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I get up every morning and am unable to begin my day without it. I have been warned of possible side effects: palpitations, high blood pressure, anxiety, tremors, insomnia, and nausea. I weigh the risks, consider the quality-of-life benefit, and go for it. Every single day.
Aah, that first cup of coffee. It's good to have a choice.
Then we consider flibanserin.
Feminist Views on Flibanserin
Feminism: the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities (Webster's Dictionary).
Some so-called feminists are using the discussion about possible FDA approval of flibanserin, also referred to as "female Viagra," as an opportunity to leverage their views. This drug treats lack of lust, known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD, in women, which is an absence of sexual thoughts, fantasies, or desire for sex that causes distress or interpersonal difficulties.
But many vocal opponents of this new drug have an anti-pharma agenda. They have declared that the risks are so great that the FDA should not approve this drug, which has been shown in clinical trials including 11,000 women to make a meaningful and positive difference in quality-of-life.
A true feminist (who can be male or female) would want to ensure that the bar is no higher for a drug intended for women than it is for a drug for men. A true feminist appreciates that a woman, given good information, is smart enough to decide if she is willing to take a medication that may cause some dizziness, may make her a little sleepy, and has a very small risk of unpredictable fainting. Just as men get to decide if they are willing to take a drug and risk side effects including low blood pressure, visual changes, cardiac arrest, or penile fracture to ensure an erection capable of intercourse.
In my recent NPR interview, the other guest on the show, Leonore Tiefer, PhD, identified herself as a feminist who was only trying to protect women from the evil pharmaceutical company that has medicalized sex to make money. Really?
Why Drugs Get an FDA Green Light
While pharmaceutical companies are profit motivated, it is the job of the FDA to ensure that capitalism and greed do not get in the way of patient safety. The FDA must ensure a drug is beneficial and that the risks do not outweigh the benefits. In the case of flibanserin, the science is solid. Flibanserin is not for everyone, but this new drug will help many women in significant ways.
It's good to know that the FDA does not give in to public campaigns, as demonstrated last week when the FDA advisory committee voted 18 to 6 to recommend approval of flibanserin. This decision was based on the science about the drug.
I have no financial interests in this drug or the company that owns it, Sprout Pharmaceuticals. But I do have an interest, on behalf of my patients, in sexual-health drugs for women getting the same attention, research, and development as sexual-health drugs for men do.
Why Doctors Work on New Drugs
I am offended on behalf of my esteemed colleagues, who have consulted with Sprout to do research or participate in clinical trials, and have been accused of speaking out on behalf of flibanserin because they have a financial interest. No amount of money could get expert academicians Sheryl Kingsberg, PhD, David Portman, MD, and James Simon, MD — all have spoken about this drug — to say things that are not scientifically true or in the best interests of their patients.
I have consulted (and been compensated for my time and expertise) by other pharmaceutical companies. For every company I consult for, I turn down 20 other companies because the science is not solid enough. I do not preferentially recommend one drug over the other based on a relationship with a company. As an example, in my book Sex Rx, I discuss four options for alleviating vaginal dryness and state that all are equally safe and equally beneficial. I then ask women to make their own decisions based on solid information and personal preference. I am transparent about which companies I consult for, and it is insulting to my colleagues and to me to hear accusations that we give biased information based on compensation for our expertise or research.
I have also heard these critics tell a patient with true HSDD to work on her relationship. This advice is the equivalent of telling my patient with severe vaginal atrophy to schedule a date night, buy new lingerie, and take a bubble bath to decrease the excruciating pain she has every time she attempts intercourse.
For women whose low desire is caused by a relationship issue, talk therapy is the right path. But women with HSDD, where something is happening biologically, deserve access to medical treatment options.
Female Viagra: A New Choice
If flibanserin is approved (and I hope it is), I will identify which patients are appropriate candidates. I will tell many, many women they are not. If someone is an appropriate candidate I will educate her about possible side effects. I will let her know that she should be very careful about drinking alcohol because, while 60 percent of the women in the flibanserin trials self-identified as social drinkers and had no problems, some had side effects. If she chooses to take the drug, I will let her know that not all women respond, and that if she is one of the non-responders, she should discontinue the medication.
Women who are who given good information will make smart choices. It is paternalistic (the attitude or actions of a person, organization, etc., that protects people but does not give them any responsibility or freedom of choice), not feministic, to do otherwise.
And now I am going to finish my cup of coffee.
Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health.


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Are you a man wearing lingerie, do you enjoy wearing wifes lingerie or wearing girlfriends lingerie, or pehaps you buy your own lingerie. If you are a guy wearing lingerie this is the place for you. You will be amazed at how many men wear lingerie from all around the world.
Submitted Shopping Experience Stories 1 - 50
Click Here For More Stories
Copyright © 2009 - Lingerie Wearing Men, Men Wearing Lingerie

subset: commoncrawl


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If you are concerned about taking a generic medication instead of brand name, don't be. Your generic medication has been proven to be safe and effective.
For more information about the safety and effectiveness of generic medications, visit:
[1] Understanding Generic Drugs: Facts about Generic Drugs, 2012 updated 06/04/2018. Accessed April 25, 2012. Available online from http://www.fda.gov
About Optum for Workers' Compensation and Auto No-Fault
The workers' comp and auto no-fault division of Optum collaborates with our clients to deliver value beyond transactional savings while helping ensure claimants receive safe and effective clinical care. Our innovative and comprehensive medical cost management programs include pharmacy, ancillary and managed care services from the first report of injury to settlement.
The following entities comprise the Optum Workers' Compensation and Auto No-Fault division: PMSI, LLC, dba Optum Workers' Compensation Services of Florida; Progressive Medical, LLC, dba Optum Workers' Compensation Services of Ohio; Cypress Care, Inc. dba Optum Workers' Compensation Services of Georgia; Healthcare Solutions, Inc., dba Optum Healthcare Solutions of Georgia; PMSI Settlement Solutions, LLC, dba Optum Settlement Solutions; Procura Management, Inc., dba Optum Managed Care Services; Modern Medical, dba Optum Workers' Compensation Medical Services, collectively and individually referred as "Optum."
Optum and its respective marks are trademarks of Optum, Inc. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered marks of their respective owners. Because we are continuously improving our products and services, Optum reserves the right to change specifications without prior notice. Optum is an equal opportunity employer.
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You are here
Private-home price decline in Q2 moderates to 0.4%: URA
THE pace of decline in prices of private homes has eased in the second quarter, where the fall was a smaller 0.4 per cent compared to the 0.7 per cent a quarter ago.
While prices of landed properties slipped further by 1.5 per cent following a 1.1 per cent decline in the preceding quarter, prices of non-landed properties fell by a smaller 0.1 per cent in the second quarter compared to the 0.6 per cent drop in the previous quarter.
The latest quarterly statistics on the real estate market were released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Friday morning.
The moderating price decline in private non-landed homes came on the back of a quarter-on-quarter rise in property prices in the prime and city-fringe areas.
Non-landed home prices in the Core Central Region rose 0.3 per cent, after increasing 0.3 per cent in the preceding quarter. Prices in the Rest of Central Region rose by 0.2 per cent after remaining unchanged in the first quarter. Prices of non-landed properties in the Outside Central Region remain on a slide, but fell a smaller 0.5 per cent quarter on quarter, compared to the 1.3 per cent decline in the first quarter.
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Tell us what you think. Email us at email@example.com
Developers launched a total of 2,371 uncompleted private residential units, excluding executive condominiums (ECs), during the second quarter, compared to the 953 units in the first quarter. They also sold more private homes - 2,256 private residential units (excluding ECs), up from 1,419 units sold in the first quarter.
As at the end of the second quarter, there were 47,250 uncompleted private homes (excluding ECs) in the pipeline, compared to the 53,512 units in the previous quarter. This number of units in the pipeline goes up to 58,804 units if the 11,554 EC units in the pipeline are included.
Of the EC units in the pipeline, 5,471 units remained unsold. In total, 26,960 units (including ECs) remained unsold.
Based on the expected completion dates reported by developers, 11,775 units (including ECs) will be completed in the second half this year. Another 17,461 units (including ECs) will be completed next year. In comparison, 22,267 units (including ECs) were completed in 2015.
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The Happy Marriage
Jelloun, Tahar Ben
In The Happy Marriage, the internationally acclaimed Moroccan author Tahar Ben Jelloun tells the story of one couple-first from the husband's point of view, then from the wife's-just as legal reforms are about to change women's rights forever.
The husband, a painter in Casablanca, has been paralyzed by a stroke at the very height of his career and becomes convinced that his marriage is the sole reason for his decline.
Walled up within his illness and desperate to break free of a deeply destructive relationship, he finds escape in writing a secret book about his hellish marriage. When his wife finds it, she responds point by point with her own version of the facts, offering her own striking and incisive reinterpretation of their story.
Who is right and who is wrong? A thorny issue in a society where marriage remains a sacrosanct institution, but where there's also a growing awareness of women's rights. And in their absorbing struggle, both sides of this modern marriage find out they may not be so enlightened after all.
320 pages


text: The artisan groups that we partner with are dedicated to educating and teaching sustainable livelihoods that break the cycle of poverty. These organizations are making a forever difference in the lives of the poor. It's not a handout, it's an opportunity that empowers families to renew their dignity and create a better life for generations to come.


