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If non-Western critics are right, American Christians have a skewed view of Jesus. Asian and African American theologians have consistently emphasized the suffering, compassion, and humiliation of Jesus—not just on the cross but in all stages of his earthly life and ministry. Most Americans, on the other hand, like our Jesus triumphant and our Christianity muscular.
Since the "muscular Christianity" movement of the 19th century, preachers from Billy Sunday to modern pulpiteers have favored a Jesus with (in Mark Driscoll's phrasing) "callused hands and big biceps." Sure, we acknowledge that Jesus suffered on the cross for our sins. But we struggle to express how Christ stands in solidarity with the destitute, diseased, and disenfranchised because we fixate on the glorified Lord and forget the suffering Savior.
Because of this, claims one Japanese theologian, "Christianity in the West has become an anomaly." But perhaps it's no wonder. Theological traditions in the Protestant West have plenty to say about Christus victor—the triumphant Christ—but little to say about Christus dolor—the grief-stricken Christ. Is the American theological tradition deficient in its view of Jesus?
Richard J. Mouw and Douglas A. Sweeney aim to answer this question in The Suffering and Victorious Christ: Toward a More Compassionate Christology (Baker Academic). Mouw (former president of Fuller Seminary) and Sweeney (a professor of church history at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) have taken the criticisms of their non-European colleagues to heart. They have mined their own traditions (Sweeney's Lutheranism and Mouw's Calvinism) for resources that articulate a more compassionate ...1


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Section 4: Seed Dispersal
In the creation of the heavens and Earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people's benefit, and the water which God sends down from the sky – by which He brings the Earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures of every kind – and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds subservient between heaven and Earth, there are signs for people who use their intellect. (Qur'an, 2:164)
The seeds of bulrushes are dispersed by both water and wind. This plant has a mace-like section consisting of thousands of tiny tightly-packed fruits. As the picture shows, little tufts on the fruits allow the seeds to be transported when the time comes. (Grains de Vie, p. 40.)
Until now, you may never have wondered how plants, fixed life forms that are not capable of movement, manage to distribute their seeds. However, since the time plants came into existence, they have managed to distribute their seeds by various means, without the need for any assistance or intervention.
After pollinated flowers form seeds, some of these fall to the ground beside the plant. Other species' seeds are carried by the wind, or stick to the fur of animals and are distributed in this way. But this summary of seed dispersion systems is quite superficial, for when you get down to the details, you can see that the lives of plants and animals are directly connected in a number of interesting ways.
Lys de mer, a plant that grows on Mediterranean shores, has slightly angular seeds. When the outer case of the seeds matures, it takes on a mossy appearance. These seeds are also dispersed by floating on water. (Grains de Vie, p. 40.)
As you saw in the previous section, each plant's seed has a different shape. From the shape of a seed or fruit, it's possible to determine what kind of journey it has made – that is, how it's been distributed. Some trees, for instance, have fruits that are colorful, fleshy, soft, and pleasant smelling. These trees, whose seed coats are tough enough to be resistant to digestive juices, attract birds and other animals. Other species' seeds have needles, hooks or thorns that snag and get caught in the fur of animals, who transport them in this way. Still others travel on the wind, like so many feathers. Others have wings or swell like small balloons to help them catch the wind. Such seeds have to be light enough and of a suitable shape for flight. On the other hand, some plants simply let their seeds fall to the ground as the seed case splits as it dries in the sun, while others eject or propel their seeds, through the tension created in the seedpod while the seeds are growing.
From the examples given so far, the creation of a very detailed dispersion system is immediately evident.
The essential point worth noting is the perfection of each method of dispersion, despite all of the diverse structures. The systems never fail. Seeds carried by animals are invariably spread in this way, and the wind always carries those with the appropriate shape.
As the following examples will show, both animals and plants act in a remarkably conscious fashion in the course of these operations. But what is the source of this conscious planning? It's of course impossible for a flowering plant to get together with a bird or a squirrel and decide to set up a dispersion system, or for these life forms to make a joint decision as to what each will do to operate the system. Plants are incapable of making a reproductive plan or setting up a system according to it. But when the time comes, every plant starts its reproductive operations, produces its seeds and distributes them in the necessary way. Throughout the world, each plant of the same species acts in the same way in the same sequence, using the same system.
(Left picture) The willow (Salix) can reproduce very quickly and easily. Its seeds are dispersed by very diverse means as they can float on the air with ease and also on water. If the willow tree produces 500 catkins, and if each of these contains 100 seedpods and each of these pods contains 200 seeds, that means that 10 million seeds are produced annually. If every one of these managed to germinate, the face of the Earth would soon be full of willows. But thanks to the fine balance created in nature, this does not happen, and only a few of these seeds grow into trees. (Grains de Vie, p. 41.)
(Right picture) The seeds of the field pennycress are carried by rainwater. The seeds are marked with little scratches like fingerprints, which serve to increase the surface tension by which the seeds are easily distributed. (Grains de Vie, p. 42.)
Right: seeds of the Monnoyere
Heavy seeds – for example, hazelnuts, acorns and chestnuts – are normally quite featureless, lacking structures such as hooks or wings. For this reason they usually just stay on the ground where they fall, which is not usually conducive to germination. For each of these seeds to become a tree, it needs to go to a lighted place where it can easily develop. Interestingly enough, jays, crows, woodpeckers – and most importantly, squirrels – like eating these fruits and are the essential in the survival of oak and chestnut forests. The little creatures that collect the maturing seeds store them in various places, then forget to take back some of them from where they left. So the nuts can germinate and grow into trees. No doubt it is God Who creates the symbiotic relationship between these two living things.
Plants with Ballistic Knowledge
Seed capsules of the evening primrose open when they get wet, and the seeds are thus dispersed. (left picture: primrose)
For dispersion of their seeds, most plants require an outside agency – wind, gravity, or animals. But some flowering plants propel their seeds into the air when a drop of rain falls on them or when touched. For instance, the seeds of the evening primrose (Oenethera biennis) are stored in capsules which are sealed when dry. When these capsules get wet, they immediately open in the shape of a goblet. In this position, raindrops are enough to distribute the seeds. The henna plant's yellow, orange and brown speckled flowers can be seen growing at any roadside. When touched, they propel their seeds like a pistol going off.
But this raises a very important point. As we know, plants are static life forms, unable to move around. But for them to be capable of propulsion, some form of energy must be required. This energy is activated during changes in the seedpod where the seeds are located. The pods crinkle as they dry in the sun, which generates latent energy. In much the same way, when the seed is moistened by rain, the swelling seedpod creates energy that can be triggered for propulsion.18
In such dispersion operations, finely balanced mechanisms are at work in plants. The timing of the plant's dispersion of its seeds is also very important, as illustrated by the Mediterranean squirting cucumber.
A Natural Rocket System
Plants like the Mediterranean squirting cucumber generate their own force to distribute seeds. As the squirting cucumber ripens, it fills with a slimy juice, which gradually creates pressure until the cucumber bursts off its stalk. Behind it comes a trail of slime like the trail behind a space rocket. By this means, the cucumber's seeds are dispersed on the ground together with the slime.19
At first glance, this mechanism seems like a plant just exploding at maturity, but it's in fact very sensitive. It is of vital importance that when the fruit starts filling with juice is synchronized with the time when the cucumber and its seeds start to mature. For if the system were to operate before the seeds matured, there'd be no advantage in the cucumber bursting. This would prevent the plant from reproducing, and mean the end of the species. But thanks to the plant's perfect timing, the system starts to function and disperses the seeds at exactly the right time.
This fine timing holds true for all plants that disperse their seeds by propulsion. That this works without a hitch raises the question of how any such system came to exist at all. As we have seen, plants need an integrated system in order to reproduce. It is illogical and unreasonable to claim that this mechanism – which must have been present in each plant simultaneously, from the very start – has evolved as a result of changes taking place over thousands, even millions of years. The maturing of the fruit, the fluid it contains, and the seeds must all emerge at the same time. Any hitch would mean that the plant could not disperse its seeds. Take any component you choose out of this system; the result will always be the same: extinction of the species.
The details that go into the distribution of just a single seed plainly show how perfectly and completely plants have come into existence. This cannot have been achieved through pure coincidence, or random natural events. The obvious truth is that God, the Creator of all things, has created them in all their perfection. There is no other deity than Almighty God. Thus it behooves all intelligent people to live in the knowledge of this truth and to be directed to God in everything they do.
