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Thursday, September 01, 2011
Introduction to Harp and Bowl Prayer
Fervent prayer – that's a good thing, right? There's a model of prayer meeting going around that is called "Harp and Bowl." The term "Harp and Bowl" is taken from imagery in Revelation 5, where the 24 elders held harps (worship) and bowls (prayers of the saints). Harp and Bowl is just one model that integrates worship and prayer, which of course is not a new concept. But the term Harp and Bowl refers to a specific stye of prayer meeting developed by Mike Bickle and the International House of Prayer (IHOP). Ok, admit it, the illustration to the right did get your attention, didn't it?
Here's some things you need to be aware of:
1. The Harp and Bowl model is by its very nature integrated with Mike Bickle's IHOP ministry. Even though there may be no formal (or publicly revealed) connections‐ instructional material, training, lists of "Apostolic Prayers," and personnel are in some way connected with IHOP. Various "satellite" prayer rooms travel to other communities and plant more 24/7 prayer rooms. These new prayer rooms feed new "interns" to the Kansas City prayer room or other regional prayer rooms, also internships at the various regional prayer rooms or the mother-ship will often feed people out to the new plants.
2. Those connections are solidified as existing prayer rooms send out apostolic teams to other towns and bestow "Apostolic Keys" and decree "prophetic mandates" to select individuals (I can't make this stuff up). It's a budget form of church planting. The movement is spread through the laying-on-of-hands in the best Latter-Rain tradition.
3. 24/7 prayer rooms in the IHOP tradition most ALWAYS start out as ecumenical efforts, and usually for just a few hours a week. As things grow, more often than not, this ecumenical para‐church organization becomes a church of its own, drawing off the most passionate people from other local churches. By removing itself from established churches, it also removes itself from church oversight, allowing it to easily slide into heresy.
4. The Proselytizing nature of Harp and Bowl functions to further Mike Bickle's objective of the city church," a key feature today of the Apostolic/Prophetic movement. This movement functions under the fallacy of the restoration of the Offices of Apostle and Prophet.
5. Harp and Bowl is built on a flawed premise ‐ that God cannot or will not do anything until we fill the bowls with the prayers of the saints. Theologically, this is based on dominionism. Quoting their manual: "God does not act apart from human beings partnering with His heart." Proponents believe they can "mandate" things, in effect tell God what to do.
6. At its roots, Harp and Bowl is based on a Post‐Trib, Pre‐Mill eschatological scheme called "Apostolic Premillenialism." Its central biblical rationalization is Revelation 5:8, which in the Pre‐Trib mindset, takes place in the future. Because of its emphasis on the Manifestation of the Sons of God, it cannot be eschatologically neutral.
7. Harp and Bowl to the casual observer appears very spontaneous and "spirit led." However, it is a very structured scheme which is liturgical in nature. Most objectionably, the scheme is promoted as God's chosen way- His "strategic plan" for the end times. Most all churches have an "order of service," which is what we call liturgy. Few churches would dare to claim that their traditional order of service is God's chosen plan for the end times. Harp and Bowl makes that claim.
8. Harp and Bowl has been compared (by its proponents) to the Latter Rain "Restoration of the Tabernacle of David." In large scale operations it involves paid "missionaries" (musicians, intercessors) and establishes a class of priests apart from the laity. This, of course, fosters elitism. It is a model, in the here and now, that is alien to the New Testament. More info here.
9. Harp and Bowl is seen as a spiritual warfare tool, where intercessors issue "decrees" and sometimes become involved in telling angels how to battle for us. The "fullness of the faith" is seen in those who press in to operate on "a true spirit of prayer" implying that those outside the model are not. Within this movement the concept of the sovereignty of God is but a fleeting thought.
10. The foundations of Harp and Bowl are Manifested Sons of God. It is taught that only the "elected seed" (Bob Jones) will enter into this ‐ "those chosen from their Mother's womb" (Mike Bickle). Bob Jones was one of the prophets who prophesied the coming of the IHOP movement in the early days of the Kansas City Fellowship. "Those who are foreknown and predestinated for the end times, for you see, they'll be the best of all the seed that's ever been. . . This will be the end generation that is foreknown and predestinated to inherit all things...For they are the best of all the generations that have ever been upon the face of the earth. And the best of all generations are those elected seeds that will glorify Christ in the last days. . . They will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever moved in before. Every miracle, sign, and wonder that has ever been in the Bible‐‐they'll move in it consistently...because the Lord Jesus is worthy to be lifted up by a church that has reached the full maturity of the God‐man!." (Bob Jones). This is the "new breed" teaching of the MSoG heresy.
These are course are generalizations. The movement has been building for almost 30 years and its theology is complex and often contradictory. But any movement which claims to have the corner on truth (This end time's prayer movement - Harp and Bowl- is God's chosen strategy) should be prepared to have their presumptions investigated.
Understand that one of the core teachings from Mike Bickle, the founder of this movement, is that people who question the movement are "rabid dogs" and that no defense - no answer- should be given to them. So don't expect a meaningful response from the supporters of this movement. Expect to be 'cut off.' Expect appeals to 'unity'. Interesting that 'unity' as they define it always depends on an acceptance of the teachings and practicies revealed (only) to them as God's specially anointed apostles and prophets.Tags: Harrisonburg, JMU-HOP, jmuhop, theprayerfurnace, Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace, 24-7 Virginia, Chi Alpha, IHOP, David Bradshaw, Scott Bradshaw, Bowie Curry, Randy Martinez, Mark Kazmier, FPF Missions Base, The Prayer Furnace, The Burn, The Burn Service, Solemn Assembly, Prayer Room, Campus Strike Force
15 comments:
- Anonymous9/1/11, 6:41 PM
Even though there may be no formal (or publicly revealed) connections..ReplyDelete
Clarify please... I ask because while I have heard of this through their teaching in DVD, I seem to remember at a seminar I attended with one of their people leading it, that this WAS an IHOP developed thing.
But then I also have attended seminars on prophetic worship" and the method is the same when it came to the "hows" of doing this type of worship. I learned this method before IHOP was even a glint in their eye. So maybe this is why they do not take direct credit for the method but just "revised" the name to meet the Revelation verse.
Virtually all Harp and Bowl type meetings are connected in some way with IHOP - through training, cross-pollination, published manuals and prayer-lists. By formal, I mean there is no formal oversight by IHOP-KC, as they do not work under a centralized governmental style. Its not a denomination, but the ties are strong.ReplyDelete
Significantly, the IHOP Harp and Bowl model is propagated through the 24-hour broadcasts on the internet.
As to the origin of the model, that is beyond the scope of this article, but I believe that the 2 hour prayer cycle was refined in the prayer room at IHOP-KC.
same method?ReplyDelete
The Basics of the Harp and Bowl format
Every week has 84 – 2-hour sessions in the House of Prayer
Every 2 hour session is made up of 3 – 7 "cycles"
Each "cycle" is made up of four parts
1. Corporate song
Song everyone knows or can read on overhead.Brings unity to the whole room
2. Spontaneous singing – (can be…) Singing from the Word
Out of the overflow of the heart
Singing in your heavenly language
3. Developing a passage
Prayer leader presents passage from the Word. Gives reference, focus application, reads through passage
Opens with simple "on ramp" prayer
Begins to systematically work through the passage
Keeps prayers short and single - thematic
Interacts with singers alternately
Exhorts whole room to join in choruses or "warring in the Spirit"
Singers interact with responsive singing
Must stay on same theme as prayer leader
Can exactly repeat the prayer leader
Can be paraphrase of prayer leader
Can be a response from "God" – His acknowledgement of prayer
(their quotes- not mine - ed)
Interacts with prayer leader and other singers in-turn
Chorus leader (team captain) finds or promotes choruses for whole room
4. Warring in the Spirit - optional
Used as natural outflow of high times
Engages whole room in corporate experience
Is a "rally cry" and a resounding corporate "Amen!" – "So be it!"
Can be:
Singing from the Word – same passage that has been used
Out of the overflow of the heart
Singing in your heavenly language
Then anther cycle begins …. And so on!!!!
- Anonymous9/2/11, 10:18 AM
Same method as in terms of what is taught in one of the points of your response...ReplyDelete
Music played (any cord pattern that works)...
1) Scripture read
2) Someone comes and sings that scripture to the music being played
3) Next person comes and sings a paraphrase of that scripture to the music...
4) Someone else comes and sings an "application" of the scripture to personal life or situations.
5) then if it happens someone sings a "prophecy" that would come out of the preceeding singing, usually has something to do with the topic of the scriptures but not usually, just a "word from the Lord"....
That was what I meant by method...
Yes that sounds quite familiar. I can remember leading a froday night prayer watch where we also incorporated worship and prayer, but more in the tradition of Mahesh Chavda.
Anyhow, my current point, is that Harp and Bowl (tm) refers to the Bickle traditions (liturgy) and that most of not all prayer rooms incorporating this draw on the IHOP teachings a theology even though there is not a formal tie.
