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"If we are to live in harmony with ourselves and with nature, we need to be able to communicate freely in a creative movement in which no one permanently holds to or otherwise defends his own ideas."
By Maria Popova
"Words," Ursula K. Le Guin wrote in her abiding meditation on the magic of real human communication, "transform both speaker and hearer; they feed energy back and forth and amplify it. They feed understanding or emotion back and forth and amplify it." But what happens in a cultural ecosystem where the hearer has gone extinct and the speaker gone rampant? Where do transformation and understanding go?
What made, for instance, James Baldwin and Margaret Mead's superb 1970 dialogue about race and identity so powerful and so enduringly insightful is precisely the fact that it was a dialogue — not the ping-pong of opinions and co-reactivity that passes for dialogue today, but a commitment to mutual contemplation of viewpoints and considered response. That commitment is the reason why they were able to address questions we continue to confront with tenfold more depth and nuance than we are capable of today. And the dearth of this commitment in our present culture is the reason why we continue to find ourselves sundered by confrontation and paralyzed by the divisiveness of "us vs. them" narratives. "To bother to engage with problematic culture, and problematic people within that culture, is an act of love," wrote the poet Elizabeth Alexander in contemplating power and possibility. Krista Tippett calls such engagement generous listening. And yet so much of our communication today is defined by a rather ungenerous unwillingness to listen coupled with a compulsion to speak.
The most perennially insightful and helpful remedy for this warping of communication I've ever encountered comes from the legendary physicist David Bohm (December 20, 1917–October 27, 1992) in On Dialogue (public library) — a slim, potent collection of Bohm's essays and lectures from the 1970s and 1980s, exploring the alchemy of human communication, what is keeping us from listening to one another, and how we can transcend those barriers to mutual understanding.
Decades before the social web as we know it and long before Rebecca Solnit came to lament how our modern noncommunication is changing our experience of solitude and communion, Bohm cautions:
In spite of this worldwide system of linkages, there is, at this very moment, a general feeling that communication is breaking down everywhere, on an unparalleled scale... What appears [in the media] is generally at best a collection of trivial and almost unrelated fragments, while at worst, it can often be a really harmful source of confusion and misinformation.
He terms this "the problem of communication" and writes:
Different groups ... are not actually able to listen to each other. As a result, the very attempt to improve communication leads frequently to yet more confusion, and the consequent sense of frustration inclines people ever further toward aggression and violence, rather than toward mutual understanding and trust.
Suggesting that the difficulty might arise from our "crude and insensitive manner of thinking about communication and talking about it," Bohm sets out to restore the necessary subtlety by reclaiming the true meaning of communication and its supreme mastery, dialogue:
"Communication" ... is based on the Latin commun and the suffix "ie" which is similar to "fie," in that it means "to make or to do." So one meaning of "to communicate" is "to make something common," i.e., to convey information or knowledge from one person to another in as accurate a way as possible.
Nevertheless, this meaning does not cover all that is signified by communication. For example, consider a dialogue. In such a dialogue, when one person says something, the other person does not in general respond with exactly the same meaning as that seen by the first person. Rather, the meanings are only similar and not identical. Thus, when the second person replies, the first person sees a difference between what he meant to say and what the other person understood. On considering this difference, he may then be able to see something new, which is relevant both to his own views and to those of the other person. And so it can go back and forth, with the continual emergence of a new content that is common to both participants. Thus, in a dialogue, each person does not attempt to make common certain ideas or items of information that are already known to him. Rather, it may be said that the two people are making something in common, i.e., creating something new together.
But of course such communication can lead to the creation of something new only if people are able freely to listen to each other, without prejudice, and without trying to influence each other. Each has to be interested primarily in truth and coherence, so that he is ready to drop his old ideas and intentions, and be ready to go on to something different, when this is called for.
Such communication in the service of creating something new, Bohm argues, takes place not only between people but within people. He illustrates this with an example that calls to mind Alan Lightman's beautiful reflection on the creative sympathies of art and science, and writes:
Consider, for example, the work of an artist. Can it properly be said that the artist is expressing himself, i.e., literally "pushing outward" something that is already formed inside of him? Such a description is not in fact generally accurate or adequate. Rather, what usually happens is that the first thing the artist does is only similar in certain ways to what he may have in mind. As in a conversation between two people, he sees the similarity and the difference, and from this perception something further emerges in his next action. Thus, something new is continually created that is common to the artist and the material on which he is working.
The scientist is engaged in a similar "dialogue" with nature (as well as with his fellow human beings). Thus, when a scientist has an idea, this is tested by observation. When it is found (as generally happens) that what is observed is only similar to what he had in mind and not identical, then from a consideration of the similarities and the differences he gets a new idea which is in turn tested. And so it goes, with the continual emergence of something new that is common to the thought of scientists and what is observed in nature.
In a sentiment that affirms the importance of the uncomfortable luxury of changing one's mind, Bohm adds:
It is clear that if we are to live in harmony with ourselves and with nature, we need to be able to communicate freely in a creative movement in which no one permanently holds to or otherwise defends his own ideas.
He observes that these ideas are rooted in assumptions we hold about various aspects of life — from politics to economics to religion — and those assumptions are what we call our "opinions." Four centuries after Galileo admonished against the folly of believing one's preconceptions, Bohm argues that this tendency to cling to our existing opinions is a kind of self-protective "block" we use as a hedge against our fear of uncertainty. But in blocking uncertainty, we also block our ability to listen. Fertile dialogue, he points out, requires that we first become aware of our own "blocks," then be willing to surmount them. He writes:
When we come together to talk, or otherwise to act in common, can each one of us be aware of the subtle fear and pleasure sensations that "block" his ability to listen freely? Without this awareness, the injunction to listen to the whole of what is said will have little meaning. But if each one of us can give full attention to what is actually "blocking" communication while he is also attending properly to the content of what is communicated, then we may be able to create something new between us, something of very great significance for bringing to an end the at present insoluble problems of the individual and of society.
In a passage of swelling timeliness today, Bohm considers the crucial difference between dialogue and discussion:
"Dialogue" comes from the Greek word dialogos. Logos means "the word," or in our case we would think of the "meaning of the word." And dia means "through" — it doesn't mean "two." A dialogue can be among any number of people, not just two. Even one person can have a sense of dialogue within himself, if the spirit of the dialogue is present. The picture or image that this derivation suggests is of a stream of meaning flowing among and through us and between us. This will make possible a flow of meaning in the whole group, out of which may emerge some new understanding. It's something new, which may not have been in the starting point at all. It's something creative. And this shared meaning is the "glue" or "cement" that holds people and societies together.
Contrast this with the word "discussion," which has the same root as "percussion" and "concussion." It really means to break things up. It emphasizes the idea of analysis, where there may be many points of view, and where everybody is presenting a different one — analyzing and breaking up. That obviously has its value, but it is limited, and it will not get us very far beyond our various points of view. Discussion is almost like a ping-pong game, where people are batting the ideas back and forth and the object of the game is to win or to get points for yourself...
In a dialogue, however, nobody is trying to win. Everybody wins if anybody wins. There is a different sort of spirit to it. In a dialogue, there is no attempt to gain points, or to make your particular view prevail. Rather, whenever any mistake is discovered on the part of anybody, everybody gains. It's a situation called win-win, whereas the other game is win-lose — if I win, you lose. But a dialogue is something more of a common participation, in which we are not playing a game against each other, but with each other. In a dialogue, everybody wins.
True dialogue, Bohm argues, not only leads us to question the very assumptions upon which our opinions are built but invites a continual act of self-revision at the level of the thought process itself — the process of which our opinions are a product. This self-revision takes place both on the individual level and on the collective level. He considers the difficulty of rethinking thought itself:
You cannot defend something without first thinking the defense. There are those thoughts which might question the thing you want to defend, and you've got to push them aside. That may readily involve self-deception — you will simply push aside a lot of things you would rather not accept by saying they are wrong, by distorting the issue, and so on. Thought defends its basic assumptions against evidence that they may be wrong.
Noting that we engage in two kinds of thought, individual and collective, Bohm points out that most of our individual assumptions are the product of our cultural conditioning and our "collective background." He writes:
Language is collective. Most of our basic assumptions come from our society, including all our assumptions about how society works, about what sort of person we are supposed to be, and about relationships, institutions, and so on. Therefore we need to pay attention to thought both individually and collectively.
Writing in the same era in which evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins coined the term "meme," Bohm adds:
Assumptions or opinions are like computer programs in people's minds. Those programs take over against the best of intentions — they produce their own intentions.
Those intentions operate on what Bohm calls the "tacit level" — not the level of our conscious awareness but someplace deeper, more intuitive, and almost automatic, of which we only have a vague conscious sense. He explains:
"Tacit" means that which is unspoken, which cannot be described — like the knowledge required to ride a bicycle. It is the actual knowledge, and it may be coherent or not. I am proposing that thought is actually a subtle tacit process. The concrete process of thinking is very tacit. The meaning is basically tacit. And what we can say explicitly is only a very small part of it. I think we all realize that we do almost everything by this sort of tacit knowledge. Thought is emerging from the tacit ground, and any fundamental change in thought will come from the tacit ground. So if we are communicating at the tacit level, then maybe thought is changing.
The tacit process is common. It is shared. The sharing is not merely the explicit communication and the body language and all that, which are part of it, but there is also a deeper tacit process which is common. I think the whole human race knew this for a million years; and then in five thousand years of civilization we have lost it, because our societies got too big to carry it out. But now we have to get started again, because it has become urgent that we communicate. We have to share our consciousness and to be able to think together, in order to do intelligently whatever is necessary. If we begin to confront what's going on in a dialogue group, we sort of have the nucleus of what's going on in all society.
But Bohm's most crucial point — which is also the point most disquieting to our present customs of communication — is that true dialogue must be aimed not at some immediate or practical solution but at the higher-order objective of meaning. A quarter century before physicist Sean Carroll made his beautiful case for "poetic naturalism" as our supreme source of meaning in a universe otherwise devoid of purpose, Bohm writes:
It is not an arbitrary imposition to state that we have no fixed purpose — no absolute purpose, anyway. We may set up relative purposes for investigation, but we are not wedded to a particular purpose, and are not saying that the whole group must conform to that purpose indefinitely. All of us might want the human race to survive, but even that is not our purpose. Our purpose is really to communicate coherently in truth, if you want to call that a purpose.
It is necessary to share meaning. A society is a link of relationships among people and institutions, so that we can live together. But it only works if we have a culture — which implies that we share meaning; i.e., significance, purpose, and value. Otherwise it falls apart. Our society is incoherent, and doesn't do that very well; it hasn't for a long time, if it ever did. The different assumptions that people have are tacitly affecting the whole meaning of what we are doing.
Echoing his magnificent conversation with philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti about intelligence and love, Bohm adds:
Love will go away if we can't communicate and share meaning... However, if we can really communicate, then we will have fellowship, participation, friendship, and love, growing and growing. That would be the way...
And perhaps in dialogue, when we have this very high energy of coherence, it might bring us beyond just being a group that could solve social problems. Possibly it could make a new change in the individual and a change in the relation to the cosmic. Such an energy has been called "communion." It is a kind of participation. The early Christians had a Greek word, koinonia, the root of which means "to participate" — the idea of partaking of the whole and taking part in it; not merely the whole group, but the whole.
On Dialogue remains an illuminating and acutely timely read. Complement it with Einstein on widening our circles of compassion and Carl Sagan on moving beyond "us vs. them," moving beyond "us vs. them," then revisit Bohm on how our beliefs shape our reality.
See article from source: David Bohm on Dialogue


