text:
Four decades after the birth of the coin-operated arcade video game -- Galaxy Game, 1971 -- the first with 1080p HD display is finally here. No, it's not Pac-Man or Galaxian or Pong or Donkey Kong or Golden Tee or any of the "Golden Age" games founded in the 70s and 80s.
It is Big Buck HD, the latest version of the hunting game that launched in 2000. Found mostly in bars, Big Buck has a cult following, and now, with 1080p HD graphics, the series is a pioneer. It is also on the cutting edge with not only online play at the arcade/bar but also social media functionality built into the game. The display, though, is the 'wow' factor.
"There are even home games for Xbox and stuff that aren't even full 1080p," says Dave Snipes, an executive for Play Mechanix, the game's developer. "Some of them are 720, and they're called high definition, but they're not."
During a demonstration at Aspen Social Club in New York, that point was accentuated by showing Big Buck HD on a 55-inch monitor. It was part of the game's 100-unit test run with a full rollout scheduled for the end of July.
Although Big Buck Hunter, published by Raw Thrills, may not be a household name, the series has been a financial success in an arcade game industry deemed by many to be on the decline. The franchise has sold more than 36,000 Big Buck Hunter game units since 2000. That figure includes 18,000 units sold in the technological generation before Big Buck HD, which dates back to 2006.
Online connectivity has been a part of Big Buck Hunter since 2008, but Big Buck HD is the first to integrate Facebook and Twitter into the experience. The game allows players to check in at gaming sites, share achievements and awards, and compare scores with friends via Facebook and Twitter.
"It's basically that everybody nowadays has a Facebook account and a lot of people have Twitter accounts," Snipes says. "We've noticed, a lot of people, especially the younger generation, just really want to be connected wherever they're at, so we wanted to integrate that into our game so players, when they're playing the game, can still be connected to their whole entire network."
While Big Buck Hunter progresses, Snipes admits the arcade gaming industry may not be on the rise as a whole. This does not mean he has fear. "Yeah, the arcade industry has fallen. Pac-Man, Defender and that 80s market was huge," Snipes says. "Now, you've got iPhones and texting, and it's harder to grab someone's attention. We work hard to grab your attention from across the bar. It's certainly been a downswing in the industry, but we don't see that with our game. We continue to make the best around possible."
According to George Petro, Play Mechanix president and one of the creators of the original Big Buck Hunter, the vision for a 1080p HD Big Buck Hunter Game connected to social media had been developing for a number of years. In 2008, while Facebook and Twitter were still on the brink of success, Play Mechanix's online connectivity featured a social feature, which allowed players to share scores and accomplishments within its own network. Since 2008, Facebook and Twitter have both made more than enough of an impression to be included in Big Buck HD.
"In that time, those particular services kind of got really huge," Petro said in a phone interview about the two social media sites. "We were all ready doing the social media stuff with Big Buck Hunter on a kind of small scale. Facebook sort of fit right. It just kind of took the place of that."
Big Buck HD's online connectivity also allows players to participate in "Showdown Mode" against friends and other players located around the world. Scores are still shown on one's Big Buck HD profile, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
In terms of the graphics, Petro attributes the 1080p HD idea to both the previous technological generation of Big Buck Hunter and another Play Mechanix game, Terminator Salvation, developed in 2010. "We knew from that game the high-res graphics looked really good, although that game was 720p," he said of Terminator Salvation. "We felt we could make the leap to 1080p during that time because we spent a lot of time with the graphics and everything. It was a design goal from the beginning."
Petro's hope for the product is durability. Play Mechanix aimed to create a product that could maintain a fresh look for an extended time. "We were trying to make sure it lasts for several years," Petro says. He believes with the 1080p HD graphics and the addition of social media, Big Buck Hunter has caught up with the times and the long developmental period will be worth the work.
For the first time, the featured event in the Big Buck Hunter community, the World Championships, will be played in 1080p HD. The fifth annual competition will be held in New York City in November after the first four were in Chicago. The winner will take home a $15,000 grand prize.
Snipes says New Yorkers, despite not being your average hunters, are the second-most interested group of people in the series behind Minnesotans. (Think Fisherman's Quest in "How I Met Your Mother.")
Alex Derhohannesian, the 2010 world champion in Big Buck Safari, is a 32-year-old music producer from Louisville who was introduced to the game after moving to New York in 2006. Derhohannesian has a hypothesis as to why Big Buck Hunter games have prevailed against veteran competition.
"Action-wise, Pac-Man's been the same. It never changes," he says. "Golden Tee, that was pretty popular, but same thing. I think this has probably gotten more popular than that in recent years because there's more you can do with this game. Think of anything you can shoot with a gun fictionally or virtually and throw it up on the screen with some pretty cool animation. They switch it up a lot. I think that keeps it new and fresh. They keep coming out with better versions every year, so it keeps it fun and interesting."
Derhohannesian insists one does not have to be an avid hunter or gamer to become attracted to Big Buck Hunter. He thinks players are introduced to the game indirectly. "Most people just stumble upon the game when they're at a bar with their friends and eventually realize that it's the greatest bar sports game you can ever find in the world," he says. "It's definitely about the sexiest thing I ever did see."
Two of Derhohannesian's top competitors are Carley Szweda, a Trader Joe's employee and student, and Thomas Szemere, a Trader Joe's manager, of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Szweda and Szemere, who have been dating for four years, recall their accidental introduction to Big Buck Hunter.
"We were actually in Massachusetts visiting his sister in Greenfield, and there was nothing else to do there," says Szweda, who finished second in the first-ever Ladies' tournament and 44th for both genders at the 2011 World Championships. "There was a machine at one of the bars and we started playing, and I just fell in love. We've been playing pretty consistently now for a year and a half."
Szemere remembers things a bit differently. "She didn't like it at first," he says. "Then we just kind of turned into a personal competition." Szemere qualified for the 2011 World Championships, but endured an early exit.
Both Szweda and Szemere expect the new 1080p HD version of Big Buck to expand the game's population. "Oh, it's huge," Szweda says of the graphics. "I still talk to people who have never heard of Big Buck Hunter, so I think this will definitely make it more well-known."
Szweda and Szemere also have another message to put across: Big Buck players are not all violent hunters. They are just people who happen to be intrigued by a video game that involves shooting. ""We both love animals and we'd never kill one," Szemere says. "Never."
On the topic of animals, the gameplay of Big Buck HD is fairly simple. A standard stage features an animal, which may be a deer, moose, elk, wildebeest or other animal. In a period of a few seconds, three males (bucks, bulls, etc.), travel across the screen in a North American forest or an African safari location. The object of the game is to hunt the males, who have horns/antlers, using a virtual plastic gun without shooting females (does, cows, etc.). If a female is shot, the player's turn is over. "Dangerous Animals" such as lions are also available to be hunted for trophies, and bonus levels contain other creatures, some fictitious.
Big Buck HD is not just about spending 25 cents for a little virtual hunting fun. The ability to win money is part of the game. Players have to ability to enter their scores into add-on tourneys for a $1.00 fee. Depending on where scores end up, cash prizes may be won. Winnings are sent directly to a player's account, where he or she can have the money backed by a credit card or debit card. This is one way Big Buck Hunter hopes to draw gamers away from their Xboxes and into the bars.
"One thing they can't get at home is winning cash prizes, so you can come out here and get that same exact home experience except you're in a bar, drinking a beer, hanging out with friends, so there's a big social aspect to that, and you have the potential of winning money," Snipes says. "Right there, that tops anything you can do in the home market."
As of right now, the plans for Big Buck HD online play includes only connectivity in bars and public places. Players cannot buy their own unit to battle online competition and win prizes in their basements. This stems from Big Buck Hunter's relationship with bars.
"One of our jobs as a coin-operated game manufacturer is to get people out to the bar because then the bar's happy because people are buying beers and buying food, and the operator of the game is happy because people are putting money in," Snipes said. "If we give them that experience at home, they're just going to stay home and do it, so that's the one thing you can't get at home: playing this game online. That's where we stand right now."
Derhohannesian agrees with this idea, but not just for financial reasons. As a player, he feels part of the game is playing it in bars and other social environments. He fears social media may be bringing the game down a different path. "I think I'd like to keep Buck Hunter in the bar, as opposed to at home or in the office when on Facebook or other social media," he says. "Keep it in the bar."
At the Play Mechanix office in Glen Ellyn, Ill., this has been Petro's vision all along: Targeting a social scene. He points to this as the way Big Buck Hunter has remained a player as an arcade game in a video game industry dominated by home systems.
"The Big Buck franchise in particular is targeted towards an age between 22 and 35," Petro says. "People are away from home, out of college, and they're kind of done being at home in their basement playing Xbox or PlayStation. This is a time when young people want to be out socializing, having a good time, and Big Buck Hunter kind of plays right into that social experience."
It's a social experience that extends to celebrity-athletes who are fans of the game. Motorsports competitor, stunt performer and television star Travis Pastrana (at right) finished eighth in the Big Buck Hunter Pro and 10th in Big Buck Safari competitions in 2010 and 11th at the 2011 World Championships. Snowboarder Scotty Lago, the halfpipe bronze medalist at the 2010 Olympics, also participated in the 2011 World Championships, and Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and Blackhawks center Dave Bolland are among the notable enthusiasts.
"We think it's kind of a testament to how the game has become a part of popular culture," Petro says. "As designers, that's our goal, right? As designers of products like that, who doesn't want to be part of one that becomes part of popular culture?"
Big Buck Hunter has also been used in film and television scenes.
Petro admits the 100-unit test has led Play Mechanix to develop one change to Big Buck Hunter HD. Originally, the developer intended buyers to provide their own LCD, LED or plasma monitor. Due to response times between monitors and the Big Buck HD game not always matching up correctly, Play Mechanix has determined a universal monitor connected with the game is necessary.
Although the Big Buck Hunter series has added themed pinball machines, slots, iOS Game and a Nintendo Wii version in its first decade, an 1080p HD game featuring social media integration suggests arcade technology has officially caught up with the times.
Well, actually that is not entirely true.
Some arcade games do not need to change their technology. Snipes can name one game in particular that is not affected by technology and does well in the modern technological world: Cranes.
"We do cranes and they do well," he says. "Kids still always want to put a quarter in and try to win."
No 1080p HD graphics can change that.


