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My husband has become spiritual since the affair. He has opened himself up to God and has really taken an interest in turning his life around.
Yesterday, we went to speak to the priest about him becoming baptized and confirmed in the Catholic church. The priest asked if we were married in the Catholic church. We explained to him that we weren't because it was important to my husband that we get married in a specific church in his hometown since his whole family for generations had been married in that church. It's Methodist.
The priest said it was completely fine but that we would have to renew our vows so that I would have the sacrament of marriage in the Catholic church. HUH?
I immediately felt sick. What do you mean we have to renew vows... I don't want to do that. My husband cheated on me...made a promise to God that he would be faithful to me forever and broke it. Now, he wants to make another promise. Nope, don't think so.
In mass, the priest talked about dropping your net and following Him. I felt like this is a message from God saying that I should have faith in Him and renew our vows. Kind of like forgiving him completely and moving forward with a new marriage with my faith in God that this time my husband would fulfill that promise.
It still didn't feel right to me. I spoke to my awesome friend, who uncovered something.
It may not be my husband's promise that I am running away from...it may actually be the promise that I would need to make to God in that I wouldn't end the marriage.
Since the affair, I don't truly believe in the vows of marriage. I also don't feel so wrong about divorce. I feel more easily swayed to take that path of divorce than I did before. I can't make a promise that says, "till death do us part."
I don't know what will happen in the future. I don't know if I may end up divorcing him. I can't make a promise to God and then break it. I can't betray him that way. At least not now... and I don't know if I ever will.
I think this is where society goes so wrong sometimes. They make promises and then break them. I know that God forgives...but I can't make him a promise after what I've been through and the realization that I could make the decision to divorce.
I will know when it's right for me to do something like and right now isn't it...
Monday, January 23, 2012
Renewal of Vows After the Affair and Faith
My husband has become spiritual since the affair. He has opened himself up to God and has really taken an interest in turning his life around.


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A storm has blustered into New York and New Jersey with rain and wet snow, plunging homes back into darkness, stopping commuter trains again and inflicting another round of misery on thousands of people still reeling from superstorm Sandy more than a week ago.
Under ordinary circumstances, a storm of this sort wouldn't be a big deal, but large swathes of the landscape were still an open wound, with the electrical system highly fragile and many of Sandy's victims still cleaning their homes and cars and shivering in the deepening cold.
Exactly as authorities feared, the storm on Wednesday brought down tree limbs and electrical wires, and utilities in New York, and New Jersey reported that nearly 60,000 customers who lost power because of Sandy lost it all over again as a result of the nor'easter.
Mark L Fendrick, of Staten Island, tweeted on Wednesday night: "My son had just got his power back 2 days ago now along comes this nor'easter and it's out again."
John Miksad, senior vice president of electric operations at Consolidated Edison, the chief utility in New York City, said, "I know everyone's patience is wearing thin."
As the nor'easter closed in, thousands of people in low-lying neighbourhoods staggered by the superstorm just over a week ago were urged to clear out. Authorities warned that rain and 97km/h gusts in the evening and overnight could topple trees wrenched loose by Sandy and erase some of the hard-won progress made in restoring power to millions of customers.
"I am waiting for the locusts and pestilence next," New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said. "We may take a setback in the next 24 hours."
Ahead of the storm, public works crews in New Jersey built up dunes to protect the stripped and battered coast, and new evacuations were ordered in a number of communities already emptied by Sandy. New shelters opened.
In New York City, police went to low-lying neighbourhoods with loudspeakers, urging residents to leave. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn't issue mandatory evacuations, and many people stayed behind, some because they feared looting, others because they figured whatever happens couldn't be any worse than what they have gone through already.
"We're petrified," said James Alexander, a resident of the hard-hit Rockaways section of Queens. "It's like a sequel to a horror movie."
"It's insane at this point - snow with the nor'easter right after the hurricane," 26-year-old Amanda Feluccio of Brooklyn told the New York Daily News.
All construction in New York City was halted - a precaution that needed no explanation after a crane collapsed last week in Sandy's high winds and dangled menacingly over the streets of Manhattan. Parks were closed because of the danger of falling trees. A section of the Long Island Expressway was closed in both directions because of icy conditions.
Airlines cancelled at least 1300 US flights in and out of the New York metropolitan area, causing a new round of disruptions that rippled across the country.
The city manager in Long Beach, New York, urged the roughly 21,000 people who ignored previous mandatory evacuation orders in the badly damaged barrier-island city to get out.
Forecasters said the nor'easter would bring moderate coastal flooding, with storm surges of about a metre possible on Wednesday into Thursday - far less than the two to four metres Sandy hurled at the region. The storm's winds were expected to be well below Sandy's, which gusted to 144.81km/h.

subset: commoncrawl


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How confident are you of your brand and product? Could you only put the logo on the box without the brand name...?
NEW YORK, US: Global online consumer confidence fell for the seventh consecutive quarter as confidence in 31 of 56 global markets measured declined, according to from Nielsen, a leading global provider of insights and analytics into what consumers watch and buy.
9 Nov 2011
MIAMI, US: Latam's jury of advertisers, media specialists and advertising experts has deliberated over work from 44 agencies across 11 countries in Latin America - covering entries from 77 brands in total. A shortlist of 45 entries has been announced.
22 Oct 2010


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News from the world of Maths
The dome of St Paul's, rising elegantly above London since the cathedral was rebuilt late in the seventeenth century, hides an intriguing early example of the interplay between maths and architecture.
People as well as animals are born with a sense for numbers. But is this inborn number sense related to mathematical ability? A new study suggests that it is.
We've found our lucky winner of a £50 Amazon voucher, as a reward for doing our Constructing our lives survey! Check your email to see if it's you!
Who said that people don't like maths? Numbers of entries to maths A and AS levels across the UK have again increased this year. The number of students taking maths A level has risen by 7.8% compared to last year and A level further maths entries have risen by 5.2% At AS level maths has seen an increase of 25.3% compared to last year and further maths an increase of 24.7%. The number of students taking A level maths is now higher than it has been for almost two decades.
Would you like to present engaging mathematics sessions to young people? The Royal Institution of Great Britain (Ri) is offering development sessions for new Ri mathematics masterclass speakers as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the programme. The network stretches from Aberdeen to Truro, including Jersey and Northern Ireland, and is ever-expanding.
Here's your chance to venture to the frontiers of physics using your very own computer. This week CERN began public testing of LHC@home 2.0, a project that enlists the computing power of volunteers from around the world to help simulate high-energy collisions of protons in the LHC.
A team of nanoengineers have constructed new materials that don't wrinkle when you stretch them. This makes them similar to tissue found in the human body, so they may in the future be used to repair damaged heart walls, blood vessels and skin.


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(RNS) Naming rites and rituals are seldom in the news — except, of course, when the person in question will be the future king of England.
George Alexander Louis' parents presented him with a name, but also with an identity. In selecting the name George, the young royals showed continuity with the British monarchy. Yet they also did something far greater than that: They offered a blessing to their son.
Most of the time, we're more concerned with naming "rights," the legal privileges of purchasing the right to advertise your brand on a sports stadium or something similar. Yet I don't think we pay enough attention to the spiritual obligations and tasks associated with naming. Naming is more than just putting something down on paper. It is a holy task, an action deeply rooted in our human vocation. Naming rites — the practices by which the human family participates with God in acts of creation — ought to be celebrated by the faith community.
Names, and the rituals associated with naming, have deep spiritual roots. They are truly liturgical acts — the work of the people — and represent a way that we join in raising our voices to heaven in praising God.
When each of our four children were born, my wife and I had lists of possibilities. Since we had both been youth ministers, we also had a few names that we quickly rejected. I suspect teachers are like that as well. I won't reveal the discarded names, but will say there were several that conjured up memories of sleepless nights chaperoning youth retreats. We entered the delivery room with ideas, but no firm decisions. We're just the sort of folks who need to take a peek at the kid first, and then decide what she or he will be called.
We valued family names, and so each of our children carries a portion of our family story. And when our eldest daughter joins her hand in marriage this Saturday, she will join a family with its own rich heritage of names and nicknames. We couldn't be prouder to see her take this step.
Naming joins us with God's activity in the world. We participate with God as co-creators, identifying the good gifts that God has offered us, even if that good gift keeps us up all night and will cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition. Naming a baby is also a profoundly humbling act. It shouldn't be done under undue influence, or under any influence for that matter. When you realize that you are giving a child a name that could potentially torment your child throughout middle school, you realize how critical it is you get this thing right.
Stop for a minute and think about that.
There are great naming stories in the Bible, including Luke's account of the birth of John the Baptist. John's father, Zechariah, was struck silent when he discovered that he and Elizabeth were going to be parents late in life. It was an understandable reaction. There is also the striking account of God calling the prophet Hosea to name his children by names that symbolically conveyed how God's people had shifted away from covenant faithfulness. Two of Hosea's children were named "Not loved," and "Not my people." Imagine what school must have been like for those kids.
And there is also the naming of Jesus, whose parents trusted in the never-ending promise of God. It's a beautiful story, a reminder of the powerful nature of naming rites, and an invitation to parents everywhere to consider the awesome nature of naming.
(The Rev. Christopher Keating, a Presbyterian minister, writes for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.)


