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It's our great privilege to return to our study of the book of Revelation, chapter 10. I want you to open your Bible, if you will, to that tenth chapter.
I couldn't count how many people through the years have asked me why God allows sin to run wild? Why God allows sinners to prosper and succeed? Why God allows Satan and his demons to deceive and to destroy? That is an age-old question. It's been asked since the very beginning.
And it is a puzzle, I think, that finds a spot in everyone's heart, in everyone's thoughts. If God is there and He is holy, why doesn't He stop all the carnage, all the corruption, all the confusion? If God loves His people, why does He allow them to suffer? When will God destroy the wicked? When will God halt Satan's enterprise? When will Jesus come and make the world the way He wants it? When will the righteous be avenged and the wicked punished? To put it in the words of the prophet, "How long, O Lord, how long?" Men have been crying and crying and crying for God to intervene. All the pain and all the horror and all the disease, the destruction, the lies, the deceptions of the world and they accumulate and they get worse and worse and worse, and we continually ask...when will God speak? When will God break His seeming silence?
Well the Lord has promised that the day will come when the mystery of His silence will be broken. And that day is connected to the seventh trumpet. Please notice in verse 7 of chapter 10, a starting point for us, "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished as He preached to His servants, the prophets."
There is coming a day and that day is in the time of the seventh angel blowing the seventh trumpet that the great mystery of a supposedly silent God will end. All the counsels and all the purposes of God concerning men and the world will be consummated. Christ will come. The Kingdom will be established on earth. Satan will be halted, bound in chains and delivered to a prison. And with him, his demons. Righteousness will rule, knowledge will fill the earth, Christ will be King and God will speak.
At that time, the Bible tells us, the curse on the earth will be lifted. The desert will blossom like a rose. Life will be long. Enemies in all strata will become friends. Holiness will prevail. And the last of all mysteries will be revealed. Sin with all its carnage, broken hearts, broken friendships, broken dreams, broken hopes, broken marriages, broken families, broken towns, broken cities, broken nations will all be healed. Tears, blood, sweat, sorrow and death will find their proper place without despair. And all the mockers who said, "Where is God?" the agnostics, the atheists, the unbelievers who scoffed and said, "Where is His coming?" will be silenced. Those, like the Jews at the foot of the cross who sarcastically said, "Where is your God to deliver you?" will go stone silent. The thousands of thousands of years of sin, death, prevailing false teachers, lies, murders, thefts, Christians being maligned and martyred will be over.
And what signals this? The seventh trumpet...the seventh trumpet will introduce it. In chapter 11 look at verse 14, "The second woe is passed, behold the third woe is coming quickly, and the seventh angel sounded and there arose loud voices in heaven saying, `The Kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever and ever.'"
The seventh trumpet signals the reign of Christ. But before that seventh trumpet is blown and we have already heard the sixth trumpet in chapter 9, but before that seventh trumpet is blown, an interlude takes place. And that interlude is chapter 10. It's an interlude for John to get a grip on what is being revealed to him, and for us as well. There is coming a day when the seventh angel blows, a moment will come when there will be no more delay. It says that at the end of verse 6. There shall be delay no longer. Jesus Christ will come. But before the blowing of that last trumpet, by the way, which incorporates the seven-bowl judgments, John is given this interlude. Now to have an interlude before this final trumpet shouldn't surprise us because there is a certain kind of similarity to all these septenary judgments, all these judgments of seven, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls. And they're all laid out the same way. They are laid out in divisions of four followed by three. There were four seals and then they were followed by three. And there was definite distinction between them. There were four trumpets somewhat similar, and then there were three dissimilar and there will be that same kind of division in the bowls as we shall see later.
The last three are always separated from the first four. And then in each case between the sixth and the seventh there is an interlude. And we've already seen that, between the sixth and seventh seals there was the interlude of chapter 7. Between the sixth and seventh bowls, there will be the interlude of Revelation chapter 16 verses 13 to 16. And here between the sixth and seventh trumpets there is an interlude that begins in chapter 10 and runs all the way down through chapter 11 verse 14. In each case the interlude that comes before the final judgment, whether the seventh seal, the seventh trumpet or the seventh bowl, is intended to encourage and comfort God's people in the midst of the fury of God's judgment. It's a gasp for breath in which God can comfort His people who having gone through the first six of each of these are feeling the heat and the fury of judgment. These interludes are to remind God's people that God is still sovereign, His people are still remembered and will be ultimately victorious.
Now as we come to chapter 10 we find ourselves in the longest of the interludes, the interlude between trumpet number six and trumpet number seven. When number seven blows, in it are contained the seven bowl judgments, and I believe they come very rapidly, in rapid-fire succession. Chapter 15 verse 1, seven angels who have seven plagues and these are the last because in them the wrath of God is finished. So we have already seen that in the seventh seal were the seven trumpets, now we see in the seventh trumpet is the seven bowls of rapid-fire judgment, the final judgments ending with Christ's return. And I believe they come very rapidly, and we'll see more about that when we study them specifically. But we're looking at the interlude, as I said, chapter 10 verse 1 down to 11:14. And its purpose is to remind all, including those Christians alive at the time these judgments hit the earth, that the Kingdom will come. I mean, it's going to look so black and so bleak they will have gone through all of these seals, they will have gone through the first six trumpets, and it could easily appear as if the whole universe is disintegrating and they're going to get caught up in the fury of it all and they're going to perish with all the rest, and so there is a respite here to remind them that God is still sovereign, they are still His people, He knows who they are and they are going to triumph. Hell will not triumph, the world by now, as you remember, from the sixth seal is literally engulfed in demons that have been belching out of hell itself. Sin has reached proportions never before imagined in human history. And in the midst of this hellish invasion of demons and sin, Christians need to be comforted that all is still in God's control.
We ask the question, don't we, even today with the sin that's rampant all over the world...Is God still in control? They will ask it then for sure. And here comes the answer in this text. This is a divine intermission to show that God is still in control and He will triumph. He will act in victory. He will take control. Destroy the wicked. And He will bring His Kingdom into which the righteous will enter.
Now that's the general overview of this section. As we approach chapter 10, I want us to look at this chapter from the standpoint of its uniqueness. It is a very unusual chapter. And as I was trying to come up with a way to outline it, what kept coming back to mind was that it's such an unusual chapter so I just took that word and made it sort of the major hook to hang everything on. It is a chapter with five unusual features. There is an unusual angel, an unusual act, an unusual answer, an unusual announcement and an unusual assignment...the sum of which means it's an unusual chapter.
Let's look, first of all, at an unusual angel, verse 1 and the first part of verse 2. "And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head and his face was like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire and he had in his hand a little book which was open." Now this is an unusual angel, and I want to spend a few moments just letting you know who this is, or how to understand him.
When John says, first of all, "and I saw," do you remember he has said that several times, it's a familiar phrase in revelation used to mark new visions or new features in the progress of a vision. So here we're taking a turn. He is seeing something new. Following the vision of the trumpets in which he has seen and heard the blowing of the sixth trumpets, John now sees something new. It's a turn in the vision introducing something heretofore not seen. And what is it? Another strong angel. That is to say it is not one of the trumpeting angels. They were identified for us back in chapter 8 as the seven angels, verse 2, who stand before God and seven trumpets were given to them. This is not one of them. This is not the seventh angel. This is another strong angel, not one of the seven trumpeting presence angels that blow the trumpet judgments.
Now as an interesting note, many commentators feel that this is Jesus Christ. Since you may run across that in your study of Revelation, let me comment on it. I do not agree with that interpretation for a few reasons and I'll share them with you.
The word "another" here is allon in the Greek, or allos. It means another of exactly the same kind as the rest of the angels. Another identical angel. If it were Christ, it wouldn't be right to use allon because if you were going to call Christ an angel, it certainly would not be true that He was an angel just like all the rest of the angels, because all the rest of the angels were created. And He is uncreated, as the eternal God.
So if it were to refer to Christ instead of saying another, using the word allos or allon it would use heteros. That is another of a different kind. And that word would need to be used to set Jesus apart from the rest of the angels though He might appear in something of the supernatural power that angels have, He would be an angel of another kind, another of a different kind, not the same kind, completely different than the angelic beings that He Himself created. He is not just another of the same kind of angel. So the use of that word allos would lead us to believe that this is an angel of the same kind, as the ones who are blowing trumpets. They are created beings, this then would be a created being, not Christ.
Furthermore, when John identifies the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation, he's always clear to give Him an unmistakable title. After all, this is the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's the book, that's what it's to do and he would not serve his own purpose if he revealed Christ in a veiled way. And this would certainly be a veiled revelation of Christ. Nowhere in Revelation therefore is Jesus Christ called an angel. Where He is revealed it is to be clear of whom it is written.
Furthermore it is very strange to think of the Lord Jesus Christ making the oath that the angel makes in verses 5 and 6. The angel stands on the sea, lifts his hand in the air to swear and then makes an oath. Very strange to see the Lord Jesus Christ making some kind of an oath like that.
Then another point, another angel, another strong angel, in fact, clearly not Christ, appears elsewhere in the book of Revelation and we know that that one is not Christ and he is also called another strong angel, so there's no reason to assume that here you have Christ if there is elsewhere another strong angel who is not Christ.
Well those are just some things to think about if you run into that issue. One other thought, too, comes to mind. Verse 1 says this strong angel comes down out of heaven. If this were Christ, we've got a problem here because we've got another coming of Christ. You understand? So you'd have His first coming, His Second Coming would be here, and His third coming would be later.
It is best to see this as another strong angel. Such angels appear in chapter 5, chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter 18, no reason to make this Christ. It could be Michael. It could be Gabriel. You can read in Daniel chapter 10, Daniel chapter 12, Jude 9, Revelation 12 about those mighty angels. Michael, for example, whose name means "who is like God," would certainly fit the role of a strong angel. And angels can have the kind of splendor that this angel has. Look at it. It says he comes down out of heaven, he's clothed with a cloud, the rainbow is upon his head, his face was like the sun, his feet like pillars of fire. Those are the kind of things that make some folks think it must be Christ, but there are some angels who had that kind of glory. One of them would be very well known to you and that would be the angel Lucifer who before his fall was arrayed in that kind of glory. Listen to Ezekiel 28, "Take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus saith the Lord God," and here going behind the king of Tyre to Satan who is inspiring him. The Scripture says regarding this...this fallen angel, "You had the seal of perfection, you were full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, you were in Eden the garden of God, every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, the topaz, the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, the jasper, the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and the sockets was in you on the day that you were created. They were prepared, you were the anointed cherub who covers and I placed you there, you were on the holy mountain of God, you walked in the midst of the stones of fire, you were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you." There's the kind of glory that can be associated with an angelic being. So it is not uncommon to see them in the kind of glory that is described here in Revelation chapter 10 verse 1.
Further in Daniel chapter 10 verse 5, here is an angel described as a certain man dressed in linen, his waist was girded with a belt of pure gold, his body was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze and the sound of his voice like the sound of a tumult. Here is this tremendous glory ascribed there as well to an angelic being.
So what you have then, back in chapter 10, is the appearance of a glorious high-ranking strong angel. One of the mightiest and most powerful. And he is coming down out of heaven. This is in contrast, isn't it, to all of the demons that have been coming up out of hell.
Let's look at his garb for a moment. He is clothed with a cloud. The clouds comprise his robe, the very drapery of the sky floats over his mighty shoulders. This is to enhance the power, the majesty, the glory of this person which he has received, of course, from God. This is to make reference, as well, to his coming in judgment. He is definitely an angel of judgment. Many times in the New Testament the word "cloud" is used of divine appearances related to judgment. And particularly Matthew 24 verses 30 and 31, Christ coming with clouds in judgment. Here comes a cloud draped angel, judgment associated with lightning and thunder certainly fits that imagery. So he is garbed in glorious judgment, a judgment angel.
Furthermore, a rainbow was upon his head. This is quite interesting. Rainbow in the Greek language is the word Iris, Iris. This was the name of the messenger goddess of Olympus in Greek mythology, her name was Iris. And the word which once identified the splendor of this Greek goddess, the word came to refer to any bright halo surrounding someone. The circle, for example, on the peacocks eyes, on their tail feathers was called iris, but primarily the word came to be used of a rainbow. So here is an angel surrounded by this brilliant refracted light, multi-colored, remember the rainbow in chapter 4 and verse 3 was an emerald rainbow, here is another rainbow, no reason to assign just one color to this one, it is a rainbow showing the splendor of this glorious angel. Perhaps the rainbow along with the garment of judgment is to balance off judgment with covenant. So there's a certain sense in which this angel comes representing judgment but representing promise and hope and covenant by virtue of the rainbow to those who are the recipients of God's mercy. God first gave the rainbow, remember, in Genesis after the Flood as His testimony that He would never again destroy the world by water, that was His sign of the promise. And here is a promise rainbow so that those who are the godly in seeing this vision of the coming of judgment will know that God's promise has not been obviated.
In Malachi, you probably have the best reference to this kind of duality in terms of covenant promise in the midst of judgment. In Malachi 3:16 it says, "Those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, the Lord gave attention, heard it." God had pronounced this judgment and they were afraid they might get caught in it. And the Lord had a book of remembrance before Him for those who fear the Lord, who esteem His name, and He says they will be Mine on the day that I prepare My own possessions, I'll spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.
When I come in judgment and the fury of judgment, I'll remember My own. So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, for behold, chapter 4 says, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, all the arrogant, every evildoer will be chaff, the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch, but as for you who fear My name, the Son of righteousness will arise with healing in His wings and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall and you will tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the souls of your feet on the day which I'm preparing, says the Lord of host.
Yes, there's coming a day, the day of the Lord, I'm going to destroy the wicked in the fury of judgment, but I'm going to keep My promise to you. So the judgment angel then is crowned with a majestic halo of a rainbow indicating God's promise to His beloved that they'll not be swept up in the judgment.
Now from his attire we move to his appearance. And John takes us to his face and says his face was like the sun...his face was like the sun. This, of course, speaking of the blazing glory. Chapter 18 verse 1, you see another angel coming down from heaven, an angel with great strength, or great authority. And the earth was illumined with his glory. In other words, he's like the sun because he comes down out of the sky and it's like daylight. It's vastly beyond what Moses might have experienced when the glory of God shone on his face as recorded in Exodus, there's so much glory on the face of the angel in Revelation 18 that it lights the earth as if he were a moon or even a sun, and here you have the same thing, his face was shining like the sun. It was daylight...daylight. That's the radiant glory on the face of an angel.
Now listen, if the face of an angel can be like the sun which gives us such brilliant daylight as we experience today, what must the full face of the glory of God be like? No wonder the Bible says no one can see it and not be consumed, incinerated instantaneously. His feet, it says, further talking about his appearance, are like pillars of fire. Feet would include his legs. It refers to the unbending holiness of this judgment activity. Here comes a judgment angel, shrouded in the clouds of judgment with fiery legs and feet as indication of the way in which he is going to tread out judgment, the result of which will be the incineration of the ungodly as Malachi says, and the godly will be spared as the covenant promise of the rainbow indicates to walk on the ashes of those who have been destroyed. Firm, immovable, stable pillars of vengeance are represented in the legs as he executes the day of the Lord.
So here is amazing vision. And then in verse 2, as we read, the attention of John is directed toward the angel's hand. And in verse 2 it says, "He had in his hand a little book which was open." And, of course, we ask the question immediately...what is this? To answer the question, we need to go back to chapter 5 for just a brief moment. Verse 1, "I saw in the right hand of Him," that is God, "who sat on the throne," you'll remember this in the scene in heaven, God sitting on His throne and in His book, written inside, on the back, sealed with seven seals. And further it tells us, the strong angel here proclaims with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and break its seals? And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or look into it. I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book, to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, `Stop weeping, behold the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David has overcome so as to open to the book and its seven seals.' And I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And He came and He took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne, and when He had taken the book, the four living creatures, twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp, golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints."
So here is the book. It was in the hand of God, it was taken from the hand of God by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb. What is it? It was the seven-sealed scroll. What was written in it? The description of the judgments by which God would take back the earth. We suggested that it represented the title deed to the earth, Satan the usurper has possession of the universe now, including the earth, but the day is coming when Christ comes to take it, He's the rightful heir, He's going to take back the earth. That little scroll when unrolled revealed the process by which the Lord Jesus Christ would judge the world and take possession of His own universe.
