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A priest friend sent me an article from Franklin Graham's website, describing a revival in the Ukraine. Like others who have gone to Eastern Europe to preach the gospel, there is frequently a mistaken assessment of the Orthodox Church. Graham's article recognized a holiness present in the Church's there, but described it as "Old Testament," and generally likened the Church to "religion" and not the same thing as "personal relationship." These, of course, are improper descriptions, and in some cases, "cheap shots."
The "Christian" world, is filled with organized churches – some are Protestant, some are Roman Catholic, soom are Pentecostal, some are Orthodox. Without examining their differences (it is not important for the purposes of this post), there is a commonality that can be found universally. Stated by St. Augustine: "There are some whom God has whom the Church has not, and some whom the Church has whom God has not." Were Graham to travel to Scotland, Holland, England (I am mentioning countries where Protestant Evangelicalism had some original roots) he would find Church attendance as a tiny fraction of the population and a great need for the acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I state this to say it is not an Eastern European problem, nor an Orthodox problem. It is simply a fact of life in the early 21st century.
We recently had a Franklin Graham crusade in our metro area. I am told that there are flyers being passed out by some associated with the crusade that describe Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches as places to avoid because they do not teach a "personal" relationship with Christ – which, of course, is simply not true.
Do the Orthodox do a good job of preaching and teaching the Gospel wherever it exists? Even in the first century, based on the evidence of St. Paul's letters, there were churches where the gospel was not being properly proclaimed. Apparently such problems have always existed, and will until our Lord's return. Could the same be said of Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Baptists and Independent Evangelicals? I know so.
The Orthodox Church does not teach that we are saved by our own works. That would be a Pelagian heresy. Anyone who says we teach this is misinformed. If there are weaknesses in the Orthodox Church then they should be correctly identified and dealt with as one does a brother. We have them. After 70 years of persecution, the Church in the East is emerging into a new-found freedom and into an unstable political world. The restoration of the fullness of the Church will take time – not mischaracterizations. It will take prayer, not Americanization. It will take sacrificial support and not taunting by its wealthy Christian neighbors.
I offer here a short article on "personal" salvation from an earlier post. It is an example of Orthodox writing (mine) on the topic. My writing is but a shallow presentation. There is not time to present the depth of Orthodox teaching on the subject. For such teaching I recommend the current writings of Archimandrite Zacharias, referenced in recent articles, or the writings of Fr. Sophrony, frequently referenced on this blog. May God help all Christians and bless them – despite our shortcomings. May God help the Orthodox Christians of Eastern Europe and beyond to be fully who they are called to be and manifest to the world around them the gospel that has been entrusted to them. And may God bless the Church's enemies everywhere, and forgive those of us within the Church, myself included, who may be a cause of stumbling for others.
Perhaps the most difficult theological truth to communicate in the modern world is that of personal existence. Modern English has taken the word person from the realm of theology and changed it into the cheapest coin of the realm. Today it means that which is private, merely individual. As such, it becomes synonymous not with salvation but with our very destruction. Life lived as a mere individual is no life at all but a progressive movement towards death and destruction.
Thus there is always something of a hesitancy when someone asks (in newspeak), "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior?" If only we would, it would be truly significant. But in our modern street-wise theology, Christ as personal savior becomes synonymous with Christ as private savior, and as such is no savior at all. For no one and nothing can save the false existence we have created in the privacy of our modern existence. We were not created for such an existence.
In the story of Genesis – the first appearance of the phrase, "It is not good," is applied to man – in an existence that is private. "It is not good for man to be alone." We do not exist in the goodness which God has created for us when we exist alone. The most remote hermit of the Christian desert does not live alone, but lives radically for others and to God. Of all men he is the least alone. No one would take on the radical ascesis of the desert for themselves alone: it is an act of radical love.
And thus the personal God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, determined that salvation for humanity could only take place as we lived fully and truly into the existence for which we were and are created: the Church. In the Church we do not exist as mere individuals but as members of the Body of Christ. My life is the life of Christ. What happens to me is essential to what happens to all the members of the Body and what happens to the members of the Body is essential for what happens to me. Their life is my life.
Thus when we approach the cup of Christ's Body and Blood, we never approach it for our private good but as members of the Body. We are thus enjoined to be in love and charity with our neighbor and to forgive the sins of all – otherwise the cup is not for our salvation but our destruction.
The salvation into which we are Baptized is a new life – no longer defined by the mere existence of myself as an individual – but rather by the radical freedom of love within the Body of Christ. To accept Christ as our "personal" savior, thus can be translated into its traditional Orthodox form: "Do you unite yourself to Christ?" And this question is more fully expounded when we understand that the Christ to whom we unite ourself is a many-membered body.
After the resurrection, Christ appeared to the Apostle Peter. Their dialog must have been the most profound dialog ever to take place between man and God. "Do you love me?" Christ asked Peter. Peter hedged his answer. But Christ responded, "Feed my sheep." For to love Christ and to feed His sheep are not two things but one. For Peter to finally know this was indeed his personal salvation. It is ours as well. Glory to God.
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It is truly sad – mischaracterizations and all that. But the emphasis on a certain understanding of the terms "personal relationship" has more to do with modern, rugged individualism and less with actually being a Christ-follower. "What can God do for me?" is asked in the same way as "What savings does Wal-mart offer this week?". The relationship between man and God has been exploited in the market – using the same methodologies as someone would use to patch-up the relationship between boyfriend and girlfriend. Countless books, seminars etc are being offered – ostensibly to help the Christian, but in reality it is just part of the marketplace.
But no, what you describe here the "radical freedom of love within the Body of Christ" is not a commodity. It is Life. You cannot buy the blessings of the New Life. You cannot package it into a seminar. You cannot sell the blessings of the Eucharist. That is why the Eucharist is so undervalued in large parts of Christianity. You cannot buy His Real Presence, same as you cannot buy the New community of Love.
I'm not saying this is what FG was trying to do. But that has become the paradigm within which large parts of the church universal operates. God be merciful…..
Father Stephen,
Know that your blog is part of my regular spiritual reading and that your writing feeds my faith. Would you object if I recommended you and your blog in my (ECUSA) parish newsletter and perhaps linked to your blog from the parish website? God bless you.
Fr. Bill in California
Graham aside, I think the greater testimony to the faith of the East is that after Communism was tossed away the perseverance, faith, and general good health of the Church in those suffering lands surprised everyone.
Beautiful words, Fr. Stephen. You said exactly what I feel about those who would try to go and "save" people in Eastern Europe. I am confident that in at least 90% of cases, they know very little about Orthodoxy except a shallow caricature. I speak from experience, because I used to be one such preacher…until, of course, I began to really study Orthodoxy. Then I realized that Orthodoxy is the truth and joined the Church as soon as I could!
May God grant that Mr. Graham and other such preachers learn the truth about Orthodoxy. Better yet, may He grant that they join us!
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts.
I pray that the eyes of American Christians who try to make sure citizens of traditionally Eastern Orthodox countries are "saved" will listen to the answers that God gives to their prayers. If they listen then they will "move on" to other countries (or better yet, join the Orthodox!) So much of the world needs to hear and be encouraged in the Gospel…on to China!
Just the other day on a Christian radio station here in Tennessee I heard a few words of "encouragement" geared toward young people who think that just because they attend church with their parents they are saved, when they really need to be working on their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This approach bothered me as it was brief, and is an example of the sloppiness of fellow Christians who want to encourage, but will not take the time to do so other than to hit a few bullet-points.
Thank you for this posting, Fr. Stephen.
Fr. Bill,
I would be glad to have such a link and a recommendation. Is it safe for you to do this in ECUSA? May God protect you.
Keeping a sense of humor about this "too much with us," to quote Wordsworth, I will share a story that still makes me chuckle because it reveals so much about Orthodox Christians being misunderstood, and right here stateside, not Russia or the Ukraine.
When my son first went away to college, he was constantly beset by campus evangelists in the budding stage. Seeing the icons in his dorm room always set off a predictable sermon about how the Catholic Church was merely an institutional religion devised by man and not God. It was useless, of course, for my son to try to explain that he was not Roman Catholic but Orthodox. Orthodoxy was not in their world religions lexicon and none of these young preachers had ever heard of it.
Then began the tract lawnmower running over the same questions, again and gain, "Are you saved? Do you know Jesus as your personal savior?"
Frustrated, my son called me for advice about how to answer them. I told him not to engage in an argument, but to simply answer, "Yes."
"Mom," he said to me, wearily, "I did that. They don't believe me."
You could always say "I eat his flesh and drink his blood – that's pretty personal" … I wonder how that would go over?
Thank you Father! It seems easier to spend time "converting" orthodox countries than to work in the countries that are muslim or other non-christian faiths. Orthodoxy has survived for two thousand years, it will survive whatever the world can throw at it. The idea of missions and evangelism came up this week in a meeting at our parish. In trying to develop an outreach without compromising the Orthodox message we came back around to living the truth in each of our lives as the first priority. When the early Church went out evangelizing, the first things they would do was to plant monastaries and parishes. Being a shining light and living the Faith is our call to. I visited St. Anthony's Monastary in Arizona several weeks ago for a pilgrimage. There I heard that it now is the 2nd most visited site in Arizona next to the Grand Canyon. This is how we are to spread the Good News and the Faith of Orthodoxy. Christ has Risen! Truly he has Risen!
During a brief stay in the Ukraine, my husband and I stayed with a very nice missionary couple. They were on a long-term mission and had been there over a year already. When we told them our plans to visit the local churches and a monastery, they asked a lot of questions. They knew almost nothing about the Orthodox Church except that there were icons and that it isn't Roman Catholicism. On top of that, they had been given almost NO training in the Russian language. I was appalled at the lack of cultural preparation provided to them, and they were with a well-known international mission organization! Americanization indeed!
Although I wish our brothers and sisters wouldn't engage in such 'mission' I am not too concerned by their misguided evangelism. For all the fine words and rhetoric, there is little of 'substance' that these poor folk are being 'converted towards' and as long as there is a firm Orthodox presence surrounding them I wouldn't be too surprised if this actually leads to many re-entering Orthodoxy, perhaps with their faith freshly renewed. The seed sown in early life is hard to resist and the roots of that culture go down very deep.
Evangelical protestantism, in an Eastern European context, simply appears extremely "American" (and unavoidably so). Some years ago, when I was an Anglican, my parish sponsored a Russian Pentecostal family (who were then listed as a persecuted group by the State Department) and brought them to America. We directed them to the Church of God in our town, the largest Pentecostal Church in the area. They attended for about a month, then started attending the early service at the Episcopal parish where I was Rector. Their explanation was that they did not like what I would call the "happy clappy" atmosphere of the Church of God. Russian Pentecostals are very serious, stand for prayers, and are cultural more like Orthodox than they are like any American Pentecostal. So they attended the early service at an Episcopal Church – which in those days was very far removed from "happy clappy."
When my daughter lived in Krasnoyarsk (deep Siberia) one of her college girlfriends said she was going to the Vineyard mission one Sunday and wanted my daughter to accompany here. The Vineyard mission, somewhat sensitive to local culture, had rented an auditorium, and set up large icons, etc. to set the atmosphere. My daughter told her friend, "But you're Pravoslavnie (Orthodox). Why would you go to a Protestant Church." The reply said everything. "There is no difference," she said, "except the Protestants have rock and roll."
Actually, I do think that this kind of personal relationship to the Body of Christ is lived more often in evangelical churches than even they recognize. I'm an OC convert, but in many ways my former EC is still part of my family. I was recently lamenting to a friend (partly in jest) that I can't seem to escape my old church.
Now, I think there are dramatic differences and the sacramental and communal aspect of communion vs. the (barely) symbolic is one. But to give credit, no one in my former EC has stopped being my friend because I became Orthodox. Granted, people don't understand it because they don't know anything about it and I'm not sure this would be true had I become RC. Because their view of salvation is so much more narrow, they don't understand the importance of things that they do, even things they're really good at, like being a family. It has been a struggle for me to connect in my OC, partly because it's a small and very diverse population, but mostly because of laziness on my own part. But my old EC is a place I'm still fairly involved with. This causes a lot of tension for me.
