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Love's Commendation
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."—Romans 5:8
I shall have nothing new to tell you; it will be as old as the everlasting hills, and so simple that a child may understand it. Love's commendation. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God's commendation of himself and of his love is not in words, but in deeds. When the Almighty God would commend his love to poor man, it is not written, "God commendeth his love towards us in an eloquent oration"; it is not written that he commendeth his love by winning professions; but he commendeth his love toward us by an act, by a deed; a surprising deed, the unutterable grace of which eternity itself shall scarce discover. He "commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Let us learn, then upon the threshold of our text, that if we would commend ourselves it must be by deeds, and not by words. Men may talk fairly, and think that thus they shall win esteem; they may order their words aright, and think that so they shall command respect; but let them remember, it is not the wordy oratory of the tongue, but the more powerful eloquence of the hand which wins the affection of "the world's great heart." If thou wouldst commend thyself to thy fellows, go and do—not go and sayact
"No big words of ready talkers,
No fine boastings will suffice;
Broken hearts and humble walkers,
These are dear in Jesus' eyes."
Let us imitate God, then, in this. If we would commend our religion to mankind, we cannot do it by mere formalities, but by gracious acts of integrity, charity and forgiveness, which are the proper discoveries of grace within. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." "Let your conversation be such as becometh the gospel of Christ;" and so shall you honour him, and "adorn the doctrine" which you profess.
But now for this mighty deed whereby God commended his love. We think that it is twofold. We believe the apostle has given us a double commendation of love. The first is, "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, Christ died for us"; the second commendation arises from our condition, "In that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."
I. The first commendation of love, then, is this—that "CHRIST DIED FOR US"; and as the whole text is double, so this sentence also contains a twofold commendation There is a commendation of love in the person who died—Christ; and then in the act which he performed—"Christ died for us."
1. First, then, it is the highest commendation of love, that it was CHRIST who died for us. When sinful man erred from his Maker, it was necessary that God should punish his sin. He had sworn by himself, "The soul that sinneth it shall die;" and God—with reverence to his all-holy name be it spoken—could not swerve from what he had said. He had declared on Sinai that he would by no means clear the guilty; but inasmuch as he desired to pardon the offending, it was necessary that some one else should bear the sufferings which the guilty ought to have endured, that so by the vicarious substitution of another, God might be "just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly." Now, the question might have arisen, "Who is he that shall be the scapegoat for man's offence? Who is he that shall bear his transgressions and take away his sins?" If I might be allowed to picture in my imagination (and mark, it is nothing more than imagination), I could almost conceive a parliament in heaven. The angels are assembled; the question is proposed to them: —"Cherubim and seraphim, cohorts of the glorified, ye spirits that like flames of fire, swift at my bidding fly; ye happy beings, whom I have created for my honour! here is a question which I condescend to offer for your consideration: —Man has sinned; there is no way for his pardon but by some one suffering and paying blood for blood. Who shall it be?" I can conceive that there was silence throughout the august assembly. Gabriel spoke not: he would have stretched his wings and flapped the ether in a moment, if the deed had been possible; but he felt that he could never bear the guilt of a world upon his shoulders, and, therefore, still he sat. And there the mightiest of the mighty, those who could shake a world if God should will it, sat still, because they felt all powerless to accomplish redemption. I do not conceive that one of them would have ventured to hope that God himself would assume flesh and die. I do not think it could have entered even into angelic thought to conceive that the mighty Maker of the skies should bow his awful head and sink into a grave. I cannot imagine that the brightest and most seraphic of these glorified ones would for an instant have suffered such a thought to abide with him. And when the Son of God, upstarting from his throne, spoke to them and said, "Principalities and powers! I will become flesh, I will veil this Godhead of mine in robes of mortal clay, I will die!"—I think I see the angels for once astonished. They had seen worlds created; they had beheld the earth, like a spark from the incandescent mass of unformed matter, hammered from the anvil of Omnipotence, and smitten off into space; and yet they had not wondered. But on this occasion I conceive that they ceased not to marvel. "What! wilt thou die, O Word! Creator! Master! Infinite! Almighty! wilt thou become a man and die?" "Yes," saith the Saviour, "I will." And are you not astonished, mortal men? Do you not wonder? What, will you not marvel? The hosts of heaven still are wondering. Though it is many an age since they heard it, they have not yet ceased to admire; and do not you begin to marvel yet? Shall the theme which stirs the marvel of the seraph not move your hearts? That God himself should become man, and then should die for you! "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, Christ should die. Roll that thought over in your mind; ponder it in your meditations; weigh it in your hearts. If ye have right ideas of Godhead, if ye know what Christ is, if ye can conceive him who is the everlasting God, and yet the man—if ye can picture him, the pure, holy, perfect creature, and yet the everlasting Creator—if ye can conceive of him as the man who was wounded, and yet the God who was exalted for ever—if ye can picture him as the Maker of all worlds, as the Lord of providence, by whom all things exist and consist—if ye can conceive of him now, as robed in splendor, surrounded with the choral symphonies of myriads of angels, then perhaps ye may guess how deep was that stride of condescension, when he stepped from heaven to earth, from earth into the grave, from the grave down, it is said, into the lowest "sheol," that he might make his condescension perfect and complete. "He hath commended his love" to you, my brethren, in that it was Christ, the Son of God, who died for us.
2. The second part of the first commendation lieth here, that Christ died for us. It was much love when Christ became man for us, when he stripped himself of the glories of his Godhead for awhile, to become an infant of a span long, slumbering in the manger of Bethlehem. It was no little condescension when he divested himself of all his glories, hung his mantle on the sky, gave up his diadem and the pleasures of his throne, and stooped to become flesh. It was moreover, no small love when he lived a holy and a suffering life for us; it was love amazing, when God with feet of flesh did tread the earth, and teach his own creatures how to live, all the while bearing their scoffs and jests with cool unangered endurance. It was no little favour of him that he should condescend to give us a perfect example by his spotless life; but the commendation of love lieth here—not that Christ lived for us, but that Christ died for us.
Come, dear hearers, for a moment weigh those words. "Christ died for us!" Oh, how we love those brave defenders of our nation who but lately died for us in a far-off land! Some of us showed our sympathy to their sons and daughters, their wives and children, by contributing to support them, when the fathers were laid low. We feel that the wounded soldier is a friend to us, and that we are his debtors for ever. We may not love war; we may not, some of us, think it a Christian act to wield the sword; but, nevertheless, I am sure we love the men who sought to defend our country with their lives, and who died in our cause. We would drop a tear over the silent graves of Balaclava, if we were there now. And, if it should ever come to pass that any one of them should be called to die for us, should we not henceforth love them? Do any of us know what is contained in that great word "die?" Can we measure it? Can we tell its depths of suffering or its heights of agony? "Died for us!" Some of you have seen death; you know how great and dread is its power; you have seen the strong man bowing down, his knees quivering; you have beheld the eyestrings break, and seen the eyeballs glazed in death; you have marked the torture and the agonies which appal men in their dying hours; and you have said, "Ah! it is a solemn and an awful thing to die." But, my hearers, "Christ died for us." All that death could mean Christ endured; he yielded up the ghost, he resigned his breath; he became a lifeless corpse, and his body was interred, even like the bodies of the rest that died. "Christ died for us."
Consider the circumstances which attended his death. It was no common death he died; it was a death of ignominy, for he was put to death by a legal slaughter; it was a death of unutterable pain, for he was crucified; and what more painful fate than to die nailed to a cross? It was a long protracted death, for he hung for hours, with only his hands and his feet pierced—parts which are far away from the seat of life, but in which are situated the most tender nerves, full of sensibility. He suffered a death which for its circumstances still remain unparalleled. It was no speedy blow which crushed the life out of the body, and ended it; but it was a lingering, long, and doleful death, attended with no comforts and no sympathy, but surrounded with scorn and contempt. Picture him! They have hurled him on his back; they have driven nails through his hands and his feet; they have lifted him up. See! They have dashed the cross into its place. It is fixed. And now behold him! Mark his eyes, all full of tears; behold his head, hanging on his breast. Ah! mark him, he seems all silently to say, "I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint; I am brought into the dust of death." Hear him, when he groans, "I thirst." Above all, listen to him, whilst he cries, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" My words cannot picture him; my thoughts fail to express it. No painter ever accomplished it, nor shall any speaker be able to perform it. Yet I beseech you regard the Royal Sufferer. See him, with the eye of your faith, hanging on the bloody tree. Hear him cry, before he dies, "It is finished!"
"See from his head, his hands, his feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?"
Oh! how I wish I could stir you! If I should tell you some silly story of a love-sick maid, ye would weep; if I should turn novelist, and give you some sad account of a fabled hero who had died in pain—if it were a fiction, I should have your hearts; but this is a dread and solemn reality, and one with which you are intimately connected, for all this was done for as many of you as sincerely repent of your sins.
"All ye that pass by,
to Jesus draw nigh:
To you is it nothing that Jesus should die?"
Bethink you, that if you are saved, it is something to you, for the blood which trickles from his hands, distils for you. That frame which writhes in torture writhes for you
II. Our second point was this: "God commendeth his love towards us," not only because Christ died for us, but that CHRIST DIED FOR US WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS."
