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Contact Us
City of Refuge Miami
16490 SW 304th St,
Homestead, FL 33033
Google Map
City of Refuge Miami
16490 SW 304th St,
Homestead, FL 33033
Google Map
Following God's prompting in December of 2012, Pastor Jeremy H. Upton, founded the Refuge Church in the south Miami-Dade area. With a vision to serve God, each other, and its community in Biblical, Balanced, and Beneficial ways, the City of Refuge is already making its mark for the Kingdom of God.
We are a Spirit-filled, Kingdom-oriented church that seek to meet the needs of our community in relevant, transformative, and impactful ways for Jesus Christ.
At the Refuge Church, it's okay to not be okay. But it's NOT okay to stay that way!
The Refuge Church exists to glorify God by exposing everyone to Jesus Christ, equipping Jesus-followers for life and ministry, and empowering them for Kingdom operation.
We seek to be "A SAFE PLACE for people on their way to destiny!"
To be a church of Kingdom impact on the people and families of Miami-Dade County.
Our vision is to be a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and multi-locational church that is not far from wherever you are.
Towards that goal, in 2017 we have adopted the theme: "About That Life" (John 10:10). This year, we are about that life: pursuing the Kingdom, pursuing the unchurched, and pursuing maturity in Christ.


text: Anthropologie's collection of furniture can be described in many different ways but one thing we admire, they certainly know how to give us options that are at the very least, interesting. The minimalist Ditte line is cloaked in whimsical upholstery by Fred Shand. Each piece is upholstered in hand-screened, patched and appliqued cotton that's been washed to create a worn, well-loved look. Below is the Pink Ditte sofa.

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Get up late one glorious Sunday and venture to this great establishment. Here you will enjoy a stunning Jazz Brunch. Your private table will be situated in a glorious courtyard encircled by tall palms and centred around a glorious fountain. Enjoy a glass of sparkling wine on arrival. Once seated you can enjoy the sounds of live jazz while reading your paper and enjoying your 1st cup of filter coffee. Once you feel wide awake, venture to the buffet and dither over all the exciting varieties to choose from. Start with literally any type of cereal, yoghurt or fruit you can think off, top up with cheese and biscuits, select from various fresh fruit juices and topple your toast with fine jams. Just when you think you've had enough, follow up with a mountain of breakfast delights from sausage, fried tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs to literally Sunday roast. The buffet is bursting with bounty and the delectable delights are endless.
On departure, simply roll out the front door and onto the beach! What a blissful way to spend your Sunday.
This package includes a buffet breakfast for 2 with complimentary sparkling wine and newspaper on arrival.
Cape Town, Western Cape
Available on Sunday's only.
Ideal for couples or friends.
This experience is for 2 people only.
If the weather is poorly, your table will be booked inside the restaurant.
What to take:
Take only your tastebuds and an empty stomach.
Allow 3 hours for this experience.
Additional Information:
This experience includes an e-voucher and service fee.
- Lifestyle & Cooking
- Western Cape
- For Couples


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Elderly Care Rock Hill SC
What Causes Low Blood Pressure?
Most people are familiar with the dangers of high blood pressure, also called hypertension. But, did you know that low blood pressure, or hypotension, is also a dangerous condition? Since elderly adults are particularly susceptible to low blood pressure, it's important for family caregivers to be familiar with the problem and know how to recognize…Read More


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Our Clearing card features designs constructed of bamboo, cork, natural leaves and sisal. The colors included on this card are reminiscent of the view one might have in the clearing of a forest.
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Then, KTVB crews headed over to the Boise Bench, which is a sizzling spot for real property right now. Going for $187,000, the home was built in 1920! It's about 1,600 sq.-feet, has three bedrooms, two bogs, a basement, and a big yard. Realtors say massive properties and backyards are very uncommon in this worth vary. Advanta IRA Services, LLC does not promote or promote any particular investments or funding methods. They merely present a file-preserving service for individuals who are looking to use their retirement funds to invest in actual estate. The class provides agents the requisite knowledge on self-directed IRAs to advise their very own current buyers and help them to work with future traders as properly.
This chart begins a yr after the June 2007 real property peak, when sellers significantly outnumbered consumers and homes stayed on the market longer. The restoration began in 2011 and our market had stabilized by 2014. Since then, fewer and fewer properties have been on the market, as demand has outpaced listings. Lack of market information. Selling your home by your self requires you to have a powerful knowledge of the local market and the right enterprise-planning-and-marketing-for-the-residential-specialist-crs-200 way to price your private home. Not having a comprehensive understanding of the current house values might lead to you overpricing your own home and being unable to promote, or underpricing your house and promoting for too little. To qualify, you should live in the home as your major residence for two of the 5 years prior to promoting it.
This is only a math exercise. The property taxes need to be paid for the complete calendar year after which prorated to the date of title transfer or if the vendor is providing you with keys early, date of delivery or entrega. But going solo also may be time consuming and mentally challenging. Sellers should research the market, promote and present the house, negotiate with consumers and study the authorized and monetary particulars behind real estate transactions.
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The Nolbi Toilet seat provides, integrated arm support to enable a safe sit-down and stand-up from the toilet. Ideal for elderly residents.
Nolbi Family, is designed to povide safe seating for children as well as adults.
Nolbi Toiler Riser, is designed to provide added height to allow hip patients and easier sit down.


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Cellfire is smart. The free mobile coupons company knows three things it needs to entice users to use its digital chits instead of stuffing paper cutouts into wallets, purses, and pockets.
1. Provide multiple ways to get the product. Cellfire is a downloadable PC-to-mobile app for BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile, but it also offloads into the phone via WAP (point browsers to www.cellfire.com/) and through some carrier agreements.
2. Offer compelling brands. In addition to dozens of national chains, like TGIF and 1.800.Flowers, Cellfire's service gets local, offering discounts for hundreds of neighborhood merchants and regional chains in metro areas to total 10,000 merchant partners across the U.S.
3. Make coupons easy to redeem. The coupon for San Francisco's North Beach Pizza gave me two ways to collect savings. I could select "in-store" to get a coupon code to flash the cashier, or click to call the vendor and read back the code. I could also clearly see how many more offers I could collect and (2) how many more days I had before each coupon expired (5).
Cellfire's coupons update every two weeks. Although the service itself is free, users will get slapped with the cell phone carrier's data charges. Better stick with those paper coupons if you don't have a data plan.
Google Assistant gets to know you better: A new "Personal references" feature allows your phone and smart speaker to remember extra contact details and makes personalized recommendations.
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CTIA Super Mobility Week
reading•Cellfire mobile coupons save a buck
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"I'm just sad that <Annihilation> mode is not an option." – Kirito
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Discussion in 'Raising Baby Chicks' started by John01, Apr 2, 2008.
At 5 weeks old are there any sure fire signs of Rooster vs. Pullet?
Not really. Post some pictures for us and we can give it our best shot!
bigger comb in rooster and some redness
Mine are just about six weeks. The rooster crowed this morning. In the brooder...in the house. That's a pretty sure sign. Ugh!
In my 8 week olds I found the feather development was slower in the roos. The combs grew much faster on the roos and the wattles grew also. My roosters seem to have more of an attitude than the hens and the hens where more trusting. I did get some crowing at 3 weeks but could never catch them at it. Pecking on the other birds seemed to be the best clue. I had to put 4 roos out of 15 chicks down for their aggressiveness then everything calmed down and the flock is getting along fine now. I am now left with 8 hens and one roo. I think the only thing I could do was watch and learn. This was my first attempt in raising chickens. Post some pics and the fine folks here will let you know. John
the roos start trying to crow at 3wks of age an older.an some roos may wait longer to start trying to crow.but when you hear crowing you have a roo.
I posted pics on this site and got a mixed response. I thought I had a roo because of the comb and wattle being more prevalent than the others, but haven't heard one bit of crowing. They are 8 weeks old. Maybe it's just a fast maturing hen????
My buff orp hens combs are no more than 1/4" high and no wattles. The roo on the other hand the comb is 3/4" and the wattles are 1/2" long and bright red. He crows like crazy. John
Just an up date. After I lost a few chicks due to excess roos I bought 4 white leghorn females from Meyer Hatchery. They are now 3 weeks old. While eating supper tonight a crow came out of the brooder. I have noticed one of them was like I posted before slow in feather development and has a larger comb. Guess I have a roo in the bunch. Just another indication of the experience I had in the beginning. John
Some roosters crow early, some wait till 4-5... even 6-7 months old to try to crow. Combs at under two months turning red is a sign of a roo. Girl combs should't redden till about 4 months old.


