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We have the great privilege tonight, and indeed it is to
open the Word of God to hear the very voice of God speaking to us out of Revelation chapter 12. Let's look together to Revelation chapter 12. And I want to acknowledge to you that it's very difficult in one sense to sort out this chapter and put it into sermon form. There is so much that is overlapping and interwoven and recapitulates what is said earlier in the chapter that it's not as simple as just taking a few verses and then another few verses and another few verses as we are wanting to do generally. And so we tend to cycle back and pick up pieces and look ahead and pick up pieces as we work through.
It is also true that this chapter, while only containing seventeen verses, is so sweeping in its content that it goes all the way from the past, clear back when Satan fell, all the way to the future in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It embraces, in fact, all of human history. It is sweeping in its content. And though it does not give great detail, it gives us enough information to sweep us all throughout human history to understand the great raging war of the ages that has gone on between the forces of God and the forces of Satan.
Because that is the case, it is equally to know what to say and what not to say because you can literally dig in to any one of these areas of truth and expand it on and on and on, just a study of Satan alone or a study of his angels alone or the holy angels or of Michael or of Israel or all of the various characters in this great drama would and could take us months and months.
We also note here that there are things which bring us terror and there are things which bring us joy. There is the response of the wicked. There is the response of the righteous. Just so much is in this chapter. We're trying our best to give you a feeling for it, a flow of it, the sense of it and some kind of an expanded understanding which will properly enrich it as the Spirit of God would have it done.
Let's look tonight at verses 7 to 12. "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon and the dragon and his angels waged war. And they were not strong enough and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world, he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, `Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. For this reason rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you having great wrath knowing that he has only a short time.'"
Now we're going to do our best to take you through this tremendous and searching text. But let me begin, if I can, with something that may get your attention. Did you know that at the present time Satan is not in hell? In fact, did you know that he has never been to hell? And did you know that when he finally does get to hell, he's not going to be in charge? In fact, when the devil gets to hell, he will be the lowest being there. He will be assigned the most horrible punishment of any creature ever made. He is not the king of hell. He is not in hell. And he's never been there.
In fact, he spends most of his time, according to this text, where? In heaven. Did you know that Satan who was once the anointed cherub, exalted above all other angels living in heaven with God, even now still spends most of his efforts before the throne of God? It tells us in the very text which I just read, verse 10, that he's there day and night. He still has access to heaven and he's not yet sentenced to hell. That doesn't come yet. In fact, as I said, he's never been to hell.
Now what this text tells us is that soon he's going to be sent out of heaven to earth and ultimately after that he will be sent to hell, which is defined in the book of Revelation later on as the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Now his reason for spending so much time in heaven now and for orchestrating his demons to propagate their deceptive lies is to accomplish what he has always wanted to accomplish and that is the overthrow of God, the overthrow of God's purposes, the overthrow of God's plan, and the overthrow of God's people. He has his devices. He has his schemes. But they all have the same basic intent...defeat God, destroy His plan, wipe out His people one way or another. And one of the things that he does is this endless harangue that he carries on in heaven. He's there day and night accusing believers before God, haranguing in the ear of God, as it were, about the unworthiness of believers. He is there reminding God of our sin and our failure and telling God He ought to let us go to hell, He ought to let go of us because we aren't worthy. There is a certain kind of hypocrisy in all of that, appealing to the righteousness of God while he himself only seeks that which is unrighteous. He wants to capture us for his own dominion of darkness in his own domain. And more than that, he wants to show that he can destroy salvation. He wants to show that he can break salvation. He wants to show that in fact he can take someone out of the hand of God. He wants to show that he can find a suitable condemnation for which God will indeed remove the salvation He once gave, he wants to obviate the promise of God, show that God's saving power can be broken, show that the sacrifice of Christ as formidable as it was can be shattered and somebody can have been saved and then lose it.
In addition to this endless harangue of accusations that goes on day and night before the throne of God against believers, he is also engaged in battle with holy angels. He and his demons over whom he rules in his kingdom are waging ongoing and incessant war with Michael and the holy angels. Satan has been identified as the prince of the power of the air. He is also the god of this world. So the theater of his operations descends from the air, the heavens where there's a celestial warfare with Michael and the holy angels, right down to earth where Satan and his demons are engaged in controlling world systems of religion and government.
Now Satan's plans are, as I said, rather simple. He wants to eliminate anybody who works for the purposes of God whether they be Jews or believers. If he could, he would kill them all. Better yet, he would destroy their faith were that possible. He also wants to bring about the unification of the whole world under his rulership. He wants to be what in fact he is only temporarily, and that only over an unrighteous world and that is the god of this world. He wants the entire world to worship him. He wants to prevent Christ from coming back and establishing His kingdom...both spiritually in the hearts of men, millennially on the earth and eternally in the new heavens and the new earth.
So he has worked ever since his fall to endeavor to thwart the purposes of God, whether they were being effected through angels or men. His efforts have been certainly to destroy the work of the holy angels, that's why they engage in battle with he and his forces so consistently. His efforts have been to destroy men, particularly those who name the name of God and are identified with Him or with Christ, namely Israel and the church. He wants to do anything he can to wipe them out, destroy them, shatter their faith. He is relentless and he never gives up. He can read the Bible just like you and me, he knows perfectly well how to interpret it. In fact, he knows the right interpretation of everything because he was the covering cherub, Lucifer, before his fall. He knows exactly what is the mind and the heart of God in these matters. He can read it just like you can. He knows he's headed for the lake of fire to burn there forever and ever. But he is not going to take that lying down. He is not going to give up. He is relentless. And even though he can read the Bible that he's not going to win, he can read his destiny as clearly as any of us can and understand it better because he understands the working of God better than we do, he still fights. And that is the war of the ages. It is this ongoing incessant relentless war between good and evil, sin and righteousness, the forces of God and the forces of Satan.
Now this battle which continually goes on and it goes on on a supernatural level between the angels and it goes on on the earth on a moral level and an ideological level and a theological level and a philosophical level, it is going on at every conceivable level in the human and superhuman realm. That whole war is going to reach its...its great climax in the future day known as the Tribulation. There is coming a day in the future after the church has been caught away in which the world will receive seven years of the wrath of God. We've been learning about it from Revelation 6 through 11. Daniel spoke of the same period of time in the prophecy of Daniel in chapter 9 and Jesus spoke of it in Matthew chapter 24 and then again in Luke.
And so, that time is coming in which God is going to pour out judgment on the world. Well when He does that, the battle isn't going to end, in fact Satan is going to be active during that seven-year period as well. In fact, he's going to be more devastatingly active on earth than at any other time because the theater of his operation is going to be confined to the earth. You will notice in the text it says the great dragon, verse 9, was thrown down. He was thrown down. Down means down to earth, it says at the end of verse 9, "And his angels were thrown down with him." And what makes the Tribulation in part so horrible is not just the judgment of God, but it is the arrival of Satan and all of his fallen minions landing on the earth. That spells really the end of his time as prince of the power of the air and his whole operation is confined to the earth. And, of course that means that all the demons are fully occupied here in this very place. That horrifying, indescribable and unbelievable epoch of time is waiting the world of unbelieving men and women.
Now in chapter 6 through 11 we looked at that seven-year period from God's side, and in chapters 12 through 14 we look at it from Satan's side. We've already spent a great amount of time going through the structure of chapters 6 through 11 and seeing precisely what it is that God is going to do by way of His judgment. We saw that in the seven seals and the seven trumpets, and there is yet to come seven-bowl judgments that we'll get to when we get over to chapter 15. But until we get to that particular point, there's a little respite and a recapitulation of the same seven-year period only from the vantage point of Satan. And it is a fierce, fierce battle that he carries on. God is pouring out judgment but Satan is on the earth confined here, all his demons are confined here, and the conflict reaches a fever pitch.
Now somebody might ask the question, "Is not Satan already a defeated foe? I mean, wasn't he destroyed at the cross and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ?" And of course the answer to that question in a sense is yes. In John chapter 12 and verse 31 Jesus said this, "Now judgment is upon this world, now the ruler of this world shall be cast out." Jesus anticipating the cross, His triumph over sin, anticipating the resurrection, His triumph over death was saying...the ruler of this world shall be cast out and I if I be lifted up will draw all men to Me. So Jesus is saying in the cross is the defeat of Satan. The fact of his defeat occurred at the cross, the actual execution or sentencing is yet to happen.
Also in Romans 16:20 it says, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." He is already defeated by the cross, the resurrection, but the execution hasn't taken place yet. It's as if he were an incarcerated criminal waiting for the gas chamber. In Hebrews also chapter 2 and verse 14 again reminds us that Jesus Christ has destroyed his power. It says that through death Christ rendered powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil. So he is to be cast out. He has been rendered powerless. The triumph has been accomplished. The sentencing is yet future. First John 4:4 should be added to that. It says, "You are from God little children and have overcome them because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." He is a defeated foe, the defeat has taken place but he still awaits the sentence. And until the final sentence comes, he is running around loose, doing everything he can to overturn the triumph of Christ.
