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The Controlled Media
Why does the media change or hide stories from the American People? Why is the media being censored? There have been numerous events in just the last 10 years of this country that should appall all Americans. I see the destruction of our liberties and the undermining of our whole society. I briefly saw an article the other day about a former US Congressman that was linked to funding Al-Qaeda supporters. When I went to look for the article just a few hours later, it was gone. I ran a search and located the article on BBC, ABC News, and a few other non mainstream websites. Not a single one of the two mainstream media outlets (BBC or ABC) had the article on their homepage. It is almost like the media doesn't want you to know about the corruption of government officials, either that or they are being censored. This should be a huge story. The people have the right to know if a trusted official gave money to a terrorist organization. This article should have raised many questions about what is going on in government. Here a Congressman is accused of giving money to Al-Qaeda, a sworn enemy of the state. What else is going on that is being purposely hidden from the public? I have included the full article in the link below. I have yet to hear anything further about this story in the media.


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8 Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage patties, diced
1.5 lb yellow potatoes, diced
1 c peppers and onion (I used about 1/2 c onion and 1/4 c each of red and green peppers)
1 c 2% reduced fat Colby & Monterey Jack cheese
32 oz Egg Beaters or other egg substitute (equivalent to about 12 large eggs)
salt, to taste (I added about 1/2 tsp)
pepper, to taste (I added about 1/2 tsp)
optional to serve as breakfast burritos-
hot sauce
1. I recommend spraying your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray first.
2. Layer sausage, potatoes, peppers and onion, and cheese on top.
3. (I poured my egg substitute into a bowl and whisked the salt and pepper into the eggs) Pour egg over all ingredients.
4. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours, or until egg has set and is no longer runny.
Serving suggestions:
This dish is amazing all on its own, but we love to load it into a tortilla and have as breakfast burrito filling topped with salsa or guacamole.
Yields 15 servings, serving size 1/2 c

subset: commoncrawl


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I bought this ornament at Hable Construction the other day. It's made from a really thick wool felt, and the wings and tail have been treated somehow to make them more stiff - starch? It's so beautifully made; I thought it might give a few crafty people some inspiration.
Oh, by the way, I hade posted a while ago about purchasing yardage from Hable. Uh-uh: they sell to the trade only. So if you are or know a decorator you might be able to buy fabric, but you can't just call or stop by to purchase a yard or two. And I see that their website has been changed so it's not so misleading about that, which is good.


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After last week's wake-up call, I am now paying attention when I walk down the block or when I go for a jog, but what about that quick little walk from the grocery store to my car? Or as I leave work and head home? How aware am I in these danger zones? How aware are you? As you walk out the grocery sliding doors are you stressed over all that you still have to get done? When you call out your farewells to your coworkers and step outside are you zoned out after a long day's work? Is your head down as you check text messages on your phone? Are you fumbling in your purse or pocket to find your keys? How many times have I pushed open Autrey's front door and stepped out, thinking of the phone call I need to make or the dinner waiting on me and not on my surroundings? Countless. Thankfully, nobody has ever been waiting for me in the parking lot (I imagine gun store employees are probably not the most ideal targets for criminals) but past inactivity does not preclude future activity. Simply because it never has happened does not mean it never will.
In our suburban, commuter life one of the prime target areas for criminals to attack us is parking lots and parking garages. As we head to our cars, we are normally preoccupied with mental To-Do Lists, the ever-increasing cost of items, or any other myriad topic. We also frequently have bags or items in hand or are pushing a shopping cart. This also makes us very vulnerable. Our response to any threat is highly limited physically due to these items and also the mental block of dropping all those groceries unto the ground in order to fight back. We just paid all this money for them and, as silly as it is in comparison to the value of our lives, we just don't want to let them go. Please, just drop them. They are not worth it. Parking lots are also vulnerable areas due to the high level of concealment offered to criminals, the low number of witnesses, and the availability of a quick get-away.
Ok, so now what? What do I do to stay safe? After talking it over with Security Officers, LEOs, coworkers and extensive internet searching I have developed a list of action items.
- Lock your doors!!! Sounds simple, but apparently some people still don't lock their doors. If you are this person, please, for your sake, lock your doors!
- Walk with confidence and assertiveness. (If you have ever seen The Dog Whisperer, you know the walk I'm talking about.)
- Keep your head on swivel. Remember the world is 360°. Look up, down, and all around.
- Park your vehicle farther from the store entrance. Not only is this a great way to get in some exercise, but it also decreases the number of vehicles parked next to you.
- Notice the vehicles that park next to you. If a van or other large vehicle (especially with tinted windows) is parked on your driver's side, get in on your passenger side. Or if you are not able to do that, go back and get somebody to come out with you. A van is a perfect vehicle for a criminal to open the door, grab you, and drive off, all without the security cameras capturing a thing.
- As you approach your vehicle, look under your car as well as checking out the vehicles next to it. Criminals may hide under cars and pull your legs out from under you. If you forget to look underneath until you are close to the car, casually drop your keys or something and look under your vehicle when you pick them up.
- Before you get in your car, check it out. Make sure nobody is in the backseat or on the floorboards. Check out this video and this news story to see why this step is so important.
- Carry your bags, purse, keys, etc… in your weak hand so that your strong hand is free to access your firearm or other defense weapon.
- Have your keys in hand!! Do not get distracted by fumbling for them as you approach your car.
- Look in the surrounding vehicles to see if anyone is watching you. The natural response of an innocent person is to quickly look away when eye contact is made. Be wary of those who keep eye contact. As you continue your scan of the environment, repeatedly return your eye contact to them. But do so without showing fear. Maintain your confident attitude and walk.
- If, as you are leaving work, you recognize you are tired beyond the ability of maintaining awareness, ask a coworker or security personnel to walk out with you. Criminals make a living reading body language and will target the easier victims who are zoned out.
- Look for things that are out-of-place. The guy wearing a hoodie in the middle of July. The banged up, beat up old vehicle in a parking lot full of new Lexus', BMW's, and Mercedes'. It could be completely innocuous or it could be your first warning sign.
- Listen to your gut!! The subconscious is often better at picking up on cues and clues of impending danger than our conscious mind. If something makes you uncomfortable, get out!! It may also be that God is warning you. Listen!!
I also looked into one other situation: what if somebody is following you? This blog article succinctly sums up what everybody said. I do disagree with the article on one point; I won't eliminate the option of driving recklessly if I need to and I have no other options. A few additional tips I picked up: 1. Use your side mirrors more than your rearview mirror so that it is less obvious you spotted the tail. 2. When you come to an intersection turn your blinker on to indicate you will turn left but make a quick turn to the right. If they exactly mimic your actions, you know they are following you. 3. Program your county sheriff's number or local police station number into your phone. Call them if you are being followed. Also, simply to emphasize the point already stated in the above article, NEVER DRIVE HOME! Drive to a police station or another public place, but do NOT lead them home.
Practice these things. Not only physically but also practice them mentally. Run scenarios through your mind. Make them as realistic as possible. Get your emotions involved. What if your child is with you when you see somebody in your back seat? What will you do then? Run through probable situations in as much detail as possible. Train your mind. When you hear of a self-defense story on the news, mentally put yourself in the shoes of the victim. Walk through the situation. And don't judge and assume you wouldn't make their "stupid" mistake. Remember, hindsight is 20-20. Their decision made sense to them at the time. Try to understand why so you can avoid doing similar. Our brains record these vividly imagined scenarios as if they were real. Having these "memories" will help us react instead of think in that initial moment of attack. That extra second or two that reacting gave you could be what saves your life.
But most importantly, do not give in to fear or panic. This not only fuels the predators, but also impedes your thinking and reaction time and, longterm, is a very unhealthy way to live. Choosing to live life aware is not about living in a state of paranoia or panic. It is choosing to utilize the tools God has given each of us to the fullest extent possible. As the Amplified Bible says, God has not given us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 2 Tim 1:7. Choosing to be aware of our surroundings and environment is choosing to live with a calm, well-balanced mind while maintaining discipline and self-control. As society breaks down around us and violence increases, may we all keep a spirit of love and our sound minds.
For further research I recommend:
http://www.samatters.com (while this blog is directed to first responders, it is a great resource for understanding the cognitive processes behind situational awareness.)
The Well Armed Woman sells a Level of Awareness Key Ring or Zipper Pull. This is a great way to be reminded to stay aware!


