text:
Made from 100% recycled materials this creation cost nothing but time and most of that was digging the hole. This toilet is fully weatherproof, is discretely located behind the garage and the seat was designed at the perfect height to avoid strain on quad muscles! Hope you enjoy the view as much as we have creating and using it!
135 Responses to Just Pooh
So is the the closest a certain insurance company has gotten so far. Couldnt help but notice your building materials.
Top drop, and glad to see the insurance company helped out with the construction materials.
Can just make out the "Winnie the Pooh" poster on the lid 🙂
Very neatly made and comfortable – you know outback loos were all the rage years ago, mind you that is showing my age. At least there can be a little humour in amongst all the despair – our thoughts are with you all in Christchurch.
great work, all the essentials covered, particularly a sense of humour! Hope life gets back to normal soon…best wishes from Aussie.
Best use of a State sign I've seen for a long time 🙂
Attach a "Mr. Sanders" sign to the front door, and possible a magazine rack inside and I think you could mass produce these babies. A nice drop.
Sorry to state the obvious but this long shot is obviously the winnieing one 🙂
Awesome job 🙂
Great work at adaption – just add a bucket of sawdust to make it perfect ! Sawdust is a better cover than sand. Winter drafts may limit magazine reading though. All Aussies weep for you all there, and pray for you.
Do I recognise the work of a local signwriter???!!! Hope you used your spirit-level! Very cool!
Well done on the private privies 🙂


text:
If you're not on the Benghazi panel, Chairman Trey Gowdy said Sunday, shut up — and that includes fellow Republicans.
In an appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation," the South Carolina Republican and former federal prosecutor brushed aside assertions that the panel charged with investigating the 2012 terror attack has lost credibility in the wake of a string of embarrassing comments — from a gaffe on the part of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to speculation by New York Republican Richard Hanna to the explosive allegations from a former GOP Benghazi staffer. "There are three people who don't have any idea what they're talking about," Gowdy said. "Two of my colleagues, the two Republican members of the conference, have never asked for an update on our committee, they couldn't name three witnesses we've talked to, they couldn't tell you a single document production that we have received and the former staffer left in June, so he has no idea what we've done since June.
"I have told my own Republican colleagues and friends, 'Shut up talking about things that you don't know anything about,'" he told host John Dickerson.
Clinton is scheduled to appear Thursday before Gowdy and the rest of the bipartisan panel.
In an appearance on the same show, the panel's ranking Democrat, Maryland's Elijah Cummings, said Gowdy was a "good man" who had been pressured by "the right" to turn the Benghazi Committee into an attack on Clinton.
"He's now trying to shift back to where we should have been all along, looking at the Benghazi incident," Cummings said.
The 12-member Benghazi Committee — seven Republicans and five Democrats — was created in May 2014 and charged by Speaker John A. Boehner with consolidating House probes into the 2012 terror attack in Libya that left four Americans dead.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Image Line FL Studio 9 (Win) Review
FIG. 1: Image Line FL Studio in action: the browser (left), step sequencer (inner left), mixer (upper right), playlist tracks (center right) and multiband compressor (center foreground). A portion of the panel of the optional Poizone 2 synth is visible at lower right.
Saying Image Line FL Studio has a rich feature set is like saying a Christmas tree has some pretty things hanging on it. It's accurate, but it doesn't even begin to describe what you'll see. This DAW is packed, and it's also somewhat quirky — definitely not a "me too" multitrack sequencer. If you're migrating from another program, you may need a few days to get used to the FL way. (The excellent video tutorials on Image Line's Website will help get you up to speed.)
Version 9 adds some important new features, but it's not a major overhaul. Image Line reports that FL Studio will run on Intel Macs using Boot Camp with either Windows XP or Vista; PC users can use Windows 7, Vista, XP or 2000. I reviewed it on my trusty MusicXPC laptop, powered by Windows XP. FL Studio has always been rock-solid for me, and V. 9 was no exception. I encountered only one minor glitch, which has already been fixed for the next release.
The program is available in four versions; I reviewed the high-end Signature Bundle. The Image Line Website has a large chart with details on how the versions differ.
Time in the Studio
If you've never seen or worked with FL Studio, here are some things you'll want to know. It comes with a large and varied set of software instruments and effects. The included instrument set features FM synthesis, virtual analog, sample playback, speech synthesis, a plucked-string model and a full-bore modular D.I.Y. synthesizer builder called SynthMaker. (For a closer look at a few of the instruments, see the sidebar on page 54, "A Big Box of Toys.") Also included is a massive sound library. Portions of the library are not installed, but you can download them from within the program.
FL Studio has all the DAW features you'd expect — audio and MIDI tracks, VST and ReWire hosting, MP3 export, automation — and some you wouldn't expect. The automation includes some intelligent features such as control-signal mixing and real-time mathematical processing not found in any other DAW. FL Studio can also run as a DXi or VST instrument in another host, or as a ReWire client. Purchasers get lifetime free updates.
FIG. 2: FL''s built-in Slicex instrument can slice loops, crossfade between two loops, send slices to separate mixer channels and process individual slices using as many as eight independent Articulators. Each Articulator has its own filter, LFO, envelopes and so on.
The user interface is quite window-intensive (see Fig. 1). FL Studio lacks a system for saving and restoring screen layouts, but you can open and close windows with the computer's Function keys. Creating beats using sampled drum sounds is extremely quick and intuitive, thanks to the integrated step sequencer. Thinking of songs as collections of repeating patterns is encouraged in FL Studio, but you can record in a linear way if you want. Slicing up sampled beats is built in, and beat-slicing has lots of cool, unexpected features, thanks to the ridiculously powerful Slicex instrument (see Fig. 2).
New UI Features
The Playlist window in FL Studio, equivalent to other DAWs' Track window, has long been a work in progress. In V. 9, you can finally name your tracks and mute them, just as you can in most DAWs. (You can still mute sound sources the old way, too, in the list of Generators.) This new approach to muting audio clips is a tremendous improvement.
The names of patterns are now displayed in the bar at the top of the Step Sequencer window, and you can select a pattern from a drop-down in the same location. This simple feature means a big improvement in workflow.
Not a UI feature, but definitely worth noting: FL's multithreading has been beefed up. If you have a CPU with multiple cores, this will increase the number of effects and virtual instruments you can run simultaneously.
The original FL vocoder was strictly mono; it uses the left-channel input as the carrier and the right-channel as the modulator. It's still included in the program for compatibility with existing songs, but the Vocodex plug-in is entirely new. Vocodex uses a mono modulator signal, but the carrier can be stereo due to the mixer's new sidechain capability (more about that soon).
For previewing and live performance, Vocodex has its own basic sound source. You can choose from about 25 sounds, such as Elderly and Tube, which are optimized for vocoding. When Vocodex is the front window, the sound source responds to a MIDI keyboard so you can play chords on the keyboard, speak into a microphone and vocode onstage.
Vocodex uses the standard FL multi-segment envelope window (also used in mixer automation, the Sytrus FM synth and so on) for contouring more than a dozen parameters across the frequency spectrum. Using the envelope contours, you can adjust band gain, width and distribution; modulator gain; envelope attack, hold and release; and so on. I'm not aware of any other vocoder that gives you so much control (see Web Clip 1).
Mixing and Recording
The FL Studio mixer has been expanded from 64 channels to 99. More significant, you can now send any channel's output either to aux buses (in any combination) as before or to the new sidechain buses (in any combination). So far, only a few of the FL effects take advantage of this feature. In addition to Vocodex, the Fruity Limiter accepts a sidechain input in Compressor mode, and the Fruity Stereo Shaper can send its in/out difference signal to a sidechain. A new plug-in Options window lets you route MIDI and sidechain audio into third-party plug-in effects.
When audio recording was first added to FL Studio, the Edison audio editor was inserted as an effect and you recorded into Edison. The audio in Edison was then dragged into a track and saved to a disk file. You can still work this way in FL 9, but now you can record straight to the track, the way it's done in other DAWs.
In Loop-Record mode, FL mutes the previous audio takes as the new loop starts. I had no trouble using this feature to comp a vocal track, though I had to discover by trial and error how to mute individual audio clips after slicing a take apart. Alt-clicking on a clip mutes it, but even after I figured this out, I couldn't find it mentioned in the manual. I'm sure it's in there somewhere, though: The manual (a large Windows Help file) has been beefed up considerably for this release. It's full of cross-links, but because FL Studio is a complex program, you may need to poke around to find the details you need.
The Big Picture
I've been a fan of FL Studio for a long time, but thanks to the improvements in V. 9, I can finally stop adding "…although the audio track handling is a little weird" whenever I talk about it. Audio recording and audio track mute buttons now work the way musicians expect. The new Vocodex vocoder and improved multithreading are just the icing on a rich and tasty cake. Yes, I still have a few little items on my wish list. But if you're a Windows user who's looking for a full-featured DAW, there's no excuse for not downloading the demo and checking out FL Studio.
Jim Aikin writes about music technology and teaches classical cello. His story "Leaving the Station" appeared in the December '09 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction.
5 Amazing; as good as it gets with current technology
4 Clearly above average; very desirable
3 Good; meets expectations
2 Somewhat disappointing but usable
1 Unacceptably flawed
A Big Box of Toys
When I need to sit a vocal track better in a mix, I often employ a technique called serial compression. It involves using multiple compressors — mostly with very low ratios and high thresholds — placed on the same source. I will usually set up the first compressor to hit the vocal mildly at, say, a 3:1 ratio with a slow-to-medium attack and a moderately fast release. Then I will insert a really short delay immediately after the compressor and set it up so that the signal is about 30-percent wet on the output. For the delay, I typically use something like a Roland RE-201 Space Echo, or even the UAD RE-201 plug-in (see Fig. 3).
After I set up the delay, I will insert an EQ if needed, but otherwise will go straight to inserting a limiter or a compressor with a very high ratio (20:1 or higher). I'll usually set the limiter to grab very aggressively and release very quickly so I can introduce a bit of distortion, as well as the breathing and pumping of the limiter while it exaggerates the delay on the vocal without sounding like a simple slapback. It will sometimes sound like a small room rather than a delay because the second limiter doesn't release until after the delay begins to taper off, creating a sense of excitement and space on the vocal itself. You can also do this with reverbs instead of delays.
Image Line FL Studio includes a large group of built-in instruments and effects, far too many to discuss them all in detail here. Some of the instruments, such as the new Sakura (Mac/Win, $99) physical-modeled plucked-string and Toxic Biohazard (Mac/Win, $99) FM synth, are optional add-ons. They come installed with FL Studio so you can try them out, but they won't be loaded with songs you save until you purchase them.
Others, such as the Sytrus (Win, $179) FM synth and DirectWave (Win, $99) multisampler, are included in the high-end FL Studio Signature Bundle but are available as optional add-ons in less-expensive versions of FL Studio. (They're also available as VST plug-ins that should work with any Windows DAW.) Still other instruments are fully functional even in the less-expensive versions; for details, consult the features chart on the Image Line Website (flstudio.image-line.com/documents/features.html).
To give you an idea of what FL Studio can do, let's look at the new Gross Beat effects plug-in (Win, $99) and a small selection of the older instruments (all included in the program).
FIG. A: Gross Beat gives you instant access to 36 delay contours and 36 amplitude contours. The big graphic editing area shows the contour that''s active for editing in green, and the other contour that''s currently playing is in brown.
Gross Beat: Gross Beat is a very fun and intuitive rhythm-oriented effects plug-in. It produces gated rhythms, stuttering delays and scratch-type sounds (see Web Clip A). It's based on a delay-line section and an amplitude-control section, each of which is edited graphically (see Fig. A). Each section has a number of editable presets, and you can switch presets while the music plays either using mouse-clicks or by tapping keys on a MIDI keyboard. Preset switching can occur instantly, on the next beat or on the next bar line. At the moment, Gross Beat is limited to one bar of 4/4 time, but that's not going to be a problem for most of the music styles that you'll use this type of effect in.
By dragging points around in the graphic envelope window, you can edit either the amplitude or the delay of the incoming signal, again without interrupting the flow of the music. The window has a snap grid, naturally. Attack and Release knobs can smooth out the sharp transitions in amplitude gating, which otherwise may click audibly, and both sections have wet/dry knobs.
Wasp and Wasp XT: Vintage analog synth lovers will gravitate toward the Wasp and Wasp XT synths. They have a similar three-oscillator design with dual LFOs, but the XT version adds a filter keyboard tracking knob, a mod envelope and a couple of other features.
FIG. B: The Drive, Feedback and Presence knobs ensure that Slayer will cut through a mix like a dentist''s drill—that part is no joke.
Speech Synthesizer: For robot voices, nothing beats a cheesy speech synthesizer, and FL has one. Type whatever phrase you like in ordinary English (no arcane code to learn), choose a voice from among 20 options such as Old Woman and Tipsy, and click the Accept button. The phrase will be saved as a collection of samples and loaded into a Slicer instrument, and a piano-roll note clip will be created to play the Slicer. You can then add repetitions, make the voice sing and so on.
Slayer: Want to play guitar rock but you don't have a guitar player? Not to worry; just load FL Slayer (see Fig. B). This modeled instrument has a movable pickup, string damping, amp and speaker models, and two pitch-bend inputs — one of which can be stepped by semitones to simulate slides up or down a fretboard.
Autogun: New in FL 9, Autogun is a presets-only, noneditable synth based on Image Line's additive Ogun synth engine. The panel leads you to believe there are more than 4 billion presets. When you find one you like (and most of them sound great, by the way), you can scribble the number down somewhere. But because all of the presets I tried had names, one-sentence descriptions and a credit for the name of the programmer, and there were apparently only seven or eight programmers in all, I assume that there must be some repetition in the preset bank. No matter. The idea is to find a sound that inspires you and make some music.


