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"You're Dead to Me"
Jesus begins by telling the story of a man who had two sons. The parable begins with the younger brother going to the father and asking for his inheritance.
Of course, an inheritance is usually bestowed upon offspring after the death of the one bequeathing it. Essentially, then, by demanding his inheritance while his father is still alive the younger brother basically says, "Dad, you're dead to me."
We might note how incredible it is that the father actually honors his request―the father gives his son of his own estate while he is still living. In effect, the father impoverishes himself. Notably, the son has not told his father what he is going to do with it. Ostensibly, one could think that the son was looking to simply take responsibility of the family's goods he would one day receive. (Though, given the fact that son has basically declared the death of his father, his next actions are not at all surprising). Yet, instead of sticking around and managing the family estate he has been entrusted with, he takes off with it!
The Son's Loose Living and His Eventual State of Destitution
Not only does he abandon the family, he squanders what he received from his father on debauchery―i.e., "loose living" (Luke 15:13) and harlots (Luke 15:30). It is interesting that here sexual immorality is linked with the lack of responsibility to family, but here we need to resist an interesting tangent.
Ultimately, the son finds himself without any money in a foreign land. To make matters, there's a famine. He ends up with nothing. He joins himself to one of the citizens of the country he is in (Luke 15:15) and ends up feeding his swine (Luke 15:16)―which were of course known as unclean animals (Lev 11:7; Deut 14:8; 1 Macc 1:47; b. B. Qam. 82b). Even the food of the pigs looks good to him (cf. Luke 15:16). The man has, in a sense, been reduced to the level of the swine―he is among them, one of the "unclean". By working for a foreigner, who in all likelihood does not honor the Sabbath command given to Israel, he is essentially completely cut off from his God, his family and reduced to servitude.
It is important to point out that when the famine comes "no one gave him anything" (Luke 15:16). In fact, the only person who ever gave him anything was his father―the very person he has rejected. The son opted for the people in this distant land over him, but now that he has run out of money, they have kicked him to the side of the road―or at least, to serve alongside the pigs.
Also worth noting is the word used to describe how the prodigal "joined" himself to a citizen in the country. The word in Greek, kollaomai, is used by Paul , who used the term to describe those who are "joined" to prostitutes (1 Cor 6:16). It is also used by Paul to describe how believers ought to "hold fast" to what is good (Rom 12:9) and be "joined" to the Lord (1 Cor 6:17). Of course, this man is not holding fast to God, but to some random citizen who ultimately does little for him.
At this point we hear that the man "comes to himself" (eis heauton erchosthai). Here Jesus uses an idiom that is found in non-biblical literature. The phrase here does not quite mean "repentance". In sum, the man has simply "come to his senses" by realizing that his fathers' servants are better treated than he is. He therefore comes up with a plan. He will go back and beg his father to take him back, not as a son but as one of his hired hands.
We should note this dichotomy between sonship and servanthood, because, as we shall see, it is key in the story. The son realizes that he has renounced his sonship. But even the servants of his father are better than he is in his present state.
You Can Go Home Again
He thus comes up with a good spiel, which he hopes will allow him to return to his father's house. He plans to go to his father and say: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants" (Luke 15:18–19). He sets off for home.
His father, however, sees his son "while he was yet at a distance" (Luke 15:20). It seems the father has been looking off into the horizon. The sense one gets is that he was looking, just waiting, to see his son return. One is reminded of the story in Tobit: "Now Anna sat looking intently down the road for her son. 6 And she caught sight of him coming, and said to his father, 'Behold, your son is coming, and so is the man who went with him!'" (Tob 11:5–6).
His father's joy at seeing his son returning is immediately apparent. His acceptance of his son precedes his son's request for reconciliation―a reminder that we do not need to somehow impress our heavenly Father in order to turn his attention towards us. God is always waiting for us to return to him―He loves us far more than we could ever ask him to love us!
In fact, the son isn't even able to complete the carefully rehearsed speech he has prepared for his father. He says, "I am no longer worthy to be called your son" (Luke 15:21). Yet before he can finish the last lines of his prepared speech (i.e., "treat me as one of your hired servants"), his father exclaims, "'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; 23 and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; 24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found'" (Luke 15:22–24).
The son is not welcomed back into the family because of his own clever speech―in fact, the father takes him back even before he can fully get through it. This is a reminder that salvation is a grace. As St. Paul says, ". . . no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor 12:3).
The Older Son
Now we get to the older son. Upon hearing that his brother has returned, the elder son refuses to go into the feast and welcome his brother back. His speech to his father is revealing: "'Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!'" (Luke 15:29–30).
Notice that elder son describes his relationship with his father in terms of a servant--he, in effect, does not relate to him as a son but as a slave. He "serves", and "obeys his father's commandments". Moreover, the reason for his service is not love but self-interest; he resents his father for not giving him anything. In a sense, the elder son, like the younger son, renounces his sonship for slavery. He even refuses to identify his brother as his brother (i.e., "this son of yours")―he cuts himself off from the family. He does not want to feast with his family but with "my friends".
The father however refuses to cut his son off― 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'" Just as the father is eager to reconcile with the younger brother, so too he continues to reach out in love to his other son, reminding him of his place in his house. The elder son may cease to identify himself as a member of the family; the father, however, never ceases to call him "son".
Resurrection Language and Baptism
We might highlight the fact that the son's return is described in terms of resurrection. The son announces when he comes to himself in the foreign land, "I will arise and go to my father" (Luke 15:18). The Greek word used for "arise," anistamai, is the same word used for "resurrection" elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., Luke 9:8; John 6:39; Mark 16:9; etc.). In fact, the father explains in no uncertain terms to the elder brother, "your brother was dead, and is alive" (Luke 15:32).
In turning to God from our sin we are, by his grace, "raised to new life". St. Paul explains, "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Rom 6:4).
In fact, as in the passage just cited from Romans, the New Testament also clearly links baptism to the believer's acceptance of saving grace. A few passages here will suffice:
Acts 2:37–39: Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38 And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him."Not surprisingly then it is possible to see not only the message of reconciliation in the story of the prodigal son, but also baptismal imagery. Let me explain.
1 Peter 3:21: Baptism, which corresponds to [the Flood of Noah], now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. . .
Colossians 2:11–12: In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
The "Robe" as Baptismal Imagery
The Fathers of the Church saw the father's act of putting a robe (stolē) on the prodigal son as a reference to the baptismal practice of the early church. As mentioned above, for the early Christians, the grace one received in Christ was understood as coming through baptism. Yet, receiving God's grace in Christ is also linked to the action of "putting on" Christ as in putting on a garment (cf. e.g. Eph 4:23-24; Col 3:9-10). This is explicitly linked with baptism in Galatians: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal 3:27).
Moreover, in the early church baptism was typically carried out by immersion. After baptism the person came out of the waters they were typically given a new garment. In fact, the garment, specifically the robe (stolē), is linked with the saints in other places in the New Testament (Rev 6:11; 7:9, 13, 14). In Revelation it is even linked with the image of washing: "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates" (Rev 22:14). This language is also linked with martyrdom (cf. Rev 3:4: "Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy"), which, of course, was closely linked to baptismal theology (e.g., Mark 10:39: "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized").
Thus the baptismal significance of the robe is recognized by patristic writers. For example, Theophylact writes, "By the servants (or angels) you may understand administering spirits, or priests, who by baptism and the word of teaching clothe the soul with Christ himself" (cited in Thomas Aquinas, Cantena Aurea on Luke 15:22).
The Feast and Eschatological Banquet Traditions
Finally, we might say a few things about the feast which is celebrated. First, let us note that, as many scholars have noted, in Luke's Gospel Jesus constantly links table-fellowship to his ministry to sinners. Scholars have noted that such actions are likely linked to the Jewish expectation of an eschatological banquet, to be celebrated in the future age in which God would send the Messiah and redeem his people.[1] The tradition appears most explicitly in Isaiah 25:6–8:
"On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined. 7 And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken" (Isa 25:6–8).Jesus specifically links Israel's restoration with meal imagery, evoking the hope of the eschatological banquet (e.g., Luke 22:30; cf. also Matt 8:11–12//Luke 13:28–29).[2] Yet, it is not simply Jesus' words that lead scholars to believe that this hope played a role in his ministry. Jesus' very practice of table-fellowship with sinners in connection with his eschatological teaching would likely have been understood as evoking traditions relating to this future feast.[3]
One especially important passage here is found in Luke 13 where Jesus speaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God and then goes on to relate "banquet" imagery. In speaking to those who receive divine judgment on the last day, Jesus explains: "But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!' 28 There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. 29 And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God."
What is implied in this is a feast at which the saints will be joined by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob―something Matthew makes more explicit: " I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 8:11).
At first glance it may seem that this imagery is irrelevant to the story of the prodigal son, which really only speaks of the father celebrating a banquet to welcome back his wayward boy. Yet one must look more closely at the way the story is situated.
