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No more excuses – close Gitmo
President Barack Obama promised to close the Guantánamo Bay terrorist prison as one of his first acts in office. Seven years later, he can only hope it's one of his last – and only if Republicans in Congress finally come to their senses.
On Feb. 23, he submitted the formal shutdown plan that Congress required and rightly argued, again, that keeping Guantánamo open is bad for taxpayers and bad for our national security.
Under the president's plan, 35 of the 91 remaining detainees will be transferred to other countries in the next several months. The others – facing a military commission or too dangerous to release – would be imprisoned in a new facility in the United States.
While the new prison would cost as much as $475 million to build, it would cost as much as $180 million a year less to operate than Guantánamo, which housed 670 detainees in 2003 but now sits largely empty. Keeping Guantánamo open would require spending $225 million for upgrades, the administration says.
Besides the financial burden, there's a cost to America's standing in the world – "a stain on our broader record of upholding the highest standards of rule of law," as Obama said. Following the rule of law also means prosecuting detainees in military tribunals or federal courts, not just holding them indefinitely without charges on U.S. soil.
Obama is absolutely correct that the next president will have more than enough to do without Guantánamo. "I don't want to pass this problem on to the next president, whoever it is," he said.
While the president has common sense and moral clarity on his side, he acknowledged that the politics are tough. That's an understatement with Republican presidential candidates fanning fears of terrorism. Some, most notably Donald Trump, are calling for bringing back waterboarding and worse. Republican leaders in Congress declared the plan dead on arrival.
Obama's critics, however, still haven't made a convincing argument why federal "supermax" prisons are safe enough for other terrorists, including shoe bomber Richard Reid, but not secure enough for Guantánamo detainees. And where was the Republican outrage when the Bush administration released more than 530 detainees, compared to 150 under Obama?
Still, it's highly unlikely there will be any movement until after the November election. First, Congress would have to overturn a provision in the defense budget passed last November that forbids Obama from moving any detainees to the United States.
If Congress doesn't act, would a lame-duck Obama take the extraordinary step of using his executive power? He isn't saying.
There would be a lot of screaming on Capitol Hill. But the newly elected president might breathe a sigh of relief, along with the rest of us.


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POETRY: What Good Shall My Life Do Me? by Christina Rossetti
Have dead men long to wait?—
There is a certain term
For their bodies to the worm
And their souls at Heaven gate.
Dust to dust, clod to clod,
These precious things of God,
Trampled underfoot by man
And beast the appointed years.—
Their longest life was but a span
For change and smiles and tears.
Is it worth while to live,
Rejoice and grieve,
Hope, fear, and die?
Man with man, truth with lie,
The slow show dwindles by:
At last what shall we have
Besides a grave?—
Lies and shows no more,
No fear, no pain,
But after hope and sleep
Dear joys again.
Those who sowed shall reap:
Those who bore
The Cross shall wear the Crown:
Those who clomb the steep
There shall sit down.
The Shepherd of the sheep
Feeds His flock there,
In watered pastures fair
They rest and leap.
"Is it worth while to live?"
Be of good cheer:
Love casts out fear:
Rise up, achieve.

subset: commoncrawl


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At last we get it - this war is Vietnam for slow learners
One word shines through the spin surrounding this week's Barack Obama policy review on Afghanistan. The word is exit. Before he became president, Obama was much taken by the idea that Afghanistan was a good and winnable war, a usefully macho contrast to his retreatism on Iraq. But in a military briefing at the time, he asked what was the exit strategy from Kabul and was met with silence. He has got the point.
In Britain, Gordon Brown too has no answer. Whether speaking to troops in the field or to the House of Commons, he incants the unconvincing line that the war he is waging, and plainly not winning, against the Taliban is about "terrorism on the streets of Britain". He cannot believe this any more than do his listeners. His platitudinous references to Afghanistan in the counter-terrorism strategy launched yesterday are evidence of this, complete with its absurd insistence on "poppy eradication".


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Dublin is hosting its annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration with the Green & White Gala beginning tonight at 6:00pm at the Dublin Senior Center located at 7600 Amador Valley Blvd., Dublin, CA 94568.
The parade will begin on Saturday at 9:30am and goes through Amador Plaza, Dublin Blvd, Village Parkway and Amador Valley Blvd.
The festival is on both Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm at the Dublin Civic Center located at 100 Civiv Plaza, Dublin, CA 94568.
For all of you "go getters" out there the Shamrock 5k Fun Run & Walk is on Sunday at 8:30am and begins on Dublin Blvd at Civic Plaza.
Here are some helpful links:
Festival Activities & Entertainment Schedule
Directions & Parking
Hope to see you all there!


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ADHD. IEP. Writing. Asperger. Deaf-Blindness. Autism. Teaching. HearingImpairments. VisualImpairments. DownSyndrome. PKU. OppositionalDefiantDisorder. Counseling. AngerMgmt. EmotionalDisorders. Scholastic. Learning Disability - Written Expression Disorder. Definition A learning disability in which a person's ability to communicate in writing is substantially below the level normally expected based on the individual's chronological age, measured intelligence, and age appropriate education.
Manifestation. Communication Disorders. Counseling Needs of Academically Talented Students with Learning Disabilities. By: Sally M.
Reis and Robert Colbert (2004) School counselors work individually and with other educators to meet the developmental needs of all students, including those with special needs or disabilities. In this article, the results of qualitative research are summarized involving comparative case studies of university students who were both academically talented and learning disabled. Curriculum Modifications for Language Impairment. Most speech-language pathologists realize that textbooks are too difficult for students who are language impaired to read and comprehend.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that speech and language goals and objectives must be related to the curriculum. Working on curriculum-based vocabulary and language concepts can be difficult for students, but ultimately it is rewarding. By being creative we not only can help students increase their language skills but boost their performance in class. Strategies for teaching students with behavioral disorders. Accommodations & Modifications.


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Located along busy Route 102 in Londonderry, Avandi's offers fine Greek, Italian and American cuisine at affordable prices. Owned and operated by Teddy and Yiota Karametros, the restaurant has been in operation since August of 1996 and comes as the culmination of love, dedication, and seeking the American Dream.
Teddy came to America from Greece when he was eighteen and worked day and night in Manchester, NH at the Carpenter Hotel. He saved his money with the hopes of owning his own restaurant one day. In 1978, he opened his first restaurant and four years later, in 1982, he traveled back to Greece to visit family. While there, he met Yiota.
Knowing he would return to America, he proposed to Yiota and three weeks later they were married. Teddy returned to the states and Yiota followed one month later. The newlyweds decided to take their honeymoon by driving along the coast from Hampstead to Atlantic. While on the road, they stopped in Mystic, Connecticut and ate at Yiota's first American restaurant. The name was Avandi's. Years later, Teddy kept his promise to Yiota that he would open a restaurant with her.
The Avandi's Pirate
For years, Christmas trees were sold in the lot next to Avandi's. When Home Depot was built, the man that ran the sales decided to stop selling and left a very large Santa Claus behind. Teddy decided to paint the Santa into a pirate and for years the pirate was in the trees near to restaurant.
The pirate was stolen a couple of times throughout the years, and was once found floating in the pond at the old Blue Seal building. Another time, the police called Teddy to let him know they'd found his pirate with his leg broken. He brought the pirate home and chained him to a tree outside Avandi's.
Eventually, the original owner called and asked Teddy for Santa back. Painting him back into Santa Claus, the Avandi's pirate can still be seen on Elm Street in Manchester each holiday season. He can be recognized by his broken leg.
After the man that sold the trees left, a woman began selling Beanie Babies at the lot. Knowing the story of the pirate and how he went back to the original owner, she bought the pirate that now stands in the lobby of Avandi's as a thank you.
As a Londonderry resident, Teddy cares about the history and community of the town. His vision is to show the local history and to become a part of it. He loves servicing the public and is very devoted to doing his best each day for his customers.
Avandi's serves homemade and healthy dishes at affordable prices. Daily specials are offered and chefs will work with customers to customize dishes. They are always changing menu items to offer something different and healthy and continue adding more vegetarian dishes.
The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday, 7 AM until 8:30 PM, Friday and Saturday, 7 AM until 9 PM and Sunday 7 AM until 8:30 PM. They are closed on Mondays. Their entire menu is also available for takeout.
Be sure to visit Avandi's at 87 Nashua Road or online.


