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Parallax scrolling has become increasingly popular in web page design. Pages that employ it often create an impression of action through clever techniques that utilize page depth, animation, and movement.
Owing its beginnings to the multiplane camera technique developed by early animators in the 1940's, parallax scrolling was first popularized in the 1980's as a way to add depth in 2D video games. These day's though, you mostly hear about parallax scrolling as a way to improve user experience in web design.
It works by having the foreground and background move at different speeds while the user is scrolling. This creates a hypnotic animated effect that can impress, engage, and direct the viewer's attention toward whatever you desire. This can be extremely effective when attempting to draw attention to on-page calls to action, and parallax scrolling gives web designers an unprecedented amount of control over the flow of user experience. By having images enter, intertwine, and exit as the visitor scrolls, you're able to create a visual narrative, giving your website a certain storytelling quality that can lull your visitors into a trance.
Example of parallax scrolling courtesy OhSqueezy
So what does this mean for you? It means that, above all else, applying parallax scrolling can help engage your visitors. Creating a visually pleasing aesthetic with a fancy interface can be the difference in holding on to the fragile attention spans of the masses. This is because the unconventional format serves as an invitation to interact. People will automatically feel more engaged when they're scrolling (which is an instinctive action) because doing so drastically alters the depth and content of their view. By simply scrolling, they've seemingly changed the fabric of the site itself. This creates a feeling of power and significance. It's a psychological trick that pulls a visitor deeper into your website, by fueling their desire to explore.
Designing your website with parallax scrolling can help to improve all of the following areas:
- Visitor engagement
- Holding visitor interest
- Directing the course of visitor attention
- Making your site easily navigable
- Storing all of your content on one page
- Creating a compelling narrative around your brand
All of these factors combine to create an engrossing user experience. An experience that I've opted to describe as hypnotic, and it is hypnotic in a sense. When scrolling through a well-designed web page that employs parallax scrolling, a visitor does give up a measure of control to the web designer. Much like a roller coaster, they are along for the ride until they've reached the destination. A destination that's predetermined by you, the designer.
Disadvantages and Solutions
There are some concerns with parallax scrolling that need to be addressed. In particular:
- Page load times
- Mobile viewing
- Horizontal movement
- Search Engine Optimization
Page Load Times
Because sites that have parallax scrolling often pack a lot of their content onto one page, things like animation and layered imagery can result in longer intervals between clicking and loading. This wouldn't be a problem, except that visitors are notoriously impatient while browsing. If a page is taking too long, it's often a signal that whatever is content it contains isn't worth the actual time it takes to view.
As with every web design choice, there are pros and cons to implementing parallax scrolling
To circumvent this problem, it's smart to keep your pages somewhat minimalist. The more animation, layers, and content you add to your page the slower it will be to load. So in order to cut down on the load time, you'll need to avoid an overly busy interface. Doing so will free up those precious seconds while your visitors decide if they want to stick around for the pay off or not.
Mobile Viewing
Parallax scrolling does not play well with mobile technology. If you're investing in a parallax enabled page, you need to have a separate mobile optimized site in place, or at least a mobile application in lieu of an unresponsive and ineffective mobile site.
Horizontal Movement
This is just a personal preference really, but many users find it odd when they scroll downward and the page moves horizontally. It can be an unexpected and unwanted phenomenon. That being said, you won't please everyone all the time, and many users don't mind horizontal scrolling in the slightest. So use your best judgment as to whether or not this is right for your site.
Search Engine Optimization
Many have claimed that parallax scrolling pages force you to take a hit on your SEO page rankings and subsequently your organic traffic. This is certainly true to a degree. Having one page rather than several means that you're looking to rank for all your keywords on a single page. This will be a lot harder than ranking for one or two on multiple pages. Not only that, but you won't be able to update your site's content as often with fewer pages to work with.
Still, it's not all hopeless. Parallax scrolling sites are magnets for back links. They increase page views and page view intervals. Also the unique design can escalate overall traffic, and as we've mentioned the main advantage is improved engagement. With more engagement, comes more social media sharing, which has a direct effect on page ranking.
Effective Examples of Parallax Scrolling
As with every web design choice, there are pros and cons to implementing parallax scrolling, so it's a good idea to check out what a successfully integrated design might look like. Take a look at the following 5 examples to see what's possible with parallax scrolling.
- A map of the history of Mario Kart
- The Smokey Bones Restaurant site
- A site advertising a music festival called Beer Camp
- Web design firm, Unfold's site
- A site selling bicycle designs and prints
Parallax scrolling is not all that difficult to implement—either by tweaking code to achieve this effect or using jQuery plugins—and it makes for a uniquely hypnotic user experience.
Image of optical illusion courtesy of Shutterstock.


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Home » Classic in Field » COUPER, GOSFIELD, OLIVEROS, HOVDA, CUSTER, ONO: If Tigers were Clouds
COUPER, GOSFIELD, OLIVEROS, HOVDA, CUSTER, ONO: If Tigers were Clouds
A fine and important collection of so-called maverick works by women in the 20th and early 21st centuries. Very varied, always challenging. The first two pieces - by Mildred Couper (written in 1930, before any of the other contributors were even born) and Annie Gosfield (b.1960) - are exemplary: Couper's for two pianos tuned a quarter-tone apart and Gosfield's for brain-twisting percussion and bass-clarinet, employing complex simultaneous metres. Pauline Oliveros does what she does; Eleanor Hovda (born 1940) manages, more or less, to make an electronic work with acoustic resources, Beth Custer, using sound sculptures and invented instruments, offers an eccentric song and Zeitgeist ensemble realises a Yoko Ono/Fluxus score. In addition, there is an improvisation using the legendary Arthur Ferris' forgotten instruments. Built mostly in the 1920s these were extended string families: many necked viols, harps, &c. I'm not at all sure how this track fits here (Ferris was male and all the players bar one are male too, but I'm not complaining. It's good to hear the instruments). There are three extra pieces accessible only from a computer, another 1/4 tone piano duet by Mildred Couper, another Ferris instrument improvisation, and Johanna M Beyer's 1932 Suite for Bb Clarinet. 26 minutes in all. If only for the chance to hear Mildred Couper, Ferris' instruments and Annie Gosfield, this is a hit.
Code: Innova589
Price: £14.50

subset: commoncrawl


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Al Pacino to play Joe Paterno in movie
Al Pacino will play Joe Paterno in a movie about the late Penn State football coach.
Producer Edward R. Pressman confirms Brian De Palma will direct ''Happy Valley,'' the tentative title of the film, based on Joe Posnanski's best-seller ''Paterno.''
'''Happy Valley' reunites the 'Scarface' and 'Carlito's Way' team of De Palma and Pacino for the third time and I can't think of a better duo to tell this story of a complex, intensely righteous man who was brought down by his own tragic flaw,'' Pressman said in a statement. No start or release dates were given for the film.
While Pressman said the plot remains ''under wraps,'' Posnanski's book followed Paterno's final years, as the winningest coach in college football history saw his career end in disgrace in 2011 with the sex abuse scandal involving assistant Jerry Sandusky.