The reference to eating in the Kingdom is found in Luke 13, but the imagery of eschatological dining does not end there.
Feasting Imagery in Luke 14
In chapter previous to the one in which the prodigal son story is narrated, Luke sets the context for this important story―attention to the details is required.
The context for the teachings in chapter 14 is a meal―Jesus has been invited to a Pharisee's house to dine (cf. Luke 14:1). While at the feast, in 14:7–11, Jesus gives a parable about a marriage banquet. The parable is clearly an allegory for invitation to the kingdom. But note: the invitation to the kingdom is linked with a feast.
Jesus goes on to speak of banquet imagery some more, saying that in giving a feast one ought to invite those who cannot pay you back, e.g., the blind, the lame, etc. (Luke 14:12–14).
Upon hearing the teaching, someone at the feast, clearly evoking hopes for the eschatological banquet, exclaims: "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" (Luke 14:15).
Jesus responds to this by speaking―yet again―about a banquet. Specifically, Jesus tells the story of a man who gave a feast to which none of the people he invited came, all providing excuses (cf. Luke 14:15–20). The man then sent his servant to invite the outcasts to the feast in the place of those who did not accept the invitation (cf. Luke 14:21–23). He concludes, "For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet'" (Luke 14:24). Again, Jesus speaks of salvation in terms of dining.
Luke 14 ends with Jesus applying the message of the parable―in order to be a disciple of Christ one must put aside everything. In effect, the disciple must not be like those in the preceding parable who made excuses for not coming to the banquet.
The Banquet and Rejoicing in Heaven
And so begins chapter 15: "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them" (Luke 15:1–2). Notice, once again, the imagery returns to the motif of dining.
Jesus, responding to the Jewish leaders' expressed disdain for sinners, explains tells two stories which emphasize that he has come to seek the lost: (1) the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to find the one sheep that has gone astray; and (2) the woman who rejoices over a lost coin.
Then comes a key saying: "Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10). Jesus links the return of the sinner to a heavenly celebration.
This is immediately followed by the story of the prodigal son, which recounts the return of the sinner which climaxes in a banquet. In a sense, the banquet of the father in the prodigal son story is, within the narrative of Luke, linked with the heavenly celebration of the reconciliation of the sinner to God.
The Eucharist as the Heavenly Feast
We have already mentioned that the fathers found baptismal imagery in the story of the Prodigal Son. Yet we might also note the Eucharistic imagery here tied to the feast.
In fact, the Last Supper appears as the climactic meal in Luke's long narrative of Jesus' table-fellowship. Indeed, scholars recognize eschatological banquet traditions in Luke's account of the Last Supper. In particular, Jesus states at the Last Supper, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God" (Luke 22:15). Jesus then goes on to eat the Passover, which seems to link the Last Supper to the eschatological banquet of the kingdom of God.
The Eucharistic tie-in to Jesus' table-fellowship is most especially clear in the account of two other important banquets: (1) the feeding of the five thousand (Luke 9:10–17) and (2) the meal at Emmaus (Luke 24:28–35). In both stories Jesus' actions over the bread―"he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them"―evoke the Last Supper story.
In the Eucharistic feast we enter into that banquet at which we, repentant sinners, are brought into communion with God. It is not just a earthly meal―heaven rejoices with the earthly community and the sinner sits at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the presence of all the angels who rejoice over the salvation of the repentant believer.
[1] See especially John Priest, "On Note on the Messianic Banquet," in The Messiah: Developments in Earliest Judaism and Christianity (J. H. Charlesworth, ed.; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992), 222–38; Dennis E. Smith, "The Messianic Banquet Reconsidered," in The Future of Early Christianity: Essays in Honor of Helmut Koester (ed. B. A. Pearson; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991), 64–73. Aside from Isa 25:6–8 also see Isa 30:29; Ezek 39:17–20; Zech 8:18–29; 1Q28a (1QRule of the Congregation) II; 1 En. 62:14. In connection with this, the restoration is connected with the Lord feeding his people (cf. Isa 40:11; 49:10; 58:12–14; Jer 50:19; Ezek 34:13–16, 23; Mic 5:4; 7:14). In addition, this concept is also probably present in other texts where the restoration is linked to the Lord providing Israel with an abundance of grain and wine (cf. Isa 23:18; 62:8; Jer 31:10–14; Ezek 36:29; Joel 2:19; 2 Bar. 29:3–30:1). In Ezekiel and 1 Enoch those in the renewed Jerusalem are to eat fruit from trees evoking the tree of life in Eden (cf. Ezek 47:12; 48:18–19; 1 En. 25:4–5; cf. 4 Ezra 7:123). See Dunn, Jesus Remembered, 394. Dunn also explains, "The theme of a messianic/eschatological banquet was well known in Jewish and Christian apocalyptic thought. Although it is found in its developed form in only a surprisingly few texts, its pervasiveness is attested by allusions to it which can be given without explanation or comment" (237).
[2] Jesus also links the eschatological kingdom with the banquet imagery in Matthew 22:1–10//Luke 14:16–24//Gos. Thos. 64. Other passages such as Jesus' beatitude about the hungry being filled (cf. Matt 5:6//Luke 6:21) have also been linked to the hope for the eschatological feast. See, e.g., Smith, "The Messianic Banquet Reconsidered," 68; Bryan, Jesus and Israel's Traditions of Judgement and Restoration, 76–81; Perrin, Rediscovering the Teaching of Jesus, 103.
[3] See, e.g., Meier, Marginal Jew, 2:966: "[Jesus'] offer of table fellowship to all, including social and religious 'lowlifes' like toll collectors and 'sinners,' was meant to foreshadow the final eschatological banquet and to give a foretaste of that banquet even during his public ministry (cf. Matt 8:11–12//Luke 13:28–29; Mark 14:25 parr.)." Likewise, Robert L. Brawley ("Table Fellowship: Bane and Blessing of the Historical Jesus," Perspectives in Religious Studies 22 [1995]: 19), explains, ". . . Jesus transforms ordinary meals into celebrations of participating in God's eschatological promises." Still also see Bryan (Jesus and Israel's Traditions of Judgement and Restoration, 80), who states, "By engaging in table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus implied that those who were regarded as certainly among those to be judged with the enemies of Israel in conjunction with the eschatological feast would in fact be the ones who enjoyed the feast. Viewed against this background, Jesus' table fellowship may be regarded as an enacted parable whose meaning is captured in the parable of the great banquet. Jesus' parable implies that the eschatological banquet will not be enjoyed by those widely regarded as the elect in celebration of God's destruction of their enemies. Rather, the banquet will be enjoyed by outsiders while those thought to be the elect are excluded as the objects of God's anger." Numerous other scholars could also be mentioned here. See, e.g., Becker, Jesus of Nazaret, 194–211; Sanders, Jesus and Judaism, 208–9; Trautmann, Zeichenhafte Handlungen Jesu, 160–64.


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Special Feature
The Methuen-Pombal Link and the Demarcation of the Douro
© 2006 by Roy Hersh
|Joana Mesquita examines one of the first feitoria set in place, a 250-year-old marker at Quinta Nova, originally Burmester. (Photos by Robin Garr)
|The year "1758" is still clearly visible on this granite marker at the top of the old Burmester property.
Since the beginning of the New Year, I've enjoyed researching all facets of the Demarcation of the Douro, from poring over dozens of books and translated Portuguese documents in my library as well as visiting websites. There are many great pieces written on this interesting historical topic, but I was searching for a distinctive perspective from which to carve my words. I found that perspective by exploring circumstances surrounding the Methuen Treaty of 1703 and its impact on the relationship between the British Factors and Portuguese producers over the next half century, culminating in the 1756 Demarcation of the Douro. The greatest challenge in tackling this vast topic is to adequately and fairly present two very divergent perspectives which emerge in current writings on these historical events. One of these is the Portuguese perspective -- that of the Port growers and producers who were without a means to market the wine at the time. The other is that of the British, who settled in Oporto as part of a trade agreement, and provided the capital, network of contacts and export acumen to the Portuguese. These partners in Port have survived the many challenges that faced them during the past few centuries. Here is a shortened version of some important historical episodes that shaped the Port trade during its formative years.
Visit ForTheLoveOfPort.com
During the last 30 years of the 17th century, British merchants established a presence in Oporto, for the purpose of trading their products for the red wine of the Douro, which became known as "Port". The 18th century brought a few monumental changes to Port wine:
- The process known as fortification, which resulted in sweet flavors and higher alcohol in the wine of the Douro.
- The iron-fisted Portuguese Prime Minister, the Marquês de Pombal rose to power.
- Glass bottle production evolved and cylindrical wine bottles were created, facilitating proper racking and cellar aging of Port in bottle.
Each of these revolutionary developments helped change the face of Port wine forever. The story that follows will provide some insight into the pioneering days of this great beverage known as Port.