The ties are there, nonetheless, through impartation, training and cross-pollination.
You may note that most ofthe HOPs and Prayer Furnaces have their own training manual which are most often a copy-and-paste from an IHOP document, in many cases showing the IHOP/FOTN header or footer. You can also examine the metadata of the documents and often see a connection. Most often Jack Hill's name will appear there; he is the "Global Chief Technology Officer" at IHOP-KC.
- Anonymous9/2/11, 2:28 PM
I understand and you are correct. I look back at what my old church tried to do in starting this and yes, there WAS their own agenda ("vision") on how to do this but incorporated the IHOP Harp and Bowl as part of the vision, but also used their CDs to train with.ReplyDelete
And then of course, woud participate in seminars in the local area to get practice and training that another house of prayer would sponsor, inviting IHOP KC staff to teach at the seminar.
Anyway, that was just a side note on your post, back to the main thing!
Glad to make it clear. That was the point of item 1.ReplyDelete
1. The Harp and Bowl model is by its very nature integrated with Mike Bickle's IHOP ministry.
- Anonymous9/25/11, 3:35 AM
". . . one of the core teachings . . . of this movement, is that people who question the movement are "rabid dogs""ReplyDelete
I have no connection with the "Dominionst" movement but that "rabid dog" quote caught my eye.
As a former Jehovah's Witness I can tell you that they have been using that phrase for over a hundred years.
Nothing changes.
Good luck to all of you; I know what it feels like to join with people only to be betrayed by them.
- Anonymous1/25/12, 8:13 AM
I go to IHOP, but am not on staff or anything at all there. I know many people who come down here just to focus on the Lord. That is exactly what it is for me. I enjoy it immensely, although I have not been swayed to join them in their endeavors of training people etc...ReplyDelete
BUT I will say one thing: God being moved to change his mind through people praying IS biblical. Look at Abraham with Sodom and Gomorrah... He pleaded with God and God was moved and sent Angels to search the city for righteous people. They found none and spared Abraham's brothers family... There are a few other instances where that happened. God partners with people all the time to bring forth His desires and plans in the earth. Are they off on somethings?? Maybe... Do they love the Lord YES! Do I trust that the Lord will correct them and continue to speak life to them about who God created them to be YES! Maybe you could pray blessings of the wisdom of God on how to manage and govern better??? I have found in my prayer life when I pray blessings for people that that is what God usually wants to do: give us more insight into his heart... which is maybe what they need... I hear your point, but let's lift them up and pray for God to give them more wisdom because like you said, they won't listen to "criticism" anyway... which I haven't experienced too much here and i have challenged a few things since I have been here. I do notice apprehension when I do, but that's expected with ANY ministry... Anyways, God bless :)
- Anonymous1/25/12, 10:22 AM
I do notice apprehension when I do, but that's expected with ANY ministry...ReplyDelete
Are you saying that YOU have aprehension at times from what they challenge you on?
Really, did you ever consider that the aprehension just might be the Holy Spirit giving you discernment that something wasn't just fitting what God said in His word?
Wanted to quote anon here:ReplyDelete
Music played (any cord pattern that works)...
1) Scripture read
2) Someone comes and sings that scripture to the music being played
3) Next person comes and sings a paraphrase of that scripture to the music...
4) Someone else comes and sings an "application" of the scripture to personal life or situations.
5) then if it happens someone sings a "prophecy" that would come out of the preceeding singing, usually has something to do with the topic of the scriptures but not usually, just a "word from the Lord"....
This is actually the 'worship with the word' format, except the scripture is sung or read but accompanied by music. It is different than the 'intercession' sets. We used to call it 'harp and scroll'. This usually involves only 1 or 2 musicians and 2-3 antiphonal singers, rather than a full intercession team.
- Anonymous8/23/12, 1:39 AM
Actually, this was taught in Pasadena at the yearly "Worship Symposium" evey last weekend of January. It is a break out session and then it is done for real at a Saturday culmination night with full orchestra (or who ever would be there with instruments other than guitar/bass/drums) and a choir and a full worship team. This was not just some 1-2 players with a piano. It has about 20 - 30 instrumentalist and singers, full dance teams, full flag/banner teams, terrible tamborine players and 100+ in the congregation who were given the freedom to come to an open mic and sing/prophesy or whatever. It was and is the precurser to Harp and Bowl. Harp and Bowl IS NOT something "new" for intercessory prayer. It has been around for quite awhile, just taken on a new "name". In fact this is the place that I first heard that the "Beatles" where prophetic of their time and that "propheticness" was attributed to God speaking to the world. I was at a local seminar and when the leader brought it up, they where challenged whether that was scriptural or not and even the assistant to the leader got the leader to back off because it was controversial.
Just saying that the likeness of both Harp and Bowl, a poor hermanuetics of the Revelation Scripture, and what I was taught are the same.
You can call it what you want but I have done "Harp and Bowl" and it is just the same as what we did in the "prophetic Worship" classes that I took and taught.
The only difference I see is that you either sing the prayer back or a portion of a sentence of thought or scripture that might be shared and, IMHO, it is nothing more than "a jam session" with poor theology behind it
Indeed, there have been, and will continue to be many forms of prophetic prayer worship. Personally, I spent a few years leading a "watch of the Lord" in the Mahesh Chavda style. We did go back and forth between worship songs and prayer.ReplyDelete
What makes Harp and Bowl offensives is not that it is a STYLE of prayer/worship; it is promoted as THE STYLE. Becxause "God" revelealed to Mike Bickle that thsi was how the end-time forerunners would usher in the return of Christ. Either he is correct or he isn't. And that means that either his eschatology is correct or it isn't.
And this what was behind point $7, which I need to further develop in a future article:
7. Harp and Bowl to the casual observer appears very spontaneous and "spirit led." However, it is a very structured scheme which is liturgical in nature. Most objectionably, the scheme is promoted as God's chosen way- His "strategic plan" for the end times. Most all churches have an "order of service," which is what we call liturgy. Few churches would dare to claim that their traditional order of service is God's chosen plan for the end times. Harp and Bowl makes that claim.
- Anonymous8/23/12, 3:06 PM
I agree, the problem is the "elitist" attitude, which I believe starts in the "BluePrint Prophecy" and Harp and Bowl being, as you say, THE way to do it.ReplyDelete
Jesus is no longer the same yesterday, today, or forever, but as changed His mind on what Has been established in the scriptures. Though they are using the sfriptures to support thier theology, they do so with poor hermanuetics and grid the scriptures to their needs than to their discernment.
- Anonymous8/24/12, 11:25 AM
I also wanted to comment on point #7 and agree that it IS a scheme. I went to a seminar in the Salem Oregon area where one of the IHOPers from KC was there to lead it and he taught a whole group of people who were worship leaders how to do Harp and Bowl. There was nothing spontanous about it. It had a beginning with purpose, a middle section that had a purpose and an ending with a purpose. It was all laid out on what to do and how to get to a certain point to accomplish a specific purpose and yes very much warfare in nature.ReplyDelete
It was exactly the same as I was taught in the Worship Symposium each year in Pasadena. I could have gone on that platform and taught the same thing because that is what I did, only I wasn't focused on Intercessery Prayer.
I used the very same method with a program called Cleansing Stream which was and is a deliverence/warfare ministry. The method fit perfectly.
So you see the method is universal, you just make it fit for the specific ministry that one in in. And I agree, it is liturgical in nature, As an ex-Episcopalian and very much involved in those services I understand what that means.
Hope you take time to develope the #7 point soon.
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A growing number of studies have shown that adults with ADHD may be at greater risk for health- and safety-related problems than their peers without ADHD. Their greater risktaking behaviors and frequently erratic driving practices (inability to follow driving rules, inconsistent operation of vehicles) increase the chances of injuries. During adolescence and young adulthood, they may also have more unprotected sex with a greater number of partners than those without ADHD, and are therefore at greater risk for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted infections.
It is important that your child be informed as early as the preteen and early teen years about these areas of increased risk. A healthy and proactive stance for a young adult with ADHD includes monitoring his risk-taking behaviors closely. In general, the more fully he understands that his health and safety are his own responsibility, and that monitoring his risktaking behavior will always be an important part of his life, the better prepared he will be to meet these challenges. Switching to long-acting stimulant preparations or making sure symptoms are under control when driving or well into the evening hours may also help with critical decision-making and problem-solving skills affected by uncontrolled ADHD symptoms.

