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"Building the dream"
The Explore More Discovery Museum is the result of a dedicated group of Shenandoah Valley volunteers who joined together and made an educational dream come true for the greater Harrisonburg community
Editor's note: What's at the heart of change? While many seek governmental solutions, others identify volunteerism as the key to positive transformation for America. Many service veterans have seen firsthand the power of a group of people committed to a cause. It happens in neighborhoods and communities around the nation — it happens in JMU's community every day. Name a problem, and you'll find a group of people working on a solution. Take a stroll through the neighborhood, and you'll find ample evidence that volunteers bring dreams to life. In the following article for Winter 2011 Madison magazine, JMU's Be the Change Coordinator Martha Bell Graham explores the volunteer spirit at the heart of change.
A children's museum for Harrisonburg
After discovering the joy and educational wealth in children's museums with their two children, Lisa Shull ('85, '91M), formerly an elementary school teacher and supervisor of student teachers for JMU's College of Education, and her husband Brian, economic development director for Harrisonburg, asked themselves, "Why not here?"
"My husband and I decided that we were going to gauge interest in starting a children's museum. It just wouldn't go away. The passion was so strong," Lisa Shull says. "We invited people we knew with varied interests and skill sets."
Together they formed a confederacy of dream builders.
An overwhelming volunteer response
Out of an initial meeting in January 2002 at Massanutten Regional Library, the Explore More Discovery Museum (formerly Harrisonburg Children's Museum) was born. "When we started reaching out to others, it started to snowball," Shull says. "In a whirlwind fashion, we started drafting a mission statement, completing nonprofit paperwork and developing an official name and logo." Three months later, the museum began as a traveling show. "Our first week, we hosted an exhibit called Sheep to Sweater, at the library," Shull says. "Kids could spin and dye wool and there was even a sheep shearing demonstration. "I recall our uncertainty on opening day. We had no idea how many participants might show. Much to our delight, there was a line winding down the street before the doors were open," she remembers.
During seven weeks of that first summer, thousands of children participated in a series of traveling museum opportunities appropriately named Where in the world is the Harrisonburg Children's Museum? "We traveled from location to location," Shull says, "showcasing the many aspects a museum would incorporate, including the performing arts, science, communication, and health and wellness. At the end of the summer, we were overwhelmed with requests asking us to consider opening year round."
So, they found a building. Once again volunteers sprung into action. As Shull looks back, she is amazed at how much work volunteers did and how timely their help was. Shortly before opening the downtown museum, she recalls, the bathrooms desperately needed cleaning. "A man came in off the street. 'I'm a professional cleaner,' he said." The man, whom Shull had never seen before, got right to work. "I've never seen anything sparkle so."
On Oct. 15, 2003, the museum opened on Court Square. Seven years later, the Explore More Discovery Museum hosts more than 35,000 annual visitors, including curriculum-driven field trips in conjunction with many area schools.
A reflection of the community
At the beginning no one — not even the Shulls — knew if the dream would grow wings or how much work it would entail. "I did know that it would be essential to pull others with varied talents together to make it happen and that our museum should be a reflection of our community," Shull says.
Fortunately, the Shulls were surrounded by a cadre of volunteers quickly committed to the vision for a museum designed just for children. Among those volunteers were Tammy ('94) and Ted Brown ('93). Tammy served as volunteer coordinator for the museum until stepping down this year to open a new downtown restaurant called Pennybackers. Brown is unequivocal in her praise for the museum's volunteers. "Without them we couldn't operate."
Shull agrees, adding that volunteer support from JMU has been critical to the museum's success. In fact, the list of JMU supporters is long. In addition to hundreds of students who volunteer, support comes from all quarters of the university including President Emeritus Ronald E. Carrier and Edith J. Carrier, who serve as honorary chairs of the museum's current capital campaign; Harrisonburg Mayor Kai Degner ('03, '05M); board of visitors member, Judy Strickler ('60); Glenda (former JMU staffer) and Pat Rooney, former Marching Royal Dukes director; and dozens of local alumni like Laura Conklin ('86, '93M), Paula Polglase ('92, '96M), and Scott Rogers ('02, '00M).
Academic enrichment for JMU students
Every academic year, JMU's Community Service-Learning Center contacts the museum to organize volunteers, Brown says. Circle K, a service organization on campus, is another significant source of student volunteers, as are academic departments.
"I volunteer because I want to get involved in the community," Jessica Strawn ('12) says. "I missed working with kids. The museum offers a great outlet for this experience." The history major from Roanoke hopes to work in a museum. "I have learned a lot about educational tools and techniques from my work here."
Sophomore Gail Grusler ('12) earned valuable academic enrichment. "The museum has definitely given me more experience working with children. It has further enforced my desire to be a teacher." Grusler, from Cinnaminson, N.J., is studying exceptional education in the Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies program.
A benefit that goes beyond children
The museum's impact on children was a powerful motivator for the volunteer effort. "In the beginning I got involved in volunteering for the museum because I so appreciated what it did for me. I had three small children spanning five years, and it was a place we could all go and everyone could find something to make them happy," explains Polglase, who has served on the museum board for four years. "I now volunteer because of what it can do for our whole community, for what it can do for other children, for the number of school children it can reach each year through field trips, for what it can do for downtown revitalization," she says.
In fact the Explore More Discovery Museum is consistently cited as one of the most positive draws to downtown, and therefore, is an important factor in Harrisonburg's successful downtown revitalization. Museum volunteers are often asked to share the story of their grassroots efforts with other organizations. Area businesses, including real estate agents, regularly arrange visits to the museum for families of prospective employees and potential retirees.
"The children's museum has served as a key attraction to downtown," says Eddie Bumbaugh ('73), director of Harrisonburg's Downtown Renaissance. "Increasingly local citizens and visitors are discovering that downtown offers outstanding attractions such as the Explore More Discovery Museum, plus awesome restaurants and specialty retail shops."
Last year Shull embarked on another adventure almost as daunting as creating the museum. After moving to a renovated Main Street building through a lease/purchase agreement in partnership with the city, a three-phase renovation process began to transform the building into a Mecca for children. The museum's new 36,000-square-feet location will increase the museum's usable space six-fold when all phases are complete.
"Build a [big] dream"
Quite an accomplishment for "just" a group of volunteers. "When I was approached to join the Build the Dream team I had no idea how much work it would be or how long it would last," says Polglase. "We had lofty goals, a ridiculously short timeline and no real experience with fundraising. The first floor of the museum shows both the reality of what can be accomplished and the potential for the next two floors. It's an exciting time to be involved in a project whose sole end product is to bring joy and learning and laughter to the children of the community."
Looking at the effort, the accomplishments and the potential yet to be realized, Shull says, "Dream big and follow your vision. Don't let every detail sideline your ability to move forward. Surround yourself with great people and encourage them to add their gifts to make the project the best it can be."
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm," reads a plaque over Shull's desk. Undoubtedly, she would add: "and enthusiastic volunteers."
You could call it a perfect motto for change.
Published: Monday, October 1, 2012
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 27, 2018


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Bill Buchanan necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 216 diseños de 84 diseñadores freelance.
We are small transport company based in Sydney Australia but deliver Australia wide. We deal with the largest forms of trucks and trailers that are avialabe to use. What makes us unique in the transport buisness is that we specialise in the transport of large construction, mining & civil works equipment. Our speciality is cranes, mainly the type you see putting up skyrise buildings but we do anything from large steel structures to Holding tanks and pretty much anything that can't go on a normal delivery truck. Our loads are either extremely long or extremely wide or even extremely high or all of the previous. We sometimes have to operate in the early hours of the morning involving police escorts and road closures. We are very good at what we do as we have been around for 30 years and never had to advertise, we don't even have a web site. We are just looking for an indentity that we can use to market ourselves.
Our target audience would be mainly construction and mining companies but our audience would also include manufacturing companes, steel fabrication companies and the general public as the logo would appear on the side of our trucks. We have never had a corporate identity but we are looking to be recognised when people see our equipment and see what loads we are carrying as they often stand out.
