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In today's Friday sermon Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih gave an exposition reviving the Waqfe Nau spirit. He recited the following Quranic verses at the start of the sermon:
'Remember when the woman of 'Imran said, 'My Lord, I have vowed to Thee what is in my womb to be dedicated to Thy service. So do accept it of me; verily, Thou alone art All-Hearing, All-Knowing.'(3:36)
'And when he was old enough to work with him, he said, 'O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering thee. So consider, what thou thinkest of it!' He replied, 'O my father, do as thou art commanded; thou wilt find me, if Allah please, of those who are patient.' (37:103)
'And let there be among you a body of men who should invite to goodness, and enjoin equity and forbid evil. And it is they who shall prosper.' (3:105)
'It is not possible for the believers to go forth all together. Why, then, does not a party from every section of them go forth that they may gain better understanding of religion, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may guard against evil?' (9:122)
The above verses speak of wishes of a mother, good upbringing by father and mother that enhances the spirit of sacrifice in children and the objective of dedicating life for the cause of faith. The first verse (3:36) expresses a mother's desire to dedicate her child to faith, the next verse (37:103) mentions a father's upbringing of son in the cause of God and the son's readiness for sacrifice. The father's training linked the son with seeking pleasure of God, who not only was ever ready for sacrifice but was also prepared to do so displaying an excellent model of patience and resolve. The third verse cites those groups which spread good and forbid what is evil and the fourth verse mentions that in order to distinguish between good and bad insight into faith is essential. This insight is found in Shariah, the Holy Qur'an because God has stated that He has: '…chosen for you Islam as religion…' (5:4) The reason to follow all of the above is to be among those who save the world from destruction. In order to fulfil this requirement, God established the Ahmadiyya Community through the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). This is the only community in which one sees mother-to-be praying passionately as, woman of Imran did in the aforementioned verse, freeing the unborn child from the shackles of the world and dedicating it to service of God and praying for acceptance of this. No mother apart from the Ahmadi mother today dedicates her unborn child to God, be she from Pakistan, from India, from Asia, Africa, Europe, America, Australia or Oceania. Who presents her child to the Khalifa of the time for an important undertaking and then prays to God to accept the dedication, with the concern lest the Khalifa of the time does not accept the dedication. This situation cannot come to pass anywhere else apart from the Jama'at because this is the only community which operates under the auspices of Khilafat, established by God through the true and ardent devotee of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).
It is the Ahmadiyya Jama'at alone which has fathers who bring up their children in such a manner that when the children reach adolescence they are ready for every sacrifice. These children write to the Khalifa of the time saying, 'the first pledge was my parents, I now make the pledge myself; send me to sacrifice wherever you choose. You will always find me among those who are patient and who have resolve and those who do not shirk away from the pledge of their parents.' These children qualify to be members of Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) who fulfil the dues of being in the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Good upbringing by the parents and their own piety has taught them the aspects of dues of God as well as dues of mankind, and they have passion for Tabligh and service for humanity.
It should always be remembered that living and progressive communities do not ever let these thoughts, pledges and fervour die. They constantly remind themselves of these aspects in order to keep the fervour invigorated. If there is ever any laxness, they make plans to overcome it and in light of God's commandment of: 'So go on reminding…' (87:10) it is indeed the task of the office of Khilafat to remind time to time so that there is no reduction in the speed of progress. So that one after the other group is prepared to spread God's message in the world just as constantly flowing streams make the land green and verdant, one group after the other can be source of spiritual vibrancy. Those who are familiar with farming with irrigation will know that if the water supply is cut off before the entire crop is watered the irrigation has to be started all over again. This causes waste of time and water. Similarly, if there is no constant effort in the task of Tabligh or people to perform the task are not available, the fragmented efforts create hindrances.
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih said that today he would like to remind that when Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) had initiated Waqfe Nau scheme it was with the hope and with the prayer that groups of people to serve faith will always be available and that the current of flowing water will never be broken. Translators will be available to the Jama'at, Tabligh and Tarbiyyat workers will be available to the Jama'at in good numbers, and other departments of the administration of the Jama'at will also have life-devotees available at all times. This should be kept in mind. Parents should not relinquish their responsibility after dedicating their children [to Waqfe Nau]. Without doubt the passion to dedicate one's children is commendable and each year thousands of requests are made to dedicate children. However, once the dedication has been made, the parents' responsibility increases. The initial preparation has to be done by the parents. By being a role model for their children, they have to connect them to God and to inculcate the significance and importance of Nizam e Jama'at (the administration of the Community) in them from an early age so that their minds are not diverted. So that when they reach an age of understanding and participate in Jama'at programmes it is ingrained in them that they are to only serve faith. It is required to inculcate in Waqfe Nau children that they are to serve faith.
More Waqfe Nau children should be going to Jamia. The facts and figures before Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih showed that apart from Pakistan the numbers in other Jamais were small. There are 1,033 Jamia students in Pakistan Jamia. The number is 93 in India, which Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih felt may be incorrect in which case he asked to be informed of the correct number. Report dated June 2012 shows 70 students in Germany, they now have 80 students; these include students from other European countries. Canada has 55 students, the number may have increased, including American students. UK has 120 students, the number may have increased. Here too students from other European countries are included. In Ghana a new Jamia has been opened providing Shahid level education, there are 12 students here and there are 23 students in Bangladesh. The total number of Jamia students is 1,400 whereas the total number of Waqfe Nau boys is close to 28,000. The field before us is the entire world, and this does not mean all the continents or even all the countries of the world. Rather, we have to reach every town and every village in the world and a few missionaries cannot do this task.
When they are young, children are quite enthusiastic and happy about being in Waqfe Nau. However, the European environment, company of friends etc. diverts their attention from Jamia and onto other educational subjects. Once they pass their GSCE/secondary schooling their preferences change. The inclination of some children can be seen quite early on, like some are drawn to science. Certainly such children should be encouraged in this regard but the majority opt for different subjects blindly following the others after secondary school. Children have not quite made their minds up when they reach what is called Year 10 in this country and in USA and Australia it is called Grade 10. If the upbringing of the parents inculcates in the child from the start that he or she is in Waqfe Nau and whatever he or she has is of the Jama'at, there would be attention to consult the centre when choosing subjects.
As mentioned before, today it is only Ahmadi parents who dedicate their children with fervour, but it cannot be said that the majority also pays specific attention to their upbringing. Parents of Waqfe Nau children will have to reflect on how much are they trying to beautify the gift of dedication before offering it to the Jama'at and how much are they honouring their obligations. There is all manner of freedom in these countries and for this special supervision and attention is required. Parents should not be carefree in Asia and Africa either. It is the obligation of both parents to make special endeavour in this regard.
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih told Waqfe Nau children aged 13 and 12 to start thinking about themselves and ponder over their importance and not simply be happy that they are Waqfe Nau. They will appreciate their importance when they will realise their objectives. As for those who are 15 and 16 years old, they should have a very good understanding of their importance and their responsibilities.
The verses recited at the start do not only mention the wishes and responsibilities of the parents or the Nizam e Jama'at. Rather the children's attention is also drawn.
Firstly, every Waqfe Nau child should be mindful that his mother wished to dedicate him or her, before his or her birth, for a very important cause and then also prayed most humbly for acceptance of this. Thus, the Waqfe Nau child should keep this wish of his or her parents, because later the father also joins in, in mind and respecting it should try and be a rightful candidate to be dedicated for God's cause. This can only be when effort is made to make one's heart and mind, one's word and deed according to God's pleasure.
Secondly, it is a huge favour of the parents on Waqe Nau children and as such the children should pray for the parents and should have regard for every step that the parents take. There should be a realisation that they too have to be part of the pledge that their parents are trying to fulfil and should happily accept their Tarbiyyat and never even remotely let down the pledge of their parents. A Waqfe Nau child should be mindful that he or she should be foremost in abiding by giving precedence to faith over worldly matters.
Thirdly, promise to show patience and resolve in every sacrifice for the sake of gaining God's pleasure. No matter how hard the time, he or she has to honour the pledge of Waqf regardless. No worldly greed should ever make them stumble in their pledge.
Nowadays, there is much blessings of God on the Jama'at. During the second Khilafat there were times when the financial situation would be so dire in Qadian that the basic allowance could not be paid in full to Jama'at workers for several months. After migration to Rabwah, such situations again came to pass, yet, the life-devotees never complained. Even during 1970s and 1980s the situation in Africa used to be such that the allowance used to be spent in the first two weeks of the month. The local life-devotees maybe could eat just once a day in the allowance that was given to them, yet they always honoured their pledge.
Fourthly, to develop and make efforts for the commitment to be counted among those who spread good and who forbid evil. To set good models of this; when this will come to pass and good will be followed and evil will be shunned, people will be drawn to the good models.
Fifthly, to attain insight and perception of Holy Qur'an and Ahadith, to recognise/identify good and evil and to read the books and discourses of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and to constantly try to increase religious knowledge.
Those who are being educated at Jamia are given religious education. However, once through the Jamia one should never assume to have attained the height of knowledge. It is beneficial when regularly enhanced by fresh knowledge. The Waqfe Nau children who do not attend Jamia should try and read as much Jama'at literature as possible. They should study the Holy Qur'an with translation and commentary and books of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) which are available in their languages.
Sixthly, what God has commanded and Waqfe Nau children should pay attention to is to spring onto the practical field of Tabligh. Some Waqfe Nau girls complain that they do not have a Jamia and cannot attain religious knowledge. If they study on their own, they will be drawn to Tabligh within their sphere and will have opportunities. This will lead to further enhancement of their religious knowledge. The field of Tabligh is open to everyone and every Waqfe Nau needs to enter in it. They should participate in this with great enthusiasm and should consider not to rest till the world is brought under the banner of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Such realisation and enthusiasm leads onto enhancing religious knowledge.
Seventhly, each Waqfe Nau should be specifically mindful that he or she is included in that group of people who are to save the world from destruction. If you have the [required] knowledge and you also have the opportunity but you do not have true passion to save the world from destruction and do not have the compassion to save mankind from destruction then your endeavour will not have the angst. And perhaps it will also not be as blessed. Each compassionate heart should be drawn to prayer in conjunction with effort to spread God's message. It is the angst-filled prayers that will make us successful in our objective.
Everyone should remember not to limit their prayers to themselves. On the contrary, our prayers should flow in every direction and no person should be deprived of the beneficence that God has today granted us. These should be the thoughts of a true Waqfe Nau and a Waqfe Zindagi (life devotee). Hoping for success without this is mere presumption. Without this one only has the title of Waqfe Nau and it has no more significance and it is neither our objective to merely seek titles nor was it our parents'.
As mentioned before, it is important for the Waqfe Nau children and their parents to fulfil their responsibility. Attention is drawn once again that in order to spread religion in the world, religious knowledge is required and such knowledge can be attained the most from an institution which has this as its objective. Such an institution is known as Jamia Ahmadiyya in our Jama'at. Today, Jamia is not just in Pakistan and Qadian, rather we have Jamia in UK, Germany, Indonesia, Canada and Ghana. A new Jamia has opened in Ghana to the level of Shahid. The old Jamia there only prepared Mu'alims after three years' study, now it will prepare Shahid missionaries who will serve Africa. There is also a Jamia in Bangladesh. Tabligh task is extremely extensive and can be best done by a trained missionary and for this reason maximum number of Waqfe Nau members should join Jamia.
Given the numbers of Jamia student cited earlier we cannot have missionaries everywhere. Until we have full-time missionaries it will be very difficult to have revolutionary change or have revolutionary Tabligh. Reports received from all over the world only give details of up to July 2012. There are 25,000 Waqfe Nau children over the age of 15, of which 16,988 are boys. The number of Waqfe Nau children in Pakistan is 10,687, followed by Germany with 1,887 boys and 1,155 girls. In UK the number of boys is 918 and girls make up 880, the total being 1,798. However, the number of students in Jamia is very low in both these countries especially as students from other European countries also attend their Jamia. Similarly the numbers in the Canadian Jamia which also has US students is low. Jama'ats demand to have more missionaries. They should prepare Waqfe Nau children to go to Jamia. In Canada and USA the Waqfe Nau children over the age of 15 number about 800. If these children are prepared, the numbers attending Jamia in the next two years can be considerably increased.
If educated in Jamia may not necessarily make one a missionary. Having acquired religious knowledge translators can be prepared to translate the books of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). They can be specialised in languages at Jamia. Those who are not attending Jamia should also learn languages. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) had said as regards languages, and it is essential, that three languages should be learned: one's own language, Urdu and Arabic. Arabic has to be learnt anyway; to read the Holy Qur'an and commentaries and a large amount of other literature. Unless one knows Arabic properly one cannot translate the Holy Qur'an. Urdu is necessary because real insight of faith can be attained through the books of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). His books, commentaries and writings are a treasure which can bring about a revolution in the world and impart real Islamic teachings to the world, interpreting the Holy Qur'an.
There was a time that Jama'at faced difficulty in translation work. There is still some difficulty but now Jamia graduates from different counties are drawn to this work. Students also exercise translating works of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II (may Allah be pleased with him) while at Jamia. Their supervisors report that the standard of translation is good, even if it is not very good it can be polished. In any case effort has been initiated in this regard. But these are just a handful of students. We need a large number of diverse linguists. If anyone other than Jamia students is skilled at languages, as mentioned earlier, they should also learn Arabic and Urdu.
Some people have raised objections here and in Germany about the standard of education in Jamia. This is a wholly unwarrantable objection. The complaint is that after graduating from Jamia the students are not fluent in Arabic. Jamia does not only focus on languages and a wide range of subjects are taught there. If some students are inclined to languages, InshaAllah they will be specialised. With the grace of God the education of Jamia is based on extensive studies. As Jamia in Pakistan are established long-term, there students are given specialist training. This information from Germany is mere excuses for not sending children to Jamia. With the grace of God, graduates of UK and Canadian Jamia have proved very effective in Tabligh. Those who carp are merely troublemaking or perhaps have hypocritical leanings.
Next Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih gave advice from the department of Waqfe Nau, some of which will be perhaps repetition of what has already been said.
When reaching adolescence Waqfe Nau children should be aware that they have to present themselves to the Jama'at. Parents should draw their attention to this matter at every juncture of their education. Guidance should be sought from the Waqfe Nau department about the education of children, if they opt for subjects which the Jama'at does not have a need for, the Waqf should be withdrawn.
Girls of Pakistani origin, living here, who can speak Urdu should learn to read it. They should also learn the local language, as well as Arabic and then they should present themselves for translation. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih said he has noticed that women and girls are more adept at translation work. Girls can dedicate themselves as doctors as teachers as can boys.
Local Waqfe Nau department should hold bi-annual forums for members. The department has a complaint that once the Waqfe Nau reference number is issued, some parents lose touch on local and national level or do not stay in touch as they should. If after several years of no connection the department mentions withdrawing the Waqf, the parents complain. The Waqfe Nau syllabus now goes up to the age of 21. It should be studied and any exams organised should be taken. Beyond the age of 21 Waqfe Nau members should study the commentary of the Holy Qur'an in Urdu or the Five Volumes in English. They should also study the books of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and listen to Friday sermon and other addresses regularly and should send in report regarding this.
In some places the Waqfe Nau secretaries are not very active. Elections are going to take place this year. Reports should be sent from Jama'ats as to who is active and who is not. In light of this, even if a person has received more votes but is not active, they will not be elected.
If in places special arrangement for Waqfe Nau is not available they can join their peers in following the general syllabus of Atfal, Khuddam or Lajna. Or the syllabi can be merged.
The Waqfe Nau syllabus can be translated in different languages. This has been done in Sweden. Efforts should be made for French translation by France of Mauritius. It should be promptly reported on who will do the translation and the work should be completed in two months.
Waqfe Nau members should daily read religious books, even if a few pages. 100% Waqfe Nau members should listen to the Friday sermon. Once Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih found that only 10% present in a class listened regularly. The department as well as parents should pay special attention to this. The administration should try and make interactive Waqfe Nau programmes. Each country should form a committee to ascertain within three to four months what its requirements for the next ten years are. How many missionaries will they require, how many translators, how many doctors and other experts. Waqfe Nau department should properly follow up these reports.
Some Waqfe Nau members wish to go into business or join the police or the army. They may do so but their Waqf should be withdrawn. Each country should also have a Waqfe Nau career guidance committee.
Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih has reiterated it many times that when Waqfe Nau members turn 18 they should renew their pledge in writing.
A magazine entitled 'Ismail' has been started for Waqfe Nau boys and another entitled 'Maryam' for girls. These should be translated in German and French. Articles can be written and published locally or material can be accessed from UK which can be translated in local languages and published in conjunction with Urdu.
May God enable all those parents who have dedicated their children for Waqfe Nau to bring up their children and pray for them in a way that would make them rightful Waqfe Nau members. May these children be the delight of their parents' eyes and may be enabled to honour their parents' pledge and be included in that group of people in the true sense whose task is solely to publicise faith. May God enable them so!