text:
I have disobeyed a direct order. I went ahead and made Lil C a cutie mark. I fear the fallout.
First up she's very likely to notice that it's Applejack's cutie mark. Not a problem in itself, Applejack is a favoured pony – but Applejack ain't a purple pony. Herein lies my problem. Inaccuracy with Lil C, is inexcusable.
Plus the fact she took time out to clearly explain to me that humans cannot have cutie marks. I'm not sure I'll be forgiven.
In my defense, I have an uncontrollable felt addiction. I was cutting out apple patches before I even knew what I was going to do with them. I had to actively search for a purpose for them once I'd started. Twas a small miracle that I found this old dress-up skirt to sew them to. And then there's the fact that it turned out so darn cute! Just look↑
How best to deal with this? Confess my sins to Lil C directly or let her find out on her own? Hmmm. I don't think I'll be seeing her this week. Good luck explaining things, Nanny!


text:
More than 12.500 happy people took a swim in the Tuborg pool at Roskilde Festival 2010 – we went up in the sky and immortalized one of the happy moments.
Loved working with the team at Wibroe, Duckert & Partners and the geat guys at Tuborg/Carlsberg Denmark.
Client: Tuborg
Brand Manager: Claus Toftkjær
Marketing Director: Kristian Walsøe
Agency: Wibroe, Duckert & Partners
Creative: Thomas Torp
Project Manager: Connie Christensen
Photographer: Michael Langhoff
Studio Manager: Rikke Høyer


text:
El Palo Alto Park is a half-acre stretch of land along Francisquito Creek. It's maintained to preserve the ancient tree and the town's history. Here, this unique park is home to the historic El Palo Alto tree. It's the basis of the city's name. The 940-year-old tree is California's Historical Landmark No. 2.
The affordable Pacific Inn of Redwood City offers breakfast and Wi-Fi. The Cardinal Hotel and the Days Inn Redwood City are inexpensive alternatives while the Sheraton Park Alto Hotel sporting a fitness center and pool is a bit more. The casual and reasonably priced Red Cottage Inn & Suites Menlo Park California has a pool and garden.
When staying near El Palo Alto Park you are close to Stanford University, Stanford Shopping Center, and Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. The area is busy during holidays and graduation.
The park closes from 10:30 pm to sunrise. Don't visit the park after dark.
© 2020 Hipmunk® and Concur® Hipmunk® are trademarks of Hipmunk, Inc. and Concur Technologies, Inc.
© 2020 Hipmunk® and Concur® Hipmunk® are trademarks of Hipmunk, Inc. and Concur Technologies, Inc.


text:
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Metalicus Inspired Long Tank Dress
To the dress, which is more interesting than listening to me whinge about my back. Apologies for the phone photo. Yes, that is a lot of doctors room type stuff, pap smear stuff to be specific, for I had no time to take the picture before I left for work.
I found this mustard-y-yellow stretchy gauze type fabric on the sale rack at Spottie last week. For $5 a meter I grabbed a few meters, thinking it would make a great long tank dress.
The details: I used a firm fitting long tank I already owned to cut out a pattern. I traced straight onto the fabric,on the folding, using the first piece as my pattern. My tank only goes mid thigh, so I made a gentle, slight A line down to floor length. The fabric was very thin, so I cut out 4 pieces, sewing 2 dresses, so to speak, then attaching them together around the neck line, in the same way you would line a bag. I then top stitched the neckline layers so they would sit well
I then had no idea how to hem around the arm holes, so I simply zig zagged the layers together then made a long strip of ruffles sewing them over the raw edges. I left the bottom un-hemmed, though adding another ruffle did occur to me.
All up I am pretty chuffed with the result. Here I am wearing the dress with a low belt. I also had on a pale blue and white stripped jacket that day and nude heels. Later in the week I wore it with a bright blue belt on the waist and blue ballet flats for a more casual look. I am thinking in winter it would look great with my black jacket and boots, or perhaps a grey waterfall cardigan.
When I showed the dress off to Bungalow Girl, she mentioned she was nervous about sewing with knits. Do not be nervous people, just go slow and use a narrow zig zag stitch. Though next time I am going to have a go with a double needle, if i can find one to fit old Hilda.
8 comments:
You are such a babe. Like I said the other day, this dress is so flattering on you and an amazing colour. Well done. You could actually sell this for a large sum I think, there is nothing like it anywhere. I am trying to wear more colour and it is so hard to find the clothes. melxReplyDelete
Great colour for winter! :) You have done a great job. I don't know what I would do with the arm holes either.ReplyDelete
I just bought some red and white stripe knit fabric to make a maternity skirt out of - I've never sewn with knits before, so wish me luck! :)
Ooh what a gorgeous colored dress! I've been thinking about making my own maxi dress after all the hoo-haa over on Styling You about the Seed Tube dress, I can only try!ReplyDelete
Fabulous colour. Have always been scared of knits and probably always will be. I'll stick to cotton dresses and live vicariously, or perhaps that should be blogariously, through others instead.ReplyDelete
It is stunning! You look so very very very terrific. I love it. Brilliant. You have beautiful style.ReplyDelete
- BelindaMarch 15, 2012 at 11:55 AM
Finally I have stopped sneakily checking out your blog whenever I happen to remember it... and have subscribed! Gorgeous dress, gorgeous colour. Thanks to your lovely blog, my miserable day off sick today has been brightened with some gorgeous colour and stories (and more than a little inspiration from (envy of?) your wonderful outlook on your world). Cheers Tracey, I dare you to bring some vintage styling to the gym ;) xReplyDelete
Oh geez. The universe is sending me pap smear reminders left, right and centre. OK ALREADY! I'm not that late!ReplyDelete
Dress is utterly fabulous. (I squinted past the pap smear paraphernalia).
- AnonymousMarch 29, 2012 at 4:19 PM
I love it Tracey!ReplyDelete
Also love the room view- as I'm currently sitting in it :)
I am so impressed with your sewing ability.
Rebecca x


