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JPRI Critique Vol. IV No. 6: August 1997
The Long Arm of the State
by Sheldon Garon
The Japan That Doesn't Know What to Say
by Richard J. Samuels
It is well known that Japan's business community has often welcomed the guiding hand of the government in industrial policy. Yet few Americans realize the extent to which the Japanese state has promoted economic development by actively managing and mobilizing society itself. To most Japanese officials and businessmen, the country's ability to compete in the next century rests as much on maintaining safe streets, intact families, the work ethic, low welfare spending, and high rates of saving. These favorable conditions are not expected to endure by themselves, but assumed to depend on the government's continuing efforts to mold the behavior of its people.
Only by recognizing the widespread commitment to "social management" can one make sense of the current Japanese debate over deregulation. Take the "Blue Bird Plan" put forward by the leading employers' federation, Nikkeiren. Echoing American free-market thinkers, the proposal boldly seeks to eliminate government regulations that raise production costs and erode Japan's international competitiveness. Yet in attacking the nation's legendary high prices, the business federation calls not for freer markets or an end to the inefficient distribution system, but for a massive government campaign to "educate" consumers to spend less money on goods. Consumers themselves, the manifesto complains, have brought about the country's high price levels, paying top yen for brand names, regardless of quality. Aptly enough, the Blue Bird Plan recommends against following either the American or European economic models. Japanese must find, in the words of the song, their own "blue bird" of happiness.
In no other democracy has the government mobilized its populace behind strategic economic policies as successfully. Campaigns to promote household saving are a prime example. The Japanese on average save 13% of disposable income, compared with only 4% in the case of Americans. With great fanfare 11 years ago, the government announced plans to stimulate consumption on a massive scale. In reality, Japan remains the only advanced economy that has an official agency devoted to encouraging saving. Established in 1952, the Central Council for Savings Information works with local schools and civic groups to inculcate habits of thrift. Housewives' magazines lend a helping hand, with story after story about clever homemakers who cut wasteful expenditures and faithfully record all spending and income in account books.
Moreover, the government has successfully dampened public expectations of more generous welfare programs for the elderly. Although social spending has steadily risen as the population ages, Japan has thus far avoided many of the costs that Western nations pay to institutionalize the frail or support the independent living of healthy seniors. Some 55% of Japanese aged sixty-five and older were living with their children in 1994. At a time when comparable figures have dropped to less than 20% percent in Western nations, the slow decline of the Japanese family as the primary welfare institution owes much to managerial efforts by the government. In a deft public relations campaign spanning the last two decades, officials and a cooperative media have persuaded the public that Japan faces an "aging-society crisis." Only if families, particularly wives, continue to care for the elderly, the message goes, will Japan escape the rising costs of entitlements experienced by its economic rivals.
Indeed, women play central roles in the government's social management. Americans are quick to deny the existence of a Japanese "women's movement," having found few U.S.-style feminist organizations. Yet, millions of Japanese women belong to local women's associations. While these groups sometimes take issue with national policies, for the most part they provide the ground troops for the many official campaigns. They promote household saving, discourage the use of credit cards, and assist the police in crime prevention. In addition, women constitute the vast majority of the 5 million "volunteers," whom the central bureaucracy has aggressively recruited to serve as unpaid social workers and thereby contain welfare costs.
Japan's preoccupation with managing society has had a long history. During the first half of the 20th century, few areas of what Americans regard as "private" escaped supervision by the state. Officials mounted an endless stream of nationwide "moral suasion" campaigns. People were exhorted to save more money, buy fewer imports, and work harder to avoid relying on public assistance. At the local level, tens of thousands reinforced government policies within the many state-sponsored trade associations and neighborhood groups.
Even the flourishing brothels became instruments for strengthening the nation. As state regulators explained, licensed prostitution served to satisfy the urges of husbands and thus preserved family units. Prostitutes also enabled single men to forego marriage, and thus to avoid the costs of supporting families and so reduce aggregate national consumption. Although Japan became a more democratic polity after World War II, many of the cozy relationships between the state and civic associations persist to this day.
In an age when Americans lament the decline of volunteerism and social capital, there is something appealing about the Japanese government and local activists working together. On the other hand, intimate relations between the state and civic groups inhibit the rise of more independent movements that might challenge the government's anti-consumer orientation and its miserly welfare programs. But for better or worse, these patterns of social management remain a fundamental fixture of the Japanese political economy. Only by understanding them, can we deal more realistically with a nation that shows few signs of adopting American norms and policies.
SHELDON GARON is a professor of history and East Asian studies at Princeton University. He is the author of Molding Japanese Minds: The State in Everyday Life (Princeton University Press). A version of this article appeared in the Los Angeles Times, June 1, 1997.
The Japan That Doesn't Know What to Say
by Richard J. Samuels
Instead, during the Gulf War crisis of 1990-1991--the first real test of this perspective--Japan said "yes," albeit sotto voce. After a wrenching and protracted domestic debate, the Japanese government reluctantly agreed to underwrite President George Bush's Gulf War coalition, to the tune of $13 billion. It also took the first small steps toward enabling the Japanese military to participate in U.N.-sanctioned peacekeeping activities.
Soon after, my students and I organized the first of three biannual Asia Pacific Crisis Simulations, which analyzed Japan's post-Cold War international role in light of plausible domestic, regional and global changes. Attention was always paid to the foreign-policy choices and domestic political dynamics in China, the United States and other neighboring states.
The game's players were assembled from around the world and assigned to teams representing constituencies and leaders in Japan, the United States, China, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Australia. The game starts 10 years from the present. Action is fast and furious. Deals are cut and reneged upon; betrayal and cooperation vie for prominence. Crises once thought resolved return to frustrate diplomats. Participants feel the pressure and stakes of world politics.
The first game, held in May 1993, investigated the dynamics and outcomes of an all-out U.S.-Japan trade war. When Europe and a democratic Russia emerged from global financial and monetary crises richer, stronger and consolidated, we learned an important lesson of how much the United States and Japan had to lose from a trade war. But the Japanese press took away a different lesson. One major magazine ran a feature story about how the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the site and organizer of the game, was the tool of the Pentagon.
Troubled by Japanese misunderstanding of the purposes and lessons from this exercise, I decided to secure Japanese funding and to play the game in full view of the Japanese public the second time around. The second game, held in May 1995, explored how Japan might react in regional crises if the United States declared itself unwilling to intervene on Japan's behalf.
Two crises were conceived, one involving huge flows of Korean refugees to Japan after a bumpy Korean unification, the other a hostage crisis in Southeast Asia. Despite considerable domestic political instability, the Japanese team succeeded in achieving many of its long-term objectives, including a resolution to trade disputes with the United States, revision of its anti-war Constitution and reaffirmation of U.S. security guarantees. To the surprise of many, the refugee problem was swiftly resolved. The rise of a hostile Islamic republic in Southeast Asia, on the other hand, led to military activity and the disruption of trade in the Malacca Strait. This time, the Japanese press reaction was overwhelmingly positive. But the television show based on the game was broadcast between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. in Japan.
When the time came to secure funding for this year's exercise, we were told that Japanese think tanks were working on their own simulations, and that inclusion in our game of any one of a half-dozen most likely regional conflicts would be too touchy for a Japanese sponsor to support. So we ran the game without outside support. Again we invited Japanese, Chinese and other regional experts. We sought to test the dynamics of a northeast Asian region in which China, Japan and the United States no longer had any mutual obligations, but one in which mutual mistrust was rife. We observed a fluid pattern of alliance formation, one in which the balancing of power overwhelmed historical animus.
The Japanese reaction has been stunning. The day after the game, the Mainichi Shimbun ran a front-page story about how MIT fantasized an "isolated" Japan in the early 21st century. The story ended by noting correctly that our 1995 simulation presaged with eerie accuracy the takeover of the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru. My office was deluged with calls from the Japanese Embassy in Washington and from the consulate-general in Boston seeking background information and data on the game. The governor of Okinawa sent his U.S. representative to Cambridge to meet me. A major Japanese publisher asked a leading Japanese television personality to contact me to secure the rights for a co- authored account of the game. Apparently, the game has even worked its way into parliamentary debate in Japan.
It is good that Japan is engaged in this long-overdue public discussion. After all, it spends more on its military than all but two nations in the world. Despite its cultivated image as an unarmed small-island trading nation, it is already a very strong regional actor. Japan has the most powerful air force in Asia and the second largest blue-water navy.
Thus, it is especially disquieting that the Japanese media and government have so much trouble assessing the relative importance of an educational exercise at a U.S. university, as against the much larger importance of substantive debate about foreign- and security-policy options in the real world. Ironically, the greatest lesson from our simulations did not emerge from the fictional crises we created and tried to resolve. It has come from observing the widely oscillating reactions back in Japan to what academics in the United States are studying. The Japanese people, their neighbors and their U.S. allies will be very fortunate indeed if Japanese security policy is not tested until Japan decides what it really wants to say.
RICHARD J. SAMUELS is head of the MIT Political Science Department. His most recent book is Rich Nation, Strong Army (Cornell University Press). A version of this article appeared in the Los Angeles Times, June 1, 1997.


