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52 Week Bible Reading Plan
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I Chronicles 1-4
Psalms 93-95
Proverbs 16
Friday, July 10, 2020
Prophecy & Revelation
Daniel 1-6
John 3-4
II Thessalonians
Numbers 1-4
Daniel 1
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles,
youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king's court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king's personal service.
Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach and to Azariah Abed-nego.
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.
Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials,
and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.'
But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah,
"Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.
"Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.'
So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.
At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food.
So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.
As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.
Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar.
The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's personal service.
As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.
And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king. 2
Daniel 2
Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him.
Then the king gave orders to call in the magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
The king said to them, "I had a dream and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream.'
Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic: " O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.'
The king replied to the Chaldeans, " The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap.
"But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.'
They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.'
The king replied, "I know for certain that you are bargaining for time, inasmuch as you have seen that the command from me is firm,
that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only one decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the situation is changed; therefore tell me the dream, that I may know that you can declare to me its interpretation.'
The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who could declare the matter for the king, inasmuch as no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any magician, conjurer or Chaldean.
"Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.'
Because of this the king became indignant and very furious and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
So the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they looked for Daniel and his friends to kill them.
Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to Arioch, the captain of the king's bodyguard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon;
he said to Arioch, the king's commander, "For what reason is the decree from the king so urgent?' Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter.
So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king.
Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter,
so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven;
Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him.
"It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.
"It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him.
"To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king's matter.'
Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and spoke to him as follows: " Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Take me into the king's presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.'
Then Arioch hurriedly brought Daniel into the king's presence and spoke to him as follows: "I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!'
The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?'
Daniel answered before the king and said, "As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king.
"However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed.
"As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future; and He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place.
"But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.
"You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.
"The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,
its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
"You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.
"Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
"This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king.
"You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;
and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.
"After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.
"Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.
"In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.
"As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.
"And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.
"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
"Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.'
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense.
The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.'
Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king's court. 3
Daniel 3
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Then the herald loudly proclaimed: "To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language,
that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
"But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.'
Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews.
They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: " O king, live forever!
"You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image.
"But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.
"There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.'
Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
"Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?'
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.
" If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
" But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire.
Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.
For this reason, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.
But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?' They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king.'
He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!'
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!' Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.
The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.
Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.
"Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.'
Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon. 4
Daniel 4
Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: "May your peace abound!
"It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me.
"How great are His signs And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom And His dominion is from generation to generation.
" I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace.
"I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.
"So I gave orders to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
"Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners came in and I related the dream to them, but they could not make its interpretation known to me.
"But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream to him, saying,
"O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, since I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery baffles you, tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.
"Now these were the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great.
"The tree grew large and became strong And its height reached to the sky, And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.
"Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, And the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, And all living creatures fed themselves from it.
"I was looking in the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven.
"He shouted out and spoke as follows: " Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit; Let the beasts flee from under it And the birds from its branches.
"Yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, But with a band of iron and bronze around it In the new grass of the field; And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, And let him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
"Let his mind be changed from that of a man And let a beast's mind be given to him, And let seven periods of time pass over him.
"This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And bestows it on whom He wishes And sets over it the lowliest of men.'
"This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.'
"Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar replied, " My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!
"The tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth
and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged
it is you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of the earth.
"In that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, " Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him share with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him',
this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king:
that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.
"And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules.
"Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.'
"All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.
" Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon.
"The king reflected and said, "Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?'
"While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you,
and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.'
"Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
"But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
" All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, " What have You done?'
"At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me.
"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.' 5
Daniel 5
Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.
When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
Suddenly the fingers of a man's hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.
Then the king's face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together.
The king called aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom.'
Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.
Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.
The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, " O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale.
"There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners.
"This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.'
Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
"Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.
"Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message.
"But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.'
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, " Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.
" O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.
"Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled.
"But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him.
"He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.
"Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this,
but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified.
"Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.
"Now this is the inscription that was written out: " MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.'
"This is the interpretation of the message: "MENE'God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.
"TEKEL'you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
"PERES'your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.'
Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.
So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two. 6
Daniel 6
It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom,
and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss.
Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.
Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.
Then these men said, "We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.'
Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: "King Darius, live forever!
"All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions' den.
"Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.'
Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction.
Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.
Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.
Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king's injunction, "Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lions' den?' The king replied, "The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.'
Then they answered and spoke before the king, " Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day.'
Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to rescue him.
Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, "Recognize, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.'
Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions' den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, " Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.'
A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel.
Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.
Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions' den.
When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?'
Then Daniel spoke to the king, " O king, live forever!
"My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.'
Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children and their wives into the lions' den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: " May your peace abound!
" I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever.
"He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.'
So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. 7
Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible�, Copyright � The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
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When I sleep I don't miss you; I hope to fall asleep soon...
*hugs* Separation is but an ilusion... whom we love, regardless whether we're loved in return, are never far away... we carry them with us in our soul, in our heart, in our being. That's the beautiful thing about life. All the boundaries that exist are called into life by humans, by what we call intelligence... we can though still go beyond it. It helped me to get peace with my own longings in life. Hope you found sleep soon though, so the nagging part eased a bit.
Thank you! However, I disagree, unfortunately.
I'm so tired and I never understand why and how come.


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Complete Story
Help RSA Better Serve Your Needs
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RSA wants to know more about your career goals and the benefits and services you value most in a professional association. In just moments, you can help us collect the information we need to make decisions regarding:
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Please update your profile before October 17th to have your needs represented at our next Board Meeting!
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Tag Archives: marriage
Supreme Court: Barbarians at Our Gates
Western civilization: I'm going to miss it. I think we all are, including those who celebrated a tragedy by pasting rainbow symbols all over the internet and bullying those who wouldn't do likewise.
No matter how much a person hates Western civilization, Christianity, the Catholic faith, man-woman marriage, and the family, we all depend on these things. When you need help, who will you turn to when Christian charity has been mocked, regulated, and punished out of existence? When you are old and need young people to pay in to your pension fund, to mow your lawn and to provide skilled nursing care when you need it, what will you do when your society values children so little that there are no longer enough people to help the aged— and no moral law telling those young people why they should.
In Pagan Rome, people were allowed to kill their slaves— by crucifixion— for any real or imagined misdeed. The father of a household could demand that a newborn baby of that household be killed by 'exposure'— taken out and abandoned. Gladiatorial games grew out of a custom of having two slaves fight to the death at a funeral to provide a sort of human sacrifice in honor of the dead man.
Later in Rome, the emperor was declared a god, and people who for religious reasons could not give the emperor-god worship when asked to do so were executed in the arena for the entertainment of the masses.
This is how it was before Christianity civilized the Western world. What will it devolve to when the people with power are so definitively rejecting Christianity— along with human biology, logic and common sense?
But there is good news among the depressing stuff. The last time the Supreme Court made a decision this evil, people said everyone would accept it and the opposition would melt away or die off. On the fortieth anniversary of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions, the March for Life was bigger and stronger than ever, and it was frequently remarked how many young people were getting active in the prolife movement.
I predict the same thing for this new decision. Human biology will not change. The teachings of the Bible and the Church can not change. And Christianity has endured far worse than this and rather than disappearing, it has grown stronger.


