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Press Release
St Andrew's on The Terrace
St Andrew's on The Terrace welcomes the Government apology to homosexual men convicted prior to 1986.
In its life as a faith community, St Andrew's welcomes anyone from the rainbow communities. We enjoy the fact that in our complex of buildings many lgbtqiap+ people are part of the crowd.
We at St Andrew's have for many years battled within the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand to achieve equality. We will continue to press for reforms which match that of the wider society. Key leaders in this movements in the past have been Rev John Murray and Rev Dr Margaret Mayman. Our present Minister, Rev Dr Susan Jones, is committed to leading this faith community in inclusive directions. We continue to challenge the wider church to cease its present discriminatory practice.
We deeply regret and grieve the pain and suffering which gay men, their families and their wider networks suffered as the result of living in a country which ruled homosexual acts were illegal. Instead, they should have been able to celebrate life and love. As heterosexual New Zealanders were able to do. We especially grieve lives lost because of prejudice and discrimination.
We urge the Government to make sure that in future men convicted prior to 1986 are able to access pardons simply and easily so injustice is not perpetuated.
St Andrew's affirms all people are equally deserving of freedom and dignity. Who is in any particular relationship is less important than that those relationships are loving, non violent and mutual. Our understanding of religion, of God and of church is that all are included.


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Julie: We don't often like to talk about it but man there are just some seasons in life where we get hit by stuff and we just come undone. How do you put it back together when you've had a season like that? Well, today's guest on The Modern Motherhood Podcast is Tom Holladay. He is one of the teaching pastors at Saddleback Church and he's here to talk to us about putting it all together again when it's all falling apart. I'm your host Julie Lyles Carr and this is The Modern Motherhood Podcast.
Julie: Well Pastor Tom, thank you so much for being with me today. You're at Saddleback Church, you've been in Ministry a long, long time and you've got a brand new book Putting It Together Again When It's All Fallen Apart: 7 Principles for Rebuilding Your Life coming out!
Tom: Thanks for the invitation to come.
Julie: On The Motherhood Podcast we really want to delve into issues that people deal with and I think you are really tapping into the heart of something that I hear very frequently. I myself am in Ministry and when I spend time with people, what I often find is they feel so stuck following a set of circumstances, a challenge they didn't see coming, a loss, a betrayal, any of those kinds of things. They can just get really jammed up. It seems like your new book really begins to address what we can do about that place.
Tom: Yeah, Putting It Together Again When It's All Fallen Apart: 7 Principles for Rebuilding Your Life is on putting it together again when it's all falling apart and I think for a lot of us, we think we should be together all the time. The truth is we live in a fallen world and it's easy to blame ourselves and maybe there are some times when there's something we did that caused something to fall apart, but I found most of the time it's just the fact that we're in a fallen world with fallen people and we're all going to face this. It's not that just some people have to put it together again, it's that every person has to put it back together again. Every family. Every Ministry. Even when it comes to natural disasters happening that we never expect, that's just life in this world and, you're right, we can get stuck. We get to this place where we feel like, "I don't know how to put one foot in front of the other," because when something falls apart it wears you out because you spent so much time putting it together in the first place. Suddenly that marriage that you took so much time putting together is falling apart, or a relationship with one of your kids you spent all of your heart and energy on. We're talking a lot to Moms and then they're in their teenage years or maybe even earlier than that, and somehow it's starting to fall apart. So the idea that, "I have to do this all over again," you're right, can make you really weary.
Julie: When we get stuck, you know one of the quotes that you have in your book, I got to have a sneak peek at the book and it's just fantastic, and one of the quotes you have that I highlighted and I'm going to probably go back and circle and all kinds of things, is our greatest problem is not our problem it's how we react to that problem. Unpack that a little bit for us.
Tom: It's because we're all going to have problems in this world and scripture, the Bible, is filled with how to react to the problems that we have in this world. So consider it all joy, James says, when you encounter trials of various kinds. Romans reminds us that we need to remember that God causes all things to work together for good, in Romans chapter 8. It doesn't say to not have problems because he tells us we're all going to suffer persecution even in this world if we love Jesus Christ, but we can react in a different way. The book really comes out of a personal experience, you know, Julie, I think every one of us, we have life messages that the Lord gives to us and most of those come out of the experiences of our lives. The experiences that we wish hadn't happened but because they did happen we have to recognize God's strength in the midst of them. For myself and my wife Shondell this book comes out of a flood that we went through way back in 1986 and I never written down the lessons of it even though I've been teaching them for 30 years now.
We were in a small community up in Marysville, California, Northern California and a levee broke and flooded the whole town. Our house was under 9 feet of water, the church library was destroyed. It was near and dear to a pastor's heart. Very, very fortunately the water moved slowly, even though it went high, so no lives were taken. A lot of property loss. So I'm a young pastor in my 20s and I'm trying to figure out how to help these people to put it together again to have the energy to take the next steps. Since I'm a pastor my mind went to scripture and went to a book in the Old Testament about somebody who had to put it together again. A guy by the name of Nehemiah. You might remember that Nehemiah had a wall he needed to rebuild. The book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament is all about how he did that. I'll never forget leading those people through studying that book and what it had to say to us about how do you put it together again and one of the main lessons is what we're talking about right now that you don't start by just getting started. There's some things you need to do before getting started or else you'll wear out.
At the very beginning, Nehemiah, as he looks at the situation, that the wall was broken down and had been that way for, oh my goodness, decades and decades, and the first thing he did is he sat down and he mourned, he fasted and prayed. That's where you start. You don't start with, "I'm going to just jump in and start doing things," because you need God's strength. Not just for the first day but for the whole journey. So mourning is expressing your hurt to God. Fasting is focusing your attention on God, focusing your heart on God. Praying is asking for help from God and when you star there you are building a foundation that you're going to be able to build on for a long, long time.
Julie: Do you ever find that sometimes we try to skip the mourning part a little bit, like almost that wouldn't be good faith if we we faced a major challenge?
Tom: I can speak for myself and I know I do. You know I think our culture isn't very good at mourning and I know as a man in this culture I am not very good at mourning. I want to get back to work as quick as I can to sort of ignore the pain rather than dealing with the pain and walking through the pain and so I totally agree. I talk in the book about how the Old Testament is a model. There are The Old Testament examples of them taking a week, a month, 6 months, a year to mourn. What I've discovered about mourning is that it's like a fingerprint. It is very unique to every one of us, we all mourn in a different way and telling someone else how they are supposed to mourn never works. You don't need somebody telling you how you need to deal with hurt that's in your life, but also it never works because the way that they mourn is not the way that I'm going to mourn. I can learn from some other people. I can learn from their models, but I also have to recognize there's a particular personal journey I have to go through in the morning, and when you find yourself tearing up about things and maybe even not about the thing that you're hurt over, without explanation, many times that is an expression of the fact that we're going through morning. Just to go into this a little more because I know a lot of us are going through this, especially coming out of the holiday season, You'll tear up over a song or over at the opening of a present and you won't even know why and it's maybe a memory of a mom or a dad you lost 20 or 30 years ago but you're still hurting over it in ways that you don't know.
Julie: Yeah, I love the way that you talk about the individualization of a mourning process. I think that's so powerful. Of our 8 children, two of them have been identified with special needs, and when our child Macy was identified with a significant hearing loss, it was so fascinating the difference between my husband and I. So I kind of jumped in and cried it out for about a week, a week and a half, and then okay I gotta figure out what's going on. My husband's was stoic for quite awhile and he adores this kid, it wasn't about that but it was really almost like two or three years later he was having trouble communicating with her on something and he came downstairs just bawling and I said what's wrong and he said Macy can't hear. I was like, yeah dude, where have you been the last couple of years.
Tom: That's a man for you, that's us.
Julie: It was very fascinating.
Tom: It takes us awhile to catch up but we eventually get there.
Julie: It was kind of a watershed and then we were able to get back on page together. After a couple years. So even our rebuilding cycle was different about what we were going to do for her. He threw himself more quickly into the decisions that we were having to make. I cried it out and then threw myself into that, but it just feels like we don't actually get to skip the mourning thing even if you get it out of sequence.
Tom: You don't. And Jesus said, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. So unless I mourn I can't receive God's comfort for that hurt if you don't mourn, so I want that blessing in my life, I need that blessing in my life, so even though mourning can be hard and it can't be pretty the other side of it is God's comfort.
Julie: Now I think some people might feel like well, yeah, I had this disappoint. Disappointment that things didn't turn out the way I want it, but wow, compared to the stories of a lot of people ,do I even have a right to be sad about this or to feel like there's something that has to be rebuilt? Okay, the job didn't work out exactly the way I thought, or the book proposal got, you know, refused, but is this a legitimate place to also look at putting something back together again?
Tom: Every place is. What we tend to do is compare our hurts to other people's hurts. And one of two happens: either we realize there's a lot of other people that hurt a lot more than we do and so we feel like we don't have the right to hurt. Well, I don't see that anywhere in Scripture. You are supposed to bring every hurt to the Lord. Jesus tells us that he cares about the little bird so course I care about you. The other side of that is what if you have a hurt that's greater than anybody else's? What if you can't find anybody else to compare it to and say well I'm okay. That strategy never works because we need to know that God is going to be with us in every hurt. And that's the beginning point, I think, of putting it back together again. It's not the end point. It's the beginning point I think a lot of us tend to skip.
