text:
Pittsburgh Education Blog Part 1: Back To School
We are thrilled to have two of our 2014 disruptors from honoree city Pittsburgh, PA — Cathy Lewis Long and Gregg Behr — be a part of several of the next upcoming blog posts on the evolving nature of education!
"Raising the Next Generation of Innovators through Maker Learning"By Gregg Behr, Cathy Lewis Long, and Jane Werner
As they say, everything old is new again. Today, the Do-It-Yourself tradition of garage tinkerers and amateur inventors has taken a digital age twist to become the maker movement—a global phenomenon of people who are marrying technology and creativity to literally make the future.
Pittsburgh has a legacy of innovation that stems directly from the maker ethic—we were a maker city before they had a name for it! But even after our transition from heavy industry to high tech innovation, the hands-on, do-it-yourself spirit lives on in Pittsburgh. From bootstrapping entrepreneurs working in the TechShop, to amateur inventors tinkering away at community maker spaces like Open Floor, Pittsburghers are making new things every day.
A shoe that charges your mobile devices by walking? Pittsburgh makers did that. A robot so simple a 4 year old can program it? Pittsburgh makers again!
The marketplace isn't the only site of maker innovation—maker learning is bringing hands-on learning and creativity back to the forefront of education. In fact, you might say that making is learning in action. Plus making provides what some advocates describe as the "hard fun" that can help students get excited about learning.
In Pittsburgh and in communities around the country, educators are embracing maker learning not just because it's a new and fun way to engage learners, but because they see it as a way to build on the basics and help prepare today's youth with the hands-on competencies and creative problem solving skills they'll need to thrive as part of a next generation workforce.
Not Your Typical Shop Class
As Pittsburgh kids returned to school last week, many entered classrooms that most of us wouldn't recognize from our student days. Public schools all across the Pittsburgh region are integrating maker learning into their classrooms as a way to inspire creativity and engage students in collaborative problem solving.
In the Dream Factory at Elizabeth Forward Middle School, students work on interdisciplinary maker projects that see them moving seamlessly between classes in computer science, studio arts, and industrial arts.
At Avonworth High School, the library has become the 21st Century Collaboration Center complete with a Maker Lab where students can use 3D printers and other modern production methods to design and make their own projects.
Pittsburgh's youngest students are benefiting from maker learning too. Through the Children's Innovation Project, students at Pittsburgh Allegheny K-5 are learning to look underneath the surface of things and discover the basic building blocks that make up the world around them. Progressing from kindergarten through fourth grade, students in the program use simple circuitry kits to hack and remix familiar electronic devices and toys and re-appropriate their components for new uses. Along the way, the program curriculum hits on key math and language arts standards, not to mention science and technology fundamentals.
A Hands-on Museum Like No Other
Many maker experiences begin in the MAKESHOP at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. Working alongside crafters, hackers, and inventors, children and youth get to use real tools and materials and experiment with new production methods to explore, tinker, and invent. Last year, youth and adult makers worked together in MAKESHOP to create a Trebuchet catapult that threw the first pitch at a Pittsburgh Pirates Game.
To give even more youth the opportunity to learn by making, MAKESHOP is now mobile, bringing free and open maker learning programs into schools, libraries, and community spaces across Pittsburgh. Plus, teachers are getting into the maker mindset too through Maker Educator Boot Camps where they work alongside MAKESHOP Teaching Artists to learn new skills and discover ways to implement maker learning practices into their classrooms.
Developed in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center and the University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments (UPCLOSE), MAKESHOP has become a model for family and community maker programs across the country. With the support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Children's Museum is helping other museums and libraries create their own maker learning spaces across the country.
Maker Communities in the Digital Age
We shouldn't forget that Making is a grassroots phenomenon. So it's no surprise that maker spaces are cropping up in neighborhoods to provide access to resources, tools, and caring mentors committed to helping all kids make their future brighter.
With the motto to "Build Confidence Through Making," Assemble is a community makerspace in the East End of Pittsburgh that hosts learning parties where youth explore their maker interests in a welcoming and accessible social setting. For those who want to dig deeper, Assemble's Make It! program offers more advanced techniques like 3D printing, laser cutting, and Arduino microcontrollers.
In today's digital world, making means coding, programming, and designing for the web. To help spread maker and digital learning practices into more communities throughout the city, the Remake Learning Digital Corps recruits and trains mentors in digital and maker learning practices and matches them with community centers, afterschool programs, neighborhood libraries, and other informal learning spaces.
Making use of the many free and openly available digital tools now available on the web, Digital Corps mentors work with youth at afterschool centers like The Maker's Place to help them develop skills and competencies through projects that bridge computer programming, crafting, and robotics.
With digital technologies becoming more and more accessible, anybody can be a maker. Communities from Brooklyn to Bangalore are coming together to share skills through Maker Party, Mozilla's global campaign to teach the web. In Pittsburgh, our annual Maker Party brought hundreds of makers young and old out for a day of exploration and learning with digital and physical making.
Toward a Maker Nation
Maker learning holds great potential not just for today's students, but for tomorrow's economy. And we're not the only ones who think so. Speaking at the first ever White House Maker Faire in June, President Obama said "Today's DIY is tomorrow's Made in America."
To help spur the movement locally, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has brought together the Mayor's Maker Movement Roundtable, a group of makers and advocates for maker learning. The first in a series of meetings with innovative community-based movements, the Maker Movement Roundtable laid the foundation for closer collaboration between the city's makers, educators, and city leaders.
Maker learning is one of the key practices that educators and innovators are using to remake learning in the Pittsburgh region. With the help of the maker movement, children and youth in our region have more opportunities than ever to feed their inner maker, and develop the skills and competencies they'll need to be confident that the hands-on future is within their reach.
Photos and text courtesy of The Sprout Fund


text:
|You are in: In Depth: CSR
Tuesday, 18 July, 2000, 17:21 GMT 18:21 UK
Locking Prudence in the cupboard
By BBC News Online's political correspondent Nick Assinder.
It was the day Gordon Brown finally locked Prudence in the broom cupboard and started splashing around the cash he has been hoarding under his mattress for the past three years.
In a statement that bore few real surprises, he threw money at just about at everything that moves or - in the case of the country's transport system - doesn't move.
And he effectively wrote an IOU to voters, asking them to back Labour at the next election on the promise of extra spending to come.
Much of the cash he earmarked will not come on stream for a couple of years or so - long after the expected date of the next poll.
But "giveaway Gordon" clearly believes the punters are still ready to put their trust in him.
He went back to basics by putting education at the top of the spending tree with an unprecedented planned increase.
And he promised more money for law and order, the NHS, defence and welfare - an extra spending total of £43bn.
It was a calculated attempt to win back the disillusioned heartland voters, put the government's "annus horribilis" behind it and set Labour on the road to a second election victory.
Election battleground
Many of the detailed spending announcements were left to individual ministers to reveal over the coming days - another calculated attempt to dominate the political agenda until the House of Commons rises in two weeks time.
And his statement clearly mapped out the battleground for the next election - between a Labour government that will spend and a Tory government that will cut.
But, by asking voters to trust him to deliver his promises, it was probably the biggest gamble the chancellor - a famously cautious man - has ever taken. And it remains to be seen whether he has pulled it off.
There were also signs in his statement that he has not had the spending review all his own way.
Many believe he would have preferred to have announced all the extra cash himself, but was forced to allow ministers to have their day in the sun.
That marks a victory for Tony Blair who was determined to ensure the chancellor - and would-be leader - did not take all the credit for the good news.
Never underspun
Mr Brown's statement was also intended to draw a line under the government's awful summer which has been marked with rows over cabinet splits and, most recently, its alleged reliance on spin rather than substance. But even the Iron Chancellor fluffed this one.
In a blunder that equalled Tony Blair's recent question time disaster against William Hague, he spoke about his desire to "underspin" his announcements - presumably he meant underpin.
That, combined with a less than riveting performance, should have handed the Tories an open goal.
But his shadow Michael Portillo - the man tipped as the next Tory prime minister - dramatically failed to rise to the occasion.
In a faltering voice that occasionally appeared to break into falsetto, he attempted to re-write the Tories' famous 1979 election poster "Labour isn't working" by declaring: "Labour spending isn't working."
But that was the best shot in his locker and things were only made worse when Speaker Betty Boothroyd referred to him as the leader of the opposition - perhaps she is planning a career in soothsaying when she retires later this year.
That is precisely the ambition Mr Portillo has been denying ever since he was re-elected to parliament for Kensington and Chelsea earlier this year.
Mr Hague laughed heartily at the Speaker's mistake - his merriment probably enhanced by the knowledge that, had he been in Mr Portillo's shoes rather than the other way around, Mr Brown would not have got off so lightly.
See also:
18 Jul 00 | CSR
18 Jul 00 | CSR
18 Jul 00 | CSR
Internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Top CSR stories now:
Links to more CSR stories are at the foot of the page.
|E-mail this story to a friend
Links to more CSR stories
To BBC Sport>> | To BBC Weather>> | To BBC World Service>>
© MMIII | News Sources | Privacy