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- Project Runway, season whatever-it-is now: you're so boring, but I just can't quit you. Hilarious recap here.
- A big old WTF to Jesse James. You don't mess with America's Sweetheart!
- This fantastic post from Feministing explores the Liz Lemon-ing of TV actresses, i.e. when beautiful women play supposedly ugly characters.
- Here they are: the 13 ugliest shoes in the world!
- I am SO going to see The Runaways tonight! Fashionista praises the costumes here. Jezebel talked about Joan Jett's style here, quoting the woman herself, '"Nobody told us what to wear. People like to think that that's the case because if teenage girls are being sexual" - her voice drips with sarcasm - "obviously men have something to do with it."' I love you, Joan!
- Another fierce woman in the news this week: Betty White! Jezebel talked about the "Rise of the Octogenarians." I love you too, Betty!
- Glee is back in a matter of weeks! I'm psyched, Jeff is not. Quick poll: does the man in your life hate Glee? I think this male ailment is more common that we ladies realize. Something must be done.
- I resisted the Lady Gaga phenomenon until I saw her in this get-up. Even the Fug girls love it! Side note: I remember my mom telling me that girls used to use old orange juice cans as big rollers. How nouveau-retro of Gaga!
- Louis Vuitton's use of "curvy" models was underwhelming. As Jezebel notes, apparently curvy = boobs.
- An excellent article from the Huffington post about Hollywood's "gay dilemma", focusing primarily on Bryan Batt, who plays Sal on Mad Men. Looks like Sal won't be returning to Sterling Cooper, and that makes me SAD.
- Jay McCarroll, season one winner of Project Runway, goes on the reality show Celebrity Fit Club and talks about celebrity weight loss on Big Fat Deal.
- Are you Team Bikini or Team Maillot? Apparently one-piece suits are more popular than ever right now.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Gertie, Girl Reporter {3.20.10}
21 comments:
First of all, CONGRATS, JEFF!!!!! That is so wonderful.ReplyDelete
I remember orange juice can rollers, too.
And yeah, WTF Jesse James?!?!
Team maillot all the way. This belly is not ready for sunburn!
OK..I can even give you a date for juice can rollers: 1966. Now, if La Gaga really wants to go niche, she'll have to show up with her hair all brushed flat around her head, held down with the 3" versions of these babies. http://www.sallybeauty.com/All-Purpose-Metal-Clips/SLNCAR21,default,pd.htmlReplyDelete
To keep our hair straight in 1970, we used two juice cans on top and then wound everything around out heads, in effect turning our heads into one giant roller. The clips were metal - I'm amazed none of us started to get radio transmissions from Mars.
Team Rashguard here! Haven't worn either a two-piece or one-piece in years. But then again, I haven't been in a pool either, just the ocean. Might be odd poolside.ReplyDelete
Yes, congrats again to Jeff!ReplyDelete
I heart Betty White. Her Oscar acceptance speech was so funny.
My brother loves Glee (my husband, not so much. He considers it aural torture).
I feel terrible for Sandra and Kate. I'm not saying that this is what motivated their (former) partners, but there is something about success and intelligence that is deeply frightening to some heterosexual males.
I am on team bikini. Not because I am an uber fit hottie but because one pieces are cruel to a longer torsoed.
Yay for Jeff!! And a two-book deal - that's really fantastic. Congratulations and a celebration are in order!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 20, 2010 at 3:30 PM
Huge congratulations to Jeff!! :)ReplyDelete
Rachel from Glee has not been uglified a la Liz Lemon. I think the point is supposed to be that she is annoying (which is an attractive quality) and unpopular and her style of dress is a bit square. Liz Lemon, on the other hand, has been spinsterized... which is a bit more complex than saying she is "ugly". But whatever! Yes I can't wait for Glee to start up again! My man could care less but my BFF is excited!ReplyDelete
Oh yeah, and when I say I'm "curvy", I mean I have boobs too. And hips, but they usually go hand in hand if the boobs are real.
Congrats to Jeff!ReplyDelete
Team Maillot here.
And my husband actually likes Glee and watches it with me. My 19 year old son likes it too.
Ahhh, Lady Gaga...I must say, I do enjoy her although I'm far outside of her target demographic.ReplyDelete
Also, I do hope Sal returns to Mad Men--in triumph, of course.
Re: Liz Lemon. Tina Fey has only gotten cute in the last few years. Perhaps she still sees herself as the ugly duckling.
Oh yeah, and Jesse James. WTF is wrong with him?!? I'm sure Sandra B. will emerge from all this in triumph, but in the meantime, it really sucks for her after all the nice comments she's made about her hubby. May he crawl back into anonimity, or worse.ReplyDelete
Jesse james-go jump in a lake...stupid menReplyDelete
Glee-my teen boys love it
Lady GaGa-My son went to a themed part last night-they had so much fun dressing up
I love the coke cans...what next?
And of course congrat to your man....
I think the thing to remember about the shows mentioned in that article about pretty women playing ugly is that they're all "ugly" in context. Liz Lemon works in television in New York City, Ugly Betty works at a fashion magazine, and Glee is set in high school and that girl is way too intense for a high school boy.ReplyDelete
What I like to take away from the whole Tina Fey phenomenon, having seen pictures of her before she was on television, is that if you are really talented and funny and not entirely hideous, you can get a team of people to help glamourize you and then everyone will be up in arms about how not ugly you are. What a marvelous feeling that must be!
And hurrah for Jeff! And boo for swimsuit season!
I'm glad to see that the high-waisted two piece and the one-piece bathing suits are making a comeback. I always end up making my swimsuits because I can never find anything flattering in the stores that I can afford.ReplyDelete
Any word on some fabulous vintage swim suits? I am all about that suit in the photo you linked to.
On the subject of swim suits....ReplyDelete
First, if I'm in a swim suit, it's because I'm doing something sporty in or near the water. Bikinis are generally not too practical for this. So, I've pretty always been the girl in a racing style suit.
On the incredibly odd chance that I'm laying around at the beach (and being fair skinned with a couple of bad burns under my belt, this a very rare, 900 SPF moment), then the better odds are that I'm at one that is clothing optional.
Yeah, that's how I roll - it's all or nothin' baby... :)
Haha. My boyfriend isn't too happy either about GLEE starting again, but I can't wait! Bring it on!ReplyDelete
And congrats to Jeff!
I must be one of very few whose husband enjoys Glee as much as (or possibly more than) I do. We're both terribly excited for the new season.ReplyDelete
Congrats to Jeff on selling his book!
Congratulations Jeff on your success! It sounds like your dedication has paid off...and I'm sure your talent helped a little too:)ReplyDelete
Congrats to Jeff! That's fantastic!ReplyDelete
And I highly recommend The Runaways! An entertaining film, good performances -- and oh, the fashion! (Of course, when I mentioned to my husband that I adored the fashion in it, he said "Huh. I didn't notice.") The costume designers did a great job of doing authentic 70s (glam sequins! jumpsuits! and my fave, BIG COLLARS!) in a way that served the movie, instead of screaming "Hey look at this silly 70s fashion!" Plus, any mainstream studio movie that opens with the opening shot it did is pretty astounding -- I'm sure the director had an argument on her hands there.
team bikini. i have small boobs, a big butt, & a really looooooong waist. that = disaster when i try to wear a one piece.ReplyDelete
i also feel 30 rock's representation of liz as ugly is a joke about how the entertainment industry only allows for a very narrow definition of attractive.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
Oh, Lady GaGa.ReplyDelete
How she bores me.
She's not rolling her hair on those cans; it's a look-at-me schtick. Either that, or she just doesn't know how to set her hair, because that is the worst roller set EVER. It's a tragedy. The hair's not so much rolled as it is just haphazardly wound around the cans. And who sets their hair DRY?? (Lottabody, honey. Look into it!)
Awesome blog, btw. Luvit!


