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Patagonia: Journey to the End of the World 2020
13 Day Tour from Santiago to Buenos Aires
Starting at $5,579
Destinations & Sightseeing
Itinerary and Meals
Explore the thrilling and unspoiled vastness of the Patagonia region on this journey to the end of the world. Starting in the lively capital city of Santiago, jump right into the fun of this tour by heading to Santa Rita Winery, where you'll learn about the wine-making process and taste, blend, and bottle your own wine to take home with you! On your tour of Santiago you'll be surprised at how a city of so many people can be so well kept and vibrant—a city packed with local parks, artwork at every turn, and European-style squares. On to Puerto Natales for a night before staying inside scenic Torres Del Paine National Park for two nights. Jagged peaks, glistening green waters, glaciers, and powerful falls set the stage. You're sure to glimpse some of the wildlife here, like guanacos, foxes, birds, and if you're lucky, the elusive puma. Cruise on Lago Grey to see famous glaciers and floating icebergs; visit the famous sites of Chile's largest natural reserve; and even trek through a rugged and unspoiled rainforest to see cascading waterfalls on these two days of unspeakable scenic beauty.A highlight of this tour is undoubtedly your visit to El Calafate, home to Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the largest in the world and still advancing! You'll have the chance to walk on catwalks overlooking the glacier and, with luck, you'll witness glacier pieces calving into the waters below. You also experience the massive Upsala Glacier by boat—a different experience that allows you to marvel at the color and sheer masses of these glaciers. Follow this with a visit to an estancia (ranch) on the shores of Lago Argentino for lunch and your choice of activities, such as a 4-wheel drive tour or trekking. From El Calafate, descend to Ushuaia, the end of the world! Cruise Beagle Channel, watching for albatross, sea lions, and skuas while you marvel at the sheer idea of standing at this point on the globe. You also visit Martillo Island for a chance to see Magellan penguins. In Tierra del Fuego, an expert Naturalist will lead you around the delicate ecosystems of this southernmost national park. Head north to Buenos Aires, where you will conclude your Patagonian journey with exciting new adventures like a wine tasting with a local sommelier in a Cava setting and a visit to famous Recoleta Cemetery. And no visit to Buenos Aires would be complete without a lesson in the sizzling, sensuous Tango!
Destination & Sightseeing
|[LF] Visit Santa Rita Winery with a wine-making experience; Santiago sightseeing with a Local Guide; visit La Vega Central Market and a local pub
|Visit Milódon Cave
|Stay inside the national park; Torres del Paine National Park sightseeing, view Lago Grey; see Los Cuernos, Salto Grande, Laguna Azul, Cascada Paine, and Laguna Inges; Organic cocktail demonstration
|Cruise Lago Argentino, see Upsala Glacier, and visit Estancia Cristina; visit Los Glaciares National Park and Perito Moreno Glacier
|[LF] Cruise the Beagle Channel to Martillo Island; visit Tierra del Fuego National Park
|[LF] Private wine tasting with sommelier and dinner at a local restaurant; city sightseeing with a Local Guide; visit the Metropolitan Cathedral and Recoleta Cemetery; [LF] Tango lesson, dinner, and Tango show
- Participation in this tour requires guest's name exactly as it appears on his/her passport, D.O.B., gender, and nationality at the time of booking.
MEALSBreakfast daily, 7 lunches,5 three-course dinners including a farewell dinner and Tango show in Buenos Aires
BreakfastLunch Dinner
BreakfastLunch Dinner
BreakfastLunch Dinner
Breakfast Dinner
Breakfast Dinner
|Puerto Natales/Patagonia
|Torres Del Paine/Patagonia
|El Calafate
|Buenos Aires
Enrique Foster 30, Las Condes Santiago Chile
Located in the modern Las Condes neighborhood, Hyatt Centric Las Condes Santiago features an outdoor pool, rooftop bar, restaurant, fitness center, and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Superior First-Class
Ruta 9 Norte, km 1.5, Huerto 279 Magallanes Puerto Natales/Patagonia Chile
The Remota Hotel was built in the wild landscape of the Patagonia plains, and offers an environmentally friendly hotel option. Amenities include a restaurant, bar, gift shop, Internet, and spa with indoor pool, sauna, and Jacuzzi. The hotel offers talks on local nature and culture, as well bonfires, music and movie nights.
Superior First-Class
Parque Torres Del Paine Torres Del Paine Chile
In the heart of Chilean Patagonia and mythical Torres del Paine National Park, this charmingly rustic hotel provides a comfortable home base from which to explore the park's towering mountains, turquoise lakes, glaciers, ice fields, and steppes.
Moderate Deluxe
Gobernador Moyano 1243 El Calafate Argentina
Kosten Aike Hotel in El Calafate is on the edge of the extensive and mysterious Patagonian plateau, on the foot of the imposing mountain range of the Andes and in front of the majestic National Park the Glaciers. Amenities include a restaurant, gym, spa, playroom, business center, room service, laundry, and recreated ancestral Tehuelche designs throughout the hotel by prominent Argentine artists.
Yaganes 74 Ushuaia Argentina
Cilene del Faro looks out onto the Beagle Channel with the Andes mountains behind, protecting it from the strong Patagonian winds. This hotel offers top-notch style and elegance during your stay in this fascinating part of the world. Located close to Ushuaia's attractions and featuring soft and cozy rooms, you'll have all the comforts of home at your fingertips.
Macacha Guemes 351 Buenos Aires Argentina
Exceptionally located in the riverside Puerto Madero district, Hilton Buenos Aires is within walking distance of the city's top attractions and best restaurants. Guests can enjoy Argentinian cuisine at the on-site restaurant, relax at the rooftop pool, get pampered at the spa, or unwind in one of the hotel's stylish guestrooms.


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October 30, 2014 · 0 Comments
On Friday, October 10th at 2:22 p.m. an officer from the Nottawasaga OPP was on general patrol on Tottenham Road south of County Road 1 in the Township of New Tecumseth, when a silver Honda Civic was observed to be travelling at a high rate of speed.
The officer determined the vehicle was travelling at 151 KPH in a posted 80 KPH zone. That is 71 KM over the posted speed limit. The 38 year old female driver of Alliston was charged with Stunt Driving, her drivers license was automatically suspended for 7 days and her vehicle was impounded for 7 days.
This driver had a child occupant and was found to be speeding on Tottenham Road just south of the fatal collision that had occurred only two hours prior.
Nottawasaga OPP want to inform drivers to slow down. There are many travelling on our roadways so please slow down, focus and drive defensively.
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subset: commoncrawl


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I am a big fan of Jo Dee Messina. I grew up watching her videos on CMT ever single morning when I got ready for school. She posted a video today of her cover of Plumb's song Need You Now. In the opening of the video, she talks about her struggle with her mom getting sick. Then she said: "I am my mother's daughter, but first I am a child of God." but first I am a child of God. Yes. I am. Before my grief. Before my pain. Before all the darkness. I am a child of God.
I've spent this year reading the words of Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl over and over and trying to apply it to my life. Anyone who knows me knows I hate rereading books. This book is different. Every time I read Lysa's words, I see something different and I want to carve an even deeper relationship with You, Lord.
She wrote: "But other times the hurt comes in the form of a loss that cuts into your heart so viciously it forever redefines who you are and how you think. It's what I call deep grief. The kind that strains against everything you've ever believed." Well it certainly changed my prayer life and my perspective. The more I wanted to pull away, the more You pulled me closer. She continued by saying: "I was asking the wrong question. I was asking why. Why did this happen? Why didn't You stop this, God? Why were my prayers not answered? Why?" Lord, You and I both know, I asked these questions and some. I couldn't understand why my grandma had to suffer or why Christopher had to leave us so early. I had never lost anyone and then I lost two very important people within three months of each other. I couldn't even process one before another one was gone. Why, was a constant question in my life.
Lysa wrote: "And His reasons, from our limited perspective would always fall short. That's because our flat human perceptions simply can't process God's multidimensional, external reasons. God describes it this way: 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts' (Isaiah 55:8-9). We can't see the full scope of the situation like God can; therefore we must acknowledge that His thoughts are more complete and that He is more capable of accurately discerning what is best in every circumstance. In the case of losing a loved one, love skews even the most rational parts of us. Our love for the person we lost would never allow God's reasons to make us feel any better or to understand any more fully. We would still feel as though God had made a terrible mistake. So, if asking the why question doesn't offer hope, what will? The what question. In other words: Now that this has happened, what am I supposed to do with it?"
That question is something I very much I want to answer. They weren't perfect people. Those two knew just how to push my buttons and make me madder than a Hatter, but I want them to know I learned something from loving them. In more ways than one, they helped me pray over the past year and a half. They've been a daily reminder that I need You.
Further into the book, Lysa wrote: "I know that He is preparing me for what I will need throughout this day. He is already standing in every minute of my day and He sees what I will face. He's equipping me to be able to handle what is ahead of me with His gentle boldness, quiet strength, and loving grace." Later she adds: "Some things are fun and good; others are extremely difficult and painful. Somehow Jesus has used it all." Then she continues by saying: "Jesus can take everything surrendered to Him and turn it around for good. Everything."
So, that is my prayer today. Lord, I have thanked you for a lot of things over the past twenty-three years, but I have never thanked you for this. Thank you for preparing me. Thank you for giving me the courage I needed. Thank you for your gentle boldness, your quiet strength, and your loving grace. I pray that I continue to ask the what question. I pray that I continue to fall on my knees in need of you. I pray that I keep seeking you. Thank you for taking my grief and loss and using it for your good. Thank you for taking my pain and using it for your good. Thank you for teaching me and leading me. Thank you for your hand on my life. Thank you for loving me even through all the broken pieces and cracks. Lord, I am trying to follow you and listen to you. I am trying to actively seek you in my daily routine. Through everything that has happened, the more I realize how desperately I need you. I am so thankful you never left me, no matter how far I ran or pushed you away. Thank you for having open arms for me. And as always I pray for my family and sorority sisters. I pray for my university. I pray for guidance for our government, church, and school leaders. I pray for protection for our troops. I pray for all of those that need you now and for those that haven't met you yet. In Jesus' name, Amen.