My experience with evangelicals is that they live in much more "orthodox" ways than they preach. There is a lot of emphasis on that "personal relationship" which I think puts undue pressure on people and leads to lots of guilt and feelings of letting God down. But if you ever need help moving, or need money for groceries or just need a friend or whatever, they are there, even if you're not part of their church. I went through a health crisis and both churches responded with immense love. My OC church brought meals for over a month and then also during the following Lent. My old EC brought meals for my family for two months, even though I haven't attended in years.
I agree completely with what you're saying about others trying to convert Orthodox in other countries, too. I know I've already taken up lots of space, but I have to share this story. Many years ago I was in Russia with a missionary group ministering in the schools. This was right after the Iron Curtain fell – 1992. We had been in Red Square and I had seen the outside of St. Basil's Cathedral. I had never been to an Orthodox Church and knew very little about it. During a Baptist church service I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to visit the cathedral and she responded with such vitriol that I was taken aback. She asked how I could want to go there, etc. After sitting quietly for a few minutes though, she turned me and said, "God has convicted me about my response to you. If you want to go, I'll go with you." We did go eventually. I have no idea what her response was, but mine was that I had just walked into heaven! There was a wake going on and there was a body and chanting and icons going up to the ceiling and candles everywhere and incense and oh.my.word. Clearly, it left an impression. But God's conviction of my friend also left an impression, both her antagonism towards a religion she saw as false, but also her sensitivity to the reprimand of the Holy Spirit. I view that moment as the beginning of my journey to the OC.
And like others have said, I think the OC in other countries will be just fine, albeit not without some growing pains, at least as far as evangelization by other Christians is concerned.
Once again, another thought-inspiring post. Thank you.
There are at least two couples in my parish who were once evangelical missionaries to Orthodox countries. They went to "convert" the Orthodox, and came back Orthodox themselves. I think this should remind us that the right response to such missionaries is simply to pray for them.
In defense of Evangelicals, all that I know are not focused on converting the Orthodox, but rather the non-Churched secular population. I know my own church (which is evangelical Anglican) makes sure that any candidates sent to Eastern Europe are of the mind to work alongside the Orthodox and not against them, and to pursue evangelizing the secularists or the Muslim immigrant populations.
"They went to "convert" the Orthodox, and came back Orthodox themselves. I think this should remind us that the right response to such missionaries is simply to pray for them."
Absolutely! Truly, most missionaries are loving people who are just trying to do the right thing.
Thank you for this great post. Unfortunately I don't understand this part:
"The most remote hermit of the Christian desert does not live alone, but lives radically for others and to God. Of all men he is the least alone. No one would take on the radical ascesis of the desert for themselves alone: it is an act of radical love."
Could you please explain that?
It's quite the same as Christ's temptations in the wilderness. He did not do this for Himself but for us (as all His life was for us). The Christian hermit would go mad in the desert if what he did was for himself. To know the Christian God, particularly with any depth, is to know all men as well, and to pray for them even with great pain and suffering since so many human beings are in suffering and in great spiritual difficulty. The hermit is making an act of radical sacrifice, giving themselves over completely to God and to all of humanity as they pray ever deeper, know God ever deeper, and all of humanity ever deeper, and praying with an anguish that is generally unknown to us except in fairly discreet settings (as in the prayer for a loved one, etc.).
The modernization of Christianity has come to value only secular things – thus love can only mean social service (hospitals, etc.) rather than prayer. This modern prejudice does not know the True God and does not know that the world continues in existence, partly through the prayers of a few.
Were a hermit to enter the desert for selfish reasons, he would soon go mad and the demons would devour him.
Fr. Stephen,
Will you help me understand this better by giving a simple concrete example of our unity as a Church with Christ and one another? (A kind of social sin butterfly affect.)
BTW – I just stumbled upon your blog and I'm quite impressed. Thanks for your service.
In Christ,
Father Bill in California, You rock!
Scripture says that if one suffers we all suffer – though the obvious effect may not be nearly so obvious. The Church only exists as Church in its union with Christ. It is not a social organization or something that exists to promote an idea, but is a living divine/human union. Thus it is called the Body of Christ.
St. Paul uses the example in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 of people being sick and even dying through eating and drinking communion "without discerning the Lord's Body" and in this instance he is referring to the Body, the Church, rather than the Body, as in the consecrated Bread.
The presence of bitterness and unforgiveness in the midst of the Church is like a poison, destroying relationships and eating like a cancer on the Church. It has been the destruction of more than one community. Just to use one concrete example.
On the otherhand, the forgiveness we find in Christ and the healing that flows from that forgiveness can act mightily in just the opposite manner, bringing forth life in a community.
But if a community is plunged into darkness, its knowledge of God will also become darkened and much trouble will flow.
i come from a baptist church in eastern europe and began a personal relationship with God at 12. i grew up in an ortodox predominant environment and my baptist parents taught me to keep an open eye. i had and have a lot of ortodox friends and some i can relate to with christian life topics(not many).but i do agree(and it grieves me a lot) that many evangelical christians don`t understand ortodoxy and attribute it many false believes(or unbelieves…).i like to go to an ortodox church once in a while and i like very much because i really feel God there too!the main problem with ortodoxy in my country though is the immorality in which many priests live and that doesn`t set such a good example for those who go or where going to their churches.another problem is that most ortodox people in my country don`t understand exactly what christian faith is about and live their own way far from God.
i truly hope that all ortodox in my country will come to the true understanding of the gospel and that evanghelists will stp harrassing them.for my part i will do my best to convince my baptist brothers of the realness of ortodox faith
May God bless you, Paula. May he have mercy on priests who set a poor example. Your patience and goodness of heart is a indeed a blessing. Thank you.
Dear Father,
I am not going to write about the subject. I will actually ask you to help me. I need you to pray for a very dear friend of mine that is in the hospital in Croatia in a very critical condition. His name is Igor Vitas, he is Ortodox and he is only 20 years old. Please find few minutes and pray for this young man that needs to do and see so many things still in his life. He needs every help he can get so please ask your friends kindly to pray for Igor and I am sure he will get better. The doctors told us he is in the hands of a God now. He needs as many prays as he can get.
Please pray for Igor.
Thank you
Marceta Nikolina
I will join my prayers with others for the servant of God Igor.
I am heading to church this morning and will say prayers and light a candle for him. May God heal him.
I as well will be praying for him.
From the Jerusalem of my heart, I too shall pray.
Thank you all. Unfortunatelly we lost him. Nevertheless it is very nice to know that there are people like you. God bless you.
I thank you from the bottom of my hart.
I am so sorry Marceta. I thought about and prayed for you and Igor many times. Our prayers as just as important now and I will continue to keep him in my prayers. Memory eternal. Vechnaja pomnjet (sorry about the spelling)
Thank you Lana
I have pasted a poem below that I wrote to comfort a friend who suffered a loss. A reminder that we are never alone….
For Vera
Life encompasses death
Death encompasses life
How can we possibly know
Which is the sunset
Which the horizon?
Where is the beginning
Where the end?
Is the beginning the end?
But then maybe,
The end is just the beginning.
And we,
So blessed with life
Live it day to day.
Sometimes we are lucky enough to remember to pause,
And savor
The joy of an unfolding day,
Peace at the breakfast table,
A smile,
A tear,
The rain,
The sun,
The snow,
The air,
And ah,
The wind
Listen friend,
God is whispering to you
You are now between the two
The beginning,
The end,
The sunset,
The horizon
But know,
God encompasses both,
For now, be comforted in His sweet embrace
Where He also holds
The beginning that meets the end and the sunset that greets the horizon
And you will be cradled by all that rests between.
Igor Vitas died – he was brutally murdered.
All the more reason to pray for him. May his memory be eternal. And to pray for those who love them, that God grant them comfort. And to pray for those who have done such an evil. Lord, have mercy.
Thank you for your beutiful poem Lana. I have not been visiting the web site for a while. Thank you for your kind words father Stephen. God bless you
One can be orthodox and not saved. One can be saved and not orthodox. There any many "elect" out there in the Orthodox and the world who still need to come to Christ, and if elect, they will
John…chill with the Calvinist "elect" nonsense.
Thank you for these writings father…particularly the one on "Personal Salvation". I have been in the Protestant tradition for 40 years and am now a chatacumen and will be baptized the day before Easter. This article put in words what I have had difficulty expressing. Very edifying….thank you again.
But your blog misses the point: Jesus told us that at his return, two will be in the same bed- one is taken (saved, it seems to mean) and one left. Two walk up a hill TOGETHER one is taken the other left. The unity and community that these all shared did not effect their personal destiny.
Your words about salvation and community are beautiful and important but miss the impact of the question: "What must I do to be saved?"
Personal identity is formed and nurtured by communal identity. The one who is saved is the one who lives his life within the Church's tradition of prayer, asceticism, and liturgical worship. The one who is not saved — who is left behind (or taken — I've encountered differing interpretations) — is the one who dwells outside this rich stream of wisdom. To be Christian is to be part of the Body of Christ. Therefore, Christian life and salvation are necessarily corporate.
Well said JR – I am reminded of the old Allinson's adage that wholesome bread is best with nowt taken out. Put another way. A tree bears like unto it's kind. Relentless waffle (pun not intended) renders nothing much at all, save grist for the mill.
It's what ones does that counts, not what one says.
Pax, vobsicum.
I'm confused as to how your statements relate to what JR said.
It's one of the very strange things about the Kingdom of God, PJ. Events unfold to God's timetable not man's.
The Kingdom is both consuming fire and flood that defines everything when it comes. That's the point. It's how we see clearly. The mote (or beam, depending on one's perspective) is among the first thing to be consumed.
Else we stumble on blindly, unable to leave the cellar of our own making.
Aren't you Orthodox, though? It's hard to understand why you're sympathetic to JR's skeptical attitude toward the sanctifying influence of the Church.
The soul doesn't think of itself exactly in terms of the historicity of Church. Having said that, I can't deny that Orthodoxy is the pillar of truth. I am however technically Catholic. I waffle, forgive me.
No, Andrew is not Orthodox. He has described himself as "technically Catholic".
But I do not understand the relationship between his comments and JR's comments either. JR seems to have had no clue about my use of the word "personal" despite my post's being almost entirely about the subject. I suppose that I need to improve my skills as a writer. However, I also suspect, that a redefinition of "personal" is so radical for some, for whom the word is so deeply associated with a salvation-scheme, that such a redefinition may be impossible.
If Andrew understands JR's comment positively, then he didn't read or understand the post either.
Actually, Andrew's comment (sorry Andrew) doesn't make sense even by itself. The Addison quote (with a typo) is so obscure that it was lost on me, so I don't know what it says. The next statements mix metaphors to a point of being unintelligible as well. Perhaps it's late at night. My writing becomes obscure with the lateness of the hour.
My point simply was that God's grace has no boundaries. We are jugded (by God) on actualities, which is the abiding presence and overriding love of God; not on technicalities. To speak of God's life in any other way would be to risk invoking a forensic view of the divine, apportioning blame for historic events we have played no part in.
Viz: To imply that the genocide of Miloševic was even in part caused by failures of the Orthodox Church is as absurd as blaming the Apostle Peter for the abuses of a small minority of Catholic priests while simultaneously ignoring the work amongst those who live below the official breadline (for example) of the Little Sisters of the Poor. This is what I meant by Catholic.
While I do not deny schism as a historical fact, I do affirm that it can have no bearing on my life, which is governed in as far as I able to bear, by Pascha, that great counsel that utterly overshadows everything.
(For historical accuracy, Allinson is a brand of British wholemeal bread).
Hello, I realize it's been quite a few years since you wrote this post, but I have just recently become drawn toward the Orthodox Church and have many questions. I was raised baptist in Chattanooga TN, but recentualy haven't felt satisfied at many "modern" churches. I can't seem to feel His presence in them anymore. Anyway I want to see if I am understanding what you are saying about the personal relationship. Within the Orthodox Church is it still taught that a person can and should pray privately to God and that everyone can hear from him? But that when we join with Christ we become part of a bigger family and our lives become about serving others and living for God and His glory? And so we gather with others to rejoice in His love and offer up all of our sins in repentance, not just ours but everyone's? I'm very lost right now and would appriciate some guidance and prayers. Thank you
Father Stephen,
Thank you for this article and also your responses to people's comments. Myself and my whole family were Chrismated at Pentecost last year (and my daughter baptized). In the last year (and I'm sure many years to come) we have had many conversations with our Protestant family and friends about Orthodoxy. The most recent was about Salvation and Baptism and when Salvation takes place. The Protestant argument was that it takes place at the moment of repentance and confession of sin. The concern was for all people who were baptized, but not repenting and living in sin, would they still be saved at judgement? And for us to make such a personal faith decision for our child before she can repent and make the decision herself. Are Christians 'saved' through Baptism? at what point does Salvation take place? Are we not supposed to 'work out our Salvation? Could you guide me with scripture on this?


