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The Secret Beyond Matter
A9 TV, June 14th 2013
OKTAR BABUNA: Good evening dear viewers. Tonight we have a very distinguished guest from the U.S: Christian, researcher and author Mr. Joel Richardson is our guest. Welcome.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Thank you very much.
OKTAR BABUNA: Please, you continue teacher.
ADNAN OKTAR: Joel Richardson is a sincere Christian. He is a sincere, devout person. He loves God very much and he is a well-intentioned person. Insha'Allah [God willing], he is an important personality that I think would be very useful for Christians and Muslims to forge an alliance and struggle against the system of the antichrist. Welcome.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Thank you very much. As always, it is wonderful to be here in the beautiful city of Istanbul.
ADNAN OKTAR: Masha'Allah. Please, you go on. I am listening to you. I am waiting for your beautiful questions.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Sure. Well, I wanted to just discuss with you some of the things we did discuss when I was with you last time. You are a very rare Muslim leader who has openly been calling for the right of the Jews to rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem. I just want you to share what led you to come to this particular position?
ADNAN OKTAR: The beauties of that time, the tranquility of that time, the joy of that time, the glory of the time of the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) is a yearning in every Muslim's heart. We want to go back to those times. We look to those ages because of the understanding of brotherhood, the understanding of love, the understanding of aesthetics of that age and because of our yearning for peace that would enfold the whole world. We want to build that House of Worship as a beautiful symbol of that time. Nothing is more natural than wanting to rebuild a place of worship if it is demolished. A Muslim is obliged to want this.
At this moment, the surroundings of that Place of Worship are very poorly kept. Some parts of it are filled with people inflicting pain on others, some parts of that region are like a dump, some parts of it are filled with cruel people advocating a communist way of thinking. A spirit that does not befit that House of Worship has surrounded it and that has been the case for a very long time. There is a reference to that in the Gospel as well. It has been said that people will pollute the surroundings of the House of Worship and that evil people will cluster around it. And surely enough, many people who do not appreciate the value of that Place of Worship have polluted the surroundings of it and they are in such a situation that they cannot give the beauty that the Place of Worship surely deserves. We think that at the time of the Mahdi the vicinity of the Place of Worship will be improved and those places will become immaculately clean. And we believe that the House of Worship will be rebuilt with all its beauty and with all its glory in that historical atmosphere and serve both Christians and Jews and Muslims. And in these days, we will be making an intensive effort to this end, insha'Allah.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Wonderful. Thank you very much. You have warm relationships with various other Muslim leaders throughout the nation. Nakshibendi Muslim sheikhs and so forth. Have you ever discussed this particular issue with any other Muslim leaders? Have you received positive response? You seem to be the only Muslim leader that I am aware of that has been calling for this specific issue.
ADNAN OKTAR: I am the only one [Muslim leader] in the world who wants to have the Prophet Solomon's House of Worship rebuilt, that is true. I am the only one who says that as a Muslim.
For instance in Gospel, in the Book of Daniel 9:27 "And he [the leader that will be coming- the antichrist-dajjal] shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering." At this moment neither Christians, nor Jews or Muslims are able to worship in that Place of Worship. Neither Jews, nor Muslims can slaughter their sacrifices there. That shows the initiation of this scourge. At the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)—and we believe that we are at the time of Hazrat Mahdi—both sacrifices and offerings will be set free. Those will be among of the first acts of Hazrat Mahdi; the rebuilding of the Prophet Solomon's House of Worship, freeing of sacrifices and offerings, and opening it for believers to perform their prayers.
"Destructive people will cause desolation on the pinnacle until it is complete and what has been decreed is poured out on the desolator." (Book of Daniel 9:27) There are destructive people around the House of Worship in the upper sections at this moment, for instance there are people who keep iron sticks and stones. There are people who keep filthy, dirty, disgusting things. It is like a dump around there. Many places around it are in a very bad situation. Hazrat Mahdi will get rid of all those; and make those places all clean, like a flower garden, all beautiful and pleasant. And Jews will be able to perform their religious practices as they like, and so will Christians and Muslims. I believe that we are in such a time, I believe that in this century that House of Worship will be rebuilt.
ADNAN OKTAR: For instance in the Gospel, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Jesus Christ (pbuh) says; "Do not let anyone deceive you in any way... " That means, do not let them deceive you with Darwinism, materialism or irreligiousness. "... for it will not come unless the rebellion takes place first..." And this has happened in the world now; Darwinism, materialism, atheism has engulfed the whole world and they've made Christians became Darwinists and materialists, a big portion of them. They've turned a great portion of Muslims and Jews into Darwinists and materialists as well. They made them far removed from religion. "… and the man of sin, who is destined for destruction, is revealed." And that is the antichrist; the communist way of thinking, the Darwinist materialist way of thinking will be annihilated. The Gospel draws attention to that. "... and the man of sin, who is destined for destruction, is revealed." Rather than a single individual; that is more like the complete annihilation of the atheist way of thinking, the system that denies belief in God. That means first will come Darwinism, materialism will appear next and then Darwinism and materialism will be annihilated. "... and the man of sin, who is destined for destruction, is revealed." Its destruction means the annihilation of Darwinism, materialism. The Gospel defines the annihilation of Darwinism and materialism as their destruction. "... the man of sin," is Darwinism, materialism and Marxist way of thinking. "... is revealed." it is said, and it has already been revealed now. "... for it will not come unless..." That means that day has come. "He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship." Darwinists are going against God everywhere, materialists are going against God everywhere, communists as well. And that explains it perfectly. Look; "He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship." That is because atheists and communists go against Islam, Judaism and Christianity. From this statement we understand that those days have come. "[he- antichrist] exalts himself above"; The Marxist way of thinking regards itself above everything. It regards itself above Christianity, Judaism and Islam and it regards all of them as false, radical thoughts. "As a result, he seats himself in the sanctuary of God and himself declares that he is God." Abdullah Ocalan, for instance, declared himself to be a deity, many communist leaders declare themselves as gods. "The seats himself in the sanctuary of God..." The House of Worship is all wrecked at this moment. I mean, the Prophet Solomon's House of Worship is wrecked and neither Muslims, nor Christians are determinant there, nor can Jews be effective; Darwinists and materialists have a dominion there. Consequently the House of Worship cannot be used at this moment. The Gospel has drawn attention to this point.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Okay. It is interesting that you mention that the Temple will be rebuilt specifically under the career of the Mahdi. Throughout the Middle East, there is a yearning and longing, throughout the world, for some sort of elusive peace agreement, some type of program that would cause the state of Israel and the Palestinian people to come to some solution to the ongoing conflict. Do you also believe that it will only be through the mediation of the Mahdi that the Israelis and the Palestinians will actually find this peace?
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course, that is not possible without Hazrat Mahdi. I mean neither the Palestinian government would have such an approach, nor the Israeli government. However this truth, this beauty will be established under the leadership of Hazrat Mahdi. That is what is related in the hadiths as well, this is the way our Prophet (saas) mentions it in his hadiths.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Okay. Thank you. You've also been one of the very few Muslim leaders that has correctly spoken of the fact that the Qur'an affirms the fact that God gave the land to the Jews, gave the Promised Land to the Jewish people. This is clearly referred to in the Qur'an, in a few occasions. Yet the overwhelming majority of Muslim world seems to ignore these passages within the Qur'an. I am aware of, for instance, Sheikh Hadi Abdul Palazzi from Italy that has spoken about this. Are you aware of any Muslims, Muslim leaders that are beginning to acknowledge the fact that the land does in fact belong to the Jewish people?
