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Sony will struggle with location-based VR
PSVR is the biggest success story of consumer VR; but Sony's location-based plans will leave it a long way outside its comfort zone
For an industry accustomed to straightforward platform launches like game consoles, which have relatively simple metrics for success or failure, the arrival of consumer VR has been a little tricky to process in some regards.
VR isn't just a platform; it's a collection of platforms orbiting around a core concept that is, itself, still very much in flux. Figuring out whether it's 'succeeding' or not really depends on how you define and measure success, on which sets of figures you choose to believe, and on where you think the market is headed overall - none of which are questions with widely accepted answers right now.
One certain winner that has emerged over the past year has been Sony, whose PSVR headset has benefitted immensely from a combination of relatively low pricing, accessibility (via the huge PS4 installed base) and great hardware design (it's arguably the most comfortable of the headsets on the market right now, and performs minor technical miracles despite its comparatively low specs). As a result, it's the clear leader in the high-end VR headset space; PSVR's installed base is streets ahead of that of rivals such as HTC or Oculus.
"There's almost certainly a bright future for VR in location based gaming - perhaps brighter, even, than the one that exists for home VR solutions"
A report in this week's Wall Street Journal, however, implies that Sony isn't internally happy with the performance of PSVR, and is looking for new outlets for the technology - specifically, pushing it towards location-based entertainment (arcades and their ilk) in Japan. That the company with the most successful platform seemingly feels this way about it is a pretty good indicator of just how ill-defined notions of success in VR are right now, and it's also a slightly odd statement given that PSVR has been back-ordered at retail in many regions for most of its life-span to date.
All the same, it's unsurprising that Sony would seek other outlets for its VR technology. The reality is that nobody's quite sure what VR is actually going to be used for; we know that the technology is now affordable and effective, but the huge looming question of what consumers are actually going to want to do with it is still unanswered.
Considering that, Sony - and other VR firms - really ought to be pushing the technology in every direction they can. The core notion of VR right now is that people are going to sit (or stand) at home playing games with the headsets, but while that seems logical enough, it's actually largely unproven. We don't yet know how a wider consumer audience will react to the idea of strapping on a headset for a solo gaming experience in the home; given the (quite deliberate) isolating effect of VR and the need for complex setups for more advanced VR devices, it may well be something that never finds a major home audience. Questions also remain over the willingness of players to engage with lengthy VR games, rather than short experiences.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other worlds of opportunity to explore. VR has potential applications in a host of areas beyond games, from architecture and tourism to scientific research and even to some promising therapeutic applications. Such uses for VR technology are an important area to explore, not just as potential side-shows to the gaming "main event", but also because it could well turn out that this technology - to some extent still an answer begging a question - only becomes a true commercial hit once it is matched against an unexpected field of usage.
"For consumer entertainment, there's a strong possibility that VR will primarily be something you go and do socially"
Within that, out-of-home or location-based entertainment is definitely a fascinating field. Where putting on a VR headset at home may be unappealing, and setting up the kit for room-scale VR may simply be impossible for a majority of consumers, the idea of being able to go to a location and enjoy a VR experience is potentially very powerful.
For consumer entertainment, there's a strong possibility that VR will primarily be something you go and do socially, rather than something you buy and engage with alone in your home. (I'm reminded of the fact that Star Trek's holodecks, a constant touchstone of inspiration for many involved with VR, were something characters went to in the company of friends and colleagues, not something they plugged into in their own quarters; of course, this was as much for dramatic reasons as anything else, but the scriptwriters may also have been on to something regarding the context in which most people are willing to accept that kind of virtual experience.)
For Sony, however, a focus in this area may be a misstep - at least with the hardware they're presently using for VR. Sony's enormous advantage in VR right now is the ubiquity of the PS4 and the low cost of its headset; that lies in the balance against the fact that PSVR is a lower spec and less flexible VR solution compared to those being offered by its more expensive competitors. In the consumer market, that's a no-brainer; the number of people interested in trying a relatively cheap plug-and-play VR system for a console they already own vastly outstrips the number willing to buy a very expensive, complex VR system for a PC they'll likely have to upgrade in preparation.
In location-based gaming, however, the equation no longer balances quite so clearly in Sony's favour. A location-based game operator has quite different motivations in their choice of hardware to a VR-curious consumer. For a location based game, a few hundred dollars extra for a notably higher quality of experience is easily justified; after all, setting up the rest of the location is probably costing many thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars, so skimping on something as core as the VR headset itself would be bizarre. Moreover, extra functionality like room-scale VR or precise controllers will often simply be non-negotiable, depending on the kind of experience being created.
"It's unlikely that any VR solution using a PS4 will ever be as flexible, in software rollout terms, as a straightforward PC"
On top of that, while the ubiquity of the PS4 has been a major asset to PSVR as a consumer device, its nature as a closed console platform will be anathema to many location-based game operators. Such operators often develop their own software, in-house or through a third-party contractor; having to jump through Sony's hoops to get software onto PSVR makes sense for consumer games, but not for a location-based game operator who only plans to roll out the software to a handful of locations at most. Sony could, in theory, create a channel for such companies that bypasses the red tape, but it's unlikely that any VR solution using a PS4 will ever be quite as flexible, in software rollout terms, as a straightforward PC.
It's important not to discount the Sony factor in all of this; it's a big, well-respected company that a lot of operators may be happy to work with, especially given that as a hardware manufacturer its devices are both robust, and backed up effectively with warranties and repair systems (important given the wear and tear a location-based game VR headset will be subjected to).
However, for a lot of companies in this field, Sony's offering simply won't appeal in its current form - especially given the risk of ending up stuck on a platform that's rapidly getting more and more outdated, while rivals who ran with PC-based solutions are able to continue upgrading to the latest and greatest devices without seriously overhauling their systems and software.
There's almost certainly a bright future for VR in location based gaming - perhaps brighter, even, than the one that exists for home VR solutions. For Sony, however, it'll take more than just industry outreach and good intentions to capture a major slice of that market. In PSVR, it has created the ideal device for contemporary home VR; affordable enough to appeal to consumers, well designed and technologically capable of remaining in the same ballpark as much more expensive rivals.
Many of the trade-offs made in the process, however, are the opposite of those that location-based gaming requires. While, knowing Sony's scale, it would be wrong to describe its location-based outreach as a distraction from the real task at hand; the point remains that PSVR's success or failure is going to come from its appeal as a consumer device, and what's important to it right now is not selling to new markets, but getting the software on-board to convince as-yet uncertain consumers to try VR.


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Abkhaz language
Language name: Abkhaz
ISO Language Code: abk
Language Scope: ISO Language
Language State: Verified
GRN Language Number: 6627
IETF Language Tag: ab
Audio recordings available in Abkhaz
We do not currently have any recordings available in this language.
Audio/Video from other sources
Jesus Film Project films - Abkhaz - (Jesus Film Project)
Other names for Abkhaz
Abkhazian (ISO Language Name)
Where Abkhaz is spoken
Languages related to Abkhaz
- Abkhaz (ISO Language)
People Groups who speak Abkhaz
Information about Abkhaz
Population: 105,000
Work with GRN on this language
Are you passionate about Jesus and communicating the Christian gospel to those who have never heard the Bible message in their heart language? Are you a mother tongue speaker of this language or do you know someone who is? Would you like to help us by researching or providing information about this language, or help us find someone who can help us translate or record it? Would you like to sponsor recordings in this or any other language? If so, please Contact the GRN Language Hotline.
Note that GRN is a non profit organization, and does not pay for translators or language helpers. All assistance is given voluntarily.

subset: commoncrawl


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Career Services
Career Services Walk-ins
In Person Spring Walk-Ins:
Check back in August for In-Person Walk-ins for Fall Semester. Students can schedule in-person appointments.
Your Career Path Begins at College
Career Services is here for you throughout your college experience and beyond! We will help you explore who you are, find real, work-related experience, and prepare you for a successful job search.
Career Services offers a wide array of services to enable you to achieve your career goals:
Explore Occupations
Explore occupations and industries that interest you through numerous career exploration websites. We help you research Minneapolis College's majors and programs, along with their associated careers to find one that fits you best. Some career exploration websites we utilize are O'net OnLine, Occupational Outlook Handbook, CAREERwise, and My Next Move.
Gain Experience
Access work-related opportunities to gain relevant experience in your chosen career field. We help you find and prepare for volunteer, student employment, part-time and full-time positions related to your major. Career Services stays connected with employers throughout the Twin Cities and the surrounding areas who want to work with Minneapolis College students and graduates. Schedule an appointment with a Career Services staff member to discover potential opportunities within your major/career field today.


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I love Berroco Comfort Yarn. It feels so nice. I probably would like the Blue Sky Alpaca, but this feels like a California garment, since we don't need woolies or even Alpaca. (cottons)
Lovely cardi! I must go to ravelry and favorite that.
Cute kitty!
Sandra D./yarnivore and hestiasfire on ravelry.


