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IRS Expands Equitable Relief for Innocent Spouses
Earlier today, the IRS announced its withdrawal from imposing the two-year statute of limitations for filing a claim for equitable relief under the innocent spouse statute. This is big news, and great for taxpayers.
Under the Internal Revenue Code, married taxpayers have the option of filing either a joint tax return or separate tax returns. Although there may be some advantages to filing jointly, one disadvantage is that both spouses are jointly and severally liable for any tax liability that arises from their filings and returns.
In 1998, Congress enacted the "Innocent Spouse Relief" statute in order for qualifying spouses who filed jointly to avoid collection action on the liability. For two of the three possible avenues for relief, the Internal Revenue Code requires the taxpayer to file a claim for relief within two years after the IRS commences collection activity. These two avenues are:
- 1) A joint filer who did not know or have reason to know that there was an understatement on the tax return (IRC section 6015(b));
- 2) A joint filer who was legally separated or no longer married, unless the IRS shows that the would-be innocent spouse had actual knowledge of any item giving rise to the deficiency (IRC section 6015(c)).
The third avenue, found in IRC section 6015(f), authorizes granting innocent spouse relief when holding otherwise would be "inequitable." While the statute does not impose the same two-year limit on the equitable relief provision, the Secretary of the Treasury promulgated a regulation imposing it. And taxpayers have lost in court challenging the validity of the regulation, thus generating controversy by failing to provide relief the statute was intended for.
Recognizing the many innocent spouse victims who would be entitled to equitable relief but for the imposition of the two year rule, the IRS has issued Notice 2011-70, which revokes the two-year rule for filing a request for equitable relief, effective immediately. In fact, taxpayers who were previously denied relief solely due to the two-year window can refile a request for relief.
For at least today, the taxpayer wins.


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There it is, Blackhawks' fans- the wakeup call that Chicago has needed for a while now has finally arrived.
Sunday's game wasn't so much a contest as it was a clinic by the Bruins, who pounded the Blackhawks 6-2 in a game where the Hawks just couldn't seem to catch a break. Corey Crawford was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots, while Tuukka Rask finished the game with a .929 sv%.
Continue Reading
The Hawks game against the Bruins on Thursday night was a case of good news, bad news for the team.
On the bright side, the Hawks held on despite a third-period surge from the Bruins to win their eighth straight game and remain undefeated in December. Klas Dahlbeck also scored his first NHL goal to open the scoring for the Hawks after a slick pass from Ben Smith.
The bad side is that while Chi...
Tuukka Rask is good at getting in the way of things.
The Flyers were on the verge of another third period comeback, but it was Rask who stood in their way. He also stood in the way of 49 shots, leading the Bruins to a 4-3 shootout win at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday.
Rask proved why Boston gave him an extension in the offseason. Rask was also the reason Boston skated away with two points.
He fought off an Flyers onslaught in the third period. Philadelphia out-shot Boston 52-30 on the game, including 17-6 in the third period and 8-1 in overtime.
(Photo: Boston goalie Tuukka Rask stops Philadelphia's Jakub Voracek in the shootout. AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Islanders vs. Bruins Postgame
The New York Islanders returned home tonight to face the Boston Bruins, looking to build on last night's 5-4 win over the Ottawa Senators. And they did just that, defeating Boston by a score of 3-1 led by Kyle Okposo's three assists, strong goaltending from Kevin Poulin and Thomas Vanek notching his first goal as an Islanders forward.
The game was played in front of a packed Nassau Coliseum crowd, featuring both Isles and Bruins fans. In fact, the fans from Boston were loud, often and early. But the Islanders faithful would respond, letting the visiting fans know that they weren't exactly welcome at the old barn.

subset: commoncrawl


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I am looking to perform a login to a remote server, so I have written a filter which performs the sign in and then sends the user their session cookies. The problem I am having is getting the POST data to be sent as a part of the original POST. According to the packet sniffer I have, the post data is being sent in a separate message as a HTTP Continue, but the backend server replies prior to getting the request formatted as the HTTP Continue. Below is my code snippet, if someone could let me know what I am doing wrong, I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance for any help, Brian HttpManager manager = HttpManager.getManager(); org.w3c.www.protocol.http.Request server_request = manager.createRequest(); server_request.setMethod(HTTP.POST); server_request.setURL(new URL(getLoginURL())); server_request.setAllowUserInteraction(false); server_request.setCookie(request.getCookie()); // Update the client request fields: Enumeration e = request.enumerateHeaderDescriptions(); while ( e.hasMoreElements() ) { HeaderDescription d = (HeaderDescription) e.nextElement(); HeaderValue v = request.getHeaderValue(d); if ( v != null ) server_request.setHeaderValue(d, v); } server_request.removeHeader("keep-alive"); // By removing that HOST, we make sure the real Host header gets // computed by the client side API server_request.setHeaderValue(org.w3c.www.protocol.http.Request.H_HOST,null); // build the post data PipedOutputStream output_stream = new PipedOutputStream(); OutputStreamWriter writer = new OutputStreamWriter(output_stream); PipedInputStream input_stream = new PipedInputStream(output_stream); StringBuffer post_data = new StringBuffer(); post_data.append(getUsernameField()); post_data.append("="); post_data.append(username); post_data.append("&"); post_data.append(getPasswordField()); post_data.append("="); post_data.append(getPassword()); writer.write(post_data.toString()); writer.flush(); // if I don't do this the runRequest never completes writer.close(); server_request.setOutputStream(input_stream); Reply reply = manager.runRequest(server_request); cookieList = reply.getCookie();Received on Thursday, 20 March 2003 15:51:53 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:25:38 UTC


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W. Frederick Jarvis was born in Monroe County, Ohio. Jarvis was a landscape painter, potter and art educator. He studied at the Art Students League in New York and in Munich, Germany with Franz Mueller.
In the early 1920s, Jarvis moved to Dallas, Texas, which eventually became his lifetime home base. He opened his studio in Bush Temple, and taught at the Merdick Fine Art School, he also displayed his art pottery. Between 1926 and 1927, he relocated to New York City, and there was a member of the Society of Independent Artists. This period was followed by a brief time in San Antonio and then re-settlement in Dallas.
Affiliations also included the Paint and Palette Club of Washington DC, and the Southern States Art League.


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Hi folks,
We are close to finalizing plans for a club grain order in 2017. We hope to have something in place by the April Meeting so people can order base malts and be restocked for our festival in August and maybe even some brews for Homebrew Con mid-June. In the interim, don't forget your local BIY to fill the gap. Forthcoming details will be at the April meeting as well as the "Members Only" section of the forum accessible to current paying members. Your member dues must be current to participate in the grain order.
Information posted here for folks that do not have access to Members Only. If you need access please PM me. Related posts about the Grain Order should also be in the Members Only section of the forum.


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Emails detail UConn's conference dilemma
Published 8:01 pm, Wednesday, January 4, 2012
HARTFORD -- As the Big East was on the verge of collapse late last summer, leaders of the athletic conference and the University of Connecticut demanded secrecy and unity.
Paul Pendergast, UConn's interim athletic director, and university President Susan Herbst, were torn between staying in the Big East or seeking their own deal elsewhere.
But the university was also positioning itself as a major athletics attraction in the New York-Boston corridor and essentially solidifying itself as one of the original Big East members.
Herbst was keeping some information on negotiations among university presidents to herself and not sharing it with the athletic department, according to emails released Wednesday to Hearst Connecticut Media Group.
"We'll tell you what we know as we get more people we can trust, who have actual information of value," Herbst wrote on Sept. 17. "If anyone calls, don't take the call or deflect to me. It's sensitive right now, and lots of crazy talk, so let's not cross wires."
A day later, Herbst warned Pendergast, "we are not desperate at all, and some patience is involved" even as she admitted that she was in contact with "many" university presidents and conference commissioners. "In general, at this point at least, ADs (athletic directors) are not running the discussion around the country and a lot is happening."
Eventually, their wait-and-see attitude, combined with orders from Herbst and Pendergast to maintain a solid wall against scrutiny from the media, yielded a sense that UConn will stay in the Big East, for the time being.
They worked closely with Rachel Rubin, Herbst's chief of staff, who is a former state ethics attorney, in keeping a lid on "conflicting" statements.
But as word of the defection of the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University seeped out, Big East Commissioner John Marinatto beseeched leaders of the remaining schools to stick together, thanking them for "your ongoing loyalty and support," while asking university presidents to forward media inquiries to his office.
"Again, I plan to continue to respond very positively to media inquiries about the Big East Conference by reiterating how confident I am about our future, which is in many ways tied to the optimistic view we have about our media rights value -- including the fact we now represent thirty percent of TV households in America with nine of the top 35 media markets in our footprint," he wrote to member university presidents Sept. 8.
By Sept. 17, Herbst was warning UConn athletic department officials to "Hold tight&I gather tht (sic) Pitt and syr are definitely jumping, may be announced within 24 hours."
Earlier in the day, Mike Enright, associate director of athletics/communications suggested that if the defections created more pressure, UConn officials "might want to let people know we are not standing still and are completely engaged on what is best for UConn."
The statement Enright drafted for Herbst referred to daily rumors about the nationwide shifting of athletic alliances.
"UConn is a proud charter member of the Big East and we have taken a lead role in the league's success over the years," said the statement. "However, it is my responsibility as President that we stay in constant communication and be actively involved in discussions with our counterparts from around the country to ensure the successful long-term future of our university's athletic program."
The next day, shortly after dawn, Pendergast wrote to Herbst complaining that "the Earth seems to be moving ten times faster than normal." A few hours later, Enright's statement was released to reporters, who were told it originated from Herbst.
That night, Herbst wrote to Pendergast: "I know that everyone wants to help UConn right now, but we are not desperate at all, and some patience is involved."
The release of the 23 pages of emails on Wednesday came days before the state Freedom of Information Commission was to schedule a hearing on the September request for copies of communications on the conference controversy.
The university refused to released another 32 pages of emails, citing state law that allows the university to keep documents secret.