The book then was the title deed to the earth and its environs. And as those seals were broken one by one, the judgments fell. Now remember, the seventh seal has been broken, and with the breaking of the seventh seal, all the rest of the judgments are visible. When the seventh seal is broken, you can see the seven trumpets, you can see the seven bowls.
Now back to chapter 10. So you see in verse 2 that the little book in the hand of the strong angel was open. So he's holding a completely opened scroll. The question comes...why is it called a little book? And I don't want to get into technicality but it is a question that should be answered. Why is it called a little book? People say, "Well maybe it's a different book than the book in chapter 5." I don't think so, and I'll tell you why. Chapter 5 calls the book biblion and chapter 10 calls it biblion also in verse 8. You see the word "book," again in verse 8? Go take the book...that's the same word biblio. Here in this verse biblaridion is used and that just is a diminutive form further describing the same book as a little one...diminutive form of the word biblion. It doesn't mean it's a different scroll. It just further identifies it. We shouldn't be surprised that it's to be considered a little book, after all it was in the hand of God. And in this vision it needed to be made smaller for the sake of symbolism since John was going to eat it. It had to be small enough for John to eat, so in the vision it appears small.
The Greek wording here makes the notion of being open emphatic. It is an open scroll. It is opened and it remains opened. That must refer to the scroll that we have just been watching be opened.
So here you have a completely unsealed, completely opened book. The final elements are all visible. Everything in the seven seals, seven trumpets, seven judgments is there. It's all visible. Everything yet to come can be seen. And that's why, by the way, in verse 11 John is told to prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings, you've got to tell the rest of the story.
The final judgments here have been all unveiled. What is to come in the day of the Lord, terrors to redeem God's creation is now known. And so we meet the unusual angel. This great massive strong angel holding this little book.
The unusual angel then does an unusual act. Verse 2, "And he placed his right foot on the sea and the left on the land." Now that's pretty unusual. This again would show you the massive proportion of this angel in the vision. He's huge. He can stand on the land and the sea. So the vision that John is seeing was not a vision of normal proportions.
What is the point of all of this? Well Satan had controlled the earth, the sea, he has been the usurper, the prince of this world and now God puts His foot down. That's all. He puts his right foot on the sea, his left on the land. Why? Because the earth and all that is in it belongs to the Lord. That's the point. This action then demonstrates sovereign authority in judgment over the whole earth and it's a symbolic anticipation of what will come in the seventh trumpet and the seven bowls.
Now let me take that a step further. The first series of judgments judge what percentage of the world? One fourth. The second series judged one third. Now you get the picture of the angel putting his foot on the sea and his foot on the land and the judgment is going to be the whole world. In verse 3, "He cried out with a loud voice as when a lion roars, and when he had cried out the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices." This again reflects the awesomeness of the power and the authority of the representative of God. This angel has come to execute God's final judgment. His form is massive and his voice is as well. It's interesting in looking at this to go back into the Old Testament, and I'm not going to belabor the point, but a number of Old Testament prophets predicted such a cry would come in the time of final judgment. For example, Jeremiah 25:29, "For behold I am beginning to work calamity in this city which is called by My name and shall you be completely free from punishment? You will not be free from punishment for I am summoning sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the Lord of host. Therefore you shall prophesy against them all these words, say to them, `The Lord will roar from on high and utter His voice from His holy habitation.'" God is going to roar. Hosea 11:10, Joel 3:16, Amos 1:2, Amos 3:8, such a cry is depicted in those texts as well. So here is a glorious mighty angel garbed in judgment garb, coming with fiery legs and feet to stamp out the judgment of God. In his hand he has the title deed to do this. It maps out his directions and the course of the judgment which it is to follow. He cries with this loud voice like a thundering lion roaring. And associated with that are seven peals of thunder uttering their voices. And again, as you well know because of our past discussions, thunder is also associated often with judgment. And it does suit well, doesn't it, the fact that his shoulders were garbed with clouds, those clouds carrying the thunder and the lightning of God's judgment.
I keep thinking of 1 Samuel 7:10 when the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines, confused them and they were routed.
As we saw in chapter 6 verse 1 and chapter 8 verse 5, thunder is a harbinger of judgment. Why seven peals of thunder? Well seven is the number of completeness, finality, perfection, like all the other sevens in the book of Revelation. So an unusual angel does such an unusual act.
There follows an unusual answer, look at verse 4, "And when the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write." You say, "Why would he do that?" Well that's what he's been told to do, right? Chapter 1 verse 11, chapter 1 verse 19, God said write, what you see write. He always did this. He said I was about to write. Before he could write he said, "I heard a voice from heaven say, `Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.'" Hmmm, John started out to write and the thundering voice of God coming out of heaven told him, "Don't do it."
You say, "Are we sure it was the voice of God?" No, we don't really know who it is, such thunderous voices from heaven could be from God. Chapter 14 verse 13 says, "I heard a voice from heaven." Chapter 18 verse 4, you have another voice from heaven. It could be God. It could be Christ. It could be another angel. But certainly the source is God, the Lord who gave the original command to write is the Lord who now rescinds it whether speaking Himself, whether Christ speaks or whether He uses an angel to speak. The point is it's too terrifying, it's too frightening. The nature of the judgment is too fearful. Don't write it.
You say, "That's really amazing because the stuff that he did write is pretty frightening, and the things he didn't write even more so." Seal up, seal them up, and do not write them. That's reminiscent, isn't it, of Daniel chapter 8 and verse 26 and 27, "And the vision of the evenings and the mornings which has been told, but keep the visions secret." Don't tell people. Chapter 12 of Daniel verse 9, he said, "Go your way, Daniel, these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time." There are times when God just wasn't to tell everything. Don't write this. That's very unusual, but this was the command of God.
At the end of this book, by the way, in chapter 22 verse 10, the Lord says to John, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book for the time is near." John was told to write in the beginning, he was told to make sure that nobody covered up what he wrote at the end, but this little part he can't write, conceal it don't reveal it. People inevitably say, "Well what was it?" I don't know. And God didn't want you to know either, speculation is useless. But that's not unusual dealing with prophetic truth, there's so much we don't know. All kinds of hard things, we do the best we can to comprehend it with the revelation God has given. There are things that we cannot understand. There are things that God has chosen not even to reveal to us, and this falls into that category.
I think of Job 37:5, do you remember this? "God thunders with HIs voice wondrously, doing great things which we cannot comprehend." This restriction is followed by an unusual announcement--an unusual announcement. Verse 5, "And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven." Stop there for a moment. This is a sign of a pledge. Now here's this angel in this vision. He's got this little book in his hand and he's standing on the land and the sea and he's in this glorious imagery. And now he lifts up his right hand which means the little book is in the other hand and this is a sign of an oath or a pledge. This verb that's used here is used technically of raising the hand to swear, like you would do in a court of law, the standard gesture for taking a solemn vow, such as we see in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 7. The hand is lifted toward heaven. Why? Because it is where God dwells. And you're vowing before God that you're going to speak the truth. So the angel lifts up his hand to heaven as if to say before God I speak the truth. And verse 6 says, "And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it and the sea and the things in it that there shall be delay no longer." The angel takes a vow, takes a solemn oath. Some people suggest this contradicts Matthew 5:34 and 35 where Jesus says, "Swear not at all," or James, you remember, chapter 5 and verse 12 of James where it says do not swear either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes, your no be no, and so forth. But this is not wrong to do this. It's not wrong because a holy angel did it. A holy being acting in behalf of the purpose of God would only be swearing as God willed. He is not mortal. He is not sinful. He is not subject of foolish oaths and hasty allegiances. This is a solemn and holy vow before God from one who would only do what was right. Swearing on that level is not wrong because Hebrews 6:13 says even God swore by Himself. The reason that we are not to swear and take oaths and make solemn pledges before God because of the folly of our own hearts, and because we don't always know what God's will is and we can't always perform our vows. But this angel swears by God who is described as Him who lives forever and ever, that is the eternal God not bounded by time who can kill but never be killed, destroy but never be destroyed, the living God. And then as always, described as the creator God, the one who created heaven and everything in it, earth and everything in it, the sea and everything in it...the almighty creator God.
The angel swears. To what does he promise? The end of verse 6, "There shall be delay no longer." And here we are, folks, right back where we started. We asked the question at the beginning tonight...why doesn't God break the silence? Why are we so long in waiting for God to do what He's going to do? And here comes the answer, "There will be delay no longer." Judgment has come. This is the final act. The last plagues of the day of the Lord are at hand, no more delay. The time anticipated in the question of the disciples in Matthew 24:3, Acts 1:6 has now come. The prayers of the saints of all the ages and those under the altar in chapter 6 verses 9 to 11 are now to be answered. All the times that Christians have said, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," are now answered. This is the end, the last series of judgments is to unfold. And the next verses emphasizes that reality. There shall be delay no longer but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants, the prophets.
In the days of the blowing of the seventh trumpet, the finale will come. When the seventh angel sounds in chapter 11 verse 15 as we read, the Kingdom of this world becomes the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He reigns forever and ever. So we're on the brink right here. And here in verse 7 he says, "Then the mystery of God is finished." Now this is so important. Mystery, musterion in Greek, an important Greek term meaning to shut or to close. It's not like an Agatha Christie mystery. It was used of sacred secrets of ancient religions and cults. The mysteries were the most venerated part of ancient religions, the inner secrets that only the elite ever knew. And the word mystery comes over in to the New Testament to speak of things that God hasn't revealed. And the mystery here is the very one we've been talking about all night...why, why, God, why don't You intervene, when will You intervene, when will You act? In the New Testament the word mystery then is connected to truths that were so high only God knew them and He could reveal them and did reveal them in His own time. They were not revealed until Christ came. They were not revealed until the New Testament was formed. They are secrets kept from people in the past and revealed in the New Testament. The best text to define that is Romans chapter 16 verse 25, "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel in the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past but is now manifested and by the Scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the eternal God has been made known to all the nations leading to obedience of faith." Now the point there is the mysteries hidden in the past are now revealed in the New Testament. The New Testament reveals many of them. The mysteries of the Kingdom, Matthew 13. The mystery of Israel's blindness, Romans 11. The mystery of the Rapture, 1 Corinthians 15. The mystery of lawlessness, 2 Thessalonians 2:7. The mystery of Christ, Ephesians 3. The mystery of Christ in you, Colossians 1. The mystery of godliness, that is God and man one in Christ, 1 Timothy 3:16. The mystery of God's will, Ephesians 1:9 and 10. All kinds of mysteries. And here is the mystery of the summing up of all things in Christ, things in heaven, things in earth, the final consummation. And he says this mystery, although unrevealed, was preached to His servants the prophets. Prophets wrote about it. The Old Testament prophets...and we've gone to many of their texts and we've seen the promises regarding the final consummation, the final day of the Lord, the final coming of God in flaming fire and judgment and salvation, deliverance and Kingdom for His people. The destruction of sinners in the establishment of the glorious righteous Kingdom on earth. The prophets have been saying that throughout the Old Testament.
Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants, the prophets." God won't do things that He hasn't revealed. So they saw it coming. Daniel saw it, Ezekiel saw it, Isaiah saw it, Zechariah saw it, Joel saw it, they saw it. But much was hidden and not revealed until the New Testament and now in the New Testament much revealed here in the book of Revelation.
So, the angel says it is now time, delay no longer, God is going to act. In Isaiah 11:9 we read, "The earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea."
Now remember, at the time this...this revelation is read by believers in the future, the earth will be full of satanic enterprises, demons running everywhere, murder, sexual perversion, drugs, sorceries, thefts, all hell dominating human society, men dropping dead, executed by demons, as we saw, massacring each other. And here comes the promise that God is going to step in and intervene. He's going to bring this whole thing to a screeching halt. The delay is over.
Right now we live in that delay. Judgment is held back. But somewhere...somewhere beyond the starry sky there stands a herald angel with a final trumpet in his hand. Somewhere behind the scenes that we can see he is waiting to hear the decree of the Lord God Almighty, there is a day, there is an hour, there is a moment, there is an appointed time when that angel shall sound and the world will become Christ's. The mystery of God will be over and God will say to Satan...this is your destruction. God will say to evil...this is your last dominion. And God will say to demons...this is your last liberty. And God will say to godless men...this is your last hope. And God will say to believers...this is your last suffering.
It's coming...it's coming. It all ends with an unusual assignment...an unusual assignment, verse 8, "The voice which I heard from heaven I heard again speaking with me and saying, `Go take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.' And I went to the angel telling him to give me the little book and he said to me, `Take it and eat it, it will make your stomach bitter but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.' I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it and it was in my mouth sweet as honey and when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. They said to me, `You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.'"
An unusual angel does an unusual act, there is an unusual answer from heaven, an unusual announcement in verse 7 that the mystery of God is finished, then an unusual assignment. The voice which I heard from heaven...again we don't know whose voice. He says, "Take the book that is in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land and eat it." It just always thrills me that John is so involved in the vision, he actually has to go and take the book. John is right there. He's in the vision. And he is instructed to take this book and eat it because it's going to have a very graphic way of illustrating a proper response to what is going on.
This is reminiscent, by the way, of Ezekiel chapter 2 where the son of man Ezekiel is told to take a scroll that was extended to him written on the front and the back, lamentations, mourning and woe, then chapter 3, "Son of man, eat what you find, eat the scroll. So I opened my mouth and he fed me the scroll. And I ate it and it was sweet as honey in my mouth." Almost a parallel text. It's the idea of taking in the Word of God. You say, "Well what's the point of eating it?" Just to illustrate how sweet it is when someone devours its truth. Why is it sweet? Because like all believers, John is waiting for the Lord to act. Ezekiel waiting for God to act when he heard that God was going to act found it sweet. So John takes in the Word that God is going to act and it's sweet in his taste but it turns bitter in his stomach because he stops to think about what's going to happen. Psalm 119:103 says, "How sweet are Thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth." But it's bitter in the stomach.
I think Paul experienced that bitterness in Romans chapter 9. He certainly found the Word of God sweet but it had a terrible bitterness because in it came judgment on Israel. And the bitterness ran so deep in the heart of Paul that he could almost have wished himself accursed when he knew what was going to happen to Israel, if only they could be saved. Even God weeps with tears. He says in Ezekiel, He weeps with tears over the disaster that is coming. And so you have this double effect. John takes it and he eats it. It's sweet. But in his stomach it turns bitter.
When I think about the coming of Christ, it has a sweetness, doesn't it to you? It means my Christ is glorified. It means He takes over the world destroying Satan and demons. It means the Kingdom comes, sin is conquered, salvation is revealed, Christ reigns. That's sweet. But it also means blood and wrath and vengeance and judgment and hell. Anyone who loves Christ can sense what John was experiencing here. The blessings of God are sweet, every message of hope, of blessing, of glory, every message of liberty, salvation of goodness, every promise of heaven is sweet. Every touch of love, every kiss of grace is sweet. But oh the bitterness of judgment. And so verse 11 says, "They said to me, you must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."
What does that mean? Warn men, tell them of the bitter, tell them of the sweet. Tell them what's in the seventh trumpet. Tell them what's in the seventh bowl and all the ones preceding it. Tell them to taste the honey and avoid the bitter. He's saying to him...repeat what you've heard to peoples and nations in all languages. That's the call, that's the commission, that's the assignment.
So in this wonderful chapter of interlude there is certainly hope. The whole message of consummation to us who have asked the question...how long, O Lord, how long?...is hopeful. Christ will be exalted, the Kingdom come, hope realized, sin dethroned, Satan imprisoned with all his hosts and the earth filled with righteousness, the righteousness of God and Christ on the throne. But oh the bitterness, the price that sinners will pay. Like John we must preach, we must preach. Again, warning people, warning nations in all languages, even people in authority like kings.
So an interlude of hope with a serious touch of bitterness, calling us to evangelistic responsibility.
Father, we look to You to give us opportunity in our own day in our own time, to speak Your truth. When we think about what is to come in the future, when we think about what this world will face, it is frightening, the horrors of demons released all over the globe, the reign of terror of Antichrist, sin unleashed, unrestrained, and the ultimate judgment and damnation of the human race, that is bitter. No matter how sweet is the taste of Your glory and Your Kingdom, it is bitter to think about what will happen to men and women. Give us, Lord, the awareness that the assignment given to John is equally given to us. You must preach, you must prophesy concerning all these things that are going to happen. You must. You must tell people what's coming. Father, we know because we don't just have the first ten chapters, we have the whole book of Revelation, it's all here for us as it was for John in that vision when he could see it all unrolled. Help us, knowing the terror of the Lord, to persuade men. These things we ask in Christ's name. Amen.
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I always hate this walk of fallen warrior crap lol
Who'd have guessed the boys were better with playing with their balls?
I'll guess that Erinn tells JT about her deal with Steve to the final 2 but JT takes Steve anyway and then they hash it out in front of the jury.
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XForms 2.0: Snapshots of drafts for review by WG and community
We have a draft of XForms 2.0 that we plan to use for last call shortly. The snapshots of the drafts for review by WG and community can be found at http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Forms/Drafts/ (including a diff compared to the previous WD). … Continue reading


