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Avah Lamie feels like the world needs a lot of fixing. She feels it when she thinks about melting glaciers and plastic in the ocean. And lately, she's been feeling it at school.
"We've had some fights at recess, some physical, some just yelling," she says. "It really just — it gets you down sometimes."
The 11-year-old lives in Hartford, a Vermont town of almost 10,000 people near the border with New Hampshire. She's like a lot of kids: She takes dance, likes science and has a little brother. She's in fifth grade at a small public school called Dothan Brook.
"Some people just have rough times at home, I think. It's not really any of my business. And ... some people just, they want to be tough, because we're going through a really hard thing."
That really hard thing is the COVID-19 pandemic. Rates of anxiety and depression among children and youth were on the rise even before COVID, but kids — and the grownups around them — say the past two years have made mental health challenges worse.
Avah says everything feels a lot bigger right now.
"We have to focus on a lot at once. And since things can't really be the same, because of COVID, of course, I think it just makes people more emotional and sensitive."
Mollie Farnham-Stratton says Avah's right. She's a therapist who works with young people at the Vermont Center for Anxiety Care. The pandemic brought a big loss of stability.
"Whether it's a small thing like a playdate, but they were looking forward to it for so long, and then somebody's sick, right? That kind of constant shifting ... that, I think, is just exhausting."
Farnham-Stratton says kids pick up on the stress of adults in their lives.
Avah does. At school, she sees the strain on her teachers.
"There's the crinkle in their eyebrows, their eyes look kind of distracted sometimes," she says.
On top of all that, there are still the expectations of school — but disrupted schedules and pervasive anxiety can make meeting them feel impossible.
Allison Hayes, an elementary school counselor in Vermont, says that with young kids especially, anxiety doesn't manifest as being worried about this or that in particular. Kids often don't have the language to express what they're feeling, she says, or even to identify what that feeling is.
Instead, "anxiety often for kids comes out as a more aggressive behavior, irritability, and so it's quicker. Everybody's a little quicker to snap."
It could explain some of what Avah sees at recess.
The thing that adults sometimes forget about being a kid is that for what seems like a very long time, you're old enough to get what's going on, but too young to do anything about it. Avah says she's in between, which is a hard place to be.
"I know lots of kids out there that are feeling alone and crowded in this pandemic, like both at the same time. Sometimes you need to give them space and other times you just have to be there to support them."
Therapist Mollie Farnham-Stratton says despite the uncertainty, adults should try to be honest. In an age-appropriate way, she says try to explain what's going on.
The pandemic's long-term impacts on young people won't be understood for a long time. But mental health experts say that kids are resilient. Some of those impacts will be challenges, and some could be strengths.
For Avah, even though so many of the world's problems seem enormous, they aren't insurmountable. "There's a lot going on out there that we can actually fix," she says, "but it will take a lot of time."
Copyright 2022 Vermont Public


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20+ Years Experience
Specialist Guano Removal
Pigeons are a particular nuisance in most public spaces and become even more so in spaces where pigeons breed and nest, such as on buildings. While bird control may be able to remove the pigeons and any dependent birds that may be in the nests, there will be a mess left behind that needs to be handled by professional cleaning operations like ours.
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Our team is fully trained and qualified in the removal of pigeon droppings, including fresh or dried pigeon guano removal, and has over 10 years of experience in the field.
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Pigeons and other birds pose a lot of health risks even when bird droppings appear in small quantities, let alone when they take over large sites. With the protections in place from wildlife groups for pigeon squabs, it can be difficult to tackle the health and safety issues they pose with their waste.
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Please contact our team in Borehamwood to learn more about the work we do and how we can help you.
There are many kinds of cleaning products available out there that claim to tackle bird droppings and remove the bacteria associated with this mess.
When it comes to bird droppings cleaning and guano cleaning, it is important that you have the right equipment to get the job done properly. Not only do you want to safely remove bird droppings and pigeon guano from the property, but you also want to avoid damage to the architectural features and the wildlife around.
It does not take long for pigeon droppings to affect multiple external areas of your property, whether you are dealing with wild or hand-rearing pigeons for racing, and this can pose a lot of risks. It is possible to remove all the pigeon droppings using professional cleaning products.
Guano cleaning takes place through a multi-step process which can only begin once all the nests with dependent young have been identified and removed from the site by animal control. Dependent birds will need to be safely removed from the site before cleaning can begin.
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All Borehamwood guano cleaning should be done with professional cleaning equipment, including rubber gloves, masks, and protective clothing to protect from hazards.
Droppings and any remaining nesting material can be removed from window ledges and other external areas using a paint scraper. This is the ideal tool used for cleaning pigeon droppings because it tackles even a heavy build-up of bird waste that has collected over time, even those left from a large-scale roost.
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The average cost of pigeon guano removal in the UK starts at over £400.
There is a lot of work that goes into bird guano cleaning, and as pigeon guano is a hazardous material, there are additional risks associated with this work which can contribute to the cost.
We aim to provide a cost-effective service for our bird guano cleaning, but there is a lot that is included, which contributes to the cost, including the location, the number of bird droppings, existing birds present on site, as well as the cost of materials like protective clothing.
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Pigeon guano removal can be used in many areas, as birds can infect a range of environments and buildings in Borehamwood.
Any area that a bird can nest is a hazard for guano and requires professional cleaning. Bird waste comes with a range of risks to health due to the bacteria and parasites they contain.
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This kind of work is required in a range of areas across the UK, including derelict buildings, and is essential for public health.
Working with our company can provide many benefits, and we aim to offer the best service to all our clients across the UK.
Pigeon guano removal is the safe removal of bird droppings from buildings.
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Bird droppings, also known as bird guano, should be removed and cleaned by professional teams to reduce the risk of health hazards in many areas.
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subset: commoncrawl


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This website provides information about the redistricting process in Pennsylvania, including information about the Legislative Reapportionment Commission created by the state Constitution, access to the geography and population data used for redistricting, interactive maps, and more.
【PNY 必恩威】 Duo-Link 128GB USB3.0 Apple iOS …:使用前請先至app store下載DOU-LINK 3.0軟體安裝完後再插入本碟 ★For iPhone/iPad/PC/MAC ★Lightning 8-pin / USB ★擴增Apple iPhone/iPad容量 ★蘋果原廠MFi (Made For iOS) 認證通過 ★雙向伸縮接頭設計,輕鬆適應多種 iOS裝置 ★Store下載產品專屬App,幫助管理iPhone/iPad 裡的各式檔案 ★無須額外電源供應,隨插即用 ★無須 ...
Article 1, Section 2, of the United States Constitution requires that a Census be taken every 10 years for the purpose of apportioning the United States House of Representatives. Census results are used to determine the number of congressional seats apportioned to each state. After the 2000 federal Census, Pennsylvania had 19 members in the U.S. House of Representatives. Following the 2010 federal Census, Pennsylvania has 18 members of the U.S. House. More information on the Census is available at census.gov.
In addition to being used as a basis for apportioning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Census data is also used in Congressional and Legislative redistricting.
Public Law 94-171, enacted by Congress in December 1975, requires the Census Bureau to deliver redistricting data to state officials responsible for legislative redistricting no later than April 1, 2011. More information on the redistricting data program is available at www.census.gov/rdo/.
The 2011-12 Legislative Reapportionment Commission has completed its work and has been disbanded.


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DesignClub7 is a foremost exhibition stall designer offering quality solutions that can give real boost for your business with a powerful display of your company's stall at exhibitions, tradeshows, etc, that will brand your business name and reach out to the audience. Our USP lies in providing dynamic, interactive touch to your stall by adding audio/visual display elements that will enhance your company's exhibit environment, engaging your audience and delivering your message effectively.
A competent team of professionals, who keep in touch with the latest technological developments and design techniques make up the backbone of our strength to respond to your demands. Right from designing to display, every single procedure is carried out with detail and precision to meet customers' specifications.
Their ability lies in producing works of eye-popping designs with attractive punch lines and short, simple and powerful communication message will make your stall a standout from the crowd. They have the ability to take on any type of Exhibition stall design solutions for like Exhibition Stall Designing, Corporate Exhibition Stall Design, 3-D Exhibition Stall Design, Trade Show Display, Panels Stall Designing.
This helps you to create personal connections by marketing your product or service to the right people the right way.