subset: commoncrawl


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A Moment of Torah: Lech L'cha Season 3
October 11, 2013
Watch this week's Moment of Torah, Lech L'cha, Genesis 12-17, featuring Jody Hirsh, Judaic Education Director at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
To record your own Moment of Torah, contact Jody Hirsh, Rabbi Shari Shamah or Deb Carneol. There are many portions still available! Watch past Moment's of Torah on our YouTube Channel.


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ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies' top farm club on Tuesday offered a free funeral to an eastern Pennsylvania fan recently diagnosed with ALS.
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs announced the winner of its funeral giveaway during a home game at Coca-Cola Park.
Steve Paul, 64, of Freemansburg got a standing ovation as he was wheeled onto the field and announced as the recipient of a funeral package valued at nearly $10,000.
Fans had to submit a 200-word essay describing their ideal funeral, and explain why they deserved a free one. More than 50 essays were submitted.
Paul wrote an essay explaining that he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in June. ALS is a progressive nerve disease that typically leads to paralysis and death.
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He said he asked for the funeral package to help comfort his family "and take one major concern from their minds." His funeral "should not be morbid or sad, but a gathering to enjoy and celebrate life and family I dearly loved," he wrote.
The team came up with the unusual promotion for one of its sponsors, a nearby funeral home.
The funeral package comes with a casket, embalming or cremation, hearse, headstone, flowers and a funeral or memorial service.


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Twelve Players Reportedly Receive 50-Game Suspensions for Connection to Biogenesis Clinic
Today, MLB is expected to hand down its Biogenesis-related suspensions, which, outside of Alex Rodriguez (expected later), will come in the form of agreed 50-game suspensions.
According to reports, there are a few new names:
- Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers outfielder.
- Everth Cabrera, San Diego Padres shortstop.
- Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers shortstop.
- Antonio Bastardo, Philadelphia Phillies reliever.
- Jordany Valdespin, New York Mets outfielder.
- Francisco Cervelli, Yankees catcher.
- Jesus Montero, Seattle Mariners catcher.
- Cesar Puello, New York Mets outfield prospect.
- Fautino De Los Santos, San Diego Padres pitching prospect.
- Sergio Escalona, Houston Astros pitching prospect.
- Fernando Martinez, New York Yankees outfield prospect.
- Jordan Norberto, free-agent pitcher.
The biggest names in the group were already known, and, as you can see, there are no Cubs. This, together with Ryan Braun's suspension and Rodriguez's anticipated suspension, marks a pretty gigantic moment in baseball's drug history.
Also, Rangers: are you sure you didn't want to pick up an outfielder at the Trade Deadline?
For the record, no vacationing was interrupted in the making of this post. Both kiddos are napping, and The Wife is out shopping. I was left to my own devices, so to speak.


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Minneapolis mobile grocery store options expand
Today, the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Betsy Hodges approved new rules that will allow mobile grocery stores to offer a bigger selection of healthy foods and operate in more locations than before. Food trucks that sell groceries are often viewed as a vehicle to align nutrition, food access, local farmers and jobs.
Under the new regulations, mobile grocery stores will be limited to parking lots of commercial, industrial or high density residential properties. No mobile grocery store may operate within 100 feet of a licensed grocery store or operating farmers markets except with express permission of that grocery store or farmers market. All must offer at least 50 items of fresh fruits and vegetables in at least seven varieties. They cannot sell alcohol, tobacco or tobacco related products. Non-food items will only be allowed as a minor accessory (making up no more than 10 percent of the goods offered for sale). Hours of operation will be 7 a.m.-10 p.m., and there are reasonable restrictions on noise, litter, vehicle storage and locations.
This ordinance change aligns with the City goals that businesses — big and small — start here, stay here, thrive here; and that healthy choices are easy and economical.Homegrown Minneapolis is a citywide initiative expanding our community's ability to grow, process, distribute, eat and compost more healthy, sustainable, locally grown foods. The City of Minneapolis is committed to citywide economic opportunity, social equality, and environmental health.
Published May 23, 2014


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University of South Florida Textbooks > Distance Education and Learning
Distance Education and Learning
Publisher:Clanrye International
Renting Options Buying Options
Own it? Sell it back
USF stays undefeated despite another slow start
USF vs. ECU: Halftime thoughts
USF volleyball loses in five-set match against conference rival UCF
Nasello and Viens shine in No. 16 USF win over Florida College
No. 16 USF women's soccer schedules makeup game for Friday
Don't be fooled by Nike's new campaign
Publisher:Clanrye International
Own it? Sell it back
Employers can list job opportunities for studentsPost a Job
Housing Providers can list available housingPost Housing
Post your own housing listing on Uloop and have students reach out to you!


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1996 Nissan Pathfinder Service Repair Manual DOWNLOAD
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PetSmart (PETM) is the largest pet supply store in North America, operating 1,149 retail stores in North America, with the average store size between 18,000 and 27,500 square feet.[1] PetSmart sells pet supplies and offers pet services (such as grooming), in addition to selling small pets. However, this lucrative retail niche has not gone unnoticed by supermarkets and big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) and Target (TGT), many of whom offer an increasing variety of pet food and supplies.
PetSmart's merchandising includes a breadth of products (about 10,500 distinct items) ranging from brand names as well as an its own private brands. PetSmart has been expanding its pet service offerings in the current decade, growing service revenues to over 10% of total revenues. These services not only earn a high margin, but also differentiate PetSmart from its competitors. Another method of differentiation is the inclusion of full-service veterinary hospitals in over 69% of PetSmart stores through a partnership with Medical Management International. Finally, despite the U.S. recession in 2009, PetSmart's net sales and same store sales grew during the year, as pet owners continued to spend on their pets in times of economic hardship.
PetSmart owns and operates a chain of over 1,149 pet supply stores throughout the United States and Canada. About 90% of PetSmart's revenue is derived from the sale of merchandise, including premium pet food, medicine, collars, small pets (fish, birds, reptiles, hamsters, etc) and other pet supply products. PetSmart sells products from branded manufacturers as well as its own private label merchandise. The remaining 10% of PetSmart's revenue come from pet services, such as pet grooming and training services provided on-site in PetSmart stores.
In 2009, PETM had total revenues of $5.3 billion, an increase from the previous year's total sales of $5.1 billion. Unsurprisingly, this increase in total revenues has increased PETM's net income. As a result of the increase in total revenues, PETM's net income increased from $192.7 million in 2009 to $198.3 million in 2009.
PetSmart stores carry a variety of pet foods and supplies in addition to pet services. The company divides its sales into the following segments:
Consumables merchandise sales includes pet food, treats, and litter. PETM emphasizes premium dog and cat foods, many of which are not available in supermarkets, warehouse clubs or other mass and general retail merchandisers, as well as our private label foods. The company also offers quality national brands traditionally found in supermarkets and warehouse clubs or other mass merchandisers, and pet stores.
Hardgoods merchandise sales includes pet supplies and other goods. PETM offers a broad assortment of pet supplies, including private label products, includes collars, leashes, health care supplies, grooming and beauty aids, toys and apparel, as well as pet beds and carriers. It also offer a complete line of supplies for fish, birds, reptiles and small pets. These products include aquariums and habitats, as well as accessories, décor and filters.
Our stores feature fresh-water tropical fish, birds, reptiles and small pets. PETM does not sell dogs or cats, but they do provide space in most stores for adoption and animal welfare organizations to use.
Pet services includes grooming, training, boarding and day camp. It also includes PetsHotels, which provides boarding for dogs and cats including 24-hour supervision by caregivers who are PetSmart trained to provide personalized pet care, an on-call veterinarian, temperature controlled rooms and suites, daily specialty treats and play time, as well as day camp for dogs.
Since 2005 pet services have grown steadily. Much of this growth has stemmed from the rollout of PetsHotels at select PetSmart stores in 2005, which provide overnight boarding for pets. In addition to the growth of boarding services, PetSmart offers grooming and training services, allowing owners to drop their pets off for a day of classes with PetSmart professional trainers. These services not only earn a higher margin than most physical merchandise sales, but they also differentiate PetSmart from grocery stores and big-box retailers so that more pet owners come to PetSmart (and ideally end up purchasing their pet supplies at PetSmart while their pet is being groomed or trained).
To complement its own pet services, PetSmart offers full-service veterinary hospitals in most of its stores through a partnership with Medical Management International. These hospitals provide routine examinations, vaccinations, dental care, pharmacies, and surgical capabilities. PetSmart does not receive the profits of these hospitals, but owns a portion of MMI through the partnership in the form of stock and also charges MMI license fees on an annual basis. In addition to financial benefits from its investment in MMI and license fees, these veterinary hospitals differentiate PetSmart from its competitors and draw pet owners to the firm's stores and can lead to add-on sales as owners walk around the stores.
The pet supply industry is highly fragmented and has attracted supermarkets, warehouse clubs and mass retailers in addition to the myriad specialty pet supply chains, independent pet stores, veterinarians, catalog retailers, and e-commerce players.
PetSmart's most direct competitor is privately held Petco, which operates over 1075 stores in the U.S. and carries over 10,000 distinct pet products.[3] However, as Petco is privately held, sales and financial data is unavailable for comparison. PetSmart also competes with discount retailers and big-box stores like Target (TGT) and Wal-Mart Stores (WMT). These companies can offer basic pet staples at lower prices than PetSmart by leveraging their size and economies of scale, but PetSmart attempts to compete on product breadth (10,500 distinct pet products) and services such as grooming and veterinarian visits.


