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A phylogenomic analysis of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae)
Preprint posted on June 24, 2019 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/680488v1
Article now published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106668
Untangling the Asian pitcher plants' complex tree of life using large-scale phylogenomic analysisSelected by Edi Sudianto
Nepenthes (common name: Asian pitcher plant) is a genus of carnivorous plants that has modified its leaves to form a pitcher-like structure (Fig. 1). The pitcher is attached to the leaf blade by a tendril. The structure is usually filled with fluids that may attract, capture, and digest their animal prey (1). Some Nepenthes species have been known to acquire their nutrients from other sources, such as leaf litter (2) and animal feces from tree shrews (3), rats (4), and bats (5). Their pitcher is also known to host several symbiotic species, such as mosquito larvae (6).
Figure 1. Examples of Nepenthes species found in Sabah, Malaysia. Adapted from (7).
It is estimated that there are 160–180 extant Nepenthes species in the world (8), mostly found in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Yet, their phylogenetic relationships and species delimitation are poorly understood. Previous studies have been usually limited in the number of samples and loci. In this preprint, the authors used high throughput sequencing to capture 353 nuclear loci of 151 described or putative Nepenthes species and build the most comprehensive Nepenthes phylogeny to date using multiple matrices.
Key findings
The relationships of five Western outlying Nepenthes species are resolved
Based on their phylogenomic trees, the authors consistently found the Western outlying species as the earliest diverging clades in the Nepenthes phylogeny. In particular, they found N. pervillei (from Seychelles) as the sole sister of all other Nepenthes (Fig. 2). Two species from Madagascar, N. masaolensis and N. madagascarensis, were resolved as the sister to the clade containing Asian Nepenthes. Asian Nepenthes can be further distinguished into South and Southeast Asian clades. N. danseri from Waigeo Island in West Papua is indicated as the sister to remaining Southeast Asian species. The phylogenetic trees produced in this study confirmed the order of these five Western outlying species and N. danseri, which were controversial in previous studies. This result also supports the out-of-Africa hypothesis, which posits that Nepenthes is of African origin and it reached Asia when the Indian plate broke off from Madagascar in the late Cretaceous period (9).
Figure 2. Cladogram summarizing the phylogenetic relationships among two major Nepenthes clades and six other Nepenthes species (N. danseri, N. khasiana, N. distillatoria, N. masaolensis, N. madagascarensis, and N. pervillei). Sey. Is., Seychelles Island; Mad. Is., Madagascar Island; S. Asia, South Asia; S.E. Asia, South East Asia.
Southeast Asian Nepenthes diversified into two major clades
Southeast Asia, as the center of Nepenthes diversity, holds ca. 95% of all known Nepenthes species (7). Other than the six above-mentioned species, the Southeast Asian Nepenthes were always recovered as two sister clades in this study (Fig. 2). Common and lowland species are retained as Clade 1, along with several high altitudinal species from Sulawesi and Papua. Meanwhile, Clade 2 contains some of the most geographically defined clades from Sumatra-Java, Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia, Mindanao, and Palawan. Bornean, Sulawesian, and Papuan species were not as clearly distinguished as other regions; they were found both within Clade 1 and Clade 2. Together, these results indicate that most Nepenthes species have been resolved into well-supported clades and the phylogeny presented here could serve as a guide to understanding the evolution of Nepenthes lineages, especially for geographically-delimited clades.
Non-monophyly of several Nepenthes species
In this study, the authors also included multiple samples of widespread species in the analyses to account for different populations. It turns out that several species, including N. maxima, N. tentaculata, N. hamata, N. rafflesiana, and N. mirabilis, were recovered as paraphyletic – suggesting that some accessions in these taxa may be a misnomer. The recognition of non-monophyletic species as one species may also indicate cryptic species, i.e. morphologically identical but actually distinct species, in Nepenthes. However, we should also consider the possibility of systematic errors, such as the lack of strong support in individual gene trees and phylogenetic noises, as the cause for non-monophyly of these taxa.
Why I like this preprint
This preprint provides the first large-scale analysis for almost all of the known Nepenthes species using a huge number of loci, resulting in a high-resolution Nepenthes phylogeny. The authors not only resolved some controversial placements across the Nepenthes tree of life, but also clearly identified geographically-delimited clades from Sumatra-Java, Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia, Mindanao, and Palawan. Identification of paraphyletic Nepenthes species in this study also shows potential unknown cryptic taxa that warrant further study. These findings would form the basis for a better understanding of evolutionary processes and taxonomic classification in Nepenthes. Additionally, this preprint also demonstrated the applicability of a recently developed Angiosperms-353 probe kit in species-level systematics.
Future directions and questions
- With the availability of high-resolution phylogeny for such a large number of Nepenthes taxa, would it be possible to include estimation of divergence time in the analysis? Estimation of divergence time would allow us to deduce the timings of Nepenthes diversification and dispersal, especially in Southeast Asia.
- Are there any geological history events that may further support the biogeographical distribution and diversification of Nepenthes in Southeast Asia?
- Thorogood CJ, Bauer U, Hiscock SJ. (2018). Convergent and divergent evolution in carnivorous pitcher plant traps. New Phytol. 217(3): 1035–1041.
- Moran JA, Clarke CM, Hawkins BJ. (2003). From carnivore to detrivore? Isotopic evidence for leaf litter utilization by the tropical pitcher plant Nepenthes ampullaria. Int J Plant Sci. 164(4): 635–639.
- Clarke CM, Bauer U, Lee CC, Tuen AA, Rembold K, Moran JA. (2009). Tree shrew lavatories: a novel nitrogen sequestration strategy in a tropical pitcher plant. Biol Lett. 5(5): 632–635.
- Greenwood M, Clarke C, Lee CC, Gunsalam A, Clarke RH. (2011). A unique resource mutualism between the giant Bornean pitcher plant, Nepenthes rajah, and members of a small mammal community. PLOS ONE 6(6): e21114.
- Schöner MG, Schöner CR, Ermisch R, Puechmaille SJ, Grafe TU, Tan MC, Kerth G. (2017). Stabilization of a bat-pitcher plant mutualism. Sci Rep. 7: 13170.
- Tsukamoto M. (1989). Two new mosquito species from a pitcher plant of Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia: Culex rajah and Toxorhynchites rajah (Diptera: Culicidae). Japan J Trop Med Hyg. 17(3): 215–228.
- van der Ent A, Sumail S, Clarke C. (2015). Habitat differentiation of obligate ultramafic Nepenthes endemic to Mount Kinabalu and Mount Tambuyukon (Sabah, Malaysia). Plant Ecol. 216(6): 789–807.
- Clarke CM, Schlauer J, Robinson AS. (2018). Species of carnivorous plants. In: Ellison A, Adamec L (Eds.), Carnivorous plants: Physiology, Ecology, and Evolution. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 411–413.
- Biswal DK, Debnath M, Konhar R, Yanthan S, Tandon P. (2018). Phylogeny and biogeography of carnivorous plant family Nepenthaceae with reference to the Indian pitcher plat Nepenthes khasiana reveals an Indian subcontinent origin of Nepenthes colonization in South East Asia during Miocene Epoch. Front Ecol Evol. 6: 108.
Posted on: 27th July 2019
doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/prelights.12481Read preprint
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Helen Dempster
I've agreed to have my son's nursery's pet guinea pigs - Daisy and Sunflower - during the summer hols :eek: He's not even returning to the same school after the hols :laughing: Me and my big mouth LOL. Looking forward to it really, and the mindees (plus my own lo) will love 'em I'm sure. My hubby on the other hand hates them with a vengeance, says their EVIL! :laughing: The teacher said to me today "don't worry if they die!" :eek:

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It's big business.
Andrew Luck may have retired because of the toll that football related injuries took on his body. Other former NFL players have thought about suicide because their bodies are in constant pain. Others have committed suicide and some former NFL players suffer from memory loss. The same can be said for countless anonymous former college players along with former high school players. People want to be entertained or place money on an outcome of a game. Most people don't really care what happens to former high school, college and pro football players after the cheering stops.Football is a big industry from the Pop Warner level to the pros and investors want a piece of it. There is a new football league owned by Vince McMahon and run by Andrew Luck's father Oliver that will kickoff in February. But there also are other ways that investors get involved with football and in Texas,companies are spending big money to slap their names on high school football stadiums. After all, Friday Night Lights and high school football are a big deal in Texas.