We would like to incorporate our entire name in the logo but not neccessary. We would like the logo to be stylish and professional and also relate back to what we do somehow. As we have never had a logo we are up for any suggestions. Just do what you do best and be creative. This logo will be our corporate indentity and will be used for web pages, buisness cards, uniforms and all other places in relation to the idnetity of our buisness.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.

subset: commoncrawl


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Tallest Buildings Completed in 2009 The year 2009 marked a successful 12 months for the American skyscraper, with three of the five tallest buildings completed during the year being located in the USA—Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago (tallest); Bank of America Tower in New York (second tallest) and Aqua in Chicago (fifth tallest).
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2008 Against the backdrop of global economic crisis, 2008 witnessed the most successful year of skyscraper construction to date, with more skyscrapers constructed globally within a single year than ever before and the average height of the tallest ten constructed in 2008 rising to 319 meters.
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2007 333 meters high with 72 stories and 480 suites, Rose Rotana Tower in Dubai leads the list of the 10 tallest buildings completed in 2007. The tower, which is developed by Bonyan International Investment Group, is also regarded as the world's tallest single-use hotel building.
Tallest Buildings Completed in 2006 Nina Tower 1 in Hong Kong, at 319 meters high, leads the list of the ten tallest buildings completed in 2006. The Sports City Tower/Aspire Tower (Doha, United Arab Emirates) at 300 meters, and Eureka Tower (Melbourne, Australia), at 296 meters, were second and third, respectively.


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Sherri Shepherd To Gays: I Don't Agree With Your Lifestyle, But I Love You
When asked what she feels is the biggest public misconception about her, The View's Sherri Shepherd nominated her reputation as being anti-gay. Sherri then goes on the defense in the new interview with Fusion's Alicia Menendez, and claims that though she doesn't agree with the "gay lifestyle" (whatever that means), she loves us.
She explains:
I think people don't know my heart. I think people feel I'm very judgmental. I think people feel I'm very homophobic. If they knew me, and knew my heart. You grow up being a Christian and you grow up believing homosexuality is a sin; you're going to hell if you're a homosexual. This is something that they teach in churches. So it's something that I grew up believing.
I might not agree with your lifestyle, but I love you. You may not agree with my lifestyle, but you love me. I don't say it's a choice. If you tell me, 'Sherri, I was born gay.' OK. I'm not gonna argue with you, because I can't tell you how you feel and what's going on inside. I'm trying to make it into heaven by the skin of my teeth. I don't know who I'm gonna see. So if you tell me you're born [gay], I'm not gonna argue with you. And I absolutely respect you for that. I just ask that people respect how I feel, [I] respect how you feel and we can have a great dialog.
Given her new interview, do you think Sherri's reputation as anti-gay is a misconception?
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Elis--First I never stated I was or was not gay. That is an assumption you chose to make simply because my post was in support of gay individuals. Second, I have a very clear understanding of the Bible and too was raised in a church. My point (that was obviously missed) there are far too many religious/religions using said religion in order to EXCLUDE entire groups of people. If you don't believe that you are ignorant, uneducated, naive, or just plain stupid. Walk into any number of churches in this country -state you are gay-and see how many accept and welcome you. Far too few. My post had nothing to do with forgiveness-I have nothing to forgive Ms. Shepard for. I simply believe (based on her own words) that she is in fact a bigot -but that because she is using her religion as a defense, that somehow makes it ok. This defense by reason of religion is far too common in today's churches-places I was raised to believe should be open and accepting of all.
What I am is not a "lifestyle". How would she feel if i said I don't agree with her "Black Lifestyle?" She may act all white and republican but as long as she goes around in public flaunting her beautiful dark skin coloring I just can't approve of her. Hmmm, how does that not outrage you, Sherri?
She absolutely has the right to her opinions
being as she is a paid public figure..we absolutely have a right to oppose those opinions whether through boycott,trying to have her removed from a position wherein her opinion can be used to influence others,or expressing our opinions of her belief system..dont hate,mobolize..contact her employers and let them know this shrews views r unacceptable in YOUR nation!
Everyone should read the book "Zealot". This book tells just how distorted the bible really is. Zealot tells just how ruthless all of the Christians were and their desire to gain power over others. This is the way organized Christianity is today. Power and hatred. Its hasn't changed from olden days.
Well if you ask me the LGBT community acts in the same manner. I mean as soon as any one of them is offended in any way, boycotts are started, online retaliation takes place, videos are posted on how much they have been offended, they hire a lawyer to build a case.......please! There are many other issues going on in our world that need attention. If the bible is so distorted, just don't read it. By you stating Christians are ruthless and desire to gain power, you are doing what? - judging and assuming all are the same.
Sherri Shepherd can live her life the way she sees fit based on her upbringing and choices. However, being in the public eye and expounding on her agreeing or not agreeing with the gay lifestyle is another subject entirely. She is a public figure and should keep her personal beliefs and politics to herself. Expounding on this subject mean giving her opinion...she doesn't get a get out of jail free card because she loves everyone. With choices come responsibilities and come consequences some good and some bad. So Sherri if your listening, you should have kept your anti-gay comments to yourself because no amount of being PC is going to get you out of this one and you have judged us so now you will be judged on that choice. We didn't have a choice its a sexual orientation and if you don't know that by now with all the knowledge at your disposal, you never will.
People just need to grow up and stop taking things so personally. She has her beliefs and "negative" views, just as LGBT community has their views about straights, religions, and Republicans. If we expect everyone to be the same, that is not true diversity. Stop looking for love in all the wrong places. Can't expect everyone to agree and accept. Be happy and move on.
Now that is all I ask for. I am not asking that people except my "lifestyle" but I ask that they respect it. I am not going to tell a person what they should or should not believe, that is THEIR believe. I respect this women more now. If we want to be accepted, we need to start accepting that there are some people out there that may not agree with how we are and respect there beliefs. To get respect we need to give it.
So Sherri Shepherd , the only reason why people are going to hell is because of people like you are driving gay and straight people away from church and God. Why would anyone want to be like you. "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Mahatma Gandhi... I hope all the people like you are held accountable one day for all of the damage you do to people, especially our youth. i would not have chosen a difficult lifestyle, but i would choose one very far away from people like you. i would rather take my chances on a pass to hell than a ride with people like you to heaven.
She sounds like my mom did when I came out. We were also brought up in the church, and I had to sit and listen to the constant damnation of the gays. It's what we were told to believe. I had no choice but to find another view, and it was NOT easy. My mom had to as well, because I'm her son, but it was not easy. The lady is saying she doesn't understand it because she was taught otherwise, but she loves everyone regardless. That doesn't bother me. It bothers me that people jump to the black card so quickly. Being black is NOT the same struggle as being gay. I know, I'm Black and gay. She's aloud to have an opinion regardless of her race.
The hatred spewed in most of these comments is how gays are too often their own worst enemy. Being narcissistic enough to say, "all or nothing".
If she's not gay herself, and is trying to undo the hate in herself that she's been taught, why should she take all? She can't. For she is going through a process of acceptance. And coming from a Christian background being told all your life that one will burn in hell for being a homosexual, it does not happen overnight. I know because that's why it took me so long to come out.
I'm still a God-believing man. I just don't go to church like I used to because the hypocrisy is now too much. Maybe because she's straight, Sherri Shepherd will never get to that point. But I'm not going to go hating on her when she unlike most shows that she's trying.
Wow! And people try to accuse me of being an "angry Black man" over racism, as if I have no reason. Meanwhile, these same people are coming here being "angry homosexuals" for no good reason. Stop sipping on that Hypocrisy you're drinking!
I am so tired of people using the bible to hate others. Of course she is homophobic - bit by saying it is her "religious belief" she thinks that gives her a free pass to hate others.
I am not sure what the gay lifestyle she speaks of is but that is as assinine as someone saying they aren't racist but they just don't agree with the "black lifestyle". Again its a pass to hate and not be held accountable!
Any religion that tells you to disown your children or not love and supports others in your life because of how they were born and who they love is not a true religion in my book. These religions that say if you are different then the rest of us "you will not go to Heaven" are nothing more then hateful bullies . The same can be said for those like Ms. Shephard who stand on their bibles in order to judge others. Its just made worse in this case because Ms. Shephard has the means to spew her hate on such a public level!