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Ahimsa in Speech (Part 2)
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami , 2002-02-23
Ahimsa is a central principle in Hinduism. Let us take a look at the words we use in joking and teasing. These words are hurting. How do we know? Gurudeva gave us a 4-fold key about how our speech affects others. Do not harm others in thought, word or deed. Gossip and backbiting are very hurtful. A Wife gossiping dissipates the energy of family, affecting the family's and husband's success. Husbands also tease wives. Backbiting is talking about faults of others when we should be directed inward. We should be looking at our own faults, not others. The exception is in a situation where someone is responsible for pointing out and correcting another's faults, such as a teacher to his student or a parent to his child.
Unedited Transcript:
Gossip - talking about the details of others' personal lives when they are not present, simply for the delight of creating and watching our own television soap operas, so to speak. It might even be better than a soap opera. We don't even need to watch TV. We are having so much fun gossiping about the lives of others we know. Why are we doing it? We are doing it for our own enjoyment. Right? We are not doing it to help the person we are gossiping about. Those who are participating in it are having entertainment, just like watching TV, except they are using someone else's life to talk about.
Gurudeva speaks quite strongly against this and uses the test of 'necessary'. Here is what he says. So strong, I wouldn't even want to say it. Here it comes! Ready? Look out, here comes Gurudeva! "Back-biting and hurtful gossip are the dissipation of the creative spiritual force. Gossip invokes the asuric beings on the lower astral plane and makes new karmas for the gossiper, who will be gossiped about in the future when the karmas return. When you defile others, mentally and verbally through back-biting gossip about the happenings in their lives, you are hurting them. You are actually making it difficult for them to even persist where they are. They sense and feel the ugliness that you are projecting toward them."
Strong statement, and it makes us reflect us on thoughts. Sometimes, we don't think about it. We have an action, we have a word and we have a thought. If we say something to someone, clearly it is influencing them. They are hearing us. But when we are just talking about them when they are not present, they are not even hearing it. So how can it be harming? Because thoughts are objects and when we talk about someone, we are sending thoughts to them, which are influencing their aura. Even if they don't see the thoughts, it upsets them if they are negative, critical thoughts. We are harming them with our thoughts if they are negative and critical, not positive. That is what Gurudeva is pointing out there.
Gossiping about your husband, a favorite sport of some. The husband goes off to work and before you know it, the wife jumps on the phone, jumps on the internet and starts talking about her husband's personal life with other wives, gossiping about the husband in a critical way. It is a common practice and the wives are being totally unsupportive in this way. As Gurudeva says, "... working and plotting against the husband, making it hard for the husband to be successful." So, this gets into the area of, "Is it necessary?"
As an analogy, imagine the husband takes all the money that is supposed to pay the mortgage, goes out, buys unnecessary items, comes back and gives them to the family. What is the wife going to think? The husband has wasted important resources of the family. Here, he has taken the money that is supposed to pay the mortgage and spent it on things that we really don't need. Of course, that hurts the family if that were to happen. But the wife who participates in significant gossiping is taking the energy. This is the point Gurudeva makes, "... taking the vital spiritual energy of the family and dissipating it." Just like the analogy of the husband spending money, the wife is dissipating energy, making it harder for the husband to be successful because the shakti is diminished, the power of the family is lessened by the practice of gossiping.
Gossiping, of course, fails the three tests of 'kind, helpful and necessary'. It fails all three. So, to be fair we need to talk about the husbands too. Husbands don't gossip but they tease their wives. They are critical otherwise by teasing them about shortcomings. The husband is constantly harping on certain shortcomings about the wife, the way she looks, how much she does at home, the housework, cooking, whatever ... he is constantly teasing about things. His wife cannot be happy. It impacts her, lessens her happiness. So the husband has to restrain himself too and control his speech.
Last but not least, back-biting. Someone leaves the room and before you know it, we are talking about everything he did wrong, all his faults. Back-biting., it is a strong human trait. It is in the Tirukural too which I will read in a minute. It is so much easier to find and talk about the faults in others than it is to look at our own faults. If we look at our own faults, we realize we should change them. It is like we are looking the wrong direction on purpose. We have the part of the mind that sees faults, pointed the wrong way. It is pointed out instead of in. It is so busy looking outside, seeing the faults of others and talking about them to other people that we don't have any time to look inside and see our own faults and correct them. Human nature, but a part of human nature that we want to overcome.
The Kural says, "If men perceived their own faults as they do the faults of others, could misfortune ever come to them?" Obviously not, because they are so aware of themselves and what they are doing. Again the Kural, "Only because she weighs duty well, does Earth bear the weight of those who wait for a man's departure to defame him." If Earth was not a little more dutiful, she would just throw us off.
When it comes to faults, a good rule of thumb is - unless we are responsible for someone, like a parent is to a child or a supervisor is to his staff. In those situations, we are responsible to pointing out faults in others and helping to correct them. But unless it is a situation like that, we should let other people correct their own faults. We have got enough faults in ourselves. If we stop looking at others' faults, we will see them and focus our energy on correcting them.
In summary, remember the test. Speak only that which is true, kind, helpful and necessary.
Aum Namah Sivaya.


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I've long been interested in spam and robots that scrape for email addresses. I've done tons of work in the space, although I've never published any of it. Call it more of a side hobby than anything I really want to go public with - as it is with a lot of my research. But anyway, today I was messing around with search engines and I found myself typing "at gmail dot com" into them for no apparent reason and poof, out popped a ton of valid although obfuscated email addresses. Aside from the raw text here's a sampling of the different types:
…(at) gmail (dot) com
… at-gmail-dot-com
… {at} {gmail} {dot} {com}
… [at] gmail [dot] com
… "at" gmail "dot" com
… at-gmail-dot-com-for.info
I think it would be interesting to create a generic algorithm for de-obfuscating email addresses of this nature. I'm sure it can be done to some degree, but some get more complicated, and I'm sure once you add in the variants of the username it gets even more complex. Even if you could get only 80% that would still be quite a feat. Still though, I have a feeling it wouldn't take much effort to create a robot that made quick work of all those obfuscated email addresses. Of course, the benefit to a spammer in spamming people who proactively try to protect themselves from spam is questionable, but it's still interesting.


