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HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam's leaders sought to boost their flagging legitimacy by asking the public for suggestions on constitutional reform. What they got instead was rare open criticism of one-party rule, a fired journalist turned poster boy for dissent, and another lesson on how the Internet has changed the rules of governance.
The flurry of criticism has put Communist Party chiefs on the defensive, upping the pressure on them amid widespread discontent over high-level corruption and a stuttering economy. Those behind the outpouring — a grouping of intellectuals and former officials — say they have no intention of shutting up.
"Many of our fellow countrymen and soldiers have sacrificed themselves to build this current regime," said Le Hieu Dang, former vice chairman of a Communist Party-run organization in Ho Chi Minh City. "Going against the rights of the people can't be tolerated after the blood that has been shed."
Dang and 71 others released their own proposed constitution on the Internet in response to the government's request for public comments on its draft. They also handed a copy to the committee in charge of revising the constitution, which is being amended for the first time in 20 years.
Their version removes Article 4 — which stipulates that the Communist Party is the sole political force in the country — and calls for other things anathema to ruling officials such as free elections and free media. It spread quickly on blogs in a country where more than one-third of the 87 million people are online, sparking more debate.
The head of the committee revising the constitution said they had gone too far.
"Abusing the garnering of ideas on the revised constitution to propagandize and lobby for the people to oppose the party and the government ... must be resolutely prevented," Nguyen Sinh Hung said in a meeting shown on state-owned television Wednesday night.
The government asked for suggestions on the proposed constitution revision in January, saying people would have three months to do so and opening up a comments page on its website. The 72 petitioners used the opportunity to test the limits of the government's willingness to debate. More than 6,000 people have since stated their support for the group's version online.
"We need to have open discussions. Why are their ideas published in the state media, but not ours?" Dang said by telephone from Ho Chi Minh City. "We use the Internet."
Vietnam opened up its economy in the 1990s, but retains a closed political system that rarely allows dissent. Long prison sentences are common for dissidents. The Internet has opened up new avenues for those who oppose the government, or discuss alternative ways of governance. Within the party there are also tensions between the old guard and progressives. They too find their way onto blogs.
On Tuesday, journalist Nguyen Dac Kien was fired by his state-run newspaper after he blogged about an attack by the Communist Party chief on those calling for greater constitutional reforms. It's made Kien into something of a hero for those who oppose the government.
While the government's grip on power is secure for now, the flowering of open political discussion could deepen a sense of crisis within the ruling elite.
"The party leadership has lost control over the discussion. Like it or not, there is in Vietnam a debate on the constitution, with even longtime party members weighing," said Jonathan D. London, a Vietnam expert at the City University of Hong Kong. "Bottling it up at this point will be no easy task."
The government is revising the constitution for the first time since 1992, citing the need to speed up the country's development.
The most significant change in the draft on the government's website is the removal of a stipulation that the state sector "plays the leading" role in the national economy. That suggests that the government may dismantle corruption-riddled and unproductive state-owned enterprises that eat up much of the national budget and have been blamed for the current economic difficulties.


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Get to know Barrington's Trails
BARRINGTON — The Barrington Conservation Commission and Natural Heritage Committee invite you to join us in burning off some of those Thanksgiving calories with a hike on the Barrington Trail on Friday, Nov. 23 at 10 a.m.
We are pleased to offer these hikes on the many natural treasures of lakes, forests, wildlife, wetlands, rivers and farmlands, all a part of Barrington's exquisite natural heritage of "open space," many of which are protected by conservation easements and are open to the public for hiking and cross-country skiing.
Both a trail map and the history of the Barrington Trail can be found on the Barrington Conservation Commission website:
The Barrington Trail goes through a mix of conservation and private land and was created by the Barrington Trails Committee in 2001. We will walk through the section off Green Hill Road that goes by the Isinglass River, protected in 2002 under the DES Rivers Management and Protection Program.
Hiking boots and poles are recommended for this 1 1/2 mile walk. Bring water, snacks and rain gear. Please do not bring pets.
Directions to the Barrington Trail (north end): We will meet at the junction of Seavey Bridge and Green Hill Roads.
-- From the Route 125 and Route 9 intersection at the lights, go north for a little over 1 mile;
-- Turn left onto Greenhill Road and drive 0.9 miles until you come to a small bridge (Seavey Bridge) crossing the Isinglass River;
-- Immediately before the bridge, turn left onto Seavey Bridge Road (a dirt road) and park off the road to the right; the trail begins here
RSVP requested to Anne: email@example.com 664-5089
Post-Thanksgiving hike planned on the Barrington Trail
Get to know Barrington's Trails

subset: commoncrawl


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Drafting players and crafting a 53-man roster are two different animals, but they are certainly of the same species.
At the very least, both have the same purpose: You're trying to get the best players for your football team.
General manager Howie Roseman has been adamant the Eagles no longer draft for need but take the best available players on their board. Asked two weeks ago about some of the decisions he and coach Chip Kelly will face in trimming the roster to 53, Roseman said the same philosophy would be used.
"We're trying to get the best 53 guys on this team," Roseman said. "So if that means we have to go heavy at one spot, we're not in a position here where we can be selective about talented players. We got to keep as many talented guys as we possibly can on our football team. We're trying to do this the right way and so that carries over from our draft philosophy which is take the best guys."
But when the Eagles announced their 53-man roster on Saturday there were several players that were released that seemed to perform better in the preseason than others at their respective positions. Wide receivers Greg Salas and Russell Shepard were cut and Jeff Maehl survived. Tight end Clay Harbor was waived and Emil Igwenagu remained. And outside linebacker Chris McCoy was sent packing and inside linebacker Casey Matthews stuck around.
"When Chip talked about the versatility at the back of the roster we didn't want to duplicate a lot of skills," Roseman said on Saturday. "So that's what made some of the choices at the back of the roster. Maybe some guys that played well in the preseason, but maybe they were duplicating the skills of some of the guys that we had. It didn't make sense to keep them or try to find guys that did some different things."
In theory, and possibly in practice, Roseman's explanation makes sense. You want versatile players on your roster that can handle multiple tasks, especially if they're one of 46 players that dress on Sundays. Kelly has stressed this attribute since arriving. It's certainly been a concern for the coach, who had countless players at his disposal at Oregon.
But it seems to run contrary to the philosophy Roseman has touted for two years -- take and keep the best players. It remains to be seen if McCoy, Harbor and Shepard were the best players. All three were claimed off waivers on Sunday. The Eagles brought Salas back to their practice squad. And we're talking about players low on the depth chart.
But there will be injuries this season, especially with the additional plays and opportunities for injury that Kelly will have with his up-tempo offense. There will be a handful of backups pushed into the starting lineup. And that, to me, is more important than whether such-and-such can play five positions. If tight ends Brent Celek or Zach Ertz or outside linebackers Connor Barwin or Trent Cole get injured, who would rather see filling in -- Harbor or Igwenagu or Matthews or McCoy?
Kelly, who said last week that he had final say over the 53-man roster, already made his choice.


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So… according to blogger, this is my 500th post. I really never would have guessed it. Einstein was right about time being relative; I have been blogging here for just over a week, or for decades, if you go by how it feels from time to time. The calendar puts it at late 2007 when this version of the blog started up. Since then, 500 posts, 129,515 visits from 159 countries (I need to work on reaching central Africa), two books (well, one and a half, really), and a line of designer swimwear worn by high-fashion models around the world. Ok, not that last bit, unless you count when they go skinny-dipping. I did design that.
It has been wonderful getting to know you. My readers are incredible people, and have made it possible for me to do some things I never would have been able to do without them (those people know who they are, and I can never thank them enough!). I would not have traded these last 500 posts for anything.
It is at nice round numbers like this that one starts getting introspective. What does the future hold for The Digital Cuttlefish? If you have any ideas, let me know. Meanwhile, a poll.
Whither The Digital Cuttlefish?customer surveys
And hey, if you are reading this, thanks! Yes, you, personally!
The Cuttlefish, clearly perplexed,
Introspected aloud (well, in text):
It's been five hundred posts!
First, a couple of toasts,
Then the serious question: What next?


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A Masters degree is an academic degree awarded to individuals who successfully denote a higher level of expertise. There are two main types of Masters - taught and research.
Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under different governments: the UK Government is responsible for England, and the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are responsible for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively.
Request Information Part time Master's Programs in Politics in Greater London in United Kingdom 2018/2019
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Inspiring students and graduates alike to share lifelong commitment, pride and passion for UW Tacoma, the Alumni Relations office and UW Alumni Association work together to engage alumni as active members of the campus community. We strive to develop programs and services that add value to the alumni experience and to your university.
Whether you are continuing your studies at another institution, looking for employment, starting a new job, taking the next step in your career or heading off on another personal endeavor, please keep us in the loop by updating your information online.