Chapter 20 of Revelation and verse 3 tells us that an angel comes down from heaven, has a great chain, lays hold of the dragon and throws him into the abyss, or the pit, shuts it and seals it over him so that he can't deceive the nations any longer for the period of the thousand year kingdom. And after that, of course, he is cast into the lake of fire, down in verse 10, where he is tormented day and night forever and forever.
And even though he was defeated at the cross, he is still alive. He is still moving around until the actual sentence of execution and the battle still rages. The battle will go on until Jesus comes to incarcerate him, and then to incinerate him on his first and last trip to eternal hell, the lake of fire.
Now all of this epochal supernatural war comes to its climax in this profound passage. We know who's going to win, chapter 11 indicated it, verse 15, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever." It's very clear who is going to win, verse 17 basically says the same thing, "Thou hast taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign." That anticipates the triumph of Christ even though the final battle has not yet been waged.
So the seventh trumpet is blown in chapter 11. Then we go back in chapters 12 to 14, as you know, and look at the same period of seven years from the vantage point of Satan. Now remember in the first six verses, just a brief review, this scene that plays out in this twelfth chapter, this look at the seven-year Tribulation period and the great battle that Satan is engaged in, involves a number of very important characters. We've already met three of them. First of all, we met the woman, you remember, in verse 1, a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, her head was crowned with twelve stars. We noted that in verse 6 she was fleeing into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God where she might be nourished for twelve hundred and sixty days, or three and a half years, half of that seven-year period. The woman, we said, is Israel.
Then we met the dragon, the dragon, of course, clearly is Satan. The dragon who is a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns showing his great ruling power and authority. He is the one who wants to destroy. He not only wants to destroy the woman but he wants to destroy the third character in the first six verses, the male child, that refers to Christ. So Satan tries to destroy Israel and tries to destroy the Christ, the Messiah that is born of the nation Israel.
That takes us into the time of the Tribulation. By the way, we said that Satan has been trying to destroy Israel since the beginning and he tried through many different ways to do it in the past. He tried to destroy the birth of Christ and when Christ was finally born he tried to get Herod to murder him. And then he tried to get the people of Nazareth to kill Him. And he tried a number of different things to destroy Christ, all unsuccessfully. Now as we come in verse 6, we see we're moving in to this period of Tribulation. He is still chasing the woman. Still trying to destroy Israel, the people of God, still with the same agenda.
But there's more to the battle than just the dragon chasing the woman during the latter half of the time of Tribulation, and the more is what we find in verse 7. And it explains why verse 6 takes place. Now let's start with the point that will be just a simple point, war in heaven. And then we'll move to a second point, war on earth. War in heaven, verse 7. "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon and the dragon and his angels waged war and they were not strong enough and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven."
It's been going on for a long time. And that state of war is still continuing in to that period known as the Tribulation. That's been going on since the fall of Satan back in verse 4, when he swept away a third of the angels with him in his rebellion and they were thrown, as it were, out of heaven down to earth where he became the ruler of this world. He still has access to God's presence at this time, he did then from the time he was cast out, but his domain is the earth and the air around the earth. That's why he's known as the prince of the power of the air, that's why the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 that his demon hordes are called spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies. And so we note that he operates in heaven as well as on earth. And he operates in heaven in a warfare against the holy angels.
Now Hebrews 1:14 says the angels are sent to be ministers of the people of God, or the children of God. And what he wants to do is thwart the angelic ministry. Whatever purposes God wants to carry out on behalf of His own, Satan wants to stop. So when God dispatches holy angels to assist Israel in the Old Testament, Satan interferes. When He dispatches holy angels to aid the children of God in the church in the New Testament dispensation, Satan wants to interfere with that operation any way he can. And so he even engages in battle with his demons in the air against these holy angels, as well as engaging himself in the development of false religion and governments that are corrupt and human philosophical systems that espouse his theology on the earth. So he roams the heavens with his demons and he roams the earth. Peter says he goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Matthew 13, Jesus said, "He comes along where the gospel is sowed and he snatches it away." As we saw this morning in Acts chapter 5, he tries to fill the heart of someone to make them lie to God, to cause them to sin, to disrupt the church, to destroy it, to bring sin and to pollute it. Paul says to the Corinthians in his second letter, a very important note, chapter 2 and verse 11, he says that no advantage be taken of us by Satan for we're not ignorant of his schemes. He's got all kinds of them by which he endeavors to entrap believers. First John 5:18 and 19 says the whole world lies in his lap. The whole world system, he controls it.
All of that is to emphasize that Satan is very active. He's been very active since his fall, very active trying to thwart the purposes of God. And usually he's not engaged in blatant evil alone, but it's always religion that occupies him. He appears most frequently disguised as an angel of light, according to 2 Corinthians 11:13 to 15. So the spiritual war rages in the heavenlies and it rages on earth. But as we come in to verse 7 we are now in the time of the Tribulation or at least right at its beginning and we're going to see what particular form the war takes then. Very interesting.
Verse 7, "There was war in heaven. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon and the dragon and his angels waging war..." Now what triggered this? That's the interpretative question, folks. We know there's always been war between the holy angels and the fallen ones. But what triggered this? Because there's a very interesting Greek notation here that would be worthy of consideration. The grammar, the structure of the Greek here lends to the conclusion that Satan started this. You could translate it, "There was war in heaven, Michael and his angels literally had to fight. They were drawn into a battle, they were compelled to fight."
Now there are a number of things that might have caused them to fight. But let me make an interesting suggestion. Could it be that what initiated this particular battle was the Rapture of the church? You see, we have been following through the book of Revelation and in our other studies of 1 Thessalonians, concluding that the Rapture of the church takes place prior to the seven-year Tribulation, the seventieth week of Daniel, that the Lord snatches the church away and then begins to pour out His judgment on the earth. And the church is in heaven represented by the twenty-four elders. So they're in heaven while this is going on. More people are being converted to Christ and a new assembly of believers is called together that really are one with all the rest throughout all of redemptive history. But uniquely the church is raptured. And could it be that as Jesus Christ raptures His church to take them to heaven, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13 to 18, as they pass out of this earth in the twinkling of an eye and go through the domain of the air, they are passing through the kingdom of darkness, could it be that Satan and his demons are aroused to hinder that trip to heaven? It's an interesting thought.
Now I can't be dogmatic about that, but it does pose a possibility. In Daniel chapter 10 and verse 13, and I'll try to give you a little bit of a defense of that particular interesting viewpoint, in Daniel 10 and verse 13, it says...well, we have to go back to verse 12, he said to me, "Don't be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to your words." Here's an angel and he's coming to Daniel. Why? Daniel prayed in chapter 9, he poured out his heart in prayer the first half of the chapter. And God sends him immediate answer. And God is in the business of answering His saints immediately.
You come in to chapter 10 and Daniel is praying again and he's mourning and he's in very sad condition as he pleads the case of his people. And here comes this fantastic angelic being that is described in a most remarkable way. I mean, he's a man dressed in linen, girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. His body like beryl, his face...verse 6...the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of tumult." And so here he comes, and he's bringing Daniel a word from God. And he says Daniel from the first time, verse 12 again, that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself, your words were heard and I've come. But, look at verse 13, interesting, "The prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days." Who is this? This is a demon associated with the human system of Persia. Listen, friend, you must know this, human governmental systems while government has an entity as ordained by God to control people, that's the perfect place for Satan to infiltrate with his demons because then he can, in effect, rule. And so even in the land of Persia some demon, some higher power, some wicked demon in high places had moved in to the controlling influence of Persia and is here called the prince of the kingdom of Persia. And he stops this amazing angel who is described in these incredible terms, a very glorious and powerful being, and he's able to hold this angel up for twenty-one days.
Then it says, "Then behold...who came?...Michael...Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me for I had been left there with the kings of Persia." Michael is always associated with war and conflict. He is not a messenger angel, he is a warrior. He is super-angel. Now that guy, can't call him a guy, that angel who got stuck, that angel who got stuck for twenty-one days was some kind of angel. I mean, even his voice was like the sound of a tumult, his arms and feet were gleam of polished bronze, his eyes were like flaming torches. I mean this is just some amazing creature. Well that will tell you how powerful the prince of Persia was who could hold him up for twenty-one days from delivering a message, this is a real conflict. And who comes to his rescue? Michael, super-angel comes, always the task of a warrior, never a messenger, always a defender of God's people.
Why does he come? Because he wants to send this other angel on the way to Daniel. He is concerned about God's people Israel of whom Daniel represents. Such an important matter.
Over in chapter 12 of Daniel, again we run in to Michael. "Now at that time Michael the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise." Wow, at what time? At that time. What time is that? That's the time of the Tribulation. It's the time of the kingdom.
Down in verse 7, Daniel has another vision. He sees a man dressed in linen above the waters of the river, he raised his right hand, his left toward heaven and swore...and so forth, and it says...he who lives forever there will be a time, times and half a time." That's one plus two equals three and a half, they're talking about the Tribulation, the three and a half years. It's in that setting, the time of the end. Verse 4, "The end of time..." The time of the return of righteousness, the time of the resurrection to life everlasting, the time of the judgment of disgrace and everlasting contempt. It's that time, the end time, the Tribulation time, the judgment time, the day of the Lord time. It even mentions in verse 11 the abomination of desolation, twelve hundred and ninety days and another forty-five days, thirteen hundred and thirty-five days as the mop up happens at the end of the battle of Armageddon stretches on into the initial time of the kingdom.