Methuen Treaty of 1703
Beginning in the first decade of the 1600s, Spain ruled Portugal, until the English came into Portugal to help defeat the Spaniards. Portugal was strategically situated with seaports located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean and was highly prized by the English. In 1668, Portugal declared its independence, just three years after the young John Methuen, a British subject, graduated from Oxford. Methuen held various diplomatic posts throughout his career and in 1691 became the Envoy to Portugal. Six years later when he became Chancellor of Ireland, he ensured that his son Paul would be made Envoy to Portugal, a position John had held before his move to Ireland. To make a long story shorter, John performed poorly in Ireland and was sent back to Portugal to try to persuade Portugal's King Pedro to sever his coalitions both with Spain and France. .
That task was a failure, and two months later, England declared war on France (War of the Spanish Succession 1702-1713). The senior Methuen's son Paul, who was a more gifted statesman, remained in Lisbon and finished what his father had failed to accomplish. With Portugal now firmly on the side of the British, Paul signed a military treaty between Portugal and the allied Powers who had rallied around England against France. Notwithstanding all of those accomplishments, it would be his father that would be remembered for another treaty with far greater historical significance.
On December 27th 1703, John Methuen created a commercial agreement known as the Methuen Treaty, which became the basis of a "most favored nation" trade agreement between England and Portugal with far reaching consequences. England would bring woolen cloth into Portugal without any trade restrictions or duty, and permit the Portuguese to pay in trade, requiring no expenditure of their prized gold bullion.
Portugal, in turn, would be permitted to export its wine to England at a favorable duty rate that was equivalent to two thirds of the tax levied against imported French wine. The British had been deliberately creating obstacles for the importation of French wine, by charging steep tariffs and at times prohibiting the wine altogether. It should be noted that wines from competing countries within Europe also enjoyed comparable dispensation and it seems that Portugal already enjoyed the lowest duty on their wine of any nation. However, the residual effect of the Methuen Treaty would weigh heavily on the wines of France until the duty situation was finally reversed in 1866 by British Prime Minister William Gladstone.
The Growth of the Port Industry
Demand for the wines of Port, and to a lesser extent Madeira, grew steadily. Although the Methuen Treaty was extremely controversial at the time, it lasted in force until 1840. Initially, English wine lovers were not terribly enthusiastic about the Treaty, as they believed their beloved French claret was being replaced with inferior Portuguese "plonk." Nonetheless, that sentiment did not endure and Port has maintained its popularity in England ever since. It appears that the Methuen Treaty created the thirst for Port in the UK, and this correlation can not be ignored. However, for at least a dozen years following the Treaty, exports of Portuguese wine actually diminished.
The English merchants (also known as "Factors") who traded woolens and other textiles for Port were growing as a unified commercial force in and around Oporto. The grape growers and Port producers in the Douro realized their good fortune and for a time, worked closely with the British Shippers. In 1727, the British Association was established by the British Factory (The Factory House came later, in 1790). They created and implemented import and export regulations, as well as stipulated lower prices to be paid to the Douro growers for their wines.
From the mid-1720s through the late 1740s, there was increasing demand for wine in England as the Port palate was firmly established. At the same time, there were improvements in the overall quality of the Oporto wine, to a point. A variety of less profitable crops were being ripped up by the roots to make room for new vineyards. They were planted as quickly as humanly possible, while the price for "pipes" (550 liter casks - though export pipes held 534 liters) of Port continued to increase. The good times like the pipes themselves continued to roll. Some of the now well-heeled Douro producers could be seen in Oporto wearing expensive clothing, unthinkable just a few decades earlier.
To be clear, "Port" at the time was simply Douro red wine with no "fortification," yet the best of these were deeply extracted and concentrated wines from the upper Douro region. However, brandy was often added to the finished wine (prior to shipping) to stabilize it during its sea voyage to England, much like that of Madeira. The fortification process for Port wine was in its infancy and still experiencing significant growing pains. This process evolved slowly and was not fully perfected until somewhere between 1820 and 1840, when the amount of brandy added, grew from about 20 liters per pipe to about 100 liters per pipe. Note: Fortification of Port is the process in which grape brandy is added to the fermenting grape juice. The high alcohol content of the neutral grape spirit (77 percent alcohol) prematurely arrests the fermentation by killing the active yeast cells, thereby creating a wine which is naturally sweet and retains an alcohol level approximating 20 percent by volume.
Turmoil Erupts
The strong and successful alliance which lasted during the first half of the 1700s between the British shippers and Douro growers and producers, turned acrimonious. Complaints and finger pointing went back and forth and created ill will. The shippers in Oporto banded together and formed a trade association in an effort to control the ever increasing prices of Port and to deal with the inconsistency in quality provided. They rightfully claimed that since demand had outstripped supply, some of the new vines had been planted in unsuitable sites, which produced weak wines. Considering the steady price increases for the juice, the variation in wine quality became a growing problem. The English clientele demanded darker and richer Port and whether by collaboration (as the Portuguese contend) or of their own volition (as the Factor's assert), adulteration of the wine was taking place up river in order to bolster the quality.
It seems that the adulteration actually was being done by the shippers in Oporto as well as the producers in the Douro, but this is impossible to prove, except for reports of brandy being added prior to shipping. Along with the quality, Port exports started to plummet. The decrease in price for Port no longer supported the expense of cultivation and the farmers were as miserable as the shippers in Oporto. It appeared as if the golden goose had been cooked.
The accusations and reports by the English to their agents back home and in the Douro, frequently mentioned the topic of "adulteration". Their complaints specifically centered on: the addition of sugar to sweeten the Port, utilization of Baga (Elderberry) and grape skins to darken the color of the wine and deliberate addition of cheap brandy to strengthen the Port. I've also read that cheap wine from other regions and countries, (most oft mentioned is Spain) was occasionally blended in to "extend" volumes. In the early 1750s, while the bitterness over these quality issues reached a crescendo, the good name of Port was besmirched. The disgruntled Douro growers and producers alleged that the British factors had prudently encouraged, if not surreptitiously recommended the adulteration practices, in order to obtain the requisite quality for the approval by their agents back home.
Tensions grew into open hostilities and the British Port shippers' trade association wrote a letter to their agents in the Douro in 1754. They complained bitterly about the producer's "diabolical" and growing penchant for adding brandy during the fermentation to fortify the wine, rather than adding the brandy after the fermentation in order to stabilize it. Of course we know that a century later, this would not only be the accepted practice, but the backbone of Port wine. Much to the Factor's utter amazement, their agents supported the views of the producers and in a return letter explained that it was the greed and pressure from Oporto which had caused the producers' dilemma in trying to please the Shippers incessant pleas for higher quality. Adulteration was a sticky wicket, to say the least.
A miserable vintage took place in 1755 which exacerbated the fact that demand and prices were at historic lows. The British Shippers were virtually unable to sell pipes and their business was in dire straits, stuck with a back log of Port. At their wits end the shippers sent a razor-sharp letter to the growers and producers. The text of their widely spread letter can be found, but to paraphrase -- unless the Douro producers did not stop adulterating the wine and improve the quality of the Port, the British Factors would not even consider buying the wine at any price. In fact, they said they would not even taste the wine sent to Oporto.
|Still a national hero in Portugal, the Marquês de Pombal's bronze image - with lion - presides over Lisbon.
These developments took a back seat to a much larger catastrophe. On Saturday, Nov. 1, 1755 at 9:20 a.m. on All Saints Day, an enormous earthquake decimated the Portuguese capital city of Lisbon, killing an estimated one third of Lisbon's 275,000 inhabitants. The King of Portugal, Dom José I, had coincidentally left Lisbon with his family just after attending a sunrise mass. He returned the following day and empowered his Secretary of State, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo to take charge (he was appointed as Prime Minister a.k.a. Marquês de Pombal in 1770, after an unsuccessful attempt to kill him). When questioned about his course of action, Pombal is reported to have replied pragmatically, "Now? Bury the dead and feed the living."
The quake's significant destruction reached the Algarve which was hit hardest by the oncoming tsunami. Reports by contemporary geologists that have studied the major earthquakes of the past few centuries hypothesize that the Lisbon quake approached a magnitude of 9 on the Richter scale, the epicenter of which was just 70 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean. The shock waves were felt in Europe as far away as Finland. The duration lasted between four and six minutes long and fissures in the streets of the city center appeared as wide as 17 feet. The earthquake was followed by a massive tsunami which touched land 30 minutes later, cresting at heights varying between 20-30 meters! It hit North Africa an hour later, touched most of Europe's ports, then hit less intensely in Martinique and Barbados across the Atlantic, later that afternoon. Two more tidal waves followed, along with enormous fires, which destroyed whatever the initial quake had not -- and burned for five days. Only 15 percent of the city's buildings remained.