text:
No More Brand Nu 4 BrandyJune 9, 2010
4 those of you who didn't know, Brandy wanted to take a shot at being a female rapper. She appeared on Timbaland's Shock Value II album, and even showed her skills on her reality TV show with her parents and brother Ray J entitled A Family Business. According to gossiponthis.com, Brandy says that even though she's been rapping under alter ego Bran'Nu, don't expect her to come out with a Hip-Hop album anytime soon, but maybe two songs on her upcoming album may feature a rap verse. iThink that shes an good rapper, though iPrefer her singing. Monica raps on her tracks at time and she's fairly well also. If you watch the show on VH1 like myself, you'll know that Sonja (her mother) wasn't feeling Bran'Nu at all, and iKnow for a fact that she's glad Brandy's not going through with it at all. After all, it's not like she's a Missy Elliott or a Lil Kim.
The South Stars Aligned Last Night fot Vh1 Hip Hop HonorsJune 4, 2010
Thanks to my followers here's some pics of some of the celebs at the VH1 HipHop Honors: The Dirty South last night. The show will air on Monday night at 8.
Trina looked great (as usual). She could do no wrong to me
Aww its Bone Crusher…he must of crushed a bone, that explains the cane.
Is Flo-Rida even considered Hip Hop? He's more of Pop Hop…yes iJust made that up…deal with it
Its Brandy! She looks great
Gucci ! ! ! ! ! -Bounces to the beat of Lemonade-
Yes jesus, it's Juvenile. Damn this man looks great.
Brandy & Ray J talk Kim Kardashian Sex Tape [Video]April 7, 2010
Brandy turns rapper, Call her "Bran Nu"!December 11, 2009
R&B singer Brandy recently launched her new career as a rapper on Timbaland's new album Shock Value 2.
Brandy created the new rap alias Bran' Nu and rhymes under the alias on the track "Meet in The Middle," which is taken from Timbaland's album, which hit stores Tuesday (December 8).
Timbaland tapped Brandy for her rhyming ability after he saw a video of the singer rhyming on YouTube.
"What I'm doing on the album is a little bit different than what everybody knows me for. It was a great experience. I got a chance to be another part of myself," Brandy said in published reports.
Shock Value 2 is the follow up to Timberland's platinum selling album Shock Value which was released in April of 2007.
The original album spawned hit singles from Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and One Republic.
On the sequel, Timbaland rounds up guests Miley Cyrus, The Fray, Katy Perry, Drake, Nelly Furtado, OneRepublic, Justin Timberlake, who all make Cameo appearances on the album.
Shock Value 2 is in stores now. #ShoutOut AllHipHop
DAILY LEAKS | NE-YO, BRANDY, CAM'RON, GUCCI MANE & MORE!September 29, 2009
Brandy seems to be collaborating with everyone that's relevant these days. I like the joint with her a Ne-yo! Its definitely official!
Check out the rest of the links after the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »
DAILY LEAKS | NE-YO, BRANDY, CAM'RON, GUCCI MANE & MORE!September 29, 2009
Brandy seems to be collaborating with everyone that's relevant these days. I like the joint with her a Ne-yo! Its definitely official!
Check out the rest of the links after the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »


text:
Ain't it purdy? This is the Lisa Leonard Designs necklace I won from the Living Locurto giveaway that I entered a while ago. I just had to share it! I'm really enjoying it. I was sooooo excited when it finally came. Here's the actual "From Up Here" necklace on Lisa's Web site.
I hope this serves as inspiration for visiting other blogs and entering giveaways. Remember, be a winner by being a follower! :o)


text:
Campaign Monitoring: Key Findings
From September 8-October 18, PACE Long-Term Observers (LTOs) deployed across the country to 129 townships to observe the campaign environment. One hundred nine (109) townships were selected across all states and regions in proportion to the number of polling
stations there. An additional 20 townships were selected to show the campaign environment in "hot spot" areas, including places with high profile candidates, a history of problematic elections, a high number of migrant workers, on-going conflict or inter-communal tensions.
PACE conducted 2,662 interviews with candidates from four party categories: the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP),
the National League for Democracy (NLD), other big parties in the township, and small parties and independents. In weekly interviews, PACE
asked candidates questions about their campaign activities and challenges that they faced.
PACE also observed 1,607 rallies of candidates from four party categories: USDP, NLD, other big parties in the township, and small parties and independents. PACE did not observe informal party gatherings or other political events conducted by other actors. In some locations, PACE could not observe rallies in very remote locations due to logistical challenges.
The information below represents the viewpoints of individual candidates interviewed and the rallies observed in the townships where PACE was active. This information does not include activities or viewpoints of party headquarters, other party supporters or other groups and does
not include inform ation from townships where PACE did not observe. It also does not include information about activities conducted by parties or candidates before the official campaign period began.
Download Press Release: Preliminary finding of Campaign Monitoring (ENG)


text:
Andover-Harvard Theological Library serves as a national repository and library of record for the Unitarian Universalist tradition. Its collections includes books, hymnals, periodicals, curricula, pamphlets, sermons, personal papers, audio-recordings, movies, church records, photographs, postcards, digital, and many other types of materials. These pages have been created to give an overview of its Unitarian Universalist resources in the general and special collections and to suggest ways of using them. Use the links on the left to explore highlights of the collection.
There are additional Unitarian Universalist resources available on the library's website:
- The Unitarian Universalist Tradition: A basic research and reading list, this research guide gives information about important reference sources such as dictionaries, bibliographies, and directories.
- AHTL Manuscripts and Archives
- AHTL Flickr collections: Over 2,200 images. Includes most of the library's Unitarian Universalist postcards and a small selection of digitized photos of people and buildings. Use the collections tags
- Unitarian Universalist Congregations:: A bibliography/webography of digitized publications in the public domain that chronicle major events events in the life of Unitarian and Universalist congregations.
- Timeline of Significant Events in the Merger of the Unitarian and Universalist Churches During the 1900s
- Holocaust Rescue and Relief: Digitized records of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
- Early Documents of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
- Religious Biographical and Genealogical Information: This guide describes a process for doing biographical research and what resources the library has to support that research. A section of the guide specifically addresses resources for researching Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist clergy.
- Reflections of Public Ministry at Harvard Divinity School and other online exhibits, many of which feature Unitarian Universalist material.
Contact a research librarian to ask questions about our resources.
Information about the sources of our collection is found in the History of Andover-Harvard's Unitarian Universalist Collections.


text:
MSI MPOWER MAX (Intel Z87) Motherboard Review (Page 1)
We check out another Z87 motherboard; this time it's part of the MPOWER series from MSI. It comes loaded with lots of features and at a good price.
Another day goes by and we take the time to test out another motherboard based on the latest Z87 chipset form Intel. Today we're looking at an offering from MSI which is under the newer MPOWER name. This isn't the first time we've seen MSI use this name, as late last year we saw the company release the MSI Z77 MPOWER.
The new series brought with it a strong performing motherboard, along with a new look for the company. Impressed with what it was offering, we're looking forward to see what MSI has done with the name on the latest generation Intel chipset. Recently we've seen the company really try to show us something a little different and almost try to rebrand itself.
The new Gaming series brings a feeling of unity between the video card and motherboard segments of MSI as products under both categories are part of the one series. The MPOWER name helps differentiate itself by letting us know that they sit at the top of the pyramid for MSI. We'd really like to see the company bring something like the "Lightning" series of video cards under the same MPOWER name and really create some synergy between both product categories.
The new "POWER" series of boards from MSI currently consists of three Z87 based models. We've got the Z87 XPOWER, along with the Z87 MPOWER and MPOWER MAX, with us today looking at the latter.
As we flip over the "M" you can see we get some information on the actual motherboard including the Military Class 4 components, which include Hi-c CAP, Dark CAP, SFC and OC PCB. Some of the other major highlights included Enhanced Power including a Dual 8-pin CPU Power Connectors, Enhanced Thermal via a new heatsink designed, Enhanced BIOS including Click BIOS 4 and OC Essentials which include Direct OC, Easy Button 3 and V-Check Points to name just a few of the features. We'll be checking some of these out a little more when we move onto the board itself.
As we move onto the other side you can see we get our first look at the board. With only part of it being seen via the "M" cut out, though, we don't get the best look. Turning over to the back you can see we've got the main specifications at the bottom, a number of logos in regards to the features that are offered and again some of the main features are highlighted in the overclocking ability, stability and enhanced PWM cooling.
Moving inside the box you can see we've got an absolute ton of paperwork covering many aspects of the board. You can also see we've got a couple of discs including drivers and utilities and one of the new "G" Series case stickers.
Moving into the cable side of things you can see we've got six SATA cables along with an eSATA cable and a power cable. Across the bottom you can see the rear I/O panel and a single SLI bridge.
Other extras include a pair of USB 3.0 and eSATA headers, Wi-Fi / BT card along with two antennas, V-Check point cables and a pair of EZ-Connectors to make hooking up everything that little bit easier. The bundle from the MSI MPOWER MAX really is quite large and one of the largest we've seen so far when it comes to the new Z87 platform.
PRICING: You can find products similar to this one for sale below.
United States: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com
United Kingdom: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.co.uk
Australia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com.au
Canada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca
Deutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de
- Page 1 [Introduction and Package]
- Page 2 [MSI MPOWER MAX Motherboard]
- Page 3 [BIOS]
- Page 4 [Benchmarks - Test System Setup and Overclocking]
- Page 5 [CPU Benchmarks]
- Page 6 [System Benchmarks]
- Page 7 [USB 2.0 and 3.0 Benchmarks]
- Page 8 [SSD Benchmarks]
- Page 9 [mSATA Benchmarks]
- Page 10 [Memory Benchmarks]
- Page 11 [Gaming Benchmarks]
- Page 12 [Temperature and Power]
- Page 13 [Pricing, Availability and Final Thoughts]