Now notice verse 1, "At that time Michael the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise."
So Michael is always seen as coming to the rescue of God's people. Go over to Jude chapter 9, and particular so in the end time, and I think the primary reference in Daniel 12 has to do with Israel, but there will be others who will need his help then as well who have come to faith in Christ during the Tribulation. But look at Jude 9, this is a most curious situation here. It says, "Michael the archangel was fighting with the devil...which is nothing new, he's been doing that a long time...and they were fighting about the body of Moses." That's so interesting. You remember what happened to Moses, don't you? Moses wasn't ever allowed to go into the promised land, he had to stand up on the hill in Moab, I stood on that very place and looked across the Dead Sea, the Jordan Valley to the backside of the mountains of Jerusalem. And Moses stood there in that place looking from Moab across to the promised land, but he was never allowed to enter because he took action, remember, in striking the rock, according to Numbers chapter 20, and it was there in Moab, according to Deuteronomy 34:5 and 6 that Moses died. And apparently when he died he died alone. He went away and he died. And God sent Michael because the devil wanted the body of Moses.
You say, "What did he want to do with it?" Well it doesn't tell us. But use your imagination. Maybe he wanted to turn it into an idol and have people worship it. Maybe he wanted to take it away somewhere so in his stupidity he assumed that God couldn't find it in the day of resurrection. Maybe he wanted to be sure Moses never did show up at the transfiguration. I don't know what he wanted to do with it, but he wanted it. Michael wouldn't let him have it. I don't know what the battle was like. Probably Satan said, "Well, you should let me have the body of Moses because he's a murderer," Exodus chapter 2 verse 12. "You should let me have the body of Moses because he...he disobeyed and he struck the rock, he's a man of sin, he's not worthy of resurrection, he's not worthy of having his body taken to the Mount of Transfiguration to be there, he's not worthy of resurrection glory." We don't know what the devious scheme of Satan was, we don't know whether he wanted to honor in a false way through idolatry or dishonor and desecrate the body of Moses or try to prevent it from rising again...whatever he wanted to do, Michael went to battle over the body of Moses.
Apparently Michael is not the equal to Lucifer in personal power. At least he's not the superior, and so he says in verse 9 that Michael didn't dare pronounce against Satan a railing judgment but said, "The Lord rebuke you." He wasn't about to engage in a battle with Satan on his own strength as strong as he is, but he called for the Lord. Very interesting.
Now in that story we noted something. Michael is called in Jude 9 the archangel...the archangel. Do you remember what it says about the Rapture? In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 it says, verse 16, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of...what?...the archangel." That's just a possibility but it's a very interesting one. Could it be that the archangel is Michael? Certainly, certainly could be, he is Michael the archangel and it's going to be his voice at the Rapture. Why would the archangel be shouting at the Rapture? Well could it be that he is confronting Satan and his demons as they try to thwart the Rapture? Possibly. He is certainly going to stand up for the people of God in the future, according to Daniel chapter 12. And at that period of time there will be a resurrection. We don't know. But it is possible that what triggers this war in heaven there in Revelation chapter 12 could be the Rapture. And as believers start to go up, would go through the domain of Satan and some great supernatural warfare starts to take place and Michael comes with his holy hosts in the power of God and makes sure we get where we're going. Michael always seems to be fighting for God's people...Israel, the church, and he'll stand up for all the saints at the end of the time of the Tribulation.
Now let's go back to Revelation, just file that somewhere for interest. There was war in heaven. "Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon, the dragon and his angels waged war." As I said, the Greek text indicates sort of a Hebraism here, Michael and his angels had to fight the dragon and his angels. By the way, you can compare Matthew 25:41, the devil and his angels were waging war. And the repetition here implies the force and the fury of this. You remember that after the return of the remnant from Babylon, Satan was present to resist the restoration of the nation Israel, Zechariah 3:2. And Satan came in and tried to stop the restoration, tried to stop the building, as it were, of the kingdom of Israel, and he was rebuked there in Zechariah. And it's going to happen again when the Lord comes to set up His kingdom, Satan is going to do everything he can to halt it and stop it and resist it and the holy angels are going to have to make war. And they may start that war at the Rapture and they'll have to war with him all the way through to the establishment of the kingdom.
They win the first round, according to verse 8, very clearly, and they will win the rest. They, that is the devil and his angels, the dragon and his angels, were not strong enough and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
Now the results of this battle were very, very severe. They didn't win. Michael and the holy angels win a very decisive battle. Now if this indeed is the time of the Rapture, or around that time, we assume it's somewhere around that time that the war breaks out, if it is triggered by the Rapture, the end result catapults Satan and all of his hosts out of heaven down to earth and that explains why the Tribulation is such a terrible, terrible time. Because now all the demons of the universe have hit the earth. No more access to heaven. Literally verse 8 says, "No longer was any place found for them in heaven." No longer can they come before the throne of God. No longer can they harangue about the sins of the saints.
Henry Morris writes, "With what weapons and by what tactics is this heavenly warfare waged? That's beyond our understanding. Angels cannot be injured or slain with earthly weapons, and such physical forces as we know about are not able to move spiritual beings. But these beings do operate in a physical universe so there must exist some powerful physical spiritual energies of which we yet can only have vague intimations, energies which can propel and angelic bodies, that super luminary velocities through space and which can move mountains and change planetary orbits. It is with such energies and powers that this heavenly battle will be waged and the spectators in heaven, including John, will watch in awe. When Michael finally prevails and Satan is forced forever out of the heavens, a tremendous cry of thanksgiving will resound through the heavens." Just giving us a little insight into that war. John Milton, you remember, in Paradise Lost has a graphic and vivid description of the very battle before us.
So the casting down of Satan takes place at the time of the Tribulation. And he hits the earth with full fury. If you...if you press me on this, it...it seems as though the full fury of his arrival is right at the midpoint, but there's no reason to assume that that's exact. If the battle starts at the time of the Rapture and the Rapture happens immediately, we get through the domain of Satan, that war may go on a little while before there is triumph and Satan is cast down. It may not. The full fury of Satan having landed doesn't explode until the midpoint, but he may along with his demons arrive here before then. I mean, there's no way to know precisely when they're going to arrive, but they will be here by the time we reach the midpoint. They could be here from the very beginning of the time of Tribulation.
So clean is heaven, the angels literally mop up any loose demons anywhere. Every celestial inch of the heavens is covered, thoroughly searched to make sure not one fallen angel remains. And this is the end of the time of Satan as prince of the power of the air, he is confined for the moment to the earth. Now that takes war in heaven and makes it become war on earth. That's our second point, look at verse 9, "And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world, he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him."
He is called great because he is so formidable. Back in verse 3 having seven heads and ten horns, seven heads speaking of the sweep of human government through history. Ten horns, the final form of satanic human government. He is the one in charge of all of it. He is thrown down, literally cast out of heaven. He's already been cast out once in verse 4, that was at the time of his fall but he had access back, now no more access.
He is identified, very, very clearly, the serpent of old, that's the snake in the Garden of Eden back in Genesis. He is called the devil, diabolos, it means to slander, to defame, to falsely accuse. And that's what he does night and day. He is like a prosecutor before the throne of God, trying to arraign God's people at the bar of God's divine and holy justice by accusing them sins. He goes everywhere in the earth collecting evidence. When Peter says he goes around seeking whom he may devour, I think he's going around looking for evidence that he can take before the throne of God that will cause God to turn his back on us. That's why it's so wonderful to be reminded of Romans chapter 8, no matter how busy Satan is in doing that, no matter how frequently he harangues about us, about you and about me, no matter how much evidence about our sin he has managed to collect, and I'm sure he's got...he's got bundles of it on all of us, no matter what he does, Romans 8 simply says, "If God is for us, who's against us?" "If He didn't spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" "Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Jesus Christ is He who died, yea rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God who also intercedes for us." "So we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous." The one who is our prosecutor, unendingly accusing us is unsuccessful.
He is also called Satan, this is a very common name and it means adversary or enemy. Then it says an interesting thing about him, "Who deceives the whole world." He is not only an accuser, he is not only an adversary, he is a deceiver. Throughout all of human history he has duped the world and he will continue to dupe the world even during the time of the Tribulation. Believe me, he will carry on one charade after another, convincing people that he represents truth and virtue and true religion and even God. Over in chapter 16 we'll see more about it, Revelation 16, but verse 14 talks about spirits of demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the whole world to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. That's how the people of the world wind up at Armageddon. They are deceived into coming there by demons. Satan is a deceiver. Chapter 13 and verse 14 notes his deceit. He deceives those who dwell on the earth, this is the agent of Satan, because of the signs which he can perform in the presence of the beast. He is deceiving at every possible turn so that he can amass this great force against Christ.
