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Tag Archives: God's love
Unto You is Born this Day
As the Shadows Fall
Skies of Parchment
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai A.D. 1050
Remembering Love
Ken Gire writes beautiful thoughts on the unfailing love of God in his book, The North Face of God:
I don't know where you are on the mountain or what put you there. I don't know how wearied you are by the climb or how weathered you are by the elements. I don't know how alone or abandoned you feel. I don't know how disoriented you are or how despondent. But wherever you are and however you feel. I want you to curl up in your tent . . . close your eyes . . . and remember.
Remember your own history with God… Think back on the times when God expressed his love for you. Remember those times? Remember the words he spoke? Remember the way he answered your prayers? Remember the gifts he gave you? The many kindnesses he showed you? The forgiveness? The protection? Remember the love you felt for him, the joy, the tears? Remember how he touched you, embraced you, and led you?
He hasn't changed. Neither has his love for you. It may not seem to be there, the way a rope around your waist doesn't seem to be there when it's slack. But it is there. Paul told us that nothing—nothing—would ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35-39).
God's love for us, not ours for him, is the rope around our waist.
It's a rope that doesn't fray, no matter how much it is stretched.
It doesn't freeze, no matter how cold it gets.
It doesn't fail, no matter how far we fall . . . or how often.
Will You Dance?
The other day, I posted a quotation from The Divine Embrace, a book by Ken Gire in which he likens our lives to a divine dance. At the beginning of one chapter, he writes:
Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher who popularized the "God is dead" movement, once wrote in a letter to a friend: "If these Christians want me to believe in their god, they'll have to sing better songs, they'll have to look more like people who have been saved, they'll have to wear on their countenance the joy of the beatitudes. I could only believe in a God who dances."
What Nietzsche failed to realize is that our God, who is very much alive, is a God who dances. What we Christians sometimes fail to realize is that he is a God who dances with us.
To speak of our relationship with Christ as a dance is, of course, to speak metaphorically. But it is also to speak biblically. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, for example, the father's joy at his son's return was cause for celebration — at which, the text says, there was feasting, music, and dancing. In Matthew 11:17, Jesus also uses the metaphor to describe the generation that rejected him. "We played the flute for you," he told them, "and you did not dance." Jesus invited them to dance, longed for them to dance, and was heartbroken when they didn't.
When I read that, it grieved me to think of how many throughout history have turned away from the joy of knowing who Christ truly is because they did not see traces of him on the faces or in the lives of those who claimed to know him.
And I wondered, what do people see when they look at me?
You claim you cannot believe
In a God who doesn't dance
How could he not dance
Who created music
Tuned the universe
From pieces smaller than the atom
To the orchestra of His purpose
A tune so deep
One could listen all his life
But only catch a glimpse
Here and there
In a tear
A prayer
A moment of sheer joy
A dream
An embrace
A cloud passing over the moon
These moments that whisper
"There is a song"
So dance
With him who holds the music
And dances to the music of your heart
One day you will hear the music
The song from beginning to end
Every faint strain you detect now
Then a glorious symphony
Will you dance?
To the music for which your soul
Was created?
Will you dance?
To the tune for which
Your heart has cried?
Will you dance?
Or will you sit it out?
Fearing that no one else
Hears the music
Maybe they are waiting
For someone to stand up
Step out
And show them that he dances
And he taught you how
By placing the rhythm
Deep within your heart
Will you dance?


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Ohio tolling system maintenance
TransCore secures additional five year contract on toll collection and maintenance of the Ohio turnpike system. The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) has extended its statewide toll collection system and customer service centre maintenance services contract with TransCore for …
Posted in Traffic Management Tagged Classification, Tolls, Traffic Management, Transcore, USA Leave a comment
Collaboration brings traffic management to the cloud
Cubic and Microsoft have joined forces to offer scalable and flexible traffic management systems using the Azure cloud-based platform. Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) will offer the first US demonstration of NextTraffic, its new traffic management and optimisation system using Microsoft's …
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Canary Wharf integrates ANPR into security management
Genetec has supplied AutoVu ANPR as part of its video management system controlling security and vehicular access control at Canary Wharf in London. After running an analogue, DVR-based video surveillance system for many years, the Canary Wharf district of East …
Posted in Traffic Management Tagged ANPR, Cameras, Genetec, LPR, security, Surveillance, UK Leave a comment
Smart city tolling discussed at Australian Forum
Cubic Transportation Systems is presenting at the National Electronic Tolling Forum in Australia, providing insight into smart city ITS and traffic management. Jon Ramirez, director of tolling worldwide at Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), will participate in a panel discussion on …
Posted in Traffic Management Tagged Australia, Bridges, Cubic, Events, ITS, Tolls, Traffic Management, Tunnels Leave a comment
Software integrates traffic management for Seattle
New software installations from Siemens will combine information from different systems to create overall traffic management control for Seattle. The US city of Seattle in the state of Washington will implement Siemens' Concert, an integrated traffic management platform that connects …
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Norwegian control room relies on video wall cubes
Video projection cubes are enabling the use of a giant video wall used as part of a traffic monitoring control room in Norway. Vehicle flows and traffic issues across the West of Norway are now being controlled with the help …
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Video management system supports body-worn cameras
Latest device pack on Milestone XProtect includes support for body worn cameras for use by personnel in public safety, security and emergency services. Milestone Systems has released Device Pack 8.5 for its XProtect video management system (VMS), which now supports …
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Video management partner forum takes place in Stuttgart
Milestone Systems invited its partner community from the DACH region to take part in an event to explore opportunities in the region. The Milestone Partner Open Platform (MPOP) forum has taken place in Stuttgart, bringing together more than 200 participants …
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Emergency call button speeds helicopter dispatch
Aviation group uses video management platform for speeding up dispatch of emergency services helicopter medics. A healthcare company in the Pacific Northwest region of America is using an innovative approach to summoning the services of emergency medical helicopters to evacuate …
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High performance network video recorder preview
Milestone is previewing its latest network video recorder offering high performance connecting up to 512 cameras with inbuilt licence portability. Milestone Systems has announced its preview demonstrations at trade shows of the Milestone Husky M500A Network Video Recorder (NVR) platform, …
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A Pennsylvania school district failed to maintain adequate controls over its laptops, which led to equipment thefts, according to a recent audit. The audit, performed by the state's Department of the Auditor General, found that the Bethlehem Area School District maintained inadequate controls over more than $11.5 million of laptop computers. Wagner's investigators also faulted administrators' oversight of an internal investigation related to the drug arrest of a former middle-school principal that cost the district $52,726.
"Bethlehem Area School District's failure to exercise reasonable control and oversight over the district's computer inventory and over an internal investigation undermines the confidence of residents and taxpayers in the district's ability and willingness to conduct its business affairs properly," said Auditor General Jack Wagner. "The repeated lack of oversight adds to the overall picture of weak management in the daily operations of the district and must be corrected for the sake of taxpayers."
The report has been provided to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the United States Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, the Office of the District Attorney of Northampton County, and the Bethlehem Police Department. Wagner said the referrals to law enforcement agencies relate to the potential theft of missing computers, and the referrals to the education agencies are due to the district's potential mismanagement of state and federal grant funds for the district's SKILL21 program. The SKILL21 initiative was designed to place a laptop into the hands of every student of the district.
The audit found inadequate inventory controls--including a failure to develop the district's own inventory schedules, a failure to compare purchase orders to invoices, and a failure to develop a comprehensive information technology policy and procedure manual--contributed to the mishandling of laptops. He also noted that the district failed to immediately report missing laptops and delayed the filing of police reports for 18 months, which ultimately made it difficult for the police department and the Department of Auditor General to determine who, if anyone, stole the missing computers.
Investigators placed the total number of missing laptops of the district at 80, valued at $84,400, based on four reports the district filed with the Bethlehem Police Department from March 2007 to August 2007.
The report offered multiple recommendations to fix the problems, including:
In a response to a draft of the audit, the school district said, among other corrections, that the audit failed to take into account equipment depreciation. That would put the value of the missing laptops between $18,000 and $30,000, since many were near the end of their lifecycle.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or on Twitter @schaffhauser.
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A Dell Technologies expert on K-12 digital transformations explains why a lot of districts that have already implemented a program to give computing devices to every student aren't getting the return they expected.
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India's children need special protection
Children are naturally the weakest link of a society and require special protection. There is hardly another country in the world, were the prospects for children are so poor. Out of 100 children born in India
- 65 do not exist officially, as they do not have a birth certificate,
- Six to seven will not live to celebrate their first birthday,
- Only every second child will be vaccinated against dangerous childhood diseases,
- Five will die from the causes of malnutrition,
- Only 25 will successfully complete their primary school education.
(Source: UNICEF, 2015)
wortundtat is in particular involved in helping children from castes in India, which are held in the lowest esteem.