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Do as the Greens say, or not, as the case may be
Isn't funny how the Greens like to bandy about quoting things the Lib Dems have said and done, but when the Lib Dems point out things the Green Party candidate said 5 years ago, they seem to think that it is irrelevent to the ongoing campaign and nothing to do with the Green Party itself.
A candidate is elected under a party banner, but represents their own views and these are totally relevent to their wish to become an MP.
So the Greens are saying do as I saw, except they aren't because in this case they are saying that what they say is not what they are actually saying ??? Get it ??? No. Thought not.
4 comments:
- Luke said...
Could you please provide evidence as to what Rupert Read supposedly said?
No one can seem to find it anywhere. A bit suspicious, surely?
- 27 June, 2009 13:24
- Norfolk Blogger said...
I don't know what it is. All that was reported was that comments Read made in 2003 have been found, which are obviously not something a candidate in Norwih North wants publicised and he stated (apparently) that his comments had nothing to do with his Green candidature.
I don't know what he said or what the allegations were because I am not part of the Lib Dem campaign.
- 27 June, 2009 13:46
- Luke said...
No response to my previous comment?
Positive campaigning indeed.
- 28 June, 2009 02:48
- Norfolk Blogger said...
Your previous post was inacurrate and possibly defamatory so I did not publish it. Positive campaigning form the Greens indeed. Posting rubbish and propagnda to people's blogs. you should be ashamed of yourself.
You seem quite unable to read as your comment (unpublished) seemed also to think that I could not write a story if I was not prepared to repeat the allegation. this argument hold no water because my story was not ablout the allegation, it was about the Green argument that whatever the allegation was it was not relevent to the campaign.
I think voters are sick to death of politicians who are so obsessed with themselves that they can say one thing, do another or in some cases say something then say that what they said does not mean they actually beleive it or want it repeated.
- 28 June, 2009 07:54


text: It is often said when you're building a house, you're building a dream. An architect or master of building design can make your dream house a reality. Architects can help you design and redesign spaces of your home or focus on helping you build your own house from the ground up. They have extensive knowledge of architectural design and building materials, and a strong appreciation of ergonomics – warmth, light, and flow within a property. As you search through architects and building designers, keep in mind the following tips to help you choose the perfect one: More


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Friday, April 11, 2014
Eritrea and Ethiopia: Beyond the Impasse
While any movement that helps normalize relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea would be a positive development, my own reading is that neither Ethiopia nor Eritrea is interested in taking those steps which might result in improved relations.
2 comments:
You can state neither government/regime want change.ReplyDelete
True voice of the people is currently restricted.
Either way international law is on Eritreans side so up to guarantors of EEBC to uphold rules of the world.
- AnonymousApril 28, 2014 at 8:12 PM
"my own reading is that neither Ethiopia nor Eritrea is interested in taking those steps which might result in improved relations."ReplyDelete
Let's be perfectly honest here, at the risk of sound like a broken record the main obstacle to peace is Ethiopia. If the international Community(read US) acted like an honest broker and did whats right and pushed Ethiopia to abide by international norms and law, then both countries would be much better off. It's hypocritical for the international community(EU, UN, US) to chastize/sanction Russia for "annexing Crimea" and "breaking international law/norms etc", yet meanwhile, Ethiopia, a country that relies on Western Handouts is given a free pass. If ethiopia can't be made to honor it's agreement, why should any other conflicting parties(South Sudan Gov/Rieck Machar). Why would Egypt enter into any "negotiations" with ethiopia knowing that ethiopia will never honor it's word.
As Isayas and the Eritrean government have stated a number of times, if ethiopia honored it's aggreement, then there's absolutely no reason for hostilities to remain.


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We've just received word that Ken Bruen will be joining Jason Starr and Alison Gaylin at our special event Thursday, September 4th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm!
Ken Bruen and Jason Starr will discuss their latest collaboration THE MAX (Hard Case Crime $6.99). Alison Gaylin will discuss her new novel HEARTLESS (NAL $21.95).
This promises to be an exciting night!
Admission is as always free.


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I've finally accepted that my depression and anxiety disorder are disabilities and finding a job where this disability won't get in the way will be hard. So in the meantime, I've been trying to add more scrappy goodies to my Etsy store for a little income. I have three new items listed that I'm pretty excited about!
Vintage European Lace Flower
I love how simple this flower was to make. It's just strips of lace layered on top of each other! The cream and red laces are vintage from Ireland. Vintage European lace? Yes, please! You can check this out at the store here.
Denim, Lace, and Tulle Flower
This creation was pretty time-consuming...I think it took over 2 hours. This is largely due in part to the fact that I lost my $30 scissors and the ones I'm using don't cut denim very well. That part took quite awhile! Oh, before I forget, I need to thank my mom for giving me a pair of her jeans to slice up! Then it was all a game of arranging the denim, lace, and tulle. And it took me quite awhile to decide how many pearls to put in the center. And if I should add feathers and/or a leaf. The decisions we make! But I finally finished this and am very happy with it. It's quite heavy and very fluffy. Check it out on Etsy here.
Red and Gold Rose Flower Spray
I watched a great tutorial from Psychomoms on YouTube (link to tutorial: here!). So glad I found her channel, I love it. Anyway, this "spray" turned out to be more of a cluster and no, those aren't glue strings you see, they're fibers ;) I promise it's more obvious in person! I made the flower in the middle from Glimmer Misted and painted Tim Holtz paper (the pink and blue paper stack), and the red rosebuds came from the floral section at Hobby Lobby. The little white ribbon rosebuds (look closely) came from the wedding section at Joann's Etc. I've had those for a few years and still have quite a bit left. And if you're looking for a good place to buy very reasonably priced pearl strands like I used in this ($1.99 for 24 yards! Even I can afford that!), check out this awesome site I order from whenever I can: Crafta.com. You can get more details about this spray in my store here.
Leave a comment and I'll be sure to follow your blog :)


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The infographic I posted yesterday, while fun to read, supported the myth of different distinct types of female orgasm: vaginal and clitoral. The bottom line is that an orgasm is a chemical experience processed by your brain and brought on by physical stimulation. Anything can be stimulated but most people experience orgasm primarily through genital stimulation.
I just popped home before my next meeting so I don't have time to write in-depth about this debate and my thoughts on it today. Tomorrow, I promise.
In the meantime, I offer a quick reading from Dr. Blumenfield at the PsychiatryTalk blog to illuminate the source of the clit/vag controversy. Pertinent snips:
Masters and Johnson observed that both clitoral and vaginal orgasms had the same stages of physical response. They argued that clitoral stimulation is the primary source of both kinds of orgasms…
Recent discoveries about the size of the clitoris show that clitoral tissue extends some considerable distance inside the body, around the vagina. This discovery may possibly invalidate any attempt to claim that clitoral orgasm and vaginal orgasm are two different things. Clitoral tissue is more widespread than the small visible part most people associate with the word. It is possible that some women have more extensive clitoral tissues and nerves than others, and therefore whereas many women can only achieve orgasm by direct stimulation of the external parts of the clitoris, for others the stimulation of the more generalized tissues of the clitoris via intercourse may be sufficient.
Read the rest here.


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|16 Oct 2011
Win 7 Ult. x32 | Win 2000 Pro
Gadgets Repeatedly become Unresponsive For Short Time
Ever since I bought my PC two years ago, I've had problems with the gadgets. They become unresponsive for two seconds, then responsive again for 2 seconds, then responsive again so on and so forth. It happens with the built in gadgets and third party also. It was never a problem until now. I bought a new case. Now, I set up this case so that when the disc drive is closed, you can't tell a drive is even in the bay. Which also means there's no button to open the drive. I set up a gadget that opens my drive when I click it. The only problem is that it's highly annoying trying to guess when the gadget is working and hitting it at the right time. Any idea what's causing this problem?
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Weekend Recap
10 comments
Okay I need that squash soup from Panara, ASAP and I'm also drooling over the lobster grilled cheese!! I'm ready to go shopping for some mums, but I know I will kill them before the holidays :( I loved your flannel outfit!ReplyDelete
So I want to see that movie as well - but is it like Taken...seems like it!! I had the lobster grilled cheese at Bonefish two weekends ago and it was delish!! Sounds like a perfect weekend and i love your bump pics!!ReplyDelete
I love Panera! A lunch staple for me. :) I am dying to try the honest products. I'll have to start with some samples too.ReplyDelete
Ugh, I've heard the glucose test is awful. I'm glad it wasn't too bad for you! Love your First Watch breakfast... so yummy! I love First Watch! Happy Monday!ReplyDelete
<3, Pamela
Haha! Jack & I ate our way through the wknd too!! & I feel ya... The wknd where there is nothing planned really are the busiest!! I love all the free samples of stuff you get when pregnant! A cpl wknds ago I got a goody bag at Motherhood Maternity & then got another one when we went in store at Buy Buy Baby to do our registry! Jackpot!! I'll def have to check out the Honest Company!! I too love their designs & so forth!!ReplyDelete
sounds like a great weekend! im glad you passed your glucose test. that diet pop looks so good! xo jillian - cornflake dreamsReplyDelete
Haha blacking out pretty much describes me every time I go to Target! Once I'm back in my car, I'm like how did I spend so much money when I went in for one thing?!? Can't wait to try the butternut squash ravioli at Panera.. that sounds amazing!ReplyDelete
Fun weekend! I need to try the Bonefish lobster grilled cheese - sounds so good! Funny thing, I bought those curtains a while ago and returned them for the same reason! The pattern is so pretty ok them though!ReplyDelete
I just about died reading you blacked out in Target lol! That was a DELICIOUS weekend! I want to eat all of that!!ReplyDelete
Your weekend sounds delicious!! Love your mums and pumpkins!ReplyDelete


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Even though she had wanted to be a teacher for as long as she could remember, Babette Wallace left college after one year and moved to Chicago to go into business.
"I worked there for two years, then realized it wasn't what I really wanted," she says. "I came back here and went back to school."