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DENVER (BP)—In response to reduced giving during the current economic downturn, International Mission Board trustees approved suspending new appointments to the International Service Corps and Masters programs during their May 19-20 meeting in Denver.
The IMB also will reduce the number of new appointments to its career, apprentice and associate programs. New appointments will continue on a more selective basis, involving the most strategic assignments.
Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt, who spoke at the meeting, said, "It is not acceptable in my heart that we can have missionaries in the pipeline and need to tell them we can't send them.
"I believe that the people of God will rise to the occasion," said Hunt, pastor of the Atlanta-area First Church in Woodstock.
But Hunt also noted: "We will have a significant reduction (of missionary appointments) in 2010 . . . unless Southern Baptists respond."
This comes after a year when Southern Baptists sent out 1,088 new missionaries in all categories combined through the IMB. This year, long-term appointments will be capped at 300. With 220 already appointed to date, only 80 more appointments will be made for the fiscal year.
In any given year, the IMB typically appoints 700 missionaries in all categories to replace attrition through end of term, retirement, resignation and other reasons. In 2008, 5,495 personnel were serving in the field, and 4,286 of these were long-term missionaries.
"Today, we have more candidates knocking on our door and downloading our applications than ever before," said Paul Chitwood, IMB trustee chairman.
"Yet on this day when God has answered our prayers for workers for His harvest, lack of funding has forced us to temporarily suspend categories for service."
A number of trustees had tears in their eyes as they approved the recommendations to suspend and reduce missionary sending.
The suspension of new assignments to the International Service Corps (ISC) and Masters programs will take effect immediately and continue until further review in early 2010.
The ISC program is designed for Southern Baptists age 21 and over who wish to serve two- or three-year terms abroad; the Masters program is for people age 50 and over.
More than 800 ISC and Masters missionaries currently working overseas will continue their service.
Other short-term programs —the Journeyman program and "2-plus-2″—will continue, but new appointments will be limited to the most strategic assignments.
The Journeyman program sends 20-something, single college graduates overseas for two years. The "2-plus-2" program involves two years of seminary study and two years of missionary service abroad.
These adjustments are vital since 70 percent of the organization's budget and financial resources go toward the support of missionary personnel, IMB officials said.
This past fall, IMB trustees adopted a $319.8 million budget for 2009—$10 million of which was earmarked to offset the rising cost of support for the missionaries already on the field. The 2009 budget made no provision for an increase in the number of missionaries.
Suspensions in short-term appointments could bode poorly for future long-term appointments. In 2007, the IMB appointed 845 new missionaries, including 504 short-term personnel. Of the 341 long-term appointments, 30 percent had previously served two years or longer with the IMB through one of the short-term programs.
The results for the 2008 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions still are being collected and will be released in a few weeks. However, early projections show that the offering is expected to fall short of the $150 million received in 2007. So far, from Oct. 31 through April 30, giving is nearly $8 million below the $121.5 million contributed through state conventions during the same time frame a year ago. The IMB also receives LMCO contributions directly.
Investment losses, a slight downturn in Southern Baptist Cooperative Program giving and harsh economic conditions also have taken a toll on IMB funding.
"The economic recession has had an impact on every facet of our nation, including Southern Baptists and our churches, and our overall income is not unaffected," IMB treasurer David Steverson told the trustees. "The overall economy contributed to a decrease in nearly every income category."
Though significant adjustments will be necessary to meet future needs, Steverson said he remains optimistic.
"The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and Cooperative Program have held up dramatically well when you consider everything happening in our economy," he said.
Trustees recognized 11 regional leaders who have guided the work of the organization across the globe in recent years. Most will move into new roles under a reorganization taking effect in July.
"These field leaders have been a major factor in getting us to where we are today," IMB President Jerry Rankin said.
"Their vision and passion for the peoples of their region, their strategic thinking, influence and relationship skills . . . enabled them to serve the IMB and Southern Baptists effectively and advance God's Kingdom."
In other business, trustees:
• voted to cancel their July 10-11 meeting in light of the economic situation. An official decision will be made in the coming days. The July 12 appointment service still will be held in Lebanon, Ohio.
• appointed 101 new missionaries at Riverside Church in Denver.
• received a report that $2,110,310.96 in Hunger and General Relief Funds had been used for 82 projects. A total of $1,673,163.10 was released to support world hunger needs, $381,726.86 to support general relief needs and $55,421 to support four 2004 tsunami relief projects. Of these 82 projects, 50 supported community development ministries and 32 supported disaster relief efforts.
• elected officers for 2009-10: Chairman, Paul Chitwood, Mount Washington, Ky.; first vice chairman, Simon Tsoi, Phoenix; second vice chairman, Steve Swofford, Rockwall, Texas; and secretary, Debbie Brunson, Jacksonville, Fla.
The next board meeting is set for Sept. 15-16 in Jacksonville, Fla., where an appointment service is scheduled at First Church, Jacksonville, Sept. 16.


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As Judicial Watch proved last Wednesday, towards the end of the George Zimmerman show trial, that trial itself was the result of a criminal conspiracy, in which the Justice Department violated George Zimmerman's civil rights, by organizing street mobs to pressure state authorities into prosecuting a man against whom they had no case. The people have the right to freedom of speech, opinion, assembly, and to petition the government for redress of grievances. The government has no such right against the people.
This criminal conspiracy is the umpteenth time that Attorney General Eric Holder has been caught engaging in criminal conduct, for which he should be impeached and prosecuted. At present, the Department of Justice is the most dangerous criminal gang in America. Ultimately, all of the DOJ's crimes are committed at the whim of the dictator calling himself "Barack Obama."
Although "Obama" is the reigning capo di tutti capi—boss of all bosses—I will henceforth refer to Eric Holder as America's criminal general.
Document: DOJ Community Relations Service was deployed to Sanford, FL, "to provide technical assistance for the preparation of possible marches and rallies related to the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old African American male."
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it has obtained documents in response to local, state, and federal records requests revealing that a little-known unit of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Community Relations Service (CRS), was deployed to Sanford, FL, following the Trayvon Martin shooting to help organize and manage rallies and protests against George Zimmerman.
JW filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the DOJ on April 24, 2012; 125 pages were received on May 30, 2012. JW administratively appealed the request on June 5, 2012, and received 222 pages more on March 6, 2013. According to the documents:
- March 25 – 27, 2012, CRS spent $674.14 upon being "deployed to Sanford, FL, to work marches, demonstrations, and rallies related to the shooting and death of an African-American teen by a neighborhood watch captain."
- March 25 – 28, 2012, CRS spent $1,142.84 "in Sanford, FL to work marches, demonstrations, and rallies related to the shooting and death of an African-American teen by a neighborhood watch captain.
- *March 30 – April 1, 2012, CRS spent $892.55 in Sanford, FL "to provide support for protest deployment in Florida."
* Correction to bulleted point number three: "to provide interregional support for protest deployment in Florida." Correction required due to unintentional copywriting error.
- March 30 – April 1, 2012, CRS spent an additional $751.60 in Sanford, FL "to provide technical assistance to the City of Sanford, event organizers, and law enforcement agencies for the march and rally on March 31."
- April 3 – 12, 2012, CRS spent $1,307.40 in Sanford, FL "to provide technical assistance, conciliation, and onsite mediation during demonstrations planned in Sanford."
- April 11 – 12, 2012, CRS spent $552.35 in Sanford, FL "to provide technical assistance for the preparation of possible marches and rallies related to the fatal shooting of a 17 year old African American male."
From a Florida Sunshine Law request filed on April 23, 2012, JW received thousands of pages of emails on April 27, 2012, in which was found an email by Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board Program Officer Amy Carswell from April 16, 2012: "Congratulations to our partners, Thomas Battles, Regional Director, and Mildred De Robles, Miami-Dade Coordinator and their co-workers at the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service for their outstanding and ongoing efforts to reduce tensions and build bridges of understanding and respect in Sanford, Florida" following a news article in the Orlando Sentinel about the secretive "peacekeepers."
In reply to that message, Battles said: "Thank you Partner. You did lots of stuff behind the scene to make Miami a success. We will continue to work together." He signed the email simply Tommy.
Carswell responded: "That's why we make the big bucks."
Set up under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the DOJ's CRS, the employees of which are required by law to "conduct their activities in confidence," reportedly has greatly expanded its role under President Barack Obama. Though the agency claims to use "impartial mediation practices and conflict resolution procedures," press reports along with the documents obtained by Judicial Watch suggest that the unit deployed to Sanford, FL, took an active role in working with those demanding the prosecution of Zimmerman.
On April 15, 2012, during the height of the protests, the Orlando Sentinel reported, "They [the CRS] helped set up a meeting between the local NAACP and elected officials that led to the temporary resignation of police Chief Bill Lee according to Turner Clayton, Seminole County chapter president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People." The paper quoted the Rev. Valarie Houston, pastor of Allen Chapel AME Church, a focal point for protestors, as saying "They were there for us," after a March 20 meeting with CRS agents.
Separately, in response to a Florida Sunshine Law request to the City of Sanford, Judicial Watch also obtained an audio recording of a "community meeting" held at Second Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Sanford on April 19, 2012. The meeting, which led to the ouster of Sanford's Police Chief Bill Lee, was scheduled after a group of college students calling themselves the "Dream Defenders" barricaded the entrance to the police department demanding Lee be fired. According to the Orlando Sentinel, DOJ employees with the CRS had arranged a 40-mile police escort for the students from Daytona Beach to Sanford.
"These documents detail the extraordinary intervention by the Justice Department in the pressure campaign leading to the prosecution of George Zimmerman," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "My guess is that most Americans would rightly object to taxpayers paying government employees to help organize racially-charged demonstrations."