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ProstRcisionTreatment for Prostate Cancer
I've heard a new treatment called prostRcision for prostate cancer that is being advertised by some radiation oncologists. Can you give me some inside view on this? Any information would be helpful.
Li Liu, MD, OncoLink Editorial Assistant, responds:
The term "prostRcision" was first coined by Frank A. Critz, M.D. in Atlanta, Georgia. It is basically a combination of interstitial radioactive seed brachytherapy followed by conformal external beam radiation in an attempt to eradicate the prostate gland without surgery. Both methods of radiation have been in existence for years, although the combination of brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy is a newer concept.
The results of "ProstRcision" appear to be comparable to radical prostatectomy. Some people argue that this is probably overkill for some early stage diseases. Patient selection is the key. The best candidates for this procedure probably are the ones with locally advanced diseases. However, long-term follow up is needed before we draw any definitive conclusions.


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Gosselin: Rangers should not give up Martin Perez for Cole Hamels
Catch SportsDay On Air twice per week on Fox Sports Southwest, when Dallas Morning News experts discuss hot sports topics from the Cowboys,Mavericks, Stars, Rangers and colleges (check ourTV listings for air times). Here are a few highlights from Monday's episode featuring Eddie Sefko and Rick Gosselin:
On if the Rangers should pursue an ace pitcher:
Gosselin: "I think this is the best pitching staff the Rangers have had in three years and last year, they were one pitch away from winning the World Series. I don't think they have to make that move. I wouldn't rule them going out and getting a first baseman or a corner outfielder. With Cole Hamels, it depends what you have to give up. If it's (Martin) Perez then no, you don't do that. I think they could be good enough now."
Sefko: "On one hand, you can say wasn't Roy Oswalt their guy they made a move for. Wasn't this the guy they threw their money at or a little bit anyway and said alright this is the guy we're going to bring in? On the other hand, this is a win now situation. The Rangers have a terrific everyday lineup. They've got a pretty good pitching staff. In situations like these, you go for it. You go hard even if it takes giving up some young guys. If you can get Cole Hamels in here, why not."


