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Two "I Wills" In Isaiah 41
(No. 2270)
"I will open rivers in high places, and a fountain in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water." Isaiah 41:18.
YOU notice that in this verse, the Lord twice says, "I will," and in that respect this verse is in harmony with the rest of the chapter. Will the children, when they are at home, find out how many times in this chapter God says, "I will," or "You shall," which is to much the same effect?
How greatly I prize a portion of Scripture which is filled with God's shalls and wills! Everything He says is precious, but His, "I wills," are peculiarly precious. There are the, "I wills," of the Psalms, a long list of them—and the, "I wills," of Christ, a good company. When we come to the, "I wills," of God, then we get among the precious things, the deep things, the things which minister comfort and strength to the people of God!
We sometimes say, "I will," but it is in a feeble fashion compared with the way in which God says it. People say, "'Must' is for the king, and so, "I will," is for the King of kings! It is His prerogative to will. It is His sovereign right to say, "I will." When we get a chapter like the one that we have been reading, which is full of the, "I wills," of God, it is worth while to pause for a few moments and just think of what Jehovah's, "I will," must mean.
It is an, "I will," uttered with deliberation. James said, "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." We say, "I will," in a hurry—and then we take time to repent of it. We are under excitement, persuasion, or compulsion and we say, "I will," and we are very sorry afterwards and, perhaps, we are so unfaithful as not to keep our word. But God never speaks under compulsion—He is almighty. God never speaks in a hurry. He has infinite leisure. God never speaks under excitement or persuasion—that were not like a God. His purpose is of old and His decree is from everlasting. And the, "I will," which is the mouth of the decree is a word that is spoken with wisdom and prudence. Now, when a man speaks a thing prudently and wisely, you believe that he will carry it out if he can. You may have much more confidence with regard to what the Lord says, for He has not spoken without due deliberation and, therefore, whenever God says, "I will," you may be sure that He will perform it.
Next, when God says, "I will," His resolution is supported by Omnipotence. You say, "I will," but you cannot do what you have promised. Your will is good enough, but you fail because of lack of the means. You say, "I will, yes, I will," but afterwards you have to meekly say, "I pray you, take this will for the deed, for I find that I have overshot the mark. I have promised what I am unable to perform." Now, that can never happen with God. Has He said and shall He not do it? Is anything too hard for the Lord, especially anything He promised to perform? Come, then, dear Friends, if God is Omnipotent, and we know that He is, when He says, "I will," we dare not doubt it, for eternal power goes forth with the Word of His wisdom and it must, yes, it shall be done! Whatever doubts we might have had, if it were not God's, "I will," vanish when we come to remember that all things are possible with Him!
Furthermore, when God says, "I will," we should remember that it is sealed with Immutability. We change, we are always changing. Made of dust and ashes, we are made of material that continues to change. Therefore, we say, today, "I will," and we mean it. But tomorrow we wish that we had never said, "I will," and the next day we say, "I will not." Ah, me, the suicides that have come through resting on the word of a man who was false and proved a traitor to his friend! But God never changes—He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The thing that has gone out of His mouth shall never be reversed. When He once says, "I will," depend on it, He still says, "I will"—and till Heaven and earth shall pass
away, it will still be, "I will." He is too perfect to change—and being perfect, He cannot change! A changeable being either changes from a worse to a better, in which case he was not perfect before. Or else he changes from a better to a worse, in which case he will not be perfect afterwards. But God, being always perfect, is always the same, never withdrawing His Word, or altering His purpose! Will you not, therefore, believe the unfailing word of an unchanging God? Can you not hang upon it? And when He says, "I will," depend on it that it shall be even so?
Once more, when God says, "I will," it will be carried out in faithfulness. He has fulfilled His threats. He never idly utters words of terror without intending to carry them out. And when it comes to promises, rest sure that God never flatters the ear and then deceives the man. If He did not mean to do it, He would not say, "I will." Eternal faithfulness performs what eternal wisdom declares! Shall God lie? Is He a man as you are? Will He deceive? Will He falsely promise and then run from His Word? That is far from Him—and let it be far from us, thus, to blaspheme His name by such a thought! Come, then, child of God, you who know Him, if He has said, "I will help you," He will help you! If He says, "I will strengthen you," He will strengthen you! Believe God without a trace of doubt and, "be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart, all you that hope in the Lord."
Now, all this is meant to introduce my text with its two glorious, "I wills." Let us try and get something out of them. The Lord says, "I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water."
I. I propose to apply the text as a sort of general promise to many things and, first, to apply it to THE TRIALS OF
Consider, first, their temporal trials. God's people may be hungry and thirsty—and their anxiety may be great. Your cupboard may be bare. The flocks may be cut off from the fold and there may not be any cattle in the stalls, but God can feed you! Though you seek water and there is none, He can open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. Do not distrust the God of Providence. Many of His children have been brought to their last loaf and yet they have not starved. Remember her who had nothing left but a little meal and a little oil—when the Prophet came to her— and yet the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail! Remember him who sat by the brook Cherith— and the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning—and bread and meat in the evening.
Perhaps no miracle will be worked for you—possibly God will feed you without a miracle—and so long as it is done, you will equally praise Him whether the supply is Providential or miraculous. Plead these promises—"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed." "He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." What though there is nothing at present, perhaps by tomorrow morning the Lord may have opened rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys!
Certainly my text is true in the spiritual experience of Believers. Do you know what it is, sometimes, when spiritual things are at a very low ebb—when you cannot find any joy and scarcely any hope—when you look into your own heart and all seems as dry as the earth after a long autumn drought? You have no power, no strength, scarcely any desire! You sit down and say, "I am afraid that I am no child of God. I am given up. I am spiritually dead." Yet have you ever known, within an hour, the great floods to be let loose and your soul to be full of feeling, full of faith, hope, joy, love? The chariot wheels were taken off and the chariot dragged very heavily. But now, before you were aware, your soul has made you like the chariots of Amminadib! You are leaping, you are laughing for very joy! The Lord has turned your captivity and filled your mouth with laughter, your tongue with singing—and done it all of a sudden, too! God can do things for His people, even wonderful things which they looked not for.
I was noticing that there are in our text four words relating to water. Everything had been dry, before, and there was no water for the thirsty to drink. Now, here you have rivers, fountains, a pool and springs of water! There is a difference in the four words. The first is, "rivers." "I will open rivers in high places." There shall come directly from God a rush of mighty Grace, like the streams of flowing rivers! Your poor, dead, dry heart shall suddenly feel that the Waters of Life have come directly from the Throne of God to you! There shall be, "waters to swim in." You shall have an abundance where before you had nothing!
The next word is, "fountains," which may be rendered, "wells." Now, wells are places to which people regularly go for water. They represent the means of Grace. "With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation." Well, now, perhaps you have been to the means of Grace and yet obtained no comfort. You have not blamed the preacher, but you
have blamed yourself very much. But, all of a sudden God appears and opens wells in the midst of the valley! Now the service is all full of refreshment. Now you are glad and you no more go home saying, "I thirsted, but I went to the House of the Lord in vain, for I received no comfort." Look what God can do—He can make rivers of Grace flow directly from His throne and He can open wells in the customary use of the means of Grace!
But there is a third word, "I will make the wilderness a pool of water." Here you have the idea of overflowing abundance. God can give you so much joy that you will not know how to hold it all—and you will have to let it be like a pool that overflows its banks! God can give you so much earnestness that you can hardly employ it all in the work that you have to do! He can give you so much nearness to Himself that your heart shall scarcely be able to contain your delight! God promises to make the wilderness, "a pool of water." He does not give you just a drop of Grace, now and then, but He fills up the dry places till they become standing pools!
The fourth word is, "springs." It seems to indicate a perpetual freshness—always something new—new thoughts of Christ, new delights in holy service, new prospects of the world to come, new communion with God. He can make the dry land, "springs of water." He has promised to do so—trust His gracious Word and it shall be fulfilled in your experience even now.
I want God's people to use the text in this way—as God's promise for your temporals and for your spirituals. Oh, you that are in the wilderness and find the sand dry and waterless, go to God and plead His promise! He has said, "I will," and He has said it twice over! Lay hold of an, "I will," with each one of your hands, and come not away from the Throne of Grace till you have received an answer of peace to your petition, "Lord, do as You have said!"
II. Now, secondly, I am going to use the text in another way, not for God's people who are passing through trials, but as it may be applied to THE EXPERIENCE OF CONVERTS. God will for you, my dear Hearers who have been lately converted, open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys! He will make your wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water!
Who were these people to whom the Lord spoke? Well, they were people who were poor and needy. "When the poor and needy seek water." God will not do much for spiritually rich people. I mean you who say you are rich in yourselves and increased in goods, and have need of nothing—you who have all the grace that you need of your own making—you who trust in your own arm and sacrifice to your own goodness. There is nothing for you in God. His Grace is for the poor and needy! I think that I have some of them here, tonight. They feel as if they have no right to be here. They almost wish that they could get under the seat and hide! They feel so very low, so broken down. It is for you, dear Friends, that God will make rivers and open fountains!
When will He do it? When they begin to ask Him. "When the poor and needy seek water." Can you expect God to bless you if you do not seek Him? Your desires must be wide awake. You must be longing after God. You must cry in your heart, "I will return unto my God. I will seek mercy at His hands. I will plead with Him that I may be His child." Then will the Lord begin to open fountains and rivers for you!
But the time is noted still further. It is not only when they begin to seek, but when they begin silently to plead. Notice the words, "When their tongue fails for thirst, I, the Lord, will hear them." But they could not speak. Their tongue failed them because of their suffering from thirst. Yet says the lord, "I will hear them." A glib tongue is bad at praying. When a man prays in his heart, he is often like Moses, slow of speech. A sinner under a sense of sin is scarcely able to speak a word. Frost of the mouth, but thaw of the soul—this is what we need! Their tongue failed them, but their heart was speaking! We know that it was, for God says, "I, the Lord, will hear them." "I cannot pray," says one. I am glad that you cannot! God will hear you, now that your tongue fails you. You used to go upstairs and pray for a quarter of an hour, perhaps, such prayer as it was. But now, when you kneel at your bedside, there is nothing but a broken groan or two, and a tear. God will now hear you! When your tongue fails, your heart begins to pray, and God hears you! "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."
But the time mentioned is still more sorrowful—these people were in abject distress. It is added, "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none." "My day of Grace is past," says one. I wonder whoever told you that lie? As long as you live, your day of Grace is not past! Do not believe any such thing, for—