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One of the remarkable realities in this season is how predominant the presence of Christmas carols becomes in our society. No matter how we want to remove Christianity from our culture, no matter how politically incorrect it is to speak the gospel, you can't go into a store or an office building, just about anywhere without hearing Christmas carols being played or sung in the background. They are ubiquitous. They are absolutely everywhere. And I always have sort of a general smile on my face when I get into those environments because many people in our culture, though they're listening to an instrumental version of a Christmas carol, know the words well enough to be reciting them in their own minds, even though they don't necessarily believe the gospel. This is one of the good gifts of God's grace to our society, many, many centuries of great Christmas theology captured in these songs and carols which are so common in our culture. The gospel is really proclaimed far and wide musically for those who are listening to it. Christmas carols are a great blessing and a great heritage, especially those who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ because we understand the meaning of those wonderful words which are a part of that music.
By the way, a carol, the dictionary says, the Old English Dictionary says, "a carol is a song or hymn of gladness." It doesn't have to be just about Christmas, it could be about any glad theme, any joyous theme. And, of course, there's nothing more joyous than the incarnation, the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ because of which all other truly joyous things have come to pass. When we look back on the wonderful hymns and carols that are a part of our heritage, we find in them the clear rich statements of gospel truth and they are a wonderful heritage for us.
I just was going through some of the more familiar ones and some of the older ones with which you might not be familiar, but just a little bit of reminder of the theology that we sing or that we hear played at this season. "Come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Your people free. From our sins and fears, release us. Christ in whom our rest shall be." That's Charles Wesley in the eighteenth century. Or, "He comes the prisoners to release in Satan's bondage held, the gates of brass before Him burst, the iron fetters yield. He comes to cleanse the human mind from thickest scales of sin, and by the entrance of His words give light and life within." Another eighteenth century Christmas carol by Philip Dotterage(?). "O come, true branch of Jesse, free Your own from Satan's tyranny. From depths of hell Your people saved, to rise victorious from the grave." That goes back many centuries, that is a Latin hymn translated into English. Or that wonderful hymn by James Montgomery from the nineteenth century, "Come and worship. Come and worship. Worship Christ the newborn King." With lines like, "Sinners brought to true repentance, doomed for guilt to endless pains, justice now revolts the sentence, mercy calls you, break your chains."
A newer hymn, "Child of the stable' secret birth, the Lord by right of lords of earth, let angels sing of the King newborn, the world is weaving a crown of thorn. A crown of thorn for that infant head, cradled soft in the manger bed. Eyes that shine in the lantern's ray, a face so small in its nest of hay. Face of a child who is born to scan the world He made through the eyes of man. And from that face in the final day, earth and heaven shall flee away. Child of the stable's secret birth, the Father's gift to a wayward earth to drain the cup in a few short years of all our sorrows, our sin and tears. Ours the prize for the road He trod, risen with Christ at peace with God."
Familiar words from Wesley again, "Christ by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord." Or, "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity." Or, "Born that men no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth." Or, "Adam's likeness now effaced, stamp Thy image in its place." That's Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
It was Isaac Watts who wrote Joy to the World. "No more let sin and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow wherever Eden's curse is found." Speaking of the coming Kingdom of our Lord.
Another, "This perfect man incarnate God, by selfless sacrifice destroyed our sinful history all fallen Adam's curse. In Him the curse of blessing turns, my barren spirit flowers as ore the shadow of sin the cross of Jesus towers."
And then one from the fourth century in Latin, translated in the eighteenth. "Praise Him all you hosts of heaven, praise Him angels in the height. Powers, dominions bow before Him and extol His glorious might. Let no tongue on earth be silent, let each heart and voice unite ever more and evermore." A lot of theology in those lines, profound gospel truth.
Just a few lines in the almost endless array of Christmas music, songs that celebrate the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. But there are songs even older than the fourth century. There are songs that go all the way back to the New Testament. Now you remember in Ephesians 5 or Colossians 3, the Apostle Paul commands us to speak to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and to sing and make melody in our heart to the Lord. Singing has always been a part of the worship of the people of God. In the Corinthian letter we were reminded that when the people came together they sang. That was part of worship, always has been a part of worship, even going back into the Old Testament. That's why the Old Testament saints had a complete hymnal, the book of Psalms. And if you study the New Testament carefully, you will find at numerous intervals in your study, hymns appearing or fragments of hymns appearing in the New Testament.
For example, some of the doxologies such as Romans 11:33 to 36 are really hymns. It's very likely that those doxologies, those paeans of praise and worship, were set to tunes and were actually song by the people of God. There are many who believe that the first chapter of Ephesians, that great long sentence from verse 3 to verse 14 which sweeps through the glories of God's redemptive purpose in Christ was really a hymn and that it was suitable to be sung in some fashion. Later in the book of Ephesians in chapter 5 verse 14, there's a little three-line fragment of a hymn. In fact in your Bible it's set apart from the normal prose format to demonstrate that it's poetic, very likely was a refrain or a piece of a hymn familiar to the early church and sung by them. There appear to be songs even in the book of Colossians, chapter 1 verse 15. In Philippians there are many who believe that Philippians 2:6 through 11, that great celebration of the incarnation and exaltation of Christ, really was sung. It has the components or the elements of a song. In 2 Timothy it appears that there are several refrains or components or fragments of hymns that were known to the early church to which the writer, Paul, alludes because they would be so familiar to the people. There are some who believe that Titus chapter 3 verses 4 to 7 has all the earmarks of a hymn, or a part of a hymn that could easily be sung. And there are more.
This particular study would be for another occasion, not for this morning. But there are some criteria by which people come to the conclusion that these passages of Scripture were likely sung. I'll just give you a handful of them. One of them would be what we call contextual dislocation, that's kind of a technical term...contextual dislocation. That is to say given the context, this seems a little out of touch, a little dislocated, a little out of sync or out of join with what's going on, as if the writer in his normal writing in prose stops and takes a break and then comes back again. So that kind of dislocation is one criteria that's used to say, "Well maybe this is an added...added fragment of a hymn, a proverb, a creed, whatever that might be."
The second is change in style. Clearly you move from the prosaic style to the poetic style. And in that case you might also have a change in terminology as well.
Thirdly, some kind of introductory phrase whereas the normal flow is moving and all of a sudden there's this little introductory phrase. It could be as simple as a word, or it could be a brief phrase that indicates that there's a movement in another direction at this point.
Fourth, and maybe particularly important, is the use of parallel and antithesis. That is to say juxtaposing things against each other in parallel forms which lends itself to the kind of rhythm that is sung.
And then one final one, which is an interesting one, is rare vocabulary. Vocabulary that is unique. There seem to be in the content of these hymn fragments more of what we call hapax legomena, that's a Greek term meaning it appears only here. There are more hapax legomena words used in these fragments than would be normal in the others, so that they take on a little bit of a unique character of their own. For those particular kind of reasons, when all that criteria sort of comes together, you get a good idea that this may well be a hymn.
Now there are many that we could look at. But I want to draw you to one that I think is my favorite part of a hymn that is in the New Testament, take your Bible and open it to 1 Timothy chapter 3...1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16...1 Timothy 3 and verse 16. You will notice in whatever translation you may be using that the translators have set this apart in a poetic format because they recognize that this takes on a different character than the regular flow of the text. And so it is indented and put in poetic lines, one statement each line.
Now this hymn goes like this. "He who was revealed in the flesh was vindicated in the Spirit, beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory." There's a rhythm there, there are parallels there that are obvious..flesh, spirit, nations, angels, world, glory, human, divine, heavenly, earthly, above, below. That's the kind of antithesis, that's the kind of parallels that suit the rhythm of something that is being sung expressed poetically. Also there are six verbs here, one in each line. They are all singular aorist verbs and they are therefore parallel to one another. Those are the indicators here that this is very likely a hymn.
Also, verse 16 begins by common confession which indicates that everybody says this. And the fact that everybody says this must mean that it's familiar. That again leads us to the conclusion that this is a hymn. That kind of introduction sets this apart as something that is commonly known.
Now before we look at the hymn itself, let me back you up a little bit into the fifteenth verse. It doesn't take long in this text to get the setting for the hymn. You will notice in verse 15 that just about the middle of the verse, we'll just pick it up with the household of God...the household of God, the family of God. We're talking about believers here, which is the church of the living God. And then He defines the church of the living God this way, the pillar and support of the truth...the pillar and support of the truth.
The church of the living God, that is just an interesting phrase. The way it appears in the English, THE church of the living God, sounds a bit institutional because the definite article in the English is really in the wrong place. The Greek doesn't say THE church of the living God, it really would in the Greek be translated this way, "The living God's church...the living God's church. And the article before church is really absent. It is the living God's church. If you say THE church of the living God, the church takes the priority and it...it's a kind of institutional feeling. But if you translate it the way the Greek does, "The living God's church," it's not emphasizing the institution of the church, it's emphasizing the nature of the church as belonging to God. The emphasis then becomes laid squarely on the living God. It is the living God's church, the One according to Acts 20:28 which He purchased with His own blood.
And so we are here introduced to the church, the living God's church. That is the true church, right? The church that really belongs to the living God, the church that is alive in Christ, that possesses the life of God. We're talking about the true church, not the false church, not the professing church, but the true church, the living God's church, the real household of God, those who truly belong to Him. And it says of the church this, that it is the pillar and support of the truth. Pillar, stulos, simply those great pillars that held up the massive roof. The support is the word edrama(???)which means foundation. He then goes on to articulate what that truth is, and it is substantial and it is centered in one person, verse 16, here is the common confession of the truth that identifies the true church. "By common confession, great is the mystery of Godliness." When people went to the Temple of Diana in the city of Ephesus, they would say this, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians. Great is Diana of the Ephesians." According to Acts chapter 19, that's what they said, "Great is Diana, Great is Diana. But when we who are the church of the living God, the living God's church, when we come together, our common confession is great is the mystery of godliness. Great is the mystery of godliness."
Now notice that opening statement, "By common confession..." You may have a translation that says, "Without controversy," I think that's the King James and maybe the New King James, "Without controversy," that's really meaning the same thing, just saying it a little differently. It means it is not subject to debate, it is not up for grabs, there's no argument on this issue, it is beyond dispute. It is the unanimous conviction of the living God's church, the true family of God. The Greek verb here translated "By common confession" is homologoumenos, homomeaning the same, legoto say. We all say the same thing. That's what it means. All of us affirm the same truth that holds up the church, that identifies the church, that is the support and the strength and the form and the shape of the church. And what is that great truth? Great is the mystery of godliness....great is the mystery of godliness.
What does that mean? What is the mystery of godliness? Is that a doctrine? Is that a theological point? Is that a philosophical reality? What is that?
The mystery of godliness can be easily understood. Mystery means something hidden, now revealed. Always in the New Testament musterionhas that idea. Something hidden, now revealed. So what we have is godliness revealed...godliness revealed. What is godliness? God-likeness revealed, deity revealed. That's another way to say it. So we're not talking about a doctrine here, we're talking about a person. We're not talking about a theological principle here, we're talking about a person. While they were saying, "Great is Diana," the Christians are saying, "Great is God revealed....Great is the mystery of godliness."
That's a tremendously important statement, tremendously important. Notice please that revealed is from phaneroo(??), it means to make visible, it's not to create or to bring into existence. God was already in existence. God the Son in existence eternally, as eternally the second member of the Trinity as all the Trinity is eternal, from eternity to eternity. He does not become created but rather He which has been forever in existence but invisible is made visible. And it goes further. His visibility was in the flesh, in sarx, human form...human form, as we note in the first statement of the hymn.
So what is the mystery of godliness? The mystery of godliness is not a what. The mystery of godliness is a who, it is...look at verse 16 again...He who was revealed. Now some of you may have a Bible that says "God was revealed," there are some manuscripts that have the name God, theosin there. But all manuscripts older than the seventh century have hoswhich is He who. So somewhere along the line somebody thought they'd help us interpret hosby adding God, and it showed up in certain manuscripts. But the original manuscripts have hosand the NAS recognizes that in discovering those manuscripts and entrusting those older manuscripts and translates it "He who." Of course "He who" refers to Christ and "He who" is God, but to be accurate with the text, it is He who. Here is our great confession then, beloved, here is what all true Christians affirm. We all affirm that God came into the world and revealed His holy person in human flesh. We all believe that Jesus is the incarnate God. If you do not believe that, you are not in the household of God and you are not a part of the living God's church. This is by common confession. This is without dispute and without argument and without debate the true and unanimous conviction of the church. While all the pagans may be hailing whatever god they're hailing, we are all saying, "Great is God incarnate in the flesh." And of whom are we speaking? "He who was revealed in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, beheld by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory."
The bottom line in belonging to the living God's church is that your Christology is correct. That you believe in the incarnate Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. John the Apostle in writing affirms the deity of Jesus Christ in his opening chapter of his gospel, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John affirms the deity of Christ all the way through his gospel. Again and again and again he is testifying to the fact that Jesus is God. "If you've seen Me...Jesus said...you've seen the Father. I and the Father are one," and so forth. And in his epistle, John lays down the standard Christology for anyone who is in the living God's church. First John 2:23, "Whoever denies the Son doesn't have the Father. The one who confesses the Son has the Father also." In chapter 4 of his gospel, verse 2, "By this you know the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus, is not from God." It is your view of Jesus Christ that either puts you in the church or prevents you from being a part of the church. Verse 12 of chapter 4, "No one has beheld God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. By this we know we abide in Him and He in us because He's given us His Spirit and we beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God."
In the fifth chapter he says it again, verse 9, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. The witness of God is this, that He's born witness concerning His Son." In verse 20, "We know the Son of God is come and given us understanding in order that we might know Him who is true. We are in Him who is true and in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God."
A common Christology is possessed by the true church. We all affirm the deity of Jesus Christ, that He is the eternal God manifest in human flesh. And therefore the following hymn is to be sung to His honor and to His glory. Six verbs and around them six great statements of His deity.
Number one, "He who was revealed in the flesh," not created, not made but rather manifest, made visible, phaneroo. Jesus Christ is God made visible. The invisible God, transcendent Spirit becomes visible. In human form in Jesus Christ, God the Holy One appears in human flesh. Godliness takes on human flesh.
In Romans 1 the Apostle Paul begins his great epistle with these words, "Paul, a bondservant of Christ Jesus, called as an Apostle, set apart for the gospel of God which He promised before hand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning His Son who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, but was declared the Son of God with power," and we'll come back to that later. He is the Son, God the Son, but He is also a man born of the seed of David.
In Galatians the Apostle Paul also tells us in chapter 4 verse 4 that in the fullness of time God sent forth His Son born of a woman...born of a woman. This is repeated all through the New Testament particularly the epistles of Paul, emphasized in the book of Hebrews as well. This line of the hymn then focuses on the incarnation...the incarnation. It takes us from the birth to the death, His human life from being born to dying, being human is to be born and it is to die. And He was born though conceived supernaturally, He was born the way all people are born, from the womb of His mother. And He died the way all people die. From birth to death is summed up in that first line. He lived as a human being, a life from birth to death. But throughout that entire life, it was holiness manifest, it was godliness revealed, it was the mystery of godliness, the unveiling of divine holiness revealed in His life. The Bible tells us clearly He was without sin. He knew no sin. There was no iniquity found in Him. He committed no sin. So say the writers of the New Testament. Divine revelation frankly offers nothing as astonishing as this, that the eternal God would become a man and go from birth from a mother's womb to death as a man. This is holiness revealed, holiness disclosed, made visible, supreme sovereign, supernatural, divine holiness. That's the first great statement about Jesus Christ, and the first proof of His deity was that no one could accuse Him of any sin at all. And even God said, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."
Secondly, says this hymn, He was vindicated by the Spirit...vindicated by the Spirit. We won't take a lot of time to deal with the text here, just to say that the way to understand it is that He was vindicated by the Spirit. Vindicated...what does that mean? Justified, declared righteous. He was affirmed as godliness manifest, as holiness personified. His utter perfection was vindicated. How was it vindicated? Was it at His baptism when the Spirit of God came upon Him and settled as a dove and the Father said, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased?" Was that His great vindication? Was that the great confirmation of His righteousness? No, that was at the very outset of His ministry, there was still a whole ministry to endure, all the way through the garden to the cross.
The final vindication has to come at the final end of His life. His revelation in the flesh at the end point once He has died, then it's time to render the vindication. And so the true vindication, the true declaration of His perfection and holiness comes by the Spirit at the end of His life. And what event is that? That is His resurrection. That takes us back again to Romans chapter 1 and verse 4, "He was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness." The Holy Spirit affirms the holy perfection of Christ by empowering Him to rise from the dead. It is the Spirit who gives life, says Romans 8:11, and God raised Jesus from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. And in the raising of Him from the dead, vindicated Him as absolutely righteous. Death had no legitimate claim on Him. The soul that sins, it shall die. The wages of sin are death. But there was no sin in Him, He is holy, harmless, undefiled. Death cannot hold Him. It has no grip on Him. He is raised from the dead by the power of the Spirit of holiness because He Himself is the holy Son of God incarnate.
Now remember, this is an important vindication. This is an important declaration because He died under condemnation. He died under the sentence of sin. He died as a criminal. The verdict on Him by the Jewish people and acquiescence by the Romans was that He was worthy of death, that He should be put to death. From the Jews' viewpoint He was a heretic who threatened the Kingdom of God. From the Romans' viewpoint, He was a would-be king who threatened the power of Rome. In any case, He died under a cloud of guilt. The resurrection was God's vindication that the Jews were wrong and the Romans were equally wrong. And so the great vindication of Christ comes in His resurrection.
In that passage I read to you in Romans 1:4 where it uses the verb "declared," He was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, the word "declared" is horizofrom which we get the word horizon. And it's an interesting word because it can be vividly illustrated as to its meaning. The horizon is the clear boundary between earth and sky when you look out say over the ocean and you see where the water ends and the sky begins, that is the horizon. And the horizon, horizo, is a clear boundary. It is a line of demarcation between one thing and another. And God through the power of the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead to declare that He was completely different from anyone else who ever lived in this world or would live in this world as a human being. A boundary is set clearly between Christ and all other humans. The Spirit's raising Jesus from the dead gives us irrefutable evidence to clearly mark out and distinguish the human life of Christ as in fact the divine Spirit who was hidden, now made visible.
The third line in the hymn, "Beheld by angels." And there's a chronology here we're moving through the life of Christ. "Beheld by angels," to what does this refer? Are we referring to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ when the angels were out there in the field declaring to the shepherds that He had been born? Are we referring to the time in His temptation in Matthew chapter 4:11 when angels came and ministered to Him? Are we referring to His time in the agony of the Garden, Luke 22:43, when the angels cared for Him? By the way, those are the only two times that angels ever appear in His entire life from birth to death, they only show up at His temptation and at His agony in the Garden.
What does that tell us? Oh they were accessible to Him in Matthew chapter 26 verses 53 and 54. He said that if He wanted to He could call any time on a legion of angels and they would come to His rescue. But in His humiliation and in His incarnation, He was willing to live and die without angelic intervention. So we're not talking about Him being ministered to by angels, that's not what it says. We're not talking about His being annunciated by angels to Mary and to Joseph or even before them to Elizabeth or Zacharias or afterward to the shepherds. We're not talking about any announcement by angels. We're talking about angels looking at Him, horaois the word, it means to watch...to watch. Watched by angels. Watched by angels.
Could it be that He's talking about fallen angels? Could it be that He's talking about those angels that Peter refers to in 1 Peter 3 who were bound in hell because of their sin in Genesis 6 to whom Jesus appeared after His death and before His resurrection? And as Colossians 2 says, declared openly His triumph over them. While hell was having a party thinking He was dead, He showed up to declare His triumph. Is that what we're talking about? Is that angels beholding Him? That's not likely. It's not likely that the word angel would be used here in this hymn if they're not holy angels.
So what are we talking about? Well we're at the resurrection, aren't we? And here we do see the angels. The angels were there at the tomb, weren't they? Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us about an angel who had a conversation with those who came to the tomb. John tells us that when they went inside the tomb, there were two angels, one sitting at His place where His feet had been, one sitting at the place where His head had been. Some very specific angels were firsthand participants in the scene of the resurrection. And all of the angels in heaven must have been having a great celebration, worshiping the Son of God.
But there's something more here...something more here. Angels had witnessed the creation. The morning star sang together when God made the universe. Angels had witnessed the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. Angels had announced the birth of Jesus Christ. Angels will be very involved in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. And angels were there at the resurrection. They are holy beings devoted to God. They are there as witnesses to the resurrection.
People may have been confused about the resurrection. They may have wondered exactly what went on to some degree or another. The disciples were confused. It says in Mark 16:11 they even refused to believe it. But while the disciples were struggling to believe, the angels had no problem. The angels were fascinated by the events of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were completely absorbed in those things.
In 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 12, wonderful testimony of Scripture. It says this, "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven," then this, "things, the gospel things, into which angels long to look." You see, angels have no personal knowledge of redemption. Fallen angels were confirmed in their fallen condition and destined for eternal hell and a lake of fire and there is no redemption of any angels. Demons are demons forever. Holy angels were confirmed in holiness forever. They know nothing of grace. They know nothing of mercy. They know nothing of redemption. They know nothing of substitution. They know nothing of the sacrifice for sin. They know nothing of sin. And so they look at this whole thing as outsiders, stunned and amazed and longing to understand and comprehend it. And that gives you an insight into the whole issue of theodicy, or why God allowed evil. God allowed evil because if there was no sin, there would be no grace, there would be no mercy, there would be no redemption, there would be no sacrifice and God would not be able to put Himself on display in those categories to the everlastingly worshipful angels. They long to look at these things.
They were there clearly in the Garden of His agony. They were looking at the cross of His suffering and at His glorious resurrection. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 6 says, "When He brings the firstborn into the world," He says, "Let all the angels of God worship Him." And if you go heaven in Revelation 4 and 5 and you listen to the worship of heaven, you're going to hear this, "Worthy art Thou to take the book and break its seals for Thou was slain and purchased for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." That, you say, is 24 elders, don't they represent men? Yes. But the next verse says, "And I looked and heard the voice of many angels." And what did the angels say, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." The angels watched the death and the resurrection of Christ so that it might forever inform their worship.
The fourth statement about the incarnate God is proclaimed among the nations. After His resurrection what happened? After His resurrection He revealed Himself to those who believed on Him. First He revealed Himself to the disciples on a couple of weekends. Then He revealed Himself to some in Galilee, namely 500 at one time. And by the revelation of the risen Christ, those who were sorrowful and sad and lonely and doubtful and fearful and wondering whether they had wasted the years of their life in following the Lord Jesus because He was now dead, they were totally transformed. From those few who met Him on the road to Emmaus to the 500 who saw Him risen from the dead in Galilee, they were transformed and they were transformed into powerful preachers of the gospel and they went everywhere proclaiming the risen Christ. Read the book of Acts, everywhere they went they preached that Christ had risen from the dead. The Messiah had to suffer and die and be raised from the dead. This is the great, great unanswerable question that those who deny the resurrection cannot really solve. How can such fearful doubtful scattered frightened apostles become martyrs proclaiming the gospel fearlessly to death if Jesus hadn't risen from the dead? They became passionate evangelists. They went out and gave their lives and so did the ones who followed after them. And they do even today. And the gospel is still being preached and will continue to be preached until the end of time.
The mystery of godliness, the incarnate one, His glorious gospel is being preached today. Some are suffering to death in the process as they always have. But with unflinching faithfulness they continue to do it because He is alive. People don't die for a lie. They don't give their lives as martyrs for a hoax.
And then the next statement, number five. These transformed disciples who went out preaching, these persecuted imprisoned martyred preachers who preached the glorious mystery of godliness did have a response because verse 16 says, the fifth line, "Believed on in the world....believed on in the world." The evidence for the resurrection was so overwhelming that people did believe. When the gospel was preached, people believed. People responded. In the sixteenth chapter of Mark and verse 15 He said to them, "Go into all the world, preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and been baptized shall be saved. He who disbelieved will be condemned." Verse 20, the end of the chapter, "They went out and preached everywhere." The Lord worked with them and continued the Word by the signs that followed.
Go to Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. Peter gets up and preaches that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Three thousand people believed and are baptized and the church is born. Go in to chapter 4 and the church expands on the gospel of the resurrection. Go in to chapter 5 and move all the way through the book of Acts as the resurrection is being preached, affirming the sacrifice of Christ being accepted by God on behalf of sinners. The gospel is heard and believed. Still going on today, being proclaimed among the nations, being believed on in the world.
Finally, the hymn ends, "Taken up into glory...taken up into glory." This is the climax to incarnation, substitution, resurrection, evangelization, salvation. This is glorification. This is Christ going back to the glory that He had with the Father before the world began. This is Christ ascending into heaven and taking His seat at the right hand of God. This is Christ being coronated and given a name which is above every name, the name Lord, a name at which every knee must bow. He took His seat at the right hand of God. Hebrews chapter 1 makes it abundantly clear that when He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high and He was given a name, a more excellent name than even angels have. That name, of course, is Lord. He is there reigning over His spiritual Kingdom. But the glory is not yet consummated, it is not yet complete. He is coming again in Second Coming glory. He will establish His Kingdom in the world and then He will reign over an earthly Kingdom for a thousand years, and then over the new heaven and the new earth He will be revealed in majesty and glory in His fullness forever and forever.
You have a hymn, six lines that sweeps from incarnation to glorification, all the way from the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to His eternal glory. He is God in human flesh. His incarnate life confirms it, the sinless perfection of His life. His resurrection by the Spirit of God confirms it. God was affirming His holiness when He lifted Him out of death. The experience of angels confirms it for the angels worship Him and call Him worthy to be worshiped. The preaching of the apostles confirms it for they preach because He is risen. The faith of believers confirms it because we put our trust by the power of God in a living Christ. And His final coronation and exaltation confirms it as He takes His place at the right hand of God and awaits the moment when He will come in glory to establish His earthly Kingdom and then to reign forever and ever.
This is our common confession. Put the denominations aside, the church names and titles aside, put all the other issues aside and all those who are a part of the living God's church, all of those who are truly in the household of God make this unequivocal common confession concerning Jesus Christ. We all have the same great Christology that sweeps us from incarnation right through the cross and resurrection to the glorious coronation of Christ. It is to this song that we have added countless songs of praise.
Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for this great confession that all in the living God's church make, this great affirmation concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. We reward...we rejoice and we worship in this hour having again been exposed to the wonders of the gospel and the honor of our Savior. May You cause every heart here to embrace and believe these things and to receive salvation by grace through faith that this might become personal reality, spiritual transformation and the promise of eternal joy. These things we ask in the name of Christ. Amen.
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The euro needs crises
The euro is a strange beast as it is effectively a stateless currency backed by a union of sovereign countries. The markets were given a sharp reminder of that weakness at the beginning of the week as political problems once again flared up in the Eurozone's periphery. But such eruptions have actually proved beneficial for the single currency over the long-term.
To see that you only need look back to the summer of last year when the European Central Bank, actually started behaving more like a proper central bank when it declared it would do whatever it takes to save the euro – a rally quickly followed. This is typical of the union's history; its integration is driven by crises and it's ultimately what markets want if they are to have faith that the euro will still be around a decade from now.
Therefore the momentum behind that integration is likely to require further crises. On Monday, Spain and Italy delivered another round of uncertainty to markets with their domestic politics threatening to derail economic reforms, which briefly put the euro under pressure. When these events morph into existential threats to the euro, that tends to be the moment policy makers come together and act boldly.
EUR/USD chart
If policy makers can address that weakness, which will be done through Eurozone integration and stimulating the region's economic growth, then the single currencies has a number of strong fundamentals backing it.
The Eurozone has a healthy current account surplus, which rose to €12.6 billion in November from €10.2 billion in October.


