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DFX enhances your music listening experience by improving the sound quality of MP3, Windows Media, Internet radio and other music files. DFX dramatically improves the sound quality of your favorite media players with 3D Surround, higher fidelity, booming bass and more, providing exceptional playback quality on your PC. The latest version includes a new Explore feature which provides you with quick access to music videos, song lyrics, similar artists, and more. DFX enhances the sound of all the best media players. Simply turn on DFX and be immersed in HD quality sound. That's it! With its standard settings you'll immediately be amazed at the added clarity and punch that your media player now provides. However, fine-tuning your audio settings is also an easy option. DFX has an intuitive interface with tooltips to guide you, along with a complete list of finely-tuned presets for all kinds of music. You can even create and save your own custom preset. You can also change the look of DFX by choosing from the many available DFX skins in the online skins library, or creating your own skin.
HD Quality Sound Enhancement
• 3D Surround Sound. Immerse yourself inside the music
• Booming HyperBass. Produce deeper, richer bass
• Stereo Ambience. Renew lost stereo depth and body
• High Fidelity Restoration. Eliminate that "muffled" sound
• Dynamic Audio Boost. Pump up the volume
• Spectrum Analyzer. "See" DFX enhance your sound
• Headphones Optimization. Hear more pleasant, natural sounds with headphones
• Multiple Processing Modes. Optimize sound quality for music, speech and other audio types
• Customizable Audio Presets. Select from many factory-tuned settings or create your own
• Preset to Song Association. Get the perfect sound for each song you play
File Size : 2.99 MB
This post was recently updated on July 24, 2012


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9 years ago
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
We've got....
Okay. I know that the blog readers will probably say that I'm being particular. However, in listening to my man Obama's press conference tonight, I could not help but notice the number of times that he used the phrase "We've got." We've got to be persistent. We've got to get our priorities straight. We've got to save AIG. We've got........ I mentioned this to my cute hubby and he said "He's just trying to get in touch with the average person." Well, that may be true, but really, can't the average person say "We have" or "We need"? As an average person, I think we can. Maybe that could be progress.
Obama, I love you man, but really you don't need to lose the "Harvard Review" to connect with "Main Street." They can go together.
Posted by Heather at 8:19 PM
1 comment:
- Haley said...
You've got a great point there, my friend. You've got some constructive criticism for our well educated, intelligent President. You've got to hope he listens to it.
Tee hee hee...
But seriously. I agree. After eight years of, "Did he just say that? Is that even a real word?" I've got a desire for more Harvard and less main street. It's not like they're mutually exclusive.
- March 25, 2009 at 9:40 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

subset: commoncrawl


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Many Governments Unprepared For Potential Dementia Epidemic, Report Says
"Many governments are woefully unprepared for an epidemic of dementia currently affecting 44 million people worldwide and set to more than treble to 135 million people by 2050, health experts and campaigners said on Thursday," Reuters reports. "Fresh estimates from the advocacy group Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) showed a 17 percent increase in the number of people with the … condition compared with 2010, and warned that by 2050 more than 70 percent of dementia sufferers will be living in poorer countries," the news service writes. "Leaders from the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized countries are due to meet in London next week for a special summit on dementia — a condition that includes Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), fronto-temporal dementia and many other causes of cognitive decline," the news service notes (Kelland, 12/4).


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Mariza Portugal
Mariza Nunes (born December 16, 1973 in Mozambique) is a fado singer-songwriter on the World Connection label. She moved to Portugal when she was three, and was raised in one of the most traditional quarters of Lisbon, Mouraria, where she learned how to sing fado. She has a Portuguese father but her mother is from Mozambique (the song Transparente is a tribute to her African grandmother). For the Olympic Games of Athens 2004 she collaborated with Sting for the duet "A Thousand Years"


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In Spring 2010, former Vice-Admiral Yoji Koda of the Maritime Self-Defense Force wrote an article for the US Naval War College Review on the rise of the Republic of Korea Navy (The Emerging Republic of Korea Navy: A Japanese Perspective). The whole article makes for an interesting read, but I've highlighted the main bilateral-oriented conclusion below – that there are a lot more similarities between the two navies than differences, and that the virtual alliance would benefit from formalization.
Nonetheless—and fully recognizing the challenges and issues that exist—there are many areas in which the capable Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the emerging Republic of Korea Navy can cooperate in the future.With regard to the strategic viewpoints of the two navies, the most important factor for both the JMSDF and ROKN to understand is that a contingency on the Korean Peninsula could affect Japan and that a contingency in Japan could affect South Korea. The United States, having independent alliances with each country, will respond to any contingency involving either state. In such a case, it will expect the JMSDF and ROKN to cooperate and coordinate between themselves, fully respecting the present situation, current capabilities, and existing limitations and constraints of both navies. Conversely, inadequate cooperation will not only help the adversary in a specific contingency but also serve a third party in the region. In the worst case it would greatly damage the national interests of both nations, as well as those of the United States.
Without question, the more the ROKN develops as a blue-water navy, the more conscious it will become of the Japanese archipelago, ranging from the southernmost Yonaguni Island, immediately east of Taiwan, to Hokkaido and the northern territorial islands of Japan. If so, the geography and geopolitics of the region would make it natural for the South Korean navy to strengthen its relationship with the JMSDF. The converse is true for the JMSDF as well. The two nations, both formidable, regional maritime powers, are destined to cooperate, in the interest of their common values.
Koda retired from service in 2008 after a year as the service's Commander-in-Chief (2007-8) and two years as Commander of the MSDF's Sasebo District (2005-7).
Check out the full article (PDF), here.
[via Tom Ricks, at Foreign Policy's The Best Defense]
Related posts:
A former contributor to World Intelligence (Japan Military Review), James Simpson joined Japan Security Watch in 2011, migrating with his blog Defending Japan. He has a Masters in Security Studies from Aberystwyth University and is currently living in Kawasaki, Japan.
His primary interests include the so-called 'normalization' of Japanese security (i.e. militarization), and the political impact of the abduction issue with North Korea.
James Simpson has 254 post(s) on Japan Security Watch


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Jon Bon Jovi sang it well, "Living on a Prayer," although probably not realizing the beautiful declaration it truly is. Living on a Prayer is exactly where Kristine and I have been finding ourselves over the past two years and especially within the past ten months.
I have been cautious about blogging on my own personal finances but have arrived at a place now that I believe what I am about to share can be huge encouragement to many who may find themselves in the same place.
We are a people who feel a false security in lives that are financially secure. We seek, pursue and wage war to have financial stability…but have no idea what that really means. Having a "little change in my pocket going jingalangalang" creates a facade of safety in our lives. It is fleeting and will soon be consumed and will demand a higher pursuit of gathering more to feed the proverbial monster, which causes our focus to be moved from sharing Christ with others to keeping the change "jingling."
And the cyclone continues.
In this church starting journey God has us traveling on he has constantly pushed us, encouraged us, and strengthened us. It has, from day one, been the biggest financial stretch God has ever placed us in. We left a city where we had financial security and a long standing job in ministry that was growing and wouldn't go away and arrived in a city with zero financial security and job that wasn't.
From month to month we watched as many faithful partners helped fund the ministry here in Seattle; as God gave us property and increased our vision for this city; and we watched as last January came and the money disappear and our pay checks cut in half and then vanish all together.
The reality of having no paycheck is, the bills continue. So God placed our family in the epicenter of a renewed shocking realization that we are living on his security not financial security. Literally we have gone months without any money coming into the Carpenter family household. The money our partners and tithing Body of believers here at Epic Life is going to continue ministry, starting the church and taking care of bills we are responsible for as a church.
But…God is still taking care of us. We are stretched to the point of breaking, but not breaking, because he doesn't give us more than we can handle and at the same time we literally have no income. Its so crazy.
Three years ago I had many people who asked me about the wisdom of leaving Winona, MN and the security that it represented and moving to something like starting a church and the intense insecurity it represents. One person said to me. "What are you going to do when you are in Seattle and you don't have a church around you to 'bail' you out?" And, there were many who said that it just wouldn't work. Others who tried to stop it all together. Were they right?
The fact is…God called us to start a church, a movement, a visionary journey of creative discipleship and reconciliation that will change a city. So in the long run it really doesn't matter if there is money available to live on or not, we will do what he has called us to do. Period.
Please don't feel sorry for us. Feel sorry for yourself if you have never been taken to brink of disaster and taught to lean on Jesus in greater ways. Sure our family doesn't have the money to keep up with our bills, we don't have the money to take a family vacation or set up a retirement and savings program or buy the latest flat screen TV or go to a movie or buy gas for our cars. But we do have Jesus and he tells us not to worry about our clothing and food…He will take care of us.
Honestly, I don't see it yet. I just told a gentleman here in the Green Bean coffee shop that I feel like a cliff jumper and I am falling through the air and my hand is on the rip cord but God is saying, "wait for it,wait for it," and I am waiting for his signal as the ground approaches at a wild speed.
Many of you who read this blog have been God's answer to prayer. Two of you have sent us huge gifts, taking care of our mortgage. Many of you sacrificially give on a monthly basis allowing God to stretch you. Most of you spend time praying for my family, Epic Life Church and the massive influence God is giving us here on Aurora in North Seattle as we encourage life transformation by finding an epic life in Jesus Christ.
I am confident in these points.
- We are in exactly the right place at the right time in the History of Seattle.
- God will provide in miraculous ways. He is Faithful!
- Epic Life Church will continue to grow and thrive on Aurora.
- God has provided the perfect leadership for Epic Life.
- Our Faith in Christ is solid.
- My wife is confidently by my side.
Now I believe it is time to write the book about the success of God's church in Seattle before it is. We are doing more than living on a prayer we are living on a calling.


