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What are the steps you have to take (general steps not necessarily church specific) as someone raised in the Catholic church to become Confirmed?
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I am pulling from this specific forum response on the same question for my answer. http://forums.catholic.com/showpost.php?s=04a17bac6957b26dadef21776040342d&p=2146583&postcount=12
For non-baptized believers, the process as an adult is basically to go through the "Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults" (RCIA). This will end with the believer being confirmed.
For baptized believers, it is left up to the individual churches to determine when they may be confirmed. I would assume there would normally be some sort of curriculum to ensure the believer can "receive both doctrinal and spiritual preparation".
My original answer (below the line) no longer addresses the question, as the OP has clarified to be about a person raised Catholic who is not confirmed.
I will answer for the LA Archdiocese in the USA. I expect (but am not certain) that it is similar throughout the USA. I know it differs in other parts of the world.
Teenagers are typically confirmed during the Easter season of their 10th grade year. It is the culmination of a 2 academic year process, started during their 9th grade year. There are lots of curricula for the Confirmation process. It is done at the parish level, even for students of Catholic high schools.
The first year is typically basic faith formation, finding a sponsor, filling in the education and information gaps, getting the preparatory paperwork done, and building the cohesion of the group. It is generally pretty easy, and many kids consider it a waste of time. The second year is about Confirmation itself, the ethical and moral obligations of adult Catholics, discernment, and applying Catholic principles to life in the secular world, and personal preparation for the sacrament itself. It is challenging, and often personally difficult.
For baptized adults who received the Eucharist but were never confirmed, most parishes have an "Adult Confirmation" process, which may be similar to the "RCIA" process (see below) or may be different. The parish priests have wide latitude with respect to adults. The only real answer is to talk to the priest.
I am answering here about an unbaptized adult convert, or a baptized adult who has not received the Eucharist and seeks to join the Church. Those who are baptized and have received the Eucharist but are not confirmed should see their pastor, the process and the conditions can vary widely.
Generally speaking, the requirements for Confirmation are honest belief in the Catholic faith, a free choice to be confirmed, a period of education and discernment, and that the person is not otherwise prohibited from participating in the Eucharist. Marriage problems are the biggest impediment to the last item. I have no citation for this; it is a recollection from my training as a Confirmation Catechist.
Beyond that, the local bishops have wide latitude, particularly for converts and non-typical situations. Different dioceses give standard confirmation at different ages, have different requirements for preparation, and have different programs for initiation outside of the standard process.
The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process, of which I am a "graduate", is outlined by the Vatican but the specifics vary between dioceses and sometimes even between parishes within a diocese. The Wikipedia article has a good description of the process.
In the parish where I was confirmed, there was a single program for baptized and unbaptized, it started in September, we were confirmed at the Easter Vigil, and the program continued until Pentecost. We went to Mass on Sunday, stayed until the Profession of Faith (right after the homily), and left together (with some fanfare and a blessing from the Priest) to have class.
Note: Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation are the "Sacraments of Initiation", and one is not "fully initiated" into the Church until one is confirmed. However, Confirmation is not required for adult membership in the Church, for reception of the Eucharist, or for marriage in the Church. It is, however, strongly encouraged, and is usually a requirement for participation in a lay ministry with the Church, to be a godparent at a Baptism, to sponsor Confirmation for someone else, or to formally witness a Marriage in the Church. Again the local bishops and pastors do have discretion.


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In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on the foundations of our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don't say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm.
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"An AH moment!"
Audie Award, Audiobook of the Year, 2016. Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She's even started to feel like she knows them. "Jess and Jason," she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost. And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good? Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut.
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"Review of First 5 Books"
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Welcome to a world of wind and bone, songs and silence, betrayal and courage. Kirit Densira cannot wait to pass her wingtest and begin flying as a trader by her mother's side, being in service to her beloved home tower and exploring the skies beyond. When Kirit inadvertently breaks Tower Law, the city's secretive governing body, the Singers, demand that she become one of them instead. In an attempt to save her family from greater censure, Kirit must give up her dreams to throw herself into the dangerous training at the Spire.
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"The Prince of Fire is back"
In the summer of 1944, a handpicked group of young GIs - including such future luminaries as Bill Blass, Ellsworth Kelly, Arthur Singer, Victor Dowd, Art Kane, and Jack Masey - landed in France to conduct a secret mission. Armed with truckloads of inflatable tanks, a massive collection of sound-effects records, and more than a few tricks up their sleeves, their job was to create a traveling road show of deception on the battlefields of Europe, with the German Army as their audience.
"Bring a balloon to a gun fight."
Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He's also a man with a dangerous past. Chosen as a child, he was raised and trained as part of the off-the-books black box Orphan program, designed to create the perfect deniable intelligence assets - i.e. assassins. He was Orphan X. Evan broke with the program, using everything he learned to disappear.
"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional"
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"Making No Noise and Pretending I'm Not There."
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"The Threat From Within"
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subset: commoncrawl


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SPOTLIGHT ON:(Back to Menu)
200, 200. Do I hear 225? 225. Do I hear 250? 250. SOLD at $250!
|Among those who have been working hard on the 2010 PILF Auction are (l-r): Kyle Smiddie, Timothy D'Arduni, Andrew Kunka, Ione Curva, PILF executive board co-chairs Sarah Garvey-Potvin and Rich Angelo, and Alex Fishbane.
Over the years, working as locally as Newark and Trenton and as far away as India and Cambodia, PILF grant recipients have gained important legal experience while making a difference in the lives of their sponsoring organizations' clients. In essays submitted to the PILF board after their summer internship, grant recipients write of how indispensable the stipend was and of how the experience advanced their education.
Following are comments from three 2009 recipients. Read about others in the PILF Newsletter.
Lynette Renté '10, who worked as a law clerk at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Newark, New Jersey office, was involved in interviewing claimants, drafting discovery demands and responses, summarizing deposition testimony, attending court conferences, analyzing documents, and assisting with outreach projects. She wrote of the experience: "The Public Interest Law Foundation's summer funding gave me the opportunity to do what I came to law school for, be an advocate for marginalized individuals. My grant enabled me to devote myself to my work at the EEOC and not have to take a second job or incur more debt."
Pierre Leandre '10 interned at the law department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he drafted memoranda, affirmations, and affidavits, and attended depositions that touched on several practice areas. Leandre also engaged in community work involving the planned reconstruction of a PATH station, and described how that differed from his previous legal experience. "Rather than focusing on the punitive measures and methods of the criminal adversarial system as I did with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and with the Queens District Attorney's Office, I had a chance rather to make a difference to a whole town without having to deal with any conflicting moral issues. This not only reassured my passion for public service, but also showed me a different avenue in advocating justice."
PILF is accepting donations of Silent and Live Auction items and services until March 7.
Mandy-Maria Sheridan '10 held a joint internship at the Boaz Community Corporation, which provides education and legal services related to immigration and citizenship, and at Manavi, Inc., a women's rights organization that works to end violence against South Asian women living in the U.S. Both are located in New Brunswick, NJ. At Manavi, Sheridan applied what she had learned in her international law classes to issues of transnational abandonment. About the experience at Boaz, where she has continued to intern throughout the academic year, Sheridan wrote: " The opportunity to draft motions and legal memoranda, as well as the high volume of research and the amount of responsibility I was given, have all contributed to my determination to work in immigration law."
The PILF grant also helped Sheridan to attend a three-week course in the Public International Law Summer Program at The Hague Academy of International law in the Netherlands. "Without the PILF grant," she wrote, "furthering my education through this program would have been unlikely; more importantly, without the PILF grant, working both internships would have been impossible, and I would have lost an incredible opportunity."
This year's action will run from 5:30 – 11 pm. Tickets, which include a buffet dinner; beer, wine, and soda; bidding paddle; and participation in the Silent and Live Auctions, are $8 in advance, $12 at the door. Alumni who RSVP to email@example.com pay the $8 advance ticket price.
The Silent Auction will open at 5:30 pm and Dean John Farmer will open the Live Auction at 7:30 pm. He'll be followed by several experienced – and entertaining – PILF bid callers including Vice Dean Greg Mark and Professor John Kettle.
Among the Live Auction items pledged to date are:
- A night of bowling with the Dean
- Breakfast and a tour of D.C. with Sen. Robert Menendez '79
- Private home and restaurant lunches and dinners with law professors (and their celebrity relatives)
- Tickets to symphony performances, Broadway shows, and major sporting events
- Law professor-led bicycle tour of the Hamptons
- Original works of art
- Wine-tasting hosted by law faculty oenophile
- Sushi-making, swing dancing, art, and roller skating lessons
- Private aerial tour of New York City
- Autographed show business and sports memorabilia
PILF is accepting donations of Silent and Live Auction items and services until March 7. Be creative – consider, for example, a piece of jewelry or a book; a voucher for a professional or personal service, such as tax preparation or a salon appointment; a stay in a family-owned vacation home; a gift certificate to a restaurant or retail store; a themed gift basket. There is no deadline (or minimum amount) for monetary contributions. Be generous.


