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Advertising: getting noticed
In the Red Dot 21 category "Advertising", we present superb evidence of why convincing advertising is almost unthinkable without good design. The primary purpose of advertising is to sell a product or an image. That is its main objective, so it will therefore always ultimately be judged by whether a print ad, for instance, or a digital campaign has succeeded in doing so. Yet there are many examples of good advertising that not only sell products successfully, but are at the same time creative, intelligent, pithy and humorous, and thus attract a good deal of attention. This sort of advertising also benefits the advertiser's image as it takes consumers seriously and seeks to entertain or inform them. That way, they are more susceptible to the advertising message – more so than if the ad was pure hype. An ad or a campaign only has the required power of persuasion if it is based on a convincing idea, which is aimed at winning over not only the consumers' heads, but also their hearts. As people's attention span for advertising is very limited, many of today's best ads manage without much text or long explanations and instead appeal directly to consumers' emotions with striking images and just few carefully chosen words.
Digital & print advertising: making the most of its potential
Today's advertising messages make the most of their potential, regardless of whether they are used in a digital or print setting, to a much greater extent than in the past. Nowadays, a campaign must often not only work at an international level, but must also be tailor-made to suit various different media and be coordinated across all of them. Digital advertising opens up totally different possibilities compared to print advertising. The same is true for social media campaigns versus TV spots. Nonetheless, activities that appear concurrently must be coordinated and complement one another to create a coherent image of the brand.
In the Red Dot Award: Communication Design "Advertising" category, jury members not only judge a submission for its design – the artwork of an ad or an advertising spot – but also for the impact of the idea, its emotional content and the type of storytelling used. In addition, the judges look at whether these qualities are repeated across all the channels used for a multi-media campaign and are developed in such a way that the potential of the individual media is exploited to the hilt. Despite this complex environment, it is actually sometimes the simplest ads, particularly among the print ads, that are the most effective. A simple, but brilliant idea that is implemented as such can be stunning. Regardless of whether it is amusing or shocking, in the best-case scenario, it ensures that something happens to us; that images pass before our inner eye like a film. In this way, the ad becomes imbedded much more deeply in our consciousness than if we were just looking at a nice picture. But you should make up your own mind. In the print advertising and digital advertising categories, you will find a wide range of different examples of successful adverts and campaigns. Please note, however, that you will find advertising spots for the cinema and TV in the Red Dot 21 category Films and TV.


text: FXStreet (Guatemala) - Analysts at Rabobank are looking at the rationale ("why, and why now?") behind a further cut in the ECB deposit rate and how this may affect money and currency markets. Key Quotes: "Whilst we argue that a deposit rate cut is probably quite effective, much (if not too much already) has been priced in, suggesting that the ECB will face some challenges in December." "We also remain of the opinion that such a policy option exposes the ECB to 'retaliation' by other central banks and we note that despite the huge amount of policy measures since 2014 –TLTRO's, the asset purchase program, and previous deposit rate cuts into negative territory– financial fragmentation in the Eurozone banking system has not disappeared." "This highlights the risk that further policy measures will simply be more of 'pushing against a string.'" For more information, read our latest forex news.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mondrian is a web-based app for creating vector graphics. It has a clean and easy-to-learn interface. Mondrian supports only the latest desktop stable versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
CSS Frameworks
A directory of the best of the best css frameworksView All
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A curated collection of popular css libraries in one pageView All
CSS Generators
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Sheriffs across Georgia are appealing to state lawmakers to do something next year about state inmates overstaying their welcome in local jails.
This year, 19,000 state prisoners have gone through the county jail system largely because of a shortage in Georgia prison space. Local officials want the state to either start building extra room or paying more in boarding and health care expenses.
"We need some help there. The health care costs are astronomical," Douglas County Commission Chairman Tom Worthan said. "We've got to provide them with whatever health care they need."
Adding to the burden on local governments and their budgets is having to absorb prisoners for the state, which now reimburses sheriffs far less than the average costs to house the inmates.
"The sheriffs are talking about it, absolutely," said Sen. Ralph Hudgens, R-Comer, whose conversations with law enforcement officials in Walton, Barrow, Madison, Jackson and Elbert counties have echoed a similar message. "...the state needs to move these state prisoners out quicker."
In 1996, the Georgia Department of Corrections began paying a $20 daily subsidy to counties for housing a state prisoner - an amount that has slowly crept up from $5 a day in 1979.
But a recent survey of county jails shows that sheriffs are paying an average of $41 a day to house an inmate, according to the state Department of Audit and Accounts.
The difference between the expense and the state's per diem can strain county budgets.
Since 2003, the state has reimbursed county jails $1.9 million for health expenses of state inmates, according to the performance audit report.
Part of the shuffle has to do with the state's near-capacity prison system. As of October, only about 600 beds out of the state's 46,000 prison slots were available.
But the Corrections Department also is in the middle of expansion plans that should add space for nearly 2,000 prisoners in the state system.
During the 2005 budget year, the state agency paid $14.6 million for expenses on state inmates in county jails, according to the audit report. It would cost the state an estimated $8 million a year to leave the $20 daily reimbursement rate intact.
A legislative decision to increase the counties' per diem fee to $30 would cost the state a total of $12.1 million. Moving to a $40 reimbursement would cost Georgia $16.1 million.
The report also looked at what would happen if the state began paying counties immediately after an inmate's paperwork is in place. Under current policy, the state waits 15 days after receiving sentencing information before starting to apply the daily reimbursement.
In 2002, Chatham County filed a lawsuit seeking to recover nearly $3.4 million sheriff officials said they had to pay in a single year because of the discrepancy for housing state felons as well as parole and probation violators.
In filed court briefs, state attorneys said the per diem amounts were set by the Georgia Legislature and that "the case presents nothing but a political issue."
They pointed out that the Corrections Department was following the existing state law.
Last month, a Fulton County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the county and said some of the codes outlining the reimbursements were unconstitutional - a decision the Department of Corrections and Board of Pardons and Paroles are appealing to the state Supreme Court.
"The county is being forced to donate the service of housing state prisoners in the county jail," Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore wrote in her order last month.
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-Earl Brown
President, Drive Promotions
Find Me On The Web
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HitTheRedline
Twitter: https://twitter.com/earlbrowncarguy
Are you under pressure from your DMS to enter into a contract that you are unsure about? Find a DMS who can step in and help you gain control over your current situation and enable you to improve customer satisfaction and dealership profits. DOWNLOAD
10 Things To Know About Creating A Successful Automotive Direct Mail Campaign
Direct Mail is a vital part of advertising for many businesses both large and small. In my opinion, no business has as much to gain from a well planned and properly managed Direct Mail campaign as a franchised Auto Dealer.
Below, we've compiled some of the top priorities we've learned to live by over the years. Every campaign is different as is every dealer, but if you stick to the basics, you have a great shot at a big ROI!
1.) The 40/40/20 Rule: The Unwritten Rule of Direct Mail (Well, I Guess It Is Written Now...). Many direct mail professionals agree that the success of your direct mail campaign depends at least 40% on your mailing segment list, 40% on your CTA offer, and 20% on your creative proof.
2.) Segment, Segment, Segment! your target mailing list! Use ad language and images (photos & graphics) that speak directly to your target prospects based on that segmentation. You wouldn't want to speak to a senior citizen the same way about shopping for a car as you would speak to a college aged person would you? Of course not. Psychology of "mirroring you client" certainly apply here! Also, keep in mind how your mail company is targeting your campaign, many vendors will use an unfiltered post-office list to save money on the campaign!
3.) 99% of Direct Mail includes some kind of an offer, whether it's a free gift, a coupon, special sale or information. What is your CTA offer? How do you mobilize your prospect is the question. Important to make it as strong as you can.
4.) No Scatter-Brain Ad-Copy A single idea usually works best. Choose your overall message and convey it as clearly as possible.
5.) Headline is critical. Make it stand out. The 'Headline' on your mail piece is the BRAND of the campaign, it is the CONCEPT that you are selling. Speak directly to your audience and promise a benefit. You must give them a REASON to look into your mailing. (Particularly if your message is stuffed in an envelope).
6.) Short and Simple. Write, edit, edit and then edit again. Give them enough info to peak their interest but not enough that they don't want to ask questions and respond.
7.) Personalize it. Write to a human being. Outline how your offer will benefit them and why your the best for them individually. Include personalized flares like Variable Data, Personalized Micro-sites etc.
8.) Easy On The Eyes Use colors, designs, and graphic concepts that do not overwhelm the recipient or cause eye strain.
9.) Pay Attention To How YOU Read The Ad: A reader's eyes will usually naturally go to the largest photo first, then the second, and so on. How will most people "skim" the ad (impressions matter, only 1-3% will respond live to your CTA but if you are using a self-mailer...nearly 100% will view your message (tailor it to your entire segment).
10.) Choices, Choices, Choices: Human beings are very busy and constantly moving, your campaign must have options to redeem offer/respond-- a toll-free number, e-mail, response card, personalized micro-site, mailing list request, etc. If your prospect does not have a host of options available, the chances of them making time drop significantly for a portion of the segment.
There you have it! A list of our top ten "Most Important" Factors To Remember When Your Dealership Plans It's Next Automotive Direct Mail Campaign.
-Earl Brown
President, Drive Promotions
Find Me On The Web
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HitTheRedline
Twitter: https://twitter.com/earlbrowncarguy


