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Hampshire County Council say they're ready for a round the clock snow response.
They say highways teams are working to make sure the roads are prepared with a yellow warning for snow and ice in place from 1pm this afternoon.
Highways crews salt Hampshire's main roads first.
They're considered as 'Priority one' routes, which cover approximately one third of the county road network and carry the majority of Hampshire's traffic.
They cover A roads, some B roads, major bus routes, roads to hospitals and other key emergency hubs, large schools and colleges, areas of high traffic concentration and public transport interchanges.
The council says 'Priority two' routes, which include remaining B roads and single access roads to villages, may also be treated, if teams can keep the main roads clear and open.
Across Hampshire there are also more than 3,000 blue or yellow bins filled with salt and/or grit for use by the community on public roads and pavements.
Councillor Rob Humby, Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Hampshire County Council, said:
"Our winter fleet is salting the main roads continuously now. We are doing everything we can to prepare for snow, but, if the forecast is correct, we are certainly going to have our work cut out. Rain is forecast from tomorrow afternoon, which will then turn to snow. This means that salt already on the roads may be washed away, and our winter fleet will have to start salting again as soon as the rain eases ahead of the freeze. We have 43 salting lorries and each route takes about three hours to complete.
"We would ask everyone who travels on Hampshire's roads to think about their travel arrangements, be prepared for bad weather and either try to avoid travelling where practical or to plan their journeys carefully."
This gritter is helping with the effort to keep roads open in the county.
'Luke Snow Walker' was officially named by the public.


text:
Children ages 12 to 18 may be the hardest to entertain and keep busy offline during the summer. But the more relaxed schedule presents opportunities to benefit them spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically. Here are some ideas for each of the eight weeks of the summer vacation.
Week 1
- Host an Eid party and invite friends you haven't seen during the busy school year
- Start fasting the six days of Shawwal. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said "Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime" (Muslim)
- Commit to volunteering once a week starting this week until the last week of August. Choose any cause, whether it's helping a nature center, maintaining the website and social media account(s) of a non-profit you love, or calling around for donations of diapers to a shelter. The Prophet said, "Do good deeds properly, sincerely, and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little" (Bukhari)
- Start writing a poem, short story or essay that you will enter in a writing contest in the fall or submit to a website of your interest. Choose a genre you already enjoy (e.g. science fiction), and give it a Muslim flavor. Google "writing, photography, and video contests for teenagers" for ideas on where to submit your work
- Begin teaching a younger sibling some aspect of Islam every day. This can be a short chapter of the Quran, or it can also be simply sitting with him or her and discussing an Adam's World video/DVD, doing some Islamic arts and crafts, or praying together
- Research potential college majors, and arrange visits to colleges you may be interested in
- Pick a sport to stay active. It can be as intense or low-key as you like. Try to experiment with a new sport if you've been playing the same one for years. Some Sunnah recommendations include archery, horseback riding, and swimming
Week 2
- Snapchat your summer. If you shared snaps of your Ramadan, do the same with your summer. Share some of the places you've seen, some of the volunteer projects you're working on, or you in action as you play your sport
- Tour a local Masjid. Arrange beforehand to have one of the administrators show you around and share its history as well. Who helped establish it? When? Why? What were the obstacles they faced? If you have the Masjid's permission, share what you've learned on Snapchat and Instagram. Also, brainstorm ways to help the Masjid on a monthly basis
- Do your volunteer duty for the week
- Finish up a major household project that's been left aside. This can be trimming hedges, cleaning out a closet, dropping off unused items to a thrift store, etc.
- Babysit younger siblings so you're parents can go out for a night on the town
- Cook dinner for the family. It can be as simple or as fancy as you like, from Make-Your-Own-Taco night to beef stroganoff. Make sure to sit together to share the meal. The Prophet said, "Eat together and mention the Name of Allah over your food. It will be blessed for you" (Abu Dawud)
Week 3
- Go to the beach with friends at Fajr time. Pray and read Quran together. Allah says, "...and hold fast to the recitation of the Quran at dawn, for the recitation of the Quran at dawn is witnessed" (17:78)
- Do your volunteer duty for the week
- Visit colleges in your city and its suburbs. Focus on soaking up the atmosphere, checking out the campus, etc. Find out if there are tours offered in the summer and attend one
- Take your younger sibling(s) and their friends to an amusement park. Make sure that when prayer time comes, you all pray together
- Sign up for a creative class. Whether it's online or offline, learn a new skill, whether it's improving your recitation of the Quran, Islamic calligraphy, gardening, building a treehouse, nature photography, or anything else you've always wanted to try but haven't
Week 4
- Organize a book club on Google Hangout for the month of August with your friends. Suggestions for Islamic books include:
-What Islam is All About by Yahiya Emerick
-A Young Muslim's Guide to the Modern World by Seyyed Hossein Nasr
-Everyday Struggles: The Stories of Muslim Teens by Sumaiya Beshir
- Do your volunteer duty for the week
- Start a GoFundMe page for a family member or friend in need, or for a cause dear to you
- Get together with friends and make care packages for a local food bank. Call the bank beforehand though and tell them about your idea. Ask them what kind of food they're looking for and make the bags accordingly
Week 1
- Start your online book club
- By now, you should be finished the first draft of your essay, poem or short story for the contest/publication you intend to submit the piece to by the fall. Aim to have it completed by the last week of August
- Start contacting a relative abroad who is about your age and the same gender. Make it a habit to keep in touch once a month, even during the school year. You can share snaps if they're on Snapchat, text message, or maybe even send letters the old-fashioned way, on paper
- Do your volunteer duty for the week
Week 2
- Thoroughly clean up your room. This will help you start off the school year free of junk and clutter, and make your parents pretty happy
- Do your volunteer duty for the week
Week 3
- Host a "Back To School Resolutions" party. You provide the food and everyone else brings five resolutions they want to work on during the school year to share with everyone. The resolutions should be both serious and humorous.
- Put together an old-fashioned photo album. Pick a theme and print out the best photos on your phone to make an album.
- Alternatively, digitize those priceless old photographs. Save family history by putting it all where those precious documents won't get lost or damaged
- Do your volunteer duty for the week
Week 4
- Finalize your essay, poem or short story and send it off to your chosen publication or contest
- Do your volunteer duty for the week and assess whether or not you can or want to continue during the school year. Consider volunteering only once a month.
- Call a meeting on Google Hangout of your friends who attended your party in week two of August. Go over your resolutions. Have each person team up with someone else from the group who can help remind them of their goals during the school year
- Take out your younger sibling(s) out for ice cream to discuss how they enjoyed their summer and what they hope to achieve during the school year

subset: commoncrawl


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"The Successful Pharmacy Owner is The One Who Discovers New Solutions Before Big Pharma & The Insurance Companies Destroy it." -- The Pharmacy Sage
Only Until March 17th
You've worked hard all your life. It's gotten you where you are today. You've catered to patients with products and services; you've also done some marketing and provided the best service you could. Perhaps you've made some decent money in the past, perhaps not.
Despite all your efforts, the insurance companies are shaving your rewards razor-thin, your dispensing is in question, and provider status has never been solidified.
It's really frustrating, isn't it? I'm here to tell you that, no matter what your wholesaler says, and no matter what your buying group maintains, you can buy your drugs at the same low prices that chain stores pay." No smoke—no mirrors.
Yes, it's possible. And yes, it is being done by over 220 of your colleagues. They are enjoying the benefits from making this one simple decision. Frank Lombardo in Pennsylvania is really enjoying the added cash flow. And you can, too. More details in a moment.
Meanwhile, let me explain…
If you own a pharmacy that buys $250,000 or more in drugs every month, you can put upwards of $10,000 in your pockets each and every month. I can't go into exact detail on how this operates, other than a disciplined protocol and proprietary software.
A No-Brainer
Recently, while speaking with a pharmacy owner who was interested, I mentioned that he could be saving 5%-8% on his drug costs. His response? "This is a no brainer!" In addition to the fact that our marketing would drive dozens of new patients monthly through his doors.
Nothing else can quickly reboot your pharmacy. Nothing else can reinvent your profits as quickly as buying your drugs at these low chain store prices. How is it done? With the use of proprietary software. Also, your dedication.
Remember what is was like when you were in elementary school and you discovered how a magnifying glass could focus the rays of the light with such intensity, it could ignite a fire? Well now you can ignite your focus and your dedication and see some good, positive money-in-the-bank results.
Beyond a "No Brainer"
This is a powerful way to re-establish the financial solidarity of your pharmacy. It also gives you a very healthy cushion on which to make your life a lot easier. Yes, the insurance companies may continue to pound your rewards into the ground; however, you now have a bigger spread in which to absorb any further shaving of your profits.
This can be your immediate salvation. Certainly it gives you more peace of mind.
You benefit two ways:
You also benefit additionally from the following:
What will it feel like when you start to expand cash flow and ease the pressure on your bill paying?
You Join, YOU Benefit… You Don't, Your Competition Will
Can you afford to miss this opportunity? Nah. Not many can. But, if you do wait, the opportunity COULD be lost forever.
The first 5 who sign up will also receive a FREE copy of my forthcoming book, "The Third Wave: Why Culture Matters, and How to Create Yours for Success in the 21st Century" (available in late March) It will sell for $149.
The Earlier You Enroll, the Quicker You Benefit
I'm sorry, I cannot accept more than 15 in this first group. There is so much information to share with you and so many benefits. Not only do you fatten your gross profit margins by 5% to 8%, you also receive advertising that is totally turnkey. Sign up by midnight, March 17th, 2017 and reap a harvest of increased profits.
Click here for all the details.
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply.


