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Let's open our Bibles then together tonight to Revelation chapter 7. And we have much in store for us as the Word of God is opened.
Coming to chapter 7, of course, is somewhat of a significant milestone in this book, it means that the foundational six seals are behind us, which lay out really the judgment of God over the period of time called the Tribulation which is yet to come. And seven is slid right in between the sixth and the seventh seal. If you look at chapter 8 verse 1, "When He broke the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour." So we're taking a bit of a respite here in the fury of the sixth seal before the seventh and final seal is broken.
After all of the furious devastating judgment of chapter 6, the first six seals, this chapter offers a moment of calm, a moment of promise, a moment of hope. It offers insight into escape. To borrow the words of an Old Testament prophet, "In the midst of wrath God remembers mercy."
Now as we have been learning, the future of our world will bring a time of unbelievable terror, a time of horror, a time of slaughter. It will come from the hand of the very one who made the world, the very one who entered the world as a baby, the very one who was crucified and rose again, even the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who is unrolling the seven-sealed scroll. He is the one who is taking charge of His universe in this prophetic picture. He along with the one who sits on the throne, His Father, God Almighty, are effecting these powerful judgments on the earth.
As we went through the sixth seals we saw how the period of wrath to come is described in six different phases. First there is a false peace, then war, then famine, then pestilence and death, then vengeance, and then fear as the final day of the Lord comes crashing in in the sixth seal. I also told you that the sixth seal described in chapter 6 verses 12 to 17 is what triggers the day of the Lord. The sixth seal and the day of the Lord are really synonymous, as I understand Scripture, although what has come before is the work of God and the wrath of God, it is preliminary to the final great day of wrath as it's called in verse 17 which we could call the day of the Lord. And that's typically what God does. There are preliminary judgments that act as a warning, and then the final day of the Lord comes. We see that historically even as we see it here prophetically.
The world up to this time, that is up to the sixth seal, has not been willing to acknowledge God. Believers in the world, people have been converted and so there are believers in the world, and believers in the world have been giving testimony to the Word of God and telling people that this that is happening to them is the judgment of God. But they are not believed. Ultimately they are persecuted and killed, if possible, in an attempt to silence them.
Finally when the sixth seal hits, however, the world cannot escape that this is God. They know it. And in verse 16 they say, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come. And who is able to stand?"
When the culminating fury comes, they know it's God. It is then that most likely they will acknowledge that all that they have been experiencing has come from the hand of God as manifestation of His judgment. They are, as we noted last time, scared to death. I quoted you out of Luke where the Bible tells us that they will faint for fear, and the word "faint" means to die. Some of them during this time of the sixth seal will be scared to death. The ones that don't die out of fear are going to want to be dead and they're going to cry for the rocks to crush their life out, rather than have to face God and Christ alive...thinking perhaps that way they'll escape.
What they say at the very end of verse 17 is very important for understanding the next chapter, because they ask the question, "Who is able to stand?" And that question is in part answered in chapter 7. In fact, we could safely say that chapter 7 is the answer to that question. "Who will survive the divine fury? Who will survive the anger and wrath of God? Who will survive the collapsing universe?" And the worst is yet to come. Trumpet judgments in chapters 8 and 9, bowl judgments, as they're called in chapter 16, and all of them seemed to be embraced within the horrors of the sixth seal. Who can survive it? When you look at the sixth seal and the seven trumpets and the seven bowl judgments and you add the cumulative effect together, the question is a very good question...who can survive? And chapter 7 helps us answer that.
First of all, let me quickly say that the ungodly can't survive. They will not survive. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, we've gone back to that book numerous times in our study because they're so closely related. It says at the end of verse 3, "They shall not escape." And, of course, it's speaking of the unbelievers who will feel the fury of destruction from the hand of God. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, it says, "That when the Lord Jesus...verse 7...is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, He will deal out retribution to those who do not know God, to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction." There is nothing in that passage either that gives a glimmer of hope to any unbeliever that he or she might survive the wrath of God.
In chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians, and verse 12, it says, "In order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness." The day of the Lord in terms of its effect on the ungodly seems to be absolutely comprehensive. So the ungodly will not survive. But there are some people who will survive the holocaust of God's wrath. They'll live through the sixth seal. They'll live through the trumpet judgments. They'll live through the bowl judgments. And they will actually go in to the millennial Kingdom alive. All of the judgment fury of God will miss them. All of the holocausts that are going on in the natural world around them will not touch them. They will also be protected from the murderous efforts of Antichrist and the rest of the world that aligns with him, to wipe out the Jews and the Christians. They'll survive it all...the wars, the famines, the earthquakes, the plagues, they'll survive it all, every bit of it. They will survive rampant sinfulness, running amuck on the earth as the restrainer, the Holy Spirit, let's go and sin runs its course. They'll survive the belching out of hell, of previously bound demons who will increase the demon force on the earth. They will survive the terror of Antichrist who rules the world and sets himself up as the only God to be worshiped. They will survive his blaspheming, his murderous intent. They will survive all of his enterprise, this man who has desecrated the temple, set himself up as God, committed an abomination there. They'll survive it all. And they'll go right on in to the Kingdom.
Who are these people that will survive? Well let's meet one group of them, chapter 7 verse 1. "After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, `Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads.' And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144 thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed; from the tribe of Reuben..." and then it goes on...Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Now this is a fascinating section and a fascinating group. It is obviously the logical answer to the question at the end of chapter 6, as I said. "In the midst of judgment there is to be mercy." As I read that I was reminded of that wonderful and hopeful and encouraging text in the last book of the Old Testament, namely the book of Malachi. It too talks about the day of the Lord. In chapter 3 and verse 16, "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another and the Lord gave attention and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name."
What were they talking about? Well they were speaking to each other cause they were hearing the prophecy about the day of the Lord and they were saying to each other, "I wonder what will happen to us," and the prophet says, "The Lord knows about them and the Lord has a book and in that book are written the names of those who fear the Lord." And when the day of His fury hits, verse 17 says, "They will be Mine. On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will prepare My own possession, I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. For behold, the day...that's the day of the Lord...is coming, burning like a furnace and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff." That again is the universal destruction of the ungodly. "And the day is coming that will set them ablaze, says the Lord of host, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch, but for you who fear My name, the Son of righteousness will rise with healing in His beams and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall."
I think what he is saying as he looks at the end time of the day of the Lord is that God will protect the righteous. And they will enter in to His Kingdom. Whereas He will destroy all of the wicked.
Now we see a glimpse of that right here in this text that I just read to you. God knows who belongs to Him and God knows how if He chooses to protect them. In the destruction that He brought in the Flood, He knew how to protect the eight people that He wanted to protect. In the destruction that came in the city of Jericho, He knew how to protect the one woman He wanted to protect, Rahab. In the destruction that came to Sodom and Gomorrah, which was massive and wholesale, He knew how to protect the family He wanted to protect, that's the family of Lot. And when He set about to devastate, destroy and slaughter in the land of Egypt, He knew how to protect those He wanted to protect there as well. God knows who He wants to protect.
And the wrath will come and the wrath belongs to those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And when the full fury of that wrath hits, it's going to consume the ungodly but some of the godly will survive and one of the groups that will survive is here identified as these 144 thousand, twelve thousand out of each of the tribes of Israel.
Now let me just digress for a moment so that I can give you some broader picture here. We look at the period of the seven-year Tribulation as a time of judgment and indeed it is, as it unfolds in the seven seals, it is a time of judgment, as the trumpets and bowls will affirm. But it is also a time of redemption. And we need to remember that.
That same seven-year period is a time of salvation, a time of redemption. Yes, God will judge Satan and God will judge demons and God will judge sinners, but God will also redeem. We meet the redeemed out of this time period, don't we, back in chapter 6 where we see under the altar the souls of those who were slain because of the Word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained. And we meet those who were redeemed out of this period in chapter 7, starting in verse 9, a great multitude, nobody could even count them. They come out of every nation and tribe and people and tongue and they stand before the throne and before the Lamb and they're clothed in white robes and they have palm branches in their hands. And they are singing about salvation. And verse 14 says, "These are those who come out of the Great Tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Now would you notice a distinction there? The first group in chapter 6 is in heaven. They're under the altar in heaven. The second group appears to be standing on the earth. There will be people redeemed during that time period, some will die and go to heaven, some will live to enter the Kingdom. Many of the Gentile believers will die from the persecution. Some of them surely will die from the physical factors of earthquakes and famines and pestilences and the breakup of the universe and asteroid showers and meteorite showers and the chaos in the universe. But some of them will survive and go into the Kingdom. Even those who die will be immediately ushered into the presence of the Lord, won't they? True Christians may die in the persecution but that's not God's wrath. That's God's grace because when they die, they leave all the persecution to enter into the glory of the presence of the Lord. And certainly the suffering of this world, as Paul said in Romans 8, isn't worthy to be compared with the glory which belongs to those who know Him.
True Christians may die in the earthquakes, and die in the famines and the plagues and destructions that come in the seals and trumpets and bowls. That...that probably will happen. There's no reason to assume that it won't, but that's not God's wrath on them. The persecution isn't God's wrath on them, and neither is the judgment that falls in the world that may cause their death. That's simply another way for them to be ushered into God's presence also. So those believers among the Jews and those believers among the Gentiles who die in the persecution will enter into the presence of the Lord. And those who die in the terrible judgments of the world will really escape them.
But there will be many Gentiles and many Jews who will not die. They will survive to populate the Kingdom. We know that the Jews will be living on the earth in the Kingdom. That's clearly promised in the Scripture. It is also promised, as we shall see in the Scripture, that all the nations of the world during the Kingdom are going to be coming to Jerusalem and they're all going to be looking at the Christ, they're going to be hanging on the coattails of a Jew, every Jew says the Old Testament prophet will have had ten Gentiles hanging on his clothes, saying, "Lead me to the Messiah."
So there are going to be nations of the world in the Kingdom as well as the nation of Israel, which means that some of them have to survive into the Kingdom. The only ones that will survive will be believers. Jesus made this very clear in Matthew chapter 25 when He said, "In the separation process I separate between the sheep and the goats. The goats represent the ungodly who are cast into outer darkness. The sheep represent the Christians who go into the Kingdom. When the Kingdom is initiated, the thousand-year Kingdom, it is populated only by believers, believers of the nation Israel, believers of the nations of the world that God allows to survive the persecution and survive all of the holocausts of the world, and they become the populous that starts out the millennial Kingdom and they begin to reproduce and populate the world during that thousand-year reign of Christ.
Now among those who will survive is this very, very unique group. We do know that the Lord is going to save Israel during this time. The prophets call this time the time of Jacob's trouble, but it is also the time of Jacob's conversion. It is the time when Zechariah speaks very directly to the salvation of the nation Israel. Listen to what he says, chapter 12 verse 10, "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn." They're going to see Christ for who He was. In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo." And goes on to talk about the mourning.
Verse 1 of chapter 13, "In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for impurity." There's going to be salvation. Down in verse 9 he says, "I'll bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, I will answer them, I will say they are My people and they will say the Lord is my God." That's the conversion of Israel.
Two out of three of them will be purged out. Ezekiel talks about the purging out of the rebels, chapter 20 and verse 38. One third will remain after the purging and that third will be the redeemed Israel who have looked upon the Messiah and seen Him for who He really is.
Chapter 14 of Zechariah says, "Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle. The city will be captured. The houses plundered. The women ravished. Half the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when He fights on a day of battle, and in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which is in the front of Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle, from east to west by a very large valley so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south." The Lord's going to make a valley right through the very heart of the land of Israel, right from the Mediterranean Sea, moving right through the city of Jerusalem, He'll cut a huge valley. And into that valley will gather the nations and separate them, the sheep from the goats.
You will flee by the valley of My mountain, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel, yes, you will flee just like you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come and all the holy ones with Him."
Looking at the coming of Christ in the eyes of Zechariah he sees it as a time of Israel's conversion, and a time when all the nations are called together to be devastated by the coming Christ to be judged as to whether or not they enter His Kingdom. So there will be then at the end of this time period a protection of certain people from the nations and certain from Israel who have come to faith in Christ and they will go into the Kingdom. As I said, many of the believing people will be killed, but not all of them...not all of them.
This is the time of which Paul spoke when he said, "All Israel will be saved." God purges out the rebels, the rest see their Messiah, believe, are redeemed. And we don't know of that number how many, but obviously a large number will survive all of this and enter in to the Kingdom.
Now among these people who survive is this group in Revelation chapter 7. Let's go back and look at them. And I need to give you that context so you'd understand it. They're not the only survivors, but they're a very unique group and their survival is crucial to the rest of the survivors, and I'll show you why.
These folks have been saved earlier. I think it's important to note that. It isn't telling us that at the time the sixth seal hits 144 thousand people become converted. No. I think long before this they have become converted. Long before this they have looked on Him whom they have pierced and mourned for Him as an only son. Long before this they have understood the saving message of the gospel of Christ. Long before this they have heard the testimony of the Word and believed. They have been saved earlier than this, they have been preserved up till now and now as the final fury hits, they will be singled out for special service and special protection. They don't experience temporal wrath or eternal wrath. Other believers will experience the temporal judgment and not the eternal one as they may die in the persecution or in the holocaust that takes place.
Now the division unfolds in three perspectives. Let's look at the first one. Let's call it wrath restrained...wrath restrained, verse 1, "After this," I hate to stop after two words, but I need to. "After this," is a very important phrase, you see it numerous times in the book of Revelation. Wherever you see it, it introduces a new vision...it introduces a new vision. And we saw back in chapter 4 verse 1 where we came to that vision of heaven, we see it again in chapter 7 down in verse 9, "After these things," and it usually is followed by idon(?) the verb I saw, I looked, and it signals John's new vision. The sixth seal vision is set aside now and he sees a new vision.
It is also safe to say that there could be a chronological perspective here as well. There seems to be a chronological perspective in the "after this" of chapter 4 verse 1, that is it moves on from what is being discussed in chapters 2 and 3, and this particular "after this" introducing a new vision seems to flow in chronology, as does the one in chapter 7 verse 9. So there is a note here that this ia new vision. But also, there can be a chronological sequence as well.
This scene seems to fit right in after the sixth seal is opened, right after the sixth seal begins to unfold, as described in verses 12 through 17, and before the trumpets and before the bowls are poured out in the real fury contained within that sixth seal. The scene then shifts from judgment to another vision. It's the vision not of the judgment on the ungodly but a vision of a special protection on the godly. He says, "In this vision I first of all saw four angels, four active, powerful agents of judgment, even in the parables of Jesus you see Him talking about the angels being a part of the final fury and the final judgment, these powerful active agents of judgment are carrying out God's will in this great time of the wrath of God. And John says, "I saw these four angels and they were standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree."
Now the angels are very powerful beings. Here you have four angels who can hold back wind...powerful beings. They work with the elements of nature. You see that elsewhere, and I don't want to take too much time but there are a couple of other places where you see that in the book of Revelation. Chapter 16 verse 5, there's an angel involved with controlling the waters. And in chapter 14 of Revelation in verse 18 there is another angel who has power over fire. An angel with power over fire, an angel with power over water, and here are four angels with power to control the wind. And Psalm 103 verse 20 says they are mighty in strength. It means just that.
Now they're standing at the four corners of the earth. And, you know, the skeptics will always say, "Well ha-ha, this was obviously written before people knew the world was round because the world doesn't have four corners." Well let me answer that by saying this, there are four points on a compass, is that not true? North, south, east and west...and those four places on the compass are the four points from which wind originates. We always say wind comes from the north or the south or the east or the west, or some variant of that, south by southwest, or north by northwest, or whatever, but everything configures around those four compass points, so it is accurate to describe it in that way.
It also tells us that this basically means the wind is not blowing. Quite an interesting phenomena. For whatever period of time this little interlude takes place, wind doesn't blow. In wanting to kind of understand this from a scientific standpoint, I looked up some material by Dr. Henry Morris who is a well-known creation scientist. Listen to what he wrote, "In terms of modern technology, it is essentially equivalent to what a mariner or a geologist would call the four quadrants of the compass or the four directions. This is evident also from the mention of the four winds which in common usage would be, of course, the north, west, south and east winds. Parenthetically, accurate modern geodetic measurements in recent years have proved that the earth actually does have four corners. There are four protuberances, those are things that stick out, you understand, there are four protuberances standing out from the basic geode, that is the basic spherical shape of the earth. The earth is not really a perfect sphere, it is slightly flattened at the poles. Its equatorial bulge is presumably caused by the earth's axial rotation and its four corners protrude from that. The meaning here is undoubtedly that the angels located in four different key positions on the earth, perhaps one at each pole and two at the opposite ends of a strategic equatorial diameter are able to control the great atmospheric circulation which governs the winds of the earth. When John first saw these four angels in particular, they were already engaged in the remarkable labor of restraining the great wind systems of the earth, keeping the winds from blowing on either land or sea. The circulation of the atmosphere...he writes...is a mighty engine driven by energy from the sun and from the earth's rotation. The tremendous powers involved in this operation become especially obvious when they are displayed in the form of great hurricanes and blizzards and tornadoes. These winds of the earth make life possible on earth through the hydrological cycle, transporting water inland from the ocean with which to water the earth, yet the angels, only four of them, have turned off this gigantic machine," end quote.
No wind, no breeze, no rustling of leaves, no waves breaking on the shore, everything is deathly still. No clouds moving. They're holding it back. The verb "holding back" gives you the idea that the wind would like to go, it wants to move. And they restrain it. It wants to be released. It wants to blow its fury. And believe me, it will. When those angels let go the wind will do its judgment damage.
That introduces us also to another component in the day of the Lord. We talked about the breakup of the universe and the stars falling and other aster bodies falling. We talked about earthquakes and the shaking of the whole universe. Add to that, that in all this chaos going on the wind is going to be magnified and accelerated so that there will be hurricane type effects on this globe. But not yet. Wind is often, by the way, associated with God's judgment. Jeremiah 49:36, 2 Samuel 22:11, Daniel 7:2, Hosea 13 and verse 15, God is associated with the wind. God moves in the fury of the wind.
And frankly, the next phase of God's judgment involves this. Go over to chapter 8 because this is really important. The angel there takes a censer in verse 5 of chapter 8 and fills it with fire from the altar and throws it to the earth. This is another one of these fiery bodies coming down to hit the earth. And following this, peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and all of a sudden what you see here is the angels are letting go.
"And the wind comes and it drives the storms, the thunder and the flashes of lightning. The earth begins to tremble. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them and the first sounded and there came hail and fire mixed with blood and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up. And a third of the trees were burned up. And all the green grass was burned up. And a second angel sounded and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea and a third of the sea became blood and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died. And a third of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters." And so forth.