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Today's Meditation
To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
-Luke 2:11 (NRSV)
MY husband works hard in a normally well-paying job. One Christmas season, we looked forward to a dinner table full of food and lots of gifts under the Christmas tree. Instead, at the end of the workweek, my husband received his check only to learn that it was impossible to cash because there were no funds in the company's account.
Our Christmas Eve dinner was meager. The earnings from that check would have seen us through for the remainder of the month. Instead, we had to be very careful how we used the little money we had left.
After dinner, I sat my children around me and told them again the story of Jesus' birth. On that night long ago, the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger was the most precious gift of all. I went on to tell them that Jesus Christ was God become human and brought us God's teachings and salvation. Then we sang carols. Our home was filled with joy.
It was the most wonderful Christmas I've ever had because we set aside all insignificant things and allowed the true meaning of Christmas to surface. On that memorable night, it was as if we had been transported to Bethlehem to be with the shepherds. Our hearts were overflowing with happiness.
Neri Gattinoni
(Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the best gift of all, Jesus Christ, who brings us light and love today and every day. Amen.
Thought for the day: The priceless truth of Christmas is not found in what we can buy.
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Reading the forum on your cell phone? There's an easier way. We've enabled a Tapatalk app that makes browsing the forum a whole lot easier. Check it out in the iPhone or Android store if you don't own it already.
Lucky Luke: I don't get it-- you want to inform people so that they will enjoy climbing and learn through experience and good judgement and you recommend learning from a number of people you consider "masters" such as John Bouchard, Base, SA (who often posts here), Yvon Chouinard and his ice climbing book, Freedom of the Hills-- which according to you is the BIBLE ( I too have read it in several editions, starting with Edition 1, which I'm old enough to have bought when it was the only edition). (...) As I've continued to ski and climb and learn a bit more through avy courses, reading, and talking to more knowledgeable folk than I, (Dman among them) I have become safer (but NOT SAFE)--
So, the only knowledge worth having is what you learn or experience on your own?Or what you read in Freedom of The Hills?
If someone teach you that you must do that kind of knot, climb hard, avoid any situation higher than low danger condition, read freedom of the hill from page one to the end, ... he is not teaching you how to evaluate your situation and decide the best technique, he is teaching you what to do. I am out.
Would you take four rope teams of three up that climb in those conditions, with that avalanche bulletin? And be comfortable with those results?
I could take 12 person in the same condition. I will take a leader to lead the pitches and avoid the deep snow. I will stay close to hm to have an eye on what he is doing. Instead of making four party, to avoid that people climb one over the other, I will have one party who lead the pitch with other following close togheter and with a belay at each pitches. As a pointed rock stop the fall of a party, I am sure that nobody will hae an accident even if we trigger an avalanche...great time and, maybe a good adventure as seeing an avalanche is very stressfull and amasing at the same time..
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816 Hamilton Avenue
Oxford, Fort Wayne, 46806
Commute to Downtown Fort Wayne
Some errands can be accomplished on foot.
A few nearby public transportation options.
Flat as a pancake, some bike lanes.
About your score
816 Hamilton Avenue has a Walk Score of 54 out of 100. This location is Somewhat Walkable so some errands can be accomplished on foot.
This location is in the Oxford neighborhood in Fort Wayne. Nearby parks include Weisser Park, Williams Park and Lafayette Park.
Explore how far you can travel by car, bus, bike and foot from 816 Hamilton Avenue.
816 Hamilton Avenue has some transit which means a few nearby public transportation options.
Bus lines:
6 McKinnie
0.1 mi
7 Anthony via Oxford
0.1 mi
View all Oxford apartments on a map.
816 Hamilton Avenue is in the Oxford neighborhood. Oxford is the 22nd most walkable neighborhood in Fort Wayne with a neighborhood Walk Score of 51.


