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At Modmacro, we get contacted a lot by companies and nonprofits asking us about logo design. Typically, their current logo is outdated, or they just don't like it anymore and want a change. Continue reading "How Rebranding Brought a Renewed Focus to a Nonprofit Organization" »
Small Business Strategy // Blog Posts by Tag
Small Business Web Design: No, You Don't Just Need a "Simple" Website
When a potential web design customer contacts Modmacro for the first time, I can predict with near-certainty what they will say. They will say something along the lines of: "I don't need anything fancy or complicated. I just need an informational website. No big deal." Continue reading "Small Business Web Design: No, You Don't Just Need a "Simple" Website" »
Web Design and Digital Marketing for Growing Lake Elsinore Small Businesses
Have you been to Lake Elsinore lately? The city seems to be getting a much-needed boost from some new businesses coming to town. Locals have likely noticed some of the larger, more recognizable companies that have recently been added to the city, like Aldi, Tractor Supply Company, and Golden Corral, but new small businesses are also coming to Lake Elsinore at a rapid rate. Continue reading "Web Design and Digital Marketing for Growing Lake Elsinore Small Businesses" »
Digging into Our Latest Book about Small Business Ownership
Modmacro President Matthew Smith's latest book was released to the public earlier this month. It's called Simple Business Advice: Focused Recommendations That Will Make You a Better Business Owner, and it offers some of the most practical, actionable advice for business owners that we've ever seen in a book of its type. Continue reading "Digging into Our Latest Book about Small Business Ownership" »
Modmacro Teams Up with NCR Silver to Inform Small Business Owners about Microsites
Recently, Modmacro CEO Matthew Smith was interviewed by writer Meg Hall of NCR Silver for an article on their website about microsites and how they can benefit small businesses. NCR Silver is a company that has developed point of sale products used by small businesses around the world. They regularly release articles on their site on topics of interest to small business owners. For this piece on microsites, the writer tapped into Matt's expertise as the owner of a web design and digital marketing company to produce this informative piece on the benefits of microsites for small businesses. Continue reading "Modmacro Teams Up with NCR Silver to Inform Small Business Owners about Microsites" »
You Need a Website. Why Not Do it Yourself?
I know it's hard to believe, but this is actually the opening line of a commercial for a mass-market website service where you can build your own website. And I laugh every time I see their commercials. Continue reading "You Need a Website. Why Not Do it Yourself?" »
Simple Business Advice: A New Book by Modmacro Owner, Matthew Smith
Modmacro is excited to announce the upcoming launch of Matthew Smith's latest book. It's titled Simple Business Advice: Focused Recommendations That Will Make You a Better Business Owner. It will be released to the general public on June 1, 2017, and will be available in both print and digital formats. It will be published by Maven Publishing USA, a boutique publishing house specializing in non-fiction works by business owners (read the latest press release here). Continue reading "Simple Business Advice: A New Book by Modmacro Owner, Matthew Smith" »
Small Business Owners Share: Website Elements that Bring the Most Leads
One of the first steps to effectively connecting with your target market involves setting up a website. Yet this is still an action that approximately one-half of small business owners don't take according to one 350-business survey.
For the sake of argument, let's say that you're in the half that does value the importance of cultivating a professional online presence. How do you know what to put on your website to attract and convert as many leads as you possibly can? Continue reading "Small Business Owners Share: Website Elements that Bring the Most Leads" »
Modmacro CEO to Publish Simple Business Advice Book and Looking for Contributors
Do you run a small business? Are you looking for advice from seasoned business owners that will help you think about your business in a new way? If so, Simple Business Advice by Modmacro CEO Matt Smith may be just the book you need to read. As the title implies, Simple Business Advice offers business owners brief, actionable advice that's practical and easy to implement. Continue reading "Modmacro CEO to Publish Simple Business Advice Book and Looking for Contributors" »
3 Tips for Small Business Owners, Roundtable Meeting Highlights
Last week I hosted a small business roundtable lunch with four other local business owners. Our goal was to first get acquainted with our respective businesses and then give each person the opportunity to present a challenge, question or idea for discussion. It's always great to hear feedback from other business owners, and even when we weren't discussing Modmacro specifically, I was able to gather insights by listening to the ideas being discussed. Our five businesses are quite different, but one clear commonality is that we're all operating service-oriented companies. Continue reading "3 Tips for Small Business Owners, Roundtable Meeting Highlights" »


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McLaren technology Group has been in the news for some days now because of the airy rumors that Apple might be buying it; the most reputable car makers globally. However, McLaren has clearly denied the rumor with a weary attitude.
Now this rumor has raised its head at the most crucial time for the McLaren business as it is about to unveil its most celebrated and high-end range of sports car. Although the company has a prestigious reputation of manufacturing super cars, but this time it has stepped out of its shell to experiment with the demands of the market.
The first car in the series was 570S, released in March and gathered much applause and awe from the customers, this boosted the confidence of the company and now it has emerged with a whole new series in the versatile price range. McLaren is keeping its fingers crossed over the new series that will surely turn out to be a game changer for it.
570S and 570GT are the primaries of the family. Where GT is built to make the travelling to far off places more comfortable, S is good at sport. The cars come packed with a twin-turbo3.8-liter V-8 engine that gives up 443lb'ft and 562 hp. Moreover, S can meet the speed of 62mph in almost 0.2 seconds and both of the beasts can accelerate up to 204 mph.
According to an estimate by and English origin company, The Woking, McLaren's Sports Series might double the annual profit; equal to 4,000 cars sold in some previous years. And the first time ever McLaren is going to put 570S up for sale in the United States with the sticker price of $200,000. The cars are upgraded with carbon-fiber and come with a number of luxury options.
It would not be wrong for me to say that with this concept and design of a much lighter, faster and comfortable sports car available at the moment, McLaren has pushed the boundaries of a better car much further.
Keep reading and keep checking TechLoonies for more novel updates.

subset: commoncrawl


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Updated on June 9, 2015 from the VA Dept. of Agriculture and Human Services website – www.vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/ehv.shtml
Monday, June 8, 2015
The quarantine on the Prince William County equine riding school facility has accomplished its purpose and was released on June 6, 2015. No additional horses were found to be EHV-1 positive during the 21 day quarantine/observation period.
Friday, May 29, 2015
All horses at the Prince William County equine riding school facility are being monitored. They remain afebrile and healthy. Also, a subsequent lab report on the index horse that tested as an EHM suspect indicated that the index horse also tested serologically positive for Equine Protzoal Myeloencephalopathy (EPM).
Thursday, May 21, 2015
On May 21, the epidemiological investigation was completed on a farm in Prince William County where a single horse was euthanized due to neurologic disease, and whose post-mortem test results were reported as suspect-positive for the neurologic strain of Equine Herpesvirus-1. The index horse had not traveled off of the farm recently, and no other horses on the farm have shown any signs of disease. All horses on the farm will continue to be closely monitored for 21 days past the date the index horse was euthanized. Horses will not be permitted to move on or off the farm during this monitoring period.
Friday, March 6, 2015
The Albemarle County equine premises containing 13 horses was released from quarantine following the required 21-day observation period after the index horse was removed from this premises. No horses became febrile or neurologic during this time. The index horse and his stable mate remain in quarantine at a nearby premises and their quarantine release is pending on March 13, 2015.
The Loudoun County farm remains under quarantine with twice a day temperature observations. The index horse remains in quarantine at the Marion DuPont Equine Medical Center. With the exception of that horse, the remaining 34 horses at the farm are pending release on Thursday, March 12.
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015
On Thursday, February 5, 2015, VDACS was notified of a positive result for Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) on a horse displaying neurologic signs in western Albemarle County, Northwest of Charlottesville. The affected horse is located at a boarding stable with 14 other horses at the facility. VDACS contacted the stable manager and placed the facility under quarantine – no horses are allowed to exit or enter the premises until the quarantine is released.
The affected horse is a 14-year-old gelding that showed symptoms on Saturday, January 31, became recumbent on Sunday, February 1, but is now stable. Samples were taken by a private veterinarian and the result was reported to VDACS February 5, 2015.
An epidemiologic investigation is underway; initial findings indicate that only one exposed horse from the facility has left the premises within the last 14 days, and that horse went out of state. VDACS will continue to monitor the situation and provide regular updates on our website – vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/ehv.shtml – and on Facebook and Twitter at facebook.com/VaAgriculture and twitter.com/VaAgriculture/.
More information on EHV-1 is available at vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/ehv.shtml or
Below is a portion of a post from 2014 regarding a similar case of EHM in Virginia in 2014. It includes symptoms to look for and bio-hazard precautions – the full story is here: http://horsetalkmagazine.com/equine-herpesvirus-myeloencephalopathy-ehm-confirmed-in-a-virginia-horse-today/
VDACS officials advise that strict biosecurity is the most effective way to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Field veterinarians have started the epidemiological investigation that will be necessary to assess the risk that the disease may be present in other horses or farms. The potential for EHV-1 to cause Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy is influenced by a number of factors and case reports vary from involving a single horse to very large numbers of cases. VDACS will monitor the situation continuously and urges all horse owners in Virginia to minimize nonessential contact with other horses and to enhance their biosecurity practices on and off of the farm to prevent the spread of this and other infectious diseases. Horse owners should consult their veterinarians about specific ways to minimize the risk of EHV-1 infection on their farms.
The symptoms of EHM in horses may include a fever, nasal discharge, wobbly gait, hind-end weakness and dribbling of urine. The disease is often fatal. The virus is easily spread by airborne transmission, horse-to-horse contact and by contact with nasal secretions on equipment, tack, feed and other surfaces. Caretakers can spread the virus to other horses if their hands, clothing, shoes or vehicles are contaminated. EHV-1 poses no threat to human health.
VDACS recommends the following biosecurity measures for all horses that will come into contact with other horses at shows, trail rides, meets and other events:
- Minimize direct contact between assembled horses whenever possible.
- Clean and disinfect equipment, feed, tack, stalls and other surfaces that are shared between horses.
- Isolate and closely monitor horses that are returning from a show, trail ride or competition for a minimum of 14 days.
- Clean and disinfect caretakers' hands, clothing, shoes and vehicles that may be contaminated by other horses or equipment.
- Consult with your veterinarian about a vaccination schedule for diseases of concern such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis, West Nile Virus, Equine Rhinopneumonitis and rabies. Your equine veterinarian can also provide you with biosecurity recommendations that are specifically tailored to your horses and your facility.
Horse exhibitors and event goers can monitor their horses for early signs of infection by taking their temperature twice a day while at shows and reporting an elevated temperature to their veterinarian. Veterinarians should report suspected cases of EHM to the Office of Veterinary Services in the Virginia State Veterinarian's office at 804.786.2483.


