text:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, following historic Christian theology since the time of the early Church Fathers, refers to the Catholic Church as "the universal sacrament of salvation" (CCC 774–776), and states: "The Church in this world is the sacrament of salvation, the sign and the instrument of the communion of God and men" (CCC 780).
Many people misunderstand the nature of this teaching.
Indifferentists, going to one extreme, claim that it makes no difference what church one belongs to. Certain radical traditionalists, going to the other extreme, claim that unless one is a full-fledged, baptized member of the Catholic Church, one will be damned.
The following quotations from the Church Fathers give the straight story. They show that the early Church held the same position on this as the contemporary Church does—that is, while it is normatively necessary to be a Catholic to be saved (see CCC846; Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 14), there are exceptions, and it is possible in some circumstances for people to be saved who have not been fully initiated into the Catholic Church (CCC847).
Notice that the same Fathers who declare the normative necessity of being Catholic also declare the possibility of salvation for some who are not Catholics.
These can be saved by what later came to be known as "baptism of blood" or " baptism of desire" (for more on this subject, see the Fathers Know Best tract, The Necessity of Baptism).
The Fathers likewise affirm the possibility of salvation for those who lived before Christ and who were not part of Israel, the Old Testament People of God.
However, for those who knowingly and deliberately (that is, not out of innocent ignorance) commit the sins of heresy (rejecting divinely revealed doctrine) or schism (separating from the Catholic Church and/or joining a schismatic church), no salvation would be possible until they repented and returned to live in Catholic unity.
Ignatius of Antioch
"Be not deceived, my brethren: If anyone follows a maker of schism [i.e., is a schismatic], he does not inherit the kingdom of God; if anyone walks in strange doctrine [i.e., is a heretic], he has no part in the passion [of Christ]. Take care, then, to use one Eucharist, so that whatever you do, you do according to God: For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup in the union of his blood; one altar, as there is one bishop, with the presbytery and my fellow servants, the deacons" (Letter to the Philadelphians 3:3–4:1 [A.D. 110]).
Justin Martyr
"We have been taught that Christ is the first-begotten of God, and we have declared him to be the Logos of which all mankind partakes [John 1:9]. Those, therefore, who lived according to reason [Greek, logos] were really Christians, even though they were thought to be atheists, such as, among the Greeks, Socrates, Heraclitus, and others like them. . . . Those who lived before Christ but did not live according to reason [logos] were wicked men, and enemies of Christ, and murderers of those who did live according to reason [logos], whereas those who lived then or who live now according to reason [logos] are Christians. Such as these can be confident and unafraid" (First Apology 46 [A.D. 151]).
"In the Church God has placed apostles, prophets, teachers, and every other working of the Spirit, of whom none of those are sharers who do not conform to the Church, but who defraud themselves of life by an evil mind and even worse way of acting. Where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church and all grace" (Against Heresies3:24:1 [A.D. 189]).
"[The spiritual man] shall also judge those who give rise to schisms, who are destitute of the love of God, and who look to their own special advantage rather than to the unity of the Church; and who for trifling reasons, or any kind of reason which occurs to them, cut in pieces and divide the great and glorious body of Christ, and so far as in them lies, destroy it—men who prate of peace while they give rise to war, and do in truth strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel. For they can bring about no 'reformation' of enough importance to compensate for the evil arising from their schism. . . . True knowledge is that which consists in the doctrine of the apostles, and the ancient constitution of the Church throughout all the world, and the distinctive manifestation of the body of Christ according to the successions of the bishops, by which they have handed down that Church which exists in every place [i.e., the Catholic Church]" (ibid., 4:33:7–8).
Clement of Alexandria
"Before the coming of the Lord, philosophy was necessary for justification to the Greeks; now it is useful for piety . . . for it brought the Greeks to Christ as the law did the Hebrews" (Miscellanies1:5 [A.D. 208]).
"[T]here was never a time when God did not want men to be just; he was always concerned about that. Indeed, he always provided beings endowed with reason with occasions for practicing virtue and doing what is right. In every generation the wisdom of God descended into those souls which he found holy and made them to be prophets and friends of God" (Against Celsus 4:7 [A.D. 248]).
"If someone from this people wants to be saved, let him come into this house so that he may be able to attain his salvation. . . . Let no one, then, be persuaded otherwise, nor let anyone deceive himself: Outside of this house, that is, outside of the Church, no one is saved; for, if anyone should go out of it, he is guilty of his own death" (Homilies on Joshua 3:5 [A.D. 250]).
Cyprian of Carthage
"Whoever is separated from the Church and is joined to an adulteress [a schismatic church] is separated from the promises of the Church, nor will he that forsakes the Church of Christ attain to the rewards of Christ. He is an alien, a worldling, and an enemy. He cannot have God for his Father who has not the Church for his mother" (The Unity of the Catholic Church 6, 1st ed. [A.D. 251]).
"Let them not think that the way of life or salvation exists for them, if they have refused to obey the bishops and priests, since the Lord says in the book of Deuteronomy: 'And any man who has the insolence to refuse to listen to the priest or judge, whoever he may be in those days, that man shall die' [Deut. 17:12]. And then, indeed, they were killed with the sword . . . but now the proud and insolent are killed with the sword of the Spirit, when they are cast out from the Church. For they cannot live outside, since there is only one house of God, and there can be no salvation for anyone except in the Church" (Letters 61[4]:4 [A.D. 253]).
"When we say, 'Do you believe in eternal life and the remission of sins through the holy Church?' we mean that remission of sins is not granted except in the Church" (ibid., 69[70]:2 [A.D. 253]).
"Peter himself, showing and vindicating the unity, has commanded and warned us that we cannot be saved except by the one only baptism of the one Church. He says, 'In the ark of Noah a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. Similarly, baptism will in like manner save you" [1 Peter 3:20-21]. In how short and spiritual a summary has he set forth the sacrament of unity! In that baptism of the world in which its ancient wickedness was washed away, he who was not in the ark of Noah could not be saved by water. Likewise, neither can he be saved by baptism who has not been baptized in the Church which is established in the unity of the Lord according to the sacrament of the one ark" (ibid., 73[71]:11).
"[O]utside the Church there is no Holy Spirit, sound faith moreover cannot exist, not alone among heretics, but even among those who are established in schism" (Treatise on Rebaptism 10 [A.D. 256]).
"It is, therefore, the Catholic Church alone which retains true worship. This is the fountain of truth; this, the domicile of faith; this, the temple of God. Whoever does not enter there or whoever does not go out from there, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation. . . . Because, however, all the various groups of heretics are confident that they are the Christians and think that theirs is the Catholic Church, let it be known that this is the true Church, in which there is confession and penance and which takes a health-promoting care of the sins and wounds to which the weak flesh is subject" (Divine Institutes 4:30:11–13 [A.D. 307]).
"Heretics bring sentence upon themselves since they by their own choice withdraw from the Church, a withdrawal which, since they are aware of it, constitutes damnation. Between heresy and schism there is this difference: that heresy involves perverse doctrine, while schism separates one from the Church on account of disagreement with the bishop. Nevertheless, there is no schism which does not trump up a heresy to justify its departure from the Church" (Commentary on Titus 3:10–11 [A.D. 386]).
"We believe also in the holy Church, that is, the Catholic Church. For heretics violate the faith itself by a false opinion about God; schismatics, however, withdraw from fraternal love by hostile separations, although they believe the same things we do. Consequently, neither heretics nor schismatics belong to the Catholic Church; not heretics, because the Church loves God; and not schismatics, because the Church loves neighbor" (Faith and the Creed 10:21 [A.D. 393]).
"[J]ust as baptism is of no profit to the man who renounces the world in words and not in deeds, so it is of no profit to him who is baptized in heresy or schism; but each of them, when he amends his ways, begins to receive profit from that which before was not profitable, but was yet already in him" (On Baptism, Against the Donatists 4:4[6] [A.D. 400]).
"I do not hesitate to put the Catholic catechumen, burning with divine love, before a baptized heretic. Even within the Catholic Church herself we put the good catechumen ahead of the wicked baptized person . . . For Cornelius, even before his baptism, was filled up with the Holy Spirit [Acts 10:44–48], while Simon [Magus], even after his baptism, was puffed up with an unclean spirit [Acts 8:13–19]" (ibid., 4:21[28]).
"The apostle Paul said, 'As for a man that is a heretic, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him' [Titus 3:10]. But those who maintain their own opinion, however false and perverted, without obstinate ill will, especially those who have not originated the error of bold presumption, but have received it from parents who had been led astray and had lapsed . . . those who seek the truth with careful industry and are ready to be corrected when they have found it, are not to be rated among heretics" (Letters 43:1 [A.D. 412]).
