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Congress is currently working on reauthorizing the federal Violence Against Women Act. Under the current law, the identities of victims of domestic violence, as well as witnesses, are protected when they seek help from the proper authorities.
The pending legislation in the House of Representatives would remove this protection for those in the country illegally.
That means an undocumented resident who finds themselves in an abusive relationship will have to risk deportation if they choose to end the cycle of violence, which not only affects them, but also children and others in the community.
Kids who find themselves in households where abuse is prevalent often act out in disruptive matters, affecting their schoolwork and classmates at best; leading them into a life on the streets to avoid the problems at home.
It's well documented that many people in abusive relationships tend to stay or not report the violence because they believe that their abuser will go back to being the person that they initially fell in love with, or that the abuse is somehow their fault.
They are stuck in a cycle of violence that unfortunately ends only when something horrible happens, or they finally find the courage to come forward and report their abuser.
If people who have no fear of deportation have such a difficult time reporting domestic abuse, imagine if reporting that abuse also makes you a criminal in the eyes of the law?
Two New York City lawmakers, Assemblywoman Grace Meng and State Senator Toby Stavisky, have introduced legislation to counter some of the measures in the federal reauthorization bill. Their bill would prevent law enforcement officers from releasing the identities of victims and witnesses, as well as prevent them from inquiring about immigration status.
It would also allow a judge when sentencing a convicted abuser to consider whether the threat of deportation was used as a deterrent to reporting the crime.
If the reauthorization bill is passed as proposed, New York State, with its rich history of immigration - which, unfortunately, does come with the added side effect of illegal immigration - needs to be at the forefront of this issue. We shouldn't be so shortsighted in our efforts to rid our borders of illegal immigrants that we allow the victims of domestic abuse to become sacrificial lambs.


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Is your fridge is covered in "Save the Date" cards? By now, your summer calendar probably includes a few weddings. And that means it's time to start thinking about gifts.
It's easy to give newlyweds a card with money, or the toaster from their registry. But it's also predictable, and can feel impersonal. Sometimes celebrating the marriage of close friends or family calls for a special touch. The perfect wedding gift is unique, memorable, and useful.
Travel related gifts are wonderful for couples that are about to embark on an exciting honeymoon. Here's what to get the globetrotting lovebirds in your life.
Carry-On Luggage
Forget china – a set of high-quality carry-on luggage makes a very useful gift for newlyweds.
Before you buy, find out what the couple's honeymoon plans are. For most types of travel like cruises or resort stays, they'll want rolling suitcases.
Pictured: The Travelpro Flight Crew 4 22" Rollaboard
For couples who will be taking their luggage down the cobblestoned streets of Venice or trekking through Thailand, look for a versatile bag that can be worn as a backpack or held like a duffle.
Pictured: The Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45
Travel Themed Art Print
A travel-themed art print makes a wonderful gift for couples who have a new home to decorate. On websites like Etsy and Minted you'll find creative prints of maps, skylines and more. Choose a destination that means something to the couple – where they met, where they got engaged, their destination wedding location or honeymoon spot.
Pictured: An Inspired Image Skyline Prints from Etsy
Plug Converter and Electronics Organizer
For tech-savvy couples who love to stay connected, an electronics organizer and adapter are a must when traveling. Wirecutter recommends this converter and this organizer.
Compact Camera
A high-quality yet compact, camera is the perfect accessory for a couple who enjoys travel photography. The Panasonic Lumix line is popular for its small size and incredible image quality. National Geographic has recommended the DMC-GX8 in the past while USA Today recently named ZS60 the best overall affordable camera for travel.
Pictured: The Panasonic Lumix ZS60
Monogrammed Luggage Tags and Passport Covers
Send the happy couple off on their honeymoon in style with a pair of matching, monogrammed luggage tags and passport covers. It's an indulgence they may not purchase themselves but will certainly appreciate. (Just make sure you find out if the bride plans to keep her own name before getting them monogrammed.)
Pictured: The Stationary Studio White Gold Leather Passport Cover and Luggage Tag
Travel Guide and Currency
There's no better way to pass the time during a long flight than to read about your destination! Find out where the bride and groom are honeymooning and purchase a travel guide for the area. Pair it with currency local to their destination. It's a thoughtful gift, and it will save them a trip to the bank.
Engraved Love Lock
Although love locks were recently removed from Paris's famous Pont des Arts, the tradition has become a worldwide phenomenon. These padlocks, typically inscribed with a couple's initials, are locked to a gate, bridge, or fence to symbolize the couple's love.
Pictured: Vernazza, Italy
Get a love lock engraved with the bride and groom's names and wedding date. They can find somewhere to leave it during their travels or save it as a keepsake.
"Where We've Been" World Map
A personalized map makes a considerate gift for globetrotting couples – and these days, there are fancier alternatives to the scratch map. This map includes color-coded pins for destinations visited, places where friends and family live, your favorite place, and planned destinations.
Pictured: Luggage Pros Personalized World Travel Map
Travel Magazine Subscription
Do you know a couple who've caught the travel bug? Help them satisfy their wanderlust year round with a travel magazine subscription. This gift pairs great with a bottle of the couple's favorite wine.
Personalized Travel Journal
As the bride and groom embark on a lifetime of adventures together, give them a way to remember everything! This Smythson "Travel and Experiences" journal can be personalized with the couple's initials or wedding date.
With these great gift ideas for travel enthusiasts, you're all set for wedding season!
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subset: commoncrawl


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Four people have died after an asylum seeker boat carrying about 150 passengers capsized in rough seas off Christmas Island.
A dramatic navy rescue operation was sparked on Tuesday after the vessel capsized about 70 nautical miles off the remote island, flinging a large number of people into the sea.
Two navy ships hauled 144 people alive from the water, but Customs and Border Protection confirmed four bodies were also recovered during the operation.
Earlier in the day, HMAS Albany was called to assist the suspected asylum seeker boat, but couldn't board the crowded vessel due to bad weather.
As the HMAS Albany and HMAS Warramunga were escorting the boat to Christmas Island it tipped, flinging a large number of people into the sea.
A Royal Australian Air Force plane dropped a number of life rafts, while navy personnel pulled survivors from the water.
Vessels in the area were also called to assist in the timely rescue, and the Customs vessel ACV Triton was radioed for help.
Customs suspended the search at around 9:30pm (AEST).
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority earlier believed up to 180 people were on board the vessel, but that was later scaled down.