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Subscribe To Original Writers Brought Back To Write A Horrible Bosses Sequel Updates
I've already subscribed
One of the biggest surprises of last year was the Seth Gordon-directed comedy Horrible Bosses. While the movie didn't look like much from the outside, it was actually a really funny, raunchy comedy with great turns by Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell as well as terrific chemistry between the three leads, Charlie Day, Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis (and Kevin Spacey was pretty fantastic too). The end of the film was left a bit open ended and it ended up making over $100 million domestically on a $35 million budget, so you know what that means! It's sequel time!
THR has learned that John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the pair that wrote the first film, have been hired to write a second film. It's expected that Bateman, Day and Sudeikis will reprise their roles while New Line has already entered talks with Seth Gordon to return to the director's chair. For those unaware of the first film, the plot revolved around three friends who devise a Strangers on a Train-type plan to kill each others' bosses (who are, in turn, ruining their lives).
I really hope that that they don't pull a Hangover Part II and try and get away with making the same film twice. After what transpired in the first movie, it's hard to imagine that the top-billed trio would ever try killing their bosses again, meaning that it would be betraying the characters right from the start. I would also really like to see them bring back Bob Newhart as Jason Bateman's sadistic new boss, but I would understand if that's not doable.


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The tour takes place in a climate controlled luxury motor
coach, with frequent stops to get out and view the displays up close, including
time spent inside exploring the wonder and secrets of Grand Central Terminal, a
spectacular architectural landmark, beautifully decorated for the holidays.
Plus, the window displays of:
*NOTE: The sites and number of stops, as well as the route, will vary according to traffic and weather conditions, availability of displays, crowds and accessibility. The Holiday Lights Tour is primarily a motorcoach tour, but will make at least two stops, enabling guests to disembark and get a close up views. Although each tour will be as comprehensive as possible, not all sites listed above will be visited.
Tour guide gratuities are not included. New York City Vacation Packages is not responsible for delays, non-operation of tour or accessibility to sites mentioned in the itinerary. Itinerary may be altered if required due to weather, traffic, and/or any other condition beyond the control of NYCVP, the tour guides and/or vendors. Tours may be cancelled in advance due to insufficient participation. Anyone getting lost, or not returning to the bus on time, will be on his/her own. Liability is expressly limited to the amount paid by patrons for the Tour. The tour operates rain, snow or shine. No refunds are issued for no-shows. or cancellations. Purchase is non-refundable, but may be applied to another NYCVP walking tour of comparable value.
Ticket Delivery Information


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Michael's Top 5 picks to enjoy New Zealand
During the RWC in New Zealand I worked alongside former All Black Sean Fitzpatrick, we both now live in the UK.
I spent several weeks travelling around New Zealand. This has been one of the best Rugby World Cups I have ever attended.
Michael's Top 5 Picks for New Zealand:
- Fishing outside Auckland for Snapper
- Visiting the wineries in the Napier area especially Craggy Range
- Visiting the black sand and wild coast of Muriwai
- Huka Falls and Lodge. Maybe one day I will get to stay there
- The drive from Napier to Lake Taupo. Beautiful.


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Weleda Almond Hand Cream (50ml)
Available Colours:
Available Sizes:
Details:Treat sensitive, easily irritated skin to Weleda's Almond Hand Cream , a mild, comforting formula developed to nourish and protect sensitive skin. Harnessing the strengthening and soothing properties of almond oil, the lotion envelops skin in a veil of nourishment, delivering long-lasting moisture whilst strengthening the skin's protective barrier to shield from environmental aggressors and elements. The soothing lotion absorbs quickly to calm skin, combat tightness and reduce redness. Hands feels balanced, hydrated and protected. - K.N. Vegan. Clinically and dermatologically tested. Free from synthetic preservatives, fragrances, colourants, and raw materials derived from mineral oils.


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Being a werewolf in a man's world comes with some benefits - and some horrible downsides. Wolfington Investments is a stock trading firm with a rather... unique set of board members. They have their own special skills that they use for their own ends - it's not technically insider trading if you use your vampire powers to glamour someone into telling you their trade secrets, or use your werewolf body to attend rival business meetings incognito, after all.
However, during the firm's famous halloween party, a group of sassy teen vampire hunters have sealed all the exits. Now it's only a matter of time to sniff out the intruders before they can expose not only your identities but the not-technically-insider-trading racket you are all complicit in.
- Mods: Madge, Sabrar
- Size: 9
- Speed: Day Phase lasts 5 days, with weekends counting as halftime. Night Phase 48 hours. Nights will end early if chatters are finished and all actions are received.
- Bastardry: Very low; some roles may have hidden mechanics but the mods will not lie.
Standard Rules:
Posting rules:
- No posting in the game thread unless you are playing in it.
- No talking about this game except in the game thread or in an appropriately titled spoiler in the discussion thread
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- Players lurking excessively will be replaced or, if replacement is not possible, modkilled. See above.
- Any player who is modkilled for rule violations (not lurking) will automatically lose.
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- You may not play to lose, or act in a way that is clearly against your win condition.
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- This is a game; it's meant to be fun. Personal attacks or other offensive behaviour towards other players will not be tolerated.
- In general, days will last for 5 days. Nights will last for 2 days, or until all night actions are finished. Weekends will count as half time.
- Adjustments will be made to accommodate holidays, or for other reasons if the mod deems it necessary.
- In-thread deadline announcements from the mod override these rules.
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Voting rules:
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Vote: Madge
You do NOT have to unvote to change votes, but it makes things easier and will be very much appreciated if you do. You can unvote in bold and on a new line, like this:
Unvote (Madge)
Vote: Sabrar
- When someone gains a majority of the votes, they are automatically executed and it becomes night, as above. Posting content after the hammer vote is not allowed, even if the hammer vote was accidental.
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- You can vote not to execute anyone by casting a vote for "NL" or "No Lynch" or "NE" or "No Execution". "No Execution" will be treated exactly the same as any other player for determining votal results, except that "No Execution" always wins ties.
Death rules:
- You're alive until you are hammered, or a mod declares that you're dead, by PM or in thread.
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- You can send backup actions but don't make the conditions too complicated.
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Game Setup: This setup is closed.
Player List:
LaserGuymurdered N1, independent (WINNER)
- moody7277
- wam
jimbobmacdoodlemurdered N2, town
- Hari Seldon
- bessie
somitomiConMan Peaceful Whaleexecuted D1, town Maven89executed D2, scum


