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A community monodrama exploring what it is to be a young person in society and issues like exclusion, public space, democracy, austerity and choice.
Part of the In Our Own Words – July Festival of Theatre by Young People for Young People.
Ticket Information
Sun 19 July – 12:15pm
Tickets: Pay What You Can
Book using the form below, or see the event on the Belgrade website at: http://www.belgrade.co.uk/event/benched
These links will take you to the Belgrade website to complete the booking process.
Sunday 19 July – 12:15pm Book Now


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Back in 2007 I described British guitarist Lee Jones as someone who was destined to go far. His debut album, 'Swish', proved to be a fine blend of up tempo and tranquil rhythms which sounded as if they had come right out of Southern California and was all the more amazing for the fact that Jones hails from and makes his music in the semi rural confines of the heart of England. Indeed the market towns of Hereford and Worcester are places a million miles away from what one would associate with a contemporary jazz groove but that notwithstanding, and four years, later he has returned with the sophisticatedly jazzy 'Songs From The 13th Hour'. Not only does it includes guest performances from the likes of Larry Coryell and Jean Toussaint but also marks out Jones as someone who is making music that is accessible yet thought provoking.
Take for example the wonderful concoction that is 'Guess Who' where sax from Andrew Shillingford takes on a decidedly straight ahead disposition and in so doing contrasts delightfully with a rhythm from Jones that has something of a Bob James vibe to it. Talking of influences, 'Game On' has a Rippingtons-like groove and a Jones - Coryell guitar combination that is quite special while elsewhere the CD's only cover version takes Jones on a magically mellifluous journey with the Norah Jones staple 'Feelin The Same Way'.
The jazzily complex 'Iconic' features fine muted trumpet from Ben Thomas and although '13th Hour' is a roller coaster of light and shade, 'In Another Time' is anchored by the double bass of Zoltan Dekany and invigorated by haunting violin from Ric Sanders.
'Western Escape' has a pleasant mid tempo lilt, ultra smooth sax from Shillingford and more immaculate playing from Jones. It is right up there with the best that the album has to offer but just shading it as Smooth Jazz Therapy top track is the zesty 'Behind The Scenes' where splashes of flugelhorn from Ben Thomas prove to be the icing on this extremely rhythmic cake.
As Jones uses the tantalizingly mellow 'Silhouette' to bring down the curtain on 'Songs From The 13th Hour', the listener is left to contemplate the splendour that has gone before and, given his relatively young age, the riches that are yet to come.
For more on Lee Jones go to www.leejones-guitarist.com.

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Re: general comments re SRFI-114 John Cowan 05 Jul 2013 00:32 UTC
David Banks scripsit: > Overall this is an amazingly rich API and I look forward to using it > when it is standardized. I hadn't ever clocked the existence of the > previous SRFI, so this is a nice surprise. Nor had I. I submitted something much simpler, and our Kindly Editor pointed me to SRFI 67. I withdrew my previous submission and made this one instead. > I guess the intention is that if I want a less specific behaviour I > can use the numeric comparators under the 'Standard atomic > comparators' section, or 'default-comparator'. Just so. > Why not let the user specify the actual rounding procedure to use for > the rounding parameter of 'make-inexact-comparator', instead of using > a symbol? Performance? No, but because the small language does not support two-argument rounding functions beyond truncate and floor. I'll add support for a procedure as well. > I don't really see the need for the procedures under 'Primitive > applicators'. They are just sugar, I guess, unless the results of the > accessor procedures are intended to be totally opaque. (except for > comparator-check-type which has additional semantics). i.e. can the > semantics of (comparator-hash comparator obj) differ from > ((comparator-hash-function comparator) obj) in any way? No, it doesn't. However, I think it is easier to read. Originally I had just the applicationrs and not the accessors; then I saw that the accessors would be required too, and added them. One nice feature about large libraries like this is that when writing the more complex procedures, you quickly find out which more primitive ones are lacking. > I'm a little worried that the binary comparison predicates look too > similar to the existing base comparison predicates. (=? c x y) is > fairly visually similar to (= c x y). That's true. > Also not sure of the use case for allowing ((=? cmp) x y) as part of > the same procedure, I see that this is useful for expressions like (<? > cmp) where the resulting procedure is not identical to the result of > 'comparator-compare-procedure', but maybe bundling this neat currying > behaviour under general comparison is muddying the waters. It's true that currying =? and not=? are redundant, since comparator-equality-predicate is already a predicate. But it seems best to have all six of them. Let me know if you think it's a good idea to split out the currying versions from the regular versions under a different name. > Nice work! Thanks! -- Knowledge studies others / Wisdom is self-known; John Cowan Muscle masters brothers / Self-mastery is bone; firstname.lastname@example.com Content need never borrow / Ambition wanders blind; http://ccil.org/~cowan Vitality cleaves to the marrow / Leaving death behind. --Tao 33 (Bynner)


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On a new "Ancient Faith Presents," Bobby Maddex, Operations Manager of Ancient Faith Radio, interviews Ron Moore, owner/operator of the websites Fullness of the Faith and St. Romanos Records, about his new venture Ancient Church Arts, a site that features Orthodox t-shirts, gear, and music.
Kevin Allen talks with Fr. Josiah Trenham, member of the Secretariat of the Canonical Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of North and South America, about the Church today, its standing in the culture, and the recent work of the Canonical Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in America, which just met for the third time in September.
Thus far in his new series titled "History of Christian Worship," Fr. Gabriel Rochelle, host of the podcast "Musings from the High Desert," has discussed the the background to the Divine Liturgy in Jewish temple practice, as well as the theological relationship of passover to Christ. Listen to part one here.
AFR podcaster Fr. Josiah Trenham serves as a member of the Secretariat of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. He was commissioned by that body to conduct interviews with each of the Hierarchs in the Assembly of Bishops over the course of the next year. Here he speaks with Bishop Daniil of the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese.
On a new "Ancient Faith Presents," we interview Carole Buleza, the Director of the Antiochian Department of Christian Education, which will be hosting the 2012 Orthodox Institute November 1st through the 4th at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
On the next "Ancient Faith Today with Kevin Allen," Kevin interviews Fr. Josiah Trenham, member of the Secretariat of the Canonical Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of North and South America, about the Orthodox Church today and its standing in the culture. Listen to a preview here and then tune in to the live program on October 28 at 8/7c.
Kevin Allen interviews Fr. Evan Armatas, who will host a brand new call-in program starting November 18 on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. This program will offer an "open line" to any question about Orthodoxy and the Bible. A podcast version will be available for download shortly after each program.
On a new "Ancient Faith Presents," Bobby Maddex, Operations Manager of Ancient Faith Radio, interviews Joel J. Miller, the author of a brand new book from Thomas Nelson publishers titled Lifted by Angels: The Presence and Power of Our Heavenly Guides and Guardians.
Fr. George Morelli, the host of "Healing" and a licensed clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist, begins a new two-part series on Halloween. Here he examines some of the history behind Halloween, as well as the divine instruction regarding paganism.
Fr. Lawrence Farley addresses some misconceptions about allowing women to go into the altar in the Orthodox Church. You can read more about his views on the role of women in the Church in his new book published by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press: Feminism and Tradition: Quiet Reflections on Ordination and Communion.
Andrew Boyd, the Director of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministries for the Orthodox Church in America, interviews experts on children and young adults to help equip clergy and lay people to better minister to Orthodox youth. Here he talks with Mat. Jenny Mosher about how to properly teach children the Bible.
Our mandate is clear—Go and Tell! In this new episode of "Lord Send Me," Fr. John Parker, Chair of the Department of Evangelization of the Orthodox Church in America, addresses "becoming fishers of men," using Mormon practice as a catalyst for missionary work.


