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A filter that records video recorded from a webcam to an avi file, and stores the frame number in a State variable.
Adam Wilson (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Version History
07/06/11 - Full commit with support for MSVC and MinGW.
07/13/11 - Bugfixes
Source Code Revisions
- Add geometry decimation (e.g., save other than 320x240).
Functional Description
For many experiments, visual information about how a subject is behaving during an experiment is desired. This extension acquires video from most webcams, and writes to an AVI video file. It also records the current frame number as a state variable, so that the video can be synchronized with brain data with a resolution of the block size. Other options include the ability to overlay the date and time directly on the video (useful for long-term monitoring), and time decimation (i.e., save every Nth frame).
PROTIP: This module can also be used to perform screen capture with the proper virtual screencast webcam driver. Dubious website, but this product works well: http://www.pcwinsoft.com/screencamera/landing.asp
Integration into BCI2000
Compile the extension into your source module by enabling contributed extensions in your CMake configuration. You can do this by going into your root build folder and deleting
CMakeCache.txt and re-running the project batch file, or by running
cmake -i and enabling BUILD_WEBCAMLOGGER. Once the extension is built into the source module, enable it by starting the source module with the
--LogWebcam=1 command line argument.
The webcam should be installed and configured per the device instructions. The Webcam logger uses the OpenCV (version 2.2) library for display and saving; supported webcams can be found at: [1].
Camera options are found in the Source tab of the Configuration window.
The Webcam logger is configured in the Source tab within the WebcamLogger section. The configurable parameters are:
LogWebcam- Enables/Disables logging of Webcam states
CameraNumber- the webcam number for systems with multiple cameras, 0 for the default camera
WebcamDecimation- The decimation factor for saving and viewing video; the logger saves/displays every Nth frame.
WebcamDateTimeLocation- The location of the date/time overlay in saved video (0: none, 1: UpperRight, 2: UpperLeft, 3: LowerRight, 4: LowerLeft).
The video is saved with a resolution of 320x240 pixels. A parameter that allows configuration of the geometry will be provided in a future version.
State Variables
The frame number of the video. This can be used to synchronize the video with the recorded neural data. It is a 24-bit value, allowing 16,777,216 frames before overflowing. If the webcam can capture at 30 frame/sec, and is decimated at a factor of 5 (i.e., 6 frames/sec), this allows more than a month of video before it will go back to frame 0. In other words, this should not be an issue for most users.


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They're the unflattering photos of Suzanne Somers sparking nasty cracks online.
"Suzanne Somers looks really different these days," says one blog.
And the National Enquirer blares, "Bizarre New Face!"
The photos were taken last week during an appearance on a Canadian talk show. Somers was promoting her new book Sexy Forever which is #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list for advice books.
The twitterverse is flooded with comments about Somer's face ever since she began her promotional tour two weeks ago, with interviews on the Today Show and Fox and Friends.
Another writes, "She's reeeally close to cat-like."
The National Enquirer claims Somer's recent appearance might be the result of a "cutting-edge operation known as a stem cell face-lift" that could cost $15,000.
The Enquirer says Somers would have had the procedure in a foreign country because it's not FDA approved.
We asked Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dr. Marc Mani for his opinion. Mani told INSIDE EDITION, "She's had a lot of fat injection, and she's had just way too much of it. It kind of gives her that doughy appearance and the problem with the fat injection is that it separates the skin from the muscles, so it really can start to look unnatural and that's definitely what it does in her case."
In a statement to INSIDE EDITION a spokesman for Somers says, "Lots of people have asked Suzanne if she has done something since she recently changed her hairstyle."
Her rep adds that Somers has been using "lifewave nanotechnology patches" for years - products she sells on her website. The patches "totally detoxes the body and in doing so, the skin gets beautiful and youthful looking."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The musical adaptation of the classic Disney movie is coming to London!
It's been a HUGE hit over in America and we've been patiently waiting for the show to make it's way across the pond.
There's an amazing cast and the show is full of incredible special effects including mind boggling flying carpets!
Event information:
Address: 28 Old Compton St, London, W1D 4HS
Timings: Daily show times
Price: £29.75-£94.75


text:
By Air: One can easily reach Chandigarh through direct flights from cities including, Delhi, Leh, and Amritsar. The airport is located at a distance of about 12 kms from the city center and it is well-connected to other parts of the country.
By Rail: The two important trains that runs daily to Chandigarh are Shatabdi Express and Himalayan Queen. These trains connect Chandigarh with Delhi and are also well-connected with other major cities of India.
By Road: The connectivity through Chandigarh is excellent as the city is benefitted with two national highways, namely NH 21 (Ambala-Kinnaur) and NH 22 (Chandigarh-Leh). They serve this union territory by connecting it to other parts of the country, including many pilgrimage spots and hill stations like Manali, Shimla, Chel, etc. Also, there are several bus services, including air-conditioned, deluxe, and semi-deluxe that link Chandigarh to other neighboring cities.


text:
Accommodation in Carlow
Racey Byrnes
Bed & Breakfast : 6 bedroom, breakfast included
Family run bed and breakfast located in the heart of Carlow town. The premises is on the Main Street of the town within walking distance of the bus and train stations. The bed and breakfast rooms are ...
Ballyderrin House
Bed & Breakfast : 9 bedroom, breakfast included
At Ballyderrin House Boutique Bed & Breakfast it's the subtle differences we think you'll notice first and enjoy the most. A warm welcome is assured at Ballyderrin House, County Carlow, where g...
Lorum Old Rectory
Guesthouse : 4 bedroom, breakfast included
Lorum is a place where guests quickly become friends of the family. Built in 1863 of local cut granite, the Rectory sits at the foot of Mount Leinster in the historic Barrow Valley. Lorum is renown...
Ireland » Carlow » Bagenalstown
About county Carlow
Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland. In the north, the broad valleys of the rivers Barrow and Slaney are famed for their fertility and are intensively farmed. In the south, Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs form a natural imposing border with Wexford.
County Carlow is home to many fine buildings, backed up by splendid countryside and natural beauty. On a clear day, be sure to go up the Killeshin Hills, where you'll be treated to a spectacular view of Carlow town. It's equally impressive by night.
Items of historical importance are plentiful and are well-kept in museums across the county. In urban areas, summer days can be happily spent in Carlow's award-winning parks, most notably the Oak Park Forest Park and Carlow Town Park.
Carlow links
Your county Carlow related website here ? Add a link to us on your website, Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. Read more about adding a link to us.
We are hiring
Book direct with owners
Plan your holiday to Ireland on our website without booking fees. We have many properties listed to choose from. Accommodation is added and updated every week.
How to sign-up your accommodation ?
It couldn't be easier to sign-up with us. You can sign-up on your mobile phone, tablet, laptop and pc. Simply complete our quick and easy registration form and you could be taking bookings tomorrow.


text:
Hello. After a 11 hour flight I landed in San Francisco.
While staying in the best hotel in the city centre, I very much enjoyed sightseeing a exploring the city. Alcatraz Island, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and the bridges are a must-see!
San Francisco has a lot to offer, very interesting streets, people, bridges, food, wildlife, culture.
I was also very lucky to visit Silicon Valley which is nearby – it is full of cool people and very intelligent people. It feels like no one is there by accident. These people rule the world. Headquarters of the biggest companies are just right here.
It's a happy place, very well looked after, with very green parks and nice places to relax and shop.
I enjoyed every minute both in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Hot place, friendly people, and, I almost forgot- the best wine in the world.
Looking forward to visit again…:)


text:
Kyle Bolton
As the design director, Kyle creates products and software that make healthcare more connected to improve patient outcomes by helping healthcare providers and life science companies make more informed data driven decisions. As a native Canadian, Kyle spent a few years in Dublin where he founded Ultrasound Dimensions before relocating to Montreal to help establish HealthBeacon's first North American office.
For fun, Kyle enjoys sailing, sipping cortados, listening to deep house or chill beats, traveling to tropical islands, watching documentaries, photography, reading biographies and going to the gym, in that order.
Favourite Quote:
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da Vinci


text:
Variety Details Paywall-Free Blog Showblitz
Variety confirmed news from Monday, originally reported by TheWrap.com, that it will launch a blog outside of its paywall and offered details about the new product, Showblitz, in an email:
Dear friend of Variety,
Variety is excited to present Showblitz, a breaking news blog designed with you in mind.
Showblitz is an up-to-the-minute, easy-to-digest showcase for Variety's best scoops and important entertainment news stories.
We realize that our paywall has discouraged sites like yours from linking to our content in the past, even when Variety breaks big showbiz stories. Showblitz gives you a way to let your users have access to an important source of news — and it also gives you an easy way to monitor a feed of Variety's exclusives and breaking news.
This is not a strategy shift for Variety.com. The paywall lives on. Each entry on Showblitz — short, timely, punchy and art-centric — will include links to the full stories within Variety.com. In fact, what better way to entice eventual new subscribers than great, compelling, timely, and newsy content they can't get anywhere else?
We hope you'll explore the blog and use it as your personal Variety feed (if you don't subscribe already; and we hope it encourages you to do so!). But most importantly, we hope you'll start linking to Showblitz, which you'll notice is not ad-supported — it's built for you to use and, hopefully, help draw attention to Variety's wealth of breaking entertainment news.
Thanks for your consideration and happy linking,
The Variety staff


