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Online Marketing
Choosing the Right Name for your Site
Registering your business name is easy as long as it has not been registered already by another client. Let us know the name of your business or preferred name as soon as possible, we can quickly make a check. If you are just starting up in business then this is no problem. We can also check out your preferred business name on the companies register and the web to see if you are able to use it.
Swapping Links
You can swap links with other sites. For example if you manufacture screw drivers then one of your suppliers may be happy to provide a link on their site and you could also link to their site.
Marketing Literature
Your marketing literature can be printed out from the site to give to clients. Remember that as the web uses 72 dpi (dots per inch) and printing companies use 300dpi your web pages would look fuzzy if they were sent to a printers to do professional brochures and you should talk directly to your printer if you need this kind of publicity.
Getting a Search Engine Ranking
This is down to a number of things. Don't expect it to happen overnight because the longer your presence is on the web the more likely search engines are to find you and the more likely other sites will link to you. We register you with Search Engines but they all have a backlog due to the sheer volume of sites being put on the web. We write metadata in your site which helps the Search Engine Robots find your site based on keywords. Don't forget traditional publicity helps enormously. Tell your friends and customers your URL and print it on your stationery and publicity.
Advertising on a Search Engine
Nowadays the only sure way to get a high ranking on a search Engine is to pay for it although standard entries are still free. It would be up to you to buy an entry on a Search Engine. back to top Banner advertisements. Advertising on banners can bring lucrative rewards, particularly if your business operates in a niche market. Ask about banners when agreeing your web site brief.
Exchanging Links with other Businesses
Link exchanges are agreed between businesses and are usually pursued by companies where synergies exist in product manufacture, delivery or target audience.
Search Statistics
We will give you an idea of how many people are looking at your site twice a year from the statistics held on our servers.
Social Media
You can use free social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter to talk about your business or products and thus direct more traffic to your own site. You can also embed links to Twitter in the site so that people can see exactly what you've been saying.


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Class | Record | Type | Presentation | Status |
29, 30, 31 | M0461440 | Mixed | 1964/12/09 | Registered |
30 | M0751249 | Mixed | 1974/04/30 | Registered |
Class | Record | Type | Presentation | Status |
1 | M1575698 | Mixed | 1990/06/21 | Registered |
Class | Record | Type | Presentation | Status |
16 | M2500804 | Mixed | 2002/08/07 | Registered |
(Chemicals) Chemicals used in industry, science and photography, as well as in agriculture, horticulture and forestry; unprocessed artificial resins, unprocessed plastics; manures; fire extinguishing compositions; tempering and soldering preparations; chemical substances for preserving foodstuffs; tanning substances; adhesives used in industry.
Class 16:(Paper goods and printed matter) Paper, cardboard and goods made from these materials, not included in other classes; printed matter; bookbinding material; photographs; stationery; adhesives for stationery or household purposes; artists" materials; paint brushes; typewriters and office requisites (except furniture); instructional and teaching material (except apparatus); plastic materials for packaging (not included in other classes); playing cards; printers" type; printing blocks.
Class 29:(Meats and processed foods) Meat, fish, poultry and game; meat extracts; preserved, dried and cooked fruits and vegetables; jellies, jams, fruit sauces; eggs, milk and milk products; edible oils and fats.
Class 30:(Staple foods) Coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, rice, tapioca, sago, artificial coffee; flour and preparations made from cereals, bread, pastry and confectionery, ices; honey, treacle; yeast, baking-powder; salt, mustard; vinegar, sauces (condiments); spices; ice.
Class 31:(Natural agricultural products) Agricultural, horticultural and forestry products and grains not included in other classes; living animals; fresh fruits and vegetables; seeds, natural plants and flowers; foodstuffs for animals, malt.

