text:
This I believe.
It was the Microwave Oven that killed my God.
Not literally of course, but that was the first time I questioned anything.
And now…. I question everything.
I remember it was huge, taking up a sizeable chunk of our small kitchen counter space.
It was expensive (I presumed), it was mysterious (without a doubt), in a word – Magnificent! And I just had to know how it worked.
I say MY God…but it never really was mine. It was my parents God, the God I was raised to believe in, the God I was introduced to in catechism – the Catholic God.
I began to question all my "beliefs" and the more I read, and investigated, and understood, the shorter my "belief" list became. God was not the first of my beliefs to be crossed off the list (or the most difficult to drop) – but it was inevitable and enlightening.
Yes enlightening! Every time I crossed off a supernatural, unsubstantiated myth or legend and replaced it with reason, fact or at least a healthy dose of common sense – the more life (and my place in it) made sense to me.
Before I read Darwin, Dawkins or Arthur C. Clarke (The Star) I had already given up on some of my most cherished beliefs, including the monsters (Dragons, Loch ness & Bigfoot), the aliens (Martians, Venusians & UFO's), supernatural feats (magic, ESP & channeling), and all of the conspiracy theories (too numerous to name here).
And then I realized – There is no God!
This I believe – with every atom or coiled strand of DNA in my body!
I said it again (There is no God!) and I waited for the fear, the sadness, the utter sense of loss that surely must come – but I wait still.
On the contrary, my days are filled with a wonder and appreciation of life that I can hardly contain – and often fail to, as my wife (who is a believer) will attest. She has had to endure countless hours of intellectual debate with my family, friends and the occasional stranger unlucky enough to sit next to me on the plane. She has feigned excitement at my "fuzzy little blobs" (as she describes them) as I peer through the telescope, listened attentively as I tried to describe how far just one light-year was, and tried (unsuccessfully) not to laugh, when I asked her, "Have you ever thought about the first hominid to ever eat a strawberry (or apple, or pear, etc)?", her reply – a casual "No".
I am not a crusader
I am not a converter (I can't even convert my wife)
I am just a moral, evolved, human being, who happens to believe – There is no God.
And I'm okay with that.
If you enjoyed this essay, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to This I Believe, Inc.


text:
Gaijin Entertainment wish to announces major update 1.47 "Big Guns" for War Thunder. With this update we will finish Closed Beta Tests for "Steel Generals", which means that all of US ground vehicles are now available for research!
General changes:
New Ground vehicles:
New aircraft:
Changes in the flight models:
Ability to open canopy has added for the following aircraft (read more):
USA: F-80C, P-80A, F-84B, F9F-2, XP-55, BTD-1, F-82E, F7F-1, P-36A, P-36C Hawk, P-36G Hawk
Germany: Ho.229 V3, Не.112 B-0, Не.112 B-1, Не.112 B-2, Me.410A-1, Me.410A-1/U4, Me.410B-1
USSR: I-16 type 5, I-185 (M-71), I-185 (M-82), La-15, Yak-1, Yak-9, BB-1, La-9, La-174, MiG-9, MiG-9P, MiG-3-15, MiG-3-15 (BK), MiG-3-34, Su-2 M-82, Su-2 MV-5, Su-2 TSS-1
Great Britain: Spitfire F Mk.22, Spitfire F Mk.24, Venom FB.4, Typhoon Mk.1a
Japan: J2M3, J2M4 Kai, J7W1, Ki-45 (all models), Ki-102 otsu, B7A2, Ki-27 otsu, Ki-43-I, Kikka
Changes in Ammunition (aviation):
Changes in Ammunition (ground forces):
Changes in Damage Model (aviation):
Changes in Damage Model (ground forces):
Changes in locations:
Ground vehicle missions:
Air missions:
Rank Changes:
Depiction of any real-world weapon or vehicle in this game does not mean participation in game development, sponsorship or endorsement by any weapon or vehicle manufacturer.