Your deity is God alone, there is no deity but Him. He encompasses all things in His knowledge. (Qur'an, 20:98)
Examples Drawn from Other Plants
The broom is another plant that reproduces by opening its seedpod of its own accord, but in a completely different way from that of the Mediterranean squirting cucumber. The broom's pods burst as a result of evaporation rather than as a result of an increase of liquid in the plant. As the heat rises, the side of the pod facing the sun dries out faster than that in the shade, which creates a tension in the pod. Finally it splits suddenly into two halves, and its tiny black seeds are dispersed in all directions.20
Above right:The Hura plant disperses its seeds by bursting the seed case. Right: Impatiens balfourii has a very original dispersion technique. The pods burst on contact, scattering their seeds. They do not remain flat, as they appear in the picture, but become rounded due to pressure between the outer layer enclosing the seed and the protective inner layer.
The seedpod of a tropical tree called Hura crepitans, consists of a dozen small chambers fused together. The seedpods burst noisily in the heat of the sun. After the seedpods pop, the seeds and split pods are scattered in the surrounding environment. Hura crepitans is one of the most successful at propelling its seeds to great distances. When the time comes, it can hurl them up to about a few meters.21
The Geranium's Effective Propagation Methods
The geranium (Geranium pusillum) has a most interesting and effective way of reproducing. This variety of plant is a ground creeper, which disperses its seeds by an interesting propulsion method. The fruit of the geranium, which develops to form a spike extending from the fruiting body, acts as a kind of catapult.
Each of the six fruit capsules around this spike is located at the end of a flexible strip. When the fruit is ripe, the strip violently recoils, making the capsule snap upward and casting the seeds.
The seeds shoot upwards along a certain trajectory and fall at a distance. This is a perfect mechanism. But for optimum propulsion, there should be no obstruction in the seeds' path.
Under such circumstances the seeds could just as easily be dispersed by a strong wind. However, to prevent this happening, small filaments at the entrance of these sections keep a light restraint on the seeds.22
Wherever geraniums grow in the world, this mechanism is perfectly preserved. If this were not so, geraniums could not reproduce, and the species would die out. Obviously this intricate and perfect order has not come into being of its own accord.
God, Who has perfectly created all living things on Earth, also created geraniums in such intricate detail.
The Incredible Twisting Mechanism of Erodium
As in the geranium, the fruits of the Erodium plant (stork's bill)come together on their syles at one central point. The seeds are located inside the fruits shown in the illustration. At maturity, the stamen attached to the seed starts to curl, extending towards the ground. This is when the plant's amazing mechanism comes into play, letting its seeds screw themselves into the soil. The system consists of the following:
1-The top of the tail on the ripening seed curls into a vertical position. When the tail is twisting into the soil, it functions as a lever.
2-The bottom of the tail is twisted and screws into the soil, functioning like an engine to drive the seed into the earth.
3-The filaments surrounding the tail are long, closely woven and stick in like thorns, providing support.
4-The head, carrying the seeds inside, is like the pointed tip of a cork screw, driven into the earth by the action of the lever at the top.
5-The hairs on the head, short and regular, ease the seed's passage into the soil and at the same time, act as a kind of fishhook to prevent the seed being pulled out again. The big picture to the left shows Erodium seeds anchored to the ground.23
The ability of this soft plant to pierce hard ground is naturally not the product of coincidence. God, Who has no partner in His creation, acquaints us with His art with the system installed in this incomparable plant.
Seeds Dispersed by the Wind
On maturity, the seedpods of most plants like the broad bean split open as the tissue dries out. The seedpods wrinkle and twist open. The cells of the tissue of the opening section of this plant are arranged in a weak line, so that any amount of pressure causes the pod to split often very suddenly.
Seeds carried by the wind must be light enough and of a suitable shape to be airborne. For instance, any seed the size and shape of a hazelnut or a coconut cannot take to the air. For this reason, all seeds borne on the wind are very light; and bear feathery or wing-like structures.
The great majority of wind-borne seeds have matured by the beginning of autumn, when the winds are strongest. Remarkably, the autumn winds begin just at the time when the seeds mature.
The plants whose seeds are dispersed by the wind differ from each other in their structures, in much the same way as do the plants themselves. For instance, in the North African deserts, fruits and seeds are either winged or light and fluffy. The fruit and seeds of plants of the Nubian Desert in Northeast Sudan and the North American deserts are dispersed by light winds. In the Middle East and North Africa, plants assume a round ball-like shape and in times of drought are dragged around by the wind.24
The dandelion, lettuce, and thistle are a few of the plants whose seeds are dispersed by the wind. Another example is the groundcherry, whose seeds are in paperlike sacs that have air in them and act as small balloons to help them move in the wind.25
An important point to be borne in mind is that it's impossible for a plant's reproductive system to change over time. For example, a plant whose seeds are being carried by animals and buried in the ground cannot, over time, become light enough to be carried by the wind. However much time passes, be it even millions of years, a heavy seed like an apricot pit cannot become light and develop wing-like structures. Such a claim can't be reconciled with scientific logic, because the plants and animals, or any other elements found in nature, do not engage in such planning. The plant is not able to bring about the conscious organization in seeds.
The stages of the thistle display a fine system, from the formation of the flower to the appearance of the seeds.
Thinking about these facts, you can immediately understand that seeds have had the features they now possess since they first existed. This is one of the countless pieces of evidence that seeds were created in an instant. There are evident signs of creation in the structures of seeds that let them be transported, and this creation is God's, Who has eternal knowledge.
On examining the air-borne Zanonia seed, engineers who study the principles of flight have discovered some interesting things. They studied its center of gravity, the point around which its weight is evenly balanced. If the center of gravity were moved any further back, the seed would move more slowly. However, thanks to the Zanonia seed's perfect shape and general structure, the breeze can easily carry it for long distances.26
Special Structural Features that Help Seeds to Fly
The mobility of wind-borne seeds does not depend on just the size of the seed, height of the plant, or wind velocity. One of the most important features is the seeds' special shapes and appended structures, which let flying seeds be basically classified as those with wings or parachutes, powder seeds and fluffy seeds.
Each of the airborne seeds in the large picture will become a new dandelion if given the right conditions.
Propeller-winged Seeds
The Terminalia plant has V-shaped wings.
When the airplane was invented, inspiration was taken from birds. The inspiration for a helicopter came from dragonflies, and from plant seeds that spin around a central point. Pictures are examples of seeds of plants that disperse their seeds by air.
Maple seeds hang on the tree like pairs of wings.
The European maple, using air transportation for reproduction, has seeds with an interesting structure; they are equipped with a single wing, sprouting from one side.
When the wind is strong enough, these tiny helicopters spin around.
Each mature wing has a membranous appearance and its veins give it the appearance of an insect's wing.
The maple seeds' structure lets them spin in the air, letting them stay longer in the air.
When the wind drops, the seeds spiral slowly to the ground.
As the European maple is thinly dispersed in the region where it grows, the wind is one of the main aids in its dispersal.
Thanks to this feature, the helicopter seeds, which are created to spin even in a light breeze, can sometimes travel many kilometers.27
The Terminalia calamansanai has seeds with V-shaped wings, thanks to which they can glide on a gentle air current much like a paper plane.28
The seeds of the maple have structures like helicopter propellers that enable the seed to spin through their air, often covering a distance of a few kilometers.
Parachute Seeds
Plants with small seeds such as red valerian (Cetranthus ruber, below) and Silybum marianum (right) usually have parachute seeds. (Grains de Vie, p. 56.)
(left) Moonflower (Scabiosa stellata) is an example of a flying seed with a membranous structure.
People jump from great heights safely, with parachutes whose specially designed shape lets the user glide through the air. Some seeds also have similar structures.
When they mature, parachute seeds do not immediately fall to the ground, but wait for a strong wind to carry them further away. If this were not the case, they would fall so close to the mother plant that their chances of getting enough sunlight would be reduced.
The speed of parachute seeds depends on their size and whether they are porous. The larger the parachute, the slower the seed can travel. And the less porous the parachute is, the more sensitive it will be to air movements. Even seeds with this porous structure show variations, such as the simple silkiness of Silybum marianum, the feathers of the thistle (Cirsium occidentale) and the membranous structure of the moonflower (Scabiosa stellata).29
As these few examples show, parachute seeds include all the necessary features to increase the speed of the seed and enable it to move more easily.
To show that these features are not products of coincidence, consider the parachutes used by people. No one would hesitate to agree that they have a special design. A parachute cannot just produce itself; someone first thought of it and tested it out.
People produce the threads used in the making of the parachute, a factory weave this yarn into fabric, and then people sew this fabric together to make a parachute. It's obvious that static pieces of fabric cannot assemble themselves to make a parachute and acquire the aerodynamics to let it coast through the air.
God has created the tufted seeds of the thistle with the most suitable shape for being carried by the wind.
In that case, how come there are seeds with even more complex parachute-like structures? Who made such decisions as whether there would be few or many pores? Those who might reply that such details are "coded into information in the seeds" should explain how the first seed appeared, and how this information came to be installed in it. This first seed could not have acquired such knowledge on its own, as a result of coincidence. The unconscious molecules that compose the seed cannot just have come up with a plan one day, saying, "Let's make a thing called a seed, and code it with information on how to create thousands of different varieties of plants." No intelligent, logical person could make such a claim. If it's obvious that no parachute can produce itself, then seeds resembling parachutes with such a detailed structure cannot come into existence of their own accord.
