text:
We Welcome Corporate Accounts and Give Large Discounts on all of our Food Manager Certification for Groups!
Look no farther to find the easiest, most cost-effective and hassle free way to obtain your training.
Provide food safety certification training to your employees for company liability protection!
Earn your food safety manager certification or food safety certification entirely online and at anytime. Look no farther to find the easist, most cost-effective and hassle free way to obtain your Texas food safety manager certification training.
As one of the alcohol and food service industry’s leading providers of state accredited online alcohol and food safety certification courses, Learn2Serve training helps employees, managers & corporate executives ease their liability compliance burdens in a cost effective way. Get a Texas Food Safety Manager Certification Today!
Our Food Manager Certification Examination and Prep Course is a package which includes the food safety manager preparation course and the Texas Department of State Health Services approved Food Protection Manager Exam. When you pass the exam an electronic certificate will be available for print. This course covers food safety manager issues, regulations, and techniques to maintain a food-safe environment.
Enroll Now In the Texas Food Manager Certification course brought to you by America's most Trusted Provider of food manager certification courses!
In lesson 1 you will start with an introduction to food safety by learning what food safety is, the food manager's role in food safety, about HACCP, and then about regulations, permits & inspections.
Lesson 2 covers what biohazards are and an indepth discussion of viruses, parasites and bacteria. Then the course moves to food spoilage and foodborne disease plus common foodborne illnesses.
Lesson 3 covers 3 types of contaminants - Biological, physical and chemical.
In Lesson 4 you will learn about foods and temperature control. This includes potentially hazardous foods, food allergens, preservatives, temperature control and thermometers.
Lesson 5 and 7 cover employee health, hygiene, clothing, perfume, jewelry, etc and then cleaning and sanitation (which include detergents and trash disposal.
Lesson 6 covers purchasing, receiving and storing food while lesson 8 and 9 discuss pest control and facility design.
Finally, lesson 10 covers the HACCP system.
Read about us on the About Us page.
The average salary for food safety manager jobs is $45,000. Average food safety manager salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits.
The Food Manager Certification is recognition that the person has received certification in the safe preparation/storage of food in order to prevent food-borne illnesses. Certification may be obtained by passing a Department of State Health Services approved Texas certified food manager exam.
State Requirements: Texas requires a person in charge of a food establishment to have a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) on premises at all times and demonstrate knowledge of food safety as outlined in FDA Food Code. Taking an approved Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) Training Course and passing an Exam is how to get certified. Local requirements may mandate Food Handler Training and exceed the state's minimum requirements.
As per the Texas Food Establisment Rules §229.163, the person in charge shall demonstrate food safety knowledge by being a certified food protection managaer who has shown profiency of required information through passing a test that is part of an accreditated program. Certificate is valid for 5 years. Para más información, haga clic en el lazo abajo: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/foodestablishments/pdf/FoodHandlerFAQ.pdf .
Our food manager certification exam & prep is a package which includes the Food Manager prep course & the Texas exam. When you score at least 75% on the exam - you can print a certificate. Our prep course covers food safety issues, regulations, and techniques to maintain a food-safe environment.
Our completely online food safety manager certification course provides Texas professional food safety managers an easy, fast moving - but entertaining way to prepare to take the certification exam. What makes our courses special?
Our food safety certification course & exam are powered by Learn2Serve which contains integrated audio, multimedia, video, and testing.
Now is the time to obtain your Texas Food Safety Manager Certification! Online SchoolRoom's course is available at anytime since it's online. It is the the easist, most cost-effective way to obtain your Certification. Enroll now, pass the exam and print your certificate immediately! If you have 5 or more students, we offer even larger discounts and we welcome corporate accounts.
See also Texas food handler page, HACCP page, Learn2Serve page and TABC certification pages. This information is related and could be helpful.
Our affordable online Texas Food Safety Manager Certification course & exam from Learn2Serve is approved by Texas Dept of State Health Services & offers the official Texas Food Manager Certification that's required in Texas. We are a leader in the inustry because of our high-quality preps /exams Get Certified Today! EMPLOYER RECOMMENDED!

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We Welcome Corporate Accounts and Give Large Discounts on all of our Food Manager Certification for Groups !
 Look no farther to find the easiest , most cost - effective and hassle free way to obtain your training .
 Provide food safety certification training to your employees for company liability protection !
 Earn your food safety manager certification or food safety certification entirely online and at anytime . Look no farther to find the easist , most cost - effective and hassle free way to obtain your Texas food safety manager certification training .
 As one of the alcohol and food service industry ’s leading providers of state accredited online alcohol and food safety certification courses , Learn2Serve training helps employees , managers & corporate executives ease their liability compliance burdens in a cost effective way . Get a Texas Food Safety Manager Certification Today !
 Our Food Manager Certification Examination and Prep Course is a package which includes the food safety manager preparation course and the Texas Department of State Health Services approved Food Protection Manager Exam . When you pass the exam an electronic certificate will be available for print . This course covers food safety manager issues , regulations , and techniques to maintain a food - safe environment .
 Enroll Now In the Texas Food Manager Certification course brought to you by America 's most Trusted Provider of food manager certification courses !
 In lesson 1 you will start with an introduction to food safety by learning what food safety is , the food manager 's role in food safety , about HACCP , and then about regulations , permits & inspections .
 Lesson 2 covers what biohazards are and an indepth discussion of viruses , parasites and bacteria . Then the course moves to food spoilage and foodborne disease plus common foodborne illnesses .
 Lesson 3 covers 3 types of contaminants - Biological , physical and chemical .
 In Lesson 4 you will learn about foods and temperature control . This includes potentially hazardous foods , food allergens , preservatives , temperature control and thermometers .
 Lesson 5 and 7 cover employee health , hygiene , clothing , perfume , jewelry , etc and then cleaning and sanitation ( which include detergents and trash disposal .
 Lesson 6 covers purchasing , receiving and storing food while lesson 8 and 9 discuss pest control and facility design .
 Finally , lesson 10 covers the HACCP system .
 Read about us on the About Us page .
 The average salary for food safety manager jobs is $ 45,000 . Average food safety manager salaries can vary greatly due to company , location , industry , experience and benefits .
 The Food Manager Certification is recognition that the person has received certification in the safe preparation / storage of food in order to prevent food - borne illnesses . Certification may be obtained by passing a Department of State Health Services approved Texas certified food manager exam .
 State Requirements : Texas requires a person in charge of a food establishment to have a Certified Food Protection Manager ( CFPM ) on premises at all times and demonstrate knowledge of food safety as outlined in FDA Food Code . Taking an approved Certified Food Protection Manager ( CFPM ) Training Course and passing an Exam is how to get certified . Local requirements may mandate Food Handler Training and exceed the state 's minimum requirements .
 As per the Texas Food Establisment Rules § 229.163 , the person in charge shall demonstrate food safety knowledge by being a certified food protection managaer who has shown profiency of required information through passing a test that is part of an accreditated program . Certificate is valid for 5 years . Para más información , haga clic en el lazo abajo : http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/foodestablishments/pdf/FoodHandlerFAQ.pdf .
 Our food manager certification exam & prep is a package which includes the Food Manager prep course & the Texas exam . When you score at least 75 % on the exam - you can print a certificate . Our prep course covers food safety issues , regulations , and techniques to maintain a food - safe environment .
 Our completely online food safety manager certification course provides Texas professional food safety managers an easy , fast moving - but entertaining way to prepare to take the certification exam . What makes our courses special ?
 Our food safety certification course & exam are powered by Learn2Serve which contains integrated audio , multimedia , video , and testing .
 Now is the time to obtain your Texas Food Safety Manager Certification ! Online SchoolRoom 's course is available at anytime since it 's online . It is the the easist , most cost - effective way to obtain your Certification . Enroll now , pass the exam and print your certificate immediately ! If you have 5 or more students , we offer even larger discounts and we welcome corporate accounts .
 See also Texas food handler page , HACCP page , Learn2Serve page and TABC certification pages . This information is related and could be helpful .
 Our affordable online Texas Food Safety Manager Certification course & exam from Learn2Serve is approved by Texas Dept of State Health Services & offers the official Texas Food Manager Certification that 's required in Texas . We are a leader in the inustry because of our high - quality preps /exams Get Certified Today ! EMPLOYER RECOMMENDED !


