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These four large sample surveys from Quinnipiac....
COLORADO: Obama 49 - McCain 44
MICHIGAN: Obama 48 - McCain 42
MINNESOTA: Obama 54 - McCain 37
WISCONSIN: Obama 52 - McCain 39
suggest that the make-up and mood of the 2008 presidential electorate is right now perfectly trimmed to embrace Barack Obama. As Quinnipiac puts it, "[a]n emerging Democratic coalition of women, minorities and younger voters is propelling Illinois Sen. Barack Obama to leads." As with every statewide poll, we must wave the caution flag: these numbers can and probably will change over time.
At least the McCain campaign knows who they can target: white conservative independents, especially men. But even as McCain performs solidly with that group, the composition of the electorate is changing so much that they can't help him. (Obama, for example, is doing well with Hispanics but is doing extremely well with younger Hispanics.) Obama wins independents; he does weakest among them in Michigan, but Republicans in that state are demoralized. Some of the more interesting nuggets: In Colorado, Obama and McCain split the white vote and almost split the vote of those 55 and older; same with Michigan. The gender gap in Minnesota is huge: Obama leads by 26 points among women and seven points among men and double digits among white voters. In Wisconsin, Obama even leads among white men -- 51 to 40%. The polls have margins of error of no more than +/- 2.5%.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to firstname.lastname@example.com.


text: Checkout some of the new custom treatments and pics of the completely redesigned #MAESTROMINI. The all new & supremely improved Bustin 2018 Lineup drops next month, including the updated 34" Maestro Mini built with our new (E)CORE™ technology. The new layup is lighter, stronger and more lively through the push making this our best lil' Maestro yet. And the all new mold has been re-designed to spoon your feet and track your movements on the board like an NSA agent on Valentines day. Stay tuned to the BLOG for more information about the new Maestro Mini and ALL of the fancy new droppings as we approach next month's release. .

subset: commoncrawl


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6 Underground
It becomes repetitive, nonsensical, and just loud after everyone gets an origin story and we're left with nothing to do but go boom.
It becomes repetitive, nonsensical, and just loud after everyone gets an origin story and we're left with nothing to do but go boom.
Bombshell is both light on its feet and a punch in the gut.
Roger Ebert on James Ivory's "Howards End".
"The Ballad of Narayama" is a Japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. What a space it opens…
An article about today's noon premiere of a new movie about architect Benjamin Marshall at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
An article about the screening of Horace Jenkins' "Cane River" on Friday, November 1st, at the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles.
Scout Tafoya's video essay series about maligned masterpieces celebrates Steven Soderbergh's Solaris.
An article about today's noon premiere of a new movie about architect Benjamin Marshall at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
An FFC on Gavin Hood's Official Secrets.
A celebration of Yasujiro Ozu, as written by a Far Flung Correspondent from Egypt.
An article about the International Beethoven Project's 10th annual Beethoven Birthday Bash, celebrating Beethoven's 249th birthday, which will honor Chaz Ebert with the Spirit Laureate…
The best films of 2019, as chosen by the staff of RogerEbert.com.
"Jumanji" is being promoted as a jolly holiday season entertainment, with ads that show Robin Williams with a twinkle in his eye. The movie itself is likely to send younger children fleeing from the theater, or hiding in their parents' arms. Those who do sit all the way through it are likely to toss and turn with nightmares inspired by its frightening images.
Whoever thought this was a family movie (the MPAA rates it PG - not even PG-13!) must think kids are made of stern stuff. The film is a gloomy special-effects extravaganza filled with grotesque images, generating fear and despair. Even for older audiences, there are few redeeming factors, because what little story there is serves as a coathook for the f/x sequences, which come out of nowhere and evaporate into the same place.
The film opens in 1869, as a sturdy chest is buried in the woods. "What if someone digs this up?" a shadowy worker asks. "God help them!" he's told.
We flash forward to 1969, as a little boy named Alan finds the chest in a construction site and opens it to discover a board game named "Jumanji." He rolls the dice and is instantly fascinated with the game's supernatural powers. The pieces on the board move themselves. The game communicates with ghostly messages that float into focus in a cloudy lens. And Alan is attacked by a cloud of bats.
Another flash-forward, this time to the present, as two other kids find the game in an old mansion that has been abandoned for years. This is none other than Alan's childhood home, and when the kids begin playing the game, Alan materializes. He has been in limbo all of this time, growing to manhood, and is now played by Robin Williams. His first words: "Where's my mom and dad?" Ah, but there's no time for sentimentality now. He makes friends with the children, Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce), and together they begin to explore the world of Jumanji, which contains jungle terrors. They will be attacked by lions, monkeys, rhinos, elephants, giant insects, poison darts, plants that strangle them and other plants that eat things, snakes, birds, mosquitoes, thunder and lightning, and (it goes without saying) spiders. They will wrestle with a crocodile and Alan will almost be gobbled up by a pool of quicksand that appears in the middle of the mansion's floor.
Other characters make their appearances. There's Van Pelt (Jonathan Hyde), a big-game hunter who has also been captured by the game; Aunt Nora (Bebe Neuwirth), who has adopted little Judy and Peter (somehow it is inevitable that they are orphans), and Sarah (Bonnie Hunt), who was the little girl who played Jumanji with young Alan on that fateful day in 1969, and now has grown up to become a reclusive fortune-teller. The town shunned her because she insisted on telling the truth about her experience with the board game.
The basic notion of the film (two kids have lots of scary adventures with Robin Williams) must have sounded good on paper. But the technicians have filled the screen with special effects, both conventional and animated, in such a way that the movie is now about as appropriate for smaller children as, say, "Jaws." It's not bad enough that the film's young heroes have to endure an unremitting series of terrifying dangers; at one point, little Peter gets converted into a monkey that looks like a Wolf Man, and goes through the film like a miniature Lon Chaney, with a hairy snout and wicked jaws. This image alone is likely to be disturbing to small children. To me, it looked like gratuitous cruelty on the part of the filmmakers toward the harmless young character.
The underlying structure of the film seems inspired by - or limited by - interactive video games. There is little attempt to construct a coherent story. Instead, the characters face one threat after another, as new and grotesque dangers jump at them. It's like those video games where you achieve one level after another by killing and not getting killed. The ultimate level for young viewers will be being able to sit all the way through the movie.
A review of the newest film by Quentin Tarantino.
The top 50 shows of the 2010s.
This message came to me from a reader named Peter Svensland. He and a fr...
A Far Flung Correspondent weighs in on the MCU controversy.


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This action might not be possible to undo. Are you sure you want to continue?
On a fateful summer morning in 1986, two eleven-year-old girls meet for the first time. By the end of the day, they will both be charged with murder. Twenty-five years later, journalist Kirsty Lindsay is reporting on a series of sickening attacks on young female tourists in a seaside vacation town when her investigation leads her to interview carnival cleaner Amber Gordon. For Kirsty and Amber, it's the first time they've seen each other since that dark day so many years ago. Now with new, vastly different lives-and unknowing families to protect-will they really be able to keep their wicked secret hidden?
Gripping and fast-paced, with an ending that will stay with you long after you've read it, The Wicked Girls will appeal to fans of the Academy Award-nominated film Heavenly Creatures and the novels of Rosamund Lupton and Chevy Stevens.


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Rubis Tweezer Classic Slanted
The Classic Slanted Rubis Tweezer has a slanted tip for precise plucking and brow shaping. Made of surgical steel, the high-quality tweezers are acid-proof, anti-magnetic and rustproof. Featuring tips that close perfectly, precise edges and an arm of tension that yields a lightly-resilient resistance, the reliable Rubis tweezers are handmade in Switzerland by skilled employees, using a 45-step process. - L.M.
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Delivery & Returns
Express Delivery Available - If ordered before 11pm, delivered by courier next working day. More Info »
If ordered before 11pm, delivered by courier next working day. Applies to most delivery addresses within mainland UK.
How long will it take to arrive?
Please check the stock availability notice on your item when placing your order. This item is: In stock | Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Please remember to add postal time (2-3 working days) to obtain a complete estimate of delivery to your door.
How will I know it has been sent?
You will receive an email to confirm when your item has been sent.
You can also check the status of your order and individual items by accessing My Account details and following the prompts.
Please allow 10 working days from dispatch of your order before notifying us of any late deliveries.
It may be advisable to check with your neighbours to see if a parcel has been left with them, check any outhouses you might have where it may be left if it cannot fit through your letterbox and contact your local sorting office to see if the item has been returned to the depot as undelivered and awaiting collection.
If I'm not completely happy with my item?
Please see our returns policy.


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Rockbox mail archiveSubject: RE: Broken LCD :(
From: Touillaud Nicolas (Nicolas.Touillaud_at_fr.thalesgroup.com)
Date: 2004-03-19
Hi !
Good luck !
-----Message d'origine-----
Well my two-month-old recorder 2.0 from Amazon died the other day. More
One thing I tried was to change the contrast as in the FAQ. I have a pretty
So I've decided to keep it as it still makes a nifty USB 2 hard drive. I
I've seen in the archives also some talk of a replacement LCD supplier in
Page was last modified "Jan 10 2012" The Rockbox Crew


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Bad Case of the Slooooows
Last year, I don't think we hit 100 degrees at all. This week, it's forecast that we'll see 100 several times and 99 and 98 the rest of the time. Here on the banks of Maxwell creek, we get a little less heat than in the concrete-filled towns, thanks to the transpiration of moisture by all the large trees on the property. The critters hold up pretty well, but most activity ceases as they bear up during the worst hours of the day. Here are a few pictures of the furred and feathered kids waiting out the sun, and like me, aching for the long shadows. (Only Dewy enjoys sunbathing.)
In my next post, I'll announce the winner of the book Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance.