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Sales and marketing roles in Israeli companies are often handed off to the proverbial American exec who talks baseball with customers, and who conducts business on the fairway. This continental division of labor can work, but since most start-ups succeed or fail on their sales execution, it's a real handicap for Israeli entrepreneurs. The reluctance to emphasize sales and marketing stems from an over reliance on technology innovation and a cultural divide between Americans and Israelis, the latter of which feel less proficient at the podium or with the pen. Demanding more emphasis on sales and marketing in the early stages from Israeli entrepreneurs is easier said than done, but there is good news at least for aspiring web and software entrepreneurs as the Internet can bridge this gap.
One of the less celebrated transformations in the Web over the last three to four years is emergence of several robust methods for marketing and selling online. In particular, the search-based advertising revenue model of Google has fostered a entire economic system, and spawned essential web business terms such as SEO(search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing). Good SEO work at inception can result in free marketing on Google/Yahoo!, while smart SEM can provide for a consistent way to profitably acquire customers. Beyond the business of search, it is important to understand that Web businesses with a clear value assigned to each customer are generally willing to pay third party affiliates a bounty on each lead they bring to the business. Such lead generation methods based on CPA offer an attractive way to build a business without resorting to longtail advertising.
As a result of the above, online sales and marketing increasingly look like more of a science than an art, making these disciplines more accessible to the programmer situated far away from his customers. This is a godsend for the quintessential Israeli engineer, who might have business sense, but who still doesn't relish the idea of direct customer interaction. Some Israeli software entrepreneurs have embraced Internet marketing and sales, but not as much as one would expect. Too many Israeli web start-ups are stuck in the old model of competing for eyeballs…a notion that says a great product will generate traffic growth will which in turn bring advertisers. This can work, but is exceedingly difficult to build scale, and often requires larger upfront investment. It also renders affiliates and search engine marketing, ineffective or irrelevant.
With the recession in full swing, I expect to see a move away from ad-based revenue models and more Israeli entrepreneurs launching "smart" web businesses that use SEO, SEM and affiliate marketing techniques. I also expect to see more software companies utilizing the web to market, sell and distribute products online, rather than a traditional sales model of sales reps in the field. Assuming the company has a subscription/service or product sale business, one may even find user acquisition costs declining as advertisers cut back on spending. In short, entrepreneurs who can master the business of the web can rapidly build a profitable business with minimal investment.
It starts with a proper understanding of SEO, which may determine changes to the product spec and definition. SEO should not be an afterthought, once the product is ready, but part of a market survey before starting development. Secondly, it requires a viable revenue model based on more than advertising, such as subscriptions services, online sales or lead generation. And once a lifetime value can be assigned to customers, it requires strong unit economics around online customer acquisition. And if you really care about this last point, you will actually research things like PPC economics around the hundreds of keywords relevant to your product/service.
Have no doubt about it, online marketing and sales talent exists in Israel. Unfortunately, it is cultivated and concentrated in dubious, yet highly profitable market segments such as online gambling, adult content, and forex trading. These individuals understand and appreciate the unit economics of a strong online business model, including SEM, lead generation and affiliate networks. I have already seen individuals with these skill sets entering the mainstream start-up community, but unfortunately, there are not yet enough entrepreneurs savvy enough to grab them or learn from them.
These days, a good business does not start with a patent, but smart utilization of web business techniques at inception stage. We are in a new economic reality, where capital efficiency trumps even product innovation. For those entrepreneurs ready to embrace a different mode of thought, the web offers truly efficient way to reach and acquire customers.
Ruminations of an Israeli-American Venture Capitalist Looking for the Best and Brightest Entrepreneurs
Thursday, December 4, 2008
When Sales & Marketing Becomes Scientific
4 comments:
Great post Adam and congrats on the new blog. I'd like to follow your blog, but cant seem to find the RSS feed button.ReplyDelete
thanks for reminding me. it should work now.ReplyDelete
Thank you for taking the time to publish this information very useful! SalesReplyDelete
I'm glad to see the great detail here!.ReplyDelete
get sales
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Police in Edinburgh have charged three more people under the Misuse of Drugs Act in Edinburgh as part of the ongoing Operation Eagle.
200 Voices: find out more about the people who have shaped Scotland
Officers in the Capital carried out intelligence-led searches of two properties in Glendevon Avenue on Monday February 6, where they recovered £33,000 worth of cocaine.
A conductive electrical device, air weapon and incapacitant spray were also seized during the activity and a 44-year-old man was arrested along with two women aged 42 and 18.
All three are scheduled to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Wednesday 8th February charged with drugs and firearms offences.
Detective Inspector Alan O'Brien from Edinburgh's Proactive Unit said: "Following the successful launch of Operation Eagle last week, we have acted on more intelligence from the public and seized a sizeable quantity of cocaine along with various dangerous weapons.
"Our communities continue to make it clear that they will not tolerate drug crime in their area and are regularly providing us with vital information that can bring those responsible to justice.
"Operation Eagle is committed to tackling drugs offences of any nature and if you wish to report any ongoing criminality in your area please contact us on 101 or make an anonymous report to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."


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Thank you for taking the time to fill out the NATURAL BEGINNINGS PLACENTA SERVICES CLIENT INFORMATION FORM.
Once submitted, look out for an automatic reply with further instructions. (If you dont find it, please check your Bulk or Junk folder). Once completed, I will be in contact with you within 48 hours to confirm receipt and discuss any questions you may have.
I look forward to processing your placenta into this wonderful medicine!


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In recent months, Nielsen has seen a younger subset of viewers watch more streaming video, but that activity isn't cutting into overall TV viewing, said Jon Gibs, SVP Analytics and Insight at Nielsen, while speaking at a Beet.TV Online Video Leadership webcast in New York last month.
Online video is becoming more of a preferred platform for many younger viewers just graduating from college, Gibs said. He added that cable subscriptions continue to rise, suggesting that college graduates are more apt to "cord shave" rather than cord cut.
CBS is seeing a similar trend in the demographic makeup of online viewership. The network's median viewing age for broadband is much younger than network viewing, said Ken Lagana, SVP Sales at CBS Interactive. "[Online viewing] is a great vehicle for sampling and potentially getting people into the CBS franchise," he said.
This video is a highlight of the August 23 Beet.TV Online Video Leadership webcast. The entire session can be found here.


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A Circle Of Warriors is always looking for volunteers! We need those who share the same goals and visions that we do, being in the service of those who have given themselves freely for the protection of us and our country.
Currently looking for:
Grant Writer: We need a professional with a successful track record in writing grants for a variety of projects and events.
Combat Veterans: We need volunteer Combat Veterans for peer-to-peer Vet support and counseling.
Community Volunteers: Handing out flyers, brochures, fundraising vouchers, etc.
When you are ready to volunteer for our very worthy organization, please fill out the contact form on the website, and someone will get back with you shortly, or call 408-771-6760, or email firstname.lastname@example.com! We are always in need of great volunteers!