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July 20, 2016
Good friends and good times. Mike Amadeus Thorn and Brian Haden from Breaking the 4th Wall Podcast stop by and reminisce about the times we used to work together in DWF. This week we talk about Mt. Dew, Ghostbusters and Noah's Chikara tryout. Plus we play Google Feud on Host vs Guest vs Audience.
For More 4th wall:
This episode of the +2 Comedy Podcast is brought to you by http://www.ultimatemetaphysicscompany.com/


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"Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts." (Colossians 3:16 NLT)
One way to abide in God's Word is by remembering it. Your capacity to remember is a God-given gift. You may think you have a poor memory, but the truth is, you have millions of ideas, truths, facts, and figures memorized. You remember what is important to you. If God's Word is important, you will take the time to remember it.
There are enormous benefits to memorizing Bible verses. It will help you resist temptation, make wise decisions, reduce stress, build confidence, offer good advice, and share your faith with others.
Your memory is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it will become, and memorizing Scripture will become easier. You might begin by selecting a few Bible verses that have touched you and writing them down on a small card you can carry with you. Then review them aloud throughout your day.
You can memorize Scripture anywhere: while working, exercising, driving, waiting, or at bedtime. The three keys to memorizing Scripture are review, review, and review!
"Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts." (Colossians 3:16 NLT)
Talk About It
- How would your life change if you spent some of your "extra" time on a Bible app instead of a Facebook or "Words with Friends" app?
- Ask a friend to be an accountability partner in memorizing Scripture. Then, share with each other what you're learning from God's Word.
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller "The Purpose Driven Life." His book, "The Purpose Driven Church," was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.
This devotional © 2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission....Read More.


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Praise for David Grann's The Lost City of Z
"Suspenseful. . . . Rollicking. . . . Reads with all the pace and excitement of a movie thriller. . . . The Lost City of Z is at once a biography, a detective story and a wonderfully vivid piece of travel writing that combines Bruce Chatwinesque powers of observation with a Waugh-like sense of the absurd. Mr. Grann treats us to a harrowing reconstruction of Fawcett's forays into the Amazonian jungle, as well as an evocative rendering of the vanished age of exploration." —The New York Times
"Breathtaking. . . . Grann brings Fawcett's remarkable story to a beautifully written, perfectly paced fruition. . . . Any writer who can breathe life into letters written by scientists in the early 1900s deserves more than a hat tip." —The Los Angeles Times
"Thoroughly researched, vividly told. . . . Grann recounts Fawcett's expeditions with all the pace of a white-knuckle adventure story. . . . A thrill ride from start to finish." —The Washington Post
"In a hyperconnected and exhaustively charted world, here is a revelation about wildness and the mad desire to plunge into it. . . . Unfathomably riveting. . . . Grann wildly delivers the goods."
"Brilliant. . . . Impressively researched and skillfully crafted. . . . Grann makes abundantly clear in this fascinating, epic story of exploration and obsession, [that] the lethal attraction of the Amazon mystery remains strong."
—The Boston Globe


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Sheer Button-Front Print Tunic
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Whimsical prints & an airy feel make this button-front tunic a sheer delight! Features a stand collar, long sleeves with a button cuff & an inverted pleat that adds flair. Pair it with a tank underneath over our step-hem denim & slides.
- Straight silhouette
- Approx. 42" hits mid-knee
- Polyester
Machine wash cold. Imported.


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We Heart Holidays
The We Heart Collective hearts holidays — so we held an exhibition to tell everyone what we love so much about them.
My piece, Babushka Babes, features a set of the Russian dolls hitting the beach. The vector illustration plays with the level of modesty each age group displays and what is considered socially acceptable attire for a day at the beach.
Framed Print 32 x 42cm.
The group exhibition was held at Kerbside Lounge Bar, Brisbane and ran from the 7th – 9th of December 2011.
We Heart Holidays logo by Ashleigh Brennan, typography extraordinaire.
We Heart Holidays
- Categories →
- Exhibition
- Illustration
- Personal Projects


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As of January 1, 2016, Gapers Block has ceased publication. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions over the past 12-plus years. ✶
Thursday, August 6
Jeanette Ingberman, co founder of the New York's influential Exit Art Gallery with artist Papo Colo, died yesterday at the age of 59 reports the New York Observer. Given Chicago's rich history of alternative practices, Exit Art has long been a valuable entry-level resource and oasis for up-and-comers from the city and around the world.
GB T-Shirt $12
I ✶ Chi T-Shirts $15


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Tragic Holocaust-Era Rabbinical Rulings Released
Was it right to give a German soldier a gold watch in exchange to killing my father without torturing him? Is resorting to cannibalism allowed during famine in the ghetto? These are only two examples of dilemmas raised by Jews during the Holocaust and collected in more than 150 books throughout the years.Some of the questions are tragic:
A CD containing the dilemmas was revealed for the first time Tuesday. It was produced by the Claims Conference (an organization representing global Jewry on issues of reparations against Germany and Austria) in association with Bar-Ilan University and the Netivei Halacha institute.
One example is the question of whether a Jew can use medications produced by the Nazis after experimenting on Jewish people. Rabbis determined at the time that despite it being a medication, one cannot make use of a person who was killed and therefore using this medication is forbidden and is considered desecration of the dead.Hard to read, but I think it gives all of us, living our comfortable lives, a little perspective on the horrors faced by that generation.
As far as consuming human flesh in situations of famine, which was the general condition in ghettos and concentration camps, the rabbis' instruction was that it is permitted only if it saves lives, but the general notion was that one should not resort to it as one would lose human character.
One of the issues featured in the CD is a case in which a father and son were beaten up by a German soldier. The soldier told the child that if he gave him the gold watch he was wearing he would have mercy on the father and would kill him with a gunshot without torturing him. The child handed his watch to the German soldier and "in exchange" the solder shot and killed the father.
...A question that many Jews asked during the Holocaust was whether it is allowed to get married at a time of war. Rabbis determined at the time that holding a marriage ceremony during wartime is unadvisable since many women could remain "agunot" (women who are bound in marriage to husbands that are missing or not proven dead). Additionally, rabbis said that single women could hide or better integrate in labor camps and therefore save their lives.


