text:
This has always been a fascinating topic to me. The right wing seems to champion the founder of Christianity and claim to v
ote with their
faith on their sleeves. On the other side, the left wing can sometimes
appear hostile to Christianity and those who adhere to the faith.
Jesus, not being a respecter of persons, would not be swayed by any of
that. So, the question is: Who would Jesus vote for in the upcoming
presidential election?
I'm sure that the answer to this
would vary depending on who you ask. I could take a pretty educated
stab at it. However, to try to leave as much bias out of the question
as possible, I decided to leave it up to isidewith.com
to determine the answer. This site helps people determine which
candidate shares the same values that they do - regardless of party. I
did my level best to answer the questions based on what the Gospel
accounts attribute to Jesus' views. Sometimes, I had to expand the
search to other parts of the Bible, but I stuck mostly to the synoptic
There were a number of questions that I had to
simply leave blank because there was no way I could determine the
correct answer by the Bible. These type of blank answers typically came
from very specific questions such as those concerning "common core," or
term limits, or other specific contemporary issues. I had to skip more
questions than I had hoped, but I would rather leave them blank than try
to editorialize an answer for Jesus. Still, there were plenty of
questions to paint a pretty clear picture.
The Results
is a summary of what the gospels teach us of Jesus' values. The
results of the quiz show that Jesus finds that standing up for the
oppressed and those that are taken advantage are very important to him.
Few could argue that this is a common theme in his ministry.
also sides toward the traditional which means that he believes in a
civilized society that honors traditional morality and values. The gospels point out that even though he has compassion, he remained "sinless." He also quoted Old Testament scriptures a lot and read them in the Temple.
results also show that Jesus strongly believes in showing compassion,
empathy, and rehabilitation for small time criminals. The way he dealt with the prostitute and thief on the cross would support this claim.
also shows that he slightly sides with regulation to ensure that
business doesn't take advantage of the system and consumers. That
conclusion made me picture the anger that he showed at the money
changers and how he converted two cheating tax collectors into honest followers.
Other items of note in the summary include being against social inequality, corruption and being an environmental centrist.
Drum Roll, Please!
is more aligned with Bernie Sanders than any other candidate. His
beliefs and values are consistent with Sanders' on a 79% of the issues.
The closest Republican was John Kasich with a 64%. So these would be
the two men he would vote for in their respective primaries.
conclusion makes sense for a number of reasons. Sanders is against
corruption of banks and is the champion of the "least of these" as Jesus
called them. It probably didn't hurt that both Jesus and Bernie are
Check out isidewith.com and see who you line up with and see if you see the issues like Jesus does.
The After-life is like Schrödinger's Cat
. . . or How Blaise Pascal was actually the first pioneer of quantum mechanics.
Whether or not there is an afterlife and/or a god or gods that rule it is a debate that has been going on for some time. In fact, just search bulletin boards, chat rooms or Facebook groups and you will have more than your fill of choices. Of course, being one that is not shy about debates, I thought I would weigh in here with a different perception.
Enter: Blaise Pascal.
Pascal was a 17th century genius - a jack of all intellectual trades, one might say. His work advanced both mathematics and physics. In addition, some of his philosophical arguments are still discussed today. One of these is known as Pascal's Wager.
The Reader's Digest version of Pascal's Wager states that no one can know for sure about the existence of God and/or the after-life but everyone bets their life on one or the other - they have no choice. The safe bet would be to believe in God and live like He does exist because even if one was wrong, he would lose nothing but a few years of inconvenience and then vanish into nothingness. If the believer is correct, thus winning the bet, he gains eternal life. So it is a not much to lose and everything to gain proposition. Compare that to the person who bets that there is no God. If he wins, then he lives as he pleases and vanishes into nothingness. However, if he is wrong, he is subjected to a horrible and eternal afterlife. For Pascal, the smart bet would be to believe in God and live like it because one would have very little to lose and everything to gain.
The Reader's Digest version of Pascal's Wager states that no one can know for sure about the existence of God and/or the after-life but everyone bets their life on one or the other - they have no choice. The safe bet would be to believe in God and live like He does exist because even if one was wrong, he would lose nothing but a few years of inconvenience and then vanish into nothingness. If the believer is correct, thus winning the bet, he gains eternal life. So it is a not much to lose and everything to gain proposition. Compare that to the person who bets that there is no God. If he wins, then he lives as he pleases and vanishes into nothingness. However, if he is wrong, he is subjected to a horrible and eternal afterlife. For Pascal, the smart bet would be to believe in God and live like it because one would have very little to lose and everything to gain.
Schrödinger vs PETA
Fast forward about 270 years. Erwin Schrödinger was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who was instrumental in the development of quantum theory. Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment that deals with possibilities and outcomes. The original concept was based on whether or not a radioactive atom is decayed in an hour's time. It is a complicated explanation dealing with the half life of the atom in question. Since I don't want to lose anyone in the explanation of it, I will modify the scenario in a fashion that will make it more likely that people will stay for the ride. So here is Psychosomatic Wit's version of the Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment.
A cat was closed in a box with some food laced with deadly poison. After an hour, it was assumed that the cat had either eaten the poison and died or did not eat the poison and is alive. Until the box is opened, the cat can be considered both alive and dead at the same time.* This explication (known as the Copenhagen Interpretation) holds that it is the act of measuring (or in this case opening the box and observing) that changes the dual reality (both the alive and dead cat) into one conclusion. That is just one of the many interpretations of this thought experiment.** As nonsensical as this sounds to some, many reputable theorists still assign validity to this interpretation.
The Afterlife has Gone to the Dogs - or in this case to Schrödinger's Cat.
Whether or not there is an afterlife is something that cannot be determined with any certainty until after one crosses over from this life into . . . well, that remains to be seen, doesn't it? So if we are to use Schrödinger's thought experiment as a model we can conclude that while we are living, waiting for us is both an afterlife AND a state of nonexistence. When we depart the living in this physical world one of those conclusions will remain a reality while the other will no longer be viable. How then shall we live in the meantime?
Well, if it was your beloved cat in Schrödinger's box, you would anxiously cling to the living cat until you are finally able to joyously reunite with it or sorrowfully say goodbye. If not, you would have said your goodbyes at the point the cat was placed into the box.
Why would we treat the afterlife any differently? The choices are that one could embrace a hopeless destiny or a meaningful life full of hope. With the former, we might muddle through this existence looking for some kind of meaning and only finding it by assigning purpose to helping a few fellow hopeless souls who also have a meaningless, finite existences.
Or, one could choose the equally viable option of the afterlife. With that choice we could look forward to unending bliss in reunion with loved ones and embrace being part of an eternal plan that gives meaning to life by being a part of something much bigger than only a finite, random existence offered by the alternative.
Or, one could choose the equally viable option of the afterlife. With that choice we could look forward to unending bliss in reunion with loved ones and embrace being part of an eternal plan that gives meaning to life by being a part of something much bigger than only a finite, random existence offered by the alternative.
I know that some would argue that even if the afterlife exists, it may be unpleasant no matter how one chooses to live and a seemingly infinite list of other negative possibilities. That is a discussion all its own and should be given its own space. I will leave factoring the probabilities of the characteristics of the afterlife for another time. So keeping it simple, one can choose which direction he wants to go in consideration of his appointment for death. The beauty of it is that there is no wrong answer. It is just a question of choosing what kind of life you want to live and what kind of gamble are you willing to take.
I know what reality on which Pascal would have wagered . . . and he was a genius.
*No cats were harmed in the making of this blog post
**Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment was based on sub atomic particles, half life of a radioactive atom and a mechanism to determine whether or not the atom had decayed to the point of emitting radiation that would cause a vial of poisonous gas to be broken therefore killing the cat. I explain this to hopefully dissuade egg heads from coming after me about quantum mechanics which would really just be a distraction that misses the plot.
Memories of Dad
Today, of course, I am thinking of my father. He passed away when I was 18 - just six minutes after my birthday expired. Life was crazy then and the whole thing was surreal. I watched him waste away from cancer the preceding months. Everyone told me that he waited to pass so he wouldn't foul up my birthday. I like to think that is true, but who knows? If so, it was a nice present.
I didn't have the same experience with my dad as my siblings. They knew a man that was gone a lot. They remember a father who probably drank too much and was prone to be a little scary as a result. I am glad that isn't my memory. In my years with dad, he was a nondrinker who made my dinner every night because my mom worked. He was the guy that took me to every little league game and even coached a little for my team.
I didn't have the same experience with my dad as my siblings. They knew a man that was gone a lot. They remember a father who probably drank too much and was prone to be a little scary as a result. I am glad that isn't my memory. In my years with dad, he was a nondrinker who made my dinner every night because my mom worked. He was the guy that took me to every little league game and even coached a little for my team.
Dad was responsible for giving me my first friend of another race. He helped a black man that he worked with get his son into the little league I was in. A few times he and I, his friend and son went together to the games and got a bite afterwards. I thank him for showing me how normal life should be.
My father had a keen since of humor which involved his own vocabulary. He had names for everything. He called orange juice, "Simpson," water was sky juice, and because we always tended to leave the vacuum cleaner (the tank kind with the hose), in the hallway as a hazard, Dad called it an automatic tripper. There were MANY more names he had for stuff, I wish I could remember them all.
My father had a keen since of humor which involved his own vocabulary. He had names for everything. He called orange juice, "Simpson," water was sky juice, and because we always tended to leave the vacuum cleaner (the tank kind with the hose), in the hallway as a hazard, Dad called it an automatic tripper. There were MANY more names he had for stuff, I wish I could remember them all.
Dad loved corn bread and made it practically every day. I never cared for corn bread as a child, but dad was determined to change that. He would change up the recipes and add stuff to it just to try to win me over. I remember one day he took some out of the oven and there were pools of butter on the surface. He said, "Jeff, take you a bite of this. I know you'll like it." I responded, "Dad, you know I don't like corn bread, why do you keep offering it to me?" His response was, "That's not corn bread; it is buttered corn cake!"
When I was 16, I got into a car accident. It wasn't my fault - REALLY! Some guy backed out of a Pizza Hut across three lanes of traffic and hit me. I was really scared to call my dad. I don't know why; me being 16, I just thought somehow everyone would figure it was my fault. My dad showed up and made me believe right away that it was no big deal and it wasn't my fault. He even fixed the fender in our driveway with his auto body expertise.
Anyway, that is the father I remember. I am blessed with those memories. I do miss him more than most people realize. I miss you, Dad. And dad, I like buttered corn cake now.
When I was 16, I got into a car accident. It wasn't my fault - REALLY! Some guy backed out of a Pizza Hut across three lanes of traffic and hit me. I was really scared to call my dad. I don't know why; me being 16, I just thought somehow everyone would figure it was my fault. My dad showed up and made me believe right away that it was no big deal and it wasn't my fault. He even fixed the fender in our driveway with his auto body expertise.
Anyway, that is the father I remember. I am blessed with those memories. I do miss him more than most people realize. I miss you, Dad. And dad, I like buttered corn cake now.
Leave it All on the Field
She heard him say it a thousand times over the years. "Leave it ALL on the field," Eric would bark at his players at the practices and games for the Freemont High School football program. That was his mantra and all on the team knew it well. Its aim was to make it quite clear that every tiny bit of effort, every ounce of strength should be expended in the attempt to win the game. He loved that phrase, but seldom believed it was accomplished.
Gina grew up with definite ideas about marriage and her duties as a wife. She was always there for Eric. She would run errands and provide drinks and fruit to the players. Every now and again, she may even cross the nourishment line and bring cookies. Whatever was needed, whatever she could think of to make things better or nicer, Gina was there to serve her man.
