text:
Top Items:
Don Emmert / GlobalPost:
Full text of the last email the Islamic State sent to the Foley family — The last time James Foley's parents heard from their son's captors was on Aug. 12. They received this message. — BOSTON, Mass. — American journalist James Foley was murdered by Islamic State militants …
Discussion: Politico, CNN, Business Insider, Guardian, Hot Air, Mashable, Daily Mail, Clash Daily, Al Jazeera America, RT, The Huffington Post, New York Times, TalkLeft, The Other McCain, RedState and Shakesville
Jonathan Topaz / Politico: Foley family: Help other hostages
Colin Campbell / Business Insider: JAMES FOLEY'S BROTHER: The US Should Have Done More To Save His Life
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / Mashable: Islamic Militants Sent Email to Foley's Parents One Week Before Execution Video
Andrew Hart / The Huffington Post: ISIS Email To Family Of Executed American Journalist James Foley Revealed
Rick Gladstone / New York Times: Foley's Parents Release Email From Captors
Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain: The Bloody Cost of Failure
Dan Spencer / RedState: Obama's Golf War
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: In the News — Here is some stuff in the news today...
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Missouri Dem: 'Rand Paul was right' — FERGUSON, Mo. — Two African-American lawmakers from Missouri met with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday afternoon at the Pentagon to urge him to curtail the transfer of military hardware to local police forces.
Discussion: Fox News
Kristina Wong / The Hill:
Defense secretary: ISIS threat 'beyond anything we've seen' — The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is beyond "just a terrorist group" and poses a greater threat than Al Qaeda, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday. — "This is beyond anything that we've seen," he said during a briefing …
Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Hot Air and TPNN
Eli Lake / The Daily Beast:
Obama vs. ISIS: This Time It's Personal — When ISIS beheaded an American journalist, it meant to intimidate—and provoke—the United States. It should be careful what it wishes for. The gloves just came off. — The Obama administration signaled Thursday that the United States has begun …
Charles Krauthammer / National Review:
Time to Stop ISIS — The Islamic State has grown because it seemed unstoppable.
Time to Stop ISIS — The Islamic State has grown because it seemed unstoppable.
Discussion: VodkaPundit
Stephen Green / VodkaPundit: At War With ISIL Who We Swear Isn't at War with Us
Spencer Ackerman / Guardian:
Apocalyptic Isis beyond anything we've seen, say US defence chiefs
Apocalyptic Isis beyond anything we've seen, say US defence chiefs
Discussion: Weekly Standard, Washington Free Beacon and The Dish
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard: General: 'Destroy the Islamic State Now'
Jonah Shepp / The Dish: Will Foley's Murder Change Obama's Iraq Plans?
Lucas Tomlinson / Fox News:
Enemy of My Enemy: Are airstrikes against ISIS putting US on same side as Assad?
Enemy of My Enemy: Are airstrikes against ISIS putting US on same side as Assad?
Discussion: blogs.telegraph.co.uk and The PJ Tatler
Con Coughlin / blogs.telegraph.co.uk: Now we need Assad's help to defeat Isil
Walter Hudson / The PJ Tatler: Does Fighting ISIS Mean Allying With Assad?
Missy Ryan / Reuters:
Islamic State threat 'beyond anything we've seen': Pentagon
Islamic State threat 'beyond anything we've seen': Pentagon
Discussion: Firedoglake
Robin Wright / Los Angeles Times:
Op-Ed Obama, be upfront on Iraq
Op-Ed Obama, be upfront on Iraq
Discussion: New York Times, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon and Foreign Policy
Glenn Thrush / Politico:
Revved Up — How Al Sharpton became Obama's go-to man on race. — A few days after 18-year-old Mike Brown was gunned down in Ferguson, Missouri, White House officials enlisted an unusual source for on-the-ground intelligence amid the chaos and tear gas: the Rev. Al Sharpton …
Discussion: The Federalist and Booman Tribune
David Harsanyi / The Federalist: Al Sharpton. Mr. Respectable.
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
Steve King Goes Off About Ferguson And The Congressional Black Caucus
Steve King Goes Off About Ferguson And The Congressional Black Caucus
Discussion: Shakesville, Mediaite and Washington Monthly
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: In the News — Here is some stuff in the news today...
Matt Wilstein / Mediaite: Rep. Steve King Rants Against 'Irrational' Ferguson Protesters
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Day's End and Night Watch
Joe Klein / TIME: Beyond a Simple Solution for Ferguson
LeighAnne Manwarren / Daily Oklahoman:
More victims are possible in Oklahoma City police sex crime case — Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw was arrested about 3 p.m. Thursday. He is accused of sexually assaulting at least six women while on patrol in the Springlake division. — An Oklahoma City police officer …
Discussion: Shakesville, CBS Detroit, The Raw Story and KFOR-TV
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: Today in Rape Culture
Evan Jankens / CBS Detroit: Former Eastern Michigan LB Daniel Holtzclaw Accused In 6 Sexual Assaults
Travis Gettys / The Raw Story: Oklahoma cop accused of threatening to arrest women during on-duty sex assaults
New York Times:
A Terrorist Horror, Then Golf: Incongruity Fuels Obama Critics — WASHINGTON — He had just hung up the telephone with the devastated parents before heading in front of the cameras. Unusually emotional, President Obama declared himself "heartbroken" by the brutal murder of an American journalist …
Discussion: Talking Points Memo, BREITBART.COM, Power Line, The Daily Banter, Truth Revolt, Gawker, The PJ Tatler, Daily Mail and Politico
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo: White House: Obama's Round Of Golf Says Nothing About His Grief For Foley
John Nolte / BREITBART.COM: MEDIA STOP DEFENDING OBAMA'S SERIAL-GOLFING
Scott Johnson / Power Line: When Barry gets blue
Tommy Christopher / The Daily Banter: 'Liberal Media' Joins Republicans In Teeing Off On Obama's Golfing
Ben Shapiro / Truth Revolt: Obama Aides: 'Golf Game Did Not Reflect Depth of His Grief' Over Foley Beheading
J.K. Trotter / Gawker: Here's Why Fox News Can't Stand Obama Playing Golf
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: Presidentin' — Just Something that Barack Obama Does Between Rounds of Golf
David Martosko / Daily Mail: 'We will be relentless' (right after my vacation) …
Kendall Breitman / Politico: Karl Rove grills Obama's golf 'mistake'
Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
Don Lemon, Automatic Weapons, and the Integrity of Language — Last night, on national television, CNN host Don Lemon attempted to alter physical reality through the sheer force of his will: — Lemon's central claim was that, after the shooting in Colorado in 2012, he was able to go out and …
Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Caller, Liberaland, Twitchy, Ed Driscoll and The Daily Banter
Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog: DON LEMON MAKES SAME GUN TERMINOLOGY MISTAKE AS NOTORIOUS LIBERAL TED NUGENT
Tommy Christopher / Liberaland: Don Lemon Confuses Novice CNN Gun Nut With Use Of Term 'Automatic Weapon'
Tommy Christopher / The Daily Banter: Conservatives Shoot Down Don Lemon's Understanding Of Guns, But Should Hold Their Fire
BooMan / Booman Tribune:
A Gun Distinction Without a Difference
A Gun Distinction Without a Difference
Discussion: Eschaton
John Nolte / BREITBART.COM:
Discussion: Talking Points Memo and SOOPERMEXICAN
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
Talib Kweli Flips Out At Don Lemon Over CNN Ferguson Coverage (VIDEO)
Talib Kweli Flips Out At Don Lemon Over CNN Ferguson Coverage (VIDEO)
Discussion: PandoDaily, Gawker and Mediaite
David Holmes / PandoDaily: CNN and Don Lemon did not have a good day in Ferguson
Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Ryan: I'd drive Romney's bus in 2016 — Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) dodged questions about his 2016 plans Wednesday but said he would be a big backer of Mitt Romney if he were to make another run for the White House. — "I'd drive his bus if he asked me to," Ryan, who ran alongside Romney …
Discussion: Washington Monthly and Politico
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Get Serious About a Return of the Mittster
Kendall Breitman / Politico: Where Mitt Romney agrees with Hillary Clinton
Matthew Boyle / BREITBART.COM:
EXCLUSIVE: RAND PAUL SLAMS OBAMA ON IMMIGRATION WHILE MEETING WITH GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT — GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — Here performing eye surgeries on blind Guatemalans for several days in the rural town of Salama, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) strongly criticized President Obama's immigration policy …
Discussion: CNN and Talking Points Memo
Ashley Killough / CNN: Democrats attack Rand Paul for criticizing Obama abroad
Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
With an eye on 2016, Rand Paul takes his campaign-in-waiting to the operating room
With an eye on 2016, Rand Paul takes his campaign-in-waiting to the operating room
Discussion: American Prospect and National Review
Paul Waldman / American Prospect: Why Rand Paul Is a Press Management Wizard
Abby Simons / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Supreme Court candidate barred, removed from GOP State Fair booth — Supreme Court candidate Michelle MacDonald vowed to return to the Minnesota Republican Party's State Fair booth Thursday after she was banned and ordered by security to leave. — "We may as well look for justice on a stick because we can't find it here!"