ADNAN OKTAR: Well, doubtlessly there should be others, but me and my friends have voiced this command of God openly and explicitly in the most sound, most understandable way, in such a way that can reach large masses. It must have been pronounced before, definitely, but they could only make this truth heard by a very few people on a very narrow platform. We have thus made it heard by millions of people.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Yes. I am grateful for anyone who is calling Muslims to reject the false notion that the Land doesn't belong to the Jews. And in fact, God clearly has given it to them whether they are faithful or unfaithful, this is an eternal promise that He has guaranteed. And in the end He will both make the Jewish people fully righteous and He will plant them in the Land forever with the Messiah ruling from Jerusalem over the nations with all of the nations streaming up to Jerusalem each year to worship.
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, King Messiah has been anticipated for about four thousand years. The time has come. The founding of the state of Israel is a portent of it anyway. The founding of the state of Israel is the portent of the appearance of the King Messiah. There is an intense inclination towards religion among Jews and that also is a portent of the appearance of King Messiah. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi has very comprehensively explained that Hazrat Mahdi will be active in the world in alliance with Christians and put away the atheist, materialist system.
JOEL RICHARDSON: There is another issue that I wanted to ask you about. I thought it was quite fascinating. Something, some comments that you've made, that I've read. You mentioned that during the time of the Mahdi, the djinns would freely interact with humans, that they would be able to freely communicate. Could you explain that in a little bit more detail?
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes; Hazrat Mahdi will be like the Prophet Solomon. He will communicate with the djinns in the same manner. Hazrat Mahdi is the Mahdi of both djinns and of men. However, he will take this power from God. Just as djinns do not constitute an independent power, Hazrat Mahdi is not an independent person either. He is a person who takes all his power from God. The Torah also clearly states that Hazrat Mahdi will be taking his power from God. Muslim djinns, djinns that believe in God, will help believers in making Islam prevail in the world.
For instance in the Book of Luke, 22:9 "They [disciples] asked him [Jesus Christ], 'Where do you want us to prepare it?'" Look, "... where do you want us to prepare..." He [Jesus Christ] told them, "Just after you go into the city," and we believe that this city will be Rome, that is Istanbul. "Just after you go into the city a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you." An Aquarian will meet you. "Follow him into the house he enters..." That means follow the lead of that person. The person meant here is Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Hazrat Mahdi is the one from the sign of Aquarius . And we understand from this that Hazrat Mahdi will have a house and that he will carry on his activities from his home and that Christians should abide by that person, Jesus Christ says that they should act along with him.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Okay.
ADNAN OKTAR: The book of Mark 14:13 "He sent two of his disciples, telling them..." Pioneering youngsters "Go into the city..." and that is Rome, Istanbul "... and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water." That means you will come across Hazrat Mahdi, with the Messiah. "Follow him." Follow King Messiah. And that is the same in the Torah as well, in the Judaic accounts, it is said that Hazrat Mahdi will appear in Rome, in Istanbul openly. A man carrying a water pitcher, that is a very important proof as well that the Mahdi will be an Aquarian. And Hazrat Mahdi will appear in the age of Aquarius and we are in the age of Aquarius at this moment.
JOEL RICHARDSON: You believe we are living in the time of the Mahdi right now?
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes. We believe that Hazrat Mahdi has come and is busy carrying on his activities. We believe that he appeared in Istanbul, as that is how it is related in the Judaic accounts. This is how it is related in Islamic accounts as well. The Shia accounts also state that he will appear in Istanbul. The prominent religious leaders in Iran also state that he will appear in Istanbul. There is no other time for this. He should appear in a date between the years 1400 to 1500 according to Hijri calendar. According to this, because all the portents have been realized, there is no other time for the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi.
Both of the great world wars mentioned in the Gospel have happened. After World War II, a lifetime has passed as well and consequently we are exactly in the time the Prophet Jesus mentioned in the Gospel. A lifetime has now passed after the World War II; or it is about to pass. This is one of the biggest proofs of the fact that Jesus Christ is now among us. Our Prophet (saas) talks about two comets appearing in the time of the Mahdi and both of those comets have appeared. The hadith states that one of those comets would go against the direction of other comets and that it would be very bright and that it would have two horns, and that happened as well. One of them, the one that would have two horns is the comet Lulin and the other is the comet Halley.
Our Prophet (saas) says that there will be solar and lunar eclipses in the month of Ramadan with 15 day intervals. It is said that it will happen twice successively. That portent has been realized as well. It has coincided with the years Hazrat Mahdi has appeared.
JOEL RICHARDSON: I want to thank you for sharing some of your thoughts with me tonight. As always, I appreciate the opportunity to be here with you, I appreciate your hospitality.
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course. You are our brother. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi has referred to the alliance of Muslims with Christians as a very important incident. The most important strength of Hazrat Mahdi is in his alliance with Christians. This is one of his most important strengths. And I as a student of Mahdi will of course be in an alliance with you, a student of Jesus Christ. This is the most crucial togetherness for the beauty and deliverance of this world.
JOEL RICHARDSON: I appreciate your kind sentiments. As I expressed to Mr. Babuna earlier, as a Christian, I don't believe in making alliances with Muslims but what I do believe in is building friendships. And I am grateful for the friendship that I have with you as well as many of your followers. When I was with you the last time I promised you that I would be praying for you as well as all of your followers. Even for the past four years as I gathered with different believers, I've asked them to remember the Muslims in Istanbul, and to remember you and to remember your followers.
ADNAN OKTAR: Alliance, this [what we have here] is again an alliance. We are forging an alliance as friends and brothers. We wouldn't be embracing the same religion anyway. We would be forging an alliance as friends. We would be forging an alliance on the subject of existence of God against atheists, Darwinists and materialists. That is not a conversion or anything. It is not my conversion to Christianity or your conversion to Islam because both of us love God greatly, because both of us believe in the Hereafter and we both believe in the other Prophets, because we believe in destiny, because we believe in Heaven and Hell, because we ally with each other on the main principles of faith; what is meant here is a scientific, scholarly, reasonable alliance against those who deny the main principles of faith. Or else that is not a conversion of religion or anything.
JOEL RICHARDSON: I know. I certainly will continue to—on my part—fight against unbelief and also against compromise among my Christian brothers. I am sure that you'll continue to fight against violence, hatred and anti-Semitism and these sort of things among the Muslims. And I'll continue to fight against unbelief in my sphere of influence in the US and you will continue to fight against unbelief in Turkey.
ADNAN OKTAR: I of course respect your belief. But I am a follower of both Mohammed and Jesus (peace be upon them all), a Muslim Christian. I am a follower of both Mohammed and Moses (pbuta). I mean I have not lost connection with Christianity. I am a follower of Jesus as well, but a Muslim one. I abide by all the real words of the Prophet Jesus, all his beautiful statements. For instance, this book [Christians Should Heed the Prophet Jesus Christ] consists of quoted passages from the Gospel and I believe in all of them. But I believe them as a follower of Prophet Mohammed (saas). I abide by all of them. Look, that is a whole book. It consists of quoted passages from the Gospel and I believe in all of them but I believe in it as a Muslim follower of Jesus. And I am a Muslim follower of Moses, a Muslim follower of Noah and a Muslim follower of Abraham, Solomon and Israel (pbuta), but all as a Muslim. I abide by the teachings of all Prophets. I abide by the teachings of all Prophets that are in compliance with the Qur'an. I am awating the coming of Jesus Christ with great love and admiration.