Julie: For those who have engaged in this mourning process, when do you know that it's time to move on to fasting and prayer?
Tom: I think that those three things actually go together because fasting obviously and praying you're still expressing the mourning in that so you doing those three things at the same time and, as you focus your attention on God, as you ask for help from God in the mourning, you're going to discover, not that one day everything is just suddenly okay, but that God has a light. It's very dim at the beginning, but it's a light that shows his direction and it gives you a sense of how he wants you to rebuild your life out of that loss that you've had, that mourning that you've had.
Julie: Tom, what would you say to someone you know that has walked through these steps. They say, I fasted, I prayed, and I'm just not seeing any relief. What do we say to someone who feels like they walked through these initial first steps but they're just struggling to kind of even move back into a place of proactivity?
Tom: The first thing I always ask somebody who says that to me is "Are you going through it alone?" You're never going to find any relief. We are meant to live in community, we're meant to live in relationship with other people, so that's the first thing I'd always check, because without others in your life walking alongside of you, there is there is no relief. You can't encourage yourself in a pain, you need other people to encourage you. And you need God's word. It takes both in our lives, but then on the other side of that I would say, if you have other people in your life and you are continuing to worship Him, then give it the time it takes. It may take longer than you think it will take. Time that it takes now if you thinking it's been it's been too long it's been way too long and then maybe you need to think about moving on to a next step but I found for most people we don't give it the time that it takes.
Julie: I read recently that a lot of us go ahead and have you know on a shoulder that's kind of bummed out on us or a lower back issue, but what's interesting in this particular research, is it said that if you will give it six to eight weeks of true rest and just trying to kind of stay in the lane, a lot of times surgery wouldn't be necessary.
Tom: It heals itself.
Julie. Yes, we get anxious and frustrated with the time length and I think sometimes these initial steps of sort of dealing with the disappointment or the loss or betrayal or whatever it is, we just don't quite give it enough time and maybe time is something that it needs.
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Jule: You have another quote, again, that was circled, highlighted, all the things "to put something together again you will have to face your fears." I can't wait to hear you discuss that and talk about what that means. There's just so much truth packed into those few words.
Tom: If I go back to my experience of a natural disaster and trying to help a church rebuild. We were a small Church of maybe 80 or 90 people and there had been like 20 people and we just started to grow and so I started to encourage them to think about what we could build. We could maybe buy some land near a freeway. How we could build a better building then we had and they actually listened to what I was saying, and then the fear set in. What if I fail? What if I'm actually leading these people in the wrong direction? What if there's a disappointment in it? I'll never forget sharing with some of them about that and them saying to me we really think this is a place where we need to have faith. That's really tough when you're own sermon gets preached back at you. And, in that moment, it was a reminder to me, I was living by fear and not by faith. It was a reminder from some important people in my life and so whenever you're rebuilding, if you are going to rebuild a relationship, man there's a lot of fear in that. What if I have to go through that pain again? When it broke up the first time to think about rebuilding a marriage anybody who has even thought about that let alone taking the first steps in that, I think, the greatest courage of anybody I've ever seen because of the fears of maybe having to go through that pain again.
Julie: I think when we rebuild from fear a lot of times unintentionally perhaps but we're using toxic elements to try to have those bricks hold together and I think that really to rebuild something that's going to be solid it's going to take that mortar of faith versus fear because fear just crumbles us doesn't it? I mean it really disempowers us.
Tom: Yes, it really does. Our fear tells us we need something new. I need a new family or a new job and whatever. I'm going to run from this I'm going to get something new then what you see happening in the new job or the new family that they run to because they are running and not building.
Julie: A big difference. You know sometimes we make progress and we start seeing that relationship coming back together, seeing our finances getting rebuilt and we're really excited or we see that community of friends that we thought maybe we weren't going to be able to engage in again begin to green up and then something comes and we feel like we're failing in the rebuilding process, but is that perhaps just a natural cycle? Is that something that Nehemiah faced?
Tom: It is something Nehemiah faced. In the book I talk about the opposition that comes and inevitably we're going to face opposition in the rebuilding phase. And the first one I talk about is one that Nehemiah faced. They'll be people in your life when you want to rebuild something to go make fun of you for it cuz it's easy to make fun of because it's easy to see why it might not work or why you're trying to recapture the past or whatever so you say I'm going to rebuild my career and they go, "What career? Flipping hamburgers?" or whatever, there's some kind of ridicule that comes your way. It can even go deeper than that. Somebody in your own family and you say, "I'm going to rebuild my marriage," and they say to you, "Heh that will never work." And that kind of ridicule can destroy a person's heart when it comes to rebuilding.
It is impossible to rebuild without facing some kind of opposition for a couple of reasons. One, there's people in your life who needed to rebuild and they didn't and so when you say you're going to it's a challenge to them until they have to have to push back against that because they know they should have rebuilt that relationship, they should have tried. Second, t's just the fact that we live in a fallen world and in this world it's always easier to see what could go wrong than we can go right and there's a lot of people who are so-called prophets. They think they are prophets and their their prophecy is them telling you what they think can go wrong in your life before it goes wrong in your life. If we look at the Old Testament Prophets they were telling people a little of that, but they told mostly what was going to go right in people's lives if they would only follow the Lord, so you've got to look for those kind of prophets in your life.
Julie: How do we tell the difference between opposition and wisdom in the rebuilding process? If we're doing this along side of our engaging and strong community to help support us, you know sometimes it may be that there may be somebody in our life that sounds like they're down playing what we're trying to do, but can there be wisdom sometimes in there and how do we tell the difference?
Tom: There can be that's why there's wisdom in a multitude of counselors Proverbs tells us. You can't have just one counselor, but I, so for instance, just to be honest, I'll tell people many times who are trying to rebuild a marriage that your parents aren't going to give you your best wisdom because they don't want you to hurt again. They don't want you to go through that again. They are your protector. It's very rare that they would say, "Go back into that pain again." They want you to escape that, they don't want you to face that again, and you know what they might be right, but you need more than just that wisdom. You need a multitude of counselors like maybe 5 or 6 people in your life that you trust.
Julie: You have a concept that you talk about in the rebuilding process called securing your success as you're making progress in this rebuild. How do you secure your success when you have something that you're not really sure what the outcome might be? How do you secure that?
Tom: So we are skipping ahead a little bit to talk about what happens when the rebuilding starts to work, when all of a sudden natural disaster you start to recover from it or the business starts to be successful again or the marriage starts to feel like we're not just trying anymore, it feels like we actually do love each other again. What happens? What do you do at that point? We have, whenever you have a success, one of the things Nehemiah teaches us is we need to realize that every success is a stewardship. It is not a trophy, it's a stewardship. So we never want to point to it and say, "Wow, look at what I did." or even "Wow, look what God did" as a trophy.
You see it as a stewardship for what God wants to use you for another people's lives and one of the keys to that is securing that success, so that means you do the things that keep the success running. There's so many stories of people who have put a relationship back together again by a process or having a date night or maybe we are putting a relationship back together with your kids and you had to eat lunch with your kids and it gets put back together again and then the date night stops or the date lunch. And then it starts to fall apart again. So you have to figure out what caused it to work and how do I keep doing those things. It's human nature I do the same thing that when things start to work we back off and we start to work on some of their area but those most important areas of Our Lives it's worth securing success so for Nehemiah for example the Bible tells us that he personally made sure the doors were locked in the wall every night, because why have a wall if he didn't lock the doors and people can get in and out anyway. So the question is what do you personally need to make sure is done to make sure whatever success God has given can continue to be used.
Julie: Where do you think the roll of a counselor comes into play with in this entire rebuilding process? We want to lean heavily on the Lord, I know for us as a pastoral staff, we have those people we're trying to walk through, but you know sometimes it may take the voice of somebody who is really skilled and helping guide within a psychological way. Where does that come into play?
Tom: At Saddleback Church we deeply believe in counselors. They are using the biblical gift of teaching actually and encouragement one-to-one rather than one to a whole bunch of people so it's a Biblical giftedness. We have hundreds of lay counselors in our church who, as a Ministry, are trained many many many hours of training in order to do counseling for people for free in our church, but then we also realize that there are certain issues that people are facing and they need to go to a professional counselor, and they need to find someone to walk that with them. And figure out why is it that I keep doing this that doesn't make any sense to me or anybody else in my life.I believe that good trained, Biblical counselors are there using spiritual gifts to help you understand how God can help you see past the problem. We talked earlier about seeing past the problem to see the opportunities and sometimes you are only going to be able to do that with a counselor.