However hard they try, evolutionists cannot attribute the formation of seeds to coincidence. In an evolutionist work called Grains de Vie ["Seeds of Life"], the parachute-like structures on seeds is expressed as "an unresolved subject:"
Not yet understood is how evolution could develop devices so finely adapted to flight.30
As the above quote shows, evolutionists attribute independent powers to an abstract, imaginary concept like evolution. They refer to evolution as if it were a power that can organize, develop and create something. But "evolution" is not a power. Its acknowledged mechanism is coincidence – an uncontrolled process. It does not have the power to create perfect systems.
Seeds have been brought into existence by a Power that knows how to put into them the necessary information, what kind of environment they will sprout in, and what systems they will need to complete these features. This is plainly a power like no other, and is the power of God Who created the universe and formed everything in a perfect order. It behooves every person of intelligence to observe the order in the universe and consider what God has created. In a verse of the Qur'an, He makes known that there is no other deity and that the only salvation is to pray unto Him alone:
Did you suppose that We created you for amusement and that you would not return to Us? Exalted be God, the King, the Real. There is no deity but Him, Lord of the Noble Throne. Whoever calls on another deity together with God, has no grounds for doing so at all and his reckoning is with his Lord. Truly the unbelievers have no success. (Qur'an, 23:115-117)
Dust-Like Seeds
When the seedpods of the poppy and the snapdragon sway in the wind, thousands of fine seeds are dispersed into the environment. These seeds are so small that they look like specks of dust in the air. The upper sections of the pods containing the seeds are pierced with little holes like the top of a saltcellar. In fact, at the beginning of the last century, R.H. France, the inventor of the saltcellar, was inspired by the finely crafted structure of these plants!31
When plants like the snapdragon (above left) and the poppy, whose seedpod is shown in cross-section above, are shaken by the wind, they disperse thousands of seeds. The picture to the left shows the flowers of the poppy.
snapdragon and its seeds
The seedpods of orchids have three compartments. When these pods mature they burst, scattering clouds of tiny seeds that are practically weightless and have no reserve of nutrients. Even the embryo has not developed fully, and so orchid seeds need very special conditions to germinate. But this is no disadvantage, because as many as 2 million seeds may be produced from a single orchid seedpod.32
Fluffy Seeds
Just like the seeds with parachutes, fluffy seeds do not fall straight to the ground. Clematis, for example, waits for the wind to make their mother plant sway and carry the seeds away. Plants like pampas grass with their long, feathery plumes wave in the wind like flags, letting their seeds be carried far by the wind.33
After pollination, the clematis (far left) extends out its characteristic tendrils densely covered with hairs. The two pictures above show the seeds of the cotton plant.
Plants Whose Seeds Are Dispersed by Water
Coconut starting to germinate on reaching the shore
Plants growing on the seashore or on riverbanks use the nearby water to disperse their seeds. To achieve this, these seeds must be water-resistant and have very special structures. Waterproof and unsinkable, they are created to be resilient enough to preserve their ability to flourish, even after a prolonged journey in seawater.
The seeds of such plants are rendered waterproof by their thick, glossy outer shells. They are able to float, sometimes due to an air chamber or their airy, spongy structure; or sometimes, as in the case of small seeds, thanks to water's surface tension.
Coconut palms can be found on tropical shores all over the world. The coconut seed, one of the seeds dispersed by water, is contained in a hard shell to provide safe travel. Everything it needs for its long journey, including fresh water, is contained inside this hard shell. The tough texture of the outer layer protects the seed from the harmful effects of water. One of the coconut's most interesting features is the air spaces and corky floats that keep it afloat, enabling it to travel thousands of kilometers on oceanic currents. When it reaches the shore at high tide, it lodges in the sand, the seed within germinates and grows into a new coconut tree.34
Coconut is most successful at dispersing its seed by ocean currents. What essentially prevents coconut from sinking is its fiber float, where air gets trapped between the fibers. In addition, its outer shell is smooth, polished and waterproof, characteristics that enable it to remain at sea for months.35
Another of the seeds traveling in tropical latitudes is one of the large legumes, the sea-bean, whose seeds are not as big as those of the coconut and only use rivers for transportation. Their very thick and waterproof outer shells and great longevity make them a most successful traveling plant. Thanks to the air chambers in the seeds, they do not sink in the water. 36
The coconut disperses its rather large seeds by water. The size of the seeds determines the amount of nutrients reserved for the ensuing journey.
The seeds of sea heart (Entada gigas), a tropical African sea-bean, have an interesting heart shape. The seeds grow inside the seedpod, which is of great dimensions. Violent rain can carry seeds of this plant, which grows on the banks of rivers, as far as the Atlantic Ocean, where they go on journeys lasting for years and reach places as far as Europe, the Gulf of Mexico or Florida.
The seeds of gray nickers (Caesalpinia bonduc) can also travel long distances on sea currents. This small, round gray seed does not sink, thanks to an air chamber under its thick coat. It can stay at sea for years without losing its ability to germinate.
Another plant whose seeds are dispersed by water is the sea daffodil (Pancratium maritimum). This plant, found on sandy Mediterranean and Atlantic shores, is distributed by means of its angular black and incredibly light seeds, which are enclosed in a seaweed-like casing.37
The tiny seeds of plants like nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) are covered in a hydrophobic polish that lets them make use of surface tension to keep from sinking. By this means, the seeds are able to travel by floating along rivers.38
Seeds distributed by water are formed so as to reduce their weight and increase their surface area. Air-filled buoyant structure is usually found in fruits and seeds. Their floating tissue can take a variety of forms, but is likely to be a spongy structure with air-filled cells, or a structure of tightly packed cells that traps air inside. In addition, the cell walls have to prevent the entry of water, and there must be an inner layer to protect the plant's embryo and its genetic information.39 This evident arrangement in seeds is just one of the countless pieces of evidence of God's creation on Earth.
caesalpinia bonduc: coco-de-mer seed
coco de fesse: gray nicker seed
entada gigas: sea heart seedpod
Some plants with quite large seeds need water to reproduce, but contain everything they need, containing a store of nutrients sufficient to last for the journey, corky floats to keep them on the surface of the water, and an oily surface.
Coco-de-mer, also known as double coconut, produces nuts weighing up to 20 kilos (44 pounds), the largest seed in the world. The seed can float thanks to a kind of air compartment. Water-repellent oils and chemicals in the seed help to increase its resistance to moisture. (top)
As seen from the examples in this section, the most important characteristic of seeds transported by water is that they germinate once they get to land. This is an exceptional situation, because as we know, seeds usually start to germinate when they come in contact with water. However, plants using water to disperse their seeds are different in this respect thanks to their seeds' special structures. If these seeds were to start germinating as soon as they came into contact with water, their species would have died out long ago. However, thanks to mechanisms suited to the conditions they live in, these plants can perpetuate themselves with ease.
All plants on Earth enjoy the structures most suited to them, with exceptional characteristics unique to each species. Why are the features of every kind of plant in perfect harmony with its environment? And how did such features come into being?
Taking plants that disperse their seeds by water as an example, we see once again evidence that these species couldn't have appeared by chance. For the seeds of these plants to remain viable in water for so long, they need to be more resilient than average, with casings that are quite thick and special structures to protect the embryo from water. Obviously, such structures are not formed by coincidence, much less by the plant's own efforts. On their long journeys, moreover, the seeds will need more nutrients than usual and exactly the right amount of nutrient is installed in them. Evidently this characteristic could not occur by chance. It is evident that chance could not calculate the amount of nutrients a plant needs for its journey and then provide the seed with exactly that amount. In contrast to all other plants' seeds, these do not germinate in water, but as soon as they come into contact with land. Such timing could not possibly be achieved by coincidence.
All these delicate calculations and measurements are carried out to perfection by God, the Creator of seeds, Who knows all their needs and characteristics. He has eternal intelligence and knowledge. A verse of the Qur'an tells how God has created everything in due measure:
As for the earth, We stretched it out and cast firmly embedded mountains in it and made everything grow in due proportion on it. (Qur'an, 15:19)
Mangrove forests are one of the most fertile regions on Earth for a variety of fauna and flora. They are usually formed by groupings of mastic trees. Plants like Rhizophora and Ceriops growing in these regions have a very interesting method of reproduction. These plants' roots develop in the air, arching back down into the alluvial mud. Seeds start to germinate and develop into shoots before they separate from the mother plant. After a time these shoots fall off into the mud and rapidly put out roots to ensure that they are not washed away. (Grains de Vie, p. 40.)