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TOY STORY 3 Easter Eggs to Look Out For
Hey Gang! As you know Pixar loves to throw in fun little easter eggs into there film, inside jokes, cameos of other Pixar characters, and several other things that make watching these Pixar movies that much more fun. There's been a collection of Toy Story 3 easter eggs that recently hit the internet, and I thought I would share some of these with you because they're pretty cool.
Here's what's been pointed out so far.
Sid's Back:
The original evil Toy Torturing kid Sid will make a cameo in the film! I was really hoping for this. I thought he would have ended up in an insane asylum, but it turns out he ened up being a garbage man. You'll be able to point him out because he's still sporting the skull t-shirt.
Home Town Map:
Behind Andy's bed is a map of the world marked with pushpins. Those pushpins each correspond to the hometowns of the film's production team.
Cutting Blvd Sign:
W. Cutting Blvd. is the street where Pixar was originally located in Richmond, CA.
Newt Crossing Sticker:
On the door behind Andy is a yellow Sticker which says Newt Crossing. This is a reference to another Pixar movie that is supposed to come out in 2012 but it's having development problems.
Here's the synopsis for that film:
Newt marks the directing debut of multiple Academy Award winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom, who made his Pixar debut with the short film Lifted, which premiered in front of Ratatouille. What happens when the last remaining male and female blue-footed newts on the planet are forced together by science to save the species, and they can't stand each other? Newt and Brooke embark on a perilous, unpredictable adventure and discover that finding a mate never goes as planned, even when you only have one choice. Love, it turns out, is not a science. Will be released in Disney Digital 3-D
Finn McMissile:
Check out the car poster by Andy's bed. That's a hint at a new character, Finn McMissile, who will debut in Cars 2. A full design for the character was shown off at last year's D23, showing Finn as a James Bond-esque Aston Martin.
Since the first Toy Story, Andy's mom has had the license plate A113, this is a reference to an animation room at CalArts. This number pops up across the animation world as an in-joke in dozens of films and TV series, everything from The Iron Giant to The Simpsons. In Toy Story 3, the plate is surrounded by a frame that says "Tiger Pride," a reference to director Lee Unkrich's hometown of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and his high school mascot.
Courtesy of Studio Ghibli, Totoro himself makes an appearance in the form of one of Bonnie's plush toys.
John Morris:
John Morris the original voice of Andy retuned to lend his voice to the character again in Toy Story 3. He's 26 years old now.
Buy n Large:
The Buy n Large batteries brand is from the Pixar film Wall-E.
The train engine in the opening sequence has a big 95 on the front, a reference to the year that the first Toy Story was released and the racing number of Cars' Lightning McQueen.
Kid Sporting a lightning McQueen t-shit.
Snot Red:
The calendar in Andy's room which used to show an image from A Bug's Life now has a picture of a Snot Rod, a character from Cars.
The yellow banner flag haning on the wall says PU, which stands for Pixar University, a professional-development program for Pixar employees.
Toy characters:
Look for a number of toy variations on other Pixar characters. Check out Boo and Mike from Monsters, Inc. and a wooden Lightning McQueen.
Nemo Sticker:
There's a sticker at the bottom of Andy's toy chest of Nemo from Finding Nemo.
Lotso is one of the new main characters in Toy Story 3, he had a cameo in the film Up, but also appeared 15 years earlier in the first Toy Story film.
Postcard from Carl Fredricksen:
The postcard on Andy's board says Carl and Ellie Fredricksen who are from Pixar's film UP.
The 237 number in the screenname is a reference to director Lee Unkrich's favorite movie The Shining. Which is one of my favorite movies as well.
The version of Ken in the movie is modeled after Animal Lovin' Ken from 1988.
The version of Barbie they use in the film is modeled after Great Shape Barbie from 1983.
This is just a few of several other easter eggs loaded into Toy Story 3! When you see it this weekend make sure to keep a lookout for them!


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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan medical clinic owner has been sentenced to 4 years in prison for a health kickback scheme.
Forty-four-year-old Babubhai Rathod of Okemos also has been ordered to make the remaining $50,000 in a $950,000 restitution payment.
Rathod pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks. He was the owner of clinics, outpatient rehabilitation facilities and home health care companies statewide.
Eight other people have been convicted for their roles in the case.
Rathod operated Ludington-based Lakeshore Spine & Pain P.C. and U.S. Rehab Services P.C.
Information from: The Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids


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We long to see lives and communities transformed by the power of God among the unreached and unengaged. We advance disciple-making movements that are community led and holistic. We're passionate about seeing the love of Jesus demonstrated and his people flourishing throughout communities in the Muslim world.
We focus on the unreached and unengaged.
Significant areas of the Muslim world have no known Jesus followers and little access to the love of Jesus. We're committed to changing this reality, one community at a time. We want to start house groups of Jesus followers who obey the Bible and seek to transform the society around them and who also want to start new house groups...
We proclaim and demonstrate the love of Jesus.
We desire to contribute to the development of the local people and their communities as we help meet identified needs. We're committed to excellence in our work, seeking in every way to reflect Jesus who has motivated us to sacrificial service. As we make disciples, we often work in areas such as healthcare, education and economic development.
Why I work with Muslims
We have significant opportunities today.
We work throughout the Muslim world — North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia — and have opportunities as well for working with Muslim people in "Western" contexts. Contact us to explore opportunities.
When we enter a community, we seek to relate to and understand the community through the eyes of Jesus. This includes pre-training and ongoing on-field research.
EVALUATE and ENGAGE
We repeat a collaborative cycle that aims to work alongside others in the community to identify and assess both needs and resources. Alongside the community, we encourage initiatives guided by a strategy and help implement them.
As transformation takes hold in a community our role changes. We avoid creating unhealthy dependencies and focus on what Jesus is doing within the community. This typically leads to expansion as transformation impacts surrounding communities.
We're looking for leadership.
We're looking for people with proven leadership ability to lead teams in Islamic contexts. Are you a pastoral type? A manager or administrator? A visionary? Or a consensus-builder? All of these are valuable leadership styles, which can be of use in the right circumstances. If you have gifts in these areas and a call to work with Muslims, we would love to work with you to help you develop your gifts and provide an environment where you can fulfill your calling.
Do you have a calling to a place, people group or ministry where we are not currently involved? Let us know about your passion. We are looking for people to pioneer new work throughout the Muslim world. We will work with you, train you, and help you develop a team. Once you're on the field, we can help you refine your strategy and provide the necessary on-field support and accountability.
Qualities we look for in a leader...
- Vision: to see the possibilities
- Heart: to live for God's glory
- Servanthood: to cultivate the potential in others
- Integrity: to do what you say you will
If you believe you have the potential and God may be calling you into leadership, please contact us.
We have Leadership Intern positions available.
1 to 2 year internships for people who have some demonstrated leadership ability, a calling to the Muslim world and a desire for training and exposure to Muslim ministry. You will have the opportunity to work alongside other leaders, travel and gain experience in various parts of the Muslim world. We will work with you to customize an internship experience that's right for you, including leadership training in community.
Are you a visionary with a calling to the unreached or unengaged and the ability to inspire and empower others for service? Let's talk.
Consider or share these open opportunities
Long-Term Opportunity
Business Developer
Long-Term Opportunity
Mid-Term Opportunity
People Movement Practitioner
Long-Term Opportunity
Business for Transformation Entrepreneur
Long-Term Opportunity
Refugee Ministry Developer
Long-Term Opportunity
Refugee Discipleship Leader
Mid-Term Opportunity
House of Prayer Internship
Long-Term Opportunity
Business Developer
Mid-Term Opportunity
Agricultural Development Coordinator
This region is almost 100% Islamic and the majority of the people have yet to hear the good news of the Kingdom of God. This region is among the poorest in the country, with one-third of households living below the poverty line.
Mid-Term Opportunity
Mid-Term Opportunity
Disciple Making Movement Coordinator
Mid-Term Opportunity
Agricultural Program Developer
Our team works in the poorest country in Central Asia and it's home to people who are 98.6% Muslim. Our team serves local villages in both church-planting and community development. The main development projects involve both clean water and drip irrigation.
Mid-Term Opportunity
Engineering Coordinator
Mid-Term Opportunity
School of Ministry Team Member
Mid-Term Opportunity
Village Community Development Coordinator
Mid-Term Opportunity
Business Intern
Mid-Term Opportunity
Discipleship Movement Coordinator
Mid-Term Opportunity
English Teacher
Mid-Term Opportunity
Refugee Ministry Worker
Mid-Term Opportunity
Farm Operations Manager
Mid-Term Opportunity
Ministry Coordinator
Long-Term Opportunity
Consider or share these financial projects
Love Carrick Neighborhood Church Start-Up
Monthly Sponsorship
Monthly Sponsorship
Community Center Construction
Clean Drinking Water
This village has suffered greatly from too much fluoride in the water, Many people live with rickets and extreme tooth decay as a result. The borehole water also carries diseases that cause many illnesses. such as typhoid, dysentery, cholera, and hepatitis. We are seeking to remove harmful bacteria and high fluoride content from the water.
Grace School Amenities
We are eager to purchase a bus to bring more students to the school, to create a library and computer lab, and purchase playground equipment and landscaping of the grounds.
Selah Center Expansion
The vision for Selah Center is "Building Life-giving community for those who have lost hope." Our mission is a vocational center that includes many choices for skilled labor classes. As of right now, there is only one option (sewing). This center will be a fully operational skill center for young boys and girls that face low economic situations, forced labor, and sexual or physical abuse situations, the marginalized and invisible in the community. We have started in a small rented facility, but need to expand, even to having our own facility. We strive to help the girls find gainful employment. This is more than just a skill center, we will expand it to a place that gives counseling and shows the love of Jesus daily and gives hope.
Clean Water
Tent Repairs
Two years ago we purchased a used tent to use in our monthly kids club meetings. It is 35x50 feet and can provide shade for up to 80 or 90 chairs. We use it even when it is not rainy to help provide shade from the sun. Through normal wear and tear, we need to purchase new ropes to make it secure and also fortify the edges and do some patching repair.


