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Tag: Chocolate and Cheese
Ween – Knoxville, TN – 10.28.2009
by admin on Oct.30, 2009, under Good Music, Video
As I was purchasing my ticket to this show at Knoxville's Valarium, the dude behind the counter at the record store mentioned to me, "Hey, you know Ween is sober now, right?" Given Ween's reputation as a hard partying act, one which I have seen barely able to finish a set coherently at times, this was a bit startling to me.
"Sober?" I asked, "Like, completely?"
"Yeah. They don't even drink anymore because they think it will lead back to worse things." Interesting, and what was not to believe? Though I have probably seen Ween play live more than any other band out there (except maybe Wilco, who might be equal in this regards), it had been some time. Since before La Cucaracha was released actually. I had no idea what was up with them these days.
I bought the ticket, went to the show, and quickly noticed a few differences from the last time I had seen them. For starters, Gene Ween is kind of looking like Daniel Johnston these days. Also, they're stage show has become filled with lots of fog accompanied by an expensive and powerful light show. Lastly, they have stepped their musical performance up to a level far beyond that which I have ever seen them at before. This was easily, the best all around Ween show I had ever seen.
It's not that they did anything especially novel or different than any other Ween show. It was simply that they played really well. They also played really long, topping out at almost three hours with no set breaks. As always, they hit on many favorites as they crossed this expansive amount of time, pulling songs from each of their albums but The Pod. This night, there seemed to be a particular propensity toward Chocolate and Cheese and The Mollusk. Of particular note was a rather booming version of "Ocean Man" on which Gene played a mandolin. They also finally delivered a "Roses Are Free" that worked as a worthy visitation to the studio version, whereas usually this song falls flat live when compared to the one found on Chocolate and Cheese. (Phish's recorded live cover of the track may have set the bar high for Ween, ironically enough. At this show, they certainly cleared it by miles.)
As mentioned, they came this time with a ton of fog and lights. Their liberal use of both made for an incredibly surreal visual experience. The downside is that the haze often obscured Claude Coleman on the backline, which is unfortunate since his powerhouse drumming is something to see. The trade off, though, was a very good light operator who was obviously familiar with the material. Hence, his contribution to the show was also something to see, indeed.
When all was said and done, Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween) hit the road immediately. I was, however, permitted to go back stage to attempt to interview Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween) for this blog. I figured, after such an intense show, three simple, irreverent questions wouldn't be too intrusive. Perhaps I could make three question interviews a regular staple of this site. I sat down catercorner to him, introduced myself again (it was the second time I had met him, actually), explained the deal, then fired the questions:
1. What are you listening to currently?
2. What is the one influence you'd like to keep away from your son?
3. What are you going to be for Halloween?
He looked at me blankly as I rattled them all off at once. Then he broke eye contact, shuffled his head around and mumbled something like, "I don't know…whaaa mmuuhh hhnnnn." The girl to his left answered two of the questions for him. According to her (though I question the authenticity of these answers) he was going to be a banana for Halloween and he was listening to…Belinda Carlisle? Yeah. I don't know.
I tried to thank him for an excellent show, letting him know I had seen many and this was the best. A slightly disturbed look came across his face as he mumbled something else through more slurred and discombobulated speech.
"Well whether or not it felt to you like you did a good job," I consoled, "from the objective viewpoint of an audience member, it was fantastic." It still didn't seem to register with him. Just more incoherency.
The announcement then came that the bus was rolling out and it was time to go. I exited without any of my interview questions really formally answered (though maybe he is being a banana for Halloween and maybe I misheard Belinda Carlisle). However, I did have a larger, more pressing question answered for me and I didn't have to say a thing.
Is Ween sober these days? Absolutely not.
Here is some video from the show:
Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)
Fat Lenny
The Mollusk


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Updated 1:52 p.m.
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Updated 8:23 a.m.
• Antivirus Faceoff: A Non-Alarmist's Guide to Mac Malware Protection – A sensible roundup from Lifehacker.
Original post
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• Android And Chrome: Anywhere And Everywhere – Which of the two Google OSes will be dominant. At the moment, it appears to be Android. And Hands-On With Android 3.1 On The Motorola Xoom
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• Revised 'Net censorship bill requires search engines to block sites, too – The bill requires search engines to play Internet cop, blocking rogue sites that may offer stolen intellectual property.
• 400 Percent Increase In Android Malware; Mobile Security Threats At Record High – Malware authors begin moving to where the money is.
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• That Facebook friend might be 10 years old, and other troubling news – An estimated 7.5 million Facebook users are under the site's minimum age of 13; more than 5 million are 10 and under, according to Consumer Reports.
• Facebook Applications Accidentally Leaking Access to Third Parties – Symantec says almost 100,000 Facebook apps "leak" what amount to spare keys to user information inside the apps. As a result, Following Security Problem, Facebook Moves to OAuth 2.0, HTTPS and SSL Certificates
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• Google Music Beta walkthrough: what it is and how it works (video) – From Engadget. And Google Music vs. Amazon Cloud Drive

subset: commoncrawl


text: Philosophys powerful influence on the formation and development of the cultures of the West should not obscure the influence it has also had upon the ways of understanding existence found in the East. Every people has its own native and seminal wisdom which, as a true cultural treasure, tends to find voice and develop in forms which are genuinely philosophical. One example of this is the basic form of philosophical knowledge which is evident to this day in the postulates which inspire national and international legal systems in regulating the life of society. Nonetheless, it is true that a single term conceals a variety of meanings. Hence the need for a preliminary clarification. Driven by the desire to discover the ultimate truth of existence, human beings seek to acquire those universal elements of knowledge which enable them to understand themselves better and to advance in their own self-realization. These fundamental elements of knowledge spring from the wonder awakened in them by the contemplation of creation: human beings are astonished to discover themselves as part of the world, in a relationship with others like them, all sharing a common destiny. Here begins, then, the journey which will lead them to discover ever new frontiers of knowledge. Without wonder, men and women would lapse into deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal.


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As we come this morning to the time to worship the Lord by the hearing of His Word, which is really the heart of all worship, for all worship is praise and gratitude offered to God for who He is and what He has done, which of course are revealed in Scripture, therefore the foundation of all worship is found in the Word of God.
As we bring our Shepherd's Conference to its conclusion, my heart is drawn to my ministry model, my hero the Apostle Paul. While I certainly want to follow Christ I have learned through my life to follow Paul who followed Christ. He said, "Be followers of me as I am of Christ." You who know me know how beloved Paul is to me and what an example he sets for my own life and ministry.
I'm drawn for this morning as we draw this conference to a conclusion to the last words of Paul, the end of his life. Turn in your Bible, if you will, to 2 Timothy chapter 4; this is the last chapter that he ever wrote and I'm drawn just to three verses, his own epitaph, verses 6 through 8. Before I look at those verses I just want to comment that the words of dying men tend to be stripped of all hypocrisy. The words of dying men tend to reveal the heart, what's really there.
Napoleon, on his death bed said, "I die before my time and my body will be given back to earth to become the food of worms such is the fate which so soon awaits the great Napoleon." It was Mahat McGhandiwho said at the edge of his death, "My days are numbered for the first time in 50 years I find myself in a slew of despond, all about me is darkness, I am praying for light." Interesting that the phrase, slew of despond, comes from Pilgrims Progress which he had read but not believed.
