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Yesterday, PolyMic.com released a story titled "28 Most Iconic Feminist Moments of 2013." We're not going to lie, we definitely jumped and cheered for many of these moments.
Of course, we were proud that these individuals helped women take a much-needed step forward, but what really caught our eye was the amount of Asians that made their way onto this list. We decided to take a closer look at these women.
Needless to say, we are awfully proud of the Asians who took part in the most iconic feminist moment of 2013. To check out the full list, click here.
1. Bollywood Actress Slammed Down a Reporter Who Criticized Her Views on the Patriarchy
When a female reporter asked Mallika Sherawat to defend her comment that India is "regressive and depressive," she ripped her apart. "As a woman, I should lie about the state of women that's in our country?" the actress replied. When the reporter wouldn't give it up, the Bollywood actress just started dropping knowledge: "With female feticide, infanticide happening on an almost daily basis; with gang rapes making the headlines of almost every newspaper; with honor killings …" Her response came only a few weeks after the head of India's Central Bureau of Investigation said if rape can't be prevented, it should be enjoyed.
So who is this fiesty woman who dropped some knowledge? That would be none other than Indian actress and model Mallika Sherawat. Quite like her actual personality, Sherawat is known for playing characters with a bold attitude. Currently, the 37-year-old actress is trying to cross over to Hollywood. Thus far, she has been in two Hollywood films, Hisss and Politics of Love, and was featured in a Bruno Mars parody video.
Because of her time spent in Los Angeles, as well as her comment that India is regressive for women, Sherewat received a handful of negative criticism for those who felt like she did not like India. In the following video, Sherewat says exactly whats she meant by that and calls attention to a number of very important issues.
The description also calls attention to Central Bureau of Investigation chief Ranjit Sinha who faced a lot of heat for comparing rape to gambling and stating "if you can't prevent it, enjoy it.." Read more on his controversial statement here.
2. International Outrage After Gang Rape in India Sparked Historic Change in Laws
After the fatal, brutal gang rape of a student caused international uproar and mass protests, the Indian government took drastic action. On March 19, the parliament passed an anti-rape bill that doubled the punishment for rapists. "Under the changes, the minimum sentence for gang rape, rape of a minor, rape by policemen or a person in authority will be doubled to 20 years and can be extended to life without parole," BBC reported.
This set the stage for a global conversation about sexual assault and the persistence of rape culture across borders.
According to the Atlantic, three woman in India are raped every hour and yet the country has one of the lowest conviction rates. Thankfully, the discrepancy has been given a little more (deserved) attention. The new anti-rape bull includes double the amount of punishment for rapists. The minimum sentence is now 20 years and can be extended to life without parole. Additionally, voyeurism and stalking is now punishable by law.
3. GoldieBlox Proved That Girls Can Be More Than Princesses
Who knew feminism has so much viral potential? For decades, we've been targeting women and girls with pink princess junk, but as it turns out, telling females they can be anything can also work! When the good folks at GoldieBlox noticed that women only make up 11% of engineers in the world, they decided to reverse that trend. "By designing a construction toy from the female perspective, we aim to disrupt the pink aisle and inspire the future generation of female engineers," a statement on the company's website says. "We believe there are a million girls out there who are engineers. They just might not know it yet. We think GoldieBlox can show them the way." Well, I know what to give my niece for Christmas this year!
Debbie Sterling, a female engineer, realized that part of the reason many girls don't grow up considering the engineering field has a lot to do with our childhood. Young girls don't come home from the toy store with legos, lincoln blocks, or robots you to be built build for battle. They go home with dress-up barbies, build-a-bears, and fake make-up kits. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with these toys, the problem is simply that the opportunity to go out and explore is not available. Many young girls never considered being an engineer simply because they were never programmed to have any sort of interest in the field. Sterling decided to change that.
She described GoldieBlox as "a series of interactive books + construction toys starring Goldie, a curious girl with a love of engineering."
4. Mindy Kaling Exposed One of the Worst Double Standards for Women
In an interview with Parade magazine, Mindy Kaling made a brilliant point about the assumptions we make about women. "I always get asked, 'Where do you get your confidence?' I think people are well meaning, but it's pretty insulting. Because what it means to me is, 'You, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. You're not skinny, you're not white, you're a woman. Why on earth would you feel like you're worth anything?'"
Mindy Kaling is on our list of The Worlds 15 Most Followed Asian Female Celebrities on Twitter and happens to be one of Audrey's cover girls. She talked more about her confidence and explained where it came from. "As confident as I feel," she explained, "it takes an almost comically confident person to be able to say that they were destined to be in movies and television. I don't think I was destined, but I think I am of the personality type where the rejection or odds of something doesn't scare me. Maybe it was because my mom moved to Africa at 20 by herself, but there's a certain fearlessness that runs in my family for things where there's absolutely no reason to believe that it should work out. I get that from my parents."
Check out the cover photo below.
5. Malala Made a Groundbreaking (and Very Feminist) Speech at the United Nations
On July 12, Malala Yousafzai celebrated her 16th birthday by delivering her first speech since she survived a bullet to the head by the Taliban. Her words inspired millions around the world, especially after she made some enlightening feminist statements like, "We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back."
The teenage girl's courage and grace left us all (including Jon Stewart) speechless. TIME magazine got it wrong because in our hearts, she was definitely the Person of the Year.
If you don't know who Malala Yousafzai is, then you ought to learn up. Malala was only a young girl when she became an activist for rights to education and rights for women. At the young age of 11, she began blogging about her life under Taliban rule. This was so powerful that in 2009, a New York Times documentary was filmed about her life.
Her actions were seen as unacceptable and in 2012, Malala was shot in the head and neck by Taliban gunman in an attempt to murder her. The strong young lady survived and continues to fight for what she believes in.
6. This Awesome Rape Prevention Video Parody From India Traveled 'Round the World
This parody video created by All India Bakchod went viral around the world for its honest look at the worst persisting stereotypes about sexual assault. It features women using humor and sarcasm to point out the absurdities of rape culture. Given that a recent United Nations report found that two women are raped every hour in India, this video couldn't come at a better time. Its reception was positive. The filmmakers told Al Jazeera that within a couple of days, they were already flooded with requests to translate the video into Hindi in order to reach a wider audience.
Known for her films Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin joined forces with TV presenter Juhi Pandey for the video AIB365: It's Your Fault. This short is a brilliantly done satire on rape and the blame that is often placed on women.The video was made in response to the high levels of violence against women in India and the misconceptions over who is at fault.
The video begins with Koechlin saying, "Ladies, do you think rape is something men do out of a desire for control, empowered by years of patriarchy? You've clearly been misled by the notion that women are people too. Because let's face it, rape is your fault." If the satiric tone is not yet obvious, Koechlin goes on to say, "Scientific studies suggest that women who wear skirts are the leading cause of rape. Do you know why? Because men have eyes."
The video continues by showing various articles of clothing which are unacceptable for women to wear, from skirts to a fully-covered astronaut suit. The video points out that women are to blame for rape regardless of what they wear simply because they are women. Watch this entertaining and enlightening video below.