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India's highest court has ruled that Muslim men getting an instant divorce from their wives is against the country's constitution and has banned the practice. In India, a Muslim man could divorce his wife by simply saying the Arabic word for divorce "talaq" three times. The practice is called "instant triple talaq". In fact, he doesn't even have to verbally say the words – he can send an email, a text message, or a Facebook message with "talaq, talaq, talaq". However, an Indian Muslim woman wanting to get a divorce has to get permission from a Muslim authority or her husband.
The instant triple talaq has been banned in many countries with significant Muslim populations including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Indonesia. India has the world's second largest Muslim population (after Indonesia).
Sources: Indian Express, http://www.pewresearch.org, http://www.hindustantimes.com, http://www.legalserviceindia.com, Times of India


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Stengel stands for tradition and high quality, as well as harmony with Nature.
A 6th generation, family-owned enterprise with more than 100 years' experience in producing high class sparkling wine, this estate knows how to create beautiful wines that appeal to the senses.
All wines are bottle fermented, eschewing easier ways to make sparkling wine because any other production method simply doesn't deliver on refinement and quality.
Of course, this requires experience, expertise, attention to detail with a dash of idealism – and lots of patience.
Stengel sparkling wines are born in the bottle and stay in that bottle until uncorked by the drinker, so remain in contact with their yeast for at least a year, but up to fifteen years for some specialities.
Only grapes of the highest quality are used (grapes are pruned during the growing season so the vines put all their energy into producing fewer, better grapes) with all grapes picked by hand, another way that helps guarantee the quality of the end product.


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FC Barcelona insist the Luis Suarez transfer only cost £65million in total.
Ever since finally acquiescing to the Uruguayan's sale the Anfield top brass have contended the fee was nearer £75m.
But speaking as Suarez was finally unveiled as a Barca player on Tuesday executive vice-president Jordi Mestre admitted that although the release clause was nearer that figure they paid some £10m less, before adding how happy he is to have signed him.
"It is a pleasure to have him with us," he beamed.
Facing the press for the first time since sealing his protracted transfer Suarez expressed his delight to finally pull on the blaugrana.
"Thanks to the club, to the president and to everyone, the manager too, for showing so much confidence in me. It means a lot," he explained.
"It's been a dream to play for Barca for many years. When I knew it was possible to come here, it was what I wanted, to complete a dream that I have had since I was a boy. I never thought this moment would arrive."
Follow how Suarez's unveiling unfolded with our LIVE blog recap.


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Best Gluten-Free Frozen Meals of 2015
We know frozen gluten-free meals help you at work and when you don't have time to fix a full meal for just one person. This year we asked over two thousand people who had the best gluten-free frozen meal? The results are not surprising to most of you but help those who are newly diagnosed or trying to maintain a gluten-free diet. Don't forget to look at the other 45 gluten-free categories we have in the awards program. For a better gluten-free shopping experience use the 2015 Gluten-Free Buyers Guide next time you cruise the grocery aisles.
5th Annual Gluten-Free Awards:
1st Place: Amy's Cheese Enchilada
2nd Place: Ian's Natural Foods Southwest Chicken Tenders
3rd Place: Evol.Teriyaki Chicken
Other nominees:
Saffron Road Chicken Tikka Masala
Saffron Road Chicken Pad Thai
Saffron Road Lemongrass Basil Chicken
Artisian Bistro Asian Style Coconut Lemongrass with Chicken Bowl
Want more? Get the results of over 40 gluten-free award categories in this handy gluten-free buyers guide. With over $50.00 in coupons and promo codes, you can't go wrong. E-Book starts at $3.99 and print version starts at $6.99


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EMTensor is part of a global ecosystem of organized stroke care, which involves stakeholders around the world. Our primary markets are in Europe, the United States, China, and Russia.
Development and Manufacturing
Currently, we have a manufacturing partner, DMT Produktentwicklung GmbH, located in Germany. We have established a local supply chain in Europe, as well as in the United States. Our business model envisages multiple local manufacturers and distributors. We are currently considering manufacturing partnerships in China.
Nexus Microelectronics LLC ("Nexus") is a fabless ASIC and system design company with full turn-key IC design services. Nexus takes on projects with multidisciplinary engineering requirements including integrated circuit design, printed circuit boards, embedded software and electronic designs with tight mechanical integrations. Nexus is headquartered in Orange County, California USA and is working with partners globally around the world. Nexus offers a senior engineering team with a combined experience of over 150 years. Nexus drives products from conception, specification refinement, prototype system designs all the way to production. Typical projects are in the semiconductor, biomedical, industrial and consumer electronic markets.
We invite country and local distributors to begin collaborating now on entering the market, including working with us to obtain local certification in your region. Please contact us if you would like to know more.
Governmental Agencies, Municipalities, Communities, and Other Organizations
We are open to collaboration with local and country governmental agencies, municipalities, communities, and stroke patient organizations.
We are currently involved in clinical trials, as well as developing our technology, and are therefore always interested in talking with potential investors.
If you are a professional investor, please visit the investor section of this website or contact us directly so we can send you the investor deck.
If you would like to talk with us about any area of partnership or if you require additional information, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com.


text: If you're walking around the Expo, there are so many things to see and experience, including cultural performances. I was lucky enough to be present for this performance of the Central African Republic. I love African music–it's so energetic and exciting, in my opinion. So, these folks were a real treat–exciting rhythms and a bit of a fashion show. Enjoy.


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I need to reset all the data and setting and start a fresh. How can I do that?
Hi @knaudi. Thanks for being part of GoDaddy Community! Unfortunately, it's not clear what product or service you're referring to and what information you're trying to reset. For example, starting over on your website would be different than removing Google Analytics information. If you can provide more information about your situation, that may help others offer suggestions.


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Malvern Vale School
In September 2018, the satellite expansion school for Somers Park opened. Situated a short walk away from Somers Park, Malvern Vale Primary School is a one form entry primary school which opened with a Reception class and will grow yearly with a new intake of reception pupils.
The admissions window is now open for Reception starters in September 2020. All admissions need to be submitted by January 15th 2020. For more information about Worcestershire school admissions visit http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions
The website for Malvern Vale Primary School, www.malvernvale.com is constantly updated with new information. In addition the school has its own Twitter feed @Malvern_vale providing useful updates and signposts.


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About the Artist
@traymedia (Tatiana Ray)
Tatiana Ray is a multidisciplinary artist from the Bay Area. She received a Bachelor's in Performance and Anthropology from Saint Mary's College in 2012. A mixture of traditional performance training and self-taught visual techniques pronounces her subjects as expressive characters. Growing up onstage fostered a fascination for character. Initially her use of visual work helped as a coping technique for documenting and surviving the performance industry. Later her visual and performance work became a support in tandem. She produces work in a multitude of mediums to explore the emotional, surreal and political. She has exhibited through Studio Morey, BASEarts and The Art and Culture Commission. She has been featured in many group shows including The Dreams of Yesterday, and the Dreams of Today and Experimental Film. Her most recent series of colorful marker portraits, has been touring the Bay Area since May, and can currently be seen at Studio Morey in Oakland and The Flying Goat in Healdsburg. Tatiana Ray lives and works in Martinez, CA.
About the Marker Portraits
This series is 200 portraits from my recent travels and life. With limited space in my backpack, I took a few markers and some sheets of paper that I ripped into squares to get more mileage out of them. When I returned my growing stack of drawings, collection of markers and continual practice had become my most valuable possessions. Drawing, for me, is seeking the truth of a subject: an act of love by documentation. While my goal is to meet the subjects where they are, they inevitably struggle with the discomfort of being seen as well as seeing on the paper things they thought to be hidden or even that which is hidden from themselves. This tension can be evident in the work. My color use is often representational and composition experimental, undermining the vanity often associated with portraiture. I primarily draw by shooting photographs continually, documenting both the subject's poses and the transitions between them; I then use the later. As quickly as I've collected subjects, I've collected marker pens. The range of various markers represents the countries I've traveled to, the loved ones who have supported me, the strangers who have commissioned me and my investment in myself. Devoted practice and experimentation with photographic image, technique, style, composition, color and the boldness of markers has pushed me tremendously. Together, they combine as a medium through which I seek to connect with and express in physical reality the truth of what I see: an evolving connection to the ever moving intersection of those I capture and the lens I use to render those facets of being human.
About the Process
My work is about honesty. This series is done only in marker- like a blunt word that gets blended and rubbed out as soon as it is said. It's been a challenge to tackle such an immovable medium. In the past couple months I keep replaying a memory of when I was around eight and drew an undiplomatic picture of my uncle featuring a scar on his forehead. He praised me and kept the drawing. Sometimes I quite like what I draw, but it surprises me when people are pleased by it. The subject of the series is the emotional vulnerability, and often discomfort, that happens when you document people. I shoot continuously until the person is unable to pose and a confrontation occurs between subject and documentation. When I depict this confrontation, as a viewer, the subject confronts themselves. Sometimes you have to photograph a long time. Sometimes its there the first shot. Sometimes it just doesn't happen. The shoots that disturb me are with those when the subjects are unable to turn off their camera performance. This indicates either a person has been taught not to feel violated, or perhaps worse, a person has been taught to ignore feeling violated. Sometimes I depict this trauma, but I do not seek to take it from subjects whom it belongs to. I do not seek to violate. I do not need to. Continuous documentation is enough to learn what's true.
Follow Tatiana everywhere:
Website www.tatiray.com
Blog https://traymedia.wordpress.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/traymedia
Instagram https://instagram.com/traymedia
Tumblr http://traymedia.tumblr.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/traymedia


