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PolitiFact has voted the GOP talking point that health care reform constitutes a "government takeover"
- blithely repeated a gazillion times by politicians and pundits - as
the Lie of the Year. With its power to stoke public fears, that lie
coupled with last year's LOTY, "death panels," is largely why your
insurance company is still soaking you.
Never Miss a Beat.
Get our best delivered to your inbox.
"There was a uniformity of Republican messaging that was disconnected
from facts. The sheer discipline..was
breathtaking." - Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat whose Medicare
end-of-life provision became last year's "death panels."

subset: commoncrawl


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Return and Refund Policy
We believe in our products. However, if you are not satisfied you are protected by our industry leading money back, return and refund policy.
Refund Policy
- Our policy lasts through infinity. To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.
- Several types of items are exempt from being returned. POS ribbons and dot matrix printer cartridges cannot be returned.
- To complete your return, we require a receipt or proof of purchase (either the invoice or the delivery receipt).
- Please do not send your purchase back to the manufacturer.
- There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted: (if applicable)
- Items with obvious signs of use
- Boxes and packaging that have been opened
- Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
Refunds (if applicable)
Once your return is received and inspected, we will contact you (SMS, call or email) to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also notify you of the approval or rejection of your refund. If you are approved, then your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your original method of payment, within a certain amount of days.
Late or missing refunds (if applicable)
If you haven't received a refund yet, first check your bank account again. It may take some time before your refund is officially posted. Next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before a refund is posted. If you've done all of this and you still have not received your refund yet, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Sale items (if applicable)
Sale items may be refunded.
Exchanges (if applicable)
We only replace items if they are defective or damaged. If you need to exchange it for the same item or any item of similar value, contact us (SMS, call or email). Depending on where your office is, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.


text: There's no better way of spending a 1-day off than going outside, hop on to a boat, and explore a small island in East Java, Gili Labak. The mesmerizing view of Gili Labak is what you need to refresh your mind after a busy week. If the view on the beach is not enough, then you can snorkel into the sea to witness the beautiful sea creatures and the corals. On top of that, this tour will also take you to Sembilan Beach where you can lay down on the sand or take in the swing by the beach.


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Trieste, as travel writer Jan Morris once opined, 'offers no unforgettable landmark, no universally familiar melody, no unmistakable cuisine', yet it's a city that enchants many, its 'prickly grace' inspiring a cult-like roll-call of writers, travellers, exiles and misfits. Devotees come to think of its glistening belle époque cafes, dark congenial bars and even its maddening Bora wind as their own; its lack of intensive tourism can make this often feel like it's true.
Tumbling down to the Adriatic from a karstic plateau and almost entirely surrounded by Slovenia, the city is physically isolated from the rest of the Italian peninsula. Its historical singularity is also no accident. From as long ago as the 1300s, Trieste has faced east, becoming a free port under Austrian rule. The city blossomed under the 18th- and 19th-century Habsburgs; Vienna's seaside salon was also a fluid borderland where Italian, Slavic, Jewish, Germanic and even Greek culture intermingled.
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Monthly Archives: March 2014
Canadian Melders. We Are Everywhere.
You know it is cool to watch everyone hanging in their groups .. groups by country, groups by language, groups by sexual preference, groups by fast food preferences .. and then there are the Canadians! We just sort of hang with everyone … melding, mixing …. yup that is us .. "The Canadian Melders." We have uniforms and everything … mounty jodphers, beaver hats, hudson bay blanket scarves, cable knit sweaters with a moose head on it, maple leaf underwear and muk luks. The secret team handshake is a non hand shake – that is the secret – it is a head nod and "eh?"
You will see us everywhere hanging on the periphery, in fact, some of you have probably asked,"hey isn't that a Canadian over there, hanging … on the .. um … periphery?" And your friend probably said, "No … that's actually Grandma …. don't know any "Periphery." Grandma's name is "Doris."" Continue reading
TFFT: What IS Faith?
Anyone can have a theory about how something should go. We have all heard people instruct others on how to raise their kids, or how marriage works. They can have plenty of ideas and suggestions, but until they actually get married, or have children of their own, are their methods ever tested? We also see where sometimes these same people find out their own advice was completely wrong.
The point is that nothing is really owned until it is "tested." Continue reading
Daily Snork
TFFT: Take Your Offense Elsewhere.
I am frankly tired of people taking offense at every little thing. It is a choice you make to be offended, especially in the absence of any real proof that the offense was intended.
People make mountains out of the most ridiculous molehills. And then they want to gather a lynching party to support them in their efforts to become offensive to the person they have targeted. Makes sense, right? Continue reading
Fighting the Demons.
Every day there is a little bird that circles the house and lands at almost every window and proceeds to spend a few minutes pecking at it's own reflection in the dark glass. It has been doing it for over a year now . Today I sat back and watched it for a few moments and wondered about how it processed its daily battle with countless rivals, demon birds in the glass. He pecks and flies at the window with all the intensity and ferocity the other birds muster in their territorial conflicts with one another in the flesh. Sure this bird walks away the victor in every battle but as soon as he lands on another window, their is another opponent to take on … an endless supply of birds to fight every day in the endless circle he does around our house. It must be exhausting. Continue reading


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We apologize for the delay posting this update. We were waiting for the official minutes to be published by Maryland Commerce. MDMFG.org compiled a list of legislative ideas supportive of small and medium size manufacturers
in Maryland. Those ideas have been presented to both Maryland Commerce and Senator Roger Manno (D Montgomery County).
Six weeks ago on June 22nd MDMFG.org met with MD Commerce. Maryland Commerce requested that Rich Coursey (MDMFG.org Chairman, Partial Owner of NRL & Associates) represent Maryland manufacturers. In addition to Rich, RMI of Maryland, MD MEP, the Maryland World Class Consortia and Gene Burner (a registered lobbyist) were also invited and participated. As of July 31st Maryland Commerce has not released official minutes from the meeting and we apologize for the lack of available information. We have no idea which (if any ideas) were accepted, rejected or ignored.
Each meeting participant was asked to present legislative ideas to the meeting for MD Commerce to potentially submit to the Governor for his consideration and potentially as part of the Governors legislative agenda for the upcoming session.
To be clear. Maryland Commerce does not submit legislation. Maryland Commerce submits ideas and details for consideration by the Governors Legislative Office. Ideas of interest to the Governor and his staff may be submitted by the Governor during the next legislative session.
There has been no indication (positive or negative) from MD Commerce which if any ideas presented at the meeting June 22nd will be submitted to the Governor for consideration.
Note that some of those invited to the MD Commerce discussion were responsible for crafting SB0181 and SB0386 and some vocalized strong support for those bills during the last session.


text: Book a Consultation Please contact us using the following form below. We will be in touch soon. Name*Email* TelWhich services are you interested in? Spanish Wills Estate Planning Estate Administration MessageGDPR Consent* I consent to Temis & Co, having my submitted information so they can respond to my enquiryCAPTCHA This iframe contains the logic required to handle Ajax powered Gravity Forms.


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Okay this is ALL ELEPHANT SEALS. OMG! Cute and terrifying! Huge and glorious! And there are BABIES. These are wild elephant seals from the Elephant Seal Sanctuary in San Simeon, California, where I was in January. The Elephant Seal Sanctuary is just some coastline with a bit of a boardwalk and a fence and several helpful signs explaining that if you go down onto the beach with the seals YOU WILL DIE SO MAYBE DON'T DO THAT OKAY? This is something I really like about the West Coast – their warning signs don't fuck around. East Coast warning signs are something like, "Danger! Jellyfish have been spotted! Be super careful! Authorities have been notified and are on their way! Perhaps it's a good time to tell the nanny to go back to the beach house and mix a pitcher of martinis!" while West Coast signs are more like "There are DEATH WAVES AND KILLER WHALES HERE if you go swimming YOU WILL DIE AND WE WON'T CARE TOUGH SHIT"
At any rate, enjoy these elephant seals! If you would like to purchase a print or a card or anything, I am getting some made for THE SHOW I AM HAVING AT THE MALVERN IN ASHEVILLE IN JULY (it is opening I think on or around June 28 and will be up for about six weeks, so if you are going to be in WNC please stop by!) Anyway let me know and I will let you know prices, etc AND! Half of the cost of every print sold will go to the Elephant Seal Sanctuary so they can keep up the good scary sign work and all the other things they do to help marine mammals, because even if you weigh 6000 pounds you can still always use a helping hand.