text:
Resting Heart Rate as Predictor for Left Ventricular Dysfunction and Heart FailureMESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis)
Author + information
- Received August 20, 2013
- Revision received October 15, 2013
- Accepted November 25, 2013
- Published online April 1, 2014.
Author Information
- Anders Opdahl, MD, PhD∗,†,
- Bharath Ambale Venkatesh, PhD‡,
- Veronica R.S. Fernandes, MD, PhD‡,
- Colin O. Wu, PhD§,
- Khurram Nasir, MD∗,
- Eui-Young Choi, MD, PhD∗,
- Andre L.C. Almeida, MD∗,
- Boaz Rosen, MD∗,
- Benilton Carvalho, PhD‖,
- Thor Edvardsen, MD, PhD†,
- David A. Bluemke, MD, PhD¶,# and
- João A.C. Lima, MD∗,#∗ (jlima{at}jhmi.edu)
- ∗Cardiology Division, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
- †Department of Cardiology, Rikshospitalet, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- ‡Department of Radiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York
- §Offices of Biostatistics Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
- ‖School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
- ¶National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- #Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- ↵∗Reprint requests and correspondence:
Dr. João A. C. Lima, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University, 600 North Wolfe Street, Blalock 524D1, Baltimore, Maryland 21287.
Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between baseline resting heart rate and incidence of heart failure (HF) and global and regional left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.
Background The association of resting heart rate to HF and LV function has not been well described in an asymptomatic multi-ethnic population.
Methods Resting heart rate was measured in participants in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) trial at inclusion. Incident HF was registered (n = 176) during follow-up (median 7 years) in those who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (n = 5,000). Changes in ejection fraction (ΔEF) and peak circumferential strain (Δεcc) were measured as markers of developing global and regional LV dysfunction in 1,056 participants imaged at baseline and 5 years later. Time to HF (Cox model) and Δεcc and ΔEF (multiple linear regression models) were adjusted for demographics, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, calcium score, LV end-diastolic volume, and mass in addition to resting heart rate.
Results Cox analysis demonstrated that for 1 beat/min increase in resting heart rate, there was a 4% greater adjusted relative risk for incident HF (hazard ratio: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.06; p < 0.001). Adjusted multiple regression models demonstrated that resting heart rate was positively associated with deteriorating εcc and decrease in EF, even when all coronary heart disease events were excluded from the model.
Conclusions Elevated resting heart rate was associated with increased risk for incident HF in asymptomatic participants in the MESA trial. Higher heart rate was related to development of regional and global LV dysfunction independent of subclinical atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis [MESA]; NCT00005487)
- cardiac MRI
- coronary heart disease
- heart failure
- left ventricular dysfunction
- myocardial strain
- resting heart rate
Resting heart rate is associated with cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality (1). Nevertheless, for many years, resting heart rate has not been included among the main CV risk factors, partially because of interdependence with other risk factors (2). Another reason might have been our incomplete understanding of the mechanisms linking resting heart rate to CV events.
Being related to sympathetic overactivity, atherosclerosis, and plaque vulnerability, resting heart rate–mediated arterial stress has gained much focus among the potential mechanisms underlying CV disease progression and clinical manifestations (3). It is well known that elevated resting heart rates are associated with greater mortality from CV disease (CVD) in particular but also from non-CVD (1,4). Several prior studies have also reported the association between resting heart rate and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (5) and/or heart failure (HF) in epidemiological studies (1,6–8) and in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) (9,10). On the other hand, few clinical studies have explored the relationships between resting heart rate and LV dysfunction and/or HF among asymptomatic individuals without a history of CVD. Resting heart rate and LV stroke volume are closely regulated for providing adequate cardiac output. During the early phases of LV dysfunction and progression toward HF, subtle reduction of LV function might therefore be accompanied by a compensatory increase in resting heart rate (5), even before the elevated heart rate is identified as a marker of excessive neuroendocrine activation (11). In this regard, there are no studies investigating resting heart rate with incident HF and with myocardial dysfunction in a large asymptomatic population of men and women.
Therefore, we hypothesized that: 1) resting heart rate may be related to HF independently of hypertension, diabetes; and CHD; and 2) an increased resting heart rate might be an early marker of LV dysfunction that precedes traditional indexes of LV dysfunction and clinical disease. We explored the relationship between resting heart rate at baseline and incident HF in a large multi-ethnic population of both sexes free of CVD at enrollment. We also investigated whether resting heart rate was associated with the development of global and regional LV dysfunction independently of traditional risk markers.
Study population
The MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) study has been described elsewhere (12). Between 2000 and 2002, 6,814 men and women who identified themselves as white (38%), African American (28%), Hispanic (22%), or Chinese American (12%) and were age 45 to 84 years were recruited from 6 U.S. communities in Maryland, Illinois, North Carolina, California, New York, and Minnesota. On entry, all participants underwent an extensive evaluation that consisted of clinical questionnaires, physical examination, electrocardiogram (ECG) for measurement of resting heart rate, and laboratory tests including fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, and total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (13). Individuals with a history of CVD were excluded. Institutional review boards at each of the participating centers approved the study protocol, and informed consent was obtained from each participant.
CV events during the follow-up period
All events in the MESA study were adjudicated by the morbidity and mortality committee composed of cardiologists, epidemiologists, and general clinicians who review the reports generated by a team of trained individuals who interview participants by phone and gather the appropriate records on each of the reported events. MESA participants who developed events were admitted to different hospitals in the community, including the centers where they are followed as participants of the MESA study. A telephone interviewer contacted each participant (or representative) every 6 to 9 months to inquire about all interim hospital admissions, CV outpatient diagnoses, and deaths. Medical records and information were successfully obtained for an estimated 98% of hospitalized CV events and 95% of outpatient CV diagnostic encounters. Two physicians reviewed all records for independent endpoint classification and assignment of event dates. Reviewers assigned a diagnosis of myocardial infarction based on a combination of symptoms, ECG findings, and cardiac biomarker levels. The definition of angina was adapted from the Women's Health Initiative criteria. Reports of percutaneous coronary intervention and bypass surgery were obtained from medical records. CHD was defined as myocardial infarction, angina, percutaneous coronary intervention, or bypass surgery (13). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) status and severity were defined according to the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society COPD criteria (14).
Details regarding the MESA trial processes and criteria for verifying, classifying, and adjudicating CV events have been previously reported (13,15,16). A precise definition of each individual outcome and adjudication of clinical events for the MESA study are available online (12). The endpoint for this substudy was a composite of probable and definite HF. In addition to clinical HF symptoms or signs, probable HF further required a physician diagnosis of HF and medical treatment for HF. Definite HF also required: 1) pulmonary edema/congestion by chest radiograph; and/or 2) dilated ventricle or poor LV function by echocardiography or ventriculography or evidence of LV diastolic dysfunction. The Online Appendix details the criteria used for adjudication of events in the MESA trial. The risk associated with elevated heart rate was tested by comparing time to HF events with resting heart rate as a continuous variable, as well as analyzing resting heart rate classified into quartiles.
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and follow-up
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in 5,098 participants and, as an ancillary study protocol, 1,793 participants underwent tagged MRI studies; among these, 1,115 participants underwent repeated tagged MRI scans with an identical protocol 5 years later. The complete cardiac MRI protocol has been previously described elsewhere (13,17). Change in global systolic LV function was quantified as ejection fraction change (ΔEF) from baseline to follow-up and was calculated by subtracting the baseline from the corresponding follow-up values.
LV strain analysis
As a marker of regional myocardial systolic function, myocardial circumferential midwall shortening was quantified as circumferential strain (εcc) and analyzed by harmonic phase imaging (Diagnosoft, Palo Alto, California) (18). Average minimal value of εcc from 4 LV wall segments (septal, anterior, inferior, and lateral) at midventricular level was calculated, and change in regional LV function from baseline to follow-up was quantified as Δεcc by subtracting the baseline εcc from the corresponding follow-up value. A positive Δεcc indicated a decline in regional LV function.
Statistical analysis
Continuous variables are presented as mean ± SD and compared between groups using 2-sample Student t tests. Categorical variables are presented as percent proportions and compared between groups using chi-square tests.
Cox proportional hazard models were constructed for the analysis of the association of risk factors with incident HF by adjustment for the following variables: resting heart rate (continuous or in quartiles), age, ethnicity, sex, current alcohol use, intentional exercise ≥600 metabolic equivalent (MET) min/week, college-level education, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), current smoking, HDL cholesterol level, triglyceride level, current medications (lipid-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers [nondihydropyridines]), LV end-diastolic volume and mass indexed to height, computed tomography coronary calcium score (0 or higher than 0), and baseline LVEF (replaced by baseline εcc in regional LV function analysis). Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated with associated 95% CI and reported for 1-U increases in continuous variables or reclassification of categorical variables to a different level. Participants lost to follow-up were censored at the time of the last follow-up, and missing values were handled based on an a priori analytical plan, that is, only participants who had missing data on a variable needed for a particular model were excluded from that analysis. In backwards stepwise multivariable linear regression models, we investigated Δεcc and ΔEF separately as continuous variables. The same variables were used for the Cox analyses. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 19 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois).
Participant characteristics and HF events
Of the 6,814 MESA study participants, 5 participants had pre-baseline events and were excluded, and ECG resting heart rate was available in 6,766. Technically adequate data from baseline MRI were available in 5,000 and from the follow-up cardiac MRI in 942 participants. Baseline characteristics according to resting heart rate quartiles and incident HF are shown in Table 1. The mean age of the participants was 62 years (range 44 to 84 years); 53% of the participants were female, 12% were Chinese American, 28% were African American, 22% were Hispanic, and 39% were white. Participants with the highest resting heart rate (70 to 130 beats/min) versus lowest quartile (36 to 56 beats/min) were more likely to be female, less likely to be college graduates and to exercise ≥600 METS per week, and more likely to have higher BMI, to have higher diastolic blood pressure, to be diabetic, and to have higher total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. At inclusion they had less LV mass indexed to height, lower LV end-diastolic volume index, slightly lower EF, and worse regional LV function (less negative εcc).
HF events
There were 176 HF events through 9 years of follow-up (median 7 years), of which 140 were definite and 36 were probable. The differences in baseline characteristics between those who developed HF versus those who did not are presented in Table 1. Participants who developed HF were older and more likely to be male. They were less likely to be Chinese American and more likely to be African American. They had higher BMI, higher resting heart rate, higher systolic blood pressure, and higher triglyceride levels, had lower HDL cholesterol levels, and were more likely to have diabetes and a positive coronary calcium score. Furthermore, they had higher LV mass index and LV end-diastolic volume index and lower LV EF at inclusion. A total of 142 participants were diagnosed with COPD, with 33 of them diagnosed with COPD at entry. Twenty-seven participants also developed HF during follow-up.
Resting heart rate and HF events
Adjusted analyses of resting heart rate as a continuous variable demonstrated that for every increase of 1 beat/min, there was a 4% greater risk for incident HF (Table 2). Adjusted resting heart rates for incident HF relative to a resting heart rate ≤55 beats/min are shown in Figure 1, classified by quartile. When compared with a resting heart rate ≤55 beats/min (lowest quartile), higher resting heart rate quartiles were associated with greater relative risks for incident HF. Importantly, for the highest resting heart rate quartile, we observed a more than 3-fold greater adjusted relative risk for incident HF (Table 2).
The association between resting heart rate as a continuous variable and incident HF was confirmed in adjusted Cox analysis stratified by sex with HRs of 1.07 (95% CI: 1.03 to 1.10; p ≤ 0.001) and 1.03 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.05; p = 0.028) for women and men, respectively. Furthermore, in adjusted analyses stratified by ethnicity, we also found increased relative risk for incident HF in white and African-American participants; with HRs of 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.08; p = 0.005) and 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.07; p = 0.030), respectively. We did not find significant association between adjusted resting heart rate and HF events in Hispanic and Chinese-American participants (HR: 1.03 [95% CI: 0.98 to 1.08; p = 0.24] and HR: 1.06 [95% CI: 0.92 to 1.22; p = 0.43]). However, the point estimates reflect a trend similar to that shown in white and African-American participants.