"Whoever is separated from this Catholic Church, by this single sin of being separated from the unity of Christ, no matter how estimable a life he may imagine he is living, shall not have life, but the wrath of God rests upon him" (ibid., 141:5).
Fulgentius of Ruspe
"Anyone who receives the sacrament of baptism, whether in the Catholic Church or in a heretical or schismatic one, receives the whole sacrament; but salvation, which is the strength of the sacrament, he will not have, if he has had the sacrament outside the Catholic Church [and remains in deliberate schism]. He must therefore return to the Church, not so that he might receive again the sacrament of baptism, which no one dare repeat in any baptized person, but so that he may receive eternal life in Catholic society, for the obtaining of which no one is suited who, even with the sacrament of baptism, remains estranged from the Catholic Church" (The Rule of Faith 43 [A.D. 524]).


text:
I'm trying to identify where roads intersect each other, and to make a point at this intersection, with the number of roads that form the intersection listed.
I was wondering if there was some way of using ST_NumPoints to achieve this but I can't quite figure out what I should be doing. What I have done is to create a table of points where the lines intersect using the following code:
CREATE TABLE test_points as
ST_Intersection(a.geom, b.geom),
roads as a,
roads as b
ST_Touches(a.geom, b.geom);
If I run this on a sample of roads I get the following grid of points (the roads are shown for illustration):
If I inspect one of the points, I see that there are many points stacked on top of each other:
The GID here is the road ID, but I don't understand why there are some many points. I can understand 4 points being counted for a central road intersection, but there are 12 points listed here. Is there a better way to perform this calculation in PostGIS?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A flash flood watch had been issued by the Nashville office of the National Weather Service the evening before. Meteorologists expected two to three inches of rain an hour, and almost no one was prepared.
That included the 4,000 or so people who lived in Waverly, a small town an hour and a half west of Nashville.
The rain began just before 1 a.m. on August 21, 2021. After sunrise, the water was so deep that it was forcingfamilies from their homes and trapping others. In the course of a day, 21 inches of rain fell on Waverly and overflowed local creeks. The sound of helicopters filled the air while rescue boats cruised on top of the brown floodwaters below. The flood tore through Waverly and surrounding Humphreys County and killed 20 people.
Waverly is the largest city in the county. It was hit hard. There's been a lot of effort to rebuild. But many people are still a long way from a full recovery, and it's unclear if the community will ever be the same.
Building new memories
Some lifelong residents have left the town. The trauma was enough for longtimers, like Linda Balthrop, to count their losses and leave Waverly.
"It came fast," Balthrop says, "in a flash."
Balthrop, who's in her mid-70s, survived the flood with her husband. But in the year since, they've moved closer to their daughter and grandchildren in Mississippi.
"Coming back to Waverly and seeing it, I kind of admire the people that have stuck around," Balthrop says, "because it's really depressing here."
She and her husband had lived in their old home for nearly 50 years. But Balthrop is ready to put those memories behind her.
"If I were here, it wouldn't be as easy to do that because it's all around us, you know, all this destruction," Balthrop says. "But I think we're better off where we are now."
The house was the highest home in the neighborhood. It wasn't considered part of the floodplain, but the waters still reached it. It's since been remodeled by a family member.
Recounting the damage
Floodwaters damaged dozens of businesses and destroyed most of Waverly's public housing. Waverly Elementary School and Waverly Junior High School had to be abandoned.
Earlier this month, kids were supposed to start school in a remodeled boot factory, but there were construction delays. Renovation costs are expected to reach $11.7 million, with most of the bill covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
People harmed by the flood have received more than $7 million from FEMA. Millions of dollars have also been allocated to Waverly for road, bridge and other projects. Tennessee's statewide emergency management agency has also been working with federal leaders to map out possible flood mitigation projects.
Scientists say that extreme weather disasters are increasingly likely as climate change leads to heavier rainfalls. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been conducting studies to prevent flooding from doing this kind of damage again.
"One of these studies will take 18 months," Waverly Mayor Buddy Frazier says. "So, you know, we've got to be patient while that's going on."
Frazier grew up in Waverly and used to be a local police officer. But the place he knew before the flood could be slipping away. Many people were displaced by the flood and haven't had the option to come back. One of those families were his tenants.
"They all survived. But then they had to relocate," Frazier says. "So we lost a good family. That's another one of the casualties, is what it is."
A lonely recovery
The displacements are expected to hurt sales and property tax revenues. But Waverly still has people who have made their way back.
"It's going to sound so cheesy. I always wanted to own a house, and I never thought I was going to be able to, because I've been disabled for a very long time," Gary Jackson says. "We were able to get this house, and I just couldn't bring myself to give it up."
Jackson has Type 1 diabetes, which caused him to lose a leg. He's been staying outside of Waverly and is now getting ready to move back. But the destruction is still hard to shake.
"Sometimes it's waking up in the middle of the night because you're having a bad dream," Jackson says. "Sometimes it's just not being able to sleep at all because you're just overthinking about what happened and what you could have done differently."
Jackson said his mind replays the moment his dog was sucked underneaththe raging water.
He moved to Waverly in 2017. His home is one of several rebuilt by Christian ministry group Appalachia Service Project. His new home represents the progress since the first days after the flood, when roads had washed away, and cars were stuck in trees.
Waverly has had a history of flooding. No one knows when another deadly flood could come through, or what long-term recovery will really look like. Pointing across his neighborhood, Jackson says he just hopes that things can get back to the way they were.
"That house is empty. They're all empty until you get to the other end of the street. And most of those are gone. Debbie's gone," Jackson says.
"And, I forget his name, he's gone right now" Jackson continues, "don't know if they're coming back or not, I haven't talked to them. But it's just lonely. It just looks lonely."
Copyright 2022 WPLN


text:
If you search for child abuse on Bing - Microsoft will know
Microsoft's Bing search engine has become the first in the world to introduce pop-up notifications for those who decide to seek out child abuse content including child pornography. The system will be launching in the United Kingdom first.
The new system will first notify users that they are searching for illegal content and offer details on available counseling services.
Yahoo, which uses Bing search results, says it may also be implementing a similar technology in the future. Google on the other hand, states that it will continue to report material, but has no plans to use pop-up notifications.
It doesn't seem to be a coincidence that Bing is now reacting to child abuse content searched in the UK, as the prime minister recently stated that companies needed to do more to block access to such images.
The Bing popup is only triggered by certain blacklist words compiled by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). A spokesman from Microsoft stated the purpose of the new pop up system is designed "to stop those who may be drifting towards trying to find illegal child abuse content on the web via search engines."
Another spokesman commented on Microsoft's past fight against child exploitation:
The prime minister had requested a notification that would warn people about the consequences of searching out such content including "losing their job, their family, and even access to their children."
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
Bing's initiative is a positive step forward, but Google still holds an 88% share of the UK search engine market and until the Mountain View, California company jumps in on the notification warnings – they are will go unnoticed and be useless to 88% of the population.
Lastly, the UK government stated that Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Twitter would allow the Internet Watch Foundation to actively seek out abusive images; this movement was put into effect last month.
What do you think about Bing's new popup notification system for child abuse content – is it enough?
Source: BBC


text:
This post will list the modification timeline of my 2008 STi, and will be udpated as time permits. #BecauseDailyDrivenRacecar Read More
Windows, (Disable) Nagle's Algorithm, and gaming…
Much like HDTV buffs notice the most minute imperfections in video, gamers can basically feel the delay between when they enter a command and when their game performs the intended command. This is called latency, which can be essentially cut in half by disabling Nagle's Algorithm … Read More
FIX: Internet Explorer 11 OWA Clipboard Paste (Exchange 2013)
Recently started having an issue using my clipboard in OWA (Outlook Web Access). I wasn't able to paste, either via keyboard shortcut or right-click menu. I would have to first paste into a blank word document and then highlight and drag the text into the OWA editor window. I'm not sure if its related to Windows 8 or the 8.1 upgrade, Internet Explorer 11, or the Exchange 2013 environment. Regardless, this is how I worked around the problem. Read More
Porsche & Aston Martin GT3/GT4 Cars at Thermal Club (Thermal, CA)
March 1, 2014 – I was invited out Thermal Club by a fellow subie-pal, Shane R. The very recent inclement weather kept some of the other teams from showing up, but The Racer's Group/Aston Martin Racing and TruSpeed were out getting some test laps in. From what I gather, more teams showed up in the afternoon but I had other responsibilities waiting at home that required my attention so I head to head out. Read More
FIX: Office 2013 Install (Upgrade) – Error 1921. Service 'Windows Font Cache Service' (FontCache) could not be stopped…
I got around to upgrading to Office 2013 from 2010 today on my Windows 8 machine and ran into an issue with the "Windows Font Cache Service." I didn't think to screenshot the error, but it occurred right after I chose the options I wanted and clicked the 'Upgrade' button. The installer didn't hang, it just wasn't able to progress at all and gave me the message about being unable to stop the service. I tried to stop it manually from the services management console, which failed with an error stating it couldn't be stopped and to contact my system administrator.