Discussion: Liberaland, Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story and The Blotter
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo: Minn. GOP Kicks Its Own Candidate Out Of State Fair Booth
Arturo Garcia / The Raw Story: Minnesota GOP publicly snubs Supreme Court candidate from party booth at state fair
Blupman / Our Bad Media:
The Paste-American World: How Fareed Zakaria Plagiarized In His International Bestseller (And The Magazines He Used To Run) — Last Tuesday, Fareed Zakaria responded to our initial blog post showing that he had clearly and inappropriately copied and pasted other journalists' work.
Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »
Brendan James / Talking Points Memo: Bloggers Now Accuse Zakaria Of Plagiarizing In His 'Post-American' Book
Andrew Beaujon / Poynter: Fareed Zakaria gets even more plagiarism accusations
New York Times:
Obama Cares. Look at the Numbers. — AS the predominantly black, disproportionately poor community of Ferguson, Mo., erupted in protest after the shooting death of Michael Brown, critics excoriated President Obama for his failure to empathize. Michael Eric Dyson, for example …
Discussion: Democratic Strategist
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
AZ GOP Candidate Suggests Migrant Children Could Spread Ebola — Arizona House Speaker Andy Tobin (R), who's running for Congress in the state's 1st Congressional District, suggested that immigrants from Central America could bring the Ebola virus with them, even though the outbreak has mainly been contained in West Africa.
Discussion: Tucson Weekly and Washington Monthly
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Could Refugees Steal the Elections?
Mark Berman / Washington Post:
Prosecutors have not spoken to Darren Wilson yet — A spokesman for St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch said he would not comment on reports that Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson suffered a fractured eye bone during Wilson's confrontation with Michael Brown that ended …
Discussion: New York Times, Daily Kos, The Raw Story, Hit & Run, Truth Revolt, Mediaite and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Campbell Robertson / New York Times: National Guard Troops Begin to Leave Ferguson
Barbara Morrill / Daily Kos: Ferguson, Missouri: The case of the vanishing fractured orbital bone and journalistic integrity
Arturo Garcia / The Raw Story: 'Young Turks' Cenk Uygur blasts Hannity on Ferguson: 'Why don't you shut the f*ck up?'
Nick Gillespie / Hit & Run: Did Ferguson Cop Darren Wilson Suffer Broken Eye Socket in Struggle With Michael Brown? Apparently No.
Sarah Fisher / Truth Revolt: Prosecutors Have Not Spoken to Darren Wilson
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion: Ferguson Updates - Is the worst over?
Yishai Schwartz / The New Republic:
Convicting Darren Wilson Will Be Basically Impossible
Convicting Darren Wilson Will Be Basically Impossible
Andrew Branca / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion: Thankfully, the presumption of innocence applies even in Ferguson
Anne Laurie / Balloon Juice: Self-Defense in Missouri
Patterico's Pontifications: New Republic: This Crazy Law In Missouri (Oh, and Almost Every Other State) Puts the Burden on the Prosecution!!!
Aaron Goldstein / American Spectator: What Will Happen to Officer Darren Wilson?
Jeremy Herb / Politico:
GAO: Taliban prisoner swap violated law — The Pentagon broke the law by transferring five Taliban commanders from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, without notifying Congress 30 days in advance, the Government Accountability Office has found. — In a decision released today …
Discussion: BillMoyers.com, NewsBusters blogs and NewsBusters
Kyle Drennen / NewsBusters blogs: NBC and ABC Ignore Obama Admin. Broke Law With Bergdahl Exchange; CBS Gives It 24 Seconds
Ken Shepherd / NewsBusters: Fed Govt. Watchdog GAO Says Bergdahl Swap Broke Federal Law; Networks Ignore
Adam Kredo / Washington Free Beacon:
Oversight Report: Obama Admin Violated Law by Freeing Taliban Members
Oversight Report: Obama Admin Violated Law by Freeing Taliban Members
Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Hot Air and Independent Journal Review
Scared Monkeys: GAO Oversight Report: Obama Administration Broke the Law by Freeing 5 Taliban Terrorists …
Noah Rothman / Hot Air: Report: Obama's Bergdahl swap violated the law


text:
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Find The Fault No 18
16 comments:
- office pest said...
Oh Dear. Different times on the clock faces, which as we've heard before is unlikely due to the mechanism. The Church is nice though, reminds me of Rothwell, or Rushton.
- 14 July 2009 at 08:35
- Peter Ashley said...
Thankyou Office Pest, I'm glad to have got that one out of the way. The card does indeed say "Clocks do not synchronise". I can go and get my breakfast now.
- 14 July 2009 at 08:44
- Affer said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- 14 July 2009 at 09:06
I wouldn't like to have my bedroom in that dormer window at 5-to-Choral Matins on a Sunday!
- 14 July 2009 at 09:16
- accountant said...
If the tower is at the west of the church from what angle is the sun shining?
- 14 July 2009 at 13:46
- Peter Ashley said...
Don't start Accountant.
- 14 July 2009 at 14:24
- Freelance Unbound said...
But what IS that alien thing infesting the chimney? Should we call in Torchwood? Oh no - they're all dead...
- 14 July 2009 at 14:58
- Peter Ashley said...
It''s called a 'cowl' F.U. Sorry, that sounds a bit rude. No offence. What it does is revolve with the wind direction so that smoke doesn't blow back down the stack. They're also very good in discouraging jackdaws from nesting.
- 14 July 2009 at 16:40
- Philip Wilkinson said...
Yes Early English with a tower rebuilt in the 15th century. (Cusped tops to the twin lights would have been better with the quatrefoil in the nave window, but, as you say, the artist is getting tired.)
- 14 July 2009 at 19:16
- Philip Wilkinson said...
(Sorry. I sound as if I'd swallowed a Pevsner in that last comment.)
- 15 July 2009 at 07:54
- ChrisP said...
I'm afraid accountant is right - the shadow means the tower must be at the east end, a very very very unusual arrangement.
- 15 July 2009 at 08:46
- Peter Ashley said...
Sorry everyone, I didn't mean to dismiss the church's odd orientation so quickly. I just assumed that this was the north elevation, on a late June evening. The clocks are obviously no help.
- 15 July 2009 at 09:40
- Jon Dudley said...