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Living Naturally In a Chemical World for Better Health
Destany Rainey | 12/29/2017, 11:43 a.m.
Taking care of our bodies naturally is not becoming a trend, but it is instead evolving into a necessity as studies are linking more diseases to chemical-containing products that we use every day. Psyche Terry, CEO and founder of intimate apparel and natural skin and hair care company, UI Global Brands, understands this and is making sure her growing clientele is able to purchase dependable products that suit their natural lifestyle.
"We are a natural company. We make natural skincare, natural body care, natural bath, natural hair care, and we are moving over into natural homecare and natural snacks and foods. We are a natural lifestyle company. We are making products so that your life can be better and you can depend on what you're putting in and on your body."
According to the Center for Disease Control, "more than 100,000 chemicals are used by Americans, and about 1,000 new chemicals are found in everyday items, such as foods, personal products, packaging, prescription drugs and household and lawn care products."
Terry is an advocate for natural living. She has always had a passion for specialty foods and items that make people feel better. "As a little girl, I used to try using mayo and eggs for ailments. I used to take oatmeal baths, I've tried oatmeal in my hair, I've done it all just to make myself feel better. I grew up with low self-esteem, so I used to try things at home to help remedy that. They were things that made me happy and brought me joy."
Terry developed dry skin during pregnancy, and after going to dermatologists and trying several different chemicals, she decided to go back to her childhood experimental roots and try out natural remedies to see if they would help her issue. "It got me trying seaweed and other natural products. They helped improve my skin, they helped me feel better, and I loved the fragrances from nature."
Following her discovery, Terry decided to start manufacturing her own natural products called Urban Hydration, with her husband, Vontoba Terry, who she met 15 years ago. She said they have always worked well together. "We're nerds for business and love. We always stayed paced together. We did our master's degrees together, and we just always felt so comfortable sitting next to each other and asking for each other's advice. All of this just kind of flowed naturally into our workspace."
The couple, who were vegan for seven years, is always searching out natural remedies for treating skin and hair conditions so they can create products to cater to more people, Terry said. "We love the statement nature unites us because food and love unites us. Food unites us because it does not discriminate. Food responds the same to everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity. We don't go by race or ethnicity because we don't think that's really fair," she said.
Terry said their products cater to skin and hair types instead. "Is your skin oily, is it dry? What is your hair type like? Is it wavy? Is it straight? Is it super kinky curly? Is your hair super brittle and needing more moisture, or is it super frizzy and needing more sleek and lighter products? We go by the type, and we come in with a natural response to it."


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240200-2 SR 429 / SR 46 from east of Wekiva Park Road to Orange Boulevard (Section 7A)
Website for Entire Project: http://wekivaparkway.com/
This project includes 3.53 miles of limited access toll road largely along the existing State Road 46 corridor from a half mile east of Wekiva Park Road to Orange Boulevard.
The project will include designing non-tolled, service roads for local travel, slip ramps to enter and exit the Wekiva Parkway, and several bridges over side streets.
Work will include roadway widening, drainage, lighting, sign and pavement markings, utilities and other roadway features. For the most up-to-date information and status on this project log onto http://www.wekivaparkway.com/project-7a.php
Lane Closures
Sunday, April 1st, 2018 to Sunday, April 3rd, 2022
See the project website www.wekivaparkway.com for complete lane closures and other information.


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Quote:Drew Barrymore without BY ist listed in most of the Family Guys Season.Any Pic of that "other" Drew Barrymore from Gomorra?I have listed James Black (without BY) in the following Profiles:D-ToxSpace 2063Star Trek - DS9 - Season 4Are you sure that is that musician?Any other confirms on the last two? Can't find any informationFor the meantime: Part-C [Download]
Quote:There are still lots of actors with multiple entries whcih can be delete imo.


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Tony Nicklinson and another "locked-in syndrome" sufferer named only as Martin accused the courts of condemning them to a life of "misery" and "torture".
The two men, who are almost completely paralysed but fully conscious following catastrophic strokes, brought separate legal challenges to the laws on suicide.
However, three High Court judges ruled that it was not the place of the courts to "usurp the function of Parliament" by effectively changing the law. Mr Nicklinson said MPs are "cowards" and would never change the law.
He applied to the High Court for a legal declaration that his doctor would not be prosecuted if he gave him a lethal dose of painkillers.
Martin wanted permission for volunteers to be able to help him go to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland because his wife felt unable to help him, even though she respects his wishes.
Under recent guidelines from the Director of Public Prosecutions only family members or close friends who are motivated by compassion are unlikely to be prosecuted for assisting a suicide.
But Lord justice Toulson, sitting with Mr Justice Royce and Mrs Justice Macur, said that while the men's plight was "deeply moving", allowing them to end their lives would have implications "far beyond" their cases and exceed the power of judges.
He said: "It is not for the court to decide whether the law about assisted dying should be changed and, if so, what safeguards should be put in place."
But communicating through blinks recorded on a computer afterwards Mr Nicklinson said MPs would not act to change the law because they were "cowards".
In a message on Twitter, he added: "It's not the result I was hoping for but it isn't entirely unexpected.
"Judges, like politicians, are happiest when they can avoid confronting the real issues and this judgment is not an exception to the rule."
He added: "Although I didn't want to raise my hopes; it happened anyway, because a fantastic amount of work went into my case and I thought that if the court saw me as I am, utterly miserable with my life, powerless to do anything about it because of my disability then the judges would accept my reasoning that I do not want to carry on and should be able to have a dignified death."
His wife, Jane, added: "There is no-one willing to stick their neck out, MPs seem to think they can go slowly, slowly but that doesn't help Tony."
Martin said: "I feel even more angry and frustrated now having had this court tell me that I cannot receive professional help to take control of how I might end my own life.
"My life following my stroke is undignified, distressing and intolerable. I wish to be able to exercise the freedom which everyone else would have - to decide how to end this constant tortuous situation."
But doctors leaders and anti-euthansia campaigners welcomed the judgment.
Prof John Saunders, chair of the ethics committee of the Royal College of Physicians, said a change in the law would have had "severe implications for the way society views disabled people".
The Church of England said the ruling would "protect the vulnerable" while Dr Andrew Fergusson of the campaign group Care Not Killing said: "The ruling confirms the view that even in a free democratic society there are limits to choice."
Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying said: "While it's important these cases are in court, it's equally important that Parliamentarians don't leave this to the courts.
"Ultimately, Parliament will have to decide how our laws change to give us a legal framework that is more appropriate to the 21st century."