subset: commoncrawl


text:
What does Rolfing address?
Rolfing is for anyone who wants to feel better in their body.
- Chronic pain sufferers often find relief from
- Back Pain
- Foot pain
- Car Accidents or Whiplash
- Headaches
- Neck Pain
- Frozen Shoulder
- Carpal Tunnel
- Scoliosis
- Tendonitis
- Compartment Syndrome
- Computer-Use Pain
- Tennis Elbow
- Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
- Connective Tissue injuries or dysfunctions
- and more.
- Mamas
- Prenatal work can help your body accommodate to your growing baby and labor preparation can be done at the end of pregnancy. I do not do ten series work at any time throughout pregnancy, because your body is changing enough as is.
- Postnatal Recovery work can help you reintegrate your body after the tremendous changes it has undergone. This is an especially fruitful time to work on rebalancing. Post birth and through breastfeeding you will still have the hormone Relaxin moving though your system and keeping things pliable. This gives you a great opportunity to accomodate structural changes and to rediscover it's core support. Sessions may focus on freeing of birth related scar tissue, reengament of abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, support for the closure of diastasis recti, neck/back pain relief, support for de quervain's tenosynovitis (thumb pain), and much needed TLC.
- Athletes use Rolfing to address
- scar tissue
- rehabilitate and prevent repetitive strain injuries
- optimize performance.
- Rolfing increases body awareness, helping to prevent future re-injury.
- Aging Adults often use Rolfing to maintain their ability to move with more stability
Rolfing is NOT Appropriate for:
- Acute injuries/surgeries (Take a few weeks before coming in for Rolfing if that is the issue you want to address.)
- Degenerative conditions (If your hip pain is caused by deterioration of the joint capsule itself, Rolfing may be able to reduce surrounding pain and prepare you for surgery, but it can't prevent a hip replacement.)
- Psychosis (Rolfing is highly stimulating to the nervous system and clients with a history psychosis may be overstimulated by the work.)
***If you are experiencing an unlisted issue, feel free to ask if Rolfing might be appropriate.
What happens in a Rolfing Session?
I will be looking at restrictions to your bodies ability to move or have comfortable posture. The way we address those restrictions will look a little different for everyone.
In general though, we start out with diagnostics. I might ask you to walk or turn your head, so that I can start to get an idea of where you move and what movement patterns you use.
Next we will probably start to do work on the table. I work in long, slow, specific strokes. As I go along, I am locating the muscle, bone, or nerve that is disfunctioning, but I also looking at how your body is organized overall. I might ask you to move as I work on you, or notice specific sensations, or I might jump from one part of your body to another. I do all of this in order for your whole posture to change.
After the table, you will often receive work sitting up or even standing/moving. This is used to make sure changes in your body are still happening in "real time".
Even though you are an active participant in the Rolfing process, people find it relaxing, relieving, and sometimes quite energizing.
What does Rolfing feel like?
Often times, the first thing people hear about Rolfing is that it hurts. 50 years ago, Rolfing was much more heavy handed than it is today. Over the years, Rolfing has refined its approach and found that working in a less painful way actually has better results and avoids putting your nervous system into shock.
At moments Rolfing can feel like a light burning sensation as long held adhesions in the fascia break free. But clients generally report feeling a deep release after such sensations pass.
During a session, you will explore sensations throughout your body and notice if change happens there. Because we don't usually put so much mental focus into the details of our body, sessions can be mentally stimulating and exploratory.
Is Rolfing the same as deep tissue massage?
No. While both Rolfers and Massage Therapists primarily use our hands, our therapies are quite different experiences. Obviously there is quite a range of massage therapy techniques, so I'll stick with explaining what Rolfing IS rather than what it ISN"T. Rolfing looks to change the underlying structure of the body to produce lasting change. You will be an active participant, giving feedback to your Rolfer and getting on and off the table to assess changes made. Rolfers look at you and your body. For that reason, every session is unique to you, like a big jigsaw puzzle that we are piecing back together.
On the same note, I find that receiving both Rolfing and massage at the same time can be great. My one caution is to spread out sessions a bit so you don't overwhelm your body. This is especially true if you have any inflammation related issues.
Does it last?
Yes. One of the highlights of the Rolfing series is that it produces lasting change throughout the body. The most effective way to have these results is to consider a Ten Series.
Do I have to do ten sessions?
The Ten Series is the most powerful way I work, but not the only way. There are natural stopping points in the series that leave you at a safer more balanced state. If you are just curious, trying the first three sessions would be a good idea. If you have a very specific goal or have gone through a Ten-Series in the past, it may be ideal to break out of the series.
Does it help chronic pain?
Yes, it certainly can. The overall goal of Rolfing is to bring the body back into its natural alignment, allowing tension which commonly shows up as pain to naturally dissipate.
How long is each session?
On average sessions last 75 minutes.
What should I wear?
For Women: Underwear and bra or a two-piece swimsuit, loose running shorts, or loose fitting clothing that can be moved around.
For Men: Briefs boxer briefs, athletic shorts or loose fitting clothing.
The most important thing is for you to be comfortable. Traditional massage draping is not done in Rolfing, but there are always sheets and blankets available.


text:
I go the gym and ride the stationary bike on the random hill setting. I do this for 45 mins and I listen to dirty rap. Sweat is a river in my pants. Sometimes I raise my hands above my head like an athlete would do to stretch. I try and get my sadness to drain to the floor. To fall out of my body. Get it out of your body I whisper to myself.
It doesn't budge.
Sometimes I just don't trust anything at all.
Like we're all standing on lace.
It's delicate to the point of almost being funny.
I tell myself that I am a tiger.
I am strong and fierce and this thing under the surface of me is going to go away.
This pit of my stomach to level out.
We wave at each other from across the street.
The sun gives halos.
You see me.
Everything is like it once was.
Never again.


text:
This month we have several great talks by UnityPDX members. And as part of our regular agenda, we'll cover upcoming events, general announcements, Unity news, and a Unity Tips Roundup.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: May 13Northwest Animation Festival Afterparty: Animation in Video Games!
Later Event: May 30Blender Workshop: Intro to 3D Modeling in Games


text:
From the delicate sculpting of the concrete watch face to the hand-shaped brass hands, from the brass crown to the leather strap, every detail of our wristwatch has been designed to show the beauty of the raw material. This unique timepiece's leather and brass becomes richer and darker the more the watch is worn, personalizing it and making it ever more comfortable as time passes.
Concrete begins as a liquid mixture of different elements, but once it sets, it becomes as solid as stone. The simple geometric shapes of the design emphasize concrete's strength. With concrete's nature in mind, anticipating light chipping and evolving color as design elements that beautifully show the effects of time.
4th Dimension Watch: Harbour Edition
The Harbour Model combines a dark gray concrete watch surface with a brushed stainless steel bezel, silver and blue hands, a polished stainless-steel crown, and a canglan leather band. This color combination exudes a subtle sophistication and elegantly complements formal wear.
Case Width: 42mm
Case Thickness: 14.5mm
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire Glass Lens
Movt: MIYOTA movement
Band Width: 20mm
Band Material: Leather Strap
Wrist Size: 14.1~20.2cm
Water Resistance: 3ATM water resistance
Warranty: 1 year


text:
Leaders gather for National Filipino American Town Hall0
KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress hosted the convening to discuss issues affecting Filipino Americans and the community's mobilization ahead of the 2016 presidential elections.
Washington, D.C. (Oct. 13, 2015) — KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress hosted the third annual National Filipino American Town Hall in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 2, bringing together leaders from across the country to discuss issues affecting the community and ways to mobilize Filipino Americans ahead of the 2016 presidential elections.
More than 200 leaders participated in events throughout the day, including both the KAYA town hall held at the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center and reception held at Capitale DC, as well as the first-ever celebration of Filipino American History Month at the White House hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The town hall included keynote remarks by Mark Pulido, City Council Member of Cerritos, CA, and a data presentation by Jessica Caloza, a KAYA board member, highlighting the community's political participation and lack of representation in positions of influence.
Her presentation was followed by a panel discussion featuring Cerritos City Council Member Mark Pulido; Maj. Gen. Tony Taguba (Ret.), Chair of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Projects; Rozita Lee, former Commissioner on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific; Irene Bueno, co-founder and partner at Nueva Vista Group, LLC; Eric Salcedo, National Field Director at Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and Angelo Mathay, Associate Policy Analyst at the National Center on Immigration Integration Policy.
The panel not only highlighted the numerous issues that are affecting us today, but also the dearth of Filipino American leaders willing to take the challenge of representing us in local, state and federal governments. Although the community's allies have been effective in advocating on behalf of the issues that affect us, Filipino American leaders will always be our most effective advocate in government.
"We are very heartened by the energy and excitement these leaders have shown towards the project of getting our own representatives elected into office," said Genevieve Jopanda, KAYA National Co-Chair. "Now, it is our turn as leaders to make sure that the excitement we had during the town hall translates into action."
After the town hall, KAYA hosted the AAPI Community Reception and Filipino Food Showcase, an event that highlighted the burgeoning Filipino food scene that is growing across the country. In addition to showcasing dishes from Washington, DC-area businesses such as Manila Mart, North Star Cafe and Grill and Purple Patch, the evening featured a number of dishes from renowned, Los Angeles-based Filipina American chef Cecilia de Castro. Chef Cecilia is one of the earliest pioneers of Filipino cooking in America and has worked alongside Wolfgang Puck for 30 years. Her work in the industry has been featured in publications such as Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Los Angeles Times, Daily News, Ventura County Star, Acorn, Santa Monica Courier and Asian Journal.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward KAYA's programs aimed at fostering emerging Filipino American leaders and increasing the number of Filipino Americans in all levels of government.
"The support we received in planning the national town hall shows that our community can rise to the challenge of mobilizing ourselves to political action," said Romeo Ymalay, KAYA National Co-Chair. "Once again, the opportunity presents itself to us. It is now our responsibility to make the best of that opportunity."


text: Allen & Heath has announced cash back promotions on the new GLD Chrome Series and the popular QU24C digital consoles. This promotion runs from October 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016, as we launch headlong into the holiday buying season. When an end-user purchases a GLD80C they are eligible for $300 cash back. If they buy the GLD112C, they'll get $500 cash back. Similarly, a purchase of a new QU24C console qualifies for $200 cash back. Contact our Upper Midwest office for additional details.