The participants with HF events versus no HF events were more likely at baseline to have hypertension (76% vs. 44%), have diabetes (27% vs. 10%), develop CHD during follow-up (42% vs. 4%), and have/develop COPD (19% vs. 2%), all of which are established risk factors for incident HF. However, in a subanalysis excluding participants with interim CHD events and COPD, resting heart rate remained associated with incident HF in adjusted Cox models (HR: 1.04 [95% CI: 1.01 to 1.07; p = 0.003]). We observed a preserved elevated HR for incident HF for resting heart rate ≥70 beats/min relative to a resting heart rate ≤56 beats/min (HR: 4.55 [95% CI: 1.87 to 11.09; p = 0.001]). This suggests that the resting heart rate is a predictor for incident HF independently of blood pressure, diabetes, COPD, and clinical CHD. In addition, in this study, heart rate was not associated with CHD in Cox regression analysis in both univariate and multivariate models.
Resting heart rate and change in regional and global LV function
Results of the stepwise, backwards multiple linear regression analysis adjusted for demographics, traditional CV risk factors, markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, and LV structure and function at baseline are shown in Table 3 for change in regional LV function and in Table 4 for change in global systolic LV function. A greater resting heart rate was associated with reduced regional LV function (Δεcc; p < 0.001), as well as reduced global LV function (ΔEF; p < 0.001). In repeated analyses excluding participants with CHD events, the associations between resting heart rate and Δεcc, as well as with ΔEF, did not change and remained statistically significant, suggesting that increased resting heart rate is an independent predictor for the development of regional as well as global LV dysfunction. Figure 2 shows end-diastolic mass to end-diastolic volume ratios at baseline and follow-up across 4 quartiles of heart rate for men and women. Mass-volume ratio was greater in men and was high at high heart rates. The increase in mass-volume ratio was greater at higher heart rates both in univariate analysis (coefficient 0.003; p < 0.001) as well as after adjustment for demographics, traditional CV risk factors, and value at baseline (coefficient 0.003; p < 0.001).
The present study demonstrated that in a large multi-ethnic cohort without symptoms of CVD at enrollment, elevated heart rate was strongly associated with the development of regional and global LV dysfunction, as well as incident HF. These findings were independent of demographic confounders, established CV risk factors, and markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, as well as LV structure and function at inclusion. In Cox models and regression models excluding participants with incident CHD events, resting heart rate remained an important predictor for incident HF, as well as for declining regional and global LV function. This indicates that resting heart rate was related to incident HF independently of blood pressure, diabetes, COPD, and clinical CHD and that resting heart rate is an important predictor of progressive subclinical LV dysfunction.
To our knowledge, few previous studies have addressed the associations of resting heart rate with LV dysfunction and incident HF in a population of asymptomatic individuals at baseline (7,8). The adjusted HR for incident HF was of comparable magnitude as in other previous studies that included symptomatic participants at baseline (8). The majority of previous studies addressing resting heart rate as a CV risk factor have focused on either mortality (6,19) or coronary artery disease events (20). Consistent with our findings, previous studies have demonstrated an increased risk for incident HF associated with resting heart rates >70 beats/min (9,21). Resting heart rate has often been demonstrated to predict CHD events and hypertension, with or without diabetes, all of which are important contributing etiologies to the development of HF. Several studies have related resting heart rate to longstanding hypertension, CHD, or presence and/or development of valvular heart disease (3) It has been therefore suggested that increasing heart rate may promote CHD, which in turn may contribute to incident or progressive HF. The relationship between HF and heart rate and CHD and heart rate has been explored previously in the SHIFT (Systolic Heart Failure Treatment With the If Inhibitor Ivabradine Trial) (22) and BEAUTIFUL (Morbidity-Mortality Evaluation of the If Inhibitor Ivabradine in Patients With Coronary Disease and Left Ventricular Dysfunction) (9) studies, with the heart rate–reducing drug ivabradine. In the SHIFT study (22), in participants receiving ivabradine, reduced heart rates were observed in addition to fewer hospital admissions for worsening HF and deaths due to HF over 28 months of follow-up. In the BEAUTIFUL trial (9), participants receiving ivabradine did not show a significant reduction in the primary composite endpoints, but a specified subgroup of patients with heart rates >70 beats/min did show a reduction in secondary endpoints. These 2 studies, along with the present study, suggest that higher heart rate may be directly related to HF.
Resting heart rate as an independent predictor of incident HF
In the current study, resting heart rate predicted incident HF independently of hypertension, markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, diabetes, and cigarette smoking. Furthermore, this association remained unchanged even after participants with CHD events were excluded. This suggests that resting heart rate is related to pathophysiological processes leading to HF over and above the effects of clinical hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. These processes may include the contributions of preclinical stages of hypertension and diabetes, as well as other mechanisms such as inflammation (16), and pathways similar to tachycardia induced cardiomyopathy among other alternative etiologies (23). Because resting heart rate was not related to CHD events, the association between elevated heart rate and incident HF might be explained by such alternative mechanisms. Undiagnosed atherosclerotic or microvascular coronary artery disease associated with or not associated with diabetes may also represent a contributing factor to explain the role of resting heart rate as a predictor of incident HF in the diabetic and glucose intolerant group. A strong relationship has been demonstrated between HF or LV dysfunction in individuals with diabetes (24) or poor glycemic control (25).
Another possible mechanism is that low resting heart rate reflects enhanced vagal tone that may protect against arrhythmias including tachycardias (26). Autonomic imbalance has been associated with increased cardiac mortality (27) and arrhythmias (28). The heart rate profile during exercise and during recovery after exercise has also been demonstrated to be a strong predictor of sudden death in a large cohort of healthy individuals (2). Low heart rate may also result in increased shear stress between blood flow and arterial endothelium, which is beneficial due to increased production of vasodilating agents such as nitrogen oxide (29). In our study, the quartile with low heart rate had a range of heart rates that is quite low compared with optimal heart rate, but it has to be noted that the number of participants on beta-blockers was similarly high in this group (≈14%). Considering the fewer number of events in this category, this further adds to literature describing the benefits of using beta-blockers for heart rate reduction.
In patients with HF, heart rate reduction by beta-blockade reduces oxygen requirement for nonmechanical work and increases mechanical efficiency, but these benefits are abolished if resting heart rate is kept constant by atrial pacing (30). Long-standing increase in resting heart rate may increase cardiac oxygen requirement and contribute to LV remodeling, leading subsequently to LV dysfunction and HF. Therefore, there is increasing evidence supporting the concept that abnormalities in autonomic balance may precede manifestations of HF and may contribute to the early identification of individuals at risk for sudden death (6).
A high heart rate leads to greater myocardial oxygen consumption and decreased myocardial perfusion, the latter by shortening the duration of diastole. An increased heart rate might be directly related to diastolic HF. Women have been observed to be more susceptible to incident HF with preserved EF than men. This might explain the observation that the HR for heart rate was greater in women compared with men in this study, as has been observed previously in literature for prediction of CVD (31).
Regional function and HF
Quantification of myocardial strain from MRI has been demonstrated as an accurate marker of incipient LV dysfunction (15,32). Assessment of regional myocardial strain has also been recently shown to be superior to LVEF for prediction of mortality in patients with suspected cardiac disease (33). This is the first study to associate regional myocardial dysfunction with resting heart rate in a large population of asymptomatic individuals at baseline. These findings strengthen and add further evidence to the findings of decreased EF in individuals with higher resting heart rates and support the assumption that higher resting heart rate may promote progressive LV dysfunction and subsequent HF. In addition, higher mass-volume ratio as a measure of concentric LV remodeling (34) was significantly related to higher heart rates, indicating that increased heart rates may promote adverse remodeling.
Study limitations
Reliable evaluation of the associations between resting heart rate and CV events other than HF, as well as of ethnicity in relation to resting heart rate and CV events, requires additional studies. Moreover, the general applicability of our results may be limited by selection and survival biases. In this regard, because MESA study participants had no known CVD at baseline, older individuals undergoing MRI in this cohort may represent a healthier sample of the population at large. In addition, the mechanisms by which HF events result from resting heart rate level were not elucidated by these observational data. As stated in the Methods section, change in EF was calculated by subtracting the baseline examination measure from the follow-up examination, as previously described (35). In addition, the diagnosis of HF may not be as definitive as for other CV events such as stroke or myocardial infarction. Therefore, in the MESA trial, we required that participants be symptomatic with physician-diagnosed HF documented in the medical records that were adjudicated by physician reviewers. Finally, apparently preserved LV function at rest may be revealed as reduced LV function during physical activity.
In an ethnically diverse population free of symptomatic CVD at baseline, the resting heart rate was strongly associated with incident HF during follow up and with declining regional and global LV function. These associations may be mediated through hypertension, diabetes, and coronary atherosclerosis. However, our study suggested that the relationships of heart rate with LV dysfunction and incident HF may also be mediated by independent pathways, raising the possibility that heart rate may be an independent risk factor for HF.
The authors thank the other investigators, the staff, and the participants of the MESA study for their valuable contributions. A full list of participating MESA investigators and institutions can be found at http://www.mesa-nhlbi.org/.
Dr. Opdahl received partial grant support from the Raagholt Foundation, the Norwegian Society of Cardiology, the Caroline Musaeus Aarsvold's grant from the Norwegian Medical Association, the Unger Vetlesen Trust, and the Fulbright Foundation. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose. Jeffrey S. Borer, MD, served as Guest Editor for this paper.
- Abbreviations and Acronyms
- body mass index
- coronary heart disease
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- cardiovascular
- cardiovascular disease
- εcc
- circumferential strain
- ejection fraction
- high-density lipoprotein
- heart failure
- left ventricular
- Received August 20, 2013.
- Revision received October 15, 2013.
- Accepted November 25, 2013.
- 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation
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- ↵
- Fox K.,
- Borer J.S.,
- Camm A.J.,
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- Heidland U.E.,
- Strauer B.E.
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- Robertson M.,
- Ferrari R.
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- Celli B.R.,
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- et al.
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- Bahrami H.,
- Bluemke D.A.,
- Kronmal R.,
- et al.
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- Fernandes V.R.S.,
- Edvardsen T.,
- Rosen B.D.,
- et al.
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- Garot J.,
- Bluemke D.A.,
- Osman N.F.,
- et al.
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- Panza J.A.,
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- Callahan T.S.,
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- Spinale F.G.,
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- Zile M.R.
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- Go A.S.,
- et al.
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- La Rovere M.T.,
- Bigger J.T. Jr..,
- Marcus F.I.,
- Mortara A.,
- Schwartz P.J.
- ↵
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- Pinna G.D.,
- Hohnloser S.H.,
- et al.
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- Schirmer S.H.,
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- Bohm M.,
- Laufs U.
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- Fernandes V.R.S.,
- Bluemke D.A.,
- McClelland R.L.,
- Kronmal R.A.,
- Lima J.A.C.
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A Fistful of Slivers
|Arcane Sliver (6)
DescriptionIt's a shame that we've lost control of many of the creatures here on the island. This was once a tranquil place of study and research. Now it's all we can do to keep from being attacked by our own creations!
I'm going to offer you a chance to receive a magical boon in exchange for some collecting work on your part. Bring me a stack of arcane slivers that are found on the mana-using creatures of Sunstrider Isle, and I will cast a spell on you that should aid your adventures on the isle.
Many of the creatures here on the isle were at one point bound into non-aggression and complacency by our magical skills. When the Scourge destroyed the Sunwell, our hold over these creatures shattered. Arcane slivers are the remnants of the control we once had, and as such might be usable in fashioning a new device to aid us in regaining their control.
Better still, perhaps the slivers could be used to see what malaise the isle truly suffers under...
Better still, perhaps the slivers could be used to see what malaise the isle truly suffers under...
Splendid - these will do nicely. I've been doing quite a bit of thinking on the current malaise Sunstrider Isle suffers under. One possible course of action I had pondered was to collect these arcane slivers from the beasts on the isle. In doing so, they could be experimented on; this would provide a potential source of culpability.
Anyway, I will tend to the research. Allow me to place this incantation on you. I believe you'll make good use of it!
Anyway, I will tend to the research. Allow me to place this incantation on you. I believe you'll make good use of it!
RewardsYou will receive:
|Daylight Cloak
GainsUpon completion of this quest you will gain:
- 250 reputation with Silvermoon City
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The Wowhead Client is a little application we use to keep our database up to date, and to provide you with some nifty extra functionality on the website!
It serves 2 main purposes:
- It maintains a WoW addon called the Wowhead Looter, which collects data as you play the game!
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Serigraph wooden icon Saint Spyridon
Serigraph wooden icon of Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker Bishop of Trymithous on throne. The icon is a copy from an original hagiography made by Spyridon Sperantzas (1750-1775) that is kept in the church of Saint George in the village Karousades in Corfu.
Materials: wood, silk
Type: serigraph
Size: 13,7 × 22 cm