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C.O. Bigelow Mentha Cinnamint Lip Shine
99 reviews
88% would repurchase
Package Quality: 4.2
Price: $$
Package Quality: 4.2
Price: $$
Start your review
on 10/10/2015 10:35:00 PM
Age: 25-29
Skin: Combination, Olive, Not Sure
Hair: Brown, Other, Other
Eyes: Brown
I just go this today! Ive been using C.O.Bigelow lip shine for a long time. I love the mint and the non stickness! I wish they would sell those original mentha tubes in the tin boxes.
on 5/7/2015 6:46:00 PM
Age: 44-55
Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral
Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine
Eyes: Hazel
At the first cold snap this is in my purse. I love the Bigalow formula and have several of the glosses. I can run it over a dry lipstick or just use it on my bare lips. The cinnamon in this give you just a little bit of plumping effect and the slight taste actually can take a bad or stale taste out of my mouth. Yep and Yep I will always re purchase.
on 5/5/2015 7:45:00 PM
Age: 19-24
Skin: Oily, Medium Brown, Warm
Hair: Black, Curly, Medium
Eyes: Brown
I�ve been wearing C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine in Cinnamint for a long time & I�d still repurchase it! The cinnamon oil & peppermint oil give my lips a cool, tingly feeling. I love this lip balm because it�s so simple: a cool combination of cinnamon & mint. I�m always a fan of minty or breath-freshening lip products, but this is one of my favorites. It�s both moisturizing & good-smelling. Any product that smells this good & can moisturize w/out feeling sticky is a winner. I got mine for $7.50 at Bath & Body Works.
on 11/26/2013 10:47:00 PM
Age: 19-24
Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm
Hair: Brunette, Curly, Fine
Eyes: Blue
This stuff smells amazing. Unparalleled in my world. This is the only gloss I ever buy - I am more of a matte lipstick or balm kind of girl. But this stuff smells so good and is moisturizing. I worked at Bath & Body Works in my teens and since there is no store where I live now, I pick more up every time I'm in New York at the CO Bigelow store!
on 5/27/2013 8:24:00 PM
Age: 44-55
Skin: Very Oily, Medium, Neutral
Hair: Other, Other, Medium
Eyes: Blue
I find that I wear this lip gloss on lazy days when my lips need good moisture. I LOVE the taste and smell of this gloss. It lasts a long time before you need to reapply and it's not sticky on your lips. I've already bought another tube of this to open when the wether gets cold again (I tend to use it more in the winter).
on 1/14/2013 10:14:00 PM
Age: 18 & Under
Skin: Dry, Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Black, Other, Other
Eyes: Brown
This is a clear lip gloss with a little bit of a cinnamony mint smell. It's not too over powering or too light. This is not a sticky gloss at all. I like C.O Bigelow lp glosses because they feel minty on my lips which make hem feel plumped. I would not repurchase this because the cinnamon is mixed with vanilla I find, and I'm not a fan of it. But I do wear it sometimes. Overall good product
on 12/22/2012 10:51:00 PM
Age: Unknown
Skin: Other, Other, Not Sure
Hair: Other, Other, Other
Eyes: Other
This is like a snack. Lol very yummy lipgloss. Refreshing cinnamon and mint but not overwhelmingly strong. I love it. Fairly moisturizing and a nice shine. A must. Try purchase for the price
on 11/27/2012 4:11:00 PM
Age: 19-24
Skin: Very Dry, Dark, Not Sure
Hair: Brunette, Other, Other
Eyes: Black
This is one of my favorite flavors from this lip gloss line since the cinnamon mint isnt as strong as peppermint or spearmint.
To the revier below me, VS just started selling a cinnamint lip gloss, hopefully that one works out better for you :)
on 10/3/2012 12:02:00 PM
Age: 44-55
Skin: Dry, Other, Not Sure
Hair: Red, Other, Other
Eyes: Blue
went searching online for ingredients and found this on the Bigelow site:
Ingredients: Polybutene, Petrolatum, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Flavor, Metha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Cinamomum Cassia Leaf Oil, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Oil, Silica Silylate, Octyldodecanol, Sodium Saccharin, Quaternium-18 Hectorite, MEthyl Diisopropyl Propionamide, Propylene Carbonate, Benzyl Benzoate, Cinnamal, Limonene, Eugenol, Linalool.
too unnatural for me. Too bad because I love cinnamon oil.
on 6/6/2012 7:01:00 PM
Age: 25-29
Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Not Sure
Hair: Blond, Other, Other
Eyes: Green
This is my favorite of the Mentha Lip Shines.
The Cinnamon is a fantastic flavor, look, and feel. I also love the pleasant, spicy smell of cinnamon that goes with having it on.
I absolutely love it, even though the price is ridiculous.
Popular Lip Glosses
Popular Lip Glosses

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Eeeeeeep! It's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas!!! I love Christmas so much and now Wee Food Adventurer is about to turn 3, the excitement in our house is starting to reach a whole new level!! Since starting this baking malarkey, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of accessories and cake decorations…. and in particular, sprinkles. So when I discovered that I could buy Christmas sprinkles, I was slightly beside myself!! And, when you combine that with chocolate…… well, you have a very Festive looking biscuit! This another recipe from the ever amazing Nigella Lawson and tastes just as good as you would expect her biscuits to do 🙂
INGREDIENTS (Makes around 24)
250g Soft Unsalted Butter
150g Caster Sugar
40g Cocoa Powder
300g Plain Flour
1/2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1tsp Baking Powder
For the topping
2 x 15ml tbsp Cocoa Powder
175g Icing Sugar
60ml (4 x 15ml tbsp) Boiling Water from the kettle
1tsp Vanilla Extract
Christmas Sprinkles (I brought mine from the fabulous Iced Jems)
- Preheat your oven 170°C / Gas Mark 3 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- Cream 250g Unsalted Butter and 150g Caster Sugar in a bowl. Once light & fluffy, sieve in 40g Cocoa Powder and cream again until fully mixed before sieving in 300g Plain Flour, 1/2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda and 1tsp Baking Powder and cream again until fully mixed.
- At this point the mixture will be very sticky and soft, this is exactly how it should be. Half your mixture, keeping one half to the side and working with the other half, pinch off pieces about the size of a large walnut and roll them into balls and place onto the baking sheet. Now slightly flatten each ball into fat discs, making sure there's space in between each as they will expand when baking. I'd put no more than 12 on each sheet. Repeat until you have used up all your mixture. If you divide the full mixture into half then half again, then half again, you will be able to make 3 balls from each. You only have to be this exact if you want really even shaped biscuits!
- Bake each batch for 15 minutes and no more. They may look like they need more time when you take them out, but have faith as they will continue to cook while they cool. If they've cracked on top, go with the flow and embrace the "home baked" look!
- Place the baking sheet onto a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring your biscuits to a wire rack (with newspaper or kitchen roll underneath for decorating later) to cool completely.
- To make the topping, place 2 x 15ml tbsp Cocoa Powder, 175g Icing Sugar, 60ml Water and 1tsp Vanilla Extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything's combined and the mixture is completely smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Take a tablespoon of the topping and drizzle onto one of your cooled biscuits, using the back of your spoon to spread it. Once you've done six biscuits, scatter them with your sprinkles of choice the repeat with the next six. The great thing is that you can make these for any occasion during the year and add the appropriate sprinkles.
– These are great "make ahead" biscuits. They will keep in an airtight container for 5 days in between sheets of parchment paper.
– You can also freeze the biscuits (without the topping) for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Melanie, Food Adventurer


text:
Reds' message to departing youngsters
Liverpool Football Club would like to wish seven departing players all the very best of luck for the future.
Youngsters Yalany Baio, Villyan Bijev, Yusuf Mersin, Michael Ngoo, Craig Roddan, Stephen Sama and Jakub Sokolik have now left the Academy.
While the group will no longer report to the club's Kirkby training base, their former coaches and friends will continue to be in touch, helping them wherever possible along the way.