What it said back in verse 1 was, hold back the wind so that it doesn't harm the earth, it doesn't harm the sea, and it doesn't harm any tree. What I just read you in chapter 8 was the fury of judgment that devastated the sea, that devastated the land and burned up a third of the trees. The very judgments described in the trumpet judgments are precisely what are being held back until this act can be carried out in chapter 7. The wind is roaring but restrained. And when it breaks loose, it becomes the agency which catapults this stuff into the earth and terrorizes the earth so that a third of the earth and a third of the sea, a third of the living plants and ultimately a third of humanity are massacred. But not yet. Wrath restrained.
Second point, saints sealed. Why is this wrath being restrained for a moment? Why is there a moment of calm in the midst of the storm? And you can only imagine...I don't know how long this will last but in all the fury that's been going on, when all of a sudden it comes to a stop, the world will wonder what has happened. And verse 2 says, "I saw another angel," John says, "he was ascending from the rising of the sun. And he was having the seal of the living God and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, and he said to them, `Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees.'" In other words, don't let that wind go. Don't let those trumpets be blown until we have sealed the servants, the doulos, the slaves of our God on their foreheads.
Now he says, "I saw another angel," another of the same kind, similar, let's put it that way, "I saw another angel similar to the other four." You say, "Well is this...could this be Christ?" People have said, "Could it be Christ?" I don't think so because of the use of the plural pronoun "we" in verse 3, "Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we..." and there that angel identifies himself with the other four angels at this point, although Christ can be identified in the Old Testament as the angel of the Lord, He's not coming back as an angel now, He's coming back as the glorified Christ. So this is another of these powerful angels who speaks to his four fellow angels.
Notice where he comes from. Quite an interesting note. It says, "The angel ascends from the rising of the sun." That's simply away of saying the east. The sun always rises in the east. The angel ascends from the east. Now John when he was experiencing all of this and writing, it was on the isle of Patmos in the Mediterranean toward the west, and to the east would be the land of Israel, the land of Messiah, God's promised land, and the land of the 144 thousand, the twelve tribes.
So John sees this coming from the holy land, and there is this angel and he ascends. And he has the seal of the living God. What is this? I have a ring on my finger that was made to me by...for me by my friend Felix Martin Delcampo(?) who's a dentist. He likes to tinker around with things and in 1985 when I became the president of the Master's College he made me this ring from gold that he uses as a dentist. I'm sure he replaced a number of gold fillings with something else and here they are on my finger. No, I don't believe that. But he likes to work with that. He said, "I want to make you a ring and I want to make you a ring that says `The Master's College' and has your logo and your initials and the date and the Scripture." And he made me this ring and gave it to me as a gift and it is a signet ring. It's really a replica of ancient rings that were used by officials or kings to lay their seal in clay. We don't use them that way anymore, but that's really what they were originally for. It has raised letters and a raised logo and if I dip it into something that might give it a slick surface and stick it into some soft dough or soft clay, it will leave the imprint.
This is the kind of seal that you have here in the word sphragis which often meant a signet ring, some king or official used to stamp documents. You remember how they would melt wax and then stamp into the wax the seal marking ownership, authenticity, and security. You find this used in the Old Testament, I don't need to take you to all the passages, Genesis 41, Esther chapter 3, chapter 8, Daniel chapter 6. And it was used to put the official authenticating seal of ownership and protection. This is mine, this is authoritative, this can't be opened because it's my possession, only by those who are authorized.
So here comes this angel, and he's got the seal. Not the seal of some earthly monarch but the seal of the living God. Not the seal of some dead idol, but the seal of the living God. Not the mark of some false teacher, but the true and living God.
People in ancient times knew about this because commonly there were logos similar to a signet ring like this that identified the deities of old. And some times when worshipers went to the temple to worship, they would have the signet of that deity tattooed on their body. That was not uncommon. Heraclitus writes about the fact that people commonly like to have the seal of their god put on their bodies so that they would be always identified as belonging to that deity.
Well, there's one dominating false deity in the time of the Tribulation who makes everybody do that, who is it? Antichrist. He makes everybody take the mark in the forehead or on the back of the hand. And if they don't, they're going to die. That is to say if they will not publicly identify with him as their God and take his mark, they will die. In chapter 13 of Revelation chapter 14, chapter 16, chapter 19 and chapter 20 it talks about the mark of the beast, the mark of the beast, the mark of the beast, which means the seal of the Antichrist that people take, that links them with him as belonging to him, following him.
So here comes the eternal God and He's got His own mark, and His own sphragis, His own seal. And this angel carrying the seal of the living God cries out with a loud voice to the other angels who are holding back the wind so it doesn't harm the earth and the sea and says, "Don't harm the earth, the sea, the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." Antichrist did it on his and we're going to do it on God's.
It's not new for God to put His mark on people. He put a mark on Lot when He wanted to save him. His mark was an angelic escort. He put a mark on the children of Israel who were to be spared in the slaughter of the firstborn, the mark was the sign of the cross on the doorposts and the lintel of the house. He put a mark on Rahab, a scarlet cord hanging from her window that marked her out as one whom the judgment would miss.
But the best illustration of this, a graphic one is back in Ezekiel chapter 9 and I want you to look at it. Ezekiel chapter 9 and verse 3, "Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub from which it had been to the threshold of the temple and he called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case." Ezekiel sees this vision and here is a guy who appears clothed in linen whose got a writing case. What's that? Well it would be a little case that he carried and in it would be ink, or in it would be some kind of a seal that could be put on parchment, put on papyrus, whatever it was, put on velum which is an animal skin. This guy's responsibility was to mark things, to write things.
Verse 4, "The Lord said to him, `Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.'" You go through the city and you find the holy people, you find the people who can't tolerate the fact that the sun is being worshiped in my temple, you find the people that can't tolerate the abominations of other gods in the temple. You find those people who are loyal to the true God and you put a mark on their heads. "But to the others He said, in my hearing, `Go through the city after him and strike, do not let your eye have pity and do not spare.'" Anybody who is not marked by the guy with the writing case, He says to the other of the hosts, kill them...kill them. "Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children and women. But do not touch any man on whom is the mark."
God says I'm coming in judgment and I'm going to spare the people that are marked. That is precisely the idea. Now you can return to Revelation chapter 7, precisely the idea here. Look at chapter 9, for a minute, of Revelation, verse 4. The fifth angel sounds in the opening of chapter 9, the bottomless pit opens up, smoke comes billowing out, and out of the smoke, locusts...and these probably refer to demonic hosts...and as these demons come belching out of the pit of hell, verse 4, "They were told they shouldn't hurt the grass of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." The seal of God then was a protection. It made these people invincible against the judgments. Anyone could die in the judgment, except those people marked out.
So the angel says in chapter 7, "Don't let the wind go, don't let the devastation carry on, don't blow the trumpets yet until we seal the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." The word "harm," do not harm the earth, in verse 3 indicates that this is a judgment wind and that the result would be devastating ruin. But it's got to wait. We need to seal them. These are the redeemed people that are to be protected.
And would you please notice they already belong to the Lord? They aren't saved here, they've been saved before this. They are redeemed people. I believe they are people who have lived faithfully, powerfully, effectively preaching the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. They have not died as martyrs, they're still alive. And they are to be protected. If you want to know a characterization of these people, look at chapter 14, this is crucial, chapter 14, verse 1, "I looked and behold the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, now the Lamb is back, He's returned, He's on the Mount and with Him are the 144 thousand." Guess what? They made it through. They were sealed and they were preserved. "And they had the mark." And what was the mark? Verse 1, "They had His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads." People say, "What's the mark...what's the mark?" There it is, that's the mark. They had the name of the Lamb and the name of the Father on their foreheads.
"And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters, like the sound of loud thunder and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders and no one could learn the song except the 144 thousand who had been purchased from the earth." That tells us they had been...what?...redeemed.
And what were they like? Verse 4, "These are the ones who had not been defiled with women...they were morally pure...they have kept themselves chaste, they are the ones who follows the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been purchased, redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb and no lie was found in their mouth, they are blameless."
You know what I see them as? Tribulation elders, qualified at that level, blameless, pure, undefiled with women, chaste, redeemed, following the Lamb obediently. They are a new kind of firstfruits to God. What does that mean? Firstfruits always means the initial...the initial ones, the first. When the full crop comes in, you have it all, but the firstfruit is the first crop to come. As men plant fields, they plant one field during this week, and maybe another field the next week, and so forth. And so they come in as staggered as they are planted. And when the firstfruits come in, that's an indication the full crop is coming. I see the 144 thousand as the firstfruits of a redeemed Israel...the firstfruits of a redeemed Israel. But they've already been converted. These are Jews who have come to Christ, Jews who have been redeemed, kept themselves pure and chaste, been obedient to the Lamb, done whatever He asked, no lie found in their mouths, they were honest, they had integrity and they were without any blame.
The most faithful, loyal, diligent, holy servants of the Lord during this time, they are the cream of the crop. They stood for Christ against everything while the world sinned and the world blasphemed and the world mocked and the world cursed. They were pure and they were devout and they were godly believers who served the Lord. And I personally believe they must have been very instrumental in the conversion of other Jews and Gentiles as well. They're really a missionary corps. And I think their sealing in some ways is a reward. They have been purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and the Lamb, firstfruits of a new redeemed Israel. The whole nation eventually will come, for all Israel shall be saved, says Romans chapter 11. I believe these 144 thousand have been instrumental in the salvation of other people in their own nation as well as other nations of the world. I believe that they are probably very much a part of what it says in Matthew 24:14 where we're reminded the gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, then the end will come. I believe they've been a part of that great missionary force.
Do you know right now probably there may be fifty thousand missionaries in the world today. And out of that fifty thousand, who knows how many of them are effective, other than God. But in this day, imagine 144 thousand totally committed, sold-out Jews who understand who their Messiah is, who are devoted to Him, who are holy, godly and pure and who have been instrumental in the salvation of many. That's this group. They have preached judgment, they have warned about the impending day of the Lord. They have called people to repentance right through the Tribulation time and now they are going to be delivered and they're going to go right on into the Kingdom time and they're going to keep on preaching in the Kingdom and to the people that are being born in the Kingdom who will be born, of course, still in sin because they'll be born by human parents, even though their parents are Christians, many of them will rebel and they will preach to them and call for repentance. They will go into the Kingdom and preach as they did during the time of the Tribulation.
I believe by their service, by their instrumentation, all Israel will be saved. When the Kingdom starts, each tribe will have its own land and each tribe will have one of the Apostles as its spiritual judge and leader. And they will evangelize the rest of the world and there will be twelve thousand in each of those tribes who are the leading evangelists and the leading missionaries, even during the Kingdom period.
You say, "Well when they get in the Kingdom they must be living a long time because it will take a while for babies to born, to grow up to reject Christ." That's right, they'll live a long time. In fact, the prophets said that a person who dies at the age of 100 will die as a baby. Life will be elongated. They will be spared because of their faithfulness and allowed to preach right through the judgment, be instrumental in the conversion of Israel and the innumerable hosts of Gentiles, I think, in verse 9 are part of the fruit of what's gone on in verses 1 to 8. God, I believe, will pick out the choice ones, the cream of the spiritual crop.
And a final point, Israel identified...wrath restrained, saints sealed, Israel identified. Who are they? It should be pretty clear since it tells us. It says in verse 4, "There were 144 thousand from every tribe of the sons of Israel." Now how hard is that to figure out? Some people say it's the Seventh Day Adventists, others say it's the Jehovah's Witnesses, some say it's the Mormons, some say it's the British Israelites. Many people today, even in America and evangelicalism say it's the church. I don't know how you get the church out of a statement like this, 144 thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. You don't even have to be Phi Beta Kappa to interpret this.
Now that does tell me something about election because I'll tell you one thing, just by sheer random human choice, you couldn't come up with twelve thousand from every tribe. So God must be involved. This is one of the great and hidden proofs of elective purpose in redemption. God knows the number He wants and He knows the number He wants from every tribe.
Here will come these powerful, godly Jews. They will be made jealous, Romans 11 says, I love that chapter, they will be made jealous by the church. I think it will start right after the Rapture. I think the Lord's going to convict their hearts and they're going to say, "Where did the church go? You mean to tell me that they went up to be with the Lord? You mean to tell me that what it says in John 14 happened, that the Lord was away preparing a place for them and He's now taken them to be where He is? But we're His people. What about us?" And Paul says they'll be provoked to jealousy and out of that jealousy they will turn to the Messiah. And they will be converted and redeemed and they will start witnessing. And then the Lord will take the best of them, twelve thousand out of every tribe, and He'll seal them so that they can't be touched and they'll go right on through the judgment and right on into the Kingdom to be His special evangelists.
Now just a couple of notes of great interest. You see the twelve tribes there...Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. I need to say this so that you'll not be confused. In the Old Testament there are a number of different listings of these tribes and they're different. Sometimes the order of birth is followed, such as in Genesis 29 through 35. Sometimes the order of Jacob's blessing is followed, such as in Genesis 49. Sometimes the order of encampment is followed, such as in Numbers chapter 2. Sometimes the order of the census before the invasion of Cana is followed, such as Numbers 26. Sometimes the order of blessing and cursing as in Deuteronomy 27. Sometimes the order of Moses' blessing, Deuteronomy 33. Sometimes the order of the princes in Numbers chapter 1. Sometimes the order of inheritance, Joshua 13 through 22. Sometimes the order by the wives and the concubines, 1 Chronicles 2 through 8. Sometimes the order of the gates of the city, such as Ezekiel 48. So the order changes a lot.
And there are sometimes variations even in the names. Let me show you why. There are several interesting things here. The first tribe named is Judah. But Judah wasn't the firstborn. Reuben was. Why isn't Reuben first? And the answer is, Judah is named first though he's not the firstborn of Jacob or Israel, because according to 1 Chronicles 5:1 Reuben lost his birthright because he sexually defiled his own father's bed and who he slipped down from the primogenitor role.
Then you have another interesting note, down in verse 7 it includes Levi. Now Levi was the priestly tribe from which the Levites come. And they never were given a territory. So why are they included here? They're usually kind of on the outside, they were the priests to the whole nation and never had a territory. Why are they included? And the answer is because Dan is left out. The tribe of Dan is left out because of gross idolatry. Dan was the only tribe that failed to conquer its territory, Judges chapter 1, and Dan wholly turned to idols, Judges 18. Because of Dan's gross sin and because in Deuteronomy 29 verses 18 to 21 it says that anyone who brings idolatry into Israel will have his name blotted out, the tribe of Dan is removed and Levi slips into his place to keep the twelve.
You will be happy to know that in the millennial listing of the tribes, Ezekiel 48, Dan is included. God's grace triumphs on Dan's behalf and Dan is brought into millennial glory but Dan is not protected through this because of idolatry.
Then one other note. Instead of having Ephraim and Manasseh you have in verse 6 Manasseh only, and down in verse 8 Joseph. Usually to get the listing of twelve, Levi not having a territory, the two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, are listed. But Ephraim is left out. Why? Because Ephraim was addicted to idols. Ephraim was a defector from the house of David and Ephraim was an ally of Judah's enemies. So some interesting notes here. So Ephraim's place is taken by his father, Joseph.
Do the Jews know what tribe they're a part of? Nope, no Jew knows, the records have been lost and destroyed at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., but God does. God knows. And isn't it amazing how pure the Jewish people have remained? They still have a tribal heritage. They just don't know what it is but God does. And there are still going to be twelve thousand out of every tribe.
It is possible that this could be emblematic, twelve being somewhat of a number of comprehensiveness or completeness, such as twelve apostles, twelve tribes, twenty-four elders, being a multiple of twelve. Some people think this could be representative of a wider range of Jews who are protected to enter into the Kingdom. We don't know that, it's possible. But for certain, there will be a hundred and forty-four thousand of them, there's no reason not to interpret this literally. The numbers in the other parts of the book of Revelation, such as 42 months, 1260 days, three and a half years, one thousand years, four angels, seven trumpets, seven seals, seven bowls, three unclean spirits we take literally, so why not a hundred and forty-four thousand?
Now in closing. This is a very critical passage. Why? Because it shows God has a great elective purpose for the Jew, that God has not finished with Israel. History has been unable to blot out the Jew, genocide has failed to remove him. Why? Because God wants them around.
You say, "Well what about the northern kingdom, didn't the northern kingdom, ten tribes, all get carried away into captivity and all that was left was a southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin? How you going to get the twelve tribes out of those two remaining ones?" Listen, very carefully. Yes when the kingdom divided ten tribes went to the north, yes they were taken away captive in 722, yes. But before they were ever taken captive, remnants from those ten tribes had filtered back down into the southern kingdom so that all twelve tribes were reconstituted even within Judah and Benjamin. The tribes aren't lost. God knows where they are and God is going to redeem Israel and He's going to chose twelve thousand from every tribe to be His witness nation.
That's so wonderful because the first time around Israel blew it. Didn't they? They were given this same opportunity once and they blew it, and next time they won't. They'll see their Messiah and they will become the witness nation God has always intended them to be. That's why He called them in the first place. He didn't call them to be an end, He called them to be a means to an end. He called them to be a witness nation. And they failed but the time will come when in His wonderful grace and His everlasting and unbreakable covenant He will come back to Israel, He will redeem Israel, He will purify them, He will put them in the place of being His witness nation, the greatest force of missionaries the world has ever known. And the result of their effort, a redeemed Israel and a redeemed humanity that is innumerable, according to chapter 7 and verse 9.
What does that tell me about God? That tells me that God is faithful no matter how complex and difficult it is. With all the grief that Israel has caused Him, it will not violate His ultimate purpose with that nation. We have a faithful God. Amen? Faithful God. And that moves right down to His relationship to those of us who are His children.
Father, thank You for our time tonight in Your Word. What a great, great section of Scripture. How enriched we are. How blessed it is to know that in the future Your people, Israel, who failed once to be Your witness nation will have a second opportunity and will succeed by the power of Your Holy Spirit. O Lord, how thankful we are for that. In the meantime, help us to have a tender heart toward Israel and to call them to Christ. We know that You even now will call a remnant from Israel of believing Jews who will embrace the Savor. We look forward to the day when all Israel will be saved and a worldwide revival like this world has never known will take place, from the greatest missionary force that have ever walked the globe, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, souls will be redeemed to enter into Your Kingdom. We pray for that great day and we in confident faith thank You that whatever You plan You bring to pass. In the meantime we thank You for redeeming us and calling us to Yourself and making us the witness nation for this time, may we be faithful, not unfaithful as was Israel. For Christ's sake. Amen.
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text: Hollywood has colonized post-apocalyptic stories, but the best world-ending tales started life as books. It's really fun to see the world fall apart on the big screen but spookier while reading about the destruction conjured by imaginative writers. We've seen Brad Pitt's World War Z (adapted from Max Brooks' original novel), but we love these books too.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Macau Special Administrative Region, (Traditional Chinese: 澳門特別行政區, Simplified Chinese: 澳门特别行政区, Cantonese Yale: O Mun Dak Bit Hang Jeng Kui), commonly known as Macau or Macao (pronounced /məˈkaʊ/, traditional Chinese: 澳門; simplified Chinese: 澳门; pinyin: Aòmén; Jyutping: ou3 mun4), is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east and south. The territory has thriving industries such as textiles, electronics and toys, and a notable tourist industry that boasts a wide range of hotels, resorts, stadiums, restaurants and casinos. This makes it one of the richest cities in the world.
Learn more:
See it:
http://www.webshots.com/search?query=Ma ... romeheader


