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Hour of the Rat: A Q & A with Noir Author Lisa Brackmann
by Jeffrey Wasserstrom
In January, I headed up the freeway to L.A. to take part in a panel on "A Changing China," which was sponsored by the Pacific Council on International Policy and organized by the prize-winning journalist Mei Fong. I had agreed to take part for two main reasons: it would give me a chance to share my ideas with and plug my recent books to an informed and engaged audience (this is the sort PCIP tends to draw), and the discussion would be steered in interesting directions (I'd been part of panels Mei had moderated before). I also thought I'd enjoy meeting and come away with some new food for thought after listening to the two other panelists: Joy Chen, author of the much-discussed Do Not Marry Before 30, which had been a bestseller in China, and Richard Burger, whose Peking Duck blog I'd been reading for years. All those expectations were fulfilled, but I also got something very welcome but totally unexpected out of the day. One member of the audience was mystery writer Lisa Brackmann, and after I mentioned liking noir fiction, she gave me a copy of her then-forthcoming book and now just-published book, Hour of the Rat. I was pleased to get my hands on it, since I'd heard good things about her earlier book, Rock Paper Tiger, which like the new one is set in China. I found her book a rollicking and engrossing read, so was very pleased when she agreed to do the following interview via email:
Jeffrey Wasserstrom: Can you begin by filling readers in, very briefly, about the main character in this book and what they will have missed about her past adventures if they first encounter her, as I did, in Hour of the Rat?
Lisa Brackmann: Ellie McEnroe is an Iraq War vet, a medic, who got involved in a situation way above her pay grade involving prisoner abuse at a forward operating base. That's also where she met her future husband, Trey, and where she got "blown up," as she puts it, suffering wounds that still cause her a great deal of pain and psychological distress. In Rock Paper Tiger, she follows Trey, who has resigned from the Army and taken a job with a private security company a la Blackwater, to Beijing, whereupon he gets involved with a young Chinese woman and dumps Ellie. Ellie finds a refuge of sorts with a community of Chinese artists, including the charismatic Lao Zhang, but that refuge is short-lived when an encounter with a Uighur fugitive sends Lao Zhang deep underground and Ellie down a rabbit hole of conspiracies.
JW: Your new book touches on a range of topical issues, from surging interest in the Chinese contemporary art market to environmental activism, which gives it a straight out of the headlines feel. Protests associated with the environment and Ai Weiwei were already news before you started writing, but were there headlines that hit while you were working on Hour of the Rat that hit particularly close to home, perhaps even blurring the fiction/non-fiction line for you?
LB: When I wrote Rock Paper Tiger in 2007, Ai Weiwei was still best known as a contemporary artist, not as a political activist, which really happened more in 2008, especially after the Sichuan earthquake – so that was a big blurring of the fiction/non-fiction line right there. The artist character in my books, Lao Zhang, was in no way based on Ai Weiwei, and then all these weird parallels came up later, like the destruction of Ai's Shanghai-based studio. But there have been a number of Chinese contemporary artists who've run into problems with the authorities – Ai Weiwei is just the most prominent.
With Hour of the Rat, a major plot thread has to do with GMOs, genetically modified organisms, in China. GMOs are products pioneered by companies like Monsanto and DuPont where unrelated genetic material is inserted into a plant or even an animal to create something with desirable properties that you'd never find in nature. Most typically they are designed to resist a particular herbicide, like GM soy, or produce their own insecticide, like Bt corn. In the US more than 90% of all soybeans grown are GM, as are 90% of sugar beets and almost 90% of corn.
With all that in mind, probably the weirdest coincidence that came up while I was writing Hour of the Rat was a story about illegal tests of GMO rice on Hunanese village kids, which were the result of a partnership between Chinese and American institutions.
Also, the original inspiration of Hour of the Rat was an article I'd read about an American "eco-terrorist" from Oregon who had fled (somewhat inexplicably, in my view!) to China, where he was later busted in Dali for having 30 pounds of marijuana buried in the back yard of the house he'd been renting. I'd read this story while I was vacationing in Yangshuo and thought, "this has got to go into a book somehow." What I didn't realize until I was well into the writing of Hour of the Rat is that the crime he'd committed in the US was firebombing a horticultural center that he thought was conducting GM tree research. I'd really had no idea that GMOs were what he'd been protesting until I was nearly done with the first draft.
I'd actually found another case that inspired some of the plot where unapproved varieties of GM rice had made their way into the food chain in several Chinese provinces, with three seed companies (one of which wasn't even registered with the necessary provincial authorities) basically giving this stuff to farmers, presumably in the hope that once it was out there, the official approval would become a fait accompli. Now, there's a big story about how an unapproved variety of Monsanto-patented GM wheat has been found growing in fields in Oregon. You can draw your own conclusions as to how this came about.
JW: What sort of research did you do for this book? Did you travel to the places you were going to write about, read up on them, or both?
LB: Both. I routinely read a lot of news pieces, blogs and books about China. And a lot of the time when I write, I take a place that I've already been and think, "okay, this would be a great setting." So I'm frequently inspired by a place, and then I decide to write about it. As mentioned, I was in Yangshuo when I read about the case that sparked Hour of the Rat — and the weird "art space" in the rice paddy depicted in the book was based on something I'd stumbled upon out there. I'd just been to Dali the year before, so I had some familiarity with that location. When I knew that I wanted to use Yangshuo, I went back for another visit—such a hardship! Unlike Ellie, I did make sure I got to float down the river on a bamboo raft. And I ate a ton of beer fish.
The "ghost city" and ghost mall featured in the book were originally inspired by the New South China Mall in Dongguan, which is a big factory city in Guangzhou Province — there's some amazing and pretty surreal documentary footage about it. I'd planned to go there in person, but the story took a different turn, and instead I decided, "let's float down the river on a bamboo raft again," and went back to Yangshuo. I did go to some of the bizarre "foreign" developments outside Shanghai, like Thames Town and the "Swedish" one, Luodian, just to get a better sense of what these kinds of foreign-inspired, half-abandoned places are like.
Guiyu, the huge electronic waste recycling area where Ellie travels in her search for answers, is also a real place, though I set the story in a fictional suburb of it. I really did want to go there but ultimately decided I could depict it credibly with the research I could access — some great video footage and many photos and articles. Call me a wimp, but the 60 Minutes crew getting chased out of Guiyu by thugs kind of put me off an on-site visit.
I put Ellie's apartment near Gulou — the Drum Tower/Bell Tower Square in the center of Beijing, because that's the area where I like to stay, and I know it pretty well. Now I need to stay there because of course things change so quickly in China that otherwise I couldn't keep the depiction of Ellie's home turf up to date. A lot of the hutongs (the old alleys of Beijing), and the bars and such in Hour of the Rat are based on things I've seen and places I've visited. I've been to the Xinfadi Agricultural Market mentioned in the book – I went there thinking it would be an interesting location but couldn't quite come up with a reason to use it. But I like to go to areas of Beijing where you don't see foreigners and you don't see the whole hip, "modern" side of the city. I'll often do things like pick a subway line and ride it to the end, just to see what's out there.
My general rule when I travel to China is, go to one place I haven't been. On my last trip, I went to Anhui because I'd decided a major character in Hour of the Rat needed to be from there. So odds are some of what I saw in Tunxi, Anhui, will end up in the next book.
JW: I'm not sure how to categorize Hour of the Rat in terms of genre. Gonzo mystery comes to mind, though I don't know if that's a standard term. In some ways, though the action is set in China, the pacing and no-nonsense heroine made it seem a very American sort of novel. Are there mystery writers, living or dead, whose footsteps you see as following in or have been especially inspirational to you?
LB: I love reading mysteries and suspense fiction. These have been my recreational reading of choice since I discovered Agatha Christie in middle school. But I can't say that any particular mystery authors directly inspired me. What I like about the genre is that it allows all kinds of room for writers who straddle the line between "genre" and "literary." I know those are largely false distinctions, but there are some really fine authors writing mysteries, like Ruth Rendell, who can be hard to strictly categorize. On the suspense side, Graham Greene and John Le Carre come to mind. And I loved Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union. I'm not directly inspired by any of them, but they're working in that liminal zone where I am naturally most comfortable.
Crime fiction in general gives you the space to deal with all kinds of "big" issues. I like that, too.
JW: Do you have any other mysteries set in China — by Chinese or foreign writers — to recommend? Is Qiu Xiaolong, for example, who has a new book due out this year as well, and has written in the past about how hard it is for him sometimes to keep ahead of the headlines when writing his Inspector Chen novels, someone you read?
LB: I definitely read Qiu Xiaolong, and I recommend him to readers who want to get a visceral sense of what China is like that you won't necessarily get from works of non-fiction. The whole way that Inspector Chen goes about investigating his cases and the highly politicized system in which he's embedded are so different than what you find in an American or British police procedural, and I think this gives some insight into Chinese culture and society that's really interesting and useful. I can also recommend the British author Catherine Sampson and her book, The Slaughter Pavilion, which has some funny set pieces about the nouveau riche in Beijing and also a very apropos location in an abandoned amusement park.
Otherwise, I'm not aware of much crime fiction set in China, which is one of the reasons that I decided to write Rock Paper Tiger in the first place. Most Western authors writing about China seem to write period pieces rather than dealing with today's China at all. I felt that modern China was a really underutilized setting, and that's largely why I chose to write about it. There are so many dramatic opportunities, so many contrasts and conflicts, and China is one of the most important players on the global stage – I really don't understand why more Westerners haven't set fiction there!
JW: Is this the last we'll see of Ellie McEnroe or will she be back for further adventures?
LB: I'm currently writing the third book in the series. There are several unresolved plot strands in the two books that I feel need to be concluded. After that, I'm not sure. China is a big country, and there are still plenty of places left for Ellie to visit. But I'll only continue the series if I have something interesting to say and somewhere new to take the character. I don't want her to remain frozen in time and emotional development. She needs to grow and change, along with her adoptive country.