It was Talleyrand who wrote on a paper left beside his bedside found after his death, "What cares, what agitation, what anxieties, what ill will, what sad complications and all without other results except great fatigue of mind and body and a profound sentiment of discouragement with regard to the future and disgust with regard to the past." What a way to die, there are better ways to die then that.
I remember as a little boy visiting Christ's church in Philadelphia and wandering through that church and finding the gravestone of Benjamin Franklin. I cannot vouch for the purity of his religion but I really liked his epitaph, so much so that I memorized it and it stuck with me, "Here lies the body of Franklin. Like an old book stripped of its lettering guilding it lies here food for worms, but the work shall not be lost for it will appear once more in a new and more elegant edition revised and corrected by the author."
Listen to Paul's epitaph, he like Franklin wrote his own, verse 6, "I'm already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which is the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing."
I want to take you, not to the next years of your ministry; I want to take you to the end of your life. I want you to think about what the epitaph will be. Here are the words of God's greatest servant among men; here is his own epitaph, his own personal assessment of his life. He is on the brink of death, he knows that, his trial is past, his sentence was death, his execution is imminent, he knows his present imprisonment will be the last location for his life and he is inexorably on the way to martyrdom.
I suppose by human standards it's not a good time to leave. I am confident there would never be a good time for the Apostle Paul to leave. I am sure that far and wide among believers in the early church there was such a deep and profound love and affection for this Apostle that they would wish that he would never leave, and after all, everybody who was in the Kingdom of God in the Gentile world was able to trace their lineage back to the ministry of the Apostle Paul, they were all indebted to him.
Who could ever replace him? He was the last of the Apostles and there is no Apostolic succession, so when he goes there is no replacement and he of course had that first hand experience with Jesus on several occasions, having a personal audience with the Risen Christ starting on the Damascus road, there was nobody like him, and yet there was a time when he had to go.
Not only was it seemingly an inappropriate time in general but it was even an inappropriate time in specific, because for example, the church at Ephesus, where Timothy was pasturing at this time had fallen upon very hard times. There was defection in that church, which Paul himself had started. There was deviation from the truth, there was corrupt leadership leading people astray which he addresses in the first letter to Timothy. There was an abandonment of the pursuit of Holy things so that they were erring on the side of doctrine and conduct, that's why he left Timothy there with the hope that Timothy would set it all right, but instead the difficulty of the circumstance in the church and outside the church; in the church was resistance, outside the church was persecution, the difficulty of that was causing Timothy to begin to waiver.
As you go back to the beginning of this letter, if you'll look at chapter 1 verse 5 Paul says, "I am mindful of the sincere faith within you," that's an interesting statement. That's like writing a letter to somebody and starting out by saying, "Dear friend I know you're a Christian but..." I mean why would he even bring this up? Why would he have to be reminded that Timothy was in the faith unless there were certain things happening that might call that into question?
He says, "I'm sure," the end of verse 5, "I'm sure the true faith is in you and it is for this reason that I remind you," verse 6, "to stir up, kindle afresh the gift of God, you have a gift for preaching and ministry which was affirmed by the elders of the church, stir it up." Paul was rightly concerned because Timothy had allowed his gifts to fall into disuse. Too much pressure on the inside, too much persecution on the outside and he was beginning to collapse under that.
Then in verse 7 we get an idea of why he was collapsing. "God has not given us a spirit of cowardice," that's what the word means. This is very serious. Not only would it be serious enough for Paul, the last of the Apostles to leave, not only would the loss be absolutely be beyond comprehension, not only would the place of Paul be unable to be taken by anybody, but the best opportunity was in the hands of Timothy who was the personal Disciple of Paul and here is Timothy waning so severely that Paul says to him, "Don't be a coward keep doing what you've been gifted to do," and than in verse 8 adds the amazing statement, "Don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord."
Cowardice, shame, failure to use your gift, and than down in verse 13 he says, "Retain the standard of sound doctrine." One of the temptations when you're under persecution and when you're resisted inside the church is to change your doctrine, is to compromise, to bring some ease to the pressure, don't do that. Verse 14 he says, "Guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us the treasure which has been entrusted to you," and than in verse 15 he says, "everybody else in Asia has turned away from me," and the implication is are you going to be the next one?
Now this is very strong language and strong insight into the condition of the church at Ephesus and the heart of Timothy. Timothy was the guy to get the baton from Paul, he was next in line to lead not only that church but to be an example, and a leader, and a shepherd to the other churches and he's marginal at this time. That's why in chapter 2 verse 1 he says, "You therefore my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." "Be a soldier," he says "And be an athlete," in verse 5 "And be a hardworking farmer," in verse 6, and verse 15 "Be a diligent workman," and verse 21 "Be a vessel for honor and flee youthful lusts." Verse 24 "Be a slave of the Lord don't give in, don't fail, don't compromise."
In Chapter 3 verse 14 he says, "Continue in the things you've learned." Remember in verse 16 that the Scripture is inspired by God and it's profitable, and in chapter 4 verse 2, "Preach the word." See this whole epistle is an attempt by the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to infuse strength into a weakened Timothy. I'm saying all of that simply to say that if Paul could have picked his time to go from the human perspective from the way things looked in the church at Ephesus and in the life of Timothy; this would not have been the optimum moment.
But nonetheless, and this is I think so wonderful, there is in what I just read you in verses 6 to 8 there is a quietness, there is a confidence as Paul lays down his arms for Timothy to take them up, he confronts Timothy boldly, he confronts Timothy eloquently, and yet there is a triumphant victory in what he says. As he sums up his life, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith, I am ready to go."
You can only do what you can do and when your life is over, it's over. You can't control the next generation, you can't control the next scene, you can't determine what will happen when you're gone. From a human standpoint it wouldn't seem like an optimum time to go with the Ephesian church wavering as it was and it proved to be a legitimate concern because by the time the Book of Revelation is written and our Lord gives a letter to the church at Ephesus, that church has left its first love and the Lord says, "I'm going to take the candlestick away, I'm going to obliterate the church," and He did.
Plenty of reason for concern, so from the human viewpoint Paul could see enough of the drift to know that the future didn't look very secure and yet he faces death triumphantly; being able to look over his life and say, "I did what you asked me to do that's all I can do. I can't guarantee the future, I can't guarantee the successor, I can only do what I was given to do."
Now as we look at this epitaph, I just want you to see he views his life from the three perspectives, the present, the past and the future. This is a man at the end, just looking across all of it from start to finish, he looks at the present and the close of his life, he looks at the past and the course of his life, he looks at the future and the crown of his life and he is doing this here not just by way of information but by way of motivation for Timothy. There's nothing subtle about saying to this young man who may be wavering, I am going to fight to the end and I have. I am going to run to the end and I have. I am going to keep the faith until the end and I have. This is a strong encouragement to Timothy, who by the way was faithful to the end.
Even the New Testament tells us, "He was put in prison for his faithfulness." This is not only a strong encouragement and a good encouragement to Timothy and one that was effective but it is and should be a strong encouragement to all of us. Paul is our example to finish strong.
I think about my grandfather on his death bed saying to my dad, "Jack I just want to preach one more time." Today, my father who is 88 and will be 89 in a couple of weeks will be preaching and teaching the Word of God, as always, all the way to the end. You can live your life like that, there is no reason to crash and burn, it is not acceptable to do that. It is not necessary to do that. We have all the means of Grace to be faithful to the end; Paul sets the pace for us.