text: My kids and I went out last night to try to find a few caches in our area. We found nothing because the three spots were around shopping centers - kind of our back in a woodsy area. Me being who I am was worried that someone was going to call the police on me for loitering. Does that happen? Do the establishments know that there is something out there? I want to go back but don't want to get in trouble for tromping through the woodsy area.


text:
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College women's soccer program and head coach Hope Clark have announced the addition of Yuki Kariya to the coaching staff.
Kariya will join the staff as a graduate assistant coach after serving as an assistant at Martin Methodist College for the past year. While at Georgia College, Kariya will pursue his Master's of Education in Kinesiology.
Clark and Kariya have previous experience working together at Auburn University at Montgomery in 2011, where Kariya worked as a student assistant for the men's soccer team while Clark was the head women's soccer coach.
"We are extremely happy to bring Yuki on board here at GC," described Clark, "He brings a wealth of knowledge an experience that will be very helpful for the next two seasons. Yuki is passionate about coaching and the game of soccer. He is a tremendous player who brings a strong fitness and technical background with him. Our program will be stronger with the addition of Yuki to our coaching staff."
Kariya also has a depth of experience as a youth coach, working with the River Region Rapids, FC Torjager and Pulaski Soccer Clubs.
He currently carries a NSCAA Goalkeeping Level 1 License, and recently earned a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) "A" License.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity to work under coach Clark," explained Kariya, "I respect her coaching style and the training program she has in place."
Kariya is a 2011 graduate of AUM, earning Magna Cum Laude honors while starring on the field, as well. He was a First Team All-Conference performer for two years at Auburn-Montgomery after garnering the same honors at Darton College.
Following his collegiate playing career, Kariya joined the Des Moines Menace of the Professional Development League (PDL) for two seasons, as well as the Rocket City United of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) for a season.
The Bobcats kick off the 2012 season Friday, Aug. 31 at Lenoir-Rhyne University. The Bobcats open the home slate Friday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m. against Nova Southeastern State University.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information.


