text:
Do not waste
Your precious time.
Every day
Try to make it a point
To make real sense
Out of your life.
Sri Chinmoy, Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, part 163, Agni Press, 1991
There are people who say that spirituality is not meant for this world or this outer life. There are people who say that spirituality should be practised only in the evening of one's life-that is to say, after having had all the experiences that the outer world can give, one should enter into the inner life. But these opinions are not true. Spirituality can and should be practised irrespective of place and time. Anybody on earth can practise spiritual life. Spiritual life can never be an artificial life. Spiritual life is something which is natural and spontaneous.
In our outer life we need energy to sustain our life, to fulfil our life. In our spiritual life, our inner life, we need illumination. If we don't have illumination, we shall remain in ignorance. In order to enter into the inner life we must have inspiration. When we have this inspiration, aspiration comes to the fore. When we have aspiration, we can go one step farther to what we call Yoga. Yoga means union with God.
If we accept spiritual life in the true sense of the term, we do not negate the world, we do not renounce the world. We accept the world, we embrace the world, we try to fulfil the world in a divine way, in the way the Supreme wants. We do not see eye to eye with those who say that God is only in Heaven and not elsewhere. God is in Heaven, and God is also on earth. The Creator can never be separated from His creation. This world of ours is His creation. He is here. He abides within all things. In order to fulfil Himself it is here that God has to remain.
We have in this world of ours a true friend, and that friend is the spiritual life. Spiritual life tells us that we have come from the Divine, we live in the Divine and we shall return to the Divine. Within us we have everything. Now we have to reveal what we have within. At the same time we have an enemy, an uncompromising enemy. It is our ignorance. Ignorance tells us that we are nothing and that we will never be able to amount to anything. Ignorance says, "O man, look down and see that you are nothing, you are useless." But spirituality tells us, "My child, look up, look deep within. You will see that you are everything. You are God's child, God's chosen child. To Him you are everything. God dreams. To materialise, to fulfil, to transform God's Dream into reality you have come into the world." That is what spirituality tells each individual here on earth the moment he enters sincerely into the inner and deeper life. Spiritual life also teaches us something momentous. It tells us that we need not be bound by the life of frustration, fear and anxiety. It tells us that if it is true that our present life is full of misery, frustration, defeat and limitation, it is equally true that we have an ideal life which is all harmony, all perfection, all fulfilment, all virtue. The inner life most gladly, most cheerfully, most devotedly wants to be the living bridge between our present life and the ideal life, the life that we want to have.
There are two kinds of hope: ordinary earthly hope and spiritual hope. Ordinary earthly hope is nothing but building castles in the air. We do nothing for God, nothing to improve ourselves, we just hope that we shall one day become great, famous, powerful. But the spiritual hope that we can cherish comes from our inner conviction of truth, the truth that abides within us and in which we live. This hope is surcharged with aspiration, whether we are consciously aware of it or not. This hope is the harbinger of reality. This hope sees the reality and, while seeing, becomes the reality. This hope also takes us into the realm of faith, the faith that sustains our inner and outer lives. This faith comes to the fore and tells us that the moment we look to God with our eyes of aspiration, God looks at us with His Eyes of Compassion. Our aspiration and His Compassion go together. We need His Compassion and He needs our aspiration. We fulfil God and God fulfils us. The moment we fulfil Him we are fulfilled.
There are people on earth who tell us that spirituality is no longer alive, it is long dead. Our forefathers were spiritual and divine. They communed with God. Not we! We are all worse than useless. Those days of spiritual achievement, of spiritual glory are long buried, they say. Now we are in a world of materialism. There is no God and no spiritual life, no inner experience and realisation. Spirituality is dead for good. But let us not subscribe to their proud opinion, for their opinion is utterly baseless. Spirituality can never, never die because spirituality is the necessity of God. It is also the necessity of human beings; but this necessity is more real to God than to humanity because it is God who created this spiritual necessity both for Himself and for humanity. This spirituality can never die, for God never dies. God has created spirituality to unite man with God; therefore, so long as God is on earth or in Heaven or anywhere in His creation, spirituality must exist in order to unite God and man.
Spirituality is the flame of aspiration. We have always to kindle this flame so that it can rise high, higher and highest until finally it reaches the acme of perfection, absolute fulfilment. It is only the spiritual life, the cry of the heart, the surge of the soul, that can fulfil us both in our inner and outer lives. It will be a deplorable mistake if we ever say or feel that the spiritual life will take us away from the life of the material world. On the contrary, it is the spiritual life that will open our eyes to show us how we can cope with the material physical world, how we can have mastery over the physical world, how we can use the material world to help us. Right now we are living in the material world. The material world at every moment is killing us with frustration and disappointment. We want from the material world what the material world cannot give us, and the material world wants something from us which we are unable to give. If we want to be the master of the material world, if we want to say that the material world is ours, not that we belong to the material world, then we have to have perfect control of the material world. How can we have that? Only on the strength of our inner light, inner awakening, inner experiences, inner fulfilment.
If we want only to enjoy the world, we are taking a simply absurd attitude toward life. When we go deep within, one day we will see that in order to have an iota of enjoyment we have to kill our very life. We are trying to enjoy but for this enjoyment we are killing the senses that we need for a divine purpose. If we are wise, then we will enter into the inner life and know what spiritual joy and delight are. Then we will be able to enter into the outer world with the strength of our inner joy. When we enter into the outer world with inner joy, we shall see that the wonder of wonders has been accomplished by us-that the inner life can easily be lived and practised in the outer life. The life of reality, the life of fulfilment, the life of victory, the life of oneness with God which we get in our inner life can easily, effectively, gloriously and divinely come forward in the outer life. That is to say, the outer life should be a perfect manifestation of the inner life.
Let us not divide the two lives, inner and outer. Let us unite them. Let us not make a compromise; it is not a compromise that we seek. Let us try to see the outer life through the inner life. Let us try to fulfil the outer life through the inner life. Then alone, God's infinite Blessings will shower on us on earth. Then alone we shall not only see, feel and reach God, but finally we shall all become God Himself. So let each of us present here enter into the world of spirituality. Let us breathe in the breath of spirituality, and success is ours, perfection is ours, fulfilment is ours. God in His infinite Bounty, infinite Peace, Bliss, Light and Power is ours, eternally ours.
October 25th, 1974
1:00 p.m.
North Dakota State University
Fargo, North Dakota