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*Press Samples*
This my friends is the 2015 Literary Lacquers Community Collection. Amy, the wonderfully creative mastermind behind Literary Lacquers has worked with other wonderful ladies in the nail world to create a set of 8 polishes inspired by works of literature!
I of course have had a love of this brand for a long time because, being a book nerd myself, I just loved the fact that this brand connects two of my favorite things – books and nail polish!
Want more good news?! These polishes are available now with an awesome chance to get a free polish with purchase through the entire month of December! More details on that at the end of the post, along with a giveaway!!!
Why don't we start with my addition to the collection?
The BFG, which stands for Big Friendly Giant, is one of my favorites books from my childhood. Roald Dahl does something magical with language in this book that I think is part of what led me on the path to becoming a writer to this day. The book follows the story of Sophie, who awakens one evening to see the BFG delivering dreams to people in town. Upon being discovered, the BFG captures Sophie and takes her on a wild adventure to the land of the giants. Sophie discovers that the BFG is not to be feared, unlike the other giants who are "cannybully and murderful!" At one point in the story, Sophie is examining the dreams that the BFG catches, which he stores in jars.
"Sophie peered into the jar and there, sure enough, she saw the faint, translucent outline of something about the size of a hen's egg. There was just a touch of colour in it, a pale sea-green, soft and shimmering and very beautiful. There it lay, this small oblong sea-green jellyfish thing, at the bottom of the jar, quite peaceful, but pulsing gently, the whole of it moving in and out ever so slightly, as though it were breathing."
That is where I got the inspiration for my color. I've titled the polish, Phizzwizard. Phizzwizards (another fun made-up word from the BFG) are peaceful, happy, unmistakable and incredible dreams that everyone wants to have every day.
Sorry for the crazy lengthy intro to this polish, but as you can tell, it is extremely special to me! Amy captured the Phizzwizard perfectly in this polish. A lovely sea-green holo polish, this polish just glows like I imagine dreams in jars would! The application was lovely, the polish is on the sheerer side so it did take three coats for opacity but application was a dream like buttah!
Leaves of Grass is one of the great, iconic American poetry collections. Walt Whitman wrote about nature and exalted the material world, sensual pleasures and the human body. Each edition of the collection was different. When it was first published it only included 12 poems, but by the end of Whitman's life it contained more than 400. Such an iconic work felt appropriate to lend its' name to this gorgeous green polish. Leaves of Grass is a work that demonstrates the human condition, which resonated with me from the first time I picked up a copy. This iteration of the idea of "Leaves of Grass" is a sun-drenched meadow in a bottle.
This is a gorgeous emerald green linear holo polish with matching green microglitters throughout. Opaque in two coats, this is a formula and a polish that Amy had down pat! She does this finish so well. I love the inspiration for this polish and I also love that it is a green that spans the seasons, I would wear green everyday if I could. This polish is bright without being obnoxious, and just is a lovely stately shade of green!
This is Burning Slowly From the Inside Out created with Destany Pingle of Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom and is inspired by The Selection Series by Keira Cass. Let's see what Destany has to say about this polish.
My inspiration was my current literary obsession - The Selection novel series by Kiera Cass. The covers are just so amazing, and I've dreamed about the fiery red-orange of the cover of The Elite. Let me just say this - I'm not much of a romance reader. These books are fairly high in the romance department, but the dystopian drama fills it up, too. This series is kind of like The Hunger Games meets the Bachelor. The country has been torn apart by war, and from the ashes it has risen as a caste system, complete with a ruling monarch. When the ruling monarch's child is "of age," there's a competition of sorts. Girls from all over the land are chosen to compete to be the prince's wife. Let's just say I found myself wanting a Prince Maxon in my life! But the true star is the cover of these books. They are fabulous studies in gorgeous colors! My favorite is the cover of The Elite, which features a beautiful fiery red-orange gown (on our heroine) with a background of shimmery white holo-y goodness. And as for the name? It comes from this quote... "It wasn't like I made his world better. It was like I was his world. It wasn't some explosion; it wasn't fireworks. It was a fire, burning slowly from the inside out." - Kiera Cass, The Elite
I love this shade! One of my favorite warmer shades to wear, this is a lovely orange-red linear holo with with and orange red flakies, which you can really see more in indirect light. The flakies give this polish a bit of dimension and remind me a bit of the movement of flames when you watch the sparkle of the holo. Another great application on this one, opaque in two perfect coats.
This is Stinky Little Truck inspired by the Veronika Layne Hot Off the Press mysteries by Julia Park Tracey. This collaboration was the brainchild of blogger Michelle Chouinard of Lacquer or Leave Her who asked Literary Lacquers to create these colors in collaboration with Julia. Let's see what Michelle has to say about this polish.
In the Hot Off the Press books, Veronica Layne drives a biodiesel truck that runs off of vegetable oil; it's an excellent alternative fuel, but can make your car smell like a vat of French fries. But really, that's a small price to pay to keep the earth healthy, especially if you can look like this while you're doing it. I love metallics and bling during the holidays, but have had difficulty finding a silver polish that has an elegant, sophisticated feel while still making my fingers sparkle and shine. The subtle linear holo and flecked finish in this polish satisfy my need for something that's glamorous and special, without going way over the top.
My take?! Hello blinging amazingness! This polish is not only holo in the sun, it is super platinum in indirect lighting it, making it a wonderful holiday polish in my opinion. It is a beautiful metallic silver polish with a scattered holo finish. Just enough holo to be interesting in the sun, but not too overwhelming. This polish was opaque in two coats, perfect formula, no metallic streaks at all!
This is Veronika, inspired by Veronika of the same Hot Off the Press mysteries by Julia Park Tracey. For this polish, we get to have some input from Julia, the author. How neat is that?!?!
I see this as the perfect choice for the character of Veronika Layne, who is a kind of goth-hippie. She's a tree-hugger and an eco-warrior, who has tattoos, body piercings and loves her sexy lingerie and her black and white cat. Purple nails? Yes, please!
I just LOVED this purple. I haven't always loved purple but I've really come around to it this year. This polish is lovely violet linear holo with lovely tiny flakies that reflect an almost pinkish color, making a slight pink lean to this gorgeous violet color. Opaque in two coats, great formula to report!
Next up we have Free to Fly, designed with Jennifer Zakroff and inspired by the Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Jennifer shared this quote from Song of Solomon as part of the inspiration.
"Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity. Can't nobody fly with all that shit. Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down." - Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison
This is a lovely delicate lavender linear holo with iridescent flakies which give it a lovely blue-green glow. I love this color for winter, it reminds me of the grey days when you long for the pastel colors of spring. Looking down on this polish during a cold day would bring me such delight. It has a lovely holo finish in the sun and a beautiful flashes of green and blue from the flakies inside! I think I may have painted three coats for opacity here, but still very lovely polish and a great formula.
This next polish is called My Favorite Day and was designed with Jody Morris Feldman, a lovely super active lady in the nail polish community! She drew inspiration from her polish from Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne! Let's see what she has to share about it!
It's one of my favorite quotes from Winnie the Pooh, which the father of my grandson had me read to him over and over again when he was a little boy. Winnie asks Piglet what day it is and Piglet answers 'it's today' to which Winnie says 'my favorite day '. I told my son, every time I read it to him, that every day with him was my favorite day, so now I know that every day with his son is his favorite day. Mushy, I know, but that's what grandparenthood has done to me.
How absolutely sweet is that?! I just love this color, completely unique in my collection this is a lovely golden amber metallic linear holo that is great for the holidays, but also agrees with my love of warmer shades for the fall. I already incorporated this into my Thanksgiving nails (which I only posted on Facebook and Instagram sorry), and I totally see myself breaking this shade out for nail art many many more times in the future. Once again, a lovely two coat formula with no metallic streaks causing application issues!
The final polish in the Community Collection is A Sensible Rabbit designed with Cassandra Pio of Fierce Hearts Wildlife Rehabilitation and inspired by Watership Down by Richard Adams. Let's see what Cassandra says about this polish.
Watership Down is a story of brains over brawn, the power of the underdog, compassion, and most importantly: rabbits. A Sensible Rabbit is inspired by Hyzenthlay, whose name is translated in the book as "fur that shines like dew." She's a no-nonsense doe who rises to the occasion when it's her time to shine. The book might focus on the boys, but it's a lady of a rabbit who really saves the day. I wanted a polish that mimicked a rabbit's surprisingly complex fur, with enough sparkle to get me through a slog of a day, and of course Amy delivered. It's a testament to my character that I love the same books I did when I was 11 as well as work in a field my childhood self would think is pretty awesome. I'm blown away by the support that Amy and the indie polish community have offered me as I get Fierce Hearts Wildlife Rehabilitation off the ground. You can follow my exploits, rabbit related and otherwise, on my facebook page.
Let's just say that in addition to books and nail polish, I love animals, and I love the inspiration behind this polish. This is a lovely taupe holographic polish with amazing rainbow microflakies and black microglitter, perfectly mimicking rabbit fur in my opinion! Also kind of matches my kitty's fur too! This polish dries a tad textured, but a top coat will smooth that out no problem. Another great two coat formula.
What?! There's one more polish?! This is Amy's edition to the collection Give My Heart, not available for purchase, but free as a gift with purchase this holiday season. This polish was inspired by In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti.
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
I'm not the hugest pink fan, but this polish has won me over. It has a coral lean to it that reminds me of a lovely sunset and I just love it to death. In that fabulous linear holo microglitter finish, this was opaque in two perfect coats.
Give My Heart is a limited edition gift with purchase – purchases of $24 will get a free 5 mL bottle and purchases with $48 will get a free 15 mL full size bottle. Last year I gave Lit Laqs as Christmas gifts because who doesn't love a polish with extra special literary meaning and inspiration behind it?!
Also this holiday season, orders over $75 can use code 2015HOLIDAY for free domestic shipping or 2015INTERNATIONAL for $7 off international shipping. All promotions, including the chance to get Give My Heart are available through New Year's Day, so Amy gives you plenty of time to shop!!!
So what are you waiting for? Get your butt to the Literary Lacquers Etsy Shop now to grab some amazing polishes!!!
And now, if you'd like a chance to win my polish in this awesome collection, Phizzwizard (the lovely seafoam green) and a full size Give My Heart, enter at the Rafflecopter below!
Please no giveaway accounts, I will check, and please leave an email you can check within 24 hours, otherwise I will have to choose another winner! US Only, sorry.


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Porvair Sciences, specialists in the manufacture of microplate products, serve Life Sciences, Biotechnology, R&D and Molecular Biology with microplate solutions for all applications, from sample preparation to high throughput screening via our global distributor network.
At Porvair Sciences we manufacture our plates from virgin polypropylene to minimize the presence of extractables. When compared to other major microplate manufacturers, GC-MS analysis revealed no significant levels of leachables or extractables.
Andy Wells has recently joined the ranks of our dynamic and friendly employees as a Distribution Sales Manager. We caught up with him about his career up to date and what he's looking forward to most in his position:


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(November 2, 2012. Update: March 26, 2013.)
You can turn into your own cliché. In a self-consistent way - absolutely, positively. Just watch this video. I am a nerd, a nerdess. For me, 'technology' was mainly about:
- Living off pizza and caffeine.
- Sociophobic lifestyle. In the prototypical programmer's cave.
- Chasing hackers and security bugs.
- Getting excited over text files and command line output.
However, what a let-down: Discovering Your Life Being Cliché.
But I learned from Mark Twain: The kernel, the soul - let us go further and say the substance, the bulk, the actual and valuable material of all human utterances - is plagiarism.
I try my best to keep up the techie style even as a more hands-on engineer. 2013 is dedicated to the quest for the Grand Unified Theory - unifying geekdom and down-to-earth tinkering with energy systems. I am projecting my hopes and dreams onto the power grid and its soon-to-be added IT-based smartness.
Personal website of Elke Stangl, Zagersdorf, Austria, c/o punktwissen.
elkement [at] subversiv [dot] at.


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Monday, October 15, 2012
Around the World in 80 Plates: Hungary
I picked up a package of Tufurky Kielbasa one day at Rainbow Foods here in Ottawa with the intent of making something but not really knowing what. I ended up finding Paprikás krumpli sort of backwards, instead of buying ingredients to make a specific dish, I bought the sausage and googled Hungarian cuisine and found a dish with potatoes and sausage that I thought they would work in (albeit not kielbasa but hey I'm working with a limited assortment here). The dish was spiced with paprika and cumin which sounded pretty good to me so I decided to give it a try. I am so happy I did because pretty good is way undershooting this dish. It was warm and hearty and so flavourful. I couldn't shut up while I was eating, I just kept exclaiming how delicious it was after every bite. I even called dibs on the leftovers for lunch the next day before finishing what was in my bowl.
I used this recipe only changing the farmer's sausage for 2 sliced Tofurky kielbasa and less oil. I made sure to brown the kielbasa a bit in the pot before adding the tomato and water (3 cups in total which I added a bit of veg broth powder to before adding it to the pot to add a bit more flavour). For the sour cream on top, again I used the cashew yogurt from Artisan Vegan Cheese. I added a bit of bottled lemon juice and a pinch of salt to make it just a bit tangier but it was still quite liquid. It melts in with the stew when you drizzle it on top and makes it even more flavourful and rich. The potatoes soak up all kinds of flavour and spice while they cook in the stew which makes them the best bites. I ended up using Yukon Gold potatoes since it was the only kind I could find organic at the store and they worked just fine. Plus I love Yukon Gold potatoes because they have such a great flavour all on their own. The kielbasa I was a bit worried about, thinking it might get soft or fall apart being cooked for so long in the pot but it held it's own. I think the initial browning helped out for sure but you could even cook it separately and add it in during the last 10 minutes of cooking if you wanted. I seriously recommend making this dish, it has instantly become one of my favourites. Even just typing this is making me crave it again!
6 comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDeleteReplies
I removed it. I'm a stinker for misspellings and had to fix it!Delete
Ah! Hungarian! Excellent choice of locale. The recipe sounds so delicious, although I'm thinking that cumin is out of place. If you want some more fantastic Hungarian dishes, I have a bunch, but am always wanting to add more. Thanks for reminding me that I have a hankering for Hungarian food :) It always give me a little thrill when I read something Hungarian on another post! Beautifully done.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 15, 2012 at 3:31 PM
I'm so not familiar with Hungarian food, but your meal looks really good. I love those Tofurky sausages, I tried them for the first time last month and have been devouring them in various potato hashes ever since.ReplyDelete
This sounds delicious! That's a meal with oomph! And it must have been good if you were calling dibs before you'd even finished your first bowl!ReplyDelete
I will have to make this from my Hungarian friend when she is in town next time.ReplyDelete