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My first encounter with Tim Molloy was at an Auckland Armageddon convention in the early 00's. In those days artist's alley was bundled into the foyer of the Aotea Centre and tables were free (!). I was tabling next to Tim and friends and I recall them throwing things around the room and generally terrorising other cartoonists in the vicinity. The second day I saw one of the guests from Babylon 5 come over and hang with Tim and his pals. He'd been out with them the night before. Wow! I thought, these crazy comics guys hang out with tv stars!
On the last day I traded Tim my minicomic for an early Mr Unpronounceable comic which had the same disturbing surrealism of his recent work in a still developing roughly hewn art style. There's a period of New Zealand cartoonists from the self-publishing boom of the '90's and early '00's that have kept their hand in the comics game, of which I'd regard Tim and I'm glad to see his work reaching a wider audience in the last couple years through Melbourne publisher Milk Shadow Books.
What were the first comics you read? What were the comics that inspired you to make your own?
It would have been Tintin, Asterix that kinda thing. Disney comics.. . Got into superhero stuff later, then 2000ad Etc... Calvin and Hobbes... I was making comics very young. These probably had a hand in that... I got into Milk and Cheese later . I started doing a mash up/ rip off of them and Calvin and Hobbes called Nasty Neville and Mr Weasel. When I discovered local stuff, local creators I've Andy Conlan, Wade Shotter, Corn Stone, knuckles, you know, James James... I dived right in with Poot, Ninja Sheep, Drunken Otter...
What are some of the influences from outside of the world of comics?
I draw inspiration from all quarters. I've actually spent a lot more time imbibing novels, audiobooks, cinema and fine art than I have spent reading comics... Earliest memory of art would be pulling a Dali book down off the shelf and having my 5 year old mind blown. I have a very active dream life also. I've always had a sense of 'the other' and explores that realm as best I can through experiments in lucid dreaming, readings into the Occult and in the past, psychedelics. Life itself is an inspiration... a turn of phrase, the way light might be streaming in through a strange window, a half glimpsed person down an evening alley... It's all good!
How do you find balance between working in various art mediums? to the best of my knowledge you create comics, paintings, sculpture and music, does any one art form take precedent?
I kind of tend to gravitate towards one thing or another at any given time. I'm just coming out of a heavy comics period (1 or 2 pages a day) and going into some traditional art territory. Whatever is most important at any given time is what I tend to concentrate on. Working out whats important can be the hard thing sometimes... In the end though, comics will probably win out. Here's hoping I never have to make a choice to stick to any one thing! Music is serious fun, and the only team sport I have ever taken part in. My band Plague Doctor explores a lot of the same themes I do in my work, but you can dance to it.
What led to you moving from New Zealand to Australia?
I am an economic refugee. I came by plane though, so thankfully I was not locked up indefinitely in a detention center.
Can you talk a bit about the comics/art community in New Zealand when you lived there?
My journey started with me going to those early 'Iconz' conventions (Is that what they were called?) I ran into the likes of Willi Saunders, Wade Shotter, Andy Conlan, Karl Wills. Loved the irreverent, DIY aesthetic. When I came across the work of James James, and then met him in person, I started getting my work out there. That was 1997? My last year of High School. Those were fun days. Comics and music and art and poetry were all in the same place in those days. I imagine they still are. K Rd was where it was at.
James and I were the youngest, and (sometimes) the most badly behaved participants at 'Poetry Live' at Alleluyah in St Kevins Arcade. Hanging around at Corn Stones house, playing Sooth, reading comics, smoking Beedies and drinking the cheapest booze available. Met a whole cast of weirdos and geniuses through that scene. Everybody knew everybody else and the yearly con at the Aotea Centre (sometimes a trip down to Wellington!) was a good chance to get drunk, hassle B-Grade Science Fiction celebrities and unload some photocopied comics on an unsuspecting public.
It was a very welcoming, vibrant space to develop and grow as an artist, but not without it's share of drama and beef! We played a lot of music, UMX (The Uncle Marty Experience) was our first band (after 'The Tools of Waste' we made a tape called 'The Resin Sessions') and we terrorized audiences with the help of Uncle Marty, our aged patriarch - may he rest in peace.
I became good friends with Ben Stenbeck, The Sheehan Brothers and some of the other people on the 'weird' end of the spectrum. Drew a lot of inspiration and encouragement there. I hung around at Auckland Uni, got a lot of comics into Craccum, drank at Shadows, smoked in Albert park, studied animation on Queen St. Cheap rent, magic mushrooms, cask wine, The Kiss And Make Up Club, St Kevin's Arcade, inky fingers, good people, late nights and lots of fun parties...
Damn! I'm getting all nostalgic now! I could sit here, peering through the mist of time all day, but these are the first impressions that leap out of the gloom at me.