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The winners of Portal 2 and the National's "Exile Vilify" video contest were announced today, despite weeks spent trapped in a "seemingly intractable stalemate" between organizers over the recipients of the first and second place prizes. Two videos in question were an animated retelling of a plot line from the video game and a live-action clip of a man lip-synching via melancholic hand puppet, which quite beautifully captures the song's forlorn mood. In the end, the latter clip took home top honors with the former honorably handed place #1.00000000001. Check out the C.F.Meister-directed victor above and the runners-up here.
Previously: Watch Owen Pallett perform "Exile Vilify" w/ The National


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Jane Miller
IN PRINT. Albion Book Series 2, Number 5. Published in the summer of 2010 in an edition of 65 paperback copies, the first 20 of which are signed by the author. Covers and a portion of the text stock salvaged courtesy of Logos Graphics.
This was another lyric prose project whose text seemed poorly served by excerpting. Rather than typeset and print a broadside, I decided to make a limited hardcover edition of 10 lettered copies. This is handbound in marbled papers and handsewn with a stab-stitch:
|Binding Style


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Tag Archives: Best Yosemite backpacking trips
Backpacking 150 Miles Through Wildest Yosemite
By Michael Lanza
In early evening on a bluebird September day, deep in northern Yosemite National Park, my friend Todd Arndt and I—with legs a little weary—reached our fourth pass on a 23-mile day, the second day of a four-day, 87-mile hike. Only a quad-melting, 1,500-foot descent stood between us and soothing our feet in the cool sand and cold water at Benson Lake (possibly the most unbelievable mountain lake I've ever seen).
We hiked past quiet tarns where a few backpackers were camped. And it struck me that they were the first people Todd and I had seen all day. That's not an observation one expects to make in Yosemite. But we were exploring the "other Yosemite"—not the overcrowded park, but its most remote backcountry, on one of the best multi-day hikes I've ever taken. Continue reading →
America's Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips
By Michael Lanza
What makes a great backpacking trip? I've thought about that more than a mentally stable person probably should, having done many of America's (and the world's) most beautiful and beloved multi-day hikes over the years. Certainly top-shelf scenery is mandatory. An element of adventurousness enhances a hike, in my eyes. As I assembled this top 10 list, longer trips seemed to dominate it—there's something special about a big walk in the wilderness—but two- and three-day hikes also made my list. Another factor that truly matters is a wilderness experience: All 10 are in national parks or wilderness areas.
Some things, though, don't require explanation; the validation comes in just doing it. So I give you here my admittedly personal and subjective list of the 10 best backpacking trips I've taken over more than a quarter-century (and counting) of humping a pack on trails all over the country, as a longtime field editor for Backpacker magazine and creator of this blog. Continue reading →
Best of Yosemite, Part 2: Backpacking Remote Northern Yosemite
By Michael Lanza
Under a sky lacking even one tiny cotton ball, and so blue you want to pour it into a cup and drink it, Todd and I walk across Tuolumne Meadows, carrying full but light backpacks and hearts full of anticipation. Across the creek-cut meadows, Cathedral Peak knifes into the stratosphere, and domes of polished granite bubble up above the treetops. The temperature hovers around 60° F, the air is as calm as a monk.
When you're hiking on a September morning at 8,600 feet in the high country of Yosemite National Park, life floats intoxicatingly close to perfection. Continue reading →
Photo Gallery: An 86-Mile Walk Through Yosemite
By Michael Lanza
For years, I had gazed longingly at my topographic maps of Yosemite, eyeballing the biggest and most remote swath of wilderness in this flagship national park: the vast realm of deep canyons and mountains rising to over 12,000 feet north of Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Road, a region that includes the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River and a chunk of the Pacific Crest Trail. I had to explore it. So I finally decided it was time, mapped out an 86-mile hike, talked a friend into a four-day blitz, and we ticked off one of the most glorious backpacking trips of my life. Continue reading →
Best of Yosemite, Part 1: Backpacking South of Tuolumne Meadows
By Michael Lanza
I am floating in the stratosphere.
The feeling reminds me of childhood dreams of flying, but this is no dream. We are hiking across the slender, granite spine of 9,926-foot Clouds Rest, between sphincter-puckering abysses of deep air in the heart of Yosemite National Park. Below my left elbow, the rock drops off like a very long and insanely steep slide for several hundred feet before reaching forest; and that's the side that feels less exposed. Below my right elbow, a cliff face sweeps downward a dizzying, stomach-churning 4,000 feet—that's a thousand feet taller than the face of El Capitan. Continue reading →


text: Glad I could help ... if I end up helping, that is! I have the HDNet test pattern recorded on three TiVos and all of them showed the picture you linked to, which has the mis-numbered overscan hash marks on the bottom edge. My test patterns were recorded months ago and looked the same, with the same misnumbered hash marks. I'm recording this Sunday's pattern on my HR20, so we'll see if anything changed ... By the way, here's where the link originally came from: Two posts in the HR20 Ovverscan Thread:


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Young readers will learn about the lives of dolphins in this leveled reader title. Repetitive sentence structures and familiar vocabulary are paired with vibrant photos to help ensure reading success. Picture glossaries introduce new vocabulary and simple quizzes and activities at the end of each book help solidify comprehension.
Bookwire is a mobile app for your iPhone that gives you the ability to scan a barcode
or enter ISBN, access book records and add titles to wish lists.


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Poppie's PTA and Master Experience
Poppie's experience at the Cockatoo Island Film Festival in Sydney…… aka the Cockatoo Cock Up!
I struck it lucky to start off…not being accustomed to red carpet events I had no idea where to stand to get the autograph so I ended up in the midst of the photographers & media…after a very long time…listening to their devices saying who was coming in next I asked someone if they were sure PTA was actually walking the red carpet…she assured me he was so I kept waiting…then another girl asks me who I am with…I tell her I'm not with any company but am invoived in a website for JP & I desperately want PTA's autograph…she says she doesn't think he is planning on signing autographs as when he arrives it will be straight in to present the film but she said just stay there & I'll see what I can do…she comes back to tell me that he will sign for me…she was with Village Roadshow who are the distributors for Oz & her friend is who is looking after Paul…how fuckin lucky was that…so he finally arrives…after the photographers were finished with him he comes over…I hand him the pic & he looks at it & has a strange smile on his face…signs & promptly without blinking I'm sure draws the moe on Joaquie…it took my breath & I was in shock horror …looked at him & he was grinning…then I just cracked up laughing! I cannot tell you one word he said…not a thing…I was blown away…he is a sweet gracious man & I am very damn impressed….what a sweetie to do that even if he did mutilate Joaquie with the moustache!
Such a long story about the cinema…it was full so they had it now in 2 more cinema's…eventually after much walking & following everyone through tunnels & over old paved ground (with fuckin very high heels!!!) we come to the Blacksmith Shop Cinema…people are still being turned away but I was over it by now so I found someone & told them they just had to find somewhere for us…cut a long story short we ended up down the front of that cinema on the floor along with many others including some high profile Aussie directors…we were all whinging when someone near me says…just imagine if this didn't happen I wouldn't get to talk & laugh with you…that turned out to be Baz Luhrmman sitting on the floor with us…we had found a place at the side near this big black curtain…I had my shoes off…this short dress on & sitting yoga style trying to maintain some dignity when a pair of joggers appeared next to me…I look up & guess who…Mr PTA himself AGAIN…he smiles down at me & said something & I just said "if I hadn't waited for him to get the autograph I wouldn't be sitting on this floor right now but it was worth it"…he couldn't hear me so he leans down & I repeat…once again I am blank & honestly cannot remember what he said but he was smiling again…so he had got around & made sure that all the cinema's got him presenting his amazing film…he was happily announcing that even though this film had been played in many places this was the first time it had overflow…kinda softened the blow a bit…so here I am watching our guy laying (yes I used my shoes for a pillow & sprawled out) on the fuckin floor of this weird place looking up at this massive screen…not expected nor the perfect way to view but OMG I still wouldn't trade the experience…something I will never forget! As for the film I will write a review later but just gotta say…brilliant/simply amazing/fuckin unreal…OMFG Joaquie…even if he doesn't want Oscar they just might give it to him…he is just too amazing…it is surprising & the trailers actually give nothing away which was another surprise & there's much more…I could feel it in that cinema…every damn one appreciated all of their performances…not a sound at the right times & laughter where it should be…no one moved & at the end everyone stood & applauded…I wanted to cry…so through all of this it was worth every second of sitting & laying on that floor!
Review later!
Poppie and PTA! Bigger in The Dark Room


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Every time when you start to design photos based on photo templates or do it yourself from scratch, prior to image output, you must save your design as a project.
5DFly provides a tool for you to easily manage the design projects you are working on.
To Manage your design project,1. Click Project in the toolbar, it will pop up a window of project list.
2. Select a project you designed.
3. Do one of the following,
A. Click Open to open the project and start further design.
B. Click Delete to delete the project and confirm deletion when a window pop up.
C. Click Convert to template-set to convert a project to a template-set. For the detail information about template-set conversion, please refer to the section of Publish template.