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Dry Riesling 2017 1.5L
Our 2017 Dry Riesling is fresh and fragrant with gorgeous jasmine, honeyed white peach and grapefruit aromas. Dry, but succulent, the palate is powered by bright, mouthwatering acidity and a refreshing minerality that animates the wine's long and lively finish.
Seared Ahi, lemon chicken, green curries, and Southwestern dishes are a few of the matches for this versatile wine. It is also great for sipping while you're cooking!


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Elvira Zayas, a 19-year-old Mission poet and youth advocate, has endured months of legal battles, jail time and thousands of dollars in legal fees defending herself against alleged gang-related felony assault charges, later reduced to a single misdemeanor assault charge.
What had begun as an altercation last summer became blown up into a major case involving accusations of Latino gang affiliations, incarceration, and a $1 million bail.
Zayas is a well-known advocate within her community of queer volunteers, poet enthusiasts, and youth mentors. She isn't the first person to be charged with unproven gang associations and to serve undue jail time for it. What sets her apart is the loyalty of her supporters, who brought her story to the forefront of a movement to reduce racial profiling and gang injunctions within Latino communities.
Now, after several months of battles and an eroding case against her, Zayas is free pending trial on the reduced charge. Her case raises questions about the practice of bringing cases with so-called "gang enhancement," a designation that, if proven, carries much stiffer penalties for a given offense.
On August 29, police say that Zayas and two alleged Norteño gang members, Fidel Amezcua and D.J. Cambridge, were involved in an altercation. In the events that followed, Zayas was jailed for almost one month with a $1 million bail.
The teenaged activist for lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender and queer rights, had had no prior police record, and no known gang affiliation.
What actually happened on August 29 remains murky, but what is known is from the testimony of SF Police Department officers and the victim during the preliminary hearing includes details of an alleged assault by Zayas on 22nd and Shotwell streets after Amezcua and Cambridge asked the victim if he was a "Sureño."
The victim, unidentified in media reports, allegedly reached for his cell phone at one point, and proceeded to follow either Amezcua or Cambridge to a house where Zayas was allegedly present at the time. According to testimony she allegedly left the building and attacked him — a charge she denies. The victim then flagged down a passing police car and officers took two of the three defendants into custody.
Zayas was initially charged with dissuading a witness, assault with a gang enhancement, and participation in a gang. If convicted, she could have faced seven years in prison.
To add fuel to the fire, the alleged assault happened within the "Safety Zone" of the Mission District's gang injunction.
A gang injunction works much like a restraining order against specific individuals within a certain group. It's a controversial court order that prevents named people from interacting with "associates" or committing crimes such as loitering.
Currently, there is an active injunction against Norteños in the Mission District, specifically in what is seen as their "turf" between 23rd and Cesar Chavez streets, and Valencia Street to Potrero Avenue, according to the San Francisco City Attorney's office.
Based on maps provided by the SFPD and previous coverage by Mission Local, the Sureno gang territory includes 16th Street from Dolores to Folsom streets, becoming smaller to form a pyramid which ends at 22nd Street between Mission and Valencia streets.
The San Francisco District Attorney's office, according to spokesperson Alex Bastian, pro-actively dismissed the charges of dissuading the witness and gang participation before the preliminary hearing took place in September.
After the hearing, the D.A. office spokesman acknowledged that it didn't have enough evidence to charge Zayas with felonious assault.
But questions remain about why this happened, and why Zayas was held with a $1 million bail.
During the hearing, the victim was describing what happened to him and abruptly stopped mid-questioning.
"I want the police to go," he said to the court through a Spanish-speaking translator, "I want them to go and I just want to move on with my life."
Presiding Judge Raymond Arata thought that the witness was scared and was somehow being intimidated.
"The evidence that has been put forth so far involves multiple inconsistent statements by the complaining witness including his testimony in court," wrote Autumn Paine, Elvira Zayas's private attorney, to Mission Local in an email as the hearing was taking place. "Further, his testimony was, in part, inconsistent with his prior statements to the police."
It was also acknowledged throughout the hearing that Zayas had a Cuban flag tattoo on her body, and that such a tattoo, according to officers and the prosecution, may imply gang affiliation with the colors it represented.
Zayas's supporters said that her tattoo represented family origins, and had nothing to with gangs.
Many of the community members who know Zayas, and came out to support her during the preliminary hearing think racial profiling and the presence of gang injunctions in communities such as the Mission are to blame for Zayas's prolonged incarceration.
Along with community members, Zayas's mother, also named Elvira Zayas, a Cuban native, was a constant source of encouragement and strength during the hearing.
"Pero yo he estado fuerte y guerrera siempre, y hoy mas que nunca, por que tengo a todos ustedes peleando conmigo," said the elder Zayas to youth who came out to support her daughter. Her statement translates as: "But I have always been strong and a fighter, and today more then ever, because I have all of you resisting alongside me."
Members of Youth Speaks, a nonprofit advocacy group for spoken word performance where Zayas helped nurture writing, came every day with other supporters to show solidarity inside the courtroom and to picket outside the San Francisco Hall of Justice in an effort to get her charges reduced.
"Neighborhoods are on lockdown," said Erika Céspedes, a coordinator for Youth Speaks, during the preliminary hearing. "There is less investment in community and more profit being made in locking brown and black people up."
After dismissing her public defender because of what she and her family thought was cultural insensitivity, Zayas hired Paine to advocate on her behalf.
With a private attorney comes legal fees. Community members, including Céspedes set up a "wepay" donation webpage to help Zayas with the costs associated with the case. As the case has been prolonged, Zayas's expenses continued to mount toward $10,500. Zayas's supporters have raised $7,885, according to her donation website.
Zayas appeared in court every day of the hearing with shaped eyebrows and braided hair. Her round face smiled readily at the sight of friends and family in the gallery.
On the night of her release, the elder Zayas was overjoyed.
"I feel great," said the mother as she was walking out of the courtroom, prior to a long-awaited reunion with her child. "I am proud of my daughter. I never imagined that this would happen to Elvira."
The younger Zayas has repeatedly declined to be interviewed for this story.
According to the ACLU of Northern California website, no California gang injunction has targeted a white gang. The people named in the injunction are not notified of the restrictions placed upon them.
State officials, for their part, contend that injunctions reduce crime rates within neighborhoods known for gang violence.
The Norteno gang injunction became permanent in 2008. Read more about the 2008 gang injunction here.
Officials cite statistics of lowered crime rates based the reduced recidivism of the named gang members in the injunction. The website of the San Francisco City Attorney's Office lays out its case for the program.
However, the numbers do not represent the full picture of crime within the safety zone, as offenses that take place within the injunction are not counted in the overall crime rates of the individuals.
Crime outside the injunction is decreasing, but this past year has seen a spike in murders in the Mission, many happening within the "safety zone, raising questions whether injunctions reduce crime rates or deter crime.
"In a world where youth are made to feel like criminals, the gang injunctions are a reflection of how society doesn't support young folks," said Céspedes.
Although Zayas wasn't a gang member, it was seen, according to the case against her, that she associated with known gang members in the Mission safety zone.
"We take it serious[ly] when people violate the law," Bastian said when asked about Zayas's exorbitant bail amount.
What remains of the case against Elvira Zayas is one misdemeanor assault charge in which she must go to trial for with the two co-defendants who are facing felony charges.
According to the District Attorney's office, Zayas will go to trial in mid-January.
Zayas, released on September 25 to an exultant family and friends, has pleaded not guilty.


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Something has accessed my yahoo mail account and sent a message to all my contacts. The message says
My friend, http://sites.google.com/site/ftofte... - it is check=
ed up (1mavvzobmz)=0A=0A=0A
I have not opened the link, it looks quite serious.
Change your password for YahooMail and please remove the link
in your original post.
"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us..."
Yes, I immediately changed my password, but if my account has been hacked, it shows it can be done again, I will be making sure that people know that Yahoo mail security is not up to scratch.
Don't know how to edit original post.