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Meet Our Staff
A great deal of careful planning, training and guidance is given to building the staff of educators and college students who will have an important role in the success of the camping experience for your son. Many of our most experienced staff have been campers and have qualified through our leadership-training program.
Counselor – Camper Experience
At Towering Pines, campers live in cabins with 8-10 other boys of the same age/grade. The counselors live with the same campers throughout the duration of the summer. The staff ratio is 3 counselors to 10 campers.
We hire counselors who have certifications and documented experience that qualify them to teach the skills and safety practices for their activity area of expertise. Water Safety Instructor, Lifeguard, CPR, AED and First-Aid certifications are the most notable. Check out our Health and Safety Section to learn more about our health standards.
Who We Hire
Our top priority is to hire positive role models for our staff who can nurture, inspire, and lead the campers in their care. Many of the counselors are former campers themselves and want to give young campers the same positive experience they had as campers. Our counselors are devoted to encouraging boys to form relationships, develop a stronger sense of self, and learn new skills, all while having fun!
Counselors that we hire outside of the camping community must be least 19 years old or have completed one year of college. All junior counselors (17-18 years old) that we hire have completed our thorough counselor-in-training leadership program.
I feel ever so strongly that camp is a vital component to building a strong character and a foundation for life. The camps attract children form all over the globe. The setting is just perfect. The staff is highly trained and safety is their number one concern. My children have made everlasting friendships and I believe my decision to send them to camp was one of the best decisions I've ever made.