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The Obama campaign has set up a text-to-donate platform that allows contributors to text the word "GIVE" to 62262.
"Accepting small donations by text message will help us engage even more grassroots supporters who want to play a role by donating whatever they can afford to the campaign – and get the President re-elected in November," said Obama campaign manager Jim Messina.
Those wishing to donate can text "GIVE" to 62262. The service is available for those who have cell phone service with Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular. AT&T customers will soon be able to use the feature.
The donations, which are capped at $50, will be charged via cellphone bill.
Find Out What Your Favorite Celebrities Did This Week On Instagram (12/30-1/05)
Find Out What Your Favorite Celebrities Did This Week On Instagram (12/30-1/05)
1. Bruno Mars1 of 15
2. Gabrielle Union & Dwayne Wade2 of 15
3. Toni Braxton3 of 15
4. Will Smiith4 of 15
5. Kym Whitley5 of 15
6. Serena Williams6 of 15
7. DJ Khaled7 of 15
8. Jay-Z8 of 15
9. Hoda Kotb & Al Roker9 of 15
10. Rodney Perry10 of 15
11. Tracee Ellis Ross11 of 15
12. Jenifer Lewis12 of 15
13. Ne-Yo13 of 15
14. Jennifer Hudson14 of 15
15. Affion Crockett15 of 15
2 thoughts on "Obama Campaign First to Accept Donations Via Text"
It is very common that many young women or men are attracted to 40 plus olders; coz olders are usually more stable and mature.I just met a chocolate young woman by Google or Bing {BlackAgeGap}. It's where for Black Older Men seeking Younger Women. & . Mature black women dating younger men. It's a nice place for black older singles, to interact with each other, I just want to say:: Love me Love my color.
WOW. What will this desperate campaign do next, Stand on the corner and ask for money. What happened to the billion dollars previously projected by the Obama campaign? This is a very Sad and Shameful campaign when the incumbent POTUS has to go to the extreme desperate measures of begging. The sadder part is No One Is Giving. Where is Oprah's million dollar contribution. Mr. President, Americans want to see progress. Americans gave in 2008 and is still waiting for a return for their donations. What in the world will this deperate man do next. Where is Al Sharpton, the NAACP,and all the rest of the Shameful Black supporters. Where are the Big Hollywood millionaires, and the rest of Obama's rich friends. Many Democrats has seen the Hope and Change lies and has come to realize that Obama can't get it done, and now they are supporting the Romney campaign. This is last pitiful effort before this administration collapses. Shameful Broken Promises Beggers… If Obama had lived up to his promises and Stop Blaming Everyone Else, then Americans would be backing him for a 2nd term. All Americans have their eyes on the Dems convention to see if Obama will answer the question of Where is the Change? Hope? Civility? I can tell you now his answer will be it's their fault. What else can you expect from a Slumlord Communnity Organizer. Folks, Obama don't have anything in place to be successful in a 2nd term. There are no current changes in congress, so why would aything change now. Obama's community organizer experience don't work when you are dealing with political challengers. Both Repubs and Dems in the Senate and the Congress don't Respect Obama. So Same answers, get same Results, No Hope, No Change, No changing the way DC does business. All Obama did was make the country go more backwards after Bush. 8 years of Bush and 4 years of Obama will put Black folks into a poverty level for years to come. Obama Can't Get It Done. PERIOD.


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frusanoff Review
ring ***
I got stuck oin ring *** and sent it back but order another ring and all went well.
- How did the image on site compare with the actual product? littlle smaller in size then the picture
- How accurate was the sizing? sizing was pretty good but I order the wrong size.
- Please tell us about the quality of the product. not to good
Was This Review Helpful?