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Message Board
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Talk about the novels, new and used books that Blount has written!
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Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die
The illicit drug trade, narcoterrorists, and stolen Russian missiles come together in a tale of international suspense pitting undercover DEA agent Jack Keller against the maker of deadly new form of designer-drug Ecstasy. As Keller searches for the source of the drug he quickly begins to suspect an informant within his midst and no longer knows who he can trust. A mysterious magazine writer who seems to have more information on the drug than even the ...


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beyerdynamic lets users design new headphones on my-headphone.com
Over 2.000 user-generated designs after just 2 weeks.
beyerdynamic lets users design new headphones on my-headphone.com
Over 2.000 user-generated designs after just 2 weeks.
Heilbronn/Germany, September 27, 2013: In the world's first crowdsourcing design competition for headphones, beyerdynamic lets consumers get involved - and gives the community the vote. Since September 6, anyone can design an individual version of the CUSTOM ONE PRO model and officially enter it in the my-headphone.com competition. Users can also give their design a name and explain, how they came up with the design.
After just 2 weeks, over 2.000 designs have already been uploaded by users around the world, "Cat Killer", "Beyer Monkey", "Broken Heart" and "The Seaman" are just four among many.
But beyerdynamic doesn't judge the proposals. It is solely up to the online community to decide which design will make its way from the virtual world to the ears of music fans. At the end of 2013, beyerdynamic will start selling the CUSTOM ONE PRO model with the winning design as a special edition. The designer of the winning headphones will receive 1.000 Euros and a pair of his or her headphones.
Designs can still be uploaded until October 18. The configurator is so intuitive that anyone can create a cool design with no prior knowledge in less than 5 minutes. Votes will be counted until November 1 and the winner design will be published on November 10.
Visit www.my-headphone.com or to participate or vote for headphone designs. Further information about beyerdynamic at beyerdynamic.com
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I've had some fun over the years by pointing out that Paul Krugman has butchered numbers when writing about fiscal policy in nations such as France, Estonia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
So I shouldn't be surprised that he wants to catch me making an error. But I'm not sure his "gotcha" moment is very persuasive. Here's some of what he wrote for today's New York Times.
Gov. Jerry Brown was able to push through a modestly liberal agenda of higher taxes, spending increases and a rise in the minimum wage. California also moved enthusiastically to implement Obamacare. …Needless to say, conservatives predicted doom. …Daniel J. Mitchell of the Cato Institute declared that by voting for Proposition 30, which authorized those tax increases, "the looters and moochers of the Golden State" (yes, they really do think they're living in an Ayn Rand novel) were committing "economic suicide."
Kudos to Krugman for having read Atlas Shrugged, or for at least knowing that Rand sometimes referred to "looters and moochers." Though I have to subtract points because he thinks I'm a conservative rather than a libertarian.
But what about his characterization of my position? Well, he's right, though I'm predicting slow-motion suicide. Voting for a tax hike isn't akin to jumping off the Golden Gate bridge. Instead, by further penalizing success and expanding the burden of government, California is engaging in the economic equivalent of smoking four packs of cigarettes every day instead of three and one-half packs.