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Learn the basic version with these tips from Adam Campbell, author of The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises, and you'll soon be able to do all the pushup variations shown on the right too.
Move 1: Basic Pushup
To do: Get into plank position, with your hands under but slightly outside of your shoulders.
Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.
As you lower yourself, tuck your elbows, pulling them close to your body so that your upper arms form a 45-degree angle when your torso is in the bottom position of the move. Pause, then push back to the starting position as quickly as possible. Keep your core braced the entire time.
If your hips sag at any point during the exercise, your form has been broken. When this happens, consider that your last repetition and end the set.
Summer's almost here! Tone up for your two-piece with the Bikini Workout.
If it hurts your wrists to put your hands directly on the floor, place a pair of dumbbells (use a pair with flat edges, like hex dumbbells) at the spots where you'd position your hands. Then grasp the dumbbells' handles and keep your wrists straight as you perform the exercise.
Move 2: Modified Pushup (Easiest)
Look, Ma, No Knees! In the pushup spectrum of easiest to hardest, lots of women get stuck in the modified (read: girlie) stage because they find the incline pushup too tough. Here's a clever trick: Set a barbell in a power rack at about chest height. Place your hands on the bar and get into pushup position. Try to do 12 pushups with perfect form. If you can do more, lower the bar one notch and repeat until you're challenged. If you can't for 12 reps, raise the bar one notch and test yourself again.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Queen Coin Necklace
- Regular price
- Regular price
RM 0.00 - Sale price
Product Description
Jewelry may tarnish if in contact with sweat/perfume/oils/lotions
Not suitable for sensitive skin
Material: Metal
*Please allow slight discrepancy in the actual product color due to lighting and monitor resolution (actual may appear darker/brighter). This shall not be considered as a defect.
Ready stock
All shipping will be dispatched within 3 working days for ready stock.
Backorder means that all ready stocks have sold out and we are opening a restock order due to popular demand. Estimated time of arrival : 7-14 working days.
Poppyland reserves the right to extend the waiting prior without prior notice
Estimated Date Of Arrivals | 7-14 Working Days
Payment | All payment must be made for your backorder to be confirmed including for self pick up orders. Payment can be made to POPPYLAND ENTERPRISE MAYBANK 514196700101 And send your receipt to +6013 541 8028 |
Return & Refund Policy
Poppyland provides returns and exchange only for the following reasons:
1. Major manufacturing defective item
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*Strictly NO Returns & Exchange or Refund if they item is used or damaged by the customer.
*Sales item are non-refundable/exchangeable.
For Defective / Wrong Item
- 1 to 1 exchange of the same item you have purchased (same design, same size)
- Exchange of design/size will have an additional charge of RM30 and customer shall bear the Return & Resend shipping cost.
- Item has to be unwashed and unworn to be eligible for exchange or refund
Please note that we do not accept returns/exchanges
- Size doesn't fit (measurements are clearly stated below each item)
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- Quality not up to expectation
and all reasons under (iv)
- (iv) ALL reasons listed below are NOT considered defects:
- Color variation from product photos, e.g. fuschia vs red
- Slight design variation from product photos, e.g. print patterns and arrangements, lace arrangements, etc.
- Slight size variation of within ±3cm on measurements
- Minor imperfections, e.g. loose threads, crease marks and etc.
- Self-inflicted damage or cut to the product
- Customer's subjective opinions on product quality and preference. (inner lining torn, inner ribbon loop torn, etc)
For more return & refund policy information, please click here.


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Each Piecework puzzles is made of extra thick pieces with a premium matte finish layered on a board made of 100% recycled paper. They're fun to look at as they are enjoyable to put together. As a bonus, the box is beautiful and can be used a display piece after you complete and hang your puzzle.
These puzzles frames as art and make fabulous conversation starters. We especially love that it's an activity we could do with our loved ones. Some may find the process meditative, we think it's great at testing our patience, and the joy at the end was oh so sweet!
Piecework is a puzzle company dedicated to quality time in the great indoors. Whether working alone or at a gathering of friends, they see puzzles as a means to slow down, connect, and live in the present. We have enjoyed putting their puzzles together and now they're sitting pretty on our walls.
We work with a local frame maker to create reasonably-priced made-to-measure frames just for our puzzles. Learn more
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Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populous city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data.
Palm trees, sunshine, sparkling pools and margaritas..Phoenix has all the ingredients you need for a relaxing getaway. Our recommendation is to kick back and enjoy some of the best resorts and scenary that Phoenix has to offer.
Phoenix, Arizona is also home to the World Famous Barrett Jackson Collector Car Auction held every year in January. This collector car auction brings hundreds of thousands of spectators to the show. Whether they are selling or buying a vehicle, the best of the best is always up for sale at the Barrett Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale.
"Several of us certified auto appraisers decided to attend the Barrett Jackson Collector Car Auction last January. We were amazed at how many people show up for this car auction. The vehicles were spectacular. Rare cars such as the Mercedes Benz Gulf Wing and Shelby Concept were up for auction. Vendors like Meguiar's Car Care Products and Continental Tires were among some of the vendors that displayed products for the show.
The show last 3 days, starting on a Friday and ending on a Sunday afternoon. We were amazed at how much vehicles were going for and how fast Barrett Jackson hit $10 million in sales. I think the mark was hit mid day on Friday. During our time away from the car auction we spent some time talking with local certified auto appraisers. We were curious to know how the local climate affects the condition of a vehicle. With dry climate and low amounts of rain, vehicles were as could as the so called "California Car." Its always good to talk to others that are in the same industry as you will always learn something whether is they way you condition a vehicle or dispute a total loss claim with an insurance company. I would have to say the trip to Phoenix/Scottsdale was well worth the time and money. Not only did we enjoy being around vehicles that we love; we also got to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather of Phoenix, Arizona."
We bring our expertise and experience to the table for large corporations as well as the common auto enthusiast. Whether you are a classic car collector or an outdoors man with a four wheel drive truck; we can help value your vehicles.
If you live in Phoenix, Arizona or in the surrounding areas we offer certified auto appraisals on classic cars, fleet vehicles, lease turn-in, total loss, diminished value, stated value, pre-purchase inspections, charitable donations, motorcycles, recreational vehicles and more! Please contact us today for more information.


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I know, I know, I know...I should be packing my bags for Goa but things keep getting in the way of the task in hand such as heavy snow, exciting parcels and friends dropping by.
My oldest pal, Liz brought these round. It's giraffe print paper but it looks strangely like bacon in the photo.
We've been friends for thirty-nine years, how scary is that? Liz is in the middle.
We've been friends for thirty-nine years, how scary is that? Liz is in the middle.
The fabulous Christina phoned last night and I was literally shrieking with excitement. I don't think I stopped tittering the whole time we were on the phone. She's just as warm, witty and funny as I knew she'd be and I cannot wait to meet her in the New Year.
And I managed a virtual chat with my beloved twin Helga first thing this morning!
Christina's blog post today featuring beautiful green things and a photograph of Farrah Fawcett reminded me of this 1970's Devonshire Lady jumpsuit I bought in a charity shop recently. I was so excited to come across one of these, I owned a grey one with a Charlies' Angels motif when I was about 10. Well worth the £3 price tag for the nostalgia value alone.
Don't worry I've got thermal undies, woollen tights and thick knitted socks on underneath and of course, my favourite hat in the entire world.
This is what the bed's currently looking like except there's now a couple of contented cats curled up in amongst it all.
Vintage jumpsuit (Sue Ryder charity shop), Leather boots (TopShop sale 2005), Sheepskin hat (Courtesy of the wonderful Christina) |
I'm only in Goa for three weeks this time but hopefully staying for longer in March. If I'd known the weather would be so bad I wouldn't be coming back half as soon.