Let us for a moment consider what sort of sinners many of us have been, and then we shall see it was marvellous grace that Christ should die for men—not as penitents— but as sinners. Consider how many of us have been continual sinners. We have not sinned once, nor twice, but ten thousand times. Our life, however upright and moral it has been, is stained by a succession of sins. If we have not revolted against God in the outward acts which proclaim the profligate to be a great sinner, yet the thoughts of our heart and the words of our lips are swift witnesses against us that we have continually transgressed. And oh! my brethren, who is there among us who will not likewise confess to sins of act? Who among us has not broken the Sabbath-day? Who among us has not taken God's name in vain? Who of us shall dare to say that we have loved the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength? Have we never by any act whatsoever showed that we have coveted our neighbour's goods? Verily, I know we have; we have broken his commands, and it is well for us to join in that general confession—"We have done those things which we ought not to have done; we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and there is no health in us." Now, the sweet thought is, that Christ died for us, whilst he knew that we should be continual transgressors. Men, brethren, and fathers, he did not die for you as those who have committed but one fault, but as those who were emphatically "sinners;" sinners of years' standing; some of you sinners with grey heads; sinners who have persevered in a constant course of iniquity. As sinners we are redeemed, and by it we become saints. Does not this commend Christ's love to us, that he should die for sinners, who have dyed themselves with sin as with crimson and with scarlet; great and continual sinners.
Note again, he has died for us, although our sins were aggravated. Oh! there are some of us here who are great sinners—not so much in the acts we have performed, as in the aggravation of our guilt. I reckon that when I sin, I sin worse than many of you, because I sin against better training than many of my hearers received in their youth. Many of you, when you sin, sin against faithful ministers, and against the most earnest warnings. It has been your wont to sit under truthful pastors; you have often been told of your sins. Remember, sirs, when you sin you do not sin so cheap as others: when you sin against the convictions of your consciences, against the solemn monitions of your pastors, you sin more grossly than others do. The Hottentot sinneth not as the Briton doth. He who has been brought up in this land may be openly more righteous, but he may be inwardly more wicked, for he sins against more knowledge. But even for such Christ died—for men who have sinned against the wooings of his love, against the strivings of their consciences, against the invitations of his Word, against the warnings of his providence—even for such Christ died, and therein he commendeth his love towards us, that he died for sinners. My hearer, if thou hast so sinned, do not therefore despair, it may be he will yet make thee rejoice in his redemption.
Reflect again, When we were sinners, we were sinners against the very person who died for us. "Tis strange, 'tis passing strange, 'tis wonderful," that the very Christ against whom we have sinned died for us. If a man should be injured in the street, if a punishment should be demanded of the person who attacked him, it would be passing strange if the injured man should for love's sake bear the penalty, that the other might go free; but 'twas so with Christ. He had been injured, yet he suffers for the very injury that others did to him. He dies for his enemies—dies for the men that hate and scorn him. There is an old tradition, that the very man who pierced Christ's side was converted; and I sometimes think that peradventure in heaven we shall meet with those very men who drove the nails into his hands and pierced his side. Love is a mighty thing; it can forgive great transgressors. I know my Master said, "Begin at Jerusalem," and I think he said that because there lived the men who had crucified him, and he wanted them to be saved. My hearer, hast thou ever blasphemed Christ? Hast thou ever mocked him, and scoffed at his people? Hast thou done all thou couldst to emulate the example of those who spat in his holy face? Dost thou repent of it? Dost thou feel thou needst a Saviour? Then I tell thee, in Christ's name, he is thy Saviour; yes, thy Saviour, though thus hast insulted him—thy Saviour, though thou hast trampled on him—thy Saviour though thou hast spoken evil of his people, his day, his Word, and his gospel.
Once more, let us remember, that many of us as sinners have been persons who for a long time have heard this good news, and yet have despised it. Perhaps there is nothing more wonderful in the depravity of man than that it is able to forget the love of Christ. If we were not so sinful as we are, there is not one of us here this morning who would not weep at the thought of the Saviour's love, and I believe there is not a solitary man, woman, or child here, who would not say, "I love thee, O my God! because thou hast done so much for me." It is the highest proof of our depravity that we do not at once love the Christ who died for us. There is a story told of the convenanters—of one named Patrick Welwood—whose house was surrounded at a time when a minister had for security been hidden there. Claverhouse's dragoons were at the door, and the minister had fled. The master of the house was summoned, and it was demanded of him, "Where is the minister?" "He is gone; I cannot tell whither, for I know not." But they were not satisfied with that; they tortured him, and since he could not tell them where he was (for in reality he did not know), they left him, after inflicting upon him the torture of the thumbscrew; and they took his sister, a young girl who was living in the house. I believe she did know where the minister was concealed; but on taking her they asked her, and she said, "No, I can die myself, but I can never betray God's servant, and never will, as he may help me." They dragged her to the water's edge, and making her kneel down, they determined to put her to death. But the captain said, "Not yet; we will try to frighten her"; and sending a soldier to her, he knelt down, and applying a pistol to her ear, she was bidden to betray the minister or die. The click of the pistol was heard in her ear, but the pistol was not loaded. She slightly shivered, and the question was again asked of her. "Tell us now," said they, "where he is, or we will have your life." "Never, never," said she. A second time the endeavour was made; this time a couple of carabines were discharged, but into the air, in order to terrify her. At last they resolved upon really putting her to death, when Trail, the minister, who was hidden somewhere near, being aroused by the discharge of guns, and seeing the poor girl about to die for him, sprang forward, and cried, "Spare that maiden's blood, and take mine; this poor innocent girl, what hath she done?" The poor girl was dead even there with the fright, but the minister had come prepared to die himself, to save her life. Oh, my friends, I have sometimes thought that her heroic martyrdom was somewhat like the blessed Jesus. He comes to us, and says, "Poor sinner, wilt thou be my friend?" We answer, "No," He comes to us, and says, "Ah, I will make thee so," saith he, "I will die for thee"; and he goes to die on the cross. Oh! methinks I could spring forward and say, "Nay, Lord Jesus, nay, thou must not die for such a worm." Surely such a sacrifice is a price too large to pay for poor sinful worms! And yet, my hearers, to return again to what I have uttered before, you will hear all this, and nine out of ten will retire from this place, and say, "It was an old, old story"; and while ye can drop a tear for aught else, ye will not weep one tear for Jesus, nor sigh one sigh for him, nor will ye afford him even a faint emotion of love. Would it were different! Would to God he would change your hearts, that so ye might be brought to love him.
Further, to illustrate my text, let me remark again, that inasmuch as Christ died for sinners, it is a special commendation of his love for the following reasons: —It is quite certain that God did not consider man's merit when Christ died; in fact, no merit could have deserved the death of Jesus. Though we had been holy as Adam, we could never have deserved a sacrifice like that of Jesus for us. But inasmuch as it says, "He died for sinners," we are thereby taught that God considered our sin, and not our righteousness. When Christ died, he died for men as black, as wicked, as abominable, not as good and excellent. Christ did not shed his blood for us as saints, but as sinners. He considered us in our loathsomeness, in our low estate and misery—not in that high estate to which grace afterwards elevates us, but in all the decay into which we had fallen by our sin. There could have been no merit in us; and therefore, God commendeth his love by our ill desert.
Again: it is quite certain, because Christ died for us as sinners, that God had no interest to serve by sending his Son to die. How could sinners serve him? Oh! if God had pleased, he might have crushed this nest of rebels, and have made another world all holy. If God had chosen, the moment that man sinned he might have said unto the world, "Thou shalt be burned"; and like as a few years ago astronomers told us that they saw the light of a far-off world burning, myriads of miles away, this world might have been consumed with burning heat, and sin scorched out of its clay. But no. Whilst God could have made another race of beings, and could have either annihilated us, or consigned us to eternal torment, he was pleased to veil himself in flesh, and die for us. Surely then it could not have been from any motive of self-interest. God had nothing to get by man's salvation. What are the attractions of human voices in Paradise. What are the feeble symphonies which mortal lips can sing on earth, compared with the death of our Lord? He had angels enough. Do they not day without night circle his throne rejoicing? Are not their golden harps sufficient? Is not the orchestra of heaven large enough? Must our glorious Lord give up his blood to buy poor worms, that they may join their little notes with the great swell of a choral universe? Yes, he must; and inasmuch as we are sinners, and could by no possibility repay him for his kindness, "God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
But there is another commendation of love. Christ died for us "unasked." Christ did not consider me as an awakened heir of heaven, but as a dead, corrupt, lost, and ruined heir of hell. If he had died for me as an awakened heir of heaven, then I could have prayed for him to die, for then I have power to pray, and will to pray; but Christ died for me when I had no power nor will to lift my voice in prayer to him. It was entirely unasked. Where did ye ever hear that man was first in mercy? Did man ask God to redeem? Nay, rather, it is almost the other way; it is as if God did entreat man to be redeemed. Man never asked that he might be pardoned, but God pardons him, and then turns round and cries, "Return unto me, backsliding children of men, and I will have mercy upon you." Sinners! if you should go down on your knees, and were for months to cry for mercy, it would be great mercy if mercy should look upon you; but without asking, when we are hardened and rebellious, when we will not turn to Christ, he still comes to die for us. Tell it in heaven; tell it in the lower world! God's amazing work surpasses thought; for love itself did die for hatred—holiness did crucify itself to save poor sinful men, and unasked for and unsought, like a fountain in the desert sparkling spontaneously with its native waters, Jesus Christ came to die for man, who would not seek his grace. "God commendeth his love towards us."