At least twenty school districts in Texas have sold naming rights to high school stadiums according to the Dallas Morning News. Children's Health is paying a quarter of a million dollars a year for the next ten years at one Texas school district, Prosper ISD. The local stadium cost $53 million to build and seats 12,000. The field comes complete with a huge videoboard. It is somewhat ironic that a health care company would sponsor a stadium that features a game that could permanently injury its participants. But one benefit of having a health company sponsor,there will be a doctor on the field and an x-ray room in the stadium. Three other Texas high school fields cost more to build than the Prosper facility.High School football is a business.


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A striking older man walked into the restaurant I work in, I mean a seriously handsome man. I'm talking Humphrey Bogart kind of good-looking, but with thick dirty blond hair, brown eyes, and professor-like glasses to boot. Anyways, he walked into my work on a mission and asked me if I remember what his wife and her friend order when they come in for coffee. I did, so he asked me to add two cupcakes to that order and handed me his debit card to pay. On his way out he asks me not to tell them who paid, "Tell them it's from a secret admirer."
The ladies LOVED it when I told them that their order had already been paid for. They blushed and giggled like two school girls, trying with everything in them to get me to tell them who paid for it. It was the nicest, sweetest, romantic gesture I've seen in a very long time. It takes five minutes to light up someone's face. It takes five minutes to show someone how much you really love them. They say it's the thought that counts, right? So, show the person you love that you're thinking about them.
Thank you to that gentleman for showing me that romance can exist at any age.


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by Cunningham Geikie, D.D.
Notes on Revelation Online Books
Chapter 16 | Contents | Chapter 18
Cunningham Geikie D.D.
With a Map of Palestine and Original Illustrations by H. A. Harper
Special Edition
The road from Hebron to Jerusalem is rough and mountainous, but very direct. Our kind host wished us to stay with him longer, but this being impossible, we sent on our donkeys with the tents, the Turkish soldiers having duly found the wanderers and brought them to Hebron. They had been overtaken by night, they said, at Falujeh, and fearing robbers, had slept therethat is, they had lain down beside their beasts in the dress they wore. A spring runs down from the north side of the hill as you leave Hebron, and makes the track for a time muddy; but this is rather a welcome sight in Palestine. A fringe of grass at the sides, below the broad, low walks of loose stones picked off the small fields, vineyards, &c., which skirted our way, was a lovely green. The path soon after was for a time roughly pavedwhen, or by whom, is a very hard question to answer; but the stones are now at such angles, and in such heights and hollows, that they would break the legs of any horses not bred in the country. Before long the road became simply fearful, running in the dry bed of a winter torrent strewn with stones of all sizes, in thick masses. Every patch of soil on the bare hill-sides was in some way utilised. Four camels passed us with bags of tallow, then a man with a very primitive guna shepherd from the hills. We next came to a well, where there were women in blue cotton, with white cloth over their heads, some drawing water, others pounding household linen with a stone at a small pool by the well-side; the linen, I fear, sadly wanting their kind offices.
The road, bad though it was, bore every appearance of having always been the highway between Hebron and Jerusalem, for it is direct, and was evidently made by human labour in a long-past age. It is certain, however, that it could never have been passable for wheels, for they could not be dragged over such a wilderness of boulders and loose stones of all sizes, or up slopes so steep. Nor, indeed, do we hear of wheeled vehicles in the parts south of Jerusalem, except when Joseph sent waggons to bring down his father Jacob to Egypt; and they only came as far as Hebron, whence Jacob, then very old, travelled in them to Beersheba (Gen 45:19,21,27, 46:1). As in olden times, the ass is the main help for a journey, horses still being few, and mules only used for baggage and other burdens. Big men on diminutive donkeys are seen everywhere, and, at times, a woman and child on the family ass, while the husband walks at the side of his wife. Thus Joseph, it is to be supposed, travelled with the Blessed Virgin from Bethlehem to Egypt, and from Egypt to Nazareth (Matt 2:14,21). So, also, rode the ancient kings (Zech 9:9; Matt 21:5), and so rode our Lord, as the Son of David, in fulfillment of the words of Zechariah: "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass"; and we are told that Saul rode to the field spear in hand, as peasants on their asses now carry their clubs or guns, and with a small water-jar tied to his rude saddle, as in our day (1 Sam 26:11).
About three miles from Hebron a path runs off towards Tekoa; and on this, about five minutes' ride from the road we were following, are two courses of ancient hewn stones, among which one measured fifteen and a half feet long, and three and a third feet thick. There are two such walls, at right angles to each other, apparently the remains of an enclosure, one side of which measures 200 feet, and the other 160. The Jews of Hebron call this "the House of Abraham," regarding it as the spot where the patriarch pitched his tent, and where his famous terebinth-tree grew. Nor is this really improbable, when we see the extreme age of the walls, as shown by their bevel, and by the size of the stones. Besides, the tradition is at least 1,500 years old. When between four and five miles from Hebron, we were shown a ruined mosque on the right, about three miles from the road, bearing the name of Neby Yunas"the Prophet Jonah." There is another with the same name, on the coast below Acre, a place natural enough for it; but why there should be a mosque to Jonah near Hebron is not so easy to understand. It shows, at least, how deep a hold the narrative about the prophet obtained on the popular mind.
Jonah's gourd has also been the subject of much controversy. St. Jerome thought the word should be "ivy"; and many have fancied that the castor-oil tree is intended. This certainly reaches a considerable size, being found twelve or fifteen feet high in Palestine; but it has widely-open branches, and is indifferently fitted for giving shade. Dr. Tristram, on this ground among others, thinks that the bottle-gourd is meanta plant very commonly used in Palestine and elsewhere to cover and give cooling shade to arbours. I have often seen it, both in the Holy Land and in America, trained over such shelters, its rapid growth and large leaves admirably adapting it to such a purpose, while the extreme fragility of its stem exposes it to a striking suddenness of decay, should a storm strike it or a caterpillar gnaw its root. One day it may be seen in its glory; the next, it hangs withered and dried up. This would exactly suit the narrative. The prophet's frail booth covered with soft green, as it were in a night, might, before another sunset, be left bare as at first by the violence of a passing wind, or a chance injury to the stem, even from a cause so insignificant as the tooth of a "worm" (Jonah 4:5-8). Dr. Thomson* agrees with Canon Tristram in rejecting the castor-oil plant for the gourd, and, indeed, the difficulty could only have arisen from the similarity in sound, in the modern languages of Palestine, between the names of the two"kurah" meaning gourd, and "kurwah" castor-oil plant; while in the Hebrew the gourd is "kikayon"; and in Herodotus the castor-oil plant is "kiki."
Tarshish, to which Jonah's ship was bound, seems to have been the name given originally to the Guadalquivir, in Spain, and to a populous town at its mouth. It is an aboriginal Spanish word rather than a Phnician; but a Carthaginianthat is, a Phniciancolony, founded in the neighbourhood, adopted it as the name of the port which became famous as the farthest western harbour of Tyrian sailors in the southern seas of Europe. Ships of large size were hence called "Tarshish ships," whether sailing to that port or not (Isa 2:16, 60:9); their dimensions and splendid finish seeming to the Hebrew prophets one of the supreme illustrations of human power and pride (Isa 23:1; Eze 27:25). Solomon's ships, trading to Ceylon or East Africa, were also called "Tarshish ships"; and so were those of Jehoshaphat, which were built on the Red Sea (1 Kings 10:22, 22:49). But Jonah's ship was apparently about to sail for Tarshish, in Spain, and must have lain out in the roads at Joppa, having only called there for freight or passengers, after starting from the docks at Tyre. The description of such a vessel in Ezekiel (Eze 27) helps us to realise the circumstances of the attempted voyage, though the details given by the prophet may have varied in different ships. The deck was of cypress; the mast, a tall cedar; the helm, oak of Bashan; the oar-benches, of the cypress of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory; the sails, of white Egyptian canvas, gaily embroidered; while the awnings over the quarter-deck, to keep the sun from the cabin-passengers, were of blue and purple. The oarsmen were the famed sea-dogs of Sidon and Aradus; the steersmen, from Tyre, had the care of the sails and rigging, and were under the command of a chief steersman, or "master"; the staff of ship-carpenters was from Gebal; and there were, besides, traders, soldiers attached to the ship, and passengers. A wonderful picture of an ocean-going ship of three thousand years ago!