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Subliminal Advertising (Apr, 1958)
Now ad men have a new way to persuade you. They can pop a suggestion into your mind, using TV or movies, without your knowing it
TV's New Trick: Hidden Commercials
By Wesley S. Griswold
PROBABLY you've heard about—perhaps even worried about—a revolutionary new way to beam messages into the human mind. Especially suited to TV and movies, the new idea-injecting technique is said to work while you, all unawares, are innocently enjoying the program. The idea-words appear superimposed on the picture images too fast and too dimly to be seen in the normal way. Yet they register on your mind.
Despite rejection by the national networks, uneasy skepticism by the F.C.C. and alarm from people who fear that this strange development may bring wholesale invasion of privacy and risk of political tyranny, two means of reaching people's subconscious minds by television are currently being tested.
This month one of them, called Precon TV, was scheduled to be tried out on a large audience of TV watchers in and around Los Angeles. It was to have been Precon TV's first big showing. Its rival, Subliminal Projection, about which almost no technical details have been released, has already ventured on the air in Bangor, Me., and on a Canadian national hookup. Results for Subliminal Projection: inconclusive.
For its debut on independent Station KTLA, Precon TV did not plan to use advertising. Instead, public-service messages—like "Drive Safely," "Support Your Community Chest," or "Don't Be a Litterbug"—were to be tucked away into the telecast picture. But after this plan was announced, so much public criticism of the new technique boiled up that the trial was postponed. Controversy over these idea-injecting systems has swirled around three issues: (1) Are they legally proper? (2) Are they ethically acceptable? (3) And do they really work at all?
PRECON TV has a long history behind it. (The trade name comes from the word "preconscious," meaning "below the level of conscious awareness." "Subliminal" means the same thing.) Its inventors, Dr. Robert E. Corrigan of Los Angeles and Prof. Hal C. Becker of New Orleans, both men now in their mid-thirties, have been testing the theories and working parts of Precon for the past eight years. Patents were applied for early in 1955, but have not yet been issued. Consequently, the inventors decline to tell everything about their creation, though they have revealed the essentials.
The basic equipment, the means of sprinkling television programs with invisible but receivable messages, is contained in a rectangular metal box about half the size of a standard table-top TV set. Its power unit, in a separate, much smaller container, runs on house current.
This equipment is a kind of electronic mixing bowl, where printed information can be subtly stirred in with pictures. Inside the main Precon TV cabinet, along with 17 vacuum tubes and a photo multiplier, is a little flying-spot scanner and, in front of its round face, a small frame for holding the text to be scanned. The text is printed on a transparent plastic slide, on a three-by-four-inch space.
Picture signals from image-orthicon tubes in studio cameras focused on live performances, or from iconoscopes recording filmed scenes, are piped into the Precon TV apparatus on their way to the station's antenna. To understand what happens to them in the Precon blender, remember that it takes one-thirtieth of a second for a cathode-ray tube to project one complete picture image on a television screen. In that time it has to scan the picture twice, each perusal taking one-sixtieth of a second.
INSIDE the Precon TV cabinet, with the aid of the pulsed light emitted by the flying-spot scanner, the printed message is superimposed on the incoming picture signals every other one-sixtieth of a second. (The rate of mixture can be varied, as can the intensity of the pulsed light, which normally is less than one-third as bright as that of the picture signals.) The well-mixed video brew then flows on to the station's antenna, to which the program's sound signals, not involved in Precon TV, proceed independently.
Prof. Becker, an electronics engineer and physicist who teaches experimental neurology at Tulane University, points out a fascinating quirk: When you suspect you're watching a Precon program, you can find out what the hidden message is by spreading the fingers of one hand and moving them rapidly up and down in front of your eyes. By varying the rate of this movement, you'll soon find and match the rate at which the Precon message is being pulsed. Then you'll be able to read it.
"THE two questions we are most often asked about Precon," said Dr. Corrigan, a former fighter pilot who is now a psychologist for the Douglas Aircraft Co., are 'How do you know that it works?' and 'Is it dangerous?'
"We have found ample proof that it works," he continued, "in exhaustive experiments at Tulane University that we have been conducting since 1950. In the course of finding that proof, we also became convinced that the Precon technique of communication can't be dangerous. There is no possibility of brainwashing by means of Precon, for each man is his own censor. His preconscious mind responds to Precon messages in complete accord with his likes and dislikes. There is no better chance of putting something over on his preconscious mind than there is of hoodwinking his conscious mind."
Corrigan and Becker discovered people's built-in censorship in tests in which three different types of words were very rapidly projected on a screen. Some of the words were neutral—like "stove," "table" and "rug." Some had emotional impact—"scream," "blood," "hate." Others were obscene words.
In repeated trials, the speed at which each word was flashed on the screen was slowed until the person being tested could say that he definitely had seen it. The researchers found that the emotional and obscene words had to be shown two or three times slower than the neutral words before people watching the screen could recognize them. Corrigan and Becker took this as firm evidence that the people were resisting and censoring upsetting words.
Next, in addition to calling out when they could identify a word, the subjects were asked to press a little lever as well. It was then discovered that not only did they push the lever sooner than they reported seeing the word—thus proving preconscious perception—but they reacted preconsciously to emotional and obscene words precisely as they did when conscious of them. They were censoring them without being aware of it.
FURTHER tests showed, they contend, that people can be taught preconsciously. Corrigan and Becker arranged to give their subjects tiny electric shocks whenever certain neutral words were flashed on the screen. Then the shocks were stopped, but when the words that had been associated with them appeared again, the subjects reacted to them preconsciously as if they were words highly charged with emotion. They had learned, without realizing it, to attribute a new and painful meaning to harmless words.
The Precon developers gave groups of people jumbled letters to rearrange into actual words. Before the test began, they showed the answers on a screen, too fast for anyone in the room to see. Preconsciously they were seen, however, and comparative tests indicated that the subjects solved the puzzles 15 to 46 per cent faster when the answers had been slipped to their subconscious minds in advance.
Finally, Corrigan and Becker expanded their experiments to theater-size audiences. They showed movies—color cartoons—in which printed information was hidden from conscious view. In one case, geometric symbols — a triangle, a circle and a square — were used. In the other, gasoline trade names were used.
After the audiences had seen the films, they were asked to tell whether they liked, felt indifferent to, or disliked each movie. They were then shown the symbols and the trade names and asked to give their reactions to them. The results suggested that the way people had reacted to the symbols and trade names influenced the way they reacted to the movies. If they felt "positive" toward the preconscious information, they liked the movie; if they felt "negative" about the information, they objected to the movie.
The Precon inventors feel this point, then, is amply proved: Our preconscious likes and dislikes are the same as our conscious ones. Nobody, they contend, is going to convince us by Precon TV to buy something we don't want to buy, or do something we don't want to do.
Corrigan and Becker began their experiments with Precon apparatus with the thought that the technique would be wonderfully useful in education (training films) and psychotherapy (reaching the consciously withdrawn patient by tapping him on the subconscious). They still are ardently convinced of this.
The commercial possibilities occurred to them later. Already the inventors, through the newly created Precon Process & Equipment Corp. of New Orleans, have marketed a counter-top or window-display electrical device for flashing Precon advertising at passersby who think they are merely looking at an attractive illuminated color photograph. There is a strong likelihood that there'll be Precon movies, too.
Dr. Corrigan is convinced that if emotion-charged words suitable to the action of a movie are included in the film but are not consciously visible to its audience, the movie will gain in impact. Prof. Becker says the trick can be turned by superimposing the words on a master print of the film, but that a better way would be to synchronize a special Precon movie projector with each theater projector. A leading motion-picture studio has indicated seriously that it would like to be shown how a Precon movie could be made. And a wag has already suggested what to call it—a "feelie."


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Our experienced sales staff is eager to share its knowledge and enthusiasm with you. We encourage you to browse our online inventory, schedule a test drive and investigate financing options. You can also request more information about a vehicle using our online form or by calling 1 (888) 379-0264.
If you'd like a see a vehicle in person, click on Dealership: Directions for step-by-step driving instructions to our site, or give us a call. We look forward to serving you!