I'm not one to carry on conversations with myself so I did some searching and most of the results said to uninstall the previous version before installing 2013, but there's an easier way…
Industrial Photoshoot – Twin 08 STis
Photos by: Edward Chang
So Ed and I have 2008 STis, they look pretty damn similar to folks who don't know much about them. We've been talking about taking them out for a shoot for a while and finally had a day where both of our cars had just been cleaned up. We were hanging out at a meet and agreed to head out at dusk for some shots. Later that evening we went to Palm Springs to what I assume was some sort of power diversion plant since it was surrounded by the infamous So Cal windmill forest. The creeper security guard, that appeared to be meth'ed nearly out of his mind, drove by several times and even jotted down our plates. He did explain some people were stealing copper but we believe there's a good chance he's the crook and is just looking for alibi. We told him we were there taking pictures for a magazine (clearly not the case). My car has the black roof and front mount intercooler, Edward's has a band-aid on the fender… injury by shopping cart. 😉
I will re-upload the photos once I get the original edits from Ed, these were downloaded from his facebook album and quality is a little lackluster.
HELLASICK of HELLAFLUSH, bring on the function…
DISCLAIMER: There are functional hella-flush setups out there. I'm even borderline hella-flush, albeit with big, fat, meaty tires. My frustration lies with the terms "poke" and "stretch". I'm not going to describe this nonsense to you, there is already plenty of attainable information with a little google-fu; I've linked a couple sources of information here.
I frequent a few automotive forums in the Subaru community. Over the past couple years the HELLA-FLUSH scene has really, uh…. blossomed… and getting a little out of hand, in my humble opinion anyways. So here is my very futile attempt at 'dysfunctional car' prevention. Read More
Components of my Home Office… Gaming & Work – "The Work(battle)station"
Gaming? Sure. Work? Sure. Both at the same time? Absolutely.
The brains; HULKSMASH
(I'm a bit of a Hulk fanboy and built the machine about 3 days after seeing Avengers.)
- Case: NZXT Phantom
- Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth Z77
- Processor: Intel I7-3770k Read More
2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Hatch – "theNoise" (Broken welds[?] = Squeak) *RESOLVED*
Update 2011.09.16: At this point I'm quite comfortable with saying that this issue was definitely related to the passenger side hatch damper. The issue persisted after spot welds were reinforced, and ceased after the dampers were replaced.
This began as a thread entitled " 2008 STi – Broken welds on rear roof support (metal on metal squeak)…" on a Subaru WRX STI enthusiast site, IWSTI.com. I had some free time so I decided to port it over here for safe keeping as well. I'll continue to keep both the thread and this post updated as things progress. Any post by an IWSTI.com member that I reply to I will include here. There are other replies from interested members in the thread that I didn't reply to, and aren't listed here. Please follow the link if you'd like those details as well.
Car: 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi (Hatch)
Problem: Broken welds on roof support near hatch opening causing metal on metal squeaking over bumps or in turns.
Update 2011.08.27; Could this have been misdiagnosed??? <- Click for more information. Read More
RaceComp Engineering "Yellows" for GR STi (RCE Yellows)… My story.
Manufacturer: RaceComp Engineering
Product Page: http://racecompengineering.com/osc/product_info.php?&products_id=125
Cost: $359 US
Install Difficulty: 2/5 [Installation Manual]
The presence of RaceComp Engineering (RCE) on IWSTI and other enthusiast forums is quite well known. Sure, they've established a solid reputation for providing great products using their expertise and knowledge only attainable by real world experience. For me though, what sets RCE apart, is their ability to do this and still maintain efficient communication practices with their customer base, both on a one-on-one basis and in the masses via web forums. For example, neglecting the three hour time difference, I called Myles at roughly 10pm PT when I was struggling with the removal of the bottom nuts on the front struts. Mind you, he's located in Maryland, he answered and was surprisingly pleasant with me and discussed the options I had based on what tools I had available to me. He didn't seem rushed or disrupted at any point during our nearly ten minute conversation… Read More
Firefox and its elusive "Temp Directory"…
When you view the web using any browser, whether it be Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, etc., your computer stores all the HTML, images, and other files as you go in a temporary location on your computer. Typically these files are cleared out once the specified size limit is reached, however more savvy users (see: nerds) prefer to have this done on a more frequent basis. Some also prefer to change the location where these files are stored to avoid clutter or hard drive performance knocks. Having an SSD as my OS drive, I choose to store these files on a separate HDD.
For firefox users, changing your "Temp Directory" isn't quite as easy as it is in Internet Explorer. In fact, no matter how hard the average Joe looks for it, he'll find himself either tearing what hair he has left out, or giving up… So here you go!
1. Open Firefox and in the address bar, type: about:config Read More


text:
"Victory Kiss at Times Square ", Nov.4, 2008. Photograph by Anthony Almeida.
Usually when someone comes up to you at an at fair and tries to present their work, it's at the least bad timing and at the worst a presumptuous intrusion. The point of a fair is so clearly for dealers to sell work that it's obviously inappropriate. Sometimes, however, someone comes up to you in a nice way - as did Anthony Almeida - who said he enjoyed my blog and gallery and had one picture he thought I might like.
Well, he'd certainly done his homework because this is absolutely a kind of picture I like. It's visceral, engaging, romantic, historic, well composed, and the 8x10 inch print he gave me was sharp as a tack. I asked for further information and got this reply:
Hi James,
This photo was taken at Times Square, on Election Night, Nov. 4, 2008, during the four second interval of "the kiss". At about eleven o'clock, when the crowd realized that Obama was victorious, a roar, like rolling thunder ensued. Soon after, my vantage point allowed me to capture the jubilation of the crowd on the bleachers in the foreground, as well as the historical event unfolding on the jumbotron. After reflecting on the image of the kiss, which lasted only a few seconds, framed by transient bill boards, I somehow felt it had somehow sealed a far reaching event long in the making.
I've been an active photographer and teacher of photography for almost 40 years. I originally studied with Lisette Model; although much of my work is quite diversified, most of it deals with humanistic themes. "Circles of the Heart"is a thirty five year photo essay which celebrates the beauty and diversity reflected by individuals from all cultures. The new spirit of humanism ushered in by Barack Obama's Presidency is, in a sense, a validation of so much of what my work has been striving to achieve.
He shoots and writes from the heart. You've got to love this guy!


text:
Shaft Housing Needs Constant Replacement
February 13, 2014
For many years I had a Sears Weedwacker (line trimmer) and a Brushwacker (blade trimmer) and had great service from both. As they aged and became a little harder to start, and I aged and had problems pulling the starter rope, I decided that I needed to find something easier to use.
I ended up buying a Troy Bilt unit because Troy Bilt has always been a brand that stood for quality. It came with provisions for an electric starter, and had interchangeable cutting heads so I only had to have one unit that I could use as either a Weedwacker or Brushwacker.
Things were OK for a while, then I started having problems with the lower drive shaft housing. The problem is that the coupler, called an EZ-Link, that allows the conversion from one head to another, is held in place by a clamp and a release button that attaches to the lower shaft by way of a small flat spring. The problem is that when you use the blade head, all of the torque from swinging into a thick weed or small tree is applied to that release button, even with the clamp tightened down. So far I have had to replace that shaft housing twice, which means I have used three of them in the approximately three years that I have had the unit. Troy Bilt (now a part of MTD) replaced the first one under warranty for me, but I had to buy the second one, which cost a little less than half of what the entire unit cost.
The EZ-Link is connected to the upper shaft housing by a single screw that goes into a captive bolt on the housing itself. When the lower housing is tightly secured the torque from the blade cutting now is transmitted to the upper shaft housing and that one screw. So, just recently I noticed that things were a little loose while using the blade. I inspected it, and found that the captive bolt was nearly destroyed and the hole for the screw was now an ellipse. Therefore, the entire EZ-Link and lower shaft housing were free to rotate about 45 degrees and was rapidly getting worse. So, I went back to Troy Bilt for a replacement upper shaft housing and another EZ-Link, again at a cost about half of the cost of the entire unit.
While the idea of interchangeable heads like this is a good one, I certainly feel that the attachment technique was designed by monkeys and Troy Bilt should go back to the drawing board to improve the design and supply a retrofit for current owners. Otherwise I am going to have to be paying around $80 every year or so to replace one or the other of these shafts and the associated EZ-Link.
Tell us your experiences with Monkey-designed products. Send stories to Lauren Muskett for Made by Monkeys.