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DBE (3) - Linux Manuals
DBE: Double Buffer Extension
DBE - Double Buffer Extension
The Double Buffer Extension (DBE) provides a standard way to utilize double-buffering within the framework of the X Window System. Double-buffering uses two buffers, called front and back, which hold images. The front buffer is visible to the user; the back buffer is not. Successive frames of an animation are rendered into the back buffer while the previously rendered frame is displayed in the front buffer. When a new frame is ready, the back and front buffers swap roles, making the new frame visible. Ideally, this exchange appears to happen instantaneously to the user, with no visual artifacts. Thus, only completely rendered images are presented to the user, and remain visible during the entire time it takes to render a new frame. The result is a flicker-free animation.DESCRIPTION
Normal windows are created using
which allocate a set of window attributes and, for InputOutput windows, a front
buffer, into which an image can be drawn. The contents of this buffer will be
displayed when the window is visible.
This extension enables applications to use double-buffering with a window. This involves creating a second buffer, called a back buffer, and associating one or more back buffer names (XIDs) with the window, for use when referring to (i.e., drawing to or reading from) the window's back buffer. The back buffer name is a drawable of type XdbeBackBuffer.
DBE provides a relative double-buffering model. One XID, the window, always refers to the front buffer. One or more other XIDs, the back buffer names, always refer to the back buffer. After a buffer swap, the window continues to refer to the (new) front buffer, and the back buffer name continues to refer to the (new) back buffer. Thus, applications and toolkits that want to just render to the back buffer always use the back buffer name for all drawing requests to the window. Portions of an application that want to render to the front buffer always use the window XID for all drawing requests to the window.
Multiple clients and toolkits can all use double-buffering on the same window. DBE does not provide a request for querying whether a window has double-buffering support, and if so, what the back buffer name is. Given the asynchronous nature of the X Window System, this would cause race conditions. Instead, DBE allows multiple back buffer names to exist for the same window; they all refer to the same physical back buffer. The first time a back buffer name is allocated for a window, the window becomes double-buffered and the back buffer name is associated with the window. Subsequently, the window already is a double-buffered window, and nothing about the window changes when a new back buffer name is allocated, except that the new back buffer name is associated with the window. The window remains double-buffered until either the window is destroyed, or until all of the back buffer names for the window are deallocated.
In general, both the front and back buffers ae treated the same. In particular, here are some important characteristics:
Only one buffer per window can be visible at a time (the front buffer).
Both buffers associated with a window have the same visual type, depth, width, height, and shape as the window.
Both buffers associated with a window are "visible" (or "obscured") in the same way. When an Expose event is generated for a window, this event is considered to apply to both buffers equally. When a double-buffered window is exposed, both buffers are tiled with the window background. Even though the back buffer is not visible, terms such as obscure apply to the back buffer as well as to the front buffer.
It is acceptable at any time to pass an XdbeBackBuffer in any function that expects a drawable. This enables an application to draw directly into XdbeBackBuffer in the same fashion as it would draw into any other drawable.
It is an error (Window) to pass an XdbeBackBuffer in a function that expects a Window.
An XdbeBackBuffer will never be sent in a reply, event, or error where a Window is specified.
If backing-store and save-under applies to a double-buffered window, it applies to both buffers equally.
If the XClearArea() or XClearWindow() function is executed on a double-buffered window, the same area in both the front and back buffers is cleared.
The effect of passing a window to a function that accepts a drawable is unchanged by this extension. The window and front buffer are synonymous with each other. This includes obeying the XGetImage() and XGetSubImage() semantics and the subwindow-mode semantics if a graphics context is involved. Regardless of whether the window was explicitly passed in an XGetImage() or XGetSubImage() call, or implicitly referenced (i.e., one of the window's ancestors was passed in the function), the front (i.e. visible) buffer is always referenced. Thus, DBE-naive screen dump clients will always get the front buffer. XGetImage() and XGetSubImage() on a back buffer return undefined image contents for any obscured regions of the back buffer that fall within the image.
Drawing to a back buffer always uses the clip region that would be used to draw to the front buffer with a GC subwindow-mode of ClipByChildren. If an ancestor of a double-buffered window is drawn to with a GC having a subwindow-mode of IncludeInferiors, the effect on the double-buffered window's back buffer depends on the depth of the double-buffered window and the ancestor. If the depths are the same, the contents of the back buffer of the double-buffered window are not changed. If the depths are different, the contents of the back buffer of the double-buffered window are undefined for the pixels that the IncludeInferiors drawing touched.
DBE adds no new events. DBE does not extend the semantics of any existing events with the exception of adding a new drawable type called XdbeBackBuffer.
If events, replies, or errors that contain a drawable (e.g., GraphicsExpose) are generated in response to a request, the drawable returned will be the one specified in the request.
DBE advertises which visuals support double buffering.
DBE does not include any timing or synchronization facilities. Applications that need such facilities (e.g., to maintain a constant frame rate) should investigate the Synchronization Extension, an X Consortium standard.
Only one buffer per window can be visible at a time (the front buffer).
Window Management Operations
The basic philosophy of DBE is that both buffers are treated the same by
X window management operations.
When a double-buffered window is destroyed, both buffers associated with the window are destroyed, and all back buffer names associated with the window are freed.
If the size of a double-buffered window changes, both buffers assume the new size. If the window's size increases, the effect on the buffers depends on whether the implementation honors bit gravity for buffers. If bit gravity is implemented, then the contents of both buffers are moved in accordance with the window's bit gravity, and the remaining areas are tiled with the window background. If bit gravity is not implemented, then the entire unobscured region of both buffers is tiled with the window background. In either case, Expose events are generated for the region that is tiled with the window background.
If the XGetGeometry() function is executed on an XdbeBackBuffer, the returned x, y, and border-width will be zero.
If the Shape extension ShapeRectangles, ShapeMask, ShapeCombine, or ShapeOffset request is executed on a double-buffered window, both buffers are reshaped to match the new window shape. The region difference D = new shape - old shape is tiled with the window background in both buffers, and Expose events are generated for D.
Complex Swap Actions
DBE has no explicit knowledge of ancillary buffers (e.g. depth buffers or
alpha buffers), and only has a limited set of defined swap actions. Some
applications may need a richer set of swap actions than DBE provides. Some
DBE implementations have knowledge of ancillary buffers, and/or can provide
a rich set of swap actions. Instead of continually extending DBE to increase
its set of swap actions, DBE provides a flexible "idiom" mechanism. If an
application's needs are served by the defined swap actions, it should use
them; otherwise, it should use the following method of expressing a complex
swap action as an idiom. Following this policy will ensure the best possible
performance across a wide variety of implementations.
As suggested by the term "idiom," a complex swap action should be expressed as a group/series of requests. Taken together, this group of requests may be combined into an atomic operation by the implementation, in order to maximize performance. The set of idioms actually recognized for optimization is implementation dependent. To help with idiom expression and interpretation, an idiom must be surrounded by two function calls: XdbeBeginIdiom() and XdbeEndIdiom(). Unless this begin-end pair surrounds the idiom, it may not be recognized by a given implementation, and performance will suffer.
For example, if an application wants to swap buffers for two windows, and use X to clear only certain planes of the back buffers, the application would make the following calls as a group, and in the following order:
XdbeSwapBuffers() with XIDs for two windows, each of which uses a swap action of Untouched.
XFillRectangle() to the back buffer of one window.
XFillRectangle() to the back buffer of the other window.
The XdbeBeginIdiom() and XdbeEndIdiom() functions do not perform any actions themselves. They are treated as markers by implementations that can combine certain groups/series of requests as idioms, and are ignored by other implementations or for non-recognized groups/series of requests. If these function calls are made out of order, or are mismatched, no errors are sent, and the functions are executed as usual, though performance may suffer.
XdbeSwapBuffers() need not be included in an idiom. For example, if a swap action of Copied is desired, but only some of the planes should be copied, XCopyArea() may be used instead of XdbeSwapBuffers(). If XdbeSwapBuffers() is included in an idiom, it should immediately follow the XdbeBeginIdiom() call. Also, when the XdbeSwapBuffers() is included in an idiom, that request's swap action will still be valid, and if the swap action might overlap with another request, then the final result of the idiom must be as if the separate requests were executed serially. For example, if the specified swap action is Untouched, and if a XFillRectangle() using a client clip rectangle is done to the window's back buffer after the XdbeSwapBuffers() call, then the contents of the new back buffer (after the idiom) will be the same as if the idiom was not recognized by the implementation.
It is highly recommended that API providers define, and application developers use, "convenience" functions that allow client applications to call one procedure that encapsulates common idioms. These functions will generate the XdbeBeginIdiom(), idiom, and XdbeEndIdiom() calls. Usage of these functions will ensure best possible performance across a wide variety of implementations.
XdbeAllocateBackBufferName(), XdbeBeginIdiom(), XdbeDeallocateBackBufferName(), XdbeEndIdiom(), XdbeFreeVisualInfo(), XdbeGetBackBufferAttributes(), XdbeGetVisualInfo(), XdbeQueryExtension(), XdbeSwapBuffers().

