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By Dr Christopher Kuner
On the occasion of International Data Protection Day on the 28th of January, I would like to explore how European data protection law can become more efficient and effective, and better tailored to the needs of individuals.
The European Commission's proposal of January 2012 to reform EU data protection law has been the subject of intense discussion. It had been hoped that the legislative process would be completed by now, but the EU institutions have yet to agree on a final text. With upcoming elections to the European Parliament and selection of a new European Commission later in 2014, finalization of the proposal may be delayed by European politics, which provides the chance to reconsider how the law needs to change.
Since its development in the late 1990s, EU data protection law has become both indispensible and unsupportable. Indispensible, because the central and ubiquitous role of personal data processing has made a strong legal framework crucial both to protect the rights of individuals and to allow the development of the digital economy. And unsupportable, because the current framework delivers a poor level of compliance; is confusing for both individuals and data controllers; and is difficult to apply and understand in practice.
These problems have long been recognized, but a consensus on how to remedy them has yet to emerge. Attempts at reform (including both legislative proposals and papers developed by experts and think tanks) have often suffered from various flaws. For example, excessive attention has been paid to a small number of important normative questions (e.g., what constitutes personal data, and the distinction between data controllers and data processors) that has distracted attention from achieving a high level of compliance in practice. Some initiatives have also suggested amendment of the underlying principles of the law, even though they are anchored in the constitutional framework of the EU and are not subject to change.
Many proposals (including the one from the Commission) contain laudable elements, but their structure and language are too complex for individuals to understand and apply. There has also been a "flavor of the month" approach to reform, with attention focused for political reasons on specific sectors or types of data processing (e.g., search engines, online social networks, cloud computing etc.), while other issues of equal or greater importance have received less attention.
Finally, the EU data protection framework is comprised of a combination of different directives, case law, Commission decisions, recommendations of data protection regulators etc., the interface between which can be difficult to understand even for experts. And the broad exemptions in data protection law for areas such as data processing by law enforcement leave large gaps in protection.
It is time to explore a new approach to reform of the EU data protection framework that would result in legal instruments that can be understood by ordinary individuals, and focuses on their needs. This means that main concerns should include intelligibility and the avoidance of jargon, as well as allowing individuals to assert their rights easily and effectively.
The fundamental normative rules of data protection law have proven their worth, and attention should be focused on how effective compliance approaches can be implemented. This means that greater attention should be paid to the developing standardized compliance tools (checklists, training procedures etc.); facilitating the recognition of codes of practice and trustmarks; using technological solutions to protect privacy; and working with existing institutions in other areas with strong ties to individuals and data controllers (e.g., local chambers of commerce and consumer protection organizations). The compliance needs of smaller organizations have also been largely overlooked, and more attention should be devoted to helping them integrate data protection into their everyday practices.
A legal framework for data protection should avoid inflation in the number of legislative instruments; provide better coordination between the different sources of law; and avoid wide-ranging exemptions from the rules. A key concern in this regard should be to develop a framework that provides legal certainty for individuals, data controllers, and regulators. More imagination should also be shown to involve the public in the drafting of legislation (e.g., through the use of focus groups or wikis).
These goals will have to be addressed if the EU is to adopt a data protection framework that is future-proof, protective of individual rights, and supportive of the digital economy.
Dr. Christopher Kuner is editor-in-chief of the journal International Data Privacy Law. He is author of European Data Protection Law: Corporate Compliance and Regulation, and the new book Transborder Data Flow Regulation and Data Privacy Law. Dr. Kuner is associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, an Honorary Fellow of the Centre for European Legal Studies, University of Cambridge, and Senior Of Counsel at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Brussels.
To read more on data privacy, Oxford Journals has made a collection of papers on the topic free to access for a limited time.
Combining thoughtful, high level analysis with a practical approach, International Data Privacy Law has a global focus on all aspects of privacy and data protection, including data processing at a company level, international data transfers, civil liberties issues (e.g., government surveillance), technology issues relating to privacy, international security breaches, and conflicts between US privacy rules and European data protection law.
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Image credit: Many red opened locks around one closed blue lock. By maxkabakov via iStockphoto.


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Happy Thursday !! What started off as a dreary miserable day has turned into a beautiful sunny afternoon.
I have just made this card using products in the Simon Says Stamp May 'Happily Ever After' Kit
I think I am going to wear out these Stitched Rectangle Dies !!
Thanks for looking :-)
I just love all the foiled papers in there and the stickers ! I never thought I would say that, but these stickers are gorgeous and no comparison to the stickers of old ;-) LOVE LOVE LOVE the new Pale Blush Pink ink pad too, we can never have too much colour in our lives can we girls :-)
Challenges :
Sketch Saturday Sketch
FanTastic Tuesday Anything Goes + Twine
Cards In Envy Pretty In Pink
Hope you all have a great weekend :-)
Happy Crafting
Luv Lols x x x

subset: commoncrawl


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Recur iPhone App Helps You Manage Repetitive Tasks
Most to-do apps suffer from the same problem, which is that there are far more things you could — and would like to — do than there are hours in a day. For me, that means that the vast majority of items on my to-do list merely slouch around at the bottom, mocking me forever with their un-doneness. But juggling my task list in my head doesn't mean I'm ineffective — TidBITS comes out each week, Take Control books get published, the business keeps running — and while I'm not always as timely as I'd like, I don't believe I'm disappointing people through utter inaction.
That said, I've run across a particular iPhone to-do app — the $1.99 Recur from Grailr — that turns the concept of a to-do list on its head in surprising and compelling way, so much so that Recur has earned one of the coveted spots on the home screen of my iPhone. (Although Recur works on the iPad, it's truly an iPhone app, and merely scales itself up for the iPad screen. Before you ask, no, there's no syncing of data between copies of the app.)
Standard to-do lists are aspirational — they hold things you must do, should do, or would like to do, along with those jobs you don't want to do at all, but feel you shouldn't forget. Grailr ignored such fanciful flights of future possibility, and instead designed Recur to support those repetitive tasks and activities that underpin our lives. (To be fair, the company has another app, the $1.99 CARROT To-Do, that's more of a traditional to-do app, albeit one with a sadistic personality that rewards you for completing tasks and gets upset with you for slacking off.)
More specifically, Recur helps you focus on those things that you may not think to do on your own or that aren't better handled by a calendar app. You probably don't need to be reminded to make dinner or brush your teeth, since hunger pangs make it hard to forget eating, and something like brushing your teeth is easy to turn into a nightly habit. And while date-related tasks like taking out the recycling every other Wednesday night need tracking, they're what apps like Calendar and BusyCal are designed to handle.
But what about watering houseplants, which should be done every week, doing some physical therapy for an injury every day or two, or just working out a few times per week? All of these need to happen regularly, so putting them on a traditional to-do list would likely involve a lot of interaction and clutter, and since they don't need to be completed on a highly specific schedule, a calendar program would just be annoying. And yet, you want to know which of these activities you should do at any given point, it's useful to have a small amount of nagging, and it's nice to get a sense of completion in the short term and accomplishment in the long term.
Here's my situation. I've been recovering from a bad case of plantar fasciitis since October 2012. I've finally hit the point where I can run several days per week again, but for the last 8 months, I've been working daily on strength and flexibility, both to aid recovery and to reduce the likelihood of injury once I'm running seriously again. I've built up a variety of routines, none of which needs to be done every day, but which I should rotate through. Look at the screenshots below, and I'll explain what's so cool about Recur.
Recur has one main screen, which shows your tasks. You add a new one by tapping the + button or pulling the list down; a new task needs only a name. Once an item is created, you mark it as done by swiping to the right on its name; in the right-hand screenshot, I'm noting that I did my foot/ankle strengthening exercises. That increments the number inside the green circle so you can see how many times you've accomplished the task, updates the last-done date, and moves the item to the top of the list.
Tapping an item's name reveals four buttons, as you can see in the Bodyweight Exercises line above. Here's what they do:
- The green refresh button works like swiping to the right, except you can choose the date on which the action happened, which is handy when you forget to record something on the spot.
- The orange information button shows the task's history, which is useful for seeing how regular you've been. You can also swipe to the left on any history item to delete it, if you added it accidentally. You cannot edit the dates and times of history entries, which would be nice; the workaround is to remove and recreate them manually.
The blue alarm clock button lets you set a reminder, which can either occur once or repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. (Other options, such as every other day, would be welcome but would increase the app's complexity.) When an item has a reminder, the blue alarm clock icon replaces the green circle around the number of times you've accomplished the task. The alarm clock turns red after you've dismissed the notification and stays that way until you mark the task as done — clearly I need to do my calf stretches, and I should water the plants this weekend.
The red X button does double duty, letting you either delete a task entirely, or decrement its number by one, deleting the most recent history entry and returning the task to its previous position in the list. It's easy to swipe the wrong task accidentally, so I use the decrement feature fairly often.
What I appreciate about Recur is that I can glance at the app in the morning and see which of my exercises are settling toward the bottom of the list and should thus receive some attention. And if I talk to a coach or therapist about what I've been doing, I don't have to guess at how often I've done the exercises I was assigned.
I've tried a variety of ways of logging such information, ranging from paper to a Google Docs spreadsheet, and no system has ever stuck, thanks to being too much work, too messy, or just plain unsatisfying. I won't pretend that using Recur is a major reward, but I do get a tiny thrill of accomplishment when recording a task as done and seeing it leap to the top of the list. And when it comes to those chores you know you should do but have trouble mustering the enthusiasm for, any little boost helps.