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Public Notice - Planning Committee - January 9, 2020 - Public Notice - Planning Committee - January 9, 2020
News & Public Notices
Nested Applications
Content - General - Stay Connected
Stay Connected
Asset Publisher
null Public Notice - Planning Committee - January 9, 2020
December 31, 2019 -
Thursday, January 9, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
Council Chambers, City Hall, 216 Ontario Street
The City of Kingston planning committee will meet to discuss the matters listed below beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Public Meeting
2754 Creekford Rd. – City of Kingston & IBI Group – D14-016-2019
Application to amend the Zoning Bylaw to add open storage as a permitted use and to reduce the minimum required side and front yards for the location of the open storage areas stockpiles will include construction materials such as soil, concrete, asphalt, sand and gravel originating from City of Kingston and Utilities Kingston construction projects and maintenance programs.
1174 McAdoos Lane – 2469824 Ontario Inc. & IBI Group – D14-011-2019
Application for Zoning Bylaw Amendment to allow the stock piling of construction wastes for recycling, storage of construction equipment, topsoil recycling and open storage of the above. The construction waste consists primarily of asphalt and concrete that will be crushed into reusable aggregate. The open storage is for machinery and bins used in construction.
328 Queen St. – AJ Planning – D14-023-2019
Application for Zoning Bylaw Amendment to rezone the subject lands to a site-specific C1 Zone to facilitate the conversion of a ground floor commercial unit and basement storage area into two additional residential units. This will bring the total number of residential unit on-site to four.
1400 Bath Rd. and 527 Centennial Dr. – ZanderPlan Inc. – D14-022-2019
An application for Zoning Bylaw Amendment has been made to permit the development of 6 apartment buildings resulting in a total of 280 residential units. A municipal park is also proposed as part of the development. All six buildings are proposed to be constructed to a height of four storeys. Five of the buildings are proposed to house 48 apartments and the sixth building is proposed to house 40 units. The amendment is required to permit the apartment building use and to provide relief from a range of zoning performance standards.
Items for discussion/recommendation
735 King Street West, 15, 21 & 27 McDonald Avenue, and 60 & 62 Baiden Street. – IBI Group Incorporated – D14-010-2019
Application for Zoning Bylaw Amendment to rezone the property to a site-specific B3 Zone. The application proposes to demolish the parish hall at 62 Baiden Street and construct two three-storey, six-unit modular apartment buildings on the site. The application also proposes to internally convert the existing rectory building at 15 McDonald Avenue to accommodate four dwelling units. No changes to the Church building are proposed as part of the application.
For additional planning applications, complete notices and agendas visit www.CityofKingston.ca/PlanningCommittee
To see the status of development applications in Kingston see www.CityofKingston.ca/DASH
Information regarding the above can be viewed at planning, building and licensing services, 1211 John Counter Blvd., during normal office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Dated at Kingston, Ontario
his 31st day of December, 2019
Paige Agnew, director
Planning, building and licensing services


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You are hereWWS #1 Lithgow / Gallery / Sleeping Alex
Sleeping Alex
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Oh dear...
- Eyes closed
- No sunnies (to hide closed eyes)
- Only covering the rear break
- Too many fingers on the lever he is using
- Short gloves
- Riding a Scott
- Race number barely visible
- Cable ties securing number not trimmed
- Contents of stomach left somewhere on the track
- ... etc... etc... etc...
Pffft... kids!
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- Bookmark & share


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From the desk of: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH
BROOKLYN NETS: Start Road Trip On A High With OT Win Over Dallas; Must Avoid Trap Game Against Pelicans Tonight.
Are there trap games in the NBA like in the NFL? We'll find out tonight. After disposing of a very good Dallas Mavericks team last night in overtime, the Nets visit the 29-40 New Orleans Pelicans.
With their 107-104 overtime victory over the Mavs, the Nets improved to 10-2 this month, and are now 27-10 in the new year. They are still 1.5 games behind the Raptors in the Atlantic Division race. Toronto is idle tonight, then play in Cleveland on Tuesday.
In the Eastern Conference standings, Brooklyn enters tonight's action as the 5th seed, 2 games over Washington. The Nets trail the 5th seeded Chicago Bulls by 1 game. Chicago plays the Indiana Pacers this evening.
The month of March has seven days left, and there is still no sign of Kevin Garnett. Complicating the issue, Andrei Kirilenko was lost yet again last night, this time spraining his left ankle. But, there is no need to fear, Mason Plumlee is here. All kidding aside, Plumlee has been thriving under the direction of his veteran team mates.
However, last night belonged to Joe Johnson and Marquis Thornton. Mr. Big Shot, Joe Johnson led the Nets with 22 points, and effectively sent the game into overtime with a drive into the lane.
Marquis Thornton scored 20 points off the bench.
Playing small is working. Somehow, the team is still getting out-rebounded, but it doesn't seem to be hindering them too much. Dallas won the battle of the boards by a 52-47 margin. The Mavs also had more assists, 21-17, than the Nets. Dirk Nowitzki perhaps having an off night (10 points) made a big difference, because the Nets only squeaked by with a marginal edge in FG%, 3-point shots, and free throws.


