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Are You A Good Candidate for Breast Augmentation?
Consistently at the top of the most performed, and popular, cosmetic surgeries in the United States, breast augmentation can serve many purposes for women around the country and is a safe procedure when performed by a trained and certified plastic surgeon. In fact, according to a report from the Ame…Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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So the news at Devine Lie is that our new CD, Stop the Bloody Trade, is available. But as you might have noticed, this release is very different from all our previous albums, as you can ONLY get this by making a donation to our selected Charity, Limpopo Rhino Security Group, who are at the forefront of the war against Rhino Poachers.
The album IS not available in any other way, so not for sale through the usual suspects such as our Record Label, CD Baby, Apple iTunes, Amazon etc.
So what about the new album:
Stop the Bloody Trade has been three years in the making – in that time we have changed singers (again) with Gina Ellen stepping in for David Treanor, although David does contribute on one track, Honey on the Beach.
The album has been Mixed and Mastered by grammy nominated Pascal Magdinier , Mix engineer, Producer and writer with 15 years professional experience in a wide variety of genres
Major label credits and experience in mainstream and national media and TV music
He has worked with: Katie Melua, Mel C , Kim Wilde, Dario G (Shirley Bassey ), Joe McElderry, Tom Felton ( Harry Potter ), Andrew Roachford, Tom Staar, Christian Burns ( BB Mack ), Ednita Nazario ( Grammy nominated Latin artist )
Also Nigel has been expanding his sound pallet with some new (well old!) Hardware synthesizers.
Formanta Faemi 1M
A pretty mad typically Russian synthesizer but capable of some astonishing sounds
Yamaha EX 5
The EX5 features an unique Extended Synthesis system which incorporates a number of the most advanced tone generator technologies…plus a full-featured sampling system. It offers a Four-Element Voice structure which allows for up to four independent waves from any of the tone generators. Great for pads and atmospheres
Roland RS 09
The RS-09 is an analog string and organ synthesizer. The string sound and organ sounds are nice, fatty analog sounds.
Siel Orchestra
The Orchestra is a 4-part orchestral synthesizer from the classic Italian synth company, Siel The Orchestra has 4 presets: Brass, Strings, Organ and Piano. The 4 tone color families can be played individually or two can be simultaneously played. They are also individually tweakable. Selected presets will light up LEDs to show you which sliders and buttons can be used to modify the sounds. The synth itself is very limited, there's no external control, no pitch/mod wheel and few edit parameters. However it sounds very good and it is, after all, a classic analog synth.
Korg Delta
Korg's Delta is an analog semi-poly synth/string machine. Though limited in the range of sounds compared with other synths of the same genre, the sheer quality of the sound from this little beastie really does make it something of a marvel.
The EKOsynth P15 from the Italian make EKO is a very rare preset-based synthesizer, circa 1979. The concept is typical of its time – it offers 15 preset sounds (hence the P15 moniker) that sound almost nothing like what they claim to emulate, with basic synthesizing capabilities when switched into "Manual" mode, housed in a rugged road-worthy case with built-in carrying handle and a latched cover.
The P15 is monophonic and totally analog. The signal path is still entirely analog from start to finish, and the result is very warm sounding.


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Microsoft Active Directory Documentation Script Update Version 2.22
February 14, 2019
#Version 2.22 released 14-Feb-2019
- Added a line under the OU table stating how many OUs are not protected
- Added color $wdColorYellow
- Added Exchange schema version 17000 for Exchange 2019
- Added to the "Gathering user misc data" section, the following console message if there are more than 100,000 user accounts in AD:
- There are $($UsersCount) user accounts to process. The following 17 actions will take a long time. Be patient.
- Changed section heading "Domain trusts" to "Domain Trusts" to match the capitalization of other sections
- Changed several $Var -eq $Null to $Null -eq $Var and on Get-Process line for WinWord (thanks to MBS)
- Changed test for "No Certification Authority Root(s) were retrieved" by Michael B. Smith who contributed the original code
- For HTML and Text output, for Heading1 and Heading2 output, added "/// " and " \\\" surrounding the heading text
- This will help for those of us who read reports that contain > 100,000 OUs and users and > 1,000 GPOs
- Removed "Preview" from Windows Server 2019 AD Schema version 88
- Remove unused variables
- Updated help text
You can always find the most current script by going to https://carlwebster.com/where-to-get-copies-of-the-documentation-scripts/
4 Responses to "Microsoft Active Directory Documentation Script Update Version 2.22"
Peter Johnson Says:
Hi Carl
Sorry no. I didn't run the report and all I have is the HTML output..
I might be able to get the guys to rerun it with the text option but it's a large environment and has some pretty intense change control processes even just to run a report.. So I was looking for a quick way to extract the tables into a collection of CSV files..
Carl Webster Says:
Sorry, I don't know of a way to do what you need.
Peter Johnson Says:
Hi Carl
Really fantastic work with this. I'm trying to get the resultant HTML imported, or at least the tables in into PowerBI to do some funky reporting… Do you have any ideas on an approach.
PowerBI itself bleats that the html requires activescripting on which I've tried with no luck.
If I could get it converted to JSON or XML I would be golden, I think.
Once great work..
Carl Webster Says:
Have you tried the Text output option?
Leave a Reply


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Super Commuter+ 7 is a complete departure from electric bikes of the past, and it draws from 40+ years of experience building bicycles, 15 years of e-bike innovation, and a continuing partnership with Bosch, the leaders in e-bike technology.
More power, more possibility
Like all Trek e-bikes, Super Commuter+ 7 employs pedal-assist technology that boosts a rider's power and increases speed and distance. It's equipped with a 250-watt Bosch Performance motor that helps you sustain speeds of over 30 km/h, a long-life 500Wh Bosch Powerpack battery, and an elegant Bosch Purion controller.
Eye-catching design
Even at first glance, Super Commuter+ 7 is something extraordinary. The bike's battery is integrated into the down tube for a sleek, seamless look. The bike also has an integrated SuperNova Mini-2 lighting system, with powerful front and rear lights that deliver outstanding visibility in all hours of the day and night. The lighting system charges off the battery, eliminating the need to charge lights separately.
Created to commute with ease
Super Commuter+ 7 was created to stand up to the toughest commutes. Wide, high-volume, 27.5+ x 2.4˝ Schwalbe Super Moto-X tires combat potholes and roadway debris, while 180mm direct-mount hydraulic disc brakes and a carbon fibre e2 fork deliver confident all-weather stopping power in any conditions.
The bike also comes equipped with commute-ready accessories like an integrated low-profile Tubus rack, fenders, and a rear-mount kickstand. The MTB-style chain guide virtually eliminates chain-drop, even over rough terrain, and braze-ons under the top tube make it easy to customise your ride with additional commuter gear.
Performance that goes the distance
With a maximum assist of 32 km/h, Super Commuter+ 7 makes covering long distances in speed and comfort a reality. For the first time, replacing one's car with a bike is a real possibility for more people around the world.
Super Commuter+ 7 is available immediately in sizes 45, 50, 55 and 60 cm through Trek's wide network of retail partners for R 79,999.
Join the conversations on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrekBikesZA/ or Twitter: https://twitter.com/trekbikes and Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/trekbikes/.


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11 Tech Founders Debut Elevated Startups Following Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator
11 Tech Founders Debut Elevated Startups
For 11 startup teams, the past 13 weeks have been challenging, rewarding, grueling, exhausting, and enlightening.Learn more
What's a Startup Accelerator Really Like? Go Behind-the-Scenes with Our New Docuseries
What's a Startup Accelerator Really Like? Go Behind-the-Scenes.
There's nothing quite like a startup accelerator. Your business models are put through the ringer. Your pitch to investors and clients gets razor sharp.Learn more
LIFT Labs PHL is Officially Open in the New Comcast Technology Center
Meet us in Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles, Austin, New York and our hometown of Philadelphia!Learn more
Inside Molly Beck's Bold Plan to Take Podcasting Mainstream
to Take Podcasting Mainstream
If you're reading this, you probably have an idea for a podcast. Maybe you'd talk about relationships, riff on politics, or offer business advice.Learn more
Sick of Hitting Paywalls? Get Your Teams All the News they Need with NICKLPass
Get Your Teams All the News they Need with NICKLPass
Sumorwuo Zaza is tackling one of journalism's toughest problems: monetizing content.Learn more


