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Born of Water and the Spirit May 31, 2015Posted by sandhandrews in Sermons.
Tags: baptism, birth, Jesus, Nicodemus, spirit, water
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John 3:1-17
Trinity Sunday
May 31, 2015
An Updated Version from June 2-3, 2012
Focus: God gave His only Son and poured out His Spirit that we may believe, and that by believing we may live.
Function: That the hearers, by faith in Him, may see the kingdom of God.
Structure: Questions and answers.
Born of Water and the Spirit
The Apostle John is one of the few writers in Scripture who comes right out and tells us his purpose. Near the end of his gospel, he tells us that these things "are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name."
John's gospel is unique in many ways when compared to the other three. We believe that John wrote sometime in the 80's near the end of his life, some 50 years after Christ, and a couple of decades after our other gospel writers. Because of this, he had the opportunity to focus a little differently than the others. He starts his gospel by opposing Gnosticism, a pagan belief that was creeping its way into Christianity by that time.
But in our text today, we notice another difference. John didn't worry about the sacraments. The other gospel writers tend to be quite clear when they talk about baptism and the Lord's Supper. But by this point, the sacraments are so ingrained into the life and practice of the church, John doesn't have to focus on them. He can make small references that his readers will pick up on. For example, in his account of Jesus feeding the five thousand, Jesus tells them that He is "the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever."
And in our text today, we're going to talk about being "born of water and the Spirit." Baptism is a vital part of our life as Christians. Here at St. John's we are blessed with the number of baptisms we see each and every year. And we will continue to be blessed with a couple more next weekend.
But when baptism becomes so common, we run the risk of forgetting its importance. If we don't stay focused, if we don't really look at it from time to time, it becomes routine and gets lost in the shuffle. So today, as John alludes to the importance of baptism, we refocus.
Just prior to this, Jesus had turned water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana. He cleansed the temple that had become a marketplace. And He enraged the Pharisees by claiming He could rebuild the temple in three days. And as John put it, "many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He was doing." But Jesus knew their hearts, He knew man.
And so we get a transition, to another man, another Pharisee. We are introduced to Nicodemus, not just a Jew, not just a Pharisee, but one of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. But he's also not like most of the Pharisees. He's starting to believe. He comes to Jesus and calls Him "Rabbi." He admits that Jesus has come from God on account of the miracles he's witnessed.
Rabbi is one of the many functions Christ had in His ministry. You and I know all about the others. But Nicodemus wasn't quite there yet and so Jesus was fine playing along. If you want to treat Me as a Rabbi, then I'll be your Rabbi. Rabbis teach, so, let Me teach you.
When you know what Rabbis do, Jesus no longer seems to be making some random comment. Instead, what He says is meant to elicit a question, to bring about the thinking and learning process in Nicodemus. It wasn't the part about seeing the kingdom of God that caught Nicodemus' attention. It was the phrase "born again."
Not knowing the gospel as we know it, he comes up with a logical thought. How can an old man be born again? If you know how birth works, you know it's not possible to go back into the womb. So that's his question. And it prompts a teaching moment; it allows Jesus to share the gospel.
"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." It's one of those moments where John points to a sacrament without actually saying it.
So let's hash it out; what is baptism? In this text alone, Jesus provides multiple details. It's water. Water is by far the most common thing on this earth. Something like 60% of our body, as well as 70% of the earth's surface, is water. According to health and diet experts, you should probably be drinking at least 64oz. of water a day. You swim in it and sometimes it even falls on you from the sky. Another function of water is that we use it regularly to stay clean, from showering to washing our hands.
All of these things correlate to why water is used in baptism. It's so common, there's no excuse to not have any. As we use it to clean, we can also see in our baptisms a sense of washing, or regeneration, that in our baptisms, our sins are forgiven, and in Christ we have become white as snow. Martin Luther spoke of baptism as something we should remember daily and that we should daily drown the Old Adam within us, that sinful self. Professor Kolb at the seminary always reminded his students that your daily time in the shower, as the water pours over you, is a perfect time to remember your baptism, and what it is that Christ has done for you in that water.
Baptism is also Spirit. The Holy Spirit is strongly at work in baptism. If the faith is not already present, the Spirit creates it. If the faith is already present because the Spirit already created it, then the Spirit works in the baptism to strengthen that faith. As we read last weekend, Jesus told us that it was both necessary and good that He depart from us; because in parting, He would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to us. He has sent the Spirit to us, who has created faith in us and also sustains it.
The third part that Christ includes in this passage in John is the notion that baptism is necessary. "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit." We see similar statements elsewhere in Scripture. And this is precisely why we as Lutherans believe baptism is a sacrament. We define sacraments as things that meet three criteria. First, that it was commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. Second, that the forgiveness of sins, through Him, is offered. And third, that it is connected to a visible element. Thus we come to baptism and the Lord's Supper.
A common question from that: is baptism necessary? Because Christ commanded it, we say yes. But truly, it's the wrong question. The Ethiopian eunuch got the question right in the book of Acts. "What prevents me from being baptized?" If a person doesn't have faith, the Spirit works through baptism to create it, to begin that new life. But if they already have faith, baptism should be desired. If you have faith in Christ, you want the gifts He has to give you, which most definitely includes baptism, faith, forgiveness, and life.
We learn other things about baptism elsewhere in Scripture. Matthew 28 instructs us to baptize all nations and to do so in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Paul in Romans 6 teaches us that baptism connects us to Christ, that in our baptisms we are buried together with Him. In baptism, we are bound to Christ's death on the cross, thus also connected to Him in His resurrection, that we too will be raised and walk in a newness of life.
From passages such as these, we learn that baptism isn't something we do, but rather something God does to us and for us. It's His work, not ours. He creates and sustains faith through the outpouring of His Spirit. And He forgives us of our sins through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. So as we observe Trinity Sunday, we can see the entire Trinity is at work in our baptisms.
As we return for a moment to the text to wrap up, we see that Jesus calls Nicodemus "Israel's teacher." There's a connection there to Nicodemus calling Him "Rabbi." The one responsible for teaching the people needs to know what to teach. So Jesus gives him another piece. He tells him that "the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have everlasting life." He connects back to Old Testament history with Moses, and forward to Himself on the cross, to the gift of forgiveness that God offers to the world for any who are "born of water and the Spirit." And that most definitely includes you and me. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."
The Work of Miracles May 24, 2015Posted by sandhandrews in Sermons.
Tags: Feast of Weeks, good news, miracle, Pentecost, tongues
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Acts 2:1-21
May 24, 2015
Focus: God is working through us to share the good news.
Function: That the hearers proclaim the good news with confidence.
Structure: Walking through the text.
The Work of Miracles
I don't think we do it justice. Sure, we've given it its own day on the church calendar. But I don't think that fully expresses just what a day this is. Here we are, some fifty days after the resurrection, celebrating Pentecost.
I just don't think the disciples get enough credit here. I don't think God gets enough credit here. All too often, this is seen as just another day, just another Sunday morning, just another chapter in Scripture. But it's not. Pentecost is one of the greatest miracles in all of Scripture. So let's set the stage.
It was just about two months ago. In His last days with His disciples, knowing that death was imminent, Jesus began to teach them the big picture. No longer did they only discuss miracles, prayer, and love, but now they began to discuss the end times. Things like, there will be wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6) and you will be persecuted for your faith.
And then there's the betrayal, the Last Supper, the arrest, the trials, the mockery, the torture, and the death of Christ. And where are the disciples to be found, but scared, fearing the Jews to the point that they had locked themselves in a house.
And that's where the resurrected Lord finds them. Hiding, hiding in fear of persecution and death. The church, as small as it was, had scattered. The others who were following Jesus before have either abandoned the new faith at the sign of His death, or they've fled to other neighboring countries to avoid facing the same fate.
But not the eleven. I can't tell you why. I'm not sure if they were so dumbfounded by recent events that they felt lost, confused, and without purpose. I'm not sure if they felt that they somehow had to remain close to Christ, even though they thought He was dead and gone. Or maybe God just did His thing and persuaded them to stick around.
