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Cheryl Pyrch
Summit Presbyterian Church
September 26, 2010
Luke 16: 19-31; 1 Timothy 6: 6-19
Rich Christians in an Age of Advertising
The story of the rich man and Lazarus is one of several places in the Bible where we are warned - or comforted - of a coming great reversal. A turning of the tables. During their lifetimes, the rich man dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day; Lazarus, the poor man, lay at his gate, covered with sores, and longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table. At their deaths, Lazarus is in the blessed company of Abraham and the angels; the rich man is tormented in Hades. When the rich man asks for relief, Abraham tells him: "Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony." "He has brought down the powerful from their thrones," says Mary when she is pregnant with Jesus, "and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty." The prophet Isaiah cries out: "Tell the innocent how fortunate they are, for they shall eat the fruit of their labors. Woe to the guilty! How unfortunate they are, for what their hands have done shall be done to them." The stories and prophesies are not predictions of what is destined to happen: the fate of the rich man would have been different if he had listened to Moses and the prophets. And the Bible also speaks of a future where no one goes hungry and all the nations are healed. But these stories of a great reversal tell us news we need to hear: good news, but sobering. God cares about the poor. God cares about the poor, and holds the rich responsible. Therefore, justice and care for the poor needs to be at the center of our Christian discipleship. Ron Sider's book, "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger" addresses that. A 2010 title might be: "Rich Christians in an Age of Climate Change" -- for there is no better example of where the rich and relatively rich have caused the problem -- granted, unintentionally -- but where the poor will suffer first and foremost. More than ever, we need to listen to Moses and the Prophets and Jesus.
But those are not the titles of my sermon today, and I will not be preaching on what theologians call God's "preferential option" for the poor, at least from now on. My topic is God's care and concern for the rich and those who want to be rich (which I think can safely include all of us) -- and the advice Paul has for them in the letter to Timothy. Advice that may be the most counter-cultural - counter to our culture - in scripture. "There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment," says Paul: "for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these." How counter to the 100s even thousands messages we receive each day - depending on how you count. Messages that say we we should not be content with what we have. Messages that come through television commercials, ads in the newspapers and on the sides of facebook pages; email messages, billboards and building signs, product placements in films & TV shows, environmentally friendly shopping bags that advertise stores, radio announcements, catalogues in the mail, and so on. By definition these ads encourage us to be discontent with what we have, because their purpose is to sell us something we don't have. These things- home products, food products, clothing, experiences, and so on - aren't necessarily evil. They may even be good, or necessities or sorts. Buying them keep the wheels of our economy turning so people have jobs. But advertisements - and the culture they shape, and the economy they fuel - teach us to be discontented. Even if we get rid of our TVS and turn our eyes from the billboards, we hear those messages. It's he sea we swim in: there's no such thing as too much. Having more - or at least new and improved - is the road to contentment. There's only gain in gain. No wonder nearly all of us wish to be rich - or at least a little richer.
But what a false road that is. As Paul says, "those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." Doesn't that sound like it was written in 2010! In the last decade especially those consumer desires tempted many of us to overspend, encouraged and enabled by banks and credit card companies. When the bubble burst and the banks encountered near-ruin and destruction - because of their harmful desires - we saw the result: people losing homes and jobs or facing oppressive debt -- including people who spent only modestly. But more often the ruin and destruction we face from these desires is more subtle. It's the ruin that comes from disappointed hopes, from chasing something that's not real. For everything that's advertised to us promises more than it can deliver. That snazzy red sports car that promises to recover lost youth. The beautiful bedroom set or luxurious bed that promises a happy marriage or a cure for insomnia; those pictures of shiny new kitchens inhabited by happy children who eat their vegetables -- to name a few big ticket items that have even become cliches. But it's not only big ticket- items that make big promises. I"m wondering if you remember that ad campaign from the coca-cola many years back. The one that suggested drinking coke would bring world peace: "I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony." But as we know, our body ages and dies no matter how great our car; couples get divorced in the most well-appointed homes, often arguing over the cost of the bedroom set; anxious people have sleepless nights on the thickest of mattresses; children whine about their dinner even in kitchens with sub-zero refrigerators. And everyone drinking coke hasn't led to harmony between nations -- only to a rise in the worldwide incidence of diabetes. Yes, Paul says, in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
So Paul's words to Timothy also apply to us: shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith of the faith; take hold of eternal life -- a life to which you were called and to which you made the good confession. As for those in this age who are rich, says, Paul, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good words, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that is really life.
The life that is really life: that is the life that God promises us, if we can turn from our idolatry of possessions and lifestyle and place our hopes on the one true God. The one true God whose love is steadfast; the one true God whose son cbame to us, and in whom there is always forgiveness; the one true God in whom there is eternal life, and who does not disappoint. This God does not call us to a life of deprivation, God wants us to rejoice in the created world: as Paul says, this one true God provides us with everything for our enjoyment. But enjoying what God has richly provided for us in this wonderful creation is different than loving our stuff or setting our hopes on a bigger house, a better salary, or a more comfortable lifestyle. It means learning the meaning of enough; it means letting go of our attachment to household and other idols. It's hard; it's journey for all of us; it's extremely counter-cultural; but it is the way to the life that is really life, a life God wishes for all of us, rich and poor.
So let's listen to what Paul advises those of us who in this present age are rich: to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share. And if we truly and deeply learned to do those things: Lazarus would not lie hungry at our gate. Everyone can have enough. Humility, good works, sharing, generosity, worship of the one true God: this is the foundation of for the life that is really life, for us and for all people. May we all gain it.
Join me in prayer. We praise you, Oh God, you who are the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. You alone have immortality and dwell in unapproachable light; to you be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.


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Great 5 acre parcel facing Cox Rd, located in an area of all custom homes. Easy access to I-10, dining and shopping but without the crush of being in town. Great location to build your dream home.
City Light View(s), Mountain View(s)
0004 - Casa Grande Elementary District - Pinal
RE/MAX Casa Grande.
Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed. All information should be verified by the recipient and none is guaranteed as accurate by ARMLS. ARMLS Logo indicates that a property listed by a real estate brokerage other than Launch Real Estate LLC. Copyright 2020 Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. All rights reserved.
Listing information last updated on June 5th, 2020 at 4:18am MST.

subset: commoncrawl


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Tag Archives: war
Secular Time Travelers
Filed under Atheism, Christianity, Culture Warfare
Iran, John McCain, and Ancient Rome
John McCain is a temporal anchor on American politics, and he's dragging the rest of us back in time to the Vietnam era when black & white militaristic thinking got us bogged down in an unwinnable war. Oh, wait. I think I'm confusing him with the present day incarnation of John McCain who helped get us bogged down in Iraq. Perhaps, John McCain is Dr. Who, and enjoys sticking his big nose in other people's business because he has a god complex. Ever since the US presidential election, I have to admit I can't recognize the real John McCain. For example, does he support nation building or not?
Yes, why don't we publicly take sides in Iran and further fan the flames of Islamic extremists? Then all we'll need is a fatheaded congressman suggesting we send a team of advisers to Iran to help the protesters liberate the country. Apparently, someone in the US State Department already made a play and requested that Twitter delay its site maintenance so the Iranian people could still communicate their protest strategy.
I long for the day when politicians will sit twiddling their thumbs, not thinking about how to spread democracy around the world. Aren't their domestic plates full enough?
Let's gain some wisdom from the story of an ancient Roman politician named Cinna in his campaign for power:
They contributed money and military forces, and he was joined by many more people, including some of those who were influential at Rome, who found political stability not to their taste.
From The Civil Wars by Appian
Does an old, war dog like John McCain live for peace or conflict? I wonder.
Filed under Politics
Stop Torturing Me With American Stupidity
Only a cold heart wouldn't admire Christopher Hitchens for his willingness to experience water-boarding firsthand. He broke quickly, but who the hell wants to endure drowning, "simulated" or otherwise?
The past week has left me feeling sick to my stomach. It's when many of my fellow Americans abandoned their warmbloodness by adamantly defining water-boarding as not torture, but as an acceptable method of "enhanced interrogation". Forget that there's a long legal and moral precedent calling it torture.
But there are two points on this subject that I haven't yet heard anyone bring up. First off, if water-boarding is not to be called torture, then we're creating a ready-made legal defense for those who water-board. An American citizen held in any foreign land could be treated to this method of interrogation, and we could not stand on any moral, or legal, high ground because we deprived ourselves of that privilege. And our own law enforcement (police, FBI, DEA, etc.) could not be held fully accountable if they chose to water-board prisoners. A defense lawyer could easily argue that the venue of the interrogation makes no difference to the definition of water-boarding. If it's not torture in the military, it's not torture in civilian life. Perhaps it's simply a form of assault. Criminals of all sorts would certainly find a new legal definition advantageous.
The second point is that not calling water-boarding torture shifts the whole scale. equally unpleasant techniques could be redefined, too. Water-boarding deprives a person of oxygen and is called simulated drowning. So, should choking or dunking a person under water or placing a plastic bag over someone's head for a prolonged period not to be called torture? They're all as dangerous and as horrible as water-boarding. One could make the case.
This discussion makes me feel like I 've been dragged back in time to a more morally ambiguous era.
Filed under Politics
Islam vs. Science, Islam Loses
My posts have mostly slammed Christian creationists for their anti-intellectualism and pseudo-scientific ideas. So to be fair, I'm offering up this turd of a video featuring a Muslim creationist. He may have an accent, but he blabbers on like a Christian, using all the hackneyed arguments against evolution. He spins a caricature of Darwin and science for his audience, and hopes the sheeple will not question his lies.
The arrogant prick who posted the video on YouTube describes it as "Why Darwin's theory is incompatible with the Quran". A reasonable person, of course, would not have held a single book up as irrefutable. Science is open to being questioned; that's why it works. Clearly, the Quran is a fragile text, one that crumbles under the slightest criticism.
Filed under Religion