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If you cannot feed your horse and do not know what to do, please contact me at (209) 351-0373. Auction is not your only choice. If you just need feed for a few days, please contact me. If you can no longer care for your horse or livestock, please contact me.
If you cannot feed your horse and do not know what to do, please contact me at (209) 351-0373. Auction is not your only choice. If you just need feed for a few days, please contact me. If you can no longer care for your horse or livestock, please contact me.
I am associated with Horse Plus Humane Society in Oroville that takes in any animal that cannot be taken care of anymore. Please do not allow your horse to go without because you do not know what to do.
The rescue association that I am in contact with does not euthanize unless absolutely necessary. I will pick the animal up with your signed consent, and transport it to the rescue agency.
There is no financial gain in the transaction for me whatsoever. Only the welfare of the animal is important.
Betsy Wilkins
It must be the year of the Super PAC. Hidden funders with unlimited money are outspending presidential candidates. That's nothing new for California, though, where misleading political ads flood the TV and radio every election year. Worst of all, they hide behind false names such as "Taxpayers Right to Vote."
The one bright spot in this mess is Assembly Bill 1148, the California DISCLOSE Act, expected to come to a vote today. Sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign, it would expose who really pays for the political ads - right in the ads. They'd have to clearly show the top three funders. If this bill doesn't pass, all of California will lose!
Local Assembly members Bill Berryhill, Alyson Huber and Cathleen Galgiani haven't yet said how they'll vote on AB 1148. Hopefully they'll do the right thing for transparency in political advertising by voting yes. But it wouldn't hurt to call them. Everyone should be in favor of this if they are in favor of democracy.
Susan Arnett
Thanks to the giving spirit exhibited by Starbucks in the Stockton area, many foster youths in our community have great memories of the 2011 holiday season.
Starbucks lent its support to Aspiranet's third annual holiday gift drive, helping us solicit and collect gifts for foster children and families in need during November and December.
Because of the generosity of Starbucks' staff and their customers, we collected and distributed 3,400 gifts throughout California. Whether it was a young child snuggling with an oh-so-cool pillow pet or a teen cruising on a brand new skateboard, no words can express the joy that these gifts brought to our foster children and their families.
On behalf of the entire Aspiranet team, I'd like to thank Starbucks for setting such a shining example of selflessness and social responsibility.
In 2012, we hope that those who helped at the holidays will consider taking their support one step further and investigate the possibility of fostering or adopting a child in need.
Please visit us at aspiranetheroes.org.
JoLyn McMillan
District Director, Aspiranet
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� Mail: P.O. Box 900, Stockton, CA 95201
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� Questions: (209) 546-8261


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In 1890, Mr. Morgan Butler, a very prominent and generous New Hartford farmer built Butler Memorial Hall and donated this fine building to house municipal government and public activities. Butler Hall has served residents of the community since then and has been used for things such as US Post Office, New Hartford Historical Society, bowling Alleys, a gymnasium with a basketball court, "Good Times" club meetings, and a Public Library reading room.
At the present time, it is the home of the Village and Town of New Hartford municipal offices. The Village offices include the Village Clerk's Office/Tax Collector's Office, and meeting room. The Town offices include the Town Supervisor's Office, Town Clerk's Office and Accounting Office.
Butler Memorial Hall has currently been renovated with a handicap accessible ramp and an elevator.


text: The Rodgers & Hammerstein office has worked closely on concert stagings with Carnegie Hall since 2002 including SOUTH PACIFIC with Reba McEntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell (2005), and SHOW BOAT with Nathan Gunn, Carolee Carmello, Marilyn Horne, and Alvy Powell (2008). On April 24, 2012 Carnegie Hall will present THE SOUND OF MUSIC in the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, as a gala benefit for Carnegie Hall, this one-night-only concert performance of the beloved musical will provide support for music education programs of the Weill Music Institute. Gary Griffin (The Color Purple) directs the production, with Rob Fisher (Chicago) serving as musical director, conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke's. The cast will be announced at a later date. Gala guests will enjoy a festive, pre-concert dinner as well as premier concert seating. Gala benefit tickets will go on sale this fall. To receive an invitation, please email [email protected]. In addition, a limited number of concert-only tickets will be available to Carnegie Hall subscribers and donors beginning Friday, December 9. Tickets will go on general sale on December 16.


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Effective electro-optic coefficients are measured from the interference signal between a transmitted beam and a reflected beam passing through a crystal three times. The advantages are simplicity of configuration and ease of measurement. The experimental error caused by multiple reflections in the crystal is also discussed.
© 1982 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
OSA Recommended Articles
P. Ney, A. Maillard, M. D. Fontana, and K. Polgár
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 17(7) 1158-1165 (2000)
Shuang Wang, Zhibin Wang, Xie Han, and Kewu Li
Appl. Opt. 58(16) 4271-4276 (2019)
Dong Hun Park, Chi H. Lee, and Warren N. Herman
Opt. Express 14(19) 8866-8884 (2006)


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The Importance of Your Social Security Statement
You may not understand the importance of your Social Security statement, especially if retirement plans are years away. Your Social Security statement is an annual report sent by SSA for your review. This statement provides a recap of annual earnings for each employment year. When you retire, Social Security uses this information to calculate benefits based on your working years.
It's important to review the Social Security statement for accuracy. Focus on the previous three years' reported earnings because there's actually a statute of limitations to consider. Learn more about SSA's income reporting statute of limitations here. Your time limit to advise Social Security of errors is about three and one-third years from the end of the statement calendar year. Your Social Security statement reflects "Social Security earnings" that are credited towards your future Social Security benefits. If Social Security doesn't have an accurate reflection of your earnings in the time period, you won't receive credits for income they don't know about.
Your Social Security Statement and W-2 Earnings
Social Security Administration receives information about your wages from IRS Form W-2. Box 3 on your W-2, along with Social Security tax paid for the tax year, is recorded in box 4. If you're employed, your employer files W-2 forms with SSA no later than the end of Q1 for the previous calendar earnings year. Wages must be credit to your SSA account within a three-year period.
If you're self-employed–or working as a freelancer, farmer, or independent contractor–you must self-report annual wages to IRS. You report income on Schedule C or Schedule F, if you're a farmer, along with Form 1040, and submit this information to the Internal Revenue Service. SSA earnings and taxes to Social Security are calculated with Schedule SE (section A/line 6 part 1 Schedule SE). Since some self-employed persons require additional time to file a tax return, it's possible to miss the three-year deadline for submitting earnings to SSA.
Review Section 205 of the Social Security Act here [42 USC 405] to learn more about statute of limitations regarding your Social Security credits. If your tax returns aren't filed within this critical statute of limitations, SSA doesn't have evidence of earnings for future Social Security benefits. Because courts around the country have ruled that tax returns must be filed within the statute of limitations, you have a relatively narrow window in which to correct Social Security earnings.
Review Your Social Security Statement and Credits
Most taxpayers don't receive a paper copy of their Social Security statement in the mail each year. To keep tabs on your Social Security earnings, you must sign up for a Social Security My Account on the SSA website. Check your Social Security statement at least once a year to make sure that earnings and net income from self-employment is filed within the statute of limitations. If your Social Security statement is wrong, SSA needs to hear about it from you.
At this point, you're probably wondering about how Social Security credits are calculated. Click on SSA's latest Social Security credits brochure to learn more. Every year, you earn a specific number of SSA credits. These credits are calculated according to your employment earnings or net after-expenses self-employment income.
You may earn up to four credits each year and, in order to have eligibility for Social Security benefits, you must earn 40 credits during your work history. If you're self-employed, earning these credits within the statute of limitations may be especially challenging. Mark your calendar to ensure that you don't forego these credits.
Review Your Social Security Statement Regularly
If your earnings and Social Security statement are exactly the same, that's good news. In the rare event your earnings differ from your Social Security statement, contact SSA immediately and request a correction to your earnings history. Establish a Social Security My Account now and review your Social Security statement to ensure your maximum benefits are available when you need them.


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The following post highlights our Strategic Accounts Manager's first regional HIMSS event experience.
Last week I attended my first Midwest HIMSS conference in Chicago, Illinois- the 2014 Midwest HIMSS Fall Technology Conference. Being new to the company and to HIMSS conferences, it was a truly eye-opening and educational experience for me. It is neat to see a group of professionals come together from different states, companies and backgrounds all under one roof sharing the latest news and technologies in the healthcare world. I enjoyed meeting people and networking as well as observing how other companies engaged with people as they came to booths.
The keynote speakers and breakout sessions were a wealth of knowledge. I was not only able to learn from the speeches but also the Q&A sessions at the end of each of them. Of all the breakout sessions, the session led by Laura McCrary of Kansas Health Information Network was my favorite. Laura spoke on the future of health information exchange (HIE) and the initiatives the state of Kansas has taken to unite nearly all the hospitals and clinics in the state, so there is a quick, smooth transfer of information and ultimately improved patient care.
All in all, I took a lot away from the conference, and I hope to attend more of these conferences in the future and get more plugged into the HIMSS network!


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A true blast from the past, The Diana F+ Camera will take you back to the 60's. With its retro look and amazing lo-fi photos.
Lomography, first found the Diana F+ cult classic camera in 2007. It was crucial to the analogue film community to recreate this iconic camera. In the 60's and 70's this design was futuristic. Now it's back.
Lomography decided to keep faithful to the classic 1960s design, by keeping the light weight plastic body, soft focus lens and the simple shutter. They also added a few twists.
This is the most versatile camera you would want. You can use it old school with the square format. Or try some of the new techniques. It is truly an experience to be remembered.