* Land and the Book, p. 70.
At El-Dirweh, about six miles from Hebron, on the right of the track, a fountain was pouring clear sparkling water into a stone trough, at a short distance from the ruins of a fortress, the scene of brave deeds in the time of the Maccabees, for it is the site of the ancient Bethsur, a tower bearing that name standing on a low height a little way off the road. Only one side of it is left; but some of the stones are drafted, showing that the masonry is at the oldest Byzantine. There are also hewn stones lying around, and foundations of buildings; but there are no marks of a fortified wall round the station. The tower itself is only about twenty feet square, but its position is very strong, and it commanded, in its day, the great road from the south to Jerusalem. Josephus speaks of it as the strongest fortress in Judæa.* Already existing as a village in the time of Joshua, Bethsur was fortified in that of Rehoboam, and its inhabitants, after the exile, helped to rebuild the long-destroyed walls of Jerusalem (Josh 13:58; 2 Chron 11:7; Neh 3:16). A fierce battle once raged all round these hills and gorges, when Judas Maccabæus defeated the Syrian general, Lysias, and was able to strengthen the tower against the Edomites (1 Macc 4:29,61; 2 Macc 11:5; Jos. Antt, xii. 7,5). Nor was this the last time that these rocks were coloured with blood, for the Syrian retook Bethsur, and it was wrested from him once more and made stronger than ever by Simon Maccabæus, the last survivor of the great brothers (1 Macc 6:31,50, 9:52, 10:14, 11:65,66, 14:7,33).
The fountain is only seven minutes' walk from this memorable spot, and issues from beneath a wall of large hewn stones, a runnel from it flowing down the road. On the other side of the track is a small tank lined with cement, as well as a larger and rougher one, uncemented. There are marks of an ancient pavement, now broken and terribly rough, but once, no doubt, very different. The ruins of an ancient church lie near the fountain, with remains of the old wall that enclosed its yard. It has been thought that Bethsur was the scene of the baptism of the eunuch by St. Philip when on the way from Jerusalem to Gaza; but it is much more likely that the incident occurred between Beit Jibrin and Gaza, especially since St. Philip was afterwards found at Ashdod, on the Philistine plain (Acts 8:38). Bethsur lies 3,180 feet above the sea.
* Jos. Antt, xiii. 5,6.
Just after passing it, a wady on the left, with the name Bereikut, recalled the valley of Berachah (2 Chron 20:26), the scene of Jehoshaphat's thanksgiving, which the locality exactly suits, as Tekoa is only about three miles off to the east. On a hill to the left stood the hamlet of Jedur, the ancient Gedor (Josh 12:13). The road lay mostly through a broad valley, with successive swells and hollows, the level still rising, and hills, single or together, shutting in the view east and west. The slopes were mostly covered with scrub-trees and herbs, hiding the bare chalk; and here and there lime-kilns were to be seen, burning or idle. Ruins crowned most of the hill-tops both right and left, and smoke from the charcoal-burners' fires often rose from the bush, but there was nowhere a village on the whole road. Some parts showed ancient terraces, and in one place there were cultivated patches, and even small fields, among the stones; yet, as a whole, the road led through wild desolation. At one point it seemed, indeed, to vanish, leaving only a track, visible perhaps to horses and mules, but beyond my recognition. Climbing the side of a very steep hill, it crept along through a chaos of rocks, with only room enough at some places for my beast to get through without leaving me behind. The valley lay two or three hundred feet below when we reached our highest point; but before us and on both sides the grey barren rocks stretched slowly up, the picture of a desert. To trust the sensible beast I rode, as it climbed the stony roughness or dropped its forelegs over some huge boulder, was the only security. Not seldom the path was hardly broad enough to let the creature pass along without falling over the side; and there was present to my mind the comfortable reflection that, once off, it would roll to an indefinite depth down the wild steep. The broad glen, far below, was at this part more or less cultivated; and no doubt there was some road through it, but my guide had taken a short cut over the mountains, to his own delight perhaps, but certainly not to mine.
Once more on a safe level, we found ourselves in the midst of a great number of Russian pilgrims on their way to Juttah, as the birthplace of St. John the Baptist. There were some priests among them with the strange brimless hat of the Greek Church, and the flowing beard of which its clergy are all so proud. Most of the pilgrims were of middle age, and the two sexes were equally well represented. Fur caps, thick woollen coats, trousers, petticoats, and heavy boots, seemed very ill suited to the climate; but they would at least withstand the wear and tear of the long journey from Russia and back. Many carried pots and cooking vessels; some, bundles of household gear; and all were comfortably, if roughly, equipped. They had no doubt come from Constantinople to Joppa in a Russian steamer, enduring what to us would be intolerable hardships, and were now proposing to return to Jerusalem in time for Easter, and then to go down to the Jordan and dip in its sacred waters, finding their way back to Russia as they best could, after having completed this long pilgrimage. So, in ancient days, had there come to Jerusalem "Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5), to keep the Passover, the Easter of the Hebrew.
The hills on each side of the valley, beyond this, were covered with bushes, through which the remains of ancient terraces showed themselves; but a ruined village, with olive-trees and some ploughed land round it, and a rain-water pond, were almost the only signs that the land was still in some parts inhabited. A little further on, where a valley crossed our path at right angles, making a wide open space, we reached the famous reservoirs known as Solomon's Pools. The three huge cisterns thus designated are built of squared stones, and bear marks of the highest antiquity. They lie one below the other, at a height of 2,600 feet above the sea, at the west end of the narrow Wady Urtas, which runs east and west across the track by which we had come from Hebron. In a place so lonely, these vast structures fill the mind with wonder. They are separated from one another by only a short interval, and the bottom of each is higher than the top of the one below it. The upper pool has the great length of 380 feet, and is 229 feet broad at the west, and 236 at the east end, while its depth is twenty-five feet. The middle pool, however, is no less than 423 feet long, 160 feet broad at the west, and 250 at the east end, and its depth is thirty-nine feet. But the lowest pool is the largest of the three, measuring 582 feet in length, 148 feet broad at the west, and 207 at the east end, with a depth of fifty feet. The depth, I may say, is in each case that of the lower, or eastern, end. Between the surfaces of the upper and middle pools there is a distance of 160 feet, and the lower pool is 248 feet from the middle one, so that this gigantic series of reservoirs extends, in all, to the great distance of 1,793 feet, or more than the third of a mile. The inside and the bed of all three, so far as can be seen, are lined with cement, which, however, has broken away in some places, while in others it has evidently been repaired. Flights of steps at the corners and the middle lead to the water, and huge steps along the sides at the bottom leave a central channel of extra depth, in which the bare rock shows itself in many places. Water stood in the upper and middle pools, but the lower one was dry. The steps at the sides, along the bottom, are cut in the native rock, but I did not attempt to go down to them, as they were largely covered with the jelly of decayed water-weeds, beds of which floated in the pools. The lower pool is connected with the second by a steep channel, through which, however, there was no water running; but a steady flow came into the second pool from an opening connecting it with the first. The walls must be immensely strong to have stood firm for so many centuries; but, of course, they are in reality only a facing to the rock, out of which all the cisterns have been hewn.
Immediately to the north-west of the Pools is an abandoned, straggling fort, built by the Saracens, and known as El-Burak. Two or three men were living in the rude chambers inside the gate, and some poor Arabs had sought temporary shelter in the wide, forsaken interior, which is square and devoid of buildings. Herds and flocks evidently made use of it as a spacious fold. In its day the fort had helped to protect the Pools, but this service is no longer necessary. Grass and flowers sprinkled the ground outside, but the slopes north and south, closing in the valley, were unusually wild and bare; the winter storms, unchecked by trees or shrubs, having washed down all the soil and left the hill-sides strewn with great blocks of stone in the wildest confusion.