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Author: Nathan Willis
Apple's recently released a software development kit (SDK) for the iPhone, but if you were hoping to port or develop original open source software with it, the news isn't good. Code signing and nondisclosure conditions make free software a no-go.
The SDK itself is a free download, with which you can write programs and run them on a software simulator. But in order to actually release software you've written, you must enroll in the iPhone Developer Program — a step separate from downloading the SDK, and one that requires Apple's approval.
Since its release, many in the free software and open source community have debatedwhether the terms of the iPhone Developer Program are compatible with common licenses such as the GPL. In a search for a definitive answer, we asked the principal parties themselves. Apple did not reply to our inquiries, but Free Software Foundation (FSF) Licensing Compliance Officer Brett Smith was happy to discuss the licensing issues in depth.
First, let's look at the SDK and the developer program that accompanies it.
To download the SDK, you must first sign up for a free Apple ID — an existing Apple Developer Connection, .Mac, or iTunes Store account will do — and use it to register with Apple as an iPhone Developer. The SDK by itself won't let you create applications that run on actual iPhone devices, though. To do that, you must enroll in Apple's iPhone Developer Program, for a fee starting at $99.
For the time being, Apple is not accepting all applicants. Currently only US residents age 18 and up are eligible, and Apple is selecting a limited number of applicants. Who gets approved and speculation as to why are popular discussion topics on Apple-centric Web sites.
If your application is approved, a document called the Registered iPhone Developer Agreement lays out the terms and conditions under which you can create iPhone apps. It is those conditions that conflict with free software licenses like the GPL.
Problem: code signing
The iPhone Developer Program establishes Apple as the sole provider of iPhone applications. You can choose not to charge for an app you author, but the iTunes Store is the only channel through which it can be delivered to end users and installed. Apple signs the apps it approves with a cryptographic key. Unsigned apps won't run on the iPhone.
This condition conflicts with section 6 of the GPLv3, the so-called "anti-TiVoization" provision. In particular, it prohibits Apple from distributing a GPLv3-licensed iPhone application without supplying the signing keys necessary to make modified versions of the application run, too.
Thus, you as the developer could attempt to place your code under the GPLv3, but Apple could not distribute it — and since only Apple-signed programs will run, no one else could distribute it either.
The FSF's Smith says the fact that the author of the program (i.e., you) and the distributor of the binary (i.e., Apple) are unrelated entities makes no difference. "If a program is meant to be installed on a particular User Product, GPLv3 imposes the same requirements about providing Installation Information whether the software is directly installed on the device or conveyed separately."
Because of the GPL's viral nature, any app that is derived from other GPLv3 code must be licensed in a way that preserves GPLv3's code signing requirement. But there are still projects that have chosen to retain earlier licenses, such as GPLv2, and prior versions of the GPL did not include the code signing requirement. Thus you could in theory place your work under GPLv2, as long as it was either entirely original or derived only from code licensed under GPLv2 and earlier. But the result still would not qualify as free software, since no one could alter your source code and run the modified result on their phone.
As Smith explains, "partially free" software is still non-free. "The Free Software Definition is not a checklist, where software that fulfills three of the criteria is somehow 'better' than software that only meets two. The Free Software Definition lists the bare minimum rights you need to make sure that the software works for you, instead of somebody else. If you've been deprived of any single one of those rights, whether by a license, a patent, code signing, or any other means, then you've lost your freedom. You no longer control the computer; it controls you. Getting some source is a small consolation prize for losing your own autonomy."
But the aforementioned situation is only an option if Apple would allow you to release the source….
Problem: nondisclosure
Unrelated to the code signing complication is another issue that restricts your choice of licenses. The Registered iPhone Developer Agreement is a contract between the developer (you) and Apple. If you violate any of the terms and conditions of the agreement, you lose your right to use the coding utilities in the SDK and all of its information and documentation.
Section 3 of the document is a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). It defines "all information disclosed by Apple to you that relates to Apple's products, designs, business plans, business opportunities, finances, research, development, know-how, personnel, or third-party confidential information" as "Confidential Information" — excluding specific information that is available elsewhere. You must agree not to "disclose, publish, or disseminate" any of the aforementioned Confidential Information, and not to use it "in any way, including, without limitation, for your own or any third party's benefit without the prior written approval of an authorized representative of Apple in each instance."
Those broad restrictions may be standard issue for an NDA, but they constitute a binding agreement that trumps your usual right to place a license of your choosing on your source code. As Smith puts it, "If you agree to an NDA that prohibits you from sharing your program's source, then you cannot release that program under the GPL, or incorporate any GPL-covered code in it."
Publicly releasing source code that uses the iPhone APIs as documented in the SDK and Developer Program could easily fall under the definition of "disclosing," "publishing," or "disseminating" Confidential Information, as none of the iPhone APIs are documented elsewhere. A clearer word from Apple regarding what exactly constitutes "disclosing," "publishing," and "disseminating" would be helpful, but until the company makes such a clarification, the conservative interpretation is the safest.
You could ask Apple for permission to publish your source code, but in the absence of such permission, violating the agreement terminates your right to use the SDK and to publish your software, regardless of the license you choose.
Finally, the fact that currently only US residents age 18 and older can even sign up for the iPhone Developer Program disqualifies many free software developers right out of the gate. The US-only restriction will likely be lifted, just as the devices themselves have been rolled out country by country. But the Registered iPhone Developer Agreement is intended to serve as a binding contract, so the age restriction is certainly here to stay.
There are other restrictions on what iPhone applications are allowed to do, which some might consider barriers to free software. The limitations already discussed affect all apps, regardless of function.
Of course, the code signing and NDA hang-ups apply only to developers who sign up for the program. Reverse-engineer the iPhone and you can code to your heart's content. So long as you do not expose yourself to the official SDK, you can license your work however you want.
All of the third-party iPhone apps available up until now are the result of jailbreaking the devices, a pastime at least partly responsible for Apple's decision to create an iPhone SDK in the first place.
To its credit, the Apple development community seems to recognize the limitations of the iPhone SDK as they apply even to non-free software, and iswritingaboutthem.
As the iPhone SDK Era begins, it is interesting to look back at what the FSF had to say about the launch of the device itself. The FSF launched GPLv3 on the same day that Apple launched the iPhone, and used the event to address the restrictions placed on iPhone owners.
Executive Director Peter Brown described the device as "crippled, because a device that isn't under the control of its owner works against the interests of its owner." The document goes on to cite DRM locks and "TiVoization" as the principal problems.
In the months since those words were written, the TiVoization problem might have sounded abstract, but the details of the iPhone SDK make it crystal clear — you cannot write free software for the iPhone, even if you want to.
- Apple & Macintosh
- Free Software
- Handheld Devices
- News


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Bill is a 60-year-old man who has spent his career in the wealth management business. He grew his company into a thriving business that employs several employees, including his daughter Angela. The business now represents the vast majority of his retirement assets. Bill isn't slowing down, and hasn't even thought much about retirement.
In other words, Bill is the prototypical small investment adviser. Although they are paid to counsel clients on retirement matters, more than 40 percent of them lack a written succession plan, according an article on Investopedia. It's the proverbial case of "Do as I say, not as I do…''
Bill's story could have a happy ending. More likely, however, are the following scenarios: the value of the business may decline; the market for acquisitions of investment advisors' firms may slow; because of Bill's failure to plan, the business may not be salable; and his daughter Angela may be unwilling or unable to manage the business. Any one of these events could leave his lifetime of work and millions of assets under management next to worthless.
These same principles apply to other service businesses that are managed on a cash-flow basis, have relatively few assets and rely heavily on a small number of individuals to generate revenues. Many of the risks facing owners of these businesses cannot be eliminated, but they can be managed through planning and preparation. But this often requires years, and the guidance of experienced professionals.
Selling to third parties
For a variety of reasons, Bill may prefer to sell his business to a third party. First, he may simply want an immediate cash payment for his business. Second, a third party might offer scale, distribution capabilities, and operations assistance that could allow the business to thrive, not just survive, when he retires. Finally, Bill may not believe that Angela has the skills or motivation necessary to run the business.
Different types of business will have different prospective buyers. For example, Bill's firm may be of interest to a regional competitor and a national, full-services financial services company. A realistic analysis of the potential buyers of a business is important, because different buyers will have different motivations and preferences that will affect how much and when Bill will get paid. Bill may want to consider hiring an investment banker or other professional that works in the area.
Bill will also need to prepare the business for a sale, which typically involves cleaning up and improving financial results and managing the business in a way that will allow it to someday be effectively transferred to a third party. Experienced M&A advisers can help identify problem areas and develop a plan to address them. Importantly, even after the business has been made presentable, it may still take a year or more to complete a sale. Additionally, any buyer will likely require someone in Bill's position to continue to work with the business for a period of a year or more following the sale.
Bill may decide that Angela should take over the business. What better gift to your daughter than your life's work, which should ensure young Angela a good income and financial security for life? If not Angela, what about other members of the firm's management team?
However, Angela may not be interested in owning her dad's business. And even if Angela wants the business, will she have the vision, skills, and discipline that will be necessary to succeed? Will Bill's clients stick with Angela? Will the projected performance of the business be sufficient for Angela to simultaneously run the business, pay herself and pay Bill? All of these issues surface in any transition of a business to an internal successor, which is the most common succession plan for investment advisory businesses.
Even if Angela is interested and qualified, she probably doesn't have all the skills she will need. Bill will need to make his clients comfortable with Angela so that she does not lose their business when Bill retires. Angela will need to learn all aspects of the operation, even those that have never been part of her job description. Both Bill and Angela will need to effectively communicate the transition to employees, and make sure that current employees do not become disgruntled or quit.
Bill and Angela will also need to agree on a value for (or method for valuing) the business, and a timeline for the transition. They will need to agree upon the consequences if the business does not meet expectations, and how to appropriately allocate the risks associated with the transaction. And they will need to negotiate and reach an appropriate agreement, all while maintaining a positive professional and personal relationship.
At some point, all business owners must exit their business. If an owner is proactive and begins planning early, he or she can watch the business thrive after retirement. Those who procrastinate will fail to achieve the best value for their business, if they are able to sell or transition it at all. Unfortunately, by failing to plan, a business owner allows one of life's most important decisions to be made for them.
(As published in the 12/23/12 Star Tribune Business Forum)


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This program's curriculum will allows you to lead congregations more effectively. The challenging curriculum combines the flexibility and structure needed to complete the degree in four years. Acknowledging the hectic pace of congregational life, however, the program allows individuals to focus on the particular needs and issues in their congregations.
You complete your work in a seminar-based program. The D.Min. curriculum for the concentration in Congregational Mission and Leadership consists of 7 seminars. Each seminar has a campus residency component.
The program uses a cohort-based peer learning approach in which students meet regularly in an online virtual community and face-to-face every six months. The peer education and support aspect is a powerful, unique component to the program, increasing students' growth and learning.
View a graphic overview of the four year schedule.
Year one
Year two
Year three
This yearlong seminar (CL7541) provides students with a structured process to implement the research design of their approved research proposal and to incorporate their findings into their final thesis. The seminar meets during the year for three work sessions in helping all participants finalize the chapters of their theses.
July - Overview of thesis, literature review (chapters 1-3) and research design
November - Analysis of research (chapter 4)
January - Summary findings and theological reflections (chapters 5-6)
March/April - Must be present on campus for the thesis defenses
View Doctor of Ministry thesis abstracts.