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text:
Asa Rennermalm, "Evidence of Meltwater Retention within the Greenland Ice Sheet"
Asa Rennermalm, "Evidence of Meltwater Retention within the Greenland Ice Sheet"
Dartmouth Events
Asa Rennermalm, "Evidence of Meltwater Retention within the Greenland Ice Sheet"
Asa Rennermalm - Dept. of Geography, Rutgers University. 3PM Reception -Fairchild Hall, First Floor Lobby. 3:30pm Seminar in Steele 006. OPEN TO ALL
Asa Rennermalm, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Rutgers University, on the hydrology of the Arctic region, particularly the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Sponsored by: The Department of Earth Sciences and Dickey Center, Global Dartmouth, Research Events
Greenland ice sheet water release, and the magnitude of sub- and englacial storage, firn densification, internal refreezing and other hydrologic processes that delay or reduce true water export to the global ocean remain poorly understood. This problem is compounded by scant hydrometerological measurements. Here, ice sheet surface meltwater runoff and proglacial river discharge determined between 2008 and 2012 for three sites near Kangerlussuaq, western Greenland were used to establish the water budget for a small ice sheet watershed. The water budget could not be closed in the three years, even when uncertainty ranges were considered. Instead, between 12% and 53% of ice sheet surface runoff is retained within the catchment each melt year (time between onset of ice sheet runoff in two consecutive years) most likely in en- and subglacial storages. Evidence suggests that while some holdover summer meltwater may escape during the cold-season, this water volume is too small to close the budget. Thus, this study indicates that the Greenland ice sheet cryo-hydrologic system may remain active year round, and that meltwater may be retained in the pro glacial area, internally, or in firn layers for prolonged time periods before release to the ocean.
Åsa Rennermalm is assistant professor at the Department of Geography at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her research interest is hydrology of the Arctic region. Currently she is discovering how water is transported and retained within the Greenland ice sheet, for better understanding how much meltwater escapes to the ocean and raising global sea levels. Her work involves modeling, satellite and in situ data analysis, and fieldwork. She has participated several field expeditions to the Arctic, including Alaska and Greenland.
Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.