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Alison Vekshin Wednesday, 28 August 2013 01:07 PM EDT
In a dim parlor furnished with red velvet couches and a stripper pole, Brooke Taylor is having a sale on herself.
"I offer a lot more specials and discounts and incentives for people to come in to see me," said Taylor, 32, a brunette prostitute in a short, green dress at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch outside Carson City, Nevada. "People are looking for deals."
Nevada's legal brothels, which took root in the mid-1800s silver-mining boom, are dwindling, down to about 19 from roughly 36 in 1985, according to George Flint, an industry lobbyist. Many have been the highest-profile businesses in their sparsely populated regions, and their decline hurts already-stretched county budgets and marks the end to local institutions — though not the universally beloved sort.
The state's flagging economy, decreased patronage by truckers squeezed by fuel costs and growing use of the Internet to arrange liaisons are to blame, managers say.
"A lot of our clients don't have the discretionary income they had six years ago, five years ago," said Susan Austin, 63, the madam of the Mustang Ranch in Sparks, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Reno. "The ones that can come in, they aren't spending quite what they were spending before."
Lonely Outposts
Recent years have not been kind to Nevada. The 18-month recession that began in December 2007 still holds a grip on the state. It had America's highest unemployment rate in July, 9.5 percent, compared with 7.4 percent nationwide, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since the last quarter of 2007, the state's economic health has declined 46 percent, according to the Bloomberg Economic Evaluation of States. That's second-worst in the nation behind New Mexico.
Most brothels are in rural areas with few people and employers. If Manhattan had the density of Lyon County, home to the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, the population would be 594.
The brothels pay little to the state, sending most of their fees and tax payments to the counties that oversee them.
Every dollar helps. In Lyon County, where the largest private employers are an Amazon.com Inc. distribution center and a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. outlet, total revenue fell from $33 million in fiscal 2009 to $29 million in 2012, according to Josh Foli, its comptroller. In the past five years, the county's staff has been cut about 25 percent, Foli said.
In the fiscal year ended June 30, Lyon's four brothels paid it $369,600 in business-licensing fees and $17,800 from work permits for the prostitutes, Foli said. The brothels also pay room and property taxes to the county, along with sales tax to the state on merchandise, including t-shirts.
Steady Clientele
Then there's the main transaction: Visitors select from a lineup of women, negotiate a price and pay a cashier in advance. The women, independent contractors, say they typically give half to the house. Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, said his customers spend $200 to $600 on average.
Austin, who said she became a prostitute at 49 before becoming a madam, said the Mustang Ranch is seeing fewer clients than five years ago, though she wouldn't provide figures.
"They're getting less services because they're paying less, but they're still seeing their favorite ladies," Austin said in the brothel's Italian suite, which features a four- poster bed, tiger-print carpet and hot tub. "It's like anything: When the economy takes a dive, you just live with less frills."
Siegel's Vision
Some say the downturn is overdue.
"Legal prostitution creates a cultural acceptance," said Melissa Farley, executive director of Prostitution Research & Education, a San Francisco-based group that fights the sex trade. "The evidence tells us prostitution is profoundly harmful."
The decline of the bordellos threatens an emblematic industry in a state that, since gangster Bugsy Siegel envisioned Las Vegas' casinos in the 1940s, has cultivated a global reputation as a sinner's paradise of gambling and louche delights.
The houses were woven into the fabric of the American West in the days of the pioneers, said Barb Brents, a sociology professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While some states banned them, Nevada left the question to local governments in counties with fewer than 700,000 residents. Ten of the state's 17 counties allow them.
"They don't bother anybody," Brents said. "Brothels operate on an idea that men are a certain way and women are a certain way and there's a need for these services."
Phoenixxx Twirls
In the Mustang Ranch's Wild Horse Saloon, scantily clad women put that idea into action, approaching men on barstools and at tables. A woman leads a customer through a locked door. A 41-year-old redhead who calls herself Phoenixxx twirls on a pole atop the bar in a tight striped dress, then moves to a corner where she repeats the moves, this time in the nude. Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" booms from the stereo.
The spectacle masks the fall of the fleshpot. Prostitution is shifting online, said Scott Peppet, who teaches law at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and writes about technology and markets.
"A brothel is an intermediary," Peppet said. "It's pulling together women so it's easy for buyers to find them." That role is now being filled by the Internet, he said.
Craigslist, the free online classified-advertising site, eliminated its adult-services section in 2010 in response to pressure from state attorneys general. Many ads shifted to closely held Backpage.com.
Open City
In Las Vegas, the state's largest city and one where prostitution is outlawed, women offer themselves online as "escorts." Backpage.com carried more than 500 advertisements for Las Vegas on Aug. 25 alone. The come-ons ranged from "Teach Me... Spank Me... Pull My Hair!!!!" to "Fun, freaky, flirty, fulfill, favored, fetish friendly."
In 2012, the city's "vice enforcement/arrests" rose 67 percent to 8,908 from the year before, according to a 2012 annual police department report.
Jose Hernandez, a police spokesman, said prostitution "is a concern of ours." He said a lieutenant for the vice division was too busy for an interview.
Some women see freelance escorting as dangerous work. In December 2010, the bodies of four prostitutes who had advertised online were found near a New York beach.
Some Nevada brothels have guards and panic buttons in the rooms. Workers must be examined by a doctor weekly.
"There's a huge benefit for us working girls to work in this environment as opposed to escorting," said Taylor, the Bunny Ranch prostitute. "We're tested here. It's safe."
Hustler Covergirl
Taylor, who has appeared on the cover of Hustler magazine, began at the Bunny Ranch on New Year's Eve 2005 and learned she could earn in an hour what she made in two weeks as a case manager for adults with developmental disabilities.
Hof, 66, her boss, said the good times will return. The recession allowed him to buy five struggling brothels, bringing his holdings to seven.
"With the economy coming back, I think it's going to do real well," said Hof. "I'm buying up everything."
Marriages, Too
Flint, 79, the lobbyist, said he began representing the industry in 1985 and now has about 10 clients, including the Bunny Ranch. Flint said rural brothels that depend on truck drivers have been among the hardest hit.
"A lot of these long-haul truckers have to buy their own fuel," he said. "They could afford diesel when it was $2.49 a gallon, but now when it's up over $5, particularly in rural Nevada, they don't have any leftover income."
Flint has hedged his bet on fornication: He also owns Chapel of the Bells, a Reno wedding service, where his office is decorated with portraits of Napoleon.
One of the state's smallest brothels is in Winnemucca, straddling Interstate 80, where a billboard bears the silhouette of a woman in a cowboy hat with the invitation: "Wild West Saloon. Girls, Girls, Girls! Truckers Welcome. Get Off Now."
Owner Mike Yeager, 65, said he's escaped the recession thanks to a steady clientele of truckers, hunters and gold miners. There's a $100 minimum and timers count down patrons' sessions. Sitting at the bar, he predicted a stable future.
"There's always money in this business," said Yeager. "Put a couple of girls in here and you're always going to make money."
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Recycling bailout money: Is it right?
Treasury chief Geithner gets an earful from lawmakers who don't want funds returned by banks used for other bailouts.
WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) -- Some lawmakers are questioning whether the Treasury Department has the power to recycle returned bailout dollars to fund new or expanded rescues for auto companies, life insurers and small banks.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner got pounded over his plans to reuse bailout money this week on Capitol Hill.
The question is whether the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, the law Congress enacted last fall at the height of the financial crisis, gives Treasury the legal authority to reuse the funds. Treasury says it's on sound legal grounds, but some lawmakers say Treasury should use the money to pay down the federal deficit.
The issue has surfaced publicly as more banks move to return TARP funds. Treasury estimates that it will receive about $25 billion in returned funds - some of which it will redeploy in helping other companies.
At this point, Congress isn't likely to try to formally tie Geithner's hands. But the dispute underscores lingering political sensitivity about TARP, which many lawmakers didn't want to approve in the first place.
At the time, Congress was loath to give Treasury too much leeway in how it spent the money. In fact, at first it released only half the money and gave itself a veto over the second $350 billion.
Geithner currently estimates that $123.7 billion remains, including the $25 billion in returns.
"I think the political rationale behind it is to avoid coming back to us for anything," Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said Wednesday at a Senate Banking Committee hearing.
Geithner said at public hearings on the Hill and in a Wednesday letter to Vitter that his staff has examined the question and agrees that the TARP law gives them flexibility to reuse TARP money.
"I'm being very careful to make sure, and I will always be very careful, that we're applying the letter and spirit of the law in this case," Geithner told the Senate panel. "I talked last night again to the people that were there in October and September in drafting legislation and looking at its interpretation, and they confirmed our reading of that flexibility."
Geithner points to parts of the federal law that allow Treasury to have as much as $700 billion "outstanding" and invested in troubled assets at any one time.
When a government TARP investment is repaid, Geithner said, the proceeds go into the Treasury general fund. That, in turn, "frees up head room" for other dollars to be used for other programs, according to Geithner's letter to Vitter. The returned dollars are then banked and "new funding is made available," he wrote.
However, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., said he believes that the law dictates that Treasury should bank returned bailout dollars.
He's among critics who highlight a paragraph in the TARP law that directs repayments to pay down debt - period.
Sherman asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to give a legal opinion as to whether Treasury was correctly interpreting the law.
"I think the rule of law is breaking down, where we're getting to a point where we just do whatever seems popular with those with the most power as long as the public just doesn't know about it," Sherman said.
Sherman argues that if returned bailout dollars are going to be reused, they should go toward causes he deems more worthy, such as backing up cash-strapped municipalities in California to issue bonds.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has filed legislation that would require that any repaid bailout dollars be funneled directly to paying down the debt.
Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., defended Geithner. He said that Congress, knowing there could be political consequences later, agreed last fall to "get resources out to do what we could."
"People can have a different look at history going back, but the idea was to provide some flexibility in all of that," Dodd said. "And as I recall very specifically, that was the intention at the time. But I appreciate the discussion and debates, of course."


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
by Marquel Coaxum, Multimedia Coordinator MOUNT PLEASANT, SC (March 21, 2018) – The Town of Mount Pleasant was named as a finalist for the 2018 All-America City Award in an announcement Wednesday by the National Civic League.Mount Pleasant, the 2010 All-American City Award winner, was selected along with 19 other communities as finalists for the award. The award is given to the top 10 communities each year."These finalist communities are building local capacity to solve problems and improve their quality of life," said National Civic League president Doug Linkhart. "The National Civic League is honored to recognize these communities, and views their efforts as critical in addressing the challenge to communities issued by the 1968 Kerner Commission, 'to make good the promises of American democracy to all citizens – urban and rural, white, black, Spanish surname, American Indians, and every minority group.'"Created in 1949, the All-America City Award – once called the Nobel Prize for constructive citizenship – has been awarded to more than 500 communities across the country. It recognizes places, cities and towns for outstanding civic accomplishments, said the National Civic League.Finalist communities include the 7th largest city in America, San Antonio, and a town of only 22,000 people, Decatur, Georgia. The 20 finalists share a common bond of working to create equitable communities through inclusive civic engagement, they said.The National Civic League identified this year's focus for the award on promoting equity through inclusive civic engagement.The award is open to all American communities, from major cities, counties and regions to tribes, neighborhoods, towns and villages.


