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Monday, January 08, 2007
Lounging in Palm Springs
Eating L.A. has been in Palm Springs the last few days, hanging out at the Palm Springs Film Festival and as usual, trying to find something edible in the vast culinary wasteland of the desert. Even though dozens of new restaurants have opened there in the last few years, I think Variety editor Peter Bart's recommendation of a martini and some good bar snacks at the Falls is probably the safest way to go. Our first night we took the kids to El Mirasol, a nice Mexican place on East Palm Canyon that has been my fallback for the last few years. Their margaritas are large and potent, and I always order the shrimp diablo which comes with a stern warning: "this is really hot, we can't make it less spicy." I'm sure the fiery sauce overrides the subtle flavor of the shrimp, but I don't care, I can't stop eating that sauce spooned onto tortillas and mixed up with the rice and beans. The next day we finally tried Tyler's Burgers in downtown Palm Springs, which everyone says makes a great burger. Well, they make a good burger, a large burger, but great might be stretching it, since I needed to salt it repeatedly while eating it. The fries are pretty good though, they have fresh lemonade, and Matt was happy with his chili cheese dog. The quality ingredients don't come cheap though, especially when phantom $10 charges appear on the bill, so check your check carefully.
I also tried breakfast at eat. at my hotel, the Zoso, which is the Palm Springs outpost of the Hollywood Eat owned by the Patina Group. Our granola and omelette were fine, but the concept of frequent coffee refills, a no-brainer at any common diner, seemed to elude the rather spacey waitstaff at this more-trendy place. The rest of the time I ate at various film fest parties, but really, two or three restaurants in the desert is all a person can really take. A Chowhound recommended Simba's Soul Food, which is located in a rather dimly foreboding former Denny's type building -- I didn't get to try it out, but I guess it could be promising for next time.
In case there aren't enough "Berry" yogurt shops in L.A., you can try Cactus Berry, naturally, in Palm Springs. But instead, I highly recommend Lappert's Ice Cream on Palm Canyon Dr., one of the few Californian outlets of this excellent Hawaiian ice cream shops.
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"...vast culinary wasteland of the desert..."
Like a dagger through the heart of this longtime desert resident!
Next time, head down 111 to Big Mamma's Soul Food, tucked next to the Imax in Cathedral City. The entry area features a couch slip-covered in sturdy plastic, rolls of paper towels serve as napkins and the catfish is a marvel. - 1:17 PM
- Pat Saperstein said...
Will do...if only I had known. Is it better than Simba's?
"...vast culinary wasteland of the desert..." -- I have to agree completely with this statement, as I'm always saying this to my husband. I was born and raised in LA and I miss its diversity of restaurants and price levels. There are not a lot of good, unique restaurants at a mid-price range. Too many steakhouses and tourist traps, or unhealthy fast food outlets. Not enough authentic ethnic food (except for Mexican probably). My favorite place is Native Foods (Palm Desert, but there are also locations in Palm Springs, Costa Mesa and Westwood) because the food is consistently tasty. It is a vegan restaurant, and I'm not a vegan, but I'm rarely disappointed with a meal here. Tyler's is great for fresh homemade potato salad and coleslaw. Their sandwiches are very large, also. I don't eat the burgers, but my dad did the same thing as you did (salt the burger frequently). My husband and I enjoy sitting at the counter to watch the cooking action. Wolfgang's Bistro in Palm Desert offers German home cooking and is very tasty and satisfying. My husband likes the schnitzel made with an extremely tender pork filet. And it's a nice change from the proliferation of steakhouses and mediocre/generic Italian restaurants or chain eateries.
you should check out BLEND the next time your in the PS area - actually in La Quinta - the chef worked to TK at the French Laundry for years...extraordinary! Not at all what you would expect in this area!


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CatholicsComeHome.org TV ads have been airing in eight dioceses for just over a week, and here's what we're hearing in response already!
– "I'm a fallen-away Catholic. Those CCH commercials on tv got me. Yesterday I went to Confession & Mass. It felt great, but I'm going slow…" -facebook post
– "Sat down to watch Frosty the Snowman with the kids and saw one of the commercials. Having much success here in Omaha already! New converts, and at least a dozen returned that we know of in the first few days…" -Omaha, NE
– "I have returned to the Catholic Church recently, and Catholics Come Home did play a big part! Thank you!" -Westminster, CO
– "Fascination; factual but not preachy; very well produced. I am not a confirmed Catholic, but have attended Mass all over the world during my 22-year military career, and was really stirred by your message. Keep up the good work!" -Sacramento, CA
– "I wish to learn more about my church and my faith. Although I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools, there is much I have either forgotten or never learned."
-Chicago, IL
– "I just want to tell you as a practicing Catholic I find your commercial truly inspiring. I have family members that have fallen away from the Church and I hope they have the opportunity to see this commercial with the hope that it brings them home. Thank you!" -Omaha, NE
We are grateful to YOU! Your prayers and support allow us to keep reaching-out to those away from the faith.
As we continue the Christmas season, and finish this amazing year of 2009, we remind you that there has never been a better time to make an offering to Catholics Come Home. Your year end gift of $100, $50 or whatever you can do to help, is fully tax deductible to the limits of current tax code AND you can celebrate the fact that your generosity is assisting many find their way back to our Catholic family! But you must make your online gift by midnight on December 31 in order to get a tax deduction for 2009.
May God continue to bless you and your family during this Christmas season, and in 2010!

subset: commoncrawl


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When you're the manager, always make sure you know who performed the work, and make sure other people know, too. People want to know you appreciate them. They want to know you are willing to carry that appreciation up the corporate ladder. More importantly, they want to know you are not a jerk who will take credit for the work they perform.
"Robert, do you have a minute?" Cheryl, the development manager, stood at her director's door.
"Sure, let me save this." Robert stopped what he was doing. "You look worried. Come on over and let's sit at the visitors table. This looks serious."
"Well, it is. I'm not sure how to say it, so I'll just spit it out."
Robert nodded.
Cheryl took a deep breath. "You remember the big push to finish the release last month? We're agile, but our transition is shaky. We actually pulled some overtime, which we're not supposed to do. We didn't extend our timebox, but not everyone worked just forty hours a week. Some people worked close to sixty hours the entire timebox. It was a very tough two-week iteration.
"You came around to our demo, which was great. The team appreciated your thanks. You even wrote individual thank-you email notes. It looked like you really understood what the team did.
"But you took credit for what the team did at the Ops meeting. At least, that's what it seemed like to me and to everyone on the team. Maybe you can tell me what really happened. I'm upset, and I didn't even realize it had happened. Someone on the team read the public minutes, so now the team is upset. Please tell me what happened."
Robert shook his head. "Oh, boy, that's not what I intended at all. But I can understand that's how it came across.
"At the Ops meeting, all the directors explain how their projects and programs are proceeding. You know that, right?"
Cheryl nodded.
"Well, they were in a rush to finish at the Ops meeting. What a surprise. So they wanted to timebox everyone's reports. I had five minutes to report on your team's work and everyone else's work. I did. And I'm not in charge of the minutes. I probably said something like, "We finished the release on time." I didn't say, "The team completed the release on time" to clarify that the team had done it. I wasn't clear because I was rushing. And the minutes reflected that.
"I was not trying to take away credit from your team. I was not trying to take the credit myself. I can see how it looked. I hadn't even looked at the Ops minutes.
"Now that agile makes everything more transparent, I'd better take a look at these things. I can see why you're upset and why the team is upset. Let me fix the minutes and apologize to the team.
"I do not want to take credit for things I had nothing to do with."
"Thanks," Cheryl said. "I realize this might sound like a small thing, but it's not a small thing to the team. These folks worked really hard. You didn't work on their project. They were quite surprised to see you associated with the project."
Robert smiled and said, "Well, you are in my organization. But, no, I had nothing to do with your project."
Cheryl grinned and sat back in her chair.
Robert continued. "I'll fix the minutes. How about if I stop by the team room today? Will that help?"
"An email would be great, too," Cheryl suggested.
"OK, I'll do both.
Always Give Credit for Work Other People Perform
When you're the manager, always make sure you know who performed the work, and make sure other people know, too. It seems like a small thing, but it's huge for the people who did the work.
People want to know you appreciate them. They want to know you are willing to carry that appreciation up the corporate ladder. More importantly, they want to know you are not a jerk who will take credit for the work they perform.
Miscommunications can occur, and when they do, you should straighten them out right away if you know about them.
Fix Miscommunications When They Occur
We're people, so miscommunications do occur. People say the wrong things. People take minutes incorrectly. People hear the wrong things. Whatever the problem is, communications slip-ups will happen. And you will need to recover.
When a communications problem happens, make sure you explain your appreciation to the people who did the great job, and to the people who should have known that the people did the great job. Choose your words with care. This time, write your words down and send an email, write a memo, or fix the minutes of a meeting. You want a record of this so that people will be able to find the electronic or written archive of the conversation they hear.
You Can't Over-Appreciate People
An appreciation is a personalized thank-you. It works quite well for individuals. Don't use it for teams. It loses its power when you try to use it for multiple people at once.
Here is a form of an appreciation:
<First name>, I appreciate you for <specific thing the person did>. It gave me <specific benefit to me>.
You can see that an appreciation, given in private one at a time to specific people, is a powerful way to reinforce the behavior you find valuable.
Here, Robert could say to Cheryl, "Cheryl, I appreciate you for the courage it took to say this to me. It allowed me to fix this before it became a huge problem and blew up in my face. Thank you for having my back."
When You Give Credit, You Look Like a Star
When you give credit to other people, you look like a star to the rest of the organization. Even if you didn't hire the people who are doing a stellar job, you're managing them in some way that allows them to be great. The more the people who work for you are doing great work, the better you look.
And the more you look like you don't have to work hard to manage them, the better you are as a manager—and the better you look.
Read more of Johanna's management myth columns here:
- The Myth of 100% Utilization
- Only the 'Expert' Can Perform This Work
- We Must Treat Everyone the Same Way
- I Don't Need One-on-ones
- We Must Have an Objective Ranking System
- I Can Save Everyone
- I Am Too Valuable to Take a Vacation
- I Can Still Do Significant Technical Work
- We Have No Time for Training
- I Can Measure the Work by the Time People Spend at Work
- The Team Needs a Cheerleader!
- I Must Promote the Best Technical Person to Be a Manager
- I Must Never Admit My Mistakes
- I Must Always Have a Solution to the Problem
- I Know How Long the Work Should Take
- I Must Solve the Team's Problem for Them
- I Can Move People Like Chess Pieces
- Management Doesn't Look Difficult From the Outside, So It Must Be Easy
- I Can Compare Teams (and It's Valuable to Do So)
- It's Always Cheaper to Hire People Where the Wages Are Less Expensive
- If You're Not Typing, You're Not Working
- You Can Manage Any Number of People as a Manager
- People Don't Need External Credit
- Performance Reviews Are Usefult
- It's Fine to Micromanage
- We Can Take Hiring Shortcuts
- I Can Standardize How Other People Work
- I Can Concentrate on the Run
- I Am More Valuable than Other People
- I Don't Have to Make the Difficult Choices
- I Can Treat People as Interchangeable Resources
- We Need a Quick Fix or a Silver Bullet
- You're Empowered Because I Say You Are
- Friendly Competition Is Constructive
- You Have an Indispensable Employee


