text:
Hi my name is Dan Shipper I’m a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania and over the past 7 months I’ve been covered in TechCrunch (here), Mashable (here), TheNextWeb (here) and others for projects I’ve built both as a solo developer and with a team of my friends.
The absolute best way to get coverage from any media outlet is to know someone who works there, or know someone who knows someone who works there. Journalists, especially tech journalists, get pitched every single day by hundreds of people. Their inboxes are overflowing with emails talking about “amazing,” “world-changing,” “life-altering” startups. That means that your absolute best chance to get coverage for your project is to email everyone you know and ask them if they know anyone who writes for a big blog. Don’t be afraid to ask – the worst anyone can say is no.
If you don’t know anyone who knows anyone that writes for a tech site, don’t worry. Compile a list of every tech site you can think of, write a pitch and email all of them. The chances of success are low, but you may get lucky. This is how we got covered in Mashable. If you have a product with traction, excited users, funding, or a really good story you’ve just beaten out 90% of the other cold emails that these blogs get. The most important part is showing in your email that you have a great story to tell that would appeal to the blog’s audience. And keep it short – generally your emails won’t be read past the first few sentences.
We got on TechCrunch by creating a Twitter account called YC Y U NO and making fun of a bunch of YC startups. Seriously. Now, we had no idea when we did it at first that it would lead to getting on TechCrunch. We did it on a whim just for fun. But for some reason people really seemed to like the tweets we were coming up with, a bunch of YC founders started following us as well as a few TechCrunch writers. From there we DMed one of them and they agreed to write a story about us and our new project.
Get the names of some writers that you admire, or think would be interested in covering you and see if you have any LinkedIn or Facebook connections. I know a lot of people who use this as a first step in getting coverage. You might be surprised at how many connections you have that you didn’t know about.
A journalist isn’t going to risk their reputation or their site’s reputation covering an app, or startup that doesn’t have amazing design. If anything is even a little bit off with how your site looks, if it doesn’t look professional and current, they won’t cover you. The design doesn’t even have to be complex. My design for WhereMyFriends.Be which was covered on Mashable was actually really minimalist. But it has to inspire enough confidence from the writer to go out on a limb for.
I think the most important thing to realize is that it’s not some insurmountable feat to get coverage. Tech sites are run by real people too, and if you show them that you have a great story, and a great product your chances of success increase exponentially. Persistence doesn’t hurt either.
That being said, don’t pin your hopes on coverage. It’s a huge rush to get it, but the road to success doesn’t always start with TechCrunch and in fact often doesn’t.
A few days ago I put together a small app in Rails called DomainPolish. When I was finished with it I posted it to Hacker News. It made the bottom part of the front page for a little while – at one point there were as many as 30 people concurrently on the site. I waited for the sales to roll in.
None came that Friday night. On Saturday too, there was a fair amount of traffic coming onto the site but, still, no sales. Then Sunday came. It was about 4 in the afternoon and I was thinking about what kind of project I wanted to work on next. The first sale came in. I went nuts. Then another sale came in and I was happy as can be. I had set a goal for myself to make $5 that weekend and I had fulfilled it. And then the person who made the second sale emailed me. He wanted to write a blog post about the service. I said “Sure!” and waited to hear what he had to say.
Well the blog post came out in about an hour, and he loved the service! I was so happy. And then he submitted it to Hacker News. Suddenly I was getting emails left and right saying that I had made sales as it climbed the front page. By the end of the night the blog post had referred 1500 people. I had sold 32 plans. That’s cool. But what was even more cool was to look at how that conversion rate changed (and ultimately number of products sold went down) when I had far more traffic but without social proof.
Two days after the blog post I decided to write an account of my experience creating the site. After I wrote it I posted it to Hacker News. Soon the visitors were pouring in, and it stayed as the number one story for at least a few hours. By the end of the night my blog post had referred almost 3000 people – 49% more visitors coming to the site from my blog post, than from the blog post written by someone else. But the number of products sold from a blog post written by me was actually 50% lower than the number of products sold from a blog post written by someone else. When someone wrote about me I sold 32 plans. When I wrote about myself I sold 15 plans.
What does this say? Social proof matters. Your traffic will convert better if there’s someone credible on the other end saying they love your product. Ad campaigns and blogging about yourself are very valuable tools, but in the end they can’t compete with the power of social proof.
Hi my name is Dan Shipper and I’m a rising sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania. This is the story of how I created DomainPolish a site to get on-demand, inexpensive focus groups to review your website and ended up making $350 with it in two days.
It all started when we found out we had made it to the TechStars NY Wildcard Round. The way the TechStars Wildcard works is they take 10 teams who they really liked, but whose idea they weren’t fond of, and give them a week to come up with a new idea with the understanding that at least one of the teams will make it into the program. While we were deciding which idea we wanted to pitch to TechStars, my teammate Jesse Beyroutey (fantastic blog here) started using Amazon Mechanical Turk to get feedback about them. He would post a short description of the idea, and then ask the turks (as they’re called) to give us their thoughts. I was surprised at some the high quality comments we got, and I was fascinated by the power of the concept. There are a lot of awesome things you can do with a distributed, on-demand workforce of people gathered over the internet.

lowercased:
hi my name is dan shipper i’m a sophomore at the university of pennsylvania and over the past 7 months i’ve been covered in techcrunch (here), mashable (here), thenextweb (here) and others for projects i’ve built both as a solo developer and with a team of my friends.
the absolute best way to get coverage from any media outlet is to know someone who works there, or know someone who knows someone who works there. journalists, especially tech journalists, get pitched every single day by hundreds of people. their inboxes are overflowing with emails talking about “amazing,” “world-changing,” “life-altering” startups. that means that your absolute best chance to get coverage for your project is to email everyone you know and ask them if they know anyone who writes for a big blog. don’t be afraid to ask – the worst anyone can say is no.
if you don’t know anyone who knows anyone that writes for a tech site, don’t worry. compile a list of every tech site you can think of, write a pitch and email all of them. the chances of success are low, but you may get lucky. this is how we got covered in mashable. if you have a product with traction, excited users, funding, or a really good story you’ve just beaten out 90% of the other cold emails that these blogs get. the most important part is showing in your email that you have a great story to tell that would appeal to the blog’s audience. and keep it short – generally your emails won’t be read past the first few sentences.
we got on techcrunch by creating a twitter account called yc y u no and making fun of a bunch of yc startups. seriously. now, we had no idea when we did it at first that it would lead to getting on techcrunch. we did it on a whim just for fun. but for some reason people really seemed to like the tweets we were coming up with, a bunch of yc founders started following us as well as a few techcrunch writers. from there we dmed one of them and they agreed to write a story about us and our new project.
get the names of some writers that you admire, or think would be interested in covering you and see if you have any linkedin or facebook connections. i know a lot of people who use this as a first step in getting coverage. you might be surprised at how many connections you have that you didn’t know about.
a journalist isn’t going to risk their reputation or their site’s reputation covering an app, or startup that doesn’t have amazing design. if anything is even a little bit off with how your site looks, if it doesn’t look professional and current, they won’t cover you. the design doesn’t even have to be complex. my design for wheremyfriends.be which was covered on mashable was actually really minimalist. but it has to inspire enough confidence from the writer to go out on a limb for.
i think the most important thing to realize is that it’s not some insurmountable feat to get coverage. tech sites are run by real people too, and if you show them that you have a great story, and a great product your chances of success increase exponentially. persistence doesn’t hurt either.
that being said, don’t pin your hopes on coverage. it’s a huge rush to get it, but the road to success doesn’t always start with techcrunch and in fact often doesn’t.
a few days ago i put together a small app in rails called domainpolish. when i was finished with it i posted it to hacker news. it made the bottom part of the front page for a little while – at one point there were as many as 30 people concurrently on the site. i waited for the sales to roll in.
none came that friday night. on saturday too, there was a fair amount of traffic coming onto the site but, still, no sales. then sunday came. it was about 4 in the afternoon and i was thinking about what kind of project i wanted to work on next. the first sale came in. i went nuts. then another sale came in and i was happy as can be. i had set a goal for myself to make $5 that weekend and i had fulfilled it. and then the person who made the second sale emailed me. he wanted to write a blog post about the service. i said “sure!” and waited to hear what he had to say.
well the blog post came out in about an hour, and he loved the service! i was so happy. and then he submitted it to hacker news. suddenly i was getting emails left and right saying that i had made sales as it climbed the front page. by the end of the night the blog post had referred 1500 people. i had sold 32 plans. that’s cool. but what was even more cool was to look at how that conversion rate changed (and ultimately number of products sold went down) when i had far more traffic but without social proof.
two days after the blog post i decided to write an account of my experience creating the site. after i wrote it i posted it to hacker news. soon the visitors were pouring in, and it stayed as the number one story for at least a few hours. by the end of the night my blog post had referred almost 3000 people – 49% more visitors coming to the site from my blog post, than from the blog post written by someone else. but the number of products sold from a blog post written by me was actually 50% lower than the number of products sold from a blog post written by someone else. when someone wrote about me i sold 32 plans. when i wrote about myself i sold 15 plans.
what does this say? social proof matters. your traffic will convert better if there’s someone credible on the other end saying they love your product. ad campaigns and blogging about yourself are very valuable tools, but in the end they can’t compete with the power of social proof.
hi my name is dan shipper and i’m a rising sophomore at the university of pennsylvania. this is the story of how i created domainpolish a site to get on-demand, inexpensive focus groups to review your website and ended up making $350 with it in two days.
it all started when we found out we had made it to the techstars ny wildcard round. the way the techstars wildcard works is they take 10 teams who they really liked, but whose idea they weren’t fond of, and give them a week to come up with a new idea with the understanding that at least one of the teams will make it into the program. while we were deciding which idea we wanted to pitch to techstars, my teammate jesse beyroutey (fantastic blog here) started using amazon mechanical turk to get feedback about them. he would post a short description of the idea, and then ask the turks (as they’re called) to give us their thoughts. i was surprised at some the high quality comments we got, and i was fascinated by the power of the concept. there are a lot of awesome things you can do with a distributed, on-demand workforce of people gathered over the internet.