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(visited by Leon Wende)
05-Aug-2006 -- My wife and I were planning an outback trip along the Ann Beadell Highway and I noticed that it passes within a few kilometres of this confluence point, in South Australia's Tallaringa Conservation Park. I planned to visit this point.
As this point is off the Ann Beadell Highway I requested (and was granted) special permits to visit this area, in addition to the usual permits required to travel the Ann Beadell Highway.
We arrived in the area mid-afternoon on 5 August 2006, after having earlier visited 29S 132E that very morning!
As it was getting late, with dusk approaching, I set off immediately, leaving Sarah-Jane to set up camp on her own.
Reaching the point itself required an 8km round-trip walk through heavy spinifex, at times chest high, and partially dense woody scrub. The terrain was generally firm sand and large linear dunes about 400m apart.
This was to be my most challenging visit to a confluence point on this trip: Not only was this hike the longest (8km) and late in the day, but I needed to push myself and maintain good pace to complete it before nightfall. Also, Kieran (our chocolate labrador) did not accompany me this time as his paws were sore from the previous hike though spinifex.
Due to the area's remoteness, being on my own, not knowing what lay ahead and the late hour, I carried a first-aid pack in addition to water, food and warm clothes, and kept in touch every 15 minutes via UHF radio with Sarah-Jane who waited at our campsite. We also carried an HF radio in case of a serious emergency.


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Durham Academy
Durham Academy, a private, independent day school in Durham, was begun in 1933 by Mrs. George Watts Hill for the education of her children and the children of her friends. The school initially included only a kindergarten and a few lower grades, but it gradually grew until all 12 grades were offered in 1972. In its early years the school used the method of instruction devised by the successful Calvert School of Baltimore, Md., and was called the Calvert Method School. The first headmistress was Margaret McGary, previously principal of the public Morehead School in Durham. Initially, classes were held in the Forest Hills neighborhood clubhouse, but with the addition of grades and students, more space was required. The Hills provided the former John Sprunt Hill residence on Duke Street, where the school remained until 1965.
In 1957 the school broke its ties with the Calvert School, and two years later its name was changed to Durham Academy. In 1965 it moved into new buildings on a larger tract of land, and in 1972 it moved the high school grades to an even larger campus in a semirural setting. The first high school class graduated in 1975. George Watts Hill and Frank Kenan made generous donations for endowment and other needs, including a program for children with learning disabilities, open to all schoolchildren. By the early 2000s Durham Academy enrolled approximately 1,100 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 on three campuses and operated the Hill Center for children with learning disabilities.
Jean B. Anderson, Durham County: A History of Durham County, North Carolina (1990).
Additional Resources:
Durham Academy: http://www.da.org/
Durham County: A History of Durham County, North Carolina
Image Credit:
(Click for more images and information) First Durham Academy building, South Duke Street, built in 1880. Image courtesy of Open Durham. Available from http://www.opendurham.org/buildings/first-george-watts-house-calvert-durham-academy (accessed November 5, 2012).
1 January 2006 | Anderson, Jean B.