Julie: I think it's really important that you know we make that note because I think sometimes people can be in the rebuilding process and and they can be instilling some spiritual discipline they can have their Community they can be trying to batten down the hatches you don't get make sure those doors are locked and and trying to engage and good habits but find themselves sliding back into patterns that are are moving them backwards from where they want to go and I think sometimes you can be hesitant to seek out that help sometimes we try to keep it in house for too long and I do think it's so important.
Tom: So, how do I know if I need to go to a counselor?
Julie: Right, right.
Tom: If you've had the thought, "maybe I need to go to a counselor," you need to go. Maybe you're wrong and they won't help you but go and find out. There is only one way to find out. You also need to realize that counseling is a little like dating. When you were dating, the first person you dated wasn't necessary the person you were going to marry, and the first counselor you go to may not be the person that God has for you. You might need to try two or three people to find the right person.
Julie: Why do you think sometimes within the Christian construct, people are really hesitant to engage that level of professional counseling when it comes to trying to rebuild and move beyond some really challenging circumstances in our lives?
Tom: You know, I studied this for a long time, there's actually some theological reason behind it. Sometimes we feel like counseling causes us to look away from God's word and to look, instead to human answers to our problems. Some counselors can do that. But, if you get a good Biblical counselor they are going to help you look to God's word. I found even counselors who are not followers of Jesus Christ, if they're good counselor, they tend to teach biblical principles many times, not all the time, but many times, because those are the principles that work in people's lives. But when you combine that with somebody who knows the Lord and has God's spirit in their lives then you find the power of God working.
Julie: We are bouncing a bit because you have such a beautiful 7 step process for walking through building things and putting things back together and this is all from your new book putting it together again when it's all falling apart I'm going to jump ahead just a little bit because I want our listeners to go out and get the book and work through it and read through all of the amazing truth that you are able to bring to the table on the topic, but you talk about that celebration should be part of that rebuilding process. You know, I think a lot of times, people think, "When I get to this destination then I'll celebrate," but it sounds to me like you are talking about celebrating during the journey.
Tom: Well yeah because to rebuild you have to have energy, so where does the energy come from? Celebration! From the celebration of worshiping the Lord. There is a very famous verse in Nehemiah that says, "The Joy of the Lord is my strength." Not my determination is my strength and not even my determined faith and trust in the Lord is my strength but the joy of the Lord is my strength. Many times we lose strength because we lose joy in our lives, we lose celebration.
Celebration always starts with worship. There's a lot of ways we can celebrate, a lot of things that we should celebrate in our lives, but it always starts with a focus on God because he's the one who gave us all good things to enjoy, he's the one who made us to understand that everything we look at is a particular creation that he made in such a way that we can look at it and realize God loves me. God wants to be a part of my life right now and apart from that celebration you won't last in the rebuilding. In order to last you have to celebrate and you have to dedicate. Those are the two things you have to do in order to last.
Julie: So tell me a little bit about dedication.
Tom: So dedication is letting yourself know that this isn't about you, letting yourself know that it really is about what he's doing in your life and one of the ways you do that is by taking whatever he has done and allowing him to use it to encourage other people. 1 Corinthians teaches us so clearly that whatever hurts we've had in our lives God wants to use them in other people's lives all the way in the 2nd Corinthians Paul keep teaching that same truth that we've got a ministry in other people's lives. Dedicating it to God is one of his the way that anything last and the pattern of the Old Testament is they would dedicate it to God, it would all fall apart and then they would realize their sin, they would confess the sins, then dedicate it to God again, but then again would fall apart and over again. It is the same cycle. A lot of us have been through that cycle. Every one of us in some way because when it starts to work we start to think all this must be me or is he going to keep working. We don't realize that it's our dedication to God that caused it to work in the first place, and that's going to keep it working. Whatever is important in your life, just let me invite everybody right now in your life, just say, "Lord, I dedicate it to you.It's dedicated to you." That is one of the most important moments for making sure that things will continue to last and to be rebuilt.
Julie: You know I think for a lot of us, I think we like putting out our goals and putting out our strategies and we have these end results that we have in mind. We can approach a rebuilding season for relationship or finances or for habits or things along those lines and we can sometimes forget that maybe God might have another plan so are their circumstances upon which perhaps we're not supposed to rebuild?
Tom: That's why we don't want to dedicate it to God because he might say, "I got a different direction with it. I want to keep it close enough." We have a birthday party for Jesus every year in our family. One of things we do is talk about just simply wha we are thankful for in the last year and what we want to give to Jesus this next year. I told my family I want to give to Jesus is living with an open hand, so he can put in what he wants to put in and take out what he wants to take out. I know I'm hard that is to do haven't been a follower of Jesus Christ for many decades now because I want to hold on to it I want to make it work the way that I wanted to but I've learned in those decades that what he wants to take out really does need to be taken out and what he wants to put in even if I'm afraid for it to be put in he really does want to use that in my life so when you think about dedicating your life to God. That is a picture of living that way that I'm doing this next year.
Julie: How do we live with that open hands? So we've been saying okay, I'm going to rebuild that marriage and we put in the time and we've done the things and we have humbled ourselves and we've gone to the counselor and yet the other party just doesn't seem willing. Have if we failed in the rebuild?
Tom: I need to state two things about that that I feel with equal passion. First, I found that most people stop rebuilding way too soon. They give up way too soon because it takes so much energy and because there's so much hurt and pain in it. I understand why we do that. I understand why I do that and so we need other people in our lives to encourage us to take that one extra step. I can't tell you how many stories of people's lives we rebuilt It was just because somebody took one extra step and that one extra step all of a sudden things begin to open up because of that and so I would encourage you, if you feel like it's just not going to work to take that one extra step.
With equal passion, I feel the truth that you cannot force someone else to change their mind, even God doesn't force us to change our minds. So there does come a point where the other person has decided, you can't force them to change their mind, and now you're not taking extra steps, now you're at the point where you become almost codependent and trying to force them to think the way that you want them to think at that point living with an open hand made you have to let that go to God. That's very painful to even say, but when you do that you have to recognize God may bring the person back. Many times when you let the person go, truly let them go, it's like you stop playing their game, they're saying, "Wait, you're supposed to chase after me. I liked it that way," and when you let them go, it's like you release the tension on the rubber band and they get a little bit afraid of that, and that's when they will many times chase after you. Just some advice if that happens. Don't go back right away. Give it some time. Let God work on their heart. What you really want to see is God work again. If they really are committed to change, it won't be at a one time commitment or decision, it will be something they express over many weeks and months.
Julie: I think that applies not just in marriage relationships but with adult kids who are making bad decisions, or coworkers or bosses you're struggling with or people you are in community with.
Tom: We chase after them which they hate, but then we're silent for a week or two and they calls and say, "Why haven't you called me."
Julie: Well, Tom, what is the main thing that, if you had to, you could condense all of this just incredible message down to what you want people to walk away with when it comes as a legacy from the message of Putting It Together Again When It's All Fallen Apart: 7 Principles for Rebuilding Your Life .
Tom: Well, the main heart I had behind this was so many people I talk to need to rebuild but just can't find the energy to do it, can't find the place to get started. We've been talking here at the end about some of the things we do after the rebuilding has started, but for most people listening to this, if there's some rebuilding that needs to be done, it just looks impossible right now. The first chapters of the book are what to do when it looks impossible. If you started out there and watch what God would do I think some good encouragement would come. I think we all feel alone when we need to rebuild and I want people to know that they're not alone, that God is with them in this and that there is a process that they can walk through. A Biblical, God-given process that can cause them to be in a different place,. Maye not a few months but in a few years.
Julie: Tom, if people want to connect with you where can they find you. Tom Holladay on Facebook is a great place to connect. Tom, thank you for being here today. The book is Putting It Together Again When It's All Fallen Apart: 7 Principles for Rebuilding Your Life . Thank you for your heart.
Tom: Do you mind if I pray for moms? Since we are focusing on Mom's before we close it would love that. Lord I pray for every mom listening to this. I know a lot of them need to rebuild things maybe in their family maybe in a business that they're working with, maybe from something in the past, I pray, Jesus, that you would give with your spirit hope, hope that you can make a difference, hope that you can cause things to happen in our lives that we could never cause to happen. We look to you, Jesus, as the comforter that we need. Amen.
Julie: Amen.
Next week we are looking forward to listening to Sam Kelly, whose voice you may recognize on-air! She has an incredible story of how she walked through a failing marriage, come into a new one and then a baby who just turned out a little different than Sam was thinking. Her name is Zoe and her story is incredible. Tune in next week.
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I finished the magic tree last night and listed it in my Etsy shop. It's textured background has paper, acrylic, medium and eggshells crushed (from my own chickens). The tree is painted in acrylic and the leaves are text from a fairytale book all cut up. I used a bead for the magic door or portal's doorknob and the key is adhered to the door in case you need it. 😉
I like how it turned out overall and that it's not all paint but a lot of other things too. I guess that's why it is mixed media though. 🙂