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Censor.NET reports.
According to the press service of the Interior Ministry, Kyiv law enforcement officers are providing beefed-up security ensuring public order in the city downtown related to "All-Ukrainian Viche" National Assembly taking place with the participation of activists and leadership of the Right Sector movement.
"Several hundred people have gathered on Maidan Nezalezhnosti to this moment to take part in the rally previously announced by the representatives of the Right Sector. The situation is calm," the Kyiv police report.
At the same time, from one to four thousand people have gathered at the capital's main square, Ukrainska Pravda informs.
According to RBC-Ukraine, almost one thousand participants have formed a column. The people in the column are holding Ukrainian flags, red and black flags, and flags of the Right Sector. They also shouting slogans "Glory to Ukraine - Glory to Heroes!", "Ukraine is above all!" "Glory to the Nation - Death to the enemy!"
It is noted that nearly one thousand activists have already gathered on Maidan Nezalezhnosti. It is also reported that the majority of the volunteer soldiers have gathered at the Zhovtnevyi Palace. Besides the Right Sector, there are also representatives of the Donbas, Cyborg, and Zhinocha Sich Battalions.

subset: commoncrawl


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Saracens Blog
Type of claims bought under the Defamation Act
Under the Defamation Act a plaintiff can make two types of claims for defamation, these are claim for slander or libel. If the defamatory statement is in permanent form, it will be classified libel under the Defamation Act. However if the statement is in a transient then this will be classified as slander under the Defamation Act.
There is no definition for what is deemed defamatory under the Defamation Act. Suggestion has been made in court that any material which
- Is to a person's reputation harm.
- Aims to lower the person in the estimation of others.
- Result in him/her being shunned or avoided.
- Results in him/her to be exposed to hatred
Will be defamatory, and the plaintiff may bring a claim against the defendant for either libel or slander under the Defamation Act.
There are other types of claims that the plaintiff can bring under the Defamation Act, this includes signs, gestures, photographs, pictures, statues, cartoons etc… However the main types of claims brought under the Defamation Act are, claims for libel or slander. The main difference between claims for libel and claims for slander is what must be proved by the claimant to win in his or her claim. In libel claims, the claimant does not have to prove that he or she has suffered loss or damage as a result of the publication. On the other hand, in claims for slander, the claimants have to prove actual damage. There are some exceptions available under the Defamation Act for the rule of actual damage for slander claims, with these exceptions the damage is presumed and does not need to be proved.
Tags: claimant, claimants, defamation act, defamatory statement, defendant, estimation, exceptions, gestures, hatred, libel, photographs, plaintiff, reputation, signs, Slander, statues, suggestion, The Defamation Act 1996
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text: If you are looking for a used car at a great price then Pearson Mazda is the best used car dealer in Henrico, VA for you. With over 120 vehicles on our lot in Henrico near Boydton and Buffalo Springs we are sure we can find the perfect used car for you. Choose from over 20 brands of cars, trucks, and SUVs all right here in Henrico with Toyota, Mazda, Chevy, Ford, and Kia vehicles all available at one place at Pearson Mazda. Experience the certified Mazda difference by choosing a certified used Mazda that has passed extensive testing to give you confidence as you drive away in a used yet new-to-you Mazda. If you are looking for an even greater deal shop our vehicles under $20,000, $12,000, and pre-owned specials. Pearson Mazda can offer financing for our new and used inventory so feel free to come in and talk to a member of our team so we can help you find a car that fits your budget!


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Please Note: Frame and Suspension Sold SeparatelyRecommended size for day hunts with minimal clothing and gear. The ULTRA pack line focuses on simplicity and bare-essential features to provide a truly ultralight base pack weight. KUIU's ICON Pro and ULTRA pack lines are fully modular, any bag is compatible with any suspension. • 15.5 oz (bag only) – 3 lbs. 6.5 oz (full kit) • 330D HT (high tenacity) Cordura • Spread Tow Carbon Fiber Frame (3 sizes) • Lightweight, high performance suspension • Customizable fit (see size chart) Learn More About Our Modular Pack System See More
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lifetime warranty on all our gear
Product Overview
The focus of the ULTRA pack line is to minimize weight without inhibiting performance and functionality. The foundation of the system is an 11 oz., California-made Spread Tow Carbon Fiber frame that is strong and light, but provides just enough flexibility to ensure performance and comfort at normal trail weights or when packing meat. The frame is offered in three sizes to provide a custom fit over a wide range of torso lengths, while two belt sizes are available to match the users waist size (see size chart).
The ULTRA 2200 is the perfect size for most day hunts. With a main compartment full horseshoe zip, two front zippered pockets, and one stuff-it pocket, the ULTRA 2200 provides plenty of options for organizing gear. Weighs in at a remarkable full kit weight of 3 lbs 6.5 oz. With the load sling between the bag and frame engaged, the ULTRA 2200 is still capable of carrying 80+ pounds of meat and day hunting gear back to camp.
The weight and packability of the ULTRA 2200 make it practical to carry an extra day hunt bag into the backcountry. When you reach camp, simply remove the higher capacity ULTRA or ICON PRO pack bag from your frame and attach the ULTRA 2200 for day hunts from camp.
The KUIU Carbon Fiber frame and suspension is the foundation of our modular pack system, and can fit any of the ICON Pro or ULTRA pack bags. KUIU packs are made with materials chosen for performance, not price, including Spread Tow Carbon Fiber, CORDURA® Nylon fabric, YKK® Zippers, and Duraflex® hardware.
• Molded Spread Tow Carbon Fiber Frame (Made in USA)
• Load use tested - over 150 lb
• Additional 2500 cu in meat carrying capacity between bag and frame
• Vertical frame stiffness for weight carrying, horizontal flex for comfort
• 3 frame sizes, see sizing chart for details
• Dual density foam padded shoulder straps and waist belt (2 sizes)
• Built in T-Lock track system with hook and loop for easy torso length adjustment
• Power pulls and large break resistant waist belt buckle
• Siliconized anti-slip dots on lumbar pad keeps pack riding high on your back
• ULTRA hip belt pouches (sold separately). Convenient storage directly on your hip belt
• Quick detach bag to suspension connection hardware
• Horseshoe main compartment zipper
• 2 external front pockets
• 2 external stuffit pockets
• 2 stretch mesh zippered internal pockets
• Large internal mesh hydration pocket with hook
• Dedicated compression straps on the bottom of the pack for improved load distribution
• 4 removable accessory straps for use internally or externally
• External webbing loops for attachment of bow and rifle holders or compression straps
• Internal webbing loops for hanging Hydration Holder or Stalker 500 Hydration Pack
• Zippered hydration port
• Key hook in front pocket
We Recommend
The ULTRA Suspension is our lightest suspension. Easy to install on the ULTRA and ICON PRO pack system, the ULTRA Suspension is durable enough for extended-day pack outs without sacrificing comfort. • For use with a carbon fiber frame or an 1850 bag only • 24.9oz (Sm/Med) – 26.7oz (Lg/Xlg) • 330D CORDURA® Nylon fabric • Spacer Air Mesh with Anti-Odor coating • Fits both ULTRA and ICON PRO pack systems • *Hip Belt Pouches Not Included Learn More About Our Modular Pack System
KUIU's patented ICON Carbon Fiber Frame is common to the PRO and ULTRA system, providing the weight-bearing backbone of our pack system. It features ultralight Spread Tow carbon fiber technology—built for vertical stiffness, horizontal flex and ultimate strength. • Weight: 10.7 oz • Available in three sizes: Regular- 22" | Tall- 24" | Xtra Tall- 26" • 4" (10cm) of vertical shoulder height adjustability • Modular design fits any ULTRA or PRO Suspension and Bag • Spread Tow Carbon Fiber technology Learn More About Our Modular Pack System How to Measure Torso Length
Lightweight, waterproof and durable storage solution to protect your essential gear from the elements. Designed specifically for backpack hunting. • 2.5 oz. • 30 Denier Sil-Nylon Diamond Ripstop CORDURA® • Hypalon closure strip and duraflex buckle • Fully seam taped More Clear Size XS & Stone Size L Arriving February 2020
A dual-purpose compact day pack designed to carry essential small items and a hydration bag holder for our larger packs. It hangs inside the larger PRO and ULTRA packs, working as a hydration bag holder. It's easily removed from the main pack to be used during a final stalk or as a small lightweight pack for day hunts. • 8.6oz • 160D Ripstop Cordura • Integrates with larger packs • Frameless design • Water repellent
The KUIU Pack Rain Cover is a lightweight, durable, and waterproof solution for when the weather turns bad. • 3.4 - 5.9 oz • 30 Denier Sil-Nylon Diamond Ripstop CORDURA® • Elastic Cinch Cord • Rifle Port with Cinch Cord Lock • Central Cord Hook to secure the rain cover on the Pack
KUIU has taken a technical approach to game bag design, applying advanced construction and patterning to make a better performing and longer lasting system for meat care.
• Maximum strength seam construction
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The KUIU Hydration Bag Holder is designed for the ULTRA 1800, 3000, and 6000. It supports your hydration system by utilizing loops behind the upper pack stays, keeping it high and close to your back. • 1.0 oz • 12 ½" high x 9 ¼" wide • Carries standard hydration bladders up to 4 liters