The following day the Prime Minister, Marquês de Pombal immediately began organizing the recovery and reconstruction. He sent firefighters into the city to extinguish the flames, and ordered teams to remove the tens of thousands of corpses. He then went about the incredible task of rebuilding Lisbon and other devastated parts of the country. Pombaline buildings are among the first seismically-protected constructions in the world. Small wooden models were built for testing, and earthquakes were simulated by marching troops around them. Sorry to digress, but this is just too important to ignore!
Back to Oporto and the Douro: The grape growers and producers of the Douro did not take kindly to the Port shippers' disrespectful attitude and sent a delegation to Lisbon to hand deliver the letter directly to Pombal. He had spent seven years in London as a diplomat earlier in his career and was not one to lose sight of economic opportunities for his country or for himself. Pombal had always kept a green eye on the profitable Port trade and was well aware of the goings on in Oporto and the Douro. He was not amused by the letter or chess gamesmanship of the British shippers or their treatment of his countrymen. After all, in his view, the British were guests doing business in Portugal and were making a handsome living off of the Port trade. The anger or arrogance of the British, who behaved as if Northern Portugal was one of their colonies, may have caused them to underestimate Pombal, a grave error in judgment as it turned out.
Pombal's new Companhia
Before the next harvest, Pombal delivered a swift and punishing blow to the Port shippers, with a breathtaking checkmate maneuver. On Friday, Sept. 10, 1756, Portugal's Marquês de Pombal enacted legislation creating the Companhia Geral da Agricultura das Vinhos do Alto Douro, (which translates to: the company for the cultivation of vineyards in the upper Douro). Later this company would be renamed: Real Companhia Velha, which today is known as Royal Oporto. During the 18th century, the Portuguese people knew it as, "The Company."
Although the Charter was "blessed" by the King of Portugal, this was very much Pombal's company. He ran it like an autocratic fiefdom, in one sense acting like a control freak reformer while at the same time, implementing discipline and reorganizing the entire Port trade. The Company was formed to: "uphold the reputation of the wines, the culture of the vineyards, and to foster at the same time the trade in the former, establishing a regular price for the advantage of those who produce and trade in them, avoiding on the one hand those high prices which, rendering sales impossible, ruin the stocks, and on the other such low prices as prevent the growers from expending the necessary sum on the cultivation of their vineyards." In other words, the main mission was to improve the overall quality of Port and make the Company extraordinarily profitable. Never before had there been such a monopoly anywhere in the wine world!
Here are some of the other areas under the direct control of The Company:
- Protect the authenticity of the product and ensure that adulteration was a dead topic. This included strict punishment (fines and prison) for those involved in adulteration. Due to their use to adulterate Port, Elderberry trees were uprooted for miles around and virtually eliminated in the Douro. Certain types of fertilizer would be outlawed, in order to prevent overproduction, as well as the prohibition of blending white and red grapes.
- Given exclusive rights to the production, pricing and sales of neutral grape spirit (aguardente) to all producers in the North of Portugal.
- All exports would be strictly managed and special attention paid to those pipes heading to England and Brazil.
- Determination of production quotas (the beneficio) and the apportionment of production licenses amongst all the registered farmers, after deciding the total amount of Port to be produced according to market conditions and stocks in Oporto.
- Raise taxes for various resources at Pombal's discretion including his unscrupulous diversion of funds for the renaissance of Lisbon (after the severe earthquake damage) and the hiring of an "official" Company taster.
- Sole right to distribute and sell wine to the taverns in Oporto and the surrounding areas.
- Raised prices that would thereafter be paid to the growers and producers in the Douro.
- Fixed pricing on Port to create market stability.
- Pombal appointed an enormous administrative Board of Directors for The Company, without selecting a single British shipper.
- Last but certainly not least; the famous demarcation of the Alto Douro was one of the greatest achievements of the entire Pombaline reign and certainly one of the most important dynamics in the history of Port wine.
The demarcation of the Douro will be discussed in greater detail shortly, but before doing so I must digress to the aftermath surrounding the Marquês de Pombal's creation of The Company, as this is a defining moment between protagonists. The British shippers had suffered enough insolence and they were not going to have The Company wrest control of the Port export business away from them. They sent a contingent of Port merchants to see Pombal and have their protestations heard loud and clear. This turned out to be a dreadful mistake. Pombal was a tyrant, actually considered by historians as a dictator. He treated the British Factors with harshness in regards to "the letter" which had raised his blood pressure considerably. He basically told them that they could leave Portugal or accept the fact that their letter provided the rationale behind the need to create a company that would oversee the quality of Port wine. The shippers realized they were not going to make any sort of progress with Pombal and headed back to Oporto.
Since the growers and producers were now being paid significantly more money for their Port, the trickle down theory proved bloody potent in Oporto. The sharp and sudden price increase of wine to the Tavern owners and therefore to their patrons, drove them to the streets in a violent rage on a day that came to be known as the Tipplers' Riots of Feb. 23, 1757. Pombal was exceptionally harsh in response as he believed the Factors had intentionally stirred this hornet's nest. The riot was repressed with immediate brute force by 3,000 soldiers marching into Oporto and crushing the rebellion. Dozens of the Portuguese sympathizers were shot dead and thirteen men plus four women were hanged, twenty five others were condemned to the royal galleys, eighty six banished to Africa and India, while fifty eight received significant fines, properties were confiscated and warehouses which had been suspected of aiding and abetting the British in adulterating Port were demolished. John Methuen must have been turning over in his grave.
Although the Portuguese citizenry had been quieted, there was still another very unhappy group to deal with. The British Port shippers brought up a number of very legitimate issues to their agents in England and finally to their own government, reaching as high as British Foreign Secretary William Pitt. Their petition of Aug. 1, 1768, stated their case succinctly and took issue with the new monopolistic Company as well as their concerns for the ongoing adulteration of the Port. Unfortunately, Pitt was deeply immersed in the Seven Years War with France and Spain. The shippers' petition was ignored by Pitt, who chose to stay in the good graces of Pombal. Had Pitt not been involved with the military actions with his two enemies, he probably would have petitioned Pombal directly or at least, sent an emissary to seek redress at the Court of Lisbon.
In late April of the following year, the Shippers took a collaborative approach and sent a second letter to Pitt, which readdressed their concerns and their disappointment at not having received a response to their initial petition. This time their grievances were taken more seriously and a dispatch reached Portuguese Minister de Cunha. After looking into the issues, he provided the insight from the Douro grower's point of view and sent off his missive to the British Earl of Kinnoul. Nothing was done to rectify the situation and the Royal Wine Company maintained business as usual, much to the chagrin of the British Port shippers.
To add insult to injury, in 1762 Spain declared war on both Portugal and England. Spain walked across the border into Portugal and captured important territories without resistance. The King of Portugal pleaded with England to send help and committed to rectifying some outstanding commercial issues without mentioning any specifics. England delivered money and arms to Portugal as well as a mercenary General to lead the Portuguese Army which quickly dispensed of the Spanish and sent them homeward bound. The English government attempted genteel diplomacy with the Foreign Minister at Lisbon as well as the Portuguese Minister in London to remedy the situation for the Factors in Oporto. Gracious letters went back and forth for the next three years, but nothing changed and the English government did not force the issue and the Portuguese therefore, did nothing. It took until 1777 for the regulations to be relaxed but the shippers had found creative ways to work within the Pombaline system. That doesn't mean that they ever enjoyed the reign of Pombal, but at some point the realization set in that it made no sense to continue to expect any reversal of fortune.
In 1777 the King of Portugal died and his daughter Maria I took the throne as the Queen of Portugal. She immediately dismissed Pombal from power and started to undo many of the dastardly deeds which he had perpetrated on his people. She released nearly a thousand political prisoners the day after her father's death and in August of the same year, reversed the monopolistic hold of The Company. The Pombaline era came to an end and the Marquês left office in disgrace.
Região Demarcada
The geographical survey (Primordial Demarcation) of the Douro wine region in which Port is produced would not have developed without the Marquês de Pombal. The surveys included the classification of every vineyard and their respective wines and keeping track of all the information, including maps drawn by hand. The first demarcation incorporated the traditional area, mainly the Baixo Corgo and Cima Corgo, as little went beyond Pinhao at the time. Not until 1788-1792 did the vineyards encompass the Douro Superior, which is at the Eastern most section of the Douro Valley. Today this delimited area encompasses the entire upper portion of the Douro River Valley known as the Alto Douro, which extends from approximately sixty miles East of the "entreposto" (export trade zone) at Vila Nova de Gaia, to the far reaches of the Douro Superior.
Two zones were created. The first was for Port produced for consumption within Portugal, called "Vinho do Ramo" - usually from the Baixo Corgo and of lesser quality and cheaper. The second zone was specifically for Ports crafted for export markets, or "Factory Wines" - which were of higher quality, more expensive and typically from the Cima Corgo or Douro Superior. This makes up an area forty to fifty miles in length and between five and twenty miles wide, consisting of a quarter of a million hectares (1 hectare = 2.5 acres) of land. Of the region's 40,000+ hectares of land planted to vine, approximately three quarters of those hectares are designated for Port production. It is easy to see how this event created the boundaries of the Port wine region we know today. Of all the historic mountain vineyards in Europe, the Alto Douro with its vast terraced land and Quintas represent about 18 percent of all European mountain vineyards registered.