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Book Blurb
Giving the commencement speech at his alma mater doesn't fit Clay Keller's meticulous schedule. As Chief Executive Officer of Travel Mogul—the largest travel connoisseur company on the West Coast—he has no time to get back in touch with his country roots. He left fifteen years ago without a second look, but a medical scare makes him change his mind about the speech and brings him face-to-face with his only regret. Time always moves slower in Southeastern Iowa, and Aaron Grant loves it. He's added solar farms to the Grant Lanes portfolio and has been teaching at the local university for a decade. The last thing he needs is to have his tenure application compromised by the return of his ex-boyfriend. If he had known who the commencement speaker would be, he would never have volunteered to be the administration liaison. A proposal—to date for a year—will help them discover that time changes a person, even when everything else stays the same. Pre-Order Links Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Nook | Kobo
©2017 Lila Leigh Hunter All Rights Reserved Clay—May '15 Back to the future and all of that were Clay's first thoughts as he stepped out of the car. The campus looked the same—Midwest Americana at its best. Redbrick buildings and perfectly pruned trees surrounded him, but as if the last fifteen years hadn't happened, Clay's world narrowed to the man waiting at the top of the portico stairs. The only thing time had changed? Them. "Here's your receipt, Mr. Keller," the valet said, interrupting Clay's musings. He didn't remember being as young as the valet. Mr. Keller was his father, but Clay didn't feel like correcting the man's error. "Thank you." "Not a problem. The man in the light gray suit is Professor Grant. He will be your escort today." "Perfect," Clay responded, smiling at the mention of having an escort at his service, especially one whose body he knew well. With a nod and a tip, Clay left the valet behind, turning his attention back to Professor Grant. Professor. Aaron had done it after all. Clay had never doubted it, even after Aaron decided to stay and work at his family's farm instead of moving with him to LA. Now he needed to find out if he had a chance with Aaron. At least having him there, waiting for him, had to be a good sign. Today was his lucky day indeed. True, he hadn't expected to see Aaron so soon. He had planned to stop by the farm after the commencement, but he was ready either way. Life had been rough lately, but having the opportunity to see Aaron again was worth coming back to the middle of Nowhere, Iowa. He walked casually toward the man he'd left behind many summers ago—a man standing like a prizefighter, waiting for Clay to reach him. With only a couple of feet between them, Clay's step faltered. Aaron didn't seem happy to see him, more like he was ready to bolt before Clay got to him. Shaking his head and keeping his eyes on his prey, he closed the distance and extended his hand in greeting. "Professor Grant, I believe you're expecting me?" He hoped his smile would ease Aaron's frown. "That I am, Mr. Keller. As the university liaison, it is my pleasure to welcome you back to your alma mater and to convey the president's and the board of trustees' deepest regards." "How long did it take you to memorize that spiel? As far as I remember, you weren't fond of formalities." Neither of them let go of the other's hand. Aaron's touch, familiar and foreign, branded him in seconds. "Ass." Aaron didn't expect the hug that followed. As soon as their bodies touched, Aaron tensed, but Clay held him tighter. "Relax, sunshine. It's been a while." Clay let Aaron go, but not before he rubbed his trimmed beard against Aaron's clean-shaven face as he moved back. Meet the Author Lila Leigh Hunter is the pen name of a Puerto Rican author with a hyphenated surname. Born and raised on the island, Lila grew up making up stories her siblings pretended to like. But no matter what they say, as the youngest of six, she's still their mom's favorite. According to the dusty diplomas on her wall, she's an architectural designer living in Southern Texas with her husband and four military brats. She spends most of her free time writing homoerotic romances about middle-aged men finding happiness and the rest hiding from pesky house chores. When outside of her cave, she likes to observe people and try to guess their stories. Sometimes she wishes the voices in her head were real; going out with the boys in her books sounds like a plan made in heaven.
2/13/2017 04:28:00 pm
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Welcome to My World

subset: commoncrawl


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This may have been a trip to California, but there sure was enough "New York Style" pizza to make me double check the time zone. I ran into some great slice shops, notable pie spots, and even a few gnarly piles of goo masquerading as pizza. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights.
Rotten City Pizza is located in a nondescript building in Emeryville, just east of the bay. I had received many tips about this place so I figured it would be worth the long rainy walk from the BART station. The rain dried off as soon as I walked inside and saw the lovely display of freshly baked pies. I saw some beauties, but this was just one stop in an eight pizzeria day so I had to stay focused. I ordered a slice of Margherita and a Funghi (tomato sauce, mozz, provolone, parmigiano, roasted cremini mushrooms, toasted garlic chips). Both slices were excellent, but the Margherita had some lovely structure from a brief reheat. These are some serious "New York Style" slices and I highly recommend stopping by next time you're in Emeryville looking for some grub. Just check these ladies out:
I tried some other attempts at "New York Style," which apparently gets translated simply as "pizza-by-the-slice." Lanesplitter does a pretty grimy version, as does Nizario's. Both are good for late-night stops but neither require photographic evidence. One the other hand, I do find the need to display a crime against pizza in the form of two college town favorites. Fat Slice and Blondie's are of the last-resort variety of pizza. I had heard their names bandied about too much to not check them out. Don't make the same mistake. Here's what we're dealing with:
Not only are these thick slabs of industrial strength cardboard completely flavorless, they're also $3.50 each! I guess you're paying for all that cheese, which reminded me more of the rubber soles of my shoes. Wow, I am embarrassed to even put these photos on the same page as Rotten City. Please forgive me.
You can't talk about "New York Style" pizza in San Francisco without mentioning Escape From New York. With six locations in the Bay Area and a few more in Portland, OR, EFNY puts out some completely passable slices. I went a little stir crazy and ordered a specialty slice on top of my standard cheese slice. Why not? After all, I'm on vacation! Both were good, but the potato and garlic was exciting. The Godfather is ready to dig in!
Moving right along, let's take a moment to discuss a New York style pie joint that's new to the scene. Emilia's is a one man operation where phones are answered, pies are baked and cash is taken by owner Keith Freilich. Using a conventional gas oven, Keith manages to get some nice color that truly welcomes the New York comparisons. It's also pretty classic that he only accepts cash. Maybe the system will change with the addition of more staff, but it seemed like there was a pretty specific method to ordering pizza. You have to place your order at least an hour in advance, and you are then given a pick-up time. You have the option of sitting at one of the three tables inside, but I took mine to-go. Just take a gander at this baby and you'll see how serious this pizza scene has become with the addition of Emilia's.
In the past few years TONS of quality pizzerias have opened in and around San Francisco. The amazing fact is that there are so many styles to choose from! You're not stuck with gourmet artisinal blah blah blah, which most east coasters think they're in for when heading to the Left Coast. There's a whole landscape happening out west and something tells me it's just starting to heat up. That about does it for the Bay Area "New York Style" pizza wrap-up, but stay tuned for one more installment from San Francisco before we dive deep into the pits of Los Angeles.