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In 2012, running back Peyton Hillis was the "Madden '12" video game cover boy as a Cleveland Brown. In 2013, Hillis is now on his second team since then and will now play for the league minimum salary. Hillis signed a one-year deal today to serve as a backup running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for the league minimum (which for Hillis, as a sixth-year player drafted in the seventh round, will be $715,000).
The fall from grace is not as sudden as it sounds. While Hillis was on the cover of "Madden '12", that game typically names itself after the year to come. So it was based on a productive 2010 season that Hillis was voted to the Madden cover in 2011, while the game's nomenclature designated itself for 2012.
Still, a pretty short heyday for his career as Peyton Hillis has signed with Tampa Bay for the league minimum. Hillis spent the 2012 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, posting his second-worst career season with just 309 yards.
The Buccaneers have the luxury of Pro Bowl running back Doug "Muscle Hamster" Martin ahead of Hillis on the depth chart. In his rookie season last year, Martin posted 1,926 all-purpose yards.
Even Hillis' "Madden '12" cover kind of requires an asterisk. Hillis beat Aaron Rodgers in a fan vote thanks to a concerted effort by Packers fans to keep Rodgers from winning, to help their quarterback avoid the Madden curse. Then in the final, Hillis beat Michael Vick -- whom you realize is something of a controversial figure.
Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick may be looking at Hillis right now and thanking they're lucky stars that they didn't win the "Madden '12" vote.
Peyton Hillis signs with Buccaneers for league minimum
Ex-Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis signs with Buccaneers for league minimum
7/23/13 in NFL | JoeKukura | 492 respect

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Vintage Boot Socks
Girly knee high boot socks! These open knit, diamond pattern socks have been embellished with tea stained crocheted lace and buttons. They are super stretchy, one size fits most. Available in aqua, black, ivory, gray, cocoa
They Measure 23 inches long and the cuff will stretch to fit up to an 18 inch calf, fitting most women shoe sizes 6-10 comfortably.
**Please note, the crocheted lace ruffle & buttons are darker in person that they appear in the photo. They are more beige than ivory**
Made from 100% Cotton
Hand wash. Lay flat to dry