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If you're a chocolate lover, you're going to go crazy for these cookies. Blogger Joe Duff of The Diet Chef somehow made the perfect keto-friendly chocolate cookie, all with less than 10 ingredients! We're impressed.
Chocolate Keto cookies are soft and fudgy!
If you're a chocolate lover, you're going to go crazy for these cookies. Blogger Joe Duff of The Diet Chef somehow made the perfect keto-friendly chocolate cookie, all with less than 10 ingredients! We're impressed.
Chocolate Keto cookies are soft and fudgy!
If you're a chocolate lover, you're going to go crazy for these cookies. Blogger Joe Duff of The Diet Chef somehow made the perfect keto-friendly chocolate cookie, all with less than 10 ingredients! We're impressed.
Sweet, soft Keto pecan crescent cookies
These pecan cookies are Carolyn's (of All Day I Dream About Food) family's favorite. We can see why—crumbly pecan cookies meet a simple glaze, making them completely irresistible.
Nutty walnut snowball cookies are Keto friendly!
These snowball cookies from our friends at Keto Connect are big on walnut flavor, just how we like them. A perfect recipe to make with kids, we're adding this one to our permanent holiday rotation.
Gingerbread pudding = perfect holiday treat
We can't get enough of this festive gingerbread pudding.
Popcorn shrimp is fried to perfection
Popcorn shrimp served a spicy tartar sauce is the ultimate combo.
Popcorn balls get a festive makeover
Popcorn Balls are super simple to make and sprinkles make them so much more fun!
7-Up pound cake is our favorite bundt cake
7-Up Pound Cake uses the lemon-lime soda for an easy bundt cake that's perfectly fluffy!
Honey garlic chicken two ways = all-star meal prep
This addictive honey-garlic chicken is perfect for meal prep.
How to make creamy Christmas corn dip
Rich, creamy, and so easy to pull together, this corn dip is an absolute party-starter. The addition of red and green peppers adds a touch of festive holiday flare, and also helps temper the sweetness of the corn.
Cinnamon Roll Cookies Cinnamon roll cookies
Try out a new spin on traditional cinnamon rolls this holiday and bake them in cookie form instead!
How to make lemon drizzle loaf cake
Five ingredients make up this super easy, gorgeous lemon drizzle cake. The British classic is one of the nation's favourite cakes for a reason and we can't get enough of the citrusy, moist loaf.
Aperol Christmas cake
Fruitcake? Sounds a bit old fashioned! It's anything but – this is the future of Christmas cakes. By using heat, you don't have to soak the fruit for days, plus cooking the mixture gives it a head-start, cutting down the baking time and making crazy cake tin prep redundant.
Quality street cookies
These cookies would work brilliantly with any selection box of chocs. We recommend keeping the cream-centred chocs, caramels and toffee pennies for tucking inside the cookie dough (otherwise they ooze everywhere and make a bit of a mess), and the more solid ones - fudges, chocolate blocks, green triangles - for the top.
Salted caramel cake — Tunnocks caramel wafer cake
This easy caramel sauce hack makes simple work of a fancy-looking cake. If you're super-short on time, whisk caramel sauce into pre-made frosting too.
Mince pie tiramisu
This egg-free, quick tiramisu mix is a total winner. Use your fave Xmas booze if you don't have rum.
Battenberg brownies
Gosh, nothing quite gets us feeling all nostalgic like a mini Battenberg cake, they're soooo good! Sweet, marzipan-y and seriously tasty, we chucked them into our foolproof chocolate brownie recipe and we're incredibly pleased with the result.
Vegan chocolate cake
Chocolate vegan cake?! Yes please. Your taste buds will most definitely be tingling with excitement when they have a taste of this. Saturated in freshly brewed coffee and espresso powder, this cake is deliciously DEADLY. Ready?
Homemade turkey dinosaurs
Who remembers eating turkey dinosaurs as a kid? A school dinner classic, a meal you got SUPER excited about when your mum or dad got them out the freezer. Yes, these cute dinosaur-shaped nuggets evoke some pretty good memories, so we decided to create our own version in homage!
Confetti butterfly cupcakes
These easy cupcakes are perfect for a birthday or baby shower. Choose strongly coloured sprinkles to guarantee your butterflies look their brightest.
Freddo brownies
Ok, we're still not over the fact Freddos aren't 10p anymore, but we still have a soft spot for the frog-shaped chocolate treat. We've sandwiched whole Freddo bars in between layers of brownie in this recipe, and topped with Freddo faces, because WHY NOT!?
Elf jumper poke cake
Squidgy ginger cake, silky-smooth Biscoff spread – it's a Christmas miracle! If you don't want to frost the cake with the elf jumper design, simply spread over vanilla frosting and dot over some crushed Lotus biscuits, a few mini gingerbread men and sprinkle over a bit more cinnamon.
Banana custard banana bread
Bananas. Custard. A classic old-school combo that tastes oh-so-good in this easy loaf cake.
Coffee and walnut whip cake
Coffee and walnut cake is such a traditional bake, a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, a bake sale classic. Chopped walnuts, a rich coffee sponge, an espresso-spiked frosting, what more could you want? Well, how about decorating it with Walnut Whips?
Snowball cocktails
A Snowball is traditionally made using equal parts lemonade and advocaat, a Dutch drink made from eggs, sugar and brandy. We've made ours with extra brandy as the perfect winter warmer, along with lime juice and a splash of lemonade.
Thanksgiving Favorites: leftover turkey sandwich à la Ross from Friends
Here's a step-by-step guide to make Ross's famous turkey sandwich from Friends - complete with Monica's secret ingredient: the moist-maker.
Sticky toffee pudding cupcakes
Sticky toffee pudding is THE ULTIMATE comfort food. It's warming, comforting and damn right delicious. So we took all those flavours and turned them into easily eatable cupcake form. Make with ready-made toffee sauce, and fudge chunks for added ease. Trust us on this one, people are going to LOVE them.
'After Eight' microwave cake
This is one of those last-minute, need-a-chocolate-fix kind of puddings, but for a crowd. We guarantee it's one of the quickest hot desserts you'll ever make from scratch, and is mixed together in (and potentially eaten from) one dish, so saves you washing up too. Winning.
Martini cheesecake
The pornstar martini is one of our FAVOURITE cocktails ever, so we've reimagined the flavours into this easy cheesecake. Easy to throw together, and is a dinner party showstopper. Pair it with the passionfruit cocktail, obv.
Bourbon and custard cream brownies
If you're after the perfect bake to go with your cup of tea, I'm going to bet these custard cream and bourbon brownies would do just the trick. Our perfect fudgy chocolate brownie mixture swirled with one chocolate and studded with some of the nation's favourite biccies.
Thanksgiving Favorites: cheesy cauliflower and leek gratin
If you need a way to get your kids to eat their vegetables this holidays, try out this cauliflower and leek gratin. They'll love the cheesy sauce and added bacon, and so will the adults!
Three-ingredient quality street fudge
WE LOVE FUDGE. It's gooey, sweet, and perfect to dip into. And our version isn't only packed full of a whole box of Quality Street but involves no stove at all. Just three ingredients and BAM, you're done.
Black forest cheesecake
A retro combination of flavours, black forest NEVER goes out of style. This super simple cheesecake recipe is such a quick and easy dessert to rustle up!
Milky Way brownies
What better way to upgrade a chocolate brownie recipe than sandwiching a gorgeous layer of Milky Way bars in the centre (and Milky Stars on too, obv).
Thanksgiving Favorites: butter pecan sweet potato mash
You have to try this butter pecan twist on traditional sweet potato mash this Thanksgiving. Check out the recipe on today's episode of Best Bites.
Keeping your energy up is a hard task. Try our tested techniques for staying energized especially during the winter months
With "My Queue" you can quickly save videos to watch later.
To add an item to your queue just click the sign next to the video.
Once you've added a video visit "My Queue" to start watching!


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More on Kinsey
This article/defense of Alfred Kinsey by Christina Larson is a must-read, especially by those of us who are following the conservative crusade against sex itself. Kinsey is a particular enemy of the wingnuts because he committed their two biggest sins--spoke unflattering truths and introduced science where superstition used to reign.
Larson does a great job in just a few paragraphs of quelling the doubts raised about Kinsey's methodology by those on the right, who for understandable reasons aren't really that good about telling the difference between good and bad investigations into methodology. Influenced by fundamentalism, wingnut critics of science tend to hold it to the same standard that they hold the Bible--if but one word of it isn't absolute perfection, an entire body of research or scientific theory must be thrown out. But science isn't received wisdom from god, it's a slow, winding journey to a better understanding. Kinsey invented an entire research methodology and everyone who has gone into the study of human sexual behavior since then, at least legitimate study, has built on his work.
The amusing thing is that those who complain about Kinsey's methodology then will turn around and demand that his sample should have been less representative of the diversity of American life than it was.
Conservatives complain that Kinsey's interviews included prisoners and gay-bar swingers in New York, who gave stories from America's wilder side. That's true, but those interviews comprise a small fraction of the overall sample. In fact, one of his research assistants, Paul Gerhard, subsequently removed the prison samples and reanalyzed the data, finding relatively little difference in the overall results.
Gay bar denizens, prisoners, and prostitutes are Americans, just as surely as a Mormon grandmother in Salt Lake City is. I think what's going on here is that a lot of wingnuts, on top of the general fear of sex, don't like hearing that the American Male is James Dobson and he is Dan Savage. By highlighting the very real diversity in American sex lives, Kinsey also brought up the uncomfortable fact that conformity is not a requirement to be American.
Of course, there's gay sex in Salt Lake City, too, which is just more unflattering truth. (From the conservative perspective, of course.) I am reminded of that stupid joke that the Bush twins made at the Republican Convention about how "Sex in the City" is something you do, but don't talk about. This is beyond just simple good manners and is veering deep into hypocrite territory. Just because sex makes some people queasy doesn't mean that the facts have to be hidden. The damage from complete silence clearly outstrips the mere discomfort some people have knowing that their neighbors might be having the S-E-X. Kinsey's own story about his and his wife's inability to consumate their relationship on their honeymoon is a good example of this--if he had not had the initiative to dig up the information necessary, their relationship could have been severely damaged. Most people need to have good information to be happy--how many gays and lesbians have happy lives they wouldn't have had if we all still thought it was a good idea to pretend that homosexuality didn't exist?


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Commissioning, provision and accountability
The NHS is a large and complex organisation. To see the change and improvement we all want, it is essential that we empower local leadership, and make sure our commissioning, provision and accountability processes are fit for purpose. People affected by cancer and clinical leaders across the country will be in the driving seat for improving quality.
Improving cancer survival, earlier diagnosis and long-term quality of life need action in primary, secondary, tertiary care and beyond.
We will support strong local leadership and the robust use of data across cancer pathways to support improvement and innovation from the ground up.
To increase our accountability we have:
- Launched an integrated Cancer Dashboard. By the end of the year, we will have added increased functionality to the Dashboard, including the ability to cut the data by Cancer Alliance area.
- Rolled out a national system of Cancer Alliances.
- Supported the national Cancer Vanguard to prepare to pilot delegated financial responsibilities for providing whole-pathway services for cancer patients from April 2017. The Cancer Vanguard web page has more details.
- Supported the National Cancer Registration and Analytical Service to outline its framework and work programme for supporting the NHS and other partners to achieve the ambitions set out by the Cancer Taskforce through a central focus on world-class data, intelligence, and analysis. Public Health England (PHE) will complete its project on health economics in colorectal cancer care and will share learning with commissioners.
- Published a link to the Independent National Cancer Advisory Group. This page, on the Cancer Research UK website, provides information about membership and meeting minutes.
- Published details of our Clinical Experts Group.
For more details, please see Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes: Taking the strategy forward.