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LONDON, June 28 (UPI) -- No. 2-seeded Andy Murray advanced to the fourth round and fourth-seeded David Ferrer gained a spot in the third Wimbledon with wins Friday.
Ferrer, playing Friday after his match Thursday was postponed by rain, got by Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5. Ferrer dropped at least one game serving in each of the first three sets but lost only five points on serve in the fourth set to put away the match.
Murray, playing under the closed roof of Center Court, beat No. 32-Tommy Robredo 6-2, 6-4, 7-5. Murray dropped his serve once and won three-quarters of the points on serve.
The beginning of that match was delayed while the roof was closed and several other matches to be pushed back to Saturday due to rain.
Two other third-round matches were completed Friday.
Jerzy Janowicz, the 24th seed, eliminated 15th-seeded Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-4, winning 78 percent of the points on serve. Janowicz didn't face a break point after the first set.
Jurgen Melzer ousted Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. Stakhovsky made news by beating defending champion Roger Federer Wednesday.
Grega Zemlja finished off a suspended match against 29th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, taking the fifth set 11-9. Play was halted by rain Thursday with the set tied 9-9.
No. 13-seeded Tommy Haas beat Jimmy Wang 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 and 26th-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov was a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 winner over Santiago Giraldo in second-round matches.
Jeremy Chardy earned a third-round date with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic by beating Jan-Lennard Struff in four sets.