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Home > News
Posted on: Tuesday, 16 October 2018
CablePrice Nelson has opened a new purpose-built branch that
is twice as big as its former building to meet growing demand from Nelson and
Marlborough forestry and construction clients.
The new high-spec building, which opened in late August, is
located on the same site as CablePrice's original branch at 5 Kotua Place,
Stoke, Richmond. It features four machinery bays, replacing the original two,
allowing the team to service up to five machines at a time undercover.
The new building also includes a showroom to display
equipment brands, a fully stocked parts department, welcoming service reception
and customer waiting lounge. The workshop features state-of-the-art tooling
including a specialist flow meter, thermal imaging equipment with data logging
and a hydraulic cylinder reconditioning table.
Operations Manager Justin MacLean, has hired three new
technicians to keep up with demand, with two of those based in Marlborough. The
additions take the team to 14 staff including one sales rep and two
"The forestry and construction sectors are thriving in our
region. With the larger space, and bigger team, we're thrilled we can offer a
faster turnaround time on servicing both in our workshop or on site," says
"Customers love that they can get their machines in the
workshop faster, as we now have more room. And the team is loving the new
clean, bright workspace too. It's a win-win for everyone."
Sitemap - Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Website Disclaimer - Terms & Conditions
Freephone - 0800 555 456, Email - email@example.com
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This article was published on June 26th, 2018
Out of the drag queen ashes, a new phoenix has risen. DawnLi D'Luzon—the husband of RuPaul's Drag Race star Manila Luzon—has been born and a special treat is in store for all Homoculture readers: a chance to see DawnLi's premiere debut video before anyone else. DawnLi D'Luzon is a Drag Queen superstar in the making. Gentlemen: fasten your seat belts because a new drag star is born, and her name is DawnLi D'Luzon.
Created as a concept idea in which Manila Luzon and Pablo Vittar had a drag love child, DawnLi D'Luzon premiered at the filming of the season 10 finale of RuPaul's Drag Race and at LA Pride, and is continuing to make the rounds in the queer community as the emergence of Manila Luzon's darker half and alter ego. She andPablo Vittar matched at LA Pride sporting yellow & red and were serving fierce fashion that even Michelle Visage approved of.
Gunning for a spot on Drag Race season 12, hopes to be a trendsetter and someone people talk about. Hoping to connect people from Brazil to the streets of West Hollywood, DawnLi is unforgettable and fun. Some people might describe the alter ego of Manila, "messy AF", and DawnLi would smile in achievement, knowing people were talking about her and helping her star rise to fame. Meanwhile, DawnLi D'Luzon's main mission is to be proud of who she is and make an impact on the world.
DawnLi is ready to take the world by storm. She's already worked with some top producers and a director to release new music in the coming months. As an artist, DawnLi D'Luzon is looking to make people dance and have a good time. As an official kick off and introduction into the crazy cool world of Ms. D'Luzon, the drag queen is releasing her debut music video exclusively on Homoculture.
The premiere of her first song as a new artist will have all the gays gagging for more and will be an official song of the summer. Don't be surprised if you end up falling in love with DawnLi D'Luzon—she is counting on making a splash and making a name for herself as the next drag superstar to be on the lookout for.
And now without further ado, Homoculture proudly presents the fabulous and exclusive world premiere of the debut song Latina Loca by DawnLi D'Luzon, featuring Manila Luzon & Velo, and, produced by Markaholic:


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Hello wonderful warriors! I hope your day is going great or ending great so far! I have been trying my best to stay warm as it gets very cold outside. Even though I love winter time and the cold, I am getting ready for summer time and warm weather.
Today though, I was to talk about an extremely popular topic in not just religious/christian communities, but in majority of households or our conscious. Purity is such a vague and lightly used word now in must christian settings. We have become accustomed to skewing all that this word really means.
Purity is more than just the surface level of what most of us think of. Purity is more than abstaining from sex until marriage, purity is a mindset, a way of living. Purity goes into every aspect of our life. Especially when it comes to relationships and more specifically romantic relationships.
Our culture romanticizes relationships with each other and too often we go in with wrong and worldly expectations. We expect this beautiful and romantic relationship which is impossible if we do not have God at the center of our intentions.
God is the master and creator of love. He gave us the ability to love and form romantic relationships in order to help us better understand his relationship/love towards us. Marriage and love with the opposite sex gives us a small glimpse into His vision of love for us and towards His Church.
So, when it comes to purity it is not something He takes lightly. Purity is our mindset, the way we see potential "mates". Too often I get trapped in the constant cycle of 'crushes'. I will get over one crush just to find myself liking someone new. Constantly trying to please guys and find meaning in their attention leaves me lonely and leaves very little time for God in my life.
God wants a part, a rather large part, in our romantic relationships. He wants to be the center. When He is the center, we can be content. Content with waiting. With trusting Him and His plan for our 'love life'. He has a plan that is more romantic and amazing than anything this world tells us is special. The person He has made for you is alive, they are there, they are out there, pray for them, respect them (even though you may not know them), respect them through your purity (not just physical).
Purity is thought deep. Purity goes into our core. Our every thought should come from the want to be pure in Gods sight. If we truly want a fairytale romance it starts with us respecting our future spouse through purity in every aspect of our life. Through what we watch, read, see, the way we talk and think.
Some applicable things you can do to help you with your purity is:
- Think of your future spouse in everything.
- When it comes to your though think about your future spouse and if those thoughts would honor them or if they would anger and make them jealous.
- Think of them in your actions with the opposite gender. If it is honoring your future husband, and if they were right there you would still act the same way.
- Write love letters to them.
- This makes them real. It gives you a way to feel like you know them even if you do not.
- Focus on God.
- Through your singleness focus on your purpose. Use this wonderful time to commit to God and to really keep him at the center.
- Pray.
- The number one thing to do is to PRAY. Bring your loneliness and thoughts to God. He will met you where you are.
I hope to do more Christ centered post and more post on my thoughts on purity (which are wide and various). I recommend researching some books to ready on purity and to really look into it yourself.
Figure out how to act out Gods design for purity in our relationships.
Love, Mack


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Game Summary
For the first time in franchise history, the New Jersey Devils had the privilege of opening their season abroad, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in Gothenburg, Sweden as part of the NHL Global Series. Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri scored two goals apiece, topped off with an empty-netter from Stefan Noesen that sealed the deal for New Jersey in the game's final seconds.
Kyle Palmieri opened the scoring 58 seconds into the game with a wrister from the hash marks that got past Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot. The Oilers tied things up about three minutes later when Milan Lucic buried a feed from center Connor McDavid on the power play. Palmieri and Travis Zajac would score back-to-back goals within a minute of each other in the second period, with Zajac putting the Devils up 4-1 at one point in the third when he tallied his second of the night a little more than five minutes into the final period.
In typical fashion, Oilers captain Connor McDavid facilitated setting up Edmonton's second goal of the game, which was scored by Leon Draisaitl. While the Oilers made a significant late-game push to force overtime, Stefan Noesen's empty net goal secured New Jerseys eventual 5-2 triumph. The Devils outshot Edmonton 27-19, and capitalized on one of two power play attempts, while killing three of four PK sessions. It is worth noting the internationally-played matchup does count as a home game against New Jersey, whose official home opener in Newark won't be until Thursday.
Keys to Victory Follow-up
Containing McDavid…While the Devils ultimately got the victory, it didn't some without superstar Connor McDavid leaving his mark on the scoresheet. The 21-year old phenom tallied two assists, giving him zero goals and nine points in his last five contests versus New Jersey. McDavid is yet to score against the Devils (who are one of the few NHL teams to keep him out of the goal column), but in terms of him influencing the final score, the Devils managed to keep him "contained" enough where the center's second-to-none skill didn't derail their lead.
Kinkaid picking up where he left off…Especially since Cory Schneider is recovering from offseason surgery, it's going to be essential for Kinkaid to reestablish his level of play that temporarily earned him the starter role in net last season. He did just that last night, stopping 17 or 19 shots and made some Olympic saves in the process. The Oilers could have very well scored another goal or two had Kinkaid not been on his game the way he was last night.
Other Notes
- First-year Devil John-Sebastian Dea—despite only playing 8:47—made himself noticed every time he was out on the ice. Dea had two shots on goal, two hits, and one blocked shot, along with a little time on the penalty kill. I'd be interested in seeing how Dea factors into a game where the Devils play against some stiffer competition. Thursday's bout versus the Capitals will be a good test.
- Despite registering zero shots on goal, rookie forward John Quenneville seemed to fit nicely on the third line with Travis Zajac and Miles Wood. While Wood and Zajac's games complement each other nicely, Quenneville looked very comfortable out there yesterday, and could be a mainstay on that line—even when the lineup adjustments are made after Jesper Bratt returns.
- Mirco Mueller logged a little over 20 minutes of ice time yesterday, including three minutes of PK time. While his game was sloppy at times, Mueller had three hits, one shot on goal and blocked shot. For someone who struggled to stay in the lineup when healthy last season, he had a relatively promising season debut.