text:
What are we?/
As a college student pretty much everyone I engage in small talk with asks me what I'm doing for the summer. I'm always happy to answer, "Working at theCO, a new thing that helps small businesses, but also allows entrepreneurs to rent space and has several really cool tools for designing new products." My explanation usually results in a confused, "Oh ok. That's cool". The combination of my poor explanation and an unheard of idea in West Tennessee provokes confusion. So what do we actually do? The best way to explain it is to think of it as three different businesses in one. The first aspect of theCO is to be an accelerator or incubator for small businesses in West Tennessee. This means that anyone who walks into the building will be vetted, and have their idea heard by a group of men and women who have experience starting their own businesses. In addition to listening, theCO has deep roots in the community and will help entrepreneurs find manufacturers, web developers, and experts in their field. Beyond that, all entrepreneurs will be connected with a mentor who will guide them in developing businesses plans and pitches, when it comes time to find capital.
The second aspect is a coworking space. Coworking is a new concept that has come about because of the Internet and the ability to connect with people across the globe over video messaging. In 2005 coworking became popular in San Francisco, and since 2011 it has been growing rapidly. The principle idea behind coworking is that small business owners, developers, photographers, artists, web designers, corporate refugees, freelancers, and other creative thinkers can bring their laptops to a place that is designed to enhance productivity and cultivate new ideas. Picture this: as a small business owner you are looking to design a new company logo, but don't know where to start. Well, if you are working from home, you will have to Google it and get a bunch of ads that don't do you any good. If you are at theCO, though, you can just ask you neighbor who could be a web designer and an expert in the field. This collaborative thinking and distraction free work environment is what coworking spaces, including ours, strive for. (Check out the video to the left for a further explanation on coworking and the future.)
The final and most eye-popping aspect of theCO is the makerspace. Put your garage on steroids, add technology to it, and this is the makerspace. In the makerspace we will have a 3D printer (see the blog below to read more on it), a laser etcher, a CNC machine, an electronics lab, several saws, and tables to build on. The goal of the makerspace is to get engineers and product designers into the space to invent new products, and learn about the latest and greatest technology in manufacturing. For entrepreneurs looking to invent the next big consumer product, this is the perfect place to prototype without having to pay thousands of dollars to a manufacturer. Check out the laser etcher video and the CNC video to see what exactly is coming to theCO. Hopefully this gives a good overview of what we are about. Our vision is to make theCO an incubator for learners and new businesses. Help us help you succeed and come by theCO soon.
-the intern


text:
Our remaining Lucia Shorts are just about ready!/
Shipping out next week, we gladly welcome the arrival of the remaining Lucia shorts! We currently have these shorts in Aqua, but will have these shorts in all colors in 2 weeks. What makes these shorts great? A bit longer than the Mikaela shorts, so they offer more coverage. Feel freedom in the front row of the yoga room in these shorts & have no worries in Standing Bow ;) Who else likes these shorts? Sweet Amber Richard- the West Coast USPDF Champion! Her grace & big heart shine through her in every performance. Check out a few pics of Amber in our Lucia Shorts!


text:
The Post is for A to Z April 2015 Challenge, I took up a topic : 'T' for 'Touch'
Your Touch is divine….
Your Touch is divine….
Your Touch is a protection
Your Touch shows unlimited affection
Your Touch is a relief….
Your Touch fortifies all my beliefs
Your Touch gives me strength to face fear
With a gentle touch you can wipe away all my tears
Your Touch has heavenly warmth
No matter, whether its winter or summer
Your shoulder is always there for me to lean on
You are a person whom always I can rely upon
Nothing is greater than a mother's touch
No one else can love me this much
Nothing in the world is more luxurious than a touch of MotherA Mother's lap is so peaceful place, than any other....


text:
New Albany Schools' students learn from each other
Students teaching students
Students in Christy Pipkin's 4th grade math classes at New Albany Elementary School have been studying measurement. On March 24, Anita Alef's Culinary Arts classes from the New Albany High School of Career & Technical Education assisted with the lesson. Alef's students set up four stations that reinforced concepts related to measurement and introduced students to culinary tips. Stations included measuring liquids, measuring dry ingredients, sifting, and snack making. The lesson and activities were developed and coordinated by Zach Gory, student teacher.
Ninabeth Capaning's 5th Grade EXCEL classes at New Albany Elementary School have been working on and preparing for their TED talks. LeeAnn Thompson's Journalism class from New Albany High School collaborated with the group on March 29th to assist the elementary students. Journalism students served as mentors for the EXCEL students and helped them in creating their keynote presentations. TED talks are short, powerful talks that cover a variety of topics and use technology, entertainment, and design within the presentations.


text:
Our Lady of the Cedars' Annual Spring Banquet
Assad Boulos
A successful restaurateur based in Houston, Texas, Assad Boulos currently serves as president of both Wasfi and Juan Parilla restaurants. He is also the founder of ANA, Inc., a company that operates ten different Houston shopping centers and convenience stores. Outside of work, Assad Boulos is an active member of his community, supporting various important organizations and institutions, such as Our Lady of the Cedars Church.
Located in Houston, Texas, Our Lady of the Cedars offers Christian masses in both English and Arabic. It also sponsors a range of programs and special events, such as the Annual Spring Banquet.
Our Lady of the Cedars' Annual Spring Banquet for 2017 took place on March 25th and consisted of a cocktail hour, an all-inclusive dinner, and musical entertainment. The headliner at the banquet was Hadi Aswad, a Damascus-born singer who has released several albums. The event also featured a Swama Entertainment DJ and the Our Lady of the Cedars Dabke Group who specializes in traditional Arabic folk dance music.
Almost done…
We just sent you an email. Please click the link in the email to confirm your subscription!
OKSubscriptions powered by Strikingly


text: I have a conversation with photographer and long time friend, Sarah Alvarado. She's a graduate of Brooks Institute, which recently shuttered its campus in Ventura and had been shooting the devastating Blue Cut Fire in the High Desert, so I thought it would be an opportune time to check in with her to pick her brain about current events. We talk about her chosen profession and how she deals emotionally with the stress of the job and encountering people on the worst day of their lives. We chat about old times, Jack and Cokes, and she refers to me in the third person at least twice. We reminisce about the impact of "Brookies" on the Ventura music scene. I marvel at Sarah's need for adrenaline, and she admits to turning into a cranky old lady yelling at kids to get off her lawn. I, once again, sing the praises of Periscope. Our conversation starts at 17:07. I rant about Rush Limbaugh, The Dead Milkmen, and what the Queers are doing to the soil.


text:
- a person born or living in the south
- [alsoS-] a person born or living in a U.S. state of the South (see the phrase at south)
MLA Style
APA Style
also South·ern·er
MLA Style
APA Style
(plural Southerners)
- Alternative capitalization of southerner (native or inhabitant of the south of any region).
- (US) Someone from one of the states which seceded in 1861 and briefly formed the Confederate States of America, or, more broadly, from some neighboring states as well (but excluding geographically-southerly states like Arizona); compare the South.
For some white, male authors, this term has an implicit racial marking. W. J. Cash wrote in 1941 "of the chip-on-the-shoulder swagger and brag of a boy—one, in brief, of which the essence was the boast, voiced or not, on the part of every Southerner, that he would knock hell out of whoever dared to cross him." As Ineke Bockting wrote, "Trying to deconstruct a set of myths into which he himself was born, Cash did not always succeed in going beyond his own white, male perspective. […] When Cash writes about the importance for 'every Southerner' of the 'boast, voiced or not,' that he would 'knock hell out of whoever dared to cross him,' John Shelton Reed argues, 'plainly, Cash did not mean "every Southerner" to include Southern blacks and Southern women. For a woman to reveal that attitude would have been unladylike; for a black to display it could have been fatal […] '"
Another example is found in a 1948 resolution of the Alabama State Democratic Executive Committee, which asserted "That the Democrats of Alabama would be most deeply hurt, shocked and disillusioned should any attack upon racial segregation be adopted as a plank in the 1948 party platform [...] Such an action by the National leadership of the Democratic party could but force every Southerner into the undesired position of determining which is the greater loyalty, that to the South, or that to the party."
MLA Style
APA Style


text:
Christian Ad Networks/
Last week I wrote a post about affiliate marketing and Mary from The Writer's Block left a great comment and question. Instead of just answering her question as a comment, I though I would just do a post instead. Her comment and question:
I have a question about Google ads. I have that on my blog. Since I blog about Christian themes, occasionally, Google ads will post "Christian-related" ads. Well, I clicked on one of these one time. I had some serious issues with the theological and doctrinal slant of this "church."
So, I put a disclaimer on my blog, saying I do not necessarily endorse the theology represented in those ads. Is there any way to filter the Google ads? Any other ideas of a good way to handle this?
Yes you can filter ads on Google Adsense. However, it is only on a domain by domain basis. You have to actually list the domains you want to ban from being displayed on your site. This can be very time consuming as there could literally be thousands of sites you would want filtered out.
Something you might consider using instead of Google Adsense is a Christian based ad network. I have not actually used any Christian ad networks but a quick search on Google gave me a few results and places to check out. I have listed a them here:
- Christian Ad Network
- Faith Ad Net (I actually applied for this one but haven't heard back yet.)
- Christian Web Ads
- Cross Ads (I applied for this one too)
Let me know if you apply to any of the networks listed and let us know how your experience with the company goes.


text:
Save Big on Different Models of iPad, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 3 – Black Friday
Have been eyeing the lightest and the mightiest iPad Air but couldn't get it thanks to its price tag? Here are some of the best iPad Black Friday deals and discounts which will enable you to get yourself and your loved ones the love that Apple's tablet series offers. Don't fool yourself by going only for the latest variants as previous models are still doing well and could give you bigger discounts too.
iPad Black Friday deals and discounts:
– Best Buy:
- Best Buy is offering all iPad Air 2 models with a $100 discount.
- You will get same discount on iPad Mini 3 models too including all the storage and Wi-Fi, Cellular options.
Target is also offering gift cards with various iPad models including the latest ones:
- iPad Air 2, any capacity – $140 gift card
- iPad mini 3, any capacity – $100 gift card
- Original iPad Air, any capacity – $100 gift card
- iPad mini 2, any capacity – $100 gift card
– Walmart:
- You will be able to get the original iPad mini 16GB Wi-Fi model with a $50 discount and a $30 gift card- price: $199. This will be available on Black Friday at 6pm.
- At 8pm, you will be able get the first gen 16GB, Wi-Fi only iPad Air for $397 with a $100 gift card.
– Sams Club:
Sam's Club will be offering a limited quantity of the first gen 16GB iPad Air with a $100 discount. The end price will go down to $299. This deal, however, will also be available online as well as in the brick-and-mortar stores.
– Staples:
- Staples is offering $80 discount with the original 16GB Wi-Fi iPad Air selling it for $319.
- 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 2 for $239 with a discount of $60.
- 4th gen Wi-Fi only iPad with Retina display for $279 with a discount of $70.
– HH Gregg:
- 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 2 for $279 – $20 discount.
- 32GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 2 for $329.99 – $20 discount.