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—Data from nearly 3,000 children shows dietary exposure to certain plastics may play a hidden role in epidemic increases in childhood hypertension—
Newswise — NEW YORK, May 22, 2013. Plastic additives known as phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are odorless, colorless and just about everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, beach balls, plastic wrap, intravenous tubing and—according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the bodies of most Americans. Once perceived as harmless, phthalates have come under increasing scrutiny. A growing collection of evidence suggests dietary exposure to phthalates (which can leech from packaging and mix with food) may cause significant metabolic and hormonal abnormalities, especially during early development.
Now, new research published this Wednesday in The Journal of Pediatrics suggests that certain types of phthalates could pose another risk to children: compromised heart health. Drawing on data from a nationally representative survey of nearly 3,000 children and teens, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Washington and Penn State University School of Medicine, have documented for the first time a connection between dietary exposure to DEHP (di-2-ethyhexylphthalate), a common class of phthalate widely used in industrial food production, and elevated systolic blood pressure, a measure of pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts.
"Phthalates can inhibit the function of cardiac cells and cause oxidative stress that compromises the health of arteries. But no one has explored the relationship between phthalate exposure and heart health in children" says lead author Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, associate professor of pediatrics, environmental medicine and population health at NYU Langone Medical Center. "We wanted to examine the link between phthalates and childhood blood pressure in particular given the increase in elevated blood pressure in children and the increasing evidence implicating exposure to environmental exposures in early development of disease."
Hypertension is clinically defined as a systolic blood-pressure reading above 140 mm Hg. It's most common in people over 50 years old, although the condition is becoming increasingly prevalent among children owing to the global obesity epidemic. Recent national surveys indicate that 14 percent of American adolescents now have pre-hypertension or hypertension. "Obesity is driving the trend but our findings suggest that environmental factors may also be a part of the problem," says Dr. Trasande. "This is important because phthalate exposure can be controlled through regulatory and behavioral interventions."
Researchers from NYU School of Medicine, the University of Washington and Penn State University School of Medicine examined six years of data from a nationally representative survey of the U.S. population administered by the National Centers for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Phthalates were measured in urine samples using standard analysis techniques. Controlling for a number of potential confounders, including race, socioeconomic status, body mass index, caloric intake and activity levels, the researchers found that every three-fold increase in the level of breakdown products of DEHP in urine correlated with a roughly one-millimeter mercury increase in a child's blood pressure. "That increment may seem very modest at an individual level, but on a population level such shifts in blood pressure can increase the number of children with elevated blood pressure substantially," says Dr. Trasande. "Our study underscores the need for policy initiatives that limit exposure to disruptive environmental chemicals, in combination with dietary and behavioral interventions geared toward protecting cardiovascular health."
This research was made possible through the generous support of KiDs of NYU Langone, an organization of parents, physicians, and friends that supports children's health services at New York University Langone Medical Center through philanthropy, community service, and advocacy.
About NYU Langone Medical CenterNYU Langone Medical Center, a world-class, patient-centered, integrated, academic medical center, is one on the nation's premier centers for excellence in clinical care, biomedical research and medical education. Located in the heart of Manhattan, NYU Langone is composed of four hospitals – Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute care facility; the Hospital for Joint Diseases, one of only five hospitals in the nation dedicated to orthopaedics and rheumatology; Hassenfeld Pediatric Center, a comprehensive pediatric hospital supporting a full array of children's health services; and Rusk Rehabilitation, ranked the best rehabilitation program in New York and one of the top ten in the country since 1989, when U.S. News & World Report introduced its annual "Best Hospitals" rankings– plus NYU School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history. The medical center's tri-fold mission to serve, teach and discover is achieved 365 days a year through the seamless integration of a culture devoted to excellence in patient care, education and research. For more information, go to www.NYULMC.org.


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Flood Restoration in Ennis, Texas, 75119, (972) 316-9765
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Towers Restoration and Cleaning of Ennis, TX, 75119's professional crews will evaluate your property using digital moisture reading meters and thermal imaging cameras so that we can determine where the water has migrated to and we start a loss mitigation process to contain and preserve the areas that got the brunt of the leak. How long it will take to remove the water and dry your property depends solely on the type of equipment is needed, sometimes it's as simple as extracting and drying and other times we must use special processes to get to hard to reach areas behind walls and under floorboards. Our Flood Damage Restoration Company will remove anything that needs to be destroyed dispose of it properly per OSHA standard, then reconstruct any damaged areas using the closest material for the replacement value allotted. Trust the company that has been doing restorations for more than 25 years, that means more than 2 decades of satisfied clients. Contact us with any flood water restoration projects at (972) 316-9765.
At the time of flooding, water damage will begin to absorb into your building materials at an alarming rate. Extracting water after a flood as soon as possible reduces the damage and moisture that creates the perfect environment for mold. Clean water will begin to develop microorganisms like mold and fungi in 48 hours. But our Flood Restoration and Drying Company knows that with flooding from ground water it will immediately bring these microorganisms into the home. If you are unsure of the category of water you are facing, your best bet is to consider it pathogenic and immediately call a Flood Restoration and Drying Service before it creates unnecessary health risks. Quick response by calling Towers Restoration and Cleaning at (972) 316-9765 is of great importance if the damages are to be contained safely.
If your Ennis, Texas, 75119 home suffered from a flood and water damage is now visible call Towers Restoration and Cleaning today for a professional team of water damage experts to assist you in your time of need. Our Flood Damage Restoration Service will carefully evaluate the damages and implement our certification and techniques for cleanup and total restoration of the property. Call us immediately upon first onset of water and flood damage at (972) 316-9765 so that we can help with the flood restoration process.
Towers Restoration and Cleaning of Towers Restoration and Cleaning in Ennis, Texas, 75119 knows that water can appear inside a property from indoor or outside sources. Excessive rain or snow melting can over saturate the water tables in on the property, resulting in hydro-static pressure. Hydro-static pressure occurs when the moisture levels on the outside of the basement or foundation wall exceeds the amount of pressure inside the structure. Our professional Flood Restoration and Drying Service studies how water will naturally seek the lower pressure area causing foundation leaks or cracks. Our teams can be dispatched immediately upon receiving your call when you have water in your basement. Available 24 hours night and day at (972) 316-9765.


text: Employment OpportunitiesThank you for your interest in a career with Shaw University!For current opportunities, search openings. To be considered for faculty employment, a candidate who meets job opening qualifications must also provide: An application cover letter with statements of teaching philosophy and research interests Unofficial transcripts (for application review only).Three current letters of reference. Any additional documents required by a specific job posting. When requested, order "Official" transcript(s) of the highest graduate-level degree received (as required by the job posting qualifications) to be MAILED/ELECTRONICALLY SENT DIRECTLY FROM the institution(s) DIRECTLY TO the Shaw University Human Resources Department. For example: A job posting qualification requiring a Ph.D. requires an official transcript from the institution awarding the Ph.D. degree, and the transcript must be mailed/electronically sent from the awarding institution directly to: Human Resources Department Shaw University 118 E. South Street Raleigh, NC 27601 OR email@example.com Hand-delivered sealed transcripts will not be considered official and cannot be accepted. Candidates are personally responsible for any potential travel and/or relocation expenses incurred. Shaw does not provide relocation expenses or visa sponsorship expenses. We consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.


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A Michigan Supreme Court justice accused of bank fraud denied the allegation Friday, but didn't explain why she and her husband temporarily transferred a debt-free Florida home to a relative while they asked a bank to allow a short sale on their home in Michigan.
The court filing was Justice Diane Hathaway's first formal response to a Nov. 19 lawsuit by the federal government, which is seeking to seize the Florida home as the illegal fruit of bank fraud and money laundering.
Hathaway and husband, Michael Kingsley, are not charged with a crime. But the government said they cheated ING Bank by not disclosing the Florida house deal while applying for a short sale on their principal residence in Grosse Pointe Park, near Detroit.
The bank agreed to a sale for less than what was owed on the Michigan property, a transaction that erased $600,000 in mortgage debt for the couple, according to the government.
Hathaway and Kingsley don't deny that the Windermere, Fla., house was transferred back to them by Kingsley's daughter after the Michigan property's sale. At issue is why Hathaway and Kingsley didn't disclose to the bank the initial transfer.
Attorney Steve Fishman said in a court filing that the form filled out by the couple didn't ask about recently transferred assets.
"ING knew about and inquired about the (Florida) property during the short sale process and either did learn or could easily have learned about the property transfer," Fishman said. "Whether ING did or did not learn about the property transfer, it is obvious that the transfer had no impact on ING's decision to approve the short sale."
ING has not returned repeated phone and email messages seeking comment. U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, whose office filed the lawsuit, said she won't talk about the case.
Republicans have called on Hathaway, a Democrat, to resign, but she has declined. She was elected to the Supreme Court in 2008 in an upset victory over a Republican chief justice. Republicans control the court, 4-3.


