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Generally speaking, there are lots of wastes products and toxic substances building up in stage 5 kidney failure patients' body. And they often experience many poisoning symptoms and complications along with stage 5 kidney failure. Ammonia tastes in mouth is the most common one. Why does this happy and is there anything we can do to relive it?
As we all know that there are a great amount of wastes products and toxic substances accumulating in your body and the toxic substances and wastes products will get into your all body system along with blood flow, of which urea will get into gastrointestinal track system and it will be broken into ammonia by urease when it gets into intestinal track system. And ammonia tastes will stimulate gastrointestinal track system, making patients suffer from ammonia tastes in mouth. In some severe cases, patients often run high risk to suffer from nausea and vomiting or stomach pain.
Although stage 5 kidney failure is the end stage of kidney disease, it does not mean that there is nothing we can do to relive it. Beijing Tongshantang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine provides patients a natural treatment named as Micro-Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy that can relive ammonia tastes in mouth fundamentally.
This is a external application, applying with herbal medicines and advanced osmotic machine. Herbal medicines contained in this therapy are often refined into powder. Besides, the powder is often collected into two medicated bags. What needs patients do is to lie down on the two medicated bags for about 30-40 minutes. By connecting osmotic machine and two medicated bags, the active substances will come out and then penetrate inside kidney lesions directly. Active substances will come penetrate inside kidney lesions directly through a way of connecting two medicated bags and osmotic machine. By extending blood vessels and promoting blood circulation, sufficient blood and oxygen also can be delivered inside kidney lesions directly, which helps repair the diseased cells and tissues. Along with the improvement of kidney function, ammonia tastes can be relived fundamentally.
Are you still suffering from ammonia tastes in mouth? If so, please send your present condition to email@example.com or leave a message below. We will try our best to help you.
Leave your problem to us,You will surely get the free medical advice from experts within 24 hours!
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This is a great quick card from my last Quick Cards class. It's very easy to put together using a Large Metal Edge Tag (see page 151 of your catalogue). I used the new 1 3/4" circle punch to punch out some DSP which fits inside the tag perfectly.
Using the 'Wagon Full of Fun' Set from the new Mini Catalogue you can make a card for just about any occasion.
I used watercolour pencils and blender pens to colour this card but you could use watercolour crayons or markers to colour the images too (check out page 127 of your catalogue for the options).

subset: commoncrawl


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Billboard photograph collection, circa 1918-1934
West 42nd Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, New York City, circa 1920: Casino Theatre, Badgley's Rubber Heels. Also storefronts for Julius Aderer Dental Supplies; Drs. F.C. & J.B. Farrell, dentists; and United Cigar Store.
Drucker & Baltes Co.
Fulton Group (Firm)
General Outdoor Advertising Group
Thomas Cusack Company
Advertising--New York (State)--New York--PhotographsBillboards--New York (State)--New York--PhotographsSigns and signboards--New York (State)--New York--PhotographsStreets--New York (State)--New York--Photographs
New York (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Photographs
Negatives (photographs)
Black-and-white negatives
This digital image may be used for educational or scholarly purposes without restriction. Commercial and other uses of the item are prohibited without prior written permission from the New-York Historical Society. For more information, please visit the New-York Historical Society's Rights and Reproductions Department web page at http://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions


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Cambridge Jazz Festival founders Ron Savage and Larry Ward are recipients of the prestigious The Berklee Urban Service Award. The Berklee Urban Service Awards (BUSA) honors people who make a difference in Boston communities. Ron Savage, a renowned drummer and administrator, and former Cambridge City Councilor Larry Ward, started Cambridge Jazz Festival (CJF) in 2014. The Festival has since grown from 2,500 to over 8,000 attendees. Over a 3-year period, CJF prides itself on providing $7,500 in scholarship monies to individuals and organizations through the Johnny Hodges Scholarship Fund, created to support young jazz musicians as the charitable arm of the Festival.
Cambridge Jazz Festival aims to generate interest, energy and excitement about Jazz music and to encourage young people to pursue music education. Aasha Daniels, the Operations Director, stated "the 2016 Festival featured inspiring group of young jazz musicians from the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and the Berklee Summer Jazz Workshop under the direction of Terri Lyne Carrington. Ron and Larry both agree that real success means helping others."
Larry and Ron emphasized "with the support of our many sponsors, we hope to provide great music and inspiration for years to come. We are very fortunate to have many great partners and sponsors such as MIT, City of Cambridge, Harvard, Eastern Bank, COMPASS, DivcoWest, Mass Cultural Council, Clear Channel, Galluccio & Watson, HYM Investment Group, WGBH 24/7, Twinning Properties, Cambridge Black Pastors Association, Abundant Life Church, Thelonious Monkfish, Cambridge Arts, and Gail Roberts, who continually show a real commitment to helping CJF grow within the community." Cambridge Jazz Festival will host the fourth annual jazz festival at Danehy Park on July 30th, 2017.


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Skull Style Outdoor Survival Tactical Glass Breaker Self-Defense Tool w/ Rope – Black
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(Lorain, OH) Local women are invited to join a screening event worth celebrating during the 2017 Mamm Jams. The next session will be held on Saturday, September 16 from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mercy Women's Health Center, 3700 Kolbe Road, Lorain.
Mercy is proud to be offering the Mamm Jams throughout 2017 to help provide easy access to this critical health screening for women.
In addition to the screening, women will be treated to fun and education when they schedule their annual mammogram on this date. Plus, with Mercy's self-referral program, a doctor's order isn't needed.
Can't make it on Sept. 16? No worries, additional Mamm Jams will be held from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following dates:
- Oct. 21 – Mercy Diagnostic Center (Elyria)
- Nov. 11 – Mercy Women's Health Center (Lorain)
Appointments are required and your insurance will be billed. Most health plans offer partial or full coverage for annual screenings for those eligible. Your cost (if any) will depend on your specific insurance.
Schedule your mammogram today by calling 440-245-1012.
Detecting breast cancer early greatly increases a woman's chances of survival. When breast cancer is detected because it is causing symptoms, it usually means that the cancer is larger and in a later stage, and may have already spread beyond the breast. Early screening can help detect breast cancer before it begins to cause symptoms. This means that the breast cancer is probably smaller and only located in the breast, improving a woman's chances of successful treatment. Doctors estimate that early detection saves thousands of lives each year, and that many more lives could be saved if women took advantage of early screening for breast cancer.
Three steps for early detection of breast cancer:
- Women should know how their breasts normally feel and report any breast changes promptly to their doctor.
- Regular clinical breast exam – women younger than 40 should have their breasts examined by a medical professional about every three years and annually after age 40.
- Yearly mammogram – women should obtain a mammogram every year starting at age 40.
For more information on future screenings, visit Mercy.com.


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After Noelle's parents die suddenly in an accident, her older stepbrother Shuichi returns to take care of her in ways she could never have imagined. Noelle is horrified when, on the very night of her parents' funeral, the stepbrother she remembered so fondly cruelly rapes her. Then, without explaining why, Shuichi forces Noelle to transfer to the prestigious Takamine College.;Each night as he ravishes her body, Shuichi pumps Noelle for information about the women on campus. Women like the curvaceously timid Haruko, the sexually talented Shirone, and the beautiful blond-haired bombshell Elena... Women who will be able to satisfy his insatiable desires – and provide him with the information he needs to avenge the death of his mother.
Alternative Name: Gakuen no Syuryousya, Wicked Lessons, 学園の狩猟者
Writer: -
Director: -
Genre: Harem, Nuns, Rape, School Girls, Uncensored
Producers: Y.O.U.C
Date Added: Jul 06, 2015
Release on: 2003
Status: Completed
Rank: 636
Total views: 6564
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Regency Romance
"Whoever said that things look better in the morning obviously did not live in London."
Nicole Farrington's life had never been easy, but it had always been bearable. At least it had been until now. Faced with a horrible marriage her step-brother has contracted for her, she will do anything to get away. She'll run…run to anyone who might be able to help her. But running blindly down an unknown path may take her to an unexpected destination. Julian Huntington, Earl of Foxley, wants nothing more than to have his carefree life back. Now he is left with a title, a child, and a future that he never expected would be his. He refuses to believe his brother's death was an accident, no matter what people say. Someone killed him and Julian plans to find out who and why. Maybe then he can go on with his life…his brother's life. Will the answers he seeks be enough, or will he find love to be a worthier goal?
My Opinion: Okay, well, today is going to be a little different. Because if I were to be honest, I would say that this was the most wonderful, exciting, romantic, and simply perfect book ever written. :) But that would be a little unfair and a lot biased. Why? Did you notice the author's name? Yep, that's ME! After years of work and my husband's encouragement, I finally finished my first book and it is available. So while there are a few reviews you can find on Amazon or Goodreads for this title so far, and hopefully more coming, I don't think I can fairly review this myself. I can, however, recommend it as a clean regency romance that I personally do think you'll enjoy. :)


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Published - 20th December 2012
Publisher - Quercus
Format - Kindle
Synopsis - With
Christmas just around the corner, the residents of Skipley village are
gearing up for the annual bake off, and tensions are high. Winning
means a lot to everyone involved - talented cake-shop owner Katie
dreams of baking stardom, Rachel wants to prove she's more than a
stay-at-home mum, and John hopes his culinary skills will impress the
woman he loves. But when the judges discover that some cakes
have been tampered with, the villagers' loyalties are called into
question - whose ambition would stretch to sabotage, and why? The
Christmas Bake-Off is an exclusive short story from Abby Clements,
author of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. This ebook edition also includes
bonus recipes for cinnamon cookies and vanilla and almond biscuits.
With the holidays coming (already!) I've been hunting the Kindle Store for quick festive reads. I can't remember if this one was free but even if it wasn't, it was dirt cheap!
For a short story, it featured an array of characters, a little mystery and a burst of festive joy - which is all you really want from it. Personally I wasn't overly impressed but I always have this sense of unfinished business when I read short stories. I know that the point of them is to be brief and to the point but I always think they have so much more potential that just never gets given to us!
However, it was fun and cute, and this particular edition came with free recipes for Christmassy cookies which I genuinely am interested in trying! Also, be prepared to be absolutely craving big fancy cakes after reading this book.