text:
As much as teachers do all that they can to make their classrooms a place of comfort and security, for some students the school environment can be a stressful one. For a whole gamut of reasons, at some stage during their time spent at school, most kids experience some kind of school-related anxiety. Whether it be separation anxiety in the early years, anxiety about testing and assessment or social anxiety, the reasons are many but the negative effects often the same. Teaching mindfulness is one way that educators and parents alike can help to build the coping skills kids need when they are faced with challenging situations and environments.
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment (Grossman, 2016). It’s something that came so naturally to us as small children, when we could easily spend time silently mesmerised by a single ant wandering across the ground. Though it’s true that as we get older, as our understanding of the world grows wider and our minds subsequently busier, that time spent in silent wonderment doesn’t happen quite so easily.
Teaching children the conscious skill of mindfulness is an empowering one. The ability to stop, to centre ourselves, to notice what is happening in any given moment goes a long way towards self-regulation and self-awareness. For children who experience anxiety, whether situational or prolonged, having simple and familiar thoughts or actions to call upon during times of stress become important, lifelong skills.
Mindfulness is a superpower that everyone can have. To activate this superpower we only need two things, our mind and our breath. It is for this reason, and so many more, that teaching mindfulness to children is something that should be on every teacher, parent and carers’ radar.
With that in mind, here are some fun and simple ways to introduce the concept of mindfulness to young children.
This simple activity is a way to teach your child about “belly breathing”. Centering our thoughts and emotions through our breath is a wonderful self-regulation skill for everyone to learn.
Lay down on the floor beside your child and place a small soft toy, like the little wuppy®, or any other light-weight object such as a small bean bag or wooden block onto your belly buttons.
With your child, lay still and watch the toy move up and down as you both breathe in and out.
Talk with your child about what you notice. About how quickly or slowly the toy moves.
You can also count as your child breathes in “1, 2, 3” and breathes out “1, 2, 3”.
Another beautiful child-friendly reframing of a traditional mindfulness practice is to go on a Mindful Safari.
Take your child outside into nature and tell them that you are both going to go exploring. That you need to discover what creatures, plants and other natural objects are close by.
Tell your child to turn their sense of sight, touch and sound onto high. Remind them that they need to be so, so quiet that they can move around without scaring any little creatures away.
When you find a creature or beautiful object, pause and look at it closely for a while.
Signal to your child to remain quiet, putting your finger to your lips. They will love the adventure!
After some time spent observing in silence, quietly ask your child some questions.
The free Nature Scavenger Hunt Grid on the Teach Starter website can make your Mindful Safari a fun one.
Guided meditations are a great way to familiarise kids with the language of mindfulness and meditation. There are a number of fantastic apps with free guided meditations. Smiling Minds has great meditations for both children and adults, while Insight Timer is a fantastic free app for adults.
A “Breathing Colours” guided meditation introduces a simple visualisation to help children focus on using their breath for relaxation.
Ask your child to think of a relaxing colour. It can be any colour they like, as long as it is one that makes them think of relaxation.
Then ask them to think of a colour that represents stress, sadness or anger. Whichever of those emotions is most relevant or suitable for your child group to explore.
With your spoken guidance, your child imagines breathing in the relaxing colour and visualises it filling their lungs.
Then they imagine breathing out the stress, sadness or anger colour.
There are many ways to teach mindfulness to children. Ultimately, any time that you spend with your child consciously slowing down, and bringing awareness to the moment, will help to build their own repertoire of self-awareness and emotional regulation skills.
Cassie Nguyen is a former school teacher and fellow anxiety-conqueror. As Creative Content Writer at Teach Starter, an online teaching resource company that makes teaching easier and learning fun, Cassie helps teachers, parents and carers find the ideas, activities and resources they need to engage children in the exciting and empowering act of learning.

lowercased:
as much as teachers do all that they can to make their classrooms a place of comfort and security, for some students the school environment can be a stressful one. for a whole gamut of reasons, at some stage during their time spent at school, most kids experience some kind of school-related anxiety. whether it be separation anxiety in the early years, anxiety about testing and assessment or social anxiety, the reasons are many but the negative effects often the same. teaching mindfulness is one way that educators and parents alike can help to build the coping skills kids need when they are faced with challenging situations and environments.
mindfulness is the practice of paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment (grossman, 2016). it’s something that came so naturally to us as small children, when we could easily spend time silently mesmerised by a single ant wandering across the ground. though it’s true that as we get older, as our understanding of the world grows wider and our minds subsequently busier, that time spent in silent wonderment doesn’t happen quite so easily.
teaching children the conscious skill of mindfulness is an empowering one. the ability to stop, to centre ourselves, to notice what is happening in any given moment goes a long way towards self-regulation and self-awareness. for children who experience anxiety, whether situational or prolonged, having simple and familiar thoughts or actions to call upon during times of stress become important, lifelong skills.
mindfulness is a superpower that everyone can have. to activate this superpower we only need two things, our mind and our breath. it is for this reason, and so many more, that teaching mindfulness to children is something that should be on every teacher, parent and carers’ radar.
with that in mind, here are some fun and simple ways to introduce the concept of mindfulness to young children.
this simple activity is a way to teach your child about “belly breathing”. centering our thoughts and emotions through our breath is a wonderful self-regulation skill for everyone to learn.
lay down on the floor beside your child and place a small soft toy, like the little wuppy®, or any other light-weight object such as a small bean bag or wooden block onto your belly buttons.
with your child, lay still and watch the toy move up and down as you both breathe in and out.
talk with your child about what you notice. about how quickly or slowly the toy moves.
you can also count as your child breathes in “1, 2, 3” and breathes out “1, 2, 3”.
another beautiful child-friendly reframing of a traditional mindfulness practice is to go on a mindful safari.
take your child outside into nature and tell them that you are both going to go exploring. that you need to discover what creatures, plants and other natural objects are close by.
tell your child to turn their sense of sight, touch and sound onto high. remind them that they need to be so, so quiet that they can move around without scaring any little creatures away.
when you find a creature or beautiful object, pause and look at it closely for a while.
signal to your child to remain quiet, putting your finger to your lips. they will love the adventure!
after some time spent observing in silence, quietly ask your child some questions.
the free nature scavenger hunt grid on the teach starter website can make your mindful safari a fun one.
guided meditations are a great way to familiarise kids with the language of mindfulness and meditation. there are a number of fantastic apps with free guided meditations. smiling minds has great meditations for both children and adults, while insight timer is a fantastic free app for adults.
a “breathing colours” guided meditation introduces a simple visualisation to help children focus on using their breath for relaxation.
ask your child to think of a relaxing colour. it can be any colour they like, as long as it is one that makes them think of relaxation.
then ask them to think of a colour that represents stress, sadness or anger. whichever of those emotions is most relevant or suitable for your child group to explore.
with your spoken guidance, your child imagines breathing in the relaxing colour and visualises it filling their lungs.
then they imagine breathing out the stress, sadness or anger colour.
there are many ways to teach mindfulness to children. ultimately, any time that you spend with your child consciously slowing down, and bringing awareness to the moment, will help to build their own repertoire of self-awareness and emotional regulation skills.
cassie nguyen is a former school teacher and fellow anxiety-conqueror. as creative content writer at teach starter, an online teaching resource company that makes teaching easier and learning fun, cassie helps teachers, parents and carers find the ideas, activities and resources they need to engage children in the exciting and empowering act of learning.


text:
Fairbanks author and wilderness guide Michael Engelhardt will sign copies of his new book ‘American Wild: Explorations from the Grand Canyon to the Arctic Ocean’ and also introduce ‘Ice Bear’, his cultural history of the polar bear, on Friday, October 7th from 5-7pm at the Fairbanks Art Association’s Bear Gallery.
Michael Engelhard is the editor of four anthologies of outdoors writing and the author of several essay collections, as well as of a book about polar bears. His articles have appeared in Sierra, Outside, National Wildlife, the San Francisco Chronicle, High Country News, and other publications. Trained as a cultural anthropologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, he has participated in fieldwork north of the Arctic Circle. He guides wilderness trips in the Grand Canyon, Gates of the Arctic National Park, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, his favorite places in the world.

lowercased:
fairbanks author and wilderness guide michael engelhardt will sign copies of his new book ‘american wild: explorations from the grand canyon to the arctic ocean’ and also introduce ‘ice bear’, his cultural history of the polar bear, on friday, october 7th from 5-7pm at the fairbanks art association’s bear gallery.
michael engelhard is the editor of four anthologies of outdoors writing and the author of several essay collections, as well as of a book about polar bears. his articles have appeared in sierra, outside, national wildlife, the san francisco chronicle, high country news, and other publications. trained as a cultural anthropologist at the university of alaska fairbanks, he has participated in fieldwork north of the arctic circle. he guides wilderness trips in the grand canyon, gates of the arctic national park, and the arctic national wildlife refuge, his favorite places in the world.


text: this 15 and 1/2" ling necklace is a Y shaped. The white beads are 4mm round and it features gold tone findings. In the center there is a piece that can swing making it appear like aY shaped necklace. This has a gold tone twist closure.

lowercased: this 15 and 1/2" ling necklace is a y shaped. the white beads are 4mm round and it features gold tone findings. in the center there is a piece that can swing making it appear like ay shaped necklace. this has a gold tone twist closure.