However it was that it happened, on the third day, Christ rose from the dead. And where did He go? He appeared in that home, despite the locked doors. He greeted them, He ate with them. And before He departed, He left them with this message: "And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." – Luke 24:49
That's just peachy. Remain in Jerusalem? Remain in the city where everyone wants us dead, crucified just like You were? Here we are, hiding in fear of the Jews, and you want us to stay?
And then we come to our text from last week, from the ascension. Just before departing from them again, Jesus says to them: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." -Acts 1:8
Now that's a mission statement. You're going to start right here in Jerusalem, with the very Jews that you fear. And then you'll work your way outward to the surrounding communities and you'll keep going until the whole earth has heard My good news.
Shortly thereafter, they cast lots and replaced Judas among the disciples with Matthias, so they numbered twelve again. And then we come to our text, we arrive at the celebration of Pentecost, which was an Old Testament holiday known as the Feast of Weeks. This feast, celebrated fifty days after the Passover, was originally a harvest festival, but became a celebration of God giving the law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
And so here we are, at Pentecost, and we find the disciples together again, in a house, by themselves. Sound familiar? But then we get a miracle, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, just as Christ had promised.
A mighty wind filled the house, and tongues of fire came to rest upon their heads. That's a hard sight to imagine isn't it? And even though this connects to John the Baptist saying that "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matthew 3:11), that wasn't even the best part.
"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." This is one of the spots that this miracle is downplayed today. There are some who simply discredit it, but there are others, like the Pentecostal church, who connect this to the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues.
But this isn't that. Speaking in tongues is a true gift of the Holy Spirit, you'll find it in the New Testament, but it required another gift from another person, the interpretation of tongues. If that gift was missing, then your gift of speaking was worthless, because no one could understand you.
But this isn't that. We have at least fifteen different nationalities represented among the group. Bear in mind, this is a major Jewish holiday, just like the Passover, and so surrounding Jews flocked to Jerusalem. And they're here, and they all hear. Each of them hears the disciples speaking in their own native tongue. This isn't speaking in tongues. Nor can we can't simply downplay this by saying the disciples each knew another language.
This is a miracle. The Spirit has enabled these men to speak a universal tongue, to speak in a way that each person hears and understands in their own language. No such event has happened before or since. This is truly a unique miracle in the history of the church.
And while many were amazed, while many marveled at this miracle, others still sat there and said, "they are filled with new wine." That's probably the dumbest excuse they could've come up with. Let's discredit them by saying they're a bunch of drunkards. But how many people do you know that when they get drunk actually start making perfect sense?
And so Peter takes advantage, he starts to speak for the group, ensuring them they aren't drunk since it's only nine o'clock in the morning. And he begins with the Old Testament, he shares with them from the prophet Joel and then going beyond our text for today and into next week, he tells them about Jesus. He tells them of Christ and what He has done for them by dying and rising again. And he concludes by saying that "the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself." (Acts 2:39) And Luke tells us that about three thousand were baptized that day.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, Pentecost marks the day when the Christian church began. And I want you to look back on this day, to reflect on this day and take heart, be confident because of it.
So often, fear overcomes us, too. Those disciples who had locked themselves in a house because they were afraid, those disciples were the founding fathers of the church. We're talking about the early church leaders. They, too, had moments of being overwhelmed with fear. And yet Christ comes, the Spirit comes, and they grant us comfort.
They feared persecution. Yet, when they overcame that fear in Christ and stepped outside, miracles started happening in their very midst. The gospel was preached and the church flourished. It's ironic, Satan actually uses our feeling of comfort, of being comfortable, to hinder sharing the good news. And when that comfort's removed, when the church realizes that all she actually has is the good news of a Savior, and believe me that's enough, she wants to share it.
So even in the midst of one of the greatest miracles in church history performed by the apostles themselves, there was opposition, foolish as it was. So we can only expect that when we go out, when we share the good news of a Savior and His love with our neighbors, with our friends, with our coworkers, with people in Rochester, the Twin Cities and around the world, we can rest assured, we will meet opposition.
But we may also rest assured knowing that it is indeed God who does the work. It is by your baptism that you can share God's love with others. And even then, it's God working through you. Because even this, one of the greatest miracles ever, was done by God. The disciples didn't have to be perfect. They weren't. They were afraid. And yet it was God who gave them courage. It was God who gave them strength. It was God who gave them the gift of speech and told them what to say.
Take heart, brothers and sisters in Christ. This is a day we celebrate. It is the Feast of Weeks, a harvest festival and the celebration of the giving of the law. It is the very beginning of the Christian Church. But it's also great comfort and reassurance to us, that God is indeed at work among us. That His gifts, His love, His sacrifice, His forgiveness, and His salvation are overflowing all around us.
Love Each Other May 10, 2015Posted by sandhandrews in Sermons.
Tags: agape, Jesus, love, sacrifice, unconditional love
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John 15:9-17
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2015
An updated version of the sermon from: May 12-13, 2012
Focus: God loved us so much that He gave up His Son for us.
Function: That the hearers love each other as God first loved us.
Structure: .
Love Each Other
Over the last couple of weeks, our Scripture readings have focused a lot on love. That really comes as no surprise, as love is a major theme throughout Scripture, especially in John's writings. But it does pose a challenge to us. What is love? Do we even know anymore?
We all love a good story, whether it's a book, a movie, or something else altogether. And it doesn't matter how old you are, we all like to get wrapped up in the plot. If it's well done, we can get lost in the story for hours and not even notice that time has gone by.
Most of these stories have a common theme. Fairy tales make it quite obvious: love. How many fairy tales revolve around a princess just waiting for her Prince Charming, her knight in shining armor to come and sweep her off her feet? They call it true love. And it usually ends in them riding off into the sunset and living happily ever after.
While that makes for good entertainment, or as the guys say, a chick-flick, unfortunately, stories like these give us an inaccurate view of love. They portray love as an emotional high, a feeling of bliss, like floating on Cloud Nine. It's sublime happiness. But how many marriages end a year or two in because the couple comes down off of this emotional high? It certainly contributes to our nation's ridiculously high divorce rate, which is somewhere around 50% of marriages. They don't understand that life indeed is full of challenges and that there will be rough moments in every relationship. That's what sin does. That's what happens when two sinners live together.
Perhaps part of the problem lies in our vocabulary. You can love your spouse. You can love your children. You can love God. You can love a good story. You can love Taco Bell's Dorito tacos. You can love sinning. You can love money. You can love a sport. You can love pretty much anything. I think you get the point.
But the Greek language had four words to describe love. Agape, phileo, storge, and eros. Definitions of these words aren't always mutually exclusive, as they do occasionally overlap in meaning. But for the most part, they're unique. The romantic kind of love of fairy tales and newlyweds is eros. It's all about passion and attraction. And while that certainly is a gift of God and adds to a marriage relationship, you won't find it in the Bible.
Storge describes natural affection, the love you have for your whole family. It only appears a couple of times in Scripture. Phileo is a love along the lines of friendship and loyalty. We see it in words like philosophy, which is the love of wisdom or in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia.
And lastly, we have the love called agape. While agape and phileo are occasionally used interchangeably, agape tends to mean unconditional love. It's the love of God for us as His people and it's the one that's been coming up in our texts of late.
I know you're not all Greek scholars, but the point of the little Greek lesson today is to help us identify how love can differ. The most common love in the world around us is selfish. How many relationships are formed merely so that we can benefit from them? We don't say we love something unless it somehow brings us pleasure or happiness. We don't usually say we love someone else unless that relationship has some benefit to us. That also ends up being the way fairy tales portray true love.
So do we really know what love is anymore? Thankfully, God has left us with some examples. I want to do a men's retreat sometime soon looking in depth at God's calling for men; being the Christian head of a household, being a loving and faithful husband and father. There's no shortage of Scripture to back this up. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he said that "if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
That's a difficult verse for us to swallow, but it deals with love, specifically the love of God. Throughout Scripture, God portrays Himself as our Father. And Christ portrays Himself as the groom, with the church as His bride. Family relationships, things we can comprehend and understand. So to Timothy, if you don't take care of your own family, you clearly don't comprehend the message of God's love and salvation. You don't get the relationships He has used to express Himself to you.