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I find myself continually being drawn to science fiction. It's not my love of futuristic gadgetry or my wish to obtain Jedi powers (although the mind does wander). No, my proclivity toward science fiction has more to do with how it leads my mind to think.
I never really got into science fiction novels until recently, which is unfortunate considering the current trends are more toward fantasy, dystopias, and a little time travel thrown in the mix. I think part of the reason it took me so long to read science fiction was a combination of post-collegiate pretension and a lack of awareness. I sought higher, mainstream fiction. I'm not sure where my love for the genre began — perhaps it was C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy or possibly even Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. These were books that broadened my mind into new ways of thinking. Shortly after reading a few other science fiction titles, I made my way through Stargate SG-1 on Netflix and found similar cerebral challenges.
Science Fiction is not just about technology, robots, and laser guns. It is about ideas. It is about exploring new ways of thinking about our past and future. Here are eight reasons why you should read it too:
- It gives us a better perspective of humanity. Many people are fascinated with the nuances of other cultures. What we often fail to recognize are the commonalities that we share. Children are conceived by a man and a woman. We survive by breathing air and eating animals and plants grown from the ground. Our societies have family structures as a subset of a larger civil government. We celebrate religious festivals and mark time by the movement of our solar system. In science fiction, we are able to study anthropology from a different viewpoint, stripping away some of the things we take for granted. An alien culture may provide a completely different viewpoint on what makes us human. New technology also allows us to explore what humans are capable of if they were not limited to the space and time of our world. There are endless ways to explore humanity within the structure of a science fiction narrative.
- It inspires innovation. We live in an age where information can be shared faster than ever before. This is mostly because of the internet, perhaps the biggest innovation of the last quarter century. But what else is there? Yes, we have mobile phones and new digital devices, but generally speaking, the latest advances in technology are aimed at making the same tools faster and smaller. The last century brought mass production of the automobile, flight, and put a man on the moon. We are over a decade into the 21st century and it seems that the general populace has become complacent. Science fiction helps us to imagine what is possible. It allows us to explore the impossible without the cost of government programs or research.
- We see further into the future. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This famous advice (I believe from George Santayana) is crucial to the present and helps us avoid repeating mistakes of the past. But it fails to move us in a direction for the future. Most of our scientific research is funded by the government. Decisions are based on four-year election cycles and some of the projects that are long in scope fail to launch. Science fiction gives us an opportunity to study the possibilities of the future much further ahead of what research grants allow.
- It provides a unique setting for exploring philosophical or religious beliefs. It seems strange to me the connection between morality and time. Those who follow religious principles are often viewed as having archaic morals. Many viewed slavery as being acceptable up until a couple hundred years ago. Today, the defining of marriage and sexual relationships is at the forefront of ethical discussions. Divorcing ourselves from history and modern culture allows us to look at morality independent of time. Alien cultures permit new ways of approaching the subject that are not typically handled outside of science fiction.
- It allows us to explore social consequence. Human behavior is a function of the tools available. Life had lesser value during the dark ages when medical technology was lacking and the life expectancy was but a fraction of what it is today. Before the automobile, it was quite common for husbands to leave their families for weeks on end to support their family. Social media has changed the way we interact with people and lifetime partners are sometimes found through dating sites. Science fiction allows us to study the social consequence of various inventions and gives us a glimpse of how technological advancements can either benefit or hinder a society.
- It inspires young minds. I was privileged to participate in an SAE program called A World in Motion, where we taught fourth and fifth graders about science and they applied this knowledge to fun projects. The goal of this program was to encourage young people to get excited about the sciences, hopefully leading them to pursue an engineering or science degree in college. Science fiction can inspire young minds in a similar manner and can make science cool once again.
- It allows us to learn with enjoyment. Let's be honest, science can sometimes be dry. I am an engineer by trade, so I occasionally will find myself reading science books, but I know it is not typical. I recently completed reading the book 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson and in addition to reading an enjoyable story, I now have more knowledge about the planets and moons in our solar system and how humanity might inhabit them. Science fiction can teach in areas of medicine, physics, chemistry, and several other fields in ways that makes the reader actually want to learn.
- Science fiction provides great escapism. Perhaps this reason is the least important on the list, but don't rule out its importance. Stress is a huge detriment to our health and well-being and to be able to escape from the problems of this world and enjoy new and exciting places cannot be overrated. There are endless possibilities within the framework of science fiction and it gives the reader a chance to escape from the difficulties of our own lives.


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Hollywood's Invisible Love Interest: The Overweight Black Woman
Posted on January 11, 2018 by rmanees
I highly recommend this article: Hollywood's Invisible Love Interest: The Overweight, Black Woman | Jezabel Online. To quote a paragraph from the article: "And, if viewing habits are any indication, and silence is consent, we're perfectly happy with our overweight sisters … Continue reading →
Posted in Black Authors (African American), Black Culture (African American), Black Health (African American), Black History (African American), Black Romance Novels (African American), Books- Writing | Tagged #african, #All The Way Home, #Plus-sized, #women, 5 stars, African American, All For Love, All For Love: The SuperStar, Award winning novel, best selling romance, black, Black Author, Black hero, Black heroine, Black Women, book, comtemporary romance, Fantasy, full figure, full figured, Hollywood, kindle, Movies, nook, novel, overweight, plus size, Raynetta Manees, reading | 2 Comments


text: Our Youth Ministry creates an environment that meets the spiritual, educational, social and emotional needs of today's teens. Teens grow as a faith community, icreasing in understanding of what it means to be young and Catholic in today's world. Through the Mass and The EDGE and Life Nights, teens learn more about their Catholic faith and grow to love the Sacraments, the Word and the Mass.