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Introduction: The Brain Stormer_Version1_ Brain Cloud
Sometimes finding your thoughts can seem like an impossible task. Right?
A challenge we as designers take seriously when in a job, a class, and not to mention a life where you find that a simple brain storming exercise turns into this vast exploration of space?!!!
Call it getting lost!
When was the last time you ever got stuck in your thoughts when brain storming for new ideas?
"La tete dans les nuages" the French say.
"Your head is in the clouds!", my teachers would repeat.
WiBi the Winky Brain has found a way to embrace the cloud he has been paying visits to. He took on some of the storm's characteristics such as lightning - is working on thunder - and redesigned himself to become a brainstorming session must have!
Step 1: What You Need... Have Some Fun... Be Silly... Very Silly!
Electronic parts:
Adafruit MPR121 12-Key Capacitive Touch Sensor and 9V battery
Arduino Uno and breadholder mounted on arduino Holder
Regular breadboard mounted into arduino holder
Solid core wires in different colors
6 x 560 Ohm resistors
6 x LEDs ---------- Experiment with colors!
Plush Cloud:
Choose your fabric: I chose white felt
Conductive fabric
Cotton or stuffing fabric.
Experiment your light diffusions!
Soldering iron & solder
Wire snippers/strippers
Box cutter/Multi-tool
Sewing tools/machine
Figure out your code and mount your circuit on your Arduino first
If you are not yet acquainted with coding - like me - experimenting, experimenting, experimenting is the best way to learn! You can find below a presentation from Adafruit that helped me understand MPR121 and of course the great resource that is Adarfuit:
Try to experiment how a storm would be and visualize it with LED lights in a cloud...
How would it look to you?
Step 2: How
I am using a regular breadboard and so to minimize risks of wires getting loose I would recommend you replace loose wires with stronger well fitted customized wires that you would cut and then insert and mount. Also it would help you when soldering!
Step 3: Draw Your Brain/Cloud and This Is Where WiBi Will Wink Back at You!
Step 4: Solder Your LEDs and Resistors and Connect Them to Your Arduino Board As Shown Here:
Depending on your cloud size think your wires size through
Once you figure out where each LED goes and where you want your push buttons ( conductive fabric ) to go, start sewing! Let' s make BrainClouds!
Step 5: Finishing and Shaping
Make holes inside the fabric to fuse your pins and Arduino boards with your LEDs and your conductive fabric...
Isolate your conductive fabric so they don't touch when you squoo000sh them...
Don't forget to mimic a semi brainy cloud!
Sewing your magical Brain Cloud is all you need to do and you are free to BrainStorm!
Be the First to Share
Great lighting effects. You should enter it in the Make It Glow contest.


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Classic House Music
The rise and popularization of house music over the last ten years has been massive. With electronic music hitting the airwaves and mainstream pop radio, the discovery of house music for the mainstream culture and media has become much more prevalent. Music that was "underground," twenty years ago is now playing in coffee shops, clubs and developed music-niche's online and through hipster subcultures. House music originated in the 1980's in Chicago as popular "electronic dance music." The term "house music" is thought to have originated as a reference to a Chicago nightclub called The Warehouse, which existed from 1977 to 1983. With the creation of drum machines and synth musicians were able to explore new ways of making music with the 4/4 beats and rhythms. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley even proclaimed August 10, 2005 to be "House Unity Day" in Chicago, in celebration of the "21st anniversary of house music" (or rather, the 21st anniversary of the founding of Trax Records, an independent Chicago-based house label.)
As the notoriety and awareness of house music rises, with the ability to create several types of sounds thanks to technology and evolution of beat making machines, computer programs and the like, the genre has branched into various sub genres; electro house, jump house, euro house, tech house and so on.
Soul and disco music were influencing genres in the creation of house music, with songs like Donna Summer's, "I Feel Love," and Cerrone's "Supernature." As house has morphed into a mainstream indulgence many popular artists like Bjork, Madonna, C+C Music Factory and Daft Punk weaved in elements of house into their music. The dance-based grooves are easy for people to digest and "get into a feel-good zone"
More recently, the influence of the old house sound has resurfaced through artists like Daft Punk, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Fedde Le Grand, Armand Van Helden, and Dada Life. Swedish progressive house has also trickled through mainstream media with the emergence of Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, Steve Angello, Kaskade, Avicii (who currently dominates pop radio,) and Alesso. Festival season is around the corner and that means festivals like Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, and Electric Daisy Carnival will be bumping with house-inspired music.
The Main Players
Recently the House music community suffered a major loss when the "Godfather of House," Frankie Knuckles passed away. DJ Frankie Knuckles combined elements of disco, electronic sound, soul and synth into a new genre earned him the title 'Godfather of House Music,'" Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said. Knuckles worked as a remixer with top artists including Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. He won a Grammy in 1997 as nonclassical remixer of the year.
During the mid 1980's the Detroit Techno sound also became popular when legendary disc jockey The Electrifying Mojo began a radio program featuring artists like, Inner City, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins. The Detroit EDM and house appreciation continues still today with the Movement Electronic Music Festival an annual electronic dance music event held in Detroit each Memorial Day, carrying on tradition and featuring performances by musicians and DJ's. The preservation around the culture of house music is almost as important as the creation of the music itself.
What people are saying about it:
- "Not everyone understands House music; it's a spiritual thing; a body thing; a soul thing." Eddie Amador
- "House Music is a Feeling,… a feeling that will never die."- Anonymous
- "House is our release, house is our sanctuary…can you feel it like I feel it?"
- "If you're in this business for the money, fame, and women, get out of the way of those who are serious musicians. Yes, there are DJ/producers who are serious musicians but DJs first. You know who you are. You are the heroes who work in the trenches weekly, at those little dives off the beaten path with half-ass sound systems and club owners who don't take your craft seriously. Still, you know how important your work is. This is your life's work. I thank God everyday that I survived long enough to see the craft we live become a serious profession. " Frankie Knuckles
- "Drugs are not the reason that the music took off. House music's universal appeal comes from the energy, beauty, soulful sexiness, and gut-wrenching vocal performances that have inspired so many spin-off ideas." Frankie Knuckles
To go back to the roots of house and remember where this danceable, vibey- music came from below is a playlist of twenty classic house songs from the early 1980's and 1990's that has shaped the sounds you hear today:
- "Mystery of Love," and "Can You Feel It?" by Mister Fingers
- "On and On" by Chicago DJ Jesse Saunders and co-written by Vince Lawrence
- "Move Your Body" by Marshall Jefferson
- "Everybody Everybody" by Black Box
- "Acid Tracks," by Phuture who experimented with the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer in this 12-minute track. They're credited as being one of the first to use the TB-303 in the house music context.
- "Bango" The Todd Terry Project
- "Big Fun" by Inner City who popularized the Detroit Techno sound
- "Work it to the Bone" by LNR
- "In a Vision" by Virgo
- "Girl I'll House You" by the Jungle Brothers
- "French Kiss" by Lil Louis
- "(Who?) Keeps Changing Your Mind" by South Street Players
- "What Time is Love" by The KLF
- "To Be Real" by Ladycop
- "Deep Inside" by Hardrive
- "Break for Love" by Raze
- "'COFFEE POT (IT'S TIME FOR THE PERCOLATOR)' by Cajmere
- "Tears" by Frankie Knuckles Presents Satoshi Tomiie
- "I'll Be Your Friend (Original Def Mix)" by Robert Owens
- "Can You Party" by Royal House
Whether you're already deeply in love with house or you're exploring the genre as an entirely listener, there's a lot of history to dig your teeth into. With the many subgenres of house and electronic dance music, there's a song for every ear. Start with the classics, by understanding the root and history of where your music came from you gather an even deeper respect and appreciation.
House Music students also learn
Empower your team. Lead the industry.
Get a subscription to a library of online courses and digital learning tools for your organization with Udemy for Business.


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European football fans have a largely well-deserved reputation for drunk and disorderly conduct. There is a reason the term "soccer hooligan" exists, after all.
A crowd of Irishmen proved the exception to the rule this week, however, when they worked together to fix a damaged car.
According to the Daily Mail, a pack of green-clad, tchotchke-draped fans of the Republic of Ireland National Football Team were in Lyon, France cheering on the boys in green at the Euros football tournament. As they wandered the streets before the match against Italy, they came upon a parked car with a huge dent in the roof, seemingly caused by someone jumping on it or running across it. Since they were in such high spirits, i.e. drunk as lords, they set about showing the car's owner a little Irish hospitality.
At first, many of the friendly fans tried to stuff money through the tops of the car's doors and through cracked windows in an attempt to reimburse the owner for the damage. As they did so, other fans started banging their palms on the roof at the edges of the dent.
"Fix the car for the boys in green!" they chanted as they tried their best to help.
After a few seconds of banging and chanting, and with a little bit of the old luck of the Irish, the dent popped back out. A huge cheer went up from the crowd, and there was much jumping and singing and back-slapping as they celebrated their good-natured altruism. Later that day, Ireland went on to trounce Italy in an historic win that advanced them to the next round of the competition.


