text:
Thrill-seekers in for new scares at suburban haunted houses
Ken Spriggs spent 13 years running Dream Reapers Haunted House in Melrose Park, tweaking the attraction each year to squeeze fresh screams from veteran customers.
"We try to change with the themes, to focus on new technologies and new scares that people haven't seen," he said. "It's hard to find new ways to scare people, but we always have some tricks up our sleeves."
Dream Reapers closed last season, but now Spriggs is at the helm of the all-new CarnEvil at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates.
The attraction is actually multiple haunted houses in one. There's Carny Town where you travel through the sewers, visit a rotting trailer and see what carnival food is really made from, a doll factory where new people are made and a zombie-filled cemetery. As at Dream Reapers, there will be actors entertaining guests while they wait in line.
The new space offers opportunities for even more entertainment so you can go ice-skating on orange ice or ride a Tilt-a-Whirl with a zombie.
Competing with new haunted attractions -- and finding original ways to creep out repeat visitors -- is a challenge faced by all haunted houses.
Mark Kaschube, artistic director of Screams in the Park in Rosemont, based his haunted house on the story of H.H. Holmes, a serial killer believed to have committed more than 200 murders during the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Kaschube even used blueprints of Holmes' home to recreate some of the rooms. For the house's third year, he's added 13 new rooms while revamping 25 of the original scares based on visitor feedback.
"For anybody who's been over the past two years, it will be a very different experience for them," Kaschube said. "We can watch you while you're going through the haunted house, so we know what's working and what's not. We interview patrons as they're exiting as to what they like and what they don't like."
The Asylum Xperiment in Villa Park keeps things fresh by never reusing anything.
"We build from the ground up every year," said spokeswoman Lisa Molloy. "We have a lot of new, different rooms and a lot of new animatronics and some really cool special effects. I think that people who have been very loyal and come back every year will still enjoy us this year."
They've made waiting in line more fun this year by providing stations with a video feed of guests who are already inside so that people in line can use them to trigger sound effects in the haunt. The Asylum Xperiment is also striving for more realism by giving rooms their own smells such as rotten meat in the meat locker and a big top area that smells like cotton candy. It's snowing in a holiday-themed area, and an elevator makes you feel like you're descending into a basement.
"We tend to lean less towards blood and guts and people jumping out at you and more towards psychological horror to make it more immersive," Molloy said.
If you're looking for some fresh scares, head to one of these suburban haunted houses:
Basement of the Dead
42 W. New York St.; 42fear.com
When: Opens at 7 p.m. Oct. 10-13, 17-20, 24-26 and Oct. 30-Nov. 2. Closes at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m. other nights.
Tickets: $18-$25
Haunted Quarry
Harold Hall Quarry Beach, 400 S. Water St.; bataviaparks.org
When: 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 18-19 and 25-26
Tickets: $8
East Dundee
Nightmare from North Street
Santa's Village Azoosment Park, 601 Dundee Ave.; nightmarefromnorthstreet.com
When: 7 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Oct. 26
Tickets: $14
Evil Intentions
900 Grace St.; evilintentionshauntedhouse.com
When: Opens at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11-13, 17-20, 24-27 and Oct. 29-Nov. 1. Closes at midnight Friday, Saturday and Halloween and at 10 p.m. all other nights.
Tickets: $20
Psychosis Haunted House
200 N. Spring St., psychosishauntedhouse.net
When: Opens Thursday through Sunday, plus. Oct. 30. Closes midnight Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m. other days.
Tickets: $18
Hoffman Estates
Sears Centre Arena, 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway; carnevilchicago.com
When: Opens at 7 p.m. Oct. 11-13, 17-20, 24-27 and 30-31. Closes at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, midnight Oct. 30-31 and 10 p.m. all other days.
Tickets: $35-$60
Massacre Haunted House
on the grounds of Odyssey Fun World off I-88 and Route 59, www.fearthemassacre.com
When: Opens at 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, plus Oct. 30, through Nov. 2. Closes at midnight Friday, Saturday and Halloween and 1 p.m. all other nights.
Tickets: $20-$35
Screams in the Park
MB Financial Park, 5501 Park Place; screamsinthepark.co
When: Oct. 11-12, 17-19, 23-27 and Oct. 30-Nov. 2. Open from 8 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, 7 to 11 p.m. other days.
Tickets: $20-$25
Round Lake Beach
Realm of Terror
421 W. Rollins Road; realmofterror.com
When: Opens at 7 p.m. Oct. 11-13, 17-20, 24-27 and 31. Closes at midnight Friday and Saturday and 10 p.m. other nights.
Tickets: $25-$50
St. Charles
Kane County Scaregrounds
Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road; kcscaregrounds.com
When: 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday Oct. 11-26;kids days 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 20 and 27.
Tickets: $15. Kids version is $10, $5 for children.
Villa Park
The Asylum Xperiment
The Odeum Expo Center, 1033 N. Villa Ave.; asylumxperiment.com
When: Opens at 7 p.m. Oct. 11-13, 17-20, 24-27 and Oct. 30-Nov. 2. Closes at midnight on Friday and Saturday, 10:30 p.m. other nights.
Tickets: $25-$40
Dungeon of Doom
2701 Deborah Ave.; dungeonofdoom.com
When: Opens at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11-13, 17-20, 24-27 and Oct. 30-Nov. 2. Closes at 10 p.m. weeknights, 11 p.m. closing weekend, midnight all other days.
Tickets: $25-$40
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- Aurora
- Batavia
- East Dundee
- Elgin
- Hoffman Estates
- Rosemont
- Round Lake Beach
- St. Charles
- Villa Park
- Zion
- Entertainment


text:
It may take you some time to get used to using crutches. Many simple actions are more difficult with crutches. Below are tips for safely sitting down and standing up with crutches.
Note: Your therapist may show you different ways to sit down and stand up depending on your situation. Follow the instructions you are given.
Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
| Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit www.healthwise.org
For help in finding a doctor or health service that suits your needs, call the UPMC Referral Service at 412-647-UPMC (8762) or 1-800-533-UPMC (8762). Select option 1.
UPMC is an equal opportunity employer. UPMC policy prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected group status. Further, UPMC will continue to support and promote equal employment opportunity, human dignity, and racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. This policy applies to admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in UPMC programs and activities. This commitment is made by UPMC in accordance with federal, state, and/or local laws and regulations.
Medical information made available on UPMC.com is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should not rely entirely on this information for your health care needs. Ask your own doctor or health care provider any specific medical questions that you have. Further, UPMC.com is not a tool to be used in the case of an emergency. If an emergency arises, you should seek appropriate emergency medical services.
Pittsburgh, PA, USA | UPMC.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
No annual fees; lots of perks to make you happy.
Keep your business running smoothly.
Access your accounts anytime, anywhere you have Internet access. Keeping your finances in check can be that quick and easy.
Save the trip and the gas. Now you can bank on the go conveniently, right over your smartphone.
If you want to be socially progressive, you have to support initiatives that foster social progress, like education equality, women's health resources, criminal justice reform, universal healthcare, workplace equality, and so on. These initiatives either cost taxpayer money, require governmentally enforced regulation, or both. If you believe in smaller government and want to pay less in taxes, how do you propose social progress be made? Because if there's no social progress funding, there's no social progress. Passive support is no support at all.
You can be socially conservative and fiscally conservative, but if you're fiscally conservative, you can only be either socially conservative or a person who doesn't give a shit. And not giving a shit is not progressive.
Granted, social conservatives seek to actively digress social progress while social progressives, as the label indicates, actively seek to further social progress. But if you're not actively seeking either, again, you just don't care.
I don't understand why people can't just admit they don't care. You can just say: "Well, however it works out for them, so be it. I'm staying out of it." That's what you're already saying when you say, "I'm socially progressive and economically conservative." Just own it.
Will you protest a Planned Parenthood building? No, but are you willing to have your tax money go toward paying for Planned Parenthood? No? So, you're not progressive. You don't have to be, but you also can't truthfully, at any level, say that you are.
You don't support something if you don't care whether or not it happens.
In college, I was told that I was economically progressive because I didn't have any money, and I would bet that most economically progressive people have been told the same thing. But now I'm making a comfortable living, and my opinions have only become more progressive. From reparations to universal basic income to free healthcare and education, the further I advance in my career, the more I want to see others afforded comparable opportunities.
Stop telling people they're living in a fairytale because they don't have huge sums of money that afford luxuries no human being needs while others experience hardships. Stop telling people they live in a bubble when their bubble includes all socioeconomic, racial, sexual, gender, and religious identities, while your bubble celebrates exclusivity. Those are not comparable bubbles.