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> -----Original Message----- > From: Tobie Langel > Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 5:37 PM > To: Henri Sivonen; email@example.com; Matt Kelly > Subject: Re: Purpose of ring 0 and vendor prefixes (was: Re: Ringmark is now > open source) > > >- - > >A few tangential remarks: > > * It seems that letting prefixed implementations "pass" continues to > >ring 1 currently, since prefixed IndexedDB passes there. Letting > >prefixing continue to new stuff seems to me like Ringmark isn't even > >trying to put an end to prefixing which one might sort of believe even > >if transforms, transitions and animations were grandfathered somehow. > > That's an accident. Matt can you fix this? > > > * It seems terrible that the buckets are named "Foo" and "Foo, > >standard" rather than "Foo, vendor prefixed" and "Foo" if the prefixed > >buckets are going to stick around. > > Also agree naming is unfortunate. Matt, can we fix? I'll follow up to the prefix questions shortly. > > > * It's very annoying that the JS at ringmark.io is minified. It's a > >test suite! You are supposed to be able to easily View Source to see > >what it does! > > Afaik the unminified src made a significant difference in load time. We > compromised by pointing to the unminified src from a comment in the HTML. > > > * It seems that an update to code at ringmark.io makes the test suite > >hang at "CSS 2.1" in Firefox. (I tried the same trunk build yesterday > >and today. Today, the suite hangs.) > > Matt? What version? Desktop or mobile? Which device? Can you provide detailed repro information? I'll take a look. ThanksReceived on Wednesday, 25 April 2012 18:50:30 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 20:05:45 UTC


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Uncovered: Correspondence Of Pius XII
New documents, discovered by Inside the Vatican reporter Antonio Gaspari, provide unprecedented proof that Pope Pius XII (1939-1958), accused by many historians in recent years of having done nothing to help Jews persecuted under the Nazi regime, in fact did directly order significant assistance to be given to Jews during the war years.
The evidence, previously unknown to scholars in the field, is of fundamental importance in the debate over Pope Pius' war-time role, for it fills a documentary gap exploited up to now by those who have attacked Pius. Prior to the discovery of these documents, many scholars have maintained that there is no clear written evidence proving that Pope Pius himself gave direct orders to help persecuted Jews. The acts of individual Catholic priests, nuns and laypeople on behalf of Jews during the Second World War (and many such acts are acknowledged) are said by these scholars to have been on the personal initiative of these people, not on the instructions of the pontiff. Thus, these scholars have depicted Pius as "silent" and compliant in the face of the Nazi persecution of the Jews.
Now, these documents disprove that depiction, for they prove that Pius gave direct orders for Jews to be helped.
We expect more such documents to emerge in the weeks and months ahead, as the Vatican archives for Pius XII's pontificate are opened to scholarly research, and as our own search for such evidence continues.
Below, Antonio Gaspari summarizes the evidence of these important documents. The Editor
On September 13, 1944, in Fiume, a Croatian city which was then part of Italy, the German Gestapo arrested Giovanni Palatucci, the city's Questor (a high administrative office). The accusation: "High treason."
The death penalty for such a crime was ordinarily automatic, but Palatucci's sentence was commuted to imprisonment at Dachau after the bishop of Fiume intervened on his behalf. Palatucci died at Dachau on February 10, 1945, at 35 years of age.
What had Palatucci done to merit the charge of treason? After the war, at the first World Jewish Congress held in London in 1945, the delegate from Italy, Rafael Danton, revealed that Palatucci had saved the lives of 5,000 Jews.
Upon his arrival in Fiume in 1937, Palatucci had been put in charge of the office which handled documentation of foreigners in the city. After the promulgation of Italy's racial laws in 1938, Palatucci engaged in a wide range of activities to support the Jews present in the city, including supplying them with travel papers.
There was a flourishing Jewish community in Fiume which grew even more numerous when the Nazis occupied Poland and Slovakia. Many Eastern European Jews gathered in Fiume as they sought to leave Nazi-dominated Europe.
On September 8, 1943 the day the Nazis took over the government of Italy there were an estimated 3,500 Jews in Fiume.
But Giovanni Palatucci, instead of providing the Germans with information about these foreigners so that they might be deported, hid them and provided them with documents to leave.
He did all this in close collaboration with his uncle, Giuseppe Maria Palatucci, bishop of Campagna, a small town near Salerno, where the largest internment camp in southern Italy was located. Rodolfo Grani, a Jew from Fiume, after the war explained how he had managed to survive the Nazi persecution thanks to the help of Palatucci: "It was his job to grant the necessary residence papers to Jewish refugees in Fiume," Grani wrote in a 1952 article. "After war broke out in June 1940 and the Jews of Fiume and its environs were arrested and sent to a concentration camp in Campagna, Palatucci often made a special effort to recommend these unfortunates to the benevolence of his uncle, His Excellency Giuseppe Maria Palatucci, Bishop of Campagna, who received us with exquisite courtesy and noble generosity, displaying to us his deep humanity and philo-Semitism."
Thus, when the path of emigration closed for the Jews and the authorities were sending them to the Campagna concentration camp, Palatucci entrusted them to the protection of his uncle, the bishop. He did this knowing that the camp, despite all the discomforts for those interned there, would be a kind of refuge in comparison to the Yugoslav region.
"Bishop Palatucci will never be forgotten by thousands and thousands of our people," Grani wrote in "The Vatican's Rescue Efforts for the Jews" in the Jewish journal Haboker (August 10, 1952). "He helped us and was profoundly generous to us; he even had his photograph taken with us though we had been cast out of ordinary social life."
The American magazine Life in November 1943 published a photo essay on life in the Campagna internment camp. Today, a plaque in the convent where the Jews lived from "the Jews of Long Island City" expresses gratitude for the way the Jews were treated in Campagna.
But there was not only coordination between Palatucci and his uncle the bishop; there was also collaboration between the bishop and the Vatican and this is something for which written evidence up to now has been lacking.
In a book just published in Italy by the government's Department of Public Security entitled Giovanni Palatucci: The Policeman Who Save Thousands of Jews, previously unpublished letters are reproduced which show that the bishop and the Holy See that is, Pius XII were working closely together throughout the war years.
Letter No. 28436, sent by the Vatican to the bishop on October 2, 1940, notifies Bishop Palatucci that Pope Pius XII has agreed to grant to him the sum of 3,000 lire. The letter, signed by Cardinal Maglione, Pius XII's secretary of state, then states: "This sum is preferably to be used to help those who suffer for reason of race" ("questo denaro e preferibilmente destinato a chi soffre per ragioni di razza"). In those years in Italy, these words "a chi soffre per ragioni di razza" could only have referred to the Jews.
In a second letter, No. 31514, the future Pope Paul VI, Giovanni Battista Montini, then an official in the Vatican's Secretariat of State, notifies Bishop Palatucci that Pope Pius XII has granted him the sum of 10,000 lire "to distribute in support of he interned Jews" ("da distribuirsi in sussidi agli ebrei internati").
These two letters are very clear. Pope Pius was sending direct aid to help Jews interned in southern Italy. There can no longer be any doubt about the Pope's direct knowledge of and support for efforts on behalf of the Jews like those of Bishop Palatucci.
These letters by themselves disprove the thesis of authors like Susan Zuccotti that there is no documentary proof of the direct involvement of Pope Pius XII and the Holy See in helping the Jews.
But we expect more letters of this type to emerge in the near future, making clear that Pius XII was a Pope who consciously and consistently helped the Jews suffering from Nazi persecution.
What prompted Palatucci, his uncle the bishop and Pope Pius himself to seek to protect the Jews in the face of the Nazi threat against anyone who dared to help the Jews?
The lawyer for the bishop of Fiume during the war period, Barone Niel Sachs, recounted this story: "Learning that a Jewish woman was threatened with imminent arrest, Giovanni Palatucci entrusted her to one of his colleagues, saying: 'This is Mrs. Schwartz. Treat her, I beg you, as if she were my sister. In fact, no: treat her as if she were your sister, because in Christ she is your sister.' They want us to think that the heart is only a muscle, and so to prevent us from doing what our heart and our religion tell us to do."
To the question of why Palatucci risked and lost his life for people he often did not even know, Monsignor Giuseppe Amato, one of Bishop Palatucci's assistants, once said: "Giovanni Palatucci had faith in God and saw Jesus in the unjustly accused Jews."
And it is in part for this example of Christian charity that a process for the beatification of Giovanni Palatucci has been introduced.
© 2003 Robert Moynihan
© 2003 Robert Moynihan
This item 4685 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org


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When is the best time to fly to Cairns?
Peak Season:
July to October is high season. Flight to Cairns are not at their cheapest but crowds still fly in from all over Australia to attend 'the Cairns Show', a three day event of fun-packed entertainment which has grown to almost 80,000 visitors a year, making it the biggest community event in Cairns. Originating from themes such as agricultural, pastoral and mining, the show now features a variety of other entertainment such as extreme sports, fireworks, wood chopping and the Queensland pole climbing competition. More than 200 local industries travel to promote their products and services attracting large international and national business to the show.
Off Season:
The "wet season" is low season. It runs from November to April when there are torrential rains and humidity levels are high. If you're willing to brave the rains it's a good time to book cheap flights to Cairns and take up the discounts offered by tour operators, hotels and apartments. Divers will experience the best underwater visibility during the "wet" months, more than 50 metres sometimes. Stinger (Box jellyfish) Season is November-May and bathers should ensure that they follow the lifeguards' advice about swimming within enclosures and between lifeguard flags.
Shoulder Season:
May through to June are the shoulder months throughout Cairns, however there are still events occurring to be enjoyed by all. Cairns festival made its grand entrance into the regions event calendar through the opening on a brand new jetty on Green Island in 1961. Attendees can soak up a three-week long packed itinerary full of enjoyable entertainment for all such as food and wine exhibitions, live music, quest performances and multicultural and community celebrations that displays the region's diverse talent. Although the festival takes place during the shoulder season, flights to Cairns and hotel rates may be subject to increase.
Cairns overview
Cairns is perhaps Australia's most unabashed tourist-friendly city. Every year, more than two million tourists take flights to Cairns for its near-perfect climate and its proximity to the jaw-droppingly awesome attractions of the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. Cairns is the only place in the world where two World Heritage Areas meet.
Cairns city is a great base and has plenty to occupy tourists while they're between reef or rainforest trips. There's a wonderful Esplanade that's comprises a swimming lagoon that's open between 6am and 10pm daily, an amphitheatre, picnic and barbecue spots, walking trails, a children's playground called Muddy's and shops, restaurants and markets both day and night. Just 2 miles (4km) from the centre of the city are the Cairns Botanic Gardens. Lush and very, very green, these 24 miles (38km) of gardens are made up of the Flecker Gardens and Centenary Lakes, where a boardwalk will wind you through mangroves and tropical rainforest. Behind the gardens, Mt Whitfield Conservation Park is more than 741 acres of forested mountain range.


