text:
When the guys from Samara contacted us and said that they wanted to join us today, they asked if I would preach on one of my favorite Psalms because they thought this would be a special encouragement to the men there and the pastors there who were gathered. And it is Psalm 19. Through the years, I have preached many times on this Psalm, many places in the world. And it is certainly one of my favorites. My problem with this Psalm, however, is that we have a little bit of an abbreviated time this morning and I don't have an abbreviated message on it. But we'll make due with whatever time we have. And again, I want to say, what a joy it is to have this service with our dear friends in Samara and I'm happy to draw your attention to this Psalm.
You could sort of divide my life up into little segments in which I have battled for the Word of God. First great battle was over the inerrancy of Scripture. The inerrancy of Scripture - that is that it is without error. Spent about ten years in that battle in the inerrancy council. And the end of that was a Chicago statement on Biblical inerrancy which has become the definitive statement on inerrancy.
After battling over the issue of the inerrancy of Scripture, we then fought for a number of years on the completeness of Scripture, battling all of those new revelations and new visions and new words from the Lord that characterize the charismatic movement and wrote on that subject extensively and interacted and engaged myself in trying to defend the fact that the Scripture is the only revelation of God, not to be diminished and not to be added to. Anybody adding to the Scriptures added the plagues that are in it.
And then there was the issue of the relevance of Scripture and it is really relevant. Psychology swept into the church and the Scriptures seemed to need to bow its knee to the relevancy of psychology and so we were engaged in that. And then it was the sufficiency of Scripture - is it really enough? Does it contain enough to do all that's needed in the life of an individual. And now there's another war raging on the clarity of Scripture. There are many who say it's not clear. We can't know what it means, so let's not get carried away trying to explain it.
Seems like, as Thomas Watson said, "The devil is always trying to blow out the light of Scripture one way or another." And there is, in Psalm 19, this massive testimony to the glory and the power and the relevance and the comprehensiveness and the sufficiency and the clarity of Scripture. And if anyone is going to live the Scripture and particularly going to preach the Scripture, you need to do so with this confidence in mind. And this text is the greatest summation of the power of the Word of God anywhere in the Bible. It is really a small condensed version of Psalm 119 which has 176 verses, saying essential what this text says.
Now I want to look, because our time is limited, beginning at verse 7, beginning at verse 7. In the opening six verses, you have the revelation of God in creation. Verse 1 the heavens are telling the glory of God, their expanse is declaring the work of his hands. God has revealed himself in creation. Every day, day to day pours forth speech and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor are there words, yet where their voice is not heard. In other words, God declares himself in his creation every day and every night relentlessly. The vastness of the universe, all the life that it contains, all the laws that cause it to operate inexorably are a testimony and a manifestation of the glory of God.
It even goes on to talk about the sun moving from one end of the universe to the other. The sun has its own orbit and with it drags the entire solar system. This massive testimony to the existence of God, to his eternal power and godhead as Romans 1 puts it. This is general revelation theologians call it. But beyond that, is the necessity of special revelation. Only in special revelation can we know the gospel. General revelation is in the creation. Special revelation is in the Scripture - in the Scripture. And we see that outlines for us beginning in verse 7. "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is clear, pure or clear enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgment of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether."
Six statements - two in verse seven, two in verse eight, and two in verse nine. Six titles for Scripture, law, testimony, precepts, commandment, fear, and judgments. Six characteristics of Scripture. It is perfect, sure, right, clear, clean and true.
Six effects, it restores the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, endures forever and produces comprehensive righteousness. Here again, God, with an astounding and supernatural economy of words sums up everything that needs to be said about the power and sufficiency, the comprehensiveness and completeness of Scripture. I just want to take you through these six statements and then the responses that begin in verse 10.
Notice please, first of all, that all six have the phrase, "of the Lord". Six times, "of the Lord, of the Lord, of the Lord, of the Lord, of the Lord, of the Lord," just in case someone might question the source. This is the law of the Lord. This is the testimony of the Lord and so forth. This has divine origin. It is the inspired revelation of the Lord God himself.
And as you break it down and look at each of these phrases, you begin to accumulate a sense of the power and the greatness of Scripture. Take the first one in verse 7. "The law of the Lord is perfect restoring the soul." The word law looks at Scripture as God's law for man's conduct. How we are on this earth to live our lives. If you will, this is sort of the manual on maximum human behavior. In other words, if you want to enjoy life in the fullest sense that God has designed it, then you follow his law. His law is the binding standard by which we are to live. He says it is perfect.
Many years ago, I looked that Hebrew word up and traced it around a bunch of lexicons trying to figure out what was really there. I think I spent about three or four hours on that one word. And at the end of it all I decided that what it really means is perfect, that the translation was exactly accurate. But perfect has to be defined a little bit. Perfect, not in the sense of flawless, although that is absolutely true, but perfect in the sense of completeness. That is to say it is all-sided.
One lexicon calls it all-sided so as to cover all aspects of something. That is comprehensive. It leaves nothing out. It's purity comes later in these statements. It is clean and it is clear. Those are indications of its purity. But here it's its comprehensiveness. It is sweeping and complete and leaves nothing out. The effect of this is to restore the soul. The word restore basically means to transform. In fact, it can mean to totally transform.
And the word soul, nefesh, is in contrast to another word which means body. This means the inner person. You could take the Hebrew word nefesh and trace it through the Old Testament and you will find that in the typical English Bible, this word is translated by anywhere depending on the version you're using from say 18 to 22 different English words. Sometimes mind, sometimes person, sometimes soul, but it always means the inner person. It always means the inner person, the eternal person, the you that never dies.
And so what is the statement saying? Scripture, here called the law of the Lord - that is one way to view it. That is one of the facets of the diamond of Scripture. Looking at it as God's instruction for man's life, this is fully complete and comprehensive so as to totally transform the whole inner person. That's what it's saying. It is a sweeping statement about the Bible's power to convert, to transform, to regenerate by the work of the spirit of God through its own testimony.
1 Peter 1 says that we have been begotten again by the word of truth. Romans 10:17 says that we are saved when we hear the word concerning Christ. And so when we preach, we preach the word because the word alone has the power to totally transform the whole inner person. That's why Paul said in Romans 1, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.
And as noted earlier, Hebrews 4:12, the word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword piercing in and splitting open the inner man, revealing sin, producing conviction and guilt as well as restoring and converting. Nothing has the power of the Word of God. No story, no human insight, no philosophy. The word is the only power that can totally transform the whole inner person.
Whenever I think about that, I think of a man named Tim Evolina. Tim Evolina - this was a number of years ago - I was preaching in Sebring, Florida and there was a radio rally for Grace to You. We're on a lot of stations in Florida and I was having such a great time ministering the word. And afterwards this gentleman came up to me.
He was relatively young, in his thirties and he shook my hand and said, "My name is Tim Evolina and I'd like to tell you my story. Do you have a few minutes?" I said, "Sure." We sat down on the front row of the church and he unfolded the story.
He said, "I'm a fifth generation Jehovah's Witness. My father is in charge of the Jehovah's Witness movement in the state of Florida and my responsibility is to train all the Jehovah's Witness ministers. That's what I do. My whole family's in it. I have a couple of brothers that are in it. They're married and their children are in it, my children are in it. My wife it in it and we're all Jehovah's Witnesses." He said, "And we've had a very traumatic thing happen to us."
He said, "It was just a couple of months ago that I was driving across Florida and I turned on my radio and you were preaching. I didn't know who you were," he said. "But you said, 'Jesus is God.' And we don't believe that. So I reached down and turned the radio off. But then I was curious. So I turned it back on. This was on a Monday. And I was going from Jehovah's Witness place to place to do the training I do with these leaders. And you said, 'Jesus is God.' And then you began to explain how the Bible makes that clear. And I listened to the whole program and you said you were gonna do that all during the week so I" - as I said, we're on everywhere in Florida.
"So everywhere I went, I found that station and I listened five days. And it was all about the deity of Jesus Christ from Scripture. You said on Friday that you were gonna do the rest of the series the next week, so I listened all five days the next week. Ten days I heard you preach on the deity of Christ. On Friday I was staying at a motel. In my travel. I got on my face before God, on my bed and I said, 'Oh God, Jehovah that I thought I'd been serving, if you were truly Jesus Christ, incarnate - God incarnate, please may I know that in my heart?'" And he said, "The truth burst upon me and I wept and I committed my life to Jesus Christ and I was saved that Friday in that motel."
Now, if I asked you how do you reach somebody who is a false teacher, who is a trainer of false teachers, how do you approach them? What would you say? I'll tell you how to approach them. Just pound into their minds the Biblical truth that Jesus is God and let the word do its work. And by the power of the spirit, it did its work.
He said, "My conversion became an instant problem." "Now," he said, "I have to go back and retrain everybody. This is not going to be well received." He said, "I've already been excommunicated from my family." But he said, "I am going back to place to place to place and say I've come to faith in Christ as the incarnate God. We're wrong and the Bible makes it clear." He said, "Please pray for my wife and my children and my brothers and their children."
Well, it was a few months. I got a letter from him saying they'd all come to Christ. So a huge dent was put in the J.W. movement in Florida - massive proportions. This is only one illustration and my life is filled with so many of the power of the word of God to totally transform someone no matter how profoundly buried they are in Satanic deception. I've lived out the reality of that a long, long time I have been watching the word do this. And it has vindicated itself throughout all my life of preaching. It has the power to totally transform the whole inner person. Every preacher has to believe that.
And when I hear a preacher preach the word of God, I know he believes that. And when I hear a preacher preach anything else, I know he doesn't believe that no matter what he claims. It's not what you say that is the proof of - not what you claim that is the proof of what you believe, it's how you preach.
Second in verse 7, Scripture is looked at not as the law of the Lord, but as the testimony of the Lord. And Scripture is the testimony of the Lord. It's God's self-revelation. We talk about a testimony meaning personal witness to one's own experience. So you go to court, you give a testimony. You come to a fellowship group or a Bible study, you give your testimony. It's your personal experience regarding God.
Well, here's God's testimony. This is God's own testimony to himself. It is his own revelation and how wonderful it is that you have God revealed here. In fact, as I prepare to preach and study the word of God, I'm always looking for the revelation of God in every text, in every verse, in every phrase, in every word because that's what the Bible is.
It is God's self-disclosure. How wonderful that God has revealed himself in such a grand way, such a large way, 66 books, 39 in the Old, 27 in the New, all revealing truth about God to us so that we may know our God and rest securely in his self revelation as truth. Testimony of the Lord is sure. It's characteristic. It is sure. That is it is reliable. It is trustworthy. And there are a lot of books in the world you cannot trust. And in fact, in any book there is going to be an error, any book written by any man, any time. Here is the word from the Lord that is absolutely reliable. And what is the impact of this? It makes wise the simple. This is just a profound and simple statement. It makes wise the simple.
Let me talk about simple for a minute. Simple is a word in the Hebrew that basically means ignorance. It means one without understanding, the one who does not know. But, it has a concrete idea to it that I think is fascinating. It basically comes from a root that means an open door. Now that Hebrew is a pretty concrete language, unlike Greek, which is a little more esoteric and philosophical and theoretical. Hebrew is very concrete as opposed to being abstract. And the idea of being simple-minded is the idea of an open door. You ever hear people say, "Well I'm open minded?" That's a public statement of ignorance.
People say, "I am an agnostic." Right? One who does not know - agonos, gonos is one who does not know. I am an agnostic. Well, you might want to remind them the Latin equivalent is ignoramus. You rarely year someone say, "I am and ignoramus." It's the same word. What does it mean? That the door is open on their brain. Everything goes in and everything goes out. It is the inability to discern. It is the inability to distinguish. It is the inability to separate. You shouldn't be proud of that.
To say you're open minded, a Hebrew would say to you, "Well close the door. You need to know what to keep in and what to keep out." You have a door on your house for that reason. You keep it closed to keep some things in like children and heat and air conditioning and whatever. And you open it only when you want to let something or someone in. The door is a point of discrimination. It's a point of discretion. It's a point at which you distinguish and to be careful about your door, you probably have a hole in it that you can look through to help you in your discerning about who's going to get in and who's not.
It's like your mind. You shouldn't be proud that you let everything in and everything out. Close the door. The word of God does that for you. It teaches you discernment. It teaches you discrimination. It teaches you to distinguish. This is critical in producing wisdom. It takes the simple and makes the simple wise, shahalm, in Hebrew.
What does that mean? It doesn't mean wise in ideas. It is skilled in all manner of living. That's what it means, skilled in all manner of living. It makes you skilled at life. It's not just theoretical. It is truth in the mind. But it's truth in the mind that shows up in the life. We're not talking about spinning off theories here. We're talking about knowing what is right, knowing what is true and therefore living what is right and living what is true.
There's only one document that's ever been placed into this human world that can totally transform your entire inner person for eternity and only one document that will truly give you the skill to live life to the maximum point of blessing. And that is the word of God. I teach the Bible to people because there is no sanctification apart from it. There is no salvation apart from it and there is no sanctification apart from it. Not only do you need to be transformed in your soul, but you need to be skilled in knowing the truth and living the truth so that you can bring glory to God and enjoy the fullness of his blessing.
Verse 8 gives us two more. The precepts of the Lord - this views the Bible as precepts, principles, doctrines, truths. It is God's law for man's conduct. It is God's self-revelation. It is also principles, propositions. We like that word - propositions. Everybody says they believe the Bible, "Oh, I believe the Bible." Jehovah's Witnesses read the Bible, say they believe the Bible. Mormons read the Bible, say they believe the Bible. Liberals read the Bible. Everybody affirms the Bible to one degree or another.
It's not that you affirm the Bible. It's what do you affirm the Bible teaches? And therefore, the truths of the Bible need to be stated propositionally. There's a real resistance to that today 'cause that's dogma, that's doctrine and for many people, that's divisive. But these are precepts. Out of Scripture, out of its narrative, out of its doctrinal sections, out of its praise, out of its epistles comes doctrine, dogma, to be affirmed, propositional truth. And this is the word of God. It sets down truths to be believed. And it says the precepts of the Lord are right.
Now the word right doesn't mean right as opposed to wrong, although that's obviously true. It is really a word that means that they put you in a right direction. They send you in a right path. And there's motion in all of this, transforming the soul is movement, it's not static. Sanctification - making a person who lacks discretion and lacks discrimination becomes skilled in all manner of living. And the word of God now sets you on a right path. Your word is a lamp unto my feet and light to my path," Psalm 119.
It's not only a lamp and a light, it is the path. This is the way, says the writer. Walk in it. There is a way which seems right unto a man, the ends thereof are the ways of death, but this is the way you are to walk. Scriptures testimony is that we are to walk in the precepts of the word of God. This is about motion. This is about direction. And when you walk this way, verse 8, the result is rejoicing the heart. It is the path of joy. It is the path of joy. This is all through Scripture. I don't even have time to develop all of these things. But just listen to this.
Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing, making melody in your heart to the Lord." There is an exuberant joy that throws you into celebration and praise and song and thanksgiving when the word is at work and you're walking in its path. It is the right path. It is where you want to walk. And it produced joy. "These things," John says, "I write unto you that your joy may be full."
Jeremiah say to God, "Thy words were found and I did eat them." Jeremiah 15:16, "And thy word was in me, the joy and rejoicing of my heart." Nobody else listened to Jeremiah. Finally they threw him in a pit to shut him up. Nobody listened. But just the word coming from God to him in that horrible situation was, in his own heart, joy. Joy. And so the Bible - the word of God, sets forth those propositional truths, that lay out the right path in which your walking produces joy. And I'm not talking about superficial happiness related to circumstances, happenstance. I'm talking about a deep seated, profound, unassailable, untouchable joy because no matter what's going on around you, you know your relationship to God is what it should be.
Verse 8 then says, "The commandment of the Lord," this views the word of God as commands. This is not a book of suggestions. This is not a book of good thoughts, nice ideas. This is commandment and God is the sovereign king of the universe who has total authority over every life. We are even commanded to believe the gospel. We are commanded to repent. And every other instruction that comes to us is a command. Scripture, then, is commandment. And the commandment of the Lord is clear. The word in Hebrew is clear. That is, it is transparent, it is translucent, it is not opaque, it is not hard. And that's why the effect of that is it enlightens the eyes. I'm gonna talk about that tonight. Those who say that the word of God is not clear have a problem with this - and a lot of other things. The word of God is crystal clear. A wayfaring man, though he be a fool, need not err.
This is hidden from the worldly wise and prudent and Jesus said, "Revealed unto babies." And he said, "Unless you become as a little child, you can't even enter the kingdom." This is not some esoteric Gnostic super complex knowledge. Jesus said those kinds of things against the backdrop of a very complex, confusing, allegorical, mystical interpretation of the Old Testament being conducted by many of the Rabbis of his time. Commandments are clear. Otherwise they're pointless commandments. How can God hold us responsible to obey what we can't understand?
To say the Bible isn't clear is to then indict God as having set up an impossible situation where he is commanding us to do what isn't clear. It is clear. Enlightening the eyes, so clear. Makes everything too clear, too clear. I'll talk about that tonight too. It's too clear. It's not that the Bible's not clear. It's that it's so clear, these people who deny it's clarity don't like what it says. And in order to escape what is clear, they say it's not clear. How clear can it be? Well, let me just give you one illustration. I think of this again as I come here.
It was a number of years ago. There was a family named the Romanovski family and they were serving the Lord in Brigham City, Utah. Brigham City Bible Church. How would you like to have a Bible church with Brigham Young's name on it? That's a little strange. But that was the name of the town. They were trying to reach Mormons for Christ. They had a son and two daughters - beautiful daughters and their son, Kevin. And they, in the summer, after school was out, decided to come to southern California to enroll their oldest daughter at the Master's College and to visit Grace Church. And this was a highlight, of course, for them because they were so beleaguered in that little town trying to reach Mormons. That's a tough ministry.
So they packed their two daughters and their younger son, Kevin, who was, I think 10 or 12. I can't remember exactly at that time. And because they were inveterate evangelists that also brought two Italian foreign exchange students with them who were on the foreign exchange program from Italy in the school there, who were not Christians and they thought they'd be able to present Christ to them on the summer trip.
They all jumped in their wagon or van and they headed down here and they went out to the Master's College on Saturday to register the oldest daughter. And the other one would be coming, I think, a year later to the college. And it was a happy day. It was a Saturday and it was just before their Sunday to be here. And as they were pulling out onto Sierra Highway, for whatever reason, they went against a red light and a truck coming down the hill there at Placerita and Highway hit the car without applying his brakes and catapulted the two girls out the back of it and were both killed instantly, lying in the middle of the street. The car was ignited in fire, the boys were smashed all over the place, were immediately taken to Henry Mayo Hospital because their injuries were very severe.
And the hit had been right behind the driver's seat, the front seat where John and Nora were sitting and so they were spared the power and force of that full collision although they were banged around and injured in superficial ways. I mean, just an unbelievably stunning event in the middle of such a high point of life. And maybe for some people a strange reward for faithful service to the Lord and a very, very hard place. With all those wonderful, noble and good intentions, your family's splattered all over the street and two of them are gone.
I found out about it soon. I think it was my son Mark who saw the accident, gave us a call and I talked to John as fast as I could get to him and I'll never forget this conversation. This is exactly how it went to my recollection.
I said, "John, I don't know what to say. I have no words. You know, our hearts are all broken with yours." And he said, "Well," he said, "I have several thoughts about this." First he said, "I keep thinking maybe it's a dream, but I know that's not true." And then he said, "My sweeping thought was this: Isn't God good? That he took my two daughters that knew Christ and loved Christ and spared these two Italian boys that are unsaved? Isn't God good?" And then he said this. He said, "You know, I wanted my girls to have a big church experience. And I wanted them to hear a big choir. I just didn't think it would be heaven and the heavenly choir."
That's seeing things pretty clearly, isn't it? Where do you get that kind of clarity in that kind of holocaust? They came to this church, stood right here and gave this congregation a testimony. Within a week or so after that accident went back home with just their son who recovered over a number of weeks from his injuries. And John wrote me a little alter and said, "We have had the greatest ministry ever here because of the testimony of our faith in Christ and the loss of those two girls."
I'll tell you something folks, life can be pitch black for most people at that moment. But not for those who understand the word. The Psalmist said it again and again. I have hope in your word. I have hope in your word. I see it. I get it. I know what it is to live. I know what it is to die in Christ. I know what it is to go to the glories of heaven. The word of God is, no question about it, commandment. But it is commandment designed to give us clarity on all the dark things of life so that we live enlightened about these things. What a gift.
Verse 9 adds two more. "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever," is the first one and the fifth in our little list. The fear of the Lord. What is that? Fear is another word for reverence, awe, worship. The Bible is a manual on worship. It will tell you how to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. It will tell you how to worship the God who is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the God who is the God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It defines the one to be worshiped and how he is to be worshiped. And he is not to be worshiped by graven images. And he is not to be worshiped as if he is an idol or some manmade thing.
He is to be worshiped as the God who is spirit, who is eternal, who is the creator, sustainer, and consummator of the Universe. He is to be worshiped as the one who is all holy, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and immutable. It is the manual on worship that we are called to worship. He has saved us to make us true worshipers, Jesus said, who worship the father in spirit and in truth. Worship is so, so important. The Bible is our manual on worship and it is clean. That is - it is without spot. It is without blemish. This is a testimony to Scripture's inerrancy. It is clean.
How do we know? It endures forever. It is a manual on worship that never changes. We are to worship God the way Abraham did and the way Isaac did and they way David did and they way Moses did and the way Elijah did and the way Daniel did and the way Ezra did and the way the apostles did and the way the apostle Paul did and the way the early church did and the way the great saints of history did. It's the same God and the same manual on worship. It always bothers me when I see some deal - new worship. What in the world is that? Give me old worship.
I don't mind changing the tunes. I don't mind making some changes as we go along, culturally and I've been all over this world and there are different ways to do it. But the content of our worship and the object of our worship is unchanging. And he doesn't deserve superficiality. He deserves depth of worship that comes from the deep understanding of his revelations so we know who it is we worship and worship him from the heart. I've said this to young preachers for years.
Your worship will never be high unless you take your people deep. The objective of the preacher is to go deep down into the truth and that's what produces transcendent worship. You can't go high unless you go deep and most people in evangelical churches live in the marginal middle, never think deeply about anything and so their worship is manipulated and manufactured rather than from the heart, out of the depth of understanding. So, the Bible is the manual for worship. It is flawless and that is why it lasts.
What kills? Why is there death in the world? Because of what? Sin. Anything touched by sin will die. The word of God endures how long? Forever. Not one jot, one tiddle shall ever pass from this law 'til all will pass - 'till all is fulfilled. And Jesus said heaven and earth may pass away, but my word will never pass away. And that is a testimony to its purity. It is untouched by sin. So the word of God endures forever as the manual for our worship.
Finally, the judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether. The judgments, states Scripture as adjudications rendered by the great judge of all the earth from the divine bench. It gives us God's verdict on everything. It is decisive. God demonstrates his verdict. He says clearly where the righteous will go and clearly where the unrighteous will go. And this word of God contains all the divine verdicts on the human race as well as on angels who fell. It is God's adjudication from his bench on his creatures. As such, it is true. It is true. I cannot emphasize that enough. I could preach a series on the fact of this one word.
In a world of lies and a world of deception, it is true. It is absolutely unequivocally true. As a result, the phrase, "they are righteous altogether," can be translated - it produces comprehensive righteousness. It's true and its product it full orbed righteousness. It will make the righteous all the righteous need to be. John 17:17, "Sanctify them by thy truth, thy word is truth." It is the one document that sanctifies and brings us to glory. So much more to say.
Scripture is God's law. God's testimony, God's precepts, God's commands, God's fear, manual on worship, his judgments. It is perfect, comprehensive, sure, right, clear, clean, true, totally transforms a whole inner person, makes the undiscerning skilled in all aspects of living, produces an unassailable joy, makes the dark things light, endures forever. Every culture, every place, every age, every person finds it relevant and it produced comprehensive righteousness. And ask yourself what the heart desires.
You know, if you just talk to people out there, just in general, people would like to be different. The unregenerate are not happy, dissatisfied with their inability to overcome their own weakness infirmity, sin, guilt. Destroyed relationships all around them as they live their life. We can offer them, through the word of God, a total transformation of the whole inner person. I think people would like to be wise. I think they would like to be able to figure life out. Only the word of God will make the person discerning, discriminating, discretion, wisdom, able to make the choices in life that produce blessed results. I think people want to be happy. The word of God promises and unassailable joy. I think people want to see light in the midst of darkness. I think they want clarity.
The word of God promises that. How wonderful to have a document that is always relevant and always applicable and enduring forever, unsullied source of truth. The Bible is that. How wonderful to be totally righteous, delivered from condemnation, fear, guilt. Only the Bible can do that.
As a result, of all of this, look at verse 10. "The words of God are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb." This is more precious than any other thing. More to be desired than the best gold, anything the world has to offer is the idea here. It is more precious than the best commodity the world has to offer. It is sweeter than the sweetest thing that life can bring. It is the best.
Moreover, it's not just our greatest possession and our greatest pleasure. By them, thy servant is warned, it is our greatest protection - the word is. And not just that, it is our greatest provider because in keeping the words of Scripture, verse 11 says, there is a great reward. "Who can discern his errors, equip me of hidden faults, also keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me then I shall be blameless and I shall be acquitted of great transgression." It is also the greatest purifier. It washes away sin. It is your greatest possession. It is your greatest pleasure. It is your greatest protection, your greatest provider, produces the great eternal reward.
It is the greatest purifier and that is why the Psalm ends this way. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord my rock and my redeemer." You say, "How's that connected?" "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord my rock and my redeemer." What he's simply saying is the words of my mouth and the meditations of my hear have to be about what? Scripture. He's referring back - and we'll close with this - to Joshua.
Joshua 1:8, listen to this. "This book of the law Scripture shall not depart from your mouth. But you shall meditate on it day and night. So this book of the law doesn't depart from your mouth and you meditate on it day and night." And that's exactly what he just said. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. And what is an acceptable word and an acceptable meditation? That which is directed to this book of the law, "so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous. Then you will have success."
Talk the word and meditate on the word all the time. And then you will be acceptable in the sight of God who is your rock and your redeemer. Let's pray.
We remember the words of Psalm 138:2 oh God which says that you have exalted your word even as high as your name for your word is truly a revelation of your very holy person. We thank you for the power of the word. We thank you for faithful preachers of the word and faithful believers who live the word and proclaim the word. We thank you for the preachers who are being trained in Samara and we pray now, oh God, that they will go out as a mighty force for the glory of the word of God which is the glory of God himself. Thank you for the preparation to preach this great glorious word. May we all be faithful to its proclamation and obedient to it we pray in Christ's name, Amen.
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.
This sermon series includes the following messages:
Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.Publisher Information