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JR Dental is pleased to offer a wide range of dental services in Valencia, California! With extensive skill at providing quality dental care, combined with a team devoted to the needs of each individual patient, you're sure to leave JR Dental with the confident and healthy smile that you deserve! Call us today at 661-290-3355 to schedule your next appointment with our dentist!
- General & Family Dentistry
- Orthodontic Treatment
- Restorative Dentistry
- Cosmetic Dentistry
- Implant Dentistry


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Cook,Theback to list print
Type: TV series
Genre: detective story
Year of production: 2012
Number of episodes: 20
Directed by: Andrey Ivanov
Written by: Mikhail Kolodinskiy, Sergey Kuz'minykh, Vladimir Kukovyakin, Robert Rovnik, Andrey Rumynskiy, Igor' Ter-Karapetov
Production designers: Andrey Soloviov, Artem Agapov
Directors of photography: Vyacheslav Tyurin, Aleksandr Stolpakov
Composers: Camil' Abdulin, Petr Rozlomiy
Producers: Aleksey Terentiev , Vlad Riashyn
Premiere: 14/05/2012, on "Inter" (Ukraine)
Cast: Igor' Botvin, Sergey Gamov, Roman Ageev, Aleksandr Andreev, Mikhail Batuev, Anna Zhukova, Tatyana Samarina
Felix Malinin lives in a small town. His friends and acquaintances regard think as a good person despite his sometimes unsocial and eccentric behavior and long absences due to frequent business trips. Felix's weakness is cooking, but he also has a secret known to only a few.
Felix works for an investigation bureau attached to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and his codename is Cook. His job involves undercover operations to collect information that may be of interest to the police. Capable of instantly transforming his appearance and behavior, Felix will do anything to get the information he requires. Giving each mission a culinary name, Felix approaches his assignments as if cooking a delicious new course, savouring and relishing their unique flavors.


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Relationship between the size of brain and intelligence
People have long been tempted to link brain size and cognition. The intuitive notion that a "big brain" means "more intelligent" was first threatened some time. Nov 22, There is a commonly expressed view that mental abilities are linked to brain size in humans. Such a view is partially supported by gradual. stated that there is no relationship between brain size and intelligence in modern man, although a causal relationship when dif- ferent species are compared is.


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Now showing items 1-10 of 13
Overcoming the multiple-testing problem when testing randomness
We propose a new method for overcoming the problem of adjusting for the multiple-testing problem in the context of testing random-number generators. We suggest that it is to be used in conjunction with an existing method. ...
Overcoming the multiple testing problem when testing randomness
(University of Hertfordshire, 2008)
In this paper we propose a new method for overcoming the problem of adjusting for the multiple testing problem in the context of testing random number generators. We suggest it is to be used in conjunction with an existing ...
The management of antenatal venous thromboembolism in the UK and Ireland : a prospective multicentre observational survey
This prospective observational study reports on 126 women from 25 UK centres with image-proven antenatal venous thromboembolism (VTE), 62% deep vein thrombosis and 38% pulmonary embolism. Thrombophilia screening was of ...
Estimation and Comparison of Endogenous Ordered Category Multilevel Models
(University of Hertfordshire, 2004)
Data often take the form of ordered categories. For instance, in education, test results are often reported as grades. Where a hierarchical structure exists for--the data, multilevel modelling of such ordered categorisations ...