text:
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tokenized:
wear parts for crushers in cement manufacture whether using cone crushers , hammer crushers , impellor crushers or vertical shaft impact crushers ; the group can supply wear parts that offer significant cost benefits when compared to conventionally formulated and manufactured components .
 buy stainless steel dust collector equipment , cement mill industrial bag filter from china dust collector equipment for sale of dustfilterbag from china .
 cement mill trunnion bearing parts . johnsmachines machines which i have made , am . i have learnt a lot about ball screws in the past few days . contact us .
 colombian industry machinery manufacturers colombian manufacturers and suppliers of industry machinery from around the world . panjiva uses over 30 international data sources to help you find qualified vendors of colombian industry machinery .
 vertical roller mill parts in cement plants crusher , vertical roller mill parts in cement plants , cement mill , cement raw crusher , cement plant industry , quarry equipment spare parts ; , vertical roller mill .
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text:
Students - this poem is a bit strange, I admit. But I wanted to write a poem, and I was not feeling serious at all. Our cat Mini Monster has very long toe hair, and that got me thinking about all kinds of hair in strange places: on our toes, in our ears, growing from moles, even very long eyebrow hairs. Somehow this man-with-the-sixteen-inch-eyebrow-hair emerged from all of those funny thoughts.
It's fun to allow your brain to take a "silly break" sometimes. You never know what will come from such play. If you'd told me a couple of days ago that I'd be writing a poem about eyebrow hair, I would have laughed. The brain is an unusual country, and it's exciting to explore all of its mountains and valleys.
What can we learn from the eyebrow man?
Be yourself, in all of your beautiful strangeness!
Ken and I got quite a kick out of this poem. We are waiting for the nose hair and ear hair verses!

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Students - this poem is a bit strange , I admit . But I wanted to write a poem , and I was not feeling serious at all . Our cat Mini Monster has very long toe hair , and that got me thinking about all kinds of hair in strange places : on our toes , in our ears , growing from moles , even very long eyebrow hairs . Somehow this man - with - the - sixteen - inch - eyebrow - hair emerged from all of those funny thoughts .
 It 's fun to allow your brain to take a " silly break " sometimes . You never know what will come from such play . If you 'd told me a couple of days ago that I 'd be writing a poem about eyebrow hair , I would have laughed . The brain is an unusual country , and it 's exciting to explore all of its mountains and valleys .
 What can we learn from the eyebrow man ?
 Be yourself , in all of your beautiful strangeness !
 Ken and I got quite a kick out of this poem . We are waiting for the nose hair and ear hair verses !


text:
On this page we have shared the I.Robot Stock Rom (Original firmware) for all I.Robot Smartphone and Tablets.
All the following I.Robot Stock Rom (zip file) contains original I.Robot USB Driver, Flash Tool and the Flash File. After Downloading the firmware, follow the instruction manual to flash the firmware on your device.
[*] After flashing the I.Robot Stock Rom on your device, you may need to flash the IMEI using the IMEI tool provided with the firmware file. If you are going to flash the IMEI, then make sure always flash the Original IMEI that comes with your device.
[*] I.Robot USB Driver: If you are looking for the original USB Driver then head over to the I.Robot USB Driver Page.

tokenized:
On this page we have shared the I.Robot Stock Rom ( Original firmware ) for all I.Robot Smartphone and Tablets .
 All the following I.Robot Stock Rom ( zip file ) contains original I.Robot USB Driver , Flash Tool and the Flash File . After Downloading the firmware , follow the instruction manual to flash the firmware on your device .
 [ * ] After flashing the I.Robot Stock Rom on your device , you may need to flash the IMEI using the IMEI tool provided with the firmware file . If you are going to flash the IMEI , then make sure always flash the Original IMEI that comes with your device .
 [ * ] I.Robot USB Driver : If you are looking for the original USB Driver then head over to the I.Robot USB Driver Page .


text:
Governors are elected for a four-year period. If you are interested in becoming a Parent Governor yourself, then let us know. Do remember that Parent Governors are your voice in decisions about how the school is run.
Contact details of the chair of governing body and chief education officer are available on request from the school office.

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Governors are elected for a four - year period . If you are interested in becoming a Parent Governor yourself , then let us know . Do remember that Parent Governors are your voice in decisions about how the school is run .
 Contact details of the chair of governing body and chief education officer are available on request from the school office .


text:
Matt Danmor thinks he's lucky. Not many people survive a near death accident with nothing more than a bout of amnesia, a touch of clumsiness and the conviction that the technician who did the MRI had grey skin and hooves. Still, it takes time to recover from trauma like that, especially when the girl who was in the accident with you disappears into thin air. Especiallywhen the shrinks keep telling you she's just a figment of your imagination. So when the girl turns up months later looking ravishing, and wanting to carry on where they left off, Matt's troubled life starts looking up. But he hasn't bargained for the baggage that comes with Silvy, like the fact she isn't really an English language student, or even a girl. Underneath her traffic stopping exterior is something else altogether, something involving raving fanatics bent on human sacrifice, dimensionally challenged baked bean tins, a vulture with a penchant for profanity, and a security agent for the Dept of Fimmigration (that's Fae immigration for those of you not in the know) called Kylah with the most amazing gold-flecked eyes The 400 Lb Gorilla is caustic, (vampire-free) introduction to the Hipposync Archives: Contemporary fantasy at its sparkling best.
DC Farmer began writing psycho-thrillers while his children slept. They grew upand so did he. Now he writes contemporary urban fantasy under the umbrella of the Hipposync Archives. When he's not stringing sentences together he still practices medicine; a career which, over the years, has taken him to London, Oxford and Bristol. In 1986, he dropped anchor in West Wales where he now lives with his wife and two dogs, in the shadow of the Black Mountains, making things up as he goes along.
The 400lb. Gorilla 4.3 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 3 reviews.
Matt is met with a horrible accident and considers himself lucky to even have survived that. But, after that accident, things get strange for Matt. His med school education is paused and he now works as a porter in the hospital. There are a couple of people in the hospital, who always seem to give some complications to Matt. And his girlfriend, Silvy, who was at the time of accident, is considered to be a figment of Matt's imagination by the psychologist, as there is no proof that such person existed. As these were not enough, Matt starts seeing strange things in his life. Soon, his life is tangled with some otherworldly beings and Matt has no clue how to take this new journey. The 400lb. Gorilla is a fun and interesting urban fantasy novel. There are so many characters with very different personalities, but well thought out. Matt, Kylah, Porter and Rimsplitter are all adorable. The plot is different than the regular urban fantasy ones and the dialogues are witty. Personally, I loved the snarkiness in the dialogues and enjoyed the journey of the innocent Matt. I kept wondering about the title of the story throughout the book, but I am not going to spoil it for you. It will be interesting when you read it for yourself. Love this and am definitely recommending it to all fantasy lovers. Even if you are not a lover of fantasy, give it a try, as it's something different from the regular ones.
When Matt survives a car accident that leaves him with head trauma, his life takes a down hill turn. He remembers his girlfriend Silvy being in the car but there was no evidence of that, leading his psychiatrist to deduce her as a figment of his imagination. When Matt starts seeing deformed creatures, he just thinks that he is hallucinating. But when Silvy suddenly walks back into his life, he discovers that there is more than hallucinations going on. This was such a great fantasy read. The way the plot was written, I never knew what was coming next. I like that the characters were a mixture of opposites, bringing balance to the structure of the story. With humor throughout, and a bully to contend with, this became a very satisfying read.
The 400 Lb Gorilla is a masterful urban fantasy with plenty of humor, classic allusions, and experienced medical framework. It is the first book in what is said to be a series entitled “The Hipposync Archives,” and it is clear that this fun, witty, and thrilling book is the beginning of a line of texts that are a little bit ‘Dr. Who,’ a little bit ‘Scrubs,’ a little bit Terry Gilliam and Terry Pratchett, and a little bit ‘Dresden Files.’ When Matt Danmor survives an accident he remembers very little of, and his rocky relationship ends with his girlfriend disappearing, he is shocked when she shows up again with an intense fear of iron and an intense love of kissing. There begins a terrifying adventure to discover his new trans-dimensional self where creatures both literal and spiritual are all vying to kill and digest him before he is able to do it himself. With fun characters, dizzying trips in and out of reality, trans dimensional travel, and bureaucracy that is… well… actually, hilariously similar to real life, Jones takes us on a fantastic adventure that opens a new staggering wonder that could occur in everyday life if only by chance. What is most impressive to me about this book is its mastery of humor and execution. It is a tightly woven plot that is just as fun to get through as it is to marvel at his occasional fun turns of phrase. There are a few kitschy similes, but that adds to the humor and charm of the piece. His allusions throughout are wonderful for fanboys of classicism, but like Rowling one doesn’t need a background in it to still enjoy the book. The book is well written, organized, designed, and edited, and it is refreshing that this small press release is so well executed from beginning to end.

