled in him from a young age. It makes clear the expectation of participation in the way the house runs.
It is important to stay on top of children with their chores. Consistency is extremely crucial. If children realize that they don't HAVE to do a particular task on a given day, they will push for that result over and over again. My boys know that their chores are done each day (or every other day, depending on the chore), and we even practice them to some degree when we are away from home. For instance, if we are visiting relatives, my children automatically make up their beds or roll up their sleeping bags in the morning. It is expected at home, and it is expected when we're away.
An important part of bringing children on board with chores is to make it a positive experience for them. My boys keep a chart – a simple list of each of their chores for each day. I have a packet of incentive stickers hanging next to the chart on the refrigerator, and they mark off their duties each day with a sticker. After a certain number of stickers, they can "cash them in" on a special treat, such as a "date" with mom or a special dinner request. While I do not agree with paying children to complete chores, I also understand the need for recognition and reward. We use lots of positive verbal reinforcement. I do not ever criticize the way my nine year-old wipes down the table or the way the three year-old only fills our dinner glasses about 1/4 full. As long as they are doing their best, that is what I want to see.
Be sure and start small. My boys didn't start with four or five chores; we started with one or two. They were simple, easy to complete tasks that were quick to complete and provided almost immediate feedback, such as taking out the recycling or putting dishes in the sink. After a time, my husband and I felt they were ready for another chore and worked to incorporate it into our daily plan.
Make it a cooperative effort. My children know that I am doing my job, just as they are doing theirs. I'm cleaning the dishes, my three year-old is bringing me the dinnerware, and my nine year-old is wiping down the tables. My husband is busy sweeping the floor. At recycle time, I wash out the items to be recycled and my younger son takes them to the bin. On trash morning, my older son brings the smaller trash cans from the rooms to our main trash can and my husband gathers it for the curb. No one does a chore alone – we are all in it together.
The biggest key to making chores work is constant praise. I make a point to let my boys know how helpful they are and how appreciative I am of their efforts. Criticism is kept to a minimum. Pointing out what is wrong with what the children are doing will only make it that much less "fun" for them. Getting the right kind of attention (positive attention) will only lead to the desire to repeat it again.
We still have days where one boy might whine about carrying out a chore or complain a bit about it, but that is to be expected. We handle those moods in a positive and calm way, yet the boys know it is still expected and do it anyway. Besides, we usually have a good time doing them together, and working together is the best lesson of all.


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Monday, October 18, 2010
Buying life insurance: How much is enough?
Buying life insurance can be a tricky proposition. While virtually everyone realizes that it is a necessity, purchasing the life insurance policy that will work best in your particular situation is not always the easiest thing to do.
By Kevin Reardon
By Kevin Reardon
Your life insurance needs often depend on a number of factors, including whether you're married, the size of your family, the nature of your financial obligations, your career stage, and your goals.
There are a number of approaches you can use to figure out how much insurance you should have. One method, called the "family needs approach," focuses on the amount of life insurance it would take to allow your family to meet its various financial obligations and expenses in the event of your death.
Family needs approach With the family needs approach, you divide your family's financial needs into three main categories:
Immediate needs at death, such as cash needed for estate taxes and settlement costs, credit card and other debts including mortgages (unless you choose to include mortgage payments as part of ongoing family needs), an emergency fund for unexpected costs, and college education expenses.
Ongoing income needs for expenses related to food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, among other things. These income needs will vary in amount and duration, depending on a number of factors, such as your spouse's age, your children's ages, your surviving spouse's capacity to earn income, your debt (including mortgages), and whether you'll provide funds for your surviving spouse's retirement.
Special funding needs, such as college funding, charitable bequests, funding a buy/sell agreement, or business succession planning.
Once you determine the total amount of your family's financial needs, you subtract from this total the available assets that your family could use to defray some or all of their expenses. The difference, if any, represents an amount that life insurance proceeds, and the income from future investment of those proceeds, can cover.