Although she took her role in the marriage quite seriously, she did have her own ideas and dreams. She did quite well as a kindergarten teacher at the neighborhood elementary school. She served in the PTA and had just published her first children's book. Gina was a real go-getter and she knew what she wanted. She was successful at every endeavor, except for the one she wanted the most.
Gina was able to juggle marriage and career through love and conviction – the conviction of just doing what was right by her husband. In addition to her supportive duties at the field, she also tried to exhibit her dedication at home. She was always there to bring him a beer, chips and plenty of back rubs. She did love him and frequently told him so. But more than that, Gina gave her love hands and feet. This was just Gina.
However, this was NOT Eric. He was a perfectionist and was never able to find perfection. No matter how well his team performed, there was always something they could have done better. They won a few regional titles, but had yet to make it to the state finals. He would not be happy unless they brought back the state title, he thought. What Gina knew that Eric didn't was that even THAT would bring only a fleeting smile. Eric was not happy and it seemed to Gina that he was determined to stay that way.
Unfortunately, Eric had this same attitude at home – particularly with his ever loving, and ever trying wife. He tried to do his part in his own way. He helped out at the house, especially the maintenance and outdoor chores. He would even manage to muster out a "thank you" when Gina was being her serving self. However, he never showed his love for Gina and seldom voiced it. He didn't really understand it or what it was or wasn't, but Gina knew. She felt it go right through her every day, sometimes every minute.
Gina felt that Eric's affection was token as if he was hugging an old aunt that he hadn't seen for years. When they shared intimate moments, Gina shuttered because she knew that she was a mere object to ease his frustration, not a wife to be loved or cherished. He was not always that way. Gina wondered how the change ever came about. She dealt with the temptation of blaming herself, but deep inside, she always knew that she could only do what she could do.
Day after day she endured this marriage, most of the time with a smile. She, in faith, kept serving him, loving him, being there for him at home, at the games, and in the bedroom. She was there, but she felt it dying. She wasn't sure what it was that was dying. Was it the marriage? Could it be her love for him? Perhaps it was her life, itself. All she knew was that something important was dying and she was slipping, ever so assuredly, into survival mode.
One crisp October Friday morning, Gina started her routine. Knowing that there would be a game that night, she prepared for her husband a big, healthy breakfast. This got her up a full hour before him to clear out of the bathroom and have coffee and breakfast at the ready when he opened the morning paper at the table. Her preparations were made with conflicting emotions. She was excited to again go the extra mile for him out of faith and love, but at the same time, was agonized that it would be accepted with unloving apathy.
After breakfast, she sent him off full and awake ready to face his day. In return, he kissed the air a good two inches from her cheek and drove away. She noticed his game folder left on the oak secretary by the front door. She scrambled to ready herself for her day in a fashion that would leave her barely enough time to stop by the high school to "save his day". She saw Eric outside the gym and rushed the folder to him. Her reward was a not-so-angry, "if you would have reminded me at the door, you wouldn't have had to rush over here." Tears welled up in Gina's eyes as she turned out of the parking lot.
At lunch, Gina stopped by the supermarket and grabbed the makings of his favorite meal. Because her planning period was back-to-back with her lunch, she was able to get the meat and potatoes home and pre-prepped so she could have it ready and on the table after the game. She also managed to grab three cases of soda and four bags of apples to be put on ice in the back of her van.
She was there in the front row, when the Freemont Roughriders won in overtime that night. She cheered until she was hoarse. She supported her man. She presented the apples and soda to the players after the game and dashed off to make his meal.
Eric thanked her but never diverted his eyes from SportsCenter as she trudged up the stairs to bed. Somehow, she mustered enough hope to exercise her love and duty one more time before crossing off another hapless day on the calendar of their marriage.
She waited there for him in bed with a new gown that flattered her thirty-something body. Her wrists and body had the light scent of her most luring perfume. Anxious tears filled her eye wells as she heard him finish up in the bathroom a few feet away.
Eric knew what to do when he slid into bed. With not as much as an "I love you" or a mouth kiss, he finished his business with her and rolled over and fell into dispassionate slumber.
Saturday morning arrived not unlike other Saturday mornings. Eric slept in while Gina got up early. Normally, she would do laundry and prepare breakfast. Today was different; her chore was only for herself. She filled two suitcases, gathered her laptop, books and other important papers. Gina was nothing, if not consistent - always thinking of her man so she let him sleep. While he was snoring upstairs, she wrote him a note so as to not wake him on his cherished day off:
Dear Eric,
I devoted the last twelve years to you and our marriage.
I was there for you and I gave to you all I knew to give. I never asked
for anything in return, but I did need a husband - you know, Eric, a husband
to care for me, partner with me, but mostly to love me. Unfortunately, you can't see that YOU need to be a husband for your own good as well as for the
prosperity of a marriage pledged to each other and to God.
I don't know what else to do; I have nothing more to give to bring about
the kind of marriage I know that WE deserve and God wants us to have. You
should be proud of me, though, Eric. For our marriage, even though we
lost, I want you to know that I left it ALL on the field.
Your wife,
On this Memorial Day, We Want to Pay Honor to Those Who Serve
All kidding aside, my sincere thanks and respect goes to all those who have answered their country's call to defend and protect us. I would also like to thank the families who have sacrificed and lost loved ones in order to make and keep this country strong. We are in your debt.
No matter how certain military actions have been viewed or supported, these brave individuals do not have the luxury of asking questions. They just answered the call. Respect should be given to them from EVERYONE.
Why I Could Never be an Atheist
|The Fountain of Eternal Life, Cleveland Ohio
Don't let the title fool you. I am not out to bad mouth those without faith. I am merely telling you why I cannot be one of them.
"For in my faith, I stay connected."
I have been a Christian just about my whole life. I realized more recently that even when I was doubting and searching, I was still in the fold of God's mighty hand. That is one of the things that is so amazing about Grace. God's Grace was sufficient - even in my doubt and anger.
It dawned on me this morning how thankful I should be for that. For in my faith, I stay connected. Connected to God, humanity, and to those I love.
There was a time recently that I wanted to break away from my faith. I felt a need to cut off ties to an unfair God, and to join the masses of God detractors. I was ready to take my place in the grand ostrich paradigm of spiritual reality. You can read about it here.
I am so glad that God's Grace was bigger than my doubts and resentments. For by that grace, I am still connected. I am grateful that there is not a storm so fierce that it can overcome the divine walls that protect His children.
A mother's love is not made of this world nor dissuaded by wound or strife.No house, no city, no world can contain itNor can the constraints of this life.
This thankfulness hit its PEAK on the morning of Mothers Day. I lost my mom last year. Because of the role she had in my life as parent, dependent, and best friend, she gave my life meaning. At some point after a period of serious grief, I realized that if we were on our own with no God, we would be permanently disconnected with our parents, our spouses, brothers, sisters, grandparents and friends that have passed on before us. It would be almost as if they had never existed at all - or had the same reality of a movie we once saw.
What if you lost a child or the baby in your womb? There would be no connection; no present reality. We would have to pretend that temporal things or beings could give our lives significant meaning rather than not being any different than the roadkill we pass on the freeway on our morning commute.In atheism there is the admission that we cannot disprove the existence of God. However, we must also admit that the faithful cannot prove that He does exist - not in a transferable way. Whichever way we go in matters of the spirit, we must have faith in the path that we choose.
I had a preacher one time who loved to say "If I could take Jesus out of my heart and put Him into yours, you would never give Him back." The older I get and the more I grow in faith, the more I understand that. That is the nontransferable proof that atheists lack. But even if I did not have that, I would still choose hope, because no pretending in the world can keep connections with those we love if we profess that those connections could not possibly exist.
So, I would still choose faith and hope because of love. My parents, grandparents, and other dear family and friends that have gone ahead of me are counting on it. I count on it, too.
Brothers and sisters, we want you to be fully informed about those who have fallen asleep in death so that you will not be overwhelmed with grief like those who live outside of the true hope. --1st Thessalonians 4:13 (the Voice)
Mom, Just Mom . . .
First I got some fried chicken and made up some mashed potatoes. Mom loves drum sticks. As she got older, the legs were something she found was suited just for her. She could hold on to them, there wasn't a lot of work involved and no unnecessary bones to dodge. That and some good mashed potatoes made up the ideal meal for Mom - as long as she had a dessert!
That is where the cake comes in. It was chocolate fudge with milk chocolate icing. In the cake batter, I added some peanut butter. That was my hack because my mom always loved the chocolate peanut butter shakes at Sonic. I also added a packet of Dream Whip to the batter because I know how important a moist cake is.
When everything was ready, I sat down in my empty house. I ate two chicken legs, a little mashed potatoes, and for dessert I had peanut butter-chocolate fudge cake custom made for the woman I owe everything I have sweet in my life. I love you, Mom.People tend to smile thoughtfully and nod their head. Then, most go on their merry way without it. But let me urge you to take it with you and hold onto it tightly. Let it become apart of your values and who you are:
The Blog that Relaunched a Thousand Words (or more)
What a great time for a blog launch – or in this case, relaunch. There have been some things happening to me lately concerning my writing that makes it an exceptional time on a personal level, but that isn't the only reason. This is an interesting time we are living in. With politics and other news, sports, and just everyday craziness that is afoot this season, there will be enough things to explore and laugh at for some time. By the way, it is also a great time for you to go and "like" the PW page on Facebook!
Presidential campaign season is officially underway. Both parties should provide some interesting blog fodder. On one hand, we have Queen Hillary and the Pips. And what's a discussion about the Democratic Party without the mention of socialism? Thanks, Bernie Sanders!
On the other hand, the Republican primary seldom disappoints when it comes to providing a fascinating cast of characters and this year is no different. YET ANOTHER Bush wants to fill out a change of address form for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In addition, the field includes an ousted business woman, a retired surgeon, a really thirsty guy, and a couple of guys with really bad hairdos. We could discuss for hours.
Then there is the rash of police/minority issues that have plagued the country the past couple of years. This page will have plenty to say about that.
One thing that none of us can escape is the influence of God in our lives OR how the lack of a belief system puts those of us without faith on a specific path. This blog is always concerned about this aspect of life.
In addition, PW will look at some sports issues. Traditionally, there hasn't been much of that here, but lately (for those that have been perusing the site) that has changed. With the NCAA tournament recently closed for the 2015 season, all fan eyes are looking at transfers and reloading for the upcoming season. This site will touch on many teams, but be primarily concerned with Indiana University. Baseball and football are also gearing up at the pro and college levels.
There will be something of interest for most people (if not one post, perhaps the next one). Some of you will agree with what you read; others will be irritated. Then the following post may have the opposite effect. As always, comments are always welcome - at Psychosomatic Wit and on the Facebook page. I look forward to responding to comments. Without interaction, I will never find out that I am wrong!So, what do you want to talk about?
Should Christians Call for the Death Penalty for the Boston Bomber?
Recently, I read and reviewed Unoffendable, by Brant Hansen. Written from a Christian point of view, it deals with anger and, of course, being offended. You can read the review in the previous post. In it, Hansen talks about the MYTH of righteous anger and how it has no place for a follower of Christ. I wondered in light of the Boston Marathon bombing and the guilty verdict that was reached against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, how this "righteous anger" principle applies when considering the concept of capital punishment – especially for the Christian. The trial is in the sentencing phase so I think this is a timely topic. The issue now is whether Tsarnaev should be put to death for his part in this horrible crime.
When people think of a capital offense, this surely would be a good fit. Tsarnaev and his brother used pressure cooker bombs to destroy the lives of race participants and a crowd of onlookers. When the smoke cleared, three people lost their lives and 264 people were injured - some very seriously including the loss of limbs. Yes, it stirred up a great deal of anger from all over the country and the world. Here are some examples of that anger that I picked up in news stories and comments:
"Fight the good fight prosecutors and give this child-murdering Islamic terrorist the death penalty he so richly deserves."
"Just kill the scum and get it over with Boston"