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Made for iPhone
Your life is busy and you want technology that will keep up and fits right into your normal life. That's why here at Hearing Aid Connection we are pleased to offer made for iPhone hearing aids. Keep reading to find out more about this fun new technology.
Introducing Halo — the Made for iPhone hearing aid
Halo hearing aids connect directly to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch via our TruLink™ Hearing Control app. Together Halo and TruLink deliver the most personalized hearing experience ever and are designed to:
- Stream calls from your iPhone directly to your hearing aids using Bluetooth® 4.0 wireless technology
- Deliver pristine sound and exceptional listening clarity
- Help you hear comfortably in noise
- Eliminate buzzing and whistling
- Stream FaceTime®, music and more directly to your hearing aids
What is TruLink?
Go anywhere and do everything with the breakthrough Made for iPhone® Hearing Aids and TruLink™, the easy-to-use hearing control app. These advanced new hearing aids enhance every listening experience, and connect easily to your iPhone®, iPad®, and iPod touch® via the TruLink app. Enjoy phone calls, music, videos and more streamed directly into your ears with pristine sound quality — no background buzzing and whistling.
A3i™ – now compatible with Apple Watch
Announcing another hearing breakthrough that will help attract more patients to your practice… A3i hearing aids and Apple Watch
come together to create happier, more connected patients.
New TruLink™ Hearing Control app for Apple Watch provides your patients even more ways to easily control and personalize their hearing experience – so they can hear better and live better.
- Control volume easily and effortlessly in any environment
- Change memories to personalized settings to optimize audibility, comfort and sound quality
- Mute hearing aid microphones to block out surrounding noises


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Blac Chyna's ex-boyfriend, Mechie, is addressing the sex tape video that was leaked on Monday by an anonymous Twitter user.
During an interview with The Shade Room on Instagram Live today, Mechie says that he is the other person in the one minute and 23 second video, which shows Chyna performing oral sex on a man while naked.
"Basically, we were at the club and she's like we need to link up so we did and then that's what lead to the video happening," he said of the 29-year-old model.


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The Innocence Project says that in about 25% of DNA exoneration cases, innocent defendants made incriminating statements, delivered outright confessions or pled guilty. People sometimes confess to crimes they didn't commit. But,why?
This hour host Ben Kieffer looks at the anatomy of a false confession with psychology researches Stephanie Madon and Max Guyll of Iowa State University. Also Brian Farrell, co-founder and president of the Innocence Project of Iowa, and Polk County Attorney John Sarcone join the conversation.


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It's time to meet the parents! Ashley is embarking on the hometown dates with her four remaining men. Who will give their blessing? More importantly, which bachelors will move on in the journey to win Ashley's heart?
A Day of Wine and Roses?
Ben gives Ashley a tour of his winery in Sonoma, California. A quick taste test is followed by a some sweet kisses. Ben admits that he's only brought one woman home to meet his mother prior to this. He's also super-close to his sis, who lives in San Francisco. The one person Ashley won't get to meet is Ben's dad, who passed away. But he's pretty sure his father would have really liked her.
Ben's sister, Julia, has always been protective of him, so she's a bit skeptical when she first meets Ashley. But after chatting with her bro, she sees that he's in touch with his emotions for the first time in a long time. Ben admits to his mom that he wants what she had with his dad. He gets a little emotional during their chat. But at the end of the day, both Ben and his mom know that Dad would be proud of him.
Ben's very happy that he's starting to fall in love. It's hard to say goodbye to Ashley, who admits that she could see herself spending the rest of her life with him. Guess that means this particular hometown date was a huge success.
Georgia on Her Mind
Ashley's off to Cumming, Georgia for a hometown date with Constantine. They head over to his restaurant where he teaches Ashley how to make a pizza. When asked to add her favorite ingredients, Ash tries to plop Constantine into the deep dish mix. It's quite the saucy move. Not cheesy at all. The restaurant workers are thrilled when they catch a glimpse of the couple kissing.
Ashley meets Constantine's mom, dad and sister, Maria. She's inspired by the love she sees in this family. Mom wants to know if Ashley is willing to relocate if she wants in on her son's life. Her fears are alleviated by Ashley's response. Constantine's dad says he'll support his son if Ashley is, indeed, the person for him. It was a great night that's not over yet.
DING DONG! Someone's at the door. Actually, it's more than just someone. Constantine's entire family flows into the home. There's dancing throughout the room. The kind of interaction Ashley sees with this group is exactly what she wants for her own family. Ashley feels very comfortable and very happy.
Taking Ames in PA
It's time to head out to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania where Ashley meets Ames and his family. There's his mom along with his brother and sister and their kids. Ames tells the tale of the overseas boxing match that landed him in the hospital. Hey, he was fighting for true love!
Mom Jane says that Ames has always been her rock. Sister Serena tells Ashley that it's clear that her brother has feelings for her. She wants to know how she feels about him. They both agree that Ames is like an onion, you just have to keep peeling away the layers. Serena tells Ashley about how the death of Ames' father and stepfather shaped who he is today. And what he is today is a pretty great guy. But Serena isn't sure Ash has the passion for her bro.
Ames admits to his sis that he has that "falling in love" feeling. He and Ashley both know that they've taken things slowly. Mom thinks that's a good thing. Serena thinks Ames needs to open up to Ash, so he plans a romantic picnic. While on the date, Ashley admits that she and Ames think alike. She also admits that he's like no other guy. They share a sweet kiss under a magnolia tree. Now that's romantic.
Rolling Along on Long Island
It's off to Long Island to meet JP and his family. First stop on the date is a trip to the roller rink. They haven't even finished lacing up the skates before they're share a smooch. Then it's time to turn on the disco ball and roll onto the floor. JP is the first to take a spill, but Ashley's there to give him a kiss to make it all better.
Ashley meets JP's mom, Eileen, his dad, Peter, his brother, Roy, and his bro's girlfriend, Andrea. The family is very protective. His mom thinks Ashley is terrific, but doesn't want to see her son get his heart broken. She's seen it happen before. Eileen wants to know if her son is in love and if he'll propose. All signs indicate that could happen.
Mom tells Ashley that she only wants her son to be happy. She talks openly about JP's past heartbreak. Ashley promises they have something special. Mom believes Ashley is beautiful both inside and out. Later, Mom breaks out a picture of JP from his bar mitzvah. He's sporting a sweet mullet. It's a fun ending to a perfect day. But JP still can't find the strength to say that he's in love with Ashley.
The Rose Ceremony
Ashley and the four remaining bachelors are back at the mansion. One of the men standing before her is heading out the door. The three men who receive roses from Ashley are:
Ames is about as gracious as a guy can be as he says goodbye to Ashley. He's a good man who should have no trouble finding a great girl now that this particular adventure is over. As for Ashley, her journey continues with the three remaining men in the tropical islands of Fiji!


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Quick Details Place of Origin: Shandong, China (Mainland) Brand Name: TANJA Model Number: 4011 Material: steel Surface treatment: zinc plated Usage: vehicles, medical equipment , machine, packing case clamp Standard or Nonstandard: Can be customized Weight: 52g Size: 93*26 locking load: 1000N...
introduction to products:
Storage:keep in cool and dry place away from corrosive liquid
Discount: The more you order ,the lower price you will get.
Port: Qingdao or in line with the customer's requirement
OEM: able to provide
RoHS compliant:Yes
Other Description:
Electric Motors Outdoor Equipment customized door catches latches
SUS304 Stainless Steel Eccentric Latch
Holding Capacity Push Pull Red Plastic Toggle Clamp
Generators Large Cubicles steel machine toolbox draw latch
Steel Lock hasp for Truck and trailer
Electronic Control Box Medical Instrument over center draw latch
Hardware spare parts ;adjustable togglel latch;lock out hasp
Product Description
more products
Click on a category below to explore TANJA's entire product offering
Deliver and package
Delivery for mass production: About 10-20 days according to the order.
Packing:packing can be made according to your request.
Selling Units: Single item
Package Type:products was packed with plastic bag,and carton.
why do you choose us:
Quality:Professional manufacturer in China for lock,handles and hinges with competitive price and high quality.Strictest Quality Control,
OEM service:customized according to your drawing,New mold tool time about 12-18days
Specifications:European standard stamping
Resources:Vast Material Resources
Size: Various, also can be customized.
company information
TANJA has always been committed to the development and production of industrial hardware,Through continuous innovation and research,TANJA has produced more creative,safer and more reliable comfortable and practical hardware accessories.
If you have any requirement about the product which are different with our normal ones, please send me the drawing of your design, I'll make a quotation for you.
Other products
Are you a factory or a trading company?
We are a factory.
How does your factory do regarding quality control?
Quality is priority. Our company always attaches great importance to quality controlling from the very beginning to the very end.
Do your company accept customization?
Yes, we can customized the products according to your request,
What is your MOQ?
Normally it is 100pcs,It is depend on the item