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In Christianity there rises the need for the Devil because the Christians accept and pray to an all good and perfect God who possesses no imperfections or evil. Such a god concept becomes burdensome when evil in the world has to be admitted to and accepted.
This concept becomes even more burdensome when the Christians profess their all-perfect God created a perfect world. At this point, the belief and the reality becomes contradictory. An all-perfect God who creates a perfect world cannot have evil or imperfection in such a world, but in reality this world possesses evil.
This leads to the consequential questions, where did such evil come from and how did it enter this world? The answer is the Devil.
There was no such conflict in primitive and pre-Christian societies. The people accepted the idea that evil and misfortune usually came from the gods. In some societies, such as the Greek and Roman, people often thought of their gods as having human traits and personalities; therefore, gods frequently sent misfortune to show their displeasure with human activities.
These gods were the ultimate powers that created the universe; and, therefore, possessed the power to render evil when they were displeased and good when things pleased them. In matters which were too trivial to concern these gods, people considered the harm or malice which befell them was distributed by numerous evil spirits.
The Hebrews were the first race which had an omniscient and omnipresent God. In the beginning the Hebrews recognized supernatural being to whom evil was ascribed. Jehovah, at first, was regarded as one among many gods.
His followers and the Jewish prophets regarded the gods of their neighbors as hostile gods and enemies of Jehovah and his people. Later early Christians regarded pagan gods in a similar manner; not as fictitious, but as real, evil demons.
The initial concept of Jehovah as a god among many gods got replaced. He soon was thought of as the only God, the sole creator of the universe, and everything in it, as described in Genesis. The initial concept had Jehovah possessing both good and evil powers.
Several Jewish prophets concluded this such as Amos, «Shall there be evil in a city and the Lord has not done it?» The same concept appears in Isaiah, «I form the light, and create darkness; I create peace and make evil; I the Lord do all these things.» And, also in Ecclesiastics, «Good things and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth come from the Lord.»
The concept or belief that the origin of evil was in God survived in the Kabbalah, in that evil is the offshoot or overflow from the sephiroth which are emanations from God. Although in this manner evil was seen as being in God it was relatively insignificant in the Hebrew tradition because God was not yet seen as all good. The Devil was still not necessary.
In the Old Testament Jehovah did let evil befall men. On one occasion He was angry with the Jews. He put the idea of having a census in King David's mind so he might punish their crime by sending a pestilence upon them that killed seventy thousand men.
Also, in the Old Testament Jehovah was not seen as a ruler who reigned by himself. Occasionally he sought advice from others in heaven. On one occasion Jehovah was angry with Ahab and sought to bring about his death.
Jehovah asked the question, «Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?» The question was debated indecisively by the heavenly host until one spirit stood before Jehovah and said, «I will persuade him…I will go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.» When Jehovah agreed Ahab was duly killed.
Among early beliefs there were the spirits which waited on Jehovah and made up his court; there were also angels of later Hebrew and Christian beliefs; also, the Hebrews believed in malignant and hairy spirits that invested isolated and barren places.
However, in these early traditions there was no sign of a belief in the Devil, the prince of evil and arch-enemy of God. Even when the Devil is mention in later passages of the Old Testament they give no scriptural authority for his present existence.
The name Satan
The name Satan originates from the Hebrew word sawtawn meaning «adversary.» In the early books of the Old Testament before the Jews were forced into exile in Babylon during the 6th century BC the word satan was merely an adversary or opponent.
As an example, «the angel of God 'stood in the way for an adversary (satan)' against Balaam.» A satan did not have to be considered supernatural. «The Philistines refused to accept David, because they were afraid he would turn his coat in battle and become their satan or adversary.»
Following this, two passages later, after the exile, «the satan» makes his appearance. He is an angel in God's court acting as a accuser of men before God. In the book of Zechariah, possibly written in the late 6th century BC, the prophet see Joshua, the high priest, standing in judgment before God.
The satan is seen standing at Joshua's right side possibly either to resist him, or to argue the case against him. Even in this early Biblical book it is seen that that the satan has been assigned the characteristics of a zealous prosecutor because God admonishes him for accusing a righteous man.
The satan is seen skillfully at work in the Book of Job, probably written approximately one hundred years after Zechariah. The satan is still the accuser of men but appears to have assumed a more malignant nature.
The sons of God stand before Jehovah, and the satan is with them. The satan utters words that have an ominous ring. He claimed to have come «from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it». This would seem to mean then the satan could enter both heaven and the earth.
The heavenly discussion centered upon the man Job. Jehovah praised Job for being a righteous man. The satan protests that Job can be righteous because he has everything which he need and wants. Jehovah decides to test Job's righteousness by allowing the satan to kill Job's children, servants and cattle.
But, even after these catastrophes Job still remains faithful to God; refusing to curse him, and saying, «The Lord give and the Lord take away; blessed be the name of the Lord.»
The satan still is not satisfied and says to Jehovah, «Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.» Jehovah lets the satan inflict a plague of sore boils on Job's entire body, and still Job remains faithful to God.
The satan here performs his task of trying to bring out the inherent evil in men. Apparently the reason for his failure with Job was that Job possessed no evil. However, others incidents within this Biblical story must be noted because they are important and remain characteristics of both Jehovah, or God, and the satan as each deity developed in even the current Judeo-Christian religion. First, Job, the human, has no determination as to the onset of his fate. All he can do is accept it or reject it, this is his limited choice.
Second, Jehovah, or God, is the initial character. He has the final say as to what action that is to be taken. Nothing is done without his approval.
Third, the satan is the instrument of God. He can suggest to God courses of actions to be taken; but he cannot put such actions into effect unless and until God gives his approval.
Fourth, it is still believed, as with Job, that God and the satan essentially still test men.
In describing the history of Satan parts of the Jewish Book of Enoch must be mention. This book, although, not included in the Old Testament was influential upon the early Christians. Within 1 Enoch there are a band of satans, of evil angelic beings, who are not welcomed in heaven at all.
«Enoch hears the voice of the archangel Phanuel 'fending off the satans and forbidding them to come before the Lord of Spirits to accuse them who dwell on earth.' There are also 'angels of punishment' who seem to be identical with the satans,. They are seen preparing instruments of punishment for 'the kings and the mighty of this earth, that they might be destroyed.'» These passages were written around the first century BC.
It is from these passages the concept of one angel who accuses and punishes men evolves which gave rise to the origination of the Devil of medieval and modern Christendom. When the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew to Greek, «the satan» was translated diabolic meaning «an accuser».
Accompanying this was the concepts of a false accuser, a slander, a liar, and by the combination of these conceptions the modern day conception of the Devil was well on its way toward being fully developed.
Along with this came a further development of Jehovah by later Hebrew writers. Jehovah was becoming an all-good God. Biblical writers were suffering difficulties when portraying some of Jehovah's actions because they were unfitting an all-good deity. So an evil angel conveniently appeared to carry out these unseemly activities. An example of this is seen when returning to the Biblical tale of David and the census.
The tale first appears in 2 Samuel, written in the early eighth century BC, when Jehovah himself puts the census idea in David's mind. When the story is retold in 1 Chronicles, probably written in the fourth century, it is Satan who plants the census idea in David's mind. «And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel» This is the sole appearance of the name of Satan in the Old Testament.
From this the figure of Satan began to grow and become enlarged in later Hebrew and Christian writings. Satan grew into the arch enemy of God, almost as powerful as God but never beyond God's control. Such a teaching must exist within Christian doctrine if God was to be an omniscient and omnipresent deity because it would be impossible to have two such deities exist.
The question arose as to how such a valued if unpleasant official such as the satan could fall from God's court. An explanation is given in Genesis in the description as to how men began increasing in numbers, «the sons of God saw the daughters of men that were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.» And in those days, «there were giants in the earth». The daughters of men bore children of these giants or angel like men.
The story possibly originally sought to establish the existence of giants and heroes in very early times but the meaning became distorted when connected to the following passage: «And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.» It was because of this that God sent the great Flood.
Although there are other versions of this occurrence in the Old Testament the fuller description of the events appears in the Book of Enoch. It had happened that men of earth had produced beautiful and comely daughters which were seen by some of the angels of heaven who lusted after them. These angels decided to take these daughters as their wives. The angels were of the order called the Watchers, or the sleepless ones.
Their leader was Semjaza, or Azazel. They supposedly descended Mount Hermon. Then they entered and defiled the young women. They taught their wives charms and enchantments, botany and cutting of roots. Azazel instructed men in the making of the weapons of war: swords, knives and shields. He also taught them the evil art of cosmetics.
The children of the Watchers were the giants of the earth. When the men of the earth could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and began devouring the men, then they turned, or sinned, against birds, beasts, reptiles and fish, till at last they ate and drank one another's flesh and blood. God finally took control of the situation sending the archangel Raphael to imprison Azazel in the desert till the last judgment when he will be thrown into the eternal fire.
Other Watchers had to watch their children, the giants, being killed. God then told the archangel Michael to bind the angels in the valleys of the earth until the day they will be cast into everlasting torment in an abyss of fire. But this did not rid the earth of evil. The demons that came from the bodies of the dead giants have remained in the earth ever since causing wickedness, destruction and oppression.
From the above descriptions several debates have arisen as to the real evil of such actions taken by the Watchers against the will of God. One is that these angels longed for the comforts of sexual and family life; but such actions were inappropriate because God had created them immortal, above men, so there was no reason for their descent. All it caused was the abnormalities in the earth of the giants.
The physical union of angelic and human beings was a crime against nature. (One might note this certainly was not true in the Greek and Roman pantheons. Several notable heroes came from such unions.) Such stories as the one above possibly led to the fascination in medieval times of sexual relationships between witches and the devil.
Some even think it is a diabolical counterpart of the revered mystery in the Christian faith of the Divine descending upon a virgin to give birth to a Savior.
However, from the above story has evolved through the centuries the current status of Satan in Christendom. From the story the concept have evolved that Satan, the Devil, tried to make himself equal to God. Some said before his expulsion from heaven the satan was called Lucifer, but afterwards he was known as Satan.
With all of this as evidence it did not take much doing for the first century Christians to connect Lucifer and Satan to the serpent in the garden of Eden who tempted Eve. But, strangely enough the book of 2 Enoch gives this graphic story too along with the Old Testament. It describes an archangel named Satanail trying to make himself equal to God by seducing the Watchers to rebel with him.