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One of the crazier, more talented posters over at Manboobz has developed the habit of creating Majicc Cards for all the posters, and she has done one for your poor correspondent here:
Thanks, Ami, you rock.
Turns out, I also get a card for myself! So not only ZRM card, but minions as well! I LOVE having minions.
Deathtouch. Hah. Don't piss me off.


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Blog Archives
The Sanctity of Life in the Heidelberg Catechism: the Sixth Commandment
In his comments on the sixth commandment, "You shall not murder," John Calvin writes, "The purport of this commandment is that since the Lord has bound the whole human race by a kind of unity, the safety of all ought to be considered as entrusted to each." As creatures made in God's image, we are called to do whatever is required to "defend the life of our neighbor; to promote whatever tends to his tranquility, to be vigilant in warding off harm, and, when danger comes, to assist in removing it" (Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.8.39).
Calvin's explanation highlights what the Christian tradition has often referred to as the commitment of "solidarity." The sixth commandment, according to Christian teaching, does not merely prohibit outright violence. It calls us to do everything in our power to protect and preserve human life. Calvin puts it quite strongly: "if you do not according to your means and opportunity study to defend his safety, by that inhumanity you violate the law" (2.8.40). Note Calvin's use of the word study. This is not simply a casual obligation. Unless we study and work, as individuals and collectively, to do all that we can to ensure the safety of our neighbors, we are guilty of inhumanity.
The Heidelberg Catechism teaches the same interpretation of the sixth commandment in Lord's Day 40. The prohibition of murder not only means that I am not to "belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor – not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds." It also requires that I love my neighbor as myself, being "patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to him," and that I "protect him from harm as much as [I] can." I am neither to harm or "recklessly endanger" a person made in the image of God.
In short, the catechism calls us not merely to be reactive against threats to the sanctity of life. We must be proactive in fostering the conditions necessary for life. We do this only when we stand in solidarity with one another in love, mercy, and friendship.
The Heidelberg Catechism makes it quite clear that these obligations do not merely fall upon human beings as individuals. On the contrary, government is armed with the sword for this very purpose: "Prevention of murder." It is striking that the catechism does not merely say – as some Christians have said – that government is given the sword to punish those guilty of murder. It calls the government to use its power to prevent murder from happening in the first place. Government, too, is called to be proactive, not merely reactive. Indeed, protecting and promoting the sanctity of human life is the primary reason why we have coercive government at all.
Catholic theologians have described Christian teaching as protecting the sanctity of life as a "seamless garment" from conception to the grave. Protestant ethicists have emphasized the need for Christians to hold to a "consistent ethic of life." This has several important implications.
Read the rest of this article here.
Are Christians Under the Ten Commandments?
In a discussion at the Puritan Board regarding propositions written by Mark VanDerMolen in a comment thread on this blog, a number of people wondered how it can be true that the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue) were given at Mt. Sinai uniquely for God's covenant people, and yet the moral substance of those commandments remain binding on all human beings in all times and places. As one person wrote, this seems like "doublespeak … [I]s the moral law expressed in 10 commandments binding on all men or not?"
In practice I don't think most people have any trouble distinguishing between the Ten Commandments as given and the moral substance of those commandments as timeless. After all, the commandments specifically address the covenant people of God (I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt), make promises unique to the covenant people of God (that you may live long in the land the LORD your God has given you), and provide reasons unique to the covenant people of God (for the LORD brought you out of a land of slavery). Such covenant language could not have been transferred to ancient Egyptians or Canaanites any more than it can be transferred to contemporary Tibetan Buddhists or even to American Evangelicals.
Why not? Because the Ten Commandments are the centerpiece of a specific legal document, a covenant often referred to by theologians as the Mosaic Covenant and described in the New Testament simply as "the Law." Neither Jews nor Christians have ever received them simply as a timeless statement of ethical principles, which is why Jews do not view the sabbath law as binding on Gentiles, and why Christians do not hold to the seventh day sabbath. If Christians literally believed that the Decalogue was given to all people in all places as a timeless statement of moral law, we would all be Seventh Day Adventists, seeking the reward for our obedience to our parents by relocating to the land of Israel.
Some Christians do that, of course, but not most of us.
Most of us follow the lead of Christian theologians going back to the middle ages and distinguish between the moral substance of the Law – which we equate with the principle of love, or with natural law – and the covenantally contextual elements of that Law, usually described as the judicial and ceremonial law, which no longer bind us. In addition, we follow the logic of the theologian John Calvin, who distinguished between the rigor and contractual legal force of the law, which no longer binds Christians, and the truth or teaching of the law, which is always profitable for moral instruction.
In taking this approach to the Ten Commandments we follow the Apostle Paul in Romans. Paul argued that Christians are no longer under the Law, having been freed from it and bound to Christ just as a woman whose husband has died is free to marry a new husband. At the same time, he called Christians to love one another, declaring that by doing so they fulfill the moral substance of all the commandments.
Why is this confusing to some Protestants today? It is confusing in part because despite these clear covenantal and theological distinctions, the theologians of the Reformation generally described the moral law as being summarized in the Ten Commandments. Both Luther, Calvin and their followers gave the Ten Commandments a prominent place in their catechisms, which became the core teaching tool (after regular preaching) instilling doctrine into their followers. Eventually various catechisms and confessions presented the Ten Commandments simply as the summary of the moral law. For instance, in response to the question, "What is God's law?", the Heidelberg Catechism recites the Ten Commandments. Likewise the Westminster Confession of Faith declares that the moral law is "summarily comprehended" in the Ten Commandments.
Have these documents abandoned the distinction between the Ten Commandments as a contextual covenantal document and the timeless moral law, thus leading to contemporary confusion? In my view they are less than clear on the point, but a careful consideration of each indicates that while the distinction is not clearly stated and articulated, it is nevertheless assumed. This is most obvious for the Heidelberg Catechism, which follows Calvin and the Second Helvetic Confession in interpreting the Fourth Commandment (the sabbath law) in terms of an eternal sabbath that calls Christians to spiritual rest and worship, rather than as a call to seventh day sabbath observance, as the Decalogue is actually written. But even the Westminster Confession, which does present the sabbath day principle as binding on Christians, explains that for Christians the day has been changed from the seventh day of the week to the first. Even here, it is clear, it is the moral substance of the commandments that is viewed as binding on all people, not the Decalogue itself as given to Israel.
One might wonder why this question even matters, outside perhaps of debates about the sabbath law. Everyone involved in the discussion agrees that the moral law as presented in the Ten Commandments is binding on all people and all places, and (as far as I can tell) everyone agrees that the elements of the law that were covenantally specific to Israel are not. Nevertheless, given the consternation of some Reformed Christians regarding those who try to explain why this is the case, the point clearly needs clarification. I hope this post has helped to provide just that.
Neo-Calvinism and Distinctive Christian Living: A Response to Darryl Hart's Quibble
Last week at Old Life Darryl Hart graciously ventured his agreement with my basic statement of the two kingdoms doctrine at Reformation 21, though with a qualification. He writes,
My lone quibble with Matt is the sign of lingering neo-Calvinism (which I attribute to his Covenant College education, in part, and which he denies). For instance, he still believes that Christians will look or be different and noticeable when they apply the Bible to their daily lives …
But I also know and I am sure Matt knows, plenty of non-Christians who believe government officials should serve the public, that businessmen should not ruthlessly pursue profits, that husbands should be considerate and loving toward their wives, and that those with resources will share them with those in need. In other words, I see nothing inherently distinctive or biblical in the Christian pursuit of these social and cultural goods. Do different motives exist for Christian businessmen compared to their unbelieving peers? Sure. Can I see those motives? No. And that is the point. The best stuff that Christians produce in public or cultural life is hardly distinct from non-Christian products. Where you do literally see Christianity at work is on Sunday.
Darryl describes my project as an "effort to find a middle way between 2k and neo-Calvinism. This is not how I perceive my own work. Although I do not view myself as a neo-Calvinist any more than I view myself as a representative of some sort of "two kingdoms movement" (I don't find such flag-waving helpful), I, like David VanDrunen, wholeheartedly affirm neo-Calvinism's teaching concerning the sovereignty of God over all of life, along with its emphasis on the cultural mandate, the antithesis, sphere sovereignty, and common grace (you will recall that in Natural Law and Two Kingdoms VanDrunen, with qualifications, claims Kuyper and Bavinck for the two kingdoms tradition, distinguishing it from neo-Calvinism's subsequent evolution). Rightly understood, as David VanDrunen argues in his Living in God's Two Kingdoms, every one of these principles is fundamentally compatible with, and to a significant extent even presupposes, a two kingdoms perspective.