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21C3: The Usual Suspects
21st Chaos Communication Congress
December 27th to 29th, 2004
Berliner Congress Center, Berlin, Germany
The European Hacker Conference
The 21st Chaos Communication Congress (21C3) is a three-day conference on technology, society and utopia. The Congress offers lectures and workshops on a multitude of topics including (but not limited to) information technology, IT-security, internet, cryptography and generally a critical-creative attitude towards technology and the discussion about the effects of technological advances on society.
The Chaos Communication Congress is the annual congress of the Chaos Computer Club e.V. (CCC). The Congress has established itself as the "European Hacker Conference" bringing in people from all over Europe and even further away.
The congress not only addresses the techno geek but also those who are interested in appliances and aftermathes. A part of the lectures will be held in English, the rest in German. The language used for each lecture is clearly marked in the conference program.
What's happening?
As last year, the Congress takes place at Berliner Congress Center at Alexanderplatz in Berlin-Mitte. As usual, interesting lectures await you (in five tracks) and the Hackcenter - expanded by 50% compared to last year - is ready for trial and error.
Even more activities will be provided in the additional workshop room and the lecture series of the Haecksen, our female hackers. Art & Beauty is coming back and promises a lot of fun. In addition, the 8th German Championship of Lockpicking is part of the Congress as well. Have a look at the overview for more activities at the Congress. A time table for our lectures can be found at the Fahrplan
There is additional information for members of the press.
What can I do?
Bring on your projects, show us your work. Learn and share alike and if you have something interesting to tell, apply for a lecture or workshop.
The Congress is a volunteer-driven event. In order to keep the event cheap for everybody, we do appreciate any kind of support. If you want to help, please apply as a Chaos Angel.
If you want to contribute a lecture or have an idea for some other interesting event that might fit our program, consult our Call for Papers for information on how to submit your idea.
Contact 21C3 Abuse Handling
If you experience network security problems that are clearly originating at the 21. Chaos Communication Congress network, please contact us at the number below. We will immediately try to resolve the problem by technical measures on our site. This number is ONLY for the purpose of reporting serious network security problems, all other requests will NOT be answered at this number.
21C3 Network Abuse Contact: +49 (30) 72622-42.
For general contact information (press, general Information etc.) use our general contact information.
This web site doesn't really look nice when viewed with Internet Explorer, as the Internet Explorer stopped keeping up pace with the developments in the World Wide Web a long time ago. We recommend using Mozilla FireFox instead.