The demarcation of the Douro region in addition to other Pombaline measures, such as fixed prices, to ensure the financial well-being of the growers, strict production quotas to prevent the reduction of selling prices and controls placed on all new plantings in the Douro, to name just three - made a significant improvement in the organization of the Port wine trade and provided some discipline (albeit often ruthless) and much needed stability. Exports of Port rose 33 percent during the 2 decades of Pombal, from 1757-1776, compared to the five years prior to setting up The Company that Pombal ruled.
A Boundary Commission was organized and it required three separate attempts to map out the Northern and Southern banks of the Rio Douro between 1758 and 1761. This group set the granite markers (Feitoria) in place, to perpetuate the Commission's findings. Finally in 1761, it all came to fruition, restricting Port production to the vineyards within the boundaries of the demarcated region. All vineyards were then classified A to F, depending on many factors such as: altitude, productiveness, inclination of the land, aspect and exposure to sunlight, age of the vines etc. Points were given for each specific characteristic and then a final grade (A-F) was designated for the specific vineyard. This method of classification of properties by points, the first of its kind in the world, still exists today and has made possible, the control of the demarcated Douro region.
Placement of 335 large rectangular, flat, or semi-circular granite stones with the word Feitoria and the date, were carved on the side facing the road. Remarkably, there are 103 "Feitoria" that remain standing today. There were 201 Feitoria set in place between October 4th and November 9th 1758 and the balance of 134 markers were placed between April 17th and May 4, 1761. To put this in historical perspective in terms of American history, this was right around the same time as Bull Run 1 at Manassas, Virginia during the early stages of the U.S. Civil War.
In addition to setting in place the extremely heavy granite markers, the surveying team had the incredibly arduous task of walking up, down and across the intensely steep mountainous slopes of the Douro. There were no jeeps or helicopters to make their transport any easier, not to mention that they traveled on bad roads and through places where neither comfort nor sustenance was to be had at any price. The vineyard land owners were not happy campers when the surveyors decided that their land did not fall within the boundaries they were setting in place. These protests were carried out by many a farmer whose future earnings would be greatly diminished if his vineyard was just outside of the boundary. Even the difference in the districts that represented export or Factory Ports was huge in comparison to what they'd get paid for the domestic market wines. The original topographic map which was used for the demarcation was finalized in November of 1761 and sent to archives in Lisbon. Incredibly, somehow the original map has disappeared and nobody can explain how this happened.
Although the original demarcations were completed in 1761, Queen Maria I expanded the demarcation of the Douro region in 1793. Further changes were made in 1788, 1907, 1908 and its current borders were amended on Dec. 10, 1921 and for the last time on June 26, 1986. In 1979 the demarcation was extended to cover table wines. The demarcation of the Douro region is often mentioned as the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. I recently learned from a member of the FTLOP Forum that this is incorrect and that the authoritative Portuguese historian and director of the Museu do Douro, Gaspar Martins Pereira states that two regions were demarcated earlier: Chianti and Carmignano in Tuscany in 1716 and Tokay in Hungary in 1737.
The First Stone
One last facet of the story of the demarcation, will neatly tie it all together. Three years ago, I was trying to find the location of the very first Feitoria that was ever placed during the 1758 demarcation. I was not as interested in where it was originally placed, but where it was located in 2003. I offered up a great bottle of Vintage Port as the reward for the correct answer. There were a few different versions of the story and I have never found out which is accurate and where they found the first stone. I would appreciate an email from anyone who is certain as to its discovery (and original location if known). Here are some of the answers I received from some astute British wine enthusiast who were researching this topic, back in 2003.
Scenario No. 1 and the most believable: "It was first set in situ at Quinta de S. Gonçalo da Ribeira in the village of Resende on October 9th 1758. It was "re-discovered" in 2001, when renovations on the house revealed a second stone wall, in which this mark had been used as part of a door frame! It is now on display at the Douro Museum in Régua at the IVDP's Solar do Vinho do Porto which was new as of July 28th 2003. Later on, the stone will be placed in its original location. The majority of the markers were removed from their original locations and can now be found in various museums and as decorative displays at a number of Quintas in the region."
Scenario No. 2: I understand that after it had been hidden due to raised water level, it was found during technical maintenance of some turbines, and is now leaning against a wall at the Quinta da Manela.
Scenario No. 3: It was located two hundred meters from where in 1875 the Bernardo railway station building was built, which was adjacent to Quinta do Bernardo.
As you can see, the story of the development of the Port industry derives from the success late in the life of John Methuen back in 1703, the adulteration of the "Oporto wine" which led to discontent, an infamous letter, a major earthquake and a tyrant named Pombal who sat atop The Company and created the early demarcation of the Douro region. All of these interesting characters and diplomatic events led to the very first Feitoria laid back in 1758, the very first of which was not rediscovered for 243 years.
As reward for joining me on this historical tour, please find a comfortable spot and settle in for a nice glass of Port!
Roy Hersh www.fortheloveofport.com
© copyright March 2006

subset: commoncrawl


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The Top Five of the November Top Five
The top five things plastic surgeons won't tell you, the top five cars the richest Americans are buying, and more. We do many top five videos, and here are the 'number ones' in the top five of those 'top fives' from November. (Photo: AP/Getty Images)
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... the ... it's ... I ... billionaires just keep raking it yet ... according to the latest beta of their wealth rose nineteen percent in the past year the average of ten point eight ... billion dollars each ... I'm Tom Bemis for MarketWatch with a look at five things to ... the rest of the fat cats will tell you number one ... they don't make their money by investing in stocks ... they keep their money by investing style ... are more likely to become a billionaire in Silicon Valley ... than on Wall Street ... holiday shopping season is upon us so it's time to rev up a copy outs and four ... I'm Tom Bemis with a look at five Things department stores will come ... number one ... Black Friday deals really are such deals ... studies have found a lot of items bought on special the day after Thanksgiving are actually cheaper at other times of the year ... and retailers are likely to cut prices ... as the holiday shopping season goes along ... electronic cigarettes are starting to catch on with the industry expected to hit nearly two billion dollars in sales this year low ... I'm Tom Bemis for MarketWatch with a look at five things you figure it ... won't tell you number one ... kids love of ... the industry claims e cigarettes are aimed at teenagers ... that's probably why they came up with flavors like gummy bear ... fruit loop ... and cotton candy ... of course it works the number of middle and high school students who Preity Progress doubled between two thousand and eleven and two thousand twelve ... to nearly to make ... I ... Americans spend billions on cosmetic plastic surgery every year ... I'm Tom Bemis for MarketWatch oh and the supermarket tabloid stories of botched celebrity tummy tucks haven't scared you off ... here are five things to consider before you decide when to them ... number one ... watch out for the super duper know with a ... plastic surgery is competitive and doctors before the offer the latest technology as a way to stand out ... even before the long term effects of the procedure ... well ... been ... the thing that all the money could possibly need ... what can occur when she ... by Amgen Jelter MarketWatch and that's the question posed by reporter AnnaMaria and Riyadh is ... to find the answers to go with that data from analysts ... but which cars are the sellers ... and twenty five the nation's wealthiest neighborhoods ... the results are a little surprise ... to rich are all cruising the ball ... isn't that what is ... the Ford F series truck is the best-selling vehicle United States ... and wealth in their current limits its pants ... especially in places like Aspen Colorado ... where the hobby ranchers


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Quick Links
One important component of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) process is the engagement of all stakeholders. All staff and parents/guardians, including those representing foster youth, homeless, and low-income and English learner communities, are consulted to provide feedback on the plan. The district LCAP Advisory Committee is established to review and comment on the LCAP.
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come and enjoy dinner with santa!
Our Dinner With Santa Family Event is this Wednesday night, December 11th from 5pm-7pm. Learners and their families are invited to attend this fun holiday event. Santa will be available for pictures and picture packages will be available to order that night. Pre-orders are accepted for the pizza dinners ($6) and cookie decoration kits ($6). Dinners and kits will be available for purchase at the event as long as supplies last. There will also be a craft station ($1 a craft) and a "Build-a-Bear Gulch Bear" station ($25). Come and join us for a very merry event!
Central School District is now accepting online enrollment for students eligible for Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten.
>> Kindergarten - Child must be five years of age on or before
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Online enrollment is the first step in the process to enroll a new student and is intended to save you time. You must have a valid address within the Central School District boundaries to use this system. Information about the student such as emergency contacts and language will be collected. Once the online process is finished and submitted, the student's information is electronically sent to the school and you will be able to complete the enrollment process at the site. Please contact the Bear Gulch school office at (909) 989-9396 to set up an appointment.