The Green Man's face is to the right of the tower...or maybe I had a little too much Sancerre last night?
- 15 July 2009 at 12:52
- Peter Ashley said...
Obviously you needed the Sancerre to look that closely, even if in soft focus Jon. But ooh er! Sure it's not Aleister Crowley?
- 15 July 2009 at 13:19
- Diplomate said...
well it comes as no surprise to find that clock synch is a factor in the artist's life - i had just assumed it to be one of his red herrings.
- 20 July 2009 at 15:16
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- 31 October 2019 at 06:22

subset: commoncrawl


text:
However, you won't see the aerial acrobatics of the Air Force's Thunderbirds or the Navy's Blue Angels. That's because of the federal sequestration earlier this year when the Defense Department grounded military aircraft for shows.
But Darcy Brewer with the airshow says there'll be no shortage of spectacular sights featuring civilian planes and the Royal Canadian Airforce's Snowbirds, "11 beautiful jets fly in a formation of nine and it's absolutely breathtaking," explains Brewer. "We have a lot of other jets too and aerobatic performers and when they go by you can feel them in your chest."
"Sequestration happened back in April and we had planned this show two years ago," says Brewer. "So although it did affect everybody because you won't see the big gray cargo planes and some of the fighter jets out here, we have more planes on the ramp than we've ever had."
The airshow takes place Saturday and Sunday at Mather Airport. The annual event helps raise scholarship money for kids who are interested in aviation.
Meanwhile in Southern California, Marine Corps officials say the federal government shutdown has forced cancellation of the Miramar Air Show in San Diego this weekend.
Previous airshow stories:


text:
TOUCHING tributes have been paid to a 'kind and gentle' pensioner who stabbed to death in Findon last night (July 15).
Donald Lock, 79, of Worthing, was killed on the A24 following an incident opposite the Wyevale garden centre at Rogers Farm just before 8.40pm.
Mr Lock was part of the Worthing Excelsior Cycling Club and had been a member for about 50 years.
In a statement to the Herald today, a spokesman for the group said: "Don Lock was a kind, gentle, fair man and a good friend. He was a key member of the Worthing Excelsior Cycling Club – indeed, the backbone of the club for many years.
"He was well-respected throughout the cycling fraternity.
"He was a member of Worthing Excelsior Club for about 50 years and served the club well in many different roles.
"Don was an enthusiastic member of the club and although he no longer raced he would always support the club in his many ventures and would offer support guidance and encouragement to all.
"His death will be an irreplaceable loss to the club. Our thoughts are with his family to whom the club will offer our total support at this tragic time."
If you know Mr Lock and would like to pay your own tributes, please email firstname.lastname@example.com
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Best Progressive Cold Crushin' and Serving Your Winter Warm
Winter's no excuse. Really. Tough titties. We've been busy at Mobo. Have you been down to the shop recently? Ask to see the garage or the bamboo bicycle. Tonight if you show up for Co-op Night you can partake in the Stripping Party. All proceeds go to sending our handsome asses to Bike Bike in Vancouver, B.C. this summer. Sponsorships available. Ask for me.
This warm winter has been extremely pleasant for afternoon bicycle rides. When Saturday came with the rain, we were already ahead of it. Through downpours of rain, then snow, treacherous Sunday drivers on Saturday, the flat open highways of central Ohio, and the blessed company of friends, MoBo held a fieldtrip to the Bicycle Museum of America. <Place ridiculous amount of drool here.> What a collection!! Velocipedes! Penny farthings! Pee Wee's bike! A bicycle that did 108 mph! Sexy string skirt catchers! Hand pulled pinstripin! Women's liberation! Cows! America! Fuck Yeah!!
Oh no, don't think that's all. We have you all winter, baby, into the spring:
This Sunday during open shop, Laura Collins will be leading Bike-CRAFT 1: Pimp My Ride. Mmhmm. Knit 'r' done!
The Winter Workshop series could be just what you need to get you and that cute little bike of yours out on the road before spring even hits. Every Monday night at 7pm for the next two months in the shop.
Bike Sale Committee meets this Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 at Mayday. You want a new bike? April 14th. Mark your calendars. "If you ain't got your taxes done by now, just buy a bike."
Volunteer Committee meets at the Comet at 9:15 on Feb. 15th.
The annual Fundraiser planning has begun.
And what about a station at the Flying Pig Marathon this year? I like runners, don't you? Maybe a water balloon station and whiskey station….
How about a safety segue for a few minutes? Now, now.. don't pout. I only bring it up because I love you. Did I just say that out loud? Let's discuss running your lights. Now imagine its night. The air is brisk. You can make out the chug chug and screech of railroad cars playing a back beat to the rhythm of your bicycle ride. You've been riding those main roads with regular traffic. Your lights blinking either let them know you were there or gave them a case of the seizures. Now you've turned off to the side streets. Where its quieter. The cars don't move as fast. More foot traffic. Perhaps you're by yourself. Feel a little tighter? Maybe in the cheeks or the shoulder blades? Well, maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't run your lights. I'm just sayin'. That beautiful deep silence of the momentum you cascade through, as do those shorties on the corner; is broken…. disturbed… touched by lights meant to ward off the treacheries of automotive vehicles. Time and place…. time and place.
Late breaking news! MoBo has been nominated as Best Progressive. Progressive what, hmm? Progressive thinkers? Progressive programming? Progressive dance? What about Best Progressive Synth-Pop Band from the Eighties? Go check it out at the City Beat website.
Looking forward to talking with you later.
Snow peas and grease,


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Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 2, by Edward Gibbon, [1781], at sacred-texts.com
The Motives, Progress, And Effects Of The Conversion Of Constantine. - Legal Establishment And Constitution Of The Christian Or Catholic Church.
The public establishment of Christianity may be considered as one of those important and domestic revolutions which excite the most lively curiosity, and afford the most valuable instruction. The victories and the civil policy of Constantine no longer influence the state of Europe; but a considerable portion of the globe still retains the impression which it received from the conversion of that monarch; and the ecclesiastical institutions of his reign are still connected, by an indissoluble chain, with the opinions, the passions, and the interests of the present generation. In the consideration of a subject which may be examined with impartiality, but cannot be viewed with indifference, a difficulty immediately arises of a very unexpected nature; that of ascertaining the real and precise date of the conversion of Constantine. The eloquent Lactantius, in the midst of his court, seems impatient 1 to proclaim to the world the glorious example of the sovereign of Gaul; who, in the first moments of his reign, acknowledged and adored the majesty of the true and only God. 2 The learned Eusebius has ascribed the faith of Constantine to the miraculous sign which was displayed in the heavens whilst he meditated and prepared the Italian expedition. 3 The historian Zosimus maliciously asserts, that the emperor had imbrued his hands in the blood of his eldest son, before he publicly renounced the gods of Rome and of his ancestors. 4 The perplexity produced by these discordant authorities is derived from the behavior of Constantine himself. According to the strictness of ecclesiastical language, the first of the Christian emperors was unworthy of that name, till the moment of his death; since it was only during his last illness that he received, as a catechumen, the imposition of hands, 5 and was afterwards admitted, by the initiatory rites of baptism, into the number of the faithful. 6 The Christianity of Constantine must be allowed in a much more vague and qualified sense; and the nicest accuracy is required in tracing the slow and almost imperceptible gradations by which the monarch declared himself the protector, and at length the proselyte, of the church. It was an arduous task to eradicate the habits and prejudices of his education, to acknowledge the divine power of Christ, and to understand that the truth of his revelation was incompatible with the worship of the gods. The obstacles which he had probably experienced in his own mind, instructed him to proceed with caution in the momentous change of a national religion; and he insensibly discovered his new opinions, as far as he could enforce them with safety and with effect. During the whole course of his reign, the stream of Christianity flowed with a gentle, though accelerated, motion: but its general direction was sometimes checked, and sometimes diverted, by the accidental circumstances of the times, and by the prudence, or possibly by the caprice, of the monarch. His ministers were permitted to signify the intentions of their master in the various language which was best adapted to their respective principles; 7 and he artfully balanced the hopes and fears of his subjects, by publishing in the same year two edicts; the first of which enjoined the solemn observance of Sunday, 8 and the second directed the regular consultation of the Aruspices. 9 While this important revolution yet remained in suspense, the Christians and the Pagans watched the conduct of their sovereign with the same anxiety, but with very opposite sentiments. The former were prompted by every motive of zeal, as well as vanity, to exaggerate the marks of his favor, and the evidences of his faith. The latter, till their just apprehensions were changed into despair and resentment, attempted to conceal from the world, and from themselves, that the gods of Rome could no longer reckon the emperor in the number of their votaries. The same passions and prejudices have engaged the partial writers of the times to connect the public profession of Christianity with the most glorious or the most ignominious aera of the reign of Constantine.