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Selected Anticoagulants (Vitamin K antagonists)/Aspirin (Greater Than 100 Interactions
This information is generalized and not intended as specific medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any drug or commencing any course of treatment.
Medical warning:
Serious. These medicines may interact and cause very harmful effects. Contact your healthcare professional (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) for more information.
How the interaction occurs:
When these two medicines are taken together, aspirin or similar medicine may decrease the ability of your blood to clot properly and/or may cause stomach irritation.
What might happen:
You may experience an increased chance for bleeding. Symptoms may include: bleeding from your gums, nosebleeds, unusual bruising, red or orange urine, severe headache, coughing up blood, blood in vomit, or dark/black/tarry stools.
What you should do about this interaction:
Ask your healthcare professionals (e.g. doctor or pharmacist) about taking these medicines together. They may recommend a non-aspirin product. If your doctor prescribes these medicines together, you may need to have laboratory testing more often.If you have any signs of bleeding such as bleeding from your gums, nosebleeds, unusual bruising, red or orange urine, severe headache, coughing up blood, blood in vomit, or dark/black/tarry stools contact your doctor right away.Your healthcare professionals may already be aware of this interaction and may be monitoring you for it. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.
- 1.Quick AJ, Clesceri L. Influence of acetylsalicylic acid and salicylamide on the coagulation of blood. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1960;128:95-8.
- 2.Watson RM, Pierson RN Jr. Effect of anticoagulant therapy upon aspirin-induced gastrointestinal bleeding. Circulation 1961 Sep;24:613-6.
- 3.Barrow MV, Quick DT, Cunningham RW. Salicylate hypoprothrombinemia in rheumatoid arthritis with liver disease. Report of two cases. Arch Intern Med 1967 Nov;120(5):620-4.
- 4.Weiss HJ, Aledort LM, Kochwa S. The effect of salicylates on the hemostatic properties of platelets in man. J Clin Invest 1968 Sep; 47(9):2169-80.
- 5.Udall JA. Drug interference with warfarin therapy. Clin Med 1970 Aug; 77:20-5.
- 6.Fausa O. Salicylate-induced hypoprothrombinemia. A report of four cases. Acta Med Scand 1970 Nov;188(5):403-8.
- 7.Zucker MB, Peterson J. Effect of acetylsalicylic acid, other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, and dipyridamole on human blood platelets. J Lab Clin Med 1970 Jul;76(1):66-75.
- 8.O'Reilly RA, Sahud MA, Aggeler PM. Impact of aspirin and chlorthalidone on the pharmacodynamics of oral anticoagulant drugs in man. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1971 Jul 6;179:173-86.
- 9.Dale J, Myhre E, Loew D. Bleeding during acetylsalicylic acid and anticoagulant therapy in patients with reduced platelet reactivity after aortic valve replacement. Am Heart J 1980 Jun;99(6):746-52.
- 10.Donaldson DR, Sreeharan N, Crow MJ, Rajah SM. Assessment of the interaction of warfarin with aspirin and dipyridamole. Thromb Haemost 1982 Feb 26;47(1):77.
- 11.Chesebro JH, Fuster V, Elveback LR, McGoon DC, Pluth JR, Puga FJ, Wallace RB, Danielson GK, Orszulak TA, Piehler JM, Schaff HV. Trial of combined warfarin plus dipyridamole or aspirin therapy in prosthetic heart valve replacement: danger of aspirin compared with dipyridamole. Am J Cardiol 1983 May 15;51(9):1537-41.
- 12.Chow WH, Cheung KL, Ling HM, See T. Potentiation of warfarin anticoagulation by topical methylsalicylate ointment. J R Soc Med 1989 Aug;82(8):501-2.
- 13.Meade TW, Roderick PJ, Brennan PJ, Wilkes HC, Kelleher CC. Extra-cranial bleeding and other symptoms due to low dose aspirin and low intensity oral anticoagulation. Thromb Haemost 1992 Jul 6;68(1):1-6.
- 14.Dentali F, Douketis JD, Lim W, Crowther M. Combined aspirin-oral anticoagulant therapy compared with oral anticoagulant therapy alone among patients at risk for cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Arch Intern Med 2007 Jan 22;167(2):117-24.
- 15.Grosser T Smyth E FitzGerald GA. Anti-Inflammatory, Antipyretic and Analgesic Agents; Pharmacotherapy of Gout. In Bruton L, Chabner B, Knollman B eds. Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 12th ed. 2011.
- 16.Zhou M, Leonard CE, Brensinger CM, Bilker WB, Kimmel SE, Hecht TEH, Hennessy S. Pharmacoepidemiologic Screening of Potential Oral Anticoagulant Drug Interactions Leading to Thromboembolic Events. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2020 Aug;108(2):377-386.
- 17.Wang M, Zeraatkar D, Obeda M, Lee M, Garcia C, Nguyen L, Agarwal A, Al-Shalabi F, Benipal H, Ahmad A, Abbas M, Vidug K, Holbrook A. Drug-drug interactions with warfarin: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2021 Nov;87(11):4051-4100.
Selected from data included with permission and copyrighted by First Databank, Inc. This copyrighted material has been downloaded from a licensed data provider and is not for distribution, except as may be authorized by the applicable terms of use.
CONDITIONS OF USE: The information in this database is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of healthcare professionals. The information is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions or adverse effects, nor should it be construed to indicate that use of a particular drug is safe, appropriate or effective for you or anyone else. A healthcare professional should be consulted before taking any drug, changing any diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment.


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The purpose of this Bible study is to help you become an everyday apologist--an ordinary person who is able to share the beliefs of the Catholic Church in truth and love. This study helps you do this by providing you with seven introductory apologetics topics and by teaching you the art of apologetics through example objections and seven apologetic principles for dialogue. This Bible study will not only teach you apologetics, but will also help you put it into practice.
Preview this study
You might also consider:
The Bible Compass
Scriptural Apologetics - Leader Guide
Catechism of the Catholic Church - 2nd Ed.


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Rick Hansen says we'll see a breakthrough in spinal cord injuries within 25 years, but it will be hard work — spurred on by innovations such as the Spinal Cord Registry
Twenty-five years ago, Rick Hansen's Man in Motion team looked up Thermal Drive in Coquitlam and realized they'd made a mistake.
It was almost the end of Hansen's epic round-the-world journey — within days of his finishing in Vancouver — and they had blithely drawn his route up a hill that from the bottom now seemed too steep, too tough, given the two gruelling years and two months Hansen had already put in.
"It was the last day or so on the tour and we were getting closer to home and one of the team came in with a sheepish expression and said 'We've got a problem. When we set the route we didn't know about this place called Thermal Drive. We're going to have to reroute,'" said Hansen.
It takes no time to draw another line on a map and who would have blamed Hansen if, after 40,000 kilometres, he had navigated his way to Vancouver leaving Thermal Drive alone? Probably nobody, except Hansen himself.
"I said it's been an incredibly difficult challenge for two years so why would we bypass something that could represent just how hard it's been," said Hansen.
So Thermal Drive became a metaphor for all the struggles of his journey and he would best it — willed on by the thousands who came to see the attempt.
On May 18, he will be back again in his wheelchair looking up the same hill — a symbol now of the hard slogging that lies ahead in the search for a cure for spinal cord injury.
Hansen believes that a major breakthrough in treatment will come within 25 years. But to get there it's going to be uphill all the way, he says, which is why the Rick Hansen Foundation has thrown its weight behind the Spinal Cord Registry.
The Vancouver-based registry is the creation of spinal cord researcher and surgeon Dr. Marcel Dvorak, professor and head of the Academic Division of Spine in the department of orthopedics at the University of B.C. "He's a brilliant researcher who had the courage to step forward and look for solutions and led a group to pilot this registry," said Hansen.
Dvorak's colleague and fellow researcher Dr. Brian Kwon is naturally cautious when speaking about a cure.
"It depends how you define it. A lot of people envisage someone having a catastrophic injury who receives treatment which has them springing from a wheelchair. That mystical cure — that's a long way off," said Kwon.
"Along the way we are taking incremental steps improving treatment — not the home run yet, but we're hitting singles. We feel a lot of progress has been made moving clinical treatment incrementally towards a cure. I think it's reasonable to expect we are going to see therapies that will make life better for patients," said Kwon.
Hansen points to the spinal injuries suffered by two former Vancouver mayors, Sam Sullivan injured in 1978, and Mike Harcourt, injured in 2002, as examples of treatment progress.
"Mike Harcourt was someone who received best-practice treatment and care right after his injury, which was relatively similar to the injury of Sam Sullivan. Sam was injured years earlier but without that best-practice and treatment. And you see two very different outcomes," said Hansen.
Sullivan is confined to a wheelchair while Harcourt isn't.
The registry has been operating for three years, collecting patient and treatment information from 31 medical facilities in nine provinces. Think of spinal cord injuries as one giant puzzle, with dozens of researchers holding certain pieces. The registry allows them to see many other pieces and to work together on solutions.
"Just getting data sharing agreements between those jurisdictions was massive, but now we have engagement of clinicians and researchers across the country which gives us the opportunity to identify best-practices and ways to evaluate novel treatments," said Kwon.
During the 25th Anniversary celebrations of the Man In Motion Tour, Hansen has signed data sharing agreements with spinal cord researchers in countries such as China, the United States and Israel as the registry expands worldwide.
"We expect that in the next 25 years there will be an explosion of new discoveries that could be translated into clinical trials. To be most effective we need closer to 70 centres around the world working together in the registry as Canada only has about 4,000 spinal cord injuries a year," said Hansen.
"To be able to aggregate data between different centres is critical in the case of spinal cord injury because each centre only deals with 100 or 200 injuries a year with many of them different. The registry collects data on how paralyzed a patient is, their prognosis and status, what kind of injury they have suffered and how they have been treated.
"So if someone is introducing a clinical trial and they need a mid-thoracic central cord injury in the acute phase at the beginning of the injury then, with the registry, you have multiple sites around the world you can go to find those persons.
"All of a sudden instead of waiting 10 years to collect enough patients to conduct your clinical trial you can do it in two or three and accelerate the time for the discovery to be validated or not.
"That's why the registry is such a critical tool. It's the non-sexy work between the laboratory and the clinic that everyone wants but no one wants to do. So we decided we'd do it," said Hansen.
The registry will be one of the talking points at Interdependence 2012, an international conference on spinal cord injury sponsored by the Rick Hansen Foundation that takes place in Vancouver May 15-17.
Following this, attention will be on Thermal Drive and whether Hansen will get up it again. "Right now the betting's mixed," he said.
By GERRY BELLETT, Vancouver Sun