And now, my dear hearers, I want to close up, if the Spirit of God will help me, by endeavouring to commend God's love to you, as much as ever I can, and inviting as many of you as feel your need of a Saviour, to lay hold of him and embrace him now as your all-sufficient sacrifice. Sinner! I can commend Christ to thee for this reason: I know that thou needest him. Thou mayest be ignorant of it thyself, but thou dost need him. Thou hast a leprosy within thine heart—thou needest a physician; thou sayest, "I am rich;" but sinner, thou art not—thou art naked, and poor, and miserable. Thou sayest, "I shall stand before God accepted at last"; but, sinner, without Christ thou wilt not; for whosoever believeth not on Christ "hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Hear that, my dear hearers: "The wrath of God abideth on him." Oh! that wrath of God! Sinner, thou needest Christ, even though thou dost not think so. Oh, that the Lord would impress this upon thee! Again, a day is coming when thou wilt feel thy need of Christ if thou dost not now. Within a few short years, perhaps months or days, thou wilt lie upon the last bed that shall ever bear thy weight; soon thou shalt be stayed up by soft pillows; thy frame will be weak, and thy soul full of sorrow. Thou mayest live without Christ now, but it will be hard work to die without him. Thou mayest do without this bridge here; but when thou gettest to the river thou wilt think thyself a fool to have laughed at the only bridge which can carry thee safely over. Thou mayest despise Christ now, but what wilt thou do in the swellings of Jordan. Canst thou face death, and not be afraid? Nay, man, thou art affrighted now if the cholera is in the city; or if some little sickness is about thee thou shakest for fear; what wilt thou do when thou art in the jaws of death, when his bony hand is squeezing thee, and when his dart is in thy vitals? What wilt thou do then without a Saviour? Ah! thou wilt want him then. And what wilt thou do when thou hast passed that black stream, when thou findest thyself in the realm of spirits—in that day of judgment, when the thunders shall be loosed, and the wings of the lightning shall be unbound—when tempests shall herald with trumpet voice the arrival of the great Assize? What wilt thou do when thou shalt stand before his bar before whom, in astonishment, the stars shall flee, the mountains quake, and the sea be licked up with tongues of forked flame? What wilt thou do, when from his throne he shall exclaim, "Come hither, sinner," and thou shalt stand there alone, to be judged for every deed done in the body? Thou wilt turn thine head, and say, "Oh! for an advocate!" And he shall look on thee, and say, "I called, and ye refused; I stretched out my hand and no man regarded; I also will now laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh." Ah! what wilt thou do then sinner, when the judgment-seat is set? Oh! there will be weeping—there will be weeping at the judgment-seat of Christ. And what wilt thou do in that day when he shall say, "Depart, ye cursed;" and when the black angel, with a countenance more fierce than lightening, and with a voice louder than ten thousand thunders, shall cry, "Depart!" and smite thee down where lie for ever those accursed spirits, bound in fetters of iron, who, long long ago, were cast into perdition? Say not, I tell thee terrible things: if it be terrible to speak of, how terrible it must be to bear! If you believe not what I say, I shall not wonder if you laugh at me; but as the most of you believe this, I claim your most solemn attention to this subject.
Sirs! Do ye believe there is a hell, and that you are going there? And yet do you still march heedless on? Do you believe that beyond you, when the stream of life is ended, there is a black gulf of misery? and do you still sail downwards to it, quaffing still your glass of happiness, still merry as the live-long day? O stay, poor sinner, stay! Stay! It may be the last moment thou wilt ever have the opportunity to stay in. Therefore stay now I beseech thee. And if thou knowest thyself to be lost and ruined, if the Holy Spirit has humbled thee and made thee feel thy sin, let me tell thee how thou shalt be saved. "He that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ and is baptized, shall be saved. "He that believeth not," saith the Scripture "shall be damned." Do you not like that message? Ought I to have said another word instead of that? If you wish it, I shall not; what God says I will say; far be it from me to alter the messages from the Most High; I will, if he help me, declare his truth without altering. He saith "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned." What is it to believe? To tell you as simply as possible: to believe is to give up trusting in yourself and to trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour. The negro said, you know, "Massa dis here is how I believe—when I see a promise, I do not stand on de promise; but I say, dat promise firm and strong; I fall flat on it; if de promise will not bear me, den it is de promise fault; but I fall flat on it." Now, that is faith. Christ says, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Faith is to say, "Well, then, sink or swim, that is my only hope; lost or saved, that is my only refuge. I am resolved, for this my last defence,
'If I perish there and die,
At his cross I still will lie'."
"What!" says one, "no good works?" Good works will come afterwards, but they do not go with it. You must come to Christ, not with your good works, but with your sins; and coming with your sins, he will take them away, and give you good works afterwards. After you believe, there will be good works as the effect of your faith; but if you think faith will be the effect of good works, you are mistaken. It is "believe and live." Cowper calls them the soul-quickening words, "believe and live." This is the sum and substance of the gospel.
Now, do any of you say this is not the gospel? I shall ask you one day what it is. Is not this the doctrine Whitfield preached? Pray what else did Luther thunder, when he shook the Vatican? what else was proclaimed by Augustine and Chrysostom, but this one doctrine of salvation in Christ by faith alone? And what did Paul write? Turn ye to his epistles. And what did our Saviour himself say, when he left these words on record—"Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost?" And what did he command his disciples to teach them? To teach them this. The very words I have now repeated to you were his last commission. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned."
But again you say, "How can I believe that Christ died for me?" Why, thus, —He says he died for sinners: canst thou say thou art a sinner? I do not mean with that fine complimentary phrase which many of you use, when you say, "Yes, I am a sinner;" and if I sit down to ask you, "Did you break that commandment?" "Oh, no," you will say: "Did you commit that offence?" "Oh, no;" you never did anything wrong. And yet you are sinners. Now that is the sort of sinners I do not think I shall preach to. The sort of sinners I would call to repentance are those whom Christ invited—those who know that they have been guilty, vile, and lost. If thou knowest thy sinnership, so truly Christ died for thee. Remember that striking saying of Luther. Luther says, Satan once came to him and said, "Martin Luther, thou art lost, for thou art a sinner." Said I to him, "Satan, I thank thee for saying I am a sinner, for inasmuch as thou sayest I am a sinner, I answer thee thus—Christ died for sinners; and if Martin Luther is a sinner, Christ died for him." Now, canst thou lay hold on that, my hearer? It is not on my authority, but on God's authority. Go away and rejoice; for if thou be the chief of sinners thou shalt be saved, if thou believest.
"Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
'Midst flaming worlds in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
Bold shall I stand in that great day.
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
While, thro' thy blood, absolv'd I am
From sin's tremendous curse and shame."
Sing that, poor soul, and thou hast begun to sing the song of Paradise. May the Lord, the Holy Spirit, apply these simple statements of truth to the salvation of your souls.


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text:
Documentary film on the development of FUJIFILM X-Pro3
Documentary film on the development of FUJIFILM X-Pro3
Executive Producer: Tosh Iida
Producer Kunio Aoyama
Director & Cinematographer: Palle Schultz
Script & Narration: Mindy Tan
Technical Management, Edit, Color Grading, Music: Palle Schultz
Production Management, Stills Photography: Mindy Tan
Featured Photographers:
Mindy Tan, Eric Bouvet, Patrick La Roque, Megan Lewis, Charlene Winfred, Jonas Rask, Zack Arias, Kevin Mullins, Rommel Bundalian,
On the last day of filming, we camped in a forest among tall trees and the shrill of cicadas.
Kunio, with all his might, hauled a large piece of wood from the bushes to make a campfire overlooking Lake Motosu while we patiently waited for Mt Fuji behind the clouds to appear.
As night fell upon us, there we were, Fujifilm's three camera managers, Makoto Oishi, Jun Watanabe, Kunio Aoyama, and two X-photographers Palle Schultz and myself, a rare combination of people camping on a chilly late summer's night.
Meat crackled against the flames as Kunio expertly prepares dinner. I quietly observe each of my talented, passionate friends around this table.
It has been an amazing year with the Fujifilm family, one filled with friends, fun, and food, I dare say.
It began over a year ago at Photokina 2018 in Cologne, Germany. Fujifilm was having its largest presence yet at the European photographic fair. I had been invited to deliver talks about my solo-film-making journey, Forbidden Tattoos, using the X-H1. It is 'traditional' that Fujifilm invites their ambassadors from all over the world for large events, I was just happy to be given the opportunity to interact and meet other X-Photographers in person.
At a post-event dinner in a German restaurant, where Fujifilm had a brick-tavern all to ourselves, Kunio came and sat beside me, asking "Do you want to make movie?"
It would be about a photographer taking a trip around the world to meet other X-Photographers, he said. Palle would film it, and I'd be the photographer. Perhaps it was coincidence that the Danish cameraman and I were seated side-by-side, prompting such a spontaneous idea? Noisy chatter from the crowd all round drowned our conversation. We scratched out heads, unsure if those words were serious, or a sudden thought spurred by the activities of the week, or if we had somehow lost one another in translation.
That was September 2018.
Three months later, an email popped up in my inbox with a short and simple invitation to Tokyo for a meeting. Palle was also on his way. Quietly, the project has taken root.
How could I have ever imagined myself as Charlie in the Chocolate factory?
The kid with an all-access ticket inside the doors of Fujifilm, who could ask all the questions I ever wanted?
I couldn't believe that a major camera company had entrusted me, a Singapore female photographer, with the power to call the shots.
My role for the movie was scriptwriter-narrator and in so doing, the researcher. I also photographed the still images. A lot of time was spent organising travel schedules, liaising with photographers, buying air tickets, figuring out which hotels and cars to book for our two-pax duo. Thankfully, Kunio and his teammates Yuto and Toshiya, handled the schedule in Japan.
Over the course of 9 months, filming and interviews took us to Dubai, Paris, Montreal, Singapore, Manila, Newman and Marble Bar in Western Australia, Aarhus and Copenhagen in Denmark, Malmesbury in the UK, and Tokyo and Osaka in Japan.
We accumulated a lot of carbon footprint but hopefully it will all be worth it.
A list of possible themes ran through my head.
What would photographers like to watch?
What would hobbyists find interesting?
Who, and what exactly should this film be about?
What information should we put out to the world?
I want to be honest. I want to be real. I want to show the ordinary things in life that are seemingly banal but provide so much cultural context and meaning. And I want to capture them before it becomes ordinary to me.