In this way, we can look at the relationships in our lives today to help us better understand what love is. We've already looked at fathers, and we can look at mothers, too.
We can come up with a whole slew of things that mothers do for us. Whether it's the way they care for us when we're just little babies to how they always seem to know just how to make us feel better. Mothers and fathers both have that willingness to go through just about anything for their children, making sacrifices, enduring the lack of respect and appreciation that too often comes when their children hit puberty.
Most of us could come up with examples of agape love, of unconditional love that we've been given in our lives. We could certainly share stories together about the kind of love many of you have given to someone else. It's a good reference to the love we see in our text; however, before anyone accuses me of building up egos too much today, we need to remember that our love is tainted by sin.
The greatest moms and dads the world over aren't perfect. And that's why the Bible points us to the One who is. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you." That's the agape love of God in this text. It's the unconditional love that only He can have for us. It's the agape love that Paul talks about in his letter to Rome:
"Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves His love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by His blood, will we be saved through Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life."
That's the unconditional love of God, that while we were still His enemies, He sacrificed His Son to forgive us and save us. It's the unconditional love as He showed through the prophet Hosea, who illustrated God's love to Israel through his role as a husband to Gomer the prostitute. No matter how many times she abandoned him and went away with other men, Hosea went to her as God comes to us. He forgave her and took her back, as God does for us.
That dear brothers and sisters, is the true agape love of God, which He has so graciously poured out on all of us here today. Through the waters of Holy Baptism, He claims us as His own children. And every time we pray, read the Bible, or anything else that brings our thoughts to Christ, we see the ultimate in love and sacrifice. A willingness to sacrifice it all for someone you care about.
It is from this love that Christ then issues the command from our gospel today. "My command is this: love each other as I have loved you." He roots the command in what He's already done for us. It's not just a random command to go and do something. It's connected and flows from His love that He's already most graciously given to you and me. We love one another as He first loved us.
What is love? What does it look like? It's putting everyone else before yourself. If your neighbor is hurting, care for them. If they're in any kind of danger, lend a hand, or more. If they've wronged you, it means no grudges, but forgiveness. If they fail to respect you or appreciate you, it means continuing to love them anyway. It's commitment, care, communication, and Christ. If ever you want to know what love looks like, look no further than the cross. As God first loved us, so we love one another.


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I feel sorry for the love theists show to a God that blatantly doesn't want to give it back.
Each day you post a blog article in favour of God is another day you are letting God sit back and relax.
So now you show love to a God that doesn't give it back. You are also deciding that you will spend your time standing up for him despite his immortality, infinite power and wisdom and his decision to be evasive.
Even if God is to exist, theism loses my respect. And that respect is much more than any God I gave been told about.
Facts that you can prove are not boring.
What is boring is believing in a God that isn't interested in showing himself to you.
What could possibly be less romantic than that?

subset: commoncrawl


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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that Queensland will attempt to lift its renewable energy target in accordance with the Paris agreement on climate change.
Over the weekend, 195 nations have agreed on the transition of fossil fuel-driven economy within decades in order to slow down the pace of global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
Palaszczuk said that the government is focusing on solar farms and wind and maintaining a commitment to coal.
"We will always be reliant on coal. Coal is a backbone of our economy, but we are diversifying," Palaszczuk said during an interview with ABC.
"We've got a really firm focus on renewables, so expect some more announcements next year in relation to that field," she added.
Australia has a target of 26 to 28 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030. It remains unchanged, but the Paris agreement urges the government to do more.
"It does raise a series of questions about whether Australia and businesses really want to commit to that scale of investment into fossil fuel, given all the signals that are pushing in the other direction," University of Queensland's Matt McDonald, reader of international relations who attended the negotiations said during his interview with ABC Brisbane.
He mentioned the discussion about mining and how "there's a lot of concern about a future of that type of mining program."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been pressed to act upon the issue regarding emissions and to phase out fossil fuels after he committed to the said agreement. The federal government assurd that it will do no harm to the economy to meet the said commitment.
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Would any of you wise people have any advice about where to go for Communion dinner with entertainment for kids (bouncy castle etc). There's only a small gang of us 17 tops. I'm looking for somewhere in Mayo, some places seem to be booked out already Breaffy Hotel and Ocean Sands sold out. Any advice for me :)
No specific advice but just wasted to let you know there is a communion board on rollercoaster. Unfortunately a lot of popular places get booked as soon as communion date is announced in September. I hope you get something to suit you. Have a great time.
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It was one of those rare days when I visited a range to shoot handguns, in this instance, Quail Run, a full-service shooting facility southeast of Denver. Although a S&W .22 semi-auto pistol rested on a case next to my CZ 9mm, for no reason that I recall, I began my session with my Ruger small frame .357 /.38 Special.
Ritually I loaded the cylinder with Fiocchi .38 Special, 125 grains XTP JHP ammunition. Reasonably good groups punched through the target gently fluttering in the wind some twenty-five feet down range . Fifty rounds into the exercise I stopped. An uncomfortable question seeped like quicksilver into my mind: What goals were I accomplishing? The groups were pretty good and I was having what is sometimes referred to as fun. But my primary reason for being at the range was to sharpen self-defense skills. I don't shoot often enough to merely play around. If my goal was just plinking, I'd shoot .22s until the skin wore off my trigger finger.
Coincidentally I had been reading the book "Special Operations Mental Toughness" by Navy SEAL Lawrence Colebrooke. Extracting some of his words from my mind's cobwebs, I committed to making every shot count towards a goal. Each shot had to lead to improvement. One of Colebrooke's rules is "Prepare yourself to make a hard choice, should your conscience ever require it." That is, prepare mentally and physically for challenges, no matter how unlikely they might materialize. This preparation is achieved through constant, realistic, and challenging practice sessions that replicate the actual "game day" conditions. Colebrooke wrote: "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!"
Firearms self-defense classes instruct that the body changes under threat. The fine motor skills become compromised as adrenaline pumps into the body. The heart rate increases to jack-hammer intensity; peripheral vision decreases. I know these facts. My goal, thus, is to shoot, to train, in anticipation of what I know will occur. Colebrooke wrote: "Goal setting is critical to most any successful endeavor because it helps to focus your attention, prioritize efforts, enhance persistence, and develop effective learning strategies. Otherwise, suboptimal performance or outright failure is more likely as the person procrastinates or simply flies by the seat of their pants without a viable plan." Not to belabor the obvious, but such an outcome is most undesirable in a life-and-death situation.
So I adjusted. I focused more. I demanded that every shot have value; that every shot bring me closer to my goals. I refused to yield to the seductive foolish siren song of assuming I would make the right call under tremendous pressure. I had to use these moments now to improve the odds that I would do the right thing then: With this sense of purpose, I had more fun.
Michael Sabbeth
Michael Sabbeth is a lawyer and writer in Denver, Colorado. See his book The Good, The Bad & The Difference: How to Talk with Children About Values. Available at Amazon.com http://tinyurl.com/c5flmmu
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We held a retriever event and everyone had to shoot Fiocchi ammo was a great day Saturday we also had a Nutrena Food rep there too. Were constantly promoting and letting people try our Team Shooter Ammo.
Thanks for all you do from Duck hunting and letting clients try Fiocchi Steel Shot in the blind to using lead shot shooting fliers in training everyday.
I'm on facebook under Puddle Duck Labs and Doug pdl Williams to see more pics.
Doug Williams
Puddle Duck Labs
3244 Pike County Lake Rd
Troy Al 36079
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This weeks were going to discuss some of the differences between the "promotional" shotgun shells on the market and Fiocchi's Shooting Dynamics. "You get what you pay for" is most evident in shotgun ammunition. Let me start by saying the Shooting Dynamics is NOT a promotional load. This article is to make it crystal clear that the Shooting Dynamics is superior to a promotional load for just pennies more per box.
We've already written about the evil recoil and how it can make for a great or lousy day. I picked up a couple of the promotional loads out there and a Shooting Dynamics to see the internal differences as well as fire some. OUCH!!! After shooting exclusively Fiocchi ammunition for the last two (2) years, I was blown away how hard the promotional loads hit even in my semi-auto shotgun.