To be sure, a prominent strand of neo-Calvinism has evolved in a highly problematic, radical direction, in part due to its abandonment of biblical two kingdoms distinctions, and it therefore easily devolves into the worst forms of the social gospel and liberation theology. In between Kuyper, Bavinck, and this radical form of neo-Calvinism there are a plethora of variants and distinctions among self-conscious and unconscious neo-Calvinists, all of which suggest that we should not dismiss the movement as if it is some sort of monolithic beast.
But let me get to the precise quibble about which Darryl is concerned. Yes, I believe that Christians should look different from the world when they work out Christ's lordship in their daily lives. At the same time, yes, I believe that the same moral law that binds Christians is written on the hearts of nonbelievers as natural law. As Calvin clarified time and again, outwardly nonbelievers often keep the moral law just as well as, if not better, than those who profess the Christian faith. (Once we get into the realm of the "products" of "public and cultural life," by which I assume Darryl means things like civil laws, party platforms, scientific discoveries, works of art, or manufactured products like homes, clothing, or tools, there is no question that for the most part, the best that Christians do is hardly different from the best work of nonbelievers. But let me focus on the moral question in this essay.)
There are various reasons for this. On the one hand, many who profess the Christian faith are insincere or hypocritical. None attain to the moral standards that they themselves profess. On the other hand, many nonbelievers readily perceive the advantages of maintaining the natural moral order, whether as a result of their own religious convictions or of the influence of the very Christianity which they reject. But as C. S. Lewis points out in Mere Christianity, the relevant question is not whether every Christian is morally superior to every non-Christian. The relevant question is whether a Christian is more sanctified than he or she would be apart from the work of Christ. That's why when professing Christians act like the worst unbelievers, the church excommunicates them.
But of course, that sanctification may be outwardly imperceptible in some cases, as Darryl rightly insists. This is particularly true when Christians are compared to those nonbelievers or practitioners of other religions who outwardly live moral lives worthy of the highest human praise, for whatever reason. In fact, there are myriad instances in which even the most sanctified Christians have much to learn – even morally – from individuals who deny the Christian faith. We need humility. Here again Darryl and I are agreed.
But Darryl overemphasizes the degree to which either Christians or nonbelievers actually live according to the best moral standards. I would suggest that the main reason why Christians often look no better morally than the world is that Christians are plagued by so much vice rather than that nonbelievers are marked by so much virtue. If Christians actually followed the teaching of Christ they would look profoundly different from the world, just as would nonbelievers if they actually obeyed the natural law. I understand Darryl's desire to reject the "They will know we are Christians by our t-shirts" variety of Christianity, but that does not mean our Lord was wrong when he told us that they will know we are his disciples by our love for one another.
The fact remains that even in the works that Christians do that look just like the best works of the most morally admirable nonbelievers, the context for the former distinguishes them from the latter. The Apostle Peter gets at this when he calls Christians to act in ways that the world will respect and admire (which would be impossible if the world did not share the same moral awareness to some extent), but then insists that they always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in them. Taken as isolated, individual actions, therefore, what Christians do often looks identical to what is done by nonbelievers, but viewed in the context of a life of Christian witness (expressed most directly in worship, as Darryl emphasizes, but also present in the readiness of Christians to testify to the gospel), the same actions look different. As Ryan McIlhenny helpfully explains in Kingdoms Apart,
The good works done by Christians, although common in the abstract, nonetheless can effectively win over people to the kingdom, as Lord's Day #32 … of the Heidelberg Catechism tells us (265)
In the particulars, Christian activity is similar to that of unbelievers and therefore part of the common, secular realm, but the picture changes when the pieces form a whole (269).
Christianity makes a difference in the life of anyone who is regenerate. When Christians rightly apply the Bible to their lives, following Christ, their actions will look different than they would have if they had not become Christians, a reality the New Testament explicitly associates with the calling of Christian witness. Does Darryl really disagree with this, understood rightly (rather than facilely)? I doubt it.
The Confessional Reformed View of the Lord's Day
A thoughtful piece by William Evans posted on the Aquila Report got me thinking today. The post is entitled, "Why I am (sort of) a Sabbatarian." It is worth reading. Evans is a Presbyterian, and his frame of reference is the Westminster Confession. Mine is quite different, and reading Evans's piece helped me to appreciate what I regard as one of the great strengths of the Reformed tradition in which I was reared.
I grew up in a "Dutch" Reformed community. What that meant was that virtually all of the people in my church and school were of Dutch background, just about everyone in the church over 55 had come from the Netherlands, and all the people that I knew who were Dutch were Christians. My interaction with neighbors who were not Dutch taught me that people who are not Dutch were probably not Christians, and at best they might be nominally Catholic.
My father, the pastor of our local Christian Reformed (later United Reformed) Church, raised us with an excellent balance of warm piety, Kuyperian vision, and Reformed theology, always reminding us to examine whatever we do, no matter how traditional, from the perspective of Scripture. He worked hard – I think – to communicate to us the freedom and beauty of the Christian life, framing all rules and practices in those terms.
Like most of my Reformed friends, my family refrained from unnecessary work on the Lord's Day. That was the day on which as kids we could do whatever we wanted – outside of the times we had to be in church – but we did not have to do our homework. We would regularly get to have friends over, or go out to play soccer with a group of friends and neighbors at the local park.
We did not spend much time debating what should or should not be done on the Lord's Day. Although I heard the Ten Commandments read in church every single Sunday as the rule for my life, the Heidelberg Catechism that taught me how to interpret those commandments carefully avoided the sort of focus on rules and prohibitions for which I knew the Pharisees were famous. For those of you unaware of its content, this is what the Heidelberg Catechism says about God's will for Christians in the Fourth Commandment:
First, that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained, and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I regularly attend the assembly of God's people to learn what God's Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to God publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor.
Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath.
Note that not a single imperative is given regarding an obligation to rest, or regarding a prohibition of work. The whole emphasis is on the worship of God and the care for others appropriate to the "festive day of rest," as well as to other days. The only reference to the Sabbath is to the eternal Sabbath rest into which believers have entered through Jesus (Isaiah 66:23; Hebrews 4:9-11).
My first meaningful contact with Presbyterians came when I arrived at Covenant College fresh out of high school. And what I discovered there baffled me. Hardly any of these people went to church more than once on a Sunday and the vast majority of them regularly spent their afternoons and evenings doing homework. No one seemed to think any of this was particularly irregular. And yet as I constantly noticed, the college I was attending and the churches from which these people came regularly talked about the beauty and authority of the Westminster Confession of Faith and its catechisms.
I was all the more surprised when a Presbyterian pastor told me that one of his concerns about the "Dutch" Reformed churches from which I came was their lack of teaching about the Sabbath. As he pointed out, the Westminster Confession carefully equated the first day of the week with the Old Testament Sabbath day in a way that the Heidelberg Catechism does not, and it requires not only rest from work, but rest from recreation as well.
And yet the Presbyterians that I knew simply ignored their confession, and the "Dutch" Reformed people I knew regularly spent the first day of the week in worship and rest. It was enough to make one wonder, Was there a connection? Does requiring Sabbath observance as a law actually make people less likely to devote one day in seven to worship and rest, whereas an emphasis on using the traditional "festive day of rest" as an opportunity for worship and fellowship makes them view such rest and worship as a blessed opportunity?
This connection became all the clearer in my mind when I discovered John Calvin's writings on the Fourth Commandment, which I will not review here, and the very clear statement of the most widely accepted 16th Century Reformed Confession, the Second Helvetic Confession. There I read:
The Lord's Day. Hence we see that in the ancient churches there were not only certain set hours in the week appointed for meetings, but that also the Lord's Day itself, ever since the apostles' time, was set aside for them and for a holy rest, a practice now rightly preserved by our Churches for the sake of worship and love.
Superstition. In this connection we do not yield to the Jewish observance and to superstitions. For we do not believe that one day is any holier than another, or think that rest in itself is acceptable to God. Moreover, we celebrate the Lord's Day and not the Sabbath as a free observance.
It was at this point that I began to appreciate my own upbringing, as well as for the first time to see the power and significance of the exhortations of the Apostle Paul regarding Sabbaths and other special days. On the one hand, as Paul says in Colossians 2:16-17, "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." On the other hand, as he writes in Romans 14:5-6, "One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord."
This seems like a solid approach to me, and as best as I can tell, it is the most effective in motivating Christians freely to devote the first day of the week, which the church has set aside for worship and rest, to just those ends. I refuse to judge another person for his or her mode of observing the day, and for my part I continue joyfully and appreciatively to use it for worship and rest as I always have.