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For a lot of students, they start the academic year in September and finish in June; staying in the same city throughout. This means they need accommodation in the same city for that whole period of time. However, this isn't the case for everyone.
Some students may need to be in a different city for a period of time during their course because of placements or exchange semesters in the UK, and some students may be completing a short course which only lasts for a single semester and therefore don't require a full year of accommodation. If that's you, and you need short term accommodation in London, look no further.
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I am interested in learning more about your programs and getting involved..
Thank you,
Hi Dave,
We'd love for you to get involved! Our upcoming Clowning workshop is on Saturday, November 29th. This workshop is provided free of charge:
DATE: Saturday, November 29, 2014
TIME: Noon to 5 pm
LOCATION: GF Strong Rehab Centre* (gymnasium), 4255 Laurel Street, Vancouver BC (one block east of Oak St. one block south of West King Edward Ave.)
FACILITATOR: Cat Main (assisted by Jeffrey Renn, David Roche)
Info about the Clowning workshop appears on our Latest News page (scroll down): http://realwheels.ca/category/the-spin/
Please visit our website for more info.
We also have a fundraiser coming up on Sunday, November 23rd at 7 pm, which you can also read about on our site. Love to see you there!
If you have any questions or want to register for the workshop, please email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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It's probably too late to book an affordable ticket to Dallas for this weekend's Texas Frightmare convention, but it may be worth it. Mondo has revealed some crazy cool new posters for Scream, Jaws, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and more that'll exclusively debut at the event.
That's the Scream one above. The Roy Lichtenstein-inspired piece by Gary Pullin is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out these pieces as well.
G/O Media may get a commission
For sizes, costs, and more for all of these posters, visit this link. For more on Texas Frightmare, click here.


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Question: Please, Michael, I am dying for some scoop on National Bingo Night. Will the B and the N finally hook up? Are the rumors about one of the vowels dying true?
Answer: That wouldn't even get a laugh in the Catskills, George. A tomato in your face maybe, but not a laugh.


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Geography Professor Publishes Third e-Book
William Romey writes about the geology and geography of Russia.
Published April 02, 2009
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How do we prepare ourselves to tackle the cybercrimes that threaten our personal and professional identities? This 7 week long course on Cybersecurity and Governance will prepare you tackle these issues.
AI for Materials: From Discovery to Production
This interdisciplinary Symposium covers the application of artificial intelligence (AI) throughout the entire life cycle of new materials — from materials simulations and synthesis to translating research into high-volume industrial production.
Frontiers in Circadian Medicine
Biological rhythms are relevant for almost every aspect of an organism's life from physiology to social behavior. Most recently a growing body of research explores the circadian clock's involvement with human disease. Join us for a one-day symposium highlighting these translational aspects of chronobiology research.
Your personal brand or your professional reputation has a direct influence on your impact as a scientist, contributor, team player and leader. The way you are perceived is how you will be defined. The only way of changing or influencing that, is by being aware of that image and taking assertive steps to improve it.
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This evening panel will explore current scientific discoveries regarding our understanding of death and cardiac arrest. Topics include: the impact of recent discoveries related to brain protection strategies, reversing cardiac arrest and death, consciousness, the human experience of cardiac arrest, and transformational experiences of death.
Academy Member NseAbasi NsikakAbasi Etim, PhD is promoting science beyond boundaries. Read on to learn about her work in our virtual mentoring programs.
Working in engineering and construction since World War II, Academy Member Ethel Romm brings a unique energy and perspective to our Lyceum Society.
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Available exclusively to our Member community, Member-to-Member Mentoring is a self-directed mentoring program that matches early career scientists and engineers with experienced STEM professionals for advice and coaching.
This inaugural issue of The Year in Climate Science Research presents five reviews and four original articles describing current research in various areas of the climate sciences.
This concise issue of The Year in Neurology and Psychiatry contains papers on the genetics of cerebral small-vessel disease, human pluripotent stem cell–derived models and CNS drug screening, small molecule targeting of RNA structures in neurological disorders, and glial evolution as a determinant of human behavior and its disorders.
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For 200 years—since 1817—the Academy has brought together extraordinary people working at the frontiers of discovery. Among the oldest scientific organizations in the United States, it has become not only an enduring cultural institution in New York, but also one of the most significant organizations in the global scientific community.
Published April 02, 2009


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First Anniversary of Ringing Bells
Ringing Bells Company is celebrating their First Anniversary now. So, Ringing Bells introduced Ringing Bells Loyalty Program to the customers. Ringing Bell 251 mobile is free for customers who are joining RB Loyalty Program.
Specifications of Ringing Bells Freedom 251 Mobile
Widget not in any sidebars
General Specifications
- 1450 mAH Battery
- 3G Support
- 3.2 MP Primary Camera
- 0.3 MP Front Camera
- 4.0 inch qHD Display
- 1.3 GHz Quad Core Processor
Watch your favourite videos and pictures in 4-inch qHD IPS display. The mobile comes with qHD display of resolution 480×800 pixels.
Take sharp and clear photos using the 3.2 MP back camera and record HD videos. Don't worry about taking pictures in nighttime as phone has LED Flash. Take good quality selfies pictures using the front 0.3 MP camera.
Connect mobile with internet and surf the pages in high speed using 3G connection. Also, connect mobile to any available Wi-Fi networks and browse internet.
Freedom 251 has 1 GB RAM with internal memory of 8 GB. Expand memory up to 32 GB as mobile supports SD cards. Store your favourite videos, songs and other files in internal and external memory. The mobile runs on 1.3 GHz Quad Core Processor that makes user to use mobile fast and smoothly without any lag.
Enjoy 8 hours of talk time and 100 hours of standby using 1450-mAH battery. Watch videos and play songs for long time.
Operating System
The mobile runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) OS, which combines with quad core processor, whichmakes fast performance.
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There are three membership plans for customers. The customers should choose any one of membership plans to join RB Loyalty Program. The three different membership plans are given below,
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If the customers joins Silver Membership plan for one year, they can get 1 Ringing Bell 251 for free and 5% discount on all RBPL products.


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1. Create a new image (1024x1024 for example)
2. Zoom in significantly (500% for example)
3. Select a brush
4. Click on a point of the left of the canvas
5. Without changing the zoom level, move to the right of the canvas
6. While holding shift, click on a point of the right of the canvas.
7. Zoom out
You see a straight line starting somewhere in the right-half of the canvas, and finishing where you clicked on step 6. Notice how the line doesn't connect the first click point (step 4) with the second one (step 6), but it has the right direction.
Desired Outcome
Pixelmator should have created a straight line from the first point to the second, without any gaps in between.
macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
MBP 15" 2018 - 2.6Ghz i7 - 32GB Ram - Radeon Pro 560X
Pixelmator 1.1.3 Monsoon
Disconnected line when drawing straight line and zooming in
Is something not working like it should? Let us know.
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Delhi College of Engineering's entrance exam – the DCE / NSIT CEE 2008 (Common Entrance Exam) is going to be held on 31st May 2008. Curiously however, there's hardly any stuff available online as far as papers or preparatory material is concerned. Quite odd, given the fact that a LOT of students give this exam from Delhi. Anyway, I did manage to track a question archive down. Click here to download the DCE / NSIT CEE Previous Year Question Archive (2006-2007). It's a zipped archive containing the PDF files of question papers (with solutions) for all three parts (physics, chemistry, math). These solutions were created by Amity Institute of Competitive Studies.
Note that these papers are 'memory-based' – that is, some bloke who sat for the exam was made to recollect and write down all the questions with their options. That'd be the case because you aren't allowed to take the question paper with you after the exam is over. Therefore, some questions might have been missed out, or the wordings may be different – but the point here is that you WILL get a general idea of how the paper is.
DCE / NSIT CEE is generally tough to get through in, simply because the numbers of seats is quite less; and a lot of students and / or their parents don't allow mamma's boys / girls to leave Delhi for studies. They'd "die if they eat hostel food", blah blah are among the reasons I've heard being offered by parents. Nevertheless, people do get through – like Ankit Sud – now in NSIT. I think he got rank 69 if I remember correctly. Ask him the secret of his success, and he'd probably reply:
Get your bloody arse away from the computer / blogging and STUDY.
In other news, Hindustan Times ran an article today about the sorry state of Delhi College of Engineering. Apparently, the computer science engineering course hasn't been updated for the past ten years. I can imagine that's probably true (and not an exaggeration). You just need to have a look at DCE's or NSIT's website to see 1990s HTML design guidelines in their full glory. I'm talking about the official sites, not the 'sort of officially unofficial' sites that the brilliant lads at DCE / NSIT have thankfully created to maintain their reputation. (I'm NOT being sarcastic here.) HT goes on to say that there's quite a bit of faculty crunch, with quite a few classes running on guest faculty. Also, the lads in mechanical engineering haven't been able to get their paws on AutoCAD (it's a design software) – and design software is almost exclusively used these days instead of oversized protractors and drawing sheets.
Which brings me to something I generally say: it seems that most of these places like DCE / NITs have pathetic infrastructure. However, simply because of the fact that the number of seats are less, they're able to generate a lot of hype of 'being tough to get into', and use that to make recruiters part with their greenbacks. I think India should hang its head in shame, rather than tom-tom the 'greatness' of these institutions which have reached where they are simply by not keeping up with the times and stagnating the amount of seats available. Other top-rated institutes across the world get where they are based on the research being conducted there. India takes the easy way out, and simply goes in for a ridiculous admission intake ratio. It's a fact that even the IITs publish a minuscule number of research papers in a year. You can read the whole Hindustan Times article on DCE by clicking here.
At the end of the day however, life will move on. A nation will cheer as another batch of handful of brilliant (and I'm the first one to admit it, without sarcasm) students get into these over-hyped institutions. Who cares about creativity and talent anyway? Not India. They just want people who can give up two years of their lives burning the midnight oil.