text:
Aurangabad, Sep 9 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said utilisation of new technology and proper planning are needed for faster development of cities.
He said Mayors should make people participate in all important developmental activities of cities.
"For development of cities, we need good plans, utilisation of new technology and transparency in their administration," the chief minister said.
Fadnavis was speaking after inaugurating the 109th All India Mayors conference here this afternoon.
He said Maharashtra has received Rs 5,000 crore from the Centre under the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme.
This fund will be utilised for transformation of 42 cities in the state, Fadnavis said.
He said Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have achieved 50 per cent urbanisation.
Cities need to be provided with basic infrastructure and amenities and then only they will be able to attract foreign investment, the chief minister maintained.
He urged the Mayors taking part in the conference to make people in their respective cities participate in key development activities and maintain transparency in their own decision-making. PTI COR RSY SDM


text: If the group participating in the brainstorming session don't have a lot of experience with blue-sky, outside-the-box thinking, and have a tendency to come up with well-understood, incremental solutions, there is a video that can help them get out of their comfort zone and think big. It is James Currier's "Hit it Hard". It's short, funny and very insightful and can help the group take a little bit more risk during the ideation session.


text:
Monday, Mar 31 - 60 minute HIIT
Tuesday, April 1 - OFF
Wednesday, April 2 - 4km Stroller Run
Thursday, April 3 - 30 minute walk with Weston in carrier
Friday, April 4 - 60 minute HIIT
Saturday, April 5 - 6 km run (avg pace 5:25)
Sunday, April 6 - OFF
- 2 runs! Not exactly meeting my goal of three but I am on track this week because I ran today : )
- Running on pavement is 1 billion times easier than running on ice and gravel (especially with the running stroller).
- I reread Crazy Sexy Diet yesterday because I have plans to clean up my act. I also bought some spirulina. I am crediting it for my stellar run performance today. It certainly wasn't due to being well rested : )
- J has an injury to his lower leg. It is pretty serious because he can't run for two days (eye roll).
I posted this on twitter but want to share it here too for some Monday motivation:


text:
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Willa Cather's Characterization Technique in Neighbor Rosicky
Extracts from this document...
Willa Cather's Characterization Technique in Neighbor Rosicky " Neighbor Rosicky ", written in 1928 and collected in the volume Obscure Destinies in 1932, is generally considered one of Willa Cather's most successful short stories. It is a character study of Anton Rosicky, a man who, facing the approach of death, reflects on the meaning and value of his life. In tracing Rosicky's journey from Bohemia to Nebraska,Cather explores the intimate relationship between people and the paces they inhabit. The story also celebrates the small triumphs of life. ( Wilson 1) The protagonist, Neighbor Rosicky is presented from the point of view of an observer, an omniscient narrator, who enters the consciousness of several different characters and sees the world from their point of view . Rosicky's person evokes sympathy of the reader and appreciation of human drama from Cather's part. She has a very careful way of drawing the character and exploits all the usual methods of characteriztion technique, through which she creates "a hero that can be examined from all sides, as a rare object in the middle of the table" (Seargent 139). Nevertheless, the essence of the character is given by the extremely deep psychology applied by Cather. As we can see while reading the story we are given a lot of information referring to the character of Rosicky: dialogs between characters, their actions, others' descriptions provide a clear picture how should we imagine Cather's hero. Dialogue is often used to display the interaction between the family members and friends. Through these we get the feeling of the endearing qualities of their family life. From the dialog between Anton and Dr. Burleigh, the family's doctor and very good friend, we learn that he has problems with his health and that he must be a well-known and liked person in his community. We are led further when we enter his warm and very lively family. ...read more.
It has been a hard life and a soft life, too. ... He was a city man, a gentle man, and though he married a rough farm girl, he had never touched her without gentleness. Although only Rosicky has got such detailed description from the author, we can have a glance on Polly, his precious daughter-in-law. Nothing important is revealed in connection of her character from her appearance, but all the more is from her relationship with the farmer and his family. But now have a look at her. "Polly was in a short- sleeved gingham dress, clearing away the supper dishes. She was a trim, slim little thing, with blue eyes and shingle yellow hair, and her eyebrows were reduced to a mere brush-stroke, like Miss Pearl's. Willa Cather creates characters who have a keen sense of history and wish to establish and understand familial and spiritual roots. She characterizes her protagonists through their relationship with each pther. These are the most telling things about a person ans she uses this natural truth as a very clever device. The author comments upon Mary's relationship with her animals and draws a parallel between their treatment and that of humans' around her. " To feed creatures was the natural expression of affection - her chickens, the calves, her big hungry boys. It was a rare pleasure to feed a young man (Dr. Ed) whom she seldom saw and whom she was as proud as if he belonged to her." Maybe it sounds primitive but it is very onest way of expressing her feelings. The physical well- being of her beloved is very important to her and the first sign of it is if they are well-fed. As I mentioned in the beginning the Rosicky family was popular. So it's not a surprise that they care of their neighbours. It clearly reflects from their concern of the pregnant wife on the near farm. ...read more.
He believes that his land that is owned by him and his family provides the freedom to pursue a true happy family life. This is why he wants so much for his boys to lead the same kind of life after hi death, too. One passage, which is near the beginning of the story, brings home the fact that Rosicky is very close to land. In this passage he discribes the graveyard as a nice, home-like place. He imagines himself laid out there right at the edge of his own hayfield overseeing the work of his ground for years to come. Second, the alfalfa fields were a link to his roots and this another thing that fulfills him, going back to his own roots. In a next passage he ''stopped by the windmill to look up at the frosty winter stars and draw a long breath before he went inside. That kitchen with the shining windows was dear to him: but the sleeping fields and bright stars and the noble darkness were dearer still." Once born from nature (the soil of the ground) man feels a deep connection with it, so he knows that soon he has to return to it. The same feels Rosicky and his returning is not an end but a new beginning, Cather shows that another kind of American dream was fulfilled in Rosicky's example. He became a spiritually wealthy person, his dream, that of having a beautiful family and a land of his own, had come true with hard work and honour. On the whole we can say that Cather's portrait of an immigrant farmer whose honesty, integrity and emotional depth help him to achieve a meaningful and happy life for himself and for his family. His significant virtues are that of a truly good person's and as such I consider this one of the most successful character studies. I also conclude that the splendidness Willa Cather's characterization technique lies in her ellicit approach of depicting a character's inner qualities in a very natural and lively way. ...read more.
This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Reviews of Personal Performances section.
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text:
Ann C. Sharp, Ph.D.
When I was an elementary school teacher I had many students come into my classroom who couldn't read. I remember working hard to help them, but for many I saw little progress. As a teacher I needed to know more. I needed to know what works! After several years of teaching, the University of Utah opened up a new master's degree program for educators with an emphasis on scientifically-based reading research. I couldn't sign up fast enough.
My new found knowledge transformed my teaching. No longer was I stumped when a non reader came through my classroom. I had answers that worked! I became fascinated with scientifically-based reading research and began to realize how helpful the science of reading was in solving the problems most teachers face. I also started tutoring struggling readers outside of school hours, using techniques I had learned from my master's program, and I began to feel the joy of watching children overcome their reading challenges. In my quest to learn as much as I could about how to help struggling readers I decided to pursue a doctorate.
At the University of Nevada Las Vegas during my doctorate years, I received several awards for several research projects that I had conducted focused on helping struggling readers. The research I conducted for my dissertation investigated children's orthographic development. Orthography is the study of spelling. I was motivated to research this issue since I was always a poor speller, as were all eight of my children, and I wanted to find out why. My spelling research earned me the dissertation of the year award and allowed me to graduate with distinction. This work was recently published in a prominent journal for the field. It was exciting to me to be a part of the conversation that had inspired and improved my own teaching, but I wasn't working directly with students anymore, and I missed them.
Following my graduation, I took a job at Brigham Young University as an instructional researcher and worked for three years on different research projects related to literacy. I was part of a team of experts that was helping to develop an early childhood literacy curriculum of which I am responsible for the word study component. It was during this time that I met Reading Horizon's, a company that creates supplemental phonics materials.
Reading Horizon voiced to me a dream that had been percolating in my own head. They wanted to make more of a difference in the lives of struggling readers. We both agreed on important issues of how that could be accomplished. We felt we could help struggling readers of all ages and of all ethnic backgrounds with instruction that would allow them to overcome their reading problems. Together we decided to join hands and create a reading center that would do just that. We knew that we needed to keep doing research and developing best practices, so our reading center would have to do more than just teach. Research, sharing information, and educating others also needed to be a part of the center. As we planned and set goals the R.I.S.E. Institute of Literacy was born.
R.I.S.E. is an acronym that stands for the four purposes of the reading center, which are research, instruction, supply information and education. The Superhero Training Center is the instructional arm of R.I.S.E. The instructional strategies we use at the STC draw from the very best, most current reading research. For instance we know that there are five components of reading that must be learned in order to read. Those essential components are phonemic awareness (the ability to discern small sounds in speech like /c/-/a/-/t/ for cat), phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. In 1997 Congress formed the National Reading Panel (NRP) to determine the most successful types of reading instruction. They studied the results of over 10,000 research projects on reading to see what worked. They found that the five components listed earlier (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary components) were of most value. Teachers often refer to them as the big 5. Since then reading scientists have also learned that oral language proficiency and writing are important contributing factors for learning to read as well.
One of the important findings of the NRP showed systematic phonics instruction as the most effective type of instruction for helping struggling readers. This was exciting because that is what my studies and practice had taught me and is the very basis of Reading Horizon's supplemental instruction. Several years later after the publication of the NRP report, Dr. Sally Shaywitz discovered through her research that intense phonemic awareness training and intense phonics training allowed students with dyslexia to overcome its devastating affects!
Even though research shows that one in every five students struggles to learn how to read, reading problems can be overcome! We here at Superhero Training Center believe that there is a super reader within every person, and because it often requires tenacity and hard work, we also believe every individual who overcomes their reading problems is a superhero! Because reading acquisition can be a difficult undertaking, our goal is to provide every person with the best training in reading available. We emphasize scientifically-based reading instruction, tailor made to each individual's unique needs. We include phonemic awareness, phonic skills, fluency, comprehension instruction and vocabulary building, starting with the first lesson.
I believe that everyone has one or more life's missions. I believe that one of my important life's missions is to share the knowledge I have been privileged to acquire through my university training and experience as a teacher. My top priority is to develop your child's reading skills. Learning to read is often hard work, but it is worth every bit of effort. That is why our motto at the Superhero Training Center is, "Find your inner super hero!" Successfully reading is an attainable goal, and we are here to help individuals reach it.