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In my honest opinion I don't think we can heal Perioral Dermatitis (POD) with what we put on it – though I've tried. I think complete healing begins with diet and how healthy our bodies are – specifically the gut.
That being said, we can cause irritation and cause inflammation by what we are using on it topically. I want to share with you – through my trial and error – what worked, what didn't, what really didn't, and how I settled on what I use today.
First and formost
You are not defined by what your skin looks like. I know it's hard, the pain, frustration, hurt and self esteem issues that POD causes are no joke. But you are still beautiful, worthy and loved. Don't let POD take that away from you! This skin condition, as ugly as it can be, can be calmed, it is a journey – are you ready?
The one good thing about POD is how it has helped me lead a healthier lifestyle. Kicking dairy was huge (not all dairy) – finding an amazing probiotc made a huge difference, and changing my diet to aid in gut health was probably the biggest step in the right direction. But we can talk about that later. Today we are talking skincare and makeup!
What NOT to do
Honestly I am not here to tell you what not to do 😉 Each persons struggle with POD is their own. That being said I have tried lots of different methods and the ones below were anything but helpful.
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) –
The internet says: Use this remedy 3 times a day, and the rash should be completely gone in 4 to 5 days, depending on the severity of the rash. Additionally, you can also drink 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in 1 cup of water, twice a day to help heal the skin from within.
Excuse me while I laugh at this ridiculous statement! If POD (which is not a rash) was healed so easily hundreds of people wouldn't actively struggle with it. We wouldn't be here having this discussion.
I say: It burns, bad! It stinks and it caused far more irritation than I was already experiencing. The worse part was trying to get the burning sensation to stop after I washed it off. I love ACV but not on my face and especially not on my POD.
Yogurt Mask –
The internet says: What will work well: Plain Greek Yogurt. You can wash you face with it (use cool water), make a mask with it (once your face has improved you can add Honey to the Yogurt Mask). For those that are having a severe breakout: GENTLY wash your face with the yogurt DO NOT SCRUB. Rinse with cool water.
Again, if it was that simple, we wouldn't be here….
I say: It burns. Yet again, though not quite as bad as the ACV. It did nothing but irritate my skin and cause more pain. The more I tried these home remedies the more frustrated and scared I became!
They clearly insinuate "it works" and when it didn't, I began to freak out. I tried these "natural remedies" until I cried thinking a break through was just around the corner. It wasn't until it got really bad (I wish I had pictures) that I decided to seek medical attention from a dermatologist.
***Note: I first went to our general provider who prescribed a steroid cream not knowing what I had. Please do your research before every applying steroids! They should never be used on POD. In my experience general providers often misdiagnose POD.
Soaps –
After going to a dermatologist it was suggested I use this soap.
I used it religiously after my bout of oral antibiotics and antibiotic cream, but three months later my POD came back.
Because I didn't know what the heck was in these soaps but ingredients I couldn't pronounce, I wanted to find something pure, wholesome and natural to use on my skin.
At this point I still thought the cause was what I was using topically. It's on the outside of my body, the irritation is being caused by something on the outside, right? After dealing with POD for 4 years I've discovered – specially when it comes to a skin issue such as POD – healing begins from the inside out. How POD develops is still a mystery.
Still, the products we use topically can be causing irritation so…
What I started doing
I don't want to tell you how to handle your POD. I've had people do that to me and I found it to be frustrating because:
- they don't know my skin or my body and how I react to things
- what worked for many has still not worked for me
I'm not going to say "do this and it will work." No, I only share what has worked for me 🙂
A good facial cleanser
I stopped using any and all chemical laden soaps that were suggested for my POD. I mean… what the heck is in that stuff anyway? They never left my face feeling clean and they never cleaned off the makeup – it smeared it. That to me means it's not cleaning my pours or impurities off my face. Eww!
Because I love and use Young Living products, I looked to their skincare line full of cleaners made from gentle plant based botanical's. Did you know Young Living had skincare? They do – and its amazing!
I started using their Orange Blossom facial wash and was amazed at its cleaning power. It also contains MSM which acts as a smoothing agent on the skin that you can feel. It cleaned off my makeup and left my face feeling fresh AND it it caused no irritation to my POD – SOLD!
A good moisturizer
After hearing how oil (the correct kind of oil) can be very beneficial for skin health, I began looking into it.
Someone I follow, a health advocate, said she used cold-pressed organic grapeseed oil as a daily moisturizer. I did my own research and found the benefits are incredible for skin – much more so than coconut oil, which my skin has never liked.
It's very inexpensive and available on amazon. FIY Prime, I love ya!
I've used it for over a year now and love how it balances my skin! I go through winter and summer without my skin changing with the seasons. It's kept it consistent and has no irritation on my POD – SOLD!
I spike the grapeseed oil with Frankincense and Lavender essential oils which aid my skin in more beneficial ways. You don't have to use it with essential oils though I do recommend it – it smells amazing! Please DO NOT purchase your essential oils from amazon though >>> read why HERE.
My free and easy recipe for Grapeseed Oil Face Serum.
It can leave a little oily layer on your skin, if you take a tissue and pat it off, that takes care of that 🙂
Makeup Matters
POD is not something we want to showcase on our faces so what do we do? We cover it up!
The question is… do you know what is in your makeup? Did you know most makeup brands, even commercial brands, have trace amounts of lead or mercury in them. They also contain parabens which isn't only unhealthy for your skin, these toxins get absorbed into your blood stream and cause all sorts of other health concerns. YIKES!
Learn more about what is in you commercial and drug store makeup brands here >>> Find out more!
The makeup I was using was causing irritation but what was I suppose to do? I only wore it when I went out but the irritation built throughout the day. F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-N-G!!!
"Is there anyway to win with this stuff?!" I asked while bawling my head off.
A makeup brand literally feel into my lap that was chemical, talc and gluten free. I was ecstatic!
After using this brand for a month or so I found it caused no irritation to my POD – SOLD.
These thing's aren't healing but they aren't irritating either – to me, that's a win.
This makeup brand just happens to be sold by Young Living as well. This company has so much more to offer than just oils and for that I have been extremely grateful!
The makeup by Young Living is called Savvy Minerals and it's wonderful!
The foundation has excellent coverage even though a little extra care is needed when covering the red irritated skin.
I would question if it actually supports my red irritated skin. Savvy Minerals foundation contains Kaolin Clay. Masks are made out of this clay to pull toxins from the skin and dry out pimples.
If you search Kaolin on durablehealth{dot}net it says: Kaolin clay mask is an inexpensive, simple and an exciting way to take care of your skin. As a facial and full body mask, it offers several benefits for oily, acne-prone, normal and sensitive skin types.
There are many other pure and natural powders that make up this foundation and all of them are excellent for sensitive skin. Read the ingredients list.
I also LOVE their eyeliner and blush and play around a lot with their growing eye shadow collection.
Other irritation causes for POD
If you've done research, you know dermatologist suggest we change not only our skin care but everything from our toothpaste to our hair care products as well.
Because Young Living offers a chemical free version to many thing's I slowly began switching out my chemical laden products for their chemical free counterparts.
Toothpaste: Young Living's Thieves aroma-bright toothpaste – free of Fluoride. Why? Fluoride free toothpaste is suggested by medical professionals for POD care.
Shampoo & Conditioner: Young Living's chemical free/sulfate free Shampoo and Conditioner. Sulfates are suggested to cause irritation to POD by medical professionals as well.
Basically any synthetic, synthetically made fragrance or man made chemical can cause POD irritation.
That is why I switched it all up, taking in all the suggestions in attempt to make my POD something I can handle without medical care. And so far, it's worked. I've been able to keep my POD somewhat controlled for the last year. Keep in mind I didn't switch this stuff out over night. It was a process. I started with skincare and went from there.
What made the biggest impact was the facial cleanser, moisturizer and implementing Probiotics (Life 9 probiotics by Young Living).
If you are interested in these specific Young Living products know they are easily available to you! I can help you build a kit specific, visit my Build a Savvy Kit page or visit my. Get Started with Essential Oils page. Need help? drop a comment or visit my contact me page to chat directly.
What's next?
For me and my POD the next step is to heal my gut. I will be embarking, February 1st 2018, on the Whole30 diet plan.
What is Whole30: At its most basic level, the Whole30 program is a 30-day reset where you eliminate certain food groups from your diet that could be having a negative impact on your body. Those include dairy, added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, MSG, and sulfates.
As I've moved way from dairy (again… not all dairy) I have noticed a significant improvement to my POD. Significant! I am very excited to embark on this new journey!
I would also love to connect with you through any of the social media avenues below!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest
My best wishes for you on your own journey. Don't give up! Keep fighting and you will find a way to deal, if not even heal, POD.


