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Future of eCommerce Platform in the Real estate sector
After a period of limited growth, businesses are now seeking to develop distribution centers near populated areas for two primary reasons. First, this cuts down on delivery time, but also it also offers reduced logistics costs. Pure-play online retailers such as Amazon and Ebay have also boosted demand for industrial space. With complex operations and business models focused on quick, efficient turnaround (same-day delivery) for major metropolitan areas, they need modern, customized facilities. Thus, demand is significant for extremely large, built-to-fit distribution centers within a day's drive of major metropolitan areas.
The malls are being redesigned considering the consumer behaviour including need for entertainment, social networking, etc. The online banking, payment wallet, ATMs etc has redefined as to how many physical bank branches needs to be there. E-commerce has played a great role on how banks are shaping themselves for the time to come and consequently the real estate space for banks will undergo significant change over coming years.
The incorporation of e-commerce has changed the way many markets work. Considering food delivery services, it is now easy to take care of such a business without having a full-fledged restaurant. Moreover, having an e-commerce portal for business helps build a name. The availability of food menu and all other details online gives customers access to all the required information, helping the vendor build trust. The reviews available tell people about the speed of delivery, consistency, hygiene, taste and more. All this has changed the real estate market, and restaurant owners are now creating bigger kitchens and smaller sitting areas.


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Iran Finalizes Electricity Pricing Scheme for Cryptocurrency Miners
The Iranian Economic Commission has reportedly finalized a power pricing scheme for cryptocurrency miners
The Iranian Economic Commission has reportedly finalized a tariff scheme for cryptocurrency miners, according to a July 21 report from Iranian economic daily Financial Tribune.
Per the report, Energy Minister Homayoon Ha'eri announced that, while the tariff scheme has been finalized, it is awaiting approval from the Cabinet of Iran — a governmental body consisting of various ministers and other officials chosen by the president.
While Ha'eri did not elaborate on the exact price scheme, he stated that the price is dependent on market factors such as fuel prices in the Persian Gulf.
The head of Iran Electrical Industry Syndicate, Ali Bakhshi, previously proposed a price of $0.07 per kilowatt hour for cryptocurrency miners. Electricity in Iran is currently very cheap due to government subsidies; one kilowatt hour of electricity currently costs $0.05, with power being cheaper in the agricultural and industrial sectors.
To put these prices in context, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, the Energy Ministry spokesman for the power department, previously stated that the production of a single Bitcoin (BTC) uses about $1,400 in state subsidies.
The Financial Tribune reports that mining one Bitcoin reportedly consumes as much electricity as 24 buildings in Tehran do in one year.
Today's news follows an announcement from the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), in which the banks governor Abdol Hemmati claimed that the CBI was planning to authorize cryptocurrency mining.
Similar to today's statements from Energy Minister Ha'eri, Hemmati said that a planned law will require crypto mining in Iran to abide with the price of electricity for export, rather than allowing miners to use the heavily subsidized internal energy grid.
Also today, Deputy President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration Jamal Arounaghi announced that the agency has not yet issued licenses for the import of cryptocurrency mining equipment. While a tariff scheme exists, the final decision on licensure awaits approval from the government.

subset: commoncrawl


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Date(s) - 12/01/2024
9:00 am - 10:15 am
Caffe Lena
Sunday Dharma Meditation with Pierre Zimmerman meetings are held at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila St, Saratoga.
SUNDAYS from 9:00-10:15am. PLEASE RSVP TO PIERRE by calling 413-992-7012 or Emailing PIERRE 24 hours in advance of the program.
Dharma Meditation is a sitting meditation for 25 minutes with a silent break allowing people to stretch, followed by a second sitting, introduced by a brief talk. A discussion on the topic and some insights and reflections about the nature and commonality of our basic humanity is shared by attendees. This meditation is open to beginners and/or those who have been meditating for a while. This group has been ongoing 10+ years. Donations appreciated!


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text: Duff McKagan is the founding bassist of Guns N' Roses and the leader of Seattle's Loaded. His column runs every Thursday on Reverb.Flying and layovers are a key component to tours–like the one I just wrapped up through Australia and Japan–where there is no traveling by van or bus. In fact, if you've seen Anthony Bourdain's TV show about layovers in different cities around the world, you have a pretty good idea of what a rock tour is like (if you add a gig and takeout, that is).See Also: Duff's hosting a free reading at the Moore on March 26.One of the first things I do when I travel to a new city is try and discover what the locals do. I'm not too big on the touristy type of stuff, unless I'm with my family. Tourist food and tourist factoids all seem to blend together into a homogenized stew of ersatz nachos and cardboard hamburgers.From Perth, Australia, to Tokyo, we had a 10-hour layover in Singapore. Singapore sits just 70 miles from the equator, so heat and mugginess are factors if you choose to go out of the airport (which I did). Although a cab into the heart of the city is only $9, you do have to make sure that the area you are going to is open. The area I went to was not "open," so I treated myself to a long and aimless walk in the heat. I finally found a local place to eat, and I was so damn hungry by the time I was served my meal that I will forever love the taste of fishheads over goats' innards (or whatever the hell I ate).But all this travel talk is really just a lead-up to something that happened when I finally got to Tokyo.My family was to join me there for the end of my trip. My daughters had never been to Japan, and they were super-excited to go to an area in Tokyo called Harajuku (it has a trippy, Capitol Hill-esque vibe . . . on steroids). The day before they arrived, I decided to cab it over to Harajuku and do a little "recon" of the area so that I could guide us through the maze with as much ease as possible. (I have learned this recon tactic by getting lost with kids in tow too many times. Not cool or fun.)During my cab ride, my stomach started to rebel from my questionable meal in Singapore the day before. This happens all the time on the road, and my cure-all (passed down from our road-dog forefathers in DOA and Black Flag. No shit.) is salted peanuts. Upon my arrival in Harajuku, I ducked in to a 7-11 type of store and got a nice peanut-and-rice cracker mixture. Perfect for eating and recon-ing on the go!Harajuku is all connected by alleyway streets lined with themed shops in amazing contrast to each other: punk-rock clothes next to pastel-only skirt shops next to early-'80s NY beat-boy clothing next to a Star Wars store. It becomes obvious that many of the printed T-shirts with band names or Star Wars characters are bootlegs (last time I checked, Skywalker's first name is "Luke," not "Look"). It was in one of these alleyways that I stumbled upon a rock-and-roll (bootleg) T-shirt store. What caught my eye was a Metallica/GNR split-band T-shirt in the front window. Of course, this shirt never existed in real life back in the day, but it got me to further peruse the inside of the store. I was met with a dazzling array of O.G. Guns N' Roses shirts with some "artwork" close to the original and other "artwork" comically missing. Just as I was looking at a skull-guys-on-the-cross GNR shirt (where we all looked more like chimps than dastardly rock-and-roll hellions), I was asked to leave . . . for eating inside of the store.I was relieved that they didn't recognize me. I rather hope that I look nothing like a skull-chimpy type of rocker. Nope. I'm a rock-and-roll hellion, with salted peanuts . . . on a mission to find the bunny-petting cafe and nail salon and Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurant in Harajuku. I'm a bad-ass.More Duff:– Screw The Postal Service. I Hope Your Cute Indie Clothes Chafe You All Summer Long– How Ginger Wildheart Survived the Punk Wars (And You Can, Too)– How to Be a Man


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If you want to hear about really sick churches, then stick with me on this post. If you are tired about many of us writing about the sordid state of congregations, I understand. Skip this article and I will return with more good news in the near future.
So what is a dysfunctional church? By definition, it is a congregation that no longer carries out essential biblical purposes. In other words, the church does not function properly; it is thus dysfunctional.
Unfortunately, I did not have to look far to find over 20 current examples of dysfunctional churches. In my quest, I found six recurring themes. In every one of the congregations, the church manifested at least three of these symptoms.
- Severe theological errors are pervasive in the church. I'm not referring to differences over minute matters of eschatology. These errors to which I refer were denials of the essential truths of the Christian faith. In some cases, leadership no longer held to the exclusivity of salvation through Christ.
- The church is known as a "pastor-eater." The congregation often terminated pastors on a regular basis. At the very least, pastors felt the pressure to leave. Short pastoral tenure was thus normative.
- The congregation experiences severe conflict. Any group will eventually have some level of conflict: families; fellow employees; students; and churches. But dysfunctional churches take conflicts to a new level, often resulting in emotional outbursts by members and leaders.
- Hardly anyone in the community knows the church exists. One of the simple steps I take in many consultations is to visit businesses within about a mile radius of the church. I ask them for directions to the church. If no one has ever heard of the church in that close proximity, I know something is wrong.
- The church is declining while the community is growing. An example works better here. Suppose your church has declined in worship attendance by 3% the past two years. Now suppose the community in which the church is located has grown by 4% the past two years. The contrast between the two growth rates is stark, a symptom of a dysfunctional church.
- The church is "family owned and family operated." One particular family, even if it's an extended family, makes all the decisions in the church. Nothing gets done without the nod of typically the patriarch or matriarch of the family. The church exists largely to meet the needs of one family.
Of course, when I write articles about the negative state of many congregations, I am rightly asked about potential solutions. We are putting together an entire video series on revitalization this fall. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, let me hear from you. What do you think of these six symptoms? What would you add?
Posted on July 2, 2014
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
More from Thom