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Senior Data Engineer, OMERS
Database professional with hands-on database design, data analysis, and reporting skills. I believe that I can help to make this intricate world of data to be more structured and well understood. Born in USSR; graduated and started my IT journey in Ukraine; now I work and live with my family in Toronto, Canada.
Regular Session (60 minutes):


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Continuing the discussion of the 1st G.I. Joe mini, A Real American Hero, this new episode of the Saturday Supercast delves into the final three episodes of the series which debuted on network TV back in September 1983. Again, joining Jerzy Drozd in this episode (you can find part 1 here) are Kevin Cross and, well, me. This first story arc featured the introduction of the conflict between G.I. Joe (the codename for America's daring, highly-trained special mission force) and Cobra (a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world.) This mini series effectively set the tone for the episodes that would follow, not to mention having a drastic impact on the decade of animation that debuted in its wake.
The cartoon was produced by Sunbow who also went on to work on other series like the Transformers, Jem, the Visionaries, and the Inhumanoids. Though the title screens were left off for this mini series, the episodes talked about in this discussion include:
Part 4: Duel in the Devil's Cauldron
Part 5: A Stake in the Serpent's Heart
We also talk about the FHE VHS home video release of this first mini series, Larry Hama (writer of the comic series as well as a consultant on the show), Ron Friedman (writer for this and a handful of other Sunbow shows), Arthur Burghardt (voice of Destro), Chris Latta (voice of Cobra Commander), Frank Welker (voice of Wild Bill), Michael Bell (Voice of Duke), and Rob Paulsen (voice of Tripwire). We also get into the underused original line-up of characters, in particular Steeler who gets a nice send off in the episode World's Without End (parts 1 and 2), the myth of Hercules and Linus, Transformers Animated, the new live action G.I. Joe movie, The Rise of Cobra, the recent G.I. Joe cartoon Resolute, Warren Ellis, unmasking mysterious characters, the original Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon, Lancelot Link, Hasbro, getting into anime as a teenager, antihero boredom, and the great Jack Kirby. You can find the 1st G.I. Joe mini series on the Season 1.1 DVD set put together by Shout! Factory, which was released this past Tuesday.
We're keeping the podcast's feed over at the Sugary Serials site, so if you want to subscribe to it, you can do it over there or you can use this link. I'm really excited to be podcasting again, and can't wait to dig into more cartoons. So head on over to the Sugary Serials and check out episode 20 of the Saturday Supercast today or you can download it by right clicking and selecting save here!
If you have any questions, comments, or heck, even complaints, you can drop us a line at Saturday Supercast!


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The Tyranny of Grass
I spent a peaceful hour in a shady library garden yesterday, primarily waiting for a face to be painted (not mine) and had a browse of one of those books that it is interesting to read, but not so interesting that you might buy it. Except maybe second-hand on Amazon for a few pence if you ever remembered to. These are a few things I jotted down, the "lawn" being one of my permanent preoccupations.
A grass blade's no easier to make than an oak.
James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)
Nothing is more pleasant to the eye than green grass kept finely shorn.
Francis Bacon (Of Gardens 1625)
Forests decay, harvests perish, flowers vanish, but grass is immortal.
John Ingalls (Speech in the US Senate 1874)
A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule.
Michael Pollan (Second Nature 1991)
One of the side-effects of drinking all that ale with the Devon Home Cook was that I was prevailed upon to mow my rather clumpy and long, but lush grass that I knew was hiding a multitude of sins – rather like a bald bloke's combover.
This was the result.
One very good reason to stay indoors this afternoon
and look at Wimbledon's lawn
in the absence of any live televised South African turf.
And not forgetting I could watch the green grass of
Chantilly where Dick Turpin will attempt
to overcome the very impressive Lope de Vega
at the awkward French time of 2.42 p.m.
Alternatively I could go outside and pave over the lot,
but there is something about a patch of green,
however small and pathetic,
that speaks to me.
Posted on July 4, 2010, in Biophilia, gardening, Horse racing and tagged Chantilly, Dick Turpin, Grass, Lawn, Turf, Wimbledon. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.


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Why Test?
Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to "test all things." That wording sounds broad, but given that the line immediately prior is a reference to prophecy (5:20), it seems that testing what we think we are hearing from God is the context Paul had in mind. In our listening for whether God might speak, why should we take care to test what we believe we are hearing?
What are the risks of being too credulous about believing that God has spoken?
Here are three possibilities:
1. Evil
Evil still lives. At the very least, it lives in me. People have become shy about the word "evil," out of a sense that the term is simplistic, but in fact we have allowed a simplistic picture to define the term. A sneering villain provides only a cartoonish portrayal of evil. The more accurate way to understand evil is our fearful obedience to death (think of greed arising from fear of scarcity; think of slander arising from fear of someone else's success) in place of freely and bravely loving life.
About the Bible's evil one, the being named Satan, the text offers less detail than you might expect. However, one clear statement the Bible makes about this being is that he is a liar—John 8:44. His tool is the lie. As far as we know, this might be the only tool he has for affecting us. The implication is that I am prone to hearing lies. In the fragile part of my inner life in which I harbor my hopes, some of what comes to my mind, including some thoughts that initially seem comfortable or expedient, are not informed by truth. Instead, some of the thoughts competing for my attention are the whispers of a voice that wants me to reject life and lose my way.
2. Idolatry
Idolatry is the practice of revering a created thing as if that thing is somehow a special avenue to the divine. Moses' people had their golden calf. They believed the false claim of Moses' brother Aaron that bowing down to this object provided access to God (Exodus 32:4). When we lift up merely human notions and pronouncements as divinely inspired messages, we are doing the same thing.
Paul's longest teaching about mystical experiences of God covers chapters 12-14 of 1 Corinthians. He begins his argument across these chapters with a warning about idolatry. In 1 Corinthians 12:2, he reminds readers that they were idolaters in the past. In their newfound search for God's presence and voice, they could be waylaid by this same old tendency.
3. Futility
God created you and me each for a purpose, for some way of living this life, for some expression or experience of love or fruitfulness that is going to have value even beyond this world. Every moment in which we pursue something or are fascinated by something unrelated to this purpose is a moment that ultimately will amount to nothing.
That's OK. The purposes of our lives are unveiled subtly and slowly, and God gives us far more time than we need. He even redeems some of the time that has been blighted—Joel 2:25. However, enough neglect of the seed of joy within us, enough listening to the wrong voice (often the voice of fear), ultimately leads to a season of life or even an entire lifetime being spent on nothing that lasts.
So how do we test? How do we put weight on what we think is God's will, to see if it will hold?
Other blog posts offer some ways. Look for affirmation in what God is doing. Lean on scripture. Look for what you are hearing to show attributes that are God's. There is another way that I hope to explore in posts to come. That way is movement—walking. Take a step in the direction he seems to be leading. Test with your own weight.
Why should we take care to test? Look to 2 Corinthians 11:14 for how the devil presents himself (hint: he dresses like an angel of light). Look to Jeremiah 17:9 for what your emotions do to you (hint: they deceive). We test because our own inner feelings are an unreliable guide. We cannot fully trust what we "feel" to be good. An evil choice might initially feel right. An idol can come from someone we feel we ought to trust. And futility is often the result of the way that feels the safest.
Posted April 11, 2013


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AmRenX was a seven week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offered by DartmouthX
This course was run on edX.org during the Winter of 2016. All materials on this WordPress site are now available as a guide for individual study of the authors of the American Renaissance. While we have no current plans offer the course again in the future, we encourage both the edX community and new learners to continue their engagement with the course and each other via this WordPress site, our social media outlets, and the comments on our YouTube channel.
About this course
What is the American Renaissance? How did Dartmouth help foster the formation of the American Renaissance and its reevaluation and reinvention in the twentieth? Why should we, as twenty-first century readers, concern ourselves with this literature?
Join a community of learners as we discover how to discern the historical turning points involved in the production and transmission of American Renaissance writings. We conceptualize the role historical and affective turning points continue to play in the selection, interpretation and valuation of these writings.
Together we propose continuities and discontinuities between these historical literary works and the present. Along the way we construct global and temporal mappings between a set of seemingly disparate locations, myths, and traditions.
Join us in a discussion of the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Herman Melville, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain as we explore literary, political and historical context, their desire to create a distinctively national literature, and the ongoing controversy over the local, national, and transnational significance of this literature.
What you'll learn
- The connections among the disparate locations, myths, and traditions found in nineteenth-century American literature.
- The historical turning points involved in the production of an American literary tradition.
- The ways in which Dartmouth College participated in the creation of American literature.