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'The glass filled with water slipped from Kekibhoys's hand while he was lost in his thoughts.'
This is the opening sentence to a short story that three of us are collaborating on. I feel this sentence does not draw the reader into the story and it seems a bit off.
I wish to convey the same idea but want it to be re-worded. Any help?
PS: The story is fantasy woven in real life, if that helps.


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No need to miss the Twinkie — just make your own
|Homemade Twinkies can fill your craving until the originals return to store shelves. (Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
Buyers are anxious to take over the name and start producing Twinkies and other snack cakes again, and it's likely that a sale will come soon.
But that's little comfort if you're hankering for a Twinkie now.
Of course, you don't have to wait to have one of those cream-filled golden sponge cakes. Twinkies are pretty easy to make at home, and folks have been doing it for years.
It was one of the first recipes that Todd Wilbur ever cloned.
Wilbur is the author of the Top Secret Recipes cookbook series, in which he takes brand-name foods or chain restaurant menu items and replicates them for the home cook.
His first book, "Top Secret Recipes," came out in 1993, and the Twinkie clone was in that book.
Since the demise of the Twinkie in November, Wilbur said his website, www.topsecretrecipes.com, has seen a significant increase in traffic from "people looking for a home-brewed way of making a Twinkie."
His recipe calls for a boxed poundcake mix, which makes it easy to replicate. However, Wilbur, now at work on his 11th Top Secret book, said he may try to make a recipe completely from scratch to include in the new book.
Wilbur's first cloned recipe was Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip cookies. Since then, he's tackled everything from Kentucky Fried Chicken to Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
He always begins by looking at the ingredient list on the side of the box. Twinkies had 37 ingredients, many of which were thickeners or preservatives.
Contrary to popular belief, Twinkies won't last forever. "It looks exactly the same, but it smells terrible. The oils go rancid and it gets petrified, it turns into a rock," he said.
Wilbur said most folks find that when they make Twinkies from scratch, they enjoy them more than the original.
For the cakes:
Nonstick spray
4 egg whites
1 box (16 oz.) golden poundcake mix
cup water
For the filling:
2 tsp. very hot water
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups marshmallow creme (one 7-oz. jar)
½ cup shortening
cup powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
You will need a spice bottle, approximately the size of a Twinkie, 10 pieces of aluminum foil, 12 by 14 inches each, a cake decorator or pastry bag and a chopstick.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Fold each piece of aluminum foil in half twice. Wrap the folded foil around the spice bottle to create a mold. Leave the top of the mold open for pouring in the batter. Make 10 of these molds and arrange them on a cookie sheet or in a shallow pan. Grease the inside of each mold with a light coating of nonstick spray.
Disregard the directions on the box of cake mix. Instead, beat the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl combine cake mix with water and beat until thoroughly blended (about 2 minutes). Fold egg whites into the cake batter and slowly combine until completely mixed.
Pour the batter into the molds, filling each one about ¾ inch full. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely and remove from molds.
For the filling, combine salt with the hot water in a small bowl and stir until salt is dissolved. Let this mixture cool.
Combine the marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy.
Add the salt solution to the filling mixture and combine.
When the cakes are done and cooled, use a skewer or chopstick to make three holes in the bottom of each one. Move the stick around inside of each cake to create space for the filling.
Using a cake decorator or pastry bag, inject each cake with filling through all three holes.
Makes 10 snack cakes.
For the cakes:
Cooking spray
1½ cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
2 large eggs, separated
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
For the filling:
4 tbsp. nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, at room temperature
4 tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Make 12 foil molds for the cakes. Spray the insides of the molds with cooking spray.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the wire whip attachment until the whites hold soft peaks. Gently transfer the beaten whites to another bowl and set aside. Rinse the mixer bowl and dry it thoroughly.
Put the butter in the mixer bowl and beat with the paddle until the butter starts to get light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat again until fluffy, about 2 more minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, and beat to combine.
Add a third of the flour mixture to the mixer bowl, beat for a moment, then add half the milk and beat for a moment. Add one more third of the flour, beat, then the rest of the milk, then the rest of the flour. Make sure that the flour and milk are entirely incorporated. Then stir a third of the beaten egg whites into the batter. When that is fully incorporated, gently fold in the rest of the beaten egg whites.
Use a pastry bag to pipe the batter into the prepared molds, filling each one just under halfway. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cakes start to turn golden and a cake tester or toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool entirely.
Unwrap the foil from each cake, and use a knife to make a 2- to 3-inch cut in the bottom. The cut should go about halfway into each cake. Wash the pastry bag and the mixer bowl.
To make the filling, combine the shortening, butter, salt, powdered sugar and vanilla in the mixer bowl. Beat with the paddle attachment until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Scoop the filling into a pastry bag and stick the tip into the cut at the bottom of each cake. Keep squeezing the pastry bag until the filling begins to leak out around the tip of the pastry bag. Then it's ready.
Makes 12 cakes.
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Why does the Bible say that Abraham sacrificed his "only-begotten son" (Heb. 11:17, Gen. 22:2) despite the fact that Isaac had a step-brother Ishmael who was 14 years older than Isaac and was in fact the first-born son of Abraham?
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migrated from christianity.stackexchange.com Mar 13 '12 at 2:34
This question came from our site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more.
Short Answer: I think there is precedent for considering Isaac Abraham's "only son" in one sense despite the fact that Ishamel was also technically his son in another sense based solely on the fact that Ishmael was born by Hagar the concubine and not by Sarah his wife.
The "contradiction"
In Genesis 22:2 God said to Abraham:
The difficulty in interpreting this statement is that all throughout Genesis, Ishmael (who was born to Abraham first) is also considered Abraham's son. For example:
So how could Abraham's only son be Isaac if Ishmael was also his son?
Abram vs. Abraham?
Someone might think that Ishmael was Abram's son, but not Abraham's son. But we have passages like the following which disprove this solution:
This means that Ishmael was definitely considered Abraham's son (in some sense, at that particular point in time)... so to call Isaac his only son just a few chapters later must mean that there was some distinction, either:
(This is just the law of non-contradiction applied to this particular challenge. Either the sense is different, or the timing is different, or there is indeed a contradiction.)
Did Ishmael lose his status as "son"?
Someone might think that Ishmael was Abraham's son in Genesis 17, but sometime between then and Genesis 22:2 he lost his status as "son." At first glance this seems plausible, since Ishmael was driven out in Genesis 21. But there are two major problems with this interpretation:
1. The way Abraham and God care for Ishmael in Genesis 21
After they were sent away Hagar ran out of water and her and Ishmael wept. God heard Ishmael crying and told Hagar:
Then God provided water for them, and then it says "God was with the lad".
So we see here that Ishmael was not going to be an heir with Isaac, but he was still counted as Abraham's son / descendant by both God and Abraham, and he is cared for by both God and Abraham. The picture here is of Ishmael losing his inheritance, but he was still Abraham's son.
2. Later references continue to count Ishmael as Abraham's son
This is the smoking gun against this theory. Note that all of the following references to Ishmael's sonship come after Genesis 21:
Could Isaac have been Abraham's "only son" in a different sense of the word?
The last remaining option for reconciling this alleged contradiction is to explore the possibility that Ishmael was Abraham's son in one sense, but Isaac was Abraham's "only son" in another sense. But is there any textual support for considering such a possibility? It would seem that there is. Consider the following example regarding Gideon, his "seventy sons," and that other son, Abimelech, who never seems to get counted with the rest.
Gideon had many sons:
Note that while his concubine "bore him a son," the child was not counted amongst his "sons who were his direct descendants." In other words, the concubine bore a son for him, but the child was not his "son" in the same sense as these "direct descendants" were.
Later, after the death of Gideon, Abimelech goes to the people of Shechem (where his concubine mother was from) and tries to persuade them to follow him instead of the seventy. Listen to how he appeals to them:
Note that even Abimelech himself does not consider himself part of "all the sons of Jerubbaal." What the example from Abimelech's life shows us is that a "son" in one sense can be excluded from the list of "sons" in another sense. In the case of Abimelech it was because he was born of a concubine and not by one of Gideon's wives.
Now, was Ishmael a different kind of "son" than Isaac? It turns out he was, in a number of ways:
So, was Ishmael Abraham's son? Yes! In one sense; according to the flesh.
Was Isaac Abraham's "only son"? Yes! In another sense; according to the promise. Abraham's "only son" came by his only wife, according to God's only promise, and thus, it was only in Isaac that Abraham's descendants would be named. And incidentally, this is exactly the conclusion that a number of esteemed Biblical commentators have come to, e.g.:
This is classic prophetic riddle:
Ishmael was born to Abram, Isaac was born to Abraham. Abraham was a new man and had an only son.
Also Only יחידכ not only means 'only' but 'darling'. Isaac was clearly Abraham's darling son. Hidden in יחידכ is יחי which means 'he shall live'. Isaac was the son of promise and God declared 'he shall live' even as he asked Abraham to sacrifice him.
Genesis 22:2 in the Greek (transliterated from LXX) reads:
labe ton hyon soy ton agapeton hon egapesas ton Isaak
Take the son of you, the beloved whom you love, the Isaac
Why Hebrew 11:17 renders Isaac to be 'ton monogene' remains a good question.
Abraham and Sarah had one son named Issac. This blessed union, shows the inheritance of Issac from Abraham and Sarah. Abraham's only son in this blessed union between he and Sarah. Ishmael could not share this blessing with Issac because he was not of Abraham and Sarah. This blessing was of Abraham and Sarah. Ishmael and his mother, Hagar had a blessing from God in which was their own. Likewise, Issac could not share in Ismael's blessings because they were not Issac's, those blessings belonged to Hagar and Ishmael. Issac could not have inheritance in Ismael's blessings because he was not inherent to that blessing.
In much the same way, Adam is called the son of God, and Jesus is called the "only begotten Son of God". Jesus is called the second Adam. Wherein the first Adam inheritance was lost and the second Adam- Jesus the inheritance was given.
The bible is not in conflict with itself because it says and describes that Abraham had two sons, Ismael and Issac. The only refers to the right of inheritance- From Abraham.
In fact- Abraham recognized Issac as his son, and even according to scripture Hagar and Ishmael were driven away excluded because of internal conflicts between Sarah and Hagar. Sarah was Abraham's wife; but, Hagar was not.
Hagar tried to undermine Sarah's standing and relationship with Abraham, seeing that Sarah was childless, and tried for a role reversal. Sarah was affected by Hagar's action and Abraham became aware Sarah's condition resulting the sending away of Hagar and her son Ishmael. The 'only begotten' refers to the special blessing of a divine inheritence from the Father. He is the only one entitled to this Blessing, this blessing is through him, whom this blessing is given.
Isaac is the Promise made by YHWH- and Ishmael is created out of man's desires not the Promise of God. Next, one should note that this is not about the promise but rather the Promise Maker and Keeper--See, God made a promise pertaining to the descendants of Abraham by His own choosing and not the choosing of man. Hagar/Ishmael are man's work and not divine work--So, here is how 'one, only loved sone' comes into play!
As with all other textual inconsistencies, this is completely resolved by the documentary hypothesis. Chapter 22 is an Elohist narrative, and in this chapter we learn that Ishmael is either absent from the Elohist narrative or is second born. Either that, or as the Muslim tradition upholds, later redactors replaced Ishmael with Isaac in the story, to make the lesson of the story, abolishing child sacrifice, more appropriate for the descendents of Isaac.


