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Hello, my name is Roger and I'm also known as Lincsbirder, hence the name of this site. I would describe myself as a very keen amateur photographer always trying to improve on my photographic skills and techniques.
I have been a bird watcher for well over thirty years. Around 12 years ago I started to photograph what I saw. I started off with a compact camera and as my interest and photographic knowledge developed I upgraded from the compact to a DSLR and over a period of time built up my kit. I started off photographing birds, however I soon became interested in macro photography as well with dragonflies, damselflies, and butterflies becoming favourite subjects.
Many of my photographs are taken at the excellent nature reserves in the North Lincolnshire area of the UK where I live. Messingham sand quarries and Crowle moor being favourite haunts of mine during the summer months when the dragon and damselflies are on the wing. Waters Edge and Far Ings at Barton-upon-Humber are also excellent places that I regularly visit. I also make trips further afield when time and weather conditions allow, Rufford Park and Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire being a couple of my favourite locations.
I have had photographs published in Practical Photography, Angler's Mail, The Times national newspaper and The Mail Online. I have had images used in a field guide. "The Bird of Ireland". Many of my images have also been used in Wildlife publications for various charities
My wife Sue has recently been bitten by the photography bug and you can view her photographs by clicking this link
If you wish to contact me regarding any aspect of my photography please do so via the contact me page. I am more than happy to share my limited knowledge with others be it camera settings, lens advice or whatever you think I may be able to help you with.
I use the following equipment
Canon 7D Mk11 and Canon 7D Mk1. the Mk1 as back up
Canon 400mm F5.6L USM telephoto lens
Canon 500mm F4 IS USM telephoto lens
Canon 17-55mm F2.8 zoom lens
Canon 100mm F2.8 IS macro lens
Canon 1.4x tele-converter + set of Kenko extension tubes. 36mm 20mm 12mm
Gitzo GT330LS tripod with a Manfrotto 393 head
Manfrotto 055cl tripod fitted with a Manfrotto 488RC4 ball head
Various memory cards and other odds and ends
Tamrac Expedition 8 back pack
Karrimor day pack back


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1954 Polio Pioneer
Were you a polio pioneer, or are you related to someone who was? We're looking for people who participated in the groundbreaking trial for Jonas Salk's killed-virus polio vaccine in 1954.
We'd love to talk with you about your experience. We're also hoping to get photograph of a Polio Pioneer card, a card given to children for participating in the first national tests of a trial polio vaccine conducted during 1954. (For reference, see a photograph of a Polio Pioneer card on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's excellent web exhibit on the history of polio vaccine development.) Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com to let us know about your experiences as a Polio Pioneer. [Edit 3/8/2013: Thank you to so many of you who sent us pictures of your cards. Feel free to keep sending them if you wish, but we do have quite a few now.]
CommentsPosted by bob allen (not verified)
I was in the second grade at Putman City elementary school in Oklahoma City. I remember lining up on the playground for a series of three jabs. The third was in the summer as I recall.
I don't know if this experience affected me, but I became a scientist - Chemistry Professor.
I was in Grade 2 at Gorsebrook School in Halifax Nova Scotia when they asked for Volunteers to take blood tests to see if we had received the real vaccine Not understanding what a blood test was I put my hand up :). I have the card and pin but cannot put my finger on it at the moment.
This has proved to be very special to me since I am a Rotarian and one of our biggest International projects is to eradicate polio around the world.
Your posting caught my eye because I have experienced the exact experience as you. I was 8 years old when the initial round of polio shots was given in 1954 in Lexington, Ky. After graduating from college, I moved to Louisville, Ky. and in 1976 join the Rotary Club and very much remember the Rotary International project to eradicate polio around the world. I actually looked at this website tonight because the news indicated there was a new outbreak of polio in some foreign countries. This was upsetting to hear because of my prior participation as a "Polio Pioneer" and Rotary Club member.
I was one of the first child to receive the real polio vaccine at Public School PS 9 in Brooklyn , New York they took a picture of me in the front page of the New York Post. Thank you. I live now for many years in my home land Puerto Rico.
6 years old in Watetypwm, lMass. in 1953 Polio Pionear. Hosmer School
I was one of the kids who got the shots. I remember being brought into a large room where we lined up and were then taken one at a time behind a screen to have the injections. The image of classmates disappearing behind the screen, the occasional crying, and finally re-emerging with tears on their cheeks is still with me. I don't think it was at The Birch Lane School, though. More likely one of the "annexes" they were using or Parkside or Lockhart. In 1958 my family moved to Cincinnati where, Dr. Albert Sabin was handing out his sugar cubes. Again, I was lined up in a gym with fellow students and given the medicine. I have been looking for my Polio Pioneer card for years... I don't think we got pins.
I'm a polio pioneer of 1954 New York City Manhattan ps 61 on 12st.but I can not fine my pin or certificent so can I git a new one thank you John m Deptuch op box 1271 Ferndale Wa. 98248
Polio pioneer at Forest Park Elementary School, Little Rock, Arkansas. I remember standing in the hall in a long line--excited and proud, but not looking forward to the shot itself. We were vaccinated in the cafeteria.
I was a Polio Pioneer at David W. Harlan School in Wilmington, DE. I was in 2nd grade and wore a new (dark green print) dress that day because we were going to be on the local news. I was unprepared for the blood tests that accompanied the shots for a random group and unfortunately, I was chosen - possibly the root of a life long needle phobia! Btw, there is a Polio Pioneer in Philadelphia's Mutter Museum.
I was in 1st grade at Newhall "A" (now West Newhall) near Grand Rapids Michigan. Both my cousin and brother were pioneers also. They received the real shots, I received the placebo and had to have all the shots again the next year. My mother and aunt said they decided that if they believed in science, they should let us participate in this trial. I have sent an e-mail with a copy of my Polio Pioneer card attached, as well as the card showing the vaccine I had to get again the next year.
I was vaccinated in Syracuse, New York at Edward Smith School when I was in second grade. A girl in my class had died of polio. We were very aware of the dangers and rules: don't lick another child's popsicle, etc. My mother told me later that parents were not told whether their child got the real vaccine or the placebo (or whether the vaccine worked) until a year after we were vaccinated. I was one of the lucky ones who got the real vaccine. I was not especially bothered by shots, but a few years later we got what I think was the Sabin vaccine, which was on sugar cubes, and we were happy with that. I don't remember a card but I still have my Polio Pioneer button.
I was a Polio Pioneer and received my shots at Quarton Elementary School in Birmingham, Michigan. I received the real vaccine, a card and a pin. I still have the card and pin. My mother had had polio as a child. She walked with the help of braces and crutches so this breakthrough was really celebrated in our family. The success of the vaccine removed a lot of fear from all our lives and we were all so grateful to Dr. Salk for this amazing vaccine.
I was a "Polio Pioneer". I received my shots at Greenacres School in Greenacres, Florida. I do not recall ever knowing if I received the placebo or not. But we did move shortly after I got the shots. We were still in the same area, but about 5 miles from Greenacres. Shortly after we moved I met a girl with polio- I was glad I had gotten my shots. I remember getting all of the subsequent immunizations, also. The last was the sugar cubes in about 1969, I think.
I was a polio pioneer in a parochial school in North Arlington New Jersey. I still have the pin and have vivid memories about the experience. Now that I have worked in medical research ethics for a number of years I look back on the design of the study and the "consent form" that our parents signed and know that it could never happen now. It gave them the "opportunity" to have their child participate. I don't recall any child in my class who did not participate. Our parents so feared the disease that they were happy to volunteer their children. Years later I met a woman who contracted polio and I am grateful to my parents.