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Read Daily Updated Light Novel, Web Novel, Chinese Novel, Japanese And Korean Novel Online.
This chapter is updated by Wuxia.Blog
And yet, why were things so sorrowful?Because love was demanding.
After that day, I fell ill for a month. Luckily, Nongyu's medical skills were brilliant enough to snatch back my life. Under his care, my broken body became as doughty as a dragon and lively as a tiger[1]. Because of urgent matters, Little Li had to return to the palace, but it was for the best. If he could convince the expectant Han Zichuan to give up on me, it'd be even better. The sentiment-injured Fang Hua wood was now red and would take human form soon, so Han Zichuan would never get his poison resistant wood again.
As we entered winter, the first snow fell. When my sickness was just about gone, Nongyu became absent-minded. He never fully recovered from the shock of seeing the spirit of Fang Hua that day. When I urged him to leave the mountain, he obediently agreed. The day he left, he left me many, many different medicines. That mess of bottles and containers of pills were both strange and familiar…many of the most precious pills I recognized as works by Second and Third. Who knew how they were doing now…but those things had nothing to do with me. Without a good-for-nothing master like me, who didn't know how to do anything, their lives would probably be much better.
After Nongyu left the mountain, I sealed up all paths leading in. There were too many people in the world who'd want to peek at the Fang Hua wood. I just wanted to use my remaining time to stay by his side and live together.
Today was very warm. I bent over the bed to slip on my shoes, open the doors, and bathed my body under the winter sunshine, feeling strange. Much of the snow outside seemed to have thawed. I gave a lazy stretch and warmed myself up before setting to work.
Beneath the Wutong tree in the courtyard was buried the wine Fang Hua and I made together last time. He loved to drink when he was alive. With winter so cold, it must be unbearable for him, so I should bring some to satisfy his craving. Otherwise he'd get mad at me again. My lips curled into a smile. "Shào'er, do you know where we put the shovel?"
As soon as I spoke, I fell in a daze.
Around me, all was still beyond the glittering snow. It was awhile before I recovered my senses. The parrot had disappeared after telling me Fang Hua was buried at the yellow earth hill. I squatted on the ground, burying my head in my knees, and gave a quiet, helpless smile. So living by yourself really could get lonely. It was already hard for me to get used to one day, so how did Fang Hua survive for five years? The cold wind made me sneeze, so I rose to my feet to rub my face with my sleeves. I puffed a breath into my hands before rubbing them together.
"That's enough of that. Time to find the shovel before Fang Hua gets anxious from waiting."
I stopped outside one of the rooms on the west side, spotting a lock on the door. I scratched my head before circulating qi in my abdominal region and striking out with my hand. Dust splattered all over my face, but the force from my palm smashed the lock into countless tiny pieces until it ceased to exist. A breeze slipped out between the door cracks before it creaked open. I walked ignorantly, trying to feel my way about. Before my eyes, there was a scroll after scroll of high quality xuan[2] paper hanging from the rafters. A few rays of sunlight shone down…illuminating floating dust motes in the air…
I raised my head.
All of the hanging papers followed the same pattern, with the same person painted on each one. As the wind swayed the paintings, the person on the paper seemed to waver between crying and smiling. Unabashedly clever and good-looking, a little shameless…she was a woman dressed in men's robes. The smile on her face flickered as I turned my body to look around in a circle, eyes filled with the images of this person called Shao Ye[3]. At that moment, my heart clenched into a small, hard rock, leaping wildly as it was suddenly attacked by a fit of melancholy. I raised my hand to wipe my face but couldn't stop my tears, which kept falling until they soaked my fingers.
Fang Hua, you always manage to touch my feelings when I'm loneliest. But that only made me more morose. I spent a long time in that room before I collected my emotions, found the shovel, and went off to see Fang Hua with wine jug in tow.
The grave mound was nearly buried beneath the snow. On the other side of the grave, the snow was scattered with signs of melting. Somewhere within that snowdrift was a small Fang Hua wood. Whenever the wind blew, its distinctive fragrance filled my whole body, as if that person was still by my side. He'd say, Shao'er…the wine you brew was the best I ever drank. I don't know if this time next year, I can taste it again.
My eyes were growing a little hot…
Master, Shao'er's already remembered all the secrets to brewing wine, but there's no one left to drink it with me anymore.
I lifted the wine jug and took a long drink, its pungent flavor making me choke and cough…I clumsily wiped my face with my hands and started to cry soundlessly. During the month I was sick, I never forgot to bother Nongyu to take my blood to Fang Hua. Even when I was only half-conscious, I'd clamor and make a racket until I felt the familiar pain in my wrists. Every time, Nongyu would feel both angry and distressed.
It didn't matter what he felt. As long as Fang Hua had enough blood to feed him so he could grow up strong and sturdy…
I poured the jug of wine onto the greedy yellow earth, who drank in the rich and mellow liquid. It washed away the melting snow but didn't reveal the familiar red Fang Hua wood. Squatting on the ground, I stared at the snow before pawing through with my hands…and was greeted with a surprise. A single dead branch stood in the snowfield, but the red Fang Hua wood had faded in color to sprout four limbs. They had the quality of jade but were even whiter than snow.
Fang Hua, you're finally coming back…
For a moment, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I was too busy to worry about the cold and sat straight in the snow, covering my eyes with my sleeves. Despite this, the tears still soaked through my clothes. Everything felt like a dream. When I recovered enough to look again, the warm sunlight almost made me dizzy. I leaned against the grave mound to sit by his side and couldn't help but touch him with my fingers. The tiny hand on the hand slowly moved in response, and my gaze softened. Only then did I stop worrying and slowly grasp the hand.
Fang Hua, your hands are very cold. I'll keep you warm.
Fang Hua, when are you going to grow bigger?
Don't be afraid, I'm your Shao Hua.
Three months later.
Ever since Fang Hua first showed signs of life, I wanted to wrap myself in bedcovers and camp out by the grave on my bamboo mat so we could spend more time together. Though the weather was gradually getting warmer, my body wasn't as good as it used to be. My hands would always shake. Fortunately, my vast reserves of internal energy and Nongyu's stores of pills meant I was still holding it together. Maybe it was due to my lack of vitality, but I'd stopped getting my period ages ago. That was fine, though.
The Fang Hua wood in the earth had already grown a face along with its hands and feet. Its entire body was white and soft to the touch. Of course, I didn't take too many liberties, afraid that it'd scare him. The grass by the yellow earth hill had started to sprout, spreading the its soft fragrance with every burst of wind. I leaned against the tomb to watch him, loving him more and more with each glance. I didn't bother with anything else. Sitting by him eventually changed to lying by him, where I'd scoot close to watch. These days, the contours of the little fellow's face was slowly growing clearer. He had a beautiful, exquisite face, almost exactly the same as Fang Hua's…
No…to be more accurate, he was much younger than Fang Hua, but his forehead resembled him so much. With his eyes closed, he really looked like he was fast asleep. I lightly touched his cheek, and his tiny eyebrows scrunched up as if I was disturbing him. My hand lifted anxiously, but it was just a false alarm. His eyebrows slowly smoothed out again. What I'd felt beneath my fingers was unexpectedly soft, giving me a mixture of sweetness and sadness. For a moment, it was almost too much to bear. He really was alive and would grow into human form soon. I took a deep breath and knelt on a ground in a trance, before raising my eyebrows into a smile.
"You must be hungry. Just wait…Shao'er will give you something tasty to eat."
I bit around a mouthful of my sleeve as I took a small dagger from my waist, slicing a cut on my wrist. Blood gurgled out to splash by the dirt at his feet, filling the air with a raw smell. I gritted my teeth as I squeezed out more blood, body leaning against the tomb as I tipped my hand to better allow the bleeding. My other sleeve rose up to cover my face as I turned away, too scared to look.
It'd been this long…but I was still a little afraid to see such fresh red stuff.
My head was so dizzy.
Everyone else slit their wrists to commit suicide, yet I was basically killing myself once a day.
The wind was very gentle. My hand drooped listlessly by Fang Hua's side, the fingertips a little chilly. The temperature in my body flowed away with the blood… I heard a small breathing noise that turned my mind blank. Astonished, I raised my head and saw that little fellow still sniffing about with eyes closed before he found my wrist and started to suck. At the same time I felt something warm, he began to greedily drink, his head swaying back and forth in a daze. I could only stare in a trance.
The warm feeding noises brought a numb limpness to my wound that spread outwards. Some sort of qi flowed between the place where we touched, filling my heart with a strange sensation. My vision turned blurry as more images appeared before my mind's eye in a chaotic mess…
Were these Fang Hua's memories from a past life?
My mind blank, I fell into a faint and had a dream.
Springtime in March, the willow catkins floated through the air as the water rippled.
There was a youth of about seventeen to eighteen years old sitting on a stone seat, a sleeve drenched in the water as he released a white lotus lantern into the pond. This youth had his eyebrows knitted over a young and tender face and was unmistakably a young Fang Hua. Behind him stood a man dressed in white robes, the face obscured by willow branches as he spoke in a soft, pleading voice.
"Lord Hua, please help me treat my husband."
Though the figure was dressed as a man, the voice made me realize it was a woman–one with exceptional heroic bearing. Fang Hua ignored her to stare off into the distance. The spring waters seem to ripple with anxiety. That woman stood for a long time before a little child's cry rose from her chest. She helplessly tried to comfort the child, before speaking in a low voice.
"Even if I've wronged you, don't drag others into it."
Fang Hua suddenly turned around, raising his voice. "Even if your husband only has one breath left, so what? Even if I can cure hundreds of different illnesses, I won't cure his." So speaking, he turned away again. For such a mild-mannered person, his face could still turn red when he was exasperated.
She heaved a sigh by his side. Perhaps the noise was too harsh, because her frightened child immediately stopped crying. The little face turned sullen as the child grabbed at the woman's jacket, but there was no energy to form it into a fist. Slowly, the sounds of the child grew weaker…
"What's wrong with her?" Fang Hua's vision gradually landed on the small baby.
"The little one's been constantly crying, but I don't know why," said the woman, busying comforting her child. Fang Hua took the child from her arms and spoke lightly.
"This fellow's to be pitied as well. I suspect your husband passed on the poison in his body to her as well. I'll save the child but nothing else. You can find another person for that." Turning around, Fang Hua stiffly carried the tired girl away, not even a bit reluctant. The woman stared blankly after his retreating form.
In the pond…the lotus flower lantern had already floated far away.
Beneath the shade of a tree, Fang Hua sat with his eyebrows still knitted. He looked reluctantly at the child in his arms before he slowly smiled–an unsightly expression that looked worse than someone crying. I could understand that kind of inner sorrow.
He said, I'm only saving this child…because she's yours.
Inside the house.
"You're not a bit like your father or mother…" Fang Hua lay on the bed, poking the little fellow's cheek with his finger. The child spread her limbs, wide eyes staring at him as she babbled nonsense, before finding his finger and sucking on it.
"Drink it slowly. Are you taking this for milk? My blood is very precious."
The little child seemed to have understood as she closed her eyes. Under the hazy lamplight, Fang Hua rested his head in his hands, a warm expression on his face. He stared at the little fellow as if recalling something before his expression fell into shadow. The dark red mole at the corner of his eye was startling in its hue.
Thick fog rolled across the scene, boundless and white. When it dissipated, everything cleared up a bit better. Another scene of the house appeared. The inside was the same as before, but the little child had grown up. She wore a cap on her head and a long jacket that dragged almost to the ground. Her feet were bare as she staggered around the house.
The door opened.
Fang Hua came in with a jug of wine, looking sick as heart as he raised his head to down the alcohol. A sleeve rose to wipe his face before he looked at the toddler flitting about. He smiled as if laughing at himself, seemingly desolate. After walking a few steps, he bent down and grabbed the girl by her clothes. The child stared fixedly at him, cramping her brows as if angry. He wrapped around her in an embrace and patted her softly.
"Your father finally died…do you know?"
The little child seemed uninterested in his words. She used a chubby finger to wind his black hair around and around her hand before shutting it in her fist with a closed-eye smile.
"Should I return you to her…?" Fang Hua bent over, poking her cheek softly as he spoke to himself. "I won't live for much longer, so if I keep you…"
The child stared at Fang Hua's sleeve before grabbing it to nibble.
"Eh?" Fang Hua crouched down, prying her off. "You're teething." Seeing that she couldn't gnaw on the sleeve, the child crinkled her brows before setting to work on his finger. When Fang Hua withdrew it with a yelp, it was already covered in saliva.
"Speaking of that," Fang Hua looked around, wiping his hand on his robes. "If I keep you, she'll find me sooner or later. Every time, it's alway me waiting for her. I want her to wait for me once. Don't you think that's right…?" He laughed, and the child laughed with him. Who knew what amused them both, but it probably wasn't the same thing.
"What's it like, being loved…?" Fang Hua's smile faded. His eyes grew dark as he took out the waist sash from her gnawing mouth and gave a sigh. He slowly straightened and poured himself a cup of tea, taking a book along the way to read. Though his eyes were on the words, his heart wasn't in it.
Some time later, Fang Hua's eyes drooped as he dropped into a doze. Just then, a bright sound rang out. When he turned to look, he couldn't help but laugh. The little child had been drenched through with something, her hand holding on with a death grip to a piece of tablecloth as she stood bow-legged on the ground. A giant wooden basin was overturned on the ground, soaking a large portion of the floor. She stared dumbly at Fang Hua with a terrified expression, as if trying not to cry. The skin that was once as clear as white tofu wavered between turning red and turning black, looking extremely livid.
Only then did Fang Hua calm down and walk over. He glanced at the overturned tub, gave her a sniff, and hurriedly put her under his arm before running outside to toss her into the pond. He had no time to undress but strode in right afterwards, rolling up his sleeves to wash her off.
"Look at you. Of all the things to play with, you chose my half-finished pill formula. Now see, you're all dirty…how am I supposed to get all this black stuff off your body?"
Neither scrubbing nor washing worked. Her whole body was completely dark, dying the pretty girl into a shade of charcoal. Fang Hua gave a long exhale and said, "I doubt that even your own mother could recognize you now." Then he fell into thought. Perhaps it'd be better if she didn't.
It seemed like the Heavens were helping him. This little fellow had recognized him as family in the end. If someone really took her away, it'd be more painful than cutting off his own flesh. Within the pond, one big person and one little person stared at each other. Suddenly the smaller figure trembled and turned around to dog paddle away.
"What's that, what're you doing?" Fang Hua stared after her trailing shirt collar. She was still treading water, swimming earnestly. When he finally picked up her dripping form from the pond, there was an extra red lotus in her hand.
"Is this for me?" Fang Hua said happily, drawing her over and grasping her hand. As soon as he went to grab the flower, the little child withdrew her hand. When he tried again, she felt even more wronged and withdrew it again.
"So…it's not for me after all," Fang Hua had a rare moment of disappointment on his face. Suddenly, the little child felt herself being lowered back down again. Inches away from the water, a chubby hand stuck out the red lotus in offering again.
"I was just saying," Fang Hua smiled. "You must have gotten this red lotus for me." He let go as she fell in with a splash, stirring up all the other flowers in the pool.
The streets were noisy and bustling, filled with people. Fang Hua led the little child along as he wandered aimlessly through the town. She gave intense stares to the hawkers peddling their various colorful wares. Fang Hua looked at her quietly before digging into his robes with his hands. He only found a few copper coins and ended up leading her away.
Inside the house, Fang Hua sat in the courtyard, paring away at some wood as he sat deep in thought. Eventually, he began to carve…
The little child squatted on the ground, holding a newly-made diabolo and rattle drum as she played with them in delight. Fang Hua lifted his head and watched her have fun, unaware of the growing smile on his face. Time slowly passed for them both.
One snowy day, a coughing Fang Hua took unsteady steps as he led along a small, well-dressed girl. The wind was fierce as it blew across their footsteps, one big, one small. He was wearing a white fox-fur overcoat that hid most of his face except the pitch-black mole by his eye. His eyes were laden with grief as he reluctantly touched the little child chewing on her candy.
With a soft smile, he handed over the child to an old beggar in a dilapidated temple. Then he reached into his sleeves and took out all the silver he had, placing them in the old beggar's hands. When all was done, he remembered one more thing and draped the fox fur overcoat over the little child's head, cocooning her in warmth. He knelt down and held her in his embrace, wanting to say something amidst his uncontrollable coughs.
Wait for me, I'll come back for you.
Then he slowly turned around and disappeared into the snow.
Dark clouds covered the skies as a thinly-dressed Fang Hua staggered before the yellow earth grave mound. He collapsed onto the ground, swallowed up in a sea of flames until he transformed into a branch of dead wood. The moment that raging fire consumed his being, I finally understood his sorrow. He wasn't resigned to such an end…for the sake of a person he couldn't love, he filled up that lonely house with many beautiful scenes. He was always waiting and hoping while giving up pieces of his own life.
Finally, he gave that person's child away to another person, hiding her in a place only he would know. On the day before he died, he put stakes in a gamble he was guaranteed to win, a stake that would prove that he had once lived this life. If that person loved him, she'd come back to to grieve for him, perhaps giving him a chance to reclaim his soul.
If that person didn't love him, then…for the sake of her only child, she'd use her own blood to revive him. Only then could the reborn Fang Hua remember the memories of his past life and recall where he'd left her daughter. It was a gamble where he could already see the ending, where he didn't have to wait silently or bide his time…
And yet, why was he so sorrowful?
Perhaps because this love was forced.
[1] doughty as a dragon and lively as a tiger (生龙活虎) – shenglong huohu, to be brimming/bursting with energy, to be full of vigour. Healthy. 🙂
[2] xuan (宣) – a type of high quality paper traditionally made in Xuancheng (Xuan City) of Anhui Provine, especially good for traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy.
[3] Shao Ye (勺烨) – the character for Shao is the same as Shao'er's. Ye means "firelight", "sunlight", or "bright". Most interestingly, Ye also contains the radical for Hua (华), which sounds like the hua in Shao Hua (韶华), "springtime" or Shao Hua (勺嬅), our protagonist.
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Politco is reporting rumors that Newt Gingrich may run for President on a 3rd Party ticket in 2012.
Do not get me wrong… I am a huge fan of Newt Gingrich. I still have a stack of Newt '08 stickers that I bought in 2007. Not since Ronald Reagan have I seen a politician that I could follow (I am not much of a follower – clearly I could never be a Democrat!). If Newt runs I will not only vote for him but I will volunteer for his campaign and do anything that it takes to get him elected. Newt is highly intelligent and is the most relevantly educated man in America; he knows history and has the wide perspectives that come with that. I am a Constitutionalist so I have no home with either party, but the Right clearly has a little more respect for the US Constitution than does the ever-collectivist Left.
But I have been around the block quite a few times. I am not some starry-eyed 20-something full of piss and vinegar without any life experience to provide perspective (that is indeed a slam on you young Obama and Ron Paul supporters). Just to give you some clue as to where I am coming from, I have voted in six Presidential elections and have only voted Republican in three of them. Honesty compels me to admit that I have never voted for a Democrat for President as they have not put forth a viable candidate in my adult lifetime. Can any of you say that you have only voted for "your" party in half of the elections in which you have cast a vote? I thought not. So do not write me off as some GOP ideologue.
In 1992 I was disgusted with Bush 41. It was less the "read my lips" broken promise than it was the "assault weapons" ban. Your surest path to losing my vote is to trample on the second amendment; I am funny that way, being a proud lifetime member of the cold dead fingers crowd. In 1992, along came the quirky but straight-talking Ross Perot and this is where I was one of those starry-eyed 20-somethings. A lot of people like me, disgusted with the possibility of a hippie Clinton presidency but unwilling to support Bush 41 for a second term, became Perot supporters. It was esssentially a "No" vote to the establishment.
But what was the result? Democrats, being collectivists, were not going to vote for a fiscal conservative. But many conservatives voted for Perot, taking votes away from Bush 41. The result was the presidency of the slimy Bill Clinton (who, compared to our new empty-suit President, was incredibly realistic and reasonable). Bill Clinton would never have been President without Perot, and without Clinton in the White House taking a vacation from history we may have never seen the 9/11 attacks – a Republican would not have stood by and done nothing in the face of all of those mounting terrorist attacks around the world. But I digress…
I would submit that if Newt does run on a 3rd party ticket in 2012 he will simply split the conservative vote and hand a second term to the radical marxist who now occupies the White House.
What do you think?