The Wady Urtas sinks steeply from west to east, the direction of the Pools; so that, had one pool been made instead of three, the wady must have been dammed by a gigantic wallif, indeed, any structure could have resisted the weight of such a body of water as would thus have accumulated. But even to hew out the three separate pools must have been a wonderful undertaking, especially in an age when science was so imperfect that it has left one end of each excavation broader than the other, apparently from inability to follow a straight line. Indeed, there are many indications of imperfect engineering, though the effect, as a whole, is so striking. Tradition ascribes the enterprise to Solomon, and we know that he had great gardens near Jerusalem, and a pleasure-palace, to which he drove out in royal pomp. These, it may be, were in Wady Urtas, watered by the abundant streams from the Pools. Perhaps it is of these, and in this very place, that the Beloved sings: "Awake, O north wind, and come, thou south, blow upon my garden, that the spices may flow out.* Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his precious fruits." Perhaps it was in these delicious retreats that he sang of his bride as "a garden barred, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed," and compared her to a paradise-garden of pomegranates and all kinds of noble fruits, henna, with spikenard plants, spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all kinds of incense-bearing trees, myrrh and aloes, and all the best of spices (Song 4:12-14). The beauty of the Wady Urtas lower down makes it easy to think that the famous king enjoyed the glories of spring in its bosom. We read of him, "I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and parks; and I planted trees in them, of all kinds of fruits; I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the fruit where trees were reared" (Eccl 2:4ff). Why may not these pools be those of Urtas? They may well have been the work of that ancient time; their very defects, in some respects, being an indirect evidence of their antiquity, for while the supreme triumphs of Hebrew architecture were carried out by the help of skilled Tyrian architects and masons, those in which only native skill could be employed would naturally be less perfect. We see an illustration of this in the subterranean rock conduit at Siloam, dating, it is thought, from the reign of Hezekiah, for the workmen, beginning at both ends, have missed each other's approach, so as to need a cross-opening to effect a junction. It is quite possible, then, that these huge excavations are a memorial of the labour exacted by Solomon from his people, the bitterness of which led, under Rehoboam, to the revolt of the Ten Tribes (1 Kings 12).
The supply of these great reservoirs was derived from four springs, one of which flows underground into the west, or upper pool, through a vault; the second is said to bubble up from beneath the bottom of the Pools; the third runs through a small channel, partly of stones, partly of stoneware pipes, from the hill-side south-east of the fort: a clear, bright stream, with which I quenched my thirst, at a gap in the top of its square stone bed. The fourth rises inside the old castle. There was, besides, a high-level aqueduct which brought water down a long wady from the south, partly the flow of a spring now dried up, but also the surface drainage of the hills, for provision was made that nothing should be lost. But the chief of all these sources is that which rises on the hill-side, about 200 paces west of the upper pool, and flows into it, as I have said, through a vault; its subterranean course leading to a popular belief that it is the "sealed fountain" of Solomon's Song.
*Song 4:16: rather "that its fragrance may spread abroad."
In former times, when the whole water system of which the Pools were the centre was perfect, a great aqueduct, the continuation of that which stretched for nearly ten miles form the south, ran under the Pools, receiving additional supplies from them, and was led on, by a winding course, along the hill-sides, past Bethlehem, to the Temple space in Jerusalem. The portion of this great work which lies south of the Pools is apparently very old, the channel being sometimes cut in the rocks, and at one place tunnelled through them. For the most part, however, it is formed of strong masonry, sometimes six or eight feet high, and faced with ashlar; the waterway varying from eighteen inches to two feet in breadth, and from a foot to two and a half feet in depth, lined throughout with strong cement, and covered with loose slabs of stone. Under the Pools the water flowed in stoneware pipes, with air-holes at intervals, to relieve the pressure.
There were, moreover, according to Mr. Drake, four other aqueducts connected with the Pools and the Valley of Urtas: one which entered Jerusalem near the Joppa Gate, at a high level; another, now quite ruined, which stretched in the same direction; a third to supply villages to the eastward; while the fourth was led, apparently by Herod, towards his famous fortress and city of Herodium, now the Frank Mountain, to water the gardens with which he beautified the neighbourhood. The officers of the Palestine Survey think that all these gigantic works date from the Roman period. Some of them, indeed, are very probably the identical conduits of which Josephus speaks, as built by Pontius Pilate with money taken from the Temple treasury, and therefore sacred, as "corban," or devoted to God. This effort, however, to benefit the city involved Pilate in more hatred than all his other acts, it being regarded as a sacrilegious robbery of Church funds. But, though Roman governors may have added to works they found already in existence, and perhaps repaired dilapidations which may have been extensive, why should Josephus have mentioned Pilate as having made only one aqueduct, which was an undertaking so much less magnificent than the Pools, if they themselves were his work or that of any other Roman? From the roofing of portions of the aqueducts with half-formed arches, and from the look of the fragments of the great one, near Jerusalem, being so much more ancient than the Roman style, I cannot refrain from the belief that though the contemporaries of our Lord may have repaired or added to existing structures, the glory of hewing out the huge Pools belongs to the great Hebrew king, Solomon, and that they form a splendid relic of his peaceful greatness.
Such works for the supply of water to Jerusalem and the country east of Urtas may well excite astonishment in the present condition of Palestine. It has been noticed, however, by Canon Tristram that aqueducts are found not only in a district like this, where nearness to the capital might explain their presence, but in places which have, for ages, been unpeopled and desolate. They span in many places the profound gorges between Jerusalem and Quarantania; we find traces of them at Engedi, on the Dead Sea; they are still visible at different parts of the dismal wilderness of Judæa. Indeed, even in the wadys at the south-west corner of the Dead Sea we find traces of carefully-cemented conduits, once supplying cisterns which are still perfect, and may some day restore fertility, after ages of neglect, to regions which need only water to blossom like the rose.*
The village of Urtas lies near the bottom of the valley, about a mile east of the Pools, clinging, in ruin, to the south slope, which is both steep and bare like all the scenery around. There are still some inhabitants, who live, for the most part, in hovels on the hill-side, unfit for human dwellings. A few trees grow amidst the houses, which are flat-roofed, and roughly built of stones, but showing every stage of dilapidation. Except for the climate, such a place would, in fact, be uninhabitable. Yet this seems to have been the site of Etam, where Solomon had his royal gardens, with streams running through them. Rehoboam, also, thought Etam worth fortifying, along with Bethlehem and Tekoa (2 Chron 11:6). There are still, indeed, the foundations of a square towera low, broad wall of large squared stones; and the rocks are in some places hewn and scarped: evidences of a military post, with its defences, in olden days. One attraction yet exists which may account for the importance once attached to a spot now so miserable: a fountain sends forth an abundant supply of fine water, which flows in a bright, murmuring stream, all the year round, down the valley. In such a thirsty land, it may well have delighted both Solomon and his foolish son, and no doubt it might even now, if utilised as it should be, make Wady Urtas a paradise. It is, however, used to some extent, for along its sides are gardens of citrons, pomegranates, figs, oranges, and even pears, apples, and cherries, intermingled with plots in which grow cauliflowers, turnips, potatoes, and other vegetables. Shut in by steep slopes of grey rock, which are sprinkled at one spot with the dilapidated hovels of the village, this greenery is all the more delightful on that account, and serves to show what the place may have been in Solomon's day.
* Pict. Palestine, i. 141.
Insect life was already quickening in the sun, and ants were busy, as always in warm weather, at their multifarious occupations. Was it here that the Wise Man noticed them, and wrote, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard: consider her ways, and be wise; which having no chief (or judge), overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest"? (Prov 6:6-8). Modern science has felt a difficulty in these words, since the ant does not live on grain, but on flesh, insects, and the sweet sap or other exudations of trees, which it could not store up for winter use, and since it sleeps during winter, in all but very hot climates. The truth is, we must not look in Scripture for science, which was unknown in early ages, for it is not the purpose of Revelation to teach it, and the sacred writers, in this as in other matters of a similar kind, were left to write according to the popular belief of their day. We find the same idea in another passage of the same book. "There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer" (Prov 30:24,25). It was universally believed in antiquity that ants did so, and even Dr. Thomson, in "The Land and the Book," and Neil, in his "Palestine Explored," cling to the idea. Ants do, indeed, fill their nests with many things, but it is to pad them warmly, and keep themselves from the damp earth; and hence, though they are undoubtedly assiduous in harvest-time in carrying off grains of corn, chaff, grass, seeds, and vegetable husks of all kinds, they do so to make their underground rooms comfortable, not to lay up food for a season during which, in many parts, they eat nothing. Anyone may see the proof of this for himself by opening an ants' nest. He will find everything to make it warm, but the supposed "stores" are left quite untouched.