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If you answered yes, then there's one thing we need to do first. Take a deep breath and keep calm! We don't want your stress hormones to increase and worsen your weight plateau problem! Let me explain to you why this is happening. After you indulge yourself into years of chronic dieting, eating unhealthy junk foods, your body not getting any exercise and poor lifestyle, there's no doubt that your body could become a log jam.
The fast metabolism diet is designed to confuse your metabolism and get rid of your unnecessary weight. But what happens a couple of days after you eat the same thing is that your metabolism tend to stuck up as it quickly adapts and follows the same routine. What we need is an innovation. Let's try some variations to spice up and lose your metabolism once again to get rid of your weight plateau!
Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables – Have you been eating the same set of fruits and vegetables per phase? Well it's time for a makeshift! There are many fruits and veggies allowed per phase (See Approved fruit list in Phase 1, approved fruit list in Phase 2 and approved fruit list in Phase 3.) Try to experiment with the mixed ups. If you're in phase 1, you can have a fruit cocktail with a mixture of different fruits like apple, melon, berries, etc. Or if you're into veggies, you can try something new by eating kohlrabi, fennel, jicam, seaweed, cucumbers. Each fruits and vegetables on the list contains different nutrients that is good to your body.
Tip: You can add lime juice whenever you eat your fruit. It lowers the inflammation in your body. You can also concentrate on high sugar fruits like pineapple and mango. In Phase 3, eat a lot of veggies instead of indulging yourself into eating lots of healthy fats. You can skip the optional starch for dinner.
Try out Fast Metabolism Fish Recipes – Tired of eating the same recipes of chicken for dinner? The fish recipes for your dinner or snacks will be a good choice. Cod, flounder and halibut are easy to cook. They are delicious and full of nutrients too!
Tip: You can have heavy spices and herbs together with your fish recipes in Phase 2.
Switch your workouts – Try to switch the schedules of your workouts. Example is that you can perform your cardio in the afternoon instead of morning, or you can try other phase specific workout. Instead of running, you can do walking or swimming. Be creative.
For more tips and information on how to beat weight plateau, you may read these related articles: breaking weight plateaus, slow weight problems and how to beat it, finding your right weight loss goal.
Instead of sulking in the corner and wallowing yourself in self pity, gather up the courage to stand up and beat your weight plateau! There is always a way to get rid of them! Healthy lifestyle is the key. If the above steps still won't work, you may want to start using The Burn that targets health issues that made your metabolism and weight stuck up.
Heads up! It's only 4 days left before the much awaited Christmas season! Who's excited for the upcoming season? I bet all of us are ecstatic about it! Who wouldn't? Christmas season is a season of giving and it let us enjoy this wonderful season with our family and friends! It a season of loving and sharing. And since we want to give something this Christmas, you might be wondering what gift you should give to your family and friends right? A gift where not only they will enjoy your gift but it will also keep them fit and healthy! Well, we are glad to tell you that the community have prepared these fast metabolism diet holiday gift ideas guide for you to be able to choose the perfect gift for your loved ones!
Workout Gifts
Since Christmas season is a heavy feast season and where the temptation is at its highest point, it is important to balance out our body with the amount of foods we are indulging in. Let's convert those extra portions we ate into energy to fire up our metabolism! You can give your family and friends these workout gifts to help them stay fit and healthy this Christmas season.
Yoga Mat or Kit
This yoga kit includes a lightweight and portable nonslip yoga mat and strap, a resistance band and a small foamy exercise ball. It can help you do your yoga stretches and workout especially if your Phase 3 falls into the season holiday. Let your body soothe the tension in your body and alleviates your stress with these yoga mat or kit.
Weslo Cadence Treadmill
The Christmas season in your place might be preventing you from doing any exercise because of the cold and chilly winter season outside. Fortunately, not even the winter season can stop us from achieving a healthy lifestyle. This Weslo Cadence treadmill will let you do your usual cardio exercise indoor. It will help you convert the extra food you eat into energy, boost your endurance and stamina. Cardio exercise will fire up your metabolism and is good for your heart.
This Christmas season, let's build out more lean muscles and eliminate those white fats that jiggle every time we moved. This weight set with coated dumbbells is rust-resistant. It also comes with a complete guide and training gear. This dumbbell is a perfect set up in improving your personal strength and fast metabolism fitness goals!
Wake Up, Work Out Alarm Clock
Since this holiday season we are prone into spending late night outs with our family and friends celebrating the occasion, this will definitely help you in setting up your time in waking up. It will help you to keep on track with your fast metabolism diet by waking up in your morning time and not skipping an exercise. It has a motion sensor that won't allow the alarm to shut off until you've completed 30 curls. And there! You managed to get a few minutes of exercise without fully exerting yourself and despite of the hectic schedule you have this Christmas season.
Rumble Roller
This can help you in easing the tension in your muscles. It gently stretches soft tissues in multiple directions. It also helps restore flexibility and provide quick relief to common types of muscular pain and sore muscles you experience during the Christmas Season. It is a great way to relax yourself during the Season.
Kitchen Gifts
Vitamix Blender
Instead of drinking wines and alcoholic beverage this Christmas season, why not drink some healthy, delicious fmd smoothies? This Vitamix blender will help you blend those natural fruits, spices and herbs thoroughly to prepare your delicious smoothies! Have a relinquishing and quenching feeling while drinking your favorite smoothies!
This slow cooking crock pot has easy to use programmable controls to pre-set cook times and settings. It gives convenience in making easy-homed meals when you don't have enough time in preparing meals. It also allows you to cook without adding fat. It also warms automatically once the cook time is complete. This will aid you in cooking your fast metabolism diet Christmas recipes faster! Thus, giving you more time with family bonding.
If possible, stay organic and cook fast metabolism diet recipes during Christmas season to ensure healthy lifestyle and be free from any sinful temptation! This organic spice kit will help you spice up your fast metabolism diet recipes. It will also give your friends and families the delicious, phenomenal taste and sensation they will never forget when they get to eat your healthy recipes!
Motivational Gifts:
The Fast Metabolism Diet Books
There is nothing more motivational gift you can give to your family, relatives or friends than the gift of healthy living and fitness. Of course, don't forget to give the fast metabolism diet book, the fast metabolism diet cookbook, or even The Burn to your loved ones! This will help them to be encouraged and motivated in losing weight! Spread the news and give hope to other people who have not yet heard this awesome gift this Christmas season!
Fast Metabolism Diet Personalized T Shirts
You can give your family and friends some inspiration by printing some customized, motivated t-shirts for them. Embed inspirational quotes that will encouraged and reminded them to lose weight and stay healthy every time they look into the mirror. Most of all, it will boost up their confidence in having a healthy, fit body without compromising the foods they eat.
Since Christmas season is a season of giving, let's spread the gift of healthy lifestyle. Let's encourage and motivate others to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. That is the greatest gift you can give to your family, friends and relatives.
We have different stories and reasons why we want to lose weight, right? And whatever it is, most of us experience this terrible weight loss plateau that caused others to give up and feel hopeless.
Take heart. A weight loss plateau is normal. No matter how diligent you are in following the fast metabolism diet, from time to time you'll fall off the wagon. If you're stuck, Haylie Pomroy's "The Burn" can help!
The Burn offers three nutrition programs strategically engineered to achieve highly specific results. The 3-day Burn for Inflammation (I-Burn), 5-day Burn for Digestive Dysfunction (D-Burn), and 10-day Burn for Hormone Imbalances (H-Burn). Now let's dig into it one-by-one.
3-day Burn for Inflammation
5-day Burn for Digestive Dysfunction
10-day Burn for Hormone Imbalances
Now, how do you know what nutrition program your body needs? Take a look at the table below.
The Burn also consists even more highly targeted foods compared to the first Fast Metabolism Diet Book. For example, in the 3-Day I-Burn targeting Inflammation, the book suggests powerful anti-inflammatory foods like lemon, celery, parsley, pink grapefruit, wild-caught fish and healthy fats like avocado, walnuts and pine nuts.
There are also suggested I-Burn Smoothie, I-Burn soup and I-Burn tea that are medicinal, containing liver-and kidney cleansing herbs, detoxifying vegetables and energizing proteins. And the same with the 5-day D-Burn and 10-day H-Burn. Haylie Pomroy uses targeted nutrition to remove obstacles to weight loss, loosen historical fat stores, and make substantial improvements to health in less than two weeks.
To Summarize, The Burn consists:


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Sooo. Apparently while waiting for my sister's turn to shave (freaking queued for like 4 hours?!) , Joanne and I decided to take some photos of our outfit! Must make full use of my mum's camera y'know.
This Joanne dress so nice never tell me sia. In the end i went to change into the clothes i just bought that day to take some photos too hahah ikr. But now the top's missing, what the hellllll
And. This post is gonna be fiiiiiilled with Joanne's face. Just saying.
Okay i should stop the bhb-ness