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I-Got-Control Turns IPhone, IPod Touch, IPad Into Universal Remote
Description: i-Got-Control is a revolutionary plug-and-play accessory that turns an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a universal remote, allowing the user to control virtually any infrared device — TVs, stereo systems and more — at home or on the go. Boasting an industry-leading database of more than 40,000 IR codes for consumer electronic devices worldwide, the i-Got-Control accessory and its associated iTunes app support a nearly unlimited number of IR electronics worldwide, making it easy to take control anytime, anywhere. And, with i-Got-Control's built-in IR library, users can CONNECT, SELECT and CONTROL their A/V components quickly and hassle-free — with no Wi-Fi network, wires or batteries needed.
Price: $69.00


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Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Reindeer on State Street
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Happy Holy Days
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Golden Compass points in wrong direction
"The Golden Compass" is the first movie adapted from a trilogy by Phillip Pullman called "His Dark Materials."This title comes from John Milton's "Paradise Lost," the epic poem about Satan's expulsion from heaven and the fall of humanity in Eden. "I am of the Devil's party and I know it," Pullman once said in an interview, and elsewhere has said "My books are about killing God."
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Ghosts, part 3
Journalist GK Chesterton once said that when people stop believing in God, it isn't that they then believe in nothing, but they'll believe in anything. This is often the case when it comes to ghosts. Having forgotten or discarded or simply not knowing what has been clearly revealed in the Scriptures, people turn to all sorts of notions that suit their personal tastes, or they turn to any person who affirms their notions. This is one reason why people turn to mediums to communicate with the dead.
It is natural, I realize, for a person to want the comfort of knowing a departed loved one is somehow all right, and most people are curious about death and life-after-death. Many people with a superficial upbringing in a church (too often a superficial Catholic upbringing) are easily led to believe that God is somehow working through these mediums - as they themselves claim - to contact the dead. What does the Bible really say about all this?
You may not accept the authority of the Scriptures, but at least you should know what they say - and the Bible clearly and consistently says consulting mediums and spiritists is dangerous.
The danger described in the Older Testament is that people will turn away from God Himself into all manners of superstition and idolatry (since such practices were done for the purpose of divination and seeking the advice of pagan deities), thereby forfeiting their place in the Covenant community. It is a violation of the first commandment to have no other gods.
The danger in the New Testament is similar, but instead of saying what people are turning away from, the description is about what people involved in such practices are turning toward - the great Deceiver and Father of Lies who easily counterfeits spiritual experience and appears as "an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14) and his fellow fallen angels and demons. Celebrity mediums usually talk about encountering such a 'being of light'. So trying to contact the dead usually turns into contacting a real spiritual entity, but not the dead.
No wonder this activity - called necromancy - is so strongly rejected in places like Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:10-11; I Chronicles 10:13-14 and Isaiah 8:19-20, for example. It is - nearly literally - playing with fire.
Moreover, Jesus' parable of the rich man and the poor beggar Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 suggests that the dead cannot contact the living. If anyone can contact the dead, it is Jesus himself, who calls the other Lazarus out of the tomb in John 11 and who says that, one day, "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear shall come to life" (John 5:25).
What, then, are we to make of the Medium of Endor, whom King Saul of
There is a difference between this and the Catholic practice of requesting the prayer support of the saints, which is, in fact, a healthy corrective to occult practices. Mediums like John Edward and Sylvia Browne may claim to be faithful Catholics, but their views of humans as "divine sparks" who are part of God and whose destiny is to become perfected through many re-incarnated lives or by passing through ever-higher astral levels is not Christian in the least, but a tempting blend of the Gnostic and neo-pagan.
Finally, what are we to make of their often-correct predictions/pronouncements? Some of it is good generalized guessing, a skilled reading of people's responses to questions, and the eagerness of seekers who interpret readings in the ways they want to. But, as mentioned above, the Deceiver and his minions can disguise themselves as an angel of light (2 Corinthians ) and thereby act as a "spirit guide" to relay information that is correct and therefore convincing to the hearers.
Enough about people turning to mediums here. The one we ought to turn to is Christ himself, who says, "I was dead, and behold I am alive forever, and I hold the keys of Death and Hades." So, for those who depart this earthly life in His friendship, there is a glorious future, and for those left behind, Paul says: "We grieve, but not as those who have no hope".
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Ghosts, part 2
Not all ghosts are dead who haunt the living after a tragic or violent death. Most are not whispy, white vapors, nor disfigured, but look like normal people, fully dressed, who walk around furniture, not through it. And no one is quite sure what to make of the many reports – even if they claim to know for sure. Some ghosts are of the living, seen in one place though you know the person is elsewhere. A few people have seen themselves (in literature, it is called "the fetch" or the "doppelganger," a living person's spirit that leaves the body and appears to the person as an omen of their impending death).
What are we to make of all this?
First things first. There are some Biblical premises about human personhood I'm starting with and accept, so you might as well know them.
The first thing is that humans are fully integrated beings of body, mind, and spirit created in the image of God, a theological expression meaning that we share the Creator's attributes of intelligence, creativity, will, and the capacity for love and relationships. Every human, sharing these qualities, has inherent worth and dignity. Moreover, every mortal is – well, immortal, with a God-given potential to attain glory in a relationship with Christ – or not. As CS Lewis once wrote, "It is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendours" (from "The Weight of Glory"). The Son of God became the Son of Man that we all might become the sons and daughters of God through Him. So he tells the crucified thief who believes in Him, "Today you will be with me in paradise," and Paul exults, "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord," and John tells us, "What we shall be has not yet been disclosed, but we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him." Thus, Christians affirm the survival of a person after death and furthermore in the resurrection of the body, and the eventual re-uniting of the spirit with the body, raised incorruptible – a scandalous thought to the Greeks, who considered the body to be a filthy nuisance and best discarded so that the "soul" could ascend to higher planes. This is not a biblical view. The resurrection of the body is plainly anticipated in I Corinthians 15, Revelation 20 and elsewhere. Christ himself was raised physically, though in a body glorified and changed. His frightened and astonished followers thought they saw a ghost – but he assured them he was not, and asked for a meal which he ate in front of them all to demonstrate he was for real (see Luke 24:36ff).
OK, the reason for this "Introduction to Eschatology (Last Things)" lesson is so say that Christians believe firmly in an afterlife filled with inexpressible wonder – and anything regarding "ghosts" is to be understood in this perspective. Biblical theology doesn't exclude ghost phenomena – but any explanation for ghost phenomena that excludes the affirmation of biblical basics regarding the afterlife is suspect.
Researchers say there are 6 kinds of ghosts: 1. the dead, seen repeatedly; 2. the dead, seen once or twice then gone; 3. spirits of the dying but not yet dead; 4. spirits of the dead who talk to the living; 5. spirits of the living; 6. poltergeists. Ghosthunters look for 1, 2, and 6. The others find you, according to some. Most people, when they think of ghosts, think of 1 and 2. These are (allegedly) the departed who have some unfinished business who will disappear once their mission is fulfilled. #3, the ghost of the dying, is a ghost that appears at the time a person dies, and the ones who see it learn later the person has died. #4 often needs help to finish a mission, and so is like #1 or #2. Mediums like John Edward and Sylvia Browne claim to act as intermediaries for such messages – ie, as "mediums," telling clients in effect, "I hear dead people." More on mediums next time (and the medium of Endor who called the 'ghost' of Samuel to appear before King Saul). Ghost #5 is a kind of bi-location, sometimes as an indication that the person will die soon, as I described above. And #6, poltergeists, are not ghosts at all but the excess energy of a teenager's angst and anger that causes objects to move and there is nothing "supernatural" about it. It's just a bit creepy and noisy, that's all, and that's what "poltergeist" means: "noisy ghost" - though, as I've said, it's not a ghost at all.
Furthermore, there are two general categories of explanation for #1, 2, and 4: The "Natural" explanation group and the "Spiritists."
The Natural group holds to a kind of "tape-recording theory" of ghosts, whereby the departed leave a kind of psychic "fingerprint" in a place of strong emotions, a holographic imprint of sorts left over in a space (they call it a "vortex") that is picked up later by people who are sensitive to such force fields. It is a kind of "energy residue" which can be seen and heard, which is why it is likened to a tape recording that is played over and over in a place, though it sometimes fades out quickly (this, as you can tell, has implications for my mystery novel).
Spiritists, on the other hand, who clearly deny any biblical description of the afterlife, believe ghosts are the spirits of the dead coming back to communicate with the living or to complete an unfinished mission so they can "let go" of the Earth in peace and move on to a higher plane of existence –
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Ghosts, part 1
Do you believe in ghosts? A mystery novel I'm working on has a ghost element in it, and my amateur sleuth works alongside a "Ghost Detective" (sometimes called a "ghosthunter") to solve a murder and missing person mystery. As with my first two mystery novels, I'm interested in dealing with "mysteries" on a number of levels.
And since my college is sponsoring an event featuring real 'ghost hunters' later this month to coincide with Halloween, this is a good time to opine. Another good reason to offer a comment is that I've observed so many Catholics who do not know what the Scriptures really say about this subject and the afterlife in general, but seem to drift - like their secular peers - into talk-show superstitions about the unseen.
It should be noted from the get-go that we are right to be healthily uncertain one way or the other on this matter, as there are mysteries we cannot fully know this side of heaven. "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," we hear in Hamlet – a famous ghost story. Christians in particular are right to exercise caution, reason and skepticism here, since so many people wander easily into occult practices and psychic hooey on this matter and it is easy to be deceived by what we know are unseen, malevolent personalities out there who are intent on fooling whoever they can in order to lure them away from the truth.
It's quite understandable, isn't it, that everyone would like to be assured that there is something else after death - especially for lost loved ones. This explains the popularity of certain TV Shows where mediums claim they can speak to the departed who survive in a spirit form on "the other side." Moreover, popular films have shaped public perception about the subject, especially "The Sixth Sense" and its TV-spinoff, "The Ghost Whisperer." But we need not be afraid to seek the truth of the matter, either, as there may be a natural explanation (that is, it is a phenomenon that is part of nature, part of Creation).
For example, poltergeist phenomena, in which objects are thrown around the house, are understood mainly as a kind of electrical disturbance peculiar to households where there are teenagers experiencing anger, angst, or trauma. I've observed this firsthand. It's weird, but not technically "supernatural."
As for "ghosts," there are 6 different categories which I will discuss another day. Suffice it to say in this brief introduction that while most uninformed people suppose them to be surviving spirits who cannot leave the earthly plane quite yet due to some unfinished business, and many Christians are too quick to think they are demons in disguise, the most common occurrences have a more "natural" explanation. My story will revolve around this sort of mystery while at the same time remaining Biblical in its understanding of the afterlife, which contains far more hope and wonder than any popularized idea about "ghosts" and a netherworldly "other side."
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Tim Russert's passing
There is a great deal of talk in newsrooms about the need for 'diversity' but the discussion is nearly always in terms of gender and racial diversity, rarely in terms of religious representation. It is journalism's big blind spot. The news business needs more people like Russert to hold journalism itself to a high standard of decency and act as its conscience.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Gospel as Thriller
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Ten Rules for Thrillers
Monday, June 2, 2008
Authors of Note
Frederick Buechner (BEEK-ner) is a Presbyterian pastor whose lyrical work brings one to tears and laughter by turn. "Godric" and "Brendan" are historical novels I admire partly because of their ambivalent (and very earthy) treatment of saints, besides the gorgeous prose. His heartbreaking memoirs are even better (especially when he chronicles the struggles of his anorexic daughter). His books built around alphabetical lists of Biblical characters and religious cliches are hilarious and moving at the same time, and serve to make the faith strikingly relevant, especially for cultured unbelievers. He himself hovers at the edge of doubt continually.
Kathleen Norris is a writer like Buechner, a Methodist whose strongest work is in memoir. "Dakota: A Spiritual Geography" is a beautiful work, and her account of coming to genuine faith in "Cloister Walk" is memorable. "Amazing Grace" is similar to Buechner's alphabet books, whereby she takes common religious terms and expounds upon them in a way that makes them new. Her work consistently ends up on the NY Times Bestseller List.
Susan Howatch's Church of England series is exquisite in its stylish exploration of our deepest motives, following a set of smart characters from the 1930s through the end of the 20th Century. Howatch cut her teeth on vast family sagas with a gothic edge. Her latest series, set in the present around the Healing Centre of St Benet's in London, is a gripping and layered portrayal of deeply flawed yet empathetic people groping through the fog of sex-and-power secularism toward genuine meaning in life. It's not everyone who can portray a male prostitute protagonist with such force and psychological insight.
Michael O'Brian's apocalyptic novel "Father Elijah" is part of a brilliant series that is theologically astute and beautifully written. Don't let the 'apocalyptic' part throw you; this is no cheesy "Left Behind" melodrama. O'Brian also paints and does jewelry work, and this artistry shows in the well-wrought prose.
Well, that'll do for now. I must admit that when I read people like this I throw up my hands in despair and say, "I could never write like this - why bother?" But I am encouraged at the same time, to know that there are men and women of faith who bring their worldview to bear on their art, making it both true and beautiful.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
On The Rosary
Catholics. The repeated prayers are a way to detach oneself from the world, to avoid distractions. It is a contemplative practice proven to provide a sacred space, a time set-apart, for thinking deeply and gratefully about the 'mysteries of our redemption,' as Catholics say (a thoughtfully-prayed 5-decade rosary only takes about 20 minutes, by the way). "Mysteries" have two meanings here: first, in the Pauline sense, they are holy truths now revealed, and secondly they are truths that we can understand to a point before becoming lost in wonder. I mean, who can truly grasp the terrible mystery of the Prince of Peace being crowned with thorns?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
On Marian Devotion
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Baptized Imagination
Monday, May 26, 2008
Why Evangelicals Can't Write
Perhaps Flannery O'Conner explained it well when she described fiction as 'an incarnational art,' whereby the writer is able to observe, in the concrete and tangible, the workings of the unseen. This sacramental approach to life itself makes deep fiction-writing possible.
This whole idea of the importance of story can be approached another way: Consider how Evangelicals and Catholics respond to the question, "What is the Gospel?" Evangelical Protestants - I was one for a long time - are well-versed through diligent Bible study to reply with a set of distilled propositions, often in a brief outline form: God is holy and loving, we are fallen and sinful and this shortcoming results in separation from God and one another, God's merciful answer to our problem is Christ who died for our sins, and we need to believe it and receive the risen Lord personally and live thereafter with integrity by His Spirit. That's all true and good as far as it goes - I wish more Catholics could articulate this.
Now, propositions aren't bad. Catholics also adhere to a set of propositions as articulated in the creeds (Apostle's, Nicene). But even in the creeds, what we get is less a set of proposals and more of a story outline.
That's the difference. Catholics are much more comfortable with narrative. So when asked what they believe, they're more likely to give you the story of the gospels rather than a series of proof-texts from Paul. They're big on the life-stories of the saints. This is similar to Jews: if asked what they believe, they're likely to reply, "Let me tell you a story..."
In fact, Catholics see the Christian life itself as a kind of story with a beginning, middle, and ending that is not entirely certain and contains some suspense. So the beginning is baptism, where one is initiated into the kingdom of Christ and "born anew" into this covenant family. Then there is the middle, a long series of conflicts and complications that test and temper the believer towards holiness. At the end, the one who has endured inherits the fullness of the kingdom - though there are some who forfeit their birthright and end up badly by their own choices.