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Enter your model number or a part number and click "Search"
worn out part
The repair was fairly easy. The most timely part of the repair was removing the twelve screws from the back panel to expose the repair....read more
No Heat. Dryer keeps running but no heat to dry clothes.
Repair was very easy. We are in the internet age so I use it all the time to get info on how to repair any thing in the house including cars. This time it was my dryer. I typed up 'Kitchen Aid dryer h...read more
dryer squeeking
removed front panel,lifted top, removed drum and drive belt,remove old rollers and acc and instlled new and reinstalled dryer parts....read more
Drum not centered , clothes getting stuck in dryer
The first thing I did was to unplug the dryer from the wall. Then I removed the bottom two screws and slid the bottom cover off so i could see all the way to the back, I tipped the dryer back against...read more
Motor buzzed and dryer drum would not spin when pressing start
From the first time the motor buzzed (but dryer tumbler then started to turn), 2 weeks elapsed for the dryer drum to stop turning altogether. If this occurs, DO NOT continue to push the start button ...read more
Drying too slowly
Removed access plate from back bottom leftRemoved belt from motorNeeded to lift up top of dryerInserted flathead screwdirver in front under top to push in two metal clips holding top...read more
Part broken in half
Remove screws, dryer sensor on screen. Put sensor back in place. Secure with screws. The way you take it off go in reverse....read more
Kenmore 80 Series Washer - Agitator Stopped Working
First I screamed at the ceiling, because I have a three year old and an infant, and the washing machine was dead. Then I went to youtube. It seemed like the "agitator dogs" were the issue. read more
All brand logos are trademarks of their respective owners.
The PartSelect logo is a Registered Trademark of Atlantic Laundry Centres, Ltd.
Copyright © 1999-2020, Eldis Group Partnership. All rights reserved.


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Construction Zone
Oct 24th, 2007 by Andrew
There was plenty of construction and demolition going on whilst we were in Beijing. In all kinds of places things were going up and down, to get things ship-shape for the Olympics, no doubt.
One of the most unusual constructions is the new headquarters for CCTV, the largest TV network in China. It will be formed by joining two towers at the top but with two sections that meet at right angles rather than a basic straight bridge. This essentially means that a large portion of the building's mass is not directly over the foundations of the towers. Here's it's current progress. Follow the link to see what it'll look like once completed. I'm sure it was a nightmare getting the design right.
China construction zones can be so crazy. Often there's power lines, piles of rubble and all kinds of danger going on. This truck loaded with concrete reinforcing rods from a demolition just next to a power transformer was a classic example.


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"Low Rise" non-elevated bleachers feature a first row seat height under 12", 6" rise per row, 2"x12" wide anodized seats, and do not require aisles. The 3 and 4 row systems top seat height is under 30" and do not require guardrails to meet building and safety codes.
• 2" x 12" anodized Aluminum Seats
• Single 2" x 10" Aluminum foot plank on Standard Models
• Double 2" x 10" Aluminum foot plank on Preferred Models
• Top seat height under 30" on 3 and 4 row models
(Thus no guardrail required by most building codes)
• 5-row model includes vertical picket guardrail system to comply with code, (2) 1" x 6" riser planks on top row, and double foot planks on top row (standard and preferred models)
• Aluminum frame makes it lightweight and durable
Standard Models - Single Footboards


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If you are getting error 403 every time you try play a video – very sorry about this. The fix is available on App Store now. Please update the app to version 33.3.
Hi, my name is Pavel Chuchuva. I'm a software developer and father of 2 amazing kids. I created Safe Vision to keep them safe from bad videos on YouTube.
You can contact me by sending email to


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Independent contracting can be regarded as a third form of employment and lies between self-employment and employment. As an independent contractor, you are employed by Cool Company, but manage your jobs as if you had your own company. You find your own customers, determine your own fee, payment terms and how fast you want your money.
As an employee of Cool Company - we take care of employer responsibility. We handle accounting as well as handle taxes, fees and ensure that they are paid in time so that you can focus all your time on your assignments and customers.
Cool Company's services are perfect for freelancers that wants to get started quickly without starting their own business.


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Varma Homes
We, at Varma Homes, have dependably had confidence in Constructing Happiness for our clients who have faith in putting securely in glad homes for ages to come.
We have kept up our extraordinary quality and exclusive expectations throughout the years and this incorporates picking sellers and accomplices who are similarly mindful with the goal that our clients have just the best.We, at Varma Homes endeavor to fulfill all partners, financial specialists and representatives.The art of design is a craft only a few are blessed with. It takes passion, drive and immense courage. On a mission to Construct Happiness, Varma Homes are on the path towards pioneering exquisite lifestyle with our brand new flats and apartment projects across Kerala.
Everybody is good at something. For us, it's building living spaces. To build a place you can find all your comforts and finally call home, is what we do best. Thats how we become the most trusted residential builders in Kochi.And we build work spaces too. To build an ambience fit for work, is quite a task. Unless you have a flair for it. Which is why, you should let the experts do it.
Kochi Builders Circle team make sure that they always list out the right builders in kochi who match the standards that are set by analysing the requirements of the customer.We starve to bring to you the best independent houses, villas and apartments in kochi also making sure that you will get the right information. We know how hard the task is, we are here to make that task simpler. Lets find your dream home together. Varma Homes comes with long years of trust in real estate industry. One of trustworthy builders for your budget home in Kochi.
Varma Regent
Centrum, a 10-storied tower in Pettah, Trivandrum is like the waves of feelings that sway,a dweller's paradise to pull out a chord from the hustles of a busy life, to space out for timely introspections, to find time for all your errands.
Varma Maalika I
Varma Maalika is one of the private improvements of Varma Homes. It offers open and skilfully planned 2BHK and 3BHK condos. The undertaking is all around furnished with all the essential conveniences to encourage the requirements of the occupants.
Varma Maalika II
Situated in a tranquil domain, new 2&3 BHK Apartments in Tripunithura gives you a chance to strike the correct harmony of way of life. In excess of a condo space, Maalika has significantly more to talk. It's dependably been the most favored venture for some reasons. On the off chance that you take a gander at its area, it the best. On the off chance that you are taking a gander at the comfort part, it been appraised the best for such a large number of reasons. On the off chance that you are searching for quality, that is the point at which our name VARMA HOMES dependably stays as the best manufacturer in Kochi much refreshing for the durable generosity in building dream homes. With all these decency that we have made through the entirety of our confided in tasks, we are presenting to you Varma's Maalika Phase 2.
Varma Padipura
Varma Padipura offers 2 BHK and 3 BHK Apartments of numerous sizes. The extent of territory incorporated into this property change contingent upon the quantity of BHK's. Varma Padipura is spread over a region of 2350.00 sections of land with 11 stories. The ground breaking strategy of Varma Padipura is structured so that these Apartments includes wide space with legitimate ventilation at each side of the house. The insides are flawlessly created with fashioner tiled floor, stone counter section in kitchen, present day clean fittings in the restroom and colossal windows for appropriate daylight.


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Documents/Forms, District Reports, and Press Releases
R.I. Dept. of Health: Head Lice: Guiding Principles for School Policy
Photo Opt-Out Form - Throughout the school year, photo opportunities and multi-media opportunities exist both in the classroom and during special events. These opportunities may include, but are not limited to:
- Activities Covered by Media
- Award Assemblies
- Class Pictures
- Pictures Posted on the School Website
- Theater Productions
- Yearbook Candid Photos
Please fill out the opt-out form if you wish to opt-out of photo opportunities that identify your child by photo or name. This form will be sent directly to your child's principal.
School Volunteer Background Check:
Please bring this form and your license (a copy if possible) to your child's school office. The office will then forward to the EGPD. There could be a two-week turnaround- please plan accordingly. All BCIs are good for one year. School volunteers will also need to fill out the Volunteer Agreement/Statement of Confidentiality and return to the school office.
Working Papers for Students:
The Intent to Employ Minor form (PDF) needs to be filled out by the employer and signed by a parent/guardian once the student is hired. The student then needs to bring this form and their birth certificate or license to either the Superintendent's office (125 Main St), Office of Teaching and Learning (111Peirce Street), or the Cole or EGHS guidance office and the working paper will be issued. The student must appear in person as their signature is needed.
The following forms (working papers) will be filled out by the Supt's office (125 Main Street), Curriculum office (111 Peirce Street) or Cole guidance office (100 Cedar Ave) or EGHS guidance office (300 Avenger Drive) once the Intent to Employ Minor is presented:
Special Limited Permit to Work (for ages 14-15) (PDF)
Certificate of Age (for ages 16-17) (PDF)
District Reports:
- 1 to 1 Technology Integration Plan January 17, 2014 (PDF)
- Academic Calendar Report 2015 (PDF)
- Final Report Commission on Retaining Teachers (2011) (PDF)
- PARCC Presentation State Comparison 2016 (PDF)
- Parent Letter November 6, 2013 (PDF)
- Strategic Plan School District Vision 2020 (PDF)
- Start Times Feasibility Report
- All-Day Kindergarten Feasibility Report
- Educational Performance Audit of the East Greenwich Public Schools and Presentation
School Committee Press Releases:
School Committee Press Release February 2, 2018
School Committee Press Release May 3, 2017 (PDF)


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List of products by brand Sprout
Sprout is a green startup behind the world's first sustainable pencil that you can plant after use. The vision is to become the global leader of green and sustainable consumer products. We sell both to businesses and to retailers in over 60 countries. The company is successfully developing rapidly and the sales and development potential is still relatively untapped. Sprout is now selling a variety of sprouting consumer goods.