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Is the beloved Pope a hypocrite?
He's gotten big billing this past week for charging through Latin America blasting capitalism. And he's received much press for two years with his comments about drones, contraception, the big bang theory, and the role of women in the church. The Pope has proven to be a sound byte machine and he's created plenty of fans and more than a few haters along the way.
But in last Sunday's news conference from the papal plane, Pope Francis said he would be opening his ears — and presumably his mind — to hear his American critics. Let me suggest two places he should start if he wants to be taken seriously by the people he's attacked: weapons and war. The Pope's critics claim his comments don't always align with his behavior. They're right, and he would do well to listen.
At a gathering of young people in Turin last month, the Pope said Christian businesspersons who manufacture weapons were guilty of "hypocrisy" because they "talk about peace and make weapons, or sell them to the two warring sides." He added, "duplicity is the currency of today . . . they say one thing and do another." This wasn't the only time the Jesuit leader has fired shots at these believers. In May, he said that gun makers were complicit in "an industry of death." And in February, Francis called them "merchants of death" who are "furthering a cycle of hate, fratricide, and violence."
Pope Francis said weapon makers need to learn "not to trust riches and worldly powers," but where is the Pope placing his trust when he arms his own guards?
American Christians have more in common with ISIS than they may assume, says theologian Miroslav Volf.
Some Christians may find the Yale Divinity School professor's comments difficult to swallow in light of a propaganda video released on Sunday that reportedly showed the beheadings of 21 Coptic Christians by ISIS militants in Libya. Volf says that many figures in both Christian history and American history thought about faith and politics in a similar way to modern Islamist extremists. He also says that even though he doesn't believe the Christian and Muslim faiths are one and the same, we should search out and celebrate the good commonalities. Volf is author of many books including, Allah: A Christian Response and Do We Worship the Same God?
RNS: With what we're seeing now with groups like ISIS and Boko Haram. What do you make of the persecution of Christians by Islamist extremists?
MV: I take it to be an extreme reaction to globalization processes, which are perceived as being driven by Western interests and are associated with Christian tradition. I see it as a form of extremism that is perceived by majority Muslims as out of step with what Islam is. Your run of the mill Muslims in many parts of the world will generally refer to Islamic State as un-Islamic state. I think it is an attempt to assert Islam as a political religion as a unity of religion and government. Now that's been a way religions have functioned throughout history–from Constantine until recently. America was founded by folks who thought like this.
RNS: America was founded by folks who thought like Islamist extremists?
MV: Like many Islamist extremists, yes. Which is to say, they believed God would bless this new experiment if we integrate our obedience to God's laws and we ensure that this is indeed a city set on a hill.
RNS: A lot of people say that violence is inherent to the Muslim faith. Is that correct or are violent expressions a distortion of their faith?
Who knew that so few words could cause so much hysteria?
During his remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama discussed the need to oppose militant groups that misuse religion to justify oppression or violence. But then the president said this: "And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ."
That single sentence launched conservative Christians into the stratosphere. From Bill Donahue to Franklin Graham, it seems like everyone is taking time to criticize the comment. Some were restrained while others—like Texas preacher Robert Jeffress who said Jesus is "incensed" over the speech—bordered on silly. But most of these denunciations ignore or even twist the facts about what the president said and clearly meant.
Saying "Jesus was Jewish" sounds so obvious to most Christians that it doesn't seem worth the energy to exhale. Yet, many Christians never give the idea a second thought, which is why it needs reasserting despite its obviousness.
Christians, according to author James Carroll, have forgotten Jesus' Jewishness. And this has has severe consequences. So the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award winner has penned Christ, Actually: The Son of God for The Secular Age to reintroduce Christians to the Jewish Jesus. Here, Carroll discusses the negative effects of forgetting Jesus' religious tradition and how modern Christians can recover a more accurate understanding of their Messiah.
RNS: You point out that we often overlook Jesus' Jewishness. But Jesus in some ways bucked the Jewish law and the strictest Jewish leaders were often at odds with him. From a religious standpoint, how Jewish was he really?
JC: This is the key question. Religion is a human adaptation to the basic fact of the human condition that the Holy One is not directly accessible to finite creatures. Religion is an indirect, mediated, but real way of being connected to God. Jewish religion is a case in point. The Temple, the Law, the Tradition, the Scriptures, Sabbath observance, keeping Kosher, reciting the Shema–all of it serves the purpose of bridging the gulf that stands between creatures and their Creator.
The affirmation of Jesus' divinity, which is essential to Christian faith, has often led to the conclusion that Jesus had no need of the bridging elements of Jewish religion. If Jesus engaged in these cultic practices, he was going through the motions, since his communion with God was a given of his condition. Religiously speaking, He was pretend Jew.
But that is like saying he was a pretend human being. If we start with his humanity, we affirm, with the tradition, that Jesus was like us in all ways, except sin. That means he could not foresee the future, could not defy gravity, could not avoid death. Nor could he, while alive on earth, have direct access to what's called the beatific vision. Therefore, his need of Jewish religion was real and absolute. [tweetable]Jesus was no pretend Jew.[/tweetable] That must be the starting point of our commitment to Jesus.
If Jesus was at odds with fellow Jews over what it is to be a faithful Jew–and the tradition suggests that he was–we must understand such contention as occurring within the Jewish community, not from outside it. So he did not "buck the Jewish law;" he insisted upon it, even if he disagreed with others over its meaning and applicability at a given moment.
RNS: Early Christianity was more like an offshoot of Judaism, wasn't it? When did this shift?
The sea of tents reminds me of a scene from M*A*S*H from a distance, but there is no laugh track here. No, these Lebanese makeshift refugee camps or Informal Tented Settlements (ITS) are some of the most sobering places I've ever witnessed. Many of the more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees currently residing in Lebanon now call an ITS "home," but the conditions are far less than pleasant.
I was invited to visit refugee settlements in Lebanon and Jordan by World Vision, a global Christian humanitarian organization focused on poverty and injustice. In these dwellings, I encountered stories of human suffering for which I was unprepared.
One story was that of Hamide, a mother of 10 whose entire family shares a two-bedroom tent with a dirt floor and walls constructed of old billboard vinyl. She lives in an ITS in Rawda, Lebanon. Her family was forced to flee here from Syria because of violence two years ago. She has no idea if her parents or extended family are still alive.
Poverty cripples her family's existence in Lebanon. Three of Hamide's teenage children now work in the fields for $4.00 US a day (despite Lebanon's anti-child labor laws). She and her husband, Khalil, married off their 14-year-old daughter to a 22-year-old man she'd never met because they could barely afford to feed her. One child is afflicted with Hepatitis C and asthma that require expensive medicines, and Hamide must purchase formula for her 2-month-old daughter because she doesn't produce milk.
The Syrian civil war has produced more than 3 million refugees like Hamide, and U.N. officials are calling it "the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era." And on the front lines of the relief effort, working alongside UNICEF and UNHCR, are a collection of Christian relief organizations committed to ministering in the midst of catastrophe.