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Dendreon failed to live up to expectations for its new prostate cancer drug, and now it is facing some brutal consequences. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: DNDN) saw its stock plummet about 60 percent in after-hours trading today after it issued a surprisingly bad second-quarter financial report.
The loss, if it holds up in tomorrow's trading, would erase more than $2.5 billion of the company's market valuation.
All that turmoil roiled the market after Dendreon said it has to withdraw its forecast of $350 million to $400 million in full-year sales for sipuleucel-T (Provenge), and that it was unable to offer any revised projection in its place. The company generated $49.6 million in sales in the quarter ended June 30, plus another $19 million in the month of July, which was "substantially" lower than its internal forecasts, CEO Mitch Gold told investors on a conference call. As for guidance, the company only said it expects "modest quarter-over-quarter" growth. The shortfall means that Dendreon is now planning to cut costs, including make some staff layoffs, this quarter.
Dendreon's CEO obviously had a lot of explaining to do on this call to a group of surprised and frustrated analysts. The company's sales trajectory has been limited since FDA approval in April 2010, largely because of manufacturing constraints. But those supply limitations are easing now, and Dendreon said it is still unable to quickly ramp up sales because many doctors are cautious about whether they will get reimbursed, and whether they will get reimbursed in a timely manner, when they prescribe the new drug for $93,000 per patient. Even though Medicare said on June 30 that it has agreed to fully reimburse doctors, and it established a special code to speed up the process, many doctors in community treatment centers are still unaware that the process has been streamlined, and they are taking a wait-and-see approach one patient at a time before they get comfortable with the new reimbursement methods, Dendreon said.
Gold, who is well known for bold, even brash statements about the company's ability to change the lives of patients with this new drug, sounded almost contrite in his conference with analysts. Still, he insisted that it is only a matter of time before Dendreon fixes this situation, and fulfills its potential.
"Many of you have followed Dendreon for a long time," Gold said. "You've seen us overcome challenges many other companies have never had to face. We will overcome these challenges as well." He added: "We appreciate your support in the past, the present and the future."
After the company was done explaining itself in a 90-minute conference call, Dendreon stock fell $22.48, or about 63 percent, in after-hours trading to $13.36 at 6:47 pm Eastern time.
The problem, Dendreon said, is primarily happening with small community-based physicians, not the usual top academic centers that have been familiar with the product for years in clinical trials. The product, prescribed by both urologists and oncologists, essentially requires the physician to adopt a new process with an infusion given three times in one month, and that works unlike any other prostate cancer drug on the market. It requires physicians to get more aggressive about treating patients who previously haven't gotten much therapy, Gold said.
"In many ways, we are building an entirely new market," Gold said.
There was also an unusual amount of reimbursement uncertainty. Doctors in the first year were required to go through a lot of red tape, recording diagnostic markers like … Next Page »
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Five Atheist miracles
(or materialists believe in magic)
Published: 21 April 2016 (GMT+10)
Atheists often promote themselves as intelligent, logical, scientific, rational, etc. They even had a proposal to call themselves 'brights'! The aggressive 'new Atheists', such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and company, like to portray those of us who believe in a supernatural Creator as irrational, unscientific, unintelligent, ignorant, or even 'needing help' (Dawkins). The entertainment industry often reinforces these perceptions by portraying 'religious' people (Christians particularly, and especially church leaders) as buffoons or hillbillies (almost never as a university professor, for example).
Reality runs against these perceptions. Isaac Newton, the greatest scientific mind of all time, was a Christian believer, as were other founders of modern science. Surveys have consistently shown that people with a strong adherence to the Bible's authority are the least likely to be superstitious, in contrast to the average de facto Atheist.1 Indeed, one Atheist expressed his chagrin that "some of the most intelligent and well-informed people" he knew were Christians.2
There is much more to say. Atheists believe that everything came about by purely material processes—the universe, life, mind, and morality. However, do they have a rational, logical basis for this belief?
They actually believe in miracles without any reasonable cause for the miracles. That is, they believe in magic, or the occurrence of things without a sufficient cause. What we commonly call 'magic' is actually illusion. For example, a rabbit does not just appear from an empty hat; there has to be a logical physical explanation; a sufficient cause. Illusion needs an illusionist. Stuff does not happen without something to cause it to happen. Even young children understand this law of causation. Magic, where things 'just happen', is the stuff of fairytales—there is no such thing.3
Here are five major examples of materialists believing in magic (and there are more), or miraculous events without any sufficient explanation or cause for those events.
- Origin of the universe
Materialists (Atheists) once tried to believe that the universe was eternal, to erase the question of where it came from. The famous British Atheist Bertrand Russell, for example, took this position. However, this is not tenable. The progress of scientific knowledge about thermodynamics, for example, means that virtually everyone has been forced to acknowledge that the universe had a beginning, somewhere, sometime—the big bang idea acknowledges this (ideas like the multiverse only put the beginning more remotely, but do not get rid of the pesky problem).4
The big bang attempts to explain the beginning of the universe. However, what did it begin from and what caused it to begin? Ultimately, it could not have come from a matter/energy source, the same sort of stuff as our universe, because that matter/energy should also be subject to the same physical laws, and therefore decay, and it would have had a beginning too, just further back in time.
So, it had to come from? Nothing! Nothing became everything with no cause whatsoever. Magic!
"The universe burst into something from absolutely nothing—zero, nada. And as it got bigger, it became filled with even more stuff that came from absolutely nowhere. How is that possible? Ask Alan Guth. His theory of inflation helps explain everything."
So proclaimed the front cover of Discover magazine, April 2002.
Physicist Lawrence Krauss, one of the loud 'new Atheists', has tried to explain how everything came from nothing; he even wrote a book about it.5 However, his 'nothing' is a 'quantum vacuum', which is not actually nothing. Indeed, a matter/energy quantum something has exactly the same problem as eternal universes; it cannot have persisted for eternity in the past, so all their theorizing only applies after the universe (something) exists.6 Back to square one!
Materialists have no explanation for the origin of the universe, beyond 'it happened because we are here!' Magic: just like the rabbit out of the hat, but with the universe, a rather humungous 'rabbit'! 'Stuff happens!'
There are other aspects of the big bang, the 'mainstream' model of the universe's origin, that are also miraculous. The 'standard model' has a period of very rapid expansion called 'inflation' (which Alan Guth, mentioned above, invented). There is no known cause for the initiation of this supposed expansion, no known cause for it to stop and no physical mechanism for the extremely rapid expansion (many orders of magnitude faster than the speed of light). However, these three associated miracles must have happened or the big bang does not work because of the 'horizon problem'. More magic!
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). This is not magic, because God, who is eternal and omnipotent, is a sufficient cause for the universe. And He can exist eternally (and therefore has no beginning) because He is a non-material entity (God is spirit, as the Bible says in many places).
- Origin of stars
According to the big bang, the 'only game in town' to explain the origin of stars, there had to have been two phases of star formation. Phase 1 involved the formation of hydrogen/helium stars (which are called Population III stars7). Here is the first problem: how do you get gases formed in a rapidly expanding primordial universe to coalesce together to form a critical mass so that there is sufficient gravitational attraction to attract more gas to grow a star? Gases don't tend to come together; they disperse, especially where there is a huge amount of energy (heat).8 Hey presto! Cosmologists invented 'dark matter', which is invisible undetectable 'stuff' that just happens to generate a lot of gravitational attraction just where it is needed. More magic!9
However, we have countless stars—like the sun—that are not just hydrogen and helium, but contain the heavier elements. Phase 2 supposedly comes in here. Exploding stars (supernovas) from phase 1 produced sufficient pressure to force hydrogen and helium together to make new stars that made all the heavier elements (which astronomers call 'metals'), including the elements of which we are made. These stars are called Population I and II stars.
Now here is another problem: how do exploding stars, with matter flying at great speed in all directions, cause stars made of all those new elements to form? There has to be a coming together of the elements, not a flying apart. Pieces hitting one another would bounce off rather than coalesce. Most hypotheses involve multiple supernovas from phase 1 in close proximity, such that sufficient material collided together to form enough of a proto-star with sufficient gravity to overcome the tendency to fly apart and attract more matter and so grow a normal star. However, supernovas are not common events, especially multiple ones at the same time in close proximity. Thus, this scenario requires a huge number of very improbable events to account for the vast numbers of the heavier stars.
This is more magic; miracles without a miracle worker.
God made the sun and the stars on the fourth day of Creation Week. Again, this is not magic or superstition, because God is able to do such things.
- Origin of life
Astrobiologist Professor Paul Davies said,
"How did stupid atoms spontaneously write their own software … ? Nobody knows … there is no known law of physics able to create information from nothing."10
Not only must the DNA code be explained (how can a coded information storage system come about without intelligent design?), but the incredible machinery that reads the information and creates the components of life from that information has to be explained as well.
Former hard-nosed English Atheist philosopher Antony Flew abandoned Atheism/materialism because of the growing evidence for such design in living things. He said,
"It now seems to me that the findings of more than fifty years of DNA research have provided materials for a new and enormously powerful argument to design."11
This research,
"has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce (life), that intelligence must have been involved".12
That is, only an incredibly intelligent designer could account for the information systems in living things.
Well-known American Atheist philosopher, Thomas Nagel said,
"What is lacking, to my knowledge, is a credible argument that the story [of cosmic evolution] has a nonnegligible probability of being true. There are two questions. First, given what is known about the chemical basis of biology and genetics, what is the likelihood that self-reproducing life forms should have come into existence spontaneously on the early earth, solely through the operation of the laws of physics and chemistry?"13 (See later for discussion of his second question.)
The scientific knowledge of life grows daily, and as it does the prospects of a naturalistic (materialistic/atheistic) explanation for its origin recede into the distance. The origin of life is another miracle.14 'Stuff happens'? More magic.
The origin of life demands a super-intelligent cause, such as the Creator-God revealed in the Bible.
- Origin of the diversity of life (Design? What design?)
The origin of life is only the beginning of the problem for the materialist. Along with other atheistic biologists, Richard Dawkins has spent his life trying to deny that living things exhibit supernatural design. In the book that 'put him on the map', he wrote,
"Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose."15
The diversity of life is a huge problem. How did a microbe change itself into every living thing on earth, ranging from earwigs to elephants, from mites to mango trees? For almost a hundred years, mutations and natural selection, the mechanisms of 'neo-Darwinism', or 'the modern synthesis', have been said to explain this diversity of life. However, with our modern knowledge of living things, this has proved useless as an explanation.
In July 2008, 16 high profile evolutionists met, by invitation, in Altenburg, Austria. They had come because they realized that mutations and natural selection did not explain the diversity of life, and they had come together to discuss this crisis in evolutionary biology. The only consensus was that there is a major problem, a crisis.16
Thomas Nagel (continuing from the earlier quote) put it this way:
"The second question is about the sources of variation in the evolutionary process that was set in motion once life began: In the available geological time since the first life forms appeared on earth, what is the likelihood that, as a result of physical accident, a sequence of viable genetic mutations should have occurred that was sufficient to permit natural selection to produce the organisms that actually exist?"17
Think of the supposed origin of humans from a chimp-like ape in six million evolutionary years. Modern comparison of the genomes shows such large differences (of at least 20%) that this is just not feasible, even with highly unrealistic assumptions in favour of evolution.18 Actually, it was not even feasible when the difference was incorrectly trumpeted to be about 1%.19
Materialists have no sufficient explanation (cause) for the diversity of life. There is a mind-boggling plethora of miracles here, not just one. Every basic type of life form is a miracle.
Genesis 1 tells us that God, the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator, made the various kinds of life to reproduce "after their kind". Here is a sufficient cause, but even the description of the nature of living things to reproduce according to each kind has been confirmed with every witnessed reproductive event (billions of humans alone), and also in the fossil record where the transitional forms are missing20 and 'living fossils' testify to consistent reproduction 'after their kind' in thousands of species.21
- Origin of mind and morality
The origin of mind and morality from energy and atoms has long been a problem for the materialist. It is a major theme of philosopher Thomas Nagel's book, Mind and Cosmos, already referred to.
A fig tree produces figs, not apples. That seems obvious. Likewise, physics and chemistry produce physical and chemical outcomes. However, mind and morality are not just matters of physics and chemistry. Sure, creatures that are physical and chemical have mind and morality, but how did such non-material things arise from the material? This is a serious problem for materialism, and the Atheist Nagel candidly admits it, to the extreme annoyance of his atheistic colleagues.22
The famous (and reluctant) convert from Atheism to Christianity, C.S. Lewis, put it well when he wrote,
"If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents—the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else's. But if their thoughts—i.e. of materialism and astronomy—are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It's like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milkjug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset."23
The Atheist has no sufficient cause to explain the existence of mind and morality. Magic happens!
Why do apparently intelligent people resort to believing in magic—uncaused events—at so many points? By not believing in God they have put themselves into an irrational philosophical corner. Romans 1:21 in the Bible says that when people deny that the Creator-God exists, they end up with 'futile thinking'. We have discussed plenty of that in this article. Richard Lewontin admitted that (leaving God out of the picture), "We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs … " (he confuses 'science' with materialism).24
Where to from here?
God made man "in His image", a creature with a mind and morality (Genesis 1:27). As such, we are able to think about God and 'know' Him. That is the very reason for our existence. Isaiah 1:18 records God speaking to the people of Israel who had turned away from Him,
"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."
Trying to live life as if God does not exist is the ultimate rebellion (sin), and the ultimate folly. The good news is that God is in the forgiving business for those who will admit their error and seek Him:
"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:6–7).
Jesus Christ came into the world to make possible our forgiveness; see Good news!
Related Articles
Further Reading
References and notes
- Batten, D., Superstition vs Christianity, Creation 29(1):6, 2006; creation.com/superstition-vs-christianity. Return to text
- "I hope there is no God!", Thomas Nagel quote; creation.com/nagel. Return to text
- There is 'black magic' where Satan is the sufficient cause for the events; for example, the Pharaoh's magicians in Egypt, where they threw down their staves and they became snakes. Return to text
- Grossman, L., Death of eternal cosmos: From the cosmic egg to the infinite multiverses every model of the universe has a beginning, New Scientist 213(2847):6–7, January 2012. To say this we assume that the same laws of physics applied at the beginning, and that the Second Law applies to the whole universe (this is consistent with all experimental evidence). This is nothing more than the uniformity of nature in time and space, a foundational principle of science. Paul Davies said, "Yet the laws [of physics] that permit a Universe to create itself are even more impressive than a cosmic magician." See, The singularity—a 'Dark' beginning. Return to text
- Reynolds, D.W., Godless universe untenable: A review of A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather Than Nothing by Lawrence M. Krauss, J. Creation 27(1):30–35, 2013; creation.com/krauss-review. Return to text
- See, Hartnett, J., The singularity—a 'Dark' beginning, July 2014; creation.com/dark-beginning. Return to text
- See, Hartnett, J., Have Population III stars finally been discovered?, 2016; creation.com/population-iii-stars. Return to text
- Bernitt, R., Stellar evolution and the problem of the 'first' stars, J. Creation 16(1):12-14, April 2002; creation.com/first-stars. Return to text
- Hartnett, J.G., Stars just don't form naturally—'Dark matter' the 'god of the gaps' is needed, September 2015; creation.com/stars-dont-form-naturally. Return to text
- Davies, P., Life force, New Scientist 163(2204):27–30, September 1999. Return to text
- Habermas, G., My pilgrimage from atheism to theism: an exclusive interview with former British atheist Professor Antony Flew, Philosophia Christi, Winter 2005; illustramedia.com. Return to text
- Famous atheist now believes in God: One of world's leading atheists now believes in God, more or less, based on scientific evidence, 2004, Associated Press; sciencefindsgod.com. Return to text
- Nagel, T., Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False, Oxford University Press, 2012. Return to text
- Batten, D., Origin of life, November 2013; creation.com/origin-of-life. Return to text
- Dawkins, R., The Blind Watchmaker, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, p.1, 1986. Return to text
- See ReMine, W.J., Desperate attempts to discover 'the elusive process of evolution', A review of The Altenberg 16: An Exposé of the Evolution Industry by Suzan Mazur, J. Creation 26(1):24–30, 2012; creation.com/review-altenberg-16. Return to text
- Ref. 13, p. 6. Return to text
- Batten, D., The myth of 1%, Creation 36(1):35–37, 2014; creation.com/1-percent-myth and Batten, D., Haldane's dilemma has not been solved, J. Creation 19(1):20–21, 2005; creation.com/haldane. Return to text
- 1% difference still adds up to 30 million base pairs (chemical 'letters') difference, which is a huge problem for an evolutionary scenario of random mutations and natural selection over supposedly six million years. Return to text
- Bates, G., That quote!—about the missing transitional fossils: Embarrassed evolutionists try to 'muddy the waters'; creation.com/pattquote. Return to text
- Batten, D., Living fossils: a powerful argument for creation, Creation 33(2):20–23, 2011; creation.com/werner. Return to text
- Nunn, W., Thomas Nagel—The atheist who dared to question materialism, March 2014; creation.com/nagel-materialism (and articles referenced therein). Return to text
- Lewis, C.S., The Business of Heaven, Fount Paperbacks, U.K., p. 97, 1984. Return to text
- Full quote Amazing admission, creation.com/lewontin. Return to text
Unfailingly, the "skeptics." the "brights," the "atheists," and the "rationalists" appeal to reason and science as their ultimate authority. This impulse is founded upon a peerless reality principle which can only arise from a Mind Function. They believe in the most extreme metaphysic imaginable—that lifeless, mindless, primal elements are endowed with the power to make themselves "think." It's the purest form of evolutionist religion—_Intelligent Physicalism_.
I can see from comments here that we have the wilfully blind attempting to refute the nature of reality. Namely, that nothing in existence could account for cosmic unity, nor the interconnectedness of the natural world; nor the immense biological complexity of every form of life; nor the reality that the universe cannot sustain itself and is running down towards increasing disorder, loss of information and heat death; Nor the reality that nothing in the universe is self explaining or self sustaining with self-existing or self-creating capabilities. All of which makes a self-existing transcendent first cause beyond the running down dying cosmos – God - both a scientific and philosophical necessity. Were it otherwise nothing would exist and we wouldn't be having this conversation - like it or not, believe it or not.
So, if anyone out there knows of any self-existing, self-creating and self-sustaining entity in the universe the Nobel Committee would like to hear from you. As you will certainly be awarded the ultimate Nobel Prize. Off you go - lets all see what you come up with.
Perhaps in your part of the world things happen in the way you describe in this article, but where I live the people here are in contact with a character called Satan and he is able to do some pretty remarkable things that defy logic. If I were you, I would be very careful about claiming that there is no such thing as an allusion. There are too many instances in the past where people who have had this opinion come up against the "works" of Satan and his helpers and have had to admit they were wrong. Some who were Christian in name only changed their God because of a 'Super Natural' allusion that defied all logic, which is why Satan does these things. He is angry with the Creator God for throwing him and his angel followers out of heaven, and he wants to get even with Him by denying Him his treasures.