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If your body isn't health then most likely neither is your hair. You may eatgood but sometimes your body does not absorb all the necessary nutrients. To ensure I have all the necessary nutrients for my body as well as a few others to promote hair growth. My Vitamin Cocktail is as follows:
- 1 capsule of ReNew Life Adult Formula Probiotics (15 billion cultures) on an empty stomach
- 1 tablet of Rainbow Light Women's One Multi with my breakfast
- 1 tablet of potassium 99mg (my multi has everything but potassium…kind of weird)
- 1 capsule of fish oil 1000 mg
- 2 tablets of Country Life Biotin 2000 mcg total
I am not a big fan of pills but having at least a good probiotic, mutli, and fish or flax oil (for omega 3s) are essential to every person looking to live a long health live. I take 2 biotins to promote my hairs growth and strength. At one point I would take MSM but it caused me to breakout because I wasn't drinking enough water at the time.
Do you have an allstar vita-cocktail? Feel free to share as well as what doesn't work for your lifestyle. In the meantime keep those curls health!


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And there was the appropriate pomp and circumstance: a middle-school color guard so young as they solemnly presented the flag, the Star Spangled Banner mangled at the high notes by the crowd and America the Beautiful more easily belted out, the Pledge of Allegiance, short and to the point after the long and legally required Oath of Allegiance with references to potentates and mental reservations. It actually made me all teary-eyed, which is pretty hard to do to cynical old me!
So anyway, this is what I said in my remarks:
Citizens, countrymen, my fellow Americans -- congratulations! Today, after years of hard work, study and waiting, you've earned the right to call yourselves Americans!I speak in front of large groups -- my classes -- all the time, but I was jittery about this speech. I so didn't want to screw up these people's special day by flubbing it. I was thrilled by the number of new citizens who came up to thank me and say they appreciated what I had to say. The man who told me I gave him "shivers" really made my day!
I'm honored to speak to you today. This naturalization ceremony is meaningful for me, too, for three reasons – my mother born in France and my two daughters born in China.
I was three years old when my mother became an American citizen. My mother came to the U.S. as an 18-year-old military bride following her husband to a new country far from family and all that was familiar. She brought with her customs and traditions from France – a Yule log at Christmas time, celebrating Bastille Day – that have enriched our lives, and she is a proud American.
I adopted my two children from China when they were babies. We have worked hard to keep their Chinese heritage a part of our lives in America – going to Chinese School each Saturday, celebrating Chinese New Year. That is not incompatible with being American, and they will tell you proudly today that they are Chinese American.
This ceremony today is a reminder for me of all they left behind, all that they have gained, and all that this COUNTRY has gained because they are here.
You, too, have left behind another country, another culture. But you bring to America history and traditions that enrich us all. What you bring to America is what makes America the strong and vital country that it is today. You bring new ideas, new ways of doing things. You bring a commitment to America's future, having made a conscious choice to be Americans.
Have you been following the news about President Obama's birth certificate? Some misguided people think he was born in Kenya instead of the United States. But the real question is why does it matter whether a president is a naturalized citizen from Kenya or a citizen by birth in America?
Because of a silly provision in the Constitution that requires the President to be a "natural born" citizen, a citizen by birth. That provision means that my mother and my children – and all of you – can't be President of the United States.
Is it any wonder I call that a SILLY provision in the Constitution? [And that's another wonderful thing about being an American, I can call the Constitution you just vowed to uphold "silly" without penalty!] It seems that the founding fathers thought being born in America makes you the most American of Americans. How SILLY!
I say naturalized Americans have a better claim to being the most American of Americans.
I was born in America. MY citizenship is just an accident of birth. You wanted to come to America. You wanted to become American. All I did was be born, not something I had much say in!
You had to study the Constitution. I had to be born.
You had to pass a test. I had to be born.
You had to take an oath of allegiance here today, absolutely and entirely renouncing and abjuring all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty. I was born.
You were investigated, interviewed, fingerprinted. Me? I was born.
You had to work and wait and suffer hardships I can only imagine to get where you are today. Again, just born.
All I did was be born. In comparison to your incredible journey, that seems like an awfully thin claim to American citizenship!
Seriously, though, the silliest thing of all is creating divisions between citizens. Regardless of how we got here, we're all Americans now! And the United States Supreme Court has affirmed that naturalized citizens are not second class citizens. You are citizens, entitled to all the rights and protections that American citizenship provides.
One of my children's favorite books is about a little boy adopted from Korea. He can't wait for his naturalization ceremony where he will become an American, and, he's sure, also get his "American" face. He thinks that he will become Caucasian when he becomes American.
Of course, he learns by the end of the book that his brown skin and Asian features are American! That the face of America is what's reflected in this room. That regardless of race, ethnicity or national origin, we all belong to America. We are all Americans.
Congratulations to you, America's newest citizens!
Actually, the whole experience made my day -- I think I've been smiling ever since, even through a long and contentious faculty meeting! So if you ever have a chance to attend a naturalization ceremony, grab that opportunity -- it will make you feel proud to be an American!


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DR: Stacye has lovingly reminded me that it has been some time since yours truly has done a post on our blog. And so it's about time.
I suppose this is as good a time as any to share with you that I am writing a book. My prayerful goal is to have upwards of a 300-page manuscript completed and submitted by Summer 2014.
I believe Christ will return soon, yet also believe that millions of souls in America are not ready for Him to do so. Indeed, I would offer that even many American Christians are not ready for Christ to do so.
I observe this particularly in the way we steward our material possessions--or shall I say, cling to them--which has a tendency, I believe, to crowd God out of our hearts and minds.
prepare the way into people's hearts and minds for His return, and specifically calling me to disciple Americans in the area of our financial stewardship and abundant material prosperity.
I believe He is calling me to instruct those in our nation to bring Him our goods and material possessions and not to be arrogant, deceitful, prideful, and self-centered.
I believe this heralding call to Americans must be done with boldness, confidence, and trust in Christ and reliance upon God's Word...but also with magnanimity and gentleness. I believe it is my role to be a salient, actionable force for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom as He uses me to prepare people for His imminent return. I believe God will, at least in part, use the book I am writing to further this purpose.
I believe that many people will come to hear my words, be they in this book, a speech, a sermon, or otherwise. And yet, this is not about me. Not at all.
This is all about Jesus Christ and all about preparing people's hearts and minds for His imminent return. Are you ready?
God's love and richest blessings to you as we serve Him,
Don, Stacye, and the girls
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Home Sweet Home
We are home from our trips to Sedalia, MO and New Braunfels, TX. We had a wonderful time both places and are also happy to be home. It's very very late right now, so I'll just post a couple photos now and post more about our trips later.
Our family with Sandy Ashlock (former member at St. John's Bakersfield) and Pastor Chris Kellog at Our Savior Lutheran in Sedalia, MO.
The family at Schlitterbahn waterpark in New Braunfels, TX.
Posted by The Rays at 11:29 PM 2 comments:
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This afternoon she and I went on a little birthday shopping spree with some of the money we earned at the children's consignment sale last weekend. We got a couple of much needed items (socks and bibs), and also some fun things we've been thinking of getting... a soft organic knit teether and a rubber ducky for the tub!
There was an elephant teether and a bunny teether and I let her choose by holding them both in front of her. At first she looked back and forth at them, then reached both hands up (one to each) at the same time, then she stared at the elephant and moved both hands to it. It is so fun for me to see all my child development knowledge put into action with my own little guinea pig! I pulled the tag off it in the store and gave it to her, and she immediately started chewing on it's trunk :)
Here is a picture I took of my view from the driver's seat when we got home:
sweet sleeping girl holding her elephant toy
And here is "Bob" the rotund rubber duck... Tubby time started with Mama and Bob doing a ventriloquist act, much to the baby's amusement. I promised Bob that Millie only wanted to give him a birthday kiss, so he agreed to get in the water, only to find he had been dooped and was about to get chewed on!
It was a wonderful birthday, if I do say so myself.
Halfway through writing this post I was called upstairs by a little girl that needed one more round of bedtime pigs. She barely even ate the pigs, mostly just wanting to hold hands until she fell asleep again.