text: Kevin Grieve is the North America lead for Accenture Payments, responsible for helping drive payments industry perspective and development of Accenture's payment expertise and assets. He brings deep expertise in strategy consulting for cards and payments, having advised senior executives at many leading North America financial institutions. He has co-authored several articles on payments and has been a featured speaker at payments industry conferences. Kevin joins Accenture from PwC's Strategy&, where he was head of the North American Card and Payments practice. He has over 25 years of consulting and line experience in financial services working with institutions in retail banking, card issuing, payments associations, merchant acquiring, and third-party providers. Kevin has an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.


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|University of Maine
|St. Francis
Stillwater, Okla. — The University of Maine softball team dropped both ends of its Mizuno Classic opening day doubleheader on Friday afternoon at Oklahoma State. The Black Bears opened play with a 4-1 loss to Saint Francis.
In game one, Saint Francis jumped out to an early lead before eventually capturing a 4-1 victory over the Black Bears.
The Red Flash pushed across three runs in the top of the first, beginning when McKee scored on a wild pitch. Soon after, Norton drove in a pair with a double to center, giving Saint Francis a 3-0 advantage.
Saint Francis added to its lead with Cabell's solo home run to center in the top of the fifth.
Maine was able to get on the scoreboard when Royle notched her first home run of the season, clearing the left field fence in the bottom of the sixth.
However, the Black Bears were unable to get any closer, falling in the opener by a final of 4-1.


text:
Spring 1
Year 6 Spring 1 Curriculum Snapshot:
"In Year 6, this half term, we have been very busy reading a brilliant book called 'Survivors' by David Long based on true stories. Our favourite one is 'The Snowboarder who took a Wrong Turn'. In English we have been writing thrilling stories based on 'Alma'. In maths we have been revising a variety of topics to get us as ready as we can be for our End of Key Stage tests. We've also begun to explore The Mayans and we have loved finding out about this incredible ancient civilisation. We have learned about their intricately detailed art work, music and the food they used to eat! In P.E. we have been using different apparatus and improving our flexibility in gymnastics!"
Jaigon-Rae, CJ and Ollie (Year 6 Learning Leaders)
This half term the children have focused on the topic of survival. They have explored the book written by David Long and used this in their reading work. Here are some examples from Keeley, Nasim and Ben:
In writing, we have explored a variety of topics including work from the short films Alma and El Caminante. Here is some work from Jaigon, Ella, Lisa and Noah:
More recently we have been reading and creating our own newspaper reports. Here is some work from Molly exploring a news report:
The children have been revising a variety of topics in mathematics this half term. Here are some examples from Ben, Jessica and Laila:
In SMSC, we have learned about Jesus and his messages and LGBT History Month. Here is some work from JJ and Iesha:
We have also been learning about the Ancient Civilisation: The Maya. We have done this through history, geography, music and art. Here is some work from Brooke, Daiton, Farah, Toby, Layla, CJ, Sam, Milly and Leyton.
In Computing, we have been developing our understanding of staying safe online and how to use the Internet responsibly. Here are some written responses from Giselle and Layla:
We have been learning how to tell the time in French. Here is some work from Teo:


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It Outsourcing by (bpo/ites) Firms
Essay by game12345 • December 3, 2018 • Essay • 861 Words (4 Pages) • 189 Views
Essay Preview: It Outsourcing by (bpo/ites) Firms
TO: Gail Yosh
FROM: Mohamed Abdelsayed
DATE: November 13, 2018
SUBJECT: IT outsourcing by (BPO/ITES) firms
I recently came across a study with findings that could potentially benefit us in Quanta Communications. The study cited below, provides insights into what drives business process outsourcing/information technology enabled services(BPO/ITES) firms to outsource its information technology (IT) functions. The results are not only interesting but also can help our business consider better ways to save costs and get the best benefits in the future.
Patil, Shrinivas, and Wongsurawat, Winai. Information technology (IT) outsourcing by business process outsourcing/information technology enabled services (BPO/ITES) firms in India. Journal of Enterprise Information Management; Bradford Vol. 28, Iss. 1, (2015): 60-76
The author's analysis what makes business process outsourcing/information technology enabled services (BPO/ITES) firms in India go ahead and outsource its own IT functions. They look at what should be taken into consideration before making the decision, and they explore three drivers – cost, strategy and risk and what is the pros and cons for each drive and what the firms do to overcome the disadvantages. The authors also explain that deciding to outsource purely on cost is very risky and can lead to loss of business because of the degradation of services or responsibilities due to IT outsourcing.
Key Questions
The authors sought to explore the roles various drivers such as cost, strategy and risk play when business process outsourcing/information technology enabled services (BPO/ITES) firms in India outsource their information technology (IT) functions to third-party vendors.
Data Collection
The author used two types of research methodology to collect data quantitative and qualitative. The quantitate were collected through a questionnaire form many participants from a variety of different firms. The qualitative data was collected through personal interviews with the use of open-ended quotations, only two firms FSL and ABPO agreed to participate in the case study interviews.
Statistical Techniques
The author used the Likert scale which is a universal scale used when surveying employs.
Central tendency: Mean
Variability: Standard deviation
Associations: Pearson's r
Other statistics: ANOVA, t-test, regression
The authors found that in FSL case there were two options for outsourcing, complete outsourcing, and quasi-outsourcing, so they choose quasi-outsourcing because they wanted to have control over the assets. To avoid vender opportunism and to have competitiveness FSL prefer to hire multiple vendors at their various sites. That showed that even though FSL started its outsourcing process with cost as its primary goal, they observed that strategy and risk also play a vital role in the decision-making process. Unlike FSL, ABPO opted to completely outsource its IT, by to consolidating all their IT teams. This consolidation led to the formation of an independent group company called ATech, which provided IT services as a third-party vendor to ABPO and other firms. The total outsourcing their IT functions to ATech not only gave huge cost benefits but also decreased their management functions. The risks that usually came with complete outsourcing were mostly mitigated, as ATech belongs to the same group company as ABPO.
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West Ham United have invested so much in Andy Carroll, both financially and strategically, that there was widespread alarm when the striker left the substitutes bench to return to the dressing room during the first half of the east London club's 12th defeat of the season.
Social media was buzzing with rumours that the striker had broken down again, just a week after playing his first game of the season, in the victory at Cardiff last weekend.
It was a false alarm, however, with the unusual reason outlined by Sam Allardyce after a match in which Carroll did play the final half-hour and missed a great chance to put West Ham level and lift them out of the relegation zone.
In the end, Yohan Cabaye scored in stoppage time, the Frenchman's second goal capping an outstanding individual display and completing a deserved win for Newcastle.
Carroll's continued presence could be essential for West Ham's hopes of survival, which is why he is being wrapped in cotton wool.
Allardyce said that most substitutes are too easily distracted during a typical touchline warm-up, which his why Carroll needs more controlled preparations to play after a series of foot ligament injuries since his £15 million transfer last summer. "He has his own procedure to make sure he's doing the right warm-up," Allardyce said.
"When players are left on their own, they wander up and down the touchline and watch the game, like everybody else. The FA does not allow a sports scientist to take that warm-up on the touchlines, for whatever bizarre reason. So Andy comes inside and gets a thorough warm-up with the sports scientist, who is not allowed to do it on the sidelines."
Alan Pardew, who sold Carroll from Newcastle United to Liverpool two years ago, has no doubts about the striker's importance. "I am sure he is going to grab this team and keep them in the division," said Pardew, who is more interested in keeping Cabaye from prying eyes.
The French midfielder opened the scoring from close range in the 16th minute and completed it with a curling free-kick in the 95th. Loïc Rémy had made it 2-0 as Newcastle threatened to run riot before Carlton Cole pulled back one goal on the stroke of half-time and missed another chance more inviting than Carroll's volley over the bar in the 75th minute.
Arsenal wanted Cabaye last summer, and while Pardew is determined to keep his playmaker, he said: "Everyone has a price so you are always nervous in a transfer window. We sold Andy Carroll on the last day of the window two years ago, when we did not expect him to go, but it was a bid that came out of left-field. I will never ever say 'never' ever again."
While Pardew is looking at a renewed push on the top four, Allardyce is hoping to have more players available for next month, when West Ham face fellow strugglers Swansea City, Aston Villa and Norwich City. Before then, they play Manchester City in the Capital One Cup and Chelsea in the league without much hope, but Allardyce said: "The bottom line is 22 points from the next 16 games makes you safe, however you get them, and the key lies against teams in the bottom half of the table and having players back from injury and suspension."
Allardyce, whose position becomes more fragile with each defeat, is angry at probably losing out on Ivory Coast striker Lacina Traoré, with Monaco likely to sell him to Everton despite West Ham obtaining clearance for a work permit.
"Monaco didn't sign off the paperwork when we asked, and at the 11th hour it looks like they had a change of heart. To have worked so hard, gone out there to meet him and do a medical and then not complete the deal is a real kick in the nuts. I got mugged good and proper."