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FLiCKERFEST, Australia's only Academy® accredited and BAFTA recognised short film festival, recently held their official launch event to kick off the summer film festival season for 2016.
Celebrating its 25th year, the launch was held at Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, overlooking Bondi Beach where Festival Director, Bronwyn Kidd, who continues to be the driving force behind FLiCKERFEST, spoke to the crowd about the sensational year to come. Once again, Bronwyn and the selection committee have received record numbers of film submissions (over 2,400 this year) and will tailor the 2016 programme to showcase the very best 100 films to audiences across Australia from January until May.
Those present enjoyed a night of entertainment, including world premiers of the official FLiCKERFEST trailer as well as a witty and moving short film developed and produced through The Exchange program, an initiative of Screen Australia's Indigenous department.
Guests were treated to a world premier screening of the witty and moving, drama, "Nan And A Whole Lot Of Trouble" produced by Lois Randall, written by Sue McPherson and directed by Dena Curtis. Starring Noeleen Shearer, Pamela Young and Amba-Rose Atkinson, I really enjoyed watching this story which was told with warmth and humour. The film tackles cultural taboos around death and grief, highlighting the complexities and tensions that arise around culture, traditional and identity in a modern multicultural community, even within one family.
Another exciting part of the evening was watching the official FLiCKERFEST trailer which was unveiled for the very first time. Written and directed by talented Flickerfest alumni Kacie Anning, the trailer sees a glamorous Marilyn Monroe (played by the gorgeous Abby Earl) descend upon Bondi Beach. The play on 'Marilyn comes to Bondi' culminates in Marilyn singing a very well deserved 'happy birthday to Flickerfest'. Abby Earl leads a star-studded cast with additional appearances from Callan McAuliffe (The Great Gatsby, Flipped, I Am Number Four), Bruce 'Hoppo' Hopkins (Bondi Rescue) and Roy Billing (Underbelly – A Tale Of Two Cities).
FLiCKERFEST is second to none on the Australian short film festival circuit with loyal patrons of the event continuing to support the much loved and respected fixture on Sydney's summer calendar. A selection of the festival's fans who made it along to the launch included Alyssa McClelland, Anna Bamford, Abby Earl, Matt Day, Adrienne Pickering, Damian Walshe-Howling and Roy Billing to name a few.
Playing at the Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach from 8 January until 17 January 2016, FLiCKERFEST will run for ten days before taking the rest of the country by storm. The festival will screen at 50+ venues across Australia between January and May.
Tickets on sale and full programme released on 18 December 2015. Go to FLiCKERFEST website www.flickerfest.com.au for all the details.
Sandra Tiltman


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WHEN it comes to giving your children the best start in life, it seems location is all important.
A new nationwide poll has revealed East Dunbartonshire is the best place in Britain to bring up a family, followed by East Renfrewshire, and the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.
But parents in Reading, Berkshire, won't be too happy with their city coming bottom of the Reader's Digest survey of all 408 local authority areas in the UK. So what makes a place fit for a family? The poll assessed factors such as schools, crime, hospitals, affordable housing and employment.
Here two mums, who live in the best and worst places in the poll, give their thoughts...
East Dunbartonshire
East Renfrewshire
Forest of Dean, Glos
Vale of Glamorgan
Hambleton, N Yorks
Fareham, Hants
West Lothian
S Gloucestershire
Ribble Valley, Lancs
Uttlesford, Essex
Lewisham, London
North Lincolnshire
Rother, East Sussex
Kingston upon Hull
Haringey, London
Hastings, East Sussex
North East Lincolnshire
Waltham Forest, London
Reading, Berkshire
FIONA SMITH, 27, works at a recruitment agency and lives in Kirkintilloch with her husband Colin, 31, a business manager, and five-year-old daughter Heather.
THE AREA: We moved here because of the quality of life and because there were plenty of fairly new housing estates.
It has a village feel yet it's convenient for Glasgow. Most people tend to stay here for life, which shows how much they like it.
SCHOOLS: When we were choosing where to live, a big factor was schools. Heather goes to Millersneuk Primary, which feeds into Lenzie Academy, Colin's old school.
It has an excellent reputation and pupils get good grades. There are a couple of schools which aren't as good, but none I would avoid.
CRIME: I've never encountered any crime. It probably goes on but I never feel unsafe. We have a few pubs and clubs near us but I've never felt threatened. There aren't any gangs of kids hanging around.
HOUSE PRICES: We live in a two-bedroom terrace house we bought two years ago for £106,000. It's worth around £120,000 now. I know this is reasonable compared to the rest of the UK but we still struggled to get it.
The average is around £160,000 for a three-bed semidetached. Properties are more expensive in Lenzie because it's such a good catchment area for schools.
COST OF LIVING: I don't pay travel costs because I'm lucky enough to work opposite where I live. When I worked in Glasgow, I went by bus and that cost £35 a month.
Going out for a meal is pretty reasonable. We took Heather for her first Chinese meal last week and it cost £20 for the three of us.
LEISURE FACILITIES: A new sports centre is being built, the canal is being renovated and there's a new park.
We're surrounded by green space so it's lovely to get out. If the Scottish weather lets us down, there's a boat on the canal where kids can go and paint. We have good shops like New Look, WHSmith and Woolworths.
CHILDCARE: I had a full-time childminder for four years. There are all sorts of clubs like baby yoga and Heather goes dancing every week.
HEALTHCARE: My doctor is fantastic. After a recent visit, the GP called later to check how I was feeling. I'm ashamed to admit I'm not registered with a dentist, but Colin and Heather see an NHS one.
FULL-TIME mum Lorraine Swallow, 35, lives in Reading with husband John, 43, a company manager, and their daughters Charlotte, seven, Hannah, four, and Lucy, two.
THE AREA: I've seen Reading go downhill in recent years. There never used to be graffiti and now there are always police at the local shops. I don't feel safe to go out at night but you get a lot of kids hanging around the streets.
I wasn't that surprised by the poll results. I was born in Reading and grew up in Woking, and there has always been crime in the area.
When I was four, I remember hearing about someone being shot. Parts of Reading are really nice but others are quite rough.
SCHOOLS: My girls go to Hawkedon Primary - it's a really good school. But some other schools don't make the grade. I wouldn't want to live in certain areas because the schools are not very good. In Tilehurst there's a high rate of teenage pregnancies, and Whitley is known to be quite rough.
CRIME: Everyone knows someone who's had a break-in or had something stolen from their drive or garden. In the town centre there are fights every Saturday night. You're always hearing of someone getting attacked or raped.
HOUSE PRICES: They are quite expensive. For a smallish three-bedroom detached house you'd pay around £350,000. We've got a two-bed semi and that was valued at £285,000.
COST OF LIVING: Prices aren't too bad here - although we've got family in the north and compared to what they pay for a loaf or a tin of beans, we are paying a lot more. And parking in Reading is astronomical - up to £10 for four hours.
LEISURE FACILITIES: There are lots of swimming pools, an ice rink nearby, a bowling alley and cinemas.
There's everything you could want in the way of shops. The Oracle is a fantastic indoor mall.
CHILDCARE: There are some really nice nurseries in the area.
I still go to a toddler group with Lucy - it costs 70p for mum and however many kids you've got.
HEALTHCARE: That's one thing I would say is absolutely brilliant in Reading. It's very easy to see my doctor and the clinic is friendly and clean.
And I had no trouble getting an NHS dentist either.


text: Survivehive has emphasized again and again how disasters can happen at any given moment. With that in mind, tune in for some critical SHTF survival tips. If you aren't aware, when preppers say SHTF—it pretty much means worst case scenario. So let's say that disaster strikes, earthquakes, aliens, civil unrest, whatever—what do you do? Sometimes just thinking about it doesn't help. You need to prepare. In order to be ready before stuff hits the fan, buckle up and take notes, it may just save your life. Get fit and learn…Read More


text:
Issue Theme: Miscue Analysis for Classroom Teachers
A Message from the Issue Editors
Prisca Martens, Yetta Goodman and Alan D. Flurkey
Abstract for this article is currently not available.
Keywords: Elementary
Miscue Analysis for Classroom Teachers: Some History and Some Procedures
Yetta M. Goodman
Taking Another Look at (Listen to) Shari
Alan D. Flurkey
I Do Teach and the Kids Do Learn
Wendy J. Hood
Liberated by Miscues: Students and Teachers Discovering the Reading Process
Bill Brummett and Lisa Burley Maras
Documenting the Strengths of Bilingual Readers
Caryl G. Crowell
Prisca Martens
Bibliography and Additional Readings
A Word from This Issue's Sponsor: Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc.
Richard C. Owen, President
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text:
Visual Boost is a journal packed with artwork ranging from design, illustration, photography, experimental, 3D, web & mobile, typography, color theory, and many other forms of amazing work from artists across the globe.
Piotr Jablonski
Piotr is a digital painter/concept artist from Bialystok, Poland who's work I stumbled upon recently. As you can see his style is amazingly polished and wonderfully disturbing. You can't look at this work and not have a "@#%!" reaction. I love the anatomical deformities and overall composition of his pieces.


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Nothing screams cheap n shitty remodel quite like the formica counters and beige screenprinted tiles superglued to every surface of both our tiny bathrooms. When we bought our 60s ranch house, we knew the kitchen needed fixing -- especially since we have an open floorplan and the sea of almond formica burned at my sensi eyes from every angle of our living room. Not so with the bathrooms, whose doors remain conveniently closed most of the day. Only when seated upon my throne do I survey the surroundings of our craptacular kingdom and daydream about taking a sledgehammer to the entire porcelain palace. But then I flush those dirty ideas down the drain because renovating a bathroom just seems like such a pain in the... ass.
If we ever do yank out those pukey privies, this is what I want:
Yeah, I know -- the pendulum may be swinging a little far in the fancy direction, but did I mention how queasy that damn formica makes me?
Created for King George VI and his wife Elizabeth's royal visit to Paris in 1938, this bathroom stands as a bastion of civility in the face of impending Nazi invasion.
I can't honestly say that my own bathroom needs to make such a statement, but it does need gold tile.
Details, people. Details.
I kind of always assumed we would do a modernish update for our bathrooms, but this has ruined me for anything you could possibly buy at Ikea or Home Depot. Well, I suppose I could start with a more pedestrian round mirror. But I'm not kidding about the gold tile... I urgently need it. To fight Nazis. Or maybe just to shower.
Yes. Golden showers.


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READ MORE: Going for 100% metering will bring down power losses from 25% to 15%: Kulamani Biswal, NTPC
NTPC awarded Best PSU for Skill Development by Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy
Poll Based Investor Communication Award to NTPC
Suzlon Energy wins 60 MW in NTPC reverse solar e-auction
The award was received by K M Prashanth, AGM, Corporate Communication NTPC from Dr. Najma A Heptulla, Minister of Minority Affairs.
Award has been given based on comprehensive research conducted by the Indian Council of Market Research. NTPC is listed amongst the select few "Most Recognizable Brands of Indian Origin" within the industry category, the statement added.