Plants that Get Others to Disperse Their Seeds
As you wander through long grass, the seeds that stick to your clothing or your dog's fur have special structures that let them be carried in this way. To cling to animate objects, some of these seeds use needles, hooks, tacks and thorns. Other species have attractive smelling, colorful or tasty fruits, as though they are decoratively created in terms of color, smell, shape and presentation, to entice animals into carrying them away. The fruits, which are rich in sugar, water, energy and mineral salts, are attractive to animals that eat them, thus helping proliferate plants by dispersing their seeds over a very wide area.
Symbiotic Relationship between Ants and Plants
As the illustration to the left shows, the fruit of the devil's claw (Ibicella lutea), growing in Mexican scrublands, produces seedpods with two formidable horns – a good means of protection, since no animal dares to eat them. The seeds use their horns to attach themselves to passing animals and travel to new locations. (Grains de Vie, p. 45.)
As just mentioned, some plants' reproduction depends on animals to carry their seeds. This shows an interesting harmony between plants and animals. To illustrate, let's take a seed covered in an oily, edible tissue, called an eliasome. This tissue, seemingly quite ordinary at first glance, actually plays a vital role in the plant's survival, for it is the reason why ants are interested in the plant and play a role in its proliferation.
As with almost every other seed, this one must also go underground in order to germinate, and to make germination happen, the core of the seed must be exposed. The plant cannot do this by itself, but ants can. To them, the oily covering is a very attractive food, so they collect the seeds with great zeal and carry them to their nests. Thus initially, the seeds are carried beneath the soil.
Then begins the second important stage for the seeds. Having spent lots of effort to carry them to their nest, the ants gnaw off the eliasomes and abandon the seeds themselves. In this way, the part of the plant that allows for reproduction reaches an ideal position underground.41
So how did this harmony between ant and seed emerge?
Of course, that the ant does this consciously, acting in knowledge of what the seeds need to sprout is an untenable idea. And it's completely unreasonable to theorize that the ant discovered the seed by accident one day, took it underground and, seeing that it grew into a plant, informed the next generations of ants that they should do the same thing. It's equally preposterous to claim that somehow, the plant learned what this species of ant likes, and tailored its seeds accordingly in order to reproduce.
Seeds of wild barley (Hordeum murinum), one of the gramineae, are covered in fine hairs and employ a special system for clinging to passers by. This system is so effective that every movement makes the seed cling more tightly to the spot where it's attached itself to. Thanks to the micro-husks at the tip of the thorns, the seeds at the bottom are protected from any dangers they may encounter. (Grains de Vie, p. 46.)
The seed head of the rose clover (Trifolium hirtum) is covered in fluffy hairs. If an animal brushes against it, this structure around the fruit breaks, and the seeds are scattered in the wind. (Grains de Vie, p. 46.)
The digestive system in mammals works much more slowly than that of birds, so that seeds ingested by mammals can be carried far greater distances. For example, large herbivores like African elephants play an important role in dispersing seeds, and the germination of some species like Baillonella toxisperma, native to Western Africa, depends entirely on elephants. (Grains de Vie, p. 49.)
This harmony must have been specially arranged, because this plant's very first seeds had no other mechanism by which to reproduce. If it hadn't been able to attract the attention of ants, there would be no likelihood of its continued existence. (And if the ants didn't exist, they would have no way to survive.) But the reality that this plant's existence shows us is plain to see. The consciousness behind this perfect harmony is neither the plant's nor the ants'. The supreme source of this consciousness is God, Who knows the characteristics of these two life forms and has created them in harmony with each other. God makes known how every living thing is submissive to Him in a verse of the Qur'an:
Everyone in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. All are submissive to Him. (Qur'an, 30:26)
Mistletoe (Viscum album) stays green all through winter when its host trees have all lost their leaves. Throughout the winter season it produces small seeds that usually germinate on the trunks and branches of other trees rather than on the ground. So how is this done?
The seeds have to cling to a branch of a host tree and not fall to the ground if they are to germinate. But under normal circumstances, the rounded seeds would fall directly to the ground. This problem is solved for the mistletoe seeds by the thrush, which is very partial to mistletoe seeds. This is very important, because in order for the plant to reproduce, its seeds must pass through the thrush's digestive tract. In the belly of the thrush, the seeds are coated in a very effective substance called viscin, which, after passing out of the bird's body, bonds the seed to the host. In this way, a new parasitic plant starts to germinate. (Grains de Vie, p. 47.) It is quite thought-provoking that reproduction in the mistletoe is linked to the thrushes' love for its berries. Obviously this association is no coincidence. Mistletoe has used this method of propagation since it first existed, for this is how it has been created. It is God Who makes the two life forms aware of each other.
Pine trees disperse their seeds by various means. A pine cone stores many winged seeds, each in a separate compartment. The seeds stay packed tightly in closed cones for approximately three years. Then, they begin to open with the heat of the summer sun and so are scattered through the air.
The seeds are also dispersed by being carried off by squirrels. Usually in summer, squirrels snap off short twigs bearing a few fresh and closed pine cones and carry them close to their nests. They start to strip them off from base to bottom. This they do very methodically and at great speed, packing their cheek pouches with plenty of the seeds. Then they dig a hole and bury them. If they have no time to strip all the shells from the cones, they bury the entire cone in the hole. The seeds wait until spring without rotting, then start to germinate. (Grains de Vie, p. 65.)
For animals like squirrels, the seeds of plants are an important source of food. It is God Who is aware of all things and creates this harmonious relationship between plants and animals.
The strangler fig tree, native to Borneo, shares its life with a kind of wasp. The figs provide an ideal safe shelter for the wasp's eggs. In return, the wasp helps pollinate the fig by carrying the tree's pollen. Strangler figs mature at the same time as the larvae of the wasps. After weeks, male and female wasps hatch from the eggs. The male bites a small hole in the flower's ovary wall. He then inseminates the female through the hole. In the male wasp's short life, his last duty is to open an exit tunnel for the female, and he usually dies as soon as he reaches the surface. The female wasp is then able to leave, and flies to another tree, carrying pollen from her host tree. She enters a ripe fig through an opening at the bottom. In the process of laying her eggs in the ovaries of the flowers, she pollinates the long-styled female flowers. When the female wasp has done her duty, she too dies.
After a time, new wasps hatch from the eggs she's laid, and leave, covered in pollen, by the tunnel previously opened by the male wasp. And to perpetuate the reproductive chain they move on to another fig. (National Geographic, "Borneo's Strangler Fig Trees," Tim Laman, April 1, 1997, p. 41.)
The wasp can't possibly have invented such a complex method of its own accord or taught others how to do this. It is perfectly obvious that the fig's reproductive system has been specially created to live in cooperation with the wasp.
This shows once again that this system has been created by God and that wasps act according to His inspiration.
Fruit-eating birds have no gizzards and accordingly they do not use pebbles to grind their food. This feature is extremely important, because were the seeds ground in the bird's alimentary tract, they would be destroyed and plants might become extinct. But birds without a gizzard can carry the seeds and let them germinate. Between birds and plants, a symbiotic relationship exists. The plant's seeds are carried by the bird, which it nourishes in return. (Grains de Vie, p. 49.)
Birds sometimes use seeds as a nest-building material, as well as for food. They eat the fleshy part of the fruit, making it easier for seeds inside to germinate by stripping away their outer layer or weakening the casing of tough seeds.
The Symbiotic Relationship between the Agouti and the Bertholletia Tree
The seeds of South America's bertholletia tree, or Brazil nuts, are enclosed in a large round capsule, which, after falling from the tree, lies on the forest floor and remains intact for a time. This is because it has little attraction to many animals; it has no smell, is very hard to break, and there is nothing remarkable about its appearance. But for the nuts inside the capsule to sprout, they must somehow be removed and buried in the soil.
Yet none of this is a problem for the bertholletia tree, because living in the same habitat is a creature with the necessary characteristics to get round these obstacles.
Any plant that produces many delicious fruits is an attractive source of nutrition for animals, who can disperse its seeds over a wider area. The relationship between ants and the seed pictured is an example of this. The Creator of this harmonious relationship is God, Who directs the whole affair.
The agouti, a South American rodent, knows that there's something edible inside the thick, odorless capsule. Agoutis' sharp, pointed teeth can easily break through the hard shells. In every capsule there are about twenty nuts, far more than an agouti can eat at one sitting. So a satisfied agouti carries the nuts in its cheek pouches and digs small holes to store them in and covers them over, much as a squirrel does with acorns. Even though the agouti does this with the intention of eating the nuts later, it never does locate a considerable proportion of the nuts it buries. In this way, the majority of the bertholletia tree's large heavy seeds are distributed to germinate in the earth.42
The feeding habits of the agouti and the propagation system of the bertholletia tree are remarkably well suited, but this compatibility is not the result of coincidence. These living species have not discovered one another by accident. The bertholletia tree can't afford the luxury of waiting for such an unconscious coincidence to happen, because this tree has been dependent on the agouti to propagate since the very first day of its existence. It follows that these two species have been created to be compatible with one another.