Look at the photo of the wads. Which wad appears to have been designed to reduce recoil??? The "waffle" portion of the Shooting Dynamics wad absorbs more recoil than the others. The wad isn't the only thing… there is a lot of science that takes all the components into consideration to ensure reduced felt recoil, clean burning, and great patterning.
Now look at the shot photos. It's hard to see, but there are four (4) different shot sizes in the promotional load. As for the Shooting Dynamics, the lead is all the same size.
If it's the lack of quality control or they purposely used multiple shot sizes in the promotional ammo is an indicator, what about the rest of the load??? Fiocchi promotes our ammo, but not by inferior components and trying to be the cheapest.
As Carlo Fiocchi so eloquently states 'putting a promotional load into a fine firearm is like putting regular unleaded gas in a Ferarri'… why sacrifice performance??? Remember, shooting is the way you want to spend your recreation dollars. Why not give yourself the chance to maximize your fun??? Because in the end, it's the shot that breaks the target!!!
#fiocchi @fiocchi_ammunition


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text: 2017-01-29 Google Millionaire In 4 Years With IMarkets Live | Mirror Trader | FX Signals Live 2 Comments Nick - Making A Million (Forex Trader) January 29, 2017 at 7:24 am This is a direct copy of SimpleTrader! Reply richie m January 29, 2017 at 7:24 am INTERESTING Reply Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


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The Hairspray actress tells her side of what happened in a nasty fight involving ex-Top Model contestant Bianca Golden
Nikki Blonsky says she just wanted to treat her family—mom Karen, dad Carl and 14-year-old brother Joey—to a dream Caribbean getaway. "They're hardworking people, so I saved up some of my money and decided to take them," says the 19-year-old actress, who played Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 movie Hairspray. After a week on the islands of Turks and Caicos, the family packed up. Says Nikki: "It was a lovely vacation."
It was about to take an ugly turn. While they waited for a plane home at Providenciales International Airport on July 30, a fight erupted between the Blonskys and the family of Bianca Golden, a contestant on the '07 season of America's Next Top Model. The incident became tabloid fodder and was partially captured in a YouTube video. In the aftermath Nikki, Bianca and Carl were all charged with assault (see box), and Bianca's mother, Elaine, was hurt enough to be airlifted to a Florida hospital. "It was a big fight," says witness Esther Roy. "People were yelling; it was all confusion."
Both sides have very different accounts of the clash. In her first interview since the fight, Nikki tells PEOPLE things heated up when Bianca's brother George tripped a passenger who had been saving seats in the tiny airport. "He looked at me and said, 'What the f— are you looking at, you fat white b—-?'" She says Bianca—whom she did not recognize from ANTM—entered the fray, and that when she asked the model to stop wagging her finger in her face, "she stood up, pulled her arm all the way back, and said, 'F— you'. . . and she closed her fist and punched me to the left side of my skull."
But on the Oct. 8 episode of The Tyra Banks Show, Bianca (who didn't respond to PEOPLE's calls for comment) says the fight started when Nikki was "very rude" to her aunt. She also accuses Carl Blonsky of "punching" Elaine Golden in the face and Nikki of kicking her mother in the groin. "Absolute lies," says Nikki. "I never, ever kicked her mother. My father never hit anybody." As for another claim—that the Blonskys were shouting "they got rabies!" at the Goldens—"we never said anything about rabies," says Nikki, adding, "it's disrespectful that somebody would say that I'm racist."
Now back home in Great Neck, N.Y., Nikki says she and her father, who has gone on disability from his job at the local water-pollution-control department, "are completely destroyed over being accused of something we didn't do." She says she experiences head pain; some nights "I wake up in severe nightmares, sweating, saying, 'Please stop hitting me!'" But despite everything, "we're a strong family," says Blonsky. "I know we'll get through this."


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The Orange County Register (California)
Mar 18, 2005
by KIMBERLY KINDY, The Orange County Register
Some lawmakers invite trouble with fund-raiser notices;
Capitol Watchdog -- investigating state governmentSACRAMENTO -- Starting today, Register investigative reporter Kimberly Kindy shines the spotlight on the dark corners of the Statehouse. Capitol Watchdog will run every Friday.
It's that time of year when hundreds of invitations to fund- raisers jam lobbyists' mailboxes, keeping them busy schmoozing their way into the good graces of lawmakers -- often at $3,000 a pop.
An unwritten code in Sacramento says these invitations shouldn't emphasize what lawmakers can do for contributors in the Capitol. But this year, several crossed the line.
The Orange County Register reviewed more than 200 invitations -- all faxed or mailed to lobbyists over the past three months -- and found six that highlighted lawmakers' important committee assignments in the Senate or Assembly. The practice is unusual.
"You never publicize that there could be any policy involvement in your fund-raising,'' said Doug Heller, executive director of the nonprofit Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumers Rights. "It crosses the one line that everyone knows about."
One lawmaker has been reprimanded. Assemblyman Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, was ordered by the leader of that house -- Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuńez, D-Los Angeles -- to reword and reissue his invitation to a $3,200 wine-and-cheese event in January. The biggest problem was Calderon's prominent mention of his new job as chairman of the Assembly Banking and Commerce Committee.
Nuńez's public reprimand did not stop the practice.
The most blatant example came from Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, who previously served as a state assemblywoman. An invitation to her February fund-raiser said, in bold type, that Migden is "Chairwoman Senate Appropriations.'' Lobbyists know about 80 percent of all proposed laws must go through Migden's committee because they have a cost attached to them.
At the top of the invitation were mock lyrics, to the tune of Mack the Knife, that said: "Now the line forms to the right dear. Now the Miggy's back in town. You'd better watch the floor, cause she's the law."
Bob Stern, president of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies, said the timing of the fund-raiser -- with entry fees that ranged from $1,000 to $3,300 -- is even more telling than the invitation.
"It's outrageous that she is asking for money 3 1/2 years before the election. This is a government access contribution,'' Stern said."This isn't a campaign contribution."
Also worth noting: It's illegal for lobbyists to give money to lawmakers. So why are they getting these invitations to fund-raisers in the first place? They're expected to persuade clients to write the checks.
About the author: Kimberly Kindy has been an investigative reporter in Sacramento for six years and has been a journalist for 16 years. Her stories have shut down a state agency, changed policies and led to new laws. Kindy, who is also the Register's Sacramento bureau chief, previously worked at the Los Angeles Daily News.
You can send watchdog tips to her at email@example.com or call her at (916) 449-6685. Anonymous tips may be submitted online at www.ocregister.com - go to the Region & State link.
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We explain what the Green New Deal includes — and doesn't — and why there is confusion over some of the content.
Senate Bill: Do Premiums Go Up or Down?
Partisan Spin on Gorsuch Vote
'Lost Jobs' from Obamacare
GOP Attack on Health Care Navigators
Barrasso's Subsidy Speculation
Sen. John Barrasso engaged in wild speculation in claiming that lower-income subsidies will cost $900 billion a year under the federal health care law. He assumes that all employer-based insurance in the United States will disappear.
In an op-ed for Roll Call, the Wyoming Republican and orthopedic surgeon said that "incentives in the health care law will encourage businesses to drop insurance coverage," adding that those employees will join state-based exchanges, increasing the cost of subsidies:
Sen. Barrasso's Medicare Mistake
Sen. John Barrasso mistakenly claimed that "57 percent of doctors don't want new Medicare patients," which isn't true. His own spokeswoman admits he got it wrong.
National surveys have put the number who don't take new Medicare patients as low as 14 percent, and a big American Medical Association survey last year showed only 17 percent of all physicians said they were "restricting" Medicare patients (either taking none, or just some).
The Wyoming senator — who is also a physician —


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By James H. Hansell, Lisa K. Damour
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Precipitating causes The immediate trigger or precipitant of an event. Predisposing causes The underlying processes that create conditions making it possible for a precipitating cause to trigger an event. Multiple causality Like all scientific and professional fields, abnormal psychology relies on categories for classifying its subject matter. Clinicians and researchers need diagnostic categories to help them study and treat mental illness and to communicate with other professionals. But categorizing mental disorders is a tricky business; the field of abnormal psychology has struggled to develop categories that consistently and accurately classify mental disorders.