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Grand Theft Auto IV Confirmed Information
|This page has been preserved, as a record of pre-release information
This page will list the confirmed information for the Grand Theft Auto IV game.
|Spoiler Warning: Plot and/or ending details are in the text which follows.
General Information
Release Dates
- North America: Q2 2008
- Europe: Q2 2008
Graphics Engine
Grand Theft Auto IV will be powered by the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, otherwise known as RAGE, which has been developed by Rockstar Games. RAGE graphics were also used in Rockstar Presents Table Tennis.
Grand Theft Auto IV will appear on both PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, released simultaneously. The game may also be released for the PC, as all the previous Grand Theft Auto games have been. A Nintendo Wii version is highly improbable due to the difference in power between the console and the PS3 and Xbox 360.
A Grand Theft Auto IV trailer for the Nintendo Wii was released on April 1st 2007 by Jordan Liles, the webmaster of Planet Grand Theft Auto, as an April fools. The trailer, which uses footage from Grand Theft Auto III and Tommy Vercetti as the protagonist, can be viewed on Google video. [1]
The protagonist of Grand Theft Auto IV is a man called Niko Bellic, believed to be from eastern Europe. During the trailer, released on March 29 2007, he said "Life is complicated. I've killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different..."
Grand Theft Auto IV will be set in Liberty City, which will be a different rendition of the city than seen in either Grand Theft Auto or the Grand Theft Auto III era. Liberty City has been confirmed as the only city in the game. The city is based around New York City, with many landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty being seen during the first trailer. However, evidence shows that the city will be called Liberty City.
- Liberty Tree, the Liberty City based newspaper from the GTA III era returns.
- An I Love Liberty City sign can be seen during the trailer, close to the Liberty Tree sign.
- A Liberty City Police Department police car can be seen in a Downtown-like area of the city.
- A Welcome to Liberty City sign can also be seen under the Liberty Tree sign.
- The Liberty Ferry Terminal, along with a boat saying Liberty on the right of the screen are seen in a dock area.
- A Platypus ship has the words Liberty City written on the back.
The year the game is set in has yet to be confirmed. However the Hearst Tower, or the GTA IV rendition, is visible in the trailer. The building was finished in early 2006, hinting that the game maybe set in 2006.
Episodic Content
Episodic content has been confirmed for the Xbox 360 version. This was confirmed at the 2006 E³ during the Microsoft press conference. Peter Moore, head of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division, made the announcement that two downloadable packs of extra content would become available via Xbox Live. The episodic content was described by Moore as being 'epic', with Take-Two Interactive announcing that the content will become available during 2008. The actual date has yet to be confirmed.
Episodic content may become available for the PlayStation 3 version, although nothing has been confirmed. There are rumors that the content will be different to that confirmed for the Xbox 360.
The content will feature "hours of entirely new gameplay", not just cars and new characters. There has been no information on the price of the content, and the exclusivity of the content is vague in detail.
- Grand Theft Auto IV will have a new game engine. The engineers called titled it RAGE. Unlike the previous games, the animation will use live animations instead of pre-written ones.
- Air units appear on some buildings, attached on windows, and have gases coming out from them.
- Vice City exists in the GTA 4 era, as a sign can be seen reading "Visit Vice City - $300. However, there is no information on whether Vice City will be explorable.
- A rollercoaster called 'Screamer' and a ferris wheel appear in the game.
- Roads are not flat, and have bumps in them. A construction plate also appears during the trailer, which may suggest that road works occur in the game.
- Pedestrians can alter their rear view mirror whilst driving.
- Car rims spin, unlike in previous Grand Theft Auto games.
- Litter will appear on the street.
- Pedestrians will sit on the steps to housing.
- The Liberty Ferry Terminal will appear in the game, suggesting some sort of ferry system similar to GTA: Liberty City Stories.
- The Statue of Liberty will appear in the game, along with a church similar to that in Grand Theft Auto III.
- Seagulls and pigeons appear in the game.
- Newspaper stands are in the game and some pedestrians have been spotted reading newspapers.
- A police officer can be seen drinking whilst on the job, suggesting that pedestrians may also eat/drink during the game.
- Hot dog stands are present.
- Disabled ramps can also be seen on a police building.
- Bus stops appear.
- Some pedestrians walk through parts of buildings, including the disabled ramp at a police building.
- Some pedestrians carry groceries, bags, books, backpacks and newspaper. These items can be dropped and left by pedestrians. One pedestrian has been seen to drop a book and continue walking. Meanwhile dock workers have been seen to carry planks of wood and possibly tools.
- Similar looking character models appear wearing different clothing.
- Some pedestrians will fight on the street.
- Children and animals will not be in the game, except for K9 police dogs and birds. Rockstar Games, when asked by Jordan Liles, responded: "We don't particularly like the idea of children or small fuzzy animals in our games" [2]
- Graffiti appears on the side of a delivery van.
- Characters appear to have individual fingers, unlike in previous GTA games.
- Multi-player will be included in the game.
- The player can telephone other characters in the game through a cell phone.
- The player has a lot more choices of what to do when not on a mission. Although the player will have to take orders during missions, they can decide that they wish to see a specific person.
- The story will unfold in a number of ways, as Rockstar Games want the player to have more control over the destiny of Niko Bellic.
- Bank of Liberty - Bank with branches on Columbus Avenue and Calcium Street.
- Bean Machine - Coffee Shop.
- Burger Shot - Fast-food restaurant (returns from GTA III era)
- Cluckin' Bell - Fast-food restaurant (returns from GTA III era)
- eCola - Soda company (returns from GTA III era)
- FLEECA - Credit card company.
- flyUS - Airline company
- GetaLife - Unknown business, a parody of the MetLife insurance company.
- Kronos - Watch company (returns from GTA III era)
- Liberteen - Kids Theatre.
- Liberty Tree - Newspaper, with the slogan "Yesterday's News Today (returns from GTA III era)
- Logger Beer - Beer company (returns from GTA III era)
- Max Renda - Appears to be a make-up line, possibly a parody of Max Factor.
- Mega Mart - Market, which has the following goods for sale: Silver, watches, sports wear, games, glasses and shirts.
- MeTV Theater - Theater (returns from GTA III era)
- Platypus - Possibly a shipping company. A ship has the word Platypus written on it.
- RON - Unknown business type. A RON building is located by the Ferry Terminal, and a pedestrian wears a RON t-shirt.
- Shodi - Unknown business.
- Sprunk - Soda company (returns from GTA III era)
- Whiz - Cell/mobile phone company
- I slept with your mom - film.
- America's Next Top Hooker - Television program, parody of America's Next Top Model.
- Train - Elevated train with platforms (similar to Portland El), visible at the start of the trailer.
- Monorail - Can be seen alongside a bridge.
- When Game Informer were given a preview of the game there were no planes or helicopters viewable in the sky. Aeroplanes are unlikely to be included in the game, but other forms of aircraft should not be ruled out.
- Grand Theft Auto IV Official website
- GTA IV Trailer One Breakdown from Planet Grand Theft Auto (written by Jordan Liles).
- Grand Theft Auto IV Factsheet from GTANet.com forum.
- Vehicle List thread from GTANet.com forum.
- GTA IV 'Debut Trailer Analysis' from GamesVideos.com.
- GTA IV Trailer - Ten things you didn't see from ComputerandVideoGames.com


text:
Faux Fur Single-breasted Coat
€1,650.00 €1,650.00
€830.00 €830.00
All orders will be fulfilled by Burberry Limited and shipped from the UK. When you place your order, you accept Burberry's Terms and Conditions and confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy.
Size Guide
Use the Size Guide to choose the best fit for your measurements.
In this window, you can find out the shipping and returns options for the selected item.
In this window, you can contact customer service for further assistance.
- A single-breasted coat revised in sumptuously soft faux fur. Vintage check cotton lines the design.
- Coat length: 90cm/35.4in. This is based on a size UK 8 as proportions change slightly according to size.
- Model's height: 180cm/5ft 11in
- Outer: 100% polyester
- Lining: 100% cotton
- Sleeve lining: 100% viscose
- Single-breasted closure
- Side slip pockets
- Specialist dry clean
- Made in Italy
Item 80082131


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Patent litigation is usually a high-stakes game, especially for a company found to be infringing on another's intellectual property. In addition to paying millions of dollars in damages, there is also the very real possibility of an injunction forcing a company to stop selling an infringing product. A Supreme Court ruling in the case of eBay v. MercExchange last year made it more difficult for patent holders to get injunctions, making life a bit harder for companies that make their living by amassing patent portfolios and filing lawsuits without ever manufacturing a product. Since a permanent injunction is no longer a given, many patent holding companies are working outside of the court system to get infringing products pulled off the market.
Companies are increasingly turning to the US International Trade Commission in patent disputes. The US ITC cannot award monetary damages; that's the exclusive province of the court system. What it can do is force products judged to be infringing off the market—the ITC's administrative law judges can bar the import and sale of a product if they decide that it infringes on a patent holder's right.
The four-factor test
In the eBay ruling last year, the Supreme Court provided a four-factor test for courts to use to determine whether an injunction is warranted.
That test requires a plaintiff to demonstrate: (1) that it has suffered an irreparable injury; (2) that remedies available at law are inadequate to compensate for that injury; (3) that considering the balance of hardships between the plaintiff and defendant, a remedy in equity is warranted; and (4) that the public interest would not be disserved by a permanent injunction.
The application of the four-factor test has made life a bit more difficult for companies that sit on patents without manufacturing products, including so-called patent trolls. Patent holding companies are no longer assured of an automatic injunction should they prevail in court, since it's difficult for a patent holder to show irreparable harm if it is not manufacturing a product using the IP in question. On his blog, Lewis & Clark Law School professor Joseph S. Miller reports that of the 25 patent cases heard since the four-factor test was mandated by the Supreme Court, only 16 have resulted in permanent injunctions. The other nine were denied.
USITC: Four-factor tests not required
At the USITC, patent holders can seek to have the import and sale of products that infringe on a patent prohibited—the same outcome as a permanent injunction. While it cannot impose fines, the ITC is also not required to use the same four-factor test as the courts. As a result, a patent holder can seek an administrative hearing before the ITC while the case also makes its way through the court system. A patent holder can then get a damage award from a the court system and the equivalent of a permanent injunction from the ITC.
The threat of ITC action is what has Nokia alarmed in its ongoing patent dispute with Qualcomm. Nokia is accused of violating several patents covering CDMA and GSM technologies in the manufacture of its cell phones, recently filing a countersuit against Qualcomm. Looming large in the background of Nokia's decision to strike back at Qualcomm in the courts is a complaint filed by Qualcomm at the ITC. A decision expected early next year may lead to Nokia's most lucrative product line—its cellular phones—being pulled off of store shelves in the US.
Another company turning to the ITC is St. Clair Intellectual Property Consultants, an IP holding firm. St. Clair IPC has dragged Kodak before the ITC over a patent dispute, with a lawyer for the firm telling MarketWatch that the four-factor test mandated in the eBay decision was "one factor among many" leading to the ITC action. If the ITC rules in St. Clair's favor, Kodak could be barred from importing digital cameras into the US.
The influence of the ITC could grow even further if a patent reform bill introduced in April is passed. In addition to changing the US from a first-to-file system to a first-to-invent system, the bill could also cap damage awards, as courts would be forced to interpret the scope of damage awards more narrowly. The ITC would be left untouched by the patent reform bill, leaving it as an open avenue for patent holders to get what courts have become more reluctant to give.