They all were banished from heaven, and to revenge himself for his fall Satanail tempted Eve in Eden. There is another version, according to the Vita Adae et Evae that Satan refused to worship Adam, as the angels were commanded to do by God, God became angry and hurled Satan with his angels down to earth; therefore, Satan tempted Eve. Here the concept of the Devil's pride which caused his rebellion is combined with angelic jealousy of man.
In the Old Testament there is no suggestion in Genesis that the serpent who tempted Eve was the Devil; however, early Christian writers generally assumed that the serpent was either the Devil or one of his agents in disguise. It is upon this assumption that the entire central doctrine of Christendom rests. St. Paul and later St. Augustine clearly welded this doctrine. Adam's crime plunged all further generations into the Devil's power and the toils of sin and death, for who God sent his son Jesus Christ to rescue them.
This is a general history of the Devil. His development was begun by Hebrew writers in the Old Testament and is continued by the Christian writers of the New Testament. Corresponding with the change in the personification of Satan is a change in the personification of God.
As the Hebrew God Jehovah progressed from a god among many gods to a single, all good God Satan became progressively more evil. In rationale, this was necessitated to compensate for the existence of good and evil in the world. His followers could not and would not say their all good God created a world with imperfections in it.
These imperfections were, of course, brought about by the evil Devil. The Devil, who sinned through pride, has became the arch-Enemy of God which is still a predominant Christian teaching.
The strength of the Devil and his demons was also increased by Jesus and his followers who taught that the Devil possessed authority over the world at least in the concept of demonic rule over worldliness, luxury and pride.
This belief is presented in the scriptural scene of Christ being tempted in the wilderness. In Matthew the Devil showed Christ «all the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them.» Then the Devil promised to Christ, 'All these things I will give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me» In Luke Jesus called the Devil «the prince of the world.» St. Paul called him «the god of this world.»
The latter declaration at one time seem to work against the orthodox Christians as it seemed to be coherent with the Gnostic conception the Demiurge. The Gnostics viewed the Demiurge as the Christian God, or the one who created the material world. To them the Demiurge was not the almighty God, who with the Goddess Mother was in a spiritual realm. Later their sole contact with the physical world was through emanations.
In the Gnostic version of the creation of the world the Spirit of God is referred to as the Wisdom of God or Sophia who is also a feminine creative force. It seems she wished to give birth to a creature like herself. She did so without the permission of her partner. She was able to do this by the power within her. The fruit of her desire was something imperfect and different from her in appearance.
She was ashamed of it, threw it outside of the heavenly realm and hid it in a cloud so none of the Immortals would
see it. According to the Gnostics this horrible child became the one they called the Demiurge.
Unbeknown to him his mother gave him some of her power which contained the Spirit. The Demiurge thought the power which his mother gave him was his own, and with it he started creating the physical world. In doing this the Gnostics believed the Demiurge entrapped the Spirit in matter.
From this Gnostic description of the creation of the world it can easily be understood how Paul's description of the Devil as «the god of the world» might be construed as referring to the Demiurge. However, it must be noted that unlike the Christians the Gnostics avoided the dichotomy of having an all-good God creating an imperfect world. There was a clear separation between God and the creator.
The creator, or Demiurge, was seen as truly evil, he was the one who entrapped the Spirit of God in matter. To the Gnostics the way toward salvation or back to God for man was the freeing of the spirit from matter. To help man to achieve this God sent Jesus through an emanation into the world. One might contend, for the Gnostics the Demiurge was their Devil who acts independently without the consent of God.
Throughout the centuries other sects besides the Gnostics shared similar beliefs as those of the Gnostics. Two such sects were the Cathars and the Bogomils. Similarly as the Gnostics the Cathars taught the God of the Old Testament was Satan. They believed he governed the human body, death, and all material and temporal things. Some said he was a fallen archangel while others held he existed independently as the opposite of the true God.
Like the Gnostics the Cathars believed the soul was entrapped in matter, and the quickest way to free it was to put an end to all matter; therefore, they taught begetting children was wrong because it prolonged the grip of Satan.
The leaders led lives of rigid austerity: they refrained from sex, violence, all foods of animal origin, lying, owning property, and taking oaths. However, as with the Gnostics, there were other groups who did not consider themselves immoral if they sinned against the Devil. They indulged in sexual intercourse which did not propagate children. They were suspect of homosexual and lesbian relationships as some of their relationships were described as Male perfect and Female perfect.
It is not known whether the Cathars really worshipped the Devil or not. The Catholic Church said they did and Pope Innocence III organized a crusade against them in southern France earlier in the 13th century.
They were accused of worshipping the Devil in the form of a goat or cat in meetings which the Catholics called «synagogues of Satan», an idea taken from Revelation 2:9. Under torture many confessed to such acts as killing stolen children and drinking potions made from their bodies. They also confessed riding to such meetings on broomsticks, a favorite mode of travel which later witches were said to use when going to sabbats.
The Cathars were possibly influenced by the Bogomils, a sect appearing in France about 1125. Its leader was Clementius of Bucy, a French peasant who taught that the altar of the Catholic Church was the mouth of hell. It was sinful to marry and beget children. This was his reasoning for encouraging homosexuality and lesbianism. There were rumors of occasional promiscuous orgies where babies were burned and the remains were made into communion-bread.
Such sects can be found throughout history. Their activities might differ, but they share a similar belief, that the orthodox church or churches, as now the case may be, are wrong. The God of orthodoxy is usually labeled Satanic. Whether the members of these sects were or are Satan worshippers is difficult to objectively say.
According to orthodoxy they are, but within their own hearts they may sincerely believe they are doing a correct thing. Such belief might come from a mistrust of what seems to them a hypocrisy within orthodoxy.
This hypocrisy within the orthodoxy is often also labeled Satanic. To the true believer in an orthodox religion this is comprehensible: such rationale is that whatever the believer's religion or faith says it true, is true. Such a person has no need to question.
His faith or belief rests on the sole word of his religious leaders. Anything that the leaders declare is evil, is evil. However, to the objective observer such rationale seems suspicious, at least. The first question usually asked is where did these so called religious leaders acquire their knowledge as to what is good and evil.
In Protestant Christian orthodoxy, the answer is generally from the Bible. If this is true, and the subject is that the Devil is evil, and the arch-enemy of God, then how can the objective observer justify these answers after have read the above portions of this article which describe the evolution of the devil?
Such a question does not seem to pose a problem for the sincere, orthodox believer either because he has not acquired such knowledge, or has not been told of it, or if he has such knowledge he believes those leading him are better able to judge the knowledge than himself. In short, to him, the Devil is evil and against God; and, everything evil or bad in the world is caused by the Devil.
Such a person, unlike the objective observe, never questions the status of the Devil and evil within the world. He just believes they are things which he should be against. This is what his religious as well as other authorities tell him. He is usually totally unaware that the Devil is a man-made concept.
Also he is unaware of the necessity for the Devil, which has previously been discussed. Generally speaking, almost everything to such a man is black and white, or right and wrong; there are few gray areas in his life.
There are those claiming to be or called Devil worshippers are said to hold views which are opposite of Christian view or values. Objectively, this point of view is valid; therefore, good is evil and evil is good. But, also objectively, nothing is or can be validated.
From the above it should be readily recognized that the Christian cannot objectively validate their own tenets. As it has been previously said and shown, the evolution of Jehovah called for the evolution of the Devil. Those claiming to be Devil worshippers have an legitimate right to do so; because, in a sense the Christians within their worship of their all-good God are in essence deifying the Devil with certain supernatural powers.
When speaking of Devil worship, or Satanism, and Devil worshippers one must be careful in determining what precisely is being spoken of. It is readily recognized that Christianity has labeled any heretical belief or practice Devil worship at one time or another. As previously when discussing the Cathars under torture many confessed to such acts as killing stolen children and drinking potions made from their bodies.
They also confessed riding to such meetings on broomsticks, a favorite mode of travel which later witches were said to use when going to sabbats. Whether such activities actually occurred or not is debatable, but to the Catholic church such acts were deemed horrible, while to others they may not have seemed so.
The philosophy of Satanism seems to be actions which are conventionally condemned as evil are valued for their psychological and mystical powers. There is a belief that the reaching of perfection and the divine comes from an ecstasy reached through sensual orgy which occasionally involves perverse sex practices, homosexuality, and flagellation.
There is an admiration for pride, self-assertion, dominance, violence, as well as lustful and passionate sensations. Such persons are frequently condemned for egotism, not possessing the meekness of Christians. However, the question arises when one surveys the characteristics attributed to Devil worshippers, aren't they the similar characteristics which the world societies admire in their military and social leaders. A dichotomy seems poignant.
People who believe in such a natural system, believe that nature will correct Herself when things get out of balance. They wish to help nature make these corrections and stay in balance. They, therefore, worship nature as a religion. It is believed man is responsible for these disturbances in nature, and not some supernatural evil power; and, therefore, man is responsible to help correct these disturbances. Thus, there is no need for a Devil.
Many appear tired of this dichotomy. They refuse to see life a dualistic, a fight between God and the Devil. They believe that is the Christian concept of life, which in actuality is man-made. Many who share such a belief are known as neo-Pagans, and they believe in what has became known as neo-Paganism. Like modern Witches neo-Pagans are independent and autonomous.
Some are members of groups and organizations, while others remain solitaire. Some refer to themselves simply as «Pagans.»
Neo-Paganism is founded in the ecstatic and mystery traditions of the pre-Christian religions. It does not forcibly oppose Christianity, but finds that the Christian God is is remote, inaccessible and intangible, and Christians view nature as something to be economically exploited. The followers of neo-Paganism feel that it brings them closer to nature and the Divine force. The Divine force is believed not to be one absolute God, but rather several pantheons of Pagan gods and goddesses.
Prayers and rituals may be addressed to each at various times during the celebrations of fertility and nature. Pagans seek to be in harmony, or balance, with the rhythms of life and the forces of the elements. Neo-Pagans see all nature as life, and themselves as part of that life; therefore, each feels like and integral part of the greater whole, of nature and the cosmos. Most neo-Pagans believe in reincarnation and the Wiccan Reede, «An' if harm none, do what ye will.»
People who believe in such a natural system, believe that nature will correct Herself when things get out of balance. They wish to help nature make these corrections and stay in balance. They, therefore, worship nature as a religion. It is believed man is partially responsible for these disturbances in nature, and not some supernatural evil power; and, therefore, man is responsible to help correct these disturbances. Thus, there is no need for a Devil.
Thus, in summary, it might be wise to take a phrase from Dion Fortune: The true nature of the gods, she said, is that of magical images shaped out of the astral plane by mankind's thoughts, and is influenced by the mind. It seems that such a concept can be similarly said about the Judeo-Christian God and Devil.
After reviewing their evolution, the only thing left to be said is that both are a part of a belief, and they each are as good or bad as those holding the belief make them. A.G.H.