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Oct. 31, 2000
Santa Clara Soccer Begins New Millenium After a Successful Decade in the 90's
Santa Clara men's soccer has established itself as one of the premier programs in the nation. With the 90's having already been crowned the most successful decade of Santa Clara men's soccer existence, the Broncos enter the new millenium sporting a 121-43-17 record, dating back to head coach Mitch Murray's inaugural season in 1991.
Last year marked the Broncos' fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament in as many years, and their second consecutive appearance in the Men's College Cup. Santa Clara also finished second in the West Coast Conference and for the ninth straight season, finished ranked in the top 25.
The 90's were definitely magical for the Santa Clara men's soccer team, and this year's young team hopes to continue the tradition of excellence that Murray and his staff have established through the past nine seasons. With the fire from last year's championship run still burning, the returning Broncos are prepared for another challenging year. Losing seven seniors to graduation, including All-Americans and current MLS players Eric Denton and Adam Eyre, only means that the 2000 team has some big shoes to fill.
Santa Clara returns 18 players from last year's squad and welcomes 13 newcomers, including 10 freshmen. Despite the youth, Murray is confident things will happen this year because of the excellent nucleus returning from last year's College Cup team. The veterans, coupled with a talented group of newcomers, will add up to a successful season and the potential for future improvement is excellent.
"It is a season of unknowns," Murray said. "There are so many possible combinations with this team after losing seven starters," Murray continued.
"The talent is there to have a great year but it depends upon how quickly the team gels and plays together."
The Broncos will get an early indicator of where they stand when they play their first five matches of the season on the road, beginning with a Sept. 1 meeting at Sacramento State. They will also compete in two tournaments before returning home to host their own adidas Classic on Sept. 21 and 23.
An October 6 road date at Gonzaga offers a good preview of what's to come in conference play this year. Murray expects an even tougher conference battle this season. Road trips to San Jose State, Stanford and Portland will be key tests for the Broncos, while fans can expect thrilling competition at Buck Shaw Stadium from a number of top-notch opponents, including UCLA, California and Loyola Marymount. Santa Clara ends its regular season at home against Loyola Marymount, who is also expected to be among the nation's best. Despite the overwhelming predominance of youth on the Santa Clara roster, Murray does have the luxury of relying on a quartet of seniors, Joe Ascolese, Brett Davis, Michael Goehring and Jeff Marinacci. All four return as veteran leaders and have helped lead Santa Clara to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including back-to-back appearances in the Men's College Cup in 1998 and '99, three upper-division WCC finishes and a top-25 finish in the national polls the past two seasons.
Ascolese eagerly awaits his return to the Bronco lineup after missing last season because of a foot injury he suffered during the preseason. Elected a co-captain of this year's squad, the attacking midfielder started in all 22 matches as a junior, recording two goals and three assists. His valuable work ethic and determination will allow him to become one of the top senior players in the country this year.
"We are tremendously excited to have Joe back with us this year," Murray commented. "He will have quite a tough task in front of him as he will not only be asked to join the attack but also get back and perform a role as a defensive midfielder," continued Murray.
Davis, who was one of only eight Bronco players to see playing time in all 23 matches last season, totaled four goals and an assist last season. He was outstanding when the game was on the line as two of his four goals were game-winners. Davis, a three-year starter, is a speedy player who gives the Broncos a dangerous attacker on overlapping runs down the right flank. "
"Brett is our playmaker. He is a key player on this team. He has the ability to score big goals and start the attack," Murray said.
"He will be the player who will see the ball a great deal in the midfield.
Goehring, who started last season injured, appearing in 13 matches, will help cover the loss of All-America defender Adam Eyre, and will contribute greatly to the success of the Bronco defense. A major factor in the Broncos' late-season run, Goehring scored three of his season's four goals in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, which ties him for the all-time Santa Clara single-post-season record.
Marinacci gives the Broncos a defensive-oriented player who stays back rather than pressing forward. Although he saw action in only one match last season, Marinacci is expected to see increased playing time in the Bronco backfield during his last season wearing the red and white.
Defender Jeff Stewart and goalkeeper Rusty Johnson headline a talented junior class, and are joined by returning starters Keith Burden, Justin Canel and Anthony Chimienti. Stewart, a co-captain on this year's squad, earned second team All-West Coast Conference honors a year ago, and returns as one of the top defenders in the conference. One of only three Broncos to start in all 23 matches last season, the Washington native was a stalwart on one of the top defensive units in school history. He helped Santa Clara to post 11 shutouts and a 0.69 GAA in 1999, and 21 blankings and a 0.71 mark during the last two campaigns.
"Jeff, in my opinion, is a professional-caliber type of player," Murray said.
"He possesses tremendous concentration, is a great competitor, an outstanding tackler and organizes the defense very well. He is going to be the key to anchoring the defense for us this year."
The 6-0 Johnson had an outstanding sophomore campaign after playing in only one match as a freshman. A first team All-West Coast Conference performer last season, Johnson finished the 1999 season ranked 14th nationally in goals-against average (0.73). He established a Santa Clara record for consecutive shutout minutes, blanking opponents in the first six matches and 526:55 of the season. A physical keeper capable of making outstanding saves, Johnson is so valuable as he allows his opponents very few second chances.
"Rusty had a phenomenal year for us last year," Murray said. "What impressed me the most was he maintained his consistency throughout the year. He allowed very few second chances to our opponents." Burden, a defender from Niwot, Colo., provides quickness and size in the Bronco backfield. A converted defender who used to play up front has started in 43 of the 45 matches he has played in, and brings exceptional experience to a young Bronco defense. Burden is a dual threat to opponents, creating havoc on both the offensive and defensive ends of the field. Last season he tallied three goals and three assists with all three goals being game-winners. He was named Defensive MVP of the Clemson Invitational and also earned a spot on Soccer America's Team of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal with just 12 seconds remaining in a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against Clemson.
Canel, who is projected to start at the defensive midfield position for the Broncos, appeared and started in 19 matches as a sophomore. He charted one goal while totaling two assists in first season as a starter. The California native is the latest Santa Clara soccer player to utilize the flip-throw restarts and can hurl the ball up to 50 yards with the somersault throw. In fact, Canel was responsible for Santa Clara's lone goal in a 1-1 tie with WCC rival Saint Mary's as his flip-throw ricocheted off a Gael defender and into the goal for an own goal.
"Justin stepped in and had a solid sophomore year. He really matured after his freshman year," said Murray. "If he continues to improve at this rate, he could become a dynamic and dominating midfielder." The leading scorer on last year's squad, Chimienti will be looked upon as an integral part of the Bronco attack up front. An honorable mention All-West Coast Conference selection as a sophomore, the San Jose native scored a team-high nine goals and added five assists for a team-high 23 points, becoming just the fourth Bronco in the last five seasons to post 20 or more points in a single-season. A quick and dangerous goal scorer, Chimienti earned Offensive MVP of the Clemson Invitational, scoring the game-tying goal in the 87th minute and assisting teammate Keith Burden on the game-winner with 12 seconds remaining against the Tigers.
Goalkeeper Kevin Mehrens and midfielder Burke Ewers round out the returning list upperclassmen. Mehrens showed great promise in the six matches played in as a sophomore, recording a 0.00 goals-against average in 88:43 minutes between the pipes. He did not have to make a save in the six matches. He will compete with Johnson for playing time in the net. Ewers, who saw action in eight matches as a sophomore, provides depth at both flank positions where he can utilize his speed and dribbling ability to beat outside defenders.
Sophomores Stephen Biondolillo, Michael Leonard, Scott McLain and Steve Millward, and redshirt freshmen Chris Morrill, Thomas Neptune and Claudio Storelli round out the list of returning players for the Broncos. McLain, a midfielder from Irvine, Calif., saw a great deal of playing time last season as a rookie. He appeared in 20 matches, scoring one goal. He can cover a lot of ground and can create many opportunities for both himself and his teammates because of his mobility.
Biondolillo, Leonard and Millward each saw limited playing time as freshmen, playing behind a talented corps of upperclassmen. Each will add depth to the Bronco lineup this season. Morrill, Neptune and Storelli return after redshirting during their freshman campaign. Morrill and Storelli, both goalkeepers, learned a great deal from Johnson and Mehrens last season, and should see playing time this season. Neptune will also compete for playing time in a talented Bronco midfield. A trio of transfers joins 10 incoming freshmen on this year's Bronco squad. Junior Tony Cota and sophomores Kirk Fonseca and Jamil Walker bring a wealth of experience to the team. Cota, a midfielder, has played the last two seasons at Saint Mary's. He played in all 19 matches last season, earning the starting nod in 12, totaling six points after scoring two goals and tallying two assists.
Fonseca comes to Santa Clara after playing his freshman campaign at San Diego State. A proven forward, Fonseca is a dangerous goal scorer and is expected to make an immediate impact on the Bronco team. He has tremendous experience at the club level, playing 13 years for the Claremont Stars who won the Far West Regional national championship two consecutive years. Walker reunites with his brother Rahim, a freshman on this year's team, after playing one year at the United States Air Force Academy. Murray will rely on Walker's speed to replace former Bronco Ari Rodopoulos in the back. The New York native gained valuable playing experience as a freshman at Air Force, appearing in 10 of the Falcons' 19 matches, and starting in seven. He scored three goals and added an assist with all seven points coming at the hands of Oregon State.
The Santa Clara backline was strengthened with the addition of incoming freshmen Audren Cashman and Ryan Purtell. Both should challenge for playing time in a young Bronco backline.
Adding firepower to an already experienced and talented Santa Clara midfield are newcomers Santigie Fofana-Dura, Akil Foderingham, Kellen Gilmore and Jeff Tunison. Fofana-Dura can also play in the back.
Freshmen Nick Ascolese, Philip Johnson, Matt Upton and Rahim Walker bring much-needed depth to a Bronco front line that lost three veteran players from a year ago. Ascolese also reunites with his brother Joe who is a senior captain on this year's team.
Despite the leadership of the 2000 senior class, just how well the Broncos come together as a team and improve throughout the course of the year will depend mostly on the development of the underclassmen. It is a team loaded with talent and heart that will keep Program 90's on track and headed to a brand new decade.