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Opening Day is less than a month away. That means it's time to dig into our annual division-by-division MLB standings projections.
We'll start with the American League East. The Boston Red Sox are the overwhelming favorites and the Tampa Bay Rays are a sure bet to finish in the cellar. In the middle, though, it's kind of a toss up.
Here's how I see the AL East playing out in 2017:
More projections: AL Central| AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West
1. Boston Red Sox (96-66)
If you're not pegging Boston as the clear AL East favorite this year, you're simply trying too hard to be different. In case you forgot, they snagged ace Chris Sale in free agency. The rotation after him is prettttay prettttay good, too. Sox fans will have their fingers crossed all season hoping David Price's elbow doesn't explode. If he's healthy, he'll be a damn good No. 2 arm. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the reigning AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello is in the mix. The one negative that does need to be pointed out is depth could be an issue if the injury bug comes along.
Offensively, what's not to like? Well, I suppose you could point out the glaring absence of David Ortiz. But if there's one lineup in baseball that won't miss a beat after losing a guy like Ortiz, it's this one. Mookie Betts is poised for another MVP-caliber season. Andrew Benintendi is shaping up to be everything Red Sox fans hoped he'd be and then some. Dustin Pedroia is Dustin Pedroia. Hanley Ramirez is slated to DH which means he's slated to focus on raking. All signs point to another monster output from this group.
Then there's the bullpen. Are there question marks? Of course there are. Craig Kimbrel is coming off the worst season of his career and newly acquired Tyler Thornburg has had a rough spring thus far. Then there's Carson Smith, who might be dead at this point for all we know. But if we're going purely on potential here (and that's really all you can go on when it's March) then the Red Sox by far have the least amount of weaknesses all around in the division. Thus, they're the favorites in AL East and arguably in all of MLB.
2. Toronto Blue Jays (89-73) 7 GB
Losing Edwin Encarnacion hurts, but it's far from a fatal blow for Toronto. The offense is still in pretty goshdarn good shape. Expect a bounce-back campaign for Jose Bautista after his brutal offseason. Josh Donaldson per usual should be in the MVP conversation come October. One guy in particular to keep a close eye on is second baseman Devon Travis. Injuries have held Travis back so far in his young career, but if he finally stays healthy he's set for a breakout season.
The Blue Jays rotation might be the most under-appreciated in baseball. Aaron Sanchez was stellar in 2016 and is an under-the-radar Cy Young candidate for 2017. Marco Estrada was a rock-solid No. 2 and pretty impressive in his three postseason starts. J.A. Happ was 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Marcus Stroman (who was supposed to be their ace) had the worst season of all Jays starters and should be much better this time around. Toronto's fifth starter is Francisco Liriano, who is FAR better than average fifth starter talent. That's a rotation that should keep them in plenty of games.
If the Blue Jays have one weakness, it's their bullpen. Losing Brett Cecil and Joaquin Benoit isn't ideal, especially when you finished 2016 ranked 22nd in bullpen ERA. The starting rotation should be good enough to take some stress off the relievers, but a bad bullpen will cost you more often than not.
3. New York Yankees (88-74) 8 GB
The Yankees very well could be a serious competitor in 2017. Expectations were as low as ever for the Bronx Bombers in 2016, yet they somehow still managed to finish with 84 wins. There's no doubting they're a better team entering this season, so things could get interesting. It starts with Gary Sanchez, who might his 6,000 home runs by the trade deadline. He's not the only feared prospect they have, though. Greg Bird is finally healthy and set to contribute as well. As if that's not enough power in the middle of the lineup, the Yankees acquired 2016's co-NL home run champ Chris Carter and veteran Matt Holliday. There will be plenty of souvenirs hit into the Yankee Stadium stands.
You can count on the offense to get the job done. However, you can't say the same for the Yankees rotation. Masahiro Tanaka is a legitimate ace, but you can't rely on anyone after him. Their No. 2 guy is Michael Pineda whose ERA was pushing 5 last season. That's never a good sign. Regardless, as bad as the Yankees rotation was last season they still won a fair share of ballgames. You just can't count these guys out.
As for the bullpen, Aroldis Chapman is back in pinstripes to slam the door shut in the 9th. Dellin Betances will be there too after his messy arbitration hearing. Not a bad one-two punch at the end of bullpen, but the middle relief is where there are some question marks. They're going to have their work cut out for them if this rotation can't figure it out.
4. Baltimore Orioles (82-80) 14 GB
The Orioles are definitely the most difficult team to get a grasp on before each season. They won 89 games in 2016 which is much, much more than I (and most people, I think) expected. That being said, I'm going to make the likely mistake of calling it a fluke season. I just don't see them duplicating that success with such a "meh" starting rotation.
While I expect the rotation to be the cause of Baltimore's 2017 demise, the offense will again be the reason for any success they do have. The O's brought back Mark Trumbo, acquired Seth Smith from Seattle, and still have studs Manny Machado, Chris Davis, and Adam Jones. They led the majors with 253 homers last year and it wouldn't surprise anyone if they topped the charts again this season.
The bullpen again should be great with Zach Britton and Darren O'Day holding down the fort. We shouldn't expect the same kind of historic season out of Britton, but he'll again be the bright spot of this pitching staff. Unfortunately, it won't be enough to make Baltimore contenders for the second-consecutive year.
5. Tampa Bay Rays (72-90) 24 GB
The Rays are pretty much the unanimous pick to finish last in the AL East this season. It's interesting, because there's definitely some talent on the roster. Evan Longoria's a certified stud and actually coming off his best season in a while. Chris Archer had a tough 2016 but was brilliant not too long ago. Kevin Kiermaier is a world-class centerfielder. Alex Colome is a top-notch closer. They just couldn't put it all together a year ago, and with how good the other teams in the division are again in 2017 it's again not looking too promising for poor Tampa.
They didn't do enough to significantly improve this season. Bringing in Colby Rasmus and Wilson Ramos might help the offense out a bit, but those aren't guys who are suddenly going to bring you from 68 wins to 80-something wins. Alex Cobb is probably the biggest X-factor as he returns for a full season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. If he goes back to being the guy he was pre-Tommy John, maybe the Rays won't be so hopeless after all.
But that's a big maybe.