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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Consensus Decisions
A recent article by Teka Childress in the "Round Table," a journal of Catholic Worker life and thought in St. Louis, reminded me of the significance of consensus decision making to living nonviolence. In her article, Teka reflects on consensus in a theological and psychological context. There is a recognition of the dangers of power and dominance in the hands of a few and the benefits of shared responsibility and discernment. For Catholic Workers, the primary values are personalism and decentralization, and consensus decision making best integrates those values.
In consensus decision making, a group discusses an issue till agreement is reached. Every individual must approve. If there are serious differences, the conversation continues till all are supportive. There are no votes. There are no "winners" and "losers." There is ample give and take in a search for a truthful resolution, trying to avoid the usual power struggles between competing interests. One individual can block a decision by the group, if it is against a fundamental value one holds.
One of my early objections to consensus process was that it took too much time. Sometimes, that's true. On the other hand, when you finally make a decision, everyone is on board. There are no holdouts who won't abide by the decision; no one undercutting the decision whenever they are able. You have a concerted effort and commitment by the whole group to do what they decided. This can save enormous amounts of time and energy in the longer term.
Another objection one often hears is that the process only works for small groups. I once held this view. But then I attended an international gathering of Peace Brigades International. PBI is committed to consensus decision making. As an international organization, it then had three official languages with groups in more than a dozen countries. There were divisive issues on the agenda that promised very different future paths for the organization. I wondered how sixty delegates from such diverse backgrounds could possibly come to agreement. It happened! With smaller gatherings of the most polarized members, together with mediating individuals, the resolutions gradually emerged. It was hard work, but in the end, decisions were adopted by acclimation of the entire group. PBI was much stronger for it.
When we think about nonviolent leadership in the past, we tend to think of charismatic figures like Gandhi and Martin Luther King. But one of the drawbacks with such leaders is they are so easily assassinated. And then, what kind of leadership structure remains? It's easy to kill a movement by killing the leadership! But if leadership is decentralized, and everyone is part of the decision making structure, the vision and energy for struggle can remain.
Shared leadership is a mark of living nonviolence. Everyone has a voice and a contribution!
Carl Kline
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The other day, I ran across this video of one of my favorite video games - Chrono Trigger. This guy's girlfriend was playing the game, and he hacked into the game to create a new location - a mountain, filled with their memories as a couple. At the top of the mountain, a character he created proposed to her. Here's the video:
Digital Proposal
by Chris on Sunday, November 08, 2009
Categories: Digital Media, External Sources, Special Events, Videos, Written by Chris


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Samsung W2019 with Android 8.1 Oreo onboard gets its WiFi certification
Back in December 2017, Samsung released the W2018 flip phone as the first handset to hit the market with a variable aperture camera. Sadly, its price was completely off, but even those who were willing to shell out more than US$3,500 for such a device had to face another problem: the Samsung W2018 was only available in China. Anyway, it looks like the W2018 did well enough to get a successor since the Samsung W2019 has just received its WiFi certification.
The WiFi certificate only reveals that the Samsung SM-W2019 device runs Android 8.1 Oreo and supports the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. However, insiders familiar with the matter claim that this handset has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor under the hood and a dual camera setup on the back. There is no word about the other technical specs, but we should find out more in the weeks to come.
Since Samsung usually refreshes existing products around the same period of the year, we will probably see the W2019 launch in around two months. We can only hope that the rest of the world will get this phone as well and — thanks to the increased production volume — the price will go down so most people can enjoy this old-school design. Maybe a Lite edition would be an excellent idea, what do you think? Is there still room for a flip phone in 2018? If your answer is affirmative, how much are you willing to spend on such a handset?


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Orbisana Healthcare GmbH has been a recognized manufacturer and well-known retailer for medical aids for many years.
As a specialist medical retailer, they deal with customers who rely on the quality of medical products for their daily care.
Being able to provide customers with thorough and comprehensive advice and being able to offer tailored solutions for each customer is what sets them apart as an expert partner. It is essential for them to be up to date on the most recent indications, product developments, and innovations on the market.
Our aim is to provide them with optimal support in their daily work with patients by supplying them with economical and high-quality products, as well as through our comprehensive consulting and training. Upon request, we can inform their sales staff about our new products or advise them on care packages for patients. As a manufacturer, we are in the position to not only supply quickly and flexibly, but also offer cannulae optimizations such as excess lengths for blockable cannuale.


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Finding your way around Facebook's advertising and promotions system can be, to put it bluntly, a monumentally difficult task.
Finally recognizing that fact, the company has streamlined the process to some extent by creating a new portal, Facebook For Business, which outlines in detail how all of its marketing tools work. It is specifically designed to bring smaller businesses - which are likely the ones most baffled by the complexity of the Facebook ad system - into the fold. The site will now also be the destination where news about Facebook promotional offerings will be shared.
The overall focus of the site is to help businesses decide what kinds of advertising are best, depending on the goals of the organization. For driving in-store sales, Facebook recommends targeting customers based on geographic area and demographics, and drilling down into their stated interests and "likes" in order to maximize your marketing dollar. For online merchants, the site suggests using its "lookalike targeting" system to promote advertisements to customers who are similar to your existing audience. All of the various ad options and how they work are outlined in detail under the "Solutions" menu item.
No matter what your marketing goals are, Facebook doesn't just spend time stumping for its promotional offerings. It also includes general (non-advertising) tips on optimizing your page, thinking about your audience, and considering the type of content you post. For businesses in a number of specific, vertical industries (automotive, gaming, financial services), Facebook further refines its advice on how best to leverage its offerings. Best of all, this information is presented in a casual, easy-to-follow style, with plenty of links to take you to the tools that Facebook recommends.
If you're the kind of small business owner that learns better by following in the footsteps of others, Facebook for Business also has copious case studies from which you can learn and adapt. There are so many that the case study system has its own search tool, letting filter based on the size of the business, industry, location, type of promotion they were running, and business goals. There are plenty of numbers available for those looking for proof points. For example, according to the case study for Bone Suckin' Sauce, the company used promoted posts to increase online sales by 83 percent. The studies are succinct but the tips provided are specific and useful. (The Bone Suckin' Sauce study even includes the user interests the company targeted, which included people that liked "beef jerky.")
Lastly, Facebook has a failsafe if you still can't find your way to a promotional product that works for you. Click "Get Help" and you'll get access to the phone number for a "real, live person" at the company who can guide you through the marketing maze. Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for the Facebook Start to Success program. This will give you four weeks of phone support and $50 in free ad credits.


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Send & Receive Fax using Email Anywhere, Anytime
Enjoy the convenience and security of Faxing via Email.
No new hardware or another mobile app to install.
Digitise your Fax today!
Why Flexifax?
Improve your work flow today with Flexifax.
Digitise your Fax now!
How Does incoming Fax Works?
1. Setup
After signup, you will be assigned an Australia Dedicated Fax Number.
2. Give Out Your Fax Number
Use your New Australia Fax Number for letterhead, business card email signature. Let your your associates or correspondence know your new Fax Number.
3 Receive Fax
When a new Fax comes in, the fax will email to your assigned email address as a PDF file.
How Does Outgoing Fax Works?
1. Setup
After signup, your assigned email will be setup as the authorised email to send fax for your Flexifax account.
2. Create Fax
Create the fax you will like to send in your email client according to the format in the Flexifax Welcome Mail. Supported Fax attachments that can be send as part of the Fax are PDF or TIF files.
3. Send Fax
Send the Fax out like how you will email to a correspondent and the recipient will receive your fax in their fax machine.
Flexifax Plans
Who uses Flexifax?
Many industries which have been using a traditional Fax machine have moved to Flexifax and have found that it have improved their efficiency and workflow.