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stempublishing.com : J. N. Darby : Synopsis : 2 Corinthians : Chapter 1 | Next chapter |
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The circumstances occasioning the writing of the epistle2 Corinthians 1. The apostle writes the second Epistle to the Corinthians under the influence of the consolations of Christ — consolations experienced when the troubles which came upon him in Asia were at their height; and renewed at the moment when he wrote his letter, by the good news which Titus had brought him from Corinth — consolations which (now that he is happy about them) he imparts to the Corinthians; who, by grace, had been their source in the last instance. The first letter had awakened their conscience, and had re-established the fear of God in their heart, and integrity in their walk. The sorrowing heart of the apostle was revived by hearing this good news. The state of the Corinthians had cast him down and a little removed from his heart the feelings produced by the consolations with which Jesus filled it during his trials at Ephesus. How various and complicated are the exercises of him who serves Christ and cares for souls! The spiritual restoration of the Corinthians, by dissipating Paul's anguish, had renewed the joy of these consolations, which the tidings of their misconduct had interrupted. He afterwards returns to this subject of his sufferings at Ephesus; and develops, in a remarkable way, the power of the life by which he lived in Christ. He addresses all the saints of that country, as well as those in the city of Corinth, which was its capital; and, being led by the Holy Ghost to write according to the real sentiments which that Spirit produced in him, he at once places himself in the midst of the consolations which flowed into his heart, in order to acknowledge in them the God who poured them into his tried and exercised spirit. The Spirit's work in a human heartNothing more touching than the work of the Spirit in the apostle's heart. The mixture of gratitude and worship towards God, of joy in the consolations of Christ, and of affection for those on whose account he now rejoiced, has a beauty entirely inimitable by the mind of man. Its simplicity and its truth do but enhance the excellence and exalted character of this divine work in a human heart. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; or whether we be comforted it is for your consolation and salvation." Blessing God for the consolations which he had received, content to suffer, because his participation in suffering encouraged the faith of the Corinthians who suffered, by showing them the path ordained of God for the most excellent, he pours into their hearts the consolation of his own, as soon as comfort comes to him from God. His first thought (and it is always so with one who realises his dependence on God, and who abides in his presence — see Genesis 24) is to bless God, and to acknowledge Him as the source of all consolation. The Christ, whom he has found both in the sufferings and in the consolation, turns his heart immediately to the beloved members of His body. Man's perveristy and God's patience; grace concludes that evil will be correctedMark at once the perversity of man's heart and the patience of God. In the midst of sufferings for the sake of Christ, they could take part in the sin that dishonoured His name — a sin unknown among the Gentiles. In spite of this sin God would not deprive them of the testimony, which those sufferings gave them, of the truth of their Christianity — sufferings which assured the apostle that the Corinthians would enjoy the consolations of Christ, which accompanied sufferings for His sake. It is beautiful to see how grace lays hold of the good, in order to conclude that the evil will surely be corrected, instead of discrediting the good because of the evil. Paul was near Christ — the source of strength. The power of life in Christ
He continues by presenting, experimentally, the doctrine of the
power of life in Christ,* which had its development and its
strength in death to all that is temporal, to all that links us
with the old creation, to mortal life itself. He then touches upon
almost every subject that had occupied him in the first epistle,
but with an unburdened heart, although with a firmness that desired
their good, and the glory of God, let it cost himself what sorrow
it might. The effect of the Spirit's work when the conscience is touchedObserve here the admirable connection between the personal circumstances of God's labourers, and the work to which they are called, and even the circumstances of that work. The first epistle had produced that salutary effect on the Corinthians to which the apostle, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, had destined it. Their conscience had been awakened, and they had become zealous against the evil in proportion to the depth of their fall. This is always the effect of the work of the Spirit, when the conscience of the Christian who has fallen is really touched. The apostle's heart can open with joy to their complete and sincere obedience. Meanwhile he had himself passed through terrible trials, so that he had despaired of life; and he had been able through grace to realise the power of that life in Christ which gained the victory over death, and could pour abundantly into the hearts of the Corinthians the consolations of that life, which were to raise them up again. There is a God who conducts all things in the service of His saints — the sorrow through which they pass, as all the rest. Thanksgiving for God's comfort in suffering, a token of His favour to be shared with othersObserve, also, that he does not need to begin by reminding the Corinthians, as he had done in the first epistle, of their calling and their privileges as sanctified in Christ. He breaks out in thanksgiving to the God of all consolation. Holiness is brought forward when it is practically wanting among the saints. If they are walking in holiness, they enjoy God, and they speak of Him. The way in which the various parts of the work of God are linked together, in and by means of the apostle, is seen in the expressions that flow from his grateful heart. God comforts him in his sufferings; and the consolation is such that it is suited to comfort others, in whatsoever affliction it may be; for it is God Himself who is the consolation, by pouring into the heart His love and His communion, as it is enjoyed in Christ. If afflicted, it was for the comfort of others by the sight of similar afflictions in those who were honoured of God, and the consciousness of unison in the same blessed cause, and relationship with God (the heart being touched and brought back to these affections by this means). If comforted, it was to comfort others with the consolations that he himself enjoyed in affliction. And the afflictions of the Corinthians were a testimony to him that, however great their moral weakness had been, they had part in those consolations which he enjoyed himself, and which he knew to be so deep, so real, which he knew to be of God, and a token of His favour. Precious bonds of grace! And how true it is in our little measure, that the sufferings of those who labour re-animate on the one hand love towards them, and on the other re-assure the labourer as to the sincerity of the objects of his christian affection, by presenting them anew to him in the love of Christ. The affliction of the apostle had helped him in writing to the Corinthians with the grief that was suitable to their condition; but what faith was that which occupied itself with such energy and such entire forgetfulness of self about the sad state of others, amid such circumstances as then surrounded the apostle! His strength was in Christ. Paul explains the motives of his movements to demonstrate his love for the CorinthiansHis heart expands towards the Corinthians. We see that his affections flow freely — a thing of great value. He reckons on the interest they will take in the account of his sufferings; he is sure that they will rejoice in what God has given him, even as he rejoices in them as the fruit of his labours, and that they will acknowledge what he is; and he is content to be a debtor to their prayers with regard to the gifts displayed in himself, so that his success in the gospel was to them as a personal interest of their own. He could truly demand their prayers, for his course had been run in unmingled sincerity, and especially among them. This leads him to explain to them the motives of his movements, of which he had not spoken to them before, referring these movements to his own plans and motives, subject to the Lord. He is always master (under Christ) of his movements; but he can now speak freely of that which had decided him, which the Corinthians were not before in a state to know. He wishes to satisfy them, to explain things to them, so as to demonstrate his perfect love for them; and, at the same time, to maintain his entire liberty in Christ, and not make himself responsible to them for what he did. He was their servant in affliction, but free to be so, because he was amenable only to Christ, although he satisfied their conscience (because he served Christ) if their conscience was upright. His own conscience however was clear; and he only wrote to them that which they knew and acknowledged, and, as he trusted, would acknowledge to the end; so that they should rejoice in him, as he in them. The reason Paul had not visited them; their laxity and the groundwork of ChristianityBut had there been any lightness in his decisions, since, as he now informed them, he had intended to visit them on his way to Macedonia (where he was at the moment of writing this letter), and then a second time on his return from that country? In no wise; they were not intentions lightly formed, according to the flesh, and then abandoned. It was his affection, it was to spare them. He could not bear the idea of going with a rod to those whom he loved. Observe in what manner, although showing his affection and tenderness, he maintains his authority; and they needed the exercise of this authority. And while reminding them of his authority, he displays all his tenderness. They were not Cretans, perhaps, whom it was necessary to rebuke sharply; but there was a laxity of. morals which required delicacy and care lest they should become restive, but also authority and a bridle, lest, in giving them liberty, they should fall into all sorts of bad ways. But he turns immediately to the certainty which was in Christ, the basis of all his own. He would not press too much upon the chord he had touched at the beginning. He lets his authority be known as that which might have been exercised, and he does not employ it. The groundwork of Christianity was needed, in order to put their souls into a condition to judge themselves healthily. They were quite disposed, through the intrigues of false teachers and their habit of schools of philosophy, to separate from the apostle, and, in spirit, from Christ. He brings them back to the foundation, to the sure doctrine that was common to all those that had laboured among them at the beginning. He would give Satan no occasion to detach them from him (see 2 Cor. 2:11). The great principles of Christian joy and assurance established; simple certainty in ChristHe establishes therefore the great principles of christian joy and assurance. I do not speak of the blood, the only source of peace of conscience before God as a judge, but of the manner in which we are placed by the power of God in His presence, in the position and state into which that power introduces us according to the counsels of His grace. Simple certainty was in Christ, according to that which had been said. It was not first Yea, and then Nay: the yea remained always yea — a principle of immense importance, but for the establishment of which there was needed the power and the firmness and even perfection, and the wisdom, of God; for to assure and make stedfast that which was not wise and perfect would certainly not have been worthy of Him. It will be seen that the question was, whether Paul had lightly changed his purpose. He says that he had not; but he leaves the thought of that which concerned him personally to speak of that which pre-occupied his thoughts — of Christ; and to him, in fact, to live was Christ. But there was a difficulty to solve, when the immutability of God's promises was the question. It is that we are not in a state to profit by that which was immutable on account of our weakness and inconstancy. He solves this difficulty by setting forth the mighty operations of God in grace. The immutability of God's promises; their fulfillment in Christ aloneThere are two points therefore: — the establishment of all the promises in Christ, and the enjoyment, by us, of the effect of these promises. The thing is, as we have seen, not merely to say, to promise, something; but not to change one's intentions, not to depart from what was said, but to keep one's word. Now there had been promises. God had made promises, whether to Abraham unconditionally, or to Israel at Sinai under the condition of obedience. But in Christ there was, not promises, but the Amen to God's promises, the verity and realisation of them. Whatever promises there had been on God's part, the Yea was in Him, and the Amen in Him. God has established — deposited, so to speak — the fulfilment of all His promises in the Person of Christ. Life, glory, righteousness, pardon, the gift of the Spirit, all is in Him; it is in Him that all is we — Yea and Amen. We cannot have the effect of any promise whatsoever out of Him. But this is not all: we, believers, are the objects of these counsels of God. They are to the glory of God by us. But, in the first place, the glory of God is that of Him whoever glorifies Himself in His ways of sovereign grace towards us; for it is in these ways that He unfolds and displays what He is. The Yea and Amen therefore of the promises of God, the accomplishment and the realisation of the promises of God, for His glory by us, are in Christ. The enjoyment of the promises: in ChristBut how can we participate in it, if all is Christ and in Christ? It is here that the Holy Ghost presents the second part of the ways of grace. We are in Christ, and we are in Him not according to the instability of the will of man, and the weakness that characterises him in his transitory and changeable works. He who was firmly established us in Christ is God Himself. The accomplishment of all the promises is in Him. Under the law, and under conditions the fulfilment of which depended on the stability of man, the effect of the promise was never attained; the thing promised eluded the pursuit of man, because man needed to be in a state capable of attaining it by righteousness, and he was not in that state; the accomplishment of the promise therefore was always suspended; it would have its effect if — but the "if" was not accomplished, and the Yea and Amen did not come. But all that God has promised is in Christ. The second part is the "by us," and how far we enjoy it. We are firmly established by God in Christ, in whom all the promises subsist, so that we securely possess in Him all that is promised us. But we do not enjoy it as that which subsists in our own hands. Anointed, sealed, and given the earnest of the Spirit for the enjoyment of what is in ChristBut, further, God Himself has anointed us. We have by Jesus received the Holy Ghost. God has taken care that we should understand by the Spirit that which is freely given us in Christ. But the Spirit is given to us, according to the counsels of God, for other things than understanding merely His gifts in Christ. He who has received Him is sealed. God has marked him with His seal, even as He marked Christ with His seal when He anointed Him after His baptism by John. Moreover the Spirit becomes the earnest, in our own hearts, of that which we shall fully possess hereafter in Christ. We understand the things that are given us in the glory; we are marked by the seal of God to enjoy them; we have the earnest of them in our hearts — our affections are engaged by them. Established in Christ, we have the Holy Ghost, who seals us when we believe, to bring us into the enjoyment, even while here below, of that which is in Christ. |
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Download all the impact sessions from FOCUS Conference 2011 - Denver right to your computer.
A Biblical Walk Through the New Mass Translation: Understanding What We Say & Do In the Liturgy by Dr. Edward Sri
Meditation and Contemplation by Fr. Bart Geger, S.J.
Galileo's Battle With the Church: Myths and Truths by Kenneth Howell, Ph.D
What They Didn't Tell You in Sex Ed: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Vicki Thorn
From the Glamourous Life to a Grace-Filled Life by Leah Darrow
Christlike Principles For Dating: If You Want to Hook the Right Mate, Then You Need to Be the Right Bait by Curtis and Michaelann Martin
But, Lord, When Did We See You Hungary by Jeff Runyan
How To Live Out FOCUS on a Non-FOCUS Campus by Kevin Cotter
Answering JPII's Call to Sainthood After College by Dr. Kasia Szymanek
The Sacrament of Love: Five Pillars of the Theology of the Body by Dr. Edward Sri
Three Stages in Prayer and Self-Knowledge by Fr. Bart Geger, S.J.
Same Sex Marriage: A Catholic Perspective by Kenneth Howell, Ph.D
Virtual World: Virtual Life by Vicki Thorn
Women: We're Kind of a Big Deal by Leah Darrow
Blessed, Broken, Given by Manda Poffel
Conspiracy Theory 101: What the World Doesn't Want You to Know by Mark Bartek
Esto Vir! - Reclaiming Our Culture Through Authentic Masculinity by Steve Pries
Answering The Call in Medicine by Dr. Kasia Szymanek