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CVG:Crytek has told us it's exploring the possibility of making a new Timesplitters game.
Yeah, rumors a few months a go said they were shopping for a publisher so they could make a new TS title. Timesplitters was such a fun series back in the day. It is one of the
"dead franchises" that I would love to see come back. Perhaps second only to Killer Instinct, now that Twisted Metal is on the way back.
Discussing? I would rather play Timesplitters over Crysis any day. Regardless of platform. I would even get a 360 just to play it if it was exclusive that is. Too bad for Crytech, most of the fanbase are ps3 users. Personally, I think most devs this gen didn't even start gaming till Halo came out. If not they sure don't act like it.
i would be happy for them to drop crysis 2 and start working on timesplitters i'v been waiting for this since.......... well since the last one but it feels like FOREVER.


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Bryant Park, Le Carrousel, Parade, Puppet Kitchen, Reindeer, Santa, Santa Photo, Santa's Corner, Sock Puppet, Winter Village
The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park will be offering free photos with Santa from Saturday, December 17 through Saturday, December 24 from 1–3 p.m. at Le Carrousel.
The festivities will kick off with a free reindeer sock puppet-making workshop and a parade through the park with Santa at 12:30 p.m. on the 17th.
Visitors to Santa's Corner will have the opportunity to snap a photo with their own camera or cell phone. Those without a camera can have their picture taken by on-site elves and later download the image from the Winter Village Flickr page.
Bryant Park Special Event Schedule
Puppet Workshop Dec 17, 11:30am-12:30pm
Santa Parade Dec 17, 12:30pm-1pm
Santa Parade Dec 24, 12:30pm-1pm
Merry Christmas from New York City!


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Chasing Baxter 2 in 1 Oatmeal Scented Pet Shampoo & Conditioner
$ 6.99
$ 12.99
Use this gentle shampoo that works to keep your pet fresh and clean for longer.
Mild but hard-working formula helps soothe and hydrate skin, leaving your pet with a soft and silky coat after each use.
Delightfully scented formula; Soothing and hydrating solution for pet coat
25.36 fl oz. / 750 ml
2.5" x 2.5" x 7.5"


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The Berrics and Grizzly collide to bring you a collaboration collection for skate heads. The Special Forces tee features a screen printed Grizzly bear logo on the left chest with a skull head and a large circular graphic on the back that reads "Grizzly The Berrics United Nations". The cotton construction ensures comfort while you shred the streets in this t-shirt.
Grizzly was started by Torey Pudwill when he was just 12 years old, as a small local griptape company for a few die hard skateboarders. Working out of his dads garage to earn a few extra bucks, Torey never dreamed of the success Grizzly would have in the years to come. With one of the biggest and most loaded pro teams on the skateboard market, Grizzly stand for everything that's real in skateboarding. The idea wasn't born out of a dream to be successful, Torey just wanted to have something fun he could share with his homies. That attitude hasn't changed since day 1 and it is the driving factor behind Grizzly's success.


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By Nick
Today I share Classics Collection figures of Thumper and his sisters.
Thumper measures 3″ high.
Like the Flower figure, I've had Thumper since 1993.
figure is titled "Hee! Hee! Hee!…", because, if memory serves, Thumper
finds it amusing that Bambi has referred to his young skunk friend as a
I think the paint on these actually give a feeling of texture. Just beautiful.
the first production year, 1992, the Walt Disney
Classics Collection featured a steamboat wheel
mark, honoring Mickey Mouse's 1928 debut in
Steamboat Willie. There is also a special Bambi 50th Anniversary
mention on this piece, that the Bambi and Flower pieces I have do not
Doing a Google search, I found that
Thumper has 4 sisters, named Trixie, Daisy, Ria, and Tessie. But,
unfortunately, there is no indication as to which 2 are portrayed here.
This was an early gift from my wife, who felt that Thumper would like to have family with him.
Titled "Hello, Hello There".
This also has the steamboat wheel mark, indicating it was made in 1992, as well as the 50th Anniversary tag.


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Pacific Asia Petroleum to Purchase Nigerian Oil Rights
Pacific Asia Petroleum has signed a Purchase and Sale Agreement with CAMAC Energy Holdings Limited and certain of its affiliates ("CAMAC") to acquire all of CAMAC's interest in a Production Sharing Contract (the "PSC") with respect to that certain oilfield asset known as the Oyo Oilfield. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2010 and is subject to certain closing conditions.
The Oyo Oilfield is located approximately 75 miles off the Southern Nigerian coast in deep-water. Operation of the Oyo Oilfield is secured through OML 120, an Oil Mining Lease awarded to affiliates of CAMAC in 2002 by the Federal Republic of Nigeria. CAMAC group holds a 60% interest in OML 120, on which the Oyo Oilfield is located, with the remaining 40% held by the field's operator, Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd, a subsidiary of Italy's ENI SpA (one of the world's largest international energy companies). The Oyo Oilfield is in the final preparation stage for the commencement of production. The Oyo Oilfield will produce into the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, Armada Perdana.
In exchange for all of CAMAC's interest in the PSC with respect to the Oyo Oilfield, the Company has agreed to pay $38.84 million in cash to retire existing debts and issue common stock to CAMAC equal to 62.74% of the Company's issued and outstanding common stock.
Frank C. Ingriselli, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Asia Petroleum, said, "The signing of today's agreement with the CAMAC group is a significant milestone in a recent string of new and exciting developments at Pacific Asia Petroleum. In the past three months, not only have we started production and generated our first revenue from our existing energy projects in China, but we have also expanded our early cash flow and high-return strategies outside the Pacific Rim. We have known the CAMAC group since the formation of Pacific Asia Petroleum and have searched for opportunities for the two companies to work together. We have now found that opportunity with a production asset that we believe will deliver substantial additional value to our Company and its shareholders."
Dr. Kase Lawal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CAMAC International Corporation, commented, "Our agreement on the Oyo Oilfield represents the first step of a new, long-term relationship between CAMAC and Pacific Asia Petroleum. We look forward to participating in Pacific Asia Petroleum's existing and future energy projects by becoming a strategic stakeholder in a company that is positioned for growth based on a sound business plan, responsible corporate governance, and high ethical standards."


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Recently I put Wizard's Guide to Wellington up on Amazon, hey it only took me 2 years, but I just love the physical book, it's a gorgeous hardback and while you can't get that experience in digital, you can still enjoy the story.
Find out more...
Wizard's Guide to Wellington by A.J. PonderAn adventure for the young at heart through Wellington City, including Miramar, Eastbourne, and the Wellington Waterfront.
Alec's Dad is kidnapped, his mysterious English cousin, Perrin, has gone missing, and he has found a talking book that insists the ground beneath his feet is dangerous – and alive!
Perrin has arrived at Wellingtowne Airport only to discover Ike, her cantankerous wizarding guide, has disappeared. Worse, her uncle is missing and she is all alone in the dangerous city of Wellingtowne.
Ghosts, taniwhas, magic … and a warning: "Bad men watch you". Something is very wrong, and it's up to the two cousins to rescue Wellingtowne & Wellington.
"Fantastic story – setting – character –full of tension and surprises – very cool."
Mary McCallum
"Alicia Ponder has conjured a whirlwind of wizardry that will have you reaching for the nearest broomstick in this delightfully wild and unpredictable tale of magic, monsters and mayhem."
Emanuel E Garcia
"A truly magical book."
Lorraine Williams
Cover Art: Richard Ponder
Internal Art: Clem Winfield & A.J. Ponder
Publisher: Coombe House & Phantom Feather Press
ISBN Paperback : 9780473220303
ISBN Mobi: 978-0-9941155-4-6
Publication Date: 19/12/2012.
Hardback 224 pages.
Available: Good New Zealand book stores and on Amazon for the ebook. Wholesalers, retailers and booksellers, please order from Paul and Joan Greenberg of Greene Phoenix Marketing. Contact details here or paul.gpm(at)xtra.co.nz
Enjoy the adventure!
PS Keep a close eye on this page and my blog so I can warn you of dangerous magical Events before they happen!