Whatever symptoms of Christian piety might transpire in the discourses or actions of Constantine, he persevered till he was near forty years of age in the practice of the established religion; 10 and the same conduct which in the court of Nicomedia might be imputed to his fear, could be ascribed only to the inclination or policy of the sovereign of Gaul. His liberality restored and enriched the temples of the gods; the medals which issued from his Imperial mint are impressed with the figures and attributes of Jupiter and Apollo, of Mars and Hercules; and his filial piety increased the council of Olympus by the solemn apotheosis of his father Constantius. 11 But the devotion of Constantine was more peculiarly directed to the genius of the Sun, the Apollo of Greek and Roman mythology; and he was pleased to be represented with the symbols of the God of Light and Poetry. The unerring shafts of that deity, the brightness of his eyes, his laurel wreath, immortal beauty, and elegant accomplishments, seem to point him out as the patron of a young hero. The altars of Apollo were crowned with the votive offerings of Constantine; and the credulous multitude were taught to believe, that the emperor was permitted to behold with mortal eyes the visible majesty of their tutelar deity; and that, either walking or in a vision, he was blessed with the auspicious omens of a long and victorious reign. The Sun was universally celebrated as the invincible guide and protector of Constantine; and the Pagans might reasonably expect that the insulted god would pursue with unrelenting vengeance the impiety of his ungrateful favorite. 12
As long as Constantine exercised a limited sovereignty over the provinces of Gaul, his Christian subjects were protected by the authority, and perhaps by the laws, of a prince, who wisely left to the gods the care of vindicating their own honor. If we may credit the assertion of Constantine himself, he had been an indignant spectator of the savage cruelties which were inflicted, by the hands of Roman soldiers, on those citizens whose religion was their only crime. 13 In the East and in the West, he had seen the different effects of severity and indulgence; and as the former was rendered still more odious by the example of Galerius, his implacable enemy, the latter was recommended to his imitation by the authority and advice of a dying father. The son of Constantius immediately suspended or repealed the edicts of persecution, and granted the free exercise of their religious ceremonies to all those who had already professed themselves members of the church. They were soon encouraged to depend on the favor as well as on the justice of their sovereign, who had imbibed a secret and sincere reverence for the name of Christ, and for the God of the Christians. 14
About five months after the conquest of Italy, the emperor made a solemn and authentic declaration of his sentiments by the celebrated edict of Milan, which restored peace to the Catholic church. In the personal interview of the two western princes, Constantine, by the ascendant of genius and power, obtained the ready concurrence of his colleague, Licinius; the union of their names and authority disarmed the fury of Maximin; and after the death of the tyrant of the East, the edict of Milan was received as a general and fundamental law of the Roman world. 15
The wisdom of the emperors provided for the restitution of all the civil and religious rights of which the Christians had been so unjustly deprived. It was enacted that the places of worship, and public lands, which had been confiscated, should be restored to the church, without dispute, without delay, and without expense; and this severe injunction was accompanied with a gracious promise, that if any of the purchasers had paid a fair and adequate price, they should be indemnified from the Imperial treasury. The salutary regulations which guard the future tranquillity of the faithful are framed on the principles of enlarged and equal toleration; and such an equality must have been interpreted by a recent sect as an advantageous and honorable distinction. The two emperors proclaim to the world, that they have granted a free and absolute power to the Christians, and to all others, of following the religion which each individual thinks proper to prefer, to which he has addicted his mind, and which he may deem the best adapted to his own use. They carefully explain every ambiguous word, remove every exception, and exact from the governors of the provinces a strict obedience to the true and simple meaning of an edict, which was designed to establish and secure, without any limitation, the claims of religious liberty. They condescend to assign two weighty reasons which have induced them to allow this universal toleration: the humane intention of consulting the peace and happiness of their people; and the pious hope, that, by such a conduct, they shall appease and propitiate the Deity, whose seat is in heaven. They gratefully acknowledge the many signal proofs which they have received of the divine favor; and they trust that the same Providence will forever continue to protect the prosperity of the prince and people. From these vague and indefinite expressions of piety, three suppositions may be deduced, of a different, but not of an incompatible nature. The mind of Constantine might fluctuate between the Pagan and the Christian religions. According to the loose and complying notions of Polytheism, he might acknowledge the God of the Christians as one of the many deities who compose the hierarchy of heaven. Or perhaps he might embrace the philosophic and pleasing idea, that, notwithstanding the variety of names, of rites, and of opinions, all the sects, and all the nations of mankind, are united in the worship of the common Father and Creator of the universe. 16
But the counsels of princes are more frequently influenced by views of temporal advantage, than by considerations of abstract and speculative truth. The partial and increasing favor of Constantine may naturally be referred to the esteem which he entertained for the moral character of the Christians; and to a persuasion, that the propagation of the gospel would inculcate the practice of private and public virtue. Whatever latitude an absolute monarch may assume in his own conduct, whatever indulgence he may claim for his own passions, it is undoubtedly his interest that all his subjects should respect the natural and civil obligations of society. But the operation of the wisest laws is imperfect and precarious. They seldom inspire virtue, they cannot always restrain vice. Their power is insufficient to prohibit all that they condemn, nor can they always punish the actions which they prohibit. The legislators of antiquity had summoned to their aid the powers of education and of opinion. But every principle which had once maintained the vigor and purity of Rome and Sparta, was long since extinguished in a declining and despotic empire. Philosophy still exercised her temperate sway over the human mind, but the cause of virtue derived very feeble support from the influence of the Pagan superstition. Under these discouraging circumstances, a prudent magistrate might observe with pleasure the progress of a religion which diffused among the people a pure, benevolent, and universal system of ethics, adapted to every duty and every condition of life; recommended as the will and reason of the supreme Deity, and enforced by the sanction of eternal rewards or punishments. The experience of Greek and Roman history could not inform the world how far the system of national manners might be reformed and improved by the precepts of a divine revelation; and Constantine might listen with some confidence to the flattering, and indeed reasonable, assurances of Lactantius. The eloquent apologist seemed firmly to expect, and almost ventured to promise, that the establishment of Christianity would restore the innocence and felicity of the primitive age; that the worship of the true God would extinguish war and dissension among those who mutually considered themselves as the children of a common parent; that every impure desire, every angry or selfish passion, would be restrained by the knowledge of the gospel; and that the magistrates might sheath the sword of justice among a people who would be universally actuated by the sentiments of truth and piety, of equity and moderation, of harmony and universal love. 17
The passive and unresisting obedience, which bows under the yoke of authority, or even of oppression, must have appeared, in the eyes of an absolute monarch, the most conspicuous and useful of the evangelic virtues. 18 The primitive Christians derived the institution of civil government, not from the consent of the people, but from the decrees of Heaven. The reigning emperor, though he had usurped the sceptre by treason and murder, immediately assumed the sacred character of vicegerent of the Deity. To the Deity alone he was accountable for the abuse of his power; and his subjects were indissolubly bound, by their oath of fidelity, to a tyrant, who had violated every law of nature and society. The humble Christians were sent into the world as sheep among wolves; and since they were not permitted to employ force even in the defence of their religion, they should be still more criminal if they were tempted to shed the blood of their fellow-creatures in disputing the vain privileges, or the sordid possessions, of this transitory life. Faithful to the doctrine of the apostle, who in the reign of Nero had preached the duty of unconditional submission, the Christians of the three first centuries preserved their conscience pure and innocent of the guilt of secret conspiracy, or open rebellion. While they experienced the rigor of persecution, they were never provoked either to meet their tyrants in the field, or indignantly to withdraw themselves into some remote and sequestered corner of the globe. 19 The Protestants of France, of Germany, and of Britain, who asserted with such intrepid courage their civil and religious freedom, have been insulted by the invidious comparison between the conduct of the primitive and of the reformed Christians. 20 Perhaps, instead of censure, some applause may be due to the superior sense and spirit of our ancestors, who had convinced themselves that religion cannot abolish the unalienable rights of human nature. 21 Perhaps the patience of the primitive church may be ascribed to its weakness, as well as to its virtue. A sect of unwarlike plebeians, without leaders, without arms, without fortifications, must have encountered inevitable destruction in a rash and fruitless resistance to the master of the Roman legions. But the Christians, when they deprecated the wrath of Diocletian, or solicited the favor of Constantine, could allege, with truth and confidence, that they held the principle of passive obedience, and that, in the space of three centuries, their conduct had always been conformable to their principles. They might add, that the throne of the emperors would be established on a fixed and permanent basis, if all their subjects, embracing the Christian doctrine, should learn to suffer and to obey.