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O old chief of a willow tree,
Feed your branched offspring,
Angry weeps from my wells,
Filled by forgotten headlines,
I know few facts to share,
Wounds hold us together,
Dreams lift us together.
Though wars only –
Deepen our wounds,
Shatter our dreams –
O old chief of a willow tree.
Saturday, 15th of August 2015


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Book News: Marcella Hazan, Italian Cookbook Author, Dies
The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.
Laura Krantz/NPR
- Marcella Hazan, the author of bestselling cookbooks that brought Italian food to America, died Sunday at age 89. A scientist by training, she began cooking after moving to the United States and finding that much American food was sold prepackaged at the supermarket. "I never saw a supermarket in Italy," she told NPR's Linda Wertheimer in a 2010 interview. "The chicken, they were arriving from the farmer and they were alive. And at the supermarket they were very dead. They were wrapped. It was like a coffin. Everything was not natural." NPR's Scott Simon had visited Hazan in 2005 while she was teaching at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan. He reported: "Marcella Hazan's cooking is traditional Italian — nothing nouveau. She believes in cooking vegetables until they are limp, but not lifeless. She ladles on butter and olive oil generously enough to make anyone say a pre-meal prayer. And she believes that salt sharpens everything."
- Chris McCandless' death in the Alaskan wilderness was the subject of Jon Krakauer's investigative bestseller Into the Wild. Almost two decades later, McCandless' sister, Carine, is writing a memoir titled The Wild Truth, which The New York Times reports will be published in 2014 by HarperOne. She said in a press release: "In the decades since Chris's death, my half-siblings and I have come together to find our own truth and build our own beauty in his absence. In each other, we've found absolution, as I believe Chris found absolution in the wild before he died."
- The Circle, Dave Eggers' latest novel, has been excerpted in The New York Times magazine. The funny (and familiar) excerpt follows Mae, who has just begun work at the Circle, a tech corporation on the scale of Google or Facebook: "It was 6 o'clock. She had plenty of hours to improve, there and then, so she embarked on a flurry of activity, sending 4 zings and 32 comments and 88 smiles. In an hour, her PartiRank rose to 7,288. Breaking 7,000 was more difficult, but by 8, after joining and posting in 11 discussion groups, sending another 12 zings, one of them rated in the top 5,000 globally for that hour, and signing up for 67 more feeds, she'd done it. She was at 6,872, and she turned to her InnerCircle social feed."
The best books coming out this week:
- Inspired by the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, Jeanette Winterson's The Daylight Gate follows 10 women and men who were tried and hanged for witchcraft in 17th century England. The story itself is grimly fascinating, but Winterson is at her best when creating a sense of place — the "untamed" North of England where Pendle Hill sits "low and massy, flat-topped, brooding, disappeared in mists, treacherous with bogs, run through with fast-flowing streams plunging into waterfalls crashing down into unknown pools."
- In The Kraus Project, Jonathan Franzen translates and annotates the vicious Viennese satirist Karl Kraus, who was legendary in his time but has been largely forgotten now (at least, in the English-speaking world). It would be easy to dismiss The Kraus Project as one grump meditating on another, dead grump. But Franzen's work is careful, scholarly and engaging. And best of all, like his late friend David Foster Wallace, Franzen elevates the footnote to the status of art.


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Her husband may love playing basketball, but it's clear Michelle Obama's got skills too.
The first lady recently filmed an educational video at the White House with players from the Miami Heat in which the players talk about healthy eating habits.
But Michelle Obama doesn't just talk their talk.
Behind the interview, she and LeBron James are walking the walk — crunching apples when players talk about eating fruit, sipping water when they mention pre-game rituals of staying hydrated and then … BOOM! The first lady slam dunks a basketball to show how it all works together.


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A rational approach to alarm rationalization
Alarm rationalization. Just the phrase is enough to cause managers to groan and potential rationalization team members to run for cover. Their reaction is not without merit. A typical alarm system is a morass of poorly thought-out alarms with little or no documentation, and the task of bringing such a system into alignment with a plant or pipeline's operating philosophy is a daunting one.
Why rationalize?
Most would agree that current alarm systems are broken, badly broken. There are far too many alarms in a typical system. Alarms are often in place simply because they came configured when the control system was installed. Some even came with arbitrary setpoints already designed. Does 90, 80, 20, 10 sound familiar? Setpoints, in general, are not related to realistic conditions. Priority has not been determined through a systematic analysis of consequences and time to respond. In most operations, about 80% of all alarms have been prioritized as high priority; clearly the alarm system is not close to the recommended alarm priority distribution. To top it all off, documentation is scarce and spotty.
For many, pressure to meet regulatory requirements is the driving force behind rationalization and the rest of alarm system redesign. For those who are not (yet) under the gun of new regulations, optimizing the alarm system will improve operator effectiveness and yield significant improvements in safety and productivity. Weighed against the cost of a potential incident, the cost of this effort can be readily justified.
What is rationalization?
Alarm rationalization, also called documentation and rationalization (D&R), is the procedure used to determine the optimum alarm set to be included in an alarm system. This is the set that will consistently deliver the right alarm to the right operator at the right time with the right importance and the right information to correct or mitigate the undesirable situation. During rationalization, a multidisciplinary team reviews and evaluates the operation and decides what possible undesirable circumstances could arise that would justify an alarm according to the criteria set forth in the alarm philosophy document (APD). The team also performs the preliminary design of each alarm, including the priority, setpoint, and other alarm attributes. They document all this information in a master alarm database (MADb).
(For more details on the basics of rationalization, please refer to Managing Alarms Using Rationalization, Control Engineering, March 10, 2011.)
Pitfalls of the common approach to rationalization
Rationalization is time-intensive and requires significant personnel resources, so attacking it with an effective strategy is imperative. A common approach is to start from the existing MADb and review every possible alarm made available by the control system, configured or not. Candidate alarms that meet the APD criteria are included in the optimized alarm system. This approach has the seeming advantage of giving the team a framework from which to start, but it has several drawbacks.
1. It is time-consuming. ISA suggests in its Alarm Management Class IC39C that 100 to 200 alarms per day is a good pace for rationalization, and 300 to 400 alarms per day are possible with good pre-work. Therefore, rationalization of a small to medium system containing about 10,000 alarms would require a minimum of 25 days. With ineffective techniques or staffing, rationalization has been known to drag on for months.
2. It is mind-numbing. The common practice has the team cloistered in a room staring at the existing MADb. Point-by-point (or group of points by group of points), the team runs through the same set of questions for each candidate alarm to determine if it is to be included in the new system. The sheer amount of garbage to cull through and the focus on details instead of the larger picture results in boredom, inattentiveness, and an occasional nap.
3. Most importantly, the result is often not the optimum system. It is possible, even likely, to miss necessary alarms. An inherent problem in a review process is that it is easy to overlook something that should be part of the system but was not part of the original design. If it is not there, it is not reviewed. Another drawback is that it can be tempting to accept original choices rather than take the time to evaluate whether better options might be available. Yet another is that elimination of unnecessary alarms may not be as thorough as possible. It can be tempting to retain alarms that are questionable rather than research more completely to be sure. The response, "It's only one alarm," happens more than once and can add up!
The review approach can work if the team keeps its focus on identifying potential undesirable situations, rather than on checking off alarms. However, the massive MADb is the framework, and we know it represents a broken system. Why start building a critical system from such a faulty foundation?
A more rational approach
An alternative to the common approach is one similar to that required for a new plant or operation in which no alarm system exists to be reviewed. This "clean slate" approach focuses on identifying undesirable situations (which is what we are really interested in), determining the best ways to detect them, and designing alarms to do the job. A general description of the procedure is:
Step 1. Divide the process into small, manageable units.
Step 2. Identify common or similar elements.
Step 3. For each unit, or group of common elements:
a. Identify events with undesirable or negative consequences.
b. Determine the best way to detect these.
c. Design the alarms.
d. Examine the interconnections between units to see if these boundaries introduce any events with undesirable consequences. If so, determine the best way to detect them and design the alarms for them.
The result upon completing these three steps for the entire process is the preliminary set of alarms. To this must be added any required alarms, those alarms required by an external agency (e.g., legal requirement, environmental permit, warranty), following procedures outlined in the APD.
Step 4. Check the preliminary set of alarms against the existing MADb. There are four cases to be considered, the first three of which are readily resolved.
Table 1 – Comparison of new set of alarms vs. existing set in MADb
In Case 4, it is likely that the candidate alarm was unnecessary and should have been eliminated. However, it is possible that an undesirable event or required alarm was missed in the new rationalization. If so, the team should design the appropriate alarm and include it in the system, or add the required alarm.
The result upon completion of this procedure is the optimized set of alarms for the operation or process.
Example of rationalizing from a clean slate
The following example is deliberately simplified to illustrate the concepts. Figure 1 shows a water treatment and distribution process that treats raw water, further conditions it as necessary, and then distributes it to a number of customers.
Figure 1 – Overview of water treatment and distribution
This process is too large to be considered in its entirety and should be broken into manageable units. Most processes can be divided logically into workable units.
Following Step 1 in the rationalization procedure described above, three units were broken out from the example process and are detailed in Figure 2.
Figure 2 – Detail of heating, water treatment, and vent header units
This example will focus on the heating unit and its connections to other units.
The heating unit takes treated water, heats it in a batch cycle, and then transfers it to a customer. The automated heating cycle is described in Table 2.
Table 2 – Description of batch cycle for heating sub-unit
In the existing design, the tank pressure and level are measured by PT001 and LT002 respectively. The water temperature is measured in the pump suction line by TT003.
Step 2 is to identify common or similar elements in the process. For example, just in Figure 2, there are multiple tanks and pumps, all in similar service. Therefore, you can expect them to be subject to similar events that might result in similar undesirable consequences. Using this commonality and applying the same line of reasoning to many elements at once can allow you to save significant time and effort.
Step 3 is to identify events in the heating unit with undesirable or negative consequences and design alarms to detect them. For this example, we will discuss two events:
• Loss of containment. The discussion reveals that there are two causes for this. They will be rationalized separately.
• Pump damage due to cavitation.
Tables 3 and 4 summarize the rationalization of the alarms associated with these two events.
Table 3 – Loss of containment rationalization
Table 4 – Pump damage rationalization
Next, step 3d requires examining the boundaries between units. This results in two more events that need to be discussed:
1. Product does not meet contractual temperature requirements. Discussion reveals that there are two causes for this. They will be rationalized separately.
2. Failure to deliver water on time.
Tables 5 and 6 summarize the rationalization of the alarms associated with these two events.
Table 5 – Out-of-spec product rationalization
Table 6 – Failure to deliver product rationalization
The results of the above rationalization discussions are summarized in Table 7.
Table 7 – Summary of rationalization results
Table 8 is a comparison of the existing alarm system and the results of the rationalization discussion.
Table 8 – Comparison of existing alarm configuration to rationalization results
There are significant differences between the existing alarm system and the rationalization results:
1. The high-high absolute alarms for PT001 and LT002 in the existing alarm system should be eliminated because they duplicate the respective high alarms.
2. The existing alarm system did not include an alarm on high pressure or level in standby mode, but should have.
3. The high absolute alarms for PT001 and LT002 were removed from the batch logic and placed in the continuous logic.
4. The low absolute alarm for LT002 in the existing alarm system, presumably for pump protection, should be eliminated and replaced by a new low absolute alarm on NPSH.
5. The high-high absolute alarm for TT03 in the existing alarm system should be eliminated because it is a duplicate of the high alarm.
6. The high absolute alarm for TT003 in the fill step in the existing alarm system should be eliminated because there is no required action and it is unnecessary.
7. The high and low absolute alarms for TT03 in the heat and drain steps were modified to be suppressed if the pump P1 was not running.
8. The existing alarm system did not include the NPSH or time-in-step alarms, but should have.
It may appear that this clean-slate approach to rationalization will be even more time-consuming than the commonly used review process since it also includes a check using the old alarm system. However, our experience shows that this approach actually ends up greatly reducing the time required. We have been able to rationalize an average of more than 500 alarms per day.
As in the review approach, significant gain is achieved by identifying similar elements and capitalizing on copying alarm design. We have found that it is easier to identify common elements when focusing on the big picture rather than the details, magnifying this gain. The largest time-saving, however, is achieved by avoiding dealing with thousands of candidate alarms that never should have been alarms in the first place. Comparing the results of the clean-slate rationalization against the old MADb is much faster than tackling thousands of poorly designed alarms. The wheat has already been separated; all that is left is to blow the chaff away. Not having to wade through mountains of chaff also reduces the mind-numbing aspects of rationalization. The team is more likely to be actively engaged in the process, which results in a more thoughtful analysis. The clean-slate approach can also reduce manpower demands because the work can be more easily divided, and therefore, meeting time can be reduced.
Most importantly, this approach is more likely to result in the optimum design for your alarm system. Why not take a rational approach to rationalization?
John Bogdan is principal consultant for J Bogdan Consulting. Reach him at email@example.com. Susan Booth is a consultant and technical writer for J Bogdan Consulting. Reach her at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Additional reading:
Managing Alarms Using Rationalization, Control Engineering, March 10, 2011, http://bit.ly/i1ytyF
ISA Alarm Management Class IC39C, www.isa.org
Pump School – Net Positive Suction Head, http://www.pumpschool.com/applications/NPSH.pdf