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OFNA 7mm Front Upper Ball End (6)
With your purchase, receive at no cost:
This is a pack of six replacement 7mm front upper ball ends for OFNA buggies, and fits the Jammin X1 RTR and X1-CR buggies. These are the upper ball ends used on the front of the Jammin X1 buggies to connect the front upper arm to the front steering uprights. Ignore what the package says about it being for the rear :-)
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Job Opening
Director of Organizing
(Washington, DC, 20002-5625)
Director of Organizing Job AnnouncementFor The General Board of Church and SocietyBackground and Rationale:In 2012, GBCS launched an ambitious year-long grassroots organizing initiative across The United Methodist Church to mobilize and connect teams of United Methodists within annual conferences and across jurisdictions to amplify the Church's call for social holiness. Organizing efforts have focused on building from the local congregational level, offering opportunity for vital connection amongst local congregations and Annual Conferences. Networks include teams focused on issues including restorative justice, economic justice, peace, addictions recovery, immigration reform, human trafficking and domestic violence.In the past year, GBCS organizers have made contacts in strategic conferences, building up existing networks, coordinating grassroots activists and actions, and supporting the formation and connection of local United Methodist teams engaged in organizing related to specific social justice issues. Grounded in the Social Principles in the Book of Discipline and responding to the call to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, the organizing initiative has been rooted in a posture of discipleship with an emphasis on incarnational relationships and the leadership of those most directly impacted by unjust systems of oppression.In order to sustain the new momentum generated and build upon the advances of the organizing initiative amongst United Methodists, - a director of organizing is needed to provide regional coordination, tools and strategic support necessary to advance the various issue-specific campaigns, networks and teams of which United Methodists are a part.Job Description: Director of OrganizingThe director will provide strategic coordination and oversight for the organizing reach of GBCS to foster grassroots leadership and deepen partnerships that support networks across the connection. Director will advance the legislative priorities of the agency through coordination of organizing trainings, facilitation of strategic connections, assessment and support. Director of Organizing will serve as a generalist with regard to GBCS legislative priorities, with a focus on providing on-the ground organizing support to teams and networks in each jurisdiction.TrainingDirector will work with -staff colleagues to combine leadership formation and cultural competency training elements in all organizing initiatives. In collaboration with - staff, director will coordinate train-the-trainer trainings for steering committee members representative of each agency legislative priority. Organizing and advocacy effectiveness will be measured, in part, by the level of leadership assumed by jurisdictional steering committee members themselves within their issue network and jurisdiction.In collaboration with Advocacy and Education and Leadership Formation staff, director will identify key grassroots leadership from each issue-specific network in each jurisdiction. Director will facilitate the formation of -teams representative of -agency legislative priorities, with emphasis on the recruitment and fostering of leadership of those most directly impacted by -injustices.Each team will be included in the planning and promotion of the work of the network in collaboration with director of organizing, advocacy and communications staff. Director -will utilize social media tools to promote the involvement of United Methodists in GBCS networks, teams and campaigns in their jurisdiction, maintaining strategic communications with conference level staff and leadership.The director will provide coordination through partnership with United Methodist agencies and caucuses, whensoever possible, in -widespread support of external grassroots campaigns.The director will establish assessment tools to quarterly measure and map progress of organizing efforts both in relationship to the United Methodist connection as well as legislative impact of United Methodist participation in external campaigns in which United Methodist teams are actively engaged at the state and federal level. Director will work closely with steering committees to monitor progress and address barriers constructively and creatively.Accountability: The position is directly accountable to the General Secretary or his/her designee.Responsibilities:• The director will be responsible for establishing assessment tools to measure and map progress of organizing efforts both in relationship to the United Methodist connection as well as legislative impact of United Methodist participation in external campaigns in which United Methodist teams are actively engaged at the state and federal level.• The director will provide coordination through partnership with United Methodist local churches and annual conferences, agencies and caucuses in denominational support of external grassroots campaigns, and will support jurisdictional organizers in strategic communications with conference level staff and leadership.• Director will collaborate with the GBCS Seminar Program to include cultural competency training elements in all organizing initiatives.• Identify and establish new contacts with United Methodists in strategic conferences working on priority issues of the Advocacy team.• Develop training materials and resources for groups.• Represent GBCS - when needed.• Participate in regular staff meetings and events.• Attend board meetings as requested.• Perform other tasks as -assigned.Skills and Values Needed:• Ability to travel.• Commitment to social justice and the mission of the organization.• Organizing experience, including familiarity with a diverse range of organizing strategies and tactics.• Strong writing skills and verbal communication.• Excellent interpersonal skills.• Well-organized and attentive to details.• Comfortable working with diverse groups of people.• Experience working within the religious community.• Ability to work in a team environment.• Spanish helpful.Compensation:Annual salary of $79,000 factored level 14, pension benefits, 22 day of paid vacation, sick leave, comprehensive medical, dental and accidental death insurance; other benefits as outlined in the Employee Personnel Manual. This is a full-time exempt position with 20-30% travel.Hiring Policy:The General Board of Church and Society is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, age, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or any other legally protected status.Procedure and Deadline:Send a cover letter, resume and a letter with your thoughts on organizing and the future work of the General Board of Church and Society, by Tuesday, December 4, 2012.To: General Board of Church and SocietyAttn: Ms. Frances J. Roberts, AGS Admin/Human Resources100 Maryland Ave NE #224Washington, DC email@example.com applicant information will not be considered.
Organization: General Board of Church & Society
Contact: Frances J. Roberts
Phone: 202.488.5600
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Who is to blame when a SAP Payroll Project Fails
By Jarret Pazahanick on February 14, 2013
There have been several high profile SAP Payroll failures over the past few years in the United States at places such as the State of California, National Grid, Kentucky Government, City of Portland, LA School District, City of San Diego, California Judicial Council, Marin County and an epic train wreck happening down under at Queensland […]
Posted in Application Software, Enterprise, Featured Posts | Tagged cloud, consulting, failure, HCM, human_capital_management, payroll, saas, sap, sapmentor, sap_business_suite, successfactors
Three Cloud Visionaries in 2012
By Krishnan Subramanian on January 3, 2013
2012 is over and blogosphere is buzz with post-mortem and predictions. I thought I will jump in and write about three people in the cloud computing space who inspired me with the work they are doing. Let me make it clear that there are many others who had an impact in the space but these […]
Posted in Featured Posts, Trends & Concepts | Tagged 2012, amazon, cloud, cloud computing, insights, jonathan murray, Mike Hoskins, pervasive, visionaries, visionary, warner music group, werner, werner vogels, wmg
CIO strategy: Be relevant or die
By Michael Krigsman on November 16, 2012
Cloud, social, and mobile computing have transformed the technology landscape. Here are tips to help you remain relevant in these changing times.
Posted in Business, Featured Posts | Tagged CIO, cloud, enterprise software, IT Priorities
SAP and SuccessFactors – Proven Integration is Hype
By Jarret Pazahanick on November 9, 2012
Early last month I wrote The Real Truth about SAP and SuccessFactors Integration to try to clear up some of the confusion in the marketplace. To my surprise I had several SAP customers reach out telling me they were very surprised at my article as it contradicted the message they were getting directly from SAP. These customers […]
Posted in Application Software, Business, Enterprise, Featured Posts | Tagged #wday, @aneelb, Aneel Bhusri, cloud, David Duffield, employee, HCM, human_capital_management, integration, OnDemand, saas, sap, sapmentor, sapphirenow, successfactors, workday, Workday Rising
Nonsense "Cloud" Marketing, Kill The Cloud Already, Please!
By Adron Hall on November 5, 2012
PSA: "Warning: Cloud Washing is in FULL EFFECT! Be cautious or you could be bitten by this nasty virus, a rant on marketing nonsense." Yesterday I was buying a router. The router I ended up getting has a USB port for attaching a drive as a NAS for media. Not for file sharing, but simply for […]
Posted in Business, Enterprise, Featured Posts | Tagged Business-to-business, cloud, cloud computing, cloud computing is dead, cloud washing, CloudComputing, data model, e-commerce | 2 Responses
Open Discussions On Open Cloud
By Ben Kepes on October 26, 2012
As I go from conference to conference, I'm seeing more and more examples of people talking about the "open cloud." Proponents talk about choice, flexibility and the inherent safety of the open cloud. Opponents, on the other hand, point to fragmentation, immaturity and concerns about anything that is available without
Posted in Infrastructure | Tagged cloud, Jonathan Bryce, Krish, Krishnan Subramanian, opensource, openstack, Rackspace Cloud, Rishidot Research | 2 Responses
Private Clouds Must Be Agile
By Ben Kepes on October 12, 2012
I recently read a well reasoned post by HP's Cloud CIO Christian Verstraete. In the post Verstraete reflected on a Twitter exchange he'd had responding to the claims by someone that private cloud was a myth. The private/public debate has raged for a few years now and the two sides go something like this: Opponents of private […]
Posted in Featured Posts, Infrastructure | Tagged Chief information officer, cloud, cloud computing, Scalability, self-service, twitter | 5 Responses
Open Discussions On Open Cloud
By Ben Kepes on October 11, 2012
As I go from conference to conference, I'm seeing more and more examples of people talking about the "open cloud." Proponents talk about choice, flexibility and the inherent safety of the open cloud. Opponents, on the other hand, point to fragmentation, immaturity and concerns about anything that is available without
Posted in Trends & Concepts | Tagged cloud, Jonathan Bryce, Krish, Krishnan Subramanian, opensource, openstack, Rackspace Cloud, Rishidot Research | 1 Response
The Real Truth about SAP and SuccessFactors Integration
By Jarret Pazahanick on October 10, 2012
There is no doubt that integration between SAP and SuccessFactors is the top priority for most SAP HCM customers. Over the past month SAP has released several blog on the topic such as Integration Technology Options and Licensing Info For Customers Using SAP HCM and SuccessFactors and SAP HCM integration with SuccessFactors BizX to attempt […]
Posted in Application Software, Enterprise, Featured Posts | Tagged cloud, consulting, HCM, human_capital_management, integration, netweaver_cloud, saas, sap, SAP ERP, SAP HCM, SAP Mentor, SAP NetWeaver, sapmentor, sap_business_suite, successfactors | 1 Response
SAP Briefing – Cloud, Mobility and HCM
By Jarret Pazahanick on September 19, 2012
I recently had the opportunity to attend a briefing with 16 bloggers at the SAP Labs in Palo Alto. It was a day and a half session covering Cloud, Mobility and HANA although Stacey Fish was kind enough to set up some 1-1 meetings with the SAP HCM team so I swapped them for the […]
Posted in Application Software, Enterprise, Featured Posts, Mobile | Tagged bydesign, cloud, HANA, HCM, hr_renewal, human_capital_management, saas, sapmentor, sap_developer_network, successfactors, syclo
Expert panel: Transform business with social enterprise
By Michael Krigsman on August 27, 2012
A stellar panel of experts got together to discuss business innovation based on cloud, social, and mobile technologies. Watch the video here.
Posted in Business, Enterprise, Featured Posts | Tagged CIO, cloud, salesforce.com, Social Enterprise
East & West Coast PaaS, Being Polyglot, Reply to Dan Turkenkopf
By Adron Hall on August 13, 2012
Dan (he's a good guy, check him out on Twitter @dturkenk), your "East Coast vs West Coast PaaS Psychology. And Why It Matters." is great write up. Loved it! I've got to say, I'm pretty much in agreement with almost every single thing you've written here. Matter of fact I'm staunchly in agreement with a […]
Posted in Trends & Concepts | Tagged cloud, cloud computing, Cloud Speak, east coast, paas, platform as a service, private cloud, public cloud, Virtual Private Cloud, west coast | 2 Responses
New SAP and SuccessFactors Cloud Payroll Offering
By Jarret Pazahanick on August 1, 2012
SAP and SuccessFactors quietly launched the beta release of cloud payroll for USA, Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Australia, Brazil, and India for customers using Employee Central last week. I had the opportunity to get a briefing from SAP and SuccessFactors a few weeks ago and thought I would share my thoughts. Overview The […]
Posted in Application Software, Featured Posts | Tagged cloud, consulting, HCM, hr, human_capital_management, payroll, saas, sap, sapmentor, scn, successfactors | 2 Responses
SuccessFactors and Employee Central – Whats New
By Jarret Pazahanick on July 30, 2012
SuccessFactors follows a quarterly release cycle and their most recent update was released on July 27th. One of the things that struck me at SuccessConnect in San Francisco was the fact that although SuccessFactors is providing information on the updat…
Posted in Application Software, Enterprise, Featured Posts | Tagged cloud, employeecentral, employee_central, HCM, human_capital_management, OnDemand, saas, sap, sapmentor, sap_developer_network, successfactors | 6 Responses
OSCON Day #3, #4, and Friday => Bailey's Taproom, Cloud Camp, Cloud Foundry, Open Shift, PaaS, vert.x, and so much more…
By Adron Hall on July 22, 2012
Tuesday night, as usual ended with great technical conversation at Bailey's Taproom. Bailey's is basically the epicenter of the Portland tech scene. Almost every programmer, devops, or technical person either goes about once a month or has this establishment as a regular watering hole! It's great, the atmosphere is chill, the beer is SUPERB, the […]
Posted in Open Source | Tagged andy piper, cloud, cloud computing, cloud foundry, Cloud Speak, Cloudfoundry, conferences, erica brescia, iaas, iron foundry, ironfoundry, Javascript, jono bacon, josh long, node, node.js, Node.js Things, oscon, oss, paas, platform as a service, vert.x


text: Larsen & Toubro Limited is a technology-driven engineering and construction organisation, and one of the largest companies in India's private sector. It has additional interests in manufacturing, services and Information Technology. A strong, customer-focused approach and the constant quest for top-class quality have enabled the Company to attain – more... and sustain leadership in its major lines of business across seven decades. With factories and offices located around the country, further supplemented by a comprehensive marketing and distribution network, L&T enjoys an image and equity in virtually every district of India. The Company has an international presence, with a global spread of offices and joint ventures with world leaders. L&T's large technology base and pool of experienced personnel enable it to offer integrated services in world markets. – less – More from ZoomInfo »


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- TED Book Chat
- New York, NY
- United States
This conversation is closed.
Live Chat today at 4pm Eastern: "Why School? How Education Must Change When Information and Learning Are Everywhere"
Author Will Richardson will be joining us for a live Q&A today at 4pm Eastern!
Continuing with our series of TED book chats, for the next week and a half we'll be discussing Will Richardson's new TED eBook, "Why School?"
Traditional educators, classrooms, and brick-and-mortar schools are no longer necessary to access information. Instead, things like blogs and wikis, as well as remote collaborations and an emphasis on 'critical thinking' skills are the coins of the realm in this new kingdom. Yet the national dialogue on education reform focuses on using technology to update the traditional education model, failing to reassess the fundamental model on which it is built.
In TED's new eBook, "Why School?", educator, author, parent and blogger Will Richardson challenges traditional thinking about education—questioning whether it still holds value in its current form.
The book is available for Kindle, Nook, and iOS devices (which have a great new custom TED Books app):
Kindle copy: http://www.amazon.com/Why-School-Information-Everywhere-ebook/dp/B00998J5YQ
iOS app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ted-books/id511071050?mt=8
You can also read more on Will's blog: http://willrichardson.com
So, let's get things started... when information is everywhere, what is the purpose of traditional schools?
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Sep 30 2012: The application of technology is essiential to the educational system. However, changing the dynamics of the system is far more pratical for sucess of the system than application of technology in the system. We need to standarize a system to rate teachers in a unbias matter, introduce langauges to students at lower grades (possibly at elementary school), focus on sciences, social studies, and the arts, and increase collaboration by creating better incentives for social interaction. Moreover, it should take more training to be a teacher with a direct relationship to pay to comprensate the training.
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Audrey Magazine (Los Angeles)I went out last night with my girl Arali to check out the Audrey Magazine fashion event. We missed the fashion show and the giftbags. ha ha ha.. But it was still a great time!
Top tier tickets were $100 a pop and the event was sponsored by an open bar by Ketel One and Stella Artois. Not too shabby right?
I wish I knew why they were so excited to have me there.. Then I realized that Audrey is actually a huge Korean fashion magazine for Asian women. Um. how fitting, here I am reading Suede, YRB, Bossip and YBF ha ha.
Rock em Edelmans
Designers and Fashionistas
The event was teeming with well dressed Asian girls with long flowy black hair and expensive purses. There were also a slew of pretty boyfriends who carried their gf's purse and superficial convo with ease.
Watercolor dresses!
I saw my favorite twins! Miss Rebecca Stylewithbenefits and Miss Melanie WreckedStellar
and I met my new buddy Kyle... He is a Cancer. *wink*
*HeyDoYou is for the cute, clever and connected* Tweet This