Enrollment is not complete until all required paperwork is submitted to the school office.
The following items are required to complete your child's enrollment:
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China Mobile's Costly Deal With Apple
China Mobile Ltd. may have secured a deal with Apple Inc. to sell iPhones, but it's looking like a costly partnership at least in the near term.
Since Apple confirmed the deal with China Mobile, brokerages have been swiftly reducing their earnings forecast for the world's largest carrier by subscribers because of steep capital outlays for a new network and anticipated handset subsidies. The carrier will also have to contend with lower interconnection fees from rivals as of Jan. 1 as part of the Chinese government's latest effort to promote competition.
The rollout of iPhones by the world's largest mobile carrier by users, with over 750 million subscribers, will start later this month as part of China Mobile's launch of a speedier fourth-generation mobile network.


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Story highlights
- International Security Assistance Force condemns "ruthless IED campaign"
- 17 reported killed; most were women and children, official says
- Minibus was carrying wedding party guests, source says
- Two troops died in a separate incident in eastern Afghanistan
Seventeen civilians were killed when a minibus carrying guests to a wedding party in western Afghanistan struck a roadside mine Friday, a provincial Afghan official said.
Most of the passengers on the bus were women and children traveling from the Khak Safid district to the Pusht Koh district. The blast happened at around 2 p.m. local time, said Mohammad Akram Ekhpelwak, governor of Farah province.
The governor said insurgents were responsible for placing the mine, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
The International Security Assistance Force released a statement condemning the bombing, which it said had killed at least a dozen civilians and wounded at least seven.
"The insurgents have again killed innocent Afghans, including women and children," said Brig. Gen. John Madower, the deputy ISAF spokesman.
"The insurgents' claim to avoid killing civilians again rings hollow as they continue their ruthless IED campaign."
In a separate incident in eastern Afghanistan, two ISAF members were killed in an "improvised explosive attack," according to a statement released by the ISAF.


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Paperback edition. A delicious gift for the food lover in your life. When we travel, it's often love at first bite. Food Lover's Guide to the World presents a lifetime of eating experiences that will lead you from one end of the globe to the other. Take your taste buds on a tour around the world and cook up your next great culinary adventure.
celebrity food-lover contributions
best places to find local dishes in cities great and small
cultural tips and how-to-eat etiquette
introductions by Mark Bittman and James Oseland
more than 50 recipes to cook back home
Book details
Authors: Carolyn Bain, Luke Waterson, Anthony Ham, Rob Whyte, Sarina Singh, Helen Ranger, Lucy Burningham, Andrew Bender, Mara Vorhees, Nicola Williams, Duncan Garwood, Austin Bush, Janine Eberle, Gabi Mocatta, Tom Parker Bowles, Will Gourlay, Joe Bindloss, Zoe Li, Jessica Lee, Denise Phillips, Sarah Baxter, Emily Matchar
320 pages | Dimensions: 185mm x 240mm


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Tighter Abortion Rules in Alabama
Banning through a thousand cuts?
Alabama lawmakers late Tuesday gave final passage to a measure placing stricter regulations on clinics that provide abortions.
The state House voted 68-21 to give final passage to the Women's Health and Safety Act. The vote came hours after the state Senate voted 20-10 to approve the bill after amending the measure to require clinics to tell patients what medications they had received.
The votes in the GOP-led legislature, mostly along partly lines, send the measure to Republican Gov. Robert Bentley, who backs the legislation.
Proponents say the regulations will protect women. Opponents say they will make it harder for women to exercise their right to get an abortion.
The bill requires abortion clinics to use doctors who have approval to admit patients to hospitals in the same city. Some clinics now use doctors from other cities that don't have local hospital privileges. A similar law in Mississippi is threatening to close that state's only abortion clinic, which is challenging the law in court.


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Hi ,
new member from Canada, just got my bike r1200gsa enough dirt roads over here.
after the first 1000km return the bike to the shop and had to pay for three hours of labour $278.90 before tax , so I'm wondering .
well I don't mind working on my bike, but for sure it will happen now.


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major macro economic indicators
|2018 (e)
|2019 (f)
|GDP growth (%)
|Inflation (yearly average, %)
|Budget balance (% GDP)
|Current account balance (% GDP)
|Public debt (% GDP)
(e): Estimate. (f): Forecast.
- 5th oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa; Africa's 2nd largest producer of wood, hoping to become the world's leading producer of manganese
- Drive to diversify the economy undertaken as part of the Emerging Gabon Strategic Plan
- Member of the CEMAC
- Economy heavily dependent on the oil sector
- High cost of production factors, linked to inadequate infrastructure (transport and electricity)
- High unemployment and endemic poverty
- Difficult political and social context, pervasive corruption
- Stock of domestic and external arrears not yet cleared
Risk assessment
Activity is accelerating very gradually
In 2019, growth is expected to continue to gradually recover from the crisis triggered by the fall in oil prices. In particular, the stabilisation of oil production, combined with better prices, should support activity. Meanwhile, changes to hydrocarbon legislation could help to accelerate private investment flows. The latter, combined with the completion of some projects, should also maintain the momentum of sectors targeted by the Emerging Gabon Strategic Plan, which aims to reduce oil dependence (about 30% of GDP in 2017). The mining (especially manganese) and forestry industries are expected to continue developing and contribute to export growth. In addition, agro-industry, through the fertilizer and palm oil sectors, is also likely to be the target of investment. Demand from the agro-industry and the start of the PPP agricultural programme – GRAINE, which provides for new oil palm plantations and the development of food crops – should support the primary industries. Conversely, while budgetary adjustment efforts continue, the construction sector, which is largely dependent on public investment, is expected to continue to face difficulties. Likewise, budgetary constraints are expected to be a drag on public consumption, but also on private consumption, given the state's role as an employer. As a result, service growth is expected to remain constrained.
Twin deficits narrow
The budget deficit is expected to decline further in 2019, supported by continued fiscal restraint under the economic recovery plan. Efforts to lower the wage bill and cut government spending should result in a decrease in current expenditure. Capital expenditure, which has fallen sharply in recent years, is expected to rebound due to the revival of on-hold projects. However, the increase in this expenditure should remain contained. While progress is likely to continue to be slow, reforms to improve mobilisation of tax and customs revenue are expected to result in higher non-oil revenues. Changes in oil prices and production could also support budgetary revenues. Budget execution issues, which forced the authorities to pass a supplementary budget in 2018, could nevertheless continue to slow the process of fiscal consolidation. Budgetary slippage in recent years has left the authorities unable to clear external and domestic arrears. External borrowing, budget support, and IMF financing will finance the fiscal deficit.
After rapidly increasing due to large investments, the debt-to-GDP ratio is now on a downward path. Nevertheless, the high proportion of external debt (70% of the total) and debt denominated in foreign currencies (more than 60% of the total) remains a source of vulnerability.
In 2019, the current account deficit is expected to continue to narrow, mainly on higher oil-related export revenues. Non-oil exports, chiefly manganese and wood, are also expected to contribute to the increase in the trade surplus. The services account is expected to remain in deficit, pulled down by business services. The income deficit may grow, reflecting an increase in oil companies' profit repatriations. Remittances from foreign workers living in Gabon should maintain the small deficit in the transfer account. IMF payments under the ECF programme are expected to continue to finance the current account deficit and contribute to the increase in CEMAC's foreign exchange reserves.
President Bongo's convalescence worries the country
Since the tumultuous re-election of President Ali Bongo Ondimba in 2016 and the ensuing violence that shook the country, the sharp political tensions have gradually subsided. In particular, the divided opposition and isolation of the main opponent, Jean Ping, who continues to claim to be president-elect, have worked in the government's favour. The national dialogue held in 2017 resulted in a constitutional review in January 2018, the seventh since 1991. Although granting some concessions to the opposition, such as the introduction of a second round for presidential and parliamentary elections, the new measures also allowed the President to run for an unlimited number of terms. After two postponements and two years of waiting, legislative elections were finally held in October 2018. Faced with a divided and weakened opposition, especially after Mr Ping's calls for a boycott, President Bongo's Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won an absolute majority in the first round. The PDG's success was somewhat tarnished by the low voters' turnout (just over 40%). Shortly after the legislative elections, the health issues faced by President Ali Bongo Ondimba , which forced him to convalesce in Riyadh and Morocco, rekindled the debate on his succession and revived the opposition's ambitions. An apparent coup attempt on January 7 2019, although foiled, reflects the disturbance caused by his absence. In this context, cuts to the wage bill and possible civil service job cuts could lead to social unrest.
The business climate remains uncompetitive (169th out of 190 countries in the Doing Business 2019 ranking), mainly due to poor infrastructure, corruption and difficulties in starting a business.
Last update: February 2019


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imagineinternet needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 11 designs submitted by 5 freelance designers.