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The Waffle House waitress told me some guy "got his arm broke and nose all bloodied up" yesterday at the Cookeville Wal-Mart. It's amazing what people will do for stuff they don't really need, or at least stuff they have convinced themselves they need, at low low prices. That's Black Friday for you; the infamous day after Thanksgiving where all the stores do crazy sales, for those of you overseas people who have no clue what I'm talking about.
Being back in America is weird. I mean, it's always different, but this time it's more strange than usual. It's like I'm seeing things through a different filter. Normally I'm here for a few weeks to visit and then I return to Cape Town, my home. Now I'm here, and not sure when or if I will go back over to Cape Town, still sure I am supposed to be here for now but not sure what is next. I feel like an alien of some sort. And people here don't really know what to say to someone who doesn't know what is next. I think it freaks them out. And I'm a bit freaked out at times. So, I'm a bit freaked out, freaking people out and it's all a bit freaky. But I think it's going alright.
Thanksgiving was funny; the mixture of eating loads of food I haven't eaten in years, and jet lag, and a bunch of family that I haven't seen in ten years, and little cousins I've never even met was a great concoction. At one point I was sitting beside my grandpa. I said, "Papa, I don't know a lot of these people." He lovingly patted me on the leg and answered in a really loud voice, "Ryan, I don't know half of them!" That was great. I later became appointed his official translator because his hearing has gone from bad to worse and he was struggling to hear people. Someone would say something to him and he would turn to me and say, "Was what they just said important?" I would either sum up what they said, repeating it loudly, or just say, "Not at all!" That was good clean fun.
Then later, I was chilling on the hammock with my cousin Thomas, who I'd never met before. Thomas is seven, I think.
Me, "Hey Thomas, what's your brother's name?"
Thomas just looked at me with a confused look, like I am an alien. Seeing that I feel like an alien, or could have had some turkey stuck in my beard, or might have been speaking funny, I pointed at the kid in question, "Your brother over there."
Thomas realized that I had no clue what I was talking about and felt pity towards me, "That's not my brother."
Me, "Oh! Really? I thought he was your brother all day!"
Thomas, "Nope."
Me, "Well, who is he?"
Thomas, "He's Burt."
Me, "Burt huh?"
Thomas, nodding his head, "Yep."
Me, "Well, who is Burt?"
Thomas, very confident, "He's Eli's brother."
Knowing very well that I was the only brother of Eli at that Thanksgiving gathering, I just allowed Thomas to be "right".
Me, "Aaaah! Ok! That makes sense. Thanks!"
Thomas, "You're welcome."
So thanks to Thomas and Papa, I didn't feel so bad for not knowing all my family.


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One of the things I promised myself as a New Years Beauty Resolution was to sort out some of my beauty 'issues' and also to wear more lipstick. These two go hand in hand when it comes to this post, which is all about giving my lips a little extra TLC to get them in better condition and make sure I am ready at all times to slick on a matte bright pink and go. Or a red. Or a nude. Whatever it is I fancy in the moment. You get the gist.
Post sponsored by lipivir®
Introducing lipivir®
One thing, that I've actually not spoken about before on the blog. But is well worth a mention. Is cold sores. If you suffer from them, then they're an absolute pain. They can be uncomfortable and make you very self conscious whilst they heal. I remember being in high school and knowing a couple of friends who would get them quite badly and know how much it knocked their confidence.
In case you don't know, a cold sore is a sore or blister that pops up around the mouth area. The skin around the blister area becomes swollen and sore and the blister itself can crack and become leaky. They usually tend to scab and take from a few days to a couple of weeks to heal up completely. The blisters are caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) and once you have it, it can't be cured – which means if you have suffered from a cold sore in the past, they're likely to pop up time and time again. So prevention is key to keeping your lips looking the best they possibly can!
lipivir® is a gel product that helps to reduce the frequency of cold sores and keep your lips happy and blister free for as long as possible! I'm working with lipivir® in 2017 to bring you a series of tips to help you feel happy and confident and of course cold-sore free.
Steps to happy lips
For me there are a few steps I take to make sure my lips are looking and feeling as happy as they can be. All fairly simple ones, but they make all the difference. What I've tried to do is add a bit of a 'lip facial' into my weekly facial skincare routine. So if I take the time to do a face mask, I also take the time to do the following for my lips too.
Lip Scrub – I give my lips a bit of a scrub. There are a couple of options for how to do this and I really vary between each one. Sometimes I've use a dry flannel other times I'll use a specially designed lip scrub product such as Fresh Sugar Lip Scrub. To give them a buff and smooth out any flakes.
Lip Treatment – Following a scrub, I'll slather on the most hydrating treatment I can find. At the moment I've been using a combination of a dab of my favourite hydrating skin oil – Clarins Blue Orchid Oil or ESPA Lip Treatment Oil. The first is a general hydrating skin oil and the second is designed especially for lips.
Cold Sore Prevention – Then alongside this weekly hydrating treatment it's all about care and prevention. If you are a sufferer of cold sores then adding lipivir® into your routine will be an absolute essential. A clear gel that means it's discreet and can easily be applied in the morning as part of your daily routine. There's no problem with applying make-up after the gel either so it won't interfere with whatever make-up you want to wear that day. The key is using the gel regularly as part of your routine to really ensure you do what you can to prevent the cold sores from popping up again. Like drinking more water to stay hydrated or a morning green smoothie. It's something to add into your routine daily and prevent a future break out.
I know cold sores are one of those awkward topics that people don't like to talk about. In fact, I'm not even sure I can recall reading anyone blogging about them in the past? But they're a fact of life for many so wanted to talk about them. As someone who has had some really nasty spot breakouts (think massive, under the skin ones that then go red and crusty…oh yeah, nice) I can really relate to how that small area of skin can make you feel like you're not yourself at all and make you want to hide away. So if there's a simple step you can take to prevent them coming in the first place, I'd do it! It's something that's really easy to add into your routine daily a small step that can prevent a future breakout. Ideally lipivir® should be applied twice a day to get the full protection so leaving it somewhere like next to your tooth paste so it becomes part of your day to day get ready routine.
For more information: www.lipivir.com
Facebook: facebook.com/lipivir
Twitter: twitter.com/lipiviruk
Post sponsored by lipivir®


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Community Voices
Friends and Neighbors: Easter, Passover holidays mark a time of renewed hope
Happy Easter to all our Christian friends and a happy Passover to our Jewish friends.
This season, especially Easter, is a time of renewed hope. And Lord knows, we need more hope in Miami-Dade County, where it seems the price of one's life is next to nothing.
Still no matter how bleak it seems, or how high the mountain, I believe that with prayer and faith, we can come through this dark time of death and destruction.
I'm praying that someone out there, someone who has been shooting and killing the innocent, will read this column and find the strength, through my faith and the faith of thousands, to lay down their arms and seek peace. I know that is a tall order to some of you, but I have enough faith to believe this can happen.
Prayer and faith can go where you and I can't go. To paraphrase a verse in the Bible, if God's people (believers) would turn from their wicked ways and seek His face, He would hear our prayer and heal our land.
Our land needs healing. And what better time to start the healing than on this wonderful Resurrection Day?
'Sephardic food traditions'
When the Sephardic Jews were expelled from Spain during the Inquisition, they scattered to all corners of the Mediterranean. They carried with them their varied cultural experiences and new locales created a melding of flavors from Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Algeria, Greece, Morocco, Israel and the remains of the Ottoman Empire, according to Dr. Annette B. Fromm, coordinator of Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies at Florida International University.
At noon April 16, Fromm will give a talk entitled, "Sephardic food traditions in the Balkan and Latin American Diasporas." The event will be at the Miami Beach Jewish Community Center, 4221 Pine Tree Dr. in Miami Beach.
Tickets are $10 per person for the talk and an additional $8 for lunch. For tickets and more information visit mbjcc.org/arts or call Karen Sepsenwol at 305-534-3206, ext. 214.
Spring Tea Party
The Collie Edison and Willie Tee Coats Foundation will have its second annual Spring Tea Party from 1 to 3 p.m. April 11 at Glendale Baptist Church , 14580 SW 117th Ave.
The foundation is a 2½-year-old, private nonprofit organization devoted to providing needed services and programs that benefit residents in the South Miami-Dade area, specifically Richmond Heights, Perrine, Cutler Bay and Goulds, said Dianne Coats-Davis, a foundation board member and one of the coordinators of the tea party fundraiser.
"Our mission is to promote, build, and educate neighborhoods by facilitating growth,developing awareness and supporting community involvement programs," Coats-Davis said. "In addition, we believe it is our professional responsibility to always serve the community ... by implementing programs that will cause our neighborhoods to ultimately strengthen and flourish successfully."
For more information about the foundation and the Spring Tea party, call Coats-Davis at 305-778-2128.
Autism Awareness in April
Autism Awareness is commemorated throughout April. It's the time when autism organizations worldwide celebrate with awareness-raising events.
In keeping with that, the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD) will host a variety of events throughout the month for its clients and the community.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in every 68 American children is on the autism spectrum. More than three million Americans are affected by autism spectrum disorders.
On April 11, the Palmer Trinity School Autism Club will host "Ace for Autism," a fundraising event to include junior and adult tennis tournaments, raffles and a silent auction to support UM-NSU CARD. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Biltmore Tennis Center, 1150 Anastasia Ave. in Coral Gables. For more information, contact Waleed Mneimneh at 305-934-3324 or email@example.com
At 7 p.m. April 13, a new initiative called "Creative AGE Support Group" will have its first meeting at 400 N. Andrews Ave., Suite 300, in Fort Lauderdale.
The group is geared to helping families affected by autism plan individualized, successful solutions for their loved ones' lives as adults. The program is offered through the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Transition and Adult Programs at CARD. the group will meet monthly at the above address. To RSVP for the meeting or for more information, contact Mona Nasser at 305-219-3905.
Watch this column for information on more events throughout the month.
Jewish life in Germany
Beginning 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Temple Beth Sholom will exhibit the art work of Sidney Rosenstein, a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor whose works were recently featured at the German consulate.
In addition to Rosenstein's works, a series of panels depicting Jewish life in Germany today will be on display.
At 7 p.m., the acclaimed PBS documentary Treblinka's Last Witness will be screened.
Temple Beth Sholom is at 4144 Chase Ave. in Miami Beach. For more information, go to the website, www.tbsmb.org or call Mark Baranek(cq) at 305-538-7231.
Seraphic Fire and visual artist Sebastian Spreng
Seraphic Fire, in collaboration with Miami visual artist Sebastian Spreng, will present a melding of music and art at a program entitled "Bach + Mahler." To be featured: Gustav Mahler's intimate Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) , along with paintings from Spreng's Mahler-inspired exhibit, "A Song for the Earth."
Spreng's work includes the CD cover for the Grammy award-winning Da Pacem by Arvo Pärt. "Mahler's music has been an important part of my life. It always seems to create a balance between unease and catharsis," Spreng said.
Patrick Dupré Quigley, founder and artistic director of Seraphic Fire, will explore the haunting emotions and symbolic overview of life and death contained within Rainer Riehn's re-orchestration of Das Lied von der Erde. He will be joined by Metropolitan Opera stars mezzo soprano Susanne Mentzer and tenor Bryan Hymel.
There will be three performances: 7:30 pm, April 17, All Saints Episcopal Church, 333 Tarpon Dr., Fort Lauderdale; 8 p.m. April 18 at Miami Shores Presbyterian Church, 602 NE 96th St., Miami Shores; 4 p.m. April 19 at South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211th St.
For tickets and more information concerning this program, call 305-285-9060 or go to www.SeraphicFire.org.
Send all items at least two weeks in advance to Friends and Neighbors, c/o Neighbors, 2000 NW 150th Ave., Suite 1105, Pembroke Pines, FL 33028, fax it to 954-538-7018 or email firstname.lastname@example.com. Pictures are accepted but cannot be returned.