subset: commoncrawl


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Gaming Communities in The New Age of Social Media and Democratization of Search
Recently, I was speaking to Caleyjag, the founder of one of the top Football Manager fan sites on the web and also, quite likely one of the most innovative members of the FM community for many years.
On FMFanboys, he made a statement that:
"the community just isn't needed as much as it once was."
All respect in the world to him, but I think he couldn't be more wrong. The community is even more important now than ever before with the immense power that independently operated fan sites have in this new digital age.
Type in "Football Manager 2010″ into Google and see what comes up. Realize this phrase is estimated at 1.2 million individual searches a month. Add all the other varieties of similar search phrases (reviews, tactics, downloads, graphics, etc.) and you easily get 10+ million searches made per month that shout out "I'm looking for information pertaining to this specific game". So, what does this existing or potential customer see?
The usual web sources are there – the official FM site, Wikipedia entry, Steam page, Amazon product page… but right on the first page is none other than the True Football Manager blog, FM-Base resource site and SoccerLens blog. All on the same "playing ground" with the big boys. That's the democratization of search.
Users get results based on relevancy and authority. For many the search popularly used for Football Manager, websites like Susie, FM-Britain, FM Scout, Soccer Gaming even come up in results above the official website and the big-time video game magazines. (so much so that sometimes footballmanager.com & sigames.com appear as low as the 5th page in many highly typed searches)
This means that independent fan sites can easily have access to a large portion of the playing demographic. Just produce content that is both relevant and helpful to those looking for this information. No longer can game developers, game publishers and huge gaming magazines just buy their control of the marketing message, opinion and support for their products.
In addition, the connectivity of the internet and mass public adoption of "social media" platforms and networks has immensely changed the way we're all influenced. Ask any marketer or salesman of the past 50 years and they'll all say "word of mouth converts more so than any other forms of advertising combined."
Take it from Tony Key, the senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft, the French video game publisher behind big hits from the Tom Clancy games to Prince of Persia:
Well, people are connecting now in different ways and getting their information in different ways. You used to get information from TV. Now it's the Internet. We've always heard that word of mouth was the strongest. That is nothing new. It is the strongest sales tool. But now word-of-mouth happens 100 times faster than before. You can really spread your message quickly with the right strategy. That is where social media comes in. You are plugging into that and trying to get them to talk about your products.
Before the internet era, the only people who could spread something to the general public in a wide scale were those with lots and lots of money – for purchasing time/space on mass broadcast mediums (TV, radio, newspapers). That was the only way to get a significant amount of potential customers to be aware of and consider a product – and the company itself dictated the exact message being portrayed.
That could be a million people getting information that "X is the greatest thing since sliced bread!" Whether or not Joe Blow consumer in the Midlands thinks the video game is overrated & riddled with bugs didn't mean anything. How many people can he tell that to? 20? 30? His immediate friends and maybe some dudes at the local game shop? Back then, his voice didn't matter much on the bottom line.
Enter 2010 and the dawn of the socially connected digital age. With platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Bebo as well as individual blogs (by way of search) and independently operated community forums (by way of search and social platforms) – consumers now have the ability to share their thoughts and "word of mouth" with others on a scale unheard of before.
Joe Blow consumer at the game shop (who before can only influence 20-30 buyers), now after a good experience or bad experience with a video game, as well as with strategy, hints, how-to's, discussion, whatever he wishes – he can go on his blog and write whatever he pleases, post his opinions & info on Facebook or Twitter and then have it seen by 1000's and 1000's of others or more. The effect explodes even more when other consumers can easily then share this message with their social network (of anywhere from 1 or 100 or 1000+ others) with a simple click of the mouse.
All of this without money for an advertising budget. All of this without any control or influence from the game publisher.
The final piece of the puzzle combines both the democratization of search and the connectivity of social platforms. It comes right back to "word of mouth" influence on buying decisions. Think of the movies, TV shows, video games, clothing, or virtually anything you're looking at spending money on. Do you just rely on a 30 second preview of a film when you decided to plunk down $10 at the theater? Do you just take a look at a full-page ad for a video game and then rush out and buy it no questions asked? Do you watch a specific show on TV because some critic in the newspaper said it was great? I surely don't. Most others don't as well.
In a recent Blitz research report, some eye-opening facts confirm these points:
Respondents also generally considered pals more influential than "experts." "Talking to friends" was rated as very important by 46%, as was "friends play it," while "expert reviews" were seen as such by only 23% and 32% even saw them as "not useful at all."
- Avid gamers are heavily immersed within the digital/online space but disregard the majority of staid advertising methods that are thrown at them.
- Avid gamers rely on peer recommendations and their friends for advice, yet social media remains underutilized and inefective in its current form.
- Avid gamers have their interest peaked by commercials, yet they fail to show all-important game play footage.
- Avid gamers find game Web sites a strong point of interest, yet marketers are reluctant to invest in sites that fully integrate functionality that is of interest to our audience, including social commentary, peer reviews, gameplay footage, online demos, etc.
Blitz is critical of such standard marketing fare as behind-the-scenes trailers, podcasts and wallpapers, saying they "are eschewed by avid gamers," but the criticisms seem a little misguided considering it plays up the importance of peer influence and encourages developers to "get your audience addicted to the game."
The mere fact that 19% saw downloads of "wallpapers, screensavers, etc" as one of the most important influencing online activities and 56% found them at least useful indicates that the relatively small effort -and budget – of such offerings can go a considerable way towards strengthening certain portions of a game's online fanbase.
The gatekeepers are no longer in control. The community surrounding a video game has a remarkable ability to make a measurable effect on the perception and information spread about a title. This gives unwielding power to influence both potential customers in their purchase decisions as well as supply existing users with additional conntent & support to supplement their playing experience – possibly turning "casual" types into raving, addicted, enthusiatic avid fans, who then evangelize others in their passion for the game.
But, with great power comes great responsibility. (a Spiderman quote!)
Yes, this connectivity allows the community to also spread potentially incorrect information, warped perceptions, negative viewpoints and even downright lies, if it so chooses to do so. But nefarious acts with purposeful ill intent undermines the benefits of this new era of mass communication.
Honesty wins, the good reviews with the bad. Transparency wins, giving context to your editorial opinions. And most of all, the willingness to help others wins. Producing independent content and discussion that further provides depth for those interested in purchasing the game and enhancing their enjoyment of the product. These are the true shining stars of a community's effective mission statement.
From the game publisher's point of view, this all represents a radical shift from the status quo. As with any tipping point, change can be a quite daunting and frightening proposition. Seeing it happen before their eyes and still attempting to clutch to things just because "that's the way we always did it". It's a quite common human response. We can't fault them for it. More so that anyone, the publishers & developers want to see their game succeed, get better, build a bigger, more rabid fanbase and share their unrelenting passion for the product – especially since many of those working on a game were former consumers of it themselves and still play the product having a true emotional attachment that cannot be matched.
Even so, eventually the parents must allow their of-aged children to "move out of the house". Hoping that they raised them with the right values, proper learning and correct information to venture into the world on their own – representing both the positive as well as the negative influences from their upbringing. But remember, the parents will always be there to let the children "back in the house". They'll be there to provide support & care for them and continually reinforce their highest qualities – even if they leave once again and fail to embrace this information in the best of ways.
In this social/digital age where content producer & content consumer are both one and the same, where word of mouth explodes and "amateurs" operate in a significantly more level playing field as the "professionals" – it's those who seek to bridge the gap in the relationship divide who will prosper massively with amazing synergy.
Said by JP Sherman on key influencers on video game sales and critical strategies for video game marketing:
Gamers tend to be less susceptible to traditional forms of marketing compared to other groups, however, we crave content, media, conversations, images, op-eds, previews and a myriad of other forms of communication to consume. This is also marketing. Gamers are pre-programmed to consume the kind of social connection marketing that's evolved over the internet, social media and mobile applications. We eat this stuff up at a phenomenal rate.
I want contest information, I want community news, I want deals and exclusive content. This eCRM system full of gamers who are enthusiastic could be transformed into loyal customers and producers of content for you.
Social marketing is an established habit and behavior of gamers. We crave information and we're more than willing to modify it, share it, post it and do whatever the hell we want with it. Video game social media marketing is about knowing what core behaviors and desires gamers have and feeding that need with a planned and programmed content release schedule.
It's this symbiotic relationship that creates a pure living, breathing, fruitful community for all participants – both the consumers as well the publishers & developers. Each side sharing the burden and responsibility for the success of a title.
Paving the way for a bright future in which new users can utilize the community to recieve honest peer opinions and make comprehensively informed decisions. Where the fanbase helps others learn the basics, creates content for further enjoyment in the playing experience and provides unbiased discussion and support to all members that comprise the game's ever-growing consumer base.
Leading the charge in which the community's efforts are nurtured and enhanced by the publishers and developers. Harnessing the energy of the game's rabid fanbase and allowing them to mobilize far and wide in an uncontested fashion – not with control & restriction that essentially eliminates the true authenticity of an independent peer source. Supplementing the community with tools to achieve the best laden efforts in the quality of produced content and distribution. Intergrating the rabid fanbase with their internal marketing mindset in order to further increase the enagement factor between consumers, therefore amplifying the reach and effect of the message and passion to others.
Everyone wins in the process.
The game improves. The community increases in size. Video game sales go up. More resources can be put in for the game's development. More raving fans to produce content, discussion and get the word out to others. It's a snowball effect that grows exponentially greater each cycle around.
But it takes resisting the fear of change. Resisting the mentality of "that's the way it's always been". Resisting the dependency of uni-directional participation which defined our specific roles in the old system. We may all call it the "new media" – but in a way, it's about delving into our civilization's past by embracing the "tribal" philosophies of our ancestors. Where the exchange of ideas and value ruled society and social capital was the currency.
So, what are you doing for the tribe to get this snowball rolling?
Written By Jordan Cooper
A moderator on GW Fowler and a co-founder of Gameworld One.Com, he has hosted/produced the Get Sacked! podcast for nearly two years providing humor and strategical insight to all about the FM series. |