text: Located on the outskirts of the city of Zurich, the Irchel Campus hosts University as well as a few ETH institutes. The Campus is next to the famous Zurichberg and is well connected to the other university or ETH locations and to the city by public transport. The park offers a beautiful working environment in all seasons.


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400B KIT Filcon Diaphragm
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Gross Weight (lbs.) | 0.800 lbs |


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PARIS (AP) — Food nourishes the tiny Rue du Nil from the dim light of morning — when the first deliveries start going out to Paris' most sought-after restaurants — until well after midnight, when the young chef who transformed an unchic side street into a culinary destination finally closes up.
In the meantime, sides of beef age in transparent lockers, pastrami is smoked, root vegetables are fondled, and visitors from around the world poke around in the (usually vain) hope that a reservation might open up at Frenchie, the restaurant that started it all.
The first meal Greg Marchand cooked for a crowd was veal in cream sauce — and the dozen or so orphans he shared a home with ate it up. He was subbing for the orphanage cook, who took weekends off. An indifferent student, he enrolled in cooking school after his time in the orphanage ran out at age 17.
"I wasn't the best of the bunch. I had other things to sort out in my life first," he said in a recent interview. "As soon as I finished cooking school, I left France. I wasn't tied to France much."
Marchand's subsequent meandering path — hotel restaurants in London and Hong Kong, a beachside bar in Spain, Jamie Oliver's kitchen, New York's Gramercy Tavern — put him at the crest of bistronomie, the French movement combining highbrow gastronomy and the lowly corner bistro. He returned to France in 2009, just coming into his 30s and into his own as a chef.
Center of haute cuisine, Paris has been a relative latecomer to the idea of fresh food with local ingredients at prices more for the masses. Marchand, who had by then spent his professional life abroad, was unwittingly ready.
"A lot of young chefs — I'm part of it — open a restaurant with no investor, so with not much money. It's often small places, with no designer work because they cannot afford it. But what we have is a craft, knowledge, experience," he said. "It's often chefs who have been traveling a lot. We have a French base, French cuisine basis, but because of our travel we are much more open-minded on ingredients, on culture, on techniques."
For 48 euros ($65), diners get a three-course meal at Frenchie — Oliver's nickname for Marchand back when he was the only Frenchman in the British chef's kitchen. It's not cheap, but neither is it especially expensive in a city where tourists expecting the world's finest cuisine instead routinely get fleeced in brasseries charging far more for factory-produced meals that are discreetly unwrapped and thawed in the kitchen.
They'll see Marchand peeking out obsessively, serving up some plates himself and unfailingly checking in with customers and mysteriously keeping tabs on comings and goings in the wine bar he runs across the cobblestoned street. There's nothing fancy about it: the restaurant seats about 30, plates are simple white, and menus come on clipboards. Jeans and sneakers are welcome for staff and customers alike.
And, to be honest, there are not a lot of French voices on the street or inside once the sun goes down. Staff come from all over, and include a smattering of Canadians and Americans. Marchand cheerfully — and frequently — speaks English.
But a visit to Rue du Nil is still worth the trip even for those who can't snag a reservation.
"It has become one of the destinations for shopping and snacking and begging for reservations in the city, which was certainly not the case before he got there five years ago," said Meg Zimbeck, a transplanted Kansan whose website Paris By Mouth is aimed at food-loving visitors to Paris. "He wants to change the way people shop for food, experience food. Not just turn a massive profit."
And Marchand's influence is spreading. When he mentioned an opening on the street, Alexandre Drouard, a 30-year-old whose Terroir d'Avenir supplies Frenchie among dozens of the most sought-after restaurants in Paris, moved in and opened a butcher, a fish shop and a small grocery store. A coffee roaster recently went in, too. Marchand himself expanded to a wine bar (no reservations) and an American-style breakfast and lunch joint whose menu includes pastrami sandwiches, bagels and sticky buns.
"The goal was to change how people shopped with products that are a little bit different," Drouard said. "What we're offering, the raw ingredients, are for people who know a bit about cooking."
Those same aspiring chefs can also check out Marchand's techniques in his cookbook, which goes on sale in English in March. It's a radically pared down version of what's on offer in the restaurant, which puts out some truly spectacular dishes in a home-sized kitchen crammed with sous chefs, specialized equipment and ingredients only seen on Rue du Nil.
"My customers were asking, 'How do you do this? Can I do it at home?' And my answer was, 'No, you can't do this at home.' And then after a while I thought, 'Well, yes you could,'" Marchand said.
The French-language version of the book has a select group of fans in Paris, Zimbeck said.
"When I go over to the houses of friends who cook in Paris in restaurants they have the book open with post-it notes and tabs. I think they're going home and trying to figure out how to do things and incorporate some of his techniques," she said. "It might be for the home cooks who are willing to take on a weekend long project in order to have some amazing Sunday night meal."
Which is just as well, because Frenchie is closed on weekends so Marchand can go home to his children — and some cooking from his wife, who is now usually the one cooking that veal dish that launched his vocation.
"That was a decision I made as soon as I could afford to, to spend a little time with my family," he said. "Weekend is sacred. Weekend is family."


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Gas prices rarely rise after Labor Day. But they did this year, hitting a national average of $3.88 recently. That's the highest ever average price for a gallon of regular in September, as GasBuddy noted. What's more, in many parts of the U.S., drivers are now paying the highest gas prices thus far in 2012 — just as high as when prices at the pump spiked in early spring.
According to this week's Energy Information Administration report, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.878 as of Sept. 17. That's up roughly 28¢ from a year ago at this time. It's also quite close to the highest price for all of 2012 thus far; the national average came within a nickel or so of the $4 mark in late March and early April.
(MORE: 10 Things That Cost Way More Outside the U.S.)
But a closer look at the numbers shows that many drivers are already paying the year's highest prices in their regions right now. From March through April, the national average was pulled upward by extraordinarily high prices in California and throughout the West Coast. A gallon of gas in California regularly ran about $4.30 in spring. Lately, though, California's average is closer to $4.10 to $4.15, and the overall average for the West Coast has been under $4.10 — $4.07 at last check.
What's keeping the national average up near $3.90 — and not far off from the 2012 high — are soaring prices in other regions, particularly New England and the Central Atlantic states. The average gallon is now $3.99 in New England, the same as the year's previous high, reached in mid-April. The numbers in the Central Atlantic are similar, averaging $3.95 per gallon now, roughly the same as highs hit in April.
We've been hearing for a while that gas prices would drop in September. To which drivers have responded, O.K., great, let's get on with it already and put an end to the $75 fill-ups.
(MORE: Terrible Financial Advice: Top 10 Money Tips You Shouldn't Follow)
A Baltimore Sun story, noting that gas prices in the Mid-Atlantic region have risen 30¢ over seven weeks, tried to explain the hike in prices as well as if and when they might come down:
"It's not an easy thing, trying to predict what gas prices will do, because so many factors are involved," [public and government-affairs manager for AAA Mid-Atlantic Ragina] Averella said. "We expect prices will go down, but we always have to be mindful of ongoing geopolitical events, not to mention the fact that we are still in hurricane season."
In Michigan, the $4.01-per-gal. average is the highest price this late in the year since 2008, notes the Detroit Free Press. And though it's been said before and hasn't come true, relief at the pump is supposedly in sight:
Gasoline prices will begin falling this week as stations switch to cheaper winter-grade fuels, according to Philip Verleger, founder of PKVerleger, an energy- and commodity-markets consulting firm.
(MORE: Rental Nation: Welcome to the Sharing Economy)
Based on falling oil prices this week, the forecast for cheaper prices at the pump should finally become a reality in the near future. Bear in mind that thus far, the overall national average for a gallon of regular is $3.63. That's about 10¢ more than the average in 2011, the priciest year ever for gasoline in the U.S.
Brad Tuttle is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @bradrtuttle. You can also continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.


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Maricopa County Launches COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign Campaign will give people who are on the fence about getting vaccinated info & resources Maricopa County is encouraging people to get the facts, then get the shot as part of a new promotional campaign for COVID-19 vaccines. The campaign, supported through federal funds, will include television and radio ads, billboards, and social media promotions in English and Spanish. Viewers may recognize some of the people shown in the campaign: every person featured is a real Maricopa County resident who got vaccinated against COVID-19, and many of the photos are from actual vaccine events organized by Maricopa County.
"It's our job as leaders to share facts with residents. That's what this campaign is all about," said Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers, District 1.
"It features local people from different backgrounds who chose to get vaccinated after learning about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. I hope residents will find this campaign relatable and informative and will consider getting the shot so we can all get back to doing what we love with the people we love."
The goal is to reach people who may be on the fence about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Maricopa County wants to let people know it's okay to have questions, and that it's important to seek out information from trusted sources including family doctors, healthcare providers, and public health professionals. People who are willing to get vaccinated but haven't yet are encouraged to do so as soon as they can. Every person who gets vaccinated helps our whole community reduce the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 infection.
"While things are slowly starting to feel like they're returning to normal, our fight against COVID-19 is not over," said Marcy Flanagan, executive director for Maricopa County Department of Public Health. "It's important that people continue to get vaccinated to protect themselves and those around them, and we hope this campaign can help answer any questions people may have."Public Health data as of June 1 show more than 1.6 million Maricopa County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This means under half of our neighbors--43% of all Maricopa County residents and 49% of Maricopa County residents 10 years and older--have received at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The "Take Care" campaign aims to increase that number through education.
Visit the campaign website for vaccine facts and resources at Maricopa.gov/TakeCare and in Spanish at Maricopa.gov/TeCuidamos.
Maricopa County's goal is to make COVID-19 vaccine available to everyone who wants it wherever they live in the county. We want to meet people where they are at in our community, and to ensure those who, historically, have a harder time getting health care can find a COVID-19 shot that is:
Read more about our vaccine events, the partners who make it possible, and the data that tells us who needs the extra resources to get vaccinated at Maricopa.gov/COVID19Vaccine for English and maricopa.gov/vacunacovid19 for Spanish.
Download shareable campaign assets here >