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Tourism Destinatons
Welcome to Madiun Regency
Madiun regency is the potential tour area that could be proud with its territory that consisted of forest, several objects tourism and the interesting tour, including; the nature tour, the interest tour and the cultural tour.
The landscape from Bening Dam Widas is completed with forest tour of nature and the interesting infrastructure to be visited is in Petung Village, Pajaran Village, Saradan Subdistrict. Natural beauty of Saradan Reservoir as the place of elicitation of the fish increased a brightness of the panorama.
Grape forest tour that surrounding the teak seedling cultivation garden and other protected tree. Equipped by vehicle and infrastructure increased the brightness of the environment tourist place in Madiun Regency.
The monument PKI ferocity in 1948 that was the pillar of struggle history for the Indonesian Nation, invested the spirit of heroism and loyalty to Pancasila and UUD of the Indonesian Republic on 1945, the history tourism object that ought to be recalled by the Younger Generation of the nation aspiration.
The bathing nature of sulphur water and historic objects of Hindu / Buddha influence and the other interesting facilities, is gotten in Umbul Recreation Park at Ngglonggong village, Dolopo district.
The interest tour
that state in Madiun Regency territory is in Segulung,
the famous Dagangan district with the beautiful
protected forest.
In Kare village, Kare district that famous with Suweru waterfall / Serondo and agro tourism, including; the red and green apples garden, the citrus fruit garden, the orchid garden, the clove garden, etc; has increased the brightness of the panorama.
The culture tour of Hindu / Buddha history with the traditional ceremony that always held every year is Suro Month Ceremony that is interesting to be visited because it has many mysteries that were not yet expressed. It usually held in the Nglambangan village, Wungu district.
The tourism object and the tour attraction are developed by the tourism government, especially for the perpetrators of tourism business and related business in the tourism field in order to introduce the interesting of Madiun
Grape Tourism Forest
Grape Forest Tour Grape [gra pe] forest, is such a forest tourism in Madiun, East Java. This tourism object is located in the middle of the teak cultivation seed forest and including the protected tree forest. It states about 17 … Continue reading
Indonesia Railways Industry
Indonesia Railway Industry INKA, state own industry in Indonesia, standing in 1981 which is located in Yos Sudarso Street, broadly is 220.000 m2 with the labour as much 974 people. INKA, moving towards from stem locomotive workshop in 1981 to … Continue reading
Grape Forest
Grape Forest This tourism object is located in the middle of the teak seed-bed forest or other the protected tree. It states about 17 km from Madiun city to the east side. Precisely, in Wungu village, Wungu district, the area … Continue reading
The Path of The Railways
Indonesia Railway Industry INKA, state own industry in Indonesia, standing in 1981 which is located in Yos Sudarso Street, broadly is 220.000 m2 with the labour as much 974 people. INKA, moving towards from stem locomotive workshop in 1981 to … Continue reading


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Friday, April 17, 2009
Rosa's Fudge
I don't know much about fudge. What I do know is that when I accepted an offer of fudge samples from Rosa's Fudge last month I became the proud recipient of more fudge than I have ever possessed before.
The box pictured is over 6 inches long, 4 and a half inches wide and almost three inches deep. Inside were 24 1.25 ounce squares. Yes, the box weighed about two pounds (counting the weight of the box itself).
This was an ideal time for me to get over my fudge ambivalence. It's not that I don't like fudge, it's that I don't know fudge.
For the most part I find fudge tasty, but difficult. After all, it usually requires implements to eat ... cutting it with a knife, storing it awkwardly, it dries out easily. Candy should be low fuss.
Rosa's Fudge, based in Springfield, Massachusetts makes 22 flavors. They sent me 16 of them to try (no walnut or cherry for me!). It took me two weeks to get through them.
Their fudge is sold in these little cubes, one serving, each stays fresh and they're easy to eat, store & share.
They're made with mostly wholesome ingredients: milk, butter, sugar but also a dash of hydrogenated palm kernel oil (can't be much based on how far down on the list it comes) plus chocolate or nuts as dictated by the flavor then some potassium sorbate to keep it all fresh.
Chocolate - the bite is soft and the chocolate flavor is immediate (chocolate is the second ingredient in this flavor). It's rich and has both the cocoa flavors and some nice fatty "melt" going on with the slight sugary grain. It was appealing and went especially well with salty/crunchy snacks like pretzels or plain almonds. *
Peanut Butter - this is a classic flavor and I find that fudge made from peanut butter to be one of the ideal ways to use peanuts in confection (along with peanut butter cups & peanut brittle). It smells dark and a little bitter. The stuff is fatty, but not greasy ... though it did make the little waxed paperboard bottom label a clear translucent. It has a softer and crumblier bite than the chocolate. The nut flavors were wonderful with a mellow not-too-sweet powdery quality that kept it together without giving me that "sticky" feeling on the tongue. *
Chocolate & Peanut Butter - this block is a combination of the first two flavors, about 25% is chocolate on the top and the 75% on the bottom is peanut butter. The variation between the two textures is awesome, and of course chocolate and peanut butter are a natural fit. *
Chocolate Mint - this piece could have gone a few ways. It could have been a vanilla piece flavored with mint and then a layer of chocolate fudge. Instead this is a chocolate fudge with a creme de menthe flavor to it. It was quite cool, not too strong and refreshing with a good authentic peppermint note (it does have peppermint oil in it). The mint made it seem a bit less sweet but the mint wasn't so overpowering that it infected the neighboring pieces. *
Vanilla - I was a bit lost on what this should be. It's just butter and sugar, right? Well, this isn't quite grandma's recipe. Sugar, milk, butter, partially hydrogenated palm kernel and cottonseed oils, cream, corn syrup, maltodextrins, natural and artificial flavors, invert sugar, soy lecithin, potassium sorbate and salt. Maybe it needs some real vanilla bean in there.
Penuche - I love the idea of penuche and sometimes get a version of it I love at the local shop by my office. Penuche is basically a brown sugar fudge. It's grainy and maybe even a bit greasy, but I love it. This one was smooth and had the brown sugar notes, but mostly it just tasted like a good cooked buttercream frosting would.
Maple - was much softer than the other pieces. Not so soft that it lost its shape once out of the wrapper, but definitely a little droopy. The flavor also seemed smoother, very strong in the woodsy pecan end of things. Sweet, aromatic and definitely one of my favorites. *
Butterscotch - I wasn't sure what butterscotch would be like, I assumed it'd be like butterscotch pudding. Instead, when I opened the package I was greeted with an aroma like putting my head into a bucket of butterscotch disks (the hard candy). The fake "flavorishness" aside, I enjoyed it. It was artificial and throat-searingly sugary, but the texture was nice and I really knew that this was supposed to be butterscotch.
Coffee - looked a lot like the Maple or Penuche. Instead the texture was quite different once I bit into it. It has the same grainy consistency that melts in the mouth that I like about fudge. The coffee flavors were mild but sweet and milky. It reminded me of coffee ice cream. This was my top pick of the whole assortment. *
Coffee & Chocolate - this one is rather simple, just a coffee fudge with a layer of chocolate fudge. But I didn't like the addition of the chocolate much. It didn't give it a chocolate punch, but did lessen the coffee flavors. The two fudges had a slight consistency difference as well, the chocolate was firmer with a tighter grain (is that a way to describe fudge or hardwood?).
Amaretto - my appreciation of amaretto is pretty shallow. I like almonds but I don't care for marzipan because of the strong amaretto notes, which I associate with the same fake flavor that butterscotch is to true toffee. This smelled, to me, like a fine bath product. Sweet, a little floral and a lot like amaretto. It was actually pretty good ... nothing I'd eat, but I think amaretto fans would like it.
Irish Creme - is a combination of three flavors: Irish Whiskey, coffee and cream. Instead this tastes like coconut, butterscotch and maple. I'm missing the deep woodsy tones that whiskey can bring ... and I'm definitely not getting any coffee in there, but there's a creamy flavor. I'd definitely keep eating it, if I didn't have a bunch of other fruit & nut flavors to get to.
Chocolate & Coconut - looking at the side of this, it was evident that this was more than a coconut flavored chocolate fudge, there's coconut flakes all through it. It smells woodsy, herby and a little bit like granola. Biting into it, it has a lot of chew from the coconut but the biggest flavor hit here is chocolate. The chocolate tastes deeper, richer and less sweet than the other versions I tried singularly and in combination earlier. This stuff is awesome. It reminds me of a less-sweet Mounds bar. *
This was where I reached a stumbling block. While I usually like bright colors & fun incorporated into my candy, something about these fruit ones just seemed wrong. So I picked around them in the box.
Pina Colada - this was bright yellow. While I was hesitant because of the color and the idea of pineapple and coconut in fudge didn't sound like a good idea, the chocolate coconut was a pleasant surprise. This one doesn't have as much coconut in it as the chocolate version, but there's still a fair bit. It smells sweet and like a floral/peppery pineapple. The bite is soft, dry but with a very small grain (besides the bits of coconut). There's a lot of pineapple flavor, but no tang to it. The coconut gives a lot of texture and a fair bit of authentic coconut butter flavor. It's better than I expected, but still far too sweet.
Chocolate Raspberry - the bright pink and malleable texture makes this look something I made with Playdoh. The raspberry flavor is all fragrance and food coloring. I ate that one bite shown and didn't want to go back for more even if it meant a scathing paragraph here.
Chocolate Strawberry - this smelled like strawberry ice cream and kind of tasted like it too. It was very sugary and the chocolate kind of brought it down a notch, but then the bitter taste of the food coloring kicked in. I know some folks probably like this, but it's not my thing.
Even though it ended on a down note, the tasting experience with Rosa's Fudge was fun. I found out that there are some specific flavors that I think go well with fudge. (I also think nuts go great with fudge, so if you're a walnut person, I wholeheartedly recommend it even though I've never tried theirs.)
Rosa's offers custom packed boxes based on your flavor preferences, so you'll never end up with a block you don't want. My choices (marked with a *) now ranked in order: Chocolate & Coconut, Coffee, Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Chocolate & Mint and Maple.
The whole thing gets a 7 out of 10 rating. Good price, spare packaging & excellent shipping. The flavors were distinct, classic and well executed.
Rosa's Fudge is sold on their website ($12 for 12 pieces - 15 ounces) as well as at some candy counters in the northeastern United States.
Related Candies
POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:18 am
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.