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Love this and the shampoo! GIRL JUST BUY THEM WHAT MORE INCENTIVE DO YOU NEED.
I really love this conditioner. All you need is one pump for your whole head (and I have thick hair). I have severely damaged hair from being a competitive swimmer, between the chlorine and silicone swim cap, my hair was pretty much being murdered. This product, in conjunction with the shampoo, which I use about once a week, has completely turned the state of my strands around. Plus, the ingredients are all natural with no sulfates, parabens, etc.
I mentioned before that I pretty much only use the shampoo once a week, and that's completely true. But for my hair type, that would normally make my hair super oily. Thankfully though I discovered another miracle product called cleansing conditioner. I used the Repure one and loved it! So, I'd use that every day in the shower, and I'd also use a tiny bit of the shea moisture conditioner as a rinse-mostly-out-leave-in-conditioner. If my hair was feeling dry, I'd use a bit more after towel drying.
Also something to consider is the vinegar hair rinse which I've been doing every other day. It really helps to remove buildup when your not shampooing regularly and plus, it adds great shine.
So that's how I use the shea moisture conditioner, and honestly, I think I will be using their products forever. The price is a bit high for me, but I use it so slowly that I don't think it's a problem.
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More reviews by iwearfancypants
I got this conditioner because of the amazing ingredients and because it smells divine. I really wanted to like this conditioner so I tried using it as a deep conditioning mask, a leave-in conditioner, and as a regular conditioner, but it just does work for my hair. I think it was meant for thick hair because just a small amount it leaves my fine hair looking wet and greasy.
Odd Pro:
It's a decent skin moisturizer
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No
I love this conditioner! It's better than the deep treatment masque in the same line. I enjoy the fragrance and I use it as a leave in as well as a deep conditioner. It always leaves my hair soft and moisturized. The pump gets more difficult to use as you get close to using up all the product. That's about the only con I have. However I wouldn't change the packaging because you'd had the same issue with a tube.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No
LOVE LOVE LOVE this product. My first HG, I have bought this only twice so far because it last a long time for how I use it. I only use it as a leave in I hate it as a rinse out conditioner but it makes my hair feel so buttery soft as a leave in. Sometimes I add glycerin for extra moisture and my little curls/ringlets clump together perfectly they look so freaking cute. And I have 4a 3c curls
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No
I've been using this product for a couple of months now, and I really like it. It does a great job in detangling my hair. It leaves my hair feeling soft and manageable. Since using this product, my hair feels and looks healthier, and I get less breakage/shedding. I'm only concerned about the sea kelp included, which I feel is counterproductive to my low porosity hair, since it seals cuticles.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No
I'm baffled by how many good reviews this product has. So far, it's dried out my hair ridiculously. I was blessed with very nice hair (waist length, wurly, medium thickness, medium-fine) and hadn't had big problems with tangles... until about a year ago. I'm not sure what's causing the problem, but you can see the breakage from how much I've had to untangle my hair. I was using my normal biolage, but just ran out a couple days ago. I bought this conditioner based on the high reviews, so I dared to have high hopes. After the first use, my hair felt like tangled straw and took forever to detangle. I just used it again in the shower. I combed my hair through with coconut oil until it was completely tangle free beforehand, which usually leaves it amazing-looking post shower. I get in the shower and come out with tangled straw again. WTF? My hair was squeaking as I was attempting to comb it out! New tiny tangles were everywhere. I even checked the bottle to make sure I didn't buy the shampoo by accident. I really want to toss this crap, but I paid $10....
To be fair, my hair does seem to like cones. But still, I don't think that's an excuse for drying my hair out
I looooove this. It's very similar to the deep treatment masque but I decided to buy it anyway (product junkie). It's so nice. If I'm doing an updo I will use as a leave in... But mainly using it as a rinse out. Smells amazing and my hair is becoming so thick! The only negative is the poor little pump can't handle the product since it's so thick! Another win for Shea Moisture!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No
This is fast on it's way to HG status. My husband even uses it for a styling product. It disappears in the hair so it's great for a leave-in as well. The smell is amazing, and the ingredients are so natural you could probably eat it. Don't though. :) It's also vegan and not tested on animals. I love this product and this company.
You are silly not to buy this!!
My hair story:
I used to have incredibly strong healthy hair until a hairdresser ruined it with razoring for "texture" after I had just bleached my hair twice. (she didn't tell me she was going to do this after cutting with scissors). It had been over a year trying to heal it, and my hair was still not back to normal, I was considering chopping it all off and was really serious about cutting it off. I recently found some good protein products by One N Only, but my hair became frizzy again after the "protein overload." (I like to wash my hair close to everyday.)
Fast forward to buying this stuff and it seriously changed my hair. The first time I used it I left it in overnight, and noticed it even moisturized my hands which became sooo silky! It instantly transformed my hair...infact I seriously LOVE my hair now...like have my dream hair. Takes out ALL of the frizz, so usually no need to straighten anymore for me.
Infact, this stuff is so nice, after I'm done working it into my hair I rub the rest on my face while in the shower to treat my face. (The steam will work it into your skin, just like with a hair mask). It's nice that I don't have to worry about the chemicals getting onto my face as with other conditioners since this is all natural. I've also noticed less fall out, which I never knew was from using harsh/bad products, I just thought that was normal. Only 2 strands came out last time I showered with this...what??!
All hair types need this shampoo. Even if your hair is healthy, switch to this because the ingredients are healthier and washing this out from your hair will even moisturize your body. Who doesn't want that?
Ingredients: DNA. Seriously, there is something magical in this that they aren't telling us about. OH another great thing about this and the shampoo is there is NO PROTEIN in it. Just moisture. Using too much protein can cause your hair to break off and frizz for some people (like me). The coconut is not a protein treatment for those who are wondering (i looked it up). I am also using "As I Am Coconut Cowash" as my shampoo right now, and haven't tried the Shea shampoo yet. This stuff is also incred. I guess I have a knack for finding products. My hair isn't curly either, but it still works perfect on me especially with SheaM Conditioner, but I imagine both of these together would be a curly girls dream!
My only issues would be that it takes forever to pump out but it's ok because it's due to the wonderful thick/richness of the shea.
If you are looking into spending more on something more high-end, like I was considering at first, there is no need. At $11 you will have gorgeous, manageable!!, and healthy, stylable hair. So good I am going to force my mother and my sister and bestie to try Shea Moisture.
How did I live without this??


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Winn played in 11 games last season, recording 21 tackles and two sacks.
The Browns play the Jets in Week 16.
Defensive end Billy Winn (quad) hasn't played since Week 3, but is listed as questionable, as is linebacker Quentin Groves (ankle).
The others are probable. They include defensive end Desmond Bryant (thumb), running backs Willis McGahee (ankle) and Chris Ogbonnaya (ribs), cornerback Chris Owens (finger) and linebacker Jabaal Sheard (wrist).
Defensive back Chris Owens (finger), defensive lineman Armonty Bryant (shoulder) and linebackers Tank Carder (neck) and Brandon Magee (oblique) were all able to play through their injuries.
Defensive end Billy Winn (quad) is again out, as is defensive back Josh Aubrey (ankle/knee). Linebacker Brandon Magee (oblique) is questionable while cornerback Chris Owens (finger) and running back Bobby Rainey (groin) are probable.
The healthy inactives are wide receiver Charles Johnson, offensive linemen Patrick Lewis, Martin Wallace and Garrett Gilkey and tight end Keavon Milton.
Outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard, who missed the last two games with a knee injury, has been upgraded to questionable with reports leaning toward him playing against the Lions. And fellow linebacker Quentin Groves (ankle) could also return after missing the last three games.
Meanwhile, defensive end Desmond Bryant, who left the Week 5 win over Buffalo with shortness of breath, has been deemed probable. Backup lineman Billy Winn (quad) has been ruled out.
The remainder of the list featured quarterback Jason Campbell, running back Fozzy Whittaker and offensive linemen Martin Wallace and Patrick Lewis.
Defensive tackle John Hughes (knee) and right guard Shawn Lauvao (ankle) are questionable. Among the probables are offensive lineman Oniel Cousins (chest), placekicker Billy Cundiff (thigh), running back Chris Ogbonnaya (thigh) and quarterback Brandon Weeden (thumb).
Defensive end Bllly Winn (quad) has been ruled out.
The remainder of the inactive list includes tight end Keavon Milton and offensive linemen Martin Wallace and Shawn Lauvao.
Winn, who recorded one of the team's six sacks Sunday in Minnesota, was sidelined from Wednesday practice, according to the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.
Winn received significant playing time as a rookie in 2012. The sixth-round pick played in every game with 10 starts. He recorded 19 tackles and one sack.
Among the possibilities to be dealt are Billy Winn and John Hughes, both of whom showed potential in 2012. They should get extended playing time Thursday night in Chicago.