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When looking for hardware, I often try to find out if the manufacturer employs open source developers and things like that. I know Canonical has relations with a couple of big computer companies, but who, apart from Canonical, is supporting the community effort directly? Is there a list?
I know of employees of the following companies who are tasked with improvements to Ubuntu as a primary job responsibility, including maintenance or delivery of software in the archive, bugfixing, and other development work performed on and in Ubuntu. This list is necessarily incomplete, as it is exceedingly likely that many folk have not decided to disclose their employment and/or job responsibilities to me (or I forgot). Some of these may not meet your definition of "big", others are indisputably so.
I am also aware of employees of many other firms who provide publicity or support services (magazine publishers, book publishers, event organisers, on- or off-site systems support services, deployment services, etc.) for Ubuntu or Ubuntu Derivatives (including the remixes typically deployed for pre-installed systems) who consider themselves to be part of the Ubuntu community, although their output is often not in the form of patches or uploads directly to Ubuntu.
Further, there are a number of companies that look favorably on contributions by their employees into Ubuntu, and whose staff hold significant positions within the Ubuntu community, but who have not explicitly tasked their staff with improvements to Ubuntu as a primary responsibility.
Beyond that, there exists a significant number of individual or small consultancies that provide services which sometimes include delivery or improvement of software in Ubuntu or delivery of Ubuntu into some environment, for which necessary modifications are applied directly to Ubuntu. While these are surely not "big", they not infrequently perform services for clients that meet most definitions of "big". As these relationships are typically confidential between the parties concerned, they may necessarily not be listed here.
Additionally, there is the list of companies that have commercial relationships with all those above, with the intent of delivering Ubuntu to users or supporting Ubuntu. While these companies may not be directly funding Ubuntu Development, without their assistance, few of the aforementioned firms would be as interested in funding that development.
Firstly, please correct me if I'm wrong, and understand that English is not my first language.
Firstly, can we define what "big computer companies" are? Are we talking about the "big-ness" like Canonical (whose name is most probably unfamiliar to most people) or big like Intel, AMD/ATI, nVidia (whose name is synonymous to processors and graphic cards respectively).
From what I know, the Ubuntu Project is solely funded by one "big computer company": Canonical. I'm sure there are many other smaller companies and instances funding the project, but most of those are typically donations. I've asked this question many times -- often rephrased to, "how do open source companies make profit?" -- and a majority of people will almost always answer through sponsorships, adverts, merchandise and such.
Open source-promoting companies, like IBM, Intel, Novell, Red Hat, etc., don't particularly focus their funding onto one opensource project, unless its their own, like Intel's MeeGo for example.
Please feel free to criticize my answer; I know there is a strong possibility of something being incorrect there.
Cheers, :)
The twice-yearly Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS) or yearly Debconf are a location where it is easy to see direct funding for Ubuntu: companies sending their own employees (or for individuals, sending themselves). When you see people from Intel, HP, Dell, … at UDS (or another Linux conference) it's probably a fairly good confirmation that their attendance is being funded to some degree directly by their employer:
Google themselves have hosted UDS twice at their Mountain View campus (2006, 2008). In addition, if you're eating a meal in the evening at UDS and it says "sponsored by Amazon AWS" then it's probably a further indication of contribution (but for practical reasons, the sponsorship likely went via the the conference/summit organisers).
In the case of Ubuntu, it's easier for a company to approach Canonical Ltd because Canonical have the best contacts and know-how when it comes to the Ubuntu project.
While these may not be purely financial donations to the Ubuntu project, hardware and software certification is far better .. it's really best sort of practical support for Ubuntu you can give IMHO. Who doesn't want to see these logos on the latest cool hardware or software?
Linagora is one of those companies. They count 160 employees and have offices in France, Belgium and the United States.
Their first way of supporting Ubuntu is by writing and publishing documents, scripts and more. See their community website for more info (in French). Their second way of supporting is by contributing to FLOSS code including Ubuntu. All their commitments are even listed on a dedicated site (in English and in French), sorted by project.
A short version of Paul's answer is simply "All of Canonical's customers".