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For maximum protection on runs in the foulest weather, this North Face Men's Triclimate 3 In 1 Jacket Yellow is waterproof, windproof, highly breathable jacket features technology that dramatically improves drying time and breathability to keep you as cool and as comfortable as possible in wet, windy conditions. Whether worn as an exterior shell, or a standalone jacket, this North Face 3 In 1 Jacket is ideal for mild aerobic activities in challenging, inclement weather.
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Family Fun: Meditation and Parents' Session on Raising Children in the Dharma
with Ven. Amy Miller
Sunday, May 7, 2017
10:00am – 2:00pm
Childcare can be arranged — please RSVP for childcare to meet the needs.
Join the Merit-Making!
We need volunteers - Thank you!
Parenting provides a profound opportunity for life-long spiritual practice. Often times, caretaking is demanding and can take the mind away from the presence of one's compassion and wisdom. Through self-compassion, one can tap into one's innate courage and fearlessness to lead families with equanimity, love, compassion and wisdom.
Come explore skillful techniques that can transform more challenging daily interactions into magical moments as a family engaged in spiritual practice.
This teaching is open for anyone with young or teen children in their lives—such as parents, grandparents, step-parents, aunts, uncles, teachers and caregivers. Parents with young babies are welcome to bring them.
Amy J. Miller (Ven. Lobsang Chodren) first encountered Tibetan Buddhism in the spring of 1987 during a course at Kopan Monastery in Nepal. Since then, she has spent a great deal of time engaged in meditation retreats, study, teaching, and Buddhist center management throughout the world. Prior to meeting the Dharma, Amy was a political fundraiser in Washington, DC and also worked for Mother Jones Magazine in San Francisco, California.
Amy also trained as an emotional support hospice counselor during the peak of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco and offers courses and retreats on death and dying and end-of-life care.
From 1992–1995, Amy managed Tse Chen Ling Center in San Francisco, California. She then served as Director of Vajrapani Institute, also in California, from 1995–2004. From 1998–2002, she was also the Manager of the Lawudo Retreat Fund (which supports the center in which the sacred cave of Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche is located) in the Mt. Everest region of Nepal. In 2004, after resigning as Director, Amy completed a seven-month solitary retreat at Vajrapani. For most of 2005 and 2006, she organized international teaching tours for and traveled with the esteemed Tibetan Buddhist master, Ven. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche until Rinpoche's death in 2006. Amy then became a touring teacher for the FPMT. From 2008–2014, Amy was Director of Milarepa Center in Barnet, Vermont.
Amy has also had the good fortune to visit Tibet in 1987 and again in 2001 as a pilgrimage leader for the Institute of Noetic Science in the United States. She has also led pilgrimages to India, Nepal, Bhutan, Darjeeling, and Sikkim for the Liberation Prison Project and Milarepa Center. The next pilgrimage Amy is leading is a trek October 2018 to Lawudo Retreat Center in the Mount Everest region of Nepal. A 4-day retreat will be included along with a visit to Lama Zopa Rinpoche's birthplace. See Amy's website below for more information.
Amy was ordained as a Buddhist nun in June 2000 by the great Tibetan master, Ven. Choden Rinpoche, and has been teaching extensively since 1992. Her teaching style emphasizes a practical approach to integrating Buddhist philosophy into everyday life. She is happy to help people connect with meditation and mindfulness in an effort to gain a refreshing perspective on normally stressful living. Amy's courses and retreats focus on establishing and maintaining a meditation and mindfulness practice, death and dying, overcoming anxiety and depression, battling addiction, dealing with self-esteem issues, and cultivating compassion and loving kindness. She is also often involved in leading a variety of retreats.
Amy is the co-author of Buddhism in a Nutshell and a contributor to Living in the Path, a series of online courses produced by FPMT.
Based in the United States, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Amy teaches and leads retreats and pilgrimages around the world. Her teaching schedule and other information can be found at www.AmyMiller.com.
Our ability to continue offering these teachings is dependent on the generosity of donors. If you find this online content useful and you are not already attending the teachings in person, any donation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your kind support.
Please register below.
Sponsor Ven. Amy's full weekend of teachings to receive priority seating and a special gift from Ocean of Compassion.
The Sunday events are free. Donations appreciated!
Your generous donations are essential for the continuation of programs like this. No one turned away due to lack of funds — please contact us to make arrangements.
Sponsor Ven. Amy's full weekend of teachings to receive priority seating and a special gift from Ocean of Compassion.
The Sunday events are free. Donations appreciated!
Your generous donations are essential for the continuation of programs like this. No one turned away due to lack of funds — please contact us to make arrangements.