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Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals Presents Data on its Clinical Candidate, Cxl-1020, at the 60th Annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Session
"Today's research findings provide additional support for the unique mechanism of CXL-1020 and for its strong safety profile and tolerability in patients with stable CHF," said Chris Kroeger, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are currently enrolling a Phase IIa clinical trial to further define safety, tolerability and dosing for CXL-1020 in patients with ADHF, bringing us closer to making this treatment a reality for the millions who suffer from this disease."
Following are the details of the data presented at ACC Poster Sessions:
CXL-1020, a Novel HNO Donor, Decreases Myocardial Loading and Enhances Load-Independent Lusitropy and Inotropy via a Beta-AR/ACE Independent Mechanism. Monday, April 4, 2011; 1:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m., Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hall F; Poster Board #21
In this preclinical study, Cardioxyl and QTest Labs researchers compared the hemodynamic profile of CXL-1020 with the vasodilator, sodium nitroprusside (SNP). The results show that under conditions of matched reduction of systolic pressure, CXL-1020 and SNP increased stroke volume without increasing heart rate. However, unlike SNP, CXL-1020 also showed significantly improved heart muscle contraction (inotropy) and relaxation (lusitropy). Moreover, study findings reported that the effects of CXL-1020 were independent from Beta-Adrenergic Receptor and ACE-inhibitor pathways. Compared to the inotrope dobutamine , CXL-1020 significantly reduced after-load, stroke work and energetic demand, demonstrating its unique, energetically favorable profile. The researchers conclude that CXL-1020, through its unique mechanism of action, improves heart function in a manner distinct from nitrovasodilators, and that its efficacy will not be reduced with either beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors, medicines commonly prescribed for patients with heart failure.
A Phase I/IIa First in Man Safety and Tolerability Study of a Novel HNO Donor, CXL-1020, in Patients with Stable Congestive Heart Failure. Monday, April 4, 2011; 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hall F; Poster Board #42
The data presented in this poster demonstrates the safety and tolerability of the novel treatment, CXL-1020, in stable congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. In the double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized, dose escalation study, two cohorts of patients received four sequentially increasing four-hour infusions, at half-log dose increments between 0.1-30 microgram/kg/min with a randomly interspersed placebo. Patient safety was monitored throughout the study. Researchers also evaluated the plasma and urine pharmacokinetics (PK) during treatment and up to 24 hours post dosing. The results show that CXL-1020 was well tolerated at doses up to 10 microgram/kg/min with no significant change in heart rate or systolic blood pressure, no decrease in kidney function, and no increase in ventricular ectopy. The PK of CXL-1020 and its by-product were dose-proportional, and greater than 90 percent of the by-product was recovered unchanged in the urine within 24 hours post-dose. At the highest dose (30 microgram/kg/min), 33 percent of patients met a pre-specified criterion for termination of treatment due to a fall in systolic blood pressure of greater than or equal to 20 millimeters of mercury. No severe adverse events were observed.
Doug Cowart, Pharm D., FABCP, RAC, Cardioxyl's Executive Vice President, Development and Regulatory Affairs, said, "These initial clinical results are consistent with our preclinical studies and support that CXL-1020 has a predictable pharmacokinetic profile, an acceptable safety profile and appears to be well tolerated by patients."
About CXL-1020
Cardioxyl has developed a nitroxyl chemistry platform technology that serves as the foundation for the company's drug discovery efforts. In research published by Cardioxyl's scientific founders from Johns Hopkins University, nitroxyl was shown to have positive vasodilatory and direct myocardial effects. CXL-1020, a proprietary nitroxyl donor, is Cardioxyl's lead compound for the intravenous treatment of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). A prodrug, CXL-1020 once administered, chemically converts into an active nitroxyl (HNO) compound and an organic byproduct. In pre-clinical models of heart failure, CXL-1020 improves cardiovascular performance by enhancing the contractility (inotropy) and relaxation (lusitropy) of the failing heart and dilating the peripheral vasculature (vasodilation), without increasing heart rate or myocardial oxygen consumption. Cardioxyl completed a Phase I/IIa safety and dose-escalation study of CXL-1020 in stable chronic heart failure subjects and has announced initiation of a Phase IIa trial. Based on all pre-clinical studies to date, CXL-1020 is anticipated to improve the symptoms, hemodynamics and clinical status of patients with ADHF.
About Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals
Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of new classes of safe and effective therapeutic agents for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Cardioxyl has developed industry-leading expertise in the chemistry, biology and clinical applications of nitroxyl (HNO) technology. The company's core HNO platform has generated several pre-clinical and clinical candidates, including the company's lead compound, CXL-1020, currently in clinical development for ADHF. Cardioxyl is a privately held company financed by life science venture investors, including the Aurora Funds and New Enterprise Associates.
Media Contact:
Jamie Lacey-Moreira
PressComm PR, LLC
About Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (ADHF) & Current Treatment Options
ADHF is the leading diagnosis at the time of discharge from U.S. hospitals and the most common cause of hospitalization for patients over 65 years of age.i Well over $39 billion was spent in the U.S. in 2009 for the medical care of heart failure patients. ADHF is a deadly condition, with in-hospital mortality rates of two to six percent and six-month readmission rates as high as 30 to 60 percent. Episodes of ADHF are marked by a severe reduction of cardiac function that typically results in fluid accumulation in the lungs (pulmonary edema) and consequent severe shortness of breath. There were 1.1 million hospitalizations for acute heart failure in the U.S. in 2006. Among patients hospitalized with ADHF, the 30-day mortality rate is approximately 11 percent and the one-year mortality rate is 34 percent. These poor outcomes indicate the clear need for better therapies to treat this patient population.
Despite the severity of the condition, the treatment options available for patients with ADHF remain limited. Current first-line treatments target the removal of excess fluid (diuresis) and preload and afterload reduction (vasodilation). In order to improve the hemodynamic profile of the heart and increase cardiac contractility, a physician may also administer an intravenous inotropic agent such as dobutamine (beta-adrenergic agonist) or milrinone (PDE3-inhibitor). Administration of dobutamine or milrinone often requires very close monitoring in the hospital's cardiac or intensive care unit setting due to the life-threatening safety risks associated with these drugs, including ventricular/atrial arrhythmias, hypotension, sudden cardiac death, and other potential adverse long term outcomes.[i],[ii]


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From Arutz Sheva, 17 April 2013, by Elad Benari:
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee adopts a resolution which stipulates that the U.S. will assist Israel in an attack against Iran.
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee adopts a resolution which stipulates that the U.S. will assist Israel in an attack against Iran.
Iranian workers standing in front of the Bushehr nuclear power plant,
AFP photo
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee adopted on Tuesday a resolution which stipulates that the U.S. will assist Israel if it is forced to take action against Iran.
The resolution, Senate Resolution 65, was introduced last month by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and was co-sponsored by 15 Senators, including Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chuck Schumer (D-New York).
It states that the United States has a vital national interest in and unbreakable commitment to, ensuring the existence, survival, and security of the State of Israel; reaffirms the United States support for Israel's right to self-defense; and urges that if Israel is compelled to take military action in self-defense, the United States will stand with Israel and provide diplomatic, military, and economic support in its defense of its territory, people, and existence.It also states that U.S. policy is to halt Iranian nuclear ambitions. Senate Resolution 65 gained the support of 70 of the 100 senators.
A statement issued by AIPAC following the vote said, "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has sent a very clear and enormously important message of solidarity with Israel against the Iranian nuclear threat—which endangers American, Israeli, and international security. AIPAC urges the full Senate to act expeditiously to adopt the resolution."
On Tuesday, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said that
"the regime in Tehran does not see the western world as determined to stop the nuclear project, so it allows itself to continue with its plans.
"Only putting the Iranian regime before the dilemma of 'bomb, or survival' will lead to the end of the project," he said.
"The world must take the lead in the standoff with Iran, but Israel must prepare for the possibility that it will need to protect itself alone,"
he added.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also referred to the Iranian nuclear threat on Tuesday, comparing it to the recent behavior of North Korea. He made the comments during a reception for foreign diplomats.
"We have recently seen the results of a wild regime that possesses nuclear weapons," he said. "We have also seen that heavy sanctions are not always effective against a sufficiently determined regime.
"Therefore, we have an obligation to ensure that this will not happen again. If Iran achieves nuclear weapons, this will change the world. When I said this in the past, many listened and agreed, but now it is possible to agree from an additional perspective, and I think that all governments must do everything possible in order to ensure that this danger is not realized,"
said Netanyahu.