It is not certain, indeed, that in Palestine ants hibernate, for they may be seenat least in the warm district round the Dead Seabusy on the tamarisk-trunks, seeking their food, even in January. The mistake is similar to that which prevails very generally, even in our own day, as to ants' eggs, which is the name popularly given, both in England and Germany, to the pupæ, or ants in process of transformation into the perfect insect. They then closely resemble grains of corn, and are carried out daily by their nurses to enjoy the heat of the sun, and taken in again before evening. Who that has broken into an ants' nest, by accident or intentionally, has not seen the workers rushing off with these white, egg-like bodies, in trembling haste, to bear them to a place of security? But if we nowadays make a popular mistake in thinking these to be eggs, how much more natural was it that erroneous ideas, on another point of ant-life, should obtain three thousand years ago. Mr. Neil's experience, indeed, shows how easily a mistake might arise. While encamped, about the middle of March, near Tiberias, on the Lake of Galilee, he noticed a line of large, black ants marching towards their nest, each laden with a grain of barley, larger and longer than itself, so that they looked like a moving multitude of barleycorns. This line, he found, extended to a spot where some of the corn for his beasts had been spilt by the mule-drivers, or had fallen from the nosebags, and was now being appropriated by the ants. That they should carry it off, seemed at once to justify the supposition that they were doing so to lay up food for the winter, and yet, as I have said, nothing is more certain than that ants do not eat dried barley or any other dry grain.
Chapter 16 | Contents | Chapter 18
Notes on Revelation | Judeo-Christian Research


text: SAN DIEGO -- Centre Nick Hardwick was cleared to work out five days after sustaining a concussion and was a limited participant as the San Diego Chargers practiced for the final time for their divisional-round playoff game at Denver. Hardwick said he was cleared just before practice started late Friday morning. "Well see how we respond in the next day or two and go from there," Hardwick said. "Its always a good step. Were moving in the right direction but well see how you wake up and how the rest of the day goes." Hardwick was hurt in Sundays wild-card win at Cincinnati and replaced by Rich Ohrnberger. He was listed as questionable on the injury report, meaning the Chargers feel he has a 50-50 chance of playing. "Im always confident. How could you not be?" Hardwick said. Hardwick has had concussions before. "Its not ever something you want to be dealing with but its part of football. This isnt my first rodeo," he said. "Well see how we go. No guarantees. You never know how things are going to unfold here. Running back Ryan Mathews didnt practice all week and also was listed as questionable. He left Sundays victory in the third quarter and didnt return. Hes been bothered by the ankle injury since a victory against Oakland on Dec. 22. Mathews rushed for 144 yards in a victory against Kansas City the next week that helped the Chargers earn the AFCs final playoff berth. Mathews was a big reason why the Chargers beat the Broncos in Denver on Dec. 12. He ran 29 times for 127 yards and one touchdown as the Chargers controlled the ball in the 27-20 win. Mathews said his mindset was the same as earlier in the week, that he wants to play. He said he watched practice and took mental reps. "Im just trying to do whatever I can to help my team," he said of playing through the injury. "Youre always hopeful theyll be able to go play and play like they played the last five weeks," quarterback Philip Rivers said. "They know their bodies better than anybody. Until someone goes on the inactive before the game, you hope theyre going to be out there for you." Rivers said Mathews has "shown that toughness all year long. Obviously, this injury has lingered on and kind of came on the last few weeks, but hes been tough for us all year long. As a running back you battle all kind of nicks and bumps and bruises. Ive been happy for him and us that he didnt have to deal with a fluke collarbone deal or things that you cant battle through, and then he gets an ankle. Hes battling through it though." In 2012, Mathews broke his right collarbone on his first carry of the exhibition season and then broke his left collarbone in December. Also listed as questionable were right guard Jeromey Clary (shoulder), right tackle D.J. Fluker (ankle), wide receiver Eddie Royal (toe) and defensive tackle Sean Lissemore. Clary was limited Wednesday and didnt practice Thursday or Friday. Fluker didnt practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday and Friday. Royal didnt practice all week. Lissemore was limited all week. "Its going to be a tough game," Rivers said. "All winning there a month ago does is it allows us to know it can be done. Other than that, that game means nothing. Theyre the No. 1 seed for a reason Theyve been the best team in the AFC all year long. Were going to have to play our best game to go in there and get a win." Ryan Ellis Predators Jersey . 3. Trevor Ariza left them talkin about 40. Ariza made eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 40 points to help the Washington Wizards win their sixth straight game, 122-103 over Philadelphia on Saturday night. Calle Jarnkrok Jersey . You can listen to the game live on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal or on TSN.ca/Montreal. Also, TSN.ca features live streaming of the post-game news conferences from the Bell Centre. The Rangers grabbed a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final after Sundays 3-2 overtime victory against the visiting Habs. http://www.authenticpredatorspro.com/Austin-watson-predators-jersey/ . He left in the 4th inning of Saturdays game against the Tigers after experiencing tightness. Reyes and the team still hope that he will be ready for Opening Day in Tampa Bay in one week. Juuse Saros Predators Jersey . -- Aaron Rodgers looked fine on the practice field Thursday. Craig Smith Predators Jersey . He wants to seize that opportunity. The trouble is, Firus has had more bumps on the road to Sochi than most. Last year, Firus had the skate of a lifetime in the short program at the Canadian championships when he landed his first triple Axel in competition and finished third in a stacked field.BOSTON - The Boston Celtics traded point guard Rajon Rondo to Dallas on Thursday night, cutting ties with the last remnant of their last NBA championship while giving Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks a chance at another title.The Celtics will send Rondo and forward Dwight Powell to Dallas for Jameer Nelson, Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright, two draft picks and a $12.9 million trade exception.Welcome to Rajon Rondo the newest member of the Dallas Mavericks, team owner Mark Cuban wrote on the social media application Cyber Dust shortly before the official announcement. Cuban also thanked the three departing players, calling them Amazing players and better people.Boston got a first-round pick in next years draft and a second-rounder in 2016. The Celtics have eight first-round picks in the next four years, picking them up in trades for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and even coach Doc Rivers as they shed the pieces of the New Big Three that earned the franchise its unprecedented 17th NBA title in 2008.We would not have won Banner 17 without Rajon and will always consider him one of our most valuable Celtics, the teams owners said in a joint statement. We will always cherish the time he was here.The Mavericks get a pass-first point guard — a four-time all-star — to team with Nowitzki, Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler in what they hope will make them a contender again. Dallas is 19-8 this season but in third place in the Southwest Division and sixth in the Western Conference.The Mavericks, who won their only NBA title in 2011, have not won a playoff series since.The deal has been years in the making, with the Celtics shopping Rondo every time a coach grows tired of his moods or his contract expectations grow too large for their budget. But every previous time Boston manaagement decided that the offers werent enough.ddddddddddddCeltics general manager Danny Ainge found a partner in Dallas, which is coached by his former Boston teammate Rick Carlisle.Rondo, 28, joined the rebuilding Celtics as the 21st overall pick out of Kentucky in 2006 and became the point guard for an NBA champion in his second year when Boston acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett the next summer. They helped the Celtics reach the NBA finals again two years later.With the once-proud franchise mired in what now looks to be an extended rebuilding process, though, Rondo became more valuable as a trading chip. Due to be a free agent at the end of the season, he was reportedly expecting a contract at or near the NBA maximum.Rondo has averaged 11 points, 8.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds over his career. He missed the second half of the 2012-13 season and the first half of last season to have reconstructive knee surgery, and then reportedly fell in the shower in Las Vegas on the eve of training camp and missed all of the preseason.In 22 games this season for Boston, Rondo had an NBA-best 10.8 assists per game and also averaged 8.3 points and 7.5 rebounds.Nelson, who signed a two-year, $5.5 million deal last summer after 10 seasons in Orlando, was starting at point guard for Dallas, averaging 7.3 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 37 per cent from the field.Wright has played about 19 minutes a game, averaging 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Crowder has averaged 3.6 points per game for Dallas.Powell has totalled nine points and nine minutes in five games for Boston this season as the Celtics (9-14) opened their second season under new coach Brad Stevens.___AP Basketball Writer Jon Krawczynski and AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report. ' ' '


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With his expertise Dave not only brought design, colour, texture, height but magically increased the size of our garden making it a space that the whole family could enjoy. It's beautiful the whole year round. We love it and we can't thank him enough.