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Veneration of Bolivia's patron saint spreads to Peru
Veneration of Bolivia's Our Lady of Copacabana has extended into neighboring southern Peru, where hundreds of faithful are drawn to the annual celebration of festival, including members of the LGTBQ community.
The areas share a common history and Andean culture, and Peru's main festival of Our Lady of Copacabana is held in the old Incan capital of Cuzco.
The Peruvian festival's founder, Libia Espinoza, said she has "a lot of faith" in the virgin because she cured her of a kidney problem.
She said the Roman Catholic rites of Our Lady of Copacabana began in the 16th century in the Bolivian town of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The presence of Bolivian merchants in southern Peru spread and spurred devotion to Our Lady of Copacabana in this country, which shares Lake Titicaca with Bolivia.
The statue used in the Peruvian festival was given to Espinoza by Bolivian friends.
Espinoza said several devotees contributed the $9,000 spent to put on this year's event. What began as a feast with family and friends has grown each year until now in its 10th year it drew about 500 people.
Despite discrimination against members of the LGTBQ community, a group of transgender dancers is invited every year to perform a Bolivian dance called the "Morenada," or the Dance of the Black Slaves.
"We started as a small group but it has grown" each year, said Carolina Corazao, a Peruvian transgender rights activist.
Text from the AP news story, Our Lady of Copacabana festival spreads to Peru, by Martin Mejia


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Lucy Ruth Cummins, associate art director at Simon & Schuster was kind enough to do a wee interview before the new year:
Jaime: Hi, Lucy! Word at the Caldecott meetings is Justin Chanda is a real bear to work for. Rumor has it he keeps the Art Directors chained to their desks for 20+ hour work days. What's your average day like?
Lucy: I tend not to have an average length of work day - some run long and some finish on the dot. Often if I'm totally "in the zone" working on a book, I'll have a hard time checking out the moment the whistle blows. Really flowing with a project is such a wonderful feeling, and squandering that flow is something I try never to do.
Jaime: Okay, I can read between the lines. Justin is in your office, isn't he? I'm going to ask you how many books you are currently art directing/designing. If you answer "six picture books," we'll know he's listening in on things.
Lucy: I'm currently actively working on approximately six picture books, and about twelve novels. Many other projects are at various final stages - once we've sent them off to the printer, picture books generally return for proofs (and occasional corrections) over the course of another two or more months. Same goes for novels.
My executive art director Lizzy Bromley does a wonderful job of pairing her staff's talents with projects, so generally as a new season comes up, she and I will meet and she'll give me a slate of new titles that will be at the very beginning stages - frequently just a manuscript (for both novels and picture books) - and often there are no illustrators attached at this stage for picture book projects. Then I'll meet with the editor of each project to discuss directions and possible artists and move forward from there. When we are developing our projects, we often have meetings which include all the other designers within my imprint, and other times meetings which include all designers and editors from my imprint. These are great brainstorming sessions and it's neat to have feedback from fresh eyes.
Jaime: Oh, man, Chanda's in the room?!? I'm going to ask you about your favorite working snack next. If you want us to send help, mention a Coca-Cola product.
Lucy: I could never choose just one favorite working snack, but I'd have to say I'm frequently munching on something delicious that's been baked by someone on the editorial side of things. That field seems to be a magnet for wonderful bakers! I am a big coffee drinker in the AM and I'd be nothing without a Diet Coke (preferably bottled) in the afternoon.
Jaime: Okay, help is on the way. In the meantime, I'm having my people send Justin a bunch of emails so he'll be distracted and hopefully you'll be able to answer a few more questions. Illustrators will definitely want to know if you are currently acquiring?
Lucy: We are always acquiring new talent. I'm always keeping my eyes peeled. Even if I can't place someone on a project immediately (and it is true that some parts of publisher's lists are shrinking!) I'll often keep them on hand waiting for the right project. An example of this is the debut book from illustrator Jon Klassen, CATS' NIGHT OUT by Caroline Stutson - Jon just received the Governor General's Award for this project, and I had had his work on hand for several years before I was able to pair him with the perfect project. Although we may not always be able to immediately put the rubber to the road with new folks, good artwork makes a strong impression and the quest for a winning collaboration is always on my mind.
As for what I'm looking for - there's never anything specific. I love such a range of things, but I'm mainly looking for things I'm touched by. I love cute. I love simple. But I also love creepy and detailed! There's no one thing I'm looking for and I'm always happy to be surprised.
As for what I'm looking for - there's never anything specific. I love such a range of things, but I'm mainly looking for things I'm touched by. I love cute. I love simple. But I also love creepy and detailed! There's no one thing I'm looking for and I'm always happy to be surprised.
At this point in the conversation, I could hear a commotion coming from the Simon & Schuster end. Justin Chanda was taken into custody by the Newbery Committee and we were able to conduct the rest of the interview in relative privacy.
Jon Klassen fan. And that CATS' NIGHT OUT cover is lovely, it reminds me of 1930's romantic comedy opening titles. What's your favorite children's book cover of 2010 not done by your publishing house?
Lucy: Nothing made me giggle more than the cover for CHILDREN MAKE TERRIBLE PETS by Peter Brown (designed by Patti Ann Harris.) There's so much to love about it, and the title is so grabbing.
Jaime: Kill, kiss, or marry: Helvetica, Baskerville, or Comic Sans?
Lucy: I suspect you'll get the same answer from every one who's ever graphically designed - kill: Comic Sans, kiss: Helvetica, marry: Baskerville. (Although maybe Comic Sans is so darn unlovable that it would make a really grateful spouse...?)
Lucy: Pantone Red 032 PC - a poppy red color with no hint of blue. Divine!
Jaime: The Winter Conference brings in lots of out-of-towners. What is your favorite thing to do in late January in New York?
Lucy: There are so many wonderful things about January in New York - hot chocolate from Jacques Torres (so thick it's nearly solid, worthy of a last meal), post-holiday sales at all the stores, and just walking through Central Park while well bundled up.
Jaime: Any illustrator-centric activities?
Lucy: I feel so spoiled by this city - there are so many epic cultural institutions that I feel I could visit one a day for the next 100 years and not run out of options. Despite the steep price, the Museum of Modern Art is not to be missed. It's free on Fridays but I think it's worth the price of admission to avoid the crowds that form that day and go any other time.
The Metropolitan Museum is fun to walk around and recall scenes from FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER.
The American Museum of Natural History has always been one of my favorites - the dioramas are breathtaking and they have a life-sized blue whale replica that will stun you on sight.
And the Whitney currently has a well-reviewed retrospective of Edward Hopper that I'm dying to check out.
Jaime: Wow, awesome suggestions, thanks, Lucy! One final kicker and then you and all the other art directors can run free: The format of this year's art show has changed, can you tell us how this change positively impacts your experience with the art show?
This will be my first SCBWI (and I'm beyond excited!) so I can't speak to the previous structure of reviews. I can say, however, that I think really trying to hone in on one stunning piece is a great way of developing one's ability to edit work and presentations. I can't wait to see illustrator's personalities oozing out of the piece they've selected for this purpose - it seems like it will be very telling!
Check out Lucy's site to see more of the books she's worked on—including her own—THE TAKING TREE.