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Kiki Petrosino on "This Woman's Face is Your Future"
I, too, have hated it. Something off about the teeth. Long & long, I've studied on its shape: dumb as domett. Dulsome as Dallas ditchwater. Lantern-head, I've said. Happy horsebag, too bad to bleed. Just wanna iron shut its mouth from hem to hem. Wanna break the nose down to a hawse-hole. Could I gag it out? Once gagged, I mean, with long dry coughs of hair. Could I shutter it with one quick knot to the nape? Snap it off in my hands? Old blister pack, old zit. In my cabin, I'd snag that thing on the first nail. Keep pulling it down & down by the jaw. Yes, & let them shreds hang lovely in the lamps. Only then would I give up awhile. Put on my sea-gown & rise, beautiful on the dark decks.
This poem began with its title, which emerged for me in the last few moments of a dream. The whole sentence surfaced at once, like a seashell revealed at low tide. My dream, as I remember, was an anxious one. I had to assemble an object composed of tiny, elaborate parts—screws and gaskets, a loose pile of flat washers that, maliciously, began to disappear when I grasped them. There was a sense of doom about the whole enterprise; somehow I knew that I wasn't going to finish my task. The reason (which I seemed to hear in the voice of a dream-narrator) was fundamentally connected to me, as a person. The sentence, "This woman's face is your future," came to me like a moral from one of Aesop's fables. And in the seconds before the dream faded, I remember feeling a combination of disappointment, resignation, and peace. I decided the dream had been leading up to this idea: I was the thing I had to accept. The tedious construction project that had occupied me for so long was just a distraction from this more important struggle.
Like many American women, I've spent way too much time comparing my face to those of others, and finding myself lacking in fundamental beauty. The self-imposed court trial of my adolescence resulted in a series of head-to-toe guilty verdicts for which I'm still serving my sentence. What's more frightening than a mirror in the morning? Too many of us stand convicted in our own minds, approaching our faces with tweezers, mascara, and a plan: revise, revise, revise. In consideration of this, I borrowed Marianne Moore's opening line from "Poetry" to launch my own exploration. Moore begins by conceding to the reader: "I, too, dislike it," a sentiment that puts her on the reader's "side" by critiquing poetry that flaunts obscurity for fashion's sake. The thirty-eight line version of Moore's poem establishes the ideal shape of her poetics, one that acknowledges the power of language to connect imagination with lived experience. Her "imaginary gardens with real toads in them" embody this ideal. These toads can attain "reality" due to the sheer force of the artist's imagination. For Moore, they are "genuine" because they can live, tangibly, in the garden of a poem without being embellished or distorted by the poet's need to make clever symbols or perform gratuitous rhetorical tricks. In other words, Moore's ideal poet empowers her creations to live toad-lives within her poems; she does not crouch in the garden herself, wearing a toad-mask.
In the mirror, my face appears imperfect. More than that: it appears as an imperfect reflection of the self I mean when I say I. But intellectually, I know that everything I believe about physical beauty is a cultural construction. Even when I'm judging my mirror-image most harshly, I can feel the rubber bands from my judge-mask pressing against the back of my head. I know, too, that the pronoun I doesn't stand in for "the body." So when I say "I" in a poem, I'm just wearing an I-mask. As a poet, there comes a time when you want to break all of these constructions "down to a hawse-hole" and view the shapes inside, however ugly or strange they may be. The questions that occupy the central portion of my poem ("Could I gag it out…. "/ "Could I shutter it…") try to address this impulse to reveal the truth of selfhood, not by revising its definition, but by cutting off the harmful rhetorical vasculature that feeds our collective dysmorphism. For me, this work takes place "in my cabin," the deep interior of my own imagination. Only there, where language collides with experience before emerging as a poem, can the I-mask take a proper shredding.
The poem concludes with my take on a moment from Act V of Hamlet, in which Hamlet, harried by bad dreams, emerges from his own cabin, "scarf'd" in his "sea-gown," to replace the sealed letter ordering his execution with one calling for its carriers, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to be put to death instead. Writing the second letter doesn't just revise the first. It effectively replaces one future with another, bodying forth "a new commission," as Hamlet explains to Horatio. In Hamlet's case, as in my own, this self-authored future is still deeply imperfect; it is, by nature, subject to deep, often uncomfortable, examination. It's dangerous work. As Moore herself proved when she pared "Poetry" from thirty-eight lines down to four, the artist's impulse to dismantle is so strong that it can sometimes lead us away from truths we've already revealed to ourselves (and to our readers). But for now, I'm pleased when I can feel the "dark decks" of my poems shift under my feet. It means there's still a chance to un-build what I've made, even if I refuse to take it.


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Did You Attend St Joseph's School?
If you attended St Joseph's School, Slough, Berkshire SL2 5HW, between about 1985 and 1987, we would like to hear from you.
We are currently representing a victim, who alleges that they were abused at Walsingham School, Hayes, Middlesex during the 1980s.
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How to obtain compensation for abuse
If you have experienced abuse at a school, whether emotional, physical or sexual, you could be entitled to compensation. Contact our compassionate solicitors to discuss your case in more detail. Whether the abuse was recent, or occurred decades ago, we appreciate that it is never easy to come to terms with the abuse of trust and the impact on your emotional wellbeing. We provide a free initial consultation, in a safe and supportive environment , to discuss your case and the possibility of claiming compensation. You are not under any obligation to reveal the specific and painful details of the abuse in this meeting.
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May 19, 2016
March 31, 2016
What Apple's Encryption Fight Has to Do with Religious Freedom
August 26, 2014
Pray and Labor?
August 25, 2011
The Church's African, Middle Eastern and Asian Roots
April 14, 2011
Samuel Gregg: Christians in a Post-Welfare State World
March 11, 2011
Religion & Liberty: An Interview with Thomas C. Oden
Religion & Liberty's winter issue featuring an interview with patristics scholar Thomas C. Oden is now available online. Oden, who is a Methodist, recalls for us the great quote by Methodist founder John Wesley on the Church Fathers: "The Fathers are the most authentic commentators on Scripture, for they were nearest the fountain and were eminently endued with that Spirit by whom all Scripture was given." Oden reminds us of the relevancy of patristics today, he says "You can hardly find any contemporary political issue that has not been dealt with, in some form, in a previous cultural and linguistics situation by the early Christian writers." We hope you will enjoy the interview and the portion of this interview that was previewed on the PowerBlog in January. Continue Reading...
January 13, 2011