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We live in a culture that admires busyness.
We applaud the fast moving, hard driving entrepreneur, always on their phone, endlessly moving from meeting to meeting.
We respect the urgent executives, with mountainous To Do Lists, no time for breaks, as they get tasks done at a rocket like pace.
But our obsession with busyness can be incredibly costly.
Because usually, the busier we are the less quality thinking we are doing.
And it's thinking that really improves businesses, not just doing.
As Henry David Thoreau put it, "It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?"
Most business executives and entrepreneurs need to do less and think more.
Michael Dell didn't become a billionaire because he worked harder and faster than everyone else.
He became a billionaire because he came up with a great idea: to sell computers direct, cutting out the dealer network, which was the prevalent and ubiquitous business model at the time.
Howard Schultz didn't become a billionaire because he worked hard either. He became one because he traveled to Italy and had an idea: that European specialty style coffee shops would do well in America.
Anita Roddick didn't become one of the richest women in the world because she was busier than other women entrepreneurs.
She became rich because she conceived the idea of opening a specialist bath and body shop, supporting native cultures.
Sure, we should all work hard, but working hard doesn't create a competitive advantage, as most of our competitors are also doing it.
Where we can get ahead is by devoting at least 20 minutes a day to just thinking – alone, with a blank pad of paper and a pen. Resisting society's urge to do, do, do all the time.
It's ideas that created the modern world and it's ideas that will revolutionize your business.
But they need time to originate.
So every day, stop working for awhile and do some quality thinking. It sounds simple, but it's not an easy thing to do.
As Henry Ford said, "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it."
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Scott Hanna is coming to the Con!
An Eisner Award winning artist in the graphic novel industry, Scott Hanna has been drawing and inking comic books for over 30 years. His work has been published in over 1,000 comics and graphic novels, and he's inked over 22,000 pages of comics art.
A founder of the Arts and Fashion Institute in PA with his wife Pamela Ptak, Scott teaches classes in sequential art, anatomy, drawing and cartooning.
At DC Comics, he has worked on most of their major titles, most notably a five year run on Detective Comics staring Batman, Green Lantern Corps, working with David Finch on Wonder Woman and Lee Weeks on Superman, Lois and Clark.
At Marvel Comics, Scott's worked on all the top characters at the company, including the Avengers, Spider-Man, IronMan, the X-men and the Hulk. He's drawn Spider-Man for fifteen years, working on almost every title staring the wall-crawler.
Currently he is working on Wonder Woman, Super Sons, and Action for DC Comics, Black Panther and the Crew, Venom, and X-Men Blue for Marvel.
Scott received a total of seven Inkwell Awards for "Favorite Inker", "Most Adaptable Inker" and "Props Award" from 2010-2016, the 2005 Wizard Fan Award for "Best Inker" and the 2002 Eisner Award for "Best Serialized Story" – Amazing Spider-Man #30-35. Hi work appeared in th Smithsonian's 9/11 anniversary exhibit with artwork from the book HEROES. He had a one man show at the Storefront Artist Project in Pittsfield, MA; 'The Art of Scott Hanna'; his art was featured in a 2010 exhibit at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in NYC, and he had a one man show at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA in 2015. Most recently his work was exhibited in The Society of Illustrators Art of Spider-Man exhibit.


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Wednesday, September 29, 2010
#103 "Saturday on First Street", oil, 16"x20"
This was a very complex painting to make, and that made it very fun to do. I concentrated on shapes and values and tried to ignore subject matter. I also tried to be really loose and let just a stroke tell the story. Not say too much. I think I still said more than I needed to, but the result is, I think, a lively cheery, portrait of the town of Langley. I am falling more and more in love with Langley. Studio 106 is just a few feet from this view of First St. I have done some work on the studio and moved in some studio furniture and brought some paintings in. It is slowly becoming mine. I also talked with a very talented gardener who will be installing the gardens around my space. (I'm responsible for caring for the gardens around Studio 106). I'm so excited to see them take shape. The gardens in Langley simply bring me to tears. I want to add my little corner of that community to the garden treasures of the city. The Ray for the Day is "Saturday on First Street".
Posted by Phyllis Ray at 4:37 PM 2 comments:
Labels: Langley street scene
Thursday, September 23, 2010
#102 "On the Edge", oil, 12" x 16"
Yesterday Joanne and Chris came to my studio and we all painted for a couple of hours, had a lunch break and talk, and more painting. Afterwards Chris and I went for a nice walk along the lake. Painting, time with women friends, and some exercise! A great day. This painting makes a nice companion for #101. Again, I really like the color combination, the yellow, green and peach against the lavendar and the deep blue against the pale yellow. These two paintings were inspired by the table setting Chris made for Joanne's birthday garden party last Spring, so it was fitting that I painted them with the two of them here. The Ray for the Day is "On the Edge".
Posted by Phyllis Ray at 11:13 AM 1 comment:
Labels: coffee cup, fork, plates
Thursday, September 16, 2010
#101 "Blaaack Cawfee..." oil, 12" x 16"
Guess what? No painting is easy. I thought I would just do an easy little painting after struggling with the complexities of portraits. This simple seeming composition went through some very interesting stages along the way. The background color has been difficult to photograph. In reality it is a very lime green. I like the lime against the purple and the purple against the peach. I find the various circles and their placement quite interesting. This little coffee cup turned out to be quite an abstract painting. The Ray for the Day is "Blaaack Cawfee....".
Posted by Phyllis Ray at 10:44 AM 1 comment:
Labels: cup of coffee, oil painting
Thursday, September 2, 2010
#100 The Final Four
These are the last four stages of the painting of Rachel. Even though I checked, rechecked, and thought I had everything in the right place.....her left eye migrated from it's appropriate place. I really treasure this painting because it is a great learning. I got so mesmerized painting that left eye that I didn't pay attention to where I was putting it. Hopefully I will be more and more mindful and alert with my paintings. Perhaps I should name it Rachel With the Wandering Eye? What a great 4 days that was! I do know, also, that should I get really serious about painting portraits of people I will want to paint much more expressionistically than these paintings. However, now matter how or what I paint....I want things to be in the right place. I just got the keys to my new Studio 106 and am going to Langley tomorrow morning, so I will spend some time there planning, measuring, thinking about how I will be using it. So that's it for portrait workshops for awhile. The Ray for the Day is The Final Four.
Posted by Phyllis Ray at 7:14 PM 1 comment:
Labels: oil painting portrait workshop
#99 Day Four of Portrait Workshop
The last day of the workshop Liana did a masterful 4 hour demo in the morning. For the last 4 hours we had one model for one pose. I took photos of my piece every 20 minutes so I could look back and see the steps and the development. I have chosen 8 of those photos, and will post 4 today and the final 4 tomorrow. During this process the task was to check and re check the position of each facial feature in relation to all other parts of the face shape, and to keep in mind the shape of the negative spaces as well. I did not know how to get these images in the right order....they are exactly backwards, so read from the bottom to the top. These four stages took her to "the guy in drag" stage. She is, in fact, a very feminine woman with a very square jaw, big wideset eyes and a wide mouth. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to figure out how to get the images in the right order. The Ray for the Day is Day Four of Portrait Workshop (or the beginning of Rachel).
Posted by Phyllis Ray at 8:34 AM No comments:
Labels: oil portrait painting
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
#98 Day Three of Portrait Workshop
By Day Three our heads are full of what to do, what not to do, and a complex mix of eagerness and frustration and some mental fatigue and excitement all rolled into one. It's a great group of painters and the comraderie, support and encouragement is high. This day we had two models, and had two hours with each model. There was a sigh of relief to know we had two hours to stare, correct, paint, stare and correct again. We are all beginning to see the subtleties of skin tone, shape, etc. a bit better. Most everyone in the group is an accomplished painter in their own right, yet we confessed we had totally forgotten anything we knew before and are concentrating only on the principles Liana is truly trying to transmit to us. In my opinion this is the best way to be at a workshop....with an empty and open mind. This day turned out to be really fun. I enjoyed the process immensely. What a woderful way to spend a day! The Ray for the day is Day Three of Portrait Workshop (or Jess and Garrett).
Posted by Phyllis Ray at 9:26 AM No comments:
Labels: oil painting portrait workshop
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Your skin is the first thing people see when they meet you. The best way to make an excellent first impression is to take good care of the largest organ of your body, your skin. Keep your skin healthy by applying these tips from the article below.
Using a natural-bristle brush gently to exfoliate your skin is a good idea before you shower. This will clear dead skin cells, increase circulation and cut down on acne. The exfoliating process also removes toxins located in the body.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Use apple cider vinegar to fight blemishes. This treatment helps relieve dryness and restores moisture. Just be sure to use the method during the day rather than night, as the scent from the apple cider vinegar can get all over your sheets at nighttime.
If you have excessively dry or flaky skin, exfoliating regularly can keep pores unclogged and prevent formation of blackheads and whiteheads. Exfoliating sloughs off dead skin and clears your pores. After exfoliating, you are left with a top layer of fresh, healthy skin.
If chapped lips are an issue for you, you can create a hydrating lip balm to help soothe them. Sour cream, honey and cucumber can be mixed together and then patted on your lips to sit for about fifteen minutes. You will then want to rinse well with tepid water, and apply a layer of almond oil. This will help seal in moisture.
One certain way to maintain your beauty is to avoid artificial tanning. A lot of people want to get tan so that they can look younger, but it ends of having the opposite effect. Tanning beds are especially harmful to your skin and causes premature aging. If you'd like to look young, do something else.
Your skin is an important part of your body. Your skin is actually your largest organ. The health of your skin is heavily affected by your the overall health of your body. Caring for your skin will make it appear healthy and give you a healthy body as well.
Remember to keep your lips well protected. The air tends to get dry during the winter months. In these conditions, painfully dry and cracked lips are a common issue. You can avoid this problem by using lip balms, lip glosses or lipsticks that contain moisturizing ingredients.
Body Washes
Some body washes are worse for your skin than environmental pollutants. To prevent this, use body washes with plenty of vitamins and moisturizers. This helps skin regenerate and stay moist.
If you've got oily skin, try using a mineral powder or oil-free foundation. Foundations such as these are made to eliminate your skin's excess oils. Be very wary of any foundation that is in liquid form if you have an oily skin type.
Learn to find creative outlets for your stress and control your stress levels. If you are under stress, the levels of cortisol, adrenaline and DHEA in your blood all go up. These bodily chemicals can cause certain skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne to happen. Your skin is a signal to the world that reflects your inner health, so a peaceful mind will help lead to healthy skin.
By now, you've see that skin care is important. When your skin is taken care of, you will move through your day feeling and looking healthy, happy, and confident. Use the things you have learned in this article to have a good complexion.