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§ 555.108 Importation.
a.(a) Explosive materials imported or brought into the United States by a licensed importer or holder of a user permit may be released from customs custody to the licensed importer or holder of a user permit upon proof of his status as a licensed importer or holder of a user permit. Proof of status must be made by the licensed importer or holder of a user permit furnishing to the customs officer a certified copy of his license or permit (see § 555.103).
b.(b) A nonlicensee or nonpermittee may import or bring into the United States commercially manufactured black powder in quantities not to exceed 50 pounds. Upon submitting to the customs officer completed ATF F 5400.3, certifying that the black powder is intended to be used solely for sporting, recreational, or cultural purposes in antique firearms or in antique devices, black powder may be released from customs custody. The disposition of the executed ATF F 5400.3 will be in accordance with the instructions on the form.
c.(c) The provisions of this section are in addition to, and are not in lieu of, any applicable requirement under 27 CFR Part 447.
d.(d) For additional requirements relating to the importation of plastic explosives into the United States on or after April 24, 1997, see § 555.183.
e.(e) For requirements relating to the marking of imported explosive materials, see § 555.109.


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A political marriage to the young brother of the famous General Barry, a leader known his ruthless brutality, is the last thing nineteen year-old Bianca Mason wants. But an alliance with these men will keep her father's citizens safe from the endless Barry raids and be another step toward the return of modern civilization. Unfortunately, Bianca puts the entire treaty in jeopardy when she confesses a traumatic personal secret to her intended groom, and he refuses the marriage. Desperate to keep the peace, she gratefully accepts when another brother steps in to take his place.
Kent, the other Barry brother, is known for his strong leadership ability, fair treatment of his troops, and brilliant military strategy. He is also a known for his burn-scarred face and his reputation as a sadist. When confronted with the disintegration of a much-needed treaty, he grudgingly steps in and marries Bianca, a girl traumatized by long-ago assault who doesn't like to be touched.
Kent must teach Bianca, as only he can, how to surrender herself fully, trust in him completely, and become the woman he needs. Only then can they both find happiness.
This dark romance novel contains mature situations and sensitive subject matter, and contains triggers some readers may find discomforting. It is a work of fiction and is intended for adult readers 18 and older.
SEPTEMBER 14, YEAR 03, (Four Years after the Ash)
"I don't know if we should get married."
"I understand." Colonel Kent Barry clenches his hands into fists and looks out the window. The right side of his face flushes, and the mottled burn scars on the left side of his face pull the corner of his mouth down slightly. "I am not an attractive man."
My heart sinks. "You think I mean your scars. It's not that at all."
"Right. Fine. Now, if we're done here…"
Shit. "It's not you. It's me!"
"Jesus. Are you kidding me?" He looks like he's going to throw me out. I clench my toes, my fingers, my face. Everything.
"No!" My face is hotter than a volcanic pit. "Your brother broke off our engagement because I told him something. It was enough for him to risk the alliance and literally flee the city. You shouldn't have to marry me and then find out."
His eyes flicker, and he just stands there staring at me like he expects me to continue. You don't just throw stuff like that out there and not explain.
I shake ever so slightly, and I feel like I have bees in my stomach. I never talk about what happened. It's too private, too hideous. But like I said, I can't marry him without telling him first. I pick at my thumbnail and hope—pray—I don't die from the shame. "I was fifteen. Just a couple months after Yellowstone erupted. Right when things were getting bad, you know?"
He nods curtly.
The bees in my stomach morph into hornets, and the glue that holds me together begins to crack. I fold my arms over my chest. "A gang came through our subdivision. They were looking for food, guns, stuff like that. I tried to hide, but they found me."
"They hurt you?" He says this guardedly, like he's afraid to say the word.
I shake harder and I want to run away, but like that day four years ago, there's no place for me to hide. "There were five of them. They held me down and raped me."
He swears under his breath, and I know what he's thinking. I'm dirty.
"I don't like to be touched," I say before he can speak. "I don't care how hard you try or how gentle…I'm always going to hate it. If you marry me, you'll be stuck with someone who will never want it. So you and your brothers really need to think. Just how bad do you want this alliance?"
"So you're saying you're not going to…"
Startled, I look up and shake my head. "No, that's not… I'll do whatever you want. I wouldn't cheat some guy out of… It's just, I'm no bargain."
He's silent. I can't tell what he's thinking, but he's definitely evaluating the situation. I can practically hear him tick.
"That's why Nico broke our engagement. I told him."
He frowns. "You're very honest."
What I am is a goddamn human sacrifice. "I'm never going to be happy. That's just how it is. But other people can be. If this brings peace between the territories, I'll do it. I'll do whatever I have to do."
He looks away, and I can see the no in the stretch of his neck.
Heather Knight doesn't go for billionaires with helicopters or country club fellas who sip Moscow Mules by the pool. She likes her men Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to know. She began reading romance when she was thirteen and apocalyptic fiction during college. She's combined her love for the two genres in her new adult romance series, which is set shortly after a catastrophic worldwide event. Her books push the boundaries of both romance and erotica and are classified as Dark Romance.
Heather lives in the Mid-Atlantic with her own bad boy and dreams of one day leaving that snow behind forever.


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U.S. Bank and TravelCenters of America Deepen Ties via New Single Voyager® Fleet Card Solution
TA, Petro and Minit Mart will be the first to accept the newly enhanced Voyager Fleet Card
MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 24, 2016– TravelCenters of America, operator of the TA® and Petro Stopping Centers® brands and Minit Mart® convenience stores, is expanding its relationship with U.S. Bank by accepting a new single Voyager Fleet Card solution at all of its truck stop and convenience store locations. The new single Voyager Fleet Card combines the robust fleet control functionality needed by heavy-duty commercial rigs at truck stops with the comprehensive data capture capabilities required by smaller vehicle fleets at retail locations. For the first time, all fleet classes can be managed through one card, one network and one program management platform.
"Partnering with U.S. Bank on the first true single card solution means we can better serve the needs of mixed fleets," said TravelCenters CEO Tom O'Brien. "We have long valued our relationship with U.S. Bank, and this agreement deepens it to a new level. We look forward to issuing the new card to our employee drivers in the coming months, and expect to begin accepting it from customers in 2017."
U.S. Bank Global Transportation Solutions General Manager John Hardin echoed O'Brien's comments. "Expanding our partnership in this way brings the efficiencies of a single solution to TravelCenters and to the market at large." Hardin said. "They are able to better meet the needs of their fleet, while we solidify our leadership position in the industry with the first fully integrated fuel payment solution to cover all eight fleet classes in a single card."
The Voyager Network, owned and operated by U.S. Bank, includes thousands of participating fueling, maintenance and service locations nationwide, including TA, Petro and Minit Mart outlets. Drivers and fleet managers can find card-accepting locations with the Voyager Mobile App or the merchant locator within U.S. Bank Fleet Commander® Online.
©2016 U.S. Bank. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
About U.S. Bank (www.usbank.com)
Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $438 billion in assets as of June 30, 2016, is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,122 banking offices in 25 states and 4,923 ATMs and provides a comprehensive line of banking, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions.
About TravelCenters of America
TravelCenters of America LLC (TravelCenters), headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, conducts business in 43 states and Canada, principally under the TA® and Petro Stopping Centers® travel center brands and the Minit Mart® convenience store brand. For more information on TravelCenters, TA, and Petro Stopping Centers, please visit www.ta-petro.com. For more information on Minit Mart, please visit www.minitmart.com.
Source: U.S. Bank
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding U.S. Bancorp's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.