Over in chapter 18 verse 23 it says, "All the nations were deceived by his sorcery." Chapter 19 verse 20, "The beast was seized and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image and they were thrown, of course, into the lake of fire." Chapter 20 verse 3, he is put into an abyss and sealed so that he should not deceive. Verse 8, he comes out at the end of a thousand years to deceive the nations again. Verse 10, and the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire. I mean, you can see it all through the book of Revelation. What he's doing during this time of the Tribulation is attacking Israel trying to kill them, attacking the believers trying to destroy them, and deceiving the whole world to set them up under his authority to engage in a great warfare against God's people and against God Himself in the form of Jesus Christ. He is a deceiver. He's deceiving right now through the philosophies and psychologies and the human systems of the world, Satan continually and always is deceiving. And in the end, he will be so successful he will pull together a world government, a world of people who come to attack Jesus Christ. He is a liar, John 8:44 says, he lures people into ruin. That is his intention.
Now verse 9 at the end, just to remind you of it and we'll move on to the next point, says that the angels were thrown down with him. And I want to make one very interesting point here. When the angels come...fallen angels, that is, the unholy angels...come catapulting down to the earth with Satan, that's only the start. If they all come crashing down some time at the beginning of the seven years, go back to chapter 9 for just a moment, back to chapter 9 verse 1, and this is the blowing of the fifth trumpet which happens toward the latter part of the Tribulation, past the midpoint. And the fifth angel sounds and a star from heaven comes down and he opens the bottomless pit with this key. Smoke billows up out of the pit and out of the smoke come locusts upon the earth. You remember we discussed this, these are demons that have been incarcerated in the pit. The pit is opened and like a locust, a cloud of black locusts, they come surging out of the pit. It says in verse 5 they're not allowed to kill anyone but they just torment everybody for five months with some kind of a tormenting sting like the sting of a scorpion. And it's so bad that men will seek death and will not find it.
So the pit that has held the temporarily bound demons is opened and so not only do you have all the demons in the air on the earth, but you've got all the demons coming out of the pit engulfing the earth. Then go down to the sixth trumpet in verse 13 of chapter 9. The sixth angel sounded and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God and this voice says release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates, here again there is the release. And look what happens. Here comes two hundred million. What are they? Do you remember our study? They are demons and this time they kill a third of the population of the world. You've got all the demons in the air, you've got all the demons in the pit, you've got these two hundred million demons that have been incarcerated at the Euphrates, and we don't know how long they've been incarcerated there. We went through that some of the options in our study. They're released. All the demons everywhere that aren't bound in everlasting chains are literally all over the earth doing everything they can to destroy the work of God, to kill Israel and the believers. It is a mess beyond anything conceivable.
So war in heaven becomes war on earth. Now let me give you two closing points. Praise for triumph in heaven. Verse 10, "I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, `Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come for the accuser of our brethren has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night." This is praise for triumph in heaven. Once these demons and Satan are all expelled permanently out of heaven and heaven is cleansed of the foul demons, there is praise, one great loud voice. You can go back to chapter 4, you have praise in heaven in 4, you have it in 5, you have it in 7, 11. You'll have it again in 15, 19. Periodically through this book heaven is praising because of what is happening. This time they're praising because Satan is thrown out. Michael and his holy angels in the power of God are triumphant.
The question is...who are these people? Who are making this loud noise? Could they be angels? Well they could be, but more likely they are glorified saints. Why do you say that? Because they say the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down. Satan does not accuse angels, he accuses believers, right? Our brethren is never used to refer to angels. In Revelation 19:10 angels are referred to as fellow servants, but never brothers. That is a term reserved for those who are humans who are believers. So it seems that what you have here is a loud voice in heaven from believers, that would be those representing the church and those martyred saints who have gone on to glory during the Tribulation, and they are rejoicing. Why? Because Satan no longer can accuse them before the throne of God because he no longer has access. This would certainly be something satins would be happy about.
You say, "Why would they care? They can't be condemned." But they care because they want to show love to God, they want to show glory to God, they want to show their adoration and their worship, and it certainly...it certainly isn't an appropriate thing for them while they're there endeavoring to worship God with all their might and fully doing that to have their brethren on earth being incessantly accused of iniquities, and so they rejoice.
Now notice what they say, "Now the salvation...broad terms, in its widest possible sense...including the deliverance of all creation from the effects of the fall and sin and Satan, and the power, that means the full omnipotence, irresistible, and triumphant sovereign almighty power which crushes all other might to establish the millennial and the eternal kingdom, and the kingdom of our God in its largest universal sense, that is both millennially, and eternally. So now the final full and glorious salvation we've waited for, now the great full power, now the absolute and eternal kingdom, and he says, and the authority of His Christ...they were also saying that...His right to rule has come because Satan has been cast out. They know this is the first step. Out of heaven to the earth, out of earth to the abyss, out of the abyss to the lake of fire. This is step one in his move toward hell. The gate to heaven forever barred, the saints rejoice over this one who accused them day and night, being cast out. They know his end is near.
Praise for triumph in heaven then in verse 11 and 12 turns to praise for triumph on earth. And when you come to verse 11 and 12 the scene moves out of heaven and their joy to earth. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they didn't love their life even to death, for this reason rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them."
Rejoice not only over what happened in heaven, but rejoice over what's happening on earth. When Satan hits the earth with his demon hosts, he tries to destroy and slaughter all of the believing folks and destroy the nation of Israel...he is defeated. Notice that, he is defeated, "They overcame him." How? This is a whole sermon I can hardly resist preaching. How? You say they did it by incantations? No. They did it by exorcism? No. They did it by formulas? No. They did it by bindings? No. They did it by confession? No. They did it by rebuking him? No. They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb. They overcame him because their sins were covered and no accusation would stand. No accusation against the suffering saints of the Great Tribulation would stand before the throne of God as no accusation against any believer in any age would stand. It is not that they had some personal power of their own. No, the weapons of our warfare are not physical or fleshly or carnal, they're spiritual and mighty and greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. And in us is the Christ who is our advocate, the Spirit who intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. All of the accusations against us fall on deaf ears because we have been saved by the blood of the Lamb.
Secondly, because of the word of their testimony. What is that? Because they were faithful and devoted to Christ even in a world engulfed by demons and cursed by God, their testimony never wavered. This is the idea of an ongoing testimony. They were faithful no matter what was going on around them, no matter how consumed the world was in both the curse of God and the fury of Satan, the wrath of heaven and the wrath of the pit, they were faithful. And their witness was clear. And they never equivocated.
And then he says thirdly, "They didn't love their life even to death." They were characterized we could say by justification and sanctification and perseverance to glorification. They didn't love their life even to death. They endured even death, agapao, the love of the will. They didn't love their life. They didn't will to love their own life. They were willing to die. Why did they overcome? Because they had a true faith. They had an ongoing testimony. And they endured. All evidences of genuine transformation. The true saints continue. Jesus said that, those that are enduring to the end will be saved, Matthew 24:13. So those on earth overcame. It didn't matter what Satan did. He's going to do a bloodbath on Israel and a bloodbath on the believing people of the world who identify with Christ. And all of this does not destroy the true faith that belongs to those who are redeemed. They're covered by the blood. Their testimony is continuing and they endure even death. For this reason, verse 12 says, "Rejoice." Not just for Satan being thrown down, but for Him being defeated even on the earth as well as in heaven.
And then the last word in verse 12, sort of stands alone as a warning. "Woe to the earth and the sea..." that's the whole terrestrial ball, the whole globe..."because the devil has come down to you having great wrath knowing that he has only a short time." Three and a half years, or maybe a little more, that's all he's got. Woe to the world when he hits the earth.
We understand that, don't we? He has great wrath, thumos in Greek, rage, turbulent, emotional fury as he makes his last effort against God and his plan. And he is aided by a pit that's belched out numberless demons and two hundred million of them released from the Euphrates. And all that he can possibly do in three and a half years he's going to do, and that's why Jesus said there's never been a time in the history of the world like this time and if the Lord didn't shorten the days, everybody including the elect would be destroyed.
So it's a fearsome time to come...not a time that I would like to be a part of, and nor would you. But even with all that Satan can do, he can't touch us, can he? We rejoice in that.
Father, we thank You for our time and study tonight. This is all so amazing. I mean, this world has got to be filled with historians who can't even figure out the past let alone the future. And here we are, we know all the details just how it's going to happen. Father, we thank You for this word for which we are responsible. We are responsible to so live that we might never know Your wrath, so live that we might call others to repentance and righteousness and see them delivered from the wrath to come. We thank You that we will triumph, that no accusation against us will stand, that Satan one day will be thrown out of heaven to this earth and he'll be here just a short time and he'll be thrown out of this earth into a pit and finally into an eternal lake of fire...which he deserves for his rebellion against You. We grieve that there he will be and be joined not only by his angels but by multitudes of men and women who like him rejected You. We pray, Lord, that You will call many to righteous in these days, many to holiness, many to salvation and sanctification. And we thank You that we're on the winning side, we can already hear heaven rejoicing, even though the battle hasn't started, rejoicing because he was thrown out of heaven, rejoicing because he was defeated on earth by the undying, unbreakable, invincible faith of Your own people. We thank You for that.
We thank You that Your purpose for Your church will come to pass, Your purpose for Israel will come to fulfillment, Your purpose for a redeemed remnant out of that time of Tribulation will be fulfilled. And Jesus Christ will come and set up His kingdom and reign as He should forever and ever. And we thank You that we will reign with Him not because of anything we deserve or anything we have done, but simply by grace. O Father, be gracious to many, give them a place in Your kingdom for Christ's sake. Amen.