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"You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them." -Michael Jordan
Welcome Coaches & Athletes
If you are looking to maximize your abilities on the court as an athlete or achieve the utmost success with your team as a coach, you have come to the right place. This website will provide you with information on different services provided by Coach Chris Emami that will help you as an individual athlete or coach to maximize your potential.
Please feel free to contact me on my cell phone or through my e-mail to contact me directly and I look forward to connecting with many of you through social media as well as my coaching blog.
Chris Emami


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Accounting Historians Journal Vol. 31, No. 2 December 2004 Tom Mouck UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAN ACCOUNTING AND HUMAN COGNITIVE EVOLUTION Abstract: Recent archaeological evidence supports the claim that the first system of writing and the first use of abstract numerical repre-sentation evolved from the clay token accounting system of ancient Mesopotamia. Writing and other abstract symbol systems have subse-quently transformed human cognitive capacities within only few mil-lennia, a time period too short for any substantial changes in our biologically-evolved brains. This paper uses Merlin Donald's theory of human cognitive and cultural evolution [in Origins of the Modern Mind; 1991] to identify the role played by ancient accounting in these evolutionary processes. Specifically, it is argued that this early ac-counting system paved the way for writing by instigating revolution-ary cognitive structures for processing visual/symbolic artifacts and establishing a primitive but very powerful form of external memory (external to the brain). The paper also explores the role that account-ing systems continue to play in the provision of "cognitive scaffold-ing" with respect to our organizational and institutional environ-ments, and provides a cursory overview of the pioneering developments of ancient Mesopotamian accounting in this regard. INTRODUCTION Thanks to the work of the archeologist Denise Schmandt- Besserat [1978; 1986a; 1986b; 1992], an ancient accounting sys-tem developed by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia some 10,000 years ago has been attracting a remarkable amount of attention. The reason for the attention is her claim (backed by extensive evidence) that both the first known writing system and the first Acknowledgments: The author is very appreciative of the helpful com-ments of the two anonymous AHJ reviewers, one of whom provided especially challenging, but extremely constructive, comments. The result is an immensely improved manuscript. Submitted July 2002 Revised August 2003 Revised April 2004 Accepted May 2004


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Welcome to website of the Silesian University in Opava, School of Business Administration in Karviná and its Department of International Relations.
We believe that intensive international cooperation and excellent contacts with international partners are necessities for any modern university. Therefore, we are dedicated to creation and offering of various opportunities for students and faculty members to gain an interesting and enriching international experience.
International students are welcomed to study at the School of Business Administration within the Erasmus+ program, bilateral agreements on cooperation between universities or in our English taught master's degree program in Business economics and management. Students can choose from a broad spectrum of courses in English.
We, at the Department of International Relations, hope that your stay at the School of Business Administration in Karviná will be beneficial for your future career. We are also sure that you will gain new experience and meet new friends here in Karviná.
doc. RNDr. Ing. Roman Šperka, Ph.D.
Vice-dean of International Relations
+420 596 39
8 323
Bc. Veronika Novotná
International / Erasmus Coordinator
+420 596 39
8 623
Bc. Alena Rusinová
International / Erasmus Coordinator
+420 596 39
8 221
Ing. Radmila Unucková
International / Erasmus Coordinator
+420 596 39
8 247
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Happy (almost) Halloween! I'll be celebrating the spooky holiday all weekend long, by mixing up a festive cocktail, decorating my house, and putting the finishing touches on my Halloween costume… Monday can't come soon enough, am I right? To hold us over, I couldn't resist sharing a few Halloween-inspired faves (and a few others) that I stumbled upon this past week. I hope they get you in the spooky mood for the upcoming holiday. Here we go…
Favorite Inspired Idea (these surprisingly chic Halloween balloons via Poppytalk):
Favorite Festive Accessory (these beaded bunny ears headbands):
Favorite DIY (these tiny message pumpkins via Lovely Indeed are just the right balance of cute and scary):
Favorite Step (these pointed-toe black cat flats are too cute):
Favorite Laugh (walrus aerobics anyone?):
Do you have any fun Halloween traditions?
Have a safe and happy Halloween next week!
XO Lauren


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Bass collective The Mob members DJ Homwrecker and Slow Graffiti join forces for a home invasion on new label home La Clinica Records in Miami. Calling it an original bass is the currently spotlight labels way of doing things with the bass they are provided with. This is Slow Graffitis first bass on the label and his Jersey joining with already club and club jersey aficionado is basstastic. Git it here.
DJ HOMEWRECKER – Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | Twitter
SLOW GRAFFITI – Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter


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A previous editor of The Daily Telegraph once explained to me that in order of importance, there are people, the things they do and lastly the things that they do those things with. That put the motoring correspondent in his place.
The person at the centre of this piece isn't giving interviews, but we do know the remarkable things she has done over her 60-year reign, and the things, or cars in her case, that she has done those things in. These cars, conglomerations of wood, metal, rubber and glass, are like mechanical scrapbooks of the Queen's life.
So when a special jubilee parade of royal cars, in association with the Telegraph, trundles down the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 30 and July 1, there'll be a lot of memories. In so much as we have become a motorised society in her reign, the Queen is perhaps our first motoring monarch.
To celebrate her reign, the Festival's annual Cartier Style et Luxe concours d'élégance will be given over to a vast collection of her vehicles (including a train carriage), and it's from this collection that the parade will form.
Richard Watling, the chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (Qest) has put in the donkey work in collating these royal cars for the concours. Qest is the charity of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, giving scholarships to trainee craftsmen and women. Since its formation in 1990 it has donated more than £1.5 million to developing 100 craft and conservation skills in everything from boat building to stone carving. It also means that Watling is in a unique position to ask permission to "borrow" the Sandringham car collection.
Getting hold of some of the exhibits has been tough – for instance, the logistics of transporting the 30-ton London Midland and Scottish royal train carriage to Goodwood. And when they found the 1972 Citroën Maserati SM with extended bodywork by Henri Chapron, which transported the Queen during a four-day official visit in 1972. It turned out to still be part of the official French presidential motor pool. "We had heard about it," says Watling, "but didn't know where it was. Then we discovered it was still on active service in the garage of the Élysée Palace." One of Nicolas Sarkozy's last acts as the 23rd president of the French republic was to give permission for the car to come to Goodwood.
From America comes what Watling calls "a monster of a car". The 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan "Bubble Top" normally lives in the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Detroit. It was used by President Harry Truman and subsequent presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson. The Queen rode in it on a state visit in 1951.
There's the Queen Mother's Jaguar Mark VII and, most poignantly, a royal Daimler built for King George VI's Fifties royal tour, which never happened.
"We've been very lucky with a lot of the vehicles," says Watling. "Also with our sponsorship. Autoglym are the main sponsors and will also supply eight specialists to look after the exhibits. Diageo has a special Diamond Jubilee Johnnie Walker whisky and they've been very helpful."
It has been a considerable effort for the resourceful Watling, who has had to beg and borrow cars from all over the place.
"On July 2 I might regard it as a labour of love," he says. "Right now it's just hard work."
As the Festival of Speed's media partner, we were given exclusive access to drive two of the Queen's cars that will form part of the concours over the weekend. On the following pages we test a 1926 Rolls-Royce used to drive the Duke of Edinburgh in India during 1965, and a 1953 Humber that accompanied the Queen and Prince Philip on the Queen's Coronation tour.
1953 Commonwealth Tour Humber Super Snipe
In 1953 the Queen and Prince Philip embarked on the first-ever world tour by a reigning monarch. They left London and visited Bermuda and Jamaica, where they boarded the SS Gothic and sailed through the Panama Canal and on to Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. They then sailed for Australia, and on to Ceylon, Aden, Uganda and Malta, where they were reunited with their two children and sailed back to Britain via Gibraltar on the new royal yacht Britannia.
Gruelling doesn't begin to describe the ordeal for the glamorous young couple, who everyone wanted a glimpse of – it's estimated that three quarters of the population of Australia saw them. At each stop the itinerary was published in half-inch-thick books, timed to the minute, with no room for error.
This Humber Super Snipe drophead accompanied them. These cars gained a phenomenal reputation for toughness in the Second World War when they were used as staff cars, including Field Marshal Montgomery's "Old Faithful".
The 1949 Motor road test of the Humber Super Snipe concurred: "Perhaps the strongest impression left by the latest Humber Super Snipe models is that of a car which is remarkably equal to almost any demand made upon it."
A few miles at the wheel of Denis Cunningham's royal drophead Super Snipe leaves you with the impression that royal chauffeurs must have been tiny. This conversion maximised rear leg room at the expense of a front bench seat so far forward that you are virtually on top of the big steering wheel.
The 100bhp, 4.1-litre straight-six provides oodles of torque virtually from idle, but the column-mounted four-speed change has not worn its years well. You have to hold it in second and that leaves you an arm short when manoeuvring on those big white-walled tyres. The seats are soft and comfortable and the driver gets a full set of instruments. Top speed was quoted at 81.8mph with 0-60mph in 20.6sec and 15mpg. While this 15ft 7¼in long, 1.9-ton six seater is compact by contemporary limo standards, it still feels ponderous and huge on modern roads.
Cunningham bought it in 2007 from Australia in an eBay auction. The old car required a bit of TLC, including "a bit of paint and a bit of trim", he says. The details are charming, including a set of roller blinds in the back to protect the royal knees from sunburn, neat folding C-pillars that fit under polished wood covers and remounted trafficator indicators in the front wings. One detail that Cunningham wasn't leaving to chance was the stork bonnet mascot's rubber beak. He removed it the second we rolled to a halt.
"People tug on it and it pulls clean out," he said, "and they're as rare as."
1926 Rolls-Royce 20
Surely the world's stocks of metal polish couldn't maintain more than one Rolls like this at any given time. Peter Vacher, the owner, admits that he keeps it out of the rain as much as possible, because keeping that deep shine on the aluminium coachwork takes a lot of elbow grease.
As well as a royal connection, this magnificent Rolls-Royce 20 is the only model that Rolls ever refused to guarantee. "That's because their recommendation was that the body weight should not exceed 35cwt [3,920lb]," he says. "But this one weighs 52cwt [5,824lb]."
And magnificent though the Windovers of London cabriolet body is, it doesn't do much for the performance of the 50bhp, 3,128cc, long-stroke six-cylinder engine. Culshaw and Horrobin's Complete Catalogue of British Cars lists the 20 as having a top speed of 65mph and fuel consumption of 21mpg. Vacher reports cruising at a "steady" 50mph and about 15mpg.
The Rolls was ordered by the Maharaja of Bharatpur as a dowry for one of his daughters. But it was never picked up by the husband, so the Maharaja used it for tiger-shooting, hence the enormous spot lamp on the driver's side. There are a few other extras too. Vacher explains: "The Maharaja was fond of warning people of his approach, so he had a klaxon fitted and a Bosch wind-tone horn and a more traditional boa constrictor. They cleared hoi polloi, but you couldn't just hoot at a sacred cow, so he had a Winkworth electric bell fitted." Presumably the massive three-deck bumper was there to ease the sacred beasts to one side. Funny, because Henry Royce is reported to have said: "Bumpers, I hate."
The Maharaja also specified blue-tinted glass for the enclosed passenger compartment so the public couldn't gaze upon his women. Should it prove too hot, the windows could be lowered and opaque flyscreens raised.
The British royal connection came in 1965 when the Duke of Edinburgh visited a bird sanctuary close to the Maharaja's palace. This was the car used to drive the Duke around the site and there is a picture of him in the Rolls with its hood furled.
Considering that the 20 was regarded as an abomination by Rolls-Royce enthusiasts when it was launched in 1922, this is an extraordinarily easy car to drive. The gearbox is a joy compared with its contemporaries. That four-speed with its right-hand change and four-wheel servo brakes were the 20 updates in 1925, but another of the Maharaja's penchants was a dislike of front-wheel brakes so Vacher's car makes do with rear brakes only.
In the exposed chauffeur's position, the leather seats (cloth was an expensive luxury in those days, so that was fitted in the rear seats only) have that musty smell of old binoculars. The steering is light and direct once above walking speed and the refinement is simply astonishing, with the big engine idling almost silently and barely audible even at speed. It's very comfortable, even driving on a grass airstrip, where the Rolls proceeded sedately and serenely. It leaves you wondering whether there is any more suitable royal car than one with the interlocking Rs on the front.
Bentley State Limousine
Test drivers at Millbrook Proving Ground called it "Betty's Barge" when they tested the Bentley State Limousine 10 years ago. Gargantuan and ugly this 20ft 4in-long, 3.4‑ton monster might be, but it also represents one of the greatest pieces of chutzpah by Bentley's owner, Volkswagen.
After much wrangling, the future of the old Vickers-owned car-maker Rolls-Royce Bentley had been decided. BMW got Rolls-Royce, but had to build a new factory to accommodate its yet-to-be-designed Phantom. VW kept Bentley and the Crewe factory along with the servicing and parts business for older Rolls-Royce models. But it also kept connections with the royal household, whose newest state limousine, a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, was then 15 years old.
So at the suggestion of the Rolls-Royce engineer Bill Slater, VW offered to build the Queen a new state limousine, which would be designed and engineered by 50 of the company's British suppliers. Based on an Arnage Red Label, the royal Bentley had an additional 2ft 4½in in the wheelbase. The engine is a 6.75-litre, twin-turbo V8, giving about 400bhp and 616lb ft of torque, although subsequent conversions to LPG and bioethanol have reduced the performance. There's no performance data for these royal Bentleys (the royal household subsequently purchased the prototype model), but a standard Arnage Red Label is good for 155mph, 0-60mph in 5.9 seconds and about 14mpg.
Code-named Project Diamond, this was effectively an all-new car and the attention to detail was painstaking. Interior designers used stand-ins for the Queen complete with foam-rubber crowns to get the correct window lines.
There was also quite specific input from the Palace. The Queen is no stranger to the greasy side of cars, as Richard Charlesworth, Bentley's director of royal and VIP relations, explains: "The Queen trained as a mechanic/driver in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in the Second World War. So she was personally interested in the development and saw the first renderings and full-size clay models."
Just before the handover, we drove this big Bentley, though we were never able to admit it at the time. It drove well and was surprisingly wieldy and fast – Joe Last, the Queen's head chauffeur (pictured below), even got it sideways on the Millbrook test track. The main thing for the Queen, however, was the low-speed ride.
"You have to remember these are cars built to do a job," said Last. "The only extras we carry are a chamois leather, spare bulbs and a map so that if the Duke of Edinburgh points something out at the side of the road we can look it up and tell him what it is."
Most of a state limousine's work is at painfully slow speeds. "It has to be smooth and not overheat," said Last. "If we're driving past a school, the Queen likes to go slowly, so the children get a chance to wave. We get down to 8mph at times. She said to me, 'I'm not bothered about high speed, but how does it feel going slowly?'"


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EOS announced the addition of John W. Pendleton and Josh Dennis to bolster the company's presence in North America. Josh will be responsible for expanding EOS' leadership in the medical sector, while John will be focusing on growing EOS' presence in prototyping.
Both John and Josh have deep expertise in AM having worked with other notable brands in the industry. John was previously responsible for growth within the metal AM market at GPI Prototype & Manufacturing where he drove sales strategy and consistently surpassed sales quotas. Josh's prior experience included representing +GF+ Machining Solutions, EOS, Erowa Tooling and Alternative Machine Tool at EDM Systems.
"Key talent additions in North America will give us a greater footprint in the Midwest – an industrial epicenter," said Andy Snow, Senior Vice President at EOS North America. "John and Josh's deep expertise in AM in both the prototyping and medical arenas ensures our partners are working with subject matter experts who can provide industry-specific, curated and personalized guidance."
EOS also announced that Gregory Hayes has joined the company as Director of North America Applications and Consulting for EOS North America. Greg is responsible for leading the new Additive Minds consultancy group for North America, which partners with companies to increase their competitive edge defining and developing AM applications.
As a strategic technology development consultant with deep expertise in high-end R&D, Greg has worked internationally across the health IT, high-tech and aerospace industries. Most recently, Greg co-founded Complex Materials, a bespoke bioresorbable materials company with a focus on magnesium alloy stent tubing. He also served on the JuntoHealth advisory board. Prior to that, Greg was a program manager and director of new partnerships for AM at TNO where he managed research programs as well as funding and partner acquisition. Greg holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Pennsylvania State University, and Start-up and Entrepreneurship certification from the Vlerick Business School in Belgium. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering with distinction from the University of Delaware.
"We're honored to welcome Greg to the EOS North America team to lead the expansion of our Additive Minds division," said Glynn Fletcher, President of EOS North America. "With extensive experience across the additive manufacturing lifecycle, Greg will ensure Additive Minds provides the kind of high-quality, customized, and innovative solutions to our partners who want to ensure their AM solutions are not just meeting, but surpassing their needs."
EOS' Additive Minds incorporates the company's consulting, Innovation Centre and Additive Minds Academy offerings, ensuring partners have the tools and skillsets necessary to optimize their AM investments. EOS experts work directly with customers to solve manufacturing challenges by using AM to create unique solutions. A critical part of this collaboration is arming customers' engineers and executives with the knowledge and proficiency to fully use AM within their larger production environment.
EOS continues to invest heavily in its North American presence, having recently opened a facility in Pflugerville, Texas, that features a state-of-the-art innovation center and re-opened its offices in Novi, Michigan, that boasts a newly redesigned showroom. The company's solution portfolio includes AM manufacturing systems, materials (plastics and metals), and software and services, providing complete end-to-end solutions from part design and data generation to part building and post-processing.