Ladycoper, you have no understanding of the word of God, apparently you are a none believer. The Bible as a whole teaches forgiveness and not hatred as you speak. It also sounds as if all sermons are about gay bashing, I think not. Ms. Shepard disagrees with your life style, orientation, gayness, birthright or what ever you choose to call it, she never said she hated you. That is the whole problem with people now days, if a person says anything the least bit negative about any group (except the white man of course) that person becomes homophobic, bigoted, racist and etc. I ask for what good does that attitude serve. This is coming from a white, honky, cracker, bigoted uneducated southern moronic hillbilly that served his country so we all could write this stuff and speak as we choose.
We agree to disagree.
What people refer to as "lifestyle" is as much a part of us as gay people as is our personalities, characteristics or beliefs. To say you disagree with one while loving the other just isn't possible. Being gay isn't a behavior.
In short - I believe people like Shari are trying to have their cake and eat it too. They are uncomfortable with gays (hence, "I don't agree with your lifestyle"), but they don't want to get criticized for it (hence, "But I love you!). Which is her right. Just don't codify discrimination based on your particular interpretation of the Bible.
EastoAK, You said being gay isn't behavior, then name the one greatest difference between being straight and gay.
I don't think there's much to interpret in the words, hate the sin but love the sinner. That " lover the sinner" just flies over everyone head for some reason.
Kind of like what Ms. Shepherd was saying.
You know she was brought up believing in the word of the Bible, we all could learn from that. There are a lot of belief systems out there that are not nearly as good as the one she was expose to. Don't you think so?
I have no idea what you are talking about? What great difference between being gay and straight?
Not much to interpret? Uhm, I believe she (and many others) are lying. Maybe they don't do it consciously, but they are doing it. That flippant (and oh so convenient) term "love the sinner" doesn't fly over my head... I just don't believe it. But if that statement is what you need so you can feel better about yourself, then go right ahead. And I don't believe in the Bible... apparently the fact that some of us think it is mythology flied right over your head. And no, I don't think it is better than some other belief systems.
If you are trying to spread the Gospel, you are doing it in the wrong place.
I am so tired of people using the bible to hate others. Of course she is homophobic - bit by saying it is her "religious belief" she thinks that gives her a free pass to hate others.
I am not sure what the gay lifestyle she speaks of is but that is as assinine as someone saying they aren't racist but they just don't agree with the "black lifestyle". Again its a pass to hate and not be held accountable!
Any religion that tells you to disown your children or not love and supports others in your life because of how they were born and who they love is not a true religion in my book. These religions that say if you are different then the rest of us "you will not go to Heaven" are nothing more then hateful bullies . The same can be said for those like Ms. Shephard who stand on their bibles in order to judge others. Its just made worse in this case because Ms. Shephard has the means to spew her hate on such a public level!
i feel everyone has the right to believe what they want. but when she said i disagree with being gay but i love the person. now this is being a true Christian see feels our lifestyle is a sin and she is against it but she love us i believe the bible say love the sinner hate the sin even thou i don't believe God would have put me here just to be hated. my God is a loving God Anyways i guess im use to people that feel this way some of my own family says it the same way but the love me and except any man im dating.so as far as i can see if htey love us and dont bash our lifestyle even thou the dont agree it is on step closer to what we are thriving for God Bless yoy all
everybody gets so offended by all the things everybody else says; why does nobody seem to focus on the part where she's clearly making her best attempt to spread love and tolerance (if not acceptance) instead of the hate she was taught?
her whole idea here, is that although she was taught bigoted ideals, she is evolving out of them. just because she won't fold from the inside out and turn into a gay-loving, flag-waving supporter and crazy cheerleader, doesn't mean she isn't a tolerant, kind, loving person to anyone whom she meets.
it's awful how many of the gay folks we see on the internet and media insist that if someone doesn't fully assimilate, inside and out, to being a full-on gay ally, that they're still terrible people who don't value our lives. that simply isn't true. she says, clearly, that despite whatever religious teachings she was raised by, she still respects what's going on on our side of the fence, inasmuch as it is not her business nor place to rule what's inside our minds or out hearts.
she blatantly says that she MIGHT not agree with our "lifestyle." i think outsiders often use "lifestyle" as a blanket term to explain why we are the way we are, because they know they can't fully dictate why any of us feel anything. i agree there are plenty of times when it's used out of ignorance or out of hate, but i don't think this is one of them. she admits that she doesn't understand how or why we are the way we are, but she DOES state that she loves and respects us anyway.
isn't that the point? are we trying to earn respect and love in our world, or are we just upset that we're not #1 in the Miss Universe Pageant?
get a grip and calm your nerves, fellow gays. not everybody will love every single thing that we do or talk about. but if they at least speak and act kindly to us, from human to human, then really, isn't that all that matters in the first place?
I don't expect anyone to have blanket acceptance of me. I am not at all offended by people who feel as if being Gay is not ok. However I take offense at the term "lifestyle". While the person using it may not understand why it's offensive, it highlights their ignorance of the issue. NO ONE who is trying to understand LGBT folks would use that term; it conveys her ignorance as someone who has not bothered to read or hear 'from the horses mouth' WHO they are and what that means.
Pretty much the same way people are offended when they hear, "All Black people live in the ghetto". This statement conveys pure ignorance.
Have you figured out that I consider this person to be ignorant about LGBT people, much less LGBT issues? That's what I take offense at. Don't talk about me if you're not trying to learn about me.
Karnora, you said, "Have you figured out that I consider this person to be ignorant about LGBT people, much less LGBT issues? That's what I take offense at. Don't talk about me if you're not trying to learn about me." I for one have no time to try and understand your being gay or what ever you call it, just like I don't try to understand quantum physics, brain surgery, badminton, bowling and a host of other things. So get off your high horse and live the life you want and disregard the things people say, I know from experience being a white honky bigoted southern uneducated ignorant cracker homophobic man. So don't come crying about being misunderstood.
Besides do you really think that Ms. Shepard is really upset about what you think of her, not a shot. Get over yourself.
I am gay, and I am not even in the vicinity of being offended by what she said, why? Because it makes perfect sense. I think it's full time we all grasp the concept that not everyone will like, accept or even tolerate our sexuality, and by forcing it upon them, makes it no better. She admitted how she feels, she went as far as to clarify her feelings, and even asked that we respect her and how she feels as she will do the same. And I RESPECT HER AND HOW SHE FEELS.
I think it is interesting how we have equated "race" to sexual orientation. They are two separate things. Race is socially constructed by people to identify and stereotype groups of people to make ourselves feel better than others and to make others feel less desirable or wanted on this earth. Race can not be clearly defined by genetics which is what makes us look the way that we look and which is also our primary means for determining race. No I don't respect anyone that hates another group of people based upon what God gave them and placed them on this earth with. I however do believe that God put us here to abide by certain laws. I will abide by these laws and will attempt to teach my children these laws. Love will be the first of these laws. Next will be the acceptance. We are too quick to judge. I don't have to be accepting go your choices, believes, desires, or whims. I however believe that respect is owe to all living creatures. Cursing you or poor treatment is not for me to give.
I wonder if anyone actually read the quote and not just the headlineWhat she said was: "I might not agree with your lifestyle, but I love you. You may not agree with my lifestyle, but you love me." First, it's clear to me that she's speaking in general about ANY lifestyle. And she's saying "I MIGHT not....", not "I DON'T". If nothing else, she's admitting that everyone (including her) has bias - and so what? That's absolutely true. When did all this PC crap take over the world and we all have to say we love everyone and everything or someone's feelings will get hurt? Don't we all think that Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientologists are completely insane? Yes, those are choices (which Sherri goes to great lengths to say she doesn't believe being gay is a choice). But, the point is still we all have opinions about everything and everyone.
