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When we at Nintendo Life think of Rare's masterpieces from the Nintendo 64 era, we think of expansive and adventurous games like Donkey Kong 64, Jet Force Gemini, and of course the beloved Banjo-Kazooie series. Off-the-wall characters, exuberant locales, and an epic sense of scope added to the hook of what made these gaming experiences so unique and memorable. So how would a series like Banjo-Kazooie translate to the technical limitations of a handheld device like the Game Boy Advance; is it possible to cram all of that platforming goodness into a cartridge with a fraction of the capacity? We're happy to report that Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge is not only a "bear-able" experience, it's sometimes quite "egg-scellent" as well (sorry, no more puns from now on).
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge is a spinoff game in the series but plays like a sequel to the first Banjo-Kazooie on the Nintendo 64. To sum things up, the evil witch Gruntilda travels back-in-time in an attempt to prevent Banjo and Kazooie from ever meeting. With the help of our favorite shaman, Mumbo Jumbo, Banjo is sent after "Grunty" to foil her devious plan. And while that's about the extent of the story telling, it's OK, because collect-a-thons like this are about adventuring; for the most part, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge delivers, even if it's a unexpectedly short experience.
The game plays exactly how you might imagine Banjo-Kazooie to play on a handheld system. Most of the signature moves remain, and you'll even rendezvous with Mumbo on occasion to transform into a handful of different critters and other various things such as a tank or a candle. The biggest difference here is that instead of a presenting the game in a full three dimensions, you're limited to an overhead fixed camera angle and a pre-rendered graphical style. This all works relatively well, and even considering this change, still largely feels like a Banjo-Kazooie game.
There are five worlds to visit – six if you include the hub-world Spiral Mountain – each containing the myriad of collectables that should be familiar to veterans of the Banjo-Kazooie series. In each one of these worlds you'll need to obtain a certain amount of puzzle pieces (called Jiggies) which will grant you access to the next area. To earn Jiggies you'll need to do some tricky platforming, complete fetch quests, win at mini-games, and so on. If any of this sounds familiar to you that's because it is – Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge is a very straight-forward and conventional adventure platformer.
Aesthetically, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge feels faithful to the series, even if most of the locations and enemies don't quite capture the same magic as those of previous instalments. The pre-rendered graphics look great and often feel reminiscent of the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, which suits the series rather well. However, with a fixed-angle overhead view, some of the terrain often blends together to make it troublesome to judge height and depth while platforming; this very rarely led to our untimely demise, although it did complicate a couple of situations.
As far as the controls themselves go, this is where things can get a bit trickier. Considering the Game Boy Advance has a limited number of buttons - two face buttons and two bumpers – it's a bit perplexing that the game still requires a demanding amount of button combinations to execute the duo's expansive arsenal of attacks and abilities. For the most part these actions can be administered without a hitch but there were many instances where we fumbled with the controls because certain combinations felt unresponsive. This by no means was frequent enough to drastically hinder the experience, though we'd be lying if we said it didn't lend itself to a few minor headaches. But at the same time it should be noted that we couldn't imagine a Banjo-Kazooie game without most of these signature moves included, so we do understand that limiting the bear and bird's repertoire would've had a catastrophic effect on the game play.
Thankfully there are a handful of mini-games thrown in to distract from the intermittent platforming woes, and while these are ultra simplistic in approach, many are surprisingly fun. Most notable of these will have you fishing for X amount of fish in a limited time. This functions in a simple way; move right and left, and hold B to cast your line according to the distance of the fish. To make matters worse, some waters will also be crowded with crabs – called Snippets – and you'll have to avoid catching these in your line or risk losing a honeycomb's worth of health. Don't expect the mini-games to be robust or in-depth; these are short, simplistic, brainless segments that add a bit of diversity to an otherwise straightforward platformer.
One of the weakest areas of the game is the repetitive boss battles; in each of these you'll face off against either Grunty or her clumsy partner-in-crime, Klungo, in an arena style battle. These are by-the-numbers battles and rarely will you have to memorize more than one or two patterns of attacks. They don't do anything wrong per se, they're just uninspired and underwhelming. Fortunately, the final boss battle is lengthier and more robust, as it's broken up into multiple segments and features some of the enjoyable game-show puzzles and quizzes we've come to enjoy from the series.
When it's all said and done, it's completely possible to see everything Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge has to offer in about 4-5 hours. While this may seem like a short adventure for Banjo-Kazooie, it's not too uncommon for a handheld game, it's just too bad there isn't any incentive to keep playing once you've wrapped up the main quest. Needless to say, if you're looking to browse auction sites or retro sections of stores to make a purchase, you may want to do so at a bargain price, because there isn't much replay value. Thankfully, it's a thoroughly enjoyable 4-5 hours that should please most fans of the series, regardless of its compressed length.
In the end, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge is a solid little platformer, even considering its various shortcomings. Fans of the series and genre would be safe to add this "collect-a-thon" to their library as long as they understand the brevity of the adventure and don't expect quite the same level of charm present in Rare's Nintendo 64 releases. This is the closest thing you'll get to a true Banjo-Kazooie experience outside the originals, so if you're longing for another trip to Spiral Mountain, you'd be silly to let this one slip by.


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Complete with the powerful Pro Pen.
With a new, ergonomic design, the Pro Pen provides a more comfortable feel than before. You can also count on accurate control, thanks to Wacom's 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt recognition. The pen responds to the slightest nuance of your touch, as you press the pen against the tablet surface, for complete control of brush width and opacity.