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Patina the "Wrong" Way Feels Oh, So Right
Do you ever catch yourself thinking "But that's not how it's done!"? Of course you do—everyone thinks that from time to time. Happened to me at Thanksgiving this year, for instance. My sister-in-law put fresh ginger and apples in her cranberry sauce. On the face of it, this just seemed all wrong. But you know what? This spicy, tart sweet concoction was one of the most delicious sauces I think I've ever tasted.
The reason I tell this little story is that when it comes to creativity, the notion that there's only a right way and a wrong way usually stifles us, keeping us inside a box. That black-and-white thinking only gives us two options, right? Just two. And that's just not enough for artistic folks like us. So let's imagine what could happen if we embrace not only the black and the white, but that big range of gray possibilities in between. It could garner something pretty fantastic, don't you think?
Since winter is my season of creative regeneration, I'm going to embrace the grays and sniff around for things that give me a creative challenge. It will be those tips, techniques, and inspirations that don't necessarily meld with my current view of How Things Are Done. It'll be things that make me scratch my chin but get me excited to play, too.
So during this week's creative quest I came across the most recent season of Beads, Baubles, and Jewels, a set of 13 shows that features a wide array of designers, artists, and materials specialists that really got my heart thumping—what a great way to mine inspiration from such a diverse group! The producers this season hung each episode on "Design Inspiration," and one of those episodes is inspired by vintage: making retro designs, evoking a time gone by with the selection of certain materials, and, of course, aging your pieces so they look to have been aging in your collection for years.
The idea of forming patinas in new ways got my wheels turning. What could I do to age my beads in a different way? Especially those boxes and boxes of base-metal beads that haven't seen the sun in years? So I thought it would be fun to try out something "wrong": spray painting them! Painting beads seems like such a deviant thing to do. But then I started thinking about it . . . I'm using the same paint that they color bikes or swingsets with—why would it be a problem for beads? So I went ahead and had at it. Follow along, and I bet you'll be itching to try the same thing soon.
I started out with these base-metal beads that I've had forever—I bought them during the Bali silver craze. I love their shape, but I haven't used them for anything in years.
Next, I took a piece of 350-grit sandpaper and roughed up the surfaces a bit. This will help the paint stick better. I also washed the beads in warm soapy water, just to remove any residue from the sanding.
I put the sanded beads into a cardboard box and lightly sprayed them with metallic copper paint. (I used rust-proof enamel paint from the hardware store for this and all the coats.)
Once I gave them a light coat on one side, I let them dry and sprayed the other side. I've all of a sudden gone from silver to copper, which is cool, but I'm not done yet.
Just a little spritz of black paint deepens the tones, seemingly aging the surface.
So . . .I've got an aging copper thing here, and I figure a little green for a verdigris look is in order. Here I spritzed with just a little bit of sage green paint.
One last light coat with the metallic copper, and I've got a nice, rich-looking bead that's feeling more like an unearthed Etruscan treasure than a cheapo Bali-look base-metal bead. When you let these dry thoroughly the paint is pretty durable, but you can add a final coat of clear varnish if you'd like.
Hey, that was pretty fun for a seemingly "wrong" thing to do. Want to stretch your creativity even further? I'd suggest checking out the latest season of Beads, Baubles, and Jewels. I was spurred to do this little exercise by the Vintage episode, but you'll find plenty more where that came from with episodes inspired by topics such as Music, Technology, Spirituality, Memories, and more.
Is spray paint something you've tried for altering the look of your beads? What else have you tried? Please share your creative discoveries right here on Beading Daily.
Happy beading-


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Nuff Said Amsterdam is an independent label based and started in the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam.
The brand expresses our pride with regard to our city. We represent quality, originality and the love for the streets of Amsterdam.
We guarantee we have the purest Amsterdam collection worldwide.
As most of you might know New York City was once New Amsterdam,
and that's the reason why we combine these two awesome cities in our brand.