text:
Running for Luck
When I arrived at Sean Kelley's on Saturday morning, the street was a sea of green — green sequins, green tutus, green feather boas and green face paint. To the average passerby, it probably looked like a huge (and one-week premature) St. Patrick's Day party — which it sort of was, except that all of the partygoers were also running either a 5-kilometer or 7-mile race.
Countless road races are held in Missoula every year, each with its own unique charm and flair. But Run Wild Missoula's annual Irish-themed "Run for the Luck of It" is truly one of the best. I don't know if it's the crazy costumes, the bagpipers, the free beer in the finishers' tent or just the overall atmosphere of fun and festivity, but this is one race that I have looked forward to all year.
The 5K course takes runners over the Scott Street bridge and through the Northside neighborhood. From there, they cross over the railroad tracks via the pedestrian bridge and loop back to Missoula's favorite Irish pub. This year, race organizers decided to add a 7-mile option, which tacks on a couple of miles in Missoula's Westside neighborhood and a loop through the Missoula Cemetery.
Both courses offer a variety of streets and scenery — and with more than 700 participants this year, there was plenty of competition. But the best part of the whole shebang was definitely the outfits worn by race participants.
The costume competition inspired a slew of hilarious leprechaun suits and sparkly shamrock frocks. I felt kind of lame wearing a plain old green T-shirt, but a plastic rainbow cape — yes, there was one of those, anchored to a belt containing a pot of gold — probably wouldn't have been the most aerodynamic wardrobe choice.
Despite my lack of flash and sparkle, I am proud to say that I finished the 7-miler — the longest race of my entire career — in second place. And let me tell you, free beer has never tasted so good.
Brooke is a 2010 graduate of The University of Montana, where she ran track and cross country for the Grizzlies. She is currently working as a writer and editor in Missoula.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Peyton's Soothing Charmer
Name: Peyton (4)
Location: Odenville, AL
When we moved Peyton into her own room, I wanted her new space to feel bright and happy. I wanted her furniture to be fun and girly, but also versatile enough to continue to work in her room as she grows and gets older.
I painted the walls Benjamin Moore's "Irish Mist", a very light (almost white) gray. The room is filled with a mixture of antique finds and things I've made or transformed in some way .I found the dresser and vanity on Craigslist and then gave them both a new look by painting them with Benjamin Moore's "Whispering Spring" and then distressing them. Her room is probably one of my favorite places in the house.
Thanks Jaime! Readers, see more of Peyton's lovely room on Jaime's blog, Caught in Grace.
(Images: Jaime Scott)