subset: commoncrawl


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Gospel Going When the World Says 'Stay'
Irish writer Frank O'Connor told the story of two boys standing beside a tall orchard wall launching a small, felt, round object up in the air like a Frisbee. If you had been there to see them, it would have looked strange — even foolish. With the enthusiasm of a college graduate, one of the boys hurls his hat and you arrive just in time to see it leave the hand of its owner and travel high — up and over an imposing and significant wall.
You might have wanted to call out and say, "Why'd you do that? Now you're going to have to climb over and get it!" To which, the boys would reply with sly and knowing grins, "Exactly. That's the whole idea."
President John F. Kennedy referenced this story in 1963 when speaking of his commitment to space exploration despite the dangers and many unknown factors. He explained how O'Connor and his friends "would make their way across the countryside, and when they came to an orchard wall that seemed too high and too difficult to permit their voyage to continue, they would take off their hats and toss them over the wall — and then they had no choice but to follow them." Kennedy then applied this to the nation and declared that the United States had now "thrown its hat over the wall of space and had no choice but to follow it."
When it comes to the willingness to take the Gospel to those who have never heard it, I am convinced that we share a similar position and outlook that our nation held when considering the prospects of sending a man to the moon. Standing beside what seems an insurmountable wall of fear, financial challenges, real-life distractions, dangers, and, if we are honest, selfishness, we sit down. Or we turn around. Or we try to find some other wall that is easier to climb.
Often, though, all it would take for us to follow God to the ends of the earth is to stop the analysis and debate and instead take off our hats, hold them firmly in our hands, and throw them over the wall by faith. If we made that decision to reach the unreached, then we would have no choice but to find a way over the wall to reach them.
As Midwestern prepares in the coming weeks to send out 13 teams of College students to 8 countries to work for a semester with our International Mission Board partners, a question I hear frequently is, "So, why are these students willing to go serve at a time like this in some of the darkest and most challenging places on the Globe?"
This fair and honest question and others similar to it often come when someone learns of the great lengths or expense one takes to visit a people so very different than those around the corner. In these cases, Romans 15 and Coca-Cola often come to mind as a way to respond.
The book of Romans gives the model example of a missionary-theologian. As Paul concludes his letter containing life-changing theological explication, he reveals his ultimate ambition. Paul hopes to travel to see the believers in Rome but then to continue to the then-known ends of the earth, Spain. In chapter 15, Paul explains that in the geographic area where he has labored for his entire ministry he has "fulfilled the ministry of the Gospel of Christ" (15:19). The idea here is not that he preached the Gospel to every individual but rather that he sufficiently established in every area believers and churches to take over that task. Seeking now not to "build on someone else's foundation," Paul desires to move on to areas where Christ has not yet been named (15:20).
By way of further explanation of this specific calling, Paul quotes Isaiah 52:15, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand." In this passage, Isaiah tells of a day when peoples who have not heard of the Messiah would see and understand. Paul is acknowledging, by the use of this verse, that such a day had come with the advent of Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel.
The Joshua Projects documents that more than 90 percent of the global evangelical missionary effort is concentrated among the 60 percent of the world that is reached or within reach. This means that only 10 percent of our missionary force is working among the remaining 40 percent who have never heard the Gospel or have little access to the Gospel.
To those who would rightfully remind the ones zealous for unengaged peoples that there are plenty of lost and even unreached peoples at home, I gladly acknowledge that the call to leave all and go is not universal. However, Romans 15 makes clear that a specific calling exists in the New Testament for believers to see that the Gospel is taken to the unengaged and unreached peoples of the world. While not the specific vocational call for all believers, all are to contribute to the task. Just as Paul left some working behind in the reached areas, many should stay behind today. But, just as Paul sought to enlist those believers in Rome and other cities to aid in reaching the unreached, all should support that ultimate task to see the fulfillment of Psalm 67 for God's saving power to be made known among all nations.
Even with advancements in technology and travel, one reason why there exist still many people who have not heard of Jesus Christ is simply because travel to them remains very difficult. However, difficult to reach does not mean unreachable.
An early chairman of Coca-Cola set out as his goal to see a bottle of Coke within "an arm's reach of desire" of every person on the globe. This strategy led to the exponential growth of the company throughout the 20th century and the virtual fulfillment of that dream by the 21st century.
While traveling a few years ago among the tribal villages in Madagascar on sandy roads navigating quad-four-wheelers, there was little that reminded me of home in the USA. Stick huts, homemade canoes and ragged clothing met me in every village. Yet along with these scenes came the familiar red signs with white script announcing the availability of Coca-Cola. Local missionaries told us that in many regions where drivable roads stop, porters are hired to carry Coca-Cola to the remotest villages, proving that if one is committed to achieving his mission in this world, few earthly obstacles remain to prevent it.
The father of modern missions, William Carey, writing in his mobilizing manifesto, "The Enquiry," recognized even in 1792 the often-unparalleled commitment of commercial enterprise to reach the ends of the earth. Carey noted that if "we should have as much love to the souls of our fellow-creatures, and fellow sinners, as they have for the[ir] profits … all these difficulties would be easily surmounted." Thus, while difficulties in travel abound, the unreached for Christ are already reached by many for monetary gain, who come just as far at great expense but not with "good news of great joy that will be for all the people."
To those who ask and are puzzled as to why Midwestern Seminary & College would expend effort, time, and resources to assist the International Mission Board in reaching unreached peoples around the Globe, I suppose Midwestern students must look like the two boys standing at the base of a seemingly insurmountable wall dangerously close to throwing their hats to the other side.
However, when asked whether we realize the weight of what we are attempting to do and that our attempts to go to the ends of the earth will necessitate following through regardless of hardship and challenges — you might just see a few sly grins of joy and expectation and hear the boyish reply, "Exactly. That's the whole idea."
A wall exists that appears high and too difficult to traverse when it comes to the planning, funding, safety, and sending of those to engage the unengaged and reach the unreached with the Gospel. Nevertheless, believing God and His Word, and with a love for the peoples of the earth, we have thrown our hats over the wall. Will you join us and the International Mission Board as we seek to retrieve them?
This post originally appeared at Dr. Duesing's blog, Footnotes.
Enter to Win the Puritan Paperbacks This July!
Charles Spurgeon once said, "By all means read the Puritans, they are worth more than all the modern stuff put together."
The Puritans offer their readers a comprehensive, gospel-centered view of the Christian life where all of Christ matters for all of life. In recent years, Banner of Truth has published a 49-volume set called the Puritan Paperbacks where Christians today can glean from the Puritans of the past.
During the month of July, we're giving away the entire 49-volume Puritan Paperback series for free to one providentially favored participant who enters. Enter today for your chance to win!


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Last modified: 2024-06-29 by victor lomantsov
Keywords: uzbekistan | asia | commonwealth of independent states | crescent | star | zodiac | peace | nature | life | turkemen |
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Uzbekistan was the first central Asia republic to declare its sovereignty and to adopt post-Communist symbols. The flag of Uzbekistan is a light blue over white over light green tricolour, with thin red stripes separating the three stripes. In the upper hoist corner is a white crescent and 12 white stars.
Oddly, although Uzbekistan is a predominantly Muslim country, and the crescent is a symbol of Islam, the symbolism for the crescent moon is described as being representative of the rebirth of the nation, rather than its religion.
The 12 stars stand for the zodiac. White is for peace, green for nature, and red for the life force. The blue stripe stands for eternal night and for water as a fundamental source of life.
Stuart Notholt
According Album 2000: national Flag is blue over white over green tricolour with stripes fimbriated red and in canton white crescent and 12 white five-pointed stars, 3-4-5 "fly-justified". (CSW/---). Ratio 1:2.
For the colours are given official Pantone shades:
blue 313c, green 361c.
Željko Heimer, 29 August 2002
Twelve stars are interpreted in two ways: The first one is the most reasonable and logical: there are twelve districts (viloyatlar) in the country and the crescent stands for Islam. The colors of the horizontal tricolor (blue-white-green, with two narrow red stripes separating the white from the blue and green) are interpreted as blue -- sky, white -- justice and green -- hospitability of the Uzbek people. The red stands for strength. The second version interprets the twelve stars as twelve months of the ancient calendar, and white in this version stands for cotton - the monoculture of Central Asia. Sergey Petrov, 1 February 2003
According Znamierowski blue was the colour of Tamerlan's banner and of several Turkish peoples. Tamerlan might be better known in English as Timur. Ivan Sache, 3 February 2003
As an Uzbekistan resident I think that the 12 stars are for the 12 oblasts or villoyets of Uzbekistan. The Karakalpaks have 5 stars for the same reason.
Guy Cosnahan, 17 November 2000
At http://bcc.com.uz/~yamurat/flag.htm
we have a SYMBOLIC DESCRIPTION OF NATIONAL FLAG Of Uzbekstan.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 26 September 2002
Construction sheet according Law on state flag of 18, November, 1991
(as published in Official Gazette No. 141 of 28 November 1991).
The measures in the legislation
are given in centimeters, but since some are
end in half centimeters, doubling of those numbers provide a reasonable unit.
- Overall flag measures 250x500
- Horizontal stripes 80+5+80+5+80
- Distance hoist - crescent 40
- Rectangle containing crescent and stars 60x150
- Diameter of circle circumscribing each star 12
- Distance between the circles 12
- Distance between horns of crescent to the hoistmost star-circle 7
- The diameter of the outer circle of the crescent is then, of course 60.
Željko Heimer, Christopher Southworth and Victor Lomantsov, 1 September 2002 - 2 March 2003
The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 ) provides recommendations for national
flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm
version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed
the flag to be.
For Uzbekistan: PMS 285 blue, 485 red, 361 green. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise
Ian Sumner, 11 October 2012
The photo of the Uzbek Army Standard was made by a friend of mine in Tashkent,
Maksim Savochkin. The finial was from the Soviet-era, minus the hammer,
sickle and star. The Uzbek flag is in a 2:3 ratio inside the photo
Zach Harden, 11 December 2004
Golden letters reading in cyrillic serif capitals:
in above, and
bellow (latinized: "Ŭzbekiston Respublikasi K̩urolli
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 December 2004
The current coa retains many parts of the old SSR
COA: the grain and cotton wreaths, the ribbon (in the national colours
now) with inscription, the sun, and even the star: this is,
however, an eight-pointed blue star now instead of the communist
five-pointed red star.
Marcus Schmöger, 16 September 2001
The refered eight pointed blue star seems to be the symbol "Start of Rub el Hizb", found in Unicode under U+06DE. This is an islamic sign (one
more) and is found in other emblem and flags.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 December 2002
Coat of arms adopted by Law on 2 July 1992. The bird in the text of Law have the name "Khumo" - symbol of happiness and love to freedom.
Victor Lomantsov, 20 January 2004
The official language of Uzbekistan is Uzbek. Until 1992 it was written with Cyrillic characters and since then it has been written with Latin characters.
See the image of Wikimedia (Image by "TilmannR", Wikimedia Commons
More information (with current coa image) about the state symbols on the web of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in the United States
Jose Antonio Jimenez Ruiz, 10 July 2019
Latinization of Uzbek characters started in 1993. But the COA was changed only in 2010; Law from 24 December 2010.
The name of the state written on the COA since 2010 is "O'zbekiston".
Victor Lomantsov, 10 October 2019
Uzbekistan presidental flag from https://www.gov.uz/en/news/view/37068
Tomislav Šipek, 9 July 2023
The standard (flag) of the president was adopted by Law on 15 October 2021 (Law No ZRU-724) but this Law have no description of the flag.
Only words:
"Description of the sign and standard (flag) of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the procedure for their official use are determined by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan". The Law was published 26 October 2021. The flag was firstly displayed at the inauguration ceremony of the president Shavkat Mirziyoyev 6 November 2021.
Victor Lomantsov, 9 July 2023
For Uzbekistan, [cos98]
show one of his "suggested" roundels of "classic"
blue white green with a crescent charging the inner blue disc.
Nevertheless, his suggestion is logical but incorrect. The roundel is in
the oposite order of colors - green-white-blue, with thin red rings in the
internal borders. There is no crescent.
See http://www33.brinkster.com/militaraircraft/mil/5.jpg
Dov Gutterman, 28 June 2004
The Corr.4. of the Album 2000 confirms what Dov Gutterman claims, showing the
roundel of blue-white-green (green in the center) with thin red
fimbriation between each. A note there also says that the national
colours are painted on the fin in five stripes.
Željko Heimer, 26 July 2005