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Sydney asked me to use a song that Simon had written for her months before the wedding. I was quickly reminded of why I grew to love piecing together films more than editing photographs; The music, the connection, the personality that it allows to be represented.
Sydney and Simon met each other in Boone, just like my partner Ian and I did. We spent the beginnings of our relationship amongst those cozy mountains of our tiny college town amongst many others who met their partners there. Being a part of Sydney and Simons wedding day felt like home to me. It felt honest, personal, and joyful. Each piece of the day representing who each person was, is, and hopes to be.
Venue: Grandparents Horse Ranch
Photographers: Fox & Owl Studio


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Fox Wood Camping
UK England South East England West Sussex Worthing
Woodland Pitch
Though Fox Wood is a summer campsite, the familiar smell of wood smoke still wafts through the trees in wintertime. It's a nostalgic scent that leaves you dreaming of late night campfires and summer evenings. And it's created by campsite owners Ian and Sarah, whose time is spent in the colder months creating sustainable charcoal. It's no surprise that, after a few years wandering beneath the mighty oak they were struck with the thought of opening it up to other people; allowing them to embrace the same romantic setting and star studded skies that they had enjoyed for all those years. And thus, Fox Wood Camping was born.
In the bottom of a gently sloping valley, just to the south of a long shelf that runs through the South Downs National Park, Fox Wood is a 34-acre Oak wood with around half set aside for tent-only camping. Each pitch is in its own natural clearing and comes with a fire pit and log seats, with campers parking near the entrance before using wheel-barrows to truck their stuff out to their pitch. For maximum privacy, it's worth making the extra effort to lug your things right to the far end of the wood, though pitch near the entrance and you can catch the early morning dawn as it splinters through the tall trees.
Visitors looking for a South Downs campsite with drying rooms for walking boots, playgrounds for the kids and electrical hook-ups for plugging in your boom-box are in the wrong place. Fox Wood is a true back-to-basics, family-friendly site and facilities are few and far between. There are no bins, so you need to remember to take your litter home, there's no electricity, so remember to charge your phone, and there are certainly no glaring lights beaming through the night, so remember your torch and a telescope! But they do have the bare essentials to ensure campers have that wild experience, without the need to bathe in the pond. Excellent gas-powered showers are housed within quirky, wooden-clad cube, while there's a block of composting toilets tucked away beneath the trees. After that, what else do you need?
As with all the best campsites, it's the location that really does all the hard work. The woods constantly chirp with the sound of wildlife and the lean canopy branches clatter gently in the breeze. Beneath, worn down pathways lead you to the entrance where, a few strides across the lane, a local footpath is found. It's really just the start of a network of opportunities, as anyone with an OS map will tell you or those into Geocaching. Countless routes from here will take you into the heart of the South Downs. Not that you need to go that far. Many take to the trails and wind their way in one of three directions: The World's End, The Woodman Arms and The Fox – each an easy and worthy stroll away. Proper wild camping and a pub in easy reach. Now we're talking!
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The campsite owner saysA beautiful, family-friendly campsite nestled at the bottom of a wooded valley within the South Downs National Park. The site is located within a 35 acre private woodland, and each of the pitches has their very own fire pit area. No seats, remember to bring your camp chairs. Fox Wood is directly adjacent to the Angmering Park Estate, which has footpaths and bridleways within an expansive 1300 acres of woodland to explore.
Why book with I Love This Campsite?
- Best Price Guarantee, with no fees
- Instant booking confirmation
- Trusted for over 10 years
- A chance to win prizes in our regular competitions
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Ongoing discussions over plans to build a mixed-use apartment and retail complex at the busy intersection of Route 9 and Cox Cro Road in Toms River have necessitated a delay in the project being heard by the township's planning board.
Richard Stanzione, the attorney for the proposed Cox Cro Crossing development, said some issues are still being worked out over the development and he is communicating with the board's attorney, Gregory P. McGuckin. Stanzione said his client would put off the hearing until March 21.
Several residents were in the audience at Wednesday night's planning board meeting to comment on the project. Most left after it was announced that the hearing would not be on the agenda.
The project's plans call for two buildings which will include 42 one, two and three bedroom apartments; 21,619 square feet of retail commercial space, a 10,000 square foot medical office building and 32,204 square feet of general office space, along with 5,496 square feet set aside for a convenience store and gas station.
The project will have one access point to Cox Cro Road and two access points along Route 9, according to plans filed with the township.
The developer is seeking a number of variances for the project, including parcel size – 20 acres are required where just 10.28 are available. Other requested variances surround setbacks and building height – there is a 35-foot height limit while 43 foot structures are proposed. The full list of variances is available at the municipal complex.