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Krista Lee Johnson
Krista Lee Johnson is a portrait painter who resides in Wayzata, Minnesota. After nearly 20 years of painting portraits, often of children, Johnson was inspired to begin painting landscapes. The pieces she has designed for Children's combine her art with her favorite subjects, both old and new: children and nature. She majored in Studio Art and Italian at Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
- Grid List


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'South Park' Creators Stun Hollywood Crowd: 'We're Republicans', by Ben Kew.
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker reportedly stunned a liberal Hollywood crowd this week after revealing they are proud Republicans.
After receiving a 'Freedom Award' from Norman Lear's left-wing organization People for the American Way Foundation, the pair apparently revealed their true political persuasion.
The foundation, whose opening website message calls on people to "Defeat Trump and the Right Wing in 2018," describes itself as a "progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism." …
Although not overtly political, the pair have long described themselves as libertarians, but have claimed what they really dislike are the excesses of both political extremes.


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Aw Xonos, I love animals! And my favorites are sea animals and air animals! HOW COULD YOU???!!!
O_0Xaloy is screaming at the computer.
Is that Marinette?
Yup! Anime version.
What about the . . land animals haha?
I'm known to be quite controversial. -pours some milk before adding cereal-
sighs...…………….anyways here are more pictures...…..
Wow! Those are Awesome!
Yep, Dragons of the sea I call them
Have you ever heard of a Dragon fish?
They are really neat! They can turn invisible to its prey!
Now that's the creepy one @Levi_Orangeburst
I'm not @Levi_Orangeburst....
No, but Levi had said
In response to
And since we were just talking about Siphonophores... yeah.
Well sure, but siphonophores aren't fish so I can still call them that. It does look pretty cool though...………………..
That is one quality gif that perfectly resembles what I did after the make-up archery tourney last night.
Don't worry I'm a pegesister!!!
They dont' make bionicle or hero factory anymore.
Aww, I liked that!
I actually got that version of Stormer haha.


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The Titanic hamper pays homage to this great vessel of the sea. Our products reflect the opulence and luxury of the elite class of 1912 such as our wonderful handmade shortbread, Longbridge Belfast Ginger and the fineness of our award winning marmalade with Irish Whiskey and Blackberry Jam with Irish Stout. This beautiful wicker basket with leather straps contains - 1x Medium Wicker Hamper 1x Large Bottle non-alcoholic Ginger Port/cordial 1x Tin Belfast Blend loose leaf tea 1x one cup steel tea strainer 1x Locally roasted and ground (Belfast) Peruvian Heights Coffee 1x Bag Chocolate Coffee Beans 2x Hot Toddy Glasses 1x Box of six handmade chocolates 1x Tin of Traditional Handmade Shortbread with Lemon 1x Tin Traditional Handmade Shortbread 1x Box Traditional Handmade Shortbread with Ginger 1x Granny Braids Salted Caramel Irish Fudge 1x Tin handmade Irish Chocolate Truffles 1x Bottle of Longbridge fizzy Belfast Ginger drink 1x Jar of Handmade Mango and Mild Chilli Chutney 1x Jar Handmade Blackberry and Apple Jam 1x Box Irish Honeycomb Yellowman in Dark Chocolate 1x Jar Handmade local Irish Marmalade. 1x Branded Caramel Chocolate Disc
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Dr. Kelly Stefano Cole
SIV infection results in detrimental phenotypic and functional alterations of the naive and memory B cell compartments that are initiated during acute infection
PhD in Molecular Virology and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, 2010
BS in Biology, Hope College, 2001
Why I chose Pitt
I chose Pitt because of the very strong MVM program with many well-known faculty members.
Currently, Dr. Kuhrt is a Research Fellow at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Scarborough, Maine. He studies erythropoietin mediated red blood cell progenitor differentiation in the context of anemic stress.
David Kuhrt, Ruth Asch, Ed Jachimowicz, Arvind Dev, and Don Wojchowski. "EPO-Supported Bone Marrow Stress Erythropoiesis Requires Trib3 Pseudokinase." Keystone meeting: Steamboat Springs, CO, January 2013.
David M. Kuhrt, Seth A. Faith, Amanda Leone, Mukta Rohankhedkar, Louis Picker, Donald L. Sodora, and Kelly Stefano Cole. "Phenotypic Purturbation of the B Cell Compartment During Acute Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection." Keystone meeting: HIV Pathogenesis, Banff, British Columbia, Canada, March 2008.
Kuhrt D, Faith S, Hattemer A, Leone A, Sodora D, Picker L, Borghesi L and Cole K. S. Naive and memory B cells in the rhesus macaque can be differentiated by surface expression of CD27 and have differential responses to CD40 ligation. J Immunol Methods. 363: 166-176. | View Abstract
Kuhrt D, Faith S. A, Leone A, Rohankedkar M, Sodora D. L, Picker L. J. and Cole, K. S. Evidence of early B-cell dysregulation in simian immunodeficiency virus infection: rapid depletion of naive and memory B-cell subsets with delayed reconstitution of the naive B-cell population. J Virol. 84: 2466-2476. | View Abstract


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How does the refrigerator, an appliance with an indispensable presence in every home (also at the workplace), produces the cold that allows food to be kept and preserved for a long time? In order to find that out, we'll have to take a look at the working of the refrigerator in detail.
Working of a refrigerator
In fact, a refrigerator takes heat from a container (the internal compartment that is thermally insulated) that is cold and pours it into the surrounding outdoor environment, characterized by higher temperature. Refrigerating machines are systems in which the evolving fluid called the refrigerant undergoes transformations.
Different types of refrigerant exist for substantial physical properties. In the past, the most common evolving fluid was "Freon", which was used in the construction of refrigerators since 1970. However, it was banned due to its aggressive properties with respect to atmospheric ozone, and for this reason, supplanted by the less harmful R134a (CH2FCF3).
The thermodynamic cycle
In the refrigerator, the R134a undergoes a cyclical succession of transformations within the different components of the system, so that, once the useful effect is obtained, the refrigerant returns to the initial conditions, thus resulting in the so-called thermodynamic cycle.
A refrigerator is essentially made up of:
1. A refrigerator is essentially made up of.
2. A closed environment that needs to be cooled.
3. A tube in which the refrigerant flows.
4. A compressor powered by electricity.
5. A lamination valve applied precisely between condenser and evaporator.
The volumetric compressor, consisting of a piston that slides inside a cylinder compresses the gas. In addition to the temperature, the pressure flowing inside the condenser, a heat exchanger where the tube in which the refrigerant flows is wound on itself to serpentine (coiled set of pipes inside the refrigerator to maximize the heat exchange and to transfer heat to the external environment).
Once the passage inside the condenser has been completed, the fluid, which used to be gas becomes saturated liquid (i.e., without any trace of the vapor phase).
In the liquid phase, the refrigerant flows through the "L" lamination valve, which is simply a narrowing of the duct the liquid flows into. Due to the sudden reduction of the passage section, the pressure at which the liquid is found suddenly drops and the variation induces the evaporation process due to certain physical properties of the refrigerant.
This transformation, activated downstream of the lamination valve, proceeds and is completed inside the evaporator located inside the refrigerator, i.e., the environment to be cooled. The refrigerant evaporation process involves subtraction of heat inside the refrigerator compartment, which at this point is, therefore, colder than the external environment.
Once the phase transition is complete, the steam, now saturated (i.e., without traces of liquid) passes inside the compressor where it is brought to a higher pressure, this allows the restoration of the initial conditions, thus concluding the cycle thermodynamic.
The refrigerating machine requires a certain amount of electrical energy to operate, the greater the higher the external temperature of the refrigerator. For this reason, paradoxically, the efficiency of the machine is lower in the summer, since the speed with which the refrigerant gives heat to the surrounding environment is less than in winter. This leads to a significant increase in consumption and eventually inflated electricity bills. The simplest way of optimizing consumption is to properly place and store the food in the refrigerator.