text:
Ideas for Keeping Track of the Dishwasher
Little is worse than dropping a messy plate into a dishwasher load of (previously) clean dishes. You either have to waste water and money running the whole load again, or admit your lesser kitchen cleanliness standards and use those dirty-by-association dishes. Next time, save yourself the trouble and leave some—any!—reminder of what lies beneath the dishwasher door.
It's a convenience to those sharp minds who live alone, but it becomes a necessity to us forgetful folk or anyone living with roommates or their S.O.
But it's easy to keep track of the state of your dishwasher. There's plenty of store-bought magnets, sliders and spinners that can help you out, but we're encouraging you to go a little anti-mass-production on this one.
The idea is the same—switch to the "clean" marker when you run the dishwasher and switch to "dirty" once you unload—but the methods are all different:
The DIY Way:
Instead of store-bought, go DIY and get something better suited to your tastes. Flickr user scmntgirl sewed some green-and-blue floral fabric around a rectangle of cardboard with a magnet attached to the back.
The Etsy Way:
We love these organic tea towel designs from Etsy seller ShowPony; they can become a subtle way to communicate with roommates. Hang the "Do the Dishes" towel up on your towel rod when the dishwasher is dirty, and hang "Keep it Clean" when it's waiting to be unloaded.
The Easy Way:
Don't feel like doing much Etsy shopping or DIY? Go bachelor-chic and doodle on your dishwasher with a dry-erase marker, like Flickr user massdistraction.