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Consistently excellent music is served up at the cozy Saxon Pub seven nights a week. Comfortably worn around the edges, this iconic venue is a haven for local musicians and a must for visitors. Located on South Lamar near nothing in particular, the Saxon is the destination for authentic Austin.
A must see is The Resentments, a Sunday night residency of sorts with a rotating cast of players, including Miles Zuniga, Jeff Plankenhorn, Bruce Hughes, Scrappy Jud Newcomb and many others. Bob Schneider is there most Monday nights, with Walt Wilkins and the Mystiqueros taking the stage on Wednesdays.
You'll wish you were there every night!
Be sure to like them on Facebook.
1320 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin 78704


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1MDB Watch
Malaysia readies for 'mother of legal battles' as Najib faces 42 charges in 1MDB trial
SINGAPORE (Feb 11): The laundry list of allegations against Malaysia's former leader Najib Razak for his role in 1MDB points to a lengthy road ahead as his trial begins on Tuesday. The 42 counts of corruption and money laundering charges offer a window into the complex web of transactions surrounding 1Malaysia Development Bhd., the state fund that lies at the centre of globe-spanning investigations involving about US$4.5 billion ($6.1 billion) of allegedly misappropriated funds. The probes have led to dozens of allegations against Najib, who has pleaded not guilty, while ensnaring Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in its first criminal case. "This is likely to be the mother of legal battles in Malaysian history," said Yang Razali Kassim, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. "It's going to be tough. This growing array of charges also means it will take more time to wrap up the legal fight." Here's a list of Najib's charges in the order that they were laid against him: The upcoming trial will focus on allegations linked to his oversight of funds held by 1MDB's former unit SRC International Sdn.He faces one charge of receiving 42 million ringgit ($14 million) of bribes and three counts of criminal breach of trust. He was subsequently charged with three more counts of related money-laundering charges. Najib was slapped with 21 counts of receiving, using or sending illicit funds as well as four counts of corruption involving US$681 million that appeared in his personal bank accounts. The charges were linked to his alleged role in 1MDB deals, including a US$2 billion joint venture with PetroSaudi International Ltd., a 10.6 billion ringgit bid for Tanjong Energy Holdings Sdn. and 2.1 billion ringgit of funds from Tanore Finance Corp.'s account at Falcon Private Bank in Singapore. He was jointly charged with then-Treasury Secretary-General Irwan Serigar related to 6.6 billion ringgit of government payments to an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund as well as monies linked to rail and pipeline projects that involve Chinese companies. Najib faces six counts of criminal breach of trust for his alleged role. Najib faces one count of corruption for allegedly tampering with a state audit report into 1MDB, with former 1MDB President Arul Kanda being accused of abetting him. He allegedly received a total of 47 million ringgit of proceeds from illegal activities, resulting in three money laundering charges. The tally amounts to five counts of corruption and nine counts of criminal breach of trust, which carry punishments of up to 20 years and a fine if he's found guilty. Najib also faces 28 counts of money-laundering charges, some of which carry up to five years jail time and others up to 15 years, as well as fines.
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I initiate in a large, dark room. Muffled calls echo like sound waves under water. I smell butter and salt…popcorn? A beam of light blinds me and then the dream shifts into startling clarity. A dark, crowded room – no a tent. A huge tent. With carnival music.
Am I being fed to the lions again?
Inwardly, I shudder, then notice my wrists and ankles strapped to the large round board behind me.
What new hell is this?
Amanda Huggins steps into the ring. Twin ponytails bob above her shoulders as she beams at the shadowy crowd and then bows with a flourish. Her fire-engine red jacket, a modified coat and tails, glimmers with sequins and jewels above matching shorts and slick black boots.
"Ladeeeees and gennnnntlemennnnn!" A man's voice drawls over the loudspeaker, "Introducing the Amaaaaazing Amaaaaandaaaa! A master of the Impalement Arts, Amanda will demonstrate her daring skill with deadly accuracy by throwing twelve razor-sharp blades at her assistant! Due to the potentially lethal nature of this act, I must ask for your complete silence."
The blond-haired, blue-eyed cheerleader from school holds three daggers aloft and faces me.
Wake up wake up wake up!
I scream, but no one in this dream can hear me. I can't move. I can't beg. I can't breathe. I can't even close my eyes.
Amanda takes a step back and then hurls a machete at my face.
* * *
As the credits roll, Josie can't help but think that Hunger Games II seemed a little rushed.
Opening: PLaF.....Continuation: Anon.


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Event summary
Start Time
End Time
Marino Community Special School, Co. Wicklow, Bray, Wicklow
Autism, Communication and Motivation for Students in the Special School
For individuals who have autism and learning difficulties, the difficulties relating to communication can often be magnified. Many children and young people with autism have significant difficulties with speaking, language and communication.
This session will examine why students with autism experience difficulty not only with communication but also the motivation to communicate thus impinging on them becoming socially active partners. Understanding communication is as difficult as using language to express needs, wants or offer commentary. Students with autism are more likely to be successful communicators in environments that are designed to encourage and support their efforts. In order for the student to initiate effective communication, two conditions should be met.
1. The student must see a reason to communicate (Why).
This is encouraged by the use of motivating materials/activities and by creating situations in which he or she must communicate to make something happen.
2. The student must have a means to communicate (How).
The student may need to be taught the communicative behaviour needed, and visual supports for such communication will need to be available.
Expected Outcomes
Professionals will:
• Understand the various modes of communication used by students with autism and learning difficulties.
• Recognise that visual supports, as tools of communication with and for students with autism, are critically important.
• Understand the need to differentiate the visual support to meet specific needs in definite areas thus helping the student to understand you and develop his or her expressive means.
• Understand how to use engagement as the starting point for communication.
• Recognise various forms of communication and use of a variety of communicative tools.
• Gain ideas for making meaningful communications with the student, even those who are largely non-verbal.
• Look at the importance of motivation to learning and life.
• Gain practical strategies and ideas for maximising the student's motivation to learn and participate in social life.
Course Overview / Content
• A look at verbal and non-verbal methods of communication.
• Looking at novel approaches to communication such as intensive interaction and using technology to promote communication.
• What is motivation and why is it important?
• How do we motivate students with autism and learning difficulties?
• Ideas for promoting greater engagement and motivation to participate in the wider social world.
Marino Community Special School, Co. Wicklow
Church Road
Get Directions
Tracey McGovern
Event summary
Start Time
End Time
Marino Community Special School, Co. Wicklow , Bray , Wicklow