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There have been 7 blasts all along the Western Railway line.
1. Khar / Santacruz
2. Bhayandar / Mira Road
3. Just before Borivili
4. Matunga
5. Jogeshwari
6. Mahim
7. Bandra
The trains have been stopped. Phone lines and mobile lines (as usual) are down. If you're in Mumbai, wherever you are, I'd suggest you stay where you are till things calm down. When I started writing this post, there were 5 blasts reported. Now they're 7. Once again, stay put. Stay calm.
Tuesday, 11 July, 2006
Bombay Bomb Blasts update
Posted by Yazad Jal at 7:28 PM
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Barbara Brainard
Real Estate Professional with BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors Kennett Square Home Marketing Center
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Philadelphia Magazine 2012 Five Star Realtor Service you can count on from initial contact through settlement-guidance, follow through, high ethical standards, timely responses. A resident of Southern Chester County since 2001, I have lived all over the country and remember what it is like to move- at one point 3 times in 3 years- giving me a unique perspective! Let me help you make your transition to new home easier-call me for a no cost comparative market analysis of your current home, or information on homes available in the area. Serving Southern Chester County including the areas of Kennett Square, West Grove, Lincoln University, Cochranville, Avondale, Oxford, Chadds Ford and West Chester. Specializing in residential resale, land and new construction Member of Suburban West Realtors Assn., PA Assn of Realtors and National Assn of Realtors since 2004 Accredited Buyer Representative SRES Graduate w/BS in Journalism, Univ. of Maryland


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Kurt Vile - Constant Hitmaker (2009)
"Constant Hitmaker's songs are varied and twisted in their arrangements, but most often include exquisite melodies floating atop a bed of hissing psych-pop experiments that fall together as nearly perfect pop songs. The album is steeped in an atmosphere of four-track recording and homespun obscurity, however it frequently, almost if by mistake, references a collection of some of pop music's best: My Bloody Valentine are felt on 'Space Forklift,' Lee Hazelwood's spirit haunts 'Slow Talkers,' and Lou Reed adorns 'Don't Get Cute.' All this without mentioning the album's most distinct song, 'Freeway,' the lone studio recording and a piece of music that will become lodged in every head that hears it. Constant Hitmaker comes off a bit straighter than anything on the Siltbreeze label, but more lovingly deranged than most every other indie rock album. It's something noteworthy, no doubt, and not just because it lives up to its title." - Skyscraper Magazine


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"Because, after all, insisting on monogamy even when it makes your spouse unhappy or even at the cost of dishonesty (the REAL killer of marriages) isn't really love at all. It's possession."
- This probably explains the situation a lot more easily than I've been trying to. Relationships which don't involve trust or some diligent attempt at transparent honesty will fail. It's possible that relationships would fail on the basis of one person honestly wanting to sleep with someone else, if for example it makes one or both people uncomfortable to the point of legitimate unhappiness. It is more sensible simply to not get married to each other where one party cannot accept this possibility or this as even an option (ie, the possession view), that is to say, they would not "love unconditionally" and accept the nature of the other person involved in their affairs.
But I'd suspect they're a lot more likely to fail because one or both people dishonestly do lots of other things of which their dishonest sexual infidelity is merely yet another symptom. So to my mind, those seem like some sensible rules (listed up in the post above), even if they're never needed or called into question over the course of a relationship. There are plenty of people who don't consider those going in and must grapple with the probability that their significant other ends up bedding up with somebody else and then having to discover this in a rather shocking or unpleasant fashion. Sometimes that relationship recovers from that shock, people discuss, forgive, and hopefully move on with only bruises to their egos or some time rebuilding trust. Sometimes it doesn't, usually where people become paranoid and dominating instead of attempting understanding. I'd rather know going in that I'm dealing with a human being and that implies I don't have absolute control and absolute power over them. Influence is great, sometimes it even forms a basis of control. By influence, we might mean that each party is concerned over the welfare of the other and takes care to place it equal if not in principle to that of their own. This surrenders some abstract level of self-identity, but in practice probably frees the individual to do more with what they have to hand. This is quite distinct from power. Power like that which demands rather than seeks compliance, like that of an absolute tyrant, isn't great.
Real power doesn't need to be exercised and demonstrated to be effective.
Sunday assorted links
2 hours ago


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Courtesy of Wikimedia
Illustrations to the Book of Genesis
2nd Title Page
Fritjof Capra in, The Web of Life demonstrates the limitations of using the computer as a model for the human brain. We find similarities to Blake's objections to allowing Urizen to assume control of the human psyche supplanting the emotions, the imagination, and the intelligence of the body.
Page 68
"Recent developments in cognitive science have made it clear that human intelligence is utterly different from machine intelligence. The human nervous system does not process any information (in the sense of discrete elements existing ready-made in the outside world,to be picked up by the cognitive system), but it interacts with the environment by continually modulating its structure. Moreover, neuroscientists have discovered strong evidence that human intelligence, human memory, and human decisions are never completely rational but are always colored by emotions as we know from experience. Our thinking is always accompanied by bodily sensations and processes. Even if we often tend to suppress them,we always think also with our bodies; and since computers do not have such a body, truly human problems will always be foreign to their intelligence.
These considerations imply that certain tasks should never be left to computers...These tasks include all those that require genuine human qualities such as wisdom, compassion, respect, understanding and love. Decisions and communications that require those qualities will dehumanize our lives if they are made by computers."
Page 70
"As Theodore Roszak shows in detail in The Cult of Information, information does not create ideas: ideas create information. Ideas are integrating patterns that derive not from information but from experience."
Page 296
"To regain our full humanity, we must regain our experience of connectedness with the entire web of life. This reconnecting, religio in Latin, is the very essence of the spiritual grounding of deep ecology."
The battles among Urizen, Los, Luvah and Tharmas will continue to appear in various forms among philosophical approaches to epistemology until all are brought together and see ourselves reflected in every face.
Jerusalem, Plate 98, (E 257)
"And every Man stood Fourfold, each Four Faces had. One to the West
One toward the East One to the South One to the North. the Horses Fourfold
And the dim Chaos brightend beneath, above, around! Eyed as the Peacock
According to the Human Nerves of Sensation, the Four Rivers of the Water of Life
South stood the Nerves of the Eye. East in Rivers of bliss the Nerves of the
Expansive Nostrils West, flowd the Parent Sense the Tongue. North stood
The labyrinthine Ear. Circumscribing & Circumcising the excrementitious
Husk & Covering into Vacuum evaporating revealing the lineaments of Man
Driving outward the Body of Death in an Eternal Death & Resurrection
Awaking it to Life among the Flowers of Beulah rejoicing in Unity
In the Four Senses in the Outline the Circumference & Form, for ever
In Forgiveness of Sins which is Self Annihilation. it is the Covenant of Jehovah
The Four Living Creatures Chariots of Humanity Divine Incomprehensible
In beautiful Paradises expand These are the Four Rivers of Paradise
And the Four Faces of Humanity fronting the Four Cardinal Points
Of Heaven going forward forward irresistible from Eternity to Eternity
And they conversed together in Visionary forms dramatic which bright
Redounded from their Tongues in thunderous majesty, in Visions
In new Expanses, creating exemplars of Memory and of Intellect
Creating Space, Creating Time according to the wonders Divine
Of Human Imagination, throughout all the Three Regions immense
Of Childhood, Manhood & Old Age[;] & the all tremendous unfathomable Non Ens
Of Death was seen in regenerations terrific or complacent varying
According to the subject of discourse & every Word & Every Character
Was Human according to the Expansion or Contraction, the Translucence or
Opakeness of Nervous fibres such was the variation of Time & Space
Which vary according as the Organs of Perception vary & they walked
To & fro in Eternity as One Man reflecting each in each & clearly seen
And seeing: according to fitness & order. And I heard Jehovah speak
Terrific from his Holy Place & saw the Words of the Mutual Covenant Divine
On Chariots of gold & jewels with Living Creatures starry & flaming
With every Colour, Lion, Tyger, Horse, Elephant, Eagle Dove, Fly, Worm,
And the all wondrous Serpent clothed in gems & rich array Humanize
In the Forgiveness of Sins according to the Covenant of Jehovah. They Cry
Where is the Covenant of Priam, the Moral Virtues of the Heathen
Where is the Tree of Good & Evil that rooted beneath the cruel heel
Of Albions Spectre the Patriarch Druid! where are all his Human Sacrifices
For Sin in War & in the Druid Temples of the Accuser of Sin: beneath
The Oak Groves of Albion that coverd the whole Earth beneath his Spectre
Where are the Kingdoms of the World & all their glory that grew on Desolation
The Fruit of Albions Poverty Tree when the Triple Headed Gog-Magog Giant
Of Albion Taxed the Nations into Desolation & then gave the Spectrous Oath
Such is the Cry from all the Earth from the Living Creatures of the Earth
And from the great City of Golgonooza in the Shadowy Generation
And from the Thirty-two Nations of the Earth among the Living Creatures
All Human Forms identified even Tree Metal Earth & Stone. all
Human Forms identified, living going forth & returning wearied
Into the Planetary lives of Years Months Days & Hours reposing
And then Awaking into his Bosom in the Life of Immortality.
And I heard the Name of their Emanations they are named Jerusalem"