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By James Slater: Many fans are extremely disappointed by the fact that Ring Magazine, IBF, WBA, WBO, IBO heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschkos next defence will come against former cruiserweight ruler Jean Marc Mormeck, but guess what? So is Dr. Steel Hammer.
Klitschko, a smart guy, is well aware of the flak his latest fight is getting, but it wasnt his choice. At least this is the word according to his Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward. Steward spoke with Ringtv.com recently, and he revealed how popular Mexican/American contender Chris Arreola was Wladimirs undisputed first choice for his next challenger. Wanting to re-connect with America, according to Emanuel (Wladimir has not fought in the U.S since his dull Feb. 2008 points win over Sultan Ibragimov; the champs last six bouts taking place in Germany), Klitschko now hopes to face Arreola next year. In fact, Wladimir is gung-ho for the fight.
Steward explained to Ringtv.com how he approached Arreolas trainer Henry Ramirez, but that he told him Arreola does not want the big fight until 2012 (Arreola faces Alonzo Butler in Mexico on Nov. 5th in his next bout), therefore the stay busy fight with Mormeck was signed instead.
This is a stay busy fight in December, but the real goal is to get Arreola probably in the first part of next year, Steward said. The target is Arreola. Wladimir is gung-ho for it. In fact, he wanted it for his next fight, but they said they didnt want it. Weve got to make sure we dont lose focus with Mormeck. He definitely wants to re-connect with America and he couldnt do it with this fight here.
So, as a stay busy affair, the Mormeck fight, though nothing but a mismatch, is at least understandable. Arreola, wanting to be the very best he can be, is wise to wait until next year, when of course, Wladimir will be a year older.
Arreola lost in a game challenge of WBC king Vitali Klitschko two years ago, but Steward feels it will be a different type of fight when The Nightmare gets in there with Wladimir.
Vitali is a different type of fighter, bigger than Wladimir, Steward explained. Arreola throws a lot of punches and hes the only guy that I think can crowd Wladimir and bring out the best in him. At his height, hes just big enough and strong mentally to crowd Wladimir and make Wladimir come out of his comfort zone to fight him.
Agreed. Ask yourself, who out there figures to have a better shot against Wladimir than Arreola? Beaten only by Vitali and, on points by Tomasz Adamek (when Arreola was, by his own admission, out of shape), Arreola has a good chin, great stamina, a high punch output and a naturally aggressive style. Against the rock-chinned Dr. Iron Fist this was not enough, but against the less rock-like Wladimir, a fighter more cautious by nature, maybe Arreola would be able to bull his way in and go to work.
Steward says the plan is to take this fight in a big stadium, maybe New Yorks Madison Square Garden. As long as the newly rededicated Arreola continues his winning ways, this fight might, just might, give us a heavyweight battle to get excited about in 2012!
previous article: Manolis Plaitis versus Arvydas Trizno, October 20, in Montreal
next article: Petkovic apologizes, Airich calls out Charr; Quintana-Melendez on October 29
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The First Three Chakras and Christian Experience by Mary Fraser, Ph.D.
The Root Chakra and the Ground of Being
We begin attached to the body. Our body and our mother's body are for all practical purposes one body. When we are conceived and in the womb, neither the baby nor the mother can live without the other unless some extraordinary outside force intervenes, such as a C-section that effectively removes the baby from its dependence on the mother. If a baby dies inside the woman, she will die also unless the fetus is removed. There is a unity in which we begin. Every root must live within a ground. The purpose of ground, of its many purposes, is to hold root.
We establish that in our beginning we are all attached to the body. When ours is just forming, we borrow from the mother. Then, when we are able to sustain our own internal systems separate from the mother, we launch into the world. However, forever we are attached to others. We depend on other people for food, shelter, clothing and emotional sustenance. In fact, it might be said, when looked at from the perspective of the body that we are always in necessary attachment to others and to the world around us. Rather than separate and individual, we are connected and held. Our individual and personal thoughts are designed to replenish and restore the greater whole of the world, beginning with the small circle we designate as family and including the vast system of the universe of which we are living constituents. Physically we all do our part: the farmers till the soil and grow the food, the weavers weave our clothes, the bankers exchange the goods through the symbol of money and the ministers of the Spiritual life gather the people to know the power of communal prayer and life.
Paul Tillich, one of the great Christian theologians of the 20th century, called God "the Ground of our Being."He meant that the fundamental organizing structure of the universe, that intelligent Spiritual energy we name as God, is like to us in reality as the ground upon which we walk.Tillich's work is often viewed through the intense intellectual lens of his brilliant mind, but the power of the image is the physicality of it.Ground holds us with deep and invisible forces that maintain us – without the mass of the earth and its gravity we would literally float off into space.Ground allows us to develop muscle mass and to move our physical bodies in ways that strengthen us and prolong our lives.The image Tillich offered is a very embodied one and suggests the real and necessary connection between mind and body for human development.We are here, on the earth, held in a place in time.
When we look at the Root Chakra, the first energy center of the Chakra system, we see that the energy is all about connection, survival and relationship to the body. Root Chakra energy is about feeling one has a place and home in one's very being that is connected to the very real world in which one lives. Themes of food, security, safety, rest, physical growth and having a place in the world all belong to the Root Chakra.
The Chakra paradigm places Root energy at the base of the spine.Practitioners of energy work believe that energy flows downward into the energy of the earth and the energy of the physical planet flows upward into the body. The Root Chakra is our closest connection with the literal ground upon which we stand, sit, move and lie. The metaphor, like Tillich's image of God being the Ground of Being, leads into images of rootedness, connection, survival and having one's "feet on the ground."
Important to remember while doing Chakra work, while we are working with the symbols in the paradigm, is to recognize that the symbolic world holds much power and potential in literal time and space. What we see through the symbol, that is, what the symbol suggests and points us to, is as real as our cognition allows. It is opening us to meanings that we then find in our physical life and being. For instance, if in working with the Root Chakra, we experience ourselves as anxious about whether we can trust ourselves to survive a profound emotional upheaval, such as in grief or trauma, we know that Root energy has been disrupted or activated. Questions of security and stability belong to the Root Chakra.Anodea Judith in her book, Eastern Mind, Western Body says that the Root Chakra energy is connected to the notion of Basic Trust in the paradigm of human development organized by Eric Erickson.So that which stirs up trouble for issues of trust often belong to the Root Chakra.
Theologically, everyone must pass through the energies of the Root Chakra to have an image of God that includes notions of holding, security, trust and liveliness.As a person makes the journey into these areas of life, so the projections we make to form an image of the Divine resonate with what we discover.I find I can trust and so I attribute trust to a Divine principle in the universe. I know I must survive, and so I see how God is holding the energies of life and death. Within me I must develop a consistent self structure, and as I imagine the nature of God I believe that God, too, has some sort of knowable intelligent self that I can communicate with. The Root Chakra develops the energy of connection with the Ground of Being in the basic I-Thou relationship that Martin Buber spoke of in his book of that name.
Biblical notions of the Root Chakra are held in many places, notably in the Psalms and in any origin story. Psalm 139 for instance describes the power and majesty of the universe. Within Psalm 139 is also the right balanced relationship between human and God, particularly the relationship with a constant presence, e.g., if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall hold me, thy rod find me."God is imagined as ever present in care and love but also in maintaining survival – wherever I go, God will be there watching out for me.Many Psalms tell a similar message, even and perhaps especially, the songs that describe God saving the Temple (I was glad when they said unto me, Let us Go into the House of the Lord – Psalm 122) or remembering the exiles. In these instances the Root Energy of being grounded in a home or homeland, to be a tribe, that is represented by the Temple bears the energy of place, survival as a people and connection to Divine forces that preserve life.
In the Nativity story found in Luke (Lk. 1: 39f), in which Mary and Elizabeth exchange support and feel their babies moving in their wombs also highlights Root energy in the physicality of support: in this story the life of the babies and the lives of the women coordinate in trusting that within the unusual and precarious circumstances of their pregnancies, God's plan, that is God's ground, is firm and trustworthy. While other energies can be located in some of these same Psalms or Biblical stories, the Root is there, just as it lives as energy in a person who also has other energies as well. The Root is always and simply that: the foremost energy of survival that drives our mind, body and spiritual system and which allows balance and harmony within the self.Root plants often look like long fingers snaking into the earth or like tubular plants ready like cocoons underground to sprout life. Such images help remind us that the energy we are describing has a gripping task, a design to hold us steady in the midst of life's ebb and flow, of many kinds of experience, in different kinds of relationship.
When we consider how God must have unlimited stores of such energetic balance, we can, with Tillich, affirm that God is indeed the Ground of our Being.
The Sacral Chakra:How do I feel Near to You?
Dr. Mary L. Fraser, Ph.D.
Intimacy and the ability to draw near to another person define the major energies of the second chakra. Located in the pelvic region, the sacral chakra is physically governed by the lower entrances to the inner body, which, of course, also allow for output from the inner body.The emotional experiences are intimate like that, private and yet universal, what the Apostle Paul described in the Book of Corinthians as, the "honor given to what is lowest."We deem the energy of intimacy within such a physical region because intimacy involves not just the content of love, light, grace and joy, but also crasser and more difficult emotions such as anger, abandonment, despair or rage. Mature intimacy begins with the ability to bond and moves toward the capacity to feel great swathes of emotion, identify those feelings and make appropriate, relational decisions in their expression.
From the first chakra the tools of trust and rootedness allow for the energies of the second chakra to flow naturally and freely. Trust is necessary for intimacy and is a basic form of attachment. From trust, a person learns to exchange feelings and ideas with another and within a small circle of people. Family emerges as a basic premise of larger culture. What sometimes is forgotten in contemporary American life is the close relationship between intimacy and culture: the breakdown of cultural norms often reflects problems occurring in smaller entities within the larger culture with attachment, loyalty, bonding, all of which are basic building blocks to strong vibrant communities. In such groups of people, collective anxiety is minimized by the intimate relations of the family, and by the physical relationships of sexuality of the bonded adults.However, a reciprocal relationship sometimes emerges in which anxiety produced by the intensity of a closed family system finds relief and respite as the wider social culture offers new ways of perceiving and behaving.
The Sacral Chakra is a primary spiritual force that unites body and mind.The energies that evoke sexual desire as well as the energies that create feelings of bonding and love tie us both to the body and to the emotional and spiritual field of care and concern.Most of this energy initially is decided by environmental nurture and the genetic material native to human beings to be relational and in community.When we are little, our parents teach us what it means to be close and whether it is safe and satisfying to depend on them as care providers. We take our first lessons in intimacy from our parental figures. That is widened into relationships with family members and again, in every enlarging circles, into community, country and the world. We learn to attach and bond from personal experience and then extrapolate that into larger systems that hold us. Similarly, we are endowed with genetic material that, governed by our hormones, encourages us to begin practicing for intimate life as teens, find a partner with whom to dance the steps of intimacy and nurture, birth children with, and care about as we age and proceed through the life cycle.
It is worth wondering whether problems with aggression, anger and despair also emerge initially in problems with attachment to others in ways that provide comfort, hope and a sense of being loved.As peoples of the world become more transient, and wars and violence increase on a global plane, a question emerges as to how children will receive a sense of security and bonding that allows for the healthy emergence of human relationship on deeply personal strains. How is love compromised by the rampant, unchecked trauma facing people in poverty, war, dislocation, long periods in refugee camps, and natural disasters that uproot families from each other and a sense of security?
Physical ailments that emerge in the Sacral Chakra include disorders of sexual desire and function, difficult menstrual cycles, problems in the reproductive organs, and more elusive yet problematic syndromes such as fibromyalgia and lupus.
The spiritual issues of intimacy are discussed in stories such as Abraham and Sara, where Sara finds her womb opened after the two agree to set out on God's journey.There is the sense of being bound together as husband and wife as well as within the covenant of God. The pregnancy becomes a sign of the life of the covenant, the promise of intimate life within the community of faith.Also, the spiritual issues of the Sacral Chakra emerge again with Abraham and Isaac at the bush, when the father receives word from God not to sacrifice the son, that God preserves the bonding of parent and child.In most of the Hebrew Bible, the image of husband and wife suggests the relationship between Human and God, and in the New Testament, Jesus picks up on the image of parent – child. The themes of faithfulness and intimacy with the divine are suggested to be like those of husband and wife, and where there is betrayal, the infidelity is like that of husband and wife – searing, bitter, and physically painful. Or the relationship is as a parent and child where covenant emerges by the rights of birth, of existence itself.
One of the issues that is sometimes lifted up concerning intimacy and the New Testament is that Jesus is never described as having a wife. The Apostle Paul speaks openly about refraining from marriage unless absolutely necessary. We also know that other figures in the New Testament were married and some of the early disciples were couples such as Aquila and Priscilla.In the story of spirituality and the sacral energies with the New Testament, however, intimacy is described most fundamentally as closeness and connection to God. Jesus calls God, "Abba," or most closely translated, "Daddy," a term of intimacy and endearment. Jesus and those who follow Jesus are physically connected to the power and transforming energy of the Holy Spirit as described by the Transfiguration, the raising of Lazarus, the resurrection of Jesus, the power of Pentecost, and the extraordinary energy of healing bestowed upon the disciples after the Resurrection as they travelled about healing and preaching.
In the New Testament, intimacy and the body is taken to a new level, that of being connected with divinity itself. The deeper the intimacy, the greater the ability to heal and transform self and others. The more powerful the intimacy, the more extensive the ability to withstand persecution, create relationships of justice and mercy and live in a way that creates family not from genetic arrangements but from the capacity to love neighbor as self.
Energy from the Sacral Chakra continues in personal and physical ways the practices of trust and bonding that occurred in the root chakra. The issues in this charka now speak of personal connection between self and other, and how individuals begin to organize themselves into family and cultural groups. The spirituality of the Sacral Chakra concerns our deepest understandings of how to connect with other and God in personal and physical ways. To the extent we honor that, we honor the place of God within ourselves and the place of God in the center of others.
The Solar Plexus:I choose, I hold, I will, I act
Dr. Mary Fraser, Ph.D.
The third chakra is the solar plexus, located in the stomach area. Here the energy of digestion and purification occurs through the functions of the intestines, kidneys, bladder, and liver. All process nutrients in and out of the body, into the blood stream and transform one kind of energy into another.In some ways the energies in the solar plexus, are the most deeply connected to the process of actual transformation from one tangible form, say food or water, into calories or physical energy that propels the body. This chakra is associated with issues of retention and release, in the sense of emotional, psychological and mental processes, just as in the physical arena, the bodily processes are ones of utilization and elimination.
In the stomach region, medical science now knows that changes in body fat, whether stored or utilized, causes flux in hormones and other chemicals that affect how a person feels, and, in some instances, longevity of life.We have as a culture underestimated the powerful relationship between what we ingest and how we think and feel.Often when people have trouble in the area of the solar plexus, we are aware of the physical pain and discomfort, treating that accordingly. We are aware of the life threatening potential of disease or malfunction in the organs or tissues within the stomach region. What we sometimes miss is the relationship between distress in the solar plexus and the distress in the mind or emotional field.
The psycho-emotional field of the solar plexus is that of choice, decision, and action.Within this region lives the functional relationship between the body and its world in terms of what is done, what actions are carried out. Other words to describe this are will, intent, decision making, effort and action.People who have trouble making decisions often have issues related to the solar plexus, because in the chakra model, this region of the body commands the transformation of energies from supply to use, from need to action, and from hanging on to letting go.People who carry extra weight in the gut tend to be people who hold emotion and stress, whether not processing it in an efficient way, or accumulating more than can be processed. For example, perhaps someone who has a great deal of grief and loss in their life begins to either overeat or under eat, thereby using the digestive system, organized in the area of the solar plexus, to deal with their emotional and psychological world. Medical science now knows well the relationship between stress and inflammation, and how that is often played out in gastro-intestinal disorders, problems with the pancreas and situations such as kidney stones and bladder infections.
As the energy of the solar plexus indicates matters of will and emotional thoughts, it still must be noted that the paradigm is not exact. That is, a person may develop physical maladies that are unrelated to stress or an emotional condition. But what the chakra paradigm would say is that when a physical illness or dysfunction occurs in the region of the stomach, the psychological and emotional energy around that belongs in the energy of the solar plexus.So, to summarize: stress or emotion may create problems in the solar plexus when those are not processed well, but when an illness occurs in the region that is not related to stress or emotion, it still remains that the energy around those aliments is in the province of the solar plexus.
In the region of the solar plexus energies from the root charka and the sacral chakra energy, sites of trust, connection and intimacy, move forward to meld with a wider environmental factor: how do I convey into the world and larger community my grounding and knowledge of familial life, that is the nearness that is foundational to advancing maturity. And, secondly, how do I receive and hold that which comes from other people and from my larger community, my context. How do I process those events psychologically, emotionally and spiritually?
The spiritual and theological issues of the solar plexus energies are central to many facets of organized religious systems.In Christianity, the themes of self service and care taking of others and the world emerge from notions of human connection based in emotional and psychological categories of love and will. Who do I love and thus how shall I act?All the great instructions of Jesus with regard to relationship move along the principle of love as a form of decision making and action. "Love your neighbor as yourself," "Do unto others and you would have done to you," "whoever treats one of the least of these in these ways (acts mercifully), treats me in this way also."Central to the practice of Christianity is the belief that my decisions on how I act and my feelings about what I will into the world carry significant spiritual value.
Great Biblical stories that involve the energies of the solar plexus include the parable of the Good Samaritan, a study in appropriate emotional, psychological and physical response within a theological framework. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the religious professionals do not extend themselves to help a person in profound need. Instead, a person belonging to a marginalized group, the Samaritans, takes action in all three spheres: he feels empathy, he makes a decision to extend assistance, and he transports the person to a care facility. This trilogy of action, in the chakra paradigm, belongs to the energies designated within the solar plexus.I feel. I decide. I act.
In a spiritual sense, the reason behind the direction of the feeling, decision making and action is connected to belief and experiences of divinity.For Christians, either the direct experience of Christ or the belief in Christ creates mandates for feeling empathy, deciding on certain kinds of behavior and acting in ways that go a certain direction. Those mandates are determined largely by interpretations of the New Testament, teaching from religious authorities and experiences of spiritual life and love within a context that affirms the positive value of love as an activity,
It might be noticed that the Pharisees did not fair so well in the New Testament as depicting appropriate religious sentiment.Their actions which related to judgment and law were seen as harsh and unproductive to fostering the life and love that Jesus represents. Thus, a counter-indicator to positive energies of action and will as displayed by the Good Samaritan is the depiction of the Pharisee, a person whose actions and thoughts are governed not by love and life, but by judgment and rule. The "bent over woman" who is judged by her culture or the lepers, who are ostracized by the religious community, are examples of the way the negative actions of the solar plexus energy become acted out physically whether in an individual or a community of people.
An exercise one might try in order to get in touch with solar plexus energy is to place the hands gently on one's stomach, and press while breathing deeply. As a person does this, thought should be directed to the solar plexus with questions such as, "what am I holding?,""what do I need?,""what needs to be released?,""what do I long to gather in?"Then, in the aftermath of this exercise, the person is invited to ask what God might hold, what God might need, what God wants to release for that person, and "what God longs for with regard to that person."
The Solar Plexus is the top of the triad of the first three chakras, known as the lower chakras. In this sense the spiritual journey parallels the journey of human development that describes growth as beginning with trust and rootedness, moving to the ability to attach and experience family and intimacy and then growing into decision making and the externalization of those decisions into actions and will. The Solar Plexus organizes the energies of fundamental ethics as defined in the Christian tradition as the ability to act in ways that increase positive relationships and hopeful feelings of love and concern for self and neighbor.