I can't think about the next week of my life, and I can't think about the next month of my life without thinking about the end of my life, because it's what I want to be at the end that keeps me on course right now. I mean that was the way it was for anybody and the metaphors that are pictured here. For a soldier to fight in the moment he had to have a view to the victory at the end. For an athlete to exert himself in the middle of the race he had to have a view to the reward that was going to come when he won the race, and for someone who is given a trust to be faithful to the trust in the moment was to look ahead when he would have to give an account for how he guarded the trust he was given. It's that view of the end that sustains us in the present.
When I see some minister default morally, when I see some minister default doctrinally, when I see some minister default in terms of calling and wander away from the course that God has set him on I know that it wasn't just the moment, it was that he lost sight of the end, of the final victory in the battle, of the final reward in the race, of the final affirmation because of faithfulness in the stewardship. We have to live our lives even now, no matter how young we are in ministry with a view to that end.
This is the way to go out and the way to go out, if you understand the way to go out you know how to go forward, right? If you care about the winning then you know how to run. Let's look at these three things; the present first of all. He takes the present look and he sees the close of his life and he's ready, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come." That's just so matter of fact, so like Paul.
He says, "It's over, I know that, already I am being poured out, it's already begun and the time, the Kiras, not the Kronas, not the clock time, the epic, the era, the season of my departure has come. It's already over. I don't have a future in this world I'm done. It's now taking place. The trial is already over, I'm facing the execution." Look how he describes it as being poured out as a drink offering, that's just wonderfully Jewish language taken from the Old Testament.
When the children of Israel went into the Land of Canaan, God gave them a lot of instruction about how they were to conduct worship. One of the things that God designed for them in the 15thchapter of Numbers, you can just jot that down if you want to look it up later, was what was known as the burnt offering. The burnt offering was an offering for sin, it was a recognition on the part of the people that the wages of sin was death and that there was a sacrifice necessary to demonstrate that, a sacrifice which of course pointed toward the Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only true sacrifice. But the burnt offering, you remember the burnt offering? It was an animal slain and all of it was put on the altar, all of it as an offering to God for sin.
But the burnt offering wasn't alone on the altar. On top of the burnt offering was flower mixed with oil and it was put upon that burning animal and that made the aroma a sweet aroma. It would smell like a barbeque with bread baking on it on top of the meat, but in Numbers 15, the final thing was wine, "And the sweet wine was poured out across all of it as a sweet aroma at the top." Paul says, "That's my life, that's my life. I gave my life as a burnt offering. I put my whole life up there, all of it from the Damascus road on," which was a little more then 30 years before this. For the last three decades I've been up there on that altar, I have been offering my life, taking no thought for my life. For me to live as Christ, to die is gain. If I live, I live to the Lord. If I die unto the Lord, whatever happens I'm the Lord's, so I've offered my life as a burnt offering.
Now he says, "This is my final offering. My blood will be poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice on my life." The burnt offering symbolizes his life, the libation, the drink offering symbolizes his death, the imagery is beautiful. The man understood sacrifice; you see that's why he could live to the end the way he lived. That's why he could fight the fight all the way to the end, run the race all the way to the end and maintain the stewardship all the way to the end because he never viewed his life as his own. It wasn't about him, it wasn't about his success, it wasn't about his accolades, it wasn't about his prestige, his prominence, it wasn't about anything but sacrifice.
Of course he said, along the way in order to maintain that sacrifice I had to beat my body into subjection so that I didn't become disqualified. So he says, "Look I have given my life as a burnt offering, now my death, my blood," and he knew how he was going to die. They didn't crucify Romans; they chopped their heads off, a horribly bloody kind of death, indescribably bloody. One can only imagine that kind of thing or perhaps if you've been in a slaughterhouse where you've seen an animal's head chopped off you could understand it more vividly and he sees the blood gushing out of his own body as a sort of a drink offering, poured out on top of the sacrifice of his whole life.
That is in the beginning and in the end of our lives, the issue. It is all about that, as Paul says in Romans 12, "I have given my body as a living sacrifice, wholly and acceptable unto God." That's how he viewed himself, so with that context of understanding oneself there's no disappointment when things don't go well for you because you're not the issue. You don't tend to get burned out because it's not about how comfortable you are, you've already given your life away. You've offered up your life as a pleasing sacrifice, a sweet smelling savor to God and that's how he viewed it.
Back in Philippians chapter 2 verse 17 he said, "Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering," there it was hypothetical, back to 2 Timothy 4 it was real, he said there "Even if I have to be poured out like a drink offering, even if I have to spill my blood and become a martyr, not just a living sacrifice but in that sense a dying sacrifice, if that is going to produce your faith then I rejoice," Philippians 2:17, "I joy and rejoice."
So what was hypothetical in Philippians 2:17 is real now, and I don't want you to think for a minute that its anything easy about this, it isn't appropriate, at least from a human standpoint to leave the church at Ephesus because it's in such turmoil. Timothy is marginal and Timothy is key to the future. Paul is in prison, winter is coming, and it's going to be very cold and he doesn't have his cloak. Verse 13, "Please bring the cloak I left at Troas." In prison in the winter, if he survives through the winter before his execution it's going to be cold and even worse then that not only will it be cold but he won't have anything to read and that's really hard, so he says bring the parchments.
Alexander, the copper smith, verse 14 did me much harm, watch out for him because he's going to vigorously oppose our teaching, and at my first defense when his trial came no one supported me, all deserted me and only the Lord stood with me and he's lonely. This is hard. Is this how the great Paul goes out? Where's the gold watch? Nobody was naming any cathedrals after him then, alone without a friend, forsaken by Demas, and the rest left him except for Luke, lonely for Mark, wanting something to read, he languishes in prison waiting for his head to be chopped off. But then again, that's not anything different then his whole life because everything he did was a sacrifice, that's how he viewed it all, a burnt offering and now a drink offering.
Then in verse 6 he adds, "And the time of my departure has come." Perfect tense, has come, already has arrived. The clouds of death have begun to hover over him. I love that word departure, that's how viewed death. That's a great way to view death. When you use the word departure, you don't usually think about it in death. If you go to the airport you're going to see some TV screens, and some are going to say arrivals and some are going to say what? Departure, you're use of the word departure simply means you're leaving here and going somewhere else. Well that's exactly the way he meant the word. In fact that word, Annuluses in the Greek is used for unyoking an animal from the shafts of the plow. Paul says here's how I view death, I view death as getting unhooked from all this work. All this toil, all this labor, all this exertion of energy, lay down my heavy, heavy load of ministry.
Secondly, this word Annuluses is used for the loosening of chains, fetters, or bonds that held a prisoner. Paul said, "Not only am I going to be loose from the burden of my labor, I'm going to be loose from all the chains of my fallenness, all the chains compounding through my persecutions, all that binds me I will be released from the confines of my flesh and released from the confines of this Roman prison into the glorious liberty of the courts of Heaven."
Thirdly, the word Annuluses is used for loosening a tent. Nomadic people would put up a tent and take it down and Annuluses was the time you took the tent down. Paul said, "I'm going to take this tent down and frankly I'm not putting it up again. I'm going to live in a place where they don't have any tents. I'm going to the room prepared for me in the Father's House where I will live in the glories of Heaven forever."