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Monday, November 28, 2011
1st Sunday of Advent - 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
"Seeking the Best Thing" (Matthew 26:59-66)
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Christian author Eugene Peterson has written many books and is perhaps best known for his translation/interpretation of the entire Bible. His work is extremely popular and many of you use it. It is called The Message.
As tremendously talented as he is at Greek and Hebrew and at the craft of writing, Peterson started out as a pastor, and still views himself primarily as a pastor. In the 1960's his denomination, the Presbyterians, sent him to start up a new church in Maryland. What was then farm country is now DC-Baltimore urban sprawl. The denomination demonstrated vision in predicting a population boom. That boom happened, and Peterson's church grew to be a strong, thriving, lasting congregation.
But the process of building it was spiritually draining on Eugene Peterson. He longed to help people know God and walk with God throughout their lives. The longer he was at the work of church planting, the less appealing church growth was for Peterson, because church growth involved numbers – number of baptisms, number of new members, number of dollars tithed. He celebrated when a person was born again, truly saved in a new found faith in Jesus Christ. He sensed though that his denomination was more interested in the numbers saved than the individual stories of actual people meeting God. He felt that this work of Church-planting and church growth was reflective of business models and success was determined the way businesses determine success. He wanted to be someone who cared for and grew souls. He felt the denomination wanted him to grow the Presbyterian brand of American Christianity.
He also thought the denomination did not care how he was doing personally. Part of his work was to file a report every month. The first page was statistics. How many calls had he made (this was church planting and he needed to bring people together to form a new congregation)? What was the worship attendance? The second page was to be devoted to Peterson's personal, spiritual journey as he planted this church. He came to believe that the denominational leaders were only looking for measurable results. So they only read the first page of his report and ignored the subsequent which were much more personal and to Peterson more important.
To test his theory, that he was being ignored, Peterson got creative. In the next report, he filled out the numbers as he did each month. But on the personal reporting page, he wrote in detail about a long, slow slide into depression. He couldn't sleep, couldn't pray, and had no zeal for his calling. He thought maybe he should consider quitting. Could they recommend a counselor? No response. Of course, this wasn't true, but he wanted to test the leaders, and they failed the test.
So, he took it up a notch. The next month, he turned the reporting as usual, and then wrote on the second page his personal report. Again imagined, he developed a drinking problem. The congregation graciously ignored it, but one Sunday, one of the elders actually had to complete the sermon. So he felt he needed treatment. What did the denomination recommend? No response.
The next month, he fell into an affair. He was counseling a woman in an abusive marriage, but they ended up together, in one of the church pews. They were discovered by the ladies who came into arrange the flowers for Sunday morning. He thought that was it, but apparently in that community, swingers were admired. The next Sunday, attendance doubled.
It got to be great fun for Peterson and his wife, imagining new shocking things to write that his overseers never read because all they wanted was to see that the church was growing, people were being baptized, money was tithed, and the numbers were up. He wrote in another report that one very unorthodox scholar believed there was a psychedelic mushroom cult in 1st Palestine and Jesus was a part of it and He, Peterson, was going to introduce this drug-use as a part of the church's worship. And he was changing the liturgy to fit the sex-crazed, drug-addicted culture in which he ministered. Never did he get any response.
The time came to meet with the denominational leaders in New York City. The church plant was successful and the church would now be on its own. The council thanked Peterson for his good work and faithful reporting. He thanked them for all the resources they provided including his paycheck. Then he asked why they had never read any of the personal reports. They assured him they had, but they were caught. He asked why they never sent recommendations when he was in trouble with alcohol. He asked why they didn't recommend a therapist when he was depressed. On and on, and they had no answer, and they were shocked upon first hearing of the stories of sex and shrooms. Peterson writes, "Their faces were blank, and then confused – followed by a splendid vaudeville slapstick of buck-passing and excuse-making."[i]
The leaders of the denomination got what they sought – a successful church in a growing area. Were they seeking the right thing? They completely missed a human being, a story, albeit a fictional story. Were they looking for the right thing? Are we?
I always say 30 was the most important birthday of my life because I stopped trying to be "cool," and realized I never was "cool," and never would be. It wasn't really about my coolness one was or another. I started really liking myself, not in a arrogant or narcissistic way, but in a healthy way.
However, at 10 years old, I got it into my mind that I wanted to be cool and that meant I had to be friends with certain people. My real best friends, Michael and Doug, were too familiar to be cool enough. I don't know why, but I thought Earl was the coolest kid in our class. So when we had sprinting races in gym class, Earl asked me to let him keep pace. I was about the fastest sprinter in that class, which, when you think about it is pretty cool. But I couldn't see that through my Earl-envy. Earl asked me to ease up and I did because, it's Earl. I finished in fourth place, not first. The phys-ed teacher chewed me out. He knew I was fast and he knew I was placating my "cool friend." He didn't like me jeopardizing my potential for the sake of popularity.
Later, Doug, my real friend, was coming for a sleepover. I convinced him and my mom that we had to invite Earl. So, Doug and I went with Earl to Earl's house so he could get his sleeping bag. My mom was crystal clear. Earl lived on the other side of Rochester Road. She said, "Don't cross that road. Wait at the road for Earl to get his stuff and then the three of you walk back."
As soon as were out of sight of my house, I said, "Hey, we're going to Earl's." Doug said, "Your mom said not to cross Rochester." But Earl lived on the other side and Earl was cool and I wanted to be cool. That's what I was looking for! My mom certainly wasn't cool. And Doug's coolness factor was in doubt because he wanted to listen to my mom, not Earl.
So we broke the rules and went to Earl's house and starting walking back and everything was fine until, just on the wrong side of Rochester, we were surrounded by Larry Padget's gang. Larry was going to have some fun, bullying me around and there wasn't much I could do about it. Larry took his time in this cruel tormenting game. Right about the time he was going to move from petty taunting to the rearrangement of my face, my dad rode up on bike to see why were taking so long.
He ran Larry's gang off. Then he told me I had to go confess my disobedience. I wish he had just killed me on the spot. I swear when my mom got that yard stick, it sounded like a light saber being opened. And I learned that Earl wasn't so "cool," and being "cool" wasn't so great.
It took another 20 years before I finally understood – I had been seeking the wrong thing. I didn't like myself because I tried to live up to false ideal, idols I had created. I was a mostly happy person, but I didn't find deep inner joy, joy that comes in good and bad times, until I stopped trying to advance myself and started looking to something else as the deepest longing of my life.
I'll get to that, but I don't want to jump ahead. What is it we long for? What do we seek? Success that can be measured and show me to be more successful than my cousin or my Father or the guy who was my nemesis in high school? Does my own joy depend on me being better than someone else? What do we seek? To be the best church around – not just a community of faith, but one that is better in some measurable way than other communities of faith? What are we looking for, longing for?
Jesus miraculously cured a man on the Sabbath day, and as he did, he declared himself to be greater than the temple (Mt. 12:6). Upon hearing this "the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might destroy him" (12:14). Later, after entering Jerusalem, with Jesus' popularity at a fever pitch, the leaders in the temple cannot stand it. "The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Him to death, because they were afraid of the people" (Luke 22:2). And finally, with Jesus arrested, betrayed by Judas and dragged in chains to the home of the high priest, "The chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus" (Mt. 22:59).
The group that condemned Jesus the night of his arrest, the night before the crucifixion was a diverse bunch. Pharisees on the council concerned themselves with the pure practice of Torah religion. Men of the book and of the law, they could not believe God would send a Messiah who did the things Jesus did, befriending tax collectors, violating the intricacies of Sabbath law for the sake of blessing wounded people, and showing mercy to Gentiles. The Sadducees on the council clashed with Jesus over the theology of resurrection. They also chafed at Jesus' unapologetic critique of their hypocritical approach to religious leadership. And the chief priest himself, contended with Jesus because Jesus claimed authority over the temple and thus over the interpretation of and practice of faith in Israel. Furthermore, the chief priests and temple elders feared Jesus' bold preaching would eventually rile up the Roman overlords and perhaps Rome would react against all Jews, not just those of the Jesus sect. For these reasons and many, many more, these disparate groups who were usually at odds with one another all came together seeking the same thing – the death of Jesus.
Normally these religious leaders weren't murderers. How could their inner longings become so distorted that they actually felt this solution, one that is ultimate and unchangeable, was the right one? They most certainly would have depicted themselves as the heroes if they had written the history of Jerusalem in 30AD. How do good people become villains?
How does righteousness become corrupted to the point that we who consider ourselves faithful come to produce evil? Doesn't it start when we long for something less than the very best thing?
The Presbyterians weren't wrong to want to have a thriving, growing church in Western Maryland. But at the cost of neglecting the souls who were transformed in those churches and neglecting the lives of the pastors they sent to oversee those churches …
I wasn't wrong to want to be friends with Earl. I was wrong to use Earl to make think of myself as cool. It's a mistake I repeated too many times in my teenage years and into my 20's.
Religious leaders aren't wrong to seek out the pure practice of faith in worship and daily living. Religion scholars are not in the wrong when they strive mightily for the right understanding of scripture. But when preachers and priests and theologians and scholars get so caught up in their own rightness that they miss the presence of God when they are the very ones who ought to be pointing out the presence of God …
What are we longing for?
"In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem" (Mt. 2:1). These were Magi from Persia, and they knew Judaism well. In 6th century BC, many Jews were forced into slavery in Babylon (modern day Iraq) and Persia (modern day Iran). When Cyrus permitted Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem, thousands of Jews returned, but just as many remained for they had lives there. They lived in harmony with the Persians. The Magi took a special interest in these Hebrews.
In this era, unlike today, science and religious knowledge worked hand-in-hand to discover truth. These Magi studied the stars as well as the prophecies of many ancient religions. So when God spoke the birth of Jesus through natural phenomenon, a star, they were the ones to notice. They knew this was of God – the God of the Jews.
Assuming the King of the Jews would want to see prophecy fulfilled as much they, gentiles, they went to Herod "asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage'" (2:2). We have come to pay him homage.
They came to worship. They longed to bow before the God who produced this wondrous star. I believe these Iranians – that what Persians are – unique people in history discovered in themselves the longing God puts in all of us, the longing to worship Him. Many people replace that longing by seeking popularity, success, power, knowledge, satisfaction in romantic love or career or relationships; we cannot be fulfilled until those things are all set beneath this one thing – the deep desire the pay homage to God.