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Well, let's open our Bibles to Genesis, chapter 11, in our ongoing study of origins, the Book of Genesis. I've entitled our look at this particular section, starting in chapter 11, verse 10, and going to the end of the chapter, "Paganism and Promise." Paganism and promise.
While there is a tremendous amount of speculation about the history of man, it is, frankly, unnecessary. We have an accurate account of the history of man in the Book of Genesis. And the historical record of man in Genesis is complete, all the way back to the first man, Adam.
In chapters 1 through 9 of Genesis, you go from Adam to Noah, with a very carefully laid out genealogy. Then, in chapters 10 and 11, you go from Noah to Abram, who became Abraham. So 1 to 9 takes you from Adam to Noah, and then 10 and 11 from Noah to Abraham.
From Abraham, you then move through the patriarchs, to Isaac, to Jacob, who then is renamed Israel, to Joseph, through the 12 tribes. God's covenant people are established as His witness nation, and that takes Genesis 12 to the end, chapter 50.
Exodus begins with the death of Joseph, about 1800 B.C. Israel is in Egypt by then. Chapter 2 is the birth of Moses, who then leads Israel out. Forty years of wandering, and they finally arrive in the land of Canaan, established in the land of promise.
The rest of the Old Testament is the story of Israel. It's a story of blessing and a story of cursing. The Old Testament closes about 400 years before the birth of Christ. There are 400 years between the end of the Old Testament historical record and the beginning of the New, called, for obvious reasons, the silent era.
The silence is broken by the birth of Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, just about two thousand years ago. The whole story of man, then, up to now, is something over six thousand years. Now, this is not an evangelical conclusion as opposed to a scientific conclusion or a traditional conclusion. This is simply what the Bible says. And you don't even have to be an evangelical to figure this out. Anybody who reads the book of Genesis can know this.
To demonstrate that, Talmudic scholars assembled themselves into a number of different schools in ancient Israel. And there was one such school called the school of Elijah. The school of Elijah was a group of scholars who were producing literature that interpreted the Old Testament and made it applicable to the life of Jewish people.
Writing centuries before Christ, they wrote what is known as Midrash Rabbah, and in Midrash Rabbah this is what is stated. Now, remember, this is before the coming of Christ. I'm quoting from Midrash Rabbah, Talmudic scholars. "The world is to be for 6,000 years, 2,000 empty without the Torah," the law, "2,000 years with the Torah, then 2,000 years of Messianic times."
How did they ever come to that conclusion? Because if you follow the genealogical record of Genesis, it is approximately 2,000 years until God's law arrives, something a little more than that, actually. It is about 2,000 years from the arrival of the law and Moses until the coming of Messiah, and Messiah did come. And we are in Messianic times and have been for about 2,000 years.
Those Jewish Talmudic scholars could read Genesis just the way we can read it. They could go through the genealogy just the way we go through it. They could add up the numbers. They could draw the conclusions. And they came, essentially, to the same conclusion that anyone who takes the Bible at face value comes.
Of course, they were guessing at the length of the Messianic times, weren't they? But their literal interpretation of the first 4,000 years shows a very careful understanding of the genealogies in Genesis, and is essentially what we have been saying all along. They interpreted the Bible literally, bless them.
And, by the way, the Messiah did come at the 4,000-year point. Isn't that interesting? They said He would, and He did. And we have had 2,000 years of His spiritual kingdom ruling over the souls of all those who are His subjects, all those who believe the gospel. However, His earthly kingdom awaits the judgment of the ungodly, the salvation of Israel and the nations and His return. Were He to return right now, there would still be another thousand years of Messianic times, the glorious kingdom of Christ, which brings human history in this universe to its end.
I only take you there, to those Talmudic scholars, to emphasize the fact that anyone who is straightforward with an interpretation of Genesis comes to the same conclusion. Man was created something over 6,000 years ago. We take the Bible at face value because it is the only record we have. It's the only record of primeval history that we have.
Now, what I've just given you is essentially an overview of what the Scripture records, as the time of this universe is coming into existence and man's life in it. In these early chapters, then, we have been given the record of primeval ancient history. We even have a genealogy to flow through that period. From Adam to Noah, the genealogy is in chapter 5. From Noah to Abram, the genealogy is in chapter 10 and chapter 11.
Now, just reaching back and reviewing a minute, chapter 10 gave the record of the spread of Noah's family all over the earth, the sons of Japheth, the sons of Ham and the sons of Shem, the sons of Shem being nations that primarily are identified in the Middle East Semitic people. And of course it's from Shem that Abram comes, and through Abram comes the Messiah.
So we noted in chapter 10 that the nations are scattered all over the world. And in chapter 10, verse 32, the chapter ends, "These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood." And they scattered everywhere.
He started in chapter 11, the first nine verses tell how they were scattered. They were scattered by a divine miracle of judgment, twofold miracle. God altered their language so they couldn't understand each other. Therefore, they collected in groups of people who could understand each other. And God not only altered their language, but God miraculously scattered them over the face of the earth. This was accomplished by the miracle at Babel. And away they went.
Now, in chapter 10, you have, as I said, the genealogy of all three of Noah's sons given. If you glance back at the chapter, it begins with the generations, the toledoth of Shem, Ham and Japheth, and then it goes on in verse 2, the sons of Japheth, and it goes on to list them. Verse 6, the sons of Ham, and it goes on to list them. The sons of Shem, down in verse 21. So you have this general listing of the genealogies that flow from the sons of Noah.
As we come, however, to chapter 11 and verse 10, the focus is again on Shem, but not in a broad sense, as it is in chapter 10. The focus on Shem in chapter 10 just shows all the various people groups that came from him, whereas in chapter 11, it narrows down the focus on one line, the line of election, we could call it, the line of Shem that goes directly to Abram, who is the father of Israel, and, next to Jesus, the most important man in the history of redemption.
As we see throughout the Genesis record, and we'll see it here, the story is an ongoing continuum of paganism versus promise. We saw that at the very outset. We saw that in the conflict between Cain and Abel. We saw that in the society that was built in the time of Lamech. We saw that in the society that was developed before the flood, where paganism dominated, and there were only a few who accepted God at His Word and believed His promise, one family of eight people who survived that horrifying holocaust.
Even after the flood, it is still that ongoing contrast of paganism and promise, the people of paganism and the people of promise. The Scripture from Genesis to Revelation diagnoses man and sort of drops him into those categories. Since the fall, which is recorded in the third chapter of Genesis, all men are sinful, wicked and in constant rebellion against God. Man is a rebel. He is opposed to God. He is dead in sin, bound in the grip of paganism deep within his nature.
Romans 3 is probably the most concise description of the sinfulness of man. And I know you're familiar with Romans 3. I just want to call one thing to your attention. As you notice Romans 3:10-18, "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; none who does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, the path of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes."
You notice, if you have that kind of Bible that does that, that that is all in quotes and caps, because every one of those statements is taken from the Old Testament. That is not a New Testament diagnosis. That is an Old Testament diagnosis. Better yet, that is a universal diagnosis of the wretchedness of man. Man is defined as wicked and sinful and rebellious and opposed to God. Every way you can define him, that's how it comes out.
So the story of man is a story of paganism. It's a story of rebellion. But it is also a story of promise. We found that back in chapter 3, you can look at it for just a moment, brief review, in chapter 3 and verse 15, right in the middle of cursing the serpent and cursing the man and the woman, cursing the ground and cursing the environment around them, right in the middle of all those curses, verse 15 produces a promise.
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." Right in the middle of this section in which everything is cursed is the first revelation of God's promise to crush the serpent, the first promise that God is going to deliver sinners from the power of their great adversary.
It is true, man chose Satan's word over God's, Satan's world view over God's, Satan's leadership over God's, Satan's will over God's, Satan's friendship over God's. And man became the enemy of God who hid from God, who distrusted God, who rebelled against God, who rejected God.
But it is also true that man was not fixed irretrievably and forever in that disastrous condition. Unlike the angels who fell and could never be redeemed, man is granted a promise that One will come and will crush the head of Satan. Satan may well have thought that if he could bring about the fall of man, man would be as irredeemable as his demons. He was wrong.
God had said, back in chapter 2, verse 16, "If you eat from the tree, you can certainly eat freely from any tree of the garden, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. In the day that you eat from it you'll die." Reality was, spiritual death did set in, but certainly not physical death and not necessarily eternal death. Instead, they did eat, and life was produced.
The woman is told here, "You're going to have a seed. Not only are you going to have a seed, which means you're going to live, and out of your body is going to come a life, but out of your body is going to come a life that will crush the serpent." In fact, Adam was so confident that they were going to live, that he called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. He believed in the promise that she was going to produce life, and she did.
Chapter 4, he had relations with his wife and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. And again, in verse 2, she gave birth to his brother, Abel, and so it was. God even covered their shame. Chapter 3, verse 21, God killed an animal, made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them, in a magnificent picture of substitutionary death to provide a covering for sinners. God heard the cry of sinners. The end of verse 26, the last verse in chapter 4, "Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord."
So in the midst of the curse, in the midst of the disaster and the rebellion and the sin and the fallenness, there was promise. Paganism flourished and developed. Really it was launched, I suppose we could say, by Cain. It was subsequently developed fully into a world in which God was so displeased that He had to drown it. But, at the same time, there was also the promise. The seed of a woman, the virgin-born Son, would someday come and crush Satan's head.
That's the first prophesy in the Bible. It is the first time that the great reality that "where sin abounds, grace much more abounds" can be applied. So even before God banished Adam and Eve, even before He sent them out of the garden for their paganism, He gave them a promise, that paradise could be regained forever. And when the whole world plunged into unrestrained evil and God had to drown the whole world, there were eight who received the promise. And from those eight, a new world began.
Chapter 9, verse 1, "And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.'" And so it would be through Noah, now, that the seed would come to bruise the serpent's head. And of Noah's sons, it would be through Shem. And of Shem's progeny, it would be through Abram, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, or Judah, that the Messiah would come. And so the record moves inexorably toward the arrival of Messiah.
So, as we come to this genealogy, I want us to see here, and I think you'll see it, this continual contrast between paganism and promise. I think formal pagan religion was sort of launched at Babel. Then the religion that was formalized at Babel in the ziggurat, which was a form of pagan worship probably identified with astrology, when the people were scattered all over the world, they took their religion with them.
It was a hybrid of some of the truth of the true and living God twisted and perverted by whatever form of paganism had developed at Babel that flowed out across the whole world. But God had a plan to bring about a nation who would be a witness nation to go to the world and tell them about the true and living God, whom they had forgotten.
So when you come in to chapter 11, it's really important to see the genealogy. You go from Shem, in verse 11, verse 10, all the way down to Abram, who appears toward the end of this genealogy for the first time in verse 26.
Now, let me give you a little bit of background. We're going to see this as we go. Abram's family were pagans. They were idolaters. They probably worshipped the gods of astrology that had been invented at Babel. And they seemed to have been especially involved in the cult of worshiping the moon god. That, by the way, the worship of the moon god, was a cult that flourished in ancient Mesopotamia.
To understand something about the family of Abram, turn over to Joshua, chapter 24, for a moment. And I'm just going to give you a little bit of a preview so you kind of know where we're going here, and to show you that even after the flood, the development of all these families and nations after Babel, was pagan. In spite of the fact that the flood had happened and they had eyewitness testimony that it had happened, because the survivors of the flood were still around, and I'll point that out in a little bit, nonetheless, they descended into paganism.
"And Joshua said to all the people," gathering the tribes to Shechem there in verse 1, "'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River,"'" Euphrates River, "'"namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods."'" Abraham's father was an idolater. He served other gods. He was a pagan, in every sense.
And he is simply an illustration of the way the world went. It plunged down the same identical path that it had before the flood. And that is because the heart of man is so wretched innately that that's the way he goes.
The world didn't go upward religiously. It didn't develop a higher and higher kind of religion. It went from knowing the truth down, down from the truth of God, down from the reality of faith in the true and living God who was creator, down from salvation by grace, repentance, faith, down from worshipping and loving the true God, down into idolatry. The path is outlined very clearly in Romans, chapter 1, from the heights of worshipping the true God to the muck of idolatry and demon worship.
And by Abram's time, the whole world was idolatrous. Well, they had been before they were scattered, and they were no less idolatrous after the scattering. And, by the way, they still are today. But there was at least one true worshipper. Turn to the seventh chapter of Acts. And this is the great sermon of Stephen, which is a historical recitation of the history of God's work with Israel.
And he says, in verse 2, "'Hear me, brethren and fathers. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, "Depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you." Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran, and from there, after his father died, God removed him into this country in which you are now living.'"
The God of glory appeared to our father, Abraham. That is indicative of the fact that here was a man not unlike Noah who was a true believer, and through that man, God would shape a nation to tell the world of idolaters about Him. So Abram becomes critical as the father of this people. In the midst of a sea of paganism, even the pagan family in which he lived, he had come to believe in the true God. So it was Abram that would be the father of the nation and the ancestor of the Messiah.
So the Babel event was judgment, but it was followed, again, by hope. Now, this genealogy that we're going to look at, verse 10, begins two years after the 40-day flood. And, interestingly enough, you're not going to find anything about death in this genealogy. You go back to the genealogy of chapter 5, and he died, and he died, and he died, and he died, and he died, and he died, and he died. It's a genealogy of death. And it's all moving inexorably toward this terrible massacre in the flood.
But this is a genealogy of life. It says, "He lived these many years, he lived this many years, he lived this many years, he lived, he lived, he lived, he lived, he lived." And it really points out the different mode. Prior to the flood, everything was moving toward this disastrous death. After the flood, God said He would never do that again. Everything was marked out by life. It indicates that what was prevailing before the flood was death, judgment. What was prevailing after the flood was promise, promise, promise.
So we come to this genealogy, which goes from Shem right on down to Abram. The genealogy in chapter 10 follows one son of Eber by the name of Joktan. But the genealogy in chapter 11 follows a different son of Eber, Eber's son, Peleg, because he's the line to Abram. This is the elect line, the covenant line. And it reminds us again that God is sovereignly controlling, moving history, people, events to fulfill His will. So here is the line of the promised seed.
And we could get a lot...I don't want to get you too convoluted in your thinking, but these are overlapping lives. It isn't that one person dies and another one starts, then another one dies and another one starts. They're overlapping. I mean, Terah, for example, Abram's father, if you put the numbers together, was 128 years old when Noah died. So Noah was alive for 128 years of Terah's life. He had a firsthand eyewitness who survived the flood. In fact, Noah died probably two years before Abram was born.
All these records, then, could be easily kept and easily passed down, because the lives were overlapping. Messiah's line, then, went like this: Adam to Noah to Shem to Peleg to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Judah to Jesse to David to Solomon to Hezekiah, Josiah, Joseph, Jesus. And the genealogies can be traced in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.
But here is this section of those records. Verse 10, "These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; and Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and he had other sons and daughters." Now, Shem is the elect line. He lived a hundred years, and he had a son. That's interesting, because Abraham was a hundred years old when he had a son.
Now, let me give you little numbers to think about. Noah was 500 when his first son was born. Chapter 5, verse 32, he was 500 years old when he had his first son. His first son, by the way, was Japheth. Shem was likely born two years later, because in ancient times, mothers generally nursed their babies for about 24 months, or up to 24 months, so they wouldn't be able to conceive for that amount of time that they were nursing their children. So it would be maybe she nursed for a year, a year and a half, and sometime in that era she became pregnant again and Shem was born, two-plus years, let's say, after Japheth.
So Shem would've been 100 years old two years after the 40-day flood, and that's what it says. He was 100 years old and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood, which means that he wasn't the firstborn. We know that, because the firstborn was born when Noah was 100, and he wasn't 100 until two years after the flood.
Shem lived 500 years after he became the father of Arpachshad, had other sons and daughters, a total of 600 years. His father lived 950 years. So we see something beginning to happen rather immediately, right? Life span is shortening significantly. The effects of the flood on the world, the universe, the atmosphere, as well as the effect of sin passing down from generation to generation.
Then comes Arpachshad, who lived 35 years, became the father of Shelah. "Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah, had other sons and daughters." At 35, he fathered Shelah. He lived another 403 years, for a total of 438 years. So, again, the life span is dropping. He had other sons and daughters.
Now, at this point, another little technicality, the genealogy moves from Arpachshad down to Shelah. However, if you go to Luke 3:36, you will read another name stuck in there. You don't have to do it. But in the genealogy of Luke, the name Cainan appears. C-A-I-N-A-N is the way it's transliterated. It appears in the genealogy in Luke. And the question is, why? Why?