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This article deals with the disconnect between what government expects from industry and government's own sad history of how it runs the public's business.
Just a few months ago, members of Congress took turns wagging their fingers at CEOs of the automakers for not making tough choices–not shedding "legacy costs," not making products consumers wanted, not cutting bloated bureaucracies. Detroit had become self-referential, unable to compete because it was unwilling to deal with its internal constituents.
Now Washington faces a series of domestic crises that will shape the health of our society for decades–unaffordable healthcare, balkanized financial regulation, and a mind-boggling deficit, to name three. But Washington will likely fail–indeed, may even make the problems worse–unless it deals with its own "legacy costs" and bloated bureaucracies, which currently make it impossible to achieve new focus and efficiencies.
Detroit is Google compared to Washington. Year after year, Congress makes laws but almost never repeals them. Washington is like a huge monument to legacy costs. Laws from the Depression will send tens of billions in unnecessary subsidies this year to farmers, organized labor and other groups thought to be in need–80 years ago. Bloat is also notorious–it's nearly impossible to fire anyone under civil service laws, so layers of middle management have grown exponentially. Professor Paul Light found 32 levels in some agencies (compared to 5 levels in most well-run enterprises).
All this accumulated law–about 300,000 pages of federal statutes and regulations–operates as a form of central planning. It bogs people down in bureaucracy. In healthcare, the labyrinthian requirements of Medicare, Medicaid, HIPAA, plus the equally dense, and often conflicting requirements of 50 states, plus the insurance company red tape, make it impossible for people to deliver care efficiently. Add to that bureaucratic nightmare the ever-present fear of being hauled into court whenever a sick person gets sicker, and you have a system that looks like it was designed for frustration and waste.
The inertial forces that make it hard to achieve change in Washington, in the best of circumstances, become a kind of invincible fortress when reinforced by thousands upon thousands of pages of binding law. Each of those provisions is zealously guarded by special interest groups, and changing any word of a statute requires the votes of 218 members of the House and (generally) 60 senators.
The article is, an interesting read, but if anyone thinks that there is any chance of a federal bureaucracy reforming itself – especially one as huge as in the U.S. – they are smoking some really strong stuff.
But it is funny – sad but funny – that government, which has an abysmal history of piling pointless legislation on top previously passed pointless legislation, has the arrogance and the smugness to tell the auto industry how to fix its problems.
What is even funnier and sadder is that probably not one of the members of congress sees the irony of the situation.
Thanks to Instapundit for the pointer.


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In 1937 William Heaton Cooper bought a piece of land just off the village green in Grasmere. It was here he intended to build his Gallery and home. By 1938 the project was complete, funded by the success of his first book, Hills of Lakeland. It had 52 colour plates and received very good reviews. From this success his new gallery became a popular destination for those who visited Grasmere. It continues to be a popular destination for many visitors.
Today, the Studio is composed of three galleries exhibiting the work of the Heaton Cooper family of artists. In 1940 William Heaton Cooper published his first print "Wind and Sun, Wastwater". Since then, the collection has steadily grown to more than a hundred prints by the different artists in the family. These can be viewed in our galleries in the various frames we offer.
In the third gallery we have original paintings displayed alongside sculpture by Ophelia Gordon Bell. It's not unusual for customers to sit and relax while viewing the beautiful paintings.
You can view all the paintings, prints, sculpture, books and greetings cards here in our web gallery, see link below.


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This holiday season, if you're looking for exceptional new recipes that come together with ease, look to some Old World culinary classics.
Dishes like this Pea Bowtie Pasta create a homey, hearty menu ideal for any holiday party.
Whether it's an elegant dinner or an impromptu gathering with friends, this recipe that uses meats and cheeses that will bring cheer to all your guests. And they come together surprisingly fast, so they'll bring a smile to your face, too.
Prosciutto and Pea
Bowtie Pasta
Serves 4
Well, here we are, another Thanksgiving Day — my 75th. I remember many of them with fond memories of family gatherings here and yonder.
No, it's not Turkey Day (as some call it), but a day that has been set aside in our wonderfully blessed country to always come on the fourth Thursday of November, and in Canada, on the second Monday in October.
So what does it mean to truly be thankful?
Festive food can make healthy eating a challenge, but by substituting healthier options into your holiday recipes, it's easy to ensure a nutritious holiday season.
Packed with nutrients, whole grains include protein, fiber, B vitamins and antioxidants.
They also keep you feeling full, which means less temptation around those sweet treats.
Stuffed Cornish Hens with Maple Glaze
Difficulty Level: Easy
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 53 minutes
When in high school, a man was twice elected as class president. He also played basketball and football, and learned to play the piano. This otherwise relatively "good" kid, from a well-respected family with parents who reportedly taught good values, in 1981 attempted to assassinate the then-sitting U.S. president, Ronald Reagan, wounding him and three others who were with him — one of whom, Mr. Brady, suffered severe wounds and was left crippled for life.
The ninth annual Holiday Bazaar at All-Saints Catholic Church will be Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event began as a way for the church to raise money for charity while allowing local craftspeople to sell their wares, said Penny Burns, who has chaired the event since its inception.
This column normally deals with Spencer County history, so it would seem to be somewhat off-track to write about coyotes, except the rabbit-murdering scoundrels have been around these parts for a long time.
There used to be more bunnies on my property than you could count. They've been replaced by a bunch of flea-bitten, howling creatures who get my dogs all excited so the humans can't get a wink of sleep. I'm sure my dogs are getting invitations to join this wild bunch.
I placed a phone call to her near the end of October, not an unusual thing that I do. She is my sister-in-law, and for the second time she is again a widow.
It wasn't long into the call when she said, "It's awfully quiet here."
I have never been a fan of canned cranberry sauce even though it was always a staple at our Thanksgiving table when I was growing up. I love the flavor, but just do not care for the jellied texture.
Eric and Emily Moore of Taylorsville announce the birth of their daughter, Savannah Joy Moore, on Sept. 2, 2011.
She weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce and was 20.5 inches long. Her grandparents are Roger and Cindy Monroe of Taylorsville and Tim and Dottie Moore of Louisville. Great-grandparents are Henry and Evelyn Monroe of Taylorsville, Woody and Joyce Vermillion of New Albany, Ind., Lonnie and Betty Foster of Mt. Washington, Henry and Judy Livers of Louisville and Lloyd and Jan Moore of Scottsville.
Winford and Marilyn (Shelburne) Sweazy will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday with a reception from 2 to 5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church located at 115 W. Main St. in Taylorsville. They were married on Nov. 3, 1961, at the Shawnee Christian Church located in Louisville by Ivan Shelburne Jr.
Copyright © 2019
The Spencer Magnet is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Spencer County, KY and the surrounding area.


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You can use DSCC to perform this task. For information, see Directory Service Control Center Interface and the DSCC online help.
View the definition of the object class to delete.
See To View an Object Class for details.
Use the ldapmodify(1) command to delete the object class definition as it appears in the schema.
The following command deletes the object class that was created in Example 11–4:
$ ldapmodify -D cn=admin,cn=Administrators,cn=config -w - Enter bind password: dn: cn=schema changetype: delete delete: objectClasses objectClasses: ( 22.214.171.124.5.6.8 NAME 'blogger' DESC 'Someone who has a blog' STRUCTURAL MAY blog X-ORIGIN 'user defined' ) ^D
Notice that you must include X-ORIGIN 'user defined', which was added by Directory Server to classify this schema definition as an extension.


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Arroe Unplugged Page One Hundred Eighty Four
MP3•Episode home•Series home•Public Feed
Manage episode 238236525 series 1487836
ByDiscovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio streamed directly from their servers.
10291 episodes available. A new episode about every hour averaging 10 mins duration .