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Today I received my scent of the month starter kit and the January and February kits - WOW! I couldn't be more pleased!! Thank you!Lisa , Austin, Texas
Girl!! you just RULE! I loved the montly club before...but this month was just wonderful and the start up kit is more wonderful then words can say..I am sooo looking forward to trying to make my own lotions...(I am such a lotion fanatic) Thank you thank you thank you!!Krissy


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I've wanted one for ages. I was saving up for a really special Capless and came across the Mitsukoshi LE Décimo, so I was satisfied for a while, but then this came up on eBay with a price I couldn't pass up. And so: This is the older version, with smaller sparkles away from the... Continue Reading →
Waterman 42 1/2 V (1920s)
The little brother of my 12 1/2 VS, I got this on eBay on Fountain Pen Day last year, but it leaked ink everywhere when I tried to fill it. Clearly it needed restoring, but I never got around to it until recently: And what a process it was! I had to take it apart.... Continue Reading →
Jinhao 992 (modified!)
At 99p each on eBay with free shipping, it's very hard to say no! It's always interesting to see what the Chinese companies decide to copy: the Wing Sung 659 I reviewed rips off Pilot and another popular Jinhao, the 599/599A, copies Lamy's Safari/Al-Star line. This one is a little sneakier, and I don't actually... Continue Reading →
Pelikan M800 Renaissance Brown
I could say that this was a well-considered purchase, but then I would be lying... No regrets at all! When I first heard the news of yet another brown Pelikan pen, I might have been slightly disappointed, but that all disappeared when I saw the first photos of this. The material perfectly complements the chunky... Continue Reading →


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hello guys,
Can anyone knows what is the problem for this video? I dont know why the video still pixelated? How to avoid this?
Thanks in advanced
Video Source : http://www.mediafire.com/?4wm89cmxz63u9kb
Video Encoded: http://www.mediafire.com/?hg25ussmds47yuk
Pixelated Screenshot : http://www.mediafire.com/?qxz9bib3ci4w0y2
Encoded Mediainfo :
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : firstname.lastname@example.com
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 3 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 1h 54mn
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 4 050 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 14.0 Mbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 528 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.40:1
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.250
Stream size : 3.19 GiB (98%)
Writing library : x264 core 120 r2164 da19765
Default : Yes
Forced : No
+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 8 of 8
You reduced the bitrate of a grainy source by a factor of 10 and you expect it to look good? A decent 1280x528 encoding that retains the grain:
Last edited by jagabo; 28th Nov 2012 at 08:03. Reason: added sample
Make the frame size/resolution smaller.
Last edited by slarke; 28th Nov 2012 at 09:53.
Looking at your encoded 1280x528 video here, I'm not seeing as bad blocking as your JPG sample. I don't know if it's because you saved as JPG with low quality settings. But check your h.264 decoder. Make sure deblocking isn't turned off. Here's what I see (lossless PNG):
Click on the image a few times to see it full scale.
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We're hungry. We scarf down a big plate of food … then realize our eyes were too big for our stomachs. It's called "portion distortion" — you view an over-sized, calorie-laden portion as a normal amount. To avoid portion distortion and a widening waistline, experts give this advice: pay attention to the amount of food on your plate, and how much you eat.
"Portion control is king," said David Eisenberg, director of the Osher Research Center at Harvard Medical School. Eisenberg, speaking at a health and culinary conference we attended last month, reinforced his point with this declaration:
"It's the calories, stupid!"
Portion distortion has emerged because portion sizes have bulged over the past two decades, particularly when you eat out. The graphic above shows the same pasta dish served 20 years ago versus today.
"Average portion sizes have grown so much over the past 20 years that sometimes the plate arrives and there's enough food for two or even three people on it," says the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which compiled the pasta graphic for a slideshow.
"These growing portion sizes are changing what Americans think of as a 'normal' portion at home, too," the federal agency noted. "With this growth has come increases in waistlines and body weight."
Below are tips we've compiled on how to avoid portion distortion:
- Try using smaller dishes, bowls, and glasses. This way, when you fill up your plate or glass, you will be eating and drinking less. – National Institutes of Health
- Avoid eating in front of the TV or while busy with other activities. – NIH
- Be mindful of what you're eating, savoring the dish bite by bite. "Most people don't pay attention to the food after the first bite. … Taste it." David Eisenberg, Harvard Medical School
- "Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it." – Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules: An Eater's Manual (Penguin, 2009 )
- "Stop eating before you're full." – Michael Pollan
- "Serve a proper portion and don't go back for seconds." Michael Pollan
Portion control isn't a piece of cake, so to speak. Even the doctors, nutritionists, chefs and other health and culinary professionals at the conference we attended found it tough to guess the amount of calories on two similar plates.
Each day, Eisenberg conducted a little test for us. He displayed two plates containing the dishes we'd eaten at a recent meal. Which dish, he asked, had more calories? Below are two plates with items we'd eaten for lunch.
One plate contains 1,000 calories worth of food, including fish, whole wheat couscous, whole-grain pasta, and salad. The other contains 600 calories. In this case, the plate on the left is 600 calories, and the one on the right totals 1,000.
The difference: The 600-calorie plate has much smaller portions, as well as more salad. What's more, the plate itself is actually smaller in size. "This is a smaller plate. But it looks very full," Eisenberg said.
Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch


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Job Board
Welcome to Wisconsin Philanthropy Network's Job Board. As a service to people seeking employment within the philanthropic sector, WPN is pleased to list job openings in philanthropy.
Current Job Opportunities
Click to see full job description
Founded in 2008, the Milwaukee Area Workforce Funding Alliance is a 501c3 consortium of private foundations and public agencies that fund workforce development in the greater Milwaukee area. The WFA helps strategically align $10 to $16 million in workforce investments each year in education, job training, and placement and support services. In addition, the WFA pools additional resources to work on systemic policy and practices that benefit both businesses that need workers and individuals seeking good jobs with family supporting wages.
The Director oversees and coordinates all aspects of the Workforce Funding Alliance's strategic, operational and programmatic functions. Working with the WFA board of directors, Leadership Council, community partners, and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, the director helps advance the WFA's strategic goals and annual operating plans. The Director supervises a part time program coordinator and facilitates in-kind, back-office support from the MAWIB, and contracted services as needed.
*For full consideration for this position, all of the following materials must be received, electronically, no later than 5:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, October 1, 2015:
A letter describing: 1) Your qualifications for the Director position, 2) Your specific interest in WFA and 3) A brief description of your understanding of work force development strategies locally and nationally. A description of your salary parameters; A detailed and updated resume; and The names of, your relationship to, and contact information for three professional references.
** All of the above may be sent in the form of separate attachments or, can be combined into one document.
Please email to: firstname.lastname@example.com
Mindy Lubar Price, President & CEO
Leading Transitions LLC
544 E. Ogden Avenue, Suite 700-350
Milwaukee, WI 53202
P: 414.228.9860, www.leadingtransitions.com
The Board of Directors plan to have this position filled in November 2015.
Other duties include: serve as lead staff for community initiatives focused on children and families, early childhood education, youth development, out of school time, parent engagement and emerging funding priorities such as foster care; identify and research education and social trends in the community in order to drive United Way funding priorities; and help inform Community Impact Division investment strategies and directions.
Create and manage strategic plan for Education with input from Education Advisory Committee.
Click to see full job description and apply for the position.
For further job criteria and complete details, click on: https://www.milwaukeejobs.com/j/14174609. If you meet or exceed job requirements, please apply directly at this web address today. Please indicate salary requirements.
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text: SAS Base Certification – Practice Exam 16 You need to login to view this content. Please Login. Not a Member? Join Us A B C D Correct Answer Incorrect Answer Click to see Answer Explanation below Commentary: PROC PRINT displays a listing of the observations in the data portion of a SAS dataset. For more information please see the link below: SAS.com PROC PRINT ‹ SAS Base Certification – Practice Exam 15 SAS Base Certification – Practice Exam 17 › Leave a Comment Cancel reply Please keep in mind that comments are moderated and rel="nofollow" is in use. So, please do not use a spammy keyword or a domain as your name, or it will be deleted. Let us have a personal and meaningful conversation instead. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.