My Salk Vaccine story is an incredible one......one I have never heard from anyone else. I was in 2nd or 3rd grade at Joseph P. Stockton Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois in 1955 and 1956 respectively. In one of those years I ACCIDENTALLY was given two (2) shots of Salk Vaccine approx. 1 minute apart in the school auditorium. That night I had a raging fever at home and by the next morning paralysis began to set in. I was paralyzed from the waist down for approx. two weeks and then gradually relearned to walk and went back to school. I am now 65 and in a medical crisis situation in Houston Texas area and cannot find a doctor to treat all that is wrong......including a very severe case of Post Polio Syndrome that has been progressively getting worse each year. I am on medicare and desperately need someone to help me. There must be some information the authorities or medical community can get from studying the facts of my case and my horrible health consequences from those two shots given simultaneously......please respond at least with a name who I can contact. God Bless and thank you,
Linda P.
Dear Linda, I'm so sorry to hear about your health problems. You may already be familiar with the work of Post-Polio Health. If not, though, I would suggest getting in touch with them to find out about resources for polio survivors. Their website is http://www.post-polio.org/. They are in St. Louis and their phone is 314-534-0475. Though it doesn't look like it's been updated recently, they have a section on their website where they list current research studies that are enrolling participants. You may find an opportunity there. Best wishes for your improved health, from HistoryofVaccines.org
I think I was in second grade when I received the first vaccination which in fact was a placebo, so then I had to have the actual vaccination. I was sent home with a piece of paper for my parents to sign, and though I argued against it (fear of shots), I lost. I was in PS 104 in Bronx, NY. I was very fearful. We had to line up in the hallway before entering the dreaded vaccination room which smelled of alcohol. The kid in front of me threw up, so it was not a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I have no paper work. I vaguely remember receiving a pin.
I remember getting the shot in school and then going on the jungle gym. I think that stretching out my arm made it feel better. I do not have the card but I do still have my pin.
My grade school class at Arthur McGill school in New Castle PA took part in the polio vaccine trial. We lined up in the hall and put out our arms to get the shot. I remember fainting after returning to my classroom.
I dont recall getting a card but we may have been given them.
I was a polio pioneer. I received a little metal button with polio pioneer on it. I still have the button. This was 1954.
I was a polio pioneer when I was 8 years old, at Gulfcrest Elementary School in Houston, Texas in 1954. I believe I still have the card, but the pin was stolen along with my jewelry in a burglary about 20 years ago. I was more upset about the loss of the pin than I was about the jewelry ! I don't remember finding out whether I had the actual vaccine or the placebo, but always assumed I had the vaccine as my older brother was striken with polio and I seemed to be protected from the disease. Some years later, I was also given the Sabin vaccine through a school in Decatur, Illinois and had a very strong reaction ( fever and couldn't move my neck for several weeks ). I recovered fully and have had no negative affects since then. I remember getting the vaccine well. After we went through the line to get the vaccine we were given a comic book and peppermint stick to enjoy while we sat in the hall for the rest of the class to finish.
Hello, Anonymous - thanks for the comment. If you were in the placebo group, you would have been given the vaccine after the observation period. That was the protocol in any case. I hope your older brother recovered quickly. Regards from the History of Vaccines staff.
I took part in the Salk vaccine trial in Naperville, IL. (newspaper archives say that whole counties were chosen to participate - mine was DuPage: http://veridian.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/illinois?a=d&d=DIL19540406.2.54 ). I don't remember the "Polio Pioneer" title or getting a card or pin, but I remember we lined up in the school gym to get the injections, and I knew that it was a study to see whether the vaccine would work. I think most of us, and most parents, were happy (plus scared, at least I was) to be part of it - polio was so frightening, and we felt we were part of something important. I think I turned out to have gotten the placebo, but not sure after all this time.
I was a Polio Pioneer in 1954. The test site was Shelby, OH. All of us participating in the research were excited...until the injection. I was in the placebo group so I was given the "real" inoculation after the test results were released. Like many others, I was given a Polio Pioneer card which I still have.
I was in second grade at PS #3 in Yonkers when they gave out the polio vaccine as a trial. The gymnasium was set up like a hospital with screens, nurses, and the smell of alcohol permeating the room. Some kids never had a shot before. I had, so I wasn't too scared. The nurse held your head and turned it away from looking at the needle. I received the real vaccine, my cousin had the water placebo. I still have my button and card.
I was a Polio Pioneer at Algonac elementary school, Algonac, MI. I was in the second grade. We received our dosage orally, by serum-soaked sugar cubes. I don't recall if I received the real thing or not, but do know I was immunized against polio at some point. I have my Polio Pioneer card and Polio Pioneer button, pictures of which I have e-mailed to host site.
I was a polio pioneer in Cornwall, N.Y. at was then known as Cornwall High School (K-12). I remember getting, I believe, a series of three injections. Kids waited in a long line and many were crying as they didn't want to get a "shot". As it turned out, all was for naught as we were in the placebo group and had to return for the real thing after the results were announced. Polio was such a feared disease, parents were eager to have their children in the program to avoid having their children get this horrible disease. I did received a card, and its stored with other keepsakes of my youth.
I received both the shot and the sugar cube. My parents five years earlier lost a son to polio. So we were very much encouraged to take what vaccine they gave us. It was in Oklahoma. The first shot was taken at the county health clinic. The sugar cube was taken at school. I don't know if it has anything to do with it but I have Hashimoto's and hypothyroid disease. I don't know if I was given the real thing or the placebo.
I received my shots in 3rd grade at Washington Avenue elementary school in Chatham NJ and later received a Polio Pioneer card dated February 11, 1955, which I still have. I had an aversion to large needles (and to a smaller child, these needles were gargantuan!), so shortly after being stuck in the arm I fainted in the school hallway, hitting my head on the ceramic tile wall behind me. When I came to in the nurse's office, I was sent home for the rest of the day with a nice-sized goose-egg, so it was a successful day in not having to return to class! I must have had the placebo because my father made me and my two sisters take the Type II oral polio vaccine on November 4, 1962 when I was 16. The aversion to needles persists to this day.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Zombie Apocalypse Now!
a story hit the web and quickly went viral about a guy going nuts in Florida and getting shot multiple times by cops after they found him naked and eating another guy's face. Perfectly normal, perfectly healthy. I, being the forward-thinking type that I am, immediately pegged this as the leading edge of that zombie apocalypse I live in abject terror of. Seriously, it feels like the news story you see playing in the background at the beginning of every zombie flick ever, that all the characters either ignore or tsk-tsk, and then, next thing you know, everyone is holed up in a shopping mall clutching baseball bats and shotguns. Anyway, in what amounts to proof of everyone else being either ahead of the curve (like me) or out of their minds (also like me), I wasn't the only one who made that inevitable linkage between "Naked Face Eater" and "Zombie Apocalypse." And as this compilation from Gawker shows, it's just the latest in a string of recent incidents that surely signal the impending onslaught. Better keep that copy of the Zombie Survival Guide handy! Don't say I didn't warn you!
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Barbie Makeover: Plus size Barbie Debate went viralBy Alex Jusi Madlangbayan on Dec 28, 2013 in Business, United States •
Will plus size Barbie dolls be in the works for Mattel soon?
There has been a growing debate on whether toy companies should start creating plus size Barbie dolls. Many said that the current Barbie dolls are too perfectly shaped that makes it unrealistic.
With the growing number of fat children, original Barbie dolls may not be too attractive to the new generation as they looked too skinny.
The Plus Size Modeling Facebook page started the debate on whether Mattel should come up with a Barbie doll with a bigger waistline.
The FB page has one post that says, "Should toy companies start making Plus Sized Barbie Dolls?" To answer with a Yes, FB users are asked to click the Like button. Answering with a NO can be done by providing a comment. (Click here to check out the comments of netizens.)
As of posting, the post has already received 41,000 LIKES, while over 5,000 provided their comments.
What is your take on the Plus Size Barbie issue? Are you amenable to the idea of having a Barbie doll with a larger waistline? Provide your answer in the comments section below this post.
Read the comments of netizens by checking out MadlangbayanPH.
Spread The News!
Follow @BatangasToday