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EDMONTON, Alberta, March 17 (UPI) -- Edmonton's Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves, including 13 in the third period, and the Oilers kept Nashville on the skids with a 3-2 win over the Predators Sunday.
Dubnyk held Nashville at bay down the stretch as the Oilers got third-period goals from Lennart Petrell and Jordan Eberle to break open a 1-1 contest.
Petrell's go-ahead goal midway through the final frame came as Edmonton was shorthanded and provided the momentum the Oilers needed to log their third victory in four games.
Shea Weber and Roman Josi scored for Nashville, which dropped all three games of a Western Canada road swing.
Pekka Rinne made 18 stops for the Predators.


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When Donald Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense, he coined some phrases about knowledge that apply far beyond military matters.
Secretary Rumsfeld pointed out that there are some things that we know that we know. He called those "known knowns." We may, for example, know how many aircraft carriers some other country has. We may also know that they have troops and tanks, without knowing how many. In Rumsfeld's phrase, that would be an "unknown known" — a gap in our knowledge that we at least know exists.
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Finally, there are things we don't even know exist, much less anything about them. These are "unknown unknowns" — and they are the most dangerous. We had no clue, for example, when dawn broke on September 11, 2001, that somebody was going to fly two commercial airliners into the World Trade Center that day.
There are similar kinds of gaps in our knowledge in the economy. Unfortunately, our own government creates uncertainties that can paralyze the economy, especially when these uncertainties take the form of "unknown unknowns."
The short-run quick fixes that seem so attractive to so many politicians, and to many in the media, create many unknowns that make investors reluctant to invest and employers reluctant to employ. Politicians may only look as far ahead as the next election, but investors have to look ahead for as many years as it will take for their investments to start bringing in some money.
The net result is that both our financial institutions and our businesses have had record amounts of cash sitting idle while millions of people can't find jobs. Ordinarily these institutions make money by investing money and hiring workers. Why not now?
Because numerous and unpredictable government interventions create many unknowns, including "unknown unknowns."
The quick fix that got both Democrats and Republicans off the hook with a temporary bipartisan tax compromise, several months ago, leaves investors uncertain as to what the tax rate will be when any money they invest today starts bringing in a return in another two or three or ten years.
It is known that there will be taxes but nobody knows what the tax rate will be then.
Some investors can send their investment money to foreign countries, where the tax rate is already known, is often lower than the tax rate in the United States and — perhaps even more important — is not some temporary, quick-fix compromise that is going to expire before their investments start earning a return.
Although more foreign investments were coming into the United States, a few years ago, than there were American investments going to foreign countries, today it is just the reverse. American investors are sending more of their money out of the country than foreign investors are sending here.
Since 2009, according to the Wall Street Journal, "the U.S. has lost more than $200 billion in investment capital." They add: "That is the equivalent of about two million jobs that don't exist on these shores and are now located in places like China, Germany and India."
President Obama's rhetoric deplores such "outsourcing," but his administration's policies make outsourcing an ever more attractive alternative to investing in the United States and creating American jobs.
Blithely piling onto American businesses both known costs like more taxes and unknowable costs — such as the massive ObamaCare mandates that are still evolving — provides more incentives for investors to send their money elsewhere to escape the hassles.
Hardly a month goes by without this administration coming up with a new anti-business policy — whether directed against Boeing, banks or other private enterprises. Neither investors nor employers can know when the next one is coming or what it will be. These are unknown unknowns.
Such anti-business policies would just be business' problem, except that it is businesses that create jobs.
The biggest losers from creating an adverse business climate may not be businesses themselves — especially not big businesses, which can readily invest more of their money overseas. The biggest losers are likely to be working people in America, who cannot just relocate to Europe or Asia to take the jobs created there by American multinational corporations.


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What are some decorating ideas?
For family reunions you probably won't need many decorations. If anything you can put up some family photos, streamers and balloons. If you choose to add a theme to your party then you can plan decorations according to your theme. High School reunions are generally more elaborate. You should start by decorating everything in the school's colors. You can also hang up graduation gowns, old school team jerseys, and blown up photos from your high school years. Try laying out yearbooks on every table for guests to reminisce over. You can even have someone dress up as the school mascot. Make sure to have a banner that says something like "Welcome to Hamilton High School's 10 Year Reunion".


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American Forum
A Conversation with Ryan Crocker and James Schlesinger
Gerald L Baliles, Ryan Crocker, James R Schlesinger
Event Details
RYAN C. CROCKER, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan, and JAMES R. SCHLESINGER, who served as both secretary of defense and energy, will take part in a wide-ranging conversation on foreign affairs covering a broad range of topics including the Middle East and Asia, defense and diplomacy, and the state of American politics. The session will be moderated by Miller Center director and CEO GERALD L. BALILES, and a question and answer period with the audience will follow.
Ryan C. Crocker is the 2013 James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center. He holds the diplomatic rank of career ambassador, the U.S. Foreign Service's highest rank. He served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 and U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009. He previously served as U.S. ambassador to Pakistan from 2004 to 2007; to Syria from 1998 to 2001; to Kuwait from 1994 to 1997; and to Lebanon from 1990 to 1993.
James R. Schlesinger served as secretary of defense under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and as the nation's first energy secretary under President Jimmy Carter. He also held leadership roles with the Central Intelligence Agency and the Atomic Energy Commission during a distinguished career in public service. Schlesinger taught economics at U.Va. from 1955 to 1963.
Limited public seating for this event will be available on a first come, first served basis.
2201 Old Ivy Rd
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Gerald L Baliles
Ryan Crocker
James R Schlesinger


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1. To repair the hacked-up body of this '56 Esquire, I cut replacement pieces from old ash and shaped them to graft back into the guitar. 2. Today's commercial
1. To repair the hacked-up body of this '56 Esquire, I cut replacement pieces from old ash and
shaped them to graft back into the guitar. 2. Today's commercial routing templates have larger
pickup and channel holes than Fender used in 1956, so I had to make my own custom acrylic
template using a mint '51 Esquire as a reference. 3. The '56 body after patching and routing. 4.
We auditioned compensated brass replacement saddles, but returned to these original, noncompensated
steel saddles. They just sounded better on this guitar. 5. Back from the dead: The
restored '56 Esquire in all its vibey glory.
Never have I seen a rare guitar come to us so completely destroyed. This '56 Esquire—a real piece of Fender history— had been mangled beyond comprehension.
Someone had drilled screws (some as long as 4") into the body to hold previously broken sections of ash wood into place, and then added insult to injury by slapping deep wads of grayish-blue Bondo putty on it. The body was stained shamrock green, and it looked as if the original finish had been removed using a power sander and 60-grit paper because the Esquire's distinctive edges were rounded over. Despite all of this, I still could not bring myself to throw out the body and trade it in for a replacement.
The original bridge and neck pickups were intact, but they too were in need of in-depth restoration. Admittedly, I was getting some odd looks in the shop. The general vibe was, "Are you really sure you're making the right call taking this project?" But the client brought the guitar in to get restored, so that's just what we did.
Over the years, I've set aside old, small scraps of ash at the shop, and they sure came in handy for doing grafts into the damaged areas of this broken-down body. The original body routes from the early '50s were definitely smaller compared to any templates in production today. I did not want to enlarge the pickup routes and other channels to today's standards, so I took a '51 Fender Esquire, carefully measured it, and designed a full-body acrylic routing template from material I purchased at Home Depot. My reference '51 was in mint condition, so as you can imagine, I used extreme caution as I measured each route.
After the ash grafts were glued into a laminate, I used a plunge router to finalize the cut and then feathered in the new wood pieces. Once I'd repaired the body, I knew it needed to be finished in an opaque color to cover the grafted sections of wood. We chose black, and decided to spray a nitrocellulose finish to mimic what was used in '56. I got my finishing supplies and tools from Stewart McDonald (stewmac.com).
We couldn't save the bridge pickup coil because the inner wire was corroded around the magnetic pole pieces. So we rewound it and then cosmetically aged the solder joints to make them appear vintage. As a final touch, we rewrapped the original outer rope around the coil to give it that "never been touched" look.
There were a few issues with the neck. Its frets were destroyed, it needed a new nut, and the fretboard had a couple of 1/4" holes drilled into the wood. The final step to restoring the neck was finding the correct year of decal that was accurate to the very last detail. With patience and tenacity, and by addressing the challenges one by one, we finally revived the neck as well.
Here's an intriguing tonal insight: When the client came in to check out the completed guitar with a few of his guitar guru friends, they were pleased with the visual and sonic aspects of the resuscitated Esquire. Both acoustically and amplified, it had a full, yet chimey bell-like tone.
The client wanted us to try replacing the original hardened-steel saddles with precompensated brass saddles to improve intonation. So we did, and the sonic result was a real eye-opener. The brass saddles altered the guitar's tone in a major way, compressing the midrange and giving the instrument a generic sound. In the past, I've had very good results using the compensated brass saddles, but when all of us were in the room and heard the tonal change, it was 100 percent unanimous—the original hardened- steel saddles needed to go back on.
This Esquire serves as a reminder that each guitar needs to be restored on an individual basis. Guitars have unique voices, so just because a specific part sounds good in one guitar, that doesn't mean we can expect it to work as well in another.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!