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THE CLARION-LEDGER / SEARCH: 2616 John Rankin Hwy Fulton, MS 38843
Single Family Detached
- 2 beds
- 1 baths
- $47,900 price
- 19-1866 mls id
- Square Feet: 1,026 sqft
Put this affordable starter home on 2.3 acres on your must see list! This 2 BD/1 BA home has been updated with new double pane windows and new flooring in the kitchen and bath. A concrete patio in the backyard is perfect for entertaining! All in a country setting with plenty of room for chickens and a garden!
- Site Link
- Style Traditional
Courtesy of: CENTURY 21 Sue Gardner Realty
Office Phone: +16628427878
Listing Agent: Kim Graham
Updated: 10th December, 2019 11:49 PM.
2616 John Rankin Hwy Fulton, MS
Real Estate | The Clarion-Ledger Powered by Placester


text: Rosalind is overseen by the Rosalind Executive Committee, which is made up of representatives from the Rosalind Partners and from KCL IT. The Rosalind Systems Administration Team runs the system under the guidance of the Rosalind Operations Committee, who report to the Exec Committee. The Rosalind User Committee is chaired by an elected User Representative, is open to all users and provides a route for users to highlight problems or suggest changes and improvements to the Exec Committee.


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Highlights for the amazing nightlife. Who is to be imprinted is the Cylinder Led Light that is installed in the form of a huge chandelier (Chandelier) as well as a large size LED screen. We are ready to be. 1 in the world's best clubs. All night to love to experience the new dimension of life
The seating area is divided into 3 zones.
Cocktail Bar
VIP Zone 10 tables for over 150 people
General Zone 100 tables for over 1,500 people
A large nightclub located in the heart of Pattaya, with an area of over 1,600 square meters that can accommodate up to 2,000 people.
L-Acoustic, a world-class sound system with national lighting, is also available for DJs around the world, as well as bartenders and Russian Dancing.
07 November 2018
Viewed 169 times


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[Header Image: Christina Hendricks as Beth Boland and Manny Montana as Rio | NBC]
Oh, man, what an episode. I'm honestly still a little in shock. Generally speaking Good Girls is one of my favourite shows of all time, partly because every episode is so good and it never seems to let me down. That being said, I'm never actually prepared for how good this show is.
Tonight's episode sees Beth, Annie, and Ruby trying to follow through with Rio's orders to clean up their mess. At first we see them make plans and later gather to confront Boomer. It's kind of unsurprising that Beth would be unable to shoot him. She couldn't do it to Rio which yes, is partly to do with the fact that there is clearly something between them even if they can't define it, but it's also because she's a good person and clearly this is her line. Annie says she could have shot Boomer but honestly, unless she's in the moment, I really don't think there's anyway to confirm that. However, even if she could, I get it. Boomer has been making her life a misery long before they robbed the grocery store. Regardless, Boomer doesn't get killed this episode which I know we're all disappointed at but at least the payoff is going to be so good when it finally happens.Continue reading "Good Girls Season 2 Episode 2: 'Slow Down, Children at Play' Review"


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WINE BOT Collection - Haukina - Wine Bot Bottle Stopper
Handcrafted in the heart of California wine country, our complete line of table and bar accessories are made from locally sourced and recycled wine-making materials. What better way to adorn your bar, cellar or kitchen then with a unique piece of repurposed California wine country history?
These are just fun guys to have around! We have them all over the shop in various positions and doing fun tasks and everyone just loves them.
The HAUKINA is a wine bot bottle topper crafted from steel wine barrel rings. Each ring is meticulously bent and shaped by hand (you should see our forearms!) before welded to bring the figure to life. HAUKINA will fit atop most bottles. If you like our WINE BOT bottle toppers, be sure to check out our extensive collection of posed and sporting wine bot figure statues and lights!
DIMENSIONS: approx. approx. 6" tall x 5" wide .
INCLUDES: one Wine Bot.
MATERIALS: Retired Napa Wine Barrel, recycled steel.
SHIPPING: We ship internationally! Additional shipping charges are required for orders to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and all international destinations. Send us a message with your address for an estimate. Shipping discounts are available for multiple purchases.
CUSTOM DESIGN: Don't see quite what you're looking for? We can adapt our designs or create new custom work based on your ideas. Let me know! I love a fun project!
It's pretty amazing what happens in our shop. Thanks for visiting!
All our products are carefully handmade using 100% recycled materials. They are individually handcrafted, one of a kind creations, and not factory manufactured. It is therefore quite difficult to make identical items. Our attentive artisans make every effort to create only the best from materials with natural variations that should not be misconstrued as flaws. These make each piece of a handmade product charming and unique. The pictures may not be identical to the product you receive. It's probably even more awesome!


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BJP demands case against corrupt UP minister
"Ahirwar`s resignation is not sufficient. A criminal case should be lodged against the Minister as he is facing serious charges and a fair investigation should be carried out," BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.
Chief Minister Mayawati was merely doing a formality by removing ministers facing serious charges, he alleged. Ahirwar is facing serious charges, including misuse of government fund and illegal possession on gram sabha land, the BJP spokesman said.
He also sought reasons from the BSP government for not ordering any inquiry against ministers Rajesh Tripathi, Awadhpal Singh, Badshah Singh and Rangnath Mishra. The four were removed on the recommendation of the Lokpal for various corruption charges. "If the BSP government has any morality, it should have lodged an FIR against leaders by taking cognisance of allegations against them," he said.