Before closing, I must note that good storytelling is not completely absent among conservative Protestants. This is clear by many fine novels coming out of CBA circles recently. Granted, much of it is still spiritually and sexually "safe" fiction for a market looking to be entertained and comforted at the same time. But some risks are being taken, and that's coming a long way from the days when fiction of any sort was rejected as a 'lie' unbefitting a believer.
The edgier - and more honest - fare is being published outside CBA, and I'll take a look at some of that work another day.
Friday, May 23, 2008
On Writing "Christian Fiction"
This is silly, of course. One might argue, nontheless, that a gardener who is consciously Christian will bring to the work an appreciation for nature, a gratitude for the created order, perhaps even a sense of stewardship ala Genesis 2:15. In a similar way, an artist with Christian sensibilities will bring to the work a baptized imagination (as Lewis called it) with an eye for what is true, good, and beautiful, as per Paul's injunction in Philippians 4:8--
"Whatever things are true, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things."
Not that everything be sanitized, sentimental, superficial or syrupy, obsessed with the sensational portrayal of demons and End-Times scenarios and covertly committed to winning souls. This is the stereotype and it is, unhappily, well-deserved.
Instead, I think a writer who happens to be Christian naturally produces work that is informed by an honest and full anthropology built on a Biblical premise - a view of humans as imbued with dignity, being made in the image and likeness of God, and yet fallen. Even so, renewal is possible, though not always achieved, given free will.
Christian writers are mindful of the fact that the Bible itself is composed primarily of narrative and poetry. It is telling, is it not, that when God wanted to communicate with humans, He used stories and songs. When Jesus Himself wished to make a point, he often told a short story.
Others have spoken with depth and clarity about this subject: CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, GK Chesterton, Auden, Madeleine L'Engle (in her book "Walking on Water"), Flannery O'Conner ("Mystery and Manners") and even John Gardner's book is useful in this regard ("On Moral Fiction").
And there is an intelligent and insightful discussion on this topic in this discussion area, where I've posted a few comments as well.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
On Writing Mysteries
Q: You've been writing historical novels but are now turning toward mysteries. What makes a person want to experience a mystery? As more things become known in the world (say, the composition of Saturn's rings), does the hunger for mystery grow or lessen?
A: Mysteries - classic murder mysteries, I mean - connect with something deep inside us. They are the modern form of the medieval morality play, where the sleuth is Everyman who works against time, big money, a determined antagonist, daunting odds and his own flaws to expose evil and to restore the balance of justice. At the end, readers who identify with the successful hero or heroine feel a little better about the world and about themselves. A critic might say that mystery novels are escapist, since they offer a fantasy word in which justice prevails, right always wins over wrong, and love finds a way. But mysteries, close as they are to the barest human motives and fears, and because they deal so openly with death, have a built-in opportunity to explore life's higher mysteries - both seen and unseen. There will always be a hunger for that. As Aristotle says (and he's a character of sorts in my first mystery), the desire to know is the central drive in all humans.
Q: Writing is such a personal activity. Even with your background in teaching, is it hard to guide someone in how to write? What's the biggest obstacle in those lessons?
A: I like your term "guide" because that is about all you can do. You can show the way, point out features along the path, and explain how some things work. You can't teach desire and discipline, the two most important factors. A writer must have them already. Techniques can be acquired by imitation, experimentation, and habit. But what's really needed is vision, and, as Aristotle might add, a touch of madness.
Q: Your blog uses the name Johnny Dangerous. What makes you so dangerous?
A: My last name can be difficult to pronounce, so my colleagues had a little fun with it. I suppose it suits me, as I dare to interogate the prevailing postmodern dogmas of absolute uncertainty. As Aristotle says, there is truth outside our own subjective persceptions that can be known, if only imperfectly (or as St. Paul might say, "through a glass darkly"), and as Aquinas and Wittgenstein suggest, sometimes we must be told what it is by Someone from the outside.
Q: Your books combine history, religion, and mystery. When you look at the success of Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code," what do you feel?
A: There's hope for any writer, even for work that is poorly written, badly researched, and built on a spurious premise. But seriously, this reminds us that stories have the power to shape perception. That's why it's important to deal honestly with the material. It's fiction, but we must try to deal with what IS. Serious fiction - even seriously written 'genre' fiction - is interested in the truth, especially in the truth of what it means to be fully human in both our dignity and our fallenness.
Q: The name of a character, especially the one who might be the lead in a series of books, can be quite important. Where did the inspiration for Reed Stubblefield come from?
A: Illinois cornfields at harvest time. On the rural drive to my college, I pass miles of stubbled fields full of shaven stalks, and the brittle, vulnerable remains reminded me of that line in Isaiah 42, "He will not break a crushed reed, or snuff out a smoldering wick; unfailingly He will establish justice." Reed is wounded in body, heart, and spirit, and he slowly, reluctantly recognizes the presence of grace in a story about justice and the possiblity of loving again after a major loss.
Q: Your second mystery, in progress, is set in the same location but features a Latina character, Selena de la Cruz, as the protagonist. Where did she come from?
A: Writers are often cautioned about allowing an intriguing minor character to run away with the story. As soon as she walked on the stage of the first novel, even in a small part,I knew she had a story of her own.
Q: Given your journalism background, have you ever considered the nonfiction realm of writing?
A: I've done some freelance magazine work and publish an essay now and then. But telling all the truth but telling it slant, as Emily Dickinson said, is much more fun.
Q: How many false starts, flame outs, and other aborted attempts currently reside in the dark recesses of your desk?
A: I've had my share. There is a sprawling historical novel set in the Roman Empire of the early 400s smoldering in my cabinet, a prequel to "The Throne of Tara" that is based largely on the life of Saint Patrick. I'm focused on the mysteries for now, but at times I still hear the thunder of hooves, the ring of steel on steel, the chant of monks and the crackle of Druids' fires coming from behind the doors.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
My Favorite Teacher
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Poem for Pentecost
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
(from Dancing in the Water of Life: The Journals of Thomas
Merton, Vol. 5)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
My Books Part 2
Monday, May 5, 2008
My Books
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Golden Compass points in wrong direction
As a writer and literature professor, I have little patience for censorship of any sort and I believe the call to boycott films to be ill-considered. And I certainly will not silence the student - especially since I believe in academic freedom and that an honest appraisal of the book will expose its mean-spirited agenda.
Since many others will be drawn to the books because of the first film -- ironically released during the Christmas season -- and think it is simply more Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Narnia fare, here's a plot summary below for all three books in the series that, I believe, speaks for itself. Read these and decide for yourself if the books aren't visciously anti-Christian and especially anti-Catholic:
Book I. We meet 12-year-old Lyra who lives in an alternative Oxford that is dominated by a group called The Magisterium. As every educated Catholic knows, 'the magisterium' is the term for the official teaching office of the Church. This fictional one has brutal monks, sadistic nuns, power-hungry priests, bishops, and cardinals, but no pope since Pope John Calvin moved the Vatican to Geneva (sounds like a swipe at Catholics to me). The Magisterium's goal is to absolutely crush all 'heresy' and opposition. There is no Christ in its teachings. Just as well, I guess. I'd like to believe that Mr. Pullman is trying to say, "this is what any institutionalized church would be without Christ, so it is important to be focused on the love and mercy of Christ, and not on bureaucratic power" -- but this isn't his point. His 'alternative world' church is what he believes the real one to be like. Back to the plot: Like all humans, Lyra has a personal "daemon", a personal spirit-self that lives outside her body in animal form that changes for children but is stable for adults (students of the occult will recognize this as akin to one's "familiar"). Humans separated from their 'daemons' lose their imagination and will. As you might guess, the religious figures in the film have snakes, lizards, and frogs for their 'daemons.' Lyra uses a magic compass to find her way to the Arctic to rescue her friend Roger and other kids who have been kidnapped by the evil Mrs. Coulter and the Magisterium, who have performed experiments on the children to find out why 'dust', or Original Sin, doesn't affect kids as much as adults. Lyra is helped by a witch-queen and a talking polar bear among others. The movie ends here but the book continues with Lyra's evil father sacrificing Roger in order to blast open a portal to parallel worlds as part of his own revolt against God, and Lyra follows him through the hole.
Book II. A young boy named Will (no accident) finds his way into the parallel world where Lyra is hiding. There are only children in this world because there are spirits that roam it eating the souls of adults. Will obtains a knife called 'the god-destroyer' that can rip through anything, even the universe itself. Back in Oxford, Lyra finds a friend in a physicist named Mary who is an ex-nun and has dumped her faith (slap forehead here). The choice of "Mary" as a name can't be an accident, either. In the meantime, the wicked Mrs Coulter learns that Lyra is, according to a prophecy, the New Eve (this term will be familiar to Catholics, who regard Mary as The New Eve, "the Mother of the Living" who have new life in Christ her Son). Mrs Coulter kidnaps Lyra. Cliffhanger end to Book II.
Book III. Assisted by two homosexual angels, Will escapes Mrs Coulter and rescues Lyra. The Magisterium tries to destroy Lyra while her father prepares to attack God-The-Authority, now seen as a senile fraud. Using Will's magic knife, Lyra enters the land of the dead, a dismal prison where the spirits of all intelligent beings are morbidly tortured. Lyra and Will release the spirits to a blissful oblivion, absorbed into the Oneness of the Cosmos (kinda pop-Buddhist-New-Agey). In the final Armageddon battle, Lyra and Will kill God ("The Authority") while her parents kill the Regent of Heaven (hmmm- wonder who he means by THAT) and themselves to boot (might as well get rid of all authority, while we're at it). Lyra joins her physicist friend Mary in another world's paradise where she - Lyra - plays the serpent to their Adam and Eve. The children discover the higher knowledge of erotic love and the universe is saved. Survivors return to their own worlds to begin building a society that is god-free.
An honest reader should be able to see here plainly the agenda of one who believes that religion, especially Christianity, is the problem and must be destroyed. The way Pullman does this is by turning the Christian faith inside-out and saying the rebel angels and Satan were right to oppose the tyrannical Deity, and after their defeat, did a noble thing by signing up the first humans to join their campaign of 'self-awareness' and freedom. But this is actually moving away from real freedom - the freedom to do what is right in love, not merely to do what feels good to me now. That's being a slave to one's own passion and selfish conceit.
What GK Chesterton said years ago is still true: When people stop believing in God, it isn't that they believe nothing - but they'll believe anything. Pullman will fool many people with his stylish prose and erudite Gnosticism by suggesting that God is the oppressor, the real Deity is not knowable, the serpent in Eden enlightened the first human pair with Wisdom, and matter and spirit are really the same so we should enjoy sexual pleasuring wherever we find it and at death be content to dissolve into oblivion.
Don't be suckered. Pullman, a militant atheist, believes the wrong side won the war in heaven. "I am of the Devil's party and I know it," he said in an interview, and elsewhere has said, "My books are about killing God." He is joining the trendy party begun by other atheist authors elevated to celebrities lately. But this time, the target is kids. His work is an answer to Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and CS Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia," fantasy stories that Pullman says he loathes -- precisely because they embody a Christian worldview and Christian virtues.
Let no one be fooled into thinking this is harmless entertainment. Values and worldviews are conveyed primarily by a culture's stories. And Pullman's story is driven by a virulent agenda imposed upon impressionable children and, perhaps, their poorly-catechized parents. With all the color and action and apparant heroism in the story, children will not be able to recognize it for the spiritual pornography that it is. Let's hope the adults will.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The Sign of the Cross
Is there a right and a wrong way to cross oneself? And why do people touch their forehead, eyes and mouth at one point in the service?
Yes, there is. Roman Catholics use the right hand fingertips to touch, in sequence, the forehead, chest, left shoulder, then the right, while saying "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." It is, in a way, a brief Trinitarian prayer that also affirms the centrality of the cross. It can be a challenge for left-handers like myself! Greek Orthodox Christians touch the forehead and chest, but then the right shoulder first, then the left, and then bow deeply.
The use of the body, by the way, in kneeling, crossing, standing and so on is a way to get the entire person involved in worship - just like in the Old Testament. It is this continuity with the practices of the ancient Hebrews that I find interesting.
The other touching you describe comes with the announcement of the Gospel reading. It shows particular reverence for the Gospels where we read about Jesus and hear His actual words. Notice how only the priest is permitted to read it (the lay lectors can't), and how he carries the Book of the Gospels aloft from the altar to the podium while the congregation stands and sings "Alleluia". In some parishes, the altar servers flank the podium with lit candles, another symbolic act that displays special regard for the Gospels. People respond to this precious opportunity to hear Christ Himself by touching the right thumb to the forehead (an act that asks for the Word to illuminate our minds), the lips (that we may speak the Word aright to others) and the heart (that the Word of God and the Living Word, Christ, would dwell in our hearts). These parts are not just touched with the thumb tip but the thumb makes a tiny sign of the cross on those three places and the person says, "Glory to you, O Lord." As with all practices, many do it rotely without much thought. But for converts and anyone who is aware, it's a deeply meaningful prayer.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Holy Water
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The only requirement, as I understand it, is to participate in the "Sacrament of Reconciliation" -- and isn't that a nicer way to say it? -- once a year, in the Easter season. It is done before one's first communion as a new Catholic. It is not required before every communion (in fact, the reason there is a corporate confession in the Mass near the beginning is to sacramentally prepare everyone to receive Christ with a clean conscience). More frequent use of this sacrament - this 'contact point' with Christ - is encouraged. Some go every week, some monthly. I'm not there yet.
There are some who object to this practice completely, as you suggest, pointing to First John 1:9 and declaring that there is no need for a human priest or intermediary to hear a confession. While Catholics affirm the wonderful truth of that First John verse, they also take seriously Matthew 16:19 and John 20:22,23. These are verses I had always overlooked and avoided. But the meaning is plain. Christ entrusted to the apostles and their successors the authority to forgive sins in His name based on His all-sufficient merit. When a person meets a priest in this sacrament, he/she is meeting with Christ sacramentally. It is a scary - and powerful - and healing - encounter.
Historically speaking, early Christians were excluded from communion if they fell into sin (in keeping with First Corinthians 11:27 - you ARE looking up all the verses, right?) but upon repentance and restitution (if needed) they then proclaimed - ie, 'confessed' - to the priest that they were ready to participate once again. "Confession," in the way the ancient church used the word, was to PROFESS God's mercy.
The emphasis has changed over the years from imposing a 'penance' (like the rote reciting of a few memorized prayers - how empty) to assigning a positive action to heal any hurts caused and to improve one's plan to virtuously live the excellent life (a phrase Aristotle would have liked), and to grow toward Christlikeness. The idea isn't to somehow 'make up for' the sin - we can't - Christ paid the full price. The idea is to demonstrate a resolve to improve.
This is another good thing about the Church: there isn't this 'once saved always saved' attitude that can lead to bad behavior. Instead, there is a practical recognition that we still sin and fail and need to participate fully, cooperate fully, in the process of our full salvation. We must admit that there is a poor attitude among some Catholics that it's ok to sin as you please, since it can always be 'confessed.' These folks never read Romans 6, I guess. It's just as bad as the 'once saved always saved' business.
Maybe the sticking point is the religious word "salvation." This word appears next to the word "salvage" in a dictionary. Think of how a ship is salvaged, or a vintage car that has been left in a junkyard a long time. We have been salvaged from the depths of our ruin by the proper owner in a singular action (the cross and resurrection), but now we are in the longer process of being renewed to the beauty we were meant to have and restored to usefulness and our original purpose. This takes grinding and polishing - the grinding off of rust and mold and imperfections so we may be transformed into our intended state. That is what is going on in this sacramental practice.
"Salve" is the other word next to "salvation" in the dictionary, meaning to bring healing and wholeness. That's the other thing going on in this sacramental practice. I think it's a lovely thing.
Can you go to God directly? Yes. And we should. The Psalmist prays to God directly; King Hezekiah did; the publican did in the back row. But Christ Himself established this sacramental means by which we experience reconciliation with Him, and we who love Him - and wish to obey Him fully - take part in this practice with humble gratitude.


