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Documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News on Friday under the Texas Open Records demonstrated close involvement of Austin businessman Jeff Sandefer in the development of professor evaluations and reward programs at Texas A&M, and suggest the same controversial programs may be attempted at the University of Texas.
Sandefer, who developed what he calls "Seven Breakthrough Solutions" for higher education, copied new UT regent Brenda Pejovich in a September 29 email commenting on a Chronicle of Higher Education article about the A&M evaluations.
"Two important notes:
1. We need to measure the number of students taught per professor versus what that faculty member is paid, instead of measuring the number of classes taught. Many senior faculty members will teach classes with only a few students per class. (We also need to frame the question carefully to make sure ALL faculty compensation and benefits are included, and define the word "taught" to mean that the faulty member, not a TA, spends at least 90 percent of the face time with students. Without these two clarifications, faculty will game answers.)
2. (Chancellor Mike) McKinney WAY over complicated the data by using the funding formula as a measure of revenue for teaching. The funding formula is a politically derived measure from the Legislature that pays much for a PhD hour taught than and undergraduate hour. Again, this encourages subsidizing PhD's and encourages us to overproduce PhD's who later cannot get a job. The simplest and most accurate measure is again $ per student per class taught. For the most efficient faculty, this will be $50 to $100 per student per class. For the least productive tenured faculty, the cost will be $20,000 to $30,000 per student per class. The fact that McKinney's numbers show that most faculty are "in the black" shows that his methodology is flawed."
Gov. Rick Perry introduced Sandefer and his "solutions" to all of his university regents in 2008. Sandefer's most controversial ideas include paying professors based on student evaluations, separating teaching from research and seceding from the national accreditation system.
Perry named Pejovich to the UT Board of Regents in February. Both Sandefer and Pejovich are on the board of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which has endorsed Sandefer's ideas. The TPPF's executive director, Brooke Rollins, was also copied on the email.
In another email to A&M regent Phil Adams, Sandefer quotes Larry Summers, former president of Harvard, saying, "I think you have to decide whether achievement is the route to self esteem or self esteem is the route of achievement. I think you guys think self esteem is the route to achievement and I think you are wrong."
In his email, Sandefer applies Summers' quote to people resisting his efforts to de-emphasize research: "We believe that serving students and productive research lead to real prestige – prestige that is earned the old fashioned way You guys seem to believe that prestige – a self congratulatory collection of scholars writing articles that few people read – will somehow lead to great teaching and productive research. So far all the evidence shows that your experiment is a failure, leading to poorly prepared students and skyrocketing costs."
In an October email to his father, which then was passed along to Regent Phil Adams, Sandefer refers to an article in the Bryan Eagle about proposed changes in a new teaching reward system he had sought. He calls the article "intentional and devious" and suggests "Imposters" at Texas A&M are pretending to back reform while secretly opposing it.
"If I wanted to smoke out who was being genuine and who was being disingenuous, here's what I'd suggest: Make the issue of which questions to use non-negotiable. Say 'we have to be able to easily rank the best and worst teachers' – then look for a reaction. If you see one, or the person pushes back hard, you may be dealing with an Imposter."
In another exchange with his father, Sandefer says, "The Imposters think the Regents are clowns and that they can say one thing and just blow this past them. I think this shows unbelievable arrogance, even for Imposters."


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Joseph Perrin – Born July 19, 1765 in Essert, Belfort, France. He married Marie Anne Courre. Joseph is my 4th great grandfather.
Martha Anne Musbach – Born July 21, 1879 in Waterloo Twp., Jackson Co., MI. She married Herbert Harvey in 1904. They farmed on Harvey Rd. in Jackson Co. Martha died on November 21, 1951 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Co., MI and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Chelsea, Washtenaw Co. She is my wife's great grandmother.
May Belle Cook – born July 23, 1907 in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, LA. She died in Omaha, Douglas Co., NE on November 5, 1923 and is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Omaha. May is my 1st cousin, once removed.
James Cole – Born July 25, 1600 in St. Giles, Cripplegate, Highland, London, England. He married Mary Tibbes in 1625. He was the first settler of and lived upon what is still known as "Cole's Hill" in Plymouth, MA. He opened the first inn or public house in Plymouth. James died in Plymouth on January 31, 1697/98. He is my 9th great grandfather.

subset: commoncrawl


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Kid & Driver - 2012 Kia Soul
- Written by Jackson Unruh & Julie Boselly
2012 KIA Soul
The Kia Soul is truly a great car, in my opinion. Even though it looks small, there is plenty of leg room in the back and front rows — enough to fit 4-5 six-foot adults in the car with adequate leg room. The engine will get you places on time with a 1.6 liter in-line 4 cylinder engine, and the CVT (continuously variable transmission) adding a little sportiness. It gets absolutely great gas mileage. The sound system is one of my favorite things: surround sound, speaker lights and a funky little speaker on top of the dashboard. The little screen on the dash is sort of helpful with the back-up camera and audio controls.
The controls altogether are easy to use. The trunk offers a decent amount of space, and the hatch helps a lot with accessibility. Parking must be a breeze with the overall size of the car. On the outside, this car looks pretty small. I mean, I have bicycle tires bigger than those. On the inside is where this car shines.
[Mom edit: The model we drove was 2.0L with CVVT which is Continuously Variable Valve Timing and I have no idea what that is].
My first thought when I heard I would be driving a Kia Soul was: "That will be fun, it's the dancing-hamster-mobile." I also assumed it was ideal for those under 25 but when I looked around at who drives them, it's more my age (let's say … older adults) and above. I definitely see this as a great commuter car where you crank up your favorite tunes and try to enjoy the slower pace on the highways. I am a huge fan of the stereo system and the "mood" lighting around the speakers was fun. Go for a test drive at night if you're considering this one. Oh, how I would have loved this car cruising the roads in high school! I have a Spotify® (online music) mobile account and was able to enjoy my personal playlists through Bluetooth, i.e. no cables! The Soul had a back-up camera but no navigation system. I wasn't a fan of the "moss" color car I had. Other options for color include Alien (bright green), Molten (red) and the black, white, silvers, etc. I saw one Soul on Vashon Island with graphics on the sides – it looked great!
KIA SOUL: Starts at $14,400; $20,350 as driven • MPG 26 city/34 hwy • 6 speed automatic transmission w/Active Eco System • 60/40 split folding rear seats. www.kia.com


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text: KENNEWICK, Wash. Tuzar Skipper Jersey . -- A 25-year-old freelance journalist from British Columbia was formally charged on Thursday with a felony, five days after she was arrested in the United States over allegations she threatened to kill her hockey player boyfriend. Tieja MacLaughlin, who has worked for several media outlets in Kelowna, was charged with one count of felony harassment, according to court documents. She remained in custody, with bail set at $50,000, and she was scheduled to appear in court in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday. She is alleged to have threatened Jackson Playfair, a 19-year-old junior hockey player on the Tri-City Americans, who she had been dating since last summer, according to the documents. The charge includes a "domestic violence" allegation because they were in a relationship at the time. None of the allegations have been tested in court, and police documents and court records indicate MacLaughlin denied threatening to kill Playfair when questioned by officers. MacLaughlins case -- with its mix of hockey, accusations of infidelity, and a young journalist with a social media presence rife with photos for the taking -- has generated headlines across Canada, the United States and abroad. A prosecutor filed an affidavit with the Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court on Thursday, offering new details about the allegations against MacLaughlin, some of which contradict earlier reports from Kennewick Police Department. According to the affidavit, prepared by prosecuting attorney Brendan Siefken, MacLaughlin and Playfair had been in an "on again, off again" relationship since the summer of last year. The affidavit says MacLaughlin was in Kelowna late last week, planning to visit Playfair in Kennewick that weekend, when Playfair disclosed during a phone call that he had "cheated" on MacLaughlin with someone he met in Spokane, Wash. "The defendant became upset and began to make verbal threats towards him," says the affidavit, which contains unproven allegations. "She advised him that by tomorrow night, he would be dead. Mr. Playfair advised that she threatened to kill him several times during the phone conversation." Playfair told MacLaughlin not to visit Kennewick as planned, the document says. But the affidavit alleges MacLaughlin persisted. "The defendant advised that she was coming down that day and that he did not have a choice, and that he needed to have things figured out or things were going to get very bad," the affidavit alleges. The following morning, Playfair received additional messages from MacLaughlin indicating she was at the border and on her way to Kennewick, the documents allege. Police had earlier said MacLaughlin travelled from Paris, Ont., but the prosecutors affidavit says she travelled from Kelowna, where she was living and working. A posting to a Twitter account that appears to be maintained by MacLaughlin appears to suggest she crossed the border last Friday afternoon. Playfair left for a game in Seattle -- the Tri-City Americans website indicates there was a game there on Friday night -- and after the match he found messages from MacLaughlin indicating she was in the Kennewick area, the affidavit alleges. "Based on the defendants prior threats and her presence in the Tri-Cities, the victim became worried that she might carry out her threats to kill," the affidavit says. He called police, who in turn visited MacLaughlin at a local Super 8 motel, the document claims. The affidavit alleges officers told MacLaughlin to stop contacting Playfair, but she subsequently sent him 20 to 25 text messages. Police arrested MacLaughlin on Saturday, according to police documents filed with the court. The Benton and Franklin Counties Office of Public Defense has previously confirmed MacLaughlin had been assigned a public defender. The office couldnt be reached for comment on Thursday. MacLaughlin has worked as a freelance reporter for Castanet, an online news website based in Kelowna, and the Kelowna Daily Courier newspaper. Articles bearing her name have appeared in both publications, as recently as this month. Playfair is originally from Fort St. James, B.C., according to biographical information on the teams website. He is the son of Phoenix Coyotes associate coach Jim Playfair, and his brother, Austyn Playfair, was signed to the Americans last year. A spokesperson for the Tri-City Americans has previously declined comment on behalf of both the team and Playfair. Joe Gilliam Jersey .com) - The Denver Nuggets snapped a losing streak last time out and will try to carry that momentum Saturday night when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Pepsi Center. Artie Burns Jersey . "Im not sure well get Melky Cabrera at all," said Gibbons. The 29-year-old left fielder struggled all season with knee and hamstring problems. Cabrera was first on the disabled list from June 27-July 20 with tendinitis in his left knee. http://www.cheapsteelersjerseysauthentic...les-jersey .5 million, four-year contract with the Texas Rangers that could be worth $32.LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Matt Kuchar has withdrawn from the PGA Championship because of a sore back. Kuchar waited until tee time Thursday before deciding he wasnt fit enough to play. John Huh took Kuchars place and joined the threesome with Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Rose. Joe Haden Jersey. Kuchars best finish in the PGA was a tie for 10th in 2010. He had missed the cut in three of his six career appearances. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Wholesale MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '