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Rosebud Man Arraigned on Sexual Abuse and Tampering with a Witness Charges
|U.S. Attorney's Office November 05, 2012
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Rosebud man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of tampering with a witness.
Robert I. Pomani, age 21, was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 16, 2012. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on November 2, 2012, and pled not guilty to the indictment. The maximum penalty upon conviction of the sexual abuse charges is any term of years up to 15 years' imprisonment and a mandatory minimum period of supervised release of five years up to life. The maximum penalty upon conviction of the tampering with a witness charge is 20 years' custody and a period of supervised release of three years. The charges are merely accusations, and Pomani is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Morley is prosecuting the case. Pomani was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has been set for December 18, 2012.


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YEKATERINBURG, Russia (May. 10)
Among the free services provided by Heseds in 1998:
Food packages — More than 648,000 food packages were distributed, many timed for major Jewish holidays.
Meals at communal dining rooms and restaurants. More than 13,600 needy clients received meals in 215 dining rooms at 173 locations.
Meals-on-Wheels — Almost 7,400 needy elderly received more than 1,249,800 cooked meals delivered to their homes.
"Warm Homes" — A program in which select elderly Jews volunteer to open their homes to groups of needy Jews on an ongoing basis. In addition to providing supplementary nutrition, the family-like atmosphere serves a critical social function in combating feelings of loneliness and estrangement. Almost 5,800 elderly participated in 385 "warm homes" programs.
Home Care — More than 14,600 elderly clients benefitted from 1,200,000 home- care visits in 213 locations.
Rehabilitative equipment — Almost 20,000 pieces of rehabilitative equipment, including canes, walkers, and wheelchairs were distributed. Some 70 cities received this equipment directly from a plant established by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee that produces rehabilitative equipment in St. Petersburg.
Winter relief — Almost 29,800 needy elderly received winter relief support such as heating and cooking fuel, blankets, and home repairs.
Medicines — About 74,800 needy elderly benefitted from the distribution of medicines from Hesed-based programs. Thousands more made use of programs in various centers that provide legal and medical consultation with volunteer lawyers and doctors.
Social Activities — Almost 95,000 people participated in social and cultural programs including clubs, Hesed day centers, Shabbat and holiday celebrations, libraries and book exchanges.


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Just imagine yourself as random internet visitor of this thread .
On topic(about snapshots): I think blizz did not balance things with so much snapshots in their mind. Thus you see feral and aff top meters. Meanwhile blizz considered these two classes as middle of the pack. Thus blizz are going to remove snapshot.
Last edited by mmokri; 2014-03-06 at 11:21 PM.
Snapshotting has definitely been a concern for blizzard when it comes to balance, In 5.2 they changed they way bleeds work so that they snapshot crit chance rather than updating dynamically that they had been, the same goes for any dots that were updating crit dynamically. Overall I thin snapshotting is fine and I'm sad to see it go, mainly because a lot of feral planning/thought process this expansion has revolved around being ready for trinket procs so that you can re-apply bleeds.
This entire secondary stat discussion would be a lot simpler if we simply considered changing our mastery so that it gets replaced something that has nothing to do with bleeds only OR increases our entire damage OR increases the dmg% increase of savage roar (sorry, been playing too much monk). The entire discussion is essentially an extrapolation of the core issue that our main damage cooldown and our mastery have nothing to do with one another, as has been pointed out earlier in the post.
The FB issue may be solved already, Celestalon did say they buffed the damage of a single ability by 100% and there's very few spells that he could be referring to aside from FB (maim, pounce?).
- - - Updated - - -
Your Mangle/Shred causes your Rake to instantly tick for x% damage.
Your Ferocious Bite causes your Rip to instantly tick twice for x% damage.
Your Swipe causes your Thrash to instantly tick for x% damage.
I did toy around with it a little in simulationcraft and it turns out the coefficient would have to be absurdly high (like, reaaaaaalllly, really really absurdly high) for it to be competitive, so you're definitely right.
Although I think you'd be hard pressed to come up with an idea of a mastery that is targeted at increasing bleed damage that synergizes with haste but doesn't significantly decrease off target damage or multi-DoTting potential.
Last edited by aggixx; 2014-03-07 at 10:57 PM.
Doubling FB damage sounds like they are just going back to a LK version of maximizing Ferocious Bites. Does that even equal LK damage without ArP? I don't see how DoC exists in such a scenario. Hopefully they will give us a little more information soon.
My personal wishlist for Feral (please, don't bash me, it's just my opinion )
- Shapeshifting have their own GCD.
- Remove or totally overhaul of Savage Roar, no more "keep-up 100% of the time" buffs for any class, please. Moar Ferocious Bites!
- Hunters' Lynx Rush talent as a finisher instead of Maim or Savage Roar. It'd be so nice for cleave situations.
- They could just give us Bash with a shorter CD and remove Maim.
- Mastery reworked. I find it boring, it's just and old pre-cataclysm talent that adds damage, plus I find it wrong that 1 or 2 ticks of Rip are stronger than a single Ferocious Bite.
- Shred > Mangle (because of Mangle sound mostly, which I find annoying).
- Pounce usable and interesting to use in the rotation, I like its jumping animation, so we see some different animation from time to time.
- Prowl with 1 min CD in combat and 10 secs ooc. It's not vanish, it wouldn't reset aggro nor remove effects, but it adds some gameplay...
- A passive called Ravage that causes some abilities to do something more while Prowling: Pounce stuns, Shred adds damage and critical strike chance, Rake could tick more times... Just throwing some ideas to make prowling more interesting.
- Thrash and Swipe merged up. They're just the same ability but one adds a bleeding effect.
- Stampeding Roar and Dash merged. Shorter CD because of the loss of one of them, and the druid gets more speed than allies, so we keep our speed and utility.
- Some armor pieces shown while shapeshifted. I know they've tried to implement that and didn't work, but I still want it. Head, Shoulders, Waist and Hands would be enough imo. Glyph for those who don't want this, or viceversa.
- Regrowth instead of Healing Touch.
- Nurturing Instinct as a real Agi to Int conversion. I want my from time to time Moonfire to deal some actual damage.
- This won't happen but: combo points on the druid not on the target.
- Thorns back somehow, as a talent or baked with Barkskin or something. I loved its Cataclysm implementation.
I think that's all.
Last edited by Sylar Hao; 2014-03-08 at 12:22 AM.
do we have any actual "news" about feral since the press events from Warlords?
Would also be interested in a sum up of all Feral info released so far if anybody has a minute.do we have any actual "news" about feral since the press events from Warlords?
Is a really good idea.Mastery idea:
Your Mangle/Shred causes your Rake to instantly tick for x% damage.
Your Ferocious Bite causes your Rip to instantly tick twice for x% damage.
Your Swipe causes your Thrash to instantly tick for x% damage.
Last edited by Bawlux; 2014-03-08 at 05:03 PM.
If you just go through the last 3 pages or so in this thread it should all be in here I think. Nothing really significant, mainly just Celestalon talking about Berserk and TF.
I think feral has good cleave.PS: All I want for wod is a proper cleave.
think our cleave is fine, just that mage and warlocks got WAY to good cleave
Our cleave over time on mobs lasting more then 8 seconds is pretty solid. We can continue our single target rotation with out interruption.
Our burst cleave can be very powerful provided we have Berserk/TF up. Mobs die fast and we can funnel the remaining Berserk time into single target.
Outside of Berserk our burst is a bit more limited. However it's still very possible to get a Thrash and 2 swipes in a very rapid time frame with just TF.
It's not that bad. Sustained AOE (which is not cleave) we are pretty weak outside of 15 seconds of Berserk every 3 minutes (or less with AoC).