Example: John and his wife, Wendy, are estimating the appropriate amount of life insurance to buy on John's life. They first estimate their immediate needs as follows:
* Final medical expenses: $5,000
* Estate settlement costs, including funeral and burial expenses: $37,500
* Debts, including credit cards and mortgages: $317,000
* Emergency fund: $100,000
Subtotal: $459,500
Next, they estimate ongoing income needs, such as:
* Providing for their dependent children's needs for a period of time: $500,000
* Wendy's income needs until her retirement: $450,000
* Wendy's retirement income needs: $380,000
Subtotal: $1,330,000
Adding the sub totals together, John and Wendy estimate that, should John die, their family would need $1,789,500. They then determine that assets available to offset their needs include:
* Bank savings: $40,000
* Investments: $220,000
* Retirement assets: $250,000
* Existing life insurance on John's life: $300,000
Subtotal: $810,000
The difference between their family needs ($1,789,500) and their available assets ($810,000) equals their life insurance need ($979,500).
Review your coverage Trying to figure out how much life insurance is enough isn't always easy, and that amount will likely change with your changing circumstances. By examining your family's anticipated expenses during various periods after your death, you get a more realistic estimate of your life insurance needs.
Unfortunately, many people underestimate their insurance needs and are underinsured. Often, the purchase of life insurance is based on cost instead of what's needed. By the same token, it's possible to have more insurance than you need. You may have purchased a large policy during a particular point in your life, and then didn't adjust your coverage when your insurance need was reduced.
Both of these circumstances are reasons to review your insurance coverage periodically with your financial professional. Doing so can reveal opportunities to change your levels of coverage to match your current and projected life insurance needs.
Labels: Kevin_Reardon


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I normally don't care about vlogs much, but I recently discovered a vlogger on YouTube who somehow managed to make me feel like I am not all alone in an insane world, and I thought readers of this forum might enjoy her too:
Discussion of progressive topics by a former philosophy professor with ice cold attitude, self-deprecating humor, and unabashedly debauched Rocky Horror-esque kink, portraying multiple elaborately costumed roles in debates with herself, all in dramatically lit and frequently David Lynch-esque psychedelic style.
I'd highly recommend watching her videos in chronological order, because there's an interesting personal story of transformation that unfolds in them, even though that's (mostly) not the point of them. Synopsis: former atheist vlogger from the days before the war between internet "skeptics" and progressives, who went off and became a philosophy professor before then leaving academia, returns to YouTube to find the so-called "rationalist" community has somehow gone to shit, makes some videos about that, and somehow turns that into a career producing videos defending progressive values and exposing the lunacy of the alt-right, meanwhile gradually coming out as not merely a "crossdressing pervert" (her own words) but as genderqueer and then eventually trans.
Mostly tackles issues of gender, sexuality, and race, but has recently begun to touch on economic topics as well.
Think your art is better or your stick figures worse? Got a link to a site you want to share? Post it here!
Moderators: Jacque, Moderators General, Prelates
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Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of All Trades
"I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
The Codex Quaerendae (my philosophy) - The Chronicles of Quelouva (my fiction)
"I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
The Codex Quaerendae (my philosophy) - The Chronicles of Quelouva (my fiction)
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If you are interested in being a moderator on SF please make a reply and answer these questions.
I ask that you do not post in this thread anything but applications.
1. Are you at least 16 years old?
2. What time zone are you in (GMT -/+X)
3. What's your internet connection speed?
4. What topics interest you most at Maxiconsole ?
5. How many hours per week can you moderate?
6. How would you utilize your time as a moderator?
7. Are you able to keep a level head while performing moderator duties?
Thank you.


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The Drama Bookstore is a great place, the best in America for getting plays and all kinds of books and other materials about theatre. Possibly in more than America, since the best London places closed years ago. But 10 days ago... Well, let the NY Times tell the story.
Pipe Bursts at Drama Bookstore. Enter 'Hamilton' Creator to Drum Up Business.
By JAMES BARRON
A playlet in four acts, set in the Drama Book Shop, 250 West 40th Street, near Eighth Avenue, starring A BURST PIPE as the villain, and LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, the creator of "Hamilton," as one of many heroes.
Act I. Time: Early morning, Feb. 15
SHAWN VERRIER, a manager, arrives to open the store for the day. Sees that the front windows are fogged up. Looks puzzled. Unlocks the door. Looks up at ceiling. Sees water dripping — a lot of water. Sees a sheet of ice on the floor — water that had frozen after pouring down from A BURST PIPE upstairs. PIPE'S motivation for bursting is unclear. MR. VERRIER senses that this is a catastrophe for the shop, which bills itself as the oldest performing-arts bookstore in the country. Tears up. Sobs.