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Approach to lymphocytosis
What every physician needs to know about lymphocytosis:
Lymphocytes are white blood cells that serve primarily as the body's adaptive immune system, and provide humoral or cell-mediated immunity against a variety of bacterial, viral, or other pathogens. They are comprised mainly of T, B, and natural killer (NK) cells, and the body typically maintains the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) in a range of less than 4,000 lymphocytes per uL. Elevation of the lymphocyte count above this level is most commonly due to a reactive lymphocytosis, the body's normal response to an acute infection or inflammatory condition.
The mechanisms leading to an increased number of circulating lymphocytes include increased lymphocyte production, release of already formed lymphocytes into the blood, or decreased clearance of lymphocytes from the blood. A less common etiology of an elevated lymphocyte count is malignant lymphocytosis, where the lymphocyte count becomes elevated due to either an acute or chronic lymphoproliferative disorder.
Continue Reading
An elevated lymphocyte count alone is unlikely to cause harm. Therefore, taking time to identify the underlying cause is essential, as treatment will differ substantially between reactive and malignant causes. For example, reactive lymphocytosis due to a viral infection, such as in infectious mononucleosis, requires no specific treatment other than supportive care. In contrast, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) may present with an elevated lymphoblast count which can easily be mistaken as a lymphocytosis. Recognizing an elevated white blood cell count that is due to ALL is important, as this disease requires expedient treatment with intensive chemotherapy.
Other causes of malignant lymphocytosis, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), exhibit a wide range of clinical behavior, and may or may not require expedient treatment depending on a variety of clinical and laboratory factors. Most often, however, chronic lymphoproliferative disorders do not require urgent therapy.
What features of the presentation will guide me toward possible causes and next treatment steps:
Even with highly elevated lymphocyte counts, it is unusual for patients to develop leukostasis or other signs and symptoms directly attributable to lymphocytosis. However, signs and symptoms resulting from the condition responsible for the elevated lymphocyte count may be important clues to help identify the underlying etiology. For example, a young patient with lymphocytosis in the setting of fever, pharyngitis, fatigue, and splenomegaly would raise concern for infectious mononucleosis. In contrast, an older patient with lymphocytosis in the setting of lymphadenopathy, anemia, and thrombocytopenia would cause suspicion for CLL.
The time course of lymphocytosis can be a key discriminating factor between different etiologies. In general, lymphocytosis due to an infectious etiology such as mononucleosis will increase rapidly, and peak in the second or third week of illness. Although it may persist for up to 2 months, reactive lymphocytosis is generally self-limited. Malignant lymphocytosis may develop acutely or more gradually, and although it can wax and wane, it does not tend to resolve without specific treatment. The rate of change of the lymphocyte count can influence treatment decisions. For example, a lymphocyte doubling time of less than 6 months is an important consideration in deciding when to initiate treatment of CLL.
Lymphocyte morphology, as evaluated on the peripheral blood smear, can also be an important clue as to the possible cause of the lymphocytosis. For example, atypical lymphocytes with generous cytoplasm and eccentric nuclei are often seen in infectious mononucleosis. Small, mature-appearing lymphocytes with sparse cytoplasm accompanied by damaged lymphocytes ("smudge cells") are seen in CLL. An elevated white blood cell count due to ALL may exhibit heterogeneity in the size of the malignant cells, with smaller cells being easily mistaken for lymphocytes. The presence of large lymphoblasts with prominent nucleoli and pale blue cytoplasm suggests ALL and not true lymphocytosis.
What laboratory studies should you order to help make the diagnosis and how should you interpret the results?
A complete blood count with manual differential should be ordered to accurately quantify the total white blood cell (WBC) and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC). The ALC is calculated by multiplying the total WBC by the percentage of lymphocytes and dividing by 100 (ALC = WBC [cells/uL] x [% lymphocytes /100]). With patients in whom a reactive lymphocytosis is suspected, a thorough infectious work-up should be performed. This may include the heterophile antibody (or monospot) test, viral direct fluorescent antibody testing for influenza, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and other common viruses, HIV testing, and blood and throat cultures.
In immunocompromised patients, peripheral blood can be sent for viral PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests to rule out EBV (Epstein-Barr virus), CMV (Cytomegalovirus), HSV (herpes simplex virus), HHV (human herpesvirus)-8, and adenovirus. If this work-up is negative, or if a malignant etiology is suspected, peripheral blood flow cytometry should be performed to rule out a lymphoproliferative disorder. Generally, flow cytometry is definitive for the detection of blasts or B-cell disorders, though it should be noted that T-cell disorders can sometimes be difficult to characterize by flow cytometry. If the diagnosis remains in question, determining the clonality of the lymphocytes may be helpful. For example, identification of clonal rearrangement of the immunoglobulin genes, as seen in B-cell leukemias/lymphomas, or clonal T-cell receptor rearrangement in T-cell leukemia/lymphomas can help solidify a diagnosis.
Serum free light chains, if elevated and skewed toward kappa or lambda, may also provide evidence for lymphocyte clonality. In addition, FISH (florescent in-situ hybridization) cytogenetics can be performed on the peripheral blood to evaluate for markers typical of a lymphoproliferative disorder. For example, a case with flow cytometry results that are atypical but consistent with CLL may show del 13q14, which would further support the CLL diagnosis. If the above studies remain inconclusive, a bone marrow aspirate and core biopsy may be indicated to more definitively rule out a malignant etiology of the lymphocytosis.
What conditions can underlie lymphocytosis:
Reactive lymphocytosis
– Infectious mononucleosis (most commonly due to EBV, less commonly CMV, primary HIV-1 infection, adenovirus, or HHV-6).
– Infectious lymphocytosis (usually in children, can be extreme, with WBC counts occasionally greater than 100,000, thought to be due to enteroviruses, also associated with mild eosinophilia).
– Other viral illnesses (measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis, influenza, varicella, HTLV-1 [Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus]).
– Bacterial infection (well-described with Bordetella pertussis, Bartonella henselae ["cat scratch disease"], tuberculosis).
– Parasitic diseases (babesiosis usually causes atypical lymphocytes with normal WBC count, toxoplasmosis can cause atypical lymphocytes with elevated lymphocyte count).
– Stress-induced lymphocytosis (seen in trauma, where it may confer a poor prognosis, also seen after seizure, cardiac emergencies, sickle crisis).
– Persistent polyclonal B cell lymphocytosis (generally middle-aged female smokers, associated with HLA-DR7).
– Hypersensitivity reactions (for example, drug-related such as with phenytoin, serum sickness).
– Chronic NK cell lymphocytosis (may be associated with anemia and neutropenia).
– Post-splenectomy (morphology tends to be large granular lymphocytes, typically persists for years).
– Miscellaneous (inflammatory bowel disease, vasculitis, thyrotoxicosis, Addison's disease).
Malignant lymphocytosis
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
– The most common leukemia among adults in Western countries, absolute B cell count must be greater than 5,000 per uL, and typically has a phenotype that is positive for CD19, CD5, CD23, CD20 (dim), and either kappa or lambda (dim).
Prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL)
– May be B or T cell-derived. B-PLL may evolve from CLL or present de novo. T-PLL carries a particularly poor prognosis.
Monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL)
– A premalignant condition with a phenotype identical to CLL and similar chromosomal abnormalities but less than 5,000 B cells per uL. About 1% of patients per year develop progression to CLL that requires treatment.
Lymphoproliferative disease of large granular lymphocytes (LGL)
– Varied clinical behavior, usually indolent but can develop other cytopenias and systemic symptoms.
Mycosis fungoides
– Sezary syndrome, lymphocytes typically with "cerebriform" nuclei.
Hairy cell leukemia
– Characteristic hair-like projections, positive for CD25, CD11c, CD103.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)with marrow involvement
– Leukemic phase seen more commonly in follicular, mantle-cell, marginal zone, and Burkitt lymphoma, but can occur with almost any NHL subtype.
When do you need to get more aggressive tests:
Any patient presenting with lymphoctyosis should have an aggressive work-up to rule out a malignant etiology. Patients who should generate particular concern include those with a markedly elevated lymphocyte count (for example, above 20,000 per uL), those with malignant-appearing lymphocytes, and/or persistent lymphocytosis of greater than 3 weeks.
If the initial work-up is unrevealing for a reactive cause, or if a malignant etiology is highly suspected, the following additional tests should be pursued:
Peripheral blood flow cytometry
Peripheral blood cytogenetics
– With interphase FISH for common cytogenetic abnormalities, including del 17p, del 11q, del 13q14, and trisomy 12 seen in CLL, and t[11;14] seen in mantle cell NHL).
Immunoglobulin or T cell receptor gene rearrangement studies
Bone marrow biopsy and aspirate
Lymph node biopsy may also be indicated in select cases
What imaging studies (if any) will be helpful?
Imaging is rarely required in the evaluation and management of lymphocytosis. Exceptions include patients whose lymphocytosis is thought to be most likely due to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, patients with palpable lymphadenopathy, patients with CLL and unfavorable cytogenetic abnormalities such as del 17p or del 11q who may have bulky intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy not appreciated on physical exam, and patients with a suspicion of T-ALL, to rule out the presence of a mediastinal mass.
What therapies should you initiate immediately and under what circumstances – even if root cause is unidentified?
It is unusual for immediate therapy to be required, and time should be taken to establish a definitive diagnosis prior to initiating treatment. One exception is in patients with aggressive lymphomas with circulating disease, such as Burkitt lymphoma, who may undergo spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome. In patients with these metabolic derangements, aggressive electrolyte management, early administration of intravenous fluids, allopurinol, and, when required, rasburicase, are all important interventions to stabilize the patient while they are being worked up.
What other therapies are helpful for reducing complications?
What should you tell the patient and the family about prognosis?
The prognosis of patients with lymphocytosis depends on the etiology of the condition, and discussions about prognosis with the patient and family should be postponed until a definitive diagnosis is established.
"What if" scenarios.
If an identifiable cause of reactive lymphocytosis such as infectious mononucleosis is found, supportive care with observation is appropriate. However, should the lymphocytosis persist longterm (for example, greater than 2 months), a re-evaluation must be performed, with a low threshold for pursuing studies to rule out an underlying malignant lymphocytosis.
If lymphocytosis is found to be intermittent, it should not be ignored, and further evaluation may be necessary. For example, patients with early stage CLL or indolent NHL may have borderline elevations of lymphocyte counts that wax and wane, and although these patients may not require immediate treatment, monitoring and definitive diagnostic evaluation should be performed.
The pathophysiology of lymphoctyosis varies widely, and depends on the underlying etiology driving the condition, as described in more detail in the topics covering these conditions. In both reactive and malignant lymphocytosis, the mechanisms leading to an increased number of circulating lymphocytes may include increased lymphocyte production, release of already formed lymphocytes into the blood, or decreased clearance of lymphocytes by the reticulo-endothelial system.
What other clinical manifestations may help me to diagnose lymphocytosis
What other laboratory studies may be ordered?
Copyright © 2017, 2013 Decision Support in Medicine, LLC. All rights reserved.
No sponsor or advertiser has participated in, approved or paid for the content provided by Decision Support in Medicine LLC. The Licensed Content is the property of and copyrighted by DSM.
- What every physician needs to know about lymphocytosis:
- What features of the presentation will guide me toward possible causes and next treatment steps:
- What laboratory studies should you order to help make the diagnosis and how should you interpret the results?
- What conditions can underlie lymphocytosis:
- When do you need to get more aggressive tests:
- What imaging studies (if any) will be helpful?
- What therapies should you initiate immediately and under what circumstances – even if root cause is unidentified?
- What other therapies are helpful for reducing complications?
- What should you tell the patient and the family about prognosis?
- "What if" scenarios.
- Pathophysiology
- What other clinical manifestations may help me to diagnose lymphocytosis
- What other laboratory studies may be ordered?


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Stretch Goals!on 08/12/2018 at 12:13 pm
We have Kickstarter Stretch Goals!
We have Kickstarter Stretch Goals!
The kickstarter is for a hardcover of book 10. There is a kickstarter exclusive of a paperback with a Variant Color Cover that's only available for sale through the kickstarter and ends August 16, 2018. You can only get this color cover now. The color cover will not be available in the store.Â
We've got a Kickstarter going until August 16th for a Hard Cover Devil's Panties volume 10!
There's also an exclusive Kickstarter variant cover if you don't want a hard cover.
And also a regular Volume 10 if order must be maintained in a chaotic and uncertain world.