JOEL RICHARDSON: I certainly fully understand your position and to be clear I have no desire to force anyone to convert. It is just my desire to extend the invitation to you and once again to tell you that I love you and I love all your followers. You have wonderful followers. And we will continue to pray for you and continue to pray for your followers as well that once again the Lord of Causes, His Face will shine upon you. And as always, teşekkürler ederim. Thank you so much for having me. And it is a pleasure always to see you.
ADNAN OKTAR: May the Light of God be upon us all. It is natural that you would be inviting me to Christianity and I will be inviting you to Islam—and that is what I am doing—but we both love the same God, we both love the same Prophets, we both believe in the same Hereafter, we both believe in the same Heaven and Hell, we both believe in the same destiny. Consequently, there are many aspects that we have an alliance about.
JOEL RICHARDSON: And I would certainly expect you to do so.
ADNAN OKTAR: We have to act hand in hand against the dajjal, the antichrist. I mean against godlessness, against Darwinism, materialism, atheism; we should give a struggle with science, reason, art, democracy, love and beauty.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Do you mind if I say a quick prayer for the nation of Turkey?
ADNAN OKTAR: That would be great.
JOEL RICHARDSON: [God] thank You for this beautiful nation, thank You for the beautiful people of Turkey. Right now I ask and I ask in unison with the believers throughout the earth that You extend Your Hand over this nation that You would bless this nation, that You would awaken this nation to the Beauty of Who You are. And that You would cause a mighty, powerful and beautiful, massive crowd of Your followers to emerge out of this nation, that Your blessing would -in the midst of all of the recent protests and conflicts- that You would allow Your Goodness and the shadow of Your Goodness to just roll over this nation. We thank You for these things.
ADNAN OKTAR: Masha'Allah. May God give goodness, abundance, auspiciousness and beauty to our country. May God protect us from the dissension of the antichrist. May God protect us from communist dissension. May God make our nation live in brotherhood, abundance, peace, goodness and beauty. Together with Christians, Jews, with people from all religions, all faiths, may Almighty God give strength to Turkey and other countries for a beautiful world. May God give strength to the US and to Turkey as well. May everywhere, everything be filled with the Light of God, may all of them be filled with richness. May God give all of us goodness, merriness and Light. Masha'Allah.
JOEL RICHARDSON: Please God.
ADNAN OKTAR: Alright, we will meet again, insha'Allah. May God give you health and welfare. Let us meet again tomorrow, insha'Allah.2013-06-24 04:15:18


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A six-month-old infant being held in his mother's lap was the only one of nine occupants who died in the crash of a Fairchild Metro 3/23, a twin-turboprop regional airliner, in northern Canada on Saturday. Aviation rules in both Canada and the U.S. allow parents to hold children younger than two years old in their laps, although separate seats with age-appropriate safety restraints have been recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board. An FAA spokesperson told The Associated Press in 2010 that if separate seats were required, it would be more expensive for families to fly, and if they chose to drive instead, the children would be exposed to a greater risk of accident.
The Fairchild departed from Winnipeg and was approaching the airport at Sanikiluaq, a small island community in Hudson Bay, when it crashed near the end of the runway. The Canadian safety board said there was blowing snow at the airport at the time of the crash, but it was not yet known if that was a factor in the accident. Several others on board suffered injuries, but none were life-threatening, according to the Globe and Mail. The flight was operated by Keewatin Air, which schedules three trips a week between Winnipeg and Sanikiluaq. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the accident.
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Form Counter Stool - Wood Legs
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Survey shows outdoorsmen are environmentalists
A new national poll released last month shows sportsmen prioritize protecting public lands above energy production. The poll conducted for the National Wildlife Federation shows threats to America's conservation heritage are priority issues for sportsmen, on par with gun rights.
"The strong poll results show we need to get conservation on all candidates' agendas," said Tim Gestwicki, CEO of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. "From county races to state and federal ones, now is the time to talk about our favorite issues, ranging from clean air to clean water to all of the hunting and fishing issues.''
Among the poll's key findings:
• 79 percent of those polled say the government should restore Clean Water Act protections to wetlands and waterways, including smaller creeks and streams.
• Two in three sportsmen polled believe the country has a moral responsibility to confront global warming.
A recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hunter and angler survey shows that sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts contribute $3.3 billion annually to North Carolina's economy.
"Sportsmen are on the front lines of global warming. From ducks short-stopping farther north to cold-water fish stressed by rising water temperatures, we're already seeing changes where we hunt and fish," said Richard Mode, NWF affiliate representative from the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. "For those of us with boots on the ground, not in an office, these are literally kitchen table issues."
The national public opinion poll was conducted among 800 self-identified hunters and anglers by Chesapeake Beach Consulting from Aug. 27 through Sept. 1 for the National Wildlife Federation. www.ncwf.org


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The Cavs owner has already racked up a $100,000 penalty for ripping LeBron James, and now, in the wake of Zydrunas Ilgauskas's departure for Miami, he appears to be gunning for a second fine.
Dear Cleveland, all of Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Cavaliers supporters wherever you may be tonight, and residents of Kaunas, Lithuania;
As you know, our former brittle, aging center is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.
It was announced with a cowardly "press release" that our once-beloved "Z" has reached a "Decision" to play alongside the motherfucking piece of shit who betrayed us all last week.
Clearly, this is disappointing to all of us.
The good news is that we had no further use for him. He hasn't played much basketball for the last couple of seasons, he's slow as molasses, and once he taught Anderson Varejao how to eat with utensils and use a condom, he wasn't of much use.
Still, you simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.
You have given so much and deserve so much more.
In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:
"I personally hope that someone notices that Jesse Jackson's son tried to buy a seat in the U.S. Senate from Rod Blagojevich."
I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:
DELIVERING YOU DiGiorno pizza, right to your seat at the Q, free of charge. All you can eat. And if the Cavs lose by 15 or less, visit the locker room after the game, where Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams will give all fans free footrubs.
Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers
Scott Raab, author of Real Hollywood Stories, is a Cleveland State University graduate and has been an Esquire Writer at Large since 1997
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[Fall Deaf] built an Arduino based universal remote control system. It uses a shield which has both an IR receiver and transmitter. This gives it the tools to learn codes from your existing remotes and play them back in order to control the devices. This functionality is really nothing new, but we think the user interface he developed for the system is absolutely fantastic!
Software is web-based. You can simply point a remote at the Arduino and push a button. The receiver will store the code which can later be assigned to a virtual button. The image above shows the channel-up option being created; it will be added to the list once confirmed. From there any web enabled device – smart phone, tablet, netbook, etc – can be used as the remote for the system. The only feature we think is missing is the ability to alter the layout of the buttons, with larger areas for the most frequently used commands.
After the break you can see a demonstration of this system, as well as the one extra feature we haven't touched on yet. [Fall Deaf] included a Piezo element in the hardware design which lets him knock on his coffee table to use the remote if a smart-device isn't close at hand.


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The Difference Between Horsepower & Torque - How It Works
What's the Difference Between Horsepower and Torque? The Answer Might Surprise You
Related Video
Try this for kicks. The next time you're surrounded by your gearhead buddies, ask them to explain the difference between horsepower and torque. The participants will immediately divide into "pro torque" and "pro horsepower" camps, and at the end of two hours—or two years—worth of arguing, all you'll have to show for it are a bunch of lame clichés.