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Legal Matters
Florida: Open Letter on Learning from History
Submitted by Wesley R. Elsberry on Mon, 2008-04-28 15:29. Legal Matters | academic freedom | antievolution | creationism | evolution | history | intelligent design | religionThe "academic freedom" and "critical analysis" bills currently being considered by the Florida legislature are old stratagems borrowed from antievolution efforts in other states. Ronda Storms and Alan Hays have been asked whether "intelligent design" could be taught in science classrooms. Storms and Hays steadfastly refuse to answer the question posed. You have to look at what has been done in the name of narrow religious antievolution and not what is said.
Barbara Forrest Speaks Out on Texas Education Agency Actions
Submitted by Wesley R. Elsberry on Thu, 2007-12-06 11:41. Legal MattersProfessor Barbara Forrest of South Eastern Louisiana University wrote a strong statement concerning recent actions of the Texas Education Agency in forcing the resignation of director of science curricula Chris Comer.
Forrest concludes,
The incident now involving Ms. Comer exemplifies perfectly the reason my co-author Paul R. Gross and I felt that our book, Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design, had to be written. (http://www.creationismstrojanhorse.com) By forcing Ms. Comer to resign, the TEA seems to have confirmed our contention that the ID creationist movement -- a religious movement with absolutely no standing in the scientific world -- is being advanced by means of power politics. In December 2005, Judge John E. Jones III validated our contention that ID is creationism, thus a religious belief, when he ruled in Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District http://www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/kitzmiller_342.pdf) that the teaching of ID in public school science classes is unconstitutional. Judge Jones recognized that ID has nothing whatsoever to do with science; its proponents are merely using public education -- the public education of other people's children -- as the vehicle for their plan to undermine the teaching of evolution.
The one thing that should not be forgotten in this episode is that Ms. Comer herself has been injured, and Texas children have lost a valuable advocate for quality science education. I regret deeply that the TEA chose to use my work as an excuse to hurt Ms. Comer. Even more, I am incensed by it. However, what happened to her may be just the tip of the iceberg. This country has reached a sorry state of affairs when one of the largest, most prominent departments of education in the country fires a public servant for doing her job. But while I regret that the information I related in my presentation in Austin and in my book has been confirmed in such a sad way, my co-author and I have every intention of continuing our efforts as scholars and citizens to inform the American people about the threat that the intelligent design creationist movement continues to pose to public education and to the constitutional separation of church and state.


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Tomorrow is Election Day…thank the gods.
The political talking heads are in frenzy…my poor television set it about to explode from the political ad negativitude flooding the airwaves…and activists across the political spectrum are making the final push to get the vote out.
Yes, the Midterms are upon us!
A bitch spent yesterday getting my canvass on…I'll spend today calling voters to remind them to vote…and I'll be at the polls tomorrow.
My predictions?
Buckle up, chil'ren…it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
Once the dust settles, the people…well, at least the people who show up and vote…will decide who will represent them in government.
The masses…or rather those who vote…will decide on ballot initiatives and propositions and so forth and so on.
And at 7pm (or some time after, 'cause we all know St. Louis has issues...wince) we'll all grab a cocktail and watch to see what's what.
Some will gloat…some will cry…and far too many won't give a shit because they didn't participate.
24 hours to go, y'all…
…and there's no rest for the politically active!


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In this section we explain how a stone is manufactured. This information can be very advantageous because it enables you to understand stone from the beginning and evaluate its performance aspects: why certain stone floors wear better and longer. Plus, perhaps most important, understanding how a stone floor is created can help you better determine the value of stone keep you inside the borders of your budget.
Manufactured Stone


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June is galore-ious
I know I say this every year – and then say it again every week for the rest of the season – but the gardens are prettier than ever. I'm not sure if it's just that we have been so lucky weather-wise that everything is blooming more exuberantly than ever before or if it's that the gardens really are growing more beautiful all the time. I suspect it's a bit of both. I realize now since the trees have been so extra-pretty – not just the dove tree – that I should have been featuring a superstar every week. So without further ado, I give you the fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus). Honestly, I'm not sure why this gorgeous little tree isn't as ubiquitous as the Bradford pear. It offers so much more. For one thing it's native to eastern US and perfectly happy to grow in full sun to partial shade (my own blooms away in too much shade.) and stays small enough (12-20′) to fit even in tiny gardens like mine. And right now, just in time for June parties, it has the most graceful dangles of fragrant white Great Gatsby-style feathers. Given where Blithewold's fringe tree is, tucked against the wall along Ferry Road between the entrance gate and the garage, I wouldn't be surprised if visitors missed it. But I am sorry about that. I can only hope that walkers-by have noticed and applauded its display. And now that you know where it is, maybe you'll make the detour to pay it a visit and compliment too.
I'm more certain that everyone who has visited Blithewold this week noticed the Rose Garden. It stopped me in my tracks and I wish I could have spent every moment in it. (I did find excuses for daily visits…) The chestnut rose (Rosa roxburghii) has been blooming its branches off and the foxgloves alone demand hours of rapt attention. Not to do anything – they don't seem to need staking (knock wood) and they certainly don't need deadheading yet – but just to stare. Truly, we have never had such a stupendous display. The white ones (Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora a.k.a Digitalis purpurea 'Alba') are a biennial grown from seed by Julie Morris, our director of horticulture, emerita. While Gail and I both remember watering the flat of seedlings in the greenhouse, neither of us can remember when last year (was it June or September?) we actually planted them in the garden. Let this be a lesson to me that no detail is too small to record. With any luck (and if we leave some deadheads standing), these will seed themselves back in the garden for next year, but we'll start another batch in the greenhouse for insurance too. Now that we know we can't live without them.
Can't live without the ornamental onions either. Last october we planted a fresh batch of the firecracker Allium schubertii – they do seem to diminish over time. My other favorites include the tall white and purple dotted (what's up with me lately? I thought I didn't like white flowers…) A. 'Silver Spring', tiny A. caeruleum and another dainty white one, A. amplectens 'Graceful Beauty'. They and the giant purple lollipops of 'Ambassador' are so outstanding that I don't even mind that some of the roses haven't broken bud yet. Next week, when all of the roses are blooming along with the delphinium that are just about to pop, the garden might just knock my socks totally off. And yours too if you visit. (You should.)
Is your garden more beautiful than ever too? Do you have new (or old) favorites for June? –Do you have a fringe tree?