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The Highland Park Transformation
This short documentary video was the result of more than a year's worth of interviews and visitations to Highland Park schools by the Mackinac Center's Director of Education Policy, Audrey Spalding. From the perspective of Highland Park employees, students and parents, the video chronicles the district's problems, but also its chance for a better future.
Learn more by reading a short report with more details about Highland Park here.


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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- U.S. National Road Race champion Timmy Duggan and Evgueni Petrov of Russia have signed with Denmark-based Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank.
The team says Duggan will join for one year and Petrov for two. The 30-year-old Dugan won this year's U.S. National Road Race Championships.
Team owner Bjarne Riis says the pair add "solid depth" to the team.
The Danish team also says Japanese rider Takashi Miyazawa had renewed his contract for another year.


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Full Menu
There is no need to argue the credential of Sir Charles Mackerras as a Mozart interpreter, so let us just say that this double CD of the composer's last four symphonies contains no surprises - it is every bit as good as you would expect. Like many modern instrument performances these days, it shows the period orchestra influences in its lean sound, agile dynamic contrasts, sparing string vibrato, rasping brass, sharp-edged timpani and prominent woodwind, though given Mackerras's long revisionist track-record it seems an insult to suggest that he would not have arrived at such a sound of his own accord. And, in any case this handling of it - joyously supported by the playing of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra - is supremely skilled; rarely will you hear such well judged orchestral balance, such effective marrying of textural transparency and substance. The Jupiter in particular has a wonderful bright grandeur, yet reveals details in the brilliant contrapuntal kaleidoscope of the finale that too often go unheard.
Seldom, either, will you hear such expertly chosen tempi; generally these performances are on the quick side, but rather than seeming hard-driven they exude forward momentum effortlessly worn. Nowhere is this better shown in the slow movements (even with all their repeats they never flag, yet their shifting expressive moods are still tenderly drawn), but also conspicuously successful are the slow introductions to Symphonies Nos 38 and 39 (the former ominous, but alert, the latter full of intelligent anticipation with shivery violin lines falling like cold rain down the back of the neck) and the Minuet movements of Nos 40 and 39 (whose cheeky one-on-a-bar lilt does wonders for its tootly clarinet Trio).
These are not Mozart performances for the romantics out there. But neither are they in the least lacking in humanity. No, this is thoroughly modern-day Mozart, full of wisdom and leaving the listener in no doubt of the music's ineffable greatness.
Gramophone Recommended.


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26 U.S. Code Subchapter E - Abatement of First and Second Tier Taxes in Certain Cases
1996—Pub. L. 104–168, title XIII, § 1311(a), July 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 1475, redesignated former subchapter D as E.
1987—Pub. L. 100–203, title X, § 10712(a), (b)(5), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1330–465, 1330–467, redesignated former subchapter C as D, and struck out "private foundation" before "first tier taxes" in item 4962.
1984—Pub. L. 98–369, div. A, title III, § 305(b)(1), (2), July 18, 1984, 98 Stat. 783, substituted "Abatement of First and Second Tier Taxes in Certain Cases" for "Abatement of Second Tier Taxes Where There Is Correction During Correction Period" in the subchapter heading, added item 4962, and renumbered former item 4962 as 4963.
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31 Jan 2012 16:54:21 PM
Laura Prepon and Forrest Griffin Talk Apocalypse and Fighting Co-Workers and Mike Tyson Names His Favorite Fighter on Inside MMA
(Video courtesy of YouTube/HDNetFights)
HDNet only had to use one of six degrees of separation when adding "That 70′s Show" actress Laura Prepon to the Inside MMA guest list this week alongside former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.
An avid MMA fan who is often seen on camera during pay-per-view events, Prepon is rumored to have dated former UFC and Bellator heartthrob Roger Huerta. Moving on.
In the segment above Fo-Griff and Donna take some reader questions about preparing for the apocalypse and who "The Red Dragon" would fight if she had to pick one of her former co-stars.
SPOILER: No, it wasn't Mila Kunis.Read More DIGG THIS


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Maryland State Youth Soccer
Maryland Soccer Referees
Maryland currently has approximately 2,000 certified referees working at all levels of the game. Maryland's Referee Program is aimed at constantly improving the abilities and opportunities for our referees. We are very proud of the accomplishments of our referees and they are held to a very strict standard of professionalism. For more Information
Click Here