© 2009—2018 by Gaijin Network Ltd. Gaijin and War Thunder are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of Gaijin Network Ltd. or its licensors, all other logos are trademarks of their respective
owners. F-84 Thunderjet, XF5F-1 Skyrocket, XP-50, F4F-3 Wildcat, F4F-4 Wildcat, F4U-1A Corsair, F4U-1B
Corsair, F4U-1C Corsair, F6F-3 Hellcat, F7F-1 Tigercat, F8F-1 Bearcat, F8F-1B Bearcat, F9F-2 Panther, F9F-5
Panther, OS2U-1 Kingfisher, OS2U-3 Kingfisher, F3F, P-61 Black Widow, P-47D-25 Thunderbolt, P-47D-27
Thunderbolt, P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt, P-47N-15 Thunderbolt and P-47D-28 Thunderbolt are trademarks of
Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and are used under license to Gaijin Network Ltd.CONSOLIDATED B-24
CANBERRA, associated emblems and logos, and body designs of vehicles are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Lockheed Martin Corporation in the USA and/or other jurisdictions, used under license by
Gaijin Network Ltd. P-39 and P-63 emblems, logos, and body designs are trademarks of Textron Innovations
Inc. and are used under license by Gaijin Network Ltd.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Australian National Low Emissions Coal Research and Development (ANLEC R&D), a longstanding collaborator of the Global CCS Institute, provides independent analyses and expertise focusing upon low-emission coal technology.
Working with partners such as CSIRO and the University of Newcastle, ANLEC R&D publications are now available on the Institute's website. These reports explore various topics including:
Image source: PCOR Partnership Staff, 2011, Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership atlas (4th ed.): Grand Forks, North Dakota, Energy & Environmental Research Center [in preparation].
Preliminary results from the Institute's 2012 projects survey have identified 73 large-scale integrated CCS projects (LSIPs) around the world. Although the total number of LSIPs has remained relatively constant since the publication of the Institute's December 2011 update, five power generation projects from various countries were removed from the Institute's LSIP listing, while four new LSIPs were identified.
The Institute has released a report placing a value on the key liabilities arising from any CO2 release at a well-sited and managed CCS project.
The landmark study demonstrates that the development of a CCS project is unlikely to be impeded by the costs of managing liabilities from an accidental release of CO2 said the Institute's CEO, Brad Page.
In an article by Lenore Taylor in the Sun-Herald (Sydney) a number of points are made about the first years of the Institute based on the views of an unidentified former member of staff.
Under the leadership of its new CEO Brad Page the Institute's focus is on continuing to provide world-leading information and services related to CCS, as well as on advanced plans for the Institute to be funded by its Members. These plans are being developed with the Membership and will be launched later this year.


text:
1143 Broadway Send to Phone
339-600-7311 | Make Restaurant Reservations
OpenLunch & Dinner daily
- Dress code: Casual
- Take-out available
* Click here for rating key
Hooters Restaurant Review: Besides the short-shorted female servers in their ogle-eyed owl tank tops, the chain is best known for its chicken wings served with sauces ranging from mild to a fiery 911. Sandwiches include a no-frills burger plus a pulled pork, shrimp po' boy, Philly cheesesteak, hot dogs and a crispy chicken and cheese offering (called, tongue firmly in cheek, the "Strip Cheese"). There are curly french fries peeled and curled by computer, topped with chili or cut thick for a big dipper portion, along with a variety of seafood (think steamed shrimp, Baja fish tacos and Alaskan crab legs) and salads like the chopped Cobb and shrimp and spinach. The light Key lime pie with graham cracker crust is a nice finale.
GAYOT's Annual Restaurant Awards honor America's best chefs, as well as promising newcomers and a top restaurateur.


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Catholic Family Wants Justice, Not Death, for Murderers Involving I.R.A.