"While the lamp holds out to burn, The vilest sinner may return."
"Ah, well," says one, "I have gone to look for mercy, but there is none." So you think. Now is the time for Divine interposition. When you seek water and find none, God will open rivers for you! You remember how Elijah's servant went up to the top of Carmel and look toward the sea—and he came back to the Prophet and said, "There is nothing." But Elijah said, "Go again seven times." And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, Behold, there arises a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand." When man says, "There is nothing," God comes in and soon there is everything!
He made the world out of nothing and He makes new creatures out of nothing! When you get back to nothing, God has come to everything! The end of the creature is the beginning of the Creator. I may seem to be speaking these words very calmly to you, tonight, but I have within myself the deep persuasion that I am picturing some here who have reached the lowest point in their experience. They are despairing. They feel the sentence of death in their members. Now is the time for God to interpose, for notice how my text breaks in—"When they seek water, there is none." Then God says, "I will. They cannot do anything, but I will open rivers in high places. I will make the wilderness a pool of water." What you need is a Divine interposition! You need God to rend the heavens and come down and save you—and He has come down in the Person of His Son. Jesus Christ is that great interposition of God and He has come to open the rivers of Grace and to dig the wells of salvation!
The promise in the test also relates to those who are in various positions. There are some who are in very high places. You run up to the very tops of the mountains and you fancy that God cannot reach you there. But He says, "I will open rivers in high places." A river on the top of a mountain is an amazing thing, but God can make it so. However high you have gone, He can reach you. Others of you are ordinary sinners down in the valleys. "Well," says the Lord, "I will open fountains in the midst of the valleys." You shall find water when you are on the hilltop—you shall not have to come down to the valley for it. And if you are in the valley, you shall not have to go up to the mountain for it—it will come just where you are! I like that thought. There are some people who seem to think that we have to go a long way to find Christ, but, indeed, Christ has come to us just where we are! To use an old illustration of mine, our railways companies generally make the station from a half a mile to two or three miles from a town so that you must have a cab or an omnibus in order to get to it. But our Lord Jesus Christ has made a station just where the sinner is! Step into the train, now! The first-class carriage is right before you. You need not run for half an hour to try to get a ticket, for on this line there is "nothing to pay." "Whoever will, let him take the waters of life freely," for it flows at your feet, whether you are on the mountains or in the valleys!
Yes, and to vary the promise still more, the Lord says, "I will make the wilderness a pool of water." Have you seen a wilderness—a large extent of flat country covered with sand and stones? I have crossed such a wilderness on a small scale, where there was no grass, nothing green—just a wild waste without anything growing upon it. As for a stream of water, there is nothing of the kind, not a drop anywhere. God pictures you as being like that barren, dried-up land, and He says that He will turn you into a pool of water! Whatever you are, however barren, however worthless, God can transform you, by His Grace, into the very opposite! And, "the dry land," long dry and always likely to be dry, shall be, "springs of water." God can make springs of Grace in you which shall begin to rise and bubble up at once—and shall never cease to flow till you reach the Throne of Glory!
In a word, no condition can be so bad but God can change it. No sin can be so great but God can forgive it. No garment of our life can be so stained but Christ can make it white. How I love to tell you these things! How much more happy would I be if every sinner here believed them and came to Jesus just as he is, and trusted Christ to be everything to him! I cannot stay longer on that point, precious as it is, because I want to stir up the people of God by one other observation.
III. Beloved Friends, this text is true with reference to THE LABORS OR WORKERS FOR GOD. God can change
the condition of the plot of ground on which you are at work.
I may be speaking to one here who says, "Mine is a very bad place to work in, for I cannot get the people to come and hear the Gospel. There seems to be no spirit of hearing." That is largely true at the present time. Somehow the people come here and have always come here—but look at many of our Churches and Chapels. Why, in many of them there are more pews than people, more spiders than immortal souls! It is a wretched business. One says to me, "You know, Sir, we have had addresses to working men." Another says, "We have had Pleasant Sunday Afternoons." Another has had a batch of fiddlers at play! But the people do not come, for all that! Some who like cheap music and Sunday concerts may
be attracted by such means, but people will not be drawn, thus, to worship God! Of course not—can they not do their own fiddling if they want that kind of music? There is nothing in that style of thing to get people to come to a place of worship! There is just now a kind of hardening come over our population—the people do not care to go to a place of worship. But do not give up preaching, my Friend! Do not give up working, you who long for souls to be saved, for God can suddenly give a love for His House and an eagerness to hear the Gospel! He can make the dry land springs of water and open rivers in high places. Only let all ministers preach the old Gospel, preach it earnestly, and preach it simply, and the people will come back again! God will bring them to hear! He has always done so and why should He not do so again?
Another says, "I get the people to hear, but there is no feeling." Well, I too know what it is to have preached in places that have been like icebergs. When I have talked to the people, they have looked like so many images—there has been no stirring them, no moving them. Regular hearers are all to apt to turn into stone and to be unmoved, but oh, you who are trying to do good, never cease from it because people seem to be turned to stone—go on with your work all the same! If the Gospel hammer does not break the rock, today, hammer away until it does!
When the old St. Paul's Cathedral had to be taken down for the present one to be built, Sir Christopher Wren had to remove some massive walls that had stood for hundreds of years. So he had a battering ram, with a great mass of people, working away to break down the walls. I think that for 24 hours they kept right on, and there seemed to be no sign of giving way. The walls were so well built, very different from our modern walls. The structure was like a rock—it could not be stirred. But the battering ram kept on and on and on, blow after blow, stroke after stroke and, at last, the whole mass began to quiver, like jelly, and, by-and-by, over went the massive walls! You have only to keep on long enough and the same thing will happen in your work. The first blows upon the wall were not wasted—they were preparing for the others—and getting the whole structure into a condition of disintegration. And when that was done, down it came, and great was the fall! Work away, Brothers, work away, feeling sure that God will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys! He will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry lands springs of water.
"Well," says one, "what we need in our place is for the ministry, itself, to be supplied." Yes, that is what we need everywhere. If the minister, himself, is dry, what is to be done? Find fault with him and leave him? No, dear Friend, if he is a man of God, pray for him and never rest till the Lord makes the dry land springs of water! We poor mortals, whom God has called to be preachers, are desperately dependent upon our congregations. I do not say that we rest on you, first— our chief dependence must be upon God—but a praying, loving, earnest, wakeful people will keep the minister awake. And when the people decline and there is no life in them, it sometimes happens that the minister gets dry, too. I remember that when Mr. Matthew Wilks was comparing preachers to pens, he said that some of them spluttered, and others did not make any mark at all. "What is to be done with them?" he asked, and then he answered his own question—'Pray the Lord to dip them in the ink.'" I think that we must pray for all the pens, that God would dip them in the ink again! Oh, for another Baptism of the Holy Spirit, to put more Divine power upon them! Then, when we begin to speak, God will open rivers in high places and make the wilderness a pool of water!
But what is needed, too, is the same blessing upon the helpers. What is the preacher to do, what is the Church to do if the workers are half asleep? Sunday school teachers going through their duty with great regularity and no spirituality? People going about with their tracts when they might almost as well go about with Sunday newspapers, for they have no love to the souls of the people? What is the result if we have deacons and Church officers going about without any life or spiritual power? Well do I remember preaching in a certain place where I was told that there was a great spiritual dearth. I preached my best and when I went down from the pulpit, afterwards, there were two deacons standing against the door of the vestry, with their arms folded, and leaning back in a most comfortable attitude. I asked them if they were deacons, and they said, "Yes." I said, "There is no good doing here, I suppose?" They said, "No, none." I said, "I think I know the cause of it." "Do you know the cause of it?" they asked. "Yes," I replied, "I look to the right and I look to the left—and I see it." I do not think that the Brothers liked my remark, but, at the same time, I know that it was an arrow that went home to their hearts, for they became very different men, afterwards, and woke up—and God blessed the place. One sleepy Christian in a Church may do much mischief.
In some businesses, the whole thing is so arranged that if one person goes to sleep, all the machinery goes wrong— and I believe that it is very much so in the Church of God. You have seen a number of men standing in a long line, pitch-
ing bricks to one another. Suppose that one of them goes to sleep? There will be a great accumulation of bricks around him, but none of them will get to the other end of the line! Sometimes we get a member of the Church asleep. I would like to hurl half a brick at him, but I suppose that I must not do that, although he makes the whole work stop. No good is done because he is asleep. One says, "I know that Brother." Who is he? Would you mind just giving him a nudge? Put your arm this way and nudge Him so [describing man striking himself] and I should not wonder if you will hit the right man! If you awake, perhaps it might be the waking up of one of the most sleepy people in the Church! At any rate, it is always better to take these things to ourselves than to pass them on to anybody else. It is never well to listen for other people—the Scriptural injunction is, "Take heed unto yourself."
I pray that all the members of this Church, if they have, any of them, been like dry land, may become springs of water. Then we may look for a change throughout the whole congregation. Men and women will cry out, "What must we do to be saved?" There will be plenty of people to be talked to about their souls. We shall have no difficulty in increasing the Church, month by month, with such as shall be saved—and then all the neighborhood will be transformed. A living Church, in which God has made living springs of Grace to rise, will soon turn the desert in which it is situated into quite a different region! There is need for gracious work in all the neighborhoods in which any of us live—and great need of it round this region where it was once very much the reverse!
And what part of London is there that might not make a Christian weep tears of blood? Can you pass through this great city without being distressed and alarmed by reason of its ever-increasing sin and its decreasing fear of God? O Friends, these things cannot go on as they are! Something bad will come of it if something good and great is not soon done by the great God of Mercy! Let us cry to Him in private and in public! Let us entreat the stretching out of His arm of Grace and, with our prayers, let us put forth earnest efforts, each one trying to bring another to Christ and never resting—
"Till all the chosen race Shall meet around the Throne,
To bless the conduct of His Grace And make His glories known."
God bless you all, for Christ's sake! Amen.
Verse 1. Keep silence before Me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. God invites the people to argue with Him. He bids them, first, "listen" to Him and then speak to Him. They had been worshipping idols, so the Lord shows them that the idols are nothing and that all worship paid to them is a lie. He begins by asking a question—