"So the Boston bomber kill 4 and injured over 200 and we are gonna give him a quick death? If it was up to me I would water board him"
These are natural reactions, aren't they? Christians and nonbelievers alike are sickened by such a crime. However, how does God expect His followers to respond to this, with capital punishment? Apparently 75% of conservatives and half of Christians say, yes. I would guess that for evangelicals, it is much higher since the Catholic Church is against it.
God has authorized capital punishment all over the Bible . . . oh wait, or is it just in the Old Testament? That is troubling, isn't it? Christians don't like it when nonbelievers throw Old Testament laws in their face. Old Testament laws bring up death penalty for any number of things including prostitution, and being a rebellious son. If we are going to let the Old Testament be our guide for our capital punishment views, how can we ignore other Old Testament rules and punishments?
Christians like to look at the New Testament instead because it is about Grace. Christ fulfilled all the rigidity of Old Testament rules and laws and if we hitch a wagon to his star, then we can rest in that Grace. So shouldn't we also extend that grace to others? Should not that be our model? Does the new Testament support the idea of capital punishment?
The simple answer is no. Christians like to point at a passage in Romans that tells us to be willingly subjected to government authority. The other passage is one in Acts where the apostle, Paul, subjects himself to government authority even if it means his death. Nowhere did it say that capital punishment is right and just under grace. If Christians use this verse to justify their clanging for capital punishment, then they also have to admit that slavery is justified also because it is a comparable element under the law. Just because Roman law had the authority to put prisoners to death does not mean that the practice was endorsed by God. Only the authority of the government was endorsed.
Getting back to Unoffendable, Hansen doesn't discuss capital punishment at all but here is what he did say:
"(Vengeance is) His, and it makes senses, too, that we're not allowed vengeance. Here is one reason why: We stand as guilty as whoever is the target of our anger. But God? He doesn't. . . . Whatever anyone has done to me, or to anyone else, I stand just as guilty. People have lied to me, but I've lied too, People have been unfaithful to me, but I've been unfaithful too, People have hurt me , and I've hurt them. I get angry toward murderers, and then here comes Jesus, telling me if I've ever hated someone - and I have I am the murderer's moral equal."
Does this concept not ring familiar? In John, chapter 8, the Pharisees and Scribes brought a woman to Jesus. She was caught red handed in the act of adultery. The law was clear. This woman was to be stoned. Jesus told them that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone at the woman. The Temple officials departed. Since all of the accusers left (because they were not clean themselves), Jesus pardoned her. Keep in mind, Jesus was the ONLY one that had the authority to cast that first stone. He chose to extend grace, instead.
How then can Christians be for capital punishment? Where's the grace? I am not saying that horrible offenses shouldn't be addressed. There are many reasons that, as a society, we cannot allow the offenders to walk freely on the street. However, doesn't the death penalty take that concept too far? Apparently, Jesus thought so.
Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes were recently married. They each lost a leg during the Boston Marathon bombing. They made this statement regarding a potential death sentence for Tsarnaev, "We must overcome the impulse for vengeance."
Also Jennifer Lemmerman, the sister of an M.I.T. police officer who was killed by Tsarnaev, said she thought that the death penalty would bring neither peace nor justice. She wrote on her Facebook page, "Whenever someone speaks out against the death penalty, they are challenged to imagine how they would feel if someone they love were killed. I've been given that horrible perspective and I can say that my position has only strengthened,''
I don't know if Kensky, Downes, or Lemmerman are Christians, but they sound more like what I would envision someone being influenced by Jesus Christ, rather than those with torches and pitch forks that tend to shout some modern day version of, "Crucify Him!"
Can We Be Unoffendable?
If you just look at the title of Brant Hansen's Unoffendable- How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better, it appears to be another self help book designed to teach the reader how to develop a tough skin. That assumption couldn't be further from the truth.
The book is written from a Christian point of view, but even skeptics will be able to get something out of this book and enjoy it in the process. Hansen isn't preachy or teachy. He doesn't even come off as an expert on the subject. In fact, each page is laced with humility which is very appropriate for the subject matter because through the pages, we discover how important humility is in being unoffendable.
The author exposes "righteous anger" for what it is, problematic and even an illusion.
I used to think it was incumbent upon a Christian to take offense. I now think we should be the most refreshingly unoffendable people on a planet that seems to spin on an axis of offense.
Forfeiting our right to anger makes us deny ourselves, and makes us others-centered. When we start living this way, it changes everything.
Hansen chides those that want to cherry-pick scriptures justifying their anger and has a firm answer to them, but of course he does it without taking offense.
The unoffendable message is given to the reader packed with humorous and heart touching stories told in Hansen's quirky, but charming way. He draws on Christian authors and artists and isn't shy about picking on evangelical culture, as much as he does himself.
I have to admit that I was skeptical about the book going into it. Sure, I bought into the premise - which perhaps puts me a step ahead of the crusaders in our midst, but I wasn't sure about the pragmatic quality of the thesis. In other words, while I agree anger and offense aren't good ideas on many levels, there doesn't seem to be a choice in the matter for most of us. I thought of it as a traveler going down the road looking for Unoffendable City. If he stops at a local filling station to ask for directions, he would probably get the unhelpful response, "Sorry, buddy, but you just can't get there from here."
Hansen agrees with me AND also disagrees:
And while I thought the ideal of choosing to be "unoffendable" was ludicrous, I've tried it. And I'm not perfect at it, but I'm much, much better than I used to be. I just let stuff go. I go into situations thinking, I'm not going to be offended. No matter what.
What I found out as I approached the end of the book was that Brant Hansen is right. I was not as prone to be offended in my daily life as I was before reading. Sure, I had times where the gut reaction of offense wanted to surface, but from reading the book being unoffendable wasn't quite as difficult as it was before and will probably get even easier day by day unless I turn loose of the concept. I do not plan to do that because I prefer peace in my life rather than strife.
I whole-heartedly recommend Unoffendable by Brant Hansen. Although it helped me a great deal, it doesn't come off as a self-help book. It is more like a memoir or an amusing conversation with an interesting friend at a coffee shop. It was so enjoyable that I was always ready for another cup.
Thomas Bryant Answers the Call from the Hall
As a follow up to my previous post, Will Thomas Bryant Help Crean Keep His Job at IU, 5-star prep standout Thomas Bryant is officially taking his talents to Bloomington. Coaches, fans and most of the team are celebrating. However, those players
on the bottom of the totem poll are probably biting their lips about now.
on the bottom of the totem poll are probably biting their lips about now.
|Do you love me THIS much, Coach Crean?
Will Thomas Bryant Help Crean Keep His Job at IU?
Perhaps the fate of Tom Crean at Indiana University rests in the hands of a 17 year-old man-child. Of course, I am talking about the program's latest crush, Thomas Bryant.
Bryant is a 6-10, 240 pound center out of Huntington Prep, Huntington WV. He is a four-star prospect rated 27th in this coming recruiting class.
It looks like it is a two-horse race between Syracuse and the Stripes to obtain Bryant's services. Two things that make me think that he is leaning toward Syracuse is that A. He still talks about them despite the fact that they haven't contacted him in a couple of months; and B. this comment that he made to Inside the Hall, about his Hoosier recruitment included, "They send me a ton of damn letters," In addition, the Crystal Ball from 247 Sports also has the Orange edging out IU for Bryant's services.
With all the axes falling on coaches around the country, Crean's job security is still ambiguous at best. IU AD Fred Glass seemingly gave Crean an endorsement to remain the coach of the Hoosiers, but pay attention to what he actually said to the Indianapolis Star last week (bold emphasis mine):
"My goals for this program are to perennially contend for and to win multiple Big Ten championships, regularly go deep in the NCAA tournament and win our next national championship - be elite, if you will. As a lifelong Hoosier and IU basketball fan, alumnus and current AD, nobody wants that more than me.
"Coach Crean's status should be based on his ability to achieve those goals going forward, not what he has or hasn't done in the past. Because I believe in the team he has assembled and is assembling, his leadership of it and their ability to start achieving our program goals, I continue to support Tom Crean as our coach."
This statement by Glass looks carefully crafted. When he claims that he "continues," that implies "at the time of the statement." He didn't say, "I will continue . . .," nor did he give a time frame or include the words "next season" in that statement, It seems that Crean's ability to "achieve those goals going forward" and the team he "IS assembling" necessarily involves Bryant, or at least a similarly qualified big man. If not, IU is destined to have another undersized, under-performing team.
This statement by Glass looks carefully crafted. When he claims that he "continues," that implies "at the time of the statement." He didn't say, "I will continue . . .," nor did he give a time frame or include the words "next season" in that statement, It seems that Crean's ability to "achieve those goals going forward" and the team he "IS assembling" necessarily involves Bryant, or at least a similarly qualified big man. If not, IU is destined to have another undersized, under-performing team.
Bryant is poised to make his decision by next week. It just may be that if Crean wants to keep his job at IU, he needs to do more then send Bryant "a ton of damn letters." If Crean survives the Bryant recruitment without signing a quality big, then the next chapter of this saga may take place the first week of July, when the coach would be paid $4.5M less than if he was terminated today.
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This week was probably the busiest yet. The biggest thing that happened was that our new companion, Sister Cortes, came! She's from around Mexico City. It's been fun watching her react to everything and remembering when I was the same way... a few weeks ago. Time goes by so fast I'm nostalgic already. It's been pretty easy adjusting to living with three people instead of two, but we're definitely in need of more closet space. When we cook we make a little more, and Sister Kubota showers at night now, but no huge changes. We had to rearrange our two desks into an L-shape thing to accommodate three people.
We had a full evening planned for the day we got back from Tokyo to pick Sister Cortes up. Poor thing had to teach a lesson in Spanish after being here for like an hour, then we didn't have time for dinner, then we went to Eikaiwa. Oh and she'd never ridden a bike before, so she got to try that out on a borrowed bike, in the dark, in Japan. She's been a trooper.
It's been a huge miracle to finally be able to communicate in Spanish. We have lots of new investigators already, and have taught two lessons to a Peruvian family who lives near the church. It's funny watching them learn together because the mom has a Christian background, but the husband doesn't really know anything about religion, which sometimes shocks her. When we asked him if he knew who prophets were and he said no, her eyes got huge and she shrieked, "no sei que es una profeta?!" Or something like that. I can sort of understand some of what they say, but Sister Cortes translates for us. But they're super nice, and have two really cute kids. And the dad is a chef, so we got to try some yummy Peruvian food last time we went over!
Hopefully someday we'll get to the point where we can all contribute equally in the lessons. Right now Sister Kubota does most of the teaching in Japanese and Sister Cortes does almost all of it in Spanish. I actually have my first lesson in French scheduled for tonight, with Patrique, the man we met from Congo. I'm a little scared - we never learned religious vocabulary in high school!
This week has been a great one for Oyama. We've been busy busy busy with all the new people to teach, and the Elders here set TWO baptismal dates this week! Both of them are young boys - one in high school and one in college - and they're both way cool and way nice. I'm so excited. Hopefully we'll get to see similar miracles soon! Aki really wants to be baptized and is working hard to find a new job so she can be independent and make some needed life changes. She has such an amazing desire to learn and be a better person, and I want so badly for her to feel the happiness she deserves.
We went to a cool sushi restaurant for lunch today - the kind where everything comes around on a revolving belt and you just take whichever plates you want. It was way fun, and most of it yummy - but I finally tried the infamous nato that all the Japanese returned missionaries talk about! It's fermented soybean goop and just as disgusting as promised. But besides that, oishii!
Since we had technical difficulties last night (technology hates me) I'm finishing my email now Tuesday morning, after yesterday's lessons. I taught Patrique in French. It was awesome! Sometimes between Sister Kubota's Japanese and Sister Cortes' Spanish lessons I feel a little useless, so it was nice to finally contribute. That wasn't the best part though. The best part was seeing him learn and understand, and hearing him say "I want to know more so I can decide if this path is right for me." Yay!
I'm sending a picture of me with my (short) companions, and one at the sushi restaurant. I apologize for the latter - being a missionary has changed me in some ways, but I'm still not photogenic.
Love, Anna
|New companion Cortes Shimai (from Mexico City), Anna and Kubota Shimai
|Anna eating sushi - Yum!!