Let's begin by considering an example: the case of a young man we'll call Dave. ) As you read about Dave, ask yourself whether you think his behavior is abnormal. Be aware of what factors you consider: do you focus on whether he seems bizarre, or whether he is impaired by his problems? The factors you employ are technically known as criteria (singular: criterion). Following the case, we will review the commonly used criteria for defining psychopathology. CASE Vignette Is Dave Abnormal? Dave is a 20-year-old sophomore at a large East Coast university.
All in all, he seemed to be making a good adjustment to college life despite some mild anxiety about whether he could be academically and socially successful. During the fall of Dave's sophomore year, however, his anxiety intensified. He began to worry about what everybody thought of him and became especially insecure about whether any woman could find him attractive. He felt self-conscious and shy, even around his good friends, and he always anticipated that he would be left out or rejected. As a result, Dave became more withdrawn and quiet.


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text: Brand Marketing It's a Big Country: Ikea Seeks Change By Kathleen Sampey|October 30, 2000Share By Kathleen Sampey|October 30, 2000Share "This one's a headscratcher," is how Deutsch CEO Donny Deutsch characterized last week's Ikea news in an internal memo to agency staffers.After 11 years during which Deutsch es-tablished Ikea as the destination brand for hip yet functional furniture in the U.S. and Canada, the client put its estimated $40-50 million account in review.Sources said the review came just weeks after the agency requested a "significant increase" in compensation.Joakim Gip, Ikea's external communications manager, who is running the review, denied money was an issue. "It's not that we've been unhappy … but after 11 years you get stuck in a certain way of working. We want to reach further. A review is a good way to see how to do that. Deutsch decided not to be a part of [a review]."In Deutsch's memo, he informed the staff that the client "could not come up with a definitive reason for wanting to 'look outside the fence,' other than 'it's time.' " Last week, Deutsch added: "We look back on our time with them fondly." Last Monday, the same day the client told Deutsch about the review, consultancy Pile and Co. in Boston began issuing questionnaires, which are due back on Nov. 1, sources said. According to the RFP, Ikea is looking for an agency in the same time zone as its U.S. headquarters in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. The account should be among the winning agency's top three in terms of size, but not its biggest. That requirement could be telling, considering that Deutsch was a $70 million shop with 50 employees when Ikea parked its $5 million account there. It now claims $1.5 billion and 800 employees. Ikea, whose sales were up 15 percent from 1998-99, will make a cut by Nov. 3, hold credentials meetings Nov. 16 and 17, brief finalists on Nov. 21, and hold final presentations on Dec. 20, a source said.Ikea's decision took the agency by surprise and struck an emotional chord. The staff memo ended with a reference to the brand logo's colors: "To all of you that have bled a little blue and yellow, I salute you from the bottom of my heart. Ikea is no longer deserving of you." Share http://adweek.it/2kpwjs6 copy Adweek Adweek


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Each of the five schools in our district is fortunate to have a very active PTA group.
The PTAs in our schools provide so many services that it would be impossible to list them all. PTA members recruit and coordinate volunteers, provide enrichment opportunities, raise money for many worthy projects, keep parents informed through school newsletters, publish student writing, sponsor parent education activities, help orient incoming pupils and parents, provide refreshments at meetings, and assist staff members in a multitude of ways.
Please click on the links below for more information on a school PTA group


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The Way Home is made from oral history interviews conducted by the Hackney Housing Oral History project in 2011 with people who live or have lived in Hackney. These interviews are currently being archived at Hackney Museum. The project is in partnership with Hackney Housing Group which works to achieve good housing for its members and is part of the London Coalition Against Poverty.
The Hackney Housing Oral History Project aims to investigate and share personal and collective attempts to make housing better in the past. By doing this we hope to start conversations about what can be done to solve housing problems experienced today. The project continues and we plan to make a website to show more of the collection. In the meanwhile, we can be contacted at: firstname.lastname@example.com
The music used in the walk was kindly donated by Tom Rogerson who is a musician, composer, and part of Three Trapped Tigers.
The Way Home was created as part of an MA in Heritage Studies at University of East London.


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The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal, most "experts" agree we have in excess of 100 years of known reserves, most of our electricity is generated by coal, every single barrel of of mid east or Venezuelan oil we can offset with domestic coal is a good thing, when we get off despot oil, then we can worry bout the green thing.
This should almost be a 'no brainer'. If the sun shines enough to require air conditioning then placing PV panels on the roof not only intercepts the solar energy before it penetrates into the building, but it produces enough electricity to offset much of the electric load for air conditioning during the time of the day when it's needed most.
If the US had spent the money to put PV panels on large flat roofs across the sunbelt, instead of pissing it away on Mideast military misadventures to secure more Arab oil, then they could have saved enough energy to significantly reduce oil imports from the Arabs. Another illustration of why 'military intelligence' is an oxymoron.
I wonder why? In Canada the recycle rate on vehicle batteries is about 95%. The recycled components are used to make more batteries. Sounds like another obvious problem of people being unable to connect the dots.
Oh well, if humans were an intelligent species then we wouldn't have the problems we do. I suspect that about 90% of humanity is too stupid to do anything but eat and phuck.
What about the particulate, heavy metal and radioactive pollution from coal fired electric plants? Is it OK as long as it's in someone elses back-yard? Isn't that sorta like having a pissing section in the shallow end of the swimming pool?
But admittedly.. there is nothing better in life :P
This is a perfect example of typical biodiesel misinformation.
Biodiesel deep fryer grease conversion kits for vegetable cars create a fun and economical way to fuel your diesel car
A car the runs on used vegetable oil? That is the typical response that most people will give when informed about the bio diesel technology that exist today.
Biodiesel is created when a person takes a used oil waste product, such as deep fryer oil, filters and refines it into a useable fuel that can be burned in most diesel powered engines.
Fueling a vehicle using this method is incredibly effective, costing only pennies per gallon. The average cost of producing biodiesel is less than $.50 per gallon. This means that you can run your operate your vehicle for just pennies per day. As the future price of fuel becomes more unpredictable every day, creating an alternative energy biodiesel car is a great idea.
In order to run biodiesel, you will need two things: An oil filtration or biodiesel distillation system and a Diesel or truck that has been converted using a biodiesel kit. There are several websites on the internet who offer both of these.
When it comes to using Biodiesel fuel, there is some work involved in creating the fuel. You must first collect the used oil, perhaps from local restaurants, and then spend the time converting and bottling your fuel.
With a small investment and a little time, you can create an alternative fuel to run your vehicle. Check back with Healthy Financial Habits for the latest ideas in saving money.
Author: John Zinsky
You have 100 Years of coal Now at its present consumption level.
I doubt that you will have much more than 25 years worth (If that!) if you replace the energy you are importing in Liquid fuel with energy that is derived from coal.
I'm sure those that could be bothered could translate the relationship of a gallon of oil to an equivalent energy value in coal and further cross reference that to a KW of electricity delivered to the end user. The savvy may also like to work out the losses incurred through battery charges, the fact that batteries on average require 50% more input than what they store and then the conversion losses in the vehicle. Work those numbers out against the tonnage of estimated coal reserves and I'm more than sure the number that comes out is not going to be within a bulls roar of 100 years.
And as said, it does little if anything for the environmental situation that is ( was?) flavor of the month.
I'm pretty sure that the amount of coal needed to fuel present demands and that which would be required by vehicles all adds up to more coal than most people can begin to imagine and would put a massive dent in any calculations as to how many years any country with coal reserves could remain self sufficient.
I suppose if the US does go to electric Vehicles, we can expect an invasion in oz so they can free us from the tyranny and whatever they are in the middle east for which as we all know, has nothing to do with the oil there.
I believe there is every likelihood that the next energy system, particularly for vehicles, has already been worked out. All this talk of electric, bio fuels, hydrogen.... Whatever, is just a feel good distraction the oil companies and governments are allowing the population to have while they extract every last cent out of the current oil infrastructure and economies.
As soon as whatever other system becomes more profitable than oil, it will be rolled out as some new miracle discovery. It will then be revealed that Farmer Brown from baccabuggery discovered it in 1923 and the patent was bought by an oil company or government and was " Lost" or "Forgotten" about till just now.