The Global Ocean Refuge System (GLORES) is an initiative byMarine Conservation Institutedesigned to catalyze strong protection for 30% of the ecosystems in each marine biogeographic region of the world's oceans by 2030. It is a strategic, science-based way to safeguard marine ecosystems and will enable humans to recover marine life for us and future generations.
The Atlas of Marine Protection ( ) is an online resource and webapp by Marine Conservation Institute that lets users discover the world's marine protected areas and see amounts and types of protections within regions around the global ocean.
We work to protect the ocean ecosystems from the impacts of bottom trawling.
Overfishing – catching more fish than the ocean can produce – has been an ongoing challenge for fisheries managers for decades. About 25% of US fish stocks are overfished and90% of global fish stocks are fully or overfished,which has led to the collapse of some very important fisheries and fishing communities.
Certain types of fishing methods destroy or damage the seafloor habitats where fishes and many other seafloor animals live. These fishing methods are notorious for catching large amounts of bycatch– fish, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals– and incidentally killing them during operations.
Among all the fishing methods, bottom trawling, which involves dragging a large net across the sea floor, is the most destructive to our oceans. To protect ocean ecosystems from bottom trawling, Marine Conservation Institute has been a world leader in providing solutions to policymakers in the US and abroad.
What is bottom trawling?
Bottom trawling is an industrial fishing method where a large net with heavy weights is dragged across the seafloor, scooping up everything in its path– from the targeted fish to incidentally caught, centuries-old corals. Bottom trawls are used in catching marine life that live on the seafloor, such asshrimp, cod, rockfish, sole and flounder. Bottom trawls are also commonly used to fish seamount species such as orange roughy on the high seas.
Why is it a problem?
Bottom trawling is unselective and severely damaging to seafloor ecosystems. The net indiscriminately catches every life and object it encounters. Thus, many creatures end up mistakenly caught and thrown overboard dead or dying, including endangered fish and vulnerable deep-sea corals that can live for hundreds of years or more. This collateral damage, called bycatch, can amount to 90% of a trawl's total catch. In addition, the weight and width of a bottom trawl can destroy large areas of seafloor habitats that give marine species food and shelter. Such habitat destructions can leave the marine ecosystem permanently damaged.
Trends in the distribution of hourly electricity production and CO
emissions more closely follow changes in temperature than do emissions of NO
and SO
, as shown in
Orly Garon cap White aUI5BIDpf
. Overall, emissions in the future climate scenario increase 13.7% for NO X and 17.2% for SO 2 , but the maximum hourly emissions rate does not increase for either NO X or SO 2 . Rather, the increase in average hourly emissions of NO X and SO 2 occurs from greater frequency of emissions on the higher end of the present-day emissions distribution. Even as electricity demand increases, new peak electricity demand in the model is met by natural gas power plants that have little impact on NO X and SO 2 emissions during peak conditions. Simulating likely retirements of coal-fired power plants and market-driven renewable energy investments would also result in lower emissions than found here, where we maintain the existing power plant inventory to explore the arising interactions between climate, energy production, and air quality without being predictive. This highlights the importance of considering cleaner energy sources in reducing future harmful emissions.
Overall, a 3.5 °C warmer summer is responsible for an increase in hourly average building energy demand of 28.6%. The air conditioning adaptation response to climate change in the eastern US is thus responsible for hourly average emissions increases of 13.7% for NO X , 17.2% for SO 2 , and 18.5% for CO 2 .
We analyzed air quality in the PD (present-day climate, present-day EGU emissions), MCCO (mid-century climate only), and MCA (mid-century adaptation) scenarios as described in the Methods. On a regional average, we find that climate change alone (MCCO versus PD) increases PM 2.5 by 58.6% (2.50 μg/m 3 ) and O 3 by 14.9% (8.06 parts per billion by volume [ppbv]). A larger change is found when comparing the present day to the mid-century adaptation scenario, which includes building air conditioning (MCA versus PD). In that case, PM 2.5 increases 61.1% (2.60 μg/m 3 ) and O 3 increases 15.9% (8.64 ppbv). Overall, 2.5% of the 61.1% increase in PM 2.5 and 1.0% of the 15.9% increase in O 3 are attributable to adaptive behavior (extra air conditioning use).
The July average change in each pollutant due to building energy use is shown in
Fig 4
for PM
Fig 4a
) and MDA8 O
Fig 4b
). Increases in PM
from the MCCO to the MCA scenario (
Fig 4a
) are highest (as high as >5%) in and downwind of the Ohio River Valley, coincident with the highest concentration of fossil fuel, especially coal-fired, power plants and the greatest increase in EGU emissions. A small decrease (<2.5%) in concentrations is observed in the southeast, centered over South Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay. This is primarily due to a decrease in emissions in these regions (as seen in
Rhea studded backpack Pink amp; Purple Michael Michael Kors UyoS1MQ
) associated with power plant dispatch changes (see Meier et al. [ 36 ]).
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM:
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| Tote Bag LEMONADE XVIII by VIDA VIDA h00733CC
NEW YORK (CNN) – The initial relief that greeted the dramatic discovery of the trapped Thai soccer team has given way to questions over why the boys are still inside the flooded cave network and not on their way to the surface and their waiting families.
Part of the concern about attempting to bring the boys out of the cramped, pitch-black chamber where they have spent the better part of nine days is that they are around 1.2 miles inside the cave, and about half a mile, according to rescuers.
The boys, who were found alive by British divers in the early hours of Monday morning, are now being tended to by seven Thai Navy Seals, including a doctor and nurse, according to Thai Navy Seal Chief Rear Adm. Aphakorn Yoo-kongkaew.
"Now we have given food to the boys, starting with food that is easy to digest and provides high energy," he said. "We have taken care of those boys following the doctor's recommendation. So do not worry, we will take care of them with our best. We will bring all of them with safety. We are now planning how to do so."
The children were being given access to telephone lines to be able to reach their families, but the focus, said Yoo-kongkaew, was on building their strength so they can attempt the journey out.
"We don't have to rush. We are trying to take care of them and make them strong. Then the boys will come out to see you guys," he said.
However, options for the rescuers working in and around the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system in northern Thailand are limited.
The area in which the group remains stranded is accessible only via a narrow, flooded channel, and attempts to pump water from the cave, or find a natural opening in the roof of the chamber, have so far been unsuccessful.Seattle, Washington, USA


text:
Private torrent tracker list
Posted by .xtend. at February 22, 2018, 1:45 pm in torrents , tags: tracker torrents
Counterfeit defenses against espionage of tip "0-Day" ramsoware attacks
Posted by nickarad at October 14, 2017, 4:25 pm in torrents , tags: ramsoware attacks
I give you the latest data and details about governmental and non-governmental agencies, namely,I discovered two other domains of their fake IP and URL in their desperate attempt to stop the FREE circulation of INFORMATION.
1-undefined.hostname.localhost:39369 IP: 184.108.40.206
2--05406c9d.skybroadband.com:56919 IP: 126.96.36.199
When you see such domains, block them IMMEDIATELY.
If you do not do it urgently then you will see on your "skin" what happens to your PC, laptop, etc ....:)
I'll show with the agencies watching your IPs on the torrents
Posted by nickarad at October 2, 2017, 11:28 pm in torrents ,
I will present in Premiere World, for the first time on this site, one of the non-governmental agencies (but "hand in hand " with government agencies), namely, Mark Monitor.com who work for other agencies, including Sky.com.
This agency seeks to discover your personal IP, the sites you are visiting, if you just download torrents, if you are torrent uploader....etc....etc.
At the end, when they find you, they'll send you trojans or ramsoware into the computer, laptop...etc...that will lock your modem, network, or you will see the error message windows "Error Code x_x_x_x" and the system to reboot yourself. .. etc.
I will present some of the IP (Proxy Fake) and fake URL use different ports fron software torrent (Bitorent, utorrent,tixati...etc..), used of agency on torrent sites:
- IP (Proxy Fake); ns0.isp.sky.com 18.104.22.168
ns1.isp.sky.com 220.127.116.11
a4.nstld.com 220.127.116.11
f4.nstld.com 22.214.171.124
g4.nstld.com 220.127.116.11
-URL Fake: -5ad8be83.bb.sky.com: port-13285
-5ad2d896.bb.sky.com: port-47783
-b0fe0684.bb.sky.com: port-22654
-b1fe1684.bb.sky.com: port-11750
So, those who download or upload torrents, when you see such IPs and URLs with the termination of "bb.sky.com" will immediately block them in IP FILTER for IPs and Windows Firewall for ports, all Inbound and Outbound in both TCP and UDP, otherwise it does not work blocking.