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Was: $
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The Easton Mako Hockey Gloves are the premier hockey gloves in the Mako line. The Mako hockey gloves offer an advance level of protection that headline an inventive key feature, the FAST FINGER™ protection system; natural movement equals quick hands. This unique feature aims to provide players with instinctive body movement. Additionally, the Mako hockey gloves incorporate a high-density molded backroll, muscular side blocks, and Whiteout Ax Suede™ palm.
The FAST FINGER™ protection system is an innovative concept that eliminates gaps between the finger blocks or knuckle regions. The objective of the Mako gloves is to increase the aerodynamics of a natural hand flex; therefore, emulating a player's natural hand motion. The outer shell of the FAST FINGER™ protection system is comprised of high-density foams with plastic inserts resulting in stronger rigidity and durability, equaling quick trigger fingers. These protective attributes truly give players a competitive edge against their opposition.
The high-density molded backroll definitely adds another level of toughness to this secure glove. This advanced level of protection has high-density foams that contain plastic inserts, which provides excellent strength against slashes or blocked shots. Likewise, the muscular side blocks heighten the protection of this mobile glove, making the Mako gloves even more enduring and stringent.
The Whiteout Ax Suede™ palm provides a firm grip that will produce ideal puck control. The palm material revamps the durability aspect and enhances the stick responsiveness. The Whiteout Ax Suede™ palm debuts a clean appearance that will be sure to turn heads.
- Model Numbers: A140934
- Heritage: New
- Level of Play Guideline: Elite
- Fit Guidelines: Contoured Fit - Is a form fitting glove that reduces negative space maximizing energy transfer
- Sizing Guidelines: Size varies on Personal Preference, see sizing chart below
- Exterior:
- Textured Synthetic Leather - used in the high-wear areas to insure maximum durability
- Pro Nylon- Very breathable and durable material
- Embroidered Easton logo on cuff
- Protection:
- FAST FINGER™ protection system
- Comprised of high-density foams with plastic inserts
- Eliminates gaps between the finger blocks
- Molded high-density backroll - provides excellent strength against possible slashes or blocked shots
- High-density foams containing plastic inserts
- Muscular Side Blocks - heightens the overall protection
- Palm:
- Whiteout Ax Suede™ palm - Increased durability and enhanced stick responsiveness
- Liner:
- Dri-Lex Liner has excellent moisture wicking properties while being very comfortable
- Fit:
- Contoured Fit - Form fitting glove that reduces negative space maximizing energy transfer
- Sizes:
- 13", 14", and 15"
- Weight:
- 294 grams (based on a 14" glove)
Comments: Get these gloves...They are the best I have ever had and I've owned me a lotta gloves. If you're into that more form fitting feel through the palm and around the fingers, then these gloves are for you for sure. The plastic claw-like things on the top have saved my fingers from slashes as well as shots many times and they're ridiculously light and responsive. The only downside is, when you get these things, the super white palms are just beautiful, but unfortunately you can try everything, but they aren't staying white which is a shame. But, that small aesthetic problem is nothing in the grand scheme of things cus these gloves are unique looking and they perform very very well.
From: Adam, Hodor, PA
Other Items to Consider
Similar Items
Easton Synergy Hockey Gloves Sr
Contoured Fit
Colors: 4
- Protection: Dual Density Foams & PE Insert
- Palm: AX Suede with Hyperskin Fit
- Liner: Nanosense™
- Fit Profile: Contoured
- Sizes Available: 13", 14", 15"
- Level of Play Guideline: Elite
Colors: 1
- Protection: Dual Density Foams & PE Insert
- Palm: AX Suede with Hyperskin Fit
- Liner: Nanosense™
- Fit Profile: Contoured
- Sizes Available: 13"
- Level of Play Guideline: Performance
Colors: 3
- Protection: Dual Density Foams & PE Insert
- Palm: AX Suede with Hyperskin Fit
- Liner: Nanosense™
- Fit Profile: Contoured
- Sizes Available: 13", 14", 15"
- Level of Play Guideline: Performance


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I have a piece of software (not Arc) that runs nightly on a non-production machine which updates shapefile features from an external database. Periodically I would like to delete all of the features in the shapefile (not the file itself, which must remain) and let the software "rebuild" the shapefile from scratch. I would like to automate this process.
I don't have any GIS software currently installed on that machine. I was hoping that I could script a routine in Python that would automatically delete the features, much like Arc's Delete Features geoprocessing tool.
Are there any Python modules that would allow me to do this? Preferrably open-source? I looked at Shapely and PyShp but didn't see anything that would allow me to delete the features in mass or that matched a WHERE clause. They can write features and analyze them, but haven't seen DELETE FEATURES functions anywhere.
I must certainly be missing something simple...


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Costume Express Blog
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toddler costumes
Top Halloween Costumes for Toddlers
What's more adorable than a teetering toddler? A toddler dressed in an oh-so-cute costume while making the rounds on Halloween. Dress your little one in any of these popular costumes for 2012 and you're sure to hear lots of oohs and aahs from everyone you meet. Whether your child is a huge fan of cuddly animals, cartoon characters or superheroes, …
Tags: baby costumes, babys first halloween, costumes for Halloween, Halloween costumes, infant costumes, infant halloween costumes, toddler costumes, toddler halloween costumes
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NAGLER, Helen Jane McAninch, 94, a member of the Saint John Lutheran Chur ch.
Our beautiful Mama passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on January 17, 2013. Helen was born on September 4, 1918 in Martins Ferry, the daughter of Franklin B and and Suzanne McAninch.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 60 years Adolph F Nagler, Sr. in 1992, her daughter, Suzanne Nikolaus, granddaughter Mechele Broen Melton, grandson Shawn Michael Vinci, and two sons-in-law, Kinn M Vinci and Gerald Brown. Helen is preceded in death also by her brothers Franklin, James, Donald and Robert McAninch and sisters Dorothy Pezl and Manila Scheehle.
Helen is survived by her son, Adolph F (Mary) Nagler, daughters Judith A Brown, Marcy (William) Langford, Johanna Vinci and son-in-law Louis Nikolaus.
Grandma Nagler was proud of her 13 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great grandchildren.
Also surviving Helen are her sisters Shirley Hoffman of Wheeling and Sally Redinger of Peoria, IL.
Special thanks to the EORH Long Term Care Family for the loving care and attention given to our Mama. She was truly "One of a Kind".
Thanks also to Rev. Kim Monogioudis and Pastor Phil Van Dam for the prayers and comfort they provided.
Private services were held at the Borkoski Funeral Home, Tiltonsville, Ohio with Pastor James Monogioudis officiating. Burial was at Upland Cemetery, Yorkville, Ohio.
Memorial contributions may be made in Helen's name to the EORH Long Term Care Activities Fund, St. John's Lutheran Church, Martins Ferry or Rush Run Community Chapel, Rayland.


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Video source: http://mlkday.gov/
This two-day knitting session will include free supplies and lunch.
Knitters will make handmade baby blankets or scarves for non-profit organizations located in Manhattan. Yorkville Common Pantry and Association to Benefit Children will be the recipients for 2014. Finished products are due by May 1st.
Learn to knit or crochet during these sessions – No experience required. Kimmel Center, Front Lounge from 12:30PM – 2:00PM
This two-day knitting session will include free supplies and lunch.
Knitters will make handmade baby blankets or scarves for non-profit organizations located in Manhattan. Yorkville Common Pantry and Association to Benefit Children will be the recipients for 2014. Finished products are due by May 1st.
Learn to knit or crochet during these sessions – No experience required. Kimmel Center, Front Lounge from 1:00PM – 2:30PM
Our Pantry Program is New York City's largest community-based food pantry and is designed to meet the needs of our families by providing culturally-appropriate and nutritiously-balanced food. Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the Common Pantry distributes grocery packages to thousands of families. Project Dignity is designed to meet other needs of homeless and hungry individuals in our community and consists of a range of services designed to meet the most basic needs of the Common Pantry's clients - food, shelter, hygiene, medical services - as well as the larger, more challenging issues they face - long-term housing, health care, benefits and employment. The overall goal of the Program is to serve as a bridge back to health, well-being and self-sufficiency for our homeless and hungry clients.
On Saturdays throughout the school year, Echo Park is home to a large educational program for par- ents and a recreational program for infants, preschoolers and school-age children. Working alongside ABC's staff, volunteers help engage children in fun-filled activities that include story time, block building, pretend and free play and arts and crafts activities with the youngest children and drama, soccer classes, computer work and arts activities with the older children while parents participate in ESL and GED classes and parenting work- shops. A delicious and nutritious, meal is shared by all the children, parents, staff members and volunteers.
For more than 100 years, Bideawee has been the leading pet welfare organization serving metropolitan New York and Long Island. Bideawee cultivates and supports the life-long relationships between pets and the people who love them.
Bideawee volunteers will get a tour of the facility and will assist with a variety of tasks, including but not limited to: washing aprons, cleaning cat rooms and the animal hospital, cleaning pet toys, providing socialization and playtime with the cats and dogs, cleaning litter boxes, and administrative tasks.
Please wear closed toed shoes, and note that there may be areas where animals are roaming free. For the AM shift, please meet at the 7th floor of the Kimmel Center at 7 AM for the morning shift (lasting until 10:30 AM) and at 12:30 for the afternoon shift (lasting until 4PM).
Join NYU & Publicolor in their mission to engage underserved students in their education and to catalyze change by empowering them to transform their environments through the power of color and collaboration. Publicolor volunteers will be paired with a junior high school or high school student, to work together to paint an NYC public school. This is a golden opportunity for both volunteers and young students to share in an unforgettable and unique dialogue that we view as informal mentoring.
Lunch will be provided. Volunteers will meet on the 7th Floor of the Kimmel Center at 8:45 am, and will travel by subway to the school in Brooklyn. The project will end at 3:00 PM. Please be sure to wear clothing that can get paint on it.
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King knew what makes a great American:
HONOR THE DREAM all year long...
It's never too early or too late to honor the dream, click here to sign-up for the NYU Service email list to receive weekly volunteer announcements.