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Up Before the Sunrise[CD]~ Adrian H. MolinaProduct Notes
Molina Soleil is an acclaimed rap/spoken word artist with a captivating story and a fresh and provocative style. An educated Chicano from an immigrant, blue-collar background, he represents a new voice within the burgeoning Latina/o community and speaks to a diverse audience with honest and unrelenting poetic flows, touching on personal, cultural, social, and political themes. Stylistically, Molina pushes the boundaries of the Rap industry, blending Hip-Hop with subtle elements of industrial, rock, and experimental. His music is as accessible as it is challenging and provocative, blending art and entertainment with his work as an activist and educator. Molina's first full-length album Up Before the Sunrise is creating a buzz with ten solid tracks that feature razor-sharp lyricism, catchy hooks, and original production. Onstage, Molina brings his work to life through passionate performances that inspire thought, dialogue, and creativity.
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Chrysler Performance West
Fall Fling VII
Car Show Video
Cars Featured in the program include:
1936 Plymouth P2 Deluxe convertible coupe, wire wheels, new interior and top
1952 Coronet Sierra, station wagon, steel body, wood interior, flat-head six, unique wood trim strips on exterior
1954 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe, 4-door, wire wheels, daily driver
1955 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe, 4-door, original chrome and interior
1962 Plymouth Belvedere, originally a 318 car, now has transplanted 413 from a 1963, 360 hp, 727 transmission, new interior and paint, restoration 3/4 complete, daily driver
1962 Dodge Dart, 4-door, slant six, black over blue
1964 Chrysler 300, new paint, new chrome, new interior
1965 Chrysler 300, 4-door pillarless hardtop, 440, bucket seats, console, custom wheels
1965 Plymouth Belvedere II, 360 aftermarket engine, original 727 cable-shifted Torqueflite transmission, 8 3/4 positraction rear end, daily driver
1966 Dodge Cononet 500, 2-door hardtop, had a 383 but now has a 440, green over black
1967 Dodge Coronet R/T, 426 Hemi, automatic transmission, one of 27 built, purchased in mid-70s for $1,500 and now appraises for over $46,000
1968 New Yorker, 2-door hardtop, Arizona car, restored after battery exploded and engine compartment and dash burned, Antique Automobile Club Senior Car first prize winner
1970 Plymouth Duster, 340, 4-speed, original owner, sat in a warehouse for 17 years on jack stands, original spark plug wires and alternator
1970 Plymouth Barracuda, Cuda clone, 360 Crate engine, new interior, Lime Light Green
1973 Plymouth Road Runner, 340, 4-speed, Hurst pistol-grip shifter, new paint and decals, owner gives decal application tips
1976 Dodge D100 Red Sled, 400 V8, original owner, restored at 200,000 miles as a performance vehicle
1986 Dodge Ram D100, short bed, 1968 225 slant six, hyperpack, bored 30 over, 9 ˝ to 1 compression ration, performance cam and intake, Holley carburator, AA33 4-speed transmission with a pistol-grip shifter, 391 gears, nitrous oxide
Dozens of other Chrysler/Imperial/Dodge/Plymouth/Desotos appear throughout the video and in several music montages.
For more information about the Chrysler Performance West car club visit:
All text, photographs, and web design ©2005, FWF. All Rights Reserved.


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Five Great Eats at Coachella 2012
guestofaguest.com |
It's always smart to fill up before you get to the festival, but eventually you'll have to eat at Empire Polo Field. The quality of food and variety of choices has always been better here than at most concerts, and it improves consistently year after year.
If you're headed out for the first time this weekend, or back for more, here are five great eats you shouldn't miss at Coachella 2012.
1. Spicy Pie
Simply put, Spicy Pie is the most legit foodstuffs at Coachella. Had too much to drink in the beer garden? Spicy Pie will soak it up! Got the munchees? Spicy Pie, FTW! Cheaper than most other meals at the festival ($7), and larger than most too, these slices go fast so they're usually fresh out of the oven.
2. Garlic crab fries
Tons of vendors sell garlic fries with their chicken strip and burger combos, but no garlic fry is finer than the ones sold at the "Garlic Crab Fries" stand. Like the crunchy potato sticks at the now-defunct Valhalla Table in Costa Mesa, only these are far sexier because they're smothered with garlic aoili and a small mound of crab. I always think seafood from a tent in the desert will kill me, but it doesn't. And every year, I go back for more.
In Case You Missed It
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At a glance
- Originator Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development
- Developer Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development LLC
- Class Antipsychotics; Small molecules
- Mechanism of Action Dopamine D2 receptor antagonists; Serotonin 1A receptor antagonists
Orphan Drug Status
Orphan designation is assigned by a regulatory body to encourage companies to develop drugs for rare diseases.
On Fast track
Fast track status is assigned by the US FDA so therapies with the potential to address unmet needs can move faster through development.
Highest Development Phases
- Discontinued Psychotic disorders


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Jake Gibb and his beach volleyball partner, Sean Rosenthal made it to the quarterfinals in the 2012 Olympics. Although it must be extremely disappointing to come so far and walk away without a medal, Gibb, who received a diagnosis of testicular cancer not even two years ago and survived a bout of skin cancer several years ago wasn't even sure he was going to make it to the Olympics. (To Jake and Sean: you are a tribute to the United States and we are proud of you!)
Jake Gibb didn't grow up on the beaches of California playing volleyball. He was born in Utah and throughout high school, at 6' 2", a big fan of the Utah Jazz, he had his sights set on playing basketball, until he was cut from his high school team in his senior year. That same year, he joined a recreational beach volleyball league and although he had thought of it as a girl's sport, he found he liked the game. During the two years following high school, Gibb grew 4 more inches and played volleyball in his back yard, with his twin brother.
He started playing beach volleyball regularly when he was 21, certainly much later than most players he faces in tournaments and the Olympics. In 2000, Gibb competed in some Association of Volleyball Professional (AVP) events. During his first full time season with the AVP, he was ranked 19th and continued moving up in the ranks – by 2005 he was ranked 1st and was named AVP's Most Valuable Player.
In 2006, Gibb teamed up with his current partner, Sean Rosenthal and together they made it to the Olympics in 2008 and again this year. But the journey has been tough. In late 2010, Gibb was suspended for abnormal levels of alpha fetoprotein and beta-hCG in his blood, substances that can indicate steroid use. But it wasn't steroid use causing the problem – it was testicular cancer.
Facing surgery and a regimen of chemotherapy, it looked like any possibility of making it to the 2012 Olympics was gone. But Gibb's surgery got all of the cancer and chemotherapy was not necessary – giving him the chance to continue playing volleyball, winning the FIVB World Tour Grand Slam in London and securing a spot in the Olympics.
You can watch the video of Jake's story on his website: JakeGibb.com
What is Testicular Cancer?
Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 35. It is more common in white males than in African-American or Asian –American men. It starts in the testicles and can spread to other parts of the body. Although the cause of testicular cancer is not known, there are some risk factors which may increase your chances of developing this type of cancer:
- Abnormal testicle development
- History or family history of testicular cancer
- History of undescended testicle
- Klinefelter syndrome
- Exposure to certain chemicals or the HIV infection
There are two types of testicular cancer. Seminoma is a slow growing cancer which usually remains in the testes but can spread to lymph nodes. Nonseminoma is a faster growing form of the cancer and is the more common type.
Symptoms of Testicular Cancer
Some men may have no symptoms, others may experience pain or discomfort in their testicle or have a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum. Additional symptoms include:
- Pain in back or lower abdomen
- Enlargement of testicle
- Lump or swelling in testicle
Some men may also notice excess development of breast tissue, however, this can also be a part of normal adolescent development.
Diagnosing Testicular Cancer
Often, testicular cancer is diagnosed after finding a lump in one of the testicles. When a flashlight is held up to the scrotum, the light does not pass through the mass. Your doctor may also order additional tests, such as CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis, chest x-ray, ultrasound of the scrotum or blood tests which look for tumor markers (alpha fetoprotein, beta hCG, lactic dehydrogenase).
Once the tumor is removed, a biopsy will be performed to determine if cancer is present.
Depending on the stage of cancer (whether it is entirely within the testicles or if it has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body), your doctor will determine what treatments are best for you. There are three main types of treatment:
- Surgery to remove the testicle(s) and lymph nodes
- Radiation therapy (mostly for seminomas)
- Chemotherapy
Testicular cancer is treatable and curable. For those with cancer that has not spread outside the testes, the survival rate is greater than 95 percent. For cancer that his spread, the survival rate is lower but is still higher than many other cancers.
"Cancer Champion Turned Olympian," 2012, July 29, Reviewed by Joseph V. Madia, M.D., Daily RX
"Gibbs Gets Past Cancer to Games," Updated 2012, July 31, Staff Writer, FoxSports.com
"Jake Gibb Bio," Updated 2012, July 25, Staff Writer, NBCOlympics.com
"Testicular Cancer," Reviewed 2011, June 13, Reviewed by David C. Dugdale II, M.D., A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia,
Published On:
August 06, 2012
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Upcoming Exhibitions
May 1 - July 31, 2017
Sam Anderson: The Park
Sam Anderson is creating a series of newly commissioned sculptures and video work for SculptureCenter's lower level galleries. Shifting scale in her sculptures, Anderson creates compositions with figures and objects that inhabit particular relationships to the site and viewer. Often depicting intimate worlds and dynamics that turn inwards, Anderson positions the viewer as outside of the interrelationships formed between her works. Using a range of found and made materials to construct her scenes, they present charged encounters.
Sam Anderson (born 1982 in Los Angeles; lives and works in New York) received her MFA from Yale University in 2010. Notable exhibitions include Endless Love, Tanya Leighton, Berlin (2015); Talley's Folly, Mother's Tankstation, Dublin (2015); The Mound Builders, Off Vendome, Düsseldorf (2014); and Flowers and Money, Chapter NY, New York City (2013). Recently, Anderson was included in Robert Bordo, Sam Anderson with Michel Auder, Bortolami, New York (2016); and Greater New York, MoMA PS1, Long Island City (2015). In 2013, Anderson presented a solo project as part of SculptureCenter's Now Showing series. She has an upcoming solo show at Kölnischer Kunstverein in Cologne, Germany.