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Forty-nine days. Seven weeks. That's how long I have before I leave on my trip to the UK for Christmas. For those of you not looking at a calendar, this also brings us to the last weekend before Christmas.
I've always said in the past that the holidays do not bother me (food-wise). And this was true. Until lately. Since I stopped trick-or-treating myself (many, many years ago), my exposure to Halloween festivities has been somewhat limited - I have no children of my own and for many years now I have lived in an apartment building where here has never been trick-or-treating permitted. For me, this was good for two reasons: a) I don't have to spend money on treats and b) I don't have to HAVE the treats in my house. This year, however, I was tasked with two things at work - helping one of my bosses get ready for his Halloween open house (to which I was invited) and getting the Halloween candy for my office. I loved this - got myself a cute Halloween head-band from the dollar store, filled a pumpkin bucket with great candy and "reverse" trick-or-treated in my office (gave out rather than collected)... but there were leftovers. Those leftovers sat on my desk. Not good. I seem to be unable to resist the lure of the chocolate/candy this year for some reason! This entire week has been so food-focused (starting with the Halloween open house...gumbo, cake, lobster dip, oh my!) that I had to go to a mid-week Weight Watchers meeting on Halloween night just to get myself back on track. It did help. But I also realized that I need to re-evaluate things.
Last week at WW I was free for the first time since the summer. For those of you not familiar with the WW plan, once you reach your goal weight, so long as you are not more than 2 pounds over goal, you attend meetings for free. Last week I was finally back in the safe zone. My meeting on Wednesday night was free for me, but I fear (with justification) that this upcoming weigh in will NOT be free. I know that this is my own fault. I accept that and acknowledge that only I can change this train-wreck :) The leader at the mid-week meeting said that we should take 5 minutes per day to reflect on our food. While I did not exactly do that yesterday, I was more aware of what I was doing than I had been the day before.
So here is my 49-day plan...nothing outrageous or scary...just simple, yet (hopefully) effective!
For the next 49 days I will do a MINIMUM of 10 minutes of activity each day. I know, I know, that doesn't sound like much. BUT I will continue to do my bootcamp 2x per week and Zumba 2 x per week. So that still works out to about 4 1/2 hours of activity per week.
For the next 7 weeks I will evaluate my upcoming week for "danger zones" (aka treat opps) and determine which (if any) are with it and I will plan accordingly. The only major events I can foresee in the next 7 weeks are my nieces birthday and my Christmas party for work (which falls on DAY 49!). Halloween is over...Thanksgiving is over... no other birthdays or anniversaries (that I'm aware of).
For the next 1,176 hours I will limit (not eliminate) my sugary-treat intake. Currently the only "bad" treats in my house are the Girl Guide thin mint cookies in my freezer (yes, I love them frozen!). These are a 10/10 treat for me and on the WW program are 4 cookies for 4 pts+ (bargain!). I only have half a box left, so I must ration these. Maybe just 2 per week... :) I will avoid picking at silly things that I don't even care for (that spoonful of chocolate chips from the baking cupboard, the chocolate covered raisins...I HATE raisins...but will eat anything covered in chocolate!). I used to say I would limit myself to treats that were worth a 10/10, but not everything in life is perfect, so I'll reduce that to a 9/10 rating.
For the next 70,560 minutes I will track 100% (been slipping to about 95% lately). I will also plan my lunches and suppers better (doing more cooking on the weekends in preparation for the upcoming week).
What are your plans for the Goblin to Gobbling season? (aka Halloween to Christmas) Will you join me in becoming more aware and intentional about healthy eating and physical fitness?
Oh...I also want to blog more than once every few weeks...that's been slipping too!!


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gcc Compiler Optimization Options [From the man gcc page.]
Without `-O', the compiler's goal is to reduce the cost of compilation and to make debugging produce the expected results. Statements are independent: if you stop the program with a breakpoint between statements, you can then assign a new value to any variable or change the program counter to any other statement in the function and get exactly the results you would expect from the source code.
Without `-O', only variables declared register are allocated in registers.
With `-O', the compiler tries to reduce code size and execution time.


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Silda was built in 2009, is 485 feet long and flies a Maltese flag
|See more posts about the Silda
|Silda arrived Duluth on May 29, 2017 to discharge cement at Holcim. She is owned by Silda B.V. in Groningen, Netherlands.
|Above and just below, she is discharging cement at the Holcim dock in Duluth on May 31, 2017. She arrived Duluth two days earlier (below that) and was assisted by the tug Kentucky; later the tug Arkansas joined her.


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How many types of wooden fences that are available? We don't even know but, there could be lot of them. Most of them are differentiated by the type of wood that is used for the fence. In this case, it's really important to know about the characteristic of wood that is used for the fence. Besides, there are also other things that you should know about it so, you are able to find out more about things that you can do it by choosing the best material for your house. Here are some types of wooden fence that you should know for yourself.
Some types of wooden fences that are important for your house
First of all, you may think that types of wooden fences are not different since, they are looked the same. However, you should think further about it. There are various log materials that can be chosen based on your needs. In this case, it's really important for you to find out more about the best way to do it. The most popular one is, stockade. Stockade can be said as the most popular one due to its design that is good enough in providing good privacy for any people. Besides, the fence is also really cool so, everyone will really love it for them.
In addition to stockade, there are still various things that you can choose based on your preferences. The other thing that you can choose is, regular point. It's also known as the best one and most popular one. It's known with regular space that is created between the fences that is merged. In this case, it becomes great thing that you can do since, it's really important for you to know more about it. Based on some ways that are given above, now you know about type of fence that is really popular nowadays. If you find something that is more interesting than any fences that you read above then it could be a great thing for you to set it for your house and it can be great thing for you to do it by knowing types of wooden fences.


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You are hereApril 23, 2017 | Skin Stem Cells
Stem Cell Fate and the Peroxisome: An Unexpected Link
Review of "Coupling organelle inheritance with mitosis to balance growth and differentiation" from Science by Stuart P. Atkinson
Tissue development and homeostasis rely on a balance between resident stem cell self-renewal and differentiation to somatic cell types. In the case of the epidermis, basal progenitors control the presence of a terminally differentiated polarized cell layer that acts as an important two-way barrier; microbes out, body fluids in! However, imbalances in self-renewal or differentiation can lead to hyperproliferative disorders and cancers or aging and wound healing defects, respectively, but concrete molecular links remain undescribed.
Now, a new study from the laboratory of Elaine Fuchs (Rockefeller University, New York, USA) aimed to discover the molecular mechanisms that control stem cell fate and uncovered an unexpected link! Their new Science study suggests that mitotic progression, epidermal stem cell fate decisions, and epidermal barrier formation all require the proper localization of organelles known as peroxisomes [1].
The author's initial studies employed RNA sequencing and RNA interference screens to reveal genes important to the early commitment of epidermal progenitors to terminally differentiated cells and those genes mutated in human epithelial cancers. Unexpectedly, this analysis implicated the peroxisomal gene PEX11b, although the authors found no link between epidermal stem cell fate and the fatty acid and energy metabolism roles of the peroxisome organelle. Instead, the loss of PEX11b in epidermal stem cells led to the loss of normal peroxisome partitioning to epidermal daughter cells during mitosis. This disruption to normal organelle inheritance elicited a checkpoint-like state, disrupted epidermal terminal differentiation, and altered cell polarity leading to a loss of epidermal barrier function.
While this study uncovered an "unexpected link" between stem cell fate and the peroxisome, previous studies had already indicated a requirement for proper organelle organization in adult stem cells [2]. Therefore, organized organelle inheritance may represent an important principle for tissue development and homeostasis and further studies may provide new insights into cancer development and aid the construction of new cancer therapeutics in various tissues.
What organelle will be next? Be sure to check out the Stem Cells Portal to hear all the new updates on this fascinating emerging area of study.
- Asare A, Levorse J, and Fuchs E. Coupling organelle inheritance with mitosis to balance growth and differentiation. Science 2017;355:
- Katajisto P, Dohla J, Chaffer CL, et al. Stem cells. Asymmetric apportioning of aged mitochondria between daughter cells is required for stemness. Science 2015;348:340-343.