"Convert to Islam, leave, or die."
This is the ultimatum, given by Islamic extremists in Iraq, that has forced thousands of Christians to flee the communities they've inhabited for almost 2,000 years. In the wake of this crisis, some conservative evangelicals here in the United States have been unsurprisingly quick to point the finger at the Obama administration for its lack of urgency:
- Tony Perkins of Family Research Council commented, "I'm not sure what's more shocking: the atrocities of ISIS or the silence of the Obama administration."
- Todd Starnes, Fox News radio host and career bomb-thrower, said via Twitter: "Obama: The fate of Iraq hangs in the balance — so we're just gonna sit this one out."
- David French at The Christian Post blamed the president for the chaos in Iraq, adding that when it comes to Obama's foreign policy, "We'd laugh if lives weren't at stake."
Now look: The Obama administration's pullout from Iraq has doubtlessly contributed to this crisis. But these evangelical pundits fail to recognize that Christians in Iraq have faced extreme persecution since well before Obama took office. And though admitting it may taste bitter, evangelicals themselves must share the blame for the persecution of their brothers and sisters.
In a 60 Minutes interview filmed in late 2007 — more than a year before Obama moved into the White House — the Rev. Canon Andrew White, known as the Vicar of Baghdad, said the situation for Christians in Iraq was "clearly worse" than under Saddam Hussein.
"There's no comparison between Iraq now and then," White told correspondent Scott Pelley. "Things are the most difficult they have ever been for Christians. Probably ever in history. They've never known it like now."
Such persecution was made possible by a bipartisan American faction that supported the invasion of Iraq — an invasion that created a violent void in which sectarian violence raged. And let's not forget that this coalition included the strong, vocal, and public support of influential evangelicals — claiming to speak on behalf of the "Prince of Peace" no less.
An international crisis was created after the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) told Christians in Northern Iraq to leave the region or risk death. Hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled their homes, sparking criticism and concern from Westerners. Reports surfaced that many Christian homes in the region were being marked with the Arabic letter "N," which stands for "Nazarene" or "Christian," as a way to target those residents.
But Jeremy Courtney, an American living in an undisclosed location in Iraq who started the popular #WeAreN hashtag, says the media isn't telling the whole story. Courtney is the founder of Preemptive Love Coalition, an organization that provides life-saving heart surgeries for children in Iraq, and author of Preemptive Love: Pursuing Peace One Heart at a Time. Here, we discuss what he's experiencing in Iraq, what the media misses, and who he thinks should be blamed for the crisis.
RNS: You say the American media isn't reporting the whole story about Christian persecution in Iraq. What are we missing?
JC: What Americans don't quite understand is that what we call the "Christian community" in Iraq has strong nationalistic aspirations. The American media often assumes this ancient Christian community is evangelistically vibrant and is being persecuted because they are trying to convert Muslims. But this is false.
RNS: What is the importance of Iraqi Christians' "nationalistic aspirations?"
JC: One way the new Islamic state and the neighboring legitimate Kurdistan regional government could perceive the Christian community as a threat is that the Assyrian Christian community longs to see an Assyrian state rise again. There are strong nationalist desires, and many want a federal solution to carve out an Assyrian state. Some would say that's why the Kurds have all too cynically welcomed the fleeing Christians–because they can Kurdify them.
This doesn't mean that the persecution is justified. They shouldn't be subject to genocide. They shouldn't lose their homes. But Western Christians want to view these issues only through Christian evangelism, while overlooking Christian nationalism, Christian politics, and Christian violence abroad—all of which are real things.
RNS: So why are these Iraqi Christians being persecuted then?
As violence rages in Gaza and the war in Iraq comes unravelled, many Americans evangelicals are rethinking their positions on war and violence. In the midst of this moment, pastor Brian Zahnd of Missouri's Word of Life Church encourages Christians to take a "journey from embracing violence to pronouncing peace."
In his new book, A Farewell to Mars, Zahnd questions how violence and power seeped into our understanding of faith and grace. He argues that the message of Jesus differs radically from the drumbeats of war we hear all around us. Here we discuss his provocative proposal.
RNS: This book details your "journey from embracing violence to pronouncing peace." What do you mean by "embracing violence?"
BZ: I accepted violence as a legitimate way to shape the world for good. I was comfortable with celebrating, memorializing, and endorsing American war violence. I believed that the infliction of American violence—whether upon Hiroshima or Hanoi—was just and justifiable. For most of my life I simply did not feel there was any tension between being a follower of the Prince of Peace and enthusiastically endorsing the waging of war. But in my long and winding journey I've come to understand that to live gently in a violent world is part of the counterculture of following Christ.
RNS: Tell us about your 9/11 prayer and why you think it was a failure?
In the land of religious history, Philip Jenkins towers like a giant.
Among the many works written by the distinguished professor of history at Baylor University, his history of Christian violence in "Jesus Wars" and exploration of the increasingly global nature of Christianity in "The Next Christendom" were especially influential. But now Jenkins, a contributing editor for The American Conservative with a monthly column for The Christian Century, has catalogued some fascinating observations about World War I. Namely, that this great conflict was a global religious revolution.
Here, we discuss the religious dimension of World War I and his newest book, "The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade."
RNS: You say that World War I was "a religious crusade." This sounds like a scandalous idea. Can you explain what you mean?
PJ: If I myself believed that it was a crusade, that would indeed be scandalous. Actually, I am arguing that a great many people at the time saw it in those terms, which is also scandalous, in a different way.
When we look at the history of that war, we have to be struck by the religious and supernatural language in which it was imagined, throughout the whole conflict, and at all levels of society. This was not just a case of statements put out by propaganda agencies trying to scare up recruits. Nor was the religious fervor confined to the opening weeks of the war, before people knew better.
Throughout, and in every country, the war was presented as a holy war, a cosmic struggle. The war was fought by the world's leading Christian nations, and on all sides, clergy and Christian leaders offered a steady stream of patriotic and militaristic rhetoric. Many spoke the language of holy war and crusade, of apocalypse and Armageddon.
Without that religious dimension, we cannot understand why the nations went to war, nor how ordinary people imagined the conflict.
RNS: If this is as you say, then why is religion such a minor note in many discussions of and books on World War I?
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The Maryville College women's cross country team ran their second meet of the season at the Carson Newman Invitational on Saturday.
The Scots completed the 5K race in an average of 24:34, good for fourth place of the four participating institutions. Carson-Newman claimed the team crown with an average finish time of 22:23.
Priscah Jenell from Carson Newman paced the crowd of 41 runners with a first-place finish of 20:48. Maryville's Emily Guillaume finished second with a 21:33 time. Other Scots that finished the course in less than 26 minutes included June Rosenbarker (18th) 24:05, Chandler Chastain (25th) 25:20, Makayla May (27th) 25:53, and Molly Ridgeway (28th) 25:59.
Maryville will now prepare for the MC Invitational hosted on campus on October 3rd.