text:
The Savings Corner – Part I – Cleaning up Janitorial Spend April 5, 2010Posted by solutionsbconsultants in Accountability, Increase Profitability, Procurement, Savings Corner.
Tags: audit, complimentary, cost avoidance, cost savings, free tips, janitorial, logistics, office supplies, Procurement, savings
add a comment
I have received more than a three dozen requests from executives who want to know how to drive instant or (near instant) savings for their company's bottom line. 40% have come from CFO's, and the rest from President's and CEO's. The Savings Corner will detail lowest prevailing pricing for a variety of commodities. And not just for Fortune 1000 businesses but for businesses from 10 to 100 employees.
Let's start with an easy one, janitorial. First, don't fall into a trap by signing up with a pure janitorial company. They have no way for them to take a small 10-15% profit without going out of business. Sure, they will razzle dazzle you with their "cleaning systems" that mount on the wall and their claims that their products will clean 40% more than the household equivalent. Besides, most of the cleaning systems that I have experienced over the years have a proprietary mount that will only allow that company's product to be used with it – locking you into an overpriced solution. Best practices disallow proprietary solutions unless there is a huge (and I mean HUGE) benefit for your company – Let it be said now that any company that fails to use a universal dispensing system should be hustled away from the negotiating table.
Many of your other suppliers have drifted into the janitorial supplies arena because of the enormous profit potential. A good example of this is your Office Supplies vendor. Oftentimes, you can leverage the office supply store by requiring them to sell janitorial products at 10% over cost – or you take the entire block of business elsewhere.
And now for a secret. The single best place for janitorial supplies is not Walmart or Sams or Costco – it is your local dollar store – Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Dollar Store, etc. – Where else can you pick up 21oz of Comet for a buck – which is half the price of Amazon or Staples. And they have a wide breadth of cleaners, mopping agents and the like The key to buying these supplies is to have your procurement specialist do it once a month, write a number on each product (with a Sharpie) and have your cleaning staff perform a daily inventory. Don't forget to invest five dollars for a hasp and padlock.
Incidentally, requiring a daily or regular inventory (not only for cleaning supplies) deters shrinkage – thieves usually take advantage of a place that is operationally sloppy – if they know you are watching, they will choose an easier target.
Annual savings for a small company averages more than $1500 annually including the monthly staff time for picking up the cleaning supplies. For larger companies, it makes sense to look at outsourcing the janitorial function – one company that I audited had the in-house staff emptying office trash cans three times a day just so they could appear busy. I favor limited outsourcing, making the employees responsible for keeping their desk, kitchen and common areas clean and using the janitorial service for dusting, mopping and zone cleaning.
Steve Gordon specializes in procurement and logistics cost saving initiatives – call him today at 865.356.3575
Remember what the Aberdeen Group says……….
"For a typical enterprise, it takes an increase
of $5 in sales to equal the impact of
a $1 reduction in procurement costs."
Solutions is happy to complete a complimentary audit of your firm's expeditures. Just call or write to get started.
If you want to know how to save money on a particular commodity, just send me a comment or email me directly. I would like to hear from you!
Steve Gordon
Senior Consultant
Solutions Business Consultants
"Bringing Service, Value, and Efficiency to the Supply Chain"
(865) 356-3575
Skype: stevegordskype
Blog: https://innovativeconsultant.wordpress.com/
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegordonthecostsavingsguy


text:
The reasons for a trip to China are many - a fan would list dozens of them. But if a traveler only needed a few of them in order to decide to go to this strange place, these would be the first five I would tell him:
The capital of the Middle Kingdom and the soul of China at its most simple.
The city of Chengde, formerly known as Rehe or Jehol, is located a little over 200...
According to legend The Great Wall of China is the only man-made construction visible...
When to go
The essentials
What to pack
Yellow mountains china
We had a great time but would not go back to bejing again. Guide in bejing was not up to the same standard...
Miami Guys
China was truly a real surprise. There is a true respect for the 'old' while embracing the future and...
Visiting China for the first time was an amazing experience. Our tour was tailor made to suit our wishes...
Manage your cookie settings on Evaneos.co.uk
Evaneos uses cookies to make sure you're getting the most out of your experience on our website, and that you are being shown products and information that are relevant to you.
These cookies allow for additional features that are likely of interest to the user, without actually being necessary for the basic operation of the site.
These cookies are only used on our website, Evaneos.co.uk. They allow Evaneos to offer you personalised and relevant content.
These cookies allow us to show you advertisements tailored to your interests outside of our website. They are also used to limit the display of advertisements you'll see.