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Monday, January 16, 2017
Back in DC
How's this for a life curveball? I'm back in DC.
And - you know what? It feels like home. As I type this, I'm at the Panera Bread at Dupont Circle. (It will publish later, stalkers.) Jason Mraz plays in the background and there are a couple of college students behind me, talking about green energy across the globe, and a guy around the corner wathing videos on his phone in a way that makes me think he may secretly be getting video of me. Should I smile?
I'm back in DC. I'm back at CBN News, where I used to work - but in a different capacity. I didn't see this coming, but wow am I blessed to be here. I'm so excited for what is to come!
We are neck-deep in inauguration coverage planning and I love it. I love this stuff! But you already know that.
I didn't plan to come back.
I didn't plan on Myrtle Beach.
Sometimes, the plans come to us.
I know this much: His ways are higher than our ways. I know we are right in the middle of God's will. I just can't wait to get Michael and Brokaw here. After a season of hurt and loss and grief, I am looking forward to this season of us.
4 comments:
- bettyC said...
Welcome back.
It's good to follow you again. I don't know if you remember followers. My husband had ALS and I could relate to your life with a wonderful, loving, handicapped husband. He's been gone for 3 years now. We lived with ALS for 7 years, outliving the 3 - 5 year ALS prediction.
I look forward to hearing about your family of 3 and your adventures.
Good luck
- January 18, 2017 at 7:13 AM
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Tell us about issues with the highway including potholes, streetlights, traffic lights and broken signs.
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Cycling, walking and car sharing.
Complete a short satisfaction survey to let us know what you think about how the highways are maintained in Lancashire.


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A highly readable, definitive biography of Queen Victoria's son, the "black sheep of Buckingham Palace" who matured into an effective monarch.
Originally aiming at a short life of Edward VII (1841–1910), the eponymous British king who gave his name to an age, Ridley (History/Buckingham Univ.; Young Disraeli, 1804- 1846, 1995) unexpectedly received unrestricted access to Edward's papers in the Royal Archives, a privilege not granted in 50 years. This proved irresistible; the author spent 10 years writing this top-notch life of the king. Edward's mother, Queen Victoria, turns out to be not at all Victorian, but highly sexed, hysterical, as politically assertive as her grandfather and a terrible mother. Readers will flinch at the brutal educational regimen inflicted on her nine children, documented as if it were an affair of state. Unlike his siblings, Edward was not bright enough to absorb it or clever enough to sidestep the worst features. During a long, frustrating adulthood, he achieved some independence but never escaped the baleful influence of his mother. Until her death, when Edward was nearing 60, she persistently hectored him for his idle, irresponsible life while refusing to allow him any significant political duty on the grounds that he was idle and irresponsible. His playboy image was largely deserved during his youth, less so when he matured, both in years and in his treatment of women. Ridley emphasizes that not only did he become a wise and reforming king, but that his achievements have been underestimated through efforts of contemporary leaders, such as Arthur Balfour and H.H. Asquith, to suppress his contributions.
There is no shortage of biographies of Edward VII, but this thick, lucid and lively history deserves pride of place on the shelf.


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TomTom and AT&T have reached an agreement which will provide connectivity for the first time to a mid-tier GPS. The TomTom XL 340S LIVE will include the ability to access Local Search powered by Google, real-time traffic, the TomTom Fuel Price service, and TomTom Weather. TomTom states that all services are preloaded on the XL340S LIVE and will work right out of the box.
AT&T says that the agreement with TomTom is part of the company's plan to expand the use of its wireless network. Representatives from both companies state that AT&T and TomTom intend to work closely on more advanced connected features in the future. The TomTom XL 340S LIVE is expected to be available at retailers nationwide and will retail for US$299.95. The GPS comes with 3 months of the LIVE service for free.
Read more at the joint press release and the TomTom press release
Brian's Opinion
Expect to see more electronic companies like TomTom reach deals with wireless carriers. That's good news for wireless carriers because it's untapped revenue. In the future, we could see everything from toasters to appliances on a wireless network. Quite frankly, the reason is that consumers want to be constantly connected now. Such is the age of mobile phones and BlackBerry's.