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Fifth Ave Residence
This four level private residence in the inner Brisbane suburb of Wilston was designed to accommodate the changing needs of a growing family. The house is divided into three zones; the parents' retreat including the home office; children's area which extends onto a roof terrace overlooking the city and the living spaces which extend through the house opening onto a private pool court taking advantage of the panoramic city skyline. ♦ ◊


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The Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz), with the support of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), constructs the Agbiz / IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index on a quarterly basis.
12.12.2013 / Agbiz in the newsMore
12.12.2013 / Agbiz in the newsMore
The Absa AgriBusiness outlook, released this week, is optimistic about the industry in 2014.
Agbiz says in its latest newsletter the macro-economic environment is favourable and provides opportunity for South African agriculture to utilise low interest rates to increase their capital expenditure towards improving efficiencies and productivity.
12.12.2013 / Agbiz in the newsMore
...with the greenkeeper forum, discussing current events and happening in the agricultural industry...Read More
Copyright © 2018 by Agricultural Business Chamber


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Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Graphing CalculatorBrand : Texas Instruments
Rate :
Price : $105.99
Post Date : Apr 06, 2012 14:30:19
Usually ships in 24 hours
The Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator features USB on-the-go technology for file sharing with other calculators and connecting to PCs,handling calculus, engineering, trigonometric, and financial functions, 11 apps preloaded, and displays graphs and tables on split screen to trace graph while scrolling through table values. Advanced statistics and regression analysis, graphical analysis, and data analysis are readily accessed, along with features for calculus, engineering, financial, logarithm, trigonometry, and hyperbolic functions--all crucial tools for advanced analysis. With its clear display and fast processing, the calculator incorporates graphing tools for mathematics and science course work, including statistics and finance.


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Monti Aguirre
International Rivers Network
Monti Aguirre is the Latin American program coordinator for the International Rivers Network where she supports local movements for the protection of rivers, examines the effects of new hydro-projects, and designs strategies to counteract their negative effects on the environment and indigenous peoples' rights, and is co-producer of the 1991 documentary "Amazonia: Voices From the Rainforest." She has also worked with the Environment Action Coalition and El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice in New York City.
Last Updated: July 18, 2017


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Users rave about this 5-ingredient salad that combines pre-cooked roasted chicken breasts with white beans and fresh basil. For a quick finishing touch, drizzle with a lemon, vinegar, and Dijon mustard dressing and serve with a glass of iced tea or white wine.
How to Make It
To prepare salad, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir gently to combine.
To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over salad, tossing gently to coat.
Chef's Notes
MyRecipes is working with Let's Move!, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and USDA's MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to a trove of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit www.choosemyplate.gov.


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How to earn the "Validated Measurements" reward Follow
Please note, that the "Validated Measurements" reward must be offered by your sponsor in order for you to be able to earn it. Check out your "How to Earn" page or the "My Rewards" page on Virgin Pulse member website to see if the "Validated Measurements" reward is available to your sponsor, and see other rewards available for measurements!
In order to earn the "Validated Measurements" reward each month, you must have a completed weight or blood pressure measurement at a Virgin Pulse Health Station. Once you have taken your weight or blood pressure using a Health Station, and saved the measurement, you will receive the Points for a "Validated Measurement".
If your sponsor does not offer access to Health Stations, you can earn the "Self Entered Measurements" reward for entering your weight in the "Track Your Weight" Healthy Habits tracker, or entering you blood pressure measurements on the "Stats" page in your Virgin Pulse member website.
For instructions on how to self enter your measurements, please click here.
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Turkish security forces have eased a 24-hour curfew on the devastated southern-eastern town of Cizre, where since December troops backed by tanks have attempted to crush militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers' party, or PKK.
The curfew will still hold from 7:30pm to 5am, but the reprieve on Wednesday allowed some residents to return to the town, where they found many of their homes obliterated. At least one body was still lying inside a ruined house.
The easing of the curfew comes three weeks after authorities declared the successful conclusion of military operations against the rebels on 11 February.
The town of 132,000 near the banks of the Tigris river and the borders of Syria and Iraq has been the worst hit in terms of the scale of fighting and the casualty toll. The level of damage seen in some districts on Wednesday evoked the early days of the war in neighbouring Syria, with buildings gutted by shelling or partially collapsed.
The army says more than 600 Kurdish rebels were killed in Cizre. The militants, who want autonomy for Kurds, had raised barricades, dug trenches and planted explosives to protect areas where they had aspired for self-rule.
Human rights groups say 92 civilians were killed in the town during the military operation and another 171 bodies have been found since hostilities ended.
The first wave of residents returned to the town at dawn on Wednesday, their vehicles loaded with personal belongings and children. Police carefully inspected their documents as well as the contents of their cars and bags. What the returnees found shocked them.
Shell casings littered the streets of the Sur district, where residents found the corpse of an unidentified male. The stench of death also rose from a collapsed building in the same area. Residents said security forces had demolished the building's basement, which was being used as a shelter.
"Those who did this are not human," said Şerif Ozem.
"What took place here is a second Kobani in a country that is supposed to be a democracy," he said, referring to the predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria that suffered a brutal siege by Islamic State.
Several shops and homes in Sur had their walls blasted open. Windows were shattered and doors unhinged, the smell of explosives still clinging to the breeze.
Curfews remain in the historic district of the main Kurdish city of Diyarbakır and in Idil, a district in Şırnak province, where Turkish forces are continuing operations against Kurdish militants.
Amnesty International says the curfews amount to "collective punishment".
In Diyarbakır, a bomb went off prematurely, killing a suspected attacker and wounding four children, the governor's office said. The man, who had links to the Kurdish rebels, is believed to have detonated the bomb accidentally on Monday.
In Cizre, Ayse Magi inspected the damage to her modest home with tears in her eyes. Two mortars had punctured the ceiling of her bathroom and the hallway. "There is no way we can live here," she said.
Shoe-shop owner Nesim Çavuşoğlu, who had stayed in the city during the curfew, despaired over the destroyed facade of his business. "This is all that is left," he said, gesturing at the rubble and a handful of shoe boxes.
Graffiti in his district spelled out PKK and the initials of its female and male urban youth wings, YDG-H and YDGK-H. "Kurdistan" was scribbled on several storefronts and portraits of slain Kurdish female fighters adorned an alley.
Meanwhile, Ali Ihsan Su, the governor of Şırnak province, warned returning Cizre residents to beware of possible undetected explosive devices in their homes. Three large booms were heard in the morning, which police said were controlled explosions to clear booby traps.
Blaming the militants for the destruction of the town, the governor said 708 barricades had been dismantled, 264 trenches filled and 1,409 explosives disposed of. Security forces also seized automatic weapons, other firearms and hand grenades.
"They destroyed houses by placing explosives from the kitchens to the bedrooms. They attacked callously and mercilessly, without distinguishing between military, police, women, men, old or young," the governor said.
The government says more than 300 members of the security forces have died fighting Kurdish rebels since July.
Police said the curfew could not be lifted immediately after the military operations ended because troops had to clear leftover explosives.
Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkey's prime minister, has promised to reconstruct Cizre and other districts ruined by the fighting.
The PKK, considered a terror group by Turkey and its allies, has been waging an insurgency in south-eastern Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since then. A fragile two-year-old peace process with the rebels broke down in July.
Nurettin Güler, a 55-year-old who stayed in Cizre during the worst of the fighting, was pessimistic about the next phase.
"They say the operations have ended but we just don't know. If peace isn't achieved ... it's not over."