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"How many (insert noun of your choice here) does it take to change a lightbulb?" opens the old joke standard. In the case of Secto Design, it's more of a case of how many woodworkers does it take to craft a quality-first, distinctive Secto lamp?
If you were to head up to the town of Heinola, in Central Finland, you'd discover that the answer is fewer than you think. You see, in spite of its position as a global lighting brand for discerning architects, Secto Design certainly keeps it real. Its busy factory employs just a couple of dozen craftspeople – home-grown, Finnish cabinet-makers every one of them.
Secto Design products never forget where they're from.
Each and every piece that's produced is authored, as it were. Initialled by the artisan who constructed it. Know this: it's no easy task making a Secto lamp. Its formal reduction and simplicity belies its innovation, the latter requiring a great deal of know-how, patience and perfectionism. The diligence and passion of the team, however, means that they can nonetheless respond to even the largest of orders.
High-quality, PEFC-certified Finnish birch veneer is form-pressed into blanks, which are then cut into slats. These are sanded and finally connected using rings of aircraft plywood. The slats are then glued and nailed to the rings. A proud craftsperson's signature may be one thing, but that doesn't mean the lamps avoid a rigorous quality inspection before leaving the factory.
© Architonic


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One of the most popular ways for you to make money online is via Google AdSense, Google's free contextual advertising program. When you enroll in the AdSense program, Google uses a relevance algorithm to display text, image or video ads on your blog that are related to your blog's subject matter. In this way Google acts as a middleman between you and independent advertisers.
You can make money online with Google AdSense in two main ways: cost per click (CPC), in which you receive a portion of money the advertiser is willing to pay for someone to click on its ad, and cost per thousand impressions (CPM), where you earn money in return for the ads appearing on your site. With the cost-per-click model, an advertiser doesn't pay (and you don't earn money) when the ad is displayed – you earn only when someone actually clicks on the ad. Advertisers choose which model they would like based on the goal of the ad: if the ad is intended mainly for general branding purposes, a cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) model will work better. If the main goal of the ad is to generate clicks so that the user performs some kind of action, a cost-per-click model is more suitable. The type of ad that will ultimately show on your site depends on which ad has the potential to make the advertiser more money.
Google pays its content providers (you) on a monthly basis and imposes a "payment threshold" where you're paid only once you reach a certain earnings level. This threshold varies according to the currency of your country; in the United States, it's $100. Many bloggers generate significant revenue through AdSense; generally, the amount of money you make will depend on your blog's subject matter and how much traffic it has. AdSense is free, so it's worthwhile to try it out for a period of time since it won't cost you anything. Bear in mind that although you can include AdSense on blog platforms like TypePad and Blogger (which is probably the most seamless platform on which to run AdSense since Blogger is also a Google product), WordPress does not allow advertising on its platform.
To set up an AdSense account, you first need to submit an application for approval through the AdSense website at Google. During this process, Google checks that your blog is in line with its publishing policies by looking at what type of content you publish, whether you are publishing content in a language that's compatible with the AdSense program, and that, as the blog owner, you are over eighteen years old.
Once your account has been approved, you will be able to log in to the AdSense interface to set up your account. If you already have a Google account (which you will have if you have a blog on Blogger), you can use the same log-in details. During the setup process, you will be able to choose whether to have text, image or video ads display on your blog. You will also be able to customize the ads in terms of their size and format and where on the page they will appear so that they fit in with the look and feel of your blog.
Once this setup is finalized, Google will provide you with a snippet of code for your customized ad unit that you will need to paste into the source code of your blog. You should place this snippet in the part of your blog's code that is common across your whole blog so that the ad unit will appear on every page of your blog. Google provides you with comprehensive instructions for doing this.
When the AdSense code has been added, ads will start showing on your blog and you can track their performance and your earning from within your account interface. The interface will show you how much money you're earning as a result of the impressions and clicks the ads are generating on your blog. You can either view your ads' performance as a high-level snapshot on your account dashboard or download reports that will give you more detailed information such as the total number of page and ad unit impressions, number of ad clicks, the ad's click-through rate, effective cost per impression, and your earnings per ad. So, this is basically how you make money online with Google AdSense program.