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#Hashtags: Claiming Modernism
One of the more thought-provoking pieces of art writing this month was not about contemporary work, but modern art. Tucked away in his review of "Radical Terrain" at the Rubin Museum, New York Times critic Holland Cotter called out the Euro-American belief that the West invented modernism, which was then either copied or imposed (inferiorly) across the globe. We might have missed Cotter's article, if[…..]

subset: commoncrawl


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George FosterFree Agent
Offensive Tackle
Ht: 0.0 | Wt: 0
News | Stats | Stat vs. Team | Targets | Injury | Depth Chart | Roster
|Colts | Roster pared to 53
Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:56:17 -0700
The Indianapolis Colts cut DT Chigbo Anunoby, OT Steven Baker, LB Jerry Brown, RB Darren Evans, OT George Foster, OG Hayworth Hicks, LB Greg Lloyd Jr., TE Kyle Miller, WR Kashif Moore, WR Jeremy Ross, DT Jason Shirley, TE Andre P. Smith, C Zane Taylor, OT Mike Tepper and S Latarrius Thomas Friday, Aug. 31.
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|| Source: CBSSports.com - Evan Hilbert
|Colts | Roster moves
Tue, 29 May 2012 12:07:30 -0700
The Indianapolis Colts signed free-agent OT George Foster (Saints) to an undisclosed deal Tuesday, May 29, and waived FB Ryan Mahaffey in a corresponding move.
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|| Source: KFFL.com
|Saints | Eight have contracts terminated
Fri, 02 Sep 2011 21:13:21 -0700
The New Orleans Saints terminated the contracts of OT Jordan Black, CB Quincy Butler, OT George Foster, TE Tory Humphrey, CB Trumaine McBride, SS Pierson Prioleau, SS Chris Reis and RB Chris Taylor Friday, Sept. 2.
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|| Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune
|Saints | Two OTs agree to terms
Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:19:35 -0700
The New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms with free-agent OTs Alex Barron (Cowboys) and George Foster (Browns). Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
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|| Source: CBSSports.com - Larry Holder
|Browns | Foster's contract terminated
Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:10:01 -0700
CBSSports.com reports the Cleveland Browns have terminated the contract of OL George Foster.
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|Browns | St. Clair, G. Foster leading candidates for ORT
Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:53:06 -0700
Marla Ridenour, of the Akron Beacon Journal, reports Cleveland Browns OT George Foster and OT John St. Clair are the leading candidates for the right tackle position.
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|Browns | G. Foster signed
Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:32:34 -0700
Len Pasquarelli, of ESPN.com, reports the Cleveland Browns signed free-agent OT George Foster (Lions). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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|Lions | Foster released
Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:07:47 -0700
The Associated Press reports the Detroit Lions released OT George Foster Monday, June 1. The move is expected to pave the way to add OT Jon Jansen, who was expected to take a physical with the team Monday, June 1, before signing a contract.
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|Lions | Culpepper sheds weight and is looking good
Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:07:31 -0700
Tom Kowalski, of Mlive.com, reports Detroit Lions QB Daunte Culpepper has dropped significant weight after weighing in at 292 pounds last year when the Lions signed him midseason. WR Bryant Johnson said Culpepper came in around 260 pounds for the start of the team's offseason program this year. "He looks good, and I look forward to working with him," Johnson said of his new teammate. OT George Foster said Culpepper has been leading by example and "looks amazing."
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|Lions | Foster practices Wednesday
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:09:35 -0700
Nicholas J. Cotsonika, of the Detroit Free Press, reports Detroit Lions OT George Foster (knee) fully participated in practice Wednesday, Oct. 8. He is not on the team's injury report.
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Also see
05/30 - Fantasy football players in the news
08/04 - Fantasy football players in the news
10/09 - Thursday Practice Report
10/08 - Wednesday Practice Report
10/07 - Tuesday Injury Report
10/06 - Monday Injury Report
10/04 - Saturday Injury Report
10/03 - Official Injury Report - Week 5
10/03 - Friday Practice Report
10/02 - Thursday Practice Report


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MINNEAPOLIS—The Minnesota Vikings have four players who were voted into the Pro Bowl on Wednesday.
Adrian Peterson was selected for the fifth time. It comes as no surprise thanks to an incredible comeback season. Peterson is 102 yards away from becoming the sixth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
Kicker Blair Walsh, defensive end Jared Allen and fullback Jerome Felton also were named to the NFC team. Walsh set an NFL record this season with nine field goals of at least 50 yards.
Allen has 10 sacks this year while Felton helped pave the way for Peterson's big year.
Peterson says he's honored to be named to the team, but was disappointed none of his offensive linemen made it.


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Kangol Wool 504 Cap With Earlaps
Code: 0238KG
Product Description
A Cold-Weather Version of the Classic Kangol 504 Wool Cap. This is a Kangol Heritage cap, it does not have the Kangaroo Logo. Designed for fashion, fit and cold weather comfort. The earlaps fold-up inside the cap and are there when you need them. New style interior sweatband for comfort. The peak is sewn for retaining the classic shape. If you are on the border between two sizes, select the larger cap, the earlaps do take some room.


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Absentee voting is an increasingly popular option among Coloradoans. This year, about two-thirds of eligible voters in La Plata County will cast ballots by mail.
But those who choose to perform their civic duty the old-fashioned way at a polling place on Election Day (or early) will need to present some means of identification.
According to the Colorado Secretary of States website, 13 different cards or documents are acceptable. The most common, by far, is a drivers license, said County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee Parker, but an in-state college ID or current utility bill with name and address work just as well.
Parker said election judges are trained to know which forms of ID are valid.
Voters who are confident of their eligibility but lack the requisite identification may fill out a provisional ballot to be counted at a later date pending verification, she said.
Parker said people voting on Nov. 6, Election Day, should go to their designated precinct location, determined by street address. A Fort Lewis College student who lives on East Third Avenue, for example, would need to cast his or her ballot at the La Plata County Courthouse, not the colleges Community Concert Hall.
As of Tuesday night, the clerks office had counted nearly 14,000 early and absentee ballots.


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Credit Card Charm Earrings in Gold
The perfect gift for any mom that loves to shop. Give that special shopper mom a memorable gift with this colorful charm set of Earrings. Whether you prefer gold or silver, this credit card charm set of Earrings will coordinate with your favorite Whimsical Watches, Whimsical Bracelets or Whimsical Necklaces. Whimsical Earrings are sterling silver or gold plated french wire and come with rubber backs.
Weight (lbs.):0.13
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Ships To
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Shop worry free! If you're not 100% happy with your purchase, you can exchange or return this item within 14 days of receiving it.


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Sometimes Mother Nature doesn't fight fair when it comes to riding in the wet. Fortunately, Specialized's Storm DH Tire is here to help level the playing field. Its super-soft compound tread is ideal for sticking to slimy roots and rocks, while the large, well-spaced knobs penetrate the soil and clear mud like nobody's business. Plus, the Storm DH utilizes a two-ply casing to give you extra pinch flat protection when you're going big.
|Manufacturer's Part Number


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News: The government shutdown is, well, shut down. But there could be another one early next year.
News: The government shutdown is, well, shut down. But there could be another one early next year.
Views: We fancy ourselves as the greatest country in the world, but yet government is brought to a halt because a law is passed trying to make sure more Americans have adequate health care coverage. That's a tear that Uncle Sam is dabbing from his eye.
� News: San Joaquin County Office of Education Superintendent Mick Founts faces heat over nepotism charges and some expense-related matters.
Views: No crimes were committed. His judgment certainly can be questioned. It's always going to raise eyebrows when the overall boss' children are hired - especially with tax dollars. More odd, however, is how anyone could consider "showing goats" as a part of the education process in these days of rigidly structured curriculum.
� News: State Assemblyman Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, shows up, but doesn't croon the words to Creedence Clearwater Revival's song "Lodi."
Views: The assemblyman who hasn't paid attention to his constituents in Lodi since his election showed up - after some prompting - for a panel discussion last week. And made matters worse.
He took only a couple of written questions from the audience, which left mostly unsatisfied with this "drive-by" acknowledgment. Since he's running for a state Senate seat that will not include the north county, perhaps someone from Lodi should step up and run for his current position. Meanwhile ....
"I came into town, a one-night stand,
Looks like my plans fell through.
Oh, Lord! Stuck in Lodi again."
� News: While the Stockton Police Officers Association has opted for a "neutral" stance on the Measure A tax initiative which would, among other things, fund 120 additional police officers, Police Chief Eric Jones is making his stance as clear as is allowed.
Views: He's not supposed to get involved in city politics. But read what you will into this quote: "We need the Marshall Plan. We need at least 120 (more) officers. It needs to get funded. The sooner we get funded the better." In other words: a "yes" endorsement.
� News: University of the Pacific receives a $125 million gift from the estate of late former Regents Robert and Jeannette Powell.
Views: What an incredible show of generosity to the university by the Powells. It is the type of gift that can transform a university moving forward. Pacific seems intent on not only using the gift, but "growing" it. It's the sort of thing that, internally, can make a huge difference to Pacific. With the university's stance and commitment to strengthening bonds with the Stockton community, let's hope the gift also has a spillover impact in that regard.
� News: The downtown Stockton waterfront once again turns into something that, from afar, looks like green shag carpeting.
Views: Alas, it's once again water hyacinth. Despite seemingly strong measures - spraying 15 times between April 18 and Oct. 9, the watery weed once again has taken over the waterfront. It's more than just an eyesore. It stifles one of Stockton's signature areas. It's essential that, moving forward, methods are found to eradicate this problem instead of just allowing it to happen time and time again.
� News: San Joaquin Superior Court Judge Terrence Van Oss retires.
Views: He served on the bench for almost a quarter-century. He dealt with cases ranging from routine to very high-profile. He could be tough or sympathetic. He wasn't always warm and fuzzy with the press. He served the county very well, and deserves a long and enjoyable retirement.
� News: Stockton Unified School District's INTERIM police chief, who replaced a RETIRED police chief steps down after less than two months on the job and is replaced by an INTERIM police chief who will serve until a new PERMANENT police chief is hired.
Views: That will mean four police chiefs within the span of a few months, unless there's another INTERIM change.
Contact Record Editor Mike Klocke at (209) 546-8250 or email@example.com.