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We're Giving You 5,000 Reasons to Have the Best Holidays Ever Starting Nov. 14
The holidays can be the worst. Too much food, too much of the annoying relatives and WAY too much of the debt that comes from having to buy supplies and presents for holiday gatherings.
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Download our app now to listen to us everywhere! The more code words you enter during the giveaway, the better chance you will have to win. And make sure to turn on Contest Alerts on the app so you can get exclusive reminders on when to tune in.
The first code words will be announced on Nov. 14. Keep listening for more details, or stay up to date by checking here.


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100's Model Train Tips, Ideas & Veteran Model Railroader Secrets!
Attention: Model Railroad Enthusiasts. Veteran Model Railroaders Reveal How You Can Save Money, Time & Stress... As They Guide You Step-By-Step To Quickly Build, Maintain & Repair Your VERY OWN Realistic Model Railroad!
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Mainstream superheroes with decades of history (Superman, Batman, SpiderMan, the various Avengers) are flying off comic book pages onto the big screen, in an increasing number of blockbuster comic-films enabled by advances in CGI. Interesting to consider how the concept of the superhero has seeped more deeply into our culture as a result of this and other manifestations of comic book culture – to the extent that we probably wouldn't be surprised to see all manner of people wearing capes, bending steel, leaping tall buildings in a single bound. The line between fantasy and reality is blurry as hell these days.
As comic culture evolves, so does the entrepreneurial culture of superhero development. The New York Times has a piece about the a creative renaissance at Image Comics, a smaller comic publisher with 5% of market share vs Marvel's 37%. Image is getting a lot of buzz, though, and has one major success, "The Walking Dead," basis for AMC's zombie series (no superheroes there, only frail humans vs ravenous zombies).
Also noting how big a deal Comic-Con's become, no longer a comic book convention but an increasingly important convergence event. A swirl of comic geek and sci-fi geek subcultures mediated by new technologies is emerging. I'm not quite sure how to reconcile this accelerating fantasy culture with the very real dysfunctions and failures of puny humans – will a commitment to a culture of comic book heroes save us by inspiring a real sense of superhumanity? Or distract us from our state of collapse until it's too late to go home?
"…the heroic myth helps counter feelings of powerlessness within the family structure. Which is why little boys can't get enough of superheroes. It lets them imagine themselves as instruments of their own will — instead of subjugated weaklings, in tiny bodies, who lack all agency." ~ "Meeting Our Cultural Overlords at Comic-Con"


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Advanced Search
Facilities Management | News
Crestron, showcased a lineup of Integrated by Design products at last week's InfoComm International 2012 in Las Vegas. Integrated by Design is a Web-based technology platform, developed by Crestron, for building management, including digital signage, room scheduling, audio-visual, HVAC, voice and data, energy, and security.
With DigitalMedia, users can connect, display, distribute and manage all audio and video signals, according to a prepared statement issued by the company. Components of DigitalMedia include an Ethernet switch that requires a single IP address, and capability for IT staff to track their AV system from a variety of dashboards, including IBM Tivoli and HP Network Management Center.
CaptureLiveHD is a meeting, lecture capture, and live-streaming platform. Users can record lectures and presentations then publish them online for viewers to access.
Fusion enterprise management platform includes Fusion RV (RoomView) and Fusion EM (Energy Management). Fusion RV lets users track and manage room scheduling through Outlook, Lotus Notes and R25 or through a touch screen, as well as equipment for audio-visual presentations and video conferencing. Fusion RV also generates reports with built-in templates, and features remote control and chat through the help desk. Fusion EM monitors and tracks buildings' energy sources in real time. It allows users to analyze energy consumption, turn lights on or off, adjust heating and cooling, and sets actions for when rooms will be in use.
Crestron 3-Series Control Systems provide BACnet/IP support for buildings. It integrates a variety of technologies such as information technology, security, BMS, audio-visual, HVAC, shades, and lighting. The 3-Series integrates with other building management systems. Crestron has six models of the series.
Also displayed at the show was the all-in-one DMPS-300-C-AEC. The product includes full-bandwidth acoustic echo canceling for mic inputs, signal routing, control for HD presentations, mic mixer, amplifier with DigitalMedia technology, and audio DSP and amplifier. The DMPS-300-C-AEC transmits all signals over a CAT5e wire.
In addition, Crestron unveiled the TSW-750 touch screen, a seven-inch display that uses Core 3 UI graphics. The touch screen allows the user to use five buttons for building management functions such as up or down, lights, home, and power.
More information is available at Crestron's Web site.
About the Author
Tim Sohn is a 10-year veteran of the news business, having served in capacities from reporter to editor-in-chief of a variety of publications including Web sites, daily and weekly newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, and wire services. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @editortim.
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NEW YORK (AP) — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady must serve a four-game "Deflategate" suspension imposed by the NFL, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, overturning a lower judge and siding with the league in a battle with the players union.
A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled 2-to-1 that Commissioner Roger Goodell did not deprive Brady of "fundamental fairness" with his procedural rulings. The split decision may end the legal debate over the scandal that led to months of football fans arguing over air pressure and the reputation of one of the league's top teams.
It is also likely to fuel a fresh round of debate over what role, if any, the quarterback and top NFL star played in using underinflated footballs at the AFC championship game in January 2015. The Patriots won the contest over the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7, and then won the Super Bowl.
The ruling can be appealed to the full 2nd Circuit or to the U.S. Supreme Court, but it would be a steep, costly and time-consuming climb.
In a majority opinion written by Judge Barrington D. Parker, the 2nd Circuit said its review of labor arbitration awards "is narrowly circumscribed and highly deferential — indeed, among the most deferential in the law."
"Our role is not to determine for ourselves whether Brady participated in a scheme to deflate footballs or whether the suspension imposed by the Commissioner should have been for three games or five games or none at all. Nor is it our role to second-guess the arbitrator's procedural rulings," the opinion said. "Our obligation is limited to determining whether the arbitration proceedings and award met the minimum legal standards established by the Labor Management Relations Act."
The 2nd Circuit said the contract between players and the NFL gave the commissioner authority that was "especially broad."
"Even if an arbitrator makes mistakes of fact or law, we may not disturb an award so long as he acted within the bounds of his bargained-for authority," the court said.
Lawyers on each side did not immediately comment.
The appeals ruling follows a September decision by Manhattan Judge Richard Berman that went against the league, letting Brady skip the suspension last season.
Goodell insisted the suspension was deserved.
Chief Judge Robert Katzmann dissented.
"I am troubled by the Commissioner's decision to uphold the unprecedented four-game suspension," Katzmann said. "The Commissioner failed to even consider a highly relevant alternative penalty."
The appeals court settled the issue well before the start of the 2016 season, avoiding the tension built last year when Brady didn't learn until a week before the season that he would be allowed to start in the Patriots' opener.
At oral arguments in March, appeals judges seemed skeptical of arguments on Brady's behalf by the NFL Players Association.
Circuit Judge Denny Chin said evidence of ball tampering was "compelling, if not overwhelming" and there was evidence that Brady "knew about it, consented to it, encouraged it."
The league argued that it was fair for Goodell to severely penalize Brady after he concluded the prize quarterback tarnished the game by impeding the NFL's investigation by destroying a cellphone containing nearly 10,000 messages.
Parker said the cellphone destruction raised the stakes "from air in a football to compromising the integrity of a proceeding that the commissioner had convened."
"So why couldn't the commissioner suspend Mr. Brady for that conduct alone?" he asked. Parker added: "With all due respect, Mr. Brady's explanation of that made no sense whatsoever."
Parker also was critical of the NFL at the arguments, saying Brady's lengthy suspension seemed at "first blush a draconian penalty."