It will present the two lists below that will miss the interconnection between the two agencies.
" />
" />
Best regards.
Hide your IP in utorrent
Posted by nickarad at September 25, 2017, 3:52 pm in torrents , tags: utorrent
This can be set from the "secret" settings in utorrent.
REMEMBER ALL !!! That personal IP hide in utorrent can only be SET for other users, called utorrent language, 'peers'.
You can not hide IP from ISP, trakers, etc ...etc... otherwise you would be alone on the Internet no one knows you exist... :P
It's so easy to hide your IDENTITY. You just need to get into the utorrent settings.
For this, you use the same Wonderful program, that is..... IP Filtering.
The steps to be taken are hereunder:
-Double-click on your uTorrent icon from your computer's desktop.
-Click the "Options" button.
-Go to "Preferences" under the "Options" button.
-Click on the "Advanced" tab.
-Go to the "ipfilter.enable" button and click "True" under the value bar.
-Click the "OK" button.
Blocking advertisements in utorrent free
Posted by nickarad at September 25, 2017, 3:11 pm in torrents , tags: utorrent
Today we offer a little "secret" all those who use utorrent free.
First version which I offer is the next one :
To get rid of creatives, you must enter the uTorrent - Options menu under Preferences. On the left side of the screen, go to the Advanced section. From this point, it is just a matter of patience. Look for each item in the list below in the upper right corner and double-click on its name to make sure False instead of True appears next to it. The list includes:
Also in uTorrent there is a hidden menu of settings that you can only activate by holding down F2 or Shift + F2 when you click on the same Advanced button in Preferences. You can rest assured that you have activated it correctly if you find one of the items below, which you also need to disable by double-clicking.
Confirm with a click on Ok after you've made all these changes and everything should be okay. Banners should disappear instantly and you should never come across a banner inviting you to upgrade to the Pro version of the program.
Do you see that it can be without ads in the utorrent?..... :-)
Best regards.
Install IP FILTER in utorrent portable
Posted by nickarad at September 24, 2017, 11:46 pm in torrents , tags: IP FILTER
I'll describe briefly to those who do not know what it is, this wonderful program "IP FILTER" which will help you no longer have problems such as:
-tracking your IP,when using utorrent of different agencies, institutions governmental, non-governmental
-tracking your IP,when using utorrent of various cybercriminals (par example hackers, etc..)
The "ipfilter.dat" file helps protect your privacy and security when using µTorrent by blocking a list of potentially malicious peers.
I use the portable version of utorrent, and then, I will explain for yours, this version of utorrent, namely, how to install the IP FILTER software.
1-Download and install ORIGINAL VARIANT (do not download anywhere else because they have Trojans) of to page website "http://davidmoore.github.io/ipfilter/"
2-Start the IPFilter software and get the Lock List by clicking the UPDATE button in IP FILTER.
3-Download automatically in C: -\ USERS \- NICK \- AppData \-Roaming \-DavidMoore \-IpFilter \
4- Then it stops Utorrent, if it works, because you can not see the existing files there in the program when they work and can not change or install IP FILTER.
1-Copy the IP FILTER file from the program with the same name from C: \- USERS \- NICK \ -AppData \ -Roaming \ -DavidMoore \- IpFilter \ and put it in a folder in your laptop, PC, etc.... chosen of you.
2-Insert in copy of IP FILTER a horizontal row, a single IP, in IP FILTER, by all IP addresses that you want to block, IPv4 or IPv6, seen in the utorrent soft and that are suspicious for you. On short, their own IPs to block, those that represent a single domain. (For Multiple Domains, a complex description will tell you another date)
I will show you a concrete example:
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (IP1)
yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy (IP 2)
zzz.zzz.zzzz.zzz (IP 3)
etc ... etc ... etc ...
3-Then move the copied file IP FILTER in the portable utorrent program, following the next steps :
- "Disc Local E: or C:....etc...(where you have the Portable Utorrent variant installed) \-UtorrentPro \ -Data \ -Utorrent \" (where you paste to the copy of IP FILTER file] modeled of yours.
4-Start the portable utorrent program. Enter advanced settings from soft utorrent, and look for "IPFILTER.ENABLE" and check TRUE...[enter in utorrent-\Preferences- \ Advanced\ to "TRUE" from "FALSE"]
5-Then check in the utorrent by clicking "JURNAL button" from uorrent, if IP FILTER is installed (it must have over 20,000 files)
For modification , edit, add...etc... in IP FILTER, your used NOTEPAD.
Now that extrorrent is closed.....List of sites
Posted by .xtend. at May 19, 2017, 10:43 am in torrents , tags: extratorrent
Extratorrent is down. https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/6bogwn/extratorrent_just_shutdown/
That,s sad news but i didn't wrote this post to talk about this issue.I think that people caring about sharing should inform regular users not to use fake mirror sites.Maybe its better for torrents not to have giants sites but a lot of small indexers.So lets make a list of valuable torrent sites that you may know.All comments welcome but beware spammers ;)Comments may be deleted.
Trusted torrent clients
Posted by .xtend. at April 11, 2017, 7:24 pm in torrents , tags: torrent clients software
1. qBittorrent
If you're looking for a cross-platform torrent client that covers the essentials without getting overly complicated, qBittorrent is great.
Download here: qBittorrent
2. Deluge
Fancy something that resembles uTorrent without the unwanted software? No problem. Want to add alphabetical downloading, move downloaded files to specific directories according to the file type, adjust speed according to network conditions, create pretty graphs, schedule everything, integrate with Chrome or Firefox, or batch-rename downloads? That's not a problem either.
Download here: Deluge
... read more


text:
Cola Extract
Cola Extract is an herbal extract derived from the seed of the Cola nitida plant. This product meets all FDA GRAS standards. Cola Extract is most commonly used as a food and beverage flavoring ingredient.
- Brochure (英语)
Martin Bauer Group is a supplier of botanicals, teas, and extracts for the food and beverage industry. They offer a wide range of products, including herbal infusions, medicinal and flavored teas, fruit infusions, and various pharmaceutical ingredients. The company aims to be a reliable provider of premium quality products, and they embrace their responsibilities to people and the environment.
Martin Bauer Group
希望在赛百库经销商/贸易商板块进行展示推广?请立即联络我们 !
Martin Bauer Group目前只在以下作出标识的区域展示其产品资料:
类别产品类型 Categories


text:
Factory Direct Fencing is Rebranding to Oxworks
Factory Direct Fencing is proud to announce we are changing the trading name of our business to Oxworks™.
When Dan and I started selling aluminium fence panels out of our little powder coating shop about 13 year ago, the name Factory Direct Fencing was quite appropriate. Since then, we have expanded our range to include Gates, Balustrades, Privacy Screens and much more; as well as building a huge steel and aluminium fabrication and powder coating workshop for custom manufacturing.
Our team has worked hard to provide our customers with quality products at reasonable prices in the shortest possible lead times. Whilst our name is changing, our commitment to this mantra remains the same. We look forward to continuing working with your business in the future. In the coming months we have some exciting new products to be released which we hope will provide extra sales opportunities for your business.
For our loyal customers, the name change will not affect the way you do business with us. Please note our ABN and Bank Details will not be changing.
The entire Oxworks team would like to invite you to visit any one of our 5 locations throughout Australia, or browse through our new website (which you are now on!)
Start Browsing Now
We are committed to helping you grow your business and look forward to working together in the future.
Glenn Hosking // Managing Director


text:
Well presented two bedroom ground floor apartment in a popular location close to Kirkby town centre. Available now to view!
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text:
Author Profile
Micah Uetricht
Micah Uetricht is a contributing editor at In These Times and is a former associate editor and editorial intern at the magazine. He is an associate editor at Jacobin, the author of Strike for America: Chicago Teachers Against Austerity, and has written for the Nation, the Chicago Reader, VICE News, the Guardian and elsewhere. He previously worked as a labor organizer. Follow him on Twitter at @micahuetricht.
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Chicago Teachers Union's Overwhelming Approval of Strike Shows Power of Bottom-up Organizing
The numbers are in from the Chicago Teachers Union's strike authorization vote, and it's not even close. After three days of voting last week, 22,678 of the union's 24,752 eligible members cast... MORE
Working · December 14, 2015
The Coming Chicago Teachers Union Strike Could Be a Watershed Moment for a City in Crisis
The Chicago Teachers Union currently finds itself in strange territory for a 21st-century U.S. labor union: defending a recent victory. Labor has lost so often in recent decades that defeat has become... MORE
Working · December 11, 2015


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mutton busting
Yulia is a Russian food and travel blogger who found home first in Sri Lanka for 3 years, then in Brazil for a year and is currently based in Austin, Texas. She is the kind of person who starts a research of the new country by googling "what to eat in…" instead of "what to visit in…" Yulia is a self-proclaimed "food nerd" who will spend hours reading on the origins of pecan pie before trying it and who doesn't consider waiting in line of 50 people to get a cronut a waste of time. She finds it hard to keep her delicious findings to herself and that is the reason why this blog exists.