subset: commoncrawl


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Office of the Press Secretary (Aviano, Italy) ________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release November 23, 1999
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE STUDENTS, ORGANIZATION LEADERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS OF THE FERIZAJ (UROSEVAC) AREA Sports Pavilion Ferizaj (Urosevac) Area, Kosovo
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. I want to begin by thanking you for your wonderful welcome. I thank Ramadan for his introduction -- I think maybe some day he will be an elected official if he speaks so well from now on. (Applause.) I thank Luljeta for her equally fine introduction of Secretary Albright. And I thank your principal, Shafije Hajdari, for welcoming us here. We are honored to be here with all of you today, especially with the school children. (Applause.)
When I was introduced, Ramadan said -- he thanked me for making it possible for you to come home. There are some other people who were largely responsible, and I would like to introduce them, as well. We have four members of the United States Congress: Representative Peter Deutsch of Florida; Representative Eliot Engel of New York; Representative Jack Kingston of Georgia; Representative Carolyn Maloney of New York. They voted for the funds that enabled our military to come here and end this terrible ethnic cleansing. I'd like to ask them to stand up. Please stand. Thank you. (Applause.)
In addition to Secretary Albright -- whom I know you know, because you gave her such a wonderful reception -- was the strongest advocate of the stand we took in Kosovo -- I'd like to thank Sandy Berger, my National Security Advisor, and Larry Rossin, who is the Chief of Mission for the United States government in Pristina, and ask them to stand. Thank you. (Applause.)
And, finally, I want to thank all the members of our Armed Forces and our allies who are serving here with the U.N., and those who were here previously in the NATO campaign. And I would like to introduce the Commander of all of our NATO forces, General Wes Clark, and thank him for what he has done. Thank you. (Applause.)
I know with all these people here and all the children here it is difficult to listen to a long speech, but I hope you can listen to a short speech. (Applause.)
Mr. Milosevic wanted to keep control of Kosovo by getting rid of all of you, and we said, no. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Clin-ton! Clin-ton!
THE PRESIDENT: Now he has lost his grip on Kosovo and you have returned. No more days hiding in cellars, no more nights freezing in mountains and forests. (Applause.)
I know that for those who have lost their homes, perhaps homes where your parents and grandparents were born, this is still a difficult time. I know it is hard for children to feel a sense of security and happiness when they have seen too much killing and hatred. (Applause.)
But I know this, too: the United Nations troops and international organizations that have come here to help will stand with you every step of the way, and the coming winter in Kosovo is going to be a lot better than the last winter was. (Applause.)
There is still a lot of work to do, but it is important that the world know what has already been done since you came home a few short months ago. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Clin-ton! Clin-ton!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. We are preparing houses for the winter, fixing schools, bringing in police officers, KLA fighters are returning to civilian life, radio stations and newspapers are operating, the U.N. is doing a good job under tough conditions. And last week, the international community pledged another $1 billion American dollars to help Kosovo, to fully fund the U.N. operation next year. (Applause.)
With all the problems that remain, we should remember: Kosovar children are going back to school, learning in their language, in communities that answer to their parents. That is in some ways better than it was before. And we can do better still. (Applause.)
I want to make one last point, more important than anything else I have to say, to the children and to the parents. (Applause.) You can never forget the injustice that was done to you. (Applause.) No one can force you to forgive what was done to you. (Applause.) But you must try. And let me tell you why.
First of all, all the schoolchildren will soon be learning in their biology classes that all the people in the world -- all the people in the world, in terms of their genetic makeup, scientifically, are 99.9 percent the same -- the Serbs, the Albanians, the Irish, the Africans, the Latins, the Asians. (Applause.)
Children are not born hating those who are different from them, and no religion teaches them to do so. They have to be taught to hate by people who are already grown. (Applause.) But all over the world -- not just here in Kosovo, all over the world -- it is children who bear the burden of their parents' blind hatred. (Applause.)
I have been in Africa, with a young man who lost his arm to someone of a different ethnic group, who cut it off with a machete simply because of his family heritage. I have been in Israel with schoolchildren staring at the pictures of their classmates who were blown up in buses simply because they were Jewish. I have been in Ireland, with a beautiful, beautiful 16-year-old girl playing and singing to me, but her eyesight was gone, because she was blown up in a bomb just because of the religious differences in Ireland. We owe the children in Kosovo a better future than that. (Applause.)
Now, you cheered for us when we came in because when you were being oppressed, we stood by you. And we exercised military power to defeat the aggression of Mr. Milosevic. We won the war. But, listen: only you can win the peace. (Applause.)
The time for fighting has passed. Kosovo is for you to shape now. The international community will stand by you. But you must take the lead. What will you think about? Will you be focused on hatred and past wrongs and getting even? Or will you be thinking about good schools for your children, new homes for them, new businesses, the effort to create genuine self-government to eradicate corruption and violence and give your children the joys of a normal life?
I beg you who are parents to teach your children that life is more than the terrible things that are done. It is how you react to them. Do not let the children's spirits be broken. Do not let their hearts harden. The future we fought to save for you is the future we see here today -- smiling, cheering, happy children. Give them the tomorrow they deserve. (Applause.)
The American people have been honored to stand with you, and we will stand with you every step of the way. Thank you, and God bless you all. (Applause.)


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Discover Premier Events in Houston This Month: Your Ultimate Guide!
Experience Houston's entertainment and excitement pinnacle in March 2025. With "Houston-TX.Events," gain unparalleled access to an extensive array of must-attend events, from electrifying concerts, Broadway musicals, operas, ballets, family shows, comedy shows, and captivating theater productions to thrilling sporting encounters. Our platform is your go-to destination for securing the best seats at the most competitive prices. Dive into our comprehensive event listing to stay updated on the latest happenings. Don't let the opportunity to be part of Houston's events slip away—explore our selection now and make unforgettable memories this March.


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BunnyJump is a fun and energetic game that sees your child jumping endlessly into the air without fear of falling. As a cute and lovable mascot presented in charming cartoonish graphics, this game promises to engage your child profoundly as they try to achieve the highest score possible. BunnyJump is full of different modes that allow for flexibility and fun: players can choose from 60 challenging levels, 18 much-needed extra power ups, or the endless mode where you can go crazy!Bunny Jump is the coolest street style jumping game this side of the Galaxy. The Boy wants to show us all what he's got and take his street-style jokers as far into space as possible before meeting a ghost ship or running out of moves, so it's up to us to make that happen by tapping blocks off course and flinging them skyward in this cool time-waster . Don't get stuck on one block for too long, though! It'll mean an end to the game if you do. Though endless mode has a goal of its own: Rack up the highest score you possibly can by stacking blocks and going for style points in each round!
Embed this game


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VAC Leuven
Program | LEISURE |
Scale | 20000 sqm |
Location | Leuven - Belgium (Flemish Regional Government) |
Stage | Design |
Client | Vlaamse Gemeenschap |
Design Year | 2001 |
To the outsider, the Belgian city of Leuven is notable for 2 reasons: students and beer. The city hosts one of Europe's oldest Universities as well as the headquarters of the Stella Artois. Given the high student population (nearly 30% of citizens) and the daily coming-and-goings of a major Brewery going about its business, Leuven has become a commuter concentrate within today's mobilised Flander's landscape. The proposal to shift the federal administrative power from Brussels to Leuven serves to reinforce the transient nature of Leuven: a city in flux!
The Site as Traffic Island. The site for the new Vlaams Administratie Centrum (VAC) is thus seen as a traffic island - a space left-over from adjoining ring roads and railroads. This project responds to these conditions of motion and commotion by seeking to make a place of calmness and tranquility: a desert-island traffic island! Onto this urban void a 'transplanted landscape' of trees, parks and gardens (that almost smacks of domesticity) is installed in an attempt to counter the asphalt and concrete. This 'nature implantation' does not, however, impede the flow of people, goods and services. The traffic island is connected to the urban fabric through a number of urban plug-ins: a ramp to the bus station, a platform to the railway station and a bridge over the railway to the new park-and-ride building.
BUROL: An office rolled. This project is organised around the rolé played by the building's occupant (VAC) and the landscape which it oversees (Flanders). For reasons of political accountability one has to allow access yet control this accessibility so that administrative work is not overly encumbered by the public. The lead to an organisational strategy for the office programme which slides as seemleesly as possible between control and accessibility: from the more public areas (VOI) to those that are private (MVG). This programme is then rolled to create an office configuration which allows high public access at ground level shifting to high control at the upper levels. Where one cannot walk, one can see! Circumnavigate the centre. Walk over, walk under, walk through, walk up. A verticalised pedestrian roundabout building! Gaze from the public cafe down onto the park landscape. Admire the panorama from the energy roof over the historic city of Leuven to Brabant.
FOUR BUILDINGS IN ONE! Not one building type but four for the price of one! One discovers a Landscape building, a Tower Building, a Bridge Building and a Hanging Building. Each building type has its own structural character. The Landscape building is supported by a column-beam system with V-columns providing additional horizontal stability. As the landscape rises vertically, it is stiffened by peripheral core walls within the Tower Building. The Bridge Building is noted for its large 'vierendeel' trusses, surprisingly supported by the Hanging Building with its central core working as a 'concrete tree' to allow the suspension of the office floors.
NO AIR CONDITIONING! The design features a number of means to reduce energy consumption. Generous glazing of the facades and a narrow floor plan maximises daylight working conditions. On the southern side of the building a 1m deep convection facade traps air heated by solar radiation before it dissipates upwards. This rising hot air draws fresh air through the building from the north side providing natural ventilation. In combination with a cool ceiling the air-conditioned office can be avoided. Co-generative and green water economies are sought by recuperating heat gains for warm water whilst rainwater is captured for non-potable water usage. The public can visit the rooftop energy garden which harnesses climatic energy via 3m high wind turbines and solar panels. Other smaller gardens are sprinkled throughout the VAC providing fresh air, flowers and smoking spaces to the towers and, additionally, light to the landscape building.