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/ June
Indiana and South Carolina courts issue key discount rulings
The Indiana Court of Appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court recently issued noteworthy rulings on the appropriateness of discounts in valuing minority interests. The contexts in which the issue arose were different, but both situations amounted to a compelled buyback of shares. Read more >>


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World's oldest leather shoe found in Armenia
Friday, June 11, 2010
What is believed to be the world's oldest leather shoe, over 5,500 year old, has been found in a cave in Armenia by a team of archaeologists.
The Armenian shoe is in a perfectly preserved condition and is a few hundred years older than the one found on Ötzi the Iceman, making it the oldest piece of leather footwear in the world, and the oldest footwear yet found in Europe. Researchers published details in the journal PLoS ONE.
The leather shoe was found in a cave dubbed Areni-1, near the village of Areni in the Vayots Dzor province of Armenia, on the Iranian and Turkish borders. "I was amazed to find that even the shoe-laces were preserved," recalled Diana Zardaryan, the Armenian PhD student who made the discovery.
According to researchers, the shoe, made of cow-hide, consists of only one leather piece and was probably customised to the wearer's foot. It was relatively small, measuring the corresponding to European size 37 or US size 7 women, however, it could have been worn by a man.
It was kept in excellent condition by a thick layer of sheep excrement, which acted as a seal, helping it survive the millennia. The shoe contained grass, although the archaeologists were uncertain as to whether this was to used to maintain the shape of the shoe and/or prepare it for storage.
"We thought initially that the shoe and other objects were about 600-700 years old because they were in such good condition," said co-author Dr. Ron Pinhasi from the University College Cork in Ireland. "It was only when the material was dated by the two radiocarbon laboratories in Oxford and in California that we realised that the shoe was a few hundred years older than the shoes worn by Ötzi the Iceman".
The shoe and the cave will continue to be researched. "We do not know yet what the shoe or other objects were doing in the cave or what the purpose of the cave was", said Pinhasi, "We know that there are children's graves at the back of the cave but so little is known about this period that we cannot say with any certainty why all these different objects were found together".
Currently, the oldest known footwear are sandals made from sagebrush bark, found in Fort Rock Cave, Oregon in the United States. These shoes were discovered in 1938, and have been dated to about 10,000 years before present.
Discoveries within the cave move early bronze-age cultural activity in Armenia back by about 800 years. Additional discoveries yielded an extensive array of Copper Age artifacts dating to between 6,200 and 5,900 years ago.
- "'Oldest leather shoe' discovered" — BBC News, June 10, 2010
- Kate Ravilious. "World's Oldest Leather Shoe Found—Stunningly Preserved" — National Geographic, June 9, 2010
- Ron Pinhasi, Boris Gasparian, Gregory Areshian, Diana Zardaryan, Alexia Smith, Guy Bar-Oz, Thomas Higham. "First Direct Evidence of Chalcolithic Footwear from the Near Eastern Highlands" — PLoS ONE, June 9, 2010
- "World's Oldest Shoes In Oregon -- 10,000-Year-Old Sandals Found In 1938 Among 70 Pairs Unearthed Within Cave" — The Seattle Times, December 1, 1999


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Ten Reasons Why People Dont Buy From You by :
Dan Brown
Here's ten simple yet POWERFUL ideas for you to reflect on. This will help you adjust your marketing strategies...which will have a GREAT effect on everything you sell.1. You don't make people feel safe when they order. Remind people that they are ordering through a secure server. Tell them you won't sell their e-mail address and all their information will be kept confidential. 2. You don't make your ad copy attractive. Your ad lists features instead of benefits. The headline does not attract at your target audience. You don't list any testimonials or guarantees included in your ad. 3. You don't remind people to come back and visit. People usually don't purchase the first time they visit. The more times they visit your site, the greater the chance they will buy. The most effective way is to give them a free subscription to your e-zine. 4. You don't let people know anything about your business. They will feel more comfortable if they know who they are buying from. Publish a section called "About Us" on your web site. Include your business history, profile of employees, contact information etc. 5. You don't give people as many ordering options as possible. Accept credit cards, checks, money orders, and other forms of electronic payments. Take orders by phone, e-mail, web site, fax, mail, etc. 6. You don't make your web site look professional. You want to have your own domain name. Your web site should be easy to navigate through. The graphics should be related to the theme of your web site. 7. You don't let people read your ad before they get your freebie. When you use free stuff to lure people to your web site include it below your ad copy or on another web page. If you list the freebie above your ad they may never look to see what you're selling. 8. You don't attract the target audience that would buy your product or service. A simple way to do this is to survey your existing customers to see what attracted them to buy. This information will help you improve your target marketing and advertising. 9. You don't test and improve your ad copy. There are many people who write an ad copy and never change it. You have to continually test and improve your ad copy to get the highest possible response rate. 10. You don't give people any urgency to buy now. Many people are interested in your product but they put off buying it till later and eventually forget about it. Entice them to buy now with a freebie or discount and include a deadline date when the offer ends. |


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The time of the Apocalypse draws near. The corruption of the Wyrm is strangling the Great Mother. The sacred Caerns are vanishing, one by one. Humankind walks in ignorance of Gaia's peril There is only one hope . . . The Changing Folk. The Garou. The Werewolves.
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Penalty factor
You can specify what fraction of the achieved score should be subtracted for each wrong response. This is only relevant if the quiz is run in adaptive mode so that the student is allowed to make repeated responses to the question. The penalty factor should be a number between 0 and 1. A penalty factor of 1 means that the student has to get the answer right in his first response to get any credit for it at all. A penalty factor of 0 means the student can try as often as he likes and still get the full marks.