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Italian CoffeeOn this page:
Espresso quality
Italian coffee and cappuccino, it appears, with all their variations and relations, latte, caffelatte, and so on, have conquered the world.
Espresso is now one of the most successful symbols of 'made in Italy' in the world, and one of the most copied products, yet it is often made very poorly.
Frequently the name espresso, maybe associated with other symbols evoking the spirit of Italy, is used to conceal simple blends of poor quality coffee or products that have nothing to do with the little cup of black, silky, aromatic, strong, hot drink.
Espresso is the best way to obtain from skillfully roasted coffee beans all the pleasure that they can give. In practice, espresso is the drink-in-a-cup obtained by forcing adequately pressurised water through coffee powder. Espresso coffee should not contain any additive or flavouring and should be free of any artificially added water.
The Italian Espresso National Institute has introduced a certification programme to safeguard and promote the quality of espresso.
The quality of coffee beans, the expertise of the coffee roaster, the technology of the coffee-machine and grinder-dispenser, and the skill of the barista combine to produce the perfect cup of coffee.
If even just one of these elements is missing, espresso cannot be said to comply with the requirements set forth by the specification.
Italians drink almost exclusively espresso coffee, and treat with contempt every other coffee, which they sometimes call 'acqua sporca' (dirty water) meaning that the coffee in these drinks has no other effect than stain the water.
Bars in Italy serve only espresso, and at home people use the 'caffettiera', a utensil which imitates the performance of the coffee-machine on the domestic kitchen's cooker.
Italian coffee history
The history of Italian coffee starts at the beginning of the twentieth century. It underwent a transformation in the post-war era, when in 1948 the company Gaggia began manufacturing machines that made espresso in ways that couldnt be reproduced at home.
At the time of Gaggias innovation, Italy was in the process of transforming from an agrarian to an industrial society, and a drinking out culture was better suited to the city than the countryside.
The new coffee machines became symbols of a new Italian modernity, much the same as Vespas, expressed in designs that stressed their role of aesthetic objects, pleasing for the eye as well as useful. "Anche l'occhio vuole la sua parte" is a traditional Italian saying, which means: the eye wants its share too.
In 1950 the first coffee bar using a Gaggia machine opened in Britain: the Moka in Soho. That marked the beginning of the 1950s coffee bar fad and 'frothy coffee' fad. By 1960, there were 2,000 bars throughout the UK. After that, cappuccino declined in visibility, retreating into the Italian-styled restaurant and catering sector, until re-emerging as a cosmopolitan drink in the 1980s.
At that time in the United States, Seattle, home of Starbucks, saw the birth of a new fashion. From Seattle in the 1980s the coffee bar craze spread to the rest of the country and beyond. So, an American culture of speciality coffee consumption in the 1980s was created.
This movement was introduced into the UK in the mid-1990s, with the subsequent coffee shop explosion of the last decade.
The UK has experienced a coffee revolution in the last decade with consumption outside the home overtaking tea in 2000. By 2003 one fifth of the population were buying coffee drinks on a daily basis.
How far the penetration of espresso-based coffees into mainstream catering has gone can be seen from the fact that they are available from automatic machines on garage forecourts.
In this way espresso-based drinks such as cappuccino spread from their Italian origins to their current global prominence. These drinks are still seen as Italian despite their appropriation by American multi-national coffee chains. Britain is a market in which both Italian and American influences operate to create a glocal culture of consumption.
Language tips and further resources
Language tips.
- "Latte" in Italian means milk. So, if you ask for "latte" in a bar in Italy, you'll be served a glass of just milk. If you wish to order what is usually called "latte" in English-speaking countries, ie coffee and hot milk, ask for "caffellatte" or "latte macchiato" [pron. latte makkiato]. The former has more coffee in it than the latter, which literally means "stained milk".
- You can also order "caffè macchiato", which is coffee with only a tiny bit of milk.
- "Cappuccino" is coffee and frothy milk, sometimes sprinkled with cocoa powder over the top. The name derives from its colour, similar to the habit of Capuchin friars.
- If you'd like to try espresso coffee laced with a spirit, such as brandy (Italians usually call it 'cognac' like the French), grappa or whisky, ask for "caffè corretto al cognac, rum, vodka etc".
Further information:
Italian Espresso National Institute


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Monday, June 27, 2011
Now I Get the Purpose of the Term "Co-Twin"...
So here's my plan for winning a bar bet. I'll say to someone, "do you want to see a picture of some identical twins?" They'll say, "sure," and I'll show them the above picture. They'll say, "those two look nothing like each other! One's a girl, and the other's a boy."
I'll offer to bet them $100 that they are, in fact, identical twins. They'll say, OK, but how can you prove it? I'll say, "Here's a picture of their identical twins."
Posted by Jon Grantham at 9:25 AM No comments:
Labels: identical twins
Friday, June 24, 2011
Raising Hope
Sorry that posting has been so slow lately. You know, life.
blog by (about?) two of the twins who play "Hope" on the TV show Raising Hope.
blog by (about?) two of the twins who play "Hope" on the TV show Raising Hope.
Posted by Jon Grantham at 3:52 PM No comments:
Labels: famous twins, identical twins
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Painting your house to sell is different than painting your house for the long term. For long term painting, you can incorporate your taste and style but for selling, you need to think of a broad range of tastes and styles. Remembering these two things when picking your paint colours can really help.
1. Less is More!
Keep it simple. It's a great idea to choose fewer colours and have the lighting change the tones for you. This creates a monochromatic look and keeps it feeling very open and spacious.
2. Keep it Neutral!
You want buyers to envision themselves living in this home. By keeping it neutral it allows the house to appeal to more buyers. Sometimes intense colours can be off putting and therefore may limit the number of potential buyers.
Here are some examples of colours that we recommend to get you started. As stated in a previous blog post, you want to make sure that you're not just choosing your colours from a computer screen. It's a great idea to come into the store and look at the paint swatches. We would love to help you out.
Neutral modern beige
OC-11 Clay beige/OC-10 White Sand/Oc-24 Wind's Breath
Crisp light grey
OC-52 Gray Owl/OC-55 paper white/OC-49 Titanium
Warm Light Gray
OC-28 Collingwood/OC-27 Balboa Mist/OC-20 Pale Oak
Designers and stagers love
HC-173 Edgecomb Gray/ HC-172 Revere pewter/Af-80 Jute
Trendy Grays
2108-60 Abalone/2112-60 Cement gray/2108-50 Silver Fox/2112-50 Stormy Monday
Fresh Clean Grays
2121-50 Iced Cube Silver/2124-50 Bunny Gray/2121-40 Silver Half Dollar
Updated sage
CC-606 Spanish Olive/OC-50 November Rain/2142-50 Gray Mirage
Soft Creamy yellow
Af-305 Ylang Ylang/HC-6 Windham Cream/HC-5 Weston Flax
Soft White
OC-118 Snowfall white
Clean White
OC-65 Chantilly lace
Bright White
CC-20 Decorator's White


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Restroom Trailer Rental
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Rich Restrooms and Rich Specialty Trailers manufactures great quality specialty trailers and sells them Factory Direct at a great discount. Over the years we have received hundreds of inquiries about Rich Restroom Trailer Rental and Rich Shower Trailer rental.
We love to sell our quality restroom trailers factory direct at a great value and that is the foundation for our business. Rich Specialty Portable Restroom Trailers for Rent have great resale value if purchased as a company asset. However, in some situations it does make good sense to rent. In response to the large demand for Rich Restroom Trailer Rental services, we have established a national network of rental resources that you can depend on. Our commitment is that you get connected to a rock solid restroom trailer rental service that delivers great portable restroom trailers for rent along with great service. We know you'll appreciate your Rich Restroom Trailer Rental experience.
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Snapshots are worlds within worlds. One could study an image seemingly forever and always find something revealing. Mostly it is the gestalt in which I am interested. I search for an over-arching impression, a feeling that grabs me. Most any snapshot makes me feel something. With all the photos I look at most every day, the gamut of feelings more times than not reside in the zone of melancholy.
These old photos sneak up on us. They sit in boxes and drawers for ages and then pop out at unexpected times. Gasp! Suddenly we are confronted of an old photo of ourselves, or our friends, or family. Sometimes the photo is of someone we never knew—a lost soul stuck in box. We peer into a murky past. Like bugs in amber, the characters are stilled, frozen in a forever state of suspension. With time the people seem less real. They seem more and more disconnected to the present. Sadly, they inevitably fade back into the paper from which they emerged.
We see so many photos every day that we take them for granted. Too much information trips the consciousness circuit breakers. So many stories are stacked together in endless piles of photographic clutter. It's too much to ponder. The swirl of life is beyond the human mind's reach.
Most of the snapshot images I use for my Desolation's Comfort series seem to find me. I've scanned and restored thousands of old images. It's an obsession. A few of the photographed subjects in a few of the photos start to haunt me. A few less begin to speak to me. It takes time to get to know them. Then, in a instant, I decide to move these friends into a new venue. Like a scene from an opera, they become bigger than life. A drama unfolds. The photo's original story is still there, but, it becomes part of something new.
The final results always surprise me. "I made that?" I ask myself. Actually, I didn't make anything. The snapshot told me what it wanted to become. All I had to do was to feel and to listen.


