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We've just added three new apartments to the list of availabilities at the Riverside Drive Condos. All three are being gut-renovated, with all new hardwood floors, recessed lighting, brand new kitchens/bathrooms and much more…
We'll add more info soon, but here's the scoop for now:
1-bedroom @ 812 Riverside (Unit 47)
Price: $318,000 (CC: $442/RET: $49)
JUST COMPLETED: This gut-renovated 1-bed has alll new hardwood floors, recessed lighting and brand new bathroom. Oversized bedroom has space for a King-sized bed. Kitchen features a breakfast nook, granite countertops and stainless steel appliance (incl dishwasher). Gorgeous marble lobby. New laundry room. Steps to the 157th St subway.
Jr-4/Conv. 2-bedroom@ 835 Riverside (Unit 5I)
Price: $425,000 (CC: $463/RET: $149)
Pre-war charm with gut renovations! This Flexible two-bedroom has all-new hardwood floors, granite kitchen counters, stainless steel appliances, upgraded wiring, recessed lighting and much more. Split bedrooms with a king-sized master on one end a spacious flex-room with French doors that can be used as a formal dining room or 2nd bedroom.
Classic 5/Conv. 3-bedroom @ 835 Riverside (Unit 2G)
Price: $550,000 (CC: $601/RET: $193)
I call this line's living room "The Roller Rink" or "Ballroom" because of its size. This spacious and XXXtra big Conv 3-bedroom apartment with enormous common area is being gut-renovated with all new hardwood floors, granite kitchen counters, stainless steel appliances, upgraded wiring, recessed lighting and much more
For more information or to set up a showing, call 646-770-EDRY (3349).


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Nate Diaz breaks down his upcoming fight with Benson Henderson and Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten preview Resurrection Fighting Alliance 5 and BAMMA 11. Also, Ron Kruck goes inside the New York underground MMA world in part 1 of this 2 part examination.
Don't miss an All New Inside MMA LIVE Monday at 8pm ET on AXS TV. Follow Inside MMA on Facebook and Twitter for more breaking news and highlights.
Copyright © 2020 AXS TV - All Rights Reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


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Paro the Medical Robot Overview
Paro is a lovable friendly robot who is helpful in the treatment of Alzheimer's patients and children with autism. Seeming like a pet or funny toy, Paro comes with sensors under is fur that can transmit information to the doctors while the patient is occupied in petting the little robot. Patients with various forms of dementia have shown positive reactions to Paro even if they don't generally react well to other humans. It's easier to take vitals with Paro as the patient holds and pets it than for a doctor or nurse to have to get the information from a combative person.
What is Paro?
Paro is a small robot designed in 1998 by Takanori Shibata to improve communication between medical professionals and their uncommunicative patients. The artificial intelligence in this robot is capable of responding to voice and touch and even able to speak with patients and they interact with it. A doctor or nurse can speak through the robot to those who aren't comfortable talking to real people. As the patient strokes Paro, the sensors transmit pulse rates, temperature, respiration and behavior aspects to the doctor, allowing a calm monitoring rather than a confrontation.
Paro and Patients
By 2040, the World Health Organization estimates there will be 84 million patients with some form of dementia due to the aging population of "Baby Boomers." Social interaction becomes limited as dementia worsens, but Paro may be a step toward keeping elderly patients interested and able to respond to stimuli. In private homes, Paro would be too expensive, at this point of development, costing about $10,000. each. But nursing facilities and hospitals could afford to have one and as more patients go to care facilities, Paro could be a great advantage for both the patients and medical staff. "The robot would keep track of where the person is actually moving or if they're lying on the floor in the bathroom, has taken their drugs, has followed their normal routine," says Alan Mackworth, University of British Columbia. Mackworth is one of the foremost experts on artificial intelligence in Canada. He expects the technology to advance to fill even more monitoring roles for patients.
Increasing numbers of patients could overwhelm the medical professionals both in home and hospital situations. Having a "warm, fuzzy" monitor to keep track of some of those patients will be more important as time goes by. Paro is the first in a long line of user-friendly robots that will improve medical care in the future.


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Lincoln Marketing Showcase How do you take a 2D brand design and bring it to life with 3D animation? Studio 522 answered that question for Lincoln Educational Services with this dynamic animated presentation that showcases Lincoln's new marketing content.
"OMG OMG OMG OMG! I LOVE IT MIKE….. OMG IT'S AMAZING!" – Piper Jameson – EVP & Chief Marketing Officer – Lincoln Educational Services
"LOOKS AWESOME" – Dan LaPlaca – Lincoln Educational Services.
Like this page on your favorite social media site


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Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Unisex Bathrooms and other Public Restrooms topics.
The 2003 International Building Code requires that all new construction and substantial renovation for public restrooms include a family, or unisex, bathroom. Most new, large venues such as malls, airports, and sports arenas, now include at least one type unisex bathroom in addition to men's and women's public restrooms. But not all states have adopted the codes. Planning construction or renovation? Check your local public restroom regulations.
|Guru Spotlight
|Mary White


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Welcome to our Gouter rubrique!
For the first post, we bring you to Churros La Fonda. You read it right, you can have Churros in Bali. As you may know, Bali is famous with its rice paddies, Churros La Fonda takes this chance to offer local and foreign resident to enjoy Churros with a view of lush rice paddies.
Located at Umalas 1, the same neighbourhood of France Consulate office, it is easy to spot this place with its Bajaj stall, a three-wheeler, with flashy colour. They fry the Churros in this Bajaj.
Once we step inside, we can have a direct view of green rice field and some artistic mural. We arrived around 4ish arvo and place was empty so we can choose the best spot to seat. Few minutes after, some couples come.
We ordered Cream Filled Churros and Classic Churros. Beside Churros, they serve Panini, Salad, Waffel, Crepe and Coffee! Matt had Churros Affogato and I got the whole Coconut for the drink.
The rice field view with light breeze constantly makes this place very comfortable. Their playlist also great so we enjoy a lot. We recommend this place for Gouter Time. Food tastes great, affordable and perfect ambience.
want them?
come here! Churros La Fonda Umalas ig: @churroslafonda google map: https://goo.gl/maps/bGZ1YqbCcMM2
Disclosure: No affiliate link. Not a sponsored post.


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Iowa's Largest Solar Project
Iowa's Largest Solar Project
Midland Power's affiliate cooperative, Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), will be working with Clēnera LLC to develop the largest solar project in Iowa, and one of the largest in the Midwest. Midland Power's affiliate will purchase 100 percent of the energy and capacity output for 25 years from Wapello Solar, a 100-megawatt solar facility to be located on approximately 800 acres in Louisa County.
The project will incorporate the latest in solar array technology to provide cost-effective, clean electric energy. Cutting-edge solar panel technology will be paired with efficient solar inverters and a single-axis tracking system to maximize energy generation. Clēnera, based in Boise, ID, will develop and operate Wapello Solar with the facility retaining all associated renewable energy credits. The completion date for Wapello Solar is expected to be December of 2020.
"We are thrilled to see this relationship with Clēnera bring low-cost, clean energy to our members," said Midland Power CEO Bill McKim. "As a member-owner of CIPCO, we see this as a milestone project in striking a meaningful balance with energy cost, reliability and stewardship for our members. Energy produced by the sun provides an excellent complement to wind energy. This is an innovative way for us to offer reliability and efficiency."
The Wapello Solar project meets Clēnera's mission of adding cost-effective solar energy to the grid, according to co-founder and CEO Jason Ellsworth. "Solar technology is powering huge cost savings and incredible environmental benefits for communities. The future for renewable energy projects is bright," he said.
"Together with our suppliers and technology partners we've dramatically reduced costs and now see interest in projects extending to places that before now did not expect to see competitive prices from solar projects," Ellsworth said. "Today's solar technology allows us to be better stewards of our natural resources and at the same time create jobs and low-cost energy to power the hopes and dreams of generations to come. These projects are quiet neighbors that provide consistent, stable power at a fixed rate."
This is the second recent major generation project announced by Midland Power's affiliate, CIPCO, as they recently announced a 60-megawatt project to repower the Summit Lake Generating Station in Creston. The project includes demolition of its 70-year old steam plant and installation of efficient natural gas-fired reciprocating engines by late 2022.
In addition, the Heartland Divide Wind Energy Center came online at the end of December. CIPCO is purchasing 100 percent of the energy produced by the 103.5 megawatt Heartland Divide facility.
These announcements come on the heels of actions this summer by NextEra Energy Resources and Alliant Energy who petitioned the IUB to close the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC) in Palo in 2020, 14 years before the plant's operating license would expire. CIPCO is 20 percent owner of the nuclear plant and receives 20 percent of its generating capacity from DAEC.
"We're pleased to see these cost-effective energy projects added to the generation portfolio," said McKim. "Our member-consumers benefit from economical pricing on these next generation resources. Not only do members insist on cost efficiencies, they also demand reliability. It's exciting to provide both through complementary generation projects powered by the wind and the sun."
"As we look ahead, there are still good opportunities to potentially add more solar as well as wind projects to our portfolio," said CIPCO's Executive Vice President and CEO Bill Cherrier. "Even with the announcement of these new projects, we are still working to fill the anticipated gap left by the upcoming closure of DAEC. Right now, pricing on next generation resources is advantageous. When considering reliability and cost-efficiency, it's important to keep a balanced approach and consider the options, not just now but into the future."