2, 3. Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his feet, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? Who gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow? Who pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet. These words are supposed to allude to Cyrus who came "from the east," and conquered "the nations," and then did good to the house of Israel. It was God who spoke to Cyrus long before he was born. What idol god has been able to utter any prophecy? Only the Most High who lives in Heaven can foretell things to come! One of the best proofs of our holy religion is to be found in the prophecies which have been fulfilled to the letter in various countries and at different periods. Now, when they dig up old stones that have been hidden for hundreds of years from the eyes of men, they see the proofs of how God saw into the future and bade His Prophets foretell the things that should be hereafter!
4-7. Who has worked and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last; I am He. The isles saw it and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. They helped, everyone, his neighbor; and everyone said to his brother, Be of good courage. So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smoothes with the hammer inspired him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the soldering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved. A very graphic picture of the making of an idol! The people were afraid of Cyrus, so they began to appeal to their gods. A pretty god it must have been that had to be made by a carpenter! Then the wood
had to be covered with gold plates by the goldsmith—and the god would not be complete without the help of a man smoothing with a hammer and a smith smiting upon an anvil! When it was made, they had to solder it to keep it together and they had to get nails to fasten it in its place, lest, like Dagon, it should fall down and be broken. This is nothing but literal truth—yet what sarcasm it is upon idolatry! What good can come of idols that are made by men, idols that cannot move and must be fixed in their places with soldering irons?
8. But you, Israel, are My servant. You do not worship idols—you worship Jehovah, the living and true God.
8. Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, My friend. What a title for God to give to a man, "Abraham, My friend"! Could not we also endeavor to get into God's friendship, where Abraham was—to trust and love God much— to talk with Him much, and enjoy high and holy fellowship with Him?
9. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from the chief men thereof, and said unto you, You are My servant; I have chosen you, and not cast you away. To many, here, this verse will come home very sweetly. God is your God and you are God's servants. He has chosen you! He will never change His mind—His election is never changed. "I have Chosen you, and not cast you away." And you have chosen Him and you will not cast Him away. By His Grace, you will never leave your God, nor forsake the ways of Christ. May His mercy keep you faithful, even to the end!
10. Fear you not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God. Where God is, there is no cause for fear— "Fear you not; for I am with you." That is a grand argument! "Be not dismayed; for I am your God." Everything we need lies within the compass of those words.
10. I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness. Beloved Believer, are you weak tonight? Claim this precious promise—"I will strengthen you." Have you something to do that is quite beyond your strength? Take hold of this comforting Word of God—"I will help you." Are you ready to slip? Do you feel as if you might fall? Lean on this gracious message—"I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness." Do not let these precious pearls lie at your feet to be trod on! Pick them up and wear them—beautify the neck of your faith with them.
11. Behold, all they that are incensed against you shall be alarmed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with you shall perish. Your sins, your temptations—everything that would keep you out of Heaven and drive you away from God—the Lord will overcome all these enemies of yours and deliver you!
12,13. You shall seek them, and shall not find them, even them that contended with you: they that war against you shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nothing. For I the LORD your God will hold your right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you. That is the second time that we have had that precious promise to forbid our fear—first in verse 10, and now in verse 13, "I will help you."
14. Fear not, you worm Jacob. You are earthly, groveling, weak like a worm—yet even you need not fear—"Fear not, you worm Jacob."
14. And you men of Israel; I will help you. That is the third time that we have had that promise, "I will help you." "Ring that silver bell again," says the Holy Spirit to Isaiah, "let it comfort My tired ones." "I will help you."
14. Says the LORD, and your Redeemer, the Holy one of Israel. I was wonderstruck as I looked at this verse, to find it put, "You worm Jacob, I will help you, says the Lord, and your Goel," that is the Hebrew word which is translated, "Redeemer." "Your next of kin." Is the next of kin to a worm the Almighty God? Does He undertake to be our Brother, to pay the redemption price for us because He is our Kinsman? So the text says! Let us drink in the comfort of it—"Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." In order to become our Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, Himself, became "a worm, and no man."
15. Behold, I will make you a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: you shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and you shall make the hills as chaff. The Easterns drag a wooden machine over the corn to fetch out the grain from the ear. This is called a corn-drag—and they put teeth in it, similar to the teeth of a harrow. God said that He would turn His Church, His people, into a new corn-drag, with teeth sharp and tearing—and that they should go against their difficulties, which were like mountains, and against their trials, which were like hills—and they would thresh them small and make them to be like chaff.
16. You shall fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and you shall rejoice in the LORD, and shall glory in the Holy One of Israel. All difficulty is gone, torn to pieces small as chaff, and then win-
nowed away, as the chaff is blown from among the heap on the threshing floor! What a promise this is! You who fear God, believe it! Go and practice it and see if God does not make your greatest difficulties utterly disappear. Now come two sweet verses—
17, 18. When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue fails for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. See what God can do? Men are thirsty, they have no water, and lo—all of a sudden—behold rivers, fountains, springs, pools, floods! God does nothing in halves. He is an all-sufficient, overflowing God. When He gives, He gives like a king! He does not measure His gifts of water by the pint and by the gallon, but here you have pools, springs and rivers! When He has given waters, He will give trees to grow by the waters. When God gives a blessing, He makes other blessings to spring out of it.
19. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together. Making a paradise of streams of water and lovely trees, evergreen trees of the most comely aspect and of great variety. See what God can do? Where there is a wilderness, where there were hills and valleys, and all was dry and parched, He makes woods and forests, rivers and fountains! He can do all things. Oh, that we had faith in Him! But we forget Him—we turn not to Him. We look everywhere but to God. We try every method except that of trusting in the living God. Have we a God? If so, why do we act as we sometimes do?
Martin Luther was a very cheerful man, as a rule, but he had terrible fits of depression. He was, at one time, so depressed that his friends recommended him to go away for a change of air, to see if he could get relief. He went away, but he came home as miserable as ever. And when he went into the sitting room, his wise wife, Kate, Catherine von Bora, was sitting there, dressed in black and her children round about her, all in black. "Oh," said Luther, "who is dead?" "Why," she said, "Doctor, have not you heard that God is dead? My husband, Martin Luther, would never be in such a state of mind if he had a living God to trust." He burst into a hearty laugh and said, "Kate, you are a wise woman. I have been acting as if God were dead and I will do so no more. Go and take off your black." If God is alive, why are we discouraged? If we have a God to look to, why are we cast down? Let us rejoice and be glad together, for God will do all that He has promised, for this reason—
20. That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it. God wants you to know that He is at work on your behalf. He wants you to so trust Him as to see how His promises can be applied to your case—and what His right hand can accomplish even for you! Let us trust Him tonight with all our hearts!
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By Bob L.
I can understand where these Companies are coming from, but in most cases they brought it on them selves, you see they are just like the Insurance Companies, they want bigger pay checks, so where does the cut start, it starts with the working class, so they can get bigger PROFITS, and bigger Profits mean bigger Pay that they can give them selves and Stock Holders, have you seen any cut in their pay in this time of disaster, you have not seen the Federal Government give up their pay, from either their millions or Government pay, they have not given up their Free Health Insurance and start using what the Americans are having shoved down out throats.
As you can see these Companies, Governments, and Insurance Companies have caused the problem, and to begin with The Government and these Companies watched this happen and did nothing about it, so just like any one who has a chance, will take advantage of it if no one puts a stop to it, they call it doing business, taking advantage of it when ever you can, and see there is no competition when the government limits where they can operate, so this means it makes a monopoly, (watch Obama and his Czars bring in Foreign Owned Companies to replace American Companies).
Now we come to all these YUPPIES and RICH that want every thing that has caused prices to go up, now here is where the fun starts, YUPPIES and Rich just had to have Tummy Tucks, Face Lifts, Big Butts, Big Lips, Botox Injections, Liposuction, New Boobs, and NOW the new thing, if I don't get my Marijuana fix I will DIE, NONE of this has any thing to do with health, and why should the American people have to pay for what the RICH, and YUPPIES have added to insurance premiums which have added to the price of Health Insurance, because they don't want to pay full price to have all this crap done, they wanted others to help pay for it.
By TOM MURPHY – AP Business Writer
Wed.08 24 11
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Nearly one of every 10 midsized or big employers expects to stop offering health coverage to workers once federal insurance exchanges start in 2014, according to a new survey from a large benefits consultant.
Towers Watson also found in a survey completed last month that an additional 20 percent of the companies are unsure about what they will do.
Another big benefits consultant, Mercer, found in a June survey of large and smaller employers that 8 percent are either "likely" or "very likely" to end health benefits once the exchanges start.
Employer-sponsored health insurance has long been the backbone of the nation's health insurance system. But the studies suggest that some employers, especially retailers or those offering low wages, feel they will be better off paying fines and taxes than continuing to provide benefits that eat up a growing portion of their budget every year.
The exchanges, which were devised under the health care overhaul, may offer an alternative for their workers. These exchanges aim to provide a marketplace for people to buy insurance that can be subsidized by the government based on income levels.
A large majority of employers in both studies said they expect to continue offering benefits once the exchanges start. But former insurance executive Bob Laszewski said he was surprised that as many as 8 or 9 percent of companies already expect to drop coverage a couple of years before the exchanges start.
Such a move comes with potential payroll-tax headaches and could subject firms to fines. It also would give their employees a steep compensation cut if companies don't raise pay in exchange for ending coverage.
"Dropping coverage is going to be very difficult for these (companies) to do," said Laszewski, a consultant who was not involved with the studies.
Towers Watson's Randall Abbott said the survey results should be seen as a snapshot of how companies are thinking now. They can't be viewed as a final decision because there are still many unresolved variables. No one knows what the exchanges will be like or whether consumers will accept them, and companies may change their thinking once they learn more about the overhaul.
The health care overhaul also faces court challenges, and President Obama is up for re-election next year, two more variables that could shape what happens in 2014.
Related articles
- Three quarters of those who have lost jobs and health insurance are skipping needed health care (eurekalert.org)
- More than 50 million Americans now without health insurance (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