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Kelly Layman
Executive Director of Communications
PRESS RELEASE: New national rankings released for states' tuition and fees ... State University System of Florida moves from 48th-lowest to 45th-lowest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 26, 2011
New national rankings released for states' tuition and fees
State University System of Florida moves from 48th-lowest to 45th-lowest nationally
Click Here for the College Board 2011-12 Tuition and Fees
Today, the College Board released its annual "Trends in College Pricing" report, which analyzes national averages for public university tuition and fees. Florida's public universities averaged an increase of 11.8 percent to $5,626 a year – moving from 48th to 45th amid the lowest costs in the nation – while the national average for 2011-12 increased nearly the same amount, 8.3 percent, but importantly represents a far larger total number at $8,244.
The report does not include books, housing and other related costs students have while attending state universities.
The Board of Governors has carefully monitored and tracked the much larger increases in tuition during the past few years across state university systems in the United States, many of which do not have an annual or overall "cap." Some states also have more than one public university system – Florida has a single State University System with 11 institutions. As the Florida Board of Governors continues to devote resources and talent to achieve and sustain efforts that will transform our state into an international leader in knowledge-based innovation economy, the members of the Board also are absolutely committed to not allow economic deficits and funding needs to become an undue burden on students enrolled today, or on the families making plans in future years.
"Base" tuition in Florida is determined by the Legislature. Florida is unique in that any increases in tuition and fees in the State University System of Florida, pursuant to state law, cannot translate into amounts that exceed the national average. While Florida is still far below the national average, we must be mindful of the importance of quality in the System as well.
The ranking includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Now, the following states are slightly lower in tuition and costs than Florida: Louisiana, Wyoming, West Virginia, New Mexico, Alaska and Utah. Attached is a PowerPoint slide with the state rankings.
The Florida Board of Governors looks forward to continuing its close work with the 11 institutions in the System and with the Legislature to be fully accountable for results expected from any tuition increases, which is a requirement outlined several years ago in Florida law.
For more information, see www.collegeboard.org
Notes: Today's rankings also includes private universities, and the public state and community colleges. The information above is only for the public state universities portion of the report released by the College Board.
Also, extensive information and data taken up at the Florida Board of Governors' meeting this summer – the annual meeting addressing tuition and fees that follows each Legislative Session – can be found under Budget & Finance Committee back-up materials. (See www.flbog.edu, under Previous Board Meetings, see June meeting held in Tampa at USF.)
Click Here for the College Board 2011-12 Tuition and Fees
About the State University System of Florida
The State University System of Florida is governed by a 17-member Board of Governors, a constitutional body and led by appointed public servants. The System is comprised of 11 institutions with a total enrollment of more than 320,000 students, making it the fourth-largest public university system in the nation in terms of enrollment (some states have more than one university system). The Florida Constitution (Article IX, Section 7) was amended by the state's voters in 2002 to establish a statewide system of governance for all Florida public universities. As a result, the Florida Board of Governors was created in 2003 to oversee the State University System of Florida. Responsibilities include defining the distinctive mission of each institution and ensuring the well-planned coordination and operation of the System. The Board's 17 members include 14 appointed by the Governor, with three serving by virtue of their designations (a faculty member, a Florida Student Association student representative, and the Florida Commissioner of Education). The Board of Governors appoints a Chancellor who serves as the chief executive and administrative officer of the State University System. For more, including the Board's Annual Report that reflects accountability measurements and benchmarks occurring at each institution, see www.flbog.edu


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It's only a Thursday, but there's something like weekend excitement bubbling up around here. In the Mix: two sweaters ready for my top-down set-in sleeve sampling experiment.
This little cotton number has been ready for a few days and is just waiting for its turn (how it mocks me!) in the workflow (new Fall patterns shipping to LYS – and are they ever beautiful!). I've been using these two projects as a dangling Carrot to pull me along the daily grind and be ready in the wings as a reward. The last we heard from this cardi, we were doing a test on some dyeing possibitlies — now we're ready to get even more adventurous and try a whole new technique.
And there's a whole lot of info out there about how to do this, so it's taken a bit of time to sort through it all — very interesting to discover and dig through all the individual takes on the process. I first turned to, but of course, Barbara Walker's book – and then went online and read all I could…
Here is a great wrap-up of the process by the indomitable Stephanie Thorton: Short-row Set-in Sleeves. She basically sets out the initial way you pick-up-and-knit for this type of sleeve.
Now this isn't exactly the first time I've knit top-down sleeves. Both the Cerisara and the Vonica designs have them.
But this is the first time I'll be making them on a traditionally shaped (curved after an underarm bind off) armhole. I've got a good idea of how I want to consolidate and tweak all the different takes I've run across on this process — everyone has a slightly indiviual way they proportion the thing itself, including moi!
If you've done this before – leave a comment with any helpful hints? Hold my hand? I'm a little skert!


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My baby boy was born at 34 weeks. I had planned to breastfeed, but was not very educated about it. He was in the NICU for two weeks. I was encouraged to pump to get my milk supply started from the start, which I did and my baby was fed my milk in a bottle. Pumping has been very hard. It was quite uncomfortable from the start and caused pain on my right nipple. I tried breastfeeding a few times while he was in the NICU, always with a nipple shield. Since he got home, I've been practicing breastfeeding as much as I can manage. I desperately want to switch to exculsive breastfeeding, but it's so difficult when I'm pumping all the time and for some reason I'm so scared to breastfeed. I lack the confidence. I just don't think I'll be able to do it.
Well, I've seen countless lactation consultants and I've been trying to breastfeed more and more. When I see a consultant they are usually really encouraging and tell me I'm doing well. Baby seems to latch fairly well when I'm with the lactation consultants, but when I get home I can't seem to recreate that experience and I get so discouraged and frustrated. Bottom line is that I can't seem to get a deep enough latch. I always feel a painful pinch throughout the whole feeding and the right side is especially painful. My nipple also often has a lipstick shape when he comes off. I think he just doesn't open wide enough. I must admit that I don't wait for him to open wide anymore, because he just never seems to open very wide at all, so I would be waiting forever. I usually just plop him on when he opens up and then just deal with the pain. I don't unlatch him and relatch unless the pain is worse than normal. I just don't see the point because I've never been able to achieve an unpainful latch, so it seems like an unnecessary and fruitless struggle. Maybe I need to try harder, but I'm so exhausted from this whole process and I just want this to click. I want to breastfeed him so badly! I'm not sure what to do. I can handle the pain, but I'm scared that it will get worse (nipples will get cracked and bloody). If the pain were to continue as is I think I could handle it. Is it possible it could just get better with time? (When my nipples toughen up and his mouth gets bigger??)
Please help!


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DETROIT, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Defense lawyers Friday attacked a witness' allegations against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of payoffs, extortion and racketeering.
Friday marked Derrick Miller's fourth day to testify and the 52nd day of the corruption trial against Kilpatrick, his father Bernard and Bobby Ferguson, a longtime friend of the former mayor, The Detroit News reported.
The Kilpatricks and Ferguson are facing a number of charges, including alleged bid-rigging and kickbacks.
Kilpatrick lawyer James C. Thomas focused his questioning Friday on Miller's memory, as the witness previously said he couldn't remember details surrounding the alleged payoffs.
At one point, Thomas asked if Miller remembered being charged with racketeering conspiracy alongside Kilpatrick in December 2010.
"I don't remember all the charges," Miller said.
"You don't remember being charged with racketeering?" Thomas asked.
"Was that one of the charges?" Miller said.
Meanwhile, Kwame Kilpatrick showed up in court Friday wearing a Global Positioning System ankle bracelet, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Kilpatrick is confined to his mother's house while the Michigan Department of Corrections investigates whether he violated parole.


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Nicole Rowene "Nicci" Henke, 70, of Devils Lake, N.D., passed away at her home in the loving care of family and Hospice, on Wednesday morning, March 13, 2013.
Nicole Rowene "Nicci" Henke, 70, of Devils Lake, N.D., passed away at her home in the loving care of family and Hospice, on Wednesday morning, March 13, 2013.
A memorial service for Nicci will be held on Sunday, March 17 at 2 p.m. at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Devils Lake with Rev. Timothy Stout officiating. Friends may call at the church on Sunday one hour prior to the service. Everyone is welcome to attend and invited for lunch following the service.
Special Music will be provided by Erika Berg, violinist, Irving Thompson, vocalist and Mavis Blake, organist.
Nicole Rowene Henke was born at a birthing center in Mandan, N.D. on August 10, 1942. She grew up in Center, N.D., the daughter of Oliver and Enid 'nee (Henderscheid) Gullickson. While growing up she loved her farm life and spent as much time as she could on her grandparents', aunts', uncles' and cousins' farms. She and her cousins spent many hours riding horse-back and playing with the farm animals.
Nicole graduated from Center High School and attended North Dakota State University in Fargo for three years. She graduated from Minot State University with a degree in education, with special emphasis on education of the deaf.
Nicole married Merle Henke in 1963 and they moved from Rugby to Devils Lake where she worked for the North Dakota School for the Deaf for 32 years, retiring in 1997. She then worked part-time for Lake Region Special Education as a consultant to the hearing impaired and also did substitute teaching during that time. She ended that job in 2004 and she and Merle traveled to several places within the United States. In 2006, she was diagnosed with cancer and their lives changed to center around medical concerns.
Nicole was a member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church and the LWML, serving as an officer locally and as a district officer. She also was a member of the North Dakota Retired Teachers Organization.
Loving family members that survive Nicole are her husband, Merle; children and grandchildren, daughter, Karla Henke of Peachtree City, Ga. and her children Ariana Berg and Erika Berg and son, Shannon Henke of Bismarck, N.D. and his children, Mallorie Henke and Samuel Henke; sister, Gloria and her husband Dewey Albers of Hemet, Calif. and their children Wesey and Melody; sister-in-law, Verlaine (Leslie) Gullickson of Fargo, N.D. and her children, Stacy and Kirstin; several aunts and cousins.
Nicole was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Leslie; niece, Stephanie.
Friends may sign the online register book and share memories of Nicci at www.gilbertsonfuneralhome.com
Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake, is in charge of arrangements.