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This is going to be pretty philosophical for a blog about car repair. You know, typically, a car repair website blog is "blah-blah flux capacitor, turn signal pressure, muffler bearing, blah-blah". Today I want to touch on concepts that are a bit more ambiguous. The actual reasons that customers choose their car repair facility is a topic that is very well studied, documented, and is an extremely important item that we discuss daily in our industry. We use large scale studies, and our own personal experience in these conversations and decisions. So, without further ado, on to the meat of the topic!
The most important and number 1-4 reasons for choosing a car repair facility are NOT price! However, the majority of customers ask for that FIRST. The FIRST thing they want to know is "How much is it for you to do job X". The MOST important facet of the experience is at the END of the experience (from drive-away to long-term usage) and isn't the price number, it is the VALUE. Value is hard to measure- it's ambiguous. People love to ask price because they feel it is the one thing they can nail down. Contemplating price+tech knowledge+warranty+job quality+courtesy+friendliness+on-time delivery+convenience+parts quality=VALUE is extremely difficult up front. However, with long term usage of the car and shop, it becomes obvious.
Many shops "hide" many facets of their operations specifically so that you can't quantify them and they can manipulate you on price. Just like every other business in the world, when you see "FREE", "SALE", "DISCOUNT", etc, you are being manipulated on price. You might ask, "How do you know!?!" I'll tell you how I know; because I have studied economics, and accounting, and because I've run a business for 12 years.
We don't pay our bills by the job, or by the day, or by the week. We pay our bills by the month, quarter, and year. At the end of these long terms our Revenue ($ in) multiplied by our Gross Profit Percentage minus our Expenses must be a positive number. If it is not, we lost money, and NO business exists when it loses money. A business can lose money for at most a few months or a year, and then it will fold. Expenses are simply too high. These are facts, not opinions, and must be understood to understand why a "Sale Price" results in LOWER value. You want to use a business that makes a good profit, because THAT is a business that excels at delivering to their customers.
So to evaluate what makes a customer happy when it isn't price, let's think about WHY a business would CHOOSE to lower Gross Profit on a job when the goal is to have HIGH Gross Profit. Simple- it's a loss leader. You must DO something to bring in customers. Since Price manipulation is very easy to see and implement, many businesses choose that tactic- there's the AD shouting "ITS FREE!!!". So how do they make money? By overcharging you for literally every single other thing you buy, AND reducing expenses on the "FREE" or "DISCOUNTED" item.
We have TWO ASE Master Technicians on staff. We're both damn good technicians, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in tools, equipment, knowledge, and education. That means we expect to be paid accordingly for our work. Work here, just like your job, comprises EVERYTHING we do during our hours here, PLUS our study time after hours. Scan a car? Yep, it's work. Install a wiper blade? That's work, too. If you are a chef, when you are cooking, you're working. Making a salad? Work. Cleaning your knives? Work. THIS is why a "FREE" diagnostic is always bad. A good technician earns 35-45% of the billed labor in total compensation (salary, benefits, etc). This means they earn anywhere from 30-50$ for each billed hour. You think a business can give away several hours a week at that rate? Would you? Of course not. A "FREE" diagnostic is worth every penny you paid for it, and usually worth less. Go ahead, install 300$ worth of parts and use 8 hours of someone's time and still have a broken car. How much was that "FREE" diagnostic worth? at 100$/hr for labor it cost -1100$. Still think it's free?This happens because good diagnostic techs won't (also "don't" and "shouldn't") work for free and bad diagnostic techs can't perform a diagnosis correctly.
So how do the "it's FREE" shops do it? Well, number one, they lie to you. There's nothing "FREE", they're gambling that they will "sell" you high profit services to make up for the "FREE!". What if you don't "need" anything? Oh, trust me, you're going to "need" something! They build the cost of the diagnosis back into the job. I have seen this in hundreds of competing estimates. You have lost the "trust", "tech knowledge", "parts quality", "friendliness" from the Value equation! You know it, and we all know it. The trust is gone because you know in your heart they have to sell you something at an inflated price to avoid losing money. The tech knowledge is gone because the good techs have no time for games- they're good BECAUSE they're ethical and smart, and they study. They won't stick around for that game. The parts quality is gone because you MUST minimize your losses and compromising parts quality is childishly easy to hide. The friendliness is likely gone because of the stress that comes from that kind of sales pressure.
THIS is why the customer dissatisfaction in auto repair is ridiculously high. Too many people compromising value to chase price when it isn't what makes them happy in the first place.
Don't buy into the hype. PAY people for what they do, EXPECT high quality, and CHOOSE those who deliver. THAT fixes the entire equation. The techs get paid for their work, the owner (either individual or corporate) makes enough money to guarantee the work correctly (long-term) and train their employees, AND provide conveniences like shuttle service, an Uber, or a discount rental.
Look at the reviews- high VALUE shops create good reviews and customers that speak well of them. They also create very few people that go online and "slam" them with the "one star temper tantrum review". Ask your friends for referrals. Good shops do much less of the "FREE" and "SALE" stuff in advertising and much more in relationship building advertising. When you compare shops, compare apples to apples. When you price shop ask "Why is one estimate higher?". If the answer is "their techs are paid more because they are better, their parts quality is higher, their warranty is better, they're more professional, they're more convenient" then you very likely are looking at a higher value, and THAT is what makes you happy. Don't be misled that you can get "adequate" repairs cheaper at a place that yells "We're Cheap!" because they can't afford NOT to sell you everything they can.
Good shops don't quote price, they explain their value. They don't try to beat a price, they try to do a very good job, at a fair price, and deliver on time, every single time. They communicate, explain, and empathize- not pressure, steer and control. They understand that this is NOT a transaction- it is relationship. They get that when you leave the business after your repair their obligation to you follows you- it doesn't end when you pay the bill.
The vast majority of the customer dissatisfaction is related to improper diagnostics, come-backs, and incorrectly performed repairs. Every single one of these things is caused by the people working in the business and a culture of "sales transaction" vs "client satisfaction". A business that yells "FREE STUFF" cannot be a "client oriented" culture, because a client oriented culture focuses on long term relationships, not transactions and a "FREE STUFF" ad just delivers transactions.
For instance, when you pay us to troubleshoot a problem, you have paid us for our time. We don't HAVE to make another sale to earn a profit. We can advise you of your best course of action and be honest and frank about your car, and help you manage your investment into the second most (or most) expensive (and important) thing you own. We're not steered by the need to "make up" lost revenues on a "loss leader". Even our oil change specials make us a small profit- because we don't do giveaways to bring you in. That's our business model- we're not here to "control" the customer with price, we're here to create a relationship with our clients that lasts, and results in high levels of satisfaction.
Hopefully this rather long-winded blog post has helped you understand a little more about the auto repair industry and how you, and a customer, can become a client with a shop that will result in BOTH you and the shop having a happy and long term business relationship.