text: N-Word By alphazeroes That would be giving it away. Suffice to say it's not for the easily offended... Stick with it until the end. Published June 01, 2007 8.6k views More Info » Full Credits alphazeroes Uploader Stats & Data 340 Funny Votes 147 Die Votes 8,596 Views Published: June 01, 2007 Categories: Not Safe For Work Sketch Politics Keywords: With It The End. Black White Honky ghetto nazi parody Jew ebonics rap booty N word gangsta Up Next: Vatican Idol Auditions AUTOPLAY Up Next In: 10 Vatican Idol Auditions Trick or Treat Street Fighting Pie In The Face Follow Facebook Twitter Tumblr Instagram Browse Related Comments 7+ more View All ▶ alphazeroes Vaguely Related Videos Vaguely Related Pics & Words Advertisement Tags: With It The End. Black White Honky ghetto Advertisement


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Today I was thinking about the first chapter in the book, which asks "Where is Heaven Now?" To us non-believers, this is a pretty easy one: "In your head." But for a believer like Randal, it's a bit more complex:
We can begin with the most important New Testament texts that refer to the ascension, which are found at the end of Luke and the beginning of Acts. Scholars generally consider Luke and Acts to together compose a unified work. This is significant because it means that Luke placed the ascension at the very heart of his great work.
[ 8] When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. (Luke 24: 50– 51)
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1: 9)
The doctrine of the ascension made sense in the first-century picture of the world in which heaven was understood to be located in or above the sky. But now that we know heaven is not in the sky, where is it?To Randal's credit, this is the type of question Christians ought to be asking. Since we know that Heaven isn't up in the sky, why on earth would Jesus float into the clouds and disappear? At the same time though, the fact that this is even the kind of question that theologians spend time mulling over truly brings the absurdity of religion to the fore.
Occam's Razor isn't any sort of 'proof', but it's a principle of parsimony. It's often phrased as "the simplest explanation is usually the correct one," but I prefer the more accurate phrasing, "do not multiply assumptions beyond necessity". So when we're looking at the ascension of Christ – since we're not dealing with claims that can be conclusively proved or disproved – I think a little parsimony goes a long way in establishing a plausible explanation.
I would say that the reason Jesus ascends into the sky in the gospel narrative is because it's a myth, and because the people who conjured it up really believed that Heaven was up in the sky. I think that's a pretty good explanation. Religious myths span the entirety of human history, and there's nothing particularly special about the Christian one. Modern astronomy and cosmology were still a long ways off, and for lots of cultures (including Jews and Greeks) the gods lived 'up there'. So we have an explanation which requires no extraordinary assumptions – just accepting some reasonably well-established historical facts.
Jesus and clouds may not be to scale |
First I just want to point out how silly Acts 1:9 is. Unless it was a magic cloud that was really low, even on a low-overcast day Jesus would have to be really high up before he'd be hidden by clouds. He'd just be a little dot. And frankly, the fact that it says "a cloud", in the singular form, suggests we're talking about a partly cloudy day, possibly with some pretty God rays, which suggests Jesus would have to be really, really high up to be hidden by a cloud. There's really no reason he couldn't ascend on a clear day, since at high enough altitudes no one would be able to see him anyway. But the way the ascension is described in Acts just sounds more majestic despite its dubious plausibility, which of course is an important feature of historical documentaries and definitely not of cultural myths.
Anyway, Randal explains the conundrum:
"God's right hand" is a metaphor. But that doesn't mean that spiritual heaven has no space at all. Indeed, it must have space by definition since Jesus is there. Remember that Jesus's body has spatial extension (that is, it takes up space), and so it follows that heaven must take up space. As Wayne Grudem puts it, "The fact that Jesus had a resurrection body that was subject to spatial limitations (it could be at only one place at one time) means that Jesus went somewhere when he ascended into heaven."[ 9] So we're back to the question: If spiritual heaven must take up space, then where is that space?In my previous write-up, I mentioned that for the Christian who believes in an omnipotent deity, this should be easy to resolve: it's magic. Elsewhere in the book Randal implies that our earthly concept of time could be tossed out the window in Heaven, so why should he care about holding on to our earthly idea of space? Why couldn't God put a physical thing in a non-physical space? That seems like the sort of thing an omnipotent disembodied transcendent mind should have no trouble pulling off, since he's the one who (presumably) wrote the rules of physics in the first place.
But let's roll with Randal's dilemma. Here's his explanation:
If the Another Universe model is correct, then how did Jesus get to heaven? While it is beyond our purview to speak definitively on this matter, we can consider at least one rather exotic proposal: perhaps as he was rising into the Judean sky, Jesus entered a wormhole that transported him to this other universe we call heaven.
With this model in mind, we can envision two distinct universes like two separate pieces of paper that touch at a point. The point where they touch would be the wormhole through which Jesus passed from earth to heaven.At this point, it behooves me to mention that this book is totally serious and not in any way an atheist parody of Christianity, although the two are starting to look almost indistinguishable. It bears emphasizing that wormholes are strictly conjectural, and that even if they exist and could be used to travel about, you could only use them to traverse space-time within our universe, not to travel to other universes. So Randal's not even really getting the physics right. He goes on to speculate about another possible explanation, in which Heaven is "a reality that overlaps the same space as the physical universe while existing at a higher dimension within it."
In order to unpack the implications of the Spiritual Dimension model, we can turn back to the realm of quantum physics from whence the concept of a wormhole is derived. Here we find another controversial and provocative scientific notion: hyperspace or extra-dimensionality. This concept arises within string theory, which posits several spatial dimensions in addition to width, length, and height.[ 14]This is why theologians should not do physics. First of all, wormholes are derived from General Relativity, not quantum mechanics or string theory. Secondly, while it's true that string theory posits the idea that there are 10 spatial dimensions (plus the dimension of time, for 11 total), the extra dimensions are presumably so tiny that we'd need a particle accelerator roughly the circumference of the solar system to be able to detect them. So Jesus shrunk into these tiny, curled-up spatial dimensions? That's really Randal's hypothesis? Yes:
If this is a viable hypothesis, then it provides a fascinating possibility for the ascension.I'm not sure if Randal understands what a "viable hypothesis" actually is, because that would suggest that the existence of Heaven – and by extension, God – could be tested scientifically. Is he really prepared to take his theology that far?
Randal also addresses the perfectly obvious question of why Jesus floated into the sky at all, if he's just zipping through a wormhole or something:
In this case, God wanted to communicate to the followers of Jesus that he was travelling [sic] to heaven. Since the early Christians accepted the three-storied universe, Jesus accommodated to their understanding by ascending into the sky. Then when he reached a certain point in altitude, he entered the wormhole that allowed him to pass through to heaven.I swear I am not making this up. This is really in the book.
So, let's compare these two hypotheses:
- Jesus is described as ascending into the sky because it's a myth fabricated by relatively primitive people who literally believed Heaven was in the sky, and who had no concept of hyperspace or other universes.
- Jesus only ascended because it looked majestic, and then he went into a wormhole or somehow entered into the curled-up Planck-scale hyperspace described by String Theory.
But on a larger note, Randal's musings are indicative of the kind of thinking that led me to deconvert. The simpler explanation is obvious and intuitive, but it's not desirable when you're committed to a certain dogma. So you sit around thinking up these elaborate rationalizations and telling yourself, "Hey, I guess that could have happened". And if anyone says you're an idiot because you're totally butchering science and logic, you can always just tell them that they can't disprove your bizarre conjectures. Checkmate, skeptics! Personally, I just got tired of devoting so much mental energy to rationalizing these ridiculous beliefs when the less desirable explanation was so much more plausible. Randal's a professional theologian though, so to some degree he's getting paid to sit around and contemplate this stuff. Me, I was busy studying music and exercise science, and I figured that if Christianity were actually true, God should have done a better job explaining himself.