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Within Australia
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Orders over A$300
ship free worldwide
Rare Walter Jardine beer poster for Tooheys Flag Ale.
In stock
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ship free worldwide
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Rare Walter Jardine beer poster for Tooheys Flag Ale.
Walter Lacy Jardine (1884 - 1970)
Walter Lacy Jardine (1884-1970) Jardine was a commercial artist, born at Macdonaldtown, Sydney. At an early age he showed an aptitude for drawing and at about the age of 12 he was apprenticed to J. H. Leonard, newspaper artist. He also studied design, colour and drawing at J. S. Watkins's commercial art classes. He joined the Australian Star as an illustrator and was soon asked to handle advertisements as well. For the next twenty years he worked on and off for the Star (Sun from 1910), achieving widespread recognition for his black-and-white illustrations. From 1905 to 1917 he was in partnership with J. B. Jones in an advertising company. In 1908 Jardine visited England, Europe and the United States of America to study methods of advertising and illustration; he paid for the trip by working freelance in the U.S.A. In Sydney, Jones & Jardine (J. & J. Ltd, 1916-17) employed a staff of twenty artists and apprentices. Jardine moved to New York in 1923 and was soon successful. He illustrated magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Motor and the American Legion Magazine, and made advertisements for Durant Motors Inc., General Motors Corporation and the Packard Motor Car Co. His knowledge of typography and layout enabled him to extend his activities to include the design of booklets and campaign posters. He returned to Sydney in May 1928 and opened a studio in Margaret Street. As a freelance artist he numbered among his clients Akubra hats, Arnott's, Orient Steam Navigation Co, Toohey Ltd and Tooth & Co. Ltd, the Department of Defence and the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales. In 1933 he published The Art of Walter Jardine. In retirement he continued to work and at the age of 80, designed a set of postage stamps commemorating George Bass and Matthew Flinders.
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Palette of Puerto Rico: Group Tour through Boricua Art & Culture
Your Tour:
Tour overview
Program activities, schedules and personnel may change due to local circumstances.
In such an event, we will alert you as quickly as possible.
Day by Day
Day 1
Overnight: San Juan
The tour coordinator will greet everyone, and we will review the program schedule, emergency procedures and answer questions. After orientation we will set out with our tour coordinator to take a walk and explore the area around the hotel. At a restaurant, we´ll enjoy a welcome dinner with a delicious set menu.
Day 2
Overnight: San Juan
We will set out with a local expert for a lecture on the history of Puerto Rico and its artistic past. Then, we will take our private bus to the Museo of the Americas, where we will enjoy its four permanent exhibitions: Popular Arts in the Americas, The African heritage, The Indigenous of America and Conquest and Colonization: birth and evolution of the Puerto Rican nation. After this visit, we will have time to have lunch on our own and we will set up a meeting point to follow the itinerary later. In the afternoon, we will enjoy a visit to the Music Conservatory, a unique place in San Juan, where we will discover a magnificent building and learn the influence of the music in the island.
Day 3
Overnight: San Juan
After breakfast, we will depart by bus to the town of Cataño, from where you will see the breathtaking view of the Bay of San Juan and El Morro Fort. From Cataño, we will take a ferry to cross the Bay of San Juan where we will enjoy a walking guided tour around San Juan, covering the major points of interest. We will walk to our cooking class, where we will learn how to prepare the famous Puerto Rican dish Mofongo and there we will enjoy our own creation for lunch. Finally, after lunch, we will end our day with a visit to the El Morro Castle, the largest fortress built in the New World, where we will have a guided tour of the castle. At the end of the trip, you'll have the opportunity to return to the hotel or explore the area on your own.
Day 4
Overnight: San Juan
After breakfast, our bus will pick us up and take us to Casa Blanca, the home of Ponce de León. Located in San Juan and founded in 1521, this museum is considered the oldest structure in Puerto Rico, preserving authentic details of the time. After this, we will take a walk to La Fortaleza, the first fortification built to defend the city of San Juan and also the official residence of the governor since the 16th century. After this interesting visit, we will go together to enjoy a group lunch.
Right after lunch, the bus will take us to the Fine Arts Museum of Puerto Rico (MAPR), the most important art gallery in the country. We will finish the day here and you'll have free time to explore on your own.
Day 5
Overnight: San Juan
In the morning our private bus will be waiting for us to go to the southern city of Ponce. On the way, we will stop in Hacienda Buena Vista, a coffee plantation, where we will learn about the whole process from the harvesting to the roasting of the coffee. Then, we will continue our trip to the beautiful city of Ponce and after a short walking tour, we will visit the Parque de Bombas (Fire Station) to discover this unique and colorful building. After this, we will go to a local restaurant to enjoy a delicious lunch together. With our batteries recharged, we will continue to the Castillo Serrallés, a castle turned into a museum with information about the sugar cane industry and its impact on the economy of Puerto Rico. Then, we will take the bus to return to San Juan.
Day 6
Overnight: San Juan
After breakfast, we will depart by private bus to Old San Juan to visit Casa Cortés Art Gallery and get to know its history where we will also be able to taste its famous chocolate. Then we will have a light lunch and head to a Puerto Rican dance academy, where we will learn about the traditional music, instruments and basic dance steps. An amazing opportunity to be immersed in the local culture. After this, you'll have free time to explore on your own.
Day 7
Overnight: San Juan
In the morning our private bus will be waiting for us to go to El Yunque National Rainforest, the only tropical rainforest in the national forest system. With nearly 29,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in size, yet one of the most biologically diverse. Come experience the breathtaking scenery, clear mountain rivers, and outdoor recreation through a short hiking adventure. Afterwards, we will take our bus to Luquillo beach where you'll have the opportunity to taste a traditional lunch in its kioskos on your own and enjoy the afternoon at the beach. In the late afternoon we will depart to Fajardo, a nearby town, to enjoy a delicious group dinner and experience the most exciting activity of the trip: a kayak tour through the Bioluminescent Bay of Fajardo. We will return to the hotel in San Juan in the evening.
Day 8
Overnight: San Juan
After breakfast, we will depart by private bus to Casa Bacardí, where we will learn about the emblematic rum that is distilled in a beautiful building in Cataño. After this, we will depart to Old San Juan to have lunch together and visit the Casa del Libro, a society founded by a group of citizens with the purpose of creating a specialized library of outstanding copies of the best in book production and design throughout the centuries. Today its collection in variety and quality compares favorably with its European and American counterparts.
Finally, you'll have some hours of free time until the farewell dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 9
Additional Experiences
Customize your trip according to your interests by adding any of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.


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The Brew Pub of Franciscan Well boasts one of the best beer gardens in Cork City. Covered, heated and comfortable the beer garden is steeped in history. The Franciscan "Well" itself is still flowing today and the Brew Pub is based on the site of an ancient franciscan monastery, and later the centre of Guinness bottling for the people of Cork.
The Brew Pub has an extensive range of craft beers, ales, lagers and stouts and houses three 300gl serving vessels located directly behind the bar which dispense our beer to the taps. The bar also offers beers from further afield from other Irish and international micro breweries. In addition to serving their award winning craft Beers, the Brew Pub also offer food 7 nights a week including their hugely popular pizzas prepared in their famous wood burning pizza oven in the Brew Pub by traditional local Pizza company Pompei Pizza.
The Brew Pub's unique atmosphere is derived from a mix of its historical setting, the enthusiasm and creative nature of the Brewers, and the diverse crowd - made up of devoted patrons and craft beer lovers mingling with tourists, students and local professionals from Cork's many international companies.
Check out our Facebook Page for up to date event information.
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Brew Pub
14b North Mall
021 4393434
For more information on the brewpub, tours and booking see franwellbar.com
Opening Times
Open from 3pm daily
Review of Franciscan Well Pub Tour
Interested in learning more about our popular pub tour? Read a recent review from Bob of My Ireland Tour here
One of the best beer gardens in Cork City
Extensive Range of craft beers, ales lagers and stouts
Rotational taps and casks
Pizza served daily by "Pompeii Pizza", cooked in their wood-fire oven
Live music and weekly event
Open daily from 1pm
MONK cocktail bar is located upstairs in the brewpub, and is the end sum of centuries of innovation on the site of 14B North Mall. Our mixologists work alongside our expert brewers and they have come up with a new concept in cocktails. They have crafted a variety of tantalising and innovative concoctions that are set to challenge tastes and perceptions of traditional cocktail norms.
Open Fridays and Saturdays from 6pm


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BUSHWICK — A Bushwick native and mentee of the espresso purveyor at East Village's I Am Coffee has opened his own space for coffee, pastries and art events.
Michael Avila, 31, lived in Bushwick until age 7, when his family moved to Kew Gardens.
After spending 10 years working in all aspects of the jewelry business — from photographing to polishing — Avila decided to pursue his lifelong love of coffee in his old neighborhood.
The Coffee Shop, at 203 Wilson Ave., opened on Monday.
"At 5, I was drinking coffee," he said. "It was a breakfast treat for me. I think of it as something comfortable, as a comfort food."
To learn more about opening a shop, Avila turned to a familiar face in New York's coffee scene, Giovanni Finotto of East Village espresso shop I Am Coffee, at 9 St. Marks Place.
Finotto taught him aspects of the business and how to create his own blend, Avila said. For a while, the two even played with the idea of Avila opening a location of the popular Italian espresso shop.
But ultimately, the new Bushwick shop is all Avila's.
He's fully dedicating himself to the neighborhood, even moving into an apartment behind the shop next month. He appreciates the changes happening, such as the opening of health food stores, he said.
"I'm that way, and the neighborhood is getting sort of interested in that too," he said of health consciousness. "That was a big influence on me, on why it should be Bushwick."
In addition to serving coffee from an Italian-roasted house blend, The Coffee Shop will host regular live events. On Thursday, works from artist Ocean Clark will deck out the walls, and on Saturday, an accordion player and stand-up comedians will perform.
"I want a place where people can come and do their own thing," he said.
In other local restaurant news:
► A new restaurant focused on pasta has opened near the Jefferson Street L stop.
Pasta Shop, 234 Starr St., serves pasta made in Tuscany that's then frozen and shipped to Bushwick, owner Antonio Pergoli Campanelli told Bedford and Bowery.
The main pasta dishes cost between $12 and $15, and a brunch menu offers up some egg-based dishes, too.
► Owners of 983 Bushwick's Living Room are opening a new restaurant and bar at 970 Flushing Ave., according to Bushwick Daily.
The concept's not set yet, but it will feature small bites.
► A Malaysian restaurateur hopes to attract adventurous Williamsburg eaters at Pasar Malam, a new spot at 208 Grand St.
Salil Mehta told Bedford and Bowery that the "educated" foodies in the neighborhood will appreciate the Malaysian-with-a-twist dishes like chili crab and Hainanese chicken.
Mehta also owns Laut, a Malaysian and Thai food restaurant near Union Square.