This genealogy in the Old Testament right here in Genesis 11 is repeated one other place. It's repeated in I Chronicles 1. And in the genealogy here, the name Cainan is not recorded, and in the genealogy of I Chronicles 1, Cainan is not recorded, either. The Masoretic scribes, who knew the Hebrew well, didn't put it in any of their texts. But the name Cainan does appear in the Septuagint, which is a Greek translation of the Old Testament.
It is likely that some scribe at some point, copying Luke's Gospel, and being familiar with the Septuagint, picked up Cainan out of the Septuagint, which isn't in the Hebrew text, Septuagint being a translation, not an inspired original, and stuck it into Luke's account. It is better, then, when you see the word Cainan in Luke's account, to understand it as an addition made at a later time.
Also, the Septuagint convolutes the order of the names, as well, and so it's not precisely reliable as a primary source. So, just in case you come across the name Cainan, the best understanding of that would be that it was added later by someone who thought it should be there because they picked it up in the Septuagint version.
All right, moving on...isn't this fascinating...to Shelah. Shelah was a man's name in those days, lived 30 years, became the father of Eber. Eber is the term from which we get "Hebrew." "And Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber, and he had other sons and daughters."
By the way, Shelah became a very common name for families in Judah. Chapter 38, it's mentioned a number of times, chapter 46, verse 12, Numbers 26:20, I Chronicles 2, I Chronicles 4. Shelah becomes a very common name.
Shelah lives 30 years, gives birth to Eber, from which the word "Hebrew" comes, lives another 403 years, total of 433 years, and has other sons and daughters. Then, verses 16 and 17, "Eber lived thirty-four years, became the father of Peleg; and Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and he had other sons and daughters."
That's just to tell you that the world is expanding, in terms of its population, even in this very important line of people. You remember that Peleg was an important individual. His birth signaled something very important. Back in chapter 10, we remember, in verse 25, the name of one son of Eber, Peleg, because, in his days, the earth was divided. His name means "divided," and that very likely signals that he was born at the time of the scattering at Babel.
This particular son of Eber is the chosen line. His brother, Joktan, fathered Arab tribes. But Peleg fathered the people of God. He lived 30 years, and it says, in verse 18, "became the father of Reu; and then lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu, and he had other sons and daughters." Things keep expanding. He lived a total of 239 years. His father lived 464. And so time continues to diminish. Father 464, grandfather 433, and he's dead 200 years sooner.
Then Reu is discussed in verses 20 and 21. He "lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug; and Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug, and he had other sons and daughters." A total of 239 years.
Serug, then, verses 22 and 23, lived 30 years, fathered Nahor; "lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and had other sons and daughters." He lives for 230 years and fathers other children.
You also notice that they're having children younger now. And then you come to Nahor, in verse 24, who "lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah." Here's the key name. Nahor is Abram's grandfather. He lives 29 years. He fathers Terah. "Nahor lives one hundred and nineteen years after he becomes the father of Terah, he had other sons and daughters." So Nahor lives only 148 years. Actually, Abram lived only 175 years, so you can see it's beginning to shorten even more.
And Nahor, just a handful of generations down from Shem, only lives a quarter of the time of Shem's life. So the impact of sin, the impact of the flood on the environment, is shortening life. This, then, man, Nahor, is Abram's grandfather.
Now, later on you're going to see another Nahor, down in verse 26. That's Abram's brother, named after this grandfather, which may indicate that he was the firstborn son and was given the name of his grandfather.
Now, as we move down this genealogy and arrive at Nahor becoming the father of Terah, we come to Terah, in verse 26, who "lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran." And there's the genealogy.
And may I say to you, there is no scientific data, radiocarbon or whatever, there is no historical record in existence in Sumerian antiquities or Egyptian antiquities, there is no other ancient Near Eastern material available, that forces gaps into this genealogy. So we take it at its face value. This is the way it really was.
Terah begins the Abrahamic record. By the way, there are names of people in the Old Testament and in this genealogy that are also the names of places, because very often they used names that were used both for towns and for people. That's not hard to understand. Towns were named after people. They still are, in some parts of the world. So that Terah, the name of Abram's father, was also a place in the northwestern upper Mesopotamian Valley.
Now, Terah lived 70 years, follow this very closely, Terah lived 70 years, became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And I want you to understand something here or you're going to be confused when you read other parts of the Scripture. He didn't become a father until he was 70. That's kind of unusual now, because people are having their sons earlier. But when it tells us that he had three sons when he was 70, it doesn't mean that they were triplets. It means that he began to have these sons at the age of 70.
And, if you look at the Biblical record, Abraham was not the firstborn son. He was born 60 years later, when Terah was 130 years old, just 18 years...just at 130 years, I should say. How do we know that? Well, in chapter 11, verse 32, it says the days of Terah were 205 years and he died. In chapter 12, verse 4, Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. After his father died, he left. That's what Acts 7:4 says. He didn't leave until his father died. So if his father died at 205 and he was 75, then he was born when his father was 130, right?
And so when he had his son at 70, it wasn't Abram. He was born in the 130thyear of his father. He's not the firstborn son. But why is he listed first? Because he's important. Similar to the listing of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. The birth order was Japheth, Shem and Ham. But Shem is mentioned first because of his priority.
Now, as I told you, Terah was not a believer in the true God. Joshua 24:2 says he served other gods. He was an idolatrous pagan. So these three boys, Abram, Nahor and Haran, mentioned there in verse 26, were born into a pagan family. And I want you to understand something about their paganism. Influenced by the astrology of Babel, it appears that they worshipped the moon god.
Terah has been related by Hebrew scholars to the Hebrew word yarah, which is the word for moon. And it indicates that he was actually named, perhaps, for the moon god by his father Nahor, who was perhaps a worshipper of the moon god, as well. It is also interesting to note that the birthplace of Abram, the town of Ur, was known, and is known by archaeologists and historians, as the major center of the worship of the moon god in ancient Mesopotamia.
Now, Abram, later Abraham in chapter 17, verse 5, Abram means "exalted father." But Abraham means "father of many nations." He was named "exalted father." He ended up being named "the father of many nations" by God.
Nahor was named after his grandfather, and that's why I kind of think he may have been the first one born. And there's more about his family in chapter 22. I won't tell you the whole story, but chapter 22 indicates that Nahor had 12 sons, 12 sons. All of them, then, would be Abraham's nephews, right? His brother's sons.
One of his brother's sons was Bethuel, the father of, are you ready for this, Rebecca, who married Abraham's son, Isaac, and became the mother of Jacob and Esau. It's a small, small world in ancient times. Marrying your second cousin was certainly in order.
The third one named, besides Abram and Nahor, was Haran. Haran is also the name of a town in Moab, Beth Haran, mentioned in Numbers 32:36 and Joshua13:27. It may have been where he had an influence or settled or just may be coincidental.
Now, all three of these names are well known in Jewish history. They all appear in the Biblical record as you go through Genesis. And so they are noted for us here. Abraham lived for 175 years. He died, as I said, just a couple of years after the death of Noah, and was likely, listen to this, survived by Shem, outliving Abram. He was probably survived by Shelah and also by Eber.
But Abram is the key person here, because Abram believed in the true God. God in glory appeared to him, as I read for you from Acts, chapter 7. Let me read just further down the Book of Genesis to chapter 15 for a moment. It isn't to say that at that time Abram was a regenerate, justified man. It is in chapter 15 that God says, "'Look toward the heavens, count the stars, if you are able to count them,' and He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.' Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." His actual justification is there described.
But Abram was a believer in the true God, apparently. And the glory of God appeared to him. Romans 4:3 says, "Abram believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." I think that actual conversion of Abram came at the time there described in the 15thchapter of Genesis. But I'm convinced that when God approached this man, when he was still down in Ur, you can go back to Genesis at this point, he was one who was certainly at least seeking to worship the true God.
So starting in verse 27, you had a new toledoth, a new generation, the generations of Terah. They culminate the generations of Shem. They inaugurate the generations of Terah. Verse 27, he repeats he "became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran," and this is an interesting note, "Haran became the father of Lot."
Why introduce one son? Why pick Haran and mention that he had a son named Lot? Why is he the only son mentioned? Well, read the next verse. "Haran died in the presence of his father," literally died in his father's face, died while his father was alive. And because this one of the three sons died, his son had to take his place in the line of primogeniture. He had to take his father's place.
And so Lot is mentioned because he takes the place of his father, who dies. He then is treated more like a son than a grandson. In fact, Abram himself, who is his uncle, takes him under his wing, doesn't he, and takes him into the land of Canaan with him. So since Haran died before his father, Terah, died, his son, Lot, took his place as if he were a son.
Now, notice at the end of verse 28, all this is going on in a town called Ur, Ur. We are familiar with that, if we know anything about the Bible, Ur of the Chaldees. Familiar name, familiar place. The best location, archaeologically, at least the one that I would lean toward, is that Ur is located on the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf.
If you were to go south from the land of Israel and east, down toward the Persian Gulf, you know the top of the Persian Gulf has kind of a straight line from west to east, the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf, just a little up from there, would be the location of ancient Ur, in the southern Mesopotamian Valley. It was one of the most important centers of Sumerian culture, ancient culture.
In the year 1922, there was discovered there a place called Tell el Muqqayar, an Arabic name for a tell. A tell is a mound that reveals a location where civilization has been...one civilization on another on another on another on another creates a tell, as they build and build and build and one goes out of existence, and they build on it, and another one goes, and they build. That's what they call a tell, or a mountain. That tell was excavated from 1922 to 1933. It is believed to be the ancient location of Ur.
Some archaeologists feel that at the time of Terah and the birth of his sons, it had reached its zenith and was starting to decline as a great city, and that may explain why Terah and his family wanted to leave. But that would be a very human explanation.
It is called Ur of the Chaldeans even though technically, at the time of Abraham, it wouldn't have been Ur of the Chaldeans. Moses, remember, is reading Genesis to the children of Israel, who are entering the Promised Land. This is a long time after these events take place. And they know it as Ur of the Chaldeans. Chaldean tribes, through its history, were later associated with it, and so it was that way known to Moses' people.
Terah and his family lived there, and it was known, and archaeologists have supported this, as a center for the worship of the moon god. Verse 29, "Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran," different Haran, not same Haran, who had died, who was Abram's brother. Same name, different man. How do you know that? Because it says, "the daughter of Haran," not the son of Terach, but Haran, "the father of Milcah and Iscah." It identifies him as somebody else.
So they took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, later changed to Sarah, chapter 17, verse 15. Sarai means "my princess." You know what Sarah means? "Princess." Drop the "my." Why did God do that? Because she wasn't going to be somebody's princess. She was going to literally be the mother of nations. So her name was changed from Sarai to Sarah.
Her name, in the ancient language, is Sarat. Sarat means "queen," and Sarat was one of the gods in the ancient pantheon, the Babylonian pantheon. In fact, Sarat was one of the names for the god Ishtar, and Isthar was the goddess of the planet Venus. So here we are back to the astrology again, indicating these people were all mingled in this Mesopotamian astrological cult.
It tells us that Nahor had a wife named Milcah, the daughter of a different Haran, who had two daughters, Milcah and Iscah. Milcah is a word, malcah. It means "queen," again. And Malcah was another Acadian title for the goddess Ishtar. Ishtar was the goddess of Venus. Ishtar was the queen of heaven, the queen of heaven. So they were naming their daughters after astrological, Babylonian goddesses. They were calling their daughters "queen," and naming them after these deities.
There's an interesting corollary to this. I'm just going to just read you a couple things. Jeremiah addresses this in Jeremiah, chapter 7, verse 18. "The children gather wood," he's saying this in Jerusalem's going on, "the children gather wood and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out libations to other gods in order to spite me." God says, "My people in my city of Jerusalem are worshipping the queen of heaven." Milcah, that's exactly what Milcah is. She was Melakay tasa Mayim, the queen of heaven. She was named after this goddess of heaven.
Jeremiah also mentions here in the 44thchapter of his prophecy, verse 17, again, he talks about sacrifices to the queen of heaven. Repeats it again in verse 18, sacrifices to the queen of heaven. Repeats it in verse 19, burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven, pouring out libations to her, etc.
What happened was, when, later on, the people of Israel got into the land of Canaan, they were still profoundly influenced by the worship of the queen of heaven, that terrible idolatry that had begun so long ago at Babel and was refined both in Babylon and in Egypt, and when the children of Israel were in Egypt had come to influence them so greatly. So again we can see the astrological orientation of these people.
Now, as far as Iscah goes, I tried to find something on what that name means. The best I could do, it means "perfumed oil." That's somebody's educated guess.
When we move away from all of those people, we come to verse 30, and we read something very important. "And Sarai was barren; she had no child." The worst possible situation a woman could face, but absolutely crucial to the faith of Abraham, right? Because here is what launches the story of Abram. He becomes the example of faith for all who will ever believe.
Because she couldn't have a child, and God comes to Abram and says, "I'm going to make out of you a great nation," he's got a huge dilemma. "I'm supposed to be the father of a great nation, and I've got a wife who's barren. It's just not going to happen." This situation gave opportunity for Abraham to exercise faith in the promise of God, faith by which he evidenced his belief in God, through which God justified him, and made him to be the prototype of faith.
Verse 31, "And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there."
Why did they do that? I mean, they're comfortable, they're living down there. That's their home. That's their place. Their people are there, in Ur. Why did they leave that place? The answer comes back to Acts 7. The glory of God, "the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran," so that would be in Ur, "and said, 'Depart from your country and your relatives, come to the land that I will show you.' And he departed from the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran." It was because God came to Abram and said, "Get out."
And God told him, "Go to Canaan." You say, "Well, why did he go to Haran?" Well, the objective was Canaan. By divine revelation he was to go to Canaan. That's what God told him from the very outset. That's what God desired of him. In fact, in chapter 15, verse 7, God reminds him, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess it." It was God who moved him out, and with him his father and his wife and his nephew. It was God who did it.
They were going to Canaan, but they took a strange route. Instead of going this way, to Canaan, they went north, going along the Euphrates, and probably that can be explained by the fact that they would have a very difficult time with their entourage crossing the barren desert between Ur, down at the Persian Gulf, and the coastal land of Canaan. And so rather than do that, they went north, along the Euphrates, to the high country, the beautiful, well-watered mountains, to cross over the mountains and drop down into Canaan from the north.
But it says they went only as far as Haran. Well, why did they stop there? Because, archaeologists tell us, Haran was the second chief center of worship for the moon god. By the way, the moon god's name was Sin, S-I-N. Terah got up there, and he got a sniff of familiar worship. "Let's settle right here. Right here. Let's not go over the river and down into Canaan. This is our place. Here is the second great center of worship for the moon god." So they settled there.
"The days of Terah," verse 32, "were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran." You know what? He died a pagan. It's really sad. He died a pagan. It was then chapter 12 says that "the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, from your relatives, from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
"So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. And Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh."
And so forth and so forth, journeying, verse 9 says, all the way down to the Negev. There was a famine in the land, and he kept right on going, down to Egypt. That's the beginning of the story of Abram. Abram followed the Word of God and received the promise. His father died, tragically, a pagan. But the promise came to and through Abram.
And that's how it is for everybody. Man, idolatrous and pagan, follows the path of unbelief, follows the path of false religion, follows the path of rebellion and disobedience against God and sinks into hell. Or, man, believing in the Word of the Living God, escapes paganism and is delivered to eternal realms of divine promise and salvation.
So here begins the story of Abram, and the story of redemption, finally culminates in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I hope you got a little of that, if not all of it. Let's pray.
Father, working through this certainly has its technical aspects, but it also is so compelling to know how constant, unflagging, unrelenting, indomitable, is your sovereign, providential control of every life and every event, to bring about your glorious will.
We thank you that you are the God of history, that history is His story. It's your story. You wrote it before it happened. You are writing it, unfolding it, even now, in perfect accord with your design.
Father, we know that we don't have to trust in men and their speculations to understand history. Your Word lays it out. There is paganism and there is promise. There is cursing and there is blessing. There is hopelessness and there is hope. There is judgment and there is reward.
Father, we know that you have told us that those who turn to you in faith receive the promise of eternal blessing. Those who don't receive the punishment of eternal cursing. And this is always the way it has been. So many millions of souls have gone on into eternal judgment, but always there has been a remnant who embrace the promise.
We thank you that you, by your grace, have made us part of that reward. We thank you that we stand with faithful Abraham, who believed you, believed in your Son, and His gospel, and it was counted to us for righteousness.
Use us, Lord, to take this message as your witnessing people to the pagan world, who so desperately need to hear it. We pray for strength do that, and faithfulness, in Christ's name. Amen.
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This sermon series includes the following messages:
Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.Publisher Information