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Family Office Market Research Study The exploration study consisted of both primary and secondary analysis techniques deriving market data. Government and public solicitation of ideas to reduce the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by private businesses around the world is called market forces. The objective is to obtain premium insights, quality data statistics, and information on aspects such as market scope, market size, share, and segments like service and product Types, Application / End-Use Sector, SWOT Analysis, and various geography evolving. In the regular version of this study, some of the profiled players are Atlantic Trust, BMO Harris Bank, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Citi Private Bank, HSBC Private Bank, Stonehage Fleming Family & Partners, Wilmington Trust, Glenmede Trust Company, Abbot Downing, Northern Trust, Rockefeller Capital Management, UBS Global Family Office Group, U.S. Trust Family Office, Pictet, Hawthorn, Bessemer Trust.
REQUEST to GET FREE Sample PDF of Family Office Market Report NOW! @https://www.amplemarketreports.com/sample-request/global-family-office-market-2136349.html
The analysis of Family Office Business integrates useful differentiation data for each of the market segments. These segments are further analyzed on various fronts including historical results, contributions to market size, percent market share, projected growth rate, and many more.
Segmentation or breakdown of key businesses covered in Family Office Market Study is by Type [Single Family Office (SFO), Multi Family Office (MFO), Virtual Family Office (VFO)], by Application [Financial, Strategy, Governance, Advisory] and by Region [North America (Covered in Chapter 6 and 13), United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe (Covered in Chapter 7 and 13), Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia].
Business Strategies
The key market in Family Office strategies which include product launches, alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and so on discussed in this study. In accordance with undisputed market dynamics, the importance of strategic analysis has been rigorously examined. Market type 1 is expected to dominate the overall market over the forecast period until 2026.
What primary data figures are included in the Family Office market report?
- Market size (Last few years, current and expected)
- Market share analysis as per different companies)
- Market Contributions (Size, Share as per regional boundaries)
- Market (Demand forecast)
- Price Analysis Before and After COVID Situation
Due to COVID-19, think back to Unleash Growth Pattern; Know More @
What are the essential aspects of Family Office Market Study?
- Industry Value Chain
- Key Economic Indicators
- Consumption Data
- Market Size Expansion
Who will gain most from this Family Office Market Report?
- Market Investigators
- Teams, departments, and companies
- Vendors, Buyers, Suppliers
- Competitive organizations
- Individual professionals
- Others
Will you have any questions about this report? Please contact us on: https://www.amplemarketreports.com/buy-report.html?report=2136349&format=1
Family Office Market – Geographical Segment
- North America (Canada, United States & Mexico)
- South America (Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Etc.)
- Europe (Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Russia & Italy, Others)
- Asia-Pacific (Japan, South Korea, China, India & Southeast Asia)
- Middle East & Africa (United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria & South Africa)
The Family Office Market – Report Allows You to:
- Formulate Significant Competitor Information, Analysis, and Insights to Improve R&D Strategies of Family Office Market
- Plan Mergers and Acquisitions Effectively by Identifying Major Players, CAGR, SWOT Analysis with The Most Promising Pipeline of Family Office Market
- Identify Emerging Players of Family Office Market with Potentially Strong Product Portfolio and Create Effective Counter Strategies to Gain Competitive Advantage
- Identify and Understand Important and Diverse Types of Family Office Market Under Development
- Develop Family Office Market Entry and Market Expansion Strategies
- In-Depth Analysis of the Product's Current Stage of Development, Territory and Estimated Launch Date of Family Office Market
**Please let us know if you have any special requirements and we will provide an ad-hoc personalized report according to your requirement to meet your objectives
About Author
Ample Market Research provides comprehensive market research services and solutions across various industry verticals and helps businesses perform exceptionally well. Our end goal is to provide quality market research and consulting services to customers and add maximum value to businesses worldwide. We desire to deliver reports that have the perfect concoction of useful data. Our mission is to capture every aspect of the market and offer businesses a document that makes solid grounds for crucial decision making.
Tags: Family Office market Scope, Family Office Market Status, United States Family Office Market, Family Office Market Players, Family Office Market Latest Report, Family Office Market Scenario, Family Office Comprehensive Study, Family Office Market Outlook, Family Office Market Analysis, Family Office Market Size
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Maine Lawmakers Commit to Repairing County Jail System
AUGUSTA, Maine — Months after U.S. Department of Justice reviewer Rod Miller warned that Maine's county jail system was "possibly about to run over a cliff," state lawmakers have resolved to find a correctional funding fix in their current session.
Though the state's county jail funds are projected to run dry by spring, state legislators like Sen. Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick, announced to state corrections officials that they are ready to find financial solutions. "We will work very hard together," said Gerzofsky. "Expect to come back. We're going to go through it again. We're going to be here a lot. We're going to get it right this time."
A presentation and 37-page report from David Flanagan, who led the 15-member commission tasked with reviewing the state's county jail system and current legislation, presented several potential funding shortfall solutions. The commission's plan would primarily give the Maine Board of Corrections authority to place inmates in any of the state's 15 county jails, overriding facility authorities if need be. It further requested that counties submit both an operational budget and a capital costs budget, and then manage all costs under one accounting system.
"I don't know if this will be enough," said Flanagan after presenting the commission's recommendations. "I don't know if this will do the job. But I think it's worth trying for the next couple of years and seeing if it can be made to work."
The state's county jail system was created by the legislature in 2008, and has consistently faced funding challenges. As recently as December 2013, the State Board of Corrections, which was established just a year later by then-Gov. John Baldacci, told jail operators to prepare for no funding increases, as well as potential layoffs and closures. Then the board then narrowly approved an $80.3 million budget for FY 2013-2014, an increase of just 0.6 percent.
Despite the modest increase, the approved budget still fell nearly $4 million short of the amount county jail operators requested to avoid closures and staff reductions. At that time, board members said they would seek additional funding from the state legislature in the January session. Currently, the state contributes roughly $20 million to the county jail system, while an additional $62 million is paid for through county property taxes. This funding arrangement was established under the same 2008 legislation that created the statewide jail system. That particular piece of legislation was developed in part by Gerzofsky and then-Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion, who now serves as the Democratic representative from Portland.
Though counties have not yet exhausted their funds, county jail officials across the state already report having to reduce some staff, and move others to a seven-day work week. They have also blamed rising repair and health care costs for consistently depleting already tight resources. The editorial staff off the local Kennebec Journal has even pointed to the state's "ineffective" bail system, stating that roughly 75 percent of inmates currently held in county jails are awaiting trial — at a great expense to taxpayers. For his part, Gerzofsky noted that he was eager to review, and potentially restructure, wage practices, noting county correctional officers are "paid for on the backs of the state taxpayers."


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In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Why 114 suras in the Quran ?
We all, hopefully, know by now that the Arabic word "Wahid", which means (one) has a gematrical value of 19, where 19 is the mathematical code of the miracle of the Quran. The message of the Quran and all the scripture focus on "God is ONE." God assigned these values to the letters as HE created all the languages, and the word "one" was given the value of 19 since the creation. See also our article "Why 19 ?". God knows the Quran will be its Final scripture and that it will be coded by 19. Also this is just a clue to the general principle that the mathematical structure of the Quran is related to the manifestations of God as expressed by His names.
The question can now be raised: WHY are there 114 suras in the Quran ? although the fact that 114 is a multiple of 19, is by itself significant, the answer that this is the reason for 114 suras is not sufficient enough since there are other multiples of 19, say 38, 57,76,95,133…etc. which could have served the same function as well. The answer to the question is found in sura 75:17
[75:17] It is we who will collect it into Quran.
[75:17] It is we who will collect it (Arabic = Jama'ahu) into Quran.
Here God says that He (using angelic forces) is responsible for the collecting of all the verses of the Quran into what is now called the Quran . The Arabic verb here for collecting or gathering is (jama's) and the noun corresponding to is is (Jami'u) . God is called in the Quran Jami'u .. at least twice in the Quran, 3:9 and 4:140
[3:9] "Our Lord, You will surely gather .. the people on a day that is inevitable. GOD never breaks a promise."
[4:140] He has instructed you in the scripture that: if you hear GOD's revelations being mocked and ridiculed, you shall not sit with them, unless they delve into another subject. Otherwise, you will be as guilty as they are. GOD will gather the hypocrites . and the disbelievers together in Hell.
While suras 3:9 says that God is the Gatherer of mankind for the day of Judgment and Sura 4:140 says that He is the Gatherer of al those destined for the Doom, , Sura 75:17 asserts that He is also the Gatherer (Collector) of the revelations of the Quran.
The gematrical value of the word ( Jam'u = Collector or Gatherer ) is 114.
As we know , there is NO co-incidence. God knows since creation that He will the Collector of the Quran, the Gatherer of the revelations and He assigned the value 114 to the word, J =3, A =1, M= 40 and A'in = 70 = 114
Thus Jami'u .. totals 114, the number of suras in the Quran.
Besides being the Author of the Quran, He is responsible for its gathering and collection together. This explains the relationship between God's special name Al-Jami'u and the number of suras in the Quran. God Himself gives the clue in 75:17.
This article is Modified after " a Brochure written by Dr. Cesar Majul , PhD, Former Dean, Institute of of Islamic studies, University of the Philippines. 1982
Other related issues to the number 114:
- Sura 1, verse 1 'Basmallah', occurs in the Quran 114 times = 19 x 6 despite the absence of Basmallah from sura 9. The very first verse of the Quran gives an indication of the number of Sura's in the book.
- Sura 110, the last chapter revealed, has three numbered verses and one un-numbered verse, i.e. Basmallah. 110 + 4 verses =114. As if sura 110 which is the last revealed sura predict the total of the suras in the Quran.
- The number of chapters in the Quran is 114. 114 = 6 x 19 and 619 is the 114th prime
- Sura 19 is the 6th initialled sura that was revealed. Note that the 619 is prime number and its index is 114 and that 114 = 6 x 19. We all know that 114 is the number of suras in the Quran. The word GOD is mentioned for the first time in this sura in verse 30. Note that 30 is the 19th composite. 19:30 is the 114th verse containing the word "Allah" in the revelation order. Number 19, the code of the miracle of the Quran is mentioned in verse 30 (sura74.) An intricate system beyond all times.
- The chemical element number 114 has a magic nucleus. A magic nucleus is a highly stable one with all the shells closed. The magic numbers in nuclei are 2,8,20,28,50 and 82 as far as we know in the periodic table of elements. It is interesting to note that 2+8+20+28+50+82 = 190 = 19X10
- The name Rashad Khalifa in Arabic is made of 9 letters, R, SH, A, D, KH, L, Y, F, H. The Sequential (not the gematrical) Value of these 9 letters are, 20, 21,1,4, 24,12,10,17, and 5 and the sum of which is 114 (19X6), which is total number of suras in the Quran. The use of the name Rashad khalifa means it cannot be any Rashad or any Khalifa. God coded the name Rashad Khalifa in the Quran, otherwise we would have had thousands if not millions of people named after the expected messenger and claim they are the messenger of the covenant, Rashad khalifa.
- The important phrase, "Wahdahoo La Sharika lah," (GOD ALONE, HE has no partners) has a gematrical value of 619. 619 is the 114th prime number and also 6X19 =114 which is the number of suras in the Quran.