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T.D. Jakes says that God eternally exists in three manifestations, not three persons. Greg Boyd says God knows some aspects of the future, but that other future events are outside of his knowledge.Creflo Dollar says because we are created in the image of God, we are little gods. Mormonism says God revealed new scripture to Joseph Smith that supersedes the Bible. Roman Catholicism says we are justified by faith, but not by faith alone. This world is a murky madness of true and false. For every doctrine we know to be true, there seems to be a hundred pretenders.No wonder, then, that John tells us to "test the spirits" and Paul says, "test everything" (1 John 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:21). It is our sacred responsibility to examine every doctrine to determine if it is true or false. But how can we distinguish sound doctrine from false? How can we distinguish teachers of truth from teachers of error? In our opening article, I said that putting a doctrine to the test is the best way to determine if it is true or false. As we test the doctrine, we learn our responsibility toward it: We either hold to it or we reject it. I am returning to those tests today to explain them in greater detail. They provide a grid that is useful for testing any doctrine.
Test 1: The Test of Origin
The first test is the test of origin. Sound doctrine originates with God; false doctrine originates with someone or something created by God. The Apostle Paul went to great lengths to convince the church in Galatia that the gospel he taught was not his own, but God's. "For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11-12). Even Jesus was clear that he taught only what God had instructed him to teach: "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me" (John 7:16). True doctrine originates with the God who is true (Titus 1:2).
It is this simple: Sound teaching originates with God and false teaching originates with men or demons.
Just as true doctrine is marked by its divine origin, false doctrine is marked by its worldly origin. Paul warned the Colossian church to avoid doctrine that is "according to human precepts and teachings" and told Timothy that some would "depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons" (Colossians 2:22, 1 Timothy 4:1). It is this simple: Sound teaching originates with God and false teaching originates with men or demons. When it comes to doctrine, if man made it, then we should not hold it. God is the Father of truth and Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).
The test: Does this doctrine originate with God or has it been fabricated by someone or something else?
This leaves us with an obvious question: How can we know the origin of a doctrine? Sometimes its origin is obvious, but more often it is not. When we are uncertain, we can turn to our second test.
Test 2: The Test of Authority
The second test is the test of authority. Sound doctrine grounds its authority within the Bible; false doctrine grounds its authority outside the Bible. The Bible is God's inerrant, infallible, sufficient, complete, and authoritative revelation of himself to humanity. Doctrines that originate in the mind of God are recorded in the Word of God. There is a clear and necessary correlation between origin and authority, between God and his Word.
We can think here of those noble Bereans who "received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (Acts 17:11). They knew that all doctrines must be compared to God's Word, his source of truth. Likewise, Paul praised the Thessalonians for their careful assessment and acceptance of his teaching because they understood its divine authority. "And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Sound doctrine originates in the mind of God and is recorded in his authoritative self-revelation, the Bible.
The test: Does this doctrine appeal to the Bible for its authority? Or does it appeal to another scripture or another mind?
But a concern remains, because two teachers may both claim the authority of the Bible while teaching very different things. How can we know whose interpretation is correct? This is where we turn to the third test.
Test 3: The Test of Consistency
The third test is the test of consistency. Sound doctrine is consistent with the whole of Scripture; false doctrine is inconsistent with some parts of Scripture. There is a sameness or familiarity to true doctrine and a strangeness or unfamiliarity to false doctrine. The man who wrote the letter to the Hebrews warned his congregation about "diverse and strange teachings," while Paul warned Timothy about accepting "different doctrine" (Hebrews 13:9; 1 Timothy 1:3, 6:3). Both meant to emphasize that doctrine must always be compared to the established, accepted body of truth. Those who are knowledgeable about that body of truth will be in the best position to immediately identify and refute what is false.
Because there can be no contradiction in the mind of God, there can be no contradiction in the revelation of God.
This is tied to a key theological principle, "the analogy of faith," which is often explained with the phrase "Scripture interprets Scripture." If the Bible originates in the infallible mind of God, it must be consistent throughout. Because there can be no contradiction in the mind of God, there can be no contradiction in the revelation of God. What the Bible teaches in one place it cannot refute in another. Therefore, any true doctrine must be consistent with the whole of Scripture. Doctrine must never be treated in isolation, but always in light of a correct understanding of the entire Bible. Too many false teachers isolate verses or ideas that cannot withstand the scrutiny of the whole Book.
The test: Is this doctrine established or refuted by the entirety of Scripture?
Once we have tested doctrine and found it to be true, according to these three criteria, we can also see its soundness by its effects on us and those around us. That requires two more tests.
Test 4: The Test of Spiritual Growth
The fourth test is the test of spiritual growth. Sound doctrine is beneficial for spiritual health; false doctrine leads to spiritual weakness. After instructing Timothy, Paul told him, "If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained ["nourished"] in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed" (1 Timothy 4:6). Timothy had trained himself in the Bible and Christian doctrine. He had nourished himself in the truths he had been exposed to since he was a child. And he had never stopped. Through this continual nourishment, this ongoing dining on the Word of God, he had grown spiritually healthy and strong. He had accumulated a thorough knowledge of God and his Word. This is why Paul called him a "man of God" with "sincere faith" (1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy's constant nourishment in sound doctrine from the Word of God made him the man he was.
Sound doctrine makes spiritually healthy, mature, knowledgeable Christians. False doctrine makes spiritually unhealthy, immature, ignorant Christians who may be no Christians at all.
Test 5: The Test of Godly Living
The fifth test is the test of godly living. Sound doctrine has value for godly living, false doctrine leads to ungodly living. Truth never stands on its own, but always has implications in life. Doctrine is always meant to lead to doxology, worship, and purposeful living. "All Scripture is breathed out by God," says Paul, "and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Scripture is not to be known in an abstract sense, but intimately. It is to inform not only our minds, but our hearts and hands as well.
Truth has not been grasped until it has been lived.
Paul charged Titus to "teach what accords with sound doctrine," reminding him that such doctrine is "excellent and profitable for people" (3:8, 2:1). "What accords with" sound doctrine is its far-reaching implications, the duties that flow out of it. Thus, sound doctrine has value. It is profitable in teaching us to live as we ought to live. It equips us to do those things that are are good for our neighbor and that bring honor and glory to our God. Truth has not been grasped until it has been lived. Sound doctrine profits us by training us to live in a way that pleases God. False doctrine weakens us by training us to live in a way that dishonors God.
Evaluation: The Determination of Quality
At this point we simply take all of the evidence from the three tests and make a conclusion about the quality of the doctrine in question. Sound doctrine originates with God, is recorded in the Word of God, is consistent with the whole revelation of God, and leads to both spiritual health and godly living. False doctrine originates with men or demons, is foreign to the Word of God, is inconsistent with the whole revelation of God, and leads to spiritual weakness and ungodly living. It must pass all of the tests in order to be sound. If it fails one, it fails all of them. This word "sound" refers to health and appears often in the New Testament. For example, Paul instructed Timothy, "Follow the pattern of the sound ["healthy"] words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 1:13). To Titus he said, "Teach what accords with sound ["healthy"] doctrine" (Titus 2:1).
The task of the doctor is to evaluate a patient to declare him fit or unfit. The patient is fit when his whole body is functioning properly, free of disease. The task of the Christian is to evaluate every doctrine to declare it fit or unfit. John Stott says it characteristically well: "Christian doctrine is healthy in the same way as the human body is healthy. For Christian doctrine resembles the human body. It is a coordinated system consisting of different parts which relate to one another and together constitute a harmonious whole. If therefore our theology is maimed (with bits missing) or diseased (with bits distorted), it is not 'sound' or 'healthy'." Doctrine that passes the three tests is sound doctrine. It is pure and undefiled, true according to God's unfailing standard of truth.
The evaluation: Based on the evidence, is this doctrine sound or false?
Action: Determine Your Responsibility
Having thoroughly tested the doctrine and examined its effects, we are able to determine how to respond to it. Sound doctrine must be accepted and held fast; false doctrine must be denied and rejected. When Jesus spoke to the believers in Thyatira, he commended them for clinging to truth and told them to "hold fast what you have until I come" (Revelation 2:25). Paul described the elder as a man who "must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it" (Titus 1:9).
Our responsibility is clear: We must accept and hold fast to what is true, and we must deny and reject what is false. Likewise, the church must welcome those who teach sound doctrine and rebuke those who do not. If they do not heed correction, the church must reject them, removing them and their influence (1 Corinthians 5:9).
In summary, true doctrine (content) originates with God (origin), is grounded in the Bible (authority), and agrees with the whole of Scripture (consistency). Because such doctrine is sound (quality), it is healthy (benefit), and profitable (value) for us, and we are responsible for holding it (responsibility).
False doctrine (content) originates with man (origin), is not grounded in the Bible (authority), and contradicts portions of Scripture (consistency). Because such doctrine is unsound (quality), it is unhealthy (benefit) and unprofitable (value) for us, and we are responsible for rejecting it (responsibility).
Reference: Tim Challies