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5 Questions With: Gerard Pannekoek On Trading Patents
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2011 -- Gerard Pannekoek is President and CEO of the Intellectual Property Exchange International (IPXI), a company set to launch the first financial exchange focused on intellectual property rights. The Chicago-based company was created in 2008 and is currently looking to launch its initial public offering (IPO) between the summer and early 2011. In late 2010, IPXI recruited Pannekoek, who was then retired, based on his prior experience as president and chief operating officer of another start-up, the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) which traded emission credits. Keep Reading


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Clergy prayerfully advocated at the Texas Capitol on Monday for women's access to birth control and state funding for family planning services for low-income women.
"Access to family planning services, including birth control, are moral imperatives, and they benefit the common good," said the Rev. Kelly Allen, of University Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, at the event sponsored by the Texas Freedom Network.
Rabbi Neal Katz, of Congregation Beth El in Tyler, asked for wisdom and guidance to combat "unholy meddling" in women's choices about their health care and about reproduction.
"We stand and speak on behalf of those who cannot," said the Rev. Ellen Cooper, of Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church in The Woodlands. "We defend what is just and compassionate, what is live-giving."
They and other faith leaders together repeated, "We pray for justice," led by the Rev. Valda Jean Combs, of St. James United Methodist Church in Waco.
The Texas Freedom Network, which advocates for issues including family planning funding, said more than 370 clergy members signed a statement in support of funding for birth control for low-income women and availability of contraceptives.
Lawmakers in 2011 slashed family planning services but the Senate Finance Committee last week voted to restore funding.


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The Quilt Life TheQuiltShow.com
As individuals, Ricky and Alex's influence on the quilting industry has been substantial. Combining their vision and creativity, they became founding partners of The Quilt Show.com, the world's first full-service interactive online video/web magazine created just for quilters worldwide. They are the co-hosts of The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, the only quilt show series recorded live before a studio audience and seen exclusively on www.TheQuiltShow.com. With over 47,000+ registered members in over 100 countries, The Quilt Show.com's mission is to educate, inspire, entertain, connect, and grow the world quilting community in a fun, positive, and interactive environment.


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University of Illinois conducting research on DRM
DBD Member and Apple Protester Luke Gotszling recently wrote on his blog about an article at UIL about research being conducted there:
The article ultimately let me down as it details how Negar Kiyavash's research is fundamentally designed to restrict the public and as a result is against the mission statement of the University of Illinois. The mission statement contains that a purpose of the University is "[To remain] a leader in the creation and synthesis of knowledge for the benefit of current and future generations." Unfortunately, Kiyavash's research does exactly the opposite; it is knowledge designed to restrict both current and future generations. More specifically, multimedia companies will be able to combine this research with the rights afforded them by the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) to track and restrict users from making fair use copies, excerpts for class projects, and other rights entitled under Copyright Law.


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In years past, Sima Blue would never have dreamed of stocking her Green Spring Station boutique with ivory sheath dresses, cream lace blazers and eggshell pleated skirts this late in the season.
But times are changing.
With major designers including Marc Jacobs and Celine showcasing white frocks and accessories for their fall collections, white will not only be accepted after Labor Day this season — it will be considered fashion-forward. The trend starts now and will lead up through more traditional "winter" whites.
"I've never seen as much white as I've been seeing this season," said Blue, as she pointed to a rack filled with pieces from designers...


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RC Triad Take-Down
RC Triad Take-Down is a side mission in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. The mission is started by entering a TOYZ van in Chinatown, Portland, Liberty City. The goal of the mission is to kill at least 20 Triads using an RC Bandit. 3 seconds are added for each Triad killed.
The reward is $1,000. The mission can be replayed after completing but the new goal is to beat the previous record of the player.


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Advertisement | Advertise Here
Iconic Pittsburgh weatherman Joe DeNardo has died at the age of 87.
His death was announced this morning by WTAE, the station he worked for 35 years. DeNardo, a chief meteorologist, is known for his 1994 campaign "Joe Said It Would."
The Moon Township resident retired from WTAE in 2005 after 35 years and also worked at KDKA for 10 years. He was also well-known for his community work including Project Bundle-Up and Special Olympics.


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Readers' Favorite announces the review of the Non-Fiction – Religion/Philosophy book "Silencing the Skeptics" by The Gatekeeper, currently available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692883487.
Readers' Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the "Best Websites for Authors" and "Honoring Excellence" awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.
"Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Silencing the Skeptics: Gospel Contradictions Resolved; the Ultimate Open Challenge to Bart Ehrman by The Gatekeeper is a powerful book that offers fresh perspectives, interpretations, and analysis of the contradictions of the Bible and particularly those in the four Gospels. In this book, the author takes up the challenge advanced by critics such as Bart Ehrman and offers a stunning defense of the Scriptures, helping readers understand the contradictions in the Bible while bringing in aspects that allow them to embrace the truth of Jesus' message without feeling confused by the paradoxes.
With the obvious discrepancies and contradictions in some of Jesus' statements in the situations in the Bible and the narratives in the four Gospels, can it be possible for readers to believe the message of the Gospel? Can the truth be self-contradictory, and if not, why could the contradictions be found in the book that is supposed to communicate the liberating message that is Truth Himself? Such are questions that baffle readers and that create a lot of doubt in the minds of believers, and these questions are intelligently and brilliantly answered in this well-researched, beautifully articulated book.
In this spellbinding book, the author invites readers, both skeptics and Bible apologetics, to look beyond the contradictions of the Scripture and to consider questions of historical relevance, cultural and moral context, and much more. I was impressed and won over by the beautiful prose, the clear logic, and the simplicity of style. The author writes with authority and the reader can feel that the work is well-researched. The references are very apt and relevant. Silencing the Skeptics: Gospel Contradictions Resolved; the Ultimate Open Challenge to Bart Ehrman is a book that is as informative as it is inspiring, one of those rare books that will help readers develop a new approach to interpreting the Bible, especially their understanding of the four Gospels."
You can learn more about The Gatekeeper and "Silencing the Skeptics" at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/silencing-the-skeptics where you can read reviews and the author's biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.
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Company Name: Readers' Favorite LLC
Contact Person: Media Relations
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Website: https://readersfavorite.com


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ok so talking twin tips i have it narrowed down to the north Jamie or X ride, the Nobile T5 or NHP and someone today bragged about the super shinn. Im 210lbs and want a board firstly with amazing upwind abilities, smooth in the chop, good in small surf and good pop soooooooo! which one do i pick everyone claims their board is the best, the one. Im hoping someone can help me with first hand experience. As getting to demo all these soon doesnt seem likely. Looking forward to some imput.
Next problem, kite surfing. i have it narrowed down to a Slingshot Celeritas and a north wam. most often i will be in small surf and chop what do u think?