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Enneagram and Faith: Has marriage hindered your development?/
It's said that in marriage, opposites attract.
I used to think that meant people were different in everything- one likes sports, the other likes art, one like parties, the other likes quiet, etc, etc. But lately I've been wondering if it has more to do with personality than interests.
We tend to like to be around people who complement us. People with whom we have enough in common to understand one another, but also people who approach things differently enough to enrich our perspective. This might be true in marriage more than any other relationships.
I've been married 15 years now. Long enough to have learned some things, not long enough to have learned it all. I think a lesson I have been learning lately could be relevant to more than just me, so I'm going to share it today. It relates to enneagram, and how marriage effects the development of our centers.
I've written here before that enneagram places personality types in three different centers: the gut (our body and instincts), heart (our emotions and relationships), and head (our thinking and reason). Good decisions involve all three centers to some extent, but we each have a tendency to default to one or two above the other(s).
One key to growth is realizing which center is our default, and consciously stretching the muscles of the other centers in order to find more balance.
I think marriage can inhibit us from developing our weaker centers.
My husband has strong head and gut centers. One of the reasons I love to travel with him is because he's so good at it. He's not thrown when things don't go as planned. He is able to think through a way out, and he has the confidence to ask for or demand what's needed in the situation.
In that same situation, my heart center reigns, with my head center close behind, but circling in fear more than in reason. So I let him take the lead. It's one of his gifts, after all, so why not let him use it?
Marriages often develop roles over time: one person does the dishes, the other mows the lawn, one does the bills, the other cleans the bathroom. I think, if we're not careful, we develop personality roles, too. Though I do believe in marriage two become one, I don't think that means we are meant to give up our personhood.
Two individuals moving towards health and wholeness make for a much stronger team.
After all these years with my husband, I am realizing I have an under-developed gut center. I've used his strength as an excuse not to find my own. When he is around, I don't need to stretch that muscle, so I don't. Ironically, he wishes I would. In fact, it drives him crazy that I don't have more confidence. The very thing I default to him to take care of is the very thing he wishes I would take more time to develop. He loves me, and he sees how much more balance I would find if I could pull from my gut center when it was needed.
Ignatius saw that there were three ways to come to a decision. One is to prayerfully consider the pros and cons of each option (head center). Another is to notice the feelings we have as it relates to each option (heart center). The last is to notice how we already know what option to move towards, and to simply do it (gut center). All three of those practices are helpful, especially when done in awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence in each.
Knowing that my default is feelings, I need to consciously employ my pro-con list and impulsive side a little more often, and not just count on my husband to do so. I was made to have all three centers available to me. As I learn to access them, I will become stronger, and so will my marriage.
Have you noticed this in your own marriage? What are your ideas for not allowing your partners strengths to halt your own development?
*Since this post is focused on marriage, I am doing another giveaway! This time, of a couples enneagram coaching session. I will help you each understand your types, and think through how your types affects how you relate to one another and how you grow, individually and together. This can be done in person or on Skype if you are not local.
There are 3 ways to enter: 1. Comment on this post. 2. Share this post on social media. 3. Share my enneagram coaching page on social media. You can enter in any or all of the ways. Each way gives you one more chance to win. If you share on social media, make sure to tag @everydayawe on Twitter or Instagram or https://www.facebook.com/everydayawe on Facebook.
This give away closes September 3, 2015. Winner will be chosen at random, and notified by email or social media, depending on how the entry was made.
Good luck!


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Latest News
Editorial: Is anything sadder than padlocked pools?
Swim time is almost over at Sacramento's public pools.
Only six of 13 city pools opened this summer, and they'll all be closed for the season by Labor Day. Next summer, only three pools are to open. In a city of 466,000, that's a disgrace even in these hard times.
City Hall needs all the help it can get to keep pools open. But by not asking loudly enough and by not making donations easier, the city is missing out on a potential lifeline.
Jonathan Rewers, chairman of the city's Parks and Recreation Commission, says the city needs to do a better job of telling the community that public pools are a "vital service." They are also smart policy: If kids aren't frolicking in pools, they could be getting in trouble on the street.
This is a prime opportunity for a civic-minded corporation to make a sizable gift that would buy priceless good will. Some feelers have gone out, but with no success.
The city also ought to have a formal matching donation program. If a neighborhood association raises a significant sum – say at least half the $100,000 it costs to run a city pool for a year – the city should come up with the rest.
Rewers says the city needs to better publicize the donation programs that do exist.
Gifts to Share, the city's 26-year-old nonprofit partner, is the conduit through which residents, businesses and community groups can support parks and recreation, cultural, education and neighborhood improvement projects. More than $1.2 million went through it last year.
The Parks and Recreation Department also has a community sponsorship initiative. For instance, businesses can help sponsor the citywide swim championships, while individuals can pay for poor kids to get swim lessons, or just cover their $1 admission fee. But because layoffs put the initiative on hiatus, not a single dollar was raised this summer.
While raising big bucks is a daunting challenge for any community group, the experience of Catherine O'Brien suggests the city isn't making it any easier.
Southside Park pool is among the seven city pools that didn't open this summer and is to be closed again next summer. O'Brien, who moved to the neighborhood last year, came up with the idea of having donors buy tiles with images of their kids or pets and putting them on a wall at the pool. She also thought about holding an event at the pool, with music, food, wine and, of course, swimming.
When she approached the city in April, emails show that officials encouraged her. They pointed her to the biggest success story recently – the Glenn Hall pool. There, a local swim team pays its own way. To also offer public swim hours last summer, the River Park Neighborhood Association raised $20,000. (It also raised money for limited swim time this summer.)
O'Brien has fundraising experience, having coordinated an effort for a San Diego center for abused young women. So she figured $20,000 was doable.
But within days, after the department's budget was further along, O'Brien was told that the city didn't plan to put any money into Southside Park pool this summer. That meant she would have to raise more like $80,000 pronto – a full-time job, she says.
The city says that it needs to have the money for a full summer in hand by March or April so that there's enough time to find and train lifeguards.
"Unfortunately, we found all this out one hour after our Save Our Pool banner was printed," O'Brien told neighborhood association leaders in an email. "Sorry to have to report such very disappointing news."
She is discouraged by her experience. "It seemed really, really bureaucratic," she says.
Individual donations and corporate giving are not a panacea for the city parks budget crunch. But it could be a short-term fix for next summer, a bridge to a more permanent solution.
Rewers and other parks advocates are pushing for a citywide property tax assessment for parks maintenance, including pools, on the 2012 ballot. Residents would get to decide how important keeping up parks and keeping open pools is to them.
Some community groups are already willing to chip in. The city should do all it can to encourage that generosity.


text: 2014 was my first full year in Austin. I have had a blast shooting my way around central Texas. A big thank you to all of my clients this past year - you guys are the reason why I do what I do. Here's a round up of some of my favorite shots, in no particular order, from the last 12 months. Click to enlarge.


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Product Information
Rugged Ridge offers a full line of winch accessories designed to compliment your off road winch. Each winching scenario is unique and may require additional tools or accessories. Any serious off road understanding their winch is only as effective as the tools they have to compliment the winch. Rugged Ridge winch accessories are designed to ensure you get the best performance and safety out of your winch. Their line of winch accessories are rugged and durable to ensure effective, hassle free winching. Choose from several winching accessories as well as rigging and safety equipment.
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Laurel Oil Gas Company v. Robert W Morrison
United States Supreme Court
Laurel Oil Gas Company v. Robert W Morrison
Argued: October 14, 1908. --- Decided: February 23, 1909
This case on the merits is reported in 83 C. C. A. 391, 154 Fed. 617. The able opinion of Sanborn, J., speaking for the circuit court of appeals, is preceded by the following statement, which correctly sets forth the facts:
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).


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Snuggly Sophie
I made this as a casual cardigan to wear on days this winter that were a little warmer when my wool jerseys would be too warm. I used some sweatshirting that has been marinading in the stash for over a decade and chose to make up the pattern using the circle cut out pockets.
The cardigan is probably a size too big on me, it's definitely too large in the armholes, but despite this is nice and comfy.
I changed things up a bit with the fastenings, decided not to use buttons and instead used my snap press to put a different colour snap on each point. I really like how this part turned out.
Creation Gallery
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MOL YoY Q1 2014 Profit Slips, but Dividend Planned
MOL President Koichi Muto informs in a letter addressed to company shareholders of a year-on-year decline in profits during the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2014, excerpted as follows:
"I would like to report our business results for the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2014 (April 1, 2014 to June 30, 2014).
1. Business Performance for First Quarter of FY2014
During the first three months of FY2014, while geopolitical risks such as political strife in Ukraine and Iraq raised concerns of a spike in crude oil prices, moderate recoveries in the United States and Europe drove global economic growth.
Looking at maritime shipping markets, a continuing surplus of dry bulk vessels kept that sector weak overall. The very large crude oil carrier (VLCC) market slumped mainly as a result of a decline in demand for crude oil shipments due to scheduled periodic maintenance at East Asian refineries. On the other hand, the LPG carrier market was strong. In the containership business, the gap between supply and demand remained substantial, reflecting deliveries of large containerships, and freight rate levels remained weak as a result.
We responded to this environment with continued efforts toward rationalization, such as improvement of operating efficiency and reduction of fuel expenditures by slow steaming. However, our business performance showed a decline year on year, with revenue of ¥443.9 billion, operating income of ¥3.9 billion, ordinary income of ¥7.5 billion, and net income of ¥8.5 billion.
2. Forecasts for FY2014 and Dividends
For the second quarter and after, we assume that the exchange rate and bunker price will both be in line with our initial outlook. In the dry bulker market, cargo volumes are recovering due to seasonal factors, and the imbalance between supply and demand is showing signs of improvement. As for containerships, although we expect the introduction of large vessels to help realize cost reductions, we are still cautious about the business environments as the market remains soft.
For the full year, we project revenue of ¥1,830.0 billion, operating income of ¥36.0 billion, ordinary income of ¥50.0 billion, and net income of ¥40.0 billion.
At present, we plan to pay an annual dividend of ¥6 per share (including an interim dividend of ¥3 per share) for FY2014."


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This one is called 'Life's a Beach' and features many Florida themed fonts and graphics:
Palm Trees!
Beach Chairs, Ocean Waves, Sand Dollars, Whales, Flip-Flops, and more.
For use with a Cricut Expression scrapbooking machine.
Next: Tickets to the Miami Heat Opening Game »
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Traditional & Trivial Tuesday: Is rain good luck?
You take a chance on having an outdoor wedding... you wait for that 10 day forecast keeping your fingers crossed hoping for a bright sunny day! Gosh darn it....rain. Well don't fear because it truly is good luck! Rain symbolizes blessings, cleansing, unity, and a new day. Rain brings water to make flowers grow, which is where we get the expression "tying the knot." The knot of stems of flowers. Fertility is also a sign of growth brought on by rain! But it is all about the cleansing and starting from a new slate.
An Italian wedding saying, "Sposa Bagnata, Sposa Fortunata," which when translated literally means "Wet Bride, Lucky Bride."
History lesson brought to you by : http://www.dasinfo.com/rain-on-wedding-day


text: Having played FFXIV it is surprising it was not the same engine, however it was pretty much just a spinoff of it if anything. The terrible combat delays / responsiveness that XI suffered from was prevalent. When XI came out there wasn't really anything more polished to compare it to at the time, and MMOs were still new and breaking out into mainstream, so it was far more forgivable.