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Gospel of God Doctrinal views
There is but one God, the maker, preserver and ruler of all things, having in and of Himself all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience.[1]
The trinity is the essence of who God is. If one misinterprets the trinity that person's theology will ultimately have at thier core bad doctrine. A definition of the trinity is God eternally existing in one essence as three persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
The Bible
The Bible is God's self-revelation to humanity and was written by individuals through divine inspiration. Because God is the ultimate author of Scripture, the Bible is free from error and totally true and trustworthy. The central purpose of Scripture is to show God's saving purposes in Christ. (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:21)
The origin and original sin
Sin has not always existed and it is not something created by God. It is something allowed by God that through His providential will, will bring him Glory. Sin began in heaven with the rebellion of angels, specifically, the rebellion of one angel named Lucifer. In Isaiah 14:12-15, we see this angel try to set himself above the God that created him; therefore, we get the first sin, pride; and the Lord cast this angel out of heaven.
In the garden of Eden, everything the Lord made was good. God declared the animals, trees, plants and humans to be good. That means they existed without the corruption of sin. Lucifer, the one with whom sin originated, tempted Eve in the garden. Eve chose to sin and tempted her husband to sin, which he did. Adam sinned and, being the father of the whole human race, his sin is imputed to us all. As Romans 5:12-21 explains, it was from this point forward that everyone born on earth is born a sinner and an enemy of God. (See also Ephesians 2:1-10.)
The Depravity and universality of sin
The evidence that sin is universal is found in every human heart, for from the heart flows lies, murder, stealing, killing, and idol worship and the Lord through his omniscience knows every human heart (Genesis 6:5). If people examined themselves honestly, they could evaluate themselves and see evidence of these sins in their lives.
It is not that we are a little sinful; every area of our person is corrupted- mind, will, and emotion. This does not mean that a person is not sensitive to the matter of the conscience and it does not mean that all people are equally sinful. Most people do not engage in every form of sin and are not as bad as they could be; yet they are still corrupted in every part of their person. This means that man is in a hopeless condition and unable to save himself unless acted upon by one of the persons of the triune Godhead, the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:3).
The nature of sin
One cause of sin is an active, ignorant heart that is hard and causes a person to be unable to respond to God on his own, which then impairs the person's judgment. Some characteristics of this is an unwillingness to obey God's moral law and this is seen through rebellion, perversion and abominations.
The results of sin
The results of sin are devastating. The God of all creation looks upon us with divine disfavor due to the hate that He has toward sin (Proverbs 6:16-19). The result is, we are guilty of punishment that we brought upon ourselves due to our sins that have been committed against this Holy God. The only thing we have to look forward to apart from the grace of Christ is punishment and death physically, spiritually and eternally in hell.
Salvation address the problem of man
When reading the Bible and looking around at the world around you, anyone can see there is a major problem. We look around and see killing and suffering and something inside says it should not be that way. The problem is sin. Everyone is affected by it (Psalms 51:5). We are delivered from the womb in sin. There is nothing good in us. But our solution is found in Jesus, for He dealt with the problem (1 Peter 3:18). It is only through Him that we can be made righteous. It is through His sacrifice that He conquers humanity's greatest problem, sin.
Salvation explains the plan of God
In the fall of mankind in the garden of Eden, man rebelled. Afterwards God put a plan in action to redeem His people from their rebellion. The theme through the whole bible is the theme of deliverance, from God delivering the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, to the deliverance of the whole human race (John 3:16-17).
Salvation starts in a point in time
There is a specific time that salvation comes into a believer's life. I believe it is a simultaneous act of repentance and faith.
- Repentance – A brokenness over one's rebellion against God; a person sees at the time of repentance that they have done nothing but sin against God their whole life and are grieved by this fact. In this broken state they turn from sin to God. After true repentance there will be in one's life the fruit of repentance (Matthew 3:8).
- Faith – In order to receive the gift of salvation one must come to Christ with faith, so there is no boasting on what a person has done, but instead the believer looks humbly to the work of Christ on the Cross (Ephesians 2:8-9). Looking on this daily takes faith every morning when a believer wakes up and only God through His Holy Spirit can give this faith; yet at the same time, the person must believe in the Gospel with faith. "Faith is marked by whole hearted trust/commitment, and evidenced by obedience/good works." – Pete Schemm
Salvation confirms and perfects
Once a person is saved to Christ, they are continually and on a daily bases being transformed into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18). This brings liberty to walk in the power of the Spirit instead of the sinful nature. And every believer one day will be perfected in Christ because of the power of Him who made us. The work was started by Him and it will be completed by Him on the day of His return (Philippians 1:6).
THE Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another; but rather is a Sacrament of our Redemption by Christ's death: insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the Bread which we break is a partaking of the Body of Christ; and likewise the Cup of Blessing is a partaking of the Blood of Christ.
Transubstantiation (or the change of the substance of Bread and Wine) in the Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by holy Writ; but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a Sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions.
The Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only after an heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is Faith.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.
THE Offering of Christ once made is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin, but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifices of Masses, in the which it was commonly said, that the Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits.
"We believe that all matters of faith and conduct must be evaluated on the basis of Holy Scripture, which is our infallible guide" (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Since the Holy Bible does speak to the nature of human beings and their sexuality, it is imperative that we correctly understand and articulate what the Bible teaches on these matters.
We are committed to the home and family as set forth in Holy Scripture. We believe God has ordained and created marriage to exist between one man and one woman, with absolute marital fidelity. The Bible sets forth specific home and family values, which include the distinct roles of husbands and wives, fathers and mothers and children. It is our firm conviction that we uphold the dignity of each individual as we embrace the unchanging and longstanding principles of scriptural truth."
Based on Holy Scripture and the constant moral teaching of the universal Church we believe the following:
- Marriage — We define marriage as the permanent, exclusive, comprehensive, and conjugal "one flesh" union of one man and one woman, intrinsically ordered to procreation and biological family, and in furtherance of the moral, spiritual, and public good of binding father, mother, and child. God has ordained marriage and defined it as a covenant relationship, therefore we as well as SFOI staff and evangelists shall only recognize and participate in Biblical unions between one man and one woman. (Genesis 1:27-28, Genesis 2:18-24, Matthew 19:4-9, Mark 10:5-9, Ephesians 5:31-33).
- Sexual Immorality — We believe that sexual acts outside of conjugal marriage are prohibited as sinful. Consequently, GGM evangelists and volunteers must resist and refrain from any and all sexual acts outside marriage — including but not limited to adultery, fornication, incest, zoophilia, pornography, prostitution, masturbation, voyeurism, pedophilia, exhibitionism, sodomy, polygamy, polyamory, sologamy, or same-sex sexual acts.
Sexual immorality is a perversion of divine standards and homosexuality is a violation of nature and natural affections. (Exodus 20:14, Leviticus 18:7-23, Leviticus 20:10-21, Deuteronomy 5:18, Matthew 15:19, Matthew 5:27-28, Matthew 15:19, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Hebrews 13:4, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 4:17-19, Colossians 3:5).
- Sexual Identity — We believe that God created mankind in His image: male (man) and female (woman), sexually different but with equal personal dignity. Consequently, GGM evangelists and volunteers must affirm their biological sex and refrain from any and all attempts to physically change, alter, or disagree with their predominant biological sex —including but not limited to elective sex-reassignment, transvestite, transgender, or nonbinary "genderqueer" acts or conduct. (Genesis 1:26-28, Romans 1:26-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
- Sexual Orientation — We believe that God created and ordered human sexuality to the permanent, exclusive, comprehensive, and conjugal "one flesh" union of man and woman, intrinsically ordered to procreation and biological family, and in furtherance of the moral, spiritual, and public good of binding father, mother, and child. Consequently, GGM evangelists and volunteers must affirm the sexual complementarity of man and woman and resist any and all same-sex sexual attractions and refrain from any and all same-sex sexual acts or conduct, which are intrinsically disordered. (Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, Mark 10:5-9, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Ephesians 5:25-27, Revelation 19:7-9, Revelation 21:2).
- Sexual Redemption — We believe that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and should seek redemption through confession, repentance, baptism, and faith in Jesus Christ. Consequently, GGM evangelists and Evangelist must welcome and treat with respect, compassion, and sensitivity all who experience same-sex attractions or confess sexually immoral acts but are committed to resisting sexual temptation, refraining from sexual immorality, and conforming their behavior to our Statement of Faith. While God loves the sexually immoral and offers salvation, those who continue in an unbiblical lifestyle stand in violation of our Statement of Faith. (Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:1-10, I Corinthians 10:13, Hebrews 2:17-18, Hebrews 4:14-16).
- Celibacy — We believe that Holy Scripture grants two life-enhancing options for human sexual behavior: (1) the conjugal "one flesh" marital union of one man and one woman, and (2) celibacy. Either is a gift from God, given as He wills for His glory and the good of those who receive and rejoice in His gift to them. Celibacy and faithful singleness is to be celebrated and affirmed within GGM. (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18, 21-24; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:5-8; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 7:1-8; Matthew 19:12; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Romans 12:10; 1 Timothy 5:1-2).
- Divorce — We believe divorce is prohibited by our God except in the case of adultery and when an unbelieving spouse desires to leave a believing spouse. (Matthew 5:32; I Corinthians 7:10-16). If someone is married and divorced prior to faith in Jesus Christ they are considered to be forgiven of their sins and are able to participate with GGM.
- Remarriage — We believe remarriage for Christians apart from divorce because of adultery or death of a spouse is prohibited. (Luke 16:18). If someone is divorced and remarried prior to salvation they are considered to have been forgiven of their sins and are able to participate with GGM.
- Complimentarian — We believe God established men to lead His church and their families, that women are the weaker sex and need the leadership of righteous men and that women's primary ministry is to other women. (I Timothy 3:1-13; I Peter 3:7; Titus 2).
- We believe that all matters of faith and conduct must be evaluated on the basis of Holy Scripture, which is our inspired, infallible, and inerrant guide. (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Because Holy Scripture speaks to creation and human life, it is imperative that we correctly understand, articulate, and abide by what Holy Scripture teaches on this matter.
- We believe that God has created mankind in His image (Imago Dei) and that human life begins at fertilization. God, in his infinite sovereignty, uniquely formed human beings and gave them a special dignity, personal freedom, and individual accountability among all the works of creation. Human beings have been made for relationship with God and to be good and faithful stewards of creation. God created each person's inmost being, knitting each person together in his mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13). As God's individualized and personal creation, each person is fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14). God has ordained all the days of each person's life and written them in His book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16).
Religious Beliefs
Based on Holy Scripture and the constant moral teaching of the universal Church, we believe:
- From the moment of fertilization until natural death, every human life is sacred because every human life has been created by God, in His image and likeness.
- From the moment of fertilization, every human life must be recognized, respected, and protected as having the rights of a person and the inviolable right to life.
- The right to life and physical integrity of every unborn human life is inviolable — it is not a concession made by society or the state, but is instead inherent to the unborn human life by virtue of its creation in the image of God.
- Because human life begins at the moment of fertilization, it is against our religious and moral conviction to formally or materially cooperate in the termination of unborn human life.
- We are strongly committed to the preservation and defense of unborn human life, which compels our religious, moral, and ethical duty to defend unborn human life from destruction, whether by surgical abortion or use of drugs, devices, or services that have the intent, design, effect, or risk of terminating unborn human life or preventing its implantation and growth post-fertilization.
- The Church and all her ministers and ministries should publicly witness to society and to the state regarding the intrinsic, inherent, and inviolable dignity of all human life, from fertilization to natural death.
Holy Scripture
In standing against abortion, this organization incorporates by reference the following Holy Scriptures (NIV), which are cited in the statements, resolutions, commentaries, or doctrines of Christian denominations that are expressly and vocally opposed to abortion: Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Presbyterian Church in America, Roman Catholic Church, and Southern Baptist Convention.
Genesis 1:26-27 – Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 25:21-22 – Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the Lord.
Exodus 20:13 – You shall not murder.
Psalm 22:9-10 – Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother's breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother's womb you have been my God.
Psalm 139:13-16 – For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Isaiah 44:1-2 – This is what the Lord says: he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
Isaiah 49:5 – And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength.
Job 10:8-12 – Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.
Jeremiah 1:4-5 – The word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Luke 1:39-45 – Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"
[1] David Paul Washer Heart Cry Missions