text:
John D. Slay was pronounced dead after medics from a Classic Lifeguard helicopter discovered him in Owl Canyon on Cedar Mesa.
That morning, Bill Armstrong was hiking in the canyon and found a backpack lying in the trail. Armstrong found Slay approximately a quarter mile away from the pack. Slay complained of stomach pain. Armstrong gave Slay water, retrieved the backpack and set up Slay's tent and sleeping bag so he could be protected from the wind and rain in the area.
Then Armstrong went for help, arriving at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station nearly six hours after he discovered the hiker.
The Classic Lifeguard helicopter was dispatched to the ranger station and attempted to locate Slay.
In the meantime, another group of hikers found Slay and offered assistance until the medics could arrive.
The hikers said that Slay said he was in the place he would be happy to die and that if he died, he would go in the canyon with a smile on his face. They also said he spoke fondly of his wife, son, and daughter.
Slay became unconscious and unresponsive while the medics were on scene. His body was flown to the Kane Gulch Ranger Station then transported by Sheriff's Deputies by vehicle to Salt Lake City.


text:
Naomi Watts is joining Shailene Woodley and Theo James in the three remaining films in the dystopian "Divergent" franchise, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Watts is to play Evelyn, the leader of the Factionless masses, in "Insurgent" and "Allegiant — Parts 1 & 2," THR says.
Based on Veronica Roth's massively popular trilogy of futuristic young-adult novels, the "Divergent" movies are set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago where people live in rigidly structured groups according to their personality types. Woodley plays Tris Prior, a reluctant young revolutionary who threatens the ordered society, and James plays her compatriot and love interest, Four.
The series' cast also includes Kate Winslet, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller and Octavia Spencer.
Principal photography on "Insurgent," which is scheduled for release March 20, 2015, from Summit Entertainment, began last week in Atlanta. Robert Schwentke is directing from a screenplay by Brian Duffield and Akiva Goldsman.
The "Allegiant" movies are slated for release in March 2016 and 2017, respectively.
"Divergent," the first film in the burgeoning franchise, opened March 21 and has been a solid if unspectacular box-office performer, grossing $267 million worldwide to date.
Watts has been busy of late and currently has three movies awaiting release: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Birdman," Theodore Melfi's "St. Vincent" and "Noah Baumbach's "While We're Young." She is also set to star opposite Matthew McConaughey in Gus Van Sant's "Sea of Trees," which will shoot in the fall.


text:
Florida Atlantic coach Charlie Partridge completes staff
FAU coach Charlie Partridge added Nick Caley and Corey Bell to complete his staff.
Both will coach the secondary, Caley the primary coach and Bell a co-secondary coach. FAU ranked No. 2 nationally in passing yards allowed last season, led by senior to be D'Joun Smith, who was second nationally in passes defended and third in interceptions.