text:
The connection between the potential of augmented reality (AR), and art is a simple one to make—sometimes it only takes a 'T.' Yet as Richard Humann settles back into his Brooklyn studio after his nine-hour return flight, he can't help but smile knowing he's onto something considerably more complex.
Left: Richard Humann, The Dogs of War (2017), Augmented Reality, variable dimensions
"I don't remember leaving it this way," Richard says, setting down his laptop bag, "It's remarkable how much mess it takes to get artists to their exhibitions." However, this mess brought more than Richard Humann to the sun soaked waterways of Venice, it likewise brought "Ascension", the first AR installation to premier during the Venice Biennale, in conjunction with the European Cultural Center and the GAA Foundation.
Richard Humann isn't the first to take on the challenges of bringing art into augmented reality. BC Biermann's Heavy Projects have been playing in this world since almost the inception of smartphones and this fall Jenny Holzer will be incorporating an AR world in her Blenheim Palace show, though as Richard is quick to point out, it's a misnomer to use the word "world" in conjunction with AR. "It might seem obvious, but one of the hurdles I had to really get around when creating Ascension was this notion that I wasn't creating a world. That's not its purpose. You're really building a bridge, laying down connective tissue between physical and digital."
Right: The Four Headed Monster (2017), Augmented Reality, variable dimensions
While "Ascension" finds itself in prestigious company, it distinguishes itself from other AR pieces, even Humann's own 2015 installation "Harp of the Giant", in scale. "I remember being upstate watching the night sky. In Brooklyn you don't really see the stars, you don't really look up much, period; so I tend to stretch my neck a bit whenever I get out of the city… I was trying to recall constellations I learned in high school, with their 2,000 year old myths, associated heroes and villains, and I kept thinking what if we could start over, what if we could make our own constellations about our times?" While Richard fully admits that "…every kid who's ever had even a slight interest in stars has had the same thought, hell I probably had that thought when I was that age too," it was still an idea that stuck with him.
With that in mind, Richard Humann re-imagined our night sky, not as episodic stories of good verse evil, "I couldn't do a carbon copy of how the Greeks did it, otherwise I'd essentially be making connect the dots of comic book heroes or over-the-top action adventure movie characters," rather he decided to stay rooted in reality. To that end, "Ascension" made a mythology of America's 20th century. Using visual symbolism and metamorphic imagery Richard Humann depicts pivotal events and individuals iconic to America's entrance onto the world stage. From a two headed dog, one a Doberman Pinscher, the other a German shepherd, personifying the Great and Second World Wars to an octopus holding four flowers with the head of a revolver representing The Beatles,"Ascension" takes us through the tremendous highs and lows of the American experience.
Left: Butterfly Bee (2017), Augmented Reality, variable dimensions
May 13th, 6:23pm: Watching daylight recede down ancient alleyways of the Strada Nuova, Richard Humann appears to be thinking everything and nothing at once. In a few short hours the Palazzo Mora will have all buzz and excitement one would expect an opening during the Venice Biennale to have. As an observer it's almost impossible not to get swept up in it and for those participating, there's no avoiding it. Over the 11 days an interesting transformation happened to Richard and his team; all the nervous energy and anxiety evaporated as the clock hit 6:00 p.m. and the exhibition opened. It was like watching Cinderella's ball in reverse, where once Richard's assistant Mia Qian Collins and Jay Van Buren of Membit, creator of the AR app, worked with laser focus, they now found themselves effortlessly striking up conversations with attendees showing them how to use their phones to experience a new night sky. In truth, during the rest of their stay in Venice, there was hardly a moment when they didn't have some strangers phone in their hand, pointing it skyward. "It's nerve-wracking going to an opening and seeing none of your work on display other than a quick overview of the piece and instructions on how to download the Membit app, but I had a great team around me. Mia is a real dynamo, and we might not be sitting here talking about Ascension if Jay didn't come in and save the AR element of the piece, though it was the project curator (Seol Park) who found him in the first place, it was truly a team effort all around."
Below: The 'Dome' over Venice, Ascension (2017), Augmented Reality, variable dimensions
Scrolling through the dozens of pictures he managed to snap, Richard pauses and rubs his eyes, taking a moment to match his experience with the images, "In truth, I think it took us about a day to realized Ascension had a slow burn with people." While "slow burn" is a wholly accurate statement, in the moment Richard and his team would've chosen different phrasing. Countless time after demonstrating the app there would be, for what felt like an eternity, little to no reaction, only to be flooded a few seconds later with people wanting to discuss and know more about the installation as they began to comprehend what they were seeing and experiencing. Considering the breadth and reach of the work, that's pretty understandable; at first glance it's equal parts awe inspiring and overwhelming. "It's cool, it definitely rewards you the more you interact with it," said Josephine Reena, squinting at her tablet screen while giving her feet a break outside a cafe in Cannaregio. "No one tells you how much walking there is at the Biennale," she continues, "it's nice to still experience the amazing art here even if your feet don't want to."
Left: The Gentle Beast (2017), Augmented Reality, variable dimensions
Being in Cannaregio Josephine is able to see an up close view of the constellation entitled The Shining Suburb on the Hill. Venice is divided into six Sestieri's and at least one constellation is laid over each one of them. The entire installation with all 12 constellations can be viewed from San Giorgio Maggiore overlooking the Riva degli Schiavoni. With the entirety of Venice as a backdrop, Ascension changes character almost immediately to something more akin to lucid dreaming which can be no more pronounced during those twenty to forty minutes just after sundown when the night sky takes on this perfect gradient from blue to black. Richard coined that color as "Gloam Blue." However, in order to truly appreciate the serenity of "Ascension" at its most majestic, you must first see "Ascension" where it is most alive- up close on the streets of Venice. It is only there where, as Josephine put it "damn guys, there is way more to this than I thought," you can start to unpack each constellation's layers. Or if you're lucky enough, you can run into Richard Humann outside a cafe in Cannaregio and talk to him about it.
Right: The Shining City on the Hill (2017), Augmented Reality, variable dimensions
"In the second piece of my work, The Shinning Suburb on the Hill, I've taken the Reagan quote ("America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.") and turned the city into a suburb. After the great wars of WWI and WWII, America shifted from urban and rural to include suburbia. The "hill" in my piece is the atomic mushroom cloud from the bombing of Nagasaki that brought WWII to a close and also brought home victorious servicemen from the final battles in the Pacific theater. Into the hill are shoved suburban ranch houses that stand erect vertically as if they were planted like corn in a field, and yet resemble a cityscape at the same time."
Slow to rise from his chair, Richard is just now starting to look visibly tired; it's been 14 days, 8,296 miles by air and countless more crisscrossing Venice on foot. Slipping the laptop into his bag once again, he concedes that he's "still too close to the Biennale to gauge how it went." The plans to sweep up the scraps of scattered paper and stack the assortment of pop cultural references, star maps, and astronomy books covering nearly every available surface are, as they were always going to be, put off until the following day. After waiting to hear the lock click and jiggling the door a few times to double check, "You know, the Italians called it my Opera." Pausing before going down the stairs of the old Greenpoint Bell Atlantic Telephone building where his art studio is located, and a tired smile crept across Richard Humann's face, "All the Italians called Ascension my Opera, that's an interesting take on it, right? You should put that in your article."
Richard Humann's "Ascension" is still floating above Venice during the biennale and he'll be expanding "Ascension" with two new constellations at the OPEN20 exhibition coinciding with the Venice Film Festival. To experience "Ascension" all you need is a smartphone or tablet and the Membit app.
By Jesse Strauch, Contributing Writer


text:
Rose, Peony, Hydrangea & Dahlia Mixed Garland
There is nothing like a gorgeous display of greenery to add a punch of life to otherwise dull home decor. Roses, peonies, hydrangeas, and dahlias adorn this six-foot long Rose, Peony, Hydrangea & Dahlia Mixed Garland. Place it along a banister or a mantel for a lovely display!
Dimensions (Varies Upon Shaping):
- Full Length: 6'
- Width: 9 1/2"
Item not available in Hobby Lobby Stores.
Check your local store for availability.
Send me an email when it's back in stock.
Check your local store for availability.
Inspired?Share it:


text:
The Bonnie and Clyde cars from Playforever all belong on vintage roads yet purport new age design. Thick moldings give the car weight and quality parts give it gloss.
Since 2005, Playforever of London has been designing a range of timeless and elegant toys. Over the years, the line which includes many other products has developed its own design language.
ABS plastic and rubber. Approx. 8 inches length. No removable parts. Age 3+. US CPSIA tested.


text:
David Beck- Tupper Saussy Facebook
The nation picks their Lords again tonight, and if you believe who they select will make any difference in what Cain's legacy does, check out the link here. Then take some time to get deep in Scripture for a reality check. I read the fourth chapter of Ephesians during my devotional time this morning, and read it again tonight. Awesome, encouraging words about the striking contrast between the World and the Kingdom. http://
Here's Ephesians 4. In NIV and Wycliffe versions --- IOW the latest and earliest English language Bibles, for people to see and compare to judge for themselves charges of falsification -- aka are newer Bibles less truthful or merely an easier read in modern rather than medieval language- after all did God really transcribe the Bible in English?
Ephesians 4
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
4 Therefore I bound for the Lord beseech you, that ye walk worthily in the calling, in which ye be called,
2 with all meekness and mildness, with patience supporting each other in charity [with patience supporting, or up-bearing, together in charity],
3 busy to keep unity of Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 One body and one Spirit, as ye be called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, which is above all men, and by all things, and in us all.
7 But to each of us grace is given by the measure of the giving of Christ [after the measure of the giving of Christ];
8 for which thing he saith, He ascending on high, led captivity captive, he gave gifts to men.
9 But what is it, that he ascended up, no but that also he came down first into the lower parts of the earth? [Forsooth that he ascended, what is it, no but for he descended first into the lower parts of the earth?]
10 He it is that came down, and that ascended [up] on all heavens, that he should fill all things.
11 And he gave some apostles, some prophets, others evangelists, others shepherds and teachers,
12 to the full ending of saints, into the work of ministry, into [the] edification of Christ's body,
13 till we run all, into unity of faith and of knowing of God's Son, into a perfect man, after the measure of the age of the plenty of Christ; [till we run all, in unity of faith and of knowing of God's Son, into a perfect man, into the measure of age of the plenty of Christ;]
14 that we be not now little children, moving as waves, and be not borne about with each wind of teaching [and be bourne with all wind of teaching], in the waywardness of men, in subtle wit, to the deceiving of error.
New International Version (NIV)
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:
"When he ascended on high, he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people."[b]
and gave gifts to his people."[b]
9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
To me this reads of a story of many parties from high to low, perhaps even from different sides, all working togther for a grand plan truly from the heavan- as a Grand Kaleidoscope- an image that many people would remeber from the opening credits of the telivision show. Family Affair.