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Mandy Sloan Flemming
Saint Mark United Methodist Church
December 20, 2009
From Generation to Generation
The Sanctuary They Make in Meeting - Artwork By Jan Richardson
Gospel Lesson: Luke 1:39-55
Mary Visits Elizabeth
3In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be* a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.'
Mary's Song of Praise
46 And Mary* said,
'My soul magnifies the Lord, 4and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.'
To Abraham and his descendants forever… Our salvation begins, not with the telling of this Gospel story, but with a woman in Genesis. And it does not conclude with Mary, nor will it conclude with us. We have been connected through a chain of faithfulness, in which God has linked together one generation to the next. In her song of praise, Mary makes reference to the descendants of Abraham and Sarah, echoes the song of Praise that Hannah offers, and sings with joy at the news of her relative, Elizabeth. God has been working since the dawn of human history to seek us out and draw us in, and will continue to do so until Christ comes in final victory.
But, in this story, the chain of faithfulness begins with Sarah. She had counted the moons – marking each one with disappointing regularity.[1] As the narrow crescent disappeared into the darkness, so did her monthly hopes that a child would be born in the course of nine more moons. Months became years. She saw 924 moons die and rise again. But, her hope did not return. As the moon waxed, so waned her dream, her hope, her faith, her identity. A wise woman once told her that a child could bring her many blessings, but it could not bring her true faith. That faith had to come whether or not the child did. This was no comfort to her. Her empty arms, barren womb and useless breasts provided nourishment and sanctuary to no one. Her once joyful smile turned to a furrowed frown. Her infectious laugh ceased to be heard. All who knew her watched as her spirit faded.
Until that one day, when she sat in the tent and listened as three strange men talked with her husband. They told him absurd things as they ate her food. They said that a child would be born to them. To her. Not only that, they told her husband that their ancestors would number more than the stars. Listening at the tent entrance, she couldn't help but laugh to herself. Now? After all this time! After she had grown old and her husband was even older?
The messenger heard her laugh, and questioned her response. She was afraid to admit to him that laughed; but, she was more afraid of this news. Now? How can this be?
She looked up at the sky that night, deep chortle lodged in her throat, and she began counting the stars. When she got to 925, she stopped.
She counted the moon. There was only one – a thin sliver of shimmering silver to remind her that this heavenly being never disappeared, even on the darkest of nights. If she tried her hardest, she could see a perfect, circular outline in the sky. The moon remained in the sky, even if she could not see its beaming face.
Sarah's laughter was muted. The moon had always been with her. Its light had been dimmed, but it never disappeared. The child, whether it came in the Spring of her Youth or the Winter of her Discontent, was promised, and it was coming. Suddenly, there was nothing funny about the prophecy.
The stars that shone on Sarah as she birthed her son, Isaac, shone down when the Lord said that his descendants would number more than the stars. The moon continued to wax and wane through years of exile, tribulation, and warfare.
Generation upon generation came to be, as Sarah's descendants became a nation and God called upon another woman who had counted these moons, her barren womb and empty arms, mocked by her rival. The chain of faithfulness continues with Hannah, the wife of a faithful man, who went to the temple each year to worship and sacrifice to the Lord their God. He had two wives, one of whom had children, but Hannah did not. Because he loved Hannah, he gave her a double portion of the sacrifice.
These gifts were always deeply saddening to Hannah. Though she loved her husband, she could not bring herself to eat the meat that he prepared. His other wife mocked her, never allowing her to forget that the problem was not with their husband, but with Hannah herself. Year after year, Hannah wept and would not eat his gift. Finally, she took it upon herself to visit the priest in the temple. There, she prayed silently to the Lord, that she might be remembered. She promised that the Lord would open her womb, give her a son, and that she would return the boy to the temple when he was weaned. The priest looked at her with disdain, thinking her to be drunk as she moved her lips without making a sound.
She stated her case before him, and he sent her away with the words she had forever longed to hear: "Go in peace, the God of Israel will grant the petition you have made."
That night, Hannah ate and drank. She feasted and felt the tension of her burden lifted from her shoulders. She would strengthen her body for this duty to carry a child. She would know the joy and pain of labor and birth. She would know, at last, what it meant to be remembered by God.
Three years passed, and Hannah treasured that time with her son, Samuel. She nursed him, she clothed him, she taught him her favorite melodies and let him assist in the preparation of the coarse meal and flour mixture. And on that day, when he was weaned, she prepared to take him back to the priest as she had promised. This child, though born of her womb, was a gift from God, and one that she freely offered.
As they walked to the temple where Samuel would find his new home, she brought gifts of food and sang quietly to keep her heart from becoming heavy. For, in those three years, she had continued to count the new moons, knowing that this day would come. But, this time, it was a day of her choosing. God had been faithful, and now she could be faithful in return.
When Eli took Samuel's hand, Hannah prayed, saying, "My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God! My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in my victory."[2] This was faithfulness, and its proper response. Her heart was not heavy, but rejoiced in the fulfillment of her lifelong dream. Samuel would always be her son, but now he was entrusted to the care of the priest, where he would be raised in the temple and would be called by God in the quiet of a night, to be a prophet and judge for the people of Israel, the descendents of Sarah.
That night, as she slept in her too-quiet home, the same stars shone upon her, and the moon was dark. She slept deeply, peacefully, and long.
Through Samuel, God named the first kings of Israel, including David, from whom Jesus would be descended.[3] As the moons continued to fade and return, the prophets arose and declared that the Lord would send one who would rule in Israel. One declared that "He would be from Bethlehem, one of the little clans of Judah."[4] The story of our salvation is becoming more focused now; the prophets have told us from where our savior will come. The Israelites heard God's promises, and they waited and watched for the day when the chain of faithfulness would be connected in their presence.
And, in their waiting for the promised and coming king, the moons continued, and another woman began to count them. The chain of faithfulness, which was pulled taught by years of struggle, was connected to the faithful Elizabeth. She was the wife of a priest, and both of them were righteous and blameless. But, like so many before her, she had seen the moons become round and full, then waste away in the heavens. Her monthly hopes, scattered like the proud. She had come to a place of relative peace, when an angel of the Lord appeared to her husband as he offered incense in the temple with the news for which she had always longed to hear. They would have a son, who would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would be endowed with the power to turn the people of Israel to the Lord their God.[5]
As Elizabeth watched the moons in this season of her life, she counted for a new purpose. Her husband silently helped her as she struggled through her days. The fatigue was more than she could endure, and her house was beginning to show it. Her old body was weak, and it took all that she had to make their bread each morning. He made her hot cups of tea, and she kept to herself as her body began to show physical evidence of the miracle growing inside. Her strength returned. Her smile brightened. Her husband patted her hand, communicating as he could that he was glad to have her back.
And, as she watched the sixth moon disappear in the sky, she received her first visitor since she conceived. It was her relative, Mary who knocked on her door, and the instant she looked upon the young girl's face, she knew something marvelous was happening. Elizabeth felt her heart take a beat that made her breathless, the baby felt like it was dancing inside, and her mouth opened as she exclaimed loudly, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" Elizabeth's own silence had been broken – she, herself, muted with no one to speak with for these six months. Her voice was loud – too loud – it shouted the words that came to her with exuberance and without hesitation. She didn't know where this voice, these words, had come from. But, she knew what she was shouting was the truth. She was the mother of a prophet, and this was the family's first prophecy. Here, before her, was her young relative, blessed with child. It was just as miraculous as her own conception, and together, they could celebrate the mystery that was occurring in their wombs. As they stood at the door, women who intuitively knew the other's deepest secret, they created a sanctuary. A small habitat where life could be created and they could share the words of women in this peculiar state of life. As Elizabeth welcomed Mary into her home, she welcomed Mary into her story, her miracle.
That night, Mary and Elizabeth counted the stars together in silence. The moon, plump and round, shone on their grateful faces.
Mary, unable to tell anyone, even her betrothed for fear that he would reject her, had come to Elizabeth knowing that here, she would be safe. Elizabeth had received the same message of a child coming in a season of inconvenience and impossibility. For Elizabeth, this meant the end of her shame. But for Mary, it was just the beginning. She did all she knew to do, which was to travel to her relative, who was older, wiser, and yet a peer in this journey.
When Elizabeth opened the door, Mary saw the oddity of this thin woman with a protruding belly. She saw the light in Elizabeth's eyes and the shared secret of what their bodies were producing. As Elizabeth shouted her greeting, Mary felt her own silence broken. Her dreams as a young girl were taking a new turn. She had always envisioned her life proceeding in a particular direction – saving for a dowry, being betrothed to a good man, making a life and a family together with him. As far along as this plan had proceeded, she could not have imagined that they would be interrupted by an angel.
How terrified she had been in his presence! He said such strange things to her, telling her that she was favored by God He told her that she would conceive a son through the Holy Spirit, and that his name would be Jesus – the Son of the Most High, the heir of David's throne, and the rule over the house of Jacob forever. These names were familiar to her, but only as an uttering in the temple. They were lauded men, not a humble young girl such as her. And, here they were, being named as if they were close relatives.
"How can this be?" She replied. How could it be, truly? How could she be pregnant? Who was she to be remembered by God? God had gifted her with this responsibility, but how could she possibly fulfill it? Before she could say any more, the angel told her about Elizabeth, her relative who was said to be barren. She was carrying a son and was in her sixth month. "For nothing will be impossible with God."
Nothing will be impossible with God… Not for Sarah, not for Hannah, not for the prophets, not for Elizabeth and not for Mary. Nothing will be impossible for God, who had found her to be favored.
Then, echoing the words of all of those who had been called upon before her, Mary replied, "Here I am, a servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."
When she arrived at Elizabeth's home, her reception warm and just what she had needed. Elizabeth softly touched her belly as she shouted, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" Caught in the same spirit of joyfulness and acceptance, Mary unleashed the hopefulness she had contained within her since the set out on her journey:
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on, all generations will call me blessed!"
In the next generation, the stars continued to shine as the chain of faithfulness was continued through Jesus' disciples, who taught the Good News of our salvation in Christ. They preached Good news to the poor and release to the captives.
In the next generation, the church rooted and grew in cities and nations and countries far from Bethlehem, far from Nazareth, far from the people of Israel, as God's promise to shine light on those who walked in darkness came true for people of all ages, nations and races. The power of the Holy Spirit, who has been present with each link in the chain, continues to be present with us today.
In this generation, as we gaze upon the stars, their light still shines as the moon waxes and wanes and continues to be a reminder of the promise that God made to Sarah… to Hannah… to Elizabeth… to Mary… to us. God is with us. God is always with us. In this is the faithfulness of a loving God to a people whom will never be forgotten. We have walked in darkness, but we will see a great light, for the true light, which enlightens everyone, is coming into the world, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.
And ever.
[1] Genesis 17-18, 21, 26:4
[2] 1 Samuel 2:1b-10
[3] I Samuel 7, 9
[4] Micah 5:2-5
[5] Luke 1:8-25