text:
Style # 214130
AVAILABILITY: Unavailable for immediate shipment.
Cut from our new fresh and fast-drying be-fit fabric, this bebe activewear essential strikes the perfect balance between style and support. Features light padded at bust, back cutout and logo across front.
- 80% nylon, 20% spandex
- Center back to hem: 12" (31 cm)
- Resists fading and shrinking
- Wicks moisture
- Feels like cotton
- Machine wash
- Made in USA with imported materials
- Model is 5'9" and is wearing a US size S


text:
This article is a guild information page for Harbingers of Lloth of Frostwolf US.
The contents herein are entirely player made and in no way represent official World of Warcraft history or occurrences which are accurate for all realms. The characters and events listed are of an independent nature and applied for roleplaying, fictional, speculative, or opinions from a limited playerbase only. Guild pages must comply with the guild page policy.
Server:Frostwolf US
Harbingers of LlothEdit
Harbingers of Llothis an end game instance raiding guild on the US Frostwolf Server. It was created 2 days after release, November 25th 2004, and became a raiding guild around June 2005.
HoL strives to be a guild that is bound together by common goals and friendship, and not one that is stuck together for the sole purpose of phat lootz. We believe struggling and working towards a goal and finally succeeding is the most this game has to offer. We look down upon negative attitudes and personalities and try to avoid drama at all cost. We do however allow any member's friend into the guild to have people to talk to. These hatchlings will however be removed without second thought if they are caught disturbing the peace. We do pester other guilds on our server but it's all in good fun, not to mention we have some of the best chat spammers on this server.
As of January 21, 2008, HoL downed Illidan Stormrage.
Guild ProgressEdit
- Molten Core - Cleared - 10/22/05
- Blackwing Lair - Cleared - 1/21/06, Currently selling loot from here
- Temple of Ahn'Qiraj - Cleared - 9/04/06
- Naxxramas - Gothik the Harvester Down - 12/21/06, Alliance first
December 2002: PSXStar starts Harbingers of Lloth on Ragnarok Online iRO Chaos with a few friends, including several members who are still with HoL today.
2003-2004: PSXStar passes leadership of Harbingers of Lloth to Xiaohu to lead the guild through War of Emperiums. HoL becomes allies with Aureus, Denuo Convena and Visage to fight a common enemy.
November 2004: A dozen or so HoL decide to try out World of Warcraft, accompanied by another dozen from ally guilds. Xiaohu gives leadership of the WoW guild to PSXStar (Tizirt) because he was only playing casually and still leading the RO guild.
2005: Many of the RO->WoW refugees start to play only wow only, all leveling up and merging with other guilds such as The Foot and Anonymous.
May 2005: PSX Star quits wow and gives control back to Xiaohu as the guild becomes an official end game instance raiding guild. HoL teams up with a few guilds (Opfor then NOVA) and starts raiding Molten Core every week.
May 2005-2007: Opfor stops raiding with HoL and NOVA transfers to Frostmane, and HoL becomes its own self-sufficient raiding guild. All following history can be found on the main progression page.
January 2008: At 1% left on Illidan, the entire raid (39/40) had died on the encounter, except for 1 player, a rogue, who was able defeat Illidan in a one-on-one battle, solidifying their claim as the second Alliance guild to defeat Illidan.
Guild Leader: Xiaohu
-- Druid Officer: Mysiria
-- Hunter Officer: Kawaii
-- Mage Officer: Qualidus
-- Paladin Officer: Trosha
-- Priest Officer: Trosha
-- Rogue Officer: Yuuko
-- Warlock Officer: Xiaohu
-- Warrior Officer: Yuuko
Guild RulesEdit
- This is a hardcore raiding guild as such every person is expected to be able to come to at least 2 runs a week.
- If you are unable to make it for a week or more you must notify your class leader.
- If we can't do raids because of attendance, those members will the lowest attendance will be removed from the guild and we will find replacements.
- All members are required to have a least 10 Major Healing Potions at the start of the raid as well as being fully repaired.
- Additionally casters should have 10 Major Mana Potions
- We use a DKP system for loot.


text:
Professional Power Done Right.
NEW 3-Point Hitch models!
Includes everything you need to know! Model comparisons, specification charts, features, owner stories, and FAQs.
See it in action! See what the DR® can really tackle and hear from customers who use it on their own properties.
Learn about all the current promotions, including cash savings, credit offers, our hands-on trial, and more!
This log splitter has made the job of supplying wood for our fireplace super quick and easy! Never thought I'd get so much done in such a short time and with minimal effort.
This product does everything that I need. I was very impressed how it was able to split very large logs with no trouble. I like the convenience of just plugging it in and it's ready to go especially in the garage out of the weather. Thank You DR!
These (RapidFire) rack & pinion machines are a lot faster, easier to work with, less maintenance, less mess.


text:
Survey: Over 50% of Americans Expect Home Prices to Rise
By Saabira Chaudhuri
More than half of Americans now expect the country's home prices to climb within the next year, illustrating a growing optimism toward the health of the housing industry, according to new data from mortgage-finance company Fannie Mae.
"For the first time in the survey's three-year history, the majority of Americans surveyed now expect home prices to increase," said Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae. "Crossing the 50% threshold marks a significant milestone as most Americans believe a housing recovery is truly occurring throughout the country."


text:
Hormel Foods Leader Headlines Next First Tuesday Speaker Series
Chairman, President, and CEO, Jeff Ettinger will present "Establish Your Roots...Then Grow!" on May 1.
Jeff Ettinger, chairman, president, and CEO of Hormel Foods will present "Establish Your Roots...Then Grow!" at the next "1st Tuesday Speaker Series" on May 1 at 11:30 a.m. in the University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center.
Since becoming President of Hormel Foods in 2004 and CEO in 2005, Ettinger has grown the company through strategic acquisitions and a continued focus on new product innovation. He also spearheaded the company's efforts to become more transparent regarding its corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives, as well as founded Hormel's diversity and inclusion council, which aims to meet the growing needs of its diverse workforce and consumer base.
Ettinger holds a bachelor of arts degree and law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and attended the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.
Tickets to the event, which includes lunch, are $28. To register, visit carlsonschool.umn.edu/firsttuesday.


text:
It gives us great pleasure to announce that Daniel Zapata has been awarded the 2013 Sandra P. Zemm Labor Law Prize. The Prize was established in 2009 at IIT Chicago-Kent by the law firm of Seyfarth Shaw to honor the memory of Sandra P. Zemm, who died in September 2008 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The Zemm Prize is awarded each year to a graduating senior in the certificate program who exemplifies the qualities that Ms. Zemm possessed: "a commitment to pursue a career in labor and employment law, a pioneer spirit and willingness to take the initiative wherever possible, and a gracious and generous attitude toward helping those in need." Recipients are selected by the Chicago-Kent faculty who teach in the law school's Program in Labor and Employment Law.
Daniel has amply demonstrated a commitment to a career in labor and employment law, a pioneer spirit, and concern for those in need. Daniel graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington. He received a degree in political science with a minor in mathematics. Daniel has interned at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, worked as a student-attorney at the Chicago-Kent Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, clerked at Asher, Gittler & D'Alba, externed at the Illinois Labor Relations Board, and is currently a legal intern at the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Prior to entering law school, Daniel worked for United Parcel Service as a payroll and benefits supervisor. Daniel is the current president of the Labor and Employment Law Society and is a student editor for the Illinois Public Employee Relations Report. Daniel has also volunteered his time in a variety of ways. Prior to attending law school, Daniel coordinated his office's United Way fundraising activities and served as a volunteer at a homeless shelter and rehabilitation center. Daniel has also volunteered at Special Olympics events since 2005.
Main Chicago-Kent event
Academic calendar
CLE calendar
Alumni event calendar
Admissions calendar


text:
Car News
2013 Cadillac XTS to Offer Safety Alert Seat That Vibrates
- The seat warns drivers of upcoming threats from all sides
- Vibration comes from the right or left bolster, depending on location of the perceived threat
When Cadillac's all-new XTS flagship sedan goes on sale this summer, it will offer one exotic new safety feature that's likely to surprise most car shoppers: a vibrating driver's seat. Several competitors offer a built-in massaging mechanism or seats that shake if a driver drifts from a lane, but the XTS's Safety Alert Seat adds an entirely new dimension by vibrating to warn drivers of upcoming hazards.
Offered as part of the optional Driver Awareness package, the XTS's technologically advanced driver's seat gently vibrates to the left or right depending on the direction of upcoming obstacles. Cadillac says the seat taps into several of the sedan's obstacle detection systems; it will even vibrate when it detects a threat from the rear, the automaker says. Hazards that may trigger vibration include attempts to change lanes when there's a vehicle in the driver's blind spot, when easy-to-miss threats are perceived from behind when reversing or when a potential collision with a nearby object is detected during parking.
"It's akin to someone tapping on your shoulder in a crowd to get your attention," explained General Motors active safety technical fellow Raymond Kiefer. "Using the tactile sense to communicate crash threat direction provides an effective and intuitive way to cut through the clutter of visual and auditory sensory information that drivers routinely experience."
Cadillac's Driver Awareness package combines the Safety Alert Seat with a host of other safety equipment. Such items include Forward Collision Alert, which warns drivers of upcoming frontal collisions; Lane Departure Warning, which audibly sounds when a driver is drifting from a lane; and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, which cautions drivers if a vehicle is approaching from behind during reversing. Cadillac says the XTS will also offer available adaptive cruise control, automatic collision preparation and automatic braking systems designed to intervene if a threat is imminent.
Originally revealed at last year's Los Angeles Auto Show, the 2013 XTS will serve as Cadillac's flagship model when it starts arriving at dealers this month. The XTS is expected to rival upscale sedans including the Audi A6 and Lexus GS. Its 3.6-liter V6 engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission; starting price is $44,995 with destination.
What it means to you: The XTS looks to be a technological marvel at a reasonable price.