Raging debates and a healthy discourse of divergent opinions is part of what makes building hot rods so much fun, but the key issue at hand here is the lack of knowledge or history per se. Few people seem to truly understand the difference between the two units of measurement, and those who do can be hard pressed to explain it in a way that most people can understand. Fortunately, we know some really smart dudes who have both the knowledge and ability to lay it all out in a palatable fashion. Our cast includes Jon Kaase of Jon Kaase Racing Engines, Judson Massingill of the School of Automotive Machinists, Scott Shafiroff of Shafiroff Racing Engines, and Harold Bettes of Power Technology Consultants. Depending on your preconceived biases, the truth might be difficult to accept, but the experts have spoken once and for all.
Horsepower Defined
Harold Bettes: An engine produces a twisting force at the flywheel, typically measured in lb-ft of torque. One lb-ft of torque is equivalent to the force of a 1-pound weight pulling down on a 1-foot-long lever. Horsepower, by definition, is torque times rpm divided by 5,252. In a running engine, you can't have torque without horsepower and horsepower without torque because they're interrelated. The horsepower formula was invented by Scottish engineer James Watt in the late 18th century to help him market his newly invented steam engine. Since his new invention was competing with horses, he had to come up with a way to relate the output of his steam engine to horses. The problem was that his engine produced a twisting force, or torque, while horses performed work. In other words, horses performed work and therefore made power, not torque. If he told potential buyers that his steam engine made more torque than their horses, no one would have known what he was talking about. Watt determined that the typical horse could pull 33,000 pounds of weight 1 foot in one minute, and he had to figure out a way to relate the rotary motion of his steam engine to the linear motion performed by horses. To do this, he divided 33,000 by 6.28, since the circular distance a 1-foot lever travels in one revolution of a crankshaft is equal to 2 pi. By dividing 33,000 by 6.28, Watt came up with the constant of 5,252 that's now used universally in the horsepower formula. Consequently, an engine that's producing 33,000 lb-ft of torque per minute—or 550 lb-ft of torque per second—is producing 1 hp, and the constant 5,252 is used to convert the rotational motion of a crankshaft into linear motion.
Force vs. Work
Judson Massingill: There is a distinct difference between force and work. You can push against a wall with incredible force, but if the wall doesn't move then you haven't performed any work. You may have worn yourself out, but you still haven't performed any work. The same applies to an engine. Torque is just a force, and horsepower is a unit of work that measures the rate at which torque is applied. That means that an engine that produces half as much torque as another engine needs to turn twice as many rpm to produce the same amount of horsepower. For instance, let's say I need a ditch dug on both sides of my desk. On one side I have Arnold Schwarzenegger with a big shovel, and on the other side I have a skinny guy with a small shovel. If Schwarzenegger throws out 3 cubic feet of dirt with each scoop, and the skinny guy takes out 11/2 cubic feet of dirt with each scoop but works twice as fast, they'll both dig a ditch the same depth in the same amount of time. Therefore, they've accomplished the same amount of work.
This example shows why you can have a big engine that makes much more torque than a smaller engine, but doesn't produce any more horsepower. Torque is important, but it's not nearly as important as the rpm at which that torque is produced. To illustrate the point, let's compare a '70 Buick 455 to a '70 LS6 big-block Chevy. The Buick made 510 lb-ft of torque compared to the Chevy's 500 lb-ft. If you thought that the Buick could outrun the Chevy because it made more torque, you were living in a dream world. Since the Chevy made peak torque at 3,600 rpm instead of 2,800 rpm, it made 450 hp compared to the Buick's 350 hp. Torque is directly related to displacement, and in the last 40 years, torque output per cubic inch has only gone up 10 percent at most. On the other hand, horsepower per cubic inch has gone up dramatically, nearly 30 percent, in that time. That's because today's engines aren't producing that much more torque, but they're maintaining that torque at a much higher rpm before it drops off.
Torque Rules
Jon Kaase: Horsepower is just a figure that's calculated from math. When you put the gas pedal to the floorboard, torque is what you feel. In a street car, you want lots of torque. Let's say you have a small-block V-8 that makes 250 hp at 5,500 rpm and a small Japanese V-6 that makes 250 hp at 7,000 rpm. If you drove both of them back to back, there would be no comparison on how much faster the V-8 would feel because the smaller motor makes far less torque. Having too much torque is like having too much money. You don't want any less of it. You just have to learn how to manage your account better. If you're making so much torque that your car is blowing off the tires, either get some bigger tires or manage the power more efficiently with better electronics.
Horsepower is King
Judson Massingill: The 433ci LS small-block in our '99 Camaro drag car makes 1,050 hp naturally aspirated, and has an 8,000- to 9,600-rpm powerband. We don't even know what the peak torque output is because the motor never turns that low rpm. The reason I quit paying attention to peak torque in race motors is because the vast majority of them operate at rpm that are above peak torque the entire run, whether it's in NHRA Pro Stock or circle track. If peak torque was more important than peak power, we'd be better off putting our turbo diesel in our race car instead of in our tow rig since it makes more torque than our race engine. If torque is all that matters, why not put some taller gears in our Camaro so the rpm drops down to 7,000 rpm between shifts instead of 8,000? Our 433 small-block might make more torque at 7,000 rpm than at 8,000, but it makes far less power at 7,000 so the car would fall on its face and slow way down. Gearing multiplies torque, and turning more rpm enables you to run shorter gears. In many road racing and circle track applications, a high-rpm motor with lots of gear will make more torque at the rear wheels than a low-rpm motor with less gear since they'll be turning more rpm and getting more torque multiplication coming off of a corner.
From our racing experience, it's our opinion that the minimum rpm at which you can go wide-open throttle without breaking the tires loose is the most important part of the power curve. With our Camaro, that point happens to be right around 8,000 rpm. In some respects, the horsepower it makes at 8,000 rpm is more important than peak horsepower. That's because if the engine speed drops down to 8,000 between shifts, the motor better have some beans at that rpm to keep the car moving down the track. At the end of the day, I am a "bottom end" kind of guy. I just refer to it as horsepower instead of torque.
Harold Bettes: For people who say that they would rather have torque than horsepower, you have to think about where in the rpm range that torque is produced. Torque multiplication with the transmission in Reverse is greater than in any of the forward gears. If that's the case, a car will produce the most torque at the rear wheels while in Reverse, so shouldn't you just leave it in Reverse and mash the gas? Of course not. Likewise, if you prefer torque over horsepower, maybe you should try leaving a car in First gear all the way down the dragstrip. Let's say you have a motor that makes 400 lb-ft of torque that's matched with a 2.50:1 First gear ratio and 4.00:1 ring-and-pinion set. That equates to 4,000 lb-ft of torque that's being applied to the axles at the engine's torque peak. However, since the transmission gear ratios get taller with every upshift that means the torque applied to the axles drops significantly in each successive gear. Obviously, if you leave the car in First gear just to maximize the torque that's applied to the axles and wheels, you're not going to go very fast. This example clearly illustrates that it's not torque that pushes a vehicle down the road, but rather horsepower.