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LONDON, England (CNN) -- In 1981, Dr Mohga Kamal-Yanni was preparing to leave Egypt for a clinical attachment in England when her father had a heart attack. He fell in the street, and was taken to a public hospital, where Dr Kamal-Yanni kept vigil at his bedside until he regained his strength.
A doctor at a hospital in India where health indicators have showed no significant improvement in seven years.
During his stay in the hospital, she was appalled at the low level of healthcare available to him. "It was awful. There was no medicine," she told CNN.
As a doctor, Kamal-Yanni was able to watch over her father's progress. Her professional opinion on his recovery was striking. "My father survived that heart attack for two reasons," she said. "One, because of God's will, and two, because he had a strong will. It was nothing to do with the health service."
The following year, Kamal-Yanni came to England to do a clinical attachment. She found herself deeply affected by the stark contrast between the healthcare available in Britain, on the publicly funded National Health Service, and the healthcare available at home in Egypt. She found herself slipping into depression.
"I couldn't talk to the patients; I couldn't talk to the doctors. I just couldn't cope with it," she revealed to CNN. "I couldn't understand why every time I saw a monitor next to a patient I was so upset."
It dawned on her that the gulf in care was troubling her. "I kept thinking why on earth my dad didn't have that. The only reason was that he happened to be born in Egypt and these people had the luck to be born [in England]."
Kamal-Yanni is now a senior health & HIV policy advisor at third-world charity Oxfam. Her first-hand experience of the divide between the healthcare available in richer countries, and that on offer in poorer ones, has given her the impetus to try and narrow the gap.
While Western countries are pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge, discovering the potential of nanotechnology and other high-tech solutions to the developed world's diseases, like diabetes, cancer and obesity, poor countries are struggling to combat health problems such as HIV, malaria and TB.
Lack of infrastructure
And it's not as simple as shipping medicines and supplies in bulk quantities. Oxfam's "Paying for People" report, published in February this year, said that poor countries are suffering because they lack the infrastructure of a health service. The WHO's 2006 "World Health Report" also indicates that 4.25 million doctors, nurses and health workers are needed across 57 countries. Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, has 600,000 health workers: one million more are required.
Without these key workers, it is questionable whether healthcare in poor countries can be improved. Nicky Wimble, a spokesperson for Oxfam, told CNN, "There is money coming in for drugs now, but there's no commitment to long-term aid."
Governments are unable to give healthcare workers with job security and doctors and nurses, where they do exist, are largely poorly paid: so people choose other careers. "They're either becoming taxi drivers, or working for private businesses," Wimble says. This double brain-drain (one internal, one external as those who do train are tempted away by higher salaries and brighter futures in developed countries) means that even if drugs make it to poorer areas, there can be no one to administer them. "Drugs are sitting in cupboards," Wimble told CNN. "Or they're available in cities but people in rural areas don't have the bus fares to get to them."
Vulnerable to disease
Dr Kamal-Yanni backs this up. She told CNN, "There is no public investment in health systems so people have to pay for it. If you're poor you can't buy your healthcare and if you're a woman who happens to be poor you might as well forget it."
And in countries where no healthcare system exists, people are extremely vulnerable to diseases, which can spread rampantly and unchecked through communities.
Dr Kamal-Yanni paints a worrying picture. "Particularly in Africa, they're not equipped to face anything -- not HIV, let alone avian flu. If something like avian flu hit Africa with no health system, no health workers and no money, it would spread. We can't contain it in Africa. The world would wake up and realize that, but in the meantime, it would have wiped out goodness knows how many millions of people."
It's not just in Africa. HIV is a known crisis there, but it is anticipated that more people will be infected in India than anywhere else, as the disease spreads quickly through its billion-strong population.
Increasingly, countries like these are having to deal with a boom in incommunicable diseases, like diabetes and cancer. Chronic diseases like diabetes have the additional problem that they require long-term care, and therefore long-term funding. Dr Kamal-Yanni explained the difficulties of that situation. "You buy the pills today, but maybe tomorrow you don't have enough money so you're never cured and develop complications."
What lies ahead?
Dr Kamal-Yanni sees three possible outcomes for health in poor countries. The first, as she explained, is bleak.
She told CNN, "If things continue as they are, with rising infection, increasing resistance to drugs, HIV and malaria run unchecked, chronic and non-communicable diseases are ignored and no money is spent on a health system, then the gap will just increase and the situation will get worse and worse."
Dr Kamal-Yanni is hopeful, however, that the situation will improve somewhat. She explained a second scenario, the one she feels is most likely to happen.
"If the international community invests a little bit, things will be slightly better," she told CNN. "More people with HIV will get treatment, as will people with TB and malaria. But non-communicable chronic diseases [like diabetes] will be ignored."
But large-scale epidemics like avian flu or SARS would still remain a huge threat in this scenario, as would diseases like cancer.
"Who's going to pay for medicine for cancer, which is increasing like anything in developing countries?" asks Dr Kamal-Yanni. "Nobody."
Hope for the future
But there is a third scenario, which holds out more hope for people in developing countries. Dr Kamal-Yanni says, "If public pressure is high, southern governments, donors and the international community will decide that health is really a priority. We'll put our money where our mouth is and we'll fulfil the commitments that we've made before."
She says that in the first instance, African countries need to be encouraged to divert 16 percent of their budget to health. (Currently, nearly a third allocate less than five percent.) "Then they will realize that this is not enough, so they'll put in more," she continues.
If this money were to be added to the $50 billion promised by G8, the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations, in Gleneagles in 2005, it would have a huge impact on health and education, particularly in Africa. And education is the key, Dr Kamal-Yanni believes.
She explained, "You can't separate health and education because unless you educate doctors and nurses, and midwives and pharmacists, you can't run a health service."
Working together
It's also important for donors and governments to work together to provide a cohesive service, she says. "They really need to start coordinating their work so it's not a series of vertical programs that don't relate to each other and waste resources."
Oxfam's Nicky Wimble agrees. She told CNN, "Over the last 100 years, countries like France, Britain and America have developed by giving their people free education and healthcare. It's a major way to bring people out of poverty."
Wimble cites the example of education, where the number of children not in school worldwide has fallen from around 120 million to around 80 million.
"The key is getting governments to commit to it as a part of their aid package, and monitoring the aid package so that the money is tracked to ensure that it gets to where it's intended," she said. "It's working for education, and they think it'll work for healthcare too, but it needs committed investment."
And in the meantime, people like Mohga Kamal-Yanni will continue their work to pressure governments to encourage positive change.
She says, "That's my motivation to do this work. It's not for me; it's a life thing. My dream in life is for everybody in Africa to have access to a publicly financed, publicly run healthcare service with strong regulation, quality, care and equity." E-mail to a friend