text:
Transwestern needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 118 designs submitted by 39 freelance designers.
Douglas Entrance
First built in 1927 as the entrance to the Coral Gables community, Douglas Entrance is an upscale office complex consisting of five buildings ranging in style from historic to contemporary. Located just north of the Coral Gables core and the Miracle Mile shopping district, Douglas Entrance offers companies a campus environment that combines classic architecture and lush landscaping around a central courtyard, combining an "old world" feel and attentive service with modern amenities such as a cafe, concierge, and aLEED Silver certification for sustainable management.
More information on Douglas Entrance can be found at http://www.douglasentrance.com
Due to the soft real estate leasing market and competition from newer buildings, we need to re-energize the marketing of Douglas Entrance and re-introduce the property to the marketplace. Our target audiences are 1) companies currently leasing space in more "generic" office buildings and 2) real estate brokers that help these companies find office space.
We have summarized our ideas for a tag line and the marketing messages that will be used in a new brochure, website, advertisements, and other communications. This summary can be found via the link below:
In this PDF, we've listed a number of potential tag lines -- please use one that works best with your design, but understand we have not yet picked the final tag line we will ultimately use -- we're hoping that the logo design will help us choose which tagline is best.
The successful logo design will:
- visually demonstrate Douglas Entrance's unique combination of history and modernity
- help support our marketing messages
- provide a professional, businesslike feel in terms of design, font and color
- allow the logo to be used both with an without tag line
- be legible in a wide variety of sizes and uses
We will need the following from the winning designer:
- logo, both with and without tag line
- files provided for color, B&W, and reversed logos (EPS and JPG formats)
- font specifications (will need to provide PC font files if necessary)
- color specifications
Using the link below, please see the example of a graphics standard guide we desire:
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
2008 Annual Manufacturing Survey: Safety Main Priority, But Green Catching Up
Food safety is still the chief concern of processors, but the green trend shot up the charts too; 77 percent see growth this year.
Food and beverage processors exited 2007 with confidence in 2008. Our seventh annual manufacturer's survey shows nearly 77 percent of food and beverage processors anticipate production increases of at least 5 percent this year. And although safety concerns remain the biggest focus for processors, many will be both spending and saving green by "going green."
There was a record 395 respondents, 160 more than last year's survey. For the second year, we used an enhanced statistical analysis to generate a clearer picture of processor concerns. Based on a ranking scale assigning weighted relevance to each of nine categories (see chart), each concern was assigned aggregate points to determine level of importance.
Other concerns cited include: "reducing conversion costs, inventory reduction, reducing turnovers;" "replacement equipment and (resources) to accommodate expansion or replacement;" and "regulatory issues."
Safety first
The optimism for 2008 must be tempered by the concern for food safety, once again the No. 1 concern among our processors. And for good reason: Last year was one of the worst for food recalls. It was a year in which the industry was overwhelmed by food scares and in which "Let's go for some Chinese" went from a common lunch suggestion to a guaranteed laugh in a Letterman monologue.
"There's a change of consumer perception regarding the environmental impact of consumer products. Consumers will start to challenge the logistics of certain products and their distribution based on the environment," said Hubertus Schubert, engineering consultant/process engineering for Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta.
But the inundation of Chinese ingredient scandals was only half of last year's food safety debacle. The domestic fiascos came hot and heavy. One meat processor, Topps Meat Co., folded rather than face the music of the second largest beef recall in U.S. history. E. coli O157:H7 in its hamburgers sickened dozens – but killed no one. And Augusta, Ga.-based Castleberry Foods Inc. was almost taken down by a recall of nearly 100 of its meat-based products for botulism.
We specifically asked about E. coli concerns, although certainly other bugs wreaked havoc last year. Four in 10 answer they are "extremely concerned." Add in another fourth who are "very concerned" and nearly a fifth "somewhat concerned" and you'll see this tiny bug is making enough commotion to keep more than 80 percent of processors up at night.
It wasn't just meat and meat-based pet food that put the fear into processors last year. Bagged spinach and salad recalls nearly devastated those markets. ConAgra early in the year took a $66 million hit for contaminated peanut butter, then near the end of the year recalled Banquet pot pies. Cheese, tortillas, smoked salmon dip, puffed veggie snacks … a veritable supermarket of recalled consumer food products proved processors are having considerable trouble keeping the bugs out of the food.
This epidemic of food-safety failures pushed the issue to one of its highest showings as a top processor concern – more than 52 percent compared to 47 percent last year and 30 percent the year before. "Food safety has captured the attention of both the American public and lawmakers," says Dexter Manning, national food and beverage industry leader for Grant Thornton LLP. "Unfortunately, the FDA's budget has been slashed in recent years resulting in a reduced number of inspections at a time when we probably need them the most.
"With elections coming this year, many fear food safety will take a back seat," Manning adds. "On the bright side, the agreement with China is a first step toward improving the quality and safety of imported food and drug products. Under the terms of the agreement, the U.S. will have inspection access to certain Chinese manufacturing facilities for a limited number of products specified in the accord."
Get clean, stay clean
For the experts, how to ensure safer food still boils down to the no-brainer of clean hands and a clean workplace. "To keep the U.S. food supply safe, all individuals in the food chain, from the farmer to the consumer, must properly handle and process food," states John Surak of the Milwaukee-based American Society for Quality (www.asq.org). His colleague, Janet Raddatz, tenders a note of optimism: "Our food supply is as safe as it has ever been. Emerging pathogens, mass transportation and a global supply chain will continue to challenge us, yet the food industry remains vigilant in providing consumers with a wide variety of safe, high-quality food products."
So, have our respondents made progress in this regard? Numbers are up only a couple percentage points above the already high numbers implementing employee training programs (89 percent for 2007; 87 percent in 2006) and HACCP plans (57 percent and 55 percent). Improved pest control, more/improved sanitary equipment and rapid microbial detection all stayed within the same percentages in 2007 as 2006.
More than three-fourths (76 percent) of processors say they implemented additional food safety measures in 2007 and about the same (74 percent) say they will this year, too. This is also close to the number (73.5 percent) who have an ingredient/food tracking and tracing program in place. That's 2.5 percentage points above last year's responses.
Join the discussion
We welcome your thoughtful comments.
All comments will display your user name.
Want to participate in the discussion?Register for free
Log in for complete access.
No one has commented on this page yet.
RSS feed for comments on this page | RSS feed for all comments


text:
New Car Review Video
2014 Mazda6: 5 Reasons to Buy - Video
The Mazda6 has always been the sports car among midsize sedans, but Mazda never got the formula quite right. The first-generation 6 was too small inside, and with the overgrown second generation, it felt like Mazda was trying to build a Camry. But we just drove the all-new 2014 Mazda6, and it's Goldilocks, people -- it's just right. Here are five reasons why the 6 just might be the number-one family sedan on the market.
1. Sophisticated Style
Quick, name a family sedan that's genuinely good-looking. It's not easy, right? But take a good look at this Mazda. For a reasonably priced sedan, it's downright beautiful. Sure, it needs 19-inch wheels to look its best, and those don't come standard on the base Sport model. But we can't find a single line or curve that's out of place. It's a car you'd buy for the styling alone.
2. Classy Cabin
If you're all about crazy gadgets and blinking neon lights, you're not going to like the new 6's interior. But if you appreciate subtle, restrained design with high-quality materials, it's a breath of fresh air. Elegant simplicity is the phrase that comes to mind. It's just a nice place to be, with a sleek, sporty cockpit that reminds us a little of classic BMW layouts.
3. Great to Drive
One thing Mazda fans expect is sporty handling, and the 6 doesn't disappoint -- it's easily the most fun you can have in a family sedan. But the 6 also has a smooth, substantial ride that feels upscale. Being fun to drive is one thing, but it doesn't really matter if you get beat up over bumps. In the 6, though, you have an unusually satisfying combination of comfort and control.
4. HP, Meet MPG
The 6 model's 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine makes 184 horsepower, and when you punch it, you'll be surprised -- it's a pretty quick car. But it's also amazingly fuel efficient. If you get a Grand Touring model with the i-Eloop auto stop/start system, you'll see 28 miles per gallon in the city and an incredible 40 mpg on the highway. That's better than a lot of compact sedans can manage. Stay tuned for a diesel model, too, which should arrive for the 2015 model year with even better fuel economy.
5. Plenty of Room
The rejuvenated styling gives the 6 a trim, taut appearance, but this is still a generously proportioned car. That means there's ample passenger space front and rear, even for 6-footers. If roominess is what you're after, the 6 has got you covered, even though it doesn't feel like a big car from behind the wheel.
AutoTrader says: The 2014 Mazda6 isn't just a great family sedan, it's a great sedan, period. If you're shopping at this price point, Mazda's latest is a must-drive.