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Seeking a Pediatrician at Kaiser
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
- Pediatrician/Kaiser alternative med/alt vaccines
- Kaiser pediatrician who follows CDC's vaccine schedule
- Kaiser Oakland Pediatrician for vegan family
- Attachment parenting pediatricians at Kaiser
- Pediatricians at Oakland kaiser open to...
- Appointment availability for pediatrics
- Can I meet my pediatrician before baby is born?
- Kaiser pediatrician for asthma
- Kaiser pediatrician flexible on vaccines
- Kaiser pediatrician for a Preemie
Pediatrician/Kaiser alternative med/alt vaccines
Aug 2014
we just had our baby girl last Saturday and need to find a pediatrician in Oak, Walnut, Pinole Kaiser (preference in that order) who is open to alternative/natural medicine and vaccine options. Any recs are much appreciated Valeria
My child sees Dr. Lynn Arsenault at Kaiser Park Shadelands in Walnut Creek. Although she encourages me to follow Kaiser's medical recommendations, she respects my rights as a parent to delay vaccinations. I don't see her more than once a year because my child has never been ill enough to need a trip to the doctor. Happy Kaiser Parent
Pediatrician who follows CDC's vaccine schedule
Jun 2014
I'm having a baby this Fall and am looking for recommendations for a pediatrician over at Kaiser Oakland who is insistent regarding CDC-recommended vaccine schedules with her/his patients. Many thanks! M
Congratulations on your new baby! As a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, and the Immunization Lead for Pediatrics at Kaiser Oakland/Alameda, I can whole-heartedly tell you that none of our docs are wishy-washy about vaccines. 100% of us fully support the CDC immunization schedule. While we have a policy of NOT turning away patients whose parents choose not to protect their children with timely immunizations, (some private clinics do), any of our pediatricians would warmly welcome you into their practice. Katrina Saba, MD
Kaiser Oakland Pediatrician for vegan family
Dec 2011
Does anyone know of a pediatrician at Kaiser open and knowledgeable about veganism ? Or at least someone who you feel is not too ''Kaiser'' ? I am also doing an alternative vaccine schedule, skipping some, etc. I have had 2 different pediatricians so far and I hate that everytime they really try to scare me about the vaccines and are completely useless as far as nutrition for a vegan child (beside telling me he needs milk and protein). Thanks ! Vegan mum
I wouldn't ask your Pediatritian about nutritional advice, they aren't trained in nutrition. I found myself very frustrated in your same situation. The fill out questions I found especially annoying and geared towards a certain bias. I debated whether to even answer the questions truthfully. Seek out your own nutrition answers. I found the book Don't Drink your Milk and the film Forks over Knives especially convincing in the dangers of cow milk and casein. As far as kaiser doctors go I would't bother trying to get support from them. I found after several dissaponting experiences that the Residents were the most open, supportive and don't have the same time constraints. You do however have to get a new doctor every so often since they often move on as they are only doing their residency at kaiser. I have been much happier with them. My child has been super healthy and hasn't even missed a day of preschool in 3 years despite all the other kids being sick. I have Kaiser for any emergency and despite their recent phone call reminder have never given my child a flu shot either. We also co-slept which a lot of mainstream doctors don't support. A wonderful experience I am so glad to have had. Don't let the doctors discourage you, stick to your convictions. Anon
We've seen several Kaiser pediatricians over the years who were quite good, but I doubt you'll find one who will make you feel OK about skipping vaccines and having a toddler/child on a vegan diet. It is unethical to fail to vaccinate your child and it is the pediatrician's responsibility to try and help you see why you should. You are relying on others to vaccinate their children so you don't have to. I think you will have to use alternative health care to find someone who would support vegan diet choices for your baby/toddler. Sign me skeptical that Kaiser is right for you
I hope your baby is getting adequate protein and fat, because children need a lot more than adults for their rapid growth and brain development during the first five years. You will have to work very hard for your child to get enough on a vegan diet. The adults in the family will be fine on a vegan diet, but maybe not the chbild, so please take this very seriously.
Attachment parenting pediatricians at Kaiser
Aug 2011
We just switched to Kaiser and I'm looking for a ped who is pro-attachment parenting. Any city around Oakland is fine, Richmond, Hayward, Walnut Creek, Alameda. I'm looking for somone who won't stare blankly at me about breast feeding, co-sleeping, positive discipline, home schooling, etc. I am a biology researcher and want an intelligent conversation based on the latest research, including Sears and McKenna, instead of outdated ideas that science/formula is better than mother. Thanks, R C
Good luck finding a single pediatrician in a 100-mile radius who recommends formula over breastfeeding. Even when my first child was born at Kaiser 28 years ago, no one was recommending formula. Not sure where you got the impression this is the status quo - maybe outdated parenting books? At any rate, I would wager that you would be very happy with just about any of the pediatricians at Kaiser, and if you are not happy, you can always change.
We have Dr. Phan Phu thru Kaiser Oakland . Kaiser doesn't give you much choice especially when the ones that come highly recommended are not taking new patients. However, I did find an old recommendation for him and when I read his bio - I thought ok why not. We have been very very pleased with him. I was surprised, since this was Kaiser after all. We are an attachment parenting family - cloth diapers, co- sleeping, extending bf..etc. He had NO problems whatsoever..including our choice to follow an alternative vaccination schedule. He had even suggested at 6 mos old to try and put our son on the potty. We always wanted to EC so we did and it had worked great up until we put him into a daycare that wouldn't accept cloth . Anyway, he listens to you and answers questions and he sometimes will give his opinion but does not push mainstream AAP statistics. He really does have a conversation with you. Also, when our son had a double ear infection - he did not push for us to use antibiotics without any prompting from us at all! Anon
I would highly recommend Dr. Robert Schaff at Kaiser Pinole . We are a breastfeeding, co-sleeping, baby-wearing, cloth diapering family and have been with Dr. Schaff since our son was born. When he moved to the Pinole office we followed him, even though it was slightly farther for us (we live in Berkeley). He is excellent- kind, caring, energetic, nonjudgemental, and best of all, he will discuss your child's care with you in scientific terms trusting that you are educated enough to be a part of the dialogue and never talking down to you or condescending. love our ped
I would say that Kaiser in general is very pro-breastfeeding so I don't think any Kaiser pediatrician would try to push formula on you. They have free lactation consultants available in person or by phone. I breastfed my son well past 2-years and never got anything but praise from our main pediatrician and any others we saw. We also co-slept until around 6-months and never had any problem discussing this with our pediatrician. anon
It never ceases to amaze me how many people on BPN think that most pediatricians have missed the message that breastmilk is better than formula. And I'm sure if you're a biology researcher you're aware of the scientific quality and relevance of Sears' and McKenna's research vs. studies that look at large numbers of SIDS cases (the relevant endpoint) while attempting to minimize confounding factors. I know a lot of Kaiser Oakland and Alameda pediatricians and most of them are up-to-date and open-minded, so unfortunately I can't narrow it down to a specific recommendation. pro-attachment parenting, anti-AP movement's smug tone
After going to 4 different pediatricians through kaiser, we have finally found a truly pro-AP doctor: Dr. Casey Brown , at the Richmond Kaiser. We randomly saw her after our son had an ear infection and our regular pediatrician was out. After that visit, I switched all of my kids to her. Her panel is open (Aug 2011) since she is new to kaiser. She was not just neutral about us co-sleeping, still night nursing (at 10 months), etc, but she was supportive and encouraging, which I had never felt from another kaiser pediatrician. (I even had one tell me I should try to limit night nursing at 3 months of age!). Best of all, she has kids of her own and interacted with my baby and my older son (who was along for the visit) in a caring, playful, and friendly way that made us all feel at ease in her presence. She helped me make an informed decision about antibiotics too. I can't recommend her highly enough and feel so blessed to have randomly discovered her. Totally worth the 15 minute drive to Richmond- considering parking is a breeze there, it really isn't much longer to get there than going to the Oakland kaiser from our house in Berkeley. Happy with our pediatrician- finally!!!
July 2010
Re: Looking for a hassle free pediatrician's office
Kaiser. No billing. No insurance snafus. No waiting. No hassles making appointments. 24/7 pediatric emergency room. Doctors answer your emails. Pharmacy onsite. Lab onsite. Everything is easy. Recent Kaiser convert
Pediatricians at Oakland kaiser open to...
April 2010
We are having a home birth and are wondering if folks know of pediatricians that are open to non western ways of caring for children that do not automatically result in prescriptions and who are also supportive of breastfeeding,breastfeeding and returning to work as well as attachment parenting methods. Thoughts and suggestions are very much appreciated, thanks! CM
We have been very happy with Dr Tenney at Kaiser . We didn't have a home birth, but we've found Dr Tenney to be VERY supportive of our wishes to use an alternative vaccination schedule, avoid prescriptions, etc. In fact, she even expected we would have done our research and come to our own decisions about how to approach our child's medical care. As for breastfeeding, she's also been nothing but supportive. Kaiser Oakland has an office of lactation consultants on the same floor as the main pediatrics office. The consultants are wonderful (especially Nneka!!!) and will meet with you as often as you need. They're also available by phone if you have questions and can help with everything from latch problems to supply issues to work and pumping. Good luck!
Appointment availability for pediatrics
Nov 2006
I would like to hear any positive/negative experiences with Kaiser's Richmond or Oakland pediatric services, mainly regarding appointment availability in ''urgent'' cases. Can you get an appoinment for the same day if needed? We've not chosen our doctor yet, neither are not sure whether to take Kaiser or United Health Care, so I'd be happy to hear recommendations on any other pediatric services in/near Berkeley MM
My kids are older now and Kaiser periodically changes their operations, so you might want to call and check, but as of a couple of years ago, you could get same day app'ts every day of the week, incl weekend days. And evening appt's. And major holidays, as they have doctors of different faiths so they can work around each other's holidays. That has been one of the most important features of Kaiser, for which we have endured other shortcomings: same day (they're called ''Urgent Care'') appointments, evening app'ts, and holiday app'ts. I even had the need for stitches in the evening for one my kids falling down on a pool deck, and they took him in and performed the finest little stitches surgery under his chin. You can't see the scar. A mom very pleased with Kaiser Oakland Pediatrics
This is exactly where Kaiser shines. You will absolutely be able to get a same-day, urgent care appointment in Pediatrics. That includes weekends, as long as it is a truly urgent matter (and they err on the safe side in defining ''urgent''). My experience with the advice nurses (who do the phone screening before the appt.) is that if you are concerned, they are concerned, and it's generally the case that they are talking us into a visit more than the other way around! The Peds advice nurses are available 24/7. You won't necessarily get to see your ''regular'' doctor if it's a same-day appointment. Don't know about Oakland, but if you go with Richmond, you're pretty much guaranteed a good pediatrician no matter who you see
More responses to this question are posted under Oakland Kaiser Pediatricians and Richmond Kaiser Pediatricians
Can I meet my pediatrician before baby is born?
Sept. 2004
I'm due with our 1st child in a month. I called Kaiser to sign up with a pediatrician (based on all my friends' advice to find a pediatrician now), but was told I can't sign up with anyone until the baby is born. I think the rep's exact words were ''you can't sign up for a doctor without a Kaiser number, and your baby doesn't have a Kaiser number until she's born, so you can't sign her up with a doctor.'' Oy. Now I'm wondering if that Kaiser rep. was actually correct. So here's the question: have you signed your child up with a Kaiser pediatrician before their birth? If not, have you at least *met* Kaiser pediatricians before the birth? How willing are they to meet with parents for an initial visit to see if we like their style? Thanks!
This was more than 13 years ago, but when I was pregnant with my first son, my husband and I made several appointments at Richmond Kaiser to interview various pediatricians. This was before the newer phone/appointment system they have now. No one squalked, but I have to say the Drs. were ALL surprised because I guess not too many people do this. Don't even tell them when you make the appointment that it's for you,just give the name and your Kaiser number. Good luck, assertive Kaiser member
How great that you are trying to finalize all the details before the baby arrives. I am also a Kaiser mom and tried to pick a Ped before my baby was born, too. But you really do have to wait until the baby is born before getting the M.D. Our baby had some trouble and was in the NICU at first and so we met quite a few Kaiser docs. You know, I have liked all of the Drs. we have met in our son's first year and we have met quite a few given the other problems that he has run up against. He is super healthy now, and the thing that you will love about Kaiser is that it is a great health plan for babies and kids. You will be able to have so much more assistance with Kaiser than with a regular health plan, which is why picking out a Ped for a kid with Kaiser is not so crucial. I have been very reassured by calling the advice nurse at 2 or 3 a.m. to ask about my son's high temp or ''croup'' breathing. And the advice nurse has always been incredibly helpful and has gotten me in to see a Dr. first thing in the morning. You kind of end up seeing whatever Dr. is available when your kid is sick. But the convenience and flexibility far outweigh the drawbacks of not seeing the same Dr. every time. We still see his original Ped that treated him in the NICU for checkups and shots. I also love that they have Saturday hours. The only thing you could start doing is stocking up on Infant Tylenol, Motrin, a bulb syringe (for nose goobers) and a thermometer and memorize the pediatric phone number 752- 1200- you will be calling it often. Best wishes to you! lou
Kaiser pediatrician for asthma
Feb. 2004
I've seen many recommendations for Dr. James Nickelson as an allergy/asthma expert...but does anyone have any recommendations for a Kaiser pediatrician with the same expertise? We could go to Walnut Creek, Oakland, Alameda or Park Shadelands.
Recommendations received:
- Caskey Weston NP, Kaiser Oakland
Kaiser pediatrician flexible on vaccinesJune 2003
I am interested in finding a pediatrician at Oakland Kaiser who will be open-minded about a child not being fully vaccinated. I read the archives on this and someone had suggested a dr. at Richmond Kaiser but none for Oakland and I thought it was worth a repost. I have also seen the archives on Kaiser pediatricians parents recommended but I would love to hear from any parents currently using Oakland Kaiser. I need a dr. for me too so any recommendations would be welcome. Feel free to email me. Thanks. Susan
Recommendations received:
- Roberta Cunningham Kaiser Oakland
- Colleen Shipler Kaiser Oakland
March 2002
Can anyone recommend a Kaiser pediatrician who is not pushy about vaccinations? Someone who takes their time and is open to alternative healthcare? A plus if they're a woman of color. Melinh
Recommendations received:
- Roberta Cunningham Kaiser Oakland
- Colleen Shipler NP at Kaiser Oakland
- Dr. Karen Sorrey at Richmond Kaiser
Kaiser pediatrician for a PreemieApril 2002
Can anyone recommend a good Kaiser pediatrician at Oakland or Richmond that has been GREAT with their preemie? Angie
Recommendations received:
- Siew Chan-Warner Kaiser Oakland
- Ann Tipton Kaiser Oakland