text:
by Stacie
(Paris, France)
Question: I am American, and currently live in France. To register my son as an American citizen, I need to prove at least one continuous year of physical presence, for myself, in the United States.
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Passport FAQ - Questions and Answers About Passports.


text:
If something positive or negative happens, we try to find a reason for it. A cause for the effect generated. We do this because we want good things to happen again. Finding the cause of a good thing enables us to reproduce it. The same goes for negative events. Knowing the cause prevents the effect from happening again. From a logical stance, this all sounds like pretty simple stuff.
Despite this simplicity, humans aren't so well-equipped for utilizing this causal thinking.
We live in a complex universe which is difficult (maybe even impossible) to fully understand. We like to think that we can understand it, but there are a number of reasons why we can't:
The first reason why we'll never fully understand our universe is because we are part of it. We are an effect of the evolving universe. When we study the universe it is the same as the universe studying itself. Objectively studying oneself imposes some serious limitations. You can't see the house from inside the house, as they say.
To put this another way, if we consider the universe to be everything, we can never know the universe, because we can only understand it if there were a non-universe to compare it to. We cannot know black without white, solid without liquid, universe without non-universe.
The second, more intuitive reason is that the universe is simply too complex. When studying it we can only study a very, very small part at a time. So we focus. And by focusing we disregard most information. We never see the whole picture. Sometimes though, we "glimpse" the whole picture, or a large part of it, when meditating or during times of reflection.
We then feel that we are part of something bigger, even though we cannot grasp it, write it down or explain it. If we try to explain it we start focusing, leaving out so much information that the experience is lost.
The third reason why we cannot understand our universe is that, as Alan Watts put it, the universe "wiggles". Meaning that so many things happen at the same time, that it's impossible, even for the most powerful of computers today, to analyze all the causes and effects produced by this "wiggling". It's like dominoes falling, but every time one falls it produces two or three more. Each of those do the same thing, crafting a huge and exponential spread of activity every second.
So…wasn't this about cause and effect thinking?
Right, so essentially we have three problems with our perception of the universe. It's infinitely complex, has no real counterpoint (anti-universe?), and is completely interdependent in a way that each aspect can impact any other aspect in real time. So let's apply these concepts to causal thinking, and why humans struggle so much with it.
If you're like me, you had to look up this name. For me, I googled the snake that's eating its own tail. That's this guy, Ouroboros. It's been around for ages, and for good reason. It's the ultimate example of why causality becomes broken when focus is applied. Too often, we find patterns eventually repeating themselves, beginnings mixing with ends in a way that baffles our concept of causality. Chickens and eggs.
We look at cause and effect as a chain of actions and reactions that can all be traced back to one single cause. We see this world as a collection of things that start and eventually end. It is understandable that we think that way – our very lives seem to start and end. But if you look at our lives on a very small scale, looking at the material that we are made of (which is at least billions of years old, if it hasn't been around literally forever), then it is impossible to say when our lives really did start – or end. Only our 'conscious awareness' of it ends.
And why must everything have a start and end? Maybe it's a limitation of our brain that we think in terms of start and end. Maybe the universe has been around, and will be around for ever. Expressing itself in what we call life, expressing itself in us. We are part of something that might not have a beginning, something that might not have an end, something that might not have an initial cause.
Turtles all the way down
So, it seems like there may not be a singular 'start' to all of the ends we are experiencing. But we still find that effects have causes that are sort of…chronologically nearby? Let's take an example.
You might have a toothache and your dentist says that the cause is a cavity. While fixing the cavity heals your toothache, the cavity itself might have many causes (so does the pain). Too much sugar, too little calcium, a fall, a piece of stone in your bread, grinding your teeth when sleeping, old age, etc. All these causes, which are at the same time effects, have their own causes, which are also effects. Is the cavity the 'cause' of the pain, or is it due to exposed nerve endings? The thing is we can come up with ten or twenty causes to one effect, but we can never fully grasp all the billions causes, singular or interdependent, sequential in time or parallel, for the toothache.
Even more relatable would be that terribly behaved child in a kindergarten class. The amateur teacher blames the child at first (subconsciously), and then moves right on to bad parenting. But what about what cause the bad parenting? Probably a different set of parents to blame. It's tricky, because the ill-behaved kid has the cause of the poorly prepared parent, which is usually caused by some other circumstance (poverty, more poorly prepared parents, etc.). Ultimately, it's just turtles all the way down, as Bertrand Russell might say.
The limitations of the human mind
Let's be honest, most of us know all of this. But we still screw up causal thinking anyway.
This is because our mind can only store a few causes and a few effects within 'easy reach'. It therefore holds a very personal and limited version of 'the truth'.
Causes and effects are stored on a shelf in our mind, for easy access. If a "similar" (in our limited perception) situation occurs, we first check the shelf in our brain to see if we can map one of the causes on the shelf to the situation. Our brain is lazy, so it'll first try to map a known cause to a new situation. Thus we leave out even more information by applying (or attributing) a known cause to a new effect. We make assumptions all the time.
To make things worse, we tend to attribute causes to an effect in a way that improves our self-image. We selectively attribute negative effects externally (not my fault), and positive effects internally (because of me).
Events that happen to other people are mostly attributed to their personality, while effects that happen to us are mostly attributed to external factors. If we attribute the other way around (negative effects attributed internally and positive effects externally), we feel depressed (and vice versa). And there are tons more ways that our attributions are skewed (I won't go into detail here, but check out the basics on this wikipedia article for more info if you're curious.
So looking back at this, what do we really know about cause and effect? We have to understand that we ALWAYS jump to conclusions. It is our limitation, the achilles heel of the mind. Jumping to conclusions has brought us far (we survived this far because of it), but it might LEAD US NOWHERE. We cannot oversee the effects of "our" actions on us, let alone oversee the effects of "our" actions on the universe. Like antibiotics, once a miracle cure – now a serious threat to our wellbeing.
So, what now? Shall we just do nothing, make no assumptions about cause and effect? I think that would be a mistake (not to mention totally impossible). Our daily cause and effect thinking does help us survive. It helps us improve both our own lives, and the lives of others. We're stuck with it, but we have to be aware of our own limitations when it comes to making sense of this universe. We have to be humble.
Take a moment and try to grasp the infinite nature of the universe. Fully understand just how vast and incomprehensible the universe is, and you'll probably find a sense of calm humility.
This helps us remember to be careful, to be mild, to reserve judgment. This helps us stop blaming various 'causes' and feeling miserable about countless 'effects', all of which aren't really relevant at all to the nature of reality anyway. This helps us live (dare I say it?) in harmony. Perhaps peace resides in the well-organized mind.


text:
The past few weeks I've critiqued six writing projects: three at a writers conference, two for an independent publisher, and one for an agent.
I wasn't an expert on any of those topics. But I came to each piece with not only an objective eye, but also one trained in what makes writing succeed.
Both are needed. Even experienced writers can get so close to their topic, they can mistake others' familiarity or interest. An outsider can judge if the opening paragraphs and pages will attract and engage readers. And if the following material connects all the dots.
Likewise, an outsider can see if all the pieces fit. Last week I told an independent publisher that her client's manuscript had parts of two books. While the introduction promised one topic, the text didn't get to that material until more than halfway through. The lion's share, while potentially interesting, had little relation to the promised topic. Worse, it stopped partway through the opening story.
As an outsider, an hour's scan of the manuscript showed significant structural issues invisible to the author.
Then there was the writer whose manuscript I critiqued at the conference. The tone suggested someone who lectured on dusty topics. In person, he turned out to be a self-made entrepreneur. I simply encouraged him to let his writing sound like himself, not a weak imitation of his favorite scholar.
While all six projects had potential, they also needed significant work. Maybe none of the six belonged to a writers group, or maybe their peers were also too close to see the problems.
Fortunately, many writers conferences still offer the option of professional critiques. Done well, they'll show you what you most need to know.


text:
Roose, T. and Chapman, S. J. and Maini, P. K. (2007) Mathematical models of avascular cancer. SIAM Review, 49 (2). pp. 179-208. ISSN 0036-1445
This is the latest version of this item.
Official URL: http://www.siam.org/journals/sirev/49-2/44629.html
This review will outline a number of illustrative mathematical models describing the growth of avascular tumours. The aim of the review is to provide a relatively comprehensive list of existing models in this area and discuss several representative models in greater detail. In the latter part of the review, some possible future avenues of mathematical modelling of avascular tumour development are outlined together with a list of key questions.
|Item Type:
|Uncontrolled Keywords:
|tumor modeling; cancer modeling; avascular tumors; reaction-diffusion equation; soft tissue mechanics; cellular automata
|O - Z > Partial differential equations
A - C > Biology and other natural sciences
|Research Groups:
|Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Centre for Mathematical Biology
|ID Code:
|Deposited By:
|Jon Chapman
|Deposited On:
|24 May 2007
|Last Modified:
|29 May 2015 18:25
Available Versions of this Item
Mathematical models of avascular cancer. (deposited 04 Oct 2006)
- Mathematical models of avascular cancer. (deposited 24 May 2007) [Currently Displayed]
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text:
Death Investigation in the Area of 66 Humboldt Avenue, Roxbury/
At about 3:05 AM on Monday, March 21, 2016, officers from District B-2 (Roxbury) responded to a radio call for a person shot in the area of 66 Humboldt Avenue.
Upon arrival, officers observed a male victim who appeared to be in his 20's suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. A second male victim was located a short time later suffering from what appeared to be a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. That victim was transported to Boston Medical Center. Further investigation led officers to recover several firearms from the scene.
The Boston Police Department is actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470.
Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word 'TIP' to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner.