It's also the word, Annuluses, used for the loosing of the mooring ropes of a ship. So many times Paul had taken ships, criss-crossing the Mediterranean, he had stood many times on the deck and watched the ropes fall away and the ship begin to move out to the sea. This was the last time he would be sailing, launching into the greatest deep of all, cross the waters of death, to arrive in the port of Heaven, that's all bound up in the use of the Annuluses.
For the Christian, death is laying down all your burden, all your toil, all your labor in order to rest forever. Death is laying aside all that binds and pulls of sin, difficulty. Death is striking camp, as it were, to take up residence in a permanent place in an eternal home. Death is casting off the ropes which bind us to this world to sail into God's world where we live in His presence forever. Paul says, "I'm ready for that, I'm ready." What's so amazing about it, as he looked at his life he was ready, there was nothing left to do. Wouldn't it be great to come to the end of your life and not like my grandfather said, "I just want to preach one more, I just want to preach one more," but be able to say, "I'm done and I'm done Lord what is the delay?"
Reminds me of one of Browning's wonderful poems of a young soldier who came flying from the battlefield to report to Napoleon the Victory at Ratisbon. The young soldier who came to give the report of victory was wounded and though he was wounded he was eager, according to Browning's poem, and he brought the glad news of victory to Napoleon and Napoleon noticed his wounds and in some famous lines Browning writes, "You're wounded," nay the soldier's pride touched to the quick, he said "I'm killed sire," and his chief beside smiling the boy fell dead. "No sir I'm not wounded I'm proud to be dead in your cause. I've done my duty now I lay down my life," that was Paul looking at the present.
Then in verse 7 he looked at the past, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." Perfect tense verbs in each case describing completed action in the past with present results. Actually, the Greek order is, "I think more emphatic, the good fight I have fought, the course I have finished, the faith I have kept." In each case the object is placed before the verb so the emphasis is there. This is how he looked at ministry, a fight, a course, and a faith, a body of truth, a race to run, a battle to fight.
Wouldn't it be great like this to look back over your life and have no regrets? No sadness, no sense of unfulfillment, no feeling of incompleteness, to look back and not have any view of the smallest thing left undone. He faces death with what I think is a wholly satisfaction, triumphant in a life work completed. He couldn't tell what the future was going to be, nobody can. But that wasn't his, the future belonged to somebody else, his life had belonged to him and that was the only spirit in which he could exercise his faithfulness.
I can't think of any more glorious way to leave this world then like that. I don't know how you think about death. I think most people think about death in the terms of the physical reality of death. They think about oh boy I hope I don't have a heart attack, so I'm jogging, jogging, jogging. I'm eating bran, I'm doing whatever I'm doing, protect my heart, protect my heart putting a tremendous amount of effort in that. I don't want to die of cancer so I'm getting scanned; I'm scanned all the time. I'm having so many scans it's going to give you cancer. I've got to protect myself; I don't want to eat anything that's going to do anything to mess up my body. I've had this balance kind of thing, I'm thinking of becoming a vegetarian and I don't want to eat any carbons that come through cooked meat and worrying about all of that and making sure that you do everything. Sometimes people anticipate that, they look down the road and they see themselves with cancer and because you see it in others you sort of project it to yourself and wouldn't it be horrible to have a lingering and long death, and you work so hard - you know I never look at death that way, ever.
I don't know how I'm going to go, really frankly, that's all in God's hands. I don't particularly care. But when I look at that I'm not sort of drawn to the physical elements of death. I don't think in my whole life I've spent five minutes thinking about that, when I look at my death I look at the spiritual element of it. Where am I going to be in my faithfulness when it comes? That's the issue for me. I mean I have absolutely no control over how I die because I am not going to kill myself, no matter what anybody wishes, that is not going to happen, therefore, I have no control over how I go physically. But I do have responsibility about how I go spiritually.
God has given me the means of Grace and the power of the Holy Spirit and the Truth of the Word to keep me on course and I want to look at my life the way Paul looked at his life. I want to look at it spiritually, he said, "It doesn't matter to me if I live, doesn't matter to me if I die, what does matter to me is that faithfulness to the end is going to mark my life." That's how life stays on course. You get more caught up in your physicality and I will tell you you'll go off course spiritually.
Now look at what he said here, "I have fought the good fight," that's the first thing that's going to help you in finishing well, understand that you are in a fight and its pretty strong language. "I have - agonismi viagone, I have agonized the agony, that's talking about a struggle, very intense Greek work, talks about - you know what agony means? It's not a mild word in English; it's not a mild word in Greek.
First of all I understand that this is a war, this is a struggle, this is a battle, this is an agonizing effort with an immense amount of energy expended, this is a contest. Sometimes Paul talks about himself boxing, sometimes wrestling, sometimes like a soldier battling, that's how you have to view it, it's a struggle. You have made your life a sacrifice, you put yourself on the altar, you're a burnt offering, there you are, you've given up your life to the battle. That's the way to view life, it's a struggle. I'm not surprised when things get difficult, I'm worried when they aren't. I'm looking around to see where I'm going to hit because I don't know what's coming.
You know a moment of peace is nice but it's frightening, makes me nervous. I just want to know where the battle is, I don't want any sneak attack. People come to me sometimes and say, "Oh I hate to tell you this but we have a problem over here." Listen, I always say this, you know what's worse then you telling me there's a problem there, me not knowing it's over there, thank you." This is a war, I don't have a lot of expectations in war except that it's going to be hard, it's going to be sometimes depressing, it's going to take every effort I have and there are going to be wounds in the process, that's my view of ministry.
I do not expect to go flying through comfortable, having a happy time with everything going exactly right. If you take that expectation into the ministry you'll be a casualty because you can't go dawdling around in the middle of a battlefield without getting shot fatally. This is war.
Paul says, look I've been at war since I became a believer, fighting against Satan, against principalities and powers, the rules of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness and the heavenlies against Jewish and Pagan vice and violence against Judaism among the Galatians, against fanaticism among the Thessalonians against temptation, and fornication, and litigation regarding the Corinthians against incipient Gnosticism among the Ephesians and the Colossians against fighting within my own heart and outside, over my disappointments, and on top of all of that I have to battle against my own flesh which causes me to do what I don't want to do, and not do what I want to do. The whole deal is nothing but a war, it's a battle.
You know you just can't ever take a rest, you just can't ever sort of decide you're going to shut down everything or you'll get killed. The battle never ends, it's a great spiritual struggle demanding supreme commitment and effort and Paul says, "I fought it all the way to the end." I like this, he also says, "It's a good fight, it's a good fight."
I'm a pretty patriotic guy, I get to feeling what you feel when I hear the National Anthem and see the flag wave and I - we all have a tremendous deal of some patriotism after 911. You know we were all feeling patriotic, people were hearing, people were saying God Bless America and crying about it and just kind of feeling whatever that stuff is you feel about your country when you're in a crisis time, and you know we were all waving flags and we have them on cars, it's kind of disappeared lately, but that was kind of a good, healthy, emotional response and we sort of felt the nobility of being an American and you know we're going to take these terrorists on and you could see how quickly it dissipated with all the silly protests going on all over the map by people who are ignorant of reality.
But that - we like it better when we stand together don't we? And we feel good about our country and we say we've got a real cause, and the good cause here is that this is not right to do this, and you can't just massacre people without consequences, and we took a stand and I like that. That was noble in America and in those days every time we saw a flag we felt something special didn't we?