You are a very WISE individual. I am gay, and I am not even in the vicinity of being offended by what she said, why? Because it makes perfect sense. I think it's full time we all grasp the concept that not everyone will like, accept or even tolerate our sexuality, and by forcing it upon them, makes it no better. She admitted how she feels, she went as far as to clarify her feelings, and even asked that we respect her and how she feels. And I RESPECT HER AND HOW SHE FEELS. I applaud you.
I can "almost" accept the fact that people are taught lessons from the bible as children and believe them without question. However, once you become an adult and are able to question ideas on your own, well, there is a problem if you're going to still claim "that's what I was taught and believe". Historical facts, ideas, and thoughts are proven wrong every day. I still like her, just feel sorry that she's so insecure and worried about securing a spot in "Heaven".
She doesn't agree with my lifestyle and yet we have never even met. So she heard what the neighbors said about me and she came to the solid conclusion that I will burn in hell for eternity. I would like to ask Gawd to steer that type of people away from me so that I don't even have to interact with them.
She needs to describe what exactly she means by "lifestyle". Describe "gay lifestyle" for your audience. What is it that ALL gay men do that you object to. You don't like they way they snap back at you when you accuse them of something you have not watched them do? Maybe if you just shut your mouth people won't give you a hard time for being ignorant and brain-washed.
Ok, normally I don't post on things like this but being gay is not a "lifestyle" it is the core of who I am. Her comment is like my saying, "I don't like the fact that your black, but I love you anyway." It is a part of who I am that cannot be changed. So, fuck you and your complete ignorance. PS, I don't like the fact that you believe in talking snakes, i.e the snake that tricked Eve. I believe padded cells are in order
I don't understand the intensity of all the backlash from this comment that she made. It's not like she went on a rant, she was just asked a particular question and she answered it. Did she say she hated gay people? No. All she said was that she didn't agree with their lifestyle and that's it. We all have the right to believe in whatever we want to, no matter how ridiculous it may seem to others and in my opinion as long as we do it respectfully. I'm straight and I grew up in a Christian household where homosexuality was viewed as a sin so I can see where she is coming from because it's something that was taught to her for her entire life. I consider myself a Christian, but I'm not against homosexuality as I was once taught to be, because who am I to judge? We all have a life to live and it shouldn't matter what people think of our lifestyles, whether gay or straight, so why waste your time on something as meaningless as this?
"Religion is there for the dumb to follow unconditionally in order to keep society in check" ?? How is this comment any less hateful? You are painting all Christians with the same brush. There has been a backlash against Christians by the LGBT community (at least in my area) because the LGBT community doesn't differentiate between the religious right and the more open-minded Christians. Fighting hate with hate doesn't work. :(
While there are MANY affirming Christians who shouldn't be lumped together, you are directing your frustration to the wrong group. You need to be having this discussion with your fellow Christians (and other faiths) who continue to push GLBT people into a box and use words like "unnatural", "perverts", "pedophiles", "dangerous", "freaks" and more to describe our community. If they want to say "hell-bound", "sinners" or "blasphemers" then I'm all OK with that - that is connected to their religion and it isn't my business.
There is a reason for the backlash. For my job, I work with children and I am good at what I do. So when I see local Christians paying for commercials that say that I am dangerous to children and I am going to recruit them, then you better believe I am going to speak my mind and I will not be polite.
That comment wasn't specific to Christians. Contrary to popular belief, there are numerous religions. many of them expect their followers to follow without question. Why take it personally about your particular religion? Christianity is the same as Islam is the same as Judaism, is the same as...
Well, really, those are the top three, they just have a lot of divisions.
This is a testimony that I will tell to every one to hear. I have been married for 4years and on the fifth year of my marriage, another woman had a spell to take my lover away from me and my husband left me and the kids and we have suffered for 2years until I met a post where this man DR olokipa have helped someone and I decided to give him a try to help me bring my lover back home and believe me I just send my picture to him and that of my husband and after 48hours as he have told me, I saw a car drove into the house and behold it was my husband and he have come to me and the kids and that is why I am happy to make every one of you in similar to met with this man and have your lover back to your self. His email: email@example.com
Well I believe she is going to be violently tortured by Hades and deserves it because she thinks I am going to burn in "Hell" simply because I am what nature made me. My religion is historically much older than hers. So I am right and she is wrong and that doesn't make me anti-whatever she is.
P.S. Incorrect use of the word "lifestyle". I am not a lifestyle. I am a human being. Goth is a lifestyle. Preppy is a lifestyle. Her lifestyle however; expensive clothes, shoes, jewelry, the fact that she is not married to the father of her son, her accepting herself as an idol as people pay homage to her as a celebrity, the dancing with a man who is not your husband and many more means she is going to burn in "Hell". According to the human made "Bible".
She doesn't see herself as a sinner. She sees other people's lives and criticizes them. Whatever happened to minding her own business. She is self-righteous and judgmental. Very Christian-like indeed. Anybody can say 'I love you' and not mean it. Words have no substance when actions don't match. Cast the first stone? Maybe she won't, but she will sure as hell yell "Crucify him! Crucify him!" She's perfect alright...perfect at being the perfect hypocrite
Those without sin, cast the first stone... I don' t know you, nor do I judge you. Using your ability to publicly address and condemn someone different from you is actually the issue. This has never and never will be a gay rights issue, it is a human rights issue and you my dear have no room to talk. Please use your fame (how ever big that may be) for the progression of the human race and rights. Not to preach hate AND bigotry. Realize there are others fighting for your rights as well.
Whether you agree with me or hate me for this, I respect her....we assume that every singer person in this world is going to be "accepting" of how we live our lives....since when do we have to have everyone agree with how we conduct ourselves? We live in a world where opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. What she said was is she didn't agree with the lifestyle but she loves us. Have you all not encountered someone that may not be ok with with the gay lifestyle but they love you for you who you are? I'm gay but that doesn't make me. Let's find something else to bash her about versus her being honest, and just being real, Christian or not, growing up in a black family, community and church it is not the easiest thing to come out in these settings ( please don't turn words around, I have lived it) I don't know about any other ethnicities but blacks have not always been the most accepting so look at the bigger picture then her saying she doesn't agree with it. Hell she didn't say she hates gays. Take it how you want but I commend her on being herself and being honest. Of course this will get a lot of flack but so be it. Since when do you all care what someone thinks? Move on from it.
Shari is a funny actress. She is a good co-host. She has a magnetic personality. But the lifestyle comment turns me off and makes me question her "love" comment. Love is an action. It doesn't mean much until you have to show it.
We should also remember that Shari brought the subject up, so I think discussing her comments is fair game. But, as long as she isn't actively trying to trample on my equality, I'm fine with whatever she says.
I absolutely love your comment and, i agree with you 100%. I still to this day love sherries spirit every since she was on the Jamie Foxx Show. She's entitled to voice her freedom of speech, just like the next man or women. I'm tired of some people hammering down hard on the gay's ( which includes myself), when any platform is presented hell, for what it's worth, i disagree with a lot of actions that some STR8 people do i see and here of from cheating, lusting, child abandonment, incest etc... people just need to be respectful of each others feelings and learn to keep your mouth shut if you don't know what or how to phrase something nice to say and, rake your yard clean b4 taking a break to bash on others.
I like the way you said that. If we want everyone to accept us,(unconditionally) then we have to be willing to give a little as well..
I struggled with being gay as a child because of religion. It really messed my head up when it came to accepting myself and believing that if God didn't love me because of the way I am, how or why would anyone else???
i honestly don't believe God is happy that I, or WE, struggle. Because of the words of people who can't look outside their tiny little world and educate themselves about the fear they experience about something they don't understand.
Dear Sherri Shepherd,
A.) Your opinion means nothing to me and has no bearing on my life at all.
B.) The only break you have gotten is The View and after that is over, so is your career.
C.) I find your love for food to be offensive and down right disgusting.
Please keep your love, that you so freely give, to yourself and those who will actually give a damn.
i dont need her to believe a damned thing about me or my gay brethren...i simply dont need her......or anyone like her that thinks this is a choice.....we are born this way and are created in the image of God...her bible and my bible tell me that. Too bad she is influcned by religion and not spirituality.