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Beginning in June, travelers on Highway 6 will noticed a brand new helicopter positioned on the helipad at Castleview Hospital. The chopper is operated by Eagle Air Med and will provide Price and the surrounding area with an added resource for emergency response and quick patient transportation.
The aircraft will be capable of assisting local first-responders, Emergency Medical Services, fire, and law-enforcement by responding to motor vehicle accidents, industry related injuries and any other response needs as well as helipad-to-helipad patient transportation.
The capabilities of this helicopter are a perfect fit for the altitude and terrain of the region, according to hospital officials. The same model of aircraft achieved a world record when a standard production helicopter landed on the top of Mount Everest in 2005.
"Eagle Air Med is excited to begin responding to emergency needs and transporting patients from Price as well as Central and Eastern Utah," said Mike Brown, Eagle Air Med's Program Director. "The B3e is a reliable and safe aircraft and we have taken our time in hiring and training the very best flight personnel for this program."
For Castleview Hospital, the air service provides additional resources for the larger coverage area.
"We have worked hard for the last couple years to evaluate and find a partner to provide these services for the hospital and the community as a whole," said Castleview Hospital CEO, Mark Holyoak. "The purpose of having full-time air transport services available is another way in which we meet our mission of "Making Our Community Healthier. With Eagle Air now based here on our helipad, we will be able to eliminate the response time when the service is necessary. This will come in as a significant benefit especially with acute stroke, and acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) patients when time savings is critical. I look forward to this being a successful partnership for many years to come." The copter is also great for helping trauma patients who are in bad shape, by allowing their fast transport to Wasatch Front hospitals. However it was pointed out that Castleview is applying to be a first class trauma center, and that applications should be approved soon.
To showcase their new helicopter, Castleview hosted an Open House on June 19. In addition to food and education, the community event allowed several attendants to be taken up in the new craft for unique look at Carbon County.
Source: http://www.sunad.com
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The omicron outbreak has slowed so dramatically in the U.S. that many people talk about COVID in the past tense. But the assumption that it's over doesn't square with what's happening in the U.K., where cases from the fast-growing omicron subvariant, BA.2, have been rising along with hospitalizations. And there are some signs in the U.S. - could see some bumps in cases, as well. NPR's Allison Aubrey joins us now. Allison, so how significant is this outbreak in the U.K.?
ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: Good morning, A. Well, daily case counts have more than doubled over the last few weeks throughout the U.K. Hospitalizations are on the upswing, and the country has documented a slight increase in deaths, too. Now, throughout the pandemic, the U.S. has tended to be a few weeks behind Great Britain, following the same pattern. So this has led to concern the U.S. could see a bit of a boost, too. Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke about the BA.2 variant on ABC yesterday.
ANTHONY FAUCI: It has a degree of transmission advantage over the original omicron, but not multifold advantage. So the bottom line is we likely will see an uptick in cases, as we've seen in the European countries, particularly the U.K., where they've had the same situation as we've had now.
AUBREY: Now, officials in the U.K. attribute the increases there to the quick-spreading omicron subvariant, the removal of COVID restrictions - namely masking, more gatherings - and waning immunity. And, to some extent, the same factors are all in place in the U.S.
MARTÍNEZ: So is there any sign of a rise in the U.S. yet?
AUBREY: The Johns Hopkins University tracker shows the rate of decline in cases has slowed and may be on track to sort of level off. Now, cases are at the lowest levels we've seen since July of last year. But the point is the virus is still circulating. And another signal, A, is coming through wastewater surveillance. The program lead for the CDC's National Wastewater Surveillance System, Amy Kirby, told me on Friday they are seeing some changes in viral concentrations.
AMY KIRBY: The power of wastewater surveillance is that it's that early warning system. It's going to give us that four- to six-day heads up that increases may be happening in a community. And we are seeing evidence - early evidence - of increases in some communities across the country.
AUBREY: There are now about 700 different wastewater sampling sites all over the nation, and the CDC's dashboard shows increases at about 35% of them.
MARTÍNEZ: OK, so wastewater surveillance - how does this work? What exactly are they measuring at these sites?
AUBREY: Well, when people have COVID, they may be asymptomatic, not know it, or they may do a rapid test at home, which never gets reported to the system. So it becomes tougher for public health officials to kind of track the virus. That's why analyzing wastewater is very helpful. It's a form of passive surveillance. I mean, not everyone gets tested, but everyone goes to the bathroom. And when people are infected, viral RNA is detectable in feces and can be measured in sewage, and there are now about 88 million Americans now represented in wastewater surveillance.
MARTÍNEZ: Wow. All right. How big are the increases? I mean, are they big enough to be concerned?
AUBREY: You know, for now, Kirby emphasizes that because concentrations had dropped so low with the swift decline in the omicron surge here in the U.S., the increases being seen now here may be just small temporary bumps. I mean, about 60% of sites are not showing an increase. So they're focused on the 35% of sites where concentrations are going up consistently. In particular, the agency has begun to see consistent increases in Florida, in Rhode Island, in West Virginia. That was as of Friday.
KIRBY: We have seen a lot of change. So what looked like noise at the beginning of the week is starting to look like a true signal here at the end of the week. And so the situation is changing quickly, and we're watching it very closely.
AUBREY: She says they're getting new data every day so they can stay on top of it. Now, I should point out, infectious disease experts are not expecting a huge, big surge, but it is a reminder the virus is not gone and long-term strategies are needed to help prevent or manage future outbreaks.
MARTÍNEZ: So this wastewater surveillance program - is that one of the things the Biden administration is going to be looking for funding on?
AUBREY: That's right. This type of surveillance program allows the CDC and local public health authorities, which is very important, to stay ahead of outbreaks and potentially help curtail them. And Amy Kirby says this doesn't just apply to COVID, but potentially to a whole bunch of other conditions.
KIRBY: We've seen a huge uptake in this type of surveillance across the country. And we're adding new sites every week, so it's continuing to grow. And we're going to build off of this infrastructure that we've built for COVID and expand it to other health targets, including antibiotic resistance, foodborne infections and influenza.
AUBREY: So, for example, if flu is spreading quickly in an area or, say, a foodborne illness outbreak occurred somewhere, the CDC could use this real-time tracking to spot increases in the wastewater and potentially limit the number of people who end up getting very sick by giving communities a heads up that it's happening. And then when it comes to managing COVID in the long term, public health officials say these surveillance programs are key and need to be funded.
MARTÍNEZ: Thing is, though, ongoing funding for COVID is up in the air, right? I mean, so is Congress - something that it's not approved for more relief yet?
AUBREY: That's right. Biden administration officials are really trying to get the attention of lawmakers to approve about $15 billion in coronavirus aid. That was stripped of the bipartisan spending bill that was passed earlier this month. So, you know, there's a kind of growing sense of urgency as I talk to public health officials. And they point out everything that's at stake if the funding does run out. I spoke to Zeke Emanuel at the University of Pennsylvania about the situation.
ZEKE EMANUEL: We're going to run out of money for the monoclonal antibodies and other treatments for the immunocompromised - getting those antivirals to people who test positive, continuing innovation on our vaccine.
AUBREY: All of that could be coming to a halt and more. So we're kind of back to where the conversation began, A. Given what's happening in England right now, it is a reminder that COVID is still out there, circulating widely in Europe - a potential bump in the United States in some areas. And so public health officials are saying, look, long-term management strategies are needed, and that's going to take funding.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Allison Aubrey, thanks a lot.
AUBREY: Thank you, A.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAKEY INSPIRED'S "BETTER DAYS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Artistic Sensibility, Civic Responsability
August 11th, 2011
Since the 1990s, Tania Bruguera has exhibited widely, making performances, staging interventions, and creating installations that destabilize received notions of power. Perhaps her most recognizable work is her performance "The Burden of Guilt" (1997-1999), in which the artist, wearing a raw-lamb carcass, eats dirt with her hands; the performance, we later learned, was a re-enactment of a colonial legend in Cuba, a suicide attempt; a legend of an indigenous act of resistance against the Spanish.
In the last decade, the protagonist role that the artist's body had in her earlier work, disappeared almost entirely. In her placement, Tania Bruguera has engaged actors, and more usually invited the general public to perform. In one of a series of artworks titled "Tatlin's Whisper," Bruguera hired two policemen on horseback with expertise in controlling riots to choreograph the course of the museum's audience. That performance was presented in 2008 at the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, as part of the two-day exhibition The Living Currency (La Monnaie Vivante) curated by Pierre Bal Blanc. In another work in the series "Tatlin's Whisper," the public could use the microphone to exercise a minute of free-speech. This latter work was staged in 2009 at the Centro Wilfredo Lam in Havana. I should add: authorities were not exactly pleased.
As part of an expanded artistic practice, Tania Bruguera has taught and lectured internationally, and in her native Cuba created an itinerant art school called Catedra Arte de Conducta. This school, which she begun in 2002 and concluded in 2009, created dialogues between local artists and visiting architects, theorists and other creative professionals in order to envision and discuss ways in which art contributes to society. Through courses for performance and time-based art, a new generation of artists could and would be encouraged to work politically with their social reality.
This year, Tania Bruguera has come to live in New York City to initiate another of these kinds of projects. Initiated by the Queens Museum and Creative Time, this new, long-term art project by Tania Bruguera is called "Immigrant Movement International" and emerges from her long-standing inquiry on 'useful art'. One of the artist's main supporters, the art critic Claire Bishop, has explained Tania's idea on useful art as a "conjunction of political action and illegality … pushing the boundaries of what authority recognizes acceptable".
To what extent and for who will the "Immigrant Movement International" be useful? Well, I suppose this we will learn in the coming months, possibly over the next couple of years. I am confident, though, that this project will at the very least remind us of the role of the modern public museum, which is to cultivate its audience with the aim of creating civic responsibility; of building more informed and creative audience, a more productive and sensible citizen. This responsibility is one that a handful of contemporary artists, including Tania Bruguera, have been taking on to themselves.
The image above is of the headquarters of the Immigrant Movement International in Corona, Queens in New York, which I visited yesterday afternoon. Events take place daily. Consult the website for more details and a calendar of programs: http://immigrant-movement.us.
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Party of One
Birthdays Are For Binge Reading Card
Birthdays Are For Binge Reading
- Size A2 Card
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Party of One is a gift and paper goods line inspired by creatures of habit with delightfully specific tastes. This line celebrates the introverts and bookworms, the proud nerds, and the unapologetic enthusiasts. It's also for the fiercely independent and willfully outspoken (and those who aspire to be). Everything is designed by me, Alisa, and hand-packaged in my home studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When I'm not working, I'm usually hanging out with my cats, reading, and calling my representatives. RESIST.
Sending your purchase direct to a friend or loved one? I'm happy to wrap it as a gift!
- Our gift packaging includes colorful tissue paper and recycled shredded paper (if it's an item that's boxed and not shipped flat).
- We'll also remove any price tags.
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To mark your order as a gift:
- Use the message box at checkout to let us know it's a gift and include your requested gift message. If you forget this step, just email email@example.com within an hour of ordering.