text: STEPHEN REID JEFFERIES STEPHEN REID JEFFERIES Stephen Reid Jefferies lost his long battle with cancer on January 17, 2013. He is survived by his parents, John and Charmian Jefferies, his sister and brother-in-law Helen and Johnny Dearmore, his brother and sister-in-law Trevor and Shirley Jefferies, his devoted and adoring nephews Alex, Charlie, Nicholas, Ian and David, and his wife Margaret. Stephen was born in Sydney, Australia in 1952. When he was 11 his family moved to Hawaii, where he attended Punahou School. After graduation, he moved to the mainland, where he had many adventures traveling around in his old VW van and acquiring skills that he greatly enjoyed applying in later life. Enrolling in a few technical classes at Portland CC started him on a path which led to a degree from Portland State and then, in 1984, a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and a career that he absolutely loved. Steve returned to his beloved Hawaii in 1987 and became one of the first employees of Makai Ocean Engineering in Waimanalo. His patented software for laying communications and other cables underwater was a major contributor to the growth of the company. Steve was a renaissance man - engineer, scientist, mathematician, philosopher, politician, musician, craftsman, inventor, activist - but at heart, he was a genuine, caring human being. He will be sadly missed by all he touched with his warmth and kindness, and who loved him in return for his simple goodness. The last few years of his life were very difficult, but he bore them with dignity and strength, and with his characteristic good humor and thoughtfulness for others. May he rest in peace in Heaven with his beloved daughter, Angela, and his little sister, Gabrielle. Goodbye, dearest son and brother. SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE VIA EMAIL Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased ADVERTISEMENT Explore more Try a 14-day Free Trial today with Ancestry® Save 40%* or more on AncestryDNA® offers Your family story in richer detail: AncestryDNA® + Family Tree Package Sponsored by Ancestry


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Product Description
It has a beautiful and irregular surface on the outside.
The inside of the ring is polished and curved, in order to create a very smooth and comfortable sensation on your finger.
We remimd you, that every ring is handmade and slightly different from others.
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The ring is about 8 mm wide and weighs at least 10 grams.
The white color was created by a special treatment of the surface.


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Saying that the world is undergoing a fast-paced transformation is not only stating the obvious, but also an understatement. Traditional business models and go-to-market strategies are challenged, and often even rendered obsolete, by rapidly evolving customer needs. In many cases, industry convergence has led to new entrants that have caused major disruptions to many established ecosystems using novel, more agile, business and operating models. This is just the tip of the iceberg. To remain successful and disrupt instead of being disrupted, best-in-class B2B organizations have understood the increasing importance of "experience" to maximize customer value. They have initiated profound transformations to develop customer preference and maximize margins.
Pressure from customers and the market is forcing companies to reinvent their commercial approaches
Evolving customer needs and technology are disrupting traditional ecosystems
Technological innovation and digitalization have caused a sharp increase in the rate at which customer needs are evolving. Customers increasingly require integrated digital solutions that are tailored to their current needs and flexible enough to accommodate potential future needs. Although at first it might look like B2C players would be the only ones affected, our experience shows that the impact on the B2B market is becoming more visible.
Business models and go-to-market strategies are increasingly being challenged
B2B customers are increasingly requiring more than simple products or services. The emergence of anything-as-a-service (XaaS) is just one trend that emphasizes evolution from stand- alone products and services towards integrated solutions. This and other changes in business models also open the market to potential new entrants.
The B2B sector is also lagging when it comes to exploiting the benefits of the sharing economy. However, start-ups are emerging that leverage the sharing economy towards B2B companies, such as Yard Club (which offers a way for construction companies to share their equipment by renting it out when they are not using it) and WeWork (which provides working space as a service).
Companies need to adapt their commercial approaches to develop customer preference and maximize margins
Because of the profound changes in the B2B ecosystem, companies are typically left with several fundamental commercial challenges:
- What are (unmet) needs in the market, and how do those differ across customer types?
- What is our unique selling proposition (USP), and to what extent does it differentiate us from competition?
- Does our product or service offering reflect those needs and our USP?
- Who are our most valuable customers/prospects?
- Are we focusing efforts (sales and ops) on them to maximize company value and customer satisfaction/ retention?
- How is this reflected in the operational service level (cost to serve)?
- How do we keep operating margin under control along the customer/contract lifecycle?
- ...
In addition, best-in-class players realize that the notion of experience is becoming central. While this has been valid for many years in B2C, it is now just as important in B2B. The evolution that "sales and marketing excellence" has been undergoing is schematically illustrated in the figure below. The traditional "four Ps" of "marketing excellence" (product, place, price and promotion), which have been around since the 1960s, have gradually developed through the "four Cs" of "commercial excellence" (customer needs, convenience, cost-to-serve and communication) to finally reach today's "four Es" of "customer- centric commercial excellence", or "customer excellence" (emotion, experience, exclusivity and engagement).
In the era of customer excellence, best-in-class B2B players realize that, to solve their commercial challenges and remain successful, they must put the customer at the center of everything they undertake. The end goal of customer excellence transformations is a situation in which customers:
- Can relate to the company's unique value and brand attributes.
- Feel their needs are understood and the company strives for their satisfaction.
- Believe the company's offering reflects these needs.
- Think the company is one step ahead of the market and differentiates itself by offering tailored solutions.
- Never cease to be positively surprised by the company.
- Are willing to pay a premium for the superior quality and experience of the company's services.
Best-in-class B2B players have started a journey towards customer-centric commercial excellence
The customer excellence cycle continuously involves all functions along the customer journey
Several sales, marketing and operations processes are present in all established companies. However, in many companies, the degree of maturity of these processes often differs across business units, countries and divisions. In addition, sales, marketing and operations often work independently from each other. This leads to inconsistencies across organizational interfaces (e.g., for international customers expecting to receive the same value proposition across countries) and suboptimal performance. The lack of "common language" and collaboration across organizational boundaries (countries, departments, business units, etc.) leads to a missed opportunity for continuous improvement and a waste of efforts due to constant "reinvention of the wheel".
To unleash the numerous benefits of customer excellence and achieve tangible improvements, an end-to-end approach addressing multiple dimensions across the customer journey is required. The eight key steps to customer excellence (see following figure), which cover practices across sales, marketing and operations, can be divided into two main parts. The first four steps, from intelligence up to engaging, are commonly referred to as "strategic marketing". The last four steps, from needs & solution to continuous improvement, are, in turn, typically called "sales & operations excellence". A big portion of B2B companies only focus on these last four steps, which then leads to misalignment between their value propositions and customer needs. Each of the eight steps is supported by several commercial excellence practices. The level of maturity required for each of these depends on company specifics and is informed by the company's strategic vision, sense of purpose and brand. It is crucial for a company to find the right balance between "good practices" (for which maturity should be aligned with industry standards) and "next practices" (leading-edge activities that allow the company to differentiate from and outrun competitors).
To develop and maintain superior customer excellence, best-in-class B2B players focus on five main areas
- Providing customers with a branded experience.
- Understanding customer needs and tailoring commercial approaches accordingly.
- Reviewing product and service offerings to maximize added value.
- Continuously introducing selected "next practices".
- Attracting/developing talents and capabilities, while transforming the organization and governance.
1. Providing customers with a branded experience
Defining a sense of purpose ("What is our company bringing to the world?") is becoming a necessity for companies as they face business environment challenges. Defining or redefining the sense of purpose involves clearly determining the company's identity, as well as the original and differentiating understanding of its role. However, "what the company brings to the world" and "what would be missing if the company disappeared" should be made explicit.
Defining a company's sense of purpose (the "WHY" strategy) secures differentiation, allows for common storytelling to stakeholders, and drives transformation. The sense of purpose is at the heart of a business, as it drives its uniqueness and competitiveness. In addition, as a new generation enters the labor market, employers need to rethink their management approaches. Giving meaning is a necessity if a company is looking to hire millennials. The "WHY" strategy creates an "empowered" organization with a clear orientation, strong cultural cement, and an effective filter through which all company actions must pass. In the process, it facilitates a common language for clients, hiring of empowering people within a clear framework, and creation of a strong culture.
2. Understanding customer needs and tailoring commercial approaches accordingly
Voice-of-customer (VoC) analysis performed via in-depth, one- to-one interviews with customers and prospects, is gaining traction among leading B2B players. VoC is a critical lever to gain customer insight. As such, it is often the cornerstone of customer excellence transformation programs. It allows the company to learn about (unmet) needs and the current level of satisfaction relating to these needs. It also helps them understand perceived strengths and weaknesses, as well as differentiators versus competition.
Best-in-class players have a comprehensive approach that allows them to spot opportunities and focus commercial and operational efforts where value lies. Proactive prospect and customer engagement helps them achieve common focus and avoid duplication of efforts. In addition, it enables them to move from product/service delivery logic, in which the same effort is spent on all, to a situation in which efforts are allocated in line with customer value. In B2B, need-based market segmentation and targeting is a next practice that allows better understanding of differentiated market needs. The company can subsequently derive relevant need- and value-based segments from this. It can then focus its efforts and adapt its positioning strategy based on the attractiveness of a segment in the market, as well as its competitive positioning.
To activate the differentiated brand experience and positioning strategy identified through need-based segmentation and targeting exercises, best-in-class B2B players define individual customer interaction models (CIMs) tailored to each specific segment. These differentiated CIMs allow companies to identify the so-called moments of truth (touchpoints with positive experience) and pain points (touchpoints with negative experience) along the customer journey. From this, they can define how to activate their brand platforms on these different touchpoints through concrete actions ("emblematic proof").
3. Reviewing product and service offerings to maximize added Value
The fast pace of technological innovation and customer evolution shortens the relevance of product and service offerings but creates opportunities to please customers in new ways. As a result, best-in-class players adopt continuous improvement logic when reviewing their product and service offerings. They ensure threshold needs remain satisfied, while well-chosen delighters or "WOW factors" allow for differentiation.
4. Continuously introducing selected "next practices"
Best-in-class players review the maturity and performance of their commercial practices regularly. Through best-practice sharing and continuous improvement mechanisms, they ensure that their commercial practices stay on par with industry standards. In addition, they selectively develop and introduce next practices that allow them to differentiate from and out- reach competition.
5. Attracting/developing talents and capabilities, while transforming the organization and governance
Organizational and cultural changes are often required to move a culture towards increased customer centricity. B2B players typically need to introduce or reinforce their strategic marketing capabilities and create dedicated functions. In addition, moving towards customer excellence often involves reviewing and adapting governance bodies and incentive schemes. Trends such as the increasing need for integrated solutions are affecting organizational structure and capabilities. Companies typically need to decide whether to develop in-house technology departments to increase control over their R&D functions.
Customer excellence should be seen as a continuous process and transformation enabler
Embarking on a customer excellence journey should be considered an opportunity to launch a transformation to anchor client centricity deeply within the organizational culture. The main benefits of a customer excellence transformation are threefold. First, the creation of a strong client-centric culture allows the company to improve staff engagement and preference. Second, it translates into customer loyalty and stickiness, increasing customer preference and retention while maximizing operating margins in the short- and long-term. Third, continuous differentiation versus competitors is emphasized thanks to the introduction of customer and operational feedback loops.
It is commonly known that the implementation phase is where most transformation programs fail. To maximize the chances of successful program implementation and organizational transformation, customer excellence programs should rely on collaborative approaches that aim to maximize buy-in from the main stakeholders early on and throughout the program.