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I have previously blogged about instances in which pregnant women have unsuccessfully sued their employers for discrimination. However, if the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which was introduced into the Senate on September 19, 2012 by U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) … Continue reading
On February 28, 2012, a California appelate panel refused to enforce an arbitration provision as unconscionable in Mayers v. Volt Management Corp., _ Cal.App.4th _ (Feb. 2, 2012). That's big news. It was not obvious that this defense survived the … Continue reading
For many, Labor Day represents the beginning of football season or the last long weekend of the summer. However, there's more to Labor Day. It's a celebration of American workers and their contribution to our success as a nation. The … Continue reading


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Stevenage fell to a 3-0 defeat to a clinical Rotherham United this afternoon at The Lamex Stadium.
A first half goal from Ben Pringle and second half strikes from Claude Davis and Michael O'Connor was enough for the Millers as Boro's recent good form deserted them.
Team news saw Greg Tansey recalled in place of the suspended Roarie Deacon with Michael Doughty starting the game at left-back. Jon Ashton missed out through injury so there was a place on the bench for 17-year old Ryan Johnson, a highly-rated centre-back who has been in fine form for the U18s this season.
The last few games have seen Stevenage come out of the traps flying and score early but the start here was much more even.
Simon Heslop and Michael O'Connor exchanged early efforts on goal before it was the visitors who took the lead on 14 minutes.
Kieran Agard saw a shot from inside the box blocked by Chris Day but Ben Pringle was there to follow-up, smashing the ball home.
Boro looked for an immediate equaliser and Tansey saw an effort from the edge of the area fly just wide of Collin's goal.
But it was Agard who came close to doubling the Millers' advantage on 14 minutes with a cheeky flick from a low Pringle free-kick which Day turned over acrobatically.
There was a real competitive edge to this game with a number of feisty tackles in the opening 45 for both sides – one such tackle saw Jimmy Smith thrown up in the air but Boro's right-back emerged unscathed.
Stevenage had Chris Day to thank for keeping the visitors at bay in the 26th minute. Michael O'Connor whipped in a free-kick with pace which Craig Morgan flicked on. It looked to be heading for the bottom corner until Day stuck out a hand and parried wide.
The visitors thought they'd doubled their lead on 37 minutes when Agard found the back of the net but it was ruled out for Frecklington being offside in the build-up.
Within 60 seconds they were at it again, O'Connor advancing and firing in a powerful effort from distance which Day was forced to palm over.
Boro's custodian was having a busier afternoon than he'd have wanted and it got worse just before the break when he went down after being clattered by Matt Tubbs.
The keeper resumed after treatment but his game was to end at the interval.
Stevenage made a double substitution at the start of the second half with Arnold replacing the injured Day and Bruno Andrade replacing Greg Tansey.
The hosts started the half well with Freeman advancing into the box and seeing his cross well defended, with Doughty also pulling the strings in midfield.
But it was Rotherham who came closest to scoring again when an O'Connor volley from the edge of the area was palmed behind at full stretch by Arnold.
Substitute Andrade was looking lively and twice he advanced down the wing before firing in dangerous crosses, both of which were cleared by the visiting defence.
Despite their brighter start to the second period it was the Millers who doubled their lead on the hour, Claude Davis getting on the end of a free-kick before Arnold and nodding into an empty net.
Five minutes later it was 3-0 and it came from a Boro corner. Smith's delivery was cleared at the front post and Rotherham flooded forward. O'Connor had options to his left and right but opted to shoot himself, finding the back of the net from 25 yards.
With nothing to lose Boro pushed forward in the closing stages and created a number of opportunities to grab a consolation.
Simon Heslop tested Collin's reflexes with a drive on 74 minutes. Three minutes later Freeman cut inside his full-back and fired in an effort on goal but it was easy for Collin.
As three minutes of injury time were indicated Freeman again went on a darting run down the left and advanced into the box but pulled his shot wide of the far post.
Rotherham saw out the remaining minutes to record their first league win in six games whilst Boro will no doubt be keen to put today behind them and focus on next weekend's game at high-flying Peterborough.
Boro: Day (Arnold 46), Smith, Jones, Hartley, Doughty, Morais (Tounkara 81), Tansey (Andrade 46), Heslop, Freeman, Zoko, Akins
Subs not used: Arnold, Wedgbury, Burrow, Parrett, Johnson
Rotherham: Collin, Brindley, Davis (Mills 84), Morgan, Skarz, Pringle, O'Connor (Milsom 77), Frecklington (Tidser 79), Agard, Tubbs, Revell,
Subs not used: Shearer, Eaves, Rowe
Referee: James Linnington
Attendance: 2,814