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19 Aug HempMeds Featured In Documentary – Journey to Health
Posted at 09:21h in News
HempMeds is proud to announce that it is being featured in a groundbreaking documentary show on AWE TV titled, Journey to Health. Watch the trailer below to get a sneak peak at this exciting series.
Journey To Health Set To Air
Journey to Health is scheduled to air Sunday, August 24, at 10pm EST / 7pm PST. See the latest press release from MJNA about Journey To Health by CLICKING HERE


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Buy One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
I first saw this movie when I was in college and even then I felt it was a little more morally complicated than a lot of people seemed to think. I hadn't seen it since so when a local theater screened it, I found a way to go. Jack Nicholson gives a performance that is instantly iconic, though it's a little annoying that he's trying quite as hard as he is. It's a performance that lays the groundwork for a lot of his worst tendencies or maybe I should say it's a performance that contains things that he would come to rely on as tics as he became increasingly typecast as this kind of free spirit. But it does have the benefit of freshness here and the performance does also have other elements. Nicholson lets us see the darker side of McMurphy, the one that often hides behind the devilish grin and the loud laughter; he isn't just a free spirit here – he's also occasionally terrifying in his rage, never more so than in the climax, and there are a few moments where Nicholson lets us see McMurphy in a more vulnerable light than a lot of actors would. It is a masterful performance even if it feels a little reduced by the fact that we've now seen Nicholson do precisely this schtick for several decades now.
The rest of the cast is really phenomenal. Everyone is perfectly cast all the way down to the ground. Brad Dourif is the stand-out really, even more so than Louise Brooks who is fine, but never anything approaching Oscar worthy, as Nurse Rached. Among the next tier cast-members, Christopher Llloyd walks off with every scene he's in.
Anyway, the film is a morally fuzzy one. I'm never entirely sure just how much the movie believes McMurphy's BS. Kesey, in the book, clearly didn't buy it all that far; McMurphy is a functional character, in the novel, only as a balance to Nurse Rached. The situation is much more of a Yin/Yang scenario in the novel – it isn't that Rached is the villain and McMurphy the hero, it's that together they each become both of those things. And the book has the filter of being from Chief's perspective while the film shows us things from what we suppose is a divorced perspective, more of a true perspective than Chief's very flawed one in the novel. So the film really seems to be invested in making McMurphy "right," and Rached "wrong." And both of them are those things at various times; it's just that they're also both the other thing and the film isn't as interested in that complexity, the fluidity of correctness, as the book is. So, you see the film playing the lengthy fishing trip sequence really straight as if McMurphy is really giving these patients what they need, as if a boat trip is going to help these emotionally and mentally stunted, very troubled men. In the book, the fishing trip is less heroic; it's McMurphy reaching for something to do in order to play the part these men seem to have created for him. There's a sense of McMurphy's weariness, a feeling that he doesn't even want to do it, but feels somehow that he has to do it in order to be the "free spirit" that the men want him to be and also, oddly, in order for him to be the enemy to Rached that she really wants him to be. The book is just a very emotionally and morally complicated story and I think the film is much, much less so. In 1975, it probably did seem cool and anti-establishment, Nicholson pouring beer down the throats of those mentally challenged guys and thinking one sexual encounter is going to cure poor Billy of his extreme anxiety disorder. These days, given what we know about mental and emotional trauma, McMurphy's antics don't look that much better than the electro-shock therapy the doctors dish out. But the film is compelling in that it's true to the characters; the film isn't as preachy as it could be about championing McMurphy, so you're perfectly free to view the climactic stuff with Billy as being just as much McMurphy's fault as it is Rached's (which it is). The film, from this perspective, is just showing you the behavior and allowing you to make up your mind about it. The film deviates from this occasionally and that's when it's annoying. The hilariously inappropriate "heroic fanfare" that plays as Chief (a very, very sick man) escapes into the Pacific Northwest woods is cringe inducing, particularly since McMurphy has actually managed to make Chief start drinking, something that Chief has plainly told McMurphy will destroy him. I don't see it as so heroic that Chief's going to drown in a puddle of water under a bridge in Seattle. The scene where McMurphy gets Chief to drink, after having previously heard Chief talk about the demon of alcoholism that haunts him, literally enraged me this time around. It wouldn't be so enraging if I didn't feel like the movie wants me to think that it's cool, not disgusting, that Chief is getting drunk.
But the movie is puzzling to me and challenging. It's a movie that left me feeling, as it did the first time I saw it, very uncomfortable. I think perhaps there is some moral complexity in the film, though I do also have the unpleasant feeling that I might just be projecting. I certainly don't think it can be read as a purely inspirational tale, as so many still try to read it. But it's a film that leaves me thinking every time I see it and leaves me genuinely troubled. And I just sat down and wrote four paragraphs on the movie without even thinking about it. It bothers me. There are some definite flaws, some of them genuinely morally troubling; but it's a movie that I think everyone really does need to see. There's too much going on here for it to be anything but great, flawed though it is. Highly recommended. 4 stars.
tl;dr – some of novel's moral complexity is lost, but the film remains a thought-provoking, troubling story of moral struggle; absolutely of its time, but viscerally immediate still today. 4 stars.


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Happy New Year! I honestly can't get my head around the fact that it's now 2017, it's so cliche but last year seemed to go by in the flash of an eye and here we are, at the start of a fresh year and it's our to grab by the horns and turn it into a year to remember, a year full of great memories, lots of laughter and plenty of special moments, at least I hope that's how it goes for not only myself but every single one of you.
I hope these posts over the next 12 months are full of so many great things to share that have made me happy but for now, here's what brought me smiles and happiness in the last month of 2016.
Copenhagen - Everyone that knows me will know how much I love to travel, there isn't much that can compete with making me more happy than traveling, wether it be returning to a place I love or experiencing somewhere new and December was a good month for that and it started with a fun, filled but cold weekend in Copenhagen. It had been somewhere I'd wanted to visit for sometime and it did not let me down, it's such a lovely little city and I finally got to see The Little Mermaid statue in person and have a great, festive day at Trivolli Gardens. If you haven't read about the trip, you can do so here
Christmas advent calendar - My sister and I decided to give our christmas gifts for each other a little differently this year, rather than doing them all on Christmas day we opted to buy each other The Disney Store advent calendar and fill it with cute little gifts, sweets and notes throughout December, it was so much fun to put together and even more fun waking up each morning and checking each box to see what would be today's gift or if they'd be a cheeky little note saying I had to wait till Christmas day
Disneyland Paris - The middle of December saw my sister & I head off for a quick Christmas visit to Disneyland Paris which you probably read all about in my recent post. It was a brief trip but we made the most of it and staying at The Sequoia Lodge for the first time was absolutely perfect, it's such a well themed hotel and made the perfect place to stay for a wintery, Christmas visit. DLP seems to have become 'our little Disney' it's the place we head to for a couple of days of sister time, so it's become a little special to me just for that reason, we always have so much fun and lots of laughter, it's nice just to take a few days now and then to step away from every day life and have some quality sibling time
Disney World Planning - December marked two occasions for Lottie & I's upcoming trip, firstly we reached our Fastpass + day a few days before Christmas, which while not as fun as ADR day in my opinion it's still a great once because it means more plans are getting sorted but more importantly that the trip is getting ever so close. And then Boxing Day, this was the dreaded pay in full date, I love it really as it's when my excitement seems to go up another notch but let's be honest, know one really want's to have to hand over all that money, I was living in hope that Santa might have realised how good I'd been and sort it for me, but no such luck haha. It's now just 50 days till we jet off and we can finally say we go NEXT MONTH!
And that sums up my December and some of the moments that brought me happiness in December, let me know what special things you did that made the month a happy one for you


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Another option in lodging here at Camp Zephyr is the Marshall Conference Center. The Conference Center houses 39 hotel-type rooms, as well as three meeting rooms. 17 of the 39 rooms are furnished with one queen-size bed & one set of twin bunk beds. 13 rooms contain one queen-size bed & one twin daybed. The other 9 rooms contain two full-size beds. Each of the rooms also has a private bathroom, A/C & heat, and both towels and bed linens provided.
The Conference Center is a wonderful place for couples and marriage retreats, business, family or leadership retreats. You are also welcome to book one or two private rooms for speakers or bands who need more privacy, while the majority of the group is staying in the dorms.
Availability is more limited at the Conference Center, so contact us today if you are interested in booking this facility!