text:
Eastern Lightning (东方闪电) or the Church of Almighty God is a Chinese cult based on Christianity who believe that Jesus Christ has been reincarnated as Yang Xiangbing (1973–), a Chinese woman. It was founded in 1989 by Zhao Weishan (赵维山) (1951–), who currently resides in the United States where he continues to lead the church. The name Eastern Lightning is derived from Matthew 24:27.
As the Second Coming of Jesus, Yang Xiangbing will guide mankind through the end times. Eastern Lightning preaches salvation through her third testament, The Word Appears in the Flesh. Eastern Lightning refers to the Chinese Communist Party as the "Great Red Dragon" of the Book of Revelation, and some members predicted that the world would end on December 21, 2012. The leaders of group, however, rejected that prediction.
The group's theology divides time into three ages: that of the law (the Old Testament), that of grace (the New Testament), and that of Kingdom (the current age). It teaches that the "Age of Grace" has been superseded by the "Age of Kingdom", during which humans will not only be forgiven of their sins, but also cleansed of their sinful nature. There is also a separate "Age of the Millennial Kingdom", which is supposed to occur after God's work in China has ended; during that age, the apocalyptic events in the Book of Revelation are to occur.
The sect essentially excludes mainstream Christians who are not part of the group from salvation, stating that those who hold on to conventional Christian beliefs are "guilty of opposing God" and do not truly believe in Him.
The group implicitly denies absolute Biblical inerrancy and explicitly denies the notion that the Bible provides a sufficient understanding of God, condemning such views as Bibliolatry that restricts God via the Bible. Videos on the group's channel render quotations of Jesus in yellow, similar to Red Letter Christians, but also render the group's own The Word Appears in the Flesh in yellow captions to emphasize their belief that the piece of literature is from God rather than a cult leader. The group's view of the Bible as limited and fallible is, however, likely not rooted in rational skepticism of religious dogma and should not be confounded with efforts by progressive Christians to re-interpret the Bible to suit modern science and values. Rather, this is likely intended to prop up the group's theology despite its contradictions with the Bible. For example, the name of the group is, ironically, quote mined right out of a passage about false [[prophets[[ and teachers in Matthew 24:22 that appears to imply that groups like it are following false messiahs.
Despite believing that all Christians following mainstream beliefs are going to Hell forever, videos on the sect's channel frequently identify the group's members as simply "Christians" or "people who believe in God". The group also denies evolution.
Like other Chinese New Age groups such as Falun Gong, the Chinese government considers Eastern Lightning to be a cult and has outlawed the group.
However, unlike Falun Gong, Eastern Lightning has been accused of explicitly engaging in acts of violence. For instance, in 2002 Eastern Lightning allegedly kidnapped 34 members of a Chinese house church network, the China Gospel Fellowship, for two months by pretending to be a Christian training center. According to a victim of the kidnapping, the cultists initially claimed to be theologians from Singapore but later revealed they were actually members of Eastern Lightning; after the victim rebuked them for heresy (cult members had allegedly beaten four Christians in his hometown and left them disfigured), he was called a "Pharisee" and moved to a locked room in a residence where he was subjected to verbal abuse. The victim was left pale and emaciated.
In a more widely publicized event in 2014, cultists identifying as believers in "Almighty God" beat a woman to death at a local McDonald's for simply refusing to give them her phone number. The sect tried to distance itself from the murderers, noting that the suspects testified that they had never come into contact with the church; the sect further accused the Communist Party of being behind the attack. A close look at the testimony shows that the murderers may have been influenced by some of the literature produced by the sect but did not consider the sect to be the true representatives of "Almighty God" (Splitters!).
The sect produces slick, high-budget "Christian" films and uploads them to YouTube. In those movies, all characters, good or bad, invariably use Apple products. Why they have such an obsession with Macs and iPhones remains unexplained.
↑ 3.0 3.1 "Church of Almighty God". CenSAMM. https://censamm.org/resources/profiles/church-of-almighty-god.
↑ "Knowing the purpose of the three stages of work of God’s management of mankind". The Church of Almighty God. June 13, 2017. https://www.holyspiritspeaks.org/gospel/three-stages-of-work-1/.
↑ 5.0 5.1 "Only He Who Experiences the Work of God Truly Believes in God". https://www.holyspiritspeaks.org/recital-kingdom-selection-000/#.
↑ ""My Father, the Pastor" A Truth Debate on the Bible (English Dubbed)"". July 3, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zEGM3nt0n8.
↑ ""The Truth Exposed Behind the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case"". January 29, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHFGlPQXzCM.
↑ ""山东招远血案被告自白：我就是神"". August 22, 2014. http://news.sohu.com/20140822/n403692654.shtml.
This page was last modified on 21 October 2018, at 04:55.

lowercased:
eastern lightning (东方闪电) or the church of almighty god is a chinese cult based on christianity who believe that jesus christ has been reincarnated as yang xiangbing (1973–), a chinese woman. it was founded in 1989 by zhao weishan (赵维山) (1951–), who currently resides in the united states where he continues to lead the church. the name eastern lightning is derived from matthew 24:27.
as the second coming of jesus, yang xiangbing will guide mankind through the end times. eastern lightning preaches salvation through her third testament, the word appears in the flesh. eastern lightning refers to the chinese communist party as the "great red dragon" of the book of revelation, and some members predicted that the world would end on december 21, 2012. the leaders of group, however, rejected that prediction.
the group's theology divides time into three ages: that of the law (the old testament), that of grace (the new testament), and that of kingdom (the current age). it teaches that the "age of grace" has been superseded by the "age of kingdom", during which humans will not only be forgiven of their sins, but also cleansed of their sinful nature. there is also a separate "age of the millennial kingdom", which is supposed to occur after god's work in china has ended; during that age, the apocalyptic events in the book of revelation are to occur.
the sect essentially excludes mainstream christians who are not part of the group from salvation, stating that those who hold on to conventional christian beliefs are "guilty of opposing god" and do not truly believe in him.
the group implicitly denies absolute biblical inerrancy and explicitly denies the notion that the bible provides a sufficient understanding of god, condemning such views as bibliolatry that restricts god via the bible. videos on the group's channel render quotations of jesus in yellow, similar to red letter christians, but also render the group's own the word appears in the flesh in yellow captions to emphasize their belief that the piece of literature is from god rather than a cult leader. the group's view of the bible as limited and fallible is, however, likely not rooted in rational skepticism of religious dogma and should not be confounded with efforts by progressive christians to re-interpret the bible to suit modern science and values. rather, this is likely intended to prop up the group's theology despite its contradictions with the bible. for example, the name of the group is, ironically, quote mined right out of a passage about false [[prophets[[ and teachers in matthew 24:22 that appears to imply that groups like it are following false messiahs.
despite believing that all christians following mainstream beliefs are going to hell forever, videos on the sect's channel frequently identify the group's members as simply "christians" or "people who believe in god". the group also denies evolution.
like other chinese new age groups such as falun gong, the chinese government considers eastern lightning to be a cult and has outlawed the group.
however, unlike falun gong, eastern lightning has been accused of explicitly engaging in acts of violence. for instance, in 2002 eastern lightning allegedly kidnapped 34 members of a chinese house church network, the china gospel fellowship, for two months by pretending to be a christian training center. according to a victim of the kidnapping, the cultists initially claimed to be theologians from singapore but later revealed they were actually members of eastern lightning; after the victim rebuked them for heresy (cult members had allegedly beaten four christians in his hometown and left them disfigured), he was called a "pharisee" and moved to a locked room in a residence where he was subjected to verbal abuse. the victim was left pale and emaciated.
in a more widely publicized event in 2014, cultists identifying as believers in "almighty god" beat a woman to death at a local mcdonald's for simply refusing to give them her phone number. the sect tried to distance itself from the murderers, noting that the suspects testified that they had never come into contact with the church; the sect further accused the communist party of being behind the attack. a close look at the testimony shows that the murderers may have been influenced by some of the literature produced by the sect but did not consider the sect to be the true representatives of "almighty god" (splitters!).
the sect produces slick, high-budget "christian" films and uploads them to youtube. in those movies, all characters, good or bad, invariably use apple products. why they have such an obsession with macs and iphones remains unexplained.
↑ 3.0 3.1 "church of almighty god". censamm. https://censamm.org/resources/profiles/church-of-almighty-god.
↑ "knowing the purpose of the three stages of work of god’s management of mankind". the church of almighty god. june 13, 2017. https://www.holyspiritspeaks.org/gospel/three-stages-of-work-1/.
↑ 5.0 5.1 "only he who experiences the work of god truly believes in god". https://www.holyspiritspeaks.org/recital-kingdom-selection-000/#.
↑ ""my father, the pastor" a truth debate on the bible (english dubbed)"". july 3, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zegm3nt0n8.
↑ ""the truth exposed behind the may 28 zhaoyuan case"". january 29, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhfglpqxzcm.
↑ ""山东招远血案被告自白：我就是神"". august 22, 2014. http://news.sohu.com/20140822/n403692654.shtml.
this page was last modified on 21 october 2018, at 04:55.


text:
MK Moshe Feiglin in a Knesset committee meeting, next to MK Ahmad Tibi, in 2014. It appears Feiglin is on his way back to the Knesset, while Tibi just sank below the threshold minimum vote.
An Israel Hayom poll published Friday morning shows former IDF chief of staff with 19 seats, the Likud down from 30 to 28, the Labor Party falling to its lowest point so far –5 seats, Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid stuck in the mud with 9 seats (down from its current 11, which is down from its previous Knesset list of 19), and, for the first time in this campaign, the Zehut (Identity) party, headed by former Likud MK Moshe Feiglin who is a regular pundit at Jewish Press Online, crossing the electoral threshold with 4 seats.
The numerous splits of the past few months, on the left and on the right—some of which may end up merging by the official deadline set by the Central Elections Committee, have led to many parties that are swinging just above or just below the: Gesher, headed by Orly Levy-Abekasis, receives 4 seats, while Shas, Meretz, Habayit Hayehudi receive only 3.
Here’s another doozie: Both Avigdor Liberman and his nemesis Ahmad Tibi get only 3 seats and walk into the setting sun, probably not hand in hand.
And like we said, Zehut, headed by Cool Hand Feiglin, which just held the first open primaries in Israel ever on Tuesday, and did it online (you gave them your ID number and cell number, they SMSed you a code, you clicked in and got to spread 6 points among the candidate/s of your choice) is also on the verge of the electoral threshold – but for the first time looking at the abyss from above, with 4 seats.
Parties that are so far from the threshold they’re already in Party Heaven (doesn’t that sound like the place you’d want to go when the time comes) are Tzipi Livni and Eli Yishai, each of whom receives but one mandate.
The survey examined a scenario according to which Gantz and Lapid unite and bring in former Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. The result: they all get 32 mandates, with the Likud pushed to second place with 30, while Labor falls into the 3.25% abyss and goes to pole paradise with a measly 3 seats (down from 24).
Immediately after Ganz’s speech, the Likud and New Right tried to associate Ganz with the left, while Resilient to Israel, Gantz’s party, what a name) insisted that theirs is a centrist party. Well, the poll showed that 25% of respondents still do not know how to define him.
After the pollsters removed the “I don’t know” results, 52% of the rest located Gantz at the center, 19% see him as a right-winger, and 29% as left-winger.
Final surprise: on the issue of who is more suitable to be the next prime minister, Netanyahu leads safely with 38%, while Gantz gets only 22%.