Departing from Herod's palace in Jerusalem, the Magi
set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
[i] E. Peterson, Under the Unpredictable Plant, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (Grand Rapids, MI, 1992), p.79.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Is Jesus who We Want Him to Be? (Matthew 26:47-50; John 3:25-30)
Is Jesus who We Want Him to Be? (Matthew 26:47-50; John 3:25-30)
Matthew 26:47-50
47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him." 49At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. 50Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.
Why did Judas Iscariot do that? He was paid 30 coins to hand Jesus over to the chief priests. Thirty coins, a paltry sum! Why, did he really betray Jesus?
Each gospel was written at least 30 years after the resurrection. The story was burned into the memory of the core members of the early church before it was written and circulated, and in that story, Judas was the betrayer and nothing more. Whatever good he did in his life was forgotten. This is clear in the way the Gospel writers portray him. He's always listed as Judas who betrayed Jesus. Didn't they all flee? Didn't Peter deny? Didn't Thomas doubt? Judas is singled out by Gospel writers for special blame, cast as one of the villains of the story by the storytellers. Are they being fair?
There's always more to the story. Matthew 10 says Jesus sent out his 12 disciples in pairs and he gave them the power to cast out demons and miraculously heal diseases. Jesus endowed the disciples with the power of the Spirit – all 12 of them. That includes Judas. Knowing Judas as he did, Jesus still blessed him and trusted him as he did the others on this miracle-working mission. Along with the other disciples, Judas was able, on that specific mission, to do the very things that Jesus did. It would have been appropriate to refer to him as the Apostle Judas.
We don't ever see him that way, though, do we? He's the betrayer, not the apostle. Apostle Peter, Apostle Paul, Apostle John – it just rolls off the tongue. But Apostle Judas? No, that's not how he's remembered.
Judas Iscariot – he's the crook among the disciples. On top of all the gospel authors telling their stories with him as a turncoat from the very first mention of his name, John's gospel adds to the negative light cast on this unfortunate person. A woman came and anointed Jesus with costly perfume. All the gospel writers report that the disciples criticized the woman and criticized Jesus for receiving her lavish, impractical offering. Only in John's Gospel is Judas specified as the vocal critic who is all too willing to challenge Jesus.
From John 12
4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5"Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" 6(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." 9
The narrator's editorial comments make it clear that Judas is a hopelessly fallen character from the outset and throughout in the story of Jesus. We're all sinners. Each New Testament book and especially the Gospels make that clear. Each human being, each reader, each one of us, has sin sticking to us, and our only hope is forgiveness and salvation that we receive as a free gift of God given in the person of his Son, God in the flesh, Jesus, the Messiah. That's crystal clear. What is equally clear is we have hope because of Jesus. But somehow, because of his specific sin, Judas did not.
So, we can distance ourselves from Judas. I commit my sins and you commit yours, but we weren't the ones who betrayed Christ. We aren't that bad, are we?
I have to go back to that moment in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas led a band of armed ruffians. He called out the title of highest respect, 'Rabbi,' and gave the display of honor so appreciated in the Middle East, the kiss. Why? Why did Judas betray Jesus?
Maybe it really was for 30 pieces of silver. John's Gospel says he was greedy and had his hand in the till. He wouldn't be the first person involved in a revival movement that was stained with greed and financial corruption. Sadly, the pages of Christianity Today magazine and other media outlets are often reporting on Christian leaders who fall from grace because they cheated the church, took money that wasn't theirs. And there are many who don't steal money, but are simply paid exorbitant salaries and after some time come to think they worth the six figure incomes they receive. At 22 years old, when I first said I wanted to go into vocational ministry and believed I was being called to be a pastor; two different pastors gave the same advice, not knowing what the other had said. Watch out for women and money. I thought it was strange, unspiritual advice, definitely not what I expected. Now, 20 years later, I know why they said it. Sexual temptation and greed are things that destroy followers of Jesus Christ. Maybe we try to read too much Judas' motives for betrayal. Maybe it was a simple a case of old fashioned greed – 30 coins for the life of Jesus.
Maybe it was more than that. Maybe Judas believed what the Gospel of John tells us he said. Maybe he was, sort of, concerned about the needy. Maybe Judas was a pragmatist who saw 300 denarii worth of coins wasted on perfume that was poured over Jesus, and the excess truly irritated him. He might have stolen some of that money, but he also might have truly given a lot of it to help poorer people. Human beings are that twisted and torn. Made in the image of God, we can show great compassion. And in the next moment, fallen sinners in the heritage of Adam and Eve, we turn around and hurt others. Maybe Judas, blind to his own sin and also blind to who Jesus really was, was annoyed at the generous worship shown by the woman who anointed Jesus.
We could speculate further. In Matthew 10, when Jesus sends out his 12 on the mission of miraculous healing and exorcism, Judas is paired with Simon the Zealot. The Zealots were a revolutionary group that wanted to take up arms and drive Rome out of Israel with military force. Maybe Judas was also a Zealot or at least sympathetic to their cause. Maybe he turned Jesus into the authorities because he thought his action would provoke a violent uprising. I am certain Judas did not know Jesus would be crucified. I am positive that in his own mind, he wasn't sending Jesus to death. I am not clear on Judas' motive, but I am sure he was surprised by how things turned out.
Whatever his motive, Jesus wasn't who Judas wanted him to be. Judas did not truly see Jesus as master worthy of complete respect and loyalty, or else he would not have stolen from him. Judas did not accept Jesus as Lord, or else he would not have objected to worship of him and in fact he would have joined in the adoration of Jesus as Peter and the women disciples expressed at different times. Judas did not trust Jesus as leader or trust that Jesus knew what was best, or else he would not have betrayed him. He would not have tried to force Jesus' hand. Whatever drove Judas; Jesus was not who Judas wanted him to be.
Who do we want Jesus to be? Personal Lord and Savior! No, Jesus is not my personal Lord. Jesus is not mine at all, or yours. I am his. He is the possessor and we the possessions. He is the master and we the servants. Jesus is not our personal god to turn to when we need him. He's Lord of the universe and our story must conform to His. He is not to be fit into our lives where it works for us. We are to be fully committed to Him.
Who do we want Jesus to be? The one who answers our prayers? Yes, but also no. Yes, we are to pray without ceasing, in all circumstances. Yes, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are interested in the most intimate and small details of our lives. Yes, Jesus answers our prayers. Yes, we are to take all things to him in prayer. Yes! Yes! Yes! However, Jesus is not the divine wish-come-true, the one who gives whatever we want. Jesus is not a catalogue. In prayer, we seek God's will. There has to be more to our prayer life than simply asking for things. And when we ask for things, we have to be prepared for what God gives. When we ask to have the thorn removed from our side, we have to be prepared to hear as Paul did, "My grace is sufficient." And we have to accept that, as Paul did, thorn and all. When we ask that this cup be taken from us, we have to be prepared to drink it as Jesus did. He didn't want to be crucified, and he asked God for a way out. But he finished that prayer saying, "Not my will be yours be done."
Who do we want Jesus to be? The one who makes us right and others wrong? We're with Jesus and the world isn't or "they" aren't. Is that how we see it? The Muslims, the Communists, the Fascists, the Liberals, the Occupiers, the Tea Partiers … who would we "they" are? Jesus is for us, and against them. Jesus is the one who justifies us as we live for ourselves. Is that how we see it? Be careful! Bible scholars universally identify Pharisees as the conservatives and the scripture experts. In the world of the New Testament, the Pharisees were the Biblical fundamentalists, and Jesus was constantly refuting them, challenging them, and offering an alternative to the way they said one should live. Yes, it is true, Jesus justifies us, but on his terms not ours. Too many Christians create their own picture of the good life and then slap Jesus' name on it like a bumper sticker. With the "Jesus tag," they justify a materialistic, self-serving, hypocritical life. If that's how we see Jesus, we need to go back again and read the depictions of judgment in the New Testament and also the conditions for which one falls under judgment. Matthew 25 and Luke 16 are good starting points.
Who do we want Jesus to be? Personal Savior? Buddy? Prayer answerer? Label to justify the lives we've decided to live? Whatever else we might say about Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus, we can know this. Jesus wasn't who Judas wanted him to be because Jesus doesn't conform to man's expectations. Not Judas' expectations or the Pharisees'. Not your expectations or mine. He won't be who the world says he should be or who the church says he should be. I think the issue with Judas has to do with conformity. We might not each do what Judas did, but do we conform to Jesus' ways or do we want Jesus to conform to our expectations?
In another New Testament person, John the Baptist, we find another posture to be taken toward Jesus. It comes up in a conversation between John and his disciples, who perceived that Jesus was competing with John for followers. Note how John sees it when his most faithful followers show concern over Jesus' rising popularity.
From the Gospel of John, 3:26-30
26They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him." 27John answered, "No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.' 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease."
In what situation would we say that our own decrease actually makes us happy, fulfilled? In America today, the most popular sport, by far, is professional football. And the most admired people in the NFL are those who seen as ultra-competitive. Commentators speak in admiring tones when the describe the coach or player is so pathologically competitive that he wants to win at any and everything – checkers, ping pong, everything! He wants to win at all costs. He's obsessed with winning. We love our NFL and we put on a pedestal the greatest winners.
Now here comes John the Baptist saying Jesus must increase, but I must decrease. John doesn't care if the Lions beat the Bears next week. John is happy with his own decline for the sake of Jesus' exaltation. Put more simply, John wants people to forget about him and turn to Jesus. He couldn't be any clearer about that.
John gets what he wants. His life comes to an end when, after languishing in Herod's prison, he is beheaded. Everyone who puts Jesus first and dies to self in order to glorify does not die a martyr's death, but everyone who claims to be a passionately devoted follower of Jesus has to be ready to do just that.
It is a matter of how we approach Jesus. Do we come to him hoping he will be who we want him to be? Or do we come as broken sinners? Do we come seeing him as a loving God who welcomes us with open arms and offers complete forgiveness? In approaching that way, do we have the humility to die to self that we might be made new? Not "a new, improved, better me" that we hear about on diet ads and in self-help books; do we come with such complete surrender that Jesus takes over our lives and we are made new?
Judas died a horrible, lonely death. He was forgotten by all except to be remembered as a betrayer. At the judgment, he will, to his own horror, see openly what he failed to see in his time with Jesus. John also died a horrible, lonely death, but before he did, in this life, he saw the ascension of Jesus, and his joy was made complete. At the final judgment, he will come and see what he already testified to in his life – the love and the reign of Jesus. Then, John will hear these words. "Well done good and faithful one. Enter into the joy of your master."
May we let go of roles we'd like Jesus to fulfill. May we instead be given eyes to see who Jesus is and when we see Him, may we give ourselves to Him in total surrender.