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- Corporate governance
- Our Executive Team
- Our Board
- Board Committees
- Role of the Board
- Roles of the Chairman and Group CEO
- Role of the Senior Independent Director
- Role of the Non-Executive Director
- Association Members
- Articles of Association
- Board diversity policy
- Payment on cessation of Directorship
- Annual General Meeting
The oversight normally provided by shareholders is exercised by a body of around 100 distinguished Association Members.
Serving for an initial term of up to 10 years, Members are drawn mainly from business, public life, the medical professions, the charitable sector and academia. Because of Bupa's status, the Association Members do not have any claim on the assets of the company. They do not receive a fee for their service or a share of profits or dividends. This means they can be genuinely independent and free from personal interests in deciding what is best for Bupa.
Association Members attend the Annual General Meeting and regular briefing sessions to ensure they are informed and able to challenge the Board and senior management. The Association Members elect and re-elect Bupa's Directors and Auditors. They also approve other matters required under Bupa's Articles of Association and changes to those Articles of Association.
Potential new Association Members are shortlisted in the first instance by Bupa's Nomination and Governance Committee. If the individuals shortlisted meet the criteria to become Association Members, they will be recommended to the Board by the Nomination and Governance Committee for consideration. If approved by the whole Board, the individuals will be approached to see whether they would be interested in performing the role of an Association Member.


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When the Knife Wielding Mugger is Also a Victim
By Amy Rhoades
When a Haitian youngster held a knife to my throat while getting off the bus from the Dominican Republic, in Petion Ville the other day, it was a harsh reminder of what can happen when youth in a displaced population are left to fend for itself.
Here's the thing: the absence of economic opportunity, skills development and meaningful education for Haitian youth, means that many are descending into a Hobbesian world without moral rules. I survived the attempted mugging unscathed, but needed a few stiff drinks at the nearby hostelry Le Perroquet to regain my equilibrium (but I won't be taking the bus again anytime soon).
As I write in the current issue of IOM's Migration Policy Practice Journal, there is "increased susceptibility of IDPs to recruitment into gangs, particularly among male youth." In post-earthquake Haiti, tent camps became a breeding ground for the resurgence of gangs and criminal activity, particularly sexual violence. Two factors that contributed to extreme vulnerability to gang recruitment are poverty and social dislocation. Displaced youth and those separated from their families became particularly vulnerable. Gangs often offered a home and a community to those who joined their ranks.
In interviews conducted with soldats (young gang members) from the streets of Port-au-Prince, very few were enrolled in school at the time of recruitment. They cited the element of protection while living on the streets after the earthquake as one of the primary reasons for joining a gang. Ironically they each wore rosaries of a different colour to indicate with which gang they were affiliated to. Many IDPs who lost family members and homes, or became victims of gang violence, often believed that they have no future and thus became more willing to join gangs.
Amy Rhoades is an education and skills development specialist, based on the island of Hispaniola. Email: email@example.com
Why IDPs need skills training.
- See more at: http://www.iom.int/newsletters/issue22/#knifewielding


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The Shell Thiogro technology will enable OCP to produce highly concentrated sulphur-enhanced fertilizers, helping end-users unlock even greater crop yields and improved soil health. The Shell Thiogro technology will be installed at OCP's Jorf Lasfar site in Morocco, enabling the fertilizer leader to expand its portfolio by incorporating micron-sized particles of elemental sulphur into its existing ammonium phosphate, NPKs and current sulphur-enhanced products.
"This partnership with Shell will bring us one step closer to achieving our goal of offering farmers a wide selection of customized products tailored to the specific needs of their soils," said Mustapha El Ouafi, OCP's Managing Director. "We look forward to working with Shell as we implement the Thiogro technology which will provide OCP with a new solution to address our customers' needs for balanced, sulphur-enhanced fertilizers."
"We are pleased to license our Shell Thiogro technology to OCP, one of the world's leading fertilizer producers, whose efforts continue to contribute to improved food security in Africa and across the globe," said Michael Lumley, Vice President of Shell Sulphur Solutions. "Our team of sulphur experts have worked hard to develop a safe and efficient technology for the incorporation of elemental sulphur into fertilizers, and we have no doubt that this agreement will have a positive impact for OCP and the farmers they serve."
The technology is expected to be installed and commissioned in 2017.


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Featured below are our rebuild cars up for sale right now. Cars acquired come in different conditions and all customers are urged to personally asses the vehicles damages before committing to purchase. Visit this section frequently as our rebuilds car inventory is updated regularly.
Front Picture
- Model: F30 320i
- Year: 2013
- Odometer: 87000Km


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A quiet busy day.
If I weren't so darned happy sitting around with my books and my notebooks and my pen, I would have more to tell you today. As it is, some Things are afoot, and I am puttering away at them in focused and happy fashion, thinking about bodies and subjectivity and points of view and why I write about the things I write about.


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Minnesota residents work hard to earn a living for themselves and their families. This is especially true for railroad workers, who often put in long hours on the job and perform difficult work.
Railroad workers at higher risk of fatigue, injuries
One of the most undervalued things in Minnesota residents' lives may be a good night's sleep. In today's hectic world, it is easy to get wrapped up with other tasks, or to lose sleep in order to put in extra time at school or work.
Five family members die in vehicle-train accident
Though trains can be an efficient way to travel, they pose significant hazards to drivers when motor vehicles must cross their tracks. All throughout Minnesota individuals must go over railroads to get to their jobs, homes, and schools. While most people make it through rail-road intersections without incident, not all individuals are so lucky.
Understanding the options available to train accident victims
Train accidents can cause significant devastation in the lives of victims and their families. Accidents associated with railroad crossings are oftentimes catastrophic and can lead to serious injuries and fatalities. It is important for victims of train accidents and their families to be familiar with the protections available to them when they have been harmed in a train accident.
Train accident kills 2 workers and injures up to 35 passengers
Minnesota residents frequently use trains as a means of travel for work and for personal trips. Along with that, there will be a large number of people working on keeping these trains maintained and the tracks operating properly. It is generally known as a safe, affordable and effective way in which to travel. However, the number of train accidents that have occurred recently has put a damper on the feeling of safety. When there is a crash, the victim of a train accident can be seriously injured and even killed as a result.
Proper rail inspections essential to avoid train accidents
Safety is a paramount concern for Minnesota residents. While individuals take a number of steps to keep themselves and their families safe, there are some safety precautions that are not within their control. Accordingly, it is important that others who have the control and responsibility take the necessary steps.
Feds report 16 percent rise in fatalities from train accidents
When Minnesota residents deal with potentially dangerous situations on a regular basis, it can be easy to forget or take for granted the danger that is present. It is often only when a tragic incident happens that some people realize the danger.
Injured on a federal job? FELA may provide relief
Minnesota residents work hard to provide a living for themselves and their families. In order to perform their job duties, however, individuals need to feel safe in their work environment. Unfortunately, this is often not the case, as Minnesota residents can suffer serious injuries through their employment.
Minnesota Operation Lifesaver aims to reduce vehicle-rail crashes
As reliance on railroads and trains for transporting goods increases there comes a corresponding increase in railroad traffic that equates to an increased probability of accidents, derailments and crashes with vehicles crossing railroad crossings. Given the thousands of miles rails cars have to travel, it should not be surprising that train accidents happen.
Railroads companies hesitant to make emergency plans public
Minnesota residents should be interested to know that at least 300,000 people in the state have homes that are in close proximity to railroad tracks that are used to transport crude oil. With close being a relative term, in this instance it means within a half-mile radius. This means that the homes and railroad tracks are close enough to be potentially adversely and dangerously impacted if a disaster were to take place and a tanker train car carrying crude oil were to derail and explode.


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My Paris Kitchen: Lunch with David Lebovitz
It's very exciting when your hero of writing and blogging is on tour in America. Wishing and hoping he would come to Seattle, paid off when the Book Larder organized an event at the nearby Boat Street Cafe. I didn't mind a bit that I had already ordered a copy of My Paris Kitchen from Queen Anne Books. Two copies isn't a problem.
Very little has been accomplished around here since I got the book and have been busy ready, planning and cooking. I can already say this is a great cookbook that I will use for years. The writing is as I expect from David Lebovitz, a joy to read. He's funny and witty and heartfelt about all the people he deals with in Paris. His insights from being the outsider are penetrating, but never mean and always entertaining.
On the most beautiful day of the year so far in Seattle, it was a pleasure to stand in line outdoors where you could see David Lebovitz seated at the bar signing books. Despite thinking about it in line, my prepared congratulations evaporated before I could present them. There is something surreal about meeting someone you know so intimately through his writing that has no idea who you are other than a fan. The thrill of speaking personally to him while he signed my new book addled my brain a bit, so I can't remember it all, but he is as charming and gracious in the flesh as he is on the page. Renee Erickson introduced him. In his brief remarks before lunch service began he was self deprecating and humorous about the rigors of being on tour and what can happen when some kitchens have prepared his recipes. He explained how he had updated old fashioned pound cake proportions and used melted butter for maximum moistness.
He never sat down to the three course menu the Boat Street Cafe had prepared from recipes in the book. He generously went table to table and gave everyone a second chance at face time with him. I feel like I saw him at his last small club appearance and the next time he comes to town it will be a stadium show.
The menu was well chosen from My Paris Kitchen and nicely paired with wine selections. I will track down the blanc for my cellar or at least go back to Boat Street soon to have it again. The Aioli was to die for and presented under an artistic stack of vegetables, which I will try to duplicate. I already had the Terrine marked to take a party and will definitely do so and figure out how Boat Street made the pickled red onion garnish. It was colorful and crunchy with baby lettuces dressing up the grey slab of dense, rich duck plus. I'm a pie person not a cake person, but I will make this cake the next time I have company.
Tariquet Cotes du Gascogne Blanc
Le Grand (chive and garlic) Aioli
Duck and Pork Terrine with Currants
Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre Rose
Bay Leaf Pound Cake (with citrus glaze, roasted rhubarb, soft whipped cream)