A Catholic family's campaign for justice has put increasing pressure on the Irish nationalist party, Sinn Fein, and its military wing, the outlawed Irish Republican Army.
Robert McCartney, 33, a forklift driver from the small Catholic enclave of Short Strand in Belfast, was stabbed to death after a pub brawl on Jan. 30. McCart-ney's five sisters and his fiancée maintain that more than 70 people witnessed the incident; but because the murder involved I.R.A. members, witnesses are afraid to give evidence to police. Family members rejected an I.R.A. offer to shoot those involved in the killing. They say they want those responsible for the murder to be tried in a court of law.
The I.R.A. does not allow those living in the areas it controls to have any dealings with the police. Instead, the organization has its own justice system: punishment beatings, expulsion orders or executions of those it deems guilty of crime.
On March 3, Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland, said: The courage and determination of the McCartney family to ensure justice for their brother, Robert, has been an outstanding example of how the power of love, the love of another person, the love of noble ideals such as justice, fairness and freedom, can rise up and render transparent and weak the efforts of others to bully, frighten and control whole communities. The archbishop told journalists it was time for Catholics in Northern Ireland to set aside reservations about the police force and assume their full civic responsibility for an agreed and representative system of law and order.
AmeriCorps Volunteers in Catholic Schools O.K.
A federal appeals court ruled on March 8 that the national service program AmeriCorps can subsidize the volunteers it places in Catholic schools without violating the constitutional separation of church and state. This decision overturns a ruling last year by a lower court. In a 3-to-0 decision, Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wrote that the U.S. government is neither promoting religion nor creating incentives for AmeriCorps volunteers to teach religion in some of the nation's neediest Catholic schools.
AmeriCorps, a federal agency run by the Corporation for National and Community Service, involves 50,000 people each year in service programs with nonprofit secular and faith-based groups in education, the environment and public safety. Participants in service programs in education earn college tuition vouchers of $4,725 through the AmeriCorps education awards program in exchange for 1,700 hours of service. When they apply for the tuition voucher, they must submit time sheets on hours served. But these do not include any time they spent on religious education or such activities as attending Mass.
The American Jewish Congress, which brought the suit against AmeriCorps three years ago, charged that by placing volunteers in Catholic schools the program's funds were being used to teach Christian values. The lawsuit singled out three AmeriCorps granteesthe University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education, known as ACE; the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service; and the Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission.
The Alliance for Catholic Education, formed in 1994 by the University of Notre Dame, the U.S. bishops' Department of Education and the National Catholic Educational Association, trains young Catholic adults as teachers and places them in needy Catholic schools. Last year, the program had 163 participants. Those who take part in the program receive a small stipend of about $12,000 from the schools where they teach and also earn master's degrees in education after two years of teaching and intensive summer training.
The Catholic Network of Volunteer Service, formed in 1963 and based in Washington, D.C., connects 10,000 volunteers each year with groups across the United States and abroad. About 1,500 of its volunteers serve in Catholic schools through the network's member organizations, such as Urban Catholic Teacher Corps in Boston, which is similar to the Notre Dame program, and Vincentian Service Corps, which places volunteer teachers in inner-city Catholic schools.
In a ruling on July 2, 2004, U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler said the AmeriCorps program had completely blurred the line between secular and nonsecular activities by providing tuition vouchers to volunteers in religious schools.
In overturning Judge Kessler, the ruling on March 8 noted that if AmeriCorps participants taught religious subjects, they did not count this work toward their service hour requirements and that the volunteers were prohibited from wearing the AmeriCorps logo while teaching religion.
The American Jewish Congress also objected to the fact that in addition to the tuition vouchers the service groups to which AmeriCorps teacher volunteers belong receive up to $400 a year for each full-time participant. The appeals court ruled that the $400 was much less than the actual administrative costs. The appeals court described the AmeriCorps program as neutral and said it offered many options for participants who do not want to carry out their service in a religious school.