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Use your EuroBonus points on high quality products from well-known brands. Pay using points only or a mix of points and cash. You earn EuroBonus points on everything.
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Hi there,
I have a 3 piece samurai set and I need help identifying them as they are not online on any sites around the world I've had these for about 4-5 years and have not had any lucky figuring out where there from, if there legit or what they are worth.
If someone could please help me identify and tell me how to post pictures on here so I can share them with you.
Thank you
Identifying my swords
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Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Arts and Sciences
Four semester hours. (SP)
Topics include: Analytic geometry, complex numbers, and systems of algebraic equations; algebraic, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions and applications; sequences and applications. Students will receive credits for at most two courses from MATH 1314, 1316 and 2412. Prerequisite: ACT Mathematics score of 25 or above, an SAT Mathematics score of 600 or above, a Redesigned SAT Mathematics score of 620 or above, or MATH 1314.
Home - General Information - Student Services -
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Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


text: Hello, I just wanted to check in with you to see if you had any temporary or permanent staffing needs that BCI Healthcare can help you fill. If you're facing challenges sourcing candidates for any role, temp or perm, please call me at your convenience to discuss how we can assist. Tony Pietrzak BCI Healthcare 10 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 1250 Chicago, IL 60606 312-460-8111 x 104 phone tony at bcihealthcare.com www.bcihealthcare.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://www.bioinformatics.org/pipermail/pme-users/attachments/20100817/9148f8b3/attachment.html>