"For God so loved the World that He gave his only begotten son . . . . . ." John 3:16. I happen to believe that our God not only loves the people of the World, but the physical World as well. I think Satan shares this opinion with me, and for that reason he has turned this abode of ours into one great big "Garbage Dump". Eventually those of us who live here will
get so fed up the way the way things are, we will beg and plead with this 'God of Love' to come and clean up this mess that we have made. In order to get the job done, it will be necessary for Him to use some 'Fire'. Because He can see the end from the beginning, He has thoughtfully provided a way of escape for His believers just as He did at the time of the 'Flood'. So I have bet the 'Farm' on His plan.
What about you? Are you planning to use His way of escape, or are you going to cling to this belief of yours about cause and effect?
I suggest you read the article a bit more carefully (see footnote 3). I have no doubt that Satan is real and can do 'stuff' and my article does not deny that in any way.
See also my response to Jasper M.
I would like to point out that the magic mentioned in Don Batten's "Five atheist miracles" is SPONTANEOUS MAGIC. If the universe can pop into existence unplanned, uncaused, and undirected, then ANYTHING can happen unplanned, uncaused, and undirected, without warning. If Spontaneous Magic lies at the heart of reality, we have no intellectual justification for believing the future will be like the past, or in Cause-and-Effect, or in the laws of science, or in the laws of logic, morality, or society. Spontaneous Magic is the antithesis of knowledge, science, and rationality. It is also the welcome mat to stark raving insanity.
Don I appreciate the article especially the fact that you included some of atheists responses. It means that they read Creationists articles and their minds are disturbed/stimulated to think. God will help the willing to find truth and we need to pray and witness as you do with your publications. I only wonder how many atheists replied compared to creationists supporters
God Bless
I think I have published all atheist responses, except one that provided a false email address and did not engage with the article at all. I was surprised that there were not more responses from atheists.
After contending with my Atheistic 16 Yr old nephew who appears to have answers to everything, it was so refreshing to read this article which makes good sense. Thank you, I am refreshed in the knowledge that God is in charge of the universe.
Great article. You mentioned atheists coming to realize there is design behind what they are studying. Quite often I hear atheists claim that scientists who subscribe to Intelligent design are simply creationists in sheep's clothing. I have a feeling this is a smokescreen, but nevertheless, I heard a well known science professor on our national radio say that the concept of Intelligent Design is flawed, citing such things as the blind spot in the human eye, a more efficient eye being found in squids, knee joints being like a 'bunch of marbles held together with gaffer tape', a much simpler joint would be the one found in our hips. I couldn't help thinking he would be right if the intelligence was some kind of cosmic computer. But this is not beyond the realm of a loving God, who said after creation this is good, not perfect. Perfection is still to come! But addressing his points, who would want an eye like a squids'? And who would want knee joints the size of our hip joints? And while we're at it, how would you control a joint like your hip anyway? God doesn't just care about how we operate He cares about how we look!
The 'science professor' is either deliberately misleading the national radio listeners or he is thoroughly ignorant of what he is talking about. If you search for human eye and human knee on creation.com you will find articles that show that these are optimally designed (and evolution could not produce them). The professor is talking nonsense.
"Christians are often portrayed as gullible, uneducated, ignorant and weak".
It is my understanding that most of the schools, universities, hospitals and centers of learning, at least in the western world, were created by Christians. These include many of the facilities where these atheists and materialists use their interpretation of what science is to create and push their "fairy tales".
I am a Doctor of Chiropractic and I see "miracles" of healing every day, but are these miracles or are they just the innate intelligence of the body working with the universal intelligence to preserve life and function, as the being was designed to do.
The human body is more than the sum of all it's parts. Without life this discussion would not exist. Was life yet another miracle that popped up in the slime when a few million/billion other atoms decided to get together and crawl out of the swamp.
Anyone working closely with humans can only be in awe of such complexity and design, and let's face it, we are only one of many millions of species on the planet.
P.S. Even Darwin's survival of the fittest is a joke. Just watch Foxtel and see things like the Wildebeests. Sure the lions knock of a few injured ones at the back, but they wont eat the sick. Look at the front of the pack, the fittest, fastest and strongest, They are the first to get to the river and become the cannon fodder for the crocodiles until they are so full that the weaker beests can then get through.
Dear Don
An excellent article. I can share both D. B's (Australia) comment and your reply with full agreement. Can I add to it that Dr "Rabbi" Duncan of the old Free Church Scotland, "Danced o'er the Brig O' Dee that he was no longer an atheist, But had yet to come to Christ." And It is indeed a Spirit taught view of ourselves and then of Christ the Redeemer that alone makes us a true Christian. I fully support your endeavours to counter Materialism as a true help to unbelievers as well as believers .
Henri D nailed it. Without the Holy Spirit people cannot understand Truth.
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit (1 Cor 2:14)
Of course this is so, as we acknowledge frequently. However, what does it mean for us as Christians in presenting the Gospel to the lost? Does it mean that we don't keep telling them with all the persuasion we can muster? Does it mean we can be slack? No, we strive to do our best (as per the Apostle Paul's example before King Agrippa, in Athens, and being all things to all men...that he might win some), all the while knowing that it is the Holy Spirit Who converts, not our 'clever' arguments or actions.
Well done Don. As a Christian and retired Police Detective of 34 years service, I gathered factual & tangible evidence to prove a case. I could never go into Court with any unsubstantiated theory, supposition or guesswork. If I handled a case, like evolutionists handle origins, I'd be thrown out of Court and charged with Perjury or Perverting the Course of Justice.
Excellent article. I believe everyone has experienced the attitude of atheists you talk about in the first few paragraphs of the article. Christians are often portrayed as gullible, uneducated, ignorant and weak.
The truth is that the Holy Spirit gives all those that obey him discernment, inspiration and strength... and many Christians use their mind that Christ has renewed to get an education and advance science and culture.
Sad that atheists attack the people that are their best shot at eternal life in that way.
Don thank you - clear thinking!
Joe please think over your position
"but religious faith doesn't have any place in science - and I can assure you that no scientific method relies upon the idea of any particular god."
For your assurance to have any value it must be certain. Which by your own admission cannot be scientifically known. Thus you have a religious view or commitment to this. Which you deny. You suffer from duplicity my friend.
"Miracles are a suspension in the known laws of nature. Science offers an ever-improving model of how things work, it doesn't make any claims"
ok you allow me to have a little fun here so i'll take the opportunity:
Claim 1: miracles are a suspension of known laws of nature
Claim 2: Science does not make any claims
Claim 1 therefore is a religious position held by Joe
Joe clearly suffers from duplicity. Which is destructive.
Proverbs 11:3
"3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity."
Joe like all of us were or still are is attempting to complete the puzzle without not only having all the pieces but also denying that there is such thing as a completed puzzle. All the while living live in an attempt to solve the puzzle without acknowledging that it or it's Author exist. Worse than folly.
Joe good news he died for all of us who suffer from duplicity – which is all of us!
James 1:8:" 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."
Our thinking was ruined by the fall.
We cannot apprehend reality apart from free revelation by the Good One
You can continue in stupid land or be healed from futility
James 4:8: "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
At great cost he paid the price. He loves you
A great article and thanks to Don for it. I, in my experience talking to Atheists, have never experienced any clear answers to any of the above questions from their perspective; they either tend to attack a straw man on our side or unveil the fact that this is a starting assumption- they believe that this 'just is' without really needing justification. They assume it is self-evident without needing justification, and that their world view is the ultimate place where all the logic and evidence must lead- but if you just have to take these on faith, how does anyone get there with the evidence? 'The Faith Behind the Science' tackles this one well, and really lets us know that this was an assumption of Darwin (et al.) before actually looking at the evidence and developing the framework to interpret it based on his own assumptions. The issue we have is that he said, as a scientist on that program cited, that he '...was leaving it up to future generations to unearth the numerable transitional forms that must exist' (paraphrase) -but since then the big picture of the fossil record has only changed by 4%. The issue in modern times is that the Atheist claims that the absence of transitional forms is for some reason not evidence against evolution, in spite of the fact that leaves them without any observable links, or transitioning between the major kinds. I am still yet to grasp how particles-to-people evolution could occur without evolutionary transitions, as the modern atheist seems to be claiming; this is yet one of the plethora of examples of getting the square pegs of the evidence/facts to fit through the round holes of their interpretations/theories. There's a nice Richard Lewontin quote that comes to mind here too.
Don, great article, but you missed a trick replying to Joe.
He claims ' It's important to use reason and logic to remain skeptical at all the junk information we get, including from people claiming to be scientific.'
Interesting that he uses 'reason' and 'logic' in his argument - neither of which can actually exist in his world of materialism.
Guess the atheists really do need miracles :)
Continue the great work!
Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe a Sri Lankan-born British mathematician, astronomer and astrobiologist arrived at a similar conclusion as Anthony Flew, "From my earliest training as a scientist I was very strongly brainwashed to believe that science cannot be consistent with any kind of deliberate creation. That notion has had to be very painfully shed. I am quite uncomfortable in the situation, the state of mind I now find myself in. But there is no logical way out of it. Once we see . . . that the probability of life, originating at random is so utterly minuscule as to make it absurd, it becomes sensible to think that the favorable properties of physics on which life depends are in every respect 'deliberate,' or created… I now find myself driven to this position by logic. There is no other way in which we can understand the precise ordering of the chemicals of life except to invoke the creations on a cosmic scale. . . . We were hoping as scientists that there would be a way round our conclusion, but there isn't."
I like this argument by Kalam in "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist", by Geisler and Turek which states, "If there were an infinite number of days before today, then today would never have arrived. But here we are! So there must have been only a finite number of days before today. In other words, even though we may not be able to see, as we look to the left, where the line begins, we know it had to begin at some point because only a finite amount of time could be passed for today to arrive. You can't traverse an infinite number of days. Thus time must have had a beginning."
I really appreciate your article. There are many other reasons atheists reject the truth of God. If the universe is eternal, there must be something that ultimately reverses entropy.
It is possible that we are still in the dark ages scientifically, and we don't really know much. In the early 1900s, physicists figured that we had discovered everything there was to discover and were about to stop looking for new areas of study. Then came a flurry of new scientific knowledge. Atheists I've interacted with suppose that some day we will discover where the universe came from and why it, as a singularity, was able to resist the physical laws. Maybe there is some kind of anti-entropy force that kicks in when entropy approaches a universal maximum. That's the impression I get from them when they are backed into a corner: one day we'll discover the reason.
I like Frank Turek's responses to these ideas in "Stealing from God." The first chapter, which deals with causality is free to download from CrossExamined. In this chapter, Turek answers a student (John) at the University of Michigan who insists that if we give science more time we'll find a natural cause for the universe. Turek's powerful reply was, "Since nature had a beginning, nature can't be its own cause. The cause must be beyond nature, which is what we mean by the term "supernatural."
John responded by accusing Turek of the God of the Gaps fallacy. It's not what we don't know, but what we do know that since space, time, and matter had a beginning, there necessarily must be an eternal, spaceless, timeless, immaterial, powerful, intelligent first cause. This conclusion flows logically from the evidence of what we do know about physics.
Your article is nothing more than the age old "god of the gaps" argument.
The ONLY leg you have to stand on here is the origin of the Universe. And that's only because we don't have the wherewithal to go back in time and watch as the Universe came into being.
That said, you still run into the problem of the origin of god. If everything in existence requires causality, then god must have an origin, or god does not exist. If god has an origin, then you have the regressive causation fallacy, "What created that god", infinitely backwards.
If god was real, there would be no question, no faith necessary. Everyone would know and there would only be one religion. The very fact that humans have never been able to decide on the nature of god is evidence enough to show that your god is not real, any more than Allah, Krishna, Odin, Zeus, or any number of other gods available to choose from.
The fact that the theory of evolution is supported by evidence from a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including paleontology, geology, genetics and developmental biology, not to mention modern medicine that you likely use even now, is ample evidence that the current theory is the correct one. The fact that it disproves much of the beginning of the bible is irrelevant to the theory itself.
Your religion will become just as irrelevant as all the other religions before it, and since. No amount of apologetic arguments, redefining of science, or conjecture will stop that. Believe it if you must, but know that you believe a lie, and believing a lie requires faith. Believing the truth only requires good evidence and reasoning.
I suspect that you won't allow this response to post. That's ok. I saved it.
I wonder how carefully you read the article. It is the advance of knowledge that shows so clearly that materialism cannot explain the items discussed in the article. It is 'we do know...therefore God', not 'we don't know... therefore God'. Advancing knowledge is a problem for materialism, not belief in God.
I also suggest you read a little wider than Richard Dawkins' pathetic book on hating God. The argument from causality is not that everything must have a cause, but everything with a beginning must have a cause. Please see: Who created God?
Other gods? See Atheists and other religions.
As for your 'elephant hurling' over the supposed massive evidence for evolution, I suggest that you do a bit of wider reading. You could begin here: Is evolution true?
Who is believing lies? Evolution is probably the greatest deception of our time (see above). Molecules became molecular biologists? Really? Again, I wonder if you really read the article.
All beliefs require faith, including yours. The point of the article is that atheists have incredible faith in nothing to achieve miracles.
Keep thinking!
This article misrepresents current atheist and scientific thinking. Yes, we have many fantastically intelligent people who are religious, some of them are my personal heroes, but religious faith doesn't have any place in science - and I can assure you that no scientific method relies upon the idea of any particular god.
I have boring, rational theories as to why intelligent people can still have faith, but that's not the crux of my reply here:
Miracles are a suspension in the known laws of nature. Science offers an ever-improving model of how things work, it doesn't make any claims, it simply provides a model from which further study can be conducted.
Our theories of quantum mechanics, as incredibly strange as they are, have allowed us to make advances in computing for example. And now that we understand that the stars are not how the Bible described, we understand so much more about how the universe works.
Just because we don't know *for sure* exactly how the universe was created - noone claims to - by invoking the "god of the gaps" argument you are doing Christianity a disservice.
We now understand disease, natural disasters and the laws of nature far better than we did when we believed God was meddling in our affairs.
You can be a deist or a theist and still conduct really good science. It's important to use reason and logic to remain skeptical at all the junk information we get, including from people claiming to be scientific.
When we hit a scientific breakthrough for the origin of life - and we're getting closer - that will yet another "miracle" to scratch off your list and the God of the Gaps will shrink even further.
You accuse me of misrepresenting atheist and scientific thinking, but give not one example of me having done that.
Yes, atheists do believe in miracles ('suspension of the known laws of science'; your definition). Did you actually read the article? The big bang's inflation involves a suspension of the known laws of science. But for more on miracles, see God, miracles and logic.
Re 'god of the gaps', see my answer to Bentley, below.
BTW, we have no problem with such matters of operational science such as quantum physics, or the germ theory of disease, or other such things you mention as if they are a problem for believing in God (how?). But that you throw this in here indicates that you do not understand the fundamental difference between operational science and origins 'science' (where repeatable experiments are not possible). See It's not science!.
Regarding the origin of life, no, 'we' are not getting closer at all. The more we know, the more intractable the 'problem' becomes for the knowledgeble atheist. See the origin of life (this was linked from the article).
Without the Holy Spirit, they will not see or hear. We can only pray that they submit to the loving saving grace of our Lord Jesus. For the Lord God chose to bring salvation in a message that makes no sense to those who are lost.
It is not due to our mere quoting Bible verses that say "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God" (Ps. 14:1;53:1) which proves it to be true, but rather because of the "brute facts" of the universe as set out in this great article which does so! (It would have to be shown that Scripture is inspired first for a mere quotation from it being use to prove "X" is true)--which can be done--but which is more complex. This article and the first response printed do the job admirably with evidence available to all (i.e. General Revelation). Thanks CMI!
Thank you Don,
This is an excellent article.
Rocky & Bullwinkle or The Flying Spagetti Monster maybe ? Nothing up my sleeve...As if.
Anyone up for a bit of Oort cloud spotting ?
Sadly many dont seem to appreciate the deception because it comes under the banner of science, yet as you make clear the ideas have no scientific credibility or validity yet consensus falls at its feet & the media become the TV evangelists.
Thanks again CMI & DB.
Hi guys, I love your site and most of your articles, but this metaphor of atheists believing in magic doesn't quite work. If magic doesn't exist, or if 'black magic' only existed in the days of Pharaoh, how do you explain Dynamo conjuring up fish from an empty bucket, or David Blaine sticking long needles right through his arm, or David Copperfield and many others levitating himself and other people and things, Criss Angel teleporting a guy and walking on water, and others turning water into wine and much more? I can't explain it as an atheist, and it's one of the main reasons I want to become a Christian, to be on the 'good side' as it were (and is). Of course Satan and his demons are sufficient causes, but you could make it more clear in the main text. Thanks again for your amazing site and God bless you.
The point of the article is that atheists who are also materialists acknowledge no forces other than those of 'nature' (physics and chemistry), but they believe in the occurrence of events that cannot be explained by physics and chemistry.
I think you will find that Copperfield and company use very clever illusion techniques.
Nevertheless, one of my former colleagues, a 'confirmed' atheist, came to faith in Christ partly as a result of occult phenomena playing out in his own home that he had no explanation for as a materialist. See Some highlights from Beyond Shadows
Thank you, Don, for this tremendous article! At least 2 other items (previously mentioned by CMI) can be added to Don's list: the origin and presence of (1) information, and (2) transcendent laws of logic. Christians have a clean explanation why these phenomena exist in the creation. Atheists have no adequate explanation.
It may be helpful for us to do a thought experiment, to think (for a moment) as if we were atheists: We have the same task as everyone else--adequately explain the universe and all phenomena within it--but we are constrained to do so only using universe-internal resources. And we are further constrained to allow only random interaction of natural stuff, at a foundational level. (Any other situation threatens the reintroduction of nasty Greek gods--which is why we [as the ancient Epicureans, before and in Jesus' time] moved into atheism, to escape them.)
Further, if we allow the universe to start in a somewhat-organized state, we have no adequate explanation for it, and we again risk the nasty Greek gods (or a universe-external God) reappearing. Thus, we need the universe to start at a maximum-disorganization "ground state".
Since the universe now is not in a maximum-disorganization state, logically:
1. The system-state of the universe has, over time, increased in organization--self-organizing--
2. Through the (supposedly) adequate agency of random interaction.
3. Therefore, random interaction within a system allows / drives it to increasingly self-organize.
This--of course--is a delusion. Randomization factors within a system DECREASE the organization of that system's state. But atheists have to believe the delusion... and develop the above-described 'miracles'.
And atheists sell this perception to wider culture and to some Christians.