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Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Cats UFOs and a visit from William Moore
A disturbed nights sleep. We have been plagued by a ginger tom which waits for lights out before springing into action and raiding the cat food in the kitchen! We got so fed up that we installed Abbey the staffordshire bull dog who cowered behind the chair with Breeze while the said offender carried out further plundering. Lst night another cat got in and in in its haste locked the cat flap behind it. But this didnt stop it as the remain of the cat flap were found in the garden after a huge commotion was heard. Dawn would also like you to see her beautiful poppy she has nutured.
Our good friend David Bryant has some interesting reports on his website,
William Moore popped in to see me the other day. This is his sighting which will go into the 1977 period of British UFO activity. Thanks very much for the sighting William.
Even if you are a sceptic and dont believe in UFOs,how the hell can you explain what these objects were up to never mind their appearance in the sky on that fateful evening. I am alwasy reminded of one UFO witness who said to me "I feel like I am in a glass bubble,and want to get out I want to scream that these UFOs exist but people ignore me"
William Moore UFO display 1977
In late summer / Autumn of 1977 I was traveling by bus from Dunscroft to Edenthorpe to stay with my girlfriend who was at my sister's house, I think it was a Thursday the time was around 9pm to 10pm. As the bus left the village of Stainforth heading towards the village of Barnby Dun I noticed a bright white light over the field and allotments that lay behind Oldfield Crescent in Stainforth. My home was in Oldfield Crescent so I was very familiar with those fields. A bright spot light was being shone down from the aircraft to the ground and was clearly illuminating the ground and tree's. I would estimate the altitude of the aircraft to be between 750ft and 1500ft. The spotlight was directed at the bus for a moment, other people on the bus (top deck) were also watching the light, no object was visible only the light. The light moved away but was still visible at distance. When the bus arrived at Edenthorpe I got off and walked to my sister's house, as I neared the end of her street a cluster of lights(orange, red, yellow, white) passed in front of me at some distance but not more than a mile I would estimate. I was very excited and ran to the house to my right, this was the house of my sisters friend "Mel" I knocked on the door and brought he and his wife out onto the street and told them to watch in the direction that I had just seen the object. I then ran to my sister's house and told them (my sister Viv, her Husband Greg and my girlfriend Pat) to come out and watch. From their back garden we could see a number of aircraft/objects 5 to 8 of them all with many bright color lights. They were flying around each other in quite close proximity, occasionally one would rise vertically to 2/3000ft (difficult to gage as we had no idea of the size of the objects) then hover for a moment and drop at speed back to the same altitude as the other lights. This went on for approx. 30 to 45mins and during this time other people perhaps disturbed by our talking and occasional shouts began to appear at upstairs windows also watching the objects. We were on Scott Crescent and other people were watching from their back bedrooms on Sunny Side , the objects were in the general direction of "Wroot" and could only have been 3 to 5 miles away, at no time during these events did I hear anything like aircraft engines, these object were silent from our position.
My sister reported the sighting during the event to the police, she was told that they already had reports and that it was not the RAF. I had to retire to bed as I came down suddenly with a migraine, I had never suffered with this before and I do not link it to the sighting. It was more likely due to the excitement and the adrenalin rush. I think the sighting was reported in the Doncaster Evening Post a couple of days later but it was not treated as a big deal. By way of background I should say that I had read some books on UFO's and believe I had a sighting when about 11/12 but that was only a white oval flying silently in the evening sky. This made me interested in UFO's. I would also say that I had seen Close Encounters and the objects (although I am loathed to say so) looked very much like the UFO's at the end of that film, lots of lights and no distinct fuselage. Including the folk on the Bus I would estimate that maybe as many as 20 people saw what we saw that night. Also it may be worthy to note that living in Stainforth in fairly close proximity to RAF Lindholm and Finningly I was a keen plane spotter and was very familiar with the aircraft in the area and the general capabilities. I am now a project manager and aviation photographer/ correspondent and I still have not seen anything with the capabilities I saw on that night, even the US Osprey does not climb at the rate we saw and Harriers would have made a terrific noise as would any helicopter of the day. And at that time the police did not have helicopters with search lights as they do now. I recently asked my sister for her recollections about the evening and her's are similar to mine. I make no claim as to what we saw other than the strangeness of it.
Thankyou William for sharing this with us. Here are some other similar accounts a bit of peek preview of the many thousands of UFO signtings that will go into the later Volumes.....................................real people and real sightings.
UFO display Surrey
At 11pm. 22nd May, 1971, William Barnes of Dorking was walking home from Dorking fair, when he sighted two white lights in the sky. He watched them for about 30seconds, until they disappeared behind cloud .About a minute later another object appeared in the north east part of the sky, south of where the first two had been seen.
"Over the next 5-6minutes I saw up to sixe of these objects at once, cloud sometimes blocking my view completely and though they intermittently hovered or moved slowly northwards they did not change their altitude. On two occasions two of the object made a curious 'fusing movement, meeting and seeming to join for a few seconds in the middle before returning to their positions. Twice one of them projected a beam of light across the sky. At this stage two friends came up and we watched together. At one stage there were a total of seven bright objects seen stretching across the sky in a straight line, moving in and out of cloud, (Source: Dorking Investigation of UFOs)
At 1.am.the 15th of June, 1971, a resident of Poole, Dorset, got out of bed, unable to sleep, and glanced through the window, when he saw a cluster of strange 'stars' in the sky, low on the horizon, giving out a very bright light over the Purbeck Hills, consisting of,
"One star to the right apparently made up of two, one on top of each other, with a third, single one, to the left. The 'two' pulsated from bright light to dim, while the third went through a process of nearly fading out then reappearing with a blinding light, which reflected against the bedroom wall." (Source: Isle of Wight UFO Society)
UFOs over Lancashire
David Stretch - then a clerical officer with the National Coal Board, at Lowton, Lancashire, was at his home address on 15th August, 1971, when he looked through the open window, at 10.30 pm. and saw:
"Four unidentified flying objects moving across the sky in pairs I shouted for my wife to come and have a look and we watched as they drifted across the sky, apparently just above the houses, but probably several hundred feet off the ground. They looked like old-fashioned dumb-bells - gold in colour. I managed to take some photographs while my wife alerted the neighbours, who came rushing out.
They were as surprised as we were. We watched them as they headed over Winter Hill (the site of a number of other UFO reports over the years) towards Bolton. When I had the films processed, I was disappointed to discover that although the pictures had come out, there was no sign of any UFOs on them. I have to admit, prior to that, I didn't believe in the existence of UFOs until we saw those glowing silent objects. I contacted the 'Bolton Evening News', the following morning, who published my sighting on the 16th August, 1971." (Source: personal interview)
Further investigations revealed a number of people living in the Hull area of the United Kingdom had reported seeing 'flying saucers' during 11.00 pm. and 4.00 am., (Source: Hull Daily Mail, 16th August, 1971, 'Claims today that a 'flying saucer hovered over North Hull, for at least five hours, last night and early this morning, was made by a number of people today'.)
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Top 10 Fiercest Female Leads in Horror Flicks: Women Who Kick Ass!
Carol J. Clover's 1992 book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, is one of the reasons we've changed the way we see gender in our modern horror films. The book argues that women have come a long way in the world of horror cinema and the days of the traditional "Final Girl" are changing.
The term "Final Girl" is used to describe the last protagonist (usually a woman) left alive or left vital and is the force of good that comes into a final confrontation against a villain or killer in a horror movie. The final girl is usually snugly, frail, and pure. However, Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film discusses how more recently audiences have been getting female characters who are pure but also not afraid to go pound-for-pound and clobber up against the killer
With female characters like Sidney Prescott in Wes Craven's Scream franchise or Jamie Lee Curtis returning as Laurie Strode in the upcoming 2018 Halloween movie, horror is an excellent place to show the power women have when put in leading roles. Final Girls that endure punishment, trauma, and still come out on top give us strong, memorable characters for everyone to look up to. This following list represents those memorable female leads that went beyond the traditional final girl model in horror flicks. These are the Top 10 Fiercest Female Leads in Horror Flicks: Women Who Kick Ass!
Since these women have been labeled as "final" girls, that is implied they survive horrific events and are usually the final one to survive the movie, so, that means SPOILER ALERT.
- Lisa Wilcox as Alice Johnson – A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5
The clawed dream killer Freddy Krueger has been known to go up against some fierce females on Elm Street. Most horror-hounds are quick to speak of the standard that has been set by one of the strongest female heroines in horror, Nancy Thompson (See # 5). What separates Lisa Wilcox's Elm Street character Alice Johnson from Nancy is her dream master abilities changed her from a shy persona to one of the few to kick Krueger's ass twice. Johnson is also pregnant, and when Krueger threatens her baby, Johnson is one Elm Street babe you don't want to mess with.
- Amy Steel as Ginny Field – Friday the 13th Part 2
Out of the Friday, the 13th film franchise, Amy Steel as Ginny Field should be at the top of your list when it comes to final girls in this film franchise. She doesn't necessarily have to go beast mode to stop the hockey-masked momma's boy of Jason Voorhees. Field's is one of the few final girls to show that brains will beat brawns on any day. Field's is also the first character to use Voorhees' mommy issues against him…before she plummets a machete through 'em.
- Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling – The Silence of the Lambs
Winning Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Clarice Starling, Foster plays a newbie FBI agent who is still getting the hang of her new job while going to a mental institution to interview Hannibal Lecter. Starling is put to the test to solve mysteries and play the mind games of Hannibal by herself. The psycho-thriller film won Best Picture, and this role is one of Foster's most iconic characters.
- Shauna MacDonald Sarah Carter – The Descent
Sarah Carter was already a mental and physical badass before being blood-soaked in a cave among friends who became a chow-down meal to ghoulish creatures. Carter survived the horrific loss of her husband and daughter in a car accident. Her husband was also cheating on her, with her friend Juno. That emotional pain was released with yelling, anger, and rage when she slaughters the cave-dwelling creatures making them wish they would have ordered something else off the menu that day.
- Jane Levy as Mia – Evil Dead (2013)
In Fede Alvarez's re-imagining of Evil Dead, Mia is an unreliable useless ex-drug addict. Her recovering addiction made her the outcast, the weak link, and even the villain of the group. They lockup Mia in a basement during the carnage chaos and Mia goes from weak link to a powerful fighter.
By the end of the film, Mia recovers, revs up her chainsaw, the overconfident demon says, "I'll feast on your soul," and Mia replies, "Feast on this mother f*cker." Blood splatters and blood rain descends from the heavens and a cabin in the woods burns like the souls of Mia's friends. Mia shows powerful survival instincts, and she even rips off her own arm to stop the evil forces and save the world. Mia is a rare example of an antagonist also becoming the hero. With Mia being in only one movie, I don't know if it's fair to compare to Bruce Campbell's Ash just yet. But I'd love to see Mia and Ash dueling chainsaws.
The following video may be inappropriate, not safe for work, or offensive to some audiences.
- Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Much like Ginny Field's in Friday the 13th Part 2 Nancy Thompson fights Freddy Krueger more mentally than physically. With all her friends dead, Thompson is left alone to fight off Krueger using series of booby traps and strategies. Nancy even tries to lure out Krueger into reality instead of fighting him in the dream world to have the upper hand on Krueger. She directly attacks Krueger in reality, calling him "nothing," and standing up to the killer makes her braver than most Final Girls.
- Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott – Scream
Sidney Prescott has spent her early adult years fending off killers, including her boyfriend, who all wore the famous Ghostface costume in four of Wes Craven's Scream films. Prescott continued to be the main target of killers wearing the Ghostface mask along with having to deal with trauma and betrayal. Prescott always managed to come out on top and stronger than before with each film.
- Sharni Vinson as Erin Harson – You're Next
The film You're Next brilliantly uses old-school horror tropes but breathes new life into what it means to be home invasion slasher. Part of that new life would be Sharni Vinson as Erin Harson. Harson is a great example of an upgraded Final Girl. Harson is the type of girl you'd want in your corner when a quiet family reunion weekend gets invaded by three animal mask wearing killers.
It doesn't take long for the masked killers to realize that Harson fights back setting traps and utilizing every possible weapon. Raised by her survivalist father in Australia, Harson goes into full survival mode. Even with a surprise twist ending involving a loved one, Harson is still the only one standing tall once the end-credits roll. Harson turns the hunters into the hunted and she is one of my personal favorite Final Girls of all-time and the only one I can remember causing death by a blender.
The following video may be inappropriate, not safe for work, or offensive to some audiences.
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode – Halloween (1978)
Teenagers and Halloween night were never the same when John Carpenter's Halloween film released in 1978. Jamie Lee Curtis played teenager Laurie Strode in the original Halloween, Strode is has been dubbed as the original "Scream Queen" and has been an influence being an example as one of the earliest "Final Girls." She is the perfect mixed bag of innocence, bravery, intelligence, and she proves to be a perfect match up against Michael Myers even up until the latest 2018 Halloween film.
The following videos may be inappropriate, not safe for work, or offensive to some audiences.
- Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley – Alien
Ellen Ripley is more than just an iconic Final Girl, Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley is one of the most iconic film characters of all time. She has power over her male-dominated crew, and she is a high standard for strong female leads despite the genre. Originally written as a male character, Ripley is trying to survive an evil Xenomorph alien instead of a psychotic killer.
Much like Laurie Strode, as the film series progressed so did Ripley's character. Her trauma and fear of the aliens make her relatable for audiences, but her being fierce over fear makes her empowering. In space, you can't call the police, there aren't any woods to hide in, and you can't go to a hospital. Ripley is all alone with only her instincts making her the victor, changing the way we see Final Girls and gender in modern horror films.