text: Laundry Basket OrganizationOne of the first steps to getting organized in the laundry room is deciding on what laundry baskets or laundry hampers you want to use in your bedrooms and bathroom. Do you want a laundry basket that can function as both the bedroom laundry basket and as a laundry basket sorter in the laundry room or would you rather have both? One good way to stay on top of the constantly in flux laundry situation in any household is to have a laundry basket in each bedroom, for each member of your household, and a laundry hamper in your bathroom. The laundry hamper in your bathroom could be a laundry sorter or you could just have the laundry sorter in the laundry room, keeping the laundry hamper in the bathroom. The reason we recommend having a laundry basket in each bedroom is because we don't always do laundry often enough to simply walk around the home collecting all the dirty laundry and putting it in one laundry basket. There are a couple of different ways to stay on top of the laundry situation and keep it organized and in constant running, so to speak. You can take a laundry basket from the master bedroom, let's say, and sort it out in the laundry room using a laundry sorter – whites in one canvas bag, colors in one, brights in another. One of our three bag laundry sorters that we offer at SpaceSavers would be perfect for this. Because we often get interrupted while doing the laundry, we recommend putting the laundry basket back in the bedroom, just in case you don't get done with the laundry before it is time for another change of clothing. Because of this, it's a good idea to keep extra laundry baskets in the laundry room for when a load of clothes are ready to be pulled out of the dryer or drying rack and folded. Always sort out the clothes as you fold placing them in a laundry basket where all the clothing is going to the same room. It saves you some time in putting the laundry away. Or if you have children old enough to put away their own laundry, all you have to do is drop off the laundry basket in their room. If you are going to attempt to clean everyone's laundry in one day or at least get started on it, use your laundry basket sorter once again to sort out according to the different kinds of washing loads – hot or cold, white or colors, etc. Then, when the laundry is clean, just remember to sort out as you fold into separate baskets each person's clothing – your oldest child's laundry in the blue laundry basket, your youngest child's in the yellow laundry basket, and your laundry in the white laundry basket and so on. When you go to drop off your teenager's laundry in his room, leave the laundry basket of clean laundry and pick up the other laundry basket that was left in his room with the next round of dirty laundry. So, you have this constant flux of incoming and outgoing laundry from the laundry room. You don't have to waste time picking up dirty socks from the back of the closet, because there was no laundry basket in the room. When it is time to do the bathroom towels, just scoop out the towels from the laundry hamper in the bathroom, putting them in a laundry bag or laundry basket and take it to the laundry room. At SpaceSavers, you will find a wide range of laundry baskets, laundry hampers, and laundry sorters. You will find something that will fit the needs of your household. Don't worry about the laundry anymore. Just stay organized with SpaceSavers!


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I'm currently living in a very humid room and so am looking for a cheap way of getting rid of some of that humidity, without having to purchase an expensive dehumidifier. Are there any plants, objects, salts or whatever materials that can help achieving a more comfortable, less humid environment?
I think the comment about finding the source is very important - there is a reason it is humid, and unless this is solved, you will never solve the problem only band-aid it, which will cost more in the long run going against the "low-cost" part of this question.
The definition of low cost varies person-to-person. Under $100 is low cost to me, but maybe not to you. In any event, your best bet is a dehumidifier. A quick search on Amazon found some small used ones for under $50. You don't mention how large the area is so it's difficult to say if this will suffice, however it will most likely pull more water out faster than any plant or of silica packets will (I imagine you'd need thousands of these for even a small room).
You will likely require a humidifer that can be hooked up to a drain so you don't have to constantly empty it manually (hidden opportunity cost), which probably means a larger more expensive unit (still only a couple hundred dollars).
Of course you also need to consider electrical costs in this - at some point, it will be cheaper to properly solve the problem then to run the dehumidifier indefinitely.
Just open the windows! Most of the year the air outside will be less humid than the air inside.


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The Colours of Corian® – Design Without Compromise
DuPont™ Corian® comes in a variety of hues, tones, and colours for every design sensibility and specialised application.
DuPont works with designers, artists, architects, and industry sector experts to offer the largest, most versatile selection of colours available in contemporary surfacing. You'll find the myriad colours of Corian® in hospitals, schools, cafeterias, and office buildings. Explore all the colours of Corian® in the tool below. We're certain you'll find the right colours for your design.
Corian® can be whatever your design imagination commands it to be. Nonporous and stain-resistant, Corian® is easy to clean, making it an ideal surface for healthcare and food prep environments. It's also durable and easy to renew, because the colour runs straight through. Plus, Corian® solid surfaces (and adhesives and sealants, once cured) are low VOC and are nontoxic and nonallergenic to humans.
mySurface App for iOS
This video introduces the latest version of the mySurface colour selection app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPad Touch.


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Consider the equation $$|2^x-3^y|=1$$ in the unknowns $x \in \mathbb{N}$ and $y \in \mathbb{N}$. Is it possible to prove that the only solutions are $(1,1)$, $(2,1)$ and $(3,2)$?
Yes. Levi ben Gerson (1288-1344), also known as Gersonides, proved this. The Gersonides proof can be found here.
EDIT: miracle notes that the link is broken. This link works (for now). But to keep everyone happy, I'll paste in the relevant parts of what's there:
In 1342, Levi ben Gerson, also known as Gersonides (1288-1344), proved that the original four pairs of harmonic numbers are the only ones that differ by 1. Here's how his proof went (using modern notation). [note --- "harmonic numbers" are those that can be written as $2^n3^m$]
If two harmonic numbers differ by 1, one must be odd and the other even. The only odd numbers are powers of 3. Hence one of the two harmonic numbers must be a power of 3 and the other a power of 2. The task then involves solving two equations:
$2^n = 3^m + 1$ and $2^n = 3^m - 1$.
Gersonides had the idea of looking at remainders after division of powers of 3 by 8 and powers of 2 by 8. For example, 27 divided by 8 gives a remainder of 3. For powers of 3, the remainders all turn out to be 1 or 3, depending on whether the power is even or odd. The remainders for powers of 2 are 1, 2, 4, then 0 for all powers higher than 2.
For $2^n = 3^m + 1$, when $m$ is odd, $3^m$ has remainder 3, and $2^n = 3^m + 1$ must then have the remainder 4, so $n = 2$ and $m = 1$. That gives the consecutive harmonic numbers 3, 4. When $m$ is odd, the equation gives the consecutive harmonic numbers 1, 2.
For $2^n = 3^m - 1$, when $m$ is odd, $3^m$ has remainder 3, so $2^n = 3^m - 1$ has remainder 2; as a result, $n = 1$ and $m = 1$, to give the consecutive harmonic numbers 2, 3. The final case, when $m$ is even, is a little trickier and requires substituting $2k$ for $m$, then solving the equation $2^n = 3^{2k} - 1 = (3^k - 1)(3^k + 1)$. That gives the consecutive harmonic numbers 8, 9. QED.
This is an easy consequence of Catalan's conjecture, which was famously proved by Preda Mihăilescu in 2002 (so now it's also called Mihăilescu's theorem):
$3^2-2^3=1$ is the only solution to $x^a - y^b = 1$ for integers $a, b, x, y \ge 2$.
Assume that $x>3$ and $y>2$.
$3^2=1\pmod{8}$. Since $3\not=-1\pmod{8}$ we know that $3^y\not=-1\pmod{8}$. Thus, if $|2^x-3^y|=1$, we must have $2^x-3^y=-1$ and $y$ must be even. Thus, we get that $$ 2^x=(3^{y/2}-1)(3^{y/2}+1)\tag{1} $$ The only factors of a power of $2$ are other powers of $2$, and the only powers of two that differ by $2$ are $2$ and $4$, but since $y>2$, we have $3^{y/2}-1>2$ and $3^{y/2}+1>4$.
Therefore, there are no $x>3$ and $y>2$ so that $|2^x-3^y|=1$.
Case 1: If $2^x=3^y+1$ then $x \ge 1$. If $y=0$ then $x=1$. If $y \ge 1$ then $3^y+1 \equiv 1 \pmod{3}$. Therefore $2^x \equiv 1 \pmod{3}$. Hence $x=2x_1$ with $x_1 \in \mathbb{N}^*$. The equation is equivalent to $$3^y= (2^{x_1}-1)(2^{x_1}+1)$$ Since $2^{x_1}+1>2^{x_1}-1$ and $\gcd (2^{x_1}-1,2^{x_1}+1) \ne 3$ then $2= 3^{m} (3^{n-m}-1)$ with $2^{x_1}-1=3^m,2^{x_1}+1=3^n$. Thus, $m=0,n=1$. We obtain $x_1=1$ or $x=2$. Thus, $y=1$.
Case 2. If $3^y=2^x+1$. If $x=0$ then there is no natural number $y$. If $x=1$ then $y=1$. If $x \ge 2$ then $3^y \equiv 1 \pmod{4}$. Thus, $y$ is even, let $y=2y_1$ with $y_1 \in \mathbb{N}^*$. The equation is equivalent to $$2^y=(3^{y_1}-1)(3^{y_1}+1)$$ Thus, $2=2^n(2^{m-n}-1)$ with $2^m=3^{y_1}+1,2^n=3^{y_1}-1$. It follows that $n=1,m=2$. Thus, $y_1=1$ or $y=2$. We get $x=3$.
The answer is $\boxed{ (x,y)=(1,0),(1,1),(2,1),(3,2)}$.