To clarify this situation with an example, imagine a television with a remote control on the table beside it. You pick up the remote, switch on the TV and flick through the channels. Probably you would assume that the remote control has been designed to control the TV. But what if someone else enters the room and says, "This remote control and the TV have evolved over time as the result of a series of coincidences, and eventually – also by chance – they've become compatible." You'd probably suspect that this person had taken leave of his senses.
Yet the relationship between the bertholletia tree and the agouti is far more complex than between a television and a remote control. The systems of both living species have been organized to be mutually beneficial. And where there is organization, naturally, there is an Organizer.
These living things have been created by one Creator, God. This harmony, just one of the countless examples in nature, is undoubtedly the product of a supreme intelligence. In His unbounded wisdom, God has created these two life forms together with these characteristics.
There is no creature on the Earth which is not dependent upon God for its provision. He knows where it lives and where it dies. They are all in a clear book. (Qur'an, 11:6)
Seeds with Special Protection
An aril, which looks like a small, fleshy swelling, is the fine protective covering surrounding the seed of some plants. Animals usually devour this protective semi-layer rather than the seed itself. Some of the seeds protected by an aril are as follows: In autumn, the yew tree (Taxus baccata) produces vivid red arils that contrast wonderfully with its dark green needle-like leaves. The arils' sweet taste is particularly enticing for blackbirds, but they spit out the bitter-tasting seeds.
This is extremely important, since the seeds must be pierced by the birds' sharp beaks before germination can take place. Should blackbirds swallow the seeds, they are resilient enough to suffer no damage in the birds' digestive tract. The yew seeds also contain extremely toxic alkaloids, which cause heart failure in living creatures ingesting them. This substance is used as poison on the tips of arrows and also made into toxic preparations, but are often used in treatments – the most important of which are morphine, strychnine and atropine. The spindle tree (Euonymus sp.) produces fruits of an interesting appearance.
When these fruits split open, they are very attractive to birds: the center is white, the seeds are black, and the aril surrounding the fruit is bright orange. This tricolor appearance attracts a wide variety of animal species to the spindle tree. The seeds of the acacia, native to Australia, are dispersed thanks to their nutrient-rich arils that can be red, brown or white and either long or short, according to the variety. The short white or brown ones provide food for ants, which carry the nutritious arils to their nests. On the way, the black seeds sometimes get separated from the aril and fall off. But a lot of seeds are brought to the underground nests, which are at the ideal depth for germination.
The longer red arils, which resemble worms, are eaten by birds. When the broad bean-like fruits split open, the seeds remain clinging to the arils, attracting the birds.40
The seeds of the acacia tree are covered in a kind of nutritious coating called an aril, which is eaten by animals, allowing the seeds to germinate.
18 Ibid., p. 60.
19 Attenborough, The Private Life of Plants, p. 15.
20 Ibid., p. 16.
21 Ibid.
22 Brenckmann, Grains de Vie, p. 61.
23 Ibid., pp. 61-62
24 "Seed," Britannica.com; www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/9/0,5716,68289+1+66568,00.html
25 Alfred Stefferud, The Wonders of Seeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, pp. 68-69.
26 Ibid., pp. 71-72.
27 Attenborough, The Private Life of Plants, p. 19.
28Brenckmann, Grains de Vie, pp. 54-55.
29 Ibid., p. 56.
30 Ibid.
31 Ibid., p. 57.
32 Ibid, p. 59.
33 Ibid.
34 Solomon, Berg, Martin, Villie, Biology, Saundes College Publishing, p. 751.
35 Brenckmann, Grains de Vie, p. 37.
36 Attenborough, The Private Life of Plants, pp. 21-22.
37 Brenckmann, Grains de Vie, p. 40.
38 Ibid., p. 41.
39 T.T. Kozlowski, Seed Biology, Academic Press, New York and London, vol.1, 1972, p. 194.
40 Brenckmann, Grains de Vie, p. 68.
41 Attenborough, The Private Life of Plants, p. 24.
42 Ibid., p. 35.

subset: commoncrawl


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Random mass shootings in this country tend to energize both sides of the gun control debate.
After 2012 was witness to two such horrific incidents, lobbying efforts went into high gear throughout the country. Having 12 killed and 70 injured at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, followed by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., which left 20 children and six adults dead, was too much for most legislatures to ignore.
There was no middle ground on the issue, nor was there a common response. Citizens were clamoring simultaneously for stricter and looser gun laws.
That ambivalence led to the U.S. Congress unable to do a thing. A similar lack of result took place in Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and Delaware. But many other states throughout the country did amend existing laws.
Some, such as Colorado and New York, went with limits on magazine capacity and increased background checks on potential gun purchasers. Arkansas went for allowing weapons inside churches and further arming of teachers inside schools.
Here in Kansas, elected officials decided more public places needed to allow concealed carry weapons. As a result, cities, counties and universities either are planning to install elaborate security measures or simply accepting the fact more weapons will be in their midst.
Time will tell which approach is more effective. And the next election cycle should reveal which is more politically palatable.
Our neighbor to the west decided not to wait that long. A recall election in Colorado this week resulted in two state senators -- including the president of the Senate -- being removed from office.
Senate President John Morse and Sen. Angela Giron, both Democrats, are now footnotes in history as the first elected state officials to be recalled since Colorado instituted the provision in 1912.
The successful recall efforts received the backing of the National Rifle Association, but it was the overwhelming outrage amongst residents who made the "ready, aim, fired" campaign work.
Victor Head, a plumber and one of the many fired-up activists, told the Associated Press that voters don't like their gun rights "being messed with regardless of party."
"Coloradans ... sent a clear message that politicians who blatantly ignore their constituents will be held accountable," said Dustin Zvonek, state director of Americans for Prosperity.
While we find it difficult to agree with many positions taken by AFP, Zvonek's comments were right on target. Elected officials everywhere need to be aware that gun-rights groups are a particularly active constituency. Any efforts to mess with gun laws, regardless of one's intent to safeguard children or protect society at large, will be met with action. Politicians would be better served going with majority rule if they want to retain their positions.
We would hope that at some point, the majority of all Americans would support better background checks -- or even any background check in the case of private sales. Americans cannot drive a car legally, partake in adult beverages or even run a daycare without some agency verifying they meet the legal requirements to do so.
Why the same perspective wouldn't be taken with obtaining potentially deadly weapons is beyond us. But, as the two former Colorado legislators now know, a better strategy than ramrodding new restrictions through the statehouse is needed.
Editorial by Patrick Lowry


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Last Checks Got Out For $2 Million Jobless
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Some 2.1 million jobless Americans are receiving their last federal unemployment checks this week if Congress doesn't extend the deadline to file for extended benefits.
And another 1 million who exhaust their state benefits in the first quarter of 2013 will never see a federal unemployment payment, according to the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group.
Lawmakers are down to the wire to extend federal jobless benefits — of up to 47 weeks — that Americans can receive after exhausting their six months of state payments. The law expires on Wednesday.
An extension is expected to be part of a package to address the fiscal cliff, which is now bogged down in negotiations over tax changes. This would be the 10th extension since the Great Recession began five years ago. Lawmakers first enacted the federal benefits package in June 2008, and President Obama extended it to 99 weeks in November 2009.
Congress last lengthened the deadline to file for benefits in February, but lawmakers also restructured the program at the time. The maximum number of weeks the jobless can collect unemployment benefits was reduced to 73 weeks. And the jobless are no longer eligible for a separate federal extended benefits program that would have added up to another 20 weeks.
State and federal unemployment insurance programs have cost roughly $520 billion, according to a Congressional Budget Office report. Extending benefits for another year would cost another $30 billion.
Of the roughly 12 million people who are currently unemployed, 40.1% have been so for more than six months.
More than 6 million jobless Americans have exhausted their benefits since 2007, according to Judy Conti, NELP's federal advocacy coordinator. Advocates for the jobless are already lobbying hard for another extension, noting that unemployment remains at a stubbornly high 7.7%.


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KTLA's 1955 Colorcast of The Tournament of Roses Parade
(clipping of Variety Review)
CBS Color Television System Programming (1951)
(added licensed Time-Life photo)
CBS Color Television System Chronology - a "Magnum Opus"
RCA Models using the CTC10 Chassis has been added to the Receiver Gallery
The Color Pioneers - Local Stations with Early Live Color Capability
Feature Attractions:
The Day a Black and White World, Changed into Living Color
CBS Field Sequential Color System
The Progress of the National Television System Committee (NTSC)
The Progress of the National Television System Committee (NTSC)
Color Receiver Gallery
Coming Attractions:
Coming Attractions:
All text within this site is Copyright 1997-2002, 2004-2006 by E.H. Reitan, Jr.