text:
Wayne County Schools says it has completed an internal investigation into all of the district's school bus drivers.
The school's probe was prompted by a WNCN investigation, which revealed drivers with violent criminal and felony convictions.
The district took WNCN's findings and conducted an internal investigation into the criminal and felony backgrounds of their staff. District officials say they do not have a driver with drug charges or breaking and entering charges.
School officials blamed government agencies for "merging the files" of at least one driver.
However, in the cases of at least two drivers who have felony and violent criminal convictions, including assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, the district remained tight lipped.
"We can't confirm or deny that," said Wayne County Schools spokesman Ken Derksen.
Derksen and the Wayne County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Steven Taylor refused to address the drivers that WNCN confirmed have violent criminal and felony convictions in its initial investigation.
During that investigation, Wayne County Schools gave WNCN a list of its drivers and birth dates. WNCN used that information and checked it with public information at the Wayne County Sheriff's Office. In some cases, where convictions occurred across several counties, WNCN contacted those counties' sheriff's offices and obtained and compared mug shots.
After receiving confirmation on a number of drivers at the county level, WNCN went a step further and called the Department of Public Safety. Using birth dates and offender numbers, DPS officials confirmed some of the drivers in question matched the criminal and felony offenders.
Regardless of the fact that WNCN received confirmation from multiple agencies, the school district refused to comment on those two cases and declined an on-camera interview request.
The school district defended its hiring process, saying unless someone was convicted for drugs or crimes against children, the district would hire drivers with criminal or even felony convictions because the district reviews an individual's life actions since the conviction.
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Sultanhani, Turkey
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... like I was in Kansas or Nebraska except for the mountains in the distance. The only reason to stop here was to visit the Sultanhani (same name as town) which is the largest han (or caravansari) in Turkey. It was built in 1229 and features a beautifully ...
... we drove along the famed Silk Road, with "han" or caravanserai every 30 km or so. One of the best known is at Sultanhani. Here the caravans could rest for up to 3 days, while doing business and buying insurance from the Sultan. Turns out ...