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Si, sono un operatore sanitario
Note: Ai sensi e per gli effetti dell'Art. 76 D.P.R. 445/2000 consapevole della responsabilità e delle conseguenze civili e penali previste in caso di dichiarazioni mendaci e/o formazione od uso di atti falsi, nonché in caso di esibizione atti contenenti dati non più corrispondenti a verità e consapevole altresì che qualora emerga la non veridicità del contenuto della presente decadranno i benefici per i quali la stessa è rilasciata confermo di essere un OPERATORE SANITARIO.
I contenuti presenti in questo sito contengono informazioni rivolte agli operatori sanitari, in quanto si riferiscono a prodotti rientranti nella categoria dei dispositivi medici che richiedono l'impiego o l'intervento da parte di professionisti del settore medico-sanitario.
It's important for the healthcare provider to be familiar with all indications, warnings, and precautions for this device.
The Strata II valve is a shunt component designed to provide continued cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow from the ventricles of the brain into the right atrium of the heart or the peritoneal cavity. The Strata II valve allows the physician to non-invasively adjust the pressure/flow performance level pre- and post-implantation without the need for radiographic confirmation in order to address changing patient needs. Additionally, the Strata II valve minimizes the excessive reduction of intraventricular pressure and volume due to excessive drainage of CSF, which may be caused by the siphoning effect of hydrostatic pressure of the distal catheter. The siphon effect may be created by the elevation of the ventricular catheter with respect to the distal catheter (i.e., when the patient sits, stands, or is held erect).
Shunting of CSF into the peritoneal cavity or other areas of the body should not be carried out if there is infection in any areas in which the various components of the shunt system will be implanted. These include infections of the scalp and other skin area through which the shunt system will traverse, the meninges and cerebral ventricles, peritoneum and intraperitoneal and retroperitoneal organs, pleura and blood stream. CSF shunting is contraindicated if there is infection present in any area of the body. Additionally, shunting into the atrium of patients with congenital heart disease or other serious cardiopulmonary abnormalities is contraindicated.
The valve pressure level setting should always be verified following patient exposure to high magnetic fields.
Devices known to contain magnets should be kept away from the immediate valve implant location, as they may have an effect on the performance level setting of the Strata-type valve. All magnets have an exponentially decreasing effect on the valve the further away they are located. Common environmental levels of electromagnetic (radio frequency) radiation generated by security scanners, metal detectors, microwave ovens, mobile telephones, high voltage lines, and transformers should not affect the performance level settings.
Valve function and performance level setting should be checked in the event that the valve is subjected to significant mechanical shock or trauma.
Use Medtronic Neurosurgery PS Medical Adjustment Kit REF 45805 to change Performance Level in the Strata II valve.
The Adjustment Tool contains strong magnets. Care should be taken when using the tool near magnetically sensitive medical implants (e.g. pacemakers and vagal nerve stimulators), electronic equipment, data storage devices such as computer diskettes or credit cards.
The Locator Tool, Indicator Tool, and Adjustment Tool should NOT be sterilized.
Ferromagnetic substances may impede the ability of the adjustment tools to change and confirm the Performance Level setting.
Refer to Adjustment Kit insert for instructions, warnings, precautions and complications.
The appropriate product and size must be chosen for the specific patient's needs, based on diagnostic tests and physician experience. Product labeling specifies applicable product performance levels or ranges.
Lint, fingerprints, talc, other surface contaminants, or residues from latex gloves can cause foreign body or allergic reactions.
Improper use of instruments in the handling or implantation of shunt products may result in the cutting, slitting or crushing of components. Such damage may lead to loss of shunt integrity, and necessitate premature surgical revision of the shunt system.
Care must be taken to ensure that particulate contaminants are not introduced into shunt components during preimplantation testing or handling. Introduction of contaminants could result in improper performance of the shunt system. Particulate matter that enters the shunt system may result in shunt occlusion, or may also hold pressure/flow controlling mechanisms open, resulting in overdrainage.
In securing catheters to connectors, the encircling ligatures should be securely, but not too tightly, fastened, lest they eventually cut through the silicone tubing.
Care must be taken in the routing of catheters to prevent kinking and needless abrasion along their course. Abrasion can result in premature catheter failure (fracture). The rim of the twist drill or burr hole may be trimmed to provide a beveled notch where the ventricular catheter emerges and is curved to lie adjacent to the skull.
"Small" size catheters have thinner walls and lower overall strength as compared with "Standard" size catheters. These characteristics result in a comparatively greater potential failure (fracture) rate and, therefore, shorter life expectancy for "Small" size catheters. Physicians who implant "Small" size catheters for cosmetic reasons must acknowledge the potentially higher rate of catheter revision and weight this against the cosmetic benefit.
Patients with hydrocephalus shunt systems must be kept under close observation in the postoperative period for signs and symptoms that suggest shunt malfunction. The clinical findings may indicate shunt malfunction. The clinical findings may indicate shunt obstruction or overdrainage of CSF.
Shunt obstruction may occur in any of the components of the shunt system. The system may become occluded internally due to tissue fragments, blood clots, tumor cell aggregates, bacterial colonization or other debris. Catheters which contact internal body structures can become kinked or blocked at their tips (e.g., investment of a ventricular catheter tip into the choroid plexus or of the distal catheter tip into the greater omentum or loops of the bowel). Finally, shunt obstruction may occur due to growth of an infant or child, or physical activities which result in disconnection of the shunt components or withdrawal of a distal catheter from its intended drainage site.
Shunt obstruction may occur in any of the components of the shunt system. The ventricular catheter may become occluded by particulate matter such as blood clots or brain fragments, by investment of the catheter tip in choroid plexus, by embedding of the catheter in brain tissue, or by coaptation of the ventricular walls in the presence of overdrainage ("slit ventricle").
Disconnected shunt components may further migrate.
Shunt systems may fail due to mechanical malfunction, leading to under- or overdrainage.
Malfunction or obstruction of the shunt system may lead to signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure if the hydrocephalus is not compensated. In the infant, the common symptoms are increased tension of the anterior fontanelle, congestion of scalp veins, listlessness, drowsiness and irritability, vomiting and nuchal rigidity. In older children and adults, the common symptoms are headaches, vomiting, blurring of vision, nuchal rigidity, deterioration of consciousness, and various abnormal neurological findings.
Overdrainage of CSF may predispose development of a subdural hematoma or hydroma or collapse of the lateral ventricular walls leading to obstruction of the ventricular catheter.
If the ventricular catheter becomes bound to the choroid plexus or adjacent brain tissue by fibrous tissue adhesions, it is suggested that it should not be forcibly removed. It is suggested that gentle rotation of the catheter may help to free it. It is advised that the catheter be left in place rather than risk intraventricular hemorrhage which may be caused by forcible removal.
Subcutaneous catheter passers can break at welds or component assembly points, or due to extreme deformation of the malleable shaft. Sudden breakage can lead to trauma of tissues or organs, and damage to the shunt system. Instruments must be inspected prior to use to ensure continued integrity and functionality. Disposable instruments must never be reused, or injury to the patient and physician is possible.
The Strata® II valve is considered Magnetic Resonance Conditional in accordance with ASTM F2503.
MRI systems of up to 3.0 Tesla may be used any time after implantation and will not damage the Strata® II valve mechanism, but can change the performance level setting. The performance level setting should always be checked before and after MRI exposure.
The results of the tests performed to assess magnetic field interactions, artifacts, and heating, indicated the presence of the valves evaluated should present no substantial risk to a patient undergoing an MRI procedure using the following conditions:
Using the GE 3.0T Excite® HD Magnetic Resonance Imaging System, the valve experienced a maximum temperature change of 0.4°C over a 15-minute exposure period. The table provides maximum signal voids (artifact sizes) for standard imaging pulse sequences at 3.0 Tesla per ASTM F2119.
Valve | Pulse Sequence | Plane Imagine | Max. Signal Void (Artifact), cm2 |
Strata II | T1-SE | Parallel | 35.16 |
T1-SE | Perpendicular | 33.03 | |
GRE | Parallel | 73.91 | |
GRE | Perpendicular | 66.55 |
Do NOT take the Adjustment Tool into an MRI facility as these magnets could potentially be a safety hazard to the patient and/or user.
Proximity to MRI suite may impede the mechanism in the Indicator Tool due to the field strength of an MRI magnet. Move out of the vicinity prior to attempting to verify a valve setting.
Complications associated with ventriculoperitoneal CSF shunting systems may be similar to those experienced in any surgical procedure carried out under local and/or general anesthesia. These include reactions to drugs and anesthetic agents, electrolyte imbalance and excessive blood loss, particularly in infants. A patient may rarely exhibit a reaction due to sensitivity to the implant.
In CSF shunting procedures, the most common complications are due to obstruction of the system as described under "Warnings." Obstruction may occur in any component of the system due to plugging by brain fragments, blood clots, and/or tumor cell aggregates at some point along its course. Obstruction may also occur because of separation of the system components or kinking and/or coiling of the catheter. This may predispose migration of the ventricular catheter into the lateral ventricle and the distal catheter into the peritoneum, or other structure in which the catheter is implanted. As noted previously, growth of the infant or child may cause the distal catheter to be withdrawn from the atrium into the internal jugular vein or from the peritoneum into tissue planes where the fluid cannot be absorbed.
There are other potentially serious complications. Local and systemic infections are not uncommon with shunting procedures. Usually, they are due to organisms inhabiting the skin, particularly Staphylococcus epidermidis. Other pathogens circulating in the blood stream may colonize the shunt and, in the majority of patients, require its removal.
In 1973, Robertson et al. summarized the incidence of infection in ventriculoperitoneal shunts reported up to that time. Infection in ventriculoperitoneal shunting occurred in 5 to 10% of the patients in most of the reports.
In 1993, Kestle et al. reported significant reductions in infection (less than 4%) with the use of antibiotics, short duration of surgery (surgical experience) and control of the operating room environment (e.g., designated operating room, limited personnel and traffic, covered skin surfaces). The article states that results can also be obtained without the use of antibiotics, but with rigorous perioperative control of the environment.
Using prophylactic antibiotics in shunted patients is somewhat controversial as their use may predispose infection by more resistant organisms. Therefore, the decision to use antibiotics prophylactically rests with the attending physician and/or surgeon.Shunting into the peritoneum may fail because of investments of the catheter in loops of bowel or in the greater omentum. Perforation of the bowel by the peritoneal catheter with subsequent development of peritonitis has been described.
CSF overdrainage may result in excessive reduction of CSF pressure and predispose the development of a subdural hematoma or hygroma, and excessive reduction of ventricular size leading to obstruction because of impingement of the ventricular walls on the inlet holes in the catheter. In the infant, this excessive pressure reduction will cause marked depression of the anterior fontanelle, overriding of cranial bones and may convert communicating into obstructive hydrocephalus.
The incidence of epilepsy after ventricular shunting procedures has been reported. This study also indicated that the incidence of seizures increased with multiple catheter revisions.
StrataVarius is intended for use by physicians, to non-invasively identify the Strata-type valve Performance Level (PL) setting and display that information numerically in terms of PL level and the equivalent pressure reading in millimeters of water (mm H2O).
The StrataVarius allows the user to change the pressure setting of the valve non-invasively without the need for radiographic confirmation.
The Medtronic Neurosurgery StrataVarius system should not be used as a diagnostic tool, but rather only for confirmation of, or to change a pressure level in, a Strata-type valve.
StrataVarius should not be used on any fixed pressure valve. Use only on PS Medical Strata-type adjustable valves.StrataVarius should not be used in a sterile environment.
Although no known complications have been reported, the StrataVarius system should be used at the discretion of the attending physician.
View the Indications, Safety, and Warnings information for Ares™ Antibiotic-Impregnated Catheters.
View the Indications, Safety, and Warnings information for StealthStation® Navigation Systems.
Attention Consumers!
This therapy is not for everyone. Please consult your physician. A prescription is required. For more information, please contact us at 1-800-468-9710.
Attention Physicians!
For further information, please call Medtronic NT at 1-800-468-9710, or contact your Medtronic NT sales representative.
Caution: Federal (USA) law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician. Refer to product package insert for instructions, warnings, precautions and complications.
Medtronic Italia S.p.A. Società a socio unico soggetta ad attività di direzione e coordinamento da parte di Medtronic PLC.
Cap. soc. € 1.200.487,00 - Codice fiscale, partita IVA e numero di iscrizione al Registro delle Imprese di Milano-Monza-Brianza-Lodi 09238800156 – REA MI – 1275682. Sede Legale e Uffici Via Varesina, 162 Edificio Raimondi - 20156 Milano.