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Sometimes, we just need a few words of wisdom whether for encouragement, comfort or just to get the old, grey matter pondering. Here are a few of my favourite quotes which I'll be regularly adding to. If you have a particularly favourite quote you would like to share on here then please email it to me at firstname.lastname@example.com
"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment." - Eckhart Tolle
The earth is precious. Teach your children what we taught our children. The earth is our mother. The earth doesn't belong to man, man belongs to the earth. Every part of this earth is sacred because everything is connected like the blood which unites one body. Trees, air, water, animals, grass, earth are like many fine strands that weave the web of life. Men are merely a strand of it. Respect your mother because whatever befalls the earth, soon befalls the sons of the earth ~ excerpt from a speech by Chief Seattle."
"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile" - Anonymous
"You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions." - Adlin Sinclair
"A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return" - Bhagavad Gita
"Let us give something to each person we meet: joy, courage, hope, assurance, or ...philosophy, wisdom, a vision for the future. Let us always give something." - Daisaku Ikeda
?"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
"Give someone a hug today." ~ Ann Halstead ;-)
"God doesn't give you the people you want; He gives you the people you NEED... to help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be." - Unknown
"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne
"During times of adversity, vision and determination decide the outcome. Don't be overcome by fear. If your mind is focused to the utmost, you will triumph. Without the difficulty of being hemmed in, the tree in the forest would not be forced to marshal its power to grow toward the light. It must truly bring forth all its inner strength to spread its branches. If it becomes grand, it is in part because of its suffering. Thus the times of adversity can be crucial to the development of one's inner personality." - The Dao
"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light" - Norman B. Rice
"When my heart is open, LOVE is my experience. When my heart is closed, FEAR is my experience. When I look into the eyes of a new born, LOVE is my experience. When I watch the news, FEAR is my experience. And when I allow ALL experiences to be exactly as they are, PEACE is my experience. And when I let go of ALL experiences, there is just this moment, exactly as it is. And that is more than enough..." - Michael Jeffreys
"In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher." - Dalai Lama
"If you are suffering right now because you feel that there is something that you want that you don't have, notice that this comes from lack. Instead, what if you turned it around? What if you asked, "What gifts do I have, right now, that can be of service to others?" In other words, you go from a desire to get, to a desire to give. Giving opens the heart, wanting closes it. So when you give, ALL benefit!" - Michael Jeffreys
"Wanting something to make you happy is a sure way to be miserable." - Mooji
"When the highest type of people hear Tao (truth) they diligently practice it. When the average type of people hear Tao, they half believe in it. When the lowest type of people hear Tao, they laugh at it. If they did not laugh, it would not be Tao" - Lao-Tzu
?"Generosity is not giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is giving me that which you need more than I do" - Khalil Gibran
When asked what surprised him most about humanity, the Dali Lama answered "Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."
"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream" - Lao Tzu
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs
"A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble." - Mohandas Gandhi
"Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it" - Sai Baba
Buddha was speaking in a village square one day, when one of the inhabitants started to abuse him. Buddha paused and said to the man: "If you offer me a piece of paper and I refuse to accept it, what happens to the paper?"
"Why, it stays with me, of course," the villager replied.
Buddha smiled gently, "And that is exactly what I am doing with your abuse," he said. "I am not accepting it, therefore it stays with you." - Buddha 624-543BC
"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." - M. Scott Peck
"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us all be thankful." - Buddha
?"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly." - Buddha
"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love. We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do". - Mother Theresa
"May the stars carry your sadness away, May the flowers fill your heart with beauty, May hope forever wipe away your tears, And, above all, may silence make you strong." - Chief Dan George
"The more knowledge that you give away, the more will come to you. The more you hoard, the less you will accumulate. Be compassionate to others. What do you have to fear by being open?" - 356 Tao
"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." - The Buddha
Meditation Mondays
Restarts 7th Jan 9.30-10.30am/7.30-8.30pm.
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QiGong Evening Class
Restarts 14th Jan 7.30-8.30pm.
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Psychic Evening With Maria Stoyles
Tues 22nd January 2019
Weird, Wacky & Wonderful Club
Weds 6th February 2019
High Tea & Tarot
Sat 9th Feb 2018
Chakra Balance with Belly Dance Workshop
Sun 3rd Mar 2019
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10-Week Psychic Development Course
Thursday 2nd May - Thursday 11th July 2019
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In wake of a study that suggests women with fat bottoms and thick thighs produce intelligent babies, another story surfaced that claims thin celebrities promoting barely-there baby bumps, while looking glamorous, are sending the wrong messages to pregnant commoners. As a result, the advice is that expectant moms ignore pics like those shown of Duchess Kate and other famous mommies-to-be, as they don't represent reality, according to Western Daily Press.
Actress Demi Moore is largely credited with shaking up the fashion and beauty tarmacs over two decades ago when she posed nude on the cover of Vanity Fair for the August 1991 issue (pictured here). At the time, the 28-year-old was seven months pregnant with her daughter, Scout.
Since then, many parodies emerged, but the pics of Moore also set off a controversy over sexual objectification. However, perhaps the largest tizzy created in its wake was over what constituted beauty in a pregnant woman. Today, Duchess Kate pics are creating a similar controversy, but in a slightly different fashion.
Some applauded Demi for celebrating a woman's body while being with child by showing the true meaning of a baby bump. However, she received only half the credit because her body lost focus and was upstaged by her glam look — by way of airbrushing (today, Photoshopping), thanks to the brilliant minds of makeup artists.
PICS: Duchess Kate bundles up her growing bump in a baby blue Seraphine coat! http://t.co/DzI8RrOsK3 pic.twitter.com/ugvIlMlAU0
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) January 19, 2015
Pics of Duchess Kate Middleton have sparked a new consciousness in today's pregnant women, and the challenge is how to strike a balance between being with child and remaining beautiful with a changing body. The duchess, known as a fashion barometer, is not expected to follow in the footsteps of Moore by posing nude for a fashion magazine. That bold move would likely cause a set of unintended circumstances. Besides, Her Majesty The Queen would likely have a coronary over Kate's break in protocol by baring her royal assets. And what about full-frontal, Kardashian-style? Forget about it.
At http://t.co/2haHKj630m — Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton shows off her tiny baby bump while heading int… pic.twitter.com/vNiIzIYtw8
— favgirlcrush (@favgirlcrush) January 17, 2015
An expert in creative photography says he has seen a surge in the number of women who want to model Duchess Kate's style, not only in fashion, but in body shape. Instead of the practice made popular by Moore 24 years ago, which still exists in part today, more women are adopting the demure and barely-there baby bump like the duchess when posing for a photographer's lens. WDP says a 43 percent increase has been seen as of late in women wanting to show off a pooch, but fashionably and baby fat-less.
"Like many pregnant celebrities these days, Kate looks like a somebody with baked bean bloat rather than a woman about to have a second baby in April.
"She looks so slim that when she recently appeared in a blue 'Natasha' coat by Séraphine, the £195 non maternity style sold out within hours. A few extra inches around the middle might be natural for a Middleton, or the likes of Strictly winner Abby Clancy who has taken to posting black and white selfies of her slightly inflated bare belly on the internet."
Critics of this paradigm shift of masking their growing bodies — as seen in many of Duchess Kate's pics — in favor of a glamorous look overshadows the main part about motherhood: embracing the baby bump and bloated body while preparing for a life of motherhood.
Apparently, Kim Kardashian, known for her svelte figure, caused a backlash after her recent comments on beauty and baby fat. The reality TV star placed blame squarely on a higher power for her added pounds and inches during her pregnancy with North West. Imagine that?
PICS: @KimKardashian blames her weight gain and misshapen figure on God http://t.co/eQbfM84ulr pic.twitter.com/d6QMVoCKiy
— Sandra Rose (@SandraRose) December 11, 2014
Duchess Kate Middleton's pictures seen on popular websites and in beauty magazines create pressure for women to buy into the image of a teeny, tiny belly, while fixating on avoiding stretch marks and added fat by any means necessary. Moreover, when celebrities begin talking more about post-baby weight diets and fitting into size two jeans again, pregnant moms begin to think a wobbly-walk is the antithesis of looking good and feeling great.
Duchess Kate baby bump pics are not likely an attempt by Wills' wife to convey the standard of beauty in a mommy-to-be. Nonetheless, with growing pressure from the industry to conform to thin-is-in principles, she and others with famous handles are compelled to follow along with pop culture. At times, even Kate appears to go out of her way to cover her growing tummy, as seen in the pic below.
Kate Middleton Catherine, Duchess Of Cambridge Keeps Her Baby Bump Chic http://t.co/gjt1fjb1Vu pic.twitter.com/u1C9yIYhBo
— Eric Kaestner (@Eric_Kaestner) January 16, 2015
Should "everyday" women ignore all pregnant Duchess Kate pics and those of other celebrities when defining the intricacies of beauty? Do celebs like Kate have duties to send the right messages, or does Hollywood and Buckingham Palace offer good excuses to bend the rules? And finally, here's a burning question: Assuming the study is correct that thick bottom and thigh women produce "smarter" babies, should the duchess empower women with plump rumps during their pregnancies through her fashion choices?
[Image via: Desktop Backgrounds]