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ARMSTRONG'S BIG TEST: Fallen sports icon Lance Armstrong's "no-holds-barred interview" with Oprah Winfrey is airing Thursday night on her OWN network. AP Sports Columnist John Leicester is watching the broadcast and giving his impressions of the interview as it unfolds:
The sport's bosses at the International Cycling Union will be breathing a sigh of relief. The big questions have always been not only how did Armstrong get away with doping but also whether he paid cycling's powerbrokers to cover up tests, to look the other way — which they insist he did not. Armstrong says money he donated to the ICU to buy a drug testing machine was "not in exchange for any cover up." The ICU's bosses will also doubtless be pleased to hear Armstrong suggest that the drug testing program it uses now, based around a so-called "biological passport" that monitors riders' blood values, is a deterrent to doping. Believe it or not, Armstrong says he did not dope when he came out of retirement and rode in the Tours of 2009 and 2010. "Absolutely not."
Armstrong's words confirm what some of us who cover sports have long suspected: to dope, cheaters have to delude themselves, believe their own lies. Armstrong says that doping didn't feel wrong at the time, that he didn't feel bad about it and that he didn't feel as if he was cheating. He even had to look up the dictionary definition of cheat, he says. "I viewed it as a level playing field," he tells Winfrey. But it wasn't. For starters, not all riders doped like he did. And not all dopers take the same products or get the same performance enhancing boost from them. Basically, Armstrong seems to be telling us that not only did he dope but he also didn't let it prick his conscience.
Stunning to see Armstrong seemingly so humble and introspective. That was something he used to have no time for. "Introspection doesn't get you anywhere in a race," he had said in his biography, "It's not about the bike." Cynics may think that he has simply been well coached for this interview with Winfrey. But he seems to realize that his stock is at rock bottom and that he can't afford to duck and dive Winfrey with his answers. "I'm not the most believable guy in the world," he says. "I am deeply flawed."
Remember all that hot air Armstrong used to spout about being the most tested athlete ever? Well, turns out he never worried that he would get caught.
"No," was his simple answer when Winfrey asked him about that. That will come as a shock to his supporters — are there many left? — who bought Armstrong's line that not testing positive actually proved something. The line from sports now is that drug tests are far more reliable than they used to be when Armstrong and his peers were injecting the kitchen sink and getting away with it. Still, it's downright discouraging to think that testing was so ineffective. So what about all the athletes in the all the others sports? This admission that cheating wasn't that difficult should be a wake-up call: testing must improve.
"One big lie," says Armstrong, putting the final nail into his myth. To their credit, Armstrong and Winfrey haven't beaten around the bush. From the get-go, we hear Armstrong say "yes" — he doped for all seven of his Tour de France victories. Blood doping, the blood booster EPO, human growth hormone, testosterone — the panoply of drugs and methods that many riders used when cycling became chemical warfare in the 1990s. Armstrong is being surprisingly candid. Few will dispute that doping was part of the culture in cycling. But his critics say Armstrong perpetuated it.
In 2003, when The Associated Press first dispatched me to the Tour de France to cover a guy from Texas who was on his way to becoming the race's most successful champion, I never imagined for one moment that a decade later I'd be waiting to hear him say that we all should have stayed home.
Not that there weren't suspicions that Armstrong might be doping. They had been around at least since his first Tour de France victory in 1999, when dope tests found traces of a corticosteroid in his urine. Armstrong blamed a prescription skin cream used to treat saddle sores.
But Armstrong's doping appeared to be a such a well-kept secret that he would take it to his grave. To learn now that he was cheating like many other riders would not be stunning. Didn't we know that? But to hear him admit it would be. Do sports stories get any bigger than the rise and fall of Armstrong? One is tempted to say that you couldn't make this stuff up. But I guess that's why people around the world will be tuning in: because it seems that you can.
Nearly 14 years after first winning the bike race that turned him into a global sports megastar, is Lance Armstrong finally going to tell the truth — or his latest version of it — about the role performance-enhancing drugs played in his career and seven Tour de France victories?
It's not as though he has much choice. The evidence gathered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency of systematic drug use on his U.S. Postal Service cycling team was so overwhelming that Armstrong could look foolish and deluded if he insists to Oprah Winfrey that he rode clean, as he's always done until now. But, at this point, who still believes that?
Armstrong hasn't spoken at length and publicly about the thick dossier of evidence USADA published in October. To now admit to doping after years of denial will undoubtedly be painful and embarrassing for Armstrong, a proud and intensely competitive man. But this is also an opportunity for Armstrong to start the long trek back from disgrace and try to seek forgiveness.
Will he seize it or make matters worse by being insincere and sparing with the facts and apologies?
For Armstrong to speak first to Winfrey and not to a roomful of sports journalists who have followed his rise and fall smacks of a public relations exercise. If Armstrong's purpose was to help his sport rather than himself, he would have come clean not to America's high priestess of televised confessions but to anti-doping officials who wanted to learn firsthand how he and his team pulled off what USADA called "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
His choice of interviewer will mainline Armstrong into America's living rooms. That's where he needs to start repairing his tattered reputation to become marketable again. Speaking to Winfrey is a play for forgiveness — not from the cycling community but from a far broader audience, including disappointed fans of the cancer fighter and viewers who don't care for cycling but are hungry consumers of celebrity and the modern pantomime of public disgrace and redemption.
Landing Armstrong and becoming confessor to the man who for so long looked the least likely candidate in sports to admit to doping is a massive coup for Winfrey. But she could take some heat if she didn't ask the tough questions and if the material proves unworthy of her network's decision to spread it out over two nights, not one as first announced.
Why now?
Only when cornered is Armstrong making what is expected to be an ungainly U-turn after more than a decade of insisting that he competed clean and of hounding those who suggested otherwise.
Sponsors who stuck with Armstrong through the storms of suspicion that punctuated his cycling career have now abandoned him, costing him millions in future earnings.
To spare it more turmoil, Armstrong was forced to cut ties to Livestrong, the cancer-fighting charity he founded in 1997, the year after he was diagnosed at age 25 with testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain.
USADA has voided all of his competition results from Aug. 1, 1998, including the record string of seven Tour wins that made him rich, famous and buddies with pop stars and presidents.
The International Olympic Committee this week wrote to Armstrong asking that he return the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Olympics.
The sport's boss, Pat McQuaid, has said Armstrong "deserves to be forgotten in cycling."
In short, Armstrong's reputation couldn't sink any lower. To have any hope of surfacing again, he had to do something. He surely never anticipated that he would ever hit bottom like this — coming clean to Winfrey. Or will it just be clean-ish?
Armstrong must have decided that the alternative — do nothing — was worse.
There are so many questions that it's hard to whittle them down. If Armstrong confesses to doping, this would be my top five:
Why? Other riders — perhaps not many, but some — refused to take drugs to win, why didn't you?
Do you think doping contributed to your cancer? How after surviving cancer could you play Russian roulette with your body by doping?
Did bosses at the top of the sport, in the International Cycling Union, know about your doping, did they cover up positive tests, tip you off to tests, take money to look the other way and, if so, will you name and shame?
Outside your circle of family and friends, name three people who most deserve an apology from you and explain why.
In your second biography, "Every Second Counts," in 2003, you wrote that it would "just kill me" if anyone said to your kids that "your dad's the big fake, the doper." What lessons do you think they should draw from your rise and fall, your cheating and lies?
Do those exceedingly long straws in the glasses of water next to Armstrong and Winfrey during their interview remind anyone else of the rubber tubing that dopers use to give themselves illegal blood transfusions?
Some of Armstrong's teammates testified to USADA that they doped and injected in hotel rooms when they rode together on the Tour. Did they look anything like this hotel room in Austin, Texas, where Winfrey taped the interview on Monday?
John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester