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Antec's Stunning New Value and Curious New Direction
by Dustin Sklavos on January 9, 2013 3:52 AM EST- Posted in
- Antec
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Laptops
Truth be told I'm a little bit surprised I haven't heard from our friends over at Antec in a while. I do have one of their cases sitting at home waiting to be reviewed, but all told, 2012 was kind of a quiet year and unfortunately for PC enthusiasts it looks like 2013 may be moving in the same direction. They had their usual quality power supplies on tap, but everything is just inching towards better certification and efficiency anyhow (I know, woe is me).
Antec was showing off three cases: two are modified versions of the P280 and Eleven Hundred respectively (both solid offerings in their own right), but the third one completely broadsided me: the GX700.
The GX700 is a mostly toolless design and its aesthetic seems to be cut from the same mold as Corsair's Vengeance C70. That may or may not excite you depending on how you felt about the C70's styling, but what got me was the value proposition. Construction is primarily steel and plastic, with smart cable routing mehind the motherboard tray, and the same general ATX case cooling layout, but Antec extruded the top venting of the case slightly and includes two 140mm fans standard. Rear exhaust is handled by a single 120mm fan. I/O is the usual two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, and there's an integrated fan controller. None of that is hugely exciting until you realize Antec is putting this case on the market for just $59 MSRP. I guessed $119, and at $119 it looks like it would be a fairly competitive enclosure, but at $59 I expect it's going to provide serious competition. Look forward to it.
Next to it in the photo is the "new" M-1100. This is a new Eleven Hundred, mostly the same as the old Eleven Hundred (not necessarily a bad thing), but with the one change I really wanted them to make: a pair of 120mm fan mounts (and fans) in the top of the chassis instead of the single 200mm exhaust fan. I was always perplexed as to why the P280 had the mounts for a 240mm radiator and the more gamer-oriented Eleven Hundred didn't, but apparently someone at Antec was too. So there you go. Not pictured is the new white version of the P280, which also features a window on the side.
So what has Antec busied themselves with? Launching a new division as it turns out.
I have no doubt that there's money to be made in producing excellent mobile peripherals, and Thermaltake and Rosewill have been branching out in the same direction (although to be fair, Rosewill makes everything at this point), but the new Antec Mobile Products (a.m.p) division seems like an oddball fit for an old warhorse like Antec. It remains to be seen how well this focus will work out for them, but I'm mostly sorry to see it back-burnering a case division that was fairly revitalized not too long ago by the P280/Eleven Hundred. In addition to ear buds and portable speakers, you can get a.m.p branded power peripherals for smartphones and tablets, and Antec does say they include some of their own secret sauce from their power supplies to produce more reliable, higher quality stuff.
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Articuno - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
The GX700 sounds nice, but what about the Antec 302? Let alone the Antec One. -
ET - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
Hopefully the GX700 will be reviewed soon. Frankly I prefer Corsair's understated look, and I was surprised by the comparison to Vengeance C70. There's something about it, but the initial impression I had was of a significant difference because of how the front looks.
Looks like a good case for the price. I'm currently considering a Carbide 200R or 300R and it would be interesting to read more about the GX700. -
B3an - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
Eugh those cases... MY EYES! -
tzhu07 - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
Agreed. Industrial design always matters. More case makers need to keep it classy like Fractal Design and Lian Li. -
tim851 - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
I also feel insulted that cases like these - and there are hundreds of them - are marketed for "gamers". This implication that people who play the occasional video game suffer from a complete lack of test is appalling.
Call them "pre-teens", 'cause that's what they are. When I was 11, I would have probably liked gimmicky cases with lots of LEDs and a window. -
Beenthere - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
How many weird, illogical, impratical, over-priced POS products can PC hardware companies produce in a given year? The answer: millions. For every sucker, there is a hundred different useless PC products that they can buy if they are told by some talking head that their life will improve if they just buy one or more of these worthless products.
Like sheep to the slaughter house... -
xcomvic - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
I actually woudn't mind the GX700, for all those features and that price...it's great...mind you, I already hide my Rosewill tower off to the right and under my office desk so, I rarely ever look at it...so even if this thing isn't the prettiest thing, it has all the functions that I would ever need and at a great price. -
Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
I was unaware a $59 case packed to the gills with useful cooling features was "over-priced." -
xcomvic - Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - link
So Pro, I like this name. -
Dustin Sklavos - Thursday, January 10, 2013 - link
I'm actually using an i7-3770K OC'ed to 4.4GHz. Even with the TIM issue it's still a killer CPU. If you're on Sandy Bridge there's no reason to go with Ivy, but if you're on an older generation it may be worth considering. I love my 3770K. It runs a bit toasty, but it's stable and it's FAST.


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Blepharitis means inflammation of the eyelids. Some doctors call it granulated eyelids. Almost everyone gets blepharitis at some time in his or her life. Some people get it repeatedly. Fortunately, blepharitis is relatively easy to treat.
Types of Blepharitis:
Staphylococcus blepharitis is caused by a germ called Staphylococci, commonly known as "staph." It often begins in childhood and continues throughout adulthood. This form of the condition results in collar scales on lashes, crusting, and chronic redness at the lid margin. Dilated blood vessels, loss of lashes, sties, and chalazia (nodules on the eyelids) also occur.
Seborrhea blepharitis is the most common and least severe form of this condition. It is not an infection but is caused by improper function of the oil glands, which causes greasy, waxy scales to accumulate along the eyelid margins. Seborrhea may be a part of an overall skin disorder that affects other areas. Hormones, nutrition, general physical condition and stress are factors in seborrhea.
Ulcerative blepharitis is a less common but more severe condition that may be characterized by matted, hard crusts around the eyelashes, which, when removed, leave small sores that may bleed or ooze. There may also be a loss of eyelashes, distortion of the front edges of the eyelids and chronic tearing.
In severe cases, the cornea, the transparent covering of the front of the eyeball, may also become inflamed.
Symptoms of Blepharitis:
- Itchy, burning, watery eyes
- Sore eyes
- Sticky discharge that causes the eyelashes to stick together
- Redness of the eyelid edges
- Frequent sty formation
- Tiny pimples on the eyelid edges
- Scaly skin flakes along the eyelid margins
- Gritty sensation leading to irritated eyes and light sensitivity
- Blurred vision
Causes of Blepharitis:
- Poor eyelid hygiene
- Excess oil produced by the glands in the eyelid
- Bacterial infection (often staphylococcal)
- Allergic reaction
Treating Blepharitis:
In addition to eliminating redness and soreness, treatment can prevent potential infection and scarring of the cornea. You doctor will perform a complete eye examination to determine the most effective treatment.
Usually, blepharitis can be controlled by careful, daily cleaning of the eyelashes. You can do this by moistening a clean washcloth with tap water as warm as you can stand without burning. Hold the washcloth against the eyelids until it cools, then rewarm and repeat for five to ten minutes.
After soaking, scrub each eyelid gently for one minute using a clean washcloth wrapped around your index finger and moistened with warm tap water. Cotton-tipped applicators, like Q-tips, are also useful to remove accumulated material from the eyelashes.
To remove excessive amounts of material from your eyelids, use a few drops of a non-irritating shampoo, such as baby shampoo, mixed in lukewarm water. Being careful to avoid getting shampoo in your eye, scrub back and forth along the eyelashes of all eyelids, and then rinse with plain tap water. Once the redness and soreness are under control, this cleaning may be decreased from daily to twice weekly. However, if the symptoms return, return to daily cleansing immediately.
In some cases, your doctor may prescribe eye drops or ointment to be used along with the daily cleansing regimen. For ointments, use a clean fingertip to rub a small amount into the eyelashes. Be careful to follow recommended dosages; excess medication will cause temporary blurring of vision. And with any medication, there is a small possibility of allergy or other reaction. If you think this is happening, stop the medication and contact your doctor immediately.
For certain types of blepharitis, medications taken by mouth are helpful. Most of these medications are antibiotics that also improve or alter the oil composition of the eyelid oil glands. When taken properly, they are safe. However, side effects may occur in some individuals, including skin rash, slight nausea and increased sensitivity to sun.
Although medications may help control the symptoms of blepharitis, they alone are not sufficient; keeping the eyelids clean is essential.
If you think you may have blepharitis, your eye doctor can determine the cause and recommend the right combination of treatment specifically for you.


text: Made from densified laminated birch wood, this material is more costly and much harder than either ebony or rosewood. Unlike in other wooden needles, water absorption in Symfonie wood needles is negligible and, as a result, there is no chance of warping. The same property makes our needles very strong, enables the points to be sharp and provides a lifetime of pleasurable use, if handled correctly.