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1. Check your email
If your healthcare provider entered your email address when he or she ordered your test, an email was sent to you with the information you need to establish your Invitae online portal account and register your test.
2. Register using a confirmation code
If you did not receive an email, but you have a patient card with a confirmation code, go to www.invitae.com/patients and click Register Your Test to create your account and register your test.
If you already have an account, sign in and click Register a test. You'll be prompted to set contact preferences and then enter the confirmation code from your patient card and your date of birth.
Where do I find this confirmation code?
Each sample collection kit contains an information card with your confirmation code. This may have been provided to you by your healthcare provider or lab technician. If you don't have this card, but you know your requisition number, this can also be used as your confirmation code.
If you get an error message, it's likely that we haven't received your sample yet. Try waiting a day or two and trying again; once we receive your sample, your confirmation code will be activated and linked to your order.
If more than a week has passed since your sample was mailed to Invitae and you are still having trouble registering your test, please contact Client Services.
If you do not yet have a test ordered, you can still create an account by navigating to the Sign Up page.


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A Huge Problem
|Problim slain
|Suggested players: 3
DescriptionWe finally capture this godforsaken rock and then we find out that there is a huge ettin roaming around, taking out our sentry patrols!
<name>, I need you to round up a few friends and take that ettin down. We can't have a beast like that roaming around, wreaking havoc.
Stay alert, reports from the front say that he is carrying a huge tree as a weapon, and he is not afraid to use it.
You actually killed him?! I can't believe it!
RewardsYou will receive:
|Tol Barad Commendation
GainsUpon completion of this quest you will gain:
- 350 reputation with Hellscream's Reach
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- Screenshots containing UI elements are generally declined on sight, the same goes for screenshots from the modelviewer or character selection screen.
- The higher the quality the better!
- Please review our Screenshot Guidelines before submitting!
Simply type the URL of the video in the form below.
The Wowhead Client is a little application we use to keep our database up to date, and to provide you with some nifty extra functionality on the website!
It serves 2 main purposes:
- It maintains a WoW addon called the Wowhead Looter, which collects data as you play the game!
- It uploads the collected data to Wowhead in order to keep the database up-to-date!
You can also use it to keep track of your completed quests, recipes, mounts, companion pets, and titles!
So, what are you waiting for? Download the client and get started.


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We learned right a way that there are a lot of things out there getting on your nerves. A LOT of things.
Due to space constraints, we're only able to run a fraction of the reader-rant submissions. We decided not to run the rants focusing on one person's bad experiences at one specific business (take those to your lawyer, the Better Business Bureau or small-claims court), and we held off on publishing any of the myriad traffic-related rants, because, well, we all already understand perfectly that other drivers (besides you, of course) completely suck.
After all that, we picked the most interesting of the remaining rants that we had space for--and here they are.
If your rant didn't make the cut--thank you for writing it, in any case. And for the people who had a rant but didn't get around to submitting it ... there's always next year.
Yeah, right. Here's a tip: It's not benefiting me; it's annoying the crap out of me. Stop it already!
Tony Eckstat
Diane Lopes
Here's the idea: Some special-interest group in town wants to pilfer taxpayer funds for one of their pet projects. Bonds can be, and have been, used for just about anything. The group then spreads two lies: 1) We're going to save Tucson by (fill in the blank), and 2) This bond will not raise your taxes. The election is then set for the third Tuesday in May (or some other random date), guaranteeing an 8 percent voter turnout, 75 percent of which is comprised of said special-interest group.
Of course, anyone with an IQ high enough not to believe in the bond fairy realizes that while it may be technically true that our taxes will not be raised, they will be extended far enough into the future that our children will be forced to repay most bonds. If you want to do something "for the children," vote down all bond packages--and then vote the politicians who support them out of office. If they need money, let them get it honestly, through voluntary donations.
Rich McKnight
D Wood
Thanks. I feel better now.
Jane Sliva
Every time I go out to eat, it is a two-hour experience. I do have a life to get back to at some point. Not only is the service slow; it is often unfriendly. Servers today seem to spend the majority of their day doing everything but serving. It really warms my heart when my server stops refilling the ketchup bottles long enough to notice the "desperate for attention" look in my eyes.
By the end of my meal, I am filled with an "I'll show them" attitude. I fantasize about teaching these shitty servers a lesson by leaving them a real tip--a note that exclaims "Get a f*cking clue." Then, of course, I always end up kicking myself as I walk away after leaving 20 percent on the table.
Here are a few tips for our beloved servers
Sara M. Giza
Jane Doherty
The prosecution of the two Americans who assisted ailing people found in the desert is absurd. If there had been a dying 6-year-old child, would there still be a criminal case? Would the U.S. government still have the guts to prosecute?
The argument that the water stations placed in the desert promote more illegal border crossers is pure nonsense. Long before the water stations were placed in the desert, the number of illegals crossing the border rose annually. I have the right to give a dying man in the desert a cup of water.
J.C. Livingston
Such an oversight is sad. An exquisite chance was lost--perhaps forever.
Phil Muñoz
One of the stupidest exercises asks kids to sound out nonsense syllables. (Why is this a stupid exercise? Beecaws inglish izint uh fohnetik langwij.) Students performing below grade level don't get the necessary enrichment to catch up. Students performing above grade level learn that school is boring and repetitive. Average students learn useless skills. And great teachers are leaving the profession in droves.
In his State of the Union address, Dubya bragged about a national increase in test scores. Naturally, if you teach test-taking, kids will learn to take tests. If you teach reading and writing, kids will learn to read and write. The way to improve public education is to hire more teachers, reduce class sizes and provide more resources. But you can't expect much from a government that celebrates spending billions a year on achievement tests and calls it education, while justifying a $100 billion for warmongering, which they call "nation building."
Monica Friedman
Jessica Nichols


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Daily Free Games
What Daily Free Games do you have?
We currently have four Daily Free Games which are:
• Tiki's Catch of the Day
• Daily Free Parking
• Doubly Bubbly
• Daily Rainbows
How do I play this game?
The game takes place on a grid, and the aim is to uncover symbols which match up to prizes!
Each day you can choose six new squares, which will reveal six symbols. Uncover matching symbols to win free spins on the corresponding Slot game.
How do I know what I can win?
The chart on the left of the screen shows the prizes available and the number of symbols needed for each one. The chart counts down to show how many are left to collect.
What is the coin size of these Free Spins?
Am I guaranteed to win on the Free Games?
How do I claim my spins?
Either click through to the Slot game from the Daily Free Game or load up this slot directly from the Games Lobby. This will be either Tiki Island OR Tiki Island Jackpot, MONOPOLY Paradise Mansion OR MONOPOLY Gameshow Jackpot, Rainbow Riches or Double Bubble OR Double Bubble Jackpot OR Double Bubble Triple Jackpot.
How do I qualify to take part?
You just need to have made at least one deposit in the lifetime of the account in order to play our Daily Free Games.
What happens if I miss a day?
Unfortunately, we're not able to backdate days to make up for ones you've missed. Make sure you take part each day, so you don't miss out!
What happens if I'm not able to claim my free spins by clicking 'Play Spins'?
If you are having problems loading the games or seeing your progress so far, it may be due to a graphical error on your display. You can resolve this by clearing your Temporary Internet Files and Cookies, which you can find instructions for here.
Please note that in order to claim your free spins, you do need to complete all 6 of your picks for that particular day. If you take less than these 6 picks, your spins will expire at 23:59 alongside the remaining picks.