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The first step involved in the activation of vitamin D3 is a 25-hydroxylation which is catalysed by the 25-hydroxylase in the liver and then by other enzymes. The mitochondrial sterol 27-hydroxylase catalyses the first reaction in the oxidation of the side chain of sterol intermediates. The active form of vitamin D3 (calcitriol) binds to intracellular receptors that then function as transcription factors to modulate gene expression. Like the receptors for other steroid hormones and thyroid hormones, the vitamin D receptor has hormone-binding and DNA-binding domains. The vitamin D receptor forms a complex with another intracellular receptor, the retinoid-X receptor, and that heterodimer is what binds to DNA. In most cases studied, the effect is to activate transcription, but situations are also known in which vitamin D suppresses transcription. Calcitriol increases the serum calcium concentrations by: increasing GI absorption of phosphorus and calcium, increasing osteoclastic resorption, and increasing distal renal tubular reabsorption of calcium. Calcitriol appears to promote intestinal absorption of calcium through binding to the vitamin D receptor in the mucosal cytoplasm of the intestine. Subsequently, calcium is absorbed through formation of a calcium-binding protein.
Alfacalcidol is Vitamin D-hormone analog which is activated by the enzyme 25-hydroxylase in the liver for systemic and in osteoblasts for local D-hormone actions.
Hypercalcemia - Early symptoms of hypercalcemia, include nausea and vomiting, weakness, headache, somnolence, dry mouth, constipation, metallic taste, muscle pain and bone pain. Late symptoms and signs of hypercalcemia, include polyuria, polydipsia, anorexia, weight loss, nocturia, conjunctivitis, pancreatitis, photophobia, rhinorrhea, pruritis, hyperthermia, decreased libido, elevated BUN, albuminuria, hypercholesterolemia, elevated ALT (SGPT) and AST (SGOT), ectopic calcification, nephrocalcinosis, hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias.


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Professional Community for Car Dealers, Marketing, Advertising and Sales Leaders
Evan Murray has not received a gift from an ADM Member
Posted on February 19, 2019 at 9:00pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Today I will write about how to make a blog bring real benefits, and not just follow the fashion.
It has long been understood that in today's world a corporate blog is an integral part of the company's presentation on the Internet. But does the blog justify the hopes that were placed on it?…Continue
Posted on October 12, 2018 at 1:03am 0 Comments 0 Likes
Many consider affiliate internet marketing one of the most effective methods of promotion. Only email campaigns, search marketing or PPC advertising show higher efficiency - but if we talk about cost, the leader is no longer so unequivocal. So what is it?
Types of programs
Instead of conclusion
Affiliate marketing is an…Continue
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Have a nice day
Thanks God bless.
© 2020 Created by Ralph Paglia. Powered by


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All Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) stations in the city will soon have only one entry and exit point.
With crimes against women being tackled with renewed vigour, and when such crimes seem to be on the rise, Southern Railway and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) conducted a joint study two months ago, about the crowd pattern in all MRTS railway stations.
"We studied how commuters leave the station premises. We found that they moved out through different exit points. Because of this, it becomes difficult for RPF personnel to monitor all the gates at the same time," said a Southern Railway source.
Officials felt that if all commuters descended down the same staircase and used only one exit point, it would be easier for the RPF to monitor the crowd and prevent any untoward incidents. "It was felt that even criminals would be less likely to snatch chains or misbehave with women if this were so," said the source.
An RPF officer said the patrolling system in stations had also been altered to ensure fewer crimes were committed. "Most of the crimes committed in station are on the stairs or at exit points. And so, RPF personnel are posted at these spots instead of on platforms. This will not only deter criminals but will also help the RPF to nab the accused easily," he said.
He added that police officers were posted on trains too. "The patrol party travels till the end of the line and then goes around in a jeep to monitor all the stations. Because of this, no one sleeps on the station premises anymore," said the officer.
The RPF claim that thanks to these and other measures taken, crime rate has reduced by half. "In 2011, 11 crimes were reported in MRTS stations. But in 2012, they dropped to six. This is mainly because of improved patrolling. Among all the EMU services, the MRTS is the safest," the officer added.
Women commuters said having one exit in the stations would be beneficial. "Women are not comfortable walking alone in the large, empty stations. More police officers and one exit will make them safer as there will be a crowd then," said B. Sundari, a resident of Pattabiram who has been commuting by EMU services for the past six years.


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Sony has announced that the Playstation VR will launch in October 2016.
President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Andrew House, announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco that the Playstation VR would be available this October for a MSRP of $399.99 USD (Will be priced at $549.99 Canadian). This makes Sony's Virtual Reality headset one of the most affordable options on the market with the Oculus Rift currently retailing for $599.99 USD and Valve's HTC Vive retailing at $799.99 USD.
Playstation VR will have over fifty compatible games by the end of the year, including The Playroom VR, a game which will be free with the purchase of the headset.
Will you be picking up a Playstation VR in October? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!


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Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City "Patch 188.8.131.52"
Notes for update 3, GTA: Episodes from Liberty City (PC only)
Published November 29, 2016, updated April 17, 2018
General fixes (PC only)
- Added error code "WTV270" to indicate problems connecting to the Windows Live login assistant or Games for Windows Live servers.
- Added compatibility check for Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
- The display of the controller has been added to the screen control settings.
- Fixed an issue that made it impossible to perform a "Malfunction" job if the frame rate exceeded 60 frames per second.
- Fixed a bug related to the "system Load" indicator that occurred when using graphics cards with more than 2 GB of memory.
- Fixed an issue where using modern graphics cards could not change the settings in the menu.
- Fixed a bug that caused the crosshair of the sight to be displayed incorrectly on the map when using some permissions.
- Fixed a bug related to scrolling text in the History menu.
- Fixed a bug that caused the game to crash with the message "drawlist overflow".
- A number of minor fixes have been made to optimize the performance of the game.
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City "Patch 188.8.131.52"
Upload time: 18.09.2018
Size: 139.93 MB