In the general order of Providence, princes and tyrants are considered as the ministers of Heaven, appointed to rule or to chastise the nations of the earth. But sacred history affords many illustrious examples of the more immediate interposition of the Deity in the government of his chosen people. The sceptre and the sword were committed to the hands of Moses, of Joshua, of Gideon, of David, of the Maccabees; the virtues of those heroes were the motive or the effect of the divine favor, the success of their arms was destined to achieve the deliverance or the triumph of the church. If the judges of Israel were occasional and temporary magistrates, the kings of Judah derived from the royal unction of their great ancestor an hereditary and indefeasible right, which could not be forfeited by their own vices, nor recalled by the caprice of their subjects. The same extraordinary providence, which was no longer confined to the Jewish people, might elect Constantine and his family as the protectors of the Christian world; and the devout Lactantius announces, in a prophetic tone, the future glories of his long and universal reign. 22 Galerius and Maximin, Maxentius and Licinius, were the rivals who shared with the favorite of heaven the provinces of the empire. The tragic deaths of Galerius and Maximin soon gratified the resentment, and fulfilled the sanguine expectations, of the Christians. The success of Constantine against Maxentius and Licinius removed the two formidable competitors who still opposed the triumph of the second David, and his cause might seem to claim the peculiar interposition of Providence. The character of the Roman tyrant disgraced the purple and human nature; and though the Christians might enjoy his precarious favor, they were exposed, with the rest of his subjects, to the effects of his wanton and capricious cruelty. The conduct of Licinius soon betrayed the reluctance with which he had consented to the wise and humane regulations of the edict of Milan. The convocation of provincial synods was prohibited in his dominions; his Christian officers were ignominiously dismissed; and if he avoided the guilt, or rather danger, of a general persecution, his partial oppressions were rendered still more odious by the violation of a solemn and voluntary engagement. 23 While the East, according to the lively expression of Eusebius, was involved in the shades of infernal darkness, the auspicious rays of celestial light warmed and illuminated the provinces of the West. The piety of Constantine was admitted as an unexceptionable proof of the justice of his arms; and his use of victory confirmed the opinion of the Christians, that their hero was inspired, and conducted, by the Lord of Hosts. The conquest of Italy produced a general edict of toleration; and as soon as the defeat of Licinius had invested Constantine with the sole dominion of the Roman world, he immediately, by circular letters, exhorted all his subjects to imitate, without delay, the example of their sovereign, and to embrace the divine truth of Christianity. 24
1 The date of the Divine Institutions of Lactantius has been accurately discussed, difficulties have been started, solutions proposed, and an expedient imagined of two original editions; the former published during the persecution of Diocletian, the latter under that of Licinius. See Dufresnoy, Prefat. p. v. Tillemont, Mem. Ecclesiast. tom. vi. p. 465- 470. Lardner's Credibility, part ii. vol. vii. p. 78-86. For my own part, I am almost convinced that Lactantius dedicated his Institutions to the sovereign of Gaul, at a time when Galerius, Maximin, and even Licinius, persecuted the Christians; that is, between the years 306 and 311.
2 Lactant. Divin. Instit. i. l. vii. 27. The first and most important of these passages is indeed wanting in twenty-eight manuscripts; but it is found in nineteen. If we weigh the comparative value of these manuscripts, one of 900 years old, in the king of France's library may be alleged in its favor; but the passage is omitted in the correct manuscript of Bologna, which the P. de Montfaucon ascribes to the sixth or seventh century (Diarium Italic. p. 489.) The taste of most of the editors (except Isaeus; see Lactant. edit. Dufresnoy, tom. i. p. 596) has felt the genuine style of Lactantius.
3 Euseb. in Vit. Constant. l. i. c. 27-32.
4 Zosimus, l. ii. p. 104.
5 That rite was always used in making a catechumen, (see Bingham's Antiquities. l. x. c. i. p. 419. Dom Chardon, Hist. des Sacramens, tom. i. p. 62,) and Constantine received it for the first time (Euseb. in Vit Constant. l. iv. c. 61) immediately before his baptism and death. From the connection of these two facts, Valesius (ad loc. Euseb.) has drawn the conclusion which is reluctantly admitted by Tillemont, (Hist. des Empereurs, tom. iv. p. 628,) and opposed with feeble arguments by Mosheim, (p. 968.)
6 Euseb. in Vit. Constant. l. iv. c. 61, 62, 63. The legend of Constantine's baptism at Rome, thirteen years before his death, was invented in the eighth century, as a proper motive for his donation. Such has been the gradual progress of knowledge, that a story, of which Cardinal Baronius (Annual Ecclesiast. A. D. 324, No. 43-49) declared himself the unblushing advocate, is now feebly supported, even within the verge of the Vatican. See the Antiquitates Christianae, tom. ii. p. 232; a work published with six approbations at Rome, in the year 1751 by Father Mamachi, a learned Dominican.
7 The quaestor, or secretary, who composed the law of the Theodosian Code, makes his master say with indifference, "hominibus supradictae religionis," (l. xvi. tit. ii. leg. 1.) The minister of ecclesiastical affairs was allowed a more devout and respectful style, the legal, most holy, and Catholic worship.
8 Cod. Theodos. l. ii. viii. tit. leg. 1. Cod. Justinian. l. iii. tit. xii. leg. 3. Constantine styles the Lord's day dies solis, a name which could not offend the ears of his pagan subjects.
9 Cod. Theodos. l. xvi. tit. x. leg. l. Godefroy, in the character of a commentator, endeavors (tom. vi. p. 257) to excuse Constantine; but the more zealous Baronius (Annal. Eccles. A. D. 321, No. 17) censures his profane conduct with truth and asperity.
10 Theodoret. (l. i. c. 18) seems to insinuate that Helena gave her son a Christian education; but we may be assured, from the superior authority of Eusebius, (in Vit. Constant. l. iii. c. 47,) that she herself was indebted to Constantine for the knowledge of Christianity.