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Abigail Krueger
Abigail Krueger is a senior advisor with Licata Risk Advisors.
Ms. Krueger brings over 20 years of insurance and risk experience, with thirteen years of that experience serving as a risk management consultant and advisor. She has served in this role for three of the significant providers of independent risk management consulting. Prior to entering the consulting field, she served as a commercial insurance brokerage key account manager. This position arose from her work as a claims advocate where she championed the rights of insureds to insurance companies. She has also served as brokerage IT manager, claims adjuster, commercial insurance broker, and trainer. She brings particular expertise in client information management and bringing efficiency to the risk management process.
Ms. Krueger holds the following designations:
CPCU (Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter) ARM (Associate in Risk Management)
AIC (Associate in Claims)
She has served as Adjunct Faculty in Northeastern University's Insurance program and has served as an author of publications on affordable housing risk management.
Ms. Krueger is a graduate of the University of Chicago, with a degree in Behavioral Science.


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By Heyi, Malaysia
Having Found the Source of Living Water
When I was young, because my parents often did business in another place, my elder sister became my spiritual support. At the age of 15, my elder aunt preached the gospel to my sister and me and then we believed in the Lord. After getting married, as my husband was an addict, I had no choice but to divorce him. And then I took refuge in my sister with my two young children and I started the work of serving the Lord in the church my brother-in-law was leading.
Ten years had slipped by. This year, I perceived the withering of the spirit: I had no illumination from my reading of the Bible; I didn't receive any supply when listening to the shepherds' sermons; especially, I was even more unable to grasp God's intentions. Although I had made some achievements in serving the Lord these years, they couldn't satisfy the thirst of my spirit. When I was just amid the darkness, I got acquainted with Brother Zhao. Through sharing with him, I came to understand that the reason why I felt thirsty in spirit and why the church was desolate was because God has done a new work and the work of the Holy Spirit has moved, and only by keeping up with God's new work could I receive the provision of the living water of life. Through fellowshiping with Brother Zhao many times and reading more and more God's word, I was getting strong in my spirit gradually and became convinced that Almighty God is the appearance of the Lord Jesus.
Spreading the Gospel and Bearing Witness for God
After accepting God's new work, I saw the following passage of God's word: "They are poor, pitiable, blind, and at a loss, wailing in the darkness, 'Where is the way?' How they yearn for the light, like a shooting star, to suddenly descend and disperse the force of darkness that has oppressed men for so many years. Who can know just how anxiously they hope, and how they pine day and night for this? These men who suffer deeply remain imprisoned in the dungeons of darkness, without hope of release, even on the day that the light flashes; when will they weep no longer? These fragile spirits who have never been granted rest are truly suffering such misfortune. They have long been sealed off by the ruthless ropes and the history that is frozen in place. Who has ever heard the sound of their wailing? Who has ever seen their miserable visage? Have you ever thought how grieved and anxious God's heart is? How can He bear to see the innocent mankind He created with His own hands suffering such torment? After all, mankind are the unfortunates that have been poisoned. Though they have survived to this day, who would have thought that they have long been poisoned by the evil one? Have you forgotten that you are one of the victims? Out of your love for God, are you not willing to strive to save those who have survived? Are you not willing to use all your effort to repay the God who loves mankind like His own flesh and blood?" ("How Should You Attend to Your Future Mission"). From God's words, I saw that God's heart is so grieved and anxious when He sees the mankind created by Him living in Satan's bondage and torment. God hopes that those people who are still in the desolate churches and are thirsty and hungry in spirit can follow His footsteps soon. I thought that I once also lived in helplessness and suffering and it was God who saved me from the impure land; at this moment, in the face of God's eager desire, how could I turn a blind eye and be indifferent? Hence, I decided to perform my duty as a creation and bring the people who were waiting for God's return before God in order to comfort His heart and repay His love. I first remembered a very devout sister—Sister Du. So, I began to pray for her, asking God to grant me an opportunity to share with her the kingdom gospel of God. Not long after I prayed, I accidently got a call from her. At that moment, I was very excited because she was studying in another place all along and we seldom contacted each other these two-plus years. God must have heard my prayer, so she suddenly called me. In our conversation, I learned that her spiritual state was weak and she was unable to raise her own enthusiasm for spiritual devotions. Thereupon, I wanted to bear witness for the work of Almighty God in the last days to her, but I had some worries. I thought: If she doesn't accept, will the estrangement develop between us? Afterward, I remembered a passage of God's word a sister once fellowshiped about with me: "If you don't focus on your relationships with people but maintain a proper relationship with God, if you are willing to give your heart to God and learn to obey Him, very naturally, your relationships with all people will become proper. This way, these relationships aren't established on the flesh, but on the foundation of God's love. There are almost no interactions based on the flesh…." ("Establishing a Proper Relationship With God Is Very Important"). In the last days, that Almighty God expresses words and bestows upon us the truth is to solve the difficulties and problems in our spiritual life, letting us achieve knowledge of God, ultimately receive God's approval and be saved by Him. If I was really responsible for Sister Du's life and if I treated her with my truly loving heart, I should tell her the good news that the Lord has returned, letting her be able to welcome God's appearance. Furthermore, to bring Sister Du before God is God's urgent will. I had to consider God's intensions and I couldn't back off for the sake of protecting my own face. Even if she didn't accept, I had fulfilled my personal responsibility.
Therefore, I contacted Sister Du and told her that there was a brother in the Lord whose sermons had much illumination and his fellowship really made me gain great edification and benefits in my life. Thank God! Sister Du decided to fellowship with us together. Through Brother Zhao fellowshiping many times, Sister Du also accepted the kingdom gospel of God, which made me feel that God had heard my prayers. Having seen God's faithfulness, I had much more enthusiasm for preaching the gospel.
Frontal Engagement With the Pastor's Obstructing
One day in early August, Brother Zhao and I spread the gospel to Sister Chen in our church. After the meeting, Sister Chen said that Brother Zhao's sharing was pretty good and she liked it very much and hoped that we could continue to fellowship with her. After our second fellowship, a sister in our church told her: "If you want to fellowship with the shepherd of other church, you have to ask for our pastor's permission." When Sister Chen heard this, she told me she didn't want to fellowship with us anymore. Right after that, my sister knew that I was preaching the gospel in the church. Then, she read some negative propaganda materials to Sister Chen and me and required me to stop communicating with brothers and sisters of the Church of Almighty God. Afterward, Sister Chen always avoided me. Even if we met each other, she would come with her sister to avoid staying with me alone.
Moreover, some brothers and sisters also started to guard against me and distance themselves from me.
One day, the pastor, who was also my brother-in-law, asked me to go to the meeting room. Immediately, I realized that something was wrong, so I kept praying to God asking Him to protect my heart that I could stand witness during this trial. Seeing me, the pastor said furiously, "Why have you changed and become unwilling to listen to our suggestions in such a short two months since you heard the Eastern Lightning preaching?" I answered, "Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus. Recently, through reading Almighty God's words, I see that the words expressed by Almighty God are the utterances of the Holy Spirit and are God's voice." His face flamed with anger and said loudly, "If Eastern Lightning is really the true way, then why is the entire religious community condemning Eastern Lightning? Is there anything wrong with my following the entire religious community? If I'm wrong finally, I would rather be destroyed along with five big denominations." I said, "You are too arrogant and egotistical. You are resisting God! It was right because the Pharisees and scribes of that time didn't acknowledge the Lord Jesus as the Messiah they were waiting for that they nailed Him to the cross and finally suffered the loss of their nation and even their offspring were punished. Hasn't this historical lesson made you watchful? As a pastor, when you hear news of the Lord's coming, you should lead us to seek and investigate but not resist God based on your own arrogant and egotistical disposition." He shouted at me with anger, "I give you a month to consider whether you will stop communicating with the Eastern Lightning people or continue staying at the church to serve the Lord." I answered him without considering more, "Pastor, I don't need to consider that for a month. I can leave today but I won't give up following God." After hearing what I said, the pastor was speechless with anger while my sister was weeping all the time. Looking at my sister, I said sadly, "Sister, it is after reading many words of Almighty God that I am certain that Almighty God is indeed the appearance of the Lord Jesus. Why are you so stubborn?"
Finishing my words, I started to pack up my things on my desk. Just at that time, the tears also began to pool up in my eyes. I suppressed tears to pass my sister the church's key and left after saying goodbye to her. Walking out of the church's gate, I couldn't help but shed tears. I thought: It has been ten years since I sought refuge with my sister and her husband. They once helped me get through the dejected and hard days but when it comes to believing in God, I can't compromise. After returning home at night, I couldn't control my emotion anymore, feeling very upset and crying continuously because I had never thought that my family and I would come to this because of choosing the path of believing in God. Later, a sister shared many God's words with me. After hearing her fellowship, I understood that God's work of judgment in the last days is to expose man and separate man according to kind. Those who love the truth can accept God's work in the last days when hearing His voice while those who don't accept but resist and condemn God's work when hearing His voice are antichrists and evil servants exposed by God's work in the last days. At that moment, I calmed down gradually.
Afterward, I read another passage of God's word: "Those who read the Bible in grand churches recite the Bible every day, yet not one understands the purpose of God's work. Not one is able to know God; moreover, not one is in accord with the heart of God. They are all worthless, vile men, each standing on high to teach God. Though they brandish the name of God, they willfully oppose Him. Though they label themselves believers of God, they are ones who eat the flesh and drink the blood of man. All such men are devils who devour the soul of man, demons who purposefully disturb those who try to step onto the right path, and stumbling blocks that impede the path of those who seek God. Though they are of 'robust flesh,' how are their followers to know that they are antichrists who lead man in opposition to God? How are they to know that they are living devils who specially seek souls to devour?" ("All Who Do Not Know God Are Those Who Oppose God"). God's word allowed me to have some knowledge of the pastor's essence. He was arrogant and self-righteous and put himself on a pedestal by relying on the Bible knowledge and theological theory he had understood, thinking that he himself was a man pleasing to God. His arrogant disposition caused him to only believe his own judgment so that when God comes to do work, as long as God's work isn't in accordance with his will, he will not accept without exception. On the outside, he seemed very spiritual. But he didn't care about the spiritual life of believers at all, and even obstructed them from turning to God, thus ruining their life. He is indeed the antichrist who devours the soul of man. I felt that I was even more responsible for cooperating with God to let more people break away from the pastor's hands and no longer be deceived by him. I firmly believed that no matter what difficulties I would encounter, God would surely be by my side.
So, I prayed to God: "Oh Almighty God! Thanks for your exaltation and salvation. Although the pastor stops believers from seeking and inspecting the true way, I know You are the almighty God. I only want to fulfill the duty of a creation. I ask You to give me faith and power so that I can spread Your gospel and let those who really yearn for Your appearance accept Your work in the last days no matter what difficulties I will encounter. Thank God! Amen!"
Dear brothers and sisters, if you have any understanding or enlightenment from God,
you're welcome to share with us via:
1. The online chat window at the bottom of the website
2. Send an email to [email protected].
We sincerely hope we'll grow spiritually through sharing with each other.