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Matt Danmor thinks he 's lucky . Not many people survive a near death accident with nothing more than a bout of amnesia , a touch of clumsiness and the conviction that the technician who did the MRI had grey skin and hooves . Still , it takes time to recover from trauma like that , especially when the girl who was in the accident with you disappears into thin air . Especiallywhen the shrinks keep telling you she 's just a figment of your imagination . So when the girl turns up months later looking ravishing , and wanting to carry on where they left off , Matt 's troubled life starts looking up . But he has n't bargained for the baggage that comes with Silvy , like the fact she is n't really an English language student , or even a girl . Underneath her traffic stopping exterior is something else altogether , something involving raving fanatics bent on human sacrifice , dimensionally challenged baked bean tins , a vulture with a penchant for profanity , and a security agent for the Dept of Fimmigration ( that 's Fae immigration for those of you not in the know ) called Kylah with the most amazing gold - flecked eyes The 400 Lb Gorilla is caustic , ( vampire - free ) introduction to the Hipposync Archives : Contemporary fantasy at its sparkling best .
 DC Farmer began writing psycho - thrillers while his children slept . They grew upand so did he . Now he writes contemporary urban fantasy under the umbrella of the Hipposync Archives . When he 's not stringing sentences together he still practices medicine ; a career which , over the years , has taken him to London , Oxford and Bristol . In 1986 , he dropped anchor in West Wales where he now lives with his wife and two dogs , in the shadow of the Black Mountains , making things up as he goes along .
 The 400 lb . Gorilla 4.3 out of 5 based on 0 ratings . 3 reviews .
 Matt is met with a horrible accident and considers himself lucky to even have survived that . But , after that accident , things get strange for Matt . His med school education is paused and he now works as a porter in the hospital . There are a couple of people in the hospital , who always seem to give some complications to Matt . And his girlfriend , Silvy , who was at the time of accident , is considered to be a figment of Matt 's imagination by the psychologist , as there is no proof that such person existed . As these were not enough , Matt starts seeing strange things in his life . Soon , his life is tangled with some otherworldly beings and Matt has no clue how to take this new journey . The 400 lb . Gorilla is a fun and interesting urban fantasy novel . There are so many characters with very different personalities , but well thought out . Matt , Kylah , Porter and Rimsplitter are all adorable . The plot is different than the regular urban fantasy ones and the dialogues are witty . Personally , I loved the snarkiness in the dialogues and enjoyed the journey of the innocent Matt . I kept wondering about the title of the story throughout the book , but I am not going to spoil it for you . It will be interesting when you read it for yourself . Love this and am definitely recommending it to all fantasy lovers . Even if you are not a lover of fantasy , give it a try , as it 's something different from the regular ones .
 When Matt survives a car accident that leaves him with head trauma , his life takes a down hill turn . He remembers his girlfriend Silvy being in the car but there was no evidence of that , leading his psychiatrist to deduce her as a figment of his imagination . When Matt starts seeing deformed creatures , he just thinks that he is hallucinating . But when Silvy suddenly walks back into his life , he discovers that there is more than hallucinations going on . This was such a great fantasy read . The way the plot was written , I never knew what was coming next . I like that the characters were a mixture of opposites , bringing balance to the structure of the story . With humor throughout , and a bully to contend with , this became a very satisfying read .
 The 400 Lb Gorilla is a masterful urban fantasy with plenty of humor , classic allusions , and experienced medical framework . It is the first book in what is said to be a series entitled & ldquo;The Hipposync Archives,&rdquo ; and it is clear that this fun , witty , and thrilling book is the beginning of a line of texts that are a little bit & lsquo;Dr . Who,&rsquo ; a little bit & lsquo;Scrubs,&rsquo ; a little bit Terry Gilliam and Terry Pratchett , and a little bit & lsquo;Dresden Files.&rsquo ; When Matt Danmor survives an accident he remembers very little of , and his rocky relationship ends with his girlfriend disappearing , he is shocked when she shows up again with an intense fear of iron and an intense love of kissing . There begins a terrifying adventure to discover his new trans - dimensional self where creatures both literal and spiritual are all vying to kill and digest him before he is able to do it himself . With fun characters , dizzying trips in and out of reality , trans dimensional travel , and bureaucracy that is&hellip ; well&hellip ; actually , hilariously similar to real life , Jones takes us on a fantastic adventure that opens a new staggering wonder that could occur in everyday life if only by chance . What is most impressive to me about this book is its mastery of humor and execution . It is a tightly woven plot that is just as fun to get through as it is to marvel at his occasional fun turns of phrase . There are a few kitschy similes , but that adds to the humor and charm of the piece . His allusions throughout are wonderful for fanboys of classicism , but like Rowling one doesn’t need a background in it to still enjoy the book . The book is well written , organized , designed , and edited , and it is refreshing that this small press release is so well executed from beginning to end .


text: Suicide Squad is the next DC Comics film to hit the big screen (Warner Bros. have years of DC films planned) and is due out August 5. March's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice raked in the cash, but got a very split response from fans and critics. Hopefully Suicide Squad, which features a team of super villains brought together by the government to combat a greater evil, will get a better reception. To help get fans amped, today the film's soundtrack has been announced. As many major film soundtracks tend to be, it's a bit of a mixed bag of artists and one off collaborations, but it does promise a new song by Grimes. There's also a collaboration between Action Bronson and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys that features Mark Ronson. The soundtrack is also due out August 5. A video for the Skrillex and Rick Ross collaboration, "Purple Lamborghini," will feature Jared Leto as The Joker. The full tracklist is below, followed by the film's trailer.

tokenized: Suicide Squad is the next DC Comics film to hit the big screen ( Warner Bros. have years of DC films planned ) and is due out August 5 . March 's Batman V Superman : Dawn of Justice raked in the cash , but got a very split response from fans and critics . Hopefully Suicide Squad , which features a team of super villains brought together by the government to combat a greater evil , will get a better reception . To help get fans amped , today the film 's soundtrack has been announced . As many major film soundtracks tend to be , it 's a bit of a mixed bag of artists and one off collaborations , but it does promise a new song by Grimes . There 's also a collaboration between Action Bronson and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys that features Mark Ronson . The soundtrack is also due out August 5 . A video for the Skrillex and Rick Ross collaboration , " Purple Lamborghini , " will feature Jared Leto as The Joker . The full tracklist is below , followed by the film 's trailer .