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Sun Online Certification Training
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North Carolina Women's Colleges
By Jennifer Davison and Jaime Huaman, Government & Heritage Library, 2010; Kelly Agan, Government & Heritage Library, 2014, 2016, 2017. Revised October, 2022.
Four years before the Declaration of Independence was signed, North Carolina's first woman's college was founded. Salem College in Winston-Salem is the oldest female educational establishment in the country that is still a women's college. Since 1772, twenty-eight women's schools have been established in North Carolina. Many no longer exist, or have become coeducational. Currently there are four women's colleges in North Carolina: Bennett College, Meredith College, Peace College, and Salem College.
It should be noted that the term "college" has in the past been used to describe schools that today would be known as high schools. Since these schools were an attempt to create institutions of higher learning for female North Carolinians, they have been included in this list regardless of the level of their curriculum. When possible, we have noted if the school granted advanced degrees as we know them today.
Asheville Female College – Asheville, NC
Asheville Female College was founded in 1842 as Asheville Female Seminary by Presbyterians in Asheville. In 1851, in order to avoid closure, the college affiliated itself with the Methodist church and was renamed Western Carolina Female College. The college was forced to close during the Civil War by Union forces, and in 1869 the school was sold to pay off church debts. At this time the school assumed the name of Asheville Female College. In 1873-74 the school offered post-graduate work and degrees in "Mistress of Arts and Sciences" were granted to graduates. Elizabeth Blackwell, who was a member of the faculty from 1845-1846, became the first woman in America to practice medicine.
Barber-Scotia College
Located in Concord, Barber-Scotia College was originally founded as a Presbyterian preparatory school for African American women by the Rev. Luke Dormand. It was originally named Scotia Seminary and had a focus to prepare young women to become teachers. In 1916, the name was changed to Scotia Women's College, reflecting its development into a junior college. In 1930, it merged with Barber Memorial College in Anniston, Alabama and then changed its name to Barber-Scotia College in 1932. In 1942, Barber-Scotia adopted a 4 year college curriculum. Although Barber-Scotia was historically a college for African American women, in 1954, the school's charter was changed to admit women and men regardless of race. For more information: Barber-Scotia College article in NCpedia (from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina).
Bennett College for Women - Greensboro, NC (Now Bennett College)
Bennett College is one of North Carolina's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and is one of the four remaining women's colleges in North Carolina. It is also only one of two black women's colleges in the United States today (Spelman College, in Atlanta, GA, is the other). Bennett College began in 1873 as a school to train teachers and provide education to newly emancipated enslaved people. In 1926, Bennett College became a college for women. Over 5,000 women have graduated from Bennett College since 1930. Two alumnae of note: Dorothy L. Brown (first African American female surgeon in the south); Belinda Foster (first African American female District Attorney in NC).
Carolina College for Women – Maxton, NC
Chartered in 1907 by the North Carolina Methodist Conference, Carolina College for Women (CCW) opened its doors in 1912. It closed in 1926 for financial reasons, was sold to Presbyterian Junior College and then to the Carolina Military Academy. Although similar in name, it did not have any affiliation with the North Carolina College for Women. Information about the CCW can be found in the Methodist University archives.
Carolina Female College – Ansonville, NC
Founded in 1849 by a joint stock company in Ansonville, North Carolina, this institution was only open for 19 years. Two typhoid fever epidemics and political disputes among stockholders led to financial difficulties, and prior to the Civil War the school was turned over to the Methodist Church in order to pay debts. In 1868, the school closed and was used until 1885 as a high school. From 1885-1945, the building was used as apartments, and was demolished in the 1950's.
Claremont Female College – Hickory, NC
The institution began in 1880 as the Claremont Female College. Four-year degrees and a specialization in music and education were offered. The school closed in 1915.
Charlotte Female Institute – Charlotte, NC
Charlotte Female Institute was founded in 1857 and from 1891–1896 it was called the Seminary for Girls. In 1896, the school became known as the Presbyterian College for Women. In 1912, anticipating the move to the present campus in the Myers Park neighborhood, the school became Queens College. After World War II the college became coeducational and in 2002 the name was changed to Queens University of Charlotte.
Chowan Baptist Female Institute – Murfreesboro, NC
The college opened in 1848 as the Chowan Female Institute and was renamed as the Chowan Female Collegiate Institute in 1850. Chowan was chosen as the school's name as a way to honor the Native American Algonquin Chowanook (or Chawanook) tribe. In 1910, the school was renamed once again as Chowan College. The school began admitting male students in 1931 and was closed from 1943 until 1949. Chowan College is currently known as Chowan University.
Concord Presbyterian Female College – Statesville, NC
(entry co-written by Bill Moose, professor and historian at Mitchell Community College)
Started by Concord Presbytery in 1852, the college officially opened in the fall of 1856 as Concord Presbyterian Female College. Although Concord did have a primary and intermediate department that taught younger girls, the school had a four-year college program from its inception. In the economic hard times that followed the Civil War, the Presbytery was unable to support the college and sold it in 1872 to local businessman R. F. Simonton, who changed the name to Simonton Female College. In 1875, Eliza Mitchell Grant and Margaret Eliot Mitchell, the daughters of Elisha Mitchell, for whom Mount Mitchell is named, were hired to conduct the college. Under their leadership, the school made considerable progress and became a highly respected institution. It was at the urging of alumnae taught by the Mitchell sisters that the board of trustees renamed the college in 1917. In 1924, Mitchell shifted from a four-year to a two-year institution under the pressure of accreditation demands and the rising costs of maintaining them. In 1932, local men who could no longer afford to go away to college due to the Great Depression were admitted. In 1904, Concord Presbytery had regained control of the college, but once again relinquished it, in 1959, to the Mitchell College Foundation (a local non-profit group), which ran the college as an independent junior college until it was admitted to the North Carolina Community College System.
Davenport Female College – Lenoir, NC
Established in 1855 by the Methodist church as an all-girl school, the first classes at the Davenport Female College were held in 1857. The school remained open during the Civil War and was damaged when Union General George Stoneman raided Lenoir on April 15-16, 1865. In 1877, misfortune once again visited the school when sparks from a chimney caused the school to burn to the ground. Men were admitted to classes around 1893 and the school changed its name to Davenport College in 1915. The school had economic difficulties during the Great Depression and closed its doors in 1933. Five years later, all remaining assets of Davenport College merged with Greensboro College. The college's buildings became Davenport Elementary School and the Caldwell Heritage Museum.
Edgeworth Female Seminary - Greensboro, NC
Chartered in 1840, Edgeworth Female Seminary was begun by Governor John Motley Morehead. The Seminary closed during the Civil War, then reopened for a short period (1862-1868).
Elizabeth College – Charlotte, NC
This school was founded in 1897 by Lutherans with cash and land donations from the citizens of Charlotte. In 1915, the school merged with Roanoke College for Women and lasted until 1921 when it burned. The buildings that Elizabeth College occupied in Charlotte are now occupied by the Presbyterian hospital.
Flora MacDonald College – Red Springs, NC
This college started out as a Red Springs Seminary in 1896 with four acres of land and $4,000. It was soon renamed Southern Presbyterian College and Conservatory of Music in 1903. It was renamed again in 1914, to Flora Macdonald College in honor of Flora MacDonald, a Scottish woman who lived in North Carolina and in her youth helped Prince Charles Edward Stuart flee to safety during the Jacobite Risings. In 1958, the college merged with Presbyterian Junior College to become St. Andrews Presbyterian College, a co-educational institution.
Floral College – Maxton, NC
This college was established in 1841 by Presbyterians and had about 100 students attending the school every year until it closed, due to financial issues, in 1878.
Gaston College – Dallas, NC
Gaston College was created in 1887 as a four-year college for women to attend after finishing Gaston High School. The school existed until 1907 when the college building was sold to Gaston County.
Goldsboro Female College –Goldsboro, NC
This school opened in 1854 and conducted classes in the Borden Hotel until its permanent school location had finished construction in 1857. During the Civil War, the school was used as a hospital for both the Union and Confederacy. A four-year program was offered until it closed in 1871.
Greensboro Female College – Greensboro, NC
In 1838, members of the Methodist North Carolina Conference secured a charter for the Greensboro Female College from the State Legislature. The College opened its doors in 1846. The college closed for ten years, 1863-1873, when the school was destroyed by fire. In 1912 it was renamed to Greensboro College for Women. The College became Greensboro College in 1920 and in 1954 it became coeducational.
High Point Female College – High Point, NC
This institution of higher learning was chartered on March 15, 1889 and was created from the remnants of the Thomasville Female College. The college closed shortly afterwards, in 1893.
Judson College – Hendersonville, NC
Named after Adoniram Judson, a famous Baptist missionary, the construction of this school began in 1858, but the school did not open its doors until 1882. It eventually closed in 1892 due to financial reasons. During its existence the school was also known as Hendersonville Female College, Western North Carolina Female College, and Judson Female College.
Littleton College – Littleton, NC
This school was opened in January 1882 as Littleton Female College. By 1907 the school admitted 274 students a year. In 1912, the school was known as Littleton College. The school was never reopened after a devastating fire that destroyed several buildings on January 22, 1919.
Mecklenburg Female College – Charlotte, NC
This college opened in 1867 with the renting of the land and buildings of the North Carolina Military Institute in Charlotte. It was only in existence for two years.
Meredith College – Raleigh, NC
Although the North Carolina Baptist State Convention first spoke of a female seminary in 1835, the state only issued a charter for the school in 1891. The doors of Baptist Female University finally opened in 1899. The name was changed briefly to Baptist University for Women (1904-1909) before being renamed to Meredith College in honor of Thomas Meredith in 1909. Meredith College is one of the four remaining women's colleges in North Carolina. Betsy Lane Cochrane, a 1958 alumna, became the first woman to serve in a leadership role in the NC General Assembly (House minority leader, Senate minority whip, Senate majority leader). Another alumna, Addie Davis, was the first woman ordained in a Southern Baptist Church. You can browse through Meredith College yearbooks online.
Oxford Female College – Oxford, NC
The College was established in 1851 by North Carolina Baptists. In 1904, the school was destroyed by fire but was soon rebuilt. It was renamed the Oxford Female Seminary and closed in 1925.
Salem College – Winston-Salem, NC
According to the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C., Salem College is the 13th oldest college in the United States and the oldest women's college by founding date (1772). Salem College was started by the Moravians. It began as a day school and in 1802 it became the first higher education institution for women in the state. Today, it is one of the four remaining women's colleges in North Carolina. Salem College was known as both Salem Female Academy and Salem Academy and College. Elizabeth Pfohl Campbell (graduated 1923) was the first woman to found a PBS station. A description of life at Salem College can be heard in an oral history interview with Mary Turner Lane, an alumna.
St. Mary's College – Raleigh, NC (Now St. Mary's School)
St. Mary's opened its doors in 1842 with the help of the Episcopal Church. The school remained opened during the Civil War and was attended by Mildred, youngest daughter of General Robert E. Lee. Jefferson Davis' wife and children stayed on the campus during 1862. During the 20th century, the school was a junior college. St. Mary's College changed its name to Saint Mary's School in 1998 when it ceased issuing college degrees. Today St. Mary's is private girl's school for grades 9-12.
State Normal and Industrial School for White Girls – Greensboro, NC
In 1891, the North Carolina General Assembly created the State Normal and Industrial School for White Girls, the first public institution in the state to offer higher education to women. The school went through several names changes, becoming the North Carolina College for Women in 1919, the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina in 1931, and finally the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1963 when it became coeducational.
Thomasville Female College –Thomasville, NC
This school was founded in 1849 as the preparatory school Sylva Grove Female Seminary and was later known as the Glenanna Female Seminary. In 1849, it gained college status and changed the name to Thomasville Female College. The school remained open during the Civil War. In 1889, the school merged with High Point Female College in High Point, NC.
Warrenton Female College – Warrenton, NC
Founded in 1841 as the Warrenton Female Collegiate Institute, the school was supported by first the Presbyterians and then the Methodists. The school increased its student population after Greensboro Female College burned, but when Greensboro reopened in 1873, the Warrenton Female College closed its doors for good.
Wesleyan Female College – Murfreesboro, NC
Founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church, the college opened in Murfreesboro in 1853. It closed temporarily during the Civil War, but reopened in 1865. About 1500 students had attended the college by 1877, when the building burned. Due to difficulties with obtaining insurance payments, Wesleyan was initially unable to rebuild, and only reopened in 1881. The second facility was constructed of brick with a tin roof and was described in the Journal of the North Carolina Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1892 as "three stories high, large and comfortable, heated throughout by steam; situated in a beautiful campus, in a quiet and moral village, and among a cultured and refined people." Unfortunately, Wesleyan Female College burned again the following year and was not rebuilt.
William Peace University – Raleigh, NC (Now William Peace University)
Peace College was founded in 1857 by the First Presbyterian Church, but due to the Civil War it didn't open until 1872. It originally opened under the name Peace Institute and in 1943 it became Peace College. In 1997, Peace awarded its first four-year baccalaureate degrees. In 2011, Peace College's Board of Trustees renamed the college as William Peace University and voted to transition to a coeducational institution. The first male students in the day program enrolled during the 2012-13 school year.
References and additional resources:
Blandin, Mrs. I. M. E. 1909. History of higher education of women in the South prior to 1860. New York: Neale Publishing Co.
Coates, Albert. 1975. By her own bootstraps: a saga of women in North Carolina. Chapel Hill, N.C.: s.n.
Coon, Charles L. 1915. North Carolina schools and academies, 1790-1840: A documentary history. Raleigh: Edwards & Broughton Printing Co.
Harwarth, Irene, Mindi Maline, and Elizabeth DeBra.1997. Women's colleges in the United States: History, issues, and challenges. Washington, DC: National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and Lifelong Learning.
Powell, William Stevens, and Jay Mazzocchi. 2006. Encyclopedia of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Powell, William Stevens. 1964. Higher education in North Carolina. Raleigh [N.C.]: State Dept. of Archives and History.
Raper, Charles Lee. 1898. The church and private schools of North Carolina. Greensboro, NC: Jos. J. Stone Book & Job Printer.
Image Credits:
Elizabeth College and Conservatory of Music, Charlotte, N.C. P077. From the North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
First Graduating Class of the North Carolina State Normal and Industrial School. UA 104.4.005. From the University Archives Photograph Collection, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Flora MacDonald College dancers. Accession no. ConDev 2411E. From the North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
Meredith College girls on Old Campus. Accession no. N.53.17.270. From the North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
Smith, Charles Lee. 1888. History of Education in North Carolina. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. p. 122a. Courtesy of Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
7 November 2012 | Davison, Jennifer; Huaman, Jaime