Mr and Mrs T, Sawbridgeworth, Essex
The first client feedback stage will include an Outline Plan & maybe supporting visuals to help you envisage the finished garden.
The Outline Plan acts as a draft document allowing us to present our ideas & talk through any changes you may wish to make as well as being a blueprint for further detailed garden design work.


text: The "Little Angels" group was very successfully launched in 2014 by Heather Staniland with the help of the government funded Sure Start scheme. That support has now been withdrawn and since then church volunteers have run the group. The church has now decided to continue "Little Angels" from January 4th 2016 as a "self-help" group with less support from within the church. This means that we will still be able to offer an open door and a friendly atmosphere for those parents who still wish to come on term time Mondays, 9.30 – 11 AM. Ring 0151 625 3224 for more information.


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- Optin Pages: Press Page, Reverse Press Page, Lead Magnet, Coupon
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- Sales Pages: Video Sales Page, Business Letter Page, Product Introduce Page
- OTO Pages: Upsell Page, Downsell Page
- Order Forms: 2 Step Order Web Page, Traditional Order Web Page, Video Clip Sales Letter Order Page, Sales Letter Order Page, Item Introduce Order Page
- Webinar Pages: Webinar Enrollment Web Page, Webinar Verification Page, Webinar Program Room, Webinar Replay Space
- Membership Pages: Access Web page, Participant's Location
- Associate Pages: Gain Access To Web Page, Affiliate Location
- Various Other Pages: Application Web Page, Ask Page, Shop Front, Home Page, Hero Web Page, Hangout Page, Live Demo Web Page
The pre-built design templates are completely personalized, as well as are what most individuals utilize.
You have the ability to choose a theme, edit or replace the aspects with your very own, as well as your brand-new page is ready to go.
You could additionally connect any type of channel you develop with your very own e-mail advertising and marketing solution (if you do not utilize the one consisted of in ClickFunnels), and use the ClickFunnels integrated in invoicing system.
This is also a blast to mention that ClickFunnels provides very beneficial and also easy to understand training video clips when you initially subscribe. I highly advise going through those due to the fact that they swiftly allow you to use the device at its complete capability, and you'll have extra enjoyable messing around. Clickfunnels Doesnt Change My Domain Name
* Create One-Click Subscription Websites *.
One of the best attributes with ClickFunnels is the capability to quickly produce membership sites and also supply material to your target market in one area.
Your subscription website will certainly come full with enrollment web pages, subscription gain access to web pages, and material pages which you can easily secure or trickle feed to your customers inning accordance with purchases they made in your channel.
ClickFunnels membership sites permit you to send out e-mails, quickly handle your emails, and also build a neighborhood all while removing the tension that's associated with various other solutions such as Kajabi, or WordPress systems.
It's truly helpful to not have to acquire a separate software or plugin to produce subscription websites.
* Email Combination & Actionetics *.
With every channel comes email list structure possibilities.
ClickFunnels sustains email integration with all of the major e-mail automation systems such as:
- Active Campaign
- Aweber
- Constant Contact
- ConvertKit
- Drip
- Get Response
- Hubspot
- InfusionSoft
- Mad Mimi
- MailChimp
- Market Hero
- Ontraport
- Salesforce
- Sendlane
- And others
However, ClickFunnels also has their very own effective automation device called Actionetics.
Although you could develop, schedule, and also supply emails as with other email advertising platform, Actionetics is a lot more.
I enjoy Actionetics because it not just changes your email marketing but carrier advertising and also SMS advertising softwares as well. This takes automation to a whole new level as well as assists you interact the excellent message to your customers, exactly when they need it. A video clip review of Actionetics will be supplied even more listed below.
* Invoicing and also Settlement Assimilation *.
A remarkable feature within ClickFunnels is the ability to accumulate all the invoicing information from your customers right on your sales page. Selling is made a lot simpler when customers do not have to leave your site.
ClickFunnels integrates with significant payment entrances such as PayPal, Stripe, and InfusionSoft, among others.
ClickFunnels Prices.
While you could begin with the Free 14-Day Trial, there are three various rates options with ClickFunnels:
- $ 97/month.
- $ 297/month.
- $ 997 bulk price cut strategy (suggested).
I'll explain for each and every of these plans listed below.
1. ClickFunnels Criterion Strategy – $97/month.
The common strategy consists of every one of the features you would certainly need within ClickFunnels, however with limitations on the variety of funnels (20) and web pages (100) you could have in your account, as well as the number of visitors (20K) could see your pages each month.
You additionally do not obtain innovative capability such as ClickFunnels very own e-mail advertising and also associate monitoring devices.
2. ClickFunnels Etison Suite – $297/month.
This strategy includes all the bells and also whistles of the typical strategy, with no limitations. It additionally features 2 added items produced by ClickFunnels called Actionetics (email advertising) and Knapsack (associate administration system).
In Actionetics – you can take care of all of your get in touches with that sign up for your list, send out email programs, and also develop a host of various other automations. Clickfunnels Doesnt Change My Domain Name
The distinction between both strategies actually is the constraints, as well as Actionetics/Backpack. If you are a basic customer and also do not expect to use greater than 20 funnels in your account – the Criterion Strategy should suffice.
Nevertheless, if you plan to have an associate program or want to keep your email marketing within ClickFunnels and also not make use of a 3rd party software program, the Etison Suite is for you.
You can always begin on the reduced plan and upgrade if needed.
3. Funnel Hacks System – $997
For any individual that's severe concerning their company, the ClickFunnels Funnel Hacks System is the bargain of the century.
The $997 Funnel Hacks System consists of durable training programs packed with 6-month accessibility to the ClickFunnels Etison Collection.
This is an extraordinary bargain given that outside of this program, 6-months of Etison Collection alone would certainly cost you $1782.
Not only are you conserving $785 but you're getting a ton of trainings and overviews of aid you obtain the most from ClickFunnels!
ClickFunnels Advantages And Disadvantages
- Developing funnels is really simple, very easy, and also quick
- All-in-one platform with everything your business needs to win
- Split testing and conversion monitoring consisted of
- Email integration with all the major email autoresponder systems
- Settlement handling capabilities within ClickFunnels
- ClickFunnels is always adapting and upgrading to the moments
- There is always sustain readily available (whether live or not).
- Unbelievably energetic Facebook Team Neighborhood.
- Free 14-Day Trial – permits you to attempt it risk cost-free.
- As amazing as ClickFunnels is, it certainly is not an affordable remedy and also calls for a continual membership to utilize
- Support isn't always the fastest as well as could take from 1 minute to 1 Day depending upon the problem.
ClickFunnels versus Every person Else.
Many people ask just how ClickFunnels compares with other touchdown web page home builders such as Leadpages, Unbounce, and also Infusionsoft.
Essentially it's not really a fair contrast due to the fact that each of these devices stands out is one area or the other.
The chart above provides a thorough analysis – but I'll highlight several of the significant comparisons below.
ClickFunnels vs Leadpages
Before ClickFunnels, Leadpages was the big canine.
Leadpages is just a lead capture software program – absolutely nothing even more. You can produce touchdown pages, lead boxes, gather leads … that's virtually it. Additionally, the Leadpages design templates are likewise restricted on personalization.
ClickFunnels is even more flexible – it's a lot easier to make use of as well as does so much more compared to develop lead capture web pages.
Put simply, Leadpages is truly just a landing web page contractor, while ClickFunnels is concentrated around building highly incorporated funnels.
ClickFunnels vs Infusionsoft
Infusionsoft is not a landing web page or sales page contractor. It has a few of that capability built it, but that's not what it's understood for.
At it's core, Infusionsoft is a CRM system – one that enables you to handle your whole consumer database. ClickFunnels has this capability with Actionetics, yet it's not nearly as progressed as Infusionsoft.