text:
SAO PAULO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Brazil's Cia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo SA has signed a letter of intent to provide water and sewage services to the city of Guarulhos, home to more than 1.3 million people, the sewage and water company said in a securities filing on Thursday night.
Under the terms of the proposed contract, Sabesp, as the company is commonly known, will invest 1.7 billion reais ($417 million) and exempt the municipality from 3.2 billion reais in debt.
The project still must be approved by city legislators and other lawmakers, said the company, which expects a contract to be signed within 90 days.
Guarulhos, adjacent to the city of Sao Paulo, is the site of Latin America's busiest airport.
($1 = 4.08 reais)
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)


text:
L'ami Jac
L'ami Jac
JAC is a young start-up which has succeeded in combining the brains of a Frenchman and a Scotsman together in the same skull.
Their wines are the embodiment of Scottish pragmatism and French elegance. The majority of their wines are from independent French winemakers who produce in small quantities.


text:
Our square planters can be used as mini digging, planting and growing pots or can simply be used around the playground to improve the look of the outdoor environment.
Our specialised quote builder makes it easy to build your playground to budget. Simply explore our product categories and add the products to your quote. You can view your quote at any time from the top navigation bar where you can then send to us to arrange discussion. Happy shopping!


text:
By Enrique Pavlioglou & Consuelo Azuaje
Raspberry Pi is a low-cost, credit card-sized computer that you can carry with you, plug into any existing monitor or TV and use with most standard mice and keyboards. But, don't let the size of this device fool you. This zippy piece of next-gen tech possesses all of the capabilities of a low-end desktop computer. A Raspberry Pi can be used for creating spreadsheets or text documents, web-browsing, playing high-def videos and games, and for fulfilling many other day-to-day computer-needs. It can even be used to learn programming languages, such as Scratch and Python. With its newest installment, Raspberry Pi 3, Raspberry Pi has positioned itself to become a fixture in the world of IoT systems.
What about connectivity issues?
After some major, tech haul, Raspberry Pi has finally gotten rid of the pesky, third-party connectivity antennas that Raspberries Pi 1 and 2 use. Because, why build a computer—of any size—without built-in wireless connectivity? Sure, Joe or Jill Consumer could always attach a wireless card or Bluetooth chip, but why should they pay the extra price? IoT is supposed to be cost effective and will one day need to be cheap enough for J. Consumer to install them everywhere and on everything. To achieve this, Raspberry Pi 3 has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built into its minute body, and rings up at the affordable price of 35 dollars.
Another plus: Windows 10 IoT Core was added to Raspberry Pi 3—boosting its ability to integrate with other Windows devices.Users will enjoy enterprise security, service, automatic updates, and a rich Universal Windows Platform (UWP). Enabling Windows adds value and opens many doors for retailers and programmers, alike.
What more can I expect when I open the box?
A number of other interesting specs: Raspberry Pi 3 features a friction-fit micro SD slot, instead of push-and-pray one. Although it has 1 GB ram like the Raspberry Pi 2, it leaves Raspberry Pi 2's 450 MHz in the dust, clocking in at 900 MHz. (Save your prayers for the competition!)
The makers of Raspberry Pi 3, retained a few worthy features from the previous-gen: 4 USB 2.0 ports and a full-size HDMI port, Display Serial Interface (DSI), and a 3.5 mm A/V jack, to name a few. They made improvements where it counted by upgrading the Raspberry Pi 3 with a 64-bit processor and newer architecture, the ARM Cortex A53. Summing it all up, its 50 percent faster than its predecessor and more connected, all while sticking to the same price
With all of the new upgrades, Raspberry Pi 3 is making serious waves, and companies and makers alike should take steps to include Raspberry Pi 3s in their development kits. Particularly, large connected devices, such as vending machines and trucks, which could justify using such a device to improve business models with innovative and cost-effective hardware.


text:
Schramm Construction is a Commercial/Industrial General Contractor.
Our services include general contracting, design-build construction, and construction management.
Excellence, Integrity, Valued Relationships, and a Passion for our work make us who we are.
For over 20 years Schramm Construction has put people over construction. Sound strange coming from a firm that builds for a living? It's the truth. We are focused on the growth of our clients and how we can optimize your success. Once this is understood, the construction process becomes instinctive and natural. You can trust Schramm to be as concerned about your business success as we are about the success of your project.
Our team is protective of your interests. We understand that no matter what the project is, construction is fiscally and systematically challenging to any organization. Schramm works hard to minimize those burdens, looking down the road to foresee and avoid obstacles before they occur. Our experience serves you well in helping to prevent surprises that no one likes. We have a proud history of delivering on-time, on-budget, safe projects.
Our sense of ownership on the project comes from the top down in our organization, which means you not only have a project manager and superintendent on your side, you have an experienced management team looking out for you. When you call Schramm, your call brings you a team of folks who want to see you successful. Thanks to our experience, we've formed strong relationships with best-in-class resources:
- architects who add vision to your "back of napkin" floor plans
- engineers ardent about their field
- tradesman with extensive experience
What's more, they yearn to educate and serve their clients rather than sell their services. When you look at our experience and the people we bring to your project, you will be able to tell yourself that you can trust Schramm and can also trust the resources on our team. Just like us, they are aligned with your success. Our portfolio is rich in diverse projects. Check it out:
- Resorts and waterparks? Yep, we've done that.
- Churches? Too many to count.
- Manufacturing and warehouses? Throughout the Midwest!
- Clubhouses, apartments, restaurants, schools, retail, medical, historical restoration… you name it.
Are we tooting our own horn? Maybe a little. We are proud of the trust our clients have placed with us. We're privileged to have the experience we do. It is our goal to put that experience to your benefit. Whether it is a ground-up build, an addition, or the design build of a campus master plan, we humbly bring that knowledge, along with our vitality and passion to our partnership with you.
Let us help you be successful.
Call Fred at 630.524.6024 or 630.669.8021


text:
Wert159 x Absolut Space
In 2015 I was invited by curators from Artmossphere to take part in a group show/event - Absolut Space. An exciting mix of audio-visual performances, professional speakers, music gig, private party and in a center of all art. I was one of a dozen artists, whom I highly respected and was honored to be amongst them. We were given a budget, vague visual direction and freedom to create. The Core of the event revolved around limited edition Absolut Electric, and that was our guide. I was inspired by color scheme, bold graphics and I idea of transition. My generally abstract painting/installation reflects that. Overall it was a great experience working on a commercial project that was so open to creative artistic solution instead of blindly pursuing general marketing goals.


text:
"The singing, musicianship, and production on Jody's album "est. 1980" are very good. Jody's writing style reminds me of David Lowery from Cracker, and also of Ben Folds...I am enjoying it a lot." - Shawn Mullins
Jason Matthews, Marty Dodson, Bruce Wallace, Kris Bergsnes, Steve Pasch, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Elisha Hoffman, Maks Gabriel, Jonathan Perkins, Phil Barton, Bill Diluigi, Kenny Lamb, Jan Buckingham, Jovany Baretto, Luiz Salazar, Michele Vice-Maslin, Melissa Bollea, Brinn Black, Jonathan McClanahan, Brandon Trca, Jessie McEntire and more....


text:
Bishop appeals for church solidarity with EU leaders
A BISHOP has issued an appeal to Christians to engage with the EU's political leaders in meeting the challenges presented by the currency crisis across the continent.
Noel Treanor, Bishop of Down and Connor, was speaking in Limerick at a conference at Mary Immaculate College to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.
The re-evangelisation of Europe is a central theme of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, currently ongoing in Rome and to which Mary Immaculate's own head of theology Fr Eamonn Conway has been appointed expert advisor.
Despite growing secularism across Europe since the birth of the EU, Bishop Treanor said its founding fathers such as Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer were men motivated by faith.
"The European project, a new political venture, required courage, leadership and trust on the part of political leaders, civil servants and citizens. Over the decades Europe has delivered on its founding values - peace, reconciliation, solidarity, improvement in working standards, and help for the poorer regions of Europe," said Bishop Treanor.
Culminating in the Lisbon Treaty, which includes a reference to Europe's Christian heritage, European law had "gradually consolidated a place for the religious voice in the European public square".
Bishop Treanor cited European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso's recent call for new treaty changes "towards a federation of nation states - as opposed to a super state - in order to equip the eurozone and the European Union with the governance capacity to respond to the challenges arising from the euro-crisis".
Such "necessary and imaginative steps", while they needed to be debated, required the support of citizens and "churches and Christians" needed to be involved in generating the goodwill for that to come about, the bishop said.
Other speakers at the conference included Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, the former head of the Catholic Church in England; journalist Mary Kenny and theologians and academics from Ireland, Europe and the United States.


text:
You don't have to leave your present business – or even put it onto any kind of a "back burner" – just the opposite, in fact!! FutureNet is the place to PROMOTE whatever it is that you are already doing!!
Knicole Burchett didn't promote FutureNet hardly at all, basically only in the beginning, about a year and 1/2 ago. But she is earning more with FutureNet than with any of her other businesses!!
And to all of you crypto people.. this is an absolute goldmine to promote your cryptocurrencies in.