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News Roundup
Privatization plan floated for Friendship TrailBridge
TAMPA - A property tax referendum to rebuild the Friendship TrailBridge has failed to gain support on the Hillsborough County Commission, so bridge proponents are moving to another plan. The new proposal: Hire a private company to demolish some or all of the TrailBridge, rebuild a pedestrian span and allow the company to charge for admission, naming rights, sponsorships and vendor rentals. Last week, commissioners couldn't even muster a vote to begin writing ballot language for the referendum, which would have asked voters to raise their property taxes $25 a year for a house valued at $165,000. The tax increase would have supported a bond issue to rebuild the bridge and construct a host of parks and recreation projects. The failure to move on the ballot language was a sure sign few commissioners have the stomach for a divisive debate over a new tax."We've got to get off the dime," said Commissioner Mark Sharpe, the board's strongest advocate for saving the bridge. "There is no interest in raising tax money." Seeing the writing on the wall, Sharpe asked County Administrator Mike Merrill for other options, and Merrill suggested fully privatizing a new bridge connecting Pinellas and Hillsborough counties next to the Gandy Bridge. "It would completely take the county out of the equation except for a lease agreement, or whatever it took to facilitate a fully privatized operation," Merrill said. The county could retain ownership of the bridge and lease it to the contractor so it would stay off the tax rolls, much like the Tampa Sports Authority, a government entity, owns Raymond James Stadium, Steinbrenner Field and the Forum. The county could also help the developer get tax-exempt bonds, Merrill said, although the company would be responsible for paying back the borrowed money. Whatever company is chosen to handle the project would be responsible for working out legal arrangements with Pinellas County, which owns half the bridge, and the Florida Department of Transportation, which gave the bridge to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in 1997, when the new Gandy Bridge opened. Ken Cowart, an architect and spokesman for the coalition rallying support for the bridge, said a public-private solution was what he had in mind when he first took an interest in the issue. "The referendum was never really our idea," Cowart said. "The county seems like they want to work and save the bridge instead of demolishing it and they're coming up with different solutions that will dovetail with our original proposal." Cowart and other young professionals persuaded the commission to delay awarding a contract to demolish the bridge while supporters came up with a plan to save it. Engineers say the bridge, built in 1956, is unsafe due to advanced deterioration of its structural steel. Most commissioners were cool to Merrill's proposed referendum, to raise $57.5 million for park projects and $27.5 million for rebuilding the bridge. Still fresh in their memories was voters' rejection in 2010 of a one-cent sales tax that would have paid for transportation improvements, including light rail. The measure failed by a 58-42 percent margin. Sharpe, who risked his re-election by avidly supporting the transportation tax in 2010, said that measure would not have been as divisive if it had not included the expensive light rail component. In the same vein, Sharpe said the commissioners might be more likely to support a referendum for parks and recreation programs without the $27.5 million included for the bridge. The bridge "has got to be something where the whole public comes around and supports it because it's good," he said. "It doesn't need to be pulled down with a lot of angry debate."
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Herbert Hoover
Party delayed, but still as good as Gold(ie)January 17, 2013
When postponing a birthday party and a small child is involved, it can be an excruciating delay. But when the celebrant is turning 112 years old, a postponement can be downright risky. Yet postpone is just what the staff at Grandell Rehabilitation & Nursing Center was forced to do recently for its super centenarian — for more than 10 weeks, in fact. But they had a good reason.


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Emmy Rossum & Kristen Bell: Showtime's TCA Tour Panel!
Emmy Rossum and Kristen Bell participate in panels for their shows Shameless and House of Lies during the Showtime portion of the 2013 Winter TCA Press Tour held at the Langham Huntington Hotel on Saturday (January 12) in Pasadena, Calif.
The ladies were joined by their co-stars at the event: Shameless' William H. Macy and House of Lies' Don Cheadle, as well as Californication's Evan Handler and Pamela Adlon.
The Big C cast members Laura Linney, Gabourey Sidibe, Oliver Platt, and John Benjamin Hickey were also in attendance to talk about the final season of their show.
FYI: Emmy is wearing a Gerard Darel suit and blouse with Jerome C. Rousseau shoes. She accessorized with Sethi Couture diamond studs and an H. Stern ring. Kristen is wearing an Isabella Oliver jacket, a Topshop dress, and an Etro necklace.
30+ pictures inside of Emmy Rossum and Kristen Bell at the 2013 Winter TCA Press Tour…


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Thank u sooooooo much for ur efficient service...really im sooo happyDr Purva Vijay (GOA - 2016-09-29)
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AICPA Hosts Reception for CPAs in Congress
March 27, 2013
American Institute of CPAs' (AICPA) President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, welcomed the CPA members of Congress and expressed appreciation for their efforts on behalf of the profession. The reception was an opportunity for Melancon, AICPA Immediate Past Chair Greg Anton, AICPA Board Member Jim Bourke and other members of the profession to discuss accounting and tax issues with the legislators and their staff members.
"The 12 representatives and senators who are CPAs or accountants bring a unique perspective to financial policy debates on Capitol Hill," AICPA Senior Vice President for Governmental & Public Affairs Mark Peterson explained. "The reception allowed us to publicly acknowledge their commitment to the profession's ideals and standards as they navigate the legislative process."
Pictured from left to right are Representative Patrick Murphy (D-FL), Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, AICPA president and CEO, Representative Mike Conaway (R-TX), Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Greg Anton, CPA, CGMA, immediate past chairman of the AICPA.
Photo by Sam Kittner


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U.S. Sen. Dean Heller on Friday called for congressional hearings into how the Bureau of Land Management handled the roundup of cattle around Cliven Bundy's Bunkerville ranch, which turned into an armed stand off between the BLM and militia groups and launched a new debate about the federal government's 85 percent ownership of Nevada land.
"I want to find out who's accountable for this," said the Nevada Republican on a Las Vegas political talk show, where Heller appeared for the first time on live television with U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Heller said he hoped he and Reid could agree on holding hearings, but the Senate majority leader didn't respond to the suggestion, making it unclear if Democrats who control the Senate would agree to such a public examination.
Heller's staff said he would push for hearings before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which the Nevada senator sits on, when he gets back to Washington, D.C., after the Easter break.
Heller said he wanted to look into why the BLM needed "200 armed men," including some reportedly with sniper rifles, to monitor the roundup, which was cut short on April 12 by the BLM to avoid open violence.
Nevada's two senators were questioned on KSNV-TV, Channel 3's "What's Your Point?" by hosts Jeff Gillan and Amy Tarkanian, whose husband, Danny, lost the GOP primary in 2010 in the contest for Reid's Senate seat. The show lasted about 30 minutes and covered a range of topics, from Bundy to extending unemployment benefits.
The day before the TV appearance, Reid called supporters of Bundy "domestic terrorists" because they defended him against the BLM cattle roundup with guns and put their children in harm's way.
"Those people who hold themselves out to be patriots are not. They're nothing more than domestic terrorists," Reid said during an appearance at a Las Vegas Review-Journal "Hashtags & Headlines" event at the Paris.
On the Friday show, Reid defended his characterization of the supporters, repeating that some had carried assault weapons and automatic weapons and put women and children in the line of fire. No shots were fired.
"If there were ever an example of people who were domestic violent terrorist wannabes, these are the guys," Reid said.
Heller objected, saying he didn't agree and that most were regular folks, including grandmothers, veterans and Boy Scouts.
"I have a very different view," Heller said, sitting next to Reid. "… What Senator Reid may call domestic terrorists, I call patriots."
Reid countered: "If they're patriots, we're in very big trouble."
Heller said he wondered why the BLM sent an army of armed men to take back Bundy's cattle.
"There was no army," Reid muttered, although neither man raised his voice during the tense exchange.
Last week, Heller and GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval both criticized BLM tactics, which included tasing one of Bundy's sons and having him arrested. At the same time, both Sandoval and Heller defended the federal government's right to enforce court orders to round up the cattle and they called for the situation to end without violence.
Bundy, who said his family homesteaded the land in the 1870s and has a right to use it, has not paid federal grazing fees for 20 years and owes about $1 million to the government.
Heller and Reid disagreed about what's at the heart of the Bundy dispute: control of federal public lands.
"It's federal land, take it or leave it," Reid said, while noting some counties had been able to take back some U.S. lands.