subset: commoncrawl


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"managing to always make me feel good to be alive as well as make me think."
WOW! That's one of the best compliments I've ever received in my life. I'll cherish it for the rest of my life. THX SO MUCH for the privilege, M!!!
Now I have to choose 5 other blogs. Tough choice as I haven't really been here too long. Let's see...
1. Revelations for Life. He's really made me think HARD to answer his questions, even though sometimes I'm incapable of answering them. LOL!!!
2. Max's Blog. Max's written down posts that boil my blood (in a positive way). LOL!!!
3. Victorya Chase Goes to Therapy. It's honest, it's real, it makes me think of other things I know nothing about. She's strong, too! :-)))
4. Sweeter Than Ever! This one has strengthened me and reminded me to rely on Jesus through her own trials. Such an inspiration!
5. The Joy Box. This blog has lots of info about motherhood, raising kids, good books for kids, and more. I don't have kids yet but I LOVE reading about how other people raise their kids.
Boy, it took me SO LONG to pick he he he...PHEW!!!
The rules are -
Congratulations, you won a
Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.
The participation rules are simple:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).


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Mar 16
To infinity and beyond! Buzz is coming with us on our little adventure
So here's the new Toy Story 4 plot…'Buzz goes travelling!' Unfortunately, this is not coming to movies near you soon.
Buzz will be coming on our adventure with us, so Chloe and Jack (my niece and nephew) can see him travel all over the world and visit loads of cool places. This will hopefully make sure they don't forget us. We will take pictures of his journey on instagram…who knows where he will go and who he might meet?
Hopefully Jack doesn't notice he's gone – he has about 8 kinds of Buzz to keep him occupied! x


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Chelsea to bid for Egypt goalkeeper El-Shenawy
Chelsea are lining up a summer move to sign Egypt goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shenawy from Zamalek, according to The Sun.
The 25-year-old has been targeted by incoming Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who reportedly wants him as a replacement for Asmir Begovic next season.
El-Shenawy has impressed during his season for Zamalek and his national team and is out of contract with the club, then teny might accept at £3m bid from the Blues.


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The Financial Institutions Group of InterFirst Wholesale Mortgage Lending, Ann Arbor, Mich., has announced the recent introduction of Select Queue, a private-label call center.Select Queue consists of "highly trained mortgage consultants in a call center environment" that act as customer service representatives on behalf of InterFirstlink's financial institutions, the company said. This enables participants to expand their mortgage origination capabilities without increasing overhead, InterFirst said. "Smaller community banks may not have the resources to manage a full-scale mortgage call-center operation," said Michael Griffith, group manager of InterFirstlink and senior vice president of ABN Amro Mortgage Group, InterFirst's parent company. "InterFirstlink provides all of the tools necessary for financial institutions to offer mortgages in their local markets."
InterFirst Offers Private-Label Call Center
Authoritative analysis and perspective for every segment of the mortgage industry
Authoritative analysis and perspective for every segment of the mortgage industry
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text: WALTER K. VanDUZER SR., 79, 30-A Forest Drive, Mid-Florida Lakes, Leesburg, died Tuesday. Born in New York City, he moved to Leesburg from Vero Beach in 1974. He was a retired appliance store owner and was a Presbyterian. He was a Mason. Survivors: wife, Edith M.; son, Walter K. Jr., Orange Park; daughter, Linda Howard, Winter Garden; brothers, Floyd, Clyde, both of Barnstable, Mass.; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren. Harden-Pauli Funeral Home, Eustis.