subset: commoncrawl


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People, get this through your skulls: perception is not reality. Just because you perceive a pattern does not mean it exists. If I could communicate just one idea to people when it comes to analysis, this would probably be it.
A-Rod hasn't hit with men on base this year. So what? He'll probably finish 25 RBIs off his excellent-even-by-his-own-lofty-standards 2007. The Yankees are going to finish nearly 200 runs shy of their total from last year. Were you expecting Alex to drive in 300+ runs?! Surely there must be some other explanation. In fact, not only is it impossible to find any real evidence that hitting with men on base is a separate skill from simply hitting in general, but the difference between A-Rod's so-called "clutch" numbers and his overall numbers is vanishingly small.
What's the difference between A-Rod's pathetic .232 average with RISP and two out and a .300 batting average?
Five hits.
What could we expect those hits to net the Yankees? Five runs? Seven? Ten? If A-Rod's five missing hits give the Yankees ten more runs, they'd likely be only five game behind the Red Sox instead of six. With six to play. Yeah. That's a huuuuuuuge difference.
With RISP regardless of outs, A-Rod is hitting only .261, a mammoth seven hits away from .300. Yeah. Seven whole hits. A truly gigantic difference.
With runners on base, regardless of scoring position, A-Rod is hitting a pedestrian .274, still seven hits away from .300.
Notice a pattern? Not only is the difference about as far from significant as possible, but as we increase the sample size, A-Rod's numbers become closer and closer to his overall numbers.
Do you want to know something else perhaps even more telling? A-Rod's OBP with RISP and two out is .424. That's higher than his overall OBP. His OBP with RISP regardless of outs is .398, still higher than his overall OBP. Perhaps no one wants to give A-Rod a pitch to hit when he can really do damage. Note that again as we increase the sample size, his OBP retreats to his normal level. This regression to the mean is the hallmark of random statistical noise.
Does this look like the profile of a choker or someone who had "it" last year and lost "it" this year? Or does it look like random statistical variation perhaps coupled with some very cautious pitchers?
Of all the Yankees' problems this year, A-Rod's performance is probably the very bottom of the list (OK, it's more of a problem than Mike Mussina). There is no reason, there is no reason, why we should ascribe A-Rod's "struggles" to anything other than the capricious whims of Lady Luck.
I'm sorry if that makes a worse story.