Heller said cattlemen "have lost over half of the range land they're able to run on in the last 30 years."
Reid blamed the loss of grazing land to global warming, however. Heller disagreed and said the situation could grow worse if the federal government decides to list the sage grouse as an endangered species.
"Wait until the sage grouse comes," Heller said, predicting more public lands versus environment battles to come.
Contact Laura Myers at email@example.com or 702-387-2919. Follow her on Twitter: @lmyerslvrj.


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(BPT) – When celebrity game show host Howie Mandel was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib) not caused by a heart valve problem, he didn't know that he was one of approximately 5.8 million people living in the U.S. with the condition or that it put him at a five times greater risk of stroke.
"I was shocked when I learned how serious this condition is," said Mandel. "Since then, I've tried to learn everything I could about AFib. Now, I am challenging others to learn more about AFib and its increased risk of stroke at www.FibsOrFacts.com."
Fibs or Facts
The Emmy(R)-nominated game show host makes a living challenging people, and now he's teamed up with Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer to encourage people to test their knowledge of AFib and its increased risk of stroke with the Fibs or Facts educational campaign.
"Because AFib is really close to my heart, it is important to me to share my experience with it and help others learn more about AFib and its increased risk of stroke," said Mandel.
Mandel is encouraging people to visit www.FibsOrFacts.com to take the Fibs or Facts quiz to test their knowledge while raising money for National Stroke Association. For each person who completes the quiz, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer will make a $1 donation to National Stroke Association, up to $25,000.
A medical opinion
"Nearly one in four people over the age of 40 will develop AFib," said Dr. Annabelle Volgman of Rush University Medical Center. "Yet many people are unfamiliar with the condition and its increased risk of stroke," said Dr. Volgman.
With AFib, the top chambers of your heart (the atria) do not contract properly to push blood through the heart. As a result, some blood remains in the atria, which can pool, and a clot may form. These clots can travel to the brain, blocking or limiting blood flow, and result in a stroke. In fact, 15 percent of strokes are attributable to AFib not caused by a heart valve problem.
If you have AFib not caused by a heart valve problem, it's important to talk to your doctor about treatment options that can help reduce the risk of stroke.
The Fibs or Facts campaign is sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. Howie Mandel is a paid spokesperson.


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Ralph Washington, Central's former mayor pro-tem who helped lead the city's founding in 2005, was pronounced dead on Saturday.
Though the cause of death was not clear on Saturday, Central City Councilman Wayne Messina said Washington suffered from diabetes and a heart ailment.
"He had a true love for Central," said Messina, who served with Washington for four years. "He's one of the best friends I ever had, and I loved working with him."
Washington served on the City Council and was mayor pro-tem for nine years, from the city's founding in 2005 until he lost a bid for re-election and his term ended in July, Messina said.
As a councilman, Washington played key roles in an array of city matters — from development of its master sewer plan to its architectural design code, Messina said.
His impact also was felt among Central's police as he moved the police headquarters to a better location and helped the staff get more equipment, Police Chief James Salsbury said.
"Most of the residents of Central know who Ralph was and what he stood for," Salsbury said. "He was very supportive of the police department from day one. We as a Police Department never forgot that."
Washington, who public records indicate was 60, leaves behind a wife and two children. He also owned Red Stick Cleaners on Greenwell Springs Road.
"He was a very fair guy," Salsbury said. "His heart was in Central."


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We return again, this morning, to our continuing study of 2 Corinthians, Paul's fourth letter, really, but the second one included in Scripture, to this wonderful church at Corinth. You'll want to open your Bible at this time and turn to chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians.
Let me introduce our subject again. Last week we began looking at verses 11 to 15 under the title, "The Ministry of Integrity." And as you have known, if you've been with us through our study of 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul in this letter, and a rather lengthy letter it is, but in this letter he is defending his integrity which is under attack. It is the theme of this letter that Paul is honest, sincere, genuine, real, a man of integrity, in spite of what his accusers are saying.
And so, as we have been going through we have learned so much about his attitude, his ministry, his motivation and the passage before us is one very salient and important treatment of the matter of defending his own integrity. And we'll get at that passage in just a moment.
By way of introduction, as I was thinking about the apostle Paul and the immense influence that he had, the tremendous, tremendous imprint and impact he has made on the world, I began to ask myself the question...what is it that makes people like that the way they are? What is it that makes people people of impact? What are the qualities that make people rise above the crowd to influence history even in the spiritual realm? There are many who serve in spiritual leadership, there are many who serve the Lord in spiritual ministry, there are many who preach and teach...but what is it about certain people that just causes them to seem to be elevated to a level beyond even the best of their peers?
But if you think about leadership and you think about the marks of leadership, there are some common marks that leaders have that you do see in the lives of men like Paul. Let me just share some of them with you.
As you look at the marks of those people who leave their print on society, and particularly on the church, they are people with focus. That is they tend to be people who have a very clearly defined mission. They know exactly what it is. They understand it and they understand how to do it.
They are people also with drive. They have a high degree of motivation. They don't have to be externally motivated, there's just something in them that presses them, that pushes them.
Generally these kinds of impact leaders also have courage. That means that they are so devoted to their task and so devoted to their goal that they are willing to face adversity and threat and not break down or back off.
They have knowledge. Effective leaders all have knowledge. They know what they're doing. They know what they believe. They know where of they speak. And they tend to have an insatiable search for more of it. They seemingly can never get enough knowledge. They tend to be people of physical strength, physical stamina because they have to give themselves to very, very hard work.
They also tend to be people who are optimistic. They believe the best about people and they believe the best about their plans. They look on the upside of things. They believe in those in whom they invest.
They tend to be people also, these leaders, who are enthusiastic. They are able to create a contagious kind of excitement that causes people to jump on board their enterprise and go with them.
They tend to be people of risk. They don't mind sticking their neck out for what they believe in. They don't mind putting their life on the line, all they possess.
They tend to be, what I would call, enterprising. And when I talk about an enterprising person, I mean a person who is willing to tackle the most difficult task possible because that's really the way you change things.
So these leaders are marked by a number of qualities. They tend also to be persuasive. That is, to say they are able to convince people to follow them in their cause.
They tend to be outstanding in communication. One way or another they can articulate their vision, their ideas.
They tend to be people of imagination. They have to be because otherwise they would just maintain the status quo. And they dream about what hasn't been done and what hasn't happened, but what they believe can happen.
And then in just going through this little list of almost maybe fifteen characteristics of a leader, I would say they tend to be individualistic. Strong leaders stand alone. They have the ability to stand alone. They need people to accomplish their enterprise, they don't need people to prop them up. They tend to be able to stand alone.
With all those characteristics of leaders with impact, you sort of begin to see a profile of the kind of person that emerges even in spiritual matters as a formidable leader and servant of the Lord.
All of those characteristics, by the way, I drew out my thoughts about the apostle Paul. He was an individual who stood alone very, very often, and stood alone confidently. He had a creative imagination about what could be done and longed for the opportunity what hadn't been done where it hadn't been thought of. He could articulate truth like few who have ever lived and could convince whole masses of people to follow him, even at the peril of their own life. He was entrepreneurial. He always was eager to tackle the most seemingly impossible task and willing to risk his own life for what he believed. He was contagiously enthusiastic. He was optimistic about people and about plans. He was physically strong enough to endure tremendous hardship and physical abuse and still press forward with unlimited energy, it seemed. He had drive. He had a clear focus. He knew exactly what his targets were. He had a high level of internal motivation. He was willing to face persecution and hostility and never back down, even though it might mean his death. His sense of direction was clear. His goals were specific. He had the knowledge that was necessary to accomplish the ends that he had been called to achieve. He is a living model really of a strong, powerful leader in the enterprise of building the church.
But when you have said all of that and when you have painted the picture with those colors, you really haven't addressed the most important component. Because when you step into the spiritual realm, there is one more issue that is essential and that is the matter of integrity. Beyond all of those things which I mentioned, and in fact the glue that holds those all together is this matter of integrity. It is that attribute of integrity that solidifies all the rest, that grounds it, that anchors it. And last time, you remember, when we began to look at these verses, we noted for you that integrity could be defined as the quality of being undivided...the quality of being undivided. That is to say it is being completely true to your beliefs, completely true to an ethical standard. And in the case of a believer, completely true to the Word of God, living what you believe and what you preach. Its synonyms, we noted, are honesty, sincerity, incorruptibility. It is describing a person who is without hypocrisy. And all the rest, frankly, is shallow apart from integrity. You could have all of those other components of leadership but without integrity you're a fake. Integrity is what makes it all hold together.