No doubt it will be simple, clean and efficient which is not what big money and governments want in the hands of the people while they can still hold them to ransom with oil .
Sounds all conspiracy theory and cloak and dagger which to me is actually what gives it a good measure of possibility!
Nothing to me anymore is beyond spin doctoring and corruption.
Imperium biodiesel plant fined for violations
ABERDEEN, Wash. -- The Washington Department of Labor & Industries has fined Imperium Grays Harbor $11,700 for safety violations stemming from a Dec. 2 explosion at the biodiesel plant.
The Hoquiam-based refinery was cited this week for 11 serious violations, defined as those with potential to cause death or serious injury.
On Dec. 2 a 10,000-gallon glycerin tank exploded when increased levels of sulfuric acid created a reaction that overpressurized the tank. No one was injured in the explosion.
Spokesman John Williams told the Daily World Friday that Imperium is reviewing the findings. CEO John Plaza said in January the company was taking steps to prevent accidents.
State regulators found employees weren't properly trained or warned of certain chemical hazards.
The company has 15 days to appeal the citation.
Information from: The Daily World, http://www.thedailyworld.com
"Performance in cold weather never became an issue," Rittich says. "We never had any instances—no fuel gelling, no filter plugging, no problems with machine operability or startability on cold mornings. And some of the machinery was parked outside, some inside, and they all started just fine, there was no issue with moisture or any other problems." Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures tested the actual fuel blends from the three blending methods, splash, in-tank and in-line. As expected, in-line blending provided the most accurate blends compared to what blend levels were desired, and the blends conformed to either Canadian CGSB or, in the case of B10, ASTM D7467 quality specifications. All B100 used for blending came with certificates of analyses. The good news is that no cold flow, startability or operability issues were ever documented in this comprehensive study of biodiesel blends in real-world off-road Canadian conditions. FPInnovations' MultiDAT monitoring devices were fitted onto each piece of equipment tested on biodiesel blends, and monitored work activities such as digging, cutting, lifting and normal smooth-road driving. No instances of a drop in productivity were logged. Also, operators sensed no difference in machine power or operability either.
Can we now assume biodiesel may work as a fuel for a diesel engine?
Biodiesel should be fine for older Diesel engines.
It has troubles with 2007 and newer engines with DPF filters, or in particular an in-cylinder post combustion injection cycle.
The question is whether the new 2011 models that are coming out shortly will have dropped the DPF and have better biodiesel compatibility. Or if they use an exhaust manifold/pipe injector for the DPF Regen.
And for that, discuss the DPF with a "competent" vendor.
First commercial biodiesel produced in Alaska
On June 9, the first commercial biodiesel was produced in the state of Alaska. Alaska Green Waste Solutions began production in its new Anchorage biodiesel plant and is celebrating with a grand opening on Thursday, June 17. The plant has a capacity of 1,000 gallons per day and is the perfect solution for disposing of waste cooking oil and producing a clean, reusable fuel in any location.
Constructed in Salem, Ore., by Pacific Biodiesel Technologies and JVNW, the plant was disassembled for shipment and reassembled in Anchorage. Built in six shipping containers, the facility includes storage for feedstock, biodiesel and glycerin, utilities and the biodiesel produces system. It can be shipped anywhere, assembled on site and ready for production quickly.
Jun. 22--PITTSBORO -- Using low-quality waste grease to create high-quality biodiesel will be possible with leading-edge technology developed by Piedmont Biofuels LLC, which markets itself as a leader in biofuels in North Carolina.
"This new process of using enzymes to produce biodiesel will increase yields, decrease waste, and allows producers to use lower-cost feedstocks," said Greg Austic of Piedmont Biofuels. "This ground-breaking technology will create more valuable co-products, and will allow existing producers to double their biodiesel output."
IFT's Biodiesel Booster Just in Time for Higher Blends
by John Davis – July 5th, 2010
A St. Louis-based company has recently finished testing of a product that not only will boost the performance of biodiesel … just in time as more people look at using higher blends of the green fuel … but some it is being made from renewable feedstocks.
International Fuel Technology's Director of Science and Technology, Sergio Trindade, explains IFT's DiesoLiFT 10, designed to reduce harmful emissions and maintenance costs when mixed with diesel fuel and biodiesel fuel blends, and DiesoLiFT BD-3, formulated to give biodiesel superior oxidation stability and deposit control benefits, optimizes the compression combustion that takes place in the engine.
"Which means the surface exposed to combustion is much larger than the ordinary injection system without our additive."
He goes on to explain that this optimization becomes more important as the industry moves to higher blends of biodiesel, such as B20.
"When you get to those higher biodiesel concentrations, you lose some of the mileage. The use of our product helps makeup for that loss in mileage."
If you're wondering if you would be replacing the cost of the biodiesel with the cost of IFT's additives, Trindade says while the additives produce a 4.5 percent increase in mileage, you'll spend only that first 1 percent to use the additive. That means it still returns about four-to-one on the investment.
Trindade adds they are making a portion of IFT's DiesoLiFT 10 and DiesoLiFT BD-3 from some of the same renewable feedstocks used for biodiesel and hopes to increase those feedstocks in the future.
The numbers don't add up do they?
Could use of biodiesel stimulate the economy?
By Ashley Conroy
MADISON COUNTY, MS (WLBT) - Economic opportunities in rural Mississippi could be on the horizon. It's part of an initiative from U.S. Department of Agriculture to promote rural development and the use of biodiesel nationwide.
Two under secretaries from the USDA toured Bruce Craft Farms in Madison County Tuesday to announce a $213,800 federal grant from through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) that will be given to eight Mississippi farmers to purchase new equipment.
Bruce Craft has owned and operated his families land since 1983. They harvest corn, cotton, and soy beans.
Craft says since Hurricane Katrina struck nearly five years ago, they started using used vegetable oil as part of their fuel to harvest their land because diesel fuel soared more than $4 dollars a gallon.
"To be honest we started trying to do it, to keep the cost of our fuel down," Craft said.
In one of their older tractors, Craft says they've been able to harvest production with the fuel tank filled with 37 percent used vegetable oil.
However, he says the production of their alternative fuel has slowed since gas prices have gone down and a federal credit, that paid back .99 cents for every gallon of biodiesel fuel produced, stopped.
"It costs us about a dollar a gallon to make it, so really it's not cost effective right now," Craft said.
In the future, he hopes to reduce regular diesel use by 20 percent.
USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager says using renewable energy sources in America will help bounce back the economy.
"We tend to want to transport things long distances. Well what's wrong with producing it locally and selling it locally. It makes a lot of sense and it keeps your local economy going," Tonsager said.
"We're constantly working with private land owners to improve the way we grow crops and the way we conduct our business," USDA Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman said.
The Craft family are firm believers that if everyone used even a small amount of alternative fuels everyday, the economy could potentially take care of itself.
"If we can just replace 10 percent of our energy with alternative crops, that's 10 percent of our money that's not going out of the country," Craft said.
Biodiesel manufacturer could close
By: Stephanie Stilwell
GREENSBORO -- A Greensboro biodiesel company is falling on tough times after a government subsidy ran out in December and the sale of their product dropped. Patriot Biodiesel started back in 2008 with hopes of turning vegetable oil into alternative fuel. But now, company leader's aren't sure how much longer they can last like this.
"This building was buzzing. It was every motor, every pump was just going crazy," said Gabe Neeriemer, co-owner of Patriot Biodiesel.
But now, most of the time these machines are kept off. Not because they can't make biodiesel, but because there is no one to buy it. " People aren't buying biodiesel, not because they don't like biodiesel but because the price is too high, much higher than the price of diesel now ," Neeriemer said. "Our price stays the same, no matter what's going on with the price of diesel, and the price of diesel has dropped considerably."
Add to that a $1 federal tax credit that wasn't renewed and this local business is struggling to survive. "We don't rely on the tax credit to be profitable," Neeriemer said. "But we use the tax credit to offset the government regulations and taxes already placed on fuel."