text:
Sunday, 19 August 2012
4 comments:
I think I once did something similar with chocolades ....ReplyDelete
For the Lindemans I would rather suggest a Champagne style glass.
Thumbs up!
Looks like quite an afternoon you've got on your hands there!ReplyDelete
Ahh. Breakfast. Fantastic.ReplyDelete
Thanks for the comments guys. I certainly had a fun couple of hours working my way through that little lot.ReplyDelete
I did plan to try and write a short piece on each of them... needless to say that soon went out the window!
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text: Notification Center has been updated and improved for iOS 7, and now, it will be available right from the lock screen with no need to unlock the phone first. There's a today view of notifications, with calendar, stocks, other current updates, all of which are available from the lockscreen. And, in keeping with the new design, the Notificiation Center tray has ditched the old look and feel and is now has a translucent background that shows the wallpaper behind.


text:
Friday, April 22, 2016
Which way is up?
When I got to the computer I experimented with the orientation of it.
Many times I have turned my art upside down after piecing it and I'm almost inclined to do so with this one.
I'll take one more look at it today and see if I want to change anything and then it will be time to sew it together.
Last night I sewed some more of the 6" triangle squares. Now if I could just find the box with the 4" squares in it I could work on the quilt.
It rained again yesterday afternoon. The Redbuds are blooming in the rain. This is the view to the left from my kitchen window.
This is the view to the right from the same window.
15 comments:
- Sewing Junkie said...
Your rows look go either way you place them. This is a very interesting way to work with them. They definitely make a statement. Our Crabapple trees are about ready to open up. Chris
- April 22, 2016 at 5:17 AM
I like it best with the blue in the top right corner. It's said that a work of art's design is good if the piece looks as good upside down as right side up. You win!
- April 22, 2016 at 5:40 AM
- suzanne, dutchess county NY said...
I too like the last photo with the splash of yellow orange at the bottom and the dark blue in the upper right. Chris is right though as it looks good in all the orientations.
- April 22, 2016 at 5:58 AM
- Sue said...
It seems natural in our lives to move towards the light in forward and upward progress so it is comfortable for the brighter colors to be in the upper right. Of course you are not bound by any rules here. Go with what YOU like.
- April 22, 2016 at 6:29 AM
- patty a. said...
The piece is beautiful no matter which way it is shown. We got a light sprinkle yesterday for most of the day and we have a chance of more rain this afternoon. Things are blooming especially the dandelions! My poor daffodils! The recovered a bit after being hit with snow, but the 80 degree heat we got fried them. The redbud trees are so pretty!
- April 22, 2016 at 7:52 AM
- Alice Turcotte said...
Excellent views .. Kitchen window and design wall. Enjoy.
- April 22, 2016 at 8:37 AM
- donaleen said...
I like it upside down but not sideways. Very nice eye candy. And so is your redbud.
- April 22, 2016 at 8:41 AM
- Vicki W said...
Looks great! For me the first photo has the right side up. The last photo seems to be heavy on top......to me, which means nothing!
- April 22, 2016 at 8:47 AM
- Hedy Hahn said...
Lovely quilt, I am always amazed at your quilts. Your redbuds are pretty, but I wonder why they are called redbuds when they bloom lilac colored??
- April 22, 2016 at 9:06 AM
- Needled Mom said...
I think that piece would be perfect in any direction.
Those redbuds are so pretty.
- April 22, 2016 at 9:41 AM
- Nancy J said...
I like the last one best, darker, like green trees at the bottom, splash of gold as the sun rises, red sky just peeping on the left, and blue sky above. Just my interpretation of another beautiful setting from you. Red buds, are they flowering cherry trees?
- April 22, 2016 at 12:08 PM
- Mystic Quilter said...
I love the horizontal setting best of all.
- April 22, 2016 at 2:12 PM
- JJM said...
Oh yah ~ I like it upside down also. I even thought that before I scrolled down to see it up side down. It is as awesome as your red bud tree, in all it's glory this year.
- April 22, 2016 at 2:13 PM
- Paige said...
Beautiful inside and outside!
- April 22, 2016 at 8:33 PM
- Charlotta said...
What happens if you look straight out the kitchen window? Up or down? Either way works for me, but not sideways so much.
- April 23, 2016 at 1:33 AM


text:
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owner and / or to comply with third party rating systems such as
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JMT provided project management, civil, mechanical, electrical, and architectural design services, as part of a joint venture, to replace an existing facility with a new, $53 million complex.


text:
Sunday, August 9, 2009
co commuter
she's there
in the eight thirty three local
ladies' first class compartment
sometimes we sit side by side
chugging along together
but our lives never touch—
not even by a glance
or a flicker of a smile
she slumps down on a seat
eyes closed
wakes up just as we pull in
at dahisar station
we get down together
cross the subway
then she turns right
and i turn left
never acknowledging
each other's existence.
what else?
this is mumbai yaar.
8 comments:
- Gauri Gharpure said...
captures the aloofness pretty well.. somehow a wee bit sad
- August 9, 2009 at 5:14 AM
- mesjay said...
@Gauri, perhaps it's due to the endless crowding or tiredness that ppl act aloof in general. A bit sad, yes, but may be it suits us all.
- August 9, 2009 at 10:20 PM
- mnowluck said...
Hehe.. and yeah.. that's mumbai life. What I really found funny here in Mumbai is - - Its nearly 2 years since I stayed here in this society .. and I haven't had the chance to speak nor smile to my neighbours.. nor do I knew how many people stayed on the 6th floor . :D
- August 10, 2009 at 5:58 PM
- mesjay said...
@Mnowluck, same here. In two years of staying in Mumbai we got to meet our immediate neighbours--up, down and across by determined trying. And those living across on the same floor, we meet at the lift once in a while, may be twice or thrice a year.
- August 10, 2009 at 8:56 PM
- feddabonn said...
it is odd. and sad.
- August 14, 2009 at 2:01 AM
- mesjay said...
@feddabonn, it's the spirit of mumbai!
- August 15, 2009 at 12:00 AM
- Mimihrahsel said...
umm.. I don't think this happens only in Mumbai. Happens every where I guess, esp IF we look different from the natural habitants
- August 22, 2009 at 9:32 AM
- mesjay said...
@Mimi, may be this is spreading due to the busy-ness most ppl suffer from. But i did find Bangalore quite different. In Mumbai, everyone seems to do it to everyone else, with no regards to looks.
- August 23, 2009 at 9:11 PM


text:
To be one of the first band to be agree to join us on our free web release, let's go to Catalonia to meet Electrophobia!
1. For the people whose don't yet listen to your music, can you introduce the band, the members?
Eduard Olle , principal voice
Sergio Trujillo,second voice
Victor Safont, electronic drums.
Electrophobia EBM is a band born in Barcelona in February 2011. The components are: Eduard Olle "ex Awilum", "ex Phantom Raised.":programing & voice. Sergio Trujillo, "former urban power". voice. Victor Safont victor "ex awilum", "old former coroner." electronic drums. Electrophobia is pure EBM, its members have gone through several groups as awilum ebm, old coroner, etc. and phantom raised by several collectivos as urban power (Lleida). Electrophobia is a band of Barcelona, we fully play electronic music.
2. How do you start this new project?
to shut the mouths of people who talk too much!
3. Your cd is just released, how do you feel?
excited and eager to continue working to show much better material.
4. Can you give More information about your musical background?
heard many types of music and varied ... we could not stop talking about music ...
5. What inspire you to produce your music, in our world, the life, music, art
what bothers me decide to do a song to talk about it, I use the music as a lethal weapon to defeat my enemies.
6. Since many years, Catalonia bring us many good bands, are you in contact with them? and from others countries?
In Barcelona there are very good ebm bands in Catalonia and Spain as well, that we know and we respect.
7. What do you think about our compilation?
is a very good idea and would like to support me, thanks.
8. Your best 10 albums of all time?
armagedon dildos , homicidial maniac.
pouppee fabrikk , rage.
bigod 20 , carpe diem.
leather strip , mental slavery.
the klinik , sabotage
signal aout 24 , vae victis.
escalator , antologia.
front 242 , tragedy for you.
nitzer ebb , that total age.
decibelios , caldo de pollo.
9. Many gigs the last years, more to come certainly, a cd in store, what can i wish you for 2012?
by 2012 we want to crush fascism and burn the politicians!.
10. One word you like?
revolution,sex,amphetamines and ebm!.
11. One you dislike?
politicians and wealthy pigs
12. The last, the same for the all, your favorite brand of beers?
they are many jaja, new castle,murphys,guniess,moritz,
13. A last word for your audience?
buy our records and kill fascists.
14. And how can we be in contact with Electrophobia?
You can order the cd: Electrophobia "No habrá paz" on disconexus
Interview by Cedric for Radio Ebm Unidos Y Fuertes, the 29/01/2012.
Electrophobia on Stomping before Apocalypse Vol.1 soon on Bandcamp the 24.2.2012. Stay tuned!