RPM = Power
Judson Massingill: In the racing world, the motor that makes the most explosions going down the track is going to win the race. In other words, the motor than turns the most rpm is probably going to win. Again, that's because torque per cubic inch is difficult to increase, so the next option is turning more rpm. Not surprisingly, unless the rule book restricts it, engines in every form of racing turn more rpm every year. With today's cylinder head technology, torque curves stay flat even at high rpm so turning more rpm is the key to making power. In most race engines, horsepower will continue climbing even after peak torque, and as long as rpm increases faster than the rate at which torque drops off after its peak, horsepower will continue to increase. An extreme example is Formula 1. Since the rules limit displacement to 2.4 liters, the motors barely make more than 200 lb-ft. By revving them up to 18,000 rpm, however, they make an incredible 800 hp.
Jon Kaase: Horsepower is torque multiplied by rpm, so if you have a drag car with flat torque curve, the horsepower will keep climbing for a while because of the way the math works out. In other words, if an engine produces lots of torque at high rpm, it will make a ton of power. A Pro Stock motor makes about 1.7 lb-ft per cubic inch, while a very healthy street engine can make as much as 1.5 lb-ft per cubic inch. The big difference is that a race engine will continue to maintain high torque output even after its torque peak. All they're doing in a Pro Stock engine is raising the rpm where torque is made, and they don't make that much more peak torque than they did six to eight years ago. Most engines will usually turn a couple thousand rpm past their torque peaks. If horsepower drops off any quicker than that, it usually indicates a problem with the motor. Either the heads, camshaft, intake manifold, carb, or headers are too small, or it's running out of valvetrain. Scott Shafiroff: In racing, rpm is critical. If you think about it, the greater the number of explosions per second an engine produces, the better it will accelerate a car down the track. In race cars, you look at the horsepower an engine makes and the rpm it turns, and gear it accordingly. You never want a motor to be below peak torque, which requires keeping the rpm up. On each gear change, you want the rpm to drop down to the torque peak and then accelerate beyond power peak. Engine design is about making compromises. You don't want to trade a lot of torque for only 2 hp, but you do need to sacrifice some torque in order to make horsepower up top.
Area Under the Curve
Harold Bettes: People like to argue over torque and horsepower, but in the process they often overlook the area under the curve. That refers to the average horsepower an engine produces throughout its operating range. Let's say one engine produces a power curve that looks like a church steeple, while another engine has a power curve shaped like the top of a balloon. Even if both engines produce the same peak power, the engine with the broader curve will be both more fun to drive and substantially faster at the track. That's because when you shift gears, the engine with the balloon-shaped torque curve will be making more horsepower. For this reason, the area under the curve, or average horsepower, is a much more effective way of gauging how well an engine will perform than peak torque or horsepower.
Scott Shafiroff: People want to see a big peak horsepower number, but average horsepower is much more important. It's not just the peak number that counts, but rather the horsepower that's produced over an engine's rpm range. Some people think that building street motors is easier than building race motors, but that's not always the case. In some ways it's harder to build a street motor since they have to operate in a broad rpm range. Whether it's a street motor or a race motor, the goal is to maximize the average horsepower output.
Low End vs. Top End
Judson Massingill: In America, we tend to look at low-rpm engine output in units of torque and high-rpm output in units of horsepower. However, the truth of the matter is that you can't separate the two since horsepower is a derivative of torque that's mathematically calculated from torque and rpm. People are familiar with the formula horsepower equals torque times rpm divided by 5,252. So if you have more torque at, say, 5,000 rpm, than the guy in the other lane, you'll have more horsepower as well. Likewise, if an engine is producing lots of torque at 3,000 rpm, it's also producing lots of horsepower at 3,000 rpm. Another way to look at it is that if you're building an engine to maximize torque output at low rpm, you're also building an engine that makes lots of horsepower at low rpm. People tend to get very passionate about the horsepower versus torque topic, and some people are torque guys while others are horsepower guys. I've been at engine conferences where people got so riled up about this debate that they had to be escorted out of the room by security. The funny thing is that they're arguing about the same thing. CHP
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CIRCA Haines
William Haines
Charles William "Billy" Haines (1900-1973) was a legendary Hollywood film star turned interior designer whose high style and glamorous interiors raised the bar of 20th Century design. William Haines changed the look of Hollywood with his unmistakable style and redefined the way movie stars lived.
via William Haines Designs
Born in Staunton, Virginia, William Haines left home in 1914 and opened a dance club in the boomtown of Hopewell, Va. By 1916 he was living in New York and in 1922 won the "New Faces" talent contest sponsored by Samuel Goldwyn. He moved to Hollywood under contract with MGM and became one of Hollywood's leading men in silent films and later "talkies." He appeared in over 50 films and was the number one box office star of 1930. William Haines was Hollywood's first openly gay leading man. His film career was cut short in 1933 when studio head Louis B. Mayer gave Haines an ultimatum to choose between a studio arranged sham marriage to save his career or his life partner, Jimmie Shields. Haines chose Shields and the two remained together for nearly 50 years. Friend and client, Joan Crawford, described the pair as "the happiest married couple in Hollywood."
William Haines first interior design was his own home in 1927. His bold mix of antiques of various periods with modern pieces was the stage for many elite Hollywood parties. Haines received so much attention for his taste and style that he was inspired to open an antique shop with his personal finds in 1930, while still under MGM contract. His friends and colleagues were so impressed with his taste in design that they hired him to decorate their own homes. William Haines soon became the most sought after decorator of the Hollywood elite.
Joan Crawford's Living Room via William Haines Designs
Carole Lombard's Living Room via Architectural Digest
William Haines clientele include Joan Crawford, Carole Lombard, Gloria Swanson, George Cukor, Jack Warner, Frank Sinatra, Alfred & Betsy Bloomingdale, Ronald & Nancy Regan, and Walter & Leonore Annenberg, among many others.
via William Haines Designs
William Haines' signature style incorporated custom-made modern furnishings and period antiques with touches of Chinoiserie and exotic artifacts in a glamorous mix that would retrospectively become known as Hollywood Regency style. Haines' interiors were designed for entertaining. He created intimate scale in a grand room with low sofas, tables and ottomans and plentiful occasional seating for ease of conversational settings at parties. The centerpieces of Haines' interiors were his custom designs including tufted sofas, iconic chairs –the Seniah, the Elbow, the Pull Up and the Hostess, tables, objects d'art lamps, lighting and accessories. Haines hired talented local artists, craftsmen and workshops to produce his one of a kind custom pieces. It is difficult to quantify the number of furniture pieces Haines created over his 40 year career because each piece was specially crafted per client and most of his work still remains with the original owners.
Inspired Reading…
CIRCA WHO FAB Finds
How do you CIRCA WHO?
via Architectural Digest
via William Haines Designs
via William Haines Design
via William Haines Designs
via William Haines Designs
via William Haines Designs
Chairs via Elle Decor
Chair via Elle Decor
Chairs via Elle Decor
via William Haines Designs


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Tone 5
We run to thee O
Ambrose, our Father as to a healing spring. For thou dost truly instruct us on
the path of salvation, preserving us from misfortune and calamity by the
prayers, consoling us in sorrows of body and soul, teaching above all by
humility, patience and love. Pray to Christ, the Lover of mankind, and to our
Fervent Intercessor that our souls may be saved.
Tone 2
Having fullfilled the
precepts of the Sheperd of sheperds, thou didst inherit the grace of eldership,
having pity on all who run to thee with faith. Therefore we, thy children, cry
out to thee in love: Holy Father Ambrose, pray to Christ God that He would save
our souls.