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The Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green led Team Staal will take on Team Lidstrom tonight in the NHL All-Star Game for the league's annual exhibition showcase title and some serious bragging rights.
Team Staal cruised to victory in the Honda SuperSkills competition last night, winning five of six events en route to a 33-22 victory. Islanders rookie Michael Grabner won the fastest skater, Ovechkin the breakaway challenge, Daniel Sedin the accuracy shooting, Zdeno Chara the hardest shot, and Corey Perry the elimination shootout.
Eric Staal is expected to start hometown boy Cam Ward in nets for his squad, while Nicklas Lidstrom will likely counter with Tim Thomas of the Bruins. Game time is scheduled for 4, but with all the intros and pre-game ceremonies, the puck probably won't actually drop until sometime around 4:25 or 4:30. Enjoy the game!
Welcome to Caps 'Round the Clock, a blog covering the Washington Capitals and the NHL. In season, I update the Blog after every practice and on game day with Caps news and information, and then provide a recap and analysis after each contest. I also write a periodical Prospect Watch and weekly feature pieces on the state of the Men in Red and other things Capitals. And of course, I will post videos and tidbits from around the League and offer my two cents as the season wears on. In the offseason, I write a Report Card for each player, and will keep you updated on all the news about the Caps through the summer. I'm glad you're here, and hope you come back!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Gameday: vs. Team Lidstrom, Jan. 30 - NHL All-Star Game
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See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.
Some of the things this video asks were answered though.
The video asks "Why are supplies still being dropped on the island after the purge and by who?" They answered that question. There was a company setup to deliver supplies and it had no idea who or what those supplies were for. Ben shut it down.
It also asks "Why can't women have babies?" It's because of the electromagnetic force of the island. That is explained in the DVD that Ben shows the who workers when he shows up from the "home office" to shut down the shipping of the supplies to the island.
It also asks "Why doesn't the rule of time travel apply to Desmond?" It's because he has a resistance for some reason to the electromagnetic force of the island. We don't know why but he's special that way.
Here is a good list of unanswered questions by episode.
My biggest question is "Why was Walt so important and why did the others want him?"
I think Walt was phased out of the show because he grew up too quickly. When you move from one season to the next and he's suddenly 6" taller, it wouldn't make sense that he'd age so much on "island time".
I'd also like to know why Hurley didn't drop in weight after sustaining himself on a diet of natural fruits and vegetables. I remember some character asking the same question and pointing out that he'd actually gained weight while on the island.
How is that Ana Lucia appears as an LAPD cop to Jack after he returns to the mainland after she died on the island?
I like shows that have a beginning, middle and end but I like to know that there's a plan. This show had no plan. They obviously made it up as they went along otherwise all questions would have been answered.
I was entertained for 6 seasons. The show never "jumped the shark" for me but in the end I realize that it floundered around for the sake of being entertaining without having a clear story arc and for that, I'm a little annoyed. This must have been what it felt like to be a fan of Twin Peaks when it ended. At least they got two movies out of it to help answer some of the unanswered questions but I'm sure they were still left unsatisfied just like I feel.


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I'm leaving right now, but before shutting down my computer, here's one thing I absolutely want to share. Very urgent and very serious.
"Dear reader,
at this time, the Italian language Wikipedia may be no longer able to continue providing the service that over the years was useful to you, and that you expected to have right now. As things stand, the page you want still exists and is only hidden, but the risk is that soon we will be forced to actually delete it."
Read the rest here.


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Rachel gets points the following way:
- 2 points scored if Rachels blog post on PSA Challenge 10 has more than 5 comments. Please place a comment here Rachels Blog
- 2 points scored for every third party (that's you) that mentions Rachel and Project Scrap Away (including links) on your own blog and leaves a comment on Project Scrap Away's Immunity blog post (you just need to write your name + Rachel's friend and a link back to your blog).
Good luck Rachel