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(visited by Michel Dupuis, Colette Coutin, Jean François Coutin, Anne Marie Dupuis, Rodrigue Boubata and Stephane Meanza)
03-Aug-2008 -- Our visit to confluence point 1S 10E had been decided as a one-day expedition from Libreville and back: first leg by 4x4 to Lambaréné and second leg hiring a pirogue to Lake Onangué.
Driving the 237 km of the main road from Libreville to Lambaréné in only 3 hours is not an easy job, even if "Grumier" trucks are forbidden on the road on weekends. But this main road is sometimes as good as European roads in the years 1970, and sometimes full of horrible unadvertised deep holes, and real walls in the tar between "new" and "old" parts of the road.
Having left Libreville at 7:10, we were anyway in Lambaréné, Ogooué Palace Hotel, at 10:10 for pirogue negotiation. The pirogue manager considered our target point was "reachable" and after half an hour waiting for him to find a pirogue, and a "piroguier", we spent another half an hour negotiating the price, and the deal was done.
We left the "hotel pier" at 11:15, but... without enough petrol, and thus had to start by a stop at the petrol station, which is at the same time the fish market. There was surely petrol there, but no oil, which meant so extra time for another pirogue searching oil for us. We finally left the petrol station pier at 11:40.
We went downstream on the main Ogooué stream on a 47 km/h steady speed run until Ompomouena, and there turned left towards a small arm of the river, circling south of Evaro lake, and we emerged on Onangué lake in its middle at 12:35.
A sudden stop of ten minutes was necessary as we went out of petrol, but the extra tank was there, and the navigation resumed. We finally arrived on the spot at 13:00, having crossed the lake east to west and circled around some islands.
The confluence point is in the water, less than one hundred meters from the lakeshore, in a quite nice place. After taking the necessary pictures, we landed on a small beach beside for picnic, and champagne!
For the trip back, we left the beach at 13:50 and went back through the northern part of Onangué lake, through a small canal to the Ogooué, and then upstream at 41 km/h to Lambaréné where we arrived at 15:20.
We met some other pirogues and boats on the Ogooué, but at the remote part of this 120 km roundabout pirogue trip, we were really the only ones in the area, which seems to be visited only by some fishermen living in small villages around the lake.
We then had a visit to Lambaréné historical hospital and were back in Libreville after a quite exhausting run ending in the night at Libreville.
As one can see on the record of the pirogue track, the Google earth map doesn't perfectly fit with the GPS records, and should be readjusted some 250 meters southwest.


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I live in Canada with a German passport and a student visa. From a recent climbing trip to the US I still have this green I94-W form in my passport. I didn't surrender it on leaving the US back to Canada, because I expected to come back for another climbing trip relatively soon.
That trip got postponed a few times, and now the situation is that the I94-W would expire while I'm on the trip. That is, it would still be valid on entry, but not on exit.
Can I apply for a new I94-W at the border crossing, or can these Visa waivers not be extended back-to-back?


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"Restoring Alternation" - A Guide to Awareness & Modification of Habitual Patterns of Postural Behavior
This guide has been put together to help bring awareness to the activities that we perform regularly in our daily lives. This 16-page guide outlines several daily activities which are commonly performed in dominant or patterned positions, and demonstrates alternate ways and instruction to perform them. Copies of this guide can be purchased through the Institute, to provide and discuss with your patients and clients, the importance of decreasing the over-dominance of one side of the body, and using both your left and right sides with alternation and balance.
CLICK HERE for a preview of what's inside this guide!


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Order In The Library is a fun little game about…putting library books in order.
It was created by a computer science class at the University of Texas in cooperation with the school librarians in the Austin, TX Independent School District.
I've added it to The Best Sites To Teach ELL's About Libraries.
Thanks to Keisa Williams for the tip via Twitter.


text: "24/7," Part One! In the aftermath of Spidey's Fantastic Four voyage, his whole world is turned upside down by the new rules of the world. The good news is that after all these years, Spider-Man finally gets the upper hand on J. Jonah Jameson--but it's gonna cost him, particularly with the all-new Vulture winging into town! Plus--Peter drops by Aunt May's house for the shock of his life! Set your faces to stun! Rated A ...$2.99


text: Hello Mark, Thursday, January 3, 2008, 6:40:13 PM, you wrote: it would be hard to understand overlap without knowing both systems. you will believe that you understand it, but things will go strange ways :) > I do not necessarily disagree.... > But if I can identify the overlap....then I have leant the overlap...on > the cheap. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bulat Ziganshin [mailto:bulat.ziganshin at gmail.com] > Sent: 03 January 2008 14:39 > To: Nicholls, Mark > Cc: Bulat Ziganshin; haskell-cafe at haskell.org > Subject: Re[4]: [Haskell-cafe] Is there anyone out there who can > translate C# generics into Haskell? > Hello Mark, > Thursday, January 3, 2008, 2:13:08 PM, you wrote: > of course *some* overlap exists but in order to understand it you > should know exact shape of both methods > when i tried to develop complex library without understanding t.c. > implementation, i constantly goes into the troubles - things that i > (using my OOP experience) considered as possible, was really > impossible in Haskell > so i'm really wonder why you don't want to learn the topic thoroughly >> I loosely do understand....but very loosely....but I'm not, as yet, >> convinced it is completely relevant. >> The implementation may differ, but that does not mean that there is no >> overlap....I am not expecting one model to be a superset of the other, >> but I am expecting some sort of overlap between 'interface' >> implementation and type class instance declaration. >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Bulat Ziganshin [mailto:bulat.ziganshin at gmail.com] >> Sent: 03 January 2008 10:54 >> To: Nicholls, Mark >> Cc: Bulat Ziganshin; haskell-cafe at haskell.org >> Subject: Re[2]: [Haskell-cafe] Is there anyone out there who can >> translate C# generics into Haskell? >> Hello Mark, >> Thursday, January 3, 2008, 1:22:26 PM, you wrote: >> because they have different models. i recommend you to start from >> learning this model, otherwise you will don't understand how Haskell >> really works and erroneously apply your OOP knowledge to Haskell data >> structures. >> shortly said, there are 3 ways to polymorphism: >> 1) C++ templates - type-specific code generated at compile time >> 2) OOP classes - every object carries VMT which allows to select >> type-specific operation >> 3) type classes - dictionary of type-specific operations is given as >> additional hidden argument to each function >> Haskell uses t.c. and its abilities are dictated by this >> implementation. there is no simple and direct mapping between >> features provided by OOP and t.c. >>> Can you give me a summary of why it's meaningless.....both would seem >> to >>> describe/construct values/objects....they may not be equivalent, but > I >>> would expect some considerable overlap. >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Bulat Ziganshin [mailto:bulat.ziganshin at gmail.com] >>> Sent: 02 January 2008 20:29 >>> To: Nicholls, Mark >>> Cc: haskell-cafe at haskell.org >>> Subject: Re: [Haskell-cafe] Is there anyone out there who can >> translate >>> C# generics into Haskell? >>> Hello Mark, >>> Wednesday, January 2, 2008, 7:40:31 PM, you wrote: >>>> I'm trying to translate some standard C# constucts into Haskell... >>> some >>> it's meaningless. read >>> http://haskell.org/haskellwiki/OOP_vs_type_classes >>> and especially papers mentioned in the References -- Best regards, Bulat mailto:Bulat.Ziganshin at gmail.com


text:
Real-World Business Forms, With Instructions and Examples
Available in both Excel and PDF format
Stop scouring the web for accounting forms! AccountingCoach PRO gives you 80+ real business documents like Financial Statements, Financial Ratios and Analysis Forms, and Depreciation and Amortization Forms.
Each Excel form allows you to customize our templates to fit your exact needs. Please note that templates do not include formulas.