Want to know something? That's how I feel every time I see a Bible. If you think that's a good cause this is the cause of all causes. I'm glad people will die for a cause; must be somebody from out of town doing that, I never get that. Now see I lost my train of thought; I mean I'm glad for noble causes and there are some but there's none as noble as this. The word good here is the word Calais in the Greek. If you look in Greek Lexicon, fight the good fight, it's beautiful, profitable, excellent, delightful, distinguished, but I like the word noble. Paul says, "I fought a noble fight." It's the most noble of all fights; it's the fight for the honor of Jesus Christ. It's the fight for the Glory of the Gospel. It's a fight for the integrity of the Word of God. Pardon me if I'm only mildly patriotic when I see a flag, but passionately so when I see a Bible.
The men who come victoriously to the end of their life, the men who come to face the Lord with confident triumph who are engaged through their life in ministry faithfully do so because they understand they are in war, and they understand how noble that war is. I don't want to be shamed by somebody who has given his life or her life faithfully for a less noble cause. I want to be courageous, I want to have fortitude. By the way, lest you think that's some kind of human thing, courage is fear that has said its prayers; we come in the end to be dependent on God.
So Paul says, "Look I'm in a war I know it, but it is a noble war. It is the noblest of all fights because it deals with the eternal destiny of man, and the eternal Glory of God. I'm going to give my life away to something and this should be it."
Then you notice also he says in verse 7, "I have finished the course," and he moves from the battlefield metaphor to the race, the word is dramas, athletic race. "I stayed on course, I stayed on course, I started the race, I ran the race, I finished the race." That's one of the reasons I don't jog, I don't understand a race without a beginning and an end, just running around. To me it's like playing basketball on a court with no hoops, you dribble around a while and go home, I don't understand that. If you can't score what's the point? If you can't win what's the point? Forget that, I only have so many ticks in my heart and I'm not going to waste them in a race that has no end.
You're identifying with that, that's good. Look, there is a course here and it began when I was converted and called to follow Jesus Christ and the finish line is the end of my life and I just want to stay on the course that the Lord laid out for me to the end. A lot of people start the course and don't finish, that's why Paul says, "Having done all to stand." When you put on the armor and you've done it all make sure when the battle's over and the smoke clears you're still standing, a lot of people have done it all but they fell. Paul recognized, look this is a race and it had a start on the Damascus road and it's very soon going to have a finish and I'm telling you I've stayed on course.
Never lost sight of what God wanted me to do, and I think the key to that is if I can borrow from Hebrews 12, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." He was out there, He was the model runner for me and I'm just following Him, I'm just following Him and I'm following Paul who's following Him, and I'm trying to keep up.
You ever been in a race? I have, I used to run the sprints when I was in my college university days, used to run the 100, 200 and occasionally the 400 and I was rarely the winner and my objective was to stay as close to whoever the winner was as I possibly could, and the winner in this race is Jesus Christ and right behind Him is Paul and I'm huffing to stay up with those two. They're my objective, they're my goal.
This is a focused life Paul had, it's an absolutely focused life, reminds me of Rudyard Kipling's lines, if you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings and not lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, if all men count with you but none too much, if you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run yours is the earth and everything that's in it, and which is more you'll be a man my son. The focused life undisturbed by everything going on around you run to the end.
Just a thought about that, the Apostle Paul also recognized the need to treasure time. If you're going to run the race and you're going to win, seems to me there's always a clock. The race is timed. It's not just winning but you have to be fast, you have to run against the clock. Ephesians 5:16 Paul says, "Redeeming the time," buying up the time. Paul knew how to finish strong at the end, that was to run hard and fast and to fight faithfully, and in the end he could look back and be grateful for the grace that God had given to him to be faithful. How are you going to be able to share in Paul's epitaph? Follow his example.
One final thing, he recognized that he was fulfilling a sacred trust regarding the Word of God. He saw life not only as a war and a race but a stewardship, verse 7, "I have kept the faith." The Lord put him in a battle, gave him a lane to run in, and his was an Apostle of Jesus Christ, and a trust to keep, and he kept it. What was it? I have kept the faith, not faith subjected, the faith, the Christian faith, truth, the faith once we're all delivered to the saints Jude 3, he kept the Scripture, he was unwaveringly faithful to the Word of God.
I think you know me well enough to know this is a passion for me. I not only am a preacher of the Word of God, I am called to be its guardian. I have been given a trust to take the treasure of the truth of God and to make sure it gets safely into the hands of the next generation. It's a guardianship; it's a stewardship for which I will answer to God. I have to give an account to God according to Hebrews 13:17 about that stewardship, that's why I can't understand, it grieves me no end to have people play fast and loose with Scripture. I don't like that. I will jump into that battle to the defense of the Word of God every time I'm given opportunity.
I am concerned to take the Word of God seriously. I don't ever want to say God said and He didn't say. I don't want to misinterpret Scripture, I don't mind putting words in some people's mouth but not God's. People say, "Why do you study so much?" Because I want to get this right, because I don't want to say God said when He didn't say and I want to know how to protect the Word from the endless attacks, so this is my stewardship.
I look at my life, what is my life? It's nothing but a sacrifice stuck up on an altar, and the sacrifice basically is defined as I've given up my life to fight God's battle, run God's race, and to keep God's truth. That's all I'm called to do, that's all I've been given to do, and you want to know something? I'm not reluctant about that. I'm so grateful for that because this is the noblest thing of all, absolutely the noblest thing of all.
Then Paul takes one other look and that's at the future, and I'm just going to mention this briefly. He looks at the present and the close of his life, he looks at the past and the course of his life, he looks at the future and the crown of his life. In the future, "On earth I don't know, in the church I don't know, but in the future I do know there is laid up for me the crown which is righteousness, perfect righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day." Isn't that amazing? We go to Heaven and the Lord rewards us. John Macarthur, step up it's time for your award.
What am I going to do with my crown? Cast it at His feet, that's just the glorious, goodness of our Lord. Paul says, "I don't know what's going to happen down here when I leave," and you know what it's good that you go to heaven and not know. People sometimes think, well you know they're probably up there looking down saying, you guys are messing up what I did. No, they don't even know what's going on down here, this is good. There's no disappointment in Heaven.
I don't know what's going to go on down here and that's okay, that's in God's hands, but I do know what's going to happen up there, there's going to be a crown which is righteousness, eternal perfect righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me. How in the world could God give you eternal righteousness and be righteous? Wouldn't God have forfeited His own righteousness if He gave somebody like you and me eternal righteousness? He can only do that because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all our sins.
So he gives to us righteousness and is still righteous, and not only to me Paul says, but to all who have loved His appearing. What does it mean to love His appearing? You say well doesn't that mean you're really interested in prophecy? No, you can futtle around in all 11 books on prophecy if you want and you can have all kinds of charts, and you can know every pimple on the third horn of the beast, and you can know all of the little deals and nuances in the prophetic literature that is not loving His appearing. Loving His appearing, certainly not wrong to know the details of Scripture, loving His appearing is having in your hearth the longing that Jesus should appear and if you do, if you love His appearing, if you can't wait for Him to come, if you're saying even so come Lord Jesus, come Lord Jesus, then that's testimony to the fact that you know when He comes He'll find you faithful.