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With the release of my newest tutorial drawing book Draw More Furries, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the talented artists who contributed illustrations. Given that so many artists these days work digital (myself included), it was a wonderful treat to have Kacey Miyagami do a traditional acrylic painting for the book. Check out the exquisite coloring on this lovely illustration of a shy raccoon enjoying apple pie. The delicate textures of fur and blades of grass are a nice touch.
Here's what she had to say about her artistic process:
"I work primarily traditionally, my preferred medium for illustration being fluid acrylic paints. Fluid acrylics are a watered down version of full body acrylics, which behave similarly to both acrylics and watercolors. I start an illustration with one or more simple concept sketches, which I then redraw and refine into a finished pencil sketch on cold-press illustration board. Often, I will scan this pencil sketch and do a quick digital color test to determine shadow placement and overall color scheme before committing to the actual painting. Once I begin painting, I will work from the background forward, painting the characters last, to make sure they feel unified with their surroundings. A particular focus of mine with character illustrations is to create detailed environments to provide greater context and narrative for the characters." - Kacey
Draw More Furries is now available in bookstores, as well as through my online shop!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Dream Big, Zaenok
Based on Zefanya N Putri's winning entry in my Arctic Animal Comic Competition, this illustration depicts her collared lemming character, Zaenok. I was really taken with the idea of a tiny lemming reaching for the stars and dreaming big. And traveling the ocean by seal. Zefanya will be receiving the original drawing and print of this in the mail as part of her prize pack. :)
Friday, November 23, 2012
Animal Crossing
Paw prints converge into crisscrossing paths. An illuminated panel from The Last of the Polar Bears pg 26. See the full page here.
Posted by Unknown at 2:51 PM No comments: Links to this post
Topic Tags: arctic, blue, cold, cubs, cute, Last of the Polar Bears, Nanook, paw prints, snow
Posted by Unknown at 2:47 PM No comments: Links to this post
Monday, November 12, 2012
Weird Paw Prints
Nanook discovers strange paw prints in the snow.
An illuminated panel from The Last of the Polar Bears pg 25. See the full page here.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Polar Bear at Play
Stella discovers the joy of leaving paw-prints in the snow. An illuminated panel from The Last of the Polar Bears pg 24. See the full page here.
Posted by Unknown at 6:26 PM No comments: Links to this post
Friday, November 2, 2012
Illustration created to help promote the efforts of wild cat conservation group, Panthera, published in the November/December 2012 issue of Bare Essentials magazine (see pg 68 for Panthera illustration).
Posted by Unknown at 1:51 PM No comments: Links to this post
Topic Tags: ball, big, cheetah, dramatic, earth, illustration, jaguar, leopard, lion, mountain lion, panther, panthera, snow leopard, tiger, wild cat, yarn
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LEON Clarke today expressed the hope his return to the Wolves goal trail might secure a place for Saturday's trip to table-topping Cardiff - but top scorer Jay Bothroyd is already itching for a recall.
Clarke celebrated only his second start of the season with an excellent first goal in Saturday's win against Stoke, which will do him no harm in the fierce battle for a striking spot involving no fewer than five frontmen.
Bothroyd missed out on the chance to line up alongside Jemal Johnson thanks to an eye injury sustained in an accidental training ground clash of heads with Karl Henry, while Carl Cort was absent with a slight abductor problem.
Craig Davies replaced Clarke, himself suffering with a tight hamstring, and put in a lively display and Mick McCarthy is heading towards a pleasant selection dilemma for Ninian Park.
While keeping his fingers crossed his early season form will earn him another chance, 21-year-old Clarke admits the "friendly rivalry" between Wolves striking quintet means the duo getting the nod will have everyone's full support.
"We've got some good strikers here now so there's a lot of competition," said Clarke.
"We've all got different attributes and we know everyone can't play every week.
"But if we all carry on doing the business for the team it doesn't matter who plays as long as we keep winning.
"Competition keeps everyone on their toes.
"If you're in the team you know there are people after your spot just like I am after theirs if I'm not in the team.
"But we're all friends and we get along well, it's a good rivalry."
On the battle to hang on to his place for a weekend reunion with Dave Jones - the manager who gave him his Wolves debut - Clarke added: "Hopefully I can stay in and carry on scoring goals but if Jay or Corty come back in there's not much I can do about it.
"If I'm on the bench I'll just have to try and come and on and make an impression like I tried to do when I came on at half time at Barnsley.
"Whoever is playing then I will support them."
Bothroyd meanwhile is straining at the leash to get himself back in after insisting he'd regained some of his sharpness before suffering his unfortunate mishap.
"I was looking forward to the game because I'd done a lot of fitness work and was feeling a lot sharper," he said.
"Karl felt really bad about it, and kept apologising, but it was an accident and can't be helped.
"The boys did really well and I was gutted not to be involved.
"The forwards who played did great, and will probably keep their place next week, but I have to work hard in training and if I am involved, make sure I take my chances."


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Smartphone Apps Can't Cure Acne, FTC Says
Lest consumers think that a smartphone could actually get rid of zits, the Federal Trade Commission has ordered two app makers to pay up.
The FTC signed separate settlements with DermApps and Acne Pwner, both of which published apps that promised to help deter the growth of acne by shining colored lights on the affected area via the smartphone. The two apps were named AcnePwner and AcneApp, which sold for 99 cents and $1.99, respectively, on the Apple iTunes App Store.
In total, the FTC said, 11,600 users downloaded the AcneApp app, and there were approximately 3,300 downloads of AcnePwner. The FTC said its settlement with DermApps required it to pay $14,294, and that AcnePwner would be required to pay $1,700 as a condition of the settlement.
(Want some iPhone apps that are actually useful? Check out our picks for the 25 best iPhone apps in the slideshow.)
"Smartphones make our lives easier in countless ways, but unfortunately when it comes to curing acne, there's no app for that," said FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz, in a statement.
The FTC charged the acne treatment claims made for both apps were unsubstantiated. It also charged that the marketers of AcneApp falsely claimed that the study in the British Journal of Dermatology proves that blue and red light therapy, such as the type provided by AcneApp, is an effective acne treatment.
According a summary of the study, this is what the authors actually found.
"We identified 25 trials (694 patients), 13 of light therapy and 12 of light therapy plus light-activated topical cream (photodynamic therapy, PDT). Overall, the results from trials of light alone were disappointing, but the trials of blue light, blue-red light and infrared radiation were more successful, particularly those using multiple treatments. Red-blue light was more effective than topical 5% benzoyl peroxide cream in the short term. Most trials of PDT showed some benefit, which was greater with multiple treatments, and better for noninflammatory acne lesions. However, the improvements in inflammatory acne lesions were not better than with topical 1% adapalene gel, and the side-effects of therapy were unacceptable to many participants."
The two settlements were the first that the FTC has brought against companies in the mobile health marketplace, the FTC said.
For more from Mark, follow him on Twitter @MarkHachman.


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Motherwell Study Club - 02 February 2017
Walk the Walk, Talk the Torque - Can We Reliably Quantify Implant Stability?
Exhibitor: Bredent, Dentsply Sirona, The Dental Imaging Company
Date: 02 February 2017
Time: 1900 Refreshments 1930 Lecture
Location: Dakota Hotel Eurocentral, 1-3 Parklands Avenue, Motherwell, Nr Glasgow, ML1 4WQ
One of the current hot topics in implant dentistry is the relevance of implant insertion torque to the success or failure of implants. This has become especially relevant as the early, or even immediate, loading of implants has become a more desirable goal of both clinicians and their patients.
In this lecture, insertion torque and implant stability will be discussed in relation to their strengths and weaknesses as predictors of implant risk, and whether clinicians should be looking at other ways of measuring this risk in order to achieve more predictable treatment outcomes.
Stephen qualified from Birmingham University in 1985 and went into general dental practice. He placed his first implant in 1991 and since then has devoted his career to the practice of implant dentistry.
His training was carried out in the UK, USA and Europe and he now lectures extensively on all aspects of dental Implantology throughout the United States, Asia, Continental Europe and the UK.
Stephen runs his implant referral practice in Glasgow, UK, where all aspects of implant and reconstructive dentistry are carried out.
Stephen is a Key Opinion Leader and Ambassador for Dentsply Implants and Osstell, and carries out in practice research, currently working on 3 projects. Stephen is a Past President of the Association of Dental Implantology UK (ADI) and a committee member and Fellow of the Academy of Osseointegration, and the UK Ambassador for AO. He is a founding Board member of PEERS UK, and is the Past Scientific Chairman of the ADI.
He is on the editorial board of three journals and runs a variety of courses at his practice, including a comprehensive year course for those willing to get started in the field of Implantology, sinus grafting and restorative programs. Stephen currently mentors several dentists and is experienced with many implant systems.
Location and Further Actions
Dr Sam Elassar


