text:
Services on Demand
Related links
- Cited by Google
- Similars in Google
Acta Theologica
On-line version ISSN 2309-9089
Print version ISSN 1015-8758
Acta theol. vol.32 n.2 suppl. Bloemfontein Dec. 2012
Augustine on election: the birth of an article of faith1
Erik A. de Boer
Dept Ecclesiology, University of the Free State. E-mail: email@example.com
The doctrine of divine election is part of the heritage of Western Christianity. Discussions in the reformed tradition point to the older Augustine as the one who developed the doctrine of double predestination in the controversy with the semi-Pelagians. The thesis of this study is that the birth of this doctrine can be found in the writings of the young Augustine in the early years of his episcopacy. Personal explorations into St. Paul's letter to the Romans and written questions from Simplician of Milan prompted him to write on Chapter 9. Augustine's reading of Romans 9 is compared with the preceding works of Marius Victorinus and Ambrosiaster. The account of Augustine's conversion in his Confessiones document indicates his involvement in Romans. Especially his Ad Simplicianum documents "a veritable revolution in his theology" towards a fully developed doctrine of grace. The concept of God's foreknowledge of human acts no longer sufficed to understand the diverse fates of the twins Esau and Jacob.
Keywords: Augustine Predestination Election
Trefwoorde: Augustinus Predestinasie Uitverkiesing
There is a book titled Augustine the Algerian. The place where he was born in 354, Thagaste, is now called Souk Ahras and is part of modern Algeria. The fact that Aurelius Augustine, the famous church father, was born an Africa and worked in North Africa all his life appeals to me. The more recent book title, Augustine the African, is less anachronistic but still somewhat romantic. Augustine never went so far south that he crossed the Sahara on a camel, let alone rounding the Cape of Good Hope on a ship. It speaks to the heart of the present author, a Dutchman who is honoured to be invited to teach patristics in South Africa, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ reached the north of this beautiful and terrible continent as early as the second century A.D. I hope to share with my students and colleagues my encounters with Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, Arnobius and Lactantius - to name but the Latin "big five".
Currently, in the Netherlands, many people take an interest in the church fathers. The steady stream of new translations of their works suggests that there is a market. The Center for Patristic Studies (CPO), a joint venture of the Amsterdam Free University and the Tilburg Catholic University, draws quite a number of scholars together and is training a new generation. Where does this renewed focus on the fathers come from? First, the realisation that the Christian church is a minority in society directs our attention to the early centuries when Christianity had to find its way in a non-friendly environment. Second, the fragmentation of the Church into many denominations, factions and groups fosters a longing for catholicity when the Christian church could rightfully be called one.
The chair for patristic studies at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein has been inspired by a more academic motive: Theology should be grounded in the knowledge of its source texts. When theology is true to its vocation, it can help the academic community to react to the vivid interest in the early Church.
When there is such a keen interest in the catholicity of the early Church on the one hand and a sharp realisation of our minority status on the other, why then did I choose the topic of predestination? It may seem the very worst choice. The idea that God from eternity has decided the fate of every man and woman without consulting us first repels many. He should have given us a free choice and should have restored this freedom by passing over our wrongdoing. Moreover, God is held accountable for the sad situation of the world. If he predestined our fate, he could easily have prevented our fall.
The doctrine of predestination is part of the reformed tradition. Article 16 of the Belgic confession, published 400 years ago in 1561, says God is
merciful, since he delivers and preserves from this perdition [of Adam's fall] all, whom he, in his eternal and unchangeable counsel, of mere goodness hath elected in Christ Jesus our Lord, without any respect to their works.
God is "just, in leaving others in the fall and perdition wherein they have involved themselves".2 The doctrine of election is described as predestination at greater length in the Canons of Dordt, the other confession of the family of reformed churches, in which the entire first chapter is dedicated to the right way of teaching this doctrine. In 201819, the 400th anniversary of the Synod and Canons of Dordt will surely be commemorated.
It is my passion to try to understand how God's revelation in the Scriptures has been received in earlier times and what we hear in listening to the same Word today. We are not the same people as the Christians when the Church was young, yet we share the same gospel. How can we explain the differences in accents, wording and concepts? The early Church formulated its faith in the regula fidei and creeds, in dogmatic teaching and confessional formulas. Is there another form in which the core of the catholic faith should be communicated in our day and age? It is my passion to keep relating the present to the past, understand the transformation of our knowledge and to be held honestly accountable by the Church in this regard.
For some time, I have been trying to do so in particular for the doctrine of election. Karl Barth's focus on Jesus Christ as both the elected and rejected One marks a theological-historical boundary. The question is inescapable ever since: What is the place of "Jesus Christ in the Decree" (to use the title from Richard Muller's book)? The doctrine of predestination, as expressed in the Canons of Dordt and the scholastic reformed tradition, has been challenged and (I believe) misrepresented. Today, we feel that man has to have a free choice in order to be held accountable. Our feelings are guided by the following:
- God must take care of what is wrong with the world. He should not complain about us small people. The idea that collective guilt and actual sin make me responsible is unacceptable.
- Man is mostly inclined to the good. We have inalienable rights, and even God should stick to that. No total "depravity" exists.
- The question is not if God chooses to love us, but if we choose to serve Him. The thought of any pre-destination puts too much pressure on us.
Personally, I feel the need to investigate, understand and, if necessary, reformulate (in ecclesiastical fellowship) the doctrine of divine election as formulated by the fathers in their contexts. It is too easy to leave this difficult doctrine aside and go with the flow of modernity. As a theologian, I feel responsible for clarifying our doctrinal confessions and tradition. As a historian of dogma, I have published works on the doctrine of election as it was taught and defended in Geneva (E.A. de Boer 2004, 2009a, 2009b). Recently, I also wrote on Canon I, head 17, of Dordt, on the question of salvation of the children of believers, when they die at a tender age (E.A. de Boer, 2011). I maintain that the doctrine of predestination is not an invention of John Calvin in the 16th century. In this respect, all the reformers were Augustinians.
However, I wanted to go to the roots. If Augustine - with St. Paul -can be called the founding father of this specific doctrine of free grace (Pranger 2002:273), grounded in God eternally electing sinners to salvation in Christ, where was this doctrine first thought through? During the Arminian controversy, the claim was made that the old Augustine taught the doctrine of (double) predestination, but that the young Augustine's doctrine of grace was to be preferred. The old Augustine is best known for the diptych De praedestinatione sanctorum and De dono perseverantiae of his old age (428). When John Calvin defended this doctrine described in the Institutio of 1539 against Albert Pighius and Jerome Bolsec, he quoted extensively from these two treatises. When the Congregation sur l'élection eternelle de Dieu of 1551, addressed to the public and therefore written in the vernacular, was published, the editor filled the remaining pages at the end of the book with long quotes from these treatises in French. If they represent the mature theologian, when did this African father begin to teach a doctrine of predestination in the early years of his development as an expositor of Scripture? This, then, is the question with which my research for this lecture began. In which constellation of ideas in Augustine's development was the concept of predestination born and formulated?
How does one approach the research to find an answer to this question? Where does a theological student in South Africa go when he/she wants to know Augustine's position on the doctrine of predestination? The Afrikaans-speaking student may be advised to read Willie Jonker's work Uit vrye guns alleen. Oor uitverkiesing en verbond (Jonker 1988). The advice is sound, because Jonker provides an excellent overview of the history of this doctrine up to the various contributions from the 20th century. On pp. 20-23, the student will read about Augustine and the decisive moments in his writing. As a secondary work in Afrikaans, Jonker's book is invaluable.
There is nothing wrong in trusting his authority and integrity as a scholar. However, it remains a secondary work and is no primary source.
Where do you go if you want to verify his presentation and go deeper into the matter than the three pages of Jonker's book? What are his sources, and where do they lead the diligent student who wants to know more about Augustine's thinking on predestination? Jonker's best source is A.D.R. Polman's thesis of 1936, written in Dutch (Polman 1936). This learned work gives a detailed analysis of the development of Augustine's thinking on predestination ("historisch-genetisch"). For the special phase on which I hope to focus, the student will turn to part 1, chapter 3 on "the provisional closing [of Augustine's development] in his writing to Simplician". How does the author present Augustine? He does so with a clear analysis of Ad Simplicianum in eight pages, following the numbering of paragraphs, interspersed with quotations in untranslated Latin. The author permits himself only one page of commentary. Jonker seems not to have used any primary work of Augustine. Polman provided him with an entrance to our African father. Yet, Polman also remains a secondary source. A student should (be able to) check if his overview of Augustine's work does him justice. Alas, even Polman fails to point his students to either an edition or translation where this vital work, Ad Simplicianum, can be found. Jonker states, "The writing Ad Simplicianum (395) shows that Augustine had already gained clarity on election before the Pelagian controversy."3 We now turn to this source4. O'Donnell writes, "The most important and least-read book Augustine ever wrote was the Diverse Questions for Simplicianus of about 396" (O'Donnell 2005:301).
Augustine's works include numerous editions. The Patrologiae Series Latina by J.P. Migne can be accessed through the internet. Most libraries subscribe to www.brepolis.net, which gives us access to the Library of Latin Texts, Series A, which contains the famous edition of the Corpus Christianorum. It is a great help in trying to follow Augustine's Latin in the series The work of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century (New City Press, New York). For the Confessiones, you might want to consult the edition with annotations in three volumes by James J. O'Donnell, also accessible in electronic edition (see below in the bibliography).
While reading the less-known Ad Simplicianum, it struck me that its composition fell in the same year in which Augustine started to write his Confessiones, in 397 (and possibly completed it, as O'Donnell suggests). Augustine describes this first work written in his episcopacy as the turning point in his doctrine of grace. In the latter work, he tries to understand the development of his faith. While reading both works in tandem, several points of contact struck me, apart from the year of writing and their scope, describing transformation. To mention a few, in both works, the name of Simplician of Milan (et sim) features, and both works testify to his study of the codex of St. Paul. Romans 7 plays a great role. Romans 9 is present in the diverse destinies of the twins, Esau and Jacob. These points of contact made me wonder what a comparison of both works could yield.
All early preachers and expositors of the letters of St. Paul have encountered the passages, written in Greek, on election. The Latin verb praedestinare was chosen to translate the Greek pro'örizö (to determine beforehand) of telling passages such as Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:5. The term is already found in the commentaries of Marius Victorinus (281/91- c. 365) and the so-called Ambrosiaster.
Marius Victorinus Afer ("the African") was the first to write Latin commentaries on some of Paul's letters. The first commentary was the one on Ephesians, followed by Galatians and Philippians, written after 363 (Döpp-Geerlings 2002, s.v.; Meijer 2001; Souter 1927). In Ephesians 1, verses 4-5, the essence is expressed as follows:
For God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will (Eph. 1:4-5, New International Version).
The Greek verbs eklegomai and pro'örizö have been rendered consistently as eligere and praedestinare. However, Marius Victorinus digresses into a lengthy and rather Platonic discourse on Christ and the souls before the creation of the world and spiritual salvation (CSEL 83:12). On God's calling as mentioned in Galatians 5:8 ("Your persuasion is from God who called you") he comments:
what you have been persuaded is by God, just as was said above: whom God called, God also predestined, and the other things which have been stated in order (Cooper 2005:331).
Galatians 5:8 has been rendered in a positive sense, apparently in the Vetus Latina. The clause "just as was said above" may refer to Paul's letter to the Romans in the same codex from which Victorinus read. However, it can also point to his commentary on Galatians 4:9 in which he hinted at Romans 8, namely that God preserves the integrity of his own precept: that those who come to Christ are those whom God sends, those whom God calls; and that those who know God are those whom God has known, or to his (lost) commentary on Romans (Cooper 2005:313).
The first commentary on all thirteen letters of St. Paul, transmitted under the name of Ambrosius, has since Erasmus been regarded as written by an anonymous author during the episcopate of Damasus I of Rome (366-384). Ambrosiaster followed the translation, maybe found in the old Latin Bible translation and adopted by Jerome in the Vulgate, of Romans 8:29: "quos praescivit et praedestinavit" ("For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son"). In the exposition, God's foreknowledge is stressed:
Those whom God foreknew would believe in him, he also chose to receive the promises. Those who appear to believe but do not persevere in the faith are not chosen by God, because whomever God chooses will persevere (Ambrosiaster, CSEL 81/1:291).
God knew before what man does or does not do in life: believing and persevering. Ambrosiaster adds, "Some people were chosen only for a time, like Saul and Judas, not on the basis of foreknowledge but on that of temporary righteousness." The destination, which is preordained, is "in the future age that they will be like the Son of God".5 The verb praedestinare seems to be taken literally, with the accent on the final goal and still without full stress on the preposition prae.
Commenting on Romans 9, Ambrosiaster takes Jacob and Esau "as types of two peoples, believers and unbelievers, who come from the same source but are nevertheless very different". However, not all Jacob's descendants are believers, nor all children of Esau unbelievers. That there are good and faithful children of Esau is proved by the example of Job, who was a descendant of Esau, five generations from Abraham, and therefore Esau's grandson6. All this is grounded in God's foreknowledge of human acts, "because nothing can happen in the future other than what God already knows". Thus, God is not unjust, because he knows our actions before. The commentaries of Marius Victorinus and Ambrosiaster thus provided Augustine with doctrinal and exegetical material from which he could profit.7
Having left Italy and having reached the African shore, Augustine visited Hippo Regius in 391. Soon, he was made priest and received the task of preaching at Easter 392. Having written a running commentary on Galatians afterwards, Augustine undertook his Epistolae ad Romanos inchoata expositio in the same year of his priesthood in Carthage.8 He explained the prologue, Romans 1:1-7, and then focussed on the question of sin against the Holy Spirit, but did not proceed with his intended exposition.
In 394, he wrote the Explanation of Some Themes from the Apostle's Epistle to the Romans.9 As propositiones, he takes key phrases from Romans in consecutive order, giving not a full running commentary but still an exposition of the main thoughts. On Romans 8:28-30, he raises the following question:
When he says, 'Those he called, he also justified', the question can be raised whether all who are called, will be justified. But elsewhere we read, 'Many are called, but few are chosen' [Mat. 22:14]. Still, because they who are also chosen are anyhow called, it is clear that no one is justified unless he is called, although not all are called but they 'who according to his purpose [propositum] have been called', as he said above. The purpose of God then must be accepted, not their own. He even explains what is according to his purpose, when he says, 'For those God knew before he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son'. Therefore, not all who are called are chosen according to his purpose, for this purpose pertains to God's foreknowledge and predestination. And he has not pre-ordained anyone, but whom he foreknew would believe and follow his calling, whom he also calls the elect. For many do not come when they have been called, but no one comes who has not been called (CSEL 84:30).
The concept of God's foreknowledge of man's future acts is Augustine's key to understand how election, (effectual) calling and justification are linked. This passage shows not a trace of any discomfort but is a straightforward exposition of the proposition, "Those he called, he also justified" (Rom. 8:30).
In his Retractations (426-7), Augustine, looking back at the Exposition, focusses on what he wrote on Romans 9:10-13: "When I was discussing what God chose in a man not yet born, whom he said his elder son would serve, and what he rejected in this elder son, likewise not yet born." He wanted to revise especially the following line:
God then, in his foreknowledge, has not chosen the works of any man which he himself would give, but in his foreknowledge, he has chosen faith as he has chosen him whom he foreknew would believe in him and to whom he would give the Holy Spirit so that, by performing good works, he would obtain eternal life.10
He had not yet understood what "the election of grace" means. In retrospect, he judges, "This certainly is not grace if any merits precede it."
Looking back at this first commentary on Romans, Augustine also observes,
I said little about the call itself which is given according to the purpose of God. For this is not true of all who are called, but only of the elect.11
Even the merit of faith itself is a gift of God. Present hardness of heart, however, does not come from God (as the preceding gift of faith does), but from the preceding impiety of man himself. The doctrine of grace for sinners was the base line. On Romans 9:15 ("I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion"), Augustine comments, "First, therefore, God is merciful for us, because we were sinners, so that he might call us."12
When we speak of Augustine's "conversion", we must ask what he means. He describes his beliefs before that deepest inner change, addressing God as follows:
I believed that you exist and that your essence is unchangeable, your care and judgement over all men, and in Christ, your son, our Lord, and in the holy Scriptures, which the authority of your holy Church laid upon me. I believed that you pointed the path of man's salvation to eternal life, which will come after death (Confessiones VII 7.11).
If he held this belief, what conversion did he yearn for? It finally came when he surrendered his thinking and understanding to Christ and found the path of humility.
In his struggle with the question of the origin of evil, for example, he broke with astrology. The stars cannot account for the diverse life and destiny of men. Firminus told him the story of his father who had observed the passage of time and the constellation of the stars during the pregnancy of his wife. A friend of Firminus's father had a female slave, pregnant too, and he also charted the passage of the time. The two men sent messengers to each other when both women's labour set in and when each child was born. The stunning result was that the messengers met exactly in the middle of the distance between the two houses, which meant that the two new-born boys were born in the same constellation of the zodiac. However, what a difference between the two children: the one being the son of a wealthy man, the other destined to be a slave as his mother was. Augustine concludes that astrology cannot say anything on the destiny of man, be it blessed or adverse.
This is important in a study of Augustine's early doctrine of predestination because, in the struggle that led to his conversion, he was deeply impressed by the way in which Paul tells the story of the twins, Esau and Jacob. The astrologer cannot foretell the truth because, with identical data, he would have said the same thing of Esau and Jacob, who do not have the same destiny (Confessiones VII 6.10).
This passage has an interesting parallel in Ad Simplicianum, since the Milanese bishop had asked him about Romans 9. Explaining verse 10 on the conception of the twins of Rebecca, Augustine emphasises that Paul "says with great precision, from a single act of intercourse" (ex uno concubitu; Greek: eks henos koitèn echousa). No merit of either father or mother can be mirrored in a child. "For he sowed both at the same time and she conceived both at the same time."13 Therefore, astrologers cannot make any conjecture about their destiny based on their birthday, "and yet there is a great difference between them".
In the Confessiones, the doctrine of election as such does not surface. Yet, the realisation that we have to be humbled and that no merit of ours is an incentive to God paved the way for Augustine's conversion as subjection to God. Esau lost his birthright in his bargain for "Egyptian food" (as he calls it).
These things I have found there [in the Scriptures], but I have not eaten them. But it pleased you, Lord, to take away the shame of belittling from Jacob, so that the elder would serve the younger, and you have called the nations in your inheritance (Confessiones VII 9.15).
Augustine regarded himself as called from the Gentiles to belong to Jacob.