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Grace, Justification, and Election
Part II: JustificationRelated Posts: Why Covenants? ; Grace ; Election ; Faith and Charity ; Justification and Salvation
The word justify can mean (1) innocence before the law, (2) reconciliation with God, and (3) to be shown to be correct (vindication). Unless otherwise stated the word justification is used in the sense of (1), innocence before the law.
The term justification generally can be thought of as the language of the courts. For example, if the outcome of a trial is decided in your favor you have been justified. This is the context which Isaiah uses:
All the nations have gathered together so that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this and proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, "It is true." (NASB, Isa. 43:9)
The opposite of justification is condemnation: "by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12:36-37; See also Alma 41:15).
In the Mormon view works alone cannot justify us. The reason is partly due to our unsteadiness.
AND thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea…how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men,…how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom's paths! (Hel. 12:1-5)
At one moment we repent and obey, and in the next we sin. Consequently, "no man is justified by the law in the sight of God" (Gal. 3:11, compare 2 Nephi 2:5). Or in the words of Lehi, "by the law men are cut off…[and] perish from that which is good" (2 Nephi 2:5).
We know that obedience cannot remove the stain of sin. If we live our entire life righteously and commit only one sin we cannot be saved, "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, if I do 50 bad things and 51 good things the scales of justice do not tip in my favor. Only repentance can free us from the law's condemnation; and forgiveness is freely available to those who are willing to repent.
Repentance and justification
Another meaning of justification is reconciliation with God. Luke 18:11-14 reads,
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
The publican was justified because he sought true repentance and desired to live according to God's commandments. (Apparently the boasting which the Pharisee demonstrated was common.) Those who truly humble themselves before God naturally desire to be obedient. These are they who are justified with God--this has been described as a right relationship with God. "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God" (ESV, Rom. 4:2). Abraham was indeed obedient to God's commandments, but his justification did not come by works alone. Just as the Pharisee who fasted twice a week, did not commit adultery, and paid tithes was not justified by his works. To be justified we must "acknowledge [our] unworthiness before God at all times" (Alma 38:14) and continually repent. The word for this effort is penitent.[1] "Thus, none but the truly penitent are saved" (Alma 42:24).[2] [3]
Justification as a "right relationship" (reconciliation) and justification as innocence before the law are inseparable. One describes humility before God; the other describes one's standing in regard to his law.
Justice and mercy
Since justification is linked to our standing before God in relation to his law we must also consider the law of justice and mercy. Since mercy through the atonement of Christ brings freedom from eternal punishment, atonement is then part of justification.
And thus we see that all mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence. And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also. (Alma 42:14-15)
This is consistent with what was said above: those who acknowledge their unworthiness before God and seek repentance are justified. Only in this way will the atonement satisfy the demands of justice, and only then will the penitent sinner be innocent before the law and be reconciled to God.
Works of the law
For some people obedience means nothing more than blindly following tradition. But righteous obedience is motivated by love: "this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments" (1 John 5:3).
Paul poses then answers the question, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded." He then asks, "By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith." That is, being proud of our obedience is excluded by the necessity of having faith. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:27-28). "The deeds of the law" is a phrase that expresses the deeds required by the law--the external forms of obedience. Those who are obedient only to the deeds of the law "are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness" (Matt. 23:27). Jesus condemns this hypocrisy:
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. (NIV, Matt. 23:23)
The crime of esteeming "the deeds of the law" more than the purpose of the law was so pervasive that it provoked Jesus' emotive cry against the Pharisees and teachers of the law: "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" (NIV, Matt. 23:33). As Jesus said, we must practice the latter without neglecting the former. Mercy and justice are not "deeds of the law." But rather, attempts to be merciful and just are reflections of our love and respect for others, and for God; they are reflections of a good conscience.
The necessity of having faith-centered obedience and abandoning blind, and sometimes hypocritical, obedience is conveyed by Paul's statement: "a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law" (NKJV, Rom. 3:28). That is, justification is something separate and apart from the external forms of worship. If we do not "[neglect] the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness," then justification is through faith. Had Israel obeyed the law of Moses with the love of God, rather than list obedience, they could have been justified by their faith (Rom. 9:31-32).
More on justification
There are two good reasons justification is not through obedience to commandments. Firstly, it is impossible to be totally obedient, thus all are guilty. Secondly, our obedience is an obligation that cannot free us from condemnation--good deeds to not wipe out bad ones. But there is also a third: "I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them," said King Benjamin (Mosiah 4:29; compare Acts 13:39). The law doesn't list every possible way to break a commandment, and therefore perfect obedience to a list of commandments is insufficient to be innocent before the law--just think of all the ways it is possible not to love thy neighbor. Innocence comes only through Christ's atonement.
Obedience in faith is necessary
Since faith can be thought of as a principle of action it precedes righteous action and is always coupled to righteous obedience (James 2:26). Here are several examples. (All italics mine.) "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice…By faith Noah…prepared an ark… By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out…obeyed; and he went out…By faith he sojourned in the land of promise. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac…By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents" (Heb. 11). We know that Abraham "believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3). We also know that "the devils also believe, and tremble" (James 2:19). So Abraham is not believing in God passively, but believing and keeping the commandments. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14).
[For Abraham], contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." (NKJV, Rom. 4:18-22)
Just as unbelief is coupled to disobedience, faith is coupled to a desire and an effort to be obedient--it does not say that Abraham believed God and spent his time in riotous living. Though he and his wife were too old to have children, Abraham believed that God could deliver what was promised to him and continued in obedience. Had this not been so, Abraham's faith would not have been "accounted to him for righteousness" (Gal. 3:6; italics mine).
Divine approbation
There is another sense of the word justification. If one's actions or decisions are shown to be wise we can say they were justified, or shown to be correct. This is the sense of "wisdom is justified of her children" (Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:35). Or as it reads in the ALT: "wisdom was justified [or, vindicated] by her children" (brackets and italics original). It is also the sense of "justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness" (2 Chron. 6:23). (The ESV reads, "vindicating the righteous.")
James taught that "Abraham our father [was] justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" (James 2:21-22). Abraham was tested in that he was commanded to sacrifice his "only son." In bringing his son to the sacrificial altar he demonstrated his willingness to be obedient to all God's commandments. After which God said to Abraham:
because thou hast done this thing…I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Gen. 22:16-18)[4]
Abraham was justified in that his obedience was shown (through the blessing he received) to be righteous.
Final thoughts
We must first do all that we can do, then grace will be given: "Believe in Christ, and…be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23; italics mine). Doing "all we can do" is necessary to receiving forgiveness, and it is forgiveness in Christ Jesus that justifies us before the law. So works are necessary to justification through their necessity to forgiveness.[5] Repentance sometimes requires restitution.[6]
Exodus 23:7 reads, "for [God] will not justify the wicked." And 2 Chronicles 6:23 says, "Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by [punishing] the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head." This seems to be a direct contradiction of Romans 4:5 which reads, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." This is clarified by the JST: "But to him that seeketh not to be justified by the law of works, but believeth on him who justifieth not the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." And finally, "ye are justified of faith and works, through grace" (JST, Rom. 4:16).
In LDS beliefs works are a necessary part of God's plan of salvation. But understanding our obligations to God, that God is never indebted to us, that obedience does not wipe out sin, and that all blessings including salvation are a gift, clarifies the meaning of the phrase "by grace ye are saved."
Statements from notable Protestants
regarding justification
regarding justification
What follows are some statements about justification. The following quotations were taken from A. W. Pink's book, "The Doctrine of Justification," chapter two.
"We simply explain justification to be an acceptance by which God receives us into His favour and esteems us as righteous persons; and we say that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ…Justification, therefore, is no other than an acquittal from guilt of him who was accused, as though his innocence has been proved. Since God, therefore, justifies us through the mediation of Christ, He acquits us, not by an admission of our personal innocence, but by an imputation of righteousness; so that we, who are unrighteous in ourselves, are considered as righteous in Christ" (John Calvin, 1559).
"What is justification? Answer: Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which He pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in His sight; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone" (Westminster Catechism, 1643).
A. W. Pink wrote the following about justification: "It is not that God treats as righteous one who is not actually so (that would be fiction), but that He actually constitutes the believer so, not by infusing a holy nature in his heart, but by reckoning the obedience of Christ to his account. Christ's obedience is legally transferred to him so that he is now rightly and justly regarded as righteous by the Diving Law" (A. W. Pink, "The Doctrine of Justification," chapter 5; parenthesis original).
Those who believe in justification by faith alone use the following scriptures to support their view. Romans 4:5, God "justifieth the ungodly." (Note, the JST reads "justifieth not the ungodly.") And those who have accepted Christ are "now justified by his blood" (Rom. 5:9; italics mine) and "have been justified by faith" (Rom. 5:1; italics mine). And "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28). They also interpret James 2:24, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only," to mean that works are an effect of faith. "[Paul] speaks of our persons being justified before God, [James] speaks of our faith being justified before men…Thus we see that our persons are justified before God by faith, but our faith is justified before men by works" (Matthew Henery's Commentary on the Bible). It is true that James speaks of the effects of faith before men: "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works" (Jas. 2:18; italics mine).
Theologian William Barclay writes,
"[Justification] means that God treats sinners as if they had not been sinners at all. Instead of treating them as criminals to be obliterated, God treats them as children to be loved. That is what justification means. It means that God treats us not as his enemies but as his friends…That is the very essence of the Gospel.
"That means that to be justified is to enter into a new relationship with God, a relationship of love and confidence and friendship…Justification (dikaiosune) is the right relationship between God and human beings. The person who is just (dikaios) is someone who is in this right relationship, and – here is the supreme point – who is in it not because of anything that he or she has done, but because of what God has done. Such people are in this right relationship not because they have meticulously performed the works of the law, but because in utter faith they have cast themselves on the amazing mercy and love of God. (William Barclay, The Letter to the Romans, p. 27; italics original).
It is only fair to point out that not every Protestant writer would go so far as to say, "Christ's obedience is legally transferred to [the sinners account]." Barclay's statement is impresumptuous: justification comes "because in utter faith they have cast themselves on the amazing mercy and love of God."
I must admit, I cannot find a scripture that says the righteousness of one person is reckoned to another. The following quote is taken from Vincent's Word Studies, commentary on Romans 4:5. It is quoted exactly as given:
"Observe that the believer's own faith is reckoned as righteousness. 'In no passage in Paul's writings or in other parts of the New Testament, where the phrase to reckon for or the verb to reckon alone is used, is there a declaration that anything belonging to one person is imputed, accounted, or reckoned to another, or a formal statement that Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers' (President Dwight, 'Notes on Meyer')."
Our differences in belief can be made evident by comparing passages from the Joseph Smith Translation with the King James Version. The strikeouts indicate things removed and the brackets indicate things added.
Rom. 4:5 But to him that
Rom. 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without [the law of] works,
Rom. 4:16 Therefore
Rom. 8:8 So then they that are
Rom. 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
End Notes____________________________
[1] Penitent: "Suffering pain or sorrow of heart on account of sins, crimes or offenses; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt and resolving on amendment of life" (Webster's 1828 Dictionary).
Contrite: "Literally, worn or bruised. Hence, broken-hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent; as a contrite sinner" (Ibid.).
[2] We can imagine that Abraham's humility was not unlike Nephi's who said,
O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. (2 Nephi 4:17-19)
[3] Recall that after a woman of ill repute anointed Jesus' feet with oil and washed them with her tears, the Pharisees complained saying, "This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner." Jesus answered by saying, "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven…Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace." The point is that we all need much repentance, and if we repent a lot we are forgiven a lot: "as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me" (Mosiah 26:30). But if we repent little we are forgiven little and our love and gratitude to God is equally small: "to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." But those who seek repentance are blessed of God. This woman had "wash his feet with [her] tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment." She had a testimony that Jesus could forgive sins and by her sorrow and actions sought true repentance. But only after she had performed those works did Jesus say, "Thy sins are forgiven."
[4] This act was the final test for Abraham to receive a guarantee that he would inherit eternal life. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said,
"By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord," was the language used by Deity in giving the promise of eternal life "unto Abraham." (Gen. 22:15-16.) That is, God swore with an oath in his own name that Abraham would be saved, which divine assertion absolutely guaranteed the eventuality. Abraham's calling and election was thus made sure. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 164)
[This act of being sealed up unto eternal life is] when the ratifying seal of approval is placed upon someone whose calling and election is thereby made sure -- because there are no more conditions to be met by the obedient person. (Ibid. p. 336)
[5] Paul wrote to the Romans, "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10). They key to understanding the meaning is found in two things. In the phrase "with the heart a man believeth unto righteousness." Righteousness requires obedience with faith. And "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Paul is speaking to people who are already making an effort to be obedient to God, but were relying on "the deeds of the law" for their salvation. Faith needed to be added to their effort. As Paul put it, "Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith?" (HCSB, Gal. 3:2).
[6] From the Book of Mormon we know that after many of the Lamanites were converted to the Gospel they buried their weapons of war. Their king explained it in this way: "since it has been all that we could do…to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain" (Alma 24:11; italics mine). Their justification (innocence before the law) necessitated faith that Christ can forgive sins and an effort to make restitution.