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Discussing the Evidence for the Resurrection with Josh McDowell
- Kelley Mathews Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- 2009 8 Apr
Editor's Note: Josh McDowell took some time out of his travels last week to talk with Crosswalk about his new book, Evidence for the Resurrection: What It Means for Your Relationship with God. This new resource (Regal Publishers, 2009) follows in the tradition of McDowell's previous books, using facts and logic to argue for the reality of, in this case, Christ's bodily resurrection.
"The resurrection of Jesus Christ and Christianity stand or fall together. One cannot be true without the other," Josh McDowell and his coauthor, son Sean, assert early in the book, Evidence for the Resurrection: What It Means for Your Relationship with God. "Without the historical resurrection of Jesus, the Christian faith is a mere placebo."
Dividing the book into three sections, the authors explore the compelling evidences and reasons for the reality of the Resurrection in the third and final portion. The first two sections address the questions: "Why did humanity need the Resurrection to begin with?" and "What does the Resurrection mean to me personally?" In these chapters, the authors connect life's hard questions—about pain, struggle, disappointment, death—with God's miraculous answer in Jesus the risen Savior. Mature believers may be tempted to skip over these chapters and dive into the third section, but those interested in effectively dialoguing with unbelievers about Jesus should resist the temptation, and instead read carefully.
During our conversation last week, Josh sat on an airport lobby floor, keeping our phone appointment despite a cancelled flight and skewed schedule. "How does believing in Christ's resurrection change our perspective on life?" I asked.
"If the Resurrection isn't true, then it really doesn't influence our life. Everything that Christ lived and died for is dependent on the Resurrection. First Corinthians 15 says our faith is worthless if he died in vain. Many believe it to be true because they want it to be true, but they don't have the conviction that it is true. That's why I wanted to do a definitive book on the Resurrection—to help believers understand that this event actually happened.
"The implications of it are, first, the forgiveness of sin. If Christ died for forgiveness of sin, that would not be true if he did not rise from the dead. We would still have been lost in our sin. So I have the confidence in knowing that because the Resurrection is true, I am forgiven. Christ offered his sacrifice, and God the Father accepted it.
"Secondly, if Christ were not raised from the dead, no one or anything gives us hope of eternity. If he was raised from the dead, then that means if he lives we shall live also.
"It's one thing to believe that; it's another thing to have the conviction that it is true. A belief is assent to something; conviction is not only assent to something but knowing why you assent to it and experience it in your life."
The book walks readers through God's original intent for relationship with us when He created humanity in His image, how sin damaged His plan, and God's solution for restoring relationship with men and women. It discusses how the hope of the Resurrection not only applies to the afterlife but to our current sufferings and trials. The Church that expresses her Resurrection life in the world has the potential, and the obligation, to push back at the despair and loneliness so prevalent in society. Because we serve a risen Savior, we can share hope, healing, love, and mercy. But to do that effectively, the authors argue, we must ourselves be convinced that the Resurrection actually happened.
I asked Josh what he considered the strongest evidence of the resurrection that Christians might share with unbelieving family and friends this Easter. His answer surprised me.
"I'd give my testimony—how I came to know Christ and why I trust Him; then I'd share why I believe that the Bible is true and trustworthy, and then I'd point out the Resurrection. What convinced people of the Resurrection back then [when it happened] is not the empty tomb. What convinced people at that time were his appearances—I believe that's the strongest evidence. When Paul said that He appeared to over 500 at one time and told the critics, 'Look, the majority of them are alive!'—he put his entire life and reputation on the line."
In addition to the empty tomb and Jesus' appearances, the McDowells point to several other favorable arguments for the Resurrection: the broken Roman seal on the tomb, the large stone rolled away, the Roman guards who fled, the graveclothes' unique positioning, and others. They also debunk common attempts to explain away the Resurrection, such as the "swooning" theory, spiritual resurrection theory, or stolen body theory. The authors address historical evidence and the reliability of the Gospel writers. Their comprehensive coverage give readers much to consider.
Coauthor and Josh's son, Sean McDowell heads the Bible department at a Christian high school in California, speaks professionally, and writes his own ministry books. He is the national spokesman for Wheatstone Academy, an organization committed to training young people in biblical worldview. He is also the father of two. "Sean gives a bridge to the younger culture," Josh told me. He calls working with Sean "a first-class act."
The father-son duo believes that knowing the truth of the Resurrection is crucial for young people today. In conjunction with Evidence of the Resurrection, they produced two separate books for kids: Jesus: Dead or Alive? targets 13–18-year-olds, while Jesus is Alive! is designed for children 6–10 years of age.
"You'd be surprised what kids five or six years old can understand," Josh told me. "Jesus is Alive! presents the information in a Q&A format. A child can grasp a lot, especially when it comes from the parents. If you don't reach a child by his 12th birthday, you can't really reach him. Only 4 percent come to Christ after that. So if you are going to reach a child by his 12th birthday, you have to start at five or six."
The teen book communicates the material through dialogue, a format that appeals to youth. "Truth without relationships leads to rejection. If parents don't have close, loving, intimate relationships with their child, the child will often reject what the parent shares. Share with them. Don't preach at them."
Readers can find a free, six-page downloadable Evidence of the Resurrection pamphlet online at www.josh.org/risen. It contains a condensed explanation of the evidences put forth in the book.
Kelley Mathews, Th.M. (Dallas Theological Seminary), married and blessed with three young children, spends her spare time freelancing as a writer and editor. She served several years as the Women's Ministry Director at Rowlett Bible Fellowship. Her newest book release is Leading Women Who Wound (Moody, Feb 2009), which can be found on her web site www.newdoors.info.


text:
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For more information about how you can take advantage of VBIDs, current producers can log in to Blue Access for ProducersSM and visit the Marketing Tools and Resources section or contact your BCBSTX representative.


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Spring brings hope, renewal
Published 12:00 am Monday, April 1, 2013
Winter wore out its welcome early this year. It wasn't hard; it was inconsistent, alternating days that seemed almost warm with cold snaps. It rarely redeemed itself with large, wet, fluffy flakes that coated everything in a snowy wonderland.
Through most of the winter there were teases of spring. On Capitol Hill it was possible to see a sprig of bright yellow forsythia buds in my old neighborhood and bright dandelions peeping through a light dusting of snow. While the Midwest and East Coast were being whipped with blizzard-force winds blowing sharp ice crystals across people's faces, in Washington we could walk on clear sidewalks, the snow melting almost instantly on the city's heat-holding bricks.
Watching the evening news tempered my mood, though. I saw pictures of those coping with tornadoes, heard the despair of homeowners surveying the damage. People were confined by paralyzing snowfalls. I felt weary from the bleakness and harshness of wintry weather.
But then daylight began to lengthen. February, the shortest (and longest) month of the year, ended. I welcomed March like a favorite aunt who would breeze into town, energizing all around her.
I've even been able to get out into my garden. This spring will be my first in a new part of Washington, D.C. — my first garden here, mine to shape. Working the earth, planting seeds, pulling weeds and digging holes for baby plants that hold a future of blooms and blossoms invigorates me. It simultaneously humbles and elevates me.
I love the smell of the earth. I understand why farmers stick with the land. As unpredictable as nature always has been through the centuries, there's nothing so relaxing as cultivating and tending to growing things. Gardening connects me with a life force that is inherently good.