lowercased:
mk moshe feiglin in a knesset committee meeting, next to mk ahmad tibi, in 2014. it appears feiglin is on his way back to the knesset, while tibi just sank below the threshold minimum vote.
an israel hayom poll published friday morning shows former idf chief of staff with 19 seats, the likud down from 30 to 28, the labor party falling to its lowest point so far –5 seats, yair lapid’s yesh atid stuck in the mud with 9 seats (down from its current 11, which is down from its previous knesset list of 19), and, for the first time in this campaign, the zehut (identity) party, headed by former likud mk moshe feiglin who is a regular pundit at jewish press online, crossing the electoral threshold with 4 seats.
the numerous splits of the past few months, on the left and on the right—some of which may end up merging by the official deadline set by the central elections committee, have led to many parties that are swinging just above or just below the: gesher, headed by orly levy-abekasis, receives 4 seats, while shas, meretz, habayit hayehudi receive only 3.
here’s another doozie: both avigdor liberman and his nemesis ahmad tibi get only 3 seats and walk into the setting sun, probably not hand in hand.
and like we said, zehut, headed by cool hand feiglin, which just held the first open primaries in israel ever on tuesday, and did it online (you gave them your id number and cell number, they smsed you a code, you clicked in and got to spread 6 points among the candidate/s of your choice) is also on the verge of the electoral threshold – but for the first time looking at the abyss from above, with 4 seats.
parties that are so far from the threshold they’re already in party heaven (doesn’t that sound like the place you’d want to go when the time comes) are tzipi livni and eli yishai, each of whom receives but one mandate.
the survey examined a scenario according to which gantz and lapid unite and bring in former chief of staff gabi ashkenazi. the result: they all get 32 mandates, with the likud pushed to second place with 30, while labor falls into the 3.25% abyss and goes to pole paradise with a measly 3 seats (down from 24).
immediately after ganz’s speech, the likud and new right tried to associate ganz with the left, while resilient to israel, gantz’s party, what a name) insisted that theirs is a centrist party. well, the poll showed that 25% of respondents still do not know how to define him.
after the pollsters removed the “i don’t know” results, 52% of the rest located gantz at the center, 19% see him as a right-winger, and 29% as left-winger.
final surprise: on the issue of who is more suitable to be the next prime minister, netanyahu leads safely with 38%, while gantz gets only 22%.


text: This single level home in a quiet court delivers an exceptional opportunity to enter the market or add to your portfolio. In a floor plan laid out to ensure no wasted space, it offers formal lounge and casual living overlooked by a kitchen featuring stainless steel cooker and plenty of storage options, complemented by an enclosed veranda perfect for year round living and entertaining. Three bedrooms, all with robes, are served by a large bathroom with the convenience of a separate toilet. Currently comfortable with scope for a contemporary update, it’s a short walk from Andrew Place shops, cafe and supermarket, Warrawee Park, Concord and Loyola College. The tram on Plenty Road is an easy stroll away.

lowercased: this single level home in a quiet court delivers an exceptional opportunity to enter the market or add to your portfolio. in a floor plan laid out to ensure no wasted space, it offers formal lounge and casual living overlooked by a kitchen featuring stainless steel cooker and plenty of storage options, complemented by an enclosed veranda perfect for year round living and entertaining. three bedrooms, all with robes, are served by a large bathroom with the convenience of a separate toilet. currently comfortable with scope for a contemporary update, it’s a short walk from andrew place shops, cafe and supermarket, warrawee park, concord and loyola college. the tram on plenty road is an easy stroll away.


text:
There’s an app for everything under the sun, and you can bet that there’s an app to help you get better with your golf spwing. Introducing the PGA Swing Guru App, one of the best apps in the industry and is one of the easiest golf swing analysis apps for the iPhone.
Providing an interactive tool that both golfing coaches and players can use, this golf swing app promises to transform you into a better golfer in no time at all. But you might be asking what sets the PGA Swing Guru App apart from other golf swing apps?
There are apps and there are apps. The PGA Swing Guru App is an app that can go the whole course with the rest of them. Filled chock-full of useful features, even the more advanced golfer will love the special features included in this app. The interactive feel that the PGA Swing Guru App boasts also gives users a more hands on and personal sensation when using the app. Just imagine having a trophy case of your own that will show you the challenges that you’ve passed using the PGA Swing Guru App.
Follow your coach, compete with yourselves, or give your friends something to think about. The PGA Swing Guru App lets you connect with other golfers around the world. Connect with the best PGA golf coaches using this app – and not just connect, you can also learn from the very best. You can find out what other players are saying about their games and the latest developments in the golfing world through social media offerings such as Twitter and Facebook.
Because of the great benefits and features that the PGA Swing Guru App provides, the app quickly warmed up to coaches, players and even fans of golf. The app is a paid app but the small price tag that comes with the app hasn’t hindered at all how golf lovers have quickly embraced the PGA Swing Guru App.
Whether you’re an aspiring golfer or just a fan of the game, you will get a lot out of the PGA Swing Guru App. There’s a small fee that you will have to pay for the app but that shouldn’t stop your from enjoying the wonderful features and benefits that come with this app. Invest in your game and keep up to date with PGA developments with the PGA Swing Guru App.
Find A Great Deal On A PGA Swing Guru Player Or Coach App!

lowercased:
there’s an app for everything under the sun, and you can bet that there’s an app to help you get better with your golf spwing. introducing the pga swing guru app, one of the best apps in the industry and is one of the easiest golf swing analysis apps for the iphone.
providing an interactive tool that both golfing coaches and players can use, this golf swing app promises to transform you into a better golfer in no time at all. but you might be asking what sets the pga swing guru app apart from other golf swing apps?
there are apps and there are apps. the pga swing guru app is an app that can go the whole course with the rest of them. filled chock-full of useful features, even the more advanced golfer will love the special features included in this app. the interactive feel that the pga swing guru app boasts also gives users a more hands on and personal sensation when using the app. just imagine having a trophy case of your own that will show you the challenges that you’ve passed using the pga swing guru app.
follow your coach, compete with yourselves, or give your friends something to think about. the pga swing guru app lets you connect with other golfers around the world. connect with the best pga golf coaches using this app – and not just connect, you can also learn from the very best. you can find out what other players are saying about their games and the latest developments in the golfing world through social media offerings such as twitter and facebook.
because of the great benefits and features that the pga swing guru app provides, the app quickly warmed up to coaches, players and even fans of golf. the app is a paid app but the small price tag that comes with the app hasn’t hindered at all how golf lovers have quickly embraced the pga swing guru app.
whether you’re an aspiring golfer or just a fan of the game, you will get a lot out of the pga swing guru app. there’s a small fee that you will have to pay for the app but that shouldn’t stop your from enjoying the wonderful features and benefits that come with this app. invest in your game and keep up to date with pga developments with the pga swing guru app.
find a great deal on a pga swing guru player or coach app!


text:
If you are going to be at ISTE in Denver this year, come join coffeeEDU one morning. CoffeeEDU (coffeeEDU.org) is a ONE HOUR meet up of educators in the style of edcamp.
While 6am may be early for some folks it is a great start to your day. This is a fun way to chat and connect with some awesome educators and have your morning coffee!
Amazon Education is sponsoring the coffeeEDU this year by supplying donuts and coffee.

lowercased:
if you are going to be at iste in denver this year, come join coffeeedu one morning. coffeeedu (coffeeedu.org) is a one hour meet up of educators in the style of edcamp.
while 6am may be early for some folks it is a great start to your day. this is a fun way to chat and connect with some awesome educators and have your morning coffee!
amazon education is sponsoring the coffeeedu this year by supplying donuts and coffee.


text:
currently, the projectdesigner calendar also sets task times (for start or end date).
added checkbox to switch on this behaviour, default: use dates but keep old task times of day.
Resolved in Opto's patch a while back.

lowercased:
currently, the projectdesigner calendar also sets task times (for start or end date).
added checkbox to switch on this behaviour, default: use dates but keep old task times of day.
resolved in opto's patch a while back.


text:
In the bay off Reykjavik, Iceland, commercial whaling meets commercial whale watching. Whaling vessels—sometimes with dead whales strapped to their sides—and tourist-laden whale-watching ships travel the same waters, occasionally at the same time.
The fin whale meat is exported to Japan, while the minke whale meat supplies the domestic seafood market. But how popular is a traditional dish of minke carpaccio or grilled minke with horseradish and mushrooms? Not very. At least with the locals. Some polls say fewer than five percent of Icelanders eat whale meat. So who is eating it?
Produced and shot by Steve De Neef for Hakai Magazine.

lowercased:
in the bay off reykjavik, iceland, commercial whaling meets commercial whale watching. whaling vessels—sometimes with dead whales strapped to their sides—and tourist-laden whale-watching ships travel the same waters, occasionally at the same time.
the fin whale meat is exported to japan, while the minke whale meat supplies the domestic seafood market. but how popular is a traditional dish of minke carpaccio or grilled minke with horseradish and mushrooms? not very. at least with the locals. some polls say fewer than five percent of icelanders eat whale meat. so who is eating it?
produced and shot by steve de neef for hakai magazine.