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This is an example of a page. Unlike posts, which are displayed on your blog's front page in the order they're published, pages are better suited for more timeless content that you want to be easily accessible, like your About or Contact information. Click the Edit link to make changes to this page or add another page.
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Regardless of the type of wedding you choose, you will need a wedding reception venue, a place where the occasion can be celebrated.Below, you will find a selection of wedding venues in ##MARKET##. Consider the type of wedding you're dreaming of to find the perfect banquet hall. A fabulous ballroom is ideal for a glamorous wedding. Thinking Boho, rustic, or modern? Check out various outdoor wedding venues, wedding venues with a barn, and other venues for a wedding reception. The right ##MARKET## wedding venues will enhance your wedding theme. For more ideas, use our search tools for inspirational photos of wedding venues. Before choosing from the ##MARKET## wedding venues, you need to know how many guests the space will accommodate. In addition, what is your budget? The larger the space, the more you will be spending on decorations and other extras. Some venues are all-inclusive, others will require you to rent linen, chairs, and other necessities that will affect the final cost. Learn more about halls for reception and the wedding venue average cost. Prioritize your vision, then click on our ##MARKET## wedding venues to see which ones are the best match.
All Columbus Wedding Ceremony & reception venues, officiants, rentals (Updated for 2024) - WeddingVenture.com
You can't have a wedding without a wedding officiant. You want an officiant who can guide you through the biggest moment of your life. Yet the critical importance of the officiant is frequently overlooked. You can't have a wedding without an officiant, and the wrong officiant can easily ruin your wedding. Your wedding officiant should share your vision of the wedding ceremony. ##Some officiants will simply perform a standard ceremony. If you want to include your own touches and personalized vows, make sure your officiant is prepared and able to handle these variations. Many officiants will help you write your own vows and come up with creative ideas for the ceremony. That is why you should know what you want before hiring someone to officiate at your wedding. Any experienced officiant should be able to provide you with references. If not, he or she may not be for you. ##Your wedding officiant should take the time to get to know you and your fiancé and actually contribute to your wedding magic. If you opt for a religious ceremony, talk to your clergy member to ensure that the ceremony will reflect your needs and vision. Some houses of worship have limitations. ##A professional officiant will be trained for all types of wedding ceremonies to create a truly personal wedding experience. Also, consider having a special friend officiate for you. He or she can become ordained online for just a modest fee and can become an intricate part of your wedding. Do a Visual Search on our site for ideas and inspiration
Your wedding invitation may be the first clue for some of your guests of your pending nuptials. In addition, your invitation will reflect your personality and the type of wedding that is being planned. So, it pays to choose wisely. Use our Photo Search function to see the different types of wedding invitations available. ##Your invitation is the initial indication of your basic wedding theme and style in your choice of shape, texture, and color. Consider what colors and fonts best reflect your personality. While wedding invitations may traditionally be an off-white or ecru color, there is no need to limit yourself. If your wedding has a color theme (such as the bold colors of autumn), integrate those with your choice of invitation. If you feel more comfortable with a traditional color, you can choose a colored border. Many guests and family members keep wedding invitations as precious keepsakes, so make them worth keeping. ##And don't forget the wording. "Join us at our shindig" will create a different impression than more traditional wording. Our Wedding Store offers a large variety of wedding stationery. Remember to include all the relevant inserts with your invitations.