A soliloquy by MR. VERRIER: "There were big clumps of paint that looked like snow" hanging from the ceiling, he says, "and it looked like it was raining." The water was still dripping.
RIC E. ANDERSON, another manager, reports receiving a call from someone from Story Pirate, a children's theater company that rents space in the store: "They said, 'We've got a bit of a flood.' I thought it was toilets."
Just as the show must go on, the store must stay open. VARIOUS EMPLOYEES cordon off the area where damage is worst, mainly sections devoted to acting, writing, theater management and producing. CUSTOMERS are routed along the far side of the store to the area in the back, where the plays are. MR. VERRIER climbs a ladder, scrapes paint from ceiling. Says the books caught in the cascade were valuable. Estimates the value as "probably someone's college tuition." Many were out of print.
Act II. Time: Sometime on Thursday, Feb. 18.
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA is wherever he is on a Thursday afternoon, several hours before curtain time for "Hamilton," posting messages to his 269,000 followers on Twitter. "The @dramabookshop is not only the best place to get theater-related ANYTHING, I wrote most of In the Heights there. Pls support... It is the only one in the world, and therefore indispensable. #BuyaBook when you're in town."
"I like to sit in the Shakespeare section — comfiest chairs. If I'm not poring over piano/vocal scores...
When I was last there I got a Noël Coward bio, a King Lear DVD starring Brian Blessed and the Heathers piano/vocal."
A FOLLOWER asks: But will "Hamilton" be sold there? That is a reference to a book, "Hamilton: The Revolution" by Mr. Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, which is to be published in April. "It will be. And I'll go sign it there. But they need your help now so I can go sign it there in April."
Act III. Time: Sometime on Friday, Feb. 19.
MR. MIRANDA stops in, makes a video with his iPhone and posts it to YouTube. Shows the shelves where the water rained down. Shows his purchases, which include the score of "The Book of Mormon" and "The August Wilson Century Cycle" — "which, if you are studying playwriting, how have you not heard at least one of August Wilson's great plays?"
Points the iPhone at an employee, FREDDY PADILLA, and directs him to tell viewers where to find the shop's website.
MR. PADILLA: W, w, w, whatever, drama bookshop dot com.
MR. MIRANDA: You don't need to type the www, it's not 1997.
MR. PADILLA: Everyone knows.
Act IV. Time: Tuesday afternoon.
Sales soar, fueled by social media traffic, attention from MR. MIRANDA and news coverage. MR. ANDERSON mentions an order for $2,500. MR. VERRIER mentions a March 26 concert to benefit the shop at Feinstein's/54 Below, on West 54th Street.
MR. PADILLA has the last word: "We're thankful for all the attention. It's fun, getting all these people coming in saying, 'Hey, Lin-Manuel sent me.' I've had people high-fiving me who said, 'You're friends with him, so now I'm friends with him.' But I don't think that's how it works."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/24/nyreg ... iness.html
Drama at the Drama Bookstore
A cozy, genteel room to discuss books, authors, and things literary.
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What's the link between Apple, gdgt and Rackspace? Apple releases new innovative products; gdgt shares the latest news with millions of visitors; Rackspace Cloud Sites ensures that gdgt's site stays up and running so that Apple fans can get the latest info.
Today, the world was watching when Apple announced the new iPhone 5. Millions of fans wanted to get a sneak preview of this cool new gadget. However, since Apple doesn't broadcast this event live, fans turn to gdgt's live blog for photos and updates from the announcement. gdgt handled over 55 Million page requests in a matter of three hours. Here are more details and numbers on the traffic that flowed through their site today:
- Total Traffic Served – Approximately 55 Million page hits
- Peak Traffic – Approximately 90K concurrent visitors
- Traffic Time frame – Approximately 3 hours
If you have ever managed a server during a traffic spike, you know that along with the excitement of traffic comes the pain of having to handle it on your own. To get help with the traffic onslaught, gdgt depends on Rackspace Cloud Sites to keep their site up and running. In fact, this is not the first time Rackspace handled such huge amount of traffic for gdgt. During a previous iPhone 4S and new iPad launch, gdgt handled 55 Million page requests in matter of few hours.