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this is a blog of tattoos. i believe they are a true art forum.... if u hate dem gtfo:)


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As Google is always on the urge of consumer satisfaction, they will definitely take immediate action by algorithmically changing the activities that would eliminate consumer engagement on their website. They penalize for artificial link building as they always insist to avoid artificial links that leave a pattern and easily traceable by Google. They always want users to repeatedly come to their website and not use any other search engines. If you are looking for a long term success you may want to read my Tips on avoiding link patterns;
Be Creative while using new Tactics:
Google being the smartest of all had come up with some interesting results that showed the popular link building process was guest posting or guest blogging, however the sources of link building all looked the same. This takes place when a business concentrated only on one way of building link and ognoring the other ones.
No doubt Guest blogging is one of the strong aspects of any SEO project, but it is not the only source of building link. According to Google guidelines"any links intended to manipulate PageRank can be considered part of a link scheme".
You will have to diversify your search and thoughts in order to award yourself with a great portfolio link.
Usability of UI and UX:
Your site needs to look professional and hold a clear purpose apart from the conventional sales. Your link profile would hardly matter if the site looks professional. If you try your efforts on manual reviews and not meet the standards you may not be seen again – sounds scary right!
Using UI and UX helps in cementing your position in the Search engine world by permanently boosting your traffic source and create a sustainable platform. You may not want to lose your customer base by ignoring on usability testing, split testing, responsive design of the site that is user friendly. Loosing on this could be the worst nightmare.
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2003 UB313 was announced on 29 July 2005 after two years of observations showed it to be the largest known member of the Kuiper Belt.
System Components
(Mass in Multiples of Jupiter's Mass)
A name for the new planet has been submitted to the IAU but will only be announced when it is approved. The directory of the discoverer's website was /planetlila, suggesting to many that the new name would be "Lila" after the discoverer's newborn daughter, but this is apparently not the case. Apparently the planet has been nicknamed "Xena" by the discoverers after the main character of the TV show of the same name. It is not known if this is the name they have submitted to the IAU.
Even before the announcement of 2003 UB313, controversy existed over the definition of a planet. Observations of the Kuiper Belt have turned up many objects, like Varuna, Quaoar, and Sedna, that are two-thirds to one half the size of Pluto and some have suggested that these objects should be called planets. Others site Pluto's own membership in the Kuiper Belt as an indication that the ninth planet is not a planet at all. If 2003 UB313 is indeed larger than Pluto as current observations suggest, it brings home the need for a better definition of what a planet is. Certainly, if Pluto is a planet, then 2003 UB313 is one as well. But if Pluto is not a true planet, then perhaps 2003 UB313 is not one either. Some would even claim that 2003 UB313 is the ninth planet and demote Pluto. Recognizing the need for a better definition of "planet" in the wake of 2003 UB313's discovery, the IAU has recently announced that it will be releasing an official scientific definition of the term soon.
2003 UB313 Orbital Statistics
Orbital Period: 557 Years
2003 UB313, the 10th planet, has a moon
On September 10th 2005, astronomers at the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea took a look at the 10th planet with a new instrument that allows them to see details as precise as those seen from the Hubble Space Telescope. The images of the 10th planet quickly revealed that it has a faint moon in orbit around it! The discovery is so recent that little is yet known about the moon,
How was the moon found?
The 10th planet is so far away that the moon appears quite close to it. So close, in fact, that all of the telescopes that have looked at the planet up until now have completely missed it. The telescopes miss it because the earth's atmosphere blurs the view of the planet as the light makes its way to the ground. In the past few years a technique known as Adaptive Optics has allowed astronomers to measure and then partially correct for the blurring caused by the atmosphere. One limitation of Adaptive Optics has been that you must be looking at a very bright object to be able to measure the blurring, otherwise you can make no corrections. The Keck Observatory has recently commissioned a new cutting-edge addition to its Adaptive Optics system. The new addition uses a laser beam launched from the side of the telescope to make an artificial star in the sky right next to the target. This laser star then allows Adaptive Optics to be used even when the target is not particularly bright. Just one year ago, observations such as these would have required the Hubble Space Telescope. Today they can be made from observatories on earth. The new system is so powerful that many many astronomers want to use it right away, which is why, even though we know that the 10th planet has a moon, we have not been able to obtain any new observations of it since the initial discovery.
How do you know it is a moon?In the image above you see the small point of light next to the planet. The point of light moved with the planet as the planet moved across the sky relative to the fixed stars. If you look very carefully at the bottom of the image above you can see a slight streak of light. This streak is a faint background star that was blurred as we tracked the planet across the sky. Thus, since the point next to the planet is not blurred, we know that it is not a background star. Another potential thing to worry about is that the point is an artifact of the Adaptive Optics system. Any such artifact, however, would rotate in an arc relative to the planet throughout the night, rather than stay in a fixed position. Thus, since the point does not rotate, we know that it is not an artifact. The only possibility left is that it is a moon circling the tenth planet.
Why is the discovery of the moon important?While we know that the 10th planet is larger than Pluto, we don't actually know if it is more massive than Pluto. For example, a snowball could be bigger than a rock, but still be much less massive. Pluto appears to be a combination of ice and rock. If the 10th planet were purely made out of ice, it could be a good deal less massive than Pluto. Alternatively, if it is mostly rock, it could be much more massive than Pluto. The one way to find out the mass of a planet like 2003 UB313 is to hope to find a moon around it. Finding a moon, and then determining the distance that the moon is from the planet and how long it takes the moon to circle the planet allows us to precisely measure the mass of the planet. A more massive planet will pull on the moon tightly and it will circle the planet more quickly. A less massive planet will allow the moon to have a slow lazy orbit around the planet. We don't yet know the speed of the moon, but when we do we will suddenly have new insight into the size and even composition of the 10th planet.
A second reason that discovering the moon is important is that understanding how moons form provides insight into the history of the solar system. It is quite surprising the 3 of the 4 largest objects in the Kuiper belt (2003 UB313, Pluto, and 2003 EL61) all have moons. Such a large fraction of objects with moons suggests that some very common mechanism must be responsible. In the scientific paper describing the discovery we suggest the hypothesis that the moons of 2003 UB313 and 2003 EL61 were both formed from a collision between Kuiper belt objects, much like it is thought the the Earth's moon was formed from a collision between the Earth and an object about the size of Mars. Understanding the orbit of the moon around the planet will help to show if this hypothesis is feasible
Does this mean that 2003 UB313 is indeed a real planet?Interestingly, many objects in our solar system have moons besides planets. Many quite small asteroids have moons around them, as do about 10% of the objects in the Kuiper belt (where 2003 UB313 and Pluto reside). So the fact that 2003 UB313 has a moon does not really change the case one way or another for 2003 UB313's claim to planethood. Nonetheless, we know that for some people the existence of the moon makes 2003 UB313 seem a more proper planet. We are happy that they are now happier.
What is the moon called?Sadly, the committees deciding the fate of 2003 UB313 and its name have still come to no decisions. Since we get tired of saying a name with 9
syllables, we still call the tenth planet by our original code name, Xena. The moon officially goes by the name of S/2005 (2003 UB313) 1. Depending on how you count, that is something like
15 syllables.. It should come as no surprise to some, then, that we very quickly decided to call the moon by the code name Gabrielle. We look forward to the day that the committees finally
decides and both of these bodies can get permanent names. In the meantime we are glad that Xena and Gabrielle are together again.
What is the moon made out of?It was long thought that all moons were made out of green cheese, but that theory has been generally discredited. Currently we have no direct
evidence to tell us what the moon is made out of, but we have some educated guesses. We do know that the moon of 2003 EL61 (the third largest object in the Kuiper belt, after 2003 UB313 and
Pluto) appears to be a ball of almost pure frozen water. We know this because we have been able to look at the sunlight reflected off the moon at infrared wavelengths, and the pattern of
the light reflected shows us that there is frozen water and nothing else. From the limited information that we have, the moon of 2003 UB313 appears like it might be similar to that of 2003
EL61 (2003 EL61 was code named Santa, by the way, so the satellite is, of course, Rudolph), so we would guess that Gabrielle might be similar, also. We will not be able to study the
composition of the moon until next year when we can get dedicated time on the Keck telescope. (Astronomers apply for time on telescopes months in advance, so, again, even though we know the
moon is there and we'd like to study it, we have to wait until we will be able to be back to the telescope).
How big is the moon?Right now we are not certain how big the moon is, but we can make some guesses based on how much light it reflects. We know that it is about 60 times
fainter than the planet, suggesting that it is perhaps 8 times smaller in diameter than the planet. Interestingly, the planet-moon system appears similar to the Earth-Moon system, except
reduced in scale by a factor of about 5-10. Xena is about 5 times smaller than the Earth. Gabrielle is about 8 times smaller than the Moon. And the two are separated by a distance that is
about 10 times smaller than the Earth-Moon separation. Not a perfect match but awfully close. The image below shows a view of the relative scales of the two systems.
2005 (2003 UB313) 1'S Orbit Around 2003 UB313
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Book Description:The new editions of Problems in Legal Ethics (Eighth Edition) and California Legal Ethics (Sixth Edition) retain their popular problem-based approach while integrating recent developments since the prior editions. Of particular note is the completely rewritten chapter addressing judicial conduct, which adopts a fresh and more teachable approach to judicial ethics, based on the new 2007 ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct.
Buyback (Sell directly to one of these merchants and get cash immediately)
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Secret Power Saving Setting on HTC One X
An article by Shyam Sasindran, MVP 4 Comments
Apparently HTC One X has a secret Power Saving Setting. XDA member knightrocker found this setting accidently using the application called "Minimalistic Text". It's quiet easy to access the option. You don't need Root access to enable it.
Here is How
- Download and install "Minimalistic Text" from Play Store
- Added a 1 x 1 Widget to the Home screen
- Select "Predefined Layout" and choose Custom
- Then select "Custom Layout" and select Static text and enter the value "Power Saver Settings" and click back button
- Then under Tap Behavior check on "Start another Activity" and select "Select an activity or a shortcut"
- Find "Settings" from the list and expand it and choose Power Saver Setting
- Now click Ok
Now you can access the "Power Saver Setting" by tapping on the Widget.
Here is a screenshot of how it will look like.
There are quiet few options you can manipulate in there. But remember changing these option can affect your battery so make sure you remember what options you choose so you can revert it back in case if that affects your battery.
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from Sunnyside Designs
PDF Digital Download
Have you made this pattern?
Share with the Craftsy community.
This is my go to pattern for layer cakes! It goes together so quickly and looks great with every fabric line! Many sizes to choose from, all simple and fun.
For a more modern feel leave off the border. For a more traditional look add a simple border. Either way you cant go wrong with this versatile pattern!
I'm blessed to do what I love for a living, quilting! I have been selling my quilts online for 2+ years now. Along the way I have created some of my "go to" patterns to use in my shop. I like to keep things simple, quick, easy with little waste.