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You may find that you are spending more than you're saving and steadily going deeper into debt as a result. This is an easy and common pattern to fall into, and you'll need some careful planning and discipline to reverse it.
The first step is to create a budget by examining your income and expenses to determine exactly how much money you have coming in and how you're spending it. Once you've got a clear understanding of your current budget, the challenge is to find places where you can spend less (or earn more) in order to achieve your financial goals. Use our Budget Worksheet and follow these steps:
1. Question Your Needs and Wants
What do you want? What do you really need? Evaluate your current financial situation and make two lists — one for needs and one for wants. As you make the list, ask yourself the following:
When your list is complete, reevaluate what qualifies as a need before making any purchases that will impact your budget.
2. Set Guidelines
Keep your budget balanced with wants and needs by setting clear guidelines. If you splurge on a vacation, consider cutting other costs that month to offset that large expense. Take a look at this
Budget Worksheet
to get a sense of how to allocate your money for different expenses.
3. Track, Trim and Target
Once you start tracking, you may be surprised to find that you spend hundreds of dollars a month on eating out, entertainment or other discretionary expenses. To lower these costs, target areas where you can cut back on spending. Remember that reducing expenses is often a more realistic approach than cutting costs entirely.


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A strong earthquake has left dozens of people dead in the Philippines. The temblor, whose magnitude was first reported as 7.2 and then downgraded to 7.1, struck near the city of Catigbian in the inland area of Bohol, one of the central Visayas Islands.
At least 93 people have been reported dead, and the casualty count is likely to grow as rescue and recovery teams reach areas that were cut off by rubble and other obstructions.
The earthquake struck just after 8 a.m. local time Tuesday, a national holiday observing the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival. At least 10 quakes with a magnitude of 5 or higher were detected in the hours that followed, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
"Low-rise buildings collapsed on at least two islands and historic churches cracked and crumbled during the quake," Reuters reports, "which sparked panic, cut power and transport links and forced hospitals to evacuate patients."
The quake also damaged tourist attractions, such as the famed Chocolate Hills of Bohol. A photo of the damage to one hill that was posted to Twitter by tourist Robert Michael Poole.
Churches that have stood for hundreds of years also suffered damage, including the 16th century Basilica of the Holy Child in Cebu, The Associated Press reports.
The death toll was worsened by at least two stampedes of panicked people who had gathered to receive payments in a social welfare program for families with young children; a government agency says a 4-year-old child died in one of the incidents and that at least 35 people were injured.
The U.S. Geological Survey gives us some background on the area's tectonics:
"The Philippine Islands straddle a region of complex tectonics at the intersection of three major tectonic plates (the Philippine Sea, Sunda and Eurasia plates). As such, the islands are familiar with large and damaging earthquakes, and the region within 500 km of the October 15 earthquake has hosted 19 events of M6 or greater, a dozen of which have been shallow (0-70 km). One of these, a M 6.8 earthquake 70 km to the east of the October 15, 2013 event in 1990, caused several casualties."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - 1:00pm - by Mark Phelps
A recent CNBC news item noted that Formula One racing tycoon Bernie Ecclestone "flipped" his new G650 just weeks after he took delivery. An Asian industrialist who didn't want to wait out Gulfstream's order backlog for the popular new model bought it for $72 million—$7.5 million more than the list price. The report quoted a blogger who wrote that "the plane was too large for some of Ecclestone's favorite airports." I say…propwash. People who advise the VIPs who buy business jets—you can bet Ecclestone had professional help—don't make mistakes like that. I'm willing to bet a left-handed lug nut from one of his cars (which is about the only part of them I could afford) that it was the smell of $7.5 million that sealed the deal, not a sudden epiphany about airports the Gulfstream couldn't use. (Keep in mind that the G650 has impressive short-runway performance numbers to go along with its jumbo cabin and Mach 0.925 cruise speed.) Television shows have highlighted real estate dabblers who turn a profit by "flipping" houses—buying rundown properties on the cheap, then sprucing them up at minimal cost and remarketing them for a substantial profit. The CNBC report implied that buyers holding contracts on new business jets are cut from the same cloth, but that's not really accurate, especially with early adopters of developmental models such as the G650. Ordering a not-yet-certified jet isn't as simple as signing on the dotted line for a dilapidated house. It's a multistep process, more akin to negotiating a deal with a contractor to build a factory or office building. There's an upfront payment, followed by a graduated series of "progressive" payments pegged to project milestones. For example, a payment of, say, 15 percent, might be due when the prototype flies for the first time or when the airplane receives its certification. The length of the order backlog offers one measure of the health of a new-airplane project. Sometimes, the first few years of production may be spoken for before the prototype even flies. But the development process could take several years, and in the interim, a lot can happen—to the new-airplane program but also to the fortunes of the contract holder—that affects the original deal. For example, demand for the jet could skyrocket, and the buyer could be bombarded with offers for "his" airplane even before it rolls out of the factory. Or maybe the buyer's company falls on hard times and has to divest at a disadvantage. For the manufacturer, this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, contract holders flipping their delivery positions represent a testament to the popularity of the new model. But the other side of the coin is the negative image of buyers "selling out" their interest in the new airplane. In the worst-case scenario, such buyers might have been cited in high-profile ads or other promotional campaigns. At the very least, salespeople pitching other customers may have shared in discreet conversations with their own prospects that "Mr. So-and-so is buying one" (but only with Mr. So-and-so's approval, of course). The other downside for manufacturers is that they still view an established customer flipping a jet as a sale gone wrong. They see the original buyer as bailing out of the deal and regard the secondary buyer as a former potential order holder who is now off the list of prospects. And all the multiple secondary negotiations on finance, warranty details, maintenance arrangements and myriad other details must start from scratch. So manufacturers don't view stories like the CNBC report as good news. As a result, business jet makers have "non-assignability" clauses in contracts to discourage customers from acting like spec buyers and selling their positions. It's written into the deal that the original buyer must be the one who takes the keys. But that photo op sometimes disguises the reality that the secondary buyer is lurking out of sight of the cameras, itching to go for a spin in his new ride. Mark Phelps (mphelps@bjtonline) is a freelance writer and private pilot. |
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SAM - Taupe
The SAM Casuals boast a cushioned and comfort fit — incorporating the iconic Air Cooled latex insole, these shoes are made for all-day wear.
- Heel height: Flat
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- Removable latex Insole for orthotics
Wipe with a clean, dry cloth to remove dust
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Haven't worn them yet. Saving these for my upcoming holiday. They look great and I'm sure they will be very comfortable walking shoes.