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Write Down
Gold's plunge is also hurting producers already contending with rising costs. Newcrest, Australia's largest gold producer, said last week it will write down the value of its assets by as much as A$6 billion ($5.9 billion) after the slump. The 30- member Philadelphia Stock Exchange Gold and Silver Index slid 37% this year.
Data released last week showed U.S. payrolls increased more than forecast in May and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said last month that the central bank could curtail its $85 billion monthly bond purchases if the economy improves. The World Bank raised its 2013 U.S. growth forecast on June 12 to 2%, from 1.9% in January, even as it cut its estimate for the global economy to 2.2%, from 2.4%.
U.S. Stimulus
Bullion rose 58% since 2008 as the Fed led a global surge in money printing to boost growth. While the U.S. central bank will slow purchases, it will still buy $65 billion a month by October, the median of 59 economist estimates compiled by Bloomberg this month shows. The Bank of Japan restated its April pledge this week to increase the monetary base by 60 trillion to 70 trillion yen ($742 billion) a year, and refrained from adding extra policy tools to counter bond-market volatility.
"Global fundamentals, including accommodative monetary policy, remain positive for gold," said Adrian Day, who manages about $135 million of assets as the president of Adrian Day Asset Management in Annapolis, Maryland. "The market is slowly realizing that despite all the talk about tapering of bond buying by the Fed, there will be no meaningful global tightening any time soon."
The surge in equities over the past three quarters, which also damped demand for gold, is now partially reversing. The MSCI All-Country World Index reached a seven-week low yesterday. The U.S. Dollar Index, a measure against six currencies, slipped to the weakest in almost four months.
Money Managers
Hedge funds and other large speculators got more positive in the past two weeks after reducing bullish bets to the lowest in almost six years, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data show. They increased their net-long position by 60% to 57,113 contracts in the two weeks to June 4.
There are still signs that lower prices are boosting physical buying. The U.K.'s Royal Mint, which saw its gold-coin sales triple in April, said last week the "steep increase" in demand continued in the past several weeks. The U.S. Mint predicted last week that its gold and silver coin sales may reach a record in 2013, and the Austrian Mint said it expects "quite good business" in the next couple of months.
Gold's 60-day historical volatility reached 28.9% today, the highest since December 2011, data compiled by Bloomberg show. That compares with an average of 20.6% in the past five years.
In other commodities, six of 11 people surveyed expect raw sugar to drop next week and two were neutral. The commodity slid 14% to 16.85 cents a pound on ICE Futures U.S. in New York this year.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Change-point analysis is an effective and powerful statistical tool for determining if and when a change in a data set has occurred. The tool provides a confidence level that indicates the likelihood of the change. Change-point analysis can be used in three distinct applications: 1) determining if improvements or process changes may have led to a shift in an output, 2) problem solving, and 3) trend analysis. This paper describes how the tool can be used in the pharmaceutical industry for the three applications. Two case studies are presented to show how change-point analysis was used to verify the potential effect of process changes.
This paper describes how to conduct a change-point analysis and discusses three applications for the tool in pharmaceutical process monitoring and control: demonstrating improvements, problem solving, and trend analysis. The use of change-point analysis to demonstrate an improvement is highlighted in two examples.
The original CUSUM chart hints at other, more subtle changes. These potential changes can now be assigned a confidence level by dividing the data into two subsets: data points 1 to 19 and data points 20 to 30. Each data subset can then subjected to its own change-point analysis to see if the threshold confidence level is exceeded.
Potential changes in variation also can be assessed using the change-point analysis technique. Because biologics manufacturers produce a relatively small number of batches each week, it is not always practical to perform a change-point analysis on standard deviation. As an alternative, a change-point analysis is conducted on the difference between consecutive data points. For the sample data from Figure 2, let X1, X2, ..., X30 represent the 30 data points. From this, 15 consecutive differences, D1, D2, ..., D15 are calculated as follows: Di = |X2i – X2i–1| for i = 1 to 15. The change-point analysis is then performed on D1 through D15.
Microsoft Excel was used to perform the analysis described above. A commercially available software package known as Change-Point Analyzer (Taylor Enterprises, Inc.) greatly simplifies the analysis. The remaining examples in this paper used Change-Point Analyzer, version 2.2.


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Home > All Products
Catalogue Number: NT105Artist: ABCTracklist: A: That Was Then But This Is NowB: VertigoSleeve Grading: ExRecord Grading: ExLabel: NeutronCountry of Press: United KingdomSpeed: 45Format: 7"Release Date: 1983
In stock, immediate despatch
Special Offer: Buy 3 get 1 free on all records under £5. Add 4 to your basket and get the cheapest free!
Records are for playing, which is why we believe in accurately describing the sound, not the look of the record, so we play-test every single record we sell. You might find our gradings are lower than our competitors - that's because if a record looks fantastic but plays terribly we will grade it low on the scale, whereas others may grade it very highly because visually they look good.
For that reason, when we grade records equivalently they actually sound the same, so you know exactly what to expect. We're so confident of our grading process that we offer free returns for any reason.
We grade according to the Record Collectors Grading Guide, the details of which are below:
Mint: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality.The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition
Excellent: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening of sound quality.The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.
Very Good: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch.Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable
Good: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches.The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration etc.
Fair: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise: it may even jump.The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
Sometimes the record is of different quality on the 'A' and 'B' side. In this case the record grading A: Ex B:VG means the A side is Ex and B side is VG.
The days of flimsy mailers and cracked records are over.
We know how important it is for your records to reach you in one piece, in exactly the same condition as when they left us. That's why we've chosen these brand new mailers, supplied by our friends over at Lil Packaging - they are simply the best out there and provide unrivalled strength and protection.
Their easy-open tear strips make unwrapping simple, so there's no need to risk damaging your record as you fight your way into the envelope. On top of that, records fit snugly, minimising the danger of scuffed corners, and the unparalleled strength ensures that they days of opening up a record cracked in the post are over.
The best bit? They're guaranteed to be 100% recyclable and forest friendly.
Good for the environment. Great for you.
We send all standard parcels first class which gives a delivery target of 1 working day after dispatch. Order before the cut-off and you should have your record safely in your hands the very next day, all at no extra cost.
There is also the option on all items to upgrade to a 'Signed For' service for extra peace of mind or 'Special Delivery' if you need it to arrive on the next working day.
International Delivery
We offer two international services, both of which are with Royal Mail.
Standard delivery has a delivery estimate of 3-5 working days after dispatch. Tracked & Signed delivery again has an estimate of 3-5 working days but is tracked both in the UK and in the destination country and the progress of your package can be followed online
Our returns policy is dependent on your location.
Decide your record isn't what you wanted? No problem!
Drop us an email at email@example.com or use our Contact Us page and we will send you a return label to return the item to us. All you'll have to do is print the label out , stick it on the front and drop it into a post office. The only criteria is that the record must be returned to us in the same condition it was sent out and be within 30 days.
Unfortunately we can't offer free returns on any item that is sent abroad. However, we do operate a 30 day "no-quibble" returns policy in which you will be refunded the amount of the record itself (excluding postage charges) if you do choose to return the record to us.
Helpful Links


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Fairfax Media requires a highly skilled and motivated person to fulfil the role of a Linux Systems Engineer within the Digital Infrastructure department. This role requires in-depth knowledge and proven ability in administering high volume websites, based on the Linux operating system and open source technology
The position is based in Pyrmont, Sydney, and offers an extremely creative and challenging culture. We expect the best and will offer a rewarding career with exposure to the latest technologies.
To be considered and successful in this position you will have 3+ years in a similar role. A proven history of problem resolution and innovation is essential. You will complement and join a team that possesses a passion and deep awareness of emerging technology and digital practices.
Essential Skills
- Ubuntu / Debian
- CentOS
- Apache
- Tomcat
- Shell scripting
Desired Skills
- Ruby
- Puppet
- Kernel-based virtual machine (KVM)
- CVS, SVN and Git
- Layer 7 load balancing
- SAN and NAS infrastructure
- Routing and switching
Key Responsibilities
- Directly support the web infrastructure and services
- Automated deployment, configuration and lifecycle management of workloads
- Detailed design
- Change, incident and problem management
- Rostered on call
The future for Fairfax is bright. As a fast paced, dynamic and results driven business, our people are passionate about delivering to our audience the best possible digital experience through highly engaging, creative and informative digital platforms.
For your opportunity to join this leading digital organisation, please submit your application online today at http://careers.fairfax.com.au quoting reference number 747488.