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Duration: 5 weeks
Dates: Saturdays – 19th Jan to 16th Feb 2019
Time: 10am – 11.30am (1hr 30mins)
Ages: 6 – 14yrs
Price: £100 per child (max 10 children)
Teacher: Emily from Creative Flamingo & potter Hazel Higham
The Children's Ceramic Course is aimed at those aged between 6 – 14 years old and is an introduction into the wonderful world of clay. The 5 week course will ensure that each child gets to make and learn how to create different types of ceramic items from pinch pots to throwing their very own pot. Each week they will be able to choose their favourite item which will be fired ready for decorating during week 5. These finished items will then be glazed and fired ready for collection at a later date.
The course will include the following:
- Week 1 – Pinch pot & animal making
- Week 2 – Coiling
- Week 3 – Throwing – Teacher will be Hazel Higham
- Week 4 – Slab Building
- Week 5 – Decorating
There is a maximum of 10 children for this course to ensure a one to one experience. All tools, clay and aprons will be provided for the course. Each child will be expected to have produced 4 ceramic items which will be decorated, glazed and fired by the end of the course.
Teacher Information
Emily Corlett has a great deal of experience having worked for Middelport Pottery in their activity area. She has recently set up her own business call Creative Flamingo which offers fun creative activities for people of all ages.
Hazel Higham is a professional potter who has trained at Hartlepool College of Art and North Staffs Poly. Hazel is also President and Chairman of the North Staffs Guild of Craftsmen and has extensive throwing knowledge among other ceramic skills.
Should you need to cancel your booking your cancellation must be received in writing at least 14 days prior to the event. A full refund will be made of any fees paid. We are unable to process a refund for cancellations received less than 14 days prior to the event.
Should it be necessary due to reasons beyond our control to cancel an event then our liability is limited to a full refund of the event fee paid.
|Ticket Type
|Children's Ceramic Course - 5 weeks


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Chamber Music in Alternative Venues In the 21st Century U.S.: Investigating the Effect of New Venues On Concert Culture, Programming and the Business of Classical Music
Date of Award
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
School of Music
Music Performance
First Advisor
Jennifer Parker-Harley
This study investigates chamber music performances outside of traditional concert venues in the 21st-century U.S. The literature review traces the use of non-traditional venues throughout history from Bach's coffee house concerts to the gallery and loft concerts, which first emerged in the 1950s and 60s. The literature review will also look at the business of classical music established in the 20th century.
The study explores whether new venues have changed the landscape of classical music by interviewing players and concert promoters who present concerts in non-traditional venues as well as owners of popular music venues, which host classical music. Using these individuals' experience in presenting concerts in both traditional and non-traditional venues, the study articulates the change in concert atmosphere between these two types of venues. It also illuminates how musicians change their programming and concert presentation for new venues. Finally, the study investigates the financial arrangements between audience, performers, presenters and venues to discover any differences in this system between traditional and non-traditional venues.
Recommended Citation
Robinson, S. M.(2013). Chamber Music in Alternative Venues In the 21st Century U.S.: Investigating the Effect of New Venues On Concert Culture, Programming and the Business of Classical Music. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1655


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7 Most Mysterious Places on Earth
1. Socotra (Horn of Africa)
Socotra (also called Suqutra or Soqotra) is an archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean off the horn of Africa. Among the four islands Socotra is the largest, occupying 95% of the land mass of the archipelago. Why is this island so mysterious? Because if you set foot here, it may easily remind you of an alien planet from a science fiction movie. One third of the flora and fauna you find here are unique to this island and found nowhere else in the world, such as the umbrella-shaped "blood tree" and certain types of birds as well as cats.
2. Yonaguni (Japan)
Did human civilization exist more than 10,000 years ago? I must have gone mad, right? You may not say that after seeing this photo. It was taken underwater off the coast of Yonaguni in Japan. It shows a rock formation which has put all experts and skeptics knowledge to the test. Rock formations may not be something new but this one consists of certain structures such as a L-shaped stage, staircase (cut perfectly at 90 degree angles), two pillars, two large holes, and so on. Recently, the skeptics claims that the rock formation is a natural one was put to rest by proving that these formations were man made. The real questions now are when was this made, why was it made, what happened to the people that made it, and so on.
3. Mt. Roraima (Brazil)
This mountain lies on the border of three countries; Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela. One thing that makes this mountain strange is its shape. What makes it weirder are the clouds and the fauna around the mountain peak. The peak of the mountain is considered as one of the oldest geological formations in the world. The plateau is believed to be formed by water and winds. But there is no explanation for why some of these species cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
4. Bermuda Triangle (North Atlantic Ocean)
As anyone would have guessed, the Bermuda Triangle is one of the most mysterious places on Earth. Everyone has heard about the Bermuda Triangle and the mysterious disappearances that occur there. Also called the Devil's Triangle, it covers the Straits of Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean Islands. Anything that enters this area such as an aircraft or ship is known to mysteriously disappear. There are numerous theories that try to explain these strange disappearances, ranging from the earths magnetic field to alien activity. Every time there is a solid explanation about these disappearances, there will be a new theory that negates the explanation. There is no one theory till date that convinces anyone as to why these mysterious disappearances occur.
5. Moguicheng (China)
There are interesting stories surrounding this region. Also known as the Demon City, the region stretches for about 10 km and is located in Xianjiang, China. Stories say that when you are at this place, you will hear beautiful music which may sound akin to guitar strings and bells. These sounds are known to come out from the rock formations. If you are stuck in a storm however, the sound can turn into the sound of roaring tigers, crying babies, animals being slaughtered, and many others that may send a chill down the spine of even the bravest person. That is, if you believe in the stories. Even the rock formations that look like angry demons may instill fear in you.
6. The Giza Pyramids (Egypt)
Everyone knows that the three pyramids of Giza were built by the pharaohs Cheops (Khufu), Chephren (Khafre), and Menkaure. Or is it really the truth? Till a few years ago, this was the accepted theory. But with more archaeological research, there are new interesting facts about these pyramids coming to light every day. These facts have given way to newer mysteries and newer theories. The mystery starts from the construction of the pyramid of Cheops itself. Then there are mysteries surrounding the purpose of these pyramids.
There are numerous bizarre theories surrounding the pyramids, especially the pyramid of Khufu. Some say that it was built as an ancient observatory while some say that it was constructed to store some secret documents pertaining to Earth. One bizarre theory claims that the pyramids of Giza resemble the Orion's Belt, signifying that our gods were aliens who came from the stars Sirius B and C. Whatever the truth is, the Giza necropolis is one mysterious place.
7. Nazca Lines (Peru)
Nazca in Peru is another mysterious place. The Nazca Desert is famous for its mysterious geoglyphs called the Nazca lines. Some of the drawings include a giant spider, a giant monkey, and a giant hummingbird. There are some more lines that resemble air strips. All these drawings span kilometers together in the desert. The weirder thing is that they are visible as drawings only from the sky. No one knows exactly when these geoglyphs were drawn nor the purpose of these drawings. Scholarly estimate is that they were drawn between 400 and 650 CE. Ancient alien theorists say that these were the skills taught to the natives by aliens who landed on Earth. Skeptics have other ideas. But the mystery remains to this day as to how these giant drawings were made and why they were made.
These are just some of the most mysterious places on Earth. Our world is filled with places that no one has ever explored. Who knows what other strange and mysterious places are out there?
I actually watched a document (? I guess it was a document) of some sort, and they tried to find out how and for what purpose where the nazca lines made for. They tried to recreate the hummingbird using sticks, strings and something to make the lines to the sand. They did pretty well so that's how it could have been done. Also apparently they were used for rituals and stuff. Also some of the lines could be used as a calender and to find water(which would important in the desert)
Thank you everyone for reading and enjoying my hub. I had fun reserching this one!
very interesting, I'd never heard of most of these places. moguicheng fascinates me the most.
Awesome hub. I love reading and writing about these kinds of thing. Now I want to visit all of the mysterious spots! Voted up and awesome.
Excellent hub, i enjoyed reading this amazing article. The Mt. Roraima is looking more interesting. Regarding the civilization you have mentioned under Yonaguni - Japan, i suggest you to research on Indus Valley Civilization as well to know more exiting and interesting facts. I saw one hub on IVC over here at HubPages. Well thanks to you for giving a very good read.
Intersting hub! I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks. :-)
I want to visit Socotra cos I wanna see those dragon blood trees. Are they growing only in Africa? I agree that the place look like an alien planet. Up and awesome. :)
Socotra looks amazing. I've got to add it to my list of places to visit. Thanks for the info. Thumbs up!
I've just started with and this hub is one of the best so far. Inspiring for me 'cause in my country there is also some interesting and miterious places (pyramids, tunels, ghost places and so on). Voted awesome and interesting and regret there is no "fantastic" vote!
good choice of places and great hub too :)
This is my kind of hub. I did a flight over the nazca lines recentky . its really fascinating. I'd never heard of that one in Japan but I'll be reading up on that now. Great hub. Thanjs !
Amazing hub karthikkash, i really enjoy this hub. Pyramids in Egypt is my favorite mysterious place on earth. I always love to read about it. Thanks for sharing great knowledge with us.
Great Hub, all the places are new for me! But you have given a good introduction for all of them.
Voted up Interesting and Shared!
This is a wonderful hub and I absolutely enjoyed reading it. Thank you :-)
so interesting and would love to go and take a look!
It's a good hub about mysterious places of our earth. Yonaguni in Japan is new place for me because i never know before about that historical place.
The Nazca lines always fascinated me, seems far too defined to be natural.
Wonderful hub on mysterious places on earth. There is so much to learn about! Thanks for the lovely photos too.
Amazing hub, I did not know about some of these mysteries.
Amazing! My boyfriend was so amazed when he saw your Socotra paragraph that he wants us to visit the south of Africa:) Great job!
Awesome Hub. Thanks for sharing, voted up.
Fabulous Hub. Great list of mysterious places. Thank you for sharing. Voted up for awesome.