text:
Rita Marcangelo is fascinated by the idea of transforming a material in such a way that it becomes unrecognizable. She works with materials to the point that their possibilities are stretched, alternative solutions are found, bringing them to a point in which they acquire a completely new life. She is constantly searching for more extreme possibilities, diverse means of expression through the materials she uses. The intimate relationship created between the artist and her chosen medium, is part of the end result. She often achieves the decomposition of the matter that goes beyond simple transformation, reaching a pure state of metamorphosis. Her approach is instinctive and often counterbalanced by geometrical structures that encapsulate the transformed material.
Acquista i gioielli di Rita Marcangelo


text:
(PECL imagick 2.0.0)
Imagick::getImageProfiles — Returns the image profiles
= "*"
[, bool $only_names
= true
]] )
Returns all associated profiles that match the pattern. If TRUE
is passed as second parameter
only the profile names are returned. This method is available if Imagick has been compiled against ImageMagick version 6.3.6 or newer.
The pattern for profile names.
Whether to return only profile names. If FALSE
then values are returned as well
Returns an array containing the image profiles or profile names.


text:
PromoÁ"o | Lingerie FAQ | Medidas | Return policy | ||||||||||||||
Click on image to have a close look. |
the more you save! |
Transporte e manuseio:
No matter how many you order, you pay only 6.8 Euro per order for any country. |
Leave your e-mail address for the latest product news. |
We appreciate your privacy. Your information will only be used internally in Admcity. |


text:
Feria de Sevilla is being celebrated this week in Spain. The fair dates back to 1847 and is usually held 2 weeks after Semana Santa or Easter. While I was living in Sevilla years ago, I witnessed the entire city shut down for a week of casetas, drinking, dancing, and processions down the streets. Everyone is dressed in their finest traditional wardrobe: women in their faralaes, peinetas and mantón de manilas, and men in trajes corto and cordobés hats. It's a beautiful and festive sight!
(images from here)


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Tips/trick on taking pictures, Photoshop techniques, tutorials and digital editing.
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Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
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text:
HJR 83, 80th R.S.
Last action: Referred to State Affairs
Author: Bill Zedler
Human Relations
Resolutions--Constitutional Amendments
Resolutions--Official Designations--Miscellaneous
House Committee: State Affairs (David Swinford, Wayne Christian, Byron Cook, Jessica Farrar, Dan Flynn, Tan Parker, Ken Paxton, Corbin Van Arsdale, Marc Veasey)
The Legislative Archive System is a work in progress. Complete information is not available for all bills and all sessions. Visit the Legislative Archive System status page for details. Please contact the Legislative Reference Library at 512-463-1252 if you have any questions.
Information on this website is provided as a public service by the Legislative Reference Library. The Legislative Reference Library makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy and makes no warranty in regard to its use. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site.


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Drones Approved for Commercial Flights
Aircraft will operate in Alaska to survey ice floes, whales and oil spills.
The Federal Aviation Administration has certified two small drones for commercial use, heralding the move as "one giant leap for unmanned-kind" that will lead to the first approved commercial flight of an unmanned air system off the Alaska coast later this summer.
The 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act defined Arctic operational areas and included mandates for Arctic UAS commercial operations. Until now obtaining an experimental airworthiness certificate – which specifically excludes commercial operations – was the only way the private sector could operate UAS in the nation's airspace, the FAA said.
In an announcement Friday, the agency said it type-certified the Scan Eagle X200, manufactured by Boeing subsidiary Insitu, and the AeroVironment PUMA under a restricted category that allows aerial surveillance. The catapult-launched Scan Eagle, has a maximum weight of 44 pounds, a wingspan of just more than 10 feet and a length of 4.5 feet; it can stay in the air for 28 hours without refueling. The AeroVironment PUMA, a hand-launched drone that weighs 13 pounds, has a wingspan of just over nine feet and a fuselage of four feet.
The agency said previous military acceptance of the Scan Eagle and PUMA UAS designs allowed it to issue the restricted category type certificates. The Navy operates the Scan Eagle and the Air Force, Army, Marines and the Special Operations Command fly the PUMA.
A major energy company plans to fly the Scan Eagle off the Alaskan coast in international waters starting in August, the FAA said, without identifying the company. Plans for the initial ship-launched flights include surveys of ocean ice floes and migrating whales in Arctic oil exploration areas.
The PUMA is expected to support emergency response crews for oil spill monitoring and wildlife surveillance over the Beaufort Sea, but the agency again did not identify the operator.
The certification of the Scan Eagle and the PUMA could be the start of unbridled use of drones in the United States, according to Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who in February predicted that by 2030, "30,000 drones will be cruising American skies – looking, observing, filming, and hovering over America."
On Feb 4 the FAA kicked off a process to set up six test sites to conduct drone research and development toward a goal of widespread use of UAS by law enforcement agencies, universities and other organizations in domestic airspace by 2015.


text: When you click "Like" on your friends' Facebook posts, do you really mean it? If seeing your Facebook friends living wonderful, fun-filled lives gives you a case of the blues, you're not alone. A new University of Michigan study found that the more people checked Facebook, the more likely they were to feel worse about their own lives. To measure people's feelings and Facebook usage, the team enlisted a small group of young adult Facebook users in Michigan and texted them five times a day for two weeks. Each text linked to an online survey that asked how they were feeling. In addition to reporting how much they were checking Facebook, the subjects rated their worry and loneliness levels at that moment as well as their overall satisfaction with life. The authors also asked people to rate their level of life satisfaction at the start and end of the study, and found that the more participants used Facebook over the two-week study period, the more their life satisfaction levels declined. By contrast, the study found that face-to-face interactions with others led people to feel better over time. "Over a billion people belong to Facebook, and over half of them log in every day," said University of Michigan social psychologist Ethan Kross, lead author of the study. "On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection. But rather than enhancing well-being, our findings demonstrate that interacting with Facebook may have the opposite result for young adults." What is it about the social network that bums some people out? One theory is that people are comparing themselves to their friends' seemingly fantastic digital lives and feeling inferior. Though the sample group of 82 people was small, the findings are similar to other studies about Facebook use and mental health. Facebook has become a tempting subject for researchers because of its role as a constant presence in so many people's lives. Psychologists, sociologists and other academics are curious about what kind of impact it has on its users' brains, emotions and self-worth. Some researchers have tapped directly into the gold mine of data generated by the social network (Facebook has its own staff of data scientists and sometimes teams up with universities), while others conduct their own independent studies. In early 2012, a study out of Utah Valley University also found that many people had a case of the blues after checking Facebook. The researchers talked to a group of 425 students and found correlations between the amount of time people spent checking Facebook and negative feelings about their own lives. The more time their subjects spent on the social network, the higher probability that they would think their friends lived better, happier lives. In January, a study from Germany found that a third of people felt worse after spending time on Facebook. Seeing updates of friends' successful careers, cute babies and fabulous vacations inspired feelings of envy, loneliness and even anger.


text:
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text:
I have a friend in Beirut and I called him a few times, but I got a serios bill from AT&T. Now, I found some calling cards on a website and I don't know if they are any good. Does anyone know anything about this? The site is callingcardshome.com.
Thank you.


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When you have important photos, you want them to last forever. They can with the Splendor photo box, a presentation box for photographers looking to gift their client's photos in style. This package fits up to 175 photos 4 x 6 and is covered in luxurious materials, with matching velvet. Comes custom printed with logo or design of your choosing.
Prices for each unit.
The Splendor is an excellent no fuss presentation box that is covered in fine quality fabrics and materials. It has a border stitched to the lid to frame the box and draw the eye. The interior is lined with finished paper and accented with velvet and a cotton ribbon to keep the photos stacked. This box does not come with custom printing, which allows the focus to remain on the treasures within.
Imprint Options


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We attribute our growth to providing quality snack products at fair prices to our consumers. Our products are distributed nationwide using a combination of our store door distribution system with direct delivery to grocery stores, a distributor network, and a vending and foodservice sales division. We also have a strong international business with sales on every continent except Africa and Antarctica.
From our humble beginnings ( in 1909) to our position today as the leader of the pretzel industry and a major player in the snack food industry, we celebrate the efforts and innovations of our predecessors and their families and eagerly anticipate many more years of pretzel pride as we continue to be America's favorite pretzel.
Take the tour:
Remember you can visit the Hanover, PA, Pretzel Bakery it offers an in-house tour that combines our exciting history with our fast paced manufacturing facility. There is no fee for the tour. It is geared for ages 5 and up, but everyone will enjoy seeing how pretzels and potato chips are made. The guide will take you on a walking tour which allows you to look down upon our raw material warehouse, finished goods warehouse (where you will see robotics at work), and our complex packing room with state of the art packing equipment. You will then see the oven room where you can almost taste the pretzels. The guide then finishes up by showing you how potato chips are made from beginning to end. The tour starts and ends at the Factory Store where you will be treated to a free bag of pretzels at the completion of the tour.
Snyder's of Hanover Flavor Doubles Cheddar Cheese & Cracked Pepper Hard Pretzel Pieces
Our house's favorite is the buffalo wing flavor, it's the best tasting wing flavor snack on the market, we've had several snacks that were buffalo flavor but Snyder's got it right. They seem to get a lot of things right with their products. Now that there are ranch pretzels in the bag it is just like enjoying wings a great snack treat. My daughter adores these pretzels, yes they are a bit spicy but she just loves the zing. Snyder's of Hanover Flavor Doubles Cheddar Cheese & Cracked Pepper Hard Pretzel Pieces, this is a real crowd pleaser the great pepper flavor mixed with the salty cheddar flavor a match made in heaven. Snyder's of Hanover Roasted Garlic & Herb Nibblers, if you are a garlic fan these are the pretzels are for you. They reminded me of a great garlic bread. Nice strong flavor that tastes great.
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Susan S. Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions . I received snacks to review.No monitory compensation was received. I was not required to write a positive review. Your experience may differ. The opinions I have expressed are my own I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising .