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Charles explains why we need to radically shift the way we think about education.
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What the hell is IFA 2014 and why should I care? We tell you all you need to know about this huge techy tradeshow, and what you can expect to see from Sony, Samsung, Nokia and the other massive smartphone players…
What is IFA 2014?
IFA is a massive annual trade show that focuses on all kinds of tech, from TVs to toothbrushes, mobiles to…something else beginning with M. It all takes place in a horrifying drab venue in Berlin, which is notoriously difficult to navigate and sucks the very soul of the weary journalists who tread its halls, thanks in large part to the overpriced 'food' and constant grey decor.
When is IFA 2014?
In 2014, the IFA show kicks off on Wednesday September 3rd for press, and continues until Friday September 5th, after which it opens to the public.
Most of the big techy announcements, especially the mobile-related ones, take place on the Wednesday – that's when the likes of Samsung, Sony, Asus and Panasonic will take to the stage. Hence, by Thursday our fingers are normally whittled down to stubs from excessive frantic typing.
What's going to be launched at IFA 2014?
A lot of stuff!
So far we've had confirmation that Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Asus, and probably even more manufacturers will be launching smartphone/tablet goodies on Wednesday September 3rd, and Lenovo and Huawei will be unveiling new kit on Thursday September 4th. Nokia will also be launching some new phones at some point.
Here's our complete what-are-these-dudes-launching-at-IFA-2014 guide, in alphabetical order…
Asus at IFA 2014
Asus is the most unpredictable out of all the mobile manufacturers, so god only knows what we'll see emerge from its IFA 2014 press event. Chances are good that we'll see some tablets, and most likely at least one hybrid tablet/laptop, but will we see a new Padfone too?
The Asus IFA 2014 press launch will happen on Wednesday 3rd September, so all will be revealed then.
Lenovo/Motorola at IFA 2014
Since Lenovo acquired Motorola from Google, we've taken great interest in this Chinese firm. Chances are Lenovo will use the Motorola name to launch new phones in the UK and Europe, and we're betting big on the new Motorola Moto G2 launching at IFA this year.
If the Moto G2 can take the fantastic original and add a better camera, maybe a sexy new design, and iron out some of the kinks already addressed by the Moto G 4G, we could be looking at a truly formidable mid-range phone offering incredible value for money.
All will become clear from 2pm on Thursday 4th September.
LG at IFA 2014
We're expecting to see at least a couple of new devices from LG in Berlin this year, possibly including the LG G3 Prime, an updated version of the five-star G3.
You can also expect some mid-range handsets, and here's hoping that LG surprise us with some more crazy innovations. After all, this is the company that gave us the world's first 'Quad HD' smartphone, and bendy mobile.
Nokia at IFA 2014
We already know that two new camera-centric Windows Phone handsets will be unveiled by Nokia/Microsoft Devices at IFA 2014 – one of them a new PureView model, the other a cheapy handset with a sharp selfie cam.
Samsung at IFA 2014
For Samsung, the Berlin trade show is all about the Galaxy Note phablet. So, this year we'll predictably see the curtain pulled back on the Galaxy Note 4, which apparently will be even bigger than its predecessors, and also warn you when you're at risk of sunburn.
We're expecting the Samsung Galaxy S5 Alpha to be announced separately, most likely in the coming month. The Alpha version of Samsung's flagship will likely sport a classy metallic body, just like the HTC One M8 – good to hear Samsung ditching that iffy plastic look at last. Although it's rumoured that the S5 Alpha may never hit the UK…
Sony at IFA 2014
We'll be heading to IFA 2014 with Sony, and after last year's Xperia Z1 launch, we're hoping for yet more greatness.
The Xperia Z1 has already been superseded by the Xperia Z2, earlier in 2014, but we might still see another new premium handset (presumably called the Xperia Z3), and and we're really hoping for a new mini device – the Xperia Z2/Z3 Compact.
We could also see more NFC camera lenses, if the invite is anything to go by…
Sony's press conference will kick off 4.15pm on Wednesday September 3rd.


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The words of Jesus Christ are life changing and timeless. When Jesus spoke, lives were transformed and the trajectory of life forever altered. Whether you are just beginning to seek Jesus or have been a believer for years, the Bible can always speak new truths into your life!
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew 7:7-8
Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." - Matthew 22:37-40
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." - Matthew 5:43-44
"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" - Mark 8:34-37
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - John 4:13-14
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." - Mark 11:24-25
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matthew 19:14
8/13/2019 01:25:36 am
You can never get tp God unless you pass thru a spiritual master and we all know Jesus is our spiritual master. We need to call His name and pray to him and ask him to deliver us to God. That kinds of simplifies everything. No one really need to suffer in this transition because if you pray to Jesus a lot, He will not only deliver you directly to God, He will also fill up your pockets with goodies all through out the journey. Imagine riding a bus with a bag full of chips and cookies and everything nice. That would be most like it.
Rafeala Fitriyanti Muis
8/6/2019 07:52:06 pm
God Bless you😇🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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organized crime
Dangerous Rhythms: Jazz and the Criminal Underworld
by James Thornton Harris
T.J. English examines the relationship between jazz and organized crime in Prohibition America, and how the music moved on from the mob.
SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
"Many Saints" Misses Chance to Tell Key Moment of Newark History
by Mary Rizzo and Whitney Strub
The Sopranos prequel misses the chance to tell a rich story about the ethnic rivalries in Newark's city politics that unfolded in the 1960s.
SOURCE: Wall Street Journal
Are Millennial Workers and Boomer Managers Destroying the Mafia, Too?
Federal prosecutions in the 1980s and 1990s decimated experienced middle-management ranks in New York's organized crime families. Are they struggling today because their remaining workforce consists of boomers who can't quit and millennials who are on their phones too much?
SOURCE: New York Times
What Young People's Embrace of "The Sopranos" Says about a Changing Culture
"The show's depiction of contemporary America as relentlessly banal and hollow is plainly at the core of the current interest in the show, which coincides with an era of crisis across just about every major institution in American life."
Trump Cheated on His Taxes. What Happens Now?
by James D. Zirin
"When I was a federal prosecutor going after white collar criminals, I always looked for the accountant. He was the most likely witness for the government."
SOURCE: The New Yorker
Why New York's Mob Mythology Endures
by Adam Gopnik
"Generally, in Mob stories, the cute bits are not real, and the real bits are not cute. Given that grim truth, there's something to be said for just shutting your eyes and repeating the cute bits." Some new books on the Mafia unfortunately follow the pattern.
SOURCE: News 3 Las Vegas
The Last Remnants of the 'Mob Era' in Las Vegas
John Gotti allegedly maintained a low-profile skimming operation at an off-strip casino years after Nevada officials believed they had swept the mob out of the gaming business.
Bulger guilty in gangland crimes
BOSTON — James (Whitey) Bulger, the mobster who terrorized South Boston in the 1970s and '80s, holding the city in his thrall even after he disappeared, was convicted Monday of a sweeping array of gangland crimes, including 11 murders. He faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison.The verdict delivers long-delayed justice to Mr. Bulger, 83, who disappeared in the mid-1990s after a corrupt agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation told him he was about to be indicted. He left behind a city that wondered if he would ever be caught — and even if the F.B.I., which had been complicit in many of his crimes and had relied on him as an informer, was really looking for him."This was the worst case of corruption in the history of the F.B.I.," said Michael D. Kendall, a former federal prosecutor who investigated Mr. Bulger's associates. "It was a multigenerational, systematic alliance with organized crime, where the F.B.I. was actively participating in the murders of government witnesses, or at least allowing them to occur."...
SOURCE: WaPo
Whitey Bulger trial opens in Boston
BOSTON — James "Whitey" Bulger is an old man now.He wears reading glasses. His hair is pure white, but not much remains. And when he stood up in a federal courtroom Wednesday morning to finally face the music, to stand trial for a lifetime of gangster crimes, he rose slowly, no longer the menacing Irish mob boss who allegedly scratched out 19 lives while the FBI looked the other way.Wearing a long-sleeved green shirt, jeans and sneakers, Bulger sat passively as a prosecutor described his younger, more sinister years as leader of the Winter Hill Gang, including the time he allegedly marched a safecracker named Arthur "Bucky" Barrett to a set of cellar stairs after torturing him in a chair in pursuit of $40,000 from a bank robbery....
How Did the IRS Get Investigatory Authority, Anyway?
by Douglas M. Charles
Mobster Frank Costello testifying in front of the Kefauver Committee. Credit: Wiki Commons.The IRS "scandal" involving the "targeting" of conservative Tea Party groups is metastasizing. Congressional Republicans are seeking to open a broader investigation into the agency, with which, according to the New York Times, they "hope to ensare the White House."But an understanding of the true history of IRS scandals -- as documented in the mid-1970s Church Committee reports -- might better inform our understanding of this contemporary story.