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OK, it's not quite a bento today, but we've been using this dip/spread in a few bentos that I still need to post and it is amazingly yummy. It's a Carrot-Ginger Dip, but we've also been using it as a sandwich/cracker spread as well as a veggie dip.
We grabbed a quick snack with it today, so I had to take a picture to use. The crackers are from Aldi, I think, and of course, we have some cucumber flowers. I've had a few people ask why I always have shaped cucumbers. No special reason, but cookie cutters are much easier than having to peel the cucumber!
And a recipe, because it is that good! I found it in Family Fun magazine, but modified it a little, because I was out of fresh ginger (I used dried instead).
Carrot-Ginger Dip:
Baby carrots (12-15)
1 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 sugar or honey (I used sugar)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup plain yogurt.
-Bring the carrots to a boil, then let simmer until tender (soft enough to be able to puree them).
-In a mini food processor, blend carrots till smooth, then add seasoning and blend again.
-Add yogurt, blend one more time and chill.
Next time, I'm thinking of adding the yogurt in a smaller amount and slowly adding more. I would have liked it a bit thicker, but it may just have been the yogurt I used.
Carrot-Ginger Dip
Sunday, September 12, 2010
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Take a good look at Europe—bloody riots in Athens and Madrid, rising unemployment, spreading poverty and suicide, and a deepening recession—because the current American elite consensus bizarrely wants to drive America down that same path.
Europe's miseries come from imposing austerity before recovering from the recession caused by the financial collapse. Conservatives in Germany and England inflicted harsh measures to enforce budget discipline—hiking taxes, cutting spending.
In the U.S., the Obama recovery plan and the deal with Republicans over extending the Bush tax cuts combined to limit and slow the imposition of austerity. The result: Europe is sinking, while the U.S. economy retains slow, halting growth.
But now the deficit hawks are gearing up for another run at driving the U.S. back into economic recession.
At the end of the year, we face a train wreck. After the November election, the Bush tax cuts, the payroll tax cut and extended unemployment benefits expire. The automatic cut—"sequester" in budget speak—of nearly 10 percent of military and domestic discretionary spending (everything except such guaranteed programs as Medicare and Social Security, and interest on the national debt) kicks in. We even hit the debt limit to add to the high stakes.
If all this is allowed to occur, it will subtract over 3 percent of gross domestic product from an economy growing at 2.5 percent or less. A drop back into recession would be almost inevitable. So a deal is needed.
But the deal in everyone's head is some kind of "grand bargain," like that almost cut by House Speaker John Boehner and President Obama last year, or like that outlined by the co-chairs of the President's deficit commission, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson (which failed to gain the needed votes to pass the commission).
Centrist Democrat Kent Conrad, chair of the Senate Budget Committee, has announced that he will use the Simpson-Bowles recommendations as a guideline for budget negotiations that he assumes will take place in the lame duck Congress after the election.
There's lots not to like in Simpson-Bowles that marches under the banner of "shared sacrifice" at a time when 1 percent of the population is capturing 93 percent of the rewards of growth, while paying the lowest tax rates in living memory.
But the horror is less the bad terms of the supposed bargain, than its zombie-like infliction of austerity on an economy barely out of the emergency room.
We still have some 23 million people in need of full time work. We haven't recovered the jobs that were lost in the collapse, much less the jobs needed for young people coming into the economy. Wages are still failing to keep pace. Nearly one in four mortgages are under water; foreclosures are rising.
Yes, we have trillion-dollar deficits. But austerity—some deal that raises taxes and cuts spending now—will put more people out of work and make reducing deficits even harder.
After experiencing the horrors of this misguided policy, European leaders will eventually turn back to trying to get their economies moving again. What we need this fall is a different grand bargain—a global agreement, like that that was forged in early 2009, for coordinated action by governments to reflate the economy —to borrow and spend to put people back to work.
For this to occur, the bipartisan elite fixation about inflicting austerity now must be challenged. If we are to avoid a lost decade or worse, we need action to support still weak and staggering economies. Global coordination would be the best way to achieve that. That requires putting a stake in Simpson-Bowles, the Boehner-Obama grand bargain and other zombies.
In this country, the necessary remedies are clear. With interest rates near zero, a decrepit infrastructure that must be rebuilt and a construction industry flat on its back, anyone with a whit of business sense would finance a massive Rebuild America program over the next few years, put people back to work and build the sinews vital for a more competitive economy. We will never have a better opportunity to make the investments that we will have to make anyway.
We should send money to states to rehire teachers, make universities affordable, and strengthen, not weaken, our public schools. It's simply nuts to make kids pay the price of Wall Street's follies.
And if we could get beyond ideological perversities, we'd set up a green corps, an urban corps, and a jobs corps to guarantee a job for every veteran and young person under 25. No one should risk their life for their country and return to an economy with no place for them. Young people are coming out of school into the worst economy since the Great Depression. Condemning them to idleness is a recipe for depression, drugs, crime and misery. And we will all pay dearly for a lost generation.
Certainly, we have to be serious about getting our books in order. The wealthy and the corporations should pay more so we can afford the investments we need. But the overwhelming source of our long-term budget woes comes from projections of soaring health care costs. If we paid what other industrial countries pay for health care (with better results), we would be projecting surpluses, not deficits.
But right now, the focus should be on putting people back to work and getting the economy moving. Until that happens, austerity—as Europe is now experiencing— is a contagion, not a cure.