11 See the medals of Constantine in Ducange and Banduri. As few cities had retained the privilege of coining, almost all the medals of that age issued from the mint under the sanction of the Imperial authority.
12 The panegyric of Eumenius, (vii. inter Panegyr. Vet.,) which was pronounced a few months before the Italian war, abounds with the most unexceptionable evidence of the Pagan superstition of Constantine, and of his particular veneration for Apollo, or the Sun; to which Julian alludes.
13 Constantin. Orat. ad Sanctos, c. 25. But it might easily be shown, that the Greek translator has improved the sense of the Latin original; and the aged emperor might recollect the persecution of Diocletian with a more lively abhorrence than he had actually felt to the days of his youth and Paganism.
14 See Euseb. Hist. Eccles. l. viii. 13, l. ix. 9, and in Vit. Const. l. i. c. 16, 17 Lactant. Divin. Institut. i. l. Caecilius de Mort. Persecut. c. 25.
15 Caecilius (de Mort. Persecut. c. 48) has preserved the Latin original; and Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. l. x. c. 5) has given a Greek translation of this perpetual edict, which refers to some provisional regulations.
16 A panegyric of Constantine, pronounced seven or eight months after the edict of Milan, (see Gothofred. Chronolog. Legum, p. 7, and Tillemont, Hist. des Empereurs, tom. iv. p. 246,) uses the following remarkable expression: "Summe rerum sator, cujus tot nomina sant, quot linguas gentium esse voluisti, quem enim te ipse dici velin, scire non possumus." (Panegyr. Vet. ix. 26.) In explaining Constantine's progress in the faith, Mosheim (p. 971, &c.) is ingenious, subtle, prolix.
17 See the elegant description of Lactantius, (Divin Institut. v. 8,) who is much more perspicuous and positive than becomes a discreet prophet.
18 The political system of the Christians is explained by Grotius, de Jure Belli et Pacis, l. i. c. 3, 4. Grotius was a republican and an exile, but the mildness of his temper inclined him to support the established powers.
19 Tertullian. Apolog. c. 32, 34, 35, 36. Tamen nunquam Albiniani, nec Nigriani vel Cassiani inveniri potuerunt Christiani. Ad Scapulam, c. 2. If this assertion be strictly true, it excludes the Christians of that age from all civil and military employments, which would have compelled them to take an active part in the service of their respective governors. See Moyle's Works, vol. ii. p. 349.
20 See the artful Bossuet, (Hist. des Variations des Eglises Protestantes, tom. iii. p. 210-258.) and the malicious Bayle, (tom ii. p. 820.) I name Bayle, for he was certainly the author of the Avis aux Refugies; consult the Dictionnaire Critique de Chauffepie, tom. i. part ii. p. 145.
21 Buchanan is the earliest, or at least the most celebrated, of the reformers, who has justified the theory of resistance. See his Dialogue de Jure Regni apud Scotos, tom. ii. p. 28, 30, edit. fol. Rudiman.
22 Lactant Divin. Institut. i. l. Eusebius in the course of his history, his life, and his oration, repeatedly inculcates the divine right of Constantine to the empire.
23 Our imperfect knowledge of the persecution of Licinius is derived from Eusebius, (Hist. l. x. c. 8. Vit. Constantin. l. i. c. 49-56, l. ii. c. 1, 2.) Aurelius Victor mentions his cruelty in general terms.
24 Euseb. in Vit. Constant. l. ii. c. 24-42 48-60.


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Your attention please.
Whitey is a sort-of solo project by N.J Whitey. He is a bit of a misanthrope that spends most of his time skulking in dark corners. He collects books, grudges and enemies.
He has to date recorded and released one album THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL IS A TRAIN (1234 Records).


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Two weeks before Christmas last year, Fort Bragg Sgt. Mike Salmon called to check on his wife in Fayetteville.
On the other end of the line, Crystal Salmon was inconsolable. Honey, she told her husband through sobs, I was assaulted.
Mike Salmon nearly lost it. He asked for and received an emergency leave to return home to comfort his young wife.
"I couldn't even function," said Mike Salmon, a 25-year-old supervisor of an Apache helicopter maintenance section. "There was really nothing I could do to keep my head in the game."
The leave lasted less than three weeks. On Christmas Eve, Salmon found himself on a plane heading back to Afghanistan. He had no choice. Army policy is Army policy. He spent Christmas Day eating sushi in an airport in the Netherlands.
The assault was the first in a string of ugly happenstance for the newlyweds.
Three months later, Crystal Salmon said, she lost the baby she had been carrying. About a week after that, she said, her car's transmission blew up as she drove alone on a desolate stretch of South Carolina blacktop.
It's often said that the first year of marriage is the hardest. The adage is even more apt for a military couple.
During deployments, the soldier is thousands of miles away; the spouse home alone, often with no support system. So many things that could go wrong. So many things that so often do.
Newly released figures from the Pentagon show that the military divorce rate is at an all-time high, with 30,000 marriages ending in fiscal 2011. The Army's divorce rate of 3.7 percent is now slightly higher than the civilian rate.
At the outset of her problems, Crystal Salmon thought she might become another statistic for the military divorce pile.
But the Salmons defied the odds. The hardships they endured, they said, only made their marriage stronger.
"It was a really positive outlook that came out of the entire situation," said Crystal Salmon, who is a year younger than her husband.
Mike Salmon and Crystal Comolli met in high school in the Tampa Bay, Fla., area.
He was the popular one, a wrestler with an outgoing personality who liked to party and play the guitar.
She was the self-professed nerd, the girl with few close friends whose world revolved around family, animals and the ROTC.
They had a brief fling in high school, but Mike joined the Army after graduating in 2005 to do what he loved -- maintaining things that fly -- and Crystal stayed behind to tend to the animals at Tampa Bay's Busch Gardens.
They had little contact in the intervening years, other than a Facebook comment or two.
But after a yearlong deployment in 2010, Mike returned to Tampa Bay on leave to visit family and friends. While there, he and his friends decided to gather at a bar, and he asked Crystal through Facebook to join them.
Mike never expected her to show up, and she wasn't sold on the idea, either. But as he sat outside the bar, he watched her stroll across the parking lot. He hung up the phone on the person he had been talking to and hurried to greet her.
They have been together ever since. Back then, they often found themselves sharing cramped quarters with friends in Fayetteville.
That began to change on May 8, 2011, when the couple took their dog, an Aussie mix named Dub, for a walk along a hiking trail. They stopped at an overlook, and Crystal noticed a piece of paper poking out of Dub's harness.
She bent to remove it, thinking it was trash, until she read the inscription:
"I want Mike to be my daddy," it read. Dub had signed the note with his paw.
Crystal didn't get it at first, until Mike bent down on one knee and made his pitch.
There's something about a lot of military couples. They don't like to waste time.
Two days after Mike proposed, the couple went to the Cumberland County Magistrate's Office and became husband and wife. Afterward, they celebrated at McDonald's with two friends who witnessed the marriage.
Mike laughs at the memory. The Salmons know it was an atypical wedding, but they hope to have the real deal sometime in the future.
But first they want to save some money and have a baby. And some furniture for the new house sure would be nice.
The Salmons bought the house in January, a spiffy two-story in one of those new subdivisions near Fort Bragg where everything is painted in shades of beige.
Shortly afterward, Crystal used Skype to contact her husband in Afghanistan. During their conversation, she held up a pregnancy test strip. A blue test strip, to be precise.
"I was thrilled," Mike said. "I was going to be a father."
But life would soon punch the Salmons again.