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1. Background
Sudden, dramatic, long-lasting shifts in ecosystem structure and function have been increasingly documented in multiple, diverse marine ecosystems around the globe [1–21]. Such regime shifts can be explained with theory on nonlinear systems crossing critical thresholds [2,22]. Both theory and observations highlight that a particular regime may not represent a stable, unchanging condition. Rather it may be characterized by fluctuations of ecosystem state around an attractor. A regime shift thus does not simply involve a large change in an ecosystem, but rather a persistent shift in the structure and dynamics of the system, often involving a change in the internal feedbacks of the system [1]. However, linking observed abrupt changes in the field to the mathematical theory of complex systems is still a challenging endeavour [22–27].
Abrupt transitions between differing states in complex systems are also widely discussed in social sciences, because they often have large impacts on human economies and societies [1]. Regime shifts usually lead to drastic changes in the provision of ecosystem services, as typically exemplified by worldwide fisheries collapses [28,29]. The interest in the theory of critical transitions in ecology and especially for marine ecosystems is large, not only because of interest in unravelling the functioning of natural communities and ecosystems, but also because of its potential management implications [30,31]. Under increasing anthropogenic pressure [32], either globally through climate change or more locally through overexploitation, biodiversity loss and change, eutrophication and contamination, abrupt and catastrophic changes are anticipated to increase in strength and frequency [33,34]. Theory on abrupt transitions brings up questions on the reversibility of change, and costly and still potentially failing management measures and conservation efforts. Furthermore, theory may be instrumental in developing approaches to leading indicators that may be able to anticipate abrupt changes while predictive models to do so are still lacking [35].
Despite prominent publications, special issues and reviews that have tried to clarify the theory on abrupt transitions [2,3,22,26,36–38], there is still considerable scientific debate and in particular the marine community is largely divided into 'believers' and 'sceptics' [22] of the regime shift context. Scientists are trapped in their specific mental models and discussions are mainly focused around the inter-related questions on the predominance of regime shift drivers and the potential existence of alternative, and hence difficult to reverse, stable states.
The terminology used to describe the theory often varies between disciplines and research communities, as can be seen in the papers of this theme issue. The terms 'regimes' or 'states' are used to describe potentially differing configurations of populations, communities or whole ecosystems. Switches between regimes/states are then called 'regime shifts' or 'phase transitions', or a combination of both. While the history of the terminology in different scientific fields is reviewed elsewhere [2,26], we for the present theme issue adopted the term 'regime shift'. A major reason for our choice was first the higher popularity of 'regime shifts' in contrast to the alternatives, but especially because this term initiated and still initiates a number of scientific debates (but see below). More scientifically, we based our choice on the observation that ecosystem (or other) states are always dynamic, which is better reflected by using 'regimes' instead of 'states', which implies a more static perspective [22].
This theme issue 'Marine regime shifts around the globe: theory, drivers and impacts' has the goal to make a step change towards a more unified understanding of regime shifts in marine ecosystems. Towards this purpose we define ecological regime shifts as 'dramatic, abrupt changes in the community structure that are persistent in time, encompassing multiple variables, and including key structural species—independently from the mechanisms causing them'.
Our definition deliberately includes regime-like changes without evidence of multiple alternative stable states (or multiple basins of attraction), as we think emphasis on this theoretical aspect often hinders progress in considering abrupt changes in marine ecosystem-based management. Our definition is hence more practical for marine management purposes and can be used for both benthic and pelagic regime shifts, even where the link with the mathematical theory is not yet fully established (see [39]).
This special issue brings together experts from different marine science disciplines and trophic level expertise (i.e. benthic ecology, pelagic ecology, fisheries, marine conservation and management), from diverse marine ecosystems, and from a mixture of geographical areas around the globe. More than 80 authors from six continents have contributed to the 16 papers in this issue, around the following themes: (i) advances in marine regime shift theory, (ii) drivers of marine regime shifts and (iii) management of marine regime shifts. Below, the papers are introduced, and the major findings of the special issue are synthesized in Conversi et al. [39].
2. Advances in marine regime-shift theory
A major theoretical finding when it comes to regime shifts is that ecosystems recover slowly from small perturbations in the vicinity of tipping points. Hence, indicators of critical slowing down have been developed that can provide an early warning signal of a nearby tipping point, or may offer a possibility to rank reefs, lakes or other ecosystems according to their resilience. However, indicators of critical slowing down are not manifested in all cases where regime shifts occur, because not all regime shifts are associated with tipping points. Dakos et al. [40] provide a review of the related literature and develop guidance based on critical transition theory on what to expect and what not to expect when it comes to early warning signals.
Whether alternative stable states exist in marine ecosystems is of key importance for the prospects of ecosystem recovery and management. Answering this question requires experimental evidence and therefore is particularly difficult in the pelagic realm. Gårdmark et al. [41] show how mechanisms underlying alternative stable states caused by predator–prey interactions can be revealed in the pelagic ecosystems using time-series analyses guided by theory on size-structured community dynamics. Based on Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) field data, they discuss and distinguish two types of feedback mechanisms that can cause alternative stable states: abundant versus collapsed, unable to recover, piscivorous fish populations. Under 'cultivation-depensation', predatory fish cannot recover from low densities because their fish prey (then released from predation) outcompetes the juvenile predatory fish. Under 'overcompensation', when predatory fish abundance is low, the lack of top-down control of the prey population dynamics results in a different prey size structure, with less individuals vulnerable to predation, and the predatory fish cannot recover owing to food shortage. In contrast, Beaugrand [42] proposes a theory, based on planktonic systems, showing that regime shifts can originate from the interaction between climate-induced environmental changes and the species' ecological niche. This theory negates the necessity of alternative stable states, at least in some of the marine regime shifts, and offers a way to predict future climate-induced community shifts and their potential associated trophic cascades and amplifications.
3. Drivers of marine regime shifts
Three case studies from benthic systems show that multiple drivers usually interact in reducing ecosystem resilience to change, and hence in causing regime shifts. Bozec & Mumby [43] investigate on how global warming can affect coral reefs. They show that Caribbean coral reefs changed by epizootics are vulnerable to both acute and chronic effects of temperature. They find that stress types act additively on reef state, but chronic temperature stress decreases the size of the coral basin of attraction (i.e. its resilience) by reducing coral calcification and growth, whereas acute temperature stress induces coral bleaching and can push the system closer to an algal attractor. Jouffray et al. [44] demonstrate the existence of three distinct reef regimes in the Hawaiian Archipelago. They further investigate on the possible anthropogenic drivers of these regimes and show that herbivore biomass is the key regime-shift driver, acting together with the effects of land-based pollution and land-use change. Another dramatic regime shift in benthic ecosystems is known from temperate rocky reefs, where productive macroalgal beds transition to impoverished urchin barrens as a result of sea urchin overgrazing. Ling et al. [45] explore the generality of regime shift dynamics across reefs worldwide and find a globally coherent pattern in which the hysteresis is approximately one order of magnitude in urchin abundance between critical thresholds of overgrazing versus recovery. Anthropogenic stressors such as overexploitation add to positive feedback mechanisms, by eroding the resilience of desirable macroalgal beds while strengthening the resilience of the urchin barrens, thus making these unwanted regime shifts virtually irreversible.
While current benthic studies of regime shifts tend to focus on stressor effects on ecosystem resilience, the relative importance of top-down (biotic) or bottom-up (physical) processes is a central issue in the discussion of regime shifts in marine pelagic systems. Pershing et al. [46] review the literature and provide a general methodology for distinguishing top-down and bottom-up drivers and apply this methodology to time series from ecosystems in the Black and Baltic Sea as well as the Scotian Shelf off Canada. They show that the importance of top-down control decreases with the openness of the systems, and challenge the assumption that negative correlation between consecutive trophic levels implies top-down forcing. The importance of bottom-up (physical) forcing for pelagic ecosystem dynamics is investigated by Beaugrand et al. [47] through the comparative analysis of 11 (mainly zooplanktonic) ecosystems from two oceans and three regional seas in the Northern Hemisphere. They show a quasi-synchronicity in marine pelagic regime shifts across the Northern Hemisphere in the late 1980s and propose that temperature and arctic atmospheric circulation patterns are likely responsible for this synchronicity. Fisher et al. [48] review the presence/absence of regime shifts in multiple ecosystems in the Northern Hemisphere, considering spatial variability in key biotic and abiotic drivers. They highlight the importance of understanding the scale-dependent spatial dynamics of climate influences and key predator–prey interactions to unravel the dynamics of regime shifts, and the potential of spatial downscaling as a means of evaluating hypotheses that emerge from among-system comparisons.
Eventually, Rocha et al. [49] assess the vulnerability of marine ecosystems to regime shifts and their potential consequences by reviewing the scientific literature for 13 types of marine regime shifts. Using network analysis of the co-occurrence of drivers and ecosystem service impacts, they demonstrate that regime shifts are in general caused by multiple drivers and have multiple consequences that co-occur in a non-random manner. Drivers related to food production, climate change and coastal development were the most common co-occurring causes of regime shifts, whereas cultural services, biodiversity and primary production are the most common cluster of ecosystem services affected.
4. Management of marine regime shifts
Clearly, marine regime shifts are a challenge to society because they are largely unpredictable, often occurring unexpectedly and carrying large economic implications. Accounting for regime shifts in management hence clearly requires integrative, ecosystem-based management (EBM) approaches [50]. Yet, despite the rapid and intense development of EBM theory, its implementation has languished; in addition, most implemented or proposed EBM schemes largely ignore the special characteristics of regime shifts. Levin & Möllmann [50] explore key aspects of regime shifts that are of critical importance to EBM, and then suggest how regime shifts can be better incorporated into EBM using the concept of integrated ecosystem assessment. For the more sectorial approach of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), King et al. [51] review efforts to incorporate regime shifts and states into EBFM and outline a potential framework to include regime shifts and changes in ecosystem states into fisheries management.
In the past decade, as stressor–response relationships have become better understood, using thresholds has become increasingly relevant in the context of environmental management related to regime shifts. As a consequence, there is increased interest in identifying pre-emptively thresholds to inform decision-making. Kelly et al. [52] evaluate the success of management measures implemented in ecological systems with well-characterized biophysical thresholds. They found that management is most effective when it is explicitly using science to avoid thresholds or to reverse ecosystem change after a threshold has been crossed. Furthermore, they demonstrate that management success is associated with routine monitoring of the system on a temporal and spatial scale relevant to the ecological threshold, and with local- and regional-scale management rather than decision-making at larger spatial scales.
Eventually, ecosystem dynamics and regime shifts are not just biophysical phenomena, and humans are strongly involved over multiple spatial and temporal scales. O¨sterblom & Folke [53] investigate the timing of pelagic marine regime shifts in relation to the emergence of regional and global fishing activities of the Soviet Union. They show that the Soviet Union was a major fishing actor in all large marine ecosystems where regime shifts have been documented and propose that a deeper understanding of the role of global players (here the fishing sector) is central for improved management of marine ecosystems.
5. Synthesis
The collective work presented in this theme issue shows a progression in reconciling observed ecosystem reorganizations with the mathematical theory of complex systems. Conversi et al. [39] note that the process of linking regime shift observations to theory is moving at a faster rate in the benthic community than in the pelagic community, in part because alternative states are easier to observe and experiments easier to undertake on reef populations, and in part because of the difficulty in discerning temporal from spatial (i.e. biogeographic) shifts in the pelagic realm. Conversi et al. [39] hence propose a general framework for studying marine regime shifts, in which multiple, interacting exogenous stressors impact the endogenous trophic interactions of the food web and the overall state and resilience of the ecosystem. They propose leaving behind the false dichotomy between top-down (or biotic) versus bottom-up (or physical) drivers of marine regime shifts and rather than focusing on single drivers, move towards identifying mechanisms, and specifically the combination of processes that may cause regime shifts or affect the resilience of the ecosystem. Furthermore, future studies should use nested approaches and/or multi-ocean-basin comparisons, following this scientific framework. As early warnings of regime shifts are not yet possible, precautionary management should entail enhancing system resilience and EBM to withstand the multiple pressures marine ecosystems increasingly face in our globalized world.
This theme issue was developed by Alessandra Conversi as an output of the Project SYNRESH, 2012-2014, for which she was the Experienced Marie Curie Fellow. The project SYNRESH (http://www.2020-horizon.com/SYNRESH-Synchronous-Regime-Shifts-Across-European-Seas%28SYNRESH%29-s5612.html) has been funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme, FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF, Marie-Curie Action: 'Intra-European fellowships for career development'.
↵† These authors contributed equally to this study.
One contribution of 16 to a Theme Issue 'Marine regime shifts around the globe: theory, drivers and impacts'.
- © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.


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The Fabric of the Cosmos : Space, Time and the Texture of Reality Paperback
by Brian Greene
From the bestselling author of The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene's The Fabric of the Cosmos takes us on an irresistible and revelatory journey through the biggest of the big questions. What is reality? Could we exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past? What are the limits of the universe? Brian Greene has made the mysteries of space and time accessible to millions with his acclaimed writings and award-winning TV series.
Now he reveals a world more beautiful and bizarre than we could have imagined, where 'dark matter' reigns, space warps and wiggles through eleven dimensions, minute particles dance, fizz and teleport across vast distances, everything is made of vibrating strings and, like an ant on a lily-pad, we may be floating on a sliver of spacetime. Revealing new layers of reality that lie just beneath the surface of our everyday lives, this grand tour of the universe will make you look at the world in a completely new way. 'A must-read' Sunday Times 'Greene takes us to the limits of space and time' Guardian 'Sends the reader's imagination hurtling through the universe on an astonishing ride' The New York Times Brian Greene is well known to many fans as a populariser of theoretical physics.
He is the author of the bestselling books about string theory, The Elegant Universe, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, The Fabric of the Cosmos, and The Hidden Reality.
Educated at Harvard and Oxford, he has taught at both Harvard and Cornell and has been Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University since 1996.
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 592 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- Publication Date: 24/02/2005
- Category: Cosmology & the universe
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text:
Random thoughts from an older perspective, writing, politics, spirituality, climate change, movies,knitting, writing, books, refinishing furniture, getting off the grid, writing, plotting and planning an organic garden, writing. I MUST STAY DRUNK ON WRITING SO REALITY DOES NOT DESTROY ME.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
We trek along together,
Seniors. She and I.
She loves the irises.
Always has.
Sticks her nose in.
Asks me to do the same.
I oblige. She is pleased.
She's trained me well.
See, she's easy to please.
I just have to get up.
And she's joyful.
Bounding to greet the day.
Every day is her birthday.
Mine too. When she's in it.
If only I were the kind of person
She thinks I am. Maybe.
Take a bow (wow)
My gorgeous girl.
4 comments:
- One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods.Mon Jul 15, 08:52:00 AM GMT-2:30
Oh myReplyDelete
you make me smile this early morning.
My Callie loves me so
and she will never know
how happy I am to have found her.
Have a wonderful day
and I will probably
land in your spam
once again :)
Because we are loved and accepted unconditionally by our dogs, they make such great companions. Of course, they are very lovable creatures too and accept our love for them willingly. And we give so freely. Not at all like if they were human beings.ReplyDelete
And such a gorgeous girl she says, so noble looking. I'm too old now to have another dog, so love to hear about others' cherished pets.ReplyDelete
There's nothing quite like the unconditional love of a dog.ReplyDelete
Some of you are having trouble, I've removed captcha and verification so we'll see how that goes. My apologies. Blogger is putting up far too many roadblocks. Thanks for the emails alerting me.