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About APICS
APICS, The Association for Operations Management, is the premier source of the body of knowledge in Operations Management, including Manufacturing, Production, Inventory Management, Supply Chain Management, Materials Management, Purchasing, Logistics, and Lean Enterprise.
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Spring is finally here and with it comes the much anticipated new CPIM reconfiguration.
With an effort to align with other education products and reduce content overlap, the CPIM certification is reconfiguration from 5 modules to a 2 module exam scope as the core content will remain consistent. In relation, January 7, 2018 will be the last day to take the legacy BSCM exam as other legacy modules exams will be available until Dec. 31, 2018 and then discontinued. APICS is confident this change is in best interest to its members and students as below are key dates and a link for additional information click here to read more
New Exam Content Manual will be available June 1, 2017
Part 1 and Part 2 exams will be available for purchase November 1, 2017
Cut Score for Part 2 exam ratified December 1, 2017
Last day to take the Legacy BSCM exam January 7, 2018
Legacy BSCM ATTs and ECs expire January 7, 2018
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Other legacy exams: MPR, DSP, ECO, and SMR will be available until December 31, 2018 and then discontinued
APICS brings new dimension to your career through its many educational programs, including its industry-essential certifications. When you join APICS, you become a member of an elite organization recognized throughout the world as the authority in supply chain and operations management. CPIM, CSCP and CLTD public classes are posted. Dream big and resolve to do something life- or career-changing.
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DiCamillo Bakery is located in Niagara Falls, NY and we ship via UPS Ground & USPS Priority Mail. All in-stock items should be shipped within 1 business day. The exception to this is our Italian bread which does not ship after Thursday.
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Taste of Home Magazine Side Dish Recipes
Browse side dish recipes from our Taste of Home Magazine including chicken side dishes, potato side dishes, vegetable side dishes, and more side dish recipes from our magazine.
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The smoked Spanish paprika gives a simple side of roasted cauliflower extra depth. This is definitely a favorite. —Juliette Mulholland, Corvallis, Oregon
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Participatory theory
Participatory theory, vision or framework is a conceptual framework which attempts to bridge the subject–object distinction. According to Jorge Ferrer, "the kernel of this participatory vision is a turn from intra-subjective experiences to participatory events in our understanding of transpersonal and spiritual phenomena."[1]
Participatory epistemology[edit]
A participatory epistemology is a theory of knowledge which holds that meaning is enacted through the participation of the human mind with the world. Originally proposed by Goethe, it has been discussed extensively by cultural historian Richard Tarnas.[2]
In a participatory epistemology, meaning is neither solely objective nor solely subjective. That is to say that meaning is not, per modern or positivist views, found solely outside of the human mind, in the objective world, waiting to be discovered. Nor, per postmodern or constructivist views, is meaning simply constructed or projected onto an inherently meaningless world by the subjective human mind.[3] Rather, Tarnas argues that meaning is enacted through the dialectical participation of the human mind with the larger meaning of the cosmos. Thus meaning exists in potentia in the cosmos, but must be articulated by human consciousness before it exists in actuality.
In this view, the essential reality of nature is not separate, self-contained, and complete in itself, so that the human mind can examine it "objectively" and register it from without. Rather, nature's unfolding truth emerges only with the active participation of the human mind. Nature's reality is not merely phenomenal, nor is it independent and objective; rather, it is something that comes into being through the very act of human cognition. Nature becomes intelligible to itself through the human mind.[4]
According to Tarnas, participatory epistemology is rooted in the thought of Goethe, Schiller, Schelling, Hegel, Coleridge, Emerson, and Rudolf Steiner.[5]
The "participatory turn" in transpersonal theory[edit]
In the field of transpersonal psychology, the "participatory turn" endorsed by Jorge Ferrer suggests that transpersonal phenomena are participatory and co-creative events. Ferrer defines these events as "emergences of transpersonal being that can occur not only in the locus of an individual, but also in a relationship, a community, a collective identity or a place." This participatory knowing is multidimensional, and includes all the powers of the human being (body/heart/soul), as understood from a transpersonal framework. Ferrer's vision includes a spiritual reality that is plural and multiple, and a spiritual power that may produce a wide range of revelations and insights, which in turn may be overlapping, or even incompatible.
Ken Wilber argues that participatory epistemology is limited in its appropriate scope to observing the interior of a subjective plural domain.[6] Ferrer argues that Wilber's criticisms of participatory theory have conflated pluralism with vulgar relativism.[7]
Application in psychoanalysis[edit]
Psychoanalyst Robin S. Brown has promoted a participatory perspective in the context of relational psychoanalysis as a means to fostering clinical pluralism.[8][9] Brown adopts a participatory reading of Jungian archetypes as a basis from which to theorize alterity in the clinical situation.
See also[edit]
- Participatory action research
- John Heron
- Owen Barfield
- David Skrbina
- Henryk Skolimowski
- Action research
- Michel Bauwens
- ^ Ferrer, J.N. Revisioning Transpersonal Theory, 2
- ^ David Fideler, "Science's Missing Half: Epistemological Pluralism and the Search for an Inclusive Cosmology " in Alexandria 5: Cosmology, Philosophy, Myth, and Culture, 64 [1]
- ^ Richard Tarnas, "Epilogue", The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View[2]
- ^ Richard Tarnas, "Epilogue", The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas that Have Shaped Our World View[3]
- ^ Richard Tarnas, The Passion of the Western Mind, 433
- ^ Wilber, K. Excerpt D: The Look of a Feeling: The Importance of Post/Structuralism Part I. Overview and Summary to Date
- ^ Ferrer, J.N. Revisioning transpersonal theory: a participatory vision of human spirituality, 2002 SUNY p225 [4]
- ^ Brown, R.S. (2016). Spirituality and the Challenge of Clinical Pluralism: Participatory Thinking in Psychotherapeutic Context. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 3.3, 187-195.
- ^ Brown, R.S. (2017). Psychoanalysis Beyond the End of Metaphysics: Thinking Towards the Post-Relational. London & New York: Routledge.
- Bache, Christopher Dark Night, Early Dawn, 2000; SUNY
- Brown, Robin S. Psychoanalysis Beyond the End of Metaphysics: Thinking Towards the Post-Relational, 2017; Routledge
- Ferrer, Jorge Revisioning Transpersonal Theory, 2002; SUNY
- Ferrer, Jorge & Sherman, Jacob The Participatory Turn: Spirituality, Mysticism, Religious Studies, 2009; SUNY
- Sherman, Jacob Partakers of the Divine: Contemplation and the Practice of Philosophy, 2014; Fortress Press
- Tarnas, Richard Cosmos and Psyche, 2006; Viking
- Tarnas, Richard The Passion of the Western Mind, 1991; Ballantine