text:
Understanding equine fears and phobias
Equine behaviourist Richard Maxwell explains that all horses are naturally phobic to some degree, ranging from the almost bombproof characters to those that spook at every leaf. They all learn by experience so if they undergo something frightening or painful, as a prey animal this memory will stand out because they can't afford to let it happen again.
"Horses are one-time learners in these situations, they remember the fear and pain. For some it only needs to be one or the other, but if you have both it's a double-whammy," says Richard.
"It all comes down to self-preservation, and the memory of the stress means they'll resist repeating the experience – the way the horse sees it he has the right to use his size, strength and speed to avoid it and that's when he starts to become unruly, so we have to show him through training that these things aren't an advantage."
How do you crack a phobia?
Tackling an equine phobia isn't simply a matter of exposing your horse to the thing he's scared of in the hope he gets used to it, as Richard explains. "If you were scared of snakes and I tied you up and covered you with them it wouldn't help, and it's the same for horses. If a phobia overtakes your emotions and you can't cope, then you just can't cope – the adrenaline is surging and you can't do anything other than panic, which in a horse sees his flight instinct take over," he says. "We have to show him that although we can't make something scary go away or stop it happening, we can teach him to manage his reaction and cope better, so he stays safe."
The trick lies in finding something your horse is mildly scared of and carefully desensitising him to it without adrenalizing him – he has to realise it's not going away but equally isn't hurting him. BUT before you start desensitizing your horse, be aware things may get worse before they get better.
"Even when they're scared most horses will do what you ask. The next time you ask him he'll probably say 'thanks but no thanks', and it's here his behaviour begins to deteriorate. Then you get the 'up yours' response where he'll try and bring his size, speed and strength into play," explains Max. "The moment it gets animated is the start of change – if you stop then you'll have done more harm than good so stay calm and see it through.The next time you try it the horse has given it some thought and will go along with what you want - he realises his behaviour changed nothing, he didn't gain anything from it and sees it's to his benefit to make that behaviour redundant."
How to control your horse's feet
Richard explains that if you can train your horse to lower his head, change his frame and place his feet where you want them on demand, you can control him in panic situations. The first step is to ensure you have full control of your horse in all directions at all speeds, and can move from one to another seamlessly. Here's how:
Step 1
In a safe enclosed space, start by asking him to back up and move forwards – don't be surprised if he initially resists. The classic stance will be the front feet together and hind feet spread wide. Your horse might try and use his size and strength by bracing himself to resist what you're asking. You want him to roll back and forward without interruption, so be clear and to the point he'll soon learn changing his physical or emotional position is inappropriate and will do what you're asking.
Step 2
Once you've mastered moving backwards and forwards smoothly, practise stopping him and changing direction on the lunge. The ability to change direction quickly and efficiently counters the horse's natural strength. He might resist at first but don't rush it and you'll get there. Ideally you'll master this in walk, trot and canter, but don't worry if you only manage walk and trot.
Step 3
When you've mastered both these stages you can start to desensitise your horse to his particular fear, for example;
For horses that are afraid of noisy things, try this:
Here we have to break down the perception that something noisy is threatening. Most horses will find a plastic bottle filled with stones hard to deal with, so you must show him when it touches him there's no pain. Gently shake the bottle until you're touching him – he'll move away at first so use that two-metre circle. When he realises there's no pain and stops, remove the bottle. Repeat until he's not reacting – he'll bring his head lower each time and will eventually become curious about the bottle. Learning to stand still and stay calm is good enough for most people out hacking. Once he's fine with the bottle you can desensitise him to other noisy things - it's not about getting him to like things but making him realise he doesn't have to worry about them.
More about our expert
Richard Maxwell, aka Max, served in the Household Cavalry training both horses and riders. After leaving the Army Max worked with Monty Roberts, and has combined conventional and natural training methods to develop his own style, which he describes as 'practical horsemanship'. For more information visit www.richard-maxwell.com


text:
Surrounded by all that could sustain her, she knew it was not enough — for only when she could run free, would she be completely nourished.
* * *
This little critter (aka gopher) was caught one day when it had the courage to run across the yard. Just a baby, it most likely didn't know better and was lulled upward by the warm sunshine and blue skies. Upon catching her, I put her in a bucket of veggies and took her for a ride to a larger field where she could run free. Just before releasing her, she looked up at me with her sweet, knowing gaze — it was one of those looks that I shall recall whenever our lawn starts erupting dirt mounds. I now can't help but love these little beasts!
— Diane Varner


text:
Steven R. Zappulla, 87, beloved husband of Beatrice (Cultrera) Zappulla passed away peacefully at his home on January 10, 2018, surrounded by his loving family. Steve suffered for many years with a rare illness, PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy). He never complained and faced each day with great dignity and a big smile.
Steve was born in 1930 to his parents Louis and Grace (Sequenzia) Zappulla in New Britain, CT. He graduated from New Britain High School and then proudly and honorably served his country in the US Air Force during the Korean Conflict. He married Bea in 1957 and they enjoyed over 60 blessed years together.
He would say he had a wonderful life with Bea and his children, grandchildren, extended family and abundant friends. Steve would always love to tell jokes and everyone who knew him can surely relate a favorite story or instance of his humor in a situation. He loved music, had a great voice and loved to sing and share these passions with his family. He cherished family gatherings and picnics at the beach at their summer home in Westbrook, CT.
Steve loved going to work every day at his job as Office Manager at Emhart Corp., retiring in 1992. He enjoyed his retirement, loved tending to his garden, had fun playing cards with family and friends, and spending time with his grandchildren. He was a very devoted parishioner of St Paul Church in Kensington. Steve was such a special, kind and gentle soul – one in a million.
In addition to his beloved wife, Steve is survived by his son Rob and his wife Gina Zappulla of Somers, CT, and his daughter Laurie and her husband Joe Monteleone of Southington, CT. He leaves two adoring grandchildren, Jeff and Emily Parsons and two "bonus" grandsons, Chris and Nick Monteleone, all of Southington. He is survived by several generations of nieces and nephews who will most definitely miss their "Uncle Steve."
Steve was predeceased by his two sisters, Anne Davidian and Angeline Rogala, eight brothers-in-law and five sisters-in-law, three nephews and a niece.
The family of Steven Zappulla would like to extend very special thanks and gratitude to the many caregivers and doctors who provided Steve with such excellent care, especially Aracelis (Aly) Delvalle who tended to him daily for 4 years as if he were her own father; Elisa Washington who has been an angel in her short time with us as well; and to all the nursing staff from Hartford Healthcare at Home and the Hospice nurses for their dedicated and compassionate care. Dr. Duarte Machado and Dr. Neil Wasserman have gone above and beyond, providing extraordinary medical treatment but also compassionate care for the family.
The Zappulla family also extends very special thanks to the many visits, meals, love, support and other acts of kindness given by so many family and friends.
We will truly miss our Steve, our Dad, our Papa, our friend…until we meet again…
Funeral services will be held on Monday January 15, 2018 at 9 am from the New Britain Memorial -Donald D. Sagarino Funeral Home, 444 Farmington Ave, New Britain, followed by the Funeral Liturgy at 10 am at St. Paul Church in Kensington. Entombment with full military honors will be at St. Mary Mausoleum, St. Mary Cemetery, 1141 Stanley St., New Britain, CT. Visiting hours will be Sunday, January 14th from 4-7 pm at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Steve's memory may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online at www.stjude.org or to CurePSP, 1206 York Road, Suite L-4, Lutherville, MD 21093 or online at www.curepsp.org for research funding for neurodegenerative disease.
For directions and on line condolences please visit www.newbritainsagarino.com.


text:
i had a great fall season! i couldn't ask for better clients. with every session - i enjoyed hanging out with each family, seeing how much the kids have grown, hear how everyone is doing, see babies get bigger, families grow larger and just spend time catching up. i loved doing fall minis this year, it was a great way for families to get their portraits for holiday cards to grandparents, family and friends in a short amount of time. I will probably start thinking of offering spring mini sessions in the new year, but in the mean time will look forward to doing what i love - which is photographing families in a photojournalistic way, in their homes, or hanging out at the places they love.
although I can't share every session or photo.... here are some of my favourites which i'm sure are safe to share :)


text:
The Global Enlightenment Network is not a cult or a psychic experiment; it is a safe, effective forum for personal and planetary transformation.
Global Enlightenment Network (GEN) is a telepathic communications network that can be used for self-development, spiritual connection, activism and entertainment. Participants bring heart-centered frequencies to the core of local, national and global policy in a safe and effective way while enhancing personal health, strength, and creativity.
You can use GEN to:
- Improve personal relationships in unique and effective ways
- Contribute to the creation of peace directly and efficiently
- Strengthen your physical, emotional & mental health
- Engage in fulfilling spiritual connections (non-affiliated)
- Participate in political, social, & environmental activism
Enrich your life
Global Enlightenment Network is not a cult or belief system, and does not have a leader. Anyone can use it, and you do not have to 'join' anything in order to enjoy the benefits that this growing network offers.
We welcome you to use this telepathic communications network for personal and global transformation. You can use it privately or with a group. Enrich your own life and bring heart-centered frequencies to the core of local, national and global policy in a safe and effective way.