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- Christian Tumblers
- Be Strong Be Brave Be Fearless Christian Religious Tumbler Bible Verse Joshua 1:9
Be Strong Be Brave Be Fearless Christian Religious Tumbler Bible Verse Joshua 1:9
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Be Strong Be Brave Be Fearless Christian Religious Tumbler Bible Verse Joshua 1:9
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Painting Angels, Saints and Their Symbols
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Few saints are remembered in art, but those who are tend to appear with frequency. In their representations, these holy figures have come to be associated with some characteristic symbols . . . St. Peter with the keys Jesus gave him, St. Paul with the sword that killed him, and so on. In this piece, I've focused on three popular saints and the symbols that often represent them.
This symbol is most often associated with a ubiquitous fourth-century saint, Martin of Tours, whose image is found in many European monasteries and churches.
As a young teen, Martin found refuge in a church and became a catechumen against the will of his parents. The son of a pagan couple, he was born around 316 in the city of Sabaria, Pannonia, today part of Hungary. Shortly thereafter, his father, a Roman military tribune, was transferred to Pavia, Italy. When Martin was 15, the military draft was activated, and Martin's father seized the opportunity to thwart his son's spiritual journey by handing him over to Roman authorities. The teenager was put in chains, forced to enlist in the imperial cavalry, and sent to Amiens, Gaul (France). One winter day, Martin chanced upon a poor beggar at the city gates. Clad in only a few rags and trembling from the cold, the beggar cried out for help. No one stopped. Martin took off his cloak, sliced it in two with his cavalry sword, and gave half to the beggar.
In El Greco's painting of this scene, Saint Martin and the Beggar, the saint is mounted on a white steed and dressed in 16th-century Spanish armor instead of fourth-century Roman military garb. A tall, thin beggar with a dirty rag wrapped around his lower calf stands near the horse. Martin has just drawn his sword and is about to cut his green cloak in two. El Greco chose the colors for the horse and the cape carefully; they represent the virtues that this saint embodies. White symbolizes purity, innocence of soul, and goodness of heart; green is the symbol of hope especially of hope over despair. In the distant background are a few masterly brushstrokes hinting at the city of Toledo (where El Greco lived) instead of Amiens (where Martin was stationed) artists often put their own geographical or historical stamps on their work. As in many of El Greco's other paintings, the figures are elongated and graceful the Greek's indisputable hallmark.
The night after this episode, St. Martin purportedly had a dream in which the Lord appeared clad in half a cloak and surrounded by a multitude of angels. Our Lord tells the angels, "Martin, yet a catechumen, has covered me with this garment." Shortly thereafter, the young cavalryman was baptized. The rest of Martin's life was filled with physical and spiritual tests. Once after a battle, he was ordered before Emperor Julian to receive a war bounty. Presenting himself before the Roman leader, Martin refused to accept the bounty, saying, "Hitherto I have served you as a soldier; let me now serve Christ." For this, he was put under military guard but eventually released. Martin then sought out St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, and was received as one of his disciples. After a time, Martin became a hermit, and St. Hilary gave him some land in a place now called Liguge. Soon other hermits found their way to Martin's retreat, and together they established the first monastic community in France.
In 371, Martin reluctantly accepted being named bishop of Tours. As bishop, he traveled widely on foot, on donkey, and by boat, visiting the outlying parishes of his bishopric. Toward the end, Martin foretold his death, which occurred while visiting a center he'd established in Candes, Touraine. Stricken down and unable to walk, he asked to be carried on a stretcher to the presbytery of the church. There he died. Sulpitius Severus, a contemporary biographer, wrote: "No one ever saw him [Martin] enraged, or excited, or lamenting, or laughing; he was always one and the same; displaying a kind of heavenly happiness in his countenance, he seemed to have passed the ordinary limits of human nature. Never was there any word on his lips but Christ, and never was there a feeling in his heart except piety, peace, and tender mercy. Frequently, too, he used to weep for the sins of those who showed themselves his revilers . . ."
Martin was buried in Tours in 397 where a grand basilica and cloisters were built nine centuries later. Sadly, the shrine was sacked and the saint's relics almost completely destroyed during the religious wars of the 16th century and then again during the French Revolution. Both times the basilica was rebuilt, though the second time on a more modest scale. Today the smaller basilica is still a center of much devotion. In France, St. Martin is known as "the merciful."
Crown, Palm Branch, and Tower
In Jan van Eyck's painting, Virgin and Child, with Saints and Donor, two women stand on either side of Our Lady and the Child Jesus. The veiled woman holds a crown, and the maiden a palm branch while all stand calmly before a tower. The three women wear robes that fall in luxuriant folds about them. A Carthusian monk Jan Vos kneels in front, and as prior for the Monastery of Val-de-Grace (near Bruges, Belgium), he commissioned this work. But who is the queen? And what about the maiden and the tower?
The woman gracefully holding the crown is Queen Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Hungary. When she was four years old, her father, King Andrew II of Hungary, arranged a marriage for her to Hermann of Thuringia (a German principality). Shortly after, Elizabeth was sent to the Thuringian court to be brought up alongside her betrothed a heart-wrenching custom of the times. Moreover, some in Elizabeth's newly found court were unkind to the little Hungarian princess. Two years later and still far from her family, news came that her mother Gertrude had been murdered by Hungarian nobles. Three years after that, her betrothed died and Elizabeth was promised to his younger brother, Ludwig.
Captivated by her goodness and uncommon beauty, the young man fell deeply in love with her. After his jaunts and journeys, he would bring mementos back to her purses, a necklace or two, and a coral rosary. In 1221, they were wed; Ludwig was 21, Elizabeth 14. During their years of marriage, Elizabeth earned a reputation for kindness to the unwanted and desperate, most notably lepers, orphans, and plague victims. Twice a day she cared for the ill who came to the castle, especially those nobody else would touch. As many as 900 people a day were fed on the castle grounds. For those too weak to climb the castle's steep path, she established a hospital at the foot of the mountain.
On one occasion, she brought a gravely ill leper to the couple's own private bedchamber. She placed him on the bed covering him with blankets. When Ludwig got home and was about to retire, he pulled back the covers and nearly exploded. This time his wife's good works were too much. But his anger disappeared when he looked back and saw Christ lying there in the place of the leper.
Six years into their marriage, Elizabeth and Ludwig were expecting their third child when Ludwig joined one of the Crusades. He only got part of the way there before he succumbed to the plague. When she learned of her beloved husband's death, Elizabeth turned pale with shock and ran through the castle halls sobbing and screaming, "The world is dead to me, all that was joyous in the world has been taken from me."
Eventually, her grief subsided and she became a third-order Franciscan, establishing another hospital at Marburg. Elizabeth lived only a few more years, dying at age 24. Her spiritual director, the ascetic Conrad of Marburg, gave an account of her last moments. After hearing her final confession, he wrote, "She asked me to distribute everything [to the needy] except one worn out dress in which she wished to be buried . . . [After this] she received the body of our Lord . . . and then she devoutly commended to God all who were sitting nearby, and as if falling into a gentle sleep, she died."
Legend has it that the maiden with the golden hair holding the palm branch and standing in front of the tower with three windows was named Barbara. Unfortunately, there are no early Christian records of this saint, nor does her name appear in St. Jerome's original martyrology. References to Barbara as a virgin and martyr began to appear in the seventh century. This lasted until 1969 when her December 4 feast day was removed from the revised Roman Catholic calendar. A favorite for artists, her legend (there are several versions) is more or less as follows.
The daughter of a wealthy heathen named Dioscurus, Barbara was kept enclosed in a tower to preserve her from the outside world until she married. Only philosophers and poets were allowed to tutor her, and through this instruction, she reached the conclusion that polytheism was nonsense. A desire grew within her to convert to Christianity. She began to live austerely and vowed to remain a virgin. In the meantime, Barbara's father arranged a marriage for her to a local prince an arrangement she rejected. Her enraged father ordered baths to be built adjoining the young woman's tower in an attempt to entice her away from her ascetic tendencies. When Barbara saw that the bath area would only have two windows, she ordered a third added to symbolize the Holy Trinity. She was baptized and recommitted herself to living austerely, eating only locusts and nectar from the honeysuckle bushes in the inner courtyard.
Her father, away on a journey while these events transpired, returned to find his daughter ever deeper in the grip of her faith. Out of ideas, he dragged Barbara before the provincial judge and angrily denounced her Christianity. The judge ordered her scourged and then condemned to death by beheading. Barbara's own father carried out the sentence at the top of a mountain. On his way down, he was struck by lightning and his body consumed by its fire.
The palm branch Barbara is holding in the painting has long been used with martyrs to symbolize the ultimate victory of life over death. St. Lucy, St. Apollonia, St. Stephen, and others are typically shown in art with a palm branch. This custom comes from early times. The Romans used the palm branch as a sign of victory. Indeed, Christ was greeted with palm branches upon entering Jerusalem before His Passion a scriptural sign foretelling his victorious resurrection.
Cord and Stigmata
Frequently, these symbols are connected with St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Order of Friars Minor, the Franciscans. Son of a wealthy Italian merchant and a French noblewoman, Giovanni Francesco Bernardone was a wealthy, handsome young man. Though fond of a good party, Francis was generous at heart and much taken by romantic chivalry. He wanted to be a troubadour and cavalier one who would ride off to win the damsel, fame, and fortune. Wrote Chesterton, "Tell it as the tale of one of the Troubadours, and the wild things he would do for his lady, and the whole . . . puzzle disappears . . . The first fact to realize about St. Francis is . . . that when he said from the first that he was a Troubadour, and said later that he was a Troubadour of a newer and nobler romance, he was not using a mere metaphor . . . He was, to the last agonies of asceticism, a Troubadour. He was a Lover. He was a lover of God and . . . of men."
Twice did Francis head off to war (first to Perugia and then to Apulia in southern Italy), twice did he fall ill, and twice did he have visionary dreams. In Perugia, after one of the skirmishes, he was held captive for a year. Francis fell very ill there, and his father ransomed him. The next year Francis spent recovering and reflecting on his life. Once he was healthy, he volunteered a second time to accompany Count Gautier de Brienne on a military conquest to southern Italy. Shortly before departing, he had a dream in which he saw a palace "filled with saddles, shields, lances and other things" and marked with crosses. A voice said, "All these arms would belong to him and his soldiers." For Francis, this dream augured well for his future success as a great knight leading a Crusade. Euphoric, he left for southern Italy, but in Spoleto, he was again taken with a fever and had a second dream. This time the voice bade him to return to Assisi "to serve the master rather than the man." Francis returned.
One day outside of Assisi, he ran into a leper so disfigured that Francis had to step away. But he stopped, gave the sick man the money he had, and embraced him. Back in Assisi, he began to care for the sick, especially the lepers, and to visit hospitals. Once while praying in the church of San Damiano, he heard a voice coming from the crucifix that seemed to be telling him to repair the church, which was in a sad state. On impulse, Francis went to his father's shop, loaded bolts of cloth on a horse, and proceeded to sell everything at a nearby marketplace. Hurrying back to San Damiano, he gave the parish priest the money. The priest refused to accept it, and Francis left the money on a windowsill. When Francis's father found out what had happened, he was furious. Francis hid in a cave near San Damiano for a month.
When he emerged onto the streets of Assisi, dirty and hungry, the townsfolk threw rocks at him and called him a madman. Francis's father none too pleased hauled him home, beat him, and locked him up. The young zealot was eventually brought before the bishop "who informed him that it was not lawful to spend anything for sacred uses that had been gotten unlawfully" and that the parish priest had felt obliged to return the money thus obtained to Francis's father. Francis impetuously replied, "I give up not only the money but all my clothes, too; I will therefore go naked before the Lord."
The ascetic saint begged for alms and worked to restore San Damiano. His preaching drew eleven followers, and Innocent III granted them papal approval in 1209. Francis chose a rough peasant's robe tied with a rope to be their habit. The basic Franciscan rule included vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The friars were to live lives of prayer, fasting, and begging and were charged with helping the unfortunate and preaching the Gospel.
In Giotto di Bondone's painting, St. Francis is receiving the stigmata the wounds of Christ on Mount La Verna. He had gone there to leave "behind the crowds of the world," seeking a "quiet . . . place of solitude." This painting is an accurate portrayal of what is known of this experience. In Thomas of Celano's first biography of St. Francis, he describes the vision: "He [Francis] saw . . . a seraph with six wings . . . two of the wings were extended above his head, two were extended as if for flight, and two were wrapped around the whole body . . . Marks of the nails began to appear in his hands and feet . . . His right side was as though it had been pierced by a lance and had a wound in it that frequently bled."
Giotto painted St. Francis barefoot and wearing a dark brown hooded robe that is tied three times with a knotted cord, symbolizing the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience taken by all Franciscans. Two small dwellings and several idealized trees on Mount La Verna complete the background.
Maria Stella Ceplecha is a freelance writer and a Spanish language and culture professor from St. Paul, Minnesota. She lives part of the year in Avila, Spain. Special thanks to Michaelene Zawistowski.
© 2004 Morley Publishing Group, Inc.
This item 6035 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org