The conversion of the famous Roman rhetor Marius Victorinus, who was related to Simplician, had a most profound impact on Augustine (Victorinus CSEL 83:12). We meet him as an expositor of Paul's letters. Confessiones VIII, the chapter on Augustine's conversion, mentions that Simplician brought up the name of Victorinus in a conversation with Ambrosius, telling how he read certain Platonic works translated into Latin by Victorinus. Then Ambrosius, says Augustine, "in order to exhort me to the humility of Christ", told him of the old man's conversion (c. 356) (Confessiones VIII 2.3; CCSL 27:114). Victorinus's public fame as a rhetor was so great that he had been awarded a statue on the Forum of Trajanus in Rome. Augustine was deeply impressed by the simple words with which Victorinus made his change of mind public: "Let us go to church: I want to become a Christian". In this way, he became a catechumen and enrolled for the preparation for baptism. Was the fact that Marius Victorinus was known as Afer - from Africa - another factor inviting Augustine to follow the example of his countryman on the via humiliationis?
This was the turning point.
But when that man of you, Simplicianus, told me this of Victorinus, I was on fire to imitate him; for this very end had he related it (Confessiones VIII 5.10).
Then followed the battle between the two wills, to which Romans 7 forms the background. "So the two wills of mine, one old and the other new; one carnal, the other spiritual, struggled with each other and by their discord, undid my soul." In addition, refer to Romans 7:22:
In vain I delighted in Thy law according to the inner man, when another law in my members rebelled against the law of my mind, and led me captive under the law of sin which was in my members. For the law of sin is the violence of custom, whereby the mind is drawn and holden, even against its will; but deservedly, for that it willingly fell into it. Who then should deliver me thus wretched from the body of this death, but Thy grace only, through Jesus Christ our Lord? (Confessiones VIII 5.12)
Augustine tells specifically what the problem of his old will was: the longing for sexual intercourse (desiderium concubitus).
The next and final stage in his conversion is the example of Ponticianus, "a countryman of ours", as Augustine notes. While visiting him, Ponticianus came upon a book (codex): "He took it, opened it and found that it was the apostle Paul, totally unexpected." Augustine points out that he occupied himself intensely with these writings (me scripturis curam maximam impendere) (Conf. VIII 6.14). It seems that Romans 7 made clear to him how wretched he was, both willing and unwilling to let go of all earthly hope and commit himself wholly to God. He kept hesitating "to die of death and to live for life" (Conf. VIII 11.25). When at last his resistance broke, he wept and heard the words, spoken in a child's voice: tolle lege, tolle lege ("take it and read, take and read it"). Taking these words as a command from God, Augustine took the book, which again is the codex of St. Paul, mentioned before in his tale of Ponticianus's visit. He opened the book and read the first passage he saw: "Not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissention and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Romans 13:13-14). "You have converted me to you," Augustine confessed at the end of Confessiones VIII.
Simplician's first written question to Augustine relates to Romans 7.
In this text it seems to me clear that the apostle has put himself in the place of someone who is under the law (Ad. Simpl., I 1.1).
The description of the struggle between willing and (not) doing is a mirror of Augustine's inner conflict. Does no freedom of choice thus remain? That we lack the power to do the good we wish is
thanks to the domination of covetousness, which is strengthened not only by the bond of mortality but also by the millstone of habit (Ad. Simpl., I 1.11).
This last clause seems to reflect Augustine's self-analysis from the Confessiones (O'Donnell 2005:78).
We encounter Simplician as the person who told Augustine of the rhetor Marius Victorinus's conversion and public stand. Although he was older than Ambrose, who considered him his teacher, Simplician would succeed him as bishop of Milan in 397. Simplician then already was an old man (t 401). When Augustine had left for Africa, Simplician was still a presbyter in Milan. While Ambrose was Augustine's mentor who held his distance, Simplician was the older friend who may have been more influential at a deeper level.
His original letter with questions to the young bishop Augustine had not survived. Was the tone of his letter inquisitive or critical? O'Donnell suggests that Simplician sent him "leading questions, doubtless designed to provoke a reaction". At the end of the fifth century, Gennadius of Marseilles had access to the original contents. In the footsteps of Jerome, he wrote his De viris illustribus (c. 475), a kind of "Who is Who in the Catholic Church", and wrote:
Simplician, bishop of Milan,14 by many letters stimulated Augustin (until then presbyter), to occupy his talent(s) and to spill it by expositions of the Scriptures, so that he even seemed to be a kind of new Ambrose [of Alexandria, c. 250], the taskmaster of Origen. That is how he [Augustine] solved many questions on Scripture, answering the man personally.
Gennadius describes Simplician's letter as follows: "There even exists a letter from him with suggestions, in which he teaches the teacher by questioning him as if to be taught.''15 And: "For those interested in understanding Augustine on grace, there is no detour around this part of Ad Simplicianum." Mind, this is not for those interested in understanding Augustine's doctrine of predestination, but for those interested in his doctrine on grace!
Simplician may have read Augustine's Explanation of Some Themes from the Apostle's Epistle to the Romans and sent him his questions on the latter's ascension as bishop of Carthage. In the introduction to his response, Augustine refers to his earlier work and says the following:
The things that you proposed should be answered with regard to the apostle Paul, had already been discussed by us to some degree or other and had been committed to writing. But still I am not satisfied with my previous research and explanation, since I may have negligently overlooked something pertinent, and I have gone through the Apostle's words and the sense of his statements more carefully and attentively (Ad Simpl. CCSL 44:23).
James Wetzel describes the part of Ad Simplicianum in which we are interested as follows: "In striking contrast to the rest of the work, the second part of book 1, on Romans 9:10-29, sets off a veritable revolution in his theology" (Fitzgerald 1999:798, s.v. Simplicianum, Ad). An intriguing aspect of the book is that the reader is witness to Augustine's struggle between his earlier thinking and the force of the biblical text. It is not a change taking place at some point in time in the author's mind, causing a different tone or reasoning in his next book, leaving the reader to fathom how and when the author changed his mind so dramatically. In Ad Simplicianum, Augustine struggled while trying to answer the questions of a friend, wrote while struggling and finally yielded to a fresh understanding and acceptance.
Like many similar works, Ad Simplicianum contains theological answers to questions evoked by the text of Scripture. In the second part of book one, Augustine explains Romans 9, verses 10-29, taken as an exegetical or rhetorical unity, providing grounds for St. Paul's statement that Rebecca was pregnant [with twins] "by one man". Although Augustine seems to give a verse-by-verse explanation, I would call this work a biblical-theological essay. He reads Romans 9 from the perspective of the apostle's main thought: "This is that no one should boast of the merits of works" (I 2.2). Grace precedes works, "not in order to do away with works, but in order to show that works do not precede but follow upon faith". To emphasize faith as God's gift, the apostle provides proof "by referring to those who had not yet been born", Esau and Jacob, "conceived from a single act of intercourse". Paul states the obvious, namely that the unborn twins had not yet done anything right or wrong. Thus, it was not because of their works that God called them, saying, "The older would serve the younger."
The usual explanation of predestination is that God foreknows the future actions of man, either good or evil. In his praescientia, God reacts to faithfulness by election and to faithlessness by rejection. In his Answer to Simplician, we see Augustine struggling with the question of how to explain the adverse fate of Esau and Jacob without recourse to the concept of foreknowledge of the twins' future acts. If God let Jacob's future faith count, his love was based on Jacob's merit - which St. Paul denies. The early expositors of St. Paul realise that the saying "I loved Jacob but I hated Esau" (Rom. 9:13) was not spoken to Rebecca but actually written in Malachi 1 with respect to the two peoples Edom and Israel against the background of a history of animosity.16 However, that harsh saying is taken as the fulfilment of the divine oracle, which says that "the older would serve the younger".
Augustine asks, how Jacob could be chosen in any sense of the word when there was no difference between him and his (older) brother. He takes the verb eligere as it was defined in colloquial Latin: the action of choosing by distinguishing which part to choose from a plurality (actio elegendi, distinguendi, qua ex pluribus pars eligitur) (Ring 1996:741). This strict definition of eligere is proof that Augustine did not consider the possible exclusively jubilating use of Ephesians 1. The question remains: What is the criterion of this divine choice between two seemingly equal human beings, when it is not God's foreknowledge of our future actions? Augustine finds an answer in the very last words of Romans 9, verse 11. "It was because of him who, by calling the wicked to faith, makes him righteous by grace" (I 2.6). The choice results from the purpose of God (ex proposito electio). In my opinion, Augustine finds an answer, not the answer. He sees a distinction between the propositum Dei and electio. The grounds for this "purpose" remain hidden in God. Augustine resorts to St. Paul's indignation at anyone questioning God's justice (Rom. 9:14). The important change is from the perspective of God's foregoing knowledge of man's future acts to (what he would call later) God's foreknowledge of his own future acts (De praedestinatione sanctorum 10.19). In Ad Simplicinum, he finds a way to understand and express how the harsh sayings of Romans 9 can be read: God's eternal purpose is expressed as election unto salvation of sinners.
What then of Esau? "On the basis of what merit was Esau hated before he was born?" Quoting Sapientia 11:25, Augustine maintains that God cannot hate what he himself created, and "it is unjust that he would have hated Esau when there was no unrighteousness to merit it" (I 2.8). When the merit of future faith cannot be the ground for election, God's foreknowledge of Esau's future unbelief and godless lifestyle cannot be taken as the "merit" or ground for his rejection. Quoting Romans 9:15 ("For Moses says, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy ..."'), Augustine states dialectically, "With these words he solves the problem - or rather, complicates it further" (I 2.9). Even if his answer may not satisfy our thinking, there is no denying that Augustine's reasoning is brutally honest. Considering Esau, he takes the same starting point: whether or not God calls someone to salvation, that is, calls him effectively.17 God "compels no one to sin but only does not bestow on certain sinners the mercy of being made righteous by him, and for that reason it is said that he hardens certain sinners because he does not have mercy on them, not because he forces them to sin" (I 2.16). The supposition is that all men are "a kind of single mass of sin". Why God does not grant mercy to every individual is beyond our understanding and remains hidden in God's most secret judgement.
When it is said "I hated Esau", God does not hate the human being as he created him, but the sin in him and hence Esau the sinner. God does not hate "what he does in creation (creando) nor what he does in them by his decree (ordinando)" (I 2.18). Augustine compares this with a judge who hates theft in the thief, but does not "hate" the sentence in sending him to the mines. In this way, he distinguishes between God's (hidden) decision not to graciously give faith to some and the actual faithlessness with which some react to the call of the Gospel. To us, this does not help in understanding God's decision, but it is meant to speak with respect of God. Augustine notes one positive point: the fact that God's abhorrence of sin is a "beneficial fear to which others must be exposed and to the making known of the riches of his glory to the vessels of his mercy, which he has prepared for glory", quoting Romans 9:23 (I 2.18).
In Ad Simplicianum, Augustine explains predestination as God's propositum of graciously calling some sinners and effectively granting them faith, which together is election. He finds it expressed in Romans 11:5 as "a remnant that was chosen by grace". The deepest ground "is so very hidden that it can by no means be discerned by us who are in the same lump" (I 2.22). Augustine ends his answer to his old friend Simplician by inviting him to "say 'Alleluia' and join in a canticle", as St. Paul ended Romans 9-11 in doxology.
Was Augustine aware of a difference between the theology of his old age and the writing of his younger years? He pinpoints the turning point in his understanding of God's grace in his answers to Simplician. Twice he underlines in retrospect the importance of this rather small work. Pointedly, he dates this work as "the first two books that I worked on as a bishop" and "at the beginning of my episcopate, before the Pelagian heresy came upon the scene" (De dono perseverantiae 21.55). The first time he evaluated Ad Simplicianum was in the second book of his Retractationes near the end of his life: "In resolving the question, I really worked for the free choice of the human will, but the grace of God won out" (Retractationes II, in: CCSL 57:89-91). It is as if Augustine tries to maintain the idea of free choice on our side, but he has to yield to the pressure of free grace from God's side as set forth in Romans 9.
The second time Augustine referred to Ad Simplicianum was c. 428 in Predestination of the saints. He simply quoted what he had already written in the Retractationes and added, "God revealed this to me in the answer to the question that, as I said, I was writing to Simplician" (De praedestinatione sanctorum 4.8). When his final position is based upon God's revelation, it is beyond questioning. In the sequel, De dono perseverantiae, Augustine again refers to Ad Simplicianum, but this time only summarizes the essence "that even the beginning of faith is God's gift" (21.55). In this sequel, he explains that also the end of our faith, having persevered until the end of our life, is a gift of God and not the fruit of our lifelong devotion as the monks of overseas Provence in France would have it.
Why an inaugural lecture on predestination? Because this angle of thought highlights the doctrine of grace as primarily and ultimately God's free gift (however contrary it seems to our feelings). An example was given of what can be harvested from a fresh reading of a less known text by Augustine. The following conclusions may be drawn:
- The origin of Augustine's doctrine of predestination lies in his early years, the first year as an episkopos. Even though not all elements are as developed as in his final writings of 428 (an important development being the election of Christ in his humanity and of us as his body), the basis was there. In Romans 9, he finds himself confronted with the radical denial of the relevance of the merit of human work and thus the radical accent on God's decision of graciously calling some and effectively giving them faith.
- We have found important connections between Ad Simplicianum and the Confessiones in the repeated reference to his study of the letters of St. Paul, in Marius Victorinus as an example of conversion and as a preceding expositor of the Pauline corpus, and the featuring of Simplician who may have been a teacher to the young Augustine by following his development and probing him with questions. Another aspect, skipped in this article, is his thinking on the great difference between the twins, Esau and Jacob, however identical in their beginning.
- We may have learned that Romans 9(-11) is not so much a locus de praedestinatione, but the gospel of God's unbroken election of Israel against the background of the rejection of the Messiah by many. Still, these Pauline chapters confront us again with apostolic teaching that should be analysed in biblical theology and considered with regard to its implications in systematic theology.
It is a privilege to provide patristic material for ongoing studies from the lively context of Africans and Europeans meeting then and now.
AMBROSIASTER CSEL 81/1 Ambrosiastri qui dicitur commentarius in Epistulas Paulinas, ed. H.J. Vogels [CSEL 81/1] [ Links ]
AMBROSIASTER CSEL 81/1 Ambrosiaster Romans [ Links ]
AMBROSIASTER CSEL 81/1 Ancient Christian Texts. Commentaries on Romans and 1-2 Corinthians. Ambrosiaster, transl. and ed. Gerard L. Bray (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2009). [ Links ]
AUGUSTINE 1970. Ad Simplicianum De diversis quaestionibus ad Simplicianum, ed. Almut Mutzenbecher, Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 44; abbreviated as CCSL] Turnhout. [ Links ]
AUGUSTINE1981. Confessiones, ed. Lucas Verheijen [CCSL 27] Turnhout.
AUGUSTINE 1992. Confessions. Text and Commentary, ed. James J. O'Donnell, 3 vols Oxford: Clarendon Press. See also http://www.stoa.org/hippo/ (accessed 26 April 2011). [ Links ]
AUGUSTINE De dono perseverantiae [ Links ]
AUGUSTINE (Bibliothèque Augustinienne 23) [ Links ]
AUGUSTINE Retractationes II [ Links ]
AUGUSTINE CCSL 57, ed. Almut Mutzenbecher (Turnhout: Brepols, 1984), [ Links ]
COOPER, A.C. 2005. Marius Victorinus' Commentary on Galatians [Oxford Early christian Studies] Oxford: University Press.
DE BOER, E.A. 2004. The 'Consensus Genevensis' Revisited. The Genesis of the Genevan Consensus on Divine Election in 1551. In: E.A. de Boer & V.E. Assonville (eds.) Ad fontes. Teologiese, historiese en wetenskaps-filosofiese studies binne reformatoriese kader. Festschrift vir Ludi Schulze, ed. Acta Theologica, Supplementum 5 (Bloemfontein: Publications Office of University of the Free State, 2004), pp. 51-78. [ Links ]
DE BOER, E.A. 2009a. 'Predestinatie voor eeuwig uit (de) gratie? Over de ongemakkelijke verkiezingsleer van Calvijn en Co. In: R.R. Brouwer, B. de Leede, K. Spronk (red.), Het calvinistisch ongemak. Calvijn als erflater en provocator van het Nederlands protestantisme (Kampen, 2009), pp. 37-49. [ Links ]
DE BOER, E.A. 2009b. 'John Calvin's Disputatio de praedestinatione. The relevance of a manuscript on his doctrine of Providence and Predestination', NGTT 50/3-4 (2009), 580-594. [ Links ]
DE BOER, E.A. 2011. "O, Ye Women, Think of thy Innocent Children, When They Die Young!" The Canons of Dordt (First Head, Article Seventeen) Between Polemic and Pastoral Theology. In: A. Goudriaan & F. van Lieburg (eds.), Revisiting the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619) [Brill's Series in Church History 49] (Leiden - Boston: Brill, 2011), pp. 261-290. [ Links ]
DÖPP/GEERLINGS 2002. Lexikon der antiken christlichen Literatur, ed. Siegmar Döpp - Wilhelm Geerlings, 3. edition Frieburg-Basel-Wien: Herder. [ Links ]
FITZGERALD, D. 1999. Augustine through the Ages. An Encyclopedia, ed. Allen D. Fitzgerald Grand Rapids MI - Cambridge UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [ Links ]
JONKER, W.D. 1988. Uit vrye guns alleen. Oor uitverkiesing en verbond [Wegwysers in die Dogmatiek, eds. J.J.F. Durand - W.D. Jonker], Pretoria: NG Kerkboekhandel. [ Links ]
LÖSLL 2002. Josef Lösll, 'Augustine on Predestination: Consequences for the Reception'. Augustiniana 52/2-4:241-272 [ Links ]
MEIJER, J.A. 2001. 'Marius Victorinus Afer. Portret van een pionier'. In: P.H.R. van Houwelingen, H.R. van de Kamp & J.A. Meijer (eds.), Exeget[h]isch. Feestbundel voor prof.dr. J. van Bruggen (Kampen: Kok), pp. 206-228. [ Links ]
O'DONNELL 2005. Augustine. A New Biography New York: HarperCollins Publishers. [ Links ]
POLMAN 1936. De Praedestinatieleer van Augustinus, Thomas van aquino en Calvijn. Een dogmahistorische studie Franeker: T. Wever. [ Links ]
PRANGER, M.B. 2002. 'Calvin's Concept of Predestination and the Language of Dispossession', Augustiniana 52/2-4:273-309. [ Links ]
RING, T.G. 1996. art. electio, in: Augustinus-Lexikon, ed. Cornelius Mayer, vol. 2 (Basel: Verlag Schwabe & Co., 1996-2002):741-752. [ Links ]
SOUTER, A. 1927. Earliest Latin Commentaries on the epistles of St. Paul (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1927 = Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1999), pp. 8-38. [ Links ]
VICTORINUS CSEL 83 Marius Victorinus, In epistolam Pauli ad Ephesios, ed. Franco Gori [Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum 83].
1 The main line of this article was presented as an inaugural lecture of the chair for patristics in the Faculty of Theology, Department of Ecclesiology at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein on 4 May 2011.
2 Translation from The Doctrinal Standard and the Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America (New York), 29.
3 Jonker 1988, 22 (with reference to the chapter by E. Muhlenberg in C. Andresen ed., Handbuch der Dogmen- und Theologiegeschichte, vol. 1 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1982), 406-496).
4 Apart from Polman (1936), the following secondary works also analyse the development of Augustine's doctrine of election: Ring (1996); Lösll (2002).
5 Conformes fieri imaginis filii sui, hoc dicit, quia ideao praedestinantur in futurum saeculum, ut similes fiant filio dei, sicut supra memoravi (CSEL 81/1, 291).
6 Ambrosiaster on Rom. 9:10 in: CSEL 81/1, 312. Cf. Gen. 36:28.
7 On the former's influence on later commentators, including Augustine, cf. Cooper 2005:182-246.
9 Expositio quarundum propositionum ex epistula apostoli ad Romanos, CSEL 84, 3-52. Cf. Retract. I/23 (CCSL 57:66-70).
10 Retract. 22.2 (CCSL 57, 68) and Exp. ad Rom. 52.11 (CSEL 84, 34 l. 24 - 35, l. 4).
11 Retract. 22.3 (cCSL 57, 70).
12 Exp. ad Rom. 53.2 (CSEL 84, 35 l. 26 - 36, l. 1).
13 Ad Simplicianum I 2.3. Another example of twins, unexplainable to astrologers, is of a boy and a girl and their very different way of living. "For what is more part of the body than sex? And yet under the same position of the stars twins of unlike sex can be conceived" (Augustine, De civitate Dei V 6; transl. William M. Green, Loeb edition, vol. 2 (1963), 157f).
14 Augustine mentioned in chapter 8 of his Confessiones that he went to see Simplicianus, who was Ambrose's spritual guide in his preparation for baptism and a friend of Marius Victorinus (Confessiones 8.1-10). Cf. Augustine through the Ages, 799f.
15 Gennadius, De viris illustribus 37 in: PL 58, 1079 («Est et ejus epistola propositionum, in qua interrogando quasi disciturus docet docturum; Ms Corbei: interrogandum docet doctorem»). Cf. Döpp-Geerlings 2002:283; ed. C.A. Berthoulli, Fr 1895.
16 Cf. Ambrosiaster on Rom. 9:10 (CSEL 81/1, p. 291).
17 Central is the "question of redemptive efficacy, new to him as of Ad Simplicianum" (Wetzel in Augustine through the Ages, 798). It is "the mechanism of effectual calling", that is "in a suitable manner" (congruenter).