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Scenar was originally designed for the Russian Space Programme.
It is very effective in the treatment of sciatic, lumbar, muscular, neck pain, both acute and chronic , as well as some physical dysfunctions.
It is a hand held device that is drug free, there is no introduction of toxic chemicals into the body in order to experience pain.
It stimulates the nervous system by using a frequency that is identical to the body's own frequency.
The client feels a pulsation sometimes described as scratching, stinging or pinching.
This pulsation changes frequency as the healing is taking place, at the same time the nervous system is releasing, creating healing and restoring balance in the body.
The therapist locates the area by passing the Scenar over the skin in different directions. The areas where he or she feels it stick, are the ares in need of attention.
Relief after one treatment is very common.


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Lillian Axe: Louisiana Music Hall of Famers are back with new album and worldwide touring
By Wendy Jasper
In a word: Amazing! What more can be said about a band that has been a musical mainstay for those of us that have lived so long in the South? Fame, MTV videos, worldwide touring; it has all been a part of Lillian Axe's brilliant career. But the thing that stands out to all of us Texas folks is that they were our neighbors and we could see them play just about any time we wanted. How many times did I see them at Backstage in the late 80's and early 90's? Probably too many to count, but that is where our story will begin.
Many Texas fans remember Lillian Axe in their early incarnation with singer Johnny Vines belting out songs that we could all sing along to. Not too long after Johnny's departure, we saw the next version of the band, sporting new singer Ron Taylor as he strutted for the camera in the 1988 video for "Dream of a Lifetime." Guitarist Steve Blaze, with his signature blond streak and flashy guitar moves, was also carving out a niche for himself. And it's quite possible that everyone in the gulf south knew the words to "Misery Loves Company."
After the band's self-titled debut came their sophomore effort, Love and War, in 1989. Both albums were released by the metal graveyard that was MCA Records and the band parted ways with the label shortly afterward. The band's third disc, Poetic Justice, was delivered via I.R.S Records in 1992 and the single, "True Believer" is still as popular today with the band's diehard fans as it was when it was released.
Features - Lillian Axe with Wendy Jasper
What may be the band's most critically acclaimed work, Psychoschizophrenia, hit the airwaves in 1993 and solidified band founder and guitarist Steve Blaze as one of the most proficient performers and songwriters in the genre. Songs like "Crucified," "Deepfreeze," "Sign of the Times," and the poignant ballad "The Day I Met You," were met to rave reviews.
The band continued to tour and record, but following their Live 2002 release, veteran vocalist Taylor left the band and was replaced with Derrick LeFevre, who would hold the spot for nearly 6 years. During that time, the band released three more CD's, Waters Rising, Sad Day on Planet Earth, and Deep Red Shadows.
In between the album releases and after the departure of LeFevre, the band did a show with well-known metal singer Ronny Munroe; however, the vocalist and Blaze came to the mutual decision that it was not a good fit.
"Ronny did one show with us, sort of like an audition or test to see if it would work out. I had met Ronny previously and we had talked about working together. His musical background is different from Lillian Axe but he had so many good qualities. We did the show at BB King's in New York. It was a good show and he has a great presence, but there were some many other things to consider, like logistics and we elected not to pursue it," Blaze explained.
Fast forward to the present. Blaze and Company have a new singer, a powerhouse named Brian Jones, and a new album entitled XI: The Days BeforeTomorrow. The rest of the band is rounded out by drummer Ken Koudelka, bassist Eric Morris and guitarist Sam Poitevent and each shared Blaze's sentiment regarding the selection of a new member. Originally a guitar player, Jones approached Blaze when the vocalist search was announced. Blaze was cautious during the new search as he wanted to introduce just the right voice to the fold.
"When Brian contacted me, he was adamant that he could do this and I said I didn't need another guitar player, but he said he was a singer too and I told him to send me his best stuff and show me what he could do," Blaze said. "When I heard what he sent, I was impressed with him right away and we talked to him for months and rehearsed and recorded for a very long time before we made a final decision. At the end of the day, we decided he was right for us and he stood out on so many different levels and we were comfortable with making him an offer at that point."
Additionally, Blaze points out that he not only wanted a singer that would do justice to the band's extensive catalogue, but would also be able to move in the direction that the music was currently headed.
"We wanted someone that would grow with the band and Brian has really fit that description," he elaborated.
After the release of the new album, which was produced by Blaze and mixed by Sylvia Massy, the band started preparing to tour and latched onto the wildly popular America Rocks Tour that also featured Jack Russell's Great White, Faster Pussycat, Pretty Boy Floyd, and the Bulletboys.
"We are booked through the same agent as Jack Russell, an agency called Artists Worldwide," Blaze said. "The opportunity for the tour came up and we thought it sounded like a great idea. All of the bands in the line-up are from the same era so it worked out well."
The tour covered most of the major metropolitan areas across the country and Lillian Axe ended their run with line-up in Dallas on July 8th. The show at Tree's was well attended and a large portion of the audience was clearly there to see Blaze and Company. Even former bassist Darrin DeLatte, who lives in the Dallas area, came out to enjoy the show.
The band's set consisted of new tunes like "Babylon", "Death Comes Tomorrow," and "Take a Bullet" as well as consistent fan favorites like "Ghost of Winter", "Deep Freeze," and "Show a Little Love." Each song was carefully selected to share the past and present with the audience and it was amazing to see that everyone was singing along. Even Blaze's three-year-old son Jude gets some artist recognition as he has a small voice track on the new album and the clip is worked into the intro for Babylon at the start of each show.
What's next for the band? They embark on a European tour on August 31st that runs through the middle of September. After that the band will work on more U.S. dates for the rest of the year. Stay tuned as we will be updating you with more touring information as it comes available.
The new album is available worldwide on CME Records and there are several ways to keep up with all of the latest Lillian Axe news. The band has a Facebook page, a full service website at www.lillianaxe.com , and more recently, the band has launched an iPhone application that plays music, lists tour dates, and gives general information about the band.
Steve Blaze