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Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones. I'm already a little tired of hearing about Game of Thrones. But I must also ask this, and alas, I include Christians who read the George R. R. Martin books or view the HBO series: in all the memes, reviews, discussions, tweets, products, TV news, jokes, etc. — why does none of them give any content disclaimer?
Do we just pretend the TV series doesn't have live, actual naked porn? Is that how it is?
Torture porn?
This critic at The Federalist focuses on another concern about the GoT series' "realism":
[… T]he creator of "Game of Thrones"—George R.R. Martin, who wrote the series of five massive novels (so far) on which the series is based—describes being conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who says he is opposed to war and wrote this story to show how ugly it is.
Izzat so? Then why does he feel compelled to write about war and killing and murder and blood, in hundreds of intricate varieties, for ten thousand pages? This is a bit like E.L. James saying she wrote the 50 Shades books as a warning against unbridled sexuality.
No, I'm afraid that the opposite is true. "Game of Thrones" is torture porn dressed up as pseudo-historical drama.1
Tracinski challenges the "torture porn," and yes, this by itself is questionable enough, not only for moral reasons but creative ones. Do most readers/viewers need that to get the story's point? Some may suspect the only correct answer is yes, but often it's actually the least-creative artist who claims that the most effective way to show sin is with torture porn.
At this point folks may call me a legalist. They may say: "There's all kinds of Gritty Truth in the stories and this is how the world really is, outside your comfortable sheltered bubble." Some Christians do need "gritty" truth. Yes, evangelical sentimentality does exist. It can be annoying and is often un-Biblical. But other Christians may have overreacted and crossed into a mirror universe, a "comfortable sheltered bubble" that only allows exposure to exaggerated and imaginary depravity and brokenness. C.S. Lewis, no stranger to seeing nasty stuff, severely rebuked this notion by placing it in the mouths of demons:
The general rule which we [demons] have now pretty well established among them is that in all experiences which can make them happier or better only the physical facts are "Real" while the spiritual elements are "subjective"; in all experiences which can discourage or corrupt them the spiritual elements are the main reality and to ignore them is to be an escapist.2
I ask: are you in Screwtape's "real" bubble? Don't be guilted by such "authentic" pragmatic, legalistic emphasis only on the fictional consequences of Hell. Try first following Jesus and setting your heart on Heaven — that is, the New Heavens and New Earth, this groaning world finally set free for joyful singing, and without a hint of saccharine sentimentality.
Actual porn
But far more concerning about GoT is the sex-scene issue. Here I enter some treacherous territory because some Christians have a habit of making strongly worded observations about things they know nothing about or have never seen (cf. the recent Noah film). In this case I believe I have the words of trusted friends and writers who do know what they're talking about. For instance, Christ and Pop Culture writers in 2012 touched on this topic with four different perspectives, all negative. Co-founder Alan Noble concludes with this:
[…] Even if the explicit sex scenes do contribute to the themes of the series, that still doesn't make them less tedious or explicit. For me, this means that I'll be skipping as many of these passages as I can, since I think I've already gotten the message. And since I am more affected by visual images than written ones, I don't plan to watch the HBO series.3
Yes, the Game of Thrones game by all accounts includes real actual porn. Naked people (most often women, of course) are being objectified and doing nakedy things. And that is wrong. Filmmakers and actors can simulate violence, simulate language, simulate other sinful behaviors. But to show nakedness and sex you can only actually 1) be naked and 2) feign to have sex. And let's spare only a few details here: Unless the actor is himself/herself a goodness-of-the-body-denying, emotionless Gnostic Platonic ideal-person rather than a live human being, he/she will have physical and emotional responses to that "acting." To do it "right," you can't simply do acting proper. There's an F-word for that: fornication.
So what? We see people sin all the time. But my worst objection is actually that very few Christians could see this sinful behavior and not be tempted to indulge in that particular temptation of lust. Is Game of Thrones with straight-up porn something that Christians should watch, or at best watch while fast-forwarding the nasty bits but not admit it, perhaps because such admissions sound uncool or "fundamentalist"?
If you're a Christian and Game of Thrones TV fan, unless you can prove:
- Live people don't actually get naked in the show; those who say otherwise are lying or spreading rumors4;
- They do get naked, but that does not tempt me;
- They do get naked, and it does tempt me, so I always skip the naughty bits by some crazy self-censorship means;
Then I can't help but doubt the "gritty realism" or artsy reasons for enjoying the show. I only think: "I'm sorry, this sounds like an artsy postmodern justification to enjoy a series partly because of its plain pornography cutscenes that are higher-budget than usual."
At the same time, there is plenty of porn in the world already. Maybe you have grown in holiness to the point where it doesn't tempt you as it does others. Maybe you're one of those "super-Christians" who could walk straight into a strip club and ignore the naked folks and preach the Gospel (I am not being sarcastic; I've truly heard of such people, sort of like the chaps who can supposedly stick spoons and paper clips to their magnetized skin). So maybe you can enjoy/subvert Game of Thrones for God's glory, and think I've gone too far with my criticisms and challenges. Or maybe you agree that some have gone too far in their fandom of the books or television adaptation. Either way, what do you think?
- Our Sick National Obsession with Game of Thrones, Robert Tracinski, The Federalist, April 11, 2014. ↩
- Excerpt from The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Read more from the book and further thoughts at Screwtape on Redefining 'Realism,' E. Stephen Burnett, SpecFaith, Jan. 27, 2013. ↩
- Sex & Thrones: Four Christian Views on Sex in "Game of Thrones," Alan Noble, et. al., Christ and Pop Culture, June 27, 2012. ↩
- Unfortunately, Christians have been known to do this about some scary media franchises; but in this case I first heard from secular critics about the Game of Thrones objectification and nudity. ↩
Leave a Reply
Amen! Preach it!
After hearing from many sources that A Song of Ice and Fire (which people seem to have forgotten is the actual name of the novel series) was the best thing to happen to fantasy since Tolkien, I gave A Game of Thrones a try. And I really did try; I made it through a full fifty pages of that moral wasteland before throwing in the blood-and-other-substance-stained towel.
I can tolerate a sex scene here and there on the page, or even on the screen (yes, I know it's sin for the actors, but as a viewer I believe a film's positive qualities often outweigh its sins, at least for me). But when, after a mere fifty pages, there wasn't a single main character who hadn't gotten naked in front of me — whether willingly or no — I realized this wasn't some temporary trend meant to be endured; it was a central tenant meant to be celebrated. It's what the book was about. And it wasn't about to stop.
So I put down the book.
George R.R. Martin is no Tolkien. He's just a dirty old man with a knack for cultivating empathy and tension. And his stories aren't worth my soul.
For those who may doubt my credibility because of that "fifty pages" attestation, I'm probably misremembering the number. It was likely more like 150 pages. I think I tapped out right after Daenerys' intricately-explicit wedding night extravaganza, whenever it was that that took place.
"And his stories aren't worth my soul."
AMEN. Amen amen amen a thousand times amen! There are so many other things more worthy of our attention.
Some Christians about the Noah movie: "But… but… they're making a movie based off the Bible! We should support it so they'll make more! Be happy with what we're getting!"
Some fantasy fans about GoT on HBO: "But… but… they're making high fantasy on TV! We should support it so they'll make more! Be happy with what we're getting!"
Yes, we are hungry for seeing high fantasy on the screen… but this nihilistic Game of Porn is not worth it.
Dear world,
I wish one day you would discover the "Lymond Chronicles" by Dorothy Dunnett. They are, from all accounts, like "A Song of Ice and Fire" in quality of character development and tension. In complexity and depth of story and breadth of characters. They chronicle a gritty time of history (1500s Scottland) with heart-rending realism mixed with a sense of fantasy and larger than life characters.
BUT these books rise above the gritty and become a legend. They counteract the dark with an unstoppable light that always rises from the shadows. The author revels not in the pain, but in the healing. In restored relationships and in peace. Power is really found in integrity and compassion. In acts of selfless bravery.
And no matter how dark the sky grows, you know that you can trust that the sun still shines above, and the storm will pass.
Also, no one can write a sword fight like Dunnett. No one.
So yeah, that's my response to ASoIaF — there's just better stuff out there. Read that. Who cares what is supposed to be popular right now? 😀
(public service announcement — the last book does end happily. Really. You'll want to know this as you read the last book.)
I'd like to view the saga, but I won't. I doubt I'll read the novels.
I'm put off by the explicitness of it. It's not so much that I'm concerned that it will tempt me to commit violence or sexual sin.
It's that I don't feel I'm honoring God by burning extreme images like that into my brain. I tend to turn away from viewing explicit, gratuitous violence and sex because I know that those images really don't go away.
At least with a book, you can skip over them. But still, if an author can't get his point across without them, then he's a lazy writer. I have no time for lazy writers.
It's not just game of thrones. Secular science fiction and fantasy novels have been sexually transgressive for quite some time., ever since the New Wave of SF started with the anthology "Dangerous Visions." Maybe even before: Robert Heinlein especially was known for some deviant ideas about sex. Modern books haven't escaped it; one could argue the paranormal boom was started by Lauren Hamilton's Anita Blake books, which descended into bizarre sex so rapidly even her fans were bewildered by it. Paolo Bagiculppi (spelling) and The Wind-up Girl has some nasty scenes that would make GoT seem tame, and good luck with books like Storm Constantine's Wraethethu's series or a lot of feminist SF. A lot of the bad societal ideas about sex probably appeared in SF literature first.