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Two worthwhile fundraisers � the New Bern Firemen�s Museum and polio � are on tap this week.
Two worthwhile fundraisers � the New Bern Firemen�s Museum and polio � are on tap this week.
There are also activities preceding Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20, including a Saturday parade in New Bern and an awards and scholarship banquet Sunday.
Two popular bands � �3-Day Weekend� and �Cold Biscuit� � will perform at BBQ in Blue Jeans for the firemen�s museum.
It is Friday at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center. Doors open at 6 p.m. with dinner being served an hour later.
Wear your comfortable blue jeans and enjoy a great bar dinner including ribs, chicken, sides and dessert. Presenting sponsors are Moore�s Barbeque and The Sun Journal.
Tickets are $25 in advance, or $30 at the door, and can be purchased at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center, New Bern Firemen�s Museum, Mitchell Hardware and the New Bern Fire Department Headquarters.
For more information, call 636-4087.
Funds raised at this event help support the many activities of the New Bern Firemen�s Museum, including the restoration of the 1928 Central Fire Station located on Broad Street. The fire station in the future will house interactive exhibits as well as the many important relics that have already been collected to further demonstrate the city�s legacy of firefighting.
A fundraising event � �This Close� � 5K Run/Walk is Saturday at Creekside Park, with proceeds going toward the eradication of polio.
The 8 a.m. event at 1812 Old Airport Road is sponsored by the New Bern High School Interact Club.
The world is 99 percent rid of the crippling disease polio. The Interact club is sponsored by the two Rotary clubs in New Bern.
Register on the web: runtheeast.com. Registration fee is $30.
Here is a sampling of other top events this week:
The Craven County Genealogical Society will host Victor T. Jones Jr. at the New Bern-Craven County Public Library�s Kellenberger Room at its monthly meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Jones, the head of special collections at the library and the interim head librarian, will talk about what is new in the Kellenberger Room, a treasure trove of genealogical and historical materials for North Carolina and other states.
On the web: CravenGenealogy.com. Call 444-5420.
The Red Cross will hold a �National Blood Donation Month� drive at the Emerald Golf Club in the Greenbrier neighborhood on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The need for blood remains critical, with all blood types �especially O, A and B negative, which are in very short supply.
Donors from the age of 16 � with parental consent � and who weigh at least 110 pounds and are in good health, are eligible to give. Walk-ins are welcome.
For directions, more information or to schedule a specific appointment time, go to the web: redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.
On Wednesday, the New Bern-Craven County Public Library hosts �Movie Day!�
January�s featured film is �Turbo,� a comedy about an ordinary snail who dares to dream big and fast! It is for grades K to 5 at 4 p.m.
On Saturday, there are two events. At 10 a.m., Teenage Readers Active in New Bern meet. Advanced registration is required. Refreshments will be served.
Also at 10 a.m. is �Scrapbooking with Vanessa.� Learn step-by-step instructions to find plenty of inspiration to capture memories on paper. Bring your own materials. It is a free event.
The Craven Community College Foundation and Public Radio East invite the public to the Lifetime Learning Center for an evening with renowned New York City dancer and choreographer Wendy Osserman on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Orringer Auditorium on the New Bern campus.
This event is the final in this season�s �Explorations in The ARTS� series.
Hosted by Colleen Maloney Roberts, this event has an �informance� format that blends musical dance theater with live interaction between the artists and audience. Osserman is joined by co-creators Marilyn Arnone and Nancy Hiller in performing an original production titled �Who Do We Think We Are?�
Admission is $10 for the general public and $5 for students. Event tickets can be purchased online at cravencc.edu/foundation - select �Event Registration� or by telephone at 638-7351.
The Pamlico County Library has Storytime Outreach Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Bayboro library.
The Craven Literacy Council and Pamlico County Library are gearing up for a new round of literacy tutoring for adults. They need volunteers willing to teach adults who need help in learning to read or who are trying to master English as a Second Language.
There is a 15-hour workshop. The orientation is at 6 p.m.
Training begins Jan. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. Call 745-3515.
There is knitting on Friday at 10 a.m. in Children�s Room. Learn the basics of knitting or intermediate techniques or advanced patterns.
The Pamlico County Animal Welfare Society has its annual meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Pamlico County Library in Bayboro.
It includes a presentation on PAWS� assistance to local animals and their families in 2013, plans for 2014, and the elections for board of directors and officers. Membership applications will be available.
Tryon Palace�s 2014 African-American Lecture Series begins on Thursday with the play �When I Leave.� Based on actual events that occurred in 1957, this free performance begins at 7 p.m. inside Cullman Performance Hall.
An accomplished author and founding member the North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers, Stewart�s �When I Leave� is an original, historical drama based on a true story. Her other plays include �Another Family Reunion,� �Christmas-In-A-Shoebox� and her most recent, �Who Made the Potato Salad,� which she co-wrote with Antuan Hawkins.
Tryon Palace�s 2014 African-American Lecture Series will be held at Cullman Performance Hall on the third Thursday of every month. Each event is free, thanks to a donation from the Harold H. Bate Foundation.
Special hearing devices are available if needed. Contact Tryon Palace 48 hours in advance of the performance.
Call 639-3500. Information is also available on the web: tryonpalace.org.
The Oriental Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 20-03 hosts its �Boating Skills and Seamanship Course,� starting Thursday at the firehouse on Straight Road.
Classes re from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday through Feb. 6.
This is a complete course on boating that the Coast Guard Auxiliary offers and will meet the North Carolina regulation requiring all persons between the ages of 16 and 26 who operate a boat with 10 horsepower to be certified in a safety class.
Successful completion of the course could result in a lower boat insurance rate. Cost for the course is $40 or $55 for two persons sharing a book. Registering in advance is required.
Call Judy Wise at 745-4555 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Red Cross will hold a blood drive on Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pamlico County Chamber of Commerce at the Pamlico County Heritage Center in Grantsboro.
Call Kristin Campbell Willis of the Red Cross at 341-1325.
As part of the East Coast Jazz Revue�s Winter Concert Series, two distinguished World War II veterans from Eastern North Carolina who are included in a recently published book will on hand for a public book signing along with the author Friday at 4 p.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton.
�The Forgotten First: B-1 and the Integration of the Modern Navy� is authored by East Carolina University Creative Writing professor Alex Albright.
The guests include the author and veterans Huey Lawrence and Abe Thurman.
The first of the 2014 series of �Third Saturday Cooperative Extension Free Horticultural Workshops� is Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Craven County Agricultural Building.
The event is at 300 Industrial Drive, off the Clarks exit on U.S. 70 West.
It features Tim Minch, former manager of the Tryon Palace greenhouse and currently grounds coordinator at Lenoir Community College. Also on hand will be Craven County Extension Master Gardener volunteers.
Call 633-1477. For accommodations for persons with disabilities, contact Tom Glasgow at 633-1477 no later than five business days before the event.
The �East Coast Jazz Revue: Where Rivers Meet� is Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Grover C. Fields Performing Arts Center in New Bern. The doors open an hour before the show.
The East Coast Jazz Revue�s Winter Series presents two sensational concert performances: Internationally acclaimed bassist Buster Williams Quartet �Something More,� and legendary jazz drummer Roger Humphries� RH Factor, featuring Sean Jones and Brazilian vocalist Kenia.
A special opening performance will showcase the Havelock High School Jazz Ensemble and talented local vocalist John Van Dyke.
Advance tickets are $30, with tickets at the door $40.
The Seventh Annual Local Authors Luncheon, sponsored by the American Association of University Women, is Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Chelsea Restaurant.
The Twin Rivers Branch of AAUW has invited 10 local authors to the Chelsea for lunch and book signing.
This year�s writers are Patrick Bucksot, Laura and Ray Clark, Normandie Fischer, Amanda Huneke, Tressa Jones, Richard Parsons, Amy Snook, Steve Peters and Kay Stephens, Gloria Strong, and Tim Whealton.
Their writings include fiction, young adult fiction, autobiographical, inspirational, history, humor, historical fiction and children�s literature.
All proceeds go toward scholarships for women and girls. Tickets are $25 and include lunch. For details, call 637-9499
The annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade is Saturday at noon in New Bern.
It begins at noon at the George Street Senior Center.
�People Love Patsy,� a Patsy Cline tribute dinner show, is Saturday at the New Bern Farmers Market. Proceeds benefit Religious Community Services.
Catering is by Claude Banks of Attitude Pub & Grille in River Bend.
There are two showings, at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. The Early Bird show admission is $18 and the evening dinner and dancing is $25. Reservations are needed. Call 514-6894.
Tribute artist Emma Lee of South Florida performs.
�A Weekend Set For A King� includes the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship & Awards Committee�s 21st Annual Banquet Gala. It is Sunday at 6 p.m. at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center.
Guest speakers are Dottie Peoples and Bishop Rudolph McKissick.
Admission is $45. The doors open at 4:30 p.m.
Call 638-1518 or 646-981-5972. Email email@example.com
Charlie Hall can be reached at 252-635-5667 or email@example.com