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We provide high-quality hand-made drinking, blowing and combination horns whose quality is only matched by our customer service.
My name is Valerie Newton, owner of The Horn Shoppe and The Hornucopia. My husband and I work hard to supply our customers with the highest quality, American made, hand crafted horn products we can make. You can purchase our products both here at our online store or come visit us at any of the Renaissance festivals at which we participate. You can find dates and locations in our calendar page.
Some of you will be familiar with our products and customer service from the renaissance festivals, which, up until now, was our only sales venue. For those of you who are joining us for the first time; The Horn Shoppe is known for high quality drinking and blowing horns and is the home of the "original" combination horn.
We also occasionally make other horn based items and invite you to browse this site to see what we currently have. We also do some custom pieces, but availability of such commissioning depends solely upon the work load at the time of the request. If we are unable to handle the request we will try to point you towards a respected competitor that we feel can satisfy your needs.
While horns can look very similar at a distance, up close, each one is unique. We can list colors that are available, but cannot show pictures of every variation of colors. We have several examples of colors, but you can order the horn solely by size or color or any combination we have. If you request a specific color in a size we will choose one that best represents your choice. If we have a question as to whether a horn meets your request we will e-mail you a photo of the one we select to get your approval.
We have 4 different basic styles of horns. Straps to hang around your shoulder, cuffs and straps for over the shoulder (to handle the larger horns), holsters to slide onto a belt, leather woven handled cups to be used with a leather mug strap.
We have also made several different specialty drinking vessels. Please feel free to check them out.


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Over the past few months, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of bombings in and around Baghdad - it has become almost a daily occurrence. The bombs include improvised explosive devices, car bombs and suicide vests.
As was to be expected, the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the all of the bombings. The attacks have killed over 200 hundred Iraqis, virtually all of them Shi'a Arabs - avowed enemies of the Sunni extremists of ISIS.
The bombing campaign represents a shift in tactics for the group and follows a series of battlefield losses for ISIS. As the Iraqi Security Forces (the catch-all term for the Army, national police, special units and Shi'a militias) regroup after dismal showings following the collapse of the units defending Mosul in 2014, they are beginning to retake territory from ISIS.
Much of that success is due to increased effectiveness of U.S.-led coalition airpower and effective targeting of ISIS leaders and facilities based on more accurate intelligence. This reflects the increased presence of American troops on the ground and development of better intelligence sources.
As the more effective military operations take their toll on ISIS, the group has fallen back, giving up territory in al-Anbar province and the Euphrates River valley. Their supply and communications lines used to move forces and resources between Iraq and Syria have been cut.
At the same time, Iraqi forces - this time with not only American airpower, but direct fire support from U.S. Marine field artillery and rocket launcher systems - have pushed north up the Tigris River valley. These forces are shaping the battlefield for the inevitable assault to re-assert Iraqi government control over Mosul and the northern parts of the country now occupied by ISIS.
According to U.S. officials, ISIS is no longer attempting to seize more territory in Iraq, or Syria for that matter. I agree with that assessment - the group is consolidating its defense of Mosul and limiting its offensive operations to re-establishing its lines of communications. This, however, is a losing strategy - they must find a way to stop the Iraqi forces' momentum at a time when U.S. and coalition support to the Iraqis is on the rise.
After almost two years, the now-constant air strikes - finally, the increased operations tempo I have been calling for - are taking a toll. Unless ISIS changes its strategy, it is only a matter of time before the resources available to the Iraqi government isolates and destroys it.
Hence, ISIS's renewed relentless bombing campaign. The number of attacks and the breadth of the areas being struck reminds us that the organization is still capable of inflicting large numbers of casualties, especially against relatively undefended targets. The targets ISIS has selected for this campaign certainly meet that description - markets, sporting event venues and any areas where large numbers of people gather.
ISIS has several goals in this bombing campaign. The ultimate goal, of course, it to create so much mayhem and resulting public outcry against the government of Prime Minister Haydar al-'Abadi that the Iraqis reassess their military operations aimed at retaking Mosul. Taking a page from the basic guerrilla handbook, they are attempting to create "significant emotional events" - events that so traumatize the body politic that the people will demand the government change its tactics.
It has a small change of success, depending on how effective the bombing campaign becomes. The Iraqi people - more accurately, the Shi'a population of Baghdad and its environs who are the focus of the bombings - are already criticizing the government's seeming impotence to stop the attacks, and demanding increased security measures to protect them.
The government is vulnerable to this tactic, and ISIS is smart to exploit this vulnerability, The Iraqi government has finite resources in the security forces. These forces are spread thin trying to fight ISIS in the Euphrates valley and moving up the Tigris valley while at the same time providing security in the capital. The Shi'a population in and around Baghdad is more concerned with its own security than the eventual liberation of the Sunni areas around Mosul.
ISIS has forced the Iraqi government into a situation in which it has two choices: continue the military operations against ISIS and risk alienating the Shi'a population - its political power base in Baghdad, or pull forces back from the various combat fronts to provide better security in the capital, which in essence cedes territory to the terrorist group. Unfortunately, the Iraqis cannot do both.