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ACS Board of Directors selects new executive
Saskatoon (July 13, 2017) – The Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan Inc. (ACS) Board of Directors has elected a new executive and one new Board member.
Norm Hall, a producer in the Wynyard area accepted a second term as Chair of the ACS Board of Directors. Norm, who represents the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) has been a member of the ACS Board of Directors since 2015 and assumed the Chair position in June of 2016.
John Serhienko, a producer in the Blaine Lake area is newly elected to the ACS Board of Directors. John represents Simply Ag Solutions Inc. where he also serves as a Director on the Board.
The ACS Board of Directors also includes Harvey Brooks, General Manager of the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission who serves as ACS Vice-Chair and Gordon Schroeder, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board who serves as ACS Secretary-Treasurer. Remaining Board members are Dr. Michael Nickerson, U. of S. Research Chair Department of Food & Bioproduct Sciences; Wayne Truman, Director with the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission; and Roger Provencher, representing the Saskatchewan Bison Association. Deb Niekamp represents Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Shawn Gibson represents the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture.
Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan is a non-profit, member based organization with 22 full and five supporting members. ACS works on behalf of our members to provide solutions to industry issues and capture new opportunities. ACS programs provide information, support, training and administration, bringing broad benefits across the provincial agriculture and agri-food sectors.
For more information, please contact: Bryan Kosteroski , Executive Director Phone : 306 229 8986
E-mail : email@example.com www.agcouncil.ca


text:
Sacramento Credit Union is a full service credit union in California with branches in Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville, and Fair Oaks. It has a wide ATM network nationwide through the CO-OP network. Their small business offerings include savings and business checking, loans and cards, investment services, and more. They have an A+ / BBB rating and generally positive reviews online.
Sacramento Credit Union membership is open to anyone who lives or regularly works in the California counties of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba, as well as any and all businesses, corporations and/or other legal entities operating in these counties.
Sacramento Credit Union Business Checking Rates & Fees
|Monthly Fee
|No monthly fee
|Minimum Balance Requirement
|No minimum balance requirement
|Transaction Fee
|Free unlimited deposited checks and ACH transactions
|Wire Transfer Fee
|Outgoing (domestic): $35
Outgoing (international): $45
|Cash Deposit Fee
|Info not available
|Overdraft Fee
|$27 per item
|ATM Fee
|Non-Sacramento Credit Union ATM transaction: $1.00 per transaction
Sacramento Credit Union Network
Sacramento Credit Union has branches in Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville, and Fair Oaks, along with a wide ATM network in Northern California and nationwide through the CO-OP network. You can use their branch locator to see which locations are closest to you.
Sacramento Credit Union Additional Business Banking Services
Sacramento Credit Union also offers the following business services: business savings and money market accounts, business lines of credit and credit cards, as well as loans such as SBA / business loans, commercial real estate loans, and business vehicle financing. They currently do not offer wealth management services. Find out more about their small business offerings on their website.
|Online & Mobile Banking
|Business Savings
|Money Market Accounts
|Business Line of Credit
|Business Loans
|Business Credit Cards
|SBA Loans
|Commercial Real Estate Loans
|Wealth Management
Best Small Business Checking Account
Want to know which bank we named the best business checking account for small businesses? Read our business checking account buyer's guide comparing the top six options.


text:
A new report from Queen's University Belfast, commissioned by the advice and support programme Drink Wise Age Well, has found alcohol misuse among people over 50 is costing Northern Ireland healthcare services an estimated £125 million.
Alcohol-related deaths in Northern Ireland are at their highest since records began, increasing 70% since 2001. This increase is particularly stark in older age groups with the largest number of deaths occurring among those aged between 45 and 54 years, closely followed by those aged 55-64 years.
A 2018 study by Public Health England found for every £1 invested in alcohol treatment services there is a social return of £3.
The report coincides with the publication of Calling Time for Change, a charter for politicians and policy makers about how to reduce alcohol harm among people over 50. The charter was co-designed with people and families affected by alcohol problems and alcohol and ageing experts from the Drink Wise, Age Well programme:
Recommendations for policy makers in the charter include:
Professor Ciaran O'Neill from the Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast said:
"The issue of alcohol misuse has received increased attention in recent months arising in part from the publication of mortality statistics showing a sharp rise in alcohol related deaths. This report highlights the significant burden to the health service of managing alcohol misuse related morbidity. Our estimate of £125 million per year is conservative but serves to underscore the magnitude of the problem. The scale of the issue suggest there is a need to consider public health measures such as the adoption of minimum unit pricing among broader public health measures and the provision of support services to those seeking to quit drinking."
A Drink Wise, Age Well service user, describes what worked for him: "Drink Wise, Age Well completely changed my life. I really felt that I needed the group support but I also found the one-to-one support very beneficial in my case. I had a lot of issues that I didn't want to discuss in the group but I was able to discuss and resolve with my adviser. I now have the confidence to go to events that have alcohol and not drink and still enjoy the evening."
Adrian Loughrey, Drink Wise, Age Well said: "The report reveals the significant health costs of alcohol misuse in Northern Ireland today. However the costs are more than financial - it can devastate families and communities and stop people having an active and healthy later life. We believe that older adults can make positive changes to their alcohol use and it is never too late for this to happen. But we need to ensure services are designed in a way that feels welcoming to people over 50. At the moment we're only reaching a fraction of the people who could use some support."
Queen's University Belfast is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
For more information please read our Equality and Diversity Policy.
Queen's University Belfast is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC101788
VAT registration number: GB 254 7995 11


text:
Bark Park Dog Rescue
Family Foster for Traumatized, Neglected, and Abandoned Dogs
Until They Find a Forever Home
About the Park
Rates & Services
Hours & Location
Bark Rangers
FORCE-FREE Training
My name is Marlon, I am one of a litter of 9. There are 5 of us left. Our Mom was a Yellow Lab and a lot of us look exactly like her. Our dad was a brindle colored lab mix. We were born on Feb. 24th. We have had our first shots, been dewormed and are on heartworm and flea preventative. We know we are REALLY cute right now but we will not stay this small for long. We are going to be good sized, we already weigh around 20 lbs each and we are only 12 weeks old.
So PLEASE make sure that you are ready to give us a permanent home including having the time and commitment it will take to teach us how to be mannerly dogs, so we all stay happy and we don't end up in a shelter or another foster home down the road. We will definitely need to work on house training when we get to our new homes, mainly because we won't know where the right doors to use are until you teach us. But we are already showing signs that we won't go where we sleep. So all we will really need is to start out in a small area like a crate in a small room or inside of an exercise pen until we associate the whole house with where we sleep. We like our crates because they make us feel safe and secure. It is almost like we have our own rooms like kids do. We can go there when we want to rest or just get a break. We are all typical puppies and we LOVE to chase running children! Check out our little video with the boy that lives here at our foster home. We had a blast!!! There are two cats that live here with us and
they are fun too. They move fast and if you get close enough to them, they will hiss and spit and swat at us. If all of us get a chance to bother them together it's even more fun to watch them. So if you have cats at your house, we will need to be taught not to bother them. We are working on that here too, but new cats will probably make us need to be taught again. We live with a lot of other dogs, some big and some little and some will play with us and some would rather not. If you have any dogs already, it would be a lot more fun and exciting for us if they like to play too. If you have room in your home and your heart for me, please contact my foster mom, Amy. You can e-mail her
or call her, 352-796-1888. She hopes to hear from you VERY soon! Thank you, Love, Marlon
If you can't adopt right now but want to help, we always appreciate donations. Please specify how you would like your donation applied. Thank you!
The adoption donation for Marlon is $50.00. Please Print & fill out an
Adoption Application
, then scan & email it to
We will be in touch with you as soon as it is received.
Thank You for Your Interest in a Rescued Dog!
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text:
theraven1979 wrote:I agree - was thinking about this thread the other day actually - would be good if we could get one going on Saturday.
PaulinLondon wrote:A reminder of how Reviews should be.
We can do it.
We have got lazy and it's time to up our game.
Good call, running commentary please for us unfortunates unable to attend....