Before the event, the people from gdgt and Rackspace worked together to prepare for this kind of traffic. While gdgt ensures that their code is highly optimized, Rackspace ensures that we have all the infrastructure resources that they will need. We also follow our best practices for high traffic events – including hosting images on Cloud Files. Here are some of the stats on infrastructure that was used:
- # of web servers – 59
- # of load balancers – 5
The event ran so smoothly that Ryan Block of gdgt gave Rackspace a shoutout on the gdgt Live Blog at the end of the event:
It takes a lot of hard work from both the customer and Rackspace to make these high traffic events a success. At Rackspace, we make sure that gdgt doesn't have to worry about their server performance or downtime so that they can do what they do best: bring you the latest information on all the coolest technology!
Be sure to find out more information about gdgt along with a video featuring Co-founder Ryan Block. Looking for best practices for optimizing your site on Rackspace Cloud Sites for a high traffic event? Check out this knowledge center article for more info!


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Texas Movers
1849 S 1st St
Abilene, TX 79602
Our premier moving company offers an array of services including long distance residential moving services or commercial moving services in Texas and across the United States. No matter the type of move, we will help make your transition an easy one. Moving is no longer a hassle and we are here to prove it!
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Moving & Relocating


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GIRLS GOT SWING is a golf shop for
women, offering quality golf apparel,
accessories, footwear, and gifts. We
strive to provide our customers with
exceptional service and an enjoyable
shopping experience.
Girls Night Out
Reserve your date!
Reserve Any Evening for you and at least five of your friends for a personal shopping party! Click here to learn more.
Golf Retailers Growing in Northeast Ohio
Plain Dealer article shines a light on Northeast Ohio Golf Retailers, and GIRLS GOT SWING stands out as the only Specialty Women's Golf Boutique competing with big box stores. Click here to read the article.
Best Golf Clothing Stores in Cleveland
Girls Got Swing listed as one of the best golf clothing stores in Cleveland on CBS.com. Click here to read the article.
© Copyright. 2019. Girls Got Swing, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ® Girls Got Swing is a Registered Trademark.


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Two billion-dollar Christian organizations recently announced new policies meant to shield them from culture-war conflicts. Instead, the policies only landed them in the middle of those fights.
In late March, World Vision's U.S. branch said it would no longer bar its more than 1,100 employees from same-sex marriages. In a letter to supporters, president Richard Stearns noted that its employees are from more than 50 denominations, some of which have sanctioned gay marriage. "We have not endorsed same-sex marriage, but we have chosen to defer to the authority of local churches on this issue," he said. "The board and I wanted to prevent this divisive issue from tearing World Vision apart and potentially crippling our ability to accomplish our vital kingdom mission."
Less than two days after Christianity Today broke the story, World Vision U.S. reversed its decision. Citing "trusted partners and Christian leaders who have come to us in the spirit of Matthew 18," Stearns said the board decided the change was "not consistent with our Statement of Faith and our commitment to the sanctity of marriage."
Meanwhile, Thrivent Financial, a Christian financial services organization with $8 billion in revenues (ranked No. 325 on the Fortune 500), is struggling to unify its core membership as they drift apart on moral and social issues.
In 2012, Thrivent said it would give greater deference to its local chapters. Instead of running the list of organizations that members could give to through its national headquarters, it would allow local chapters to decide. (Thrivent has donated more than $120 million to nonprofits since 2010.) When a chapter added Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and ...1


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Guipuzcoa Axe Ilargi Ahoa / High steel F-114 with 0,45% of carbon and Rockwell hardness of 55 HRC / Moon profile Axe head / Beech handle carved by hand / 800gr Axe of forged steel / Bridle blade guard made with Spanish leather tanned with tree barks and lubricated with vegetable oils / Hand-crafted with natural linen waxed with beewax / Brasswork / Sharpen by hand with file.
Our axes are manufactured by hand and custom made. They go through different artisans' workshops all around Spain, so they take their time, between 2 or 3 weeks of production.