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Check out a written review here: http://ridersrangersandrambles.com/?p=1272
Another month passed, another round of exclusive releases from Tamashii Web Shop. For November we had AccelTrial and Machine Decader. Today, we take a look at AccelTrial, the speedy form of everyone's favorite cop with gay tendencies and infatuation towards dolphins. Accel was a really nice Figuart, particularly due to the metallic red paint. Needless to say, AccelTrial is no exception.
Overall, for W fans, AccelTrial is an amazing addition to the line up. He's not completely necessary as normal Accel is, but if you are a huge fan of W or Accel, I feel like this is a must have for the collection. Between the beautiful paint job, the great sculpt, and the overall awesomeness of the figure, no sane person should be disappointed with this release. Accept it, enjoy it, love it. Good day.
Check me out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/ShukuenShinobi/153637404648202?ref=ts
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Enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe!
Duration : 0:9:9


text: Hi all, after some advice, I am currently use a USB Pen with my music on but when viewing what on the pen from the sat nav screen, I can only get to see the albums not the artist which can be quite annoying. My questions is, is my USB Pen synchroised correctly for example the albums all have a top folder of the artist name(which I can't see) and then the albums below that? If this is how it is meant to work, does IPOD connectivity give you full control and can you view all details from the sat nav screen? hope this all makes sense..


text:
The State of the Cities database is an extensive collection of data that primarily addresses the liveability of each state. The collection was driven by the concept of providing a cross reference of material to stakeholders to add further value to existing services.
The data consists of factual information that can be applied to a myriad of projects to assist in urban planning, policy construction and educational purposes.
The information is dynamic in its application and it is being constantly expanded for relevancy and detail to ensure ongoing possibilities of research and analysis by ipData and stakeholders.


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Dec 292005
Sherwin Tjia is a Montreal artist who makes everything from Scrabble-tile lapel pins to schoolgirl comics to mini-CDs inviting us to listen to his friends masturbate. His latest book of poetry, The World is a Heartbreaker, is a collection of three liners: "i don't want to say/ payback, but you know it's/ pretty much payback". It renewed my faith in the power and relevance of poetry the way that the best song lyrics do. I asked him a few questions over e-mail about the book's development.
Such a small, compact, beautiful thing! But it was not always so small. Can you discuss its earlier incarnation? I first envisioned the collection laid out with one pseudohaiku per page. I wanted each poem to have enough room to breathe. I found that when they were laid out with more than one per page, I read them too fast, they way I'd be getting another potato chip while I'm still munching on one in my mouth. Either that, or each poem's meaning would start bleeding into another. And not by design. So I wanted them all to have their own rooms. But it's a collection of 1600 pseudohaikus. And it's completely impractical to make a 1600-page book. So I compromised with the people at Coach House. We put ten on each page. And meaning bleeds from one poem to another, but there's no real sequence to the poems, so it's a random meaning, which is all I can hope for I suppose. I don't want people to read the book in sequence. It's best read on the toilet, or if you watch teevee, commercial breaks. I have this thing I like to do of making mock-ups or prototypes of my projects. When I think of a book I want to make, I always put together a little prop book for myself. Sometimes that involves designing a potential cover for the book and gluing it on an existing book. It cheers me to be able to see it "finished", even if it's fake. It suggests that an end might be in sight, and encourages me to keep going. Anyway, when I was first knocking Heartbreaker out, I put it together the way I wanted – with one poem per page. I printed the whole thing out, and it used very little toner, actually. Then I three-hole punched each page, and pushed these long bolts through each hole, but not before wrapping it in cardboard, which I had to trim. Then I screwed some bolts on the other side, and voila, I had a huge book. In the end I couldn't fit all 1600 poems in the book because I couldn't find bolts that were long enough to accommodate 1600 pages. The longest they came in at the diameter that I needed was 6 inches. That's only about 1200 pages or so. Oh, I almost forgot – I sanded the edges of the book to make it all fuzzy. Imagine 1600 pages of possible papercuts! Yikes. The cover painting, design, and even the back cover copy is amazingly reflective of the Tjia sensibility. How did that happen? The cover painting is hanging in my living room. My friend Margaux Williamson painted it. She's brilliant. We went to art school together and now she lives in Toronto. The book looks the way it looks because like I said, I like to make a mock-up beforehand and when I was finally resigned to putting ten per page, me and Bill Kennedy, who edited the book, and who designed it, sat down and had a big meeting. I showed him my mock-up and said that I wanted it to look like a CD. I like to walk through music stores and look at album cover art and it's always irked me that more books don't look like CDs. Not all CDs need to have words on the cover, either. And they get to be square. There is something very satisfying in being square. There seems to be a freedom in album design that's missing for books. I'm not sure why. Anyway, we haggled it out. Bill was very cool. He improved my initial design tonnes. He used awesome fonts. I'm not nearly so imaginative. I would have just used Times for the cover. For the inside, we haggled some more. Then Bill suggested we kind of move the poems around a bit, so every page was random, the way that a bunch of pigeons fly in a group, but the weight is always different. And it looked and felt right. Working with Bill was great. The back cover was another conversation between me and Alana Wilcox, Coach House's editor. She wrote most of it, then I went through it and tried to tweak it so that it sounded like me. I was always fascinated by Pig-Pen in Charlie Brown because whatever he touched started to resemble him. This is not to say that I would like Pig-Pen in my life, or staying at my apartment, but I carry a fascination for his ability to transform things into him. I mean, it's kind of a horrific talent too, but I suppose it's all in the way you look at it. Anyway, so I kind of "pig-penned" the back cover blurb, and that's the way it ran. At one point I wanted the back cover blurb to be a pseudohaiku. And that's it. No copy. Just, "Open./Intimate./Odd." the way it is at the beginning of the blurb. I thought about having my bio be a pseudohaiku. The dedication. The copyright page. Everything. But then I reconsidered. It might have been really alienating. So I compromised again. And I think it was the right thing to do. I mean, the book was weird enough. I was happy to have a back cover blurb that sort of held people's hand as they navigated my short poems. The pseudohaikus run the wit gamut from charmingly funny, darkly funny, to feel-bad-that-you-laugh funny. Is there a place you want to take people, and is humour your bait? I have a very dark sense of humour. I don't think I want to take people anywhere in particular – maybe home, depending on the person – but I agree that humour is a very compelling lure. It's funny because I've never considered myself very funny. Funny weird, yes. But funny ha-ha, no. But it's very odd because I think I'm getting funnier as I get older. My parents tell me I was very funny as a kid. I smiled a lot. I laughed. I hardly every cried. I joked a lot. And then I hit puberty and entered high school and wanted to kill myself every day. That's probably where my dark humour comes from. But it's all seemed to balance out. And humour fascinates me. What a charming medium. They always talk about poetry being dead, and like, Irony being dead, but they never talk about humour being dead. Poetry is like this zombie. It dies every year but keeps coming back. Poetry is the living dead. Irony is just sad. But humour, humour's warm. Dark humour is like a tumor. It's warm but it's killing you. ~~~ The World is a Heartbreaker is available here. Sherwin's blog has lots of great reading and you can check out some of his comics here.