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FOR DENHOLLANDER, her public ordeal began 18 months before she confronted Nassar at his sentencing hearing in January. But her private suffering began 18 years earlier.
Denhollander grew up in a Christian, homeschooling family in Kalamazoo, Mich., and trusted Christ as her Savior at a young age. She didn't start gymnastics until she was 12.
Like many gymnasts, she developed lower back pain, and her family heard about a popular sports physician at Michigan State University (MSU): Larry Nassar had taught and practiced medicine at MSU since 1997, and he had been the chief medical coordinator for USA Gymnastics since 1996.
It seemed everyone loved Larry. He was popular with coaches and athletes, and some of the gymnasts he abused recounted the doctor grooming them to make them think he was always on their side.
Accusing such a man of evil wouldn't be easy.
But Denhollander encountered evil early on. From her first appointment with Nassar when she was 15 in 2000, something seemed wrong. As many other girls and young women would describe later, Nassar's physical therapy quickly progressed from muscle massage to penetrating the girls with his fingers.
Though some specialized therapists do perform a type of pelvic physical therapy that can include penetration to ease some forms of muscle pain, it's almost never used on minors, and Nassar's actions raised two other glaring red flags: He didn't ask the girls for permission, and he didn't wear gloves. "Nothing was off limits," says Denhollander.
But since the famous doctor was revered and his actions felt embarrassing, Denhollander and other girls didn't know how to talk about it. Was this a kind of treatment they just didn't understand?
Even more confusing for Denhollander and many others: Sometimes their mothers were in the room, with Nassar concealing his abuse with a towel or his own body. They wondered: Would a doctor abuse me with my mom nearby?
Over the course of a year, Denhollander saw Nassar at least 10 times, and she felt vulnerable, exposed, and anxious, even when she wasn't in the treatment room. During the second to last visit, Nassar left no doubt about his actions when he fondled her breast and was visibly aroused. "I knew it was sexual assault," she says.
Eventually, Denhollander told her mother about that visit, and she later described the other "treatments" she had endured. They began researching pelvic therapies to find out if Nassar's actions were abusive.
A nurse practitioner in 2004 said Denhollander should file a complaint with the medical board. The process: It couldn't be anonymous, and there was no appeal. It seemed daunting, and Denhollander had a bigger concern: She had become convinced that if Nassar had abused her, he had done it to other girls as well.
She says she worried that if a medical board rejected her complaint, "he's going to know he can't be caught, and it's going to escalate. So I didn't want to go down that road until there was some hope of being believed."
Another decade would pass before that hope appeared.
In the meantime, Denhollander journaled about her trauma. She says it was difficult to reconcile her Christian faith with her experience: "That was part of learning to trust in God's justice and sovereignty and His knowledge of what happened, even when I didn't have the answers."
She cracks a smile when she remembers how she processed it. "I drew Venn diagrams," she says. "Because that's how I work." She filled the logic graph with everything she knew to be true about God: "And it was a visual reminder to me that whatever I didn't understand couldn't contradict what I did know was true. And so I held to what I knew was true when I couldn't understand the rest of it."
After coaching young gymnasts for a short time, Denhollander entered law school at age 19. She had finished a paralegal degree during high school at age 17, and she completed her legal training through distance learning at the Oak Brook College of Law, a Christian school based in California.
During law school, she maintained a blog about Christian worldview, and a mutual friend forwarded her work to a young Canadian named Jacob Denhollander. The pair began a long-distance correspondence about worldview and theology, says Rachael: "And 900 pages of emails later … we decided we should probably meet."
During one of Jacob's visits to Michigan, Rachael told him her secret about Nassar. If he couldn't handle it, she wanted to give him the freedom to walk away. Jacob says it was "heartbreaking" to learn of the abuse and to hear Rachael wonder if he still wanted her.
The couple married in 2009 and later moved to Louisville, where Jacob completed an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (He's now working on a Ph.D. at the school.) Rachael consulted for law firms, testified for pro-life legislation in Michigan, and worked on public policy.
Until 2016, Denhollander thought the statute of limitations had expired for reporting Nassar, and she didn't realize his abuse qualified as first-degree sexual assault. But if other reports ever arose against him, she was determined she would speak out, and that she would do it publicly: "I was convinced that a quiet, anonymous voice would never, ever be enough to make this end."
ON AUG. 12, 2016, Denhollander was having an ordinary day as a stay-at-home mom to her three children (now ages 6, 3, and 2). She was soothing her infant daughter through a tough day of teething when she glanced at her computer and saw an article trending on The Indianapolis Star's website about an investigation into USA Gymnastics (USAG), the sport's national governing body.
The story reported that USAG had failed to alert authorities to multiple allegations of sexual abuse by coaches over many years. It highlighted four coaches that USAG failed to report after abuse allegations surfaced and reported that the coaches had abused at least 14 more girls after the warnings.
Records showed USAG officials compiled complaint dossiers on more than 50 coaches and filed them in a drawer in their Indianapolis headquarters. (The paper eventually reported it had uncovered 360 cases over 20 years of accusations against coaches.)
Denhollander took a breath: "I thought—this is it."
If USAG coaches had been exposed, maybe someone would believe her about Nassar. She emailed the Star and told the newspaper about an official it hadn't mentioned in the story: Dr. Larry Nassar.
A reporter sent a quick email to thank her for the tip. Two weeks passed until another email appeared: Two more women had come forward after reading the Star article. They independently accused Nassar of sexual abuse. Neither wanted to be named.
Denhollander's resolution to go public had met its moment. She loathed the idea of publicly describing what Nassar had done to her, but she believed there was no other way.
"Somebody had to be the public face in order for the victims to feel safe, and in order to put the kind of public pressure necessary," she said. "Larry was an incredibly charismatic individual. He would far too easily overshadow an anonymous voice."
Denhollander told her story to the Star, and she also learned she could still file a police report. She brought her medical records and information from three pelvic floor specialists who told her Nassar's actions didn't resemble legitimate medical treatment. She hoped the police would listen.
Shortly after her report to the Michigan State University police, officers obtained a warrant to search Nassar's computers. Their discovery: 37,000 images of child pornography.
"That was almost the worst part," says Denhollander. It sickened her to think of how many little girls it takes to make that number of images and how many of them were likely trafficked or abused by a family member.
After Denhollander's story appeared, more women came forward, and prosecutors built their case against Nassar, who remained in jail. Over the following year, a litany of revelations surfaced: Accusations against Nassar went back 20 years.
More than a dozen athletes, including gymnasts, a volleyball player, a softball player, and a cross-country runner, say they told MSU coaches and trainers about Nassar's abuse.
None of the officials reported Nassar to police.
In 2004, 17-year-old Brianne Randall told Meridian Township police that Nassar had assaulted her. Police believed Nassar. (The police department held a press conference in January 2018 to apologize publicly to Randall.)
In 2014, an MSU graduate filed complaints against Nassar with university police and the school's Title IX office. The school conducted an investigation and said the woman had misinterpreted medical treatment.
In 2015, USAG officials responded to allegations Nassar had abused a former Team USA gymnast. They investigated for five weeks before reporting Nassar to the FBI. Nassar quietly resigned his post with USAG but continued practicing at MSU. The New York Times has identified at least 40 girls and women who say Nassar molested them over the course of a year, while the FBI investigated.
In September 2016 MSU finally fired Nassar—after the story appeared in The Indianapolis Star about Denhollander and another gymnast who remained anonymous.
Since Denhollander was the public face of the story, she also became a public target. She avoided social media—and tried to keep her kids from seeing her picture in newspapers or magazines—but public accusations stung. In March 2017 MSU trustee Joel Ferguson told a reporter Denhollander and other women accusing the school of failing to stop Nassar were ambulance chasers looking for a payday.
Two months later, Denhollander testified for two hours straight in a hearing to determine whether Nassar's case would go to trial. As she sat across the courtroom from Nassar, with her testimony live-streamed on news sites, defense attorney Shannon Smith accused her of being interested in publicity and money.
Denhollander didn't flinch.
When Smith pressed Denhollander on how much research she had done about the statute of limitations, and criminal law and medical procedures, Denhollander replied: "I think when it comes to stopping a child predator, every effort should be put in. So, yes, I did spend a lot of time."
Six other girls and young women testified Nassar pursued the same pattern of abuse with them.
Over 2017, dozens more women came forward and some spoke out publicly. It was a grueling year.
Denhollander faced anxiety and nightmares, but she and Jacob leaned into a new church home at Reformed Baptist Church of Louisville. They had left their previous church the year before, after disagreeing with the church leaders' perspective on a separate, outside case involving the issue of sexual abuse (see sidebar).
At their current church, Pastor Jim Savastio says the small congregation of about 150 members had a simple approach to caring for the Denhollanders.
"You can pray, you can help with the children, you can talk to them, you can have them in your home, you can sympathize with them, you can encourage them," he says. "You don't need a thousand members to do that."
By the end of the year, Nassar pleaded guilty on charges of child pornography and in two separate cases with multiple victims of sexual assault. Part of the plea deals: Any victims who wanted to testify about Nassar's abuse could speak at his sentencing hearing, even if their charges weren't included in his guilty pleas.
Nassar signed off on it, Denhollander says, "But I don't think he had any idea what he was about to unleash."


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Contact: Michael Mershon, Director of Advocacy and Communications
Phone: 202-745-4654
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
March 29, 2017
Today, a diverse group of Christian leaders held a press conference and prayer vigil on Capitol Hill to protest proposed legislation that would disproportionally harm poor and vulnerable people. The leaders are members of the Circle of Protection, a broad coalition from all the families of U.S. Christianity who have come together around the biblical mandate to protect poor people.
The White House has recently proposed budget cuts to a wide array of domestic anti-poverty programs, including nutrition, housing, heating assistance, and community development. The budget cuts would also slash foreign aid during a time of worsening famine. The Circle of Protection, which believes that budgets are moral documents, opposes these cuts and are making their voices known to congressional leadership.
The following are quotes from the Christian leaders:
"As Christian leaders, it is our responsibility to speak out when our government officials promote policies that will hurt poor and hungry people. Right now, 20 million people are facing famine in Africa, and millions of children here in our own country do not always get the nutrition they need. Yet the White House is proposing deep cuts to international and domestic assistance programs. We urge Congress to oppose these cuts and pass a budget that puts us and the world on track to ending hunger."
— Rev. David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World
"As Sojourners has been saying for decades, a budget is a moral document. It reflects a nation's real priorities; and a nation whose budget increases military spending at the expense of programs that protect the poor and vulnerable puts us in danger of 'approaching spiritual death' as Dr. King reminded us many years ago. How we treat the most vulnerable is the test of a nation's righteousness."
— Jim Wallis, President and Founder, Sojourners
"A federal budget that takes away from our neighbors, food, shelter, medicine, schools, air to breath and water to drink – a budget that guts SNAP, Medicaid, health care, the environment, education, diplomacy, and foreign aid — a federal budget that channels those same resources to an unnecessary military spending increase and gives tax cuts for those who already have more than enough – is an immoral budget. It's not America at our best. We can do better."
— Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins; Board Chair, National Council of Churches; General Minister and President, Disciples of Christ
"Just as we found that the health care legislation signaled a standard of basic American decency and compassion, the same must be true of the federal budget. The budget is properly called a moral document and the reflection of the nation's highest values. The budget that has been proposed falls far below our nations rudimentary moral standard by favoring the rich and powerful over poor and vulnerable Americans."
— Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, Co-Chair, National African American Clergy Network
"It is in the interest of all Americans to see that all our children are adequately nourished, so that their brains develop to their full potential. We all benefit when those struggling with illness and disability get the help they need. Family life is strengthened when public policies help make adequate housing available and affordable, so that fewer people become homeless. Adequate addiction treatment saves lives and futures, and it also increases public safety."
— Galen Carey, Vice President of Government Relations, National Association of Evangelicals
"We organized the Circle of Protection to look at budget and policy choices from the bottom-up and outside-in. The US Catholic Bishops have said the poor and vulnerable have the greatest needs, but the least power. Our faith and America's values call us to put the poor first. The human consequences of misplaced priorities threaten the lives and dignity of the vulnerable among us and the moral consequences challenge the consciences of all of us."
— John Carr, Director, Initiative on Catholic Social thought and Public Life, Georgetown University
"The convictions that shape our sense of fairness, justice and compassion are rooted in the gospel, in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. The priority of our government must the millions of Americans who go to work every day, and those who are sick or too old to go to work. The work of this Congress must be to protect the most vulnerable, to protect them from the oppression of markets, corporations, political parties, individuals and even from cynicism. We are here today and we will be here tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, for as long as it takes for the voice and the plea of millions of our brothers and sisters be clearly heard in the halls of Congress."
— Rev. Carlos Malave, Executive Director, Christian Churches Together


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Hoopla contributed to a 35% increase in one client's opportunity reporting.
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Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.