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Alex Rumboldt
"A cat unearthed. Artificially cancerous uterus. Adaptive car underbody. A cute uncle. A callous undoing."
Alex Rumboldt build up a strange and impressive discography as Aaiesieux with Found Sounds, a grooveless lath-cut, a 138.5 hour long ambient record and many more.
You have a couple of 'series' in your discography I want to ask you some questions about. First: the 'Found Sound' volumes. Why did you want to start these volumes? Why releasing 'Found Sound'? Do you go looking, hunting for this kind of recordings? Or do you find them by accident?
I started putting out the 'Found Sound' recordings because I'd begun to accumulate some long-lost home recordings on cassette, reel, and acetate that seemed too interesting to just ignore. I'd hoped someone out there would find them as interesting as I do. At first I never sought them out, I just stumbled across them while digging for records at antique shops and yard sales. I became interested because it is a one-of-a-kind object that gives you a brief glimpse into the past, a connection to a person who I will never meet, and it feels special to unearth a time capsule for the first time.
Do you believe that, with 'Found Sound Volumes', you're a record collector in the purest sense (whereas most people who call themselves 'record collectors' actually collect 'music', not 'recordings')?
I guess you could call me a collector of recordings, as well as a record collector.
The recordings on 'Found Sound Volume 1' have something voyeuristic, no? What do you think?
Perhaps, especially on that first volume of the phone call recordings. I don't think those people really knew they were being recorded most of the time. I got the impression it was just a kid playing around with a fancy new toy that he didn't know what else to do with, maybe with the intent to simply preserve high school memories. Some of it definitely has a creepy vibe though.
You bought those tapes so now they are yours, but does that give you the right to publish them?
I honestly don't know. Some dude sold it to be in a yard sale, so I figured it was fair game. If someone wants to claim that it belongs to them, then I can take it down but I figured after being abandoned for so long, it's in the public domain. I could be wrong.
Than there's the ACU volumes. Where does ACU stand for?
Whatever you want it to stand for. A cat unearthed. Artificially cancerous uterus. Adaptive car underbody. A cute uncle. A callous undoing.
You released Volume 9, 'Meta Mechanics', in an edition of one. Can you tell me a bit more about this release?
This was an experiment in mechanical sounds. I wanted to get a lathe-cut record with no audio, to see if the vibrations from the motor and slow scraping of the leadscrew in the machine itself would be picked up in the groove. I think it worked out pretty well. I just did one copy as a proof-of-concept. At the time I didn't have the money to get multiple copies made, nor was I confident I'd actually be able to sell them.
Volume 3 is 138.5 hours long. It sounds lika a radical take on deep listening or ambient music. Can you tell me a bit more about this record? What is it about?
This was the product of a sort of fascination with absurdly long and boring recordings. It became less about the actual sound and more about the concept. They are super-low bit (8kbps) drone recordings of an assortment of random wounds streched out to a ridiculous length. The first track is 11,000 seconds long, the next is 22,000 seconds long, etc etc, all the way to the final track, which is 99,000 seconds. The whole album is 138.5 hours. I can't quite remember where the thousand-second concept came from.
The last volume, volume 11, is released on ree-to-reel. Why on reel-to-reel? Why in an edition of 3?
I've always been interested in odd audio formats, which began at a young age with vinyl records, in the early/mid 2000's when I was a kid and records weren't cool. This expanded to cassettes, gramophone 78s, odd sized records like 3 inch & 5 inch, floppy disc, lathe-cut CDs, and eventually, open reel tape. I found the tapes in storage at my workplace, and just knew I had to do something with them. I actually had the tapes long before I had a decent reel-to-reel deck to record with. I actually made 5 copies of volume 11. I kept the numbers small because I'm constantly skeptical that anyone will be interested enough to buy one, and actually have the equipment to play it on. Now that I mention floppy discs, I don't think I even have the ability to play Volume 2 anymore. I did that on an ancient computer I found in my dad's garage.
The 'How To Kill An Idea' or 'Munford & Sunn 0)))' records could still be called noise records, but do you have the impression you moved away from noise?
'How To Kill An Idea' is a collection of the first recordings I ever made, when I was 16 or 17. I was interested in noise and experimental music from a young age, I think the first noise record I ever heard was 'Voltage Monster' by Japanese Torture Comedy Hour. This sparked an interest in Merzbow, Hijokaidan, Emil Beaulieu, Kazumoto Endo, Zero Kama, Metgumbnerbone, Cromagnon, etc. Lots of Japanoise and experimental tribal stuff. I think Volume 1 is still the most amount of effort I've ever put into a series of recordings. All that youthful enthusiasm.
'Mumford & Sunn O)))' originated from a series of joke mash up band names from groups that would never collaborate. Another one of my favorites being 'Fleetwood Macklemore'. That one would require some serious editing skills though, and making a Mumford and Sons song sound somewhat vaguely like Sunn O))) required very little effort in audacity. Again, this started as a joke, I think it should be seen that way.
Are all of your records meant to be listened to, or are some of them more ideas, concepts?
There are definitely recordings that are meant to be concepts, rather than listenable material. Like Volume 3 that was mentioned earlier. I do have stuff that I hope people listen to and enjoy, and those are usually the ones I actually put an amount of time and effort into.
Several of your recordings mention things like "recorded in ten minutes" or "recorded while eating some left-overs". Why do you like to work impulsively, act before thinking?
I find impulsivity to be an honest expression. Taking an idea that I have and acting upon it immediately with no further thought. I got out of the shower a few weeks ago and noticed that my wire towel rack reverberated for a long time when I took a towel off. The hum was nice, so immediately took everything off it and dragged it downstairs next to my tape recorder, stuck some contact mics to it and fucked around. That recording was the first and only time I used that rack, so it was about discovering for the first time what it can sound like when manipulated in certain ways.
If you make records like the 'Found Sound' or the 'Meta Mechanics', do you feel like you're more a listener than a musician? Why do enjoy this hands off approach?
In these instances I am absolutely just a listener. At some point I became less interested in creating noise as I was bringing to light noises and sounds that already exist. Maybe sounds that you otherwise wouldn't really pay attention to or think about. One of my favorite recordings is one that Gabe (Gabriel Piller of Knife in the Toaster, jb) did of a fridge for 73 minutes. I love it. I've listened to the whole thing all the way through several times.
– Joeri Bruyninckx
– Joeri Bruyninckx
© Copyright http://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2018