text:
After Sandy, a look at gas distribution
When New Jersey gasoline terminals were flooded by superstorm Sandy, Long Island drivers were in trouble. When the crucial Island terminals in Inwood also flooded, drivers were sunk.
The powerful tidal surge from Sandy, and the widespread power outages from the storm, crippled the complicated and vulnerable infrastructure that brings gasoline to Long Island. At least nine of 20 critically important fuel terminals at the Port of New York's Linden, Bayonne and Newark shorelines and two more in Brooklyn were inoperable. The Island's largest distribution point, in Inwood, also lost much of its capacity.
The result: a major interruption in the flow of gasoline to Long Island, whose 2.6 million vehicles burn about 23 million gallons of it in an average week. Three days after the storm, lines began appearing at stations in Nassau and Suffolk, reminiscent of those during the 1970s oil embargo. Hundreds of thousands of people living in cold houses with no power were forced to wait, often for hours, to fill their cars and gas cans.
Efforts to alleviate the Island's dependence on those terminals would be expensive and encounter major environmental and aesthetic obstacles, experts say.
"If money was no object you could just build terminals all around Long Island," said Andy Lipow, president of the consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates Llc in Houston. "They would have to be large enough to accept imports from Europe. But I just can't imagine that on the South Shore or the North Shore you're going to be willing to build tanks with a couple of million barrels of storage."
Local gas retailers and industry experts say less costly and less controversial measures can be taken to avoid a repeat of the post-Sandy gasoline debacle, including establishment of a gasoline reserve and getting power restored faster to gas stations that lose it.
How LI gets its gas
Gasoline comes to Long Island from U.S. refineries and 36 countries, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, India, Spain, Nigeria, Norway and Russia. The vast majority of these imports are delivered, via pipelines and tankers, to the New Jersey portion of the New York Harbor.
From there, fuel goes by pipeline, barge or truck to three main terminals at Inwood, located east of John F. Kennedy International Airport; by barge to a terminal in Glenwood Landing, in northern Nassau; and by barge to Port Jefferson Harbor, where it's piped inland to an East Setauket storage facility and then piped to a terminal in Holtsville, owned by Northville Industries.
From "racks," overhead pipes that dispense fuel into delivery trucks, at Inwood, Holtsville and Glenwood Landing, the gasoline is distributed to individual gas stations.
The system has a major bottleneck: New York Harbor. With the harbor closed for three days after Sandy, and with terminals and pipeline pump stations in New Jersey flooded, powerless or both, the supply of gas reaching the Island slowed to a trickle. Delivery restrictions in Port Jefferson Harbor, to address concerns about empty barges bobbing about in the storm, also briefly hampered supplies reaching Holtsville.
In addition, the Colonial Pipeline, which carries fuel from the U.S. Gulf region to the Northeast, shut down for four days because of power outages; and the Buckeye Pipeline, from Linden, N.J. to Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, Astoria and the Inwood terminals, operated at reduced capacity on generator power for several days after the storm.
Two of Inwood's terminals reopened quickly. But the largest, owned by Motiva Enterprises, remained closed, putting added pressure on Long Island's other terminals, where trucks waited in long lines, sometimes for hours, to fill up.
Even if they could get deliveries, many of the Island's more than 1,000 gasoline stations had no power to pump fuel into cars and trucks. Those that had gas and could pump it were quickly swamped by motorists worried about running dry -- until demand was reduced by odd-even rationing instituted 11 days after the storm.
Kevin Beyer, president of the Long Island Gasoline Retailers Association, suggested that one way to avoid a repeat is for utilities such as LIPA to make gas stations a higher priority for power restoration. "We should come after the nursing homes and hospitals and traffic lights," he said.
Need for pre-emptive plan
State and county legislation has been proposed to require stations to have generators, but gasoline retailers are balking at the cost -- $18,000 to $20,000 with installation for a unit that can run a local gas station, said Ralph Bombardiere, executive director of the Gasoline and Automotive Service Dealers Association and the umbrella New York State Association of Service Stations and Repair Shops.
Some in the industry say elected officials waited much too long to impose odd-even rationing, which ended last weekend. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie put rationing into effect on Nov. 3, six days after the storm.
"The most critical thing would have been odd-even on day one," said Brian Fioretti, vice president of Island Transportation, whose trucks deliver gasoline. "The first thing government needs to do is control the people."
Fioretti said his 120 trucks were unable to keep up with demand run wild.
Some in the industry also are critical of the Coast Guard for not opening the Port of New York until three days after Sandy.
Beyer and Bombardiere say the delay points to something that's needed: a single governmental entity to monitor the fuel supply and having the power to avert or at least alleviate shortages -- perhaps by redirecting supply or providing extra trucks where they're needed. The state energy office, created during the 1970s gas shortages, once filled that role, Bombardiere said. But, in the 1990s, it was folded into the state Energy Research Development Authority, which itself has been allowed to shrink through attrition, Bombardiere said.
Northville Industries chairman Gene Bernstein says officials need to take pre-emptive steps when a major storm is forecast, such as providing temporary waivers of clean air rules to clear the way for gasoline from other regions to be sold here.
"If you can't get product from New York Harbor, you should be able to get it from somewhere else," he said.
Lipow suggests that before a storm, generators for terminals and service stations be situated in places that are not flood-prone; and storing additional gasoline supplies in tanker trucks parked in flood-safe areas or in gasoline stations that have generators.
Solutions for avoiding the New York Harbor bottleneck are more elusive -- and expensive.
The administration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo wants to explore the idea of new pipelines from New England, built with federal funds.
Lipow notes, though, that New England has no refineries; like New York, it gets its fuel from abroad, via tanker into Boston, Providence or New Haven, or via barges -- from New York Harbor.
Another hurdle: getting approvals to build pipelines through heavily populated areas. "You're dealing with such incredible rights-of-way issues that it isn't a palatable solution," said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J.
The Cuomo administration also is considering proposing a gasoline reserve for emergencies, similar to the million-barrel Northeast heating oil reserve.
We're revamping our Comments section. Learn more and share your input.


text:
Paris, Oct 22 :
Continuing his giant-killing spree, Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap stunned World No.4 Japanese Kenichi Tago 21-11, 21-18 in the first round of the French Open Super Series at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin here Wednesday.
Also reaching the second round were the Indo-Russian mixed doubles pair of Ashwini and Vladimir Ivanov, who beat Japanese pair of Keigo Sonoda and Shizuka Matsuo 21-16, 21-19.
However, young male shuttlers H.S. Prannoy and Sourabh Verma exited the competition following their losses to Kento Momota and Rajiv Ouseph, respectively.
While World No.31 Prannoy gave a valiant fight against World No.16 Momota of Japan, before going down 11-21, 21-15, 20-22 in an hour and nine minutes, World No.37 Sourabh was thrashed 10-21, 11-21 in 30 minutes by World No.25 Ouseph.
In the match between Kashyap and Tago, the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion was in his element from the beginning, taking a quick 5-1 lead which increased to 8-2.
Kashyap relied on regal cross-court smashes to pile further pressure on Tago to snatch points regularly and then it was an easy game for Kashyap as the Japanese failed to get going. Tago lost 11-21.
Continuing the momentum, Kashyap again rattled Tago to take a 5-1 lead before Tago put up a much-stronger fight to equalise at 7-7.
The Indian surged ahead again with a 10-7 lead. Tago worked hard to get even at 12-12 and forced Kashyap to trail for the first time in the match at 12-15.
However, Kashyap lifted his game to reduce the deficit at 17-17 before taking three consecutive points to seal the game 21-18 and enter the second round.
Later in the day, 2012 London Olympic bronze medal winner Saina Nehwal will take on hosts' challenger Sashina Vignes Waran in the first round while two-time World Championships bronze medallist P.V. Sindhu faces a tough opener against Thailand's Porntip Buranaprasertsuk.
In the women's doubles action, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa will meet the Dutch team of Eefje Muskens and Selena Peik to start their campaign.
The men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy, who have been on the upward move in the rankings lately, will face Chinese combine Liu Xialong and Qiu Zihan while Pranaav Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar will take on Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen of China.


text:
Holistic Herbalist Pvt. Ltd.
USA and Canada – Toll Free: +1-855-512-0222
Contact and Feedback Form
You are welcome to contact us by filling this form below.
Holistic Herbalist Pvt. Ltd.
GF2, Plot No. 1/22, Raj Arcade, Sector 5,
Rajendra Nagar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, U.P.
India, PIN 201005
USA and Canada – Toll Free: +1-855-512-0222
Rest of the Countries: +91-9212025457


text:
- Microsoft
- 70-486
- 70-740
- 70-761
- 70-765
- 70-778
- 98-367
|Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching CCIE Routing and Switching Written Cisco Answers Training
Our professional experts constantly examines the quality of the [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and [[EXAMDUMP]] and comes up with the best fundamental concepts of your [[EXAMCERT]]. If you need to get certify online [[EXAMCERT]] and want to get good marks then using [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and [[EXAMQUESTIONS]]. Download [[TK_EXAMQUESTIONS]] and [[TK_EXAMCBT]], this would make your way easier by providing the valuable preparatory material regarding the [[EXAMCERT]]. If you want to get superb marks in [[EXAMCERT]] then you need to sharpen your skills with the help of our [[EXAMSTUDY]] and [[EXAMENGINE]].
Now you can get maximum knowledge with in limited time by using our [[EXAMCBT]] and [[EXAMBRAINDUMP]] for the preparation of your [[EXAMCERT]]. [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and [[EXAMQUESTIONS]] is being enhanced your knowledge and performance. Both are perfect assistance for passing [[EXAMCERT]]. Our [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and [[EXAMENGINE]] are very informative and helps you to grasp the concepts about [[EXAMCERT]]. [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] provides you extensive knowledge and our [[TK_EXAMPRACTICE]] provides the clear idea for the preparation of the [[EXAMCERT]]. You can get excellent marks in your [[EXAMCERT]] with our [[TK_EXAMENGINE]]. It's really amazing and facilitate in the preparation. The major advantage of [[TK_EXAMENGINE]] is that you can easily run on your local pc and create your own questions according to your own requirements. So you can prepare your [[EXAMCERT]] in fashion way. Now you no need to worry about [[EXAMCERT]] preparation because we provide up-to-date [[TK_EXAMBRAINDUMP]] and [[TK_EXAMPRACTICE]] trough which you can easily pass your [[EXAMCERT]] with brilliant marks.
Our [[TK_EXAMENGINE]] is also very valuable tool for preparation of [[EXAMCERT]]. You can create test paper and repeat [[EXAMQUESTIONS]] according to your own requirement and prepare your [[EXAMCERT]] in efficient way. Our [[EXAMDUMP]] and [[TK_EXAMPRACTICE]] helpful in preparation and also provides the good session for the practice of your interviews.
With the help of our incredible [[TK_EXAMCBT]] and latest [[EXAMDUMP]] make your success confirmed. You will pass in [[EXAMCERT]] with great marks easily. Our [[TK_EXAMPRACTICE]] and [[EXAMBRAINDUMP]] are quite simple and easy to understand so you can easily prepare and pass your [[EXAMCERT]] with excellent marks. Don't spend a lot of time on un-trusted material. For your [[EXAMCERT]] use our [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] with [[TK_EXAMQUESTIONS]]. You will be familiar more about you preparation of [[EXAMCERT]] through our products [[TK_EXAMQUESTIONS]] with [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]].
[[EXAMCERT]] is the most prestigious certification that can be pass easily through our products like [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and [[TK_EXAMQUESTIONS]]. We fulfill your need of preparation of your [[EXAMCERT]] by providing [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and [[TK_EXAMQUESTIONS]]. Now you have the best process to clear you [[EXAMCERT]] and become a certified. You can study with our [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and pass the [[EXAMCERT]]. [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] is the best source to gain the knowledge and start the preparation for your [[EXAMCERT]]. Analysis and explanations are the major features in our [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and [[TK_EXAMQUESTIONS]] for your [[EXAMCERT]]. Last but the least, For you [[EXAMCERT]] we give the lasted updated study material in the shape of [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and [[TK_EXAMQUESTIONS]]. Highest standards of technical accuracy are implemented in our [[TK_EXAMSTUDY]] and [[TK_EXAMQUESTIONS]] for you to pass your [[EXAMCERT]].
|More Cisco Resources
Download Free Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching Written Demo
Experience TestKing exam testing engine for yourself.
Simply submit your e-mail address below to get started with our interactive software demo of your Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching Written exam.
Customizable, interactive testing engine
Simulates real exam environment
Instant download
* Our demo shows only a few questions from Cisco CCIE Routing and Switching CCIE Routing and Switching Written Cisco exam for evaluating purposes