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On the evening of Monday, January 30th in New York City, Moleskine is hosting a special event – Moleskine Portraits, an evening of interactive portraits-making.
Moleskine Portraits explores the many ways to capture a portrait using Moleskine objects. Text-portraits, sound-portraits, taste-portraits, photo-portraits, and more. Over the next few weeks, we will feature artists and designer who are contributing work to this one-night only experience.
The previous featured Artists:
Phillip Stearns
Brian Quinn
Amanda Stern and Nathan Sensel
Phillip Stearns – Art, Tech and Sound
– Who are you and what do you do?
My name Phillip Stearns and I'm an artist, technician, and educator. My art making practice involves electronic technologies and tends to be multi-disciplinary. I make sound art, interactive light and sound installations, digital prints, textiles, music, and more. You can find my newest project, Year of the Glitch, on Tumblr. During the day I work as a technician for Voltaic Systems, a company that designs solar chargers and solar bags. I also do audio and video tech work for the Candian Broadcasting Corporation here and there as well as help other artists out on their projects. Most recently, I worked on Josh Hadar's solar tree, fitting it with the solar panels and lights. If you're interested in learning more about practical electronics, check out 3rd Ward's class listing , where I work as an educator.
– Are Moleskine notebooks a part of your life and creative process? If so, how do you fit them in?
I have several notebooks that I use on a regular basis. I use a hardcover squared Moleskine notebook for taking down technical data when doing field research for Voltaic Systems.
– You are presenting a project at Moleskine Portraits in NYC on January 30th…what is it about?
I'm developing a sound piece made from sounds produced by a Moleskine messenger bag and a few other Moleskine accessories: pens, pencils, reading light, etc.
– What inspires you?
The thought of doing something new (for me anyways), special, or thought provoking. In my work, I derive a lot of inspiration from technology and the natural environment, two forces that see to be at a point of conflict in today's society. There are a lot of brilliant minds out there working in science, art, and philosophy—experiencing what they have to say or share is incredibly inspiring.
– Do you prefer plain, ruled, or squared paper?
Taken out of context this could make it sound like I'm a really dull guy, but I go back and forth between plain and squared.
Moleskine Portraits
Monday, January 30th 2012
Exit Art
475 10th Ave (@ 36th st)
New York, NY 10011
Located one block east from Javits Center.
Train: A, C, E @ Penn Station
Free with RSVP: http://bit.ly/rL4OZK


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Worldwide News & Events
Disaster Management
- Details
According to the latest scientific news from the UN Climate and Bio Diversity Conferences, the planet is at the brink of collapse. Such a disaster can disrupt essential services such as water & food supplies, electricity, healthcare, sewage/garbage removal, transportation and communications. We all are aware about the time we are living in. Hence it makes sense to be prepared mentally and physically as best as possible.
Be Prepared, Recover, Respond and Help
- Prepare a plan and allocate funds
- Create provisions and supplies
- Be Ready
- Be Steady
- Stay Calm
Disaster preparation what you need to know and useful links (click here)
Retreat Centres Emergency Supplies List (click here)
Emergency Plan Checklist and Emergency kit (Red Cross) (click here)
Disaster Resource Manual by Tamsin (click here)
2m x 1m banner (click here)


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Posted on | July 2, 2012 | No Comments
Specialty Tea Institute Board of Directors
Jennifer Petersen is a tea enthusiast, Certified Tea Professional, teaches various aspects about tea as a business, and a marketing consultant to the beverage industry. Always fascinated by other people who love tea, she is a life-long student and admirer of those who choose tea as a lifestyle.
Over the Teacups blog is a food and beverage forum for discussing tea and related topics with other tea, food and beverage enthusiasts.
Tea Trade Mart Giving Voice to the Tea Industry firstname.lastname@example.com


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So I bought a copy of Vogue to read on the plane to Hawaii. I don't normally indulge in fashion porn, but it had this awesome picture of Michelle Obama on the cover and I couldn't resist. Hidden deep within the magazine I found an article on modern art displayed at castles that blew my mind, and not in a good way. It opens with the writer quoting a princess pal, '"We have an enormous portfolio of [castles]," she said, sighing. "... in the modern world it's a matter of finding a point to having one, especially when life really revolves around cities."' WTF?! Did you just read what I did? Is she really complaining about having TOO MANY CASTLES? Is she really complaining about having too many castles when tent cities for the homeless are springing up all across America? Um, hello -- Grapes of Wrath, much? Not only that, but look what the super rich and super bored have chosen to do with the extra castles they have lying around:
Ha. Ha. Ha. What a hilarious joke! I'm grabbing the castle! Bust.
If I had a castle, it wouldn't matter if it were in Timbukfreakingtu. Everyone I know would be knocking at my door, all, "Wasssup!? We grillin' tonight?" Why? BECAUSE I HAVE A CASTLE. And it would be a hell of a lot cooler than these stuffy warehouses for furniture "updated" with fugly sculptures.
First of all, it would be majestic. Methinks the Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm is lovely and spacious enough, and I always enjoy a good lake view.
Nothing wrong with having a private theatre, is there?
I am all over that floor, the mural overhead, and the supersized chandelier.
And I wouldn't mind housing a Delft collection in my Delft blue room.
But one wild night of boozy barbecuing, and all that gilded damask would be reduced to tinder. I just can't get behind all that fancy furniture, especially with the fancy surroundings.
So, while I'm dreaming of stealing a castle from the rich to give to my nouveau poor middle class self, I may as well dream up some new furnishings to go with, don't you think?
Maybe crazy new French furnishings company, Moustache, has got it right. You all know how much I love a mix of old and new, so Moustache is pulling at my heartstrings with their super mod collection shot in super regal settings.
Yes those are lamps that look like puffy marshmallows, but I dig the contrast.
At least I wouldn't need to buy myself a chef hat for the barbecue, right?
It's good that Moustache doesn't make a lot of pieces with small, delicate parts, as those things tend to end up casualties of late night parties. The bright colors help offset blurred vision, too.
Oh yeah, and I'm having a kid. Here's where the nanny will babysit him in the nursery.
So what do you think? I'm having a party at my new castle and you're all invited! You don't mind that it's not in the city, do you? Or that it doesn't have a giant, menacing hand outside? Well, at least if you lose your job I've got some extra space, and some extra chairs to boot. Hooverville Palace, here we come!


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I spend a lot of time thinking about diabetes. When I run I'm thinking about how I'm feeling, do I need to test my blood to avoid the risk of hypo, does my level of effort mean my liver is releasing glucose into my blood or not? When I eat I obviously think about how many carbs I'm about to eat and how sensitive I think I'm going to be to the insulin (my wife will say "you're not being very sociable." And then, "oh, you're doing maths" as she sees me looking at my plate). During the day at work I'm often wondering if I've got symptoms of high or low blood sugar or whether I've just drunk too much coffee. I should give up the coffee really, but there is only so much self discipline one can impose on oneself.
Despite thinking about diabetes a lot, I think about lots of other things too, and there are sometimes crucial points in the day where I forget that I'm diabetic. One happened this morning when I left the house. Without my insulin. The picture above is my bedside "table" (it's a cardboard box) where my insulin stayed all day.
I realised after I had made myself a big bowl of muesli and banana. In fact, I only realised after I had started eating. Minor alarm – "I haven't taken my insulin yet" – turned to major alarm – "I don't have my stupid insulin!" Cue pouring the bowl of cereal into the bin and marching upstairs to buy fried eggs, bacon, sausage (5g of carb, but I thought I could handle that) and tomato. Blood sugar only mildly up after all that luckily, and it returned to 5.7 (perfect!) after a couple of hours.
I was also out for a work lunch. Luckily the special was swordfish and salad so I could order a carb free lunch. One of the people I was lunching with gave me a knowing look when I declined to order a side of potatoes. He knows I have a huge appetite, and knew exactly why I was abstaining! I even had to eat a cereal bar (30g carb) over the course of the afternoon to keep my blood sugar from dropping too low. This requires another act of will power. Someone as greedy as me finds it really difficult to eat only half a cereal bar in one go.
By home time blood sugar had dropped to 4.1 so I even had to eat some jelly babies before running home.
This is all part and parcel of being a (forgetful) diabetic. Luckily I'm still in the honey moon phase, and I'm no longer ill, so I got away with it.