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I was searching for material for my article on Scientism and I came across something from our old pal, WLC. On his website, Reasonable Faith, he has a number of podcasts including one titled "Proofs for God, Foreknowlege, and Scientism". You can listen to it in entirety if you like, but I just want to point out his hilarious bunny argument.
It starts at about half-way through, with a question at 9:51.
Kev the Lackey:
'K, let's jump to the ontological argument. Buckle your seatbelt:
Dr. Craig, listening to your Defenders' class on the ontological argument, you responded to the following objection 'Isn't it intuitive that there's a possible world in which a maximally great being wouldn't exist? Say a world in which the only creatures that exist are tortured rabbits?'
Your response seemed to parry this objecting by saying that, given that God exists, that his existence constrains the type of worlds that are possible and that it is intuitive that a maximally great being wouldn't exist in such a world. This world turns out to be metaphysically impossible.
While the objection holds a premise of the argument, and thus the argument's success in question, doesn't this response assume the argument's conclusion, namely that God exists?
No, not at all. It doesn't assume that God exists. What it assumes is that God is possible.
The person who thinks that it's possible that there is a world in which the highest life-form are rabbits that are unremittingly tortured and suffering with no redemption is assuming that it's impossible that a maximally great being exists. So the assumption that that rabbit world is a possible world, I think, is parasitic upon the assumption that the first premise of the ontological argument is false, that it is possible that a maximally great being exists. So, it doesn't assume that God exists, to say that that other world is not really metaphysically possible. Rather it is to say that if God's existence is possible, as it seems to be, then that other world is not really a possible world. It's just a product of human imagination. We can imagine things but that doesn't mean that they're really possible.
I can imagine, for example, a world in which things pop into being without causes. I can picture in my mind a world in which horses, and eskimos, and rabbits are popping into being without any cause. I can have that mental picture in my mind but that doesn't mean that's really a metaphysically possible world. I would say that such a world is actually impossible so, while I can imagine such a world, that does not mean the world is truly conceivable and therefore logically, or metaphysically, possible.
Kev the Lackey:
Did someone in Defenders' class ask you isn't it intuitive that there is a possible world in which a maximally great being wouldn't exist?
Yes, that was in the Defenders' class, I think it was Bob, a class raised this issue. I think I may have used the example of the world of rabbits, which I got from Tom Morris in his book Anselmian Explorations, ah, that would be an example of, of a world that God would not, not create. I guess that's what might be the, ah, assumption here, Kevin that I need to make explicit.
The, the assumption here is that a maximally great being wouldn't actualize a world like that …
Kev the Lackey:
Ok …
… and so, it's really metaphysically impossible, given the existence of a maximally great being.
Kev the Lackey:
Well see, in, because the ontological argument would present that there is no possible world in which maximally great being would not exist …
Right. That's why this world would, is not a real possible world …
Kev the Lackey:
Because of the rabbits or because of the being?
Because, a maximally great being would not create a world in which the highest life-form are rabbits that exist in unremitting (sic) suffering. That's incompatible with his goodness.
Kev the Lackey:
Right. (sounding a little unconvinced)
So a maximally great being would not create such a world. So, if there is such a possible world, it follows that there is no maximally great being. And so, the objection is correct, I think, that we can imagine possible worlds in our minds, we can imagine this world of suffering rabbits, that are incompatible with the existence of a maximally great being.
But, are those really possible worlds, or are they just products of the imagination like worlds in which things pop into existence uncaused? And what I'm suggesting is, is that to think that that is a possible world is to assume that it is impossible for a maximally great being to exist. It is to assume that the first premise of the argument is false.
Kev the Lackey:
'K (still sounding somewhat unconvinced)
So, after all of that fancy dancing, WLC is left saying something that the questioner said, the first premise is held to be in question. But although he never says it explicitly, WLC seems to be claiming that these two premises are not equal in validity:
It is possible that a maximally great being exists.
It is possible that there is a world in which rabbits are unremittingly tortured.
What he says far more explicitly is that they are mutually incompatible, ergo:
If it is possible that there is a world in which rabbits are unremittingly tortured, then it is not possible that a maximally great being exists
If it is possible that a maximally great being exists, then it is not possible that there is a world in which rabbits are unremittingly tortured.
Ok, that is fair enough. However, you take this just one tiny step further and say that we won't just consider rabbits. We could consider, for simplicity, four other species: cats, dogs, squirrels and ferrets.
The problem that WLC will face here is that is a mutual incompatibility between the possible existence of his god and the possible existence of a world in which any species of animal is unremittingly tortured. There is no mutual incompatibility between the possible existence of a world of unremittingly tortured rabbits and the possible existence of a world of unremittingly tortured ferrets.
Therefore, before you can even begin to consider the possibility of a maximally great being, you have to eliminate the possibility of any world in which any species of animal, or any combination of various species of animal, is unremittingly tortured, or tortured more than some acceptable proportion of the time, or prevented from breeding perhaps, or any one of a number of things that could be considered cruel or otherwise not in accordance with a maximally great being's goodness.
The easiest way for WLC to get around this problem is to just assume God and apply the following logic:
If God, then God.
Therefore, God.
Of course WLC has, with his little rabbit-proof objection, managed to lie and dissemble.
It was a little way into the session that he admitted that it was he himself who raised the example of the world of bunnies. The fact that it was Craig who raised the objection explains why it's so toothless. And it is indeed toothless in a very fundamental way, despite my protestations above.
Every single possible world in which there is some species or combination of species being unremittedly tortured has an implied immaterial, uncaused, personal great being. Look at the phrasing of the objection again, specifically Craig's phrasing:
The person who thinks that it's possible that there is a world in which the highest life-form are rabbits that are unremittingly tortured and suffering with no redemption is assuming that it's impossible that a maximally great being exists.
If the unremittingly tortured rabbits are the highest life-forms – who is unremittingly torturing them?
The implied answer is of course that there is some sort of great being in charge of torture, because it must be in charge of the universe it created, because in the minds of people like Craig (in as much as they can be said to have minds) universes must have a creator.
Think about it for a moment – a world in which the highest life-form is a rabbit. Craig (or Tom Morris from whom Craig lifted the idea) has imagined a world like ours but without any higher life-form than a rabbit, without ever clarifying what is meant by a higher life-form. Perhaps he means a set of creatures including the human, which are "higher life-forms" on the grounds of a larger brain.
In any event, the rabbit evolved as part of a suite of creatures, including all the predators that provided the evolutionary pressure to develop their camouflaging coat, their underground lifestyle, their large ears, their ability to produce huge numbers of young and thus survive high levels of predation, and so on. Strip away some of the predation and you'll no longer have the rabbit, you'll have another sort of animal. Craig (via Morris) is assuming some form of directed evolution towards existent prototypes. This directed evolution implies a director, or a creator.
Craig's little scheme seems to have been to build himself a straw man, an argument which he planned on attacking with his keen blade of Christian logic. This little scheme has gone awry since Craig has ended up being defeated by the straw man he created – not because the straw man is any good, but because – even in its laughable weakness – it is at least better than any of his standard arguments.