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These rules are disclosed to clarify the various responsibilities of all community members here on TheGamesDb.net. They shall be adhered to by everyone to ensure that our board runs smoothly and provides a fun and productive experience for all of our community members and visitors.
Site Rules
Adding a new game entry
- Add a new game if there is no entry for the game or its edition or region/country.
- Do not duplicate entries.
- Edit existing entry if the game data is incorrect.
- Be careful editing the main title. Do not change it to something completely different.
- Allowed changes: grammar, spelling, etc fixes
Examples:- "legend of zelda ocarina of time 3D" -> "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D"
- "Judgement" -> "Judgment"
- Avoid major changes
Examples:- "Life is Strange: Episode 1 - Chrysalis" -> "Life is Strange"
- Alien: Isolation -> Alien: Isolation [Nostromo Edition]
- Allowed changes: grammar, spelling, etc fixes
- Main title should be the romanized title of the earliest release in a selected region and country with its original (if any) and English variants in the Alternates field.
- Main title should match the title in the press release or legal documents. If they don't exist or can't be found, then the main title should match the box art as close as possible.
- If the games has no own name format (i.g. in press release or legal documents) these naming rules/patterns should be used:
- Title: Subtitle - Chapter
Example: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords - Title [Edition] - if edition refers to a special release of the original game
Examples:- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords [Platinum Hits]
- Age of Empires III [Collector's Edition]
- Gears of War 3 [Not for Retail]
- Title: Edition - if the edition refers a new collection/compilation
Examples:- Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
- All words in English titles begin with a capital letter. Articles and prepositions shouldn't be written with a capital letter unless it's the first word in title, subtitle or chapter.
- Title: Subtitle - Chapter
- Alternate titles naming rules/patterns are the same as main title rules/patterns
- Allowed alt titles:
- Name of game on a different platform or in a different region that is different from the main title.
Examples:- Contra / Probotector
- Castlevania: Bloodlines / Vampire Killer
- Official abbreviations of the title.
Examples:- PUBG - PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
- DotA - Defense of the Ancients
- Unofficial commonly used abbreviations of the title.
Examples:- TLoU - The Last of Us
- RDR - Red Dead Redemption
- Informal commonly used titles.
Example: Amogus for Among Us
- Name of game on a different platform or in a different region that is different from the main title.
- Not allowed alternate titles
- Full title or same as main title.
- Main title with changed or removed punctuation
Examples:- Assassins Creed Syndicate - Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
- Dungeons Dragons Dark Alliance - Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance
- Substrings
Examples:- Vice City - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Division - Tom Clancy's The Division
- Different entries in the same series
Examples:- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - Assassin's Creed: Unity
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
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- If the exact release day is unknown (only month and year are known) use the first day of the corresponding month.
- If the exact release month is unknown (only year is known) use January 1st of the corresponding year.
- If release date is unknown use 1970-01-01
- Edition release date must be the date of the specific edition
- Enter the number of maximum possible players in any game mode.
- If maximum possible players in any game mode is unknown enter 1.
- Select "Yes" if there is co-op mode in any game mode.
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- Enter link to official release trailer.
- Select genre(s) for every entry
- Use the "GBA Video / PSP Video" genre for GBA and PSP video entries.
- Use the "Unofficial" genre for unofficial releases and hacks.
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- If the entry is not US release choose "Not rated"
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- Front and back covers:
- 1 front and 1 back cover per entry.
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- Images should be of actual gameplay.
- Not title screen.
- Not any menu-systems.
- Images must not contain game titles or any part of it.
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- Enter unique ID for the game in selected region/country
Examples:- SLUS-20946 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Sony Playstation 2, NTSC)
- RVL-RSBP-RUS - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo Wii, PAL, Russia)
- UIDs are disabled for some platforms. Request enabling them on:
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Adding a new game entry


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If you are looking for residential painters in the Lubbock, TX area who will do great work and provide excellent customer service, D. Bradley Painting is here for you. The pictures below are just a sample of the work we have completed. We'd appreciate the opportunity to add your project to this page!
We realize the decision to hire a professional painter to complete projects in a home can be a difficult one. Many homeowners feel that painting is something they can take on only to find out too late that it was more difficult and time consuming than they thought or remembered. Then they'll call a professional in and end up wasting a lot of time and spending twice as much money.
With D. Bradley Painting, you can be sure the project will be done right the first time. We work hard to give our customers an excellent experience from beginning to end. We will work fast, but not sloppy, minimizing the interruption to your life.
If you've worked with other residential painters in the Lubbock, TX area, you may notice a difference in how we work during the first interaction. We know that when you are looking to have a project completed in your home, responsiveness from a painting contractor is important. Although there are times where we are working on another painting job and may be unable to take your call, we will get back to you as soon as we get an opportunity.
When you work with us, we will let you know the planned work schedule as soon as we can and will keep you up to date as we progress on bigger jobs. Upon completion of the project, we will confirm your happiness with our work and answer any questions you may have.
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Information Possibly Outdated
The information presented on this page was originally released on June 17, 2022. It may not be outdated, but please search our site for more current information. If you plan to quote or reference this information in a publication, please check with the Extension specialist or author before proceeding.
Favorable weather produces good quality watermelons
RAYMOND, Miss. -- Watermelon production in Mississippi is off to a good start in the early days of harvest season.
"Right now, everything looks really good," said Heath Steede, Mississippi State University Extension agent in George County. "They're pulling them pretty hot and heavy right now."
So far, weather conditions have been favorable. Fields have gotten the right mix of rain and clear skies.
Watermelons require a balance of rain, sun and warm weather to reach peak size and sweetness. Rains early in the growing season help melons grow to the proper size, but too much rain later on can introduce disease and cause the crop to ruin. Cloudy skies also reduce melon sweetness.
"Melon quality is good," said Steede, who works with seven commercial growers in his county. "The dry weather we've been having hurts other crops, but for watermelons it has been what we needed. We haven't had any excess water, which makes them less sweet."
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Crop Progress and Condition Report issued June 12, watermelon quality is 67% good and 31% fair. Harvest is 10% complete compared to 7% at this time last year.
Growers have seen an average amount of disease but nothing out of the ordinary, Steede said.
"There is some disease just like always," he said. "But it is nothing we don't normally see."
As with other crops, growers need good weather at every stage of crop production. If the weather turns rainy, the crop could suffer.
"If we do start getting a lot of rain, that will increase disease and hurt melon quality," Steede said.
Wholesale prices are not as good as in years past because of supply.
"There are a lot of watermelons across the Southeast this year," Steede said. "No one is knocking down doors to buy this year. They are selling but for less money."
Most of Mississippi's watermelons are grown in the southeast portion of the state. However, north Mississippi does produce some watermelons. Reid Nevins, an Extension agent in Lowndes County who has one commercial producer in his county, said production is on track for the area.
"What I've seen of his crop looks really good," he said. "Harvest is later here in north Mississippi than in south Mississippi, but the crop is progressing like it should."
Watermelon crops in north Mississippi will not be ready until around July 4.
"I don't know of any problems with watermelons. I haven't gotten any calls for that," Nevins said. "I've had a lot of calls about tomatoes, though."


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When Steve Jobs died, there was a lot of talk about who would be the next Steve Jobs. But the truth is, rarely can one person reshape the future. And breakthroughs are almost never the work of corporate titans.
Still, new technologies and the people who create them can give us a glimpse of what our future might look like. So as we head into 2013 here are my picks of five interesting technologists to keep an eye on.
In Silicon Valley and around the world there are thousands of folks toiling away on new technologies, convinced that the thing they are building will transform the way we live. And sometimes they are right.
Regina Dugan says there's a lesson in that. As she told a TED conference last year, "You should be nice to nerds. In fact I'd go so far as to say if you don't already have a nerd in your life you should get one."
Dugan is a huge fan of the nerd. She used to run DARPA, the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency. DARPA helped create self-driving cars and supported the invention of the Internet.
So I decided to take Dugan's advice and introduce you to five techies whose research and work I will be keeping a close eye on in the coming year.
Nerd No. 1 is Dugan herself. At DARPA she oversaw a diverse group of projects — from developing a space glider that flies at 20 times the speed of sound to research into what it would take to bring high-tech manufacturing back to the United States.
Now Dugan is at Google, overseeing advanced research and technology for Motorola. She's keeping mum about what she's up to. I'm intensely curious — and we should hear more soon.
But in the meantime, on to nerd No. 2 — Babak Parviz. Ten years ago when he was a newly minted professor working on nanotechnology, Parviz would get up every morning thinking about his work and blindly groping his way to the bathroom to put in his contact lenses.