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I REALLY NEED SOME HELP. My chi-poo just had 2 puppies, but neither of them survived. We aren't sure if more are coming, but if they do, how should we take care of it? What are we suppose to do? Obviously, she didn't take care of it correctly so how can we make sure the other puppies will last? She had one last night, and one sometime during the day today. We really need to know what to do. Should we put her in a vet so they can watch her? No one is home from 8:30am-4:30pm. She's alone. We don't want her to have another baby while we aren't home and it die. We really need help! Please!
Be the first to submit a response!


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A close call for five ice fisherman in Addison Sunday afternoon -- they fell through the ice into the frigid waters of Lake Champlain. Officials say a family of three fell through the ice first, and then two other fishermen who tried to help them out also fell in. Multiple departments responded to the area adjacent to Chimney Point. According to the Addison Fire Chief, the ice where they fell through is only about one inch thick. Cold water rescues crews were able to reach the group and pull them to safety. They were in the water for a little over a half hour. All five were transported to Porter Medical for evaluation and treatment.
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Primary Phone: 802-652-6300
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Categories > Books > Harry Potter > The Darkest Hour
Interlude 042 Reviews
Sixth Year!PostOOtp Its Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts and he has to make some hard decisions in order to survive. But will these decisions help him or make him weaker? Martial arts, dueling, anima...
DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great J. K. Rowling.
Thanks as usual to my brilliant beta Tricia (MuggleMomma).
Interlude 04
Narcissa Malfoy sat quietly in a chair by Draco's bedside as the Healer worked on him. Her usually sharp mind was in turmoil.
Today's encounter with Potter had made a few things very clear to her. The boy had power, no doubt about that. She had never felt so much magic in the air around anybody other than that old fool Dumbledore and the Dark Lord himself.
Narcissa Malfoy was a true Slytherin; over the years she had done her research on the Dark Lord and knew all about his origins and had more than a few ideas about his intentions. She knew that all of the Pureblood Supremacy he preached was just a sham to mask his real goals. Narcissa also knew that the Dark Lord was very powerful and that his power went hand in hand with his cunning and ruthlessness. Nobody who had stood against him had survived, save Dumbledore.
Dumbledore, however... he was another kettle of fish. The Headmaster made the Dark Lord nervous, and it was something that was known but never talked about within the ranks of the Death Eaters. For some reason, however, in all the years of the war Dumbledore had never tried to kill the Dark Lord. Some took it as proof that Dumbledore had lost his edge and he didn't have it in him to kill anymore. Others believed that perhaps he wasn't powerful enough to kill the Dark Lord.
Then there was Potter. His mention alone was enough to send the Dark Lord and most of the Death Eaters into fits of rage. He had managed to repeatedly trip up so many of the Dark Lord's plans. Some believed that he was unnaturally lucky. She had spent years listening to her husband and son rant about him and most others had dismissed him as an overly lucky, average-powered brat who just wouldn't die.
Then there was that mysterious prophecy that involved him and the Dark Lord. It was now almost impossible to know what it said, since her husband and a bunch of other Death Eaters had failed to lay their hands on it. They had paid for it, too; the Dark Lord didn't tolerate failure.
She had wondered privately whether the prophecy was about the fact that Potter might be the one who was meant to fight the Dark Lord. Maybe that's why Dumbledore had never tried to kill Voldemort. When she had shared these views with Lucius he had just laughed.
"That brat is a nobody, Narcissa. One of these days his luck will run out and the Dark Lord will crush him like the insignificant pest that he is."
She had shrugged it off and put the thought out of her mind. But today, after the encounter, she wasn't that sure about Potter being insignificant.
The boy had definite power and the look in his eyes had made it clear that he would use it to kill, too. But he had a long way to go, yet. He was not in control of his temper and still behaved like a brash teenager. The Dark Lord had years of knowledge over him. He had delved so deep into the Dark Arts that few in history could come close to his breadth of knowledge. Even considering that, however, Potter was somebody to keep an eye on. He might not be ready yet, but things could change. The boy had Dumbledore on his side and Narcissa now realized that the balance could tip at any time.
One thing was clear to her, though: her son would never be a match for Potter. She would have to make sure to drill it into Draco's head to leave the boy alone.
Narcissa sighed. Her son was a disappointment to her, truth be told, and for this she lay the blame firmly on Lucius' shoulders. From an early age he had drilled into Draco's head all the prejudices and hate that he himself followed. In reward for learning those early lessons so very well, their son had been pampered and spoiled until even Narcissa found it to be excessive. What this led to was that Draco never thought for himself and had tried to mould himself into a clone of Lucius. The problem with this was that Draco didn't have Lucius' power or the intelligence to pull it off, so the end result was less than satisfactory.
Theirs had been a loveless marriage, one more for convenience rather than love. Narcissa had never dwelt on it for too long. Love was unnecessary and overrated in her opinion. Her Slytherin side had craved power and recognition. Money, too, had always been a requirement.
For years she had lived a life of sheer luxury, hobnobbing with the elite of the wizarding world, the envy of most of her peers, but now things were falling apart. Her husband was a criminal on the run and if caught he would be sent to Azkaban for life. Their money and property might be seized by the Ministry if certain things ever came out. Everything now hinged on the Dark Lord winning this war and suddenly she wasn't too sure about that.
Another thing that she couldn't stand was the fact that Draco was well on the path to taking the mark. She didn't want her son to be part of the war, especially now that the Aurors had the authority to kill in defense. Her arguments to Lucius on the subject were totally ignored and this made her more than a little furious.
She wasn't going to lose everything just because her husband had decided to follow Voldemort. She had spent too many years setting things up and making her own place in society to lose it all now.
She looked up when she heard Draco snarling, "Aren't you done yet?"
The Healer looked at him disapprovingly. "Healing a broken jaw is a delicate procedure, Mr. Malfoy, and it would help if you would refrain from speaking."
"Maybe it would help if I got someone more qualified than an incompetent Mudblood like you," Draco sneered.
The Healer stopped what she was doing and looked at him coldly. "Maybe that would be for the best. I certainly don't want to waste my time treating an obnoxious little brat like you."
"Draco, apologize," Narcissa said sternly.
"What? But..." Draco said angrily.
"Now," Narcissa said in a firm, no nonsense manner.
Draco angrily muttered an apology and the Healer began to work on his jaw again, making no attempt to be as gentle as she had been before Draco's outburst. He was healed in a little under a minute and after giving Narcissa a cursory nod, she left.
"That bitch, she purposely made it more painful. She'll get hers when the Dark Lord takes over," Draco muttered sullenly.
Narcissa looked at him in disgust. "I'm ashamed of you at times, Draco. You really think the Dark Lord cares about your petty vendettas? The way you act sometimes makes it seem as if you have no breeding. I know I taught you better than that."
"Are you taking that Mudblood's side?" Draco retorted angrily.
"She was doing her job, and there was no reason to insult her. You got yourself into this mess, so don't take it out on the wrong people. I'm disgusted at the control you have over your temper; it reminds me of a first year Gryffindor throwing a tantrum."
Draco looked outraged at this.
"That's not fair, Mother," Draco replied, his voice cold with anger. "As for today's incident, Potter will get what's coming to him. I'll take care of him for good this time."
"You will do nothing," Narcissa said in a low, furious tone. "You know the Dark Lord's orders; Potter isn't to be touched until he feels it's the right time. You're already in a lot of trouble for what happened today. When your father hears how you were spouting your mouth off about incidents nobody else was supposed to know, and in front of Aurors, no less, he won't spare you."
Fear flashed across Draco's face for a moment before he shrugged it off. "I don't care. Potter has crossed me for the last time. He will pay with his life for it."
Narcissa grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him roughly. "You will do as I say or I will remove you from Hogwarts. Is that clear, boy?"
Draco didn't answer.
"Is that clear or not? Answer me," Narcissa said in a soft voice, filled with threat.
"It's clear," Draco muttered.
As they left St. Mungo's, Narcissa had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew that Draco would still go after Potter and no promise she made him take would stop him. She only hoped that he either came away successful or that he didn't get too badly hurt by it.
Whatever happened, it threatened to be a bad few months.
Lucius entered the throne room quietly, his body stiff with anger. He had heard the news of his son's humiliation from Keith Parkinson, whose wife had been on the platform to drop off Pansy.
He was sure that by now the Dark Lord would have heard of the incident and that was probably why he was summoned.
"Ah, Lucius, do come in," the Dark Lord called out in a deceptively mild voice.
Lucius kneeled before the Dark Lord and kissed the hem of his robes. "You sent for me, Master?"
"Yes, I have heard a disturbing story about a scrap between your son and the Potter boy. I was hoping you would clear it up for me, seeing as I had forbidden anybody to take any action regarding Harry Potter without my permission," Voldemort said, idly twirling his wand.
"My Lord, I am ashamed to say that the fool went against your orders. He will be punished most severely when I get my hands on him," Lucius said humbly.
"I understand that not only did he confront Potter, dragging along the Crabbe and Goyle children, but he also was mouthing off about some sensitive information in the presence of Aurors," Voldemort said, drumming his fingers on the armrest impatiently.
Lucius cringed. "I believe you are right, My Lord," he admitted. "I have tried again and again to teach him to hold his tongue. It seems I have been too lenient with him. It will not be so in the future."
"That's good to know, Lucius," Voldemort said softly. "I do not like followers who do not know how to obey orders or to hold their tongues. It seems to me that they have forgotten how to be Slytherins. I confess myself most disappointed to see such a weak and undisciplined child coming from the Noble House of Malfoy."
"I shall discipline him and turn him into a follower you will be proud of, My Lord. He will either learn or die."
"I am pleased by your answer, Lucius," Voldemort said with a dismissive nod. "You may go."
Lucius Malfoy got to his feet, trembling with relief. He had fully expected to feel his master's wrath today. As he moved to open the door the Dark Lord's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Oh, and Lucius, I heard that your son was making some interesting threats using my name. It's bad enough that he disobeyed me and lost to Potter but to then use my name to threaten vengeance for himself..." he trailed off.
Lucius trembled.
"You will make my displeasure of this felt to him, won't you?" Voldemort said silkily, raising his wand. "Crucio."
The castle's walls rang with the screams of the blonde aristocrat.