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Tuesday, September 13, 2016
MONDAY, Sept. 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Some women have trouble staying asleep, and a new small study may shed light on why.
Women's internal, or circadian, body clocks run at a faster pace than men's, according to the research.
It's as if women operate in a different "internal time zone," said study lead author Dr. Diane Boivin, professor of psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal.
"They go to bed at a later biological time because their clock is shifted earlier, eastward," Boivin said.
Boivin also directs the Centre for Study and Treatment of Circadian Rhythms at Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal, a McGill affiliate.
The way women sleep throughout the 24-hour circadian day also outpaces men, the study showed.
Boivin said these two findings explain why women's sleep-wake cycle runs about two hours ahead of men.
Women are more likely than men to report insomnia at least a few days a week and experience daytime sleepiness, according to the National Sleep Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization.
What makes this new study unique is that the researchers controlled for women's menstrual cycle phases and hormonal contraceptive use. Reported sleep differences occurred regardless of hormonal changes, which can affect sleep, the study authors said.
"Even though the study is small, it definitely adds knowledge to our scientific literature on sex differences in sleep in context of circadian rhythm," said Monica Mallampalli, vice president of scientific affairs at the Society for Women's Health Research in Washington, D.C.
Jennifer Martin, associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggested: "Perhaps women are predisposed to having insomnia based on their circadian phase."
"In the face of similar stressors, women are more likely than men to experience poor sleep as a result," Martin said.
The study was reported Sept. 12 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It involved 15 men and 11 women, about 25 years old, on average.
Over a 36-hour period, participants were isolated in a windowless room where researchers controlled their exposure to light and monitored changes in core body temperature, melatonin levels, sleep and alertness.
The researchers used what Boivin called a "cat-nap approach," consisting of alternating one-hour waking episodes followed by hour-long nap opportunities. Lights were turned on, but very dim, when it was time to wake and turned off during sleep.
"What we're doing is basically scheduling sleep opportunities at different times of day and allowing several days of observation," she explained.
Women in the study scored lower on subjective measures of nighttime alertness compared with men. It may help explain why female shift workers have greater fatigue, sleepiness and risk for work-related injury, the study authors noted.
The end of night appears to be a particularly vulnerable period for women, the study showed. During that period, the sleep signal was not as strong in women as in men.
It's one of the reasons women may be more susceptible to early morning awakenings, Boivin said.
And while women's circadian rhythms differed from men's, their "habitual bed and wake times" were similar, the study authors said.
"Based on the findings, women are falling asleep when their brain and body are more prepared for sleep," said UCLA's Martin. But they're having "a difficult time staying asleep later in the night."
Women who have trouble staying asleep should minimize factors in their sleep environment that could be disruptive and stick as much as possible to a consistent morning rise-time that aligns with their natural wake-up time, Martin said.
SOURCES: Diane Boivin, M.D., Ph.D., professor, psychiatry, McGill University, and founder and director, Centre for Study and Treatment of Circadian Rhythms, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada; Jennifer Martin, Ph.D.; associate professor, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, and board member, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; Monica Mallampalli, Ph.D., vice president, scientific affairs, Society for Women's Health Research, Washington, D.C.; Sept. 12, 2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Copyright (c) 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
News stories are provided by HealthDay and do not reflect the views of MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or federal policy.
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- Women's Health


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"And He spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees." (Luke 21:30)
In the Scriptures, there are three specific trees that are used as euphemisms for Israel; the vine, the fig tree and the olive.
In Scripture, the vine is the symbol of Israel's spiritual privileges; the fig tree symbolizes Israel's national privileges and the olive tree symbolizes Israel's religious privileges.
"Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. (Psalms 80:8-10)
The Psalmist is here painting a graphic picture of Israel being removed from the soil of Egypt and being transplanted into the fertile soil of Israel.
Once the "Vine" was transplanted it began to grow and spread over the land, until in the words of the Psalmist, it sent out its boughs unto the Mediterranean Sea, and its branches unto the Euphrates river, as in the reign of King Solomon.
"Now will I sing to my Well-Beloved a song of my Beloved touching His Vineyard. My Well-Beloved hath a VINEYARD in a very fruitful hill (Canaan): and He fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the CHOICEST VINE, and built a Tower in the midst of it, and also made a Winepress therein." (Isaiah 5:1-2)
The olive tree is used to symbolize Israel and the Church by the Apostle Paul:
"For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee." (Romans 11:16-18)
The Apostle Paul refers to the good olive tree (Israel) and the wild olive tree (the Gentiles). The good olive tree was "good" because it was separated, or set apart, (holy), whereas branches from the wild olive tree (the Gentiles) are grafted in.
"For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?" (Romans 11:24)
Notice carefully that the good olive tree (Israel) is NOT rooted up and destroyed with the wild olive tree planted in its place. That would be the case if the replacement theologians were right and that the Gentile Church has taken the place of Israel.
"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:" (Romans 11:25-26)
Instead, the good olive tree remains alive and gives life to both the good tree and the wild tree. The Church does not supplant or replace Israel, it is grafted in to the existing tree.
Paul explains that "blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in."
That is to say, during the Church Age, God's attention is focused on the Gentiles until that last Gentile (whom God foreknew would be saved) has been saved, bringing in the full number of Gentile believers.
When every Gentile that is going to be saved has been saved, THEN. . .
". . . the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
The fig tree is the third, and most often-used symbol for Israel. The Bible teaches that as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him to ask Him "what will be the sign of Thy coming?
In His reply, Jesus listed three major signs recognizable to the Jews.
- The appearance of the "Abomination of Desolation" spoken of in Daniel 9:27 (the revelation of antichrist).
- The sign of the Son of Man appearing in a cloud (Acts 1:9, Matthew 24:30)
- The sign of the Fig Tree – symbolizing the regathering of the Jews into their own land.
The fig tree is a particularly appropriate symbol in that on the fig tree, the fruit appears BEFORE the tree blossoms. The Bible says that first, Israel is regathered into her own land, and only after that does the nation "blossom" with the return of the Husbandman.
The restoration of Israel is like the budding of a fig tree in the springtime symbolizing a tree about to blossom — symbolic of Israel's national privileges.
The "fig tree" began to put forth its leaves on May 14, 1948, beginning the countdown to the end of the Church Age at the Rapture and kicking off what the Prophet Jeremiah called "The Time of Jacob's Trouble."
But is there some way of confirming that?
According to Bible prophecy, in the last days, there will come into existence, a revived form of the political Roman Empire. The Prophet Daniel predicted that the antichrist will be a prince of the people that would destroy the city and the sanctuary (Jerusalem and the Temple).
In 1948, as Europe struggled to rebuild, six nations in Western Europe signed the Benelux Customs Union, beginning the process of European unification that was codified in March, 1957 with the treaty of Rome.
And so, a unified Europe looks back to its foundation on January 1, 1948. Is that significant? We've examined this question before, but it is worth going back to for another re-think.
The Bible also predicted the development of an apostate form of Christianity that will have world-wide authority. Revelation 13:11 describes this religious system as "having two horns like a lamb" — symbols of Christianity.
The World Council of Churches was born in Amsterdam in 1948. The WCC is not a 'global religion' but is the closest thing we currently have to a global religious authority that purports to speak for world-wide Christianity.
The Bible also predicts the rise of a centralized global economic authority that will become one of the antichrist's principle methods of economic control.
The World Trade Organization — a trade organization empowered to regulate the global economy — saw its genesis in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, enacted by the UN in 1948.
The Bible predicted that global economy will fall under the control of a single individual who will be able to regulate commerce down to the individual level — "That no man might buy or sell" (Revelation 13:17). Such individual control was impossible before the advent of computers.
Although computers had been invented during World War II, they were huge, bulky monsters that used notoriously unreliable and hugely inefficient vacuum tubes. The first computers were slower than a pocket calculator, filled huge environmentally sealed rooms and required enough electricity to power a small city.
That all changed in 1948 when Bell Labs patented the transistor chip, signaling the official birth of the Computer Age.
That final age would be marked by 'rumors of war' – (Matthew 24:7).
- The ultimate 'rumor of war' was the Cold War. It began with the Berlin Airlift of 1948. The Soviet collapse was a direct result of the cost of fighting the Cold War.
- Earthquakes began to show a marked increase in size, scope and intensity in 1948.
- The modern period of ethnic unrest can be traced to the death of colonialism beginning in 1948. Increasing 'pestilence' or deadly disease, can be traced to 1948, with the introduction of sulfa drugs and the over-prescription of antibiotics.
- Economic 'kingdoms' began with the first multinational corporations in 1948.
- The decline in world-wide morality can be traced to the moment that it became acceptable to use abortion as a method of birth control.
- The Japanese Eugenics Act — the first legal abortion on demand legislation ever passed in modern society — was passed in 1948.
- American Margaret Sanger was so impressed with the idea that she founded the premier abortion rights advocacy group — Planned Parenthood — in 1948.
- The Supreme Court ruled for the first time, that public schools could not use taxpayer funds for religious purposes, discovering in the process, the modern principle of "separation of church and state" (McCollum v Board of Education, 1948)
In 1948, Mao Tse Tung's Communists chased Chiang Kai Shek's nationalists off the mainland to the Island of Formosa and renamed itself Taiwan, and declared itself the legitimate government of China.
The conflict between the two Chinas further rearranged regional political alliances until they fit the alignment foretold by the prophets.
Other related events that trace their roots to the same year as the budding of the fig tree include; commercial television, holography, cybernetics, meteorology, the nuclear arms race, microelectronics, the Big Bang, the birth of NATO, the Cold War, the UN adoption of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and the Kinsey Report that kicked off the "sexual revolution."
Israel is the centerpiece of Bible prophecy. Its existence and history are proof positive of the accuracy of Bible prophecy. To this point in the historical record, Bible prophecy — where it can be proved at all — has proved to be 100% accurate, 100% of the time.
It continues to unfold before our eyes. We've only touched on the high points in the Big Picture, but the pattern is unmistakable. Events foretold to take place in a single generation, somewhere in time — events that can only happen once — are coming together — all at once and in THIS generation.
The same God that predicted what has already occurred with such unerring accuracy will continue to perform His Will until His Purpose is accomplished. Bible prophecy proves God is still on His Throne and is intimately concerned with the affairs of men.
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" (Isaiah 46:9-10)
That promise has no expiration date. God's blueprint for the future will continue to unfold with the same accuracy in the days ahead as it has in millennia past.
Prophecy is His signature of authenticity. And our confidence is well placed.
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:28)
This Letter was written by Jack Kinsella on January 23, 2012
Featured Commentary: About Time ~Wendy Wippel