I was talking to a gentleman who visited a church a number of years ago by the name of Teddy Donnebaur(?) who is a Swedish evangelist and we were talking about the issue of integrity. I'll never forget what he said. He said, "I've been thinking about integrity and I think integrity can be illustrated by making bread." Now, ladies, I want to acknowledge to you that I have never made bread. The extent of my bread making is to turn on the bread making machine. I don't know anything about making bread. And I'm taking a wild stab in the dark about the ingredients here. Don't get caught up in the recipe, just get the illustration and I'll be happy.
But if I were going to make bread and I had a bowl. I assume you need a bowl to start with. And I wanted to put the ingredients in, let's assume flour, water, salt, sugar and I put all of that in the bowl and I take that bowl and put it in the oven for the appropriate amount of time and wait for something to happen, nothing will happen except all that stuff will be hot. But I won't have bread because there's one thing missing. What is it? (Yeast) No, no, you're worried about the recipe, I told you I'm not worried about the yeast...okay, let's put yeast in it before we put it in there. See, I knew you'd do that. Okay, yeast. That isn't the point. Now we have flour, water, sugar, salt, yeast in the bowl. The one thing we didn't do was...what? Mix it up...that's the issue. Good. It's the mixing that is the issue. When you mix all of those ingredients together and you do that thoroughly...thoroughly as you possibly can, then you put it in, then you get bread. And my friend Teddy said to me, he said, "That's what integrity is, integrity is when every part touches every other part...then you make bread."
And that is what it means to be undivided. That's when you get a whole loaf of a person...someone in whom every single component of his life, ethics, biblical standard, what he preaches, what he believes and the way he lives all touch. That's integrity.
Paul was that kind of man. And he knew that needed to be maintained as a very evident characteristic or his ministry would be profoundly affected negatively. The virtue of integrity was the most important virtue. He doesn't write a letter to defend his drive. He doesn't write a letter to defend his courage. He doesn't write a letter to defend his single-mindedness, his knowledge, his persuasiveness. He does not even write to defend his preaching skill which, of course, they had spoken unkindly about. They might criticize his drive and his courage and his goals and his knowledge and his focus and his persuasiveness and his communication ability and his articulation, they might criticize those things. They might attack those matters that we mentioned earlier and it wouldn't destroy him. But they didn't attack those things. They attacked his integrity because that is the point at which any servant of God is most potentially vulnerable because that questions his honesty, that questions his credibility, that questions his integrity. Is he for real?
Nothing is as devastating as you well know in the life of one who ministers on behalf of Christ as a breach of integrity. It destroys everything. The criticism which was most threatening to the life of the apostle Paul was the attack on his integrity. Into the city of Corinth come the false teachers. What do they attack? They don't attack his knowledge, they don't attack his drive. They have a few comments about his preaching, but they major, they focus their major attack on his integrity. They say he is a liar. He is dishonest. He is a deceiver. He is crafty and subtle. He is a manipulator. He adulterates the Word of God. And he has a secret hidden life of shame. That's what they really want to get across. They want to destroy his believability because if people then begin to think that he's a phony and preached one thing and lived another, then his influence is lost. And not only is his influence lost but now they don't know what's true and what's not.
So he wrote this whole letter to defend his integrity. And from chapter 1 all the way to the end in chapter 13, his integrity is the issue. He's unfolding the motives of his heart. It is the most personal, intimate look at the apostle given in any of his letters. He wanted everybody to know that like David in Psalm 78:72, he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart. He wanted everyone to know that he was a man who was honest, who was sincere, who was genuine, who is credible. He was not a man who would lower the standard of God in his own behavior, or sinfully misrepresent it.
Now in the text in front of us, verses 11 to 15, you have the heart of this defense of his integrity. Here he gives you five reasons why he defends his integrity. Now keep in mind Paul is not prone to self-defense. He doesn't like to do that. It is distasteful to him. He resists doing that. He has been accused by the false teachers of doing it, but really he resists it. Now he has to do it and he wants to make clear why. It's very important because inevitably when the Corinthians receive this letter, people are going to say..."Well, this is just so he can keep his posture where he wants it. This is just so when he comes to town he gets people to provide his food and his clothing and his housing. This is so that when he comes to town everybody will bow and scrape to his needs and give him money and give him resources. This is so he can maintain his popularity, his prestige, his prominence, his place, this is for his own sake. He's really commending himself," they would like the people to believe. And we'll see more about that in a moment.
But he's not. Not at all. In fact, he does just the opposite. All throughout this letter he refers to himself as a clay pot. He says we have this treasure in earthen vessels and a clay pot was used for the most demeaning tasks in a household. He refers to himself only in terms of weakness. He says, "If I'm going to boast about anything, I will boast about my weakness." He does not exalt himself. This is not designed to exalt the apostle Paul. This is designed to defend his integrity. And there are five reasons here given for that defense.
Reason number one, and we looked at this last time, this is a review, reverence for the Lord. Look at verse 11, "Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade men but we are made manifest to God and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences."
Now remember, the key phrase in this whole section is "we persuade men." What he means by that is we persuade men about our integrity. The verb there is translated in Galatians 1:10, the same verb, "to seek the favor of." He is saying I am trying to generate a favorable estimation of my life. I am trying to persuade you to think well of me. I am trying to convince you of my honesty, my integrity. That is what he is doing. He says in verse 11, "We are made manifest to God." In other words, he calls on the highest court in the universe, God knows my integrity. As he said back in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, "I don't know anything against myself, God hasn't revealed anything to me with regard to sin." In chapter 1 of 2 Corinthians verse 12 he said, "My conscience is absolutely clear." God knows my heart. There is no conviction in my conscience. God knows my integrity.
And then he adds, "And I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences." I hope your consciences are saying what my conscience is saying and my conscience is affirming my integrity. Conscience, Paul said to the Romans, is designed to accuse or excuse. And he says my conscience is excusing me or affirming my integrity, I hope yours are as well. Remember now, conscience is informed by the mind and they knew first hand the apostle Paul's life. He had lived with them for eighteen months, face to face, hand to hand, eye to eye, day in, day out. They had corresponded. He had made a couple of visits to them since his original time with them. They knew him. He said, "You have enough information to inform your conscience about my integrity."
We are persuading men. It is important. God knows and you should know. And we're endeavoring to persuade all to know that I am a man of integrity. Why? "Knowing...verse 11...the fear of the Lord."
What does it mean to fear the Lord? Does it mean to be terrorized by Him? Well it can, but not here. Does it mean to be frightened by Him? It can, but not here. What it means is to worship Him, to reverence Him. Why am I defending myself? Not for personal gain but out of reference for the Lord because if someone thinks that I am liar and a hypocrite and a fake and a phony, then that is going to reflect upon the Lord. In Romans 12:1 he said, "I present my body as a living sacrifice which is a spiritual act of worship." His whole ministry was a spiritual act of worship. He wanted to honor God in everything that he did, whether he ate or drank he did it all to the glory of God, as he said in 1 Corinthians 10:31. If he boasts he said, "I'll boast only in the Lord." I want to bring honor to the Lord and if I am seen as a man without integrity, then I am seen as a man who dishonors the God he acclaims. And see that's what grieved him.
So the issue is...Look, I want people to believe in my integrity, says Paul, because if you think that I am a liar and I name the name of Jesus Christ, then that is dishonoring to the Christ I claim. Right? I don't want to be thought of as believing things that are blasphemous or untrue. I don't want God dishonored at all. And so he says the reason I defend my integrity is out of reverence for the Lord, out of honor to Him. I want to bring honor to His name.
You remember the Jews, Paul said in Romans 2, because of the way they lived, verse 24 of Romans 2, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. It was very important to Paul that he be a man of integrity so that people didn't have cause to blaspheme his God out of worship. Well, we went through that last time.
Point two, point number one, he defends his integrity because of reverence for the Lord. Point number two, concern for the church...concern for the church. And this, too, would enter into the mind of any spiritual leader. Verse 12, "We are not again commending ourselves to you, but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart." This is a very, very important verse and let me explain it to you.
Paul knew that all of the discrediting false accusations against him would ultimately hurt the church, right? Obviously. Why? Because if some people in the church began to believe that Paul was a liar and a fake and a fraud, that would split the church because there would be the pro-Paul group and there would be the anti-Paul group, and he knew that. And there would be a war going on as the false teachers gained more and more influence, they would be pitting themselves and their converts against those who trusted Paul so that the unity of the church would be shattered.
And I'll tell you something, folks. Nothing will faster destroy the unity of the church than a group of people who begin to discredit its leadership. And that moves like a cancer and creates discord.