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Marloes Nicholls Campaign Assistant
20th Dec 2012
Over the last few years, Oxfam has uncovered more and more about the extent and impact of land grabbing in the countries where we work. When the speed and scale of this phenomenon became clear, we knew we had to act. We strongly believe that the World Bank is in a unique position to change the rules of the game, which is why we are asking them to lead the way in changing how agricultural land is bought and sold in the developing world. The Bank has heard our calls and is committed to working with Oxfam further on the issue of land. Now it's time to move forward.
The scramble for land across the developing world is vast. In poor countries, foreign investors have been buying an area of land twice the size of Mexico City every five days. In Liberia more than 30 per cent of land has been handed out in large-scale concessions in the past five years, often with disastrous results for local people. We're not blaming the World Bank for this, but we are asking them to be a partner in helping to prevent poor people becoming the victims of land grabs in the future.
The responsibility for land-grabbing lies with many - from governments to private investors - but the strongest and most effective way to tackle this issue isn't by targeting each of these different players. We need to look at the bigger picture, at the institutions who have influence over these diverse players, who govern and act as role models around the world. The World Bank is number one amongst these international institutions. It provides a vital source of finance to developing countries around the world and is a huge player on the global land scene. The Bank
not only acts as a standard-setter for other investors, and as a policy advisor to developing country governments. It also has poverty alleviation as one of it's central goals.
Considering that the World Bank's investment in agriculture has increased from $2.5 billion in 2002 to $6-8 billion in 2012, the World Bank is very much a key player when it comes to land deals. Too many of these have already been revealed as controversial cases -21 complaints involving land disputes have been brought against the World Bank by communities since 2008 (Oxfam is involved as a complainant in a number of them). While not all of these cases relate to the kind of investment our campaign is focussed on - large-scale land acquisition - these complaints are a
good indicator that something is going wrong in the Bank's due dilligence process. And according to the Bank's own statistics, the number of disputes relating to agribusiness have been growing over the past four years.
We believe that if the World Bank won't raise its standards, it's unlikely that other financing institutions will do so either. That's why we need the Bank to take leadership. If it does, we hope we can use this example to leverage change in other institutions, from regional development banks to private investors. We're not attacking but encouraging the World Bank to use the vast power it has to change the terms of the land debate for good. And who could argue with that?
The World Bank can play a key role in stopping the global land rush by freezing its own investments in large scale land acquisitions for six months and putting its own house in order. In this time, we ask the Bank to set standards -- that other investors should follow too -- to ensure that no large-scale land deals are done to the detriment of the people living on the land.
The Bank should also make land deals more transparent so that investors can be held accountable to communities and local governments. And it should ensure community consent for projects it invests in, as well as playing a positive role in promoting land rights and good land governance.
It's great that the World Bank is already engaging with our campaign publicly. They have acknowledged that abuses exist and share our concern that land grabbing is a problem. They are also committed to talking to Oxfam about this issue. But it's not enough. We're 3 months into the campaign - and it's time for real action. The Bank has said that it won't freeze these kind of deals for six months as we've
asked (we've responded to the Bank with why they're wrong that a land freeze isn't a good idea). We'll keep asking them for that. But we also need to hear how the Bank is going to respond to our other asks, set out above. They might disagree with the freeze, but that doesn't stop them improving their policies.
Now is a prime opportunity for the World Bank to live up to its role as a global leader and show that it really can be a force for good.
If you haven't already done so, ask the World Bank to do the right thing.
Climate change
Blog post written by Marloes Nicholls
Campaign Assistant
More by Marloes Nicholls
© 2018. Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SC039042).
Oxfam GB is a member of the international confederation Oxfam.


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The TPS73xx devices are members of a family of micropower low-dropout (LDO) voltage regulators. They are differentiated from the TPS71xx and TPS72xx LDOs by their integrated delayed microprocessor-reset function. If the precision delayed reset is not required, the TPS71xx and TPS72xx should be considered.
The RESET\ output of the TPS73xx initiates a reset in microcomputer and microprocessor systems in the event of an undervoltage condition. An internal comparator in the TPS73xx monitors the output voltage of the regulator to detect an undervoltage condition on the regulated output voltage.
If that occurs, the RESET\ output (open-drain NMOS) turns on, taking the RESET\ signal low. RESET\ stays low for the duration of the undervoltage condition. Once the undervoltage condition ceases, a 200-ms (typ) time-out begins. At the completion of the 200-ms delay, RESET\ goes high.
An order of magnitude reduction in dropout voltage and quiescent current over conventional LDO performance is achieved by replacing the typical pnp pass transistor with a PMOS device.
Because the PMOS device behaves as a low-value resistor, the dropout voltage is very low (maximum of 35mV at an output current of 100 mA for the TPS7350) and is directly proportional to the output current (see Figure1). Additionally, since the PMOS pass element is a voltage-driven device, the quiescent current is low and remains constant, independent of output loading (typically 340 uA over the full range of output current, 0 mA to 500mA). These two key specifications yield a significant improvement in operating life for battery-powered systems.
The LDO family also features a sleep mode; applying a logic high signal to EN\ (enable\) shuts down the regulator, reducing the quiescent current to 0.5 uA maximum at TJ = 25°C.
The TPS73xx is offered in 2.5-V, 3-V, 3.3-V, 4.85-V, and 5-V fixed-voltage versions and in an adjustable version (programmable over the range of 1.2 V to 9.75 V). Output voltage tolerance is specified as a maximum of 2% over line, load, and temperature ranges (3% for the 2.5 V and the adjustable version). The TPS73xx family is available in PDIP (8 pin), SO (8 pin) and TSSOP (20 pin) packages. The TSSOP has a maximum height of 1.2mm.


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Miley Cyrus Gets Lap Dance at 'Ellen' Bachelorette Party!
Miley Cyrus receives a lap dance from some hot strippers during a bachelorette party she received while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, airing Thursday (November 8).
The 19-year-old Two and a Half Men guest star talked about her upcoming wedding to fiance Liam Hemsworth and also squashed the rumor that they will be having multiple weddings.
"There is some rumor going around that I'm having like 47 weddings. I'm not. I'm having one wedding. That's my day and whatever I want on that day will be about me and that moment," Miley said.
"That moment when he first gets to see me in my dress and everything all together. It has to be perfect," Miley said of walking down the aisle to Liam. "It has to be like a soundtrack in a movie. That's the one-day that movie crap is real. That romance. That look is the time that you get that… I've been too probably 10, 20 weddings and I've seen that real look 5, 6 times. It's rare that people just stop to really look the person in the eye and know that this is your life together."
Miley Cyrus Talks Wedding on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'
Click inside to watch Miley Cyrus talk about her new haircut…
Miley Cyrus Talks New Haircut


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From rooftop pools, restaurants and retail all in the place you call home, the skyline of Northgate across from Texas A&M continues to grow.
New luxury student apartments are being built.
News 3 got a hard-hat tour of The Stack student apartments and saw the amenities residents will enjoy there as well as the new 18-story Rise at Northgate.
The newest landmarks of Northgate seemed to have almost popped up overnight as the six story Stack and 18-story Rise open for living next semester, with state of the art living and even things like 6th floor rooftop pools.
"I'm an engineer and so living right across the street from campus is a really nice thing," said Texas A&M student Aidan Casey.
He signed up for a four person suite at The Stack two weeks ago. The fully furnished units will include retail, parking garage, granite countertops and stainless steal appliances.
"While it is a little bit more expensive my parents are actually the ones who chose this place just because they think they are getting the most for their money," said Casey.
A four bedroom at The Stack costs $675 a person per month while a one bedroom $975.
The Rise at Northgate has one bedrooms for $1,100 per person, while a four or six bedroom costs $775 per person monthly.
Jack Culpepper is the developer and an owner for The Stack and says there's a lot of demand with many already signing up.
"People liking an urban, dense environment and a place where they can park and drive and walk and live. I think you're going to see more places like this around close to campus like this," said Culpepper.
Construction here at The Stack is running on schedule to be finished by July and when that happens they'll have 415 beds and 209 units.
And they expect to be at full occupancy within two years time.
R.J. Seager is another Texas A&M Student and will call The Stack home with his sister.
"I think this is a level of you know living that I haven't experienced before, you know I lived in the dorms for two years on campus," said Seager.
A new way to live and learn.
While The Rise and The Stack open this summer, the site of the imploded Plaza Hotel is becoming a multimillion dollar development of apartments, restaurants and retail.
That project is expected to be finished by the fall of next year.


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Cold Case on the Murder of Bobby Dethridge
Kentucky State Police Request Help Resolving The Murder of Bobby Dethridge in Bowling Green, KY
Occurred around May 1980
Bobby Dethridge was last seen ago.
The Kentucky State Police in Bowling Green are asking for help in solving the murder of Bobby Dethridge. The body of Dethridge was found in a barn located on Barren River Road in Bowling Green, KY.
Bobby Dethridge was last seen walking away from his residence on Crewdson Lane on May 7, 1980. The victim was recovered in a barn partially covered with hays. He was killed by multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators from Post 3 Bowling Green are asking anyone with information regarding the murder of Bobby Dethridge to contact Det. Sgt. Tim Adams.
Investigating Officers Contact Information
3119 Nashville Road
Bowling Green, Ky. 42101
OFFICER: Det. Sgt. Tim Adams
PHONE: 270-782-2010 or 1-800-222-5555 (in the state of Kentucky only, does not work out of state)
E-MAIL: firstname.lastname@example.com
If you wish to report more information on this Cold Case, use the form below.
However, if you need to report information that is of an emergency nature, please contact the Kentucky State Police toll free at 1-800-222-5555 (in the state of Kentucky only, does not work out of state) or call your local police/sheriff department at 911.