I learn from my garden. It's taught me that nature is tenacious. Mother Nature can find a crack in concrete and grow a 3-foot-tall plant with purple flowers that eventually fractures that concrete into pieces — if you have a couple hundred years. My garden has also taught me that nature is fragile; a sudden frost can kill its babies. Yet, it'll start over again.
I wouldn't know what to do without the turning of the seasons. When fall comes, there's an anticipation of change — turning leaves and cooling days, crunching leaves and gathering flocks. Winter, on the other hand, causes me to hibernate: slippers and robe and hot cocoa and Christmas lights to view through the windowpane as I nod off over a book.
But, spring! Spring revives me. I strive to be a good Catholic; it's very much a part of me. It is certainly true that my faith resonates with the emerging life of spring. With spring comes Easter, and for many of my friends, Passover and Seder.
Both religious observances are celebrations of salvation and renewed, reborn life. Yes, New Year's Day holds the excitement of beginning anew. However, in my case, New Year's resolutions seem to get thrown out with the Christmas wrappings.
Spring is an actual renewal of life. I can still see the black and gray of bare limbs, but I also notice a fuzzy coating of green. Stretches of bare concrete are now covered again with outdoor cafes, even if people sit at the tables in coats. Brown grass is turning light green; city flowerbeds are showing pansies, cabbages and green sprouts that will be tulips. It all fits so perfectly with Easter.
As a Catholic, I've been given the blessing of a new Pope, a man who is committed to the poor, who has washed and kissed the feet of the sick, and who is emphasizing service and humility. He's setting an example. I've had a long, barren winter of discontent. I've watched an ebbing of Americans' compassion for the poor. Now, this spring, this religious holiday, rejuvenates my hope for our country.
Spiritual forces, such as humility, are powerful. Like the seed in the sidewalk crack, they hold on and grow. Today I see the promise of the American "can-do" spirit that clung on during the long, hard years of the recession, bursting into bloom. I see a renewing of our national values, a resurgence of compassion for the poor, a reviving of our American dream; working together regardless of differences for our common good.
I love spring. I love this spring especially. It's bringing hope reborn.
Donna Brazile is a senior Democratic strategist, a political commentator and contributor to CNN and ABC News.


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Painting Possibilities: St. Louis Artist Depicts African American Fathers With Their Children
For the past year, artist and businessmanCbabi Bayoc has attempted to create a portrait a day of a father interacting with his kid.
The resulting project, titled "365 Days With Dad," goes beyond showing fathers who go through the motions of parenthood, and shows engaging and teachable moments.
Originally from O'Fallon, Illinois Bayoc began this project as a means of stability, but over the course of a year it morphed into a means of preserving memories and encouraging parents to be their best selves when with their kids.
He has also used social media to create a following of his work. Bayoc posts his completed images on Facebook, allowing viewers to contact him to recreate memories shared with their own fathers. The images vary from the fun and lighthearted (going fishing, piggyback rides) to the bittersweet and solemn (returning home from war, saying goodbye to a parent).
Though Bayoc fell short of completing 365 photos in 2012, he plans to finish the project this winter and find a place to exhibit his work.
St. Louis Public Radio's Erin Williams talked with Cbabi Bayoc about the memories he has with his own father, who died when he was twelve, being a father to his own three children, and using his talents to promote a positive image of fatherhood.
Here is an edited excerpt:
On deciding to focus on "father figures" as well as typical dads:
"That's something I struggled with in the beginning too – 'Is it just going to be dad?' [But I realized] that's not everybody's reality. In order to heal what's going on in the community it has to be more than concentrating on dad. You got pieces that are more about the uncle or the older brother who stepped in, or your granddad. It's really just about the male figure who's been important in your life. Letting kids know 'Dad's not home. You can't make him come home, but I'm sure there's somebody around you who has either tried or you need to seek out somebody you honestly and sincerely can trust to be that figure that you need to show you the way.'"
On using his work as bonding time with his three children:
They are always around. I paint right in the dining room of the house. Several of my kids have actually helped me paint some of the pieces. They do the underpainting, they've blackened the canvas, they go to Kinko's with me to ship the paintings off. They've been immersed in it. They're 7, 9, and 12. I'm sure they'll be able to express themselves more about it when they're 20 or so and they get it. But right now, that's all they've known – Dad as an artist. We might not go to the park as much, but we're always right there."
On painting the future:
"The very reason I did it - there are a lot of dads who are present and doing what they're supposed to do, even though it always doesn't seem so. On a practical level, I want kids to know you can be an artist and make a living, make an impact, do something responsible with your time – just that you have other options. A lot of kids come into [Sweet Art] and see the paintings or they'll see me in the corner with the easel and they'll be shocked. I don't know where they though where the pieces come from or who's doing them – to see them, they're just amazed…that I'm doing it now, means they can too.
Just showing that art's still important, and imagery's still important. Sometimes it's important to paint what we want to have happen as opposed to just what we always see and think. You can paint possibilities."


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REDMOND, Wash. — Sep. 20, 2010 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the further international expansion of Zune, its digital entertainment service. This fall, Zune will expand its music and video footprint and bring the free Zune software, Zune Marketplace online store, Zune Pass1 music subscription service and enhanced features on Zune.net to new markets, providing a comprehensive entertainment experience on Windows-based PCs, on the go with Windows Phone 7 and in your living room through Xbox LIVE.2
"The integration between Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE is an exciting expansion in our entertainment offerings," said Craig Eisler, corporate vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business Group at Microsoft. "Zune enables users to access the entertainment they want, wherever they want it — and now, more people than ever will be able to enjoy the freedom and flexibility that the Zune service offers."
Zune software has been upgraded with new features and functionality and will serve as the Windows Phone 7 synchronization client. The new software (version 4.7) will be available to download for free in more than 20 countries, including the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain, to easily manage your personal collection of movies, music, podcasts and pictures. Zune software continues to set the standard for entertainment software, providing best-in-class experiences to organize, discover and enjoy digital media with a variety of exclusive features. For example, the Quickplay menu enables immediate access to recently played content and personal favorites, and Smart DJ 3 automatically creates playlists from your personal music collection and takes the extra step of mixing in suggested music from the Zune Marketplace. The updated Zune software will also enable instant streaming of high-definition movies, allowing you to watch some Zune Marketplace movies in HD, with no download time, directly on a Windows PC.
Zune Marketplace online store is accessible from within the Zune software and offers the ability to purchase millions of individual songs or albums from its catalog, all in MP3 format. Here, consumers can also subscribe to Zune Pass,4 which provides unlimited downloads and music streaming capabilities from the Zune music library, including content from major music labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group, as well as thousands of independent labels. Zune Marketplace also has a large library of videos from major studios such as Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution for purchase or rental. Video purchases will be accessible through Xbox LIVE and Windows-based PCs, and can also be added to a Windows Phone 7. Simply buy your favorite video from Zune Marketplace and watch it on the screen of your choice.9
Zune.net is the perfect resource for consumers as it allows them to download the software and set up a Zune account with a new or existing Windows Live ID.5 Zune.net will also provide Web access to Zune Marketplace so you can purchase music or use a Zune Pass to stream music directly through an Internet browser,6 as well as purchase video content.7
Zune Expansion to New Markets
As Zune expands internationally, its music and video service will be tailored for each market. Genre experts will custom program Zune Marketplace and feature the top songs, videos, movies and unique promotions for each country.
The fall 2010 international expansion of the Zune music and video service includes the following:
Zune Marketplace will extend services to several markets in Europe and beyond.