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Naboth's Vineyard Series
Contributed by Garth Wehrfritz- Hanson on Jun 7, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: The story of Ahab, Jezebel and Naboth - then and now.
Sermon for 2 Pentecost Yr C, 13/06/2004
Based on I Kings 21:1-21a
By Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson
Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, &
Chaplain of the Good Samaritan Society's
South Ridge Village, Medicine Hat, Alberta
Today's first lesson is basically a story about coveting, bearing false witness, killing and stealing. It appears to begin in a rather painless way with Israel's King Ahab seeing Naboth's vineyard adjacent to his palace and making, what seems, at first sight, a fair and just offer to purchase it to use for his vegetable garden.
But wait a minute right there! Ahab, being king, knew very well that such an offer was not fair or just. Why? Because for Naboth to sell off the land that his ancestors passed on to him would be the same as Esau selling his birthright to brother Jacob for a bowel of lentil soup. You see, by keeping the land of one's ancestors meant not only that one honoured one's own family history—it also meant that one was keeping covenant with the LORD God, who, we remember, included the land in the covenant with Israel. If one sold one's land that one inherited from one's ancestors and, originally, from the LORD himself, was not that an act of abandoning the LORD and the covenant? As long as one occupied one's land, one was affirming and living under the LORD's covenant.
So, what else could Ahab expect Naboth to say to him than a firm "NO, the LORD forbids me to sell my ancestral inheritance!" However, Ahab doesn't stop there. He responds to Naboth's refusal to sell by going back to his palace, fasting, and going to bed to nurse his resentment towards Naboth and to pout like an immature child who fails to get what they want.
Jezebel enters the narrative at this point. When Ahab tells her about Naboth's refusal she asks him pointedly, "Do you now govern Israel?" Jezebel had an entirely different understanding about who has a right to what. Jezebel came from Tyre. She worshipped a Baal god whose name was Melkart. Baal means "owner" and Baalism is a religion of ownership. Originally the word came to be synonymous with the aristocracy, the land owners in the big houses. Baalism came to be a religion. When the owners needed supernatural sanction to support their system they came up with a god to fit that need. Baalism was more than a cult. It was an ideology about who had the right to own what.
Jezebel had come to Israel to wed Ahab when he was crown prince. Now she was Queen and she would become Queen Mother. She was a powerful force in Israel. She was a pusher of a new mentality for she brought with her a retinue of priests of her god. A (North) American axiom reads, "It doesn't matter what you believe just so long as you are sincere." But it does matter! This idea that some are born to rule and own others to be owned backed by power of Jezebel was making a difference to the poor in Israel. (See Micah 2:1-2.) Beliefs do matter and theology is important!
Jezebel did not share the religious traditions of Israel, but she knew how to get what she wanted through dirty tricks. She sent letters in Ahab's name and signed with his seal to all the elders and free people of Naboth's city. They were instructed to proclaim a fast, perhaps because of the famine mentioned in chapter 17. That was diabolically clever for a fast would suggest that someone's sin is responsible. Naboth was being set up even as he was ushered to the seat of honor at the assembly. Jezebel also knew that cursing the king was a capital offense (Exodus 22:8) and that the property of convicted people reverted to the crown. That no one questioned indicates the clout of Ahab's family.
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text: There are many factors that go into how a child learns to read, write, and spell. Phonological awareness in early childhood is a proven predictor of how well a child will progress in their literary performance. Today's post explains the basics of phonological awareness and how to better develop it in young children. Read More →


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ARMONK, N.Y. – Byram Hills School District's recent emphasis on AP classes has earned the district a place on the College Board's 3rd Annual AP District Honor Roll.
It will be one of just 589 districts across the United States and Canada — and three in Westchester County — to earn the distinction.
"We've been focusing on trying to open the doors to AP classes to more students, while still maintaining our standards," said high school principal Chris Borsari. "At the same time, faculty is working to help those students excel in the classes they're taking."
The focus is paying off.
Being named on the College Board AP District Honor Roll suggests more Byram Hills High School students took the college-level Advanced Placement courses and earned the necessary scores needed for college credits in the process.
AP coursework traditionally is more rigorous than other high school classes and specifically is designed to promote critical thinking. School districts named on the honor roll must have increased the percentage of students who achieve scores of 3 or higher on AP exams, which is the grade needed by students at most colleges to receive credit or skip introductory courses.
"We applaud the extraordinary efforts of the devoted teachers and administrators in these 539 districts, who are fostering rigorous work worth doing," said College Board President David Coleman.
The nonprofit College Board connects students to college success and opportunity. Inclusion on the 3rd Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2010-12. The school districts on the honor roll are in 44 of 50 states and six Canadian provinces.
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I'm not the best with home decorating. I don't spend hours planning my rooms, I just buy what I love, and hope it works out. Let's just say my taste is eclectic! Actually, we could totally use a new couch {and have for years now}…but when it comes to either spending money on furniture, or going on a trip somewhere…I always opt for the trip.
That being said, Rian Rae Interiors & Gifts might just have me putting my next vacay on hold {don't tell the kids, they'll be bummed!!}. I featured Rian Rae when I first started my blog. Here is that post. I'm giddy about all of the new things I found on her site! My whole "buying what I love" philosophy would get me into serious debt in this store…I love everything!
Alexandra Ferguson's pillows are little works of art. She uses felt that has been made from recycled water bottles! Beautiful and green…my favorite! She's also having a promotion for the month of April. Check out her site for details! Thanks to the fabulous blog, Freshly Blended for this great find!
How cute are these ceramics by Minneapolis based artist Emily Dyer?!! I'm smitten with her sweet little bird illustrations…and the swirls and flowers. Ooh! I also have a "thing" for mugs. A mug must feel good in my hands while I'm drinking my coffee in the morning…and Emily Dyer's look like they would just be perfect. Crazy, I know. Her pottery is food safe, and microwave and dishwasher safe too! Visit her etsy shop here.
I love Chicago based Sew Bettie! Owners Mark and Cara {and their dog/muse Bettie} offer great limited-edition fabric, tees, DIY kits and sweet pincushions on their online shop. My very fave is the bulldog fabric {and it's limited edition…so if you like it, buy some before it's gone!}. Their kits would make a great gift for that crafty person on your list too! Check them out!
I love the pillows and things at Tiny Decor. This stay-at-home-mom run shop offers modern designs and uses organic fabrics, bamboo filling and non-toxic inks in her line of goods {hurrah for being green!}. I especially love the big floor pillows. I'd love to stack up a few of those in our house…they look so cushy and I love the patterns. Tiny Decor also has shop with green nursery items…it's really quite lovely! Check it out here.