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Wigan Warriors are slumped sadly at the bottom of Super League with a measly four points, six points adrift of Les Catalan Dragons and they are immune from relegation! Fortunately, Wakefield Wildcats are also on ten points and with only two points for a win it looks bad for Wigan. However two okay matches against St Helens and Leeds seem to show Wigan are on the verge of turning the corner. If you look at the next four games for Wakefield it would be nearly a miracle if the got anything from them: Warrington (A), Leeds (A), St Helens (H) and the crunch match away at Wigan. Contrast this to Wigan's run of Catalan Dragons (H), Warrington (H), Harlequins (A) and then of course Wakefield (H). When the hooter goes at about 9:45 on Friday 7th July I confidently predict Wigan will be off the bottom of the table. Will it be Catalan or Wakefield who finish bottom? I can't be sure but I might be willing to gamble a few quid on both them right now as Paddy Power has them in at roughly 3 to 1.
UPDATE: No sooner had I typed these words, then the legend Kris Radlinkski makes his decision to come out of retirement to make sure Wigan avoid relegation! This may cause further long term damage to his knee but he's willing to sacrifice it to protect a club that has given him everything. Not just that but he is doing it for free, he has expressly said he does not want paying (which is good because Wigan have used up all their salary cap). What's next, Andy Farrell to recover from injury and switch codes back to Wigan?