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- Angelus Address, 1 November 2012
A Beggar for Love
Inspiring words from Pope Benedict XVI
02 July 2015
In the Saints we see the victory of love over selfishness and death: we see that following Christ leads to life, eternal life, and gives meaning to the present, every moment that passes, because it is filled with love and hope. Only faith in eternal life makes us truly love history and the present, but without attachment, with the freedom of the pilgrim, who loves the earth because his heart is set on Heaven.
Labels: Communion of Saints, Saints
In fact, being united to Christ, in the Church, does not negate one's personality, but opens it, transforms it with the power of love, and confers on it, already here on earth, an eternal dimension.
- Angelus Address, 1 November 2012
Labels: Communio, Ecclesiology, Individualism
Dear friends, our time needs Christians who have been grasped by Christ, who grow in faith through their familiarity with Sacred Scripture and the sacraments. People who are, as it were, an open book that tells of the experience of new life in the Spirit, of the presence of that God who supports us on our way and opens us to everlasting life.
- General Audience Address, 24 October 2012
Faith is a gift of God, but it is also a profoundly free and human act.
- General Audience Address, 24 October 2012
Labels: Faith
The profession of faith above all is not something to be understood, something intellectual, something to be memorized — this too of course — it also touches our mind, it especially touches our life. And to me this seems very important. It is not an intellectual thing, a pure formula. It is a dialogue of God with us, an action of God with us, it is a response of ours, it is a journey. The truth of Christ may be understood only if his journey is understood. Only if we accept Christ as the way do we really set out on the way of Christ and can understand the truth of Christ. Truth that is not lived does not open; only truth lived, truth accepted as a way of life, as a path, also opens as truth in its full riches and depth. This formula is thus a way, it is an expression of our conversion, of an action of God.
Labels: Creed, Profession of Faith
Consequently we switch to the first renunciation: "Do you reject sin so as to live in the freedom of God's children?". Today freedom and Christian life, the observance of God's commandments, go in opposite directions; being Christian is like a form of slavery; freedom is being emancipated from the Christian faith, emancipated — all things considered — from God. To many people the word "sin" seems almost ridiculous, because they say: "How can that be! We cannot offend God! God is so great, what does it matter to God if I make a small mistake? We cannot offend God, his concern for us is too great for us to offend him".
This seems true but it is not true. God made himself vulnerable. In the crucified Christ we see that God is vulnerability, God's love is his caring for man, God's love means that our first concern must not be to hurt or destroy his love, not to do anything against his love for otherwise we also live against ourselves and against our freedom. And, in reality, this seeming liberty in emancipation from God immediately becomes a slavery of the many dictatorships of the time, that require guidance if they are to be deemed worthy of the time.
This seems true but it is not true. God made himself vulnerable. In the crucified Christ we see that God is vulnerability, God's love is his caring for man, God's love means that our first concern must not be to hurt or destroy his love, not to do anything against his love for otherwise we also live against ourselves and against our freedom. And, in reality, this seeming liberty in emancipation from God immediately becomes a slavery of the many dictatorships of the time, that require guidance if they are to be deemed worthy of the time.
Labels: Crucifixion, Freedom, Sin, Ten Commandments
The Sacrament of Baptism is not an act that lasts an hour. Rather it is a reality of our whole life, a journey of our whole life.
Labels: Baptism
Christianity is not something purely spiritual, something only subjective, emotional, of the will, of ideas; it is a cosmic reality. God is the Creator of all matter, matter enters Christianity, and it is only in this great context of matter and spirit together that we are Christians. It is therefore very important that matter be part of our faith, that the body be part of our faith; faith is not purely spiritual, but this is how God inserts us into the whole reality of the cosmos and transforms the cosmos, draws it to himself.
Labels: Christianity
This means that with Baptism, with immersion in the name of God, we too are already immersed in immortal life, we are alive for ever. In other words Baptism is a first stage in resurrection: immersed in God, we are already immersed in the indestructible life, our resurrection begins. Just as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob being the "name of God" are alive, so we, inserted in the name of God, are alive in immortal life. Baptism is the first step of resurrection, entry into the indestructible life of God.
Labels: Baptism, Resurrection
To be baptized is never a solitary act by "me"; it is always, necessarily, being united with all the others, being in unity and solidarity with the whole Body of Christ, with the whole community of his brothers and sisters. This event which is Baptism inserts me in community, breaks my isolation. We must bear this in mind in our being Christian.
Labels: Baptism, Discipleship
Becoming Christian is not something that follows a decision of mine: "herewith I make myself a Christian". Of course, my decision is also necessary, but first of all it is an action of God with me: it is not I who make myself Christian. I am taken on by God, taken in hand by God and thus, by saying "yes" to God's action I become Christian. Becoming Christians, in a certain sense is passive; I do not make myself Christian but God makes me his man, God takes me in hand and puts my life in a new dimension. Likewise I do not make myself live but life is given to me; I am not born because I have made myself a human being, but I am born because I have been granted to be human. Therefore my Christian being has also been granted to me, it is in the passive for me, which becomes active in our, in my life. And this fact of being in the passive, of not making ourselves Christian but of being made Christian by God, already to some extent involves the mystery of the Cross: only by dying to my selfishness, by coming out of myself, can I be Christian.
Labels: Baptism, Christianity, Discipleship
But how should we Christians respond to the question of death? We respond with faith in God, with a gaze of firm hope founded on the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, death opens to life, to eternal life, which is not an infinite duplicate of the present time, but something completely new. Faith tells us that the true immortality for which we hope is not an idea, a concept, but a relationship of full communion with the living God: it is resting in his hands, in his love, and becoming in him one with all the brothers and sisters that he has created and redeemed, with all Creation. Our hope, then, lies in the love of God that shines resplendent from the Cross of Christ who lets Jesus' words to the good thief: "Today you will be with me in Paradise" (Lk 23:43) resound in our heart. This is life in its fullness: life in God; a life of which we now have only a glimpse as one sees blue sky through fog.
- Homily, 3 November 2012
Labels: Death
If the love of God has planted deep roots in a person, then he is able to love even those who do not deserve it, as God does us. Fathers and mothers do not love their children only when they deserve love; they always love them, though of course, they make them understand when they are wrong. We learn from God to seek only what is good and never what is evil. We learn to look at each other not only with our eyes, but with the eyes of God, which is the gaze of Jesus Christ. A gaze that begins in the heart and does not stop at the surface, that goes beyond appearances and manages to capture the deepest aspirations of the other: waiting to be heard, for caring attention, in a word: love. But the opposite is also true: that by opening myself to another, just as he or she is, by reaching out, by making myself available, I am also opening myself to know God, to feel that he is there and is good. Love of God and love of neighbour are inseparable and are mutually related. Jesus did not invent one or the other but revealed that they are essentially a single commandment and did so not only through the Word, but especially with his testimony: the person of Jesus and his whole Mystery embody the unity of love of God and neighbour, like the two arms of the Cross, vertical and horizontal. In the Eucharist he gives us this two-fold love, giving himself, because, nourished by this Bread, we love one another as he has loved us.
- Angelus Address, 4 November 2012
Labels: Love of God, Love of Neighbor
17 February 2015
All our preaching must measure itself against the saying of Jesus Christ: "My teaching is not mine" (Jn 7:16). We preach not private theories and opinions, but the faith of the Church, whose servants we are.
- Homily, 5 April 2012
The right to freedom of religion, both in its private and in its public dimension, manifests the unity of the human person, who is at once a citizen and a believer. It also legitimizes the fact that believers have a contribution to make to the building up of society. Strengthening religious freedom consolidates social bonds, nourishes the hope of a better world, creates favourable conditions for peace and harmonious development, while at the same time establishing solid foundations for securing the rights of future generations.
- Homily, 28 March 2012
The disciple of Jesus does not respond to evil with evil, but is always an instrument of good instead, a herald of pardon, a bearer of happiness, a servant of unity. He wishes to write in each of your lives a story of friendship. Hold on to him, then, as the best of friends. He will never tire of speaking to those who always love and who do good. This you will hear, if you strive in each moment to be with him who will help you in more difficult situations.
- Meeting with Young People, 24 March 2012
God wants us to be happy always. He knows us and he loves us. If we allow the love of Christ to change our heart, then we can change the world. This is the secret of authentic happiness.
- Meeting with Young People, 24 March 2012
Labels: God's Will, Happiness
A yearning for joy lurks within the heart of every man and woman. Far more than immediate and fleeting feelings of satisfaction, our hearts seek a perfect, full and lasting joy capable of giving "flavour" to our existence. This is particularly true for you, because youth is a time of continuous discovery of life, of the world, of others and of ourselves. It is a time of openness to the future and of great longing for happiness, friendship, sharing and truth, a time when we are moved by high ideals and make great plans.
The Church's vocation is to bring joy to the world, a joy that is authentic and enduring, the joy proclaimed by the angels to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born (cf. Lk 2:10). Not only did God speak, not only did he accomplish great signs throughout the history of humankind, but he drew so near to us that he became one of us and lived our life completely. In these difficult times, so many young people all around you need to hear that the Christian message is a message of joy and hope! I would like to reflect with you on this joy and on how to find it, so that you can experience it more deeply and bring it to everyone you meet.
Labels: Church, Evangelization, Mission, Vocation
The faith handed down from the Apostles leads to complete freedom and joy...
- Meeting with Young People, 15 September 2012
Only forgiveness, given and received, can lay lasting foundations for reconciliation and universal peace (cf. Rom 12:16b, 18).
- Address, 15 September 2012
Labels: Forgiveness, Reconciliation
Our human dignity is inseparable from the sacredness of life as the gift of the Creator. In God's plan, each person is unique and irreplaceable.
- Address, 15 September 2012
It is here and now that we are called to celebrate the victory of love over hate, forgiveness over revenge, service over domination, humility over pride, and unity over division.
- Address, 14 September 2012
For Christians, to exalt the cross means to be united to the totality of God's unconditional love for mankind. It means making an act of faith! To exalt the cross, against the backdrop of the resurrection, means to desire to experience and to show the totality of this love. It means making an act of love! To exalt the cross means to be a committed herald of fraternal and ecclesial communion, the source of authentic Christian witness. It means making an act of hope!
- Address, 14 September 2012
Labels: Cross, Exaltation of the Cross, Hope
I am simply a pilgrim beginning the last leg of his pilgrimage on this earth.
- Address at Castel Gandalfo, 28 February 2013
Labels: Pilgrimage, Resignation
08 October 2013
Christ reigns from the Cross and, with his arms open wide, he embraces all the peoples of the world and draws them into unity.
- Homily, 20 November 2011
Labels: Crucifixion, Jesus
It is the crucified and glorious face of Christ which ought to guide us, so that we may witness to his love for the world.
- Address to the Bishops of Benin, 19 November 2011
Labels: Crucifix, Discipleship, Jesus
What, then, is prayer? It is a cry of love directed to God our Father, with the will to imitate Jesus our brother. Jesus often went off by himself to pray. Like Jesus, I too can find a calm place to pray where I can quietly stand before a Cross or a holy picture in order to speak to Jesus and to listen to him. I can also use the Gospels. That way, I keep within my heart a passage which has touched me and which will guide me throughout the day. To stay with Jesus like this for a little while lets him fill me with his love, light and life! This love, which I receive in prayer, calls me in turn to give it to my parents, to my friends, to everyone with whom I live, even with those who do not like me, and those whom I do not appreciate enough.
- Meeting with children, 19 November 2011
Labels: Prayer
The journey to the Grotto of Bethlehem is a journey of inner liberation, an experience of profound freedom, because it impels us to come out of ourselves and to go towards God who has made himself close to us, who heartens us with his presence and with his freely-given love, who precedes and accompanies us in our daily decisions, who speaks to us in the secrecy of our hearts and in the Sacred Scriptures.
- Homily, 16 December 2010
Labels: Advent, Christmas, Creche, Nativity Set
Peace is a gift of God and at the same time a task which is never fully completed.
Labels: Peace
Precisely for this reason, the laws and institutions of a society cannot be shaped in such a way as to ignore the religious dimension of its citizens or to prescind completely from it. Through the democratic activity of citizens conscious of their lofty calling, those laws and institutions must adequately reflect the authentic nature of the person and support its religious dimension. Since the latter is not a creation of the state, it cannot be manipulated by the state, but must rather be acknowledged and respected by it.
States and the various human communities must never forget that religious freedom is the condition for the pursuit of truth, and truth does not impose itself by violence but "by the force of its own truth".[10] In this sense, religion is a positive driving force for the building of civil and political society.
Freedom without relationship is not full freedom.
The family founded on marriage, as the expression of the close union and complementarity between a man and a woman, finds its place here as the first school for the social, cultural, moral and spiritual formation and growth of children, who should always be able to see in their father and mother the first witnesses of a life directed to the pursuit of truth and the love of God. Parents must be always free to transmit to their children, responsibly and without constraints, their heritage of faith, values and culture. The family, the first cell of human society, remains the primary training ground for harmonious relations at every level of coexistence, human, national and international. Wisdom suggests that this is the road to building a strong and fraternal social fabric, in which young people can be prepared to assume their proper responsibilities in life, in a free society, and in a spirit of understanding and peace.
Religious freedom should be understood, then, not merely as immunity from coercion, but even more fundamentally as an ability to order one's own choices in accordance with truth.
Respect for essential elements of human dignity, such as the right to life and the right to religious freedom, is a condition for the moral legitimacy of every social and legal norm.
Without the acknowledgement of his spiritual being, without openness to the transcendent, the human person withdraws within himself, fails to find answers to the heart's deepest questions about life's meaning, fails to appropriate lasting ethical values and principles, and fails even to experience authentic freedom and to build a just society.
Labels: Anthropology, Forgetfulness of God, Freedom, Society
Religious freedom expresses what is unique about the human person, for it allows us to direct our personal and social life to God, in whose light the identity, meaning and purpose of the person are fully understood. To deny or arbitrarily restrict this freedom is to foster a reductive vision of the human person; to eclipse the public role of religion is to create a society which is unjust, inasmuch as it fails to take account of the true nature of the human person; it is to stifle the growth of the authentic and lasting peace of the whole human family [emphasis in the original].