Real estate office is based in Telluride, Colorado
Scott Brown Realty
Accepted File Formats:
Original PSD with fonts used included
Company Name: Scott Brown Realty
URL: tellurealty.com
Logo: There is none, so please use the company name in the design
The focus on this site is to be extremely attractive to visitors and to promote the MLS search, so MLS searching should be very predominate on the front page with a "simple" search form on the front page and an advanced, more detailed search on the MLS Search page.
This design must be REALLY locally focused on Telluride. This family is very well known there and has deep ties to the area.
IMPORTANT: Front page needs to be designed to accomodate a FLASH animation with rotating images of Telluride. Please be creative here and use the images provided.
Home Page
About Us
Our Team
MLS Seach
About Telluride
Pretty open. Take a look at the pics we have provided and stick with complimentary colors.
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We owe our many years of success to our employees. Due to long term employee retention, employee development and quality company attributes we are able to offer our customers a high level of expertise, experience and performance which leads to long term customer relationships. At CFPC we don't just talk about long term customers; we plan for it, train for it and work for it!
Whether your fire protection needs are for maintenance, inspections, renovations or new fire protection systems, CFPC is well positioned to meet your next fire protection challenge.
We look forward to including you among our long term customer relationships.
Daniel J. Laird, President


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Ex-babysitter says Newtown, Conn. school shooter Adam Lanza's mother warned: Don't turn your back
HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. A man who says he once babysat for Newtown, Conn., gunman Adam Lanza says he recalls Lanza's mother warning him never to turn his back on the boy - not even to go to the bathroom.
Ryan Kraft now lives in Hermosa Beach, in Southern California.
But, he tells CBS station KCBS in Los Angeles, he was once a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and babysat for Lanza when Lanza was about 9 or 10 and Kraft was 14 or 15.
Police say Lanza, 20, went on a rampage in the school Friday, killing 20 six- and seven-year-olds and six adults before taking his own life. Lanza also shot his mother, Nancy Lanza, to death in the nearby home they shared before heading to the school, authorities say.
Kraft tells KCBS when he first heard about the shooting and that Lanza was involved, "I just couldn't think for a little while. I was shaking."
He says he recalls Nancy Lanza cautioning him never to turn his back on Adam -- "to keep an eye on him at all times ... to never turn my back, or even to go to the bathroom or anything like that."
Kraft says he remembers Lanza as quiet, very intelligent and introverted, noting, "Whenever we were doing something, whether it was building Legos, or playing video games, he was really focused on it. It was like he was in his own world."
Kraft is still having trouble believing the kid he babysat could have been involved in such unspeakable horror. "I'm just numb to it, I haven't really processed the fact that this happened right where I used to be, and that, 15 years ago, it could have been me."
Nancy Lanza, says Kraft, was very involved in her children's lives and loved them very much.
He says that, rather than feeling helpless, he decided to start a fundraiser to help the children of Newton, especially the ones who will be dealing with post traumatic stress disorder.
Kraft, who moved to California after college, also wants the money to go to helping families pay funeral expenses and to help establish a scholarship fund for survivors.
Kraft's fundraising page took in more than $53,000 in one day.


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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round and 3-inch deep cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Put the 1, 2, 3 into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Put the 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 in the bowl of a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add this mixture to the carrots and toss until they are well-coated with the flour.
- In the bowl of the food processor combine the 10, 11, 12, and 13. With the processor still running drizzle in the 14.
- Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cake reaches 205 to 210 degrees F in the center.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 minutes in the pan. After 15 minutes, turn the cake out onto a rack and allow cake to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting after cake has cooled completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on medium just until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches and beat until smooth between each addition.
Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/carrot-cake-recipe.html?soc=socialsharingpinterest&oc=linkback


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard women's volleyball team will close out its home schedule this weekend as it hosts Princeton and Penn at the Malkin Athletic Center. The Crimson will first take to the court Friday, Nov. 8 against the Tigers at 7 p.m. before welcoming the Quakers to Cambridge Saturday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m.
A live video stream will be available for both matches through the Ivy League Digital Network at the link above. Live stats will also be available.
Ivy League Digital Network
For the first time ever, 10 of Harvard's 11 home matches will be streamed in HD quality featuring a live scoreboard, new graphics package and play-by-play commentary through the Ivy League Digital Network. Subscribers to the network can watch matches both live and On-Demand at their convenience, and will have access to live and On-Demand content for all home Harvard athletics events throughout the duration of their subscription.
Follow Harvard Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected with all the breaking news from around Cambridge and to get inside access to your favorite Crimson programs.
Last Time Out
The Harvard women's volleyball team upset first-place Yale Saturday evening with a thrilling 3-2 win at the Malkin Athletic Center. The victory came by set scores of 26-24, 26-28, 27-25, 23-25 and 15-9.
Harvard received career nights from Kathleen Wallace, Grace Weghorst and Caroline Walters as the trio combined for 59 kills and a .434 hitting percentage. Wallace turned in a career-high 22 kills and hit .362 on the night, while Weghorst recorded a personal best with 21 kills and a .395 hitting percentage. Walters, meanwhile, notched her highest total with 16 kills and hit at a .652 clip.
Corinne Bain tallied her fourth double-double of the year with 10 kills, 39 assists and 14 digs. Hannah Schmidt also recorded a double-double with 27 kills and 12 digs, while Kristen Casey paced the defense with 22 digs. The Crimson combined for a .341 hitting percentage on the evening, the team's highest percentage since Sept. 27.
Where We Stand
Harvard currently sits in second place of the Ivy League standings with a 12-7 overall record and 7-3 conference mark. Yale is atop the standings with a 9-1 conference record following last week's loss to the Crimson, and is 14-3 overall. Penn (12-9, 6-4 Ivy League) is in third place while Brown (9-12, 5-5 Ivy League) rounds out the top four.
Thank You, Senior!
On Saturday, Harvard will honor the playing careers of seniors Erin Cooney, Natalie Doyle and Teresa Skelly. This year's graduating class has helped the Crimson to an 8-1 record at the Malkin Athletic Center this year, the best home record in program history, and owns a 26-15 record at home over the course of their careers. These three have also led this year's Harvard team to a 7-3 Ancient Eight record, securing the program's best conference record since winning the Ivy League in 2004.
Home Court Advantage
With a sweep of Brown and Yale, Harvard improved to 8-1 in the friendly confines of the Malkin Athletic Center. This marks the team's best home record since 2004, when the squad won six straight to begin the year en route to a 7-1 record at the MAC.
The Crimson women have posted a 21-10 record at home over the past three years while the men's team has gone 25-7.
Set The Standard
The Crimson owns a 7-3 record against the Ivy League this season, and with one more victory can secure the program's best record in conference since the 2004 squad won the Ivy League title with a 10-4 mark. Harvard also went 10-4 against the Ancient Eight in 2002, marking the only two times that the Crimson has posted double-digit conference win totals.
Tripling Up
Freshman Corinne Bain has recorded four triple-doubles on the year, which also stand as the only three triple-doubles in program history. Most recently she posted 10 kills, 39 assists and 14 digs against Princeton as the Crimson ended the Tigers' 23-match Ivy League win streak.
Bain leads all freshmen in the NCAA with her four triple-doubles while her 11 double-doubles are tied for third most in the nation.
Serving Up Aces
Freshman Corinne Bain has recorded 43 aces on the year, eclipsing Lolita Lopez's '98 previous school record of 41. Bain currently ranks sixth in the NCAA with 0.56 aces per set while the Crimson ranks 37th (1.52) as a team.
Harvard scored 13 aces in a straight set victory over UMass Lowell, marking the most aces for a Crimson squad since 2003, the last year for which match-by-match statistics are available. Bain single-handedly tallied seven aces in the victory, again the most for the Crimson since 2003.
High Percentage
Kathleen Wallace hit a career-high .778 in the team's 3-1 victory at Boston College, registering 15 kills on 18 attempts with just one error. Wallace's 15 kills were one short of her previous career-high of 16, set last season against Middle Tennessee State, while her hitting percentage topped her previous best of .667 set last year against Providence (12-0-18).
Caroline Walters ranks fifth in the Ivy League with a .314 hitting percentage while Caroline Holte is ninth with a .297 mark. As a team, the Crimson ranks second in the conference with a .217 percentage and has hit over .300 in a match four times this season.
Protecting the Net
Harvard dominated the net in its first two matches of the season, posting 17 total blocks against both Holy Cross and Hofstra. The Crimson has turned in double-digit blocking totals seven times this year after having done so nine times last season.
Caroline Holte posted a career-high 12 blocks in the team's 3-1 win over Hofstra, marking the most blocks in a match for Harvard since Sandra Lynne Fryhofer '12 totaled 13 at Georgia State on Sept. 3, 2011.
Holte ranks fourth in the conference with 0.99 bps while Caroline Walters is eighth with 0.95 bps. Harvard has combined for 2.09 bps as a team, the third-best average among the Ivies, while the Crimson's .183 opponent hitting percentage ranks second in the league.