text:
Emerson, Marley and Georgia met at a weight-loss camp when they were teenagers. Years later, the morbidly obese Emerson asks to see them because her body is shutting down. She wants them to complete a list they wrote when they were younger – things they would do when they became skinny, such as eating dessert in public or having a guy buy them a drink. Both Marley and Georgia still deal with their weight issues every day. Marley, a personal chef, has her eye on a cute firefighter and still feels guilty about her twin sister’s death, while lawyer turned kindy teacher Georgia is focused on making sure her nephew is ok and wondering why she ever let her wonderfully understanding husband Rafe get away.
This is an emotional – but perhaps a bit too long - story about insecurities, self-acceptance and the bonds of friendship. You can really feel Emerson’s pain in the letters she penned to her thinner self.
Wedding dress designer Jenny is moving back to her hometown. She’s trying to escape her ex-husband, Owen, his new perfect wife, and their beautiful new baby. Despite Jenny’s ex-husband’s insistence that they stay best friends, Jenny knows that spending every weekend with her ex’s family is not helping her to move on. She starts a new business and finds herself drawn to her landlord, Leo. Rachel, Jenny’s sister, is married to a handsome lawyer and has beautiful triplet daughters. Rachel’s life explodes when she finds her husband’s text messages to a colleague. Rachel always thought she knew what she would do if she was ever faced with infidelity, but the desire to keep her family intact has Rachel prepared to forgive.
Colleen O'Rourke enjoys her life as the feisty town matchmaker. She thrives on giving love advice to all the patrons of the bar she co-owns with her twin brother. Colleen swore off relationships after her heart was broken 10 years ago by her high school boyfriend, Lucas Campbell. Since then, Colleen is happy flirting with the town locals and the occasional fling.
Lucas Campbell had a tragic childhood and was sent to live with his aunt and uncle after his father went to jail. His life took a positive turn when he met Colleen. Even though they were young, he knew she was the girl he would marry. They stayed together through college, but a horrible misunderstanding resulted in their break-up. Colleen stayed in their small town and Lucas moved away and married someone else. Lucas, now divorced, returns home when his uncle becomes ill. Colleen is determined not to get her heart broken again by Lucas. She tries to keep her distance but their past is hard to escape.
Picking up from The Best Man, we get to know another sister in the Holland family: flinty, controlled Honor. When she decides that she's in her mid-thirties and it's time to get married, she proposes to a man with whom she has had an on-again, off-again (more off than on) fling since college. He turns her down, which sends Honor back to the drawing board. Fortunately, her grandmother lines up a blind date with Tom Barlowe, a gorgeous British professor. These two do not hit it off straight away, but they discover that they can help each other out: Honor wants a husband and children, and Tom wants a green card. So maybe they should have a marriage of convenience.
On a beautiful day in June, Faith Holland was set to marry her high school sweetheart. Jeremy was the perfect man - handsome, loving and he adored Faith. He had a future in the NFL but gave it all up to become a doctor and practise medicine in their small hometown in New York. Faith wore a gorgeous dress and carried perfect pink roses. They stood before the minister and everything was perfect until Jeremy announced he couldn't marry Faith.
Years later, after living in Colorado, Faith finally returns to her hometown to be with her family and help out their winery. She is ready to put the past behind her and move on. Faith finds an apartment that is unfortunately next to Levi Cooper, the local police chief and best friend of Jeremy. While Jeremy was always gentle and loving, Levi was always difficult and rough around the edges. Faith has always blamed Levi for Jeremy cancelling the wedding and the harder she tries to avoid Levi, the more sparks fly between the two.
Parker Welles, a single mum and daughter of a wealthy businessman, is devastated when her father loses the entire family fortune in an insider trading scheme. Parker's first trip is to Gideon's Cove, Maine, to sell a house that she believes will be a beautiful ocean mansion. Her father's attorney, James Cahill, accompanies her on the trip.
When the two arrive at Gideon's Cove, they quickly learn that the house is a dilapidated nightmare in need of major repair. James sticks around and helps Parker fix up the house. Although James and Parker had a steamy encounter years ago, Parker now views James as solely her father's wingman. Parker and James work extremely hard to fight any feelings towards each other, however, as they spend so much time together repairing the house, the attraction seems inevitable.
Divorce attorney Harper James lives on the small island of Martha's Vineyard. In the opening chapter she has prepared a quick, blunt and not very romantic proposal speech to her macho fireman boyfriend, Dennis (she has even brought her own ring). Of course as Harper likes to (read: needs to) have control over most parts of her life, she also has a list ready to give to Dennis of all the things she requires him to change once he says "yes".
Unfortunately for Harper, life, like this moment, does not go according to plan. Just as Dennis starts freaking out about the idea of lifetime commitment, Harper receives a phone call from her baby sister, Willa, and two-time divorcee, who announces that she is indeed getting married for a third time - and to top it off, Willa is marrying Harper's ex-husband's brother, Christopher.
In shock, Harper agrees to put her own proposal to Dennis on hold and set out to Montana to witness or stop, depending on who you are and what your agenda may be, the wedding of Willa and Chris. In a somewhat predictable yet always enjoyable string of events, Harper comes face to face with her ex-husband, Nick, and a past that she's been running away from for 10 years. What happens when a power outage finally forces Harper to stop running away and puts her back in the arms of her "one and only" on a cross-country trip as they make their way home from Montana to the east coast?
Death has always been a sensitive topic for Lucy Lang. Except for her sister Corinne, all the women in the family have become widows at young ages. Lucy was only 24 when the love of her life, Jimmy, died in a car accident. Five years have passed, and now Lucy wants to get back on the dating scene, and form a family of her own. But it turns out things aren't quite as easy as that. A combination of bad dates, panic attacks, career opportunities, a man who looks exactly like her husband, and her always caring brother-in-law Ethan, means Lucy is in an utter mess.
In sixth grade, she was already dating a cute guy named Tyler, whose family owned a horse ranch. At 15, her boyfriend Jack was the son of a restaurant owner. In college, she was with romantic Frenchman Jean Phillipe. But there was one thing these guys have in common - they don't even exist! Faking a boyfriend is nothing new to Grace Emerson - she sees it as an essential survival skill.
Thirty-one-year-old Chastity O'Neil has just moved back to her beautiful hometown in Eaton Falls, secured a job as editor of a local newspaper, and is just one single step away from her dream of getting married and settling down. Growing up in a family of four older fire-fighter brothers has made her just like one of guys - both in appearance and behaviour, which makes it a little hard for her to get back to the dating scene. All hope is not lost when Chastity catches the attention of handsome trauma surgeon Ryan Darling while attending a self-defence class with her mother. However, in spite of her new romance, her heart still longs for her first love, Trevor.
All Maggie Beaumont yearns for is just a decent guy who will stand by her and be a good father to her future kids. Despite being the owner of the sole restaurant in her Maine town, accepting any sorts of blind dates and eagerly volunteering and organising fundraisers, Maggie just can't seem to find The One.
For 15 years, Millie Barnes has never, for a single moment, stopped thinking about her high school crush Joe Carpenter, despite trading nothing more than a few polite nods. Now 29 years old, with her medical residency finally coming to an end, Millie is moving back to the Cape and one step closer to the man of her dreams.