text:
Why is it important to learn horsemanship besides learning to ride? Safety is one very important reason - but also to have an enjoyable time together with your horse and not the fearful, exhausting fight because the horse and rider do not communicate well. We often blame the horse, but in reality we are to blame, since in most cases it is lack of communication skills from the person, who does not speak "horse". When people ask me: My horse is bucking with me, can you fix it? I answer with another question: When and why do yo think your horse is bucking? I can "fix" it in most cases, but that would be like removing the symptoms and not the reason for the bucking which in most cases is due to something the rider does. So the horse will continue bucking when his owner continues to do the same thing. Learning to be in control, dominate and become the leader of the horse- - not by showing the horse "who is the boss" which will create fear in this prey and flight animal rather than trust - and in it for the horse dangerous situation, the horse will take leadership and do what HE thinks best: RUN. So if the rider has not earned the leadership over the horse, the horse might LIKE the person, but not trust the person to make good decisions if they are scared. We give people tools to learn this language and how to earn the title of being the protector of the horse.
The understanding of directing the energy instead of confining it ( which is our usual predator instinct to do) is the key. Preventing a prey and flight animal from running in a situation he is fearful, will only add to this fear. A good way of fixing a bad habit is to become part of the solution for the horse by directing his energy immediately after his attention is back to the person. The instructor, Danehill’s owner Karin Dilou, is passionate about passing on the horsemanship knowledge she has learned "the hard way" herself over a long life living with her herd of Danish warmblood horses. A basic key ingredient for success to learn this is patience with ourselves and being observant and focused. It gives her utmost pleasure to give her students tools to become, confident, focused, goal, respectful and happy protectors which is what the horses are looking for in a herd leader. Jokingly we refer to Danehill Manor as: The Stress Free Zone. Having stress, being irritable or impatient, fearful, angry etc. will NOT work in the communication with the horses. It needs to be assertive, firm, polite and precise when we gently ASK them (not make them) do things to get the response we are looking for. We need to be pro active by asking the horse to do something, before the horse makes a decision on his own that we then need to fix, The horse is "telling us" a lot through his body language and we get many warnings BEFORE they make their own decisions. You will learn to recognize the "questions" from the horse.
By getting a deep understanding for this, has opened a door to knowledge about communication, leadership, teamwork and body language not only between horses and people, but very much between people too. The horses are in fact therefore also the co-facilitators when we run those seminars at Danehill. See further description under seminars.
The students become “learners” through play. The horses like to play too. The old saying: when the student is ready, the teacher appears comes to mind. They learn for their own sake. The instructor does not explain in words to children what is going on between her, them and the horses, but do explain that to grown up clients before and after the actual interaction with the horses. Children naturally absorb the horses’ as well as the instructor’s body language, energy, attitude and focus which they subconsciously react to. Thus it is very important to be honest and congruent in words as well as body language how we feel in order to be successful with both the children and the horses in order to build up their trust and create a mutual respect. At the moment I have two 5 year old boys – the youngest students so far. It has taken awhile to build up the children’s attention and focus to ½ hour at a time and important not to "force" it, but continuously keep it interesting, rewarding and fun. It actually is the horses that "reward" the kids and they LOVE it when that happens, feeling in control with their bod language. To ALSO “be ahead of “ the child and at the same time “be ahead of the horse” with at least 4 horse lengths in decisions about what we want the horse to do (how fast or slow, to go right or left at which point, to turn etc.), is something I have developed over time. It takes patience and focus from my side too – both to the child AND the horse. Having done it over and over again together and then challenge the child to do it by himself when I feel they are ready is one of the “big moments” in the development of the child. When the child realizes his power and leadership skills giving these huge animals directions with small gestures what to do, when to run fast, slow turn and stop, and the horse actually listens to and responds in action to what the child asks him to do, is a wonderful experience.
The students learn to pay attention at all times and think ahead. “Prevention is better than cure”. The most difficult thing to learn is patience with and respect to ourselves – which we also give our students tools to learn.
To make a lesson with horses successful stress cannot be part of the day. A stressful (or in any way tense, frustrated, irritated or angry) person is NOT considered a trusting leader in the horse’s mind. If the person is tense or impatient because the horse is not doing, what the person THOUGHT he asked him to do, the horse will soon be frustrated and "give up communicating" with this person, since that handler in the horse's mind does not seem to know what they want or doesn't trust himself that the horse in fact WILL listen to his "question". The horse read's the handler's subconscious mind which often includes not trusting himself. That is reflected in his posture, energy, way of breathing etc. and we cannot lie or be ambiguous to the horses. That confuses them. The horse might do what we want them to if we beat them up or get rough with them– but out of fear - which is very counter productive if we want a good partnership with 51% leadership to the handler. In situations where they are frightened they will not trust the person’s decisions as a protector. - and that can be dangerous (bucking, rearing, running wild etc).
Being on time or a little early is one of several things that can eliminate some stress. If prepared and thought through well in advance - step for step – and the student looks forward to a fun successful time, the lesson becomes pleasant for everybody.. I custom make the lessons to the children so it becomes a positive lovely experience for both them and the horses – (and me) - every time . Many factors can be different from time to time, but we always end on a positive note - both for the horse's and for the handler's sake.
One thing that is important for the success with the kids is that parents or guardians do not interfere or “help” in any possible way from the moment they arrive at the gate. Children like horses can only have one leader over them, otherwise confusion sets in. Parents or guardians can always “follow up” afterwards by asking the students questions and have them -uninterruptedly while paying full attention to them - explain what they did. Having the child explain and maybe even teach the parent what to do, makes them learn even better. I LOVE it when my students correct ME - and THEY become the teacher. Mutual respect and attention to each other. The interference in the lesson confuses the child. As is the case with a horse: if several people try to tell them what to do, the horse will make his own decision and NOT consider any of them his trusting leader. That is when accidents happen. If the child wants to “show off” to the parent to get the much desired approval and burst of admiration – the “ego” comes in the way for the focus on the horse and the whole lesson will be counter productive. In many ways it is the case with adults too when they have an audience.
Ask, patiently wait for the response and praise when getting the desired “answer” - is the way for the horse – and the handler of the horse - to learn. If the horse didn’t do what we asked first time around, it was because we didn’t ask clearly enough in the horse’s language. Eventually it becomes “second nature” and the conversation/gestures lighter and lighter and when true unity is established it is merely a thought and the horse will respond. It feels as if the horse is psychic, but what it really is, is that he is reading your subconscious mind that is your true self and directly connected to your body language.
Under construction, more information to come soon!

lowercased:
why is it important to learn horsemanship besides learning to ride? safety is one very important reason - but also to have an enjoyable time together with your horse and not the fearful, exhausting fight because the horse and rider do not communicate well. we often blame the horse, but in reality we are to blame, since in most cases it is lack of communication skills from the person, who does not speak "horse". when people ask me: my horse is bucking with me, can you fix it? i answer with another question: when and why do yo think your horse is bucking? i can "fix" it in most cases, but that would be like removing the symptoms and not the reason for the bucking which in most cases is due to something the rider does. so the horse will continue bucking when his owner continues to do the same thing. learning to be in control, dominate and become the leader of the horse- - not by showing the horse "who is the boss" which will create fear in this prey and flight animal rather than trust - and in it for the horse dangerous situation, the horse will take leadership and do what he thinks best: run. so if the rider has not earned the leadership over the horse, the horse might like the person, but not trust the person to make good decisions if they are scared. we give people tools to learn this language and how to earn the title of being the protector of the horse.
the understanding of directing the energy instead of confining it ( which is our usual predator instinct to do) is the key. preventing a prey and flight animal from running in a situation he is fearful, will only add to this fear. a good way of fixing a bad habit is to become part of the solution for the horse by directing his energy immediately after his attention is back to the person. the instructor, danehill’s owner karin dilou, is passionate about passing on the horsemanship knowledge she has learned "the hard way" herself over a long life living with her herd of danish warmblood horses. a basic key ingredient for success to learn this is patience with ourselves and being observant and focused. it gives her utmost pleasure to give her students tools to become, confident, focused, goal, respectful and happy protectors which is what the horses are looking for in a herd leader. jokingly we refer to danehill manor as: the stress free zone. having stress, being irritable or impatient, fearful, angry etc. will not work in the communication with the horses. it needs to be assertive, firm, polite and precise when we gently ask them (not make them) do things to get the response we are looking for. we need to be pro active by asking the horse to do something, before the horse makes a decision on his own that we then need to fix, the horse is "telling us" a lot through his body language and we get many warnings before they make their own decisions. you will learn to recognize the "questions" from the horse.
by getting a deep understanding for this, has opened a door to knowledge about communication, leadership, teamwork and body language not only between horses and people, but very much between people too. the horses are in fact therefore also the co-facilitators when we run those seminars at danehill. see further description under seminars.
the students become “learners” through play. the horses like to play too. the old saying: when the student is ready, the teacher appears comes to mind. they learn for their own sake. the instructor does not explain in words to children what is going on between her, them and the horses, but do explain that to grown up clients before and after the actual interaction with the horses. children naturally absorb the horses’ as well as the instructor’s body language, energy, attitude and focus which they subconsciously react to. thus it is very important to be honest and congruent in words as well as body language how we feel in order to be successful with both the children and the horses in order to build up their trust and create a mutual respect. at the moment i have two 5 year old boys – the youngest students so far. it has taken awhile to build up the children’s attention and focus to ½ hour at a time and important not to "force" it, but continuously keep it interesting, rewarding and fun. it actually is the horses that "reward" the kids and they love it when that happens, feeling in control with their bod language. to also “be ahead of “ the child and at the same time “be ahead of the horse” with at least 4 horse lengths in decisions about what we want the horse to do (how fast or slow, to go right or left at which point, to turn etc.), is something i have developed over time. it takes patience and focus from my side too – both to the child and the horse. having done it over and over again together and then challenge the child to do it by himself when i feel they are ready is one of the “big moments” in the development of the child. when the child realizes his power and leadership skills giving these huge animals directions with small gestures what to do, when to run fast, slow turn and stop, and the horse actually listens to and responds in action to what the child asks him to do, is a wonderful experience.
the students learn to pay attention at all times and think ahead. “prevention is better than cure”. the most difficult thing to learn is patience with and respect to ourselves – which we also give our students tools to learn.
to make a lesson with horses successful stress cannot be part of the day. a stressful (or in any way tense, frustrated, irritated or angry) person is not considered a trusting leader in the horse’s mind. if the person is tense or impatient because the horse is not doing, what the person thought he asked him to do, the horse will soon be frustrated and "give up communicating" with this person, since that handler in the horse's mind does not seem to know what they want or doesn't trust himself that the horse in fact will listen to his "question". the horse read's the handler's subconscious mind which often includes not trusting himself. that is reflected in his posture, energy, way of breathing etc. and we cannot lie or be ambiguous to the horses. that confuses them. the horse might do what we want them to if we beat them up or get rough with them– but out of fear - which is very counter productive if we want a good partnership with 51% leadership to the handler. in situations where they are frightened they will not trust the person’s decisions as a protector. - and that can be dangerous (bucking, rearing, running wild etc).
being on time or a little early is one of several things that can eliminate some stress. if prepared and thought through well in advance - step for step – and the student looks forward to a fun successful time, the lesson becomes pleasant for everybody.. i custom make the lessons to the children so it becomes a positive lovely experience for both them and the horses – (and me) - every time . many factors can be different from time to time, but we always end on a positive note - both for the horse's and for the handler's sake.
one thing that is important for the success with the kids is that parents or guardians do not interfere or “help” in any possible way from the moment they arrive at the gate. children like horses can only have one leader over them, otherwise confusion sets in. parents or guardians can always “follow up” afterwards by asking the students questions and have them -uninterruptedly while paying full attention to them - explain what they did. having the child explain and maybe even teach the parent what to do, makes them learn even better. i love it when my students correct me - and they become the teacher. mutual respect and attention to each other. the interference in the lesson confuses the child. as is the case with a horse: if several people try to tell them what to do, the horse will make his own decision and not consider any of them his trusting leader. that is when accidents happen. if the child wants to “show off” to the parent to get the much desired approval and burst of admiration – the “ego” comes in the way for the focus on the horse and the whole lesson will be counter productive. in many ways it is the case with adults too when they have an audience.
ask, patiently wait for the response and praise when getting the desired “answer” - is the way for the horse – and the handler of the horse - to learn. if the horse didn’t do what we asked first time around, it was because we didn’t ask clearly enough in the horse’s language. eventually it becomes “second nature” and the conversation/gestures lighter and lighter and when true unity is established it is merely a thought and the horse will respond. it feels as if the horse is psychic, but what it really is, is that he is reading your subconscious mind that is your true self and directly connected to your body language.
under construction, more information to come soon!