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CENTURY 21 Hometown Realty supports the needs of homebuyers and home sellers throughout California. Company real estate offices and agents cover California's Central Coast region surrounding San Luis Obispo from Paso Robles to Ventura CA.
The company offers specialty services including Luxury Real Estate, Ag and Ranch Real Estate, Vineyards, Ocean Front Real Estate, Commercial Real Estate, and of course – residential real estate. The company has agents who have keen focus on these areas along with multilingual and generational expertise. Start your real estate research here, and feel free to contact us at any time for professional assistance.


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The J1 features many of the same technologies as our adult helmets to make a high performance helmet for youth riders. Whether your little shredder rides on the road, trails, or pump track, the J1 offers excellent protection and comfortable style.
The J1 uses our unique TS+ Fit System for progressive adjustment that eliminates pressure points and hot spots. That means a comfortable, snug fit that won't be complained about.
Nineteen vents allow plenty of airflow through the helmet, while an integrated visor helps to keep the sun out of your kid's eyes. An insect net will stop bugs getting into the helmet through the vents.
An optional integrated rear LED light and reflective details enhance visibility in low light rides home from the trails or pump track.
WEIGHT: 295g
MATERIAL: EPS Foam, Polycarbonate, Nylon
FIT SYSTEM: Turnfit+ System (TS+)
ACCESSORIES: Optional LED Taillight
Adjustable Head Basket
Allows the back part of the retention system to be adjusted up and down depending upon your preference and comfort. The nylon ratchet system can be pushed high and out of the way, or low for a feeling of increased security.
Rear LED Light compatible
This helmet is compatible with the integrated Rear LED Light accessory which improves your visibility from the rear in low light conditions.
Turnfit Plus system (TS+)
A unique fit system which prevents hotspots or pressure points by making the adjustment around the entire circumference of your head.
To determine correct size measure head circumference 2.5cm above eyebrows.
NOTE: Head circumference measurements falling between two sizes should consider ordering the smaller size helmet.
Fit | Unisize | |||
Oval | 52-56cm Adolescent |
Helmet should sit level on the head at eyebrow level. Straps should fit close on the cheek and behind the ear. Buckle should allow opening of mouth while not being too loose.
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.


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Bydu black multi
Stunning black patent leather loafer with bronze block heel, jade green accent panel & bronze feature chain.
Soft leather lining - anatomical footbed.
4cm heel
Leather sole with rubber slip pad.
Hand made in Spain.
Bydu black multi
Black / 36
Level 2, Westfield 277
277 Broadway
Auckland 1023
New Zealand
Store 4, Commercial Bay
7 Queen Street
Auckland CBD
Auckland 1010
New Zealand
Euro | UK | US |
35 | 2 | 4 |
35.5 | 2.5 | 4.5 |
36 | 3 | 5 |
36.5 | 3.5 | 5.5 |
37 | 4 | 6 |
37.5 | 4.5 | 6.5 |
38 | 5 | 7 |
38.5 | 5.5 | 7.5 |
39 | 6 | 8 |
39.5 | 6.5 | 8.5 |
40 | 7 | 9 |
40.5 | 7.5 | 9.5 |
41 | 8 | 10 |
41.5 | 8.5 | 10.5 |
42 | 9 | 11 |
Fits true to size for shoe dimensions, If the shoe doesnt fit properly, purchases may be returned by courier to any of our Scarpa stores for an exchange or refund as soon as possible.
Shopping with Scarpa:
We take pride in supplying quality footwear and accessories and it is important to us that you are completely satisfied with your purchase.
Here are some tips on how to ensure your order goes smoothly:
- Please provide a daytime delivery address where someone will be available to receive your delivery.
- We are unable to make alterations or additions to your order once confirmation has been sent.
If you are an existing customer of Scarpa, please register a new account using your existing email (the one you have used in store) and enter a new password of your choice. All your existing Scarpa VIP points and details will connect to our in-store VIP systems via your email address.
Returns Policy:
Sale (reduced price) items and handbags are excluded from this return policy, as all sales of these items are final.
- If unsuitable, online purchases may be returned by courier to any of our Scarpa stores for an exchange or refund as soon as possible ( Flexible Returns: 7 days after you receive your items ) after you receive them.
- Please complete the returns form included with your purchase.
- All returned items must be as new, in original packaging and condition.
- All purchases are guaranteed against manufacturing defects for one year from the date of purchase.
- Scarpa will always meet its responsibilities under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
- Please keep your receipt as proof of purchase.
- Pre-order Items will be delivered within 20 - 30 days after payment.
- Some styles might have minor colour variances to the pictures depending on the manufacturer.
- Regular terms and conditions for returning the items will apply after you received your items.
- If for any reason your items are not delivered by the manufacturer we will issue a refund to your method of payment.
We are a proud small NZ business with roots firmly based in premium european craftsmanship. We purchased and took over driving the business 4 years ago with the intent to continue the legacy of our parents, but also to evolve Scarpa into something that is uniquely - well, us. We are an extremely small passionate team who remain laser focused on what we are good at and what we know our customers love - the best of global brands, curated for NZ women with discerning taste and a desire for fashionable comfort that just fits.
We think we have the best customers in the world who shop with us over and over again - we pride ourselves on the fact that we are a repeat purchase business with one of NZs strongest retail brands. We are unapologetically quality, comfort and fashion focussed...and repeating this over many years has lead us to be highly regarded when it comes to the most important retail skill of all - creating trust. Our customers trust our expertise and love our brand having recently given us one of the highest retail brand scores* in NZ.


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HomeWord - August 3, 2011
Where is Your Heart?
This devotional was written by Robin Dugall
The Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words, And honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me." —Isaiah 29:13
When we think of the heart, we usually think of things like "heart medicine" or "heart surgery", in other words, that vital organ in the middle of our chest that keeps us alive. In the Bible, the heart of a person is much more than simply an internal organ that sends blood throughout the body. The heart is seen as the center, the core of a person. Jesus often refers to the fact that it is out of the heart that comes not only the good things that we are and do but also that which breaks the heart of our loving God. The heart is the foundation of the decisions that we make that either honors God or moves us further from Him. That's why the Bible over and over again brings up the importance of "guarding our heart". The status of our hearts is extremely important to determining where our relationship with God stands.
You may think that God wants all of who you are, and He does! God wants to direct your habits. Jesus wants to influence your decisions. He wants to guide your thoughts. He wants to bless your relationships and to guide every aspect of your life. But you know what He wants the most? Your heart! It is on your heart that God wants to make the greatest impact. You see, you can try to clean up your habits and life by your own will power and, some instances, your effort might pay off. You might do the things that "good Christians do" and think to yourself that God is pleased with you. Well, what really pleases God is having your heart! It is not your habits or lifestyle that ultimately pleases God. God is pleased when He has YOU! You can honor God in all kinds of ways and still withhold that which He wants the most; your heart! Give Him all of your heart today!
1. What is the condition of your heart today?
2. Is the work you are doing FOR God inhibiting the work that God wants to do IN your heart? How? What is God calling you to do about that?
Philippians 4:4-7; Colossians 3:16-17; James 5:8; Proverbs 4:23
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On THE OLD SCHOOL, bluegrass legend Peter Rowan delves further into his legacy as one of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys with some of the first generation players who really know "the old school" while welcoming younger players considered to be the torchbearers for the future of bluegrass music. The album includes 11 Rowan originals and a rework of "Freedom Riders," the Civil Rights anthem made popular by Odetta. Featured guests include Del McCoury on the high lonesome "That's All She Wrote," Bobby Osborne on a stunning duet called "Stealing My Time," Jesse McReynolds on the soon to be classic "Mountain Man's Dream" and Bryan Sutton on the ode to Doc Watson "Doc Watson Morning." Other guests include the Traveling McCourys, JD Crowe, fiddlers Michael Cleveland, Stuart Duncan, Buddy Spicher, Time Jumpers bassist Dennis Crouch, Jeremy Garrett of the Infamous Stringdusters, Don Rigsby and the members of the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band.
(Physical CD includes bonus track "Keepin' it Between the Lines (Old School) Reprise".)
"Rowan proves himself capable of composing timeless songs and delivering them with conviction and authenticity—complete with that Monroe high lonesome singing tone." –Rhythms Magazine
"A formidable musician and gifted songwriter" —The Bluegrass Special
"His remarkable voice whirls like a shrill wind." —Washington Post