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According to the NSPCC many parents are still oblivious to the social media age restrictions for kids in the UK. In a bid to try and help raise awareness, Digital Consultant, Lynne Gregory of Stripe Virtual Services put together this simple infographic to help guide you through the most popular social media apps.
"The majority of parents across the country don't know whether their children are old enough to be using social networks.
Shockingly, 1 in 5 parents think that there are no age requirements at all for social media.
Some sites can be a dangerous place for younger children, potentially exposing them to bullying, inappropriate content or grooming. But they can also provide important support networks for younger people."
Please note that these details were all correct at the time of this blog post being originally published on 3 April 2018.
Get expert advice
Parents seeking face-to-face advice about how to best protect their children online can make an appointment with the NSPCC's O2 gurus in their nearest store or can call the O2 NSPCC Online Safety Helpline: 0808 800 5002
If you would benefit from some digital support, then please get in touch with Stripe Virtual Services at email@example.com or stripe-vs.com/contact/ so they can talk through how they may be able to help you. Or why not follow them on Twitter (@HelloStripe) to be kept up-to-date with their latest news.


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U.N. Peacekeeping
Thursday, June 2, 2016 - 05:38
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the Security Council to add just over 2,500 peacekeepers to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, which has been hit by a series of deadly attacks, according to a new U.N. report.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - 06:22
Attacks on United Nations sites in northern Mali killed four people, including one peacekeeper, and wounded more than a dozen, the U.N. mission said on Wednesday.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - 06:11
Peacekeeping operations on the African continent are evolving to become more diverse and regional than ever before.
Thursday, May 26, 2016 - 06:31
Sudan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Ghandour expects a breakthrough in relations with Washington and vowed to resolve security issues with neighboring countries.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016 - 06:37
In late March Uganda received equipment from the U.S. as part of an ongoing mission to build international peacekeeping capacity and promote regional security operations in nearby Somalia. The equipment allows Uganda to perform the mission without deploying U.S. troops and strengthens the partnership between the two countries.
Thursday, May 5, 2016 - 07:28
Kazakh Armed Forces Major Akylbai Kussainov and Captain Rustem Suleimenov returned from Côte d'Ivoire where they served as UN military observers for one year, according to the Kazakh country's Ministry of Defence. They inspected military units, conducted surveillance, patrolled and performed other tasks during the mission.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 - 07:00
Over 300 participants from 25 countries in Africa, Europe and the United States and from regional and international institutions are in Ouagadougou where they have begun training on UN peacekeeping operations, the Defense Ministry told APA on Tuesday.
Monday, May 2, 2016 - 06:16
The United Nations Security Council on Friday renewed its peacekeeping mission in the disputed Western Sahara region for a year with a resolution that placed only mild pressure on Morocco, which in a diplomatic flare-up last month expelled many of the staff members of the mission, crippling its ability to function.
Friday, April 29, 2016 - 06:30
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to wrap up its 12-year peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast next year, a sign of confidence in the West African nation's progress to peace after years of political turmoil and thousands of deaths.
Petition Launched to Pull All French Troops from Central African Republic After Sexual Abuse Reports
Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - 06:36
A petition for the withdrawal of French troops from the Central African Republic has been launched online, following numerous allegations that soldiers working as U.N. peacekeepers paid African girls for sex.


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549 Mount Burr Road, Millicent
Sold! $110,000 - House
Virtually no living expenses here with own supply of water, solar and low rates!
Set on a private and picturesque allotment of approximately 809m2, quaint timber frame home in a gorgeous setting filled with birdlife.
• Front veranda is decked and offers fabulous views to the township of Millicent and the windfarm beyond, sliding glass door to
• Kitchen and dining space with timber floor and reverse cycle air conditioner
• Kitchen with gas cooktop and underbench gas stove, double sink
• Lounge with timber floorboards and freestanding slow combustion wood heater
• Laundry, tiled with external door to
• Rear veranda and pergola
• Bathroom with hand basin and shower over bath
• Separate toilet
• Three bedrooms, all with new carpet
• Equipped bore
• 3.5kW solar system
• Rainwater storage of approx. 1000lt
• Double carport, enclosed at rear end


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Google Celebrates National Small Business Week
Google sent out a cool package today to celebrate National Small Business Week. Inside the package was some marketing materials based on your Google Business local page.
It's pretty neat package because it takes some of the reviews from your business's Google Local Page profile and a couple other marketing materials and offers them in print version as well as in digital version that can be used on social media profiles.
This is Google's way of celebrating Small Business Week and is a really nice guesture to see. I haven't really seen anything like this from Google before, so you definitely want to take advantage of this while you can.
Here's a link to the kit that Google is offering and you can choose to either have it mailed to you or to download it or both!
With the social media kit that can be downloaded, it gives you shareable content for your Instagram or for your Facebook page. The printed out version can be hung up on the wall or sent out as postcards.
I think they look pretty neat and is definitely a cool swag item that you don't usually see from Google. Get yours while they last!


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By Jo
Growing up, Thanksgiving was anything but picturesque and filled with family togetherness. At our house the holiday was filled with mean comments about the food, complaints about family, and the only thing to be thankful for was making it to dessert without a fight. I always wondered if this was how holidays were truly meant to be.
Once I grew up and had my own family I realized that holidays could be so much more. Thanksgiving finally became a day of good food, wonderful company, and thankfully no fists were ever thrown. I was able to teach my children to be thankful for all the things we had and not focus on what we lacked.
This year is very special. As a family we have made it through several cancers, surgeries, adjusting to life with a rare disorder, the loss of a loved one, and a job transfer that moved us across the country. It's been both hard and busy, to say the least.
Having to go through our own trials has opened our eyes a little wider to the hardships of others. Our thoughts can't help but be with the victims of this year's hurricanes and tornadoes. The words "thank you" don't seem like enough to show our gratitude to the brave men and women serving our country both at home and abroad. Joy hardly begins to describe what I feel knowing that I am alive and able to listen to my children do something as simple as argue over what float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is best.
I'd love to have the traditions and warmth from generations before to pass on to my kids, but instead they will grow up knowing they are a part of making new traditions that we can all cherish and pass on to the generations to come.
Jo is a 30-year-old mother of three miracles (14, 11, and 2 1/2), a wife to Vinny, a poet, an aspiring writer, and a three-time cancer survivor.


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Sid was rescued from a meat truck a couple of weeks ago. He is sooooooo happy, loves humans even though he was being sold for meat. Wonderful boy! He is going to Fast Friends GreyhoundRescue next month
Please see our adoption process here for further information on how to adopt.
If you would like to adopt one of our Greyhounds.
Please email us at [email protected] or use our contact form.


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Contact: Brian Feeney, 718-354-4606
Three Year Temporary Contract will keep the Silver Gull Club and the Breezy Point Beach Club Open
Gateway National Recreation Area General Superintendent Barry Sullivan announced that an agreement has been reached that allows the Breezy Point Surf Club and the Silver Gull Club to continue to operate within the park for three more years. An agreement between the National Park Service (NPS) and Mr. Tom August, principle operator of the two clubs, was signed on April 15.
The new agreement is a temporary, three-year concession contract that will require the clubs to operate in a fashion similar to other businesses that operate authorized concessions at Gateway. Standard NPS concession requirements include quality visitor services, building maintenance, environmental planning and management, a visitor safety program, and payment of a specified franchise fee to the government.
Commenting on this development, Sullivan thanked August for "all the work put into developing the new agreement," and he also expressed his appreciation to Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Anthony Weiner whose contributions Sullivan described as "critical to bringing about the successful execution of the new concession contract."
The beach clubs held a permit to operate from the City of New York prior to the establishment of the Gateway National Recreation Area. In 1974 the land and buildings occupied by the beach clubs were transferred to the NPS by New York City and the park issued the club operators a Special Use Permit that permitted their continued operations. In 2007, the Inspector General for the NPS issued a report, "Private Use of Public Lands," that examined this issue at several national parks across the country. In that report the Inspector General questioned the decision to operate the beach clubs under a Special Use Permit, raised concerns about the potential exclusive nature of the clubs, and noted the lack of environmental planning and compliance for this area of the park. In response to these findings, the Director of the National Park Service signed a memorandum assuring the Inspector General that Gateway would address these concerns.
The temporary Concession Contract now in place allows the two clubs to operate through the 2011 season. During that time Gateway will be formulating a new General Management Plan (GMP) for the entire park. This process will include legally required environmental impact studies, along with public meetings to obtain valuable input from the park's visitors about the future management of Gateway's Breezy Point District. When that phase of the GMP iscomplete, a decision will be made about the best alternative for the public use of all ateway
lands, including the beach clubs.
Last updated: February 26, 2015


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Perhaps the most despised federal levy is the alternative minimum tax, which Congress passed in 1969 to prevent the loophole-savvy ultra-wealthy from shortchanging Uncle Sam. Over the years, AMT's reach
While the weather for March may be much more unpleasant at the beginning of the month relative to the end of the month, the same could not be said for
Not many of us would envy the Federal Reserve's job of overseeing the U.S. economy. It's a monumental task, one that requires vigilant watch and careful utilization of tools that
Stocks have made an abrupt about-face in the early days of February after marching steadily higher in January, a continuation of the bull market party in place since the election
2017 was a year to celebrate gains in most stock markets around the world. The S&P 500 index continued to be the favored index, though some international markets also shone
The future course of interest rates is a topic of much attention lately, as the economy continues its slow but steady recovery from the financial crisis of 2008. How quickly
Last month marked the 30-year anniversary of the October 1987 stock market plunge in which the major indices fell over 20% in a single day. It still remains the largest
Stocks continued to advance in the third quarter, with the S&P 500 index rising about 4%. That is a pretty strong result for the period, especially as August and September
After a relatively strong start to the summer season—with the S&P 500 index rising in June and July—stocks took a breather in August, finishing essentially flat. Small-cap stocks and energy
Both the stock and bond markets were kind to investors last month, posting reasonable gains for investors. This was a nice gift since — as we discussed in last month's


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English Breakfast 75g
Travelling across the Sapphire Isle, breakfast is often served with a view of rolling tea plantations. Sri-Lankan pancakes are proudly presented with spicy sambal or sticky fillings of coconut treacle tapped from the kitul palm. A 'wood apple' juice (ordered out of curiosity) is enthusiastically served. Good grief! A traditional English Breakfast tea will be the reliable complement to all meals henceforth.
Brew at 90℃ for 2+ minutes.
Ingredients: BOP1 Orange Pekoe, Kenilworth Estate, Sri Lanka.