If you want to have your initials engraved on the leather guard, don't forget to let us know when you make your order.
In stock
These axes are Guipuzcoa type, those developed by the blacksmiths from the Vizcaina Axe -of more straight geometry- considering the adjustments suggested by the charcoal-burner of the area. The Vizcaina Axe is the French type, the one that travelled to North America and then someone developed into the classic profiles of the East Coast of the USA. We have selected the Guipuzcoa Axe because of being more curious and original of our country. The mouth of the axe head is curved (like the moon) and suddenly it gets thicker; Ilargi Ahoa or Moon Mouth profile, that's how was named by Caro Baroja at his book titled The Basques. This type of profile make easier not to get stuck into the stump and to take the axe out from it effortless.
The size of the Pruning Axe is suitable for its use by one hand for pruning works. Versatile as none, the weight of the head joined to the slimness of the handle, makes this axe flies lightly and impacts with forcefulness.
For the manufacture process we have worked with five artisans' workshops knowledgeable of their trade. They have provided each product with a sense of quality, beauty and functionality. The Woodworker, a master Craftsman who has spent more than 60 years working by hand the wood (without wood lathe) and is the one that has elaborated the handle of the axe. The Blacksmith, José Ramón Jáuregui, third generation of Basque blacksmiths specialized in the manufacture of axes. The secret of the forge is in the temper metal: some eyes capable of recognizing the reddish color that adopts the steel when it reaches the exact temperature to work on it, striking the metal on the anvil to give the shape to the axe head and to improve the resistance of the steel. The Wood Finisher, Luís Bahillo, the one in charge of adorning the axe and of the finishing process. The tradition of adorning tools of work is a long one and present in different cultures. The colors and geometries that adorn the handle have been carefully chosen by us and each of five combinations have their own name and a story behind. The Carver, Don Ángel, is the artisan who has made the stamp with the emblem of Rudo y Noble. A piece drawn by hand and carved on bronze and brass plates in a small workshop in the Sierra of Ávila. The manufacture process ends in Madrid, where it began, with David and Melina, the Leather Craftmen. They are the hands that have sewn up with natural linen —waxed with beewax— each of the bridle leather blade guards that protect the axe head.
That's how the first product of our line of goods has been manufactured. A tool that gathers three noble materials, wood, steel and leather, and the know-how of five artisans' workshops that have chosen to live doing what they love. La Gran Vida —The Great Life— is the spirit that lives behind our axes and each of the goods of Rudo y Noble.
Additional Information
|0.8 kg
|50 cm
1 review for Bellota – Pruning Axe
5 out of 5
Natalia – :
Estas hachas son como algunas mujeres.
Preciosas, macizas, con fundamento, nacionales y de buen agarre.
Gracias rudoynoble por el trato, la rapidez de envío y por hacer cosas así de especiales.
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Well by now everyone knows the score, or at least they should, which then makes you actually wonder why we bother keeping score in the first place if everyone knows it, then again purpose of the internet generally is to tell everyone stuff they already know, so I suppose telling everyone the score when they know it makes perfect sense, just like that memo I got recently from the department of redundancy department, or the time when a certain IT service emailed me my Imail account password to access my email (nope, that one actually did happen).
Either way the score in question is database 642, amount of games to be added to the database, ----- waaaaaay too many to count! which is a good state for earhole insertable games generally, as well as for keeping myself and the other agnet staff off the streets and out of mischief, ---- well off the streets anyway.
Here are the latest results:
Updates by Dark:
Fixed Error on Out of site games.
Friends of the prince: entry and description.
Miner entry clean up and corrections for A hero's call.
Corrected Gotcha description to show it was |Jason Sw who made the windows port rather than Harrielst.
Camcad clicker: entry and description.
fixed link to Flexible survival wiki.
The road of life: Entry and description.
Blackbox: entry, description and links.
Peaches and cream: entry and description.
Rs games client: updated list of games on the entry with details of threes ninety nine, one four twenty four, slot machine, roulette and Go fish, the list is now UpToDate, for now.
Forum wars: Entry and description.
Updated download links for both Inheritance and Allure of Wanton cove.
Fist of fury: miner entry cleanup.