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Christian Liberty Must Not Violate Christian Love – 1 Corinthians 8:1-13Posted by Paul Apple on Nov 18, 2007 in Christian | Comments Off on Christian Liberty Must Not Violate Christian Love – 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
These matters are sometimes called doubtful areas. They are specific issues of Christian conduct where believers debate whether it is appropriate or not to participate. The issues will vary by culture and by generation; but the principles regarding how to address them remain the same. In this chapter we must look beyond the particular area of controversy ("Is it OK for Christians to eat meat offered to idols?") to glean the controlling principles that we must apply to our issues today. Paul is not talking about areas of doctrinal or theological controversy here – issues over which denominations have taken various stands. These are practical areas of Christian living. In our context of liberty-dominated thinking there don't seem to be as many of these questionable issues as in past generations.
- Can Christians go trick-or-treating on Halloween?
- Is it OK for Christian teenagers to go to a school dance function?
- Can believers drink alcohol? What types? In what contexts?
But these issues, instead of staying small, can rise up to be very divisive in a church.
- (:1A) Specific Doubtful Issue Introduced – Eating meat possibly offered to idols: "Now concerning things sacrificed to idols"
- For us today it would be range of different issues; same principles will apply. Cf. Acts 15:28-29 This was a major issue in the early church.
- 1 Timothy 1:5 "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."
Boyer: Some considered such food defiled. They not only refused to eat themselves, but were offended by those who did eat. Others considered meat in the category of "morally indifferent things" and claimed Christian liberty. They considered it right to do so and went ahead.
- (:1B-2) Knowledge Alone Just Promotes Pride
- Sarcastic Retort – Everybody is a know-it-all in their natural pride: "we know that we all have knowledge"
Boyer: Paul is making reference to some of their own claims, even quoting their very words, when he says, "We know that we all have knowledge." He does so a bit sarcastically, for in verse 7 he says that they did not all have this knowledge.
- Ultimate Goal is Love, not Knowledge for its own sake
- "Knowledge makes arrogant" — puffs up
- "but love edifies" — builds up
Stedman: knowledge creates pride; it makes you feel superior. You only have to listen to some of the arguments waged in this regard today to see how true that is. It does not make any difference which side you are on, on the liberty side or the restricted side, knowledge tends to create a sense of pride.
- Self Deception in This Area is Prevalent – True Knowledge vs False Knowledge: "If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know."
- At best, our knowledge is incomplete and limited to our finite view.
- (:3) Test of Whether Love has been the Goal of Your Knowledge — Do you love God? (with accompanying Word of Assurance): "but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him"
Stedman: If you love God you are responding to the love of God for you. That is the appeal of the apostle everywhere. Do not try to force yourself to think of somebody else. Give yourself to reviewing what God has already done for you. Think of the thousand times a day he has manifested love and concern and faithfulness for you. It will begin to make you feel humbly grateful. When you do this you will then be able to recognize that other people need to be treated with patience as God treats you. You will begin to be more understanding of their point of view. Therefore, the key to the carrying out of this kind of exhortation is that you learn to love God because he has loved you.
- (:4A) Specific Issue Repeated: "Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols,"
- Paul gets back to the issue he had raised in 8:1
- (:4b) Two Things Believers Know with Certainty
- Idols Don't Exist: "we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world"
- No reality behind the physical image that man has created
- Other Gods Don't Exist: "and that there is no God but one."
- Epistemology: How do believers know what they know? Why doesn't everyone have this knowledge?
- Idols Don't Exist: "we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world"
- (:5-6) Uniqueness of the One True God
- (:5) Not Negated by the Existence of Lesser Demonic Powers: "For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords"
- (:6) Known Personally by All Believers
- One God the Father: "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him;"
- One Lord Jesus Christ: "and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him."
- (:7) Believers Vary in Their Level of Knowledge and Background – Making some more vulnerable in the area under consideration: "However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled."
- (:8) Spirituality is Not the Issue: "But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat."
- (:9-13) Sensitivity to Our Fellow Believers is the Issue
- (:9) Liberty Requires Caution – Understand the Impact on Fellow Believers: "But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak."
- (:10-12) The Non-Moral Issue for You Can Become a Sin Issue for Your Fellow Believer – and Therefore a Sin Issue for You: "For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ."
- (:13) Liberty Must be Restrained to Protect Fellow Believers: "Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble."
Chestnut: We create Christian community when we restrict our freedom for the sake of others
- What are some of the practical areas of life that you would classify as debatable or questionable – where Christians would have different convictions on what is permissible?
- How can you tell whether your pursuit of Christian knowledge and doctrine really has love as its goal and outcome? How can you tell whether you are truly loving God?
- Is there some area where you might have a weak conscience?? Or some area where you might look with contempt upon a believer who engages in that practice?
- When have you willingly chosen to restrain your Christian liberty out of consideration for your brother or sister in the Lord?
Stedman: What's Behind Your Influence?
"How much should I let other people's views control my actions?" That is, "Must I limit my liberty by the narrower, more restricted views of other Christians?" . . . The question arose among the Christians: "If a Christian eats meat offered to an idol is he not participating in some way in the worship of that idol?" . . .
Therefore, we are to consider our influence upon others, and weigh the fact that what we want to do may not be very important at all, compared with the possible danger to another's spiritual life. This certainly has a bearing on how we act in public, on whether we are willing to flaunt our freedom in somebody else's face.
Doug Goins: The Loving Limitation of Liberty
In Corinth most of the meat that was sold in the public meat markets came from sacrificial animals that had been slaughtered in ceremonies at pagan temples. So the questions these Corinthians had were as follows: Did these rituals somehow automatically taint the meat? Could Christians buy it from those markets for their use at home? Could they eat it if it was offered to them at non-Christian friends' homes? And what about the various social events that were regularly scheduled in the banquet halls of the temples? These were the best banqueting places. So if you were invited to a party or a club meeting or a wedding, were you free to participate and eat the food that was served there? What if you were invited by your non-Christian friends to some sort of a ritual in the temple that was overtly pagan? Were you free to participate in something like that? And the immediate concern of these Christians in Corinth was this: If a Christian ate meat offered to an idol, wasn't he participating in some way in the sinful worship of that idol? Some of the Corinthian believers said that the meat was tainted by its idolatrous identification, and it was a sin to eat it. Some of the believers said it wasn't. . .
Think about our love relationship with the Lord. He doesn't ignore us, look down on us, or criticize our immaturity or ignorance. No, he patiently and lovingly brings us along through the process of growing in maturity. So my gratitude to him for first loving me is what frees me to love the other person who may be struggling because they're not where I am in my understanding of certain truth. What Paul wants us to see clearly is that agape love is far more important in the big picture than knowledge or theological sophistication. . .
These new Christians struggled with issues stemming from two things: their past and their conscience. Because of association with idols in the past, every new contact triggered the memory of the former connection. The phrase "being accustomed to" refers to habitual ways of thinking and believing. Old habits are hard to break. Paul calls it weakness, and he's going to make the point that the weakness of a brother or sister must be lovingly considered in all of our relationships. . .
Paul is asking the more mature, knowledgeable Christian, the one who is secure in his freedom in Christ, to substitute for his own knowledge of what is right and wrong, love for the less mature Christian who is insecure about his standing in Christ. More than any other writer in the New Testament, Paul taught Christians to celebrate the freedom that they found in Christ. But in these verses, he is saying that no Christian has a right to exercise his or her freedom in a way that undermines the faith of a weaker brother or sister, somebody who is less mature in their walk with the Lord. Love understands the sinful consequences of deliberately ignoring a weaker Christian's sensitivities. Forcing my freedom onto a believer whose conscience is not yet as strong as mine not only undermines his Christian growth, but violates the body of Christ, of which we are both a part. And Paul goes on to say that such an offense against a weaker Christian is a sin against the Lord Jesus who lives inside that brother. So instead of proving myself to be strong spiritually, I've transgressed the law of love. My Christian freedom must never be used at the expense of a brother or sister who has been redeemed at the great price of the death of the Savior. . .
Paul's whole point in chapter 8 is that as Christians we're meant to act on the basis of love and not stand on our supposed superior knowledge. It's true that idols are not gods, that food is a matter of indifference to the Lord, and by implication we are free to eat and drink what we like. But the universal spiritual principle is that knowledge has to be tempered by love for the weaker brother or sister who will be harmed if we act on this knowledge with indifference or insensitivity. To put it another way, we don't have to have our rights. We also have the right not to exercise them for the sake of love. What a tremendous freedom and wonderful privilege we have to choose to lovingly limit our liberty.
Zeisler: Liberty, Limits and Love
Be free!, and Be careful! Be free, because there is only one God; be careful, because the wicked one is the force behind idolatry. . .
In our freedom we must be willing to forfeit our rights for the sake of others. We must not exercise our freedom at the expense of others who do not know better yet, those who still fear idols. If our freedom to indulge in what they consider forbidden inclines them to fall under the influence of idols once more, then we of course should deny ourselves. Now you do not have to agree with them. In fact you had better not agree with them. What you are doing rather is giving up your rights for their sake. Choose to act in love, not in arrogance.
Deffinbaugh: The Great Divorce – Separating Truth from Love
While Paul initially appears to grant the premise that eating meat offered to idols is a matter of liberty in chapter 8, this same permissiveness is not found at the end of Paul's argument on the subject.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. 16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? 19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? (1 Corinthians 10:14-22). . .
What Paul allows to stand initially in his argument, he may eventually prove to be wrong. This is the case in 1 Corinthians 8-10. In chapter 8, he allows those Corinthians who view themselves as being more spiritual than others to retain this false notion momentarily. But by the end of chapter 10, those who think they have the liberty to eat meat offered to idols are shown up for what they are. The "weaker brethren" of chapter 8 seem to be the "stronger brethren" in chapter 10. Those supposedly "weaker brethren" who refrained from eating meat offered to idols were not only in compliance with the decree of the Jerusalem Council, but with the teaching of Paul. . .
Christians are not to boast in knowing, but to rejoice in being known by God, and this is the result of loving God (verse 3). When Jesus sent His disciples out to proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God, they returned, rejoicing over the mighty works God had accomplished through them. Jesus gently corrected them saying, "… do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven" (Luke 10:20). Here, Paul tells Christians that they should not rejoice in knowing, but in being known by God. Salvation surpasses any sheepskin (diploma) we will ever obtain. Moreover, the way that we are known by God is not because of our knowledge, but because of the love which God has produced within us for Himself. Once again, love takes priority over knowledge. What a humbling truth Paul has put before these all-knowing, stronger saints. If knowledge was the most important thing of all, and if they knew more than others, than they were the spiritual elite. But they have sought to excel in a category which is subordinate to love . . .
While neither eating meat nor abstaining from it changes my spiritual status, what I do with this meat can have a great impact on my brother. If something is a true liberty, I can partake of it in good conscience, just as I can abstain from it in good conscience, for I am not doing what I believe to be wrong. But a truly weaker brother does not have the same liberty. He does not see eating this meat as a liberty, but as a sin. If he views me as the stronger brother, then what I do is an example for him to follow. If I am more spiritual by eating idol-meat, then my weaker brother assumes he will be more spiritual for following my example. But since his conscience is not clear with respect to idol-meat, eating of it will be a sin for him.
Pastor Thomas Leake: Not Legalism, Not Liberty, But Love
New section introduced by peri de. Disagreements and squabbles should have been minor issues. Believers need to focus on the major doctrines of the faith. Little things should remain little things:
– Can we use drums in the worship service?
– Can the wife of the pastor wear pants?
– What movies are acceptable for the believers to watch?
– How to celebrate or not celebrate different holidays
Such matters don't matter all that much. God gives us a lot of latitude and freedom.
Caution to libertines: Don't love your freedom more than you love Christ and the brethren.
Caution to legalists: Don't orient your relationship to Christ and your fellow believers around structure, rules, regulations where everything has to be spelled out in black and white. Otherwise you can't help judging one another, despising one another… etc. These issues, while small, have the potential to divide churches.
Understand the Historical Situation:
There were many pagan gods, idols, etc. Food that was brought to the temple to be offered up in worship to these pagan gods was divided into 3 parts:
– one part given back to the worshipper
– one part burned in the temple
– one part given to the temple priest for their use – they had so much they endedup selling some of that back in the marketplace
You also had the problem of being invited over to a dinner or feast where the origin of the meat served might be in question. Or you might be attending some larger function held in a pagan temple hall. Christians responded strongly with different reactions.
3 Steps to Paul's Wise Counsel about how to deal with these debatable issues
I. (:1-3) Learn the Value of Love Above Knowledge
Every Christian has doctrinal knowledge about God. But by itself knowledge just puffs up – makes you look important and big – if you don't have love.
Look at the arrogant, highly educated people in our society. They have too high a view of themselves. They don't understand their own spiritual blindness.
1 Cor. 13 – study what agape love really is all about
Knowledge which puffs up is not true knowledge. It is really ignorance.
Humility involves understanding your place before God.
The true test of knowing is loving God. (Pres. Tense) God has that special type of knowing relationship with such believers.
1 John 5:2 – Love God and observe His commands
John 15:10, 21
Rest of 1 John passages about loving the brethren
Love is greater than mere knowledge
II. (:4-6) Apply Your Doctrinal Knowledge to the Issue
Learn what is really true about the issue in question. What is the reality. Paul is not saying that knowledge is bad – he spent his life communicating knowledge to others and to us through the Scriptures. Knowledge is necessary. Paul is not throwing knowledge out.
Certainty of Christian knowledge – we know certain things for sure – not we guess or we hope .. but we know
Knowledge is beneficial when it is rightly expressed.
Love (so-called) without doctrinal understanding is useless.
What do we know?
1) There is no such thing as an idol in the world in reality
That is pretty good information to have! The world does not know this. How do we know? Because there is someone who knows and has told us! Revelation from God is the key. Not because we are so smart and have figured anything out. God has spoken!
Go to the one who knows.
The emphasis here is on the nothingness of the idol; there is no god behind those lifeless statues and fancy temples.
Cf. Elijah making fun of the idols of Baal –Is. 44:8-9; Psalm 115; Is. 41:23-24
There's nobody listening to your prayers!
2) There is no God but one in the real universe
How do we know this? Same way as above. Not through empirical research; not through strictly rational contemplation; but by means of revelations from an ultimate being who knows everything
Deut. 6:4 – people are too proud to receive the testimony of God; don't let them call you proud for listening to your Creator
1 John 5:9-10 – making God a liar; we can know with certainty
Is. 45:5 – name of God is YHWH, not Allah; He is the only one;
Idols don't really exist; however you can have a fallen demon spiritual being operating behind the facade of an idol and inspiring false worship
Deut. 10:17 – God is over all the spiritual beings in the universe;
Revelation is superior to science.
Is. 40:18 – you cannot create anything physical that can compare to God; physical matter can't cause itself; if you don't exist you can't start anything or be the source of something; John 5:26; Rom. 11:36
Did God then create evil… if He created everything that exists… Evil is not a thing; but a perversion of a thing; of a twisting of something; evil comes from the moral being that decides to twist a good thing
Look at the switch in prepositions:
– ex = out of
– dia = through or by means of
The Son is not a second source but the means by which all came into being
John 1:1-3; Complicated to try to understand the eternal relationship of the godhead; Col. 1:16; Heb 1:10-12; "Lord" = OT name for the Lord God (kurios)
Christ cannot be created; He eternally proceeds from the Father; Heb. 1:6; John 5:21; Rev. 22:13; no beginning or end
Not all believers understand these difficult truths in the area of Christology
– they think there are still lesser gods existing out there
– they don't understand certain things about food – create man-made dietary
Laws; Mark 7:18-19; 1 Cor. 6:13; Rom. 14:17
All of this knowledge should help us
III. (:9-13) Put your Knowledge with Love Into Action
(:9) Overall Concern – restrict your liberty because of love
(:10-12) 3 Reasons you need to restrict your liberty in certain circumstances:
– (:10) you don't want to mess up your brother
– (:11) He is the brother for whom Christ died; Rom. 14:23
– (:12) You would ultimately be sinning against Christ Himself
You must give up your freedoms out of loving consideration for your brother.
(:13) Conclusion to the matter: You don't want to be a stumbling block to your brother;
Apply these same principles to other issues; you also don't want to be paralyzed so that your fear of offending everyone prohibits you from doing anything…
Ask 3 Questions:
– How important is this issue to my weaker brother – Will it really mess up his faith?
– How important is my example to that person – this criteria becomes more important as you become a public leader
– Is there a way to help them along with doctrinal knowledge?