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GreatSchools Rating
Teacher quality
Principal leadership
Parent involvement
Foussat is a wonderful school! I loved my teacher! All of the teacher from K-5 we're very nice to me. But just to let you know, there's always going to that one troublemaker in each class.The only bad thing about this school is the cafeteria food. But I loved how the fourth grade teachers sent some of there students over, including me, to the fifth grade classrooms for literature to help push us to become better students. While I was in those fifth grade classes I saw a bond between each and every student. In fifth grade you can run to be Student Council President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity Officer, and Class Representative. In fourth grade you can run for everything but the President. In third grade you can only run for Class Representative. The Student Council was in charge of running all of the meetings, but there was an adult there to help, getting all of the dates for the dress up days, having votes to see what we were going to do with all of the money, and they had a special bond. I loved being Secretary because you weren't just the one who wrote everything down you were part of a team. This is a great school and I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone!!
This school is a great school. Really amazing. They taught me things, explained, and helped so many students. (Including me) But, this school isn't school of choice. :( I would of have this rating 5 stars, but the cafeteria food isn't that great, and there is just this one noon duty who is very very VERY strict and mean. Boys and Girls Club: After School, and Before School programs are at this school. It's really great and all, it's just that the main staff left, without telling anybody, and there's this woman staff who is so mean and he made me cry. My overall rating is 3 stars.
My son went to this school and had a very hard time adjusting. The reason I am giving 5 stars is because his teacher tried very hard to help him. She would contact us directly to help us understand what was going on within the class room, she even offered additional assistance through school therapy. We now seek outside therapy for our son which has helped him out immensely. We would have never known what was happening if the teacher did not care enough to reach out to us, personally.
My child has been at this school for only one year. She will not be coming back. Although I love her teacher, the other staff have been less than helpful. They suspended my five year old. When the teacher found out she was livid! Not to mention the truancy letters that we have received for my childs abscence. If I keep my kids home then it is because they are sick. I'm sorry I'm not like the rest of the parents who use the school as a "daycare center". I would rather go into debt paying for a quality education for my children than send them to the over crowded classrooms of Foussat.
Foussat is a lovely, newer elementary school, located in a quiet residential neighborhood. The principal and staff are very accomodating to the needs of their military families, and I have only positive things to say about my children's education here. As an educator myself, I feel that this school staff does an excellent job of teaching children in a safe, friendly, welcoming place.
i loved foussat when i went their it was the best school yet i wish i was still with all my greatest teachers
My son went there for two years. Mr. B was the principal. It was a bad school with horrible yard duties. There were a few good teachers but it was not what i consider a school i want my kids.
We love this school so far. We have a fifth grader who just started here after our move from Orange County. She loves her teacher and is blossoming as a student. The facilities are new and beautiful. So far, no complaints.
Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.
The Community Rating is the school's average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.
3800 Pala Road
Oceanside, CA 92058
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Phone: (760) 721-2200
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Hope to get some good quality advice here! looking to enter my first competition next year or so!!
6'2 230 and about 10% 24 years of age.
Go check out my post!! It's called "Cycle Advice From Fellow Lifters"
"Pick up the bar! that shit aint gonna lift itself!" M. Philp
Welcome to the community.
y'all go check out the thread i posted and advertised in the first thread and give me y'all's advice! much appreciated