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Calendar of Events
The American Institute for Psychoanalysis holds various types of events throughout the year that are open to the mental health professional community. We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events.
- This event has passed.
Unrequited Love and Revenge in Erotomanic Stalking
January 25, 2018 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm$20
Presenter: Helen Gediman, PhD
Date: Thursday, January 25, 2018
Time: 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm (40 minute lunch break at noon, and two 10-minute coffee breaks)
Location: American Institute for Psychoanalysis, 329 E 62nd St (Auditorium, Ground Floor)
Contact Hours: 2
General Admission is FREE!
Cost: $20.00 (applies only to licensed social workers wanting to receive their CE certificates)
Learning Objectives:
- Attendees will learn of the broad spectrum of motivation among erotomanic stalkers.
- Attendees will learn of the prevalence of narcissistically based shame when idealized love is unrequited.
- Attendees will learn how stalking can terrorize an idealized love object.
The presentation will review portrayals of erotomania in the films, Play Misty for Me and Fatal Attraction as well as in celebrity stalking of operatic and other divas. Clinical vignettes will round out the discussion of shame, fear, and terror in the stalker-stalkee couple.
Presenter: Helen Gediman, PhD, is Clinical Professor of Psychology at the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, and on the faculty of the Contemporary Freudian Society where she is a Training and Supervising Analyst. She is the author or coauthor of over 65 papers on a wide variety of topics, and 5 books. Her latest are Stalker, Hacker, Voyeur, Spy, the most recent in the CIPS/Karnac series on The Boundaries of Psychoanalysis, and Building Bridges, her selected papers published by International Psychoanalysis.


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Today's "Dream Home" comes to us courtesy of the gorgeous Dagny from Scandinavian Chic. Dagny writes one of my favorite European blogs and infuses everything she does with her beautiful style. Enjoy!
I'm so happy to be guest blogging at one of my favorite US blogs again, La Dolce Vita. Like I said the last time I was here, Paloma is one of the first design bloggers that took her blog to another level, and I still admire her for what she's achieved.
When Paloma asked me to share my dream home, I accepted the challenge, but little did I know that I was about to spend hours upon hours figuring it all out. See, I usually design based on emotions, and very often on impulse. I get an idea, and then act. Most of the time it works, and some times it absolutely doesn't. In my professional life, the process is the oposite, but just as fun none the less ;)
I know that the architecture of the house I chose is pretty special, and definitely unique, and this definitely influenced the rest of my choices. Most of the rooms have been picked from a different time period and a different style, but try to picture them in the surroundings and architecture you'd expect to find inside this house.
Now, I know this home looks a little bit spooky, but I would have changed that part about it. :) It would have been a happy home, with happy colors. In the most respectful way. And the garden would have been filled with flowers in an informal, but elegant manner. My two young girls would have been running around, and the patio would be filled with colorful furniture that compliments the architecture. What I love about historic architecture, is the attention to details. New homes today, at least in Norway, have no personality and NO details. None. They're like minimalist boxes. And I most certainly don't believe in minimalism. If this was my house, I would probably change up the color palette, and bring it back to it's original shape, which was probably colorful and intricate (houses like these often had at least five colors in the palette).
The doors would get new hardware, and I'm totally smitten with these European style door handles by Swedish B&B. Unique, and modern, but with a clear attention to detail.
The entry would have this gold / metal thingy hanging on the wall paired with the Tom Dixon lookalike pendants below:
The hallway has a gallery wall that leads towards this kitchen: (only larger, hehehee)
We're actually in the midst of a kitchen remodel, and this photo is my inspiration. It really has some pretty amazing design elements. It's even an IKEA kitchen! We didn't pick IKEA, but we're going for the same high gloss finish with brass hardware. The marble and subway tiles paired with the walnut herringbone flooring completes the look. Swoon!!
Our living room HAS to have books. And mismatched chairs. Love this look, but would throw some more colors in the loop. Like paint the back of the bookshelves and definitely the chairs (but in the same color), and the living room would most certainly not have white walls (HATE white walls. Seriously)
Our living room would be a mix of the two rooms above. I want fun and humor paired with elegance and rich, deep colors.
The master bedroom would have the same feel as this pic. De Gournay wallpaper is on the top of my list, but to achieve a more modern expression, I would have added some streamlined elements to play up the contrast. This color scheme would have been perfect.
{Image by James Carriere for House Beautiful}
Love, love, LOVE this bathroom. Always have. So happy and cheerful, it only misses one thing. Storage. Would have looked like a complete mess if it were mine, but MY dream bath has plenty of storage to the left and to the right ;)
The walk in closet is a little departure from the bedroom, but I would keep the glam factor with gold sequin drapes (I know, can potentially look very tacky, but would play down the rest of the decor to make it work)
The girls bedroom would look something like this. Chic, colorful and with a genius color scheme. Melissa Ruffty totally aced this room, and the matching is very refined.
Our house guests (family and BFF's) would be staying in guest rooms that have this look and feel to them. I'm thinking we would have two or three rooms reserved for guests (we tend to have guests quite often, I would have LOVED to have room to fit them all in :))
The guest bath would probably have been my secret hideaway too... Swoon!!! (want.that.floor!!)
One of my pet peeves in a home is a shabby laundry room. My current laundry room is probably the most glamorous rooms in our house, just how I like it ;) What I like about this room, is how the designer has worked with mixing patterns, and also the black&white striped rug, which is a nod towards the Hollywood Regency movement. I would probably have nixed the chrome and went for gold and a little bit more of a polished look, but this is the perfect inspiration pic :) Gorgeous!
In by job as a Creative Director, I need a home office. I always have an ever changing moodboard when working with next seasons collections, new lines and our inspiration magazine.
This patio is actually MY patio. It's my current home. This house is a Norwegian timber house from the 90s, and the architecture couldn't be further from my dream house (at the top). I still love the color scheme here, and how cozy and welcoming it is. I would probably have wanted to recreate the colors and probably the fabrics, but with different, and more elegant furniture. Image courtesy of Fargerike.
Hope you enjoyed the tour!
Thanks again for having me, Paloma!!


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Measuring progress. Inspiring action.
The creation and expression of arts and culture by individuals and communities, either for personal fulfillment or employment, adds value to everyday lives. Research demonstrates that artistic expression can fuel creativity and learning, as well as improve health and well-being. Measures on creating or performing art gets at the "How?" and "Who?" of Minnesota residents engaging in artistic expression.


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21st Anniversary Gift Guide
Traditionally, you may wish to embrace your twenty-first wedding anniversary with a traditional gift made of brass or nickel. Brass has brilliant acoustic properties, which makes it a great material for trombones, tubas, trumpets and various other brass instruments – perfect if your partner is of the musical sort. Alternatively, there are fine ornaments and figurines you can buy, which will add vintage charm to any room in your home.
Trinket boxes or keepsakes made from nickel are a brilliant idea for a gift that your loved one can treasure forever.