text:
The Snakes Lie and Darwinism
The idea that man can become God was first whispered in Eve's ear by the snake. In "Ancient Paganism: The Sorcery of Fallen Angels" Ken Johnson, Th.D, writes that the snake (Lucifer) persuaded pre-flood people to believe that the original Creator God did not exist since He had emptied Himself into creation (pantheism). According to the snake, since all that actually exists is a creative animated God-force it is possible for each person to evolve into god since the god-energy is man's mind or unconscious:
"Since the unconscious is God all along, we may further define the goal of spiritual growth to be the attainment of godhood by the conscious self." (A Different Drum, M. Scott Peck)
In the words of Emergent Church leader Rob Bell, evolution is an energy that everything---including man---is plugged into. Evolution is a,
"…. spark, an electricity that everything is plugged into. The Greeks called it zoe, the mystics call it 'Spirit,' and Obi-Wan called it 'the Force'.....This energy, spark, and electricity that pulses through all of creation sustains it, fuels it, and keeps it growing. Growing, evolving, reproducing..." (Love Wins, pp. 144-145)
Pre-flood people held very similar views to those espoused by Peck and Bell. This is why early Church Father Tertullian describes both Greek pagans, who taught that by magic they would evolve into demons (highly evolved spirits of people who lived during the Golden Age) after death and pre-flood people as idolaters rather than atheists:
"….by magic, which is indeed only a second idolatry, wherein they pretend that after death they become demons, just as they were supposed in the first and literal idolatry to become gods." Tertullian Treatise on the soul 57 (emphasis added)
We learn in the Ancient Book of Jasher, a 3,000 year old non-inspired history referenced in Joshua 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18, and 2 Tim. 3:8, that the idea that God does not exist was Lucifer's original lie:
"And they called to Noah, saying, Open for us that we may come to thee in the ark---and wherefore shall we die? And Noah, with a loud voice, answered them….saying, Have you not all rebelled against the Lord, and said that he does not exist?" Jasher 6:18-19 (emphasis added)
Pre-flood people were idolaters. They preferred 'self' to God and brethren. They willfully chose to believe that the Creator God does not exist and that by various magic rituals which they had learned from the Watchers (Angels) they would change (evolve) into gods:
"And Cainan…went to seek for himself a place where he might seize for himself a city. And he found a writing which former generations had carved on the rock, and he read what was thereon, and he transcribed it and sinned owing to it; for it contained the teaching of the Watchers….And he wrote it down and said nothing regarding it; for he was afraid to speak to Noah about it lest he should be angry with him on account of it." (Jubilees 8: 1-5, cited in Ancient Paganism: The Sorcery of the Fallen Angels, Ken Johnson, Th.D., p. 36, emphasis added)
God destroyed that world with a flood. Only Noah and his family were saved, but whereas Noah re-established the worship of the one true God, in the post-flood world, his son Ham and his sons quickly fell back into pagan idolatry, the lie that man will change into god.
Church Father Clement writes that it was Ham who rediscovered and resurrected pre-flood teachings from the Watchers:
"Fallen angels taught men the use of magical incantations that would force demons to obey man. After the flood Ham the son of Noah unhappily discovered this and taught it to his sons. This became ingrained into the Egyptians, Persians, and Babylonians. Ham died shortly after the fall of the Tower of Babel. Nimrod, called Ninus by the Greeks, was handed this knowledge and by it caused men to go away from the worship of God and go into diverse and erratic superstitions and they began to be governed by the signs in the stars and motions of the planets." (Recognitions of Clement 4.26-29)
The theme which unites pre-flood paganism to ancient Sumeria (Babylonia) and modern evolutionary movements--- Darwinian humanism, Teilhard's Hindu pantheist system, Big Bang assumptions, Luciferian Theosophy, liberal pantheist theology, occult pantheist New Age mysticism, and America's slide into apostasy are pride, defiance, and the myth of evolution.
In "Belief in God, Heaven and Miracles Down; Belief in Evolution Up," Christian Post reporter Jeff Schapiro reveals that the percentage of Americans who believe in God, heaven and miracles decreased in the last several years, according to poll results released Monday, while the percentage of people who believe in Darwin's theory of evolution is on the rise:
"A new Harris Poll found that nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of American adults believe in God, though that number is down from 2005, 2007 and 2009, when 82 percent believed in Him. Sixty-eight percent of people now say they are absolutely or somewhat certain God exists, though that number has decreased by 11 percentage points since 2003." (christianpost.com, Dec. 19, 2013)
Belief in the theory of evolution, on the other hand,
"...has risen from 42 percent to 47 percent in the last eight years. Since 2003, the percentage of adults who say there is no God has increased from nine percent to 16 percent, and uncertainty as to whether there is a God has risen from 12 percent to 16 percent."
In keeping with His Gospel, our Lord not only announced it but foretold the trials and tribulations that would encompass His followers.
The most lethal in our age is the spirit of rebellion that dresses self-worship and evolutionary nature religions in Christian clothing in an attempt to overhaul the Christian faith.
In "Apostasy in America: An Overview of Warning Signs in Our Time," Dr. Peter Jones, Professor of Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in California writes that in order for the,
"...pagan lie to succeed, it needs to look as much like the truth as it can. Hence the imperious necessity in the malevolent eschatology of spiritual darkness for the appearance of a new hybrid – 'Christian' paganism." (Jesus and the Den of Thieves, SCP Journal, Vol. 20:3-4, 1996, p. 15)
The foundation of Christian paganism is Darwinism. The essence of Darwinism constituting its' particular nature is neo-pagan naturalism. Naturalism advocates a phony 'truth claim' positing the nonexistence of the one God in three Persons, Heaven, hell, man as God's spiritual image-bearer, angels, demons, immutable truth, moral law, meaning, and purpose resulting in human beings who are no longer Imago Dei but rather conscious products of evolution, mere descendants of lower creatures:
"Darwinism came at the desired time; Darwin's theory that man is the descendant of a lower animal destroyed the entire foundation of Christian dogma." (Anton Pannekoek, 'Marxism and Darwinism," translated by Nathan Weiser. Transcribed for the internet by Jon Muller, Charles H. Kerr & Company Co-operative Copyright, 1912 by Charles H. Kerr & Co,)
Despite claims of evolutionary theologians to the contrary, Darwinism "destroyed the entire foundation of Christian dogma," so whether they know it or not, Christians who embrace Darwinism unwittingly deny the deity of Jesus Christ since if Darwinism is true then our Savior is not the Second Person of the Trinity, God Incarnate, the Word Who created ex nihilo but rather a conscious product of evolution (1 John 2:22).
The Darwinian wrecking-ball does not stop there.
If Darwinism is true, there was no fall, so Lucifer is not Satan, there is no Original Sin, no hell, no Judgment, and since men are not sinners in need of a Savior, there is no reason why the very worst of our kind need fear doing whatever they want to do, no matter how evil, while in this world.
If Darwinism is true and Jesus is a conscious product of evolution, then there was neither Incarnation nor Resurrection, thus no "new heaven, and a new earth'" where God "shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, neither crying, neither...pain: for the first things are passed." (Rev. 21: 1, 4)
In conclusion, if Darwinism is true, the one God in three Persons does not exist since He and His Revealed Word are myths invented by stone-age hominids, all of which makes the faithful the most miserable people of all, for they are left with nothing.
"In the beginning was the Word…."
J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, the "Silmarillion" is the book of beginnings, the all-important Genesis account that sets the stage for all that follows in the towers trilogy:
"There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Iluvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made." (p. 15)
Just as the Genesis account opens with creation ex nihilo, so does Tolkien's account. In the beginning was Illuvatar, the Word who was, is, and always will be:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and there was nothing made that was not made by Him."
Iluvatar 'thought,' then he "sang living words," according to both Tolkien and CS Lewis in his "Magicians Nephew." As Iluvatar sings He instantaneously creates the things of His thought, thus all things are created in a precise order and after their own kind in six instantaneous acts of creation.
Returning to Genesis, we are told that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. God Incarnate is Jesus Christ, God made flesh, the fulfillment and perfection of all prophecy from the very beginning, starting with Adam and Eve who received the knowledge of a coming Redeemer as well as the knowledge that the world would be destroyed two times, once by water, once by fire. Thus Jesus Christ in His office as prophet is the Angel of Prophecy who spoke to Moses in the desert, revealing to him the Genesis account ex nihilo.
Therefore, to embrace Darwinism is to logically deny all of the aforementioned as well as the deity of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, hence,
"…every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist . . . and even now already is it in the world" (1 John 4:3).
To reject the deity of Jesus is to deny man's dire need of our Savior, the Physician of our souls. All who deny the deity of Jesus Christ deny the Physician and are of the spirit of antichrist, thus they deny His prescription and assign themselves to outer darkness.
The Antichrist
Vladimir Soloviev (1850-1900) was a brilliant Russian philosopher and theologian. In a gripping novel, "A Short Tale of the Antichrist" Soloviev offers both an amazingly accurate glimpse into the mind of the super-man who will become the Antichrist as well as illustrating the real obstacle to salvation, the refusal by proud, willful men to recognize and admit to their sinful condition.
Prior to his transformation by Satan, Soloviev describes the super-man as outwardly just, but within he is full of pride and is morally reprehensible:
".... He believes in God but loves nobody but himself. His relationship with Christ was quickly defined as one of superiority (for he will never) bow before Him like the most stupid of Christians (nor) mutter senselessly....'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me'....'I, the bright genius, the superman! No, never!" (The Wrath of God: The Days of Antichrist, Livio Fanzaga, pp. 39-40)
As the super-mans' spiritual fall progresses, or evolves downward, instead of the former cold rational respect for Jesus Christ God Incarnate:
".....there was born and grew in his heart, first, a kind of terror, and then a burning, choking and corroding envy and furious breath-taking hatred." Devoured with envy of Jesus Christ he cries out "He rotted in the tomb, rotted like the lowest..." (ibid, pp. 40-41)
This is the moment the Evil One has been waiting for. He openly approaches the super-man and possesses him:
"He saw those piercing eyes and heard...a strange voice, toneless...stifled, and yet clear, metallic and absolutely soulless as though coming from a phonograph." Satan pours out his spirit, saying, "I ask nothing of you, and I will help you for your own sake...Receive my spirit...it gives birth to you in power. At these words...the superman's lips opened of themselves, two piercing eyes came quite close to his face, and he felt a sharp, frozen stream enter into him and fill his whole being. And at the same time he was conscious of a wonderful strength, energy, lightness and rapture." (p. 43)
Soloviev masterfully portrays a striking contrast between the apostles of Christ and the Antichrist. The former receive the power of the living Word and are full of wisdom, virtue, truth, and courage while the latter receives the power of the devil and are full of nihilistic pride, contention, ingratitude, lies, burning envy, murderous hate, blasphemy, cursing, resentment, deception, covetousness, and perversion.
The Antichrist, as described by Soloviev, suffers the same massively inflated pride and envy that transformed Lucifer into the devil. This same pride and envy animated Cain, Judas, Nimrod, the pantheist sorcerer Hegel, the occult Luciferian Illuminati who planned and instigated the bloody French Revolution; Madame Blavatsky, Karl Marx, Nietzsche, Lenin, Stalin, Teilhard de Chardin, the West's "God is dead" theologians, the Jesus Seminar gnostics and too many others to be named.
In the end, hell is the choice of proud, willful men, anti-christs who refuse to recognize and admit to their sinful condition. In affirmation, CS Lewis writes:
"There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in Hell chose it."
@Linda Kimball