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Note: This review does not spoil the central surprises of "Saw III." It does, however, involve discussion of the central surprises of "Saw" and "Saw II."
The "Saw" movies, now totalling three films, are strangely compelling "endurance-horror" gorefests which thus far have all shared myriad shortcomings (some questionable acting, noticeably-constrained budgets) and have all largely overcome them through visual invention, narrative cleverness and a great central figure in "Jigsaw," who's shaped up to be at least the most welcome (serious) addition to the pantheon of horror icons in a decade or more.
The pitch: Jigsaw is an especially diabolical serial killer... who technically hasn't "killed anyone." He likes to place his victims into lethal traps and provide for them a fairly simple escape... with a catch: The escape will involve the endurance of horrifying physical and/or psychological torture. See, Jigsaw fancies himself a kind of extreme life-coach. His victims are people whom, in his view, are wasting their lives; and his "tests" are designed to FORCE them to appreciate the little things... like, say, being able to draw another breath.
"Saw" eventually revealed Jigsaw to be a frail cancer patient (Tobin Bell) who's actions are motivated by his apparent disgust with those "wasting" the life he's soon to lose. "Saw II" revealed a sidekick in the person of Amanda (Shawnee Smith) a former drug addict and rare survivor of a Jigsaw test who's taken his message to heart. "Saw III" opens with the tying up of loose ends (read: survivors) from the previous sequel, and establishes a troubling new mystery: Someone is setting up Jigsaw-style traps with a new twist: The escapes are phony, and death is garaunteed.
The real Jigsaw, meanwhile, is not long for the world but, regardless, has set up his torture chambers for one more big game. His subject this round is Jeff, (Angus MacFayden,) a man losing his grip on family and reality due to the hit-and-run death of his son. The test: to present Jeff with the various players responsible for his boy's death, all locked up in brand-spanking-new Jigsaw deathtraps, and give him the chance to either free them or watch them die. Jigsaw has his usual cryptic reasons for wanting to see how this one turns out, and to that end he's kidnapped a trouble female surgeon to keep him alive to the end... or else.
Everything that worked in the previous installments works, everything that didn't still doesn't. On the plus-side, the structure is still wickedly ingenious, the surprises are still nasty and the pace still cooks. On the down-side, the threshold of disbelief is still stretched pretty thin, and some of the acting is still pretty questionable. The latter isn't a problem for Bell, an ever-reliable character actor who's turned Jigsaw into a genuinely fascinating movie-psycho (and who will richly deserve the better roles he'll be belatedly offered now that this franchise has raised his profile.)
The film puts itself into a corner with the Jeff character. Problematically, he's never believably insane enough for there to be any tension as to whether or not he's going to let anyone die... but if he WERE it'd be harder to root for him to survive. It's not a deal-breaker, but it doesn't help. Fortunately, the side-stories involving Jigsaw's makeshift medical care (and Amanda's growing mental breakdown) are more interesting and provide this installment's best gore: Onscreen power-tool brain surgery. Nice.
This can only go on so far, but for now the franchise remains worthy Halloween fare. Recommended.
Monday, October 30, 2006
REVIEW: Saw III
2 comments:
- Teresa said...
I can't believe I actually watched one of the SAW movies. I was flipping through channels and there
were these men chained to pipes in a bathroom. I had to watch. I don't know why, but I had to find out what was going on. Interesting stuff.
Decent review on Saw 3. Overall, I thought the graphic torture scenes were clever. However, I didn't find myself ''rooting'' for the Jeff character and his game wasn't too effective.By now it seems that Tobin Bell can do the Jigsaw role in his sleep.
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MOUNT WASHINGTON – Just hours after resigning from office, Clifton Joel Hudson entered guilty pleas in Bullitt Circuit Court to a pair of drug-related indictments.
Hudson, 43, entered a guilty plea to one count of trafficking in a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance (heroin) and possession of drug paraphernalia.
This was a result of a May 28 buy with a confidential informant at his Mount Washington home.
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Developmental stressors often have long-term fitness consequences, but linking offspring traits to fitness prospects has remained a challenge. Telomere length predicts mortality in adult birds, and may provide a link between developmental conditions and fitness prospects. Here, we examine the effects of manipulated brood size on growth, telomere dynamics and post-fledging survival in free-living jackdaws. Nestlings in enlarged broods achieved lower mass and lost 21% more telomere repeats relative to nestlings in reduced broods, showing that developmental stress accelerates telomere shortening. Adult telomere length was positively correlated with their telomere length as nestling (r = 0.83). Thus, an advantage of long telomeres in nestlings is carried through to adulthood. Nestling telomere shortening predicted post-fledging survival and recruitment independent of manipulation and fledgling mass. This effect was strong, with a threefold difference in recruitment probability over the telomere shortening range. By contrast, absolute telomere length was neither affected by brood size manipulation nor related to survival. We conclude that telomere loss, but not absolute telomere length, links developmental conditions to subsequent survival and suggest that telomere shortening may provide a key to unravelling the physiological causes of developmental effects on fitness.
1. Introduction
Poor nutritional conditions during development impair subsequent fitness prospects in many species [1], including humans [2]. Stress research usually takes place in the laboratory, but fitness can only be measured in the wild, where some level of developmental stress is likely to be the rule rather than the exception. Little is known about the physiological mechanisms mediating effects of developmental conditions on fitness prospects and life histories. Here, we investigate whether telomere dynamics link developmental conditions to subsequent fitness prospects in free-living jackdaws, Corvus monedula.
Telomeres are DNA–protein complexes that protect the chromosome ends from fusing, but, when in shortened state, induce apoptosis or replicative senescence ([3] and references therein). In the absence of telomerase, telomeres shorten with each cell division due to incomplete end-replication [4], erosion of the single-strand overhang [5] and oxidative damage [6]. Accordingly, telomere length has been shown to shorten with age, and reflects remaining lifespan across species in nematodes [7], birds [8–13] and humans [14]. Furthermore, in captive zebra finches early-life telomere length predicted subsequent lifespan [11], but in free-living barn swallows no such relationship was found [15]. Moreover, the rate at which telomeres shorten is linked to various stressors experienced during life [16,17] such as, for example, smoking or rearing a chronically ill child [18], suggesting that environmental conditions and associated physiological stress may be reflected in telomere dynamics.
Telomeres shorten at much higher rate during development compared with adult life [10,19], which has been attributed to the rapid cell proliferation that accompanies growth [20–22]. Prenatal environmental conditions have been shown to be correlated with telomere length at young adulthood in humans [23,24]. Furthermore, poor growth is associated with increased oxidative stress and accelerated telomere shortening in wild birds [15,25,26]. However, these relationships are correlational and whether they are caused by the focal environmental conditions or an unidentified confound cannot be determined. A manipulation of environmental conditions largely solves the problem of unknown confounding variables. We are aware of only two experimental studies of rearing environment and telomere dynamics, and in these studies the manipulation had no effect on nestling telomere shortening rate [27,28]. Thus, whether early-life telomere dynamics links developmental conditions to subsequent fitness prospects remains an unresolved issue.
We manipulated the developmental conditions of C. monedula nestlings by modification of natal brood size, to experimentally study the effects of rearing environment on growth and telomere dynamics. We measured telomere length at the ages of 5 and 30 days, and at the adult age in recruits (nestlings that returned as breeding birds). Thus, we were able to investigate the effects of manipulated brood size on both telomere length and shortening rate, and relate these to survival until adulthood. We also investigated whether individuals with long telomeres as nestlings also had long telomeres as adults. This is of interest because we have previously shown that adult telomere length is a predictor of survival in our study species [10], and thus it is possible that nestlings with long telomeres carry this advantage through to adulthood.
2. Material and methods
(a) Study system
We studied jackdaw life histories in seven different nest-box colonies in the vicinity of Groningen, The Netherlands (53.1708° N, 6.6064° E) in the period 2005–2013. Regular nest checks were performed to determine laying date, clutch size and hatch date as previously described [29]. Nestling blood samples were collected (±50 μl from the inner metatarsal vein at day 5 and brachial vein at day 30) for telomere measurement between 2005 and 2010 at ages 5 and 30 days old. Nestlings were ringed when 30 days old with a combination of colour bands and a metal numbered ring that was unique for each individual bird, enabling follow-up measurements of survival through observation (until 2013) without the necessity of recapture.
We manipulated brood size by net +2 or −2 nestlings as follows: three nestlings were moved to the brood that was enlarged, and one of the original nestlings from this enlarged brood was relocated to the matched reduced brood. We chose either to reduce or enlarge all broods, and thus have no unmanipulated broods, to increase statistical power with respect to the manipulation effects. Pairs of broods were matched by hatch date and the manipulation was carried out when the oldest nestling was 5 days old (day of hatching was day 1). Translocated nestlings were randomly chosen using random numbers generated by a computer or smartphone. When a brood that was to be reduced contained only two nestlings, we reduced brood size with one nestling. As a consequence, some broods were enlarged with only one nestling in cases where the matched reduced brood contained only two nestlings (mean brood sizes ± s.e. after manipulation were 2.66 ± 0.06 and 4.59 ± 0.14 for reduced and enlarged broods, respectively). Date that the first egg of a clutch was laid, clutch size, brood size, nestling mass and day 5 telomere length did not differ significantly between manipulation groups before the experimental exchange of the nestlings (electronic supplementary material, table S1).
Our telomere assays are labour intensive, and we therefore made a selection of the samples to be analysed that included all nestlings from manipulation dyads from which at least one fledgling survived beyond 1 March of the next year. This yields higher statistical power than randomly selecting nestlings, because it provides a better control for rearing and genetic background. Recruitment rate will by definition be higher in our sample than in the population at large, but the estimated effects of nestling traits on recruitment will not be biased. In total, 54 broods were selected (26 reduced and 28 enlarged), with 50 and 107 fledglings from reduced and enlarged broods, respectively. With respect to the survival analysis, we omitted offspring from two colonies (n = 3 broods) because survival was not recorded in these very small colonies (we removed the nest-boxes because of low occupation). Hence for the survival analysis, the sample size was 152 experimental fledglings from 51 broods.
Some individuals—those that fledged in 2010 in particular (the last year for which we measured telomere length)—may yet recruit while being falsely coded as 'not returned' in this analysis, causing bias in the estimate of survival and recruitment. However, based on the observed distribution of age at recruitment of earlier years, the expected frequency of such cases is less than 5% and therefore unlikely to bias our analysis. Furthermore, including the year 2010 as additional factor in the analysis did not change the model fit (data not shown), suggesting that the potential problem of censored cases biasing our analysis is negligible.
(b) Telomere length assay
Telomere length was determined in erythrocytes using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis as previously described [10]. In short, DNA was extracted from erythrocyte nuclei using the CHEF Genomic DNA Plug kit (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA). DNA was digested overnight with proteinase K at 50°C. About half of the digested DNA was simultaneously digested with Hind III (60U), Hinf I (30U) and Msp I (60U) for 18 h at 37°C in NEB2 buffer. Digested DNA from each sample was separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis at 14°C for 24 h (3 V cm−1, initial switch time 0.5 s, final switch time 7.0 s). Dried gels (Bio-Rad model 538) were hybridized overnight using a 32P-end-labelled oligo (5′-CCCTAA-3′)4 that binds to the 3′ end-cap telomere overhang. Note that because of the latter no oligos bind to the interstitial telomeric repeats, because these are double stranded, and hence interstitial telomeric repeats are not included in the signal (this contrasts with telomere measurements using e.g. qPCR, which technique does not distinguish between different telomere types). Subsequently, the radioactive signal was determined (Cyclone Storage Phosphor System, PerkinElmer), resulting in a gel picture with a distribution of grey values (smear) reflecting the distribution of telomere lengths in a sample. Individual telomere length size distributions were quantified through densitometry using ImageJ v. 1.38x as previously described [10]. In short, this method determines the lower and upper boundaries of the measurement window over which telomere length is determined, obtaining a telomere length distribution per lane/sample. For each lane, the lower boundary was taken to be the point where the signal was lowest in the short-end telomere range (i.e. the background intensity). The upper boundary was set to be at the point where the signal first dropped below Y, where Y is the sum of the background intensity at the side representing long telomeres, plus 10 per cent of the difference between the peak intensity and the background intensity [10]. We used the mean values of the individual telomere length size distributions for further analyses. The coefficient of variation calculated over the day 5 and 30 samples per individual, which estimate provides an upper limit to the coefficient of variation due to measurement error since it includes the variable telomere shortening in this period, was 2.9% on average.