I dug out my rusty skills as a former newspaper journalist and got cracking.
Skype calls with shortlisted photographers followed. It was the pre-interview before the actual filming, in order to draft a script, and to determine the right candidates. There was elimination, I'm sorry. My apologies we could not feature everyone.
The first time we arrived at the Omiya office, we were handed green staff jackets.
There were always jokes about Omiya from the younger members of the Fujifilm team, mainly about how the office looked in contrast to modern buildings in Tokyo.
Upon arrival, I asked, "Can we film here?"
Internally, I was debating, "What image does Fujifilm want to portray?"
I know of clients who practice self-censorship to a such high degree, they only show their pristine sides to the public.
"Yes. You can film," Kunio said.
"But we camouflage you with green jackets, because not everyone understands this project," he says.
"Wow, this is really going to be a documentary!" My inner thoughts excited while on the outside trying to keep a pokerface.
He hands us a deep mint green Fujifilm jacket taken from his colleagues' chairs, and house slippers. Apart from the fact that I was female and 95% of people in the building were male, I suppose I blended in pretty well and even wanted to take the jacket home.
The bulk of my research involved 'probing'. Yes, unashamedly asking everyone questions, then putting it together for a first draft.
In Dubai at the Gulf Photo Plus, Toshi Iida, the General Manager for Fujifilm's Electronic Imaging department other known as the "Boss" was sitting at arms' length over dinner at a Pizzeria. I braved myself and posed him some questions, unsure if they were culturally appropriate or simply rude, "Do you photograph? What do you photograph?"
He responded with an amazing story about his father's gift of a Nikon film camera in his teens and his love for astro-photography.
I went on to ask about his living arrangements and daily life, knowing he lives very near the office. The "Boss" man chatted on about his wife and daughter.
It was a complete invasion of privacy probing into his personal life, especially not with the big boss! But for the script, I had to find out. It was a relief he seemed happy talking about it.
No question is too stupid, I suppose. One question might lead to another interesting fact.
These personal bites, where people reveal something deep within, the history of themselves that make up who they are today, are the content I love in the interviews that inevitably reveal who people are, and what values the brand is built upon.
Did you know that the Titanium top plate on the X-Pro3 originally arrives in a sheet in the factory and is shaped using a pressing mold? Due to the difficulty of handling the strong material, stress marks may appear on the top plate. Countless tries had to be made before the process could be perfected, before mass production can begin.
At the pressing factory, this man, let's call him B, has been putting all his energy into producing the perfect top plate for the X-Pro3.
But that day when we turned up to film the first runs of the X-Pro3's mass production was the first time he saw a working camera assembled as one complete piece. He had been dealing with one part of the camera so intensely, seeing it in whole evoked different intensities of feelings.
As we finished the factory tour, I removed the X-Pro3 slung across my neck and placed it on the table. He asked if he could hold the camera.
B looked through the viewfinder, then asked if he could take a picture.
"Go ahead," I said.
Once he pressed the shutter button, a complex expression appeared. He nodded, and he nodded to himself, holding the camera, his other hand beating his against his chest repeatedly, as if the 'thump, thump, thump' were a voice to contain his excitement and effort, one he had endured for so long.
Then, he declared that he was going to buy the X-Pro3 as soon as it hit the shelves.
Later, it was translated from Japanese that B had been very involved in creating the top plate. Even on Fridays when they grab beers at the bar, the conversation revolved around ways to perfect the top plate. B had lived, breathed and dreamt X-Pro3 Titanium plates for months.
It was devotion. It was passion for the job where you believe you have to do your best for the honour of the craft. Photographers go through these sorts of intensity too. And in that period of passion, this craft can sometimes be the only thing worth living for. It was an emotional moment. I squirmed, hoping that the facial creases would keep my tears from falling.
… is the toughest part of making this documentary.
Because you witness it and know how it feels like, it is almost difficult to describe it to someone who hasn't had the same experience, without sounding like a paid mouthpiece.
The Fujifilm electronic imaging division are a band of brothers, beyond salarymen.
I hope that through the interviews, you will get a sense of it.
How we are consuming products has become more personable, with brands reaching out to individuals. For this documentary, Fujifilm signed up to reveal themselves in a manner that is bold, unscripted and honest. The only censorship you receive might be self-censorship – some from me ("Do we show this? Do we have to protect the privacy of others?"), some from the subjects interviewed ("Will my bosses like what I'm saying? How will this be edited?).
In the end, I love the approach of Fujifilm making public its people. Collectively they might be a brand. Individually, each member of the team has a face, a name, and devote their work to the creation of value, and in turn, the history of photography.
The camera industry has always been evolving. Alongside my photographic journey with Fujifilm, I came to realise my obsession really is story-telling. Photography is a medium. But mediums also exists in the form of writing, or making a film.
This year of making Camera Punk has been a steep learning curve, learning to structure and manage so much information, and translating the goodwill of others, the time they have generously given, into a finished film deserving of expectations.
The process counts as much as the results. The most precious takeaway from making Camera Punk is the friendships with Fujifilm and X-Photographers from all over the world – that steals the limelight for me.


text:
Luke, AMS, Attorney, City, Businesses Mix It Up Over OysterFence
Kevin L. Hoover
Eye Editor
PLAZA – Luke Patterson, owner of Luke's Joint, is spearheading a last-minute drive to prevent Arcata Main Street (AMS) from fencing off the Plaza for this Saturday's Arcata Bay Oyster Festival. Late this afternoon, though, it appeared Patterson was modifying his demands.
This afternoon, AMS received an e-mail message from Chris Johnson Hamer warning that she and her client, Luke's Joint, will be applying for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Friday. This is the message, from which e-mail addresses and phone numbers have been removed:
"From: Chris Hamer
Hamer made clear that the letter doesn't claim all of the cited businesses are supporters of the restraining order demand, but simply notes that they will be affected by the fencing off of the Plaza.
She said the TRO is necessary as a legal adjunct to the filing of a lawsuit, which she and her client, Luke's Joint, may proceed with but wish to avert.
"We're attempting to work it out," Hamer said, with AMS and the City of Arcata.
Some of the businesses cited in the letter support the TRO action, some don't.
"I'm good with that," said Brenda Williams, owner of Delilah's Hair Salon on G Street, which would be enclosed within the fence surrounding the Plaza. "I don't like having my town closed off from having commerce. It should be open for everyone."
"I hope the best for them, but I don't like the way they are closing off the Plaza from businesses," said Steve Lovett, owner of People's Records. "It's a fundraiser, but at whose expense?"
Lovett, whose store would be outside the fence but only accessible via a narrow sidewalk corridor between the fence and his shop, said that despite AMS President David Neyra's publicly stated claim that he's visited all affected Plaza businesses at least twice, said that "I never saw him."
"The whole thing is just bonkers," said Lennie Daggett, owner of Fabric Temptations of the Plaza fencing plan. "It should not be. It's so wrong."
Though her store would be outside the fence, she said Fabric Temptations would be negatively impacted by the change in downtown traffic circulation. "We are definitely affected and the powers that be forget that."
"Move it to the Community Center, where people can be free," Daggett suggested, echoing the opinion of many fence skeptics.
Mary Lou Bertolini, owner of the Art Center on H Street, which would be enclosed within the fence, said she was "not thrilled," with the fence concept. She said the Art Center will be closed during the event, as it is during other Plaza events such as the Fourth of July Jubilee. She hadn't been aware of the letter from Hamer, though.
Simeon Tauber, co-owner of Simply Macintosh, was shocked to hear that his business had been mentioned in the letter. "I am no party to that," he insisted. He said he had signed a petition opposing the fence in principle, but that "I didn't assign anyone to represent me."
Characterizing Patterson's anti-fence drive as a "fatwa," Tauber described Patterson as "acting like a ranting little child." Said Tauber, "I fully intend to keep my agreement with MS [Main Street]."
All Under Heaven owner Gail Rossi was not available for comment. The import shop, located next to People's Records, would be outside the Plaza fence, which begins at the west end of All Under Heaven, where Willow and Rags begins. That shop, a clothing store, will be within the OysterFest fence.
Patterson was angry about the letter from his attorney. "I did not authorize or ask for those names to be used," he said of Hamer's letter. "I don't even know where she got those names."
"Luke asserts that the letter sent to MS was done without his knowledge," Tauber said. "I do not find that to be a credible comment."
Patterson said he had changed his mind on two counts: he plans to keep Luke's Joint open during the event "as a case study, to mine data." He had previously stated that it would be closed.
Also, he said, he would not pursue the TRO on the condition that AMS work out some means by which patrons could access his restaurant during the OysterFest, such as a free "validation" system.
Yesterday, prior to today's e-mail message from his attorney, Patterson had personally delivered some other materials to AMS Director Jennifer Koopman – a greeting card, a postcard and a thick packet of internal AMS documents, including financial statements and e-mail messages he said he obtained from an undisclosed former AMS boardmember .
The greeting card depicts a rat in an overcoat exposing itself like a flasher, displaying a sign that says, "VERMIN LIKE SEX TOO." Inside, Patterson has written "…but nonconsensual sex is called something else…"
The postcard is one put out by the Onion satire magazine, and depicts a crying child who has used "Nothing But Tears" shampoo. On the back, Patterson has written, "'always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.' – Oscar Wilde. i forgive you."
Patterson said the cards are "just a reference to my tax dollars. The cards are not a reference to anything to do with the fence. It's an entirely separate issue."
He noted that the City of Arcata provides AMS with a subsidy – some $18,000 annually for the last two years, according to a detailed North Coast Journal report on AMS and OysterFest finances headlined "Oysters, Beer and Cash," written by Grant Scott-Goforth.
Patterson said that he doesn't regard Koopman as his personal enemy, but rather, "She is the enemy of the taxpayer, it could be argued."