"So every morning I had this in my mind — how to make small things and how to put small things in new places," he recalled. "And every morning I was staring at this piece of plastic at the tip of my ... finger."
It wasn't long before he wondered if he could put tiny circuits on a contact lens itself. "What would that enable?" he wondered.
Ten years later, he is still working on it. "That got us started on a pretty interesting journey," he says.
Now Parviz is developing smart lenses that can talk to devices like your phone and display text. Other lenses could read body sugar levels someday. And a few are operated with such low power they can run on solar.
Parviz now splits his time between the University of Washington and Google, where he founded Google Glass. Google Glasses are smart, wirelessly connected glasses. Think of them as another tiny screen but this one is less than an inch from your eye.
Meet nerd No 3. Andreas Raptopoulos is willing to admit his idea is kind of out there.
It is called Matternet. And Matternet might be easier to understand if we start with the problem it's trying to fix.
"There [are] 1 billion people in the world today that do not have access to all-season roads," Raptopoulos explains. "So that means in the rainy season when roads are washed out there's 1 billion people in the world that are disconnected from all social and economic activity."
They are cut off from doctors and medicine. There is no mail, no trade. So Raptopoulos wants to build an automated network of lightweight drones to carry small packages.
In much of sub-Saharan Africa, conventional phone service never arrived. The miles of wire needed to make it work were never strung. Instead mobile phones came first. Raptopoulos wonders if something similar is possible in transportation.
That is the idea behind Matternet. The drones would move matter like the Internet moves bits. And Raptopoulos argues the cost would be minuscule compared with paving over a huge portion of the planet.
But not all nerds are radicals. Some are trying to just tweak what already exists and make it more powerful. That's the case with nerd No. 4 — Gina Bianchini, the founder of Mightybell.
2012 was a tough year for social Internet companies. But Bianchini believes this wave is just beginning. With Mightybell she hopes to unlock social media's power by helping small groups of people organize easily and quickly in the real world.
The largest social networks today are really broadcasting platforms, where anyone can reach a large audience of friends or followers.
In the real world, the most effective groups tend to be smaller — and built around a common purpose. If I build a great book club or baby-sitting co-op, Mightybell hopes to help you clone what I've done online and re-create a similar group in your own community.
This isn't Bianchini's first shot at trying to unlock social media's untapped potential. She was the co-founder and CEO of what was once one of the hottest social networks in Silicon Valley — Ning. She appeared on magazine covers and Charlie Rose. Ning was valued at close to $1 billion. And then came the fall. Bianchini exited unexpectedly. Ning ended its free service. Growth stalled, and ultimately Ning was sold for a fraction of its former value.
But in that great Silicon Valley tradition, that didn't mean the end for Bianchini. Today she is back. And she is as convinced as ever that the power of social media is largely untapped.
And my final nerd to watch — Eddy Cue — is perched on the top of the world.
Cue runs software and Internet services at Apple. His portfolio includes iTunes and the App Store. After the Apple Maps debacle last year and the departure of Scott Forstall, Cue inherited Maps, and Siri as well.
Apple became the wealthiest, most valuable technology company in the world by creating new categories of mobile devices and ushering in the post-PC era. But many analysts believe that dominating the businesses Apple helped create won't hinge on the design of devices as much as the quality of service those devices deliver.
We want our mobile phones to give us directions, tell us about our commute before we leave the garage and help us find the best places to eat. Those are areas where Apple arguably lags behind the competition.
It's Cue's job to catch up. And if Apple is going to create a new multibillion-dollar market by reinventing TV, Cue will play a big role there as well.
But he won't do any of this alone.
In fact none of the men and women I just mentioned do much of anything alone. As Parviz pointed out at a recent TED talk, "I would hazard a guess that the era of the solo star scientist is probably over."
Today's big problems are so complex — so interdisciplinary — that all of these people make their marks working in teams.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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By Nolan Vallier, Elizabeth Hartman, Somer Pelczar, Carol Berthold, Jeremy Schmitt
[Printer Friendly] | [ Email us about these papers]Title: Mark Foutch Brass Band Music and Bass Drum, 1954-1977
Primary Creator: Foutch, Mark R. (1922-2002)
Extent: 24.5 cubic feet
Arrangement: Series 1 is organized by part. Series 2 is arranged into two subseries 1) Octavo Scores and 2) Concert Band Scores. Both subseries are organized alphabetically by title of piece. Series 3 is organized chronologically.
Date Acquired: 03/25/2016. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Bands, Instrumental music, Music - United States
Languages: English
Consists of sheet music and bass drum used by the Mark Foutch Band during Foutch's tenure as its founding band director beween 1954 and 1977, and later by guest conductors of the ensemble. Also includes sound recordings of the Band.
Dr. Mark R. Foutch was born in Oklahoma City, Oklaohoma on July 22, 1922, the son of Mark R. and Grace Wormood Foutch Sr. He began his music studies at an early age. He attended Springfield, Illinois schools as a child and eventually received his optometry degree in 1947 from Monroe College of Optometry. He was a World War II veteran and practiced optometry in Central Illinois for his entire career. Foutch played in various professional and community bands around the United States before forming his own commercial ensemble, "The Mark Foutch Brass Band", which he led from 1954 to 1977. The band was based in Champaign, Illinois and performed concerts in the the style of the "John Philip Sousa Band." In addition he served as the director of the Ansar Temple Shrine Jazz Band out of Springfield, Illinois. Foutch died on November 6, 2002 and was buried in Champaign, Illinois' Mount Hope Cemetery.
Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Additional sound recordings donated by Sue and Bruce Wood on March 29, 2016.
Addition of band octavos and concert music donated by Jerry Loyet on May 11, 2016.
Acquisition Source: Jerry Loyet
Acquisition Method: Gift.


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Beware the myths surrounding groundstrokes
This is an excerpt from Championship Tennis by Frank Giampaolo & Jon Levey.
Championship Tennis.
Groundstroke Myths
Unfortunately, tennis is full of stock teaching methodology that should be banished—well-intentioned, catchy phrases that have become dated or, worse yet, were never even correct to begin with. Here are a few of the bigger culprits concerning groundstrokes.
Roll over the ball for topspin. This is a favorite among TV commentators. Sadly, countless teaching pros are still using this phrase, too. Players try to time the racket roll at contact, resulting in shots that spray all over the court.
Here are the facts: Depending on the type of shot, the ball is on the strings for about 2 to 4 milliseconds. It takes another 150 to 200 milliseconds for an electrical signal to travel from a player's hand back to the brain. The brain then sends a new motor program back to the muscle group to begin the wrist roll. This takes an additional 150 to 200 milliseconds, by which time the ball is now 8 to 10 feet off the racket face toward the opponent's side of the court. In other words, it's impossible to roll over the ball for topspin. The spin comes from the brushing motion of a low-to-high swing path.
Watch the ball hit the strings. As mentioned earlier, the human eye cannot register a two-millisecond event. No one has ever seen a ball hit the strings. It's simply a blur. Keeping the head down and still through contact is the best recipe for a steady racket path through the strike zone. Watch film of the best baseliners, and it's easy to see how quiet they keep their head during their groundstrokes.
Skim the net. On television, it appears that professionals barely clear the net on their groundstrokes. This is rarely the case. The deception occurs because the television cameras at pro tour events are often placed high in the stadium. This angle offers a clear view of match play, but it distorts the trajectory of the ball flight.
In actuality, players use a variety of heights, generally dictated by their court positioning. This is often the result of managing the time between hits. When players are on the defensive, they generally hit higher to buy more time for recovery. Conversely, they move forward and hit harder and lower to take time away from a vulnerable opponent.
At the club level, a ball that barely clears the net lands midcourt and bounces perfectly into an opponent's primary strike zone; this is not recommended unless losing is the main objective. The net skimmer only becomes a smart choice when the opponent is transitioning to or established at the net and a passing shot is in order, or when an opponent is well behind the baseline and the player wants to bring her in, specifically if the opponent is weak at the net.
Stay down on groundstrokes. A player's center of gravity plays an important role in generating power and depth on groundstrokes. Three critical elements lift up on world-class strokes: the knees, the backside, and the racket face. Even on slice backhands, all three critical elements rise at completion of the stroke. If not, the resulting shot will lack pace and penetration. Players who prematurely lift their head before contact do indeed need to "keep their head down" through the shot. But it's a fallacy to apply the principle to the entire body.
Keep your eye on the ball. This is correct . . . half the time. Vision control plays various functions over the course of a point that are critical for consistent ball striking and court coverage. Narrow vision is applied on an incoming ball: watching it leave the opponent's racket, cross the net, and bounce up and into the strike zone. In this regard, a player should absolutely be keeping an eye on the ball.