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Log in
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Football Club Report -
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Football Club Report -
The Football Club have been playing matches this term and have written this report:
This year the Year 5/6 football team took part in two football matches and we won both. The first fixture was against Monks Risborough and the second was against Princes Risborough Primary School. In each fixture we played two matches for each team because we had two teams. as a team we passed well and communicated well, ensuring all were involved. We scored some great goals and are really proud of our achievements.
Kani and Joe - Year 6
We would like to thank all parents who supported the teams and to Miss Westerman for organizing the matches.
Many thanks to Mr Kemp and Mr Collet- Fenson for coaching the teams and to everyone else who supported them.
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Class Pages: 2017 - 2018
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Mrs Freeman Year 2
Miss Goff Year 3/4
Miss Moulder Year 3/4
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Mrs Rodbourne Year 5/6
Mrs Bottomley Year 5/6
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Mrs Crook Reception
Mrs Rae Year 1
Mrs Freeman Year 2
Mrs Bottomley Year 3/4
Mrs Robinson Year 3/4
Miss Goff Year 3/4
Miss Moulder Year 5/6
Mrs Rodbourne Year 5/6
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Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.
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Can anyone suggest me some good books related to Gastronomy, food history, culture, recipes based on different cultures.
Also recommend the best food magazine subscriptions.
By artiesel
I have Volumes 1 ,2 and 4 of Jean-Pierre Wybauw's Great Chocolate books are for sale.
The books are in great shape! There is some tape on the corner of the front of volume 1 that I used to keep it together after a drop. Volume 1 is also autographed by the author (See pics below).
I'm asking $150 for the lot OBO.
Let me know if interested or if you have questions
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Has anyone come across a digital version of Practical Professional Cookery (revised 3rd edition) H.L. Cracknell & R.J. Kaufmann.
I am using this as the textbook for my culinary arts students and a digital version would come in very handy for creating notes and handouts.
By Mullinix18
I dont believe that any English translation of Carêmes works exist. An incomplete version was published in 1842 (I think) but even the that version seems lackluster for the few recipes it does cover. I think it's time the world looks to its past, but I don't speak great French and it's a huge task to undertake. I hopefully plan on publishing this work and anyone who helps me will get a very fair cut, and if we decide not to publish it, I'll put it out on the internet for free. I'm working in Google docs so we can collaborate. I'm first cataloging the index to cross reference the pre-existing incomplete English version to give us a reference of what yet needs to be done, and from there we will go down the list of recipies and Translate them one by one. Simple google translate goes only so far, as it is 1700s French culinary terms and phrases being used. I'd like to preserve as much of Carêmes beautiful and flowery language as possible. Who's with me?
By Mullinix18
I have seen referenced in several places on the internet, including Wikipedia, a stat about escoffier recommending 40 minutes for scrambled eggs in a Bain Marie. I cant find where this number is from. On Wikipedia it refers to the book I currently own, the "Escoffier le guide culinaire" with forward by Heston Blumenthal by h. L. Cracknell...specificly page 157 for the 40 minute cooking time of scrambled eggs but it's not in my book on that page! Even tho there is the recipe for scrambled eggs on that page... I've seen the 1903 first edition online.. And it's not in there either.... Where is this number from?? Id like to know in case there is some even more complete book or something out there that I'm missing. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.
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Saluda Medical Center is knocking down walls. Not literal walls at its medical facility, but figurative walls that will give the center access to doctors across the state.
Saluda Medical Center is knocking down walls. Not literal walls at its medical facility, but figurative walls that will give the center access to doctors across the state.
The facility now has a telemedicine workstation, which will allow doctors to see patients without being in the room. The machine, which looks like a robot, will connect the medical center to specialists all over North Carolina.
For rural communities, the telemedicine workstation opens up worlds of medical care that some folks would have to drive hours to get. The workstation has two computer monitors. On one side, a doctor's face will appear. The other screen has a video camera attached that allows the doctor to see the patient.
The workstation can be placed in a carrier and taken to different locations as well. It's on battery backup so it's mobile.
On Wednesday, Saluda Medical Center, St. Luke's Hospital and Foothills Medical Associates ahd the new medical technology installed. The technology brought a smile to Amy Copeland's face.
"This is going to help the most needy," said Copeland, Saluda Medical Center's administrator. "I'm very excited."
The installation was the culmination of nearly three years of focused determination on the part of Shena Mintz. The idea to bring the new technology to Saluda came to life in a conversation between her father-in-law, Don Mintz, and Ed Spencer. Spencer is the director of telepsychiatry for the Department of Mental Health in South Carolina.
Mintz built Spencer a home in Saluda and the two struck up a conversation. The nonprofit WNC Telemedicine Consultants Inc. was born in that conversation. Shena Mintz was tabbed to lead the project and under her guidance as project manager, the nonprofit received a $155,000 Duke Endowment Grant that helped put the wheels in motion.
"What we're trying to do is provide funds," she said. "Our focus is rural communities that don't have 24/7 coverage."
The station has an electronic stethoscope, a general examination camera and a telephonic stethoscope. A doctor miles away can see, hear and diagnose illnesses. A patient can even conference with a specialist from anywhere in the world.
One need in the community, Copeland said, if for dermatology. With the examination camera, a doctor from anywhere in North Carolina can diagnose skin issues.
"The intent is to deliver fair and equal health care to everyone," said Mark Fletcher with Unified AV Systems, which is the company that installed the machine.
For Don Mintz, the idea was a no-brainer. The Mintz family lives in Saluda and the medical center is their primary provider of health care.
"I try to be community-minded because I live here," he said. "I thought it'd be good for the community."
The installation, however, was just phase one for the Mintz family and the nonprofit. They're focused on bringing the technology to rural locations all over Western North Carolina. Shena Mintz is currently looking for the next interested party.
On Saturday, Shena Mintz and the telemedicine nonprofit will hold a barbecue fundraiser in the Saluda Elementary School cafeteria. The event will take place from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for kids 10 and under. The telemedicine workstation from the medical center will be onsite for people to see.
Seeing the machine in the doctor's office she normally visits was a surreal experience for Shena Mintz, and it motivates her for the next phase.
"I can't tell you how excited I am," she said. "It's been a long time coming."
Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- In general, most U.S. voters interviewed by the Pew Research Center said they approved of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, poll data indicate.
The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press in a telephone interview received a positive response from 66 percent of adults asked about the Keystone XL pipeline.
Canadian pipeline company TransCanada wants to build the pipeline to carry oil from tar sands projects in Canada to refiners along the southern U.S. coast.
More than 80 percent of the people who identified themselves as Republicans expressed support for the project compared to 49 percent of the people who said they were Democrats. More than 60 percent of those who said they were independents said they backed the project.
Backers of the pipeline say it's a "shovel-ready" project that would boost employment and enhance U.S. energy security. Critics question the job numbers given as evidence to back the pipeline and note tar sands oil is the dirtiest type of crude oil.
Of the 1,501 adults surveyed in the mid-February poll, 37 percent of the respondents said they've never heard of Keystone XL compared to 24 percent who said they heard a lot about the issue. The rest said they knew a little bit about Keystone XL.
Overall, the poll reported a sampling error of 3 percentage points.


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The design my be quirky and unfamiliar to most but in no way does that mean that it's an inferior tool. In the case of the new Zero Tolerance 0750 assisted folder, the unique blade and handle shape actually make it a superior knife for many different applications. Designed to be especially useful for draw cuts and in the reverse grip, the talon shaped S30V blade is an absolutely ferocious cutter. The reverse curved handle is surprisingly comfortable to use normally but it really shines in the reverse grip, locking into the hand very tightly. This makes this knife a superb last ditch tactical defense weapon for more powerful slash cuts and you can find it at www.knifecenter.com.
More about Zero Tolerance Knives: Continue Reading


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Your next weekend escape in Taupo
Whether you're passing through or are a Kiwi looking to get away for the weekend, few locations offer such an enjoyable and diverse getaway as Taupo.
1 / 4
Taupo is a favourite holiday destination for many. With the perfect mix of scenery, outdoor activities, and boutique town centr there is something for everyone to enjoy.
If you're looking for a relaxing and enjoyable day out, treat yourself to a scenic cruise with Sail Barbary. Their classic sailing vessel will carry you across the pristine waters of Lake Taupo while taking in the unique scenery and visiting the iconic Maori carvings on the edge of the lake which are only accessible by boat.
If you would like to be a bit more active then a visit to the Taupo Golf Club is a must. With two 18-hole courses, there is plenty space for visitors, you can even book a tee off time online by visiting their website. The course is conveniently located very close to town so after a long round of 36 rest your feet at the Lakehouse Taupo. Locally known as the home of craft beer and great food, they have a delicious menu and a brilliant selection of New Zealand craft brews that will not leave you disappointed.
If you're looking for comfortable, quality accommodation with amazing views and king size beds during your time in Taupo, you can't go past The Cove. Located right on the edge of lake taupo on The Cove offers just the place to sit back and revel in the glory of relaxation. Their spacious premium spa suites provide lake and mountain views, a private balcony and your own thermally heated spa pool. Within walking distance from the centre of town, but enough removed so as to create a peaceful, private atmosphere – a home away from home while relaxing in Taupo. www.thecove.co.nz
Article by
The Cove on The Lake
The Cove is luxurious motel accommodation situated on the edge of Lake Taupo. Comprised of 12 spacious 1x bedroom suites each with thermally heated spa pool on private balcony and with five budget studio units also there is choice for all travellers.


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Finding the most dependable brand agency is no longer that difficult today. It is because the internet is so rich with information on how to get to one of those agencies. Guidelines on how to choose one are widespread and you can always find them on the web. Qualifications of those potential firms can also be read on their websites. Plus, you can always connect to other companies who already have employed several agencies in the past and get their feedbacks concerning a particular agency or agencies so you can weigh the options and narrow down your choices.
As business entrepreneurs it has always been our desire to see our brand, product , or services become closer to the hearts of our clients and target audience. So as much as possible we try to apply every marketing principle and every tool that our hands can find so that what we offer to people can go straight to their hearts and settle there. There are so many tools that are available today and a reputable brand agency is an institution that is well equipped to help you utilize those tools and put them to work for your best interest. They can provide timely solutions to your branding needs.
When looking for the best branding firm to work with you on your branding tasks, it is good to have in mind the list of things that you are expecting from them. It is a must that you have this list because this will serve as your guide during your inquiries with different agencies. This will also help you evaluate a particular agency and see whether or not it has the qualifications that you are looking for. You will also have a guide in formulating your questions and save time from asking questions that can be irrelevant. When you do this you will appear so much prepared to discuss some important business matters with them. And the agency you go to will realize that you are into serious business and so respond to you in an appropriate manner.
As you go to a brand agency and inquire about their services, it is also a brilliant idea to bring with you a previously gathered information and feedbacks of those companies that have availed the services of your potential branding partner. This will help you in situations like when you need to refer to them for verification of the agency's claims and assurances. Having this tool with you will help you trace the agency's performance background and aid you in either choosing or turning down a certain agency. So your decision can be so reasonable because it is based on facts, actual evidences, and testimonials of reliable source.
Getting into business is a serious matter. You always have to operate according to some established principles that have been tested and proven beneficial not just for you, but for your clients, and for those who are working with you. So, choosing the best brand agency to work with you should never be rushed or haphazard for it will always bear some consequences.