10 September 2013
Lord Jesus, who wanted to be born as the first of many brothers and sisters, grant us the grace of true brotherhood. Help us to become like you. Help us to recognize your face in others who need our assistance, in those who are suffering or forsaken, in all people, and help us to live together with you as brothers and sisters, so as to become one family, your family.
- Homily, 24 December 2010
Labels: Prayers
17 July 2013
God knows us in our inmost depths, better than we ourselves, and loves us; and knowing this must suffice.
Labels: Anthropology, God, Knowledge
Yet God's silence, as happened to Jesus, does not indicate his absence. Christians know well that the Lord is present and listens, even in the darkness of pain, rejection and loneliness.
Silence can carve out an inner space in our very depths to enable God to dwell there, so that his word will remain within us and love for him take root in our minds and hearts and inspire our life.
Only in silence can the word of God find a home in us, as it did in Mary, woman of the word and, inseparably, woman of silence" (n. 66).
Inward and outward silence are necessary if we are to be able to hear this word.
The Cross of Christ does not only demonstrate Jesus' silence as his last word to the Father but reveals that God also speaks through silence...
Jesus' experience on the cross profoundly reveals the situation of the person praying and the culmination of his prayer: having heard and recognized the word of God, we must also come to terms with the silence of God, an important expression of the same divine Word.
True faith in God, then, is inseparable from personal holiness, just as it is from the search for justice.
- Homily, 25 January 2013
Unity, in fact, is given by God as inseparable from faith...
- Homily, 25 January 2013
Faith needs to be strengthened through teaching, so that it can enlighten the minds and hearts of believers.
- Fides per Doctrinam, 16 January 2013
Labels: Catechesis, Faith, Teaching
It is only in opening oneself to God's truth, in fact, that it is possible to understand and achieve in the concrete reality of both conjugal and family life the truth of men and women as his children, regenerated by Baptism.
- Address, 26 January 2013
It is our smallness, our frail human nature that becomes an appeal to the Lord's mercy, that he may show his greatness and tenderness as a Father, helping, forgiving us and saving us.
- General Audience Address, 30 January 2013
Labels: Anthropology, Forgiveness, Humanity, Mercy, Smallness, Weakness
And humility is precisely the door to every virtue.
- Address, 13 May 2012
The continuous meditation on the Cross, in this holy place, has been a means of sanctification for many Christians, who, throughout eight centuries, have knelt and prayed here in silence and in recollection.
- Address, 13 May 2012
Labels: Crucifix, La Verna, Meditation, Prayer
It may be said that the impulse of scientific research itself stems from the longing for God that dwells in the human heart: basically, scientists, even unconsciously, strive to attain that truth which can give meaning to life.
- Address, 3 May 2012
Labels: Faith and Reason, Life, Science
Science and faith have a fruitful reciprocity, an almost complementary need for understanding the real.
- Address, 3 May 2012
Labels: Faith and Reason, Science
...it is not merely a question of conferring an office as happens in a public organization, but is an ecclesial event in which the Holy Spirit appropriates seven men chosen by the Church, consecrating them in the Truth that is Jesus Christ: he is the silent protagonist, present during the imposition of hands so that the chosen ones may be transformed by his power and sanctified in order to face the practical challenges, the pastoral challenges.
- General Audience Address, 25 April 2012
Dear friends, today too the Risen One enters our homes and our hearts, even when, at times, the doors are closed. He enters giving joy and peace, life and hope, gifts we need for our human and spiritual rebirth. Only he can roll away those stones from the tombs in which all too often people seal themselves off from their own feelings, their own relationships, their own behaviour; stones that sanction death: division, enmity, resentment, envy, diffidence, indifference. Only he, the Living One, can give meaning to existence and enable those who are weary and sad, downhearted and drained of hope, to continue on their journey.
- General Audience Address, 11 April 2012
Labels: Resurrection
...Jesus shows the disciples the wounds in his hands and in his side (cf. Jn 20:20), signs of what has occurred and will never be cancelled: his glorious humanity remains "wounded". The purpose of this act is to confirm the new reality of the Resurrection: Christ, now among his own, is a real person, the same Jesus who three days earlier was nailed to the cross. And it is in this way that in the dazzling light of Easter, in the encounter with the Risen One, the disciples perceive the salvific meaning of his passion and his death. Then sorrow and fear turn into full joy. The sorrow and the wounds themselves become a source of joy.
- General Audience Address, 11 April 2012
Labels: Five Wounds, Sacred Wounds, Stigmata
Christian worship is not only a commemoration of past events nor even a specific, inner mystical experience; rather, it is essentially an encounter with the Risen Lord who lives in the dimension of God beyond time and space, and yet becomes really present amidst the community, speaks to us in the Sacred Scriptures and breaks the bread of eternal life for us.
It is through these signs that we relive what the disciples experienced, that is, the event of seeing Jesus and at the same time of not recognizing him; of touching his body, a real body and yet free from earthly bonds.
- Regina Caeli Address, 15 April 2012
15 July 2013
God always asks for our free adherence to faith, that it is expressed in love for him and for our neighbour. No one is so poor that he cannot give something.
- Angelus Address, 11 November 2012
Labels: Almsgiving, Charity, Poor
Indeed, if faith is always born from listening to the word of God — a form of listening, naturally, not only of the senses but that also passes from the senses to the mind and heart — there is no doubt that music, and especially song, can give the recitation of the Psalms and Canticles of the Bible greater communicative force.
- Address, 10 November 2012
...work is not only an instrument for individual profit but a moment in which we express our abilities by spending ourselves, in a spirit of service, in professional activity, whether this be in manual labour, farming, science or some other area.
- Address, 19 May 2012
Violence is never useful to humanity but dehumanizes it.
- Angelus Address, 11 March 2012
Labels: Violence
The eyes of the heart must be turned to the Lord, who is in our midst: this is a fundamental disposition.
- General Audience Address, 26 September 2012
Labels: Discipleship, Focus, Gaze of the heart
The conviction must grow within us every day that the liturgy is not our or my "doing" but rather is an action of God in us and with us.
Labels: Liturgy
The Christian liturgy is the worship of the universal temple which is the Risen Christ, whose arms are outstretched on the Cross to draw everyone into the embrace of God's eternal love. It is the worship of a wide open heaven. It is never solely the event of a single community with its place in time and space. It is important that every Christian feel and be truly integrated into this universal "we" which provides the "I", the basis and refuge of the "I", in the Body of Christ which is the Church.
Labels: Church, Crucifix, Individualism, Liturgy
Finding one's identity in Christ means reaching communion with him, that does not wipe me out but raises me to the loftiest dignity, that of a child of God in Christ...
Labels: Anthropology, Dignity, Discipleship
Christian prayer consists in looking constantly at Christ and in an ever new way, speaking to him, being with him in silence, listening to him, acting and suffering with him. The Christian rediscovers his true identity in Christ, "the first-born of all creation" in whom "all things hold together" (cf. Col 1,15ff.). In identifying with him, in being one with him, I rediscover my personal identity as a true son or daughter who looks to God as to a Father full of love.
But let us not forget: it is in the Church that we discover Christ, that we know him as a living Person.
But let us not forget: it is in the Church that we discover Christ, that we know him as a living Person.
Labels: Person of Jesus, Prayer
Therefore the life of prayer consists in being habitually in God's presence and being aware of it, in living in a relationship with God as we live our customary relationships in life, with our dearest relatives, with true friends; indeed the relationship with the Lord is the relationship that gives light to all our other relationships.
Labels: Friendship, Prayer
Many people today have a limited idea of the Christian faith, because they identify it with a mere system of beliefs and values rather than with the truth of a God who revealed himself in history, anxious to communicate with human beings in a tête-à-tête, in a relationship of love with them. In fact, at the root of every doctrine or value is the event of the encounter between man and God in Jesus Christ. Christianity, before being a moral or an ethic, is the event of love, it is the acceptance of the Person of Jesus.
- General Audience Address, 14 November 2012
Labels: Belief, Catechesis, Evangelization, Faith, Person of Jesus
Yet God never tires of seeking us, he is faithful to the human being whom he created and redeemed, he stays close to us in our life because he loves us. This is a certainty that must accompany us every day, even if a certain widespread mentality makes it harder for the Church and for Christians to communicate to every creature the joy of the Gospel and to lead everyone to the encounter with Jesus, the one Saviour of the world.
However, this is our mission. It is the mission of the Church and every believer must carry it out joyously, feeling it his own, through an existence truly enlivened by faith, marked by charity, by service to God and to others, and that can radiate hope. This mission shines out above all in the holiness to which we are all called.
- General Audience Address, 14 November 2012
Labels: Love of God, Mission
When life becomes frail, in the years of old age, it never loses its value and its dignity: each one of us, at any stage of life, is wanted and loved by God, each one is important and necessary
- Address, 12 November 2012
At every phase of life it is necessary to be able to discover the presence and blessing of the Lord and the riches they bring. We must never let ourselves be imprisoned by sorrow! We have received the gift of longevity. Living is beautiful even at our age, despite some "aches and pains" and a few limitations. In our faces may there always be the joy of feeling loved by God and not sadness.
- Address, 12 November 2012
Contact with offenders paying the price for what they have done and the commitment needed to restore dignity and hope to people who in many cases have already suffered marginalization and scorn call to mind the mission of Christ himself, who came to call not the just, but sinners (cf. Mt 9:13; Mk 2:17; Lk 5:32), the privileged recipients of divine mercy.
Labels: Prisoners
...it is necessary that in punishing them, everything possible be done to correct and improve them. When this does not happen, justice is not done in an integral sense.
Labels: Prisoners
The prisoner's personal need to undergo in prison a process of rehabilitation and maturation is actually a need of society itself, both because it stands to regain someone who can make a useful contribution to the common good, and also because such a process makes the prisoner less likely to reoffend and thus endanger society.
Christians often do not even know the central core of their own Catholic faith, the Creed, so that they leave room for a certain syncretism and religious relativism, blurring the truths to believe in as well as the salvific uniqueness of Christianity. The risk of fabricating, as it were, a "do-it-yourself" religion is not so far off today. Instead we must return to God, to the God of Jesus Christ, we must rediscover the Gospel message and make it enter our consciences and our daily life more deeply.
- General Audience Address, 17 October 2012
Labels: Belief, Catechesis, Evangelization, Faith, Individualism
Allow the fascination of his person to capture your imagination and warm your heart. He has chosen you to be his friends, not his servants, and he invites you to share in his priestly work of bringing about the salvation of the world. Place yourselves completely at his disposal and allow him to form you for whatever task it may be that he has in mind for you.
- Address, 3 December 2012
Labels: Jesus, Priesthood, Vocations
...one of the most serious problems of our time is ignorance of religious practice in which many men and women live, including some Catholic faithful (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles laici, Chapter V).
For this reason the new evangelization, to which the Church has been resolutely committed since the Second Vatican Council and of which the Motu Proprio Ubicumque et Semper outlined the central modalities, is particularly urgent as underlined by the Fathers of the Synod which ended recently. The new evangelization calls all Christians to account for the hope that is in them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15), aware that one of the worst obstacles for our pastoral mission is ignorance of the content of the faith. In fact it is a dual ignorance: a lack of knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ and ignorance of the sublimity of his teachings, of their universal and perpetual value in the search for the meaning of life and happiness. Moreover this lack of knowledge results in an inability in the new generations to understand history and to feel that they are heirs to this tradition which has shaped the life, society, art and culture of Europe.
For this reason the new evangelization, to which the Church has been resolutely committed since the Second Vatican Council and of which the Motu Proprio Ubicumque et Semper outlined the central modalities, is particularly urgent as underlined by the Fathers of the Synod which ended recently. The new evangelization calls all Christians to account for the hope that is in them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15), aware that one of the worst obstacles for our pastoral mission is ignorance of the content of the faith. In fact it is a dual ignorance: a lack of knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ and ignorance of the sublimity of his teachings, of their universal and perpetual value in the search for the meaning of life and happiness. Moreover this lack of knowledge results in an inability in the new generations to understand history and to feel that they are heirs to this tradition which has shaped the life, society, art and culture of Europe.
- Address, 30 November 2012
Labels: Evangelization, Faith, Forgetfulness of God, Society
Saying "I believe in God" means founding my life on him, letting his Word guide it every day, in practical decisions, without fear of losing some part of myself.
- General Audience Address, 23 January 2013
Only true friendship with God will break the bonds of loneliness from which our fragile humanity suffers and will establish a true and lasting communion with others, a spiritual bond that will readily prompt within us the wish to serve the needs of those we love in Christ.
- Address, 18 February 2011
Labels: Friendship
Do not forget, however, that the family is the primary means for transmitting the faith, that small domestic Church called to make Jesus and his Gospel known and to educate according to the law of God, so that each one of you may achieve full human and Christian maturity (cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, n. 2).
- Address, 1 December 2012
Labels: Domestic Church, Family
Do not forget, however, that the family is the primary means for transmitting the faith, that small domestic Church called to make Jesus and his Gospel known and to educate according to the law of God, so that each one of you may achieve full human and Christian maturity (cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, n. 2).
- Address, 1 December 2012
Labels: Domestic Church, Family
Believing means entrusting one's life to the One who alone can give it fullness in time and open it to a hope beyond time.
- Homily, 1 December 2012
Labels: Belief, Discipleship, Faith
Believing means entrusting one's life to the One who alone can give it fullness in time and open it to a hope beyond time.
- Homily, 1 December 2012
Labels: Belief, Discipleship, Faith
It is the Easter joy that does not stay silent or conceal the realities of pain, of suffering, of effort, of difficulty, of incomprehension and of death itself, but that can offer criteria for interpreting all things in the perspective of Christian hope.
- General Audience Address, 28 November 2012
Labels: Easter, Hope, Joy, Resurrection
We must return to God, so that man may return to being man.
- Homily, 4 October 2012
Labels: Anthropology, Forgetfulness of God
There is a clear link between the crisis in faith and the crisis in marriage.
Labels: Faith, Forgetfulness of God, Marriage
Marriage, as a union of faithful and indissoluble love, is based upon the grace that comes from the triune God, who in Christ loved us with a faithful love, even to the Cross.