Zune Pass (U.K., France, Italy and Spain). The monthly music subscription service will be available for 9.99 euros /8.99 pounds per month for unlimited download and streaming access to the Zune music catalog and will be accessible on Windows-based PCs, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE. The offer in the U.S. will remain at $14.99 per month for unlimited downloads and streaming access, with the ability to keep 10 MP3s per month.8
Music purchase (U.K., France, Italy, Spain and Germany). Expansion to these markets will enable consumers to purchase MP3s and listen on their Windows-based PC, Windows Phone 7 or any other device that supports MP3 format. Users will also be able to purchase music videos to enjoy on Windows-based PC, Windows Phone 7 and Zune on Xbox LIVE.
Video purchase (U.K., France, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). Consumers will now be able to purchase movies to download and watch anywhere — on the big screen in the living room with Xbox LIVE or their Windows-based PC as well as sync it to their Windows Phone 7 to enjoy on the go.9
Movie rental (U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). In addition to Zune video on Xbox LIVE, consumers in these countries will now be able to rent movies for viewing on their Windows-based PC or choose to sync the rental to their Windows Phone 7.
The global expansion of the service is the latest step in a series of milestones for Zune, including powering Bing music search results, the added ability to purchase music and video on Zune.net, and the forthcoming integration with Xbox LIVE and Kinect for Xbox 360. By continuing to integrate Zune across the most important screens to consumers, Zune provides an all-in-one music and video service for users to discover, enjoy and experience their entertainment wherever they want.
About Zune
Zune is Microsoft's music and video entertainment service that provides an integrated digital experience across Zune devices, Windows-based PCs, Xbox LIVE and Windows Phone 7. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, elegant software, the Zune Marketplace and Zune.net online stores, the Zune Social online music community created to help people discover music, and the ZuneOriginals.net online media player customization store. More information can be found online at http://www.zune.net/en-us/press.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
1 Zune Pass available in U.K., France, Italy and Spain.
2 Zune Pass on Xbox 360 requires an Xbox LIVE Gold membership and a Zune Pass subscription.
3 Only available with Zune Pass.
4 Zune Pass is a music subscription; some Zune Marketplace songs and content are not available via Zune Pass. Available content may vary over time.
5 For cross-screen functionality, the same Windows Live ID needs to be used on the Zune software, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE accounts.
6 Internet browser support for Silverlight required.
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Joan and Buck Blessing´s Gift Brings Dream of Community Center Closer within Reach
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers would like to extend their gratitude to Joan and Buck Blessing for their wonderfully generous contribution of $10,000 in support of the CIW's new Community Center! Joan has been very active in the Campaign for Fair Food; recently, for example, she collected numerous signatures at St. Monica´s Episcopal Church in Naples as part of a religious sign-on letter encouraging Governor Crist to meet with the CIW and to take actions to prevent slavery in Florida´s fields.
The new community center here in Immokalee is the base for the CIW's human rights work and is essential to community outreach, leadership development, educational programming, and organizing work in the farmworker community. It's the home of the CIW's low-power radio station, Radio Conciencia 107.9 FM, as well as a staple food cooperative that provides daily essentials to community members at cost. Also housed here is the Anti-Slavery office, a place for the Coalition's work against human trafficking, and a multimedia library, where members of the community are able to use computers, books, and other educational resources.
Joan and Buck´s much-appreciated contribution pushes the funds raised in the CIW´s Community Center Capital Campaign to $598,729. In order to cover remaining renovation and furnishing expenses, we must secure another $401,271. For more information on how to support the CIW´s Community Center, please contact Jordan Buckley at (239) 986 9101 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
First Congregational United Church of Christ in Downers Grove, IL Makes Generous Donation to the New Community Center in Immokalee
The First Congregational United Church of Christ, Downers Grove has raised $20,000 to support the CIW's new Community Center.
A delegation from the church first visited Immokalee in December 2004, experiencing first hand the reality of life for farmworkers. They returned to Illinois to share their experiences with the the rest of the congregation and continue their involvement in the Taco Bell Boycott, traveling to Louisville, KY in March of 2005 for the celebration of the Yum Brands agreement.
Members of the congregation became even more deeply involved with the Campaign for Fair Food in 2006, when a team from Immokalee moved to the suburbs of Chicago to work on the McDonald's campaign. McDonald's world headquarters is in Oak Brook, the town adjacent to Downers Grove. Many members of the church were instrumental in calling on McDonald's to improve wages and conditions for farmworkers. Last February, a delegation of the church again visited Immokalee, touring the soon to be completed Community Center. That visit sparked the idea to raise money for the Center in conjunction with the church's own Capital Campaign.
Their remarkable donation will considerably boost the CIW´s Capital Campaign for the new Community Center.
The CIW expresses sincere gratitude to the whole congregation, saying, "We are thankful for the support you have shown us– both in the Campaign for Fair Food and for our dream of creating a farmworker community center to serve as the base of our work for human rights. Thanks to your partnership, the Community Center is closer than ever to becoming a reality."
The First Congregational United Church of Christ, Downers Grove contribution sets the total funds raised in the CIW´s Community Center Capital Campaign to $567,000 – just another $433,000 to go to cover all remaining expenses. For more information on how to support the CIW´s Community Center, please contact Jordan Buckley at (239) 986 9101 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Longtime Naples Community Activist Audrey Bender Makes Gift to Community Center
Last week, Audrey Bender, a steadfast CIW supporter and community activist in nearby Naples, FL made a generous contribution to the CIW´s new Community Center.
Her $5,000 gift will enable the CIW to pay off remaining expenses for the new Community Center project, including outstanding renovations, mortgage and other furnishings. Ms. Bender is a longtime advocate for women´s rights and public health in Naples, located just 40 miles southwest of Immokalee.
Lucas Benitez, a CIW staff member, stated, "We really appreciate Audrey´s kindness in helping us to cover remaining necessary expenses for our long awaited Community Center. She is a wonderful partner in our collective work for justice in the fields." Ms. Bender´s gift pushes the CIW´s total fundraising for the Capital Campaign to $527,500, with another $472,500 to go.
For more information on how to support the CIW´s Capital Campaign, please contact Jordan Buckley at (239) 986 9101 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Deborah Dearborn Contributes $15,000 for Community Center Landscaping and Parking Lot!
The CIW is happy to share the wonderful news that Deborah Dearborn, a longtime ally from First Congregational United Church of Christ on Sanibel Island, has made a generous gift that will greatly aid the Capital Campaign for the new Community Center. With her $15,000 gift, the CIW will be able to cover costs related to the recent completion of landscaping, a new fence, gate and sprinkler system as well as a parking lot and organic garden.
Eusebio Rodriguez, a tractor driver for an orange company in Lehigh Acres and longtime CIW member, said of the thoughtful donation: "On behalf of the Coalition, we are very pleased and appreciative for the great support she gave us. Thanks to her, now we have a beautiful yard and cool garden in our community center. Thank you, Ms. Dearborn!"
Ms. Dearborn´s gift pushed the CIW past the halfway mark in the million-dollar Capital Campaign for the Community Center. Presently, the CIW has raised $514,000 toward their final goal, but lack another $486,000 to pay for mortgage, further renovations, a radio tower and upkeep expenses.
For more information on how to support the Capital Campaign, contact Jordan Buckley at (239) 986 9101 or firstname.lastname@example.com