text:
BY Glen Milner | 14 February 2012
On a freezing Sunday night at Central Park's Woollman Ice Rink in Manhattan, Moncler presented their autumn/winter 2012 collection in typically flamboyant style.
While the fashion pack sipped hot chocolate and mulled wine, groups of professional ice-skaters took to the rink to perform routines to Frank Sinatra classic New York, New York and Oh Happy Days both performed by a live gospel choir.
The skaters, dressed head to toe in puffa jackets, ski pants, jumpers, socks and hats by Moncler, whizzed around the ice performing impressive spins, flips and jumps within perilously close range of each other.
But the night's big finale was something else with 150 skaters all taking to the ice at once to perform an elaborate routine to M.I.A's latest single Bad Girls.
With Moncler celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, they made sure this was a night no one will forget...
See more slideshows, videos and shows from New York Fashion Week


text:
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
With electronic funds transfer (EFT), government agencies can pay and collect money electronically, without having to use paper checks.
EFT is safe, secure, efficient, and less expensive than paper check payments and collections.
(just over a dime).
Do I have to sign up for EFT?
Yes, it's required, All federal benefit payments must be paid electronically. If you get federal benefits, such as Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Veterans' benefits, civil service retirement, military federal retirement, or railroad retirement payments, you must get your benefits by EFT.
If you were born on or before May 1, 1921, you can qualify for a waiver. The Department of the Treasury may also make an exception in a few other cases. Learn more about exceptions.
How do I get my payment by EFT?
If you have a bank or credit union account
Your benefit payment will be deposited directly into your account:
If you do not have a bank or credit union account
Your benefit payment will be put on a card that you use to buy items at stores, gas stations, and on the internet, pay bills, get cash, etc.:
DirectExpress® Debit MasterCard®
What about payments that are not for federal benefits?
You can get many other federal payments by EFT that are not part of the GoDirect® or DirectExpress® programs.
Here's how to sign up to get federal payments deposited directly into your bank or credit union account:
Tax refunds
If you don't already get your tax refund deposited directly, you can arrange for it on next year's tax return. See Direct Deposit of Tax Refunds and Direct Deposit of Tax Refunds FAQ. For additional information, visit irs.gov
Payments to federal employees
Contact your HR Department. Fill out and sign FASTSTART Direct Deposit (FMS Form 2231) and submit it to your HR department.
Payments to federal benefit recipients
Contact your financial institution or call 1-800-333-1795 (English) / 1-800-333-1792 (Spanish) or visit www.GoDirect.gov.
Payments to other non-vendors
Contact your financial institution. Fill out and sign form SF 1199A and mail it to the appropriate paying agency.
Payments to vendors
Contact the appropriate federal agency or financial institution. Fill out and sign form SF 3881 and mail it to the appropriate federal agency.
Quick Links for Federal Agencies
- Instructions for agencies making postage payments to the U.S. Postal Service
- Green Book (the online guide for financial institutions or Automated Clearing House (ACH) processing)
- Information about Automated Clearing House transactions
- 31 CFR Part 210 Final Rule PDF HTM


text: Not all LC's are good, lol. Not saying that's the case with yours, but when my son was born and my milk was not coming in I went to an LC. she spent a whole 10 minutes with us and said my supply would probably never come in and tried to sell me a medela pump in style. I didn't listen and got a hospital grade rental and domperidone. We were ebf within a week. So they aren't always right and certainly not the end all be all of breastfeeding


text:
Searching for nearby schools...
School rankings provided by The Fraser Institute. Rankings are from 1 to 10.
Clad in steel and glass, Cinema Tower is a dramatic 43-storey tower featuring a striking six storey podium and unique curved roofline. The building is ideally located in the heart of Toronto's World Class Entertainment District and just moments from fine dining, theatres and shopping.
Trademarks owned or controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association. Used under license.
The information provided herein must only be used by consumers that have a bona fide interest in the purchase, sale or lease of real estate and may not be used for any commercial purpose or any other purpose.
Information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by TREB.
Toronto Real Estate Board - IDX Last Updated: 11/15/2018 1:14:59 PM


text:
There are several historical fiction writers whose canvas is the ancient world but for me, the one that truly stands out is Steven Saylor.
Steven is the author of the Roma Sub Rosa series of mysteries featuring Gordianus the Finder and set in the ancient Rome of Cicero, Caesar, and Cleopatra.
Steven's books have been published in 22 languages and he has appeared in two television documentaries on ancient Rome, both shown internationally on The History Channel.
As a writer, Steven has an uncanny ability for bringing the world of ancient Rome to life. So, it is a real treat to hear about how he became interested in the ancient world and to gain some insight into his creative process and what the future holds.
WP: What got you interested in historical fiction in the first place? Was it a particular book?
SS: When I was a boy, way back in the 1960s, the library in Goldthwaite, Texas, had a series of books called "We Were There," in which a boy and girl would take part in a famous historical event, as in We Were There at the Battle of Britain. (I see there is a Wikipedia article that lists all the titles in the series: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Were_There.) I loved that series, but it didn't include ancient history.
For that, I turned to an illustrated novel called Cleopatra of Egypt by Leonora Hornblow, published by Landmark Books in 1961. A few years ago, when I spoke at a fundraiser for the Goldthwaite library, the librarian decommissioned that volume and presented it to me as a gift; the book still had the sleeve with the old borrower's card with my handwritten name and the due date when I checked it out (12-7-66). In high school, I moved on to more adult reading, checking out the novels of Mary Renault from the same small-town library.
WP: Many authors struggle for years to break out or get noticed. What was your writing/publishing journey like and how long did it take?
SS: I wanted to be an author from early childhood. When I was fourteen, I was a winner in a national writing contest and had a story printed in a Methodist Sunday school magazine called Accent on Youth; they also sent me a check for $25. (That story, "Season of Guilt" can be read at my Web site: http://www.stevensaylor.com/Season%20of%20Guilt/Season_of_Guilt.html; perhaps not surprisingly, it's a work of historical fiction.) Seeing my work in print and getting paid...I knew that was what I wanted to do from then on.
I majored in History at UT Austin and wrote a lot of college papers, and in my first job out of college, as a clerk for the State of Texas, I ended up rewriting memos and forms for my boss. So writing skills were always my ticket. Then I moved to San Francisco, and all through my twenties I worked for the gay press, wearing lots of hats and learning the ropes of publishing. I also wrote a lot of erotica in my twenties. (I was way ahead of Fifty Shades of Grey!) All those stories are in e-editions now, under the by-line Aaron Travis.
And then, after my first trip to Rome in my late twenties, I arrived back in San Francisco craving a mystery novel set in ancient Rome. (I was deep into reading Sherlock Holmes at that point.) Sometimes, the first novel you write is the novel you most want to read, but no one else has written yet, so the task falls to you. My inspiration was a real trial, as recounted by Cicero in his speech defending a man accused of murdering his father; working from that source material, I came to write Roman Blood, inventing the sleuth Gordianus the Finder to investigate for Cicero. The book was just successful enough to merit a sequel, and then I was off and running.
WP: You really bring a place to life in your writing. Have you travelled to all the places you have written about and how important do you think travelling is?
SS: I've traveled in Italy and around Europe, but I certainly haven't been to every location that Gordianus visits. I do think it's important for a writer of historical fiction to travel and see the world, simply to experience different types of cities and people and landscapes. I did a lot of hiking in my twenties and thirties, and simply learning to read topo maps, understanding how geography actually works, gave me an important skill set. And curiously, the closest I've ever come to actually being in the ancient world was not during a trip to Italy but to Mexico, when I went to see the shrine of El Niño de Atocha and also to a pagan church in the Yucatan. The worshippers there duplicated precisely the kind of rituals that took place at ancient sites like the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus—marketplaces selling talismanic images of the god (or saint), prayers for specific favors from the deity, even animal sacrifice. (In Mexico it was chickens rather than a bull.) You won't see anything as authentically pagan in Europe today, but you can still experience it in Mexico.
WP: Where do you stand on the notion that a place has memory? Are there any experiences you would like to share about when a place really 'spoke' to you?
SS: My very first sight of the Roman Forum was truly electrifying. But I'm not a mystical sort, and I mainly put that experience down to jet-lag, since that was my first long plane trip and I didn't sleep on the plane, had to find a pensione first thing, and then stumbled up the Capitoline Hill and suddenly saw the ruins of the Forum below me. I thought I was hallucinating.
WP: Academia often frowns on the popularization of history through movies, books and other media. How do you reconcile your academic background with writing historical fiction?
SS: I have only a BA in History and have never taught, so I've never been an academic. But I do sometimes think of myself as a sort of perpetual grad student without portfolio, doing my own independent research and publishing on my own schedule, with no professors breathing down my neck. I do love playing the student role, soaking up knowledge; the Classics Department at Berkeley presents lots of public lectures, and I attend them all. Despite my lack of credentials, I have been very nicely treated by academia. Many scholars are among my readers, and I've been invited to speak at a number of universities and academic conferences. At my Web site, you can read my commencement address to the UC Berkeley Classics Department (http://www.stevensaylor.com/UCAddress.html), and also a talk I gave at the International Conference on the Ancient Novel in Lisbon (http://www.stevensaylor.com/ICANpaper.html).
WP: What is your favourite historical fiction novel?
SS: I have fond memories of all Mary Renault's novels, though I have not reread them in many years; Funeral Games was a particular favorite, because it was so stark and uncompromising. I also have to give a shout-out to The Roman by Mika Waltari, a wickedly satirical novel set in the times of Nero, with one of the most deluded narrators ever, a Roman aristocrat who truly cannot see the forest for the trees; when Nero set him the task of arranging for lions to kill the Christians, his main worry is that the audience will get bored if the "show" is too repetitious.
WP: Is there a current writer whose work you particularly enjoy at the moment?
SS: I read every novel by Ruth Rendell as soon as it comes out; she made her mark writing deviously plotted thrillers, but now she's evolved into the Dickens of 21st-century London, writing picaresque novels about various parts of the city and the curious characters who live there. I also read everything by Deryn Lake, who writes historical mysteries (mostly set in Georgian England) and who's a good friend of mine; I hear her voice when I read her work, so a new book by her is a chance to spend a few hours in her company, even though she's far away in London.
WP: Do you envision yourself writing in ancient Rome only or are there other periods you would like to explore? Is there a historic person in particular whose story you would like to write?
SS: I do indeed have a "secret project" that I hope someday to write, but I won't say much about it, because I don't want someone else to get there first! I will say that the setting is the Greek world in the 6th century B.C., the age of King Croesus. It's a period largely unexplored by novelists, who tend to look earlier (to Homeric times) or later (to the ages of Pericles or Alexander the Great).
WP: Do you ever see your work being made into a movie? Who would play Gordianus?
SS: Much as I love watching ancient world movies (I devote a large part of my Web site to this hobby: http://www.stevensaylor.com/StevensBookshopDVDNewMovies.html), I have never particularly craved seeing my own work on the big screen. The obvious benefit would be monetary, so of course I'd like to see a successful movie or TV series made from my work. (I do think The Seven Wonders, with its episodic structure and fantastic potential for CGI visits to the Wonders, would make a great TV series.) There have been nibbles from Hollywood over the years (including a screenplay for Arms of Nemesis by the late Donald Westlake), but cinematic adaptation is not a dream of mine, and I never imagine particular actors playing my characters.
WP: Do you have any writing rituals that you would like to share?
SS: After the death of Gore Vidal last year, a number of articles quoted his eminently quotable epigrams, and one in particular struck a chord with me: "First coffee, then a bowel movement. Then the Muse joins me."
WP: What is your next project?
SS: My last novel, out in 2012, was a prequel to the Roma Sub Rosa series called The Seven Wonders, in which my sleuth Gordianus the Finder, at age 18, sets out from Rome on a journey to see the Wonders. The next novel follows directly on The Seven Wonders, with young Gordianus in Egypt, and a plot to steal the golden sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. It's called Raiders of the Nile and should be out in summer or fall of 2013.
I'd like to thank Steven Saylor for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer all of my questions for Writing the Past. I'm certainly going to check out some of his recommendations. I'm also very excited about the release of Raiders of the Nile this year.
Each one of Steven's books is a true joy to read and a magnificent escape into the ancient world. They teach, they entertain and they inspire. Highly recommended!