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Each day, Clio connects thousands of people to nearby culture and history. Our website and mobile app are free for everyone and designed to make it easy to discover cultural and historical sites throughout the United States. You can search for nearby sites, take a walking tour, create your own itinerary, or simply go for a walk or drive and let Clio show you nearby sites using our mobile app. Clio is non-profit and free for everyone thanks to the support of people like you. Donations are tax- deductible! Click here to learn more!
Danger Cave State Historical Monument
ListenArchaeological site in the Bonneville Basin where archaeologists have found artifacts of the Desert Culture from about 9500 BCE until 500 CE. The extremely dry cave had created an ideal storage condition that preserved a variety of artifacts.
The data collected from the cave led Jennings to startling new conclusions about a previously unknown, ancient Desert Culture in the western U.S. Evidence from Danger Cave suggested that this desert population was sparse, with small social units of extended families numbering no more than 25 to 30 people. The quest for food in cyclic wanderings required most of the energy of these kinship groups. They harvested pine nuts and small seeds, roasted their meats, and utilized caves and overhangs for shelter. According to Jennings, life in this primitive culture was "directly and continuously focused on sheer survival." "In such situations," he wrote, "there is little leisure, and almost no certainty about the morrow. No long-term building projects, no complicated rituals, no extensive amassing of personal property nor any long range plans can be undertaken in such circumstances." Despite its uncertainty the Desert Culture persisted for thousands of years and eventually became the basis for other early Utah cultures such as that of the Fremont.
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Why does a dove of peace Picasso sell for millions? How much should it cost?
What determines the value of art? Is it time? Materials? Size?
What determines the value in art? If we measure the value with the commodity of time, than we must agree that art that took the longest to create would be the most valuable. In this case, a piece of art such as the carving Stone Mountain, in Stone Mountain Georgia is extremely valuable. It took from 1916 to 1972 to complete (from concept to dedication ceremony). It would cost a million times more than any one of the 21 peace posters of Pablo Picasso's (which took mere minutes to create).
If we decide that skill is the commodity that determines value, than we must look at some of the masters such as Michelangelo or Rodin who were truly craftsmen in their art. If vision, than we would have to include any of the amazing inventions such as the automobile (artistic vision in design and revolutionary vision in use). So where does that leave the simple line drawings in this determination of value?
When we think of Picasso's Dove of Peace, I have to ask myself, "where is the value?" It certainly isn't in the time; not so much in the skill; perhaps in the vision…but maybe most in the idea that is communicated. It is a simple symbol that has been used repeatedly to represent peace. What price can we put on peace? If we look at this simple work of art and are mindful of peace… for this reason alone, perhaps Picasso's simple line drawing is the most valuable of all.
Supply and demand is what runs a market. The monetary value of an art work is not a real indicator of the works artistic merit but an indication of the demand for that work usually determined by the artists fame and availability of their work.
Why is gold so expensive? The answer is the market place. Limited availability and keen demand. If Gold was found in the same quantities as iron it would have a much much lower value. Picasso's dove was done by the famous Picasso, if it were done by Mrs Brown down the road it wouldn't rate a mention.
Have you noticed how people want to check the signature of a work before giving an opinion on it.
Sorry to be a realist but the monetary worth of a work of art has little to do with its artistic merit.
Anyone who looks at supply and demand has to consider what causes the demand. What bayareagreatthing has done is analyzed why Picasso's work is so demanded. Is it demanded because of the time put into the work? Or the imagery? His magnificent conclusion is that it's the idea of peace which this image brings that causes it to be in demand. I think his analysis is superb, and cannot be oversimplified to a simple matter of economics; for the idea of peace has the power to transform the world.
Nice thoughts but the real reason picasso is worth millions is simple supply and demand. Famous artist everyone knows, huge prestige to own a work, scarcity of available work and people and corporations with the money to splurge. Sort of a sad comment on mass hysteria really.
Same with Van Gogh, no one was interested in his work during his life,Has the general appreciation of art improved in our society? Maybe a little but the real reason is market place, famous artist lack of available works etc etc Piers Bateman
Great Hub.
Interesting hub!
Years ago when I first saw an original Picasso; my first reaction was "I don't like it." It was during a Museum trip for my Art Appreciation Class. My teacher gasped.
I have come to appreciate Picasso and many others. It was not at all that Picasso could not paint anything he wanted to. His gift was that he could just freely express in child like simplicity, the freedom of artistic expression via painting! To many that is worth millions of dollars.


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Discount of up to 55%, which is not affected by breakage of windows, theft, assistance or claims in which a third party is responsable.
Car Protection is insurance from Zurich Insurance plc. Branch in Spain, holder of Tax ID. W0072130H and registered offices in calle Agustín de Foxá, 27, 28036 Madrid. Registered with the Companies Register of Madrid and the Registry of Insurance Companies of the DGSyFP under code E-0189.
BanSabadell Mediación, Associated bank-insurance operator of the Grupo Banco Sabadell S.A., with tax I.D. A03424223 and registered office in Avda. Óscar Esplá, 37, 03007 Alicante. Registered in the Companies Register of Alicante and in the DGS and FP, with code OV-0004. It has civil liability insurance and financial capacity according to the Law on private insurance and reinsurance brokerage. You may consult the insurance entities with which BanSabadell Mediación has entered into insurance brokerage contracts at website www.bancosabadell.com/bsmediacion.


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Roommates are generally humans that share a room with others.
Table of Contents
At George Mason University
GMU Roommates serve to let Jules Ismail in and out of locked dorms, such as Eli's roommates, when he is unavailable. They are also sometimes the cause for Jules' departure from GMU, such as when Hank's roommates are trying to sleep.
Notable Roommates
- Melissa - Gio's roommate.
- Lampy - Jules' roommate.
- John - One of Hank's two former roommates.
- Alec - The other of Hank's two former roommates.
See Also
page revision: 14, last edited: 29 Aug 2010 03:41


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Nikon AC 2S Automatic Optical Level
The Nikon AP/AC/AX Series auto levels are easy to set up and use. All three models can attach to both flat-head and spherical-head tripods. Horizontal tangent knobs with an unlimited range ensure smooth, precise pointing and angular measurement, and you can operate them with either hand. The detachable eyepiece lens lets you use an optional diagonal eyepiece prism for working in extremely close or steep quarters.
- Leveling Accuracy ± 2.0mm
- Telescope Magnification 24x
- Minimum focusing distance – 2.46ft (0.75m)
- Double-sided, continuous horizontal tangent drives
- Stadia lines for simple distance measurement
- Convenient horizontal angle measurement
- Built in bubble mirror and optical sighting alignments
- Metal housing increases durability
- Choice of water resistant or waterproof construction
- Nikon optics effectively let in more light, so you see brighter, sharper images-especially in low-light conditions
Contact Us for Best Price
Key Features of Nikon AC 2S Optical Level
The Nikon® AP-8/AC-2S/AX-2S automatic levels from Tripod Data Systems™ (TDS) deliver a high level of accuracy and ease of use for a variety of civil engineering and construction applications. Compact and lightweight, they are also built rugged and water resistant, giving you reliable performance in light rain or dusty job sites. Nikon's world-renowned optics provide brighter, clearer images and an improved minimum focusing distance for working in confined spaces. Plus, a built-in magnetic-dampened compensator automatically levels the line of sight.
Compact, lightweight and water resistant, plus superior Nikon optics
See brighter, sharper images with improved minimum focusing
You'll see the difference when you look through a Nikon automatic level. Nikon's legendary optics effectively let in more light. The result is brighter, sharper images, especially in low-visibility conditions. You'll see much more detail and much less distortion. Better optics help you aim more precisely, and they're much easier on your eyes—something you'll really appreciate on long workdays. The AP-8 features a 28x magnification telescope, while the AC-2S has a 24x telescope and the AX-2S has a 20x telescope. All three offer improved minimum focusing distance—now 2.46 ft (0.75 m) for better performance in tight spots and on steep slopes.
Rugged construction with built-in reliability
The AP-8, AC-2S and AX-2S are compact and light, weighing just 2.8 lbs (1.25 kg) each for convenient field use. Rugged, water-resistant construction lets you work in light rain or dusty conditions. All AP-8, AC-2S and AX-2S levels feature a built-in magnetic-dampened automatic compensator to level the line of sight. The compensation range is ±16′, with a setting accuracy of within ±0.5″
Easy to set up and use
The AP-8, AC-2S and AX-2S help you get to work quickly. All three models can attach to both flat- and spherical-head tripods. Horizontal tangent knobs have an unlimited range to ensure smooth, precise pointing and angular measurement, and you can operate them with either hand. The new friction brake eliminates the need for horizontal alignment clamps, allowing for rapid rotation. And with the detachable eyepiece lens, you can use an optional diagonal eyepiece prism for working in extremely close quarters.
Specifications of Nikon AC-2S Surveyors Optical Level
|Tube length
|190 mm (7.5 in)
|Effective diameter of objective lens
|30 mm (1.2 in)
|Field of view
|1°30′(2.6 ft @ 100 ft)
|Minimum focusing distance
|0.75 m (2.46 ft)
|Stadia ratio
|Stadia additive constant
|Level Vial Sensitivity
|Circular level
|10'/2 mm
|Standard Deviation
|(1 km double-run leveling) Without micrometer
|±2.0 mm
|Automatic Compensator
|wire-hung, magnetic damper
|Compensation range
|Setting accuracy
|Horizontal Circle
|Diameter of circle
|110 mm (4.3 in)
|Minimum increment
|1°/1 g
|Reading estimation
|Instrument (L x H x W)
|190 x 128 x 123 mm
(7.5 x 5.0 x 4.8 in)
|Carrying case
|292 x 170 x 163 mm
(11.5 x 6.7 x 6.4 in)
|1.25 kg (2.8 lb)
|110 mm (4.3 in)
|Carrying case
|1.2 kg (2.7 lb)
Nikon AC 2S Optical Auto Level Scope of delivery
- Nikon AS-2S Level
- Carrying Case
- Allen Key
- Telescopic Aluminium Tripod
- Leveling Staff