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Spirituality and Religion
May 2016
"It wasn't easy being a child atheist during the great Cold War or, for that matter,
probably any time in human history outside of a few short-lived communist states."
~ from Barbara Ehrenreich's
Living with a Wild God
Recent Releases
Apostle: Travels Among the Tombs of the Twelve
Tom Bissell
In this combination of travelogue and Christian history, author Tom Bissell explores the lives and deaths of 13 men specifically identified in the New Testament as close followers of Jesus (the twelve Apostles plus Paul). He analyzes the New Testament and other historical sources while enlivening his narrative with anecdotes about people he meets at the apostles' burial places in
locations that include Rome, Turkey, Jerusalem, and India. He also considers how stories about the saints influence and shape the Christian faith -- both official teachings and individual beliefs. Bissell's "crafty rhetoric and irresistible charm" (
Publishers Weekly
) make
a compelling read.
Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay...
Alex Cooper with Joanna Brooks
After 15-year-old Alex Cooper told her Mormon parents she was a lesbian, they sent her to a family in Utah who promised to reorient her to "normal" sexuality. Using a combination of physical and emotional torture and intensive lessons in Mormon orthodoxy, they abused her for eight months until she contacted closeted gay people in the community, who helped her obtain legal assistance. In this troubling but inspiring memoir, Cooper relates how she persevered in seeking the right to make her own choices while striving to maintain her personal sense of faith. For a similarly heartwrenching account, try
Boy Erased
, Garrard Conley's memoir of evangelical Christian efforts to reorient his sexuality.
Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion
Susan Jacoby
Strange Gods
, author Susan Jacoby provides a well-researched and detailed history of religious conversion. Starting with Saul of Tarsus' Damascus Road experience, she examines conversion through history to the present time, probing the 14th- and 15th-century forced conversions in Spain, modern conversions prompted by interfaith marriages, and contemporary religious persecution by radical Muslims. She also discusses voluntary conversions such as that of Augustine of Hippo and Muhammad Ali. Though some readers could find Jacoby's strictly secular viewpoint offensive, she presents a thought-provoking commentary on an intriguing religious subject.
Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus
James Martin
The "seven last words" of Christ consist of the phrases Jesus uttered while being crucified. In this thoughtful combination of biblical commentary and pastoral reflection, James Martin, a Jesuit priest and writer, considers how these verses can help believers find their way closer to God. Through meditation on the "words," it becomes possible to understand how God can be present to people who are suffering. In chapters that address each verse, covering forgiveness, doubts about the afterlife, parental love, feelings of abandonment, pain, disappointment, and self-offering, Martin explains how Jesus meant to bring joy to ordinary, struggling people through his preaching and teaching.
Judas: The Most Hated Name in History
Peter Stanford
Judas was the name of the disciple who betrayed Jesus to the authorities. In this detailed historical study, journalist Peter Stanford reviews not only the extremely negative connotations of the name, but also the surprisingly ambiguous and even positive views of Judas in Christian doctrine and popular traditions. For example, one medieval legend says that the reason Judas committed suicide was so that he could wait for Jesus in paradise and beg his forgiveness. Stanford's engaging, thoughtful narrative provides a complex understanding of the "most hated name in history."
Focus on: Spiritual Biographies and Memoirs
Have a Little Faith: A True Story
Mitch Albom
Author Mitch Albom, b
est known for his memoir
Tuesdays with Morrie
, became friends with a rabbi in New Jersey and a Christian pastor in Detroit, and these men offered Albom a new appreciation of religious faith. Recounting the insights he received from Rabbi Albert Lewis and Pastor Henry Covington, Albom adds reflections on his own spiritual growth in
Have a Little Faith
, revealing nuances and complexities of faith and friendship that surprised and inspired him. Though it's not specifically religious, Joan Anderson's
A Walk on the Beach
offers another reflective and inspiring consideration of friendship.
Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything
Barbara Ehrenreich
Author Barbara Ehrenreich, who wrote
Nickel and Dimed
, was raised by vehemently atheist parents and regards herself as an unbeliever. However, when she was a teenager she noted an unexplained sensation of expanded consciousness in her journal, and this was just one of many such events throughout her life. In
Living with a Wild God
, Ehrenreich relates how she rediscovered that journal entry and decided to explore both the nature of her own experiences and the phenomenon of mysticism. Though this "powerful, honest" (
Kirkus Reviews
) autobiography takes an unusual approach to spirituality, it offers absorbing reflections on human awareness of the external world.
An Unquenchable Thirst: A Memoir
Mary Johnson
As Sister Donata, author Mary Johnson belonged to the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa's religious order that serves the poorest of the poor. Inspired to join by an article she read when she was in high school, Johnson was devoted to the order for 20 years, but ultimately left not only the order but the Catholic Church. In this memoir she describes her devoted spiritual life while depicting the severe challenges of belonging to an intensely committed group. Though some of her story may be controversial, her devotion is inspiring;
An Unquenchable Thirst
is an absorbing and eloquent memoir.
Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian
Paul F. Knitter
Catholic theologian Paul Knitter, a professor of theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York, teaches world religions and participates in interfaith dialogues. According to this accessible and informative book, his study of Buddhism has led him to a deeper appreciation of his Christian faith. In
Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian
, he recounts his exploration of the boundaries and commonalities among religions. This complex and accessible book has much to offer "seekers of all sorts," says
Library Journal
The Butterfly Mosque
G. Willow Wilson
In 2003, journalist G. Willow Wilson traveled to Egypt to teach at an English-language high school in Cairo. She'd long felt drawn to Islam, but due to the events of 9/11, she was conflicted about those feelings. In Cairo, she learned Arabic and converted to Islam, while falling in love with (and becoming engaged to) fellow teacher Omar, an Egyptian Muslim. As she strove to adjust to her new life, her friends and family struggled to come to terms with her decision.
The Butterfly Mosque
is at once a coming-of-age story, a cross-cultural romance, and a reflection on faith and community.
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"Until November 2002, doctors had relied on a normal TSH level ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 to diagnose and treat patients with a thyroid disorder who tested outside the boundaries of that range. Now AACE encourages doctors to consider treatment for patients who test outside the boundaries of a narrower margin based on a target TSH level of 0.3 to 3.0. AACE believes the new range will result in proper diagnosis for millions of Americans who suffer from a mild thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now."
"The prevalence of undiagnosed thyroid disease in the United States is shockingly high - particularly since it is a condition that is easy to diagnose and treat," said Hossein Gharib, MD, FACE, and president of AACE. "The new TSH range from the AACE guidelines gives physicians the information they need to diagnose mild thyroid disease before it can lead to more serious effects on a patient's health - such as elevated cholesterol, heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility, and depression."4
Now, 6 months after the new directives have been given, doctors are still largely unaware of these new lab guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Even the major labs doing thyroid testing have not bothered to change the now incorrect normal ranges for both diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders.
The normal range for thyroid hormone levels in the past have been based on statistical norms (called 2 standard deviations). This means that out of every 100 people, those with the 2 highest and lowest scores are considered abnormal and everyone else is defined as normal. That means if a problem affects over 2% of the population( and as many as 24% of women over 60 are hypothyroid5 and 12% of the population have abnormal antibodies attacking their thyroid6 ), then our testing system will still miss most of them. In addition, our testing system does not take biological individuality into account. To translate how poorly this "2%" system works, consider this. If we applied it to getting you a pair of shoes, any size between a 4 and 13 would be "medically normal." If a man got a size 5 shoe or a woman a size 12, the doctor would say the shoe size they were given is "normal" and there is nothing wrong with it!
This increased the number of Americans with Thyroid illness from 13 million to approximately 27 million. Unfortunately, over 13 million Americans with thyroid disease remains undiagnosed4, and the majority of those receiving treatment are not being dosed appropriately5 6. Doctors do not know that they have not been adequately trained in the proper diagnosis or treatment of hypothyroidism, and the cost in human life and devastating illness is enormous. What makes this especially tragic is how easy treatment is if doctors were given the correct information. Even the major laboratories continue to give erroneous normal ranges for the tests, simply because they're not aware of the guidelines of the AACE or the information put out by their National Association of Clinical Biochemistry.