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Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. (1877 - 1964) taught at the Angelicum in Rome from 1909 to 1960, and served for many years as a consulter to the Holy Office and other Roman Congregations.
Catholic belief, prayers and spiritual teaching
Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. (1877 - 1964) taught at the Angelicum in Rome from 1909 to 1960, and served for many years as a consulter to the Holy Office and other Roman Congregations.
By Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange,OP
According to the doctrine of the Church, purgatory is the place of those souls that have died under obligation to suffer still some temporary pain, due to venial sins not yet forgiven, or to sins already forgiven but not yet expiated. They remain in purgatory until the debt which they owe to divine justice has been fully paid. They pay this debt progressively, not by merit and satisfaction, for the time of merit is gone by, but by satispassion, that is, by enduring voluntarily the satisfactory suffering inflicted on them. Their sufferings may be shortened by suffrages made for them and especially by Masses in their favor.
We find this doctrine of the Church in the Second Council of Lyons, in that of Florence, [333] in that of Trent, [334] and in the condemnation of many errors of Luther. [335] Among the errors condemned by the Church we may notice especially such sentences as these: "The existence of purgatory cannot be established by Scripture." [336] "The souls in purgatory suffer by impatience." [337] "The souls in purgatory are not sure of their salvation." The Church, on the contrary, teaches as her common doctrine that these souls suffer the punishment of fire. [338]
The Protestant Error
The doctrine of purgatory was denied by the Albigenses, the Hussites, and the Protestants. [339] Luther began, in 1517, by denying the value of indulgences, saying that they had no value before God for the remission of the punishment due to our sins. [340] Then he went on
to maintain that purgatory cannot be proved by Holy Scripture; that the souls in purgatory are not sure of their salvation; that we cannot prove the impossibility of merit in purgatory; that the souls in purgatory may sin by attempting to escape the sufferings they are undergoing.
Later on, Luther reached the doctrinal root of all his negations, namely, justification by faith alone. Then he affirmed the uselessness of good works and hence the uselessness of purgatory. Supported by popular favor, he became more and more audacious. In 1524 he published his book on the abrogation of Mass. In this work he says that the denial of purgatory is not an error.
Finally, in 1530, he denied absolutely any necessity of satisfaction for our sins. To uphold this, he said, would be an injury to Christ, who has satisfied superabundantly for all sin. For the same reason he denied that the Mass is a true sacrifice, particularly a propitiatory sacrifice. We have here the radical denial of a life of reparation, as if the sufferings of the saints for the expiation of sin would be an injury to the Redeemer.
Now the first and universal cause does not exclude second causes, but grants them the dignity of causality, somewhat like a sculptor who should make statues which live. Thus the satisfactory merits of Christ do not exclude our own, but rather create them. Christ causes us to work with Him and in Him. St. Paul said: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ." [341] Again: "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for His body, which is the Church." Certainly nothing was lacking to the sufferings of Christ in themselves, but they lacked fulfillment in our own flesh.
Calvin [342] and Zwingli [343] followed Luther in denying indulgences, in denying the sacrifice of the Mass, and purgatory.
Protestants of the present day have separated from their masters on this subject. Many of them admit an intermediate state between hell and heaven. They will not call it purgatory, but do say that the souls there can still merit and satisfy. Some hold that the sufferings of hell are not eternal. Now this temporary hell does not at all resemble the purgatory taught by the Catholic Church, according to which all souls in purgatory are in the state of grace and can no longer sin.
This is but one more example of the variations and contradictions to be found among Protestant Churches.
The chief Catholic theologians who wrote against this Protestant error are Cajetan, Sylvester Ferrariensis, St. John Fisher, John Eck, and St. Robert Bellarmine. St. John Fisher speaks thus to the Lutherans: "In suppressing the sacrifice of the Mass you have excluded the sun which illumines and warms each day of our life, and makes its influence felt even in purgatory."
The Church condemned this Protestant error. The Council of Trent declares: "If anyone says that the man who has repented and received the grace of justification is forgiven and released from obligation to eternal punishment, in such fashion that he no longer has any obligation to temporal punishment, whether in this world or in purgatory, before he can be given entrance into heaven: let him be anathema." [344]
In the fourteenth chapter, which corresponds to this cannon, the Council affirms the necessity of satisfaction for sins committed after baptism: satisfaction in the form of fasting, of almsgiving, of prayer, and of other exercises of the spiritual life. These satisfactions are not meant for the eternal punishment, which was remitted by the sacrament of penance or by the desire of the sacrament, but for the remission of temporal punishment, which is not always remitted entirely, as it is in baptism. [345] The Council quotes these words of Scripture: "Be mindful therefore from whence thou art fallen, and do penance and do the first works." [346] "For the sorrow that is according to God worketh penance." [347] "Do penance." [348] "Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of penance." [349] And if this reparation, this satisfaction, has not been paid in this world, the soul will have to undergo the satisfactorial punishment of purgatory.
Purgatory in Scripture
In the Old Testament we read that Judas Machabeus "making a gathering sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the . . . dead, . . . who had fallen asleep with godliness, . . . that they may be loosed from sins." [350] This passage shows that according to the faith of Israel the just, after death, could be aided by the sacrifices offered on earth. In that same passage we read: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead."
St. Thomas remarks: "We are not taught to pray for the souls of the dead who are in heaven, nor for those who are in hell, hence there must be a purgatory after death, where the souls of the just pay the debts which they did not pay on earth." [351]
In the New Testament we read: "He that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." [352] Now these words presuppose, according to tradition, that certain sins can be forgiven after death, but certainly these are not mortal sins. Hence these words deal with venial sin, or with suffering due to mortal sins, remitted but not entirely expiated.
The text becomes clearer when we read in St. Paul: "You are God's building.... The foundation ... is Christ Jesus. Now, if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble,
every man's work shall be manifest." "And the fire shall try every man's work." [353] If the work which each one added to the building subsists, he will receive recompense (for this part of his work) yet he will be saved, but only as through fire. This means that if upon this foundation he has built with wood or hay or stubble, his work will be devoured by the fire. These works which will be devoured are, for example, good works done in vanity, good accomplished in order to advance oneself, or by a spirit of opposition to adversaries, rather than by love of truth and of God.
Many Fathers have seen in this text the doctrine of purgatory: Origen, Basil, Cyril of Jerusalem, Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great. These last two understand the text to speak also of the fire of persecution and of the last judgment.
St. Thomas, [354] in commenting on this passage, speaks as follows: "In the building constructed upon Christ, good works are compared to gold, to silver, to precious stone. Venial sins are compared to wood, to hay, to stubble. The day of the Lord is that on which He manifests His judgment, first of all during tribulation on earth, then at the particular judgment after death, finally at the last judgment. The fire which tests and purifies is that of tribulation on earth, then that of purgatory, lastly that of universal conflagration at the last judgment. In truth, many texts of Scripture speak of the purifying fire under these three different forms." [355]
This unifying interpretation, which admits diverse purifications, is held today, both by exegetes like Father Allo, Father Prat, and by theologians like Father Pesch. Father Allo [356] speaks as follows: "There are faults which are not grave enough to close heaven and to open hell, which nevertheless must have their own proportionate punishment. The Catholic dogma of venial sin and purgatory finds in our text a very solid support." [357] Father Pesch [358] defends the same conclusion.
Purgatory in Tradition
On this subject we must distinguish two periods. During the first four centuries the existence of purgatory is affirmed, at least implicitly, by the universal practice of prayer and sacrifice offered for the dead. Tertullian speaks thus: "We make oblations for the dead one year after their death." [359] St. Ephrem [360] demands remembrance on the thirtieth day after death. St. Cyril of Alexandria believes that prayers made for the dead obtain succor for them. St. Epiphanius and St. John Chrysostom speak in the same sense. [361] And the most ancient liturgies show that this usage was common. [362]
This view is confirmed by inscriptions in the catacombs, as early as the third century. These inscriptions, which pray that God may refresh the soul of the dead, contain manifest allusions to the sufferings which the souls in purgatory must undergo. [363]
This universal practice, found in the Orient and the Occident, proves that there was general belief in the existence of a place and state where souls, not yet entirely purified, undergo punishment due to their sins. The Church never prays for the damned, and does not offer for them the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Thus we see the faith of the early Church in purgatory, just as her faith in the existence of original sin is expressed by the practice of baptizing infants.
Further, during these first four centuries, we have explicit testimonies regarding the sufferings of purgatory. Tertullian [364] speaks of a woman who prays for the soul of her husband and asks for him "refreshment," that is, attenuation or cessation of the punishment of fire. St. Ephrem [365] speaks of expiation of sins after death. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nyssa, speak of prayers for the dead. [366]
During the second period, beginning with St. Augustine, we find texts which speak explicitly of purgatory, of the fiery punishments undergone by the just who have not sufficiently expiated their sins during life. The Fathers, St. Augustine, St. Caesarius of Arles, St. Gregory the Great, affirm four truths which contain the entire doctrine of purgatory. First, after death there is no longer a possibility of merit or demerit. [367] Secondly, purgatory exists, a place where souls undergo temporary pains for their sins. [368] Thirdly, these souls can be aided by the prayers of those who live, especially by the Eucharistic Sacrifice. [369] Fourth, purgatory will end on the day of judgment. [370] St. Augustine expounds this doctrine. [371] The same holds good of St. Caesarius, [372] and of St. Gregory the Great. [373]
During the following centuries the liturgy for the dead was gradually developed. The doctrine of the Church on purgatory was defined in the Second Council of Lyons, in that of Florence, and that of Trent. [374]
This retrospect shows that the faith of the Church passes from a less distinct concept to a concept which is distinct. This development is seen in the doctrine on baptism, on the sacrament of penance, on the
Sacrifice of the Mass, and in many other revealed truths. Let us recall here that good Christians, particularly the saints, even when they do not have a distinct theoretical concept of a mystery, as do theologians, can still have a very deep and living concept.
Many saints, although they cannot explain theologically the difference between venial sin and mortal sin, have the virtue of contrition much more profoundly than many theologians. Unable to tell you what is formally the essence of the Sacrifice of the Mass, they are penetrated with its grandeur and fruitfulness. Thus Christians in the catacombs, preparing for martyrdom, sacrificing for their dead, had a deep and living concept of purgatory, though they could not speak of it as did theologians after the Council of Trent. Uneducated saints have a living concept of sin, of the punishment due to sin, of repentance, of satisfaction, of judgment, of hell, of purgatory, and of heaven. This science of the saints, in last analysis, is the most real, the one that counts for eternity.
This living concept is expressed by The Imitation of Christ. [375] We must be willing to suffer everything for eternal life, even what is most painful.