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Love spells Poland for lost love, marriage, reuniting back lost lovers, make someone adore you & Love spells. Poland to retrieve an ex lover, make someone desire you & attract a new lover. Love spells caster from African continent to heal a broken relationship or marriage, stop cheating partners, help you get married, reverse a breakup & lost love spells.
These effective love spells are one of get your ex back fast spells cast to get back or strengthen ones relationship, in a relationship it happens that one partner does not show much interest to the other partner as they should. That is when the effective love spells to get your ex back faster comes in, this love spell will reassure you that your love gets the very meaningful bond, making it stronger and unbreakable, leaving you and your partner in happy bliss with no negative energies.
In the case of a broken up couple the effective love spell shows no respect in what broke up the couple it simple reunites the couple like nothing ever happened. The spells rituals are designed to promote love and togetherness in a couple , the love spell to get your ex back also plays a major part in keeping most couples together in an unbreakable bond.
Prof mama kizza is a widely known spell caster, respected for his work by other fellow casters. His been practicing the art of spell casting from his childhood and earned the skills he now uses to help people dealing with love problems. He makes sure that when casting a spell neither of the people involved in the process are harmed by the spells. Contact prof mama kizza for help.
Prof mama kizza has been casting love spells for over 40 years, all very successful spells, other casters performed spells which were not perfect which resulted in them not working. Prof mama has developed his own unique technique of solving unfinished work by other spells caster, to satisfy his clients


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We've featured Dick Stockton numerous times on this site, even naming the NFL version of the Pammies after the longtime announcer. There's no questioning Stockton's great career in broadcasting, but it's still a little puzzling to think multiple networks are still employing him to broadcast postseason games in 2013. It's like the audio version of seeing Willie Mays with the Mets. During last night's Pirates-Cardinals Game 5, a deciding game in the series, many fans were vocal on Twitter wondering if Stockton was watching the same game. As always, these are Real Tweets from Real People…
I'm just glad I don't have to hear Dick Stockton pronounce "Tabata" for another year. Or get the winning team wrong.
— Metstradamus (@Metstradamus) October 10, 2013
Really starting to suspect Dick Stockton has absolutely no interest in baseball.
— Steve Lepore (@stevelepore) October 10, 2013
Dick Stockton just identified right fielder Carlos Beltrán as Matt Holliday, never corrected himself. Keep on keepin' on, Stocky.
— robneyer (@robneyer) October 10, 2013
With Pat Summeral gone, I'm glad to see Dick Stockton has taken over the "awkward read of a tv show promo" mantle.
— Gus Ramsey (@GusRamsey) October 10, 2013
I'm almost as happy about not having to listen to Dick Stockton anymore as I am about another NLCS. #stlcards
— Greg C (@greggy_fresh) October 10, 2013
Dick Stockton with a classic play by play tonight. Only 50 wrong calls on my count. Kudos Dick.
— Jeff Roth (@jrpt) October 10, 2013
Good call, Dick Stockton. A pissed off Hawk Harrelson would be proud. #postseason #cardinals
— Ernest Tolden (@ETolden4) October 10, 2013
Next season Dick Stockton will replace Ron Burgundy in those Dodge Durango commercials.
— Tony Pirollo (@theTonyPirollo) October 10, 2013
Is Dick Stockton even at this game? He seems lost.
— Steven Anderson (@DoTheViewYM) October 10, 2013
Dick Stockton is trending on Twitter. Does he know what that means?
— Brian Mortensen (@brian_mortensen) October 10, 2013
Honest question. Does Dick Stockton's seat face the field?
— Joedy McCreary (@JoedyAP) October 10, 2013
Given all the tweets I'm seeing about Dick Stockton, perhaps the Taiwan feed was a good call.
— Taylor Ericson (@TaylorEricson) October 10, 2013


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Fried pickles are a lovely concoction of battered crunchiness with a briny pickle inside. They are fried just long enough to cook the breading leaving the defining 'snap' of the pickle intact.
I initially thought the pickle would get soft and the breading soggy from all the moisture in the pickle but I proved my own self wrong.Even the next day, straight from the fridge cold, they were just about as good as when first made.
My homemade buttermilk ranch dressing made the best dipping sauce for them! Cool and creamy, it was the perfect thing to temper the hot, sourness of the pickle. I truly didn't expect to like these so much. A hot pickle? That goes against everything a pickle stands for but they were unexpectedly delicious. And addictive.
I never was all that crazy about pickles. Until now. This elevates them to a whole new level. Of love.
Fried pickles are a lovely concoction of battered crunchiness with a briny pickle inside.
- Drain the pickles in a colander and blot dry with paper towels.
- Set up a dredging station by adding a cup of the flour to a shallow bowl or dish. In a medium mixing bowl whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Mix the flour and panko together in a large, shallow pan or dish and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile heat a 1/2 inch oil in large, deep-sided skillet to 350-360 degrees F.
- Coat pickles with flour then egg then panko crumbs, pressing the crumbs onto the pickles with your hands.
- Fry in batches 1-2 minutes each or until golden brown, flipping pickles over once. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve with Ranch Dressing.
Copyright ©2013 Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice by Reeni Pisano All Rights Reserved.


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Roberto Espinozafree agent
Catcher | Ht: | Wt:
|Cardinals | Thirteen become FA
Tue, 06 Nov 2012 08:11:25 -0800
St. Louis Cardinals C Bryan Anderson, C Luis De La Cruz, C Roberto Espinoza, 2B Lance Zawadzki, 3B Jose G. Garcia, 3B Kleininger Teran, OF Cedric Hunter, OF Ray Kruml, OF Lou Montanez, OF Jamie Romak, OF Rainel Rosario, OF Eugenio Velez and OF Matt Young have declared for free agency.
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|| Source: MLB.com - Jenifer Langosch
|Cardinals | Roberto Espinoza moved to Batavia
Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:58:28 -0700
St. Louis Cardinals minor league C Roberto Espinoza was transferred to Class A Batavia from Class A Quad Cities, according to USAToday.com.
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Keep it 'positive,' police ordered as content dispute darkens Gilmanton police Facebook pageBy BEA LEWIS
Union Leader Correspondent
January 16. 2018 11:44PM
GILMANTON — Even though the police department's Facebook page will be reactivated, reports of arrests and related mug shots will no longer be posted, selectmen said.
"We don't see it as helping the town or being constructive. Give me a reason why you want to know if someone (was arrested) for DWI," Selectmen Chairman Stephen McWhinnie said in response to questions residents raised at Monday night's board meeting.
Some residents said they would want to know if someone is arrested for a sex offense and poses a potential risk to public safety.
McWhinnie responded that arrest records are public under the Right-to-Know law and can be obtained by going to the police department and requesting them.
"We wanted to keep it more positive, but would allow a mug shot if someone was wanted or the posting of video footage if the police were looking to identify someone," McWhinnie said
He said selectmen asked last month that arrests and mug shots no longer be posted on the police department Facebook page and that existing posts be removed,
Instead, the information remained posted, according to McWhinnie. He said the town-owned Gilmanton Police Department Facebook page was renamed the Gilmanton Police Association on Dec. 27.
On Jan. 10, selectmen asked that the page be deactivated until a new policy could be established. The page went dark on Friday.
Gilmanton Police Sgt. Casey Brennan, who identified himself as the president of the Gilmanton Police Association at Monday's meeting, said the association had agreed to remove all the mug shots from the page, but did not want to lose all of its followers.
"We want to keep all the positive stuff, but we don't want to have to start from scratch," said Brennan.
"Wouldn't it have been easier to do that from the beginning," questioned McWhinnie.
"I don't know why you didn't come and talk to us," Brennan replied.
"It was sent to you in writing," McWhinnie responded.
"I wasn't privy to that," Brennan said. "I'm just looking to keep our followers. We're earned those names by all the positive things we've done. That's they way I feel about it," he said.
The board, whose other two members are Michael Jean and Marshall Bishop, voted to go into non-public session to discuss the issue.
They decided to allow the Gilmanton Police Department Facebook page to be reactivated for the purpose of notifying townspeople of public safety concerns, until a formal policy can be adopted.
Robert Cameron who identified himself as a taxpayer who is also involved in law enforcement, said social media is an important tool for police to obtain information from the public and for police to communicate with citizens.
"If they are agreeing to take off the negative stuff, it should go back up," he said of the Facebook page.
Michael Wilson said that Brennan had agreed that arrest reports and mug shots would be removed and that only positive information would remain, but that the site remains dark.
"Doesn't that amount to censorship?" Wilson asked.
Public Safety Technology Social issues Gilmanton Local and County Government


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Today's Meditation
Read Matthew 6:25-34
Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.
-Matthew 6:34 (NRSV)
Modern technology allows us to both speed up time and slow it down. In a television-makeover program, a garden or home is transformed in minutes. But in real life beautiful gardens take years of hard work, and redecorating is not as easy as it looks on TV. On the other hand, modern technology can also slow down time, as we see in the endless slow-motion replays of decisive moments in sporting events. The past is gone; the future comes at its own pace. In reality, we cannot rewind or speed up our life.
We may look back with regret, anger, and resentment at all our dashed hopes, at all our "if onlys." Or at times we may consider the future bleak and want to rush past it. But we cannot alter time. What we have is God's gift of today and the freedom to choose how to live it.
The apostle Paul gave us an example when he wrote, "Forgetting what is behind ... I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14, NIV). Like Paul, we can take each day's opportunities to use the gifts that God has given us.
Anne Rasmussen
(Somerset, England)
Prayer: O God, help us choose to use our time wisely, always grateful for all your gifts. Amen.
Thought for the Day: Worrying about the past or the future keeps us from taking joy in the present.
© 2009-2018 Spencer Evening World, Inc. | Privacy Policy
No commercial reproduction without written consent.
Electronic reproduction of any kind forbidden without written consent.