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Guide: Read Psalm 77; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Listen to Remembrance by @matt_redman; Pray for your church; Why is communion important for us?
Verse of the Day: This is my body, which is given for you—This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—Do this to remember me 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 NLT
Song of the Day: Remembrance by Matt Redman — Youtube
Bible Reading: Psalm 77; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Psalm 77
For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of Asaph.
1 I cry out to God; yes, I shout.
Oh, that God would listen to me!
2 When I was in deep trouble,
I searched for the Lord.
All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,
but my soul was not comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan,
overwhelmed with longing for his help. Interlude
4 You don't let me sleep.
I am too distressed even to pray!
5 I think of the good old days,
long since ended,
6 when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
I search my soul and ponder the difference now.
7 Has the Lord rejected me forever?
Will he never again be kind to me?
8 Is his unfailing love gone forever?
Have his promises permanently failed?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude
10 And I said, "This is my fate;
the Most High has turned his hand against me."
11 But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
12 They are constantly in my thoughts.
I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
13 O God, your ways are holy.
Is there any god as mighty as you?
14 You are the God of great wonders!
You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.
15 By your strong arm, you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Interlude
16 When the Red Sea[a] saw you, O God,
its waters looked and trembled!
The sea quaked to its very depths.
17 The clouds poured down rain;
the thunder rumbled in the sky.
Your arrows of lightning flashed.
18 Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;
the lightning lit up the world!
The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your road led through the sea,
your pathway through the mighty waters—
a pathway no one knew was there!
20 You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,
with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.
- 77:16 Hebrew the waters.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Order at the Lord's Supper
17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God's approval will be recognized!
20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord's Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22 What? Don't you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God's church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you.[a] Do this to remember me." 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it." 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against[b] the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ,[c] you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So, my dear brothers and sisters,[d] when you gather for the Lord's Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won't bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I'll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.
- 11:24 Greek which is for you; other manuscripts read which is broken for you.
- 11:27 Or is responsible for.
- 11:29 Greek the body; other manuscripts read the Lord's body.
- 11:33 Greek brothers.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


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Report sexual, gender-based crimes through toll-free line, LASG urges residents
The Lagos State Government on Sunday urged residents to make use of the toll-free emergency line, 112, to report cases of rape, defilement and other sexual assaults.
Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adenyi, Coordinator, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) spoke at a programme to conclude the training of 190 officials of the State Emergency Command And Control Centre.
She said that cases of domestic violence, child abuse, neglect and maltreatment could also be reported through the line.
Vivour-Adeniyi said that the officials were trained on how to receive reports of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, which was in line with the quest of the state to ensure that victims had a voice.
According to her, concerned members of the public who also wish to report acts of violence will be able to do so with utmost confidentiality.
We are assuring victims and the public that information provided will be passed across, while the concerned agencies will be notified immediately.
Aside the dissemination of the information to the appropriate agencies for appropriate action, callers will be informed of relevant steps to be taken, depending on the nature of the call.
They would also be given details such as addresses and telephone numbers of the relevant agencies that will handle their issues.
For cases of rape or defilement, they can report such to the Mirabel Centre or the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), " she said.
Vivour-Adeniyi said that necessary steps had been put in place to help victims of domestic violence get adequate help and counseling, as well as free legal services from the OPD.
The essence of this initiative is to encourage victims and members of the public to make use of the 112 toll-free emergency line, in order to ensure access to justice, irrespective of class and means, " she said.


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The Old Guard, sometimes known as the Old Hands,[1] was not a specific list of people. The term was applied to soldiers who had served in the time of Emperor Kellanved, and were loyal to him and his memory. They were especially distrusted by the Empress. As such, the vast majority of them had either been killed or gone "missing" over the years since Laseen came to power. While the vast majority of them were loyal to the empire, they were still met with a degree of mistrust even though they were essential to the empire's survival.
The Old Guard's roots could be traced back to the founding of the Empire, when Kellanved and Dancer first began recruiting people to fight with them in Malaz City. The original members would become known as Kellanved's family.[2]
In Return of the Crimson GuardEdit
Many of the surviving Old Guard resurfaced during the uprising against the Empress as commanders of the Talian League: Urko Crust, Choss, Toc the Elder, Amaron, Ullen Khadeve, Bala Jesselt and Orlat Kepten. They lost the civil war however, and most of the Old Guard were reported dead (Choss, Toc, Amaron, Ullen) or missing (Urko Crust).
Some Members Edit
- Amaron
- Bala Jesselt
- Cartharon Crust
- Choss
- Duiker
- Dujek Onearm
- Dassem Ultor
- Gesler
- Hawl
- Janelle
- Janul
- Nok
- Orlat Kepten
- Stormy
- Tayschrenn
- Toc the Elder
- Ullen Khadeve
- Urko Crust
- Whiskeyjack
Notes and referencesEdit
- ↑ Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 1 Chapter 3
- ↑ House of Chains, Chapter 5, UK MMPB p.296
|Members of Kellanved's Family
|The Originals
|Kellanved • Dancer • Dujek • Amaron • Hawl • Nok
|Expanded Family
|Cartharon Crust • Dassem Ultor • Duiker • Surly (Laseen) • Tayschrenn • Toc the Elder • Urko Crust


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He gave up Golf, but is now back playing great thanks to Kingston Chiropractic
Chiropractic has helped Adrain not only with his pain, but with his Golf game. He gave up a year ago because of pain & yet since visiting a chiropractor in Kingston, Dr Dan Rainbow he is playing really well. He also feels his posture is a lot better and is surprised that he doesn't have pain doing things that would before have brought on the pain.


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Meet Angie Bruyere; songwriter, singer, mother. Bruyere lends her sultry voice as the lead singer for her band Angie and The Deserters. A love for music, writing poetry and playing the guitar are where the roots of her career stem from.
Listening to the latest EP, titled You, is like hearing dramatic short stories sung aloud. Bruyere's lyrics have a storytelling effect to them that draws the listener in, and her captivating voice easily conveys the emotions being felt in her songs.
I had the chance to learn a little more about Angie and the opportunity to ask her some questions. This is what she had to say:
What made you want to become a singer/songwriter?
I feel like I was born wanting to write music and sing songs. To be honest, as not cool as this may be to some people, my mother took me to see the play Little Orphan Annie when I was 10 years old and that pretty much sealed the deal. I was hooked. Not on musicals, really, but on music.
When did your career as a musician begin?
I suppose that my career began when I was about 17 and was playing my bass and writing songs on a daily basis. It took about 10 years after that to ever make my first dollar with my songwriting, however, but as far as being on my path, I would say that it started then. I knew that there was no turning back for me.
I love your voice! There's this cool raspiness to it that adds a great edgy, country vibe to your more upbeat songs, but also a softness to your more mellow songs. Which artists have been a musical influence for you?
Thank you so much! I have been so influenced by so many amazing artists through the years, but at the top has got to be the Queen and Stevie Nicks. I'm a fan of the more unique voices. Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Dolly Parton, Leonard Cohen, etc…
Where do you get your inspiration for your songs?
I am constantly writing, so I suppose that my inspiration comes from everyday life. It seems as though so many great songs are born out of heartache, and I am certainly no exception to that, but as I've gotten older and found much more peace in my life, I've definitely had to learn to draw on the happier moments, as well. A sunset, the mountains, a child's laughter….it's not as easy to write of these things for me, but I'm getting there. Gloom, doom and pain are just so much damn easier to write about!
What sort of impact has motherhood had on your music career?
When I became pregnant with my daughter, Charlie, I was offered a chance to write for a company called Baby Genius. They had just licensed a bunch of children's books and needed songs to go with them. Next thing I knew I was writing songs for books like Raggedy Anne and Andy and Rainbow Fish. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. The challenge was holding and playing my guitar as my belly grew. I also began taking classical guitar classes at the local community college. After my daughter was born, I went right back to playing shows and recording. She even joined us on the road. Obviously, as soon as the school years started, that sort of freedom became more difficult. Around that same time, I was lucky enough to have all of the songs off of my first record placed in several Nickelodeon shows, much to my daughter's delight! That was huge for her. She has made me want to be a better person in every way, which includes trying to be a better songwriter and musician.
As a woman and mother who has pursued what she loves to do and manages her career, what do you hope to teach your daughter by drawing on examples from your own life?
The music business is tough! Tougher than ever. I want my daughter to see that giving up on your passions and dreams is never an option. I want her to be proud of who I am as an artist, even if that doesn't always translate into financial success. I want her to know that taking the road less travelled is okay, and the incredible rewards and feelings of accomplishment that can come along with that are among the best feelings that there are. And also that the road to happiness is not always founded upon your successes alone, but often by your mistakes and shortcomings. Work hard and be kind. And above all, follow your heart.
Hearing about musicians like Bruyere is always so refreshing. Her passion for music and how she balances her career and motherhood is inspiring. Not only is she a talented artist who works hard on her craft and takes pride in her work, but she's also a rockstar mom!