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I'm currently in the middle of writing a new chapter for Polyamorous, but I thought up this plot and I had to type it out before I lost it. So, although most people probably hate this pairing, here's a KakuSaku smut fic. Don't hate me.
Sakura had had plenty of experience with strange medical phenomena, but nothing could ever compare to the phenomena that was Kakuzu. She had dealt with jinchuuriki, immortals, men with mouths on their hands, giant sharks, women partly made out of paper, and a once-puppet-now-human man. But never had she dealt with someone who was literally stitched together. As far as she knew, he didn't even have any working organs other than his five stolen hearts. She had demanded to Leader that Kakuzu come to her office so she could study him, giving him the excuse that if he was ever hurt and needed healing she would need to know how his body works.
Honestly, she was just intrigued.
Now, as Kakuzu sat on her hospital bed staring her down with his strangely colored eyes, she had no idea where to start. Should she start with his mouth, where she was pretty sure he didn't even have a tongue? Or should she start by chakra probing his body to see if there were any organs left in him after so many years of being alive? She wondered, for medical purposes of course, if he still had his genitals and if they were still usable. But she quickly shook that thought off, knowing that would not be a good way to start off a conversation with this strange and angry man sitting in front of her.
"Are you going to just sit there and stare at me the whole time, girl?" He asked gruffly. He was annoyed already and he hadn't even been there ten minutes yet. Then again, she shouldn't have expected him to be very pleased with her just sitting there and contemplating what to do. She should have figured this out in advance.
"Oh, um.. I apologize, Kakuzu-san. I was just wondering where to start." He gave no response, so she decided to start from the top and work her way down. He was still in full ninja garb, mask and all. "Will you please remove your cloak, mask and hat?" She asked carefully. He made an unsatisfied noise in the back of his throat, but did as she asked. He probably didn't like taking off his mask often.
The length of his hair surprised her. It was slightly shorter than Deidara's, but seemingly just as well taken care of. She half expected him to take off his hat to reveal an absolute rat's-nest of hair sitting atop his head. Sakura could say she was pleasantly surprised.
She observed his face first. He had a Glasgow Smile that he had stitched together just enough for him to be able to open his mouth. She studied the stitches, wondering what would happen if she pulled slightly on one. They seemed old, but sturdy. Sakura tugged lightly on the stitch closest to the left side of his mouth. It did nothing except make one side of his mouth curve upwards, giving him a strange smirk. She giggled.
"Do you find something funny about my face?" She had forgotten how close to his mouth she was that she was startled when he spoke. He held the same tone of voice he'd had when he first spoke to her, which was that of annoyance. She swallowed thickly.
"N-no! I just wanted to see how sturdy your stitches were, so I pulled on one, and it made you smile.."
"Is my smile funny?"
"No! That isn't what I'm saying. It was just... Out of character for you." She waited for a response again but got none, so she assumed he wasn't angry anymore. "Can you open your mouth for me?" Kakuzu glared down at her but opened his mouth anyway.
She was amazed. He still had teeth, perfectly intact, pearly white, none missing. But as she thought, no tongue. It was a mess of threads that seemed to run from the opening of his mouth down his throat, ending god-knows-where. Kakuzu was still staring at her as she examined his mouth, and she made awkward eye contact with him before she reached over for a tongue depressor. She pressed down on the threads that would have been his tongue, looking down his throat. The inside of his mouth looked fairly healthy, not rotting like she had thought. He had taken good care of his body, or what was left of it at least. She had to ask.
"...How do you keep your mouth so healthy and clean?"
He looked at her as if she was stupid.
"Have you never heard of simple dental hygiene, Dr. Haruno?" He asked sarcastically. She bit the inside of her cheek in annoyance.
"I wasn't asking how you brush your teeth in the morning, I was asking how you seem so healthy even though a normal body would be rotting by the age you're at." His dark eyes snapped down to her, and she realized she had insulted him by mentioning his age. She tried to fix it. "I-I mean, you don't look to be old at all, in fact you look younger than Kisame without that mask on!" He still looked angry. Sakura sighed. "I didn't mean to insult you, Kakuzu-san. Your body just amazes me." His eyes softened a bit, and Sakura let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
She continued down his neck and saw no stitches there, though she did want to know if he had an esophagus or if it was just threads continuing down his throat. She'd check that out later during the chakra probing. For now she settled on the stitches that began at his shoulders and wove down his back, holding his four masks in place. She was very careful about touching the masks, as Kakuzu would growl whenever she went by the edge of one too roughly. She knew they were essential for him, and she wouldn't tamper with that. She was just intrigued by the stitching. It continued down his back and underneath his shirt and pants, and Sakura vaguely wondered how far down those intricate stitches went. But again, clearly for medical reasons only.
"Um... Will you take off your shirt?" She asked hesitantly. He looked strangely at her, but obliged. His stitches ran down the middle of his torso and criss-crossed around his chest. Again the stitches ran below his pants but she would keep that thought locked away for now. Instead, she gently ran her finger down the main stitch. Kakuzu stiffened as she did this, and he suddenly seemed uncomfortable rather than irritated. She almost laughed. Kakuzu was ticklish.
Sakura ran her finger daintily back up the stitching, and Kakuzu began to shiver. She was tempted to poke him in the sides and see if he would squirm, but this was a lot more fun. She decided to see if the same thing would happen if she ran her finger along the stitches coming out from that main stitch, that crossed his chest and abdomen. So she did it. She gently ran her finger along the bumpy stitching around his chest area and he shivered again.
As Sakura was doing this, she noticed that Kakuzu really did not look old at all. His body was perfectly muscled and toned, and if he didn't have stitches holding all of it together he would be flawless. She vaguely wondered what he looked like in his hay day, before he became a murderer, bounty hunter, and stealer of hearts (literally).
She was violently pulled out of her thoughts by Kakuzu's hand gripping her wrist. She was so deep into her thoughts she hadn't realized she'd been running her fingers up and down his stitches mindlessly for at least two minutes. She looked up at him fearfully, afraid he was going to seriously harm her. But he had a strange look in his eyes, one that she hadn't seen in him before - although she had never really looked into his eyes before today – and his lips were pressed into a tight line. She closed her eyes and waited for some sort of harsh beating or brash words.
"Stop doing that." His voice came out forced. "You don't want to see what will happen if you continue."
Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice, and when he released her wrist she slowly pulled her hand, and her whole body, away from him for a moment to catch her breath. She decided to do a chakra probe next, because it wouldn't require as much... Touching. She informed him of her plan and he said nothing, so she took that as an okay and went at it.
It took a while to search through all the thick threads, but she found all five of his hearts. She continued to probe around his chest and abdomen, searching for other working organs, but found none. She even checked his throat like she had earlier planned, and as she thought, there were only threads. But with his pants still on there was only so much she could search. She was tempted to test out her earlier thought, on if his genitalia still worked.
Still, it was only for medical reasons. Obviously.
"U-um.. Kakuzu-san, will you take off your pants now...?" She asked hesitantly. His eyes widened a bit at her demand.
"Why would you want those off...?" He asked, his voice gruff but distant.
"Well, I..." She was nervous to tell him what her actual plan was. "I just.. Want to probe more, at your lower organs, or at least where they should be. And I can't do that if your pants are still on.." Her voice sounded small to her. "I-if that's too much to ask, y-you don't have to..." But he was already taking his pants off, leaving him in only his loose fitting boxers. Her face turned beet red, and he actually smirked at her expression.
"What, now you're feeling uncomfortable, Dr. Haruno?" 'There he goes with that god damn tone again.' Sakura thought to herself, a little irritated. She didn't like the way he said her name, as if she wasn't a reliable medic. So she took it upon herself to pull his boxers down as low as they would go without revealing anything, and it was his turn to feel uncomfortable again.
"I'm not feeling uncomfortable at all, actually. Are you, Kakuzu-sama?" She added the -sama suffix in just to make him feel more awkward than necessary. And it seemed to work, as he refused to respond again, but also refused to meet her eyes. She smirked.
So again she probed around, not expecting to actually find anything, but finding some pleasure in just exploring his body. She also had a chance to look at his legs, which were also criss-crossed in stitches that led up his thighs to underneath his boxers. And the stitches on his back and chest also ran below his boxers. He had to have something stitched on down there. And that was when she found it. The only working system Sakura could find in his entire body other than his hearts.
His entire reproductive system was in use. Which meant...
Sakura turned red again, pulling her hands away. Kakuzu sat up.
"Find anything... Interesting?"
That deep tone of voice that he had was now sending shivers down her spine. He knew what she found, and he knew she would find it. She inwardly cussed him out in her mind.
"Yes, I found something quite... Interesting..." She paused. "...The only working organs in your body are your hearts, and your reproductive system."
"I am fully aware."
"How... How can you live with only those two systems? Do you even have any blood flow to-" She stopped herself, realizing what she was about to ask was too inappropriate. She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. So Kakuzu finished it for her.
"Are you asking me if I have enough blood flow to get an erection?"
Sakura went pale.
"Ah, so that is what you are asking me..." Kakuzu's voice got lower. "Do you really want to know the answer to that?"
Sakura choked on the air she was breathing. "I-I..." She met his brilliantly colored eyes, his intense stare burning through her own emerald green gaze. And then his gaze traveled down, and of course she followed his eyes until they landed on exactly what he wanted them to.
Surely enough, he had an erection.
"Does that answer your question, Sakura?"
The sight of him and the way he said her name caused her entire body to get hot, and to become as aroused as he was. She didn't know what to do. Sure, she wasn't a virgin, but this was an older man, a much older man – although he didn't quite look it – and he was aroused because of her. He had probably had plenty of experience with women much better in bed than she, and yet he seemed to want her. She wasn't sure what made her want him so badly, but she hadn't been this turned on by a man in a long time. Especially since working with the Akatsuki, where it is near impossible to get laid unless you plan on sleeping with a psychopath, which is, she supposed, exactly what she wanted to do right now anyway. But she wouldn't make the first move.
She met his eyes again, and returned the dark, sultry look that he had been giving her. Kakuzu could tell she wanted him, but he wanted to tease her a bit first.
"So, Sakura," She shivered at her name. His voice dropped even lower. "Call me Kakuzu-sama again."
She almost let out a little moan, but she stopped herself, and she whispered, "K-Kakuzu-s-s-sama..." She couldn't help how shy and small her voice came out. She wanted to sound confident, but under the steady gaze of this man she couldn't do it.
"Say it again. Louder, girl."
"K-Kakuzu-sama.." Her voice was louder this time, but still barely above a whisper. Suddenly she felt gentle caresses on her inner thighs and gasped. His threads were touching her, rubbing her, slowly making their way up her thighs to the place she wanted to be touched the most. "K-Kakuzu-sama!" She gasped, still quietly, more out of surprise than anything. The tendrils stopped moving right before touching her most intimate area. She looked back up at him, almost begging, and he looked back at her with a blank look on his face but still a sexy look in his eye.
"I said, louder!" His voice boomed, startling her, and she screamed.
The soft threads immediately found their way underneath her panties and Kakuzu pulled her to him, kissing her as she moaned quietly. His threads were gentle, rubbing her clit and slowly pumping into her. She wanted more. She wanted his own hands to touch her. So she pulled away from him and his threads, surprising him. He thought she was enjoying what he was doing to her.
Then she started taking her clothes off.
She pulled off her medic coat, unzipping the front of her shirt and letting them both fall to the floor, exposing her perky breasts to the chilled air. He watched her intently, erection getting more and more unbearable by each article of clothing she took off. Even as she slowly took off her gloves, he got more aroused. No woman had ever been able to do that to him. Not that he can remember, anyway.
Soon Sakura was down to just her panties, and she decided that they were even. She started walking towards him again, but when his threads came out, she stopped.
"Excuse me?" Kakuzu sounded incredulous.
"No threads." She started walking again, until her breasts were just barely touching his chest. "I want you to touch me."
Kakuzu pulled her on top of him, startling her, making her give a little shriek. He smirked. "That isn't the only screaming you'll be doing tonight." She blushed red but didn't let it ruin her streak of confidence.
"Oh, really? You think you can make me scream?"
Right as the words left her lips, Kakuzu flipped them over so he was on top of her, and her panties were ripped to shreds in a matter of seconds. His hands were all over her, feeling her curves, pinching her nipples, squeezing her ass, rubbing her wetness. Two fingers pumped in and out of her as his other hand worked on her breasts, squeezing and pinching and rubbing. Sakura was moaning softly, mewling like a cat, whispering his name in-between kisses. It felt strange to make out with a man with threads for a tongue, but somehow it was still enjoyable. She loved the way he felt on her. She loved the way his stitches rubbed against her as she grinded her body against his. And he loved the way her petite body felt under his, so fragile yet strong.
When she felt she was about to come, she used her strength to flip them over again so she was once again on top, straddling him. His eyes were half-lidded as he watched her move down his body, pulling his boxers and revealing his hard cock. She stared at it for a brief moment, just relishing in finally knowing where all those stitches led up to. There was a single stitch that circled around his shaft, ending near the head. It was large, larger than others that she had been with. It was slightly longer than most but much thicker. She couldn't wait to feel what those stitches would feel like inside her. But she had another plan at the moment.
She licked him from base to tip, loving the way his stitches felt against her tongue. She took the entire thing in her mouth, licking around his stitches and sucking as she came up. She felt him shudder and thought she heard a quiet groan come from him, but she couldn't be sure. His threads came out to feel her again, but this time she didn't mind. She was too focused on what she was doing. Sakura continued to suck until Kakuzu pulled her off of him, setting her on the floor. She was confused for a moment until he got up to stand behind her and bent her over the bed.
Sakura spread her legs wide for him, allowing him full access and a perfect view of her round ass and wet pussy. He slowly rubbed his cock up down her folds, and she moaned.
"Kakuzu-sama! Please!"
Kakuzu thrust into her and she almost saw stars. This was the best she'd felt in a long time. His stitches just added to her pleasure as he rapidly thrust in and out of her tight hole. He was groaning deeply, and like he predicted, he had her screaming for him. She wouldn't be surprised if the entire Akatsuki base could hear her, but she didn't care. She couldn't care less if the whole world knew she was having the best sex of her life with Kakuzu of the Akatsuki.
Sakura alternated between screams and crying out his name, and Kakuzu grunted and groaned at every deep thrust. This was the best sex he'd had in a while.
He hoped every man in the Akatsuki could hear, he hoped they were all jealous. He was sick of hearing his brainless idiot of a teammate talk about the "fucking banging hot medic". But out of everyone in this shithole, he was the one who got to fuck her. And he was going to make sure he enjoyed every last second of it.
His thrusts got erratic and uneven as he got close to his end, and her screams and moans just got louder. He gripped her hips so tightly he wouldn't be surprised if he left bruises there, but he didn't care. He just pulled her back onto his cock as he thrust in, making Sakura dizzy from the pleasure she was feeling. When she came, she screamed his name, knowing if everyone hadn't heard them before, they knew god damn well now. He came into her soon after with a low groan, and he let go of her hips.
She tried to stand up but her legs were wobbly, and she fell back into Kakuzu. She smiled up at him, and he smirked down at her. They went in for a kiss, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, both of them still naked, when Hidan barged in.
"Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?! You wouldn't fuck me but you'll fuck THIS MOTHERFUCKING DICKHEAD?!"
Sakura knocked him through a few walls before she and Kakuzu moved onto round two.