text:
Match made, Hook-er style
The Background
When Matt, a 27-year-old lawyer who's new to the area, wrote in, he wasn't quite sure he was ready to take the Blind Date plunge. Matt professed a love of water sports, literature, the arts in general. "I flee extremists, prize intelligence, and appreciate artists," he wrote.
Despite his initial reluctance, and after a bit of coaxing, he agreed to submit to the matchmaker's alchemy. While poring over entries to find the perfect match for Matt, the maestro realized that his date was sitting just a few steps down the hall in the form of Hook ad rep Joanie. A 23-year-old UVA grad and horse lover, Joanie seemed a good fit and had expressed a willingness to participate in the most vaunted of Hook traditions, the BDC.
The only problem? If it didn't go well, Matchmaker might never live it down...
The Date
Snow cancelled the date the first time around, but a few days later Joanie and Matt were able to brave the elements and meet at Vivace on Ivy Road.
Joanie arrived first...
JOANIE: I had a glass of wine at the bar and talked to the owner about blind dates. I was a little nervous about the initial meeting– you know, if it would be awkward– but not about the date.
MATT: I was somewhat nervous/anxious about finding the restaurant and concerned about whether Joanie and I would hit it off.
First impressions?
JOANIE: I found Matt to be very cute. Nice smile and very friendly. I could tell that he was pretty nervous at first. We sort of just jumped right into conversation.
MATT: As you know, Joanie is very attractive– she's tall, nice hair, and very nice eyes. Joanie is very easy to talk to– I felt comfortable and confident almost instantly that we would get along.
JOANIE: I liked the way Matt was dressed. I really didn't even think about it until now. I guess he was dressed very casual and nothing out of the ordinary or I would have thought about it. He doesn't like shoes. He was wearing a button-up collared shirt with a sweater over it, khakis, and black shoes.
MATT: She was wearing jeans, a white zip-up sweater, and boots– I really liked her boots.
How was Vivace?
JOANIE: I had pasta with red sauce and mussels. Vivace is one of my favorite restaurants, so I got really lucky that we were sent there.
MATT: I had veal cutlets, very good. I like Italian food, and Vivace's food was excellent I cleaned my plate.
JOANIE: There was a lot of food, so I didn't eat any of his. I offered Matt a mussel because he wasn't sure if he liked them. He said it was okay, but when I didn't finish my food, he just picked up a fork and started eating off my plate, which I thought was great. I knew then that he was calming down.
MATT: I ate off her plate (after she had quit eating) without asking. She slapped my hand and sort of reprimanded me. I guess manners are important to her...
JOANIE: You name it, we probably talked about it. Everything: jobs, family, life, interests... A lot of our perspectives on issues were very similar. Even though we are from very different backgrounds, we have a lot of the same interests.
MATT: I guess we're both talkers– there weren't too many gaps. In a lot of ways, I think we share similar philosophies about life in general.
JOANIE: Matt is a lawyer, and his work and his perspective on the law are really interesting. I guess I had a different opinion of how a lawyer would think. (That's really vague, I know, but it's too detailed to go into.) There were tons of things I liked about Matt. I really liked how down to earth he was. Very easy to talk to.
MATT: I think Joanie was really lucky in terms of her upbringing– she was raised on a farm. And she really has a passion for animals that I found endearing. I was able to meet her dog, Gretta, a very nice six-month-old German Shepherd.
JOANIE: I was impressed at how gentlemanly he was. He was also very unassuming and kind. He does a lot to try to help people in the community including pro bono work and volunteering.
MATT: She has a genuine concern for local agriculture and the role the state plays in promoting Virginia agriculture, especially the apple industry; I found that impressive.
Did anything funny happen?
JOANIE: Matt has the smallest bladder in the world... He was up every half-hour or so to go to the bathroom, and we were joking about it...
MATT: Trips to the bathroom: I made a few. I drink a lot of water and have a small bladder, so that's a constant inconvenience for me. I was a little self conscious about that.
How was it towards the end?
JOANIE: After dinner we were having a good time and decided to go out for a drink. Matt is new to town, so he suggested South Street since he had never been there. We were talking so much that we ended up closing the bar.
MATT: Even though I live only a couple of blocks away and planned to walk, she offered me a ride home. It was a nice way to end the date.
Whoa, Joanie, hadn't you had a few drinks?
JOANIE: My friend came to pick us up since we had been drinking, and I decided to stay at her house.
Matchmaker feels much better now...
Did you kiss?
JOANIE: Matt was given a ride home and a hug.
MATT: A hug.
Would you see this person again?
JOANIE: Yes! I had a really great time. It was decided kind of early on that we would see each other again, and numbers were exchanged.
MATT: Yes, and I look forward to it.
ON a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the date?
JOANIE: 10. I couldn't have asked for a better date, especially blind... It was casual, fun, a lot of conversation.
MATT: 10. I don't think you can have real high expectations when it comes to blind dates, but that having been said, I had a great night.
Phew! Looks like Matchmaker won't have to dodge flying objects at work! Joanie and Matt have continued to see each other since their first date.
Hey, single guys, we need you! Especially if you're over 35. You've got nothing to lose but your loneliness, so what are you waiting for? Send your vitals by email to Matchmaker at email@example.com, and you could be heading out on the free date of your dreams...


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Passionfruit Kombucha at One Lucky Duck
Of the plain and flavored kombuchas that One Lucky Duck makes in-house, the best is their Passionfruit Kombucha ($7/bottle).
Both tart and rounded, One Lucky Duck's version is significantly less fizzy than Brooklyn Kombucha and the popular GT's Kombucha. Here the kombucha culture is coupled with organic black Darjeeling tea for a subtle, light note of smokiness. The passionfruit puree shines though confidently and there is just a touch of agave for sweetness. Though it's nearly twice the price of other brands, it's kombucha worth the indulgence.
One Lucky Duck
125 1/2 E 17th Street, New York, NY 10003 (map)
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.


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Preparing for Your First Appointment
Many patients continue to visit same doctor for many years because they feel comfortable with the service. However, for special reasons, such as relocating to a new neighborhood, people must find new doctors.
Appointment Reminders
It can be easy to forget when you scheduled a dental appointment but now we will remind you with an Appointment Reminder via email or text message. And if it's your first visit, we'll be happy to provide driving directions. Just click on the link below to let us know how you'd like to be contacted. We'll do the rest!
Release of Records Consent
Download the release of records consent form.
To support you in such situation, here is a brief summary about everything you need to know to be ready for your first visit to a new dentist inBartlesville Oklahoma.
Initial Consultation
Your first step is to call our office and set up an appointment. Consultations are a great opportunity for you to meet our dentist and get to know him better. Our dentist can talk to you about the different procedures that are offered and how you can benefit from them.
Paperwork and Documentation
If you are pleased with our dentist after the first meeting, our team will assist you in setting up an appointment. Before the appointment, you will be required to fill out a new patient form along with providing your dental history and records. It is suggested that you come in at least 20 minutes before your scheduled appointment to make sure that you have plenty of time to fill these forms.
This paperwork is divided in two categories, both of which need to be properly completed. The first one requires your personal details. In this form, you have to fill in personal information such as your name, age, marital status, income range, home address, etc. You will also be required to complete a medical history form. In this form, you must provide complete information regarding your past medical treatments, dental problems and details about dental insurance coverage, policy and provider.
It is imperative for you to be precise in answering all the questions as any wrong answer could impact your future treatment.
Our office also provides patients with the choice of filling the forms before coming to the clinic. This means that you can visit our website and fill out the enrollment form online. This saves you time and ensures you a hassle-free appointment scheduling and an efficient and effective visit. Patients can download health history forms from our website and fill in all the required details. This information would be stored in our database and will be evaluated prior to your session. To download and fill the forms out prior to your appointment, please click the following link:
Comprehensive Examination
After studying your dental health history, our dentist will most likely examine your gums, teeth, and mouth. This procedure is known as a comprehensive exam and is performed to study the state of your dental health and hygiene. An important part of the comprehensive exam is the cleaning. The teeth and mouth are thoroughly cleaned before moving onto the x-rays so that there are no extra particles in your mouth at that time.
Our dentist will generally look for any sensitivity, decay, and redness around the gums and teeth during the examination, and explain the procedure to you, accordingly. Even though our dentist will have already studied your medical and dental history from the forms you filled, he might still ask you questions about your teeth while examining them. This is fairly common in the event that our dentist sees anything unusual or something which was not mentioned in the forms.
After conducting the comprehensive exam, our dentist takes an X-ray of your mouth, which will give a clear picture of the condition of your teeth and jaw. These scans are taken to better analyze oral disruptions, diseases and cavities. The panoramic radiographs are the most common types of dental X-rays as they provide the dentist a much detailed view of the teeth and jaw. The dentist is able to spot any impacted teeth or jaw fractures easily with the panoramic X-ray.
Although believed to be a lengthy process, X-rays usually don't take more than a few minutes and are completely safe. The X-rays are kept safe for the patient by asking them to bite down on the gauze that will protect the rest of the body from the X-ray machine.
Post Examination Discussion
After the dental checkup, our dentist will discuss your results with you. Our dentist would guide you through any of the irregularities or decay that were found in your mouth. They may also mention the various treatment options that are offered at our clinic.
After, you will receive the total cost of the particular procedure and can discuss a payment plan, if needed.
Follow-Up Appointment
As soon as your meeting has been conducted with our dentist atMy Dentist in Bartlesville Oklahoma and now you have discussed your future treatment and your queries about them in depth, now there will be a need to schedule a follow-up session as per your suitability. These follow-up sessions would mostly be for cleaning and preparing your tooth for the upcoming procedure.
It is highly recommended for patients to attend these follow-up visits at least twice a year to avoid any cavities, tooth decay or oral health issues from developing. During these routine check-ups, the teeth are regularly cleaned and treated to make sure that they stay in good shape.
Come by our office today or call us for an appointment. Our team is here to answer any questions you may have.