text:
L.K. Bennett
Rina Sneaker
L.K. Bennett
Rina Sneaker
$350.00 $139.00
Editor's Note
Final Sale: Eligible for Size Exchange or Store Credit Only
Every woman needs a go-to sneaker. This shimmering beauty rests on a chunky rubber sole for added comfort and style. Throw these on with your jeans and tee or dress them up with a midi-skirt.
Fits true to size.
- Suede Upper
- Rubber Sole
- Made in Spain


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Chris has a couple busy days ahead of himself … he is set to appear on not one, but two late night talk shows! Here is the talk show schedule for Chris – check your local listings for channels and air times! Chris will be on both shows to promote Thor.
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (NBC)
Thursday, May 5th, 2011
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)


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A Railway in Bawlf
* Story Behind the Image *
Wooden grain elevators are part of the heritage of living on the prairies. In Alberta, Canada, these prairie sentinels are vanishing which is sad because they connect me to my childhood and memories of growing up on the Canadian prairies. Since I used to love trains as well, this series of images actually started off as a personal project. I was moved when my customers started to connect with these images too......
I photographed this one upon special request from a customer. Taken after a rainstorm it glistens like a green weathered beacon of hope, upon this rural Alberta skyline.
* Canvas Details *
My canvas prints are printed on a polyester/flax blended canvas with giclee inks. They are finished with a polyurethane satin-finish varnish. They are mounted on a half inch wooden frame. Each print is signed by me.If the canvas size is 16x24" or larger then your print is gallery wrapped on thicker 2" wooden bars and it is a numbered limited edition; each print is numbered 1 and through 99. Please inquire if you are wondering which number your print will be.
*Gallery Wrapped Canvas Details*
These prints are also printed on polyester/flax blended canvas with giclee inks and finished with a polyurethane satin varnish. But In addition to being signed, my gallery wrapped canvas prints are limited numbered editions in a 99 print run that are available in print sizes 16x24 and up. Please inquire if you are wondering which number your print will be. They are mounted on thick 2" wooden frames for maximum viewing enjoyment.
* Additional Details *
All watermarks will be removed from your print! :)
Everybody's computer monitor is different, therefore due to individual computer screen calibration the color, brightness and sharpness on your print may not look exactly like what you see on your computer screen. My monitor is calibrated with my photo lab which means your print will turn out as I had artistically intended.
Please allow 1-2 weeks for order processing.


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Connecticut is a northeast state specifically within the new england area of the United States of America. Admitted to statehood in the year 1788, Connecticut has a population of over 3,405,570 residents and covers an area of 5,009 square miles. The capital of Connecticut is Hartford.
Discover and explore Connecticut, a state in the country of United States. This online guide of information, articles, and photos of Connecticut helps you explore the attractions and points of interest of Connecticut. It is located on the continent of North America and its GPS coordinates address is latitude 41.597782 and logitude 41.597782. [Map of Connecticut].