text:
This website uses cookies to ensure proper functionality of the shopping cart and checkout progress. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to the use of cookies. Click here to learn about cookie settings.
You have no items in your shopping cart.
You have no items to compare.
London - prints and paintings at The Braithwaite Gallery
View as
Items 1 to 9 of 32 total
Add to Cart
We have constantly changing stock of prints and paintings, which you can order from our website or in our York gallery.
We work with some fabulous artists - you are very welcome to call in and browse our products!
Resident artist Mark Braithwaite's artwork and profile.
View photographs from Google Places of our Art Gallery and take a virtual tour!
The Braithwaite gallery continues to host various events and "meet the artist" opportunities. Rather than just remove them from our website once past, we have now created an Events Archive section to start to record some of these special occasions for posterity:
Which artist would you like to see us feature more?
The Braithwaite Gallery
42 Low Petergate
York YO1 7HZ
+44 (0)1904 655707

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"Your work does matter to those who enjoy its fruits. Note the marketing appeal of advertising that uses the family kitchen and a mother's loving care and delightful interaction with her children. Household management provides a pattern of rituals for everyday life..."
~Dorothy Kelley Patterson, Co-Author of The Christian Homemaker's Handbook
There are so many wonderful features in the making of a home. This is a place where I would love for you to share your love for anything home-related. Homemaking, homeschooling and homesteading are all a part of the lovely art of home-making!
~~Please link up posts in the spirit of Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 (such as recipes, godly encouragement, DIY's, frugal living, child-raising, medicine making, preparedness, gardening, home decoration, school lessons, sewing, crafts, etc).~~ You are welcome to share as many posts as you like!
* I'm sorry, I wasn't able to prepare features again as it has been a very busy few weeks. We hope to resume the following week.
Thank you for understanding! *
Thank you for understanding! *
On to this week! For the sake of our readers, please link up appropriate and wholesome home-related articles and leave out any giveaways, advertisements, etc. Thank you for understanding! I can't wait to see what you all have to share!
Please copy the button below (html code is in box below it) and share on your blog post or side-bar so others can come and join in the link up as well!
This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays, The Scoop, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.