All logos and photographs herein are trademarked/copyrighted with their respective corporations/owners, and are used herein for demonstration purposes only.
This site is maintained by Ed Reitan, who may be contacted at ereitan "at" novia.net. This site is work in progress and an excerpted version of what was planned as a future paper book version. The book was to have extensive full-color photographs and technical information on each topic.
However, I have had no great number of publishers offering large $$$ advances breaking down my door. Instead, I may offer a CDROM which has the additional coverage and hi-resolution photos. I would like your opinions of the interest in such an approach. Please contact the author at the email address above.
You can email to Ed Reitan using ereitan "at" novia.net
Phone: 402.391.9008
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Bromyard - where there's a festival for that
There's a good reason why Bromyard has earned the nickname 'The Town of Festivals'. Bromyard, nestling between the two cathedral cities of Hereford and Worcester in the east of the Herefordshire.
Bromyard scarecrows, sweet tasty marmalade, a loud-but-informative European gathering of Town Criers, plus Jazz, Folk and The Bromyard Gala on the first weekend of July – there's a festival for all of them and everyone's welcome.
Explore Bromyard
Traditional values, valued
But Bromyard is not just about great events, it's a place where tradition and our stunning local surroundings are appreciated. With a High Street that's almost entirely independent retail shops, cafe's, pubs and restaurants you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd been teleported back in time.
Circled by the attractive and traditional villages of Bringsty, Collington, Pencombe, Cradley and Bishops Frome, you can visit gardens, galleries, churches and enjoy far reaching views to the Black Mountains, Malvern Hills and Clee Hill.
Crack out your National Trust card to visit the remarkable Brockhampton Estate and stay at the B&Bs, guest houses, hotels, farmhouses and self-catering accommodations where character and traditional service values still hold true.
Walk with nature, view from the saddle
The Bromyard Downs and Bringsty Common to the east of the town and edging towards Worcestershire, provide 500 acres of pristine common land. You'll find them an idyllic – almost enchanting – place to walk, even by Herefordshire standards.
Bromyard is also en route of the Three Rivers Ride – a near 60 mile Horse riding trail that is part of the National Bridleroute Network. It's possible to trek from Tidbatch in Worcestershire to the Brecon Beacons National Park crossing the whole of northern Herefordshire and the rivers Lugg, Wye and Usk along the way.
Home to great hops
Bromyard, as part of the Frome Valley, is famous for its hop production which have been cultivated in this corner of Herefordshire close to Tenbury Wells, Ledbury, Leominster and Malvern.
With Half the hops grown in England coming from Herefordshire you'll find real ales worth getting excited about. Wye Valley Brewery is a 'stone's throw' away, and yes, Bromyard has a festival to celebrate Hops too!
For 350 years cider production in Herefordshire has been on a rollercoaster, periodically rising to become an industry of great reputation. There is no better place to find out about cider in the UK.


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A top aide to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake received more than $14,000 in homestead property tax breaks on an East Baltimore rental property he owns, records show, even though only owner-occupied homes qualify for the subsidy under Maryland law.
State officials recognized the issue several months ago, and in January the city sent a bill to Khalil Zaied, the mayor's deputy chief of operations, demanding repayment of more than $5,000 for the tax year that began July 1.
Zaied paid the bill last Wednesday after The Baltimore Sun asked about it.
And Tuesday evening, even as state officials said they were still investigating whether to take away credits for the previous two years, Zaied said he had given the city an added $9,800 to repay those credits as well. The city finance director confirmed the payment.
Zaied, one of three deputy chiefs appointed by Rawlings-Blake, said that until last week he was unaware he had been getting a 50 percent tax break on the rental house while living in the Homeland neighborhood in North Baltimore. He also said he hadn't realized that he owed the $5,200 billed in January, which included penalties and interest for late payment.
"Obviously, I wasn't trying to hide anything," he said.
"Mr. Zaied made a mistake, immediately took steps to correct it, and understood the importance of resolving the issue promptly," Ryan O'Doherty, a spokesman for Rawlings-Blake, said in an email.
Maryland's homestead tax credit is intended to promote homeownership. It works as a cap, limiting the rate at which a homeowner's property taxes may rise in a single year — in the city, 4 percent. The state allows individuals and married couples to claim the break only on their primary residence.
Zaied and his late wife bought the house on East Baltimore Street in 1998, and he acknowledges that he lived there only until 2010. Then he and his current wife moved to a house they bought in Homeland. A former tenant says the couple left the East Baltimore property by February 2010, which would have made Zaied ineligible for the subsidy starting in July of that year. But he was issued the break for that year and the next two.
In 2011, an investigation by The Baltimore Sun documented how hundreds of city homeowners were improperly receiving homestead credits on second homes or rental properties. Many said at the time that they did not know they were getting the benefit, or failed to grasp that only owner-occupied homes qualified. Owners were often granted the credit simply by indicating at settlement that they intended to occupy the home.
Zaied said in an interview last week that he recalls those articles, including some mentioning politicians. One documented that Frank M. Conaway Sr., clerk of the Baltimore Circuit Court, was getting discounts on two houses. Another showed that Rawlings-Blake and her husband, Kent Blake, had simultaneously received two credits — one on a house he owned in Howard County, the other on a city condominium in her name.
"My discussion at the time was 'Wow,'" Zaied said, recalling the articles. But he said the news coverage did not lead him to realize that he was claiming two houses in the city as a principal residence at the same time.
"Honest to God, it wasn't anywhere on my mind or that I was somehow, some way related to those stories," he said. "I'm as busy as probably anyone can be, especially with everything going on."
As deputy chief of operations — the title used to be deputy mayor — Zaied monitors the Transportation Department, the city parking authority, the Department of Public Works and the Department of General Services for Rawlings-Blake. His salary is $147,800. He has worked for the city in various posts for 15 years.
The East Baltimore rental property is a three-story brick rowhouse in the 2200 block of E. Baltimore St., a tree-lined block just west of Patterson Park in the Butchers Hill neighborhood. It has an apartment on the first floor and one on the upper two floors.
City records show it has not been registered as a rental property, a requirement in Baltimore for any home that is rented or not occupied by the owner. Zaied said Tuesday he has now registered the property.
In 2010, Zaied rented the upper two floors to Angelina Sutin and her husband. Sutin said the couple, both psychologists, moved into the apartment in February of that year and lived there for more than two years before moving to Florida last summer.
"I know he lived there up until close to when we moved in," Sutin said in an interview.
Zaied said he and his wife moved from the building to Homeland in 2010, but he did not recall the month.
Owen C. Charles, deputy director of the state Department of Assessments and Taxation, said Zaied should not have received a homestead credit for the Baltimore Street house for the tax year that started July 1, 2010, if he had moved out. Neither would he have qualified for the credit in the 2011 or 2012 tax years.
In 2010, the homestead credit knocked about $4,800 off the $9,000 city tax bill for the property. It also reduced the much smaller state property tax bill by $169. A year later, city and state credits cut the overall tax bill by about $4,800. This year the credit — since revoked — lopped $4,646 off the bill.
The amount of the homestead credit on the Baltimore Street house has been bigger than the citywide average because the home's assessed value has nearly tripled since Zaied bought it in 1998 for $140,000. The state values it at $399,400.
Zaied said he didn't realize that his taxes had been cut in half by the credit because he didn't study his tax bills. He said he looked only at statements from his mortgage company, which paid his net tax bill from his monthly payments.
"I don't remember seeing any of the credit, to be honest with you," he said. "The only number I saw is what I received from my mortgage company — what they say they paid for my taxes. That's what I understood as my taxes."
Charles said the state was doing a periodic check late last year when it found that Zaied listed two homes as his principal residence. In January, the state removed the credit for the Baltimore Street property after getting no reply to a letter mailed to the house in December. (Zaied says he does not recall receiving the letter.)
That in turn prompted the city to send Zaied a revised tax bill Jan. 30. It said he owed $4,646 — the value of the erroneous credit — plus about $600 in interest and penalties, for a total of $5,265.
After The Sun asked the city Finance Department last Wednesday about tax bills for the Baltimore Street property, someone in the department notified him, Zaied said. "That was the first I was made aware of those issues," he said.
He said he paid the overdue $5,265 the same day, a payment that is reflected on the city's property tax website.
"I don't want to be the deputy mayor with a delinquent tax bill," he said.


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The lens is in very good condition and has had minimal use. Has lived in my Dry Cabinet for the last few years with only occasional use, always in housing. Perfect working order with no damage, scratches, etc, Glass is clean.
Selling for £375 ono including shipping to UK. Overseas buyers welcome, but shipping at buyers expense. PayPal payment preferred, but possibly accept other methods, however the lens will not be posted until the funds have cleared.
If you have any questions please feel free to email on email@example.com.
Edited by alextyrrell, 07 October 2012 - 09:19 PM.