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I recently visited this cafe twice but I still want to come back here again.
If you ask me about how do I know which cafes I want to visit, it will be from eatdrinkkl or from any hipster instagrammers I follow. That is how Second Sunday caught my attention.
Second Sunday is located at the shop lots behind Atria Shopping Gallery, specifically the same row as Inside Scoop Damansara Jaya and also Jin Xuan Hong Kong Dim Sum.
The photos posted need not need much editing, all thanks to the generous natural lighting and also to my new phone, the Xiao Mi Mi4i (I am converted to a Xiao Mi user and I'm loving it).
As you can see, they have a beautiful interior. Did not take pictures of the rest of the shop, my apologies, but I felt that the above was the most attractive part of the shop and it was pretty crowded when we were there, so it was hard to get the perfect shot.
Loved the photo frames on the wall, they were filled with quirky quotes, and I especially like the one with the Ed Sheeran twitter reference! To know what I am talking about, go see for yourself.
How this place works is when you walk in, you have to grab the menu hung on the left side of the shop wall, and decide what you want and order at the counter. Really really like the fact that the prices on the menu are nett! Probably inclusive of GST and service charge? Not sure how it works but prices are pretty reasonable here. That was the first thing that caught my attention when I was paying.
According to my companion, his cappuccino (RM10 nett) as pictured above was too strong for his liking. I myself, had the ice green tea latte (RM11 nett) which I fancied!
On another occasion, I visited Second Sunday with my cousin.
She had the Number Five (RM17 nett) which consisted of melted mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken breast, sauteed herb mushrooms, pineapple and homemade nutty pesto sauce folded in crispy tortilla wraps served with side salad and fries. This might sound like something you can make at home, but trust me it tasted really good so I would not even hesitate to pay for this again! The sauce on the fries goes really well with it, and we pretty much gobbled the whole plate down our bellies.
Meanwhile, I had the French Toast Stacko (RM18 nett) where it consists of french toast sticks coated in classic egg mixture with cinnamon, caramelized bananas, fresh strawberries, toasted almond flakes, pumpkin seeds, whipped cream and syrup.
Haha, since I just got back home from my previous Singapore trip, been craving for really good french toast and this one is the one! It is not too sweet, and you don't feel as bad when the sugar comes from the fruits instead of artificial sugar!
If you know me, I make my overnight oats daily when I go to school or work where I just soak oats, fruits, raisin and nuts in milk and eat it the next day. Hehe, that is why I somehow love the nutty sprinkle on top of the french toast.
Pretty happy with both my visits here and I am sure that there will be more visits because I haven't really tried their specialty yet - pancakes! Been seeing so many gorgeous pictures of the pancakes in particular their peppermint pancakes and their pandan pancakes.
That is all for today, and do let me know what I can improve on in my blog posts.
Second Sunday Cafe
No 31, Jalan SS22/19,
Damansara Jaya,
Petaling Jaya,
Contact: 03 7731 7126
Facebook: Second Sunday
Instagram: secondsundaymy
Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 10:00am to 10:00pm
(brunch from 10:00am to 5.30pm // dinner from 6:30pm to 10:00pm)
Weekends: 10:00am to 7:00pm
(kitchen closes at 5:30pm)


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Today we enjoyed cold, drizzly rain -- (hello spring, goodbye winter :0) -- so a stop at my favorite weekend comfort splurge, Starbucks, was on the menu.
Here's what the green tea soy latte had to say:
People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure. affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others. ~ Youssou N'Dour, Musician, The Way I See It #21.
Amen, dude! You are echoing something Adyashanti says in his book, The End of Your World;
The truest sign of an awakened heart is that it is an indiscriminate lover of what is. This means it loves everything, because it sees everything as itself. This is the birth of unconditional love.
...it loves everything and everybody.
...the awakened heart loves the world as it is, not just as it could be.
I mean, NOW I can shut up.
Credit: amazing photo courtesy of MARK'N'MARKUS'S flckr photostream


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Between 2002 and 2004 the Caltrain commuter route on the peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose underwent a near total rebuild to bring it up to the same high tech standards as many of the companies that had their headquarters adjacent to its tracks. At the turn of the 21st century the line was operating much as it would have been at the turn of the 20th with basic single-direction Automatic Block Signal operation with hand operated crossovers at temporary block stations where orders would have hooped up to trains during single line working. Much of the line still used jointed rail and there were only five interlockings on the entire route clustered at the north end near San Francisco, one of which was the 4th and King St terminal and the three of the remainder being used by freight trains accessing spur tracks.
Fortunately for history the line was documented by a West Coast signal fan and you can see his work here.
Two years later the line could not be more different. It was upgraded to fully bi-directional CTC operation with welded rail and large sections with concrete ties. Stations were rebuilt and two long 4-track passing sections were constructed near the Northern and Southern portions of the line to allow new express train services to pass locals without delay. A plethora of new interlockings were installed to allow 2-track express passing or just easy recovery from engineering works. Again, all of these changes were documented by the same signal fan.
What is perhaps more interesting is that as Caltrain owned the tracks between CP-COAST and San Francisco it was free to make the decision to abandon the old Southern Pacific inherited 'route' signal rules and adopt more modern speed signal rules comparable to those seen in the east. As Amtrak had the long term contract to run the Caltrain services this better fit its operating practices elsewhere in the country.
The old route style signaling had been popular back when interlockings were few and far between and traffic densities light, but with increased routes and higher speed differentials Caltrain dumped the whole route concept and adopted a speed signaling scheme influenced by prior art, but with its own unique flavour.
The Caltrain signal rules can be found its the following rulebook documents. Also included are the Union Pacific route signaling rules still in service on the UP owned portions of track so you can compare and contrast.
Caltrain ETT No 2
Caltrain ETT No 2 Supplement No 4
So what is interesting is that Caltrain started with the typical "Northeast" style signal set with Y/Y as Approach Slow and *Y* as Advance Approach, but dumped the use of "bottom yellow" in Restricting signals, using *R* instead. With bottom yellows now free R/Y and R/R/Y could be tasked to Medium and Slow Approach. The system retains some Western influences with the Approach Restricting aspect and Caltrain also added some innovative new aspects such as R/*Y* as Limited Advance Approach, R/R/*Y* as Slow Advance Approach and R/Y/*R* as Medium Approach Restricting. They also logically extended the Northeast style system by using R/Y/Y as Medium Approach Slow.
Because no automatic signal aspect requires 3 heads (a problem caused by using Y/R/G for Approach Slow) Caltrain was able to adopt a uniform visual aesthetic for its signals (probably to the delight of its vendor, US&S) by fitting all standard block signals with 1 head, distant signals with 2 heads and interlocking signals with 3 heads. Each head in turn was fitted with all three lamps, if they were needed or not. This gives the engineer an easy way of identifying what sort of signal they are facing, even if it means Caltrain spent a lot more outfitting signal lamps that would never need to be illuminated. On some of the 4+ track home signal gantries this can lead to quite the interesting Christmas Tree effect, especially when flashing aspects are involved.
This brings us to our main feature. Back in March I was out in the Bay Area for a conference and I was able to capture video from the north-facing railfan window of a gallery car of the entire line. Now this consists of about 40 minutes worth of video showing nothing but Clear signals and is probably something you don't really need to see, however I later filmed a second partial run at night where my express train takes the Bayshore passing route for some reason which shows off some aspects other than Clear. Also in evidence are the numerous grade crossings (including pedestrian grade crossings at stations which the trains have to whistle for) and this really cool Southern Pacific era 8-track signal gantry that was fitted with new signals and left in place. In that same area you can also see the last hand operated crossovers on the line used by local freight trains to switch between goods sidings that straddle the main line.
The first video between Millbrae and Bayshore can be seen here:
There is a gap between the way caused by my camera batteries running out.
In the second video you can see the new Lunar White marker lights that were attached to the signals in the terminal area for some reason. The terminal is the only un-resignaled portion of the line retaining its original Southern Pacific searchlights and pneumatic point machines (possibly the only pneumatic points west of Kansas City) and the Lunar Markers may be to differentiate the special case terminal signals with the new speed signaling system.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the video and see that converting to Speed Signaling is an achievable goal.
A blog devoted to explaining the ins and outs of North American railroad signaling, past, present and future. This blog seeks to preserve through photo documentation the great diversity and technical ingenuity of 20th century signaling and interlocking hardware and technology. Related topics cover interlocking towers and railroad communications infrastructure.
Note, due to a web hosting failure some of the photos and links may be unavailable.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Speed Signaling with Caltrain
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busy day 1 & 2~
after the day of the accident, which is Wednesday, i was practically driving ard the whole day! drove to ECP in the morning for breakfast at McDonalds, had the yummy Sausage McGriddles with Egg..after which we went to Ubi Traffic Police Station to file the report for the accident. after which we went to the British Council at Napier Rd to book the date for his English test which is required for the Aussie PR application. Then to his bro's place to pick up some stuff, went home to have lunch, went out again to Raffles medical for his bloodtest and check up again, followed by going to SinMing to settle the car stuff and collecting the rental car, a Red Toyota Vios, before we drove back to Raffles Medical to collect his medical report and back to his bro's place to collect my car before we drove back to my place to drop off the car and fetch Muffin back to his place.
as for Today (Thursday), we spend the whole day rotting and resting at home, watching some movies online, watch tv and played with Muffin. And as he's on medication, he kept slping the whole day, thus we didnt go out. At night, he send me and Muffin home as i had to go back to office for the opening ceremony.
to be continued with my Busy Week~