Idlefisher: Entry and description.
Build a spaceship: entry and description.
Huboodle: Entry and description.
Updates by Aaron:
Dreamy train: Entry and description.
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)


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The Robert F. Munroe Day School tennis team upended district foe John Paul II Catholic High School at The Golf Cub of Quincy last week. The team took three singles and both doubles matches to win by a 5-2 score.
In singles action, No. 1 player Hilary Flournoy, a freshman, won handily 6-1, 6-2 as did No. 2 Beth Summerford, 6-0, 6-0. The two girls then teamed up and dominated in doubles 8-2. Abigail Lewis lost 6-4,6-2 at the No. 3 slot but Cameron McMullen picked up the No. 4 spot, winning 6-2 in game one and 6-4 in game two.
On Monday afternoon, Robert F. Munroe freshman Kaitlyn Sirmons picked up her first pitching win of the season with a dominating 20-3 win over FAMU.
Munroe scored 10 runs in the first three innings and coasted to a five inning win. Kristen Allen and Haleigh Corbally had three hits each with Corbally hitting a grandslam homerun on the FAMU college field. Mary Jane Milam added a triple with two RBIs. The team moved to 9-5 on the season with the win.
Family has always been important to Shirley Vickers. But now that she's had to face some of her worst fears, her family – and her life – have gained new meaning.
Vickers went in for a regularly scheduled mammogram last October, and was called in for a second one. Then she received a call asking her to come in for a sonogram. The day after that, her doctor called again, asking her to come in to the office.
The county successfully renegotiated a $10 million short-term loan with Capital City Bank for the hospital construction and renovation into a $10 million long-term loan with BB&T Bank. The loan comes to maturity in 2030 and has a 20-year fixed term rate of 5.03 percent. Capital City Bank will be repaid $987,351 for advancing the short-term loan. Another $160,000 will be needed to remodel the pharmacy but Craig McMillan, chairman of the board of directors of Gadsden Hospital Inc., said the funds are available.
CEO announces opening
I am pleased to announce that Gadsden County will soon be embarking on a new era in health care. The recent signing of the lease between Capital Regional Medical Center and Gadsden County is the first step in providing this community much-needed health care services.
CRMC is addressing the immediate healthcare needs of the citizens of Gadsden County and the surrounding area. Our initial plans are to provide a full-service emergency department along with laboratory and radiology services.
The Robert F. Munroe Day School tennis team lost two last week but it wasn't all frowns for the Lady Cats. The team came within one game of defeating long time district dominators, Maclay, at The Golf Club of Quincy. Maclay edged out a 4-3 team win but drove off with a new-found respect and even a little fear for the Lady Cats.
In the No. 1 slot, Hilary Flournoy lost 6-2, 6-2 and in the second slot Beth Summerford got a huge win over Maclay's two, winning 6-4, 6-2. Lone senior Abigail Lewis won 6-4 in a long, exhausting tie-breaker.
The West Gadsden softball team lost to Liberty County 12-0 as Bulldog pitcher Kayla Johnson pitched a perfect game.
The Panthers, however, played and survived their first game since the death of popular female athlete Dee Dee Murray – a resounding district loss but a moral victory for the girls athletic program at West Gadsden.
• New Beginnings Assembly of God in Havana is hosting "Living an Extraordinary Life," to help attendees answer the question, "Can my life get any better?" The programs are being held on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m.. For more information, call 364-5137.
• Take it to the Streets Ministry Inc. hosts a community Bible study at Carter-Parramore Academy the first and third Monday each month at 7 p.m. Refreshments are served.
• On the Move for Jesus Ministry is hosting revival services through March 26, at 7 p.m. nightly.
The 2010 NFREC Beef Cattle/Forage Field Day will be held March 25 at the University of Florida's North Florida Research and Education Center Beef Unit. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. with the program beginning at 9 and lasting until 3 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. The field day will include presentations and demonstrations along with field tours of on-going research and demonstrations.
Commission didn't give us what we voted for
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that helped pass the half-cent sales tax to fund the hospital and indigent care in Gadsden County. There were many long, hot days in 2008, but all of you that supported health care in Gadsden County held to your convictions that everyone should have access to health care in Gadsden County.
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