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Today we are making Frog Legs in the smoker! That's right frog legs. We don't have frog legs around here that often, so today is a special treat for us. This is a very simple frog leg recipe that will produce delicious frog legs every time.
When preparing your frog legs, always remember that less is better. Don't hide the delicate flavor of the frog legs with a bunch of seasonings.
Brining is not critical for frog legs because they will only be in the smoker for 30 minutes to an hour. With that said, I do use a brine for 1-2 hours. After brining, rinse the legs with water to get rid of any excess salt.
After removing from the brine, rinsing and patting dry (with paper towels), I use about ½ cup of olive oil per 2 lbs of frog legs and mix 4 teaspoons of Walker & Sons Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning.
Pour the olive oil and seasoning in a one gallon bag, add the frog legs and move around in the bag to get them coated well.
Set the smoker at 225 degrees. I'm using my Masterbuilt Electric Smoker. Also, I am using a combination of Alder and Cherry wood. The lighter wood will not overwhelm the oysters.
To see the complete recipe and watch all of the details on how to smoke these frog legs, please watch our How to Smoke Frog Legs video below.


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Our party planners will work with you to ensure your event is a success, and we can tailor make your package to suit meet many needs.
Here are just a few examples of the type of events we can cater for:
For further enquiries call 01329 827 222 or contact us via our enquiry form:


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This year's festival is sure to be a crowd pleaser with activities and demonstrations to please every age. Activities include:
The schedule of events is updated frequently. Click here to get the most up-to-date schedule. Programs with the final schedule will be available at the festival.
Find us on
The Hebron Maple Festival is part of Eastern CT Maple Madness, Connecticut's premier Maple Sugar celebration.
Welcome to the Hebron Maple Festival where all things are Maple!