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A 35-Year Reflection
Thursday, Oct. 19, marked the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water Act. Thirty-five years later, our waterways are still polluted, and the protection we largely take for granted is virtually non-existent.
In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, making a promise to the American public that the sewage stench, oil spills and burning rivers of the 1960s would be a distant memory. The goal was zero discharge of pollution into our rivers, lakes and coastal waters by 1985. Clearly we've missed this deadline and thus over 150 other Waterkeepers, in addition to myself, are gainfully employed. But on a more serious note, the release this past week of Environment Maryland's report "Troubled Waters," which identified numerous violations of state discharge permits, clearly shows there is still discharge of pollution into our waterways.
Here in Worcester County, every single one of our bays, rivers and creeks is listed on the EPA's "303d" list, identifying them as impaired waterways. While our waters may not be as impaired as those burning rivers of the 1960's, there are local reasons why our beautiful Atlantic coastal bays are in danger. Impacted by over-development, farmland, outdated stormwater run-off guidelines, too many old technology septic systems in the ground, waste water treatment plants that discharge either directly or indirectly (through our groundwater) into our waterways, even automobile and boat emissions, our waterways are struggling to remain viable recreational and environmental assets to our way of life.
Of particular importance to Worcester County is protecting wetlands and small streams. Pollutors who release wastes into these important watershed systems should be held accountable under the law.
Our current Congress has an opportunity to use this 35th anniversary to ensure that our coastal streams and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act by supporting the Clean Water Restoration Act (HR. 2421 – CWRA).
As we have all come to understand, post-Katrina, even a marsh or boggy wetland is an important link in our coastal protecton zone and to the health of our waterways. We all need to urge our Congressional leaders to make a clear statement to their constituency that they are serious about the health of our water. Write to Congressman Wayne Gilchrist today and urge him to support passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act.
Kathy Phillips
(The writer is the Assateague Coastkeeper for the Assateague Coastal Trust.)
Sharing Good News
I feel compelled to write this letter because I think too often good news and positive feedback are far and few between. I am writing concerning the care given by the staff on duty in the emergency room at AGH on Sunday, Sept. 9.
My husband had a very serious accident with our gas oven/stove at 8:30 a.m., which left him with severe burns all over his face. We rushed to the ER and he was instantly provided a bed, i.v. fluids and pain medication. The doctor and nurses on duty were so efficient and kind that even in a terribly stressful situation we were relieved of some of that stress. The comfort that is given by confident, communicative caregivers is almost as valuable as the medical attention.
I think it is unfortunate and ironic that some individuals feel that the medical care given at a small local hospital is below that of a big city facility. We experienced such a sharp contrast in the other direction during this experience I can't express how incorrect that assumption is.
At AGH, everything that was done was done with the focus on the patient's comfort and understanding of the procedure. Every procedure came with explanation and patient agreement. We then went to John Hopkins Bayview burn center where all of that changed. Sub standard "care" and indifference were the rule. I have relayed the procedures that took place there to family and friends in the medical profession and they were appalled to hear of the treatment my husband received at the "world class" health care facility. I think it may be a great place for research, but they need to realize their patients are not all laboratory rats.
Even upon release, no home care directions were given whatsoever even though I asked numerous times if there would be. You may wonder why I would leave without them, but I can't express how eager my husband was to leave when given the opportunity. When we did return home, I had to call the burn center to ask even the basic question as to whether I was supposed to remove the old ointment before applying new ointment to his wounds.
Both myself and my husband feel very strongly that he would have been so much better off being treated right here at our little local hospital it was unfortunate that the rule is to be transferred to a burn center. The care given at AGH was impeccable. I think a better "slogan" than the "urgency back in emergency 30 minute promise" (which on a side note, I feel demeans the professionals to a pizza delivery level) would be "we put the "care" back in "medical care".
It is respect, appreciation and gratitude to the staff at AGH that has prompted me to take the time to write this – please shower them with praise.
Leslie Gebhart
What If On Slots?
Please don't equate this letter as being pro or con on slots. It is a "what if" letter and it is prompted by slots once again being in the limelight.
I recall a few years ago attending a meeting in our Community Center when the featured speaker was William Rickman Jr., the owner of Ocean Downs. The meeting was part of his lobbying effort to have slots approved for Ocean Downs.
Rickman emphasized a benefit of specific percentages of profits going into the coffers of the county and the municipality. Relative to that, Judy Boggs recently commented at a Board meeting that Route 589 would probably be fast-tracked if slots came to Ocean Downs. The problem is, there is no monetary benefit to the Ocean Pines Homeowners Association (HOA). Yet, Ocean Pines will suffer the additional traffic, noise, etc.
I suggest that we should be lobbying "now" for a monetary benefit "if" slots come to Ocean Downs.
For many, the knee jerk reaction to that is, it is premature now and it would be useless anyway to lobby for the very reason that we are not a municipality. Who will listen to a HOA? If we buy into that, we can be assured we will get what we deserve for inaction. Nothing, nil. Ocean Pines represents a large voting block. I do know of at least three pieces of legislation that was customized specifically for Ocean Pines because an effort was made to have it passed: I refer to the certification of our Police Department, the ability to levy fees for credit card charges, and the collection of commissions on liquor sales "if" a liquor store is opened in the Pines. That legislation was all custom tailored for the Ocean Pines HOA.
Our Board and management should be concerned with this "if" situation "now". It is part of planning for the future of Ocean Pines. The OPA should be lobbying our county officials and our legislators on behalf of our property owners and voters. Let's ensure that Ocean Pines will get a piece of the action "if" slots come to Ocean Downs.
Norman Katz
A Distorted View
In my view, the longer a politician stays in office, the more they unquestionably accept the recommendations of their bureaucrats. Twenty-year incumbent Ocean City Councilman Jim Hall is an example of such a politician.
Recently the council decided to close the southbound lanes of Coastal Highway to traffic during the Ocean City Christmas Parade for safety reasons. Under the old parade route, traffic was allowed to move next to the parade participants without any kind of permanent divider. Under the new parade route, southbound traffic will use two of the northbound lanes but be separated from the parade participants by a concrete median.
Councilman Hall opposed closing all the southbound lanes because Ocean City Police Department and Public Works officials told him that they did not want the southbound vehicle traffic routed into the northbound lanes. He believed that the council members should follow the bureaucrats' recommendation. Except for Councilman Hall, the other council members voted for closing the southbound lanes for the parade. It is clear to me that Councilman Hall has been in office too long. He should either retire or be voted out of office by the Ocean City voters.
Dick Quinn
Ocean City
Time For A Laugh
The current debate in the OC City Council, regarding the "Noise Ordinance," has to be one of the biggest jokes of the year. Noise meter readings versus the "50-foot" rule. This mind you from a City Council that routinely exerts every effort to entice frequent visits by Crusiers, motorcycles, Corvettes, June Bugs, etc. Enjoy the laugh, it's on you.
Joe Moran
Ocean City
Apology Offered
This is to the person who complained to my grandmother about my dog barking.
As you know, my dog is a tiny chihuahua. He is strictly an indoor dog and only goes outside to do his business. While outside he is always on a leash and never stays out longer than 10 or 15 minutes at a time. However, like all dogs, he does bark sometimes. Apparently, he makes so much noise that it really bothers you.
My grandmother would not tell me who you are but if you are a friend of hers you can easily find out how to contact me. Please do this so I can offer you a personal apology and perhaps we can find a solution to this problem.
I could put a muzzle on him whenever I let him outside or maybe you would prefer that I train him to use a litter box and avoid going outside altogether.
If you are the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain about something like this, then I truly feel sorry for you. But, I still would like to offer an apology.
Stephanie Fisher
West Ocean City
Event A Success
The first-ever Pink Ribbon Classic Red Hat luncheon and fashion show was a huge success. The success is directly attributable to those who contributed to the event.
The OC Gems for making this their monthly outing; the Bayside Skillet for a wonderful luncheon; Bon Worth for providing the wearable fashions; the models Linda Herzberg, Bonnie Mitrecic, Laura Perry; Hattitude for coming all the way from Middletown, Del. to give the ladies a little shopping opportunity; Ocean Greenery for the lovely table arrangements; all who provided door prizes; and Kathy Mathias for representing the American Cancer Society.
And, of course, the Red Hatters who attended – a fun-loving, generous group of women who enjoy the company of other like-minded women who know all too well the devastation of breast cancer. We are all touched by this dreaded disease.
We look forward to making this an annual event. Red Hatters, mark your calendars for Oct. 1, 2008.
Nancy Howard
(The writer chaired this year's event.)