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It's not just young drivers who can benefit from insurance based on safer driving.
If you haven't heard of telematics yet, chances are you will come across it soon. The practice of putting a "black box" in your car to monitor how you are driving it might sound futuristic, but it is becoming increasingly important as a way of avoiding spiraling insurance premiums for young people.
Technology such as LynxSafe, offered by Lynx Telematics and successfully marketed through auto dealerships as a very profitable and new "back end" F&I product has been proven to reduce insurance premiums in some cases by up to 30%.
Vincent Rush, head of business development at Lynx Telematics, said "The response and success of the auto dealerships that we have partnered with in offering the LynxSafe telematics product through has been overwhelming. A dealership in Louisville, Kentucky for example, moves between 30-35 a month through their Finance and Insurance departments. At an average profit to the dealer of $500, that is around a $15,000.00 per month benefit to the dealership. Plus they are offering a product that brings real and immediate value to their customer. We really get involved with the dealership in teaching them how to market the product as well."
Now older drivers are hoping to get in on the act, too. A survey by the comparison site GoCompare found that 59 per cent of over-55s are considering switching to a black-box based policy in the next five years.
Older, safer drivers may benefit in the long run from this type of insurance policy, but there is still little choice available, and many do not understand the restrictions that come with them.
Figures from one car insurance site, tiger.co.uk, show that in the three months to February 2012, telematics accounted for almost 14 per cent of policies sold, compared with 12 per cent the year before. Far from being merely a young person's product, the largest number of sales went to those aged between 25 and 54, accounting for three-quarters of telematics sales.
This type of policy, provided that holders drive safely, can offer protection against rising car insurance. The AA's latest premium index, published in January, showed a 15 per cent increase year-on-year. From December this year, this is likely to get worse, particularly for women, since insurers will no longer be able to take gender into account when setting prices. In the past, because women have fewer car accidents, they have gen Simon Douglas, director of AA insurance, says the new ruling should make telematics more popular. "It puts ownership of responsible and safe driving firmly in the hands of the driver, regardless of their sex," he said. "It is genuinely a gender-neutral product."
Telematics policies come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they all have the same premise. A box is fitted into your auto in 10 seconds through the ODBII port, which feeds back information to the insurer about how, when, and how much you are driving your car. Most providers, such as Lynx Telematics, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, in recent years tend to be telematics specialists, but mainstream insurers are beginning to get in on the act, too, with the AA and the Co-op both launching products.
These are harder to understand than ordinary insurance policies, so it is vital to make sure that you know how your driving is being judged. For example, the telematics specialist Insure the Box charges policyholders by the mile. Motorists initially pay for 6,000 miles, and have the option to top up and receive reward miles if they drive safely. Its rival Tom-Tom FairPay allocates customers mileage units based on how they think they will drive. If you drive at night, then you will use up more points and may have to buy more mileage units at the end of the year.
The Co-operative Bank's telematics policy gives you money back if you drive well. Your driving is scored out of five after a 90-day period. If you drive well, you get 11.25 per cent of your money back, but if you drive badly you pay 15 per cent more. The AA works on a similar system, but drivers are assessed every 90 days, getting money back if they drive well and penalized if they drive badly.
So if you are considering black box insurance, you must fully understand what you are getting yourself into. Some older drivers may find it is cheaper to buy conventional insurance, while restrictions on mileage and time-of-day driving should be checked carefully.
Figures from moneysupermarket.com, which offers several black-box policies as part of its motor insurance comparison site, show that for many older people, telematics insurance remains more expensive.
For example, for a 55-year-old male with five years' no claims discount who is driving 10,000 miles a year in a 2006 Ford Focus 1.8, the cheapest non-telematics policy is $291.90, from Swiftcover. The cheapest equivalent policy with a telematics provider would be over $100 more from Insure The Box, while the Co-operative Bank would charge $477.
However, for older drivers who drive infrequently, telematics insurance can be cheaper. According to GoCompare, the CoverBox telematics insurance policy works out cheaper for some older people who have had a no-fault accident on their last policy.
Scott Kelly, head of car insurance at GoCompare, says drivers should also bear in mind that many telematics policies include features which are not available with other policies. "Telematics policies are competitive for many drivers who keep to a low mileage," he said. "It's also fair to say that telematics policies are among the most comprehensive, including features such as legal cover within the premium.
"If a telematics driver were to drive beyond the stated premium, say 3,200 miles instead of 3,000, the premium would be unlikely to adjust. Small differences in mileage will rarely affect it. By contrast, if the driver were to drive 6,000 miles instead of 3,000, they would be likely to see uplift on their premium."
Telematics may be the future for all car insurance, but until it fully comes of age, customers should be sure it fits their needs. For young drivers, with over-inflated premiums, or older drivers who know they will drive very infrequently, telematics may be the answer.
Getting the cheapest car insurance is far from 'simple', whatever the TV market will tell you. A price comparison site, such as Compare the Market, Go Compare or Money Supermarket, can help, but the options can be bewildering. As well as considering telematics, think about whether you could pay a higher excess on a claim to bring down your premium.
And if you can pay the whole premium upfront then do so, since you may end up paying high interest on monthly installments.


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We circled around Ghent looking for food, not expecting to find much, being willing to settle upon convenience store snacks if need be, when we cross 'The Belfry'.
Belfry towers were common in Flemish medieval cities, used as watch towers, treasuries and symbols of power. This one, built 700 years ago, was particularly ornate and well lit – which made for a nice effect at night.
There were plenty of people hanging around the canal, drinking, singing, holding hands and even a few swimming! The atmosphere was festive and joyous – everyone smiling and friendly.
Apparently Ghent is the 'hipster' capital of Belgium. I can believe that – with lots of fashionable, artsy looking young people milling about – of course our opinions were formed between the hours of midnight and 3am!
Luckily we came across a kiosk serving poutine – with every kind of topping possibility imaginable. The first thing I noticed was a Canadian flag amongst the dozens on its exterior, and like many other tourists before us I am sure, we immediately felt welcomed.
As soon as we approached the door to enter, the staff turned the volume up on the music already playing through the shop, and started dancing!
Of course (much to my husbands embarrassment), I had to join. We had a little 3 minute 'dance off', punctuated with clapping, cheers and yelling before ordering our food.
I told them I had to photograph the winners for posterity sake, and though they didn't fully understand what I was saying, they happily agreed.
Not something I usually do (take photos of random people) – but I wanted to remember how hilarious they were. They really made our night.
Satisfied, after eating the most glorious heart-attack-inducing poutine ever, we were ready to pull out of fabulous, festive Ghent, Belgium and continue on our merry way to France.
Additional photos in the slideshow.
You can follow this trip by heading to the '8 Country EU Tour' section, and you can enjoy many more photos of Belgium by heading to the Habitual Runaway on Facebook.
Related articles
- The Belfry Tower in Ghent
- Travel Thursday – Ghent, Belgium (roadtravelplanner.wordpress.com)
- VIDEO: Belgium's Ghent Altarpiece restored (bbc.co.uk)
- Ghent – new holiday tips (guardian.co.uk)