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Mooradian Deluxe 3/4 Double Bass Bag Medium 3/4 SilverProduct #H98210 Mooradian H98210 LFTB Double Bass Cases & Gig Bags https://www.esnapw.com/rses/ESnapServlet?MerchantNumberSent=63655 false true true
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Deluxe Models available in black, silver, blue and burgundy. Mooradian's Deluxe Bags are sized to fit any bass. They come in small, medium and large. These bags are for the musician who needs more protection (higher priced bass or you're taking your bass out at least once a week.) They have a higher quality polyester fabric and more padding. The zipper guard goes all the way around the zipper. The shoulder is heavily padded.
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- Large Bag: Height 73-74 inches; Body Length 43-45 inches; Upper Bout 20-21 inches; Lower Bout 26-1/2 inches; Bridge Height 17-18-1/2 inches


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After returning from a trip around a lake in the eastern U.S. and docking the twin-hull pontoon boat they were riding in, three boys decided to jump in for a swim. The afternoon dip turned tragic, though, when two of the boys seized up as soon as they entered the water, reportedly paralyzed by electric current in the water. Unable to move, they drowned. The third boy was pulled to safety by a friend.
At the request of his father, who owned the boat, one of the boys had plugged one end of a modified AC extension cord into a shore AC receptacle and the other end into a duplex AC receptacle mounted on the pilot console of the boat before entering the water. Reportedly, the duplex receptacle mounted on the boat's pilot console was wired to another duplex receptacle mounted underneath a folding seat located at the stern of the boat, which served as an AC power source for two portable battery chargers.
The police initially determined that the boat owner had improperly wired the craft and was negligent, but they chose not to prosecute. The parents of the children who died, however, filed a lawsuit against the father, the local property owners association, its management company, and a sub-association. Counsel for the defense retained me to conduct my own research and determine the validity of the claims made by the plaintiff's expert witness. And a closer look at the case revealed more about what didn't happen than what did.
Beyond a reasonable doubt. I was brought in months after the initial evidence gathering, and the lack of documentation of the accident scene made it difficult to conduct a thorough forensic investigation. No one bothered to trace out or document the circuit and system details as they existed on or about the day of the incident. For the purposes of determining the cause of the drownings, the lack of concrete information created several problems and led to incorrect assumptions by the plaintiff's expert witness.
He claimed that corrosion found on the hull of the boat was indicative of the long-term presence of 120VAC leakage current and therefore proved that the water around the craft was charged with hazardous voltage and current that ultimately paralyzed the boys and caused them to drown. This assertion was incorrect on two counts. The type of corrosion he referred to is caused by direct current, not alternating current. In addition, photographs of the boat's hull taken after the accident depicted a type of corrosion typical to the marine environment and owing nothing to stray current leakage. To determine the type of corrosion beyond a shadow of a doubt, it would have been necessary to conduct laboratory testing using scanning electron microscope technology and laboratory destructive analysis method, neither of which took place. These incorrect assumptions threw doubt on the testimony of the plaintiff's expert.
Photos of the boat show two conductors ostensibly emanating from the battery compartment at the stern of the boat and hanging in such a location that they could easily come in contact with the water (Photo 1 above). If these two conductors were connected to any of the boat batteries, then the necessary condition to facilitate stray current corrosion would exist as the direct current source from the batteries would be in relatively close proximity to the metallic hull. However, the photos showed no noticeable consumption of the aluminum hull in the proximity of the two conductors, so there's no foundation to suspect the presence of a stray current corrosion condition. But more importantly, the connection of these two conductors was never established.
Questions also arose regarding the connection and function of the GFCI device that supplied power to the circuit feeding the boat dock. The plaintiff's expert claimed the circuit never had GFCI protection, but a GFCI in the boat owner's home was identified as supplying power to the dock receptacles.
The defendant reported that prior to the incident the receptacle was accidentally painted over, necessitating removal of the device for cleaning. He used an air compressor to blow out the paint, and when tested later by a county building official, the GFCI "tripped" correctly. When the owner "blew out" the paint with compressed air, it's very likely that he also introduced moisture into the device, which presented another possible contaminate to the GFCI circuitry, which could have affected its overall operation and reliability.
The plaintiff's expert rendered the opinion that GFCIs are designed to trip at between 3mA and 5mA, and that at 5mA GFCIs are designed to trip within 50 to 60 milliseconds. However, the UL 943 criteria governing GFCI trip times shows 5mA to be below the bottom trip-current published value of 6mA, in which case there can be no expectation for GFCI tripping reliably at values 5mA or below. When asked if he would consider a GFCI device defective if it failed to trip within 2 to 3 seconds at 5mA leakage current, the plaintiff's expert responded that he would determine that device to be defective.
Another theory presented by the plaintiff's expert witness held that a reverse-wired 120V extension cord (Photo 2 above) to the boat contributed to the accident. A model presented by the plaintiff's expert for both the hot and neutral current return paths showed a short-circuit condition resulting across the boat's accessory battery system. Under such a scenario, either the branch circuit breaker would have tripped immediately, mitigating any opportunity for electrical shock, or the connected boat conductors would have burned and suffered notable and substantial over-temperature and/or fire damage. Yet no evidence exists for any such condition.
A second theory regarding the wiring evaluated the possibilities of inadvertent connections and interference with GFCI protection as a possible cause. A loose strand connecting the neutral conductor from the house to the boat's DC positive terminal was the center of the theory (Photo 3 above). But once again, a model of the theoretical wiring scheme showed that either the branch circuit breaker would have tripped immediately and mitigated the opportunity for electrical shock, or the connected boat conductors would have burned up and suffered notable damage. Therefore, the stray conductor, if connected, served no role in the accident and doesn't offer any conclusive data as to the status of the GFCI device or on current leakage conditions or current paths into the water.
Additionally, no evidence of a high resistance fault, parting arcing, or heating connection on the receptacle's brass terminal screw receptacle was observed or reported as a result of my inspection. There was no physical evidence showing the loose conductor strand ever having come in contact with the adjacent terminal, and thus no basis to believe or conclude that this ever occurred.
In the end, the lack of evidence gathered immediately after the incident made it impossible to draw a clear conclusion as to the origin and cause of the electric shock. However, according to U.S. Coast Guard casualty data, defective battery chargers, or use of unapproved "marine rated" battery chargers in such situations are frequently implicated in "swimmer" electric shock incidents — issues never evaluated by the plaintiff's expert.
The data collected and the findings made by the electrician who assessed the system on or about the day of the incident weren't consistent with the information and electrical architecture considered as possible in this case. But more importantly, two lives were lost without explanation because of a failure to properly document evidence.
Ruggieri, P.E., is a forensic engineer with General Machine Corp. in Washington, D.C.


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Intel kicked off its Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco Tuesday showing off an Ultrabook with iPhone Siri-like functions, new gesture controls for PCs, and its newest Haswell Core processor aimed at the mobile PC market.
Intel Chief Product Officer David (Dadi) Perlmutter lead the keynote and shared his vision for a connected future--powered by Intel, of course.
Perlmutter wasted little time and outlined how Intel was "redefining the computing experience" officially announcing its Haswell processor. The chip is the most power efficient processor Intel has built, Perlmutter said, and will allow thinner lighter notebooks with touchscreens, all-day battery life, and instant on functionality. He claimed the chip is 20 times more power efficient compared to its earlier Sandy Bridge notebook chip while at the same time increasing graphics performance two fold.
Intel's roadmap to "reinventing mobility", as Perlmutter put it, also includes speech, touch, and gesture interfaces for Ultrabooks, PCs, and a bevy of mobile devices. Perlmutter said Intel is working on delivering a "true interactive experience across all devices." The goal is to give computers human-like senses, he said.
Perlmutter then demonstrated speech recognition software maker Nuance's Dragon Assistant software running on a Dell Ultrabook. The demo was similar to Apple's voice assistance technology Siri. Perlmutter said Ultrabooks equipped with Dragon Assistant Beta will be available later this year.
Perlmutter also showed off hand gesture control of games and applications running on a PC equipped with a small Creative Technology camera and software developed by SoftKinectic, a company that makes gesture recognition applications. Perlmutter said Intel would be releasing a software developers kit that would help PC and device makers incorporate speech, facial recognition, and hand gestures. To help spur innovation, Intel is doling out $1 million in awards to developers who come up with the best ideas for its SDK.