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We love a good ghost story, so we were thrilled to receive nearly 700 entries this year for our 2nd Annual Halloween Story Contest! We asked them to write an ending to a spooky story we started. Here's what they came up with:
We love a good ghost story, so we were thrilled to receive nearly 700 entries this year for our 2nd Annual Halloween Story Contest!
The contest was open to local students in Kindergarten through 12th Grade, but our youngest entrants this year were first-graders. We asked them to write an ending to a spooky story we started. Here's what they came up with:
Our story begins…
Suzy was excited. Her parents were going to a Halloween party and for the first time they were letting her stay home alone to babysit her little brother. She was half afraid they'd change their minds; she tried to look responsible as they put their coats on by the front door. She put her arm around her little brother's shoulders.
"OK, Suzy," her dad said. "Make sure Tommy goes to bed on time."
"And don't forget, if you need us, the Petersons' number is by the phone," her mom chimed in.
"But most importantly," they said in unison, "whatever you do, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR FOR STRANGERS!"
"I will; I know; I won't," Suzy replied, waving to her parents as they walked to their car.
Suzy and Tommy went into the living room to watch TV. Just then, they heard it – a knock on the door…
1st Grade
Winner: Avery Davis, 6
School: Westmoreland Road Elementary School, Whitesboro
They opened the door and it was a Frankenstein! They went outside to see where it came from. In the backyard they found all kinds of monsters. The monsters started walking towards them. Suzy and Tommy ran inside and called mom. They said there are monsters in the backyard coming towards us and their mom said, "I do not believe you, because monsters are not real." But they were telling the truth.
Then their mom hung up the phone and came home. When she got there and looked out the back window she saw the monsters. Mom then called the police. They came and took the monsters to people's houses. Suzy and Tommy said, "We have to stop those monsters."
All the monsters were doing was asking for help. But Suzy and Tommy didn't know this. Once they saw a ghost they went through it and then the ghost was dead. Then they asked the monsters, "Why are you doing this?"
Frankenstein said, "All we are doing is asking for help."
Suzy said, "What for?"
Frankenstein said, "We need help because we need to learn how to be very scary." So Tommy and Suzy taught them how to be scarier. They practiced being scarier and Suzy and Tommy pretended to be scared and it made the monsters happy.
2nd Grade
Winner: Ashlie Willson, 7
School: Memorial Park School, Waterville
Suzy opened the door, but there was nobody to be seen! Then Tommy said "Stop it!"
"Doing what?" said Suzy.
"Turning on and off the TV!" said Tommy.
"I'm not," said Suzy.
"Yes you…" There was silence.
Suzy said "Yes you … what?"
There was no answer.
She slammed the door shut. Suzy ran and ran to the TV room. Tommy was not there. Then a mummy appeared and said "A ghost has taken your brother to a witch. You have to get through a maze to get your brother back … You have to do it in two hours or else your brother will turn into a ghost too!"
So Suzy set off to find Tommy. She ran and ran. She finally got through the mazes! She defeated the witch. All the people that got turned into monsters turned back into people. Then Suzy ran home with her brother. She put Tommy in his crib. Then Suzy sat in front of the door. Her mother and father came home. Her mother went in Tommy's room. Suzy's father said to get in bed and she did.
3rd Grade
Winner: Sophie MacPherson, 8
School: Clinton Elementary School
Suzy carefully crept to the door and looked out the peephole. It was a hairy, slobbery werewolf!
She grabbed Tommy and went downstairs to go out the screen door. But they were too late. There were zombies and mummies banging on the door and a black cat arching his back. Suzy was scared! Then still holding Tommy she ran back upstairs and locked the bathroom door. Then she heard Tommy scream. Suzy turned around and a Frankenstein face was in the mirror. Tommy and Suzy screamed at the same time.
She unlocked the door and ran upstairs. And not aware of a scary sight she looked out the window and saw witches and ghosts. Then she ran back downstairs and hid under the blankets on the couch. Then after minutes of hiding she was awakened by the sound of a knock. And then she heard a familiar voice.
"Suzy we're home," said her father.
It was her parents. Suzy quickly got up and opened the door.
"You did such a good job," said her mom.
Suzy looked around. By the time she figured out she had been dreaming Tommy was already in bed. Then Suzy got ready for bed.
4th Grade
Winner: Ophelia Parisi, 9
School: Hart's Hill Elementary, Whitesboro
She was frozen to the spot with fright. Suzy said to Tommy, "Go hide in your closet." She cautiously crept up to the door, looked at the door knob, opened it, and then cowered behind the curtains.
Suzy discovered that it was mummies, goblins, and vampires too; headless horsemen and a giant, magical, mesmerizing, moldy, spine-tingling, terrorizing, mystical gnome. Suzy screeched and Tommy screamed along with Suzy even though Tommy didn't know what they were screaming about. She wished that she had a light saber, but didn't. All she had was a fork! Suzy tried to use it to fight off all of the creatures, but it just got all bent up.
Then it was Tommy to the rescue with a knife, but a vampire only chewed it like it was a piece of licorice. Suzy yelled, "Back off you crazy vampires!"
Then the vampires began to cry. That indicated to Suzy that they weren't vampires, they were waahmpires (vampires that cry a lot) so she had nothing to fear from them. Suzy had an idea, she whispered it to her brother. "I know how to get all of those mystical creatures out of here. Just do what I do." They just kept yelling at the waahmpires and the waahmpires just kept bawling.
The whole house began to overflow with tears. Suzy swam to the door, flung it open and all of the creatures including the giant magical mesmerizing moldy spine-tingling terrorizing mystical gnome, were washed out the front door and out of their lives forever. Or so they thought.
Suzy and Tommy breathed a sigh of relief, then went to get back to their show, even though the room was still wet and smelled salty from the waahmpire tears.
Suddenly, there was another knock at the door. Suzy said "Oh, here we go again!"
5th Grade
Winner: Joseph Covel, 9
School: Clinton Elementary School
Suzy opened the door slowly and standing there was Zombie Elmo.
Zombie Elmo chased them through the house. They jumped into the closet to hide. "There are brooms everywhere," Suzy said.
Then they ran. They ran until the only place to hide was the old Haunted House on the hill. It was very dusty and there was mold everywhere. The floor boards were broken and they almost fell through them.
Suzy said, "Why did we come here?"
Just then Zombie Elmo jumped through the window. Next Creeper Big Bird flew down the chimney. Then Stalker Oscar jumped out of the garbage can. Finally, Mummy Cookie Monster ran through the door.
Then all the Evil Sesame Street characters cornered Tommy and Suzy and tried to get them, but they slide through their legs to escape.
Suzy said "Let's climb that tree over there." The Evil Sesame Street characters caught up to them and tried to make friends with Suzy and Tommy. The offer was that Mummy Cookie Monster offered them cookies and how could they resist.
The End or is it? Dun dun dun…
6th Grade
Winner: Tanya Melnyk, 11
School: Bradley Elementary, New Hartford
Suzie and Tommy exchanged glances. They just heard their parents say not to open the door for strangers. Maybe it was their parents coming back because they forgot something. Suzy shared this thought with Tommy.
"If it was them, wouldn't they have a key to come in by themselves?" whispered Tommy.
Suzie looked worried, then ecstatic.
"Let's go upstairs to my room, where we can see who it is from my window."
They got upstairs then looked out the window. Right below them – staring up as if it knew they would be there – was something crossed between a human and a sickly elf. It had green-ish skin, shiny black eyes, long pointed ears and a menacing smile. The thing had a trick-or-treating bag held in long, spindly fingers. The date was October 28th.
"Why is there a trick-or-treater now?" Tommy asked as Suzie pulled him and herself from the window.
"I think I might know what it is."
Just as Suzie finished her sentence from the front lawn they heard, "Please call me Goblin" in a raspy, eerie voice.
Tommy looked horrified and ready to cry. Suzie embraced him and tried to calm him – and herself – down. Suzie had a large collection of Jumbo Jaw-Breakers. She gathered half of them together, opened the window in one swift movement, motioned for Tommy to get the other half of her collection and attacked. It took nearly all 873 of them to drive Goblin away. Suzie felt brave and relieved. Who knew over-sized candies were for jaw-breaking and driving away goblins!
On Halloween night, when Suzie was done trick-or-treating with her friends, she went home. When she got there, she saw something running in the woods. It looked man-like.
She knew exactly who it was. I bet you do, too.
7th Grade
Winner: Abbie Dudek, 12
School: Sauquoit Valley Middle School
Suzy shuddered as she stood up from her chair. "Tommy, stay right there." She looked through the window. It was just her dad!
"Dad! Why'd you have to scare me like that?" Suzy exclaimed.
Her dad chuckled. "Oh, there's no need to be scared. I just came back to get the keys. It's not like the Halloween decorations are going to come to life, Suzy. Goodbye!"
Suzy went back into the living room and sat down. Knock, knock, knock. "Dad, what did you forget this time?" she asked as she opened the door. Suzy gasped; that wasn't her dad.
A scarecrow stood in the doorway. Suzy screamed. "Tommy, go in the basement!"
Tommy ran to the basement and flung the door open. He screamed, "Suzy, come quick!" as a mummy and a zombie came thumping up the stairs.
"Tommy, bring me the phone!" Suzy said, struggling with a giant spider. When Tommy came with the phone, Suzy dialed the Petersons' number.
"Hello, Suzy," a vampire said, "We have been waiting for your call!"
Suzy threw the phone to the ground. She and Tommy thought the safest place was the backyard, but they were mistaken. Ghosts swarmed the skies, and in the center of all the chaos was a witch stirring a cauldron.
The ghosts made such odd noises that Suzy's and Tommy's hair stood on end. The witch sneered at them. "Witches Brew! Witches Brew! There's room for one child; how about two?"
Suzy was sweating and shaking nervously. Her mom shook her and said, "Suzy? Suzy, wake up."
Suzy gave a little moan.
Her mom asked, "Do you feel okay?"
She replied, "Yes, I'm fine."
Her dad walked over. "We're off to the Petersons'. Remember, Tommy goes to bed at nine. The Petersons' number is by the phone. And don't open the door to strangers!"
Her mom added, "We love you!" The Suzy's parents left. Suzy sighed with relief. All of the Halloween decorations were exactly where they should be.
8th Grade
Winner: Tyler Hubbard, 13
School: Whitesboro Middle School
They both thought that they were imagining it. So they shut the TV off. Bang! Bang! Bang! Now they really knew someone was there. They both quietly ran behind the couch.
Very quietly Suzy asked Tommy "Should we answer it?"
"I don't know," Tommy replied. "Well should we open it, what if it's the mailman or UPS guy with a package? If they leave it out there it could get stolen, or it could possibly be mom and dad."
"I don't think mom and dad would be back already!" said Suzy.
"Well what if they forgot something," Tommy exclaimed. "Like their cell phone, or money, or something."
Without any hesitation Suzy told Tommy "Go get the old half dozen rotten eggs from the kitchen counter. Just in case it's somebody we don't know."
Tommy quickly and quietly got up and ran to the kitchen. He scrambled around to find the eggs. Once he found them he ran back behind the couch with half a dozen old, stinky eggs. Suzy was staying low and trying to look out the window to see who's there. Then slowly without any sound she army crawled to the door. They stood up in front of the door, staying low enough so they can't be seen through the door window.
Tommy opened the door quickly, while Suzy threw an egg at them. There was grandma standing in the door way with egg all over her face.
"Oops, sorry grandma," Suzy sheepishly said.
9th Grade
Winner: Nay Chi Hlaing, 14
School: Thomas R. Proctor High School, Utica
Suzy and Tommy immediately froze and stared at each other.
Suzy stood up, "you're not going to open the door, are you?" Tommy asked.
"Don't worry, I'm just going to take a quick look through the curtain." Suzy replied.
As Suzy slowly walked to the door, she could feel the nervousness in her stomach. She walked as lightly as she could, trying not to make a single sound. When Suzy got to the window curtain, she held her breath and slowly and carefully opened a tiny portion of the curtain, enough for one of her eyes to see. She couldn't tell who it was since the person had a black hoodie on and it was pitch black outside.
The person knocked again louder, "Suzy open up, it's me Katie!"
Suzy was so relieved, she could feel the weight off her body. Katie Rosen was one of Suzy's best friends. They had been friends since first grade.
Suzy opened the door for her and asked, "Why are here so late? You scared me and my brother to death. You could've at least called first."
"Sorry," Katie replied, "I just wanted to come by and see you."
"For what?" Suzy asked, confused.
Just then the phone rang and Tommy went to pick it up.
"It doesn't matter, I have to go now."
"But wait - "
Katie had run off to the dark before Suzy could finish her sentence. Suzy just shrugged it off and closed the door. She went back to the sofa but then she heard a clank. She turned to Tommy who dropped the phone and was just standing with his eyes wide open staring at her. He looked frightened, as if he just heard something surprising.
"Tommy what's wrong? Who was on the line?" Suzy asked.
"It was Mrs. Rosen. She just told me Katie has been in the hospital for the past few hours because she was in a car accident trying to save her sister from getting hit."
"But that's impossible, I just - she was just - "
Suzy just stopped and sat down.
10th Grade
Winner: Rachel Agne, 15
School: West Canada Valley High School
Suzy got up, telling Tommy to stay and keep watching TV. When she got to the door she looked out and no one was there. Opening the door she looked out but saw nothing. Now she wondered if she had heard anything at all.
She went back into the living room and told Tommy it was time for bed. After tucking her brother in bed she heard the knocking again. Going towards the kitchen to investigate she looked out the window and still saw nothing. As she was walking out of the room a cup half full of juice fell onto the kitchen floor. Turning quickly she noticed it falling and ran to get a towel. When she was about to leave she heard the knocking one last time. Going to the door she noticed an old woman with reddish hair, who reminded her of her late grandmother.
But it couldn't be her grandmother because she died before Suzy was born.
Suzy opened the door but kept the chain on. The old lady said "Hello, honey. I think you should go check on your brother. He might be in danger."
Suzy replied "Excuse me, I didn't catch your name, and how do you know I have a brother?"
"Oh, my name is Martha and I watched you and your brother grow up. I have to go now before I'm missed."
So taking her advice, Suzy went to check her brother. Turns out her brother had been playing with matches and accidently lit one on his carpet. The flames were creeping across his room toward his bed. Tommy, who had fallen asleep, did not realize what was happening. Suzy quickly put out the flame, then thought about the old lady who had told her to check her brother.
When her mom got home Suzy asked the name of her grandmother and her mother said Martha.
11th Grade
Winner: Brianna Story, 15
School: Thomas R. Proctor High School, Utica
Suzy wanted to listen to her parents when they told her not to open the door, but she was too curious and even through her brother's protests she went towards the door. She looked out from the side window and someone was standing at the door in a strange black suit but his face was facing the other way away from hers. Suzy thought that it must be one of their parents' friends and would just simply pass on to this man that her parents aren't home and are at a Halloween party. Her brother Tommy went to go answer the door with her. With a shaky hand Suzy reached for the door and who, or so to say, what they saw they would've never guessed.
It was a skeleton, bones as white as the moon, black holes as dark as night where the eyes should be and perfectly straight white teeth. He strolled in as Tommy and Suzy were looking at him in fright and said "Why look at you two. You're sitting home all alone with nothing to do. Well you're lucky I came along! Let's have a Halloween party!"
Suzy said "Well Mr. Skeleton, you're a stranger and you need to go now."
"Why Suzy, we're going to have a Halloween party! I already called everyone and they're on they're way over right now!"
So then Suzy and Tommy couldn't really do anything because a skeleton had called his best buddies to come party. About fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang and it opened to a family of vampires, two werewolves, three witches, a bouncing, talking pumpkin head, oogie boogy, and the headless horseman, along with a family of zombies.
Music that Tommy and Suzy never heard before started playing and everyone started dancing, even Tommy and Suzy. Everyone was having a good time up until they heard a car pulling up. Everyone started cleaning up and putting things away and leaving through the back door. As soon as their parents walked in Suzy and Tommy were on the couch watching a movie, their parents never finding out about the crazy party they had.
12th Grade
Winner: Kylie Carpenter, 17
School: Mount Markham High School
Suzy decided she would let the knock go. She knew she wasn't supposed to answer the door and it was close to Tommy's bed time anyway. She went upstairs and read Tommy a story. After tucking him in, she returned to the living room to watch Justin Bieber on the VMA's. That's when she heard the nosie. The noise that sent chills up her back. She brushed it off and went back to Bieber. Once more she heard a noise, and then a laugh. She was scared, it was the first time she had been left alone and her excitement quickly changed to fear. Frightened, she went upstairs to check on Tommy. He was gone.
"Tommy, Tommy, where are you?" screamed Suzy.
She began panicking, frantically searching for her brother. AS soon as she had searched the whole upstairs she heard more noises, even scarier than the first. She slowly went down each step towards the kitchen. She knew she wasn't alone. When she crept into the kitchen she was startled Cookies were baking in the oven. Just then she was grabbed.
"Hi sweetheart! You didn't answer the door so I walking right in," said Grandma.
"Well Gam Gam, Mom told me not to for anyone," said Suzy, with a sigh of relief.
Just then she saw Tommy at the table. He had came downstairs when he heard Grandma. Excited, he forgot about Suzy and went right to the table to make cookies. Suzy was relieved and exhausted. It had been a long night. She had decided to sit and enjoy what Grandma backed.
"Great cookies Gram," Suzy exclaimed, biting into one.
"I knew you'd like them," said Grandma with a sly grin.
Just then Suzy dropped to the floor. Tommy watched in horror, frightened at what he had seen. He quickly jumped up and ran over to where his sister was lying.
"Suzy, Suzy wake up!" he screamed.
Scared and crying Tommy looked to his grandmother for help. As he turned around, he saw the knife.
"You're next Tommy," laughed Grandma, severing Tommy in two.


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Members of the Grand Rapids community filled the Reif Center to capacity Friday evening for the second full-ensemble performance by the Minnesota Orchestra. Part conversation and part performance, co-hosts Sarah Hicks and Sam Bergman took audience members Inside the Classics with Copland's Appalachian Spring.
View more photos from our residency in Grand Rapids on our Facebook page.