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Here are answers to frequently asked questions about applying for a job at Seattle Children's.
We are excited to announce that we launched a new mobile-friendly job listings site as of January 24, 2018. With this transition, we ask that you log in to your profile, reset your password and ensure that all your information is complete and accurate. Please note that you do not need to reapply to any jobs for which you've already submitted an application. If you have further questions about the new site, visit the frequently asked questions.
We hope you'll take a look at our current job openings and consider joining our talented team at Seattle Children's!
Applicants are able to create job search agents – saved notifications that alert them by email whenever a job matching their previous search interests has been posted.
Use filters to search for positions of interest to you, and click the Search button. On the Job Listings page, which displays jobs that match your search, scroll down to the Job Search Agent Options section. Then, name your search agent and click the Create Agent button.
We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and The Muse.
We do not ask for references at the time of application. If you are considered for a position, the recruiter will ask for references. These are processed by a company called Skill Survey.
Yes. You will need to apply online for each position you are interested in. (For example, applying for one administrative assistant position does not mean you have applied for every open administrative assistant position).
Our recruiters work on multiple positions. We want to be sure you are considered for any position you are interested in and qualified for.
If a position requires a cover letter, a text box will be provided for you to paste your cover letter.
Please do not email or fax your résumé unless we have requested additional information from you.
If you are interested in applying for an open position, submit your materials through our online process.
We do not set closing dates for most positions. A position will remain posted to our website as long as we are accepting applications.
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Data lovers, rejoice! We've pulled together a new list of direct mail stats indicating what makes direct mail such an integral part of your omnichannel campaign. (Bonus: This has been updated for 2017!)
Millennials Love It
- 36% of people under 30 look forward to checking the mail each day.1 Tweet this.
- At least 42% of millennials prefer direct mail political ads over online ads, with 38% favoring both equally.2 Tweet this.
- 66% are more likely to remember to use a voucher if they have a physical copy to carry around.3 Tweet this.
- 23% bought or ordered something as a result of receiving direct mail in the last 12 months.3 Tweet this.
- Millennials who live at home are 18% more likely than the general population to welcome direct mail and 32% more likely to find it memorable.3 Tweet this.
The Bottom Line – Millennials will have a cumulative $1.4 trillion in spending power by 2020. If you're not marketing to them with direct mail, you're missing out on a huge opportunity and large percent of the population.
Women Have the Purchasing Power
- 91% of mail is picked up by the same person each day; 80% of them are women.4 Tweet this.
- 80% of those picking up mail (men and women alike) are the primary grocery shoppers.4 Tweet this.
- Women make more than 80% of all purchasing decisions.5 Tweet this.
- Women make more than 85% of all household purchases.5 Tweet this.
- 22% of women shop online at least once a day.5 Tweet this.
The Bottom Line – Design your mail with women in mind, because they will have the most interaction with it once it hits the mailbox.
It's Easily Integrated
- 44% of marketers using three of more channels for their marketing efforts.4 Tweet this.
- Retailers have seen a $21 million dollar difference in online sales per million site visitors between those who had received a catalog at their home address and those that had not.6 Tweet this.
- For those same retailers, that translated to 163% lift.6 Tweet this.
- Bobonos customers who received a catalog spend 1.5 times more than new shoppers who didn't receive a catalog first.7 Tweet this.
- Boden customers spend up to 15 to 20 minutes with their catalog, vs. an average of 8 seconds for an email and 5 minutes with their iPad app.7 Tweet this.
- 10.6 million catalogs were mailed in 2015.8 Tweet this.
- 2.5 billion coupons were redeemed in 2015.8 Tweet this.
- 51% prefer companies to use a combination of mail and email when communicating with them.9 Tweet this.
The Bottom Line – 62% of people are always addressable (meaning they own and use at least three web-connected devices, go online multiple times per day, and go online from multiple physical locations). Putting a physical mail piece in front of your customers gives them a chance to collect more information and pushes them toward your website on any one of those devices.
People Notice (And Act On) It
- 92% of shoppers say they prefer direct mail for making purchasing decisions.10 Tweet this.
- 70% are curious to find out what's in their mailbox.9 Tweet this.
- 74% always or sometimes notice advertising in direct mail.9 Tweet this.
- 42 percent of recipients read or scan mail pieces.4 Tweet this.
- Direct mail household response rate is at 3.7% (compared to .2% mobile, .1% email, .1% social media, and .02% internet display).4 Tweet this.
- Direct mail median household ROI is at a median of 18-20%.4 Tweet this.
- At 5.0%, oversized postcards have the greatest response rate over other mediums (followed by postcards at 4.25% and dimensional mailings at 4.0%).4 Tweet this.
The Bottom Line – Direct mail cuts through the clutter, offering the opportunity to put your advertising piece right in your customer's hand.
(Don't forget, this has been updated for 2017!)
- 2015 Gallup Poll http://www.gallup.com/poll/182261/four-americans-look-forward-checking-mail.aspx
- USPS, "Political Mail and Millennials" http://www.deliverthewin.com/millennials/
- MarketReachUK, "The Seven Life Stages of Mail" http://www.mailmen.co.uk/campaigns/lifestages
- 2015 DMA Response Rate Report. Purchase here: https://thedma.org/knowledge-center/bookstore/
- Sheconomy, Marketing To Women Quick Facts http://she-conomy.com/facts-on-women
- ComScore study http://www.comscore.com/
- Wall Street Journal article http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304311204579505532568168984
- 2016 DMA Statistical Fact Book https://thedma.org/knowledge-center/marketing-statistics/direct-mail-statistics/
- Canada Post https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/home.page
- DMR Report http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/10-print-marketing-statistics-know/
Download our eBook: Achieving Personalization Through Variable Data Messaging to learn how to better personalize your direct mail and email marketing efforts.


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When Dennis Miller listed 10 things that women can do to make men happy, number four was: "Would it kill you to watch 'The Godfather' with me for the 57th time?"
How true is that? For going on two generations of American males "The Godfather" is one of the most revered — and referenced — films not just in the gangster movie variety but all Hollywood genres. It is difficult to distill director Francis Ford Coppola's epic telling of Mario Puzo's masterful screen adaptation of his own 1969 novel into a few paragraphs. But considering that today marks the 40th anniversary of its theatrical release, I will do my best as such an auspicious occasion certainly deserves mention.
Where does one start? I've always thought that characters make or break any film, and certainly "The Godfather" is no exception. The movie provides us with an awesome battery of players to love, to hate, and even do both. We have the patriarch Sicilian immigrant bulldog in the aging "Don" Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), a man who considers himself honorable yet is, at heart, if not immoral certainly amoral given that his great fortune is the result of racketeering, gambling and prostitution … what he considers "harmless vices."
His children range from hot-headed oldest brother "Sonny" Santino (James Caan) whose temper will be his undoing, to the fiery Connie (Talia Shire) whose gender will prevent her from achieving any position of stature in the Corleone crime family and the insecure, doomed Fredo (John Cazale). Also there is the calculating family lawyer and consiglieri, Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) the Don's informally adopted German-Irish son.
Orbiting the Don are the peripheral figures: his caporegime heads, fat Peter Clemenza (Richard Castellano) and Salvatore Tessio (Abe Vigoda), Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo), Connie's wife-beating husband who in turn gets the tar beat out of him by Sonny, and the vicious hit-man Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana) whose true depravity is only hinted at in the film but much more potent in the book.
There are the true antagonists including rival Don Emilio Barzini (Richard Conte), heroin lord Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo (Al Lettieri), scorned Hollywood mogul Jack Woltz (John Marley) and corrupt police captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden). We're also are privy to many characters lifted right out of1940s Americana such as Bugsy Siegel and Frank Sinatra and thinly veiled as fictional constructs Moe Greene (Alex Rocco) and Johnny Fontane (Al Martino), respectively. And the list, as they say, goes on. Whew! That's quite a cast, no? This list alone makes the movie an exceptional achievement.
But, of course, the most important character in "The Godfather" turns out to be Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) whom we first meet during the iconic opening wedding scene. Michael has just returned from WWII a decorated Marine. With his white-toast fiancé Kaye Adams (Diane Keaton) in tow, we learn that he wants no part of the family's crime business. Yet, we see from the very beginning that while Sonny is heir apparent due to his age and ruthless enthusiasm for the crime-boss lifestyle, it is Michael who the Don truly favors for his intellect and what his father recognizes early as calculating coolness … even as the Don himself is torn in that he also sees Michael as the family's best hope for legitimacy and acceptance in their new country.
His character arch is therefore the most compelling, carrying him from a man repelled by his father's criminal lifestyle to becoming a cold-blooded assassin. He eventually assumes the position of the new Don Corleone whose reign will make his father's crimes seem quaint by comparison. The ice water that flows through Michael's veins can be best summed up in his catch phrase: "It's not personal, it's just business."
The odds are if you're reading Big Hollywood then, like me and Miller, you've watched "The Godfather" 57 times too, so I won't regurgitate a plot we all know too well. Suffice it to say that four decades later the film is still as fresh and vibrant as it was when it was first released. It's easy to see why it has been ranked at the top of the Metacritic's Top 100 list and Entertainment Weekly named it the greatest film ever made. It garnered three Oscars including Best Actor (Brando), Best Picture (Albert S. Ruddy) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Coppola/Puzo). It also took home five Golden Globes, including Best Director and Best Score.
It's understandable why this movie received such high acclaim. Heck, I'm watching it again as I write this and it never ceases to intrigue me. But why? What is it about this flick that so beckons me like a fly to sugar again and again?
I think part of the strange attraction to those of us who try to live the straight and narrow is that "The Godfather" was the one of first gangster movies to portray the criminal underworld in a sympathetic light; it offered that its participants can be people of psychological depth and complexity. Indeed we see the Don at first to be a sort of noble figure and protector of the little guy. He is a man you can come to when the system fails you. "For justice," says a man unsatisfied with the court sentence for his daughter's rapists "I must go to Don Corleone."
In return, the Don will someday ask you for a favor. Only later as the action unfolds do we see the bloodshed and violence that keeps their world spinning … also the dispassion with which murder is carried out. ("Aw, Pauli, you won't see him no more.")
Stylistically I love the mood Coppola creates. It is one of chronic foreboding, almost as if we are peering through a looking glass into another world in which we do not belong, nor are we welcome. The warm, yellowish lighting, like an old-fashioned daguerreotype, and the perpetual shadows that loom in all but the sunniest of outdoor scenes give it that 1940s feel. The color palette also provides an overarching sense that this is a lifestyle in which some darkness will always accompany such ill-gotten fortune.
These are random thoughts that come to me as I sit here on my couch with my laptop occasionally glancing up at my TV screen as the Corleone saga once again unfolds before me. I did not look for "The Godfather," of course. I never do. It just seems to find me. Today I caught a familiar glimpse of it in passing while flipping through the channels aimlessly but now I am hooked … again. Is there a primordial side of me that is drawn to this life of crime and violence? Do I close my eyes and imagine that I am one of those men of so-called honor who — if you strip away the tailored suits, the fine homes, the vintage cars and the professions of principle ("we are not murderers, despite what this undertaker may think") — reveal themselves as nothing more than common hoods and criminals?
In this sense, Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" two decades later, and the more recent HBO series "The Sopranos," were probably closer to the mark in that their portrayals more accurately resemble the actual gangsters I've seen frequenting in the bakeries and pork stores of Brooklyn. They are thugs. Punks. Parasites who orbit the periphery of society and pick away at it, robbing and bullying, without ever having the ethical center needed to make an honest living.
Or am I wrong? Are the Corleones, in fact, more honest than the rest of us in that they strip away the pretense that anything in society is truly honorable, thereby exposing our hypocrisy? Later in the film Michael justifies his decision to join the family business saying, "My father is no different than any other powerful man … like a senator or president." But Kay refutes him by offering that he's naïve in that senators and presidents don't have men killed. Michael only smiles: "Oh? Who's being naïve Kay?"
Perhaps then the message of "The Godfather" can be found in Puzo's novel which offers this most disquieting of epigraph: "Behind every great fortune is a crime." Whether we buy into this theory or not is what ultimately decides on which side of the thin and murky line that divides us from them we stand.
I'd like to say more, but I need to wrap this up. After all, the finale where Michael, "settles all family business" by icing the heads of the five families, Tataglia, Barzini, Straaci, Cuneo and Moe Greene in one fell swoop is about to start. That this orchestrated mass-murder takes place at the same time Michael himself stands at the altar of the Lord engaged in the baptism of Connie and Carlo's child, indeed among the holiest of sacraments that welcomes the most innocent into the Church, troubles him not in the least. It never does. That Michael is about to have this same Carlo, husband to his sister, father to his godson, garroted in the very next scene is of passing interest to him. And I guess that's why I cannot turn away. Such dichotomy is truly mesmerizing, even after forty years and fifty-seven views…and counting.
(P.S.: If only they could have made a sequel worthy of this great movie. Oh wait … they did, didn't they? Which is the better movie? "The Godfather" or "The Godfather II?" Feel free to discuss.)