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Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has put any future quarterback controversy to rest by announcing at a press conference that Nick Foles is his starter for the next millennium, according to ProFootballTalk.
Kelly joked about his new starter's long-term job security after conceding that Foles' play has earned him the spot for now:
"You can say that whomever it is, is your player of the future and then next week they get hurt. You know, so, I hope Nick [Foles] is here for a long time. I'm a big supporter of him, I think he does a fantastic job, but we also know that injuries occur in this game and that's why I always qualify what I say. I love the kid and I think he's playing outstanding."
When asked further about the starting job, Kelly proclaimed Foles the starter for "1,000 years."
KING: Nick Foles' journey from backup to one of the NFL's most important players
Foles has been strong ever since taking over the starting spot in Philadelphia after Mike Vick injured his hamstring, throwing for 19 TDs and no interceptions in 196 passing attempts.


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Do you think we are the opposite of trophy wives, for selfishness is on the rise. Do you think it is our hair, nose, skin color, or weight. What can I do to seem more available or approachable. I love university, am a virgin, a christian, and love to exercise. Should we just move to different countries that appreciate black women more like even West Europe? Ironically they have a lower extent of racism? Need advice, be serious please.
Most Helpful Guy
I'm going to answer this even though there's a bit of baiting here; I'm going to assume you are wanting a real answer. I've dated black women before, and I'd have no problem dating another, so I have nothing at all against black women in general.
Having said that, I will give you an idea of things that "white" guys (which really means non-black middle-and-upper-class guys) don't like about some/many black women (these aren't traits exclusive to black women either):
- Ghetto behavior: being loud, rude, in-your-face, inappropriately sexual, foul language, promiscuous, ebonics, etc.
- Ghetto-fabulous style: super-long fingernails, animal print clothes, etc.
- Weight. Many black women are overweight (true, many white women are too), and white guys tend to be less forgiving.
- Overly religious: many black folks are overly into religion, "praising Jesus" constantly and making non- or less-religious people uncomfortable. Some of them also put on a big show of religion, but live NOTHING like a religious person, and don't see the irony there at all. Again, not exclusively a black issue.
- Cliquey: Many black girls only hang out around other black people, which can intimidate white guys from approaching her. And many black guys act like black girls are "their" women and intentionally intimidate non-black guys from being around them. A girl would need to be more assertive and stand up for herself and not let other people speak for her.
Most white guys would be happy to date a black girl who was not extremely conservative but also not ghetto; they want one who knows there is some middle ground, in both behavior and style. They don't want a girl who is too heavy. Curvier is okay, but not fat. And religious overtones need to be scaled way back, unless you are around people you KNOW are comfortable expressing their religious beliefs regularly.
And almost no guy, of any color or culture, wants a girl who is against being sexual. That doesn't mean you have to sleep with him on the first date or anything, but sex needs to be "on the table" eventually if he's going to be in a relationship with you.21|10|0