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He suggests that the United States recognize the provisional government that the opposition to Moamar Gadhafi is trying to establish. This, according to Bolton, in addition to strengthening the hand of the opposition government, it will help keep oil profits out of the hands of the Gadhafi regime.
Ambassador Bolton is toying with the idea of running for the Republican presidential nomination. The inspiration behind such a run would be based on what he calls a lack of attention being paid to the many threats to our national security.
Filed under: John Bolton | Tagged: #tcot, 2012 caucus schedule, 2012 election sites, 2012 election strategy, 2012 Presidential Election, 2012 primary schedule, 2012 race for president, 2012 Republican caucuses, 2012 Republican Presidential Primaries, 2012 republican primary, about the republican presidential candidates, Ambassador John Bolton, Anthony Del Pellegrino, biographies, bios, Bolton 2012, Bolton urghes support of opposition government in Libya, Bolton�s Republican presidential campaign, campaign 2012, campaign tactics, candidate bios, digg, election 2012, G.O.P., GOP, gop12, interview with Gadhafi's son, Is John Bolton running for President, John Bolton, John Bolton bio, John Bolton biography, John Bolton for President, John Bolton in 2012, John Bolton interview on youtube, John Bolton libertarian conservative, John Bolton on Libya, John Bolton on the issues, John Bolton runs for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2012, kempite, libertarian conservative, Libya protests, Moamar Gadhafi, political strategy, politics 24/7, Politics 247. U4Prez, presidential commercials, race for the white house, reddit, Republican caucuses, Republican John Bolton, Republican presidential candidate biographies, Republican primaries, republicans running for president in 2012, StumbleUpon, the 2012 presidential campaign, the 2012 presidential election, The presidential election, the republican race for President, transcript of John Bolton interview on Libya, U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, White House 2012, White House 2012 on Twitter, whitehouse12, whitehouse2012, Who is running for President, Who will win the presidential election, Will John Bolton run for President, wordpress political blogs | 1 Comment »


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The New York Rangers have nine junior prospects in their system in 2014-15. For the past few years, the Rangers traded many of their picks, and in the process depleted their junior prospect pool. But with the selection of seven prospects in 2014 NHL Draft, New York has restocked the system.
All but one of these junior prospects play for a CHL team-with Tyler Nanne, being the sole USA junior-A player. Additionally, although Anthony Duclair is eligible to return to his junior team (the QMJHL Quebec Remparts) this season, he is currently donning a Rangers sweater.
Ryan Graves, D, Quebec Remparts
Acquired: 4th round (110th overall), 2013
Ryan Graves had shoulder surgery after the 2013-14 season and the recovery period required Graves to miss development camp, the Traverse City Rookie Tournament, and the Rangers NHL training camp this fall. However, for the last three weeks, the 2013 fourth round pick is back on the ice. A very large, mostly defensive defenseman, Graves developed really well last season. The Rangers rewarded him by signing Graves to an entry-level contract in March 2014. Recently traded from Val-d'Or Foreurs to his third team in as many seasons, the Memorial Cup host Quebec Remparts, Graves has begun to show a bit of offensive upside to his game. He currently has four points through eight games.
Daniel Walcott, D, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
Acquired: 5th round (140th overall), 2014
Walcott was drafted by the Rangers as a 20-year-old this past summer. At both development camp and Traverse City, Walcott showed why the Rangers selected him. A dynamo on the ice, this small, very offensively minded blueliner is a spark plug on every shift. Off to a terrific start with the Armada, Walcott, the team captain, is scoring at a rate of almost a point-per-game. He was also named to the QMJHL all stars and posted one assist in two games in the Canada Russia Super Series earlier this month.
Keegan Iverson, C, Portland Winterhawks
Acquired: 3rd round (85th overall), 2014
Keegan Iverson was named the alternate captain of the Winterhawks prior to the 2014-15 season. A good forechecker with a thick body, Iverson does not put up big numbers, but he is a presence that opponents cannot ignore. Iverson had his first fight of the season last week, but it will likely not be his last. He will need to learn to improve his positional play, but the Rangers do expect some significant development from Iverson this year. Projected to be a bottom six forward in the pros, he will likely play on the wing.
Richard Nejezchleb, RW, Tri-City Americans
Acquired: 5th round (122nd overall), 2014
A very good sized winger, who uses his strength very well, Nejezchleb was traded earlier this month from the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Tri City Americans. Injured in the Traverse City Rookie Tournament, after a very impressive first game, Nejezchleb has belatedly begun his WHL season strongly (one game winner and 12 points in nine games). With excellent size and offensive instincts, Nejezchleb projects to be a power forward in the NHL.
Adam Tambellini, LW, Calgary Hitmen
Acquired: 3rd round (65th overall), 2013
When Adam Tambellini was drafted, the Rangers thought that he would be a four-year project. Expected to spend those years at the University of North Dakota, after one semester, Tambellini decided it was best for his development to leave the university and join the CHL. His rights had to be traded for him to get to Calgary, but since his arrival, Tambellini has done very well. Tambellini has good hands, size, and bloodlines, and he continues to develop in Calgary. The son of ex-NHLer Steve Tambellini, Adam is in his second season with Calgary and is currently leading the Hitmen with three game-winning goals in 21 games, while producing at over a point-per-game rate.
Troy Donnay, D, Erie Otters
Acquired: Signed as a free agent, August, 2013
The tallest skater in the Rangers's system, Troy Donnay does not have much defensive upside, but he can be a tough, crease clearing blueliner. A free agent signing, the Rangers are trying to get Donnay to improve his positioning and the use of his stick. Thus far this season, Donnay has been very effective offensively too-in 14 games, he has recorded 12 points (three goals, nine assists).
Brandon Halverson, G, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Acquired: 2nd Round, 59th Overall, 2014
Halverson is in his second year in the net; taking over the number one duties in the Soo this season. A very athletic butterfly netminder, with a good glove, in 19 games this season, Halverson has recorded a goals against average of 2.94 and .914 save percentage for the Greyhounds. A top Rangers prospect, the NHL team is striving to bring Halverson along slowly. New York expects him to learn his trade in the OHL for at least two more seasons.
Ryan Mantha, D, Niagara IceDogs
Acquired: 4th Round, 104th Overall, 2014
Ryan Mantha has a huge frame and is mostly a stay at home blueliner. A member of the Niagara Ice Dogs, Mantha has appeared in only six games this season (0 goals, one assist, five penalty minutes, minus-eight) and is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury. Mantha will have to work on skating and gap control over the next two years to make it in pro hockey.
Tyler Nanne, D, Madison Capitols
Acquired: 5th Round, 142nd Overall, 2014
Nanne is an offensive defenseman, who started the season as a member of the Sioux Falls Stampede. Traded last week to the Madison Capitols, Nanne has only posted four points (two goals, two assists) in play this far this year. Nanne is committed to Ohio State for next season, so the Rangers will have almost four more years to make a decision regarding offering Nanne an entry-level contract.
New York Rangers Top Performing Non-Junior Prospects
At the NHL level, the top performing prospect is Duclair. The rookie forward has been getting top nine minutes in most of the games in which he has appeared. He has been scratched at times, but with seven points (one goal, six assists) in 16 games, Duclair is in the early conversation as a candidate for the Calder Trophy.
In Europe, Igor Shestyorkin has stopped almost everything he has seen in net. The 6'1 goaltender has played for the MHL St. Petersburg team and recorded a goals against average of 2.26 and a .934 save percentage. In the junior ranks of the VHL, Shestyorkin has a 1.72 goals against average and a .943 save percentage in eight games.
New York Rangers Prospect of the Month: October
The Rangers prospect of the month for October is Pavel Buchnevich. Playing for Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL, Buchnevich is a 19 year old Russian who plays against adults. During the month of October, Buchnevich posted six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 games. This season, the 2013 Rangers third round selection has potted two game winners. He has nine goals and nine assists through 29 games this season.


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Report Roundup
Latino Students
"Hispanic High School Graduates Pass Whites in College Enrollment"
Latino students have reached a new milestone in the United States: A higher percentage of those who graduate from high school are enrolling in college compared with white graduates.
In the class of 2012, a record 69 percent of Hispanic high school graduates pursued higher education, compared with 67 percent of non-Hispanic white graduates, according to a report released last week by the Pew Research Center in Washington. In 2000, just 49 percent of Hispanic high school graduates enrolled in college the next fall.
Overall, 66 percent of high school graduates of the class of 2012 enrolled in college, including 63 percent of black students and 84 percent of Asians.
Once they leave high school, though, Latino students tend to have a different experience from that of their white counterparts. According to the report, they are less likely to attend a four-year (versus two-year) college, enroll in a selective school, attend full time, or earn a bachelor's degree.
Vol. 32, Issue 31, Page 5Published in Print: May 15, 2013, as Latino Students
We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
All comments are public.