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In some ways, these fanciful bus stop shelters in Krumbach, a tiny village in Austria's Bregenzerwald (hunchbacked world) region, look like an architect's idea of three-dimensional doodling, but they have managed to make the town a tourist attraction by boasting the world's most unusual bus stops. Krumbach, which has a population of about 1,000 people spread across acres of scenic farmland, recently formed an association to promote itself as a cultural destination. To foster an international exchange of ideas, it unabashedly invited seven world-renowned architects from Japan, China, Norway, Spain, Belgium, Chile and Russia to each design one bus stop in the village.
"The aim of this project is to link design achievements of international architecture with the know-how and skills of local handcraft-based businesses in Bregenzerwald," one organizer explained. "This is made possible by involving regional architects as a kind of mediator between foreign creative work and the abilities of our craftspeople." Although the selected architects were used to being commissioned to design mega-million dollar buildings with doors and windows, they accepted the humble assignment. In lieu of money, the architects were offered a free holiday in Krumbach's 11th century castle-turned-hotel. The bus shelters were unveiled to the public last May. Without doubt, they put Krumbach on the cultural map. Finding Krumbach's newest art installations is easy; just hop a bus and get off at the stop.


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17 July — Here followeth the Life of S. Kenelm, King and Martyr.
S. Kenelm, martyr, was king of a part of England by Wales. His father was king tofore {61} him, and was named Kenulf, and founded the abbey of Winchcombe, and set therein monks. And when he was dead he was buried in the same abbey. And that time Winchcombe was the best town of that country. In England are three principal rivers, and they be Thames, Severn, and Humber. This king Kenelm was king of Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucester shire, and the bishop of Worcester was bishop of those three shires, and he was king also of Derbyshire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Nottinghamshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire, and Lincolnshire. All this was called the March of Wales, and of all those countries S. Kenelm was king, and Winchcombe, that time, was chief city of all these shires. And in that time were in England six kings, and before that, Oswald had been king of all England. And after him it was departed, in S. Kenelm's days. Kenulf, his father, was a full holy man, and Dornemilde and Quendred were sisters of S. Kenelm. And Kenulf, his father, died the year of our Lord eight hundred and nineteen. Then was Kenelm made king when he was seven years of age, and his sister Dornemilde loved him much, and they lived holily together to their lives' end. But Quendred, that other sister, turned her to wickedness, and had great envy of her brother Kenelm, because he was so rich above her, and laboured with all her power to destroy him, because she would be queen and reign after him, and let make a strong poison, and gave it to her brother. But God kept him that it never grieved him. And when she saw that she could not prevail against the king in that manner, she laboured to Askeberd, which was chief ruler {62} about the king, and promised to him a great sum of money, and also her body at his will, if he would slay this young king her brother, and anon they accorded in this treason.
And in this while, and at that same time, this young holy king was asleep, and dreamed a marvellous dream. For him seemed that he saw a tree stand by his bedside, and that the height thereof touched heaven, and it shined as bright as gold, and had fair branches full of blossoms and fruit. And on every branch of this tree were tapers of wax burning and lamps alight, which was a glorious sight to behold. And him thought that he climbed upon this tree and Askeberd his governor stood beneath and hewed down this tree that he stood on. And when this tree was fallen down, this holy young king was heavy and sorrowful, and him thought there came a fair bird which flew up to heaven with great joy. And anon after this dream he awoke, and was all abashed of this dreme, which anon after, he told to his nurse named Wolweline. And when he had told to her all his dream, she was full heavy, and told to him what it meant, and said his sister and the traitor Askeberd had falsely conspired his death. For she said to him that he had promised to Quendred to slay thee, and that signifieth that he smiteth down the tree that stood by thy bedside. And the bird that thou sawest flee up to heaven, signifieth thy soul, that angels shall bear up to heaven after thy martyrdom. And anon after this, Askeberd desired the king that he should go and disport him by the wood's side named Clent; and as he walked, the young king was all heavy and laid him down to sleep, and then this false traitor purposed to have slain the king, and {63} began to make the pit to bury him in. But anon, as God would, the king awoke, and said to this Askeberd that he laboured in vain, for God will not that I die in this place. But take this small rod, and thereas thou shalt set it in the earth, there shall I be martyred. And then they went forth together, a good way thence, till they came to a hawthorn, and there he pight the rod in the earth, and forthwith incontinent it bare green leaves, and suddenly it waxed to a great ash tree, the which standeth there yet unto this day, and is called Kenelm's ash. And there this Askeberd smote off this holy young king's head. And anon, his soule was borne up into heaven in likeness of a white dove. And then the wicked traitor drew the body into a great valley between two hills, and there he made a deep pit and cast the body therein, and laid the head upon it. And whilst he was about to smite off the head, the holy king, kneeling on his knees, said this holy canticle: Te Deum laudamus, till he came to this verse: Te martyrum candidatus, and therewith he gave up his spirit to our Lord Jesu Christ in likeness of a dove, as afore is said. Then anon this wicked man Askeberd went to Quendred, and told to her all along how he had done, whereof she was full glad, and anon after, took on her to be queen, and charged, on pain of death, that no man should speak of Kenelm. And after that she abandoned her body to wretched living of her flesh in lechery, and brought her own men to wretched living. And this holy body lay long time after in that wood called Clent, for no man durst fetch him thence to bury him in hallowed place for fear of the queen Quendred.
And it was so that a poor widow lived thereby, {64} which had a white cow, which was driven in to the wood of Clent. And anon as she was there she would depart and go into the valley where Kenelm was buried, and there rest all the day sitting by the corpse without meat. And every night came home with other beasts, fatter, and gave more milk than any of the other kine, and so continued certain years, whereof the people marvelled that she ever was in so good point and ate no meat. That valley whereas S. Kenelm's body lay is called Cowbage.
After, on a time, as the pope sang mass at Rome in S. Peter's church, suddenly there came a white dove, and let fall a scroll on the altar whereon the pope said his mass. And these words were written therein in letters of gold:
In Clent in Cowbage, Kenelm, king born,
Lieth under a thorn,
His head off shorn.
And when the pope had said his mass, he showed the scroll to all the people, but there was none that could tell what it meant, till at last there came an Englishman, and he told it openly tofore all the people what it meant. And then the pope with all the people gave laud and praising to our Lord, and kept that scroll for a relic. And the feast of S. Kenelm was hallowed that day solemnly through all Rome. And anon after, the pope sent his messengers into England to the archbishop of Canterbury, named Wilfrid, and bade him, with his bishops, go and seek the place where the holy body lieth, which is named Cowbage, in the wood of Clent. And then this place was soon known, because of the miracle that was showed by the white cow. And when the arch- {65} bishop, with other bishops, and many other people came thither and found the place, anon they let dig up the body, and took it up with great solemnity. And forthwith sprang up in the same place, whereas the body had lain, a fair well, which is called S. Kenelm's well unto this day, where much people have been healed of divers sicknesses and maladies. And when the body was above the earth, there fell a strife between them of Worcestershire and of Gloucestershire, who should have this body. And then a full good man that was there among them gave counsel that all the people should lie down and sleep and rest them, for the weather was then right hot. And which of the two shires that God would first awake, they to take this holy body and go their way. And all the people agreed thereto, and lay them down to sleep. And it happed that the abbot of Winchcombe and all his men awoke first, and they took up the holy body, and bare it forth toward Winchcombe till they came upon an hill a mile from the abbey. And for heat and labour they were nigh dead for thirst, and anon they prayed to God, and to this holy saint to be their comfort. And then the abbot pight his cross into the earth, and forthwith sprang up there a fair well, whereof they drank and refreshed them much. And then took up this holy body with great solemnity. And the monks received it with procession solemnly, and brought it into the abbey with great reverence, joy and mirth, and the bells sounded and were rung without man's hand. And then the queen Quendred demanded what all this ringing meant. And they told her how her brother Kenelm was brought with procession into the abbey, and that the bells rung without man's {65} help. And then she said, in secret scorn: That is as true, said she, as both my eyes fall upon this book and anon both her eyes fell out of her head upon the book. And yet it is seen on this day where they fell upon the psalter she read that same time. Deum laudemus. And soon after she died wretchedly, and was cast out into a foul mire, and then after, was this holy body of S. Kenelm laid in an honourable shrine, whereas our Lord showeth daily many a miracle. To whom be given laud and praising, world without end. Amen.