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Up until now, we've been admittedly cagey about how we're going to distribute your wonderful cards to the world. I mean, as a small Malaysian company, there are obviously alot of hurdles in sending cards all over the world, and ensuring timely delivery.
But before we get to that, lets look at the first ever Foldees cards brought to life. These cards are a few of our favourites, not just because they did the unMalaysian thing and submitted WAY before our deadline, but also because they are just too darned cute.
Emila Yusof's simple (and simply adorable) Happy Birthday card.
An extreme close-up. I don't even know what animal this lil tyke is supposed to be, but it's so gosh darned cute. It's also one of the first designs we received, so the Happy Birthday message is actually quite appropriate :)
The view inside. The text and avatars are both mockups.
This is why we ask you for a nice avatar picture. Better if it's square, but not entirely necessary. Soon, once the site is fully operational, we'll also have unique URLs for your guys so people can check out the rest of your designs.
And now, let's have a look at a very different, but no less talented designer, Zummi, with a card that will be popular with anyone who's ever been poked too many times on Facebook (which is anyone with an internet connection, really).
I am fearing the finger. Nooooooooooooo....
This shot also shows the type of paper we're using to print the card. It's Eastern Felt 176g, and it's totally like, recycled dude! It's got a nice texture, and because it's only 176g, even a normal cheap RM150 Dell printer will be able to accept it.
Which brings me to the real reason behind this blog post.
Both these cards were printed on Luthor, our RM150 Dell printer.
Yup, that's right. We've figured out a way to print absolutely wonderful quality cards, right in the comfort of your own home. As you can see, these cards are near-professional quality, with funky designs to boot. What's better, you don't need to go to a shop, and you only pay approximately RM1.00 per card.
For your money, we'll let you customise the card, and download it as a PDF, which you can then print on just about any colour printer from the last 5 years.
As for the paper, once the site is open, you'll be able to buy paper from us (Eastern Felt 176g), with customised envelopes that'll let you make your own cards, whenever you want.
Unlike an e-card, you can sign off, write a personal message, and attach it to a gift. Unlike a Hallmark card, you have your pick of fabulously contemporary designs, in the comfort of your own home.
To be honest, we've tested our own designs on Luthor ages ago during our development phase, but seeing the cards that people actually created and submitted to us turn into reality is really a magical moment for us.
For those still a bit hesitant on this new way of sending cards, we will still offer our own card printing services (by the end of the year). However, we do sincerely hope that this new business model takes off in a big way, because doing something different like this is always loads more fun :)
Meanwhile, keep those contest entries comin in.


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Photographic Expression
Case Studies: Thailand
The opportunity to relax in water, to play in water, to take a bath or bathe - all produced a
feeling of experiencing a situation opposite to violence. The photo above was awarded
points by many children.
researcher's comment
All these photographs and text come from research conducted by SOS Children's Village Hermann Gmeiner Academy. Copyright is reserved and no unauthorized use permitted. Use for non-commercial purposes may be requested. The photographs form part of an interesting study in children's photograph expression, using children living in SOS Children's communities worldwide. The report on the study is available here.
next photograph>


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My boyfriend and I stumbled upon these cabins after walking south from the San Pedro Express water taxi. Wanting to save some money, we opted to go for it. The good: the owner of the place seemed friendly and laid back. The cabins were out of the 'hustle and bustle' of the main strip of Caye Caulker, so it was peaceful and beautiful, right along the coastline. The bad: the cabins were in disrepair and there was no light in the bathroom. And last but not least, the ugly: the toilet smelled downright awful, almost like methane, whenever you flushed. And there were bed bugs. And we got bites. Lots of them. We couldn't make it through the night knowing they were there, so we booked it out of there to the Plaza Hotel around midnight. Do yourself a favor and look into other budget options!More
- Free Wifi
- Beachfront


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I had a grandfather who was on a feeding tube (no other support) for six years before he died of natural causes. He was in a coma, we were told, but his eyes followed us around the room. He was unable to speak after part of his brain was shot out in a tragic accident. He received the best loving care available.That's what this case is ultimately all about. As I write this, the expected news has come that the United States Supreme Court will not reinstate Terri's feeding tube. Of course, the haggling in the courts has been beside the point for months now. The real issue is whether we will be ruled by judicial fiat, or whether the other branches of government will step up to reassert their power. The Florida Legislature declined to stand up yesterday. Now the only question is whether Governor Jeb Bush, who is the one remaining obsticle between Terri Schiavo and death, will stand or lie down.
I have a nephew who has been on a feeding tube all of his 12 years, and is blind and profoundly retarded. His parents are right now with him at a Florida hospital, helping the doctors fight another bout of pneunomia. His only means of food and fluids is a feeding tube.
I have a son who needed surgery as a newborn and was on a feeding tube for two weeks. There are thousands around the country whose only method of food and fluids is a feeding tube. This is a horrible thing that Terri and her family are going through. I am beside myself with anger and frustration over her "husband" who won't let her parents care for her at home. It seems her death now is unavoidable, and I am praying it comes quickly now. Now that the courts have shown how little life is valued (as if we didn't already know), when will they come for my nephew and all the other disabled people, I wonder?
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Better Than I Could Have Said It
In the comments section of my previous post, reader Marie writes:
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Miller v. Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center et al
Plaintiff: Jamaal Lamont Miller
Defendant: Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, John Lewis, Martin and Rollin
Case Number: 5:2016cv00736
Filed: May 26, 2016
Court: Louisiana Western District Court
Office: Shreveport Office
County: Webster
Presiding Judge: Elizabeth E Foote
Referring Judge: Mark L Hornsby
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983
Jury Demanded By: None
Available Case Documents
The following documents for this case are available for you to view or download:
|Date Filed
|Document Text
|September 18, 2017
|JUDGMENT ADOPTING Report and Recommendation, granting 32 Motion for Summary Judgment in Lead Case 5:16-cv-0619. Defendants Warden John Lewis and Deputy Martin are dismissed with prejudice. See 35 in Lead Case. Signed by Judge S Maurice Hicks on 9/18/2017. (crt,McDonnell, D)
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Almos has tickled my desire for riding with the video of a new '08 GSX-R 600 tested in Misano Adriatica, Italy. Supposedly it is a bone stock bike in the hands of an evidently skilled rider. The fast double right turn? Definitely in apnea!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
I wanna ride ... soon.
Posted by Alessandro Matteucci aka Alex 555 at 9:06 PM
Labels: 2008 GSX-R 600, Misano, Suzuki
1 comment:
I have to tell you guys a little secret, yes I was riding this bike on the Misano circuit....
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BERLIN – Stephen Decatur High School's naval science students are seeking the community's support as they work to reinvigorate the longstanding program.
Just as they've supported the community for years, performing color guard duties at countless events and teaching local children how to handle the American flag, the teenagers in Decatur's naval science program are now hoping the community will support them as they work to raise money for much needed equipment and scholarships.
"We want to participate in the community," said Commander Steve Sisk. "The better we're equipped the better we represent the school and all we're trying to do."
Sisk, who took over the program this year, is currently teaching close to 70 students in the naval science program with the help of Staff Sergeant Josh August. Though commonly referred to as NJROTC (Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps), the program at Stephen Decatur is actually an NNDCC (National Naval Defense Cadet Course) because it doesn't meet the enrollment requirement of NJROTC. As an NNDCC, the program at Decatur receives no financial support from the Navy and is entirely funding by the school system. That, Sisk explained, is why the students and the boosters group that supports them are working to raise money.
"It's expensive to run an outfit like this," Sisk said.
While the school system has provided uniforms and equipment, some of that equipment needs to be replaced. The students currently have access to fewer than a dozen functioning air rifles, for example. Students training for 15 upcoming marksmanship competitions share the available air rifles, readjusting them each time they're passed from one student to another. New rifles cost $600 each.
"That's just the tip of the iceberg," Sisk said.
There are also summer camps and additional programs offered to the naval science students outside of school. While some Decatur students were able to attend a summer program in West Virginia last year, not all were able to afford it. Sisk would love to be able to have spare funding to provide scholarships in situations like those.
"We could make sure everybody has an equal opportunity to participate," he said.
And so this year the program's supporters are launching a concerted fundraising effort. In addition to seeking financial support from local organizations, they plan to host fundraisers throughout the year. The first of those will be Oct. 23 at Chipotle in West Ocean City from 4-8 p.m.
Naval science students are hopeful the community will show its support for the program. Whether they're headed for the military or not, the students say there are numerous benefits to participating.
"The program is centered around the concept of leadership," senior Michael Scott said.
Scott has no plans of entering the military. He wants to be a science teacher. He knew, however, that the ROTC program would give him leadership skills and show him how to work well with others.
"I've learned that sense of leadership and better communication skills that will help me be a teacher," he said. "I've learned how to get things done in a specific way to help people succeed."
Naval science freshmen Romy McVicker and Stephen Lowe do have plans to pursue careers in the military.
"I joined to prepare myself," McVicker said.
In the program at Decatur, students focus on academics, physical fitness and drills. While the program is rigorous, the students say it's enjoyable.
"It can be really fun," McVicker said, pointing out that a game of kickball had been a recent physical fitness activity. "It's not as serious as people might think."
Senior Hannah Mills agreed.
"It's not just a normal classroom setting," she said. "You're a team and you work together. You're like a family."