I can't help but think a lot of Christian geeks came to geekdom late via the mainstreaming of a certain kind of geek culture, and then suddenly found out it wasn't all roses and bunnies.
some Christians have a habit of making strongly worded observations about things they know nothing about or have never seen (cf. the recent Noah film).
Stephen, this surprises me because on SpecFaith 1.0 you gave some time and space to a critique of The Shack, including an explanation of why it was OK to do so even though you hadn't read it.
Making observations based on book trailers or reviews or discussions with those who have read the book in question is not somehow inferior to having read the book, or in the case of Noah, seen the movie, as long as facts aren't distorted. Criticism of Harry Potter, for instance, centered largely on how it was promoting the occult, which simply wasn't true.
Negative review after negative review of the Noah movie, however, was written by people who HAD seen the movie and who agreed in essence with those who gave a favorable evaluation, about the main aspects of the story. The difference seems to lie in the "what it means" area.
It's kind of like me saying The Lion King is filled with false religion and someone else saying it was a beautiful movie with redemptive themes. We saw the same movie, but where I saw Eastern mysticism and ancestor worship, the other person saw a type of Christ praying to God the Father.
Sometimes reviewers disagree and it doesn't mean the one who disagrees with your position is somehow lesser in his abilities or approach, and certainly not worthy of being lumped into a "know nothing" category.
Re. The Game of Thrones—I've never seen it or read the books, so I have no opinion. 😉
Actually I have the first book and have started it at least three times. I keep getting stalled, but not because of the violence or sex (I haven't gotten far enough for the latter to be an issue). Rather, I haven't connected with a character (who stays alive), so it's easy for me to put down. I've thought I really should try once more, but your post makes me think perhaps it's OK that I haven't read this one (and those that follow).
It's sad if our literature, our stories, follow the porn industry. Really sad.
Many of the best "secular" fantastic literature novels — i. e., award winners from authors like Connie Willis — don't include deviant sex, or, sometimes, no explicit sex at all.
I read the first two or three of Martin's series, and decided that the main problem with the books was that they didn't affirm anything. And, yes, there was deviant sex early on, namely sibling incest, but the main problem was that nothing was affirmed, which meant that, as LuElla Miller said, it was hard to connect with any of the characters.
Why can't they make a Dragonlance series? Like, with the full CG treatment? Or a Wheel of Time series? Or Robin Hobbs's series with Fitz and the Fool? And why HBO, which is notorious for its nekkid people? There's so much better fare out there. My brother tried to read GOT, and echoed the above sentiment–Martin is a dirty old man who hates people. I don't have time to read books like that. My TBR pile is high enough.
Come on and make Raven Boy movies, already! (So many feels!)
I was really hoping that there would be a Wheel of Time series. I think the convoluted plot of the latter-middle part of the book series would actually work better in television format. WoT certainly deserves to come to television more than Goodkind's Sword of Truth series did, and likely more than A Song of Ice and Fire. I know in years past there has been talk of a remote possibility of WoT getting a show, but I doubt it'll ever happen.
Wheel of Time would be squickier than Game of Thrones. The things Mat Cauthon or Perrin have done to them by the women in their lives would set a lot of guys off romance for life. Pretty much all of the women at least for the first part of the series are insufferably obnoxious, and berate the male characters at the drop of a hat even while they are being saved by them. That's Jordan's idea of a healthy relationship it seems.
Dragonlance would be nice, but the time for that was ten years ago. They did do an animated movie though, direct to DVD.
Actually, if anything's ripe for cable adaptation, it's Tolkien's "Children of Hurin." It's depressing enough for our nihilist culture, can stand (somewhat) without the full Silmarillion, and has very little that would be hard to film. Plus, it's TOLKIEN
Oh yes, Tolkien's Classic Greek tragedy. I think most people today would miss the point. Still it wouldn't hurt anything.
Have you ever read Tolkien's version of the Children of Hurin in epic metered prose? Quite impressive.
I pretty sure it's just me, the pinko-liberal-relativist Millennial, but I'm just not outraged about it. Granted, I've only seen a few episodes here and there, so I've only caught so much boobage and incest and whatall, but ehh. There's a pretty distinct difference between consensual sex, even if it's mostly with naked prostitutes, and rape and incest. The okay-to-chaotically-neutral dudes pay to do prostitutes but don't abuse them. (Tyrion seems to like making sure his hookers also have a good time. Yay?) Creepy-to-super-bad people do rape and incest and manipulative sex. So there is some sort of moral distinction, but I have a suspicion that it's not quite enough to soothe and reassure everyone else here.
Eh, it's more like some of us have seared consciences before we came to Him. I'm Gen-X, but was heavily into what people would probably call transgressive works now, and that does a number on you. Can lead to culture shock and envy when dealing with people who don't have the same background.
So maybe you can enjoy/subvert Game of Thrones for God's glory, and think I've gone too far with my criticisms and challenges.
Whether or not I can enjoy and subvert Game of Thrones for God's glory remains to be seen, but I do think you've gone too far with your criticisms. (Though not with your challenge.)
I've been intending to read A Song of Ice and Fire since before the HBO series; it was simply never my priority. Maybe I'll bump it up slightly higher on my mental list of things I want to read.
I don't have high expectations for A Song of Ice and Fire, but I want to read it anyways because it's popular. However, I don't think that motivation is illegitimate. I'm too awkward to fit in with peers even if I wanted to. However, many of my non-Christian peers are familiar with the franchise. I'm a Christian who loves fantastic stories and thinks about them critically. Game of Thrones should be one of the very few things that I should be able to talk about sincerely and critically, even with non-Christians, without being socially awkward. I don't try to convert non-Christians, but I want to be able to point out truths that I think I see, in the contexts that I see them. Fantasy is one such context for me. There may be better fantasies, but pop culture makes popularity relevant.
Also, I want to think of myself as a critic, even though I don't deserve the title. The specific sub-genre of A Song of Ice and Fire is of my particular interest. Here again, popularity matters. I want to be capable of criticizing trends in high fantasy. For this goal, I can't rely on second-hand testimony. I need to be familiar with the important works.
Finally, I still hold out hope that A Game of Thrones can both be enjoyed and subverted.
I'll give the example of the remade Battlestar Galactica television series, which also had sex scenes. I watched through it last year, and I'm very glad that I did. I wish more Christians would watch it, because there is a wealth of thematic material that we can use and rejoice in. The good themes are not even hidden and marginalized. You don't need to look past anti-Christian material to find the gold. The entire story is built on narrative archetypes that are fundamentally tied to Christian themes. Seriously, the plot of Battlestar Galactica is worthy to stand alongside The Lord of the Rings in terms of glory and honor and beauty.
But there's sex. For the most part, I skipped past the sex scenes. But it's Netflix, and you have to see the frames to navigate past them, and sometimes it gets stuck in an awkward moment. It's still worth it. Expecting non-Christians to make a show with a realistic aesthetic without having any sex scenes would be like expecting non-Christian students at a state college not to have sex scenes.
I'm painfully aware that I am susceptible to sexual temptation, but television doesn't bother me much. I face more temptation to view porn when I turn on my computer and I'm tired and depressed than I've faced in response to seeing sex scenes on television. If television shows with sex scenes are too dirty for Christians to watch, then the Internet is too dirty for Christians to use. (Much like trying to skip past sex scenes in Netflix, you can't avoid accidentally seeing provocative images on the web.)
Battlestar Galactica is a thousand times better than A Song of Ice and Fire.
I don't think so. But I've only seen the pilot.
In that case, you're about as qualified to judge the sci-fi show as I am to judge the fantasy series. I may have only read the first part of the first ASoIaF novel, but I'm currently halfway through season three of Battlestar, and, thus far, it's absolutely lived up to its promise of profound philosophical engagement. It grapples with questions of theology, morality, politics, and sociology, all while acknowledging the metaphysical nature of reality and following characters who strive to apprehend the good, the true, and the beautiful in both this life and the next.
I'm not hearing anyone make such a claim about ASoIaF.
I don't think so. But I've only seen the pilot.
Which pilot, sir? They're all dead! 😉
You have the right to judge television by any criteria you like, but I wish you'd done a little more research before accusing Game of Thrones of being porn and, weirder still, accusing Game of Thrones viewers of mainly watching the show because they like to see nekkid girls.
Normally I don't have a lot of patience with people who critique things they haven't seen or read, but in this case I give you a total pass on that point because if you did watch or read it you would probably have exactly the same opinion.
"If you're a Christian and Game of Thrones TV fan, unless you can prove:
1 Live people don't actually get naked in the show; those who say otherwise are lying or spreading rumors4;
2 They do get naked, but that does not tempt me;
3 They do get naked, and it does tempt me, so I always skip the naughty bits by some crazy self-censorship means;
Then I can't help but doubt the "gritty realism" or artsy reasons for enjoying the show. I only think: "I'm sorry, this sounds like an artsy postmodern justification to enjoy a series partly because of its plain pornography cutscenes that are higher-budget than usual.""
1. I have watched every episode and read every book available to date, and yes, there is a LOT of nudity, semi-nudity, and nudity from angles you never expected. There is also LOTS of sex–incest, prostitution, sex between loving married couples (but they are hot married couples, so watching this will still taint your soul with sin), rape both foreign and domestic, gay sex, funeral sex and—here's the best part–sex AND nudity WHILE a character is explaining an important plot point. So you actually can't skip the "naughty bits" if you want to know what's going on. In the Game of Thrones, you see sex and nudity or you change the channel.