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Emerson , Marley and Georgia met at a weight - loss camp when they were teenagers . Years later , the morbidly obese Emerson asks to see them because her body is shutting down . She wants them to complete a list they wrote when they were younger – things they would do when they became skinny , such as eating dessert in public or having a guy buy them a drink . Both Marley and Georgia still deal with their weight issues every day . Marley , a personal chef , has her eye on a cute firefighter and still feels guilty about her twin sister ’s death , while lawyer turned kindy teacher Georgia is focused on making sure her nephew is ok and wondering why she ever let her wonderfully understanding husband Rafe get away .
 This is an emotional – but perhaps a bit too long - story about insecurities , self - acceptance and the bonds of friendship . You can really feel Emerson ’s pain in the letters she penned to her thinner self .
 Wedding dress designer Jenny is moving back to her hometown . She ’s trying to escape her ex - husband , Owen , his new perfect wife , and their beautiful new baby . Despite Jenny ’s ex - husband ’s insistence that they stay best friends , Jenny knows that spending every weekend with her ex ’s family is not helping her to move on . She starts a new business and finds herself drawn to her landlord , Leo . Rachel , Jenny ’s sister , is married to a handsome lawyer and has beautiful triplet daughters . Rachel ’s life explodes when she finds her husband ’s text messages to a colleague . Rachel always thought she knew what she would do if she was ever faced with infidelity , but the desire to keep her family intact has Rachel prepared to forgive .
 Colleen O'Rourke enjoys her life as the feisty town matchmaker . She thrives on giving love advice to all the patrons of the bar she co - owns with her twin brother . Colleen swore off relationships after her heart was broken 10 years ago by her high school boyfriend , Lucas Campbell . Since then , Colleen is happy flirting with the town locals and the occasional fling .
 Lucas Campbell had a tragic childhood and was sent to live with his aunt and uncle after his father went to jail . His life took a positive turn when he met Colleen . Even though they were young , he knew she was the girl he would marry . They stayed together through college , but a horrible misunderstanding resulted in their break - up . Colleen stayed in their small town and Lucas moved away and married someone else . Lucas , now divorced , returns home when his uncle becomes ill . Colleen is determined not to get her heart broken again by Lucas . She tries to keep her distance but their past is hard to escape .
 Picking up from The Best Man , we get to know another sister in the Holland family : flinty , controlled Honor . When she decides that she 's in her mid - thirties and it 's time to get married , she proposes to a man with whom she has had an on - again , off - again ( more off than on ) fling since college . He turns her down , which sends Honor back to the drawing board . Fortunately , her grandmother lines up a blind date with Tom Barlowe , a gorgeous British professor . These two do not hit it off straight away , but they discover that they can help each other out : Honor wants a husband and children , and Tom wants a green card . So maybe they should have a marriage of convenience .
 On a beautiful day in June , Faith Holland was set to marry her high school sweetheart . Jeremy was the perfect man - handsome , loving and he adored Faith . He had a future in the NFL but gave it all up to become a doctor and practise medicine in their small hometown in New York . Faith wore a gorgeous dress and carried perfect pink roses . They stood before the minister and everything was perfect until Jeremy announced he could n't marry Faith .
 Years later , after living in Colorado , Faith finally returns to her hometown to be with her family and help out their winery . She is ready to put the past behind her and move on . Faith finds an apartment that is unfortunately next to Levi Cooper , the local police chief and best friend of Jeremy . While Jeremy was always gentle and loving , Levi was always difficult and rough around the edges . Faith has always blamed Levi for Jeremy cancelling the wedding and the harder she tries to avoid Levi , the more sparks fly between the two .
 Parker Welles , a single mum and daughter of a wealthy businessman , is devastated when her father loses the entire family fortune in an insider trading scheme . Parker 's first trip is to Gideon 's Cove , Maine , to sell a house that she believes will be a beautiful ocean mansion . Her father 's attorney , James Cahill , accompanies her on the trip .
 When the two arrive at Gideon 's Cove , they quickly learn that the house is a dilapidated nightmare in need of major repair . James sticks around and helps Parker fix up the house . Although James and Parker had a steamy encounter years ago , Parker now views James as solely her father 's wingman . Parker and James work extremely hard to fight any feelings towards each other , however , as they spend so much time together repairing the house , the attraction seems inevitable .
 Divorce attorney Harper James lives on the small island of Martha 's Vineyard . In the opening chapter she has prepared a quick , blunt and not very romantic proposal speech to her macho fireman boyfriend , Dennis ( she has even brought her own ring ) . Of course as Harper likes to ( read : needs to ) have control over most parts of her life , she also has a list ready to give to Dennis of all the things she requires him to change once he says " yes " .
 Unfortunately for Harper , life , like this moment , does not go according to plan . Just as Dennis starts freaking out about the idea of lifetime commitment , Harper receives a phone call from her baby sister , Willa , and two - time divorcee , who announces that she is indeed getting married for a third time - and to top it off , Willa is marrying Harper 's ex - husband 's brother , Christopher .
 In shock , Harper agrees to put her own proposal to Dennis on hold and set out to Montana to witness or stop , depending on who you are and what your agenda may be , the wedding of Willa and Chris . In a somewhat predictable yet always enjoyable string of events , Harper comes face to face with her ex - husband , Nick , and a past that she 's been running away from for 10 years . What happens when a power outage finally forces Harper to stop running away and puts her back in the arms of her " one and only " on a cross - country trip as they make their way home from Montana to the east coast ?
 Death has always been a sensitive topic for Lucy Lang . Except for her sister Corinne , all the women in the family have become widows at young ages . Lucy was only 24 when the love of her life , Jimmy , died in a car accident . Five years have passed , and now Lucy wants to get back on the dating scene , and form a family of her own . But it turns out things are n't quite as easy as that . A combination of bad dates , panic attacks , career opportunities , a man who looks exactly like her husband , and her always caring brother - in - law Ethan , means Lucy is in an utter mess .
 In sixth grade , she was already dating a cute guy named Tyler , whose family owned a horse ranch . At 15 , her boyfriend Jack was the son of a restaurant owner . In college , she was with romantic Frenchman Jean Phillipe . But there was one thing these guys have in common - they do n't even exist ! Faking a boyfriend is nothing new to Grace Emerson - she sees it as an essential survival skill .
 Thirty - one - year - old Chastity O'Neil has just moved back to her beautiful hometown in Eaton Falls , secured a job as editor of a local newspaper , and is just one single step away from her dream of getting married and settling down . Growing up in a family of four older fire - fighter brothers has made her just like one of guys - both in appearance and behaviour , which makes it a little hard for her to get back to the dating scene . All hope is not lost when Chastity catches the attention of handsome trauma surgeon Ryan Darling while attending a self - defence class with her mother . However , in spite of her new romance , her heart still longs for her first love , Trevor .
 All Maggie Beaumont yearns for is just a decent guy who will stand by her and be a good father to her future kids . Despite being the owner of the sole restaurant in her Maine town , accepting any sorts of blind dates and eagerly volunteering and organising fundraisers , Maggie just ca n't seem to find The One .
 For 15 years , Millie Barnes has never , for a single moment , stopped thinking about her high school crush Joe Carpenter , despite trading nothing more than a few polite nods . Now 29 years old , with her medical residency finally coming to an end , Millie is moving back to the Cape and one step closer to the man of her dreams .


text:
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tokenized:
All content on this blog is Copyright © Daniel “ CosmicDan ” Connolly unless otherwise specified ( either below , at the bottom of the page via references , or within close proximity to the content in question ) .
 All product names , logos , trademarks and brands are property of their respective owners . All company , product and service names used in this site are for identification purposes only . Use of these names , logos , trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement .


text:
What controls us? Is it Fear? Anger? Hope? Every day these emotions influence our decisions, some more than others. Wren Burton, one of the top architects in Chicago, has never let anything stand in the way of providing a better life for her family, but those choices haven’t been without sacrifice. And when the power shuts down across the city, which submerges the masses into chaos and cuts her family in half, tough decisions are only the beginning.
This is the Kindle version of Static: White Noise- An EMP Thriller- Book 0 that you can also download and read on your computer and mobile phone. Kindle books are DRM protected and therefore, unlike ebooks that are in PDF or ePUB format, you cannot read this ebook without the official Kindle apps.

tokenized:
What controls us ? Is it Fear ? Anger ? Hope ? Every day these emotions influence our decisions , some more than others . Wren Burton , one of the top architects in Chicago , has never let anything stand in the way of providing a better life for her family , but those choices have n’t been without sacrifice . And when the power shuts down across the city , which submerges the masses into chaos and cuts her family in half , tough decisions are only the beginning .
 This is the Kindle version of Static : White Noise- An EMP Thriller- Book 0 that you can also download and read on your computer and mobile phone . Kindle books are DRM protected and therefore , unlike ebooks that are in PDF or ePUB format , you can not read this ebook without the official Kindle apps .