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KUALA KANGSAR: May 11, 2008 By Brenda Lim
Perak Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali doesn't hide his distaste for BN local councillors who hold on to their posts despite the coalition's loss to Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
"Do you need a directive? It's a matter of principle," he said after speaking at a thanksgiving ceremony hosted by Kuala Kangsar Umno yesterday.
Tajol Rosli, who is also the state Umno chief, expressed amazement that these councillors had to ask him for advice on their position.
Asked if it meant that the remaining BN councillors were unprincipled for holding on to their posts, Tajol shrugged his shoulders.
He said ordering their resignation would have been misconstrued as BN coercing its members.
He expressed concern that PR would lure BN members to cross over, pointing to media reports that 165 of the 349 councillors had yet to resign.
Of that number, 120 were from Umno, 35 from MIC and 10 from PPP.
It was also reported that all 95 MCA councillors and 52 of Gerakan's 53 councillors resigned, but several members from these parties applied to be re-appointed, despite a directive from MCA that its members would have to quit the party before assuming the post.
Jalan Kamunting Gerakan branch chairman Joseph Lau has announced his resignation from the party to remain on the Taiping Municipal Council.
Tajol Rosli is offering to resign as Pengkalan Hulu assemblyman to show BN's strength in the ensuing by-election.
"I am willing to prove it. If the leadership allows it, and if there is support from Gerik Umno, I am willing to quit as Pengkalan Hulu assemblyman and stand for election again.
"I don't mind if someone else is picked to contest. We will prove that we have never lost the people's confidence."
Monday, May 12, 2008
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Huizhou is an area in Anhui Province(安徽省)consisting of several relatively small villages which were established more than eight hundred years ago and still largely preserve ancient Huizhou culture(徽州文化). The culture is mainly represented by exceptional memorial archways(牌坊), distinctive memorial temples(祠堂)and unique civil residences(民居). Natural landscape of the area is quite striking, too. Hongcun(宏村), Xidi(西递)and Nanping(南屏)villages, as well as a group of memorial archways(棠樾牌坊群)in She County(歙县)are usually named as main attractions. On 30 November 2000, Hongcun and Xidi were placed on the List of World Cultural Heritage sites by UNESCO. Many scenes from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon(卧虎藏龙)" were shot in the area. Unfortunately, due to the time and weather constraints, I only had an opportunity to photograph in Hongcun and Mukeng villages. See more photos about this area in olegnovikov's photogallery And the Huangshan travel guide
The Wood-cut Building in Huizhou
Labels: [CHINA], Architecture, Art, Wood
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Is the 2005 acura tl front or rear wheel drive?
The 2005 Acura TL is a luxury mid-size vehicle by the same manufacturer as the Honda Accord. The base TL model was available in front-wheel drive only. All-wheel drive was added to the vehicle feat...
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Is the 2003 Toyota Matrix XRS front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive?
The 2003 Toyota Matrix XRS is a front-wheel drive vehicle. This means it has a transversely-mounted engine and the front wheels "pull" the vehicle, rather than the rear wheels "pushing" it. In the ...
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Front Wheel Drive vs. Rear Wheel Drive Advantages?
Manufacturers, mechanics, car enthusiasts, and consumers, have long debated the rear-wheel drive versus front-wheel drive issue. Determining which vehicles tend to handle better, and which are safe...
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What is the difference between front-wheel drive& rear-wheel drive?
Historically, most cars were rear-wheel drive. Then in the 1970s, in an effort to save weight and fuel, manufacturers began switching to front-wheel drive. A side benefit was added traction in wet ...
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Is a 1997 BMW 528i front wheel or rear wheel drive?
The 1997 BMW 528i was built as a rear-wheel-drive (RWD). Power to the rear wheels was generated by a 2.8-liter in-line six-cylinder engine and passed through a four-speed automatic or five-speed m...
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Pericoronitis : inflammation of soft tissue covering crown of partially erupted or impacted tooth and is caused most probably by normal oral flora.
For patients presenting with localized pain and swelling involving the pericoronal tissues, and in the absence of regional and systemic symptoms, it is recommended that local measures only are used.
(In addition to local pain and swelling, if the patient is exhibiting regional or systemic signs and symptoms)
What is Pericoronitis
Pericoronitis is defined as inflammation in the soft tissues surrounding the crown of a partially erupted tooth.
Seen in teeth that erupt very slowly or become impacted.
Most commonly affects the lower third molar.
When plaque or the bacterial layer (that remains on teeth after brushing) gets into flap of gums around teeth, it irritates the gums and leads to pericoronitis.
What is the difference between pericoronitis and supracoronitis
Supracoronitis : inflammation seen in soft tissue covering teeth which are going under normal eruption,which is local inflammation and degradation of tissue which allows the eruption of teeth and inflammation is gone after eruption of teeth.
The partial breakthrough of gum leaves opening for bacteria and causes infection.
Microorganism as streptococci , anaerobic , and normal oral flora .It doesnt always occur in all individuals with impaction . If a patient experiences mild transient decrease in host defences pericoronitis occurs.
Minor trauma from opposing maxillary third molar tooth.
Symptoms of Acute Phase of Pericoronitis
Symptoms of Sub-Acute Phase Pericoronitis
Symptoms of Chronic Phase of Pericoronitis
Purulent discharge from pericoronal space.
Halitosis, leucocytosis and malaise are also common in some cases of pericoronitis.
In addition patient may also notice sloughing or ulceration around the operculum.
Severe throbbing pain.
Extra oral swelling .
Restricted mouth opening .
the infection
gets spread in
sublingual and para- pharyngeal spaces then
Dysphagia occurs. The person has difficulty in swallowing food.
In the sub-acute phase of the systematic symptoms of pericoronitis become less acute .
Jaw stiffness.
Pus discharge.
Lymphadenopathy (in some cases)
Systemic features completely vanish till the chronic stage of pericoronitis, except for the state of severe exacerbation. In chronic phase of pericoronitis, patient report :
Dull pain .
Unpleasant bad taste .
With intraoral periapical radiographs one can easily identify bony defect around the third molar.
Differential diagnosis
Conventional radiography
Computed Tomography
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI )
It can be further divided into intraoral and extra oral views .
They actually lack importance in case of acute periocoronitis , as they don't show soft tissue lesions .
However , in case of chronic pericoronitis it may show some bone resorption in the area related to the pericoronitis .
It's the '' gold standard '' in head and neck imaging . CT scan is the most widely used advanced imaging modality in the evaluation of fascial infections . CT shows the extent of soft tissue involvement , i.e :
Complete extent of inflammatory process.
Epicenter of inflammatory process .
Accurately demonstrating the status of airway and involvement of various groups of lymph nodes .
Shows extent of osseous involvement adjacently .
It's an excellent imaging modality for soft tissues . It's a computer based tomographic technique that's developed to image tissues using position emission from isotopes , or signals derived from the nuclear magnetic resonance . That's why it plays an important rule in determing the infection spread through the facial spaces in pericoronitis .
Diagnostic investigations
CBC ( Complete blood count )
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate ( ESR )
Including the red blood cell count , white blood cell count , differential white blood cells count , an estimation of platelet number and a description of blood smear .
Helps to determine the nutritional state .
Helps to detect the presence of infection .
Helps to detect / rule out bleeding disorders .
Helps to determine whether the patient immune response will be adequate to facilitate post operative recovery .
• Red blood count : normal unless patient is already having anaemia, liver disease , polycythaemia or extreme dehydration.
• White blood count : increased ( leukocytosis ) , and in differential WBC count , values show special increase in NEUTROPHILS count .
• Platelet count : Normal unless patient is already having iron deficiency anaemia , hypersplenism , cirrhosis of the liver or viral infection .
It's a non specific test and values above normal are indicative of chronic infection , infarction , trauma and inflammatory process . So it shows increased value in case of pericoronitis .
These include:
• Debridement of plaque and food debris
• Drainage of pus
• Irrigation with sterile saline, chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide
• Elimination of occlusal trauma.
1. Gently flush the area with warm water to remove debris & exudate.
2. Apply topical anesthesia or gel if it's painful and remove the debris under flap with the help of periodontal scaler.
3. Swab the area with antiseptic solution like 'bitadine'.
4.Occlusion is evaluated and determined if any opposing tooth is occluding with the pericoronal flap.
5.Occlusal adjustment is done if required.
6.If Flap is swollen and fluctuant then use a # 15 blade to make an anteroposterior incision to establish drainage.
7.Antibiotics are prescribed:
Metronidazole 400mg three times a day for five days
Phenoxymethylpenicillin 500mg four times a day for five days.
The two can be used in combination for severe infections FOR Patient who are allergic to penicillin, erythromycin 500mg four times a day for five days is suitable.
8.After acute symptoms subside you should take an evidence based decision to retain the tooth or extract it. likelihood of eruption of tooth in good functional position may postpone the extraction of affected tooth.
9.If tooth is retained then pericoronal flap is removed with peridontal knife or #15 blade or electrosurgery- Remove the tissue from occlusal as well as from distal part of the tooth. If only occlusal part is removed then it will form a deep pocket distal to the tooth with further periodontal problems
18 years old female patient presented with limited mouth opening , severe pain , minimal extraoral swelling at the left buccal area .
Clinical examination revealed partially erupted lower left third molar with severe tenderness at the anterior border of the ramus .
Entrapment of food under operculum during chewing occurs which is difficult to clean due to lack of access at the corner of mouth.
MALE : 4.7 to 6.1 million cells per microliter
FEMALE : 4.4 to 5.4 million cells per microliter
WHITE BLOOD CELLS : 4500 to 10000 cells per microliter
NEUTROPHILS : 40% to 60%
PLATELET : 150,000 to 400,000 platelets per microliter
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zainab shaikhon 3 September 2013
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In the 12th century, the Crusaders arrived and renamed the city La Sephorie. They built a fortress overlooking the city.
In 1187, when Saladin conquered the city he returned the name Saffuriya.
In 1516 CE, the Ottomans conquered Eretz Yisrael. Over the next 400 years, Tzippori was a small village of a few hundred Muslim and Jewish families, which thrived on its pomegranate and olive produce.
Today Tzippori is a national park famous for its beautiful ancient mosaic floors and 1st century tunnels and cisterns that one can walk though. The Jewish part town has been excavated; it includes a mikvah and a cobblestone street.
To reach the tzion of Reb Yehudah Hanasi from the Movil's intersection, turn right onto Road 79 going in the direction of Nazareth. After 4 km turn left into Tzippori, travel though the moshav and after about 3.4 km you will travel on a dirt road till Har Hoshah. There you turn down a path and about 150 meters down you reach the last resting place of Rabbeinu HaKadosh.