text:
The PlayStation 2 (popularly called PS2) is the best-selling console in the history of video game.
With over 150 million units sold, PS2 is surely a magnificent device for gaming.
For those of you who played this console in the past, I bet you would be interested to get to know the best PS2 games of all time.
Some of you (90s kids) will probably remember (or even still playing) the best PS2 games on this list.
See also: Best PSP Games of All Time & Best Floor Gaming Chairs
#100. Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007
#99. SoulCalibur III
#98. Kingdom Hearts
#97. ESPN NHL Hockey
#96. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
#95. WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain
#94. We Love Katamari
#93. Medal of Honor Frontline
#92. NASCAR Thunder 2004
#91. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow
#90. Psychonauts
#88. NBA Street
#87. World Series Baseball 2K3
#86. SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs
#85. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005
#84. Beyond Good & Evil
#83. MVP Baseball 2005
#82. Fight Night Round 2
#81. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
#80. DOA2: Hardcore
#79. NCAA Football 06
#78. Kingdom Hearts II
#77. NCAA Football 07
#76. Bully
#75. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES
#73. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003
#72. Sly 2: Band of Thieves
#71. Jak II
#70. Viewtiful Joe
#69. Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition
#68. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
#67. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
#65. ESPN NFL Football
#64. NBA Street V3
#63. Burnout 2: Point of Impact
#62. World Soccer Winning Eleven 9
#61. Red Faction
#60. Dark Cloud 2
#59. Twisted Metal: Black
#56. MVP Baseball 2004
#55. Tekken 5
#54. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
#53. NCAA Football 2005
#52. Gran Turismo 4
#51. Ratchet & Clank
#50. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004
#49. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
#48. NBA Street Vol. 2
#47. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
#46. NCAA Football 2002
#44. Burnout Revenge
#43. Madden NFL 2005
#42. World Soccer Winning Eleven 6 International
#41. Tony Hawk's Underground
#40. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
#39. Final Fantasy XII
#38. Madden NFL 2001
#37. World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International
#36. Madden NFL 2003
#35. Virtua Fighter 4
#34. NCAA Football 2003
#33. Shadow of the Colossus
#32. SoulCalibur II
#31. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
#30. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
#29. TimeSplitters 2
#28. Pro Evolution Soccer
#27. Final Fantasy X
#26. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
#25. Madden NFL 2004
#24. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
#23. Guitar Hero
#22. Guitar Hero II
#20. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
#19. Madden NFL 2002
#17. SSX Tricky
#16. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
#15. Devil May Cry
#14. Okami
#13. God of War II
#12. World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International
#11. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
#10. NCAA Football 2004
Experience the spirit, atmosphere, and emotion of college football like NCAA Football 2004.
Whether you play as the one of the 36 new 1-AA teams or 20 classic teams from the last two decades, the game lets you celebrate the history of college football.
Feel the tradition of college football Saturdays with all-new pre-game introductions and experience the pageantry with new mascots, flag-waving cheerleaders, and cannons.
Other key features this season include improved college gameplay, EA Sports Online competition for the PlayStation 2, deeper Dynasty mode, and over 15 new teams and the all-new EA Sports Bio.
#9. Burnout 3: Takedown
Burnout 3 challenges you to crash into (and through) busy intersections, while creating as much damage as possible.
You can battle your way to the front of the pack by taking down rivals and causing spectacular crashes.
For those who thirst for crashes, the game includes a crash mode that rewards you for creating massive pileups.
With multiplayer gameplay, more than 100 events, and 40 tracks, Burnout 3 provides intense speed and action.
#8. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
You may not be able to live like the legend, but now you can skate like him.
Skate as the legendary Tony Hawk or choose from a dream team of 12 top pro skaters, including old favorites like Lasek, Thomas, Muska, and Steamer, as well as new talent like Gilfberg, Caballero, Koston, and Mullen.
Or enjoy full customization abilities with the enhanced Create-a-Skater (now including female skaters) and the Skatepark Editor.
Travel from L.A. to Tokyo, Suburbia to Skater's Island performing challenges and meeting goals.
New moves include the Revert, which allows you to link vert tricks, and flatland tricks such as Caspers, the Primo, and Handstand Manual.
If you're good, you can even unlock hidden pro footage.
#7. God of War
In God of War, the dark world of Greek mythology comes to life right before your eyes.
As you take the role of Kratos, a story unfolds with various plot twists and multiple endings that take you through traps, stunts, and puzzles.
With a deep combat system built around double chain blade weapons, the game places you in a variety of environments, in which you must fight challenging enemies, swing on ropes, scale mountain cliffs, swim through rivers, and slide down zip lines.
#6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
From the decade of big hair, excess, and pastel suits comes a story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile.
Vice City is a huge urban sprawl ranging from the beach to the swamps and the glitz to the ghetto, and is the most varied and complete digital city ever created.
Combining nonlinear gameplay with a character driven narrative, you arrive in a town brimming with seedy opportunities and are given the chance to take it over as you choose.
Take control of a variety of vehicles including high-performance cars and motorbikes, powerboats, golf buggies and helicopters.
Browse through the radio stations, with styles ranging from rock to electro to find a sultry melody or pumping beat to suit your mood.
No matter what type of man you are, Vice City is always full of surprises.
#5. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
Some say there's nothing finer than a well-crafted automobile.
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, which brings the series to the PS2, features over 150 of the world's top performing sports cars, luxury autos, modified street runner, rally racers, and prototype evolutionary automobiles.
Each car looks and handles exactly as they should, thanks to the detailed graphics and realistic physics.
Choose your favorite car from a large group of manufacturers including Nissan, Ford, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz.
Race head-to-head with another player or up to six players via iLink.
Gran Turismo 3 is a true car-lover's dream.
#4. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas… a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption.
Where filmstars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers.
Now, it's the early 90s. Carl's got to go home.
His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster.
On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide.
CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.
#3. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Snake returns in the stealthy action title, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
Take on the role of a one-man army determined to stop a deadly high-tech weapon from falling into the hands of a highly elite resistance group called Dead Cell.
Encounter familiar faces including Revolver Ocelot and battle the new war machine, Metal Gear Ray.
This time around, enemies are more aware and agile, so you must use your skills in stealth, weaponry, and counter-terrorism to fight off the competing powers.
#2. Grand Theft Auto III
You've been betrayed and left for dead. Now you're taking revenge, unless the city gets you first.
Mob bosses need a favor, crooked cops need help and street gangs want you dead.
You'll have to rob, steal and kill just to stay out of serious trouble. Anything can happen out here.
Featuring a fully 3-D living city, a combination of narrative driven and non-linear gameplay and a completely open environment, Grand Theft Auto III represents a huge leap forward in interactive entertainment.
For the first time, players are put at the heart of their very own gangster movie, and let loose in a fully-realised 3 dimensional city, in which anything can happen and probably will.
With a cast of hundreds, 50 plus vehicles, ranging from sports cars to ice cream trucks and from boats to buses, 3 hours of music, including opera, reggae, house, drum and bass, pop and disco, a huge array of street ready weapons and some of the seediest characters in video game history, Grand Theft Auto 3 is a sprawling epic which will show you that sometimes, crime can pay and sometimes it can pay you back.
#1. Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 marks a new chapter in the Resident Evil series.
You'll rejoin Leon S. Kennedy six years after his first mission as a rookie cop from Resident Evil 2.
Now a US agent, Leon is on a top secret mission to investigate the disappearance of the president's daughter.
As Leon, you must make your way to a mysterious location in Europe, where new enemies await.
Take them down by using enhanced aim-and-shoot features and a new action button.
Are Your Favorite Games On The List? Leave A Comment Below!
If you think there are games that should OR shouldn't be on this list, let us know by leaving a comment below.
Having a conversation on which PS2 games is the best is (probably) a never ending topic, but it's fun!


text:
We surf with these guys! We love them!! And want to be them!! They are amazing people and instructors! And that's founders Mike R., Mike K., and all of the instructors we've encountered since beginning to surf with them in the summer of 2015.
I've waited a little more than 20 years to begin surfing again. My first experience was disastrous. As a 22 year-old living in Southern California I bought a cool looking wetsuit and a used board that was barely taller than me, but had "thick rails" according to my sister's boyfriend at the time. I looked like a pro on land, but got my ass kicked in the spring Malibu surf! I mean KICKED!!! One Malibu local snorted, "are you from New Jersey?" I responded rather enthusiastically, "yeah, exit 4! Which exit are you?" The look on his face said it all. I needed to leave. But first I had to find my way off of the rocks where I landed with my first effort to flee.
Fast forward 22 years, and after years of living in foreign countries with zero surf, I was finally back in the NY/CT area and learned about Locals Surf School. Once my son was comfortable in the water I called Locals. My wife was a bit nervous as our son had just turned 6 and had limited ocean experience, but the two Mikes assured me that they'd taught kids his age and experience before. "Bring a towel" wetsuits and surfboards were provided.
Arriving on the beach that first day we were immediately impressed when we met the two Mikes and the Locals instructors. We were welcomed like old friends. Their openness, friendliness and professionalism was clearly evident. I went off with one instructor and my son with another. My wife watched our son from a distance for a little while, but mostly out of pride as he took to surfing immediately. She was more than confident with him being in the water with a Local's instructor; another Mike. Mike taught to my son's level, and didn't put him in any situations that were above him. Me on the other hand finally had success!! We all had an awesome first experience!!
Since that first day we have surfed with Locals as much as we can, and love surfing with them more and more after each session!! Sadly I've continued alone this winter without my son as I can't find a proper 5/4 wetsuit for him anywhere; he's too small. But he'll be back with Locals in the spring, and will attend their summer camp after getting a taste last summer. And he can't wait! He had such an amazing experience with Locals last summer, it ranks high in his camper experience. As parents we were so happy to experience his joy and love for the camp and camp counselors/instructors.
With 3 small children ages 6.5 and below, and living in Connecticut, I sadly don't have the hours to spend in the water learning the ocean. Fortunately I've been able to surf regularly with Locals own Jedi instructor Dillon. My time with him in the water is better than spending hours figuring it out alone; I'm progressing faster. I dream of shredding and getting barreled one day. And Locals is getting me there step-by step.
Surfing seems easy once you get up on a board. But surfing is so much more than standing on a board. Right now for me its wave selection, position, paddle technique and speed to name a few. And that's just catching a wave!! Then its turning and trimming, which is an addiction after you're able to do it for the first time. Without Dillion, or a Locals instructor in the water with me I'd surely not be where I currently am skill wise. Even when the waves are few and far between we've worked on so much, minus the bad habits you're bound to learn on your own. And then there's the swell and wind direction, coastline, etc. So much that we talk about and I learn from. Its endless.
The ocean is powerful! I was handed a fitness reality check the first time I surfed with Locals. Since then I'm getting in the best shape of my life, and they're helping. They're all lifeguards, amazing swimmers and swim instructors. We've discussed specific training techniques, and the love I've developed for surfing has pushed me to be stronger and fitter.
I recently bought another wetsuit and surfboard. This time I consulted with Locals, and not a love interest of my sister's. The time they've given me out of the water as unpaid surf consultants is amazing. They are always a simple text message away, and very responsive. They have canceled lessons due to declining surf, and rough weather conditions. And never put making a dollar $$ before my fun and learning experience. We've been treated exceptionally well by Locals. Not to mention how accommodating and flexible they've been on scheduling very early morning surf sessions with me.
The entire Locals crew are genuine "Good People". The best you'd ever want to know! We're apart of their extended family now. A family who surfs together! Many businesses should study them and follow their example. These guys are true Locals, but are also the Pros, and the Real Deal!!
Jonathan G.
We surf with these guys! We love them!! And want to be them!! They are amazing people and instructors! And that's founders Mike R., Mike K., and all of the instructors we've encountered since beginning to surf with them in the summer of 2015.