text:
Beef Barley Brothers World Premiere – Boomtown Film & Music Festival
The world premiere of Beef Barley Brothers has been announced!
Everyone will be able to get your first look at the short film during the Boomtown Film & Music Festival in Beaumont, Texas.
Beef Barley Brothers will screen on Feb 24th at 7pm in the Dishman Art Museum and again on Feb 25th at 3pm.
Thanks to everyone at the Boomtown Film & Music Festival for the opportunity to be a part of the festival!
I regret that I can`t attend but it looks like it is going to be an awesome festival and I hope that everyone who can attend does (and let me know how the screening goes)!
Tags: Beaumont, Beef Barley Brothers, Boomtown Film & Music Festival, Dishman Art Museum, screening, Texas


text:
Former Boy Scout leader Andrew Myers pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to multiple charges including possession of child pornography, child enticement for sex, enticing a minor and attempted enticement of minor for sex.
Mr. Myers, 34, of Whitinsville, served on the Northbridge School Committee from 2005 to 2008. In 2004, he ran for state representative in the 9th Worcester District.
His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9.
Prosecutors said Mr. Myers had online chats of a sexual nature with a 12-year-old boy from Colorado. The chats showed he talked about Boy Scouts in chats. Federal prosecutors said Myers used online web cams to chat with the 12-year-old boy. Mr. Myers knew the boy was a minor, prosecutors said. They said the 12-year-old's mother discovered the chats and reported it to police.
In court today, prosecutors also said Mr. Myers messaged a 14-year-old Northbridge Middle School boy and asked for sex acts. Mr. Myers told the boy he lusted after him.
Mr. Myers sent messages to former students, boys, asking for sex. One boy was 14 and the other 11. Both were local.
Mr. Myers, who sat stoically listening to the charges, said, "I do not contest what has been said today," when asked if he agreed to the facts of the case.
According to a federal affidavit, law enforcement officials from the Larimer County, Colo., sheriff's office contacted police in Northbridge regarding an ongoing child exploitation investigation. Colorado authorities were investigating a complaint from a Colorado mother who reported that her 12-year-old son had been communicating via email and Skype with a man who said he was 33 years old. In those communications, the man attempted to entice the boy to display sexual acts over Skype, a Web streaming service.
According to the Department of Justice, the Larimer County sheriff's office identified the man as Mr. Myers.
Evidence showed Mr. Myers communicated via email with at least three individuals suspected to be minor males from the Northbridge area. Allegedly, in these emails Myers offers to perform sexual acts on the boys. Investigators also allege that Mr. Myers received emails containing images depicting prepubescent boys exposing their genitals.
According to the affidavit, Myers has worked as a substitute teacher and was the scoutmaster of a local Boy Scout troop.


text:
Buck Henry
Former NGTO President, Sith Lord, FKA Bhuk Henri
Last Activity: Yesterday 11:40 PM
About Me
- About Buck Henry
- Biography
- Married, 2 sons
- Location
- Kennesaw & Cherry Log Mountain
- Interests
- Flyfishing, backpacking
- Occupation
- Management Consultant
- Favorite Fishing Spot
- Lower Toccoa
- First Name
- Clark
- Last Name
- Rodgers
- Message sent from your mom's bedroom during pillow talk
Buck Henry
Simple Goat Herder
Former NGTO President
Hall of Fame Member
- Message sent from your mom's bedroom during pillow talk
Showing Friends 1 to 10 of 14
- benvan
- Native
- Chuck Morris
- Director, Hall of Fame Member
- dirtybird94
- Stocker
- fishace
- Native
- Fishbreath
- Hall of Fame Member
- fishnpreacher
- Board of Directors Chaplain, Hall of Fame
- Gatorbyte
- Ex El Presidente Supremo, Happy Cowboy Sunshine Boy (currently in exile on Elba)
- Marine
- Stocker
- MountainMan
- Native
- oyster
- NGTO Sponsor
View Buck Henry's BlogRecent Entries
Latest Entry
Posted 11-10-13 at 12:12 AM Comments 0
Weather was kind of weird today up in north Georgia. Started off nice and sunny but clouds built in all morning and the temps actually dropped a few degrees. I was fortunate to fish Mountaintown Creek with Jeff Roach this morning, and we arrived at the creek to Blue Bird skies and cool temps. Water level is low in the creek due to not much rain lately, so the fish are kind of concentrated in the deeper pools. Fishing success was steady with several nice fish caught by both Jeff and I. Fly o' the...
Posted 11-07-13 at 07:04 PM Comments 2
Check, one....two....three; is this thing on? Well, either my blog writing is about as engaging as a case of the clap, or no one is reading anything posted in the NGTO blogs. But I figure there is one sure way to find out; say something nice about comp fishing!
I was completely wrong about comp fishing. I think it is great for the sport and I think those who are in to it are awesome and also great for the sport.
I was completely wrong about comp fishing. I think it is great for the sport and I think those who are in to it are awesome and also great for the sport.
Posted 11-06-13 at 09:17 AM Comments 1
One of the toughest parts about someone new getting into flyfishing is all the gear they have to buy. With all the slick marketing pressure out there from scores of vendors, it is easy to get overwhelmed by all the crap one seemingly has to buy and hang off their vest just to catch a trout with a fly rod! I have worked in a fly shop and know all too well the look on folk's faces when they come in to buy what the need to go fly fishing and the bill quickly totals up to something close to their monthly...
Posted 11-04-13 at 10:52 PM Comments 0
Sorry I could not make the Fall Fling, but I had more pressing family matters to take care of last weekend. I drove my Mom and Dad down to Savannah so that my Mom could see her brother Tom, who lives in Orlando. My cousins drove their parents up from Florida and we met in Savannah for the weekend. Our folks are all getting up there in age and all have health issues that preclude them from travelling far on their own anymore. This could very well have been the last time they will ever see each...
Posted 10-28-13 at 04:43 PM Comments 1
Posted in Buck's Ramblings
I fancy myself being good at a few things in life, fishing certainly being one of them. I am not a world class angler by any stretch, but I have caught many fish in my life and feel like I know what I am talking about (for the most part) when it comes to fishing tactics, gear, etc. But for reasons I am still not sure about, I have taken some heat from a few NGTO members lately when expressing my opinions. Maybe someone of influence has it out for me, or maybe these folks just do not like me? Or...
Recent Comments