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Visit the Toon Boom booth 1642 North Hall and find out how you can use Toon Boom for your Gaming.
GDC is the world's largest professionals-only game industry event. It attracts over 19,000 industry professionals, and is the primary forum where programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision-makers and others involved in the development of interactive games gather to exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry.
To schedule an appointment or a demo on show site, please Book Your Demo
March 7 to 9, 2012
Moscone Center (Booth/Room: 1642 North Hall)
747 Howard St
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This is thanks to many traumatic moments as a child being chased by the evil Schnautzer across the street, and being terrorized by the Cocker Spaniel on my paper route, and especially thanks to the German Shepherd two doors down who wanted to kill me, and maybe even a little because of the wolf which the German Shepherd people had for less than a week, possibly, until the rumor went around that it had taken a bite out of a child. I was terrified of dogs. Especially big ones. Especially German Shepherds.
Also, I am a germaphobe. Dogs are germ factories.
This is not to say my family didn't have a dog of our own: a sweet-tempered, little, wiry-haired mixed-breed terrier born in the hollow at the base of our cherry tree when I was five. He lived under the plum trees near the garden and his name was (ahem) Skippy. Don't make fun. We got it from those infamous Dick and Jane readers (my brother was six and learning to read). I loved that dog. Really. As long as soap and water were close by. He was little, cute, and not even sort of scary. He never bit anyone in his life.
So, naturally, 12 1/2 years ago when my children decided they could no longer live without a dog, we acquired a German Shepherd we named Andre the Giant (the second half of his name happened when he ended up a massive 90-100 lb. full-grown beast). I agreed on condition that this would be an outdoor- only dog, and Mom would never, ever have to feed, water, groom, clean up after, or take said animal to the vet. All I'd have to do was walk him, since I liked the idea of a run/walk buddy. Naturally. All those other things would be everybody else's job.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Ha.
Here's the problem: I speak dog. Nobody else in my family (apparently) does.
No, I wasn't. Even when I was sick and it was somebody else's job.
I hate the guilt stare.
Dogs are skilled at that expression. And I can't tolerate it for more than a minute, max. I tried putting up a sheet over the glass door once so I wouldn't have to see those sad eyes when everybody forgot to feed him and I had flu. It didn't work. I could feel the guilt-stare through the sheet.
Nobody else seemed the least bit bothered by that stare. They didn't realize what it was. Like I said, they don't speak dog. Only I do.
I ended up being the one to train him, too, because our German Shepherd had a biting problem, and an aggression problem, and I was not going to own a 100-lb. dog that bit little children. Or the mailman. Or trapped the flute teacher up against the house. Or snarled in people's faces. Or knocked people over when they walked past our house.
Sigh. That dog.
We had a love/disgust/annoyance relationship. He was incredibly irritating. And germy (like every dog on earth). And way too dominant. But he didn't bite (eventually). And he was a great running partner. And watchdog. Even if I was always having to feed, water and pick up his poop because nobody else understood the guilt-stare.
And having to change my clothes every time I was around him because I was allergic.
And getting all covered with dog blood while taking him to the vet to have his ear sown up the time he was stupid and tried to run through barbed wire chasing after some deer (dogs aren't too bright, no matter what the dog-people say), then having to scrub the life out of my hands--and body--with several bars of soap afterward to get the dog blood off.
Andre the Giant |
Realizing it was time to say good-bye shouldn't have been hard. It should have been a piece of cake. Or pie.
Andre-the-Giant was a pain in the derriere. He was also deaf. And mostly blind. But yesterday when I ended up having to be the one (of course) to drive him down to his last vet appointment, it wasn't a piece of cake. Or pie, either. And not just because my kids were upset or because of the random creepy guy at the vet who put his hand on my shoulder to show sympathy (which was totally nice of him, but still very very creepy).
I almost refused to take the dog in, but I couldn't stand the misery-stare. It was time. I knew it, and I think he did, too. Which is why yesterday, after getting home from the vet, and despite not being a dog-person at all, I broke my no-sugar-for-the-month-of-June diet and made consolation brownies. Not for the kids. For me. As Yvaine in Stardust pointed out, love can be "strangely easy to mistake for loathing" a lot of the time, and that dog was my nemesis. A monster-sized pest. And a pill.
And I'm pretty sure I'll be missing him for a long time.


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Amazon will lead the charge for iPad-competitor tablets this quarter with plans to build between 1 million and 1.2 million units, the Taiwanese news site Digitimes reports.
The figure is a conservative estimate by Digitimes' sources within the device manufacturing supply chain, but it's still a surprising number as it puts Amazon ahead of tablet shipments from Samsung, Acer and Asus. Amazon has a major advantage over competing tablets since it's an e-retailer giant.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has hinted strongly that the company has tablets in the works, and rumors from the mobile site Boy Genius Report pointed to plans for two powerful tablets. I have an inkling that Amazon is aiming to do more than release yet another bland Android tablet. Most likely, the company is gearing up to compete with Barnes & Noble's $250 Nook Color, which has been successful due to its tablet-like features and low price.
Digitimes previously reported that Amazon was aiming to ship between 3.5 million and 4 million tablets this year.
Overall shipments of non-iPad tablets will increase to around 7 million units in the third quarter, compared with around 3 to 3.5 million units from the previous quarter, an industry source tells Digitimes. Apple plans to ship between 14 and 15 million iPads this quarter, compared to around 11 million from the last. Overall tablet shipments are expected to be between 21 and 22 million units, compared to around 14 million from the last quarter, the industry source said.