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Who would want to run McDonalds?
If real life was WoW, the CEO of McDonalds, a corporation which effectively does raids for noobs, he'd be making $15 an hour and eventually realize it's pointless and go get a new job that actually pays for his ability. But instead he is quite well paid. His management, even of noobs, is rewarded.
Could a MMO have the equivalent? Can there be incentive to run guilds which only do the entry level raids and exist for people to get their feet wet? It has to be something more than just desire to help the community, because clearly that is not enough.
17 comments:
- Copperbird said...
If it was a more social type of game where you really needed the votes of those newer players to accomplish something, then it would be worth getting in their good books.
eg. if players could vote for the mayor of a city, or something like that.
I'm trying to think of more examples now. I guess if helping or mentoring newbies was rewarded in some way. And if leading a newbie raid guild didn't preclude you from being in a hardcore raid too. - June 1, 2010 at 8:11 AM
- caerphoto said...
It's a nice idea, and I may even consider setting such a thing up once I get my horde warrior to 80.
Alas, the problem is such a guild would by its very nature have a largely ephemeral member list, as people are only new at raiding once. After they've got their feet wet and have gained confidence, they'll start to feel held back by doing the easier raids.
Because the member-list is ever-changing, I don't think the players would really get a feel for what it's like to raid with a team who know each other well.
Perhaps a better analogy would be a Raid School system: people sign up, and once you have 10 (or 25) people ready, you all move through the raid tiers together, perhaps starting out with something fairly simple like Obsidian Sanctum since it's quite short, and teaches people about awareness of their surroundings etc.
Once the class graduates, by completing Naxx, for instance, they might well move on to the next tier together, while the next round of members is signed up to start the cycle again. - June 1, 2010 at 8:36 AM
- ardoRic said...
I often thought of making such guilds. Guilds for the newbies to start which would run "old content" raids to get them ready to more endgame raiding.
This kind of idea is doomed in nowaday's badge system, since people can get the gear they "need" to raid the new content without doing the old content.
In Cataclysm, things will work in sort of the same way, so the only people interested in these kind of guilds would be people who like doing the old content for the sake of doing it, and those people are very rare to find.
It's a good idea, but like lvl 60 and lvl 70 guilds, it won't be widespread. - June 1, 2010 at 8:49 AM
- caerphoto said...
ardoRic, what about a guild that teaches people HOW to raid, rather than being there to gear people up?
- June 1, 2010 at 8:59 AM
- ardoRic said...
Why would it have to be a guild?
You can just organize regular "school" raids (say, every Saturday at 18:00 Server time), to where everyone is welcome. That way people can still live in their "homes" and attend "school".
The teachers could be a group of people in the teaching guild, but I don't think the students need to be.
Your School Guild idea is nice, and could certainly use some further thought into it.
I'm very curious how many people would attend. - June 1, 2010 at 9:10 AM
- caerphoto said...
True, it needn't be a guild, and you're right in that people could stay in (or rather, not have to leave) the "home" guild they grew up in, just to do some raids.
I think one reason I described it as a guild was in part for the very reasons I just mentioned. If people do have to leave their "homes" in order to attend, it'd be a little like going to university/college: you're put in with a bunch of people you don't know, and at the end of it you come having made some good friends and (theoretically) having become a better player/person.
By leaving home and joining up with a bunch of others in the same boat, the theory is it'll foster some kind of team spirit, and the folks who graduate by killing the Lich King (or Deathwing) will hopefully become good friends along the way.
I dunno, I'm a daydreamer and an optimist, so maybe in reality it wouldn't work. - June 1, 2010 at 9:28 AM
- Inquisitor said...
People aren't au fait with the idea of the raid leader being rewarded more than the raiders.
End result, I suspect, is that many of those who could do it well instead migrate to more progressed guilds, for more reward and less effort, while those who do lead said raids do it for the power trip.
But hey, can't be unfair, can we? - June 1, 2010 at 9:42 AM
- ardoRic said...
Andy, I'd always imagine such a guild to be something you do "on the side" and not your main occupation. Like I suggested, something you do on Saturday evenings, like when I participate in Gevlon's Undergeared raids.
In order to ask people to leave their main guild to attend school, the schedule would have to be more "hardcore" so you (actually, your students) don't "waste" 4 weeks in a learning guild to do only 4 raids. If you asked students to join the guild, you'd prolly have to raid 3-4 times a week so that the course is a Crash-Course, and that would leave little time for your regular raiding, if you wish to have it.
How could you conciliate the two? - June 1, 2010 at 10:29 AM
- Anonymous said...
There's a very successful MMO equivalent .. EVE University. New EVE Online players join and learn the basics of PvE, PvP, economics, nullsec .. and then leave to join a corporation (guild) in the "real game".
http://www.eve-ivy.com/ - June 1, 2010 at 12:17 PM
- Anonymous said...
My first leveling guild had the 'go getters' the people who wanted to level and do stuff, and the people who wanted to be hand held and run through stuff. I think rewarding the GM of such a guild would be an awesome thing because they do put a lot of effort in, it would however make them 'employed' and therefore at the mercy of the people only interested in getting what they can out of that arrangment because the GM is getting a reward.
- June 1, 2010 at 7:29 PM
- Klepsacovic said...
Perhaps there could be school guilds run as a profitable business. New players could join at the bottom and work their way up through Naxx and Ulduar, proving themselves along the way and learning. At the end the guild leadership could officially certify them as "not total noobs". If the school guilds seemed to have high enough standards, certification could do a lot to help reduce GS inflation as people became less afraid of other players.
- June 1, 2010 at 7:50 PM
- ardoRic said...
I have to say that killing yogg, even if overgearing him, is a nice measure of skill. While the fight is made considerably easier with better gear (like all fights), there is still a lot there that depends on skill and not gear.
For instance, no matter how geared you are you won't get through p1 if there is a single person in the raid stepping on crap they're not supposed to.
Making might even be a decent project. Again, there still needs to be a lot of thought into it, but it's starting to look better and better.
The reward for the School could just be a tuition that attendees needed to pay for the course.
The problem would be with certification. How could one certify that a person has indeed passed the tests? Maybe have a website with all successful graduates? - June 2, 2010 at 2:41 AM
- Gevlon said...
School guild would not work, simply because anyone who would attend it would not need it, and those who would need it would not attend it.
I mean if someone is aware that he needs schooling, he is already able to learn and since WoW is easy, can learn from written manuals (like WoWwiki)
Those who would need the school badly would say "I'm OK, just need more gear lol" - June 2, 2010 at 4:41 AM
- ardoRic said...
At first glance you seem to be right, Gevlon. The good raiders don't need schooling and the bad ones would skip school, looking for the easier rewards.
You forget to equate, however, that reading about something is not the same as doing/having done it.
School of Raids would require homework (looking up tactics and abilities), but would provide the opportunity to put what was learned in practice, which you can't in pugs and without it you can't apply to guilds (which both usually require previous ACTUAL experience).
School of Raids would work much like IRL schools. There's nothing there that intelligent people couldn't learn on their own if they wanted to, but it would provide a structured way for people to learn, catering to the average player. (Like in schools, more advanced students would still feel it's going too slow, and less advanced ones would feel it's going way too fast, but that's life)
The advantage of attending School of Raids would be that at the end you get a diploma (even if it's just the achievements from what you did while you were there) that you can show your future employers (pug raid leaders or guild recruitment officers) to attest for your skill.
School of Raids would be the place where you send your alts when you want them to have the achievements, or where you take your first character when you first get to 80 (or 85, soonish).
I do believe there would be a use for such a guild, and it's something I would like to participate in. I hate the dullness of doing the same (only latest usually) content over and over again, and being a teacher in School of Raids would probably have me do the full length of the expansion's content over every school week.
I like where this discussion is going. - June 2, 2010 at 5:51 AM
- Klepsacovic said...
The school isn't so much for teaching as for testing. It is so graduates can avoid some of the "link gs and achieve" because people would know they aren't garbage, so they don't need to compensate with as much gear.
Or in my case, I'd love to have a place t learn raid healing on my priest, since I'm reluctant to jump into a "5k gs one wipe and we disband" pug. Regardless of willingness to learn, some people do still need practice. - June 2, 2010 at 8:45 AM
- Anonymous said...
"Can there be incentive to run guilds which only do the entry level raids and exist for people to get their feet wet?"
Of course there can -- same as there are incentives for professors to teach entry-level courses. Create a list of experienced but broke raiders who can guide students through level-appropriate content. Charge the students a tuition and pay the teachers for the raid's success.
The teachers get variety, gold and influence. The students get gear, experience, achievements and networking contacts. Maybe the school itself gets a cut of the tuition and any BoE drops. - June 2, 2010 at 6:51 PM
- Carson 63000 said...
It was a little before my time, but was it Asheron's Call that had the "xp chains" with other players being your apprentices and you gaining a small cut of xp as they levelled up?
In a system like that, I would think leading a large number of casual players could compare to leading a small number of hardcore players. - June 6, 2010 at 5:55 PM
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Back from London and I am coming down hard. This time the trip to London was a lot more than the Food Blogger Connect. It was a reunion of the explosive kind. There are many stories to tell and emotions to be sorted out.
As I sit here, back in Weimar, going through the multitude of impressions and photographs of the incredible weekend, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of what a girl comes back with when she goes to London to meet up with her friends, speak at a conference and then shops her way through London. This is just half of the loot, I got.
There were gifts and goodie bags, shopping sprees at Laduree and Fortnum & Mason's. Curry cooking and wine drinking, Macaron testing and rugby men watching, chatting till the wee hours and waking up to giggles and more chatter. And all this was not even part of the official conference.
So give me a bit till I get all this sorted and I'll be back with those studmuffins macarons, more scoop on the Food Blogger Connect and the Spice Girls!
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The Amazing Survivor Race Challenge: Parenting Edition
Babies are hard on a marriage.
It's sort of ironic, really, seeing as babies are so often understood (rightly or wrongly) to represent core bonds of a life partnership, but still: for every measure of centripetal force that they exert upon a relationship and bind partners more closely, babies exert a half measure - maybe more - of centrifugal force, pulling those partners away from their center. It's true. If I understood Newtonian physics well enough to explain it fully, I would, but I don't, so just trust me on this: babies bring couples closer together and pull them apart in a million teeny tiny and not so teeny tiny ways, and the yank and tug of this phenomenon can exert an uncomfortable pressure upon a spousal partnership.
Pets do not have this effect, I've noticed, possibly because you can just put them out in the yard when they start to get difficult. You cannot do this with babies. When caring for babies gets difficult, you can only turn to your partner (if you have one - I cannot begin to address single parenthood here, other than to say that I have NO IDEA how people do that. Superheroes, seriously) and negotiate some means of coping and hope to hell that you can figure this shit out together. So when the moments come - and they do come - when you realize that you are not figuring this shit out together - that you're either not figuring it out together, or you're not figuring it out, period - it can be hard. You can put it down to lack of sleep, to lack of alone time, to sheer exhaustion, but it still feels the same: you're struggling. And you're not always struggling together. And in those moments when you're struggling apart... those moments feel isolating. Lonely.
The first baby isn't - I don't think - as hard on the relationship as the second: with your first baby, the novelty of the situation can cause you to overlook or ignore the fact that you and your spouse are almost never together alone, that you almost never sleep, that your romantic dinners for two have become mac-and-cheese for three, that your bed has become the gathering place for a tangle of toddler and toys and cats. The first baby can be a great romantic quest, like backpacking together through Europe - full of all variety of trials and discomforts, but nonetheless an adventure, one that is full of new experiences that you are sharing! Together! So who cares if the hostels are crowded or you're eating bad food or the pack on your back is crippling you with its weight? You're having an adventure together, and it is awesome.
But when the second baby comes along, you've been there and done that and sent the postcards and you're just not as open to feeling romantic about this whole journey as a quote-unquote adventure. The novelty has worn off. The hostel conditions - the noise, the squalor, the bathroom shared with too many other, messy people - no longer represent adventure, and their effect on you - sleeplessness, disorientation - is harder to bear. You're still thrilled to be doing this again - you love so much about this journey - but you're older now, and more tired, and the sleepless nights and bad food wear you down so much more quickly and so you look at each other and you both wonder why the other hasn't booked you into a plush hotel already.
And this is where everything - including the extended travel metaphor - breaks down, because there are no plush hotels in New Parentland. New Parentland is not a backpacker's Europe; it's not even the outer reaches of the former Soviet Union, where at least they have beds and a limitless supply of vodka. New Parentland is more like a deserted island. It's survival conditions, no matter who you are, unless you have the means and the foresight to have brought an entourage that will attend to your basic needs and forage for your food. There's no straightforward solution to your discomfort here; there are no resources beyond what you can gather and/or jerryrig together. Neither you nor your travelling companion has it within their power to make things easy. With the first child, if you're lucky, this is like Blue Lagoon: you're so enthralled with the romance of the situation that you don't care that you are - figuratively - wearing loincloths and drinking out of coconuts. You might even find that kind of thing sexy. But by the time you're on baby number two? The loincloths are starting to feel scratchy and you're sunburnt and sleeping on the sand is making your back hurt and that other person is eating your coconut, dammit. You are on Survivor: Child Island and it's only a matter of time before you turn on each other.
My husband and I haven't turned on each other (*knocks wood*), and we wouldn't reverse the steps that brought us here to our own, personal Child Island. We find pleasure in this place; we bask in the sunshine here. But still: we find it challenging, coping with the hardship. I find it challenging. Once the chores are done and the children are tended to and this place falls silent, I am so exhausted, so spent and worn, that I want only to crawl under the blankets and escape - with a book, with some Ativan - and rest and I know that he experiences this as a withdrawal. But then I - perversely - resent him for experiencing it as withdrawal. I'm so tired, I tell myself. This is so hard. He should get that. I tell him that this is so hard and that I am so tired and he tells me that he is tired too and instead of feeling sympathy, I feel frustration. It's harder for me, I think, and the resentment starts to burble. And then I catch myself and tell myself that hard is hard is hard and just because I have spent whole days and nights on my own wrangling our two creatures and lived to tell about it doesn't mean that he can manage the same thing and in any case he gets up at night and first thing in the morning with the baby, right? And then I think, maybe if we just had some time together, just the two of us - or better, what if I had some time for me, just me, alone, and THEN we had some together just the two of us ?- but then I immediately think, why doesn't he make that happen? Why must it be ME?
And then I worry us about turning on each other. I worry about even considering the possibility that we might turn on each other, because once upon a time - in the carefree days before we embarked upon this strange and wonderful and impossibly challenging journey - I would not have imagined for a second that we could turn on each other, that we could be anything other than perfect allies. (This is the tragic innocence, to borrow another pop culture analogy, of couples on the Amazing Race; the bluster behind their bold claims, before running a single step, of being a brilliant team, of knowing that they'll work together perfectly, masterfully, that they will, as a unit, dominate the race. This bluster invariably end in shouts and tears in the empty corridors of this airport or across the field of that Road Block challenge, and we the audience murmur, from the security of our armchairs, that we knew that they would fall apart and, also, that wouldn't happen to us.) We are allies, my husband and I, we are, but that I doubt our alliance for even a second weighs upon me heavily, presses the air from my lungs.
It weighs upon me, because how could I feel any doubt? He is wonderful, my husband, really wonderful, and I love him so much and am so, so lucky to have him as my partner. But, still, also, there is this: I am tired, and I want to be carried, just for a little while, just until I get my strength back. And this is where the doubt resides: in my fear that he might be getting tired of carrying me, that although I know he will give me his last coconut, he might resent doing so. That I might resent his resenting doing so. That that resentment might build, and that we'll end up yelling at each other across the crowded airport corridor that is family life or turning on each other in our own personal Tribal Council. That I want a day off, alone, just by myself, just taking care of myself, more than I want a day alone with my husband - and that I want him to want that - hurts my heart, in a way, because I do want time alone with him, just me and him, with no children attached to our bodies and no cries ringing in our ears, time to reinforce our alliance, our team, so that we can continue to endure the challenges of this island, this race, this reality, with grace and humor. I really, really do. I just need to be rested first. I just need to be carried for a while, or allowed to stop and rest.
We've come this far together. We know that our alliance, our partnership, is the key to everything. Our alliance, and maybe a few naps, some liquor and an all-expenses-paid holiday somewhere warm, with soft beds and babysitters and, yes, coconuts.
That's all.
Labels: Being Bad, The Husband