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Stainless Steel Dampers - - Maxum Hardware is proud to be an online distributor of Ameritool Manufacturing gas springs, dampers and tension springs. There are three types of dampers: extension, compression and dual direction. Extension dampers provide controlled speed while the rod is being extended out of the tube. Compression dampers provide a controlled speed while the rod is being compressed back into the tube. Dual rate dampers have equal amount of damping in both directions. Dampers are designed in particular to match each individual application.
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Why Rationalism? By Sanal Edamaruku
By Sanal Edamaruku
President, Indian Rationalist Association
President, Rationalist International
Looking back on the last two centuries, humanity can celebrate the triumph of reason, progress and emancipation. The tyrant gods have been exposed as paperboard monsters. The cruel and violent forces that governed throughout the dark ages in their name have been driven out of a major part of the world and of human minds. The wheels of progress are rolling with enormous speed. Scientific research and technology are improving our lives and extending our horizon and potential. These achievements have been possible under the influence of a strong and irrepressible rationalist movement that braved harassment and backlashes to break one by one the chains of mental slavery and make us the masters of our destiny.
But there is no time to rest on rationalist laurels. The victory lasts only as long as we are watchful and ready to defend and extend the empire of reason.
Religion has a tendency to creep back into liberated territory in ever new shapes and to try and recapture lost bastions. Once cornered and weakened, it can hibernate and return in fundamentalist, sectarian and neo-religious strings. With the Iranian revolution, Islamic fundamentalism went political and tried to recapture parts of the world, provoking and encouraging Christian fundamentalism and Hindu fundamentalism. The weakening traditional Christian churches in secular Europe and America sprouted a multitude of zealous evangelical missionary movements to target the developing world. Revival movements like the hyperactive Pentecostals, born-again Christians, hysteric faith-healers and bizarre cults came up. In India, fading Hinduism reared in a fanatic Hindu nationalist movement besides becoming fertilizer for thousands of colorful and scurrile god-men, who are increasingly drawing rich devotees from the spirituality hungry west.
Despite the multitude and sometimes wildness of religion's new faces, Rationalism has established itself as the general frame of reference in today's world. There have been many excellent and courageous individuals and determined and dedicated movements, who contributed significantly to today's achievements.
Reaching out to the masses
Ingersoll and the RPA: Two outstanding landmarks in the history of modern rationalism are the lectures of Robert Green Ingersoll in the USA and the publications of rationalist books by the Rationalist Press Association (RPA) in Britain. Ingersoll with his great oratory skills and outspoken views about religion romanticized heresy and became an inspiration for thousands of people not only in the USA but all around the world. His direct and trenchant criticism of religion, his great desire for a rational and liberal reformation of the social order, and the charm created by his fine and touching language enlivened with passion and humor were unique and not heard of till then. Ingersoll became so popular that he was considered a suitable candidate for the office of the president of the USA. His example shows that bluntly speaking out against religion and its institutions can meet with overwhelming public response.
In Britain, the RPA started more than one century ago to spread rationalist thoughts in classical and contemporary books of high standard. The "Thinker's Library" and the "Cheap Reprints" reached far off places and opened up new horizons for progressive movements in many parts of the world, making a lasting impact on the history of the rationalism.
Fighting for social and political progress
The Indian example: It was under the direct influence of these two great heritages that the rationalist movement in India, emerging in the beginning of the 20th century out of ongoing social struggles against priesthood and religion based oppression, grew and sharpened its intellectual weapons. Thanks to an uncompromising determination deeply rooted in its fighting origins, it developed over several decades into an influential factor in transforming the mindset of one of the most tradition-bound societies in the world. The Indian rationalist movement is considered one of the most vibrant and most successful movements of its kind and has been in recent years highly appreciated by western observers.
Bill Cooke in his book The Blasphemy Depot admires its "practical rationalism in action" and wonders "what Indian rationalism can teach the West". He feels that "in India the malevolent consequences of irrationality are better understood" than anywhere else. Paul Kurtz, in his speech "The Momentous Significance of Rationalism Today", during the International Rationalist Conference 2002, expressed the belief that the Indian rationalist movement has a "special and perhaps momentous role" to play in helping "to bring India into the twenty-first century" and congratulates the Indian Rationalist Association "for the leadership role it has played".
These are not only good words. In fact, the Indian rationalist movement has become an inspiring example for many western rationalists to awaken, activate and rejuvenate their own organizations (see also: Caspar Melville: UNMASKED! India's rationalists are on the frontline of the battle between science and superstition. Cover story of 150th year special issue of the New Humanist, the journal of RPA, Nov 09, 2005).
*** *** ***
Paul Kurtz describes rationalism as 'the single most important contribution to human civilization'. Rationalism strives to influence society towards secularism and to liberate individuals from the influence of religion, superstition, dogma and priesthood. It promotes liberty of the individual and human dignity, fights for the fulfillment of human rights, for freedom of expression, the right to criticize traditional religious dogma and all arbitrary assumptions of authority. Above all, it raises powerfully the voice of reason to expose all pseudo-science and baseless fantasies imposed upon people.
The salient point of any rationalist movement is its fighting spirit and its determination to defend what it stands for against all odds. Rationalism commits the liberated individual to reason even if it is uncomfortable. Every step towards progress, freedom and equality has been influenced by the voice of reason, resisting efforts to silence and strangulate it.
The fruits of modern civilization did not just fall from trees; they are the achievements of courageous people defying the established order and the parasites protecting it.
Resisting "humanist" missionaries
History twist: In the middle of the last century, a dangerous trend emerged in several pockets of Europe. It threatened to steam-roll the progressive movements joining in the broader rationalist stream - predominantly the rationalist, freethought and atheist groups - by a soft and system-friendly "humanism". Humanism is a historic forerunner of rationalism that dethroned all gods and declared human the centre of the universe before enlightenment dawned. Preparing the ground for rationalism and anticipating many of its later achievements and aims within the limits of its historic position, humanism was always considered a precious and honored heritage of the rationalist movement that appeared to have melted into its own identity.
Adopting the old term from the period of Renaissance, however, the post-enlightenment "humanism" of the 20th century played host to a dangerous cancer that aimed at turning the course of the rationalist movement from within. Not all the humanist groups were equally affected, but some became instruments of an attempt to pervert and damage the movement. The new ambiguity of the term "humanism" created much confusion.
Quite against the grain of history, the new reactionary "humanist" movement answered the quest of some non-believers for a new "religion without god and revelation" and got instant support by some European establishments. This looks like a simple under-cover operation, misusing a trusted label to try and guide the anti-religious movement back to religion.
The leaders sought and received state sanction, often even a share of the tax money for their activities, putting them at par with established churches. The Norwegian organization was presented as the crown jewel and celebrated for its fantastic success. It had specialized on the performance of "alternative rituals", blissfully unperturbed about the fact that Norway was governed (till recently) by a priestly prime minister under the auspices of a powerful Evangelical state church that stands accused of violating its subjects' human rights. This is exactly the crux that makes these "humanists" so useful and supportable for governments and Christian churches. They paralyze the fight for transformation of society as a whole and rest, instead, content with serving those who have already come out of religion, herding them together in communities that share much of the features of religious associations, except belief in the supernatural. Celebrants conduct the "rites of passage" in name giving, marriage and funeral functions and confirmation celebrations for the youth. Even songs and dress are proposed. Some groups call themselves straightly "humanist churches" and ordain "humanist pastors".
There have been systematic efforts to woe and win rationalists, freethinkers and atheists to this line of building up a new religion without god. The Indian organizations have been over years the special target of "humanist" missionaries. Their efforts are still on. Only some months back, they sponsored a small conference with the name "From Rationalism to Humanism" to cast out their nets.
Former Pentecostal leaders came to the leadership of the "humanist" movement and argued for the use of a uniform symbol corresponding with the Christian cross or the Jewish star and for a special uniform usage of the term "humanism" as if it was patented. Proposed in the name of greater strength and efficacy in a united worldwide fight for "common goals", this was an attempt to streamline autonomous and heterogeneous organizations, freely assembled under a wide umbrella, and to transform them step by step into branches of a multinational "humanist" company. In fact, one observed a few cases of "rebirth" of traditional groups under new names and new leaderships and engaged in some sponsored new projects. But finally, the policy of "humanist" colonization has not been very successful.
Rationalist agenda for the 21st century
Beyond equality: The rationalist movement has not only survived the attempt to pervert it, it has even gained new strength and extended its influence far into "humanist" territory. The challenge gave opportunity to reconsider and refocus positions and policies and to consolidate rationalist work. In fact, the repulsive and unenthusiastic example of dull and meaningless club culture revived the inspiring vision of rationalism breaking open all prison doors of ignorance, superstition, exploitation and oppression. Rationalists of all names insisted that rationalism, atheism, freethought and even humanism is not just another way of life or one among other religions. It does not accept to be reduced to the level of playing its part in the symphony of a religion oriented / dominated society – it wants to transform this society and free it from religion. It does not fight for equality in conformity – it aims at a radical change of the status quo.
Imagine a small "equalist" group in South Africa holding the view that people with black and white skin are equal. In order to be 'positive' and to avoid the idea of fighting apartheid, they limit their aims to seeking acceptance for their own view as another way of life, equally justified as that of the racists! Or a group of "white jackets", uncorrupt government employees, who come out and claim their right to refuse to take any bribe. They would not like to be accused of "corruption-bashing", and only insist that their way of life is just as respectable as that of the corruption Mafia! Surely both these groups would be as happily welcomed by racist or corrupt regimes as the "humanists" by church loyal governments and state churches. Such self-centered movements have the potential to bind and chanalise all possible resistance against the oppressors. Despite their seemingly progressive positions they are therefore in effect reactionary.
Rationalist International: In the USA there has been resistance against the perversion of humanism. The new term "secular-humanism" was created to mark the difference between the progressive humanist tradition and its namesake. Promptly, the leaders of the "humanist" mission, who started behaving like the rightful owners, banned the use of any adjective in connection with "humanism". But secular-humanism firmly established itself and represents since then the progressive humanist tradition. Secular-humanism is rationalism with a slightly different focus.
Even within the contemporary humanist movement, the perverted string took slowly the back seat. Today, more than half of the groups identified as "humanists" are clearly rationalist, freethought, atheist or secular-humanist groups. The criterion is not only the name. Even among the "humanist" groups there are several, who share all rationalist positions and are equally committed to social and political change as many rationalists.
In the 90's, for example, the Canadian Humanist Association has been vehemently attacked for its "abolitionism" (read: for actually fighting for a society without religion) and scolded as "unsuccessful" humanists. Under the leadership of its former president Dr. Henry Morgentaler, however, they had managed to establish the human right of reproductive freedom firmly in the Canadian society as well as in the law of the state. A country, where abortion had been completely banned, turned under their determined and dedicated influence into one of the most liberal in this matter - a respectable and admirable success indeed!
Rationalism started historically as criticism of religious texts and challenge against religious establishments and their influence on society and individual. During the last centuries, it underwent an evolution. "The great challenge today is to resist lethargy and hidebound traditions and extend the methods of reason and critical thinking to all areas of human interest," writes Paul Kurtz.
Modern rationalism strives for a post-religious society. It investigates and exposes traditional and new (age) paranormal and other claims of supernatural and miracles. It asks for a secular society where state and religion are absolutely separated and religions are not promoted or supported. It condemns fundamentalism and acts of violence and intolerance, and tries to help preventing them. It encourages free thinking and free inquiry and self-determination, and helps individuals to break the chains of mental slavery. It promotes fulfillment of human capacities and wishes and encourages imagination and fantasy and strong emotions guided by reason. In its broad stream, it includes and accommodates all movements that focus single or special aspects of rationalism, contributing to the common line of emancipation of human mind - atheist groups, denying the existence of divine powers and empowering human instead, freethought and secular-humanist groups focusing social and political issues, skeptic groups dedicated mainly to the exposure of paranormal claims - and any other movement in this frame that may eventually emerge in future responding to new challenges and problems. The Rationalist International, founded in 1995 during the first International Rationalist Conference at New Delhi as a forum for rationalist ideas and positions with world-wide concern, could become a vanguard of the movement, giving inspiration, clarity, strength, courage and solidarity to many rationalists in different parts of the world. Responding to new challenges of irrationalism and intolerance and identifying and encouraging the use of new ways and methods of influencing change, including Internet, television and any other new achievement of information technology, rationalist movements in all parts of the world have to grow and grow together into a force capable, courageous and determined to influence the course of human history.