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Socialist Realism
Falshcards on Stalin's socialist realism in art and literature.
- Created by: Tallylah Lilac
- Created on: 28-04-11 21:18
Socialist Realism celebrating Collectivisation
- Samuil Aklivankin - voting to expel the Kulak from the Collective farm painting.
- July 1930 - 200 painters taken to collective farms to paint inspirational paintings.
- Vasilev - they are writing about us in Pravda - group of happy peasants sitting down happily eating a meal, whilst a member of the Communist party reads to them from Pravda.
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Socailst Realism celebrating Industrialisation
- Kutaev - Foward Oh Time - novel that celebrated steel production.
- Gladkov - Cement novel
- Sculptures made to Celebrate Moscow's New Ball Bearing Factory.
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Stalinist Baroque
- A style of architecture very common to this era.
- Aimed to show Russia was the most blessed country in world.
- Moscow Metro
- Moscow University
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Art for the Leaders
- "Myth of 2 leaders" emerged by late 1930's
- Rivals such as Zinoviev and Trotsky were written out from history e.g. (names erased from books).
- Stalin made to appear as Lenin's natural successor.
- "The tale of Lenin" by Maria Krickova describes Stalin that takes over the darkness i.e.(Trotsky) after Lenin's death.
- "3 Songs About Lenin" by Vertov describes Stalin as Lenin's pupil and Lenin as a RAY OF TRUTH who brought life to the desert.
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The cult of personality
- Really begins by mid 1930's.
- Pravda talked about Stalin's wisdon and greatness on a daily basis.
- A new idelogy came forth "Stalinism" along with Leninism and Marxism.
- Each year birthday of Stalin celebrated with parades and marching troops.
- Once war started Stalin seen more as a military hero - his clothes in painting become much more official.
- After war Stalin's childhood birth house became a shrine.
- He even published an article about the theory of language which press described as an intellectual breakthough.
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Stalin and his private life
- Prior to 1936 Stalin made no mention of his private life with his family or his wives and children.
- Stalin discouraged people to write personal biographies about him.
Stalin & Public life:
He preferred to be photographed with Stakhonovites or people who had travveled to the North Pole and back. This way his cult of personality focused on the great things Russia had done, and not on him as a individual.
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Transitioning Life to College: A Right-Start Support Program
TLC@NBCC is a 1-day transition program designed to assist students, particularly those with accessibility needs or have been out of school for a few years, as they adapt to college life.
Start the year equipped with skills to help manage your priorities at school and home:
Students participating in TLC@NBCC will be better prepared, more comfortable, more knowledgeable, and fully engaged when they begin college.
When asked; "What activities were the most beneficial to you" students said this:
When asked; "Do you feel better prepared to start classes next week?" students said this:
Phone: (506) 460-6222Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Full-Time Programs Online Courses Part-Time Courses
How to Apply
Admission Requirements
Tuition & Fees
Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards
NBCC campuses are located on Mi'kmaq, Wolastoq and Peskotomuhkati homelands. Since 1726 this land has been subject to treaties that are still in effect today. We are grateful to learn together on this land and do so guided by the original spirit
of those treaties - peace, respect and friendship.
Privacy Policy
© Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved.


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i swear i'm not a total ass. i lost my job and we had our net cut off. now it's on, and i went to send today to find THIS:
I will have the Husband go tomorrow to send - and i will grovel in submission to my partner. After all the wonderful things I received:
Chocolates that are suspiciously Miracle Max-ian
the shirt i am wearing right this second
this sweet little cross stitch hanging on my wall
and proving it fits (and posted on fb to make all my nerd friends Mega Jealous)
i am soooooo sorry. if you want an 'i'm an ass' extra package, tell me and i will do so.


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Dr Daniel Frings gained his PhD from the University of Kent in 2008 and, after a short period as a visiting researcher at University of California, Santa Barbara, joined London South Bank University (LSBU) the same year. He was promoted to the position of Associate Professor in 2015.
Since joining LSBU in 2007, Dr Frings has developed his research interests in social identity and group psychology, conducting both basic research and applied research with partners such as the MOD and the London Metropolitan police service. This has received funding from a variety of sources including the Economic Social Research Council, the British Academy, Alcohol Research UK and Cancer Research UK. During this process, Dr Frings has developed a track record of securing funding and producing international peer-reviewed publications.
Within LSBU, he currently serves as Vice Chair of the University Ethics Committee. He has experience with teaching and course design at all Higher Education levels, as well as being the Programme Director for the BSc Undergraduate Psychology courses from 2010-13. You can connect with him on Twitter @PsychItBetter.
Credits: London South Bank University
Published: 06 October 2016


text: Al-Dhari was detained just after taking part in a TV programme At a solidarity meeting held in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Tuesday, Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian and Moroccan parties and associations issued a statement condemning his detention as well as the bombing of Iraqi churches. Al-Dhari was detained on Monday in Iraq when a US patrol stopped his motorcade en route to the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) headquarters after he had participated in a live TV discussion on the proposed Iraqi national conference.US forces said they carried out a body scan on al-Dhari and his companions and found TNT traces on his fingers. First priority Al-Dhari had explained in the televised debate the reasons behind AMS's decision to boycott the conference, listing what he called nine legal violations undermining its preparations and accusing the organisers of fraudulent conduct. The closure of al-Sadr's paper inApril triggered weeks of unrest Political parties represented in the interim Iraqi government say the conference will be Iraq's first step towards democracy. But several Iraqi factions have refused to participate in the conference, saying it is a US-inspired move. They say no political process can take place under occupation, and that liberating Iraq must be the first priority of all Iraqis. Together with the al-Sadr movement and the Iraqi Islamic party among other political groups, the AMS has refused to participate in the conference. 'Orchestrated' Delivering the opening speech of the Beirut meeting, Maan Bashur, chairman of the Pan-Arab Forum, said the arrest was proof of the occupiers' fear of the truth. "His [al-Dhari's] arrest came after he participated in a live TV talk show. The US occupation is afraid of people like Dr al-Dhari who speak the truth, which the occupation is so keen to hide," Bashur told Aljazeera.net. Bashur said many of the incidents happening in Iraq are being orchestrated by US and Israel to discredit the "honourable Iraqi resistance". "Al-Dhari's arrest serves US-Zionist plans. The US occupation is keen to keep Iraqis unaware of who is targeting their infrastructure, civilians and places of worship. Al-Dhari and like-minded people have dedicated themselves to tell the truth, so keeping them free would not be in the interest of US and its allies in Iraq," he said. Sit-in planned Also in the Lebanese capital, the People's Campaign for Support of Iraq and Palestine said it will stage a sit-in on Friday in solidarity with Muthana al-Dhari. The organisation issued a statement saying its members will call for the immediate release of al-Dhari and Shaikh Mithal al-Harith, an aide to Iraqi Shia Muslim leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Occupation authorities closed al-Hawza, the newspaper of al-Sadr, last April, triggering an armed rebellion by the Mahdi Army made up of the Shia leader's supporters. SOURCE: Aljazeera


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Susana Villacís with representatives of Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
Actions to prevent organized crime in the fishing sector ratified
Thursday, September 13, 2018, 23:50 (GMT + 9)
The Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries ratified, within the framework of the first Regional Meeting on Fisheries Crime, held in Guayaquil, the need to maintain permanent coordination and cooperation actions with international organizations and civil society organizations to avoid the incursion and linkage of organized crime in the fishing sector.
The Regional Meeting aims to create consensus on the concept, scope and implications of this behavior; promote the exchange of good practices and experiences in their detection, investigation, prosecution and punishment; and identify areas of opportunity for the provision of technical assistance by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the subject.
The fishing industry generates an estimated USD 148 billion a year worldwide, constituting a supply chain that hundreds of thousands of people around the world depend on.
Susana Villacís, Vice Minister of Aquaculture and Fisheries, pointed out that the low risk and high profitability of the fishing activity make the sector vulnerable to organized crime, due to the difficulty of exercising control along the coastal profile of some countries, since this effort demands a lot of resources and technology.
The vice minister said that solutions can and must be found through practical actions and constructive dialogue between companies, fishing communities, and governments. This will make it possible to find ways of consensus for an efficient and responsible management that prioritizes the reduction of poverty, access to equal opportunities and decent and equitable work, through the use of science and technology as enablers to implement sound government policies."
In the event, convened by the UNODC and the Government of Ecuador, through the Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries (MAP), with financial support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), representatives of 11 countries of the American continent , officials of international organizations and representatives of civil society organizations.
During the meeting that will conclude on September 13, topics related to fisheries crimes and the actions carried out in their countries to prevent and combat them are presented; as well as the areas of opportunity for institutional strengthening in order to make their combat more efficient.
[email protected]