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New Home Sentiments Card
Sold out
This new home card has been illustrated with the hand-lettered message 'New Home' which has been pressed with gold foil.
The card is blank inside.
Made from:
Made from 280gsm grey card and is pressed with gold foil.
Made in England.
Please note that this card is blank inside.
We can personalise your card with a handwritten message inside, to be sent directly to the recipient. Please note that if you are sending cards to multiple recipients/addresses, then these will need to be made as separate orders.
The cards are A6 (105 x 148.5mm) and come with an accompanying envelope.


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The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath
16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling pthe seven angels, "Go and qpour out on the earth rthe seven bowls of the wrath of God."
2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful ssores came upon the people who bore tthe mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and uit became like the blood of a corpse, and vevery living thing died that was in the sea.
4 The third angel poured out his bowl into wthe rivers and the springs of water, and xthey became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters1 say,
y"Just are you, zO Holy One, awho is and who was,
for you brought these judgments.
6 For bthey have shed the blood of csaints and prophets,
and dyou have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!"
7 And I heard ethe altar saying,
"Yes, Lord God the Almighty,
ftrue and just are your judgments!"
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people gwith fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and hthey cursed2 the name of God who had power over these plagues. iThey did not repent jand give him glory.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on kthe throne of the beast, and lits kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed mthe God of heaven for their pain and nsores. oThey did not repent of their deeds.
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on pthe great river Euphrates, and qits water was dried up, rto prepare the way for the kings sfrom the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of tthe dragon and out of the mouth of uthe beast and out of the mouth of vthe false prophet, three wunclean spirits like xfrogs. 14 For they are ydemonic spirits, zperforming signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, ato assemble them for battle on bthe great day of God the Almighty. 15 ("Behold, cI am coming like a thief! dBlessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, ethat he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!") 16 And fthey assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called gArmageddon.
The Seventh Bowl
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into hthe air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, i"It is done!" 18 And there were jflashes of lightning, rumblings,3 peals of thunder, and ka great earthquake lsuch as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 mThe great city nwas split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God oremembered pBabylon the great, qto make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And revery island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And sgreat hailstones, about one hundred pounds4 each, fell from heaven on people; and tthey cursed God for uthe plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.
The Great Prostitute and the Beast
17 Then vone of the seven angels who had wthe seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of xthe great prostitute ywho is seated on many waters, 2 zwith whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and awith the wine of whose sexual immorality bthe dwellers on earth have become drunk." 3 And che carried me away in the Spirit dinto a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on ea scarlet beast that was full of fblasphemous names, and git had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman hwas arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned iwith gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand ja golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of kmystery: l"Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." 6 And I saw the woman, drunk mwith the blood of the saints, the blood of nthe martyrs of Jesus.1
When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you othe mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw pwas, and is not, and qis about to rise from rthe bottomless pit2 and sgo to destruction. And tthe dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in uthe book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because pit was and is not and is to come. 9 vThis calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast wthat was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And xthe ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings yfor one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They zwill make war on the Lamb, and athe Lamb will conquer them, for he is bLord of lords and bKing of kings, and those with him are ccalled and chosen and faithful."
15 And the angel3 said to me, d"The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And ethe ten horns that you saw, they and the beast fwill hate the prostitute. They will make her gdesolate and hnaked, and idevour her flesh and jburn her up with fire, 17 for kGod has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and lhanding over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is mthe great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth."
The Fall of Babylon
18 After this I saw nanother angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and othe earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,
p"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become qa dwelling place for demons,
a haunt rfor every unclean spirit,
a haunt sfor every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
3 For all nations have drunk1
tthe wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and uthe kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and vthe merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living."
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
w"Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
5 for xher sins are heaped high as heaven,
and yGod has remembered her iniquities.
6 zPay her back as she herself has paid back others,
and repay her adouble for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her bin the cup she mixed.
7 cAs she glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,
d'I sit as a queen,
I am no widow,
and mourning I shall never see.'
8 For this reason her plagues will come ein a single day,
death and mourning and famine,
and fshe will be burned up with fire;
for gmighty is the Lord God who has judged her."
9 And hthe kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, iwill weep and wail over her jwhen they see the smoke of her burning. 10 kThey will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,
"Alas! Alas! lYou great city,
you mighty city, Babylon!
For min a single hour your judgment has come."
11 And nthe merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, 12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.2
14 "The fruit for which your soul longed
has gone from you,
and all your delicacies and your splendors
are lost to you,
never to be found again!"
15 oThe merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, pwill stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
16 "Alas, alas, for the great city
qthat was clothed in fine linen,
in purple and scarlet,
adorned with gold,
with jewels, and with pearls!
17 For rin a single hour all this wealth shas been laid waste."
And tall shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and ucried out vas they saw the smoke of her burning,
w"What city was like the great city?"
19 And they threw xdust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,
"Alas, alas, for the great city
ywhere all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
For zin a single hour she has been laid waste.
20 aRejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and bapostles and prophets,
for cGod has given judgment for you against her!"
21 Then da mighty angel etook up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
"So will Babylon fthe great city be thrown down with violence,
and will be found no more;
22 and gthe sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters,
will be heard in you no more,
and a craftsman of any craft
will be found in you no more,
and hthe sound of the mill
will be heard in you no more,
23 and the light of a lamp
will shine in you no more,
and ithe voice of bridegroom and bride
will be heard in you no more,
for jyour merchants were the great ones of the earth,
and all nations were deceived kby your sorcery.
24 And lin her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of mall who have been slain on earth."
Rejoicing in Heaven
19 After this I heard nwhat seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
oSalvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for phis judgments are true and just;
for he has judged qthe great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and rhas avenged on her the blood of his servants."
3 Once more they cried out,
sThe smoke from her goes up forever and ever."
4 And tthe twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,
u"Praise our God,
all you his servants,
vyou who fear him,
small and great."
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
6 Then I heard what seemed to be wthe voice of a great multitude, like xthe roar of many waters and ylike the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
For the Lord our God
the Almighty zreigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for athe marriage of the Lamb has come,
and bhis Bride has made herself ready;
8 cit was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure"—
for the fine linen is dthe righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said1 to me, "Write this: eBlessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, f"These are the true words of God." 10 Then gI fell down at his feet to worship him, hbut he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to ithe testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
The Rider on a White Horse
11 Then I saw jheaven opened, and behold, ka white horse! The one sitting on it is called lFaithful and True, and min righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 nHis eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are omany diadems, and he has pa name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in qa robe dipped in2 blood, and the name by which he is called is rThe Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, sarrayed in fine linen, white and pure, twere following him on white horses. 15 uFrom his mouth comes a sharp sword vwith which to strike down the nations, and whe will rule3 them with a rod of iron. xHe will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh yhe has a name written, zKing of kings and Lord of lords.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to aall the birds that fly directly overhead, b"Come, gather for cthe great supper of God, 18 dto eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave,4 both small and great." 19 And I saw ethe beast and the kings of the earth with their armies fgathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it gthe false prophet hwho in its presence5 had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who iworshiped its image. These two were jthrown alive into the lake of kfire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword lthat came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and mall the birds were gorged with their flesh.
The Thousand Years
20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, nholding in his hand the key to othe bottomless pit1 and a great chain. 2 And he seized pthe dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and qbound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into othe pit, and shut it and rsealed it over him, so that she might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw tthrones, and useated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw vthe souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those wwho had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. xThey came to life and yreigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 zBlessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such athe second death has no power, but they will be bpriests of God and of Christ, and they cwill reign with him for a thousand years.
The Defeat of Satan
7 And when the thousand years are ended, dSatan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out eto deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, fGog and Magog, gto gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And hthey marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded ithe camp of the saints and jthe beloved city, but kfire came down from heaven2 and consumed them, 10 and the devil lwho had deceived them was mthrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where nthe beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence oearth and sky fled away, and pno place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and qbooks were opened. Then another book was opened, which is rthe book of life. And sthe dead were judged by what was written in the books, taccording to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, uDeath and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, taccording to what they had done. 14 Then uDeath and Hades vwere thrown into the lake of fire. This is wthe second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, xhe was thrown into the lake of fire.