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In the last month I have become part of a new political podcast as one of the presenters of The Three Muckrakers. This has been a hugely enjoyable experience and got me thinking about the philosophical ethos of a medium that is firmly a part of the cultural lexicon but perhaps still has a niche or outsider understanding. Before I became part of an actual show podcasts had already become central to my media engagement, I listen to them more than I watch television or films, more than I read books or play sports. For me it is the most relevant and vital contemporary cultural form particularly in the context of a politically atomised society and an inadequate mainstream media. The significance of podcasting for me derives from the wealth of content that takes the best elements mass digital participation. In this sense the mechanics of the form itself most closely realises the internet's promise of democratic engagement.
It is clear that podcasting sit in a nexus between 'old' and 'new' media. The closest link is obviously with radio but I would argue that the paradox of podcasting, and the reason for its value in the current historical moment, is that it fuses familiar, traditional and still relevant foundations of broadcasting quality with the chaotic, transgressive and limitless scope that characterises the media in the internet age. Podcasts are not bound by spatial and temporal shackles and thus can escape from conventional broadcast flow. The relative cheapness and ease of use of audio production technology breaks down the producer/consumer binary and the Internet provides a ready-made distribution platform. Podcasting flattens the vertical power structure created by corporate media gatekeepers existing in a kind of communal zone of influence in which the production and dissemination of ideas is largely unrestrained. But good podcasts require time, preparation, thought and commitment, which in-turn engenders a level of depth belying the often cited ephemerality of the digital age.
The huge array of content covers almost every subject matter that you could think of, using every conceivable format for audio programming. Many podcasts are of course produced through the mainstream media organisations, often recordings of radio (or TV) shows that recycle traditional programming, while allowing the flexibility of listening that is intrinsic to the form. But it is the incredible explosion of independent podcasts that really encapsulates what I would describe as a political agency that underpins podcasting culture. There is almost a symbolic seizing back of media control that comes for an active participation in the dissemination ideas; a dissent against the apathy of top-down one-way media messaging. This also comes through listening practices too. Navigating through the availability and defining ones own listening spectrum has become intrinsic part of my integration into contemporary mediated world. Flanuering through the podcasting world is offers an opportunity to reflect on how and why one thinks in a particular way, the mobility of the form enhances the sense of accompaniment even companionship through day-to-day life.
But, so what, you might say. Blogging, tweeting, posting youtube videos all offer an active and interactive experience that has redefined our relationship to written, visual and aural mediation. Very true. However, I think there are certain outcomes of podcasting that I have noticed through my own listening (and now producing), which I think speaks directly the social importance of the medium. The fact that podcasts are free to download is obviously a huge part of their appeal. It means that they are and will continue to be at the forefront of new models of economic organisation. But it also suggests that podcasts do not start from material drive and (at the moment) are far less susceptible to market formalisation. Many celebrities have their own podcasts and while it maybe true to characterise some as vanity projects or a way of drawing attention to paid gigs, many are genuine reactions against the limitations of the mainstream. There is somewhat of a spirit of the amateur, perhaps reminiscent of the earliest days of radio, almost a DIY ethos that re-imagines popular culture as a more meaningful expression of populous, rather than the mass culture superficiality. At their best and most essential podcasts are about ideas and even the very process of debate.
The form of podcasting thus lends itself to dialectic and its importance as forum for political debate, particularly in terms of the status progressive left, that I find most appealing. However, in this regard I feel that the US is far in advance of the UK with a huge range of podcasts that seem to share a highly critical, often satirical, even revolutionary intent. Perhaps it could even be seen as analogous to the emergence 'public sphere' in the 18th century - defined by Habermas as a forum distinct from governmental oversight where discussion and debate about society and politics fosters an informed citizenry capable of genuine democratic participation. Key to the public sphere for Habermas was the rational form of the debate and this is where the podcast rises above other forms of internet interactivity which often can become mired in superficiality and anonymous abuse. The best political podcasts hold to account not only the politicians themselves but a media that seems both unable and unwilling to act as a 21st century Fourth Estate that is so badly needed. For me podcasting is a new art form, and like all great art it is infused with political energy.
10 of my regular podcasts:
The Smartest Man in the World & The Gregg Proops Film Club – Perhaps most well known as a regular on the improvisation show Whose Line is it Anyway, Greg Proops podcasts are recorded live in the venues all over the world. Acerbic wit, erudite observations, sweary takedowns frame rapid-fire political satire, historical and philosophical pronouncements and the odd poem. Gregg's Film Club podcast is recorded before and after a screening of one of his personal movie highlights.
Best of the Left - This podcast focuses of issues for the progressive left primarily in the United States and is an example of a show that is essentially an amalgamation of the best excerpts for other shows. Each week has a specific theme and also features activism updates and information which gives the audience a way to do something about the issues being raised in the 'real world'. The accompanying website (www.bestoftheleft.com) gives listeners the ability to disseminate their favourite clips on their own social media networks.
The Blues Kitchen Podcast - An old school radio show featuring great selections of blues, jazz, funk and soul. Hosts Gareth and Liam are down to earth aficionados giving real context to old favourites and unknown gems.
Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews - Film reviews from the BBC's flagship film programme. Wittertainment as it is known by its followers is as much about the irreverent chemistry between the two hosts as it is the films they review. The box office top ten and star interviews are featured segments in what is one of the most downloaded podcasts in the UK.
The David Pakman Show - Another political podcast cover issues in American and international politics from a progressive left perspective. This is good example of synergy between a podcasting and an online YouTube channel. Host David Pakman often interviews people with extreme views and does a great job of deconstructing the many contradictory and outright ridiculous viewpoints being espoused. The show has a membership system that opens up bonus content for listeners.
Real Time with Bill Maher - The West Coast's answer to John Stewart, Bill Maher is at the forefront of political satire in the US with this podcast a direct recording of his HBO show Real Time. Another example of how comedy and satire is one of the central avenues for political debate in the podcast world. Maher's no holds barred approach has garnered criticism from both left and right but there is no doubting the show's capacity for lively debate between guests from politics and popular culture. I often wish there was something equivalent in the UK.
Harmontown - Another podcast recorded live featuring Dan Harmon writer of NBC sitcom Community and comedian Jeff Davis. Harmontown is a chaotic, largely unscripted interaction between hosts and audience utilising an inbuilt unpredictability. The subjects of identity, how to exist in the modern world, and the culture of celebrity are perhaps underlying themes and a regular cast of friends play a never ending game of Dungeons and Dragons in every episode. A haven for geeks everywhere.
This American Life - Presented by Ira Glass This American Life is a weekly public radio show broadcast on more than 500 stations to about 2.2 million listeners making it one of the most popular in America. It is produced by Chicago Public Media, and has won major broadcasting awards. Each episode has a specific theme linked by often touching and poignant stories of everyday people and experiences.
The Bugle - Quick witted political satire from comedians Andy Salzman and John Oliver. John of course is hugely well known as the host of Last Week Tonight and Andy is a regular on the UK stand-up circuit.
Longform - Great example of how podcasts can go into real depth and into areas rarely covered by mainstream broadcasting. This show features a detailed interview with a non-fiction writer on both their own career and the process of writing.
(Thanks to Neil Fox for ideas and insights on this blog)


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Hong Kong Rugby Tens
April, 2012. Each year, Hong Kong Football Club hosts what can only be described as the best Rugby 10s tournament in the world. Teams from all over the world come to play, many of which have ex international players on their teams either coaching or playing. The standard gets higher and higher each year with this year being no exception. Its a great event leading straight into the world renowned Hong Kong Rugby 7's weekend making it a week of rugby not to be missed


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A Wisconsin State Patrol trooper just three months out of the academy died in a shootout with a bank robbery suspect also believed to have killed another motorist.
The robbery suspect also died in the shooting Tuesday evening in Fond du Lac, in eastern Wisconsin.
Authorities did not immediately identify the suspect or the motorist who was killed, but a patrol bulletin sent to law enforcement agencies identified the trooper as 21-year-old Trevor Casper. The bulletin said Casper, of Kiel, joined the patrol in July from a class of recruits who completed training in December.
The man Casper confronted was suspected of robbing the State Bank of Florence in Wausaukee, about 130 miles to the north, around 2 p.m., Marinette County Sheriff Jerry Sauve said in a statement.
The man fired his handgun inside the bank and robbed it of an unspecified amount of cash, then fled in a bank employee's vehicle, Sauve said.
Less than an hour later, a man believed to be in his 60s was found fatally shot on a road east of Wausaukee, alongside a still-running pickup truck, according to the sheriff. Deputies searched the area and found the bank employee's stolen vehicle. Investigators believe the suspect shot the man then fled in yet another vehicle.
The trooper spotted the suspect driving in Fond du Lac about 5:30 p.m. and followed him, Fond du Lac Police Chief William Lamb said. The shootout happened shortly thereafter.
Lamb said no other suspects were being sought.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is working with law enforcement from Marinette County, the city of Fond du Lac, the FBI and the Wisconsin State Patrol, on the investigation.


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I had so much fun with this class and I'd like to thank Simona from Timeless Rituals for putting it together and all the participants who shared their art. It was truly inspirational and educational. :)
Let's do random stuff today:
- I'm doing Wednesday's posts throughout month of May called Freaky Wednesday. I've been known to post in the middle of the week before but lately I've only been posting on Mondays and Fridays. But in May I'm doing somewhat different posts just because I have stuff to share with you. :)
- I know you've heard me say it before but I'm finally getting my new tattoo done on Thursday. I had to wait for the appointment for almost a month. I'm getting a geometrical shape and it's said it's harder to do, so I had to search for a tattoo artist that had done it before.
- I also talked previously about how I suddenly got an allergy to something in the middle of February a couple of years ago and it manifested as itching eyes. And last year I thought I got over it because nothing happened the entire year. But four days ago I had the worst allergy attack ever. It literally felt like I had sand under my eyelids when I closed my eyes. Luckily I had leftover pills that took care of it. But I wanted to share with you what I found out. It was the lunar eclipse and also some solar activity (winds and flares) that have interrupted sleep patterns, felt much like allergy symptoms, anxiety, etc. So, if you suddenly felt those symptoms, now you know why. :)
- And I want to update you on my 30 days challenges. You thought I quit, didn't you? No, I didn't. It's just not art related so I'm not sharing it on my blog. The two challenges I'm doing currently are learning about mythology every day and filming my everyday life like walking my pets and laughing at my hubby while he's doing push-ups. :)


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We all have those days when there's just no time to exercise. But there's always time to sneak in a little extra activity in your daily routine. In a recent article in the AARP Bulletin, top trainers Chris Freytag, founder of www.gethealthyu.com, and Lindsay Hunt, founder of www.walkon thehealthyside.com, listed their advice for being more active all day long. Here is The O Report's Top 5 List of their best tips.
1. While Waiting Around In The Kitchen. Waiting on your coffee to brew or water to boil while you're cooking dinner? Try any combination of these moves: Squeeze your behind 10 times. Tighten your stomach muscles 10 times. Stretch your arms downward behind you and squeeze your triceps 10 times. Rise up on your toes and squeeze your calves 10 times. Raise your arms out to the sides and do 15 circles in a clockwise direction, then 15 circles counterclockwise.
2. While Sitting Around. Improve your grip strength by keeping a tennis ball at your desk at work and another by your favorite chair at home. At least twice a day, grab a ball and squeeze tightly. Hold for five seconds, then release slowly. Repeat 10 to 15 times with each hand.
3. While Brushing Your Teeth. When you brush your teeth, stand on one foot for 60 seconds and the switch. When that becomes easy, try balancing while lifting your leg to the side.
4. When Getting Out Of A Chair. Every time you stand up from or sit down in a chair, use just your legs (use one hand at first for assistance if needed). Do this 10 times a day and you've done 10 squats without going to the gym.
5. When At A Stoplight. Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles by tightening them (as if you have to urinate and are "holding it") when you're at a stoplight. Hold for 10 counts, then release for 10. Repeat until the light turns green.