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Top Goldman Sachs execs get shares on New Year's Eve
Ten senior Goldman Sachs Group Inc executives, including Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein, were on New Year's Eve given stock pegged to earlier restricted awards worth tens of millions of dollars.
The executives, which also include Chief Operating Officer Gary Cohn, Vice Chairmen Michael Evans and John Weinberg, Global Head of Human Capital Management Edith Cooper, Chief of Staff John Rogers, General Counsel Greg Palm, Global Head of Compliance Alan Cohen, and Chief Accounting Officer Sarah Smith, got a total of 508,104 shares, according to multiple filings late Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
These executives sold 245,838 of those shares to cover tax obligations, and held on to the rest, which were worth $33.1 million. The shares were sold at a price of $126.24 on Monday.
The shares were not awarded as 2012 compensation; rather, they were grants that were awarded in prior years.
A spokesman for the firm said Goldman had no comment on the stock delivery.
Although the executives did not sell shares for profits on Monday, in recent months, top Goldman executives have been cashing in on stock awards granted in prior years that would have expired in November. Blankfein took home $5.9 million in proceeds from such transactions.
The transactions come amid a broader rally in bank shares. Goldman's stock soared 41 percent in 2012, to close the year at $127.56.
(This version of the story has been corrected to show that executives sold some stock received from restricted grants to cover tax obligations. Also corrects the amount of stock each received and the number executives who got shares.)
(Reporting by Lauren Tara LaCapra, editing by G Crosse)


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News for System.Data.SQLite
For the most recent news and developments, please see the news page.
About System.Data.SQLite
System.Data.SQLite is an ADO.NET provider for SQLite.
System.Data.SQLite was started by Robert Simpson. Robert still has commit privileges on this repository but is no longer an active contributor. Development and maintenance work is now mostly performed by the SQLite Development Team. The SQLite team is committed to supporting System.Data.SQLite long-term.
Legacy versions may still be found at SourceForge, though there have been no updates there since April of 2010.
There is no forum on this web site; however, the support page has an updated list of support options.
Please refer to the downloads page for a complete list of downloadable packages and information on their use.
Documentation for System.Data.SQLite
The documentation corresponding to the most recently released version of System.Data.SQLite, which contains detailed information for all public types, methods, properties, and events is checked into the repository in Microsoft Compiled HTML Help ("CHM") format. It can also be downloaded directly via the web interface to the repository.


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While perusing the list of things not allowed as carry ons on airplanes, snow globes caught my eye. These are those items I usually associate with Christmas. Remember the one in "It's a Wonderful Life" — the Jimmy Stewart classic holiday movie? The snow globe represented the main character's idlylic town–all cozy and snowy in winter. Even if you had that snow globe– calling it an antique–a movie classic piece of memorabilia, TSA wouldn't blink an eye before snatching it up and selling it on Ebay. (See Catherine's and Neil's posts.)
Okay, I remember a snow globe at the end of "It's a Wonderful Life," but maybe I'm making this up, and I just think I saw it. But, there was also a snow globe in "Citizen Kane" that crashed to the ground and broke at the end of the movie when the main character dies, right as he whispered, "Rosebud." Either one, doesn't matter. You can't take it on the plane.
See, the water in the snow globe might not be water at all–and heaven knows what those white flakes or glitter that swirl about when you shake the globes might be made of. Plastic, sure. How about EXPLOSIVE plastic? Just kidding, I have no idea.
I'm actually not faulting TSA for putting snow globes on the list. I never would have thought of their possible use as a terrorist weapon. Seems mean to me. Clever, sure, but definitely mean. Snow globes are magic. They are where you hold a world in your hand that you can alter by turning it upside down or shaking it. They are like the best memories of childhood–like pudding. You can take pudding on the plane, but just 3 ounces or less.
So if you happen to be traveling for the holidays and pick up a snow globe in some gift shop, just remember, wrap it in a towel or something, and pack it in the middle of your checked suitcase–otherwise, maybe you can buy it back on Ebay like Neil suggests.