Labels: Marriage
The Church exists to evangelize.
Labels: Church, Evangelization, Mission
In every time and place, evangelization always has as its starting and finishing points Jesus Christ, the Son of God (cf. Mk 1:1); and the Crucifix is the supremely distinctive sign of him who announces the Gospel: a sign of love and peace, a call to conversion and reconciliation.
Labels: Cross, Crucifx, Evangelization
Those who advocate research on embryonic stem cells in the hope of achieving such a result make the grave mistake of denying the inalienable right to life of all human beings from the moment of conception to natural death. The destruction of even one human life can never be justified in terms of the benefit that it might conceivably bring to another.
- Address, 12 November 2011
Every person, whether man or woman, is destined to exist for others. A relationship that fails to respect the fact that men and women have the same dignity constitutes a grave crime against humanity.
- Address, 7 November 2011
Labels: Anthropology
A society is truly human when without reservations it protects and respects the dignity of every person from conception until the moment of his or her natural death. However, should it decide to "get rid" of its members in the greatest need of protection, exclude people from being people, it would be behaving in a profoundly inhuman and also distorted manner with regard to the equality — obvious to every person of good will — of the dignity of all people, in all the stages of life.
- Address, 7 November 2011
Labels: Life, Right to Life, Society
...discover in volunteer work a way to grow in the self-giving love which gives life its deepest meaning. Young people readily react to the call of love. Let us help them to hear Christ who makes his call felt in their hearts and draws them closer to himself. We must not be afraid to set before them a radical and life-changing challenge, helping them to learn that our hearts are made to love and be loved. It is in self-giving that we come to live life in all its fullness.
Labels: Volunteering
...your role as Christians is to take an active part in the life of society, seeking to make it ever more humane, ever more marked by authentic freedom, justice and solidarity.
Labels: Discipleship, Mission
The little that we manage to do to relieve human needs can be seen as a good seed that will grow and bear much fruit; it is a sign of Christ's presence and love which, like the tree in the Gospel, grows to give shelter, protection and strength to all who require it.
We also become visible instruments of his love in a world that still profoundly yearns for that love amid the poverty, loneliness, marginalization and ignorance that we see all around us.
Labels: Discipleship, Mission
Christ's grace helps us to discover within ourselves a human desire for solidarity and a fundamental vocation to love. His grace perfects, strengthens and elevates that vocation and enables us to serve others without reward, satisfaction or any recompense.
Labels: Grace, Solidarity
It is only by practicing charity that we too will be able to share in the joy of Our Lord.
Charity is the fundamental good that no one can fail to bring to fruition and without which every other good is worthless (cf. 1 Cor 13:3).
Death, followed by the Last Judgement, is an obligatory stage to pass through in order to reach this definitive reality.
Labels: Death, Judgement, Last Judgement
Man needs eternity for every other hope is too brief, too limited for him. Man can be explained only if there is a Love which overcomes every isolation, even that of death, in a totality which also transcends time and space. Man can be explained, he finds his deepest meaning, only if there is God.
- General Audience Address, 2 November 2011
Labels: Anthropology, Eternity, Meaning of Life
The role of education cannot, in fact, be reduced to the mere transmission of knowledge and skills that aim to form a professional but must include all the aspects of the person, from his social side to his yearning for the transcendent.
- Address, 31 October 2011
Labels: Education
The Church hopes that the State, in its turn, will recognize that a healthy secularism must not view religion, simply as an individual sentiment that can be relegated to the private sphere but rather as a reality which, also organized in visible structures, needs her public presence in the community in order to be recognized.
- Address, 31 October 2011
It is important for everyone, in fact, to learn ever better how to "remain" with the Lord daily in personal encounters to allow his love to take hold of them and to be proclaimers of the Gospel. It is important to seek to live one's life generously, not according to one's own plan, but to the one God has for each of us, conforming our own will to the Lord's; it is important to be prepared, also through serious and committed study, to serve the People of God in the tasks which will be entrusted to them.
Labels: Discipleship, Obedience, Prayer
We must never forget — as priests — that the only legitimate ascent to the ministry of the pastor is not that of success, but of the Cross. In this logic, being a priest means being a servant also through an exemplary life.
Labels: Ministry, Priesthood, Vocations
One should never forget that one comes into the priesthood through the Sacrament of Orders and this means exactly opening oneself to the God's action by choosing daily to give oneself up for God and for one's brethren, according to the Gospel saying: "You received without pay, give without pay" (Mt 10:8). The Lord's call to the ministry is not the fruit of special merit but a gift to be received and responded to by dedicating oneself not to one's own plan but to God's, in a generous and disinterested way, for he sends us out according to his will, even if this might not correspond to our idea of self-fulfilment.
Labels: Priesthood, Vocations
Therefore the Gospel minister is the one who lets himself be seized by Christ, who knows how to "stay" with him, who enters into harmony, into an intimate friendship with him, so that all is done "not by constraint but willingly" (1 Pet 5:2), according to his will of love, with great interior freedom and profound joy in the heart.
Labels: Freedom, Priesthood, Vocations
First, in the call to the priestly ministry we meet Jesus and are drawn to him, struck by his words, his actions, and his person. It is to have the grace to distinguish his voice from so many other voices and to respond like Peter: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God" (Jn 6:68-69).
Labels: Priesthood, Vocations
True wisdom is making the most of mortal life in order to do works of mercy, for after death this will no longer be possible. When we are reawoken for the Last Judgement, it will be made on the basis of the love we have shown in our earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is a gift of Christ, poured out in us by the Holy Spirit.
- Angelus Address, 6 November 2011
Labels: Judgement, Resurrection, Wisdom
If we remove God, we remove Christ and the world falls back into emptiness and darkness.
- Angelus Address, 6 November 2011
Labels: Forgetfulness of God
In our giving too it does not matter whether or not a gift is expensive; those who cannot manage to give a little of themselves always give too little. Indeed, at times we even seek to substitute money or material things for our hearts and the commitment to giving ourselves.
- General Audience Address, 9 January 2013
Justice is achieved only when people are just!
- Address, 7 January 2013
Labels: Justice
It is precisely man's forgetfulness of God, and his failure to give him glory, which gives rise to violence.
- Address, 7 January 2013
Labels: Forgetfulness of God, Violence
For faith is nothing less than being interiorly seized by God, something which guides us along the pathways of life. Faith draws us into a state of being and it makes us pilgrims who are on an inner journey towards the true King of the world and his promise of justice, truth and love.
Labels: Faith
Human beings have an innate restlessness for God, but this restlessness is a participation in God's own restlessness for us.
Labels: Longings, Restlessness
It is the task of the Bishop in this pilgrimage not merely to walk beside the others, but to go before them, showing the way.
Labels: Bishop
The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have. And God? The question of God never seems urgent. Our time is already completely full. But matters go deeper still. Does God actually have a place in our thinking? Our process of thinking is structured in such a way that he simply ought not to exist.
- Homily, 24 December 2012
The flight from responsibility, which degrades human persons, and even more so the killing of a defenceless and innocent being, will never be able to produce happiness or peace.
Labels: Life
Life in its fullness is the height of peace. Anyone who loves peace cannot tolerate attacks and crimes against life.
The precondition for peace is the dismantling of the dictatorship of relativism and of the supposition of a completely autonomous morality which precludes acknowledgment of the ineluctable natural moral law inscribed by God upon the conscience of every man and woman. Peace is the building up of coexistence in rational and moral terms, based on a foundation whose measure is not created by man, but rather by God.
Labels: Peace
Today Christians are called to be witnesses of prayer precisely because our world is often closed to the divine horizon and to the hope that brings the encounter with God.
Labels: Discipleship, Prayer, Witness
Prayer is of course is a gift which nevertheless asks to be accepted; it is a work of God but demands commitment and continuity on our part. Above all continuity and constancy are important.
Labels: Prayer
In our prayer too we must learn, increasingly, to enter this history of salvation of which Jesus is the summit, to renew before God our personal decision to open ourselves to his will, to ask him for the strength to conform our will to his will, throughout our life, in obedience to his design of love for us.
Humanity does not only need benefactors but also humble, practical people who, like Jesus, are able to stand beside their brethren, sharing a little of their struggle.
Labels: Benefactors, Charity
It is important that suffering people be able to feel God's warmth and that they feel it through our hands and our open-hardheartedness.
This is the badge of Christians: faith which becomes active in charity. Each one of you is called to make your own contributions so that the love with which we have always been and always will be loved by God may become an active approach to life, an effort of service and an awareness of responsibility.
Responding to needs not only means giving bread to the hungry; it also means letting oneself be challenged by the reasons causing their hunger, with the gaze of Jesus who could see the deep reality of the people who came to him. It is in this perspective that the present day calls into question your method of being animators and agents of charity.
The Church expects much of you, of your enthusiasm, of your capacity for looking ahead and of your desire for radicalism in life's decisions.
- Homily, 2010
Labels: Young People, Youth
All must be able to find in the parish an adequate means of formation and must be able to experience that community dimension which is a fundamental characteristic of Christian life.
Labels: Parish
Patience and constancy are truly a synthesis between human commitment and confidence in God.
- Angelus Address, 12 December 2010
Advent calls us to develop inner tenacity, resistance of the spirit, which enables us not to despair while waiting for a good that is slow in coming, but on the contrary to prepare for its coming with active trust.
- Angelus Address, 12 December 2010
Labels: Advent
Even when difficulties arise in conjugal life and in the relationship with their children, married couples must never cease to stay faithful to that fundamental "yes" which they said before God and to each other on their wedding day, remembering that faithfulness to one's vocation demands courage, generosity and sacrifice.
No community can live as a cell isolated from the diocesan context; instead the community must be a living expression of the beauty of the Church which, under the guidance of the Bishop — and in the parish, under the guidance of the Parish Priest who acts in his place — journeys on in communion towards the Kingdom of God.
Advent is a strong invitation to everyone to let God come increasingly into our lives, our houses, our neighborhoods and our communities in order to have light in the midst of the many shadows, in the numerous daily efforts.
Labels: Advent
Lord, help me to come to know you more and more. Help me to be ever more at one with your will. Help me to live my life not for myself, but in union with you to live it for others. Help me to become ever more your friend.
- Homily, 29 June 2011
Labels: Prayers
Faith starts with God, who opens his heart to us and invites us to share in his own divine life. Faith does not simply provide information about who Christ is; rather, it entails a personal relationship with Christ, a surrender of our whole person, with all our understanding, will and feelings, to God's self-revelation.
- Homily, 21 August 2011
Labels: Discipleship, Divinization, Faith
06 July 2013
On the origins of the Church
...we cannot make the Church, we can only announce what he [Christ] has done. The Church does not begin with our "making", but with the "making" and "speaking" of God.
- Meditation for the Synod of Bishops, 8 October 2012
Labels: Church
On discipleship
The Christian must not be lukewarm.
8 October 2012
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Masstech Creates New Enterprise Division to Extend Media Management and Content Sharing Innovation across Operations of Video Media Companies
Marries Award-Winning, Next Generation Workflow with Industry-Leading Foundation in MAM, Archive and Transcoding to Support Operations from Ingest, Through Production and Playout
TORONTO, Canada—February 10, 2014—Masstech Group, whose solutions enable media companies to save, share and transform content, today announced the formation of a new Enterprise business division of the company. The new division will drive future development of Masstech's renowned enterprise-class media management, archiving and transcoding products for broadcast stations and groups, post-production facilities, content networks and other multi-faceted media companies.
"Media enterprises have long chosen Masstech integrated archive, transcode, and media management systems for their ability to tightly mesh with and enhance operations," said Masstech CEO Joe French. "The new Masstech Enterprise division will build on that foundation, integrating our award-winning content sharing and media workflows and elevating those capabilities to support the requirements of the entire media operation from ingest through playout. We are helping companies get the most from their assets by making the best use of their archives and enhancing their ability to manipulate, reuse and repurpose content."
The new division is headed by Masstech Vice President of Technology Iulian Ionita and Enterprise Director/General Manager Savva Mueller. Iulian Ionita has been an integral part of the team developing Masstech enterprise solutions since 2005 and his hand can be seen at work in the powerful, efficient functionality and elegant design of Masstech solutions. Savva Mueller is a globally recognized expert in newsroom computer systems and content workflow who provided expert guidance in the development of the award-winning Masstech for News™ solution.
Masstech for Enterprise™ is a complete media asset management, archiving and transcoding solution for file-based media operations. It provides media companies of any size with the ability to move their valuable media resources effortlessly between their archives and production systems. The results are adaptable workflows that can be configured to support the complete range of critical operations including ingest, archiving, production, management, traffic, master control, compliance, and distribution.
Masstech for Enterprise™ is unique because it works entirely behind the scenes, shielding staff from complexity and functioning as a natural extension of the production workflows with which they are already familiar. Easy-to-use search and retrieval is backed by Masstech's powerful and fully automated transcoding engine to ensure that content is delivered on demand in the correct format and resolution for every application from desktop preview to playout.
Masstech for Enterprise™ eliminates the additional license fees, support costs and other penalties that are often associated with adding storage to archive and media management systems. It automatically moves content between storage tiers to optimize use of online, near-line and deep storage resources while at the same time providing users with uninterrupted access to metadata and previews of all stored content, encouraging them to re-use and repurpose media assets.
For more information about Masstech and its industry-leading archiving and media management solutions visit www.masstech.com.
About Masstech Group
Masstech Group is the leading provider of powerful tools for media asset management and transcoding technology for the media and entertainment industries. From global media companies to corporate video production departments, organizations of all sizes rely on Masstech for file-based workflow solutions that have tangible impact on efficiency and productivity. Masstech serves a customer base that spans Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, North and South America. Founded in 2002, the company is headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Australia, Europe, India and the United States. For complete information visit:www.masstech.com.