text:
All Films.All Above Board.NOW INCLUDES TV SHOWS & TV LISTINGS
Bollywood comedy in which the lives of two men are turned upside down by the recession. Nick Mathur (John Abraham) and Jerry Patel (Akshay Kumar) are originally among the few people unmoved by the global financial meltdown. Nick is a wealthy investment banker, while Jerry, who shares Nick's London flat, expertly scrounges from his more successful friend. However, when the recession prompts Nick's company to downsize and get rid of him, the friends are forced out of their comfort zone and must find a new identity.


text:
One of my most popular products has finally been updated! The place value notebook package previously covered the ones period to the millions period--it now includes ones to BILLIONS. If you have purchased this product, please go back to TN or TPT and redownload for your updates! :)
Click below to check it out!


text:
|Director Mark Casson with his wife Raylene and daughters Joelle and Eliana.
Mark Casson, Director
There are some things that a person never forgets. They are indelibly etched into his mind. For Mark Casson, it was the words of a Superior Court Judge who told him in March, 1989, "I hereby sentence you to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The key word here, sir, is possibility. You may never parole from prison and in fact, you may die there. Do you understand this sentence I am imposing on you?"
These words were spoken only a few weeks after Mark was converted to Christ through jail/prison ministry. For the next 15+ years, he would spend his days growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Mark availed himself of the few Bible studies and courses which were available to him, and he spent much of his time in the Word, teaching others and ministering from the "inside".
Mark went to five parole hearings and was denied parole each time. It was at the sixth hearing that he heard the words, "By unanimous decision, we find you suitable for parole." On February 19, 2004, he walked out of prison a twice freed man.
Mark has continued his active Christian life on the outside. For 9 years he and his family lived in Fresno CA, where Mark served as a ruling elder at Sierra View Presbyterian Church (PCA). In 2013 they moved to Chattanooga TN, where Mark currently serves as a ruling elder at First Presbyterian Church (PCA). Metanoia is now headquartered in Chattanooga.
Since his release, Mark has been involved in the Dare to Hope program, which takes a message of hope into the prisons in his area. He has been blessed to return to prison more than a dozen times through this program. He has been actively involved in teaching Bible Studies, Sunday School, and the occasional exhortation from the pulpit. He has worked with people at the local Rescue Mission, and he continues to minister to children at a local children's shelter with the members of his church.
In 2007 Mark was added to the Board of Directors of Metanoia Ministries. Sensing Mark's burden for prisoners, his love for the great commission and his desire to see men and women changed through the power of the gospel, the Board called Mark to be their Executive Director in 2008.
John Theoharis, Associate Director
John brings over ten years of cross-cultural missions and community outreach and development experience to Mission to North America and Metanoia Prison Ministries. Most recently serving as a missionary on the Global Training and Development Team at Mission to The World, and as a missionary to Tanzania, John focused on building outreach ministries designed to disciple and empower local at-risk youth to become servant leaders in their communities.
Then, while on a break from the international mission field back in 2015, John was invited by a friend to teach at a local county jail in Georgia. He immediately felt tremendous love for the prisoners and started a weekly life-on-life discipleship group that he eventually took into a local prison as well. Through those relationships, John was led to Metanoia, where he now uses all of his experience and equipping to encourage churches to "remember the prisoner" and to help build sustainable and scalable reintegration ministries which equip our returning citizens with the life-skills and knowledge they need for a successful return to society. As Metanoia's Associate Director, John is responsible for overseeing and directing the organization's daily operations, leading the development and implementation of its strategic initiatives, and partnering with Metanoia's Director to ensure all organizational development goals are being managed and achieved. With his huge heart for the "least of these," John also has the privilege of serving the prisoners directly every week. He teaches biblically based leadership classes, leads Metanoia's mentoring programs at his area prisons, and serves on the chaplain team at his main prison. He has built lifelong friendships with some of the prisoners, and he has witnessed God's miraculous grace at work in their lives, and at work in the lives of so many others. In experiencing these blessings, John's prayer has become that others would remember that the prisoner is included in the words of Jesus when He says "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
John is an ordained minister and nationally certified chaplain. He is a graduate of Metro Atlanta Seminary, and he is currently pursuing his MA in Ministry Leadership at Belhaven University. John and his wife, Carla, live in Suwanee, Georgia with their dog Cassie and their three cats, Little Boy, Lexington, and Miss Dixie. They attend Grace Community Presbyterian Church where they are both active in discipleship, and he, in teaching ministries as well.
Shelly Marshall, Correspondence Course Facilitator
Mrs. Michelle "Shelly" Marshall is married with two children, Emily Ann and Owen Langley Marshall. Shelly was raised by a single mom who expected her children to fend for themselves, achieve good grades, and make something of their lives. They frequented the Polish Catholic Church in her hometown of Syracuse, New York, but the services were conducted completely in Polish.
Shelly's early adult life revolved around work and drinking. In her early thirties, Shelly got seriously sick, which led her to re-evaluate her lifestyle and an obvious problem with alcohol and cocaine. She checked herself into a drug and alcohol program where she found temporary relief in Alcoholic's Anonymous (A.A.) and Cocaine Anonymous (C.A.) .Shortly thereafter, one of her friends from the meetings invited her to church. A few Sundays later the Lord graciously changed her heart. Miraculously, Shelly became a new creature in Christ with absolutely no desire to ever drink or drug again.
Shelly has a rich background in bookkeeping, office management, database set-up and management, tax preparation, and utilizing a wide variety of computer programs. She had her own bookkeeping business for many years serving lawyers, restaurant owners, and small business owners.
Shelly has a real heart for prison ministry. Her prison ministry experience began when she married her husband who spent 10 years in prison. When her husband graduated from seminary, they founded Metanoia Ministries (MM) together and opened a discipleship home for men just getting out of prison. For five years Shelly served as the matriarch and assistant to the director as she helped her husband oversee MM, keep the ministry books, and interacted daily with each of the men who lived in the home. When MM needed more beds to meet the growing number of applicants, Shelly used an inheritance she had received to help Metanoia Ministries move into a new 14 bed facility. She said, "It is God's money, and so it should be used for God's purposes." Shelly participated in some of the new resident interviews, she regularly served as an extra pair of eyes and ears, and she managed all the finances for the ministry.
Today, Shelly holds the title of Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of Metanoia Ministries. Her responsibilities include designing all the handsome correspondence course covers, setting up and maintaining a comprehensive database, copying and reproducing all of our course materials, mailing all the course material to instructors, students, and chaplains, interacting with all our instructors and students, and handling a dozen other odds and ends that pop up week to week.
Shelly is thankful she has the opportunity to serve brothers and sisters in Christ who are in prison. She knows what it is like to be imprisoned in sin as well as the joy of being set free by the Sovereign Grace of God. She sees the need. Her prayer is to be a small part of the solution to that need.
Randy Jackson, Regional Director, NW Georgia
While serving in the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas, I came to know the Lord in a saving way on the night of November 18, 1986 at a Petra concert in Austin. Since that point, I cannot deny that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has walked with me in amazing ways! While at Fort Hood, I befriended another soldier who led me into a personal understanding of Reformed Theology that has structured and informed my Faith to this day. After being honorably discharged from the military and returning home to New Jersey, I began attending a Church in Brooklyn, New York. Through that congregation, I grew to understand that Christianity held the only consistent worldview possible, and that the Word of God held the only way by which a person might know truth in the first place.
Through that church, I attended Mid-America Reformed Seminary, and from there, traveled to Monroe, Louisiana where I met my wife and began teaching at a small public school in Farmerville. When my wife wanted to complete her doctoral work, we moved to Oxford, Mississippi, where she attended the University of Mississippi and I taught at Oxford High School. I also preached regularly at Koinonia Baptist Church in Clinton, and later was called as an Assistant to the Pastor at Lawndale Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in Tupelo.
After receiving her Doctoral degree, my wife accepted a position at Covenant College, and I was called into full-time ministry as the Christian Education Director at New City Fellowship PCA in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After serving there for 6 years, God led me to finish what I had started at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, and I also discovered and transferred my membership to Grace PCA in Dalton, Georgia.
At Grace PCA, I was a called as Assistant Pastor of Outreach and Assimilation and encouraged to pursue ordination in the PCA. In July of 2014, I was ordained as a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, and I served as Pastor in the Interim at Grace from February to December of 2015. While serving in Dalton, I taught High School Bible courses part time at Christian Heritage School and became active at Walker State Prison mentoring several inmates and preaching at Grace's Friday evening worship service in the prison. It was then that Mark Casson approached me concerning an opportunity to serve in prisons expanding the Mentoring Ministry of Metanoia Prison Ministries.
The Lord has walked with me and led me in amazing ways, and I believe that He is not finished with me yet; as the psalmist sang in Psalm 71,
"Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come."
Tim McCracken, Regional Director, San Joaquin Valley
For nearly 29 years, Rev. Tim McCracken served as Pastor of First Reformed Presbyterian Church in Fresno, CA, before coming on staff with Metanoia Ministries as Regional Director San Joaquin Valley March 1, 2017.
In 2006 Pastor Tim received a letter from an inmate on the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) side of Corcoran State Prison, which asked, "Do you ever write to prisoners?" Through fellowship with that man, and through the bible study that formed as a result, Pastor Tim began to realize the vastness of the prison population near Fresno and the uniqueness of both the need and opportunity there. Fresno is located within an hour and a half's drive of about 34,000 incarcerated persons! Over time, opportunities arose for a teaching relationship with about 100 men on 5 yards at 3 different facilities, and in each case the men asked that the studies be started.
The uplifting fellowship and eagerness of the brothers began to make Tim wonder if there could be a way to eventually serve as a full-time missionary chaplain to these men, but reflection on the Metanoia model of ministry convinced him that helping to cultivate a mission mind and sense of joint endeavor in our area churches was more important than seeking to personally minister in as many places as possible. In the broader San Joaquin Valley, our like-minded churches have so much to offer the 18 prisons within reach! Dozens can be recruited. Hundreds! Maintaining the existing long-term relationships at the three facilities mentioned as a foundation, Tim eagerly anticipates the multiplication of relationship that will develop through partnering with and serving Valley churches.
Tim and his wife Lori are the parents of three grown children, and they both have a great love for music. Lori has served for many years as accompanist for both Fresno's wonderful Inspire-1 youth choirs and the Sierra Chamber Opera, and Tim enjoys a cappella singing and leading the young men's High School Ensemble from Inspire-1.