Atom vs. ARM
Under a backdrop of sluggish PC sales and a rise of tablets and smartphones, Perlmutter also talked about Intel's "Medfield SoCo" Atom processor used in smartphones and tablets. Intel is noticeably absent from that market. As desktop and notebook sales slump, Intel is pinning its hopes on Medfield. Perlmutter says its mobile chip will be an alternative to the competing ARM architecture processors found in devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and most Android smartphones and tablets.
On stage, Perlmutter showed off a number of Atom-based tablets and claimed several "design wins" based on its Clover Trail Atom-based platform.
Intel in the Cloud
On the power front, Perlmutter discussed Intel's Xeon Phi coprocessor used for high performance computing. The digitization of data coupled with the boom of social media has created a goldmine for Intel processors to be the brains and brawn behind number crunching and data centers.
While Intel may not dominate the chips running inside smartphones and tablets, it does dominate the cloud those devices connect to. Intel likes to point out that most of the high-end servers that power the Internet run the company's high-end chips, such as Xeon Phi coprocessors.
Perlmutter closed his keynote with the oddest demo of the day--a Coke machine with en embedded Intel Core i7 CPU. The vending machine had a large multitouch screen, integrated camera, and Wi-Fi. It's both a demo and Intel's attempt at illustrating the ubiquity of the Intel chip architecture and how much PC technology has become a commodity.
PCWorld's Tom Spring contributed to this report


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Dentist? Get Listed on this website for FREE. Email email@example.com
Inlays Onlays
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- Category: Restorative Dentistry
Inlays and onlays, also referred to as indirect fillings, are in many ways a more conservative option to a dental crown procedure. Inlay/Onlay treatment provides long lasting dental restoration in treating teeth damaged by mild to moderate tooth decay. name at clinic will restore your smile while maintaining your esthetic appearance.
Inlays/onlays are created most often from tooth colored material to produce a natural looking smile. However, they can also be created from gold, providing both functionality and an esthetically restored smile.
The difference between inlays/onlays and traditional dental fillings is that inlays/onlays are fabricated indirectly (hence the name indirect fillings) within a dental laboratory and then fitted and bonded into place by name, your dentist. Traditional fillings are created within the mouth during your dental appointment and directly molded into place.
So what exactly is the difference between an inlay and an onlay? Well, an inlay is a restoration in which the filling material is bonded in the center of a tooth, while an onlay is a restoration to one or more of the points (cusps) of the tooth along the biting surface.
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9 Surprising Health Benefits of Tomatoes
Tomatoes! They're sweet, juicy, and delicious. Everyone knows they are good for you, right? Uh, yeah, sure. Does everyone know specifically why tomatoes are a healthful food? Ummm… They have vitamin C? They're low in calories? They're fat-free? Yes, yes, and yes, but that's not all!
Let's look at what makes the tomato an excellent healthy choice.
Jo Ann LeQuang is a professional writer specializing in medical topics and a Christ-follower who blogs at AWretchLike.Me.


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Advanced Search
Library Services | News
Michigan State University (MSU) has deployed a new discovery service to provide a single entry point to most of the resources in its libraries.
The university chose ProQuest's Summon discovery service, which allows "users to search and navigate a unified list of results drawn from a broad range of content types," according to a news release. "Summon also offers a variety of configuration options for faceted searches and filtering results, and helpful options such as content spotlighting and navigating by discipline."
"The Summon discovery service covers most of the library's collections, including resources such as books, e-books, journal and magazine articles, dissertations, and historical newspapers," said Steven W. Sowards, associate director for collections, in a prepared statement. "Library users will no longer face a confusing array of different indexes and databases: Summon opens up content from so many sources in a single search, with potential benefits for everyone from first-year students exploring a topic, to researchers seeking a cross-disciplinary approach."
Lee Sochay, chair of the task force behind implementing the service, welcomed "Summon's ability to display full citations without authentication" as it is consistent with MSU's land-grant mission.
"We're pleased to be implementing Summon for our users," says Clifford H. Haka, director of the MSU Libraries, "because it brings serendipity back into the research process. Users will discover resources in formats and disciplines they might not have found previously, when using traditional subject-specific indexes."
Founded in 1855, Michigan State University was the prototype for land-grant institutions created by the Morrill Act. Today MSU serves approximately 38,000 undergraduate and 11,000 graduate students with about 4,700 faculty and academic staff and 6,400 support staff. More information about the university is available at msu.edu.
More information about Summon discovery service is available at proquest.com.
About the Author
Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Get your groove on and step into the Sixties with Sheena's brand new range 'Groovin' 60's'. Featuring psychedelic patterns, flower power and swingin' chicks this funky range is perfect to add a bit colour to your crafting.
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Price Ads Undercut True Value of All Insurance
Insurance buyers over the years have shifted their thinking from the value proposition to that of just a simple cost consideration. Not everyone thinks this way, of course, but it is a trend. Buyers of insurance are forgetting that insurance is a tool, an asset. Both in your business and personal lives, you need to view insurance as an asset. Unfortunately, for so many of us, insurance only shows up as a cost on the P&L with no offsetting tangible income improvement on the other side.
The ad campaign, '15 Minutes can/will save you 15% on car insurance' and other such promotional ad campaigns have, I believe, had an effect on the way people think and shop for insurance. In the old days, people would call and ask about how an insurance product worked, what it covered, what it didn't cover, whether the insurance company was stable? Now, more and more people just want to know the price.
The Price – the price of what? What are you getting? What are you not getting? When there is a claim how does the insurance company respond? When there is a claim, what do you need to do?
Have you noticed the 'Mayhem' TV ads on, which are a direct response to the '15 Minute saves…." ads, the idea being that you may not be covered.
And one or two of the other large carriers' advertisements refer to having an agent available, the idea in this casse being that you might appreciate having an agent on hand to assist you.
OK, so buying insurance is a Pain — no question about it. I have to do it, too, just like you, and I personally hate paying for insurance, something I never use or see or get to play with like a new set of golf clubs. Insurance is just something that one has to have, and as long as you have to have it, you might as well be certain that you have a product that is going do what you need it to do in that time of need.
I'll give you a specific example When someone wants to rent an RV and they are insured by that '15 minute saves…' company, they all of a sudden discover that their insurance does not provide coverage for the RV rental situation. They are required to pay additional dollars to secure coverage. So, at the end of the day, how much did this customer save by using what the 'Mayhem' ad calls "cut-rate insurance?"
This example goes for all insurance products — life, health, auto and property casualty. There is no Free Lunch in the insurance industry. There is no insurance company out there that has thought of a way to provide coverage and not pay the covered claims. Companies have to charge premiums to pay those claims. Claims are claims. As one of our RV industry leaders once said, "This year's claims are next year's premiums." In its simplest form, premiums are driven by claims.
So think about your insurance; realize that insurance is an asset to your business and your personal life, and treat it like an asset on the balance sheet. For all practical purposes it is as such. Realize that when you have claims they are counted against you. Claims are like liabilities that are depleting your assets. Take care of your insurance so that it will be there to take care of you.
Put some thought into all the insurance products that you purchase; like other assets in your company, you are going to have to live with them. Think about how you want that product to perform and whether that performance would be a proper reflection of how you believe your insurance should respond.
Price is important – of course. Price was important when you first bought your car or truck or any number of things. But, it was probably not the determining factor in most purchases. The fact of the matter is that you wanted the thing to work for you! So, maybe look at insurance the same way; all insurance should work for you.
Regardless of what insurance product you are going to buy, think it through. Insurance can be very complicated and it is easy to make a mistake. Don't make a hasty decision and buy a policy for which the tag line might be: "15 Minutes Can Cost you Big Time Troubles."


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.comment: Microsoft Doesn't Care What We Think
The only thing we have to fear....
The story is told of the old woman who tells a friend she'll vote against a particular candidate because "he wants to wipe out Social Security."