text:
How to Install
- Download and install WebCatalog.
- Open WebCatalog.
- Follow the instruction to pick your preferred web engine.
- In the Directory page, use the search box to look for Basecamp.
- In the search results, look for Basecamp and click Install.
- Click Open to launch the app.


text:
Heroic intervention, hightechnology
diagnostic and monitoring methods, skilled nursing, intensive
and complex medication and, where appropriate, surgery of sometimes
mindboggling complexity, all add up to a magnificent refinement
of those many skills required for the saving of life after a sudden
infarct, thrombosis or embolism, as well as other major causes
of emergency circulatory mayhem.
But . . .
There is a darker side to
the brilliant progress exemplified by such medical techniques,
relating to an apparent lack of awareness of, or interest in,
safer alternative treatment methods for dealing with precrisis
conditions. Among these relatively inexpensive and safe preventive
measures must be numbered chelation therapy. (It is also useful
in treatment of coronary thrombosis see below.)
Many of the drugs used by
conventional medicine for prevention and treatment of such conditions
do not address causes but rather tamper with symptoms (for example,
drugs which lower blood pressure, while ignoring the causes of
its elevation, or which interfere with calcium uptake without
dealing with the longterm effect of residual calcification,
or drugs which attempt to reduce heightened cholesterol levels,
proving themselves successful at this task but leading to a higher
mortality rate from other causes than were nothing done at all).
Most such drugs create at least as many problems as they solve
(compare this with the results of EDTA treatment on cholesterol
as described below).
There is also strong evidence
of the overuse of surgical methods, such as bypass surgery; indeed,
a recent US survey indicated that almost half of bypass operations
were not essential, even though this survey took orthodox criteria
as to what was 'essential' as the yardstick.
And whatabout transplants?
The concentration of surgical experts and their backup teams
with hightech, spectacular, surgical methods (such as are
employed in transplant surgery) benefit very few (albeit often
amazingly so), while depriving or delaying care for many more
through such allocation of scarce resources.
In the USA, where chelation
now has a 30year track record it might be expected that
insurance companies would be supportive of chelation therapy as
a cheaper alternative to bypass surgery. And yet this not yet
so. A recent legal action, brought by a patient against his insurance
company (for refusing to pay his expenses for highly successful
chelation treatment) led to some pertinent comments from the judge
trying the case. The case was heard in Lorain County, Ohio where
the judge, George Ferguson, ordered Aetna Insurance to pay the
chelation expenses, stating in his judgement:
The complexities of prejudice,
ignorance of alternatives, and in some cases outright vested commercial
interest, are all sometimes involved in the antagonism of many
medical practitioners to chelation therapy. Nevertheless, hundreds
of physicians support its simpler and safer approaches to degenerative
cardiovascular conditions, and its safety record is evident to
all who wish to investigate it.
Just what does EDTA do when
it is infused? In order to appreciate its activities we need to
return to cellular metabolism for a short while.
Body cells contain miniature
factories in which complex biochemical processes are continuously
underway with raw materials being turned into energy and protein
compounds. Within the cell there exist internal transportation
mechanisms and also the means for the transfer of raw materials
into the cell, as well as of processed products and wastes out
of it. These precise and dynamic functions, however, many of which
depend upon complex enzyme activity, are vulnerable should the
materials which surround the cell become damaged.
The intracellular membrane
which surrounds the cell is far from being a mere envelope, but
is involved in important organizational functions, including the
control of what passes through it. The active cell membrane is
itself made up of lipids (and cholesterol), proteins and water.
Should free radical activity take place in its vicinity, destructive
effects occur, producing lipid peroxidation (this is what happens
when fats become rancid). When this occurs the functioning of
cell 'factories' would be either severely disorganized or put
out of action, the organizational enzymes could be lost, the distribution
of raw material and finished manufactured products and energy
disorganized, and a process started of local tissue degeneration.
This is the picture of what
happens when atherosclerosis begins in an artery wall. Much lipid
peroxidation activity involves the presence of metal ions such
as iron, copper or calcium and it is these which EDTA so effectively
locks onto, preventing their destructive influence from operating.
Research over the past 30
years has confirmed this benefit from EDTA (e.g. Barber and Bernheim).
Of course, this protective influence would be much enhanced were
there an appreciable presence of antioxidant nutrients such as
vitamins C and E, selenium, and amino acid complexes such as glutathione
peroxidase, which not only mop up free radical activity but also
assist in building up cell membrane stability.
Within each cell there reside
up to 2500 miniature energy producing factories, the mitochondria.
One of the main functions of each mitochondria is to translate
inorganic phosphate (ADP), sugar (glucose) and oxygen into adenosine
triphosphate (ATP), the universal form of energy used by the body.
This energy producing activity of the mitochondria involves a
series of intricate, complex and vital biochemical processes dependent
on vast numbers of enzymes (estimates vary from between 500 to
10,000 complete sets of oxidative enzymes in each mitochondria)
which are themselves dependent upon dozens of nutrient factors
and cofactors.
If calcium is abnormally deposited
in arterial walls this inhibits some enzyme activity and negatively
influences ATP (energy) production. If through free radical activity,
or through any other disturbing influences on normal energy production
or transfer by damaged mitochondria, cells can become energy starved,
they tend then to become more acidic. This happens for a multitude
of reasons: it may be to do with ageing or to calcium/magnesium
ratios becoming unbalanced, due to free radical activity, local
toxicity, oxygen deficit, nutritional imbalance, etc. Elmer Cranton,
MD, reminds us that EDTA increases the efficiency of mitochondrial
oxidative phosphorylation (energy production) quite independently
of any effect on arterial blood supply' and let us not forget
his statement that EDTA can reduce the production of free radicals
by a millionfold.
Cells which have become energy
starved and more acidic for whatever reason start to attract calcium
ions, drawing them into the cell, further blocking energy production.
An increase in calcium inside cells, accompanied by reduced oxygen
and lower energy manufacture and availability, is a typical picture
found in degenerative cardiovascular conditions. It is also a
prescription for the muscles which surround the arteries to go
into spasm. This is the reason for the use of calcium channel
blocker drugs, which may be effective in blocking calcium uptake
by muscle cells but do nothing about the underlying condition.
Morton Walker and Garry Gordon
(1982) have discussed calcium channelblocking drugs:
Elmer Cranton and Arline Brecher
(1984) describe some of the stages involved:
This process is compounded
by the presence of additional vitamin D and cholesterol because
free radical activity helps to convert cholesterol into substances
with vitamin D activity, resulting in plaque (in which cholesterol
is usually bound) attracting calcium, thus cementing the material.
EDTA infusion, which has the
ability to remove metal ions, stops or slows metals which are
significant causes of free radical production. In removing metals,
local toxicity is reduced and enzyme production and function improves.
We should not underestimate the role of toxic metal ions in the
body, whether these are of lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, iron
or aluminum. Once these have been chelated by EDTA and removed
from their deposition sites, free radical activity and consequent
disruption of metabolic function is largely prevented. Once this
has happened normal enzyme function resumes.