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Browse and search Black Sea and more at WRKO
expanding economies, seemed irresistible. So the union grew, moving beyond its core in Western Europe to the edge of the Black Sea . Hearty, triumphalist figures like Germany's Helmut Kohl and France's Francois Mitterrand helped engineer the unification
involved a nearly $19 million investment that Manafort was orchestrating for Deripaska in a Ukrainian TV company called Black Sea Cable, according to legal filings by Deripaska's representatives. In the filing, Deripaska accused Manafort and his
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Kuhner believes if so much pressure from the media can cause a resignation from General Flynn then the media will try to take down the Trump administration. Who will be next to go? Kuhner thinks it's between Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer.
What do you make of President-elect Trump's pick for Secretary of State? Do you like this pick?
Is "T-Rex" the right pick? Trump's pick indicates strategic alliance with Putin & Russia.
Janet Adamy (WSJ, American Middle Class) 12.10.15 by The Financial Exchange
Full Show 8-4-15 by The Financial Exchange


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|I'm sorry but these deals are expired!
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**These deals are on a counting time scale and will automatically end when the time is up! Act quick! They're selling out quick!!**
This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for some posts which will be labeled as sponsored reviews & sponsored posts. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and benefit from. All opinions are my own.
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I suppose I ought to use this space to post an actual update. With as many people as are worried about/praying for our family, you'd think I'd be better about getting more information out there. But I'm not. Because I have important things like Haiku and Top 7's to worry about.
Besides, the other thing I was going to write about tonight was a Gary Kubiak/Houston Texans rant. And far more of you care about this than that. ;-)
Really, the reason I haven't reported much is because there hasn't been a whole lot of new information to report. Since we came got Kim's heartburn to settle down, things have been pretty much the same. We had one scare late Christmas night where we thought we were maybe going to have to go back into the hospital, but she slept it off. Kim spends every day resting on the couch, getting up occasionally to stretch her legs and back or just to see the world from a new perspective for awhile. She still can't "do" anything, but we've had a lot of family helping out with cooking and cleaning. Plus, I've actually been pretty good at keeping us caught up around the house when we haven't had help. Everything is very much "one day at a time" right now. Some days are horrible, some days are tolerable, and some (like today) are actually very nice. A big determining factor is how much rest we've all had the night before.
Tomorrow we will set into what will be our "routine" until the new baby arrives (hopefully late February/early March): I will wake up with Robbie in the morning and get him ready for school quickly, drop him off, go to work, pick him up, bring him home, and play with him/make dinner. After he and Kim are in bed, I'll do some cleaning. And hopefully some writing. And possibly some sleeping.
Health-wise, both mother and baby are doing great. It's more psychological/emotionally tough right now. Kim is stuck in a house where she can't do anything, and she misses cooking, cleaning, playing with Robbie, etc. Plus, there are all the aches, pains, etc that go with being six months pregnant, too. The toughest part of it all for me is just trying not to get overwhelmed, because there is so much to do. And the tough party for Robbie is probably trying to understand why things are so different lately. Hopefully school well help him settle back into a routine and make his world a little bit better.
People are often asking what they can do to help. Well, it you really want to know, here are some suggestions:
1) Pray. Obviously. For a lot of folks, this is all they can do. And it's probably the most important item on the list.
2) Come over. Chat for awhile! Play with Robbie so I can do some housework. Or help with dishes or something for a night. Cook dinner. Anything. But getting a chance to be friendly and social is a huge morale boost most of the time. Especially for Kim, since she doesn't see anybody during the day and doesn't see anybody but Robbie and I at night. Variety is the spice of life, yes?
3) Make dinner! This isn't a huge need; we're getting along all right so far and our church is providing us with dinner two nights a week. We've got some pre-cooked stuff stocked in the freezer and some leftovers in the fridge, so it wouldn't do to have people bringing things for us to eat every single night. We wouldn't have room. But it can also be very helpful if properly timed. Again, any one thing less that I have to worry about on a given night gives me time to concentrate on something else that needs done.
4) Babysitting. There are two applications here: First, there are times when I can't avoid it and I have to be at work while Robbie is at home. Having people on-call who can step in and help Kim with Robbie while I'm at work helps avoid awkward situations like this afternoon. (Though Robbie actually did a great job of sitting quietly at Hobbit rehearsal today) Second, if, on occasion, we can "unload" Robbie to someone else's house for an evening, it opens up the opportunity for Kim and I to have a "stay-at-home date night." Probably sounds like a pretty frivolous thing to a lot of you out there, but if you're looking for a way to be a huge blessing, this just might be it.
So there it be. The low down. This is where things are and, likely, where things are going to stay until this baby is born. Again: Kim and baby brother are both doing well right now. The baby is not in any danger whatsoever. The bed rest is just designed to keep Kim from going into early labor. She has not actually done so yet, which is what makes this different from the situation when Robbie was born. And as a family, we are making it. Sometimes we're not sure how, but we are.


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Money Monster (2016)
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You've just seen the movie categories woman director titled Money Monster (2016). You can bookmark this page with the URL http://burrowsart.blogspot.com/2016/03/money-monster-2016.html. Thank you!
Money Monster (2016) 910109.
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Christy - posted on 09/17/2015 ( no moms have responded yet )
Where would I start, to find other autistic children in our area? We just moved to the greenbrier Arkansas area this summer. That means, new school and no familiar faces. My child told me yesterday that he doesn't have any friends at his new school, that no one there likes him :( I feel so bad for him and would just like to find someone in our area that also has an autistic child to befriend him. Thanks, chris


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I recently featured the photoshop work of pixeloo here at the Squirrel Queen's palace. His reworking of Homer Simpson from yellow fellow to human flesh tones was amazing. He's also reworked Sonic the Hedgehog and Jessica Rabbit with incredible skill.
Since then, Worth 1000 had a photoshop contest in which cartoon characters were revised into human form. The work is sharp and creative.
My favorites were Moe and half of the Beavis and Butthead tandem.


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Thursday, December 4, 2014
Rest In Peace Diana.
Posted by Debashish Das at 7:07 AM 3 comments:
Ozaan & Naina chilling with Eewan
Posted by Debashish Das at 7:05 AM No comments:
Bungy & Jania travelling to their new home
Bungy & Jania travelled all the way from Delhi to Chennai to their new home. To animal lover & enthusiast Deepak Parmeshawaram's place. Here are few pics of the journey & thereafter. All images here come under COPYRIGHT laws. Do not copy.
Posted by Debashish Das at 6:58 AM No comments:
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Pioneers of Vidyashala
'Pioneers of Vidyashala' is an effort by Vivekananda Service Society to document the life and journey of Srimat Swami Shabhavanandaji and Srimat Swami Sureshanandaji. It is an attempt to record the reminiscences of people associated with revered swamis, archive digitization, anecdotes, photos, movie tapes, audio and magazines write up on founders of Vidyashala. The Research and Direction is by Sri Karthik Saragur.