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Tuesday, November 13, 2012
What Is The Meaning Of Life
If life is all about been born, becoming an adult, having children, working hard to raise them, becoming old and dying; only for our children, grand children and great grand children to go through the same process as we did, until a time comes when the very earth on which we stand self-destruct and cease to exist.
If this is what life is all about then life is meaningless. I would go even further and agree with you if you said God did not exist, because why would a living God create the earth, its vegetation, animals and people only for the purpose of destroying everything he had created.
It doesn't make sense that a living God would destroy everything he had created without a grand plan for making something better from what is destroyed. This reasoning argues against the view that the earth created itself according to the Big Bang theory. It also argues against the view that God does not exist.
If the Big Bang created the earth, the animals and people who live on it, then it would follow logically that life has no meaning, that we are born simply to live and die like flowers of the field.
Conversely, to argue, as I do, that life has meaning requires that we look elsewhere, other than the Big Bang Theory, for the creator of life. In my search for the creator of life, I found the explanation given by the bible most persuasive; perhaps more so because I am a Christian.
From my research I found that in the beginning was the essence of God, which is love. By God's will his Word came into being, and from God's breathe came into being his Holy Spirit. Together the three became one in the God Head. The God Head expresses his will by his Word, and the Word is given physical form by his Holy Spirit.
In Genesis 1:11 we see the three persons in God at work,"And God said, let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seeds in it, according to their various kinds. And it was so." Here, God's will was made known by his Word, and the things commanded by his Word were instantaneously given physical form by his Holy Spirit.
Now that we know God is the creator of life the next question is, why do our bodies, healthy and beautiful during our prime years, slowly deteriorate in health and vigor, until at last, are destroyed in death? Is God any different from the Big Bang, since both eventually destroys life?
As I have said before, if we accept the Big Bang as the creator of life, we are compelled by logic to also accept that life has no meaning, because in the hands of the Big Bang life was created for no other reason than to be destroyed. On the other hand, if we agree that God has a higher purpose for life then we can also agree that physical life is a transitional state of existence to be replaced by spiritual life upon its end in death.
The transition from physical life to spiritual life is analogous to how a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly. In the body of the caterpillar the butterfly has limited mobility, it is slow and clumsy, vulnerable, and constantly in fear. Upon the death of the caterpillar, comes into being a very mobile butterfly, evading birds of prey and expressing its freedom and beauty in flight.
Similarly, in our human form we are limited in what we can do by time, space and resources. We are vulnerable to temptations, we are beset with material needs and diseases, and in constant fear, regardless whether we are rich or poor. And please, do not buy the argument that our purpose on earth is to endure hardship in order to be purified for eternal happiness in heaven.
Jesus debunked that argument in Luke 12:29-31 when he said, "And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
My friends, Christians are not condemned to enduring perpetual hardship on this earth. If it were so, nothing could more effectively drive a wedge between God and man. The reality of human life is that people who are hungry, cold, constantly worried about keeping a roof over their heads, getting medical care, or finding jobs, would not for long believe in a God who is suppose to help them get these things.
Which is why Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of heaven; meaning seek first the indwelling and baptism of the Holy Spirit, and along will come God's wisdom and power to help us create the conditions in which the things we need for our comfort and happiness would become ours.
We know this to be true because it is not God's plan that people should be poor, that people should constantly worry about losing their jobs and livelihood, that people should work hard, and yet not earn enough money to meet the basic needs of their families, or that people should die from curable diseases for want of affordable health care.
But we live in a world governed by the laws of nature, and the relationships those laws create. Those born into rich families would become rich enjoying all the advancement and comfort of wealth, while those born into poor families would become poor, and suffer the emotional and physical pain of poverty.
This been said, if left alone, the laws of nature would produce increasing misery on the face of the earth, which is why God stepped in to empower everyone to meet the basic needs of life. He is a fair God. He will not sit by while billions of people struggle under the crushing weight of poverty and powerlessness.
Through out history, God has touched the hearts and minds of dedicated men and women who have worked to smooth out the sharp edges of the laws of nature, opening multiple paths for the poor and needy to rise into the middle-class. Yet there is more to be done. In fact, some would argue we are currently experiencing a retrogression in the upward mobility of the poor and needy, particularly in developing countries.
As individuals we have access to the means to change the course of our lives. And although God has made these means available to us, he will not force us to accept them. We are free to accept the opportunity God has given us, or reject it; keeping in mind that in both the physical and spiritual worlds everything has its opposite. Just as darkness opposes light, so too the evil one opposes the Holy Spirit.
This struggle between the Holy Spirit and the evil one is seen in our daily interact with each other. If you look carefully, you will notice that all the advancement humankind has made in science, technology and philosophy have done little than bend us toward the dictum: "each for him or herself"; or to put it bluntly: "the survival of the fittest." God is telling us to choose a different path. He is telling us to let love guide how we interact with each other; meaning to use human knowledge to bend us toward doing onto our neighbors as we would want done onto us.
Why is love, as defined by Paul in First Corinthians 13:4-7, relevant in the search for the meaning of life? When love is expressed by doing onto our neighbors as we would want done onto us, it purifies our hearts and opens our souls letting the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. Once the indwelling occurs, our minds are infused with divine wisdom to help us understand that the meaning of life is to have a spiritual relationship with God.
Evidence of this spiritual relationship with God would come to us in a vision. We will see God, as Jesus promised in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." But, we will see God not as we would see a physical person. We will see him in spirit form, and the elevated consciousness given us by the indwelling Holy Spirit would enable us feel the presence of God as though we were seeing and talking with a physical person.
All this is happening because God is spirit, and as we grow in our understanding that death is not the end of life but the beginning of a spiritual life, we would see the relevance of God in our lives, and the reason we should love our neighbors as ourselves.
I know you cannot wait to ask, what would happen to those who do not have a spiritual relationship with God? In Luke 3:16 we read, "John answered them all, I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
Everyone would be given the opportunity during our earthly lives to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. The requirement for this baptism is to do onto our neighbors as we would want done onto us. This baptism would not only connect us directly with God, but also give us God's wisdom and power to enable us meet all our needs here on earth.
Fast forward to the end of time, we would all be dead. We would have lost our physical bodies, and exist in spirit form. Those baptized by the Holy Spirit would become one with God in spirit. This spiritual life with God would not be limited by time, space and resources. Consequently, whatever we hope for would instantaneously become our reality. There would be no lapse in time between when we want something and when it becomes ours.
On the other hand, those with no spiritual relationship with God would be baptized with fire. Since they would not have human flesh that can be burned with fire, the current state of the human mind cannot fully comprehend the nature of baptism with fire. But we are certain it would be a purification process, which off course, would be more challenging, to say the least, and different from baptism by the Holy Spirit.
With so many moving parts, the meaning of life cannot be understood without first knowing the creator of life. I have argued in this article that God is the creator of life. But there are still unanswered questions like: why would God create and put us into a world where we must toil day and night to feed ourselves? What wrong did we do that made God to banish us from heaven? Certainly, our condition of life would have been better in heaven. Why are we here?
These questions have something to do with the "fallen angels" before the earth was created. After God banished them from heaven along with their leader Lucifer, overwhelmed by the terrible lost they had suffered, some of the fallen angels pleaded with God for forgiveness. Being infinitely good, God created Adam and Eve from the dust of the ground and put into them the spirits of the repentant fallen angels, with the condition that they would be allowed back into heaven only by baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
My dear friends, as we write the content of our lives with what we say and do, we are moving toward God in two major streams. In one stream are those baptized by the Holy Spirit, and in the other stream are those to be baptized with fire. We will all arrive before God, but how we get there is what the meaning of life is all about.
If you have come this far, I know you have some questions. Send them to me for answers. Meanwhile read my articles on The Meaning and Application of Faith. Be blessed and be well.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Can God Heal Me
I received an email three years ago from a young man in India. He said, "I'm lamed, I walk with sticks, can God heal me?" I replied, yes God can heal him. I also send him several quotations from the gospel pointing out many occasions when Jesus healed the blind, the lamed, the deaf, and those possessed by evil spirits.
He wrote back reminding me that he wasn't interested in what happened 2000 years ago. He wanted to know if God can heal him today. Adding, he is embarrassed by his handicap that he hardly goes out. He feels very uncomfortable among people, is lonely, miserable and has no friends.
It was obvious my Indian friend had heard about the healing miracles of Jesus in the 1st century. He wanted to know if those miracles could be repeated in the 21st century. In his own life experiences, and the experiences of people he knew he could find no evidence of a lamed person who threw away his crutches, and walked on normal healthy legs. He is right, there is no religious institution where you could find a priest able to heal the blind, the deaf, or make a lamed person walk again.
What perplexes my Indian friend is that if it's true that Jesus healed the sick, made the blind to see, the lamed to walk and raised the dead 2000 years ago, why are priests, praying in the name of Jesus, unable to repeat those miracles in our time? The difficulty of finding a satisfactory answer to this question led the German philosopher Nietzsche to claim that "God is dead."
Nietzsche implied that God once lived, but is now dead. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nietzsche is wrong because he misunderstood the death of Jesus on the cross. Consequently, he couldn't accept the resurrection of Jesus, and failed to see the difference between the body and the spirit.
My friends, God is not dead. His Holy Spirit lives among us, and those who seek him in spirit do hear his voice, and do see him. The reason some people hear and see God, while others don't depends on how we seek God. Many believers think that praying, fasting and mentioning the name of God in every conversation is the path to God. These religious activities are important, but more important is practicing the word of God.
Without practicing the word of God, all else fails in relating us to God in spirit. In the gospel you will find many laws and rules of conduct, among them are two divine laws that connect us directly with God in spirit. These are: to love God with all your heart, mind and soul. The other is to love your neighbors as you love yourself.
When you love God, you would want to know his will by reading the gospel daily. This would lead you to the next level in your spiritual development, and that is to demonstrate your love for God by loving your neighbors as you love yourself; meaning to do onto your neighbors as you would want done onto you.