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WASHINGTON — With the House poised to vote Friday on yet another bill to cripple President Obama's health care law, the question arises: Why do Republicans persist in their so-far futile efforts?
Democrats have many theories. Republicans, they suggest, care little about the uninsured. Many, they say, dislike Mr. Obama and want him to fail.
"The health care law has become the Republicans' great white whale," Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, said Thursday. "They will stop at nothing to kill it."
Republicans say they persist because the law is an example of government overreach and is proving unworkable. For many elected in the 2010 Republican wave, their opposition to the law is the reason they are in Congress. And, they say, voting to repeal the law is good politics, as it remains extremely unpopular among Republican voters.
Republicans and some business owners also say they resent the way in which the law was written and passed by Democrats in 2009-10. Jeffrey S. Kelly, the chief executive of Hamill Manufacturing, a small Pennsylvania company that produces metal parts for Navy ships, made that point at a recent hearing to examine the effects of the law on businesses.
"Haven't you really reaped what you've sown?" Mr. Kelly asked House Democrats. "Look at the history of this law. It was passed without any support on the Republican side."
Though the White House and Congressional Democrats say they sought bipartisan support for the bill, Congressional Republicans argue that they were shut out of the legislative process.
"We offered 30 amendments when we were in the minority that were swatted away by the majority late into the night, not considered, not adopted," said Representative Peter Roskam, an Illinois Republican on the Ways and Means Committee.
Representative Michael C. Burgess, Republican of Texas, said: "No governor of either party was involved in the development of this law, even though the administration now says, 'We want the states to be involved and to be leaders in carrying it out.' "
With the battle over health care still raging, some lawmakers say they now understand what Thomas Jefferson meant when he said, in 1808, that "great innovations should not be forced on slender majorities," or enacted without broad support.
When Congress created Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965, the majorities in both chambers were larger and more bipartisan than the ones that passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
The bill coming up in the House on Friday would prohibit enforcement of the health law by the Internal Revenue Service, the agency responsible for imposing penalties on individuals who go without insurance and on employers that fail to offer coverage.
Representative Jim McDermott, Democrat of Washington, said one reason Republicans kept voting to repeal or gut the health care law was that they feared it would succeed.
"What we are hearing right now is the sound of Republican heart rates going up," Mr. McDermott said. "It's a frenetic expression of Republican anxiety over the president's signature legislation working. Washington, Oregon and California are already reporting lower rates for 2014. New York premiums were cut by 50 percent. Sick children are getting covered. The promise we made Americans is being fulfilled, and Republicans see a giant election map slowly losing red blocks."
Republicans say that public opinion is on their side. In 2011-12, the House voted more than 30 times to roll back some or all of the law, but Speaker John A. Boehner said that more votes were needed this year because freshman Republicans wanted a chance to go on the record.
Republicans were encouraged to see some Democrats voting with them last month. Twenty-two House Democrats joined them in voting to delay a crucial part of the law that requires most people to have insurance, and 35 voted to postpone a requirement that large employers offer coverage to full-time employees.
Moreover, Republicans cite concerns about the law expressed by labor unions, including the Teamsters. In a letter last month to the top Democrats in Congress, James P. Hoffa, president of the Teamsters, and two other union presidents said that perverse incentives in the Affordable Care Act were "already creating nightmare scenarios." They said that "numerous employers have begun to cut workers' hours" to avoid the cost of providing them health benefits.
Marilyn B. Tavenner, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told Congress on Thursday that she had heard of only "isolated incidents" in which employers tried to cut back hours. Representative Steve Scalise, Republican of Louisiana, told her that she must be "living in some cocoon" because he heard of such actions almost every day.
Votes to repeal the law are also a way to unite Republicans who cannot agree on other aspects of health policy.
"Republicans have never, never, never had a comprehensive health care reform plan," said Representative Sander M. Levin of Michigan, the senior Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee.
Republicans are sparring among themselves over whether they should try to block all legislation that includes money to carry out the health care law. Some of the most conservative Republicans in Congress say they are prepared to force the issue in debate over a stopgap spending bill, needed to keep the government in operation beyond Sept. 30.
"Under no circumstances will we support a continuing resolution that funds one penny of Obamacare," said Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas.
More experienced Republicans, including Senators John McCain of Arizona and Roy Blunt of Missouri, agree with the goal, but oppose the tactic, fearing that Republicans would be blamed for any government shutdown, as they were in 1995-96.
Whatever the reasons for Republicans' opposition to the law, it is unlikely that Friday's votes will be their last on the issue.


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The problem is that the flip-side of this is that you can never actually determine whether or not the supposed cause and effect relationships in models are correct. This is why Popperian rejection of hypotheses is not [rarely] possible in economics; why empirical evidence cannot "falsify economic models."[*] You'll never nail down correlation vs causationDue to external factors (and lack of controlled experiments), this may be true. However, this is a reason not to praise an empirically successful model.
Jason also challenges my claim that DSGE models are [should be] qualitative models:
John makes the case that it is the latter: DSGE models are qualitative models. I don't buy this. For one, they are way too complex to be a qualitative model.I agree with this when it comes to, e.g., the NY Fed DSGE, but not for DSGE in general. Basic DSGE models, without all the bells and whistles that try to make them empirical, are indeed, in my opinion qualitative. They are simply internally consistent ways of diagnosing a single problem in economics. If I want to come up with a theory about whether it is better to have PAYGO pensions or American-style social security, I don't bother modeling monopolistic competition or sticky prices because all I want is a qualitative analysis.
I disapprove of even using the supposedly structural DSGE models of the economy such as Smets-Wouters or the NY Fed DSGE on the grounds that it should be apparent that the assumptions of these models deviate far from reality; they are in no way structural, so expecting them to be accurate models is almost ridiculous. Because of this, they should just be thrown out for their complexity.
When it comes down to it, Jason seems to immediately associate DSGE with big, clunky models with tons of dubious assumptions that somehow approximate reality whereas I associate DSGE with utility maximization, budget constraints, and rational expectations. Every DSGE model I bother using is, in my opinion, qualitative and that's how it should be.
So, to make one of my previously misunderstood arguments slightly more clear, does the great recession invalidate the basic 3-equation reduced form New Keynesian model? No, it only shows that the model is incomplete, since there is no way to disprove any of the supposed causal relationships in the model, especially since rational expectations are unobservable. The lack of empirical support for New Keynesian DSGE (as I define it) does not inherently mean that any of the hypothesized cause and effect relationships in the model are wrong. It could be this, or that the model lacks enough complexity to explain the data.