text:
Views: 1217
Hi Jason,
Jerry A Coyne, in his book Why Evolution is True, says that the theory of evolution is as accepted as any scientific fact. In scientific circles, it is as accepted as the germ theory of disease and the existence of atoms.
Creationists point to "gaps" in the fossil record as "evidence" that evolution is not true, but they conveniently ignore the considerable weight of evidence outside paleontology, from botany and anatomy to genetics and molecular biology.
All of this evidence has logical consistency, which the bible does not. Or, where the scientific evidence in favor of evolution DOESN'T have logical consistency, science at least has the mechanisms in place to improve our understanding.
So, yes, I think it's irrefutable to someone who doesn't feel threatened by the truth.
This might help:
and click on the link in line 3 for a pdf.
In the tree of life analogy, wouldn't a "missing link" be more like a missing branch than a missing leaf?
Not that it doesn't exist, just that we havn't found it. I think a missing branch(or segment of a branch anyway) more accurately follows the analogy. A missing leaf would describe a species that has not yet been discovered which is at the end of its path through the tree (which is pretty difficult to determine).
Scientists from all over the world think that life came to earth in form of bacterias included in meteorites.
Have a look:
Their fossilised remains have been found in the rock, which was blasted out of
Mars 16 million years ago as the solar system was forming.
The meteorite, called Allen Hills 84001, made headlines in 1996 after fossils
were found in it. Scientists believed they were bacteria from Earth that
contaminated the rock while it lay in the frozen wastes.
But a Nasa report now says there is strong evidence they originated on Mars,
according to The Sun.
Dr Emily Baldwin, deputy editor of the UK's Astronomy Now magazine, said: "Many
scientists argued that what looked like fossils in the meteorite were really
caused by the explosive event, such as an asteroid impact, that blasted the
rock out of Mars in the first place.
"But the Nasa team is now saying they have proved that they could not
have been produced by the blast itself.
"If the features turn out to have an extraterrestrial, biological origin
and were not formed during the 13,000 years the meteorite spent lying on
Earth, this will have profound implications for our understanding of how
life evolved in the solar system."
Prof Colin Pillinger, of the Open University, who was behind Britain's
ill-fated Beagle 2 probe to the planet that was lost on Christmas Day 2003,
said: "This is good quality work and more compelling evidence to add to
the mix. These guys have been plugging away at this for years. It is a very
careful study by very reputable people."
The Nasa study, led by Kathie Thomas-Keprta, found carbonate discs and tiny
magnetite crystals inside the space rock. Scientists were able to use high
resolution electron microscopes that were not available 13 years ago.
They concluded "unusual chemical and physical properties" in the
meteorite were "intimately associated within and throughout these
carbonate disks". That, they said, was evidence of interaction with
water on Mars more than 3.5 billion years ago.
Nasa is expected to announce the findings, from its Johnson Space Centre in
Houston, Texas, later this week.
I have read about this and agree it is a possibility.....this still doesnt explain how life came to be.... just how life came to be on planet Earth.
Edit: it is also possible that life began on both Earth and Mars and was transported between the two via meteorites. We would essentially then have two trees of life from which evolution occurred.