(c) Statistical analyses
We analysed the effects of the brood size manipulation (reduced versus enlarged) on nestling growth and telomere length using mixed-effects models. We included birth nest as random term to account for the dependence of nestlings that shared the same genetic ancestry and pre-manipulation environment. Rearing nest was not included as a random term in the models, due to limited degrees of freedom, but this term also had a negligible effect on the estimated fixed effects. Instead of selecting the best model from a large set of possible models, we built a specific model for each question/hypothesis. Final models were achieved by omitting non-significant terms from these specific models, similar to model selection based on the lowest Akaike information criterion (AIC). p-values were calculated using log-likelihood ratio tests.
We used logistic regression to study the effects of fledgling mass, brood size manipulation and telomere dynamics on survival and recruitment. We tested the effect of birth or rearing nest as random terms, but since most survivors originated from different broods (34 survivors out of 27 broods), birth and/or rearing nest had a negligible effect on the fixed-effects estimates and significance levels, and were therefore excluded from the model. To account for possible spatial and temporal variation in telomere length independent of the manipulation, we included birth year and colony as fixed factors. All analyses were performed in R using the lme4 and MASS packages.
3. Results
Fledgling mass was lower in birds reared in enlarged broods (table 1, model 1; figure 1a). Telomere length at ages 5 and 30 days were strongly correlated (r = 0.95; p < 0.001; figure 2a) and average telomere loss over this 25-day period was 266 bp (s.e. = 14.44). Telomere length at the end of the rearing period (age 30 days) was shorter in nestlings in enlarged broods, but this difference was not statistically significant (table 1, model 2). However, this analysis does not control for the large variation in initial telomere length (figure 2a), and when we include the initial telomere length (day 5) into the model, we find a significantly lower day 30 telomere length in enlarged broods compared with reduced broods (table 1, model 3; figure 1b). Thus, adverse rearing conditions accelerated telomere attrition.
We further examined the association between growth and telomere attrition to investigate whether telomere attrition yielded information on development over and above the information contained in fledgling mass. When pooling all broods, fledgling mass was negatively correlated with telomere attrition (table 1, model 4). We chose to use mass as dependent variable because it allows us to control for other factors affecting mass such as offspring sex. Further analysis showed that this correlation was present among nestlings in enlarged broods only (table 1, model 5, ΔTL × manip interaction term: p = 0.008; figure 1c). Thus, variation in growth was not related with telomere shortening per se, but only when experimental rearing conditions are poor.
Adult telomere length (average age at sampling ± s.e.: 2.77 ± 0.16) was highly correlated with telomere length of that same individual when it was a fledgling (r = 0.83; p < 0.001; figure 2b). This correlation opens the possibility that any advantageous effect of telomere length is carried for life.
In total, 34 out of 152 fledglings were observed to have survived beyond 1 March of the year after fledging, and 30 of these 34 birds recruited into our nest-box colonies. The effects of the manipulation and telomere dynamics on survival were indistinguishable between survivors and recruits (table 2); and here we only discuss the results on fledgling survival. Reduced and enlarged broods produced eight and 26 survivors, respectively (18% and 24% n.s.; table 2, model 2). Nestling telomere length at either day 5 or day 30 was not associated with survival (table 2, models 3 and 4), but telomere attrition between days 5 and 30 was significantly lower in survivors compared with non-survivors (table 2, model 5; figure 3). We tested for a quadratic effect of telomere shortening on survival, but this term was not significant (p = 0.72), indicating that the relationship between telomere shortening rate and survival is approximately linear (figure 4).
Some fledglings may disperse outside our study area, and hence not be recorded as survivors, which would confound our analysis when the likelihood of dispersal depends on telomere attrition. To test this hypothesis, we compared telomere attrition between dispersers and non-dispersers, making use of the fact that we studied multiple colonies, and hence our sample included known dispersers (n = 5 out of 30 recruits). Telomere attrition did not differ between dispersing and philopatric fledglings (difference = −4.56 ± 85.80 bp; p = 0.99). We recognize that a larger dataset is required to detect subtle associations between telomere attrition and dispersal, but for now we conclude that a potential bias caused by dispersal is negligible.
Mean age at recruitment was 2.77 (s.e. = 0.16) years, ranged from 1 to 4 years old and did not differ between fledglings from reduced and enlarged broods. Telomere length and attrition were not significantly associated with age of recruitment, or reproductive success of recruits (results not shown), but we note that sample sizes for these tests were small (n = 23 sampled recruits).
Fledgling mass has previously been shown to be a predictor of survival and recruitment in wild birds [30], including jackdaws [31]. However, we found only a weak association between fledging mass and survival in the present dataset (table 2, model 1). Jackdaws are sexually dimorphic in size, but correcting mass for sex and size did not significantly improve the model fit. More importantly, the change in the estimate of the effect of telomere attrition on survival after including fledgling mass in the model was negligible (table 2, model 6), indicating that these effects are additive rather than that one variable can be substituted by the other.
4. Discussion
Developmental conditions can have strong effects on fitness prospects in humans and other species, but in free-living animals in particular little is known of the underlying mechanisms. We manipulated developmental conditions in jackdaw nestlings and found that adverse rearing conditions accelerate telomere shortening (figure 1). This experimental result is in agreement with observational studies that reported positive correlations between body size and telomere length [15,26]. A low rate of telomere shortening in the nestling phase resulted in high survival until adulthood (figure 3), independent of brood size manipulation and fledgling mass. The effect on survival is substantial because survival probability was threefold higher for fledglings that lost the fewest base pairs compared with fledglings at the opposite end of the telomere loss range (figure 4). Our findings together suggest that the relationship between developmental conditions and fitness prospects is linked by telomere shortening rate.
While our manipulation of developmental conditions has the advantage of generating a natural stressor (many siblings), unravelling the mechanism underlying the manipulation effects is difficult because the manipulation changes developmental conditions in multiple dimensions. For example, nestlings in larger broods are likely to receive less food, face more competition when the parents bring food and require less energy for thermoregulation, and these factors will each trigger a physiological response ([32–34] and references therein). Of interest in this context is that the association between growth and telomere shortening was apparent in enlarged broods, with high telomere loss being associated with low growth, but not in reduced broods (figure 1c). This finding mirrors a previous finding in starlings showing that nestlings which had heavier competitors lost more telomere base pairs than nestlings at the top end of the weight rank within the brood [28]. These findings suggest that low growth rate per se does not accelerate telomere attrition, but that it depends on the context whether telomeres are also affected. Individuals that grew less well presumably obtained less food, but the effect of low per capita provisioning rate may be restricted to low growth when brood size is small and competition is therefore low, while low provisioning rate in combination with high competition may cause high telomere shortening in addition to low growth.
We previously showed that long telomeres provide adult jackdaws with a survival advantage [10], as in other avian species where this was investigated [8,9,12,13,35,36]. It is of relevance therefore that fledglings with long telomeres also had long telomeres in adulthood (figure 2b), because this suggests that advantageous effects of long telomeres, in part due to benign developmental conditions, are carried for life. However, more study years are required to verify whether individuals that fledge with long telomeres do indeed enjoy higher survival rates in adulthood.
We found that telomere shortening rather than telomere length predicted survival until adulthood (figure 3), and likewise the brood size manipulation affected telomere shortening without significantly affecting fledgling telomere length. In principle, when there is an association of a factor with telomere shortening, one would also expect an association of that factor with absolute telomere length. However, absolute telomere length at a given age is the outcome of initial telomere length and subsequent attrition, and hence variation in initial telomere length induced by genetic and other parental factors may reduce the accuracy of telomere length as a biomarker later in life. In particular, genetic effects are likely to be important in this context, because reported heritabilities of telomere length are high [37–39] (but see [27]). When variation in initial telomere length is large relative to the telomere shortening, as is the case in our study (figure 2a), the association between telomere shortening and final length may be weak (in our study, R2 = 0.02 for the correlation between telomere shortening and telomere length at day 30; R2 was corrected for regression to the mean following Verhulst et al. [40]). In a similar vein, when telomere shortening rather than telomere length is the primary variable that contains information, it is not surprising for absolute telomere length to predict survival (e.g. [11]); we interpret this as an indication that telomere attrition was a relatively important source of variation in absolute telomere length when compared with the contribution of initial telomere length. We do however predict that in such a situation the telomere loss would be an even better predictor of survival.
Associations between telomere length and fitness proxies may be due to a direct (causal) effect of telomere length on, for example, survival, when animals die because their telomeres have reached a critical length. Alternatively, telomere length is a biomarker that reflects various forms of cumulative (DNA) damage and for that reason alone is a predictor of fitness proxies. Critically, short telomere lengths can have direct detrimental effects, as illustrated by the human disease dyskeratosis in which very short telomeres result in an early death [41], or telomerase-deficient mice, which have a very short lifespan only when the effect of telomerase deficiency on telomere length is accumulated over a number of generations [42]. However, telomeres in these two examples are substantially shorter than those found in the general population, which by itself suggests that observed associations between telomere length and fitness proxies that are observed in the general population do not reflect direct effects. We see our result that telomere shortening predicted survival, while absolute length did not, as support for the hypothesis that telomeres predict fitness proxies in the general population because they are a biomarker for phenotypic state, as opposed to the hypothesis that telomere length directly affects fitness. This view is further supported by the observation that the shortest telomere lengths in (old) adult jackdaws [10] were substantially longer (more than 4100 bp) than the critical limit that causes cell senescence in human cells in vitro, which is 78 bp [43]. At the same time, we are aware that we may not be able to measure telomeres that are less than a few hundred base pairs long when they occur on just one or a few chromosomes, because in our measurements many cells and chromosomes are pooled. Thus, we cannot yet rule out the possibility that individuals with high rates of telomere shortening that did not survive their first winter also had one or more telomeres of a critical length, causing their death directly.
This research project was approved by the animal experimentation committee of the University of Groningen under licence numbers 4071 and 5871.
Data accessibility
Our dataset is available online in the electronic supplementary material (dataset1).
Funding statement
H.M.S. was supported by an NWO Vici grant to S.V.
The comments of two anonymous referees improved the manuscript.
- Received December 17, 2013.
- Accepted April 1, 2014.
- © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.