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Sunday morning was sunny, frosty and blissfully commitment-free so we ventured out for a walk on the edge of the Surrey Hills.
It's a favourite route as it takes in several streams and the kids adore leaping over them or scuttling across the narrow planks that serve as bridges. Yesterday however it was all about cracking frozen puddles, melting chunks of ice and eating snacks.
Important work when you're small.


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Second episode of my "Casters In…" serie.
Quest of the Ancients is an old D&D clone. It's close enough to be fully compatible yet distinct enough to be it's own thing.
For example, there's a split between stamina (hit points), which are depleted first, and body points (equal to Constitution IIRC), but armour reduces body damage. And there are a bucket of classes. And the classes… well, take a look at the Cossack:
And, more poignant, the Sorcerer:
What's the deal with these Spell Slots?
They can be spent, every day, to either:
- to memorize a spell of a given level
- to cast a spell of a given level
So a level 2 sorcerer can:
- memorize a spell, cast it thrice
- memorize three spells, cast any once per day
- memorize two spells, cast any twice per day, including the same spell twice
This is cool as it allows more choices to players, if that's what floats their boats.
Spells also have some other rules: a spell takes effect in the initiative order of its level, all fingers spells cast as if they were level 1.
it's possible to cast in melee only spells that do not require dexterity (somatic components in AD&D parlance).
If a caster takes stamina damage, they must roll an intelligence check to avoid wasting the spell. For body damage, a luck check (a save) with a penalty equal to the body points lost.
QotA also has instantaneous spells. it's possible to cast one such spell per initiative phase if otherwise non busy.
One last word on spell selection: there are many weird, interesting spells. Witches throw explosive jack'o'lanterns, druids throw corn cobs and make them explode with the Popcorn spell, sages can use candles as flaming swords by extending the flame.
And necromancers… let me tell you only a couple of level 1 spells, just to showcase how our ideas of game balance are very tied to the tradition we belong to:
- healing: heals 4d6 stamina or 2d6 body
- create skeleton: the spell raises 1 skeleton + 1 for two levels, permanently. No component cost.
2 thoughts on "Casters in Quest of the Ancients"
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Artist and painter Jessica Kranz was raised in the mountains of Flagstaff, Arizona, the birthplace of her lifelong love of color. Jessica's evolving style is distinctive, playful, and clean. She expresses herself through a variety of mediums including acrylic, collage, mixed media, and sculpture.
She currently resides in Tucson, Arizona.


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Winter is coming! We hope you bundled up warm this week. You know what else goes well with winter and bundling up? A nice, hot coffee (or tea, or hot chocolate), a cozy armchair (or desk chair…), and a blog post dedicated to all the content we've put out this week.
Jeffrey Roy, a professor in the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University, compares Australia's political structure with that of Canada in Australia Turns Right.
Jocelyne Bourgon, former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, talks about a project she built and now leads called the New Synthesis of Public Administration.
Thom Kearney blogs about open, and why it is needed to spur collaboration within the public sector.
Dennis Walsh, a writer, researcher and consultant, discusses the role of technology in the rise of intelligent cities.
Editor-in-chief Toby Fyfe ponders: How do you ensure efficient social assistance at an affordable cost?
Zombie Apocalypse! Tabatha Soltay blogs about how easy it is for us to go on auto-pilot at work – and offers advice for getting ourselves out of it.
Multilingual executive Dani Srour on why we need more diversity in the workplace.
Staff writer Amy Allen blogs about a new partnership between government agencies in New Brunswick.
Don't forget to register for our 2014 Leadership Summit. And make sure you nominate a worthy individual or team for our Leading in Challenging Times awards! You can find more details at our summit website.
That's it from us. Enjoy your weekend!