Broad vision, on the other hand, is used to spot the dozens of visual clues after the ball leaves the racket toward the opponent's side of the court. Such clues include an opponent's court position, body language, strike zones, swing speed, and swing length. Broad vision is a crucial component of anticipatory speed. The best movers know how to assimilate the information from their broad vision and instinctively adjust their positioning accordingly.
Read more from Championship Tennis by Frank Giampaolo and Jon Levey.
More Excerpts From Championship TennisSHOP
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Hello OWS! I think you should start a new civilization.
Posted 10 years ago on Feb. 12, 2014, 4:08 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
The Plan,
Hello OWS!
I don't want to waste your time so I'll be brief.
I think you should start a new civilization.
If you can raise $7m for a rolling jubilee it should be easy to raise money for a new society. I read this fictional story called "Manna" where someone did this by getting everyone to pay $1k into a fund which was used to buy land, minerals, water, etc everything they would need. It had something like a million people sign up so they had a $billion to start out. After it was set up they went and rescued all the people [from capitalism] who paid into it and took them to this new society. Think about it...
Instead of funding a private militia to protect activists... or paying off fictional debt... or whatever flavour of the month political protest... just go whole hog. I have people sending me emails every day asking to join something like this. I would join something like this. It doesn't even have to be US based, you can get land and resources anywhere.
What do you say?

This wild proposal for crowdfunding a new society just landed in our inbox. What do you think? http://t.co/y4I20zDuym #OWS
— Occupy Wall Street (@OccupyWallSt) February 13, 2014


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Top 25 Christmas Books for 2011 part 2
9 The Twelve Days of Christmas - I picked up this vintage beauty last year, a beauty.
10 The Velveteen Rabbit - This version I found at a thrift store, but we used to read this around Christmas time and also listen to the Meryl Streep Narration, she reads it so beautifully.
11 Bear Noel - A winter story about animals in the woods awaiting Bear Noel.
12 Olive, the other Reindeer - Had to throw another comical one in here.
13 Silver Packages - A title we loved to read growing up, reflects upon kindness and love.
14 The Little Fir Tree - The old-fashioned charm of this one is delightful.
15 The Nutcracker - Love the Susan Jeffers illustrations of this version.
16 The Polar Express - Classic, we used to read this by flashlight around the train and tree.
17 A Christmas Story - The illustrations of this one are gorgeous, with lots of pretty gold!
18 Pashmina The Little Christmas Goat - This touching story is about how sacrifice can lead to great happiness, and I am drawn into the beautiful fresh watercolor art as well.
19 Federico and the Magi's Gift - A library pick, I enjoy the Latin tradition of the Wise Men delivering gifts post Christmas.
(*For titles 1-8 go here)


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Top 5 reasons to leave the accounting to us
an eBook for service-based businesses
Why service-based businesses should leave the accounting to us
You don't want just any accounting firm handling your complex work. We are accounting experts with extensive experience serving your unique industry. Complete the form to download your copy of our eBook.


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Move from Delhi to Chirkunda with the best Packers and Movers
EaseMyShift - The best packers and movers provides the facility of packing and moving goods and articles for household and commercial goods shifting from Delhi to Chirkunda.
Delhi to Chirkunda packers and movers help to ease out the shifting process and we are the best service provider for your one-stop shop for shifting solutions. The cost of our services depends on the quality of service, distance, total belongings, packing materials, season & timing of moving, manpower, type & size of the truck, etc.
We packers and movers offer the lowest price estimates from Delhi to Chirkunda.
Roles and Responsibilities while providing services with movers and packers from Delhi to Chirkunda.
- We will provide you with an assurance of on-time delivery on a written paper, which is decided based on the document. Customers can claim for loss in case of delay from our end.
- Once decided for hiring, A dedicated team will reach out from packers and movers at your home. the source manager will manage a team to help you in moving with your stuff and deliver them to your new destination.
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The path at Ejer Mountains
Ejer Bavnehøj or Møllehøj (Milltop) - is the highest points in Denmark. With 170.86 meters above sea level, Møllehøj is simply Denmark's highest natural point.
For a long time Himmelbjerget was considered to be the highest point in Denmark, but as land measurement was accurate from the middle of the 1800s, it was clear that Denmark's highest points was either Yding Skovhøj or Ejer Bavnehøj/Møllehøj.
In 2005 in the process of making accurate surveys experts found out that Denmark's highest natural point turned out to be Ejer Bavnehøj/Møllehøj.
So until new experts invent new methods el-clay new assumptions, we consider Ejer Mountains to have the record.
All this you can read more about the exhibition at the round information building - Ejer Bavnehøj


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If you've dreamed of leaving your company to your family but haven't sufficiently included your business in your estate plan, that dream could become a nightmare for your heirs—and for your business' team members and clients, too.
To ensure your company is passed to your family in exactly the way you desire, you want to create a comprehensive estate plan. The plan will likely include some of these key elements:
1. Living Trusts
Although you might think a will would sufficiently protect your business assets, a living trust will keep your business out of court, whereas a will won't. While a will coordinates the division of your assets following your death, a living trust is a separate legal entity that effectively owns your share of the business, though without any tax consequences or change of control until after your incapacity or death.
Unlike a will, assets put into a living trust are not subject to probate. Beyond avoiding the hassles of probate, this also means your business affairs will remain private. A living trust has several other advantages over wills: It transfers your assets immediately upon your death in the privacy of your attorney's office; it lets you designate a successor to take control of the business; and it saves on estate taxes, court costs, and legal fees.
2. Life Insurance
Unless your business generates significant cash flow—and will continue to do so upon your death—that income might not be enough to financially provide for your family. To offer a safety net for your heirs, team, and customers, invest in life insurance to provide liquidity while your family handles your affairs.
3. Buy-Sell Agreements
If your business has multiple owners, you'll likely need a buy-sell agreement. A buy-sell agreement ensures that upon certain conditions—like the death or disability of a partner—the remaining owners are able to purchase your shares of the business, or your shares will pass directly to your heirs.
This will prevent your beneficiaries from getting stuck owning a business they don't want and can't sell, and it also protects your remaining partners from being forced to deal with new owners they didn't count on.
4. Succession Plan
If you hope to pass control of your company to your family, you'll need a succession plan to make sure your heirs know how to successfully run the business you've created or sell the company without you.
If you want a specific family member (or team member) to run the business, you should designate that person in the plan, and then explain exactly how and when the business will be transferred to him or her. If you want the business sold, you'll want to start planning for that now.
To protect your business with an estate plan, start by meeting with your Family Business Lawyer™. We'll guide you through the process, allowing you to rest easy, knowing your family, team, and customers will be properly taken care of.
This article is a service of Sky Unlimited Legal Advisory PC, Family Business Lawyer™. We offer a complete spectrum of legal services for businesses and can help you make the wisest choices on how to deal with your business throughout life and in the event of your death. We also offer a LIFT Start-Up Session™ or a LIFT Audit for an ongoing business, which includes a review of all the legal, insurance, financial, and tax systems you need for your business. Call us today at (650) 761-0992 to schedule.
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The old blog was at /blog so I just replaced the index with an html page with a redirect script in the header:
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="5; URL=put_url_to_direct_to_here">
Content=x where x is seconds.
I also changed the comments to show the first comment first, like it appeared in my old blog. I just now found the setting here to change that. The newest on top bothered me for some reason. I need to do a little more on the site in general. I've made some changes on some other pages with the goal of trying to make the site a little more consistent. I've even toyed with the idea of making the blog the default entry (index) page for my URL, but I decided against that, for now.
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Proof that billionaires can be stupid:
http://business.guardian.co.uk/davos200 ... 94,00.html
It's even funnier when they get stung twice, once for being un-American and once for being stupid.
And I have commented on that company before and been quoted too.
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Due to the cold weather, some schools were closed today. One quote from a superintendent in Connecticut (Link) :
According to the Sprague superintendent's office, school was canceled because of the cold wind chill, and officials don't want children standing at the bus stop to be exposed to frost bite.
First of all, frostbite is not a virus. One gets frost bite from being exposed to the cold for prolonged durations. One exposed to the cold can develop frost bite. So, if the bus gets at the stop at 07:20, get to the stop at 07:15. Five minutes in the cold will not cause frost bite.
Locally, it was cold (8 F) as well and there were twelve school delays or closings. We are turning our children into pusillanimous automations who will grow up unable to cope with any adversity, challenge, or anything that requires effort. The superintendent is engaging in pusillanimous behavior as well; I sense fear of lawsuits is trumping the concern for the children. Some parent doesn't properly clothe a child and the child falls ill, the school will get sued and some feeble-minded lawyer will take and some equally stupid judge will listen to the case.
I have never known anyone to ever get frost bite during the transportation time from home to school; whether by walking or waiting at a bus stop and I, myself, walked to school almost all 13 years I was in public school.