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7 'Ancient' Forms of Mysticism That Are Recent Inventions
So you want to add some meaning and depth to your life that just isn't provided by playing another round of Bananagrams. Why not adopt an ancient, mystical belief? After all, society offers us a wide choice of age-old practices and belief systems, the more obscure and foreign the better. After all, if something has been practiced for thousands of years, there must be something to it, right?
But take care when you're choosing, because some of these "ancient" practices are about as authentic as the ill-fated Chinese tattoo on your arm that the lady swore meant "pure warrior." For example ...
#7. Yoga
Ask anyone wearing a leotard and staring off into the middle distance how long yoga has been practiced, and chances are they'll tell you that it's around five thousand years old. In other words, people were stretching and posing serenely several hundred years before aliens secretly built the Egyptian pyramids.
"Shit, I've been on this thing all day. Time for some yoga."
The Reality:
Yoga as we know it today -- a set of postures (asanas) combined with breathing techniques -- dates back to around the grand old year of 1960.
In other words, yoga is as old as Bono.
"But how can that be?" you scream, rending your organic exercise mat in two. Well, that "five thousand years old" claim rests entirely on some 5,000-year-old pictures found in the Indus Valley of a man sitting cross-legged. Though this is one of the main yoga positions, it so happens that it's also the position most people take when, you know, they sit on any flat surface.
The ancient art of sitting on your ass and daydreaming.
Yoga is first mentioned by name in some 2,500-year-old Hindu religious texts called the Upanishads, but this is actually a term relating to a method of strapping horses together -- literally the origin for our word "yoke." The Upanishads use it as a metaphor for a mental prayer technique, but as far as all those weird stretches are concerned, the texts mention exactly one physical posture, and that posture is pretty much "sit in a way that makes meditation comfortable." So the word "yoga" might describe an old Hindu teaching, but then so does the word "avatar," and nobody's claiming that the James Cameron movie reflects an unbroken line of ancient sacred tradition.
The ancients must have really enjoyed the smell of unwashed crotch.
It wasn't until the 19th century that an Indian prince named Krishnaraja Wodeyar III produced something resembling what we call yoga: a manual called the Sritattvanidhi, which listed 122 poses mostly taken from Indian gymnastics. What really kicked-started modern yoga, though, was the influence of the Imperial British, who introduced Indians to the new exercise craze that was sweeping Europe at the time.
"You really should try it, Sahib. It comes from the East."
Later a guy named B.K.S. Iyengar came up with the idea of combining these exercise techniques with some of the teachings described in old Hindu texts like the Yoga Sutras and let the result loose on America in the 1960s. Since then, yoga fans have grown by the millions, with few realizing that they are practicing a chanted-up version of early 20th-century gym class.
Mutt Lunker
Mr. Iyengar is still alive today, and his eyebrows look like wings.
#6. Tarot
Anything related to tarot cards will probably be described as "ancient" and "mysterious," including the plastic they come wrapped inside. According to fans, the cards originated in Ancient Egypt, and through the ages somehow also became involved with the Kabbalah and a few Holy Grail myths. They're like the mystic town bicycle!
Every single thing about this picture should make you feel dirty.
The Reality:
Tarot cards were originally designed not for being stared at by people while they listen to ethnic harp music, but for a card game similar to modern-day bridge. People only started using them for fortunetelling about 250 years ago, a good 400 years after the cards were imported from the Middle East. In fact, normal playing cards have a longer history in Europe than tarot cards, preceding them by about 50 years. So you're technically indulging in a more venerable ritual when you play "go fish." Those magical "wands" in the tarot's Minor Arcana were a holdover from their Middle Eastern origins, where they originally depicted freaking polo sticks.
Above: Somewhat less than mystical.
Tarot's new fortunetelling function was quickly seized upon by 19th-century fans of occultism, which was what bored white people used to do in the 19th century before backpacking around India was invented. The occultists "discovered" tarot's long history and renamed the two parts of the deck "Arcana" to replace the slightly less spooky trumps and pits.
The Devil is apparently part Aquaman.
In 1909, two occultists published a new version of the cards, the Rider-Waite deck, which is what most Americans visualize today when they hear the word "tarot." The new deck switched out the traditional Christian imagery on the cards with pagan symbols to make it look like they predated the New Testament, replacing the Pope and Popess with a Hierophant and High Priestess, presumably so that fortunetellers could say more exotic things than "I see a Pope in your future."
"He's leering in an unsettling manner and wearing a pimp hat."
#5. Satanism
If popular culture is to be believed, Satanism has been around ever since our first ancestors crawled onto the primeval shore and used their rudimentary hands to throw up the "devil horns" gesture. Movies like The Ninth Gate and anything starring Christopher Lee depict Satanists practicing their craft way back in the Middle Ages and earlier.
"My career is utterly inexplicable without Satan's influence."
The Reality:
The Satanism we know today, with its pentagrams, inverted crosses and odd devotion to faded black clothing, dates all the way back to the year 1966 when it was wholly invented by a musician from Chicago named Anton LaVey. This makes it younger than Wicca, the Cthulhu mythos, the Rolling Stones and Mr. Potato Head.
Wikipedia Commons
And just old enough to be D&D's (1974) older brother.
Of course, you can find descriptions galore of Satanist activity for centuries before that. Look closer, though, and you see that this "Satanism" inevitably involved a misinterpretation of a nonmainstream religious practice or was a handy accusation to use against your neighbors when they stayed up all night ringing their cowbells or whatever bad neighbors did back then.
"I told you: they're hippies or Satanists, and I want them off my lawn either way."
Cases where accused Satanists admitted to devil worship usually involved a good deal of horrible torture, under which most of us would probably confess to worshiping Vice President Joe Biden. Most probably innocent people confessed under torture to secretly worshiping the demon Baphomet, a name that is most likely a corruption of "Mohammed." In other words, what we now think of as accusations of Satanism were the old school equivalent of neocons accusing Obama of being a secret Muslim.
Above: Anton LeVey. He's the snake, not the bald dude.
Until LaVey, pentagrams were commonly used by Christians as a charm against witchcraft and demons. That's right, just in case the inverted crosses weren't enough, Satanists are also proudly displaying both a Christian symbol and a product of religiously motivated execution and torture.
In other words, maybe hold off on that back tattoo.
#4. Ouija Boards
Whether you think it's a harmless pastime or a cardboard portal directly into hell, lovers and haters of Ouija agree on one thing: the boards have a long, mysterious history. Using yourself as a ghost-puppet to spell out words on an alphabet board supposedly goes back to ancient China, and even the Romans apparently also hopped on the historical Ouija party train.
Nothing goes with an orgy like Ouija!
The Reality:
Ouija boards are about as mystical as an Optimus Prime doll: in fact, they're owned by the same parent company. The boards were invented by several Baltimore businessmen in 1890, and today the word "Ouija" is still a registered trademark of Parker Brothers, the guys who gave us the Nerf ball.
"We need a gift for the parents who don't love their kids enough to buy a better toy."
As for the ancient versions of Ouija rites? "Fuji," the Chinese practice that's usually claimed as a predecessor, involved a completely different method of divination that used a stick to trace Chinese characters in sand. The Roman version wasn't much closer. Other, older cultures might have used vaguely similar methods to obtain hidden or future knowledge from "spirits," but saying these rites were ancient Ouija is like saying that Roman chariot races were an ancient form of NASCAR.
"This ... this is basically the WWE."