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May 24, 2019
Failure to enlist the help of an IT support provider can result in many negative consequences for an Orlando business, as a data breach can damage a company's reputation and make it nearly impossible to gain back the public's trust. Besides the loss of information, here are a few more ways that a data breach can derail:
Any extended period of downtime will disrupt the day-to-day activities of any company and make it nearly impossible to remain productive. Waiting around during the midst of downtime can be very frustrating and account for countless amounts of lost revenue. However, partnering with an IT provider can keep downtime to a minimum and allow your employees to remain productive.
A large-scale data breach will not only damage the trust of clients but can cause many of them to choose to use another company that is more secure. Over time, the loss of clients can cause irreversible damage to a company and make it impossible to succeed. On the other hand, using IT support in Orlando can prevent data breaches and ensure that your organization has access to the most advanced security features. New threats emerge on a constant basis, but an IT provider is continually looking for new ways to improve and is never satisfied with the status quo.
Another consequence of a data breach is that it can cause your company to experience significant legal issues. Legal fees can be wide-ranging, and companies have paid over $10 million due to a data breach. Besides legal costs, some companies may have to pay regulatory fines which can be just as devastating. Most companies cannot afford these costly fees, and it is critical to partner with an IT provider that will help your business avoid experiencing any data breaches.
Data breaches can cripple any business but using IT support in Orlando can help your company avoid such a harsh fate. At ION247, we specialize in preventing data breaches and offers the latest cybersecurity protection. We are also available to answer any questions and can guide your employees on the best cybersecurity practices. If you are interested in learning more about cybersecurity, as well as our company and the services we offer, you can contact us anytime.


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By Henry John Steiner
Historian of Sleepy Hollow, New York
Something Headless This Way Comes…
"There was something in the moody and dogged silence of this pertinacious companion that was mysterious and appalling. It was soon fearfully accounted for." Years ago a friend suggested that the headlessness of the Headless Horseman would be intriguing to contemplate. It's true that the horseman represents or symbolizes something more than your average bogeyman. Why is a headless ghost on horseback more terrifying than, say, just a ghost on horseback? What does a character without a head symbolize?
Many years ago my daughter suggested that a rider without a head is clearly a ghost—there's no question about it. According to Washington Irving, the Headless Horseman is a Hessian soldier whose head was "carried away" by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War. The unfortunate trooper was buried in the Old Dutch Burying Ground, and he rides forth at night to haunt the neighborhood and revisit his fateful scene of battle, usually rushing back to the graveyard before sunup.
Irving observes in one of his essays that a tradition of the headless spirit existed here before he wrote his famous story in 1819. In fact, Irving relates that the legend was previously well known to himself and members of the Tarrytown-based William Paulding family. Later in life, Irving remembered first hearing the story from an African American mill hand at Carl's Mill (aka The Sleepy Hollow Mill) about 1797. Chronologically speaking, the legend of the horseman could not have been much more than fifteen years old when Irving heard it, since the war had ended only that many years before.
We think of the Headless Horseman as both physically and psychically powerful, yet, in life, this Hessian soldier was a pathetic, powerless victim of battle. In fact, a Hessian soldier was the pawn of his German prince, who sold thousands of young men into the service of the British king. His inglorious decapitation by a bounding American cannonball on a Westchester battlefield ended the life of one who was fated to be no more than cannon fodder. But in afterlife, he assumed a new stature—the powerful and horrible mascot of his Dutch American enemies. It is recorded that a troop of Hessians based in Yonkers and the Bronx made frequent, harsh raids on the people of the Tarrytown area during the war, making the Hessian nature of the spirit all the more frightening.
When my older son was a toddler, he interpreted a pumpkin smashed on the road as irrefutable evidence of a visit from the Headless Horseman. Today he likens the legend of the Horseman to the terror tactics of a bully. The implication is that Brom Bones is behind the encounter of the ghost with Ichabod Crane. Brom wants to run the schoolmaster out of town and uses Ichabod's superstitious nature to get what he wants. Fear is used a weapon—a silly local legend scares off Brom's rival.
But what is the hidden meaning of the ghost's headlessness? My younger son suggests that a headless trooper on horseback seems more menacing because it lacks a face, the feature most expressive of our humanity and what we are thinking and feeling. The Headless Horseman is an inhuman, unnatural stalker presumably looking for a replacement head. Irving tells us, that the ghost is "in nightly quest of his head," but perhaps anyone's will do. A local psychiatrist takes the interpretation of headlessness to a Freudian level— It's not so much a matter of what is above the shoulders, but below the belt. He adds, "Without a head i.e. knowledge, superego, wisdom—the impulses and the body take over and run amuck."
Along the same lines a movement therapist (and Sleepy Hollow High School graduate), suggests that when a headless figure springs into action, we are confronted by the troubling power of bodily instinct. "We would like to believe that we control everything with our heads, but the body and the spirit have minds of their own."
I have a different take on the meaning of the Headless Horseman; I see him as the agent of a kind of xenophobia. We residents of Sleepy Hollow find the Horseman less intimidating than the wide-eyed visitors who inquire after Horseman sightings. We hold the ghost in less awe and view him with even a comfortable familiarity. On some level, the headless ghost may symbolize the power of the initiated over the uninitiated, the power of those who "belong" over those who do not. In post-colonial times the Headless Horseman was a mystic weapon of old timers who eyed suspiciously the new arrivals seeking to break up, or break into, a community set in its ways. The Horseman can be viewed as a protector of blood ties and values that endure more through instinct and mindless familiarity than through reason.
A headless figure certainly must lack reason; a headless rider is an unguided, brute force, dangerous and unpredictable. The pseudo-intellectual, Ichabod Crane, brings with him the trappings of education and reason, but he is betrayed by an underlying nitwit vulnerability to superstition. Ichabod poses as a valuable, cultivated newcomer among the simple Dutch-American people of the locale. Yet, the schoolmaster ultimately reveals himself to be a coward, a gluttonous phony… a "carpetbagger". Ichabod is blind to the tactless inappropriateness of his grab for the crown jewel of the rustic community—Katrina Van Tassel, the pretty heir to the comfortable Van Tassel farm. Enter the Headless Horseman, an agent of Sleepy Hollow's distrust of the outsider.
Today, we continue an easy familiarity with our headless spirit. He is the mascot of our high school football team—a ghastly symbol posed to awe and impress our opponents at home games. Go Horsemen!
Copyright 2012 Henry John Steiner
Andre Brook, Andre's Tree, Benedict Arnold, HeadlessHorseman, James K. Paulding, John Paulding, legend of sleepy hollow, Major John Andre, sleepy hollow, Tarrytown, washington irving,