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You are here
The exclusive interview with WOMB`s PR - YUI is OUT NOW!
Today we want tell you about legendary club in the world - WOMB. Since opening in 2000 in Shibuya, Tokyo, the leading district in music and fashion and worldwide focal point for Japanese youth culture, WOMB continues to bring the latest and best in electronic music to fans in Tokyo and serves as the launching pad for resident artists into oversea fame. Womb is a 1000 capacity club that spreads across four floors. The main floor is equipped with a full digital soundsystem, high-quality strobe lighting and lasers. Since 2008, the club has hosted an annual indoor festival WOWB ADVENTURE, which attracts nearly 10,000 people for each edition.
We had chance to talk with WOMB`s PR - YUI .
DJANEMAG: Can you tell about yourself ? How did you start a work in the club? How long do you personally work there? What are your responsibilities ?
YUI: My name is Yuiko Ishii and I'm WOMB's PR. I've been worked for WOMB for 10years. I started working for WOMB as a part-time job just after coming back from London. I had stayed in London for a year to study English but honestly i hadn't go to school much..I had partied a lot with friends in London lol :) After i came back to Japan, oneday I was checking a schedule of WOMB to go partying and I found help-wanted ads on WOMB's website. So i applied it and I had interviews twice with managers and CEO and got in! I started as a part-time job because i still had one year to graduate Seikei Uni in Tokyo. After my graduation i started to work for WOMB as full-time.
I don't regret that I partied a lot without going to school much in London because if not I won't be here, I won't work in WOMB. (But anyway, when i was in London I already apologized to my mom that i didn't go to school much on a phone because she paid all the money for school in London. But she has been super supportive to me. She said "if it was your decision, I respect that. I believe you will find your way anyways.")
DJANEMAG: When was club opened? What is the story of club`s name? What is the capacity, politic of club, price?
YUI: WOMB opened in 2000. We have not dress code and face control. The capacity is around 1200. Price for Friday and Saturday is ¥2800-¥3500 and ¥1500 for Monday toThursday and Sunday but some weekday parties are free admission for ladies. Price vary by events.
DJANEMAG: What music was initially played in it, which is preferred today?
YUI: WOMB has been recognized as TECHNO, HOUSE club. Also WOMB's longest-running resident party, 06S, is now in its 16th year, showcasing some of the finest Drum&Bass in Japan and leading Japanese Drum&Bass scene. For Techno audience, top TECHNO and HOUSE DJs such as RICHIE HAWTIN and NINA KRAVIZ, RICHARD VILLALOBOS, DIXSON...are very popular. Also SVEN VATH has played in WOMB almost every year.
Formore, We started new parties focused on TRAP, DUBSTEP and BASS MUSIC in this two years to cater to young people. TRAP, DUBSTEP and BASS MUSIC are getting really popular in young generation here. Those young audience loves SKRILLEX, DIPLO, ZOMBOY. Skrillex show at WOMB in December 27th last year was very successful.
DJANEMAG: What club is the World`s #1 to your mind?
YUI: I wish WOMB! So our team work towards it!
DJANEMAG: Which DJanes was performed in your club during last year? Whom of them did you like the most and why?
YUI: Nicole Moudaber, Hito, Snoja Monear, Ellen Allien, Nervo, Tania Vulcano and many of local DJanes. I enjoyed dancing with all of their play! But if I have to choose one, I say Nicole Moudaber. She is one of my favorite DJs and I always wished to listen her play at WOMB. Last year my dream came true! She played at EDC JAPAN's Official After Party in April and also December 31st for New year's eve party. At new year's eve party she played more housy and less BPM set because we requested so to live up happy new year mood although she plays the dark & deep techno usually. She played with full of love and It was a blast!
DJANEMAG: What are the criterias of choosing the DJane for a special show?
YUI: Should have great skill and popularity.
DJANEMAG: Do you have Djane residents in the club?
YUI: There is one female DJ but she always plays as a unit called DRUNKEN KONG with her partner. And they have resident party called INTENTION at WOMB. They played at ADE 2016 and 2017 and have been releasing music on major international labels such as Christian Smith`s Tronic, Monika Kruse`s Terminal M, Transmit Recordings, Loose Records,!Organism, and Unity Records. The duo has also been active with domestic label such as Session WOMB and Plus Record.
DJANEMAG: Which DJane do you think is the best in nowadays electronic music community?
YUI: Nina Kraviz.In EDM scene, NERVO.
DJANEMAG: Do you notice more guest activity at nights when DJane is announced (in comparison with male DJs shows)?
YUI: Hmm..i don't really think so.. but some of local Danes have many their fans and it could have an affect on guest activity.
As projects in 17 years, collaboration with internationally famous clubs(Space Ibiza, fabric LONDON, the end LONDON, D_EDGE SAO PAULO) are the reason why we are here now as an international nightclub who always have a global vision. And cruising party WOMB CRUISE and urban style dance music festival WOMB ADVENTURE, which more than 10,000 people came, both held in Tokyo. There are more more interesting project we've done!
Also i want to tell funny project 'YUI CHANNEL' that is WOMB official youtube and Facebook weekly video channel I host. Basically I introduce parties held in this coming weekend at WOMB inviting DJs who will play in those parties. It's about 3-10mins, short quick video. Usually those guest DJs for YUI CHANNEL are local Japanese DJs but sometimes main guest DJs for parties appear on YUI CHANNEL, such as RICHE HAWTIN, NINA KRVIZ, TIM DELUXE , STEVE RACHMAD, AGORIA, D.O.D and many more..
l started this video in 2012 with my PR team and it was small project at the beginning. it did cost almost nothing, and we started to shooting with laptop camera with some apps to add video some easy effects lol
Also, In some episode I go and introduce restaurants and cafes around WOMB. It's a kind of nice tips for people who come to WOMB, where to eat or where to go for a drink before and after WOMB. I want to do this more, giving people information not only party information, but also WOMB's recommended spots and activities.
You can check on
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pg/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/
First of all, DJANEMAG team want to thank YUI! We are absolutely sure that our readers found out a lot of interesting and useful information. DJANEMAG strongly recommend to visit WOMB club!
Don't forget to follow it in all social networks not to miss best parties:


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Macanudo Maudro & Gold Label Hampton Court
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Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Hobby Support - Commision Painter
13 comments:
Hi Kaelo,ReplyDelete
Hope you're on the mend!
Not an official commission painter but there is a guy up here in Aberdeen doing commissions over the summer instead of a summer job. He's good and pretty quick (planning on giving him some terrain of mine to do). I'm sure he'll be far more flexible and probably a good deal cheaper.
Drop me a mail and I can put you in touch with him if you like.
I would be very interested mate. Can you ping me his details to email@example.com?Delete
No worries, will drop him a note and get him to drop you a line with some examples...he's just speed painted the Dark Imperium Nurgle miniatures for the Local GW store demonstration table.Delete
Cheers Mike! Excited!Delete
He's going to drop you an email today :-)Delete
Brilliant! Thanks Mike!Delete
No edge highlights, chipping, weathering or bases? So you just want basic tones, or...?ReplyDeleteReplies
Yeah I just want it basic. But to a high standard. Then I will do the chipping weathering etc etc so when they are done they will be to the same standard I can paint (average) I just can't spend the time doing the meat of it. I will show an example to anyone interested before they quote.Delete
Ask Rob at 30kplus40k Blog or Nick Thrower at The BurningEye blogs? They have both done me proud with commissions.ReplyDeleteReplies
Hi, i'm a painter un France.ReplyDelete
I was painter for Rackham à Long Time ago...
I use for paint for Friends.
If you want toi Can contact me à firstname.lastname@example.com
You Can see à part of my work hère :
Hi im a decent painter in the north east of Scotland never done commission work but im always looking to paint differnt thing and willing to help out if interested email meReplyDelete
email@example.com and i can take photos of some of my minatures


text: Cheers Magazine is a business publication for full-service restaurants and bars. We serve decision-makers within independent and chain restaurants, hotels, and other on-premise establishments with information to help these operators drive revenue. Each issue of Cheers is packed with ideas and best practices, from the latest beer, wine and spirit products news to bartending techniques to food pairings to staff training and customer service. Cheers also offers exclusive data from its sister company, The Beverage Information & Insights Group, to help beverage managers stay ahead of the trends and industry developments.


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A Book Bio allows you to share the life of your book with readers; how it was conceived and how it grew to be what you eventually published.
You'll be asked to provide the following information in order to have your book bio created:
- Author's Name as it appears on the book cover
- book title
- book genre
- book rating (between G and NC-17)
- book content (domestic violence, explanations of how to engage in pedophilia, descriptive writing about sexual acts between consenting adults, explanations of how to use drugs, explanations of how to create weapons of destruction, explanations of how to engage in illegal/unethical/immoral activities that would be determined to be so by mainstream society, profanity, racial epithets, sexual violence against children, sexual violence against men, sexual violence against women or none of the above)
- book publisher
And, these are the questions you'll be answering::
- Question 1: What is your book about?
- Question 2: How did you conceive the story line for your book?
- Question 3: Who did your book cover design, and who edited your book?
- Question 4: What did you like most about writing this book?
- Question 5: How long did it take you to write this book?
- Question 6: What book came before this book, and what book is coming after this book?
- Question 7: Is there anything you wish you'd done differently during the process of writing this book?
You'll also be able to have the following information included in your book bio:
- links (if applicable) to your book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, iTunes, Kobo and Smaskwords
- an excerpt to pique readers' interest
- your book video trailer (if applicable)
The fee is for a permanent listing on BookBios.com, and you will never be asked to pay it again.