text:
There’s a trick question that rabbis and religious school teachers sometimes like to ask in order to stump their congregants and their students. But I bet there are plenty of you who will get the right answer even though it is sort of tricky. Ready?
Yes, some of you got it – the answer is Shabbat.
Of course, Yom Kippur is very important too. And, our little quiz notwithstanding, we all know very well that Yom Kippur --– and especially the Kol Nidre service that inaugurates it --- is when many synagogues will have their biggest attendance.
What is it that draws us here on this night of all nights?
My sense is that what draws us to shul for Yom Kippur is that this is the day each year when, as a Jewish community, we most powerfully confront our sense of mortality.
Indeed, the language of the ritual confession or “vidui” that is recited at the bedside of a person who is near death is similar to the language of the vidui prayer of the minchah (afternoon service) for Erev Yom Kippur, which I personally recited just a few hours ago.
And the white kittel that I’m wearing to lead services is intended to remind us of a burial shroud.
Kol Nidre night may pull us into shul because it reminds us that we have a limited time on this earth. We can never know with absolute certainty what tomorrow will bring.
So it is today/hayom that we must rededicate ourselves to being better partners with God in the healing and repair of our world; and in the healing and repair of ourselves.
In Hebrew the same word “avodah” means both “worship” and “service.” The two are inextricably linked. Our worship – in prayer and song and public reading of scripture – should lead us to service. That is the message of this awesome day.
I’m hoping we will pay particular attention this year to a verse from the Yom Kippur afternoon Torah portion, Leviticus 19:16 to be precise: There we learn -- “lo ta’amod al dam reyekha”/ “do not stand idly by your neighbor’s blood.” (Lev. 19:16).
The Talmud explains that the commandment “do not stand idly by your neighbor’s blood” means that we must not stand and watch a person die when we can do something to save them.
This is a lesson that too few people understood as the Shoah unfolded in the 1930’s and 40’s. This is a lesson that too few people understood as genocide took place in Rwanda in the 1990’s. And nine years ago on Kol Nidre night I was speaking to the congregation in my former congregation in Plattsburgh, NY about not standing idly by while the people of Darfur in western Sudan were being massacred by the central government of their own country.
Growing up, and inculcated with the values I absorbed in my own Jewish upbringing, I accepted the notion that the Shoah was totally unique in world history. I no longer agree with that idea. Genocide is genocide, and it makes no difference that in the particular case of the Jewish people during the Nazi era it was the work of white Europeans….
I feel I need to mention this because a congregant who I respect very much challenged me a couple of weeks ago when I first mentioned from the bima that I was opposed to President Obama’s plan to bomb Syria. One of the offhand comments I had made at the time was that this was a Syrian civil war, and that Assad was not attacking or threatening to attack the United States (or Israel for that matter).
But then he said to me: Well, if the Syrians who were being gassed were Jews would that be different? My instinctive, even reflexive, response to him at that moment was that, yes, that would be different because we, as Jews, have a special responsibility to other Jews. So, in that sense, it would be as if we ourselves were, in fact, being attacked so that this would no longer be just a Syrian internal civil conflict. He then responded that our responsibility really should be to all of humanity.
Okay, so let me clarify the reflexive answer I gave to him two weeks ago. And that congregant – He told me I could identify him – was none other than our Temple president Tom Griggs --- who I do indeed respect very much.
So I want to state, “for the record” that yes, I do believe that “lo ta’amod al dam reyekha” / “do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor” DOES apply to all of our neighbors on this planet of ours, and that includes the innocent dead of Syria.
“[…] Congressional delegations, special envoys and humanitarian agencies send back or bring back horror-filled reports from the scene. A million human beings, young and old, have been uprooted, deported. Scores of women are being raped every day, children are dying of disease hunger and violence.
“How can a citizen of a free country not pay attention? How can anyone, anywhere not feel outraged? How can a person, whether religious or secular, not be moved by compassion? And above all, how can anyone who remembers remain silent?
“As a Jew who does not compare any event to the Holocaust, I feel concerned and challenged by the Sudanese tragedy. We must be involved. How can we reproach the indifference of non-Jews to Jewish suffering if we remain indifferent to another people's plight?
“It happened in Cambodia, then in former Yugoslavia, and in Rwanda, now in Sudan. Asia, Europe, Africa: Three continents have become prisons, killing fields and cemeteries for countless innocent, defenseless populations. Will the plague be allowed to spread?
"Lo taamod al dam réakha" is a Biblical commandment. "Thou shall not stand idly by the shedding of the blood of thy fellow man." The word is not "akhikha," thy Jewish brother, but "réakha," thy fellow human being, be he or she Jewish or not. All are entitled to live with dignity and hope. All are entitled to live without fear and pain.
“Not to assist Sudan's victims today would for me be unworthy of what I have learned from my teachers, my ancestors and my friends, namely that God alone is alone: His creatures must not be.
“What pains and hurts me most now is the simultaneity of events. While we sit here and discuss how to behave morally, both individually and collectively, over there, in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan, human beings kill and die.
“Should the Sudanese victims feel abandoned and neglected, it would be our fault - and perhaps our guilt.
“That's why we must intervene.
The bloodshed has been going on in Syria for two years already --- or decades – if you want to think of the larger picture of the violent repressive nature of the State led now by Bashar Assad and formerly by his father Hafez Assad.
But even if we limit ourselves to the current civil conflict there, we are faced with the fact that atrocities are being committed on both sides, and great moral ambiguity exists regarding the pros and cons of any particular solutions to the conflict. What we do know is that over 100,000 Syrians have died in the last two years of fighting, and that MILLIONS of Syrians have fled the country as refugees.
And the question remains: What is to be done?
But on this Yom Kippur 5774, I’m sensing other ways in which today feels like Yom Ke-Purim/ A Day Like Purim. In Megillat Esther there are dizzying twists and turns of plot---- so too this High Holiday season. We’ve gone from the brink of attacking Syria to a new attempt at diplomacy in ways we would not have anticipated less than a week ago. And, depending on your interpretation of recent events, President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have been as inept as King Achashverosh or as astute as Mordechai in their handling of the situation.
But that’s the subject of another sermon….
In any event, all the Purimesque plot twists of the past couple of weeks have been particularly challenging for rabbis like me who have been trying to write our High Holiday sermons.
My first reaction when President Obama started pushing the idea of attacking Syria was impatience with him for getting tripped up in a “red line” of his own making. But then again, I too find myself tripped up by my own self-imposed “red line” of wanting to do a current-events oriented talk from the bima tonight.
In truth, I often feel that way when trying to make connections between Jewish teachings, liturgy and scripture and political issues of the day. From my perspective, Judaism is multi-voiced and the Jewish people are politically diverse. And my general sense is that any of you can read the New York Times or listen to NPR just as well as I can. And this week in particular, I’ve been dealing with data overload – TMI – too much information --- as I’ve been seizing onto every new blog post, news report and op-ed essay to try to help me understand what’s going on in Syria and what should be done about it. It has gotten to the point where I have so many news articles and listserve posts from colleagues weighing in on Syria that all these resources have just blurred together and have pretty much become useless to me. So, I’ll just have to try to give you an impressionistic account of my thinking on the subject and see if I can try to couch it in some Jewish teaching appropriate for the holiday.
Viscerally, I’m reminded of the events of 9-11 and their aftermath. We marked the anniversary of that awful day just yesterday. Back then I found myself glued to media reports of the ongoing rush of new developments in the same way that I’ve been doing so in the last couple of weeks about the possibility of the US attacking Syria.
The attacks on New York City and Washington, DC and the plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania that was headed to Washington --- took place 12 years ago, but we still, as a nation, carry within ourselves the trauma of that day. If we are reluctant to confront Assad militarily over his use of chemical weapons, the reluctance comes in part from our knowing that Assad’s opponents include significant numbers of extremists allied to the terrorist group that targeted us on 9-11.
And our reluctance comes from remembering the costly and destabilizing legacy of the Iraq War that President George W. Bush instigated in large part by using the events of 9-11 as a phony pretext.
And our reluctance comes from remembering how that war was sold to us as a limited action and so we don’t trust the current administration when it says it too wants authorization only for a limited action.
And we’re confused about what this supposedly limited action is supposed to entail --- more than a pinprick but less than a regime change --- with no real sense of what that actually would entail.
And how can it not turn out to be a slippery slope to being fully mired in a civil war that is not our own?
And our reluctance comes from knowing that there are so many “nation building” needs right here at home that compete for our attention and our dollars.
What is there to say? My first instinct has been the same as that of many others, both Republicans and Democrats: that President Obama’s plan to attack Syria has been more about proving our toughness than about achieving cogent goals. Assad is a brutal dictator, but a US attack on his forces would be an act of aggression against a nation that has neither attacked us nor threatened to attack us.
All for what? To defend a “rule of warfare” not to use chemical weapons. Yes, the President made a poignant case on national television and radio Wednesday night about the horrors of poison gas. But to my mind he didn’t manage to make a sensible case for how this is qualitatively worse than the horrors of conventional warfare that has killed over 100 times as many Syrians. And to my mind he didn’t make a convincing case as to how adding American attacks to the mix would increase the likelihood of peace or even how it would decrease the likelihood of Assad using chemical weapons if in fact we’re NOT looking to oust Assad altogether and we’re not attempting to destroy the chemical weapons themselves – for we know that any such attempt would simply release them into the air and cause the very harms we’re trying to prevent.
I’m very thankful that there is now a reasonable possibility that the current impasse over chemical weapons and red lines will be resolved without sending American bombs into the midst of the Syrian Civil War. The Russians have given us a diplomatic way out. I’m sure that President Putin’s motives include a general desire to increase Russian influence in the World in general and the Middle East in particular. But, however Machiavellian his motives may be, my gut sense is that --- yes – he, with his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are very much serving the cause of peace.
And I give a lot of credit to both President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry for switching course to give the diplomatic effort the best possible shot at success.
Of course, a number of pundits have suggested that this course change suits President Obama just fine. The resolution of support he was seeking in Congress was poised to fail, and there is that suspicion all around that he was backed into a corner by his own red lines.
Whatever the motivations, and whether all this was planned or serendipitous -- Let us hope and pray for the success of these diplomatic efforts.
And further, let us hope and pray for the welfare of all of the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
Meanwhile, there are various organizations working to assist Syrian refugees. Many of us just a few months ago attended a fundraising dinner organized by the Islamic Center of the Twin Ports and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth for Syrian refugee relief.
Better than bombs, we can still contribute to such organizations as: CARE, Unicef, Doctors Without Borders or other groups that are trying to address what the World Health Organization has called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. I hope you will consider doing so as I have personally done earlier this week.
Just remember that even if Syria signs on to the international convention of chemical weapons, and even if those weapons are put under international control and destroyed --- that doesn’t mean that the Syrian crisis will have been resolved. Far from it.
Psalm 34, one of the biblical passages that we often include in our Shabbat morning service charges us:בַּקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם וְרָדְפֵהוּ. – Seek peace and chase after it. May those who are pursuing peace be crowned with success in their efforts.
And, in the meantime, amidst all the work that needs to be done in our own city, our own state, and our own country, may we nevertheless not stand idly by as the crisis that engulfs Syria continues to unfold.
Gmar chatimah tovah v’tzom kal/ I wish you all a good sealing in the Book of Life, and an easy fast.