So look at your life like Paul did, fast forward to the end and ask yourself what the epitaph is going to be. Somebody's going to say, well John I wish I could say mine would be I fought the good fight, I've finished the course, I've kept the faith, but you know I've already blown it. This is not just for preachers or pastors, it's for everybody. I've already blown it, all right; God is a God of grace. We read this morning in Psalm 103, "He moves your sin as far as the east is from the west," right? "Remembers your transgressions no more."
Let's do this, todays the beginning of the rest of your life, okay? From here on you fight, you run, and you maintain the stewardship of truth and the Lord will be gracious enough of course to say to you, well done, good and faithful servant and you will enter into the full reward that God has prepared for them that love Him.
Let's pray; Father this is joy to our hearts that You have prepared for us an eternal reward even though we fail, stumble, Paul did, he wasn't perfect by his own admission, that You have forgiven our sins, and we understand what You mean by faithfulness to the very end. Not perfect, but faithful. Never scandalizing Your church or smearing Your name, bringing reproach upon the truth, always a faithful soldier, always a striving runner, always a careful steward of the treasure of the truth to the very end may it be true of us so that we can enter the fullness of the reward You've prepared for all love You, we pray in Your Son's name, Amen.
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Doughty tweeted out Word probably off to JMU as he doesnt want to -- Mg234 03/15/2017 5:07PM
No disrespect to JMU or Howard, but both guys showed potential -- Hoos1&1 03/15/2017 5:50PM
Agree in principle re P5... but at this moment, JMU is a step up from UVa ** -- WahooWade 03/23/2017 7:18PM
"No offense and No Disrespect" mean the same thing :) -- andLeftyToo 03/15/2017 8:36PM
Actually, both JMU and Richmond have had a fair amount of success getting -- 71wahoo 03/15/2017 11:02PM
No that is borderline delusional: UVA has 20+ active NFL player; JMU has 6 -- Quaker 03/16/2017 10:57AM
If you are good enough, the scouts will find you ** -- rd280z 03/16/2017 09:52AM
Former FCS defensive POY from JMU is currently playing for the Steelers ** -- Hooddihsm 03/16/2017 08:09AM
Charles Haley was pretty good... ** -- HOOWIZ 03/16/2017 07:44AM
So was Gary Clark. ** -- hoodeyo 03/19/2017 7:42PM
William Campbell High School. Naruna, VA. -- jdubforwahoowa 03/16/2017 08:35AM
I completely agree, but I respect Word not wanting to sit for a year. ** -- Mg234 03/15/2017 5:52PM


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An Urban Dreamers Thoughts and lifestyle. Also thoughts that are caught in pipelines and dreams.
- Emikos Weird Unexplained thoughts
- Blogger for over 11 years !!!!!!( two blogs)Doctor of Business Student, New small business owner I live for God, Anime, coffee, rain boots, food and my cats.


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33rd Degree 2013 was held in historic Warsaw, Poland on March 13-15. For those of you not familiar with it, dubbed "the Conference for Java Masters" this is the premier Java conference for Poland. It attempts to bring together elite speakers in the Java community across the globe. This was my first time at the conference and I most certainly thought the conference lived up to its promise. Just some notable speakers included Tim Berglund, Adam Bien, Ted Neward, Dan North, Simon Ritter, Venkat Subramaniam, Geertjan Wielenga and Kai Wahner.
I delivered three full-house talks, all on the second day of the conference. The first was my talk on Java EE 7 and 8 titled "JavaEE.Next(): Java EE 7, 8, and Beyond". The talk was primarily along the same lines as Arun Gupta's JavaOne 2012 technical keynote. I covered the changes in JMS 2, the Java API for WebSocket (JSR 356), the Java API for JSON Processing (JSON-P), JAX-RS 2, JPA 2.1, JTA 1.2, JSF 2.2, Java Batch, Bean Validation 1.1, Java EE Concurrency and the rest of the APIs in Java EE 7. I also briefly talked about the possible contents of Java EE 8. The talk had standing room only with 400+ attendees. The slides for the talk are here:
My second talk was on the Java API for WebSocket/JSR 356 titled "Building HTML5/WebSocket Applications with JSR 356 and GlassFish". The talk is based on Danny Coward's JavaOne 2012 talk. The talk covers the basic of WebSocket, the JSR 356 API and a simple demo using Tyrus/GlassFish. The talk went very well and there were some very good questions. This was a full session as well with 150+ attendees. The slides for the talk are here:
The code samples are available here: //cdn.app.compendium.com/uploads/user/e7c690e8-6ff9-102a-ac6d-e4aebca50425/f4a5b21d-66fa-4885-92bf-c4e81c06d916/File/b003cbabe839fd5a061ec8d232cb5fbf/totd183_hellowebsocket.zip. Give me a shout if you need help getting it up and running.
To my delight, the 33rd Degree folks were very interested in my domain-driven design/Java EE talk (titled "Applied Domain-Driven Design BluePrints for Java EE"). The talk has three parts -- a brief overview of DDD theory, mapping DDD to Java EE and actual running DDD code in Java EE/GlassFish. I converted the well-known DDD sample application (http://dddsample.sourceforge.net/) written mostly in Spring 2 and Hibernate 2 to Java EE 7. My eventual plan is to make the code available via a top level java.net project. Even despite the broad topic and time constraints, the talk went very well. The room was fully packed with 400+ people and I got excellent feedback on the talk later. The slides for the talk are here:
The code examples are available here: //cdn.app.compendium.com/uploads/user/e7c690e8-6ff9-102a-ac6d-e4aebca50425/f4a5b21d-66fa-4885-92bf-c4e81c06d916/File/e352ae0f11d7ebf0e354d1401fa556c1/cargo_tracker.zip for now, as a simple zip file. Give me a shout if you would like to get it up and running.
Besides presenting my talks, I got to attend some great sessions on Java SE, JavaScript/HTML5, NoSQL and mobile. It was also good to catch up personally with Adam, Kai, Simon and Geertjan.
On a more personal note, I was very curious to explore the heavy metal scene in Poland because I know there have been many brilliant but seriously underrated Polish metal bands like Vader and Behemoth. Luckily for me, bitter cold Winter Friday nights are metal nights in Warsaw. I got to check out some of the city's best young metal bands at the storied Metal Cave.
I definitely enjoyed 33rd Degree 2013 and hope to be part of the conference again next year.


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I read your profile today and it was so good to me.u know that i am interested to be a friend first.i also believe that coming to you will be a probability of meeting that very love that has been lacking in my entire life. please i will like you to contact me direct to my e-mail address, ([email protected]yahoo.com) i dont know the posebility of remaing in forum for long time,i will give you a full introduction of my self with my pictures ok. i will be waiting for your mail to my e-mail adsdress([email protected]yahoo.com) as you know
there is no age,race,colour n religion bar when it comes to true love,
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To say I've been obsessed lately with moisturizing my skin and brightening my complexion would be a huge understatement. Winter takes a toll on the skin and I find that I'm constantly fighting the dry air and dulling affect it has on my skin. So when I saw Neutrogena's new Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector, I thought I'd give it a try.
The packaging reminds me of Bobbi Brown's new Tinted Eye Brightener in that is a click-pen style with a brush affixed. In fact, I was hoping I would love it as much as I love Bobbi Brown's version because it's about $25 less! It's available in a range of shades, and I picked it up in Fair.