text:
Mr. President, I am pleased to report to you and my colleagues on the excellent work that is being done to help developing countries capitalize on their natural resource wealth. This unique initiative is called the Natural Resource Charter, and it is designed to give countries the tools and knowledge they need to develop their natural resources for the good of their citizens in a transparent and accountable manner. As a collective work coordinated by established academics and development experts, the charter provides a set of policy principles for governments on the successful translation of natural resource wealth into fair and sustainable development.
At the U.S. Helsinki Commission we monitor 56 countries, including the United States, with the mandate to ensure compliance to commitments made under the Helsinki Final Act with focus on three dimensions: security, economics and the environment, and human rights.
The management of extractive industries has broad implications covering all three dimensions of the Helsinki process. We know that oil, gas, and mining are potential sources of conflict and their supply has a direct impact on our national security. The often negative economic consequences for resource rich countries are well documented and we see constant reminders of the environmental impact of extraction both at home and abroad. Finally, the resultant degradation of human rights in countries that are corrupted by resource wealth is a real concern that we must address.
When the charter was launched last year, I was struck by how far we have come in terms of bringing the difficult conversation on extractive industries into the lexicon of world leaders. Only a few short years ago, the word "transparency" was not used in the same sentence with oil, gas or mining revenue. After the launch of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in 2002, we have seen a major shift in attitude. This was followed by G8 and G20 statements in support of greater revenue transparency as a means of achieving greater economic growth in developing countries.
But it is clear that given the challenge ahead, more than statements are needed. The Natural Resource Charter is a concrete and practical next step in the right direction.
Economists have found that many of the resource-rich countries of the world today have fared notably worse than their neighbors economically and politically, despite the positive opportunities granted by resource wealth. The misuse of extractive industry revenues has often mitigated the benefits of such mineral wealth for citizens of developing nations; in many cases the resources acting instead as a source of severe economic and social instability.
In addressing the factors and providing solutions for such difficulties, the Natural Resource Charter aims to be a global public resource for informed, transparent decision-making regarding extractive industry management.
The charter's overarching philosophy is that development of natural resources should be designed to secure maximum benefit for the citizens of the host country. To this end, its dialogue includes a special focus on the role of informed public oversight through transparency measures such as EITI in establishing the legitimacy of resource decisions and attracting foreign investment. On fiscal issues, the charter presents guidelines for the systematic reinvestment of resource revenues in national infrastructure and human capital with the goal of diminishing effects of resource price volatility and ensuring long-term economic growth.
This week the commission will hold a public briefing on the Natural Resource Charter and I am pleased to say that there was a candid conversation between the audience and the panel that revealed much about how the charter could be used to promote human rights and good governance. The briefing also addressed ways that U.S. support of democratic and economically sensible extractive industry standards could have a powerful effect in securing the welfare and freedoms of citizens in resource-rich countries. In particular, it was noted that the Energy Security Through Transparency Act, S. 1700, a bipartisan bill I introduced with my colleague Senator Lugar and 10 other colleagues is consistent with the principles set out in the Natural Resource Charter.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure our continued progress on these issues.