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Khloé Kardashian opens up about terrifying car crash
Khloé Kardashian revealed she was still quite shaken up as she took to the red carpet as last night's Oscars.
The reality star was on her way to the airport in Montana on Saturday after a family skiing trip, when she spun out of control and swerved into oncoming traffic.
Khloé's sisters Kylie and Kim, and Kim's toddler daughter North were also in the car but luckily everyone walked away unharmed.
Reflecting on the incident as she took over red carpet hosting duties for E! last night, Khloé said the girls felt thankful to be alive. "I hit some black ice, car span out of control, but I gained control and ended up in a ditch. I was driving," she said. "Kim was screaming and crying – she was shook up a little bit but OK."
The crash occurred when a passing truck sent snow flying onto Khloé's windshield, obscuring her view, and police confirmed that the horrifying incident was due to "poor road conditions" and was not Khloé's fault. "It was really scary yesterday but we're all good, all safe," she said yesterday.. "It was Kylie, Kim, North, and I. We were all safe, thank god."
The 30 year old didn't have much time to recover from the crash though, as she spent all of Sunday preparing for her red carpet coverage. She shared this behind the scenes snap with her Instagram followers, writing, "Loving my red gown by Lanvin!"
Wow… we're not sure we'd manage to look quite so composed just 24 hours after such a scary crash… Khloé is definitely a true professional!


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The following are the latest daily summaries of my ongoing intraday coverage, providing context to interpret price action. Any prices listed are for a contract's current "front month." Their direction tends to correlate with any ETFs listed for each.
Today's Highlight: The long bond ended the week optimistically back at resistance, leaving unfinished business below with another FOMC meeting just ahead.
Dollar Basket
Sep Contract DX; (UUP), (UDN)
The decline had resumed Thursday with a new low close, but not yet much of a new intraday low, which Friday fulfilled. Currencies tend to duplicate Friday afternoon trending, so the drop should extend initially so long as 82.20 isn't recovered.
[More from Minyanville.com: Crude Oil May Have Fallen Too Far to Get Back Up ]
Sep Contract EC; (FXE)
The rally had resumed Thursday with a new high close, but not yet any new intraday high, which Friday fulfilled. Currencies tend to duplicate Friday afternoon trending, so the rally should extend initially so long as 1.3205 isn't broken.
[More from Minyanville.com: Will Crude Oil's Rally Resume? ]
Aug Contract GC; (GLD)
Resuming the rally proved difficult Friday, as the 1319.00-1320.00 support was tested, and probed briefly down to the 1312.50 sell signal. Recovering to close above 1319.00-1320.00 kept alive potential to extend the rally.
[More from Minyanville.com: Has Gold Started to Respond to US Dollar Price Moves? ]
Sep Contract SI; (SLV)
Gapping down under 20.00 on Friday and extending down has left unfinished business above, making a second consecutive lower close Monday unlikely, but very dangerous.
30-year Treasury
Sep Contract US; (TLT)
Friday's gap up extended higher intraday to test 135-00 resistance. Without closing above it, attraction back down to the 132-24 gap remains intact.
Crude Oil
Sep Contract CL; (USO)
Thursday's key reversal setup was a little lacking, and then very much so as Friday gapped back down to erase Thursday's gains and retest 104.00. Closing back above 106.00 would reinstate the rally, but there is otherwise no active pattern.
Natural Gas
Aug Contract CL; (UNG), (UNL)
Rejecting the 3.73 buy signal Thursday was punished by dropping sharply into the weekend to retest 3.55-3.60 support, which there is no bullish reason to be retesting.
Editor's note: Rod's analytical techniques are designed to efficiently identify targets and turning points for any liquid stock or market in any time frame. He applies his techniques live intraday, primarily to S&P futures, at RodDavid .com.
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Archive for the 'Flatbush' Category
Video P Rell's "Passion and Drive"
Just got to follow the straight path
Edwidge Danticat and the Faiths of NYC Haitians
How we handle memories does a lot to determine who we are.
David Brooks on The meaning of Pomegranate, a Whole Foods for Orthodox Jews
Pomegranate looks like any island of upscale consumerism, but deep down it is based on a countercultural understanding of how life should work.
Map of NYC Haitians
152,811 NYC Haitians have created a rich variety of faith-based organizations
Brooklyn 14 Flatbush Census Map
In Brooklyn District 14 we met some memorable people who gave us great advice and a warm welcome. We also met some NYPD detectives from the anti-terrorist squad who wondered what were we doing.
Faith-based is a business address in Flatbush
We stopped outside The King's Chamber Barber Shop near Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn.
Girl Power in Flatbush
Under the searing sun and stench of roadside garbage, a teenage Hispanic girl carrying a baby boy comes out of a door next to a church. Her tousled hair looked like she'd been up all night. The baby's unwashed face was smeared with dirt; a diaper was the only thing covering his bare skin. Was […]