text:
The Grundy Library houses a rich collection of materials pertaining to the history of Bristol Borough and surrounding areas. Many of these materials are available in the open stacks of the library, including:
Publicly available materials are listed in the Library Catalog with a location of "Local History ." To browse a current list of local history and genealogy materials that are available in the open stacks, go to Bristol History Collection materials.
In addition to print resources, the library offers access to several online resources, including Ancestry Library Edition & HeritageQuest Online. For more information, go to Articles & Databases.
The Library houses collections that are available by appointment only. These items include:
The Grundy Library holds a number of Bristol Borough municipal records, including Council Meeting minutes (1730-1998) on microfilm.
The Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library offers several research services for patrons with information needs that go beyond the scope of the Library's public resources.
Patrons who require materials beyond what is available in the public area may request materials from the Library's clippings file and closed collections. If needed, a staff member will arrange an appointment with you.
To request research, please submit a Local History Research Request.
For additional information about local history research, please visit the Library's Information Desk or call 215-788-7891 ext. 6.
For those patrons unable to come to Grundy Library, Library staff will research obituaries and/or articles. The Library has indexes for select years of the Bucks County Courier Times/Bristol Courier as well as for several other regional newspapers. If no index is available for the time period of interest, the Library requires a specific date and will search up to two weeks before and two weeks after that date for the obituary/article. Requests are limited to three individuals or articles at one time.
To request a search for an obituary or article, please submit a Newspaper Research Request.
Fee: $10 (includes postage). Please note that this fee is due in advance and is not refundable.
For additional information about local history research, please visit the Library's Information Desk or call 215-788-7891 ext. 6.


text:
Jake's Blog
Last month, I had the pleasure of inviting my friends from USDA Guatemala to my restaurant, so they could learn more about my passion, and show them the great importance and quality of imported USDA beef and Cabernet Sauvignon wine, and how these two team up for a great experience. For this purpose, y shared with them the preparation of an amazing New York Strip with Bordelaise Sauce. Enjoy the video!


text:
Situated at the Strandweg in Buren at a unique and tranquil location. With a playground next to the house where children can play safely. The uniqueness of this location is the view of the national park 'de Kooi'. You have an unobstructed view to the horizon.
Built under architecture and where high quality materials were used. The house will be available from December 2015.
The decor is contemporary and of high quality. The house is supplied with all modern equipment and there is plenty of room to accommodate 8 people comfortably.
There are 4 spacious bedrooms, of which a few with Smart TV. One of the bedrooms is located on the ground floor and has its own bathroom. The other 3 bedrooms are on the first floor where also 2 bathrooms can be found.
Enjoy your holiday even more with your 'own' indoor pool and sauna.
There are spacious terraces around the house and a nice garden to sunbath and enjoy the outdoors. The house is approximately 900 metres from the beach. As the evening arises you can hear the rustle of the sea and watch the light flashing from the lighthouse in Hollum.
A beautiful place to celebrate your holiday.
This attached house is suitable for up to 8 people.
For more information or questions, please feel free to contact us.
Metz verhuur & beheerStrandweg 219163 GK Nes Ameland
+31 (0)519 543 436


text:
The case against Martin Springer, a former teacher at Miramonte Elementary School accused of inappropriately touching a third-grade girl, has been dismissed after the alleged victim's family said she would not testify.
Springer's trial was scheduled to begin this week, but a prosecutor said in court Wednesday morning that she could not proceed with the case without the testimony of the now 12-year-old.
"(The girl) was very traumatized by testifying at the preliminary hearing and decided she couldn't do it again at trial," said Sarah Ardalani, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo dismissed the case against Springer, who had pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of lewd act on a child and three misdemeanor counts of child molestation. Springer allegedly inappropriately touched the girl's leg on multiple occasions.
Prosecutors can re-file charges against Springer if the girl changes her mind about testifying at any time before her 28th birthday, Ardalani said.
"Her testimony would be essential to proving the case," Alison Meyers, the deputy district attorney handling the case, said outside court.
Springer's attorney, John Tyre, said it was an "extreme relief" to his client to have the criminal case dismissed two years after his arrest.
"I'm just happy that this case is dismissed," Tyre said after the hearing. "He just wants to be left alone and get his life back."
Springer was fired by the Los Angeles Unified School District in February 2012, when the allegations came to light, and have made moves to have him stripped of his state teaching credentials. At the time of his arrest, Springer had worked at the school for 25 years, and he has since maintained his innocence.
Springer was the second of two teachers charged in the wake of the massive scandal at the South Los Angeles-area school. Mark Berndt was arrested in January 2012 after allegations surfaced that he took photos of blindfolded students with spoonfuls of semen near their mouths.
Berndt pleaded no contest in November to 23 counts of lewd acts on a child and was sentenced to 25 years in state prison.
The child abuse scandal at the school is the largest in LAUSD history, and the district has paid out roughly $30 million in settlements, with more pending.
City News Service contributed to this report.