text:
"At Quantum Marine we know that you have high expectations, and we enjoy the challenge of meeting and exceeding those standards each and every time. Our wide product line allows us the freedom to find the right fit for you."
Quantum Marine has a full range of toys and tools to suit all of your outdoor needs. Whether you are looking for a parts and accessories of Lund and Lowe boats or Volvo & Mercury engines, as well as offering qualified technicians to Service your investments and Accessories to make it yours.
Our experienced sales team are eager to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with you. We encourage you to browse our online inventory, schedule a test drive and investigate financing options. You can also request more information about your boat using our online form or by calling (604) 795-2628..
We encourage you to visit us in person so we can assess your needs and ensure the right fit for your needs, or give us a call.
Quantum Marine is conveniently located near the areas of Abbotsford, Langley, Surrey, and Vancouver and Sechelt.


text:
(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
It's June in Texas, so I feel rather strange writing about an autumn-colored ink. But, today it's also overcast and rainy thanks to a tropical storm, so it seems fallish out there, despite the temperatures. Let's all pretend it's October!
Diamine Autumn Oak is aptly named. The color looks like the leaves at Lost Maples State Park, a place we visit every November.
The ink is a beautiful orange with stunning shading properties, ranging from a dark orange with hints of brown to a light orange, just like leaves.
I compared Autumn Oak with my other two orange inks, Pelikan Edelstein Amber and Iroshizuku Yu-Yake.
Amber also exhibits good shading, but it is more yellow in tone than Autumn Oak and doesn't have the range of colors. Yu-Yake is a flat orange and exhibits hardly any shading (I always crave an orange lollipop when I use Yu-Yake).
Chromatography indicates that Yu-Yake contains yellow, orange, and a slight amount of pink. Amber contains primarily yellow. Autumn Oak contains orange, yellow, and a good amount of pink (which is probably what gives it the gorgeous brown tones).
Autumn Oak, like other Diamine inks, has no odor. It flows well in all the pens I used. It shows little water resistance, and dry times depend on the size and wetness of your nib.
One concern I have about Autumn Oak is that it seems to darken after a day or two in a pen. Perhaps this is due to cross contamination between inks (i.e. my pen had some old ink in the feed and it mixed with the Autumn Oak) or maybe the ink darkens when it sits in a pen for a while.
After I experienced the color shift the first time, I thoroughly cleaned out my pens (water, pen flush, more water) and refilled with Autumn Oak. Even after the cleaning, I noted a slight amount of darkening. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this with Diamine Autumn Oak?
Regardless, this ink is a keeper. The shading alone makes it one of my favorite inks. Now I must have a Pilot Vanishing Point in orange just for this ink. I love it when an ink color requires a pen purchase, don't you?
I'm not the only one impressed by this ink (many reviews are available). I shipped a pen to Canada and used Autumn Oak to address the package. The recipient was happy to receive her new pen, but she wrote to me just to ask, "What was that ink you used?" If ink on an address label impresses someone, you know you have a winner!


text:
The altitude at which a coffee is grown is a common factoid used these days in selling and talking about coffee. But like many coffee factoids, it is all relative. I think seeing the range of altitude on a given farm or COOP can be useful information for a green coffee buyer and even interesting to a consumer. But with no context, does the altitude a coffee was grown at tell you anything specific if you have not tasted the same coffee varietal, picked at the same level of ripeness (this would most likely be harvested at different times - one direct impact of altitude), from the same farm and mill, but separated by altitude? And even in that scenario, that information would be very specific to that particular harvest.
We understand that coffee grown at a higher altitude matures slower and has a denser bean, but coffees are classified this way in much of Latin America already. And, as is important to note, just because a coffee is grown at a higher altitude doesn't mean it's going to be better than a coffee grown 200 meters lower. For the record, I don't have a problem with seeing the altitude printed on a bag of coffee, or used in the coffee description, because I do like to see information on packaging rather than just impressions, but I'm always wary of the way that information will be processed.
In that context, if the exact altitude is known, I think that it would be great to see that paired with the range of altitude found on the farm/COOP or at least the farm/COOP's range in relation to production in the area. It has to be more than a number, and we can't just say that it was grown at such and such an altitude and that's why it's good. So if you're using a coffee's altitude, try to create some context for it, but I don't think that it's the most useful or informative piece of information that you can give.
Thoughts? How would you rank info about a coffee in terms of usefulness/being informative to a green buyer? What about to a consumer?


text:
Colt Brennan's arm makes him one of college football's top quarterbacks, but the way he moved on his feet at practice yesterday could be the most pleasing sight for Hawaii fans.
On the first play of team drills, Brennan took the snap and darted left around his offensive line. Once around the edge, he planted on his left foot and cut back into the middle. Feeling greedy, Brennan made one last cut, this time planting on his right, and made his way down the sideline.
There was no limp to his step and no hitch in his throw. All signs point toward Brennan being as close to 100 percent as he has been in nearly a month.
It's good news for the 16th-ranked Warriors (6-0, 3-0 WAC) as they start the second half of the season with a tough WAC road game at San Jose State (3-3, 2-0) tomorrow at 2 p.m. on ESPN. The Warriors arrived in the Silicon Valley last night, leaving the islands for their fourth road game of the year after yesterday morning's practice.
"I think he's the best the last three days that he's been since he hurt (the ankle)," Hawaii coach June Jones said of Brennan. "We've got a bye the following week, so hopefully he'll get in there and do his own thing."
Brennan hasn't played an entire game since Hawaii's WAC opener at Louisiana Tech five weeks ago. The ankle injury suffered just prior to the UNLV game has hurt Brennan's consistency as much as anything.
"It would help my rhythm if I could consistently stay in there and get back on track," Brennan said.
He's been able to do that all week, and it paid off yesterday, as Brennan not only looked good running with the ball, but he was deadly accurate on his long ball.
On three consecutive plays, he hit receivers between the numbers on passes of at least 40 yards.
"My ankle is feeling better now than ever," Brennan said. "With the bye week coming up I can really push it."
You can tell just by his voice that he's feeling good. Just like the extra step he showed in practice, he spoke to the media afterwards with an extra pep to his voice.
It's as if Brennan knows he's finally healthy and poised to deliver the big offensive numbers he did a season ago.
Hawaii already is playing one less game than last year, and the missed time almost assures that he won't have the same overall record-setting numbers as in '06, when he broke the NCAA record for touchdown passes with 58, among other marks.
Brennan has remained focused on UH's team goals.
"It's just impossible to think that the (individual) standard I set last year is what I'm looking for this year," Brennan said. "I said I'm coming back to win football games and I've been doing that and that's what we're going to continue to do. Whatever the stats are at the end of the year won't matter if we are undefeated."
That challenge starts tomorrow as Hawaii's strength of schedule cranks up a few notches.
The Spartans have won three in a row, and their three losses this season came against teams from the Pac-10 and Big 12.
They have played competition that Hawaii has yet to see, whereas the Warriors are just now starting to see a noticeable increase in their opponents' skill level.
"For us, we're excited because the last four, five, six weeks or so we've been having to get ready for opponents that we are supposed to really beat handily," Brennan said. "Well finally we can really get up and be really excited about an opponent that's good enough to beat us if we don't show up."


text:
Mary Elizabeth is a kindergartner now. It's still hard to believe as I watch her little pigtails bob while walking into school holding hands with a friend each morning. She loves it. She's thriving.
John Mark, however, has a new experience too: Lots of time alone with Mama & Daddy. As the third of three children, that time may have been limited before, but he's embraced it in his linebacker way. He loves it. He's thriving.
He came up—unsolicited—and put his arms around his Mama this week & said, "Ah luh yew vey-ree much, Mama."
"Thank you. I love you too," Melanie replied while giving him a hug.
He pulled away a bit, then pulled in tight patting her on the back & said, "Ah luh yew 'gehn."
I love you... again.
John Mark never stopped loving his Mama. He simply said it again.
How often do I need a love that never stopped?
How refreshing is it when that love is spoken... again?
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!—1 John 3:1
Again. And again. And again.