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Smashing Pumpkins ' 1998 album Adore is about to get the super-deluxe reissue treatment, and chief Pumpkin Billy Corgan 's not too happy about the way the mega-reissue's track list was revealed.
First the good news: the new Super Deluxe reissue of Adore will be a six-CD/one-DVD box set featuring 107 tracks. The originally released album featured only 15, with a 16th track issued only in Japan. The box will contain a remastered stereo copy of the album; a remastered mono copy of the album; three disks of demos, outtakes and alternate versions of Adore songs; a disk of live performances; and a DVD of a Smashing Pumpkins show shot August 4, 1998 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. It's due September 23.
Adore also will be available as a single CD, a double-LP and a deluxe, 90-track digital download package.
On the Smashing Pumpkins Nexus website Corgan later expressed his ire towards his record company for, he says, cooperating with Amazon and not giving him the opportunity to post the track list first through the website of his Madame ZuZu's tea shop.
"The record business as you already know instinctively is quite bad," Corgan wrote. "And I for one have been very outspoken about what I would say are harmful business practices, the kind which place artists in an exploitative position visa vie their rights and ownership of their own work."
He notes that although he doesn't own the Smashing Pumpkins' '90s albums he says he's "worked tirelessly to provide, pound-for-pound, the best reissues possible," adding that "it boils my blood" when record companies "trample all over what was promised."
Meanwhile, Corgan is offering fans a chance to pre-order autographed copies from Madame Zuzu's online store . The Super Deluxe box set costs $95.95. You can buy an autographed version for that price plus $50 in ZuZu's store purchases. For an addition $100 in ZuZu's purchases Corgan will personalize the autograph, and an addition $150 will get you an autographed box set, an tote, three teas from ZuZu's and a tea strainer.
Oh, and as for the track list, Corgan posted it to the Smashing Pumpkins website .
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio


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Please note that a non-refundable reservation fee of $9.25 will be included in the total payable. Your credit card account will be charged at the time that the reservation is made. Please allow up to 24 hours for your reservation to be confirmed.
Please be advised that once a reservation has been completed, any subsequent changes to the reservation (including transfers) may be subject to applicable service fees.
If you later choose to cancel a reservation, you will be charged a non- refundable $10.00 cancellation fee if you cancel more than five days prior to the arrival date and $15.00 if you cancel within five days of the arrival date.


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Was £32.95
Now £22.95
30% Off
Save a total of £10.00
Lime stonetown tunic
Item No.61068_LC647A
This stunning tunic in beautiful fabric was inspired by the intricate, handcrafted designs we spotted in Stonetown. If you've never been, we highly recommend it... It's a truly amazing place. Approx Length: 83cm
- Do not dry clean
- Do not tumble dry
- 50% Polyester, 25% Viscose, 25% Cotton
- 30 Degree machine wash
- Iron low on reverse
- Do not bleach
Debenhams is happy to exchange or refund your purchase within 28 days providing the goods are in a fully resaleable condition (including tags) and not within the exclusion policy*. This policy does not affect your statutory rights. You can return unwanted items either by visiting your local store (the fastest way to get a refund), by arranging a courier collection or returning by post. Exclusions apply to selected products. For instructions on how to return products and information on Debenhams refund policy visit the returns and refunds section of the website.


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Atlanta Weather
| Traffic
4:19 am August 21, 2012, by Bonnie Gross
A suspension bridge crosses Paynes Creek, which is a tributary of the Peace River, a favorite for paddlers and campers, who often start their trips from nearby Zolfo Springs.
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Visit Florida Outdoor and Nature Insider – exploring Florida's natural wonders from a kayak, a bike or rambling down a hiking trail.
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Looking for help on how to get into medical school? Then you've come to the right place!
I'm Jason, a medical student who was the president of the premed society at Northwestern University where I made contacts with admission officers from the top medical schools across the country. Everything I present to you has been taken from them.
This is insider information you can't get anywhere else.
Trust me because you're not just getting my advice and input. You have access to my "premed dream team" which includes:
With such a diversity of backgrounds you will not be led astray at DoctorPremed.com.
My goal is very simple: to make med school a reality for you. I do this by walking you step-by-step through your premed years all the way to your white coat ceremony.
To learn more about tips and strategies to go from premed to med student you'll want to access my FREE "Premed Grand Rounds" newsletter. Getting started is easy, just share your information below.
I'm Jason and my goal is simple...get you into medical school!
Being premed is brutal. It's always one hurdle after another and even when you cross the finish line there's no guarantee you'll get in.
You're here because you want to become a doctor and I'll show you how to get there.
"Most important, I probably had not yet fully realized that becoming a doctor would involve work, hard, unrelenting, disciplined, often body-and soul-consuming work, from dawn to night and then some. The full knowledge of that would come later-and take me by surprise. I think I assumed because the prophecy had been made, the career in medicine would simply be waiting for me when I was ready..."
~ Rose-Marie Toussaint, M.D.