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Fallout from credit problems in the mortgage market continued to batter various companies across the globe this week.
Among the wounded ...
Accredited Home Lenders Holding , a struggling subprime mortgage lender, on Tuesday posted a $260.2 million quarterly loss and said it remained unsure that it would survive the fallout from a slumping U.S. housing market.
The loss for the first quarter ended March 31 was $10.29 per share, according to a regulatory filing. Accredited posted a profit of $35.8 million, or $1.61 per share, a year earlier. (Click here for more)
The bankrupt American Home Mortgage is attempting to seize as much as $27 million that employees set aside from their paychecks as retirement savings. If it is successful, the workers may never see the money again. Employees around the country say American Home wants to release retirement money from a trust fund which would put it in the hands of large creditors. (Click here for more)
Mortgage lender Impac Mortgage Holdings said it's cutting jobs and completely exiting the alt-A lending market.
Nearly all loans Impac originated before the market troubles began were alt-A mortgages. Alt-A mortgages are loans given to customers with minor credit problems or who are unable to fully document their income and assets as a traditional, prime borrower would. (Click here for more)
U.K. finance minister Alistair Darling, speaking after the U.K. stock market closed on Monday, said that if necessary the government and the Bank of England would guarantee all existing Northern Rock deposits during the current instability.
Shares in Northern Rock, Alliance & Leicester and other British banks jumped on Tuesday as investors were reassured by the government's pledge. Northern Rock shares, which had more than halved in value since Friday, rose 10% in early trading. Lines formed at branches of Northern Rock again early on Tuesday, but lines were significantly shorter than on Friday, Saturday and Monday. (Click here for more)
U.S. online brokerage E*Trade Financial on Monday warned that it expected full-year earnings per share to be sharply below its previous forecasts as it increases provisions for bad loans, and writes down the value of some mortgage linked securities. The brokerage's shares fell more than 8% in extended traded after the news. (Click here for more).
Bank of America , the second-largest U.S. bank, said on Monday recent volatility in capital and credit markets will have a "meaningful impact" on third-quarter results at its corporate and investment bank.
Speaking at a conference in San Francisco that the bank sponsored, Chief Financial Officer Joe Price said results are being hurt by "unprecedented dislocations" in the credit markets, as investors ascribe greater risk to a variety of loans and securities where the bank has exposure. (Click here for more)
U.S. foreclosure filings rose 36% in August from July and 115% from a year ago, hit by declines in once-hot housing markets such as California, Nevada and Florida, according to a report released Tuesday. (Click here for more)
But on a positive note ...
Beazer Homes USA said on Tuesday it has cut $60 million of overhead out of its business and expects to realize another $50 million in cost savings next year.
Beazer, the No. 7 U.S. home builder, has like nearly all of the other large U.S. home builders been focused on cutting costs and strengthening its balance sheet in order to navigate the rough times the U.S. housing market is seeing. (Click here for more)


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How to Make Naira Online
Most people often ask how to make naira online without the need to have a PayPal account. If that is why you are here, no problem. This post will provide you with the latest online money making opportunities that you can do to earn money from the internet in Nigeria.
But, before we discuss how to make naira online, let us first look at the tools you need to make naira online in Nigeria.
Tools You Need to Make Naira Online
Here are the tools that you need to make naira online working from home in Nigeria.
1. Computer (Laptop or Desktop) and/or Smartphone
The first tool you need to make naira online is a digital device. This could be a computer (desktop or laptop or palm top) and/or an android or smartphone. Without any of those devices you cannot hope to make money online in Nigeria.
2. GSM Line
Another important tool that you need to make naira online is a gsm line. You can purchase a gsm sim card from any of the major gsm network service providers like MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile and others.
But before you purchase any sim card, ensure that the area where you are based is adequately covered by the network reception of that particular service provider.
3. Internet Modem or Bluetooth Connection
The third tool you need to make naira online is internet modem or bluetooth connection. Just like the second tool above, you also need to be sure of the network coverage before you buy from any of the service providers. If not, you will experience slow internet connection which will ultimately lead to frustration while working on the internet.
4. Data for Internet Access
You will also need to purchase data from the network providers to gain access to the internet. Depending on the volume of your work, you may decide to purchase a daily, weekly, monthly, or even a 90-day or more data plan.
However, be sure to take into consideration the speed of internet access and not just the price before you settle for the data plan of any of the network service providers.
READ ALSO: Make Money from Affiliate Marketing Guide for Beginners
5. Naira Bank Account
You also need a naira bank account to make naira online. Obviously, you cannot make money online in Nigeria and get paid in naira if you do not have a bank account. So, if you do not have a naira bank account, you will need to open one as soon as possible.
6. Start-Up Capital
It is true that there are various ways that you can make money online in Nigeria without spending a dime. However, there is a saying that "you need money to make money". Therefore, you will need some amount of money as start-up capital in order to make naira online.
First, if you do not have a bank account, you will need money to open your bank account. Additionally, you will also need money to operate the online business in Nigeria you wish to go into.
So, how much do you need to make naira online? Well, it depends on the particular type of online business that you wish to go into. Some of these online businesses is what we shall be looking at in the next sub-heading below.
Ways to Make Naira Online
There are so many ways to make naira online in Nigeria. However, we will be restricting ourselves to just three (3) of them.
- Make Money from OMMOFAN Affiliate Membership (Recommended)
- Make Money from Information / Affiliate Marketing (Strongly Recommended)
- Make Money from Online Mini Importation (Strongly Recommended)
Make Money from OMMOFAN Membership
One of the ways to make naira online in Nigeria is with the OMMOFAN online money making program.
What is OMMOFAN?
OMMOFAN simply means "Online Money Making Opportunities for all Nigerians". You make money from the OMMOFAN membership by promoting and marketing the platform to others.
The beautiful thing about the OMMOFAN program is that you can make money with the platform as a free member. When you spread the word on social media and other places online and offline, you will get paid 50% of the sign-up fees (that is,
N2,500) for each new member who registers and upgrade their membership to Premium Gold.
Now, just imagine that 10 persons joins OMMOFAN and upgrades their membership a day, that is an instant
N25k per day straight to your bank account in Nigeria GUARANTEED! And all that sweet-smelling cash without paying anything to start!
Therefore, if you are looking for how to make money online in Nigeria without spending a dime, then you should by all means hurry and join the OMMOFAN program without delay.
However, this free membership terminates at precisely 30 days and you will need to upgrade your membership to Gold Premium with the sum of
Here are the benefits of becoming a Gold Premium Member of the OMMOFAN program.
- You will discover how to make money in Nigeria from reading news, watching videos, sharing links and doing other stuff online.
- You will have an instant access to the newly updated and reloaded "The Ultimate Fiverr Blueprint" e-Book by Kome Itoje worth N5,500
- You will have instant access to "3 Hottest Work From Home Businesses You Must Do To Make Money Online And Turn Your Fortunes Around This Year And Beyond!" e-book by Kome Itoje – Value N2,500
- You will have instant access to "Top Secret Exposed! Easiest and Fastest Way to Make Money Online from the Comfort of Your Own Home! (Peek Into Internet Marketing Gurus Blueprint)" by Kome Itoje – Value N2,500
Check out the money making ebooks that will become yours once you upgrade your membership to Premium Gold with OMMOFAN.
Those online money making ebooks above will automatically become yours once you register with OMMOFAN and upgrade your membership to Premium Gold.
Interested in becoming an OMMOFAN member? If so, click HERE to Get Started Now.
Make Money from Information / Affiliate Marketing
The information marketing business is another one of the strongly recommended ways to make naira online. Honestly, information marketing is the only genuine and legit online business that is guaranteed to earn you over ONE MILLION NAIRA every month completely on autopilot.
So, do you want to become a millionaire as quickly as possible? Then start an information marketing business without delay!
Still in doubt? If so…
Ask Pat Ogidi.
Ask Tunji Gbolagade.
Ask Aderonke Bamidele.
Ask Joe Okoro.
And so many other renowned internet marketers in Nigeria.
They will all tell you that information marketing is the ONLY online business that is 100% sure of taking you from ZERO to a multi-million naira income earner in JUST 30 DAYS!!!
To show you just how hot the information marketing business is, Aderonke Bamidele earned
N203,000 in one day. Imagine – JUST ONE DAY!
Gbolagade, on his part, earned over
N6m from the information marketing business in one year.
While Joe Okoro, pro-blogger and seasoned internet marketer, recently earned
N739,500 in just 12 days – with a product he did not even own or create.
That is how hot the information marketing business is. It can take you from ZERO to HERO within a very short time.
That is what I thought too until I saw the proof for myself.
You may not believe it, but Paul Samson, the owner of NNU.ng is also engaged in the information marketing business too. If you visit his website, you will see this money making package that he is offering on the site which he refers to as "My Top 7 Ways on How I Make Money Online Legitimately".
Personally, I have made more money from information marketing than my other online businesses put together.
The best part is…
You too can join the league of 6-digits earners who are making money and earning naira online legitimately.
Here is what I love most about information / affiliate marketing:
1. You can start earning within 30 days of getting started.
2. You can do this *on Autopilot* once you set it up the first time.
3. You control your income and how much you earn… *not waiting for earn 1% daily programs that crash*. NEVER AGAIN.
4. This system is completely newbie friendly.
But, do not get me wrong. The information / affiliate marketing business is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Also, it has no connection with bitcoin programs, mlm or ponzi. Therefore, you need to work hard in order for you to see results.
BUT TAKE NOTE! Information / affiliate marketing is not for lazy people. I repeat, information marketing is NOT FOR "lazy Nigerians". You must be prepared to work hard in order to make naira online from information marketing.
Nevertheless, it is one of the most legit and rewarding online business in Nigeria. And, if you work hard, you will surely see remarkable results. Believe me!
All you need to succeed with information / affiliate marketing is this:
Get that right and you will be laughing to the bank every single month of the year!!!
And here comes the most interesting part.
We will GIVE YOU:
the right digital product to begin selling instantly, a powerful and terrific sales system, all the tools you need to drive traffic to your website, coupled with a large and ready-made market through which to begin selling your ready-made product and make naira online instantly!
See details on how to get all these mouth-watering juicy offer in our "how to start an information marketing business" package in the following post: How to Start Information Marketing Business in Nigeria.
Click HERE to GET IT right away!
Make Money from Online Mini Importation
The online mini importation is also another strongly recommended easy way to make naira online in Nigeria with very little investment.
As a matter of fact, with
N50,000 or less, and effective offline marketing, you can easily start your import business in Nigeria and make as much as N250,000 in 30 days guaranteed.
All you need to succeed and become an effective online importer is this:
You will also need a dollar account too with a dollar MasterCard for making purchases on the internet.
A must-have too in your online mini importation business is the step by step guide on the online mini importation business in Nigeria by Kome Itoje titled: "The Importers Bible".
So, what can you import into the country? Just about anything! You can order the cheapest brand new and fairly-used laptops, androids, blackberries, jewelleries, wrist watches, shoes, ipads, powerbanks, chargers, casing, batteries, other mobile phone accessories and so on. The list is endless.
Better still, apart from getting the products at the best bargains and lowest prices possible, you can have them shipped down to your residential / shipping address right here in Nigeria free of any shipping costs!
READ ALSO: How to Start An Online Mini Importation Business in Nigeria
WARNING: Let me sound a note of warning here. You cannot import just about anything into this country – because you can run foul of the law if you do not exercise caution in your import business.
Therefore, before you place an order for anything on the internet, you must ensure that it is not a contraband item and that you can legally import it into the country.
So, what are you waiting for? Get ready to start a very profitable importation business in Nigeria today without delay!
An office space? Not needed.
An office staff? Not needed.
Office equipment and furniture? Not needed.
Generator and all the stress associated with it? Not needed.
Running costs of the business? Almost ZERO!
All you need to run your profitable exportation/ importation business successfully is a computer and an internet access – and you are in business! That is why this is the perfect online business in Nigeria that you could ever hope for!
Need more info on the online mini importation business in Nigeria?
If so, please consult "The Importers Bible" by Kome Itoje for detailed and comprehensive information on how to start and successfully run the online online mini importation business in Nigeria.
Click THIS LINK for more information on how to get your personal copy now.