Why are these two the most important laws in the gospel? They open the doors of our souls and let in the Holy Spirit to live in us creating a direct connection with God, and opening our eyes and ears to see and hear spiritual revelations. These spiritual revelations present to us the evidence that God exists. The indwelling Holy Spirit also brings us God's wisdom and power to enable us create the conditions in which what we pray for takes on physical form.
While the Holy Spirit lives in our souls, we are informed by revelations of our power to heal the problems in our minds, body and souls. But just as our bodies and minds when ill need medications or surgery to return to good health; so too our ailing souls need the word of God, to help us do onto our neighbors as we would want done onto us, in order to invite the Holy spirit to dwell in our souls.
While the two mentioned cases may seem separate, they do overlap with each other. When your soul is healed by the gospel, your mind is informed by God's wisdom toward righteousness, and your body is strengthened by God's power toward good health to enable you create the conditions where the things you hope for your happiness will become yours.
This spiritual principle brings me back to my handicapped Indian friend. He wants to be healed by God because the gospel tells him God can heal him. However, it's important to know that God heals us in two ways. He may take away the effects of our problems, or take away the problems. In the first case, the problems remain, but their negative effects on us would go away. In the second case, both the effects and the problems go away. Not surprisingly, believers prefer the second case, but this does not always happen.
Concerning my Indian friend, I will say his physical handicap does not cause him as much problem as the effects of the handicap. The effects are that he has limited mobility and suffers from self-pity. He sees himself less than people around him, and consequently is discouraged from lifting himself off the ground and pursuing his dreams and happiness.
Let's assume for a moment that the effects of his handicap were taken away, he would still be a handicapped person, but his mobility wouldn't be limited because he would have a motorized wheelchair, a car he can operate with his hands, and handicap ramps on every building he wishes to enter. His enhanced mobility would boost confidence in his ability to do what others can do, and end feeling inferior to others. He would feel comfortable among people, and begin to attract new friends into his life.
These are the things my Indian friend wants and hopes for, and as I said before, the Holy Spirit can help him give physical form to these things. But, the Holy Spirit wouldn't intrude into my friend's life, and take away the effects of his handicap. Through prayers, he has to invite the Holy Spirit into his soul. Not only that but he also has to cleanse his soul by reading the gospel daily, and doing onto his neighbors as he would want done onto him.
I agree that this spiritual principle is unsophisticated, but Jesus intended it to be so. He wanted every body to understand and benefit from it, regardless of one's station in life or education. Unfortunately, due to the simplicity of this spiritual principle many have missed the mystery in it, and have gone after exotic and sophisticated spiritual principles that have led to confusion and break in the relationship with God.
More than anything the foundation of our relationship with God is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we can have no spiritual relationship with God. In Mark 1:7-8, we read that John baptized with water, but Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit.
John's water baptism is for the repentance of sins, but baptism by the Holy Spirit is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, connecting us with God in spirit, empowering us to resist the temptation to do verbal or physical harm to our neighbors, and bringing to fruition what Jesus said in John 14:23, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit cannot be had with money, or prayers, fasting and being a devout servant of the church. Only a heart purified by loving God, and loving your neighbors as you love yourself can transform your soul into a comfortable dwelling for the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, many believers miss what has to be done to realize the transforming effect of loving God and their neighbors, as we read in First John 3:18,"Dear children, let us not love with words and tongue but with actions and in truth."
In verses 21-24 John added, "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God, and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his command and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."
Whatever the size of your problems, I want you to be certain beyond any doubt that the Holy Spirit, working through your thoughts and actions, can help you eliminate those problems, or their negative effects on your life. If you have questions regarding how this could be done, send them to me for answers. Meantime, get more detail on the power of love and faith at: www.squidoo.com/meaning-and-application-of-faith
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Understanding The Mystery Of the Gospel
When you read the gospel as historical events that happened 2000 years ago, you would gained some knowledge alright, but would miss the substance of the gospel. What is the substance of the gospel?
The gospel is spiritual food for your soul. As you read the gospel and understand it, the words are transmitted from your conscious mind to your subconscious mind which is the mind of your soul. During the transmission from your conscious to your subconscious mind, the words of the gospel are transformed into spiritual food for your soul.
How the words of the gospel are transformed into spiritual food for your soul is a mystery. Unlocking this mystery requires the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to elevate your consciousness to see, hear and understand spiritual things. This is not as hard as you might think. While the words of the gospel are transformed by your subconscious mind to spiritual food for your soul, the words also inform your conscious mind to demonstrate your love for God by loving your neighbors as you love yourself.
In other words, you cannot receive the Holy Spirit without demonstrating your love for God, just as you cannot demonstrate your love for God without loving your neighbors as you love yourself. Many believers mistakenly think they are demonstrating their love for God by praying, fasting and living piously. While these religious activities are important, they are significant in the eyes of God when accompanied by practicing the words of the gospel.
However, you cannot successfully practice the word of God without involving your soul in the process, which is why it's necessary to hear and read the gospel daily to provide your soul the spiritual food it needs to cleanse itself for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
I know you may find the transforming of the words of the gospel into spiritual food hard to believe. I will go further to say it's alright if you are skeptical about the notion that words printed on the pages of a book could be transformed into spiritual food for your soul. I say this because I was once just as skeptical until I learned to elevate my consciousness.
Your reality depends on the level of your consciousness, or on what you are aware of, therefore it's reasonable to say other realities exist of which you are not presently aware, but could become aware of. For example, without the microscope you couldn't have known about the micro-organic world. Similarly, without faith you cannot become aware of the spiritual world.
Listen to what Jesus said in Mark 11:22-24, "Have faith in God, Jesus said. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, go throw yourself into the sea, and he does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen,it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
This spiritual principle is the most misunderstood among believers. What do we pray to God for? Do we pray for bread and meat to feed our families? Do we pray for shelter to protect us from the weather? Do we pray to God for good health?
All these things are necessary for our survival, but have you ever heard of a starving man who prayed to God, and suddenly bread and meat appeared on his table, or a family who prayed to God, and suddenly the leak in the roof of their house stopped during a heavy rain, or a man who prayed to God, and suddenly got healed from diabetes, tuberculosis or cancer?
Very few people, if any, would say they have heard about or seen such miracles, and the reason is miracles are not every day events. Yet, if we shouldn't pray to God for material things, then what should we pray to God for? In answering this question it's important to know that God is a spirit, he is not a magician.
When Jesus said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours," he meant when you pray to God, you will receive the Holy Spirit who will give you God's wisdom and power to enable you create the conditions in which the material things you need would become yours.
This view is supported by Matthew 6:28-33 where Jesus said in part, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Here, God is telling us to first seek the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, then we will have divine wisdom and power to enable us get the material things we need.
You see, God does not ordinarily find jobs for the unemployed, or put bread and meat on the table of starving men. Off course, God could if he wishes to do so; in which case he would perform a miracle. But again, miracles are not every day events. Miracles happen only when your thought and God's thought coincide, in which case your thought is lifted to the level of God's, making what you hope for to instantaneously become yours.
Therefore be wary of people who tell you, all you need do is pray to God and you will have what you ask for. Also be wary of people who tell you to send them a certain amount of money and God will give you what you pray for. Again, remember God is not a magician. He is a caring spiritual father who wants to empower you with his spirit to help you create the conditions where you can put bread and meat on your table, stop the leak in the roof of your house, and afford to see the doctor when you are sick; not by wishfully thinking the things you need for your survival and happiness would miraculously appear in your hands, but by applying God's wisdom and power through your thoughts and actions.
I have spent my adult life thinking about the mystery of the gospel, and have found that faith is the key to understanding that mystery. The argument that faith is to believe blindly is wrong. When you go back to read the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1, you will find that faith is the pursuit of knowledge. Faith asks us to seek and find the substance of what we hope for, and the evidence that God exists. I see nothing related to blindness in the pursuit of knowledge. Meanwhile, you can begin your search for spiritual knowledge through faith by reading my articles on The Meaning and Application of Faith.
Let me add that regardless of what you feel about God and the gospel, don't be content with the notion that God exists, end of story; or that God does not exists, end of story. In which camp you find yourself, it's important to seek more knowledge about God either to confirm what you believe, or to change what you believe. And you can begin with asking questions.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Receiving The Holy Spirit
When the Holy Spirit enters your soul, you will be changed. You will see and hear things that others don't see and hear. You will experience an elated state of mind convinced that you have found the solutions to all the problems in your life.
Unfortunately, seeing and hearing things and elation are also indicators of schizophrenia and mania. So how do you distinguish between the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the effects of a mental illness?
In the case of schizophrenia, the affected person suffers from hallucination. He sees, hears, smells and feels things that others don't. These effects of schizophrenia become a problem and indicate a mental illness when they begin disrupting the normal life of the person. When he cannot properly function in school, at work, or maintain relationships, its time to seek psychiatric help.
Under schizophrenia the affected person also suffers from delusion. He refuses to change what he believes to be true even when presented with irrefutable evidence that his belief is not true or logical. For instance, he may believe people around him are cheating, plotting to poison, or spying upon him. He may also have delusion of grandeur and believe he can accomplish things beyond his immediate resources and ability.
In the case of mania, the affected person may be either elated, or irritable and angry. He would have racing thoughts, increased talking, faster speech than normal, risk taking, grandiose plans and impulsive behavior. Normal people do experience some of these characteristics of mania, but these become indicators of mental illness when they disrupt the person's normal life.
On the other hand, while the indwelling of the Holy Spirit would enable you to see and hear things that others don't, you would have this experience no longer than a few days. Better still the experience wouldn't disrupt your normal life. If these revelations begin to disrupt your normal life know that they are not from God, they may be the effects of a mental illness, or from evil spirits.