Officials say the benefits of using biodiesel are clear. "This is one of the major things that can help that can help the environment. Biodiesel, you reduce emissions, you cut down on a lot of the factors that are causing the ozone layer to deteriorate," Patriot Biodiesel co-owner Brad Duncan said.
But if things don't change, Neeriemer says the industry could be in big trouble. "Every biodiesel company in the nation is struggling right now," he said. "Most have closed their doors, 80 percent of biodiesel refineries have shut down and the 20 percent that are still open are operating under 50 percent capacity. Most are operating under 20 percent capacity, just enough to keep the doors open."
As for Patriot Biodiesel, the next few weeks will determine whether or not they'll close their doors too.
Good quotes about prices... if they were only "real".
I noticed the estimate for Algae Oil was $10-$30 a gallon.
It does indicate that Ethanol should be able to compete with Biodiesel on just a price basis.
How did we jump from Carbon Dioxide to Ozone? What we don't need more of is bad science.
From talking to people, the reason people aren't buying more biodiesel (or E85) is much more complicated.
I've talked to close relatives, and none burn B99/B100 in their Diesel pickups.
Essentially they refuse to put an "experimental fuel" that will "void warranties" in their $30,000 pickups. I'm convinced that they would pay a 10% premium for the bio-fuel if the manufacturers supported or recommended it.
Personally I'm convinced that Biodiesel is a superior fuel to Diesel due to the increased lubricity, but perhaps should be run with preheating and blends such as B50, B80, or B80K20.
Jatropha biodiesel in Nepal
by: MAYA CHHETRI Nepal Republic Media Pvt. Ltd.
Forced by frequent fuel crisis and obligations to reduce green house gas emissions an increasing number of countries are switching to the use of ethanol and biodiesel as fuel additive. Brazil leads in the production and consumption of sugarcane-based ethanol claimed to be seven times more efficient than corn ethanol that is being used in the US. Europe heads the production of biodiesel coming commonly from sunflower and rapeseeds. In the US, it is the soybean and residue oil from cooking industry that supply feedstock for biodiesel. In Brazil, biodiesel is sourced from castor and soybean. East Asian countries rely on palm oil.
Jatropha, a non-edible plant oil source of biodiesel is yet to make regular entry to fuel market. A 10-percent blend of Jatropha-based biodiesel with petro-diesel was reportedly tested in the train running between Delhi and Amritsar in India in 2003. Similar test was also performed on Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400's Rolls-Royce RB211 engine using 50:50 mix of Jatropha refined oil with Jet A1 fuel on December 30, 2008.
Use of biodiesel as transport fuel to a level of 20 percent (B20) with petro-diesel is technically proven mix recommended for conventional vehicle. Use of pure biodiesel (B100) in vehicle requires engine modification. Despite the technical potential to substitute fossil fuel, the position of biodiesel in the fuel market will be decided above all by its price competitiveness.
Commercial viability of biodiesel depends essentially on the price and quality of feedstock (seeds/raw material), the efficiency of extraction technology, market demand for pressed oil cake, and glycerin derived as by-products.
Price of feedstock is decided by average seed yield and percentage of oil content in the seeds. Higher oil yield is also equally a function of efficient extraction technology. Generally, the types of extraction technology in use are mechanical, and chemical or the solvent extraction. Mechanical method is less efficient and leaves a significant amount of oil in the pressed cakes. Optimum oil from seeds can be extracted by chemical process/solvent method. This method is recommended for large-scale production because of its cost. In Nepal, solvent extraction is used for producing edible oils from soybean and sunflower seeds.
Similarly, market demand for pressed cake or its price for that matter, to use as bio-fertilizer depends on the productivity responses of crops. Jatropha farming for biodiesel will not make economic sense in the absence of market for pressed cake in which case biodiesel price will be way far beyond the subsidy level that the state may support or sustain, and Jatropha seeds have no other uses.
Whether biodiesel is economically viable is yet to be answered. Nepal has seen some efforts to promoting Jatropha based biofuel since the 1990s. By this time, many of Jatropha plantations have reached harvesting stage that are in the 5th to 10th year of plantation particularly in Khairenitar, Hetauda, and in some areas of Siraha, Sunsari and Rupandehi districts. With a very rare exception, seed yields in all these plantations have been less than 500 gram per tree against the expectation of 3-4 kilograms per tree.
Similarly, oil yield by expeller (mechanical) method has also been too low ranging from seven percent to a maximum of 16 percent, which means a minimum of seven kilograms of seeds are needed to extract one liter of oil. The maximum yield of 16 percent was obtained from a more efficient expeller set up with the biodiesel plant at Ramnagar of Chitwan and Jhumsa of Palpa district under the grant of Alternative Energy Promotion Center. In these expellers, seeds are steamed to increase moisture level before they are expelled. Yet, oil yield was too low. In Chitwan, 100 liter of biodiesel was produced from 700 kilogram of Jatropha seeds (14 percent) and in Palpa it was 300 liters from 2600 kilograms of seeds (12 percent).Taking these figures and the prevailing input prices as the basis for financial analysis, biodiesel will cost over Rs 165/liter. Assuming 30 percent oil yield from these relatively cheaper plants will still cost over Rs 100/liter. These are likely prices of biodiesel in the absence of supportive intervention from the state.
Chemical analysis of Jatropha seeds (solvent extraction method) conducted recently at Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) found oil content in the range from 22.7 percent to 36 percent in the seeds collected from Siraha and Rolpa districts respectively. The test result indicated that level of oil content in the seeds corresponds to altitudes. Low oil percentage was found in the lower altitude and high percentage in the higher altitude.
Simple expellers that were thought appropriate for operating at local levels are no longer recommendable while solvent extraction method is a kind of more centralized production system appropriate for large investors.
Contrary to what has been widely propagated about the potential of Jatropha to grow on any type of soil, the seed yield results from plantations in Nepal has been very disappointing. Such results are also due to plantations being carried out in the manner as if they are just part of afforestation or bio-engineering program. Even with maximum seed yield, it is hard to expect over Rs 100 from a Jatropha tree in the 6/7 year of plantation at current price. Commercial cultivation is thus not attractive where choices for other crop farming are available. Jatropha farming may only be a good option for absentee landlords. The apprehension about food crisis in the event of growing fuel crop appears unfounded at least in the context of Nepal.
In the present context, biodiesel in Nepal is not viable and the question is if and how it can be made viable. What amount of state subsidy and in what form will be required to make it competitive with diesel price? How much will that cost the nation and whether it will be justifiable?
The viability of biodiesel will all depend on the state policy, plan and program formulated on the basis of actual and primary data as the secondary data are proving a myth and hypothetical and failing to match with the ground reality.
Jatropha was a bit of a fad over here some years back. The story was you could get good yields growing it on crap land. Which as the story says it just isn't true.
To get good yields you need good land and other crops are more productive.
The people of Bouganville use straight coconut oil which makes for a very cheap fuel for those in the tropics.
I think the confusion with Jatropha was that it will grow in a variety of conditions. Wet, Dry, etc. But, what people failed to mention is that the yields drop as might be expected in extremely dry conditions.
And, of course, Jatropha also is supposed to have lots of problems with COLD which eliminates it from being a viable crop for 3/4 of the USA.
I did read about one company which has taken seeds from mountain regions in Mexico and Central America with the hopes of introducing cold tolerant Jatropha.
The last issue, of course, is harvesting. While manual labor may be ok for harvesting in India, it is not practical for mass production in the USA where production is measured less by gallons per acre and more by hundreds or thousands of acres per farmer.
Keep in mind that some of the most productive land in the USA from this century was considered waste-land last century as the early American Colonists completely ignored the Great Plains as they made the lengthy trek to the West Coast.
If we can maintain an equitable water distribution, perhaps new land will be opened to intense agriculture. That is, of course, if cities don't continue to raid farmlands from water resources.
Perhaps cities and rural areas will benefit from Deep Brackish Water wells in the 21st century. But even that is a cause for concern.
Canola oil would qualify for biodiesel mandate-EPA
Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:47pm GMT
* Meets 50 pct GHG reduction requirement
* EPA hearing comments on canola oil data
WINNIPEG Manitoba, July 27 (Reuters) - Biodiesel made from canola oil would emit 50 percent less greenhouse gas than petroleum diesel fuel, which would make it eligible for the U.S. mandate to increase renewable fuel production, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
EPA data that compares greenhouse gas emissions between biodiesel and conventional diesel, released on Monday, shows canola oil would meet a key eligibility requirement for the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard program.