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The Trade that Was and the Trade that Wasn't: Harris's Fit with the Pistons
Stan Van Gundy, Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations for the Detroit Pistons, was a busy man last week. He arranged two trades in advance of the NBA trade deadline. The first trade was a befuddling swap with the Orlando Magic, flipping aging rotation pieces Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings for stretch four Tobias Harris. The other trade, as we all know by now, didn't turn out as well. The three team trade between the 76ers, Rockets, and Pistons was voided due to an injury to key piece Donatas Motiejunas. The seven foot Lithuanian big man had been limited to only 7 games this season with a back injury, but he had shown promise as a floor spacing big who could step out to three point range. When further tests done by New York and Detroit based doctors revealed there might be further complications, SVG and the Pistons backed out of the deal. So instead of getting bench chucker Marcus Thornton and another space making big, they keep end of the bench Joel Anthony and their first round pick. The main question remains, do these moves (or non-moves) make the Pistons a playoff team? Do these trades move the needle enough to make a difference in either the short or long-term? The answer seems to be… sort of. Maybe. To be determined.
Let's start with the trade that actually worked. Getting Tobias Harris on a very team friendly deal for expiring contract Brandon Jennings and partially guaranteed Ersan Ilyasova seems to be a coup. Ilyasova was the Piston's starting four, but he wasn't exactly blowing the doors off the competition. With the Pistons he averaged 11.3 points per game, good for last place among starters on the team. He was a complementary piece, not a focal point of the offense. Much of his time was spent standing in a corner waiting for a three, or prowling the three point line. Harris, on the other hand, brings a lot more variety to his game. His 3-point stroke is historically inconsistent, hitting about 31.9% of his career threes, but he shoots well enough opposing defenses have to respect his shot. If he can regain his three point stroke from 2014-2015, when he hit over 36% of his threes, he would be about right in line with what Ilyasova brought to the table from deep.
Where Harris will shine is his off the dribble creation. Ilyasova was a catch and shoot floor spacer. He brought little to the game in terms of his post-up action and even less when it comes to beating his man off the bounce. Harris can be a reliable second ball handler if the first Andre Drummond-Reggie Jackson pick and roll fizzles. More importantly, he can also see action as a "point-forward" when Reggie Jackson needs a breather. Having a reliable play-maker while Jackson takes a rest is the biggest area of need after shipping off Jennings. Jennings hasn't been quite the same since his Achilles injury last year, but he did provide a boost off the bench when he returned this season.
That backup facilitator duty now falls on the shoulders of 35-year-old journeyman Steve Blake, and his defense and scoring prowess are nowhere near his prime when he could be counted on as a reliable bench contributor. Harris instead can initiate action with Aron Baynes and get the offense moving if need be. If all else fails, his post game seems to be improving as well, and he will try to punish smaller defenders on the block. Tobias Harris is without question an upgrade to the starting lineup. In a very limited sample size, he has increased his usage to 21.4% of the Pistons plays while increasing his True Shooting Percentage to 61.4%. That is the dream, a player who not only increases how much he handles the ball, but does so more efficiently. We will probably see those shooting numbers trend down back towards his career averages, but if they can remain at a high level the Pistons will have struck gold. He is 5 years younger than Ilyasova which places him right on the same age curve as the rest of the Piston's starters. With this first trade, SVG has effectively set four fifths of a potential playoff contending line-up.
The more pertinent issue, however, is with the trade that wasn't. When Detroit voided the trade to grab Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton, it gave up a lot of potential bench production. The main problem with the Harris trade is Detroit sent out two rotation pieces to get one in return. Not a big deal if you have depth or if you plan on replacing the missing man. Detroit would have been giving up fringe rotation piece at best in Joel Anthony (who is so much on the fringes of the lineup that he only saw 5 minutes of action in a blowout win against the 76ers on Wednesday) for two reliable bench players. Thornton and Motiejunas (provided he could actually play) would have immediately stepped in off the bench as no worse than the 8th and 9th men of the rotation. That would have boosted a bench that has been beleaguered all year and might have provided the push Detroit needed to not only reach the playoffs, but to try to get to a 6th seed or better. That would be imperative to have any hope of advancing out of the first round since they could avoid the Cavs or the Raptors, both teams which figure to roll to the conference finals.
Now, however, a weak bench is just weaker. They no longer have their 6th man in Brandon Jennings. A rash of injuries have taken their toll on the bench as well. Darrun Hilliard has already been forced into low rotation minutes due to Jodie Meeks lingering foot injury. Stanley Johnson and Anthony Tolliver are both going to miss extended time. Johnson is expected to be out for up to 2 weeks, and Tolliver is day-to-day with a knee sprain. Spencer Dinwiddie is also on the shelf, although despite reports that SVG and the Pistons have visions of him as a backup ball handler, he was having trouble playing meaningful minutes, only averaging 12 minutes a game when he was healthy. Playing four men down is tough for any team. Playing four men down when you only have a capable rotation of 10 players means a lot of players you don't want playing big minutes are going to be doing exactly that. When your team has to turn to Reggie Bullock to provide scoring pop off the bench, odds are you are going to be playing against a mismatch. Bullock did admirably in his bench role Wednesday against the 76ers, but we have to remember the 76ers are a team that is somewhere above the D-League, but somewhere below the NBA in terms of talent.
Against real teams and real defenses, these bench players the Pistons are forced to rely on may struggle. Five of the next seven games for the Pistons are against teams at least in the playoff hunt. The Reggie Bullocks of the team may not be able to stand up to prolonged minutes against the Hornets, let alone the Spurs or Raptors. If that begins to be the case, prolonged minutes for the starters could lead to some dead legs down the stretch.
So moving forward, the best scenario might be to hope the Pistons DON'T make the playoffs for the 8th straight year. Getting the losing monkey off your back is important, but the best way to grow a team is through the draft. It will give you a player on a very team friendly contract for 4 years. The cap savings the Pistons will enjoy from the difference between Motiejunas and their first round pick could mean a veteran role player addition in free agency. The draft is the only real way a non-destination city can land a superstar these days. If you don't have a Steph Curry, a LeBron James, or a Russell Westbrook you just don't make it past the conference finals. In an era where teams can legitimately afford 3 max players make it next to impossible for small market teams to hope one splash in free agency will bring them to that next level. Granted, landing a superstar in the late lottery or late first round is a crap shoot. For every Kawhi Leonard there are dozens of players who don't even last their rookie contract. The fact remains that there ARE Kawhi Leonards, Paul Georges, and Draymond Greens that slip through the cracks. In the right system, you have an All-NBA level talent that you can lock up for years to come. If the Pistons can turn a low lottery pick into a solid off the bench contributor, that has the potential to do more for them than a Motiejunas or Thornton. It won't happen as soon, but the result could be just as sweet.
So I'm with you Pistons fans. The next few months will be… confusing. Either the team rallies together, guys get healthy faster than expected, Tobias Harris embraces his new found role, and the Pistons roll to a 5th or 6th seed in the East, possibly even advancing a round. Or, the dead legs from so many minutes sap the starters and the Pistons start dropping games and fall out of playoff contention. Either result is entirely possible, and either result wouldn't be all that bad. SVG is setting up his team well to compete long-term. Whether playoff experience or a potential young rotation piece is more valuable is up for debate, but the direction the team is heading is the same. Up.
Colin Anderson covers the Detroit Pistons for MFST.
Latest posts by Colin Anderson (see all)
- Carolina Panthers Day 2 Recap - April 30, 2016
- Detroit Lions Day 2 Recap - April 30, 2016
- Carolina Panthers select Vernon Butler with the 30th Pick - April 28, 2016


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Public Information Office Staff
Amanda McFarland, Public Information Officer, (216) 584-2005Or please contact email@example.com.
Online Feedback FormWant to order a state map? Report a pothole? Damage to your vehicle on a state route? Fill out ODOT's online feedback form to find the answers to your questions.
Public Records Act and PolicySee how ODOT's public records requests are handled in a timely and uniform manner by viewing this pdf. poster. For more information on making a public records request, please contact the Public Information Office.


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Be sure to look for Fred's watercolors at Little Things Mean a Lot, the Swan Coach House Gallery's most popular and eagerly anticipated show. Now in its 16th year, the gallery walls will be covered with over 300 small creations in a variety of mediums: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking and ceramics. As pieces sell, new ones replace them, creating an ever-evolving show. Opening night is November 12, 6 - 9. Please join us!
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: October 2Brevard College Alumni Art Exhibit
Later Event: November 13Telfair Art Museum Festival


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In my last post, I discussed the first of three reasons why I study Biblical geography. In that post, I mentioned that the first reason was: I study Biblical Geography to better understand God's people. In this post, I'll discuss the next reason. Which is:
Reason #2: I study Biblical Geography to better understand God's Word.
If I were to ask you to tell me the story of 1 Samuel 17, more than likely, you would relate a story to me similar to this: "There was a Philistine giant named Goliath that came out and taunted the Israelite army for 40 days. Finally, a shepherd boy named David agreed to fight Goliath. David, founded by a solid faith in God, took five stones from the brook and approached the giant. He then took out a stone and slung it. The stone struck the giant in the head and he died. It was a glorious victory for Israel."
If you would answer my question like that, you would be like nearly everyone else. However, that is not the way that the Bible tells the story. The Bible describes Goliath beginning in verse 4 and describes David beginning in verse 12. So, what is in the first three verses of that chapter? Well, let us read it.
Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. - 1 Samuel 17:1-3
This is a story about geography! Yes, there are important lessons to be learned about David and his faith in God. But to fully understand the importance of this battle, you have to understand the geography of the area! If you understand the geography (including the Coastal Plain, the Shephelah and the Hill Country), then the real importance of this battle can be understood! This is why the Bible gives such a high level of detail regarding the geography.
By understanding the geography, it helps you to better understand God's Word.
(NOTE: The picture at the top of this post was taken on my tour last year. They are walking in the brook that runs through the Elah Valley where David pulled his "five smooth stones".)


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Burkina Fasos coup leader insists staying on till elections
Burkina Faso's recent coup leader is insisting on staying in power until polls are held.
According to a document, seen by the BBC, Gen. Gilbert Diendere, made the proposal at talks brokered by West African mediators in the Capital, Ouagadougou.
Speaking Saturday, September 19, 2015, one of the mediators said a breakthrough had been made and a new transition government, to reinstate interim President, Michel Kafando, was in sight.
BBC West Africa reporter, Thomas Fessy, said the junta's proposal is unlikely to signal a return to power of the civilian authorities.
The junta, in their document, signed by Gen. Diendere and exclusively seen by the BBC, is insisting that the General should remain president until elections, currently due on 11 October.
The coup plotters' insistence is a stark contradiction to the optimism shown Saturday by mediator, Yayi Boni, President of Benin.
President Boni had suggested that the presidential guard might give up power, our correspondent said.
Gen Diendere was Chief of Staff of former President, Blaise Compaore.
Mr. Compaore was deposed last October in a popular uprising in Burkina Faso.
At least 10 people have been reportedly killed in clashes since Thursday's coup.
The overthrow of the civilian Interim Government, carried out by the Presidential Guard, was widely condemned.
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso has been suspended from the African Union, because of the coup.


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Brothers and Sisters:
I want to share with you some new information about the Health & Welfare Fund. Recently, the Health & Welfare Committee voted to change the amount of funds allocated to pay management fees. These funds include those that go to District Council 47 for my salary. The committee voted to change the allocation from 25 percent to 10 percent, saying that I did not spend enough of my time on Health & Welfare concerns. I presented information showing I spent the same amount of time as my predecessor, however, that did not dissuade the committee from taking that action.
I believe that this is the first time the Health & Welfare Committee has taken this specific action.
Just wanted you to know what's going on in your union.
Fred Wright,