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From the vantage point of a tax practitioner in 2008, it is easy to forget that period just a decade ago when e-commerce was going to revolutionise the business world–and the tax world.
Source countries; residence countries; permanent establishment concepts; income attribution; we were worried that all of our existing tax concepts would be undermined by e-commerce, so that we would need to invent a whole new way of taxing international business.
What happened? E-commerce grew and grew and grew. But after hundreds of articles in the tax press, reports by tax authorities in the US and other countries, and an extensive review by the OECD's five Technical Advisory Groups on e-commerce, a startling consensus emerged: our existing tax concepts, and the framework for international tax embodied in the OECD's Model Income Tax Convention, worked just fine, thank you. There was no need for a radical realignment of tax principles.
And therein lies the reason we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the OECD Model Tax Convention: while the world of international business has changed and grown and changed again, the OECD Model Tax Convention has proven its value over five decades as a framework for how we think about international tax, and the treaty shows every prospect of serving that same role for five decades more.
The OECD's model tax treaty was not the first such treaty (that honour belongs to the model tax conventions developed by the League of Nations in the 1920s), nor is it the only such model of importance today (because the United Nations model, first issued in 1980, still has persuasive authority for some countries.) But the OECD model has achieved a consensus position as the benchmark against which essentially all tax treaty negotiations take place.
I recently talked with a former tax treaty negotiator for China, who described one of the key negotiations in which she participated with a major developing country. What was the template agreement from which the two countries began their discussions? The OECD Model Tax Convention, of course, even though neither country is an OECD member.
It is easy to be cynical about the OECD Model Tax Convention. Yes, the OECD represents the developed world and the needs of its economies. Yes, the voices of the developing economies are sometimes heard only faintly, despite a vigorous outreach effort by the OECD's Committee on Fiscal Affairs during the past ten years. Yes, reaching consensus on reports and model language can be painfully slow.
But make no mistake: the OECD is a vitally important organisation and the OECD Model Tax Convention is a tremendously important tool for smoothing the way of international business and global trade.
Examples abound; I will offer only two.
First, the writing and analysis of the OECD on principles of international taxation are the most extensive source of guidance in the field. Indeed, there is no other authoritative voice that even ranks in the same tier as the OECD.
If a practitioner–or, say, a government official in an emerging country–has only two books on international tax in their library, it is fairly easy to guess what those books would be: the OECD Model Tax Convention and its commentaries, plus the 1995 OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines. Why is this important? Because the principles articulated in these documents, such as the distinction between a non-taxable representative office and a taxable branch or business, the concept of income attribution, and the broad principles of arm's-length transfer pricing, are foundations in assuring a sense of fair play in international tax.
One of the great privileges of my early tax career was to sit beside Marcia Field and Mordy Feinberg, the lead US tax treaty negotiators for 20 years from the 1970s to the 1990s, and learn as they unwrapped the subtleties of various treaty articles; these sessions were often with treaty negotiators of another country, who, like me, were less knowledgeable about the implications of particular language. The OECD model treaty has captured a hundred years of experience in international tax and distilled the core principles. Many of us learned international tax by studying the model and its commentaries.
Multinational companies are rapidly establishing their own offices in emerging markets in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia, where previously these companies relied on locally owned distributors. These new offices are feasible only because the basic principles of taxation articulated and demonstrated by the OECD and its Model Tax Convention are generally applicable. When a multinational company first enters Kenya, or Sri Lanka, or Uruguay, there is a common language to facilitate the discussion with the local officials on taxation.
Without the OECD, we still would have "permanent establishments" and "taxation at source" and many of the other building blocks of international tax. But there would be much greater variation in how those tax concepts would be defined and applied.
Here is an analogy: imagine giving athletes in different countries a net, a ball and a field and telling them to "go play." Everyone may enjoy the experience, but we can be sure that no two games would be alike. Similarly, imagine giving tax officials a few concepts–"jurisdiction to tax," "royalties," "withholding taxes"–and telling the officials to build a system to tax non-residents. The result would be chaos.
There is much more to be done. As the e-commerce experience demonstrated in the past, and as the globalisation of financial services is demonstrating today, important work is needed to apply the principles of the OECD Model Tax Convention to specific business methods. And, educating both experienced tax practitioners and new tax officials is always a challenge, because the principles of international tax are not easy to understand. But the OECD's continued focus on new areas of interest, such as the taxation of deferred compensation and retirement income for cross-border workers, and on hearing new voices, especially from developing countries, keeps the entire international tax community moving forward to meet the new challenges.
A second example to show the importance of the OECD model is the role it serves in weighing competing positions and then reaching a decision. It may not always be the right decision ("right", at least, in each of our own minds!), and it certainly is not the only possible decision. But it is a decision with finality. Therefore, a construction project constitutes a permanent establishment if it lasts more than 12 months–not three months, or six months or nine months. Profits from operating aircraft in international traffic will be taxed on a residence basis, not a source basis.
The League of Nations was never able to summon the courage or authority to issue a single model. So, the League eventually developed four models. The OECD is at its best when it weighs the competing positions with respect to an issue and then offers a single consensus proposal. Once the OECD position is articulated, the burden of persuasion shifts to anyone who seeks to advance a different position. As the OECD membership expands and the number of countries with substantial international business increases, arriving at that single solution in every case will be more difficult–but also ever more critical.
The challenges to expanded international trade in the 21st century are many, as the recent failure of the Doha round of negotiations for a new world trade agreement demonstrated. But international business would be substantially more difficult if tax authorities operated singly–we could even say blindly–in determining the tax rules that apply to international transactions.
As international tax practitioners, we all share in the achievements and challenges of the OECD and its work on tax treaties. We celebrate our significant progress during the past 50 years–and, armed with the Model Tax Convention and a willingness to work co-operatively, we will meet the challenges of the next 50 years as well.
This is adapted from an article originally published by Tax Analysts. See www.taxanalysts.com
©OECD Observer No 269 October 2008


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On Friday, Marco and I went to see a film in the Newport Beach Film Festival. It was a lot of fun, and we loved the fake "red carpet" backdrop.
Here's Marco posing for the cameras.
He tried to get a good picture of me, but I didn't stand still long enough. I kind of like it, though!
We saw an incredibly gory movie called Portrait of a Zombie. But don't click on the link unless you can handle gore! I was a little sick at times. It's a mockumentary about a film crew who follows a family with a zombie son, set in Ireland. We got to meet the director, and we stayed for the Q & A. He's a nice, mild-mannered guy with a very sick mind.
The Festival is still going on, so now's your chance to go meet and support some budding filmmakers!