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- Point end
- Various colors and designs
- Material: Cotton
- Length: 145cm / 57.09 inch
- Width: 6cm / 2.36 inch
- Reviews
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Free Shipping! We will receive and process your order in 1-7 days. Once processed you will receive shipping + tracking notification. On average our delivery time in North America is 1-2 weeks (NOT GUARANTEED) but may be longer depending on availability and/or demand. Click here for our full Shipping Policy.
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Continental ContiPremiumContact 2 215/45R16 90V available in Dundee
ContiPremiumContact 2
Premium Contact 2 AO
More information
Shorter braking distances for luxury and medium-sized cars.
The ContiPremiumContact 2 has a totally new type of 3-D groove. Its innovative tread technology optimises braking performance on both wet and dry surfaces. Thanks to the new 3-D grooves, water is dispersed more efficiently - providing excellent protection against aquaplaning. 3-D grooves also give the whole tyre superb stability. That's why the new ContiPremiumContact 2 is less prone to distortion, which vastly improves your car's manoeuvrability.
- Innovative 3-D grooves
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- Excellent resistance to aquaplaning
- Precise handling and unbeatable driving stability.
Trusted by leading car manufacturers; Audi A1/A6, BMW Series 3/5, Nissan Qashqai and VW Passat come equipped with ContiPremiumContact 2 from the factory.
Engineered in Germany, Continental develops award-winning premium tyres with optimum braking performance and safety.


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If you want to improve your facility's programming (and who doesn't want to do that?), then get some tips from two industry experts as they discuss six award-winning programs.
Join Eddie Tock, partner with Rex Roundtables, and Sandy Coffman, president of Programming for Profits, as they take a look at this year's Best of the Best winners and what helped these programs come out on top.
The two will discuss the winners at the Business Breakthrough Brunch: Winning Ideas & Expert Guidance from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8. The winners will receive their awards at the luncheon and will be on hand to answer questions about their programs.
Come to hear which program Tock will say this about: "I have never discovered another health club or fitness center that provides the amount of interactive fitness sessions for its members that is included in their membership."
And hear which program Coffman is talking about when she says this: "Best proven results due to a working tracking system for participation."
You'll have to come to the brunch to find out. The brunch is included in your all-access pass, or you can purchase a ticket separately for $65.


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Looking for a truck driving job?
All Trucking Jobs helps truckers find employment with carriers hiring nationwide. We list trucking job opportunities with companies that are hiring right now. We help professional drivers find jobs across the country by using advanced technologies to match truckers and carriers so that you get the best position with the best company that is specifically seeking your experience and qualifications. Apply now and you will get many responses to choose from, especially now when transportation is booming but the shortage of drivers is so huge.
Don't have your commercial drivers license (CDL) or have some negative issues on your driving record? Not a problem. We have trucking companies that offer training programs and reimbursement for CDL school and companies that will hire with accidents, safety violations, traffic tickets and in some cases, even with a felony. Want to serch a specific region or state? Visit our new Trucking Job Board and search by state/region and job type. Every listing on the board is for a carrier hiring for that position immediately. We have special arrangements with the trucking companies and you will get a response if you fill out an application (see some of our driver's comments to the right). Quality truck drivers matched to quality carriers - that's the simple goal of All Trucking Jobs. Get the quality job you deserve today.


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College Golf Scholarship FAQs
It does help to play in national tournaments with big name golfers year round but it is not required. It helps with your exposure and develops your skills playing in a highly competitive tournament but you can still refine your skills in other places if you live in a cold weather state.
Golf programs are not necessarily in the warmer climates where you can play year round so be sure to keep all your options open.
Focus on weight and flexibility training. Training programs should include muscle toning, core strength, Pilates and yoga.
Coaches will be traveling to big national golf tournaments and start recruiting Freshmen year of high school.
Scholarship distribution depends on the academic institution. At the Division I level, the limit is 4.5 scholarships. Sometimes the program doesn't offer all 4.5, it could be fewer or none at all. Check with each program.
Build a free recruiting profile in the only network trusted by 42,000 college coaches.


text: The Purdue Boilermakers are the athletic teams at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. They compete in the Big Ten conference, and the school colors are old gold and black. Famous athletes include John Wooden, Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Drew Brees, Glenn Robinson and Rick Mount. Longtime basketball coach Gene Keady won 550 games over 25 years at the university.


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Distance wizard and Olympian Kris Freeman is a fighter on the cross country course, and as a World Class athlete and Type 1 diabetic, he takes to it in the realm of advocacy too.
Ben Lustgarten and Chelsea Holmes skied to their first U.S. titles at the at the L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships Tuesday at Soldier Hollow in Utah.
A host of U.S. long distance skiers are among the favorites for the 43rd running of the 51k Slumberland American Birkebeiner cross country ski marathon Saturday.
Erika Flowers and Kris Freeman grabbed their first USSA Super Tour victories of the season at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center.
A dozen U.S. athletes will start this weekend in the Ruka Triple to open the FIS Cross Country World Cup
Noah Hoffman (Aspen, CO) led the U.S. contingent in today's FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 15k freestyle race with a 34th place finish.
Here is Noah Hoffman chasing race-winner Alexander Legkov of Russia on Sunday, when Hoffman finished 26th after an impressive performance at the 50k cross country race, the final event of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games.
Springtime temperatures ruled the course for a second day in a row Friday at the men's 15k classic of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games. Here's Kris Freeman battling the loose and challenging track.
Noah Hoffman skied into the top spot for the USA Sunday, finishing 35th in the Olympic skiathlon at the Laura Cross Country Ski Center.
Erik Bjornsen (pictured here) and Becca Rorabaugh took U.S. titles in the 15k and 10k classic races, leading a three-medal effort by APU Nordic at the 2014 U.S. Cross Country Championships at the 2002 Olympic venue at Soldier Hollow on Saturday.
Kris Freeman became the men's 2013 U.S. Distance National Champion on Thursday at Royal Gorge Ski Area, California.
Noah Hoffman led the U.S. Ski Team finishing 24th in the 50k freestyle mass start at Holmenkollen.
Noah Hoffman finished 27th and led the U.S. Cross Country Team in the 50k classic on Sunday, the climatic close to the 2013 FIS World Nordic Ski Championships.
Andy Newell, Kris Freeman, Noah Hoffman and anchor Tad Elliott finished 10th in the men's 4x10k relay at World Championships.
A strong team of 13 was named by the USSA for the upcoming FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Val di Fiemme.
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As the temperatures drop, you see them creep indoors – dusty brown insects about the size of a thumbnail, shaped like tiny shields. They're stink bugs, and the good news is that they don't bite, sting, or damage your home. The bad news is that they (along with all their relatives) want to spend the winter inside with you, whether you like it or not. But what exactly are these pesky critters?
What Are Stink Bugs?
Native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China, Halyomorpha halys first showed up in Pennsylvania around the turn of the millennium. They have now spread to 33 states (see map below).
Sometimes known as "shield bugs" because of their distinctive shape, they're much more commonly known as "stink bugs." Their recent emergence in the heartland states (often referred to as "the nation's breadbox") is especially troubling, as in this area stink bugs are more than a mere nuisance and pose a serious threat to crops.
Stink Bug Q&A
Do stink bugs really stink?
Yes, stink bugs really do stink. A tiny gland located on their thorax between the first and second pair of legs emits a liquid toxin with the pungent odor (described by some as similar to that of smelly feet) that is their primary defense. This odor acts as a repellent to birds or any other predator that might threaten the stink bugs—including humans.
Stink bugs release their odor when chased, picked up, or stepped on. If you have a lot of them in your house, the smell tends to linger (fortunately it can be eliminated by washing down the surfaces with ordinary soap and water).
Why Are There So Many Stink Bugs Everywhere?
Stink bugs reproduce 4 times a year. Each time a stink bug reproduces, it lays between 20-30 eggs on tree and other plant leaves. Stink bugs undergo metamorphosis in three stages: egg, nymph and adult. The eggs are laid in groups on stems and the undersides of leaves. When nymphs emerge, they look similar to the adult stink bug, but may appear rounder rather than shield-shaped. Nymphs go through five instars before becoming adults, usually in 4-5 weeks. The adult stink bug overwinters under boards, logs or leaf litter. In some species, the nymphs may also overwinter.
With no natural predators in the United States, multiple reproductive cycles, fast development and an ability to travel easily (hitching rides on buses and in construction materials), the numbers of stink bugs have exploded, and they're spreading fast across the country.
What Makes Stink Bugs Such A Nuisance?
While stink bugs aren't known for biting, stinging, or carrying diseases, they will gobble up your fruits and veggies – and even your ornamental trees and shrubs. What's even more annoying to urban dwellers is their propensity for moving in: when the weather gets cold, they seek shelter in detached homes and apartment and office buildings alike, sneaking in through cracks, screenless windows and any other openings they can find by the dozens. And because they're resistant to most conventional pesticides and small enough to hide almost anywhere, once they're in, they're tough to get out.