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The liberation of a tree is not the freedom from its roots.- Rabindranath Tagore
The Grand Tour shows you what's going on now, but perhaps more interesting to a change artist is how things got the way they are.
The Challenge
Your challenge is to discover the history of some practice that you consider non-productive.
1. Darn you! This assignment almost got me fired. I started questioning why we chose our LAN software and then it came out that my boss was the one who made the study that led to the decision. We got into a BIG argument over what I considered a dumb choice that was really hurting communication around here. He gave me a copy of his original study (actually, he practically shoved it down my throat) and I grudgingly read it. I was halfway into it when I realized that they really had chosen the best that was available at that time. The system I was favoring didn't even exist then. I don't think the company that makes it even existed then. I didn't know that; I didn't even think of that. Well, I learned a couple of things:
• Don't argue with the boss until you have all your facts straight. (I suppose I knew this, but needed reinforcing.)
• Everybody really is doing the best they can, with what they have, at the time they do it.
• I'm likely to make the same mistake (if it really is a mistake) of not seeing far enough into the future.
• An apology actually works with my boss, and doesn't kill me (though it embarrasses me).
While studying how we used consultants in the past, I learned that we have a pattern of paying them a lot, putting in a lot of work with them, and then putting their reports on the shelf. I don't know what I'm going to do about this, but obviously something has to change. Perhaps we won't hire consultants any more, or we'll hire different ones, or we'll work with them differently. Maybe we're expecting too much from a report.
I found out why we put quarters in the bowl at meetings when somebody interrupts someone else. That started before I came to this group. Now we give that money to charity, but originally it was used for beer after the meeting. I've re-instituted the beer-sharing—we really needed some kind of team-building, or team-repairing like that. Don't worry, though. We still give the quarters to charity, and just take turns buying the beer.
I wanted to find out what really happened to the previous two process groups. I did. I'm going to make a few changes, right away.
Well, I couldn't do this assignment. I wanted to study the history of our weekly status meetings, but I couldn't find anyone who remembered how they got started. I couldn't find anyone who remembered why they got started. I couldn't even find anybody who knew why we were still doing them. So we're not doing them any more. But I didn't do the assignment.
This post is part of the series, adapted from the book, Becoming a Change Artist.
How Do You Manage Surprises?
6 hours ago


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I had a little spill after stupidly riding in the dark through a park (my light had just broke the same day), and I didn't have enough time to react, leading to a head on collision at about 27km/h with a small wooden post - I ended up ok, but my bike had some noticable problems like the brakes being in the wrong places afterwards. Ok, no problem, easily readjusted with my trusty allen keys. But then I noticed that my front fork had seemingly been bent backwards.
Noticable that the front tire has been bent back - anything I can do about this, or is this a case for a mechanic?


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I recently finished reading Contact by Carl Sagan. In the book they talk about a pattern in the transcendental number like pi or e, and comment that it is found in base 10 or however many fingers the race has to count with.
When in the end they find a pattern in pi it is in base 11, which I found a strange choice since I can't think of an animal that has an uneven total number of fingers, and I would think that most evolution would result in a somewhat symmetrical design.
Do any animal exist that has an uneven total number of fingers or equal lim, excluding polydactyly and oligodactyly?


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Severe Bad Breath
Numerous researches have found out that about 25% of the world's total population is affected by severe bad breath, a condition that affects people of every age, gender and race. Thousands of those who are affected by it somehow feel embarrassed when told that they have a stinky breath, or when discovering people turning away from them when they talk.
A severe bad breath is basically a smelly breath that is constant and long standing. It is more serious and persistent condition that can affect the person's business and personal relationships in a negative way, leading to stress and lower self-confidence. Well, the real culprit of this condition is the intense build up of bacteria in the mouth that often feed on food particles that are left un-swept in the mouth afire eating. Feasting on these leftovers, the bacteria produce volatile sulfur compounds that are capable of giving breath its foul smell.
Many of the bacteria causing severe bad breath are anaerobic. The term "anaerobic" actually means that the bacteria can't live in the presence of oxygen. But the question is how do these odor-causing bacteria thrive in the mouth which is naturally exposed to oxygen everytime we breathe? According to some studies, the bacteria that cause severe bad breath thrive and grow in the mouth as they hide in places where oxygen cannot reach. The usual hubs of these culprits are the plaque and debris of food. They also tend to rest in spaces between the teeth and gums, as well as in the crevices of your tongue.
Because of such facts, oral or dental care is highly suggested for every one to consider. Proper brushing and flossing of the teeth is recommended, as well as cleaning of the tongue, especially its side and back parts. Experts have said that although these dental practices may not totally eliminate the bacteria causing severe bad breath, it may help lessen the growth of bacteria in the mouth, thus lessening the chance for severe bad breath.
Severe bad breath may also be a result of a more serious health condition. Many studies have revealed that people who are affected by diabetes tend to produce breath that smells so bad. This is also true among those who are affected by kidney and liver failure. Conditions like gingivitis or gum disease may also cause severe bad breath. Because of this, a regular dental check up is highly advised. It is the dentist who can help you find out the real root of your severe bad breath. He and she can even help you decide on what to do and what not to do with your severe bad breath.
To date, there is still no particular solution for severe bad breath. A number of suggestions and advices are given though, but more of them have something to do with proper oral care, like brushing, flossing, tongue cleaning, etc.


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Atlanta-based InsiderAdvantage announced last night that it surveyed 557 registered Republican voters Sunday night and found that Newt Gingrich is leading Mitt Romney by 8 percentage points.The results:
Newt Gingrich: 34%
Mitt Romney: 26%
Ron Paul: 13%
Rick Santorum: 11%
Other: 2%
No opinion: 14%
Some in the polling world, such as the New York Times Five Thirty Eight blog, have questioned InsiderAdvantage for having "pro-Gingrich" results. Indeed it did. Insider/Advantage was one of the first to show Gingrich leading by double-digits last week in South Carolina while CNN and NBC's polls had Gingrich losing. Gingrich won by double digits.
It should be noted, as we almost always do, that InsiderAdvantage's founder, Matt Towery, worked for Gingrich in the U.S. House. But over the years, Towery has frequently criticized Gingrich to us and, early in the race, he thought Gingrich had "no prayer."
One difference between InsiderAdvantage and the larger polls is that IA uses pre-recorded vote-by-touchpad 'robo-polling' to conduct its surveys and it tries to do them in one day. The others use live callers and often take place over two to three days.
So far, robo-polling seems pretty accurate. Polls will differ, and Public Policy Polling (a robo-polling firm which released a drop-dead poll before South Carolina that had some spot-on results) tweeted last night that, of about 600 Republicans surveyed in Florida, it could only find a 2-person vote difference betwee Romney and Gingrich. So its poll, which will also survey early/absentee voters could have a closer result.