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LiveCode Mobile Development: Beginner's Guide
LiveCode Mobile Development: Beginner's Guide is published by Packt Publishing in May 2015. This book has 265 pages in English, ISBN-13 978-1849699655.
LiveCode is a tool for developing mobile apps designed for users who don't want to use Objective-C, C++, or Java. LiveCode Mobile Development Beginner's Guide, Second Edition will explain how to create apps and upload them to the app stores with minimal effort.
You will begin with a simple calculator application and quickly enhance it using LiveCode Mobile. You will also learn about the interface controls for videos and images of LiveCode's environment. You'll go on digging into configuring devices and making rich media applications, and then finish by uploading your mobile applications to app stores. You will learn how to build apps for iPhone and Android devices with LiveCode Mobile through sample applications of increasing complexity.
Who This Book Is For
The ideal reader for this book would be someone who already knows LiveCode, is interested in creating mobile apps, and wants to save the many hours it took for me to track down all of the information on how to get started! Chapter 1, LiveCode Fundamentals, will help those of you who know programming but are not familiar with LiveCode. The knowledge you've acquired should be enough for you to benefit from the remainder of the book.


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U15's Get a Coach
Brilliant news today from the Coaches Coordinator bunker.
CRAIG HUGHES has signed up to coach the U15's boys.
Craig has a son who plays in the U13's and hats off to him for putting his hand up to coach a team his son is NOT playing for.
Craig has played Junior and Senior Footy in WA and is a welcome addition to the Breakers coaching ranks.
We are still looking for U8, U9 and U13 YG coaches so if you are keen, please get in touch with Big Ivan.
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.


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Are you looking for a nice job?
We have many wonderful opportunities here at SHOUTca.st - we like to hire talented, self-motivated and fun people to work with. We're a growing company, and we need your help to grow. You'll join a unique and exciting team where you'll help contribute to future innovation. You'll be entitled to perks that all our staff get, as well as some great experience. We have staff around the world, so because of this, they work from the comfort of their own home. Alternatively, you can visit our office in the heart of the UK. If you're interested, take a look at our current vacancies below!
Support agent
We are looking for a friendly support agent with experience in the technical side radio broadcasting.
Android developer
We are looking for an Android developer who will help us build the new base for our Android apps.
Front- and backend web developer
We are looking for people with experience in JavaScript for future products.
Are you what we are looking for? Click here!


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Let your clients easily manage dispensary or delivery service menus with the WP Dispensary plugin.
Follow our simple guide to install WP Dispensary and display your menu with the included shortcodes and widgets.
Automatically sync your client's WP Dispensary menu items with WooCommerce.
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Our CannaBiz WordPress theme with WPD, plus all of it's available extensions.
It makes heavy use of the Customizer, which means updating the colors and style of your clients website to match their brand a breeze.


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The Library
In the Library Bar you will find a unique collection of signed books by authors who have all stayed at the Ambassade Hotel: more than 4000 of them.
The Ambassade Hotel has traditionally maintained close links with publishers in Amsterdam and the surrounding areas. Many of these publishing houses as well as some of Amsterdam's best-known bookshops and authors' cafés are located within walking distance of the Ambassade Hotel.
Although authors have long been staying at the Ambassade Hotel, the aforementioned collection of signed books was not started until the year 1986. The Ambassade Hotel owes this interesting collection to the fact that Dutch publishers generally book their foreign authors into the Ambassade Hotel for the launch of the Dutch translation of their books.
Famous authors who stayed with us are: Umberto Eco, Salman Rushdie, Paul Auster, Isabel Allende, Jonathan Safran Foer, Nathan Englander and almost all the Nobel Prize winners for literature over the past few years including V.S. Naipaul, Toni Morrison, Mario Vargas Llosa, Herta Müller, Günter Grass, Orhan Pamuk and José Saramago. Not to forget, of course, that Dutch authors are also represented in the collection. For example, Jan Siebelink, Arthur Japin, Hella Haasse and Gerrit Komrij, who stayed with us very often.
Since the mid-1980s, it has been tradition to invite authors during their stay at the Ambassade Hotel to sign a copy of their most recent book and to write a few words in the guest book. Apart from inscriptions by authors, this book also contains entries from musicians, actors, painters, philosophers, architects and politicians, who often stay at the hotel at the invitation of cultural foundations.
The collection in the Library Bar has meanwhile been built up to more than 4000 copies of works by authors from 76 different countries. The collection is in the main made up of literary works, but books on the most diverse topics can also be found there. The guest books are kept in a separate section of the bookcase. On request, guests may have a closer look at the books and the guest books. In the guest books you will find the most beautiful, inspiring quotes and dedications written by all the famous guests that stayed in our hotel.
It may be due to its lasting literary tradition that the Ambassade Hotel itself is featured in a number of novels, among them "The Museum Guard" by Canadian author Howard Norman and "Tod eines Kritikers" by German author Martin Walser.
Of course, the Library Bar also lends itself to a business meeting, to relaxing with a drink or to reading a newspaper or magazine.
About our librarian Eelco Douma
Since my childhood I am avid reader of literature.
After studying Geography at the University of Amsterdam in 1994 I started working at the Ambassade Hotel and I found it very inspiring that the hotel has such good relations with publishers and literary institutions. Hired as reservations manager I began getting more and more involved with the literary aspect of the hotel eventually became the direct contact for publishers and writers who stayed at the Ambassade Hotel.
It's a great part of my job to welcome the authors and to ensure that their press visits run smoothly.
At such an event the hotel will traditionally receive a copy of the book, signed and autographed personally by the author. Besides that we ask the writer to write a couple of words in our guestbook. Over the decades these guestbooks have grown into a fascinating account of more than 30 years of literary history of the Netherlands and the Ambassade Hotel.
Around the turn of the century our collection of signed books had become so extensive that the Ambassade Hotel was able to set up a library which actually consists entirely of autographed copies from authors who have stayed in the hotel.
The owner (of the hotel) then asked me to manage the book collection in addition to my duties as a reservations manager, and so I was appointed librarian of the Embassy Hotel.
I practice this honorable function with great pleasure.
In the meantime the Ambassade Hotel's collection of books has grown to more than 4,500 titles, including some from my favourite authors: Rupert Thomson, José Saramago, Ian McEwan and Dimitri Verhulst.
Contact with publishers is always very pleasant and I am very grateful because thanks to them, the Ambassade Hotel has grown into the leading literary hotel in the Netherlands.
It's wonderful to work between books by great writers and sometimes it makes me feel like the main character in Haruki Murakami's novel Kafka on the Shore, "the stars are like the trees in the forest, alive and breathing, And They're watching me. "
Eelco Douma
Publishing Houses in the centre of Amsterdam with whom the Ambassade Hotel has a long-term relationship are:
Uitgeverij Atlas/Contact
De Bezige Bij
De Harmonie
Uitgeefhuis Nieuw Amsterdam
Overamstel Uitgevers
Singel Uitgeverijen
Two of Amsterdam's most famous bookstores are situated just a two-minute walk away from the Ambassade Hotel:
Athenaeum Boekhandel
Book now to claim an exclusive 10% discount off our best available rate. Only on our official website!


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A report to be released two days before federal Labor's campaign launch and just eight days before the election will put a spotlight on alleged corruption by NSW ALP members.
But Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten says it won't detract from Labor's campaign for re-election on September 7.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will on Friday hand down its second set of findings about the granting of controversial mining licences by disgraced former state Labor minister Ian Macdonald.
Two senior federal MPs, NSW senator Doug Cameron and former federal Climate Change Minister Greg Combet, were called to give evidence during the inquiry, which probed a coal exploration licence granted by Mr Macdonald to a company run by ex-union boss John Maitland and other businessmen.
A separate ICAC report handed down in July already recommended prosecutors look at laying criminal charges against Mr Macdonald and former Labor minister Eddie Obeid, who were found by the ICAC to have acted corruptly in relation to a coal tenement at Mount Penny.
Federal ministers Stephen Conroy and Tony Burke were mentioned at the hearings as having enjoyed the hospitality of Mr Obeid at his Perisher Valley ski lodge.
The corruption issue is expected to damage Labor in key western Sydney marginal seats.
Mr Shorten told reporters in Brisbane on Tuesday the ALP had "zero tolerance" for corruption.
"In terms of ICAC what has happened with those couple of Labor MPs is shocking, it's ridiculous, it's a betrayal of trust," the minister said.
"I don't think it reflects the Labor cause and the Labor message in this election."
He said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had acted to clean up the NSW ALP and voters could now have confidence in it.
ICAC's Operation Acacia investigated the awarding of the Doyles Creek exploration licence as a closed tender to Mr Maitland - a former mining union boss and political ally of Mr Macdonald - and others for a "training mine" in December 2008.
Mr Maitland allegedly received a financial windfall when the licence was sold to NuCoal in 2010.