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Hear from SAP customers how they innovate their businesses with enhancement packages for SAP ERP – part 1
Join the upcoming webinars and learn from other companies why they have implemented enhancement packages for SAP ERP. Gain insights into project experiences and lessons learnt from SAP customers and find out from which functionality they are actively benefiting from. The webinars are free of charge.
Next webinar: Why having an SAP enhancement package roadmap put IT in the driver's seat
|Date & Time
Thu, March, 29th, 2012
Americas: 11-12 a.m. EDT
EMEA: 5-6 p.m. CET
Viswanathan Sankara, Director of Applications, Development and Strategy, Day & Zimmermann Inc.
Gary Yount, Project Manager and Upgrade Principal, SAP America Inc.


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The USC Trojans have a 28-26 over the Arizona Wildcats heading into the fourth quarter in Tuscon. The Trojans have come back to take the lead, and pushed it to 15 at the start of the third, but have allowed the Wildcats to chip away.
Marqise Lee has been spectacular, having already set the USC and Pac-12 records for receiving yards in a game. The question remains whether the star wideout can top the FBS record of 405. Lee currently has 313 yards receiving.
Lee added to his total with a 44-yard touchdown catch from Matt Barkley early in the third quarter. That capped an 87-yard drive to put USC up two scores and in control.
Arizona battled back, and eventually broke through for their first points of the second half on a 10-yard rushing touchdown to pull the Wildcats with eight points. The play was setup by a 42-yard pass from Scott to Austin Hill.
The Wildcats recovered a fumble by USC's D.J. Morgan on the ensuing drive. It was USC's fourth turnover of the game. Morgan suffered an injury to his leg on the play.
Scott hit Dan Buckner on a 9-yard touchdown following the fumble to put Arizona within two points with 1:42 to play in the third. The Wildcats attempted to tie the game, but failed on a two-point coversion try.
The Trojans failed on a 4th and 2 reverse play to Lee to begin the fourth, and turned the ball over on downs.


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Spring Performance
Come watch dancers of all ages! --Exciting choreography & beautiful costumes!
Sunday 5th May 2024
Location: PVCC Dickinson Theater 501 College Drive.
Our 46th Annual Spring Performance will excite everyone, from "Mozart to Mars"!
Call ahead to pick up tickets! They are not available at the door.
Our annual "Spring Performance" is an extravaganza of choreography complete with beautiful costumes, professional lighting, music and moves that are always age appropriate. Why?
Because when a student works really hard throughout the year, and is excited to step on stage they want to shine!
Costumes in dance just like in any theater production, or professional career, help the performer portray the part better. We know that a little dancer in a beautiful, fancy tutu, or an older student in a costume that sparkles and follows the latest fashion trends, loves the way they feel so pretty. They bubble with excitement putting on their costume and step onstage with grace, poise and confidence!
The Spring Performance has FREE ADMISSION for guests – family or friends, (supported by a very modest performance fee). This keeps the emphasis of that special day on celebrating the dancers.
As teachers, we are excited to see progress, at all levels! Students and teachers together create an atmosphere of cooperation instead of competition which fosters camaraderie. This builds self esteem as students identify and encourage each other's talents.
The confident, successful feeling inside a dancer as they come off stage is rewarding beyond measure -for the tiny princess dancers, teenagers, or adults. To be a part of giving students that courage, inner joy, and outright sense of accomplishment, sustains and motivates us as teachers. We are passionate in our desire to share with students this amazing world of dance!
Our Performance Group is another means for students to perform in front of audiences periodically throughout the year. Students audition for acceptance into the group for dancers with at least three years of experience. They perform at local and regional venues, events, schools, and festivals. We are honored and excited as this group and other WSD will be traveling to Miami this December to perform in the famous Orange Bowl!
With your help - we can make a positive difference in your child's life that will build their confidence and create memories to last a lifetime.