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|Home PageWallets
Berghaus Wallet $19.00
There are 3 reviews with an average rating of 4.66
macca from AustraliaOwner19 February 2012 02:05
Had one of these wallets for 6yrs was looking a bit tired and been trying to find another ever since. These are a great wallet that sticks to the inside of your pocket. Slim design and zippered pocket for coins. Cant get them in Australia so bought two this time.
Anonymous from United KingdomOwner13 September 2010 21:36
fits everything perfect
reason for my purchase is most wallets for men dont come with a zip pocket for your change but this one does
pat from IrelandOwner16 August 2011 22:43
excellent wallet its my second one


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Fort Wayne,
IN ---The Komets will host
the Kalamazoo Wings tonight for the traditional Thanksgiving game in Fort Wayne at 7:30. It's the 51st consecutive Fort Wayne home game to be played on Thanksgiving and the
52nd overall since the first Thanksgiving game in Fort Wayne Nov. 28, 1957. The Komets are 32-15-4 at home on
Thanksgiving and have won the last four.
The Komets and Kalamazoo are battling to gain
ground on North Division leader Toledo. The Komets (7-5-1, 15 points) trail the Walleye
(9-6-1, 19 points) by four points and the Wings (8-7-0, 16 points) trail by
three. The Komets have had been idle
this week while Kalamazoo completed a three-game series at Orlando Tuesday with
a 4-3 win, snapping a two-game losing skid.
D-man Guentzel assigned to Komets—Defenseman Gabe Guentzel has been
assigned to the Komets from Norfolk
of the AHL. Guentzel has appeared in six
games with Norfolk
this season scoring an assist and six penalty minutes. The Woodbury, Minnesota
native made his pro debut last season with Syracuse
of the AHL skating 12 games at the end of the season after completing four
seasons in the WCHA at Colorado
College. Guentzel was
named to the 2011-12 WCHA All-Second Team and led Colorado College
defensemen with 22 assists and 26 points. Guentzel is expected to be in the lineup tonight when the Komets host Kalamazoo.
TONIGHT AND SATURDAY—The annual Komets Coats-For-Kids holiday drive, sponsored by Kroger and
21 Alive, will continue with tonight's annual Thanksgiving home game and
Saturday when the Komets host Toledo at 7:30pm. Fans are asked to bring gently used or new Kid's coats, sizes 6-14, plus
new mittens, hats and scarves to the Coats-For-Kids games. Fans will get 10 free chuck-a-pucks from
Kroger when bringing an item to one of the three Coats-For-Kids games.
Tickets for all Komet
home games are on sale at the Coliseum Ticket Office and online at
TicketMaster.com. Komet season tickets
are still on sale at the Komet office, 1010 Memorial Way in Fort Wayne. For more information visit www.komets.com or
call the Komet office at 260-483-0011.


text: Comments on: Tim Carney: Big businesses and localities win online sales tax Back to the article » By Timothy P. Carney | May 8, 2013 | 12:00 am When do 21 Republican senators vote for higher taxes? Answer: When the biggest businesses and local politicians hire top K Street lobbyists to push for the tax-hike legislation. A bipartisan majority of senators on Monday passed the "Marketplace Fairness Act," which forces large and mid-sized online retailers to collect and remit sales taxes for every state, county, city, or town where a... Web URL: http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2529212 Share this article on Facebook or Twitter Print this article


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This Navy patch measures 3 inches and proudly displays a picture of the Navy crest and displays the words United States Navy. Pick up this Navy patch today.
Harry's Army Surplus: Serving Dearborn and Metropolitan Detroit with army navy surplus, uniform gear, boots, army surplus and work clothing since 1950.


text:
Posters of World War II
Your search located 1 poster.
Description: Soldier waving to airplanes and another solder firing a gun as American planes fly over head dropping bombs
Contributor: United States. Army. Ordnance Corps
Publisher: [Washington, D.C.] : U. S. Government Printing Office 1943
Dimensions: 40 x 30 in.
Creator: Baumgartner, Warren, 1894-1963
Note: "Ordnance Department, U. S. Army Keep 'em shooting!"/"U. S. Government Printing Office : 1943--O-520911"/"Loaned by Central Outdoor Advertising Co., Inc. Cleveland, Ohio"
Order ID: MPW00034


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He got shame.
The CollegeHumor All-Nighter is one week from today! We'll be making 12 videos in 12 hours with a ton of special guests.
Take a look at some of the videos we've done in the past and be sure to join us as we stream for 12 hours LIVE! - hosted by Jon Gabrus.


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As Fox News continues to cover the biggest story of the month -- aka the "War on Christmas," of course! -- the secular culture-hating folks at Fox and Friends decided it was time to step it up and bring in the ultimate source to corroborate their tall tale: Santa Claus himself! Or at least a guy who plays Jolly Ol' St. Nick, Sal Lizard. Surprise, surprise -- he agrees that Christmas is being destroyed by "political correctness." Sort of. Err, maybe just a smidge.
Just in case you weren't sure what the story was about, Fox and Friends reminded us with blaring chyrons, "End the 'War' on Christmas: Pro Santa Won't Say 'Happy Holidays'" and "Ho-Ho-No Way!: Santa Won't Be Politically Correct." Face. Palm.
If you don't already have a stress headache from just reading that, you can check out the segment below ...
Well, Sal Lizard seems quite likable! I can understand why he wouldn't want to go around wishing people just "Happy Holidays!" After all, Santa is a Christmas figure. I'd personally prefer if he'd tack "Happy Holidays!" onto his "Merry Christmas!" (because who knows if the little kids he's visiting with are Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, or Atheist ...?). But all right, whatever, he's Santa.
More from The Stir: The 'War on Christmas' Is Just Like Santa Claus ... It Doesn't Exist!
That said, the party who really comes off looking ridiculous here is, of course, Fox's talking heads (for once!). Gretchen Carlson was shamelessly nudging the jolly ol' guy to rail out on her ridiculous ruse about growing "secularization" and "political correctness" poisoning the holidays. But it really seemed like he couldn't wholeheartedly, genuinely agree with her. Ha. When your most credible source on the subject is a guy in a red suit and prize-fightin' Santa belt, and even he isn't fuming with anger about a so-called War on Christmas, you know you're in trouble. What a joke.
Guess Fox simply doesn't mind coming off like a complete caricature ... a bad SNL skit. Ah well! Maybe Santa will give 'em the ratings they so desperately seek for Christmas. But the way they keep beating a make-believe horse, I'd put my money on them actually getting coal.
Come on, they can't be serious, right?
Image via ThinkProgress TP/YouTube
I'm a Merry Christmas person, but I don't expect everyone to be and I'm not offended when someone wishes me Happy Holidays. I guess I'm too tolerant.
The problem is some people are wished a Merry Christmas and are met with intolerance. Every day I hear about some nativity scene, cross, etc. that isn't allowed to be displayed. I don't think it's specific towards Christmas, but christianity in general. It's also not due to other religions, it's extreme athiests. I'm not an overly religious person, but I am a Christian and with everything that's happening in the world today some people need God, not necessarily MY God, but something to believe in.
At the risk of sounding childish, who started this?
Groups demanded that stores like Macy's, Walmart etc. start saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas but now that its backfired they want to pretend that it's all silliness. Same with their idiotic attempts to ban celebrations and symbols in the town square. If it's "silliness" they would just leave it alone, but they don't.
I believe the "War on CHRIST" has begun in the last decade or so, beginning with the age of technology where people have access to publicly voicing their opinions online. They feel entitled to make their voice known to everyone and anyone who will read, therefore bringing all of these overzealous atheist out of the woodwork. If you look at classic Christmas cartoons from the 70s, they didn't refrain from saying Merry Christmas. Nestor The Long Eared Donkey was ABOUT the meaning of Christmas. This little donkey who was bullied like Rudolph ended up in a stable of a desert merchant when Mary & Joseph come looking for a donkey to take with them to Bethlehem. It basically TELLS the story of the meaning behind why so many people celebrate Christmas. The Little Drummer Boy as well. Silent Night is basically a seasonal Christian song. MORE than half of classic Christmas songs are about Jesus' birth. The people speaking out about prohibiting crosses and nativity scenes from any public place are about as asinine as the requests by One Million Moms. I blame the internet for that.


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Future Value Of An Annuity
Definition of 'Future Value Of An Annuity'
The value of a group of payments at a specified date in the future. These payments are known as an annuity, or set of cash flows. The future value of an annuity measures how much you would have in the future given a specified rate of return or discount rate. The future cash flows of the annuity grow at the discount rate, and the higher the discount rate, the higher the future value of the annuity.
This calculation is useful for determining the actual cost of an annuity to the issuer:
C = Cash flow per period
i = Interest rate
n = Number of payments
This calculates the future value of an ordinary annuity. To calculate the future value of an annuity due, multiply the result by (1+i). (Payments start immediately instead of one period into the future.)
Investopedia explains 'Future Value Of An Annuity'
The basis is that providing a lump sum of $5,000 today costs more than providing a cash flow of $1,000 per year for five years. This is because if you provide the lump sum today, you could have invested it and received an additional return.
Using this example, and assuming a discount rate of 6%, the future value of an annuity that pays $1,000 per year for five years is $4,212 (1,000*[(1+0.06)5-1/0.06]=5,637). This means that if you could get a return on your invested funds of 6% per year, providing an annuity of $1,000 per year would be worth $637 ($5,637-$5,000) more to the issuer than giving a lump sum.