text:
Look for open windows
Written by Karrie Bischoff, 100th Meridian Manufacturing, Inc Cozad Wednesday, 14 October 2009 22:24
When a door closes a window opens, you just have to be willing to look around. I believe that the events with Tenneco and other major outside companies during this downturn should be a wake up call for all of us.
As a small business owner that has fought to stay in Cozad, we have the market potential to grow and create jobs. I know that there are many other existing businesses and entrepreneurs in this area that have potential to create jobs.
We are in the heart of farm country; we make many things grow, so why can't we grow our own jobs. Economic gardening is happening all over the United States. With our neighbors to the west in Littleton, CO, and Wyoming leading the way with resources and support for their own vs. the extensive and costly recruiting philosophy of economic development.
The survival of our communities will depend on our leaders looking outside the box, to cultivate the opportunities that are in our own backyard. We all need to consider any job created is a success, a foreclosure diverted, a student retained, a consumer salvaged, and a family saved in our community.


text: Peter F. "Pete" Rebout, Jr., 76, of Kewanee, died at 7:03 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 in the emergency room at Kewanee Hospital. Cremation has been accorded and a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 12 at Rux Funeral Home, Kewanee. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the funeral home. Private inurnment will take place with his family. Memorials can be directed to the VFW or the donor's choice.


text:
Fefo wrote:Uh, you realize that P2P (in torrents) is just a form of distribution, right? Linux distros, Blizzard content, legit stuff. Most of the times there's a hash for integrity check too.
Anyway, here's the forum link if you're into classic downloads: http://am2r.freeforums.org/am2r-full-re ... t1599.html . PM your email and I'll send you both version when I can manage.
Look out, the cyberpolice will get you!!!


text:
A 22-year-old man was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore in critical condition after he ran out in front of an SUV at the intersection of Hanson Road and Woodbridge Center Way in Edgewood Thursday evening, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.
At about 6:39 p.m., Myles Daye Murphy, of the 800 block of West Spring Meadow Court in Edgewood, was hit as he ran into the path of a 2002 Ford Explorer being driven by Donnita Adams, 32, of Edgewood, according to Eddie Hopkins, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies were told Murphy was running from the Woodbridge Valley community toward the Harford Square community when he entered the road in front of the Explorer, the sheriff's office reported. Adams swerved her vehicle trying to miss hitting Murphy, but was unable to avoid hitting him.
Murphy was treated at the scene by members of the Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company and then flown to the shock trauma by Maryland State Police Medevac, the Sheriff's Office reported.
Murphy was listed in critical condition at shock trauma Tuesday afternoon.
Deputies preliminarily ruled the accident was caused by pedestrian error. No charges have been filed against the driver, according to the Sheriff's Office.


text:
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The italian job 2003 In Venice, Italy, John Bridger, a professional safecracker, has just left the store and bought a necklace for his daughter, Stella. He later goes to the St. Mark's Square to meet with Charlie Croker, a professional thief and his protege, where they discuss their latest plan; to steal 35 million dollars […]
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http://www.freep.com/article/2013013...071/1051/rss163:04 PM, January 30, 2013
By Jamie Samuelsen
Detroit Free Press Special Writer
Do you feel the same way about Rodney Stuckey as you do about Titus Young?
No organization chews up and spits out coaches faster than the Detroit Pistons. And as much as Id love to blame all of that on Rodney Stuckey, this actually predates him.
Stuckey had nothing to do with the ouster of Rick Carlisle or Larry Brown unless he was already using his mystical powers from his hometown of Kent, Washington or from Eastern Washington University.
But since Stuckey arrived in Detroit in 2007, hes become the poster child for the NBA problem child. Stuckey is in just his sixth NBA season and hes on his fourth different coach (Flip Saunders, Michael Curry, John Kuester and now Lawrence Frank). And while Stuckey isnt the only reason those coaches havent worked out, hes famously had beefs with each of them. His deactivation from the Orlando game on Sunday night was only the latest episode.
He said upon being reinstated that the issue with Frank was in the past he was all about the team. That would be great if it were true. It was also mark perhaps the first time in years that Stuckey was in fact all about the team.
Was he all about the team when he refused to re-enter the game in the second half on Dennis Rodmans number retirement night against the Bulls?
Was he all about the team when he was part of the mutiny against Kuester when a group of players refused to practice prior to a game in Philadelphia and were all suspended for the game that night? Stuckey showed up late to the shootaround and was benched for the game in which the Pistons only played six players. He was seen laughing on the bench along with Tracy McGrady when Kuester was ejected late in the first half.
Was he all about the team when he played 27 minutes in a game in 2011 against the Raptors and attempted only one field goal? (This from a player who averaged nearly 12 shots from the field during that season and took 18 shots against the Knicks just two games later)
And those are just some of the episodes that were public. One can only imagine what goes on during practice or in the locker room. One can only imagine what Stuckey did to draw the ire of Frank. Actually, one can imagine quite easily because nothing that Stuckey does anymore comes as a surprise.
Ive long wondered what Stuckey has ever done as an NBA player to justify his consistent diva-like behavior and Ive long gone without an answer. Perhaps it was the comparisons to Dwyane Wade coming out of college or the strong first-year playoff performance against the Boston Celtics or Joe Dumars terming him some sort of sacred cow in the summer of 2008.
But the comparisons to Titus Young are valid. Both are talented, or so were told. Both act as if theyre among the best in the game even though there is little statistically or empirically to show that they are. And both have done more bad than good in their time in Detroit.
And heres one more comparison - can we please be done with both of them?
Youngs future seems very much in jeopardy given how last season ended and his little Twitter rant from last week. But he remains a Lion because he does have some talent and because other than Calvin Johnson, things are so unsettled at the wide receiver position.
Stuckey remains a Pistons because - why exactly? Hes in the second year of a three-year, $25-million contract that Dumars inexplicably handed him when the lockout ended in December 2011. Hes averaging career lows in shooting percentage (38 percent) and free-throw percentage (79 percent), and his points-per-game average (11.3) is the second-lowest of his career behind only his rookie season (7.6), when he averaged 19 minutes a game.
Sure, there are excuses to be made for Stuckey. Hes more comfortable with the ball in his hands (show me someone who isnt). Hes losing playing time to Brandon Knight, who is woefully inconsistent (show me a lottery team that doesnt defer to younger players). Hes never been able to find a comfort level at point guard or shooting guard after getting shuttled back and forth between the two positions and between the starting lineup and the bench (Sorry, has he ever shown that he deserves one spot on this team?)
At some point, the excuses have to stop and Stuckey needs to take a look at the one constant in these issues -- himself. In truth, that moment should have come long ago. But on this team where the players for years have been given far more power than they deserve, hes never had to atone for his missteps other than a game here or there.
Perhaps Dumars will look to trade him at the deadline, thinking that a contender could use a combo guard coming off the bench. Although if I were a team with a shot at a title, Id look with a wary eye at an inconsistent player who has battled virtually every coach hes had and thinks of himself as a star player. Titles are normally won with a group of players who are happy to take a backseat if needed. Stuckey has never shown the ability or the will to do anything of the sort.
More likely, Stuckey will ride out his time here in Detroit. Hell have some nice moments and some nice games. Hell battle with coaches and do nothing to endear himself to an already weary fan base. Plenty of egos and plenty of divas have rolled through Detroit. Most all of them have done something to earn that right or earn those egos. Stuckey hasnt.
Were still waiting for that to happen. And well probably continue to wait.