William Caxton, trans. The Golden Legend, vol. 4 (J. M. Dent), 60-65.


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Jewish Released Time | Holidays Shabbat Chabad-houses Chassidism Subscribe Calendar Links |
Rambam - Sefer HaMitzvos As Divided for The Daily Learning Schedule Negative Mitzvot 10, 47, 60, 6, 5, 2, 3, 4, 15; Positive Mitzva 186; Negative Mitzvot 23, 24 |
Day 12 | Day 14 |
Negative Mitzvah 10: You shall not seek information about idol-worship
Leviticus 19:4 "Do not turn to idols"This prohibition warns us not to even attempt to understand what idol-worshipers do, even if we are only curious about it and never intend to practice it ourselves.
The Torah understands that sometimes even honest curiosity can be dangerous, just like it was for Avi...
Avi lives in a small town in Israel and his father is often called for military service in the army.
Once, on a day's leave from his army base, Avi's father came home with his gun.
Avi stared at the gun curiously and begged his father to let him hold it.
"Please, Daddy," pleaded Avi, "just show me how it works."
"No, Avi, you must never play with a gun!", his father said.
"But I won't use it" argued Avi. "I only want to look at it and hold it!"
His father refused and put the rifle away so Avi could not get to it. Avi's father knew that curiosity could lead to an accident.
So too, the Torah does not want us to practice any type of idol-worship.
It knows that curiosity might lead to other things.
Therefore, we are forbidden to even ask about any type of idol-worship or its practices.
Negative Mitzvah 47: You shall not believe in ideas that oppose the Torah.
Numbers 15:39 "And that you seek not after your own heart and your own eyes"Benny tried to do his best all month.
He studied at school, did his chores at home and listened to his parents.
Benny's mother noticed how hard her son was trying and decided that he deserved a present.
"You know, Benny," she said, "you have made me very proud of you. Tomorrow we'll go to the toy store and you can pick out anything you want!"
Benny was overjoyed, but the next day when they arrived at the store, he walked up and down the isles frowning.
"What's wrong, Benny?", his mother asked.
"There are so many toys I'd like to have and so much to choose from," Benny answered with a sigh. "I know we can't buy them all, but it's so hard to pick just one from all these toys!"
"You're right, Benny," his mother answered, "but I think I have a solution to your problem. We will set limits to which toy you can pick."
"First, you can't spend more than twelve dollars. Second, try to pick something you can share with other children. Third, choose a game that you won't get tired of quickly."
"Thanks, Mom!", exclaimed Benny. "You've given me some good ideas. I'll use those rules and it should be easier to pick just the toy I want."
Like those rows and rows of toys in the store, there are many things that we see and experience that attract us.
The world offers so many temptations that it may seem impossible to decide what is the right way to think, eat, dress, behave, and act.
The Torah and its Mitzvot set guidelines for us to follow, and show us the path we should choose. The Mitzvot point us in the right direction so that we may fulfill the will of HaShem.
This Negative Mitzvah cautions us to use the guidelines that are in the Torah and follow the Mitzvot so that we should not just accept anything that comes our way.
We must be extremely careful and attempt to always choose and act in a manner that befits a Torah life-style.
Negative Mitzvah 60: You shall not curse G-d
Exodus 22:27 "Do not curse G-d"This Negative Mitzvah is often called "Birkat HaShem," which literally means "blessing HaShem."
We do not even want to call this terrible offense by it's real name - so the opposite term is used.
We are forbidden to curse HaShem.
This Negative Mitzvah also prohibits one from cursing judges.
We must honor and respect judges and realize that their decisions help us fulfill the Torah and Mitzvot.
Negative Mitzvah 6: You shall not worship idols with any other service
Exodus 20:5 "Do not worship them"We are forbidden to worship idols with any other form of service that was not mentioned in Negative Mitzvah 5.
Negative Mitzvah 5: You shall not bow down to nor worship idols with any services that are used to honor G-d
Exodus 20:5 "Do not bow down to them"We are forbidden to bow down to idols, offer sacrifices, burn incense, or pour wine or other liquid offerings in worship of idols.
Negative Mitzvah 2: You shall not make idols
Exodus 20:4 "Do not make any carved idols for yourself"We are not allowed to make idols, carve statues, draw pictures or create any other forms or shapes that will be used for idol- worship.
Negative Mitzvah 3: You shall not make idols for another person
Leviticus 19:4 "Do not make gods out of metal, for yourselves"We are forbidden to make idols, even when that idol will be used by another person, or by a non-Jew.
Negative Mitzvah 4: You shall not make statues of animals or men even if they are not made for idol-worship
Exodus 20:20 "Do not make with Me gods of silver, neither shall you make for yourselves gods of gold"We are forbidden to make statues of animals or men because other people may consider them to be idols.
Making these statues is forbidden even if the person who makes these statues did not intend them to be used for idol worship.
Negative Mitzvah 15: You shall not urge other people to worship idols
Exodus 23:13 "Neither let it be heard out of your mouth"On a hot summer day a group of boys huddled around the fire hydrant down the block.
One boy urged his friends to unscrew the tap.
He described the fun they would have enjoying the refreshing rush of cool water.
He did not dare unscrew the tap himself, but rather, tried to convince others to do it.
The Torah forbids us to suggest to other people that they worship idols even if we do not intend to worship idols ourselves.
A person who disobeys this prohibition is called a "Madiach".
Positive Mitzvah 186: Dealing with a City of Idol-Worshipers
Deuteronomy 13:17 "And burn the city with fire"If it is reported that some non-believers convinced most of the people of their city to worship idols, that city must be punished, but only after careful investigation.
If, in fact, the people have involved themselves in idol worship, the Torah commands us to kill all the idol-worshipers and totally destroy that city.
Negative Mitzvah 23: You shall not rebuild the Apostate city
Deuteronomy 13:17 "It shall remain a ruin forever, it shall not be built again"A city whose people had been led astray and worshipped idols, is called a "Nidachat City," an "apostate city."
The Torah teaches us what to do with such a city (See positive Mitzvah 186).
First, a detailed investigation must be made in order to declare it "Nidachat."
If the charge is proven to be true, then the city must be destroyed.
This Negative Mitzvah prohibits us from ever rebuilding this "Nidachat" city again.
Negative Mitzvah 24: You shall not benefit from any object or property from the Apostate city
Deuteronomy 13:18 "Let nothing that has been condemned to destruction remain in your hand"We are forbidden to use or benefit from any item that belonged to the Nidachat city, (see above, Negative Mitzvah 23).
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first rebbe of the Lubavitch dynasty, led the services for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. He stood wrapped in his prayer shawl, profoundly entranced in the cleaving of the soul to its source. Every word of prayer he uttered was fire. His melody and fervor carried the entire community off to the highest and the deepest journey of the spirit. And then he stopped. He turned, cast off his prayer shawl and left the synagogue. With a bewildered congregation chasing behind, he walked briskly to the outskirts of town, to a small dark house from where was heard the cry of a newborn infant. The rabbi entered the house, chopped some wood and lit a fire in the oven, boiled some soup and cared for the mother and child that lay helpless in bed. Then he returned to the synagogue and to the ecstasy of his prayer.Note that the rabbi removed his prayer shawl. To help someone, you must leave your world of prayer and meditation and enter that person's world. You cannot help another from above, only from within.
From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - firstname.lastname@example.com
Day 12 | Day 14 |
Current 613 Commandments PDA | Moshiach General Books | About Children's Corner |