text:
|2009-08-16, 06:15
|Link #81
Join Date: Apr 2009
You know you guys, the way I read this, although it's very hard, is trying to find the kanji myself using the radical system, looking up those kanji, and then remembering the grammer I've learned. It will honestly help you a lot more then just machine translating hooked text (having the game script would be better anyway) if you're planning on learning Japanese in the long run.
For a dictionary I use EDICT, both on WWWJDIC and using JLookUp whenever I'm offline or when I don't wanna fire up firefox. :/
|2009-08-16, 08:24
|Link #82
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
I've extracted the game script and look at it in Firefox with the Rikaichan extension while playing the game. It doesn't get much lazier than looking up words by mouse over.
My complete lack of vocabulary is barely slowing me down. It's trying to understand the grammar, which I thought I was OK at, that is. I still hope to be better at that than any machine.
Spoiler for Somewhere in EP 1-4:
|2009-08-16, 09:03
|Link #83
Komrades of Kitamura Kou
Join Date: Jul 2004
Age: 33
So far from what I've played Atlas goes between pretty acceptable to verbal massacre.
Take for example a fairly acceptable literal translation:
"A lonely that tone is a desolate noise of the wind that blows and comes off."
This obviously means that there's a desolate sounding wind blowing through.
Take the following which is more or less understandable:
"The dance cannot lively see crowds of butterflies of the here gold anywhere."
This... probably means that the dancing gold butterflies cannot be seen in the place. I think.
Now look at the event of verbal massacre:
"If she says the complaint of the hairstyle in case of the ha enmity long ages supposing"
I have an inkling of what it means but it's really vague. I'm assuming Virgilia is combing Beato's hair. These three lines are said within a few minutes of each other
Last edited by Klashikari; 2009-08-16 at 09:52.
|2009-08-16, 09:53
|Link #84
Join Date: Jul 2009
I do have Atlas open, mostly out of curiosity. Sometimes it's on, and sometimes it's waaaay off XD Some strange things have come out of that all right...
I am doing my best to fight the spoiler tags (and avoid 2ch, 4ch, you name it) until I finish.... Has anyone here gotten to the end? I'm just wondering what percentage of people who know various spoilery things have actually gone through the story or just actively hunted down spoilers XD
|2009-08-16, 09:54
|Link #85
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv168
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 32
I would like people to refrain posting elements if they do not fully understand what is going on in Episode 5.
Providing vague or uncorrect statements will simply be almost as similar as fake spoilers: misleading people, on purpose or not, is absolutely not a service.
|2009-08-16, 09:57
|Link #86
Komrades of Kitamura Kou
Join Date: Jul 2004
Age: 33
Well as I said Atlas does a good enough job with word translating, it's the sentence arrangement and syntax that can get to be a problem. Content wise it's essentially correct, but you need to know how to reinterpret the sentence structure to truly understand the content.
BTW which thread are we allowed to post our progress notes in order to compare interpretations and correct our understanding? Here or the spoilers thread?
|2009-08-16, 09:59
|Link #87
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv168
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 32
If grammar and words placement were just the issue, it wouldn't be a problem, but lots of detail are quite screwed up. And we all know details in umineko can change dramatically a sentence and a situation by itself. Thus, I said uncorrect and "vague" statements.
And I doubt it is anything trustworthy when a machine translation pops "concubine" for a pronoun if you ask me.
Offtopic anyway.
|2009-08-16, 10:08
|Link #88
Komrades of Kitamura Kou
Join Date: Jul 2004
Age: 33
Which is why I'm comparing my notes with other people who are playing so as to correct my own errors and such. Atlas obviously can't translate the essence of a sentence; it can only cough up literal translations that are up to the reader to interpret in his or her own way.
I'm not claiming that the program is accurate enough to be completely trusted. It can only cough up translated meaning and words in its database and we have to take what it coughs up as a whole and interpret their validity. Understanding from prior knowledge and context helps in the matter at the very least, but of course it can't beat a translation by a person who understands the language.
At the very least it gives us the gist of the text to be at least understandable. Anything more is too much to ask of it anyway, which is why I'm also reading other people's interpretations so I don't get led away by the conflicts in meaning.
And I'll drop it at that since it off topic at this point.
|2009-08-16, 10:40
|Link #91
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Gensokyo
|2009-08-16, 10:45
|Link #92
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv168
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 32
Furthermore, there are a chore number of readers who are reading without any dictionary and the like (chrono, rias, varion, and probably chounokoe, sterling etc).
Thus, you can expect trustworthy source at some point or another.
I didn't mean to offend anyone, but it would be safer for everyone to rely on elements that are void of possible mistakes.
For your instance, I did the same: providing summaries that are pretty much not 100% reliable when Episode 3 was released. So long the idea is understood, a digest summary is fine, so long there aren't any assumption until notified explicitely, which kamar did (implying possible mistakes and parts that he can't understand). That said, I posted this comment preemptively, considering how countless times there were misunderstandings and fake spoilers.
|2009-08-16, 10:49
|Link #93
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NYC, NY
Age: 40
|2009-08-16, 10:52
|Link #94
Komrades of Kitamura Kou
Join Date: Jul 2004
Age: 33
Well it would be nice if we had their input so I can correct myself and my own understanding of the subject. I'm relying on the dictionary, my meager understanding of the language and mental cross-referencing to Mandarin meanings to understand the text.
So far my notes and Kamar's summaries and nearly identical so it's safe to say we're correct in most of the basic stuff. Obviously we can't be relied upon for the specifics and the critical details.
As I said it would be great if those of us who have a mean to play the game in whatever capability we have of understanding the story would have a place to compare notes and ideas and such so that we can help each other get through the tougher parts.
In the end this will also allow a generally accepted interpretation of the text that would benefit those who want to read the summaries and/or play the untranslated text.
At least it would help me as I am right now.
|2009-08-16, 10:59
|Link #95
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NYC, NY
Age: 40
|2009-08-16, 11:02
|Link #96
Komrades of Kitamura Kou
Join Date: Jul 2004
Age: 33
Heh. In my Atlas Krauss means Warehouse Mortar. Natsuhi is translated as Princess-in-summer, as Natsu=summer and Hi probably the contraction of Hime. Though I'm almost sure those are correct in a literal sense it's still sort of funny.
|2009-08-16, 11:05
|Link #98
真 ラブ
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Everywhere
|2009-08-16, 11:10
|Link #100
Komrades of Kitamura Kou
Join Date: Jul 2004
Age: 33
|Thread Tools


text:
|2012-04-15, 08:59
|Link #66
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
|2012-04-15, 18:03
|Link #69
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
|2012-04-16, 17:33
|Link #71
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
There still must be some boundaries. If he was a ninja, I would not complain.
But here he is a normal human who just disappears all of a sudden, that looks stupid. How on earth can you not see him when he is already sitting at the table that Taiga approaches, especially second time. Or how someone with no physical abilities disappears under someones nose in the middle of an empty hall? There is no way he had ran off right under someone's nose, his abilities would not allow him to do that.
I really would prefer if someone were to reveal that Kuroko had ninjas as ancestors. Otherwise it's just stupid, especially for sport show.
True, coach's ability is unbelievable too but somehow it doesn't tick you off. After all muscle structure does can tell a lot. If someone has no muscle structure at all, it is obviuse that the person is not the most athletic one.
|2012-04-16, 18:14
|Link #75
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
What has their training got to do with their descendants? (Also, ninja superpowers? All myth. No more realistic than James Bond.)
Kuroko's an exaggerated version of the wallflower. A discreet, easily overlooked person. And he's not the first in manga.
|2012-04-16, 18:27
|Link #76
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Kuroko has no physical abilities what so ever. Lets' take hall scene as an example, how and where did Kuroko disappear to in an empty corridor? Ran for it? Impossible because he is slow.
Ninjas are fast so if it was a ninja in his place, disappearance wouldn't be that random because they can run fast.
I don't know about other easily over looked people but Kuroko is doing it poorly.
There are easily missed people in real life but they don't just disparate in thin air if you keep an eye on them. If Kuroko was fast, I could buy it. Even with having an eye on the person, with fast speed you can get out of watching area at least for a second what is enough for a surprise. Kuroko is slow. A person with no skills can't do what he does.
Let's also look at Area no Kishi series that are not the best either. There were few shots where Kakeru jumped in front of the gates without anyone noticing. However, once the enemy kept an eye on him, he did not disappear. They were able to mark him. And Kakeru had good physical abilities.
While here they can't keep an eyes on slow person.
I don't mind his super passes, those are totally fine by me. But the way his lack of presence was brought into this is weak.
|2012-04-16, 18:31
|Link #77
Osana-Najimi Shipper
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Mt. Ordeals
As someone who played bball when young, and still follow the NBA till now, I personally think Kuroko's 'power' is ludicrous. I mean, there's only 10 people on the floor, so it ain't hard to keep track of them.
But for the sake of story? I can suspend my disbelief on that, as they don't try to justify the existence or explain how his method works.
Compare this to say, that soccer show where the main protagonist gains the ability and even some of the memories of the donor of his heart, with the donor even 'communicating' to the protagonist through it. And they had the nerve to actually say it's scientifically justifiable? Yeah, almost dropped that series right then and there.
|2012-04-16, 18:35
|Link #78
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
^Yeh, they did over stretch it there. Thankfully Suguru mode switches on rarely.
But at least he was good before the heart transplant too.
And yeh, that was exactly my point. I can over look things like that if there is at least some kind of logic. So far I see none and it bugs me.
|2012-04-17, 03:06
|Link #79
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Of course it's unrealistic. But here is the thing - so are ninjas, as you're trying to portray them.
|2012-04-17, 03:42
|Link #80
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: ¯\(º_o)/¯
For the sake of conversation, speed can overpower ones attention by being too fast to track. Likewise, slow overlooked movements can help sneak you out of vision and into blind spots too.
If you really must feel that you need to make sense of it, just look at it as exaggeration for effect. Rather than showing Kuroko sneaking off in the midst of a conversation, there's more impact if you make a cut and see that he has disappeared all of a sudden.
Kuroko is just an incredibly sneaky and overlooked person. Either consciously or unconsciously so.
|comedy, shounen
|Thread Tools


text:
Nathan Reflex Reflective Bike Commuter Kit
Item: 10-3168
Save $9.02 (45%) $10.97 MSRP $19.99
The Nathan Bike Commuter Kit includes all the necessary safety equipment for your rides. Whether you're a frequent cyclist or a first-timer navigating to work, Nathan makes bike commuting easy, safe and affordable.
L.E.D. Safety Strobe LEDs offer more visibility than reflective accessories alone.
- Up to 2500ft visibility
- Multi-function: Steady On, Rapid Flash, Slow Flash or Alternating Strobe
- Illumination can last 150 hours
- Replaceable battery
- Easily attaches to reflective vents, clothing or bags
- Fully reflective up to 400ft
- Keeps pants away from bike chain
- Comfortable backing
- Easily attaches to wrist, ankle or strap of pack
Power Shower Refreshing Wipes The quickest way to clean up after a ride.
- Safe to use on the entire body
- Portable, resealable, travel-size
- Fresh, clean scent
- 10 wipes