text:
I'm trying to write this script for an assignment - it's only the second one I've written so bear with me.
As a part of this script, I need to be able to check if the first argument given matches the first word of file. If it does, exit with an error message, if it doesn't, append the arguments to the file. I understand how to write the
if statement, but not how to use
grep within a script. I understand that
grep will look something like this
grep ^$1 schemas.txt
I feel like this should be much easier than I am making it. Any help appreciated.
I'm getting an error too many arguments on the
if statement. I got rid of the space between
grep-q and then got an error binary operator expected. I've been poking around at it, but I don't see what it sees.
if [ grep -q ^$1 schemas.txt ]
echo "Schema already exists. Please try again"
exit 1
echo "$@" >> schemas.txt


text:
Does a Phantom creature, one with the ability "If damage would be dealt to Phantom {Creature}, prevent that damage. Remove a +1/+1 counter from Phantom {Creature}.", that has taken damage from a creature with deathtouch get destroyed, or just lose a +1/+1 counter? (Example: Phantom Centaur)
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Assuming you're talking about the Phantom {Creature} series of cards from Judgment and some other sets (e.g. Phantom Flock), a creature with the following ability would not be destroyed (and would only have a counter removed) if damage was assigned to it from a creature with deathtouch:
This is because while damage has been assigned, the ability prevents that damage from actually being dealt.
Relevant comp. rules:
A note - it is possible for there to be unpreventable damage (with something like Leyline of Punishment). In this case, the following rule applies (as well as a ruling on Phantom {Creatures}:
What would happen under that circumstance is that the trigger for damage prevention would still fire, removing a counter. However, the deathtouch damage would not be prevented, and would be considered lethal, destroying your Phantom {Creature}.
A phantom creature dealt damage by a deathtouch creature is not destroyed. That's because the "phantom" ability reads:
The key words there are prevent that damage. A creature with deathtouch never deals damage to the phantom creature, and therefore the phantom creature is not destroyed, but loses a +1/+1 counter as usual.


text:
From Noisebridge
Revision as of 16:02, 21 December 2010 by SpammerHellDontDelete (Talk | contribs)
Who is a member?
The marshmallowy good enjoyables associated with Noisebridge:
Note: This is not a membership list, and anyone may add themselves to it. Its names are maintained solely by those who have added them to it.
(add yourself in alphabetical order by first name)


text:
New York University processes an average of 25,000 pieces of mail and packages each day – an amount equivalent in complexity and volume to that of a small city. Service is provided to all on and off-campus University locations.
Policies and procedures developed over the years and keeping abreast of updated and changing technology, allows the Logistics and Distribution Services staff to process mail quickly and economically.
From 8:30am to 5:30pm
Lobby Service available at 547 LaGuardia Place 8:30am - 5:30pm Mon - Fri


text:
17 Apr 2012 6:40 PM #1
Compass and Sass.
Hello everyone.
Before architect, I was using SDKTools to create my projects. SDKTools already did a good job creating the folders and files to run compass, but I can't see them when using Architect.
There is a simple way to do this?
I have created all the files, and I'm getting this issue:
error app.scss (Line 1: File to import not found or unreadable: sencha-touch/default/all.
Can anyone help me?
18 Apr 2012 6:28 AM #2
Still with this issue, someone help me!
Right now I'm trying the approach:
18 Apr 2012 6:49 AM #3
Ok, now it's working.
Here is the deal:
I have created a project with SDKTools using sencha generate app.
Then, I have copied the necessary folders (sdk and resources) to my original project on architect.
Last but not least I have added my app.css as resource in my architect!


text:
Lexington-born trainer Ken McPeek's 2012 would have concluded on a high note had the year come to a halt on the weekend after Thanksgiving, which wrapped up the Fall Meet at Churchill Downs.
McPeek ended the meet in a tie for "leading trainer" of the 21-day racing session and his 2-year-old colt Frac Daddy, a dazzling winner early in his debut early in the meet, took favored Uncaptured to the limit in a narrow loss to that rival in the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. That effort established McPeek's colt as a strong early contender for the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, set to be run beneath the track's historic Twin Spires on May 4, 2013.
But another young horse McPeek saddled for the "Stars of Tomorrow II" program on the penultimate day of the Fall Meet left a strong impression. Pure Fun had created little buzz in six previous starts that started in a $50,000 claiming race on dirt at Churchill Downs and included a lone win on the undulating turf course at Kentucky Downs in Franklin.
But on that day of racing devoted to competition among 2-year-old stars Pure Fun unleashed a sizzling 14-1 shocker in winning a one-mile allowance race on dirt by a resounding 9 ½-lengths.
The run by Pure Fun was so dazzling that McPeek decided to ship the filly west to Betfair Hollywood Park just two weeks later to take a swing at the Grade I Hollywood Starlet over the Southern California track's synthetic Cushion Track course.
This time she entered the starting gate at 6-1 and settled in last place in a field of eight fillies that included the heavily-favored Executiveprivilege, a Bob Baffert trainee that could have wrapped up the Eclipse Award for top 2-year-old filly with a win. But it was McPeek's filly who owned the day as she rolled past by her seven rivals in the stretch to win the $500,000 race by a length.
McPeek admits it was a roll of the dice to send Pure Fun to California for the big race, but the victory has her high on the list of contenders of the 2013 Kentucky Oaks, America's top race for 3-year-old fillies.
"We switched her back to the dirt and she seemed to wake up," McPeek said. "She ran on it in her first start and then I ran her on the turf five times in a row. I ran her in those races because we didn't have many distance choices on dirt for young horses early in the year. But she ran huge that day at Churchill."
Whenever a young horse puts up a big performance when the leaves begin to turn, the phone starts ringing with calls from prospective buyers looking for prospects for the big 3-year-old races in spring. McPeek's phone lit up with attractive offers to purchase the Pure Fun from the Magdalena Racing partnership that lists McPeek's wife, Susan, as its primary partner and consists of several others who reside in Louisville and Lexington.
McPeek, who purchased the filly for $22,000 from the Keeneland September Sale in 2011, said several offers were "entertained," and one went beyond that stage.
"We actually did a deal and it fell through," McPeek said. "So I told them that we've got one shot here and we should take a look at the race at Hollywood. She was doing good and I loved the way she came out of her race at Churchill. I suggested that we wheel her right back."
Pure Fun's brief two-week gap between races was one of several concerns weighed by McPeek. The cross-country ship was another, and Pure Fun was not nominated to the race at Hollywood Park, so a supplemental entry fee of $20,000 was required to allow her to run.
"It was actually one of the tougher calls I've ever made," he said, "but it worked out great."
With her victory in the Hollywood Starlet, Pure Fun's career record improved to 3-1-1 in eight races and her earnings soared to $343,599.
With her late charge through her 2-year-old season behind her, McPeek plans a vacation of around 45 days for Pure Fun before he starts her back on the road that he hopes will result in the Kentucky Oaks, a race he came close to winning in 2002 when his star Take Charge Lady finished second to longshot and eventual 3-year-old filly champion Farda Amiga.
McPeek thinks that Pure Fun's road back to Churchill Downs could run through Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. Regardless of how his game plan takes shape, it's close to a sure bet that the members of the Magdalena partnership – named after a Central Kentucky farm operated by McPeek – will be excited about the prospects of their relatively modest investment.
"Those partnerships are a really good vehicle to get into the game on a modest level," McPeek said. "Most of those partnerships are 20 percent shares and they're not huge groups. There are some smaller shares in Pure Fun, but most of them are 10 and 20 percent. People seem to like it – especially in a down economy. There's so much uncertainty with how things are going, 'fiscal cliffs,' elections and all of that stuff. It just seems that more people are interested in having a little piece than a whole one."
With a milestone Grade I victory to her credit, Pure Fun's value as a prospect for the breeding shed has soared and future success on the track can only increase her value when she finishes her races days. But what is most important for now is that the shareholders in Pure Fun are having an experience that, so far, has lived up to their filly's name.
Her trainer is smiling, too.
"Her success when she shifted to the dirt was a big surprise," McPeek said. "It's been great. To see her move from being a horse that we thought was a nice filly to become a Grade I winner –wow."
Photos by REED PALMER PHOTOGRAPHY | Churchill Downs


text:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – State law enforcement agencies and associations today joined forces to encourage spring breakers to have a safe celebration in Florida. The state's beautiful beaches and numerous tourist attractions lure thousands of spring breakers every year, but bad decisions about drugs and alcohol can ruin the party and change lives forever. Throughout the month of March, law enforcement agencies will be out enforcing the state's drinking age laws and working to keep impaired drivers off the roads.
The Florida Highway Patrol cautions visitors and residents in the Sunshine State to think twice before Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or drugs. Driving impaired not only puts everyone on the roadways in danger, but drivers should also know that Florida's tough DUI laws have stiff penalties that can leave offenders with an empty wallet.
"Throughout the spring break period, we will continue our enhanced enforcement efforts with special emphasis on impaired drivers," said FHP Director Col. David Brierton. "Florida troopers do not tolerate impaired driving, so drive sober and drive safely."
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Division of Alcoholic Beverages is responsible for enforcing the state's beverage laws, including the state's drinking age. The Division works closely with local law enforcement officials during the spring break season to identify underage drinking or sales of alcohol to minors.
"Florida is a wonderful place to visit, but we want to make sure our visitors have a safe experience and that means we'll be actively looking for underage drinking," said DBPR's Secretary Ken Lawson. "Underage drinking is dangerous, and whether you're underage in possession of alcohol or selling alcohol to an underage person, the consequences will be serious."
Knowing the following information and tips can help you and everyone with whom you celebrate enjoy your spring break safely:
• The legal drinking age in Florida is 21. Anyone under the age of 21 in possession of alcohol can be cited for a second-degree misdemeanor, which can lead to costly court fees, fines and other lasting consequences.
• Selling alcohol to anyone under 21 or buying alcohol for anyone under 21 is also a misdemeanor.
• Possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a vehicle (in motion or stopped) by the driver and or the passenger(s) is a violation of Florida law.
• Plan ahead. Always designate a sober driver before any drinking begins, or take a taxi or public transportation if you plan to drink alcohol. A taxi or bus ride is much cheaper than a DUI citation.
• Take the keys. Do not let an impaired friend drive.
• Mind your meds. Heed the warning labels on prescription medicine bottles because even legal drugs can affect your ability to operate a motor vehicle safely.
• Dial *FHP (*347) on your cell phone to report an impaired driver.
Drivers under the age of 21 should keep in mind that if they are caught with a Blood Alcohol Content level of .02 or higher, their license will be suspended for six months. A second offense results in a one-year suspension. The first offense for refusing to submit to testing results in a 12-month suspension, and a second offense results in an 18-month suspension.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has created a poster to remind spring breakers of the cost of a DUI. The poster is available online for download at http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/SpringBreak2013.pdf.


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Since the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) was founded in 1826 by Sir Stamford Raffles, many great names have graced our Fellowship. Over the last two centuries, ZSL Fellows have championed Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, pioneered field research and set standards for world class breeding programmes. Find out about some of our existing Fellows.
By becoming a Fellow you can make a direct contribution to our scientific programmes and field projects - and enjoy a host of exclusive privileges in return. Amongst the range of benefits we offer are access to ZSL's extensive library of rare zoological publications and invitations to special events and symposia.
If you would like to support ZSL as a Fellow without taking advantage of the ZSL London and Whipsnade entrance benefits you can now join as a ZSL Fellow Non-Visiting.
To become a Fellow you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Active interest or involvement in the fields of zoology, biology or a related area
- Be currently studying conservation, zoology or a related subject
- Have been a ZSL Member for more than three years consecutively
You must also be over 18 to be eligible for Fellowship.
Please note that all applications are subject to receipt of supporting documentation and final approval by the ZSL Council.
Fellowship benefits
Access to ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo*
- Unlimited entry to ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo for yourself
- Personal sign-in of one additional guest per visit
- Two additional half-price entrance tickets per annum
- Complimentary car entrance at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
- Free car parking at ZSL London Zoo outside of peak times
- Shop and cafe discounts
* Non Visiting Fellows do not receive these benefits.
Academic Benefits
- Additional Events which will compliment the programme of Scientific Meetings
- 60% off a subscription to Animal Conservation
- An exclusive Fellows' rate for the Journal of Zoology
- 25% off all books published by Wiley Blackwell Publishing
- Borrowing rights in the ZSL Library at Regent's Park
- Voting rights, AGM invitation and the right to stand for ZSL Council
- Copy of Review of the Year
For more information about these discounts and how to claim them please contact the Fellowship Team on 020 7449 6443 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Brisbane Airport
11 The Circuit, Brisbane Airport Queensland 4007, Australia
Telefon: (07) 3406 3000
Website: www.brisbaneairport.com.au
The airport is located 13km (8 miles) northeast of Brisbane.
How to get there
Brisbane Airport is located on Airport Drive with direct links off the Gateway Motorway, and East West Arterial Road.
Information about parking possibilities at the Brisbane Airport
Access by public transport
The Airtrain (tel: (07) 3216 3308; www.airtrain.com.au) provides services to Brisbane Central Station (journey time -22 minutes) and to the Gold Coast (journey time -90 minutes). Airtrain stations are located directly outside the Domestic and International terminals.
Airport buses are available from both terminals to Brisbane Transit Centre in Roma Street, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. A door-to-door service is also provided. For further information, contact Coachtrans (tel: (07) 3238 4700; www.coachtrans.com.au), or Sunair (tel 1800 804 340); www.sunair.com.au.
Taxis are readily available; companies include Black & White Cabs (tel: 131 008; www.blackandwhitecabs.com.au) and Yellow Cabs (tel: 131 924; www.yellowcab.com.au). There is a taxi rank on the front terminal road outside the Domestic Terminal and one in Arrivals, Level 2, at the International Terminal.
Information desk
There is a Visitors Information Centre (tel: (07) 3406 3190) on level 2 (Arrivals) of the International Terminal, and passenger information desks on the ground floor of the Domestic Terminal.
A major expansion of the International Terminal was completed in 2009 providing improved passenger and retail facilities. A new Emirates Lounge was developed as part of this terminal expansion.
Further travel information
- Back to the overview


text:
(CNN) -- The legal counsel for Florida's local elections officers has recommended all counties in the state stop removing names from their voter rolls after the U.S. Department of Justice questioned the legality of the action.
In a recommendation dated June 1, Ron Labasky, a lawyer for the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, advised all counties to stop the removal of names from the voter rolls until the Justice Department's concerns are resolved.
"I recommend that Supervisors of Elections cease any further action until the issues were raised by the Department of Justice are resolved between the parties or by a Court," Labasky wrote.
The so-called "voter purge" would remove names from Florida's voter rolls months before the 2012 presidential election, when Florida will play a key role as a battleground state with a large chunk of electoral votes.
Florida's move to remove non-eligible voters from its voter lists began after the state's Republican Gov. Rick Scott pressed the state to identify non-U.S. citizens who had registered to vote illegally. Using information from the state's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the state identified more than 100,000 names of non-eligible voters that could potentially be on the lists illegally.
Critics say the plan unfairly targets minorities, and paint it as an attempt to dissuade typically Democratic voters from going to the polls.
The Department of Justice wrote in a letter Thursday that Florida failed to properly notify the federal government of their decision, writing the unilateral move violated provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Five counties in Florida are covered by the Voting Rights Act, a landmark piece of legislation that gives the federal government open-ended oversight of states and localities with a history of voter discrimination. Any changes in voting laws and procedures in the covered states must be "pre-cleared" with Washington.
In its letter, the Justice Department also said the move appeared to violate a provision that prevents states from removing voters from rolls less than 90 days ahead of an election. Florida will hold a primary vote on August 14. Florida has until Wednesday, June 6, to respond to the federal government's inquiry.
On Monday, Evelyn Perez-Verdia, spokeswoman for the supervisor of elections in Broward County, and Carolina Lopez, spokeswoman for the supervisor of elections in Miami-Dade County, both said their jurisdictions would stop the removal of names.
Susan Bucher, the supervisor of elections for the third largest county, Palm Beach, said her office never began the process of removing voters from the rolls since she felt the database used was outdated.
Chris Cate, a spokesman for the Florida Division of Elections, said his office was preparing a response to the Justice Department's letter.
On Friday, Cate cast the decision to remove names from the list as essential to preventing non-citizens from casting ballots illegally.
"The Department of State has a duty under both state and federal laws to ensure that Florida's voter registration rolls are current and accurate. Therefore, identifying ineligible voters is something we are always doing," Cate wrote.
He added that the action was not meant to prevent minority voters from voting.
"The political party and race of the potential non-citizens is not a factor at all in our process," Cate wrote. "We are only concerned about identifying ineligible voters and making sure they can't cast a ballot."