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A woman who will be one of the first people eligible to take her money out of KiwiSaver says she feels misled after discovering it will take weeks longer to get the funds out of the scheme than she had expected.
The saver, who wants to remain anonymous, signed up to KiwiSaver on July 3, 2007, and believed she would be able to get her money out the day, or day after, she became eligible on July 3.
But her provider has told her she is not officially eligible until July 15 and then she will have to go through a process which could take several weeks before she gets the cash.
The Otago woman, who had hoped to use the money to pay off a credit card bill and planned on updating her hearing aids and a hip-replacement, said websites for the Government and KiwiSaver providers do not make it clear how long it will take to get the money out.
"My personal view is that I have been misinformed. Right from the start of the scheme and subsequently. None of the changes that affect my financial decision-making processes have been clearly told to me," she said.
"It may have been that it was all in the 'small print' stuff, if at all communicated.
"I do feel what has been relayed to me is against the spirit and intent of the original set-up of [the act] and subsequent amendments."
Around 75,000 people will be eligible to withdraw their savings from KiwiSaver in the first year of eligibility which starts on July 1, with 17,500 eligible in July.
Just six weeks out from when the first savers can begin to apply for their money the Government's KiwiSaver website has no detailed information about how long it will take savers to get their money out.
It states that when a person is eligible they should apply to their KiwiSaver provider.
A quick check of the largest providers showed little or no information about withdrawing money from KiwiSaver once a person is over 65 and has been in the scheme for five years.
David Boyle, general manager of funds management for ANZ Wealth, which manages the OnePath KiwiSaver money said it had not rushed to get information out because there was nothing people could do until July 1.
Boyle said OnePath would write to all its members who became eligible two weeks ahead of their eligibility date about the process involved.
He said people needed to realise KiwiSaver was not like a savings account.
Those wanting to get their money out have to complete a withdrawal form and a statutory declaration which must be witnessed.
Boyle said he expected to get OnePath's withdrawal form on its website by the end of May once it had sign-off from its trustee company.
"But we can't start the process until the member has met the eligibility requirements."
The date a person becomes eligible depends on how they signed up.
Someone who went through their employer has a start date based on when their contract was formed between the provider and the saver, usually three months after joining, or when the first contribution is received, whichever is sooner.
The Inland Revenue generally only receives money from an employer once a month so that contribution date is based on the 15th of whatever month the first contribution was made.
However, the first people eligible to get their KiwiSaver funds must also wait for their provider to claim their member tax credit from the tax department before receiving their money. Providers can apply only from July 1.
Boyle said the Inland Revenue typically took three to five working days once the tax credit claim was made to pay out the money.
"We should be looking at five to 10 days to pay the vast majority of money out," he said.
But some workers who have kept contributing may also receive a later payment from the Inland Revenue for employer and employee contributions made in June.
Boyle said OnePath members who were eligible to withdraw their money would have the option of taking it all out, receiving a regular payment or leaving it in.
Boyle said as the largest provider OnePath had a bubble of people becoming eligible in the first few months but he did not expect any problems.
* Savers can apply to their KiwiSaver provider once they become eligible from July 1.
* Savers are eligible once they have been in the scheme for five years and are over 65.
* Must fill out a withdrawal form and a statutory declaration which must be witnessed.
* Those eligible in July will have to wait for their provider to claim the member tax credit from Inland Revenue which is expected to take five working days.
* The eligibility date is based on when the contract was signed with the provider or when they received the first contribution, whichever is sooner.


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Saturday, April 3, 2010
Happy Easter!
5 comments:
- AnonymousApril 4, 2010 at 12:30 AM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
Greta, I've chosen you to receive the "Ancestor Approved Award". You can pick it up and find the details at http://lfmccauley.blogspot.com/2010/04/ancestor-approved-award.html.ReplyDelete
Thank you very much, Linda!ReplyDelete
Greta, what an amazing video! The bells were fabulous. Do you know if that was specifically for Easter or does the performance repeat every day? Don't you think the bell-ringer would have to be in really good shape? Beautiful views of the churches, too. Thanks so much for sharing. Happy Easter to you.ReplyDelete
Nancy, I'm glad you like it. This peal was not specifically for Easter, but I thought it sounded so joyous that I used it. The guy who does the peal actually goes from church to church throughout Russia and shoots these videos of various peals on the different sets of bells. If you search "My peal" in YouTube, it will turn up a whole bunch of videos of these bells. And I agree with you, someone who does this has to be in great shape.ReplyDelete


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Just two years after being billed as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Houston Texans outside linebacker Brooks Reed has lost his place in the defense's pecking order.
Now that No. 1 overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney is earmarked for the Willie McGinest role in Romeo Crennel's defense, Reed is preparing for a move to inside linebacker alongside Brian Cushing.
"Obviously, we drafted some talent and the coaches will adapt to switching the players as need be," Reed said Monday, via the team's official website. "From the beginning, I've been preparing to play inside 'backer if I had to, so I'm ready if I do. I'll play outside if they need me to play outside."
The switch should enable the Texans to get better production from both positions. The role of Cushing's sidekick has been a trouble spot since the defense moved to a 3-4 scheme a couple of years ago. If Clowney's production comes anywhere close to matching the pre-draft hype, he and Whitney Mercilus will pose a formidable edge-rushing tandem.
Throw in the game's dominant defender in J.J. Watt, a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback in Johnathan Joseph and a promising young safety in D.J. Swearinger, and Crennel has plenty of talent with which to work in his first season on the Texans job.
The "Around The League Podcast" wrapped up the draft by picking our winners and losers.


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Duluth Rowing Club Rowing Trou
A classic double-seated design, the Duluth Rowing Club team rowing trou is constructed of heavy-weight Dryflex Poly Spandex with SewSporty flatseam at center and leg seams to ensure a snug, comfortable fit unlike any other short. The Duluth Rowing Club trou is designed to stand up to season after season of rigorous training and repeat washing without losing elasticity and soft feel. A true competition-grade trou trusted by the Duluth Rowing Club and teams across the country.
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- 2 cups Dhampure Sugar's Sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon fine yellow cornmeal
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice with pulp
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
In a large bowl combine the Dhampure Sugar's Sugar, flour and cornmeal. Blend well, then add the eggs and combine well. Add the milk and mix then stir in the melted butter, lemon rind and juice. Pour this filling into the crust and cover then edge of the crust with foil to prevent it from burning, taking care not to touch the filling. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes, removing the foil after 30 minutes. Cool and serve or refrigerate overnight but let sit out 3 hours before serving to warm up slightly. Serve with dollops of whipped cream.


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Christmas is just around the corner and for many of us it's a time to relax and let your hair down.
But it's also important to think about personal safety when you're out and about.
Security experts at Yale have compiled a list of their top advice to help keep you safe while you are enjoying the fun and festivities.
You're cards have been written, the decorations are down from the loft and you're inundated with invitations - drinks with friends, your work Christmas party, shopping trips and family get-togethers.
Most of us like to have a drink or two but don't let alcohol cloud your judgement and compromise your safety.
On a night out, don't leave drinks unattended and cover your glass when walking around.
Always think ahead and plan your journey home before you go out. If travelling via public transport, always check the timetables and if using a taxi, make sure you book through a reputable company.
If you're in a position where walking home is unavoidable always stick to well-lit areas and consider carrying a personal alarm.
Hannah Adkins, of Yale, said: "Christmas should be about enjoying yourselves and spending time with loved ones.
"Unfortunately, however, crime increases as criminals take advantage of the darker evenings and vulnerable individuals walking home alone."
For more information on Yale's personal attack alarms and other home security measures, visit Yale


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One of the best ways to increase the resale value of your home and make your home more comfortable while you live in it is with an upgrade to vinyl replacement windows. Vinyl windows are the best replacement windows available, and they can give your home many advantages over others in the market.
Looking for replacement windows in Cedar Brook NJ? There is no more trusted name than Gomez Custom Home Builders, Inc.. Please call us at 215.302.1746
Here are Some of the Reasons to Consider New Winyl Windows in Cedar Brook NJ
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- Durability: If you're planning to be in your home for the long term, vinyl windows are a great choice. They are more durable than their wood counterparts, and withstand wear much better.
- Wide Selection: Today's vinyl windows come in a wide range of colors and styles. There is sure to be one that suits your tastes and matches the style of your home.
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Experience the Gomez Custom Home Builders, Inc. Difference
At Gomez Custom Home Builders, Inc., we go above and beyond to deliver an unforgettable customer experience. Our windows are made of the best quality materials from the top manufacturers in the industry. We install our windows with laser-like precision any time of the year. And we guarantee your satisfaction. In fact, we're so sure that you will be happy with your window installation, that you pay nothing until we finish the job. This way, you can be assured that you will receive a quality window installation in Cedar Brook New Jersey done right the first time.
For more information or for a Free Cedar Brook NJ Replacement Windows Consultation, Please Call Gomez Custom Home Builders, Inc. at 215.302.1746 or via Online Form


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Except where noted, most orders can be shipped on the day following the day which the order was received. We currently ship via FedEx. You will be charged shipping based upon the weight of the products ordered including their packaging.
Our return policy: Products purchased on our web site may be returned within 30 days of receipt of purchase for a refund or exchange. The products must be unused and in original sealed package and un-opened.
Glass orders: All orders with glass are considered custom and are non-returnable item.
Portable orders: Are considered a custom item which are non-returnable. (Due to the fact that they can be used for an event for one time only.)
Units that involve a custom depth measurements (ES29, ES82, & ED20) are non-returnable, as they are built specifically to your specifications.
Refunds will be issued for the amount of the product less a 20% restocking fee. Shipping is NOT refundable.
Please call us prior to returning any item for a return authorization (RMA) number. 1-800-690-0002. An RMA number may be issued for the return of merchandise. All returned merchandise must be in resalable condition for a credit to be issued. Credits may take up to 2-3 weeks to process.
REFUNDS will be posted within 10 business days of the date that we receive the returned product. Your credit card company may take up to 30 days to post the credit to your statement. We will post the credit in the time period we promised, provided our return instructions have been followed.
IF YOU RECEIVED FREE SHIPPING and you are returning a non-defective product, you will not receive a full refund. We will credit the price of the item returned less a 20% restocking charge and less the actual shipping costs.
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