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October: GRN settled a lawsuit brought against the Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (Trustees). The lawsuit was meant to challenge the misuse of National Resource Damages (NRD) funds that were given to the state after the BP disaster. The suit was filed after the Trustees approved the use of the NRD funds in the construction of a lodge and conference center for the Gulf State Park Enhancement Project. Under the new terms of settlement, $65 million will be used to maintain public access amenities in the Gulf State Park. The settlement also prohibits the construction of a north to south road that would cut through the park. This is a huge win for the Gulf residents with BP disaster funds now going towards public access amenities.
September: Along the Pearl River, GRN is ecstatic to welcome Abby Branman as the first Pearl Riverkeeper through the Waterkeeper Alliance. She will lead the organization in advocating, protecting, and keeping watch over the Pearl River. The foundation of this organization will help to clean up and restore this great waterway which is the fourth-largest source of freshwater discharge into the Gulf of Mexico. During the first Pearl River Clean Sweep, 36,782 lbs.of trash was cleared from the River through the hard work of the Riverkeepers and 1,015 volunteers. The communities along the Pearl River really care about protecting what they love.
August: Through GRN and its Saucier members' persistent correspondence, negotiation, and advocacy, an agreement was reached with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) over the new treatment permit for Lakeview R/V Resort. The new permit will require the resort to use chlorine in their sprayfield, comply with bacteria limits, track the amount of water sprayed and report these findings. Through the new permit the resort will be held accountable for their waste management. As a result of the new permit, waterways, such as the Tuxachanie Creek that leads into the National Forest in Mississippi, will now be protected.
March: GRN and the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper settled a lawsuit with the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the use of Regional General Permit NOD-13 (NOD-13) that permits the destruction of wetlands to build oilfield roads and other infrastructure. General permits require less rigorous oversight and analysis than regular Corps permits. Under the settlement, the Corps' agreed that its re-evaluation of NOD-13 will propose exclusion of the Atchafalaya Basin from the scope of the general permit and that NOD-13 cannot not be used to authorize projects anywhere else in the New Orleans District until that re-evaluation is completed.
January 12th and February 9th: In response to pressure from GRN and our allies, the Army Corps of Engineers and Louisiana's Departments of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources held two public hearings on the proposed Bayou Bridge fracked oil pipeline, which would harm hundreds of acres of flood-buffering wetlands and drinking water sources. GRN worked with our partners to encourage over 750 concerned citizens to attend, who together clocked almost 12 hours of spoken testimony.
January: GRN pressured agencies to preserve 700 additional acres as part of the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area to mitigate impacts from the Ascension Gas Pipeline.
January: The Land Trust for Mississippi Coastal Plain completed restoration of over 200 acres of wetlands in coastal Mississippi. This restoration was made possible by a settlement of GRN's suit holding Hancock County Development Corporation accountable for illegal destruction of those wetlands.
January 2017: GRN, working in partnership with Care2, generated over 100,000 petition signatures and comments supporting the National Marine Fisheries Service proposal to list the Gulf Bryde's whale, which is estimated to have a population of less than a hundred individuals left, as an endangered species. Endangered status will help protect Gulf Bryde's whales and their habitat.
January 2017: GRN and the Mississippi Coast Sierra Club chapter were very successful in organizing attendance and encouraging public comments at the scoping meeting that began the George County Lake Environmental Impact Statement process, making a clear statement that coast residents are opposed to the project. The proposed George County lake would involve damming tributaries of the Pascagoula River, one of the last, large free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 U.S. states.
2016: GRN coordinated 20 monitoring trips by air and sea in the Gulf to survey wetlands, dune, and island restoration, watchdog oil and gas impacts like Hilcorp and Shell's major oil spills, and assess the catastrophic flooding of August 2016.
2016: Through monitoring, commenting, and challenging Corps of Engineers wetland destruction permits, GRN helped protect and restore 4,890 acres of wetlands in Gulf states over the course of the year.
2016: The year was full of successful events! We found the Easter Keg during our annual scavenger hunt with NOLA Brewing, sailed out to Ship Island for the first time during our Boat Party and attended dozens of Earth Month events organized by Aveda salons across the South. Halloween weekend, GRN hosted a booth at Voodoo Fest and signed up dozens of members to "Defend Our Coast." Musicians from near and far gave us shout outs, took action and The Breton Sound and Devon Baldwin flew with us to see Louisiana's coast from the skies! Many thanks to the supporters and donors who made these events possible, we couldn't do it without you.
November: GRN, as a member of the Mississippi River Collaborative, released Decades of Delay: EPA Leadership Still Lacking in Protecting America's Great River, where we highlight the impact and lack of action related to nitrogen and phosphorus pollution (the cause of the Dead Zone, toxic algae blooms, and drinking water contamination).
October: After GRN conducted a presentation to the Louisiana Oyster Task force about the downstream impacts of the "One Lake" project to dam the Pearl in Jackson, Mississippi, the Task Force sent a letter to the the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources requesting that a Coastal Zone Consistency Review be conducted for the dam project, and that the project be rejected on the basis that other alternatives are less harmful to the Pearl River and coastal estuaries.
August: GRN, along with our partners Our Sante Fe River, the Sierra Club and Beyond Extreme Energy, brought together over 70 passionate community members and over a dozen organizations for the Grassroots Summit to Stop Sabal Trail in Gainesville, FL. At the Summit, we worked together to share information and develop strategies to stop Sabal trail, a 516-mile natural gas pipeline, and other similar projects in the region.
August: Through technical comments, hearings, and a legal challenge, GRN and partners pressured agencies to reverse a decision to lower wetland damage mitigation for the Maurepas Swamp, resulting in over 4,000 additional acres added to the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area. The mitigation preserves this swamp and bottomland forest against logging in exchange for Motiva' Louisiana Refining System pipeline impacts.
June: In the first half of 2016, two separate developers brought requests before the City of New Orleans Board of Zoning Adjustments for exemptions to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Stormwater Management requirements, which are designed to encourage sustainable development and reduce urban stormwater runoff. GRN worked with St. Peter Claver Micah Project and members of the surrounding neighborhood, the Treme, to arrange a meeting with the developers. At the meeting, residents reached an agreement with the developers on how they could meet their stormwater requirements and receive community support for the project - a win-win.
May: Plaquemines and Jefferson parish leaders and residents scored a key victory toward preserving their coastal communities from the proposed RAM export terminal when the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) decided to reconsider RAM's coastal use permit. This proposed coal export terminal would have started mile-long uncovered coal trains running through nearby communities and would also have undermined a major project in Louisiana coastal restoration plans, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.
April: Through the significant advocacy of the GRN and Texas residents, the RESTORE Council funded six restoration projects along the Texas Coast totaling $26 million through its Funded Priority List. These projects provide necessary resilience to coastal communities by conserving and restoring coastal corridors in the Bahia Grande and the Matagorda and Galveston Bay, as well as plugging eleven abandoned oil wells in the Padre Island Seashore.
February: In response to a lawsuit filed by GRN, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama prohibited Alabama and federal officials from spending $58.5 million dollars of BP drilling disaster "natural resource restoration" funds to construct a hotel and conference center along an Alabama beach.
Click here to see victories from previous years.


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"Look out everybody, things are about to get awesome!"
This article is a stub. You can help Borderlands Wiki by expanding it.
The Lost Legion (also called the Dahl Lost Legion) is a military unit formerly on the payroll of the Dahl corporation. Originally sent to Elpis under the command of Colonel Zarpedon to secure the moon for Dahl's miners, they were declared "abandoned" by Dahl following the catastrophic event known as the Crackening. Left on the surface of the moon and exposed to the purple fumes emanating from its interior, some members of this unit underwent a physical change, becoming Lost Legion Eternals.
Following the capture and interrogation of a Hyperion survey team, Colonel Zarpedon ordered a mission to secure the Hyperion lunar satellite Helios. After obtaining the keys to enter the station from The Meriff in Concordia (a former Hyperion employee), they successfully staged a massive invasion to claim it. They massacred many of the crew in the initial attack, and then focused the station's powerful giant laser onto the surface of Elpis below.
Lost Legion Units
- Lost Legion Marine
- Badass Lost Legion Marine
- Lost Legion Corrosive Marine
- Lost Legion Flame Marine
- Lost Legion Ice Marine
- Lost Legion Rocket Marine
- Lost Legion Laser Specialist
- Lost Legion Scout
- Lost Legion Sergeant
- Lost Legion Sniper
- Lost Legion Medic
- Lost Legion Engineer
- Lost Legion Fighter Crew
- Lost Legion Eternal
- Powersuits
Notable Members
- Corporal Bob
- Colonel Zarpedon
- Flame Knuckle
- Lost Legion Courier
- Lost Legion Powersuit Noob
- Raum-Kampfjet Mark V