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Save our allotments!
Last weekend, I took part in a round of judging for Britain's Best Allotment competition. I saw some amazing plots tended by some very proud allotmenteers – gigantic onions, perfectly straight cucumbers, resplendent dahlias in cut-flower borders, neat bark-chip paths. But at nearly every site I saw something else, just beyond the boundary: the developer's bulldozer.
At one site, the scaffolding that framed half-built houses was so close to a plot that the poles jutted through the branches of an apple tree. At another, plotholders talked warily of how developers were keen to get their hands on their allotments which are worth millions for housing. The sites I visited were all safe, for now – but it was impossible to escape the feeling of encroachment, with next-door land being built on.
Land, particularly in the south-east of England where my judging took place, is in such demand for housing the pressure on cash-strapped councils and private owners of allotments is immense. According to information obtained by allotment campaigners, a parade of secretaries of state between 2007 and 2013 turned down just four out of 199 applications by councils and other owners to close sites (a total of 128 were approved, while 67 were withdrawn or invalid). It is easy to think that allotments are sacred, and to believe David Cameron when he said in the Commons, in 2011, that he would do everything he could to protect British allotments, but all the evidence is to the contrary. We take them for granted.
Those FOI figures were obtained by Sara-Jane Trebar, who has led the three-year campaign to save Farm Terrace allotments in Watford from development. Despite winning a High Court battle last year, Farm Terrace is still not safe – Watford council has applied for a third time to replace the site with housing, new facilities for the local hospital and a replacement car park for Watford FC (which would still be viable with the allotments in place) and the decision now rests with the new Communities Secretary, Greg Clark
Across the country, new campaigns are forced into existence by yet more development applications, including in the Prime Minister's own backyard in the Cotswolds. Coombe Allotments in Wotton under Edge, which can claim to be the oldest site in the country, dating back to 1763, is under threat after the private owner applied to sell off the land for housing. Campaigner Martin Clarke describes the threatened eviction to plotholders, some of whom have had allotments there for 40 years, as a "dagger in the heart of the community". This time the council, Stroud District, appears to be the hero and is helping to fight to save the Coombe site.
Without these community-led campaigns, allotment sites would just slip from our grasp as quickly as a secretary of state going through his or her red box. Because they are small-scale, piecemeal campaigns, there is no nationwide awareness that what is on the cards is the largest seizure of common land since the enclosures of the 18th century. It is misleading to argue that the housing crisis can be solved by building on allotments, when alternative land is being banked by developers and supermarket giants. And in the end, without an allotment site or other shared green space in the heart of a community, can it be called a community at all?
There are steps that allotment-holders can take, as recommended by the National Allotment Society. If a council controls the waiting list and wants to sell off the site, they have the power to put it into managed decline, allowing plots to become overgrown without chasing the list. Plotholders can group together to take over the waiting list and make sure their allotments are kept viable. They can also apply for their site to be registered as an "asset of community value", which gives them some, but not absolute, protection from development. While hundreds of sites are at risk, it is Farm Terrace that has become a cause célèbre in the modern allotment movement, which marks National Allotments Week next week. If Greg Clark rules in favour of Watford council, he will have a nation of plotholders to answer to.
All choked up
In a poignant interview with Mary Riddell in The Daily Telegraph on Friday, Ed Balls revealed that, after his shock defeat on 7 May, he couldn't play the piano, which he had learnt as a way to let off steam while shadow chancellor, for several weeks. Messages of condolence from Tony Blair, George Osborne, the Archbishop of Canterbury and even his old mentor Gordon Brown telling him to "get back into politics quick" weren't enough to bring him out of his creative slump. When he was in office, Balls was always portrayed as a machine politician, with unkind opponents claiming his piano playing and crying at the Antiques Roadshow were manufactured, yet he is one of the most "human", and by that I mean emotionally charged, individuals to have served in Parliament. The last time I saw him was in a children's bookshop in Hove during the election campaign, when he gave a tour-de-force reading of We're Going on a Bear Hunt. If this was acting, then it was of the method variety.
A Cornish curse?
With David Cameron due to start his holiday today as the Calais crisis still swirls around him, I wonder whether the Prime Minister has taken on board the lesson of recent history. Cameron is shunning Cornwall for another staycation - my money's on Jura - after a string of West country mishaps. Cameron was in Cornwall when David Davis resigned as shadow home secretary in 2008; and again, in 2009, when his close aide Andrew MacKay quit over expenses. A year later, while the PM was in the county, Lord Young was forced to resign as a minister after saying most people had "never had it so good" while the Camerons' family holiday in 2011 was cut short because of the escalating crisis in Libya. Last summer, Cameron was hit by "Isis, what crisis?" headlines as he surfed on the beach in Polzeath amid growing concern over Islamic State and the hostage-taker who later became known as "Jihadi John". Perhaps pre-empting another Cornish vacation cut short, the Prime Minister is wise to give Cornwall a wide berth. At least it's not Kent.
Twitter: @janemerrick23
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Since professional wrestling icon "Nature Boy" Ric Flair spoke to the team last week, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis was asked whom he wanted to address the team before Sunday's NFC Divisional round game at Carolina. Davis smiled and named R&B icon Beyonce.
He probably wants her to sing the hit single "Irreplaceable," so when he catches a touchdown, he can have the lyrics "you must not know 'bout me. You must not know 'bout me" already stuck in his head.
Surely, the Panthers must not know 'bout Davis. He missed the second half of the 49ers' 10-9 home loss to Carolina in November with a concussion. Without him, San Francisco's offense packed the potency of a wet firecracker.
With Colin Kaepernick left to force-feed Anquan Boldin, Mario Manningham and Vance McDonald, the 49ers failed to muster a point after halftime. When the game hung in the balance, and the home team desperately needed a score, San Francisco desperately missed its big, reliable target.
That's why even though the schedule shows Carolina won in San Francisco, it still hasn't beaten these 49ers. And Davis is eager to show the Panthers how much of a difference he makes.
"I can't wait. I can't wait," Davis said. "I didn't play in that game. I think I went out before the half. But I'm excited to get back in there. A fresh new start. We get to play the game all over again, another opportunity. It's going to be pretty exciting, and I look forward to the match."
Davis is an All-Pro tight end in the regular season. In the postseason, he's producing like a Hall of Famer.
In Sunday's win over Green Bay, he caught his sixth postseason touchdown -- tying him with Keith Jackson and Jay Novacek. The only tight end with more playoff scores is Raiders legend Dave Casper.
NFL Headlines
49ers' Vernon Davis anxious to face Panthers
San Jose Mercury News | Jan 8


text: Before we jump into a discussion on how witches heal, let's define what a witch is. The term witch is so eclectic and general. Anyone who leans on tradition, metaphysics, ritual, and elements of the earth to manipulate or change the direction of energy and the outcomes of that change is a witch.