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If I were to award a single food item with the title of 'Fastest Way To Pack On The Pounds', hands down the winner would be refined sugar.
Today we eat 20 times more sugar than people did 200 years ago! No wonder we are bigger than ever…
One of the reasons that your diet is filled with so much sugar is that some form of refined sugar is included in virtually every single processed food. This is yet another reason that it's important to cut those processed and packaged convenience foods out of your diet.
Cutting sugar from your diet is easier said than done. Once it is a part of your daily diet, cravings strike, causing you to eat it even more frequently. But there is hope.
Here are 7 Ways To Crave Less of that Sugar that you're eating that's killing your results and keeping you from attaining your goal weight:
Eat More Protein
A diet rich in protein keeps you full, satisfied and less likely to crave sweets. A great way to make sure that you are getting enough is to plan each meal and snack around a protein. Plan breakfast around eggs, lunch and dinner around baked chicken breast, and make snacks hard boiled eggs or baked meatballs. Try the recipe below for a protein-packed, sugar-busting snack.
Avoid Artificial Sweeteners
One of the biggest fitness myths out there is the idea that calorie-free, artificially sweetened beverages don't impact your fat loss results. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the truth is that the diet soda you're sipping is making it harder for you to reach your goal weight. While the diet soda itself doesn't contain calories, it has been proven to cause cravings for sugary foods. Put down the diet soda and instead pick up a refreshing bottle of spring water.
Steer Clear Of Saboteurs
The sad truth is that people in your life will try to sabotage your low sugar diet. You'll run into that pushy person at the office who insists that you eat a donut, the well-meaning family member who dishes you up a bowl of ice cream, and the friend who comes over with a plate of her home-baked cookies. The best avoidance strategy is to sincerely thank the sugar-pusher for their gift, tell them you wish you could eat it, and then blame me – your trainer – as the bad guy who says that you need to cut back on sugar.
Try Dark Chocolate
For those moments when your sweet tooth is relentlessly badgering you for something sweet, ditch the super-sugary candies and stick with a small square of very dark chocolate. Chocolate that is 70% or higher in cocoa content should be the only candy that you keep on hand. The benefit of the cocoa, in addition to the lowered sugar content, makes dark chocolate an occasionally justifiable treat.
Stick With Fruit
What's sweet, colorful and comes in hundreds of flavors? Organic, seasonal, fresh fruit, of course! As you remove refined sugar from your life, feel free to add in some natural sugar by way of fresh, local fruit. It's amazing how satisfyingly sweet fruit is – it's truly nature's candy.
Change Your Palate
As you begin to limit your intake of refined sugars, you'll find that your tolerance for sugar decreases. This means that something that didn't taste sweet before – say a green apple – now has uncanny depths of sweetness. What's happening is that your sweet receptors are becoming more finely tuned, now that you're not overwhelming your palate with sickly-sweet refined sugar.
Workout Like You Mean It
A regular, challenging exercise routine will not only get you into amazing shape, it also reduces your cravings for sugar. The endorphin rush brought on by vigorous exercise is an even more powerful feel-good-feelin
Make challenging, consistent exercise a part of your life by signing up for my fitness program. I'd love to get you to your goals using my results-driven method.
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Arriving home in the clothes in which he was saved, without vest and in his working cap, Herbert K. Randall, chief engineer of the Marshall Butters which went down in Lake Erie last week, tells a thrilling story of the rescue of the crew.
"It was a terrible thing, but I don't think that a man of us entertained fear. We were too busy, each man working for himself, to be afraid of the possible ending." said Randall last night.
"When we passed through Detroit there was a fresh southeast wind blowing, but not strong enough to detain us any until we had passed the southeast shoal by about 45 minutes. It was at 12:30 Friday afternoon that the squall struck us. We were six or eight miles from the shoal light at the time. When it was first noticed that a storm was coming the captain came aft and asked us to work her up stronger. This took us about 20 minutes. Heavy seas began to roll about this time and we noticed that the ship was leaking, taking in water fast.
"I understood what this meant and went forward and asked Capt. McClure to put her into the sea or before it. Instead of doing this Capt. McClure put her in the trough, in an attempt to throw her deck load off and lighten her. We were loaded with lath and a small amount of lumber above decks and had we been successful in getting rid of this load we might have ridden the gale longer. As it was she would not throw and we ran in the trough for a few minutes longer, watching the water meanwhile. We had the pumps going but the water kept gaining on us steadily and I again reported to the captain.
"We had seen the steamer Billings about five miles to leeward and Capt. McClure blew the alarm signal. They apparently did not hear us, for they paid no attention. In about 15 minutes another alarm signal was blown and then another. Finally the watchman on the Billings saw the steam from our whistle and the boat came about and started for us at once.
"The steamer Hartwell had been in the distance all this while and seeing the Billings was heading for us, she also changed her course and came towards us, standing to shortly after the Billings had arrived.
"By now the wind was blowing a hurricane, the seas were tremendous and our deck load was going by the board. Heavy pieces of planking were lifted off the deck and sent hurling through the air. Pieces of boards and shingles caught in the whistle, causing it to blow continually. It was a horrible sound and when I could stand it no longer, I risked my life and climbed up to where I could cut the cord.
"About this time we got the starboard boat launched and eight of the crew, including myself, got in and cast off. The captain of the Hartwell hollered, "Come on with your boat," and we headed for the steamer. It was a terrific pull to get to her. The seas were rolling higher than the house tops - the wind so strong that you had to yell to a man only a few feet away to make him hear you.
"After about 20 minutes we were able to get aboard the Hartwell. Looking back to the Butters we could see the rest of the crew, five men, standing on her deck. I guess we all lost our nerve then. It was awful to see them standing there helpless.
"It was just one-half hour after this that the Butters broke up and went down. A few minutes before she went under the captain and one fireman took to the yawl and the other three jumped into the water.
"The steamer Billings after being compelled to make three circles, picked up three men who were in the water and the captain and fireman got aboard without serious difficulty.
"Remember that all this time the wind ws blowing 75 miles an hour and that the seas resembled small mountains. The Billings rolled terribly while standing by to pick us up. It was hard to get aboard without being smashed to pieces against the ship's side.
"The Hartwell turned about and began a run before the wind. She was consigned to Fairport, but it was impossible to make the harbor and she went on to Erie. She turned here and went into the wind. It was 5:30 Saturday afternoon when we finally made the Fairport harbor.
"We had all lost everything we had but were mighty glad to get in as we were."


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ZEGA Evo aluminium pannier system for BMW R1250GS/ R1250GS Adventure/ R1200GS (LC)/ R1200GS Adventure (LC)
Viva la Evolution!
Continuous EVOLUTION - under this motto we have further developed our ZEGA pannier systems and so the name of our latest aluminium pannier was clear from the start. The ZEGA Evo combines the robustness proven ten thousand times over with extra convenient handling - not least thanks to a completely new fastening system.
Panniers as part of the luggage system:
The ZEGA Evo, like all Touratech panniers before it, was not developed as an isolated product but was intended from the outset to be part of a luggage system. The outstanding practical benefits are the result of the unique combination of an elegant and indestructible pannier, an ingenious fastening mechanism and a terrain-immune rack made of 18 mm thick stainless steel tubes. Matching inner pannier bags and practical accessory holders round off the luggage system (optionally available).
Benefits at a glance:
- Newly designed plastic corners - protect driver and pannier in the event of an accident
- Proven fixing pins - for ZEGA Evo accessory holder
- Proven handle - for comfortable carrying
- Newly developed fastening system - for easy mounting and secure hold on the pannier rack
- Newly developed lockable one-hand locking system - for convenient and secure attachment to the pannier rack
- Newly developed lockable lid catch- for convenient opening and closing from both sides, thanks to practical hinge function
- Proven silicone seal - for a pannier that's dry on the inside, even in the pouring rain
- Proven attachment eyes - for secure fastening of pannier lid bags and other soft luggage
- Standard hooks on the inside of the lid - for attaching accessories (bags, nets)
Practical benefits and user-friendliness:
The ZEGA Evo offers even easier mounting than the ZEGA Pro2, with an absolutely secure hold - even in tough off-road conditions! It thus combines optimum ergonomics and absolute comfort without sacrificing reliability.
With the new lid catches, we've retained the popular hinge function. This allows the lid to be opened from both sides or removed completely. The lid and base of the pannier are manufactured using a modern deep-drawing process, which eliminates the need for unattractive welding seams.
The stable connection between the outer shell and the base is ensured by the high-quality, waterproof special rivets. The lid has a tongue and groove profile with an integrated silicone seal, which guarantees a watertight seal. The newly developed ventilation system relieves the pressure in or on the pannier if there's a change in altitude. This means you can open a pannier which you closed in the valley on the highest pass road. Like its predecessor, the ZEGA Evo is also made of the established 1.5 mm thick aluminium.
The ZEGA Evo is already equipped with practical accessory fixing pins. So you can easily attach the special ZEGA Evo accessory holders without drilling holes in your new case. As with the previous versions, the proven attachment eyes are installed as standard on the lid, so that you can attach special pannier lid bag or other objects to your ZEGA Evo securely. The pannier is easy to transport thanks to the carrying handle.
Whether silver or black anodised, the new ZEGA Evo also sets the standard for high-quality luggage solutions when it comes to design. The rounded, newly designed plastic corners are not only a decorative element. In the event of an accident, they protect not only the suitcase but also the driver from injury.
Newly developed fastening system:
The core element of the ZEGA Evo is a completely newly developed and designed fastening system on the pannier racks which combines easy handling with secure hold. Your pannier remains safely attached to your motorcycle even if very high forces are at work. The mounting procedure is super simple, the locking mechanism is equipped with a safety lock which is active even if you don't lock it, and handling is child's play even with the thickest gloves. Simply slide the hooks onto the rack and push the tension lever down until it clicks into place. The pannier can be additionally secured against theft with a lock on the rack. To remove, simply pull on the tension lever and lift the pannier from the rack. The mechanism also works in demanding conditions - dirt, sand, mud, etc.
Pannier rack:
- made of stainless steel 18 mm round tube
- additional cross-bar for greater stability
- suitable for tough off-road use
- also suitable for all ZEGA Mundo, ZEGA Pro and ZEGA Pro2 cases
- uses existing mounting points
- absolutely suitable for passengers
- elegant integration into overall look
Our pannier frames are made of robust 18 mm stainless steel round tube and thus guarantee extremely high stability, even off the beaten tracks. An additional cross-bar provides greater stability which also makes the case system suitable for tough off-road use. As the pannier frame utilises existing mounting points, installation is child's play.
And, of course, we took care to ensure that the pannier frame is as practical for a round the world trip as it is for everyday routine. Which is why we ensured absolute passenger suitability.
Order at the same time: ZEGA Evo lock set for 2 cases 01-050-6000-0 (Not kept in scope of delivery)


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Watch the Sunday 8:00 am Service LIVE
Watch the Sunday 8:00 am Service LIVE
1 John 3:11-20
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.