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Maryland has long been a cultural crossroads. For at least 12,000 years people have left traces of their existence in the form of settlements, roads and artifacts. The physical remains of our past are known as cultural resources and reveal how Native Americans, European Americans, and African Americans, among others, used Maryland's diverse landscape.
The Cultural Crossroads brochure provides an overview of SHA's responsibility and commitment to the preservation of Maryland's significant archaeology sites, buildings and bridges. View the Cultural Crossroads pamphlet online or download a printable version.
Programmatic Agreement and Minor Projects
MDOT SHA reviews numerous projects having limited potential to affect historic resources each year. In accordance with a Programmatic Agreement with the Federal Highway Administration, the Maryland Historical Trust, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, MDOT SHA makes a report of these project reviews available on a quarterly basis. If you would like to receive these reports, please send an email to email@example.com.
SHA archeologists study the past through the physical remains people left behind. These remains can be as small as a pottery fragment or as large as a sunken ship. Archeologists carefully excavate, record, and interpret artifacts that help explain the activities of people who lived in Maryland but may have left few or no written records.
Architectural History
The hallmarks Maryland's diverse cultural heritage are everywhere - from the 17th century signposts of Maryland's settlers to mid-twentieth century suburban developments. SHA architectural historians expand the understanding of our past by combining the investigation and study of historic standing structures with the research and interpretation of historic documents. SHA Architectural Historians partner with the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) to survey, identify, and record Maryland's historic standing structures in our mission to implement Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Maryland Environmental Policy Act (MEPA).
Historic Bridges
The Parkton Stone Arch Bridge was constructed in 1809. It is the oldest bridge in the Maryland still in use on MD 463 over Little Gunpowder Falls in Parkton, Baltimore County.
Bridges hold a special place in our cultural landscape. They represent links to our past, other communities and economic opportunity. Maryland has a number of historic bridges eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. In keeping with the National Historic Preservation Act and with our own commitment to protecting Maryland's unique structures, SHA has worked with the Maryland Historical Trust to identify historic bridges and small structures throughout the state. Click here to view the Maryland Historic Highway Bridges brochure.
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FAO brings food security agenda to UN General Assembly discussions
23 September 2013, Rome, Italy – FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva is in New York this week for the opening of the 68th UN General Assembly with the message that real change in society – especially the end of hunger – only occurs when many social actors join forces.
In addition to talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and bilateral meetings, the Director-General is expected to participate in the High-level event, "Milleninum Development Goals (MDG) Success: Accelerating Action and Partnering for Impact", hosted by the UN Secretary-General (23 September), the UN Inter-Agency Meeting on Inclusive Finance for Development (23 September), the International Labour Organization High-Level Policy Dialogue side event on the changing nature of employment (23 September), the Special event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (25 September), the MDG Achievement Fund Side Event (25 September), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Partner Forum Ministerial Meeting (26 September) and the High-level Meeting on the Sahel (26 September).
Eradicating hunger
As the world moves towards the 2015 deadline for the MDGs, meeting the MDG hunger target is still possible. According to FAO figures, 40 countries have already met the target while 80 more are on track, with their success due to broad partnerships of men and women from all walks of life.
Beyond 2015, FAO, the UN System, governments and other partners have already embraced even bolder goals, as laid out by the UN Secretary General in the Zero Hunger Challenge.


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INTEFLO 200 - Milan Junction, Italy
Italferr, the engineering subsidiary of the Italian State Railways, awarded Bombardier Transportation two contracts for the implementation of an INTERFLO 200 solution, comprising railway traffic management and safety systems, EBI Lock computer-based interlockings, and automatic block on the Pozzuolo-Treviglio line.
Under the contracts, Bombardier Transportation will supply, install, test and commission EBI Lock computer-based interlockings. The new interlockings will control a total of 333 signals, 161 point machines and 169 track circuits. Two automatic block systems will be installed on the Pozzuolo - Treviglio line and on the new Pozzuolo PJ1 AV Treviglio high-speed line. A total of 28 track circuits will be controlled by the new automatic block systems


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Work Continues
A trial court ruled that TransCanada could start installing the pipeline while Holland appealed. Landowners, some of whom also claim the pipeline doesn't qualify as a common carrier under state law, so far have failed to stop construction of the 485-mile southern leg.
"What's at stake here is whether the state should allow a public agency to allow condemnation for private gain," Tom Smith of Public Citizen, a consumers' rights advocacy group, said in an e-mail. "TransCanada has yet to prove to the court that they are transporting the product for the public good or for the public for hire as required by law."
Pipeline companies have been accustomed to "checking the box" on a state regulatory form to claim common-carrier status without having to prove it, said Edward Vassallo Jr., a Dallas property-rights attorney.
"Over time, many courts made it the rule, rather than the exception" by granting eminent-domain power to any pipeline, utility or school that requested it, Vassallo said. "We may start to see the pendulum swinging back."
Requirements 'Met'
David Dodson, a TransCanada spokesman, said before today's hearing that the company has met all legal requirements to prove Keystone is a common carrier. The company has "all the necessary permits and legal authority" to finish constructing its line and is confident it will prevail in court, he said in an e-mail.
"One can only speculate as to the consequences if existing interstate pipelines bringing crude oil from outside of Texas to the refineries on the Gulf Coast suddenly lost their common-carrier status," Dodson said. "This is a much larger issue than a single pipeline or a single project."
The Texas Supreme Court dealt the pipeline industry its first major eminent domain setback last year.
In the so-called Denbury case, the court denied condemnation rights to a firm that built a carbon-dioxide pipeline for its own use.
TransCanada has argued in court filings that the relatively narrow ruling doesn't apply to Keystone. Opponents of the pipeline are trying to use it against TransCanada in the current round of court challenges.
Rejected Offer
Before they wound up in a state court last year, Holland rejected TransCanada's offer of $446,864 for an easement across his farm, according to court papers.
He said he has since granted similar easements to other pipelines for slightly higher prices that included better environmental protections for his land.
"TransCanada isn't willing to pay fair market value, and they are not willing to provide landowners protection against an obviously dangerous pipeline," Holland said.
Holland claims Keystone improperly used common-carrier power of eminent domain to take his property after a condemnation proceeding valued an easement at just $20,808.
He wants the court to force Keystone to prove its common-carrier status so it can't take his land "without paying anything for years," he said.
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