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By Elizabeth McGowan:
While China is already boasting "All aboard!" on a network of sleek passenger trains that zip 200 mph and beyond between major urban centers, the United States is still fussing about where to install a single high-speed rail line for a proposed California project.
That's just a snapshot of how this country continues to lag behind its Asian competitor on the clean technology front.
Can America ever catch up? Yes, says Washington research fellow Miriam Pemberton. But it means taking a $100 billion-dollar bite out of the defense budget annually.
But prospects for that look dim. Many key leaders in a Republican-majority House have declared the Department of Defense off limits—even as they claim to be wielding hatchets for slicing away "waste" to lift the country out of economic doldrums.
An inside-the-Beltway defense contractor who asked to speak off the record told SolveClimate News in an interview that Congress won't be lopping significant amounts from the defense budget anytime soon. And even if it did, that money would not be redirected toward a clean technology deficit.
"The idea that we will whack the Department of Defense to make the Department of Energy robust is a fantasy," he said. "DOD might be cut some. The question is, what happens to that money? I can't see those resources going toward DOE. That shift will not occur."
Chasing China's Investment Numbers
But Pemberton, who researches demilitarization issues for the Institute for Policy Studies' Foreign Policy in Focus project, says Congress is missing the big picture.
If the effects of climate change are indeed so dire, she asks, then why shouldn't defense dollars be redistributed toward DOE and other federal outlets such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Labor, the Department of Transportation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that can play integral roles in avoiding these impending disasters?
Endowing those agencies with more cash to shrink carbon footprints, launch green jobs and advance clean technologies could mitigate the chaos of severe floods, droughts, heat waves and rising sea levels that climate scientists are predicting and witnessing. That could lessen the U.S. military's concerns about having to tamp down unrest caused by climatic events worldwide.
"By cutting the defense budget we would be substituting the green (technology) race for the arms race started by Sputnik," Pemberton said in an interview. "It's a way of keeping up with the Chinese and saving the planet."
Pemberton isn't just speaking off the cuff. Her intensive research has compared U.S.-China expenditures—and her arithmetic is jarring.
Calculations she cites in an October report titled "Military vs. Climate Security: The 2011 Budgets Compared," reveal that the U.S. climate change budget has more than doubled—from $7 billion to $18 billion—since 2008. Military spending in that same time period has risen from $696 billion to $739 billion. For every dollar spent on climate in 2008, the U.S. spent $94 on the military. That will drop to a $41: $1 ratio this year.
"Obviously, this is progress," Pemberton said, but it isn't enough to stay competitive. The Chinese are spending one-sixth as much as the United States on their military and investing twice as much on clean energy technology. For every dollar China spends on climate, between $2 and $3 goes toward its military.
"The extreme tilt in our budget toward military spending is leaving us way behind in two of the major growth markets of the global economy," she said, referring to solar and wind technologies. "For the sake of our economic health and competitiveness … (and) security, we need to tilt the other way."
No Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
As the country's most prolific energy user, U.S. military leaders know it's incumbent on them to innovate to contribute to national security by lowering their massive emissions profile.
"I agree with the secretary of energy (Steven Chu) that this is a Sputnik moment," former deputy undersecretary of defense Sherri Goodman said in an interview. "I have no doubt that the military will be part of leading the revolution that allows us to rise to this challenge."
Budget cuts might be on the agenda at DOD, she said, but handing out those dollars elsewhere within the federal government is illogical.
"I do not think it makes sense to rob Peter to pay Paul," said Goodman, now general counsel to CNA Corp., a Virginia-based nonprofit research institution. "It's very important to maintain the readiness and preparedness of the military."
Keeping the Stimulus Going
Pemberton was one of 14 members of a Sustainable Defense Task Force formed at the behest of Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Barney Frank. In cooperation with Reps. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and Ron Paul, R-Texas, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the coalition of liberal and conservative defense experts explored how to reduce the federal deficit by paring the defense budget without compromising security.
The June report presented a series of options that together could save up to $960 billion between 2011 and 2020. Proposals outlined in "Debts, Deficits, and Defense: A Way Forward," cover the full range of Pentagon expenditures, including procurement, research and development, personnel, operations and maintenance, and infrastructure.
Green technologies are starved for those savings, Pemberton said, especially now that similar funding provided via the Obama administration's $787 billion federal economic stimulus package is drying up.
"We need that kind of investment every year," she said about cash infusions she refers to as the public investment component. "It can't be a one-time thing."
These priorities include: boosting global warming research, green job training, tax credits for clean energy, and research and development into energy technologies; promoting energy efficiency; and making long-term commitments to renewable energy sources, public transportation and electricity transmission lines.
"What we proposed in the summer of 2010 really has become common ground of all of these deficit reduction proposals," she said. "The common denominator is that $100 billion in savings per year are possible with no sacrifice in security."
In a report titled "Military vs. Climate Security" that Pemberton released in August 2009, she argued that $1 billion spent on manufacturing weapons creates 8,555 jobs. An identical investment in mass transit would create 19,795 jobs, or in weatherization or infrastructure would create 12,804 jobs.
"If climate change is the major security threat the military says it is, no amount of military greening will be enough to reverse it," Pemberton said. "Only wholesale measures to curb emissions across our own economy—and the world's—will do the job."
Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that he is following a White House directive to slice $78 billion from the Pentagon budget over the next five years. However, those are cuts to projected spending, Pemberton pointed out, meaning the budget will still grow but just by not as much as initially proposed.
Technology Transfer Not Fast Enough
The United States continues to spend more on the military than the countries with the next 15 largest military budgets combined, according to an op-ed financial journalist James Ledbetter published in The New York Times Dec. 13. In addition, the U.S. military also releases more heat-trapping emissions than any other institution worldwide.
Climate security is an enormous defense concern, Goodman said, and has prompted efforts to shrink the Pentagon's carbon footprint. That list of advances includes electrifying vehicle fleets on military installations and flying aircraft with biofuel. As well, she said, Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan are weaning themselves of fossil fuels by deploying solar panels and light-emitting diode (LED) technology at patrol bases.
She also stressed that the DOE and DOD have an agreement allowing DOE to test energy innovations at military sites, pointing to active partnerships with the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, the Army's Fort Carson and Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Collaboration such as this can accelerate the movement of energy advances from the government to the private sector.
"I think the Department of Defense's commitment to this is real," Goodman said. "It's important that this type of investment be seen like the investment DOD makes to improve readiness and the importance of its weapons systems that increase the security of the nation.
"We know that China is moving rapidly ahead with innovations in all types of energy," she continued. "With increasing access to resources globally and as the global challenges increase, the United States needs to remain competitive in all of these fields."
But Pemberton maintains that the country will lose valuable time if it waits for energy innovation to trickle down from the Pentagon to the private sector.
"Military priorities are always going to be military security," Pemberton said. For instance, she added, DOD would be interested in a renewable energy grid to serve the needs of military bases, not as a practical, energy-saving advance for the entire nation.
"DOD sees stabilizing the climate as a byproduct and a side issue," she said. "They should be required to be concerned with how their investments are working for the rest of us."
U.S. the High-Speed Rail Caboose?
Pemberton is encouraged by the December announcement that General Electric is investing $50 million in a joint venture with CSR Corp. Ltd. of China to build high-speed trains for projects in Florida and California.
Executing final production and assembly here instead of in China allows the partners to meet "Buy America" standards mandated by the Obama administration for states to qualify for federal stimulus funds for high-speed rail systems.
While such collaboration is a nod in the right direction, Pemberton noted, China is providing the beacon with the financing, expertise and ingenuity to help these advanced trains thrive on U.S. soil.
Not being able to finance or build mass transit independently, she emphasized, is just one example of how this nation has let its potential role as a clean technology innovator whither.
"It's glaringly clear that we have neglected what should be a core part of our infrastructure," Pemberton said. "Instead, we're intent on funding and manufacturing weapons systems."
All republished content that appears on Truthout has been obtained by permission or license.


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text:
Angels Unaware Celebration Tour
Click here to purchase your copy.
Blog Stops
January 24: Blossoms and Blessings
January 25: autism mom
January 26: Books. Books. And More Books.
January 27: Moments Dipped in Ink
January 28: A Greater Yes
January 29: Carpe Diem
January 30: Petra's Hope
January 31: A Baker's Perspective
February 1: Christian Bookaholic
February 2: Karen Sue Hadley
February 3: Quiet Quilter
February 4: Daysong Reflections
February 5: Debbie's Dusty Deliberations
February 6: His Grace is Sufficient
About the Book
Book: Angels Unaware
Author: Rachel J. Good
Genre: Inspirational Romance; novella
Release Date: November 22
Sometimes God sends angels into our lives…
Chocolate chip cookies are the perfect way to make friends. At least, Mark Daniels thinks they are. He hopes to forget his painful past and start over in new neighborhood. Everyone is warm and welcoming—everyone that is, but the dragon lady next door. She rebuffs all overtures of friendship and declines Mark's invitations to church.
Jasmine Avery doesn't trust men, especially not handsome ones who come bearing gifts. She's been badly hurt and has walled herself off from love. Reluctantly, she agrees to attend church with Mark on Easter Sunday, not realizing how it will change her life and her future. But soon after she discovers the secret to a happy life, her whole world turns upside-down. Will these unexpected changes prove Mark can't be trusted either? Or can she and Mark overcome their past heartbreaks to forge a new life together?
About the Author
Inspirational author Rachel J. Good writes life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness.She is also the author of the Sisters & Friends Amish series and the Amish Quilts Coloring Book. A former teacher and librarian, she has more than 2300 articles and 30 books in print or forthcoming under several pen names. Rachel also juggles freelance editing and illustration careers. She loves reading (of course!), traveling, and spending time with her five children and three grandchildren.
Guest Post from Rachel J. Good
One of the important lessons in ANGELS UNAWARE is looking beyond the surface, seeing with new eyes. In the story, Mark has many opportunities to do this. When he first approaches Jasmine with a plate of chocolate chip cookies, she's unwelcoming and prickly:
The door opened a crack. "What do you think you're doing?"
Mark turned. The woman's narrowed eyes and belligerent stance made him quake. He took a step back. "I…um…here…" He held out the plate of cookies.
"What's that?"
Mark took a deep breath and regained his composure. He smiled and started his usual spiel. "Hi, I'm Mark Daniels, and I just moved into the neighborhood—"
"I know." She didn't sound too pleased. "That's not what I asked. What's that in your hands?"
"Oh, these? I baked chocolate chip cookies and thought I'd share some with you."
"Do you know what sugar does to your system?" she demanded. "I never touch sugar."
That explained why she was so thin. So much for cookies then. Mark wracked his brain for another offering. "A meal perhaps? I make great spaghetti and meatballs."
She drew back. "A meat eater? It figures."
Oh, terrific. Mark cringed at the acid in her tone. He'd just offered a meat dish to a vegetarian. So much for his diplomacy mission.
After a start like that, many people would have given up. But Mark feels led to share God's love with this neighbor, and he tries again and again. Eventually he discovers she's hiding some deep personal pain. His persistence brings unexpected rewards to both of them.
I wanted to write this story because we usually avoid people who criticize us or hurt our feelings. Yet, often those who are unkind are actually aching inside. And they need God's unconditional love and forgiveness, because only God can heal their pain and suffering.
After God touches Jasmine's heart, Mark can see her softer, kinder side. And she's proof of that saying, "An angel resides in every heart."
Could your grouchy neighbor or critical boss be an angel in disguise? Maybe these annoying people have been sent into our lives to help build our character or to teach us a lesson. The Bible warns us to be hospitable to everyone, because we never know when we'll come upon an angel "unawares."
"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Heb. 13:2 KJV
Each person you meet has been sent into your life for a reason. Sometimes these angels come into our lives in unlikely disguises. We don't always realize their purpose until much later. Looking back, though, we can see God's hand in the encounters.
Other times, we discover – like Mark did – that we're supposed to be angels to those who are unkind to us. We may be the only ones who have ever touched their lives with God's light.
Who in your life needs God's love? Can you be an angel to that person?