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Effective communication is easy with these free apps.
Twitter can be a great tool for connecting with parents. Consider your Twitter account a public news feed that parents can subscribe to for updates about your school. School news feeds also offer instant access to alerts regarding on-campus emergencies or other important school information.
Skype is a great tool for virtual meetings. Many administrators are using Skype as a less expensive option for conference calls, professional development, and committee work meetings.
Zite helps you out by becoming your own personalized news feed. This news aggregate filters your favorite education, tech, and world news. As an administrator, it's important to be up-to-date on the latest information. Schedule a little reading time in your day to study any information regarding education policy or other relevant news.
Common Core App comes in handy in lesson planning meetings. When you're asked those on the fly questions about common core, this app comes in handy.
Our last two recommendations are standard apps pre-installed on every iOS device:
Your Camera is one of the most under appreciated features of your mobile device. For example, you can use it to snap a photo of any handwritten meeting notes for easy reference later on.
Voice to text is an awesome sidekick when you need to take notes and are missing paper, pen, or keyboard. Next time you're doing walk-throughs, consider dictating to your device and reading the text notes later.
As an administrator, what's your favorite tip for ensuring effective communication in your school?


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SWAG vehicle parts enjoy an excellent reputation worldwide as spare parts with "original SWAG quality". This is made possible by strong partners as many parts directly come from the supplier.:
The information system TecDoc provides the free motor vehicle spare parts market with current and extensive data for the identification and ordering of parts – in the passenger car as well as in the utility vehicle area – that comes directly from the databases of the automotive parts manufacturers.
SWAG is a member of the GVA (Association of automotive parts dealers) and actively looks after the interests of the independent sales companies for motor vehicle spare parts (passenger cars and utility vehicles) conducting business in Germany.
Chains by IWIS have been used in millions of diesel and carburetor engines since 85 years with an extraordinary success. By means of the identification with trends in the motor technology, the permanent development of the products and the use of current findings with respect to material and production technologies high-performance engine systems are manufactured and delivered to our partners all over the world.


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I'm love with the Art Deco feel of this building. It's the perfect backdrop for one of my favorite dresses by Rory Beca. We paired this little number with the Bolsita in black because it transitions well into night. The gorgeous light green jade stone in the center of the bag is sure to pick up any pop of color you sport on a cool summer night.
Model: Erin
Dress: Rory Beca
Jacket: Helmut Lang
Boots: All Saints


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Our clients interests come first. We create high value relationships for clients, knowing that their success will assure our own.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) January 30, 2014
Trent Barringer was once again named to Ziegler's team of Elite Advisors. The award was presented to Barringer by Ziegler's head of wealth management, Chris Zelesnick.
One of Ziegler's most prestigious recognition awards, Barringer was named to the firm's top-tier Elite Advisors team of 13 advisors for the third year in a row. The Elite Advisor award is presented to Ziegler's top performing financial advisors who go above and beyond their daily routines to put their clients' interests above all else. "Our clients interests come first. We create high value relationships for clients, knowing that their success will assure our own," stated Barringer.
Barringer joined Ziegler Wealth Management in 2004, and has 16 years of experience in the financial services industry. His focus is on financial and retirement planning, working with his clients to identify their financial goals and needs, and offering investments and advice tailored to help each client achieve their financial goals.
Barringer lives in Sheboygan with his wife, Angela, and daughter, Erica, and is very involved in the local community. He is an active member of The Town of Sheboygan's Lions Club and has involved the entire Ziegler Sheboygan office with the "Meals on Wheels" food program for seniors.
Ziegler's Sheboygan office is located at 1414 North Taylor Drive, Suite 215, in Sheboygan. The general phone number at the office is (920) 458-7751. For more information about Barringer and Ziegler, please visit http://www.Ziegler.com/Trent-Barringer.
About Ziegler:
Since 1902, Ziegler has grown to become a full-service, specialty investment bank and broker-dealer. Ziegler provides its clients with capital raising, strategic advisory services, equity and fixed income sales & trading, wealth management, and research. Specializing in the healthcare, senior living, education, and religion sectors, Ziegler is committed to advancing the health, wealth and well-being of our clients.
Certain comments in this news release represent forward-looking statements made pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This client's experience may not be representative of the experience of other clients, nor is it indicative of future performance or success.
# # #


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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The end may be near for a California evangelical radio network used by a preacher to predict _ incorrectly _ the apocalypse, a newspaper reported.
Oakland-based Family Radio has sold its three largest radio stations, and tax records show the nonprofit network saw its net assets drop to $29.2 million by the end of 2011, from a net worth of $135 million four years earlier, The Contra Costa Times reported over the weekend (
The radio network is run by Harold Camping, who predicted the world would end on May 21, 2011, only to later concede he had no evidence of an impending apocalypse. The network spent millions of dollars _ some of it from donations made by followers _ putting up thousands of billboards plastered with the Judgment Day message.
Some of Camping's followers quit their jobs or donated some of their retirement savings or college funds to support the ads.
Camping, 91, suffered a stroke after his prediction did not materialize and has since said he has no more interest in considering future dates for the end of the world.
By the end of 2011, Family Radio had a little less than $283,000 in cash on hand, down from $1.5 million at the start of the year and $2.5 million at the end of 2008, the Contra Costa Times reported. In 2012, records show it took out a $30 million bridge loan to keep operating while awaiting money from the sale of the stations.
Board member Tom Evans, who has taken over operation of the network since Camping's stroke, said the network is hurting during the economic slowdown like other nonprofits. But he said it is not closing.
"Sufficient funds were in the bank and, thankfully, we didn't spend everything," he said, referring to the May 2011 prediction. "But it did force us to make quick changes."
Evans said the nonprofit would be more efficient going forward.
Family Radio, founded more than a half-century ago, had 66 full-service radio stations, more than 100 FM broadcast relay stations and a handful of television stations across the country at one point.
There were no commercials, giving listeners nonstop Christian programming, the Times reported. The network relied on donations.
Information from: Contra Costa Times,
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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|Checking the Hold pen & watercolor wash
© Curt Bowman 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Sketch of the Day
At the end of last April we passed through Jekyll Island, Georgia before our trip to Spain and Portugal. Walking along the shrimp boat docks we saw an egret tiptoeing along a shrimper's stern eyeing the hold, maybe hoping for some leftovers. I hope he scored.
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The Unity of II Corinthians
I've finally come across an impressive argument for II Corinthians as a single letter. For years I've favored the following the reconstruction:
Letter #1: II Cor 2:14-6:13, 7:2-4 (written before the dispute)
Letter #2: II Cor 10:1-13:14 (written during the dispute)
Letter #3: II Cor 1:1-2:13, 7:5-16 (written after the dispute)
Later inserts: II Cor 8:1-24 and 9:1-15
Fragment not written by Paul: II Cor 6:14-7:1
But in "Revisiting II Corinthians: Rhetoric and the Case for Unity", J.D.H. Amador explains why II Cor 10:1-13:13 should not be identified with the "painful" letter mentioned in II Cor 1:1-2:13, 7:5-16:
"The argumentative situation of II Cor 10-13 and that reported in II Cor 1:23-2:11, 2:5-13 are quite distinctive. In the former, Paul is defending his ethos in the community as a result of a perceived threat by outsiders. In the latter, Paul's ethos is not under question. Instead, it is respect to the ethos of someone in the community as a result of Paul's previous deliberative advice that he is concerned. These are two radically different argumentative sections. Therefore, chapters 10-13 have simply been misidentified as 'the tearful/painful' letter."Read the whole thing. It's a first-rate essay and devoid of apologetics. I'll have to revisit my ideas about II Corinthians.
(Hat-tip to Stephen Carlson for the reference.)


text: Woodlawn Dance Academy is an established dance studio that is proud to serve the Sauk Valley area. Our goal is to offer quality programs while creating an environment for positive learning and, most of all, FUN! Below, find a list of upcoming camps, workshops and clinics, along with classes that are not a part of our school-year dance program. For details on our school-year dance program, technique classes or our award-winning dance competition team, click the black "Join Woodlawn Dance Academy" tab at the bottom of your browser window.