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To discuss your data with a repair specialist or to get the repair process started, call us at (619) 786-7308 or email us at email@example.com. Feel free to send us screenshots or documents that illustrate the problem.


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No, we're not asking you to tell us what color a dress is or stare at a red dot until an image shows up... We just want you to check out this viral photo posted to Facebook that's driving the internet crazy.
The picture shows a floral rug with a white table and Facebook user, Jeya May Cruz challenged her friends and followers to find the cell phone that has been dropped on the floral rug.
The photo has been shared over 19,000 times and Jeya is getting overwhelmed with the amount of Facebook messages she's receiving.
Take a look at the photo and see if you can find the cell phone... Look very closely!


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This is a brief, animated version of John Bunyan's timeless story - Pilgrim's Progress.
Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan's classic allegory of the Christian walk still has as powerful an impact as when it was written 300 years ago! Presented in spectacular full color, this animated version is an excellent way to introduce the timeless story to children of all ages--and re-introduce its portrayal of the themes of the Christian life to adults as well.


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Jim Carrey Gives Bizarre Interview at NYFW Event: 'There Is No Me'
Jim Carrey delivered a bizarre and somewhat concerning interview at NYFW in Manhattan on Friday, where he caught up with E! News at Harper's Bazaar's Icons party at The Plaza Hotel and declared, "There's no meaning to any of this."
"I wanted to find the most meaningless thing that I could come to and join and here I am," he deadpanned to a bewildered and visibly uncomfortable Catt Sadler. "I don't believe in icons."
"I don't believe in personalities. I believe that peace lies beyond personalities, beyond invention and disguise, beyond the red 'S' you wear on your chest, that makes bullets bounce off," he continued, after doing an impromptu impression of James Brown. "I didn't get dressed up. There is no me. There's just things happening."
When Sadler attempted to steer the conversation back to current events happening in the world, Carrey interrupted her before patting her on the shoulder and walking off: "It's not our world...We don't matter."
Watch below:
Stars Who Were Born Poor:


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HTC has been seriously the little (now big) engine that could. Does anyone even remember what the T-Mobile Pocket PC (Wallaby) looked like? Now the number one Windows Mobile manufacturer in the world, they show no signs of stopping — they even added Android to their portfolio. But let's be honest, you're here to check out the much-awaited update to the viciously popular HTC Touch Pro, the HTC Touch Pro2. So let's get to steppin', hit the jump and find out what we really think of the TP2.
Design is always going to be subjective, right? But you can most of the time appreciate a phone's industrial design even if it's not something you'd drop a wad of cash on. The Touch Pro2 is probably one of the sexiest Windows Mobile devices we've ever seen. Rounded edges, chrome bezel, huge screen, minimalistic buttons — all great things. What's even more exciting, however, is that the design is completely functional. There's not one single thing the designers did that gets in the way of real usability and let's face it, this device is really the high-end corporate user's dream device, so there shouldn't be any complaints in this department.
Hardware / Keyboard:
It's really exciting to watch newer products being released but it's a little bit more exciting to see evolutions of previous handsets morph into something else. HTC told us that people really missed not having the tilting screen of the HTC TyTN II so they incorporated that back in. Additionally, people thought the HTC Touch Pro was a little too small and cramped, so they practically made the Touch Pro2 a HTC Touch HD with slide-out QWERTY. And oh man, what a slide-out QWERTY it is. Shaquille O'Neal himself (also a very happy TweetGenius user, might we add) would have zero problems typing on this thing. The keys are very, very spacious and have a great feel to them. It's a plastic feel which is totally fine (even if they are really made out of aluminum), because it's a quality feel. Something Palm should learn a thing or two from.
On a different note, have we mentioned how absolutely incredible HTC's new soft keyboard is? Anyone using an HTC Magic or who has installed a non-Google build on their Android device (not a Google version) will know what we're talking about. It's almost as good as the iPhone's keyboard and this is coming from using it on a resistive screen. Really top notch stuff here.
If there was a such thing as the world's greatest, the Touch Pro2's screen would surely be in the running. It probably wouldn't win, though. It's really something HTC has no control over, but the fact that this is a resistive screen as opposed to a capacitive screen is a major strike against it. Really, they can't do anything about it since Windows Mobile practically makes you use a fingernail to hit menu options. Once you accept the screen is resistive, though, it's a damn good one. Unlike the Touch Pro where the screen wasn't as responsive as everyone wished, the Touch Pro2's screen is incredibly sensitive and responsive — paging through screens, sliding through TouchFLO menus and the like are all smooth as butter.
The actual resolution of the display is 800×480 and it's a whopping 3.6″ measured diagonally. In addition to being highly responsive, it's vivid, bright, clear and crisp.
TouchFLO 3D:
We have touched on TouchFLO 3D in many different sections of this review as you have read and will read below. But, to focus on just TouchFLO 3D, a lot has been added since the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro. For starters, it's finally landscape! If that wasn't enough, HTC has gone ahead and built upon the Touch HD's TF3D by adding in a Stocks page, revamped Weather page and a new Calendar page. All extremely welcome additions.
What good is a phone if the phone doesn't work? While voice calling in very old versions of Windows Mobile was a pain in the ass, Windows Mobile 6/6.1 has made it bearable. Luckily HTC's TouchFLO interface makes it rather enjoyable. Anyone who has used a recent HTC device knows this pretty well, but on the software side, everything is cleanly laid out. Your recent call log is integrated with the dialpad, and you have the option to flip between a standard voice call and a video call. Don't get excited; that's for international users only because it's a carrier-supported feature.
As far as the hardware goes, calls we made and received came through loud and clear. Literally. The ear speaker on the TP2 is a little bit higher than you'd anticipate but you get used to it very quickly and it proved to work without any issues. Volume on the in ear speaker was sufficient enough to provide audible call quality on the streets of New York City and our callers could hear us quite well, too.
HTC has excelled at making Windows Mobile a more-usable platform. What in the hell would the world look like without it? What's more interesting with the latest version of TouchFLO is the messaging integration. In addition to having phone calling, you've now got access to your entire communication history with all of your contacts. Once you click on a specific contact, you're able to see all the recent calls, all recent emails, all recent text messages, and even Facebook updates all in a neat and clean interface. It's rather remarkable.
Integration of these features isn't just skin deep either — you can even click on a contact's thumbnail image in an email and start a conference call that way as an example. Really cool stuff that's incredibly useful.
Speakerphone / Conference calling:
This is one of the big selling points of the new Touch Pro2 — the speakerphone and Straight Talk. The brilliant part of HTC's heavily-customized TouchFLO interface is what they've been able to do with conference calling. You can literally just hit 4, or even 5 numbers or contacts, and instantly, the Touch Pro2 will transform from a phone, to a mobile conference room and conference all parties together. You'll also get options to individually drop certain parties from the call while it's in progress. But, look, what good is some bad ass conference calling software without some business-grade speakerphone action? As soon as you flip the handset over so the screen is face down on your desk (or whatever surface really), the call will instantly change over to speakerphone. Ok, cool, we guess. Most speakerphones suck and you can barely hear them. Not here, though. Besides being super loud and clear for you to listen to, the Touch Pro2 has got dual microphones. One for noise-cancelling and one to actually pickup your voice for uh, talking. This makes for an absolutely wonderful conference calling experience — it's the best we've ever used on a mobile phone. Plus, if that wasn't enough, there's a dedicated mute button right in the middle of the speaker so you can hurl insults and nasty words at your boss while he's talking. While muted, of course.
Battery life:
The TouchPro2 ships with a large 1500mAh battery and it's pretty good. HTC quotes talk time over a UMTS connection at a whopping six and half hours. Unfortunately, since our review unit is a Euro-spec unit, we weren't able to participate in sexy 3G-calling voice tests. Their quoted EDGE talk times are listed at about eight and half hours, and we can pretty much say those numbers are incredibly close to being accurate.
On EDGE and Wi-Fi, our unit constantly got us through a full day of work. This included heavy email using a Microsoft Exchange Server with ActiveSync configured, a ton of web browsing using Opera and Skyfire, staying logged into IM with BeeJive for Windows Mobile, and some light to medium voice calling. On 3G, however, we're pretty sure our battery life would have been reduced by at least 35%, let's say. That's an estimate, but a pretty conservative one. To make two paragraphs short: the Touch Pro2 has very good battery life but your usage patterns will obviously vary, thus your battery will as well.
It's pretty much a standard nowadays for any high-end device; quad-band GSM/EDGE, tri-band UMTS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 or higher and GPS. Unfortunately, the Touch Pro2 we reviewed didn't have three UMTS bands, just two. These are the 900/2100MHz UMTS/HSPA bands that are incompatible with North America's 3G bands. Since 3G is such a standard feature in today's world, we couldn't enjoy the TP2 as much as we'd have liked to. Don't fret, though — when you get your own Touch Pro2 you'll be pleased as punch with all the connectivity options loaded in here.
Minor annoyances:
There's a few things that aren't quite perfect here. The camera, while being a decent 3.2 megapixel sensor, didn't get upgraded like the Touch Diamond2 did. We would have loved for a 5 megapixel shooter in here. Additionally HTC has removed the flash module. Handset makers don't get it twisted — leave the motherloving flash in your phones.
This isn't much of an annoyance since the hardware works quite well, but in fairness we figured we should point out that the Touch Pro2 actually runs more of the less the same internal hardware as the original Touch Pro did. It's not a bad thing like we said, but anyone hoping for a major spec bump, you won't really find it here.
Lastly, there isn't a directional pad anymore on the front of the device. This isn't the worst thing to happen, but it was really nice having that on the front part of the Touch Pro to make navigating a little bit easier. The trade off is that the screen is obviously larger which does help when using touch selections as opposed to hardware keys.
It's pretty apparent that there will be an HTC Touch Pro2 in your own carrier's flavor pretty soon. In the U.S. alone, just from leaked photos and information floating around, T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will all get their own version of the device. What's even better is that they will all be roughly the same. The keyboards won't range from usable to world's dumbest configuration (cough, Touch Pro, cough) and we have a feeling the physical exterior will be pretty close to the stock HTC units as well.
This is an incredibly interesting summer, though. You've got this device, the Nokia N97, the Palm Pre, the iPhone 3G S, the Google G2, and a bunch more handsets to choose from. How will you make up your mind? Form factors are pretty similar with the aforementioned devices. Most have a physical QWERTY slide-out or flip up, and all have on screen keyboards except for the Palm Pre. We can't say that one OS is better than the other for your taste and usage, but we can confidently recommend the Touch Pro2 as the best Windows Mobile device in the world. That might not make your decision any easier, but as long as you're considering a Windows Mobile phone, the Touch Pro2 is going to be the reigning champ for a long, long time. Or at least until HTC releases the Touch Pro3.
Regardless of what phone you end up choosing, one thing is 100% certain, folks. It's going to be a hot summer.