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Only hotels in 34117 zip code are listed below. Search for cheap and discount hotel rates in Naples, FL for your upcoming leisure or conference / group travel. We list the best 34117 hotels and motels so you can review the Naples hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. Hotels in Collier county and area code 239 are also listed.
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Mother Earth Brewing�s take on the beverage came close to besting all in the country in reaching the pilsner standard, taking the bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver on Saturday.
Bohemian residents angry at the poor quality of their beer literally dumped it and created the pilsner.
Mother Earth Brewing�s take on the beverage came close to besting all in the country in reaching that standard, taking the bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver on Saturday.
The festival � deemed the largest in the United States � attracted 732 breweries from 49 states and the District of Columbia, with more than 70,000 beers on hand.
Mother Earth cofounder Trent Mooring said he, fellow cofounder Stephen Hill and brewmaster Josh Brewer headed out to Colorado hoping to medal again.
�We also won last year, with Dark Cloud, so we thought we might get something for Dark Cloud, but we ended up doing it for the Bohemian pilsner,� Mooring said.
In addition to the pilsner, named Porch Swing, Mother Earth also entered Dark Cloud, Endless River, Tripel Overhead, Weeping Willow and Windowpane. GABF included 84 categories of beer in the competition, though judges wouldn�t announce a medal winner in a given category if they didn�t have one that would match up to the set standard.
Pilsners can be harder to craft than some darker beers, in general.
�Generally, the lighter the style, the harder it is to brew,� Brewer said. �So, if you�re brewing an imperial stout with coffee in it, and barrel-aging it, there�s a lot of things to hide behind, compared to brewing a light lager. And, lagers are generally harder to brew, on top of it. They take longer to ferment and to age.
�But, the less ingredients to have, the less you have to hide behind, basically.�
Brewer continued on to say he was pleased to win with a German rather than American beer, because German beers have a longer history.
In terms of Central European brewing, though, the pilsner is a relatively modern concoction.
After about 600 years of brewing dark, top-fermenting beers of variable consistency, in 1838 the residents of Pilsen � then a western city in the Austrian Empire, now part of the Czech Republic � had enough and demanded a better-quality beer. The city council ordered more than 300 casks of the inferior brew destroyed.
As a replacement, residents and city officials established what was, in effect, a municipal brewery and recruited a Bavarian brewmaster to put out its first product. The bottom-fermenting, light, hoppy lager�s direct legacy is seen in the beer Pilsner Urquell, with the German word urquell meaning �fountainhead� or �original source.�
Of the hundreds of breweries in the beer festival, western states dominated and breweries from those states won the most medals. Mooring disputed the notion those breweries had a home-field advantage.
�I don�t think it�s a regional thing at all,� Mooring said. �I think it concerns who has the best beer.�
Barbara Fusco, sales and marketing director for the Brewers Association, the craft brewery trade group behind the GABF, said the volume of regional entries can be dictated by the simple number of breweries established.
She noted a couple East Coast states performed well, as a percentage.
�Breweries from Colorado and California won a lot of medals � and they also had a very high number of entries,� Fusco said. �One indicator of quality rather than quantity is the number of medals per entry from each state. Two East Coast states took high marks here, with New Jersey and Delaware winning out at 14.3 percent and 13 percent (ratio of medal to entries) respectively.�
Of the other North Carolina winners, Carolina Brewery of Chapel Hill and Pittsboro won bronze for its robust porter, Ole Hickory Brewery in Hickory won silver for the old ale or strong ale category, and Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville won gold for its American-style Brett beer.
In the past, Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery in Farmville won bronze for its milk stout in 2006, and in 2009 won gold for its Baltic porter and bronze for its barrel-aged Baltic porter.
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at @WolfeReports.


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WPDownUnder has managed to confirm just how much the Surface Pro tablet will cost consumers in Australia. Sourcing two participating retailers (Harvey Norman and JB Hifi) who have the Windows 8 tablet on their systems, the RRP (recommended retail price) of Microsoft's high-end product is now publicly available, so be sure to start saving those coins.
So what are we looking at?
- 128GB - $1099 (base model includes pen but no cover)
While no ETA has been provided, JB Hifi did note that orders have been placed by customers. It's believed these prices will be used by Microsoft on its Surface website.
Source: WPDownUnder


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Tips On How To Earn More Money With Dennis Moreland and Mike Callahan Affiliate Marketing
Starting a Dennis Moreland business as an affiliate marketer is something that anyone can do regardless of their previous business background. The tips and information in this article should help you turn a good profit with this popular online business model.
Low conversion rates that hover somewhere around 1% are completely normal in the world of online marketing. If you are hoping for more, you may be sorely disappointed since affiliate links rarely convert at a higher rate. Convincing one person out of every 100 people who visit your site to make a purchase is actually a really good conversion rate. This is particularly true if you are promoting products that are a bit more on the expensive side.
If you want to make a lot of push money app with affiliate marketing, you need to choose the right affiliate network to work with. Spend some time doing some digging to see which networks have the best reputation among other affiliates. Make sure that they always pay out on time and that they treat Dennis Moreland and Mike Callahan affiliates with respect.
Positioning yourself as an expert in your field and establishing relationships with people who may be interested in the products you are promoting should be a large part of your marketing strategy. One way to go about doing this is by participating in online communities and forums that are related to your niche. Post helpful content, making sure to add a link to your site in your signature.
One interesting approach to marketing is to offer free space for advertising on your website to well-respected companies in your niche. Although this may seem counterproductive, it establishes a link between your business and theirs in your customers' minds, helping to build instant credibility for your Mike Callahan company. continue reading »


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Drive Yourself
From Base to Summit, Find Adventure at Every Turn
Due to its remarkable location, weather, and history, the Mt. Washington Auto Road is unlike any other driving experience in the Eastern United States. A trip on Mt. Washington Auto Road is a one-of-a-kind experience offering ever-changing weather extremes, panoramic views and the opportunity to pass through four distinct climate zones as you climb to the highest peak in the Northeast.
The constantly-changing weather adds to the allure and mystique of the famous peak, often allowing visitors to experience high winds and dramatic cloud formations. With an average grade of 12%, a single mile of hard-packed gravel road around mid mountain, and above-treeline views beginning at 4,200 feet, this is truly one of the most spectacular drives in the Northeast!
If you are a first time visitor who is not comfortable with heights or narrow mountain roads without guardrails, you may choose to enjoy one of our comfortable guided tours rather than driving your own vehicle.
|Car & Driver
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|Adult Passenger
|Child (Ages 5-12) Passenger
|Under 5 Yrs.
For a Complete Listing of Rates >
Driving the Auto Road is about a new experience at every turn, even if you've already driven it several times. Weather, foliage, views…they're always changing and keep the trip exciting. Drive yourself and earn the famous "This Car Climbed Mount Washington" bumper sticker.
For More Information the Bumper Sticker >
If you have any questions about driving the Auto Road yourself, please call us at (603) 466-3988.


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Behind the Rice meeting meltdown
In just two quick meetings on Capitol Hill, Susan Rice may have blown up any goodwill she had with the very senators she'll need for confirmation if she's ever tapped as the next secretary of state.
Over the past two days, four key Republican senators have emerged from private meetings to blast the United Nations ambassador's explanation about what happened during and after the deadly attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Story Continued Below
( PHOTOS: Susan Rice's career)
It's not clear what Rice said behind closed doors to anger all these senators, but it's obvious the meetings went badly and this was hardly a nominee-in-waiting charm offensive.
Even Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, just the type of moderate Republican who might help break a filibuster on a nomination, said there were still too many questions about why Rice incorrectly characterized the Sept. 11 assault in five Sunday talk show interviews as the result of spontaneous protests at the same time the Libyan president was calling it a terrorist attack.
"I don't understand why she would not at least qualify her response to that question," Collins told reporters after emerging from a 75-minute, closed-door meeting with Rice.
( PHOTOS: What they're saying about Susan Rice)
The Wednesday meeting in a secure briefing room in the Capitol basement came a day after a similar sit-down Rice had with three key voices on foreign policy and defense issues went terribly wrong. GOP Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte, all members of the Armed Services Committee, said they were more "troubled" about the Benghazi affair than they had been before their meeting with Rice.
And Graham and Ayotte went so far as to say they would place a hold on her possible nomination.
"If she were nominated tomorrow, I would hold her because we still have questions that have not been answered," Ayotte told POLITICO on Wednesday.
McCain, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee and Barack Obama's 2008 presidential rival, hasn't been as explicit. But one GOP senator told POLITICO Wednesday that McCain, Graham and Ayotte were so incensed after their powwow with Rice because they felt she was not being straight or candid with them about Benghazi.
Rice acknowledged this week that she had mistakenly described the attack as something spontaneous rather than premeditated. But she said neither she nor anyone else in the administration intended to mislead the public.
President Barack Obama defended Rice on Wednesday, just as he did at a news conference two weeks ago.
"Susan Rice is extraordinary," Obama said at the start of his Cabinet meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at his side and Rice seated at the end of the table. "Couldn't be prouder of the job she's done."
Both Clinton and Rice gave updates on tensions in the Middle East during the meeting.