"No, no, no," her friend says. "You misunderstood him. He said he's against social diseases."
"Well," replies the old woman. "I'm not taking any chances."
Sometimes the Linux community is too cute by half. This manifests itself in various ways. One is when we rise in righteous indignation anytime someone has the temerity to develop and actually sell software.
Another is the righteous indignation expressed this week when a Microsoft droid came out with the mostly ridiculous notion that free and open-source software somehow stifle innovation, and maybe ought to be prohibited. All over the place came the angry denunciations. The free and open-source communities were beside themselves.
Some clues: It's not going to be prohibited. It's not going to come close to being prohibited. Prohibition of it is not going to be seriously considered. Microsoft never figured for a minute that the remarks would be taken at face value. And Microsoft doesn't give a toot what the Linux crowd thinks, anyway.
(There is some wisdom in the idea that if anybody tries to make money in the Linux sphere, that person will be set upon and beaten senseless by the community, and in that sense innovation can be and has been stifled. But hold your arrows for now -- I'll receive them another day.)
Microsoft knows that the road between Windows and Linux is mostly one-way. There is no exodus of Linux users to Windows (though there are a few people who give Linux a try, realize that it requires competence, and lacking that ingredient return to Windows). Those who are using Linux are already a lost cause to Microsoft.
The idea, then, is to stem the flow, to deter people -- especially companies -- from trying out or developing for Linux. A good way to do that is to address that little old lady who is hard of hearing. As ridiculous as the claims were and are, there's something in all of us, and especially in those who make decisions for companies, who aren't taking any chances.
There used to be a saying, "nobody ever got fired for buying IBM," and for a long time that saying was true, and it probably is close to true today. But closer to true would be, "nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft." In today's corporate environment paranoia is the norm. The recent collapse of the dotcom equities market has left a bad taste in the mouths of business executives and, especially, the shareholders for whom they indirectly work. It has always been a risk for IT people to suggest the deployment of Linux. That risk is growing. Microsoft would like to fertilize it. And we know what makes the best fertilizer, don't we?
The time-honored acronym is FUD -- fear, uncertainty, and doubt. It's tossed around all the time without a second thought. I propose that it deserves that second thought.
FUD exists because the little old lady is taking no chances. It also exists because it often contains a seed of truth.
I caught hell a week ago for saying that the militant element in the "free" software movement was as bad in its way as Microsoft is. I did not think that we would see that fact exploited so quickly.
The community makes it as difficult as it can for businesses to develop for Linux. Indeed, if someone were to make the claim that the Linux community is fundamentally anti-business, I would have a hard time finding very convincing evidence to the contrary. I mentioned to a colleague last week that I figured it would be a week before someone came up with a hack to confound the advertising banner in the free version of the excellent and commercial Opera browser. I was wrong. The hack appeared on a mailing list in just three days.
An experiment:
As you read the newsgroups and mailing lists, as well as such things as the talkbacks on Linux Today, make mental note of the postings that you would use if trying to talk a business into adopting Linux over a Microsoft product. And make note of the ones you'd avoid using. See what I mean?
And the saddest thing is that it's to no end at all. The presence of a commercial aspect to Linux in no way hinders or reduces the development of free and open-source software. Indeed, the inverse is true: The more corporate IT departments involved in Linux, the broader the pool of talent from whom ideas can be drawn, the greater number of people who will be contributing code. Look at the number of developers already who have corporate email addresses.
But no. There's a substantial and very loud portion of the community that has adopted a wrongheaded, holier-than-thou attitude that has the express purpose of driving away business. Which is fine if what you're seeking is a narrow, goofy, technically profound but fundamentally a toy, kind of operating system.
It can't be a surprise, though, that Microsoft capitalizes on that attitude and makes it the engine powering a FUD campaign.
Anyone who is a veteran of previous Microsoft battles knows that technical superiority is not enough to bring about victory. Neither is a superior attitude or preaching to each other, seeing whose outrage is loudest. No, victory is found in making the FUD unmistakably untrue.
Instead, there's all too much of an attitude that says the little old lady is of no importance, except maybe for what we can pilfer from her purse.
Microsoft has fired the opening shots in what is going to be a very long and extremely bloody dispute. We can whine about it, or we can do something about it. If we choose the latter, the place to start is in recognition that there's room here for everyone.


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You can enjoy the active and resort style living year round by finding your dream home on the Chandler MLS. Homes for sale in Chandler, AZ offers residency in one of the fastest growing cities that has so much to offer its residents. Chandler homes for sale vary from townhomes, single-family homes to large custom-built homes. You will find golf course communities, master planned communities and retirement communities. The employment opportunities bring people from around the world to make their home in Chandler. A few of the major Chandler companies include, Intel, Bank of America, Chandler School District, Ebay and Paypal and Wells Fargo Ocotillo corporate Campus. Real Estate in Chandler is a great find and you will be pleased with this growing and friendly city.
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text: Sarah Kelly named Vice President for Enrollment at Saint Michael's College News Home 09.23.13 By: Buff Lindau Sarah Kelly, former Vice President for Enrollment Management and Dean of Students at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, has been named Vice President for Enrollment at Saint Michael's College. She began September 16, 2013. "Sarah Kelly brings excellent experience and an outstanding track record working in the challenging area of admissions for a liberal arts college," said President John J. Neuhauser. "We are very pleased to have her bring her talents, experience and good spirits to Saint Michael's," he added. Experience At Wittenberg from 2008 to 2013, first in student affairs and then in student affairs and enrollment, Kelly was responsible for all enrollment-related strategy, including developing communications, cultivating new markets, coordinating financial aid awards, analyzing enrollment data, and creating yield strategies. She managed professional staff of 38 in areas of admission, financial aid, and student life, and a budget of several million dollars. Her time there resulted in major growth in applications, increases in net tuition revenue, and enrollment of the largest class of new students in 2011, since 2007. About Saint Michael's she said, "I'm attracted to the mission, the people, the place... I'm especially attracted to the kind of student who comes to Saint Michael's - students who look back and know that this college changed them." She wrote, "I believe that it is through the liberal arts that we form individuals who are equipped with the intellect, imagination, empathy and will that are necessary for engaging in the moral, civic and economic enterprises of the culture. I am unabashed in my belief," she wrote, "that there is no better way to educate future leaders." "My goals are to meet my headcount and revenue goals each year - to get the right fit student who's going to thrive in this environment," she said. "It's an art and a science in this challenging environment. We need to employ strategy to do that, to get them to come to campus, because then the faculty and the students sell the college." "We need to find new markets because Saint Michael's College has the capacity to be better known nationally," Kelly said. Kelly was Assistant and then Associate Vice President for Student Development at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, from 2000 to 2007, and was director of the Learning Assistance Center at Xavier from 1997-2000. She was also an adjunct instructor in the Departments of Teacher Education and of English at Miami University, 1993-2001. She has given numerous presentations at conferences and meetings, to large groups and small, on such topics as managing diversity in student affairs, the role of institutional mission in higher education, internal marketing and branding in higher education, and other topics. Education Sarah Kelly earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and English literature in 1987, and a master's degree in secondary English education in 1991, both from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She earned a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, in 2004, with a dissertation titled "Jesuit from the Inside Out: Faculty, Staff and Administrators' Perception of the Jesuit Brand of higher Education." Kelly and her husband James Kelly, who retired from the philosophy faculty of Miami University, have a daughter, Nora, who resides in Chicago. They also have two dogs: Otis, a labradoodle, and Bogey, a Frisson and half-cocker mix. Kelly is a big fan of needle work. She does primitive rug hooking, needle point and knitting.


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AMD's Mantle is a groundbreaking graphics API that promises to transform the world of game development to help bring better, faster games to the PC. Read on to discover how AMD is working with the game development community to revolutionize the PC gaming experience.
The number of games supporting Mantle continues to grow, and there are some exciting new titles from EA that are joining that list.
"Dragon Age™: Inquisition" is the newest addition to an already popular series. The visual impact of this fantasy role-playing game is off the charts. "Plants vs. Zombies™: Garden Warfare" is a multiplayer frenzy that's now available on PC after enjoying huge success on the Microsoft® Xbox. Last but certainly not least is "Battlefield™ Hardline," the second Battlefield title to benefit from Mantle support, and one undoubtedly impressive first- person shooter.