He also knew that once trust in himself was lost, spiritual growth would be hindered because he was the source through which the revelation of God was coming to the church, right? Thirteen New Testament epistles written by Paul. And if all of a sudden the church didn't trust him anymore, where was the truth for their spiritual progress going to come from?
He also knew that when the church became divided and spiritually stunted in its growth, immediately its impact in the community would be stopped and its opportunity to evangelize its culture significantly hindered. He was concerned about the church. And that's why he starts out the verse by saying, "We are not again commending ourselves to you. You say, "Why does he say again?" Because he had been accused of doing this. Back in chapter 3 verse 1, "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?"
You see, what had happened was, as soon as Paul tried to defend himself, the false teachers said, "Oh yeah, there he goes, blowing his own horn, building up his own ego, commending himself again." He had been accused of that. And he had to walk a very fine line so he didn't fall victim to that accusation.
He confesses back in chapter 4 of the first letter to the Corinthians that he certainly was not perfect before God. He said,"Even when I know nothing in my own conscience is accusing me it doesn't mean I'm acquitted fully before God." I'm not saying I'm a perfect man. He calls himself an earthen vessel. He says I'll boast only of my weaknesses. There was nothing about him that was boastful. But they accused him, of course, because that was part of their ploy of commending himself. Every time he responded to an accusation they said, "See, he's building himself up, he's commending himself again." And so he has to give this disclaimer...we're not again commending ourselves to you. This is not the point. And by the way, the time at which he was probably accused of this was during what we call...and you learned about it earlier...the sorrowful visit...a brief visit to Corinth which broke his heart because he saw what the false teachers had been able to effect.
So he's saying I will not write a testimonial to myself. I realize the grave danger of serious division in the church, the stunting of spiritual growth and the hindering of effective evangelism. I realize all of that but I will not commend myself. I'm not going to go to these false teachers, he's saying. I'm not going to go to them face to face and build a case for myself.
Here's what I'm doing...back to verse 12..."But we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart." What he is saying is, I'm not trying to commend myself to my enemies, I'm trying to arm my friends to defend me. That is a wise, wise approach.
I am giving you an occasion...I'm giving you an opportunity. What I'm saying is not for the enemies. You know, it doesn't do any good to do that? You can go to your enemies who tear you down and do everything they can to destroy you and depreciate you and you can go to them and all you do when you've done your best to defend yourself is give them more material that they can twist to use against you. That's what happens because your enemies are your enemies because they have an attitude and because they have an agenda. And no matter what you say to them, they're going to use it and twist it to their own ends. You're much better off to go to your friends and let your friends be your defenders. Your enemies know they have nothing personally to gain and they are more objective, your enemies will assume.
This is so sound. You cannot effectively argue with your enemies who are bent on your ruin. You're much wiser to arm your friends to be your defense...much more effective.
So he says...we're not going to commend ourselves, that's not the point, but we're giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, proud in the right sense. We think of the word proud always as related to sin but it isn't. To literally boast on our behalf in the good sense. To boast in the good sense or to be proud in the good sense means to speak the truth about someone, the truth that does exalt that person, that emphasize their honesty and their integrity. And he's saying, "I want you to take up my cause. I want you to answer my detractors."
That is such a wonderful thing when people do that. I'm always so encouraged when people do that on my behalf with people who would say evil against me. That's a wonderful thing when as believers we defend each other's integrity against those who would assault it.
And the Corinthians knew enough to defend Paul. I mean, in fact they didn't know any reason not to defend him because there was nothing about him that was a breach of integrity.
On the other hand, it is the most heartbreaking experience that a person can ever go through when friends won't defend you. You think about the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy chapter 4 who says at my first offense stood with me. That is heartbreaking. No one stood with me...he says. But the Lord was there. Paul says you're my friends, you know my life, your conscience affirms my integrity. I have just written this letter to arm you so that you can come to my defense.
He's not trying to vindicate himself to his enemies. He wants his friends to do that. And then, by the way, at the end of verse 12 he identifies his enemies as those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. And he flips the tables on him. They were saying Paul has no integrity, which is to take pride in appearance and not in heart, isn't it? If you don't have integrity, you're all show on the outside and nothing on the in. He says that's true of them, they're the ones with no integrity.
Somebody might say, "Well is he talking about the Judaizers? Were these false teachers Judaizers who took pride in circumcision and ceremony and ritual and the externals?" Could well be. But it could be any form of false teaching. It could be any concoction. He doesn't really identify a special group it is just that this is the core of false teachers, this is the core of their deception. They parade virtue, they parade being holy. They appear to be spiritual. They want you to believe they're godly. They want you to believe they teach the truth but their hearts are filthy, it's all show. They're the real hypocrites. They're the ones who have no integrity. I want you to answer the people who have no integrity. I want you to go to the real hypocrites and tell them the truth about me, I'm writing this to arm you. You go to the hypocrites who on the outside are white washed but inside are full of dead men's bones.
God knows my heart. And your consciences ought to be able to tell you that you know my heart. And I'm just giving you all of this information so you can go to these enemies and you'll have an occasion and an opportunity to answer.
So the apostle does give a defense because he does adore God and he loves Christ and he reverences the Lord and he wants to be rightly represented as one who does reverence God and who does love the Lord and who would never ever blaspheme his Lord by believing error or living a lie.
Further he is passionately concerned with the unity and growth of the church. And he knows if those who know him don't defend him in the church, the false teachers will rip that church to shreds. That's what they wanted to do. And if the rest of the Corinthians didn't come to Paul's defense, that church would be torn up, its spiritual growth terribly impaired, its evangelism hindered significantly.
Paul is not worried about his reputation for his own sake. He's just a clay pot. Over in chapter 6, look what he says in verse 8, he says, "Look, we have endured it all, glory and dishonor, evil report and good report. We've been regarded as deceivers and yet true." I mean, he said I get it all. "And when they come along and they speak of me as one who dishonors God, when they give an evil report about me...as verse 8 says...and when they regard me as a deceiver, would you just stand up for me? You know me. Would you just tell them that you know me and it's not true? Would you defend me for the sake of the church?" I say it again what I said earlier...if people can begin to speak evil of leadership in a church and get other people to listen, nothing is more devastating to the unity of a church than that. And Paul knew it, he knew it.
In chapter 10 verse 13 he says, "We will not boast beyond our measure." I'm not speaking of myself in any sense beyond what I ought to speak. Verse 18 of the same chapter, "For not he who commends himself is approved but whom the Lord commends." Obviously, ultimately the Lord is the one. And over in 11:30 as I said, "If I have to boast I'll boast with what pertains to my weakness." This is not self-congratulatory. What is at stake here is the honor of the Lord and the unity and the testimony of His church. I'll defend myself so the church isn't torn up, devastated.
Well there's a third reason. And we'll only have time for this one, and that's discouraging because I wanted to get to the next two. The third one, he defended himself out of reverence for the Lord, concern for the church, and thirdly, devotion to the truth...devotion to the truth.
One thing about Paul, he lived for the truth. He preached it, taught it, defended it, fought for it. The man passionately existed for the truth. Notice how he expresses this motive in verse 13, this is very interesting. "For if we are beside ourselves it is for God, if we're of sound mind it is for you."
Now you can understand from that verse what the debate was like in the Corinthian church. There were the friends of Paul, those who had been influenced by his life, those who had come to Christ under his preaching, those who had grown in their sanctification under his teaching, those who loved him and believed in him. And they viewed him as having a sound mind. But then there were the false teachers who came in and stirred up everybody and they...they...they were able to win over converts. They started a full-scale rebellion led by the one who was influenced by Satan and who was orchestrating this whole rebellion. They had gotten people to join in and their criticism of Paul was he's beside himself.
So you had the people who were Paul's friends saying he was of sound mind. You had the false teachers and those who chimed in with them saying he's really beside himself. Again you see here he uses the editorial plural pronoun "we" but he's referring to himself. Let's take a look at this verse.
His ego is not at stake, and he makes that clear when he says,"I"If we are beside ourselves, it is for God." Now what does he mean by this? Well "beside ourselves," existemi, means "to be out of one's mind, to be out of your mind." It's used of insanity. They were accusing him of being insane, mad. In fact, they were accusing him of being a fool, bereft of a sound and sober mind. He refers to these accusations not only here but over in chapter 11 verse 1, he comments about the fact that they had thought him to be foolish. And some of these are sarcastic statements, "Bear with me in a little foolishness," sarcastically picking up on their accusation that he was foolish.
Down in verse 16, "Receive me even as foolish," he says. Verse 17, "That which I am speaking I'm not speaking as the Lord would but as in foolishness." It's sarcastic but he's referring to their accusation that he was a fool. The same thing is in chapter 12 verse 6 where it refers to his foolishness again. Down in verse 11 the same thing.