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Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical music repertoire and span the transition from the Classical period to the Romantic era in classical music. His career has conventionally been divided into early, middle, and late periods. The "early" period, during which he forged his craft, is typically considered to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to around 1812, his "middle" period showed an individual development from the "classical" styles of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is sometimes characterized as "heroic". During this time, he began to suffer increasingly from deafness. In his "late" period from 1812 to his death in 1827, he extended his innovations in musical form and expression.
Born in Bonn, Beethoven's musical talent was obvious at an early age, and he was initially harshly and intensively taught by his father Johann van Beethoven. Beethoven was later taught by the composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe, under whose tutelage he published his first work, a set of keyboard variations, in 1783. He found relief from a dysfunctional home life with the family of Helene von Breuning, whose children he loved, befriended, and taught piano. At age 21, he moved to Vienna, which subsequently became his base, and studied composition with Haydn. Beethoven then gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist, and he was soon patronized by Karl Alois, Prince Lichnowsky for compositions, which resulted in his three Opus 1 piano trios (the earliest works to which he accorded an opus number) in 1795.
His first major orchestral work, the First Symphony, premiered in 1800, and his first set of string quartets was published in 1801. Despite his hearing deteriorating during this period, he continued to conduct, premiering his Third and Fifth Symphonies in 1804 and 1808, respectively. His Violin Concerto appeared in 1806. His last piano concerto (No. 5, Op. 73, known as the 'Emperor'), dedicated to his frequent patron Archduke Rudolf of Austria, was premiered in 1811, without Beethoven as soloist. He was almost completely deaf by 1814, and he then gave up performing and appearing in public. He described his problems with health and his unfulfilled personal life in two letters, his "Heiligenstadt Testament" (1802) to his brothers and his unsent love letter to an unknown "Immortal Beloved" (1812).
After 1810, increasingly less socially involved, Beethoven composed many of his most admired works, including later symphonies, mature chamber music and the late piano sonatas. His only opera, Fidelio, first performed in 1805, was revised to its final version in 1814. He composed Missa solemnis between 1819 and 1823 and his final Symphony, No. 9, one of the first examples of a choral symphony, between 1822 and 1824. Written in his last years, his late string quartets, including the Grosse Fuge, of 1825–1826 are among his final achievements. After some months of bedridden illness, he died in 1827. Beethoven's works remain mainstays of the classical music repertoire.
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This mama is very good with customer service. She keep me up to date on everything that was going on! I always love that when I am doing a review and giveaway because it helps me be able to schedule everything better.
This was my first AIO diaper and I have to say it was a pleasant surprise. This diaper can hold a lot of fluid and is super cute and fits perfectly. They are really cheap too! Only $12 a diaper!
There is a couple things I should mention for this diaper: (1) There is no PUL, so if you have an extreme day wetter, use a cover with it. If you don't this diaper should work fine with your little one. (2) The hook and loop on this diaper is kind of skinny so it takes a couple seconds longer to get it sitting just right on there.
Since I have received this diaper, I have tried a few other AIO's and I have to say that this one has one of the shortest drying times out of them all! Over all, I am very satisfied with this diaper!


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The formless force
that waggles a flag
and shapes a ghost
from a plastic bag
and levitates
a dragon kite
and wrestles with
the trees at night
is named the same
as that airy motion
which blusters over
field and ocean
and charges up
electric motors
with each revolving
round of rotors.
When next you see
a three-armed beast
who might be facing
don't worry if
you feel thin-skinned.
"It's just my pinwheel,"
says the wind.
Copyright © 2013 Steven Withrow. From the book The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science. Pomelo Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Steven Withrow is a poet, storyteller, and author of six books for visual artists including Illustrating Children's Picture Books. In 2010, he co-produced the film Library of the Early Mind: A grownup view of children's literature. In 2011, he founded Poetry Advocates for Children & Young Adults. His poems for children and adults have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies worldwide. He lives with his wife, daughter, and cat in Rhode Island. See more about Steven and his work at www.cracklesofspeech.blogspot.com.


text: The sold-out, smash-hit 6-issue miniseries co-published with IDW is collected in hardcover. It all starts in Gotham City, as a series of deadly raids leads Batman to believe he is up against a group of highly trained ninjas. Somehow, the Foot Clan has crossed over to another dimension-but they haven't come alone: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo are on their trail!


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Slightly more than 6% of American adults have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine — but a disproportionately small number of them are Black and Hispanic people.
"What we're seeing from the states that are currently reporting data on vaccination distribution by race and ethnicity is a consistent pattern that is really showing a mismatch between who's receiving the vaccine and who has been hardest hit by the pandemic," says Samantha Artiga, the director of the Racial Equity and Health Policy Program at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The group has been tracking data from the 17 states that are publicly reporting vaccination patterns by race and ethnicity, and significant disparities are emerging.
In Mississippi, 15% of vaccinations have been received by Black people, while they account for 38% of coronavirus cases and 42% of deaths in the state. In Texas, Hispanic people make up 15% of those who have been vaccinated, compared to 44% of cases and nearly half of the deaths.
Artiga notes that the data so far is both early and limited: for instance, only a small number of states are reporting race and ethnicity data right now, and the vaccine currently is available only to high-priority groups.
Nonetheless, the current patterns are "early warning flags about potential racial disparities in access to and uptake of the vaccine," according to the Kaiser Family Foundation report.
Vaccine appointments often require things like Internet access, reliable transportation and flexible work schedules. That troubles Artiga.
"How many people may be left behind if those are the resources that are required to access the vaccine?" she says.
In an interview with All Things Considered, Artiga discusses what can be done to help improve access to the vaccine. Here are excerpts.
In Washington, D.C., the health department has been narrowing vaccines sign-ups by zip code, to try to target less affluent, less white neighborhoods. Have you heard of similar efforts around the country?
We are increasingly hearing that areas are adding new vaccination sites and adopting new sign-up processes to help make the vaccine more available for people. So as you noted, D.C. is prioritizing certain wards for appointments based on some of the early data that were showing disparities and who was able to access the vaccine.
I believe there are some health systems and areas that are planning to provide appointments, based on lottery systems when vaccines become available. I'm hearing now of some mobile vaccine clinics that are going into operation to go directly into communities. And there are other areas that are also beginning to adopt this approach of targeting specific geographic areas that we know have been hardest hit by the pandemic and may have more limited resources to be able to navigate sign-up processes for vaccines.
I'm thinking about the challenge of setting up a national vaccination campaign that has to administer hundreds of millions of doses, and layering on top of that a need to make it accessible to people who might not have a vehicle, who might not have easy access to the Internet. How important is it to front load those accessibility issues if you're going to make this campaign work?
I really think the early data, and what we know about people's willingness and concerns related to the vaccine, point to the importance of having a multipronged approach that is seeking to address access barriers and provide information and education to help address people's questions and concerns.
And I think that we also can learn a lot by listening directly to communities about how and where they want to access the vaccine, where they will feel comfortable accessing the vaccine, and who they want information from about the safety of the vaccine.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Residential Heat Pump Services in Spartanburg
When you need excellent residential heat pump work, look no further than Reliable Heating And Air. We're a highly skilled and trained team of heat pump specialists who have what it takes to serve you well. Whether you need heat pump repair services, maintenance, installation, or something else, we can do it all. And we do it all with a high level of expertise.
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Call us now to get a free quote or estimate. You'll be blown away by our incredible deals.
Call Spartanburg's Trusted Heat Pump Repair Professionals Now
Reliable Heating And Air provides the very best heat pump work in the area. Call us now to speak to one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff members. They'll give you all the information you need to make an informed decision and will be happy to answer all your questions. If you like, they can even set you up a no-commitment consultation session.
For exceptional service from the best heat pump contractors this city has to offer, call (864) 354-8448.