text: If your child has flat feet do you have to do something about it? from www.shutterstock.com.au July 28, 2016 What are 'flat feet' in children and are they something to worry about? Joshua Burns, University of Sydney; David Little, University of Sydney, and Polina Martinkevich, University of Sydney Flatfoot is normal in infants and young children, and in the absence of any associated symptoms, treatment is highly debatable.


text: Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk tweeted Sunday that that he had a "promising call" with Bosch, a German auto-technology supplier that makes the radar sensor for Tesla's all-electric vehicles.Musk's tweet said that 'significant' upgrades might be possible for Autopilot, but did not specify what those might be. The improvements will eventually be added to vehicles with Autopilot capability via an over-the-air upgrade, Musk said. TwitterMusk tweeted that improvements are coming to Autopilot.Tesla is currently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and possibly the Securities and Exchange Commission, over several accidents that may have involved its Autopilot advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).The fatal accident, which took place on May 7 in Williston, Fla., resulted in the death of Joshua Brown, 40, of Canton, Ohio, when a tractor-trailer crossed both lanes of a divided highway in front of his Tesla sedan.Two other, non-fatal accidents connected to Autopilot are also under investigation. On Friday, a U.S. Senate Committee asked Tesla to brief it on the circumstances leading to the fatal accident involving Brown. Tesla has conceded that Autopilot was on at the time of the collision.For his part, Musk also thanked MobilEye for its help in "making Autopilot better." Netherlands-based MobilEye makes computer chips with image processing algorithms responsible for collision warning and prevention in ADAS, such as Tesla's Autopilot.While Tesla has remained fuzzy about how much of a role MobilEye plays in its in-house Autopilot ADAS technology, after the first Model S fatal crash in May, both Tesla and Mobileye stock went down.MobilEye later issued a statement that its technology is not currently able to recognize a crossing trailer but that it is working on an upgrade called "Lateral Turn Across Path (LTAP) detection" that will be available beginning in 2018.After thanking both MobilEye and Bosch for their roles in improving Autopilot, Musk asked that everyone "please direct all criticism at Tesla."


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Let's Advance Learning
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We are excited about our upcoming Kindergarten Enrollment Week. Kindergarten Enrollment Week is the perfect time to enroll your child. Your child's destination to success is DPS.
Visit your school to receive assistance with the online enrollment process July 12-15, 2021 9 am - 4 pm.
To find out more information about kindergarten at DPS, log on to http://www.dpsnc.net/kindergarten.
Ready to enroll your child now? Log on to http://www.dpsnc.net/enrollment to get started. #WeAreDPS


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Comcast customers whose broadband service was slowed when the Internet service provider slowed peer-to-peer traffic will be able to get a payment of US$16 under a class-action lawsuit settlement approved by a U.S. judge.
Judge Legrome Davis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania approved the settlement June 29, and the Lexington Law Group, which represented plaintiff Jon Hart, announced the settlement Thursday.
Comcast will pay up to $16 million to customers in the settlement. Comcast's 15M bps broadband service typically costs $42.95 a month, not including special offers.
Customers have until Aug. 29 to file claims at P2Pcongestionsettlement.com. Those eligible for the $16 payments are former and current Comcast customers used the Ares, BitTorrent, eDonkey, FastTrack or Gnutella P-to-P protocols between April 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2008, and were unable to share files, or believe the file-sharing speeds were affected. Customers who were unable to use Lotus Notes to send e-mail between March 26, 2007, and Oct. 3, 2007, are also eligible.
The settlement is a "great result" for Comcast customers, Mark Todzo, an attorney with Lexington Law Group, said in a statement. "But customers will only get their share of the $16 million if they file a claim."
Despite some media reports, Comcast customers are not admitting to downloading illegal material by filing a claim, Todzo said. "That's absolutely false," he said. "Millions of people use P-to-P protocols for legitimate, legal purposes, and when you file a claim in this case, all you're saying is that you used these protocols and believe your service may have been slowed down."
Networking engineer Robb Topolski, who discovered the Comcast traffic throttling efforts in 2007, called the settlement a bad deal for customers.
"The settlement provides for a maximum payment of $16 per subscriber, which amounts to roughly 1 percent of the amount those subscribers paid for Internet service while Comcast was blocking their uploads," he said. "It not only clearly fails to address Comcast's under-delivery of service, it fails to address the deception that accompanied it. It is absolutely not a fair settlement."
Comcast, however, applauded the settlement. "We are pleased the judge has approved the settlement and we are happy to put this matter behind us," a Comcast spokesman said. "We continue to believe that our network management practices were appropriate and in the best interests of our customers. Our goal at all times was to manage our network effectively for the benefit of all of our customers."
Comcast's practice of slowing P-to-P and other applications came to light in late 2007. The broadband provider first denied it, and later said the traffic throttling was necessary to manage network congestion.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in August 2008, ordered Comcast to stop slowing P-to-P traffic, but Comcast appealed the order, saying the FCC had no authority to enforce informal network neutrality rules.
In April, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled against the FCC.
Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News Service. Follow Grant on Twitter at GrantusG. Grant's e-mail address is email@example.com.


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Bay Area-Made Sosu Sriracha
Did you go through withdrawal last year over a feared shortage of sriracha sauce?
When Southern California's Huy Fong Foods, maker of the ubiquitous Red Rooster brand, had to shut down temporarily after neighbors complained about the chile fumes, hot sauce lovers grew desperate.
But Red Rooster's not the only game in town. In fact, the Bay Area has its own sriracha savant: Sosu Sauces.
Co-founder Lisa Murphy's company started out on a whim when she decided to try her hand at making a better ketchup. From her upbringing in China and travels throughout Southeast Asia, she learned that ketchup actually has Chinese origins. So, after creating a Classic Ketchup, she concocted Srirachup (a blend of her ketchup and her sriracha), and finally a limited-edition Barrel-Aged Sriracha that's available only through her Kickstarter campaign.


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U-18 Women's National Team heads to Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., for second camp of 2013
The U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team will hold its second training camp of the year from April 10-17 at The Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
U.S. Soccer Women's Technical Director April Heinrichs has called up 24 players for the training camp, with 18 born in 1996, which is the age cut-off year for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, so the majority of the players in this camp are focused on that Women's World Cup.
Heinrichs has also called in six players born in 1995, including three players – defender Maddie Bauer, midfielder Lauren Kaskie and forward Margaret Purce – who played for the USA at the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan. Players born on or after Jan. 1, 1994, are eligible for the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada, so the group of U.S. players that attempt to qualify for that tournament will be primarily from that birth year, but the top 1995s and perhaps a few 1996s may also be in the mix.
U.S. U-18 WNT Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Darien Dunham (Yankee United; Cheshire, Conn.), Alexandra Nichols (Rage; Pleasanton, Calif.), Arielle Schechtman (San Diego Surf; Del Mar, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (7): Maddie Bauer (Slammers FC; Newport Beach, Calif.), Macayla Edwards (FC Florida; Palm Beach, Fla.), Madeline Elliston (OMA Elite Girls' Academy; Omaha, Neb.), Indigo Gibson (Slammer FC; Las Flores, Calif.), Annia Mejia (Fram; Bloomington, Calif.), Kaleigh Riehl (BRYC '95 Elite, Fairfax Station, Va.), Amber Stearns (McLean MPS; San Antonio, Texas)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Jaye Boissiere (MVLA Lightning; Los Altos Hills, Calif.), Elizabeth Brandon (Colorado Rush; Littleton, Colo.), Jordan DiBiasi (Colorado Rush; Littleton, Colo.), Mikaela Harvey (Lonestar SC; Liberty Hill, Texas), Lauren Kaskie (Neusport Football Club; Las Vegas, Nev.), Emily Ogle (Internationals SC; Strongsville, Ohio), Zoe Pacalin (MVLA SC; Portola Valley, Calif.), Rebecca Rasmussen (Rush Nike; Golden, Colo.)
FORWARDS (6): Elizabeth Boon (Vancouver United; Washougal, Wash.), Megan Buckingham (Michigan Hawks; Novi, Mich.), Marion Crowder (Chicago Fire Juniors of Miss.; Madison, Miss.), Imani Dorsey (Freestate United; Elkridge, Md.), Gabby Matulich (MVLA Lightning; Los Gatos, Calif.), Margaret Purce (Freestate United; Silver Spring, Md.)