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WMI taps Garvey senior vp
EmptyLONDON -- Former EMI executive Isabel Garvey has joined Warner Music International in the new role as senior vp new business enterprises.
Based in London, Garvey will be tasked with devising and implementing strategies that will drive the music major's activities in the physical and digital arenas.
She will work alongside the firm's leadership team and WMG's business development group in New York.
"This is a key hire for us as we seek to further strengthen our business by looking beyond traditional revenue streams," comments Patrick Vien, chairman and CEO of WMI, to whom Garvey reports.
"We have already made great progress in pioneering new approaches to monetizing our content through strategic acquisitions and partnerships. Bringing in someone with Isabel's knowledge, experience and vision will enhance our ability to respond to the opportunities for growth around the world," Vien adds.
Until recently, Garvey has served with EMI Music as vp global digital.


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It's People's Lives, Right?!!! is the 182nd chapter of Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail.
Natsu, Gray, and Lucy are fighting Hughes and Sugarboy in the amusement park. They seem helpless as the fight progresses. Meanwhile, Byro tells the King that their plan is now ready.
Having entered an amusement park inside the palace, Natsu, Gray and Lucy take a look at their new surroundings. While watching, Hughes talks to Sugarboy about how the extraction of the Dragon Slayer Magic is complete and Code ETD is nearly ready. Suddenly, Hughes destroys the rope that is hoisting a ship in the air and causes it to fall down on the three Fairy Tail Mages. Before it is able to crush them however, Gray is able to stop the ship with his Magic, surprising Hughes and Sugarboy at how they Earth Land Mages can use Magic without tools.
Natsu then charges at Hughes and punches him, demanding that their comrades be freed. Hughes mockingly tells him that they will soon turn into an infinite source of Magic for Edolas. As Lucy tries to warn Natsu of a roller coaster ride coming up behind him, Sugarboy uses his Magic to soften the ground that Lucy and Gray are standing on, while Hughes uses his Magic wand, that is able to control any attraction in the amusement park, to put Natsu on a roller coaster and laughs at him because of his motion sickness. Meanwhile, Lucy and Gray are sinking to the ground and Gray tells Lucy to help Natsu and throws her to the roller coaster. Narrowly catching on, she attempts to reach Natsu.
Gray then uses his Ice-Make: Grappling Hook to get off the ground and attacks Sugarboy with his Ice-Make: Death Scythe but Sugarboy turns the ice into water by using his Magic sword, Rosa Espada, which can turn anything soft and limp. In the mean time, Lucy is unable to get Natsu safely off the ride just as Hughes decides to increase the speed, eventually plunging them into water and taking a photograph of their faces.
Hughes comments on how the Magic of Edolas will soon run out and how it's vital they find more by sacrificing the Exceed and Magnolia Town. Natsu angrily berates Hughes for selfishly killing others for their own needs and that it doesn't matter if a being has Magic or not, what's important is that they're alive. Having noticed the water, Lucy tells Natsu to stand back and summons Aquarius. Aquarius attempts to use her Magic to attack but fails because Hughes, who reminds them that in this amusement park he can use anything as a weapon, is able to control the water.
Meanwhile, in the throne room, Byro informs Faust that the preparations for the Code ETD is complete. Faust then prays, saying goodbye to the gods.
Characters in Order of Appearance
Battles & Events
Magic, Spells, and Abilities used
Magic used
- Molding Magic (造形魔法 Zōkei Mahō)
- Ice-Make (氷の造形魔法 Aisu Meiku)
- Dragon Slayer Magic (滅竜魔法 Metsuryū Mahō)
- Fire Dragon Slayer Magic (炎の滅竜魔法 Honō no Metsuryū Mahō)
- Spatial Magic (空間魔法 Kūkan Mahō)
- Celestial Spirit Magic (星霊魔法 Seirei Mahō)
- Summoned the Water Bearer, Aquarius
- Celestial Spirit Magic (星霊魔法 Seirei Mahō)
- Water Magic (水系各種魔法 Mizu Kei Kakushu Mahō)
Spells used
- Ice-Make: Shield (盾 Shīrudo)
- Fire Dragon's Claw (火竜の鉤爪 Karyū no Kagizume)
- Fire Dragon's Iron Fist (火竜の鉄拳 Karyū no Tekken)
- Hell Coaster (へルズコースター Heruzu Kōsutā)
- Hell Tornado
- Ice-Make: Grappling Hook (飛爪 Hisō)
- Ice-Make: Death Scythe (大鎌 Desu Saizu)
Abilities used
- Hand-to-Hand Combat
- Swordsmanship
- Flight
Weapons used
- Rosa Espada (ロッサエスパーダ Rossa Esupāda)
- Urn
Items used
- Command Tact (コマンドタクト Komando Takuto)
- Celestial Spirit Gate Keys
| Oración Seis arc
Daphne arc
|Edolas arc
|Tenrou Island arc
|165 | 166 | 167 | 168 | 169 | 170 | 171 | 172 | 173 | 174 | 175 | 176 | 177 | 178 | 179 | 180 | 181 | 182 | 183 | 184 | 185 | 186 | 187 | 188 | 189 | 190 | 191 | 192 | 193 | 194 | 195 | 196 | 197 | 198 | 199
|76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95


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Since the hallway was painted this area which is the entry into the Hallway from the Kitchen, was crying out for some attention and something to define it and use up the blank space.
Once they were ready I spent ages playing around with the layout until I was happy. I referred to my trusty Nest book and went with the 'on a line' design where you layout the frames as though the top frames sit on a line and the bottom frames start on the line, leaving an even amount of space between each frame. For the smaller wall I did more of a 'tile' design as there are only 4 frames.


text: The NAS Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon Strong's Number: 1818 Browse Lexicon Original WordWord Origin~dfrom (01826) (compare (0119))Transliterated WordTDNT EntryDamTWOT - 436Phonetic SpellingParts of Speechdawm Noun Masculine Definition blood of wine (fig.) NAS Word Usage - Total: 358blood 303, bloodguilt 2, bloodguiltiness 12, bloodshed 27, bloody 7, death 1, guilt of blood 2, homicide or another 1, life 1, lifeblood* 2 NAS Verse Count Genesis10Exodus22Leviticus66Numbers10Deuteronomy16Joshua4Judges11 Samuel82 Samuel111 Kings102 Kings91 Chronicles32 Chronicles6Job2Psalms19Proverbs8Isaiah14Jeremiah9Lamentations2Ezekiel46Hosea4Joel4Jonah1Micah2Nahum1Habakkuk3Zephaniah1Zechariah2Total294The Hebrew lexicon is Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; this is keyed to the "Theological Word Book of the Old Testament." These files are considered public domain.Bibliography Information Brown, Driver, Briggs and Gesenius. "Hebrew Lexicon entry for Dam". "The NAS Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon". .


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Oriental Town
Oriental Town Hall is located at 507 Church Street, Oriental, NC 28571; phone: 252-249-0555.
Beginnings [1]
Oriental, the Sailing Capital of North Carolina, is a friendly and welcoming waterfront community nestled among several creeks and the Neuse River in southeastern Pamlico County. From the beginning, the natural harbor attracted commercial interests and Oriental was incorporated as a town in 1899. In the early decades of the town, key industries were farming, fishing, logging and sawmills. Railroad and steamship services transported goods to markets. After the Second World War railroads to small towns virtually disappeared causing Oriental's economy and population to shrink in vitality and size. Commercial fishing and packing helped fill the void, providing employment for many.
As the last sawmill was closing, boaters cruising the new Intracoastal Waterway along with recreational boaters from central North Carolina "discovered" Oriental. In 1960 only a few sailboats called Oriental home, now there are thousands in the area. Eventually recreational boating joined commercial fishing as an important aspect of economic opportunity.
In the 1970's the farmland on Ragan Road, Link Lane and Lupton Drive was subdivided into single family lots as was the land along Whitaker and Pierce Creeks where marinas and boat yards already existed. Many cruising sailors stopping on their travels ultimately bought or built homes in those areas. Boating, water vistas and small-town charm continue to attract newcomers.
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It's almost crazy to mention that you have regular deals, and then you have Warren buffet style deals. And when looking at a Warren buffet style deal, the acquisition of H.J. Heinz for $23 billion certainly fits the bill.
Warren Buffett is known specifically for choosing a target that he like to buy, letting them know his price and then ultimately acquiring that target without doing too much bargaining in the process. Would you like to take a look at a few examples? Then check out the Berkshire Hathaway acquisitions of Wrigley's, Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad and Lubrizol. In every instance, once Warren Buffett came to the table, each company lost interest in looking for any other bidders. That's a powerful position to be in.
As of this time, it's difficult to know the full story around the Heinz acquisition, and we have no clue how they looked at other suitors when trying to make sure that their shareholders will get the best deal. Once the proxy statement for the deal is filed, we will certainly learn more information. But as I'm sure you can imagine, this is already a very unusual deal from the beginning. If you'd like to see further evidence, then you can take a look at the last Friday morning agreement filed in regards to this deal.
One occurrence you need to be aware of is that there is no "go shop" provision that will allow Heinz to search for other bidders once the deal was announced. This type of provision is very common when a private equity deal takes place, and it also happens in some strategic deals as well, since it prevents the target from negotiating with any other bidders prior to announcing the deal.
But once the deal is announced, the target company can do a market check and look to see if there are any other bidders. If another bidder does come along, then the termination fee they would have to pay in order to acquire the company is actually lower than when there is no go shop provision in place.
There are some very good reasons for this particular type of mechanism. For starters, it will let the board of directors feel comfortable that it is actually receiving the best reasonable price that is available. Secondly, even though a ghost out provision is not mandated under the laws of Delaware, companies feel like it helps them satisfy their Revlon duties, which basically requires that a board of directors receive the highest price that is reasonably available when they sell a company.
You may have already gathered this, but there is no go shop provision in place during the Heinz deal. The company has only negotiated with 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway, according to all reports that are circulating. If there were another bidder to possibly come along, they would have to pay a $750 million termination fee, and there would also be another $25 million worth of expenses. That estimates to roughly 3% of the total transaction value, and this is a standard for a deal like this. But if a go shop provision were in place, it would typically be about three times less than this amount. No matter what way you look at it, we are still talking about a very large sum of money.
The deal is ultimately structured a lot more as a private equity deal than a strategic deal. 3G and Warren Buffett are financial buyers, and this deal specifically depends on the financing. They have jointly negotiated a common right in the private equity deals that if there is a failure and financing, Heinz will be able to sue them and they will be forced to obtain the financing. But if it is still not available, both buyers will be able to walk away from this deal, even though they would have to pay Heinz a whopping $1.5 billion.
I'd like to make a note that both Berkshire Hathaway and 3G capital also negotiated a very unique financing extension provision that will actually be for Heinz from forcing the payment of this see immediately if there is an event that financing failure takes place. This will allow the buyers to delay the termination and force the banks to finance this deal. We are going to officially call this new requirement The Ketchup Provision.
Getting back to the main story, it appears that Heinz has purposely gone out of its way to limit their options. Do you have any idea why they would do this?
One potential reason is simply the market dynamics, meaning that 3G and Warren Buffett didn't allow a go shop provision with the deal. Since mergers are often driven by the market, the very common go shop provision use in situations like this would have provided Heinz a good reason to draw a line in the sand. All in all, it would show the shareholders that this truly is the best deal available to them.
There is also another potential reason that may come into play – the Heinz peculiarities. The company is actually incorporated in Pennsylvania, unlike most major American corporations that incorporated in Delaware.
The law of that state is created to provide total latitude to boards when it comes to deciding whether or not they should reject or accept the takeover offer. Under the Pennsylvania statute, the board is not required to take the shareholders into consideration as their main deciding factor when they choose to sell the company. The directors are able to base their decision on the interests of the "employees, suppliers, customers and creditors of the Corporation, and upon communities in which offices or other establishments of the Corporation are located."
The overall effect of this particular statute is there to repudiate the Revlon rule in Delaware. Heinz, which is a Pennsylvania company, has no obligation whatsoever to take the highest price possible for their shareholders, and the courts in Pennsylvania have rejected this doctrine specifically. Instead, there are other interests such as community that come into play. (Mister Buffett and 3G must agree to section 7.15 that states that Heinz headquarters must stay in Pittsburgh, the company has to continue to retain the name Heinz, and they have to preserve the charitable commitments and heritage of this business. They also have to honor the naming rights of Heinz Stadium.)
Based on the advice of Heinz lawyer – Wachtell Lipton for special committee and Davis Polk for the company – they are told that the board doesn't have to make shareholders their main requirement, and since this isn't the state of Delaware, they can take other interests into consideration and still justify the sale to 3G and Warren Buffett.
Deals like this have been made before under great criticism. During the year 2009, Apax Partners purchased the Bankrate under similar circumstances. Since the Corporation was based out of Florida, they did not have to adopt the same safeguards you would normally come across during a private equity deal, mainly because the Florida laws did not require it. The board of Bankrate chose to go with the letter of the law instead, and they were also advised by Wachtell.
So what it all boils down to is this… If there is another bidder interested in purchasing Heinz, since there is no go shop provision in place, the Board of Directors can legally turned down this bid even if it is higher. The board can easily justify this rejection as the better move for Heinz if it feels the original deal upholds the interests of the community.
In reality, the state of Pennsylvania truly assisted Warren Buffett in his latest blockbuster deal.