What Is The "Peak Season" For Stink Bugs?
Because stink bugs won't reproduce indoors and their food is mostly outdoors, they won't try to move into until it starts to get cold – usually around late September/early October. The insects sneak in through small cracks and openings in chimneys, door and window frames, air conditioning units, attic vents and holes in a home's foundation. They hide out in toasty, dark spots during the winter, and emerge from hibernation late in the Spring. That's when you'll notice them become active again.
What's The Best Way To Get Rid Of Stink Bugs?
Part of what makes stink bugs so difficult to control is the fact that they are resistant to many types of pesticides. If you find stink bugs on your crops, shake them off into a bucket of soapy water – the soapy water keeps them from flying away. Stink bugs in your house? Vacuuming them up is the best way to vanquish the little beasts, but be sure to use a vacuum with a bag that you can remove, seal up and discard when you're done. Flushing them down the toilet also works.
Whatever you do, don't smash them – not only do they smell bad, their distinctive odor attracts others of their kind. In addition to deterring predators, a stink bug's odor sends a chemical message to other stink bugs, alerting them to danger. The scent glands also play a role in attracting mates, and even suppress attacks by harmful microorganisms. A much better way to scoop up the annoying critters is with our all-natural Stink Bug Chute.
The Stink Bug Trap
Because banishing stink bugs from your house can be so tedious and time-consuming, the best way to get rid of them is to prevent them from entering in the first place. Since they're attracted to light, don't leave any unnecessary lights on at night (that's better for your electric bill and the environment, too). And then there's the RESCUE Stink Bug Trap:
Made in the USA, the RESCUE! ® Stink Bug Trap is designed to work outdoors, capturing stink bugs before they ruin your garden or get in your home. The reusable trap comes with two, one-week supplies of a pheromone attractant that lures stink bugs in while remaining odor-free to people. Refills are available so you can maintain a stink bug-free environment all season long.
Worried the Stink Bug Trap will attract stink bugs to your yard? Don't be – it works only to catch those stink bugs within a 20-foot radius, so only the bugs that were already in your yard and garden will be drawn in, trapping them before they damage your garden or invade your home. Nor will the Stink Bug Trap capture those bugs that are beneficial to your garden. Safe and affordable, the Stink Bug Trap is an easier answer to controlling your stink bug problem.
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Anthony Bourdain may be considered the punk rock rebel of travel hosting, but he's certainly not alone, and it's safe to say he has some stiff competition. Has Bourdain ever encountered aliens at a Tokyo fetish club, posed with Lolitas in Austria, or explored lip sewing body modification in Vancouver? No…not quite, but let me introduce you to someone who has…
Meet La Carmina–a gothic globetrotter with her finger on the pulse of all things dark and alternative. She blogs, hosts travel shows, writes books, and goes on countless underground adventures across the world. And while La devotes herself to a career that is unconventional, and not to mention, often unpredictable, she originally dedicated herself to a far more structured path–attending Yale Law School.
So how exactly does one make the leap from the world of law to a world of fetish bars, exotic restaurants, and international goth clubbing? And what are some of the obstacles to be faced and points to consider when making such an unexpected life transition? Here's what La had to say about it all.
FV: As your fans see on your website and TV appearances, these days you travel the world–from Tokyo to Budapest–highlighting underground culture and chronicling your unique travel experiences, but ultimately, it all began with your blog. If you were to go back to 2007, when you first started your blog, did you ever imagine that this was the direction your life was heading? What you did envision for your future?
La: Never in a million years. In 2007, very few people had blogs, and the social network landscape was very different (remember Myspace's dominance?). With a few early exceptions, there was no precedent for blogging being a path to something larger, such as doing books, TV and worldwide travel. Because of this, I had no expectations when I started — but I quickly found that I truly enjoyed blogging. (And not everyone does.) To this day, I get excited to create new posts and share my passion for alt fashion and culture. At the time, I hoped I would eventually find a creative career where I was my own boss, but I didn't think blogging would be the key to opening so many doors.


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Lochinvar's KNIGHT XL Delivers Savings for Non-Profit YWCA Facility
Lochinvar's KNIGHT XL Delivers Savings for Non-Profit YWCA Facility
by Lochinvar Marketing Department
The YWCA facility of Walla Walla, Washington, has come a long way since its groundbreaking ceremony in 1950. However, the heating plant was one of the facility's few areas that had not been improved since its original installation more than 60 years ago, and it was on its last leg in 2012.
The YWCA's 3 million Btu/hr steam boiler, which occupied nearly a third of the floor space in the mechanical room, had started to leak in several areas. In response to these leaks, the facility manager, Tom Stanley, and YWCA Administrator, Anne-Marie Schwerin, sought out bids for replacement of the boiler because they understood that repairing it would not be worth the expense.
The first contractor proposed to remove all the asbestos in the mechanical room and cut the boiler into pieces for removal. Their plan was to replace the boiler with two 83 percent efficiency, 700,000 Btu/hr cast iron sectional boilers for backup and redundancy. The estimated cost of this first proposal was well over $100,000.00, and far out of reach for this non-profit organization.
Standard Plumbing Heating Controls of Spokane, Washington, had a very different idea. The fact that the existing boiler was simply serving a shell and tube steam converter (steam to hot water heat exchanger) that supplied hot water to fan coils in the various areas of the facility (a women's shelter, aerobics and dance studio, ice skating rink seating area, offices and exercise gymnasium, etc.) and no longer had any actual steam devices attached to it, Don Smet of Standard Plumbing thought that this project was a natural fit for Lochinvar's KNIGHT® XL Modulating/Condensing boilers. He calculated that at the normal operating pressure of 6 psi on the steam side, the heat exchanger was capable of dissipating 670,000 Btu/hr maximum. Two Lochinvar KNIGHT XL 399,000 Btu/hr units were chosen for backup and redundancy, as well as for the powerful 10:1 turndown ratio they can provide when run as an optimized cascade system with up to 96 percent thermal efficiency.
Because of the KNIGHT's small footprint, the decision was made to abandon the old asbestos insulated steam boiler in place and not remove it. This brought the project cost down to less than half of what the cost would have been, with the total project costing $56,750.00.
In addition, the KNIGHT's SMART SYSTEM Control could take over the facility's domestic hot water load when paired with an indirect domestic water heater. The load was previously managed by two 50-gallon residential 40,000 Btu/hr gas fired water heaters. An 80-gallon indirect water heater was chosen, and it was piped in parallel with the existing 400-gallon storage tank as a standard heating zone rather than priority heating zone. This approach allows for one of the boilers to be taken offline should it require maintenance or repairs during the heating season, and the other boiler to temporarily maintain the building and the domestic water demand.
Standard Plumbing's lead installers, Jeff Jewell and Paul Taylor, piped in the new boilers and domestic water piping using Aquatherm (PP-R pressure piping for potable, heating and cooling and greywater applications). According to Jewell, "The low-friction loss, lower than copper expansion rate, and lower labor cost of installation for using a heating iron/fusion type piping system, made this a natural choice for us on this project. From raw material to installed end product, this piping system uses less energy to produce than any comparable piping system, so it is very environmentally friendly too."
The installation went smoothly with Taylor welding in 2.5-inch threadelets into the building loop's existing 3-inch piping, and Jewell running the fusion iron for the polypropylene piping. Together, they were able to complete the installation in five working days. The venting was accomplished using the existing masonry chimney with a single 4-inch PVC exhaust pipe for each boiler. The KNIGHT XL's Room Air Option came in extremely handy as there was more than adequate combustion air already supplying the original steam boiler, so combustion air piping was not necessary at all.
The final piece was integrating the new heating and domestic water plant into the building's existing Automated Logic BAS system. "We had several options, as the KNIGHT's SMART SYTEM Control has a Modbus integration option," stated Smet. The Standard Plumbing team chose to utilize the existing analog 2-10V signal that, prior to the installation, was controlling the steam valve on the hot water converter. "We simply moved the wire into the lead boiler and programmed it to control the modulation rate of the cascade. I didn't even have to adjust the PID controller, and the system maintains reset setpoint to within plus or minus 2 degrees...smooth as silk," Smet continued.
The existing reset schedule was not set up very aggressively. When Jewell, Taylor and Smet were done reprogramming the BAS, the target temperature was 30 degrees lower and the boilers were running at 20-30 percent modulation.
The YWCA received 30 percent of the total project cost as an incentive from the local gas utility company, and expectations are that simple payback will be achieved in a 3 to 5 year period. "They are now running much lower water temperatures, at a much higher efficiency, and the domestic water load is being handled at the same efficiencies as the heating system - how can that be a bad thing?" Smet said with a smile.
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