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What is malocclusion?
Malocclusion refers to any degree of irregular contact of the teeth of the upper jaw with the teeth of the lower jaw. This would include overbites, underbites, open bites, and crossbites. There is no specific system of deciding how much misalignment is too much. Your child's orthodontist will decide whether your child's bite will need correction. Malocclusion can cause problems with the child's bite, gum tissue, jaw joint, speech development, and appearance.
Orthodontists are specially trained dentists who specialize in the development, prevention, and correction of irregularities of the teeth, bite, and jaws. Orthodontists also have specialized training in facial abnormalities and disorders of the jaw. A patient often consults an orthodontist after receiving a referral from his or her general dentist. In some cases, a specialist in jaw surgery may need to be consulted.
What causes malocclusion?
There is no one single cause of malocclusion. Many different factors are involved, including genetic factors and/or environmental factors. Children who suck their thumbs or fingers beyond the age of 5 have an increased chance of developing malocclusion. Children with a very small space between their primary teeth (baby teeth) are at risk for having problems with malocclusion when their permanent teeth appear, because the permanent teeth are larger and require more space.
According to the National Institutes of Health, very few people have perfect occlusion. However, most occlusion abnormalities are so minor that they do not require treatment.
How is malocclusion diagnosed?
Malocclusion is usually diagnosed based on a complete history and physical examination of your child and your child's mouth. Your child's doctor will probably refer the child to a dentist or an orthodontist for complete evaluation and treatment. The following tests may also be done to help evaluate the problem:
X-rays. A diagnostic test that uses invisible electromagnetic radiation to produce images of internal tissues, bones, teeth, and organs onto film of the mouth or head, or to capture the images in digital form on a computer.
Impressions of the teeth. Imprints of the teeth that are poured with plaster to make models of the mouth to help evaluate the malocclusion.
Treatment for malocclusion
Specific treatment for malocclusion will be determined by your child's dentist or orthodontist based on:
Your child's age, overall health, and medical history
Extent of the condition
Your child's tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
Expectations for the course of the condition
Your opinion or preference
Treatment is sometimes done in phases depending of the extent of the malocclusion. In some cases, removal of the baby teeth is needed to help provide room for the permanent teeth. Select permanent teeth are also sometimes removed. Other treatment may include:
Jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery). In some cases, the child may need jaw surgery to correct the bite problem when the bones are involved. This is performed by a maxillofacial surgeon.
Mouth appliances:
Removable appliances. Mouth appliances (for example, retainers) made of wires and plastic can be inserted and removed by the child and must be cleaned on a regular basis.
Fixed appliances (also known as braces)
Good oral hygiene, including regular brushing and flossing.
The following foods should be avoided while wearing any type of mouth appliance:
Sticky foods
Peanuts or other nuts
There may be some activity restrictions based on the type of appliance that is used. Discuss this with your child's dentist or orthodontist.


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For my new years day dinner I wanted something tasty and yet easy to make. I had picked up some beef tenderloin a while ago when it was on sale and I cut it into steaks and froze the extras for later. I was thinking that a steak dinner would be nice and I remembered the steak in green peppercorn sauce that I had recently tried and enjoyed. Thinking about the peppercorns reminded me of sichuan peppercorns that I had discovered in 2008. Sichuan peppercorns have an amazing aroma and a mouth numbing property that is really nice. I was thinking that a simple sichuan peppercorn steak would be just the thing for my new years meal. I seasoned the steaks with some salt and crusted the steaks with both sichuan peppercorns and black peppercorns and seared them quickly on both sides. The sichuan peppercorn steak was nice and juicy with a crunchy crust that was both spicy and mouth numbingly good! I served the steak with some baby bok choy and shiitake mushrooms .
I hope everyone is enjoying new years day!
Sichuan Peppercorn Tenderloin Steak
- 2 tenderloin steaks
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns (crushed)
- 2 tablespoons sichuan peppercorns (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Season the steaks with salt to taste.
- Press the peppercorns into the steaks on both sides.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the steaks and sear at medium high on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
- Set aside and let rest for a few minutes.