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Hey are you surprised to actually get a post out of me on December 1st? This week's theme is "Stellar"
OMG Madonna puts on a STELLAR show! Near the end she sang "Like A Prayer" it was amazing and gave me chills!
Saturday, December 01, 2012
PhotoHunt - Stellar
Posted by Dani - tkdchick at 11:53 pm
Labels: concerts, Photo Hunters
5 comments:
- cucki said...
Nice x
- 1:56 am
- sharine said...
I used to love that song when I was younger. Actually I still do:)
- 2:05 am
- Nicola said...
Geat interpretation of the week's theme.
- 3:56 am
- Siobhán said...
Love the picture, don't like Madonna. Still--great picture! :)
- 7:21 am
- Lesleyanne said...
A stellar picture Dani.
- 9:11 am
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Let me tell you about the weirdest encounter I have ever had with a doctor in my life. I'm talking... if I could be arsed, I'd probably be mega pissed about this and want to complain, but the concept of having to get myself worked up over it and then use energy to show how upset I am and then having to see it through when people actually did something about it and asked me to take it further and see if it can be resolved... ah, the whole thing makes me knackered just thinking about it.
So instead, I've used my usual approach which is:
1. Gaze in disbelief whilst it is happening.
2. Go home and tell people there whilst still holding my gaze of disbelief.
3. Think about it for a while whilst gazing in disbelief at random strangers.
4. Go onto my little blog and decide to share my disbelief with you lovely people.
As you may have guessed, I have reached stage 4 of my usual approach and would now like to share with you all what happened.
So yesterday morning, I went to see my new GP as I have just moved house and so had to get a new one. I'd not met him before, but I was at the end of my tether in regards to one symptom that I have been having for about 9 years now... As I've mentioned before, I suffer from nightmares. These used to happen about 2-3 times a week, however my mind decided recently that it was bored with that routine and upped the anti by moving them up to EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.
This has been going on for about four months now, and if that wasn't knackering enough, my brain still wasn't satisfied and so decided to make them so bad that I have to wake up about once an hour smacking myself or yelling out words like "I won't eat that orange monster" (true story).
Needless to say, I have not been too impressed. I've been knackered as I don't feel like I'm sleeping and this has now led to me getting sick (once again, I know *rolls eyes*) and last week I had to take half the week off work because of this.
So I went to the GP on Saturday morning, all pent up and annoyed and ready to complain until something was done about it... and this is what happened.
My name appeared on the screen and I went to his office, all ready to complain. He sat me down with barely a nod my way and then proceeded to read aloud a very long and very detailed letter my previous doctor had written about me. He was incredibly slow about this and chewed over the words, so I sat there and just stared into space until he was done.
Once he had eventually finished, this was the conversation that followed.
GP: So, what can I do for you?
Me: My nightmares are doing my head in, I'm not sleeping and I'm getting ill.
GP: Okay, well that happens sometimes. Have you had a blood test?
Me: No.
GP: Well, let's do that.
Me: Okay.
GP: Have you also considered... (his phone goes off, indicating he has had a text message) Oh, excuse me, my son just received his Phd yesterday, this will probably be from him. (Proceeds to read the message) Oh no, this isn't from him... what is this? ... Oh, I can't believe this... these people should be lined up and shot.
Me: Okay, well I was wondering if you might be able to help with my sleeping, because it's been really effecting me at work and I'm tired all the time...
GP: Just look at this text. (Hands me the phone) It's one of those texts asking me if I need help with debt, how do they get my number? I keep on sending those texts back saying STOP but they keep on sending me message. It's an invasion of privacy, is what it is.
Me: (Hands back the phone) Yeah, they can be really annoying... anyway, I was wondering if I could...
GP: I'm going to show them... (starts typing in the slowest fashion I have ever seen into his phone. After a few minutes of him typing and me sitting there, tapping my fingers on the desk and checking my watch, he eventually shows me his phone again) There, that will show them, won't it?
He had written "Stop, stop stop stop, rubbish."
Me: I'm sure it will (he was still staring at his phone) Anyway... I was wondering if you might be able to help with the whole 'not sleeping' thing?
GP: Oh yes, well, let's increase your medication.
Me: I was under the impression that by increasing the medication, it would be less of a sedative.
GP: Really? You heard that? Well, let's ask Dr Google.
Loads up the internet and types the question into google... I kid you not.
GP: Oh... so it does... wow, well I've learnt something new today.
Now, I know that sometimes in my transcripts, I have been known to exaggerate here and there for dramatic/comic effect... however this happened exactly as I've written it. There was no need for any exaggeration... this man actually did every single one of the things I've written.
Needless to say, I went away a little worried for my future health. There was actually more than this that he had said but I feel this pretty much sums up the man that is now in charge of my health... If I die in the future of suspect causes, feel free to use this post as evidence...
In terms of future conversations I will endeavour to type on here... I had the most amazing conversation with a man from the American IRS on Friday that might have been my most favourite thing ever. I'm not kidding, I laughed for such a long time whilst simultaneously wanting to jump down the phone and instantly marry the man because he was so amazing. It has also led me to pretty much start dancing on the spot at the concept of living in America for 6 months... because obviously now that I've spoken to one man, all the other people in America will be just as awesome, because that's how it works...
I will really try to upload this conversation at some point on this blog, and I do apologise for the lack of general posts on this section but I think I have a pretty valid excuse this time... and no, it has zero to do with games on my phone! (although I have just discovered Temple Run 2).
I have now written and FINISHED a book!! It's called Utopia, it's about the end of the world and it is available on my sister blog Creative Writing from a Plum. This can be found in the link or in the bar on the right hand side of this blog -> -> This way -> ->
For those of you who don't fancy scrolling through endless amounts of posts to read it and also feel like being really nice people in helping me raise money to go to America this year, I am also making the book available to buy. First off, it will be available via Kindle, which I anticipate to be ready sometime next week and will let you know exactly when! Then hopefully, in a couple of months, it will be available in book form. This will take a little longer than I thought because the company I'm using is an American one and I need to sort out all the tax aspects of that being that I'm not American and so need all sorts of forms etc... (hence the call to the IRS).
But if you are interested or just want to help a girl out by buying her book and then never reading it (I really don't mind) then please, please buy a copy of my book so that I can afford to go to America... also, I'm a mega geek about my book and the characters in it and I love to talk about it and hear that others love them too, so if you do read it, then please let me know what you think... my official email address is:
email@example.com (that's 5 a's, 5 r's, 4g's and 5h's)
I will keep you posted on the information on this as I get it... I'm in major edit mode for the book at the moment but it's almost finished!! Much love to you all, and I have missed you all deeply.
Peace out my lovelies.
Sunday, 17 February 2013
I'm pretty sure this wasn't meant to happen...
Posted by Lisa Harries at 09:49
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Teasing your spouse
Interesting article in the paper this week about teasing your kids. According to the author, a man who's written several parenting books, "It's normal and natural to want to tease your…children. It's just not a good idea."
I would argue the same rule holds true for your spouse.
I see it too much. Husbands and wives who trade barbs under the guise of "raillery," thinking they're maybe like William Powell and Myrna Loy in the "Thin Man" movies, or maybe Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in "Moonlighting" (sorry my cultural references are so dated, it's just that modern culture is curiously bereft of witty male-female sparring– the only recent example I can think of is Dane Cook and Jessica Alba in "Good Luck Chuck," and, well.
Meanwhile, everyone around them is wondering when they're going to tip over into "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" territory.
Praise is to human beings as water is to a plant, I believe. You can get too much of it, sure, but out in the wilds of the world it's likely to be the other way around. As my friend Patricia Pearson points out in her excellent new book "A Brief History of Anxiety: Yours and Mine," just out (you should buy it, if only to assuage her heebie-jeebies about it not becoming a bestseller), the world is a scary enough place.
Within the bosom of our families, we want to be soothed, nurtured. The historian Christopher Lasch called home "a haven in a heartless world," and I think that should be true. Be nice to your kids. Be nice to your spouse.
I can almost guarantee they'll like you longer.
Hey, speaking of books I just signed a contract to write one tentatively called "Damage Control: Advice for Getting Out of Sticky Situations." Should be out next spring. Now, I know you've been getting my thoughts and words for free, my bloggies, but, hey, maybe as a birthday present for someone…?


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So the Opposition Leader has admitted to providing marijuana in the form of tea, to his daughter in the past.
Let the controversy and proverbial mud-slinging continue.
If and when the usual PLP sucks, UBP sucks, nuh-uh, uh-uh, dies down, there's an interesting and intelligent discussion that could take place over marijuana and potentially decriminalisation of the substance.
Our friends at Bermuda Blue have highlighted how this issue can be viewed by the outside world, and I suspect that at least a fair bit of how this will all play out will be influenced by larger-scale decisions made by Washington D.C.


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As the Britain voted to leave the European Union, with the Leave campaign securing around 51.8 per cent of the vote according to results released on Friday on the European Union Referendum, global markets are likely to see substantial volatility in the coming days as the shock effect of the results pan out and markets take into account the impacts, with substantial dampeners on international currency and capital markets, top Economists said on Friday.
"Volatility is likely to bottom out and stabilise over time as markets begin to price in the results. The impact on international capital markets as volatility affects borrowing costs for countries like Sri Lanka. This is a spanner in the already edgy financial markets. Generally, in times of volatility, investors tend to stay out of frontier and emerging markets like Sri Lanka and go to safer assets like Dollar and Gold," a leading Economist said on the condition of anonymity.
Noting that Sri Lanka might have do a bilateral deal with Britain, as regaining GSP plus won't help in the island's market access to Britain, the Economist pointed out that this will certainly not be the first in line for the bilatarels as estimates suggest Britain will have to do over 100 bilateral trade deals, which would take years.
"In the longer-term, if Brexit triggers other exits by other member countries (and there is no reason to believe this is immediately likely), this will affect the Euro and increase trade costs in Europe, which of course affects market access and competitiveness of Sri Lankan exports to Europe," the Economist said.
The official further pointed out that Sri Lanka could also be impacted by a wider slowdown in the global economy as economists have estimated that Brexit could cause global growth to dip below 3% which is tricky territory.
"Protracted political gridlock in the EU as a result of Brexit and the resultant negotiations for a post-Brexit deal can hurt policy coordination on economic issues, impacting business, trade and finance" the Economist said however indicating that the severity of each of these impact channels on Sri Lanka won't be known for sometime as we are not able to quantify the impact at this stage.
Almost 10% of Sri Lanka's exports go to the UK (US$ 1 billion; approx. Rs. 139 billion) and 28.8% of exports go to the EU as a whole (US$ 3 billion; approx. Rs. 411 billion) while close to 56% exports go to the USA and EU together.


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The Spanish press are convinced that Manchester United and Arsenal target Juan Cuadrado will be playing for Barcelona next season.
Barcelona have emerged as frontrunners in the battle to secure the signature on in-demand Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado.
The 25-year-old is currently co-owned by Fiorentina, who have been able to count on his services this season, and fellow Serie A side Udinese.
The two clubs are in talks which look likely to end with Fiorentina buying out Udinese's share of Cuadrado and taking full possession of him.
But Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella has admitted that Fiorentina wouldn't be able to turn down a sizeable financial offer from abroad and the main purpose of buying the other 50 percent of his rights could be to cash in.
Manchester United and Arsenal have been linked with Cuadrado, as have Zenit Saint Petersburg, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but the latest side to enter the frame are Barcelona.
Catalan newspaper Sport yesterday claimed that Barcelona were close to agreeing a £25m switch and Mundo Deportivo today backs that up by suggesting that Cuadrado has agreed personal terms.
It looks increasingly likely that Man United and Arsenal will have to look elsewhere for a new recruit at the end of the season.