Infusionsoft is likewise extremely pricey as well as forces every new client to pay $2000 for a compulsory kickstart training bundle just to find out ways to use the intricate system (which is infamously tough to use).
ClickFunnels Associate Program
There are two major courses individuals go down as ClickFunnels customers.
Those that prefer to utilize the device for their service – in hopes of eventually attain the Two Comma Club (over $1M in income).
And those that are interested in gaining passive income as a ClickFunnels Associate and winning the Dream Automobile Contest (where they pay $500/$1000 to your dream automobile if you reach 100/200 active month-to-month signups, specifically).
With a massive 40% monthly reoccuring compensation, ClickFunnels easily has among the greatest affiliate programs of any type of platform available.
That's right – you get paid an ongoing 40% payment on every associate signup you make via the ClickFunnels Affiliate Program. However, exactly what does that actually equate to?
The basic plan is a $97/month investment and the Etison Collection plan is a $297/month investment. therefore you make $38.80 per fundamental strategy as well as $118.80 per Etison Collection plan … every month!
Typically, every 100 signups will certainly bring in $4000/month in associate payments (basically relying on the number of Etison Plan customers remain in there).
Go here to learn more regarding becoming a ClickFunnels Affiliate.
All-time Low Line
ClickFunnels is hands down the greatest platform if you are wanting to easily develop high converting sales funnels.
Due to the fact that it was developed from scratch to be the best sales channel building contractor, it vanquishes every one of the competition because respect.
On the surface, it might not be the least expensive item out there – however if you use it to its full ability, your organisation will certainly end up being a lot more rewarding and also you will certainly save cash from not having to make use of various other devices. Clickfunnels Doesnt Change My Domain Name
If you've reviewed this far right into my ClickFunnels Evaluation, I suggest you see on your own with a Free 14-Day Trial here.


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text: +hbrx 0 Posted October 13, 2004 Two suggestions/requests regarding exporting waypoints to OziExplorer: 1. An option to _merge_ waypoints exported from GSAK with those already loaded in OziExplorer. I know it is possible to do this by merging the resulting .wpt-file into Ozi, but I want to do _everything_ from GSAK :-) After having a look at the API (v1.08) i guess it is a bit difficult since the merge functionality isent mentioned there. Please tell me I am wrong and that it can be included in a future version! 2. This one i do think I have mentioned before but; A possibility to omit the dialogue boxes when doing an export to Ozi. It is a reflexion of one of the ways I use GSAK/Ozi. I repeatedly export different filtered sets of waypoints to give me a graphical glance of where unfound/bugs/mine/etc...is placed on the map. Or when I import a new gpx-file (be it a PQ or a single cache) I want to do a quick export to see changes on the map. When I am in this mode I always exports to a 'dummy' file. What I am intresting in is to see the waypoints on the map. The file is overwritten each time. Is it possible to have an option to do a 'direct export' to ozi? Using the settings from last 'proper' export and omit the file dialogue and the confirmation click to load to ozi? hbrx. (not my fault that I want to do everything with GSAK. It tempts me to it :-) Share this post Link to post


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If someone has an idea or is doing something that you think is good, you are welcome to praise them and tell them you think it is good but I don't suggest giving unwanted advice on what they are doing. Example:
I make Tote Bags and pass them out to the Homeless on the street. I put in the Tote Bags what I feel God is leading me to put in as well as what I feel necessary or they would like..soap, combs, soups or canned beans, Granola bars, kleenex, toothbrush, etc. I do this because I want to and I feel good about it. I feel as if this is my ministry that God has called me to do. I do not preach to anyone, however, I am having cards made that simply say "God Loves You." which I am going to include.
Usually when I bring this up for whatever reason..because I am buying something from the store or someone see's the Tote Bag in my car or I happen to ask someone if they see a Homeless Person on the street to let me know so I can stop to pass it out, they are fine about it; but I have also had people say things like, "Don't give them Granola Bars because a lot of Homeless people don't have good teeth." (if this was someone I am close to; I don't mean to offend you.)
Mind you, this was a spin-off from a church idea which is doing the same thing but with Shoe-Boxes, but that is not the point. Since this is not with an organization; there is no specific list as to what is to be included in my Tote-Bags.
The point is back to the main sentence which is you are welcome to develop your own idea's Tote-Bags, Shoe-Boxes, etc. and add your own things while appreciating what others are doing.


text:
Stuart Ropke's Annual Conference 2018 speech in full:
Good morning everyone, and a warm welcome to our Annual Conference.
This time last year, I spoke from this stage about the extraordinary year that was 2017. A year of unique political turmoil, intensity and drama. We approached 2018 still reeling from the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, uncertain of our future relationship with Europe, and surrounded by global political instability.
I don't know about you but the last 12 months have not left me feeling any more optimistic that we're any nearer to solving the many big questions facing us as a nation.
So with multiple cabinet resignations at Westminster, political machinations around Brexit resembling a peculiar form of torture, and here in Wales, the appointment of a new First Minister just weeks away, it seems the only thing we can be certain of in 2018 is uncertainty.
But there is at least one thing I remain endlessly optimistic about: the ability and the desire of housing associations to deliver for the people of Wales.
Early findings from our research conducted by Beaufort, which we will publish later this year, show that housing associations have contributed more than £2bn to the Welsh economy over the last year, spent more than £440m on regenerating communities, and support more than 23,000 jobs across Wales.
We have continued to deliver on our pact with Welsh Government, and while there have been challenges which mean we have seen a small drop in the number of homes we've built this year, we are on target to achieve our shared ambition of 20,000 homes in this Assembly term. I have absolutely no doubt we will deliver.
However, I know that everyone in this room has ambitions far beyond this.
A year ago, we launched our Housing Horizons. A vision of a Wales where good housing is a basic right for all. A Wales where good housing leads to better health, increased prosperity and more connected communities.
It was a bold statement of intent about our future ambitions to build 75,000 homes over the next twenty years, with sustained action on carbon reduction, and investment in the foundations of the Welsh economy.
The vision set down a challenge not just to housing associations, but to our partners in Government and beyond to raise our sights and ambitions. We were delighted that Welsh Government responded positively to our calls for an independent review of housing policy in Wales.
I'm delighted we have the Chair of the Review, Lynn Pamment, and many of her colleagues on the review panel with us at conference, and we are looking forward to hearing lots more from them over the next two days.
The Review has presented us with a once in a generation opportunity to take a holistic look at housing policy in Wales. That opportunity has to be grasped.
The panel has brought independent challenge and asked tough questions of us all on issues like rents, grant and standards. And you have risen to that challenge as a sector.
More than 200 of you joined us over the summer, at events and webinars, to shape our response to the Review's Call for Evidence. Three themes emerged in our response. Flexibility, Collaboration and certainty.
I want to talk about each of those themes. And I want to start with flexibility and it's importance for rent policy and capital investment.
Housing associations in Wales will always put fairness and social justice at the heart of their rent policy. So it is vital that we have a policy which enables housing associations to balance the challenges of affordability, flexibility and investment in new homes and community services.
The challenge for Welsh Government to set a rent policy which is fit for the whole of Wales, every year, is enormous. The housing crisis manifests itself in very different ways across the country and across different housing markets. It is time to give housing associations the freedom to respond to the particular circumstances of the communities they work in. That would give not just certainty for business, but for tenants too.
As Welsh Government considers its decision over the transitional rent settlement, it is important that long term impacts of short-term decisions is not underestimated. Impacts on capacity, on the willingness of lenders and investors to channel huge sums of money through housing associations into some of the most deprived parts of Wales. And impacts on the mindset of housing association boards, who with the confidence that Wales gets and understands the importance of a stable policy environment have shown willingness to grow their businesses and do more.
In the longer term, a flexible rent policy with strong oversight from the regulator would encourage a genuine conversation about affordability with tenants at a local level. It would enable housing associations to set their strategy for the long-term showing how they would invest resources and act as anchor institutions in their community.
And of course, we know that flexibility would bring challenges too. It would make boards more accountable for their decisions, it would require greater transparency, and it would ensure that we are continuing to have those vital discussions about efficiency and the value for money we offer tenants. Make no mistake, we are up for that challenge and I think the rigour that regime would bring would be healthy for the sector and the people we exist to serve.