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How many people sit here?" 6-year-old Sarah Rosenfeld wondered aloud as she closely followed her father and older sister Ruth, 7, as they walked into the changing room at the 61,500-seat Soldier Field.
"I'm guessing 100. Maybe 103."
The girls were among more than 50 youngsters, ages 4-9, marveling at the thrill of skating outside at the famed landmark and home of the Chicago Bears. In a city where Bears football regularly dominates the nightly news, it was hockey that took center stage on the frosty gridiron and earned the high praise of "really cool," from these young visitors.
It was all part of Hockey Weekend Across America's Try Hockey for Free event, which took place in cities across the country on Feb. 16. This one was particularly special: Chicago-area children were invited to skate outside at a rink erected on the 50-yard line of Soldier Field for the following day's City Hockey Classic.
Parents and kids alike were thrilled to be able to enjoy the experience, braving temperatures that dipped below 18 degrees for a chance to skate at the home of their beloved Bears.
"My son was joking that he's never been to a Bears game, so this is the first time he's been here and he gets to go out on the field," said Tony Hall of Oak Park. He had learned of the event through his adult league and brought 9-year-old Jackson and 6-year-old Olivia out to skate.
"I was tempted to bring my own skates," he laughed.
Megan Costanza of Park Ridge was equally excited to watch her 3-year-old son Ryan on the ice.
"He thinks he's a Blackhawk today," she smiled. "We went to the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, so it's kind of cool to now be in Soldier Field with a hockey rink in it. He's been saying he gets to skate where the football players play."
Like Sarah Rosenfeld, Courtney Hague's kids, Chase and Tyler, were taken by the size of the stadium.
"They are excited to be out here today. They never knew it was this big."
Matt Rau was standing by as his niece, Rachel, 9, and nephews, Joshawn, 9, and Diante, 7, enjoyed gliding around the ice while two younger nieces huddled under a blanket nearby.
"We like the Blackhawks!" the girls shouted from beneath their cozy makeshift tent.
"I was looking at the different places [with Try Hockey for Free clinics] to take the kids today and when I saw Soldier Field of course we came here," Rau said. "They've skated before but haven't actually played hockey. It's very cool [to be down here.] It's a different perspective than you get in the stands."
Rau's nieces and nephews are just a few of the children who got to play in an actual hockey scrimmage for the first time thanks to the Try Hockey for Free event. Though he likes football best, Joshawn said hockey is now pretty cool too, as he came off the ice. The scrimmage was his favorite part.
That's just the kind of thing Annie Camins, Chicago Blackhawks director of Youth Hockey, was hoping to hear. She and several members of the NHL organization were on the ice with local coaches working with the young skaters.
"We always support USA Hockey and are happy to be out here today getting more kids involved," Camins said. "We want to help increase participation and hopefully grow the game."
The array of Blackhawks and Chicago Wolves jerseys on the young participants signaled the health of the youth hockey programs in the Chicago area, and the parents echoed that the past few years have been good for the sport, buoyed by the Blackhawks' success on the ice and programs like this one.
"We go to lots of Wolves games and the kids are big Blackhawks fans. I definitely see a lot more people getting involved [in hockey] at the rinks," Hall said.
"With youth hockey, the more you promote it, the more kids get involved. Events like this make it grow. It's good to see," Constanza added. "We're a hockey family so Ryan is destined to play, but it's good to see all these other kids getting involved in it."
There will be no difficulty promoting the success of this event to other local children – the participants couldn't wait to get to school on Monday to tell their friends they got to play hockey at Solider Field.
"I'll be like, 'Guys, I played at Soldier Field.' They'll probably be like 'woah, cool!' " said Brandon Bak, 9, of Plainfield. "[My friends will] probably be surprised. I don't think they even know that they have hockey at Soldier Field."
"I liked that it was pretty when I looked up and saw the sky," added Sarah Rosenfeld. "In my class, we write about what we did on the weekend, and I'm definitely going to write about this!"
Elizabeth Casey is based out of Chicago and is the former director of media relations for the Chicago Wolves.


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Sometimes "the one that got away" is a book that was easy to overlook. A little gem of a first novel, or a memoir by an unknown writer that unexpectedly captured everyone's imagination.
But sometimes, it's the elephant in the room that you just haven't looked at yet. Everyone knows about it. It's one of the biggest sellers of all time. It's a cultural phenomenon — it's Fifty Shades of Grey. And I ignored it until I couldn't anymore.
It wasn't just that you couldn't go anywhere without hearing about it. Nor was it the record-breaking sales. It was the news that every employee — every single employee — of Random House USA was getting a $5,000 bonus. They're calling it the " Fifty Shades bonus," and $5,000 is not chump change. Elena Legeros, who works in the digital marketing department at Random House, recalls the Christmas party where the news was announced. "Everyone went crazy," she says. "I mean people started cheering, and I hugged the person next to me. Everyone went nuts and the cheers went on for several minutes."
Random House has had some other huge best-sellers in recent years — after all, it also published the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. Paul Bogaards, who did the PR for both series, says that in publishing, these kinds of books are known as "miracle publications" because they take on a life of their own. But, Bogaards says, nothing has ever gone as viral as the Fifty Shades books. "It took us four years to sell 20 million copies of Stieg Larssen's Girl books," he says. "It took us nine months to sell 35 million copies of E.L. James' Fifty Shades trilogy."
You might think readers would resist a romance novel that's as liberally laced with S&M as Fifty Shades of Grey. But Bogaards says that hasn't been a problem. "The resisters were few and far between," he says. "As a PR professional it was a unique experience, to say the least. I mean every PR guy dreams of the day when a reporter calls asking you explain the sudden popularity of ben-wa balls. These are things that are hard to explain if you haven't actually read the books. If you have, not so difficult."
And no, I am not going to explain how ben-wa balls advance the plot (though yes, I do know how). You see, I'm a bit of a prude, which is why I didn't want to read the books in the first place. But when I think about it, it might have been snobbery, not prudery, that made me resist for such a long time.
"Most people I heard that were wary of it, really it was the first. It was snobbery," says writer M.J. Rose. She adds that a lot of book people were less than impressed with the lineage of Fifty Shades. It wasn't just self-published — it began as a fan fiction, based on the Twilight series. The clumsy virgin Bella morphed into the clumsy virgin Ana, and the vampire Edward became Christian, the fabulously wealthy, unbelievably gorgeous guy who introduces Ana to the joys of kinky sex.
"I was in a bookstore in New York, in the Village, and there were like 50 copies of it in the very beginning," Rose says. "I asked the owner if she'd read it. And she said, 'No, I'd never read it!' And there were 50 copies of it and she couldn't keep in in stock."
So if a snobby New York City bookstore owner and a snobby — possibly prudish — public radio reporter aren't reading this book, who is? Random House employee Legeros says she sent a copy to her grandmother. "I thought that she and her friends would get a kick out of it," Legeros says, laughing. "I know what she enjoys reading, and I know what a lot of the people in the assisted living home where she lives in Iowa enjoy reading, and I just thought it would be fodder for conversation." She says it's not the kinky sex that appeals to her grandmother's reading friends; it's the romance.
So there you have it: The secret to the success of Fifty Shades is not sex; it's romance. Isn't that what women have always wanted? But if that's all it is, why were so many women buying all those gray ties? You'll just have to read the book to find out.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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(KMSP) - There's yet another reason to protect yourself from tick bites this summer. Health officials are warning people about a disease that can stop your heart.
Steve Stolz noticed something was wrong with his heart while he was walking up a hill. "It should be fine and something doesn't feel right," he remembered thinking.
His heart was beating at a much slower rate than normal. "That was enough of a warning to say we need to go to the emergency room," Stolz added.
Something was messing with the electrical system of his heart and it was something he came across out in the woods.
Fatal tick bite
The same organism attacked the heart of another Minnesota man last year.
"Nothing quite added up and so while they were trying to work out what was going on with him, unfortunately he ended up passing away," said Elizabeth Schiffman from the MN Department of Health.
That was Minnesota's first documented case of sudden cardiac death linked to the bite of a Lyme-infected tick.
The middle aged man from the Twin Cities had developed a rare condition known as "Lyme carditis".
It's caused by the same bacteria which triggers lyme disease.
"Sixty -five percent of patients with Lyme carditis are men and typically younger, age 15 to 40," said Dr. Alex Campbell from the Minneapolis Heart Institute. "Nobody understands why, but that's what we see."
In these cases, the bacteria, which are shaped like tiny corkscrews, burrowed their way into the heart muscle.
"Your body creates an inflammatory reaction against these to fight them off and the heart muscle or the conduction system gets caught in the cross fire," added Campbell.
As a result, the electrical signals which keep your heart beating short circuit. In extremely rare cases, a person's heart can slow to a stop or develop a dangerously fast rhythm that can also be fatal.
"The heart will stop pumping blood and you pass out and that's a sudden death," said Campbell.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it happened to a Massachusetts resident while driving. The 2012 death was linked to Lyme carditis. The patient lived alone with a dog that was reported to have ticks frequently.
There were two more cases in 2013, including a New York state resident who collapsed at home. The patient had no known tick contact but was reported to be a hiker.
Lyme carditis can be treated
The CDC reports only about one percent of the people who get Lyme disease, will develop Lyme carditis. There are about 15 known cases a year in Minnesota. The good news is it can be treated with anti-biotics and sometimes a temporary pace maker is needed too.
Once you give the antibiotics the bacteria die, the inflammation goes away and it does not come back. So there's no permanent effects of this on the heart," said Campbell.
Steve Stolz's heart is back to normal. He never suspected he'd been exposed to the Lyme bacteria.
"No tick found. No symptoms whatsoever. Nothing," he said.
Look for ticks on body
Not everyone gets severe body aches or a bulls eye shaped rash that are telltale signs of the disease.
"The faster you get the tick off the better it is for Lyme prevention," advised Schiffman.
Because right now is prime time for ticks, health officials stress the need to protect yourself by wearing tick repellant when around brushy areas. You have about 24 hours from when a tick attaches itself before it can infect you. So a hot soapy shower after a hike in the woods can help wash away any ticks you can't see.