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Expensive China
A $31 million scroll, an $86 million vase, and other items from the Chinese antiques boom.
"One-hundred-and-eighty thousand ... $200,000. Two-hundred-and-five thousand ... 210 ... any advance on $210,000?" On this September afternoon at Freeman's Auction House in Philadelphia, the auctioneer's chant becomes a kind of elegy for China's Cultural Revolution and the Little Red Book. The competition is fierce, tenacious, and heated, with bidders vying for everything from porcelain bottle vases to elephant-ivory fruit baskets, from amber pendants to carved hornbill heads, from bronze Buddhas to zitan floor screens. It's a small miracle that many of these objects survived the mindless destruction of the Boxer Rebellion, the second Sino-Japanese War, and the Red Guard.
The big-ticket item turns out to be a white-jade seal topped by intertwined dragons, their nostrils flared, eyes bulging, whiskers curled. The piece, cautiously described in Freeman's glossy 194-page catalog as "Imperial-style," was acquired by a local consignor in 1970. Though the object has been valued between $30,000 and $50,000, a nearly identical seal with a long and impeccable provenance was auctioned at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2010. It went for $15.6 million.
When the item comes up for sale, four cellphone-brandishing Asian bidders alternately raise their paddles in a game of high-stakes pingpong. Three of the volleyers sport Lacoste polo shirts, in blue, green, and orange; the fourth, a white button-down oxford. All four tell me they are agents for buyers in mainland China but decline to identify themselves or their employers.
As the price rises rapidly in $100,000 intervals, a quiver of excitement flows through the salesroom. "Two-million-three ... and I have a two-million-four," says auctioneer Charles Freeman, his voice taking on a rhythmic urgency. "I hear two-million-six. Do you care to bid?" Green Lacoste does. Everyone else gasps. Everyone but White Oxford, who whispers into his phone and raises him $300,000.
Green Lacoste whispers into his phone and raises him another $100,000. "Do I hear 3.1 million?" asks Freeman. White Oxford whispers and tentatively holds up his paddle. Freeman looks at Green Lacoste and asks, "3.2? Do you care to bid?" Green Lacoste sighs and bows out. "Three-point-one million is the bid." Bang! "Three-point-one million dollars takes it." The room erupts in applause.
With fees and commission, the final tally is $3.5 million, almost triple any lot sold in Freeman's 206-year history. The entire sale is the auction house's most successful ever, with an $8 million haul—more than double its appraiser's prediction. Blue Lacoste doesn't join in the merriment. "I should have won the seal for 2 million," he grumbles, "but the people bidding against me were crazy."
Mad money is driving the boom in Chinese antiques, a prime emblem of affluence for a status-obsessed people. Chinese works—particularly those that might have an Imperial pedigree—are selling for up to 10 times what they did five or six years ago. Bypassed, if not exactly ignored in the past by collectors, the finest Chinese furniture has surpassed the top European and American pieces in value. In a cultural phenomenon with fascinating economic and sociological underpinnings, the mainland's nouveau riche are paying emperor's ransoms to reclaim their country's treasures. Their knowledge of antiques may be shallow, but their pockets are incredibly deep.
Last year, despite the global recession, the London salesrooms of Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams set house records as dealers and mainland collectors pushed up prices. In New York, Christie's robust September sale of Chinese ceramics and artwork took in roughly $38 million. The highlight was a rare blue and white Ming-style moonflask that dated from the mid-to-late-17th century and bore a Qianlong seal mark. The moonflask fetched $2.65 million, nearly quintupling its estimate.
Earlier in the summer, at the French provincial auction house Labarbe, seven Asian bidders tried to outmuscle each other for a 1739 scroll painting that had allegedly been stolen from the Forbidden City in 1900. The gavel fell after a $31 million bid by a Beijing-based collector. Even that was chump change compared to the staggering ascent of a famille-rose vase last May. Though Sotheby's New York had timidly listed the vase as "probably Republican period," Chinese bidders ignored the $800 to $1,200 estimate and propelled the price to more than $18 million, around 20,000 times the suggested price.
In all three auctions, bidders decided the salesroom's description had been too conservative. That is precisely what happened in Philadelphia, where Freeman's assessment of the jade seal's value turned out to be breathtakingly inaccurate.
The delirium that has possessed collectors of Chinese antiques is largely a reflection of new wealth. During the repressive Mao era of the mid-20th century, all but the most didactic art was denigrated, collecting was outlawed, and learning about the imperial past was illegal. Over the first half-century of Communist rule, the antiquities market was pretty much limited to a small pool of buyers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Around 2005, stateside auction houses began to see an increase in mainland buyers who had been absent due to limitations on travel and restrictions on the outflows of money. In the years since, access has widened and that small pool of Southeast Asian buyers has been engulfed by a vast ocean of freshly minted Chinese collectors and their freshly minted cash. According to the Boston Consulting Group, more than 1 million Chinese are now worth more than $1 million. And according to the latest Hurun Rich List, China's version of the Forbes 400, more than half of the mainland's 95 billionaires reached that plateau over the last few years.
Many got rich quick on the back of their country's huge export trade and construction boom. The new elite is eager to build collections quickly, even at a premium. Impatience helps account for the soaring prices. "Too many people are chasing too few goods," says Lark Mason, an expert in Asian art who appears frequently on PBS' Antiques Roadshow. "During the 1980s, '90s, and into the new century, there was ample Chinese material available because there were not enough buyers to drive the prices up and create scarcity. Today, vastly more people are capable of and interested in buying, but there's not enough material on the market to satisfy them."
The appetite of Chinese collectors is so prodigious that rhinoceros-horn drinking cups—intricately carved ceremonial vessels that once sold for a few hundred dollars and contributed to the near-extinction of the animal—are now commanding hundreds of thousands of dollars. At a taping of Antiques Roadshow last July in Tulsa, Okla., Mason valued a set of late 17th- or early 18th-century rhino mugs at between $1 million and 1.5 million, the highest appraisal in the program's history. The owner told Mason he had been collecting the cups since the '70s and was clueless about their worth. "I was hoping the guy wouldn't collapse," Mason recalls.
Finds like that are why Chinese collectors aggressively troll Internet auction sites. "The market is such that if something is good, it's not going to be missed," says Bruce MacLaren, a Chinese-art specialist at Bonhams. "The market is too global, and too many people are paying attention because there's a lot of money to be made."
Some auction prices have been inflated by political protest bidding. Some of the wild price fluctuations at auctions have also resulted from the difficulty of nailing down the provenance of objects that were allegedly stolen from China centuries ago. Though there's a long tradition of making and selling reproductions in the Middle Kingdom, in a nation where the stock exchange and real estate market are famously volatile, antiques are seen as one of the more stable investments. "The Chinese have a lot of American dollars," Mason says. "Buying Chinese antiques helps to diversify their portfolios."
The boom has benefited enormously from the Chinese love of gambling. A significant number of buyers are speculators, for whom bidding is a kind of hedged bet. "The Chinese really enjoy the auction process because of the competitiveness," says Michelle Liao, owner and proprietor of an Asian antiques and textiles emporium in Philadelphia. "They think bidding is a great, exciting game. They want to win and discover things that no one else knows about. They want to make a noise, to shake things up, to stir fry."
Born in mainland China and raised comfortably in Taipei, Liao reigns over a realm of jade and ivory and silk like a dowager empress exiled out of her time. Since 1977, the high priests and priestesses of the fashion world—Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein—have made pilgrimages and sent emissaries to the Liao Collection, a cavernous space that you don't so much walk into as wade through.
Among the bower bird's nest of Chinese treasures are ancient brush pots, flywhisks, cricket cages, beaded slippers, velvet scarves, bamboo vests, embroidered Shanxi baby shoes, and mahogany tansus. For several decades Liao went to her homeland on biannual buying junkets, sometimes venturing to the farthest reaches of the hinterlands. But the heirlooms she hunts for have become so expensive that she has cut back her expeditions to once a year.
"The dealers I used to buy from now sell mainly to buyers in China," she says. "Demand for antiques is so tremendous over there that the wholesale cost is often higher than what I can retail them for in Philly. Yet as mind-blowing as the prices have become at Chinese-antiques auctions in the states, at least it's still possible to get a steal. In China, those days are over."
Liao says few Americans collect Chinese antiques on a grand scale anymore. Her Chinese clients tend to care more about rarity than quality, connoisseurship, or aesthetic appeal. "They are very, very picky," she says. "They want stuff that's Imperial, or could be. They're only interested in furniture carved from four kinds of rosewood, all scarce. Especially zitan and huanghuali, the trees used for much of the interior decoration in the Forbidden City."
Bruce MacLaren attributes the Imperial Craze to "the desire of many Chinese to own objects with a connection to status and power and authority." For a populace so long silenced and oppressed, showy displays of prosperity can be liberating. And few prestige symbols are showier or more liberating than wares with imperial reign marks indicating that they were designated for palatial use. Imperial jade and porcelain, in particular, have considerable cachet.
"The Chinese value history and tradition in a way that most American don't," says Deborah Del Gais, a professor at Harvard's Fairbank Center for East Asian Research. By repatriating their country's past while gaining social eminence, she says, collectors derive public as well as private advantage. "To own an object that the buyer believes was once used by the Qianlong emperor or members of the Imperial family, for example, lends a great deal of prestige to the collector." The white-jade seal that provoked the feeding frenzy at Freeman's was accompanied by a yellowing collector's label, written in French, that claimed it once belonged to Qianlong.
The celebrated Qing Dynasty emperor was an 18th-century Renaissance man so passionate about his art collection that he wrote poems about it. During his 60-year rule, the Chinese empire was politically potent and expanded its geographic boundaries. He's widely regarded as the country's last great emperor, and his tenure is remembered as a time of immense creativity in ceramics, when artisans made complex works to impress him and his royal court. "The thinking is, 'The emperor had good taste, therefore I have good taste,' " MacLaren says.
The auction high for a Qianlong piece—indeed, for a Chinese work of any period—was briefly held by an enameled vase auctioned off by Sotheby's Hong Kong in October 2010. Chinese oil, transport, and communications tycoon Alice Cheng reeled it in for $32.6 million.
Within weeks that figure was eclipsed by the price of another porcelain vase. Though its authenticity has been disputed by a prominent Chinese-art gallery owner in New York, this new record-setting ornament, adorned with a gaudy fish motif, is believed to have been fired in 1740 in the imperial kilns. Supposedly, it was plundered from the Old Summer Palace outside Beijing during the Second Opium War in 1860, a time of widespread looting by British and French forces that brought enormous quantities of Chinese fine art into Western collections.
A century and a half later, the vase was put up for sale in England by a retired lawyer named Anthony Johnson and his 85-year-old mother, Gene. They had found the vessel on a wobbly bookcase while clearing the house belonging to Gene's late sister, whose husband had inherited it from an adventurous uncle.
The vase was expected to bring in between $1.3 and $2 million. After spirited bidding, though, it ended up fetching $85.9 million from a Chinese collector whose identity was not made public. (Several news organizations, citing confidential sources, have reported that the buyer was Liaoning-based real estate billionaire Wang Jianlin—a claim Wang has publicly denied.) The price was astounding in itself, but arguably even more stupendous was the fact that the object wasn't sold by Sotheby's or Christie's, but by Bainbridges in the London suburb of Ruislip. The tiny firm's previous record was $161,000 for a piece of Ming dynasty enamel.
Regardless of his identity, the winning bidder for the $85.9 million vase nearly provoked an international incident when he refused to pay. Some wondered if the bidder had been out to make a political statement. In 2009, despite complaints from the Chinese government, Christie's in Paris auctioned off bronze animal heads also purportedly snatched from the Summer Palace. Cai Mingchao—an adviser to a government heritage fund—made the winning bid of $40.4 million and then held a press conference to announce he had pranked Christie's as an "act of patriotism."
In the case of the Ruislip Vase, national honor was not at stake. I'm told that the winning bidder's beef involved the $13.8 million premium (auctioneer's commission plus value added tax) levied by Bainbridges. The buyer assumed, incorrectly, that there would be a sliding fee—that considering the high sale price, the auction house would be willing to lower the percentage of the commission. In the spirit of compromise, the seller and the auctioneer flew to China for an audience. They came back empty-handed. Though the British press reported last May that a 2 million pound deposit had been made, it's now been 16 months since the hammer fell and the bill is still not settled.
The buyer's refusal to ante up spooked many auction houses into establishing rules for their sales of high-value Asian art. In what sounds suspiciously like antique-world profiling, Asian bidders are now routinely vetted and often required to provide substantial deposits. It couldn't have helped matters when the Chinese Association for Auctioneers revealed that in 2010, 40 percent of the bids that topped $1.5 million at Chinese auctions were still unpaid six months later.
Dodgy buyer behavior spawned an anonymous verse that, Bloomberg reported in December, has been passed around the auction world:
The Chinese bid with verve and skill
And hence rack up a mighty bill.
"The money's coming soon," they cry
But oh, my friend, they lie, they lie.
The damage caused by delinquent accounts has led some people in the Asian art world to wonder if the air is seeping out of the Chinese antiquities bubble. Diplomacy and compromise will be needed in this developing East-West engagement: The Chinese must take the house rules more seriously, and the auctioneers must bend if they want their percentage from these unseasoned, but spectacularly flush newcomers.


text: In preparation for the public release of CentOS 5 beta, we would like to expand the number of mirror servers that have the beta as we expect it to be a popular download. So if any mirrors - especially ones with large bandwidth - can agree to the following please let us know :- 1. set up an apache virtual host as beta.centos.or 2. set up rsync for beta.cenros.org with targets we specify This will make it easy for us to use GeoIP based dns system to give out mirrors. 3. agree to sync regularily and only carry the latest beta download tree Because we dont want broken stuff too widely distributed 4. agree to remove the beta stuff when the beta test is over Thanks Lance -- uklinux.net - The ISP of choice for the discerning Linux user.


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At Langdon, converted children, all unknown to their elders, regularly held a class meeting among themselves, and when their place of meeting was accidentally discovered, many of the parents, keeping the discovery secret, on overhearing their children relate their Christian experience were melted to tears. At the same place, a company of young men returning from their appointments spoke affectionately to a man they met about his soul. The arrow of the Almighty went home, and he cried aloud in the road for mercy. A verse or two of a hymn was sung and fervent prayer offered. In the stillness of the night, the sounds were heard in the distance by people in the adjoining villages. A large congregation soon gathered, the Holy Ghost fell upon the people as at the beginning, many cried aloud for mercy, and several captives of sin with there and then set gloriously free. Among others, a father and son rejoiced together in the adoption of children. A farmer returning to his home heard the message a mile away, and without joining the others believed and was saved.
The Bible Christians: Their Origin and History (1815-1900) by F.W. Bourne - Page 39.
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