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Peaceful escape off the beaten path.
March 2017
We stayed at Mark's for 12 days. It was very magical. The property is a palm preserve and very close to the tidepools and hot ponds. It's about an 8 mile drive into Pahoa town so be prepared to be off the grid. Mark was ever at the ready with any questions or requests we had. The house was beautifully appointed and comfortable. There's breezes in the palms and frogs to lull you to sleep and amazing stargazing. We grilled every evening and enjoyed dips in the saline pool. FYI there's not a full kitchen in the traditional sense and some accommodations must be made for the off-the-grid energy situation, but it was all good. Highly recommended for those who want a quiet place away from major tourist action.
March 2017
A Polynesian, Bamboo Home in Kapoho, Hawaii


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Father Brown
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Издательство: Wordsworth Editions Limited
1992 г.
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Father Brown, one of the most quirkily genial and lovable characters to emerge from english detective fiction, first made his appearance in The Innocence of Father Brown in 1911. that first collection of stories established G.K.Chesterton`s kindly clericin the front rank of eccentric steuths. This collection contains all the favourite Father Brown stories. They represent form quiet wit and compassion which is so different from his moody and caustic predecessor, Conan Doyle`s Sherlock Holmes. Father Brownsilves his mysteries by a mixture of intuition and aympatheticworldlines in a totally believable manner.


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Snowed In
It's nice to see that this year's Siren Fest lineup has been annoucned. For those of you that don't know, the Siren Fest is an annual free festival on Brooklyn's Coney Island that's sponsered by the Village Voice. Past years have included Sleater-Kinney, Les Savy Fav, The Thermals, Idlewild, Modest Mouse and Ted Leo/Rx. You get it, the cream of the indie rock crop. The fifth annual fest features [so far]: Spoon, Mates of State, Brendan Benson, Dungen, Q and Not U, VHS or Beta and The Dears. There will be more bands added with some of the speculative choices being The Arcade Fire and Dinosaur Jr.
I tend to be really pumped about going every single year, but once the day rolls around, I am always reminded of why fests like these are often a bother: way too many people, standing in the sun for ten hours and beer that gets warm in under five minutes. Apparently 170,000 went last year.
Tuesday is a big day for new releases. Some really good stuff is dropping!
The Annie album [Anniemal] finally gets a stateside release. It's been out in Europe since last year and being the Saint Etienne/Kylie obsessive that I am, I picked it up at a modest import price, but I am sure I will be clowned once again when Tower or Best Buy will sell it for like $7.99.
"Hey, we're Coldplay and our songs can make grass growing seem like the most intense emotional experience ever. Buy our new album because in a few months we'll be the biggest band in the world." Seriously though, X & Y is ridiculous.
Get Behind Me Satan leaked a few weeks ago and I haven't really made a call on it yet. There are some really good tracks, but some of them are making me feel "eh," but we'll see.
Here are some tracks to sample:
"The Nurse"
American Apparel, one of my favorite places to buy clothes was profiled in the New York Times a few days ago. Their products are brand free and all of the employees in the company, from the administrative staff down to the factory workers, are paid a fair living wage and provided with full benefits. Read the article, it's well-written and interesting, and for those of you who have been to the Noho store in NYC, you'll totally understand.
The Orioles have been in first place since April 23rd, and Melvin Mora [above] helped the team extend their lead to 3 games over the Red Sox. The Orioles beat the Tigers 14-7 last night in a total home run barrage. Miguel Tejeda and Rafael Palmeiro contributed to the assault. And to think, the O's were down 7-3 after three innings.


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Updated: 5/20/15
Friday, November 23, 2012
Best Music: 1990s
Updated: 5/20/15
8 comments:
Great to see Edward Scissorhands, "I Don't wanna miss a thing" and Braveheart here. 90's was filled with great movie music.ReplyDeleteReplies
Yeah, there were a lot to choose from. Ooh, glad you like Braveheart's score. :)Delete
- AnonymousNovember 24, 2012 at 12:37 AM
Great choices! I'd forgotten the Edward Scissorhands soundtrack. Quirky and haunting ... it couldn't sound more Tim Burton. :-) I love "Save Me" and "Fargo." Also, while I am no fan of Braveheart, the music ("Freedom") is really cool.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks! Edward Scissorhands' score slipped my mind too. I'm just glad I could reward Elfman here.Delete
I like Braveheart, but I was surprised to give it a win here.
I love your Oscar trivia in these music post, Josh. I actually love Dances with Wolves soundtrack even though I haven't seen the film but I'm shocked that The Last of the Mohicans wasn't even nominated!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks, Ruth. I have to give Alex (And So it Begins...) credit for the Oscar trivia though. He suggested it, so I've included it for comparison.Delete
I know, right?
Scissorhands! Elfman's music is so good there. Same with Burwell's haunting score for Fargo. Can't believe neither of those were nominated.ReplyDelete
And Zimmer's work for The Thin Red Line represents one of my favorite film scores of all time. I listen to it often. Solid choices!Replies
At least Elfman's been nominated. Still waiting on Burwell's first nod.Delete
Thanks man! Completely agree on The Thin Red Line. One of my faves.