text:
Weekly News Wrap-Up 6.22.12
By Greg Hunter's USAWatchdog.com
Moody's dropped a bomb on global banks this week. It handed out credit rating cuts to 15 of the biggest banks in the western world. JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Citi were all cut two notches and Credit Suisse three notches. Since the 2008 financial crisis, it's really been all about propping up the banks and nothing else. That's why there has been growing talk of a world-wide money printing drop for weeks now, and one is coming soon.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti says there is "only a week to save the Eurozone." Remember, Mr. Monti is an un-elected technocrat banker, and this is all about saving the banks and not the people. Congress wants documents in the failed "Fast and Furious" gun sting operation where a border patrol agent was killed with guns given to a Mexican drug cartel by undercover federal agents. The White House is invoking "Executive privilege" in order to not comply with Congress. This is turning ugly and may set off a Constitutional battle. Congress and the Executive Branch are supposed to be equal. There was another meeting this week concerning Iran's nuclear program. The U.S., Russia, China, Germany, UK, France and, of course, Iran were all present. The only thing agreed upon was they would meet again. How long will Israel wait is the only question to me. Greg Hunter gives his analysis of these stories and more in the Weekly News wrap-Up.
"There is no cover up here. There is no 20 minutes of missing tape" No, there is just a string of dead bodies in Mexico and the USA. Nothing to see here folks, our government has a "Kill List" and kills US citizens without judicial review. Do you think the President really cares if US citizens or Mexicans are murdered by drug cartels using guns illegally given to them by Federal Agents if he can make guns look bad and make an end run on the Second Amendment?
Mr. Obama said he would bring a new level of transparency to the Presidency. Compared to Mr. Obama's administration, Mr. Bush's administration did its work naked, in full view of the public. "New level of transparency" my a$$. It is easier to get into a nuclear missile silo than to get documents from Mr. Obama's office. -
In addition, I am not a fan of Mr. Bush's administration by any measure. I am merely pointing out the fact that while Mr. Obama keeps blaming Mr. Bush for this or that; in reality, Mr. Obama is "out Bushing" Mr. Bush by any metric that one sees fit to use, be it financial, transparency, or rule of law.
Greg, Just a point of clarification on the comments you made on Operation Fast & Furious. You stated "undercover federal agents gave firearms, semi-automatic weapons to Mexican drug cartels". The way you stated this makes it sound as if the agents were the one's giving the guns to the cartels. I think "gave" is not correct. The agents, some of whom became whistle blowers, were instructed by superiors to allow retail gun shop owners to sell to straw purchasers, or middle men, who took them over the border to the cartels. The gun shops would not have done it and the agents would not have done it if they weren't being instructed to let the guns walk.
Hello Greg…after checking out your weekly wrap-up I went over to Bloomberg to see the effects of bank downgrades by Moody's. The top story reads "Bank Investors Dismiss Moody's Cuts as Years Too Late."
In the article one analyst states: "'American banks are stronger today than they were three years ago," said Gerard Cassidy, a bank equity analyst with RBC Capital Markets, adding that market prices have long reflected concerns raised by Moody's.'"
Are these guys for real? Banks stronger today than 3 years ago…really? We seem on the brink of another global financial collapse and the banks are stronger than ever? I can barely bring myself to even watch Bloomberg these days.
Also, I grew up in Greensboro, NC watching you on Channel 2 so have been a fan for a long time. So glad to find your site…
Shawn -
Another great report. Guess we will see what Ben does today. Wall Street is awaiting QE 3 like a crack addict looking for the dealer to show up on the street corner. Get things ready "down on the farm", I know I am. God Bless!
Thank you for the great coverage of the daily "real" news! I really like the video's daily, very, very informative. Great job keeping us up-to-date.
Hooray for Germany for refusing to give the PIIGS another chance to stay drunk on their money, this of course has raised the ire of the PIIGS and they are now name calling the staunch Germans in typical communist rhetoric….PIIGS, your house is built on sand and you had better learn about self reliance.
F&F is going to blow up big time in the faces of the socialism seekers, another name for communism. By the looks of things the shameless, treasonus actions of the DOJ/WH and their disregard for human life and rule of law is going to net them a political hit that is going to make the hard left squeal with pain and outrage. Seeing their leadership being exposed for the callous self seeking gang they are is not going to be easy to take…still no apology from any of the left to the families of those they harmed in their quest to committ treason against this country by violating the law and smuggling arms across our border. -
It is refreshing to see you reporting in front of a farm. There is nothing better than breathing fresh air in countryside. What's next? Reporting while riding on a horse? That'll be cool.
I think there is another news that is worthwhile to mention.
"Drone Industry Becomes A Booming Business" (http://rt.com/usa/news/drone-business-defense-million-422/) By 2020, there may be up to 30,000 drones flying in the U.S. skies. In addition to losing privacy, there is always a danger that the drones will cause loss of life and property damages if someone jams the signal, hacks the computerized controller, or simply an electronic or mechanical malfunction of the drone. Also, it is just a matter of time for the terrorists and drug lords to procure the drone technology and use it against us.
I cannot believe anyone even pays attention to Moody's. The rating agencies are bought and paid for by those they rate and they are never ahead of the curve but always behind. With all of the derivatives these big banks are holding, they were down graded by me, in my mind, several years ago. Where was Moody's then?
I guess the only real question we all want answered is, "When is the other shoe going to hit the floor" and the crap hits the fan.
can the FED plug the hole in the assett bubble before it ballon drops from the sky and how much paper will they have to throw in the hole to plug it since most of the QE paper is blowing out a hole too big to plug!
for the continuing saga of Bankrupt Ben tune in next week!
Thanks Greg on spot as usual
PS: Brad and Britt moving south to the border…. WBT afternoon drive 3-6 on July 2
"When will they proscute Wall St. wrong doers?" That would be a good start. A better place to start would be with Congressional oversight stepping in and charging the SEC & CFTC with malfeasance and dereliction of duty. Blatant naked short selling in this market not only goes unapposed, but nary a word from government agencies responsible for overseeing this abuse. Even mistakenly leaked Goldman Sachs documents into a courtroom explaining just how this naked short selling is occuring still brings not even a frown from SEC and other agencies responsible for market oversight. Yo, but not a word from our congressional representatives, those bastions of the rights of working class Americans! Congress, and thus those noble representatives who slink within those hallowed walls of liberty, is responsible for seeing these agencies overseeing financial misdeeds do their job. Where is our individual congressionan demanding oversight?
Naked short selling or not, those short trades ultimately have to be closed out with a buy.
Sean S., Yeah Right! That is like saying the guy who just robbed a store by gunpoint is stimulating the economy when he goes out and freely spends the money. Come on Sean S, I have read your comments before and I know you can do better than this….


text:
Skull Valley
The information contained herein has been provided by Prescott MLS. This information is from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed by Prescott MLS. The information is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than identifying properties which consumers may be interested in purchasing. Copyright Prescott MLS. All rights reserved.