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Alex Constantine - July 30, 2013
" ... The NSA presents its surveillance operations as being directed toward security issues. ... However, secret NSA documents reveal that their surveillance is used to gather intelligence to achieve political goals for the US government. ... The true purpose of the NSA is not to keep us safe. Its goal is to own the internet, to own our communications, to own our private thoughts — to own us. ... "
Jul 15, 2013
Ben O'Neill writes: What is the purpose of telecommunication and internet surveillance? The NSA presents its surveillance operations as being directed toward security issues, claiming that the programs are needed to counter terrorist attacks. Bald assertions of plots foiled are intended to bolster this claim. However, secret NSA documents reveal that their surveillance is used to gather intelligence to achieve political goals for the US government.
Ostensibly, the goal of the NSA surveillance is to prevent terrorist acts that would harm or kill people in the United States. But in reality, the primary goal is to enable greater control of that population (and others) by the US government. When questioned about this issue, NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake was unequivocal about the goal of the NSA: "to own the internet and find out what everybody is doing."
"To own the internet" — Public-private partnerships in mass surveillance
The internet is, by its very nature, a decentralized arrangement, created by the interaction of many private and government servers operating on telecommunications networks throughout the world. This has always been a major bugbear of advocates for government control, who have denigrated this decentralized arrangement as being "lawless." Since it began to expand as a tool of mass communication for ordinary people, advocates for greater government power have fought a long battle to bring the internet "under control" — i.e., under their control.
The goal of government "ownership of the internet" entails accessing the facilities that route traffic through the network. This is gradually being done through government control of the network infrastructure and the gradual domination of the primary telecommunications and internet companies that provide the facilities for routing traffic through the network. Indeed, one noteworthy aspect of the mass surveillance system of the NSA is that it has allegedly involved extensive cooperation with many "private" firms operating under US law. This has allegedly included major security, telecommunications and internet companies, as well as producers of network software and hardware.
Examples of such "public-private partnerships" are set out in leaked documents of the NSA. An unnamed US telecommunications company is reported to provide the NSA with mass surveillance data on the communications of non-US people under its FAIRVIEW program. Several major computing and internet companies have also been explicitly named in top secret internal NSA material as being current providers for the agency under its PRISM program. Several of these companies have issued denials disavowing any participation in, or prior knowledge of the program, but this has been met with some scepticism. (Indeed, given that the NSA did not anticipate public release of its own internal training material, it is unlikely that the agency would have any cause to lie about the companies they work with in this material. This suggests that the material may be accurate.)
Many of these companies have supplied the NSA with data from their own customers, or created systems which allow the agency access to the information flowing through telecommunications networks. They have done so without disclosure to their own customers of the surveillance that has occurred, by using the blanket advisement that they "comply with lawful requests for information." By virtue of being subject to the jurisdiction of US statutes, all of these companies have been legally prohibited from discussing any of their dealings with the NSA and they have been well placed for retaliatory action by the many regulatory agencies of the US government if they do not cooperate. In any case, it appears from present reports that many companies have been active partners of the agency, assisting the NSA with illegal surveillance activities by supplying data under programs with no legitimate legal basis.
This has been a common historical pattern in the rise of totalitarian States, which have often sought to incorporate large business concerns into their network of power. Indeed, the very notion of "public-private partnerships" in this sector readily brings to mind the worst aspects of fascist economic systems that have historically existed. The actions of US companies that have cooperated in the NSA's mass surveillance operations calls into question the "private" status of these companies. In many ways these companies have acted as an extension of the US government, providing information illegally, in exchange for privileges and intelligence. According to media reports, "Such cooperation is an extremely delicate issue for the companies involved. Many have promised their customers data confidentiality in their terms and conditions. Furthermore, they are obliged to follow the laws of the countries in which they do business. As such, their cooperation deals with the NSA are top secret. Even in internal NSA documents, they are only referred to by the use of code names."
We began this discussion by asking the purpose of telecommunication and internet surveillance. The answer lies in the uses to which those surveillance powers are being put, and will inevitably be put, as the capacity of the NSA expands. The true purpose of the NSA is not to keep us safe. Its goal is to own the internet, to own our communications, to own our private thoughts — to own us.
Ben O'Neill is a lecturer in statistics at the University of New South Wales (ADFA) in Canberra, Australia. He has formerly practiced as a lawyer and as a political adviser in Canberra. He is a Templeton Fellow at the Independent Institute, where he won first prize in the 2009 Sir John Templeton Fellowship essay contest. Send him mail. See Ben O'Neill's article archives.