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Philippines earthquake: Major quake hits island of Bohol
| Cebu, Philippines
The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the central Philippine island of Bohol on Tuesday rose to 93, as rescuers struggled to reach patients in a collapsed hospital. Centuries-old stone churches crumbled and wide areas were without power.
Bohol police chief Dennis Agustin said 77 of the deaths came from the province. At least 15 others died in nearby Cebu province and another on Siquijor Island.
The quake struck at 8:12 a.m. and was centered about 33 kilometers (20 miles) below Carmen city, where many small buildings collapsed.
Many roads and bridges were reported damaged, making rescue operations difficult. But historic churches dating from the Spanish colonial period suffered the most. Among them was the country's oldest, the 16th-century Basilica of the Holy Child in Cebu, which lost its bell tower.
Nearly half of a 17th-century limestone church in Loboc town, southwest of Carmen, was reduced to rubble.
The highest number of dead — 18 — were in the municipality of Loon, 42 kilometers (26 miles) west of Carmen, where an unknown number of patients were trapped inside the Congressman Castillo Memorial Hospital, which partially collapsed. Rescuers were working to reach them, said civil defense spokesman Maj. Reynaldo Balido.
As night fell, the entire province was in the dark after the quake cut power supplies. Windy weather and rain also forced back a military rescue helicopter.
Authorities were setting up tents for those displaced by the quake, while others who lost their homes moved in with their relatives, Bohol Gov. Edgardo Chatto said.
Extensive damage also hit densely populated Cebu city, across a narrow strait from Bohol, causing deaths when a building in the port and the roof of a market area collapsed.
The quake set off two stampedes in nearby cities. When it struck, people gathered in a gym in Cebu rushed outside in a panic, crushing five people to death and injuring eight others, said Neil Sanchez, provincial disaster management officer.
"We ran out of the building, and outside, we hugged trees because the tremors were so strong," said Vilma Yorong, a provincial government employee in Bohol.
"When the shaking stopped, I ran to the street and there I saw several injured people. Some were saying their church has collapsed," she told The Associated Press by phone.
As fear set in, Yorong and the others ran up a mountain, afraid a tsunami would follow the quake. "Minutes after the earthquake, people were pushing each other to go up the hill," she said.
But the quake was centered inland and did not cause a tsunami.
Offices and schools were closed for a national holiday — the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha — which may have saved lives.
The earthquake also was deeper below the surface than a 6.9-magnitude temblor last year in waters near Negros Island, also in the central Philippines, that killed nearly 100 people.
Aledel Cuizon said the quake that caught her in her bedroom sounded like "a huge truck that was approaching and the rumbling sound grew louder as it got closer."
She and her neighbors ran outside, where she saw concrete electric poles "swaying like coconut trees." It lasted 15-20 seconds, she said.
Cebu city's hospitals quickly moved patients into the streets, basketball courts and parks.
Cebu province, about 570 kilometers (350 miles) south of Manila, has a population of more than 2.6 million people. Cebu is the second largest city after Manila. Nearby Bohol has 1.2 million people and is popular among foreigners because of its beach and island resorts and famed Chocolate Hills.
President Benigno Aquino III said he would travel to Bohol and Cebu on Wednesday.
Regional military commander Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda said he recalled soldiers from holiday furlough to respond to the quake. He said it damaged the pier in Tagbilaran, Bohol's provincial capital, and caused some cracks at Cebu's international airport but that navy ships and air force planes could use alternative ports to help out.
Associated Press writers Hrvoje Hranjski, Oliver Teves, Teresa Cerojano and Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
The next time the American military transport plane known as Whiskey 7 drops its paratroopers over Normandy, France, it will be for a commemoration instead of an invasion.
Seventy years after taking part in D-Day, the plane now housed at the National Warplane Museum in western New York is being prepared to recreate its role in the mission, when it dropped troops behind enemy lines under German fire.
View: Photos of the Day: WWII-Era Douglas C-47 to Return to Normandy
At the invitation of the French government, the restored Douglas C-47 will fly in for 70th-anniversary festivities and again release paratroopers over the original jump zone at Sainte-Mere-Eglise.
"There are very few of these planes still flying, and this plane was very significant on D-Day," said Erin Vitale, chairwoman of the Return to Normandy Project. "It dropped people that were some of the first into Sainte-Mere-Eglise and liberated that town."
Museum officials say the twin-prop Whiskey 7, so named because of its W-7 squadron marking, is one of several C-47s scheduled to be part of the D-Day anniversary, with jumpers made up of active and retired military personnel. But it is believed to be the only one flying from the United States.
The plane will fly to France by way of Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland and Germany, each leg 5 ½ to 7 hours. Vitale compared it to trying to drive a 70-year-old car across the country without a breakdown. "It's going to be a huge challenge."
Among the 21 men it carried in 1944 was 20-year-old Leslie Palmer Cruise Jr., who also will make the return trip to France, his fifth, and be reunited with the craft — once it's on the ground. He is flying commercially from his Horsham, Pa., home outside Philadelphia.
"With me, it's almost, sometimes, like yesterday," Cruise, now 89, said by phone, recalling his first combat mission. "It really never leaves you."
Although the C-47 looks much the same today as it did on June 6, 1944, it looked very different when it arrived at the museum as a donation eight years ago. It had been converted to a corporate passenger plane.
"We had to take an executive interior out," said the museum's president, W. Austin Wadsworth. "It had a dry bar, lounge seats, a table with a nice map of the Bahamas in there. It was beautiful."
The museum's restoration of the historic plane to its original condition has been a roughly $180,000 project so far. Most of the money went toward two rebuilt engines and the rest to parts, equipment and service. The museum is trying to raise a total of $250,000 for the restoration and return to Normandy.
One upgrade it did allow was the installation of two GPS systems to keep the aircraft on course.
"The avionics in the airplane are modern. We're not going to go with what they had in 1943," Wadsworth said. "They would have had probably a radio beacon receiver and a lot of dead reckoning."
There is still no autopilot, said Wadsworth's daughter, Naomi, who will be among five pilots — one including her brother, Craig — taking turns at the controls on the way to Europe. That's fine with her, she said.
"It's history. It's real flying," she said. "With a lot of the computerized, mechanized things that you see in the airliners today, the airplane basically flies itself. … This is not a situation where you can be asleep at the wheel. You really have to pay attention."
Said her father, also a pilot: "You don't just grab something and push it. There's a kind of feel to everything you do in these old birds. It doesn't have a soul obviously, but you don't just tell it what to do. You ask it."
Cruise still remembers being squashed between other paratroopers seated on pan seats as the plane left England's Cottesmore Airdrome. He was weighed down with probably 100 pounds of gear, including an M-1 rifle that was carried in three pieces, 30-caliber rifle ammo, a first-aid pack, grenade, K-rations and his New Testament in his left pocket, over his heart.
"We could hear the louder roar as each plane following the leader accelerated down the runway and lifted into the air," he wrote in an account of the mission. "Our turn came and the quivering craft gathered momentum along the path right behind the plane in front."
The airplane's engines were so loud he had to shout even to talk with the paratrooper next to him, he said, and the scenery through its square windows looked like shadows in the dark. Over the English Channel, a colonel pointed downward.
"In the partial darkness below we could make out silhouetted shapes of ships and there must have been thousands of them all sizes and kinds," Cruise wrote. "If we had any doubts before about the certainty of the invasion, they were dispelled now."
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense


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Both past and recent research suggests that some groups – notably Black Caribbean, Black African and other Black groups – are over-represented in psychiatric hospitals. [7]
The high number of African Caribbean people being diagnosed with schizophrenia is well documented, with some studies reporting between two to eight times higher rates of diagnosis compared to the White population. [8]
The 'Count me in' census was introduced in England in 2005 and designed to support the Department of Health's five year action plan 'Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Care'. The census also aimed to support the Welsh Assembly Government's 'Raising the Standard: Race Equality Action Plan for Adult Mental Health Services in Wales'. Key goals were to reduce rates of admission, detention and seclusion among black and minority ethnic groups.
I like how the Welsh Assembly, a rather new and ill-defined governmental body, rather than make a priority out of, say, filling potholes, decides to solve a problem that no other government has solved.
Unfortunately the figures show that these goals have not been achieved. [9]
Data from the 2005 'Count me in' census showed that men from Black and White/Black mixed groups had the highest rates of admission to psychiatric hospitals. They were three or more times likely than the general population to be admitted. Women from the Black and mixed White/Black groups were two or more times likely than the general population to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals. Unfortunately, figures from the later surveys, including the 2009 'Count me in' census, suggest the situation is still the same. [10]
White British, Chinese and Indian men were less likely than the average population to be admitted according to figures from all the five Count me in census reports. [11]
Men from Black Caribbean, Black African, and other Black groups were more likely than other groups to have been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. The figures follow the same pattern in all the 'Count me in' reports from 2005 to 2009. [12]
Studies have shown that Irish people have higher rates of mental illness than the general population. [13] The Irish are often overlooked because they are White. Yet studies have found that Irish-born people living in the UK have a higher rate of suicide than any other minority ethnic group living in the country. [14]


text:
I'm in the midst of writing a few posts including: "an insight into Che & Fidel - behind-the-scenes" and "establishing and growing a freelance writing career." There will be more posts in my Q&A series about yoga and birth too, as well as the creation of a FAQ page on my sidebar.
However, waiting can be tedious so I thought I would answer a few FAQ here. And to all those readers who emailed asking about the big, evenly spaced photos....read on.
What did you study at university and did it influence your writing in any way?
I studied a Bachelor of Arts in Communications (Journalism) at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). On day one I was asked to go out and find a story - journalists are never shy. Over three years I studied a range of subjects including the mandatory theory classes, media and law, radio, television, investigative journalism and feature writing. I also delved into fiction and loved classes on short story writing, poetry and novel writing. I think what I learnt most upon finishing my degree was that I would never be a gritty, up-all-night-to-find-the-story journalist. I was never interested in the graveyard shift (the very beginning of a cadetship) at the local paper nor did I have aspirations to be the next Kate Adie. What I did have was a love of words, the ability to write a good sentence and the desire to write stories that would inform and inspire. I started writing freelance for magazines shorty after I graduated.
What skincare products do you use?
I started using Aesop about a year ago and I absolutely love it. I have quite dry, sensitive skin so the parsley seed facial cleansing oil and parsley seed anti-oxidant facial toner has worked wonders. Once a week I use the purifying facial exfoliant paste and I always moisturise with camellia nut facial hydrating cream. Happy to say that my skin is the best it's ever been. And the lovely glass bottles look rather lovely all lined up in a row.
What's the hardest thing about being married?
I couldn't tell you because Daniel and I aren't married, yet. We'll say 'we do' sometime soon in a very simple and personal ceremony. The only thing we've organised for our wedding day - the photographer.
How do you make your photos so big and evenly spaced?
Ok....here goes.
I'm a perfectionist so uneven spacing and photos at different widths just won't do. Hence I've spent hours figuring out the world of html.
First things first....make sure you have the updated blogger interface. Then...
- go to design and then 'template'. There's a button titled "Edit html" - click it.
- ignore the warning and press proceed
- scroll down until you see the words header-wrapper - underneath this title is a number followed by px (pixels) - the width of your blog in pixels. Mine is 940px
- scroll down further and you will come to main-wrapper - this is your post section. Mine is 740px wide (I recently widened it from 640px so my photos are bigger)
- so now I know that my photos need to be 740px wide (if your main wrapper is only 350px wide, or thereabouts, your photos are never going to be that big because there's just not the space needed in your main wrapper aka post column. So, you need to widen your post column by adjusting the size of your left and right columns and adding the extra 'space' to your post column).
Now it's time to upload your photos.
If you re-size your photos before uploading, resize them to 740px wide (or whatever the width of your main-wrapper is) and once they are uploaded choose to make them original size by clicking on the photo while composing your post.
If you upload your photos as full size (which means they're really big) you need to make them original size and then click HTML (it's next to the compose button in the top left-hand corner). In the HTML is the photo information. You'll see s1600 - change it to s740 or whatever your main-wrapper is. However, if you are uploading a portrait photo instead of landscape you need to do some maths. Basically you need to half the main-wrapper number and add it to the original main-wrapper. Hence I would halve 740 (370) and add 370 to 740 = 1110. If I'm resizing a portrait image I change the s1600 to s1110.
For those wanting to know more about the diptychs (two photos side-by-side) that I feature - I create them in Photoshop.
Perhaps this makes no sense whatsoever. If you have any more questions about photos and sizing I'm happy to answer them in the comments section. And I'll bring tech-savvy Daniel along for the ride.