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The Bench
The Bench. It's civic furniture, common property. You sit on The Bench to think, to eat a sandwich, to feed a bird, to argue with a lover, to discuss with a friend. Sometimes people without homes sleep on The Bench. Sometimes, people with homes sleep there, too. We read on The Bench, think on The Bench. No one owns it.
When you don't play by the rules, you're Benched. When you get in a fight. When you're late. When you're hurt.
The Bench is in a park where it is green and there are dogs and trees. It's a space away, calmer, where we can move. The Bench is in mall, passed by a hundred people in a minute, crowded, chaotic. The Bench is on a subway, taking us somewhere. The Bench is near the water; the water holds the briefest scent of danger. The Bench is made of metal, plastic, stone, wood. The Bench is carved and careful. The Bench is falling apart.
The Bench is the seat of judgement. If there are two sides, The Bench decides where justice is.
The Bench is a long, sturdy work table.
The mark of The Bench is a standard. It is what we hold to, how we evaluate our doing. It is how we know if what we have made is good.
What We're Doing, Why It Matters
Hospitable: inviting people in. Gracious: treating people with unearned care. Trust-risking: reckless faith in people's best, perhaps unproven, selves.
Food, shelter, warmth, health. Theatre?
Why make theatre with excluded people? (Why make theatre at all?) Because the core of our lack – whether addict or accountant – is not a missing thing; it's a missing person. Poverty of all kinds divides us from ourselves and from others, and generates insatiable want. It's not a want that can be filled with stuff. It is want that we meet only when we can create, make choices, and be engaged as respected equals. We need to have our identities reinstated, and joined together in civic relationship with those around us. And this is exactly what theatre offers.
Intentional community: choosing to share space, believing that we are better in cooperation than we are apart.
Artists need communities and communities need artists. Artists need the support – spiritual, emotional, intellectual, practical – of their communities so that they can offer back the prophetic healing that comes with communal expression and response to emotional events. Without this symbiosis, artists are overwhelmed and communities are repressed. The Bench is an experiment in artist-community interdependence. The goal of this initiative is neither for the artist to become an isolated superstar, nor for the artist to be martyred for the good of the community. Rather, it is for the artist and the community (the street-involved, those working for civic good, those working in theatre) to find ways to interact that are mutually beneficial and life-giving.
Aesthetically compelling and credible voice: communicating with all the muscle and urgency and searing, excellent accuracy of great art; creating as dignified equals.
We do not create art with excluded people as a kindness. The Bench seeks to make theatre with the marginalized because we sincerely believe that there are important, vital voices that will not otherwise be heard, and that all kinds of art-makers and communities will consequently be impoverished. We believe that art with excluded people is exactly what art is, and that this art must be measured with the same standards of excellence, curiosity and honesty by which other contemporary artworks are measured. We think of this as a Benchmark.
The Bench is the result of a five year collaboration between playwright Shannon Blake and Sanctuary, a drop-in centre for the homeless and street-involved. Shannon began as a volunteer with the Sanctuary drama program, writing and performing in two short productions in cooperation with the street community and with Lyf Stolte, Sanctuary's actor-in-residence. In 2006, in partnership with Lyf and with Sanctuary founder Greg Paul, Shannon began to collect stories from the community and to turn these stories into a full-length play. In the spring of 2008, Shannon's play The Passages of Everett Manning was performed by a combination of street-involved and semi-professional actors, including Lyf, to sold-out houses for four weeks. This play was followed by Michael Healey's The Drawer Boy in 2009, Vaudeville (Voice of the City): Unrelated Acts on a Common Bill in 2010, and by Wonderful and Transient Voices in 2011. The most recent Bench production was The Elephant Man, by Bernard Pomerance, performed in early 2012. All Bench shows are performed by a combination of street-involved and professional actors.
During these formative years, Shannon, Lyf and Sanctuary developed a number of relationships with actors, directors, stage managers, artists, churches, social service organizations, politicians, theatre companies, and all kinds of volunteers. They also worked with street-involved people who face addiction, mental health issues, poverty, homelessness, exploitation, physical and intellectual challenges, and/or experiences of violence, abuse or prison. In this way, theatre became a significant point of connection between these diverse groups of people. The Bench is a formal platform on which to base and grow this connection.


text:
I love you. Even though you are a fictional character in my favorite Crime Drama, Criminal Minds. Normally I don't go for tall, skinny, "artsy" types, but I have a serious crush on you.
Maybe it's because you dress like you just stepped out of a J. Crew catalogue... Well more like, walked into a J. Crew store's dressing room, and threw on whatever it's previous occupant left laying around.
Maybe it's because you have 3 PhD's, 2 Bachelors degrees and are working on your third, you have a semi-photographic memory, you have an IQ of 187 (the same as Galileo and chess genius Bobby Fisher). May it's because you read 20,000 words per minute, or that you can recite the dictionary, encyclopedias or text books during normal conversation. Smart is sexy.
Maybe it's because you work for the FBI and guys who carry guns and catch bad guys are extremely attractive.
Maybe it's because I met your alter ego, Matthew Gray Gubler, at the movie theater, and he/you really does have great bone structure (even though in some pictures you remind me of Keira Knightly).
Or maybe it's because your "alter ego's" last name is Gubler (Goo-bler).
I'm not sure the reason, but I just thought I should let you know,
I love you


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The fair featured services throughout central Jersey including other physicians, hospitals, and community organizations. The fair offered free flu shots, eye screenings, glucose testings and free foot exams provided by us, Family Foot & Ankle Specialists.
"It's important to give back to your community and support the people within it," states Dr. Peter Wishnie, owner of Family Foot & Ankle Specialists. The office attends healthfairs monthly throughout their communities. Family Foot & Ankle Specialists has offices in both Hillsborough and Piscataway, NJ.
1 Comments
Keep spreading the good deeds of informing others on how to improve health.
February 12, 2012 at 08:47 AM
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Ryan White practiced with his teammates this morning for the first time. He will not play but he is inching closer to returning.
Ryan White practicing with the team, too, but won't play tonight. Hextall said a couple weeks ago that December was the target for him.
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) December 2, 2014
White underwent surgery in August to repair a pectoral muscle that he injured during off-season training. He was expected to miss five months (which would have made his return date in February). White is ahead of schedule but still has a way to go before he feels ready to play a game.
White signed a one-year contract with the Flyers during the summer after the Montreal Canadiens did not offer him a qualifying offer and he became a restricted free agent.
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For more commentary and analysis, visit our friends at Last Word on Sports!


text: Updated May 19: So I actually won the Nova Echo contest on creative allies! Yeah, the band decided to go with my design. I'm really proud of the finished product and it's the first time I have really won anything, so thanks Nova Echo and Creative Allies! Here's the link:


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The Internet of Things (IoT) is exploding in popularity as companies look to take advantage of new ways to use device- and sensor-generated data to create new Digital Business models or to augment existing systems and processes. Despite the novelty however, many businesses remain unsure of how this information can be collected, analyzed, and incorporated into existing systems. In Saugatuck' most recent Digital Business survey, 41 percent of respondents indicated that they were either very or extremely committed to taking advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT), and 47 percent indicated that they were using sensor technologies to enhance the delivery of digital products and services. (1390SSR, 2014 Enterprise Intelligence Survey: Digital Business & Hybrid Cloud, 20 June 2014)
Much of this early success with the Internet of Things comes from the low-hanging fruit around mobile device sensors such as GPS or machine generated data in the form of log files (1276MKT, Geofencing, Sensors, Mobility and Location Intelligence Possibilities, 17 October 2013). While there is high expected value from many sensor data sources, at present only 34 percent of our survey respondents expected sensor data to be a medium-to-high enabler of business innovation (1390SSR). This is likely due to the difficulty in setting up new instrumentation, gaining access to existing sensor networks that exist within the organization (which are frequently encapsulated within process control systems), and finally in the challenges of managing and using that data once it has been captured.
Why is it Happening?
The Internet of Things is part of a larger trend around Big Data that seeks to use information generated in machines, Mobile devices, and sensor networks to generate business value, improve efficiency, or aid decision-making. Unlike other areas of big data that focus on pre-existing data sets and data mining, most IoT initiatives focus on generating new data, or filling holes in existing data sets to make other information more valuable.
The context in which Internet of Things data is generated and used, then, becomes highly relevant to business is expecting to gain value from these new capabilities. As a result it becomes increasingly important to be able to relate sensor data to other data sources across the enterprise, both as it is generated and when it is analyzed. (Alteryx Inspire The Importance of Analytic Context, 20 June 2014).
Click here to read the Market Impact, including three specific areas where we expect MDM to add value to Internet of Things initiatives.
This blog was originally published on Saugatuck Lens360 Blog on July 2, 2014. Published with permission.
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text:
9th Grade Advanced English & Senior advisor
Anne Armstrong - Room 1101
9th Grade English
Senior Advisor &
Swim Coach
To Contact me, please click on the button below.
Remind App Information
The Remind App is a wonderful communication tool for the classroom. Students join a class through sending a text message. The message enrolls students into a class. Once enrolled into class, the teacher is able to send messages. We do not need to exchange phone numbers, to make this work. Remind is the platform that helps us with communication. For more information, please click on the link below.
Here's how to sign up.
1) Open up your phone's text message screen.
2) Put in the number: 81010 into the "to" spot
3) Text one of the following codes to sign up for the correct class.
Mrs. Armstrong's Class Codes
1A = @1aeng9th 1B = @1beng9th
3A = @3aeng9th 3B = @3beng9th 4A = @4aeng9th 4B = @4beng9th
If you would like to request a conference, please click on the button below. Thank you.
Google Classroom Codes
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To log into your SpringBoard account, please click on the link below and follow the prompts.


text: I want to introduce you to this really cool Korean short animated film by Wooksang Chang, called Mom. It's just such a really poignant film that really gets you thinking about life and youth and old age and the cycles of life. It kind of grew on me. I didn't really understand it at first. When you see the whole thing you'll know what I'm talking about. It's a really well done animation. At first, I was like, is this real or is this stop motion or 3D animation? I eventually came to the conclusion that it was 3D animation but it's so well done that you can't tell if it's real or not. Let me know what you think of it and share it with your friends. If you liked this one, we just posted a similar film on cartoon of the day that is also about mothers. Check it out here.


text:
"The World's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
… I guarantee it!" – Mr. Nelson
- The packaging was superb -- hugged in a secure and insulated cool pack wrap [summer pack], the "drawer box" was one of most clever thoughtful packaging orchestrations I've seen!Lynette CScottsdale, AZ
- Your cookies are the most amazing thing I have ever eaten. So amazing that they will be replacing my stand by/go to gifts for friends, family, and clients. Wow! Just, wow! It's an amazing thing, from the packaging and messaging to the cookie itself. It's an event to receive those cookies.Craig M. -- Attorney at LawPhoenix, AZ
- I ordered cookies from him [Mr. Nelson's] for my dad's birthday and I couldn't have been more pleased and impressed with the whole experience. And my dad LOVED the cookies!!! Highly recommend Mr. Nelson's Cookies!!Heather H – Chandler, AZ
- Can a single chocolate chip cookie really be worth $5? Mr. Nelson's are. Each one weighs a quarter-pound. They are dense and chewy, heady and delicious, and are richly satisfying.Mark Spivak, Award Winning Writer & Nationally Recognized Food And Wine CriticPalm Beach, FL
- Mr. Nelson... I'm always been addicted to your cookies, but seriously the gluten free one is insane!Taryn V.
- I must say, Mr. Nelson, you have performed "Culinary Alchemy" with your gluten-free cookie – remarkable!Alistair M.Manhattan, NY
About Him
Mr. Nelson is one of the few formally-trained chefs (and artisan baker) who consider chocolate chip cookies as one of the four major food groups! And, as such, he has created over the last couple of decades (yes, decades) what many people believe is a world's perfect chocolate chip cookie of extraordinary taste and texture.
Mr. Nelson is a "one-man-show" as he personally makes, bakes, wraps and packages only 24 dozen perfect chocolate chip cookies a day, four days a week. Oh, and given he only makes one type of cookie, Chocolate Chip, (regular and Gluten Free!) you could also say he is a "one-trick-pony"; however, please know, it is a very "tasty" trick!
These world famous chocolate chip cookies are made in a small, custom bakery on the edge of the Tonto National Forest at the base of the beautiful Superstition Mountains in Gold Canyon, Arizona.
Mr. Nelson's Cookies® can be purchased on-line in quantities of 6 or 12. The cookies are shipped via USPS the day they are made and packaged in a box that you would be very proud to give (or receive) as a gift.
Simply put, Mr. Nelson's Chocolate Chip Cookies are, "What Perfection Tastes Like!"
Thank-you for your interest in Mr. Nelson's Cookies®.
Follow Him On Social Media
Time for a #throwback 😃 Have a wonderful week y'all!! @ ABC15 Arizona
Coffee ☕ + @mrnelsonscookies 🍪 = #HAPPYMONDAY https://www.facebook.com/mrnelsonscookies/videos/2551433648415759/
Well, I goofed. Just realized I never hit "publish" on my Mother's Day post a few days ago while traveling 😕 so he… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/996045886512807936
Congratulations to @msshellyss ' 93yo mom! Your box of Mr. Nelson's World Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies is coming t… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/994851989665263616
Haven't been able to write a post in a bit, been slammed with Mother's Day orders. You've got three days left as I… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/993931625523236864


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A Wedding Cake at the Royal College of Physicians
A Wedding Cake at the Royal College of Physicians
Meet the Lovely couple – Eimear and Will
Eimear (Irish) and Will (English) live in London and decided to come to Ireland and get married in the Royal College of Physicians. Eimear a writer for Martha Stewart Weddings and author of the book, Bridesmaids had seen it all. She wanted something simple, understated, yet elegant. Where better to celebrate they big day, than in the heart of Dublin City and stopping off en route from the ceremony to have a Guinness at Kehoe's pub before their reception at the Royal College of Physicians, steeped in literary and academic history.
The Colour Scheme & The Dress;
As Eimear had seen it all while writing for Martha Stewart Weddings, she wanted something simple. She choose a white and green colour scheme, a colour combination that is becoming increasing popular. Her dress, too was sophisticated and elegant but steered clear of tulle and lace.
The Flowers & The Stationary;
The flowers were provided by Patsie and Claire at The Informal Florist and they included an array of white and greens. While their stationary was cleanly printed without a trace of stylised calligraphy.
The Wedding Cake;
The cake too had clean lines, was elegant and contemporary with fresh rosemary placed around the base to incorporate the colour scheme here also and framed the cake. It was positioned in the centre of the reception area as their guests climbed the stairs and entered the hall with its high ceilings, portrait paintings and over sized fireplaces. If you look closely you'll see a small silver shoe on top of the cake. This was also used on Eimears grandmothers wedding cake. I love the sentiment of the shoe, as tiny as it seems, it had a huge impact. I think in the image below, Eimear and Will are addressing her Granny, and you and see from the photo just how much she means to both of them.
The Flavours;
The flavours of Eimear and Will's tiers were, fruit cake with whiskey almond paste, chocolate biscuit cake and lime and coconut cake.
Thank you so much again Eimear and Will for asking me to be part of your special day.
Photography by Fiona Morgan


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Africa's leading technology provider, Dimension Data, has been chosen as part of an elite group of integrators to participate in the EMC Velocity² Signature Solutions Centre Partnership Programme.
This inclusion is based on the strength of Dimension Data's relationship with EMC and participating vendors, as well as the business integrator's ability to adhere to the stringent set of prerequisites demanded by the selection process. Dimension Data becomes one of just three such partners in South Africa and is the only one able to offer a continental footprint.
As an EMC Signature Solutions Centre Partner, Dimension Data now boasts dedicated facilities on site at its Campus premises in Bryanston, fully provisioned with the very latest innovations from EMC and key vendor Partners such as Cisco and VMware.
Dimension Data possesses premier virtualisation capabilities, particularly in the VMware space. When partnered with the company's forward thinking architects and account managers, the resultant Solutions Centre is a natural progression, firmly cementing the company's position as the integrators of choice for EMC, Cisco and VMware.
"Due to the nature of our relationship with EMC, Cisco and VMware, and the fact that we are critical and strategic partners for all three, it is vital that we are able to showcase our ability to provide end-to-end solutions for these significant vendors," explains George Sithole, Pre-Sales Manager for Dimension Data's Data Centre Solutions.
The state of the art Solutions Centre has been set up and configured entirely by Dimension Data's own Data Centre Solutions team and is a demonstration of the team's exemplary technical ability.
"Besides being a compilation of the latest technologies, this Solutions Centre really is testament to our commitment to the VCE (Virtual Computing Environment) strategy, as well as our commitment to providing industry leading solutions to our customer base," says Sithole.
The new facility supports this commitment by providing the means for Dimension Data to better understand the needs of its customers and provide tailored and customised solutions that best fit their environments, while providing them with the leading edge technologies they desire.
The Solutions Centre offers customers with the opportunity to experience the different elements that comprise the modern data centre first-hand. Customers are able to view and test different applications in either a Fiber Channel or Networked attached environment, see live demonstrations of back up technologies as well as VMware applications and enhancements they would not ordinarily be able to test in their own environments.
With the addition of the Cisco UCS (Unified Computing System) platform, customers are able to physically see and test the differences between Cisco and its competitors, while using management and integration tools in a safe, stress-free environment. "This riskless alternative to pilot testing on-premise means that customers can literally test-drive proposed solutions without having to jeopardise their own production environment," says Sithole.
The Solutions Centre can also be used to create unique interactive sessions for customers where their questions can be addressed through hand-on, practical demonstrations of product functionality and capability.
"Dimension Data is extremely excited about attaining this highest tier of EMC's partner programme, which is by invitation only." says Sithole. It re-enforces our goal of becoming the market leaders in the VCE segment and further increase our reputation as one of the most advanced system integrators in the market," affirms Sithole.