As for the "i forgive you" message, Patterson said, "I forgave her. That's what I meant by that."
Asked how he might feel if he was a professional woman on the receiving end of a card bearing a cryptic message about "nonconsensual sex" – rape, in other words – Patterson said, "I can make a joke."
Koopman reported the cards to Arcata Police for documentation. Police Chief Tom Chapman discussed the matter with her at AMS's Jacoby's Storehouse office this afternoon. Chapman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Patterson suggested that the AMS financial data he had received, and had distributed to a number of individuals, contained questionable information.
"I'm interested in what a CPA says about those statements," he said. But he said, he hadn't yet hired a CPA to look the material over.
He said he had had a pleasant meeting with Acting City Manager Mark Andre this afternoon. Details aren't known, as Andre didn't immediately return a message.
This afternoon, Patterson posted a template for a proposed customer validation system online. The Draft text reads as follows:
"Oyster Festival, June 15, 2013
Arcata Main Street
I hereby represent that I am entering the Oyster Festival only for the purpose of visiting the business circled below, which is accessible only by entering the Oyster Festival because other access is blocked by fencing. I will leave the Festival promptly after visiting the business or will pay the entry fee. I understand that I must pay the Oyster Festival entry fee on leaving the Festival if the Business stamp or signature does not appear on this form.
The stamp or signature of the Business is set forth below:
Business Stamp or Signature
Customer Name
Eligible businesses: (insert any/all effected business names here)."
"I was born a fighter," Patterson said. "I fight for what I believe is right."


text:
Mary Kate Olsen is dating Olivier Sarkozy. They've reportedly moved in together. On Saturday they had brunch with her sister Ashley who, at first glance, looks like she has freakishly small arms in that coat. (Her hands are tucked into the pockets and it's a weird optical illusion.)
Back in June, after seeing these photos, I asked "have you ever seen a man feel better about his very far back hairline?" There's a confidence about Sarkozy, almost arrogance, that must be his sexiest attribute. After all, it's not just Mary Kate. It's also Stella Schnabel. He and Stella Schnabel ended it in March. Three months later he's swaggering down the street, a cigarette in his mouth, with MK Olsen and his daughter.
So what kind of charisma are we talking here? Like, after spending five minutes with him, does he suddenly look like George Clooney? This is not impossible. I've seen it happen in real life and it's almost magical. That some dude who offers nothing in the way of aesthetic appeal can suddenly, after a very short conversation, turn you on in a way that a boring pretty boy never can. Is this what they're trying to tell me about Olivier Sarkozy? Really???


text:
Plaintiff United States' Explanation of Consent Decree Procedures
Plaintiff United States submits this short memorandum summarizing the procedures regarding the Court's entry of the proposed Final Judgment. This Judgment would settle this case pursuant to the Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 16(b)-(h) (the "APPA"), which applies to civil antitrust cases brought and settled by the United States.
1. Today, plaintiff United States has filed a Complaint, proposed Final Judgment, and Stipulation between the parties by which they have agreed that the Court may enter the proposed Final Judgment following compliance with the APPA. Plaintiff United States will also file a Competitive Impact Statement relating to the proposed Final Judgment.
2. The APPA requires that plaintiff United States publish the proposed Final Judgment and the Competitive Impact Statement in the Federal Register and in certain newspapers at least sixty (60) days prior to entry of the proposed Final Judgment. The notice will inform members of the public that they may submit comments about the proposed Final Judgment to the United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (see 15 U.S.C. §§ 16(b)-(c)).
3. During the sixty-day period, plaintiff United States will consider, and at the close of that period respond to, any comments that it has received, and it will publish the comments and plaintiff United States' responses in the Federal Register.
4. After the expiration of the sixty-day period, plaintiff United States will file with the Court the comments and plaintiff United States' responses, and it may ask the Court to enter the proposed Final Judgment (unless plaintiffs have decided to withdraw their consent to entry of the Judgment, as permitted by Section IV.A of the Preservation of Assets Stipulation and Order) (see 15 U.S.C. § 16(d)).
5. If plaintiff United States requests that the Court enter the proposed Final Judgment after compliance with the APPA, 15 U.S.C. §§ 16(e)-(f), then the Court may enter the Judgment without a hearing, provided that it concludes that the Final Judgment is in the public interest.


text:
HARMAN Appoints Paul Shorter to Technical Services Manager for Soundcraft, Studer and AKG
NORTHRIDGE, California - HARMAN has appointed Paul Shorter to the position of Technical Services Manager for its Soundcraft, Studer and AKG brands. A 22-year veteran of the pro audio industry, Shorter joined HARMAN in 2009 as Field Applications Engineer, specializing in support for the Soundcraft and Studer digital console ranges. In addition to his new position of Technical Services Manager, Shorter continues as an active field engineer throughout the continental United States and provides technical sales support.
Shorter was one of the first digital console and editorial field service engineers in the world. For 20 years, he worked closely with some of the biggest names in the broadcast and post industries, such as BBC, NHK, Warner Bros, Disney, SWF, OPTUS TV, Carlton, and Shepperton and Pinewood Studios. At the beginning of 2000 he started his own company, Backup Audio Visual Ltd., providing a combination of pro audio and video services, including sales, rental consultancy and specialist support.
Shorter started his electronics career in 1979 as an apprentice for a small TV and video rental store and service department in southeast England. He studied TV and industrial electronics at Southend College of Technology (now known as the South East Essex College of Arts and Technology), then spent six years working for GEC/Marconi Avionics testing Airborne Radar line units for Tornado aircraft before entering the pro audio world in 1989 working for AMS.
"As the Soundcraft, Studer and AKG brands continue to grow in the United States, we embrace the responsibility of scaling our customer support infrastructure accordingly," noted Keith Watson, Marketing Director, HARMAN Mixing Group. "Having such a talented and experienced engineer as Paul Shorter already in the HARMAN fold made his appointment an easy decision and we can think of no individual more capable of tackling the challenges of his new position."
"Joining HARMAN two and half years ago was a wonderful opportunity and I consider myself very fortunate to be presented with my current challenges in this new position," Shorter said. "The combination of leading a great team of people to provide the best possible customer support, the ability to remain in the midst of a diverse customer base and the chance to work closely with our dynamic sales team on new projects is proving very exciting indeed. Having spent 20 years in post-production, I am enjoying the challenges broadcast and live sound are adding to my personal knowledge base."
HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets - supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.2 billion for twelve months ending December 31, 2011.
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text:
Designer offices are often swanky temples of luxury, but Frida Giannini's Roman workspace boasts a rare perk—an ancient travertine altar. While Gucci's creative director heartily dismisses the notion that she uses it to invoke the fashion gods, the altar befits what Giannini dubs the "monastic" atmosphere that permeates Gucci's new design headquarters in the Eternal City.
"If there's one thing I regret, it's not being able to spend more time here because of my hectic schedule. It's so tranquil and serene, plus I can smoke as much as I want without getting into trouble," Giannini says of her office. As she leans forward from her perch on a gray velvet sofa, Giannini's image, along with the ornate gilded wood ceilings bordered by frescoes, is reflected in the mirrored top of the coffee table in front of her.
But it's not just the posh surroundings that have Giannini feeling so chipper these days. After five years in much sleepier Florence, she's happy to be back in her hometown—accompanied by her entire team of 30 designers, no less. And the fact that they're now toiling away in a building of major provenance, the centuries-old Palazzo Alberini, makes the move that much sweeter.
Located on Via del Banco di Santo Spirito, the nine-story palazzo was commissioned by Giulio Alberini, a wealthy merchant, and erected circa 1515. It was designed by Raphael and his pupil Giulio Romano, and according to Giannini, "you definitely feel Raphael's hand" in the trapezoid-shaped beige brick and marble building, which wraps around a charming courtyard. It is a stone's throw from the Tiber River and a five-minute walk from the bustling cafés dotting Campo dei Fiori, one of Giannini's favorite hangouts.
When Giannini happened upon the palazzo through a family friend, it had just undergone a historical renovation by architecture firm Studio Gigli. Inside, new bathrooms and lighting fixtures had been added, and the frescoes were painstakingly restored. Outside, the facade had been scoured of all that big-city smog residue. But while those changes made the task of converting the building into Gucci design command central easier, restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Arts and Culture created their own set of challenges. All those storyboards and sketches Giannini was used to pinning on her walls for inspiration? Basta. Due to the precious frescoes, "I can't hang anything, let alone put lights up," Giannini laments. "Everything has to lean on the floor."
For his part, architect Federico Gigli says he and his crew labored mightily to undo decades of neglect and to maintain the character of the building while gently coaxing it into the 21st century. "The interiors were not in a terrible state but showed the abandonment that they suffered for almost 20 years," he says. "The main challenge was to make it able to hold all the technological infrastructure that a modern office building needs," including such basics as Internet lines and fire safety systems.
From top: Frida Giannini; a close-up of the refurbished Renaissance frescoes.
The crux of the piano nobile, the second floor, which houses Giannini's office, is a long hallway, its walls tinged with pale lilac-blue. The only dark notes are from the cagelike wrought-iron chandeliers. Unlike Giannini's office, the hallway is a fresco-free zone and thus is hung with white-framed, black and white photos interspersed between a row of sturdy wooden doors and big windows. There's Sophia Loren exiting Gucci's Rome store in the Seventies, a Gucci-clad Veruschka walking dogs in 1971, Jackie Kennedy toting a double-G bag in New York, and Gucci fans Alain Delon and Romy Schneider relaxing in Cannes in 1959.
Fanning out over the remaining floors (Gucci occupies the first seven stories) are the men's and women's ready-to-wear design studios; the leathergoods, eyewear and jewelry offices; and archives, storage and a library. The footwear team works on the top level, which leads out to a small terrace that offers a killer view of the city's terracotta-tiled roofs.