Cardinal Did Not Ask Rice to Intervene in Lawsuit
The Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, did not ask U.S. Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice to intervene in a lawsuit against the Vatican, an informed Vatican official told Catholic News Service on March 3.
The official said that during a meeting at the Vatican on Feb. 8, Cardinal Sodano simply expressed surprise over a class-action lawsuit naming the Holy See as the responsible party for the sexual abuse of minors by U.S. clergy.
In June, an attorney in Louisville, Ky., filed a lawsuit against the Holy See, accusing it of being responsible for the sexual abuse of children by clergy in the United States. The attorney, William McMurray, is also seeking monetary damages for the plaintiffs.
Cardinal Sodano took up the issue [with Rice] and said how he had been surprised the Vatican was named as the defendant in the lawsuit, said the Vatican official. He said Cardinal Sodano never would have asked Rice, as head of the U.S. State Department, an executive body, to intervene in a judicial matter. He knows the separation of powers is sacrosanct, he said.
According to international law, a nation state is immune from the jurisdiction of the courts of another nation state. However, a foreign sovereign state may be sued over a commercial matter, according to the 1976 U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which restricts foreign state immunity in certain cases. But whether a foreign state, such as the Holy See, would be immune to U.S. litigation is determined by the courts in the United States, not by executive authorities like Secretary Rice.
The U.S. State Department does, however, formally serve notice to a foreign country that it is being sued. The State Department acts as the postman, delivering an order from a U.S. judicial court to the foreign state, said a senior U.S. official in Rome.
What procedures the Holy See would need to follow in handling the case would be a question Vatican officials could ask the State Department. The Holy See can ask the State Department to assist it in asserting its immunity, said Mark Chopko, general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington.
Chopko told CNS that the civil suit filed in Kentucky against the Holy See claims the Vatican did not exercise its responsibility to supervise priests accused of sexual abuse of children. Chopko said that there have been about 20 cases in which the Vatican was named as a defendant, but to his knowledge most of them had been dismissed. He said cases placing responsibility on the Holy See for the actions of diocesan clergy have little chance of success, because the crux of these cases is who has supervisory power over a priest. Under church law, the Holy See is not responsible for the supervision of a priest, Chopko said. You can sue the bishop, but not the Holy See.
News Briefs
On March 8 the Diocese of St. George's, Newfoundland, announced it has become the first Catholic diocese in Canada to seek bankruptcy protection as a result of sexual abuse claims.
The General Assembly of the United Nations approved a declaration on March 8 calling on member states to prohibit all forms of human cloning, inasmuch as they are incompatible with human dignity and the protection of human life.
Eastern European bishops warned of continued political instability and ethnic tensions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and urged the church to take the lead in peace and reconciliation efforts. Bosnia-Herzegovina has no future if an unjust peace persists and equal human rights are denied to the constituent ethnic groups, heads of bishops' conferences from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey said in a statement on March 1 after meeting in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo.
Lebanon's Maronite bishops urged that the nation quickly form a transitional government and commended the Lebanese people for the peaceful demonstrations that toppled the nation's pro-Syrian officials.
Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino was held for three hours and treated disrespectfully by U.S. immigration officials at the Miami airport, when he tried to enter the United States on a Vatican diplomatic passport at the end of February, said the Cuban bishops. An official wanted to open a file on the cardinal as a possible dangerous person and began asking him questions, which he refused to answer, said the bishops in a statement on March 3.