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GENERAL MEETING - September 12, 2007, 3:30-5:30 p.m. - Room C20
Come and meet the officers of HLLSA and lear about this year's activities, fundraising projects, and how you can get involved! Food will be served.
JD Mentors Kick-Off Event
Where: Law Offices of Winston & Strawn
When: September 13, 2007, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
RSVP: Maura McVey - email@example.com
(This is an HLAI event. For more information email HLLSA's HLAI Representative, Veronica Lopez - firstname.lastname@example.com)
Third Annual Judges' Night at Chicago-Kent College of Law
Since 2005, HLLSA has held a celebration in honor of a special judge - one who has contributed a significant amount of time and effort in serving the latino community.
This year we have chosen to give special recognition to:
Hon. David Delgado.
Please join us on
September 26, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. in the 10th Floor Event Room.
RSVP to HLLSA President, Audrey Avila - firstname.lastname@example.com
The first fundraiser this year will benefit the earthquake victims in Peru. Attend the General Membership meeting on September 12th to learn more.
.: Main
Chicago-Kent event calendar
Academic calendar
Alumnae/i event calendar
Admissions calendar


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Taylor Swift Introduces 'Ours' Love Interest in Latest Webisode
Taylor Swift is currently single, but you wouldn't know it by watching her new 'Ours' music video — you'd think she was really romantically involved with her love interest in the clip, actor Zach Gilford. In the latest issue from her webisode series, the 'Love Story' songstress introduces us to her 'main squeeze,' who she insists was her first choice to portray her boyfriend.
"He was someone that I had in mind because he's really endearing in all of the roles that he plays," Swift gushed about Zach, who made his music video debut in the 'Ours' treatment. "I've seen him in movies and in shows that he's been in. I'm just always really impressed by when he's on screen. He always brings heart to it."
Zach explained that since it was his first time, he had to learn how to act over silence and pretend music was playing, rather than talking like he would in one of his speaking roles, though acting like he's head over heels for Taylor wasn't terribly hard.
Director Declan Whitebloom described the pair's compatibility best when he said, "him and Taylor got on like a house on fire, which always helps when they're meant to be a couple, so there wasn't that much acting involved," adding that the actor is a "pleasant" guy.
Zach, who is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Matt on the hit show 'Friday Night Lights,' had similarly nice things to say about Taylor, calling her "super sweet and nice." Of the experience, he commented, "It was cool that she wanted me to be involved in something. It wasn't too hard of a sell — it was a pretty easy acceptance."
Watch the New 'Ours' Behind-the-Scenes Webisode Feat. Zach Gilford


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Brothers' online start-up aims to 'pray it forward'By DAVE SOLOMON
New Hampshire Union Leader
February 09. 2013 10:17PM
Two brothers active in the local start-up scene, Jamie and Adam Coughlin, now have a start-up of their own - the website PlusGrace.com, which gives users a chance to "pray it forward" by creating opportunities to pray for, and fund, faith-based nonprofit endeavors in the United States and around the world.
The New Hampshire Food Bank, one of the first campaigns on the site, has already collected more than $1,000 toward stocking a mobile food pantry, thanks in large part to a Jan. 31 launch for PlusGrace.com at Dyn Inc. on Dow Street in the Manchester Millyard. The event was attended by Tom Blonski, president of New Hampshire Catholic Charities, which sponsors the Food Bank.
The initiative to raise $5,000 to stock a mobile pantry is exactly the kind of effort PlusGrace.com was designed to support, according Jamie Coughlin, who said he and his brother have a simple goal: "To build the world's largest online prayer network."
Created on a premise similar to change.org, which labels itself as "the world's petition platform," the Coughlin brothers hope to make PlusGrace a leader in what Jamie calls "social for the soul."
The Bedford natives are well-suited to the task. They combine a deep commitment to their Catholic faith with experience in the Internet economy and professional connections to local start-ups.
Jamie is chief executive officer and entrepreneur in residence at the abi Innovation Hub. Formerly known as the Amoskeag Business Incubator, now located on Elm Street in Manchester, the nonprofit organization provides space and helps new businesses get off the ground. Adam is a former community journalist and now media relations manager at Dyn.
Given Dyn's active support for tech start-ups, and the abi role in promoting innovation, both brothers are present at virtually every event in the state dedicated to the start-up economy. It's no surprise to anyone who knows them that they now have a Web-based business of their own.
Faith in also important in their lives. Both grew up attending St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Bedford, and now attend with families of their own. They see the faith-based groups around them expressing a sense of urgency about reaching young people, many of whom are looking for ways to ?express their spirituality and help the causes they believe ?in.
"If we don't change the way we reach out to people, we will lose an entire generation of Americans growing up online," Adam said.
That's where PlusGrace.com comes in, offering an opportunity to create, pray for and fund faith-based campaigns ranging from a new church roof, to missionary work, to support for a Russian orphanage. The site makes ample use of photography, story-telling and social media tools to promote causes that now include prayers for military families, a fundraiser to "Empower Women in Jakarta" and the New Hampshire Food Bank. When someone donates through the site, plusgrace.com takes a transaction fee ranging from 2 to 5 percent.
Churches can use the site to create online tithing programs, to replace or supplement the traditional practice of mailing contribution envelopes to the congregation.
"This is a different approach. It's innovative, and we're looking to embrace new technologies that help us reach a new generation of donors and volunteers for Catholic Charities," Blonkski said. "It's an intriguing idea to combine prayer and fundraising campaigns in a way that we believe is a force for good in our world."
The idea is based on the simple premise that some people can afford to give money; some can give their time; others can only offer prayers for a cause they hold dear.
"People always have something to give," Adam said. "Even if they can't give money, they can pray, and we believe that prayer has value."


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Woman injures ankle, is carried out of Winslow State Park in Wilmot
August 05. 2013 11:17PM
WILMOT _ A woman was rescued from a trail at Winslow State Park after twisting her ankle while descending Mount Kearsarge on Monday.
Erin Parnell, 23, of Lebanon, said her dog pulled her, causing her to lose her footing a twist her left ankle about three-quarters of a mile away from the parking area at the end of the Barlow Trail.
Parnell told rescuers she was able to go about a quarter-mile further under her own power, but that was all.
Rescuers put her on a litter and carried her the rest of the way.
Parnell was taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon for treatment.


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Strategic Financial Analysis for Business Evaluation
Program Advising team
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Telephone: 1-800-427-5577
(outside the U.S., +1-617-495-6555)
Program Advising team
Email: email@example.com
Telephone: 1-800-427-5577
(outside the U.S., +1-617-495-6555)
Because a diverse participant mix is an important part of every HBS Executive Education program, we look for candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds to enrich the learning experience.
Fees, Payments, and Cancellations
The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals. There is no application fee.
No payment is necessary until you have been accepted into an HBS Executive Education program. After admission notification, we will send you an invoice via email; payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date. If admission is within 30 days prior to the start of the program, payment is due upon receipt of the invoice. Payment is required prior to the program start date. We accept payment by company check, bank wire transfer, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). Details are included on the program invoice.
If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Due to program demand and the volume of preprogram preparation, cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.
Although there are no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on professional achievement and organizational responsibility. We look for professionals who have demonstrated business talent and leadership potential.
HBS Executive Education programs enrich both participants and their organizations, and require full commitment from each party.
Language Proficiency
We deliberately design our programs to encourage individual growth and to foster productive interaction among participants. For that reason, proficiency in written and spoken English is essential. If English is your second language, or if you have less than one year's experience working in an English-speaking environment, HBS requires a brief statement documenting proficiency in English-language skills, both conversational and written. This may include a list of the English-language certification programs that you have completed; the degrees you have earned at English-speaking colleges and universities; or the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. The Admissions Committee also may request a telephone interview.
Application Process
HBS must receive your application and any other required documents in order to prepare the application for review by the Admissions Committee.
To apply, you may use our online form or download an application.
If you submit your application online, we will promptly acknowledge receipt of your submission via email. In the unlikely event that an email acknowledgment is not received, please contact the Admissions Committee by email: email@example.com, phone: +1-617-495-6226, or fax: +1-617-496-1731.
If you choose to submit a printed application, be sure to type or print legibly and sign your application. Send the application to the address or fax number listed on the form. Mailed or faxed applications are processed and acknowledged promptly upon receipt via email.
Complete Your Application
Please answer all questions thoroughly—the Admissions Committee will consider only completed applications. After reviewing your application and making the necessary edits or corrections, print or copy the application for your records.
Application Review
The Admissions Committee meets monthly, and admits qualified candidates on a rolling, space available basis. Early application is strongly encouraged.
Notification of Acceptance
We acknowledge receipt of all applications and maintain all application information in strict confidentiality.
To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, the Admissions Committee selects a class that balances each participant's experience, the scope of his or her current responsibilities, and the type of organization.
The Admissions Committee meets monthly, and admits qualified candidates on a rolling, space available basis. Early application is strongly encouraged.
Need help?
For further assistance, contact our Program Advising team at: 1-800-427-5577 (outside the U.S., call +1-617-495-6555).