2. I think you are using the word "tempt" incorrectly. I think you mean "titilate", or "turn on". E.g., you can feel pretty safe about being tempted to sleep with Emilia Clarke–'cause it ain't ever gonna happen. However, if watching Game of Thrones doesn't turn you on at some point, you should see a therapist and I pity your spouse. In sum: GoT is not only sex-full but inevitably sex-y. If one of your goals in life is to avoid all visual sexual stimulus, do NOT watch Game of Thrones.
3. See the second portion of #1.
I myself am not a Christian anymore, so I can watch this show that I love without the compulsions that you are dealing with. From such a perspective, I want to explain a couple of things and hopefully get both you AND your friends who think you are uptight for not watching GoT off of your respective judgement trains.
1. You have every right not to watch Game of Thrones, and no one has the right to pressure you to do so, for any reason.
I love this show and the books almost to the point of obsession, but I have never recommended them to my conservative Christian parents; in fact I warned my dad off of it pretty strongly. I also have friends who just don't like historical fiction, or fantasy, or shows with a lot of violence. I don't try to get them to watch it, either. I myself don't like horror shows or serial killer shows, and I've just recently convinced one of my friends that I am never going to watch American Horror Story or The Following, no matter how good they are. I'm just not into that. And you as a Christian have every right to tell people that you are just not into shows with graphic sex and violence and/or morally grey worldviews, no matter how well-done they are.
2. On the other hand…
If you want to go farther than saying "graphic sex and morally grey worldviews make me feel depressed and dirty so I don't want to watch Game of Thrones for my own personal reasons," you really need to have better information. There are reasons that this show has won multiple Emmy's. Read some interviews with the author before concluding that he is just "a dirty old man." Read some synopses of the incredibly complex plot and perhaps some interviews with actors about their characters' nuanced development over time before concluding that nudity, sex, and brutal violence are the only things GoT brings to the table. Look up some promotional still shots and appreciate the artistry that goes into the set and costumes before you decide that the high production values are just to make the "porn" look better.
Short version of all of the above:
Game of Thrones is not porn. I'm not saying "it's not porn" because it doesn't have sex, I'm saying "it's not porn" because it has so much more than sex. If you don't want to watch it, that's fine, but don't attack it based on so little knowledge.
From the bits of text I've read by proxy, dude does write chicks weird, as though they constantly think about their own bodies the way men do. Though it's not as if "good author" and "dirty old man" are mutually exclusive. Maybe he's just a mildly dirty old man.
And just out of curiosity, if you're no longer Christian, do you consider yourself as anything else in particular? Atheist, Buddhist, whatever? And what brings/keeps you here on this site, because I have muddled motivations as to why I'm still here. I also have muddled motivations as to why I still consider myself Christian.
"From the bits I've read by proxy, dude does write chicks weird, as though they constantly think about their own bodies the way men do."
Exactly. That is exactly the perception I came away with from reading A Game of Thrones. It's the main reason I call Martin a dirty old man: no matter which of his characters' eyes I looked through, no matter their gender, no matter the situation, there were very few moments when they didn't have sex on the brain. In feminist-speak, A Song of Ice and Fire is deliberately crafted to appeal to the Male Gaze.
And by the way, my identification of Martin as a dirty old man should in no way be construed as a dismissal of his literary skill. In terms of sheer technical excellence, most other genre authors (and certainly myself as an aspiring author) can only dream of achieving his mastery of plot, pacing, and characterization. But that has nothing whatsoever to do with the moral repugnancy of his works' pornographic content and nihilistic themes.
"Good author" and "dirty old man" may not be mutually exclusive, but saying an author is a dirty old man in what comes across to me as an extremely dismissive tone does imply that that person making the statement doesn't appreciate the author's general talent or specific purpose in using sexually charged scenes to make a point.
I consider myself a humanist. After a long spiritual/emotional/intellectual journey, I've found myself unable to believe in the supernatural but still quite concerned with morality and human nature and the way that they are explored in art and literature.
I came to this site because I have a Google alert for "Game of Thrones" and this blog post made it into my results email yesterday. I clicked the link because I was interested to see if a conservative Christian reviewer would have anything interesting to say about Game of Thrones besides the obvious "conservative Christians probably shouldn't watch this because it has a lot of graphic sex and a very morally ambiguous worldview." Seems not. I commented anyway in hopes of getting the author and reader to think a little more about what's going on with this show.
I'm not trying to get anyone to stop being a Christian. The older I get, the more I think that life is a process of discovering what you really are rather than making yourself into something. I am really not a religious person. You may, deep down in your heart, be a Christian, and if so you should definitely follow that–keeping in mind that there are almost as many variations of Christianity as there are Christians.
Go on with your awesome humanist, nonreligious self. Though unlike Burnett, I don't define "religious" as "having convictions or a sense of awe and joy." My muddled motivations have existed long before now and will probably persist until further notice.
But yeah, these guys have their limits, like insisting on using the word "Biblical" even though that's a pretty useless word and also in a No True Scotsman sense, and they follow the stereotype on Christians about sex irritatingly closely. And also having a vocal population of Calvinists. And here there be Six-Day Creationists, too. That's what you should look out for if you want to dink around more in this corner of the Internet.
Did you not read the title of this article? "Game of Thrones has porn in it." Nobody here has said anything different. Nobody here is making the case that A Song of Ice and Fire is nothing but porn. That's a strawman argument, so of course it's easy to debunk.
What is porn, to you? I'm genuinely curious to read your answer.
But regardless of your answer, the definition of the word as I understand it is this: Porn is imagery of explicit sex, especially when employed for entertainment purposes. And, under that definition, any novel series or television show that contains explicit sexual imagery as prolific as that in Game of Thrones is obviously, incontrovertibly pornographic.
If as a nonchristian you've been 'freed' from Christian compulsions of sexual morality, then I don't understand why such terminology is an issue for you. If Christian sexual mores are only so much social manipulation or patriarchal conformity, then why get offended at the use of the term "porn"? What's wrong with porn? If you feel no compulsion against being titillated by a TV show, then why not embrace the concept?
If a book contains a ton of action scenes, we call it an action thriller, without regard to the quality of the writing. If a film contains a plethora of humor, we call it a comedy, regardless of how lowbrow the gags. And if a TV show contains endless amounts of nudity and explicit sex, it's perfectly accurate to refer to it as porn, regardless of its production value, the knit of its costumes, the nuance of its actors, or the intricacy of its plotting.
Porn is porn is porn is porn is porn. You can make an argument that there's nothing wrong with porn, but you can't tell me that a pornographic show isn't pornographic just 'cause it also contains some pretty amazing artistry.
I did read the title of the article, and I was expecting a much more interesting read. Alas, the content of the article was almost exclusively about the sex and nudity that the author has heard that Game of Thrones contains. A show that "has porn in it" is not really a thing. Either a show is porn or it is something more than that. If the author wanted to argue that the show has artistic value generally but some scenes devolve into nothing more than pornography, he should have written a very different article, preferably one that acknowledges at least some of the many merits of the show. (He would also not be alone in that opinion. Many secular critics have questioned how necessary the sex and nudity really are to the show.)
I haven't given a lot of deep introspection to the definition of porn since one already exists. According to Wikipedia (which is shockingly accurate and reliable these days), "Pornographic films or sex films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter for the purpose of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction of the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include erotically stimulating material such as nudity. Unlike erotic films, pornographic films contain explicit sexuality and do not claim any artistic merit."
So, in the encyclopedic sense, Game of Thrones actually does not contain pornography because all of the sex and nudity scenes have artistic merit (see: multiple awards won by said show) or if you want to be really horsey about it, at the very least they *claim* artistic merit. If you take the sex and nudity scenes in the full context of the show, their primary purpose is not sexual arousal. Obviously they want to evoke at least a little arousal, but their primary purpose is develop the plot, characterization, and setting of the show.
I care about the terminology because the word "porn" is still derogative when applied to a show like Game of Thrones. As mentioned, pornography by definition doesn't claim any higher artistic purpose than sexual arousal. Game of Thrones absolutely does. (Whether you think it lives up to that claim or not is another argument, though I hope you would watch at least a season of the show before trying to make that argument.) I don't have a problem with porn or with people watching porn, but I do have a problem with people dismissing all of the hard work and talent that goes into GoT by calling it (or any of the painstakingly crafted scenes within the show) nothing more than pornography.
Ah, that explanation makes a little more sense to me. I suppose I could accept a description of Game of Thrones (book or show) as "erotic" art rather than "pornographic" art. I'm interested in being accurate, not dismissive. My argument isn't that Martin's work is poorly constructed, but that it's immoral.
As for the difference between "a pornographic show" and "a show that has porn in it," I drew that distinction in response to your defense of the show based on its high production value and storytelling savvy. In my mind, a show that portrays explicit sex is automatically porn, regardless of its quality or additional intentions beyond viewer-titillation. But if "porn" to you means "a show whose sole purpose is viewer-titillation and which pays no attention to artistic merit," then I'm willing to amend my description of A Song of Ice and Fire to "erotic fantasy."