tokenized:
There ’s a trick question that rabbis and religious school teachers sometimes like to ask in order to stump their congregants and their students . But I bet there are plenty of you who will get the right answer even though it is sort of tricky . Ready ?
 Yes , some of you got it – the answer is Shabbat .
 Of course , Yom Kippur is very important too . And , our little quiz notwithstanding , we all know very well that Yom Kippur -- – and especially the Kol Nidre service that inaugurates it --- is when many synagogues will have their biggest attendance .
 What is it that draws us here on this night of all nights ?
 My sense is that what draws us to shul for Yom Kippur is that this is the day each year when , as a Jewish community , we most powerfully confront our sense of mortality .
 Indeed , the language of the ritual confession or “ vidui ” that is recited at the bedside of a person who is near death is similar to the language of the vidui prayer of the minchah ( afternoon service ) for Erev Yom Kippur , which I personally recited just a few hours ago .
 And the white kittel that I ’m wearing to lead services is intended to remind us of a burial shroud .
 Kol Nidre night may pull us into shul because it reminds us that we have a limited time on this earth . We can never know with absolute certainty what tomorrow will bring .
 So it is today / hayom that we must rededicate ourselves to being better partners with God in the healing and repair of our world ; and in the healing and repair of ourselves .
 In Hebrew the same word “ avodah ” means both “ worship ” and “ service . ” The two are inextricably linked . Our worship – in prayer and song and public reading of scripture – should lead us to service . That is the message of this awesome day .
 I ’m hoping we will pay particular attention this year to a verse from the Yom Kippur afternoon Torah portion , Leviticus 19:16 to be precise : There we learn -- “ lo ta’amod al dam reyekha”/ “ do not stand idly by your neighbor ’s blood . ” ( Lev . 19:16 ) .
 The Talmud explains that the commandment “ do not stand idly by your neighbor ’s blood ” means that we must not stand and watch a person die when we can do something to save them .
 This is a lesson that too few people understood as the Shoah unfolded in the 1930 ’s and 40 ’s . This is a lesson that too few people understood as genocide took place in Rwanda in the 1990 ’s . And nine years ago on Kol Nidre night I was speaking to the congregation in my former congregation in Plattsburgh , NY about not standing idly by while the people of Darfur in western Sudan were being massacred by the central government of their own country .
 Growing up , and inculcated with the values I absorbed in my own Jewish upbringing , I accepted the notion that the Shoah was totally unique in world history . I no longer agree with that idea . Genocide is genocide , and it makes no difference that in the particular case of the Jewish people during the Nazi era it was the work of white Europeans … .
 I feel I need to mention this because a congregant who I respect very much challenged me a couple of weeks ago when I first mentioned from the bima that I was opposed to President Obama ’s plan to bomb Syria . One of the offhand comments I had made at the time was that this was a Syrian civil war , and that Assad was not attacking or threatening to attack the United States ( or Israel for that matter ) .
 But then he said to me : Well , if the Syrians who were being gassed were Jews would that be different ? My instinctive , even reflexive , response to him at that moment was that , yes , that would be different because we , as Jews , have a special responsibility to other Jews . So , in that sense , it would be as if we ourselves were , in fact , being attacked so that this would no longer be just a Syrian internal civil conflict . He then responded that our responsibility really should be to all of humanity .
 Okay , so let me clarify the reflexive answer I gave to him two weeks ago . And that congregant – He told me I could identify him – was none other than our Temple president Tom Griggs --- who I do indeed respect very much .
 So I want to state , “ for the record ” that yes , I do believe that “ lo ta’amod al dam reyekha ” / “ do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor ” DOES apply to all of our neighbors on this planet of ours , and that includes the innocent dead of Syria .
 “ [ … ] Congressional delegations , special envoys and humanitarian agencies send back or bring back horror - filled reports from the scene . A million human beings , young and old , have been uprooted , deported . Scores of women are being raped every day , children are dying of disease hunger and violence .
 “ How can a citizen of a free country not pay attention ? How can anyone , anywhere not feel outraged ? How can a person , whether religious or secular , not be moved by compassion ? And above all , how can anyone who remembers remain silent ?
 “ As a Jew who does not compare any event to the Holocaust , I feel concerned and challenged by the Sudanese tragedy . We must be involved . How can we reproach the indifference of non - Jews to Jewish suffering if we remain indifferent to another people 's plight ?
 “ It happened in Cambodia , then in former Yugoslavia , and in Rwanda , now in Sudan . Asia , Europe , Africa : Three continents have become prisons , killing fields and cemeteries for countless innocent , defenseless populations . Will the plague be allowed to spread ?
 " Lo taamod al dam réakha " is a Biblical commandment . " Thou shall not stand idly by the shedding of the blood of thy fellow man . " The word is not " akhikha , " thy Jewish brother , but " réakha , " thy fellow human being , be he or she Jewish or not . All are entitled to live with dignity and hope . All are entitled to live without fear and pain .
 “ Not to assist Sudan 's victims today would for me be unworthy of what I have learned from my teachers , my ancestors and my friends , namely that God alone is alone : His creatures must not be .
 “ What pains and hurts me most now is the simultaneity of events . While we sit here and discuss how to behave morally , both individually and collectively , over there , in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan , human beings kill and die .
 “ Should the Sudanese victims feel abandoned and neglected , it would be our fault - and perhaps our guilt .
 “ That 's why we must intervene .
 The bloodshed has been going on in Syria for two years already --- or decades – if you want to think of the larger picture of the violent repressive nature of the State led now by Bashar Assad and formerly by his father Hafez Assad .
 But even if we limit ourselves to the current civil conflict there , we are faced with the fact that atrocities are being committed on both sides , and great moral ambiguity exists regarding the pros and cons of any particular solutions to the conflict . What we do know is that over 100,000 Syrians have died in the last two years of fighting , and that MILLIONS of Syrians have fled the country as refugees .
 And the question remains : What is to be done ?
 But on this Yom Kippur 5774 , I ’m sensing other ways in which today feels like Yom Ke - Purim/ A Day Like Purim . In Megillat Esther there are dizzying twists and turns of plot---- so too this High Holiday season . We ’ve gone from the brink of attacking Syria to a new attempt at diplomacy in ways we would not have anticipated less than a week ago . And , depending on your interpretation of recent events , President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have been as inept as King Achashverosh or as astute as Mordechai in their handling of the situation .
 But that ’s the subject of another sermon … .
 In any event , all the Purimesque plot twists of the past couple of weeks have been particularly challenging for rabbis like me who have been trying to write our High Holiday sermons .
 My first reaction when President Obama started pushing the idea of attacking Syria was impatience with him for getting tripped up in a “ red line ” of his own making . But then again , I too find myself tripped up by my own self - imposed “ red line ” of wanting to do a current - events oriented talk from the bima tonight .