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WD®, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company and a world leader in storage solutions for the connected life, today expanded its recently introduced My Cloud™ family of personal cloud solutions with My Cloud™ EX4, a high-performance four-bay network attached storage (NAS) solution for creative professionals, prosumers, workgroups and anyone looking for a reliable way to save, share, back up, stream and manage massive amounts of digital data.
"The reception for our recently introduced My Cloud personal cloud platform was extremely positive," said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. "Our single drive My Cloud system is the perfect solution for users that want an easy and private way to store all of their data at home and then share, save and manage it from anywhere in the world, on any device. Expanding our My Cloud platform to a four-bay system delivers the advanced features, customization capability and capacity that many of our customers are looking for."
Featuring the category leading WD Red™ line of hard drives specifically designed for home and small office NAS systems, My Cloud EX4 customers enjoy ultimate reliability from the trusted name in storage. WD Red drives are powered by NASware™ 2.0 technology, which improves drive reliability and protects customer data in the event of a power loss or disruption. Additionally, WD Red hard drives feature 3D Active Balance Plus, an enhanced balance control technology that significantly improves overall drive performance and reliability.
My Cloud EX4 provides several capacity options, allowing customers to choose from a drive-less enclosure that allows customers to customize their capacity and add additional drives as their library of digital content grows, or an 8 TB, 12 TB or 16 TB model1 . With Easy-Slide-Drive technology, My Cloud EX4 allows customers to easily install or hot-swap drives in seconds, without the need for a screwdriver, toolkit or trays. Additionally, customers can attach compatible USB 3.0 hard drives to the USB expansion ports on the My Cloud EX4 to instantly expand their storage capacity.
Ultimate Data Protection
My Cloud EX4 arms users with multiple options to secure digital data from a potential loss by providing RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 or allowing users to select from spanning and JBOD modes for even more options to manage data. Customers can also use their My Cloud EX4 to back up all of their computers and devices with WD SmartWare™ Pro software for PC users. Mac users can utilize all the features of Apple® Time Machine® backup software to protect their data. The My Cloud EX4 can also backup itself, either to another My Cloud EX4 in a different location, or to cloud services such as Amazon S3 and ElephantDrive. To ensure 24/7 data protection and reliability the My Cloud EX4 includes redundant power supplies and Ethernet ports.
Advanced Streaming and Serving
My Cloud EX4 serves as a home's digital entertainment hub, configurable for up to 16 TB of movies and music that can then be streamed to any DLNA®/UPnP® certified multimedia device such as gaming consoles, smart TVs and WD TV® Live™ media players. The Twonky 7.2, DLNA-certified 1.5 media server and iTunes® server make for simple streaming of large movie and music libraries.
Additionally, the integrated file server, FTP server, backup server and P2P download server provide advanced data serving options for My Cloud EX4 users.
Customers can also customize their NAS, monitor system health, manage users and energy saving features with the My Cloud EX4 dashboard, as well as use a suite of third party apps, including aMule, Icecast, Joomla!®, phpBB®, phpMyAdmin and SqueezeCenter.
Anywhere Access to My Cloud EX4
Available for iOS® and Android™ devices, the WD My Cloud mobile app allows users to view photos, stream video and share, save and manage files from anywhere on their smartphones or tablets. The mobile app makes file sharing and collaborating simple, allowing customers to easily email files, share files as a link, and print and open files with third party apps. The My Cloud mobile app integrates major public cloud services so that customers can easily transfer files from their Dropbox™, SkyDrive® and Google Drive™ public cloud accounts2.
Price and Availability
My Cloud EX4 is currently available at select U.S. retailers and online at the wdstore.com. MSRP is $379.99 USD for the drive-less My Cloud EX4, $799.99 USD for 8 TB, $949.99 USD for 12 TB and $1,149.99 USD for 16 TB. The My Cloud mobile app currently is available for download from the App StoreSM and Google PlayTM. My Cloud EX4 comes with a two year limited warranty.
My Cloud EX4 is compatible with Windows® 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista®, Windows XP, OS X Mavericks™, Mountain Lion™, Lion®, Snow Leopard®, as well as DLNA®/UPnP® enabled devices.
About WD
WD, a Western Digital company, is a long-time innovator and storage industry leader. As a storage technology pacesetter, the company produces reliable, high-performance hard disk drives and solid state drives. These drives are deployed by OEMs and integrators in desktop and mobile computers, enterprise computing systems, embedded systems and consumer electronics applications, as well as by the company in providing its own storage products. WD's leading storage devices and systems, networking products, media players and software solutions empower people around the world to easily save, store, protect, share and experience their content on multiple devices. WD was established in 1970 and is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.wd.com.
Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC), Irvine, Calif., is a global provider of products and services that empower people to create, manage, experience and preserve digital content. Its companies design and manufacture storage devices, networking equipment and home entertainment products under the WD, HGST and G-Technology brands. Visit the Investor section of the company's website (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.


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The Wall Street Journal updates efforts to address a perennial problem: getting talented young people interested in careers in manufacturing. "Manufacturers, government officials and nonprofits across the country are looking for ways to get the country's brightest kids fired up about industry," the newspaper reports. "They're setting up engineering contests, backing classroom projects where kids design everything from audio speakers to artificial limbs, and taking students on tours of factories." A new push goes beyond vocational classes, which "usually don't try to attract the top students," according to the newspaper, and is "is designed to spark interest among students who might not give manufacturing a second thought otherwise." One company that's trying hard to entice talented students to manufacturing is Kennametal Inc., a Latrobe, Pa,-based maker of metalworking tools, alloys and other materials that has a plant in Solon. It's trying to counter perceptions of factory work by holding tours of its operations. "People still think that factories are dark, dirty and dangerous, and that the jobs are dull," says Carlos Cardoso, CEO of Kennametal, which also sponsors a program to get high schoolers interested in engineering. "That was the factories of 50 years ago. We really need to change the perception." Nathan Schomer, who lives near Latrobe and took part in Kennametal's high-school program, recently took a tour of the company's Solon plant. The Journal says he noticed that the factory was clean and that the machines were controlled by computers, not people pulling levers. "That's just not how you imagine manufacturing to be," says Mr. Schomer, who has enrolled in an engineering program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He says he would consider working for a manufacturer such as Kennametal, though he may want to start his own business.
Manufacturers try to attract top students to their field
This Reuters story reinforces just what a drag it is to run for high political office if you aren't wealthy. From the story: For lawmakers in Washington, the daily chase for money can begin with a breakfast fundraiser in the side room of a Washington restaurant. At noon, there might be a $500-per-plate lunch with lobbyists in a Capitol Hill town house. The day might wrap up in an arena sky box in downtown Washington, watching a basketball game with donors. In between, there is "call time" — up to four or five hours a day for lawmakers in tough re-election campaigns — in telemarketing-style cubicles a few hundred yards from the Capitol. The call centers, set up by the Democratic and Republican parties, allow lawmakers to chase the checks that fuel campaigns without violating rules that ban fundraising from their offices. The story says freshman Republican Rep. David Joyce in Geauga County, who represents a competitive district, "may need to raise $4 million to stay in office next year now that Democrats have identified him as one of their top targets, said his predecessor Steve LaTourette, a Republican who held the seat for 18 years." Rep. Joyce declined to comment. But Rep. LaTourette makes it clear that the fundraising demands were a major part of why he left Congress. "LaTourette says he was expected to raise $250,000 a year for the National Republican Congressional Committee, his party's political arm," Reuters reports. "He reached that goal by asking donors to 'max out' with a $2,500 check, last year's legal limit. Then he'd ask whether their spouse could give that amount as well." He tells the news service, "It's just very, very time-consuming. Let's say you've got a competitive race and you've got to raise 3 or 4 million dollars for your re-election. That's a lot of phone calls."
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. says it's "temporarily suspending" the environmental assessment for its $3 billion chromite project in Ontario, Canada. The Cleveland-based producer of iron ore and coal said the decision is "due to delays related to the environment assessment process, land surface rights and negotiations with the Province of Ontario." Bill Boor, senior vice president-global ferroalloys for Cliffs, said in a statement that while "most aspects of the chromite project have advanced according to plan, temporarily suspending the environmental assessment work acknowledges that certain critical elements of the project's future are not solely within our control and require the active support and participation by other interested." He added, "We remain excited about this project and its potential for Cliffs and Northern Ontario. However, given the current unresolved issues, we cannot and will not unilaterally move the process forward and must manage our resources appropriately." Reuters reports that Cliffs plans to develop North America's first major chromite mine in a remote cluster of rich mineral deposits called the "Ring of Fire." Chromite is refined into ferrochrome, which is used to make stainless steel. The project includes a $600 million highway.
The Cleveland Clinic rates a mention in a brief CNNMoney.com slideshow about efforts nationwide to ease the financial pain of medical treatment. The third of three slides focuses on company wellness programs, which increasingly "are shifting from offering incentives to employees for simply signing up to rewarding — or punishing — staffers based on measurable results," according to the website. One key takeaway for workers: trying counts. "Many wellness programs reward improvement even if you fall short of the goals," CNNMoney.com says. "Last year, for instance, employees in Cleveland Clinic's wellness program who didn't hit their targets saw a 9% hike in health premiums vs. 21% for employees who didn't enroll."
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