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The universal role of the nonlinear one-third subharmonic resonance mechanism in generation of strong fluctuations in complex natural dynamical systems related to global climate is discussed using wavelet regression detrended data. The role of the oceanic Rossby waves in the year-scale global temperature fluctuations and the nonlinear resonance contribution to the El Niño phenomenon have been discussed in detail. The large fluctuations in the reconstructed temperature on millennial time scales (Antarctic ice core data for the past 400 000 years) are also shown to be dominated by the one-third subharmonic resonance, presumably related to the Earth's precession effect on the energy that the intertropical regions receive from the Sun. The effects of galactic turbulence on the temperature fluctuations are also discussed.
1. Introduction
Because global climatology is in a state of data accumulation, obtaining systematic knowledge from the data is not an easy and straightforward process. There is only one way to further our understanding of the physics of the phenomenon: accurate and punctual analysis of data. It is normal at this stage that the models are rather crude. Moreover, the global climate, as we know it now, is a nonlinear phenomenon. The simplest energy balance model for the space-averaged surface temperature T is a nonlinear equation, 1.1 where C is the heat capacity. The first term on the right-hand side of the balanced equation represents the incoming solar energy, with q as the solar constant and α as the albedo, and the second term represents the outgoing infrared energy, with ε and σ as the emissivity factor and the Stefan constant, respectively.
A more complex nonlinear model describing the interaction between the surface energy balance and the mass balance of the cryosphere has been suggested in Saltzman et al. [1] (in dimensionless excess variables), 1.2 and 1.3 where s is the sea-ice extent, ζ=T−s and T is the mean ocean surface temperature, c1 and c2 are certain constants, and stands for solar forcing. Nicolis [2] showed that the system equations (1.2) and (1.3) can be considered as perturbations (for 1≫s) of a reference system 1.4 and 1.5 which is a Hamiltonian system for the conservative Duffing oscillator.
The nonlinear Duffing oscillator also appears in the conceptual model of the tropical Pacific oscillations (for positive upper ocean temperature anomalies T driving shallow thermocline depth anomalies h) [3,4] 1.6 and 1.7 The periodic term in this equation represents the solar forcing (η is ambient noise, and γ, b and F are certain geophysical constants; see below for more details). The appearance of the nonlinear Duffing oscillator in the models of the global climate processes for different time–space scales—from palaeoclimate equations (1.2)–(1.5) to the decadal and inter-year oscillations equations (1.6) and (1.7)—shows that this nonlinear oscillator can be considered as a simple prototype of nonlinear climate systems (the nonlinear Duffing oscillator also appears naturally in the solar dynamo models [5]). Basic symmetries of the systems can play a crucial role in this phenomenon (see below). For the nonlinear systems far from equilibrium, the oscillatory behaviour can appear near the bifurcation points (the dynamics generated by the Duffing oscillator can exhibit both deterministic and chaotic behaviour, depending on the parameter range). One of the specific nonlinear properties of the Duffing oscillator is the so-called one-third subharmonic resonance [6]. Let us imagine a forced excitable system with a large amount of loosely coupled degrees of freedom schematically represented by Duffing oscillators with a wide range of natural frequencies ω0 (it is well known [7] that oscillations with a wide range of frequencies are supported by oceans and the atmosphere; see Brindley et al. [8]), 1.8 where denotes the temporal derivative of x, β is the strength of nonlinearity, and F and ω are characteristic of a driving force. It is known [6] that, when ω≈3ω0 and β≪1, equation (1.8) has a resonant solution 1.9 where the amplitude a and the phase φ are certain constants. This is so-called one-third subharmonic resonance with the driving frequency ω. For the system of oscillators under consideration, an effect of synchronization can take place and, as a consequence of this synchronization, the characteristic peaks in the spectra of partial oscillations coincide [9]. It can be useful to note, for the global climate modelling, that the odd-term subharmonic resonance is a consequence of the reflection symmetry of the natural nonlinear oscillators (invariance to the transformation ; see Minobe & Jin [10]).
This nonlinear phenomenon can be observed directly in real data. Let us start from the well-known (in relation to the global warming) graph representing the monthly global temperature data shown in figure 1 (the instrumental monthly data are available at http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/anomalies/index.html; see Smith et al. [11]). One can see that the temperature is strongly fluctuating. Actually, the fluctuations are of the same order as the trend itself (figures 1 and 2). While the nature of the trend has been widely discussed, the nature of these strong fluctuations is still quite obscure. It will be shown below that the nonlinear one-third subharmonic resonance also produces strong fluctuations in the global temperature for much larger palaeoclimate time scales, as shown in figures 3 and 4 (the reconstructed data are available at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/metadata/noaa-icecore-6076.html; see Kawamura et al. [12]). Again, while the nature of the trend has been widely discussed (in relation to the glaciation cycles), the nature of these strong fluctuations is still quite obscure. We also know [5] that, in the Sun itself, Nature uses the nonlinear one-third subharmonic resonance to amplify the hydromagnetic dynamo effects to the observed 11 year periodic solar activity. And again, global rotation and nonlinear waves are the main components of the nonlinear mechanism.
Such universality of this nonlinear mechanism makes it a very interesting subject for a thoughtful investigation. The problem has a technical aspect too: detrending is a difficult task for such strong fluctuations. Most of the regression methods have linear responses. At the nonlinear non-parametric wavelet regression, one chooses a relatively small number of wavelet coefficients to represent the underlying regression function. A threshold method is used to keep or kill the wavelet coefficients. At the wavelet regression, the demands for smoothness of the function being estimated are relaxed considerably in comparison with the traditional methods. These advantages make the nonlinear wavelet regression method an adequate tool for detrending the strongly fluctuating natural data.
2. One-third subharmonic resonance and Rossby waves
Figure 1 shows (as the dashed line) the instrumental monthly global temperature data (land and ocean combined) for the 1880–2009 period, as presented at the NOAA website (http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/anomalies/index.html; see Smith et al. [11]). The solid curve (trend) in the figure corresponds to a wavelet (symmlet) regression of the data (see Scafetta & West [13]). Figure 2 shows the corresponding detrended fluctuations, which produce a statistically stationary set of data. We use a nonlinear non-parametric wavelet regression with a relatively small number of wavelet coefficients representing the underlying regression function. A threshold method is used to keep or kill the wavelet coefficients. In this case, in particular, the universal (VisuShrink) thresholding rule with a soft thresholding function was used. Figure 5 shows a spectrum of the wavelet regression detrended data calculated using the maximum entropy method (because it provides the optimal spectral resolution even for small datasets). One can see in this figure a small peak corresponding to a 1 year period and a huge, well-defined peak corresponding to a 3 year period. The fluctuations in oceanic temperature cause certain variations in the sea-surface height. These variations are intermixed with the sea-surface height variations caused by the oceanic planetary Rossby waves. The oceanic planetary Rossby waves play an important role in the response of the global ocean to the forcing [14], and they are of fundamental importance to ocean circulation on a wide range of time scales (it was also suggested that the Rossby waves play a crucial role in the initiation and termination of the El Niño phenomenon; see also below). Therefore, they present a favourable physical background for the global subharmonic resonance. It should be noted that the variable h in equation (1.7) represents western boundary Rossby wave reflection of its counterpart in equation (1.6). This provides a negative feedback to the T tendency in the eastern equatorial ocean via a nonlinear thermocline displacement: h+bh3 (its vertical gradient separating near-surface and deep-ocean mixed layers [3,4]). The solar periodic forcing plays an analogous role in this equation. For that reason, it is interesting to also look separately at global sea-surface temperature anomalies. These monthly data for the 1850–2008 period are available at http://jisao.washington.edu/data/globalsstanomts/ (see Smith et al. [15]). Figure 6 shows a spectrum of the wavelet regression detrended data. The spectrum seems to be very similar to the spectrum presented in figure 5. This is the one-third subharmonic resonance with the driving frequency ω corresponding to the annual North–South asymmetry of the solar forcing (the huge peak in figure 5 corresponds to the first term in the right-hand side of equation (1.9)).
Because the high-frequency part of the spectrum is corrupted by strong fluctuations (the Nyquist frequency equals 0.5 [month−1]), it is interesting to look at the corresponding autocorrelation function C(τ) in order to understand what happens on the monthly scales. It should be noted that scaling of the defect of the autocorrelation function can be related to scaling of the corresponding spectrum, 2.1 Figure 7 shows the defect in the autocorrelation function on ln–ln scales in order to estimate the scaling exponent α≃0.6±0.04 (the straight line in this figure indicates the scaling equation (2.1)). The existence of oceanic Rossby waves was confirmed recently by NASA/CNES TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimetry measurements. Corresponding to these measurements, a spectrum of the sea-surface height fluctuations, calculated in Zang & Wunsch [14] with daily resolution, is shown in figure 8. The dashed straight line in this figure is drawn in order to indicate correspondence to the scaling equation (2.1): 1+α≃1.6. The Rossby waves (together with the Kelvin waves) and a strong atmosphere–ocean feedback provide physical background for the El Niño phenomenon (see [3,4] and references therein). Figure 9 shows the spectrum for the wavelet detrended fluctuations of the so-called Global-SST ENSO index, which captures the low-frequency part of the El Niño phenomenon (the monthly data are available at http://jisao.washington.edu/data/globalsstenso/). The annual forcing can come from the oceanic Rossby waves (figure 8). To support this relationship, we show in figure 10 the defect in the autocorrelation function calculated using the wavelet detrended fluctuations of the Global-SST ENSO index. The ln–ln scales have been used in figure 10 in order to estimate the scaling exponent α≃0.6±0.03 (the straight line in this figure indicates the scaling equation (2.1)). Using these observations, one can suggest that the El Niño phenomenon has the one-third subharmonic resonance as a background.
3. Nonlinear palaeoclimate
Recent palaeoclimate reconstructions provide indications of nonlinear properties of the Earth's climate at the late Pleistocene [16] (the period from 0.8 Myr to present). A long-term decrease in atmospheric CO2, which could result in a change in the internal response of the global carbon cycle to the obliquity forcing, has been mentioned as one of the principal reasons for this phenomenon [17]. At the present time, one can recognize at least two problems in the nonlinear palaeoclimate, which we will address in the present paper using recent data and speculations [18]. (i) Reconstructed air temperatures on millennial time scales are known to be strongly fluctuating (e.g. figures 3 and 4). While the nature of the trend has been widely discussed (in relation to the glaciation cycles), the nature of these strong fluctuations is still quite obscure. The spectral analysis of the wavelet regression detrended data reveals a rather surprising nature of the strong temperature fluctuations. Namely, the detrended fluctuations of the reconstructed temperature are completely dominated by the one-third subharmonic resonance, presumably related to the Earth's precession effect on equatorial insolation. (ii) The influence of galactic turbulent processes on the Earth's climate can be very significant for time scales less than 2.5 kyr.
Figure 3 shows reconstructed air temperature data (dashed line) for the 0–340 kyr period (as presented at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/metadata/noaaicecore-6076.html; Antarctic ice cores data; see also Kawamura et al. [12]). The solid curve (trend) in the figure corresponds to a wavelet (symmlet) regression of the data. Figure 4 shows corresponding detrended fluctuations, which produce a statistically stationary set of data. Figure 11 shows a spectrum of the wavelet regression detrended data. One can see in this figure a small peak corresponding to the period approximately 5 kyr and a huge well-defined peak corresponding to the period approximately 15 kyr. We also obtained analogous results (approx. 10% larger) from the 'Vostok' ice core data for the 0–420 kyr period (for a description of the data, see Petit et al. [19]).
The origin of the periodic energy input with the period approximately 5 kyr can be related to the dynamics of the energy that the intertropical regions receive from the Sun (equatorial insolation). Indeed, Berger et al. [20] found that a clear and significant 5 kyr period is present in this dynamic over the last 1 Myr. The amplitude of the 5 kyr cycle in the insolation decreases rapidly the further from the Equator. Using the fact that the double insolation maximum and minimum arise in the tropical regions in the course of 1 year, Berger et al. [20] speculated that this period in seasonal amplitude of equatorial insolation is determined by the fourth harmonic of the Earth's precession cycle. It should be noted that the idea of a significant role for the tropics in generating long-term climatic variations is rather a new one (see Berger et al. [20] for relevant references). In Hagelberg et al. [21], for instance, the authors speculated that the high-frequency climate variability (on millennial time scales) could be related to high sensitivity of the tropics to summer time insolation. Then, the oceanic advective transport could transmit an amplified response of tropical precipitation and temperature to high latitudes. The physical mechanism of this amplification is still not clear and the one-third subharmonic resonance discussed earlier could be a plausible possibility (in this respect, it is significant that we used the Antarctic data).
4. Galactic turbulence and the temperature fluctuations
Because the high-frequency part of the spectrum is corrupted by strong fluctuations (the Nyquist frequency equals 0.5 [(500 yr)−1]), it is interesting to look at the corresponding autocorrelation function C(τ) and at the structure functions Sp(τ) (of different orders p) in order to understand what happens on the millennial time scales. The correlation function defect 1−C(τ) is proportional to the second-order structure function S2(τ). Therefore, we can compare results obtained by these different tools. First, let us look at the autocorrelation function C(τ). Figure 12 shows a relatively small-time part of the correlation function defect. The ln–ln scales have been used in this figure in order to show a power law (the straight line) for the second-order structure function: S2(τ)=〈|x(t+τ)−x(t)|2〉, 4.1 This power law, '', for the structure function (by virtue of the Taylor hypothesis transforming the time scaling into the space one [22]) is known for fully developed turbulence as Kolmogorov's power law.
Although the scaling interval is short, the value of the exponent is rather intriguing. This exponent is well known in the theory of fluid (plasma) turbulence and corresponds to the so-called Kolmogorov's cascade process. This process is very universal for turbulent fluids and plasmas [23,24]. In spite of the fact that a magnetic field is presumably important for interstellar turbulence, the Kolmogorov description can still be theoretically acceptable even in this area [25]. Moreover, Kolmogorov-type spectra were observed on scales up to kpc. In order to support Kolmogorov turbulence as the background of wavelet regression detrended temperature modulation, we also calculated structure functions Sp(τ)=〈|x(t+τ)−x(t)|p〉 with different orders of p. In the classic Kolmogorov turbulence (at very large values of Reynolds number [26]), 4.2 (at least for p≤3). Figure 13 shows (as circles) the scaling exponent ζp against p for the same data as were used for the calculation of the autocorrelation function (figure 12). The bars show the statistical errors. The straight line in figure 13 corresponds to the strictly Kolmogorov turbulence with ζp=p/3 (equation (4.2)). One can see good agreement with the Kolmogorov turbulence modulation.
For turbulent processes on Earth and in the heliosphere, Kolmogorov's scaling with such large time scales certainly cannot exist. Therefore, one should think about a galactic origin of Kolmogorov turbulence (or turbulence-like processes [27]) with such large time scales. Let us recall that the diameter of the Galaxy is approximately 100 000 light years. This is not surprising if we recall the possible role of the galactic cosmic rays for the Earth's climate. Galactic cosmic ray intensity at the Earth's orbit is modulated by galactic turbulence [22]. On the other hand, the galactic cosmic rays can determine the amount of cloud cover (a very significant climate factor) on global scales through massive aerosol formation [28,29,30,31]. Thus, the galactic turbulence can modulate the global temperature fluctuations by the Kolmogorov scaling properties on millennial time scales. If one knows the characteristic velocity scale v for the Taylor hypothesis, one can estimate the outer space scale of the corresponding galactic turbulence as L≥2500 yr×v. However, it is not clear what estimate we should take for v. For instance, one could try the velocity of the solar system relative to the cosmic microwave background rest frame: v∼370 km s−1. In this case, one obtains L∼1 pc. It should be noted that, in a recent paper [30], it is suggested that the typical outer scale for spiral arms can be as small as 1 pc, and in interarm regions the outer scale can be larger than 100 pc. Because the solar system and Earth are at the present time within the Orion Arm, this suggestion is in agreement with the above estimate. Although the suggestion made by Haverkorn et al. [30] is still under active discussion, the palaeoclimate consequences of this suggestion could be very interesting and we will discuss one of them here. Namely, when orbiting the galactic centre, the Solar System and Earth are in the interarm regions; the reverse of the Taylor hypothesis provides us with the outer time scale of approximately 2500×100 years. This time scale is larger than any known glaciation period (which are determined by the periods related to the Earth orbiting around Sun; see [32]). That strong turbulent fluctuations of the cosmic rays flux on such large time scales should prevent glaciation cycles from occurring when the Solar System is in the interarm regions. Deglaciation of the Earth related to the interarm regions was suggested in Shaviv [29] and explained by the difference in intensity of the cosmic ray flux in the spiral arms and in the interarm regions. It is difficult to estimate at the present time which of the two mechanisms is more efficient. Anyway, they are working to the same end and both are open to discussion.
5. Conclusion
In the complex natural systems under consideration, the fluctuations are often of the same order as those of the trend itself. This phenomenon is related to a nonlinear character of the fluctuations. Does this nonlinear phenomenon have a universal nature? The main three points of the above consideration are:
— the known (crude) models can be reduced to the Duffing oscillator;
— the one-third subharmonic resonance is a generic property of this oscillator; and
— the data indicate a crucial role of this resonance in the generation of large-scale fluctuation.
The next generation of models of the global climate should take into account the highly nonlinear nature of the Sun–climate interaction, which is not realized directly through the trends but through the large-scale fluctuations.
At this stage of the data accumulation and analysis, the limitations of these conclusions are unknown. However, we believe that the results considered above could attract the attention of nonlinear scientists to the natural systems because, despite their overwhelming complexity, these systems are governed by simple physical laws.
I thank S. I. Abarzhi and K. R. Sreenivasan for suggestions, criticism and encouragement. The data were provided by the National Climatic Data Center at NOAA, by the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, and by the SIDC team, World Data Center for the Sunspot Index, Royal Observatory of Belgium. I also acknowledge that a software tool provided by K. Yoshioka was used for the computations.
One contribution of 13 to a Theme Issue 'Turbulent mixing and beyond: non-equilibrium processes from atomistic to astrophysical scales I'.
- © 2012 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.