 In truth , I often feel that way when trying to make connections between Jewish teachings , liturgy and scripture and political issues of the day . From my perspective , Judaism is multi - voiced and the Jewish people are politically diverse . And my general sense is that any of you can read the New York Times or listen to NPR just as well as I can . And this week in particular , I ’ve been dealing with data overload – TMI – too much information --- as I ’ve been seizing onto every new blog post , news report and op - ed essay to try to help me understand what ’s going on in Syria and what should be done about it . It has gotten to the point where I have so many news articles and listserve posts from colleagues weighing in on Syria that all these resources have just blurred together and have pretty much become useless to me . So , I ’ll just have to try to give you an impressionistic account of my thinking on the subject and see if I can try to couch it in some Jewish teaching appropriate for the holiday .
 Viscerally , I ’m reminded of the events of 9 - 11 and their aftermath . We marked the anniversary of that awful day just yesterday . Back then I found myself glued to media reports of the ongoing rush of new developments in the same way that I ’ve been doing so in the last couple of weeks about the possibility of the US attacking Syria .
 The attacks on New York City and Washington , DC and the plane crash in Shanksville , Pennsylvania that was headed to Washington --- took place 12 years ago , but we still , as a nation , carry within ourselves the trauma of that day . If we are reluctant to confront Assad militarily over his use of chemical weapons , the reluctance comes in part from our knowing that Assad ’s opponents include significant numbers of extremists allied to the terrorist group that targeted us on 9 - 11 .
 And our reluctance comes from remembering the costly and destabilizing legacy of the Iraq War that President George W. Bush instigated in large part by using the events of 9 - 11 as a phony pretext .
 And our reluctance comes from remembering how that war was sold to us as a limited action and so we do n’t trust the current administration when it says it too wants authorization only for a limited action .
 And we ’re confused about what this supposedly limited action is supposed to entail --- more than a pinprick but less than a regime change --- with no real sense of what that actually would entail .
 And how can it not turn out to be a slippery slope to being fully mired in a civil war that is not our own ?
 And our reluctance comes from knowing that there are so many “ nation building ” needs right here at home that compete for our attention and our dollars .
 What is there to say ? My first instinct has been the same as that of many others , both Republicans and Democrats : that President Obama ’s plan to attack Syria has been more about proving our toughness than about achieving cogent goals . Assad is a brutal dictator , but a US attack on his forces would be an act of aggression against a nation that has neither attacked us nor threatened to attack us .
 All for what ? To defend a “ rule of warfare ” not to use chemical weapons . Yes , the President made a poignant case on national television and radio Wednesday night about the horrors of poison gas . But to my mind he did n’t manage to make a sensible case for how this is qualitatively worse than the horrors of conventional warfare that has killed over 100 times as many Syrians . And to my mind he did n’t make a convincing case as to how adding American attacks to the mix would increase the likelihood of peace or even how it would decrease the likelihood of Assad using chemical weapons if in fact we ’re NOT looking to oust Assad altogether and we ’re not attempting to destroy the chemical weapons themselves – for we know that any such attempt would simply release them into the air and cause the very harms we ’re trying to prevent .
 I ’m very thankful that there is now a reasonable possibility that the current impasse over chemical weapons and red lines will be resolved without sending American bombs into the midst of the Syrian Civil War . The Russians have given us a diplomatic way out . I ’m sure that President Putin ’s motives include a general desire to increase Russian influence in the World in general and the Middle East in particular . But , however Machiavellian his motives may be , my gut sense is that --- yes – he , with his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are very much serving the cause of peace .
 And I give a lot of credit to both President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry for switching course to give the diplomatic effort the best possible shot at success .
 Of course , a number of pundits have suggested that this course change suits President Obama just fine . The resolution of support he was seeking in Congress was poised to fail , and there is that suspicion all around that he was backed into a corner by his own red lines .
 Whatever the motivations , and whether all this was planned or serendipitous -- Let us hope and pray for the success of these diplomatic efforts .
 And further , let us hope and pray for the welfare of all of the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire .
 Meanwhile , there are various organizations working to assist Syrian refugees . Many of us just a few months ago attended a fundraising dinner organized by the Islamic Center of the Twin Ports and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth for Syrian refugee relief .
 Better than bombs , we can still contribute to such organizations as : CARE , Unicef , Doctors Without Borders or other groups that are trying to address what the World Health Organization has called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today . I hope you will consider doing so as I have personally done earlier this week .
 Just remember that even if Syria signs on to the international convention of chemical weapons , and even if those weapons are put under international control and destroyed --- that does n’t mean that the Syrian crisis will have been resolved . Far from it .
 Psalm 34 , one of the biblical passages that we often include in our Shabbat morning service charges us : בַּקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם וְרָדְפֵהוּ . – Seek peace and chase after it . May those who are pursuing peace be crowned with success in their efforts .
 And , in the meantime , amidst all the work that needs to be done in our own city , our own state , and our own country , may we nevertheless not stand idly by as the crisis that engulfs Syria continues to unfold .
 Gmar chatimah tovah v’tzom kal/ I wish you all a good sealing in the Book of Life , and an easy fast .


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text:
Persons living in the community who are physically frail, or who have a cognitive or physical impairment.
$21.00 per day with subsidies available.
Escorted transportation available to those who have no other means of getting to and from the program. Cost $3.50 each way or $7.00 return trip.
Programs are offered at the Anne Johnston Health Station, 2398 Yonge Street, at Montgomery Avenue (two blocks north of Eglinton Avenue).
Week Day program: Monday to Friday 9:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Saturday program: provided 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Includes a snack and lunch or dinner.

tokenized:
Persons living in the community who are physically frail , or who have a cognitive or physical impairment .
 $ 21.00 per day with subsidies available .
 Escorted transportation available to those who have no other means of getting to and from the program . Cost $ 3.50 each way or $ 7.00 return trip .
 Programs are offered at the Anne Johnston Health Station , 2398 Yonge Street , at Montgomery Avenue ( two blocks north of Eglinton Avenue ) .
 Week Day program : Monday to Friday 9:30 to 3:00 p.m.
 Saturday program : provided 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
 Includes a snack and lunch or dinner .