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Guinea pigs are prey animals in the wild and are often uncomfortable near predatory animals like cats and dogs. It's best to keep cats and dogs away from your guinea pig to minimize its stress.
In cases where cats and dogs ignore the guinea pig and don't sit in front of its cage staring at it (a very stressful situation for the guinea pig), you can allow your other pets to be in the same room, but only if the guinea pig is safely inside an exercise pen or inside a cage. Keep a close eye on your guinea pig for signs of stress, including hiding, reduced appetite and more sleeping than normal. If you see evidence of stress, keep your cat, dog or other predatory animal away from your guinea pig.
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Nike Cross Country Camp UC Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California
Click to enlarge and view gallery »
The Nike Cross Country Camp at UC Santa Cruz gives high school distance runners the chance to learn and run in one of the finest and most picturesque training environments on the West Coast.
UC Santa Cruz is located just 35 miles from San Jose, on a beautiful coastal campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and surrounded by gorgeous views and towering redwoods.
Campers stay and eat on campus at UCSC facilities. Runs will take place on campus, utilizing some of the over 20 miles of off-road trails, or just 5 minutes off campus at the beach! Our Camp is designed to teach you the fundamentals of cross country, and prepare you for your upcoming fall season. The emphasis will be on providing a fun-filled week of learning and training.
Highlights Include
- Nike Running Camp T-shirt
- Camp completion certificate
- Training by top-notch college coaches
- Trail & beach running
- For boys and girls ages 12-18
Adam Boothe
Adam's passion for running has stayed with him throughout a successful high school and collegiate running career, an NCAA coaching career, post-collegiate coaching, and as a running store owner. A Northern California native, Adam graduated from Pioneer HS in 1997. While at Pioneer, Boothe was a CCS Champion and two-time cross country state championships qualifier.
From there he went on to Cal Poly SLO, and was back-to-back Big West Conference Champion and an NCAA DI National Qualifier. At Cal Poly, Adam ran for Mark Conover, 1988 Olympic Marathon Trials Champion. From 2003-2010, Adam was head coach of the Women's Cross Country team at UC Santa Cruz. During his time at UCSC, Boothe coached 6 All Region runners, and 3 NCAA National Qualifiers. In 2009, Boothe co-founded Santa Cruz Endurance, a running and triathlon club in Northern California.
In 2010, Adam went on to Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota. In just his 1st year as head coach, the WSU Warriors Women's Cross Country team achieved their first ever NCAA Top 25 ranking, and went on the finish 9th at the 2012 NCAA DII National Championships- including 2 NCAA All Americans, and 6 NCAA All Region Finalists. In addition to coaching, Adam received his Master's Degree in Educational Leadership, and taught courses in the Physical Education Department while at WSU. Adam was also directed Nike Running Camps for two years in Winona before returning west. He currently resides in the Rocky Mountains just above Boulder, CO.
Aaron Jacobsen
Aaron Jacobsen has directed the cross country and track programs at UC Santa Cruz since 2010. In that time he has expanded the program from women's cross country only to include men's cross country in 2011, and women's track in 2013.
Since 2010, the women's program has produced eight All-Region Award performers, two NCAA Championship individual qualifiers, and three West Region top-10 team performances. Just three years after reviving the long dormant men's cross country program, the team finished 6th at the 2013 West Region Championship. The have men have also produced three All-Region Award performances and one NCAA Championship individual qualifier.
A Santa Cruz native, Jacobsen competed for UC Irvine while completing his B.A. in Political Science. He was a Big West Conference Scholar Athlete and member of the 2002 NCAA West Region All-Academic Team. Jacobsen holds a master's degree in kinesiology and is a former kinesiology lecturer at San Jose State University.
2014 Camp Information
Nike Cross Country Camp at UC Santa Cruz is open to any ability level, from beginners to state champion runners. The only requirement is the desire to have fun, and be the best you can be!
The Workouts
Morning practices will focus on the actual running. Harder workouts will be during the morning sessions. Our coaches will explain to the athletes the benefits of each workout, and how they combine to help you maximize your potential. The workouts do not take the place of your high school or club program, it instead should raise your awareness to what it means to be a "complete runner." The afternoon practices are more like "active clinics" In the afternoon we'll teach race strategies, proper form drills, warmup & warmdown routines, strength training, and plyometrics. The athlete that leaves our camp will have a full understanding of the importance of all aspects of training, and what it means to be the "total runner." You get to train in a highly motivational, beautiful environment with great coaches, collegiate runners as counselors, and with all the great runners with you at camp.
The Clinics
Each day you will attend two running clinics covering a variety of topics that will both educate and motivate you to take your running to the next level. You will learn the fundamentals of proper distance running training including- the importance of proper nutrition, visualization techniques, goal setting, race techniques, flexibility, and recovery. NCAA Collegiate coaches will discuss what it takes to put together championship teams, and how you can use these same ideas to improve your team back home. Optional Advanced clinics are presented each afternoon to raise your running knowledge, and love for the sport.
What's included in the fee?
Overnight Campers: Professional coaching and instruction on grass fields, all meals, on-campus housing, supervision and evening activities.
Extended Day Campers (varies with location) 9am-9pm: Professional coaching and instruction, lunch, dinner and evening activities.
24-hour supervision is an important feature of every NIKE Running Camp. Staff members reside in campers' quarters and participate in all activities.
Sample Daily Schedule
- 7:00am Wake up & breakfast
- 8:30am Morning clinic
- 9:30am Morning practice
- 10:30am Open recreation
- 12:30pm Lunch
- 1:30pm Open recreation
- 3:00pm Afternoon practice
- 4:30pm Advanced clinic
- 5:30pm Dinner
- 6:30pm Camp games
- 8:00pm Evening program
- 10:30pm Lights out
Check-in: Registration will be at 1:00-2:00pm on Thursday, August 7th.
Check-out: Camp ends on Sunday, August 10th at 12pm.
Ratio: 1:10
Players Grouped by: age, ability and event
Facility: UC Santa Cruz Track & Trails
Dorm: Cowell Residence Hall - Adams
Campers Per Room: 2
Roommates: if you have a roommate request, and have not already given it to us, please do so no later than 14 days before the start of camp. After that, the request cannot be guaranteed.
Bathrooms: on every floor
Linens: not provided
Air Conditioning: no, fan recommended
Key Deposit:
Spending Money: $30, please do NOT bring a pre-written check. There will be a small camp store with snacks, drinks and Winona State apparel for sale.
Medical Facility: athletic trainer is on-site and a doctor is on-call for emergencies
Transportation: not providedRead camper reviews
Customized workouts
Coach Boothe did a great job customizing the intensity of the workouts without making my child feel singled out.
Great info to share with my coach
Awesome instruction on proper running technique to decrease my workload and great pointers on proper warm-up -- lots of great info to share with my coach at home.
Amazing trails
My daughter loved this camp. The trails were amazing and the staff was super helpful and friendly. She also made a lot of like-minded friends.


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GeForce 9500 GT review -
1 - An introduction out of the blue
|GeForce 9500 GT Overclock
|SKU code:
|Street price:
G96 - The GeForce 9500 GT, today NVIDIA launches a new budget product. It's called the GeForce 9500 GT and pretty much is the GeForce 8600 GT yet made under a smaller 65nm fab. The good thing is that the card is is real cheap, even better is that we have been promised that the card will be faster than that two year old GeForce 8600 GT.
To throw in some more confusing model names, NVIDIA has prepared this GeForce 9500 GT to replace their older 8500 GT completely.
The GeForce 9500 GT has a 'G96' core and comes with 32 shader processors, the frequency for the reference models will be 650MHz, and quite interesting it's shader domain will be clocked at 1650MHz, which is pretty good for a budget product. Memory frequencies are at the disposal the board partners but we can report gDDR3 being run over a 128-bit bus in 256 and 512 MB configurations.
Just like the rest of the series 9 products, this product isn't all about the performance increase within it's segment, but thing of PCIe 2.0 compatibility, lower power consumption and better PureVideo HD decoding.
So what we'll do today is present you a quick performance review of this little card. The card we'll test is an actual retail sample from the folks at Galaxy technology. This is the Galaxy GeForce 9500 GT Overclock edition by the way.
Next page please, but not before you've had a peek.
In this review we take the Palit GeForce GTX 750 Ti KalmX. Palit's offering is the most slinet of them all, as it uses passive cooling. That's right, just a big heatsink is being used. The KalmX ru...
Guru3D Contest 2014 - Win a Gigabyte GeForce GTX Titan Black WindForce
Win a Gigabyte GeForce GTX Titan Black WindForce edition
Gigabyte GeForce GTX Titan Black WindForce review
We review the Gigabyte GeForce GTX Titan Black WindForce GHz edition. You take the reference product, arm it with a custom WindForce cooler and you receive a 6GB Titan Black that has been factory over...
Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan Black review
A while ago Nvidia launched the GeForce GTX Titan Black which we review. We never tested it as it was supposed to be a professional series and targeted card. Nvidia's Board partners however are slowl...