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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Sure, some delicacies might taste just like chicken, but they usually feel and look much different. Soy meat alternatives, such as the soy burger, have become more popular recently, with increased sales of eight percent from 2007 to 2008. Now, scientists at the University of Missouri have created a soy substitute for chicken that is much like the real thing. The new soy chicken also has health benefits, including lowering cholesterol and maintaining healthy bones.
Fu-Hung Hsieh, an MU professor of biological engineering and food science in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the College of Engineering, is leading the project to create a low-cost soy substitute for chicken. His research, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Illinois-Missouri Biotechnology Alliance, has led to a process that does more than just add color and flavor to soy. Hsieh has developed a process that makes the soy product simulate the fibrous qualities of a chicken breast.
"Early tests provided some of the fibrous texture to the final product, but it tasted more like turkey," Hsieh said. "In order to produce a more realistic product, we had to tweak the process and add extra fiber to give the soy a stringy feeling that tears into irregular, coarse fibers similar to chicken."
To create the soy chicken, Hsieh starts with a soy protein extracted from soy flour. The soy then goes through an extrusion cooking process that uses water, heat and pressure while pushing the mixture through a cylinder with two augers.
"This particular soy substitute is different because we are working with a higher moisture content, which is up to 75 percent," Hsieh said. "The high moisture content is what gives the soy a very similar texture to chicken — in addition to the appearance."
Along with pleasing the senses, Hsieh's soy chicken provides health benefits for consumers. Soy foods contain important nutrition components, some of which help maintain healthy bones and prevent prostate, breast and colorectal cancers. Soy foods also are a good source of essential fatty acids and contain no cholesterol. The FDA has approved a claim that encourages 25 grams of soy protein in a daily diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol to help reduce cholesterol that is at or above moderately high levels.
Hsieh's research has been published in the Journal of Food and Agricultural Chemistry, Journal of Food Science, and Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. The next step in Hsieh's research will be to taste-test various texture combinations and make final refinements to the formula.
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The string of hits kept their fans thirsting for more, beginning with Flywheel: The Movie in 2003, and progressing to Facing the Giants in 2006, Fireproof in 2008, and Courageous in 2011. Rarely resting between the release of one hit and the writing and filming of the next, the brothers have decided to break with tradition and step away from filmmaking for a season.
Their next venture? A book.
"Love Dare for Parents," a spinoff from the popular "Love Dare" from the Fireproof movie, will be "a 40-day journey of dares to help parents communicate Christ's love to their children," Stephen Kendrick explained.
"We want to help parents win the hearts of their children so they can win their ears," he said.
Ever since the original book which focused on strengthening marriages was featured in the 2008 movie, parents have requested a similar book to help them influence their children for Christ. B&H Publishing, a division of LifeWay Christian Resources, expects to release it this summer.
"It's not easy to make a movie, but for us it's much easier to work with film than with print," Stephen Kendrick said. "Writing a book is like writing 15 term papers, one after the other. It's tedious, grueling work."
Each of their movies was accompanied by a novel, but those were co-written with professional authors. All of those eventually made it onto a New York Times bestseller list.
The brothers also wrote three books from scratch -- "The Love Dare," "The Love Dare Day by Day" devotional for couples, and "The Resolution for Men."
What comes next for the duo remains unknown. What is known is that they want to take time to follow God's direction before assuming there will be another movie.
"We have not taken it for granted that we'll always be making movies. We always go back to square one and seek the Lord's direction before proceeding," Alex Kendrick said. "Making a movie takes a year or two out of your life, time away from your family and friends; why would we want to do that if the Lord isn't in it?"
His younger brother readily agrees.
"Movies don't want to be made," Stephen Kendrick said. "They take years of planning, writing, shooting. ... There are so many potential problems to stop the production timeline. It's like walking through a minefield with cast problems, budgeting problems, script problems, marketing and distribution problems."
But the rewards are immense.
Fireproof was released on DVD in 75 countries and Courageous in 76 countries. In March 2012 nearly 1,000 police officers accepted Christ in a South American nation after watching the movie.
"You get these reports from all around the world and say to yourself, 'Is this for real?' That's when you know it's worth all the blood, sweat and tears," Stephen Kendrick said.
In addition to their filmmaking responsibilities the brothers are staff members at Sherwood Baptist Church where Stephen, 39, serves as senior associate pastor/preaching and Alex, 42, is associate pastor. They speak highly of the support they have received from pastor Michael Catt and his vision to reach the world from Albany, Ga.
"Michael has been a selfless pastor, demonstrating Christ-like leadership and equipping his staff for success. This is the most loving and praying church I have ever been in," Stephen Kendrick said.
Reaching the world is exactly what has occurred through the movies and books that have rolled out of Sherwood Pictures based at the church. A good bit of the proceeds from the movies have been spent around the world to impact nations for Christ.
For example:
-- Funds were used to purchase motorbikes for pastors in the Sudan so the men, informally known now as "mobile missionaries," don't have to walk and can cover greater distances.
-- The church has partnered with the International Mission Board on numerous projects; in 2011 it gave a $100,000 donation to the mission agency.
-- The church's newest international vision is partnering with the IMB to adopt an unreached people group -- Dutch speakers in Germany.
-- Locally, it gave generously toward the purchase of an 82-acre evangelistic sports park in Albany in which the church was already involved but which helped speed along the process.
-- It has started churches in San Francisco and Baltimore.
Alex and Stephen have their eyes on the future, though, in ways other than making movies; they want to help the next generation learn from their mistakes and benefit from their insight.
"We are very burdened with a desire to pour ourselves into the next generation of Christian filmmakers," Stephen Kendrick said. "They may know how to use the Red Camera and Final Cut Pro editing software but they may not know how to fear the Lord and seek Him in their production decisions.
"Even though Alex and I never went to film school we long to help those individuals seek first the Kingdom of God and not be preoccupied with just making a cool movie.
"Every generation needs to think about those who will follow it and set them up for success. Michael reminds us that whoever wants the next generation the most will get them ... and we want them."
Joe Westbury is managing editor of the Christian Index, online at christianindex.org, where this story first appeared. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).
Copyright (c) 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press www.BPNews.net