The classic architecture and Renaissance frescoes juxtaposed with modern fixtures exude an overall vibe that is at once zen and back to the future. For the decor, Giannini plucked furnishings from the blueprint she masterminded for the brand's flagships in New York, Rome and Shanghai. Tables are crafted from shiny Indian rosewood, often bordered with rose gold–tinted brass; divans and chairs are made from mohair velvet; and smoky or clear glass inserts gussy up the doors.
Save for the initial brouhaha normally associated with a move (Gucci's took place this past March), readjusting to Rome wasn't a major undertaking. Giannini lives in the hills of the Gianicolo district, a 15-minute drive from the office. And clearly she values her mobility; the lack of international flights in and out of Florence was one of the chief reasons for the headquarters shift.
A seasoned globe-trotter, Giannini moved from Rome to London in 2002 to join her then boss Tom Ford, Gucci's former creative director. When Giannini assumed the title of creative director of accessories, in 2004, she relocated to Florence. And for a while she immersed herself in what she calls "Guccization," or the opportunity for her and her foreign staffers to dip into Gucci's history. "It was a great way for all of us to familiarize ourselves with Gucci's palazzo on Via delle Caldaie," she recalls, "with the factories, the suppliers and the structure."
Before long, however, the love affair with her adopted city began to wane, and two years ago the idea of returning south started swirling in Giannini's head. When she began losing valued assistants who were tired of living in Florence, the move became a priority. At issue, in addition to the dearth of flights, were lifestyle bugaboos such as "not being able to watch a film in its original language" and an absence of international gathering spots. A decided shortage of modern art exhibitions was also viewed as a liability. "Creative energy doesn't necessarily stem from the city itself," she contends, "but it can be sparked from an interesting exhibition or an opera."
Still, Giannini was determined to keep the Gucci design office in Italy. She chose Rome over Milan because in the latter, she imagined herself stuck in a dead-end fashion alley. "I didn't like the idea of going out at night and running into this and that designer or assistant with inevitable fashion conversations," she says. As for the competition, the Rome houses of Valentino and Fendi aren't exactly neighbors, as they sit close, respectively, to the touristy landmarks of Piazza di Spagna and Via dei Condotti. Giannini instead opted for a quainter district where traditional trattorias, tiny antiques stores and workshops share the sidewalk.
Luckily for the designer, what she describes as the current "mega-galactic economic crisis" exploded after her bosses—PPR CEO François-Henri Pinault and Mark Lee, Gucci's then CEO—had greenlighted the relocation. "It's not like they jumped for joy when I told them my idea, but they understood my reasons," Giannini explains. "It would be an entirely different story today."


text:
Users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) are more vulnerable to rogue DLL attacks than people who use rival browsers such as Mozilla's Firefox or Google's Chrome, a security researcher said today.
When running on Windows XP, Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), IE7 and IE8 do not warn users when they click on a malicious link that automatically downloads a malicious dynamic link library, or DLL, to the PC, said Mitja Kolsek, the CEO of Slovenian security company Acros Security.
Called "binary planting" by Acros and "DLL load hijacking" by others, the attack technique jumped into public view last month when HD Moore, the creator of the Metasploit penetration hacking toolkit, said he'd found 40 vulnerable Windows applications. Moore was followed by other researchers, including Kolsek, who claimed different numbers of at-risk programs, ranging from more than 200 to fewer than 30.
Many Windows applications don't call DLLs using a full path name, but instead use only the filename, giving hackers wiggle room that they can then exploit by tricking an application into loading a malicious file with the same title as a required DLL. If attackers can dupe users into visiting malicious Web sites or remote shared folders, or get them to plug in a USB drive -- and in some cases con them into opening a file -- they can hijack a PC and plant malware on it.
Binary planting or DLL hijacking attacks have been known about for at least 10 years, and Microsoft was again informed of the problem in August 2009 by researchers at the University of California Davis.
But IE users, particularly those running Windows XP, are especially susceptible, Kolsek said, pointing to testing his firm has conducted.
And that category includes a lot of online users. According to the most recent numbers from Web metric vendor Net Applications, Windows XP powered 66.7% of all Windows machines last month.
Users running IE7 or IE8 on Windows Vista or Windows 7 are safer, said Kolsek, who noted that both browsers run by default in "Protected Mode" on those operating systems. Protected Mode is Microsoft's term for a sandbox-like environment in which IE runs with restricted rights.
The problem on XP is that it automatically opens Windows Explorer, the operating system's file manager, whenever IE encounters a remote shared folder. At that point, the hackers have won, Kolsek said.
"It's not so much that IE itself is vulnerable to binary planting, but that other applications' binary planting vulnerabilities can be exploited relatively easily through IE, and in most cases without a single warning," said Kolsek.
Danish vulnerability tracker Secunia has compiled a list of 175 Windows applications that contain one or more unpatched binary planting bugs. Acros Security has identified more than 500 individual vulnerabilities.
Because rival browsers don't automatically call up Windows Explorer, their users aren't vulnerable to such one-click binary planting attacks. "Chrome and Firefox, for example, don't launch Windows Explorer," said Kolsek. Nor do Apple's Safari or Opera Software's Opera browser.
Binary planting attacks have been making the rounds on the Web, and even the high-profile Stuxnet worm -- which has infected large numbers of PCs in Iran, including some at its nuclear facilities -- has used the technique to infect Siemens industrial control software, said Kolsek, citing details that Symantec spelled out earlier this week.
Microsoft has said it can't craft a patch for Windows to fix the binary planting problem, but that developers must instead fix their own applications. The company has issued a tool to block attacks originating from remote shared folders, but has not pushed it to all users.
Nor has Microsoft disclosed which of its own applications contain binary planting bugs.
However, today Kolsek said that IE7 and IE8 each contain a pair of binary planting bugs that could let attackers hijack Windows PCs. Acros Security has reported the IE vulnerabilities to Microsoft.
"These require more user interaction and are thus harder to exploit," Kolsek admitted. "[But] we would still use these in penetration tests, and I'm sure with a decent success rate."
Apple, Mozilla and Opera have already patched similar bugs in their browsers. Google has not patched Chrome's binary planting bug, however.
Some of those browsers are vulnerable to binary planting attacks based on other techniques, such as tricking the user into downloading a malicious DLL -- something that Israeli researcher Aviv Raff demonstrated last month using Chrome -- or by convincing a Safari user to open a Web link embedded in an e-mail.
The lack of patching progress by application developers, Microsoft included, had Kolsek down in the dumps Wednesday.
"It's pretty discouraging," he said, reflecting on the small number of applications that have been fixed in the last month. "Most vendors are completely ignoring this. Meanwhile, we're sitting on a pile of undisclosed vulnerabilities."
Kolsek urged Microsoft and others to get cracking. "Maybe Microsoft will decide that the Band-Aid it applied is enough, and won't do anything more," he said, referring to the tool the company has issued. "But binary planting is just a candy store for malware writers. We can't just let this go by and forget about it."
Microsoft had nothing new to report today on its ongoing analysis of binary tracking bugs in its software. "Microsoft is currently investigating which of its applications might be affected by the issue," said company spokesman Dave Forstrom in an e-mail reply to questions. "When our investigation is complete, we will take appropriate action to protect our customers."
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is email@example.com.


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Foreign Unrest Raises Energy Worries, but Media Put Down Coal
-The coal industry not only gets attacked by the media for being a "dirty" fossil fuel, it rarely gets positive coverage because the networks focus on disasters. Since Jan. 1, 2010, nearly 80 percent of the broadcast network stories about coal were related to tragic mining accidents. Only 14 percent of stories mentioned coal in any context other than a mine disaster or natural disaster that affected mining.
-On Jan. 13, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency took the unprecedented step of revoking a water permit from Arch Coal's Spruce Mine No. 1. That was in line with President Obama's threats to "bankrupt" the coal industry and a "virtual moratorium" on coal permitting, yet the networks didn't mention it in a single story.
With the recent unrest in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere in the Mideast, there is reason to be concerned about energy security and rising prices right now. If turmoil were to spread in the oil-rich region, energy prices could spike further.
During the first week of February, oil prices rose to the highest level since October 2008 because of Egypt concerns, according to Platts.com. In the U.S., the national average for unleaded gasoline has been above $3-a-gallon since late December (Dec. 23). Egypt produces 660,000 barrels of oil per day according to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), and 4.5 percent of the world's oil travels through its Suez Canal.
Although Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has said he will not resign, the possibility the Muslim Brotherhood may take control of the country is still a concern and energy security and prices on are the minds of many.
One way that has been proposed to lessen foreign oil's grip on the U.S. would be electric and hybrid cars, something U.S. politicians and news media have supported. As far back as 2008, ABC's Chris Cuomo jumped on the hybrid bandwagon saying, "Everybody's trying to sell their SUV, want to get into one of these new jobs, you know, the smart car, the hybrid, the high-mileage type vehicles, all these alternative cars."
Yet, the media don't seem to realize that electric cars would be powered mostly by coal, a fuel the media and Obama administration have portrayed as a "dirty" and unsafe form of energy.
With its vast supplies, "The U.S. is, after all, the Saudi Arabia of coal," Time magazine wrote in 2006.
The U.S. has enough coal to last well over 200 years. According to the National Mining Association (NMA), half of U.S. electricity comes from coal and coal fuels 23 percent of total U.S. energy consumption.
The mainstream news media often given coal a bad name, literally, calling it the "dirtiest fuel on earth," "dangerous" and "polluting." Of course the primary reason for those attacks is that coal is a fossil fuel, which the media have long campaigned against in the name of global warming alarmism.