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TRINITY, NC - Thursday morning a house in Trinity caught fire, according to emergency response officials.
The fire was on Dale drive and started around 10:30 Thursday morning.
According to the American Red Cross, two adults and four children live in the house.
Nobody was injured in the fire.
Copyright 2017 WFMY


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Nick Cannon painted on Whiteface to promote his new album with "Wild N' Out" cast member, Timothy DeLaGhetto, called "White People Party Music." I can take a joke, but if we get offended when White people do Blackface, how can we say, "Ahh come on, it's just a joke," when a Black person does it? Cannon started to receive backlash of major publications cringing and decided to tell the world to "just relax and have fun":
Don't get your fancy panties in a bunch! It's funny how people take themselves so seriously. People love drama! We feed off of it. Just relax and have fun!
Must Read: "Afraid of Dark" Documentary Examines Fear Of Black Men [TRAILER]
There's a major difference between having fun and being offensive. Nick created "Connor Smallnut" for this new album, but also for attention, because let's be real–when was the last time you paid attention to a Nick Cannon track? I'll tell you when–10 years ago. "White People Party Music" is Cannon's second studio album in 10 years, so he could use all the publicity stunts he could get. If reverse racism was a thing–this would be it. Racial double standard anyone?
Let's say Macklemore was to come out with an album called, "Black People Cookout Music," and painted himself Black to promote it. What would happen? I can tell you that Kendrick Lamar wouldn't be the only person fired up about it. I don't think it's right to call a White person in Blackface racist without calling a Black person in Whiteface the same.Sure, there's been other Black comedians who smeared their faces in white paint for a cheap giggle, but that doesn't make it any less offensive. So what racism scale of judgment are you using to decide what deserves a chuckle versus what deserves a march on Washington?
And then there's this:
While I find his corniness refreshing, I'm not here for his trying-too-hard-to-be-taboo tactics to get us to care about this album. However much Nick's fake pasty White face makes me cringe, I can honestly say that from what I've heard, "White People Party Music" is a fun album. It's the type of Britney Spears meets Flo-Rida music that makes sweating in the gym a bit more bearable. It sucks that Nick Cannon had to create a gimmick in order to get the world to pay attention. Don't get it twisted though–this was a brilliant marketing ploy. People who would have never checked for a Nick Cannon album are currently searching the hashtag as to not miss a chance to laugh at him.
Just to keep me from tearing up, I am going to assume that this isn't real. Please let this just be one of those Weird Al Yankovic things. Here's hoping. Ok I can't hold it in anymore–*Ugly Cry*
What's funny about this is just in time for Black History Month, Cannon voiced his outrage over a Google Doodle honoring Harriet Tubman and called the uplifting cartoon image racist. I'm starting to think Nick Cannon doesn't know what racist means.
What do you think of Nick Cannon in Whiteface, beauties–hilarious or hurtful?
Related Stories:
The White Girls In Blackface Trying To Join Black Twitter Don't Realize It's Not A Joke
Google Honors Harriet Tubman For Black History Month & Nick Cannon Is Outraged
Check Out This Gallery Of Words & Phrases Black People Remix:
Sh*t Black People Say: Words & Phrases We've Remixed
Sh*t Black People Say: Words & Phrases We've Remixed
1. Kicks1 of 17
2. The Sugar2 of 17
3. Sharp3 of 17
4. Cookout4 of 17
5. The Scripture/The Good Book5 of 17
6. Doobie6 of 17
7. Bourgeois (but we pronounce Boo-gzee)7 of 17
8. Sleeping Clothes8 of 17
9. Make Groceries9 of 17
10. Sheers10 of 17
11. Headwrap11 of 17
12. Pocket Book12 of 17
13. Coin Purse13 of 17
14. Stories14 of 17
15. End Of Times/Days15 of 17
16. Church Clothes16 of 17
17. Curlers/Rollers17 of 17
7 thoughts on "Nick Cannon Does Whiteface To Promote New Album & We're Like, This Can't Be Life"
Now, we need to do the N word in this manner. If other groups can not say it, blacks should not be able to say it. Sorry but I am not buying that nonsense of "term of endearment" when blacks say it. I have heard blacks call other blacks the N word out of hate as well. You can not demand respect for your race when you do not give your own race respect. Also, why would anyone want to dress up to look white anyway.
Please stop it black people are not supporting what he did.
Ok thts whts up and no one said anything when the wayans did white chicks
Nick in whiteface looks like Jiggy5, Holla.
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Sorry Nick…but I have to disagree with this whole get up. Not an incident goes by where some White people are suiting up in "Black face" on a college campus, at a party or in a play…that we, Black people are ready to rant, rave, and picket. We take offense, we get angry, we demand retractions, we demand people be fired or let go over it. What makes that so awful and what you're doing so right? I personally think "we" Black people cannot have it both ways…..otherwise your credibility is shot. This might be funny to "us" but I guarantee, where White people might not take "offense" to the White face bit in the same way we are offended by Black face….who among us can say for sure that any one of them would not be genuinely offended?
so true even though I understand what Nick is doing. We are now playing a difference game. WHites are now not letting blacks "get away" with racial remarks towards them no more even if those whites really do not care and do not want to deal with blacks anyway.


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Canadian Mining Co. Hit With $152M Kyrgyz Pollution Claim
The Kyrgyz State Inspectorate Office for Environment and Technical Safety is alleging that Centerra's placement of its tailings facility for waste rock is in violation of the country's environmental laws. The claim is based on a government review of Centerra's 15-year-old Kumtor mining project, which contributed to 10 percent of...
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What we do: Identify the 15 districts whose students are most like your own.
What you do: Learn where your district stands in relation to others. Compare funding and staffing levels. Compare test scores, grad rates, course participation and 40 other factors. When you find your district challenged in an area where others are soaring, you pick up the phone and call them.
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From LCAP Explorer. Client: Morgan Hill USD


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Fashion retailer Bay Trading is the latest high street failure of the recession, with owners Alexon Group placing it into administration today.
Bay Trading has 1,000 staff at its 268 stores; their jobs are now at risk.
The final blow was the withdrawal of trade credit insurance, which covers firms against not being paid for goods supplied; this also had a role in the end of Woolworths.
Bay Trading lost £7.2m in the year to January, having made a profit of £1.1m the year before.
Despite the troubles, the Office for National Statistics announced today that British retail sales volumes showed a moderate month on month increase of 0.3% in March.
Alexon says its other brands – which include Ann Harvey (which was fourth favourite for clothes in our last shopping survey), Kaliko and Dash – are stable.
Protect your money
Companies can go into administration unexpectedly, but there are ways to pay to help you get your money back if you don't receive goods you've ordered from them.
If you pay by credit card for items worth more than £100 (and less than £30,000), you can claim from your credit card company. Read our under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, including . It's worth noting that payments made through online payment PayPal are not covered by section 75.
If you spent less than £100 on a Visa debit card, you can try to claim your money via a system called . Your card provider will attempt to claim the money for you. Contact your card provider to do this.


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Toshiba Sleep-and-Charge USB ports – a true stroke of innovative genius!
So, more and more gadgets that people acquire are either USB powered, coming with USB chargers or have USB chargers available for them. So why is it that up until now another common portable device that could charge these items is constantly put to waste when it's off? That's right, Toshiba has had a true stroke of genius and because of it your Notebook will soon be able to act as a USB charging station regardless of whether it's on, off, or in sleep/hibernation modes.


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text: It was Katie's first Christmas.. and what would any good dog parent do, but to teach her golden retreiver how to open presents. Let's all post our pets either opening, playing with, or wearing their presents from this festive holiday season! I'll start: Katie opening her first present. She was timid at first, but got the hang of it quickly!


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Each morning, a farmer went to a stream to fill two large clay pots hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck. While one of the pots was perfect, the other had a crack in it causing it to leak during the entire long walk to the house. The perfect pot always delivered a full … Read More The post VIDEO: The Parable of the Cracked Pot appeared first on What Will Matter.
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Following the #twihards from Twilight, #potterheads from Harry Potter, #tributes from The Hunger Games and #demigods from the Percy Jackson series,TMI fans call themselves #shadowhunters.
The Mortal Instruments
The love story
The Mortal Instruments:
City of Bones
These cool tattoo looking marks
serve a great deal of purpose
for shadowhunters. They give the
"supernatural" abilities used
against battle. Drawn on a
shadowhunter with a steele, runes
have different affects. There are
defensive runes such as invisibility and
speed and there are healing runes for wounds
and injuries. All runes come from shadowhunter's rune book known as the
Gray Book.
A thousand years ago, the Angel Raziel mixed his blood with the blood of Johnathan Shadowhunter and created the race of the nephilim (shadowhunters). A race of half-angel, half-human hybrids born to help rid the wprld of evil. The worlds invisible warriors.
a shadowhunter?
Like every other love story there's a twist here, Jace is a shadowhunter and Clary a mundane (well not for long). As Jace and Clary start to fall for each other, a couple things get in the way. First, Simon, Clary's best friend since the second grade is in love with her. Second, Jace's adoptive brother Alec, is jealous because he carries a small secret torch for him. And thirdly, Jace and Clary get told..... well you"ll just have to read the books to find out!
By: Cassandra Clare
My critique on The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Now a major motion picture!
check out the trailer!
The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones was an honest roller coaster ride! The Mortal Instruments has got it ALL, from magic and angels to werelwoves and vampires to newly introduced faeries and warlocks. The book was a mix of action, love, humor and just about everything! I enjoyed reading the book from third person point of view, it helped you relate to the characters and their situations more. Cassandra Clare's writing never failed to disappoint even as the series went on. I would happily recommend The Mortal Instruments; City of Bones to anyone because it's just made for everyone. Everyone finds their inner shadowhunter in this book. I think it's safe to say I rate this book 5 stars! Team Shadowhunters!
Handed down by the Angel Raziel for guidance, there are three Mortal Instruments total: the Mortal Cup, the Mortal sword and the Mortal Mirror. City of Bones is mainly
based on the Mortal Cup, which
has the power to create more shadowhunters. But who's after
it and why? Guess you'll just
have to read and find out!
the music that was supposed to play in the background....
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The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
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Lena Ebadion 16 January 2014
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