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Tag: love
Posted on February 14, 2013
Love words are in the air today – Ten quotes you can use
I hope you read my Valentine blog on Monday and you have already gifted your someone special with a homemade valentine today. In case you need some love words to use before the day is gone, here are… Read More
Posted on February 11, 2013
Valentines are the Mirror of Romance
As a romance writer, I love February 14th. St. Valentine's Day is THE romance day of the year. To me, valentines are the mirror of romance. According to legend, Saint Valentine was a real priest who lived in… Read More


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Florida TaxWatch is making a bold recommendation to the governor, the Legislature and the Department of Corrections — and it's worthy of serious consideration.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan watchdog of our tax dollars this week issued a 20-page report urging the powers-that-be to consider letting old, sick inmates in Florida's prisons out early to reduce their numbers and cost.
At first blush, one would think this is a mandate from some liberal group that's considered soft on crime and criminals. Not so. This recommendation has little to do with compassion and everything to do with saving taxpayer dollars. And it's not a bad idea.
The concern is always, Will there be a higher price to pay down the road if the wrong person is released, only to harm or kill again? After all, we've been burned before by early prison release measures. Does the name Charlie Street ring a bell?
But the report is significant because it marks the first time the influential group has recommended "elderly parole" to lawmakers, Florida TaxWatch told the Editorial Board.
Here's why: As of July, there were 100,994 inmates in Florida's prison system, the Florida Department of Corrections told the Board. Of those, 20,802 are 50 or older, making Florida's a graying prison population — and, consequently, one of the most expensive. Housing a young inmate costs $34,135 a year, but that doubles if the prisoner is 50 or older.
The pendulum is swinging back from the late 1980s and early 1990s when prisons started packing them in. South Florida, especially was reeling from street drug wars and tourist murders. After the 1988 shooting deaths of two Miami-Dade police officers, their killer, Charlie Street became the poster child of the shortcomings of Florida's prison system when it was disclosed that its early-release program shaved seven years from his original 15-year sentence. The outrage from South Florida to Tallahassee prompted stricter sentencing guidelines. The so-called revolving door stopped, but that meant inmates stayed in prison longer — and taxpayers paid more to keep them there.
In quick succession, legislators adopted strict sanctions that removed parole and required inmates to complete at least 85 percent of their sentences. They added mandatory minimum sentences for drug and violent crimes. And many felonies came with "life without parole" sentences.
The general prison population shot up dramatically. These "tough on crime" measures had immediate and long-term consequences on corrections issues in Florida still felt today — including in taxpayers' pocketbooks.
The potential multimillion-dollar savings should sway elected leaders to consider giving early release another try. But not without stringent criteria for who gets out. For instance, exempt from all early releases, regardless of age, murderers, sexual predators and rapists.
State corrections figures also show recidivism is low in the 50-to-65 age group; 10 percent return to prison within the first year. That drops to 7 percent within two years.
The cost of medical treatment is another factor; the expense could be shifted to Medicare and Medicaid. The criteria for early release could depend on a terminal illness, the progressive state of the disease, treatment costs and chronic pain levels, the group said.
TaxWatch might be on to something. The potential for financial savings makes a persuasive case for state lawmakers to consider.


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Educational Video games For Kids
Taking part in instructional games helps students in developing their mental abilities and likewise in building crew spirit. Whether or not you are hoping to help your youngsters learn about historical past, geography, or something else, including educational historical past software to your library may also help guarantee that it's not a monotonous process. Free preschool actions; for three yr olds are designed to fulfill their free preschool activities three year previous educational > keep at residence moms > toddlers games.
Zondle – Interesting games that assist learning and may be embedded into a site. Your youngster might be introduced to spanish words related to the home and play movement games that contain following. This examine makes an attempt to determine the function of instructional video games on learning a. Educational native language games.
While Bing Bang Bounce uses a ball launcher and goal impediment course to teach children about trajectories, angle, pressure and momentum. Download Math Claw Machine – Addition, Subtraction, Division and Multiplication Recreation for Kids and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Topic like maths and English can easily be mastered as a result of the games are designed in such away that they make learning all fun and not a ache. ABCya is the chief in free academic laptop games and cellular apps for kids. To be able to present assist for the concept that on-line schooling in form of video games might be educational and useful, Junior Achievement and Capital One commissioned Brain Analysis to conduct a survey.
It has even been found that one of the leading taking part in groups are those in executive employment who play video games to calm down and to alleviate stress. Yet at Widespread Sense Graphite, once we evaluate games for studying, what we discover is that lots of the highest scoring 'learning' games aren't aimed on the academic market.


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North Bengal Medical College was originally envisioned by Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, Ex-Chief Minister of West Bengal. North Bengal University Medical College (NBUMC), now known as North Bengal Medical College (NBMC) came up on paper (not on ground) by the act of an advertisement in the Anandabazar Patrika in August 1967 for admission to first Premedical course of this institute by North Bengal University (NBU). Premedical course was abolished after 1976.
First batch of students for premedical course was admitted as per merit list of Higher Secondary examination. Class for 1st batch consisting of 46 boys and 6 girls was started on 6.11.67 on makeshift arrangement at Jackson medical school, Jalpaiguri. Students at that time were accommodated at Jalpaiguri Polytechnic School.
Due to some queer, unexplainable, inconsistent, anomalous reasons as many as 35 students could not pass premedical testing the 1st attempt. They lost one year in the beginning but did not loose their heart. It was an unfortunate incident. Many have been very successful later on in their respective fields.
2nd to 6th batch of students undertook their premedical course at Raigunj University College. Again they were accommodated in hotels and rented house in different years on temporary basis and they did not have their own premises. Those students had to pass their time under torrid conditions and inimical environment. 7th batch onward started their premedical course at NBMC campus, Sushrutnagar, their own place.
Classes for 1st year MBBS course (semester system was introduced much later) for 1st batch started on 18.11.68 in NBU campus at Raja Rammohonpur (not at Sushrutnagar) again on makeshift basis. First 4 batches started their academic journey in academic building of NBU and not at NBMC. Life was difficult and turbulent due to simple fact that they had to live a kind of parasitic life in a land not of their own.
First MBBS academic session started under the stewardship of Prof.Subir Majumdar and Dr. Chittaranjan Roy, Deptt. of Physiology, Dr.Mohit Kr.Das, Dr. Ramendu Das and Dr.(Mrs) Sandhya Majumdar – all of Deptt. Of Anatomy. Dr. Sasadhar Biswas joined NBUMC in 1969 as Professor and HOD, Deptt. Of Anatomy and Professor-in-charge of NBUMC. Prof. Ajit Kr. Duttagupta joined as 1st official Principal of NBUMC.
MBBS classes (barring premedical) started in Sushrutnagar, the present site of NBMC in 1972 and from 5th batch onward started their educational career on their own land. First 4 batches were admitted on the basis of marks of H.S.Exam . First admission test in West Bengal for medical curriculum was held in 1971which was followed from next year everywhere in W.B.
Clinical courses were initially decided to be started at Siliguri Sub divisional Hospital. with bed strength of 28 beds only at that time. Students at that time resented and opposed the decision tooth and nail because of lack of facilities of teaching therein. So as an alternative measure due to the students' resistance first 5 batches had to migrate to SSKM hospital for their clinical lessons. First 2 batches completed internship and housemanship there. NBUMC was rechristened in AUG 1978 to North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (after dropping the middle letter) and the administrative control went from NB University to Govt.of W.B.
NBMC was not initially recognized by MCI till 1978 and this recognition is a must for aspiring medical graduates for free and uninhibited medical practice. MCI reasoned that recognition could not be granted unless all courses Pre, Para clinical and clinical courses are conducted in one place. Students were aghast and wary of their future. There was only medical college and no hospital at Sushrutnagar. Civil construction work of hospital complex was started in 1976 and inaugurated in 1978. All tier of classes started at the same venue of Sushrutnagar from 1976.
Prof. Labanya Kr. Ganguly was a maverick and dynamic person who became the Principal in 1975. He brought order and gave the direction and leadership for academic improvement, speedy construction and hastening and facilitating the process of recognition.
Followed an era of struggle, agitation and despair for 75 days. All students came together demanding MCI recognition and that became their only mission during those days. Students ran from pillar to post and reasoned with Sri Ajit Panja, the then state health minister and Dr. Karan Sing, the then Union health minister during that period spanning about 3 months at a stretch and sporadically thereafter leaving aside their studies. Their onerous and supreme sacrifice helped earned the 'recognition' of their alma mater for the first time in 1978.
3rd batch of students had the distinction of appearing at the final MBBS Part III exam at Sushrutnagar in 1976. This was a watershed event as this exam was specially observed by a team of experts of MCI (Prof. Joseph was a member) and standard of students were assessed and considered to be a yardstick for granting recognition.
Ultimately NBMCH was recognized for three years for the 1st time in 1978 and the first batch of students got the coveted registration number.
Later on BDS course was introduced in the sister institute formed as North Bengal Dental College and Nursing College in the same campus.
In 2004, the institute achieved the milestone to be reckoned as the Post-graduate institute with introduction of MD/MS courses in five disciplines like Anatomy, Physiology, Community Medicine, Pathology and Anesthesiology after a worth full endeavor of Prof. Sangita Bhattacharya, the then Principal, Prof. Samar Deb, ex-HOD and Vice Principal, Prof. Sankar Prasad Kabiraj, Professor of Radiodiagnosis, Late Prof. Raghunath Pramanik, Professor of Pathology and Dr. Krishna Kinkar Mondol, a devoted teacher of this institute. Courses later on get recognized in 2007 and since then more Post Graduate courses are now permitted Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, General Medicine, Surgery, Gynae & Obstetrics, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Ophthalmology, ENT Diseases. Later on under the leadership of Professor Anup Kumar Roy, present Principal, postgraduate seats have been increased with new openings in subjects of Radiodiagnosis (already sanctioned), Psychiatry, Microbiology, Biochemistry ( in process) in near future .