text:
Taken from the website. http://www2.leewardairranch.com/about-us
Leeward Family
Jimmy Leeward, the son of an aviation pioneer, was literally raised on the airports his father operated. He worked in every facet of his father's airplane business since he was old enough to wash an airplane. As an adult, he diversified into real estate development. Gradually, he flew less for business and more for sport. It was then he began to dream of an Aviation Community.


text:
Medicare and Private Insurance
Do you have Medicare and Private Insurance or your already have Private Insurance and your about to start Medicare? Are you wondering how they will work together if at all? Well, todayI'm going to show you how Medicare brakes that down for you.
How Medicare works with other insurance
What it means to pay primary/secondary
- The insurance that pays first (primary payer) pays up to the limits of its coverage.
- The one that pays second (secondary payer) only pays if there are costs the primary insurer didn't cover.
- The secondary payer (which may be Medicare) may not pay all the uncovered costs.
- If your employer insurance is the secondary payer, you may need to enroll in Medicare Part B before your insurance will pay.
Paying "first" means paying the whole bill up to the limits of the coverage. It doesn't always mean the primary payer pays first in time. If the insurance company doesn't pay the claim promptly (usually within 120 days), your doctor or other provider may bill Medicare. Medicare may make a conditional payment to pay the bill, and then later recover any payments the primary payer should've made.


text:
I (rpg) represent Faculty of 1000, although everything on this blog is either my opinion or that of my fellow contributors, and is not to be taken internally as the opinion or official policy of any of Science Navigation Group's companies.
Comments policy
- I intend to deal with comments in a very 'hands off' manner. If you've taken the time to say something, then I should do you the honour of allowing you to say it
- First-time comments will be held for approval. Subsequent comments should be automatically approved, unless something has broken
- Comments will only be deleted in extreme cases and the author of such comments might be emailed with an explanation as to why this has occurred. Examples of extreme cases include personal abuse, foul language or possible defamatory material. If a person persists in posting inflammatory material they may be blocked from commenting. The decision to block a commenter is at the discretion of the blog owner — i.e., me
- I reserve the right to edit for embarrassing spelling mistakes, or language or media that I deem offensive. I will endeavour to let the commenter know of such instances
- Those commenting are encouraged to supply a real email address. This address will not be published (I promise!) but used only in cases such as those mentioned above. If a commenter is found to continually supply a false email address they may be placed in a moderation list that will force all comments they make through moderation before being published. Anonymity is discouraged, although pseudonymity is fine
- There is no rule 6
- All comments are associated with an originating IP address. We don't do anything with this information, unless you're being a complete scumbag
- Spam and commercial advertising will be dealt with without merce or ruth


text:
Local News
National News
World News
Faith Alive
Print Edition
English Edition
Edición en español
Advertising Contract
Subscription Form
Diocese of Nashville
Edición en español
Local News
National News
World News
Faith Alive
Print Edition
English Edition
Edición en español
Advertising Contract
Subscription Form
Diocese's boon in vocations continues with ordination of 5 priests
by From staff reports
On Friday, June 12, Bishop David Choby will ordain five men as priests for the Diocese of Nashville, continuing a boon in vocations since he was installed as bishop in 2006.
Transitional Deacons Andrew Bulso, Benjamin Butler, Emmanuel Dirichukwu, Austin Gilstrap and Eric Johansen will be ordained in the ancient rite of the Catholic Church at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 12, at the Cathedral of the Incarnation. A reception for the new priests will be held in the Cathedral's Fleming Center following the ordination.
This year's ordination of five men follows last summer's ordination of nine new priests, the largest number of men to be ordained at a single Mass in the diocese's history.
During his tenure, Bishop Choby has ordained at least one new priest every year and a total of 21 men, including Father William Carmona who was ordained on his deathbed in a San Antonio hospital last September. Father Carmona was originally scheduled to be ordained with this year's class of new priests.
"It's an exciting time to be a seminarian and to be a priest in the Diocese of Nashville," said Deacon Gilstrap. "We have a lot of reason for hope for the future of Nashville and the future of the Church in Nashville. It's really been exciting to be part of that. Bishop Choby has really put a lot of effort not only into vocations but into each of us. He's always available."
This year's class of ordinands includes cradle Catholics and converts, Nashville natives and a Nigerian.
Deacon Bulso grew up as a Catholic in Nashville and attended Catholic schools, including Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, where he was a member of the first graduating class in 2005.
Deacons Gilstrap, Butler and Johansen are all converts to Catholicism. And Deacon Dirichukwu grew up as a Catholic in Nigeria before coming to the United States to continue his seminary studies in 2011.
His parents and siblings will be traveling from Nigeria to Nashville for his ordination and it will be the first time he has seen them since he left. "I haven't seen them for years," he said. "This will be a very graced period for me."
Deacons Butler, Gilstrap and Johansen, all answered the call to the priesthood after working in careers. Deacon Butler fought forest fires in Arizona for a couple of years and Deacon Gilstrap was a bartender at several restaurants in Nashville before hearing the call.
Deacon Johansen entered the Church in 2000, but soon after faced tragedy when his wife, Kathy, died of cancer in 2003. Several years after her death, he followed a call he felt to ministry and entered the seminary. His first assignment as a priest will be as a hospital chaplain, helping people just as the Church helped him during his wife's illness.
To learn more about the five men to be ordained, read links on profiles below.
SEARCH helped Deacon Bulso find his vocation
hen Deacon Andy Bulso was a student at Pope John Paul II High School, he, like so many teens in the Diocese of Nashville, made a SEARCH retreat. It was
Spiritual awakening leads Deacon Butler to priesthood
Deacon Ben Butler's spiritual life took a turn when he started to realize all the blessings God provided in his life.
"I had a spiritual awakening," he said. "I realized the blessings God had given me. I grew up in a good family, I did well in school, I had good jobs. I realized it was not my own doing."
Deacon Dirichukwu eager to join the 'priestly line'
Deacon Nwachukwu Emmanuel Dirichukwu carries his faith in his name. A native of Nigeria, his first name means "child of God" and his last name "belongs to God."
Deacon Gilstrap finds peace in saying yes to God
Deacon Austin Gilstrap's life changed when he said yes to God.
He was working as a bartender in a restaurant but unsure what direction to take his life. "I was searching and I didn't know what I was searching for," he said. "I still didn't know what I wanted out of life or out of school or anything like that. I was just sort of floating through." ...
Deacon Johansen looking forward to being involved in lives of his flock
From atheist, to husband, to priest, Deacon Eric Johansen's spiritual journey has been marked by joy and grief. After he's ordained a priest on June 12, he's looking forward to walking with people on their own spiritual journey. ...