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Public Program Auckland Town Hall, Auckland (New Zealand)
Public Program. Auckland Town Hall (New Zealand). 11 April 1994.
I bow to all the seekers of truth.
At the very outset, I have to tell you that truth is what it is. You cannot describe it, you cannot conceptualise it, you cannot purchase it. It has been, it is and it will be. Now whatever I am going to tell you today please do not believe me blindfolded. We have had lots of problems with blind faith. […]


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Participating Yachts
The Schooner 'Aloha-J of Cariba'
Launched in 1930 at the Chantiers de la Liane in Boulogne-sur-Mer – in Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region of France, near the Belgian border – from drawings based upon a John Alden design-concept, the 'Aloha-R' was built for the Hennessy family of France. This fine 24 metre classic schooner has certainly had an interesting, eventful, and exciting life after eighty-four years at sea.
Although her first log-books are long since lost to history, she has witnessed many milestone events in the world, undergone changes in her own name and ownership, experienced challenging sea-voyages and weather conditions, and fought hard as a participant in many competitive regatta sailing events.
Her first decade cruising in Spanish and western Mediterranean waters coincided with the Spanish Civil War, and thereafter the equally bloody years of WWII, and it is believed that she may have been involved in certain clandestine operations between Spain, France, and the African shores during this time, and later again during the time of the 'private-trade' in these waters.
In 1976 she was purchased from her then Belgian owner – carrying the name 'Boheme' at the time – by a German buyer, and renamed 'Cariba', continuing to cruise both the eastern and western Mediterranean seas, and spending much time initially in Ibiza and Mallorca. She has often voyaged to the West Indies and has traversed innumerable times the unpredictable waters of the Mediterranean Sea, eastern and western sectors, regularly visiting Italy, France, Greece, and Turkey during the 80's and 90's under the command of Gert Kunzendorf, her caring Master for 35 years.
One of her current co-owners was first invited aboard the yacht as a guest in 1990, when she was named 'Cariba', and as a young yacht-captain was much taken by her fine lines and innovative and comfortable layout – both above, and below decks. Some 20 years later in 2010, when she became available for purchase while lying at Palma de Mallorca, this same captain – now not so young anymore but not quite yet an octogenarian like the stately yacht…! – and two close friends of his, were able to purchase her and keep her voyaging at sea and continuing to provide a superb platform for sailing and entertaining, and as a space for the on-going exchange of old sea-stories, maritime knowledge, and philosophical ideas.
On agreement with her previous owner, her name was changed back to match her original and first name, although her last name was also incorporated in the re-naming, thus maintaining threads of her historical journey; she become the 'Aloha-J of Cariba'.
As 'Aloha-R' she was originally rigged as a Gaff-Schooner in 1930, and with her gaff-mainsail, she sailed under a powerful configuration of sail. However in later years, in order to make her more passage-friendly for cruising family and crew, her mainsail gaff was removed and she was re-rigged as a Bermudan Schooner carrying a Marconi-type rig, flying Mainsail, Main-staysail, Foresail, Roller-yankee, Fisherman, and Topsail. The removal of her gaff and Main-topsail – and hence her vast and powerful mainsail sail-area – greatly reduced her competitive ability, and she is no longer a match for her similarly drawn sister-ships such as 'Malabar X' and other similar gaffers, which still carry their original rig and sail-area. The re-rigging did however result in a very easily manageable sail configuration, allowing safe and comfortable passage-cruising in even brisk and heavy weather – without the need to often reef or reduce sail. Her current owners are now also able to handle all sails with ease with a small crew, and even sail her single-handed from time to time; the only down-side being that she now no longer achieves the expectation of old whilst racing against competition of similar design.
Ever the graceful and eye-catching lady 'Aloha-J of Cariba' continues to visit the ports and anchorages of the Balearic Islands of Mallorca, Ibiza, and Minorca, occasionally racing in the various local regattas, and with a passage-plan drawn to continue to visit old stamping-grounds of Mediterranean France, Italy, Croatia, and the Eastern Mediterranean, providing as always a delightful movable feast and continuing to teach and nurture all who sail with her.
Her owners have kindly made her available for the Marine Inspirations mentoring programme of four days at the new 'Ibiza Rendezvous' Regatta between 8th and 11th October, where she will host two young aspiring sailors from South Africa during the event
The Ketch 'Timoneer'
Launched at Vitters Shipyard in Holland to an Ed Dubois design, 'Timoneer' is a powerful 45 metre super-yacht cruising ketch. She was built for an American owner who was well experienced in yachting and who's family are passionate about sailing. Sailing both Mediterranean and Caribbean waters each year, 'Timoneer' has covered many sea-miles in her prestigious career. Recently berthed in Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour, Antigua, in the Caribbean, her owner kindly invited two local youngsters to join her professional crew during the Antigua Superyacht Challenge in January – giving these young local sailors a taste of what it is like to crew aboard, and race aboard, a powerful and magnificent yacht of this calibre. What a dream experience for these two young men…!
The Perini Navi Sloop 'P2'
"Designed by Philippe Briand and built by Perini Navi in Italy, 'P2' is a 38m high performance cruising boat. 'P2' features 3 guest cabins and 3 crew cabins and a lightweight modern interior. Whether she is on the race track or island hopping with owner and guests, 'P2' attracts admiring glances due to her sleek lines and powerful sail plan." The yacht begins racing this week in the dynamic 'Loro Piana Regatta Rendezvous' in Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands (10 – 14 March), kindly inviting two young local sailors aboard to participate and experience the racing and sailing atmosphere aboard in company with 'P2's professional crew.
The 52m classic Pendennis Schooner 'Adela'
Originally built in 1903 in Southhampton at J.G Fay and Co. to a design by W.C Storey, 'Adela' was restored and remodelled by Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth, England, and naval architect Gerard Dykstra between 1996 and 2000. Today she blends her original charm and elegance with modern equipment technology, presenting a most competitive racing yacht and not to mention stunning sight under full sail out on the water.


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It's hard to believe we can say this after such a short time but this car needs no introduction. The JZA90 Supra has taken the tuning world by storm in a way few cars before it have done. The new Supra represents in many ways, the best of this industry and has garnered as much record breaking attention as the R35 GT-R. Here, you will find what we believe, are some of the best parts currently out here for the Supra. That being said, keep checking back because there is plenty more to come.
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2002 Volkswagen Jetta gls
My passenger side airbags deployed for no reason at all while driving on the highway.
General Comments:
I was told by Volkswagen of America that small impacts under the car by rocks can cause the bags to deploy at any time, even days after a small rock hits the sensor under the car!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 10th August, 2006


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Due to the young and active population and the development phase of industrialization, the real estate market in Vietnam has been changing significantly. Meanwhile, the apartments are becoming the popular choice of the Vietnamese, the projects of single-family houses, duplex, or townhouse are the lacks in the market.
In 2017, the housing market in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi continued developing the 2016 success. In both cities, 66,000 apartments were offered and 59,000 apartments were consumed. The high-rise buildings in the large urban areas were attractive to a lot of people, especially Vinhomes Times City in Hanoi or Phu My Hung in Ho Chi Minh City, which is predicted to be the upcoming trend of the industrial development in 2018 and 2019.
Ho Chi Minh City: Vincity, What Are Hot?
There are 31,000 apartments sold in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017, which decreased by 19% compared to the 2016 amount. Among 31,000 apartments, 64% of them are the middle-class segment; meanwhile, the upper-class segment accounted for 21%; and the 1% left was the high-class. For the first time within the current five-year period, the number of apartments sold in Ho Chi Minh City is higher than the number of new offers, with 20,200 units sold in the middle segment.
Generally, the sales in 2017 were favorable, although the total sales are down compared to 2016. Along with the positive macro economies, the primary price in 2017 continued its upward trend, with average growth of 3%. Additionally, the price-increase rate of the middle segment is highest, reaching 5%.
Hanoi: The Domestic Enterprise Are Kings
In 2017, there were 35,000 apartments offered by the domestic investors, which set a new supply record. Among those 35,000 apartments, there were 22,000 apartments, accounted for 64%. The middle segment was the majority of the pie, which signaled that the buyers are paying more attention to the real value of the property.
This year, 2018, the amount of units sold is forecast to reach 28,000 units located in the prime location of the capital of Vietnam, such as Dong Da and Ba Dinh District. Therefore, the primary price of the high-class segment is going to increase by 3-5% compared to 2017.
Source: Cafef.vn
Little H


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Where Johnathon gives you great civic advice.
by johndsykes86
I wont tell you to go vote or try to sell you my candidate because to be honest, my candidate does not exist in the real world and Shannon Boxx has shown no stomach for public office.
I will tell you that if by some chance you happen to wander into a booth tomorrow and try to vote, may I recommend an alternative to the political binary we have today. Someone who is steadfast in…something. Someone who can fight logic and make all of your wildest dreams come true.