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Its that day of the week that I so love - MONDAY !!!... and I do hope your weekend has been a great one. Back from "hiding" last week, I'm here today with a new addition.
i LOVE mondays will be sharing jobs vacancies from time to time. It's called DJ @ Vogue U (Design Job @ Vogue U). My hope is that, this would help for those who are looking for suitable jobs in the design industry, whilst blog hopping. And I do hope you may be able to find something suitable for you to move on in your career path. Some are via the JobsDB selection whilst some are from the word of mouth.
the ID Dept Pte Ltd - singapore
Senior Interior Designer /Design Director
Closing date : 8 December 2009
Send resume to : email@example.com
With due experience, you will also have the opportunity to lead a team of designers.
- 4 to 6 years experience in Design & Build, Consultancy, Residential and Commercial Projects
- Proficiency in AutoCad and 3D Max, manual drawing and detailing knowledge
- Possess strong conceptualization skills and ability to produce hand drawn sketches
- Independent worker with leadership qualities and project management skills
- Possess leadership qualities to manage a team of designers
- Only Singaporeans and Permanent Residents need apply.
- Attractive Salary & Remuneration Package
- Great Career Prospects
- Fabulous Working Environment
Senior Interior Designer
Closing date : 5 December 2009
Send resume to : email@example.com
You will utilize your creative, space planning and conceptual skills to carry out design production drawings in Interior Design Concept Development & Presentation, Design Implementation for Offices, Retails and commercial building upgrading works. Ensure design production excellence of projects within timeline and quality standards.
- Recognised qualification interior design, architecture or equivalent
- At least 5 years' relevant working experience
- Enjoy working on multiple projects, within simultaneous timeline
- Good at problem-solving and lateral thinking
- Good communication and presentation skills
- Proficient in AutoCAD with excellent CAD management skill, Photoshop, 3D Studio Max/Viz, and Microsoft Office
- Applicants should be Singaporean citizens or hold relevant residence status.
JobPlus (recruiting agency) - singapore
Project Manager - Commercial Interior Design
Closing date : 3 December 2009
Send resume to : firstname.lastname@example.com in MS Word format
- Manage project of corporate and residential nature.
- Liaise with clients and contractors.
- Manage the project accounts.
- Candidate must possess at least a Professional Certificate/NiTEC, Diploma or Advanced/Higher/Graduate Diploma in Art/Design/Creative Multimedia, Architecture, Others, Urban Studies/Town Planning or equivalent.
- At least 2 year(s) of working experience in the related field is required for this position.
- Preferably Managers specializing in Architecture/Interior Design or equivalent. Job role in Project Management.
- Applicants should be Singaporean citizens or hold relevant residence status.
- Ability to coordinate and liaise with clients and contractors.
Hirsch Bedner Associate - singapore
Art Coordinator
Closing date : 26 November 2009
Send resume to : firstname.lastname@example.com
The individual will have a broad and extensive knowledge of the art world with a particular focus on modern Asian art and its application into commercial environments. A recognized art qualification and a proven track record within the Asian art market are essential qualifications. An in-depth knowledge of processes involved in compiling substantial collections and their implementation is a critical skill of the individual.
Candidates should ideally possess the following:-
- A recognized Multi Media Art qualification
- A minimum of 3-5 years working experience
- A keen sense of creativity and initiative
- Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop would be essential
- Able to speak, write & read Chinese (for communications with various levels of people)
MINK Architects - singapore
Closing date : 12 December 2009
Send resume to : email@example.com
- Degree in Architecture with 3 to 7 years experience
- Strong knowledge / experience in interior design & architectural detailing
- Being part of a Team to set a new Trend in Architecture & Interior
Best of luck !!
from your kawaii designer - PearL


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We will be at the Reid Park Holiday Art and Craft fair Saturday November 29th and Sunday November 30th! Come and see us!
Here is one of the latest in a series that I'm working on:
Handmade Mixed Media Geekery and Jewelry
Check us out at Booth #13 at the upcoming Reid Park Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair located at Reid Park on Saturday, November 30, 2013 and Sunday, December 1, 2013 from 9am to 4pm!
Stay tuned for more information and some killer promotions for this great, upcoming Arts and Crafts Fair. It's totally open and free to attend. There will be food, some great gift ideas for you, your friends, and your family, and we'd love to chat with you!
Look for the WeeGonza booth at the Tucson Comic-Con on November 2-3. Cost is a mere $8 to enter ($10 for both days). We will gladly make it up to you: just LIKE our Facebook Page and get the code at the top for a whopping 20% off your purchase (min is $15) on Saturday, November 2 at our Tucson Comic-Con booth only.
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If you buy anything from us at Comic-Con this weekend, you'll get a special coupon good for 10% off your order either on this website OR our booth at Second Saturdays (located just in front of the Xoom Juice on Congress) through November 17, 2013.


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Yesterday I got a ton of exercise, ran, walked all over the place, swam and ate pancakes. I also received the memory foam mattress in the mail. So, last night was the first official memory foam sleep mission, I had no idea the fate ahead of me. This morning, I was groggy as hell... then, all day.. groggy. I felt like my brain was packed in marshmellows.. uuuuhhhhhh! It felt awesome and definitely entertaining.. but, is this the future? Am I going to be nothing more than a happy zombie and be completely out of it everyday?
I may have to increase the coffee intake.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
memory foam/tragic lost brain cells
Posted by starheadboy at 11:10 PM
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