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Actor Pierce Brosnan has sold his Malibu beach retreat for $2.6 million.
Brosnan and his wife, environmental activist and former broadcast journalist Keely Shaye Smith, put the property on the market at $3.9 million in 2010 while building another house nearby.
The gated Mediterranean they sold has separate space for use as an office or media room and sits on more than a quarter of an acre with lawn space and a courtyard fountain. The flower boxes and hydrangea-lined pathways are perhaps a nod to Brosnan's Irish roots.
Features include arched windows and doorways, high wood-beam ceilings in the living room, walls of glass, plank oak and paver floors, several balconies and fireplaces in the dining room, library, living room, master bathroom and office space. Picture windows bring the ocean view into the eat-in kitchen, which has a center island cooktop and a second island with a sink. There are three bedrooms, 31/2 bathrooms and 3,800 square feet of living space.
Before starring in "The Ghost Writer" (2010) and "Mamma Mia!" (2008), Brosnan, 58, played secret agent 007 in "Die Another Day" (2002), "The World Is Not Enough" (1999), "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997) and "GoldenEye" (1995). He was the fifth James Bond in the 50-year-long film series. On television, he starred in the title role on "Remington Steele" (1982-87).
Smith, 48, was co-host of "Unsolved Mysteries" from 1994 to 1997.
Public records show Brosnan bought the property in 1996 for $600,000. He and Smith were married in 2001.
Ellen Francisco and Christopher Cortazzo of Coldwell Banker's Malibu West office were the listing agents, according to the Multiple Listing Service. Diane McClure of the Studio City office represented the buyer.
Ready to change their game plan
Former model Nicole Murphy and football analyst Michael Strahan have listed their house in a gated community in Brentwood at $6.95 million.
Designed for entertaining, the contemporary Mediterranean features two dens, a wet bar, a theater room, a wine cellar, an elevator, six bedrooms and eight bathrooms in 9,200 square feet. The master suite includes a sitting area, fireplace, dual bathrooms, dual closets and a balcony. A deck overlooks the swimming pool, spa and yard.
Murphy, 44, was married to comedian Eddie Murphy from 1993 to 2006.
Defensive end Strahan, 40, played for the New York Giants throughout his NFL career, retiring in 2008 after winning Super Bowl XLII. He starred in the 2009 TV series "Brothers."
The property was purchased for $5 million in 2009, the year Murphy and Strahan got engaged.
They are selling because they don't spend much time at the house, according to listing agent Bob Hurwitz of Hurwitz James Co.
Latest seller of Ed McMahon home takes a loss
The Beverly Hills Post Office-area home that entertainer Ed McMahon fought to keep from foreclosure in a much-publicized battle in 2008 has been sold in an all-cash deal for its most recent asking price of $3.475 million.
Six offers came in on the property after its late-November listing, and the two-story house in the gated Summit community was in escrow in 10 days, closing after the first of the year.
The transaction may finally end the saga of what has been a beleaguered property history.
The 7,000-plus-square-foot house was purchased by McMahon in 1990 for $2.6 million, according to The Times' archives.
In 2006 he listed the contemporary Mediterranean at $7.699 million, the Multiple Listing Service shows. It was on and off the market at a variety of lower prices for the next several years.
Then in 2008 an ailing McMahon defaulted on $4.8 million in mortgages with Countrywide Financial. Donald Trump announced his intention to buy the first mortgage, but it eventually was sold to another investor who rented the house back to McMahon. The comedian, game show host and talk show sidekick died in 2009 at 86.
The property was sold at foreclosure to a group of investors for $3.951 million in October 2010. After an extensive makeover, repairs and staging, the house was listed in November at $3.475 million.
The home, built in 1989, has six bedrooms and 51/2 bathrooms. It sits on a third of an acre with a swimming pool and dining pavilion.
Ernie Carswell and Christopher Pickett at Teles Properties were the listing agents, according to the MLS. Leah Lail of Coldwell Banker's Beverly Hills South office and Steve Frankel of the Beverly Hills North office represented the buyer.
Beaming out of the Westwood area
The Westwood-area home that actor Leonard Nimoy bought with his first wife, Sandra Zober, has been sold for $1.95 million.
The traditional-style house, built in 1938, also has contemporary elements and features window seats, high ceilings, walls of windows, skylights and two fireplaces. There are four bedrooms, four bathrooms and 3,664 square feet of living space. Outdoor amenities include a swimming pool, a spa and a pool house.
The couple bought the house in 1968 when Nimoy was playing Spock on "Star Trek." They were divorced in 1987, and Zober remained in the home. An art collector and patron, she died in April at 83.
The house, which was sold above the asking price within two months of coming on the market, had been listed at $1.72 million.
Spencer Krull of Teles Properties was the listing agent. Judith Gottesfeld of Gibson International represented the buyer.
Something for WeHo to gossip about
Not every home that didn't sell last year is sitting vacant. "Gossip Girl's" Kelly Rutherford listed her West Hollywood bungalow for sale or lease in May and ended up leasing it out at $4,700 a month.
Built in 1926, the Spanish-style home includes a sky-lighted dining room, an updated kitchen with limestone counters, two bedrooms and 13/4 bathrooms. Outdoors, the deck features a bar, and a built-in barbecue is surrounded by tropical landscaping.
Before her role as Lily van der Woodsen on "Gossip Girl" (2007-present), the 43-year-old actress was in the series "E-Ring" (2005-06) and "Melrose Place" (1996-99).
The house was listed for sale at $1.299 million or for lease at $4,995 a month. Public records show Rutherford bought the property in 2005 for $1.25 million.
Michelle Ficarra of Rodeo Realty, Beverly Hills, handled both sides of the transaction.
Actor Pierce Brosnan has sold his Malibu beach retreat for $2.6 million.