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I cried today.
In my own room, in front of my computer, I cried.
It's something I have not felt in a long, long time. Too long.
As tears filled my eyes, I wondered how long have I been in denial.
I am homesick.
Namewee, I salute you. Just when Malaysia needed someone like you, you appeared and rose up to the occasion. When the media taints your name and society condemned you, you refuse to give up and instead proved yourself to everyone.
Nasi Lemak 2.0 is the best movie I have ever watched, if only for one simple reason. It grabbed me by the shoulders, shook me hard, and reminded me that I have forgotten what Malaysia actually meant to me.
我的好朋友 外面風雨強
My dear friend, even though there's strong winds blowing outside
赤道上 有座五彩繽紛的天堂
There's always a colourful Heaven on the Equator
別四處遊蕩 回到老地方
Stop wandering around, come back to the old place (home)
一個家 一個夢想 一起大聲唱
One home, one dream, let's sing loudly together
The moon overseas may be so round
The girls overseas may be so pretty
The sky overseas may be so blue
所以 外國人都搬來大馬
So the people overseas are all moving to Malaysia.
When you leave your home, you should recognise the way home
要吃最好吃的飯 叫做 "每天團圓飯"
The tastiest meal is a "reunion dinner" everyday.
Negara ini tak seteruk yang kita fikir
Cuma ada pihak yang cakap bukan-bukan dalam akhbar.
It has gone past 3 years now I have been in this foreign land. I came with a bunch of friends and saw them, one by one, leave this country. In a way, I envy them, for having the courage to go home knowing the challenges that await while I sit here being comfortable and taking the easy route. And in that blissful comfort, I have only now realised I had forgotten where my home is.
I have forgotten the way home.
So, thanks for showing me the way.
When I eat my nasi lemak tomorrow, it'll mean so much more to me that just a dish I missed having.
Chee Hood Siong
(1945 - 2011)
Malaysian comedian, actor