"These results, if finalized, would justify authorizing the generation of biomass-based diesel ... produced by the canola oil biodiesel pathway modeled," the EPA said, adding that canola oil would have to meet other criteria as well.
The EPA will receive comments on the data until Aug. 25, after which canola oil could become an eligible fuel source under the fuel mandate, giving it equal status with soyoil, said Tom Hance of lobbying firm Gordley Associates, which represents a coalition of U.S. canola and biodiesel groups.
"If you're a (fuel provider) and you've got to meet this mandate and you've got a choice between fuel that's eligible and fuel that's not, you're going to buy the fuel that's eligible," Hance said.
The main market for canola oil is edible oil, but biodiesel would give it fall-back demand, said Dale Thorenson, assistant director of the U.S. Canola Association.
U.S. farmers planted 1.5 million acres (607,100 hectares) of canola this year, mainly in North Dakota. That's a relatively small area, but the U.S. Canola Association has set a goal of expanding to 4 million acres by 2015.
U.S. plants have annual capacity for 200 million gallons (909 million litres) of biodiesel from canola oil, Hance said.
Canola oil's eligibility for the mandate may also stabilize U.S. imports of Canadian canola oil, Thorenson said. Canada, the world's third largest producer of canola and rapeseed, shipped 892,000 tonnes of canola oil to its top export market the United States from August 2009 through May 2010, according to Statistics Canada.
The United States Congress has set a goal of blending 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel into transportation fuel by 2022. (Reporting by Rod Nickel; additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe in Washington; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
© Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
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I'm back again for some more writing about the every day joys that life has to offer. I can only say that I had a great day of from work. I stayed in bed for way too long but I can't feel guilty about that. There isn't much that beats reading a book in a overly relaxed state. I kept on turning pages after I woke up and before I knew it half the day had passed me by. I didn't even notice how beautiful the weather was outside, which is surprising since we're well into October now. The sun was shining, there were barely any clouds and temperatures were good enough to leave the house without a jacket. So I grabbed the necessities and made way towards my mother's house for a little family visit.
When I got there I noticed my aunt, who has a lovely little house on Sao Tomé, a small island off the coast of central Africa, stopped by for a visit. As usual she had some wonderful stories to share with us from her experiences spending time amidst an entirely different culture. It all sounds wonderful and I marked a new destination on my "places I must visit" list; which by this time is getting longer and longer. I am pretty sure that if I would one day win the lottery that I would use a lot of that money to see the world and experience as many different cultures and lifestyles as possible. The country I live in has a big variety of people and cultures and I love it. I love learning their habits and most of all, taste their traditional types of food. If anything makes me a happy camper it is a battle between an amazing book or an amazing meal. A battle that could be won by either side easily.
I also came to the realization that I am more out of shape than ever, I spent the majority of the afternoon running around the backyard with my little brother. He just kept on going tirelessly while I tried to keep up his pace. Even as I am writing this I feel sour in muscles that I didn't even know I had but honestly, it feels great. It makes me feel alive.
I hope that the upcoming days, weeks, months and years will bring me as much joy as these last weeks have provided, I know that I am capable of facing the challenges life will throw at me, it is just the way you cope with them that makes the difference, and I have finally found a way to do so.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed reading this. The short story I am working on is about half way done and should be released soon! Keep looking out for that one.


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Save our Community
Chatsworth Drive is lined with lawn signs as are streets throughout the John Wanless Public School area. Check out the soswanless.com website This community is up and ready to take on several levels of government to protect their community during what's likely to be a tough fight ahead with boundary changes on the horizon. Much may be learned from these parents and neighbourhood residents about organizing around school facilities.
As background the website refers us to a report late last month in the Toronto Star. Read on:
Ontario needs to fix the full-day kindergarten problem it created: Editorial
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne speaks from the floor of the Legislature after the throne speech on Feb. 19, 2013. She will now have to find the money to help urban schools struggling with limited space for full-day kindergarten.
It's a classic case of "good idea, bad execution." And unfortunately for parents of young children, the Ontario government's inadequate planning for full-day kindergarten is creating a mess in crowded urban schools. This is what happens when politics trumps foresight.
The blame for this (and a few other lingering bombs) lies with Ottawa-South MPP Dalton McGuinty, previously known as the "education premier." McGuinty began with a commendable passion for early childhood education, which gives kids a strong foundation in the critical early learning years. But he pushed full-day kindergarten without assuring adequate funding to build classrooms for all those bright young minds. It's akin to political attention deficit disorder — creating headlines without a long-term financial plan.
As the Star's Kristin Rushowy reports, the government is now telling school boards to find low-cost options instead of spending on expensive "bricks and mortar" construction costs.
It's a clear abdication of responsibility for one of their high-profile projects and it's hurting urban schools with no space to expand. These schools are already bursting with students or were built on such a small footprint that there is no room for portables, making construction the only option.
If the freshly ensconced Premier Kathleen Wynne wants to put her imprint on education, she needs to give extra money to GTA boards struggling with these problems, such as those in Toronto and Peel Region.
It doesn't look promising. Speaking in perfect bureaucratese, Wynne's new Education Minister Liz Sandals said, "The province has flowed the money that we've always said we would flow." That's it, folks.
Parents across the GTA who once applauded full-day kindergarten are now furious that boards may be forced to redraw school boundaries, bus older students to different schools, add portables or even send students to off-site spaces. The best scenario is the purchase of high-end portables so the oldest students can free up classrooms for the youngest.
Whenever there is a leadership vacuum, someone will find a way to fill it. In this case it is parents who are stepping up to avoid the redrawing of boundaries. They are touring schools with principals and board staff, scouting unique ways to patch together broom closets with seminar rooms to create classroom space.
Even that isn't perfect. As Toronto trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher says, schools are now spending to fit classrooms into odd spaces or building expensive hallways leading to "modular" units that are supposed to be cheaper than real construction. "We are fixing things that are illogical," she says. It's a worrisome observation.
None of this is a surprise. When the program began in 2010, the province promised $1.4 billion in renovation and construction costs for new classrooms. Boards got started immediately on schools that had ample space. Now, in years four and five of the rollout, boards are told to cut costs just as they begin dealing with schools that need construction dollars.
And, just to add another layer of annoyance, this is exacerbated by the government's 20-student cap on primary classes. Small classrooms are undoubtedly a positive step forward but the caps have (perhaps unexpectedly) played a role in the current kindergarten mess.
All this creates a problem for Wynne, who is trying to brand her government as "renewed." She seems to have stopped her party's slide in the polls, but she can't get a break.
From the latest batch of "found" power-plant documents to the kindergarten crisis in urban schools, Wynne finds herself cleaning up problems left over from her predecessor. She had better fix this. A good start would be to properly fund full-day kindergarten.


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No matter which version of Microsoft Word you are using, the program is currently considered to be a huge data security risk, since a new zero-day vulnerability was discovered recently and hackers are already taking advantage of it.
The vulnerability was previously undisclosed, and can be used to install all sorts of malware on your computer, even if your software and operating system are up-to-date.
Luckily, Microsoft is currently working on a patch that will be released this week.
Typically, users are warned about the dangers of macros that could potentially have malicious code in them. The reason why this vulnerability is so critical is that it does not even rely on macros.
Here is how it works. When a victim is tricked into opening a suspect Word document, your computer downloads a malicious HTML application disguised to look like a Rich Text document file. The HTML application then proceeds to download and install a malicious script that installs malware on your computer without you even knowing.
The vulnerability was first reported by McAfee on Friday. According to them, an attacker can execute code on the affected computer while evading memory-based mitigations, a mechanism designed to prevent similar types of attacks, which makes this vulnerability particularly alarming.
If you are interested in reading the full story with all the details, FireEye has posted a similar report on Saturday. You can find it by visiting their official website.
Microsoft's spokesperson confirmed that the zero-day vulnerability will be patched in the next batch of security updates.