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - Casablanca Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Casablanca Goto page 1, 2, 3 Next Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> General Africa Forum View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message salmacisJoined: 06 Feb 2006Posts: 2 Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:50 pm Post subject: Casablanca Hey there! I have been reading up on the boards and I still have a few questions. I am looking at a job at ALC in Casablanca. People are saying that I won't be able to put aside any money if I have bills back home.... but my bills are pretty small. If I were getting paid between 8000 and 9000, do you think I could send home at least 150$ a month? (like maybe I could send someone an atm card and they could withdraw the money from the US) As far as living there... I am pretty well qualified, but my dad doesn't want me out there. I know, I know... I am almost 30 but my father still lets me crash at his place whenever I am stateside. One more thing: has anyone worked for ALC before? It seems like a decent school... but I hate the working on Saturday thing. Will I really only have one day off a week? Any suggestions about other schools in the area? thanks Summer Back to top medinaJoined: 04 Jun 2005Posts: 64Location: Morocco Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:57 pm Post subject: Working in Casa If it's the job posted on Dave's page, then you're going to get a housing stipend too, right? With that and not going out to eat too much you should be able to save 150 dollars a month with no big problem. Are you sure it's only one day off? In a lot of ALCs the teachers get Sun and Mon off. About the school: it's a really nice place and I think you'll like working there. Also, tell dad it's an international city and the ALC is in one of the nicest parts of town. The school also has its own security. I think you'll have a good time teaching there. Good luck! Back to top HodJoined: 28 Apr 2003Posts: 1613Location: Home Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:11 am Post subject: Interesting that your Dad says not to go there. Does he know something that I do? Quote: it's an international city What does that mean? London it ain't. Casa is about as cosmpolitan as Pyongyang. Quote: With that and not going out to eat too much Morocco's culinary status in a nutshell. Back to top salmacisJoined: 06 Feb 2006Posts: 2 Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 4:33 pm Post subject: thanks! Wow, Hod.... I have read these boards and you have lived up to your Eeyorean reputaion. Medina, thanks for the info. I just saw that the US has put a travel warning on Morocco... as well as the other two places I want to work, Turkey and UAE. blah blah blah.... I am sitting at my parent's place without a damn thing to do but send my resume to 20 or so schools a day... never with any response. Perhaps this American should stop sending to Germany, Spain and Italy. If Morocco is the only place that responds... that's where I guess I will be. I REALLY do want to go there... but I don't wanna get bombed for my efforts. Back to top BrooksJoined: 16 Jan 2003Posts: 1369Location: Sagamihara Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:01 am Post subject: well it is much easier to get a job in Morocco, as an American, than in Europe. Go for it. I was in the same boat 8 years ago, as I wanted a job but got an offer in Casablanca and then took it. Casablanca is more cosmopolitan than Pyongyang, but less than London. So? In Rabat I didn`t have to work on Saturdays at the ALC, but some people did. Back to top HodJoined: 28 Apr 2003Posts: 1613Location: Home Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:00 am Post subject: cosmopolitan - containing or having experience of people and things from many different parts of the world A handful of English teachers, two or three French chefs, the worlds smallest Chinatown (with not one restaurant) and some Algerian street cleaners make up Casas cosmopolitan side. Back to top AfricaexpertJoined: 19 May 2003Posts: 109 Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:55 am Post subject: Hod, you poor sod, you didn't really get to see much then if that's all you know of. Casa is quite international - I have met many many Europeans, East Indians, Africans, Asians - more than just Chinese; East Indians, etc. It is a huge international port city. The tiny amount of time you spent here did not enable you to see enough. Back to top medinaJoined: 04 Jun 2005Posts: 64Location: Morocco Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:17 am Post subject: Travel Advisory This is addressed to Salmacis' concern about there being a US State Dept travel advisory for Morocco. This is because there have been some peaceful demonstrations against the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Rabat and Marrakesh. I underline the word peaceful. For the US State Dept., I imagine everywhere in the Muslim world appears to be a "danger" for Americans. After reading a recent poll that shows that young South Koreans would trust North Korea sooner than America, you could probably say that world opinion of America has reached another record low. Too bad. But America (= the Bush administration) is one thing, and an American is another. Moroccans generally like Americans on a personal level. If they don't like American foreign policy these days, they are certainly not alone. What I'm trying to say is: don't worry. It's far safer here than in most larges cities in the States. Back to top NoureliJoined: 07 Oct 2005Posts: 17 Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 6:23 am Post subject: Casablanca Thsi is to reply to that absurd person whom I would never like to meet or to talk to. Casablanca is a very modern city: international or not, China town or no China Town, Hod you should watch what you say about cities that either you had very little time to explore or very little money to explore. I'm going with my last assumption. And about Algerian cleaners I don't know what your talking about. Back to top HodJoined: 28 Apr 2003Posts: 1613Location: Home Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:49 am Post subject: umm okey dokey. Back to top Urban_KittenJoined: 21 Jul 2004Posts: 81 Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 2:20 pm Post subject: Bear in mind that the Moroccan dirham is not a tradeable currency. Unless you utilize the black market to buy dollars, the amount that you will be able to exchange legally probably won't cover your expenses back home. Back to top HodJoined: 28 Apr 2003Posts: 1613Location: Home Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 9:08 pm Post subject: It gets better every day Your moroccan bank should have enough euros, but give them loads of notice. The Bank maroc will change dirhams if you bring passport and work permit. Your moroccan bank might even do an international transfer, but then again... And that's about it. Sending it Western Union outside the country - not allowed. You could change it in Algeciras, Spain, but you'll lose loads on exchange. p.s. Noureli Now, in response to my criticising Casa, what did you do? Did you extol its virtues with tales of swimming with dolphins off Ain Diab? Did you wax on about the gastric good times? Na, you just threw all your toys at me, which is a damn sight easier than praising Casa so it seems. Reply with something interesting to say about Casa or put a lid on it. Back to top medinaJoined: 04 Jun 2005Posts: 64Location: Morocco Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 9:12 pm Post subject: Paid in dirhams I'm not sure what Urban K. was referring to but she (?) is right that dirhams are not hard currency. But if you're a foreigner working in Morocco legally (=a work permit and a residence card) you have the right to transfer up to 100 percent of your salary into dollars, or Euros or whatever. Back to top NoureliJoined: 07 Oct 2005Posts: 17 Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:51 am Post subject: Casablanca Hod, I did not throw all my toys at you. From the looks of it, expats anywhere in the world have something to complain about. About Casablanca, I hace lived there for 2 years and spent about 6 summers there abd actually in Ain Diab. I'm just saying that you should watch out what you say about cities that you don't know about. I'm still wondering about the Algerian cleaners. Please clarify ...... Back to top HodJoined: 28 Apr 2003Posts: 1613Location: Home Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2006 5:54 pm Post subject: You think too much. I met some street cleaners. I said, "Where are you from?" They said Algeria. It was early days. My French or Arabic was not good then. What I wanted to say was, "Why don't you clean up some of this dust before I turn into a total asthmatic?" Anyway, what is this? Twenty questions? I'm still waiting for some positives about Casa. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> General Africa Forum All times are GMTGoto page 1, 2, 3 Next Page 1 of 3 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. 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text: See It, Make It: Quick Salads & Dressings See It, Make It: Quick Salads & Dressings If you're in a hurry, our healthy salad recipes and homemade dressing recipes are a quick solution! Packed with fresh produce and other tasty ingredients like our homemade Whole-Wheat Skillet Croutons, our quick salad recipes make a satisfying lunch or dinner⎯and they're ready in 15 minutes or less. See Recipes ADVERTISEMENT Recipes in slideshow ADVERTISEMENT


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Until I watched the latest Star Trek film that is. I was BLOWN away by the incredible dialogue, story-line, screenplay, cast... and the updated 60's-inspired feel to everything. From the ship-design to the actor's makeup the movie never missed a beat. It managed to be authentic, and 60's without for a moment being outdated or old-fogey. Awesome.
I was particularly taken with the makeup sported by Nyota Uhura, played by Zoe Saldana. I loved the clean yet feminine look created by her winged eyeliner and cool pink (but not frosty!) lipstick. So I had the black eyeliner... where was I to get the cool pink... ahhhh... *lightbulb appears with a ting!*
Bloom lipstick is perfect for an updated 60's inspired look. It's glossy not frosty, very very cool pale pink that's pigmented enough to cover up my lip's natural colour.
I chose a very very light dusting of my coolest pink blush (I think it was Silk Naturals Mineral Blush in Charming) coupled with some contouring with Daiso's Nose Shadow under my cheekbones.
The one fly in my honey was my winged eyeliner - or lack of it. I have GOT to work on the flick. I'm also unsure if there's any point to it. Since any flicks I did, however enthusiastic (ok I made sure I stopped short of Amy Winehouse) were hidden by my Chinese eyes. Arrrgh! Nevermind if at first you don't succeed.... go for bigger wings.
So what do you girls think? And any tip on achieving the coveted winged eyeliner on scrunched up eyes?
For a great interview with the makeup aritist behind Star Trek, Mindy Hall (and for picture credit, I stole her pic), go here! I read it, and now I really want the Shiseido liner, maybe it will help me flick! I also feel better that even the makeup artists had difficulty achieving that perfect eyeliner on everyone.


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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Tia Mowry and Charlize Theron's recent feud was reportedly exaggerated.
The 36-year-old Sister, Sister star and 39-year-old actress had a run-in at a SoulCycle class in July. Mowry told In Touch magazine she attempted to befriend Theron, who "wasn't very nice" and "just mean" in response. Subsequent reports claimed Theron attempted to have Mowry banned from class, but a source told E! News the rumor is untrue.
"This is totally fabricated and completely not true," the insider asserted.
Mowry herself told the website last week the incident got "blown out of proportion."
"I do not know her," she said. "I do not know Charlize. I absolutely love her, she's my "Woman Crush Wednesday," you can even see it on my Instagram! I'm obsessed with her, I love her, but it was definitely blown out of proportion. So that's all I'm going to say about that."
Mowry currently stars as stepmother Stephanie Phillips on Nickelodeon series Instant Mom, while Theron will next appear alongside Christina Hendricks, Nicholas Hoult and Chloe Grace Moretz in Dark Places.