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Regular price
Brand: Mkono
Color: Ivory
Package: 1Pcs. Show your plants some love with this elegant, lovely boho macrame plant hanger, add some greenery and warm feeling. Make your home looks more unique and chic. This handmade hanging shelf is the perfect piece for saving space, and a beautiful home decor, good choice for giving that to friend as a gift!


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January 19th, 2008 - Go Nintendo publishes an email from John Dennis of Team17…
"Firstly, thanks for taking the time to mail. We appreciate the time and effort involved in mailing, and enjoy hearing from the people who play our games…. we think it's one of the things that has kept the brand evergreen for so many years.
In answer to the issue you highglight in your email, I'm afraid that online will not be present in A Space Oddity. While I appreciate many gamers would like to see that feature, we're not able to change the release date due to contractual obligations with THQ.
I'm really sorry that I can't be more helpful in this instance, but hope that you appreciate the effort and love that we *have* put into the game. Whether you end up purchasing it or not (and I can understand if you're a hardcore fan of the game, maybe "Worms Open Warfare 2? on PSP or DS: two online-centric versions of the game, would be a flavour you'd enjoy more), I'd like to thank you for taking the time to mail and say that we greatly appreciate the feedback we get from fans of the game."


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The third ANH Academy Week was held in Accra, Ghana last week (25-29 June) following successful events in Nepal in 2017 and Ethiopia in 2016. By taking ANH to different locations each year, we aim to enable collaboration between colleagues from across the world. This year over 350 people attended from 52 countries. The conference also featured particularly strong representation of African and Asian peers and young researchers, due in part to ANH Academy's sponsorship of 20 highly-rated abstract presenters. This demonstrates the leadership that the ANH Academy is showing in international conferences.
Learning Labs
The week began with two days of Learning Labs on interdisciplinary agriculture, nutrition and health research. ANH Academy Partners delivered a broad mix of interactive training workshops that aimed to support the next generation of researchers and other stakeholders whose work relates to agriculture, nutrition and health. Topics included food systems, qualitative and quantitative methods and tools, gender and equity and research communication. Dr Mercy Lungaho of CIAT, Kenya commented, "It's good to see case studies because it makes it easier to see what does and doesn't work. I realised that this is not just academic — we're really solving world problems." The second day also included an IMMANA-led discussion panel and fair on methods and metrics. The fair was an interactive event where IMMANA-funded projects presented their emerging methods, metrics and tools including a scale to measure household-level water insecurity, a metric to assess vegetable intake, and a method of estimating post-harvest losses.
The Research Conference
The last three days of the Academy Week took the format of a more traditional research conference. We saw presentations, keynotes speeches, mini poster presentations and panel discussions. Day Three began with a powerful reminder that we need to accelerate our efforts to feed the world's growing population in a way that is healthy, sustainable and just. Dr Amos Laar, President of the African Nutrition Society, called on researchers to work in partnership to fight malnutrition in all its forms to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Day Four started with a focus on tools, methods and metrics. Presenters demonstrated innovative approaches to complex research challenges such as capturing seasonal patterns of energy expenditure and food intake. Other methods included measuring household water insecurity or estimating nutritional post-harvest losses.
A popular session on food policy for nutrition and health led to a research-donor-policy panel, which explored evidence-informed policymaking. Panellists stressed the need to better understand pathways between evidence and policy and build capacity for research uptake. They also called on attendees to identify champions and recognise the importance of context in which policy decisions are made.
The final day featured presentations on dietary transitions in both urban and rural settings. Furthermore a panel including government, civil society and donor representatives called for greater collaboration across disciplines and sectors as a way forward to tackle malnutrition. Bassirou Bonfoh, Director of the Swiss Center for Scientific Research, Ivory Coast, echoed these sentiments with a reminder that health sits firmly in the centre of the ANH nexus.
Summarising the conference, Rachel Lambert, Senior Livelihoods Adviser, DFID, and a key Funder of the event, praised the ANH Academy for its "success in convening different groups and disciplines. In this respect the Academy is unique, as no other network is equally interdisciplinary".
By Kiron Jones, co-ordinator of LCIRAH, originally written for LIDC.
More resources
Conference presentations are now available online.


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If you are constipated or fat or feeling lazy...I have your cure! It's long and skinny and mine is black. Sometimes made of rubber, sometimes of rope. It stings if you hit yourself with it but can be lots of fun if you use it correctly. Any guesses?
Yes, it's a jumprope. I read the other day that 10 minutes of jumping rope is equal to 30 minutes of jogging! That was all the convincing I needed. I went right out got me one. (only $6.95 for a really nice one at Wal-Mart). Anyway, little did I know it would be a natural laxitive too! (ha ha--sorry...I'm sure that is TMI but quite honestly, I know lots of people who struggle with that problem). Anyway, so...after 4 minutes, I was EXHAUSTED...but I pressed on and by 6 minutes, I had pushed past that tired feeling and was really enjoying myself. When my timer went off after 10 minutes, I was pumped up and ready to go again. I couldn't believe how soaked in sweat I was! You guys know I work out on a regular basis...for 2 hours at at time...so this was obviously a great workout!
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Thursday, April 12, 2007
If you are constipated or fat or feeling lazy...I have your cure! It's long and skinny and mine is black. Sometimes made of rubber, sometimes of rope. It stings if you hit yourself with it but can be lots of fun if you use it correctly. Any guesses?
2 comments:
- Logzie said...
Sounds like fun!! And talk about 'all natural'! HA!
- KC said...
What a coincidence! We just bought a "speed rope" on Tuesday. Stephen is in training for the "Guns vs. Hoses" boxing match (Police vs. Firefighters). He works with a guy who used to be a professional boxer, and he is training Stephen!! He suggested Stephen get a jump rope to do at home along with the boxing workout CD's he gave him (to do on their days off...otherwise they workout together at the gym when they get off of work.)
So we bought this speed rope, and WOW! Talk about a workout! We had been practicing with it, and then Stephen set the timer and made me do it for 3 minutes straight, no stopping. I was soaked in sweat, and thought I was going to DIE! haha It was wonderful! Then Stephen did it for 5 minutes straight, and he had sweat dripping off of his face before he was done. Talk about a great workout with minimal time/space needed. We have since started adding this to our daily cardio/weight-training.