The baby seemed to be doing fine after nine weeks. But then a series of ultrasounds failed to detect a heartbeat, and doctors recommended that Crystal undergo a medical miscarriage.
No, she told the doctors, not until the next week, when her husband had returned home on R&R.
Shortly after his arrival, Crystal said, she swallowed a pill that caused the miscarriage. Two days later, she became a foster pet owner, driving 90 miles to pick up a dog that had been abandoned. Fostering pets helped Crystal deal with the emotional trauma, which didn't stop after the miscarriage.
When his two weeks of R&R ended, Mike left for Atlanta, where he would stay for a day before catching yet another plane back to Afghanistan.
Crystal didn't think twice. She hopped in her car and drove to Atlanta to spend one last night with her husband.
On her return home, the transmission blew up on that desolate stretch of South Carolina highway. Crystal called Mike, who had boarded the plane moments before. She told him what had happened, just before a stewardess told him to turn off his phone.
There was nothing Mike could do. His bride was in the middle of nowhere, alone on the side of a road. He would later learn that she spent the night in a creepy motel with an entrance door that wouldn't fully close.
Mike decided it wasn't worth the money to have the car fixed, so he bought her a new one, and -- what the heck -- a truck for himself, too.
Two weeks before Christmas, and the stubby Christmas tree still stands unadorned in the Salmons' living room, which is nearly as empty as the tree itself.
A movie poster of the "Hunger Games" adorns one wall. Crystal Salmon is obsessed with the trilogy. She can identify with Katniss' close relationship with her fictional sister, Prim.
Crystal has a sister about the same age.
She loves the movie largely because she can relate to Katniss' need to protect those around her no matter the consequence.
When Mike returned from Afghanistan in September, she wanted to surprise him with a private viewing of the movie.
The theater said no, it would only show it to a hundred or more people. Crystal offered to buy the 98 empty seats -- she meant it, too -- but again the theater declined.
To say that Crystal is impetuous would be a mild understatement. She wears her jet-black hair in bangs, a gold ring protruding from her nose. She says she has no intention of changing, of becoming a typical wife.
She clings to the belief that family comes first, and she drives home to Florida every couple of months to be with her sister and other relatives.
Mike is the practical one. "The Fixer," Crystal calls him. When something goes wrong, Mike steps in to fix the problem in a logical way.
Crystal also calls Mike "The Motivator." He pushes his wife to go back to college and get a degree. She's taking online courses now but hopes to return to college to earn a degree in animal psychology or a related field.
It's a puzzling dichotomy, this union of husband and wife. But it not only seems to be working, the bonds seem to be getting stronger.
Mike said he realizes -- even more since the assault -- that Crystal has been making most of the sacrifices.
He's the one who pulled her away from her family, who may have to return to a war zone, who may be required to move to another Army post.
It's all part of being an Army wife, for better or worse.
Almost without fail, many of those wives will say, the biggest problems arise when the husband is away.
But for this couple, at least, hardship has served to make the heart grow fonder.
"For that and only that, I am very content," Mike said. "It is because of what happened."


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Buyer's Guide to Mats
1) Types of mats
Pilates mat: Generally, Pilates mats are much thicker than Yoga mats, between 1.5 and 2.4 cm, and the conventional measurements are from 58-100 cm wide by 140-216 cm long. Pilates mats have a smaller non-slip lower surface to ensure they will not move, while the upper surface slides easily to facilitate exercises. Normally they are made of very firm foam, and so they cannot be rolled up, they can only be folded up.
Yoga mat: Yoga mats are much thinner than Pilates mats, generally they are between 0.3 and 0.5 cm thick. They are designed to grip the floor and avoid injuries, but so that the user can at the same time feel the surface of the floor below them. This is due to the fact that a large amount of Yoga exercises are carried out standing, and so it is necessary to have perfect stability. The size varies between 55-80 cm wide, and 120-180 cm long. In addition, as the mat is very slim and light, it can be rolled up and takes up very little space, making it easy to store and transport. There are yoga mats made of various materials: most are made of plastic or latex foam, but natural fibres are also common, such as jute, bamboo strips and recycled materials, although the best materials are the former because they have a longer life span and can be easily washed.
2) Measurements, colour and design
There are a great variety of designs and colours on the market, so it is a question of finding one that suits you. What is important is the size, as people who are over 1.75 metres tall will need bigger mats.
3) Other characteristics
Depending on the use that you are going to give the mat, some users will have to bear in mind some additional characteristics when choosing one model or another: washable, resistant to humidity, odour, etc. Some high range models even have surfaces that have been treated with antibacterial agents. If the surface where you are going to place the mat is very flat (wood), it is recommendable that the surface be non-slip. And finally, it is a good idea to check whether the product includes a bag or accessories that make it easy to transport and store.


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The Most Shocking Thing About HBO's 'True Detective'
Bleak is in on television — from zombie apocalypses to Red Weddings to meth-dealing high school teachers — but HBO's "True Detective" is taking its audience on an odyssey to even grimmer places.
The murder-mystery show, which has been getting good ratings and buzz, is disturbing, but not necessarily because of its lurid imagery, violence, and explicit sex and nudity. What's intriguing is that a show that's such a big hit features so prominently a dark philosophy which suggests that humanity is an error of evolution and ultimately meaningless, and that we should stop reproducing.


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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
EEOC Settles Suit Against Mutual Fund Giant for Firing Black Employee Who Complained About Race Discrimination
PHILADELPHIA — Valley Forge, Pa.-based The Vanguard Group, Inc., one of the world's largest investment management companies, will pay $500,000 and provide other relief to settle a retaliation lawsuit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. The EEOC had charged that following an African American employee's complaints of race discrimination, Vanguard subjected him to a series of adverse employment actions culminating in his termination.
Raymond Ross, of Maple Glen, Pa., began working for Vanguard in March 1993 and received favorable performance reviews throughout his employment, according to the EEOC. In 1998, he received a promotion to Engineer V, the highest non-officer grade for a non-supervisory employee. In January 2002, however, he began to report to a different department and a new set of managers at Vanguard's Malvern, Pa. office.
The EEOC said in its lawsuit (Civil Action No. 04-4126) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania), that beginning in April 2002, Ross complained that he was being treated less favorably and discriminated against based on his race. Thereafter, the EEOC said, Ross began to experience acts of retaliation, including unfavorable changes in his work conditions and assignments, from the managers he accused of race discrimination. The EEOC said that this pattern of retaliation resulted in Ross's termination on July 29, 2003.
Race discrimination, as well as retaliation for complaining about it, violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). The EEOC attempted to reach a settlement through its conciliation process before filing suit.
In addition to the $500,000 in monetary relief, the consent decree settling the suit requires that Vanguard provide equitable relief, including: drafting in plain English a policy opposing illegal discrimination, harassment and retaliation, and making the policy available to all employees; having a complaint procedure for violations of company policies against discrimination and retaliation; and providing anti-discrimination training to managers, supervisors and human resources employees. The company will also report to the EEOC on any complaints of unlawful retaliation it receives and on its compliance with the consent decree.
"The Commission's ability to enforce Title VII and the other anti-discrimination laws would be severely curtailed if employees fear that they will suffer reprisal if they complain to their company about discrimination," said EEOC Regional Attorney Jacqueline McNair, of the agency's Philadelphia District Office. "The half-million-dollar resolution of this lawsuit should send the message loud and clear to employers that retaliation is unacceptable and the EEOC will take strong action to protect the ability of employees to exercise their rights."
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the Commission is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.


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Meet The Red Sox Opening Day Catcher…At Least For Now
As I type this at 11:23 am on November 23rd, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the Boston Red Sox primary catcher to begin the 2011 season.
(photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor)
"Nothing is set in stone but it looks like I could have an opportunity to earn a spot in the lineup," Saltalamacchia told the Boston Globe after Victor Martinez signed as a free agent with Detroit. "Obviously it makes me feel great that the organization has confidence in me.
"This is the opportunity I've been waiting for. I'm glad Victor got what he wanted, but now I need to run with this."
Saltalamacchia only played in 10 games for Boston after being obtained in a July 31st trade with Texas for three minor leaguers, but Red Sox manager Terry Francona liked what he saw.
"Really interesting kid," Francona told WEEI radio. "He has been through a lot. He's been injured; he's had some trouble throwing. Saying that, he's been the Rangers' Opening Day catcher the last two years, that's how much they thought of him. A switch-hitter with power, I think we view him potentially as somebody that can really fit the bill as maybe an everyday catcher with us.
"Saying that, I don't know if you want to just – because of everything he's been through – hand everything to him on April 1st and say "Go get 'em'. Sometimes you're helping to set somebody up to fail. We don't want that to happen. We want to help this kid progress because we really like what's in there, but you also want to help him get there."
While Francona sounded somewhat hesitant about handing Saltalamacchia the primary job, baseball analyst Lou Merloni sounded even more skeptical when asked if he would be comfortable with Jarrod behind the plate for Boston on Opening Day.
"No, not one bit and I don't think the Red Sox really can be," Merloni said on CSNNE. "They haven't seen enough of this kid. Maybe some day. They got a great value in him and didn't give up much, but he's sort of like that project that's got potential and could be that some day, but just not right now. I don't think you can go into the season (with Jarrod as the starter) and I don't believe that they think that right now. They just haven't seen enough. Maybe a few years down the road – fine – but right now? No, I wouldn't feel confident one bit with him as the Opening Day starter."
I didn't get to know Jarrod very well since he only played in nine games for the PawSox, but he did consent to a "Fantastic Fun Facts" interview. Here were some of the more interesting nuggets.
Who was your childhood hero?
"I looked up to Ken Griffey Jr., but I was really into my brother Justin. He actually played with me my first two years of pro ball. He's four years older than me and I thought he was the coolest guy in the world. Now I realize that I can beat him up and he's not so cool anymore."
What's the highlight of your career so far?
"Getting called-up for the first time when I was 22 years old with Atlanta was probably my best moment in baseball, but the greatest moment of my life was the birth of both of my kids (daughters Sidney and Hunter). I love my kids to death and there's nothing that could top that. I enjoy every minute with them."
What's been your most embarrassing moment in baseball?
"There was a time in Baltimore where I took a pitch and I thought, 'Man, I saw that ball so well, I wonder why?' The umpire screamed time out and I had the wrong helmet on. I had a left-handed helmet on when I was batting righty. The whole thing was caught on live TV and it was pretty embarrassing."
If you could choose your uniform number, what would it be?
"I guess probably 48. There are 4 people in my family – me, my wife, and our two girls – and I had a cousin who was killed in a car accident and he wore the number 8, so I've always wanted to have an 8 in there somewhere (Jarrod wore #39 with the Red Sox last year. Scott Atchison wore #48)."
Have you had any interesting brushes with greatness?
"I got to meet former President George W. Bush which was awesome. He came into the clubhouse in Washington when I was playing for Texas in interleague play and he invited us to the White House. I got to go into the Oval Office and it was a great experience. It was something I'll never forget. Not too many people get to do that, so it was pretty exciting."
Did you come away with any souvenirs?
"We got to take a picture with him in front of his desk. I know we have one in my house. We probably copied it 10 times and gave it to everyone in the family."
At 14 letters, you have the longest last name in major league baseball history. What does your autograph look like?
"It's 'J' with a squiggly line and an 'S' with a squiggly line. It doesn't look anything like my name. Sometimes I'll put my full name down, but it takes a long time to do it."
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I'd love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you're from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at email@example.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard


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Zytel® nylon eliminates 6 kg from sump to improve fuel economy, reduce noise, emissions.
Geneva, Switzerland, Jun 28, 2012 – An oil sump moulded from DuPont™ Zytel® nylon resin, is helping the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania meet new challenges with regard to noise, emissions and weight. The lightweight yet equally robust oil sump – the lower shell of the oil pan module - is amongst the host of innovative technical solutions incorporated by Scania in its new Euro 6 engines.
The ground-breaking application was produced in Sweden by the Plastal Group AB, a leading supplier of engineered plastics to the automotive industry, with the material, design and processing support of DuPont representatives in the country and across Europe and the input of prototype specialists Idé-Pro of Skive, Denmark.
Amongst the range of technological highlights contained within the new 440 and 480 hp (324 and 353 kW) 13-litre Euro 6-compliant engines, unveiled by Scania in spring 2011, is the premiere of an oil sump moulded from a heat-stabilized, glass-fibre reinforced grade of Zytel® 66 nylon. The adoption of the DuPont material for this application - a first for the truck market and only the second development for commercial production vehicles worldwide following the launch of the award-winning Daimler oil pan module in 2008 - has enabled a reduction in the weight of the component by over 50 percent, or 6 kg, versus its aluminium predecessor to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. Perhaps just as significantly, with regard to the environmental impact of the noise emitted by trucks, Scania found switching from metal to plastic in the oil sump dampens engine noise to help meet Euro 6 noise emission standards.
The particular grade of Zytel® used for the Scania oil sump is a 35% glass fibre reinforced, heat stabilized and lubricated polyamide 66 that is considered a material of choice for harsh, under-the-hood applications involving high temperatures and oil. Thanks to its low melt viscosity it readily fills thin section moulds, which, icombination with fast set up times, contributes to very fast moulding cycles. According to the development team at Scania, their main reasons for choosing Zytel® nylon were that it meets technical requirements when used in oxidised oil and still provides the necessary level of impact performance.
Having settled on the initial design and material, Scania contacted Idé-Pro to undertake the first steps in the parts' development. Idé-Pro not only produces tools and moulds parts, but also offers the development tools and expertise needed during the prototype stage. In such a way the design of the mould could be optimized to minimize warpage.
Beyond material selection, DuPont also assisted Scania in refining the sump's design and the production process, particularly with regard to achieving a consistently tight seal between the sump and the engine. This required very precise tolerance control of a large component, measuring 847mm (length) x 467mm (width) x 203mm (height), achieved by comprehensive mould flow analyses, prototype testing and ongoing optimisation of processing parameters. "Ribbing on the underside of the sump also plays a key role in remaining within the permitted tolerances for the part, as well as performing a secondary function as a defensive shield against stone impacts," said Murray Smith development specialist at DuPont Performance Polymers in Sweden.
Its effectiveness in this role was tested at DuPont's European Technical Centre in Geneva, where a high-speed impact compressed air cannon was used to fire steel balls at an angle of 45 degrees and at a speed of 80 kph (50 mph) at the sump. These tests confirmed that the ribs effectively dissipate the impact energy, becoming damaged in the process, whilst the structural integrity of the sump remains preserved.
Jun 28, 2012


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Own and Publish one of these Popular Magazines:
Do you dream of owning your own business?
We will guide you in all the steps necessary for you to have your own successful business. You must believe in yourself, enjoy being your own decision maker, have sales experience, and have good work habits.


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What we'll do
Join us each week for a social run starting at 6.30pm. 3.5km or 5km circuit to choose from. Meet at the Limerick Arms Hotel at 6.15pm for registration. No membership required, just $5 per run which gives you a free beer, wine or soft drink back at the pub and your times published on our website so you can track your progress. We'd love you to hang around and enjoy a meal at the pub with your fellow runners. We also get together for other run events and non-running social occasions. Check out gunnrunners.org.au for more info. Before coming for the first time, please complete the waiver form at: www.bit.ly/gunnies
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