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August 14, 2017
Ben Gibbs, Director of Customer Enablement, will speak on how engineers can fast-track the prototyping and production of connected devices in 50% less time
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Afero, the next-generation IoT company with a fully integrated and highly secure edge-to-cloud platform, announced today that it is presenting and exhibiting at Microchip's 2017 MASTERs Conference, the premier technical training event for embedded control engineers, from August 16 through 19 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona.
"We are excited to participate in this year's MASTERs Conference to support Microchip's leadership in IoT," said Joe Britt, CEO and co-founder of Afero. "We are deeply engaged with Microchip to enable their teams to integrate our secure edge-to-cloud connected platform into their consumer and enterprise solutions. Our collaboration will enable Microchip customers to prototype and get to production faster, at a lower cost, and more securely than with other IoT platform solutions."
Ben Gibbs from Afero will present a class titled, "The Afero Secure IoT Platform: We Do the Internet, You Do the Things." The class will discuss the current disaggregated approaches to IoT and how they are creating roadblocks for engineers. Ben will demonstrate how Afero was built to solve this pervasive problem by pioneering a new model for IoT development, which radically simplifies the process of bringing a connected device to market. Attendees will be provided free hardware solution kits to start prototyping during the lab-based class.
In addition to the class, the Afero solution will be exhibited at Microchip's security booth, with the team offering hands-on demonstrations of the secure Afero IoT Platform. Attendees will learn how they can leverage the platform's hardened edge-to-cloud security, flexible developer tools, and hassle-free user onboarding with their products. The Afero IoT Platform gives IoT projects a jumpstart, going from prototype to product in 50% less time than with any other solution in the market.
Headed to the event? Stop by the Microchip security booth to sign up for the class. For more information, visit afero.io and the MASTERs Conference page.
About Afero
Afero offers a new platform for Internet of Things that delivers hardened security, easy on-boarding of devices, rapid mobile application development, and robust data analytics. The Afero platform was designed to simplify and accelerate product development, and deliver convenience and peace-of-mind to consumers and end users. Afero was created by world-class mobile and hardware veterans from Google, Apple, Nest, Danger, Microsoft, Amazon, Twitter, and Netflix. To learn more about Afero, please visit www.afero.io.


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Three recent purchases/gifts
My newest skincare find is the Boscia Cactus Water Hydrating Cream. Influenster sent this over to try and review. I love the happy green packaging and sanitary spoon. Unfortunately, this didn't get along with my skin. It's definitely more of a lightweight gel than cream in my opinion. It also remained tacky to the point where my skin felt sticky several minutes later.
If I used this at night, my skin felt dry to the touch the next morning. However, when I washed my face, it felt like a thick layer of something slimy was coming off. My skin was really dry this past winter and it's currently becoming combination skin as the season is changing. This is geared toward combination to oily skin, so it's probably not moisturizing enough for me right now. I might try it again in July or August, but I wouldn't recommend this from my recent experience.
I've also been testing the Raw Elements Tinted Facial Moisturizer SPF 30 for a couple weeks now. I thankfully received this through the OBL Club (which is free for anyone to join). Andrea is so sweet and her blog is a lovely resource for clean beauty reviews, tips, and news.
I have been looking for a sunscreen that doesn't contain avobenzene or octinoxate, which damage coral reefs and marine life. I generally prefer mineral sunscreens anyway and am vowing to only use Reef Safe options going forward. On that topic, I was thrilled when Hawaii passed their new law banning chemical spf!
I think this is a great moisturizing sunscreen. The tint is a tiny bit dark for my pretty fair skin tone, but since this blends well and has sheer coverage, it works. It does have a very glowy finish – I don't mind it on its own for casual wear. If I'm doing my makeup with concealer, blush, etc., I definitely set it down with powder.
The jar packaging isn't my favorite because I don't like dipping my fingers into products (I think this would be especially gross at the beach with sandy fingers), but there's a stick version too. I've been applying it with a sponge to be a little more hygienic. It retails for $17.99, which I think is reasonable for a product that is reef safe and cruelty-free, has natural ingredients, and will last the whole summer since a little bit goes a long way.
Lastly, I picked up this Burt's Bees lip scrub in my recent Target Haul. I needed one in a pinch and as I've been using this more, I really like it. It has an oily (in a good way!), balm-like base that hydrates after you wash the exfoliating crystals away. It also smells amazing. I think I would love this even more in the winter because my lips are super dry then. If you're looking for a really rough, granular scrub, this probably isn't the one.
Have you tried any of these items? What's your favorite Reef Safe sunscreen? I'm definitely on the lookout for more!


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400 NW 9th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311
A God-Centered Love Affair
The Marriage Matters Ministry seeks to glorify God by strengthening marriages through Biblically based principles that promote healthy, thriving marriages through the teachings of God's Word. The ministry accomplishes this through programs and activities that promote fellowship. Couples (members and non-members) are invited to join us.