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RARC Welcomes State Senator Marty Knollenberg – March 30
Please join the Rochester Area Republican Club for March Meeting on Thursday, March 30. Our featured speaker will be State Senator Marty Knollenberg. Marty is serving his first term representing Michigan's 13th State Senate District, having been elected in 2014. The 13th District Senate seat includes the cities of Rochester and Rochester Hills. Marty was previously a State Representative (representing Troy and Clawson) from 2007 through 2012, and an Oakland County Commissioner (representing Rochester Hills, Troy and Bloomfield Township) from 2003 through 2004. His website is www.senatormartyknollenberg.
com. The meeting is at Avery's Tavern, 2086 Crooks Road in Rochester Hills. Discussion will begin at 7:00PM, plan to come early for dinner and a beverage.


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The holidays are fast approaching and with the holidays comes the irresistible siren's call of cookies, pies, and every other decadent, fattening treat. Don't let the holiday bulge get you this year. Wearable fitness gadgets...Read More →
Summer is almost over but it's not too late to get that bikini body. New wearable fitness technology helps track workouts so you can reach your fitness goals. Wearable fitness technology, like Nike FuelBand, Fitbit...Read More →


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T-Weaponz, whose latest music video "Put Soul In It" premiered on thesource.com, is playing on Mun2 and Video Music Box and appears on popular hip hop blogs/sites including such as HipHopDX.com and OnSmah.com, readies for the Summer Music Festival season and confirms performances at the 116th Street Festival, the Chicago Puerto Rican Festival and Parade, and the New Village Music Festival.
T-Weaponz will perform select tracks from their coming 2-D EP and 3-D album, including "Put Soul In It" and "Last Shot" featuring Chance.
June 12, 2010
116th Street Festival
Between Lexington and 2nd Avenue and, on 106th Street to 122nd Street on 3rd Ave. in Manhattan
June 15 – 20, 2010
Chicago Puerto Rican Festival
Humbold Park, Chicago
June 19, 2010
Chicago Puerto Rican Parade
Columbus Dr. & Balboa Dr., Downtown Chicago
July 10, 2010
New Village Music Festival
East River Bandshell Park, New York
"'Our new project 3D is our best work to date! We call it 3D because it's music you can feel, hear and see," shares T-Weaponz.
Audiences are impressed by T-Weaponz's intellectual lyrics, their ability to interweave street scenarios and anecdotes with historical and literary references. They achieved Billboard Top Ten status (debuted No. 7 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart) with the single "Dem Boyz," received The Underground Music Award for Most Dynamic Group or Duo, and surpassed 120,000 digital download sales in 2009. T-Weaponz will release their sophomore album "3-D" later this year.


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Former Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves has been charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a 24-year-old woman, according to to The Detroit News.
Cleaves, 38, has been charged with unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration, second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
The incident allegedly took place after a September golf outing when Cleaves and others gathered to get drinks at a bar. Afterwards, Cleaves took the woman to a motel where he reportedly held the woman against her will. She was able to escape from the room and received assistance from another woman nearby.
Cleaves' attorney says he expects his client to be cleared.
Cleaves was a member of the 2000 Spartans team that won the NCAA Championship. He briefly played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers and Seattle Supersonics.
After retiring, he joined Fox Sports Detroit as a Pistons analyst and currently works as an analyst for CBS Sports on SiriusXM.


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After facing slowdown due to drought since the past two to three years in the Marathwada region, sentiments are bullish in the property market this time around. Experts believe a business of around Rs 500 crore till the auspicious day of Padwa, to be celebrated on Monday.
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) state vice-president Pramod Khairnar said, "This year, the real estate market looks bullish and is expecting to witness a business of nearly Rs 500 crore during the ongoing festive season."
He added, "Around 1,000-1,200 units have been booked and around 1,000 Gruha Pravesh are expected on Padwa. Also, around 50 new mega projects would be launched in the city on Monday."
Ravi Wattamwar, CREDAI Aurangabad chapter vice-president, said, "Moreover, with discounts and special offers pouring in such as concession in registration fees, VAT and service charges along with other offers is attracting huge customers."
Vikas Chaudhary, CREDAI Aurangabad chapter secretary, said, "Developers said that drought had affected the market since the past two to three years which recorded only Rs 50 to 100 crore business. This year the sluggishness has washed away and sentiments are high."
He added, "Last year 50% to 70% of the real estate business had been affected. Fortunately, this year with bullish sentiments during the festive season can turn out to be a catalyst to market revival. That is very much expected in the Aurangabad property market this time around, thanks to the change in the overall outlook."
Khairnar said the business is picking pace and would witness a 200% growth. "Due to DMIC the city would see a huge transformation in case of infrastructure development in the coming two years. The demand for the sale of properties in the outskirts would proportionally rise with the price by about 5 to 10%."
Currently, affordable flats in the outskirts range from Rs 10 to 25 lakh for 800 to 1,000 sqft 2BHK flat, while the rates in city vary from Rs 50 to 70 lakh.