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A Leak out of Iceland
Shin Bet Vetoes Press Cards for CHALLENGE and AL-SABAR journalists
Government Press Office admits: the Shin Bet1 told us not to grant press cards to journalists of Al-Sabar and Challenge for "security reasons."
On February 16 the Government Press Office (GPO) refused to issue press cards to seven journalists working for Challenge and its sister publication, Al-Sabar, an Arabic bi-weekly. Yochi Gnesin, an official from the State Attorney's office, gave the following reasons for the government's refusal:
- The journalists are members of the organization known as 'Ha-Nitzotz'.
- The main applicants were convicted for membership in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
- 'Ha-Nitzotz' is against the peace process and the Oslo accords.
- For reasons of state security, the GPO cannot comply with the requests.
In our last issue of Challenge (No. 42, March-April) we asked our readers to write letters to Gnesin and Moshe Fogel, head of the GPO. Elias Davidsson, a long-time subscriber of this magazine, wrote to Fogel, and received an interesting reply.
Davidsson faxed a letter to Fogel on 15 March, 1997. He wrote2:
"I have received information that you have, in a letter you wrote recently, endorsed the refusal of the Government Press Office to grant government press cards to journalists of Al-Sabar and Challenge, publications known to me. I understand that without such cards it is difficult for journalists to enter the areas under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority (PA). "As I am urged to bring this measure to the attention of the press and Internet users, and as I do not wish to act on wrong information, I would be extremely thankful if you would kindly inform me as soon as possible of the following: a. Is it correct that the Israeli government sometimes refuses its citizens entry to the territories under the control of the PA? "Thanking you in advance for your kind reply, "Sincerely yours, |
On March 20, 1997, Fogel telephoned Davidsson at his home in Iceland. This is Davidsson's description of the conversation. "Mr. Fogel began to explain at length that Israeli government press cards are not required to practice journalism in Israel and that the rights of the journalists in question to pursue their profession were not restricted. I then urged him to address the questions in my letter in a more specific manner.
"After some time Mr. Fogel admitted that Israel's government sometimes refuses its own citizens entrance into PA areas 'because of security considerations' which Mr. Fogel did not specify. I asked whether this was because the Israeli government wished to protect the security of those to whom entrance was refused against attacks by Palestinians. He did not answer and evaded the question.
"Mr. Fogel stated with assurance, however, that the PA was entitled to prevent Israelis from entering areas under its jurisdiction, and that it does so. Mr. Fogel admitted that press cards facilitate the free movement of journalists, including into the PA areas. Mr. Fogel claimed he did not know whether the journalists in question were under criminal investigation or officially charged for endangering state security. But he referred to information from the security services, which had asked the GPO to deny these individuals the cards. He assumed the information to be reliable.
"I asked Mr. Fogel to confirm his answers to my questions in writing. He then asked me to fax him a statement describing how I learned of this matter, as well as some background information about myself. I told him that my questions did not need any further elaboration and that if he did not wish to answer me in writing, then so be it."
Readers may wonder why the security services in Israel, allegedly "the only democracy in the Middle East," have the power to determine citizens' access to information and the freedom of the press. We, therefore, urge our readers to continue putting pressure on the Government Press Office.
Mr. Moshe Fogel Government Press Office Beit Agron, Hillel Street 37 Jerusalem 94581 Israel Fax: 972-2-623-3388 |
Ms Yochi Gnesin Attorney General's Office Salah-A-Din Street 29 Jerusalem Fax: 972-2-670-8655 |
1 Shin Bet is the Hebrew acronym for Israel's General Security Services.
2 The letter has been slightly modified for the sake of brevity.


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Vietnam War Protests: The Beginnings of a Movement
In August 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, and President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the retaliatory bombing of military targets in North Vietnam. And by the time U.S. planes began regular bombings of North Vietnam in February 1965, some critics had begun to question the government's assertion that it was fighting a democratic war to liberate the South Vietnamese people from Communist aggression.
The anti-war movement began mostly on college campuses, as members of the leftist organization Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) began organizing "teach-ins" to express their opposition to the way in which it was being conducted. Though the vast majority of the American population still supported the administration policy in Vietnam, a small but outspoken liberal minority was making its voice heard by the end of 1965. This minority included many students as well as prominent artists and intellectuals and members of the hippie movement, a growing number of young people who rejected authority and embraced the drug culture.
Widespread Disillusionment
By November 1967, American troop strength in Vietnam was approaching 500,000 and U.S. casualties had reached 15,058 killed and 109,527 wounded. The Vietnam War was costing the U.S. some $25 billion per year, and disillusionment was beginning to reach greater sections of the taxpaying public. More casualties were reported in Vietnam every day, even as U.S. commanders demanded more troops. Under the draft system, as many as 40,000 young men were called into service each month, adding fuel to the fire of the anti-war movement.
On October 21, 1967, one of the most prominent anti-war demonstrations took place, as some 100,000 protesters gathered at the Lincoln Memorial; around 30,000 of them continued in a march on the Pentagon later that night. After a brutal confrontation with the soldiers and U.S. Marshals protecting the building, hundreds of demonstrators were arrested. One of them was the author Norman Mailer, who chronicled the events in his book "The Armies of the Night," published the following year to widespread acclaim. Also in 1967, the anti-war movement got a big boost when the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. went public with his opposition to the war on moral grounds, condemning the war's diversion of federal funds from domestic programs as well as the disproportionate number of African-American casualties in relation to the total number of soldiers killed in the war.
Political Consequences of Vietnam War Protests
The launch of the Tet Offensive by North Vietnamese communist troops in January 1968, and its success against U.S. and South Vietnamese troops, sent waves of shock and discontent across the home front and sparked the most intense period of anti-war protests to date. By early February 1968, a Gallup poll showed only 35 percent of the population approved of Johnson's handling of the war and a full 50 percent disapproved (the rest had no opinion). Joining the anti-war demonstrations by this time were members of the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War, many of whom were in wheelchairs and on crutches. The sight of these men on television throwing away the medals they had won during the war did much to win people over to the anti-war cause.
After many New Hampshire primary voters rallied behind the anti-war Democrat Eugene McCarthy, Johnson announced that he would not seek reelection. Vice President Hubert Humphrey accepted the Democratic nomination in August in Chicago, and 10,000 anti-war demonstrators showed up outside the convention building, clashing with security forces assembled by Mayor Richard Daley. Humphrey lost the 1968 presidential election to Richard M. Nixon, who promised in his campaign to restore "law and order"–a reference to conflict over anti-war protests as well as the rioting that followed King's assassination in 1968–more effectively than Johnson had.
The following year, Nixon claimed in a famous speech that anti-war protesters constituted a small–albeit vocal–minority that should not be allowed to drown out the "silent majority" of Americans. Nixon's war policies divided the nation still further, however: In December 1969, the government instituted the first U.S. draft lottery since World War II, inciting a vast amount of controversy and causing many young men to flee to Canada to avoid conscription. Tensions ran higher than ever, spurred on by mass demonstrations and incidents of official violence such those at Kent State in May 1970, when National Guard troops shot into a group of protesters demonstrating against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia, killing four students.
In mid-1971, the publication of the first Pentagon Papers–which revealed previously confidential details about the war's conduct–caused more and more Americans to question the accountability of the U.S. government and military establishments. In response to a strong anti-war mandate, Nixon announced the effective end to U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia in January 1973.


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Immediately -- At the Moment of Quitting
Avoid Temptation
When You Get the Crazies
Find New Habits -- Nature Abhors A Vaccuum
Concerns On Gaining Weight When Quitting CigarettesMany people who are considering quitting are very concerned about gaining weight. If you are concerned about weight gain, keep these points in mind:
Some Tips To Help Avoid Weight Gain When You Decide To Quit Smoking Permanently
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text: Can I just say that I have been coming here for over thirty years. I hadn't been in a while since retiring and moving away. I was back in the city to celebrate my birthday and I asked to come here. I was surprised that it was so dead. We were able to be seated immediately. We ordered drinks and... More


text: Library Whether in Every Case the Priest is Bound to Hide the Sins which ... Of Uncharitable Truth. Upon the Government of the Tongue. The Christians are Hated Unjustly. Tennessee and Missouri. Objection to the Number of Extracts from Philosophical Writings in ... The Prooemium. --Motives for Undertaking the Refutation; Exposure ... Discovery of the Relics of Forty Holy Martyrs. Letter vi. Associates and Friends. Whether a Man May Reveal that which He Knows through Confession ... Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Divulge.Thesaurus Divulging (1 Occurrence)... n.) of Divulge. Multi-Version Concordance Divulging (1 Occurrence). Acts 19:18 Many also of those who had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds. ... /d/divulging.htm - 6k Divorces (7 Occurrences) Dizahab (1 Occurrence) Bible Concordance Divulging (1 Occurrence)Acts 19:18 Many also of those who had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds. Subtopics Related Terms Links Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus |


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rain placed a damper on the year end celebration with less of the bang reserved for the midnight revelry. i woke up to share a simple media noche with friends before settling in to get some sleep.
on another note, another big bang just might happen at any time soon. mayon is acting up.
happy new year to everyone!