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Austin American-Statesman music writer Deborah Sengupta Stith recently wrote about last week's Austin Chronicle cover story, which addressed the tension between music venues in the Red River Cultural District and the growing homeless population in the area, due in part to the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) at the intersection of Seventh and Red River streets.
As both Stith and Chronicle music writer Kevin Curtin pointed out, it's a complex issue with no clear solution, but it's one that requires discussion. Here's what Statesman and Austin360 readers were saying about the story on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit.
Many of the commenters bring up issues addressed by Curtin in his story:
- The lack of police patrol in the area. Curtin interviewed the executive director of Front Steps, a nonprofit which helps the homeless at the ARCH, who said the original plans for the facility included plans for a police substation and officers stationed in the facility, but budget cuts at the Austin Police Department led to those plans being changed.
- Those using and dealing K2. The synthetic drug has been a huge problem in Austin the past few years, as Curtin points out, with hundreds of people being hospitalized last summer and more than 1,611 users being treated for K2 use in 2016, according to Travis County paramedics.
- Why not just move the ARCH? It's not that simple, Curtin reports, since it's in the middle of other necessary services for Austin's homeless or poverty-stricken, like the Salvation Army and the Caritas.
As Stith writes, "Homelessness in Austin — and anywhere — is a complicated issue that needs to be approached thoughtfully and cautiously."
RELATED: Travis County jury gives 5-year sentence in first K2 trafficking trial