Click the Games tab to see what other Mantle-enabled games are available, or continue reading below to learn more about this exciting, game-accelerating technology.
From a game developer's point of view, creating games for the PC has never been especially efficient. With so many combinations of hardware possible in a PC, it's not practical to create specialized programming for every possible configuration. What they do instead is write simplified code that gets translated on-the-fly into something the computer can work with.
Just as when two people communicate through a translator, this works, but it isn't efficient. And it's the CPU that has to do all this extra work, translating and queuing data for the graphics card to process. PCs are meant to be the ultimate gaming platform — they have the power — but all this translation slows things down, and game developers approached AMD asking for something better.
Mantle is the harmony of three essential ingredients:
Mantle reduces the CPU's workload by giving developers a way to talk to the GPU directly with much less translation. With less work for the CPU to do, programmers can squeeze much more performance from a system, delivering the greatest benefits in gaming systems where the CPU can be the bottleneck.
Now that Mantle has freed up some extra CPU capacity, we expect Mantle will lead to better games, and more of them, since Mantle makes game development easier.
That's not all Mantle will do for gamers. By shifting work to the GPU, a mid-range or older CPU isn't the same handicap it was before. With Mantle, the GPU becomes the critical part of the system, and GPU upgrades will have a bigger impact than before.
"Crytek prides itself on enabling CRYENGINE with the latest and most impressive rendering capabilities. By integrating AMD's new Mantle API, CRYENGINE will gain a dimension of 'lower level' hardware access that enables extraordinary efficiency, performance and hardware control." – Cevat Yerli, Founder, CEO & President of Crytek.
"AMD's Mantle will allow us to extract more performance from an AMD Radeon GPU than any other graphics API," – Chris Roberts, CEO, Cloud Imperium Games.
"Mantle lets you use AMD Radeon GPUs the way they are meant to be used, unlocking many new opportunities and increased CPU and GPU performance. Because of this, Mantle is one of the most important changes to PC graphics in many years." – David Anfossi, studio head, Eidos-Montréal.
"AMD's Mantle technology lets us get more out of the hardware than any other solution available. Adding Mantle support to our multi-platform, 64-bit Nitrous engine realizes significant gains in performance on Mantle-enabled hardware without adding enormous development overhead." – said Dan Baker, co-founder, Oxide Games.
"Mantle could potentially, drastically change the gaming world if more games used it. Lower-end computers, especially notebooks, and ultrabooks could see significant gaming performance increases. AMD isn't done with Mantle, this is just a first taste of it. We have to say, this first taste is sweet. We also experienced no issues, no crashing, it was rock stable for all the pounding we gave it the whole day. We look forward to future improvements from DICE and AMD, and hopefully more games that will implement Mantle. Remember, we have more evaluation coming, so stay tuned." – Brent Justice, Hard OCP
"The lower the resolution we tested at, the great performance advantage we experienced with AMD Mantle over Direct3D 11.1. As the resolution decreases, and AA, the CPU becomes the bottleneck. AMD Mantle seems to excel in that scenario, providing substantial performance improvements, even with our overclocked i7 3770K. As we increased the resolution, and AA settings to GPU dependent settings, we experienced less of an advantage with AMD Mantle. However, there still was an advantage at least, so AMD Mantle is providing a "free" performance upgrade." – Brent Justice, HardOCP
"Time will tell if Mantle makes a significant impact on PC gaming, but based on these limited tests, it's clear that the low-overhead associated with the API can result in some monster performance gains in the right situations." – Marco Chiappetta, Hot Hardware
"Mantle will ostensibly allow developers to work "closer to the metal", like they do with console GPUs. And wouldn't you know it--it's AMD GPUs that will be powering ALL next generation consoles, so the whole concept flows out of AMD's experience with both consoles and PCs." – Seth Colaner, Hot Hardware
"AMD is sharing some performance data to help whet our appetites, and for those who run modest PCs and have compatible GPUs, this is one piece of tech that's worth taking note of." – Rob Williams, Techgage
"Looking at these preliminary figures, we can see that AMD has clearly achieved their goal of improving low-end performance, especially when CPU-bound. They've also really improved performance in games that tend to be very 'CPU-heavy' with lots of calculations and units." – Anshel Sag, Bright Side of News
Battlefield Hardline brings the enormously successful Battlefield series to the streets of Miami. Battle crooks and corrupt cops in a variety of new game modes as you strive to bring peace to the sun-soaked streets.
Lead a team of heroes on a perilous journey through a living, open world. Discover the dramatic world of Thedas, from war-torn plains to jagged coasts, in the upcoming action RPG from BioWare, the creators of Mass Effect™.
Shooters just got weird. Plants vs. Zombies is digging into the trenches with an explosive new action experience. Blast zombies, plants and new characters across a mine-blowing PvZ world. Take on Co-op and Multiplayer action with your friends and sow the seeds of victory!
The newest, hotly anticipated title in a long-running franchise, "Civilization®: Beyond Earth,™" will leverage Mantle technology to deliver breathtaking graphics and performance.
The first title to boast Mantle support, Battlefield 4 unlocks new levels of performance for PC gamers, with stunning graphics to match.
Read the EA DICE blog on Mantle
Garrett, The Master Thief returns in 2014, with Mantle optimization to provide an incredibly fluid gaming experience.
This highly anticipated space epic by Chris Roberts of Wing Commander fame is promised to challenge gamers' systems. The use of Mantle minimizes the compromises gamers and developers have to make.
The third installment of this stalker/shooter title leverages the Mantle API to give gamers the best gaming experience. Shooting at long ranges, every frame per second counts.
Download the Mantle API whitepaper
Mantle API Programming Guide Copy: This 450-page programming guide and API reference provides developers with a detailed look at the capabilities and architecture of the Mantle graphics API.
A new collaboration to enhance the rendering pipeline of the Panta-Rhei engine, Mantle will enable outstanding benefits and impressive performance for gamers and developers alike in upcoming titles developed and published by Capcom.
Frostbite empowers game creators around the world to shape the future of gaming. Enabled with AMD's Mantle graphics API for transparent and fine-grained graphics development, reduced CPU overhead and powerful multi-core CPU parallelism.
A versatile, multi-platform game engine refined over the course of 14 years. Now enabled with the Mantle graphics API for cutting-edge control of the graphics pipeline for superior CPU/GPU performance and minimal graphics API overhead.
The potent combination of Mantle and CRYENGINE will empower game developers to accelerate PC development and extract unprecedented gaming performance.
Find out more
Still in the development stages, the Nitrous game engine by Oxide Games is built to take advantage of Mantle's performance advantage. Their
Star Swarm demo illustrates the tremendous capacity of a Mantle-optimized game engine.
Download the Star Swarm Benchmark on STEAM®
Images and logo for Crytek GmbH © 2013. All Rights Reserved. Crysis®, Crytek and CryENGINE are trademarks of Crytek GmbH. EA and the EA logo are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Battlefield 4 Images and logos ©2014 Electronic Arts Inc. Battlefield, Battlefield 4 and the DICE logo are trademarks of EA Digital Illusions CE AB.
Images for Thief © Square Enix Ltd., 2013. All Rights Reserved. Square Enix and the Square Enix logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. Thief, the Thief logo, Eidos Montreal and the Eidos Montreal logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Images and Logo for Star Citzen © 2014 Cloud Imperium Games. Star Citizen, The Next Great Starship, Cloud Imperium and Roberts Space Industries are trademarks of Cloud Imperium Games Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Images and logo for Nitrous and Star Swarm © 2014 Stardock Entertainment and Oxide Games. Star Swarm and Nitrous Engine are trademarks of Oxide Games. All rights reserved.
Sniper Elite III images and logos © 2014 Rebellion Developments Ltd. The Rebellion name and logo and the Sniper Elite name and logo and the Sniper Elite Eagle are trademarks of Rebellion and may be registered trademarks in certain countries. All rights Reserved.