Dumbing down our educational system is bad enough but turning kids into wimps is just another practice that we are all going to pay for in the coming years.
I firmly believe that "pusillanimous" is the true origin of the five letter word that begins with p and has two s's in the middle and is a synonym for coward.
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Forty-eight Republicans and seven Democrats voted to strip the requirement in lobbying reform bill that would make some bloggers register as lobbyists. Link
One thing that didn't make sense was how they would determine who should be a lobbyist and who shouldn't. For example, I don't know if I have 500 readers of my blog or not. Sure, I can see my site stats and the traffic and what parts of my site are being viewed but that doesn't give me the number of people who read my blog. My site's stats do show which country my readers come from too. If I comment on an issue and someone in Germany reads it, is that still considered a grassroots cause? Additionally, the blog is just one part of my site and I comment on a range of topics, not just politics, so I wasn't sure what the ruling on that would be.
The other thing about this proposed item was that it would have created more lobbyists. It seems to me that a big problem in Washington is too many lobbyists to begin with. Adding more would be crippling, that is if things can actually get worse than they are. If anything, a lobbying reform bill should contain one provision and one provision only - to ban lobbyists.
Well, luckily it's a dead issue right now. It will probably make a comeback soon enough though.
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Information Week reports that downloads of IE 7 have topped 100 million and almost all of them are upgrades from IE 6. It's a shame that so many people are vexed by a new strain of this contagion. The cure can be found here.
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From a recent column by Jonah Goldberg:
The New York Post recently compiled a list of the things that the New York City Council tried to ban not all successfully just in 2006 alone.
The list: pit bulls; trans fats; aluminum baseball bats; the purchase of tobacco by 18- to 20-year-olds; foie gras; pedicabs in parks; new fast-food restaurants (but only in poor neighborhoods); lobbyists from the floor of council chambers; lobbying city agencies after working at the same agency; vehicles in Central and Prospect parks; cell phones in upscale restaurants; the sale of pork products made in a processing plant in Tar Heel, N.C., because of a unionization dispute; mail-order pharmaceutical plans; candy-flavored cigarettes; gas-station operators adjusting prices more than once daily; Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus; Wal-Mart.
NYC really leads the way in trying to infuse government control into all aspects of the private citizen (with San Francisco a strong number two). It's come to this: if someone doesn't like something, then it's banned. It seems like the more liberal the city, the less rights one seems to have. The focus is on the negative rights - what one can't do because it may harm, inconvenience, anger, insult, or isolate someone - instead of the positive rights - what are one can do; yes there are still some of those around. Regulating the harmful may be all well and good and with good intent but when government, at any level, wishes to regulate whether an adult can buy tobacco or whether someone cannot use a cell phone, that reduces government to a sinecure; it has no more useful function yet it still takes our money. Government has no business regulating actions that merely inconvenience or anger someone. Let the restaurant ban the cell phone. Let the paying customer decide if the circus is bad for animals.
Ironically, many people want the citizenry to live like the animals in a circus - free meals, free housing, free health care, being watched night and day, yet they only see the harm it causes the animals, not the people.
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Of course, this would never work, but I can speculate. Aside from the scientific and ethical barriers to cloning and the changes in warfare since each man last donned a uniform, it's unlikely that Grant, Sherman, and Patton would be able to use their expertise in dealing with terrorism.
Grant would be in charge of all forces in Iraq. Patton would be in command of the Third U.S. Army and Sherman would be in command of the Army of the Tigris. Each man would report directly to Grant. Sherman's command would include Baghdad and the eastern and northeastern theatres. Patton's would handle the western and northwestern theatres. The tanks of the Third Army could control the wider area while Sherman's infantry could handle Baghdad and secure all paths of entry from Iran.
First, let's talk about Grant. To be blunt, Grant was a failure in both civilian and his first stint in the army. Any talk of giving a major command to someone like Grant nowadays would be met with major resistance. Grant's strategy was basically to deprive the enemy of the resources needed to fight. Today, we cannot do that. Instead, we are supposed to negotiate with those whom provide the resources. Aside from calls to negotiate with Syria and Iran, we would have to negotiate with our own media who just loves to fan the flames, just as they did in 1864. Grant often complained about how the Northern press downplayed any Union accomplishment while exaggerating and extolling any Union setback or Confederate action. Not much has changed.
Then there's Sherman. He also fought to deprive the enemy of their resources and will to fight. Sherman was a master of intelligence and preparation. Before he began his march through Georgia, he had gathered all the information about each county in Georgia - what each grows and how much - in order to maximize his living off the land and depriving the enemy of that. He also utilized all trains and wagons that supported his march solely for transport of anything that could not transport itself, in other words, if it had feet, it walked. Sherman would quickly put a barrier between Iraq and Iran with an attempt to halt the flow of arms and personnel. Any intelligence gathered by Sherman would be called fabricated by the media and they would certainly whine and howl if Sherman didn't tell them anything.
Patton would use all resources available to him to inflict harm on the enemy. However, in the 1940's, when the media was a more patriotic, he still fell under a lot of criticism and calls to Marshall to remove him. Today, he'd be castigated almost as much as Dubya. Letting loose with everything we have is discouraged and Patton would not be able to fight a politically correct war.
For better or for worse, the nature of warfare has changed. The great generals of yesteryear would not be able to function and do what they were trained to do. Today's microwave society views every setback as utter failure and it demands instant gratification. Both the Civil War and WWII were fraught with setbacks and events really didn't go our way until the very end. However, there was a desire to win at any cost and that desire has disappeared. Terrorism isn't going to go away if we decide to stop fighting it. Nazism didn't disappear until it was defeated. The Confederacy did not disappear until it was defeated. We need to stop defeating ourselves and look at the long-term possibilities if we disengage from our current fight. We could use any one of these three men today. Let the military do what it's trained to do and they'll succeed.
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I am planning on moving from Blogger and, also, a new format. I need ideas on color combos that will look neat. What I have right now is too dull.
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Melanie Phillips' article "Beware the New Axis of Evangelicals and Islamists" published in the Spectator last week is libellous. It contains untruthful statements about me which may injure my reputation or standing in the community.
I have never said that I wish Israel, in her words, "to be destroyed" or to "disappear just as did the apartheid regime in South Africa." I have never believed this and categorically reject any position that threatens the integrity of Israel as a sovereign nation.
On the contrary I have repeatedly stated in writing (for example here, here and here) that I wish to see a safe and secure Israel with internationally recognised borders, alongside a sovereign, viable, independent Palestine.
I have, however, spoken out against Holocaust denial as well as religious extremism. I have also highlighted British involvement in saving Jewish people from the Nazi Holocaust. I have specifically challenged Christians who see nothing incompatible with membership of the BNP.
Far from seeking to "appease radical Islam", I have criticised Islamist attacks against Christians in Iraq here and here, as well as in Afghanistan. I have challenged Iran's human right's record here and here and commended an important book about the Church in Iran here.
I have never knowingly, to use her words, "given interviews to, endorsed or forwarded material from American white supremists and Holocaust deniers". My publisher in the USA, InterVarsity Press, occasionally arrange TV and radio interviews for me with Christian stations to promote my books. I trust their judgement.
On her use of the term "islamofacism", I subscribe to the view of a leading authority on Fascism, Walter Laqueur, who concluded that "Islamic fascism, Islamophobia and antisemitism, each in its way, are imprecise terms we could well do without but it is doubtful whether they can be removed from our political lexicon." The best piece of writing I have seen recently on "Radical Islam" is by Fareed Zakaria in Newsweek.
I keep an extensive and growing mailing list and am no more responsible that Melanie Phillips is for how others make use of material I write, or forward, which is invariably from mainstream newspapers and journals. Unlike those who choose to use anonymous blogs and websites to express their opinions, I have made my own views plain and my external ministry public.
"we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." (2 Corinthians 4:2).
To clarify my position and to anticipate such criticisms, in my book Zion's Christian Soldiers?, I wrote the following:
"It is true that at various times in the past, churches and church leaders have tolerated or incited anti-Semitism and even attacks on Jewish people. Racism is a sin and without excuse. Anti-Semitism must be repudiated unequivocally. However, we must not confuse apples and oranges. Anti-Zionism is not the same thing as anti-Semitism despite attempts to broaden the definition. Criticising a political system as racist is not necessarily racist. Judaism is a religious system. Israel is a sovereign nation. Zionism is a political system. These three are not synonymous. I respect Judaism, repudiate anti-Semitism, encourage interfaith dialogue and defend Israel's right to exist within borders recognised by the international community and agreed with her neighbours. But like many Jews, I disagree with a political system which gives preference to expatriate Jews born elsewhere in the world, while denying the same rights to the Arab Palestinians born in the country itself."