But what the network rarely reports is how necessary coal power is for the U.S., that it provides high paying jobs in rural areas, and that it has been getting safer. According to National Mining Association spokesman Luke Popovich the U.S. coal mining industry has cut fatal injuries by two-thirds in the past 18 years. It has also gotten cleaner; he said that since 1980 U.S. power plants have reduced "criteria pollutants" regulated by the Clean Air Act by more than 50 percent.
Despite that record, the network news media focused on the coal industry almost exclusively when a tragedy occurs, such as the April 2010 mine explosion that took 29 lives. While such disasters are worthy of attention, it is unfair of the networks to also ignore the necessity of the industry and the benefits coal brings to mining communities' economies and to the country as a whole by supplying a stable domestic source of energy production.
The Business & Media Institute analyzed 235 broadcast network news reports that mentioned coal in reference to coal mining, energy from coal or the coal industry between Jan. 1, 2010 and Jan. 31, 2011. BMI found that 79.5 percent (187) of those stories were focused on a mining accident or some other coal-related disaster.
An additional 6 percent of stories (15) were related to natural disasters that affected coal mining (such as flooding in China that trapped hundreds of miners underground). A mere 14 percent of the stories (33) discussed coal in any other context, and many of those were negative mentions of the industry.
Obama Wants to 'Bankrupt' Industry, EPA Revokes Permit; Networks Silent
Even before taking office, Obama made his anti-coal views known and in the past year his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken action against the coal industry, costing jobs and business investments.
On Jan. 13, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revoked a 4-year-old clean water permit from Arch Coal's Spruce Mine No. 1 located in West Virginia. Investor's Business Daily (IBD) noted in a Jan. 19, 2011 editorial that Arch Coal "followed every jot and tittle of the rules it was to operate under." The company also invested $250 million in that particular mine project.
IBD called this permit revocation part of "Obama's War on Coal," and noted that "it matters not even if you follow the rules" because the EPA action proves "rules can be changed on the fly."
The EPA decision was a clear attack on the coal industry and in line with President Obama's anti-coal sentiments. He has threatened to bankrupt the industry with cap-and-trade legislation. In a January 2008 interview, Obama said: "So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted."
You'd think with all of Obama's rhetoric about wanting to create jobs, the EPA action and its direct consequences on employment in one West Virginia community might have gotten some attention. But not from the network news media. Not a single network news story BMI analyzed mentioned it, despite what Popovich called the EPA's "virtual moratorium" on Appalachia mining permits that began in April 2010.
Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., told MetroNews Talkline that the EPA "has crossed the line" by revoking the Spruce Mine permit and warned that "it just sends a very chilling effect upon any company that is currently negotiating, in good faith, with the EPA to obtain a permit for a worthwhile project." And both of the state's Democratic senators, Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin, criticized the EPA decision.
Manchin noted the economic consequences saying, "While the EPA decision hurts West Virginia today, it has negative ramifications for every state in our nation, and I strongly urge every Senator and every member of Congress to voice their opposition."
According to The New York Times, "It was the first time the agency has rescinded a valid clean water permit for a coal mine" and something the agency had only done twice to any operation in 40 years.
"They've made coal the example and are pointing a gun at all these [mining] operations despite the fact that they're in compliance with the law," Popovich told the Business & Media Institute.
The Times and IBD reported that the action blocks 250 jobs. As an industry, coal mining directly employs 134,000 and will need to expand in years to come to meet additional demand, according to NMA. The NMA also estimates that 3.5 more jobs are created in the economy for each coal mining job.
Popovich also warned that by revoking the water permit for Spruce Mine the EPA was setting a precedent that could potentially affect more than just coal mining. "Any industry that uses a section 404 permit under the Clean Water Act," including construction, road building and others, could be impacted, he said.
Yet, the networks have simply ignored the administration's controversial attack on a U.S. industry.
Networks Provide Tragic Distortion of Coal Industry
By devoting nearly 80 percent of its coal coverage to disasters and tragedy, the networks drew a sad and scary picture of the industry for their viewers.
Even when an accident in Hungary was unrelated to coal, ABC "World News" found a way to show the U.S. coal industry in a negative light. Jim Sciutto told viewers on Oct. 5, 2010, the chemical sludge spill in Hungary was "eerily reminiscent of a massive coal ash spill in Tennessee on Christmas Eve in 2008."
Just as the media mostly failed to do when covering that spill, Sciutto didn't remind viewers that the Tennessee spill was a government-created 'toxic mess' because the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is federally owned.
Mine disaster coverage dominated the networks' coverage of coal. Only 14 percent of the stories about coal were unrelated to such a tragedy. And despite the fact that coal power is responsible for half the electricity production in the U.S., just 2 percent (5) of the total stories emphasized the domestic need for coal power. Even those weren't necessarily positive mentions.
"Good Morning America" was critical of coal on July 15, 2010, although they admitted much of U.S. electricity is supplied by coal. In a segment about "green grilling," author Catherine Zandonella pointed out that electric grills are as green as people might think because so much of our electricity comes from coal.
Coal was criticized in a Nov. 18, 2010 "Nightly News" story about natural gas exploration and called "the dirtiest form of energy" by CBS correspondent Celia Hatton March 9, 2010.
Popovich told BMI that coal is "vital," to U.S. energy because "more than any other industrial country we rely on coal to generate our electricity … it's essential for steel making. And without steel and electric power you're not even a third tier country."
History of Anti-Coal Bias by Networks, Other Media
Sadly, the networks and many other media outlets have provided an anti-coal perspective for years whether criticizing the entire industry for a government-owned utility's "toxic mess," or attacking the fossil fuel on the basis of global warming.
CBS's Lesley Stahl crusaded against "the industry" on Aug. 15, 2010, complaining that the EPA hadn't declared coal ash a hazardous waste. Stahl revisited the TVA coal ash spill that was 100 times larger than the Exxon Valdez, but failed to say that the TVA is a public (federally owned) utility.
The media have also sided with environmentalists rather than industry despite much needed power. NBC's chief environmental affairs correspondent Anne Thompson thought it was a bad idea for Ely, Nev. to build coal-fired power plant despite the need for more energy and the jobs it would provide to the community.
"Critics say emissions are exactly the issue, because coal-fired power is the nation's biggest producer of CO2 emissions," Thompson said. The plant would have been a shot in the arm for the Nevada economy and specifically Ely, which had a higher than average number of families below the poverty at the time.
The New York Times favored climate alarmism over "clean coal" on April 23, 2008, warning about Italy's return to coal power. The Times called the plan "dangerous" and quoted environmentalists' criticism.
"They [environmentalists] are aghast at the renaissance of coal, a fuel more commonly associated with the sooty factories of Dickens's novels and one that was on its way out just a decade ago."
One such environmentalist, Jeff Goodell, has been cited frequently as a coal expert by the media even though he had no formal expertise in the coal business. But since he wrote a book attacking the coal industry, the media turns to him often on the issue of coal mining and energy.
The Business & Media Institute pulled transcripts for every broadcast network story mentioning coal between Jan. 1, 2010, and Jan. 31, 2011. The 235 stories included in our findings were substantive mentions of coal mining, the coal industry or energy from coal.
BMI did not analyze stories in which coal was part of a casual expression (canary in the coal mine), part of someone's background (Kate Middleton's ancestry) or other instances unrelated to the coal industry (cooking segments, mentions of hot coals, etc).


text: Legal Notice Page Content cancelled - management & planning committee meeting4/1/2013Lee County Southwest Floridacancelled - management & planning committee meetingWhen: Monday, April 1, 20131:30 pmWhere: County Commission Chambers, 2120 Main Street Fort Myers, FL This meeting is open to the public, and interested citizens are invited to attend, however, no input will be taken and no decisions will be made by the Board at the Management & Planning Committee Meeting. If you have a disability that requires special assistance or accommodations for your attendance please call Lee County Public Resources at (239) 533-2737 for information. Agenda available 3 days prior at www.lee-county.com.


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Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Photos: Duggars at FGF
18 comments:
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 12:41 PM
Jackson is adorable!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 12:51 PM
Love, love, love these pictures. It's so good to see the little ones taking part.ReplyDelete
I really enjoy watching your show, and the pictures are great!! I hope to have the opportunity one day to meet all of you!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 2:14 PM
Great pictures and such good quality.ReplyDelete
The little ones look cute.
jackson is so cuteReplyDelete
Your children are gorgeous. Your family is amazing and are truly inspiring. I am sorry for your loss of your child. It is horrible to lose any child. God Bless you all.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 3:19 PM
i love these pics. josie and johannah are especially getting big!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 4:58 PM
I'm beginning to wonder if those blue shirts are all Michelle and Jim Bob have!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 5:17 PM
where do you get these pictures?i love them!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 8:03 PM
Josie is quite the cutie!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 8:04 PM
Does anyone know if the Duggars will come to KentuckyReplyDelete
Wow, Jill looks like one of my sisters on that photo! I loved it!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 9:12 PM
great pictures!!!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 10, 2012 at 10:24 PM
Some of them don't look too happy to be there but some of them look thrilled!ReplyDelete
So glad Josie caught up. She's THE cutest baby I have ever seen.
- AnonymousApril 11, 2012 at 2:10 AM
How come Jennifer hasn't started learning the violin yet? Johannah was around her age maybe younger when she started playing. Also, why doesn't she take part in the signing that Joy through Johannah do?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 11, 2012 at 7:48 AM
Jill has really grown up and lately I've noticed that she has become quite the beauty! What a sweet family!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 11, 2012 at 8:27 AM
i love your site.you guys do such a good job updating.i love the duggars although i am bummed i havent seen any new episodes because we cut back on tv.silly question i made the duggar rlls for ease.they were a hit.i was a little confused with the process.when it says to add the 3 cups of flour and then let rise for 20 min.and then knead and shape.was i suppose to knead let rise 20 min then knead again and shape.i was unsure if i was suppose to just mix it let it rise then knead.i hope this makes sense to you.if im explaining it correctly.ReplyDelete
Thanks for your kind words about our blog. Glad the rolls were a hit. Mix in the 3 cups of flour as you add it. Then let the dough rise for 20 minutes. Then knead and shape. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, not sticky. This should take about five to eight minutes, but the longer you knead, the fluffier the buns will be.