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Celebrations vary from family to family, but it is very common to eat a "rosca de reyes", or king's ring. It is a sweet pastry with figs or candied fruits on top. Typically, a baby Jesus figurine is placed inside.
In most houses, children put their shoes out for the king's to leave gifts in. The gifts are usually small toys and candy. Hay, carrots, or straw are left for the camels along with water.


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Who doesn't love a trip to the beach? The answer is basically no one. Except maybe Count Dracula. We're not going to include him in this, though. Beach trips can be short or quite long, depending on where you're headed, how much time you got off work, and what beach you're planning on hitting. Kids are an additional challenge but almost definitely the biggest reason to go in the first place.
Sun tan lotion is key for kids' sensitive skin. The higher the better. Swim lessons are important but with youngsters, don't think their ability to swim is going to be a 100% sure thing, especially on ocean beaches, which can offer up additional hazards like rip tides.
But one concern you won't have is keeping children entertained. Between the surf and the sand there is a limitless amount of fun for an imaginative child. Especially with a few creative toys, like these incredible sandals from Kiko+ of Japan.
They don't look too different from normal flip-flops on first glance. Except that they're made of wood.
But as your child walks along the wet sand, you might notice something unusual happening.
Because these are no ordinary sandals! They're animal print-making machines!
The "Ashiato" sandals come in all sorts of fun patterns (Ashiato is Japanese for "footsteps").
Even monkey and gecko!
Or, a little more fancifully, dinosaur and owl.
They come in a few sizes, but unfortunately no adults. :(
The deep, wood-block prints also help kids walk in the sand and were inspired by traditional Japanese footwear.
Don't these just seem like the most fun ever?
H/T: Kiko+


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By Demosthenes Kyriazis
At the very basic question of what is the regime of Democracy, everybody usually answers with what he understands or with what is advantageous to him. The confusion grows even more because the name "Democracy" is used for every regime; the Parliamentary, the Socialist, the Ethnico-Sosialist, as well as for the totalitarian regimes of the lifelong "enlightened leaders", who exercise the power for the good of the citizens, but without any involvement of them.
This dangerously misleading use of the name "Democracy", has not being allowed in other names, such as the Greek white "feta", or the French brandy "cognac" and in many other cases. Why we allowed this in the case of Democracy?
Trying to find a simple and understandable answer to the above question, we reread the principles of the ancient Athenian Democracy, because this is the regime that was named Democracy.
With the knowledge and capabilities of an ordinary citizen, we ended to the following two simple conclusions:
1st Conclusion. Depending on whether the power was exercised from one, or from few, or from all the citizens, the ancient Greeks named the regimes respectively: Monarchy, Oligarchy and Democracy. The classification criterion was simple, clear and understandable. Today in order for someone to declare what is the regime of a country, he should have a PhD in Constitutional Law, and even then there will be many different opinions and controversies.
2nd Conclusion. The regime of Democracy of the ancient Greek culture was based on three distinct principles: the "philosophical", the "operational" and the "procedural" one. If these do not apply, then we don't have Democracy, but another regime that uses the name of Democracy falsely.
But let's try a brief survey of these three principles.
1. The Philosophical principle.
This principle constitutes acceptance of the axiom that all men are by Nature, by God equal; that all people are «born free "; that all people are born "in the image and likeness of God". These mean that all men have the capability for making decision with the power of logic and not only with the power of instincts and incentives, as the other living beings do[i] .
From this principle it follows that the participation of all citizens in the exercise of power constitutes a physical determinism and that the opposite is a violation of natural law; is an Ύβρις[ii] (hybris) with the ancient Greek sense of the term.
I think this principle coincides with the postulate of Jean Jacques Rousseau's for the "non-transferable of rights"
It is true that the general applicability of this axiom was challenged by great thinkers like Plato. Deep down however, these controversies did not refer to the equality as described before, but refer to ability of people to perform tasks in the sectors (military, economic, social,… ) of political power, something that applies to any kind of tasks; of the musician, of the carpenter, of the farmer.
The exercise political power tasks by men with spiritual and moral forces, constitutes an obvious basic necessity. The issue is therefore how to ensure that the exercise of power will be carried out from the totality of the citizens through capable Άρχοντες[iii] (leaders) , which will act as servants and not as masters of the citizens totality.
This problem was faced by the ancient Greeks, in the frame of the operational principle of Democracy.
The operational principle.
Decisions regarding a society are so numerous, that their taking with the participation of all citizens undoubtedly leads to a failure, leads to a mob rule and not to a democracy. By applying only the philosophical principle, it is impossible not only for a society to operate not, but even for a group of five people.
The ancient Greeks had found the following simple and effective solution to this problem.
The procedural principle. The majority principle .
Making a decision by consensus from a totality of citizens is, with statistical determinism, practically impossible. It has very low probability. If this was applied, the regime of ancient Greek Democracy would be an ineffective and crippled power.
The ancient Greeks found a simple and functional solution to this problem. They defined axiomatically that the decision of most members of a group will be the decision of all members of the group. This axiom is widely known as the principle of the majority.
The application of the three principles in our days
1. The philosophical principle of the Democracy has never been challenged. Just was ignored "with many praises." Nowadays even, the intensity of praise is inversely proportional to the area of application. We do not mention examples, because we all know enough. Totalitarian regimes proclaim systematically and intensively their respect to the citizens' equality but only in words; the equality without ... equality!!
2. The operating principle applies actually in all regimes; in monarchies, in oligarchies and in representative democracies. In all these regimes, those exercising the real power, take the major decisions, while the plethora of minor decisions is taken from the deacons and the servants of real power. Only for the "Master Citizen", for the citizens' Set, the principle is inappropriate if not dangerous. The principle may be used by the citizen only for electing the Lords with rules and practices developed by …the Lords themselves!!
3. The procedural principle is treated with high respect. It is applied at all cases where collective decisions are made; in the Parliament, in Political Parties, in the Prefectural and Municipal authorities, in the boards of trade unions, in the boards of companies. Only for making decisions from the citizens' Set, is not applied. This principle has so great acceptance, as to be identified with the regime of Democracy. But Democracy is the application of the three principles and not simply the application of the procedural principle to some subset of citizens. The Senate of Rome and the Inquisition applied also the principle of majority, but this was not democracy
The deliberate distortion of the principles of Democracy
From the foregoing it follows easily that, the basic condition for the application of the three principles, is the existence of easy and low cost communication conditions. That is why true Democracy only operated in small states / cities of ancient Greece. When these states / cities died, the regime of true Democracy died also. In states with the current population, the function of true Democracy seems impractical.
A second and perhaps more important reason for the death of real Democracy were the reactions of the political, economic and intellectual establishment, whose interests are threatened when the power exist at all citizens. The power at the few people can be controlled, but the power of the citizens' Set, not.
The above has as result to be applied in today's "democracies» only the majority principle, while the other two principles either are ignored, or applied with great distortion.
The application of the three principles is done today in two ways:
The Friends of Digital Direct Democracy believe in the rationality, morality and effectiveness of these three principles. Additionally believe that these principles today, thanks to digital technology, can be applied not only in small states - cities, but in every state, regardless of their extent and population.
[i] Decisions are taken by all beings with the power of instincts and motivations .Only man has the prerogative to take decisions with the power of logic and to be precise, with the power of logic, instincts and motivations.
[ii] Yβρις (Hybris) called the acts were contrary to the laws of God, ie to the laws of Nature
[iii] Άρχοντες (Leaders) in ancient Greece were called the heads of a group of people, the flag bearers, these in the fore-front.
[iv] Major decisions are the strategic decisions that induce and reduce the plethora of minor decisions that are taken to implement major decisions/orders of totality of citizens. In Direct Democracies, the major decisions are taken from all citizens and the minor ones from the leaders. In today's democracies, major and minor decisions are taken from the representatives, who pretend falsely that they are taken ...from the totality of the citizens
[v] Thucydides, one of the greatest historians of ancient Greece
[vi] From Thucydides' book History 2
[vii] The axiom in Greek: Αρχή Άνδρα δείκνυσι.
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