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Milwaukee Makerspace has a lot of equipment, and sometimes we get things that don't quite work, and we try hard to get them working. We often succeed, but sometimes we decide it's better to move on…
With that said, we're looking to sell our Matsuura RA1F Vertical Machining Center, which is known as the "Red Dragon".
It's not currently running, but it was working months ago. Ultimately we decided that it would take too much work to get it into good shape for a makerspace, so selling it off as a whole, or in parts, will help fund a new CNC milling machine which is smaller and more suited to our needs.
If you've never used a VMC this probably isn't for you, but if you really want a challenge, or want it for parts (and there are some very expensive parts in it) you might get a nice deal. Maybe you've already got one and need spare components? Perfect!
You can check out the notes we've made about the Red Dragon over on our Matsuura wiki page. If you've got questions, post a comment or get in touch with us.


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Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Last year, I wrote a (non-Top-Ten-Tuesday) post about books that need prequels. Today, I'll be talking about some standalone books that need sequels. This list is shorter than usual because of how many authors and publishers are eager to publish sequels to stories that do well. There simply aren't a lot of books that I wish had sequels. Hopefully, some of you will have longer lists.
1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
While I loved the ending of this book, I couldn't help but to hope we'd hear more from Starr again. The resolutions to her problems were incredibly realistic, but they also left a lot of room for speculating about how or if they might shift again in the future. What can I say? I wanted a happier ended than the one we got, and I'm still holding out home that it might happen someday. (The film is still on my to-be-watched list, so maybe it was different? Please don't give me spoilers if they changed the ending!)
2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Melinda, the main character, had been through something so awful she couldn't even talk about it. I loved getting to know her sweet, creative personality and slowly uncovering the cause of her pain. She was a lovely person, and I sure would like to see what she was like a few years or decades after this terrible time in her life.
Skip the sentence below this paragraph if you want to avoid all spoilers. Keep reading if you prefer to know about potentially triggering subject matter ahead of time .
This book is about rape and the long-term traumatic effects of that crime. I was caught off-guard by that plot twist, so I feel obligated to let other potential readers know about it.
3. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
The friendship between Jess (the main character) and his neighbour, Lesie is something I still think about to this day. While the ending to this tale was well done, I'd sure like to see what life was like for the characters decades later. There's so much room for growth here.
4. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
Imagine what it would be like if your father tried to marry you off when you were fourteen! I was a kid when I read this book, so I knew very little about the cultural norms of the 1200s in Europe (or anywhere else for that matter). Birdy's story is something that has stuck with me for years, and I'd love to find out what happened to her after the events of the final scenes.
5. 1984 by George Orwell
1984 was about a man living in a harsh, totalitarian society who tried to figure out a way to escape it. I had a lot of mixed feelings about the ending even though it fit the tone of this tale well. It would be so interesting to revisit this universe a few decades later to see what might have changed in it.
6. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
There were so many unanswered questions about the other flat Coraline discovered. How long has it existed? Why was it created? Will anyone else ever become endangered by it?
A sequel would be the perfect place to answer these questions.
What standalone books do you all wish would have sequels?


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Happy Release Day to
Temper (Lifer #2) by Beck Nicholas!!
Join us in celebrating this release from Month9Books!
Enter the giveaway found at the end of the post.
Happy Book Birthday, Beck!
Free from the spaceship and reunited with Samuai, Asher should be happy. But thoughts of her dead family weigh heavily on her mind.
Things worsen when temper problems in camp lead to a murder. When Asher volunteers to get the drug need to calm people down, tension ignites.
Loyalties are questioned.
Jealousy rears its head. Sparks fly.
And when rumor of a second ship hits close to home, all bets are off.
Have the aliens returned? Is this the end of everything Asher has ever known?
Temper (Lifer #2) by Beck Nicholas
Publication Date: February 23, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
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The Bourne Identity meets Under the Never Sky in this intergalactic tale of love and deception from debut novelist Beck Nicholas.
Asher is a Lifer, a slave aboard the spaceship Pelican. A member of the lowest rung of society, she must serve the ship's Officials and Astronauts as punishment for her grandparents' crimes back on Earth. The one thing that made life bearable was her illicit relationship with Samuai, a Fishie boy, but he died alongside her brother in a freak training accident.
Still grieving for the loss of her loved ones, Asher is summoned to the upper levels to wait on Lady, the head Official's wife and Samuai's mother. It is the perfect opportunity to gather intel for the Lifer's brewing rebellion. There's just one problem—the last girl who went to the upper levels never came back.
On the other side of the universe, an alien attack has left Earth in shambles and a group called The Company has taken control. Blank wakes up in a pond completely naked and with no memory, not even his real name. So when a hot girl named Megs invites him to a black-market gaming warehouse where winning means information, he doesn't think twice about playing.
But sometimes the past is better left buried. As Asher and Blank's worlds collide, the truth comes out—everyone has been lied to…
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I always wanted to write. I've worked as a lab assistant, a pizza delivery driver and a high school teacher but I always pursued my first dream of creating stories. Now, I live with my family near Adelaide, halfway between the city and the sea, and am lucky to spend my days (and nights) writing young adult fiction.
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« Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog | Main | Standover tactics not winning (yet) »
September 07, 2006
How it all started...
After a few days, the Lord called to Adam and said, "It is time for you and Eve to begin the process of populating the earth so I want you to kiss her."
Adam answered, "Yes Lord, but what is a kiss?" So the Lord gave a brief description to Adam who took Eve by the hand and took her to a nearby bush. A few minutes later, Adam emerged and said, "Thank you Lord, that Was enjoyable."
And the Lord replied, "Yes Adam, I thought you might enjoy that and now I'd like you to caress Eve." And Adam said, "What is a caress'? So the Lord again gave Adam a brief description and Adam went behind the bush with Eve.
Quite a few minutes later, Adam returned, smiling, and said, "Lord, that was even better than the kiss." And the Lord said, "You've done well, Adam. And now I want you to make love to Eve." And Adam asked, "What is 'make love' Lord?"' So the Lord again gave Adam directions and Adam went again to Eve behind the bush, but this time he reappeared in two seconds.
And Adam said, "Lord, what is a headache?"
Posted by Ozguru at September 7, 2006 12:00 PM