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Back To Blood
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Book Summary
Young Cuban-American police officer Nestor Camacho struggles with his identity and the ire of his community after arresting a Cuban refugee before he can set foot on American soil.
Awards and Recognition
3 weeks on NPR Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List
NPR stories about Back To Blood
Tom Wolfe Takes Miami's Pulse In 'Back To Blood'
Note: Book excerpts are provided by the publisher and may contain language some find offensive.
Excerpt: Back To Blood
We een Mee-AH-mee Now
You ...
You ...
You ... edit my life ... You are my wife, my Mac the Knife — the witticism here being that he may edit one of the half-dozen-or-so most important newspapers in the United States, the Miami Herald, but she is the one who edits him. She ... edits ... him. Last week he totally forgot to call the dean, the one with the rehabilitated harelip, at their son Fiver's boarding school, Hotchkiss, and Mac, his wife, his Mac the Knife, was justifiably put out about it ... but then he had sort-of-sung this little rhyme of his to the tune of "You Light Up My Life." You ... edit my life ... You are my wife, my Mac the Knife — and it made her smile in spite of herself, and the smile dissolved the mood, which was I'm fed up with you and your trifling ways. Could it possibly work again — now? Did he dare give it another shot?
At the moment Mac was in command, behind the wheel of her beloved and ludicrously cramped brand-new Mitsubishi Green Elf hybrid, a chic and morally enlightened vehicle just now, trolling the solid rows of cars parked side by side, wing-mirror to wing-mirror, out back of this month's Miami nightspot of the century, Balzac's, just off Mary Brickell Village, vainly hunting for a space. She was driving her car. She was put out this time — yes, justifiably once more — because this time his trifling ways had made them terribly late leaving for Balzac's, and so she insisted on driving to that coolest of hot spots in her Green Elf. If he drove his BMW, they would never get there, because he was such a slow and maddeningly cautious driver ... and he wondered if she really meant timid and unmanly. In any case, she took over the man's role, and the Elf flew to Balzac's like a bat, and here they were, and Mac was not happy.
Ten feet above the restaurant's entrance was a huge Lexan disc, six feet in diameter and eighteen inches thick, embedded with a bust of Honore de Balzac "appropriated" — as the artists today call artistic theft — from the famous daguerreotype by the one-name photographer Nadar. Balzac's eyes had been turned to look straight into the customer's and his lips had been turned up at the corners to create a big smile, but the "appropriator" was a talented sculptor, and a light from within suffused the enormous slab of Lexan with a golden glow, and tout le monde loved it. The light here in the parking lot, however, was miserable. Industrial lamps high up on stanchions created a dim electrotwilight and turned the palm tree fronds pus-color yellow. "Pus-color yellow" — and there you had it. Ed was feeling down, down, down ... sitting belted into the passenger seat, which he had had to slide all the way back just to get both his long legs inside of this weeny-teeny grassy-greeny Green-proud car of Mac's, the Green Elf. He felt like the doughnut, the toy-sized emergency spare wheel the Elf carried.
Mac, a big girl, had just turned forty. She was a big girl when he met her eighteen years ago at Yale ... big bones, wide shoulders, tall, five-ten, in fact ... lean, lithe, strong, an athlete and a half ... sunny, blond, full of life ... Stunning! Absolutely gorgeous, this big girl of his! In the cohort of gorgeous girls, however, the big girls are the first to cross that invisible boundary beyond which the best they can hope for is "a very handsome woman" or "quite striking, really." Mac, his wife, his Mac the Knife, had crossed that line.
She sighed a sigh so deep, she ended up expelling air between her teeth. "You'd think they'd have parking valets at a restaurant like this. They charge enough."
"That's true," he said. "You're right. Joe's Stone Crab, Azul, Caffe Abbracci — and what's that restaurant at the Setai? They all have valet parking. You're absolutely right." Your worldview is my Weltanschauung. How about if we talk about restaurants?
A pause. "I hope you know we're very late, Ed. It's eight-twenty. So we're already twenty minutes late and we haven't found a place to park and we've got six people in there waiting for us — "
"Well, I don't know what else — I did call Christian — "
" — and you're supposed to be the host. Do you realize that? Has that registered with you at all?"
"Well, I called Christian and told him they should order some drinks. You can be sure Christian won't object to that, and Marietta won't, either. Marietta and her cocktails. I don't even know anybody else who orders cocktails." Or how about a little obiter dictum riff on cocktails or Marietta, either one or both?
"All the same — it's just not nice, keeping everybody waiting like this. I mean really — I'm serious, Ed. This is so trifling, I just can't stand it."
Now! This was his chance! This was the crack in the wall of words he was waiting for! An opening! It's risky, but — and almost in tune and on key he sing-songs,
"You ...
"You ...
"You ... edit my life ... You are my wife, my Mac the Knife ... "
She began shaking her head from side to side. "It doesn't seem to do me much good, does it?" ... Never mind! What was that creeping so slyly upon her lips? Was it a smile, a small, reluctant smile? Yes! I'm fed up with you immediately began to dissolve once more.
They were halfway down the parking lane when two figures appeared in the headlights, walking toward the Elf and Balzac's — two girls, dark haired, chattering away, apparently having just parked their car. They couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty. The girls and the trolling Elf drew close rapidly. The girls were wearing denim shorts with the belt lines down perilously close to the mons veneris and the pants legs cut off up to ... here ... practically up to the hip socket, and left frayed. Their young legs looked model-girl long, since they also wore gleaming heels at least six inches high. The heels seemed to be made of Lucite or something. They lit up a brilliant translucent gold when light hit them. The two girls' eyes were so heavily mascara'd they appeared to be floating in four black pools.
"Oh, that's attractive," Mac muttered.
Ed couldn't take his eyes off them. They were Latinas — although he couldn't have explained why he knew that any more than he knew that Latina and Latino were Spanish words that existed only in America. This pair of Latinas — yes, they were trashy, all right, but Mac's irony couldn't alter the truth. Attractive? "Attractive" barely began to describe what he felt! Such nice tender long legs the two girls had! Such short little short-shorts! So short, they could shed them just like that. In an instant they could lay bare their juicy little loins and perfect little cupcake bottoms ... for him! And that was obviously what they wanted! He could feel the tumescence men live for welling up beneath his Jockey tighty-whiteys! Oh, ineffable dirty girls!
As Mac trolled past them, one of the dirty girls pointed at the Green Elf, and both started laughing. Laughing, eh? Apparently they had no appreciation of how upscale Green was ... or how hip the Elf was, or how cool. Even less could they conceive of the Elf, fully loaded, as it was, with Green accessories and various esoteric environmental meters, plus ProtexDeer radar — they couldn't conceive of this little elf of a car costing $135,000. He'd give anything to know what they were saying. But here within the Elf's cocoon of Thermo-insulated Lexan glass windows, Fibreglas doors and panels, and evaporation-ambient recyclical air-conditioning, one couldn't begin to hear anything outside. Were they even speaking English? Their lips weren't moving the way lips move when people are speaking English, the great audiovisionary linguist decided. They had to be Latin. Oh, ineffable Latin dirty girls!
"Dear God," said Mac. "Where on earth do you suppose they get those heels that light up like that?" An ordinary conversational voice! No longer put out. The spell was broken! "I saw these weird sticks of light all over the place when we drove by Mary Brickell Village," she went on. "I had no idea what they were. The place looked like a carnival, all those garish lights in the background and all the little half-naked party girls teetering around on their heels ... Do you suppose it's a Cuban thing?"
From Back To Blood by Tom Wolfe. Copyright 2012 by Tom Wolfe. Excerpted by permission of Little, Brown and Company.


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I was in Montreal, Quebec recently with my husband, just for fun, just to see it. I love traveling, but don't particularly care for being a tourist. What happens, then, is a whole lot of wandering, getting lost, looking at buildings, and generally marveling at how lovely/wonderful/hectic/serene it would be to live in such a place. I should have studied a bit of French before going as everything is in French, with English subtitles.
The first day it rained. The second day was incredibly windy, but fully bathed in sunlight, which made ducking into cathedrals and church buildings that much more wondrous as the daylight illuminated every hue and variation in the stained glass windows. The third day we started out at St. Joseph's Oratory, located on the southwest side of Mont Royal. Constructed largely during the first part of the 20th century, it is truly remarkable in its modern aesthetic. Wending up the hill alongside the dome is a garden with the stations of the cross. The statues reminded me a bit of socialist art both in scale and scoured simplicity. Each station was nestled back off the path, some a short ways, others were recessed more, and still others, like the Pieta, were tucked into the landscaping. Usually, this station is referred to as "Jesus is taken down from the cross" or the Lamentation. However, here is an intimate moment between Mary and her son, the crucified Jesus.
Montreal was originally called "City of Mary" (Ville-Marie), and it was amazing to see her everywhere. One of the grand cathedrals downtown is called Mary, Queen of the World, and it is majestic. While I am awed at depictions of Mary in art, having been raised mainline Protestant, I never quite know what to do with her. Yet I've seen her included in contemporary theologies even if merely to debate her significance and the virgin birth of Jesus. Similarly, there seems to be an openness to considering her among the disciples in biblical studies, which is certainly better than removing her from the narrative altogether. Too often Protestant / Evangelical commentators focus on moments when Jesus turns away from family, placing an emphasis on the Christian virtue of forsaking all–even family–for Christ Jesus, to which I have to ask, what then of the commandment to honor father and mother? The image of Mary with Jesus crucified is powerful, and an essential corrective to our forsaking of Mary, mother of God.
Recently I read the Vatican II document on the church, the Lumen Gentium, which ends with some comments on how the church is to revere Mary. Just as she is the mother of Jesus, so is she also seen as a "type of the Church in the order of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ." The faithful are encouraged to meditate on and contemplate Mary in light of the Word made flesh (in her), and by so doing, enter into the mystery of the Incarnation. (Such a small excerpt doesn't quite do the document justice, so I recommend reading it in context.) It got me thinking, in seminary we talk a lot about incarnational ministry and being missional communities, yet there is one aspect of the Incarnation which we consistently overlook: Mary, handmaid of the Lord God. Her response to the messenger truly is a model for us all; 'God, I don't know how You'll make it so, but do as You will.' Yes, one could argue that she didn't have much of a choice, and that would be true as well. Of course she never imagined witnessing the gruesome death of her firstborn, but from the beginning she pondered the words of Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna in her heart. She must have been respected enough in the early church to have the words of the magnificat given to her in the gospel of Luke. Has she somehow fallen that we Protestants ignore her?
Perhaps it's time for the Protestant side of the house to bring Mary back into the picture, and not just in the nativity scene.


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Frimpong broke in to the Arsenal first-team squad last year and was then loaned to Wolves in January but a serious knee injury cut short his season.
The midfielder returned to action in September but has only played two games for Arsenal since.
That has prompted speculation the 20-year-old was set to leave the club, but Frimpong took to Twitter to deny that was the case.
The Ghanaian, who has 18 months left on his current deal, does want to go out on loan, however, with Wolves and Ipswich Town, who are managed by former Wanderers boss Mick McCarthy, both thought to be interested in the combative midfielder.
''Subject to rumours am not leaving afc I am positive of going on loan this week which am really excited about and I am fully committed to afc,'' said Frimpong, who has been at Arsenal since he was nine years old.
''And am not in my last year or looking to be sold just to clear matters thank you and going on loan to get games and cum back to arsenal.''