Sadly, I don't love this product. In fact, I'm not even sure I like it. It certainly has potential, but the formula is incredibly thick. It's intended to be used as both a concealer and a brightener – so it pulls double duty – but the formula consistency makes it incredibly difficult to blend. I do like that it includes SPF 25, but can't help but think it somehow impacts the consistency. I worked with this for a few days before I finally gave up. It just sat underneath my eyes and I never felt like I was able to really blend it into my skin. It is better when mixed with an eye cream but that's a step I don't think you should have to add with this type of product.
My verdict is to "leave it." I think there are other products out there that can do a better job.


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By Sheila E at September 10 2019 01:08:26
Small business wireless phone plans plan verizon data. Business plan femtocell wikipedia verizon small wireless plans att rate data. Small business wireless phone plans plan verizon data. Small business wireless phone plans att rate. Business wireless internet pricing unwired small phone plans plan rogers.
I often see people split into two camps. On one hand those who almost ignore competitors in their business plan, because they do not want to think about the issue yet and feel so confident they have a great idea for the market regardless. But I recommend not being overconfident when it comes to competitors. They are still there for a reason, they are still around and in business for a reason, so view them with that in mind.


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Everyone has their own definition of comfort food and while tough to formally define what it is because it changes from person to person, we all know what it means to us. Whether your taste buds lean to the sweet or savory side of things, the result is still the same - it's that special something you eat when you want to feel comforted. It's that one dish that you like to cozy up to. I usually find that these sorts of dishes aren't complicated and in fact, are quite the opposite. Isn't it all about the simple things in life, anyway?
To me, my taste buds tend to crave the salt, but that doesn't mean I don't like the sweet side of things too. Simply enough, one of my favorite sweet comfort foods is a good Rice Krispie Treat. Crackly from the cereal and sweet from the melted marshmallows, I can't get enough. What's more, they are a total blank canvas for other candies and cookie crumbles to work their way into, heightening this humble after school snack.
The other day a client had requested assorted baked goods for a party that she was throwing this weekend. She wanted it to be a very casual evening and requested a fun menu. While simple by design, I couldn't think of anything more fun than Chocolate Chip Oreo Rice Krispie Treats. No frills, no tricks and glitz, just a simple and satisfying treat. I was sure to make a double batch, I knew all too well I wouldn't be able to keep away from them..
Chocolate Chip Oreo Rice Krispie Treats
- About 20 Oreo Cookies
- 5 cups Rice Krispies
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 5 cups mini marshmallows
Line a 9 x 11 cake pan with parchment paper or grease the sides of it with butter. Set aside. Using a resealable sandwich bag, crush the Oreo cookies with the back of a spoon. In a large bowl, mix the Oreo cookie crumbles with the Rice Krispie Treats and add the chocolate chips. Set aside.
In a medium-sized sauce pan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter thoroughly and add the Vanilla Extract. Gradually stir in the marshmallows. Continuously stir them until they melt and combine with the butter. Working quickly, pour the hot marshmallow mixture over the Rice Krispies and gently stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and press the mixture down into the pan with your hands. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Remove Rice Krispie Treats from pan and cut into triangles or desired shape. Store in a airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.


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With a huge bipartisan Senate immigration bill prepared for a first round of legislative edits this week, senators on Tuesday questioned top national security officials about whether the proposal's efforts to secure the country's borders can be achieved – or if they're sufficient at all.
Homeland Security officials testifying at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee praised the comprehensive approach taken by the Senate's bipartisan "Gang of Eight" and said the proposed policy would guard against a "third wave" of illegal immigration into the United States.
"We are confident that it's the right formula," David Heyman, Assistant Secretary for Policy for the Department of Homeland Security, told the panel.
Robert Galbraith / Reuters
Demonstrators carry signs during an immigration rally on May Day in the Mission District in San Francisco, California May 1, 2013.
But, as the bill's allies and foes prepare to amend the legislation this week, Republicans on the committee said that the bill will languish in Congress if its security measures are not substantially strengthened.
Sen. Rand Paul, an influential Tea Party-affiliated lawmaker whose verdict on the final bill could help sway undecided Republicans, warned that without beefing up the measure's security proposals, the massive legislation will fail – if not in the Senate, then in the GOP-controlled House.
"I am worried that the bill before us won't pass," said the Kentucky senator. "I want to be constructive in making the bill strong enough that conservatives – myself included and conservative Republicans in the House – will vote for this, because I think immigration reform is something we should do."
Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the committee, said that the bill's criteria for defining a "secure border" must be dramatically more specific before the measure's proponents can hope to see it pass.
"If we're going to get immigration reform through – if you're going to get it through the House – we're going to have to do a whole lot more on what is the definition of a controlled border than what is in this bill," Coburn said.
As written, the legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security to achieve an "effectiveness rate" of 90 percent per fiscal year in the most high-risk areas of the southern border, meaning that nine of 10 individuals who attempt to cross the border illegally are either apprehended or turned back by border patrol personnel. (Coburn argues that the calculation fails to take into account illegal immigrants whose entry is not detected by security forces.)
If that requirement is not met within five years, a commission made up of border-state governors and experts will be convened to help achieve it; failure to meet the goal would eventually delay eligibility for undocumented immigrants who have achieved probationary legal status to apply for green cards.
Capitol Hill lawmakers express hope for the Senate's immigration overhaul framework.
The notion of such "triggers" is unsavory to some pro-immigrant groups who worry that stricter border-security criteria could severely delay or even completely torpedo the bill's "path to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants.
But, with opposition mounting from groups like Jim DeMint's Heritage Foundation, Republican supporters of the measure say that stringent border requirements must be bolstered to woo skittish conservatives to support comprehensive reform.
"A path to citizenship is in this bill and it's based on the fact that the border's going to be controlled," said Coburn. "And if in fact the American people can't trust that the border's controlled, you're not going to be able to pass this bill."
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a key conservative architect of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" measure that will be marked up in the Senate Judiciary Committee later this week, has pledged to help improve the border security "triggers" embedded in the legislation.
That markup is scheduled to begin Thursday.
Related story: Conservative group pegs cost of immigration reform at $6.3T
This story was originally published on Tue May 7, 2013 2:02 PM EDT


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Saturday July 20, 2019; 10:21 am EDT
The South County Democratic Club responded to President Barack Obama's call for a National Day of Service on January 19 by organizing a food drive for the South County Assistance Network, SCAN.
We were honored to have our District 5 Congressman, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, join us to deliver food items.
Nearly 90 friends of the South County Democratic Club collected food for SCAN, located at St. James Parish in Lothian. Currently SCAN provides supplemental food to about 200 families each month, and at this time they needed several staples — peanut butter, jelly, and muffin mix — and were low on pork and beans, pasta and soups.
The club also purchased 100 jars of peanut butter, 100 jars of jelly and 100 muffin mixes as a wholesale donation by Shady Side Market's owners, Scott and Skip Catterton. Renno's Market owner Mohan Grover provided frozen meats and other staples.
By the end of the afternoon, the South County Democratic Club's donations filled SCAN's shelves with overflow boxes and stacked crates were on tables and the floor. Donations are always needed and can be dropped at St. James Parish at any time by following the signs to SCAN.