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AUSTIN – The Llano River in Texas has been named one of 10 "Waters to Watch" for 2011 in the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. The watch list doesn't necessarily indicate waters in trouble, but points to those that will benefit from strategic conservation efforts to protect, restore or enhance them, thus providing models for good work elsewhere.
– Lake Havasu
The 10 "Waters to Watch" represent a snapshot of voluntary habitat conservation efforts in progress across the USA. Regional Fish Habitat Partnerships forming throughout the country are conserving these waters under the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, an initiative begun in 2006 to avoid and reverse persistent declines in aquatic habitats that are essential for fish, wildlife and people.
In Texas, the Llano River project aims to protect and improve aquatic habitats of the Guadalupe bass, the State Fish of Texas. By rallying support around this popular yet imperiled species, the project is bringing together a wide range of partners to conserve the entire Llano watershed, including tributary streams that feed into it, as well as the upland hills and riparian riverbanks that affect water quality.
Guadalupe bass numbers have declined dramatically in recent years, partly due to changes in habitat. After eons of adapting to its stream environment, the state fish is at a disadvantage in modern-day reservoirs and in streams with diminished flow. However, the greatest threat to its continued existence is hybridization with introduced smallmouth bass.
The good news is many stream reaches throughout the fish's native range remain relatively pristine and intact, despite steady human population increases in the region. However, projections of population growth, water demands, and land-use changes indicate these streams will soon be at risk. Like most of Texas, land within the fish's native range is almost entirely privately owned, which makes effective collaboration with private landowners critical to the long-term conservation of habitats for Guadalupe bass and other native species.
The Llano project will protect and restore Guadalupe bass by developing a network of willing landowners interested in coordinated landscape conservation at a watershed scale. These actions will promote functional riparian and stream systems and emphasize the conservation of native fish communities and supporting habitats. The network is attempting to curtail or eliminate activities on the landscape that degrade water quality, reduce water quantity, degrade riparian systems, favor non-native species or fragment stream systems, while encouraging a wide array of sustainable land-use activities compatible with aquatic resource conservation.
The project has so far assembled more than $1.4 million in grants and donations from project sponsors, including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Anheuser-Busch Corporation. With these funds, partners are starting to stabilize stream banks and reestablish native plants to prevent erosion and support functional riparian zones, remove or redesign road crossings that are barriers to fish passage or that alter natural fluvial processes in the river.
The Llano project will enhance instream structural habitat, including placement of root wads, log and boulder complexes that support sustainable populations of Guadalupe bass and other native fishes, plus upland grasslands restoration to support recharge of springs and restored hydrologic flows.
A key partner group is the South Llano Watershed Alliance, an organization of landowners and interested stakeholders whose mission is to preserve and enhance the South Llano River and adjoining watersheds by encouraging land and water stewardship through collaboration, education, and community participation.
Other project partners include: Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Anheuser-Busch Corporation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Texas State University, Texas Tech University at Junction, B.A.S.S., FLW Outdoors, KT Diaries , World Fishing Network, Trout Unlimited, City of Junction, and USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service.
The national "Waters to Watch" list was first unveiled in 2007 and in 2011 will feature its 50th project. Since 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has provided $12 million to support 257 on-the-ground Action Plan projects in 43 states, leveraging $30 million in partner match, to address the priorities of Action Plan Fish Habitat Partnerships. Additional funds have been provided by several other State and Federal agencies and Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and industry partners.
"Our approach—teaming local, state, tribal, and federal agencies with private partners and stakeholders—is helping to bring these waters back to life in most cases, in a faster more strategic way," said Kelly Hepler, Chairman of the National Fish Habitat Board. "By watching these 10 models of our nation's aquatic conservation efforts underway, we can see real progress, in both avoidance and treatment of causes of fish habitat decline. Too often we have focused on treatment of symptoms with limited success. Through sound science and on-the-ground locally driven partnerships, these select Action Plan projects can be held high as a vision of what quality habitat should and can be."
To see the complete "Waters to Watch" list for 2011, visit the National Fish Habitat Action Plan website.
– Lake Havasu