This is the reason priests don't normally teach the mystical underpinnings of the gospel. If they did, they would be introducing us to the activities of spirits. And since in the spiritual world there is no telling when we would run into evil spirits and be misled or harmed, priests seek to protect us from direct contact with spirits, and when we do come into direct contact with spirits the experience is gently explained away.
Priests have a good reason for protecting us from receiving direct revelations from spirits. Can you imagine the pandemonium that would occur in the church if half the congregation began seeing and hearing things that others don't see?
Well meaning as the priests are, we don't need that protection. We need to know the mystical underpining of the gospel in order to understand who is God, and his relevance in our lives. Agreeing with this is why Jesus spoke in parables telling us earthly stories to explain spiritual principles aimed at helping us understand the nature of God, and his relevance in our lives, and letting us know we can have direct relationship with God by worshiping him in spirit and in truth.
Matthew 13:3-23 is one such parables. Jesus told the story about a farmer who went out to sow seed, pointing out that the seed stood for the word of God, and those who hear, understand and apply the word of God in their daily lives would receive the Holy Spirit.
Before I lose you let me say quickly that receiving the Holy Spirit, or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a mystical process. In our conscious state of mind, you and I cannot understand this process. To understand the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we need help from the word of God.
By hearing, reading and practicing the word of God we prepare our souls for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but practicing the word of God is not easy. If it were human relationships would be far better than they are today, and consequently most of the problems we face would have been solved.
Still, practicing the word of God is doable when done on the foundation of love. A love that is willing to give without expecting something in return. I know I've caught your attention because what I'm saying is very seldom done. In the natural course of our lives when we give we expect something in return. For example, when you treat your neighbor kindly, you expect him to treat you kindly in return. If he doesn't you would stop being nice to him.
But the gospel teaches differently. It encourages us to treat our neighbors kindly, regardless whether they treat us kindly or not. This is hard stuff to swallow, and is the reason so many people are unable to practice it in their daily lives. Instead, we practice the dictum: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth which leads to spiritual emasculation and blindness. We are forever hearing but not hearing what matters, and forever seeing but not seeing what matters for our happiness.
Knowing that humankind was headed for disaster is the reason God came in the person of Jesus and lived among us, so that we might receive the Holy Spirit by hearing and practicing the word. By hearing and reading the word, we acquire faith by which we can see God, and strengthen our love for him.
Our love for God can be demonstrated only by practicing his word. And what is the word of God? In the form that matters the most, the word of God is this: love your neighbors as you love yourself, meaning do onto your neighbors as you would want done onto you. Loving your neighbors as yourself is the mystical underpinning of the word of God.
If you love your neighbors as you love yourself, you wouldn't accept any revelation that told you to do onto your neighbors what you wouldn't want done onto you. For example, you wouldn't accept as a legitimate revelation to steal your neighbor's property, or take his wife or husband, or do harm to your neighbors, because you wouldn't want your neighbors doing these things to you. The mystery in this spiritual principle is that love opens the door to your soul for the Holy Spirit to live in you, protecting you from been misled or harmed by evil spirits.
By this spiritual principle God has revealed to you and I the mystical underpinning of his word. You don't need a PhD, or a Masters Degree, or even a high school diploma to understand the word of God, and have a direct spiritual relationship with him. Certainly, Jesus and his twelve disciples didn't have PhD and Masters degrees, yet they understood the mystical underpinning of the gospel, and taught it to all who had ears to hear.
To be sure, the word of God is a mystery, but by his grace we now know that by doing onto our neighbors as we would want done onto us, we can transform our souls into hospitable dwelling for the Holy Spirit, making us three persons in one, as God is three persons in one; making us children of God, as Jesus is the son of God.
As a child of God, remind yourself daily that the Holy Spirit lives in you. Know that the Holy Spirit will not make you do what you don't want to do. The presence of the Holy Spirit in you, makes available to you God's wisdom and power. It's your choice to use them to create the conditions in which the things you hope for will become real in your life.
If you have questions send them to me for answers. I don't charge for answering your questions. I received the Word freely and freely I give it to you. Meanwhile, read my articles on "The Meaning and Application of Faith."
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Can I See God
I was formally introduced to God and religion at five in a Catholic school. Soon after I began wondering who is God and when could I see him.
As I got older I realized I was not going to see God, after learning from my teachers that God is a spirit, and I could not see him in the same way as I did my parents and friends. I was disappointed and for a while gave up longing to see God, but in my mind remained the desire to see him, and this desire resurfaced again and again during difficult times in my life.
These difficult times strengthened my desire to see God and have a personal relationship with him. My desire was reinforced when I read Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God". In saying these words Jesus was letting me know my heart is the source of my emotions, thoughts, motivation, courage and actions, and if I could express these in love without harming my neighbors I would see God.
Jesus' promise that I would see God was exhilarating. But how could this be done? How could physical persons like you and I see God who is a spirit? Was Jesus trying to trick us into believing God exists? Or was Jesus telling the truth?
In response to these questions, some biblical scholars argue that Jesus did not mean we would see God, because it is impossible for a physical person to see a spirit. On the contrary, they argue, Jesus meant we would see God through his works in our lives; pressing we needed nothing more than common sense to see the truth in that argument.
In fact, we can see God spiritually. These scholars see the issue solely from a physical perspective, ignoring the spiritual perspective which is paramount on issues relating to God. For starters, how could you have a meaningful discussion about God who is a spirit without talking about the activities of spirits and their effects on our lives?
Not talking about the activities of spirits in the church has diluted the power of our relationship with God. Many believers would be surprised to learn they have nothing more than a physical relationship with God through their priests. If you desire a spiritual relationship with God, it is worth knowing your priest can only show you the way to God, he cannot connect you with God in spirit. Nobody can connect you with God in spirit, only you can, aided by faith.
To have a spiritual relationship with God you should worship him in truth. You can worship God in truth by hearing or reading the gospel daily to find the truth and apply it in your life. This way you will find true love to enable you love your neighbors as you love yourself; meaning doing onto your neighbors as you would want done onto you.
Loving your neithbors as you love yourself is the second most important spiritual principle in having a spiritual relationship with God. The first is to become one with God in love. The reason love is important is that it allows the Holy Spirit to live in your soul. Only then can you have a spiritual relationship with God, and be elevated spiritually to see God.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a mystical experience normally not comprehended by human intelligence or senses. When you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit you may see and hear things that people around you cannot see and hear, in which case you would be called a schizophrenia. You may also experience an elated state of mind expressed by feelings of euphoria, lack of fear and an acute mind, in which case you would be called a mania. Is there any wonder why priests don't promote the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as ultimate goal of worshiping God?
You see, there are social disincentives to expressing your experiences with the Holy Spirit. But the good news is the vast majority of people indwelled by the Holy Spirit don't see and hear things. The indwelling Holy Spirit often gives us God's power and wisdom to improve our condition and find happiness.
In my next article I will talk about the difference between revelations from God, and the actual medical illness of schizophrenia and mania. Meanwhile, send me your questions, and read my articles on faith at: www.squidoo.com/meaning-and-application-of-faith
Monday, September 3, 2012
Connecting With God In Spirit
If you believe in God, you've rid yourself of the problems faced by nonbelievers who don't want to be bothered with questions like: Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where are we going, and why are there so much pain and suffering in this life? These are hard questions, and nonbelievers are aware science and phylosophy have no satisfactory answers to them. Yet they reject there is knowledge beyond human knowledge, and life beyond physical life.
Nevertheless, the nonbeliever has a point when he asks: how do we prove there is knowledge beyond human knowledge? How do we prove there is life beyond physical life? Because there is no physical means to find answers to these questions, is the reason religion came into existence to provde the spiritual means to do so.
Before commenting on how religion can help you find answers to the questions on life and death, let me say a word or two about religion. It is the pathway to God. Religion introduces us to God. How we connect with God spiritually depends on what we do individually aided by faith. The reason we need faith to connect with God spiritually is that faith bridges the physical and spiritual world.
In Hebrews 11:1 we read, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and evidence of things not seen." The things we hope for, before they are realized, exist in our imagination. What is "imagination"? It is the image of things and people formed in the mind not perceived by our five senses including, sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch; yet when you think about it, all the things we are aware of which form our reality come to us through our five senses.
If the things and people in our imagination got there not through our five senses, how did they get there? You may be surprised by what I'm about to say: we have a 6th sense that makes us aware of things and people not perceived by our five senses, and that 6th sense is the human soul. The soul being a spirit perceives spiritual things and people and makes us aware of them in our imagination.
The imagination is our window to the spiritual world, through which we see the images of people and things reflected in our minds, as in a dream, vision or nightmare. These images let us know what exists and what is achievable, but without the soul, these images would be blurred and meaninless.
Fortunately, everybody has a soul, so you don't need faith to have hope and imagination, but you need faith to connect with God in spirit. Now, why do you need to connect with God spiritually when you don't need him to have hope and imagination? Let me answer the question by saying if you believe in a God who you do not see, and yet believe he exists it can only mean you believe in a spirit. Consequently, your relationship with God would be different from your relationship with your parent and friends. How different?
Your relationship with your parent and friends occurs on a physical level, and made easier because you can see and talk with them. To have a relationship with God you need to elevate yourself spiritually because God is a spirit. Since we can not do this on our own, God came down to earth in human form through Jesus Christ to teach us how to elevate ourselves to have a spiritual relationship with him.
God has already reached out to us, it's our turn to reach out to him through faith. By faith we are encouraged to do onto our neighbors as we would want done onto us to purify our hearts allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell in our souls, and make us one with God in spirit.
Becoming one with God in spirit unlocks the power of Matthew 5:8 to enable you to see God. You will find the evidence that God eixist, as you apply in your daily life what Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God". With a pure heart you will see God.