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Tim and Mary lived in a middle class suburb just outside of Charlotte, NC. They were committed Christians, desiring to follow Christ in all they did, and wanting others to know about Him. They were both involved in serving in their local church (Tim as a Sunday School teacher and Mary in Children's Church), and with 3 kids of their own along with their careers in the insurance industry, life was busy.
Over time, Mary had befriended a co-worker at her office; a young single mother named Tara. Tara wasn't a Christian but was very open to spiritual truth. She enjoyed her talks with Mary on a range of subjects, including some on the Christian faith. Both ladies started spending more time together during lunch and break-times.
But over time, Tara started to pull away and was showing some visible signs of intense stress on the job. Out of sincere concern, Mary approached her one day to ask her if everything was OK. At this point, Tara became teary-eyed and opened up. She was struggling financially in a most terrible way. Just one of the many pains of divorce. And recent medical bills, along with her ex-husband's recent inconsistencies with child support payments, had put Tara at the end of her financial rope. Rent was past due and if she didn't come up with $800 by the end of the week, she would be evicted. If that happened, she didn't know what she and her young son would do.
Mary drove home that evening with a heavy heart, wanting to help Tara in a tangible way. Upon arriving, she spoke to Tim about the situation, asking if they had enough money to help Tara out financially. "As much as I'd like too, we just don't have it," replied Tim. "Even with our tight budget and our modest lifestyle, we can only squeeze out $50, but how much is that going to help?"
"But what about the money we set aside this month for our tithe?" replied Mary.
It was the end of the month, and Tim & Mary had $750 already set aside to give to their church that Sunday; $700 for the tithe, and a $50 offering. Tim was moved by the situation with Tara and wanted to help. But according to the teaching that Tim grew up with and embraced (and Mary to a lesser extent), the tithe "belonged to the Lord." It was supposed to be brought into "the storehouse" (the local church) to support the ministry. Only offerings above the tithe could be given as "freewill offerings" elsewhere. As a Christian, to not give in such a way was to "disobey God" according to Malachi 3, and much worse, was considered robbery of God. It also gave the enemy entrance into one's finances to wreak havoc.
Mary thought she might have been hearing from God concerning Tara, but after further discussion with Tim, they both agreed that it just wasn't possible to help Tara….at least not at that moment. That Sunday morning, they dropped their $700 tithe check into the offering plate.
When Mary arrived to work Monday morning, she was surprised to see Tara's office unoccupied and empty. When she inquired as to where Tara was, she was shocked by the response. Apparently, it was no joke that Tara needed immediate help to pay her rent. She was evicted from her apartment that Friday, and called in to work early Monday morning to explain to her boss that she wouldn't be back, and that she and her son were moving in with relatives 2 hours away. Furthermore, she still had to figure out how to move all her stuff and pay for it.
Mary walked to her office feeling horrible. Not only for Tara, but for Tara's son, who would now have to start over in a new school. And what about Tara's personal belongings? How would she afford moving expenses for the stuff left behind? On the inside, Mary hurt. She wanted to help, and she and her husband had $750, but $700 of it had to go to the church. Or did it? At that point, the only option was to appease her own conscience by just accepting what the preacher taught about the tithe. After all, the situation with Tara was over….
My friends, although the above story is fictional, it is not too far a stretch of the imagination by any means. Mary had a budding relationship with someone who wasn't a Christian but was nonetheless open to spiritual truth and the Christian faith. Lets just for a moment pretend that Tim, Mary and Tara did exist. Could you imagine the impact Mary & Tim could have had on this single mother by providing her a love offering for her rent, in Jesus name? Could you see the powerful testimony that could have been given through tangible, spirit-led giving? But instead, a budding relationship with promise was cut short, and a financial blessing was eliminated, all in the name of performance based Christian religion.
You may think I'm being a bit harsh, but I truly believe that the tithe, as it is typically taught in most church circles, is the greatest example of "theology gone wrong" and the epitome of spiritual abuse in those environments where pastors and teachers have personally been exposed to a new covenant interpretive perspective on the tithe, but continue to teach otherwise.
Jesus was not silent on the issue. Here he is, speaking to the religious leaders of His day:
9And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe[c] your own traditions!10For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,'[d] and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'[e] 11But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that." (Mark 7:9-13)
Wow. Here it is right here. Jesus rebuking the religious teachers of His day for teaching false doctrine in regards to giving. These Scribes and Pharisees were not allowing people the freedom to live from a heart motivated by compassion and love in their giving, but instead were putting the people under religious requirement, saying the gifts were to be "devoted to God" instead. The result was that the needy among the people were routinely neglected.
Nothing much has changed in 2000 years.
Statistics show that 85% of funds received by church are directed toward internal operations of the organization; 50% of it going to staff salaries.
Mission outreach & evangelism accounts for about 3% of the average church budget. The rest of the money remaining can be used for other practical purposes. (John & Sylvia Ronsville, "The State of Church Giving Through 2000," Champaign, Ill.: Empty Tomb, 2002, 1: also, Lifeway Research, Average Church Budget Spending, n.d.")
My goodness, this is not good!
The New Covenant paints a different picture as to how Christian giving should look, and 2nd Corinthians 9 is a hallmark chapter on the subject. Lets get a breath of fresh air and start there, spending some time talking about spirit-led giving:
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."[a] 10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:-)
In this portion of scripture, Paul is praising those in Achaia for the generous gift they were preparing for the believers in Macedonia, who had obvious tangible needs that needed to be met. A few things to take note of:
- They were instructed not to give out of compulsion, but according to what each one decided to give, based on searching his/her own heart regarding the matter.
- Their giving was directed at supplying the needs of the saints in Macedonia, not an organization.
- According to Paul, "Joy" would be their experience since their giving was not compulsory, but a freewill offering from the heart
- God would receive much glory through their spirit-led giving
Now compare this to the typical mode of giving (tithing) that is routinely taught by the institutional church.
- It is clearly compulsory. It is taught from the pulpit as such, typically through Old Covenant doctrine, or through a few "proof texts" from the New Covenant that are incorrectly taught or taken out of context.
- As mentioned before, on average, 85% of the funds a church receives goes toward the internal operations of the organization, not to people (inside or outside the church) who have tangible needs.
- Joy is unmistakably lacking in environments that adhere to a strict tithe to support "the church." I attribute this to exactly what the Apostle Paul touches on in 2 Corinthians 9:1-5; that such giving really takes no preparation, forethought or heart-sensitivity on the part of the giver. In other words, it takes no relationship with God to do it, it takes no sensitivity to the Holy Spirit to do it, and it takes no relationship with your neighbor or sensitivity to their need to do it. Just have your checkbook ready, and write out the check before the offering plate gets to you. Instead of our giving being relationally oriented, we've opted for a rigid, mechanical, obligatory system of giving which quenches any direction and creativity that the Holy Spirit might want to bring to this area of our lives. What a shame. And we wonder why joy is lacking in our giving!
Who should primarily be benefiting from our giving? As basic and elementary as the question may sound, I believe many have lost sight of this from a biblical perspective.
Lets read the portion of scripture from 2 Corinthians 9 once again, paying attention to what is emphasized in bold print:
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."[a]
Notice that in regards to giving, we are called to abound in every good work. And the good work we are called to abound in is, primarily, supporting the poor! Now before some of you may be thinking that I'm using "proof text theology" to make this claim, lets look at the New Testament a bit closer. When it comes to giving, a noticeable theme rings out:
2"So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they (B)may be honored by men (C)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3"But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and (D)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:2-4)
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Matthew 19:21)
For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor." (Matthew 26:9)
8Zaccheus stopped and said to (A)the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have (B)defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back (C)four times as much." 9And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is (D)a son of Abraham. (Luke 19:7-9)
5but now, (A)I am going to Jerusalem (B)serving the saints. 26For (C)Macedonia and (D)Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. (Romans 15-25-26, Paul speaking)
10They only asked us to remember the poor–(I)the very thing I also was eager to do. (Galatians 2:10, Paul speaking)
Perhaps the one portion of scripture from the New Testament that defines what our attitude should be toward the poor is found in James chapter 2:
1(A)My brethren, (B)do not hold your faith in our (C)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of (D)personal favoritism. 2For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in(E)fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in(F)dirty clothes, 3and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the(G)fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges (H)with evil motives? 5Listen, (I)my beloved brethren: did not (J)God choose the poor of this world to be (K)rich in faith and (L)heirs of the kingdom which He(M)promised to those who love Him? 6But you have dishonored the poor man. (James 2:-6)
My friends, when I read the New Testament, I see a recurring theme as it relates to our giving: be generous to the poor. And in so doing, God receives much glory. (2 Corinthians 9:11-15)
Even in the Old Testament, this theme rings loud and clear, and you may be surprised to learn that EVEN THE MAJORITY OF THE OLD COVENANT REQUIRED TITHES REVOLVED AROUND SUPPORTING THE POOR!
The Lord's tithe (Numbers 18:20-32) supported the Levites for their service in the Tent of Meeting, and 10% of this tithe was given to the priest by the Levites.
The Festival Tithe (Deuteronomy 12 :17-19, Deuteronomy 14:22-27) was for the purpose of the Israelites enjoying a great feast.
The Poor Tithe (Deuteronomy 14:28-29) was meant to support the poorest of the poor (the fatherless, the alien, the widow, and the levites since they had no inheritance to call their own).
My point is this: The Israelite people did not live in a western, capitalist society with our industrial opportunities or various socio-economic statuses. The people were generally poor, living in an agricultural society; life was NOTHING like it is for us in our culture. I find it interesting that even the Old Covenant tithing system primarily revolved around supporting not only the common people who were generally poor (through the Festival Tithe), but also the poorest among the poor, being the fatherless, the widows, the aliens, and the Levites who had no inheritance to call their own (through the Poor Tithe).
Yet in our culture, our giving usually has "Me, Myself and I" at the center, not the poor. It's all about meeting the expected tithe amount so I can be blessed. Certainly there is a universal law of sowing and reaping, but "what we can get" shouldn't be at the center of our giving. Communion with God and others should be at the center of our giving. Only then can we be sensitive to how the Spirit might lead, sensitive to the tangible needs of those within the community of faith, and sensitive to the tangible and certainly the spiritual needs of those outside the faith.
By reading this post, some may feel like I do not strongly believe in supporting Pastors or others in full-time ministry through financial giving. Well, let me make a disclaimer; this is not the case. Pastors, evangelists, folks in the mission field, and others called to full time ministry certainly need our support. And those who preach the gospel, as the Bible says, have the right to get their living from the gospel. However, I do believe that typical "tithe doctrine" needs reform in a very big way. If a church cannot survive financially without putting people under the obligatory system of the tithe, perhaps it is the church that needs restructuring. Maybe that particular local church is not necessary. Tough questions when people's pay checks hang in the balance, but questions nonetheless that we should ask.
I will share a brief personal testimony on the subject of tithing vs spirit-led giving in the next post. Grace to all of you!


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