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Export 5 results:
Filters: Author is Van Manen, Frank Teunissen [Clear All Filters]
A Model to Predict the Occurence of Surviving Butternut Trees in the Southern Appalachian Region." In Prediciting Species Occurrences Issues of Accuracy and Scale, edited by Michael J. Scott, Patricia J. Heglund, Michael L. Morrison, Jonathan B. Haufler, Martin G. Raphael, William A. Wall and Fred B. Samson, 491-497. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2002.
"Correlates of Red Wolf Repatriation Success in the Southeastern United States In Final Report. Knoxville, Tennessee: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1998.
A GIS Model to Predict Black Bear Habitat Use." Journal of Forestry 95, no. 8 (1997): 6-12.
"Data-based modelling of black bear habitat using GIS." In International Union of Game Biologists, 323-329., 1993.
"Black Bear Habitat Use in Great Smoky Mountains National Park In Ecology . Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee, 1994.


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There are probably thousands of cool ways to build clocks based around an LED matrix, and we've seen some neat analog and digital clocks based on our Peggy 2 kit. But we've also come up with a few dozen other cool ways to show the time, and realized that we've only scratched the surface.
So today, we're announcing a Clock Concept Contest: Show us your coolest idea about how to build a Peggy clock, and you could win one!
How to enter
First, come up with a cool idea.
Is it analog? Is it digital? Just abstract blinkenlights? Is is receiving a live video feed from the internet? Is it a word clock? A game clock? A binary clock? Or hexidecimal? Is it a world map with LEDs wired up from a Peggy board that tells the time by latitude and longitude illuminated? Or something far more outlandish and never heard of?
Then, figure out how to communicate your idea. There are lots of ways to do this. You might want to use screen shots from the Peggy planner or Peggydraw. Or maybe graph paper, freehand sketching, pastels, or oil paint. Or origami, if that helps. You can show off your mad animated-gif skillz, put up a youtube video where you describe it deadpan or through interpretive dance, post actual working peggy code, build a lego model, render a 3D movie, or otherwise take advantage of whatever your favorite medium is. If it's not self-explanatory, make sure to explain how you tell the time!
To enter the contest, add your entry (or entries) to the Evil Mad Science Auxiliary pool on flickr. Or, if your idea isn't visual or won't fit in that space, sign in and post a comment here on this article linking to where you've published it. (Yes, sign in. Please don't enter anonymously.) Contest tags are: peggyclock or #peggyclock as appropriate.
Clarification added 1: Your entry should show us otherwise convey how the time is displayed, ideally down to the pixels. If it's not digital, you may need to show more than one picture to convey your idea.
Clarification added 2: Note that we didn't say "enter by leaving your idea in a comment here." Hint hint.
This is a fast contest: Entries will be accepted through Tuesday, June 22 June 29. So get cracking!
One First Prize: A fully loaded Peggy Awesomeness Bundle, with your choice of LED configuration.
Plus: an Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories sew-on patch and Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories stickers.
Three Second Prizes: Your choice of a Larson Scanner, a Deluxe LED Menorah Kit, or a Diavolino kit
Plus: an Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories sew-on patch and Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories stickers.
Ten Runner-ups will each get an Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories sew-on patch and Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories stickers.
Just as a reminder, the Peggy 2 is an intelligent, Arduino-compatible ("freeduino" based), multiplexed 25 x 25 LED matrix, supporting up to 10 mm LEDs (or up to 5 mm LEDs in the Peggy 2LE version). It supports single-color LEDs at each point in the matrix, but you can mix and match different color LEDs throughout the matrix, and you don't have to populate every LED location. Your entry should involve some way to create a nifty timekeeping device with the Peggy.
Contest fine print:
- Entries will be judged by Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories staff. Judging criteria will include feasibility, ability to tell the time, originality, and awesomeness.
- Maximum of one prize per entrant.
- Offensive and/or obnoxious entries will be ignored and/or removed to the extent of our ability.
- In the case of independent nearly-identical entries, preference may be given to the earlier or better one by judges discretion.
- If your entry is a derivative work of someone else's project or contest entry, or a commercial product, you must give proper credit.
- By entering, you give us permission to publish your entry on this blog.
- Entries must be received by 11:59 PM PDT, June 29, 2010.
- Results will be announced within 24 hours of contest close.
- Don't break any laws, get injured or otherwise do anything stupid to enter this contest.
- Judges reserve the right to amend these rules to resolve unanticipated ambiguities.


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Bonham's is selling a portrait of an 18th century bare-knuckle boxer named George Stevenson. Although the artist is unknown and it looks a lot like half of a 1760s painting by John Hamilton Mortimer (see below), the pre-sale estimate is $16,000 – $24,000, because it's rare to find 18th century paintings depicting boxing and because George Stevenson played an important role in the history of the sport, although sadly not through his victories. It was his death in the ring in 1741 at the ends of champion Jack Broughton that changed boxing forever, inspiring the first rules that would transform the free-for-all practices of fisticuffs into a more structured sport with clear boundaries of fair play.
Although fist-fighting as a sport was popular in the ancient world from Sumer to Ancient Greece, after the fall of Rome bare knuckles gave way to weapons in the martial arts. There were still forms of spectator fist-fighting to be found, particularly in Italy and Russia, but it was in England where boxing was revived in the 16th century. The first recorded modern prizefight happened in January, 1681. We don't know the fighters' names, just their employer because it was a very Upstairs-Downstairs sort of thing. Here is the description of the event written up in The London Protestant Mercury:
"Yesterday a match of boxing was performed before his Grace, the Duke of Albemarle, between the Duke's footman and a butcher. The latter won the prize, as he hath done many others before, being account, though but a small man, the best at that exercise in England."
Aristocratic patronage would remain a constant as the sport rose to prominence although thankfully not in the direct service relationship of the Duke's footman and butcher. The first heavyweight boxing champion, backed by the Earl of Peterborough, would make a name for himself 20 years after that first recorded bout. James Figg was an accomplished martial artist who was as adept with the sword and cudgel as he was with his bare fists. He reigned as undefeated champion from 1719 to 1730 (at least; records from this time are sparse and less than reliable) and started a school where he taught boxing, fencing with the small backsword and quarterstaff fighting.
He also built an amphitheater for prizefights which helped popularize the sport. It had the first raised platform ring. Aristocrats and famous people took classes at Figg's school and flocked to his arena to watch the fights. Satirist printmaker William Hogarth was a great friend and fan. He designed Figg's business card, painted a portrait of Figg staring boldly at the viewer with his fists clenched in front of him and included images of Figg in several of his famous prints, although he's holding swords and staffs in those rather than posed for boxing.
One of Figg's students was Jack Broughton, a waterman whose well-muscled physique was first built rowing paying passengers across the Thames. Broughton beat all comers and claimed the title of Champion of England at the Heavyweight from 1738, when he defeated Figg's successor George Taylor, to 1750. One of those comers was George "The Coachman" Stevenson, who went up against Broughton on February 17th, 1741, in a fairground booth on Tottenham Court Road. Here's how Captain John Godfrey, a former student of James Figg's who in 1747 published his recollections of the early days of boxing in the Treatise Upon the Useful Science of Defence, describes the match:
I saw [George Stevenson] fight BROUGHTON, for forty Minutes. BROUGHTON I knew to be ill at that Time; besides it was a hasty made Match, and he had not that Regard for his Preparation, as he afterwards found he should have. But here his true Bottom was proved, and his Conduct shone. They fought in one of the Fair-Booths at Tottenham Court, railed at the End toward the Pit. After about thirty-five Minutes, being both against the Rails, and scrambling for a Fall, BROUGHTON got such a Lock upon him as no Mathematician could have devised a better. There he held him by this artificial Lock, depriving him of all Power of Rising or Falling, till resting his Head for about three or four Minutes on his Back, he found himself recovering. Then loosed the Hold, and on setting to again, he hit the Coachman as hard a Blow as any he had given him in the whole Battle; that he could no longer stand, and his brave contending Heart, though with Reluctance, was forced to yield. The Coachman is a most beautiful Hitter; he put in his Blows faster than BROUGHTON, but then one of the latter's told for three of the former's. Pity – so much Spirit should not inhabit a stronger Body!
A few days later Stevenson was dead. Funded by the Duke of Cumberland, Broughton opened a new amphitheater on March 10, 1743. The tragedy of Stevenson's death by his hand inspired him to promulgate a code of behavior in his new arena "for the better regulation of the amphitheater, and approved of by the gentle men, and agreed to by the pugilists." These were the first restrictions placed upon prizefighters. Broughton's Rules were minimal compared to the rules today, but they introduced key concepts of fair play still in use.
I. That a square of a yard be chalked in the middle of the stage, and on every fresh set-to after a fall, or being parted form the rails, each Second is to bring his Man to the side of the square, and place him opposite to the other, and till they are fairly set-to at the Lines, it shall not be lawful for one to strike at the other.
II. That, in order to prevent any Disputes, the time a Man lies after a fall, if the Second does not bring his Man to the side of the square, within the space of half a minute, he shall be deemed a beaten Man.
III. That in every main Battle, no person whatever shall be upon the Stage, except the Principals and their Seconds, the same rule to be observed in bye-battles, except that in the latter, Mr. Broughton is allowed to be upon the Stage to keep decorum, and to assist Gentlemen in getting to their places, provided always he does not interfere in the Battle; and whoever pretends to infringe these Rules to be turned immediately out of the house. Every body is to quit the Stage as soon as the Champions are stripped, before the set-to.
IV. That no Champion be deemed beaten, unless he fails coming up to the line in the limited time, or that his own Second declares him beaten. No Second is to be allowed to ask his man's Adversary any questions, or advise him to give out.
V. That in bye-battles, the winning man to have two-thirds of the Money given, which shall be publicly divided upon the Stage, notwithstanding any private agreements to the contrary.
VI. That to prevent Disputes, in every main Battle the Principals shall, on coming on the Stage, choose from among the gentlemen present two Umpires, who shall absolutely decide all Disputes that may arise about the Battle; and if the two Umpires cannot agree, the said Umpires to choose a third, who is to determine it.
VII. That no person is to hit his Adversary when he is down, or seize him by the ham, the breeches, or any part below the waist: a man on his knees to be reckoned down.
That rule number VII has two concepts that have become idioms for fair play: don't hit a man when he's down and no hitting below the belt. Broughton's Rules would remain the operating rules of boxing until they were expanded into the London Prize Ring Rules in 1838. Those were then superseded by the Marquess of Queensberry rules in 1867.