Hope this answers your question.
Lily and Ellie
Thanks for leaving your comments! We answer as many of your questions as we can, but due to the number of comments we receive daily, we are unable to answer every one. Our aim is to post all points of view, but we do not post anything that is profane, insulting, derogatory, or in poor taste.


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Author of the article:
The Associated Press
Krutika Pathi
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka may be compelled to buy more oil from Russia as the island nation hunts desperately for fuel amid an unprecedented economic crisis, the newly appointed prime minister said.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he would first look to other sources, but would be open to buying more crude from Moscow. Western nations largely have cut off energy imports from Russia in line with sanctions over its war on Ukraine.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, Wickremesinghe also indicated he would be willing to accept more financial help from China, despite his country's mounting debt. And while he acknowledged that Sri Lanka's current predicament is of "its own making," he said the war in Ukraine is making it even worse — and that dire food shortages could continue until 2024. He said Russia had also offered wheat to Sri Lanka.
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Wickremesinghe, who is also Sri Lanka's finance minister, spoke to the AP in his office in the capital, Colombo, one day shy of a month after he took over for a sixth time as prime minister. Appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resolve an economic crisis that has nearly emptied the country's foreign exchange reserves, Wickremesinghe was sworn in after days of violent protests last month forced his predecessor, Rajapaksa's brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, to step down and seek safety from angry crowds at a naval base.
Sri Lanka has amassed $51 billion in foreign debt, but has suspended repayment of nearly $7 billion due this year. The crushing debt has left the country with no money for basic imports, which means citizens are struggling to access basic necessities such as food, fuel, medicine — even toilet paper and matches. The shortages have spawned rolling power outages, and people have been forced to wait days for cooking gas and gasoline in lines that stretch for kilometers (miles).
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Two weeks ago, the country bought a 90,000-metric-ton (99,000-ton) shipment of Russian crude to restart its only refinery, the energy minister told reporters.
Wickremesinghe did not comment directly on those reports, and said he did not know whether more orders were in the pipeline. But he said Sri Lanka desperately needs fuel, and is currently trying to get oil and coal from the country's traditional suppliers in the Middle East.
"If we can get from any other sources, we will get from there. Otherwise (we) may have to go to Russia again," he said.
Officials are negotiating with private suppliers, but Wickremesinghe said one issue they face is that "there is a lot of oil going around which can be sourced back informally to Iran or to Russia."
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"Sometimes we may not know what oil we are buying," he said. "Certainly we are looking at the Gulf as our main supply."
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February, global oil prices have skyrocketed. While Washington and its allies are trying to cut financial flows supporting Moscow's war effort, Russia is offering its crude at a steep discount, making it extremely enticing to a number of countries.
Like some other South Asian nations, Sri Lanka has remained neutral on the war in Europe.
Sri Lanka has received and continues to reach out to numerous countries for help — including the most controversial, China, currently the country's third-largest creditor. Opposition figures have accused the president and the former prime minister of taking on a slew of Chinese loans for splashy infrastructure projects that have since failed to generate profit, instead adding to the country's debt.
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Critics have also pointed to a beleaguered port in the hometown of then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Hambantota, built along with a nearby airport as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative projects, saying they cost too much and do too little for the economy.
"We need to identify what are the projects that we need for economic recovery and take loans for those projects, whether it be from China or from others," Wickremesinghe said. "It's a question of where do we deploy the resources?"
The prime minister said his government has been talking with China about restructuring its debts. Beijing had earlier offered to lend the country more money but balked at cutting the debt, possibly out of concern that other borrowers would demand the same relief.
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"China has agreed to come in with the other countries to give relief to Sri Lanka, which is a first step," Wickremesinghe said. "This means they all have to agree (on) how the cuts are to take place and in what manner they should take place."
Sri Lanka is also seeking financial assistance from the World Food Program, which may send a team to the country soon, and Wickremesinghe is banking on a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund. But even if approved, he doesn't expect to see money from the package until October onwards.
Wickremesinghe acknowledged that the crisis in Sri Lanka has been of its "own making." Many have blamed government mismanagement, deep tax cuts in 2019, policy blunders that devastated crops and a sharp plunge in tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic. But he also stressed that the war in Ukraine, which has thrown global supply chains into a tailspin and pushed fuel and food prices to unaffordable levels, has made things much worse.
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"The Ukraine crisis has impacted our … economic contraction," he said, adding that he thinks the economy will shrink even further before the country can begin to recoup and rebuild next year.
"I think by the end of the year, you could see the impact in other countries" as well, he said. "There is a global shortage of food. Countries are not exporting food."
In Sri Lanka, the price of vegetables has jumped threefold while the country's rice cultivation is down by about a third, the prime minister said.
The shortages have affected both the poor and the middle classes, triggering months of protests. Mothers are struggling to get milk to feed their babies, as fears of a looming hunger crisis grow.
Wickremesinghe said he felt terrible watching his nation suffer, "both as a citizen and a prime minister."
He said he hasn't ever seen anything like this in Sri Lanka — and didn't think he ever would. "I have generally been in governments where I ensured people had three meals and their income increased," he said. "We've had difficult times. … But not like this. I have not seen … people without fuel, without food."
Associated Press writers Bharatha Mallawarachi and Krishan Francis contributed to this report.
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TNA released the following previewing next Thursday's episode of Impact Wrestling from Wembley Arena in London, England. On the show, Hulk Hogan will determine the No. 1 contender to Jeff Hardy's World Heavyweight Championship. Plus, both the Knockouts Championship and X Division Championship will be defended.
Preview Thursday's IMPACT: Two World Title Matches, Hulk Hogan's Decision and more
Preview Thursday's IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV from Wembley Arena in London! If you can't watch the action on Thursday night, make sure to set your DVR!
– Who is the #1 contender that will face Jeff Hardy at Lockdown for the World Heavyweight Championship? IMPACT General Manager Hulk Hogan was ready to make his decision this past week – but he never got the chance due to The Aces and 8s! Now, Hogan has vowed to finally declare the top contender on this Thursday's broadcast! The question is, who will Hogan select to get a shot at the gold? Don't miss Hulk's decision!
– Who will Sting select to be on Team TNA to face the Aces and 8s in the "Lethal Lockdown" match at the Lockdown event on March 10? The Aces and 8s made the challenge this past week – and Sting accepted! Will Sting begin assembling Team TNA on Thursday night's broadcast? Tune in and find out!
Thursday's IMPACT will also feature TWO championship matches:
– The Knockouts Championship will be on the line as Tara defends the gold in a four-way match vs. Gail Kim vs. Velvet Sky vs. Miss Tessmacher
– The X Division Championship will also be defended on IMPACT as Rob Van Dam battles Kenny King
– Plus, the winner of the British Boot Camp competition – Rockstar Spud – will face Robbie E on IMPACT
All this and much more on Thursday's IMPACT on SpikeTV at 8/7 as the road to the March 10 "Lockdown" event continues!
VIDEO – AJ Lee appears in TNA
(source: ImpactWrestling.com)


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Slideshow 15 photos
Moving without mom
When a loved one passes away, we often use photographs as a way of keeping that person's memory alive. One Ohio family took the process a step further, creating a unique set of photos that serves as both a touchstone of the past and a reminder of how life moves forward.
In 2011, 31-year-old schoolteacher Ali Nunery passed away from a rare form of lung cancer, leaving behind her husband Ben and a 1-year-old daughter named Olivia.
This November, after two years on "a rollercoaster of emotions," as Ben described it, he and Olivia were ready to move out of the Cincinnati home they'd shared with Ali. But before they left, Ben wanted a way to remember the happy times they'd shared in the house. So he asked his sister-in-law Melanie Pace, a professional photographer, to take photos of him and his now 3-year-old daughter in their home.
"I was just really looking for a way to say farewell to the house, and have some things that Olivia and I can have to...remember the house," Ben told TODAY.com. "When Ali and I got married, we closed on the house the day before our wedding, so we did wedding photos in the empty house."
Since the home was empty again due to the Nunerys' impending move, Pace, who shot Ben and Ali's original wedding photos in 2009, was able to recreate the images with Ben and Olivia, including one of the father and daughter in a doorway to mimic the photo Ben had once taken with her mother.
"It immediately brought up memories of being there the first time," he said. "They were really good memories I cherish and want to remember. In a lot of ways, it felt like Ali was there, and doing that with Olivia I felt a closeness with both of them."
Pace, who noted in her blog post that she often feels her sister's presence, said she felt Ali's guidance during the photo shoot.
"It's almost like she was nudging me along as I was shooting, telling me which places to go and what to use as props," she told TODAY.com. "It was a very overwhelming feeling to have her so close even if she was not physically there."
Pace and her husband, who is also a photographer and helped out with the shoot, posted the photos to their blog, and the beautiful and poignant images soon attracted attention, as even those unfamiliar with the Nunerys and their story were moved by the photos and story.
Ben said that while he did the shoot for himself and his daughter, he is heartened that the images have had an effect on others.
"I hope that people can see it as evidence of a love that Ali and I shared that is still very deep, [and] that love carries on, and it doesn't die," he said. "People who don't know us personally but may have experience with losing a loved one can see that as an example of healing and life moving on.
"It doesn't mean that we forget our loved ones, but find ways to remember them and keep that memory going."