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What's Better: Birth Photography or Birth Videography?
Dallas/Fort Worth Birth Photographer
May of 2017, I photographed a birth at the Allen Birthing Center for a super sweet family! It was so beautiful and quick! The Mama had her 10.5 pound baby out after being there for only an hour! But this birth was different. Photography alone couldn't capture how incredible the birth actually was. When their sweet baby girl was born, the Mom softly sang her sweet melodies. How on earth could I capture that with a still image? While my heart was full from witnessing this lovely moment, it was also breaking because I couldn't capture the moment the way it should have been captured. The worst part of all… the Dad was going to record her singing… and he forgot to!
2 months later, I shot my first birth film. I decided that I wasn't going to let a moment like that pass by again! I invested a lot of time and money into teaching myself how to take video quick. Which by the way… taking video footage with your photography camera is SO much more complicated than just switching it over to video!! All the settings have to change! And going from the mindset to taking a still image and switching to the mindset of capturing movement and audio, it's two complete different ways of documentation.
Birth Videography is starting to become more of a thing and I find a lot of families ask the same question… "Which option is better? Photography or Videography?". Since it's not an easy question to answer, I thought I would write a blog post about the differences between the two so you can get a better idea of what it's all about!
1. What is the difference between photography and videography?
While it seems simple to just say: Photography is a photograph, videography is a video… It's not exactly that simple.
Photography is documentation of an event using still images that represents a particular moment in your life. Depending on the timing and angle of your image, one single snapshot can bring back 1,000 memories and emotions. When you choose photography to document your birth, you still leave some room for your own memories to fill in the gaps.
Videography is documentation of an event using movement and sounds to piece together a moment in your life. Depending on what is being captured, the clip can leave you with various feelings based on the movement happening in the video clip and the sounds you may hear from that day. When you choose videography to document your birth, you pretty much get to see and hear exactly what happened in a shorter amount of time. All of the major moments from your birth get put together into a movie like film.
2. Pros and Cons about Photography
Pros: It's a still photograph that you can print, hold, and put into a baby book, scrapbook, photo album, or in a frame. It can be printed on items like mugs and calendars, or even your Holiday Cards if that's your thing! You can move more private images in another folder and only look at them every once in a while, or even delete them if you know you won't want them. Digital images have much more flexibility than video in terms of storing them or displaying them.
Cons: Photography is a still image that represents 1/200th of a second in your life. To be able to capture the feeling and emotion of a moment, you have to be perfect with your timing and angle. Even though 1 image can show lots of emotions, strength, and support… it is still only a visual representation of that moment. If your spouse was serenading you while you were in labor, a still image won't let you hear what they were singing. Or… like in the video at the bottom of this page… if you have a surprise gender birth, you won't ever hear yourself cry when you realize it's a boy.
3. Pros and Cons about Videography
Pros: You are amazing, you are awesome! And you are featured in your very own movie! What you see and hear in your video is actually what happened! You don't have to question how loud you were during labor, because you'll be able to hear it for yourself. You won't have to try to remember "the funny shit kids say" when your 9 year old daughter was asking the most hilarious questions when your son was born… you can watch it in the video! You can see their facial expressions as they talk and you can hear the way they say it.
Cons: You can't print it. You can't touch it. You can't frame it and hang it on your wall. Looking through it requires your full attention because it's a video with sound. You can't just browse through your photos for just a few seconds. Your video may become more private to you and you may not want to share it with many people. Even when I make a shorter/shareable version of your birth film that's more PG… an actual video of you in one of your most intimate moments can make you feel pretty dang vulnerable.
4. I see you offer both, how are you able to do that? Do you have two cameras you use?
Funny story. While I do have 2 cameras, I have found it much easier to only use 1 camera to switch back and forth between the two quickly if necessary. I do sometimes use both, and will have one on a gimbal to achieve smoother movement, but I most often just use 1 camera. Since there aren't 2 of me at births I physically can't do both video and photos at the exact same time, so it doesn't make sense to use two different cameras the entire time.
5. How do you determine what to take pictures of and what to take video of?
Movement and sounds are what makes a video clip. If I walk into a room and see the laboring Mom swaying back and forth through a contraction, that moment would look very magical in video and would be very straightforward in photo. Since time would allow, I would probably take both video and Photos of that moment. However, when it's time for baby to be born, the moment is a complete toss-up! If you think you'll be any bit emotional (or if you are having a surprise gender birth) video would for sure be the better option! Something a still photo will never capture are the sounds of you whaling at the realization that you had your first baby boy… or when your oldest daughter is there to witness the birth and starts asking all the crazy questions! If you had video clips and audio from those moments, you would be able to go back and not only watch what happened but listen to it too. Sometimes right after your baby is born, I switch back over to take a few shots so you still have a printable image.
For other moments like the newborn exam where you measure and weigh the baby, only having still photographs is requested from the family because they want to print them out and put them into a baby book.
6. What's Better? Birth Photography or Birth Videography?
Unfortunately, I can't answer this question for you. Every family is completely different. What I can say though is that no matter which one you choose, you will be happy! There is no wrong answer here! Browse my Birth page to learn more about what I offer and see my portfolio!
The family in the photos in this blog post chose both photography and videography for their birth. They received around 175 images (some in color, some in black and white, some in both) as well as a birth film. Their short/shareable PG version of their birth film is shown below!


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1994 GL1500A Aspencade
Motorcycle related items for sale or wanted
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- Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2018 8:48 am
- Location: Binghamton, New York
- Motorcycle: 1995 GL1500A Aspencade
1994 GL1500A Aspencade
I'm looking for a spoiler led light and the red lens cover. On my bike it's a 3 screw tab type. It is wider in the middle than it is on the ends. Mine apparently broke off and fell out. Haven't been able to find a replacement. thanks for any suggestions or the actual part. email@example.com
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Price: $80.75
Quantity: 1 available
Book Condition: Very Good
Very Good hardcover, has a previous owner's name and date on the front pastedown. Cover has some wear and spotting. Some pages have mild moisture staining or uneveness. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 309 pages
Title: The Heart of Happy Hollow
Categories: African American,
Edition: First Edition; First Printing
Publisher: New York, Dodd, Mead & Co: 1904
Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Very Good
Item: 1.00 Item
Seller ID: 37695


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THE LATEST wintry weather is a stark reminder of the challenges we face in keeping local roads to a good standard of repair.
Ask any Council Leader about this subject and I would confidently bet that most will tell you that potholed roads is the top cause of the complaints they get from the public.
And I do sympathise – I am a driver after all!…
I can't deny I get as irked as anyone else does after driving over one – although it is also true that nobody ever notices driving over roads where no bumps occur, for obvious reasons.
To try and address the pothole problem we've announced a new £6.2 million investment programme in Oldham's roads this week.
This new money is funding a 12-month programme of works to get more streets into shape with a high-quality and durable surface that supports residents, motorists and business and keeps the borough moving.
This is really positive news, but we've also got to be realistic about the scale of the problem.
Road surfacing is a constant ongoing battle and the significant funding cuts from Government leave us with far less to spend on it than we would ideally put in.
In recent years we've also had some very harsh winters and wet summers which have had a significant impact on the 856 kilometres of roads we maintain.
This – and increased traffic levels – means many road surfaces are in need of repair or resurfacing. That £6.2 million commitment means specialist teams are out on the roads as you read this right now and getting on with that job.
There's two key issues at play when it comes to road surfacing.
Firstly, there just isn't enough Government funding to help local authorities like ourselves get on top of the problem. Last year a survey by the Asphalt Industry Alliance estimated that councils are fixing 1.75 million potholes a year, which is one every 19 seconds, and sounds impressive. But the scale of the issue is such that the Local Government Association believes there is an astronomical national funding gap of £12 billion to be plugged and it would still take more than a decade – even with all that money provided – just to catch up with the backlog.
Although we're not unique in terms of the funding challenges we face, a second issue for Oldham lies in the topographical nature of where we live.
Snow and ice causes the vast majority of pothole cracks and are much more likely to be on higher ground. That's because the higher you are, the colder it tends to be, which explains why the Saddleworth Moors always appear to be hit first. Height is also crucial because just a small change in temperature can mean the difference between rain and snow (which melts at 0 degrees C or above) and the Highways team tell me that 99 per cent of our borough lies at least at a height of 100 metres above sea level.
We know it is vital that we continue to invest in our key infrastructure, like the road network.
In addition to this new investment we're continuing to give overall priority to our main roads (A and B roads). These are our Priority Routes because the majority of the public use them each day – and you can help us to keep them well maintained.
We operate a 24 Hour Repair Promise on these roads (you may have noticed the road signs indicating this) so, if you see a defect, then please report it to us so we can take action immediately. Find out more here.
Obviously, we cannot go out driving every stretch of our roads checking for defects like this every day, so we rely on your help as our 'eyes and ears' by reporting problems as they arise.
Finally, I want to stress that this £6.2million investment is new money and it is in addition to the regular and scheduled work that our Highways Team are already carrying out, such as other reactive pothole repairs.
You can find out more about which roads will be improved in the first three months of this programme here.
Please do #yourbit and report any pothole problems to us online.


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Bravo! The latest Ethix (Issue 20, Nov-Dec 2001) arrived a few days ago. Wow, what a super issue. Informative, provocative, More»
On November 29, I went to the post office to pick up IBTE mail. There was a familiar envelope from More»
In a post 9/11 era of growing technological complexity, Don Tapscott discusses corporate ethics.
If ethics — doing the right thing — really matters in business and technology today, isn't it time to bring More»
directed by Chris Hegedus and Jehane Noujaim
Next: the future just happened
by Michael Lewis
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don't
by Jim Collins
The Agenda: What Every Business Must do to Dominate the Decade
by Michael Hammer


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Pharmacy Times' Next Generation Pharmacists Awards Honors Mike Johnston/NPTA
Last week, NPTA's CEO, Mike Johnston, CPhT, was recognized at the Pharmacy Times Next Generation Pharmacists Awards Gala in San Diego.
As he stated in his award video, Mike explains, "It's a great honor to have been nominated for this award, but I don't view it as a nomination for myself as an individual...but rather as a representative of the 50,000 technicians that NPTA represents."
So congratulations to you - the best and brightest pharmacy technicians - on being recognized for all that you do individually and all that we do collectively as as organization.


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2007 Yamaha Roadstar 1700 (0)
Exceptional condition, garaged and well cared for. 6100mis, also have factory backrest not currently on the bike.2014-01-27 02:44:04North Monmouth, ME67,000.00
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Sample of 50mm diameter acrylic curtain pole. This clear perspex pole is ideal for a modern interior. Sample items are dispatched within 2-3 working days.
Add a minimum of 15cm either side, preferably more, but for full curtains or wide windows allow at least 25cm if you have the room, excluding the length of the finials (decorative pole ends).