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Ahh the holidays…the magical time of year. The time for loved ones reuniting, giving and receiving, and lights filling the streets. Also the time for overeating, stressing over in-laws, and losing track of our normal schedules. The holidays often add a long to do list for many people - decorating the house, shopping, cleaning, cooking, and scheduling times to visit family. And with this long to-do list comes added stress. For others visiting with family means sitting inside for extended periods of time and skipping usual plans for physical activity.
Today, we bring you a how to guide for avoiding falling too far into this unhealthy pattern of behaviors - without having to avoid the holidays altogether.
Eat a healthy meal. It is easier to focus on eating something healthy than it is to focus on not eating something unhealthy. So pick one meal each day where you will plan to eat a healthy meal. I am not a huge fan of breakfast foods, so I have decided to have a glass of juice for breakfast each morning through the holidays. This way I am skipping out on overeating French toast, bacon, eggs, cereal, or whatever other high calorie breakfast foods my family puts in front of me. And then I can indulge as I would normally, on lunch and dinner - the good meals. If you love your heavy breakfast foods, then consider setting a goal to have a salad for lunch - and I don't mean a taco salad with a cup of Caesar dressing on it. I mean have a veggie salad with a vinaigrette dressing. Here is one of my favorite salds that is healthy, but also filling. (I leave off the coconut...)
Switch out your snacks. Do you and your family snack throughout the day on holidays? What do you usually snack on? For my family, favorites include chips and salsa, cheese plates, meatballs and constant trips to the candy/cookie jars - 29 years and they have never let me down. As delecious as these snacks are, try switching one of them out for cut up vegetables and fruits. This way, the family can still snack while the football games are on TV, but not at the cost of several hundred additional calories. Plus a bonus: with this one, your family will eat a little healthier too. If the family demands a dip for the veggies try a homemade chickpea or artichoke hummus over ranch dressing. Alternatively, this veggie salad is a great one!
Go for a walk. Is there a store you and your family can walk to instead of driving? Or do you live in a neighborhood that has Christmas lights up? Take a walk with the family to see the Christmas lights instead of driving through the neighborhood. The kids will be able to see the lights better this way anyway.
And as you are planning activities to pass the time with the family, rather than suggesting 2-3 hours sitting in the movie theater munching on popcorn, suggest a hike, a visit to the park, or a trip to the local zoo. It's another way to spend time with the family, get everyone active – and the bonus on this one? You save a ton of money.
Set a weekly budget. The holidays are expensive. And this can stress out most adults. Pile on the stress of money management with the stress of planning and family drama, and this can be enough stress to make you sick. Reduce the stress of the holidays by taking some time to figure out how much money you are able to spend between today and a selected date after the holidays. Write this number down then convert it into daily or weekly averages and keep track of the amount of money you are spending. Stay within your budget and then stop worrying.
Get your yoga on. If you are running around getting the house ready for guests or trying to catch up on work so you can take your "vacation", remember to take some time each day to just appreciate life and relax. If you have 30 minutes or more to spare, do some yoga, or go for a stroll. And purposefully put all of your concerns out of your mind while you do this.
If you only have a minute or two to spare, hug your significant other and forget about all of your responsibilities for a few seconds, or lay down and clear your head - appreciate what you have and where you are. A few minutes of meditation each day can make all the difference. As much as the holidays are about giving to others, it is also important to take some time for yourself - especially when you are busy – to keep a healthy mind and body.
Now that you have a plan to stay healthy this holiday season, follow these three steps:
1. Set one goal. Yes, only select one behavior to change at first. You may say this is too easy, but I say it is reasonable. Changing behavior is hard especially during the holidays when days are busy. It is better to only set one goal and be successful than it is to set too many goals and lose track of all of them.
2. Write it down. Find a place you look each day, on your fridge, in your day planner, on your computer screen, and write down your one behavior this holiday season you will follow to stay healthy. Writing down this new behavior will increase your chances of following through. Then mark down each day, whether or not you met your goal.
3. Tell others. Tell your friends and family – whoever you will be around during the holidays – about your plan. They will support you and help you follow through, or like my family, they will taunt you relentlessly, but either way, this will help remind you of your goal. And a public goal is more likely to be real and successful than a private one.
Before I go, here is one last tip for staying healthy during the holidays:
Put your feet up and indulge in a treat. - Don't cut out the enjoyment of the holidays. Let's face it; part of the joy of the holidays comes from eating decadent meals and taking a break from day to day obligations. If you try to cut everything out, you are likely to rebound at some point and over indulge to make up for everything you missed.
Allow yourself to enjoy the food that is being cooked and partake in family activities, even if every one of them is not active and healthy. Be in the moment and enjoy this time with whoever you are around for the holidays.
Happy holidays!
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3 OUTLINES Essay
You chair the budget committee for your local school board. The state has cut $3 million out of your school corporation's funding and your committee has determined that the following programs must be cut: marching band, drama, girls' sports programs, and programs for special needs children. The boys' sports programs will remain as they support themselves financially through ticket sales. You will be required to present your recommendations to three different audiences: 1- The full school board, 2- A community meeting (which includes parents), and 3- The student body from the area schools. So, YOU HAVE TO WRITE 3 DIFFERENT OUTLINES. One for each audience. Provide an outline of your presentation for each audience. Identify what will be most critical for each group and the best means to communicate this aspect (i.e., graphs, pictures, lecture, etc.). Some of these audiences are likely to be emotional; how would you structure your presentation to minimize this? These three outlines (with speaker's notes)
Title ; 3 OUTLINES
Length ; 2 pages (600 words)
Style ; MLA


text:
USTLG Winter Meeting 1
Posted by selinalock on 30 November, 2010
On 25th November 2010 I attended the University Science & Technology Librarians' Group Meeting at Keble College, University of Oxford. The theme for the day was "The role of libraries in the research process." I nearly walked straight past the little wooden entrance to Keble College, but was greeted with a magnificent vista on entering…
An academic perspective on libraries supporting research. Professor Darton, Dept Engineering, Oxford University.
Professor Darton expressed his love of books, talked about his ancestors being publishers of children's books and having founded the Darton Juvenile Library. He also talked about how he had fought to keep the Engineering Library at Oxford under the control of the Department as he felt it played an important part in their culture.
He had brought in a couple of classic engineering texts and said it was difficult these days for academics to find time to write "classic" types of textbooks and they were hvaing to find other ways of conveying information to students.
In his time as an engineer he thought that libraries/librarians had moved from being a status symbol (the bigger the library the more knowledge) that was protected and guarded by the librarians for their specific patrons, on to being providers of information which encouraged access for all and finally, these days, being more of an online gateway with librarians as web managers.
He then went on to argue that for science and engineering researchers the library is no longer needed – they rarely use physical texts, there is a huge amount of good quality information accessible via Google (as long as you have the skills to judge quality) and more movement towards open access materials online (e.g. in his are of sustainability). He argued that he would be happy, as a researcher, for there to be a subscription team who oversaw journal subsciptions on behalf of the University, a storage/retrieval service for older print items and for the sciences to stop funding the expensive physical libraries needed by the arts. Or even move to a model where all researchers are given a portion of the library funding to "buy individual article on demand" instead of having a central library service! As you can imagine this was a controversial point of view…
The audience asked if he thought the same applied to undergraduates and he thought up until their 3rd year projects that might have different needs, but by project time they might still need a budget to buy relevant articles.
When asked if he saw any role for librarians he thought there was still an important role in training people to be critical of information, and recommends library training to his students. Also that journal subscriptions would be more cost effective than buying individual articles so perhaps librarians should become/be seen as skilled negotiaters. Librarians need to show how they can help researchers.
Professor Darton was also critical of the current peer-review system, and as an editor of a journal it was becoming very hard to find good reviewers. He suggested that publishing the names of the reviewers might improve the quality of the reviwing. He was also suprised to find younger researchers don't have a concept of what a journal is as they have never held a print copy in their hands.
Update on REF, Kimberley Hacket (REF Team)
Main points of interest:
Research Metrics, Anne Costigan, University of Bradford.
Anne talked about looking at metrics with researchers and the issues around metrics:
One Response to "USTLG Winter Meeting 1"
1 December, 2010 at 10:46 am
I'm sure Professor Darton is not alone in his views…


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|Limb alignment and kinematics inside a Lokomat robotic orthosis.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 17946976 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
|The use of robotic gait training systems has become commonplace world-wide. In particular, the Lokomat robotic orthosis (Hocoma AG, Volketswil, Switzerland) is in use at nearly 75 facilities treating patients with spinal cord injury, stroke, and other neurological impairments. Despite the extensive use of the device, no studies have reported the leg kinematic trajectories while walking in the device. Furthermore, because the subject's legs are not rigidly coupled to the device, there is the potential for significant leg movement inside the device which also has not been reported. Here we report differences in kinematic trajectories between walking in the Lokomat and walking on a treadmill, as well as the relative limb motion within the Lokomat for a single representative subject. Using high-speed motion analysis, it was found that while similar knee and hip angle patterns were produced when walking on the treadmill and while walking in the Lokomat, there were significant differences (p<.0.01) in percent time spent in swing phase, maximum hip and knee flexion, and maximum hip extension. There was also a larger amount of misalignment at the hip (18.2 mm) than at the knees (12 mm) when the joint positions in space were compared.
|N Neckel; W Wisman; J Hidler
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Publication Detail:
|Type: Evaluation Studies; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Journal Detail:
|Title: Conference proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference Volume: 1 ISSN: 1557-170X ISO Abbreviation: Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc Publication Date: 2006
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2007-10-23 Completed Date: 2008-03-13 Revised Date: 2014-08-21
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 101243413 Medline TA: Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc Country: United States
Other Details:
|Languages: eng Pagination: 2698-701 Citation Subset: IM
Export Citation:
|APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex
|MeSH Terms
Equipment Failure Analysis
Hip Joint / physiology*
Joint Prosthesis*
Knee Joint / physiology*
Prosthesis Design
Prosthesis Fitting / methods*
Range of Motion, Articular / physiology*
Robotics / instrumentation*
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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