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A Different Pregnancy
written 12/28/08
As I was about to update my Trial of Pregnancy page to upload a new ticker and share what's been happening, I had second thoughts. The last three pregnancies were unsuccessful. I needed help and wasn't getting the kind of help I needed from my medical provider. Shortly after my last loss I recognized that I just couldn't do this on my own . . . at least not right now. I had bloodwork done, had a hysterosalpinogram, and eventually saw a specialist in Denver.
This summer the RE in Denver found a fibroid mass that he thought was contributing to my recurrent losses. He wanted to do a laparoscopic myomectomy, but I requested the less invasive hysteroscopic investigation and hopefully a myomectomy. He also determined that my luteal progesterone is insufficient for maintaining a pregnancy. Surgery showed that instead of a regular fibroid, that I had a mass of adenomyosis directly above (and likely caused by) my cesarean scar. (Yet another reason to avoid the knife – the need for additional surgeries to correct all sorts of problems.)
We were cleared for TTC in October, and I got pregnant during my second cycle. I supplemented my luteal phase with HCG injections and am now supplementing with weekly 17-hydroxy progesterone injections. I'm impressed and somewhat surprised that my DH was actually able to stab me in the ass with the needle without passing out. Way to go honey!
12/28 – I felt gawd awful the day after my progesterone shot… so gassy, bloated, and uncomfortable. Not that I'm really complaining! My boobs became pretty sore, but that has since subsided a bit. I'm losing a bit of confidence just because I'm not feeling horrific. However, I'm incredibly tired, and today I'm pretty crabby, I'd venture to say. Of course it'll be better once some of the family clears out of here tomorrow. We had 12 people staying here!
I'm scheduled for an ultrasound on 12/31 to look for twins or a molar pregnancy. I'm praying that everything is ok. Twins would be quite complicated, but what a blessing it'd be as well. Anyway, my hormones on 12/19 (15DPO) were 367 and 51. My hormone levels on 12/24 were over 6100 and 53. Not only did my HCG way exceed the 48-72 hour doubling rate, but also I've been reading that progesterone levels don't usually reach 50 until the second trimester!
I've also had crazy dreams about the aurora borealis, shooting sparkling stars, and two about suicide (not me killing myself). My husband had two dreams about twins before we found out that twins were a possibility.
5/6/10 – major fast forward. I was indeed pregnant with twins and had them on August 21. Unfortunately they presented double footling breech (B turned breech at 33 weeks; A turned breech at 37 weeks, the little bugger) and a cesarean was necessary. My babies are wonderful, and I am thrilled to be the mom of twin infant girls. Life is certainly crazy but good. Thank you all for your good wishes. I hope my stories give some families hope and comfort.


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Welcome to our Friendly City
Hoquiam is located on the west coast of Washington just a few miles from Pacific beaches. Visitors to our city are always made to feel welcome as they enjoy the history, activities, and nature our friendly little community has to offer. You won't want to miss out on the 7th Street Theatre. Our beautiful and historic restored theater seats more than 1,100 people who always welcome a new show or event to town. The theater is located in downtown Hoquiam.
Rich History
Just a short drive from the theatre is luxurious Hoquiam Castle. Constructed in 1897, the exquisite mansion boasted all the comfort amenities of East Coast mansions of the day. The privately owned mansion is open for tours. Interested in history? Locals and visitors alike always enjoy checking out our historic Polson Museum. Learn more about Hoquiam's rich history here.
Nature and Shopping
If nature is more to your liking, check out the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge where hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop over during their spring and fall migrations. The birds feed here on their way North to the Artic and their southern return. A new 1,800′ boardwalk makes walking and viewing of birds and wildlife easy. Of course, you are alwasy welcome at the Grays Harbor Farmers Market and Craft Fair: one of only two Washington State farmers markets open year round. Discover local produce, delicious pastries, fresh seafood, chowder, fine arts, & quality-crafted items
Get to know our City
If you are interested in learning more about our friendly community then you have come to the right place! You will find links to our community gallery, maps, events, activities and attractions. And of course, your feedback is always welcome. Thanks once again for stopping by!


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ltroy04 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 11 diseños de 5 diseñadores freelance.
We need a re-design of this mock-up using a strong, clean and modern look, that will set this website apart from its more 'old school' real estate competitors. Dowload the PSD here: http://www.fyregroup.com/99designs_uptown.zip
Austin Uptown Realty
We have a detailed mockup of a home page design that needs some fresher, more current, cleaner, more dynamic looks. The website is http://www.AustinUptownRealty.com, and we have the layout mostly in place. While i encourage flexibility in design features, i want to definitely keep the cityscape and capitol building design elements. The navigation and content of the site is placed about right, but needs some solid design touches. The "Austin Uptown Realty" words themselves need some type face work as well. Download a zip file with mock-up and PSD here: http://www.fyregroup.com/99designs_uptown.zip
- City-Scape in Header
- Capitol Building In Header
- Content Features all included
- Creativity Where Possible
- Layout roughly the same as in mockup
- A change in the type face/logo for Austin Uptown Realty
- A clean, modern, fresh, and strong redesign of all elements.
- Drastic Layout Change
- Content Features Ignored
- Something that looks exactly the same as i provided


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Financial Dictionary
The Internet's Most User-Friendly Financial Dictionary
Instant access to thousands of investing terms just a click away!
Detailed Definitions from the Industry's Most Investor-Friendly Financial Dictionary
InvestingAnswers' financial dictionary offers some of the most thorough investing definitions available online. Our unique format not only tells you what a financial term means, it also provides a clear example of how it works and explains why the term is important.
While our focus is on the individual investor, our dictionary is also perfect for others in the finance industry, including: financial analysts, advisors, accountants, real estate agents, financial planners, and more.
Our investment dictionary is always growing. We continually add and improve terms with the goal of building the most thorough and complete finance dictionary available online. Bookmark this page and come back often.


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Rep. Issa Crowdsourcing Discussion Of Two Year Embargo On Internet Regulations
from the punt deptWe've been hearing rumors of this for a few weeks, but Rep. Darrell Issa has released a draft version of his Internet American Moratorium Act (there's a joke in that name for you Reddit folks...) and appropriately (see previous parenthetical) he's doing an IAMA session on Reddit to crowdsource ideas for the bill, a la Rep. Zoe Lofgren's recent Reddit discussion concerning a bill to stop the US government from seizing domain names without a prior adversarial hearing. And, of course, he's also put the bill on his Madison legislative crowdsourcing platform, so people can discuss it there as well. The key section of the draft bill is the following:
It is resolved in the House of Representatives and Senate that they shall not pass any new legislation for a period of 2 years from the date of enactment of this Act that would require individuals or corporations engaged in activities on the Internet to meet additional requirements or activities. After 90 days of passage of this Act no Department or Agency of the United States shall publish new rules or regulations, or finalize or otherwise enforce or give lawful effect to draft rules or regulations affecting the Internet until a period of at least 2 years from the enactment of this legislation has elapsed.Considering the worries that many of us have about bad regulations impacting the internet, you can understand how this might be appealing, but we should at least be careful of any potential unintended consequences, concerning how it might limit good bills to fix bad laws already in place. The language above appears to try to avoid that -- as it clearly allows for fixing some existing legislation so long as it doesn't create new requirements for individuals or companies, but even that could get in the way of potentially useful legislation. Not that I'm recommending this per se, but what if there is an effort to "fix copyright" by going back to a system of requiring registration to get a copyright, rather than automatically placing it on all works once fixed. There are other issues with such a proposal (mainly the Berne Convention), but let's say it was legitimately considered -- and it is an idea that many have suggested would solve a segment of the problems with today's copyright law. Yet, I could see how this moratorium would block that as imposing "additional requirements" for "individuals or corporations engaged in activities on the internet."
Also, as I'm sure some will point out, there is a slight oddity in having Congress pass a law to say that it won't do something else, and Congress could always then just pass another law rescinding the original law (or overriding it with a bill that ignores it). However, such Congressional moratoriums often are useful in at least establishing a baseline and getting Congress to avoid wading into certain waters. So I'm not necessarily against the moratorium, but I worry that it could lead to unintended consequences that don't just prevent bad laws from being passed, but also might prevent good fixes to current law from passing as well.
Filed Under: crowdsourcing, darrell issa, embargo, internet, regulations


text: • Made in the U.S.A., featuring SK's high polish SuperKrome® finish, which protects the tools from the harsh working environments found in today's workplace. Provides improved access to hard to reach areas. Diamond knurled grip provides sure handling, even when oily.SuperKrome® finish provides long life and maximum corrosion resistanceDiamond knurled gripN/A