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Speakeasies Get Their Second Wind
While the "speakeasy" trend in new bars has been going on for so long in New York that some establishments are sliding into "speak-cheesy" territory, it's still a relative novelty in most of the country. In today's New York Times, William Grimes takes a broad view of today's speakeasy-style bars, and what they have—and don't have—in common with the 1920s originals.
Speakeasies had their heyday during Prohibition, when their hush-hush approach to selling alcohol had more to do with avoiding prison than with any kind of urban trend. As Grimes notes, these bars ran the gamut from small rooms with a table, a chair and a bottle of suspicious and sometimes downright poisonous booze, to illicit watering holes of legend such as the 21 Club in Manhattan.
More recently, craft-cocktail bars such as Milk & Honey in New York and Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco have embraced certain characteristics of these vintage illegal establishments. While now operating above-board with liquor licenses and gins that have never been near a bathtub, these bars often have either no or minimal signage, or deceptive, wink-wink clues to mark their location (Bourbon & Branch's outside sign reads "Anti-Saloon League"); hidden entrances, such as the phone booth inside Crif Dogs that leads to the interior of PDT in Manhattan; and a décor and atmosphere that hark back to the creak and hush of 1920s-era illegal establishments.
Some aspects of the speakeasy-style bars lean toward a cloying preciousness, but many deserve credit for helping to revitalize craft mixology: In these small rooms that may only seat 20 people, necessitating reservations and unpublished phone numbers, bartenders can take their time to mix superb drinks—something that can be virtually impossible in the busy crush of a standard establishment. And while it can seem silly and pretentious to have to whisper a password into an intercom to obtain entry, the atmosphere in these bars, even on a busy weekend night, is far removed from the elbow-to-ear crowds and oppressive din found in many other bars at that same time.
Speakeasy-style establishments are old hat in New York, but cities such as Seattle, Kansas City, and Cleveland are trying out their own semi-secret establishments. What's your take on these kinds of places? For every person who's annoyed by having been turned away at the door or who's dismissive of the entire concept, there are folks who've had a fantastic time inside—let's hear all sides of the story.
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.


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Events for February 11, 2019
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2019 IANTD Divemaster Internship
Learn how to be a Lake Michigan Divemaster !!! Work in the the dive industry! Learn close to home in the picturesque Port Washington! In your Divemaster Intrenship, you will learn first hand of what proper skills and qualities are needed for the active dive shops around the world. Over the month long training you will [...]Find out more »


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By Ms. Joyce M. Conant, ARLMarch 26, 2013
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) periodically asks civilians to volunteer to support overseas missions for a period of up to six months. Dr. Richard Tober, a scientist with ARL's Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate (SEDD), is one of those rare people in the laboratory who stepped out of his comfort zone for not one theater assignment -- but two.
Tober recently returned from a six-month deployment in Afghanistan. He and had previously deployed to Iraq for a three-month period back in 2007.
When asked why he requested the opportunity to serve overseas, Tober said he grew up as an Air Force brat and in his younger years had tried on several occasions to join the military. However, Tober was unable to pass the medical screening due to several sporting injuries during his high school and college days.
"I still had the motivation for patriotism even though I was unable to serve in the military," said Tober. "To this day, I feel so incredibly lucky to pursue this job and to do research for the military.
None of this would have been possible without the support of Tober's family.
"My wife and children supported my decision to go deploy," said Tober. "My wife understood my motivation and desires. My kids were a little freaked out, but were supportive of me."
Tober shared a story from his first deployment.
"My family drove me to the airport and then as I left them and starting walked down the corridor, I started to feel separation anxiety. Then, once I got on the plane, they had me listed as a GS-4 instead of a DB-4 (which is equivalent to a GS-15). Nobody knew what a DB-4 was! What this meant is that instead of sitting in business class, I got to sit in the back of the plane with the enlisted personnel. I definitely enjoyed the conversations with them," said Tober.
When Tober got to his living quarters, he stayed in the barracks with the younger Soldiers.
"I wanted to experience as much as I could what it would be like to be a Soldier in the military," explained Tober.
During deployment, Tober worked on prototype fabrication of electronic equipment to help Soldiers better perform their jobs. He talked with the units to see what they needed -- from electronics to helping things become more comfortable for them.
"For me, it was rewarding to help the Soldiers' experiences easier, more efficient and more comfortable," said Tober as he shared a story about working on a striker vehicle where the team installed foam padding on the hard steel seats. He said a young Soldier smiled and gave him the thumbs-up for providing him a bit of comfort.
Tober used his scientific expertise to support the military members by developing a filtering device to place in front of a spot light so that white light wouldn't interfere with what the military members were looking for.
The SEDD division chief applied $50,000 of funding for Tober to work with a contractor to make the device, and it was sent to a major within ARL who was deployed and he performed a few experiments in theater.
"The major wrote back with comments saying the device was a good idea, but not quite good enough," said Tober who said that he knew how to make it better.
Tober later called the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, which provided additional funding to perfect the opto-electronic device.
"One of the most significant advantages of scientists deploying is that they can have on-on-one contact with not only Warfighters, but also those responsible for acquisition programs in theater," said Tober. "As it happened, RFAST-C (U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Field Assistance in Science and Technology Center) shared facilities with a shop responsible for repairing high profile ISR assets."
Tober explains a little background information.
"So one day the lead engineer described a recurring problem to me and a few concepts his team had considered to mitigate the problem. The ideas were conceptually straight-forward but there were actually several basic physical reasons that their ideas would not work (that is, I understood because of my background--Ph.D. in Physics)," said Tober. "However, I continued thinking about the problem as I inventoried material within the RFAST-C PIF (prototype integration facility). By the end of the day, I fabricated a protective device that could be quickly tested on the ISR equipment that existed within the PIF."
Tober was happy with the device.
"The device worked remarkably well (nothing is perfect) and so I consulted one of our mechanical engineers (Mr. Stephen McFarlane) regarding potential implementations of the protective device. These discussions resulted in a few prototype devices that were provided to the ISR representative (i.e., the engineer) the next day. They were subsequently distributed to various combat units for assessments and opinions," said Tober.
The protective devices proved to be useful. Tober said RFAST-C then received requests for a relatively large number of additional parts for distribution to other units.
"Mr. McFarlane and I discussed multiple protective cover implementation designs, the final device was extremely affective and inexpensive to fabricate (i.e., ~$20 per unit), but yet protects an $80,000 piece of equipment," said Tober. "The engineer representing the ISR equipment told us that, before the existence of the protective cover, that he army lost about six assets per month, totally about $480,000 savings per month."
Tober said that he found his deployments to be incredibly rewarding. When asked what advice he would give to others contemplating deployment, he said, "If you want to help -- you will help. Are you going to change the world? Probably not, but you are going to change the lives of at least one or two people."
Another one of the legacy's Tober left behind was his love of music. He had his wife send him a guitar during his first deployment and he left it with a Soldier who also loved music. When the Soldier asked how much he wanted for it, Tober told him it was free and to pay it forward by leaving it for someone else when he left. Tober did the same thing when he left Afghanistan.
Tober's dedication doesn't go unnoticed back at his laboratory in Adelphi.
"Rich has a big heart and is all about supporting the Warfighter," said Michael D'Onofrio, ARL, SEDD's Signal and Image Processing Division. "I had the opportunity to sit down with him a few weeks ago to hear about his experiences. Although most of what he did may not seem so glamorous or scientific to most, I understand that Rich was highly regarded in theater and the contributions that his team made were very much appreciated by the Warfighter."


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MEGA Brands America, Inc. generously sent a package full of products to review, including this pack of Super Gel Metallic ink pens. This product line is called Write Dudes, which is also part of The Board Dudes, a company that produces a variety of dry-erase boards.
As you can see on the back of the package, this pack includes pens with a 1.2 mm tip size utilizing metallic ink. The company is based out of California, and the products are manufactured in China.
|Click the image for a larger view.
Upon trying out the samples, I was at first pleasantly surprised by the performance of the blue color. Then I moved on to the purple pen, and it really didn't work, even when I tried using a more "toothy" paper than the Rhodia Reverse Book (shown above) Regardless of what I tried, I could not get the pen to start writing. I experienced the same issues with the red and violet pens, which barely worked at all.
The orange worked pretty well, and I found it interesting that the color was a burnt orange/copper.
The light blue pen worked for the sample above, and then it stopped working right afterwards.
The gold worked well, but the color was more of a German mustard than gold. I think it is an interesting color, but I personally don't think the color is very appealing for most purposes.
I've read that these pens are typically sold at Target and Michael's, and I think this particular pack is sold at target for $4.99.
The pens were comfortable to hold, but I write close to the end, so I'd prefer if the grip was moved down closer to the tip.
Of the two pens that wrote well, the green and blue, the performance was very good and reminded me of the Pentel Sunburst metallic ink pens.
Though it would increase costs, I think these pens could benefit quite a bit from a pressurized cartridge (see: Uni-ball Power Tank), especially when I was not able to try three of eight colors in this pack. If these were available in singles, and I could try them before I purchased them, I might pick up a few to give to my friends that like craft pens. As far as this pack goes, I would not purchase them after having a bad experience with getting the pens to write. It is just too difficult to ignore the serious quality control issues with the (lack of) performance with the ink.