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Photo Shopped Fake Of The Nokia Lumia 729 Makes It's RoundsJuly 27, 2013 No Comments
I know what your thinking. Nokia's attack on the low budget feature phone is absolutely brilliant. But below, what would be considered a good idea from Nokia, is nothing more than a bad photo shopped "press leak" of the Nokia Lumia 729 as reported by WMPoweruser. Take a close look to spot the problems with the press photos.
It would make for a great phone, but if you look close enough you see that this phone is just a badly result of hybrid edit of the PureView camera off the Nokia Lumia 920 and a Nokia Lumia 720…So what have we learned today folks? Although this would be an amazing device, lets leave it up to the folks at evleaks for future unannounced leak in devices.


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The Cordova is contouring, waterproof, and made to drop jaws. Versatile and well-suited to slay all winter recreation, you can layer up with our Mont Blanc puffer when icey, or wear alone for glorious Spring ski.
- 25k waterproof fabric made in Italy
- 4-way stretch
- Fleece lined for extra comfort and warmth
- Silver Riri® hardware
- Matching belt with buckle closure
- Oversized collar
- OEKO-TEX® certified
- Made in Portugal


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|Find the best surf spots
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Datum: WGS84 [ Help ]
Latitude: 33° 39.603' S
User rating (73)
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Park at newport beach carpark walk to the south end of the beach and you should see waves peeling of a rock plat form about 150 meters out.
DistanceTake a car
WalkShort walk (5-15 mn)
Easy to find?Easy to find
Public access?Public access
Special accessDon't know
Alternative name Reef
Wave qualityWorld Class
ExperienceExperienced surfers
BottomReef (coral, sharp rocks etc..)
PowerHollow, Powerful, Ledgey
Normal lengthNormal (50 to 150m)
Good day lengthLong (150 to 300 m)
Good swell directionSouthWest
Good wind directionSouthEast, NorthEast
Swell sizeStarts working at and holds up to
Best tide positionAll tides
Best tide movementRising and falling tides
Week crowdEmpty
Week-end crowdFew surfers
- Urchins
- Rocks
This wave needs a perfect take off to surf, once you have taken the ledgy sucky drop (not to deep) this break will provide you with a near perfect barrell, if not perfect.The long island reef at the south end of Newport catches swell from all directions but its only rideable waves are on the northern side when an E to NE swell pushes through and stands up on the reef pumping out a powerful right, known as Crosswaves. The right peels along the reef sectioning, make a point of getting out of the wave before you reach the far end of the island and avoid finding why this spot is so appropriately named. Crosswave holds massive S to NE swells, requiring bigger boards and humungous nads.
This spot reminds me of shark island and wiamea point put together, I say this because it is hollow sucky and heavy like shark island and there may be 4-5 people to a wave when its big like wiamea.
I love this spot its fun and perfect, this break deserves more attention, it would be a great break for comps ect overall I think its world class.
Author: Chris Contributors (3) They surfed this spot ! (22)
No video available
|No surf trip
By Anonymous , 05-02-2008
local - shit break dont g out
hell sharp reef and really full waves
hardly get a wave in a croud and very unrelyable! dont bother
By booger king , 18-02-2007
backdoor bandit - crosswaves definately rips been cranking for 5 days in a row
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Spock in a bathtub with another man? Somehow, we don't think that an image that JJ Abrams wanted people to have in mind with the new Trek so close. Click through for Abrams' PR nightmare.
The video below is actually an ad for the new album from Star Trek-tribute band Warp 11, "I Don't Want to Go to Heaven, as Long as They Have Vulcans in Hell." Admittedly, with a title like that, it's almost enough to forgive them this:
Somewhere, someone at Paramount has to be wondering whether to slap a lawsuit on these guys or hire them to play in some theater when the movie gets released next month. Go for the latter! Go for the latter!


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Oakland, Berkeley, And East Bay News, Events, Restaurants, Music, & Arts
Working at a mall doesn't compare to going to one voluntarily. Having to deal with strange customers, egotistical bosses, and flaky co-workers isn't worth the slightly above minimum wages. Catherine O'Flynn gives a pretty spot-on description of mall life in What Was Lost. Green Oaks, the Birmingham shopping center detailed in the novel, is a nightmarish complex, and she gives an accurate insight on how suffocating it may be to work there long after you should have moved on.
The mall is the setting of the story, which begins in 1984 with Kate Meany, a ten-year-old aspiring detective who's utterly fascinated by the newly opened Green Oaks. Kate is a social misfit who spends as much time at the mall as possible, honing her skills and waiting to pounce on any mischief-makers who may cross her path. With her old soul and innocent imagination, it's hard not to adore her.
But once you read the synopsis on the back cover, you know things aren't going to end up well for Kate. Your heart breaks with anticipation as you discover where her charmingly inquisitive personality will lead her. Sympathy for Kate is what keeps the reader going; you'll want to know what possibly could have occurred to cause this lovable girl's downfall.
Before you can find out, O'Flynn fast-forwards twenty years and focuses on the lives of Lisa and Kurt, both employees of Green Oaks. Kate's sweetness and light is unpleasantly contrasted by the miserable existences of Lisa and Kurt. Both are pitiful. Lisa, a mall record store manager stuck in a loveless relationship, is the sister of Adrian, who ran away after being accused of involvement in Kate's disappearance. Meanwhile, Kurt, a nightshift security guard who still hasn't recovered from the death of the love of his life four years earlier, is connected to Kate in his own way.
The two are soon brought together by the girl. Kurt begins searching for Kate after seeing her image on a surveillance camera. The two are determined to unravel the mystery together, but this plotline actually seems to take a backseat to the pair's self-pity and attempts to change their pathetic situations. After one too many chapters learning why Lisa and Kurt's lives are so disappointing, you'll begin to wish that O'Flynn will just get on with it and get back to Kate, or at least what happened to her.
The book eventually ends in a conveniently roundabout fashion, predictable in some ways and slightly surprising (if a little too convenient) in others. O'Flynn's talent is very apparent. But in her attempts to tell her story in an unusual way, she drops the reader just as she's hooked them. (Holt Paperbacks, 256 pages, $14)
Contact the author of this piece, send a letter to the editor, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
Week of October 28


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Tech on Deck: MP3 Players Tailor Tunes For Your Taste
Still a holiday favorite, MP3 players change to meet new challenges.
Oct. 13, 2008 -- MP3 players remain among the most popular holiday gift items, but American buyers have changed their tune when it comes to snapping them up the way they once did. According to NPD's Household Penetration Study, 50 percent of U.S. households now have at least one MP3 player.
Furthermore, cell phones have stepped up their game when it comes to playing music. According to NPD's Mobile Phone Track, 65 percent of handsets sold in the second quarter were able to play music, and 62 percent had a removable memory slot.
In partnership with the four major music labels, SanDisk recently announced an initiative called slotMusic designed to fill those slots with a modern-day equivalent to the CD -- much smaller, of course, and with more capacity to include digital goodies such as art, liner notes, music videos and more.
So MP3 player manufacturers must do what they can to keep the market fresh. In Apple's history of market-leading MP3 players, no product has gone through as many revisions as its flagship iPod nano, which itself replaced the very popular hard-drive-based iPod mini.
In its first three generations, the nano progressed from a black or white polycarbonate shell, to one that used aluminum, as the mini did, to a squat tapered version that brought the screen close to the scroll wheel and finally gained the ability to play video.
In the fourth generation, Apple has gone back to the narrower form factor, rounded the edges into an oblong perimeter that includes a curved screen, and lengthened the display to restore a sense of proportion. It has also greatly expanded the color palette of choices to nine, covering nearly every hue in the rainbow and labeling the selection "nano-chromatic."
It's also looking to shake up the market in a literal way. By use of a sensor called an accelerometer, consumers can initiate song shuffling by shaking the player.
But the most important change from a software perspective is the addition of a feature called Genius that allows for tailored playlists on the fly. Genius looks at what you and other iTunes users are doing in terms of listening to, buying and rating different songs.
More MP3 Players and Digital Music
It can be invoked on the player or within iTunes as a way to discover music already in your library and available on the iTunes store. Genius joins a number of other offerings from companies that can recommend music based on music you or your friends already have, including MusicIP, Goombah and freshly hatched Echo Nest.
Microsoft's Zune, has the No. 2 share in the high-capacity hard drive category but is a distant third in the larger flash memory segment of the market behind SanDisk's Sansa line. It is also adding more music discovery features in version 3.0 of the Zune software to accompany new higher-capacity models it recently released.
Microsoft's approach is more graphically rich than Apple's, and if you're a Zune Pass subscriber, you can obtain the full songs without having to pay extra. And while it can't create playlists on the player like Apple's Genius feature, Microsoft is also introducing a feature that lets you acquire songs that you hear on the Zune's built-in FM radio.
Then, of course, there's the Internet radio Web site Slacker, which sells its portable Slacker G2 player. Slacker's portable device works by storing copies of stations from its Internet radio service on the product when you're at home, so you have plenty of fresh content on the road. (You can also store a few of your favorite tunes on there as well.)
The device allows you to mark certain songs as favorites, which will cause them to play more often, or ban them. And if you pay for the premium radio, you can even save played songs to the player to player to listen to later.
These new options can help keep MP3 players fresh, but they'd all have even more potential if they could connect to the Internet on the go. That ability, though, is where music phones continue to deliver "chin music" to the iPod and its competitors.
Ross Rubin is director of industry analysis for consumer technology at The NPD Group.