text: I see persons who suffer from PTSD, grief, loss, sexual abuse, depression and more. Family, individual, couples and children's therapy is my specialty. My practice is located in Noe Valley San Francisco (SF), but I see clients from all over the bay area including San Jose. My theoretical background is eclectic, although I employ the use of EMDR, family systems work, and attachment theory. I see clients for short-term as well as long-term therapy depending on their needs. Additionally, I value working with women in stage of life transitions, along with helping them unearth their true voice. My practice is in San Francisco.


text:
Mike Bennett's latest podcast is now uploaded and live, and in it he reads, From the Dark, the first part of H.P. Lovecraft's classic tale of horror, Herbert West: Reanimator.
Mike Says:
'I think it's one of the best things I've ever done, I'm really pleased with it.
I also reveal a little of my first homemade audio books from way back in the 1980s, and share some news about the ongoing process of writing the next chapters in the Underwood and Flinch Chronicles.'
The cover art is by your truly. Please visit Mikes page here to listen to some of his work, you won't regret it


text:
Fibromuscular Dysplasia: A Rare Condition Caught in Time
Diagnosed with fibromuscular dysplasia and atherosclerosis, Karen was a walking time bomb. Could angioplasty save Karen's life?
During her pregnancy, Karen Good, 41, began showing several unusual symptoms. Her blood pressure was intermittently high, and her fingers and legs swelled.
"My obstetrician thought that because I had gained so much weight on my small frame, the baby was pressing on my right kidney artery," she recalls.
Lying on her left side seemed to help, but when her blood pressure skyrocketed during her last trimester, her doctor worried she might have preeclampsia, a life-threatening complication of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure (hypertension) and excessive protein in the urine. Karen was confined to bed rest in the hospital and closely monitored. Her obstetrician delivered her baby early.
Despite the premature delivery, Karen's blood pressure remained high. Although Karen was told that high blood pressure wasn't unusual in young people enjoying a healthy lifestyle, as she was, Karen was perplexed. She was a long-distance open-water swimmer, a long-distance cyclist and a marathon runner.
"The doctors said that some people just get essential hypertension after pregnancy with no specific medical cause," Karen says. Diagnosis Yields Surprises
Karen was determined to get to the root of her medical problem. An ultrasound revealed atherosclerosis, or a narrowing of the arteries supplying blood to her kidneys. The condition, typically caused by a buildup of plaque, is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke — an unusual finding for a fit, young woman.
Karen was also diagnosed with fibromuscular dysplasia, a rare condition primarily affecting women ages 20 to 50. The disease causes reduced blood flow through the kidneys, neck, and abdomen and can cause high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and aneurysms.
Research Leads Karen to Mount Sinai Heart
During an online search, Karen came across the name of an internationally recognized expert in fibromuscular dysplasia: Jeffrey W. Olin, DO, Professor of Cardiology and Director of Vascular Medicine and the Vascular Diagnostic Laboratory at Mount Sinai Heart. Karen contacted Dr. Olin and sent him her records. After the doctor's prompt and helpful response, Karen made her way from Maryland to Mount Sinai Heart in New York.
"I could tell immediately that I was dealing with pros," Karen says of her initial contact with the Mount Sinai Heart team. "These technicians were experts in fibromuscular dysplasia."
In addition to a kidney ultrasound, Karen had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test and a battery of blood tests all in the same day — testing that might have taken weeks at home. Karen was pleased with the personal attention she received from Dr. Olin. When she started to sit across from him at his desk, he moved her chair to position it beside his.
"I'll never forget that,' Karen says. "I was expecting to look at an upside-down piece of paper."
Dr. Olin confirmed that Karen had fibromuscular dysplasia. Her kidneys were in fact in danger. To save them, the arteries leading to her kidneys required angioplasty, a catheterization procedure used to widen narrowed blood vessels. Dr. Olin recommended Robert A. Lookstein, MD, Associate Professor of Radiology and Surgery Chief, Division of Interventional Radiology, an expert in working with arteries affected by fibromuscular dysplasia, to perform the angioplasty.
Dr. Olin replaced Karen's three hypertension medications with a single drug combining all three. Within a month, her blood pressure had returned to normal. A few weeks later, she had her angioplasty. And the morning after, she was on her way home.
Back in Maryland, Karen Leads a Normal Life
Karen knows there's no cure for fibromuscular dysplasia, but, as Dr. Olin told her, the condition itself isn't dangerous. Its complications are. Without his help, Karen was a walking time bomb, at risk for life-threatening stroke and chronic heart disease.
Karen is now following a heart-healthy diet. She is also taking the correct blood pressure medication, drugs to manage her cholesterol, and aspirin therapy, all of which combine to manage her condition properly.
Dr. Olin coordinates all of Karen's care, personally speaking to her doctors in Maryland to keep them up to date on her health. With his encouragement, Karen is back to her active lifestyle and is planning to compete in an Ironman endurance race.
"I feel more in control of my health," Karen says.


text:
When you take a bite of Beehive Cheese, it melts like butter in your mouth- that's because it's made from some of the creamiest and cleanest milk in Utah, lovingly crafted into specialty cheese by a family who shares a passion for the artisan way of life. In 2005, brothers-in-law Tim Welsh and Pat Ford left the fast-paced world of software and real estate seeking a more simple way of life as artisan cheese makers. They traded in their grinding traffic commute for quiet mornings sitting with 500 gallons of farm-fresh milk. They gave up briefcases and laptops for the romance of making hand-crafted cheese: hours spent mixing and warming milk, feeling it thicken and envelope the room with the sweet smell of custard. Days spent following natural rhythms: waking before dawn to welcome new milk and feeling the tired ache of sore muscles at day's end and months waiting with an artisan's patience for their cheeses to ripen to perfection.
Awards - 1st Place, American Cheese Society Annual Competition 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2016 3rd Place, ACS. World Cheese Award Gold Winner 2019.
Pair with: Medium to full-bodied reds, port, stouts, cider.


text:
Hawkei protected mobility vehicle (photo : Aus DoD)
Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today congratulated Thales Australia on the delivery of the latest Hawkei vehicle and trailer prototypes.
This prototype is the first to be delivered under Stage 2 of Project LAND 121 Phase 4.
Made by Thales Australia, the Hawkei was selected in December 2011 as the preferred vehicle for development and testing under the Manufactured and Supported in Australia option of Project LAND 121 Phase 4.
Mr Clare said the Hawkei protected mobility vehicle combines speed with safety for Australian soldiers on the battlefield.
"This year the Government allocated $38 million for further development and testing of the Hawkei," Mr Clare said.
"Under this agreement Thales will supply six prototype Hawkei vehicles and one trailer for testing and evaluation."
The delivery of the Hawkei prototype vehicle and trailer is an important milestone for Project LAND 121 Phase 4.
"The Hawkei was manufactured at Thales's Bendigo facility, which has been producing Bushmasters since 2003," Mr Clare said.
"The team of 50 working on the Hawkei are part of a team of 210 here at Bendigo. They do a very important job. The work done here in Bendigo is saving lives in Afghanistan."
The remaining five Hawkei vehicle prototypes are expected to be delivered by June 2013.
Over the next year these vehicles will undergo an extensive testing program, including communication system integration testing, reliability growth trials, survivability testing and user assessments.
Project LAND 121 Phase 4 is a $1.5 billion project that seeks to provide up to 1,300 protected and unprotected light vehicles.
(Aus DoD)


text:
Join The Osthoff Resort for the 11th annual Jazz on the Vine Festival, May 10-12, 2013!
They are delighted to bring together yet again a wonderful weekend of world renowned jazz musicians, dynamic concert performances and music enthusiasts from all over the United States to kick-off the summer concert season!
This year's festival features jazz musicians such as Fourplay, Larry Carlton Quartet, Acoustic Alchemy, Michael Lington with special guest Bill Champlin, (formerly of CHICAGO), Shilts (also festival host), Cindy Bradley, Matt Marshak and Marcell Guyton.
During the festival, sample an array of over 100 wines from the international and domestic vineyards of Chile, Greece, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, California, Washington, Oregon and more. Relax and enjoy eclectic and sophisticated cuisine created by our award-winning Osthoff chefs.
Accommodations are on a first-come, first-served basis and tickets sell quickly! They look forward to seeing you in 2013.
Osthoff Resort, 101 Osthoff Ave, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin 53020 (Sheboygan)


text:
Snap o' the day: Et tu, Putin?
Critics often deride the city as the People's Republic of Charlottesville. Still, we were a little taken aback to see the mug of Russian President [now Prime Minister] Vladimir Putin hanging in the Downtown Transit Center across from City Hall– until we remembered it was the Festival of the Photograph. The exhibit is called "Big Shots," by Platon, and it includes the crotch-centric photo of Bill Clinton that was on the cover of Esquire in 2000.
More Snaps
3 comments
Gary O'Connell's picture should be hung beside it as the
Deputy Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Charlottesville.
considering the efficiency of the Charlottesville mass transit system I say Putin is fair comment indeed.
The People"s Republic website is hilarious. Is that Mr. Schilling's doing?