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Updated April 26, 2021 at 4:49 PM ET
Attorneys for Andrew Brown Jr.'s family said Monday they were frustrated only to be shown 20 seconds of body camera footage of sheriff's deputies shooting and killing Brown last week.
But what they did see amounted to an "execution," family attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter told reporters.
Sheriff's deputies shot and killed Brown, a 42-year-old Black man, while carrying out search and arrest warrants at his home Wednesday in Elizabeth City, N.C.
Family attorneys said the footage began with deputies firing at Brown, who had his hands on the steering wheel of his vehicle while being shot at in his driveway. Cherry-Lassiter said Brown then drove his vehicle away from the deputies while they continued to shoot. She said Brown did not present a threat to the deputies. Deputies continued to shoot after Brown's car crashed, she added, saying his vehicle was "riddled" with bullets.
"It's just messed up how this happened," Brown's son Khalil Ferebee said. "He got executed. It ain't right."
Cherry-Lassiter said about seven or eight law enforcement officers were present in the video.
"We do not feel that we got transparency," family attorney Ben Crump told reporters. "We only saw a snippet of the video."
Attorneys said they wanted to see footage from before the shooting began, but that Pasquotank County Attorney R. Michael Cox only allowed the "pertinent" portion to be shown. Brown family lawyers said they expected there to be additional law enforcement bodycam video from all the deputies involved as well as a light pole camera.
Pasquotank County officials said they're still working to release the video to the public — a process that is required to go through the courts.
Brown's family was allowed to see the portion of footage early Monday afternoon after a delay in which officials said they needed time to blur faces in the video.
Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II has said his office is asking a court to approve the video's release. That step is required by North Carolina law as agencies generally do not have the authority to make such recordings public. Wooten also said he asked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to confirm that doing so would not undermine its investigation into Brown's death.
Brown family lawyers said a court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday on the matter of releasing the footage to media organizations.
A state of emergency is now in effect in Elizabeth City, the county seat. The city also closed all its government offices for the day, citing the potential for public unrest once the video becomes public.
At the time of the shooting, deputies were carrying out search and arrest warrants related to alleged cocaine and methamphetamine possession and distribution, Carolina Public Press reported.
Earlier, Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker said in an emergency declaration issued Monday morning that the video and audio recordings would likely be released "in the very near future."
"City officials realize there may potentially be a period of civil unrest within the City following the public release of that footage," she said.
City police also announced downtown road closures around the county courthouse and sheriff's office on Monday, saying the streets "are closed for citizens exercising their constitutional right to a peaceful protest."
Brown's death immediately resulted in protests in Elizabeth City; police said over the weekend the demonstrations had not resulted in property damage or arrests.
As The Associated Press reported, scanner traffic suggests that Brown was shot in the back:
"Recordings of scanner traffic compiled by broadcastify.com from the morning of the shooting include emergency personnel indicating that Brown was shot in the back. An eyewitness has said that deputies fired shots at Brown as he tried to drive away, and a car authorities removed from the scene appeared to have multiple bullet holes and its back windshield shattered."
Brown died one day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd — a case that inflamed nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
The Elizabeth City mayor is calling for North Carolina to change its laws to streamline the release of footage from officer-worn cameras, saying a delay of up to 48 hours should be sufficient.
Initial details about Brown's death "are tragic and extremely concerning," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said on Friday. He added, "The body camera footage should be made public as quickly as possible and the SBI should investigate thoroughly to ensure accountability."
Seven sheriff's deputies have since been placed on administrative leave. Three others resigned, though the sheriff's office said the resignations were not related to the shooting.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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William Stafford Returns to Lewis & Clark
Open gallery
Through a generous family gift, the William Stafford Archives enable the college to share the renowned poet's work with a new generation
by Paul Merchant
"On the first day of class," records William Stafford, "Even before we settle down … my tentative, artful job begins … If I wait, be easy in talk–on anything for a few minutes–they will tell me … and I will yield to their sayings … In a slow, evasive way, I let the term ease into being."
Stafford called these beginning encounters "the minuet," the dance steps of a delicate partnership between teacher and student: "The first move is the student's move, not mine." Many Lewis & Clark graduates will probably remember William Stafford's "slow, evasive" early encouragement of students to break the silence, share their work, risk a personal view.
During his 30 or so years as a teacher at Lewis & Clark, between 1947 and 1979, he earned a national reputation for his distinctive teaching methods, crystallized in two challenging prescriptions: as a teacher, to avoid both praise and blame, and as a poet, in response to writer's block, to lower your standards and carry on. Generations of students experienced his egalitarian classroom philosophy and his unswerving belief in individual conscience, which had been tested by internment as a conscientious objector to World War II.
William Stafford was a significant national figure in three overlapping fields. As a poet, he was and is revered by readers around the world; while he was alive he won many honors, including the National Book Award for Traveling through the Dark, and terms as poet laureate of Oregon and of the United States. In recognition of his work as an educator, he was chosen by the National Council of Teachers of English to write their 1967 commission report, "Friends to This Ground." And he was first and last a pacifist, whose earliest book was a prose narrative (Down in My Heart) of his time in Civilian Public Service camps, and whose final poems include sharp satires of the first Gulf War. In all these fields he won his colleagues' respect and affection, enhanced by his indefatigable travels for readings and workshops across America and in United States Information Agency visits to western and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Japan.
Through the enormous generosity of his wife, Dorothy; his son Kim (William Stafford's literary executor and director of Lewis & Clark's Northwest Writing Institute); and his daughters, Kit (BA '75) and Barbara (BA '79), Stafford's voluminous archives arrived at the Aubrey Watzek Library in April 2008. This donation creates an opportunity to share the wealth of Stafford's materials with a national readership of writers, students, and scholars.
Since William Stafford's death in August 1993, books, tapes, and translations of his work have appeared almost every year, including major collections of poetry. He is still very much alive in his many books and recordings.
But the arrival of his archives at Lewis & Clark enables a new phase to begin. With the invaluable help of student interns, Special Collections staff can prepare the materials for digitization and selective presentation on Watzek Library's website, where a new generation will be introduced to Stafford through interactive assemblages of drafts and finished poems, sound recordings and videos of readings, and printed commentaries by the poet and others.
In addition, Lewis & Clark recently opened Watzek Library's handsomely refurbished William Stafford Room as a specialized reading library for students and other literary researchers.
William Stafford as Poet
William Stafford has been celebrated for his habit of daily writing, his practice of early morning composition in what he viewed as the deliciously solitary hours between 4 and 7 a.m.
He had discovered the freedom of these early hours in the camps for conscientious objectors, where the official day started at 7:30 a.m. Later in life, he added a three-mile run in darkness on alternate days. Stafford believed that the unconscious mind, if given attention, will respond–a belief borne out in his impressive manuscript record of 20,000 consecutive daily pages, each headed with the day's date, and almost without exception containing a finished poem.
His regular record followed a common pattern: first the date, then frequently a journal entry, an aphorism, or a dream, and then, with the pump primed, a stunning first line, sometimes abandoned (there was plenty more material on the way), and finally the draft and immediate revisions of a complete poem. Day after day, we witness the same pattern: something like two hours of journal entries and reflection ("You don't have to wait very long if your standards are low.") followed by a complete poem. Or in his characteristically throwaway formulation: "My writing method is to make myself a waffle and then to sit and think."
How valuable are these manuscript pages? They provide evidence that the poet viewed the writing life as one requiring persistence and commitment. They illustrate an undeviating fidelity to subconscious processes, and they show how much practice goes into making what he called "negotiable poems." The early manuscripts are full of revisions. By the end of his life, we see poems spilling out on the page with few or no changes needed. But he had always said it was easy.
William Stafford as Teacher and Scholar
The archives offer many evidences of Stafford's life as a scholar and teacher. First, there are the typescript drafts of his many formal addresses on the writing life, delivered at literary symposia or writing workshops or commencements–essays filled with aphoristic wisdom as much about life as about poetry.
The cream of Stafford's writings on the craft of poetry, on workshops, and on his educational theories is gathered in four volumes from the University of Michigan Press in their Poets on Poetry series. The first of them, Writing the Australian Crawl, remains the all-time best seller of the series. The archives also preserve a handful of precious folders with Stafford's notes and exam questions for literature classes.
Then there is the shoebox containing well over a thousand index cards, many created during his doctoral studies at the University of Iowa, and many others made for use at Lewis & Clark, with his teacher's notes on books taught, key passages for discussion, and provocative questions. The first card reads, "You could save the world by torturing one innocent child. Which innocent child?" Another half dozen cards summarize his thoughts on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. And there is the card carrying the opening paragraph of Swift's A Modest Proposal. Stafford would have enjoyed reading it aloud, relishing his students' gradual discovery of the Irish dean's wicked humor.
William Stafford as Pacifist
While he was interned as a conscientious objector in Civilian Public Service camps from 1942 to 1946, William Stafford found his voice as a poet, writing antiwar poems of protest and satire from the 1940s to the end of his life.
On February 2, 1944, at Los Prietos camp near Santa Barbara, he assembled two typewritten collections, Les Miserables (1937 to 1943) and Collected Verse (1937 to 1943), which contained 31 and 46 poems respectively. These collections (Stafford called them "put-togethers") were bound as small chapbooks, six by nine inches, between card covers cut from manila folders.
These first two volumes were followed on January 8, 1945, by Survivors–Poems of 1944, 47 poems assembled at Belden camp on the Feather River in northern California, the start of a sequence of annual books for 1945 through 1950, and two volumes of poems of various years between 1941 and 1960.
These 12 valuable handmade books, containing almost 600 unique poems, represent the poet's personal selection of work written in the two decades before his first published collection in 1960. We can add to them now a surprise recent gift to the archives, a quite different selection, Some of the Words We Said, sent to his fellow CO Tom Polk Miller in August 1945, and generously donated to the college by Miller's nephew Eric Ladner. Most of these wartime and early poems remained unseen by the public until Fred Marchant's selections were published last year in Another World Instead.
William Stafford and Memoir
Stafford's habit of creating small personal volumes continued when he began to publish his work. For each of his major collections, from Harper & Row, Graywolf Press, Perishable Press, Confluence Press, and Honeybrook Press, Stafford assembled a "put-together" of his documentary copies for the book. These half-page typescripts, with accompanying correspondence files, preserve all the revisions, records of submissions and acceptances, and editorial decisions that went into 33 volumes between 1960 and 1993, an extraordinarily complete record of a busy lifetime's work.
Stafford never wrote a formal autobiography, but the archives contain brief, and sometimes more extended, passages of carefully penned reminiscence. (In addition we have the wartime narrative Down in My Heart, short autobiographical pieces in the Michigan books, and Kim Stafford's memoir Early Morning: Remembering My Father, William Stafford.) And the meticulously preserved daily writings themselves can be seen as a formal documentary record of a life.
Then there are the thousands of photographic negatives, documenting not only the growth of a family of children, but also a surprisingly full catalog of the poets encountered by Stafford over many decades. At myriad poetry readings, social gatherings, symposia, and literary conclaves, most notably during his 1970-71 tenure as poet laureate at the Library of Congress, Stafford was a constant, almost invisible presence behind his camera, recording his colleagues, sometimes in fine portraits, often in refreshing informality.
Through the careful work of Patty Wixon in digitizing the surviving readings and interviews, and through the video recordings of Vincent Wixon, Michael Markee, Haydn Reiss, and others, we also possess hundreds of hours of William Stafford on screen. Stafford was not a seeker of the limelight, but he saw to it that his life and work were adequately recorded.
Looking to the Future
William Stafford's papers are a national treasure. As part of its custodial responsibilities, Lewis & Clark will create the first digitized archives of a major 20th-century poet. Digitization will offer an opportunity for general access to important drafts and annotated typescripts illustrating the entire working process of this prolific writer. It will also be possible to display a large selection of his photographs, the important visual dimension of Stafford's creative life. Digital access to the extensive audio and video recordings will also preserve the voice of a 1960s pioneer of public poetry readings, and a particularly responsive interviewee.
All these materials are ideally suited to digital presentation. At the same time, the process of digitization will preserve fragile manuscript and film materials, some of them 60 years old and in danger both of deterioration and of becoming inaccessible because of changes in technology.
As the key to the entire archives, the Special Collections staff (Doug Erickson, Jeremy Skinner, and Paul Merchant) will complete and entirely upgrade the partial Stafford bibliography by the late James Pirie, former Watzek librarian. They will convert it from a typed document to an online listing linked to texts and related visual and spoken materials.
All these materials–digital and tangible– will be invaluable for teachers of literature and of 20th-century history. Already at Lewis & Clark, William Stafford's poem drafts have been studied in poetry classes at the Northwest Writing Institute and in the English department. In addition, the archives have provided work to a half dozen work-study students, giving them hands-on experience in the essentials of bibliographical and archival processes.
Finally, the papers reflect Stafford's role in two literary developments we now take for granted: the public reading of poetry, and writing workshops. The William Stafford Archives are the fruits of a long, varied, and productive life, and it is important that the full documentation of that life become available to the widest possible audience.
Paul Merchant is archivist for the William Stafford Archives and has coedited two collections of William Stafford's prose. He has also published four volumes of his own poetry, most recently Some Business of Affinity, which was a finalist for the 2008 Oregon Book Award in poetry.
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