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By Jonathan Ferziger
October 25, 2017, 4:18 AM EDT October 25, 2017, 1:25 PM EDT
- Massive project would span waterway that sparked 1967 war
- Israel sees Gulf of Aqaba as arena for regional cooperation
Connecting Egypt to a new $500 billion Saudi city via a bridge across the Red Sea will require cooperation from Israel, analysts say. Could it one day help integrate the Jewish state with its Arab neighbors?
Israel's 1979 peace treaty with Egypt guarantees it access to the Red Sea's Straits of Tiran, which the planned bridge and causeway would cross. That makes Israel's involvement in the project crucial, says Yoram Meital, chairman of the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East Studies & Diplomacy at Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Egypt's closing of the straits to Israeli shipping in 1967 was one of the central actions that led to that year's Mideast War.
"There couldn't be anything close to this unless Israel and the Saudis had the opportunity to discuss in detail their relations and this bridge," Meital said. "There have to have been back channels."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for comment on the project, whose plans were announced Tuesday by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at an international business conference in Riyadh.
Economic Benefits
U.S. President Donald Trump appears to believe Arab nations hold the key to securing peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and has touted economic ties with Saudi Arabia as one of the benefits Israel could see from a peace deal. Israeli leaders have identified the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba region as an ideal place to cement business ties with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt — which, like Israel, all border the waterway.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin addressed the Riyadh conference on Wednesday, and flies to Israel for meetings on Thursday with Netanyahu and other officials. Mnuchin said he is talking to all U.S. allies in the region to work together against "threatening activities" by Iran.
Planning for the 10-kilometer (six-mile) bridge, which would carry road and rail traffic, was made possible by Egypt's acceptance of Saudi sovereignty last year over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir that sit in the straits between the two countries, in exchange for billions of dollars in aid. Egypt's four-decade old guarantee of unfettered passage for Israeli ships could create complications for Saudi Arabia under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea if Israel isn't consulted on the bridge construction, says Simon Henderson, director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
"I have no doubt that there have been consultations, either directly or indirectly, perhaps through the United States," Henderson said. "As long there is no change in the status quo, Israel is presumably happy."
Netanyahu has repeatedly said that relations with moderate Sunni Arab nations are better than ever — though most of the cooperation can't be discussed because the countries have no formal ties with Israel.
Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief and ambassador to the U.S., Prince Turki al-Faisal, said this week that Netanyahu is exaggerating the extent of Saudi cooperation with Israel and that there are no "under-the-table" talks with the Jewish state. He spoke during an Oct. 22 conference sponsored by the Israel Policy Forum, a liberal advocacy group that distributed a video recording of his remarks.
Israeli business executives say ties with Saudi Arabia are flourishing, particularly in the fields of cybersecurity, infrastructure equipment and water conservation. Many, including Elbit Systems Ltd., Israel's biggest non-state-owned defense contractor, deal with Saudi Arabia through U.S. subsidiaries and foreign front companies, according to employees, lawyers and Israeli government officials.
"Everybody recognizes the opportunities here, but in order not to ruin them, it's best not to talk about them at this point," Israeli Communications Minister Ayoob Kara, a close Netanyahu lieutenant and the only Arab member of his cabinet, said in a phone interview. "We want to find a formula to get above the radar."