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|The Official Keeping Up Appearances Fan Club & Forum
Welcome to the Bucket residence (that is pronounced 'Bouquet'). To get full access to my house please log in or create an account, that way I will be assured that you are a truly superior person, who will not brush against my wallpaper! Don't forget to take your shoes off, as stains on my wood block flooring are a pain to remove.
By the way, Harold Snoad who is the director of Keeping Up Appearances, is our resident celebrity. That will show Mrs Barker-Finch who really has friends in high places!
Best Wishes,
Hyacinth Bucket


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Morocco Hotels
Number of hotels in this location - 8
Map Key:
Morocco is situated in North Africa and is famed for its long northern coastline, striking Atlas Mountains, southern Sahara Desert, traditional cuisine and mint tea. Visit the colourful capital Marrakech with its lively Souks (markets), striking Koutoubia Mosque and 16th Century Saadian Tombs.
Most flights from the UK will arrive into Marrakesh Menara Airport, add an airport taxi transfer onto your booking for an easy start to your break and a quick journey to your Marrakech hotel.
- Marrakech is one of Morocco?s largest cities and a major tourist destination. Known as the "Red City" its highlights include world famous square, Jemaa el-Fnaa, traditional Souk markets and impressive city walls, gates and ramparts. Cultural sites include the Museum of Islamic Art, Ben Youssef Mosque and the Museum of Moroccan Arts. Make sure you try delicious local cuisine such as tanjia marrakshia and green tea with mint.
- Agadir is located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. Famous for its beaches which are great for surfing as well as relaxing and soaking up the sun. Other highlights of Agadir include the Valley of the Birds, the marina with its Moorish architecture and Souk El Had, one of the largest markets in Morocco.
- Ouarzazate is a city on the edge of the Sarah desert which is most famous as a location for films and TV programmes. Such films as Lawrence of Arabia, The Living Daylights and epic TV series Game of Thrones have been shot here over the years. Ait Benhaddou outside the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its red clay buildings. Add an Ouarzazate - 1 Day Tour to your Superbreak booking.
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Hotels in Morocco
Agadir, situated on the southern part of Morocco's Atlantic coastline, enjoys over 340 days of sunshine a year and is a modern resort. An earthquake destroyed much of the old town in 1960 but life around the harbour continues as it has always done and the views from the 16th Century Kasbah are breathtaking.
Casablanca is Morocco's modern metropolis but with a rich heritage of art deco architecture fused with North African elements as a tangible reminder of its French colonial past. Fez is a maze of stone, marble and plaster surrounded by orchards. As the spiritual centre of Morocco, the old town lives in the shadow of the minarets.
Essaouira is a mass of white washed houses on the Atlantic Coast. The architecture is a charming mix of Portuguese, Berber and French influences and the town enjoys a laid-back atmosphere. The ancient harbour bustles with a lively fishing market and the artistic Old Quarter is a maze of winding alleyways.
Morocco's second largest city – and the former capital – Fes is a vibrant location for a short break or getaway. Known as the 'Athens of Africa', this 8th century city has two old town quarters. Don't miss the UNESCO-listed area of Fes El-Bali, the stunning Madrasas and the fascinating ancient process of Moroccan leather-tanning.
Nestled at the foot of the picturesque Atlas Mountains, Ouarzazate charms visitors with its spectacular desert setting and architectural flair. An ideal base for hiking, 4x4 driving and mountain biking, take time to discover the ancient Kasbah ruins and remote villages before sampling the delicious cuisine in the famous Chez Dimitri Restaurant. As the setting of films such as Star Wars and The Gladiator, be sure to pay a visit to the nearby film studio!
Be captivated by Morocco's second largest city, home to historical monuments, exquisite embroidery and traditional cuisine. Wander the Casbah des Oudaya narrow streets, marvel at the colourful Andalusian Gardens or watch the changing of the Royal Guard at the spectacular Royal Palace. After a busy day sightseeing, head to the Medina and relax in one of the many restaurants, bars or clubs.
A historically significant port town, right on the Atlantic coastline in west Morocco, vibrant Safi has a fascinating past. Once an outpost of the Portuguese Empire during the 15th and 16th century, a fortress built during this time still stands in the city to this day. Famous for its sardine-fishing, as well as for exporting textiles and ceramics, Safi is one of Morocco's oldest cities.
The 'White City' charms visitors with its traditional cuisine, colourful souks and energetic atmosphere. Spend time taking in the sights from the Grand Socco market square to the beautiful Mendoubia Gardens. Tangier's big attraction is undoubtedly its beaches; enjoy camel riding and windsurfing or simply relax whilst sipping a refreshing cocktail at one of the numerous beach bars.
Please note that information contained in these location guides was correct at the time of research, but may be liable to change. Any mentioned attractions/points of interest can change or close. Maps are a guide only. If you do find any inaccuracies or know of something you feel deserves inclusion in our guides, please email your comments to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Hamas's military apparatus is tied to Iran.
12:42 PM, Nov 14, 2012 • By LEE SMITH
Earlier today, Israel struck at dozens of targets inside Gaza, including Ahmed Jabari, Hamas's chief of staff and a senior official in the organization's military outfit, the Izz ad-din al-Qassam Brigades. Jabari was behind the abduction of Gilad Shalit, and planned the 2007 coup that left Hamas in complete control of Gaza. Sources claim that other passengers in the targeted car riding with Jabari were also killed, including his son, his bodyguard, and Ahmed al-Zahhar, the brother of Hamas's cofounder Mahmoud al-Zahhar. According to some sources, the assassination of Jabari may be Israel's most successful direct hit since it targeted Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus in 2008.
In addition to eliminating Jabari, Israel has also reportedly killed another military official, Raed al-Attar, Jabari's second in command. What Israeli officials are calling Operation Pillar of Defense has also concentrated on Hamas's arsenal, especially its long- and medium-range missiles, some of which are believed capable of reaching Israel's northernmost cities. "Israel has had more than 800 missiles fired on its citizens over the last year," an Israeli official told me this morning. "We held fire for a year but decided that it's enough. We won't let Hamas hold our cities hostage."
If Hamas retaliates by firing more missiles at Israeli cities, the official told me, "Ground forces will be sent in. Already ground forces are on high alert and heading to the Gaza border. We can expect at least a few days of heavy action, if not more. There is no time limit for this operation."
Israel's last large campaign against Hamas, Operation Cast Lead, was waged shortly before Obama's 2009 inauguration. The timing of the current campaign should allow the Israelis much more flexibility in achieving their goals, which in addition to eliminating Hamas figures also includes degrading the military capacity of Gaza's ruling authority. Presumably, the Iranians will be watching very closely how the White House treats the situation, whether it tries to restrain the Netanyahu government or encourages and even assists Jerusalem in a campaign against what are effectively Iranian assets.
Hamas's military apparatus is tied to Iran, says Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. "Anyone who is part of the Qassam Brigades gets Iranian training." Schanzer believes that today's operations against Hamas positions in Gaza are likely related to last month's bombing of a factory in Sudan, believed to have been the work of the Israeli military.
"That's known to be an Iranian weapons depot that was hit in Khartoum," says Schanzer. "Those weapons go to Gaza. The reason the Israelis attacked last month is because they saw weaponry that concerned them. What we may be seeing now is the second leg of a two-part operation. The Israelis are now going after whatever weapons might have reached Gaza and the people who procured them."


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Reviewed By: Diane
Posted: Saturday, September 17, 2011
Location: Williamsport, PA
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