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text:
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) delivered good news to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) this week, after Secretary Elaine L. Chao officially launched the state's £1.7 billion ($2.4 billion) Green Line Extension (GLX). Breaking the ground with other dignitaries to mark the beginning of construction, when the four-year project is completed it will add 4.7 miles and seven stations to the state's oldest light rail network.
Secretary Chao also announced at the event that it has released £170 million ($225 million) for the new line – the second instalment of a £754 million ($996 million) pot of funding from the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) that was first released in December 2017.
Secretary Chao said the Green Line Extension (GLX) project was part of a plan to improve mobility on the line with the aim of boosting the state's prosperity through better access to jobs and schools, as well as improving the quality of life for tens of thousands of passengers in the Boston area.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, who was also at the ground breaking ceremony, welcomed the line that he said would be good for the area. "The Green Line Extension will improve access to education, housing and job opportunities across the entire MTBA system," said Baker.
"Our administration is grateful for the collaboration and support we have received from Secretary Chao and all partners at the federal, state and local level to reach this milestone and begin a project that will have a transformational impact on this region of the Commonwealth by accommodating riders and spurring economic growth."
Due to open for service in January 2022, the new line will also see the replacement or rehabilitation of eight rail bridges and a new pedestrian and bike path. The GLX is expected to generate approximately 40,000 new passenger journeys a day.
You may also like this form SmartRail World…
Read: US Transport Secretary "concerned" about PTC implementation as reminder of approaching deadline issued.
Read: Amtrak and BNSF partnership enables 'first activation of PTC on host-owned territory'.
Download: Successfully Managing I.T. Change Within Rail: An Insider's Guide.
From the vaults: SmartRail Speaks: Barbara D. Moulton, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).


text:
Earlier this week, Fox News set the line-up for the first Republican presidential debate of the election season. In just a few hours, real estate mogul Donald Trump; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio; Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; and Ohio Gov. John Kasich will square-off center stage in Cleveland, OH as they make their cases for the Republican nomination.
Leading up to the debate, several candidates on both side of the aisle have taken to the airwaves with their messages in hopes of reaching voters before tonight's primetime showdown.
Here's what the candidates are saying this week:
Jeb Bush
Title: The power of Christianity
Published: August 4, 2015
Tone: Uplifting and committed
Chris Christie
Title: Secretary Clinton, Answer The Question
Published: August 4, 2015
Tone: Feisty
Bobby Jindal
Title: Evolved again
Published: August 5, 2015
Tone: N/A
Rand Paul
Title: #StandWithRand: The First Debate
Published: August 5, 2015
Tone: Determined
Hillary Clinton
Title: Hillary Clinton: Support and Stand with Planned Parenthood
Published: August 3, 2015
Tone: Heavy and frustrated
Be sure to check back, as we will continue to add videos as they come in leading up to the debate.


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This site is deprecated; docs have moved to docs.inspircd.org!
From the makers of InspIRCd.
This page is to provide a general roadmap for future InspIRCd development. It is updated *regularly*, so don't take it as verbatim. IRCd stuff here only, no webpage items, etc. Please note that this page may be quite technically oriented, as it is intended primarily as a developer reference.
1.1.x Releases
- Allow certain channels to be exempt from m_filter_*, help channels etc
- Module to scan clients for open proxies (to complement m_dnsbl) (?).
- (possibly 1.2?) Fix jointhrottle to not try 'throttle' clients during a netmerge
Tracker Items
- (possibly 1.2?), Bug #254 - Allow sqlauth to kill 'ghosts' and/or specify the nick in the password
1.2.0 Release
- Look at what class and struct fields can be moved to std::string
- Ability to limit total number of users in a connect class/tag, via total=""
- Don't make binding ports work by port number (i.e. allow 7000 to be plaintext on one IP, SSL on another)
- Server to server protocol 'interface', which is implemented by protocol modules (m_spanningtree) - not sure how this is to work exactly, something like ServerInstance->Remote->SendModeChange(user, "+r"), ServerInstance->Remote->ChangeHost(userrec, "oper.flooble.com)
- Removal of module factories, they're kinda useless.. :P
- Remote includes, via a module (probably utilising m_httpd/m_http_client)
- Extban infrastructure. Extbans are proposed to look like: typechar:banmask, for example: r:[email protected]#alternativechan for banredirect.
- Ability for modules to hook any outbound numeric
- Restructure of module hooking events to use a hashtable (each event has a 'bucket', which contains a chain of Module * hooking the event) for marginally faster access, and to make it easier to understand
- XLine overhaul to make the creation of new lines (CBAN etc) easier
- XLine application overhaul (in addition to the above), have a queue of lines to apply rather than re-applying all lines of a given type on adding a new one. This would provide major speed gains for networks with a lot of bans.
- Logging overhaul away from the current global 'level' of logging (debug, default, sparse, etc) to a bitmask of enabled types (servertoserver, servertoclient, xline, connect, disconnect, the possibilities are endless ;p). With this, I'd also like to suggest the possibility of different logging *destinations* for different types, i.e. <stitch.chatspike.net> foo connected on blah (privmsg to a channel), or possibly for modules to hook to log to a db, etc.
- userrec::HasPermission -> map of maps, for (even faster) access
- Create command handlers for spanningtree commands, move commands out into individual files rather than huge .cpps
- UUIDs!:
[22:37:37] <Brain> heres what i came up with, basically rehash of what we came up with before i think: [22:37:48] <Brain> id looks like: 0AABBBB [22:37:56] <Brain> the 0 is always a 0, differentiates it from a nick [22:38:14] <Brain> the AA is the server ID, each char can be A-Z which gives us (i think) about 676 possible id's [22:38:22] <Brain> determined from a hash function of the server name [22:38:34] <Brain> the BBBB is the users file descriptor in hex, 0...65535 [22:38:39] <Brain> sound good? :P [22:38:51] <Brain> (and yeah stick that on the roadmap, i think we'll easily fit it in) :p [22:39:19] <w00t[notbnc> 26x26 [22:39:28] <Brain> 676 isnt it, or round abouts [22:39:29] <w00t[notbnc> 676 [22:39:52] <Brain> if we also allow 0-9 that boosts it further still [22:40:13] <Brain> but basically the server admin wont need to specify it except on the rare occaision he/she gets a hash collision [22:40:31] <w00t[notbnc> eh [22:40:38] <w00t[notbnc> wouldnt it make it easier to make server admins specify them? [22:40:42] <Brain> no [22:41:00] <Brain> its just a pain in the neck of having to instruct just about every user to make them different [22:41:13] <Brain> i bet you saw the mess newbies get in on unreal-support with server numerics :D [22:41:27] <Brain> imho, if the value isnt specified, we should create it from a hash of the server name On collide, the new server is ERROR'd off.
- SQL based routing:
(13:22:28) PingBad: quick q: is there support for sql-based routing? (13:22:39) PingBad: that is, manage links via a MySQL db? (13:22:56) PingBad: or PostgreSQL, whatever makes the heart pulpitate (13:23:09) Brain | PC Fixed!... ish: not atm (13:23:13) Brain | PC Fixed!... ish: i never thought of that (13:23:15) Brain | PC Fixed!... ish: smart idea.
- Web configuration frontend
Tracker Items
- Allow modification of active xlines, see Bug #264


text:
Production supervisor is one of the hottest jobs in manufacturing, according to Randstad US, one of the largest HR services and staffing companies in the United States, in its annual 2017 Hot Jobs report.
Job openings for production supervisors increased two percent in 2016 from 2015, with salaries ranging from $61,169 to $73,352.
However, that pales in comparison to the 64% jump in job openings for drivers, which held the number two spot for hot manufacturing jobs.
Warehouse supervisors are also in demand, while maintenance mechanics and machine operators are listed as emerging fields.
When it comes to temporary work, loader/unloader, assembler, and general production worker are the most on-demand jobs.
"New technology, innovative production systems, a growing preference for American-made goods and a decline in offshoring are transforming U.S. manufacturing. There is an increased demand for technology-savvy workers to not only capitalize on the next industrial revolution but to fill a critical void left behind by retiring workers. Job seekers with previous experience, higher education, technological know-how or training will have a competitive edge," said Greg Dyer, President, Randstad Commercial Staffing.
Randstad collected this data from their team of expert recruiters, in combination with research pulled from a variety of current workforce trends, including a number of qualified candidates and available positions, market growth, salary range and employer need for specific skill sets.
You can view the full report of on-demand jobs in engineering, finance and accounting, human resources, information technology, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, non-clinical healthcare, and office and administration at https://www.randstadusa.com/jobs/career-resources/hot-jobs-2017.