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Talk about your hordes of mindless shoppers: even the worst Black Friday madness cant compare with what Left 4 Dead series writer Chet Faliszek and I are witnessing. A kiosk in the middle of an abandoned mall advertises a fall sale, but survivors Coach, Ellis, Rochelle, and Nick arent here for the bargains: theyre seeking a safe place as they fight their way through a swarm of zombies.
These arent your run-of-the-mill shambling bad guys, however: these are Green Flu-infected zombies who spring out of dark corners and attack survivors with savage ferocity. And theyre not all cut from the same crazed cloth either: a muscled monstrosity known as The Tank suddenly erupts from behind an escalator, smashing everything and everyone in its path as it moves with frightening speed. Hes just one of several special types of Infected. (See Not Your Ordinary Infected [anchor link] on page two for more information about special Infected.)
Working together, our heroes fight their way past barren stores before finding a safe room where they can barricade themselves in and recuperate. For a quartet of ordinary citizens thrown together after a botched rescue, theyre doing a good job of supporting each other. The brief respite from the carnage gives Faliszek and I a chance to talk.
We wanted to create the sense of you and your friends actually being in The Zombie Apocalypse, Faliszek explains. Its about more than just shooting the enemy: its about surviving together. So while there should be periods of intense action, there also need to be quiet moments where people can let their guard down.
Mutual survival is key to Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, whether you make your way through solo campaigns with AI-controlled teammates or head online for multiplayer sessions with friends. The Left 4 Dead series is more than just one type of game, Faliszek says. We have the co-op side, which is non-competitive and is about a shared experience. But we also have Versus, which is a highly competitive mode.
He continues: While we allowed some variance, we needed to balance both experiences as we made the core game. The best way to do that was constant play testing: toward the end of the first games development, we had a section of our office set up like you would play at home, complete with snacks in the fridge. That kept people playing all night long and had us gathering a ton of feedback.
You can play the campaigns online if youd rather have a human watch your back than a computer-controlled teammate. The other multiplayer modes, whose maps are mostly variants of campaign maps with a few new ones thrown in, include:
Survival (L4D, L4D 2): You and your teammates must fend off waves of the Infected and see how long you can last, which isnt easy since the maps pulled from the campaigns have their hiding places removed. Luckily, your team has time at the start of the match to look for weapons and useful items, such as propane and oxygen tanks, before the melee begins. Of course, your resources arent unlimited so youll need to ration them wisely.
Versus (L4D, L4D 2): Heres your chance to take in the action from the other point-of-view: two teams go head-to-head, one in the role of survivors and the other in the Green Flu-filled bodies of special Infected. Choose a campaign to play through the survivors must try to make it to the final chapter without being overwhelmed by the Infected horde, whose forces are supplemented by AI-controlled enemies. Each team scores points based on their success, and they switch sides after the first session.
Scavenge (L4D 2): This is a Versus variant in which the survivors must gather enough gas cans to fuel a generator or a car before the other sides special Infected take them out or time runs down. Then the teams switch sides to complete the round; a match can consist of one, three, or five rounds. The winner of each round is the team that collected the most gas cans the tie-breaker goes to the team that did it the fastest. If neither team collected any gas cans, the winner is the team that held out the longest. The match winner is the team that won the most rounds.
Valve regularly releases gameplay mode tweaks that it calls mutations. For example, the realism mutation eliminates the auras that appear around survivors and objects, making it more difficult to plan strategies in the games dark environments. Realism mode also makes it harder to revive fallen survivors. The Realism Versus mode was so popular after its release that its now an official part of Left 4 Dead 2.
In addition, Valve regularly produces new downloadable content that expands the storylines, such as The Sacrifice, which bridges the two games by starring both groups of survivors. We want to continue to grow the story organically and learn about the world through the eyes of our survivors, Faliszek says. The Sacrifice explores not just the moment-to-moment choices they have to make, but also the long-term choices and how those affect their world.
Because the first games characters make an appearance, Faliszek notes that Valve brought back those voice actors. He recalls: When Earl Alexander, who plays Louis, entered the studio, he was dressed just like Louis and proceeded to do his entire session dressed like him. Joking around between takes, we found out that he had recently learned Japanese.
Watching him dressed as Louis speaking Japanese was too much, so we had to work that into the game. Youll have to play The Sacrifice to see how.


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Why are you standing for deputy general secretary?
If elected, I want to be a deputy general secretary who is out and about visiting school groups, associations and picket lines.
I want to bring a campaigning approach to the leadership of the union.
The NUT has good policies but implementation of them has often been too weak.
We have to increase members' involvement in the union.
In hustings meetings up and down the country I've been talking about the need to overcome the divisions between the teaching unions – and it's a view that has been met with strong support.
We shouldn't be afraid to act alone but we have to seek every opportunity to work together.
What are the major challenges facing the union?
Academies and trusts threaten to weaken teachers' ability to defend themselves by breaking up the system of national pay and conditions.
Teachers' lives continue to be blighted by overwork and lack of control.
And all political parties are targeting the public sector – with real prospects of pay freezes, attacks on pensions and redundancies.
I want to work towards building the broadest possible fightback.
You've been involved in the Anti-Academies Alliance (AAA) since its launch. How do you see the fight against privatisation of education continuing?
I think this is one of the key fights facing the entire teacher and support staff workforce.
I've been very pleased, as the trade union liaison officer of the AAA, in playing a role in getting the ATL, NASUWT, Unison and Unite unions to affiliate to the campaign alongside the NUT.
Last year saw some successful joint strike action by ATL, NASUWT and NUT members against academies and we need to build on that.
You are a leading figure on the left in the NUT. How do you see the left developing?
The left has played a vital role in developing the NUT's campaigns and policies. It has to continue to reach out to involve people in the fight against the destruction of state education.
But the question of how you build the left depends on the wider campaigns the union is involved in. We'll get more reps and more activists when the union leads successful and popular campaigns.
My first political activity was in the anti-apartheid movement and from that I moved on to union activity. We need to draw people who are offended by injustice into union activity.
I am very much in favour of the union remaining engaged with social movements.
Socialist Worker urges teachers to get involved in Kevin's campaign. For more information go to » www.kevin4dgs.com or email email@example.com