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Amefa 'Helene' silver 65-piece cutlery set
Item No.2750067405
This Amefa cutlery set is made exclusively for Debenhams and is crafted from stainless steel with a high-polish finish.
- Set includes: 10 x dinner knife, dinner fork, soup spoon, desert spoon & teaspoon, tea spoons, 3 serving spoons and a pair of salad servers
- Stainless steel
- Highly polished finish
- Dishwasher safe however hand washing is best to prolong its high shine. Avoid prolonged soaking, scouring pads & bleach detergents wash & dry straight away.
- Remove after rinse cycle and dry with a soft cloth. To remove marks use a good quality stainless steel cleaner
- 25 year guarantee
- HWD: 25.5 x 6.5 x 16cm
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.


text:
By Sharalee Fraser
EDMOND :: PHILADELPHIA CHURCH OF GOD—Crowds filled Armstrong Auditorium once again on January 28 and 29 as the Russian National Ballet Theatre returned to the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation concert series. Dancers treated 770 concertgoers to Cinderella on January 28 and 530 to Chopiniana and Romeo & Juliet the following night.
Along with its athletic arabesques and playful pas de chat, the company's rendition of Cinderella on Monday night also included a focus on story-telling that was appreciable even to children. One segment included a dose of humor, with Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters attempting to dance but clumsily finding themselves more off-pointe than en pointe.
Tuesday's production of Chopiniana consisted of dances choreographed to visually showcase the music of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin. Romeo and Juliet exhibited a more theatrical tone, such as sword-fighting scenes and acrobatic throes of the mortally wounded Mercutio and Tybalt.
The ballet company first visited the auditorium two years ago, performing Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. About half of the 40 dancers had also performed at the February 2011 show, which attracted more than 800 people.
Besides viewing the three elite dances, PCG members and staff had the opportunity to interact with the Russians and participate in several behind-the-scenes aspects of their performance. Concert staff members, other headquarters employees and Herbert W. Armstrong College students all pitched in to unload two tractor trailers full of sets, costumes and equipment on Monday morning, then used dry ice to de-wrinkle the mats that go on the stage floor, affixed backdrops and prepared the lighting for both shows. Some of the unique sets they handled were built in 1969.
Meanwhile, the Church's food services department provided three meals for the dancers and their seven crew members for each performance day. The group's tour manager has been to Armstrong three times, including each of its ballets, and advised the bus drivers not to go to a restaurant like they usually do. "This is the best food on the circuit," she said. The overachieving spread even included place cards labeling some of the dishes in Russian. As dancers and crew filed through the buffet line, several began laughing. Although they were speaking in Russian, it was eventually communicated that that one of the helpful little cards was letting dancers know in their native tongue that they had their choice of sandwich: beef, chicken, or Turkish.
For both performances, concert staff and students assisted the ballet company with costuming, set changes, special effects and lighting. They also helped maintain the delicate costumes, steam-pressing and sterilizing each one with alcohol spray. The dancers' wardrobe manager, a 40-year veteran of the Borshoi ballet, said that she normally does not allow volunteers from the venue to fix costumes. However, at the 2011 engagement, she met one of the pcg members and let her repair some of the pieces. This year, the manager said to go for it, so she and one other volunteer spent their afternoons sewing up the highly valued 10- to 40-year-old costumes.
Another treat included some staff members, Armstrong College and Imperial Academy students being allowed to attend the ballet company's rehearsals. Although they are normally closed, artist liaison Mark Nash spoke with the ballet management and received permission for some of the Church's' amateur dancers to view the practices.
"It was great to examine their technique and ability, and then to watch what I knew were more experienced dancers help the newer ones work on perfecting their moves," PCG staff member, choreographer and dance enthusiast Sarah Patten said. "Watching professionals work alongside other professionals, I was also able to see the different levels of skills that vary between principal dancers, demi-soloists and corps de ballet members."
"It is such a good reminder that the best are the best because they are constantly practicing and working at what they do," she said. "Behind all of the effortless-appearing dancing is a lot of effort."
Concertgoers seemed to agree that the effect of the world-class dancing—as well as the venue—left an impression. "When you guys pull in talent, you pull in the best!" one attendee exclaimed. He also said, "I'm telling everyone about this place. People don't believe it exists."
Another concertgoer commented that she was fascinated by what she saw in the auditorium lobby. "I've never seen a chandelier like this!" she remarked.
One concertgoer took time to e-mail a response after returning home from the performance to say that they enjoyed watching the ballet with their daughter and the Armstrong Auditorium experience itself, saying, "Every one of the employees exhibited politeness and professionalism."
For many, the ballet was their first time to visit the building. "It's a shame that we only just found out about this place," one newcomer said to a staff member, "—we live three miles down the road."


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MARTIN (WKZO) -- Investigators have released the name of the victim in a fatal crash in Allegan County on Wednesday.
23-year-old Zachary Oudman from Hudsonville was killed and a 19-year-old from White Pigeon was injured when the younger man drove their pick-up into the rear of a semi parked along side U.S. 131 near Martin Wednesday afternoon.
Charges may result from that collision.
The name of the driver has not been released. He is being treated at Bronson Methodist in Kalamazoo.


text:
CODESPA-Madrid Representatives and new Country Manager Visit SEAWEED Project
Ms. Ines Vasquez and Ms. Beatriz Martin, outgoing and incoming Philippine Operations Head of CODESPA in Madrid, respectively, along with Mr. Angel Gomez, new CODESPA Country Manager for the Philippines, recently visited the SEAWEED Project sites in Lianga and Barobo, Surigao del Sur. They were joined by PDAP Executive Director Gil T. Salazar and Programs Manager Restie Male. The group held separate focused group discussions with the members of PDAP PO partners, namely; Kaliwatan sa EsCon ng mga Mag-uuma ng Mangingisda Kahugpungan alang sa Kalambuan (KEMMAKK), Kinayan Community Based resource Management People's Organization (KCBRMPO) and Dapdap Fishermen Organization (DAFO). They also made an ocular inspection of the seaweed nursery of KEMMAKK.
The CODESPA visit included a workshop attended by the CODESPA and PDAP representatives to craft the project plan of action for the remaining nine (9) months of project implementation.


text:
East Rosebud Fly and Tackle is Billing's finest fly shop. We pride ourselves on the best merchandise selection, the best service and the best store hours. If you don't believe us, just check out all the fly shop's in Billings, and you be the judge. With brands like Simms, Sage, Patagonia, RL Winston, Fishpond, Hatch, Galvan, Waterworks-Lamson, and Montana Fly Company we are definitely Billings best stocked shop and we are not talking about Cabela's house brand junk here we are talking about the industry's finest gear. We also pride ourselves on having one of the state's biggest fly tying selections. We recently added a legit rod building section that will only get bigger and bigger!
As of late February 2013, East Rosebud Fly and Tackle has moved into our new location. Our new address is 1314 24th Street West in Billings. We are just 5 blocks North on the opposite side of the same street. We are BIGGER, BADDER and in a better position to give our customer's what they deserve and that is one of Montana's finest Fly shops.
THE FLY ON THE WALL – Shop Announcements
1) Rod Building classes begin on November 12th, 2013. This class will be taught by none other than Greg Payton. Mr. Payton brings a lot of experience and skill to his rod building instruction. This is a 5 session class starting on 11/12/2013 and concluding on 12/10/2013. The price is $75.00 for the instruction with an additional class being offered for a rod grip building session with an additional cost of $ 15.00. Sign up now!


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Visiting Research Fellows
The following is a list of scholars and their projects currently affiliated with the Institute:
- Dr Rupert Arrowsmith (University College London) is editing Wiliam Empson's The Face of the Buddha for Oxford University Press.
- Dr Mary Coghill (Fellow, London Metropolitan University): research title: The Development of Roman Jakobson's semiotic interpretation of poetic form and function with special reference to his axial model of the poles of language: metaphor and metonymy; and the application of this developed model to the construction of city poetics with reference to Vladimir Mayakovsky's poetry.
- Dr Emily Coit (Princeton University) is a specialist on the work of Henry James. The title of her project is 'Rare Discrimination: Literary Cosmopolites and the Problem of Liberal Culture'.
- Dr Stephanie Eggermont (University of Leuven): 'The Aesthetics of Journalism: A formal and Thematic Analysis of the Work of Fin-de-Siecle Female Journalists'.
- Dr Caroline Hamilton (University of Melbourne) is researching "Off the Shelf: the book as a Multi-Function Device"which aims to study and compare new practices of use involving e-book readers, such as the Kindle, Sony Reader and the iPad, with older forms and technologies of the book.
- Dr Tadashi Kotake is a Postdoctoral Fellow for Research Abroad, sponsored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. He is editing the Rushworth Gospels (Oxford, Bodleian MS Auct. D.2.19) on the basis of philological and historical research.
- Dr Caroline Maclean (Queen's College Oxford) researches the way(s) in which the early twentieth-century vogue for Russia entered the story of modernism in Britain. Her book The Vogue for Russia: Modernism and the Unseen in Britain, 1900-1930 is forthcoming from Edinburgh University Press.
- Dr. Colette Moore (University of Washington) is researching methods of textual organization in late Middle English devotional manuscripts.
- Professor Susan Powell (University of Salford, Manchester) is working on a project 'Mirk's Festial: 150 years of book and language history'to assess its impact within a rapidly changing religious/political situation and to analyse the forms in which it was disseminated.
- Dr Antonija Primorac (University of Split, Croatia). Dr Primorac's research focuses on the literature of the long nineteenth century, contemporary adaptations and appropriations of ninetheent-century classics in film and fiction, and material culturee studies. She is writing a monograph on this subject under the working title "Neo-Victorianism on Screen: Imag(in)ing the Long Nineteenth Century Today".
- Dr Susan Rudy (University of Calgary) is completing a monograph on "Poetries of Enactment: Contemporary Innovative Poetry by Women in Britain and North America", which covers figures such as Nicole Brossard, Erín Moure, Lisa Robertson, Andrea Brady and Caroline Bergvall.
- Dr Nicholas Sparks (University of Cambridge) is working on the MSS of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
- Jane Wellesley (Independent Scholar) is working on a biographical project about her grandmother, the poet Dorothy Wellesley
- Dr Aakanksha Virkar-Yates (University of Sussex) is completing a monograph on The Mysticism of Gerard Manley Hopkins which will be published by Ashgate. Her study moves against the current tide of literary criticism in placing the nineteenth-century Jesuit poet within the tradition of Christian mysticism. She argues for the central influence on Hopkins of the "philosophical spirituality" which originates in the early Alexandrian school with Clement of Alexandria and Origen.