text:
Over the past five years, I’ve analyzed data on a wide range of products from lip balm to dog food, from potato chips to kefir. And while categories of interest have changed, my general best practices for analyzing the data remain constant. Data can be complicated and challenging, but, if you know how to harness it, transform it, and understand its meaning, it can be a game-changer with immense value to your business.
As a part of SPINS’ Brand Growth Solutions team, I work with clients every day to bring the data to life and make it actionable for their businesses. While I can’t reveal all of my team’s secrets in this post, I will lay out three insider tips that we use to transform data on a daily basis.
Because there’s often so many factors that can drive business, it can be overwhelming to know where to start digging for answers. I find it helpful to generate a list of mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive (MECE) probable hypotheses to easily identify the top contenders and eliminate those that are less likely. This planning and forethought always saves me time because it provides a targeted list of analyses to consider, and every analysis assists in either proving or disproving the most likely hypothetical causes. By setting myself up for success on the front end, I find more time to generate insights and implications on the back end.
It always helps to understand the whole picture. It’s not enough to say that a brand is growing 10%. I always make data points relevant to my audience by benchmarking it back to something. Is that 10% accelerated or decelerated from the prior year? Is that 10% higher or lower than the category? Is that 10% better or worse than projected estimates? The easiest way to make data mean something is by making a comparative “than” statement.
Visuals are the KEY to bringing data to life and telling the story. As data analysts, it’s our job to make the numbers meaningful. We’re doing the data a disservice every time we copy and paste a raw data chart from Excel onto a slide. To mitigate this, I find it most helpful to ask myself, which hypothesis will I demonstrate here? (See Tip #1.) Then my follow-up question is, what kind of chart or visualization is going to best represent this data and make the point clear? The simplest rule to follow is to visualize one point per slide. Finally, when I make the point with a visually descriptive chart, I always highlight the insight for my audience, as well. In addition to the charts and visualizations, I know it’s important for me to narrate the story in the data to help my audience fully understand each insight and implication.

lowercased:
over the past five years, i’ve analyzed data on a wide range of products from lip balm to dog food, from potato chips to kefir. and while categories of interest have changed, my general best practices for analyzing the data remain constant. data can be complicated and challenging, but, if you know how to harness it, transform it, and understand its meaning, it can be a game-changer with immense value to your business.
as a part of spins’ brand growth solutions team, i work with clients every day to bring the data to life and make it actionable for their businesses. while i can’t reveal all of my team’s secrets in this post, i will lay out three insider tips that we use to transform data on a daily basis.
because there’s often so many factors that can drive business, it can be overwhelming to know where to start digging for answers. i find it helpful to generate a list of mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive (mece) probable hypotheses to easily identify the top contenders and eliminate those that are less likely. this planning and forethought always saves me time because it provides a targeted list of analyses to consider, and every analysis assists in either proving or disproving the most likely hypothetical causes. by setting myself up for success on the front end, i find more time to generate insights and implications on the back end.
it always helps to understand the whole picture. it’s not enough to say that a brand is growing 10%. i always make data points relevant to my audience by benchmarking it back to something. is that 10% accelerated or decelerated from the prior year? is that 10% higher or lower than the category? is that 10% better or worse than projected estimates? the easiest way to make data mean something is by making a comparative “than” statement.
visuals are the key to bringing data to life and telling the story. as data analysts, it’s our job to make the numbers meaningful. we’re doing the data a disservice every time we copy and paste a raw data chart from excel onto a slide. to mitigate this, i find it most helpful to ask myself, which hypothesis will i demonstrate here? (see tip #1.) then my follow-up question is, what kind of chart or visualization is going to best represent this data and make the point clear? the simplest rule to follow is to visualize one point per slide. finally, when i make the point with a visually descriptive chart, i always highlight the insight for my audience, as well. in addition to the charts and visualizations, i know it’s important for me to narrate the story in the data to help my audience fully understand each insight and implication.


text:
A new, segmented, negative-strand RNA virus with morphological and sequence similarities to other viruses in the genus Emaravirus was discovered in raspberry plants exhibiting symptoms of leaf blotch disorder, a disease previously attributed to the eriophyid raspberry leaf and bud mite (Phyllocoptes gracilis). The virus, tentatively named raspberry leaf blotch virus (RLBV), has five RNAs that each potentially encode a single protein on the complementary strand. RNAs 1, 2 and 3 encode, respectively, a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, a glycoprotein precursor and the nucleocapsid. RNA4 encodes a protein with sequence similarity to proteins of unknown function that are encoded by the genomes of other emaraviruses. When expressed transiently in plants fused to green or red fluorescent protein, the RLBV P4 protein localized to the peripheral cell membrane and to punctate spots in the cell wall. These spots co-localized with GFP-tagged tobacco mosaic virus 30K cell-to-cell movement protein, which is itself known to associate with plasmodesmata. These results suggest that the P4 protein may be a movement protein for RLBV. The fifth RLBV RNA, encoding the P5 protein, is unique among the sequenced emaraviruses. The amino acid sequence of the P5 protein does not suggest any potential function; however, when expressed as a GFP fusion, it localized as small aggregates in the cytoplasm near to the periphery of the cell.
The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for the sequences reported in this paper are FR823299 (RNA1), FR823300 (RNA2), FR823301 (RNA3), FR823302 (RNA4) and FR823303 (RNA5).
Two supplementary figures and a supplementary table are available with the online version of this paper.
Ahn K. K. , Kim K. S. , Gergerich R. C. , Jensen S. , Anderson E. J. . ( 1996; ). Comparative ultrastructure of double-membrane-bound particles and inclusions associated with eriophyid mite-borne plant diseases of unknown etiology: a potentially new group of plant viruses. . J Submicrosc Cytol Pathol 28:, 345––355.
Amrine J. W. , Hindal D. F. , Stasny T. A. , Williams R. L. , Coffman C. C. . ( 1988; ). Transmission of the rose rosette disease agent to Rosa multiflora by Phyllocoptes fructiphilus (Acari: Eriophyidae). . Entomol News 99:, 239––252.
Appiano A. , Conti M. , Zini N. . ( 1995; ). Cytopathological study of the double-membrane bodies occuring in fig plants affected by fig mosaic disease. . Acta Hortic 386:, 585––592.
Flock R. A. , Wallace J. M. . ( 1955; ). Transmission of fig mosaic by the eriophyid mite Aceria ficus . . Phytopathology 45:, 52––54.
Gergerich R. , Kim K. . ( 1983; ). A description of the causal agent of rose rosette disease. . Arkansas Farm Research 3:, 7.
Gordon S. C. , Taylor C. E. . ( 1976; ). Some aspects of the biology of the raspberry leaf and bud mite (Phyllocoptes (Eriophyes) gracilis Nal.) Eriophyidae in Scotland. . J Hortic Sci 51:, 501––508.
Jones A. T. , Gordon S. C. , Jennings D. L. . ( 1984; ). A leaf-blotch disorder of tayberry associated with the leaf and bud mite (Phyllocoptes gracilis) and some effects of three aphid-borne viruses. . J Hortic Sci 59:, 523––528.
Seth M. L. . ( 1962; ). Transmission of pigeonpea sterility by an eriophyid mite. . Indian Phytopathol 15:, 225––227.
Stamatakis A. , Ott M. , Ludwig T. . ( 2005;). RAxML-OMP: an efficient program for phylogenetic inference on SMPs. . In Parallel Computing Technologies (Lecture Notes in Computer Science vol. 3606), pp. 288––302. Edited by Malyshkin V. . . Berlin, Heidelberg:: Springer;.