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Suncast 6' x 5' Shed
by Suncast | Item #: 65564 | Model #: BMS6550 |
Top Rated
Free shipping
- $ 749 00 749.00
Non-member price: $823.90 Join now!
- Shipping
- Free shipping
Delivery estimates, taxes, and fees are based on ZIP Code. Club Pickup orders are based on your club's current price and item availability on the day of payment.
About this itemFREE SHIPPING
Double-door opening, walk-in shed.
Stroll through the double-door opening of a Suncast Walk-in Shed and take a look around at all the stuff you need to store, from tractors to garden accessories and everything in between. The size makes it great for housing all the large equipment you use
- Durable double wall resin construction is long lasting and easy to maintain
- Metal reinforced shingle-style roof panels
- Sturdy floor with reinforcement in tractor-wheel areas
- Sturdy resin lockable door handles
- Easy, secure assembly
- Robust double doors - 71.5" W x 56" H
- 194 cubic ft capacity
- Wood or concrete foundation required (not included)
For additional questions or concerns regarding this product, please contact the Manufacturer's Customer Service Department at 1.800.444.3310
Assembled Country
Assembled Size
20.1 x 38.6 x 75.4
Component Country


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Uninstalling WordPress or Joomla! (Manual Install)
If you no longer want to use WordPress® or Joomla!®, you can uninstall or remove it from your hosting account. Keep in mind this is for manual installs only.
If you want instructions on how to uninstall WordPress or Joomla! sites that were installed using GoDaddy Hosting Connection (click here)
To Uninstall WordPress or Joomla!
- Delete all of your WordPress or Joomla! site's files and folders. For more information, see Managing Your Hosting Account's Files.
- Delete the database you used with your WordPress or Joomla! site.
If you want to, you can now reinstall WordPress or reinstall Joomla!.


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Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
Daniel Tiger toys and other Daniel Tiger merchandise is always on the shelves of the official PBS KIDS shop! These Daniel Tiger products feature the show's cast of charming child characters: O the Owl, Katerina Kittycat, Prince Wednesday, Miss Elaina, Daniel Tiger, and even his sister Margaret. In the Daniel Tiger's Neighboord PBS KIDS shop youll find personalized shirts, hoodies, and pillowcases with more Daniel Tiger merchandise and gifts coming soon. So next time you're looking for a Daniel Tiger Christmas ornament, Daniel Tiger plush friends, or other Daniel the Tiger toys, you know where to find them!


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DCH-S150 : mydlink Wi-Fi Motion Sensor.
DCH-M225 : Wi-Fi Audio Extender.
DIR-890L : Wireless AC3200 Tri Band Gigabit Cloud Router.
DSP-W215 : mydlink Wi-Fi Smart Plug.
Bremond Independent School District
D-Link Switches & Microsoft Network Access Protection (NAP)
DI-SR Routers: Modular Multi-Service Integrated Router.
D-link at InteropD-Link Product Synergies on Display at Interop 2008
Business Class 802.11n - Ready to Deploy
DGS-3120-48TC/SI : xStack Managed Stackable Gigabit Switches.
United States Air ForceUSAF Saves $249,000 with D-Link 3G Mobile Router for Wireless Cell Networks Solution
Evolution of government video surveillance - past, present and future
DES-1005C5-Port 10/100 Mbps Unmanaged Switch
This case study explains how Washington's Island Hospital successfully implemented a reliable network using D-Link switches.This case study considers how LiveAir Networks delivers low-cost, high bandwidth Internet connections to "sub-rural" Texas communities with rugged, manageable D-Link switches.This case study discusses how John H. Myers and Son solved its connectivity and large file printing issues with D-Link Layer 2 and Layer 3 switches.This solution brief discusses how D-Link's Web Smart Switches offer a solution with key "managed switch" features without the hefty price tag of managed switches.This white paper provides an overview of how the xStack Switch Series by D-Link implements state-of-the-art technology to address critical requirements at the edge of the network.


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$27 to Drinks and the Dream
Sasha Salinger seeks out the funny and boisterous Martin McCormick who won his PCA Main Event seat in a PokerStars $27 satellite. A rainy golf outing may be profitable for McCormick who has quite a big stack of chips on Day 2.
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The land and people of Australia
Lippincott, 1954 - History - 128 pages
Introduces the geography, history, economy, government, culture, and people of the continent "down under."
From inside the book
25 pages matching coast of Australia in this book
Where's the rest of this book?
Results 1-3 of 25
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
CHAPTER PAGE 1 Distances Are Tremendous
Land of Living Fossils
Trees and Flowers
21 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
aborigines acres Adelaide animals Australian Alps Ballarat Bass became began bird Brisbane British Broken Hill brought called capital Captain CHAPTER coal coast of Australia colonial color Commonwealth continent convicts coral desert diggers discovered Dividing Range east eucalypts expedition explorers Eyre farms Federal feet fish Flinders flowed flowers forests gold Guinea Gulf harbor Hargraves horses huge hundred miles immigration industry island Japanese kangaroo Kelly lakes land later live mainland marsupial Melbourne million miners mining Moreton Bay mountains named native naturalists northern Ocean Oxley Perth plains platypus population Port Port Jackson Queensland rain reached Reef River Murray rugged sailed settlement settlers sheep ship soon South Australia South Wales southern square miles squatters Sturt surf Sydney Cove Tasmania Territory thousand took town tralia trees United Victoria Western Australia wool young


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At BurdaStyle we love sharing new things with our members. New project ideas, new patterns, new trends to love or hate. We also love sharing new techniques! From stitching button holes to inserting zippers to interfacing a collar we think having an arsenal of different techniques and tips makes your sewing life so much easier.
Fiskars & BurdaStyle want you to share a fantastic technique or tutorial with us! For the month of February Fiskars is challenging all BurdaStyle members to create and upload a great technique to our Learning section for the chance to win some awesome prizes from Fiskars!
First place will win the ultimate scissor collection and five runner-ups will receive some awesome scissor packages as well! See below for full prize details and how one lucky member can score their own scissor prize pack with our comment to win!
How to Enter:
1. Snap some step-by-step photos or take a short video (3 minutes or less) of you demonstrating your technique complete with detailed instructions (it can be anything from sewing machine techniques to hand-stitching and even high-end couture techniques)
2. Upload your technique tutorial(s) to the BurdaStyle Learning section with the words "Fiskars Unzipped" in the title between now and Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 at 11:59PM EST. There's no limit to the number of tutorials you can post for the competition.
3. Double check that the email account linked to your BurdaStyle name is your primary email account. Winners will be contacted by the email provided in their account.
4. "Like" Fiskars on Facebook and post your BurdaStyle tutorial link on their Facebook page!
Six winning technique tutorials will be chosen based on quality and ease. We're looking for techniques that have great photos or video and clear instructions for execution. Don't be afraid to redo a technique already on the site, everyone has their own way of doing things and we want to see them all!
1st place – The Ultimate Scissor Collection:
-The Original Orange-Handled Scissors™
-Micro-Tip® Softgrip® Scissors
-Micro-Tip® Easy Action Scissors
-Easy Action Scissors
-Short Cut® Razor-edge Snip
-Folding Scissors
-Softgrip® Razor-edge Scissors
Five runners up will also score their own prize pack including a pair of Original Orange-Handled Scissors and Folding Scissors courtesy of our friends at Fiskars.
Winners will be announced in our newsletter on March 8th, 2011 so start working on those winning technique tutorials now!
Don't have time to create a technique tutorial? Simply comment below to let us know what's most important to you when choosing a good pair of sewing scissors and you could win your very own pair of the Original Orange-Handled Scissors and Folding Scissors from Fiskars!
This contest is open to all BurdaStyle members. For official rules, click here.
For more information follow Fiskars on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook!


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Authorities investigating Allston credit card fraud; Blanchard's Liquors acknowledges involvement
Authorities are investigating numerous complaints of credit card fraud in Allston, a Boston police spokeswoman said today.
Officer Neva Coakley said Boston police detectives, the Secret Service, and several major banks are looking into reports by residents of the neighborhood that their credit card information was stolen and used to make fraudulent purchases.
Complaints by residents in the online forum reddit.com centered around Blanchard's Liquors, a large shop on Harvard Avenue popular with students.
While police would not confirm that the investigation was centered on a particular store, Blanchard's manager John Corey acknowledged that the store had received complaints, and said managers were cooperating with authorities investigating the fraud.
Corey said the problem may be linked to the company Blanchard's uses to process credit card purchases.
"There might have been a problem with one of the credit card processors,'' Corey said. "We've been working with the people that have been complaining, and the different companies and authorities to get to the bottom of it.''
Corey said that, as of Saturday, "the problem has been resolved.''