text: Table 6_2_2-2b 2008 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities ReportsThe National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) is a comprehensive national overview of quality of health care in the United States. It is organized around four dimensions of quality of care: effectiveness, patient safety, timeliness, and patient centeredness. Table 6_2_2.2bChildren ages 19–35 months who received 4 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine,a by ethnicity, United States, 2006Population groupTotalNon-HispanicHispanic, all racesAll racesWhiteBlackPercentSEPercentSEPercentSEPercentSEPercentSETotal85.20.585.40.586.60.581.41.484.70.9GenderMale85.30.685.50.786.50.781.51.984.81.2Female85.10.785.30.786.60.881.31.984.61.4Family incomebNegative/poor80.81.179.01.518.104.22.168.482.71.5Near poor/low83.91.083.21.282.41.422.214.171.124.9Middle84.81.085.01.186.40.981.83.583.72.4High91.40.791.40.791.70.886.44.091.51.8a Four or more doses of any diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis vaccines, including diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, and any acellular pertussis vaccine (DTP/DTaP/DT).b Negative/poor refers to household incomes below the Federal poverty line; near poor/low, over the poverty line to just below 200 percent of the poverty line; middle, 200 percent to just below 400 percent of the poverty line; and high, 400 percent of the poverty line and over.Key: SE: standard error.Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases, and National Center for Health Statistics, National Immunization Survey. Current as of September 2009 Internet Citation: Table 6_2_2-2b: 2008 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. September 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqrdr08/6_maternalchildhealth/T6_2_2-2b.html


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Both mile counters have stopped working (115,000 miles) although the dial speedometer continues t...
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Twitter Messages
Research & Development
Metabolism, Mast cells and palmitoylethanolamide
Metabolism and pain
Many new inroads are being explored in the treatement of chronic pain, and influencing metabolism of key players in the pain field is emerging as a new opourtunity.[1] FAAH, the enzyme which degrades palmitoylethanolamide and anadamide for instance, is currently targetd by a peripherally restricted inhibitor (URB937). URB937 suppressed FAAH activity and increased anandamide levels outside the CNS leading to treatment relevant effects. [2] And, as inhibitors of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), are effective in a number of animal models of pain other new targets are also described, such as isoflavones, with respect to their abilities to inhibit FAAH. Biochanin A for instance inhibited the spinal phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase which play a role in pain behavior. [3]
Another exemple of a target influencing metabolic routes is 5-Lipoxygenase (LOX), is an important arachidonic acid-metabolizing enzyme producing leukotrienes and other proinflammatory lipid mediators with potent functions in inflammatory diseases. 4-(3-(4-(1-Methyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)phenylthio)phenyl)-tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-carboxamide (PF-4191834) is such a novel, selective non-redox 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor effective in inflammation and pain. [4]
N-palmitoyl-ethanolamine (PEA) has emerged recently as an important local pro-homeostatic mediator which can be also administered exogenously as the active principle of current anti-inflammatory and analgesic preparations. Its use is based on our recent understanding of the mechanisms regulating both the tissue levels of PEA under physiological and pathological conditions. To influence its metobolism synthetic tools that selectively retard its catabolism are under development, such as the inhibitors of the recently cloned N-acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing acid amidase. [5]
Here we briefly discuss the relation between mast cells, metabolic routes related to pain and painstates such as migraine and CRPS type 1.
Migraine, trigeminal neuragia, mast cells and metabolism
Intracranial headaches such as that of migraine are generally accepted to be mediated by prolonged activation of meningeal nociceptors. These meningeal nociceptors can be activated locally through a neuroimmune interaction with resident mast cells.
Degranulation of dural mast cells induced a prolonged state of excitation in meningeal nociceptors. Such activation was accompanied by a clear disturbance in cellular metabolism, as it is followed by an increased expression of the phosphorylated form of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK), which is an anatomical marker for nociceptor activation. Mast cell-induced nociceptor interaction also leads to other metabolic disturbances, such as downstream activation of the spinal trigeminal nucleus as indicated by an increase in c-fos expression.
Based on these data mast cell degranulation could even be regarded as linked to the pathogensis of migraine and trigeminal neuralgia, as prolonged activation of the trigeminal pain pathway is believed to underlie intracranial headaches such as that of migraine and painstates such as trigeminal neuralgia. [6]
The Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 and mast cells
The Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 (CRPS1) is a complication of surgery or trauma and although the pathogenesis remains debatable, metabolic changes in local tissue lead related to mast cell activity lead to activity of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNFalpha which translate into inflammatory processes.
Twenty patients fulfilling the criteria for CRPS1 in one extremity were studied. Blisters were made with a suction method in order to determine cytokines and mast cell derived tryptase in the involved and uninvolved extremity.
In the blister fluid a significant difference was found between the involved and uninvolved extremity in IL-6, TNFalpha , and tryptase. There was a significant correlation (0.455) between the intensity of pain and tryptase levels in the involved extremity, leading to the conclusion that mast cells are involved in inflammatory reactions during the CRPS1. [7]
Mast cells influences metabolism microglia leading to inflammation cascades
The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a critical role in pain hypersensitivity and functions as a ligand of P2X4 receptors (P2X4R) in the microglia.
Mast cell activation markedly promoted the expression of P2X4R and BDNF in microglial cells, which significantly enhanced the release of BDNF from microglial cells upon exposure to adenosine triphosphate. Mast cell-derived tryptase activation leads to promoting the expression of P2X4R in microglial cells.[8]
In the picture from the article Beyond Neurons: Evidence That Immune and Glial Cells Contribute to Pathological Pain States from Watkins and Maier we see the various inflammatory compounds changing metabolism of gia to secrete further inflammatory cytokines and mediators such as NO and ATP, as well as ROS and other autocoids such as prostaglandines.[9] Thus neuropathic pain can be seen as a metabolic disturbance and metabolism modulating compounds such as palmitoylethanolamine can be used to correct this disturbed metabolic state.
Metabolism of Mast cells after activation
Mast cells are found in all human tissues.Their cytoplasm is loaded with granules containing many key mediators of inflammation.Their surface is coated with a great variety of receptors which can trigger exocytosis of the granules. Via this proces mast cells influences local tissue metabolism and this leads to inflammation. Activated mast cells release a whole cascade of potent mediators. Some of these immediately as they discharge their granules, some others later as mast cell metabolism changes more and these cells start synthesizing these second wind mediators via new gene transcription.
These mediators recruite all the types of white blood cell to the sitemonocytes that become macrophages when they leave the blood and enter the tissue. Many of these recruited cells in their turn start changing their metabolsim and synthesisze and form their own mediators of inflammation.
Mast cells themselves turn on their metabolism during the inflammation processes and the many alike states in neuropathic pain and large amounts of TNF-α are quickly released. All the other cells involved in inflammation, as well as gliacells have receptors for TNF-α, and are activated by it to (mal) dapt their metabolism and start synthesize more mediators of their own. In such a way an maladepted augmentation of response drives metabolsim of all these cells into the direction of inflammation and neuropathic pain states.
Tryptase is also abundantly synthesized and released by mast cells. It is a serine protease and cleaves peptide bonds on the C-terminal side of arginines and lysines, activating C3 of the complement system and contributing to inflammatory cascades.
Activated mast cell metabolism also changes into producing masive histamine and releases this potent inflammatory mediator.
Mast cell metabolism changes leads to enhanced synthesis of prostaglandins such as eicosanoid and other lipids which can cause vasodilation, fever, and neuropathic pain.
Mast cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, Schwann cells, resident macrophages, and resident dendritic cells all play together and the importance of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-1, IL-6) in the pathological pain is the most consistent finding across all animal and human neuropathic pain models. NO, ROS, and complement have also been implicated in this pathogenesis.
Compounds able to modulate mast cell metabolism such as palmitoylethanolamide therefore are promising new kids on the block for treating neuropathic painstates.


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It was more than just a game. At least that was the message emblazoned across the jumbotron at Minute Maid Park Saturday night as the Houston Astros hosted Albert Pujols and the rest of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It was a game where two of the most beloved and successful baseball players thi ... More >>
Dinesh Shah was adept at insinuating himself into peoples lives
On St. Patrick's Day 1985, serial killer Richard Ramirez (right) murdered two women in Los Angeles, beginning a killing spree that would eventually tally over 14 people and leave him with the nickname "The Night Stalker." From a young age, Ramirez was fascinated and inspired by the occult and ... More >>
Pictured: a stereotypical Texan, according to The Simpsons.Have you ever traveled abroad and met people who -- upon learning you're from Texas -- ask if you own any horses? Own any cattle? Own a ranch? Ask where your boots and buckle are? Stereotypes abound far and wide, from my dear ex-moth ... More >>
Whole Lot of Memories (Compadre Records)