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Set of three black-lacquered wood chairs with high backrest and ivory marquetry decoration of grotesque masks, foliaged scrollwork and figures inset under arcades. Detached column supports, trapezoid-shaped seat atop baluster legs joined by H-shaped cross-bar
Italy, Late 19th Century
Height: 126 cm (49-1/2 in.) - Width: 60 cm (23-1/2 in.).
Provenance :
- Item(s) quantity: 1
- Expertissim Reference: 2012120681


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The front cover of The Works, a new edition of selected poems by the late George Starbuck, features the most shamelessly misleading blurb I've ever written. Someone at the University of Alabama Press saw my review of an earlier Starbuck collection in the San Francisco Chronicle and extracted the words "It's impossible to resist the language" from the sentence, "It's impossible to resist the language of masonry and carpentry when describing Starbuck's work" (emphasis added).
But I'm not really upset. Part of me suspects I got what I deserved for peddling hyperbole in the first place. ("Impossible to resist … "? What's the matter with me?) And while distorting a positive review in order to gin up a positive blurb seems kind of pathetic, at least the publisher didn't misrepresent my opinion. Starbuck is one of the great geniuses of 20th-century American poetry and profoundly undervalued. The Works has been out for almost a year, and I have yet to see it reviewed. Anything that helps move copies is OK with me.
Starbuck himself probably would have been tickled by the marketing maneuver—the irony would've appealed to his cynical side. No poet was more disdainful of language that had been co-opted, coerced, or put in somebody's mouth. And no poet was more scrupulously attentive to words and to the ways in which even the subtlest manipulation of words can bring about seismic shifts in meaning. Starbuck, who was born in 1931, is actually the reason loyalty oaths are illegal in the United States. When the State University of New York-Buffalo fired him in 1963 for refusing to sign one, he fought the university all the way to the Supreme Court and prevailed.
It's not especially surprising that Starbuck is now so overlooked: Critics today tend to view wit as a poor substitute for humor. Starbuck's major poems are all the things major poems should be—subtle, intelligent, moving—but their distinguishing mark is almost always cleverness, and cleverness is not a quality prized in contemporary poets. There's much more room in the canon, at this point, for the breezy humor of Frank O'Hara and Kenneth Koch than for Starbuck's elaborately plotted pranks and rococo word-castles.
The best way to approach Starbuck's work is to first drink three cups of Starbucks' French Roast. His poems demand the same sort of hyperattentiveness to language that produced them; they're packed with allusion, neologism, wordplay, jumps from elevated to demotic diction, and technical pyrotechnics. In "Desperate Measures," the increasing hysteria of the speaker—a scandal-addled Richard Nixon—registers in the slow unraveling of the end rhyme:
Bad enough with pot fiends rioting in the streets.
But blackmail! Trading on another person's dirty secrets.
It's worse than being a classified-documents-leaker, it's
Diabolicaller it's slimier it's sneakier it'sBlackmail! Oh Momma I just don't care anymore.
They can drag our impetuous ardor in all its sordor
Into the glare of the lawcourts and the even horrider
Glint in the eye of the would-be boudoir toreador
The Suck-of-the-Month subscriber the PlayboyPortfolioreader
The plain-brown-wrapper Scenes-from-the-Life-of-Ann-Corioorderer—
This may seem formally extravagant, but it's nothing compared to Starbuck's "A Tapestry for Bayeux," written in dactylic monometer, with a 156-letter rhymed acrostic threaded through it; or his "Elegy in a Country Church Yard," a panoramic concrete poem more than 5 feet wide; or his "Verses To Exhaust My Stock of Four-Letter Words," which includes "zoöoögenous," "bullllamas," "disagreeee" (the counterpart to "disagreeor"), and, for good measure, "archchurchmen"; or his Space-Saver Sonnets, which compress 14 lines of Shakespearean pentameter into 14 syllables of rhymed paraphrase:
My Mistress' Eyes Are NothingYes,
This is all great fun, of course, and hard as hell to do. But poetry critics have never embraced the labor theory of value.
Starbuck wasn't a marginal figure during his lifetime. A Yale Younger Poet while still in his 20s, he went on to win the Lenore Marshall prize and direct the creative writing program at the University of Iowa. And he enjoyed a certain credibility among poets across the stylistic spectrum, having shown a mastery of both traditional forms (such as the sonnet)and their subversion (the space-saver sonnet), as well as a general respect for experiment. But the poetry world didn't know what to do with him. His idiosyncrasies made him difficult to categorize and impossible to imitate. He worked extensively in forms that aren't currently fashionable and some that may never be. Though he studied under Robert Lowell in the now-legendary Boston University workshop that included Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, the years have been kinder to their confessional explorations than to his concrete poems and clerihews.
Still, the narrow tastes of taste-makers may not be entirely to blame for Starbuck's neglect. There may be—I write this tentatively, because Starbuck's rich, dense poems can take years to appreciate—finally, a narrowness to his achievement.
Good poets know that formal limitations can be liberating. "Blessed be all metrical rules," Auden wrote, "that forbid automatic responses, force us to have second thoughts, free us from the fetters of Self." But severe limitations, sometimes, are merely limiting, even to a Houdini like Starbuck. Something about his fastidious method—the non-negotiability of every word—seems to restrict his tonal range, locking certain poems into a precocity they can't grow out of. This isn't necessarily a problem; in many of his political poems, particularly, archness and circumlocution are the perfect weapons to deploy against the dissemblers he's sending up. But in a whimsical poem like "The Staunch Maid and the Extraterrestrial Trekkie" ("hommages à Julia Child"), the showmanship can get a bit tedious:
Stand back, stand back,
Thou blob of jelly.
Do not attack
A maid so true.
I didn't pack
My Schiaparelli
To hit the sack
With a thang like you [ … ]
And so on for 13 more octaves. Reading some of Starbuck's poems is akin to watching a man who has taught himself to solve a Rubik's Cube with his feet while parasailing. You're amazed that he can do it, and you're amazed that he would want to. Learning that Starbuck left behind "a large box of never finished palindrome poems," I half-lamented the fact that he'd ever started them. What else might he have done with that time?
"For me," Starbuck once said, "the long way round, through formalisms, word-games, outrageous conceits (the worst of what we mean by 'wit') is the only road to truth. No other road takes me."
But some of his best poems belie this. From time to time an event would move him to speak directly. What came out was devastating. Anthony Hecht, in his introduction to The Works, writes that "his poem 'Of Late' is not merely the best 'protest poem' about the Vietnam War that I know [but] the only one of any merit whatever." It begins:
"Stephen Smith, University of Iowa sophomore, burned what
he said was his draft card"
and Norman Morrison, Quaker, of Baltimore Maryland, burned
what he said was himself.
You, Robert McNamara, burned what you said was
a concentration
of the Enemy Aggressor.
No news medium troubled to put it in quotes.
Even when Starbuck loosened the formal fetters only a little, his voice would open like a morning glory. "For an American Burial," which may be the best sonnet ever written by an American, contains these lines:
The earth is fair;
all that the earth demands is the earth's share;
all we embrace and revel in and vow
never to lose, always to hold somehow,
we hold of earth, in temporary care.
Starbuck's technical dexterity is easy to admire, but language like that is impossible to resist.


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In a world first, Australian and Dutch researchers have shown how new imaging technology can greatly improve the diagnosis of prostate cancer.
While this technology involves magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, which has been in use in Australia for two years, they are the first to publish high-quality research showing it works.
Their study, published in the journal European Urology, showed it halved the number of men needing to proceed to a prostate biopsy.
It also reduced the problem of over-diagnosis of non-life threatening disease by about 90 per cent.
In diagnosing life-threatening prostate cancer, this new technique had a sensitivity of 92 per cent. This compares with 70 per cent for men who have the standard biopsy performed through the rectum.
The research was conducted out of Brisbane's Wesley Hospital by urologist Les Thompson and specialist radiologist Rob Parkinson, together with research fellow Morgan Pokorny from Queensland University of Technology.
They collaborated with Europe's "Mr Prostate", Jelle Barentsz, a professor at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands.
Improved accuracy
The new technology is known as mpMRI which stand for multi-parametric MRI – because it uses several parameters. Not only does it significantly improve accuracy of diagnosis, but it has the potential to save men pain, discomfort and infection. It can save them from having multiple biopsies.
The standard biopsy through the rectum is guided by ultrasound can involve 12 to 30 needles randomly fired into the prostate to detect cancer.
With mpMRI followed by an MRI guided biopsy, as few as two needles may be required because the suspicious area has been so well defined.
"With MRI biopsies you know you are in the lesion because you can take a picture of the needle in the lesion," says Ron Shnier, of Southern Radiology.
Surgeon's task easier
He has been working in the area of MRI imaging for prostate for a decade. In the last two years, as technology has improved and more data has become available, he says the use of MRI in this cancer has grown exponentially.
The latest study is "ground breaking" and another step in solving the diagnosis dilemma.
He says there will be a positive flow-on for men seeking surgery. Rather than going into the operation with 20 or 30 biopsy holes in their prostate, which could be inflamed or scarred, they will be going in with two to four holes, which will make the surgeon's task easier.
The study involved 223 men with high blood levels of PSA, prostate specific antigen, who had both a standard biopsy and mpMRI imaging of their prostates.Those whose MRI images pointed to high-risk cancer underwent MRI guided biopsy to pinpoint cancer.
The Australian Financial Review
Tags: latest equipment for prostate cancer operations, prostate cancer equipment, prostate new instruments, prostate update