text:
Truck Flatbed Manufacturer Recommends QuickBooks and Fishbowl Inventory
Orem, UT -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/01/2013 -- Fishbowl Inventory (http://www.fishbowlinventory.com) is the most requested inventory management solution for seamless integration with QuickBooks, and is a popular standalone solution for organizations or enterprises looking to track assets. For users of QuickBooks it provides the same advanced features, flexibility, and mobile management control larger organizations require.
Largo Tank & Equipment is a manufacturer of flatbeds, truck bodies and truck-mounted vacuum tanks for oilfield service. Karen from Largo Tank & Equipment reported on Software Advice that, "Fishbowl was the first new program we looked at and I was hooked! Since going live in 2007, we have been able to keep a better handle on our inventory and information…it just gets better and better! It's the easiest system I have ever worked on, and I've seen quite a few. Having never set up an inventory software program by myself, I was pretty nervous but Fishbowl is so self-explanatory, it was a breeze. A few days of reading up and I was ready to go. I did not attend any training classes, even to this date. The online help and help built into the system is very easy to go through and learn from.
Karen added that the company uses Fishbowl as a stand-alone inventory system and it is perfect for the company's needs; noting that the cycle counts are easy to do and with the import/export capabilities of Fishbowl, it goes quickly and efficiently.
QuickBooks owns an estimated seventy-eight (78%) percent of the accounting software market. Analysts estimate there are more than 7.1 million copies of QuickBooks in use. By conservative estimates, more than forty (40%) percent of these organizations directly need or could strongly benefit from inventory control.
About Fishbowl Inventory
Fishbowl Inventory has been the most frequently requested inventory solution for QuickBooks users for more than a decade. As small-to-medium companies grow and face increasing competition, the flexible cost-effective combination of QuickBooks and Fishbowl grows alongside SMBs regardless of the industry sector. These smaller firms need the same kind of inventory management large organizations enjoy at a more affordable price.
Fishbowl offers custom reports, custom shopping cart integrations, custom data integration, and database-related application linking and eliminates data entry errors. With simple features of barcode scanning, companies easily receive inventory into systems or records as it comes off the carrier vehicle, make adjustments to quantities being received, and easily enter tracking information in real time. Fishbowl software significantly increases accuracy and worker productivity.
Mary Michelle Scott, President


text:
She was the help. For 7 years she served my father, my siblings and the little me. She cooked some of the best meals I've had growing up. But she was more than a help with an apron and a turner. She was exceptional. She was loved. She was a friend.
A few days ago, I saw her for the first time after 29 years, old but still standing. No sight of walkers, cushions, or canes to support her.
She welcomed me in her apartment in Scarborough which she described as "small" but I didn't agree. It was big and spacious. It had a living room, a dining table, a kitchen, a flat screen TV, a laptop, and an aquarium. Its walls where white and fresh. The cabinets were teemed with plants, dolls and photos of her and her daughter.
We had a reunion dinner, a hearty meal of pancit, monggo, beef caldereta, fried fish and fruit salad, all staples of the Filipino table, prepared with years of experience.
She told me stories of the past and mentioned names that sounded familiar. Elsa, Len, Bito, Pipin, Rene, Kola, Maricon. All gone but remembered.
She showed me photos of Rocky, our beloved dog. She took care of him as she took care of us.
She sat beside me, put her hand over my head and prayed for me, my family and my health.
Her daughter told me, "Nanay loves your family dearly". And we love her too.
I stood outside the bus station in Mississauga and looked at the final hours of the sun setting, giving way to a night sky lidded with clouds. It was difficult saying goodbye. Who knows when I'll see her and her daughter again?
She may have been a help, but now she's here in Canada, with a beautiful home, a nice kitchen, and a comfortable bed, living the life she deserves to live.


text:
Welcome to Firewalls.com
A complete, affordable, out-of-box compliance solution, SonicWALL® Web Application Firewall Service leverages your existing infrastructure as a licensable add-on module to the SonicWALL Secure Remote Access platform.
At a Glance:
» Open Web Application Security Project
As Web 2.0 applications emerge as the platform of choice for businesses and consumers, they increasingly become a target for criminal attacks such as SQL injection, parameter manipulation, cross-site scripting and Denial-of-Service (DoS). While small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly adopting a Web presence, they often lack the in-house capabilities to keep up with the rapidly evolving challenges of Web security. Regulatory compliance mandates make Web application attacks particularly onerous for financial, healthcare, and application service providers, as well as e-commerce businesses.
A complete, affordable, out-of-box compliance solution, SonicWALL® Web Application Firewall Service leverages your existing infrastructure as a licensable add-on module to the SonicWALL Secure Remote Access platform. Utilizing a dynamically updated signature database to detect sophisticated Web-based attacks and protect Web applications including SSL VPN portals, SonicWALL Web Application Firewall Service applies reverse proxy analysis of Layer 7 traffic against known signatures, denies access upon detecting Web application malware, and redirects users to an explanatory error page.
|» Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10 Vulnerability Protection addresses leading security risks based on prevalence and severity of attacks, as included in PCI DSS 6.6 and other industry standards.
|» Acceleration features include content caching, compression and connection multiplexing, and improve the performance of protected Web sites, significantly reducing transactional costs.
|» Cross-site request forgery protection blocks this sophisticated type of Web site attack.
|» Comprehensive audit log makes logging and reporting available for auditing, compliance and reporting purposes.
|» Flexible policy settings enable administrators to apply signature settings based on threat severity as well as set Exclusion List per signature.
|» Session management allows administrators to set global timeouts based on user inactivity.
|» Anti-evasion measures normalize requests (e.g., standardizing encoded or suspect character sets or path names) prior to analysis.
|» HTTPS inspection can block attacks embedded into SSL-encrypted packets.
|» Strong Authentication and Authorization to any internal or external Web site (e.g. e-commerce Web sites). This supports compliance initiatives by preventing unauthorized access to your internal and external Web sites. Authentication support includes token-based two-factor authentication, client certificate authentication and tokenless one-time passwords. Granular Access Policies can authorize access to various Web servers based on Hostname, Subnet, IP Address, Port and URL Path.
|» Robust dashboard provides an easy-to-use Web-based management interface featuring status page overview of all monitoring and blocking activities such as signature database status information and threats detected and prevented since boot-up.
|» Information disclosure protection can block access to Web sites containing administrator-defined keywords or phrases, preventing leakage of sensitive information.
|» Automatic signature updates ensure up-to-date protection by enabling administrators to schedule automatic updates for Web application malware signatures.
Shopping Options
Please wait...
{{var product.name}}
has been added to your cart


text:
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: In-Law(s) (05/08/08)
- TITLE: Following Love
By Ruth Neilson
He was a pastor, and his parents couldn't stand the idea of their brilliant, funny son serving others. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly as he pulled the gifted RV curbside to his parents' house. He could almost hear the war of words now. He could only pray that Susanne had the packing done so that there would be a smooth escape.
He sucked in a deep breath and breathed a prayer as he slowly began to walk towards the building that was once his home.
Strings of a conversation filtered through an open window, his mothers shrill voice was slowly overwhelming Susanne's gentle voice.
Momma was speaking. "I've found him a perfectly good job here..."
"That's not the problem, Mother. In fact we appreciate it. But it's just time for us to return--"
"To what? A shambled life and a town that has nothing to offer you?"
There was a pause and Charles hesitated. He had never actually been a witness to one of these infamous battles—he had only heard about them later...much later.
"The high school is opening up so I need to be there. And our church has asked Charlie to come back."
Charles could almost picture his mother's face turning scarlet, her nostrils flaring in anger.
"How dare you drag Charles back to that forsaken town just for your career?! It's not going to help him further his own--"
Susanne snorted and Charles smiled in spite of himself, as she continued. "You actually think that that I'm putting my desires before God's calling on your son's life? Mother, I love your son and he loves me, but not because I have such a glamorous job teaching in a high school nor because he is a preacher. I love him for who he is."
Charles held his breath for a long moment as silence filled the air. The birds even seemed to fall silent as Susanne's voice dropped an octave. "When we got married, we promised each other to be there for better or for worse. The hurricane was possibly the lowest spot we've been in as of yet. But, we clung to each other and to God. And now, we're hearing His voice once again. Mother, it's time for us to go home."
Charles took advantage of the lull in the conversation and swiftly entered the house. With an impish skill of a nine year old, he crept down the hallway and plastered himself against the wall to listen some more.
"What home? Your 'God' has destroyed everything that you two have ever worked for. At least here, Charles has a job waiting on him that <i>I</i> found for him, which is more than you've done."
Charles blinked several times in confusion. He tried to keep him mouth closed, but the words just tumbled out. "Momma, I appreciate your concern for us, but God has us firmly in His hands."
Susanne's smile beamed from across the room at him and Charles found himself sucking in a deep breath as his mother's face contorted into an all too familiar mask.
"But where will you live? There are no houses down there..." She asked, her voice becoming sugary sweet.
Charles smiled faintly as he nodded once to Susanne to grab her suitcase as he bent down to grab his own. "Momma, God's blessed us with a RV, equipped beyond our dreams, free of charge. We wanted to make this an easy good-bye...but..." Charles sighed and Susanne picked up. "I don't see how with you not allowing us to go and follow what God wants us to do."
Charles took Susanne's empty hand and simply guided her past his mother and out of the house. Tenderly, he helped her up into their storm battered truck and then climbed up into it himself.
"Did you tell her that we were…?" Charles finally asked, breaking the silence. Susanne shook her head once, resting her hands on her smooth stomach.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.


text:
HandCraft Artisan Collection
DFV Wines introduced the HandCraft Artisan Collection, a portfolio of California wines tailored to fit the lifestyle of busy modern women, the company says. The collection includes four varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Petite Sirah. Created by third-generation winemaker Cheryl Indelicato and veteran winemaker Alicia Ysais, the wines are fruit-forward, distinct and pair well with food, the company says. HandCraft will donate $1 for every bottle purchased, up to $100,000, to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The suggested retail price for a 750-ml. bottle is $14.99.
DFV Wines, Napa, Calif.
Internet: www.handcraftwines.com
Distribution: Nationwide