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After breakfast leave for Gulmarg (Meadow of Flowers). Situated 2730 meter above the sea level is a gorgeous hamlet whose beauty reaches its pinnacle during the winters when the region is dressed in balmy snow covers. Gulmarg has one of the best ski slopes in the world and highest golf course with 18 holes. Under favorable weather conditions arrangements for skiing and golf can be made on demand. If weather permits one can also have the view of Nanga Parbat, the naked mountain that is over 26,000 ft and dominates the entire region. Other exciting leisure time activities such as cable car (Gondola) for mountain ride up to Khilangmarg also can be arranged.
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After breakfast drive to Pahalgam (The valley of shepherds) is planned under this Kashmir tour. En-route, visit the saffron field of Pampore; the region is renowned for producing the world's best saffron. Driving further you will take a little halt at Awantipura Ruins (1100 years old temple of Lord Vishnu built by the King Awantivarman), and enjoy the beautiful countryside. Drive through the pine forests and a gorgeous rural setting to reach Pahalgam. Arrive at Pahalgam and enjoy stunning views of Lidder Valley. Magnificent view of the mountains can be best explored on feet as you start to take an evening walk in the region following pony trails.
Description :
Post breakfast on this day set on sightseeing tour of the Mughal Gardens. The elegance in the countenance and behavior of its people is surely inspired by the charm of its quaint environs. Srinagar with its placid lakes, enchanting environs, slumbering houseboats, fascinating Mughal gardens and gorgeous flower-beds appears no less than heavenly. In the city you will be directed to a deluxe houseboat for overnight stay. Floating on Dal Lake in a traditional Shikara take brief pauses to explore Mughal Gardens, Shalimar and Nishat Bagh and Chashme Shahi.
Lined with mighty chinar trees, overlooking the scintillating waters of Dal Lake and marked by ornamental fountains, Nishat Bagh sings the saga of impressive Mughal architecture. These gardens in Srinagar are reminders of the zenith of Mughal horticulture, and Shalimar Bagh built by Jehangir for his wife empress Nur Jahan is another specimen of that. The graceful garden adorning another side of Dal Lake is a gorgeous panorama embellished with artificial streams, terraced landscape, Mughal pavilions full of emerald hues.
Description :
In the vicinity visit the hillside temple of Shankaracharya. Built in the 11th Century, the Shiva temple is built of rock stone and overlooks the Dal Lake. Dating back to 200 B.C.E. the temple was demolished and the one which now exists is its reformed version built in 9th century C.E. Rest of the day will be free for leisurely activities such as shopping etc.
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Russian Woman Charged With Joining IS Retracts Confessions
A Moscow State University student accused of attempting to join the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Syria has retracted her confessions.
Aleksandra Ivanova (aka Varvara Karaulova) said at her trial on November 22 that she signed a written statement confessing that she supported the activities of the IS group after investigators threatened her with being sent to prison for 20 years.
Ivanova, 20, was detained in Turkey in June 2015 while trying to cross into Syria, and went on trial in October.
Her lawyers insist she never planned to join IS and was used and manipulated by an IS recruiter.
Ivanova legally changed her original name last year while in custody.
Based on reporting by RIA and TASS
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This recipe was given to me by my mother, who got it from her first husband's sister. It has been passed down through many people, but i consider it a family recipe since i have been eating it for as long as i can remember.
- 4 lb rump or bottom round
- 2T soy sauce
- 2T worchestishire
- 3/4 C ketchup
- 3/4 C water
- 2 T vinegar
- 1/4 C brown sugar
- 2 T dry mustard
- 1 T horseradish
- 1 minced onionflour
- egg noodles
- Mix together the soy sauce, worchestishire, ketchip, water, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, horseradish and onion. flour the roast and pan, and bake at 275 for 4 hours. serve with egg noodles


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This last weekend I had a table at a local Vancouver market, the Eastside Flea, where I sold some of my classic beloved items such as Beef Buddy cards, prints, and some exclusive copies of TomatoPotato (all of which are available online in my Etsy shop). I would like to say thank you to everyone who came by, told me how cool my stuff was, and supported the Land of Le Beef.
the 4th Annual Land of Le Beef Christmas Advent Calendar
If you follow the Land of Le Beef on Facebook or Instagram, then you are well aware of the annual Land of Le Beef Christmas Advent Calendar (you can check out previous years' calendars here and here). This year's theme was 'Things I Want for Christmas (but probably won't get)', and once again it was a nonstop thrill ride. I hope to see you all again next year.
Maddy's Favourite Toys
Every year I like to draw something special for my daughter's birthday (you might remember last year's illustration featuring Maddy soaring on the back of her Alphapup over a city of blocks). This year I thought it would be fun to create a yearbook page featuring her toys. Just like classmates, some of them will be forgotten immediately, while a select few may be a special part of her life for a long time. I created this print so that she could look back on her toys later on and say, 'I wonder whatever happened to that guy?'.
If your kid has any favourite toys, send me a photo at the Land of Le Beef Etsy shop, and your child can have their own illustrated version.
IB Learner Profile Posters
If you're an IB teacher, then these IB learner profile posters will be right up your alley. I made these for my wife's classroom because wanted a fun way to remind her students of these qualities, and because I like drawing animals.
Can I buy these in your Etsy Shop? Sure, if you want. They are available in two sizes as physical prints, or as digital downloads so that you can print them yourself.
Dear Diary...
Every once in awhile I like to share a little bit about myself, so here's a few things that have been happening in my life lately...
1. My New Scoby
I was recently inspired to start making my own kombucha. I don't even know if I like kombucha or not, but the thought of making something weird at home is just too compelling to pass up. The first thing I needed was to get my hands on a scoby (a scoby is basically a blob of bacteria and yeast that aids in fermentation; yes, I know it sounds gross). Ideally I would have liked to have done a Mission Impossible style scoby heist, but instead I found a free scoby on Craigslist (yes, I know that sounds sketchy).
Serious question: would anyone be interested in a children's book called Toby the Scoby? It's about a scoby that gets sold on Craigslist, and then sits a jar of tea for two weeks as he slowly ferments and then gives birth to a twin brother, and then repeats the process over and over agin (that's pretty much how kombucha is made).
2. Five Toed Shoes
I friend of mine recently gave me a pair of slightly used five toed running shoes. For those of you who don't remember, these were all the rage for about two weeks a few years ago. Yes, I know they look ridiculous, but I always wanted to try them, and I don't really care how I look when I'm running anyway. I took them out for a trail run, and it's like they were made for me. I love being able to feel the shape of the ground beneath me when I run. If you ever see a guy running in the woods with five toed shoes, it's probably me; feel free to say hi.
3. My First Book
I just sent my very first book to a small stack of publishers, and I've already received my first two rejection letters. It's a pretty cool book, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it gets published. In the meantime I've already started on my second book.
4. Ireland
My wife and I recently spent a couple of weeks in Dublin without our daughter. The most common question I get is 'how was Ireland?'. The truth is I don't really know - we spent most of our time sitting in pubs drinking Guinness. It was pretty good.
5. Masha and the Bear
My daughter used to be obsessed with a tv show called Masha and the Bear - we've watched every episode together about three hundred times. I was excited to see that there is finally a new season of Masha and the Bear on Netflix. The problem is that I can't wait to see the new episodes, but Maddy doesn't seem to care about the show anymore. I don't really want to watch them on my own, so I might have to force her watch them with me.


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As most of you know, I am a BIG fan of Target and a BIG fan of ShopAtHome.com. I love the fact that I can find great deals at Target.com and also snag 5% cash back from ShopAtHome.com…this often makes good deals into great deals! In addition to snagging 5% cash back from ShopAtHome.com, you can also find many great Target coupons on ShopAtHome.com.
Thanks to ShopAtHome.com, 4 lucky readers will each win a $25 Target gift card! Use this gift card to purchase household items, food, clothing or just to treat yourself to something special!
If you are interested in entering this giveaway, please click on the "Hip Hip Hooray" button below…
If you are reading this giveaway post via RSS feed or via email, please click here to enter. Please do NOT email me to enter this giveaway; an email is not an acceptable entry.
This giveaway will end at 6PM EST on Monday, January 24th, and the randomly selected winners will be announced later in the week; you must be a U.S. resident to enter.
(Thanks, ShopAtHome.com!)