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Parts needed for my 79 GL1000 in the UK
Motorcycle related items for sale or wanted
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- Motorcycle: 1980 Goldwing GL1000
Parts needed for my 79 GL1000 in the UK
Hi I need some parts for my rebuild of my 1979 GL1000, they are the badges/emblems off the cylinder head covers, if they are complete but crap looking I can repaint no problem also the Honda badge of the forks and a fork brace if you have it and don't want or need it. Happy to pay via paypal as gift and of course the cheapest postage to the UK. Please.. Ian
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text: Fans of The Rev. Brendan Powell Smith were delighted today to learn that Smith has officially been renewed for the Fall 2006 / Winter 2007 season. A contract has been signed to produce twenty-four new week-long episodes of Smith before he once again goes into to reruns for the summer. Smith's popularity has remained steady in recent years despite ever increasing competition from the Earth's other 6.5 billion people. Though his ratings peaked in the late 90s, Smith expects to last a few more years before an all-too-precious child character is forcibly added to his cast in a desperate attempt to maintain viewer interest.


text:
The Chargers left town yesterday but playoff prep didn't deter team member Andre Coleman from visiting an 80-year-old Chula Vista man with inoperable liver cancer the day before leaving.
Chula Vistan Linda Schley had written the Chargers about her neighbor, Rudy Martinez, and his dying wish to attend a football game. His deteriorating health made getting to a game this season both financially and physically impossible. So Coleman, a defensive end on the practice squad, went to visit him on Thursday.
Unfortunately, Martinez, a retired civilian worker at Naval Air Station North Island, had slipped into a coma Saturday night after watching the Chargers/Colts game on TV.
Although her dad couldn't open his eyes, Martinez' daughter, Cecelia, believes he knew Coleman was there in the room with him.
As Coleman left he told the Martinez family: "This game will be for him, and we're going to win."
Getting 'Charged' A case of fever broke out at West Hills High School in Santee – Chargers fever, that is. Yesterday, nearly everyone from cafeteria workers and grounds keepers to students, teachers and administrators wore Chargers colors and gear. Plus, when students changed classes, it was to the music of the "San Diego Super Chargers" theme song . .
All bets are on:
Local Congressman Brian Bilbray and Pittsburgh's Mike Doyle agreed that the congressman from the losing city would buy lunch for the staff of the winner. So, in the Capitol, the stakes are Bilbray's Mexican combos from Rubio's and Stone Brewery beer vs. Doyle's Primanti Brothers sandwiches and Iron City Beer.
Upping the ante, Lee Goodman, CEO of Jerome's Furniture warehouse, swapped bets with Paul Sanford, a furniture store competitor from Pittsburgh. If the Steelers win, Goodman will write a $2,500 check to the Chargers Community Foundation. If the Chargers win, Sanford pledges to give $2,500 to the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital.
Idol talk Mission Hills resident Maddie Lovern, 13, hardly expected to run into "American Idol" heartthrob David Archuleta while seeing a friend at Rady Children's Hospital last Saturday.
The singer/songwriter, from Utah, was visiting a young patient with a life-threatening illness at the request of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Maddie, with her mom, Michelle, and brother, Drew, bumped into Archuleta as he left the hospital. So Archuleta graciously posed with Maddie for an impromptu photo on her mom's cell phone.
Local Make-a-Wish head Chris Sichel said Archuleta was humble and generous and didn't hesitate to re-arrange his schedule and immediately fly in from Utah to grant the child's wish. "I didn't know much about him before, but I'm a big fan now," Sichel says. . .
My mention of San Diegan Joe Panetta being no relation Leon Panetta, Obama's choice for CIA director, reminded Beacham Construction's Bill Walsh of his name connection with the late San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh.
"I used to get incredible Palo Alto restaurant reservations," reports Walsh, "and incredibly poor service once I arrived."
Diane Bell's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Fax items to (619) 260-5009, call (619) 293-1518 or e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com .


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bunker (6) Michigan | March 30, 2014
I started going here about 18 years ago when I was 21 and havent been able to drink bud light ever since. The food has always been great and the tap list is the best if you like variety and rare breeds. Live a couple hours away now and still make the trip at least once a year.
salvaticas (30) , | March 31, 2014
Really cool place. Great atmosphere, buzzing, with great food and a good beer list. Great for just a drink or a big meal.
fishmich (2) Michigan | April 7, 2013
im lucky to have this place so close to home. very cool place located in an old church. the food menu isnt huge but the food is incredible. they smoke their own meats, have a great raw bar on occasion and makes some of the best mac and cheese there is. the tap list i think is usually around 35-40 beers that include some of the best and rarest in the country. what a great place, i might go there right now.