Ah, they said he's a fool, he's out of his mind, he's beside himself, he's insane, he's mad. Why did they say that? What were they assaulting? His passion, his zeal...he seemed like a man out of balance. He was fanatical. And this term "beside ourselves" does not refer to some clinical, mental derangement, insanity in some technical term, but refers to a man who has sort of lost control, he's just so passionate, so zealous, so devoted. And it refers to something else. Dogmatism...you see, the world thinks people that are dogmatic are crazy. I mean, I remember when I went to the philosophy class at Cal State Northridge. And I had an opening statement, I simply said, "I'm here to tell you all the truth you've been searching for all your life, I'm here to tell you all the truth you need to know, I know all of it."
They are absolutely dumbfounded at such a statement. What kind of maniac is this guy, he knows all truth? I mean, you understand, don't you, how philosophy class works? You just look for the truth, you never find it or class if over. So you spend your whole life trying to find what you can never find. You look at our whole world, you come along and be dogmatic and affirmative and absolute and speak the truth, they think you're crazy. Where is this guy coming from? Such dogmatism is uncommon and it's unacceptable. They put you in a category with a maniac standing on the corner saying,"I"I'm God, I'm Jesus."
And so they looked at Paul and they said he's out of his mind, I mean, he comes in here and he's zealous and he's fanatical and he's out of balance and he's passionate and he's dogmatic. In fact, Paul was more dogmatic than anybody cause he was giving direct revelation.
But this isn't anything new. This is how the world always receives that kind of passion, that kind of zeal and that kind of absolute truth. Listen to Matthew chapter 11 verses 18 and 19. Jesus speaking, He says this, "For John came and they say he has a demon." Here came John the Baptist. You say, "Was he a zealous man?" Absolutely...absolutely. "Was he a passionate man?" Yes. "Was he a firm and dogmatic man?" I think so. He looked right at the Pharisees when they came down to where he was preaching and said,"Y"You snakes, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Oh, they said he's demon possessed, he's bereft of his mind. His mind is controlled by a spirit, he's out of his senses. Another...another being is in control of this guy.
And then in the next verse, the Son of Man came and they say He's a drunkard. That's what they said about Jesus. "Oh, He's out of his mind. Alcohol has gotten Him out of His mind, He's lost His senses." You know how a person who is drunk is, they're crazy, they've lost balance, they've lost touch with reality, they don't know what's going on. They said of John the Baptist, "He's controlled by a spirit." They said of Jesus, "He's controlled by alcohol." That was how they explained away the zeal, the passion, the truth.
In Matthew chapter 12 and verse 24 they said about Jesus, "This man casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." They said this man is filled with Satan. That's how they explained Jesus. They said He's mad cause He's filled with Satan.
In John's gospel...well look at Mark, first of all, there's one in Mark, I'll take a moment to show it to you. We won't get pass this point anyway. Jesus came in Mark 3:20, came home, a multitude gathered again to such an extent they couldn't even eat a meal, everybody crowding around Jesus. And when His own people heard of this...now here comes Jesus and He's created such a stir, He's got so many people there the people can't even eat in His own home and His own people when they heard this they went out to take custody of Him for they were saying He's lost His mind. He's lost His senses. You know what they want to do? Take custody of Him, put Him away somewhere, lock Him up cause He'd gone nuts. That's the only way they could explain Him from a human perspective.
Look at John chapter 8 and verse 48. The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" The Jews assessment on Jesus, He's got a demon, He's a drunkard, He's demon possessed. Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon."
Then near the end of the book of Acts, even Paul got the same accusation. Acts 26 verse 24, Paul had just given a powerful straightforward clear message of the gospel and his calling. I mean, it was powerful. And here's the response, verse 24 of Acts 26...Acts 26:24, "And while Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, `Paul, you are out of your mind. Your great learning is driving you mad.'" But listen to this. "But Paul said, `I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus.'" Little sarcasm there. "But I utter words of...what?...sober truth." They said he was out of his mind because he spoke the truth. And here's exactly what you have in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. If we are out of our minds it is for God. What do you mean? It is because it is the Word of God, it is divine truth. And if I am passionate and if I am zealous and if I am dogmatic, it is for God, it is to honor His Word which He has exalted to the level of His own name.
Indeed the apostle was bold. He was fanatical zealous. He was dogmatic. It is for God...he says. It is the truth of God I'm dealing with. It is a stewardship. And so there was passion in the delivery of it. I understand that and...I mean, I don't know anybody can dispense the truth of God without zeal and passion and conviction in a measure of appropriate dogmatism. It honors God. God is honored when His Word is proclaimed.
Paul told the Ephesians to pray for him that the Word would go forth. He told the Thessalonians to pray for him that the Word would go forth. That was his passion, preach the Word...he said to Timothy. Having studied it to show yourself approved.
And so, Paul says, "Look, if I acted like an insane man it's because I'm dealing with divine truth. It's for God because God has put this truth in me to proclaim." And the world will always render this assessment that the person who preaches with power and boldness and courage and conviction is out of his mind as an egomaniac, as a fool.
Then on the other hand, he says, "If we're of sound mind it's for you." What does he mean? Sophroneo, be of sound mind, means to be sober minded, to be in complete control, to be moderate. This is cool communication as opposed to hot communication. If we are calm, cool, collected, meek, humble, dispassionate, restrained, it's for you.
What do you mean by that? When I am restrained and humble and selfless, it's to come down to your level and be patient and kind and gentle in moving you along the path. There are times when I have to be sober minded and moderate and come to you with cool communication. I mean, look, you get in the pulpit and you come here on Sunday and you hear me...you hear me fire on all cylinders here and roaring out the truth with great passion and great conviction and no doubt somebody could walk out of there and say,"T"This guy's crazy, this guy is out of his mind, who in the world does he think he is? He says this is true and everything that isn't this is not. He's got the corner on all the truth and he's demanding all this and look how passionate and zealous he is. What a ...this guy is out of his mind." But the fact of the matter is if you happen to meet me in the parking lot and say to me, "I didn't understand what you said," I wouldn't immediately look for a pulpit, stand up and say..."Well, my brother, you must hear me again." No. There's a time for me to say, "Well let me sit down with you and help you to understand this. If you don't understand it, let me see if I can't open the truth." There's a time for patience. There's a time for tenderness. So as...as my own son, Mark, confessed to me one time, in all honesty, he said to me, "You know, in the pulpit you're something really unique, but the rest of the time you're nothing special." And he was dead serious. There's a place for the hot communication, there's a place for the cool communication. And I think Paul is just taking both sides. He's saying, "Look, if I...if I appear to be a man insane, do you understand that I am dealing with a stewardship from God? And if you see me as a cool and calm and patient and gentle man, it's because I'm trying to deal with you. But in the end the matter that is at stake here is the truth. So, I'll defend myself because I want to be able to continue to propagate the truth."
I mean, what happens if somebody comes along in Grace Church and starts to spread lies about the integrity of the pastor? And all of a sudden half the congregation leaves? Do I sit in a corner with a"poor me" thing because my ego was wounded, or do I grieve because there are people who have walked away from the opportunity to hear the truth? That is the issue with Paul.
For God's sake he was passionate. For God's sake he was zealous. Because the truth was at stake. And for their sake he was meek and humble and modest and patient because the truth was at stake there, too. He wanted to the truth to be received and believed. He wanted the truth to be applied. So he says, "We persuade men." We persuade men of our integrity out of reverence for the Lord, concern for His church and devotion to the truth.
That's as far as we can go. So the issue then in spiritual leadership is not focus and drive and communication and entrepreneurship and all of that. Those are components of great leaders. The issue is integrity. And defending one's integrity is very important so that an ongoing impact may be made in the church for the truth and for the glory of the God whose you are and whose name you bear.
Father, thank You for our time in Your Word this morning and we regret to not getting to the place that we had in mind, we trust that perhaps we came to the place You had in mind. Help us, Lord, to see Your truth clearly, to believe it, to speak it and to live it so that we are people of integrity. And though we never preach a sermon, maybe never even teach a class, those who know us will know we live what we speak. May we be people of integrity that You might be reverenced, that Your church might continue to be powerful, that Your truth might be made manifest clearly. And give the church men of integrity to lead it, men like Paul who maintained his integrity to the very end, though the accusations never stopped. He was true to the very end. And his integrity stands as the model for all of us. And he being dead yet speaks through that powerful life and witness.
And, Father, we pray too that You'll do a work of grace and mercy in all our hearts this morning that You'll accomplish Your perfect purpose through us as we endeavor to live for Your glory in Christ's name. Amen.
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