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In Julietoon's previous version, you still need 708090 installed to get her version available in CAS. So I fixed this.
Download from my Google driver.
(Link updated for whole package. Manual fix is not needed anymore. Thanks Julietoon.)
OMGGGG I LOVE YOU!!! you don't know how long i've wanted someone to make this base game when i found her version i was saddened because it never showed up and the link was wrong.
Julietoon的不能下呢? *dropbox-Nothing here*ReplyDelete
I don't mind if you want to share the base game version. Mine wouldn't work in the base game.
I do use your poses a lot in my game they're awesome
Links to mine have been fixed
Thanks and thanks for the fix
I'll update mine with the fix also as I've had people asking for a base game version
Perfect. Thank you.ReplyDelete


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Controversial trampoline park opens at leisure centre
Conversion sparked row between the Town Hall and five-a-side footballers
16 February, 2018
Mayor Una O'Halloran at the opening
THE Mayor of Islington joined schoolchildren at the VIP opening of a new trampoline park at Sobell Leisure Centre in Holloway.
Conversion of the centre sparked a six-month row between the Town Hall and five-a-side footballers fighting to preserve their indoor space. Some footballers play on the remaining courts, while the others have made way for the trampoline park.
Mayor Una O'Halloran led pupils from Hargrave Park School in testing the new attraction, part of a £3m upgrade of the centre. She said: "It was such a pleasure to see this new trampoline park in action. It's full of imaginative and fun ways to get more out of the sport."


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With the Apple Watch Series 4, Apple has debuted its new dual-core S4 chip which it claims provides up to 50 percent performance improvements when compared to the S3 chip inside the Apple Watch Series 3. Unlike iPhones, Apple Watch are slow as they are far more limited in terms of thermal and power consumption.
However, if the speed test conducted by MacRumors is anything to go by, Apple has made steady and impressive performance improvements with every new Apple Watch that it has launched so far.
The original Apple Watch Series 0 took a staggering 5 minutes and 8 seconds to boot while the Apple Watch Series 4 took 51 seconds to boot up. The Series 1 took an equally long 3 minutes 19 seconds to boot into watchOS 5.
In other tasks, like using Siri to ask questions, the Series 4 and Series 3 Apple Watch performed almost the same. However, the Series 0 and Series 1 watches took a lot of time to show up results for certain questions.
Even in app loading times, the Apple Watch Series 4 was the fastest, with the Series 3 following close behind. The Series 2 also performed relatively well despite its age. However, the Apple Watch Series 0 and Series 1 took extremely long time to open almost all apps making them borderline unusable.
Overall, the Apple Watch Series 4 the fastest of the bunch, though the performance difference between the Series 4 and Series 3 was only a few milliseconds at best. When compared to Series 2, Series 1, or Series 0 though, the difference in performance was massive, to say the least.
If you are an Apple Watch Series 0/1/2 owner, you should really consider upgrading to a newer version of the wearable for the improved performance alone. Given the small performance difference between the Apple Watch Series 3 and Series 4 though, you can upgrade to the Series 3 if you don't mind the smaller display, thicker chassis, and other new Series 4 exclusive features. It will also end up burning a far smaller hole in your wallet when compared to the Apple Watch Series 4.


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How do I clear my Mac so I can sell it?
You just have to reformat your hard drive and reinstall a clean version of the operating system, It is that time again. Time to decide whether to keep or replace your Mac laptop or desktop computer. If you are reading this article, chances are you've already come to the decision to replace your Mac, and you're thinking about selling your old model How to reset my iMac before selling it.
The first thing you should do before hitting the streets to sell your old Mac is clear it of any and all personal data. You don't want to accidentally sell your computer to a stranger when you are still logged into iCloud.
- Step 1: Back up your Mac
- Step 2: Sign out of everything
- Step 3: Reformat your hard drive
- Reinstall a clean Mac operating system
Step 1: Back up your Mac
If you already have your new Mac on hand, you can transfer all of your data from your old Mac or use an older Time Machine backup. If you don't have your new Mac yet, well … then you probably shouldn't be selling your old one yet. But, if you really don't think you'll need your old computer before getting your new one, just make sure to back up your data so that nothing happens to it before you get what you need onto your new Mac.
Step 2: Sign out of everything
The software you have on your Mac is licensed to you, which means it doesn't get transferred to the new owner of your computer (except the operating system). In order to avoid complications with the new owner attempting to download and install software that is licensed by you, make sure to sign out of everything your personal information is connected to.
How to sign out of iTunes
- Open iTunes on your Mac.
- Click Account in the Menu bar on the left side of your screen.
- Click on Sign Out.
How to sign out of iMessage
- Open Messages on your Mac.
- Click ** Messages** in the Menu bar at the top left corner of your screen.
- Click Preferences… from the drop-down menu.
- Select your iMessage account.
- Click on Sign Out.
How to sign out of iCloud
- Click on the Apple icon () in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
- ClickSystem Preferences… from the drop-down menu.
- Click on iCloud.
- Un-tick the box for Find My Mac.
- Enter your system password when prompted.
- Click on Sign Out.
- Click Remove data from this Mac when prompted.
Step 3: Reformat your hard drive
Once your data is backed up and you've signed out of everything that might connect your old Mac to your personal information, you can erase everything on it by reformatting the hard drive.
- Turn on or restart your Mac.
- Hold down Command and R at the same time right after you restart your Mac. Keep holding down the keys until you see the Apple logo.
- Select Disk Utility in the Utilities window.
- Click on Continue.
- Select your Startup disk (it is probably named "Macintosh HD" or something similar).
- Click on Erase from the buttons at the top of the Disk Utility window.
- Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the drop-down menu that appears in the popup window.
- Click Erase.
- After the process is complete, select Quit Disk Utility from the Disk Utility drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the screen.
Step 4: Reinstall a clean Mac operating system
After you reformat your hard drive it will be ready for a clean installation of the operating system. You should already be in the Utilities window after erasing your Mac. If not, restart your computer and hold down Command and R at the same time until you see the Apple logo.
- Click on Reinstall OS X or macOS to reinstall the operating system that came with your Mac. The new owner will have to install any new versions.
- Hold down Command and Q after the installation is complete.
Your Mac is now clean and ready for a new owner.


text: Current page: Women's Style Clothing Glam, glitz and cosy knits for Christmas Christmas morning unleashes the eccentric dresser in all of us. Photography and styling by Damian Foxe From left: Buffy wears Moncler Gamme Rouge wool/cashmere cardigan, from £800. Prada silk brocade dress, £2,560. Falke cotton-mix socks, £10. Miu Miu velvet and pearl sandals, £525. Roberto Cavalli embroidered wool scarf, £364. Harry Winston platinum and diamond necklace and platinum, diamond and ruby ring, both price on request. Kiera wears Gucci embroidered silk tulle, fur and feather gown with pearls, £11,090. Moncler Gamme Rouge cashmere top, from £800. Harry Winston platinum and diamond Art Deco earrings and platinum and diamond Art Deco watch, both price on request. Fionn wears Stella McCartney Kids wool/viscose Lee jacket, £126. Gucci merino wool jumper, £220, from Harrods. Armani Junior denim jeans, £115, from Harrods. George wears Gucci velvet and mink dressing gown, £4,070, and wool trousers, £440. Sew Heart Felt wool and suede slippers, £42.50. Pendant, stylist's own. Felix wears Prada handmade Shetland wool cardigan, £3,520, and Shetland wool gilet, £770. Katie Eary silk shirt and matching trousers, £750 for the set. Gucci brocade, fur and leather slippers, £515. Vivian wears Stella McCartney Kids cotton/cashmere Snoops jumper, £86 Christmas tree seen throughout from Pines and Needles. Fortnum & Mason Christmas tree decorations, from £6, felt sausage dog, £50, handmade wool stocking, £35, and Hot Air Balloon santa (seen without balloon), £250 | Image: Damian Foxe November 18 2016 / Damian FoxeEmailTwitterPinterestFacebook Undercover wool waistcoat with integral scarf, £183. Dries Van Noten wool top, about £480, and viscose trousers, about £575. Harvy Santos silk headpiece, £370, made to order | Image: Damian Foxe Advertisement Ermenegildo Zegna Couture embroidered cashmere jumper, £5,020. Giorgio Armani wool twill trousers (just seen), £1,050 | Image: Damian Foxe Miu Miu wool coat, £3,215, wool jumper, £725, denim shirt, £415, and crepe de Chine skirt, £2,110. Elizabeth Gage gold, diamond, pink tourmaline, amethyst and South Sea cultured pearl Rose Star brooch, £19,200 | Image: Damian Foxe Felix wears Dior Homme wool jacquard rollneck, £620, and cotton/wool jacquard trousers, £810. Kiera wears Chloé Aran knit wool dress, £1,305. Emilia Wickstead polyester-mix fil coupé skirt, £2,490 | Image: Damian Foxe Burberry silk twill shirt, £495, cotton voile ruff collar shirt, £395, and silk/cotton twill trousers, £450. Parmigiani Fleurier rose gold Tonda 1950 watch on Hermès alligator strap, £13,500 Fortnum & Mason handmade wool stocking, £35, and X16 bespoke wreath, £45 | Image: Damian Foxe Alexander McQueen embroidered satin coat with marabou feather lining, £14,795, and embroidered silk tulle gown, £10,095 | Image: Damian Foxe Buffy wears Balenciaga wool jumper, £565. Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini rayon dress, £1,345. Falke cotton-mix socks, £10. Maison Margiela leather platforms, £830. Harvy Santos silk and nylon Candy Cane headpiece, £265, made to order. Annoushka rose gold, diamond and pearl Chilli Snowdrop earrings, £950. Jaeger-LeCoultre rose gold Reverso Classic Small Duetto watch, £13,700. George wears Alexander McQueen embroidered moleskin and velvet tailcoat, £4,985, wool waistcoat, £415, silk shirt, £765, and wool and velvet trousers, £695. Manolo Blahnik velvet and Swarovski crystal shoes, £750 | Image: Damian Foxe Fionn wears DSquared2 embroidered wool-mix jacket, £1,214, from Childrensalon. Gucci wool shorts, £220, from Harrods. Kiera wears Dolce & Gabbana embroidered cashmere jumper, £3,450. Chloé lace dress, £10,895 | Image: Damian Foxe Giorgio Armani mohair jacquard coat, £1,750. Katie Eary silk shirt, £450. Casely-Hayford cotton trousers, £135. Sunspel polyester-mix long johns, £50. Socks, stylist's own. H Moser & Cie rose gold Endeavour Small Seconds by Bryan Ferry watch on alligator strap, £12,600, from William & Son | Image: Styling and photography by Damian Foxe AdvertisementShare this articleEmailTwitterPinterestFacebookRelatedClothingDressed to empress: 1950s-inspired daywear and Egyptian-style gowns ClothingDashing capes for him and her See alsoAlexander McQueenAnnoushkaBurberryCasely-HayfordChloeChloéDior HommeDolce & GabbanaDries Van NotenDSquared2Elizabeth GageEmilia WicksteadErmenegildo ZegnaGiorgio ArmaniGucciHarry WinstonHarvy SantosHermèsHermesJaeger-LeCoultreLondon UndercoverMaison MargielaManolo BlahnikMiu MiuMonclerParmigiani FleurierPhilosophyPradaRoberto CavalliStella McCartneyThe Editor's PickNever miss our most popular storiesEmail addressPlease enter a correct email addressSign up nowYou have successfully subscribedThank youFor more information about how we use your data please refer to our privacy and cookie policies.