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Roane County Executive Ron Woody was re-elected to a third four-year term as county executive on Thursday, and Charlotte Bowers of Oak Ridge won one of two seats on Roane County Commission in District 4, which includes west Oak Ridge.
Woody was first elected to his office in August 2010. On Thursday, he beat challenger David Morgan, a former Roane County property assessor, 8,217 votes to 3,113 (72.52 percent to 27.48 percent). That's according to unofficial election results reported after all 24 precincts had been counted.
Bowers, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, was one of two Oak Ridge candidates to run for the District 4 seat on Roane County Commission in the August 2 election. The other was Cory Jenkins, general manager at Cumberland Utility District. They were among five candidates who qualified to run in the district.
The other three candidates were from Oliver Springs. They were James W. Brummett, an incumbent, and Thaxton H. "T.H.†Brown Jr. and Jerry W. White.
Brummett, a former chair of the Roane County Commission, was defeated Thursday, finishing third behind Bowers and White, who is also a new commissioner. (There is now a Jerry White on Anderson County Commission, and a Jerry White on the Roane County Commission; they are not the same person.) White has worked at K-25 and Y-12 in Oak Ridge, and he is currently employed providing security for the Roane County Sheriff's Office at the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston. [Read more…]


text: I'm thinking of getting a major service done on my CBR6, I emailed George at Motorcycle Doctors (who have a link here on KB) and he's given me a decent quote. Just wanting to know if anyone has used them for work and had any experiences, good or bad with them???


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Category: Girls with Piercings
The best way to tell if a girl gets freaky? Check out her piercings. If she's got one in her ear, she might not get down and dirty like you'd want her to (though you'd be surprised), but if she's wearing a tiny t-shirt that's stretched across her obviously pierced nipples, then that means she wants people to see them. The best thing to say when girls tell you that they have pierced nipples is "prove it", and these girls have no problem revealing every piercing they've got if it means that they get to show off their body. If you want to see a bad girl with a pierced clit, matching nipple rings, and studs everywhere that matters, you've found exactly what you're looking for here.


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Just as the Trump administration has signaled its interest in a permanent "clean" reauthorization of the Patriot Act's phone surveillance provision, the NSA proves once again that it is not to be trusted with these tools. New documents obtained by the ACLU and reported in the Wall Street Journal have revealed that last year the NSA once again collected phone records of Americans that it was not authorized to obtain.
The NSA collected Information, including who phone-users were calling and for how long, after a telecommunications firm began sending the information to the NSA—despite the fact that it had received no orders that would have authorized them to do so. Although the name of the company is redacted, for years it has been widely reported that large telecommunication firms like AT&T and Verizon have worked with the NSA as part of BLARNEY, an NSA project that leverages "commercial partnerships" in order to gather intelligence.
This "anomalous" unauthorized collection of American's private information comes only a few months after a separate incident in which "technical irregularities" resulted in the NSA getting access to many more records than it should have. In response, the NSA erased three years of all of its collected metadata, which amounted to records of hundreds of millions of phone calls. The documents released today include an assessment by the NSA that the overcollection had a "significant impact on civil liberties and privacy," which is putting it mildly.
The NSA's telephone record program, conducted under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, allows it to collect metadata of phone calls, including phone numbers, time stamps, and other identifying information. While this information may seem benign, many organizations and outlets, including EFF, have demonstrated how things like time stamps, phone numbers, and the GPS coordinates of where calls were made can be stitched together to reveal potentially compromising information about a person. Metadata can, for instance, have dire consequences for vulnerable populations who fear retribution for political beliefs, or whose metadata could be used in immigration enforcement.
With Section 215 up for re-authorization in December, these two instances prove that it's time to let the NSA's permission to sweep up phone records expire. If Section 215 is allowed to be reauthorized, accidents like this—in which an unthinkable amount of our personal data winds up in the hands of the government—will continue to happen.


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Jewelry Blog Rockford, IL
Dad Buys 88-Carat Diamond for Daughter and Names It 'Manami Star' in Her Honor April 3, 2019
Outbidding two challengers, a Japanese private collector plunked down $13.7 million for a D-flawless 88.22-carat oval diamond at Sotheby's Hong Kong yesterday. He gifted it to his eldest daughter and named it "Manami Star" in her honor.The diamond had been described by the auction house as "perfect according to every critical criterion." The collector, who remains anonymous, told Sotheby's that the gem first caught his eye while it was on exhibit in Japan during a pre-auction promotional tour.
Given the great interest in the "perfect" diamond, the hammer price easily surpassed the pre-show high estimate of $12.7 million, making the Manami Star the top lot at the Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction.
About the size of a small egg, the 88.22-carat faceted diamond was cut from an elongated 242-carat rough stone discovered at the Jwaneng mine in Botswana. The oval shape was chosen to maximize the carat weight.
Sotheby's noted that the gem is one of only three oval diamonds larger than 50 carats to have appeared at auction over the past few decades. It's also the largest perfect oval seen at auction in the past five years.
The diamond is rated Type IIa, the most chemically pure classification. Diamonds of this quality display exceptional optical transparency and make up less than 2% of all gem-quality diamonds.
The Japanese buyer may have been influenced by the double-eights in the carat weight of the stone. Eight is considered a lucky number in Asian culture and "88" is believed to bring good fortune in abundance.
"We were thrilled to handle a diamond of such rarity, which now takes its place in the roster of top white diamonds to have come to the market here at Sotheby's Asia," said Patti Wong, Sotheby's Chairman in Asia. "At 88.22 carats, this lucky stone now carries the name of the fortunate child whose father has chosen to give it her name. A happy moment in the journey of one of the earth's greatest, oldest treasures."
Credits: Images courtesy of Sotheby's.
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With over 250 years of combined experience, our staff truly understands why you purchase jewelry, and what it means to you. Clodius & Co. is known as Rockford's custom jeweler and more. Why? Because we like to get acquainted with our customers while we help them select or create their jewelry.
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