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Short-term contract to analyze internal systems and procedures, and to provide guidance for improved information security.
Primary services included documentation and reports to inform configuration and purchasing decisions, including migration to cloud services.
Additionally provided security auditing and analysis for internal network infrastructure and systems.
Short-term contract to assist outgoing CEO with transitional technical and security issues during acquisition and reorganization.
Primary services included account management and security auditing for outgoing employees and system/account setup for incoming employees.
Additionally provided internal technical support for legacy systems while transitioning to replacements under new management.
Lead developer for Python scripts and libraries using the Cofense Triage API, for improved automation and integration with customers' systems.
Developed core patches for Cofense Triage 1.14 to fix a wide variety of bugs and enhance existing features.
Additionally tasked with diagnosing configuration and deployment issues in production installations of Cofense Triage, and assisting other product teams (primarily Cofense PhishMe) with a wide variety of technical issues as needed.
Responsible for architecture and development of software to modernize the collection, analysis, and archival storage of scientific research data, supporting the work of the Standard Test Methods for Response Robots program in the NIST Intelligent Systems Division.
Tasked with additional duties for the NIST Intelligent Systems team during the June 2017 meeting of the E54 (Homeland Security Applications) subcommittee of ASTM International in Toronto, including official photography of the team's experiments and demonstrations, transportation of equipment and materials used in testing robots, and assisting with setup and clean-up of experiments and demonstrations.
Responsible for multiple projects spearheaded by the Office of Investigations Computer Crimes Unit, both for internal use and for public use, using a wide variety of platforms and applications, including open-source and custom-built software.
Led a 6-person development team in designing, building, and launching a large-scale forensic evidence collection and analysis platform, with extensive management and automation of a large number of distributed servers/systems, to provide innovative tools for new types of investigative operations. » Full project detail: Remote Forensic Investigation Platform
Led a 5-person development team in restructuring and redesigning the USPS OIG website (www.uspsoig.gov). » Full project detail: USPSOIG.gov Rebuild
Led a 7-person team in implementing Single Sign-On between DANTES (www.dantesportal.org) and the USPS OIG Active Directory domain, using SAML 2.0. » Full project detail: DANTES Single Sign-On
Team Lead for development of new features on DANTES (www.dantesportal.org) and the USPS OIG website (www.uspsoig.gov), as well as maintenance and administrative tasks on both sites and their supporting infrastructure. » Full project detail: Data Analytics And Technical Expert Services (DANTES)
Worked closely with the 18F division of the General Services Administration to make the USPS OIG one of the first US federal agencies to implement HTTP Strict Transport Security, and one of the first .gov domains to be hard-coded into the Google HSTS pre-load list used by Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. » Full project detail: USPSOIG.gov HTTP Secure Transport Security/HSTS Preload
Responsible for software deployments, modifications, and bug fixes for numerous client websites, including open-source, commercial, and custom applications.
Performed bug fixes for open-source software used in client websites, turning experimental or poorly-supported projects into production-grade software when another solution was unavailable or undesirable.
Provided comprehensive top-tier technical support and PC repair to small businesses and home clients, with an emphasis on clear communication and high quality of work.
Provided a tailored "personal shopper" service for PC, peripheral, mobile, and home electronics purchases, helping clients choose the best product for their needs.
Specialized in providing support with a personal touch, and creating stronger client relationships than competing computer support services.
Developed custom PHP applications for client websites in a team environment, including architecture for a social networking site.
Tasked with modifications and bug fixes for existing PHP applications on client websites, including high-traffic sites with minimal allowed downtime.
Full site built from scratch, including graphics and underlying code, serving as a personal creative portfolio for photography, written work, and a platform for experimental development. Originally powered entirely by a hand-written PHP CMS on MySQL as an educational exercise, the current version of the site was rebuilt using Django and PostgreSQL after migrating to Amazon AWS infrastructure in 2014.
Responsible for developing a dynamic backend and data management system for an iOS app, using Django. The Ponycons app was widely used to present information about My Little Pony conventions to the fan community.
Joint project with a developer in Germany to build an IME package for Ibus (standard IME for Debian-based Linux distributions) which automatically transliterates Cherokee written with Latin alphabet characters into the Cherokee Syllabary. No such package previously existed for Linux, and Windows implementations of this concept are generally difficult for Cherokee speakers to use. Preliminary user testing showed a 2-3x typing speed increase for people fluent in Cherokee written with syllabic characters, and a 4-5x speed increase for Cherokee speakers who have less experience using the syllabary.


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Promotion pen, folder, highlighter, memo pad and stationery gift are included in the category of desktop gift and stationary set. The cheap unit cost but very practical is the advantage of this stationery gift which is suitable for giveaway to attract public awareness. Even though their value per piece is not high, clients can put effort on every detail and the product design with GiftU advice. Another advantage of stationery gifts is it will be used by customer in their daily office work, they will put on their office desk, it brings more attention and increase your brand exposure, also increase brand loyalty.


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Using the most recent version of your technology's operating system ensures you and your students have access to the latest features and functionality.
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Upper body strength is important at every age, but you don't need to be a bodybuilder to benefit from working your pectoral, or chest, muscles.
For a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, scientists from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse evaluated nine popular pec exercises to determine which ones best engaged these muscles.
Popular Pec Strength-Training Exercises
- Barbell bench press
- Pec dec machine
- Bent-forward cable crossover
- Chest press machine
- Inclined dumbbell flys
- Dips
- Push-ups
To develop muscle size, the barbell bench press is at the very top of the list, followed closely by the pec deck machine and the bent-forward cable crossover. Here's how to perform the barbell bench press.
Lie with your back flat on a weight bench. Knees are bent at the far end of the bench with feet flat on the floor. Grip the barbell with both hands, placing them slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Elbows make a 90-degree angle. With control, lower the bar so that it's just barely touching your chest, then press upward as you extend your arms. Hold briefly and, again with control, slowly lower the barbell to your chest for one complete rep. Repeat for the appropriate number of reps, typically up to 15 with a lighter weight, up to eight with a heavier weight.
To protect against injury to your shoulders, focus on proper form — keep forearms in the vertical plane so your elbows are always in line with your wrists.
The researchers also found that if your goal is general fitness rather than specific pec development and/or you don't have time to work them individually, it's fine to consider exercises like push-ups and dips that target multiple muscles. These exercises still work chest muscles, but to a lesser degree.
More information
The American Council on Exercise has an online library of pec exercises for every level of experience.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


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To edit employer matching contributions to your employer-sponsored plan, click Yes
If your employer provides only one level of matching contributions, just complete the first line and click on the Submit button.
The information presented above is hypothetical and is not intended to serve as a projection or prediction of the investment results of any specific investment. This calculator is provided only as a general self-help tool. The accuracy or applicability of the tool's results to your circumstances is not guaranteed. We encourage you to talk to an investment professional about your situation. This tool is not an offer, representation or warranty by Nationwide® or any of its affiliated companies and does not describe any specific products or services they offer. We are not responsible for the consequences of any decisions or actions taken in reliance upon or as a result of the information provided by this tool. Costs of investing have not been taken into consideration. Withdrawals from qualified plans that are taken prior to age 59½ may be subject to a 10% penalty tax. Federal income tax laws are complex and subject to change. The information in this tool is based on current interpretations of the law and is not guaranteed. Neither the company nor its representatives give legal or tax advice. Please consult your attorney or tax advisor for answers to specific questions.


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mkmf-lite 0.6.0
The mkmf-lite library is a light version of the the mkmf library designed for use as a library. It does not create packages, builds, or log files of any kind. Instead, it provides mixin methods that you can use in FFI or tests to check for the presence of header files, constants, and so on.


text: We offer extremely accurate and affordable K-9 scent detection of bed bugs in San Rafael CA. In the early stages of infestation bed bugs and their nymphs can be virtually impossible to see. A thorough K-9 inspection provides you peace of mind by detecting the presence of bed bugs. Hire us today; we'll take care of your bed bug problem.


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ANACORTES, Wash. — Two BNSF trains derailed in separate incidents in Arizona and Washington state on Thursday, with the latter spilling diesel fuel on tribal land along Puget Sound.
No injuries were reported. It wasn't clear what caused either derailment.
The derailment in Washington occurred on a berm along Padilla Bay, on the Swinomish tribal reservation near Anacortes. Most of 5,000 gallons (nearly 19,000 liters) of spilled diesel fuel leaked on the land side of the berm rather than toward the water, according to the state Ecology Department.
Officials said there were no indications the spill reached the water or affected any wildlife.
Responders placed a boom along the shoreline as a precaution and removed the remaining fuel from two locomotives that derailed. Four tank cars remained upright.
The derailment in western Arizona, near the state's border with California and Nevada, involved a train carrying corn syrup. A spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Anita Mortensen, said that she was not aware of any spills or leaks.
BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said an estimated eight cars derailed in Arizona and were blocking the main track. The cause of the derailment was under investigation, and it was not immediately known when the track will reopen.
The derailments came amid heightened attention to rail safety nationwide following a fiery derailment last month in Ohio and a string of derailments since then that have been grabbing headlines, including ones in Michigan, Alabama and other states.
The U.S. averages about three train derailments per day, according to federal data, but relatively few create disasters.
Last month, a freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border, igniting a fire and causing hundreds of people to be evacuated.
Officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke high into the sky. That left people questioning the potential health impacts even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.