Read more about faith and how to purify your heart to see God at: www.squidoo.com/meaning-and-application-of-faith
Sunday, June 24, 2012
God and Science
Science supplanted God and religion in the 1600s following the new paradigm that required logical explanation for all natural phenomena. For example if you said water is made from 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom , to be accepted as truth by your peers you had to prove your claim by an experiment. Thus any claim of truth that didn't meet the acid test of logic and evidence was written off as superstitious and false.
God and religion couldn't meet the acid test of logic and evidence, so they were left behind while science matched on, creating hitherto unknown knowledge and skills that produced material goods on a scale never before known to humankind. Unfortunately, we are approaching the limit of science where the production of more and more material goods fails not only to provide enough food and material comfort to all people on the face of the earth, but also fails to bring us happiness.
We are discovering that what needs fixing is our perceptions and the attitudes they create which determine how we interact with each other. In other words, how we treat our neighbors. No amount of material goods can teach us how to treat our neighbors as we would want to be treated. Science cannot help us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves because pure love conflicts with the desires of the flesh.
Before I put forth my view that only God can help us love our neighbors as we love ourselves, let me tell you something about how God came into being. Science will tell you in the beginning was "energy" and from that energy came matter. I will say in the beginning was the "spirit of love" and from that spirit of love came all that was created.
Science can prove that all matter came from energy, what it cannot prove is from where came the energy. On the other hand, we can begin to find proof that all matter was created by the "spirit of love" from the fact that we did not pay a penny for the earth, it's vegetation, fresh water, air and minerals. The oceans and the fishes and plants in them. All these things necessary for human survival and happiness were given us free of charge.
Other than the "spirit of love", what other entity could have given us these incomparable gifts while asking nothing in return? Love is the essence of God. It is that which makes God who he is. In fact, without love God couldn't exist. Recognizing God's love in our creation and in the creation of everything around us, it's hard to deny the existence of God, even when we refuse to say it aloud.
God is love, which is why he encourages us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, to enable us connect with him in spirit. Just as there are physical laws of nature, there are also spiritual laws. Just as when you throw a ball up it will come down, so too when you love your neighbors as you love yourself, you will connect with God in spirit.
I know it's not easy to love your neighbors as you love yourself, if it were there would be no war, hatred and poverty on the face of the earth. But loving your neighbors as you love yourself is a goal worth pursuing not only to make the lives of your neighbors better, but also make yours better, free from fear, despair, stress, depression, hatred and other vices that deprive us the opportunity to connect with God in spirit.
Connecting with God through love doesn't mean we would not have problems. What it means is we would not be overwhelmed by those problems. We will receive from God the spirit of power, the spirit of love, and the spirit of a sound mind to empower us fight off the spirits of fear, despair, loneliness, stress, depression and hatred, in order to maintain peace in our minds, bodies, souls toward happiness.
Read more about connecting with God in spirit at: www.squidoo.com/meaning-and-application-of-faith
Thursday, March 15, 2012
You Know God Exists, What Next
Knowing God exists based on personal experiences in your life is important, but more important is knowing how to use that knowledge to improve your life, and the lives of people touched by your words and action.
Too often though, people are scared away from God by the fear of religious rules of conduct, arguing these rules limit their freedom. Fortunately, Jesus took away this fear 3000 years ago when he summarized the Ten Commandments into two overarching spiritual principles in Matthew 22:37-39.
By telling us to love God with all our hearts, minds and souls, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves, Jesus replaced those feared religious codes of conduct with loving God and our neighbors.
But, since God is spirit, we can love him only by loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. We would understand this when we give some thoughts to what Jesus said, "How can you love God who you do not see, but hate your neighbors who you see everyday.
Yet many people have difficulties loving their neighbors as they love themselves, because in every person are two entities each seeking control over the words and action of the host person. These entities are: the natural person who seeks the things of the flesh, and the spiritual person who seeks the things of the spirit. These two are in constant conflict.
The conflict between the natural person and the spiritual person is the reason Paul said in Romans 7:19-20. "He desires to do what is good, but he cannot carry it out. Instead he does the evil he doesn't want to do."
The natural person seeks all the good things for himself, leaving scraps for his neighbors. As individuals, we tend to resist sharing power and material things equitably with our neighbors. And this is the reason you will find conflict wherever people live.
This human shortfall is the reason no person can do the right thing all the time. Our only hope is to ensure our words and action flow from love, as love alone can give us the spiritual strength to want for our neighbors what we want for ourselves.
Doing onto our neighbors as we would want done onto us is not without its reward. In doing so, we make our souls hospitable dwelling for the Holy Spirit. And once our souls are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, we connect spiritually with God bringing his blessings into our lives. Blessings that lead to freedom, fulfillment and happiness.
Send your questions to me at: firstname.lastname@example.com
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Why You Need To Know God Exists
For starters, forget about what you have heard for, or against the existence of God. Blaze your own path with a personal mission to find the truth about God. You need to do this to base your attitude toward God on actual experiences in your life, rather than only what you hear.
The difference between humans and lower animals is we are aware we shall eventually die. To allay the fear of death, some argue death is the end of life. Consequently, they tell us to eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we are dead. They reject the existence of the human soul, retorting how could they believe the soul exists when they cannot see it.
But there is a reason they don't see the soul. And it is that the soul is a spirit. By elevating their spiritual consciousness they would experience the soul acting in their lives, and understand the purpose of death.
Death is a transition from physical life to spiritual life. It ends one form of life in order to begin another form of life. Which is why its important to know what would happen to us after death. The type of life we shall have after death is fully explained in the gospel.
Certainly, agreeing with the gospel doesn't mean blindly accepting that God exists. It means searching for proof that God exists. This is where many believers fall short. They give up too easily searching for proof that God exists.
Meanwhile, the means to prove that God exists have been with us as long as the gospel has. In Matthew 5:8 Jesus said, "the pure in heart shall see God," to press home the point that in order to see God we should purify our hearts.
Paul teaches us how to purify our hearts when he spoke about the Gentiles in Acts 15:6-9, "He [God] made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith." By faith our hearts are purified to enable us to see God. Read more about the power of faith at www.squidoo.com/meaning-and-application-of-faith. If you have a question contact me at email@example.com.
Monday, January 30, 2012
God and Reasoning
The time has come when the mystery of God and reasoning are united to help us understand the meaning of life, whose purpose is to refine us toward righteousness in preparation for a higher form of life; leaving behind the infirmities and limitations of the physical body, and elevating us into a blissful existence beyond the comprehension and imagination of the human mind.
The vehicle that takes us to this higher form of life is faith. Now faith is not wishful thinking, or blindly accepting what we are told. Faith is the search for spiritual knowledge, as we read in Hebrews 11:1.
By faith we are encouraged to search for the substance of things we hope for, and the evidence of things we do not see. Far from coercing us to believe blindly, faith puts us on a mission to find evidence in our lives to prove God exists.
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By Robert Byrne, partner; and Abid Mohsin, associate
Today, 4.5 million McDonald's customers in Japan use smartphones. And they don't just use them to order and pay for meals. Thanks to a free app, they also receive, store, and redeem McDonald's coupons. Meanwhile, in the U.S., thousands of smartphone users are earning reward points every time they enter one of 1,300 BestBuy stores. And they earn even more by scanning or purchasing products.
The merging of smartphone and GPS technology has birthed a digital offers industry that is rapidly altering the customer decision journey. Digital offers – purchase incentives that can be delivered to customers through a variety of online channels – are more than another way for businesses to sell to their customers. They are becoming a critical linchpin in the battle that businesses are waging to win the customer decision journey.
The digital offer promise for customers and companies
"The mobile phone is a device people have with them literally 24/7," said Jack Stephenson, head of mobile marketing and e-commerce for JPMorgan Chase, in a recent interview with David Edelman. "It has your contact information and a lot of personal stuff on it. Stores could offer you discounts exactly when you want to use them."
The promise of digital offers has set off a stampede of interest as retailers, credit card companies, banks, start-ups, and telecoms companies look to cash in. Google's eWallet wants to deliver on the long-expected promise of using your smart phone to make purchases. American Express has linked deals on Facebook to its card, allowing people with both accounts to get deals from select merchants and redeem them by just using their Amex card. Meanwhile start-ups like Shopkick, a mobile app that provides customers with offers and rewards when they walk into a store, and Groupon Now, the mobile version of the social shopping service, are creating a cacophony of digital offer options on-the-go through the smartphone.
Though digital offers delivered to mobile devices are in their infancy, the trends are promising. Customer product research on mobile phones is up 54 percent since 2009 while some 52 percent of customers use smart phones in store to check prices at other venues. For merchants, digital offers are a way to connect with the mobile customer. According to our recent research, after receiving a text message offer from a store, 47 percent of customers went to a sale they would not have otherwise gone to. Some 40 percent who received a similar message went to a different store from the one they were in. BIA/Kelsey expects about $3 billion worth of digital coupons to be redeemed by 2013. These trends are only going to continue as barriers to adoption – bar code reading capabilities, customer behavior, CRM technologies, and trust in e-payment technologies – crumble.
Retailers see the ability to easily reach consumers when and where they shop, and to rapidly adjust offers to accommodate changing circumstances. All this gives marketers a powerful tool that can help them to truly own the customer experience.
Getting the digital offer model right also opens a treasure trove of customer data. For some time retailers, service providers, card companies, and others have been amassing vast datasets of information about consumers' purchasing preferences and lifestyle choices. Combine that with millions of consumers who also store purchase and related information on their smartphones. Savvy sellers can now tap that rich data lode to develop and deliver precisely targeted digital incentives.
Preparing amidst the uncertainty
All this activity has created an understandable sense of uncertainty. Companies are experimenting judiciously but don't want to get caught on the betamax tape side of the digital offer technology shake-out. But retailers need to start preparing now to be in a position to benefit from the rising tide of digital offers no matter how the offer delivery platform evolves.
"Traditional retailers adapted to e-commerce," says Stephenson. "They now need to do a similar type of adaptation to mobile commerce."
Learn more about us at Chief Marketing & Sales Officers Forum, and follow us on Twitter @McK_CMSOforum.


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