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And the talented Aamer again apologised to fans in cricket-crazy Pakistan for his role in the scandal by saying: "I ask for their forgiveness. I messed up."
The highly-rated 19-year-old was released from jail last month after serving half of a six-month sentence for his part in the scandal during the Lord's Test between England and Pakistan in 2010.
His former teammates Butt and Mohammad Asif are serving sentences of 30 and 12 months respectively, handed down by a British court in November, after the trio were found guilty of corruption and receiving illegal money.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) also banned all three players, with Aamer receiving the minimum five-year punishment after he was found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls as part of a plan orchestrated by Butt and agent Mazhar Majeed, also now serving a jail sentence.
"I'm so angry with Salman," said Aamer, speaking publicly for the first time since his release in an interview with former England captain Mike Atherton broadcast on Sky Sports on Monday.
"He used to call me 'innocent one'. Like how an elder brother would speak to a younger one," he added in comments translated by Sky into English from Urdu. "He should have helped me instead of involving me in all this."
Aamer was once considered the hottest property in international cricket. He emerged on the scene in 2009 and was regarded as a better left-arm paceman than Pakistan great Wasim Akram was at the same age.
With 51 wickets in just 14 Tests, Aamer was on the verge of getting the ICC emerging player award in 2010 -- but his career and life then derailed.
The charges were related to bowling deliberate no-balls by Aamer and pace partner Asif in the 2010 Lord's Test against England.
What none of the players or Majeed knew at the time was that the scam was part of a sting operation put together by now defunct British newspaper the News of the World.
Aamer said he became entangled in the Lord's plot the day before the Test because of fears over phone contacts he had with a businessman he knew as Ali, which Butt and Majeed exploited in a meeting in the car park of the team hotel.
"Suddenly he (Majeed) said 'oh bro, you've got yourself in big trouble, you're trapped, and your career is at stake'," Aamer recalled.
"I said 'Bro, what's happened?'. He told me that my calls and texts with Ali had been recorded and had reached the ICC."
Majeed, who said a friend had told him about the ICC "probe" then explained to Aamer the way his name could avoid being linked publicly with that of Ali was if he did the agent the favour of bowling two no-balls to order.
Aamer added: "I said 'what?!' And here there's something crucial that I'd like to say at this point: I'd like to say how stupid I was.
"I mean on the one hand he was telling me that a report about me had gone to the ICC, and on the other that he wanted me to do two no-balls for him.
"I was panicking so much it didn't even occur to me how ridiculous it was.
"I knew that it was cheating cricket; that it was out of order, and that it shouldn't happen."
Reflecting on how he got into trouble, Aamer said: "I was stupid. I should have told someone.
"I didn't do it for money. Thanks to Allah, I trust myself to distinguish between right and wrong.
"They (Butt and Majeed) told me that I was in trouble for texting Ali and what was in those texts. And they said that ICC had managed to record them.
"There had been no need for these guys to make this story up."
Aamer, who faces an uncertain future, thanked his family and long-time mentor Asif Bajwa for their backing.
"It's a very difficult time but good people are boosting my morale and giving me courage."


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Push, opening today, is a crash course in how to do a cheerfully nonsensical action-adventure fantasy without winking at the audience or getting too cute. It feels revolutionary because it's so old-school. Mild spoilers.
In Push, Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) plays Nick, a ne'er-do-well telekinetic "Mover" hiding out from a secret government agency called Division. He meets the young clairvoyant Cassie (Dakota Fanning) who convinces him to help find a mysterious girl and her case, which are the key to stopping Division's evil schemes. There's just one catch: Cassie can see the future, and in the current timeline, both she and Nick die.
When I interviewed director Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin) about this new film, he talked about the "realism" he brought to this tale of psychics fighting against the government. You'll be happy to know that Push, at no time, feels like a work of realism. What it does have, however, is a determination to take its premise and its characters seriously at all times.
What I mean is, the film treats telekinesis and clairvoyance exactly the same way it handles guns and airplanes: they're tools, and the building blocks of a thriller. There's a moment, early on the movie, where somebody talks about trying to avoid being tracked by a "Watcher," and it feels nicely matter-of-fact. At no point in the movie is the fact that everyone has superpowers made into a big deal. They have superpowers the same way they have guns, cars, telephones and explosives.
At the same time, the film's backstory felt fleshed out enough that I kept wondering if I'd wandered into a long-established universe. The worldbuilding, involving government experiments and a complex chess game between different types of psychics, felt efficient and just detailed enough. The universe felt like it had consistent "rules," and was an interesting enough setting that I found myself thinking I wouldn't mind spending time there, in spite of my loathing for sequels and spin-offs.
And then there's McGuigan's direction, which definitely borrows a lot from his idol Wong Kar-Wai. There are lots of spooky scenes of people wandering seedy Hong Kong hallways or running through super-crowded alleyways, and if you squint it feels like an outtake from Chunking Express. The action scenes avoid shaky-cam or jump cuts, and you can actually tell what's happening most of the time. (Which is part of what I meant by "old school" above.) McGuigan uses CG effects, but keeps them mostly subtle. There's no green-screen. A warning, though: There are a couple of scenes of Evans and Fanning just walking down a corridor in slow-mo, which ought to be against the law.
By now, you can glean that I really liked Push. It wasn't a transcendant masterpiece, exactly, but it was a supremely entertaining couple of hours, and a lot more fun than most action-adventure films I'd seen. I warmed up to the characters, even if Evans' hard-bitten rogue act felt a bit well-worn. The storyline's twists and turns kept me guessing, even if they felt slightly nonsensical on a few occasions. At its best, the film is a stylish ride, and at its worst, it's still a fun movie.
The other thing I really liked about Push was the way it handled the "changing the future" storyline. If you've watched Heroes, or a number of other shows and movies, you'll be wary of stories where someone sees a bleak future and tries to change it. That way, so often, lies confusion and wank. But this storyline was the strongest part of Push, for a couple of reasons.
First of all, McGuigan keeps it visual in a way that I've never seen other narratives manage. Fanning and her rival clairvoyant are constantly drawing pictures of the shifting future in their notebooks. But even better, we see flashes of their future-visions, through a kind of haze, and you can see how they change. At one point, early in the movie, a bunch of Chinese gangsters/spies are about to murder Evans' character, Nick. But as they're killing him, their pet psychic can see the future changing - as Nick dies, the future in which the gangsters achieve their objective fades out as well. (It's hard to describe, but very clear in the actual execution.) The relationship between people's actions and the shifting futures is kept fairly concrete.
And secondly, this power of clairvoyance becomes, in the end, just another form of surveillance. (Like the "Sniffers," who can track you by sniffing your belongings.) It turns out the clairvoyant "Watchers" can only predict your future if you have made a decision to do something - if you don't make any decisions, they can't predict what'll happen next. In other words, clairvoyance is just another form of espionage that can be outsmarted or gamed.
It would not be a bad thing if Push becomes a sleeper hit and inspires a ton of copycat superpower movies. With a million superhero epics on the horizon - most of them looking almost unbearably cheesy and overloaded with too many comic-book villains per movie - it would be great if directors and writers took a few cues from Push. Especially if directors treated action sequences the way Push does - not as excuses for the story to grind to a halt for 20 minutes while the VFX people go to work, but as a continuation of the story. The movie's final showdown is huge and fairly spectacular, but it also contains actual plot developments.
It's definitely not a perfect film - I already mentioned that a couple plot twists felt slightly arbitrary. Plus, McGuigan is so eager to milk every last bit of color out of his Hong Kong setting, that he often comes annoyingly close to "exotic Oriental" imagery. (And I got a bit tired of the "deadly screaming Asian people" motif - one of the main ways the Chinese superpeople can kill you is by bugging out their eyes and screaming until your blood pours out. It gets a bit old.)
Also, as commenter OlavRockne points out, there's an annoying voice-over at the beginning, with a giant infodump. And it's a tad confusing - the movie starts out with a flashback to "ten years ago," then jumps forward to "now." And then it jumps forward again, to "two days from now." But it never goes back to "now." The whole movie takes place two minutes in the future, man!
But Push tells a straightforward story, with tons of clever plot twists that keep you wondering what'll happen and mostly make sense. The movie's action uses superpowers in a clever way, without excessive cuteness. You care about the characters, sketchily drawn though they are, and you get caught up in the action. This is all fairly basic stuff, but it feels downright revolutionary to see a film doing it well. Definitely give Push a look - it might be the best straightforward superpowered adventure we see for a while.


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With a clever rear-entry design, the Aqua Patio 235 provides easy boarding for passengers, and extended lounges mean everyone is comfortable during a day on the water.


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The Most Powerful Gay Man in Silicon Valley Stays Quiet on Being Gay
Everyone knows Tim Cook is gay. Valleywag said it in 2011. His colleagues say it now. It's a social triumph that the arguably most powerful businessman in the world is also gay. So why, at one of the rare moments that Cook's sexuality actually matters, won't he finally say it?
In a characteristically succinct, no-nonsense Wall Street Journal op-ed, Cook makes one point, and makes it very well: "Workplace Equality Is Good for Business." The brief article is written in support of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, "a bill now before the U.S. Senate would update those employment laws, at long last, to protect workers against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity." It should go without saying in 2013 that this is a good and necessary piece of legislation, but at a conservative bastion like the Journal, it's particularly poignant—and an order of magnitude more poignant coming from a man who has overcome bigotry, from his Alabama upbringing to the stodgy c-suite. Cook isn't just making a powerful political point, he's making a powerful personal point—right?
Sort of. What follows is an oddly removed argument for the bill, written by Cook as if describing a man like Cook, but never identifying as that gay man who knows the reality of workplace intolerance: "Those who have suffered discrimination have paid the greatest price for this lack of legal protection. But ultimately we all pay a price." This is of course hugely laudable from a man in such a position of power, particularly in a right-leaning business publication. But it's just as much a missed opportunity. Cook writes "People are much more willing to give of themselves when they feel that their selves are being fully recognized and embraced," and that "If our coworkers cannot be themselves in the workplace, they certainly cannot be their best selves." Who better to say this than the most powerful gay man in the history of of modern capitalism? Who else could persuade regressive Journal readers than the man whose company they worship?
Cook's piece rings so true not just because it's true, because he's lived that truth and struggled through its absence. But we won't know that, because Cook still won't say it.
Photo: Getty