UnionBeerCzar (1) Michigan | December 23, 2012
So im biased here, I manage and run the tap/bottle list. I like beer a lot! I feel like I do pretty alright job + Super open to feedback + suggestions + rants, etc. Hit me up here @ ratebeer or [email protected] CHEERS PROST SALUT!
Nixsolydian (2) , | October 23, 2012
A really great bar. Converted from an old church, the restaurant always has 20-30 beers on tap. The food is great, if limited selection. Try the famous mac and cheese!
mikem409 (251) bloomfield, Michigan | October 2, 2011| Updated July 5, 2013
amazing beer selection and solid food
paintedmaple (63) People's Republic of Bloomington, Indiana | July 3, 2011
This former church has found a higher calling. This multi-tap has food pairings that are to die for and there is a crying room for the recently departed. No matter when I go here the place is always packed and always outstanding. Very highly recommended.
RudiNicole (77) Michigan | April 25, 2011
I guess I'm a little biased, because I'm a Clarkston local, but it really is a great restaurant. Lots and lots of beer on tap, and heavy on the MI beers, which makes me a very happy girl. The staff is relativity knowledgeable about the beers, but i wouldn't say they give the best recommendations. The food is delicious, everyone should try the mac & cheese, but the grilled cheese is my favorite. It is a nice place to have lunch, but it gets packed for dinner. There is also a good chance you will see Kid Rock having dinner. The prices are steep but the selection is worth it. If you are traveling N on i-75, get off on exit 91 and go to the Union!
mattmc1973 (13) Sterling Heights, Michigan | February 3, 2011
Stopped in for a beer after work, first time I'd been there. Very cool place, an old converted church. Nice vibe inside. Huge selection of taps, and very focused on Michigan - about 6 Bells taps and maybe 5 from Shorts. A snifter of Hopslam was $6, so not the greatest value, but it was sweet to have it on tap. I'll be back.
nefarious (8) Waterford, Michigan | January 24, 2009
This is such a wonderful place with as many as 40 brews on tap.....and the menu is outstanding! The also have a very good bottle selection and wine list as well. Dont forget to go downstairs as well for pool and jukebox, with another smaller bar with more selections on draft an bottle. The staff is also very freindly and realitivly knowledge, they will let you know some of the opinions they have and can awnser questions as well.The best thing is that I litterally live across the street....like less than 40 yards from the front door.....and I am fortunate to do so.


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Spotlight: How the Spotlight works
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Posted: 30 August 2016 at 7:17pm
The idea of the Spotlight forum came about due to us being a victim of our own success in many ways. We created the likes of Open Mic King and Word Drop to drive activity in the Open Mic & we've got a buzzing OM section.
This creates two problems:
1) Drops don't stay on the first page for long & this makes it sometimes difficult for people to get feedback
2) Sometimes drops that deserve or need feedback get missed - whether that's because they are dope, they are from a newer member or it's someone who gives a lot of quality feedback that doesn't always get returned.
And thus the idea of the Spotlight was born - a place where we can move threads to ensure they get special exposure for a short period of time. We aim to rotate the work that's featured to keep it fresh. We'll also try & explain why we're moving things in.
Clearly, to make this a success we need YOUR help to ensure that you give feedback to the work that's up here...otherwise it may as well be in the OM!!
We will also be looking to bring other threads in here, so hot discussions of interest, Audio Mic drops, battles, and potentially even things like Rutter's 1-2 punch league if that makes sense to do so.
We'll be looking to evolve the concept...so please feedback as time goes by to help us understand if you feel like it's working or we could be doing things differently to achieve the aims we set out to achieve.
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