text:
ON THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF DUGONGS (Dugong dugon) AND THEIR HABITATS THROUGHOUT THEIR RANGE
The Signatory States,
Aware that the populations of dugongs are seriously threatened throughout the range of the species and that effective conservation and management requires an integrated ecosystem approach;
Recognising that dugongs migrate and disperse over vast distances, which makes their survival dependent on their conservation and management over a wide area and in a wide range of marine and coastal habitats;
Acknowledging that human activities that may threaten dugong populations directly or indirectly include destruction or modification of habitat, coastal development, pollution, fishing activities, vessel strikes, unsustainable hunting or poaching, uncontrolled mariculture and tourism;
Concerned about the harm caused to dugongs by the gear used in some forms of fishing, such as coastal trawling and driftnet fishing, including activities by vessels of Distant-Water Fishing Nations, while recognizing that some fishing activities are conducted responsibly;
Acknowledging their shared responsibility for the conservation and management of dugong populations and their habitats highlighting the importance of seagrass beds;
Recognising the desirability of involving other States whose nationals or vessels conduct activities that may affect dugongs of the region, as well as States that may be in a position to contribute resources or expertise that may promote the implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding;
Noting that dugongs have a priority for conservation action through their listing in the respective appendices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES);
Noting that CMS calls for international cooperative action to conserve migratory species, and that CMS Article IV encourages CMS Contracting Parties to conclude Agreements, including non-legally binding agreements, in respect of any population of migratory species;
Recalling also Resolution 2.6 of the Second Meeting of the CMS Conference of the Parties which recommended that Parties implement where appropriate CMS Article IV, paragraph 4, within the spirit of the Convention through the use of instruments such as memoranda of understanding; and
Further noting recommendation 7.5 and resolution 8.5 of the Seventh and Eighth Meetings of the CMS Conference of the Parties called on Range States of dugongs to cooperate among themselves, as appropriate, and participate actively to develop and conclude a Memorandum of Understanding and a Conservation and Management Plan to conserve and manage dugongs throughout the species' range;
Express their desire to work closely together to improve the conservation status of dugongs and the habitats on which they depend. To this end, the Signatory States to this Memorandum of Understanding, in the spirit of co-operation, have reached the following understandings. They will:
- Endeavour to co-operate closely in order to restore, or where appropriate maintain, a favourable conservation status for dugongs and the habitats on which they depend, taking into account, where appropriate, subsistence and customary use of dugongs in those States where it is permitted.
- Consider joining those international instruments most relevant to the conservation and management of dugongs and their habitat, in order to enhance the legal protection of the species in the region.
- Make every effort to review, formulate, revise and harmonise national legislation or regulations, as necessary, relevant to the conservation and management of dugongs and their habitats.
- Implement, subject to the availability of necessary resources, the Conservation and Management Plan annexed to this Memorandum of Understanding. The Conservation and Management Plan will address:
(a) Direct and indirect causes of dugong mortality;
(b) Research and monitoring of dugong populations;
(c) Protection, conservation and management of habitats;
(d) Research into and monitoring of important dugong habitats;
(e) Awareness of dugong conservation;
(f) National, regional and international cooperation;
(g) Implementation of the MoU;
(h) Legal protection of dugong and their habitats; and
(i) Capacity building at all levels. - Establish a Secretariat, based in an appropriate organisation or institution, to be decided by consensus of the Signatory States, to assist in the administration and implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding by communicating with, reporting on and facilitating activities between and among Signatory States and performing such other functions as may be assigned by the Signatory States, such as convening meetings.
- Assess the implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding, including the Conservation and Management Plan, at regular meetings to be attended by representatives of each of the Signatory States concerned, and persons or organisations technically qualified in dugong conservation and management.
- Facilitate the timely exchange of relevant information necessary to coordinate conservation and management measures and to cooperate with relevant organizations and recognized experts and so as to facilitate the work conducted in relation to the Conservation and Management Plan.
- Designate a competent national authority to serve as a focal point for communication among Signatory States and for implementing activities under this Memorandum of Understanding, and communicate the complete contact details of this authority (and any changes thereto) to the Secretariat.
- Provide to the Secretariat a regular report on their implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding, the frequency of which will be determined at the first meeting of the Signatory States. The Secretariat will make available to the Signatory States the national reports received and will prepare a periodic review of progress made to implement the Memorandum of Understanding and the Conservation and Management Plan.
- Assess at the first meeting of Signatory States, and review periodically, the need for and possibilities of obtaining financial resources, as well as the establishment of a special fund for purposes such as:
a) Contributing towards any expenses required to operate the Secretariat and activities carried out under this Memorandum of Understanding; and
b) Assisting the Signatory States to carry out their responsibilities under this Memorandum of Understanding.
Basic Principles
- This Memorandum of Understanding is an agreement under Article IV, paragraph 4, of CMS and is not legally binding.
- The Conservation and Management Plan is an integral part of this Memorandum of Understanding.
- This Memorandum of Understanding is open for signature by the Range States of the dugong. It will take effect with two signatures. It will become effective for each subsequent signatory on the date of signature.
- This Memorandum of Understanding will remain open for signature indefinitely, and will remain in effect indefinitely subject to the right of any Signatory State to terminate its participation by providing one year's written notice to all other signatories.
- The Memorandum of Understanding, including the Conservation and Management Plan, may be amended by a consensus of the Signatory States.
- Signatory States acknowledge that they may implement more stringent measures domestically than those specified in the Conservation and Management Plan.
- Signatory States may establish, by mutual agreement, bilateral, sub-regional or regional management plans that are consistent with this Memorandum of Understanding.
- Actions under this Memorandum of Understanding will be coordinated with Signatory States, as well as with sub-regional institutions in the Region.
- The original text of this Memorandum of Understanding, in the Arabic, English, French and Chinese languages, each language version being equally authentic, shall be deposited with the CMS Secretariat, which will act as the depositary. The working language for all matters related to this Memorandum of Understanding will be English.
Signed at Abu Dhabi on this 31st day of October 2007


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Handshake HNS
4.05 %
Change 24h
Market Cap
$ 8,561,985
Volume 24h
$ 33,392
Circulating Supply
Total Supply
# | Exchange | Pair | Price | Volume 24h |
Handshake is a decentralized, permissionless naming protocol where every peer is validating and in charge of managing the root DNS naming zone with the goal of creating an alternative to existing Certificate Authorities and naming systems. Names on the internet (top level domains, social networking handles, etc.) ultimately rely upon centralized actors with full control over a system which are relied upon to be honest, as they are vulnerable to hacking, censorship, and corruption. Handshake aims to experiment with new ways the internet can be more secure, resilient, and socially useful with a peer-to-peer system validated by the network's participants.
Handshake is an experiment which seeks to explore those new ways in which the necessary tools to build a more decentralized internet. Services on the internet have become more centralized beginning in the 1990s, but do not fulfill the original decentralized vision of the internet. Email became Gmail, usenet became reddit, blog replies became facebook and Medium, pingbacks became twitter, squid became Cloudflare, even gnutella became The Pirate Bay. Centralization exists because there is a need to manage spam, griefing, and sockpuppet/sybil attacks. Previous decentralized systems largely stopped working due to spam. If it were more costly to grief on the internet using decentralized systems, the need for trusted centralized corporations to manage these risks decrease. Internet services and platforms may benefit from building on top of a decentralized system which is specifically designed for resilience against sybil attacks.
As we may redecentralize.


text:
Just as a follow up to Operation Gladio for anyone who read it, I have just finished 180° by Feargus O'Connor Greenwood - Unlearn All The Lies You've Been Taught to Believe. It covers a lot of what I have covered in the blog but there is additional information in it worth reading in relation to banking, 9/11, CIA, Freemasons, Rothschilds etc. I've never really covered 9/11 on the blog but don't believe for a minute that a few Arabs with boxcutters pulled that off. Anyway, another one for the critical thinkers out there. Sadly, the author is dead as he is someone I would have loved to have had a conversation with, although, I don't know when he died or what he died from.
Has anyone else noticed the reduction in internet traffic recently? Although, a million households have cancelled their internet in the last year, apparently, due to the cost of living crisis, but maybe they just got sick of the bullshit and decided not to pay to be tormented any more. The only reason I haven't cancelled mine is that the telly is so crap that I mostly watch Netflix these days. I think 99.99 per cent of it is now controlled by government and is propaganda, maybe it always was. I just did a quick search and got one page of returns, most of which were Amazon. I remember when the internet started and you put in a search and got millions of hits from across the world.
I also came off Facebook and went back on Twitter a while ago and, on Saturday, I had a quick look as the weather was dry, and I wanted to get out into the garden to do some work. I rechecked it four hours later and it was the same stuff. I remember when I first went on Twitter and the page was updating constantly. I'm not sure about Musk, or how honest he is, but there is still quite a bit of censorship on it and, with the appointment of Linda Yaccarino as CEO, ex-employee of the WEF and mainstream media, I'm not sure it is the 'free and open' platform it claims to be, or will be in the future.
And, on the subject of truth, it is beyond irony that the BBC has now launched a new programme, Verify, which is, according to them - transparency in action – fact-checking, verifying video, countering disinformation, analysing data and explaining complex stories in the pursuit of truth. This is our promise to consumers - we understand that their trust must be earned and we will show them how we are doing that each and every day.
Copy that down and save it somewhere as you may need it for your defence in court in the future when they come looking for the license fee. This is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house, or a male rapist into a women's prison – oops! You couldn't make it up, unless, of course, you work for the BBC, the Guardian, the IPCC, SAGE, the WEF, the FBI etc, etc...
They used to say believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see, with Ai, I would update that to believe nothing you hear or see on screen, and question everything. The world has never appeared more absurd than it is at present, I'm sure war with Eastasia is about to kick off any day now!