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The NW Web Ministry came about as a result of the need to give parishes, churches, dioceses, and ministries a place to host their web sites. We can also design and maintain (update) your site, whether it is only one page or a few pages in length, or a complex site. The NW Web Ministries team believes that your web site is like the front door to your ministry and the internet.
Thanks for taking time to visit us today,
Rev. Andrew Culver,
Director of NW Web Ministry


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Blow Up Your Brand
As well as offering a custom design service for commercial hire bouncy castles, Bounceabouts specialises in the design and manufacture of inflatables for advertising and promotional events.
At Bounceabouts, we believe that a creativity combined with a rigorous design process is key to the quality of our products.
One Step At A Time
The process starts either with your own sketch or rough visuals we create from the information you provide us about what you want and need from your inflatable.
Once we have an initial agreed sketch, our designers will fine-tune it and create a full artist's impression for your approval. This can feature your corporate colours, incorporate your logo and replicate your products, in inflatable form, to increase your brand recognition.
From here, we will translate the design into practical production drawings, using our powerful computer-aided design facility, incorporating safety features and detailing the production process and timeline.
In the factory, our skilled workforce will construct a premium quality, custom inflatable which we can deliver, ready to use and complete with all of the accessories you need for safe operation to your UK or international address.
Please contact us to discuss your requirements for a custom designed bouncy castle or promotional inflatable and turn your ideas into attention grabbing, fun-filled reality.


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Optional Tours in Puerto Madryn
Looking for something a little more structured to do in Puerto Madryn besides wandering around? Don't get me wrong---wandering is great fun, but sometimes you want a plan that takes you directly to see the best parts of the area. After all, when you only have a couple days to experience a place, you want to see as much as you can. Tours are great opportunities to see the most beautiful and exciting parts of Patagonia while also learning a bit Read more


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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
City mayors and official representatives from all over the world gathered in Moscow in November for a meeting on energy efficiency and sustainable city development. Russia is a member of the Clean Energy Ministerial, a global partnership working to accelerate the global clean energy transition. A key outcome of the meeting was a declaration of dedication to energy efficiency and sustainable development.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ENES 2016 V International Energy Efficiency and Energy Development Forum, a significant event organized by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation and the Government of Moscow in the field of energy efficiency. ENES has become a traditional platform to discuss global energy sector trends and the direction of state energy policy development. More than 40 cities were represented, including Moscow, Kazan, Manchester, Salford, Dublin, Tomohon, Budapest, Leipzig, Bottrop, Kiel, and Bologna.
"The potential energy efficiency of the economy of cities generates the need for adopting proactive standards to encourage the introduction of environmentally friendly and energy efficient technologies," said Anton Inyutsyn, Russia's Deputy Minister of Energy. "Such standards should be aimed at all sectors of the urban economy, providing the support and comfort of citizens."
For more information about this initiative, please visit the ENES website.


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Send us out, God!
I praise and thank God for giving this youth ministry TheEDGE a vision of starting a campaign to reach 100 souls in July. During the training sessions, which were supposed to be a mere training, 112 souls were won to the kingdom of Christ! How supernatural and mind blowing is that!
Having not done street evangelism for long, I was initially afraid of what people will think about me. I was afraid of awkwardness and rejections. At that time, I was guilty of having an opinion of someone, asking God: "Are you sure you want this person to be saved?" I thanked God because He corrected my perspective at that time, saying: "Why should you give up on my people when I did not give up on them?"
So, for the past week, I thank God that He has led me into seeing 4 souls coming into His kingdom, as well as many open hearts that He wanted me to follow up with. Also, I asked God to guide me because I did not know how I was supposed to share or approach them. All God said was this:
"There is no perfect method or way to share the gospel. All you need to do is to carry my spirit along with you."
During my quiet time, I asked God: how can I share the gospel effectively to these lost souls? He then started to lead me through His word and gave me pointers I had to take note for bringing the gospel out to the nations:
1) Prayer
Firstly, you have to ask for God's guidance in leading you to the lost. Then, pray that God will convict those hearts and turn them to a loving God, Jesus. Also, pray that no harm will come to us while we share the gospel.
"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven."
Matthew 18:19
2) Compassion
Also, pray for a heart of compassion so that you will know the burden that God has for these souls. When I was walking, searching for a lost soul that God may touch that day, I also told God: "Give me a heart that is yours, O God, so that I may be able to feel for them just as you do for your people." Then, as I walked, and as God began to open my eyes to see this people, I felt there was urgency and a tangible feeling of sadness came all over me. At that instance, I told God: "Use me, Lord, for your people." Just like how Jesus had compassion for the souls, pray that you will also have the same compassion that Jesus has.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 9:36
3) Holy Spirit
It is essential to ask the Spirit for directions to lead you to them. God is the only one who knows the hearts that He will call to salvation today; for some He will choose to sow seeds into their life, and it is going to be done through you, the messenger. Therefore, all you need to do is to ask God to lead you to His people, and be led by the spirit to share. It is important that, when going for evangelism, we need to be prepared and know what we are supposed to say, but, at times when you really do not know what to say, ask God to lead you with His wisdom and give you the right words to speak out to them.
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.
Proverbs 3:27
4) Faith
If you do not have faith to believe that anyone that you will encounter will be saved, how can you expect anything to happen? You need to have faith to believe that those people that God is going to speak through you will accept Christ and have a life changing experience. Even with those people that you have opinions on, you should clear it all away from your mind and start to believe that everyone will come to Christ, for no one shall be deprived to have a taste of God's goodness and love. Go with a heart of expectancy that today will be the day for their salvation. Just tell God: "Open my eyes so that I can see what you see. Open my eyes so that I can see the lost in my midst." Begin to believe by faith that God will lead you to them.
"Everything is possible for one who believes."
Mark 9:23
With all these in mind, start to bring the gospel to the nations:
The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Matthew 9:37
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Romans 10:14
Let's just believe for more souls to come into the kingdom of God. For we will believe for even greater, just as our God is a supernatural God! July, here we come :)