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Filed under: Web Analytics | Tags: Adplanner, Analytics API, Google Analytics
Almost everyone uses Google Analytics to calculate overall site traffic as a way to measure the value of their website.
Many users are clamoring for a simpler way to share their Analytics traffic data with their external stakeholders. These stakeholders, such as investors and advertisers, typically use data reported by other services to evaluate the performance of a company. Many times these estimates are significantly different than that from Google Analytics.
One way to share your Analytics data with everyone is to use our recent integration with Google Ad Planner. With this, you can replace Ad Planner traffic estimates with actual data collected by Google Analytics.
More: http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/05/share-your-google-analytics-data-with.html
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So it's a cook out, you forgot you were supposed to bring a salad and no where is open. What do you make?
Here is a tried and true crowd pleaser and it is likely you have some if not all of these three ingredients on hand.
Cucumber Caprese Salad:
2 Lg. English Cucumbers (I use English/Hothouse Cucs because it saves time on peeling, but use any cucumbers you want, but if you use conventional cucumbers just be sure to peel them.)
1 pkg. of TJs Sun-dried Tomatoes
1 16 oz pkg. of Hormone-free fresh Mozzarella (If you can afford it, Mozzarella di Bufala is the best!)
1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I prefer a high-quality first cold press Italian Olive Oil but any EVOO will work.)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Simply dice cucumbers and cheese. Mix all ingredients and serve! Easy and delicious!


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Consumable Lubricant, grease, Oil and Chemical for Electrical Plants
All lubricants proposed for the works should be suitable for all operating and environmental conditions that will be met on site.
All oils and greases should where possible be readily available in the country of installation.
The number of oils and greases should be kept to a minimum and the Service-provider should submit to the Engineer for approval a schedule containing all items of the works, which require lubrication together with the quantity type and grade of lubricants required.
The Service-provider should supply the first fill of lubricants for all plant supplied under the requirement and any addition up to the final date arising from the reliability trial and previous operation.
The Service-provider should provide to the Employer at the issue of the taking over certification for each section of the works sufficient flushing oils, lubricants and greases necessary for efficiency operating and maintaining the plant at full load 24 hours per day for a period of 12 months.
Lubricant Storage and Handling for Construction Plant
Considering the consumption rate storage lubricant packages may different forms like- pails (20 liters), drums (200 liters), totes (1600 liters) and bulk tanks. To select the suitable package you need to analysis of the past history considering:
- Historical average consumption rate;
- Refill emergency and delivery delay;
- Delivery standard time;
- Delivery delay risk considering natural and man-made causes;
- Storage facility in store;
- Storing life time of the product; etc.
The lubricant storage compound may depend upon their hazardous characteristics. For lubricant compound or storage building may consider the following points:
- Access for delivery, transfer and emergency period;
- How minimize the risk to nearby premises on & off site in a fire;
- Fire proof construction;
- Distance from electrical structure/equipment;
- Distance from explosive/hazardous substances;
- Safe distance from any substances;
- Well ventilated and lighted are;
- Well equipped for fire detection and protection; etc.
It's important that storage life of lubricant depends on varying temperature and humid environment. Extreme hot or cool environment may cause of chemical degradation; so storage building temperature conditioning is necessary to keep the chemical in good.
Similarly, hydroscopic petroleum chemical when exposed to humid air they absorbed moisture. Moisture immediately degrade the chemical properties.
So, there is very much chance at site storage in a construction plant to degrade the chemical if not taken extra care about it, due to temperature and humidity, because not always possible to arrange proper store due to environmental, financial or space constraints.
Transportation of Chemical
Transportation of lubricant or any chemical should be under especial regulation comprising local and international codes. Transport may be by road, rail, sea or air; but everywhere should be follow following requirements:
- detail documentation;
- classification and packaging each item and marking properly;
- suitable container and its examination & testing properly;
- details information like duties of consignors, operators, drivers, etc.;
- adequate warning labels to be displayed on containers, tanks, and wagons;
- information regarding loading and unloading procedure;
- training of crews/drivers and others who will handle the goods;
- security and safety measures for any emergency situation;
- especial requirements if required.
All kind of lubricant and chemical handling and storing details are described in particular materials MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) that should be available in storage area in a dedicated way. Regarding MSDS there is a complete post where a list of website denoted for finding MSDS in online MSDS & HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL MATERIAL HANDLING AND STORING
Personal Protection & Chemical Handling
Must consider the wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in general working time and chemical handling time is not same hazard risk. Occasionally, personal protection may be the only practicable measure and a legal requirement, but keep in mind sometime really necessary to protect the life! So, project engineer must ensure the personal protection at site during execute the project site works; and ensure supply sufficient PPE.
Chemicals and other Consumable
The require chemicals and consumable includes for the provision of all chemicals, resins, and other consumables required for testing, commissioning and setting to work of each section of the works.
The Service-provider should provide all such chemicals and other consumables required for the efficient operation and maintenance of the plant at full load 24 hours per day for a period of 12 months for each section of the works from the date of the final certificate.
The Service-provider should prepare a list of these consumables giving quantities necessary for each section of the works and the recommended suppliers.


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A Better Way to Diagnose PTSD & TBI
Draper approach could help ensure vets receive proper care
CAMBRIDGE, MA – As many as 20 percent of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Many others go undetected and do not receive care for the condition, often leading to substance abuse, less than honorable discharges, and suicide, which claims approximately 22 veterans each day. Clinicians today diagnose PTSD based on discussions with patients, but those interviews lead to subjective judgements, and it can be difficult to distinguish between the reported symptoms of PTSD and conditions like mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI).
Draper is collaborating with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital to develop a more objective method of diagnosis by applying advanced signal processing and data analysis techniques to data from medical equipment to identify new biomarkers (objective signs of a medical state) for PTSD. The work, which is funded by the Pentagon's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs office, could also potentially distinguish between PTSD and mTBI with civilian patients following traumatic incidents like car accidents.
"We need to accurately diagnose patients to ensure they receive the proper treatment and recommendations for return to work/play," said John Irvine, Draper's chief data scientist. "Our data analysis can complement clinical expertise to make objective determinations in cases where conditions may present similar symptoms, but require different treatment and rehabilitation approaches."
The project combines Draper's signal processing, data analysis and modeling expertise with the hospital's proficiency in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to examine levels of metabolites in the brain that could indicate PTSD or mTBI.
The hospital is overseeing testing with both veterans and civilian patients who have experienced trauma. Preliminary results from testing this algorithmic approach with both patient populations have advanced the state of the art for MRS processing and analysis. Analysis of test data has identified several metabolites that eventually could comprise a biomarker. The approach could be used to diagnose patients following a larger study intended to validate the initial results with a larger group of several hundred subjects that is expected to conclude by late 2016. This approach could be paired with other diagnostics under development at Draper that examine biomarkers such as heart rate, pupilometry and respiration for additional confidence in the diagnosis.
"There is a great deal of overlap between those that have brain injury and post-traumatic stress, given the likelihood of both conditions when experiencing a blast from an improvised explosive device," said Alexander Lin, director of the Center for Clinical Spectroscopy at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School. "Our goal is to measure the differences in brain chemistry that will help distinguish the physical from psychological injury."
A similar approach combining MRS with signal processing and data analytics potentially could be applied to examine other conditions, including providing an objective measurement of pain, Irvine said.
The project is part of a larger neuroscience portfolio at Draper that also includes support to a Massachusetts General Hospital-led effort to develop a deep brain stimulation device to treat PTSD as well as other conditions; a noninvasive method of brain mapping that could help treat conditions like epilepsy, bipolar disorder and depression; and implantable nerve stimulation devices that could help treat conditions such as diabetes and chronic pain.
Capabilities Used
Draper's Biomedical Solutions capability centers on the application of microsystems, miniaturized electronics, computational modeling, algorithm development and image and data analytics applied to a range of challenges in healthcare and related fields. Draper fills that critical engineering niche that is required to take research or critical requirements and prototype or manufacture realizable solutions. Some specific examples are MEMS, microfluidics and nanostructuring applied to the development of wearable and implantable medical devices, organ-assist devices and drug-delivery systems. Novel neural interfaces for prosthetics and for treatment of neurological conditions are being realized through a combination of integrated miniaturized electronics and microfabrication technologies.
Draper combines specific domain expertise and knowledge of how to apply the latest analytics techniques to extract meaningful information from raw data to better understand complex, dynamic processes. Our system design approach encompasses effective organization and processing of large data sets, automated analysis using algorithms and exploitation of results. To facilitate user interaction with these processed data sets, Draper applies advanced techniques to automate understanding and correlation of patterns in the data. Draper's expertise encompasses machine learning (including deep learning), information fusion from diverse and heterogeneous data sources, optimized coupling of data acquisition and analysis and novel methods for analysis of imagery and video data.
Media Contact
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1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
3 cups uncooked oats
1 cup raisins
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.
3. Add eggs, vanilla; beat well.
4. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and mix well.
5. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Cool one minute on cookie sheet before removing.
*For bar cookies, bake 30 to 35 minutes in ungreased 13x9 metal baking pan.
Makes four dozen.
Inspiration: Quaker Oats Oatmeal canister
All my favourite things to make. Only the things that turn out well. Anything that is simple.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These are my favourite oatmeal raisin cookies. I got the recipe from the lid of a Quaker Oatmeal container. I stopped using the container long ago to store oats; but I've been reluctant to throw away the container until now, because I didn't want to lose the recipe. The recipe is called "Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies." They live up to that name.
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