I endorse the position taken by the Heads of Churches in Israel regarding the need for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Others such as former US President Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have made comparisons between Israeli policies in the Occupied Territories and South Africa under apartheid.
I do wish to see the present illegal occupation of Gaza, the Golan and the West Bank "disappear", but only as a result of the peaceful implementation of all relevant UN Resolutions, the Roadmap to Peace previously agreed by the US, EU, Russia and UN in April 2003, and Annapolis Agreement of November 2007 and Quartet Statement of December 2008.
I have a high regard for Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali and the courageous stand he has taken on inter-faith as well as ecclesiastical issues. Indeed I helped organise and promote his recent visit to Guildford Diocese.
I also deeply regret hearing that Patrick Sookhdeo has received a death threat as a result of writing his recent book, Global Jihad. Unfortunately, it is increasingly common. I have too. Veiled threats even feature on pro-Zionist Christian websites that seem to want me dead. Another example on the same website has the author lament, "Unfortunately (in my opinion) we no longer publicly and immediately stone false prophets to death." then a few sentences later asserts, "One of the latest in a very long line of succession is a false teacher by the name of Stephen Sizer." Thankfully, the police take these threats seriously and have arranged a measure of additional protection for my family also.
Back to Melanie Phillips. Her inflammatory alleagations about my involvement in interfaith conferences or TV programmes, alongside Jewish or Islamic leaders, is a tried and tested method intended to alienate, isolate and silence the views of those deemed critical of her own. Prior knowledge of, or agreement with, the views of others invited onto radio or TV programmes or conference platforms is not a significant criteria I use to decide whether to participate. Gaining a hearing for an explicitly Christian perspective committed to peacemaking and non-violence is.
What saddened me most, however, about Melanie Phillips' article, were her concluding remarks criticising the Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England. This is what she wrote:
"Many will be deeply shocked that the Church of England harbours individuals with such attitudes. But the church hierarchy is unlikely to act against them. Extreme hostility towards Israel is the default position among bishops and archbishops; while the establishment line is to reach out towards Islam in an attempt to accommodate and appease it. With Christians around the world suffering forced conversion, ethnic cleansing and murder at Islamist hands, the church utters not a word of protest. Instead, inter-faith dialogue is the order of the day…"
I have been a Christian minister for just short of 30 years but have yet to meet a priest, let alone a Bishop or Archbishop who displays, "extreme hostility towards Israel" or who wishes to "accommodate and appease" Islam. Just the reverse. While there is clearly a spectrum of opinion on the best way to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict within the House of Bishops, and the most appropriate way to present the good news of Jesus Christ in a multi-faith context, they are nevertheless united in opposing racism and religious intolerance whether directed toward Jewish people or Muslims.
One has to ask what has motivated her to compose such a mendacious and libellous caricature of Christians within the Church of England concerned for justice and peace in the Middle East? Is it to deflect attention from Israel's recent wanton killing spree in Gaza? Or was it written out of frustration at the decision of the Church of England Synod to divest its shares in Caterpillar? Or just part of the wider Zionist lobby targetting Barak Obama's new Administration? Or is it perhaps a precursor to an imminent pre-emptive attack against Iran? Lets hope not otherwise it won't be the libel or calumny we are debating but whether her friends who seem anxious for Armageddon are right after all.
For answers – check out Melanie's Wiki entry – that bastion of 'objectivity' and truth. It alleges,
"Phillips strongly defends Israel and its actions. She argues the Palestinians are an "artificial" people who can be collectively punished for acts of terrorism by Islamist terrorists because they are "a terrorist population". She believes that while "individual Palestinians may deserve compassion, their cause amounts to Holocaust denial as a national project".[12] She has repeatedly claimed that footage of those injured in Israeli attacks on Palestinian areas has been "fabricated/faked".[13][14]
She frequently accuses Israel's critics (including many Jews) of being motivated by anti-Semitism. She has described the paper "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" written by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt as a "particularly ripe example of the 'global Zionist conspiracy' libel" and expressed her astonishment at what she calls "the fundamental misrepresentations and distortions in the paper".[15]
In a recent article, she criticised the membership and leadership of the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches in Britain, and specifically the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, accusing them of antisemitism because of remarks made by the Archbishop about the plight of Bethlehem Christians under Israeli occupation; another factor was an opinion poll showing that the majority of Anglicans were opposed to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. The article ended with a condemnation of what she sees as the churches' failure to criticise the President of Iran's desire to "destroy Israel",[16] and that "the churches in Britain are not only silent about the genocidal ravings emanating from Iran but are themselves helping pave the way for a second Holocaust".[17]
I think its time Melanie came back to church and stopped telling porkies.
For the official response from the Church of England – see here.


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Chapter II.
We are worshippers of one God, of whose existence and character Nature teaches all men; at whose lightnings and thunders you tremble, whose benefits minister to your happiness. You think that others, too, are gods, whom we know to be devils. However, it is a fundamental human right, a privilege of nature, that every man should worship according to his own convictions: one man's religion neither harms nor helps another man. It is assuredly no part of religion to compel religion—to which free-will and not force should lead us—the sacrificial victims even being required of a willing mind. You will render no real service to your gods by compelling us to sacrifice. For they can have no desire of offerings from the unwilling, unless they are animated by a spirit of contention, which is a thing altogether undivine. Accordingly the true God bestows His blessings alike on wicked men and on His own elect; upon which account He has appointed an eternal judgment, when both thankful and unthankful will have to stand before His bar. Yet you have never detected us—sacrilegious wretches though you reckon us to be—in any theft, far less in any sacrilege. But the robbers of your temples, all of them swear by your gods, and worship them; they are not Christians, and yet it is they who are found guilty of sacrilegious deeds. We have not time to unfold in how many other ways your gods are mocked and despised by their own votaries. So, too, treason is falsely laid to our charge, though no one has ever been able to find followers of Albinus, or Niger, or Cassius, among Christians; while the very men who had sworn by the genii of the emperors, who had offered and vowed sacrifices for their safety, who had often pronounced condemnation on Christ's disciples, are till this day found traitors to the imperial throne. A Christian is enemy to none, least of all to the Emperor of Rome, whom he knows to be appointed by his God, and so cannot but love and honour; and whose well-being moreover, he must needs desire, with that of the empire over which he reigns so long as the world shall stand—for so long as that shall Rome continue.447447 [Kaye points out our author's inconsistencies on this matter. If Caractacus ever made the speech ascribed to him (Bede, or Gibbon, cap. lxxi.) it would confirm the opinion of those who make him a convert to Christ: "Quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus." Elucidation II.] To the emperor, therefore, we render 106such reverential homage as is lawful for us and good for him; regarding him as the human being next to God who from God has received all his power, and is less than God alone. And this will be according to his own desires. For thus—as less only than the true God—he is greater than all besides. Thus he is greater than the very gods themselves, even they, too, being subject to him. We therefore sacrifice for the emperor's safety, but to our God and his, and after the manner God has enjoined, in simple prayer. For God, Creator of the universe, has no need of odours or of blood. These things are the food of devils.448448 [On this sort of Demonology see Kaye, pp. 203–207, with his useful references. See De Spectaculis, p. 80, supra.] But we not only reject those wicked spirits: we overcome them; we daily hold them up to contempt; we exorcise them from their victims, as multitudes can testify. So all the more we pray for the imperial well-being, as those who seek it at the hands of Him who is able to bestow it. And one would think it must be abundantly clear to you that the religious system under whose rules we act is one inculcating a divine patience; since, though our numbers are so great—constituting all but the majority in every city—we conduct ourselves so quietly and modestly; I might perhaps say, known rather as individuals than as organized communities, and remarkable only for the reformation of our former vices. For far be it from us to take it ill that we have laid on us the very things we wish, or in any way plot the vengeance at our own hands, which we expect to come from God.
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Ethiopiques Volume 02, Tètchawèt!
Originally wandering minstrels, sharp-tongued peddlers who roamed the old Abyssinian countryside, many azmaris more or less settled down after the founding of Addis-Ababa just over a century ago. The cleverest of them quickly understood that they should set up their own businesses and take a cut on the drinks, instead of getting by on tips earned singing their way from one bar and tedjbèt (taverns serving tedj, the local mead) to another. (…) They have taken over the city by giving rise to a musical genre specific to Addis, called Bolel (lit. car exhaust fumes), mixing Azmari traditions (praise or sarcasm at will, depending on the size of the tip) and modern urban culture. Tètchawèt!, a sort of musical postcard from the Addis Ababa of the 90s, cannot of course pretend to capture all the strands of Ethiopia's contemporary music. And all the artists recorded here don't necessarily belong to the Azmari family.