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Six or eight weeks ago, I was approached by a parishioner. We'll call him "Ralph." "Ralph" was dreaming a bit and wondering how cool it would be to see his beloved Penguins play the Predators in the Stanley Cup Finals. He was also worried about split loyalties. To take us all back in time, the Predators were the last team in the playoffs in the Western Conference. They were playing the top seed in the West, the Chicago Blackhawks. Pittsburgh, of course, was more likely to get to the finals. Their only real obstacle, at least according to the pundits, was the Washington Capitals. Fast forward to today, the Preds and the Pens start the series for Lord Stanley's Cup this week in Pittsburgh. I have advised "Ralph" that he should just wear a yellow shirt and sit on his hands for the games at Bridgestone!
I know some of you sometimes wonder whether I have a plan, whether there is a madness to my method (just testing to see if you are awake this morning), or a planning process at all when it comes to preaching and teaching in the parish. As I began to prepare for this sermon, I was laughing at the plan I had way back in February. To take you all back in time with me once again, I had been given permission by the members of the Vestry to rip the band aid off quickly, rather than pull slowly, when it came to doing the work of discernment and living into our discernment as a parish. I expected that Vestry would begin to probe and test through prayer and fasting, and we as a parish would probe and test through prayer, fasting, and ministry efforts. I had thought at the time I would spend our time in the season of Easter in the book of Acts, reminding us all that our story is a continuation of the book of Acts. We are not continuing the book as if we are adding to the canon, but we are continuing the book in the sense of what comes next in God's redemptive story. Alas, such has not been how life has gone here these last few months. We are still engaged in the beginning of discernment, and God seems to have pulled me to other lessons this season of Easter. I share the story of my "it'll never happen" with "Ralph" and the story of how I expected this season of Easter to unfold in our midst as a cautionary tale. Things do not always go like we expect, nor did they always go the way our spiritual ancestors expected.
This week, though, I think I am supposed to preach on Acts. So turn in your Orders of Worship to that reading, if you want to follow along. This section begins with a question that must have had Jesus ready to pull his hair out or blast His disciples with lightning bolts. Maybe it's a lesson to clergy that we need great patience with our Vestries? To put the question in context, though, let me remind you that the disciples and apostles had been travelling with Jesus for three years. For three long years, He had taught them about God's plan of salvation and how He was instrumental in God's plan. In fact, He had taught them that He was God incarnate. These same disciples had witnessed the Crucifixion, which Jesus had prophesied, and the Resurrection---again, a prophesy of Jesus. If they had any doubts about the teachings of Jesus or His sanity, those doubts should have been trumped by the Resurrection. In truth, the miracles should have been enough, but these men and women, certain ladies are mentioned as disciples in this passage, have encountered the Resurrected Jesus! Like Thomas, their doubts should have been assuaged. And after all this, they ask that stupid question: "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom of heaven?"
You may think the question innocuous, but that great Anglican theologian John Stott often taught and preached that this question is entirely grammatically wrong. It is so wrong that they do not get a part of the sentence correct. The disciples and apostles get the verb wrong, the noun wrong, and the adverb wrong. And despite the evidence that testified to the truth of Jesus' words and teaching, they demonstrate the fact that they have not yet grasped His teaching.
The first error is the adverb. Is now the time that God will complete His work? Much hay and great litmus tests are created about figuring out the date of the end time. No matter the parish, such is always a lingering question. We are instructed to live as if Christ could return any moment, but we are also repeatedly told throughout Scripture that we are not going to be given the times and periods God has set by His authority. But we are sometimes seduced by those who point to specific dates as the beginning of the end times. Social media helps fan that anxiety. Every single time some nut job or self-aggrandizer takes to the pulpit to declare a date, it seems like social media picks it up and spreads it.
Case in point: A couple weeks ago, my FB feed started showing a bunch of articles on the upcoming total eclipse. I forget how many years it's been, maybe 30?, but we in Nashville will get a total eclipse in August. A swath from here to Seattle, I think, will be included. Most of the articles were safety-related (don't look directly at an eclipse) or travel related (the best destination cities for viewing). I remember chuckling to myself that at least no one was predicting the eclipse as a doomsday signal. Then, a couple days later, an Adventer sent me an article and asked me what I thought of the "Christian" group's claim that August 21 would be the end of the world. By the end of that week, a half dozen Adventers had asked me to share what I thought about this group's claim.
What the disciples and apostles missed and what we miss is that we are not going to know the time. Oh, to be sure, we have a lucky guess chance of getting the date right. But it's just a guess. Why do we feel tempted to spend so much time trying to figure out a date? Why do we not listen to our Lord and realize it is not given to us to know the date? Why? Why are we seduced by the pursuit of such knowledge? In reality, we, like the disciples and apostles who came before, are called to live each day as if this might be the Day. We are called to live as if the preparation for the Day really began Easter Sunday almost 2000 years ago.
Look how such "guessing" dishonors the Lord. Every time there is a comet or a significant event, "Christians" seek to scare the world with a claimed certain knowledge of the date. And when they are wrong, what happens? People doubt God's message. People doubt God's messengers, you and me and everyone else who call Him Lord. People doubt God. And we wonder why they mock us? Imagine the testimony if we just lived our lives as if each moment could be the last moment! That was Jesus's instruction to His disciples and Apostles. I will return, so get to work!
Of course, the adverb is not the only part of their question that reflects that they still do not understand what Jesus was teaching them. Look at the noun. With what are the disciples and apostles concerned? The kingdom of Israel. Now, Jesus has reaffirmed Israel's unique role in God's redemptive plan—they are called to be a nation of priests, a light unto the world. But Jesus has been teaching them about a far greater kingdom than that of what you and I, or the disciples listening to this teaching, think of as the nation-state of Israel. He has been teaching them of the kingdom of God. As good as things were under David or Solomon or Josiah or any other king you might think, Jesus has an even more magnificent kingdom in mind. And they, like us, are heralds and workers in that kingdom. This kingdom transcends time and space though it can be seen in this time and in this place. It is, in the end, the recreation of everything as it ought to be, and not just settling for "as good as it can get here." For us, the Church or the people of God, such should be our focus. The principalities and powers of the world claim to us all the time that the world is the way that it is or we are the measure of all things. But we know better! God has revealed Himself and His love to us fully and completely in His Son our Lord Christ! All authority has been given to Him. And we know that He will return one day to consummate this recreation begun that Good Friday and Easter morning so long ago.
What happens when we get that noun wrong in our lives? Look around. Listen. Evangelical Christian groups placed a mantle about a particular candidate in our last election. Some were the complete opposite of me. I reminded us not to put our faith in any human beings; but some pastors claimed all Christians were obligated to support only one candidate. How has that played out for them? How will that play out for us? Do we as a country really want to claim we are God's chosen sovereign nation? I mean, sure there are benefits, but there is also cost and obligation. And if we align ourselves with a political party, as if we are of and in this world, look at the dishonor we bring upon our Lord. Non-Christians who have read the Bible challenge us on our stances on immigration or health care, if we are Republicans, or maybe classism or racism, if we are Republicans. True, each party does some things which I think would please our Lord, but I have no doubt each does things that causes other citizens to doubt Him and His messengers.
The verb in question also signifies that the disciples have missed His teaching. Restore. Restore implies that Jesus is simply about the business of bringing back what was. I suppose, as Christians, we understand that God will recreate things like they were in the Garden, so in some sense, we will be restored to full communion with God. We will walk with Him, talk with Him, glorify Him, and simply engage with Him in a manner that is beyond the best would could ever imagine. But the disciples are simply looking for Him to bring back the glory years of the kingdom of Israel. Maybe they like the militaristic past of David. Perhaps they long for the wealth and wisdom of Solomon's reign. Could it be that they long for the peace of Josiah's reign? We are not told. We simply learn that they are looking merely for restoration of some "golden-age," when Jesus clearly has in mind something far greater than they could ever imagine.
Again, how this plays out in our life at Advent is plain enough for good ol' blind Bartimaeus to see. How much of our anxiety, how much of our fear is caused by the realization that the church of today is not the church of yesterday nor the church of tomorrow? I still believe that most of our angst is caused by a sense of loss combined with a lack of vision for the future. Many of us look back a decade or three and in our mind's eye see the sanctuary full, the rector handsome and priestly, hear the choir in all its glorious sound, remember the youth programs bursting at the seams, remember that everything was polished fine, and that everyone gathered was dressed to the nines. We lament what we think is lost. And we worry whether anything is to come. In this we are like those disciples so long ago. We forget that God is always about His work, renewing, refreshing, invigorating.
In truth, none of us gathered at Advent really remember THE glory years of the parish. Given that Charles Todd Quintard is now a celebrated saint in our wider church's life, maybe the parish of his time represents our glory years. Of course, some might argue that it was our founding to oppose pew taxes that served best to glorify God. Others may say that when Adventers have been elevated to the role of bishop we were really glorifying God. I'm sure there are other times that meet the definition of glory years for a parish. But the fact that we can argue about them ought to give us some serious hope. If we have had six or eight or ten glorious periods where the Gospel was proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit in word and deed, what's to prevent a next golden age? Why can there not be a seventh, ninth, or eleventh period that contests for our glory years?