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If I bring my camera, I HAVE to bring my (a) tripod.
That's sort of a hard and fast rule — albeit unwritten — that I've come to adhere to through the years. Being a landscape photographer by nature, you never know when an opportunity to capture a sunrise or sunset might arise, so my policy is to always be prepared.
These past few months though, my (along with my wife's, naturally) travel dynamic has changed drastically with the addition of Amy into the family. Before, I could manage bringing the majority of our stuff with my trusty (but heavy) tripod in tow, but a baby changes things — now, we need to bring more stuff, and every ounce of weight off our backs is a welcome prospect.
While I ultimately wouldn't have minded lugging along my trusty tripod up our recent trip to Baguio, it's a good thing I asked around and Manfrotto was kind enough to lend me one of their BeFree tripods for me to bring along and review.
First off, it's small and it's light. And I'm talking about the aluminum version, not even the carbon fiber one (I have some personal misgivings about CF tripods in general, but that's entirely off-topic). Especially compared to the one I own, it was refreshing to have something so small and compact.
Since this was a loaner I just picked up, there was no manual, and I had no one to teach me to use it. But I figured how to set it up pretty quickly — the simplicity of the system was another plus for me. I also appreciated how easy it was to spread the legs out — there's a knobby thingamajig you just twist to quickly adjust how spread out you want each leg to be. Just be careful, since you can accidentally realign the twisty things even if they're spring-locked in place (although I don't know if this was just because the unit was used) which could potentially upend your camera. Also, since this is a small tripod, it had more leg locks to make it more compact, which in the field translates into having to snap out more extensions.
The small ballhead that came with it gave me a bit of a pause, since I still shoot with a DSLR — which today, if you are wont to listen to mirrorless preachers, is "archaic" and "outdated" — but it managed to hold my 5D Mark 2 with a 24-70 2.8L Mark 1 pretty well and I experienced no issues like tilting. I also appreciated the simplicity of the locks for the ballhead and the stem — just one for each — which were also surprisingly stable and tight.
The mount took a bit more time getting used to, and I never got comfortable using the small plastic lock on the side that keeps the mount in place. I also got confused a lot by the main lock for the mount (does it go left or right?), which was a real (literal) pain to unlock whenever I happened to tighten the lock a bit too much. I was also disappointed that the main stem did not have a hook at the end where I could hang my camera bag for easy access to my stuff and better stability; while small, I feel this feature is especially useful in situations like shooting seascapes and you have nowhere to put down your bag.
Cons considered, I'd still say I would not be sorry in the least to have one. My heavier tripod is still useful for rougher situations, but the BeFree is a great all-around travel tripod that wouldn't make me think twice about bringing it (if I had one) when I go out. It's easy to use, compact, light, and considering the brand, of good quality as well.
The Manfrotto BeFree retails for Php11,790 and is available at Henry's, Colours Digital Foto, and Lazada. You can also visit Manfrotto Philippines to see their other offerings.
Filipino culture is by nature, colorful. From small gatherings and occasions like local barangay fiestas to the full-on, humongous, and production-value festivals the many of our provinces hold, there is the undeniable and irrefutable stamp of Filipino creativity and ingenuity.
But when you think about it, many of our local festivals that have been part of our culture for decades stem from our Catholic heritage and our Spanish colonization that lasted for more than 300 years.
This is where the Imbayah Festival in Banaue, Ifugao sets itself apart.
Imbayah is a festival that celebrates local Ifugao cultural traditions, such as the thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest. It's also interesting to note that the name of the festival itself is derived from the Ifugao word for rice wine, bayah. Perhaps our penchant for calling out "Inuman na!" during special occasions has far deeper cultural roots than we realize.
Traditionally though, Imbayah was about the rising of status in the community and the more affluent members of society hosted the celebrations in their respective homes. In recent years though, it has been more of a celebration and means to remember Ifugao culture in general — while it has still a lot of ways to go in terms of tourist spectators, especially compared to the larger celebrations in other provinces, more and more people have braved the twisting mountain roads to catch a glimpse of this truly unique festival. In fact, Imbayah used to be held only once every three years, but has become very successful that it is now a yearly occurrence.
Contingents from Banaue's 18 different villages converge in the town proper, terraces, bringing with them their own tribal symbols. They dance, they compete in ethnic games, not so much as performances or shows for visitors — although visitors are most welcome — but as more of a remembrance of where they came from and what makes them unique as a people. In fact, a number of the competitive sports played in the ethnic games were used to settle disputes between tribes.
Another popular event of the festival is the wooden scooter race, where participants zip down the mountain roads from of one of the highest viewpoints of the rice terraces down to the Banaue town proper. These scooters have no motors whatsoever, with the racers relying on their deft maneuvering and the craftsmanship of their bikes to get ahead.
There are also several opportunities to further appreciate mountain culture — there are organized treks through the famed rice terraces themselves that visitors can take, or for the more adventurous, a trek to the village of Batad where even more majestic rice terraces await, and below them, the raging but beautiful Tappiya waterfalls.
It may lack the pomp and splendor of other festivals, but there is something profound about the Imbayah; it's more than the top-load traveling, or the unique food (ants and kamote, anyone?), the strapping fellows in tribal g-strings, or even the ingenuity and persistence behind the beautiful rice terraces. It's something pure, something largely untouched by our colonial history, something inherently and uniquely Filipino.
Getting there: You may opt for a side trip to Baguio City first and then catch a bus to Banaue, or take a bus straight from Manila to Banaue. This year's festival is on April 18-22.
*This post was originally published in the April 2016 issue of the Filipino-Japanese Journal.
I can only wish that the transport system here in the Philippines was as efficient as that of Singapore's. The trains are on time, spacious, clean, alighting and getting off the trains are much more orderly (despite the massive crowds during rush hour), and all the stations go all around Singapore using interconnected terminals and interchanges. And for areas further out, there are buses (with designated bus stops) and those cool unmanned light rail transit systems.
We were able to borrow two EZ passes (good for most, if not all transportation in Singapore – not sure with taxis though, since we never rode one) so we were able to save the initial purchase price for the reloadable cards. And while there's also a special EZ card for tourists, our calculations showed that buying the regular kind would be a slightly cheaper option, plus you get to have a souvenir of sorts.
You pretty much take the train to go anywhere, so don't be stingy when you reload – SGD10 is the minimum, and a train ride will set you more or less somewhere between SGD1.50 to SGD2.00.
It seems to be fairly common for tourists to get somewhat overwhelmed by the train system, which seems complicated at first – I know we were intimidated – but it's actually pretty easy to figure out, and you'll soon find yourself plotting the best train route to wherever you want to go. Most of the signs are also in English, so you won't have too hard of a time.
While the system isn't entirely perfect, in the way that nothing in the world can ever be perfect, it's a pretty darned good system. I never felt the need to ride a cab (as opposed to here in the Philippines) and everything was efficient and safe. I really wish that someday, Filipinos can experience something similar.
Back from the dead.
It's been awhile. What can I say — life got in the way.
And while I do have a couple of stuff on the backburner that I can put up, I can't think of a more appropriate post to revive this space with.
So without further ado.
February 19, 2015 saw me take a half-day leave from my night shift work, trudging half-awake to Shell Tiendesitas to hitch a ride with some friends to catch some of the Chinese New Year festivities in Manila Chinatown — and maybe sample some authentic Chinese food as well.
We arrived in what is the oldest Chinatown in the world — yes, you read that right, OLDEST IN THE WORLD — at the crack of down. The district was largely quiet, with most of the shops still closed for business. So we did what we always did what we always did — wait.
Before we knew it, the place was awash with people milling about. Vendors, most of whom were selling good luck charms, popped up along the sides of the road, and customers were lined up outside popular (mostly food) stores like Eng Bee Tin and Wai Ying. TV crews took up places all around Binondo church and all sorts of entertainers were going around, performing for anybody who could be bothered to throw in a few pesos in their direction.
Despite being half-Chinese, I've never celebrated Chinese New Year in any shape or form, nor have I been to Chinatown to watch the festivities. I was surprised at how many non-Chinese folks turned up to spectate and participate — I noticed that even in an incense altar (albeit with a sort of crucifix, a testament to how Filipinos are wont to mix stuff in with Catholic traditions, dogma be damned), more Pinoys were waving incense sticks about and mumbling prayers compared to their Chinoy fellows.
It was an interesting experience to say the least, one I'd like repeat should I get the chance. Many thanks to friends and folks — most of them members of the Framed Shots Camera Club — who let me tag along.