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2007-11-24 - NL | List of photographers
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PetroCaribe oil tanks are located by the Belfast River.
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Buyer's Guide To Bicycle Locks!
Having your bicycle stolen is a real risk that you need to be aware of and take measures to prevent. Bikes are targeted by thieves because they're relatively easy to steal and sell. This is mainly because many people don't realize bikes are desirable so they don't protect them the way they should.
In fact, law enforcement statistics in most areas worldwide show that the vast majority of stolen bikes get that way because they weren't even locked. This includes those that are reported stolen from yards, garages, front porches and other spots at home where people believe their bikes to be safe.
So, the good news is that the first rule of safeguarding your bicycle is getting a good lock and always using it. And, we're here to help!
We have a wide selection of locks to keep your bike yours!
Here are the 3 main bicycle lock types with some pros and cons for each. We strive to keep the best and latest in bike security in stock, so check with us if you're looking for something other than shown here. We probably have it, or can get it for you fast.
U-Locks come in a variety of sizes and are usually made of steel covered with vinyl to protect your bike's finish. To use a U-lock, the crossbar is unlocked and removed and the "U" fits around an immovable object (like the bike-parking rack) and the bike frame and rear and front wheels (you need to remove the front wheel and put it next to the rear wheel). Then you lock the crossbar in place on the "U" to lock your bike.
It's difficult for thieves to violate U-locks. Still, you may wish to use a cable or chain lock along with a U-lock so that you can leave the front wheel in place and secure it with the cable/chain. Also, having 2 different type locks means the thief has to work harder to steal your bike and will usually choose an easier one to try to steal.
U-locks can usually be carried on the bicycle with a special holder sometimes included with the lock. They also fit in a pack. Note that the small U-lock shown is the type used with chain locks usually (see next section).
Chain Locks are comprised of steel links and usually covered with a nylon or vinyl sleeve to protect your bike's finish. They can include a built-in or separate padlock, combination lock or mini U-lock.
Chain locks are longer than U-locks so they reach further and can be easier to get around certain bicycles and objects commonly locked to. Longer models will reach around both wheels so you don't have to remove your front wheel.
Because of the heavy and many links, chain locks are usually heavier than U-locks. There are models with specially shaped and nearly unbreakable links for super security. Chain locks can be carried in a pack. Sometimes you can wear them over your shoulder and across your chest or as a belt.
Cable Locks come in almost unlimited lengths and thicknesses. They're made of coiled wire and can include a built-in or separate padlock or combination lock. They're usually covered in vinyl to protect your bike.
Cable locks are longer than U-locks so they reach further and can be easier to get around certain bicycles and objects. Longer models will reach around both wheels so you don't have to remove your front wheel.
Cable locks are among the lightest locks and they are usually self-coiling making them easy to carry in a pack (you can also hang them from your bicycle. Note that even the thickest cable locks do not provide as much security as U and chain locks so they are best used in safer areas, more as a deterrent than for serious protection.
Tips and videos on locking your bicycle
To protect your precious two-wheeler from theft, you need to realize that bike thieves are quick, sneaky, resourceful and always on the lookout for easy bikes to grab. Leaving your bike unlocked is the biggest mistake you can make.
Every cyclist needs a good bike lock for whenever they leave their bicycle unattended. Assume that a thief is out there looking for bikes to steal and make sure yours is safe.
Every time you park your bike, lock it. And, if people can see in your yard or shed, lock your bicycle to something there, too, so that it's safe. And don't forget to lock it to your bike rack on your car when you're carrying it that way, too (even bikes inside cars and trucks can get stolen, so hide them with a blanket and/or lock them, as well).
Locking pointers
When you secure your bicycle properly with a bike lock, thieves will think twice. A bicycle that's locked up right is difficult to steal and even the most well-equipped bike thieves will target something easier to reduce their chances of getting caught in the act of trying to steal your bike.
To protect your bike fully, you need to secure the frame and both wheels to an immovable object with a quality bicycle lock. How you do this depends on your bicycle type, what objects you lock to most of the time, and how risky it is where you leave your bicycle locked/parked.
We carry a wide selection of quality bicycle locks and can help you keep your bikes safe. Let us know where you park your bike and we can help you choose the right type of bike lock for securing it and show you the best way to use it, too.
Often, all that's needed is a single cable, chain or U-lock. In some cases, it maybe be important or simply more convenient to carry and secure your bike with 2 locks. If you have to park in an area where lots of bicycles have been stolen, we can recommend our most secure locks, which are designed by security experts at the lock companies to withstand almost anything the thieves can come up with.
Bicycles getting stolen is as important an issue to us as it is to you. Please ask if you have any questions about bike locks, locking or bike safety and we'll be happy to help anyway we can.


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Rock Church, Helsinki
Thursday, 9th July 2009 by Ian Brown
For our first post about Finland, we visit the capital Helsinki where we find Temppeliaukio - a circular dome-roofed rock church carved into a large granite outcropping.
Rather more modern than the Ethiopian Rock Churches which I wrote about recently, Temppeliaukio was originally conceived before the second world war. Construction was finally completed in 1969, at a quarter of the originally-intended size. I assume the Church would have filled most of the rocky area clearly visible from Bing Maps' bird's eye view.
The image of a space ship surrounded by rock originally created some controversy, but over time it has grown to become one of Helsinki's leading tourist attractions.
Temppeliaukio is perhaps best appreciated from the inside where the bare granite walls and gleaming copper dome are lit with natural light from 180 windows which separate those two elements of the structure.
Rock excavated for the interior of the Church was used to build up the walls, and to create the entranceway. While the walls were originally supposed to be covered over, it was decided to leave the rock bare as it created excellent acoustics for musical performances.
Thanks to kockopes.