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Josephinum Academy needs people like you to help achieve our mission of academic excellence. With your help our students graduate ready for college and life's opportunities. These young women will someday change the world! Thank you for considering the futures of our young women at Josephinum Academy and helping to develop "girls without limits."
Please make your secure online donation using the form below. If you would prefer to use an alternate payment method to make your donation please contact our Development Office at (773) 292-3964 x233 or email@example.com.
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Flock Safety helps 10 neighborhoods in Colorado feel safer. We serve neighborhoods in Denver, Lone Tree, Sheridan, and Aurora. Resident privacy is a top priority for Flock. Flock will never share or sell your data.
For the neighborhood in Aurora, their HOA and neighborhood kept Flock system access to just HOA Board members.
Read the story from The Denver Post.
License plate readers posted at both entrances to an upscale Aurora neighborhood snapped pictures of passing cars Wednesday, recording the type, color and license plate number of each vehicle and inputting that information into a database.
Such technology used to be relegated to law enforcement. But these cameras were purchased by the local homeowner association in January after a few burglaries of cars and a home in the neighborhood. Red signs near the cameras warn passerby of "24/7 Video Recording."
"It's going to keep us safer," said Richard Warshaw, president of the Bel-Aire Estates Owners Association.
Forget doorbell cams — some Denver-area neighborhoods are now equipping their streets with cameras that will photograph your car and scan your license plate. Such license plate readers stand ever vigilant in 10 neighborhoods in Denver, Lone Tree, Sheridan and Aurora, according to Flock Safety, the company that sells them.
"Crime, whether or not it's up, it sure feels like it," said Garrett Langley, co-founder and CEO of Flock Safety.
The motion-activated cameras record 24/7 and can capture the license plate number, vehicle type and color of any vehicle traveling up to 75 mph and up to 75 feet away, according to the company. The cameras also capture pictures of pedestrians and cyclists.
Images of the vehicle are then uploaded to the company's Amazon Web Services cloud server and the data collected from the image becomes part of a searchable database. The HOA members with access can then search the database by time or vehicle description. They can also give police access to the footage if a crime is reported.
Flock Safety promises its customers it will not access the images without permission and will not sell the data collected to a third party. Those who live in the neighborhood can register their license plate with the system and the computer will automatically erase any images of those vehicles. All the data stored on the cloud are encrypted, and all data are deleted after 30 days, according to the company.
Each neighborhood is responsible for creating its own policies about who can access the images, which are owned by the customers, not the company.
The cameras themselves aren't necessarily a violation of privacy, said Gidari, the Stanford privacy expert. They are collecting images of people traveling in public, where people implicitly give consent to being seen and photographed, he said.
Warshaw, the HOA president, said he received a call Tuesday from someone interested in buying the house across the street from him. The prospective buyer asked about the license plate readers.
"He was happy they were there," Warshaw said.


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(Updated: Top 30 special district execs by total compensation)
Two of California's Top 10 most well-paid special district executives worked in Orange County in 2009, according to data from the state controller's office.
But first, clocking in at No. 1 statewide (on a list of 59,949 special district jobs) was NoCal's San Mateo County Transit District CEO, reporting total compensation of $439,818 (that's taxable income of $400,668, as well as $17,150 for his retirement account and $22,000 in deferred compensation).
The President of the United States, by way of comparison, earns a $400,000 annual salary (along with a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 non-taxable travel account and $19,000 for entertainment).
Just saying.
Not far behind San Mateo, at No. 7 statewide, was Orange County's own Santa Margarita Water District General Manager John Schatz (right), with total compensation of $378,037. (That's $376,297 in taxable wages and retirement contributions, and $1,740 in deferred compensation.)
Schatz is different from all the other executives on the list, however: He serves as the water district's attorney, and as its general manager, so it gets a two-for-one deal that saves ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, he said.
Schatz also asked us to point out that his wages are reported to the IRS at $317,647. The "Box 5" number that the controller uses — the aforementioned $376,297 — includes $58,650 of "non-wage items that are subject to Medicare taxes."
UPDATE: Schatz was originally ranked at No. 4 statewide, with total income in excess of $400,000. He said the $376,297 number — his taxable income — included the district's $25,743 contribution to his retirement account, and that it was counted twice.
Coming in at No. 10 statewide was Irvine Ranch Water District GM Paul Jones (right), with total compensation of $366,988. (That includes $308,216 of taxable income, $16,800 for retirement, $26,000 in deferred compensation and $15,072 for health insurance.)
The Orange County Transportation Authority's James S. Kenan was deputy CEO in 2009, before retiring. Kenan's total compensation was $317,637 (including taxable wages of $258,300, as well as $13,819 for retirement, $24,662 in deferred compensation and $20,856 for health insurance).
In a normal year, OCTA's CEO would crack the Top 30 list as well, but 2009 was a transitional year. One CEO retired and another was hired, so neither worked a full year, and thus fell out of the top comp contest.
Then, at No. 29, is Orange County Sanitation District General Manager Jim Ruth — famous for his previous posts as Anaheim city manager and Orange County CEO — with total comp of $297,982 (including taxable income of $277,482, and $20,500 in deferred compensation).
The data we're using was reported by the districts to State Controller John Chiang, who is requiring all local governments to report compensation data in the wake of the Bell fiasco. We've supplemented his numbers with some clarifications and updates from the districts themselves.
We'll be pulling out compensation data for OC's other special district executives in coming days. We thought we'd set the stage with the Top 30 first. though, so you'd have a frame of reference.
There are 4,776 of these little governments the state of California, each performing a very narrow task – burying people, killing insects, delivering drinking water, treating sewage. In Orange County, there are about 50 of them (that this is a slightly squishy number should tell you something).
Many are vestiges of California's rural past, when there were no municipal governments around to supply water, or kill bugs, or treat sewage. "When they were created, these districts were tailored to the needs of their communities. But as those communities have grown and changed, the districts themselves have been slow to change their boundaries, functions and governance to reflect their communities," said a critical report by a state watchdog group.
Today, these 4,776 little governments exist in addition to California's 480 cities, 58 counties, and 1,050 school districts. Critics argue that higher-profile cities and counties could easily do their work, save money on overhead and duplication and generally be more efficient.
But special districts say their singular focus allows them to do a better job. Separation allows special districts to wall off their often-enormous pots of gold from more needy layers of government; that, they argue, is why water and sewer systems run by independent special districts are often in better shape than those run by cities, which siphon money away to other areas.
The California Special District Association – essentially a lobbying group of, by and for special districts — says they're "a form of local government created by a local community to meet a specific need. Inadequate tax bases and competing demands for existing taxes make it hard for cities and counties to provide all the services their citizens desire. When residents or landowners want new services or higher levels of existing services, they can form a district to pay for and administer them."
And they are accountable, the CSDA says — to the voters who elect their boards of directors, and the customers who use their services.
Even so. Should the leader of a transportation district be making any where near as much as the leader of the free world? We'll let you guys hash that out.
More special districts:
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More Watchdog:
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