And it's not just rent policy where you told us that greater flexibility was required.
Welsh Government's record on investment in housing is second to none across the UK. With more than £1.5bn going into housing in this Assembly term, it is recognition of your ability to deliver, and the consensus we have reached and built together about the need to invest in good housing.
But you told us that the current system of fixed grant rates is restrictive.
In areas like Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr, we heard that the viability of schemes is threatened by a fixed grant rate approach, and areas in desperate needs of investment miss out. In a booming market like Monmouthshire, we heard that the rush of demand and increasing land prices that come with the lifting of the Severn Tolls is pricing housing associations out of some schemes, meaning communities where the housing crisis is worsening by the day will miss out on social housing.
We also heard a clear desire to stretch public investment further, delivering solutions right across the housing market, meeting your core purpose as housing associations as builders of social housing but also delivering great places and communities, and recycling that money to deliver more homes than you otherwise would have.
The Review has also presented an opportunity to reflect on how affordable housing is being delivered elsewhere. In particular, the role of Homes England in delivering long-term strategic partnerships, delivering certainty of funding and a mix of schemes across the market is one model which has piqued the interest of many.
I am on record numerous times saying that Wales has led the way on housing policy in the UK, but this does not mean that we should be closed to ideas from elsewhere, which will of course need to be refined and made to work for Wales.
We know that we cannot tackle the housing crisis on our own, and as well as learning lessons from elsewhere, we must continue to collaborate, with our partners in health and local government, with the private sector, and with each other. And collaboration was the second clear theme which emerged in our work on the review.
Collaboration is essential to deliver the scale required to unlock innovative methods of construction including factories located in Wales producing homes off-site. We know there is huge potential for housing associations to collaborate on development and construction skills to overcome the challenges coming down the road.
This doesn't mean diluting individual organisations' culture, mission and social purpose but sharing resources and developing new ideas together in a focused way that produce concrete results.
But for me, the most important collaboration we must unlock is with our colleagues in local government. The Prime Minister's announcement at the Conservative Party Conference earlier this year that the UK Government would abolish the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap on local authorities is one of the most significant announcements in housing policy in a long time, and one that Community Housing Cymru warmly welcomed.
The withdrawal of the state from building new homes is the primary reason we face the housing crisis that we do today. If we have genuine aspirations of solving this crisis, the borrowing capacity of local authorities will be vital. We need all hands on deck in. As a sector, we have the skills, capacity and desire to help end the housing crisis, and housing associations stand ready to work with colleagues in local government across Wales in this shared endeavour.
Working together, housing associations and local authorities have the ability to make the lives of thousands of people who need good housing better.
The Review has rightly challenged us on why collaboration isn't already happening to its full potential. In the coming weeks we will launch a joint publication with Savills which helps us to understand some of the constraints, It will look at how we can learn from housing associations collaborating elsewhere and how we can make collaboration happen.
But there are already excellent examples we can build on and learn from here in Wales. The excellent work that's currently being done in North Wales involving all the housing associations operating in that part of the country focussed around the growth deal, and projects such as the Welsh Housing Partnership.
The final theme of our response I want to talk about is certainty.
I opened my speech by talking about the uncertainty we all face, in politics, in the economy and in the wider world. As businesses, one of the most important roles government can play is in eliminating and mitigating external uncertainty.
To my mind the large-scale transfer of stock from local authorities to housing associations has been the most successful example of public-private partnership in public policy. In each of the eleven stock transfer organisations in Wales there is significant appetite and capacity to do more. They are key to our Housing Horizon ambitions to build more social housing. Long-term certainty over the gap funding on which their business plans were built would significantly increase their capacity, could lead to thousands more extra homes being built across Wales.
And of course, in this week of all weeks I do need to mention the 'B' word. Brexit looms large over all of us with a potential EU summit and Parliamentary vote on the horizon to perhaps finally give us some clarity.
In the months and years ahead housing associations could face significant challenges in skills and construction. In the event of a deal the implementation period is welcome but, Governments at both ends of the M4 have a crucial role to play in offering certainty over future trade and immigration policy.
The event of a 'No Deal' would bring far graver challenges. Housing association tenants are often some of the most vulnerable in our communities, and it is vital that, like our colleagues in health and social care, we are planning for how we will meet the needs of the most vulnerable. If all the threats of a no-deal materialise, housing associations will have a key role as anchor institutions in communities right across Wales to support those in the greatest need.
In the event of any economic shock that comes with as we leave the European Union, housing associations stand ready to work with government to help stimulate the economy. Housing Associations are perfectly set up to operate in a counter-cyclical way.
As we showed in response to the economic crash in 2008, we are a sector that can provide economic stimulus, protect jobs and continue to build the homes that Wales needs. As we set out in our vision last year, good housing is vital to the economic prosperity of the nation, and deal or no deal, housing associations are ready to work with Government to deliver prosperity for all.
It is not just economic success that good housing can play a vital role in. We know that good housing is vital to the health of the people of Wales, and this is central to our vision. That is why, alongside our ongoing partnership with Public Health Wales, we have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Welsh NHS Confederation to explore closer partnership working directly with local health boards.
We have seen great progress on health and housing over the last twelve months, including £50m of additional investment in the Integrated Care Fund, and proposals to add housing association representation to Regional Partnership Boards. These are welcome and significant moves from Welsh Government, and our new partnership with the Welsh NHS Confederation will be vital in sharing good practice and building on this momentum to deliver lasting change.
So as the Review panel consider its findings, it must consider the impact of good housing in its widest context. The decisions that are ultimately taken on areas such as rent, grant and land will have knock on impact on the economy of Wales, the health of Wales, and communities throughout Wales.
Before presenting its recommendations to the Minister in April, the panel has a big job on its hands. There will be lots of opportunities to hear about the direction of travel over the next two days, but for me there are three tests we should use to measure the success of the Review's recommendations:
- Do they deliver more homes?
- Are those homes good quality and fit for the future?
- And are those homes genuinely affordable to those in most need?
In Wales, our policy environment has offered us stability and ten years on from the last Review of housing policy, housing associations can rightly boast of a proud track record of delivery. Welsh Government has rightly prioritised housing in its over-arching strategy 'Prosperity for All', and backed up their commitments with funding in this government term, but we must now look to the future.
This is a review that is being carried out from a position of strength, but we must not let that constrain our ambition. The Review must be bold, be brave, and think long term.
Housing associations exist to provide social housing and affordable homes. Their ambition is provide 75,000 more of them over the next twenty years. To do this, we need a policy environment which is flexible, which drives collaboration, but which offers long term certainty to organisations who are long-term investors and not in this for short-term profit.
Working in tandem with government and other partners, we can always achieve more. This Review provides a huge opportunity to deliver a framework where housing associations and government both local and national, work side-by-side to deliver a Wales where good housing is a basic right for all.
Let's take that opportunity.


text: Nadine Wijshoff is a multi-disciplinary performer from the Netherlands. After several pre-educations at for instance Codarts Rotterdam she received in 2018 her Bachelor Degree in Urban/Contemporay Dance at De Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten. This Bachelor focusses on the individuality of the artist and creates a lot of space to develop your own artistic personality. After she graduated she worked for example with Giulio D' Anna, Ryan Djojokarso, KOON Theater group Libanon and Wies Bloemen. On stage, she is always looking for a free, authentic way of performing. As a performer, she is fearless and unabashed.


text:
The Oxfordshire-based agency has seen turnover rise to £4,947,000 to the end of December 2011 from £4,856,000 to the end of December 2010.
Its pre-tax profit is up almost 15%, to £349,000 from £305,000.
The figures have been recorded in its unaudited annual accounts filed at Companies House.
Corporate Innovations managing director David Watt said that growth was down to focusing on account management, ensuring that clients were getting "added value".
"Existing clients valued the additional account management we put in, and therefore recognised that and gave us more opportunities," explained Watt.
He added the agency has seen consistent growth over the past four years, which is expected to be a "continuing trend".
"We have also invested a lot in our digital capability," said Watt.
The 30-strong agency is expected to grow to a team of up to 45 by the end of 2013, he added.
See Corporate Innovations work with Camelot for the London 2012 Olympic Games here.
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