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The 2016 WTCC season recap - Future doesn't look good
The 2016 FIA World Touring Cars Championship was far from exciting and the prospect is that following season could be even less interesting.
Citroen was superior, again
As it was expected, Citroen and Jose Maria Lopez dominated the championship for the third consecutive year. Even after the French manufacturer fielded only two cars backed by the factory, the difference between Citroen and the rest of the grid was huge. Lopez scored eight wins on the way to the trophy, while Yvan Muller added one triumph. The two drivers finished as a champion and a runner-up relatively easily resisting all attacks by Honda drivers.
Citroen also has a champion in the WTCC Trophy for the Independent entries. Mehdi Bennani, the driver of Sebastien Loeb racing, won the title and proved that he is capable of achieving big things despite having some oscillations which are difficult to explain.
Whether the Honda's glass is half full or half empty?
The Japanese manufacturer was hugely ambitious before the start of the campaign. With three cars in the factory team, at one point of the campaign, Honda looked capable of going into the battle with Citroen but before the second half of the season it was clear that the difference is still too big.
Tiago Monteiro was considered as the title contender, but finished third in the Drivers' championship after scoring two race wins, but Norbert Michelisz was the one who really impressed. The motivated Hungarian drove his first season as a factory team driver and finished only one point behind Monteiro. More was expected from the experienced Rob Huff who won only once and finished 6th in the points.
Lada finally won, solid debut for Volvo
Lada probably had its best season in the WTCC. The Vesta model proved that can be fast and reliability also was better than it 2015. The Russians finally scored a victory but they lacked consistency. The Old wolf Gabriele Tarquini scored two wins, Nick Catsburg once was on the top of the podium but was in the most consistent form of all Lada drivers, while Hugo Valente's performances were pretty disappointing, so it was enough only for the third place in the Manufacturers' championship.
Finally, Volvo has to be happy with its first year in the series. The Swedish manufacturer and Cyan racing team fielded only two cars but Thed Bjork, who was in the seat through the whole season and scored the maiden win for the Volvo, as well Fredrik Ekblom, Robert Dahlgren, and Nestor Girolami who were sharing the seat in the second car, scored points on a regular basis and surely there will be more to come from the Swedes.
A new team time trial format introduced for manufacturers, titled Manufacturers Against the Clock (MAC3), has not increased the excitement on the qualifying day nor played important role in the Manufacturers' championship. The WTCC obviously needs more changes on and off the track to be more interesting and attractive to the fans and manufacturers. As it currently stands, that won't be an easy task at all.
There is plenty of reason for concern
The season of 2016 was the last for the legend of the series, the four-time champion Yvan Muller. Jose Maria Lopez also left the series when Citroen announced retirement from the WTCC and return to the World Rally Championship. Two top class drivers left the series and that is not a tragedy but the loss of the leading manufacturer is enormous kick in the teeth.
Lada also (surprisingly) decided to leave the WTCC at the time when finally started to get closer to rivals, so only Honda and Volvo, as it stands now, will have factory teams in 2017 what is really sad. Volvo will expand to three cars in the next year but that can't patch departure of two manufacturers.
Another disappointing fact is that Citroen even with the private team, Sebastien Loeb Racing, can beat factory teams of Honda and Volvo in 2017 what probably can be exciting for the fans, but not for the competition. The promoters must do everything that they can to attract at least one new manufacturer with factory team to the series, as soon as possible but that looks unlikely to happen in 2017.
Fresh blood is desperately needed
The organizers also must ensure that independent teams will have the interest to stay in the championship. Sebastien Loeb racing will be there in 2017, as well Zengo Motorsport, but the future of others which are running Chevrolet cars remains in limbo. The ROAL Motorsport will stay in the WTCC as long as Tom Coronel can find financial backing. The Munnich Motorsport easily can set other priorities, as well the Campos Racing, so the fresh blood is desperately needed to make championship more competitive and more atractive.
That's why the 2017 season could be decisive in many ways for the future of the World Touring Cars Championship and hopefully, some improvements in the organization will be done during relatively short winter break as it looks like that with the current state, there's no prosperous future for the WTCC.
2016 FIA WTCC statistics
Number of wins: Citroen 12, Honda 4, Lada 3, Chevrolet 2, Volvo 1
Number of pole positions: Citroen 9, Honda 1, Lada 1
Number of fastest laps: Citroen 11, Lada 5, Honda 4, Volvo 2
Number of laps led: Citroen 138, Honda 91, Lada 51, Chevrolet 28, Volvo 1


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The prized rum was skillfully blended and called "1919 Aged Rum." " - www.angosturarum.com
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text: Bonfires and beverages make a great way to get to know your neighbor. In the skiing community they offer opportunities to warm up and engage in discussion. People stop by these places to take a break and meet new people. Hidden among the trees is a roaring fire with people taking a break from the slopes.


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NBC Football Ratings Update
By Ben Grossman
NBC's Sunday Night Football contest between the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers averaged 17.3 million viewers, which is also the exact average for NBC's new football property through eight weeks.
While not exactly an analogous comparison, Sunday Night Football through eight weeks is up nine percent from what ABC's Monday Night Football averaged last year through the same number of games (15.9 million), according to Nielsen fast national data cited by NBC.
The Sunday night games last year were carried on cable by ESPN, which is setting cable records this year in its first season of taking over the Monday Night Football franchise from corporate cousin ABC.
The Dallas-Carolina game earned a 6.8 average rating in the adult 18-49 demo, basically on par with the season average for the franchise, which is now averaging a 6.9 rating for the eight games.
The television industry's top news stories, analysis and blogs of the day.


text: just checking! i need to get back to the hamburg airport from wacken early on sunday morning. did i understand correctly, that shuttle busses will drive all the time from wacken to itzehoe from 3:00 to 15:00. so i can go to itzehoe at 8:00 or 9:00 if i feel like? i also tried using bahn.de to find out how to travel from itzehoe back to hamburg. i'm not sure if i used it right 'cause i don't understand germany. so i'm just guessing that there are trains going like every 30 minutes or so even on sunday morning. it'd be nice if someone confirmed that i won't have extremely big problems (unless i drink too much) with the schelude on sunday morning. my flight leaves at 12:55 from hamburg airport. thanks.


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Media Coverage
A digest of Illinois Computer Science faculty, alumni, and students who are featured in the media.
Nancy Amato To Lead Illinois Computer ScienceJuly 19, 2018
The Chronicle of Higher Education -- Nancy Amato, a professor of computer science and engineering at Texas A&M University, will become head of computer science and a professor of engineering at the University of Illinois.
Internal Documents Show How Amazon Scrambled To Fix Prime Day GlitchesJuly 19, 2018
CNBC -- "More people came in than Amazon could handle," Matthew Caesar, a computer science professor at the University of Illinois and co-founder of cybersecurity firm Veriflow, said. "And Amazon couldn't use all the resources they had available because there was a bug or some other issue with their software."
Method Revolutionizes Tracking The Spread Of CancerJuly 17, 2018
The University Network -- A team of researchers led by Assistant Professor Mohammed El-Kebir has developed a new method to track the spread of cancer cells, yielding a clearer understanding of cancer migration than ever before. Their algorithm, called MACHINA, tracks the spread of cancer cells.
U of Illinois Names Alum, 1st Woman To Head Computer ScienceJuly 15, 2018
Chicago Tribune via AP -- The Los Angeles Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, San Francisco Chronicle, and numerous others pick up coverage of Professor Nancy Amato being named the next Illinois CS department head.
Robotics Expert To Be First Woman To Lead UI Computer-Science DepartmentJuly 12, 2018
The News-Gazette -- Nancy Amato is named the new head of Illinois Computer Science. "It's an awesome place to do research, it's a top-five CS program. ... I'm really honored and humbled, honestly," Amato said in an interview with the Champaign newspaper. ASEE's First Bell and the CRA Bulletin also covered the news.
New Informatics Tool Makes the Most of Genomics DataJuly 12, 2018
Technology Networks -- A new computational tool developed by University of Illinois researchers -- including CS Professor Saurabh Sinha -- and the Mayo Clinic combines genomic information to make stronger predictions about what genomic features are associated with specific drug responses.
2018's Best & Worst Cities to Drive InJuly 10, 2018
WalletHub -- Some cities are better for those behind the wheel. To determine those places, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 29 key indicators of driver-friendliness. Adjunct Professor Eyal Amir adds his expertise on how to drive for less, autonomous vehicles, and more.
The 27 Books Marc Andreessen Recommends You Read This SummerJuly 6, 2018
Quartz -- Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Marc Andreessen (BS '94) has the kind of tech-industry clout that makes even his summer reading recommendations news, in this case a list of primarily politics, psychology, and history books that also marked his return to Twitter after two years. Also covered by CNBC.
Want A Job In Data Science? You Might Have To Take A Standardized Test When ApplyingJuly 5, 2018
Chicago Tribune -- Data scientists are in high demand, but some companies say they have struggled to find job candidates whose skills fit their needs. So eight have created a data science standards board. John C. Hart, professor and director of online and professional programs at Illinois Computer Science, says data science is exploding so it's no surprise companies are banding together to do such testing. Titus Fong, a recent graduate of the department's MCS-DS program, says he would have appreciated a standardized test to prove his skills to employers.
Myntra CTO Jeyandran Venugopal Helped Set Up Amazon In India, Then Moved To A Firm That Rivals AmazonJune 28, 2018
YourStory -- Now CTO of India's online fashion market leader Myntra, Jeyandran Venugopal (MS CS '01) worked at Amazon for almost eight years and has been a significant participant in the growth of India's e-commerce economy over the last 10 years.
Police: Man Breaches Secure Area At Atlanta Airport, Rushes Delta Plane On TarmacJune 28, 2018
WXIA-TV Atlanta -- CS Professor Sheldon Jacobson is interviewed in this story on the arrest of a man who rushed a Delta Airlines plane on the tarmac at Atlanta's airport. "It doesn't scare me because there were enough checkpoints and layers in place ..." Jacobson appears at 1:42 in the video version of the story.
Demystifying the BlockchainJune 27, 2018
The New York Times -- A series devoted to blockchain technology's evolving place in the worlds of tech and finance notes the recent announcement by Andreessen Horowitz -- whose co-founders include Marc Andreessen (BS '94) -- of a $300 million investment fund devoted to blockchain technologies.
Andreessen Horowitz Hires Its First Female General PartnerJune 25, 2018
Recode -- One of Silicon Valley's buzziest venture capital firms, Andreessen Horowitz, has hired its first female senior investing partner. Marc Andreessen (BS '94) is a director and co-founder of the firm.
Visual Data Exploration: A Fertile Ground for Data Management ResearchJune 25, 2018
ACM SIGMOD Blog: CS Assistant Professor Aditya Parameswaran creates his own media with this blog post on the importance of information visualization in data science, and a couple of key problems in dealing with data as it increases in scale.
The 39 Most Powerful Female Engineers of 2018June 21, 2018
Business Insider -- Tanya Lattner (MS CS '05), who is president of the LLVM Foundation, makes Business Insider's annual list of the most powerful women in engineering, at No. 37.
We Need More Women In Tech In Order To Get More Women In TechJune 21, 2018
Recode -- Current efforts either aren't working or aren't being applied on a grand enough scale, and need to start earlier, Illinois CS alum Nimit Maru (BS CS '04) and David Yang (BS EE '04) write in an op-ed. The two are co-founders of coding-education initiative Fullstack Academy.
The K Framework – A Framework To Formally Define All Programming LanguagesJune 12, 2018
Epicenter podcast -- CS Professor Grigore Rosu talks about the K framework, as well as his work to create a new virtual machine called IELE specifically tailored to blockchain.
Algorithm Overcomes Compromise In Acquisition Of Satellite ImageryJune 5, 2018
The Engineer -- CS Assistant Professor Jian Peng and other Illinois researchers have developed a new algorithm to eliminate the compromise between high resolution and high frequency in satellite imagery by fusing data into one integrated product. Coverage also by LaserFocusWorld and AgPro.
Microsoft invests in UI program to help autistic students pursue STEM careersJune 5, 2018
The News-Gazette -- A $200,000 grant from Microsoft will provide a pipeline to careers in technology for U of I students who have autism, promote digitally accessible classrooms, and encourage the creation and use of accessible software, including CS Professor Lawrence Angrave's ClassTranscribe project. Additional coverage by The Associated Press and
Why Has 'Transgender' Become a Trigger Word for YouTube?June 2, 2018
Daily Beast -- Professor Karrie Karahalios helps explain how machine learning algorithms at YouTube might restrict or demonetize LGBTQ video content. "The hard part as an outsider is figuring out if it is happening internally, meaning that explicit rules were set, or if it has to do with behavior from clicks from the outside world."