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Groupon forced to change trading practices by OFT
The OFT announced the company MyCityDeal Ltd, which trades as Groupon, complied fully with the investigation but has been given three months to implement changes.
A statement from the OFT confirmed it had specific concerns around Groupon's practices involving reference pricing, advertising, refunds, unfair terms and its relationships with merchants, including restaurants and bars.
The investigation was launched last year following complaints from consumers who argued some of the available discounts were being exaggerated or were not available for as long as advertised.
Close monitoring
Cavendish Elithorn, senior director in the OFT's Goods and Consumer Group, said the organisation would ensure the announced undertakings were implemented or further measures such as court enforcement orders would be sought.
"Collective buying and discount schemes can offer real benefits for both consumers and merchants. The market is growing rapidly, but it's important that consumers benefit from consumer protection law as well as from the discounted offers," he said.
"Groupon has cooperated fully with our investigation and is making changes to its business practices to address our concerns. We will be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that consumers benefit from these improvements," Elithorn added.
The undertakings that Groupon has signed to change future practices ensure that:
- Adverts that compare an original price against a discount are accurate
- Groupon carries out a realistic assessment of the ability of businesses to provide the advertised quantity of goods or services in the advertised time frame
- Products display clearly, before purchase any limitations which apply to any deal
- Groupon takes reasonable steps to ensure that health or beauty product claims are substantiated
- Terms and conditions are fair
- Groupon applies refunds policies and cancellation rights in accordance with the Distance Selling Regulations
In December 2011 Groupon was also referred to the OFT by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) following its finding of breaches of UK advertising codes.
Too many customers
In response, Groupon said it was already making changes in all areas the OFT had expressed concern. On the relationship with businesses, Groupon claimed the problem had been many merchants, including hospitality businesses, were unfamiliar with how much business they could handle.
A statement on Groupon's UK website blog said: "It's not uncommon for merchants to struggle with a lack of customers, but with Groupon's popularity, some have faced a new challenge: what happens when you attract too many? The answer is bad experiences for customers – who sometimes can't get a reservation for months – as well as merchants, who are overwhelmed by the stress."
The company said it would be working with businesses to allow them to determine voucher limits to make sure merchants could cope with fulfilling the offer.
Groupon also apologised to customers and admitted it had, at times, failed consumers in the pursuit of growing the company.
"This self-evident value proposition has propelled Groupon into becoming what some have called the fastest growing company in history. While we've endeavoured to meet the massive public demand for our offers while maintaining our bar for service, there are times we've failed," Groupon said.
"To the Groupon customers that experienced the negative side effects of our growth: we're sorry. We believe that the only way to build a company that lasts is to provide the best customer experience in the world, and it pains us when we fall short. Our commitment is this: we are going to get this right. We won't stop until we are known for having the best customer service in the UK," Groupon added.


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Sandpiper Pipeline issues discussed
Carlton County Land Stewards, led by Janaki Fisher-Merritt of rural Wrenshall, pressed the Carlton County Board of Commissioners on issues relating to the construction of the Enbridge Sandpiper Pipeline through Carlton County and its effects on private land holdings. "The county board is asked to take a position on the route and safeguards for the pipeline," Fisher-Merritt said to the board, "and the wording of the letter should reflect negotiating from a position of strength, not weakness. Wording should be strong to help ensure the safest line possible."
Heather Cunningham, Planning and Zoning Officer, stated, "Some negotiations are possible during this period but Carlton County does not have the power to stop construction of the pipeline."
"Cass and Aitkin counties have mentioned that the Soo Line recreational corridor would be a possible route," Land Commissioner Greg Bernu commented. "It is a possibility. I have heard that those county boards have been reluctant to push too hard for that route due to resistance from private landowners that would receive payments for the proposed line. Surveying crews are working on the Carlton County proposed route as we speak."
Dick Brenner, county commissioner, said, "The land commissioner should work with Fisher-Merritt to strengthen the wording of the letter on the pipeline construction. The proposed letter should come back to the board for final approval."
Other business
Randy McCuskey, foreman for the transportation road crew, was given a plaque commending 30 years of service to Carlton County.
September 16 is the deadline for letting the State of Minnesota know what a proposed property tax levy by the county is for the coming year. The law requires the county to set a preliminary figure at this time. The figure to be reported is a 6.5 percent levy increase.
"I am not comfortable with that increase," commissioner Gary Peterson stated. "The figure is too high. Some counties are setting a 0 percent increase in their levy. We need to work on this and bring it down."
Chairman Bob Olean responded, "We expect the figure much lower as we work the budget process." County Coordinator Dennis Genereau supported that view. "It is going to come in at 1.68 percent increase or lower," he felt.
A UCare grant of $50,000 has been awarded to Carlton County reported Dave Lee, Director of Human Services. "The county has a very high population with disabilities," Lee explained, "and this grant will enable us to better manage the health issues of this group." Commissioner Brenner asked, "Do we have to hire additional staff?" Lee responded, "No, we will handle this program with existing staff time."
A rezoning request for Bear Lake shoreline in Barnum was discussed and approved. Additional residential lots and one commercial parcel adjacent to an existing commercially-zoned lot are being created. It had been approved by the Planning Commission.
Cunningham explained two proposals for the handling of used oil at the Carlton Transfer Station. Como Oil had handled the used oil in the past. Costs involved with the program they provided were about $1,500/year at the county's expense. East Side Oil will provide new handling equipment for the same products at no cost to the county. The system they are using is more customer friendly. The board approved the East Side proposal.


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Every Thursday, people who want to transfer to the University of Washington are invited to come to campus to meet with an adviser, find out about the admission process, learn more about the UW's academic areas of study, and attend presentations on topics such as financial aid and housing.
If you are unable to come to campus on Thursdays, call our office to speak to an adviser in person. You can also email questions to firstname.lastname@example.com. Admissions questions can be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you have already decided on a major, you are also welcome to contact a department adviser.
Note: Students already offered admission to the UW should sign up for an Advising & Orientation date rather than attending Transfer Thursday.


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1, had Atherton played at the current time he'd probably have averaged 45-50. If Matthew Hayden can average nearly 50 Atherton certainly could. Had Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick faced the calibre of bowling and catching on show in the 1990s they'd probably struggle to average 30.
2, Atherton is a perfect example of why judging someone on the banal ledger of overall-average is so utterly stupid. His average is not an accurate reflection of his career. He was brought in prematurely, slipped a bit towards the end of his career, and had 2 series which meant absolutely nothing as he was playing half-fit. Knock-out these series (and it's utterly fair to do so, because they're meaningless as far as the vast majority of his career is concerned) and he averaged 41.55 from 97 Tests, which is STILL as good as Trescothick (not including Bangladesh games) even though the standard of bowling and catching Trescothick has faced bears no resemblance whatsoever to that which Atherton did.
Err, it's the fault of those stupid enough to organise and count one-off Tests as series (not ICC, combination of the ECB and Wisden).Considering one off tests or not, being bottom is being bottom, we still played those one off tests and lost.. not the iccs fault!
That's totally different to losing a series.


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Only gamble money you can afford to lose
Only gamble money you can afford to lose. If all of the money that you have is intended for something important like your food, car payment or electric bills, do not gamble it, ever.
SMS Pariaz would like you to enjoy your gambling experience. We recognise the need for a responsible attitude towards gambling and we want our customers to have a great time but not at the expense of other areas of their life.
So if ever you feel your gambling is not fun anymore please call Gamblers Anonymous on 5702 8613. Someone will help you.


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Olli Salumeria Business Cards
Yael Miller, from Miller Creative, designed these gorgeous business cards for Olli Salumeria, a salumeria that makes dry-cured salumi in Virginia. Though the outcome is, dare we say stunning, these cards posed several production challenges along the way. As a general rule, we don't suggest using letterpress when the design uses floods of color and require clients to agree to our Solid Areas Disclaimer before we will proceed with their job. To achieve a nice solid coverage of color we had to run the ink heavy across the card, thankfully we had added some additional stroke weight to the artwork in the pre-press stage so the line work would not fill in on press. Another trick we used was lightly wetting the sheet before running- this cuts down on the appearance of saltiness and variation across the color.
Flood aside, take a look at that red. Yael refers to it as "Ferrari red," and we can't say that we disagree. The design actually specified a Pantone GOE color, which is not a Pantone book we match to, but since we custom mix all of our colors we were able to match a swatch that was mailed in for reference. We took one of our base red inks and pumped it up with a hit of fluorescent red to really get the color to pop.
These cards are printed on Crane Lettra 110lb cover that we custom duplexed after printing to make 220lb. By duplexing after printing we were able to run the flood without completely flattening the text on the other side of the card (not to mention we love any excuse to make a business card thicker). A custom diecut, shaped to reference a ticket or label, finished off the cards in an unexpected, yet refined way.
This project can also be found on FPO, DesignWorkLife, and Miller Creative.