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Be Strong in Grace
by Manuel Vargas
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Be Strong in Grace
Many times we are encouraged by words such as, Be Strong, Live Strong, Stay Strong Bro., and so many other words added to Being Strong in the midst of a difficult situation or a challenge that we may feel like we are going to fail or fall under the extreme circumstances. We hear what our relative, neighbor, friend, acquaintance, co-worker, coach, spiritual leader, or teacher said, yet, when we leave the presence of that encouraging person we begin to search out in our minds of how we are going to Be Strong in the midst of our dilemma.
When we find ourselves alone wrestling with the thoughts of what we experienced. We say to ourselves, how am I going to get out of this? Why did this have to happen to me? Why now? What did I do to deserve this? I was doing the best that I could do and all of a sudden�she left me! My mom died�my son was killed�my husband cheated on me�I was rejected for financial aid for college so there goes my dreams of becoming successful�I was fired because my company went bankrupt�The rent is due and so are the car payments�not to mention the credit card bills! How am I going to make it? Why did all hell break-loose in my life? How can I Be Strong? What must I do to remain Strong? Who is going to be there for me? Who can I turn to for help?
Being told to Be Strong is one thing, knowing where to Be Strong is another!!! Paul told Timothy, So you, my son, Be Strong (strengthened inwardly) in the Grace (spiritual blessing) that is [to be found only] in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1 Amplified Bible).
Knowing where to Look
Paul told Timothy where to look for strength. The Amplified Bible said, Be Strong (strengthened inwardly), inner strength we draw from will keep us in a sound state of mind in the midst of a crisis situation. For example, when Job lost his businesses, his workers, his properties and his children (See Job chapters 1-2 NKJV). What kept him stabilized was his ability to evaluate and assess the damage and find out the cause of the situation. After he was hit with an illness he received another blow and then his own wife came against him she told him after all this trouble we�ve experienced why do you still maintain your integrity to God, curse God and die (Job 2:9 NKJV). I love Job�s response he said, what? Shall we accept [only] good at the hand of God and shall we not accept [also] misfortune and what is of a bad nature? In [spite of] all this, Job did not sin with his lips (Job 2:10 AMP).
Although Timothy did not go through an extreme crisis situation like Job experienced. Paul not only told Timothy where to look for strength within, but to seek it in the Grace that is found in Jesus Christ. Timothy was facing challenges that a Minister faces when dealing with a lost leader Paul�Paul was arrested, the responsibility of trying to Pastor a Church in the city of Ephesus by himself without Paul�s help and newly appointed elders was stressful, and the persecution that was taking place at that city and the ongoing idol worship that�s been going on for years was too much for the young Minister. There was also the false teachers and false teaching that was rising up against him and the possibility of being arrested for preaching the gospel was in the back of his mind. All these challenges will make any Minister stress despite the good their trying to do in presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Instructions of how to Be Strong
I love Paul�s explanation of knowing how to [Be Strong]. Paul points to Jesus as THE SOURCE OF OUR STRENGTH and the Grace we can draw from HIM that will enable us to move forward in our faith in God. Then Paul describes some of the practical approaches that a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer exercises� to become an effective person or professional. Soldiers give up civilian lifestyles to encounter rigorous training and discipline; Athletes train hard, follow strict diets and leave the night life alone to rest and rejuvenate their bodies in order to compete and finally, farmers work hard preparing the ground, planting the seeds and maintain the ground moist as they patiently wait for crops to grow.
Paul was trying to share parallels that apply to Ministers today that we must implement to be successful Ministers. We desire to win the battles in our lives but don�t want to get properly trained to do it. We desire to win victoriously but we don�t train hard for it or change our diet or fast. We want to reap in a harvest of Blessings but don�t want to put in the necessary work reading Scripture and studying the Word of God that�s required to gain that harvest. But I�m not a Minister Manuel? Yes you are! A Minister is a servant we are on the earth to serve. We serve at work being a great employee to help the company function and reap in profits. We serve as a big or small business owner and we serve our clients. We serve as parents by nurturing our children we serve them breakfast, lunch and dinner and if they�re young we have to wash their bodies. We serve all the time we just don�t define it that way but Scripture does.
Jesus said, if anyone serves Me, he must continue to follow Me [to cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying] and wherever I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him (John 12:26 Amplified Bible).
Jesus shared the example of us being a servant as HE was and to follow HIS example. Paul said to BE STRONG in the GRACE that�s found in JESUS CHRIST. The only way we can develop a sense of serving God Our Heavenly Father is to read and study Jesus� approach to serving God Our Heavenly Father. Paul shared practical examples of the disciplines of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer because those were the most titles that were recognizable and achievable in that time that we can draw from as common examples of hard workers. Being Strong like them will enable us to be encouraged to remain focused and persistent to achieve the desired goal set before us to be successful.
Grace in Jesus Christ
I like to share testimony because we learn better if we hear someone today practically applying and experiencing God�s Blessing. At least I do, and I know others who have taken what I shared and applied it and experienced the Power of God in their own lives. All Glory to God!
Grace in Jesus Christ is simply the Divine Strength, Ability, and Power that�s grant to us at the very moment we need it to do the Will of God on earth. Paul directed us to pray for more Grace. Let us then approach the throne of Grace with confidence, so that we may receive MERCY and find GRACE to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16 NIV).
Paul always applied what he taught, when Paul suffered from the thorn in the flesh he prayed 3 times for more Grace. We know by his explanation that God told him His Grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV). However, Paul was operating on Great Grace the 4th Dimension of Grace so that�s why God said what he said to Paul (Acts 4:33 NKJV).
Nevertheless, those of us who are not operating on the 4th Dimension of Grace we need to tap into the Power of Grace that�s found in Jesus Christ as we simply apply the praying part of the process of us obtaining Grace that�s found in Jesus Christ (the inner strength) that Paul was trying to get Timothy to practically apply.
Practical Applications the 5 steps to Being Strong
1. We are to Be Strong by tapping into the (inner strength) we have in Jesus Christ.
2. We are to access the inner strength by the Grace Jesus has for us.
3. We access the Strength and Grace by Prayer.
4. Then we obtain Mercy and Grace to move forward in our walk of faith.
5. Then we can practically apply ourselves in the training needed to accomplish the task that God grant us to do on the earth.
When I encounter anything in any area in my life I immediately get disappointed and angry. But I don�t remain that way I pray and meditate and the Holy Spirit always brings me to remember a Scriptural parallel that applies to my particular dilemma. Then as I meditate further the Holy Spirit will tell me to repent and ask for forgiveness and mercy because of my attitude toward the situation then to pray for the situation and then wait for God to turn the situation around.
While I�m waiting for God to turn the situation around, I�m no longer angry, I continue to walk in love, peace and joy and I treat people with kindness even if they did me wrong or if my personal life was turned upside-down and they had nothing to do with it. I go about my business doing my job effectively and God sees my integrity and blesses me further, all because I became Strong in the Grace that is found in Christ Jesus, amen. And you can do the same, so my friend in faith, Be Strong in the Grace that is found in Christ Jesus.
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With the Super Bowl in the books, the Kansas City Chiefs are now on the clock and the 2013 NFL Draft season is officially under way. For the next month, I'll be taking a look at each and every NFL team, in draft order, and their needs heading into the draft. So, let us begin at the top with the team with the first overall pick.
As with every team that picks at the top of the draft, they're usually in need of a quarterback and the Chiefs are no different. The Matt Cassel experiment turned out to be a flop and he should be a cap casualty soon. However, this is a bad year to need a quarterback first overall. Every mock draft out there right now has them taking Geno Smith because the options in free agency aren't much better.
Draft Possibilities: Geno Smith, Matt Barkley
Wide Receiver
Assuming that Dwayne Bowe bolts in free agency, a new quarterback is going to need someone to throw to. Dexter McCluster caught double the passes last year than Jonathan Baldwin and Steve Breaston combined.
Draft Possibilities: Terrance Williams, DeAndre Hopkins
Inside Linebacker
Derrick Johnson is a player, but he needs someone next to him after the tragic Jovan Belcher incident. Brandon Siler didn't show much flash in his four starts filling in.
Draft Possibilities: Kevin Reddick, Jonathan Bostic
Defensive End
Glenn Dorsey is a free agent and likely to skip town. Tyson Jackson is in the final year of his rookie deal and is due for a big pay day. If he doesn't restructure, he'll be cut. Look for some edge rushers to be added early.
Draft Possibilities: Dion Jordan, Alex Okafor
Offensive Guard
With Jeff Allen playing pretty horribly, the plan for him to slide over and take the reins from the retiring Ryan Lilja can't be what Andy Reid has in mind. There are some good players available in free agency, but I expect this need to be addressed cheaply in the mid to early rounds.
Draft Possibilities: Jonathan Cooper, Barrett Jones
Can a team ever have enough corners? The answer is no and that is why you'll see this position on every team in this draft. Brandon Flowers is a keeper and Javier Arenas played well after the team dumped Stanford Routt. But filling in depth should be the goal in the middle to late rounds.
Draft Possibilities: Leon McFadden, Jamar Taylor
I'd also look at the possibility of the Chiefs addressing another power running back with the impending loss of Peyton Hillis. Hopefully not needing him so much in the receiving game, McCluster can do a better job at spelling Jamaal Charles and keeping his carry count down.
Having the top pick in the draft comes with a lot of pressure to get it right. That's why I'm still not convinced that the Chiefs will take Geno Smith number one overall. Unfortunately Smith isn't the type of player a team will trade up for. It will be real interesting to see what new coach Andy Reid has in mind for this problem when free agency begins.
Filed under: 2013 NFL Draft, Kansas City Chiefs
Tagged with: 2013 NFL Draft, AFC, AFC West, Alex Okafor, Andy Reid, Barrett Jones, Brandon Flowers, Brandon Siler, DeAndre Hopkins, Derrick Johnson, Dexter McCluster, Dion Jordan, Dwayne Bowe, Geno Smith, Glenn Dorsey, Jamaal Charles, Jamar Taylor, Javier Arenas, Jeff Allen, Jonathan Baldwin, Jonathan Bostic, Jonathan Cooper, Jovan Belcher, Kansas City Chiefs, Kevin Reddick, Leon McFadden, Matt Barkley, Matt Cassel, Peyton Hillis, Ryan Lilja, Stanford Routt, Steve Breaston, Terrance Williams, Tyson Jackson
take the ol from A&M with 1st pick, then maybe take Glennon from N.C.State in the 2nd and give him the keys to the team.
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I've always said you needed to be a little crazy to be a journalist, but I never thought my colleagues were psychopaths.
I've always said you needed to be a little crazy to be a journalist, but I never thought my colleagues were psychopaths.
Recently, a top-10 list was compiled from a book recently published by Kevin Dutton titled, The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, And Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success. In the book Dutton reveals the occupations most likely to attract psychopaths, and journalist falls smack dab in the middle at number six.
When I think of a psychopath, I think of horror movie characters such as Freddy Kreuger, the maniac massacring people with a chainsaw, or Jack Nicholson going berserk on Shelley Duvall in The Shining. Or in real life, it's those serial killers that we despise for their senseless crimes.
Trying to understand how noble professions and occupations made it onto such an undesirable list, I turned to the dictionary to get a better understanding of the definition of a psychopath.
First, a psychopath is described as one who displays shallow emotions. What are shallow emotions? A lack of empathy is one example. Reduced fear and stress tolerance are others. In addition to shallow emotions, psychopaths are defined as coldhearted, egocentric, exude superficial charm, and are manipulative, irresponsible and impulsive. There is also a criminal element associated with psychopaths, but let's leave that part out for the sake of this argument.
If you take the above definition, excluding criminality, you can see how some of these professions and occupations made it on such a list.
Let's face it – journalists have egos. While many of us may not be outwardly egocentric, it is a profession that allows for editors, reporters and photographers to put bylines and photo credits on their work. How many occupations allow for that type of public exposure?
Truthfully, having a byline on a story or column isn't always a good thing. We're more apt to get negative feedback than positive feedback, and having a name associated with an article gives upset readers a target for their anger if there's something they don't like in the stories.
Which brings us to the other characteristics described in the definition.
I think if everyone were lumped into one group, the overriding public sentiment would be that journalists show a lack of empathy, are coldhearted, manipulative and superficial. Like any other profession or occupation, there are people who possess those attributes, but there also are caring and considerate journalists who care about the people they're writing about, the towns they cover and the stories they're sharing.
Interestingly, Media (meaning television and radio) ranked third, so there's a clear distinction between print journalists and those in other mediums, although the print folks aren't far behind on the list.
Journalists seem to be in good company, however, with CEOs, lawyers and surgeons cracking the top five, although if it were a ranking of highest earning occupations it's unlikely we'd make the cut there.
Other noble positions likely to attract psychopaths, according to this author, include salesperson, police officer, clergy person, chef and civil servant.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the lowest rates of psychopathy lie with such occupations as: care aide; nurse; therapist; craftsperson; beautician/stylist; charity worker; teacher; creative artist; doctor and accountant.
In my opinion, journalist and most of the other occupations included don't belong on the psychopath list. But what do I know? I'm just a crazy newspaper editor.
Gregory Mathis is editor-in-chief for GateHouse Media New England's South and Cape Cod units. He can be reached at email@example.com.