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CBRE's recent portfolio auction achieved a 70 per cent clearance rate, with five of the seven properties offered sold under the hammer following its inaugural portfolio auction in August where sales totalled more than $100 million.
CBRE national director Mark Wizel said the auction has attracted 112 registered attendees, 40 registered bidders and 11 registered interstate phone bidders.
"We would have loved to have emulated the 100 per cent sales rate from our first [auction], however that being said we are delighted with the results we achieved for our vendors and are hard at work to ensure sales are achieved on the two properties that were passed in," Wizel said.
[Related reading: CBRE's Premium Property Portfolio Auction Clears $100 Million]A highlight was the sale for Charter Hall of a freestanding supermarket at Kerang, in Victoria's north-west. The asset, which is situated 279km from Melbourne's CBD, attracted the strongest bidding on the night and was sold for $15,700,000 – a yield of 6.19 per cent.
Four other properties sold under the hammer while two were passed in – the Nino Childcare Centre in Mickelham and an AMart Furniture Store in the ACT (which was passed in for $10,825,000).
The auction highlighted ongoing interest in the childcare sector with a Guardian Early Learning Group-Leased asset at Point Cook selling to a Melbourne based family for $6,560,000 – reflecting a strong yield of 5.9 per cent. Three bidders were competing for the centre, which was underwritten by a 12-year lease providing for annual CPI increases.
Other childcare assets to change hands on the night included Nino branded centres in Bundoora and Ashburton.
CBRE director Sandro Peluso said $55,750,000 was achieved in childcare centres sale in an eight-week period - all through portfolio auctions"It's been amazing to see the diverse range of buyers based both in Australia and overseas who have a strong desire to secure ta foothold in the sector."
The sharpest yield achieved on the night was 5.68 per cent for the Nino Childcare asset in Ashburton, which was snapped up by a Chinese family who moved to Australia around ten years ago.
CBRE national director of Asian Services Lewis Tong said that there had been some recent commentary about a slowing in Chinese investor interest in commercial property assets in Australia – and that sector of the market had been "patchy" in the past eight weeks.
"It's important to recognise that we have seen slower periods before and I'm confident that Chinese buyers will continue to be attracted by the strong fundamentals of the Australian commercial property market," Tong said.


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Select Sires to Release YODER on May 1
PLAIN CITY, Ohio, April 21, 2014 - At +2554 GTPISM, 7HO12266 Woodcrest Mogul YODER-ET is the No. 9 sire on Holstein Association USA's Top 100 Genomic Young Bulls List. A 7HO11314 Mountfield SSI Dcy MOGUL-ET son, YODER comes from a long line of high production cows and is a direct descendent of the well-known brood cow, Milkworth Manfred Yadda (VG-86-GMD-DOM). YODER transmits Milk (+1,830) with outstanding component yields (+104 Fat, +69 Protein) and positive component percentages (+.14% Fat, +.05% Protein). He ranks high for Net Merit (NM$) (+924) and Cheese Merit (CM$) (+1,002). YODER is +3.09 for Type and +2.60 for Udder Composite (UDC) with impressive udder linear values. A HealthMark™ sire, YODER is a fitness trait specialist with low Somatic Cell Score (SCS) (2.74) and terrific Productive Life (PL) (+5.3).
YODER's dam is a Very Good (85) 7HO8081 Ensenada Taboo PLANET-ET (EX-90-GM) daughter backed by Coyne-Farms Bkeye Yvonne-ET (VG-87-DOM). His third dam is Coyne-Farms Finley Yarn-ET (VG-88-GMD-DOM), a Finley daughter of Yadda. YODER is from the same family as Top 25 TPI lineup sire, 7HO9925 Coyne-Farms Shotle YANCE-ET (EX-91-GM).
YODER semen will be available from your Select Sires representative beginning May 1 for a U.S. retail price of $150. YODER will have strong embryo export interest since his semen is not eligible for Europe or Canada.
Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is North America's largest A.I. organization and is comprised of nine farmer-owned and -controlled cooperatives. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying dairy and beef producers with North America's best genetics at a reasonable price.
04/14 USDA-CDCB Genomic Evaluation, USDA/HA Genomic Evaluation 04/14, %Rel: YODER Yield 73, NM$ 69, Type 73, SCS 70, PL 67. SMTotal Performance Index and TPI are service marks of Holstein Association USA. ™HealthMark is a trademark of Select Sires Inc.


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When students tune in to the "Knightly News"— a video produced by the Speech and Drama classes at Nipher Middle School in the Kirkwood School District — it's something that brings all students together to learn about what is going on throughout the school. So when Morgan Clough wanted to add a new segment to the program, it was important to make sure it was something that fit that same spirit of all-school inclusion.
Clough, an SSD teacher at Nipher, developed a plan to incorporate a segment titled "The Knightly Chef Special" in which students of all abilities work together to produce a cooking feature for the program.
The school agreed to the segment, but it was still not possible to produce until Clough was awarded a Dana Brown Teacher Mini-Grant from the Special Education Foundation (SEF).
"The grant has allowed students to contribute to being a Nipher Knight and with their peers to build upon social interaction in a safe place," Clough said. "Building awareness and teaching acceptance with peers creates adults who are aware and accepting."
"The Knightly Chef Special" and other projects funded by SEF mini-grants make that goal of awareness and acceptance feasible throughout St. Louis County.
Since 1992, the SEF has played an important role in the lives of students who receive services from SSD. The SEF collaborates with SSD and helps fund and support scholarships, summer camps, arts in the classroom, assistive equipment, a high school leadership program, a parent support group, and a student recognition program.
Recognizing that teachers have the best insights into methods that succeed in helping children learn, the SEF encourages teachers to apply for mini-grants that will bring their creative ideas to the forefront and put them into action.
"The Foundation likes innovative programs that have research behind them," said Heather Field, a teacher at SSD's Northview High School and a mini-grant winner. "The programs are meant to start where our normal budget funds stop. So thinking outside the box of what we can foresee to ably provide with building budgets is where the ideas for programs begin."
Field has helped secure several grants for the speech department at Northview, allowing students to engage in activities that teach life skills, while also incorporating unique or fun activities or technology.
"Students have gained access to technology such as video equipment, iPads and applications," Field said. "The speech department was able to host a pinewood derby for the whole school as well as sponsor teen-talk groups for students who use augmentative communication devices."
At Pershing Elementary in the University City School District, the grants have allowed for the purchase of items ranging from learning games and musical instruments to food for cooking projects, said Kea Daniels, a parent of a student who receives services from SSD at the school.
Her child was able to benefit from the mini-grant that funded an interactive program that combined leisure activities and tasty treats to improve student behavior, social skills and communication skills. Sarah Sparwasser, an SSD teacher at Pershing, helped write the grant proposal for the program.
"The grant materials gave students the ability to make choices and communicate with others," Sparwasser said. "It has allowed them to access materials and experiences they would not have been exposed to without the grant money."
Without the exceptional partnership with the SEF, these opportunities would not be available to students that receive services from SSD. In 2014, nearly $40,000 was awarded to teachers through mini-grants to benefit students.
For more information about the SEF, visit www.sef-stl.org.


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|NHC Staff donate GIS services for Stormwater channel improvementNHC encourages its staff members to participate in voluntary community service projects. NHC's Sacramento office GIS Specialist, Dawn Lasprugato, volunteers to provide GIS assistance as a member of the Advisory Committee for the North Davis Riparian Greenbelt project in her hometown, Davis, California. The project is creating a 1.2-mile long "green" stormwater channel by replacing non-native weeds with drought-tolerant native plants, establishing trees to shade the channel, and creating educational areas to learn about native plants and sustainable landscape management.
Dawn's efforts focused on organizing the multidisciplinary GIS datasets for use in project planning and design. These data include high resolution ortho-imagery, soils, topography, parcel boundaries, survey information and alignments, and other cultural and environmental datasets imported into the GIS database. Other tasks included mapping existing vegetation and proposed revegetation areas, creating exhibits for community meetings, and project team collaboration. GIS will be used to assist with the design and to archive project progress as the channel restoration project progresses.
The North Davis Riparian Greenbelt project has become a revitalized centerpiece of the City of Davis' extensive urban parkways, and was featured several times in the local Davis Enterprise newspaper. Funding is provided by the Strategic Growth Council's Urban Greening Program, funded by California Proposition 84. In addition, the project is supported by many Davis community volunteers.