lowercased:
a new, segmented, negative-strand rna virus with morphological and sequence similarities to other viruses in the genus emaravirus was discovered in raspberry plants exhibiting symptoms of leaf blotch disorder, a disease previously attributed to the eriophyid raspberry leaf and bud mite (phyllocoptes gracilis). the virus, tentatively named raspberry leaf blotch virus (rlbv), has five rnas that each potentially encode a single protein on the complementary strand. rnas 1, 2 and 3 encode, respectively, a putative rna-dependent rna polymerase, a glycoprotein precursor and the nucleocapsid. rna4 encodes a protein with sequence similarity to proteins of unknown function that are encoded by the genomes of other emaraviruses. when expressed transiently in plants fused to green or red fluorescent protein, the rlbv p4 protein localized to the peripheral cell membrane and to punctate spots in the cell wall. these spots co-localized with gfp-tagged tobacco mosaic virus 30k cell-to-cell movement protein, which is itself known to associate with plasmodesmata. these results suggest that the p4 protein may be a movement protein for rlbv. the fifth rlbv rna, encoding the p5 protein, is unique among the sequenced emaraviruses. the amino acid sequence of the p5 protein does not suggest any potential function; however, when expressed as a gfp fusion, it localized as small aggregates in the cytoplasm near to the periphery of the cell.
the genbank/embl/ddbj accession numbers for the sequences reported in this paper are fr823299 (rna1), fr823300 (rna2), fr823301 (rna3), fr823302 (rna4) and fr823303 (rna5).
two supplementary figures and a supplementary table are available with the online version of this paper.
ahn k. k. , kim k. s. , gergerich r. c. , jensen s. , anderson e. j. . ( 1996; ). comparative ultrastructure of double-membrane-bound particles and inclusions associated with eriophyid mite-borne plant diseases of unknown etiology: a potentially new group of plant viruses. . j submicrosc cytol pathol 28:, 345––355.
amrine j. w. , hindal d. f. , stasny t. a. , williams r. l. , coffman c. c. . ( 1988; ). transmission of the rose rosette disease agent to rosa multiflora by phyllocoptes fructiphilus (acari: eriophyidae). . entomol news 99:, 239––252.
appiano a. , conti m. , zini n. . ( 1995; ). cytopathological study of the double-membrane bodies occuring in fig plants affected by fig mosaic disease. . acta hortic 386:, 585––592.
flock r. a. , wallace j. m. . ( 1955; ). transmission of fig mosaic by the eriophyid mite aceria ficus . . phytopathology 45:, 52––54.
gergerich r. , kim k. . ( 1983; ). a description of the causal agent of rose rosette disease. . arkansas farm research 3:, 7.
gordon s. c. , taylor c. e. . ( 1976; ). some aspects of the biology of the raspberry leaf and bud mite (phyllocoptes (eriophyes) gracilis nal.) eriophyidae in scotland. . j hortic sci 51:, 501––508.
jones a. t. , gordon s. c. , jennings d. l. . ( 1984; ). a leaf-blotch disorder of tayberry associated with the leaf and bud mite (phyllocoptes gracilis) and some effects of three aphid-borne viruses. . j hortic sci 59:, 523––528.
seth m. l. . ( 1962; ). transmission of pigeonpea sterility by an eriophyid mite. . indian phytopathol 15:, 225––227.
stamatakis a. , ott m. , ludwig t. . ( 2005;). raxml-omp: an efficient program for phylogenetic inference on smps. . in parallel computing technologies (lecture notes in computer science vol. 3606), pp. 288––302. edited by malyshkin v. . . berlin, heidelberg:: springer;.


text:
MY WORK/JOB CONSISTS OF: As Administrator, I run the day-to-day operations of the Bossier Parish Police Jury. My bosses are the 12 Police Jurors. I am responsible for the 300+ employees inder them.
HOW I GOT TO LSUS (OR WHY I CHOSE LSUS): I went to BPCC for my first year and then transferred to LSUS. I wanted a 4-year degree and LSUS was in town.
FOND MEMORIES OF LSUS: My first year was the first year of the business building. There were not a lot of buildings as far as a "campus" was concerned.
HOW LSUS HELPED ME SUCCEED: LSUS provided me with a great education that provided a great basis for my career path.
ADVICE TO COLLEGE BOUND STUDENTS: Study hard. What you do in school will follow you everywhere.
ADVICE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO ENTER MY FIELD: Finance and business education is used daily.
TIPS ON CHOSING A MAJOR: Find something you enjoy and can make some money at. Money is good.
MY TOUGHEST PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE: Keeping in mind that when one door closes, another opens.
MY TOUGHEST PERSONAL CHALLENGE: Continuing to learn. We must make time to do so.
I'VE LEARNED THIS FROM LIFE: Treat everyone well and with respect; it all comes back to you.
"Always keep in mind when one door closes, another one opens."

lowercased:
my work/job consists of: as administrator, i run the day-to-day operations of the bossier parish police jury. my bosses are the 12 police jurors. i am responsible for the 300+ employees inder them.
how i got to lsus (or why i chose lsus): i went to bpcc for my first year and then transferred to lsus. i wanted a 4-year degree and lsus was in town.
fond memories of lsus: my first year was the first year of the business building. there were not a lot of buildings as far as a "campus" was concerned.
how lsus helped me succeed: lsus provided me with a great education that provided a great basis for my career path.
advice to college bound students: study hard. what you do in school will follow you everywhere.
advice to someone who wants to enter my field: finance and business education is used daily.
tips on chosing a major: find something you enjoy and can make some money at. money is good.
my toughest professional challenge: keeping in mind that when one door closes, another opens.
my toughest personal challenge: continuing to learn. we must make time to do so.
i've learned this from life: treat everyone well and with respect; it all comes back to you.
"always keep in mind when one door closes, another one opens."


text:
Location privacy took a hit in California yesterday when Governor Jerry Brown vetoed SB 1434, an EFF- and ACLU-sponsored bill that would have required law enforcement to apply for a search warrant in order to obtain location tracking information. Despite the bill's passing through the state legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, despite local newspaper editorials in favor of the bill, and despite more than 1,300 concerned Californians using our action center to urge him to sign the bill into law, Governor Brown instead decided to sell out privacy rights to law enforcement.
It's not the first time, either. Last year, he did the same thing with SB 914, a bill that would have required police to obtain a search warrant before searching an arrested individual’s cell phone incident to arrest.
It may be that legislative action is needed to keep the law current in our rapidly evolving electronic age. But I am not convinced that this bill strikes the right balance between the operational needs of law enforcement and individual expectations of privacy.
Skeptical about a law enforcement sponsored bill claiming to protect privacy? You should be. As we explained to Governor Brown, AB 2055 doesn’t do anything at all.
AB 2055 is a narrow response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Jones, which held the Fourth Amendment required law enforcement to obtain a search warrant before installing a GPS device on a car. In theory, AB 2055 changes California law to explicitly permit law enforcement to apply to a judge for a search warrant to install a GPS device. But in fact, it does not require police to obtain a search warrant. It just says they can apply for one. So to the extent it attempts to codify Jones, it fails. And, more basically, there’s no need to codify Jones: the Supreme Court’s decision is the law and California law enforcement officials have to follow it, regardless of what state law says.
That’s not the only problem with AB 2055. That law only applies to GPS devices, and not the other myriad ways law enforcement can obtain location information without installing a GPS device. With increasing concern about law enforcement’s growing addiction to warrantless cell phone tracking — which a federal appeals court in New Orleans will be hearing argument about tomorrow — any legislative action needs to be forward-looking and future-proof. And while we might expect a state that boasts the world's biggest technology companies and just legalized self-driving cars to move the law forward, Governor Brown has instead decided to maintain the status quo.
Ultimately law enforcement got exactly what it wanted with AB 2055, which is nothing at all. And while Governor Brown joins the chorus — which included Justice Alito in his concurring opinion in Jones — that solemnly speaks of the need to update our electronic privacy laws to reflect the changing technological landscape, his words ring hollow when he vetoes a bill that had bipartisan legislative support. Because in the end, all that's been done since the first federal electronic privacy bill was passed in 1986 has been a steady diet of allowing law enforcement to gorge itself on as much data and information they can eat without a warrant. It's no surprise that now they're hooked, they'll do whatever it takes to keep the information faucet on. Governor Brown's veto of SB 1434 only continues this dangerous trend.