All of this, and Jesus' counter-instructions, are given in light of the looming Ascension and coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. When Jesus takes the time to rebuke and to remind the disciples and us that we are called to preach and teach the Gospel to the ends of the earth in the midst of this and that the Holy Spirit will come upon them and us, we know that they are His final earthly instructions. He goes to prepare a place for us, but we have work to do until His return! And to help us do the work He has given us to do, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit. In fact, our primary focus really ought be this, His last instructions! How often, though, are we like those early disciples? How often are we consumed by our own foci and not our Lord's? In one sense, the book of Acts is all about the work of the Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, seeking to accomplish the will of God to His honor and His glory. That you and I gather here today, some 2000 years later and however many miles distant, testifies to us that the disciples listened to Him and that He sent that promised Spirit. In other words, the book of Acts is the introduction to Advent's story, or Advent's story is an appendix to the book of Acts. Take your pick.
This brief and final teaching is significant because it reminds us, all Christians, of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Church. We need the Holy Spirit to understand our mission, our calling, in the world. But we come to know the Holy Spirit better through our engagement in God's mission in the world. It's both incredibly freeing and incredibly weighting. We are promised that God is present with us as we discern and exercise our gifts for ministry--in fact, we would say the Spirit gives us those necessary gifts--, but we would also remind ourselves and others that it is the exercise of those gifts and talents that we experience the risen Christ of whom you and I are witnesses. The application at Advent is probably obvious to those of us who self-describe as Adventers, or at least it should be. Real ministry, real mission that glories God, can only be done in the power of the Holy Spirit; and God will become better known to us as we engage in those Spirit-led individual and corporate ministries.
So, how does it speak to us in Nashville some nineteen centuries later and however many miles distant? First, there is power in this truth. Our gathering here is a fulfillment of Jesus' promise. When Rome ruled the world, no ambitious politician or military man wanted to serve in Judea. No one. And as we know from the Apostle Nathaniel, those in Judea did not have a good impression of those who were from Nazareth. In some ways, Nazareth was the backwater region of the backwater province of the civilized world. Growing up in West Virginia, we would give thanks for Louisiana and Mississippi because they sometimes made us look good by comparison, but nobody in the United States, except people born in those states, really wants to be from those states. So it was in Rome with Judea. Yet, within three centuries, after countless deaths and incredible persecutions, the Gospel of Christ conquers the Empire. In that conversion of an emperor and assents of the aristocracy are born the seeds that make their way to this place. Think of all the threats that must have been overcome to reach you and me in this place. I have lived here only two years, but I have heard from some of you and read in books some of the challenges faced when settling this land. I have read of some of the challenges that faced our parish ancestors within our beloved church.
Our parish ancestors rejected the accepted idea that the poor were second class citizens in the church, and so they set out to form a new parish that was committed to the image of God in every single human being and to the breaking of human-created barriers that separated the poor from God. That commitment to the image of God in everyone later put our ancestors at odds with their Christian brothers and sisters again as we struggled with the role of freed slaves in the church. My predecessors and your spiritual ancestors took seriously Jesus prayer for unity and fought the tides of post-Civil War racism in the South and lobbied for the full inclusion of the freed slaves. Most of us would agree that levels of racism exist still today, but can you imagine the racism of the 1860's and 70's that was, in part, fueled by the bitterness of defeat? And make no mistake, some of those freed slaves took courageous leaps of faith and stayed in our church, against the seductive calls of their fellow freed-slaves, all in an effort to love and serve God to His glory. Freed slaves rejecting the call of their brothers and sisters; whites rejecting the accepted teaching of the day—in some ways, our forebears at Advent were the outcasts of the outcast. Yet the Gospel was preached. Lives were transformed. Buildings were built and sold. And today, you and I are reminded that He promised His Gospel would reach to the ends of the earth. Our presence today testifies to that truth.
That's not the only lesson for us at Advent, though. These first five months of discernment have not gone well. We have had some difficulty starting the process; we have had different "buy-in" among members. How do we pray? How do we fast? How do we study? How do we hear the voice of God? How do we recognize the presence of that Spirit which our Lord promised? We have had a budget issue—no real surprise since we had no stewardship program, which caused a great deal of anxiety, anger, or worry. In many ways, we are just like those disciples who asked Jesus this question so long ago. One repeated criticism is that I am unengaged about the financial issues at Advent, that I am not hammering us enough, that I am too focused on mission discernment and evangelism.
My patient response has been that I understand the priorities. Provision always follows mission. Always. If we properly discern God's call upon our corporate and parish lives, provision will not be an issue. I'm not saying that we will ever be flush with cash. I am saying that everything we need to accomplish God's will in our lives will be provided—be it money, passion, numbers of volunteers, expertise, leadership—whatever is need for us to glorify God in this place at this time will be provided by that same Spirit He promised to send to lead us. And here's the even better news: if we fail, if we make a mistake, if we mishear His voice, He forgives. He not only promises to forgive those who repent, but He promises to redeem! Think of that freedom, brothers and sisters! Those of us seeking to do His will in our lives or in this parish can really make a mess of things in our lives or our parish, but He promises to redeem our mistakes. With penitent and obedient hearts, His Gospel spreads like a wildfire.
You all know this. Yes, there are pockets of classism still rampant in the human heart, but how many of those same churches that were insistent our parish ancestors were wrong to lower the barriers to God for the impoverished in our midst take that stand now? How many churches proclaim "only the rich are lived by God?" If any denomination has a reputation for elitism, it's Episcopalians. Yet Episcopalians at Advent were the ones discerning God's will better 150 years ago! And yes, there are pockets of racism still rampant in the human heart, but how many of our churches, Episcopal churches, are confused as safe havens for racial hate groups? Clearly, God forgives those who repents and redeems and blesses. We are witnesses to His redeeming grace!
That brings me to the last important message to us this morning: Witnessing. If you are visiting today, you may feel like you have stumbled into a bit of a family history lesson. I have spoken of parish, and diocese, and regional corporate history. You may feel a bit detached from those stories; you may wonder at their significance in your life, especially if you are not Episcopalian or if you are seeking God. But I am here to remind you that the history of which I have been speaking is the history of all of God's people. If I have done my job well this morning, if I have effectively proclaimed the truth of the book of Acts, you now see God's story at work in our lives, in our parish, and in our city, fulfilling the promise He made to those men and women in Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago. And those stories I have told are part of your story because you are among those who love Him and call Him Lord.
Every single person whom God calls into relationship with Himself is transformed and empowered to testify to His saving grace. Every. Single. Person. No exceptions. The shape and form of that testimony may differ greatly from individual to individual, but that is the real point of everything we do! Everything the parish does is about equipping and preparing the saints for this witnessing we have been describing. Our worship, our study, our prayers, our sermon time, our fellowship time, our budget, our meeting times, our pastoral care efforts—all of it is done with an eye to helping each and every one of us see God's grace at work in our lives so that we might be more effective witnesses. It can be challenging because it is not formulaic. But it can be incredibly rich and diverse because of the individuals involved. How I speak of God as a professional clergy person differs from how an insurance salesman might or a teacher or a musician or medical professional or an athlete. I might use words, but others may use service or music or art or still other ways. Earlier I spoke of our ancestors recognizing that the poor and freed slaves were created in the image of God. The outflow of that understanding is the recognition that God can and does use all of His sons and daughters for His redemptive purposes. Some of those uses may be subtle—how we show hope in the midst of disease or death, how we give generously in the midst of financial uncertainty, how we relate to others--; others may be radical and profound—such as taking a fisherman who denied Him three times in the face of common folk and giving Him words to say in front of the Sanhedrin a few weeks later! You and I fall somewhere along that spectrum. We are somewhere between subtle and incredibly visible witnesses. And God has promised, as reminded this day by Luke, that He has made His Spirit available to each of us, that He might be glorified in our lives, in our churches, and in the world around us.
Brothers and sisters, as we wrap up this season of Easter, as we begin to embark in that wonderful season of growth we have a perfectly assigned lesson. We have been reminded for seven weeks that we are a people of the Resurrection. Just as significantly, though, we are a people empowered by the Holy Spirit entrusted with the incredible responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed so that He might be glorified in our lives, that His kingdom might continue to grow, and that the world will be restored to its Creator! It is unfathomable responsibility and awesome opportunity. Perhaps even more frightening, He allows us to discern what He wants us to do! He woos us, He nudges us, He grants us peace and passion that the world does not know. And individual by individual, His kingdom grows. What is He nudging you to do? What is He wooing Advent to do? As we return to that long season of green, how is He calling upon each of us to grow in our relationship with Him? Just as He was willing with those disciples across the oceans and continents and so long ago, He wants nothing more than to work with and through each one of us. Who knows? Such is His willingness to pour out grace and honor on all who serve him, maybe a couple centuries hence Adventers of the future will speak of your names in the same loving reverence we speak of Quintard, Sanders, Longhurst, MacGruder, and whatever other names for whose witness you give thanks to God!


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A new poll, this one by Talk Business and Politics/Hendrix College, puts Tom Cotton's lead over Mark Pryor at 48-41. The survey included more than 2,000 likely voters and was taken after the last week's Cotton-Pryor debate (as I understand it, there will be no more debates between the two). The margin of error is plus or minus 2.2 percent.
According to Dr. Jay Barth of Hendrix College, the survey shows that both Cotton and Pryor have locked up the support of their respective Party faithful. However, "Cotton has a strong advantage among the state's voters who term themselves Independents (although surveys we have completed in the past suggests that most of them now actually see themselves as closer to the Republican Party). Among this crucial group, Cotton leads 59%-28%."
Bolstered by this poll, Cotton now leads Pryor by 5.5 points in the Real Clear Politics average. And RCP has moved the race into the "leans Republican category."
To help seal the deal, you can contribute to Tom's campaign by going here.