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Why Online Casinos Are Controversial
Though they provide entertainment to players all over the world, even in 2018 online casinos still face their fare share of controversies. Certain recurring debates concerning the industry are often argued by those who oppose online casinos.
One of the biggest controversies in the imdustry right now is that online casinos are likely to lead to gambling problems for people of all ages. However, there is no data available that proves or disproves that more people are becoming problem gamblers because online casinos are so easy to access these days. After more than 15 years of online casinos there has been no documented spike in the number of problem gamblers created. Yet opponents of online gambling will say otherwise.
Another controversy surrounding the industry is that it gives minors easy access to games they aren't legally allowed to play for real money. In fact, every online casino states that players must be at least 18 in order to gamble with real money, and new players are required to provide proof of age.
From a financial standpoint there has also been controversy due to the fact that many people believe online casinos can't enforce regulations because the technology they use to do so is flawed. The idea behind this controversy is that many people feel that online casinos use inferior technology for everything from verifying validity to processing players' casino account deposits. What opponents of the industry fail to realize is that the same technology that casinos use for verifications is used for financial transactions as well.
Those who oppose online casimos the most are beginning to argue that since these casinos are run offshore, local governments can ban them. While this isn't likely to happen, mostly due to the high cost and implications of doing so, it is the most recent argument against them. The struggle between government bodies and those that are proponents of online casinos continues every day. Though the struggle is more prevalant in the US than it is in the UK, there is controversy surrounding it in both countries.
However, the UK government is very strict about licensing and regulations for online casinos. Many online casinos have been shut down because they were being operated by those who failed to get a license to do so. They are also vigilant about taking casinos offline that offer games which are appealing to unsuspecting children. More than 400 online casino and gambling sites in the UK have already been forced to stop offering child friendly games. This includes any game that features cartoon type characters and graphics. Even games who sound like they are targeting children are being pulled from online casinos' collections.
The reason why so many UK based casinos have featured these types of games is that the operators of the casinos felt they could get around the regulations set forth by the country's official Gambling Commission. These casinos felt that if their games could be played for free it would be OK for children to play them. While some online casinos catering to UK players have been cooperative about removing games that children are inclined to play, other casinos have been much less cooperative.
The software companies that create online casino games are becoming more aware of the fact that their games need to be appealing to adults but not to children. Only time will tell whether or not these companies side with the naysayers or they keep their games as they are. There is no doubt that in the UK, as well as the rest of the world, online casinos will continue to be a subject of controversy.


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Universal Studios Home Video presents
"From the four corners of the ancient world comes an adventure beyond time, beyond imagination..."
DVD ReviewIn recent years, summer blockbusters have been bigger in just about every way. Bigger budgets. Bigger stars. Bigger special effects sequences. And, let's not forget, a bigger marketing push. Now, selling a movie doesn't stop with fast food promos and commercials. Now we get the animated spin off. It doesn't matter that most of these big hits are rated PG-13; the studios don't hesitate to translate them into Saturday morning brain candy. It happened with Men in Black. It happened with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. And now, it's happening with The Mummy.
Set immediately after the events of the Mummy sequel, the animated series follows the exploits of archeologists Rick and Evy and, of course, their plucky, wiseacre son Alex (a little older here, so the boys will think he's cool and the girls will think he's cute... it's like a marketing textbook, people). Alex manages to get another bracelet stuck to his wrist (a totally different one than in the movie, mind you), and someone manages to wake up the mummy (aka Imhotep), and wouldn't you know it, he wants that bracelet, because it do voodoo.
This DVD splices together episodes one, twelve, and thirteen into an hour-long "movie." Parts of the story covered in the intervening episodes are summarized with clunky voiceover, but nothing of import seems to have been missed—the show follows a very episodic, repetitive pattern, wherein each week, the O'Connells race to find a "lost scroll" before the mummy gets to it. Because if he gets them all, he'll rule the world! But, in a different way than had he succeeded in the movie version.
So, if you can't tell, this series basically takes the exact plot of The Mummy Returns and molds it into something kid-friendly. The filmed version is brainless and mind numbing, if sporadically entertaining, and the same can be said of this incarnation. The writing is no great shakes, but the pace zips along and the action sequences are plentiful. I have a fondness for the animation, however. It's got the same blocky, stylized look as the animated Batman series, another program that aired on Kids WB! at one time.
The voice talent is pretty impressive as well, including (the new) Winnie the Pooh himself, Jim Cummings, as Imhotep (maybe the scrolls piece together a map to the honey tree) and Nicholas Guest (brother Christopher) as Alex's ally, Ardeth Bay.
Rating for Style: B
Rating for Substance: C
Image Transfer
Image Transfer Review: This show looks great on DVD, with rich colors and good black level. I noticed no artifacts or graininess, and no edge enhancement to speak of. Giving such a high grade to a simple TV cartoon might seem a bit much, but I really can't fault this presentation. Any problems can likely be attributed to the quickie animation.
Image Transfer Grade: A-
Audio Transfer
Audio Transfer Review: This is a pretty nice DD 2.0 mix, considering the source material. The front soundstage is nice and wide, with good dynamic range, and good directionality throughout. Surrounds provide some support as well, be it minor atmospheric effects or a bit of the score. LFE is lacking, and more surround use would be nice, but this is actually more than I was expecting already.
Audio Transfer Grade: B
Disc ExtrasAnimated menu with music
Scene Access with 3 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English, French, Spanish with remote access
1 Original Trailer(s)
2 Other Trailer(s) featuring Mummy: Secrets of the Medji, Butt-Ugly Martians
Production Notes
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single
Extra Extras:
Egyptology features about 20 text screens of information on "real life" mummies and Imhotep. Character Files offer scant information about the main characters. Aside from the trailer for this video, there's also a clip for Season Two of the series, sub-titled Secrets of the Madji and a trailer for Butt-Ugly Martians on DVD.
If you still haven't had your fill of ads disguised as extras, there are spots for two Universal-produced Game Boy Advance games and a profoundly dorky "Kids WB!" music video for the song The Mummy from Scott Pearlman and Scott Ward, which contains the lyric, "He's centuries old/He's got no skin."
Extras Grade: C-
Final CommentsThe Mummy: Quest for the Lost Scrolls is about what you'd expect from an animated version of a brainless blockbuster. It's got action, monsters, and not a lot of great character development, but the colorful animation helps distract from any story deficiencies. It's totally derivative, but kids will likely get a kick out of it (particularly the ones too young for the live action Brendan Fraser version).
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