lowercased:
location privacy took a hit in california yesterday when governor jerry brown vetoed sb 1434, an eff- and aclu-sponsored bill that would have required law enforcement to apply for a search warrant in order to obtain location tracking information. despite the bill's passing through the state legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, despite local newspaper editorials in favor of the bill, and despite more than 1,300 concerned californians using our action center to urge him to sign the bill into law, governor brown instead decided to sell out privacy rights to law enforcement.
it's not the first time, either. last year, he did the same thing with sb 914, a bill that would have required police to obtain a search warrant before searching an arrested individual’s cell phone incident to arrest.
it may be that legislative action is needed to keep the law current in our rapidly evolving electronic age. but i am not convinced that this bill strikes the right balance between the operational needs of law enforcement and individual expectations of privacy.
skeptical about a law enforcement sponsored bill claiming to protect privacy? you should be. as we explained to governor brown, ab 2055 doesn’t do anything at all.
ab 2055 is a narrow response to the u.s. supreme court’s decision in united states v. jones, which held the fourth amendment required law enforcement to obtain a search warrant before installing a gps device on a car. in theory, ab 2055 changes california law to explicitly permit law enforcement to apply to a judge for a search warrant to install a gps device. but in fact, it does not require police to obtain a search warrant. it just says they can apply for one. so to the extent it attempts to codify jones, it fails. and, more basically, there’s no need to codify jones: the supreme court’s decision is the law and california law enforcement officials have to follow it, regardless of what state law says.
that’s not the only problem with ab 2055. that law only applies to gps devices, and not the other myriad ways law enforcement can obtain location information without installing a gps device. with increasing concern about law enforcement’s growing addiction to warrantless cell phone tracking — which a federal appeals court in new orleans will be hearing argument about tomorrow — any legislative action needs to be forward-looking and future-proof. and while we might expect a state that boasts the world's biggest technology companies and just legalized self-driving cars to move the law forward, governor brown has instead decided to maintain the status quo.
ultimately law enforcement got exactly what it wanted with ab 2055, which is nothing at all. and while governor brown joins the chorus — which included justice alito in his concurring opinion in jones — that solemnly speaks of the need to update our electronic privacy laws to reflect the changing technological landscape, his words ring hollow when he vetoes a bill that had bipartisan legislative support. because in the end, all that's been done since the first federal electronic privacy bill was passed in 1986 has been a steady diet of allowing law enforcement to gorge itself on as much data and information they can eat without a warrant. it's no surprise that now they're hooked, they'll do whatever it takes to keep the information faucet on. governor brown's veto of sb 1434 only continues this dangerous trend.


text:
Pill box Olimp Sport Nutrition - container for capsules / tablets is a very practical solution for active people who use regular supplements.
Pill box Olimp Sport Nutrition is a high-quality PCV container containing 5 divided sections depending on the size of the capsule / tablet.
You do not need to go to work with all the packaging - all you need to do is prepare the correct dosage of supplements, and you will always have them in one box.
Simply convenience and good price !!!!

lowercased:
pill box olimp sport nutrition - container for capsules / tablets is a very practical solution for active people who use regular supplements.
pill box olimp sport nutrition is a high-quality pcv container containing 5 divided sections depending on the size of the capsule / tablet.
you do not need to go to work with all the packaging - all you need to do is prepare the correct dosage of supplements, and you will always have them in one box.
simply convenience and good price !!!!


text:
Don't worry: The Italians designed the thing to look great at any of its five ride heights.
Yesterday, with a Mediterranean flourish, two women clad in surprisingly-comprehensive dresses pulled a satin sheet from a windswept lump and revealed the new Maserati Levante. It is, as Maserati will tell you, the Maserati of SUVs, though that designation is equal parts meaningful and tautology. The “Maserati” of something—vacuums, lawnmowers, what have you—might be the most graceful and sensuous of its type; were Maserati to paste a trident on a Jeep Cherokee, that too would be a Maserati SUV. With the Levante, Maserati is making a hard case for the former.
Denuded, the new Levante evokes the shape of much more pedestrian fare: Infiniti's QX60, another wagonoid. That isn’t unfortunate, just a testament to the fact that there are only so many ways to shape a sport utility. (The new Jaguar F-Pace beautifully apes the first-generation BMW X5.) With eyes stolen from Maserati’s Afieri Concept, the Levante harbors as much squinty menace as its Quattroporte and Ghibli siblings and the typical Maserati cues, trident-inspired wheels, scalloped grill and fender portholes work together handsomely. Still, the Levante in person suffers some of what has undermined the Ghibli: a lack of presence. It’s striking but a little stubby, like Peter Dinklage.
Dynamically, the Levante is bound to be athletic. In the U.S., it will come in two guises: The base model, at $72,000, with a 345-horsepower version of the Maserati 3-liter, twin-turbo V-6, and the S, priced around $83,000, with a 424-horsepower version of that same engine. The de rigeur 8-speed ZF transmission will be seamless; adaptive dampers and what Maserati says is the SUV world’s lowest center of gravity will keep things nice and planted, like a ball of burrata dropped on a tile floor. Perfect 50:50 front-rear weight distribution is nice, and gives future owners an excuse to demand passengers take odd seats to maintain balance, like a stewardess on a small regional turbo-prop.
I’m ambivalent. Unlike the aforementioned F-Pace, or Lincoln’s exuberant Navigator Concept, I didn’t immediately love the Levante. Then again, I had my fingers crossed for a run of original, 1967 Ghiblis suspended over monster-truck tires, which is called “setting yourself up for disappointment.” To muster up some appropriately passionate love for Maserati’s new truck, I talked to Giovanni Ribotta, Maserati’s Chief Exterior Designer. No one can better convince you of a child’s charms that its father. Here are four.
The front of the Levante embodies the on-road/off-road duality Maserati wanted for its first truck. A dark, carbon fiber-effect skidplate juts out a touch beyond the bumper, almost like the spoiler of a racing car. According to Ribotta, the skid-plate is self-consciously “off-road, but integrated into a dynamic front.” As far as hammer-screwdrivers go, it’s a cute one.
Ribotta pointed out that, absent bumpers and a couple other modern affectations, the Levante is working in the same design framework as some of Maserati’s most famous coupes. In his words: “The Levante shape is defined by a strong center spine and the four fenders—as a racing car, from the past. Like the Birdcage or a Type 61.” Does the Mercedes GLC bear the footprint of a 300SL Gullwing? We have yet to hear that case made.
When asked if he might be offended when future Levante owners adorned his streamlined design with awkward racks, rails and boxes, as SUV owners are wont to do, Ribotta smiled graciously. “We did our roof rails. We designed every accessory that will go on the car. With the engineering team, we tried to make the rails as slender as possible. And as beautiful. We aren’t angry.” If you do buy a Levante and take the thing to Vail, you won't enjoy the transgressive thrill of spoiling a the Levante's slick design. Settle instead for a drive in Maserati's handsome stab at market share—it should be a good one.
What's it like inside Maserati's first-ever SUV? Find out with a 360-degree virtual tour.
The Bentley Bentayga Is the Most Expensive SUV. Ever.
Our first drive goes off-road, while Bentley’s styling team runs off the rails.
Because everyone needs an overdesigned mall mauler.
Drive Wire: Is This Maserati's New SUV in the Arctic Circle?

lowercased:
don't worry: the italians designed the thing to look great at any of its five ride heights.
yesterday, with a mediterranean flourish, two women clad in surprisingly-comprehensive dresses pulled a satin sheet from a windswept lump and revealed the new maserati levante. it is, as maserati will tell you, the maserati of suvs, though that designation is equal parts meaningful and tautology. the “maserati” of something—vacuums, lawnmowers, what have you—might be the most graceful and sensuous of its type; were maserati to paste a trident on a jeep cherokee, that too would be a maserati suv. with the levante, maserati is making a hard case for the former.
denuded, the new levante evokes the shape of much more pedestrian fare: infiniti's qx60, another wagonoid. that isn’t unfortunate, just a testament to the fact that there are only so many ways to shape a sport utility. (the new jaguar f-pace beautifully apes the first-generation bmw x5.) with eyes stolen from maserati’s afieri concept, the levante harbors as much squinty menace as its quattroporte and ghibli siblings and the typical maserati cues, trident-inspired wheels, scalloped grill and fender portholes work together handsomely. still, the levante in person suffers some of what has undermined the ghibli: a lack of presence. it’s striking but a little stubby, like peter dinklage.
dynamically, the levante is bound to be athletic. in the u.s., it will come in two guises: the base model, at $72,000, with a 345-horsepower version of the maserati 3-liter, twin-turbo v-6, and the s, priced around $83,000, with a 424-horsepower version of that same engine. the de rigeur 8-speed zf transmission will be seamless; adaptive dampers and what maserati says is the suv world’s lowest center of gravity will keep things nice and planted, like a ball of burrata dropped on a tile floor. perfect 50:50 front-rear weight distribution is nice, and gives future owners an excuse to demand passengers take odd seats to maintain balance, like a stewardess on a small regional turbo-prop.
i’m ambivalent. unlike the aforementioned f-pace, or lincoln’s exuberant navigator concept, i didn’t immediately love the levante. then again, i had my fingers crossed for a run of original, 1967 ghiblis suspended over monster-truck tires, which is called “setting yourself up for disappointment.” to muster up some appropriately passionate love for maserati’s new truck, i talked to giovanni ribotta, maserati’s chief exterior designer. no one can better convince you of a child’s charms that its father. here are four.
the front of the levante embodies the on-road/off-road duality maserati wanted for its first truck. a dark, carbon fiber-effect skidplate juts out a touch beyond the bumper, almost like the spoiler of a racing car. according to ribotta, the skid-plate is self-consciously “off-road, but integrated into a dynamic front.” as far as hammer-screwdrivers go, it’s a cute one.
ribotta pointed out that, absent bumpers and a couple other modern affectations, the levante is working in the same design framework as some of maserati’s most famous coupes. in his words: “the levante shape is defined by a strong center spine and the four fenders—as a racing car, from the past. like the birdcage or a type 61.” does the mercedes glc bear the footprint of a 300sl gullwing? we have yet to hear that case made.
when asked if he might be offended when future levante owners adorned his streamlined design with awkward racks, rails and boxes, as suv owners are wont to do, ribotta smiled graciously. “we did our roof rails. we designed every accessory that will go on the car. with the engineering team, we tried to make the rails as slender as possible. and as beautiful. we aren’t angry.” if you do buy a levante and take the thing to vail, you won't enjoy the transgressive thrill of spoiling a the levante's slick design. settle instead for a drive in maserati's handsome stab at market share—it should be a good one.
what's it like inside maserati's first-ever suv? find out with a 360-degree virtual tour.
the bentley bentayga is the most expensive suv. ever.
our first drive goes off-road, while bentley’s styling team runs off the rails.
because everyone needs an overdesigned mall mauler.
drive wire: is this maserati's new suv in the arctic circle?