text:
It may be a little early to start wondering what number Emmanuel Sanders will wear in New England.
ESPN's Ed Werder reported Wednesday that he expects the Steelers to match the Patriots' offer sheet to Sanders, keeping the wide receiver in the fold.
Werder, it should also be noted, said that the Steelers' lack of cap space, plus the prospect of getting the Patriots' third-round pick, are factors that also should be considered in Pittsburgh's decision to match or not.
Were the Steelers to decline to match the offer to Sanders, they would receive the No. 91 pick. While this would be a cost-efficient move, it would also leave the Steelers rather thin at wide receiver behind top target Antonio Brown. The Steelers lost Mike Wallace to Miami earlier in free agency, and Sanders is expected to move into the starting lineup after three seasons as a reserve.
Sanders hauled in 44 passes for 626 yards and one TD in 16 games (seven starts) for Pittsburgh in 2012. No matter where he plays in 2013, Sanders looks like a good bet to get more opportunities in the passing game than he ever has.
Werder's tweet suggests that the fourth-year wideout from SMU isn't going anywhere, which figures to make Ben Roethlisberger happy.


text:
View unanswered posts | View active topics
Board index » General
All times are UTC - 7 hours
Anything that fits nowhere else.
Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:11 pm
Lord Iames Osari
For any topic that requires a more organized debate structure, such as politics or religious matters.Users can not post in this forum without request from an administrator and must have no recent warning for flaming, trolling, harassment, or attacking of posters.
Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:46 am
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests
biz designed by GrafsS © 2009 Victorious Press - Webmastered by Reina Sweet
© 2009 Victorious Press - Webmastered by Reina Sweet


text:
As a nationwide immigration crackdown loomed, religious leaders across the country used their pulpits Sunday to quell concerns in immigrant communities.
People with high genetic risk and poor health habits were about three times more likely to develop dementia versus those with low genetic risk and good habits, researchers reported Sunday.
Rising temperatures and humidity in Chicago this week could make it feel as hot as 105 degrees outside. If proper precautions aren't taken, you could experience heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
A federal court hearing for R&B singer R. Kelly has been pushed back a day and will instead be held Tuesday when the singer was expected to be arraigned.
Watch the July 15, 2019 full episode of "Chicago Tonight."
Half of Humboldt Park closes as search enters second week
Sections of Humboldt Park are closed Monday while the search continues for the elusive gator, which is at least 4 feet long.
Fifty years after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, some people insist it never happened and was all a big hoax by the U.S. government. Here's a look at some of the most common claims and how they're explained away.
A facility at safety certification company UL (Underwriters Laboratories) is working to keep potentially explosive environments safe. But you might be surprised how prevalent those environments can be – and the common things that might trigger a safety hazard.
More than a month after they first began hearing testimony, jurors in the trial of Brendt Christensen are likely to begin deliberating this week over his appropriate sentence: life in prison or death.
A Chicago walking tour enters its final season of investigating the city's corrupt past – and present. Local journalist Paul Dailing, who started the tour in 2016, join us in discussion.
The exhibition "Wired to Wear" aims to lift the veil on clothing and accessories that can boost your health and wellness – or just express your creativity.
Bungalows have served Chicago families for a hundred years. Could this new design by Greg Tamborino be the bungalow of the future? Blair Kamin weighs in.
There has been no sign yet of a beefed-up presence from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago. Nonetheless, several immigrants' rights groups and concerned citizens are trying to combat the fear those threats have caused.
Immigration raids in Chicago and around the nation stoked fear, but there were very few reports of mass detentions and deportations. We discuss the ICE deportation operations with Ruth Lopez-McCarthy and Randy Ramey.
Steppenwolf's fabled 1982 production of Sam Shepard's darkly comic tale is a foundational part of Chicago theater history. And now, two of the company's "next generation" of actors are bringing their own high-octane intensity to the play.


text:
Tajh Boyd accounts for 8 TDs as Clemson roughs up NC State
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson is somewhere it hasn't been in more than 20 years, riding an offense that keeps shattering records every week.
On Saturday, it was quarterback Tajh Boyd's eight touchdowns -- five passing and three rushing -- that led the No. 11 Tigers to a 62-48 win over North Carolina State.
Clemson (10-1, 7-1 Atlantic Coast) has won 10 games in the regular season for the first time since 1981, and perhaps more importantly, has finally gone through a season without losing to a team it was supposed to beat. Coach Dabo Swinney said if the Tigers can knock off South Carolina (No. 9 BCS, No. 12 AP) next week, they should be in a BCS bowl even though they won't play for the ACC title.
"We've certainly proven to be one of the better teams in the country," Swinney said.
Boyd's eight touchdowns set a school and ACC record. The Tigers gained 754 yards, just two away from the school's best. Clemson ran 102 plays, the most in school history.
Boyd was responsible for every Clemson touchdown, throwing for TDs of 69, 62, 40, 27 and 7 yards and running for a 4-yard score and two 9-yard touchdowns. He also has broken his own ACC record with 41 TDs so far this season.
Boyd was 30 for 44 for 426 yards and ran for 105 yards -- the combined 531 yards set another school record.
"Any time you see smiles throughout the game, it's fun," Boyd said. "Overall, it was a fun game."
The Wolfpack led 24-13 early in the second quarter. It was a situation Clemson hadn't seen since its only loss of the year, 49-37 to Florida State. The Tigers responded by scoring 42 straight points.
"We've been taking care of business pretty early the past few games. It was really good for us to go out there and face some adversity and overcome it," Clemson center Dalton Freeman said.
Freeman anchors an offensive line that has been critical to Clemson's success. For the second week in a row, the Tigers o-line faced the team leading the ACC in sacks and didn't allow the quarterback to go down once.
The Tigers won a share of the ACC's Atlantic Division title, but their loss to Florida State will keep them out of the title game. Still, that didn't prevent Swinney from bringing the trophy for winning at least part of the division for the third time in four seasons to his news conference.
NC State (6-5, 3-4) moved the ball, too. Tobais Palmer also set an ACC record with 496 all-purpose yards. He had 277 yards on kickoff returns and caught seven passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Glennon was 29 of 53 for 493 yards and five touchdowns. Four of NC State's touchdown drives took just one play.
The Wolfpack gained 597 yards, and the teams combined for 1,351 yards and the 110 combined points were just seven off the ACC record set by Georgia Tech and North Carolina last week.
But with all the offense, the Tigers may have won the game thanks to their defense making plays at critical moments. They stopped the Wolfpack on fourth down twice deep in Clemson territory. They picked off Glennon in the end zone and forced a fumble that gave the Tigers one more scoring drive in the first half.
"We left too many points on the board -- way too many opportunities to score," NC State coach Tom O'Brien said. "You get a little bit closer or slow them down once, but they had too much skill for us I guess."
Andre Ellington ran for 124 yards on 22 carries. Sammy Watkins caught 11 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half, while Brandon Ford had five receptions for 101 yards and two TDs for Clemson.
Mario Carter caught seven passes for 105 yards and a score, while Shadrach Thornton ran 21 times for 114 yards and a touchdown for the Wolfpack.
Meanwhile, Clemson's offense keeps clicking. Since their only loss, the Tigers are averaging almost 48 points a game. In its 11th game, Clemson has scored a record 491 points. Last year's team set the mark at 470 in 14 games.
"The best are always trying to get better," Swinney said. "I think we came up two yards short for the all-time school record tonight, so we have some improving to do. There is a lot out there for this group."
And just in case Clemson fans didn't know their archrival South Carolina is up next, the Tigers mascot was shown on the big screen with 32 seconds left, swinging a Gamecock around on a noose. Clemson has lost three in a row to South Carolina -- the last time that happened was 1968-70.
"A huge game. State pride on the line. It's important to every person," Swinney said. "It's probably even important to the people who aren't even fans of either team."
NCAAF News
College football's top quarterback-coach combos: Trevor and Dabo, Fields and Day and more
You can argue they're the two most important people on the field. So who are the top QB-coach duos in college football?
Concerned Power 5 leaders remain in wait-and-see mode about on-time start for college football
As the number of coronavirus cases nationwide continues to rise, concern among Power 5 commissioners has mounted, though they recently told ESPN they still aren't ready to make any major changes to the college football calendar.
Fordham game in Hawaii canceled due to virus
Fordham has canceled its game in Hawaii due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Former MSU WR Andre Rison says assistant coach struck him
Former Michigan State wide receiver Andre Rison says he was slapped by an assistant coach in 1986.
Tigers Fan Council pushes for better guest experiences
A group of passionate LSU fans created the Tigers Fan Council to give their input on how to improve the guest experience at sporting events.
Big 12 preview: Texas and Oklahoma stand in each other's way
Oklahoma has a playoff streak but Texas has quarterback continuity. Brad Edwards dives into the data to explore the likeliest outcomes in the Big 12.
2019 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
|Wake Forest
|Florida State
|Boston College
|NC State
|Virginia Tech
|North Carolina
|Georgia Tech