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Friday Funnies – svsvt
It's Friday.
End of the week.
Start of the weekend.
Pull up a chair, and grab the beverage and snack of your choice.
Time to get your giggle on.
Friday Funnies –
Smiles From Around The World Wide Web
Complied by Gina Valley
Have you fanned me up on Facebook? If not, here's your chance! Click on over and hit "like" so you don't miss a giggle (be sure to hover and select "Show in News Feed" while you're at it, so Facebook will show you all the giggles).
Be sure to visit the Gina Valley Facebook page and to "like" me up.
Consider this your formal invitation to check out all of my boards on Pinterest.
This Week On The Gina Valley Blog:
My Start With Forgiveness post included my verse Beyond.
My recent humor posts include
Friday Funnies – sdnvt (a weeks worth of funnies),
Please Tell Me THAT'S Not My Super Power (life as the designated sniffer),
Can You Hear Me Now? (kids don't seem to hear a word we say),
Tuesday Tickles – svtvt (a week's worth of funny quips),
The Long & Winding Questioned Paved Road (question-o-matic kids in the car),
It's The MOST Wonderful Time Of The Year (some of life's unanswerable questions).
I hope they gave you some giggles, too.
Laugh Out Loud!
What made you smile this week? Did you have a good week? Any big plans this weekend? Have you scheduled time to relax? I'm looking forward to hearing about it! Shoot me a comment with all the details!


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Nigerian government on Monday warned power distribution companies in the country to step up their service delivery or quit. Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works, Power and Housing, gave the warning at the opening ceremony of the 11th Monthly Stakeholders meeting in Lagos.His words: "We all know the issues around metering and billing system; we must build the trust and confidence that customers' complains will be addressed.
"We need to do whatever is possible in our various distribution areas to improve the quality of service and continue to train our personnel to recognise that customer is king. "If we cannot provide or solve their problems, we own it a duty to explain what we are doing. We own it a duty to fish out a few members of staff, not all, because we have some dedicated staff. "I am conscious of the challenges the operators are facing. We are working as hard as we can to make the environment more responsive to you and as I have said and will repeat that as pioneers, you will carry some burdens.
"You will have to sacrifice, perhaps more than what you have done,'' he said. Fashola also noted that without the customers and the consumers, there would be no business. "I think that all of us in the public and private sector must understand that. If you don't have the skill and the patient to serve, leave. "But I am optimistic that things will get better, I am optimistic that we can win together and we can win for the Nigeria people.
"Local and international partners would have shown commitment and inspiring appetite to play in this market. "We are trying to see what we can do together in order to bring the liquidity issues under some control and from there eventually solve it. "Our partners in government are also inspiring and show understanding of what the challenges are. So, it is quick decision making now."


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In the recent Oklahoma news coverage about our state ranking 48th in Education Week's annual education quality rankings, the headlines seemed to say it all: Oklahoma is failing, the education system is broken, and the state needs better teachers. Oklahoma's outgoing Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi, responding to the report that gave low marks for student performance and outcomes, blamed teacher preparation for the ongoing problem.
Let's put this in perspective. It's important to note that, although the Oklahoma ranking is discouraging, this is not only a state challenge, it's a national one.
Oklahoma earned an overall score of 67.6, while the nation as a whole posted a grade of C with 74.3 out of a possible 100 points.
In Education Week's rankings, the nation as a whole scored less than 7 points higher than our state. Collectively, the national education system isn't working either.
Now, the more important question: Why?
The family dynamic has changed over the years. There are more shared families, more homes with both parents who work full time, more latchkey kids and less parental involvement in school. When I was growing up, the school was a community. It was where you had your ice cream socials, your dances and your community meetings. We've lost that school-centric community, but I believe it's not too late to bring it back.
Due to the heavy requirements for testing, teachers have less time to do what they were trained to do – teach. Teachers need more time to teach. Currently, newly elected Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister is reviewing the amount of state-required testing in order to reduce it to a level that keeps teachers accountable, while still giving them more time to get what needs to be accomplished in the classroom.
Our state's failing educational system was part of the motivation behind launching the nonprofit OK2Grow. Three local entrepreneurs, myself included, wanted to stop talking about the workforce problems and start doing something to stop them. That meant addressing where the issues first begin: a lack of appropriate work skills.
Since our inception, OK2Grow leaders have seen how family involvement, education and firsthand experience truly does make a difference. Our Career Pathways Fairs have become a hub for the current student population to learn about future careers and the education requirements, while also connecting their parents with current job possibilities.
Our Dream It Do It initiative is dedicated to changing the perceptions of the manufacturing industry by educating students, parents and teachers about the innovative technology and significant salary opportunities. Most students don't realize a manufacturing job can provide an average annual salary of more than $60,000, while allowing them to learn and utilize cutting-edge technology. Dream helps them visualize real job opportunities and shows them the pathway to achieve them.
Most importantly, we are working to show parents and guardians that education is vital and to bring back that sense of community-centric education. A high school diploma backed by average grades gives a young person a passport to a wide range of educational or career training. Oklahoma students can have the opportunity to choose between community colleges, technical training from our CareerTech system or a university education from nationally recognized public and private institutions.
Through OK2Grow's three initiatives: Scholarships 2 Success for high school entrepreneurs, High School Completion Coalition and Dream It Do It NE Oklahoma, we are passionate about students and their families grasping the relevance of this situation. Education is truly the answer for our workforce issues and for our state's future.
Training for the next Oklahoma workforce is happening now. We invite you to be a part of it. Visit www.ok2grow.org.
Lynda Wingo is president of Miss Helen's Private School and a OK2Grow founding partner.


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2014 Innsbruck Program information session
Participating in the Summer Innsbruck Program is a wonderful opportunity for students in all majors. The program features the chance to study abroad in Austria, learn European culture, and have European speakers and site visits in your classes. Former students have called it "the best" or "one of the best" experiences of their college careers. In its 18th year, the 2014 Innsbruck Program will continue the exceptional international study experience of years past.
For more details about how you can attend this summer, don't miss the information meeting scheduled for:
- Wednesday, Nov. 13
- 5:30 p.m.
The early deadline to apply is Dec. 6. We look forward to seeing you at the information session!


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By LARRY WOODY
Sultry model Courtney Stodden recently donned a "lettuce bikini" to show her support for vegetarianism.
Where's a cutworm when you need one?
I don't know Ms. Stodden personally, but if you compared her IQ to a cumquat, I'd bet on the cumquat.
Anybody who would allow People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to talk them into walking around in public wearing nothing but lettuce leaves could be a pea shy of a pod.
What happens if Ms. Stodden goes out on a hot day and her bikini wilts? She could cause a traffic jam.
If she REALLY wants to attract attention she could wear some strategically-placed parsley sprigs.
Stodden's publicity stunt comes on the heels of a plan by fellow animal activists in a small town in upstate New York to provide birth control for deer.
Officials will spend $30,000 to trap and inoculate some of the female deer in an over-populated herd that is causing problems in neighborhoods. The deer are eating flowers, shrubs and every other sprout of vegetation in the area. (Ms. Stodden better not wear her lettuce outfit around there.)
The birth control injections won't permanently sterilize the does, only render them infertile for a year or two. If it works, maybe we could try it on the Kardashians.
The birth-control-for Bambi idea was spawned after a "Just Say No" campaign failed to put a damper on the deer's reproductive tendencies.
It won't work, of course. Deer are too prolific. They can't all be sterilized, and every doe that's not on the pill can produce from one to three fawns each spring. By the following fall, those female yearlings will be ready to go to the prom.
Also from the PETA front: this spring the organization protested "frog abuse" in Smithville. When the community's Future Farmers of America chapter announced that it was sponsoring a fund-raising frog hunt, PETA got hopping mad.
There's much worse things kids can do at night than go frog hunting. At least they're outdoors getting some fresh air and exercise instead of sitting on the sofa being turned into I-Pad zombies.
Frog legs are delicious to eat. Just remember to put the lid on the skillet when you plop them into the sizzling hot grease, or else they'll jump out. (That "thud" you just heard was a PETA person fainting.)
I suppose I shouldn't poke too much fun at PETA people, but it's hard to resist when you hear one remark that "there's no need to kill animals for meat when we can just go to the grocery store and buy some."
You can find more brains in a head of cabbage.
Which brings us back to Ms. Stodden, whose lettuce bikini "leaves" little to the imagination. She got attention, which was the purpose of the stunt, but I'm not sure it's the kind of attention that benefits PETA's cause.
In fact, it could invite trouble: when the lettuce starts to turn rank, it'll attract gnats and - horrors! - somebody is liable to swat one.
But I suppose there's no harm in Courtney wearing a lettuce bikini if it makes her happy, and who knows - maybe she'll meet a nice tomato and a slice of bacon and join them on a piece of toast somewhere.