Regarding the nature of temptation vis-a-vis titillation: Matthew 5:27-28 has something to say about that, for those of us who take Jesus seriously. If I intentionally allow myself to look with lust upon (i.e. be titillated by) Emilia Clarke, for instance, then I'm committing adultery with her in my heart. My intentions matter just as much as my actions. So while it's true that the sin-danger for me wouldn't be physical — at least not yet — that doesn't mean I wouldn't be tempted to sin. What's at stake is the state of my own heart and mind.
Okay. I was just saying that however many intentions you and millions of others may have of sleeping with Emilia Clarke, you can rest assured that you will never have the slightest chance to consumate that temptation. I thought that might ease your mind a little.
But if wanting to sleep with an attractive celebrity counts just as much as actually sleeping with her…wow, that's a whole new world of cred for a lot of people.
It is a terrifying thought, isn't it? And Jesus doesn't stop there. He not only identifies lust as mental adultery, but He goes on to assert that anger is the equivalent of mental murder (Matt. 5:21-22). It's almost unthinkable, isn't it? These are impossible standards. They demand not just perfect behavior, but also perfect desire. God has never been interested in mere external conformity. "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7).
According to Jesus, I've committed mental adultery and mental murder countless times throughout my life. Because I've wanted to do these things, I've proven myself to be a sinner at heart. I've fallen short of God's glory. My desires testify against me.
And that's precisely why I need Christ's redemption. Without His death and resurrection on my behalf, I'd end up paying for my own sins.
But now that He's given me life, I'm free to follow Him out of gratitude instead of fear. And, because I want to be like Him, because I want to love my wife with the same kind of single-minded love Christ demonstrates toward me, because I want to be mentally free to love the other women in my life as sisters and as fellow human beings instead of imagining them as sex objects, and because I want to treat Emilia Clarke with the respect she deserves as a person made in the image of God, I refuse to watch her undress for the sake of entertainment.
Emilia Clarke has no problem with you watching her undress for entertainment. She even did a live nude scene during her run in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" on Broadway. She's quite proud of her body, with good reason IMHO, and would rather you watch her than not watch her. So lets leave "respecting Emilia Clarke" out of this.
The premise that thinking about something is just as bad as doing it would have more appeal to me if the opposite were also true. In other words, why is a flash impulse to slap someone just as bad as slapping them, but a flash impulse to give money to a beggar is just another one of those good intentions that the road to hell is supposed to be paved with?
I'm willing to accept the idea that thoughts have power, but I don't understand why only bad thoughts have power. It sounds like an awfully good way to manipulate people by guilt tripping them.
If "showing respect" was defined as "doing unto people whatever they want and/or expect," then I'd respect alcoholics by buying them a drink, druggies by getting them a fix, and prostitutes by patronizing their services. But I don't believe that a person's desires or expectations always reflect what's best for them, and I'm willing to put my life where my mouth is by treating them accordingly. I understand that you find nothing inherently wrong with Emilia Clarke putting her nude body on public display, but I do. And I refuse to enable what I believe to be self-destructive behavior on her part. That, to me, says "respect."
As for sinful thoughts vis-a-vis sinful actions, I'll echo Stephen's response below. Sinful behaviors are certainly worse than sinful thoughts, but that doesn't mean that the thoughts themselves aren't also sinful. I'd also say the same thing about good intentions vis-a-vis good deeds: it's better to have good intentions than not, but intentions by themselves don't actually accomplish anything without accompanying action (James 2:14-17).
I think the distinction I'd draw here (and it took me a few minutes of hard thought, because your challenge is a thoughtful one, and I appreciate it) is that good thoughts ("Maybe I should buy that homeless man some food," "Maybe I should forgive my idiot coworker instead of resenting him," "Maybe I should quit checking Facebook and get back to work") are pointless and self-deceptive unless they lead to action, whereas sinful thoughts ("Wouldn't it be nice to do Emilia Clarke … Mmm!") are self-destructive in and of themselves, even if they have no tangible effect beyond one's own mind. They disregard God's moral will and create a mental environment of sin-glorification that makes it easier for one to sin in the body.
Again, Christians believe that total perfection, not some arbitrary level of compromised adequacy, is the standard. That's why I can stand with confidence before God only in the power of Christ's perfection, which He's bestowed upon me through His death and resurrection.
But if we must speak in terms of degrees, then here's the thoughts/deeds hierarchy as I'd imagine it:
1.) Good desire and good action (i.e. perfection — achieved over an entire lifetime by Christ alone).
2.) Good desire and sinful action (i.e. the imperfection of powerlessness and frustrated intentions).
3.) Sinful desire and good action (i.e. the imperfection of dishonesty and legalism).
4.) Sinful desire and sinful action (i.e. the imperfection of honest, straight-up rebellion against God's moral will).
Everything below the first item is imperfect, and therefore unacceptable to the God of perfect justice. Everyone who's fallen into one or more of those categories at any point in their lives is in need of the total atonement offered by Christ (James 2:10-12).
I'd be cynical and say that your boyfriend (if you have one) probably will never have a chance of sleeping with Emilia Clarke too, but if he starts telling you that he wants to sleep with her, starts a huge porn collection featuring her, and starts going on about how she doesn't mind him watching her and she's proud of it you'd be less sanguine about it pretty darn quick. You don't have to physically consummate the temptation to have it alter you over time.
My problem with all this is that there's a lot of black-and-white going on here in regards to Emilia Clarke. How much admiring of her hotness does it take before we're theoretically lusting after her? I've heard people use "finding sexually attractive" and "lusting" as synonyms (even "finding person aesthetically attractive" = "lusting"), but I find that to be unnuanced. Theoretically, if Chris-Evans-as-Captain-America were 1) not fictional, 2) interested in me, then yeah, sure there's a chance we could boink, but there's a lot of mileage between "nice pecs/you're adorable" to "want to shake the mattress?" (Or at least for me there is. I have to remind myself to be aware that there are people who have a shorter distance between the two points [but they are two different points].)
Good post. I'm not interested in gratuitous nakedidity (or violence). I had someone pull "but the sex scenes advance the story" on me. Uh. Sure.
Austin – great points and thank you for such biblically sound reasoning.
"Yes, the Game of Thrones game by all accounts includes real actual porn."
Right there is where your blog loses all credibility. You haven't watched the series, nor read the books, therefore your blog on the subject is both irrelevant and worthless.
I have at least watched the series (up to early Season Two) and I can say with authority the following. It is not "torture porn", since the violence is not extreme or graphic (an obvious problem is blindly trusting other sources without confirming facts yourself). However it is pornography because it relies on sex scenes to cover deficiencies in the story. What mostly disturbs me is the exploitation of sexual violence as an entertainment device.
I decline to watch further because I prefer honest porn to porn disguised with better production values. Truly it was said, "You can't walk in dog shit without getting your shoes dirty."
Thank you for this, and for your follow-up column as well. Well said.
I watched part of the first episode of GoT. When they got to the orgy, I was done. I have not watched more. It was already clear, what, twenty minutes in? that prurience was an underlying driver of the show. Yes, it's porn. It's demeaning and exploitative of the actors and of women generally.
Christians need to leave it alone.
I am beyond thankful for these posts. Even though Bethany pushed back quite a bit (and with class), I appreciated the responses to her, as I believe I would have responded similarly, but with ten times less eloquence with my writing capabilities. I have struggled a lot of with people's justification (especially Christians) for watching a show that has this degree of sex/nudity in it. Not only do some Christians think it is "ok", but they practically get defensive about it. I love the line quoted in a post, "porn is porn is porn". I literally laughed out loud. Amen, brother! I am a woman, and I appreciate being respected as a woman, and not seen as an object. Shows like this are not helping with women being seen in this way. I intend to marry a man someday that will cherish only my body and not indulge in the visions of women doing who-knows-what (yes I've read about the sex scenes, yet who knows what other perversion Martin has up his sleeve for future seasons) on a TV show. Yes the plot is profound (I've read a lot about it), but I would think that 90% of guys are going to somewhat "indulge" on some of the content, whether they mean to or not. Criticize that point all you want. Heck, I am a woman, and I've seen a scene, and I was a little rocked. I am not saying my future hubs has to watch only PG rated content to honor me, but I would appreciate the abstinence from shows with lots of, and I quote from an above post, "porny bits". Awesome, all around. I thought I was just some crazy christian woman that was uptight and needed to get with the program (literally), but truly, I think it is ok to really question this show and how it affects our minds and hearts. Thank you for making me feel less crazy 🙂


text:
┌── Newton Hinshaw │ c1833-1867 ┌── Jacob Robert Hinshaw ──┤ │ 1854-1929 │ │ └── Hannah Jane Fears │ c1832-? Anna Mae Hanshaw ────┤ B: 1888 │ D: 1947 │ └── Margaret Jane Smith 1854-1921 M: Charles P. Groves
|Anna Mae Hanshaw [ID 02225]
|Click here to switch to Ahnentafel view:
Anna Mae Hanshaw1,2,3 [Annie Henshaw4,5].
Born Aug 4 1888, Black Rock, Lawrence County, Arkansas.1,2,4,6
She married Charles P. Groves.2 Charles was born about 1879.7
Charles died Jun 25 1944, Walnut Ridge, Lawrence County, Arkansas; age 65.2,7
Anna Mae Hanshaw died Aug 20 1947, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois; buried Aug 23 1947, Evergreen Cemetery, 3401 W 87th St., Evergreen Park, Cook County, Illinois.2,6,8
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