text:
From the design of the first breathing regulator for Project Mercury, to a full suite of hardware and cutting-edge pneumatic subsystems for the ISS, Cobham has engineered some of the most complex, challenging space components in existence today. Cobham builds ultimate reliability into life support...
Many of the world's best known aircraft, including the F-35 and all Airbus platforms, feature Cobham technology. From internet in the sky through to jamming and missile guidance for the latest fighter aircraft, Cobham has an innovative suite of avionics, communication and navigation products for an...
From lightweight composite CNG tanks for automotive, to wireless coverage in the world's tallest building, Cobham has a variety of land based solutions for commercial and defence applications. Our advanced Ground Penetrating Radar detection, and secure communications support security forces and...
Cobham's maritime communications provide reliable communications in the toughest maritime conditions. We provide satcom and radio for the Volvo Ocean Race and microwave and radar technology for the AEGIS class cruiser. Cobham also offers an innovative range of safety and survival equipment, includi...
The Sea Tel 100 TVHD antenna system is an advanced dual-band solution that features a new 3 port feed and LNB that are capable of simultaneously receiving all three of the main satellites that DIRECTV® broadcasts its High Definition and Standard Definition programming on.
In addition to
providing the ability to receive high quality HD TV on DIRECTV®
Ka-Band satellites in North America, the Sea Tel 100 TVHD is also
capable of receiving worldwide Ku-Band High Definition and Standard
Definition programming without having to make adjustments to the
The Sea Tel 100 TVHD features a 106cm antenna in a 136cm
diameter frequency tuned radome that is designed to minimise signal
loss and add to the high quality viewing on offer. As a mid-size
entry in the new generation Sea Tel TV antennas, it offers the
ideal size /performance combination for a wide variety of
Installation is easy, and if you're upgrading from a legacy '04'
Sea Tel TV antenna, Sea Tel 100 TVHD will slot right in. Other
features such as the advanced programmable LNB and integrated
DVB-S2 tuner for reception and identification of DVB-S2 and DVB-S
satellite broadcasts ensure that when you choose the Sea Tel 100
TVHD, you get one of the most convenient yet advanced maritime TV
solutions available today.
The Sea Tel 100 TVHD antenna system features advanced technology
that enables the user to receive Ku-Band High Definition satellite
services worldwide without ever having to change the LNB. And with
a simple to use interface, changing satellite services is as simple
as a few button clicks away.
With entertainment facilities important for experienced workers
and younger crew members alike, you can't afford to have even a few
hours of TV downtime. But with Sea Tel 100 TVHD, you can ensure
that television is always available on board, even when moving
between satellites and regions.
With advanced 3-axis stabilization, the Sea Tel 100 TVHD is made
for extreme conditions. Whether at dockside, anchor or rocking and
rolling on the Seven Seas, the Sea Tel 100 TVHD is the right
antenna for watching your favourite satellite TV programming.
The Sea Tel 100 TVHD is rigorously tested on a unique maritime
antenna testing platform, using motion and conditions encountered
on a huge range of vessels. This helps to ensure complete
reliability and longevity, even in extreme conditions and
All Sea Tel TV systems are designed in Cobham SATCOM's
state-of-the-art R&D centre in Concord, US. This unique
facility is dedicated to developing world-leading satellite
communication innovations for a wide range of commercial,
government and military projects.
Built in our new 25,500m2 super factory in Denmark, which houses
the industry's most sophisticated production and testing facilities
for maritime satellite technologies, Sea Tel 100 TVHD uses only the
highest quality components so you can be confident that it will
last, and keep delivering quality satellite broadcasting for years
to come.
Sea Tel TV antennas provide everything you could want for your
crew welfare and entertainment. They are easy to use with automated
functionality to eliminate complex manual reconfiguration, and each
delivers exceptional coverage, quality and choice without the cost
of going online.
With the world-class design, manufacturing and technology
applied to Sea Tel 100 TVHD ensuring reliable, high quality
television on board, it's still great to know that Cobham SATCOM
offers alongside online and offline troubleshooting, a Global
Service Solution that enables us to help maintain your Sea Tel
equipment wherever you are.
Lundtoftegaardsvej 93 D, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Thrane & Thrane A/S trading as Cobham SATCOM
4030 Nelson Avenue, Concord, California, USA
Sea Tel, Inc. dba Cobham SATCOM
The Sea Tel 100 TVHD antenna system features a new triple port feed and LNB that are capable of simultaneously receiving all
three of...
Next generation Sea Tel TV from Cobham SATCOM, the most trusted provider of satellite antennas for the global maritime sector. World-c...


text:
Only one post today and no posts tomorrow, so I'll try to make this one good, which is a departure from my normal routine of trying to write as poorly and boringly as possible just to see if anyone comes back the next day. I'm down from a peak readership of 13 and with any hope I'll be at 6 by the end of the month. I'm aiming for negative page hits, which I think is measured by a team of clairvoyants at Google who can tell when you were about to visit a page but then changed your mind and looked at kitten pictures instead.
I don't need a team of clairvoyants to tell me that if you're reading this sentence, it's 20 minutes later and you're positively fatigued from looking at cute kitties and just remembered "oh yeah, that bike guy," so you'll read this until completion, maybe as a means of recovering and revivifying, or maybe you'll just go back to the kitten pictures, which, frankly, isn't such a bad idea.
I rode the Cross Check today and I dressed in bike clothes and wore bike shoes and appeared rather bikerly. The day was resplendent and almost nippy, but shorts and short sleeves were still perfectly acceptable. The bike felt a bit squirrelly, as far as handling is concerned, but then again, I've never handled a a squirrel so I might not be an expert. The Brompton isn't very "responsive" (like a comatose squirrel?) and slight changes in the direction of the handlebars (now I'm thinking about a squirrel with a handlebar mustache) don't turn the wheel (now handlebar squirrel is the captain of a paddle boat on the Mississippi) nearly as much as the same movements do on the Cross Check. Accordingly, the bike seemed somewhat out of a my control and twitchy (paddle boat captain squirrel was struck by lightning, but he's ok), but after just a little while, it felt better and back to normal. I suppose that transitioning between two very different kinds of bikes would result in feeling these kinds of differences, but it's a rather dramatic shift and I never expected it to be so pronounced.
I rode down East Capitol and there were a few other cyclists out, but not so many because it was still early. On Pennsylvania, there were definitely more people out on bikes than there even were yesterday (FUN FACT: I didn't ride down Penn yesterday so how would I know?), a day with equivalently good weather. I expect the streets to be clogged with cyclists tonight, but in a good way. Like an artery after many happy years of delicious fatty meals.
I took 11th street north and R Street west. The sun was in such a position that I could see the shadows of the riders behind me as they approached me at red lights, giving me time to think to myself "please don't shoal please don't shoal please don't shoal" which mostly didn't happen, except for one guy who passed me on the left, squeezed between two cars and then rode through the red light. He hit the trifecta.
It's definitely easier riding uphill on this bike than on the other bike. It probably has something to do with gearing or maybe magic. However, the chain skipped a bunch and I don't know what that's all about. Yet another indication that I should bring the bike in for a tune-up or maybe a shiatsu massage.
Did I mention it was gorgeous outside today? It really was.


text:
StreetHeat reports "IN-DOE "AHH NIGGA" {STREETHEAT ARTIST} DIRECTED BY- TANA download in-does mixtape at www.datpiff.com search ''smoke this' contact information for all parties or shows - email@example.com www.myspace.com/indoemusic www.twitter.com/in_doe12.........................FOR VIDEOS CONTACT- firstname.lastname@example.com"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Technology is now at a place where CIOs can be left to focus on innovating and enabling business units.
As technology evolves and finds its place in business, the role of the technology leader -- the CIO -- also is changing. According to a recent report from Gartner, there are four future roles for IT and corresponding roles for CIOs. These roles, according to Gartner, may exist in combination with one another depending on the organization in question. The roles are:
Traditionally the CIO's main role has been of IT director -- but that is quickly changing, said Wake County, N.C., CIO Bill Greeves. "It's not particularly about the nuts and bolts of particular systems or applications or infrastructure," he said, "it's much more about being the change agent for an organization. Technology itself has really become commonplace in all of our government operations."
In some ways, the four roles of IT outlined by Gartner are all pieces of a common idea. The role of the CIO is transforming to that of an enabler and innovator because IT is embraced by everyone in the organization -- and daily maintenance and technical assistance are required less frequently. "Everyone is becoming a technologist in their own right," Greeves said, "so that forces the CIO role to change to be much less of the gatekeeper."
Technology is now at a place, Greeves said, where many things that were once difficult can now be taken for granted, leaving the CIO to focus on innovating and enabling business units.
Michigan CIO David Behen also spoke of a future in which the CIO is primarily an innovator and enabler. "I believe the CIO really needs to focus on leadership -- being a leader, a manager and coach in organizations to reach business goals," he said. While talk of cloud computing and bring-your-own-device abounds, government CIOs are generally not living up to their superiors' expectations, Behen said, because they're not focusing enough on being business-oriented.
"Your business agencies, your partners are going to be looking at you to help them figure out how they can be more successful with their business with the use of IT," he said. "Not only do you sit there and talk about what's possible -- then you gotta push them. You gotta talk about business process review, you gotta talk about how to change the processes, how you're going to do change management, work with your teams, the people part of it."
Having a shared vision is important in any business, Behen said, and if CIOs want to succeed, they need to have good relationships with the business-minded people in their organizations. "The CIO can't just be a technical guy anymore," he said. "They gotta be someone who understands the business and relates to the business."
Following a career in the private sector, Boston CIO Bill Oates said that his past six years of public service have seen big changes in how governments operate. "My sense is that we're much more involved with the business," he said, "and [we] help try to transform the service delivery that we provide to our constituents across the city in all areas of government."
Concepts like big data are powerful forces that compel people in government to change the way they do business, Oates said, and it's the CIO's job to show how it's done. "One of the challenges for a CIO is that you really need to be -- and should be -- part of how your city is innovating," he said. But at the same time, the traditional role of an enabler who keeps everything running smoothly shouldn't be ignored, otherwise, "bad things happen," he said. "In a CIO role, you can never forget the importance of the blocking and tackling."
IT organizations come in different types and sizes, but putting that aside, government IT is headed toward a future in which the bulk of a CIO's time will be spent doing two things, said Palo Alto, Calif., CIO Jonathan Reichental.
The CIO, he said, will be the agency's technology expert, who helps to vet and coordinate new technology in alignment with the organization's goals. Enabling business, as the other interviewed CIOs mentioned, will become a major part of what the CIO does. As department and division leaders have the opportunity to purchase software- and hardware-as-a-service, government IT will do less with the data center and managing technical problems, Reichental said, and the CIO's role become that of an adviser.
And IT in government will need to increase focus on enterprise architecture to ensure technology services are seamlessly integrated and supportive of organizational goals, he said. Government IT organizations will become smaller, Reichental added, and IT contractors and temporary IT will become more common.
"It's a bit of a journey," he said, "but we are absolutely on the verge of a transformation of how IT is delivered, and thus the role of the IT leader, the CIO."