text:
One thought on "Heading to the Florida Keys – Our North American RV Tour"
Oh my I am sorry your Keys visit was so expensive and views of so much trash. Can't believe the manager told you no damage to be seen. But the temperature was as expected at least.
We are on our way home from a trip to Ontario in search if cooler weather. We found it and had to wear coats in Eugenia and it rained. But overall a great trip. Visited two of our friends we met through boondockers. One couple in Eugenia the other in Goderich. Hope to make it your way someday but the clock is ticking.
I guess you winter in Arizona now.
Safe travels


text:
The Everlasting Covenant
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Creation of Adam
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1. The Everlasting Covenant
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3. Adam and Eve in Eden
4. Temptation and Fall of Man
5. God's Covenant with Adam
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3 Adam and Eve in Eden
by Hubert F. Sturges, www.everlastingcovenant.com, December 2013
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. " Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Genesis 1:31; 2:1
God created this world in six twenty-four-hour days, a world with features and beauty that may have been previously unknown. As the crowning act of His creation, God created "man in His own image " male and female created He them" (Gen. 1:27). Humans are material creatures, created in the image of God. God equipped them with intelligence, free will, and awareness of themselves and God. Built into this creation was the desire for fellowship with God. Their intelligence was a function of their material brain, an organ of seemingly unbounded capacity to learn and store new information. God knew
that humans would sin and that His Son would live on this earth as a human and redeem humankind through His death. God gave Adam and Eve superior intellect, which all humans-including the only begotten Son of God-would need to recognize and resist evil. When Jesus came into this world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me" (Heb. 10:5).
Creation of Adam
Creation week on this earth was a time of intense interest and excitement for all intelligent beings in the universe. Having witnessed the beauty of the suns and stars, they watched as beauty appeared in mountains, rivers, and seas, followed by stately trees, colorful flowers, and lush waving grass. Next they saw living creatures consisting of physical matter appear-creatures that could show affection and learn new things. Finally, they watched as God created a being of superior intelligence, made of physical substance like the animals but in God's very image.
All heaven took a deep and joyful interest in the creation of the world and of man. Human beings were a new and distinct order. They were made "in the image of God," and it was the Creator's design that they should populate the earth. They were to live in close communion with heaven, receiving power from the Source of all power.
God's creative acts in making the world are unlike anything humans have ever experienced. Yet, God constrained His creative work into the six days of the creation week, as the Bible uses the words, "and the evening and the morning," to mark each day. This expression shows that each day was a twenty- four-hour day, as we mark time today.
We cannot explain the creation. No findings of science can tell us how God created this earth. Evolution is an attempt to explain how the earth created itself through eons of time without a Designer. Yet, this requires more faith than accepting what the Bible says: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). God does not reckon time as we do, but when He created this earth, He did it in just six twenty-four-hour days.
We take the creation of the earth by faith-a faith that originates from the beauty, design, and order that makes life possible. We know little of how God worked in creation; yet, the Psalmist tells us: "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:6, 9).
On the sixth day, God created Adam.
Earlier that same day, He had created all the land animals. The Bible gives more written space to the creation of man than to that of all other animal life. Even then, the record is short, though it holds a depth of meaning. God did not create this earth and then leave it to run on its own. Not only was all the creation under God's guiding laws, but God personally formed each step in the creation and continued to guide and uphold the creation thereafter.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Gen. 1:26)
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living soul. (Gen. 2:7)
That "the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground" means that he was made a physical being and not a spirit. The account of how Adam began to live is simple: God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" and Adam "became a living soul."
Only God Can Make a Cell
Creating is an activity that only God can do (Ps. 96:5). Men have walked on the moon and are now exploring Mars, but we cannot fully explain how these celestial bodies move in their orbits without colliding with other bodies. In the heavens beyond are the sun, stars, and other heavenly bodies, about which we are just beginning to learn.
On this earth, we see order, beauty, and a system that was established to make life possible for all animal and vegetable life, as well as for humankind.
God is the creator of the greatness of the starry heavens, the beauty of this earth, and the order of every microscopic cell (Ps. 19:1-6).
The cells of all living things are complex structures that scientists only partially understand. Humans cannot make a cell, much less a living one. A number of necessary parts make up each cell. The cell membrane holds the cell together yet permits certain substances and particles to pass into the cell or to pass out of it. The cell could not live or function without this ability.
Inside the cell is a semi-liquid cytoplasm in which the organelles are suspended and carry on their functions. This cytoplasm contains food substances, vitamins, hormones, and proteins. Every cell has a nucleus containing DNA, which is a complex molecule containing the digital instructions for all parts and functions of the body. Even more astounding is the RNA, which is capable of reproducing the DNA as well as other proteins.
The mitochondria are the energy stores; the lysosomes are collections of chemicals, which could be damaging were it not for the cell membranes
that hold them in place. Cells can feed themselves, repair damage to themselves and to the tissues, and carry out their various functions. Nerve cells carry messages; muscle cells contract and move the body; retinal cells can see; cochlear cells can hear. The cell contains many other structures and functions. This makes each cell more detailed and sophisticated than even the most complicated machine made by human beings.
The Human Brain
Even more detailed than the cells of the body is the human brain. We can take the brain apart, examine it with CAT scans, PET scans, MRIs, and the electron microscope, thereby identifying its parts and learning something of its functions. There is much that humans have not yet learned. Human beings are aware of their surroundings and receive knowledge through their special senses. The brain thinks, plans, and stores memories. The nerves carry impulses from the brain and spinal cord to govern the movements and functions of the body. It is principally the uniqueness of the human brain that affirms that God created humankind in His image.
God put into the human brain the ability to be self-aware, to be aware of the world, and to be aware of God. To be made in the image of God means to have God's law written on the heart. This includes having love for God and for our fellow human beings. Because of their love for God, simply seeing what God did was an unspoken command for Adam and Eve to do likewise, to the limits of their capabilities.
When God created the human race, He knew that the time would come when His only begotten Son would come to this earth to live a sinless life as a human being. God put into the human brain all the capabilities His Son would need to resist sin, and human beings still possess those capabilities today!
The brain has often been compared to a computer. In some ways,
the comparison is valid; in other ways, the brain functions differently. The brain is an electro-chemical organ. This makes it slower than a computer, allowing the brain to gather value, attitude, and emotion to make wiser decisions. The capability of the brain, as well as the storage capacity for memory, is immense-more than any computer.
God Gave Men Free Will
Being created in the image of God, human beings possess free will: the ability to choose. Free will provides the ability to choose whom he will serve, God or self. Choosing to serve God gives one access to the power and purpose of God, which enable success in life. Serving God brings freedom, power to do, and life itself.
Why would humans choose anything else? The answer comes from Eden. Satan deceived Eve into believing that yielding to selfish desires would bring her a heightened degree of happiness; instead, it brought slavery, sorrow, weakness, and death. Rather than trusting God to save Eve, Adam joined her in sin.
The Bible repeatedly shows that, to serve God, humans need to exercise choice. The Bible also reveals the effects of choosing not to serve God (Isa. 59:2). From these revelations, we recognize that humans have free will to choose their destiny, either to serve God willingly or to rebel.
At the same time, Paul uses the word "predestinate" (Rom. 8:28, 30). Does this suggest that free will is of no effect? While God does predestine all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4; Eph. 1:11) and while the will of God is effective in the lives of human beings, it is only by the consent of human beings that the Holy Spirit changes lives (Isa. 59:2; Rom. 8:13-15).
God placed man under law, as an indispensable condition of his very existence. He was a
subject of the divine government, and there can be no government without law. God might have created man without the power to transgress His law; He might have withheld the hand of Adam from touching the forbidden fruit; but in that case man would have been, not a free moral agent, but a mere automaton. Without freedom of choice, his obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced.
The Power of God Sustains the Creation
Did God create this earth to run on its own power and direction? No, God created this earth as an expression of His love, and He continues to support and guide His creation so that all creatures can enjoy the happiness and beauty He designed from the beginning. Such knowledge evokes praise and love for the Creator in the human heart. Creation could not have come into existence and cannot now continue without God. Hear this beautifully expressed in the following words:
The seed has in itself a germinating principle, a principle that God himself has implanted; yet if left to itself the seed would have no power to spring up. Man has his part to act in promoting the growth of the grain."
There is life in the seed, there is power in the soil; but unless an infinite power is exercised day and night, the seed will yield no returns."
Without the life of God, nature would die. His creative works are dependent on Him. He bestows life-giving properties on all that nature produces. We are to regard the trees laden with fruit as the gift of God, just as much as though He placed the fruit in our hands."
In the production of earth's harvests, God is working a miracle every day. Through natural agencies the same work is accomplished that was wrought in the feeding of the multitude. Men prepare the soil and sow the seed,
but it is the life from God that causes the seed to germinate.
God's handiwork in nature is not God Himself in nature. The things of nature are an expression of God's character; by them we may understand His love, His power, and His glory; but we are not to regard nature as God.
1. Ellen G. White, "Purpose of Man's Creation," Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, February 11, 1902.
2. The work of creation was finished on the sixth day (Gen. 1:31; 2:1). God did not stop work on the seventh day of creation and rest for the balance of history but simply rested from the work of creating, before going on to other work. Jesus told the Pharisees: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (John 5:17). He acknowledged the sustaining work of the Father: "But the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works" (John 14:10; see also Isa. 40:26; Acts 17:28; 1 Cor. 12:6). Facts about the seventh-day Sabbath:
a. The Sabbath was made holy by God as a day of rest and a memorial of creation for the benefit of man (Gen. 2:1-3; Mark 2:27, 28).
b. It is the seal of obedience within the law and a memorial to creation (Exod. 16:28, 29; 20:8-11; 31:17).
c. It is the sign of sanctification, indicating that God has changed our lives (Exod. 31:13; Ezek. 20:12, 20).
d. Its rest is for the full day of twenty-four hours, not just for a short two hours of worship (Lev. 23:32)!
e. It was part of what God expected of Gentiles who "joined themselves to the Lord." They were to keep the Sabbath as God invited the people of the earth to make the Jerusalem temple "an house of prayer for all people" (Isa. 56:6, 7).
f. It is a seal that marks God's people in the end time (Rev. 7:1-4; 12:17; 14:1-5, 12).
3. Deism is the "belief that understands God as distant, in that God created the universe but then left it to run its course on its own, following certain "˜laws of nature' that God had built into the universe" (Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999], p. 36). Paul, in his sermon on Mars Hill in Athens, connected the term "the unknown God" with the true Creator God of heaven and earth, who not only gives form, life, and ability, but also sustains His creatures on a daily basis. "God that made the world and all things therein, "
seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; " And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, "
for in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:24-28).
4. Were it not for God's "fine tuning" of the universe, life could not exist. See Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards, The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery (Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2004), 464 pp.
5. God gave humans free will to choose Him or to rebel (Deut. 4:29; Joshua 24:15; Isa. 1:19, 20; 55:6, 7; 65:12; Ezek. 18:24; 33:11; Amos 5:4; Matt. 7:7; John 3:16; Acts 3:19; Rom. 6:11-13; Rev. 3:18, 20). The conditional element in these statements ("if," "let," "choose," and God's imploring them) requires that humans have a voluntary choice in whether or not to serve God.
6. Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2005), p. 49.
7. Ellen G. White, Medical Ministry (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1963), pp. 7, 8, 11.