2013 Double-Doubles
Career Double-Doubles
Honor Board
Harvard has received a total of six weekly awards from the Ivy League this season including four for Corinne Bain. The freshman earned Rookie of the Week honors on Sept. 9 following the opening weekend of the season, and on Oct. 22 she was named both Player and Rookie of the Week after posting back-to-back triple-doubles at Penn and Princeton. Bain was named Rookie of the Week again on Nov. 5 after helping the Crimson to a sweep of Brown and Yale.
Kathleen Wallace was named Player of the Week Nov. 5 for her role in Harvard's victories over Brown and Yale, while Grace Weghorst earned Rookie of the Week honors Sept. 24 after helping Harvard to a 2-1 week.
Fast Start
Harvard opened the year with a 4-2 mark, marking the program's best record to start a season under head coach Jennifer Weiss, who is in her 21st year at the helm, and equaling the program's best start since going 7-1 to open the 1984 campaign.
Corinne Bain (2.00 kps, 6.56 aps, 2.00 dps), Kathleen Wallace (2.22 kps, .255 hitting percentage) and Caroline Walters (1.33 bps, 1.78 kps) were each named to the Harvard Invitational All-Tournament Team after guiding the Crimson to a pair of wins. Wallace and Walters were also named to the all-tourney team a year ago while Bain, a freshman, received the honor for the first time.
Wallace earned all-tournament recognition at the Holiday Inn Mission Valley Aztec Invitaitonal after notching 2.15 kps while hitting .299 on the weekend.
Scouting Princeton (8-12, 4-6 Ivy League)
Princeton earned a sweep of Columbia and Cornell last weekend to move into fifth place of the Ivy League standings with an overall record of 8-12, 4-6 in conference. The Tigers rank in the top half of the league in kills (12.66) and hitting percentage (.215), but is near the bottom in both digs (14.75), blocks (1.51) and opponent hitting percentage (.240).
Kendall Peterkin leads the conference with 3.51 kps while Cara Mattaliano is third with 3.32 kps. Nicole Kincade ranks fourth with a .319 hitting percentage with Lauren Miller's 8.82 aps good for third in the Ancient Eight. The defense has been paced by Sarah Daschbach's 3.66 dps as Kincade has led the charge at the net with 0.97 bps.
Harvard defeated Princeton in straight sets the first time the teams met this season, marking the Crimson's first win in New Jersey since 2002. Corinne Bain recorded a triple-double with 10 kills, 22 assists and 10 digs, and was complimented by classmate Grace Weghorst who turned in eight kills and three aces.
Scouting Penn (12-9, 6-4 Ivy League)
Penn is in third place of the conference standings with a 12-9 overall mark, 6-4 against the Ivies, and trails Harvard by just one match. The Quakers have come on hot as of late, winning four straight matches against league opponents and five of their last six. Penn ranks second in the conference with 12.74 kps, but is eighth with a .181 hitting percentage. The Quaker's defense is fourth in digs (14.91) and seventh in blocks (1.70)
Kristen Etterbeek is tops on the team with 2.65 kps while Kendall Turner's .343 hitting percentage also ranking first on the team. Dani Shepard leads the Ivy League in digs at 5.53 per set as Arielle Winfield stands ninth in the conference with 0.82 bps.
Harvard registered a 3-1 victory at Penn in the first meeting between the teams. Corinne Bain totaled 10 kills, 22 assists and 10 digs for a triple-double as Caroline Walters and Kathleen Wallace added nine kills apiece while hitting .350 and .333, respectively.
Welcome Back
Harvard returns 10 letterwinners to the court in 2013 including co-captains Kristen Casey and Natalie Doyle. Casey, who played outside hitter as a freshman but made the transition to libero as a sophomore, will return to the outside as a six-rotation player for the Crimson. Doyle, meanwhile, will be relied upon in the back row after averaging 2.39 dps a year ago.
Also returning for the Crimson is Caroline Walters (1.06 bps), an All-Ivy League second team performer in 2012, Erin Cooney (2.14 kps), Caroline Holte (1.00 bps), Hannah Schmidt (4.78 aps), Teresa Skelly (0.88 bps) and Kathleen Wallace (2.81 kps).
New To The Scene
Earlier this summer, head coach Jennifer Weiss announced the addition of five freshmen for 2013; Corinne Bain, Whitney Hansen, Jane Labanowski, Danielle Leavitt and Grace Weghorst. This group, which represents California, Florida and Texas, has combined for three state championships, eight district championships and seven league championships.
Related Link: Five Freshmen Set to Join Women's Volleyball in 2013
On The Sidelines
Head coach Jennifer Weiss returns for her 21st season at the helm of the Harvard women's volleyball program. Weiss owns a 251-293 record on the sidelines and guided Harvard to its only Ivy League championship in 2004. She has mentored 48 All-Ivy honorees, five Ivy League Rookie of the Year recipients and coached the program's first two-time Ivy League Player of the Year in Kaego Ogbechie '05.
Weiss is joined this season by first-year assistants Arturo Rivera and Jeffrey Aucoin.
Related Links: Arturo Rivera Joins Women's Volleyball Coaching Staff; Jeffrey Aucoin Named Men's and Women's Volleyball Assistant


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User Reviews & Ratings - tranylcypromine oral
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Reviewer: NYNMGAL, 55-64 Female on Treatment for 6 months to less than 1 year (Patient)
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Started this generic form of Parnate because could no longer afford brand name (too expensive. Approximately six months into taking this med I've experienced anger, great irritability (unlike me), intolerance, no feelings of happiness which I did feel prior to taking this med. Depression became worse and trouble sleeping at night. Blood sugar level would increase while on this medication. ... Show Full Comment
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It is the only anti-depressant I have tried that has given me back a good quality of life. There are many precautions to be aware of while taking it. I have taken this drug for 40 years. The dose is the same now as when I began.
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The International Society for British Genealogy and Family History announces the courses for the 14th annual British Institute, to be held 20-24 October in Salt Lake City at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, located next door to the LDS Family History Library.
"David Rencher's Irish Land Records course was one of the very best courses I have ever attended. The material was more advanced than available anywhere else, and I find myself referring to the syllabus notebook regularly. Having the class at the Family History Library, where we could immediately apply what we learned in the afternoons, was especially helpful. I made many new discoveries about my Irish ancestors that week. David is an excellent instructor! I highly recommend anyone researching Irish ancestors to take his courses." – Catherine Desmarais, CG, 2013 attendee.
"The best kept secret is out for continuing education institutes!" said ISBGFH President Ann Lisa Pearson. "The British Institute is the place to be, providing students with a unique learning experience while working with their own research. Instructors will be available each afternoon to consult with students throughout the week-long Institute program, applying classroom education and the opportunity to do more in-depth, on-site research in the records at the Family History Library."
Your opportunity to study with genealogy professionals:
- Award-winning genealogist: Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
- Irish research expert: David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FIGRS, FUGA
- Well-known educator Paul Milner on fundamental research in Scottish records
- Strategies and skills for Welsh research with Darris Williams, AG
- Personal research consultations
- Access and instruction with British collections at the Family History Library
- Morning educational program followed by afternoon research sessions in the library
The 2014 British Institute offers four tracks taught by expert genealogists:
From Simple to Complex: Applying Genealogy's Standard of Acceptability to British Research – Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
Through hands-on activities, lectures, and discussions, participants will learn how to use widely accepted standards to measure their genealogical work's accuracy and to assess others' genealogical conclusions. In the process they also will learn about genealogical research planning, its implementation, genealogical reasoning, and the preparation of credible genealogical products.
Researching Your Irish Ancestors – David Rencher, AG, CG, FIGRS, FUGA
This course is designed to help the student of Irish genealogical research, whether beginning or advanced. Strategies for establishing a sound beginning and building on that foundation using proven research techniques will be coupled with an understanding of what records sources are available online, on microfilm and in Ireland. Individual consultations are provided with the course coordinator to assist each participant with ways to extend their research.
Scottish Research: The Fundamentals and Beyond – Paul Milner
Scottish laws, regulations and records are different from the rest of the British Isles, yet with enough similarities to create confusion for the unwary. This course will address the fundamentals of all the major record groups, examining how to search the indexes, exploring what is and is not available online. Case studies will highlight the research and record evaluation processes to determine next steps. Individual consultations are available to assist each participant with their personal research.
Welsh Family History Made Simple – Darris Williams, AG
Welsh family history is different from other localities in some significant ways. Those differences are not impossible roadblocks. Understanding the peculiarities is a good first step to success. Record knowledge is important but not the key. Understanding how to search, evaluate evidence and collate information will resolve many difficult research situations. This course will provide examples of problems, aw well as strategies and skills for learning more about your ancestors.
Registration Information
Online registration and hotel booking information is available at the ISBGFH's website: http://www.isbgfh.org
If preferred, a mail-in registration form is provided. If you have any questions, please e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com