text:
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1, NASB).
Whether we acknowledge it, we all possess faith. We all worship someone (e.g. ourselves) or something. For most of us—possibly all of us—we worship that which we perceive as truth; thereby, placing our faith in it. Our faith in that truth is what establishes our beliefs; subsequently, driving our actions.
How does it establish our beliefs?
Glad that you asked 😉
Faith fills two roles—or rather, holes or gaps—for establishing belief. Faith creates the foundation on which our knowledge is structured, while also serving as the lens for attributing it meaning. In other words, the interpretative process for transitioning from knowledge (information) into belief (or conviction of purpose) is faith. It serves as our basis for discerning truth:
Faith, in many respects, is blind. We cannot see everything, but we develop convictions based on how we interpret the known. For many, their faith is placed in scientific rationalism. The appeal is reasonable; particularly, with our natural and insecure compulsions for control. Many (but not all) professed scientists seem to claim that their beliefs are solely founded in fact. They often state their facts to be truth equivalents. They claim that they don't possess faith. Such philosophical belief, however, provides a myopic and misleading interpretation of truth.
A fact is simply a known observation—it's what we know (i.e. see the gray box in the earlier illustration). There are some significant flaws in believing that fact and truth are synonymous, especially if we're claiming that we don't act on faith. For instance: we don't know what we don't know. Science represents our best efforts to understand the known universe as we live in this existence. While it provides a better understanding of our world, we're still far from attaining a full understanding—if it's even possible. Therefore, by necessity, we must make some decisions from faith. However, by placing our faith in science, are we placing faith in creation instead of its Creator?
If the answer to my question is "yes," then—whether or not intended—we're attempting to fill our Creator's role. We're rebelling against our Creator. Consider this: Why does a potter mold clay, glaze it, and fire it in a kiln; turning it into a cup? A potter turns clay into a cup with the purpose of creating a drinking vessel; creating with a specific purpose. The cup does not give itself purpose. And what good is the cup, if no one drinks from it? Moreover, why would the potter invest time into creating a cup if it didn't serve a purpose?
Now, to purposely function in this life, we must operate with some form of truth as our guide, correct? As stated earlier, that is what we worship and follow—that which we perceive as truth. If we're working under the assumption that there's only the natural world, then I'd probably consider science to be our best option for developing a working (versus definitive) truth. Though, what if our natural world is impacted by a supernatural one? What if we're incapable—as human beings—of seeing reality in full? Christianity maintains this position. Consider the apostle Paul's message to the church in Corinth:
For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:9-12, NASB).
If we're only seeing in part, how true are "evidence-based" facts? How much faith should we place in a partial truth? Partial truths are dangerous, because they can function as lies. And if deceived by partial truths, we can be led to act outside of actual truth.
Consider that it was once a "fact" that the world was flat; ignoring the horizon line that was visible in every direction. They knew what they could see. Yet, they were unaware of what they should've been looking for, and the forces around them (e.g. centrifugal force, gravity).
Who says that we, in this day and age, aren't making our own egregious generalizations from the information (i.e. facts) that we know? Most likely, in some perceived truth, we have incorrectly interpreted facts into fallacy. Again, we don't know everything. That's why science operates with theories, and not truths. Therefore, we should be cautious not to mistake theory for truth.
I believe that science was never meant to be the foundation for our meaning and purpose; serving more as a resource for understanding our environments better. If my belief is sound, then where should we place our faith? What represents truth? What gives us meaning and purpose?
Again, glad that you asked 😉
Hopefully, now, we can all acknowledge that—whether it's placed in science, religion, or something else—we all possess faith. And I believe that there is only one source where our faith can be well-placed: Our Creator. For it's the architect of creation who can definitively tell us why we were created and for what purpose.
Yet, as a Christian, my faith is placed in a person. That person is Jesus of Nazareth, who is better known as Jesus Christ. How can this be? How can I place my faith in a Jewish carpenter who lived nearly two thousand years ago? My answer to these questions: Jesus is the Son of God. He is our Creator (Colossians 1:16-17, NASB)—a person in the Holy Trinity:
Jesus' birth was foretold in prophecy, and was confirmed by the stars. He is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14-18). He has always existed, and was present at the beginning of creation (John 1:1-5; 1 Peter 1:20). He came to Earth in the form of man to fulfill God's promises (e.g. Genesis 12:3; 2 Samuel 7:12; Luke 1:31-33), which included fulfilling the divinely-inspired (thus moral) Mosaic Law (Matthew 5:17-18), and dying for the world's sins (Matthew 20:28). He serves as a perfect sacrifice for His imperfect people (1 Peter 1:19; Hebrews 9:13-15). And in doing so, Jesus establishes a new covenant with us (Matthew 26:26-28).
Now that Jesus has conquered sin (1 John 3:8; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Romans 6:18-23), we can enjoy eternal life through faith in Him (2 Corinthians 5:19-21). He is our refuge, and our only way to the kingdom of heaven (John 10:9; 14:6; 15:1-11, NASB). Being the physical manifestation of truth, grace, love, and righteousness for us to follow (1 John 2:6), He serves as the narrow way that leads to salvation. Jesus' gift of the Holy Spirit will work in us, until one day, we possess a glorified body (Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:47-48); allowing us the blessing of eternal relationship with our Lord.
When placing our faith in Jesus Christ, He becomes our foundation for understanding what we know, and our lens for discerning truth; allowing the Holy Spirit to grace us with true (i.e. Godly) wisdom. By faithfully following Jesus, our identity will gradually conform to mirror His heart and mind (John 3:30; 14:21; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 12:1-2). Through Christ alone may we act in deed from Truth (1 John 3:18).
With our identity in Christ, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) should be seen in our lives. Like Jesus, we should exemplify what it means to love God and love others (Luke 10:25-37). With joy, we should willingly share the good news; serving as Christ's ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). Our desires should reflect His desires, because our purpose will align with His (John 15:7). We will live for God's glory and our joy (which should not be confused with temporal happiness). During this life, we should live in faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
For those skeptical, science-oriented types out there: No scientific method is capable of confirming Christ's divinity. Though—as researchers should know—the scientific method rarely proves anything. More often, it supports the likelihood of something. Furthermore, the scientific method is based on an understanding of the natural world. It inherently refutes the supernatural (i.e. what it can't see). If science could capture the supernatural, then it'd only be natural, right? 😛
The irony is that many individuals extrapolate something being possible without factual evidence in science, but use such hypothetical deduction justifiably in scientific experiments. Yet, many of these same individuals would find it folly to believe that Someone created what they're examining through their scientific, faith-oriented lenses. Science believes in cause and effect, but succumbs to a logic issue when considering the origination of creation from nothing. What starts that which hasn't been started yet? Someone or something that exists outside of it would be my thought; therefore, not necessarily explainable within that creation.
What shouldn't be questioned, however, is the historicity of Christian scripture. Using scientific methods of inquiry, the New Testament's historicity (i.e. acceptability as a history) is strongly supported (and this linked article is fascinating—I'd encourage all to read it). Moreover, the person of Jesus is well-documented through other ancient sources that support the New Testament's depictions of Jesus from nonbeliever perspectives.
Essentially—if accepting the possibility of the supernatural (which would be necessary to accept belief in the divine)—the facts surrounding Jesus and the New Testament's teachings provide support to His divinity. At minimum—even for the most skeptical—following scientific inquiry, they'd be reasonably defensible. As much so as the theories of evolution and global warming.
In other words, regardless of where it's placed, faith (and hope) will be necessary until the Lord's second coming. After His second coming, all that will be present in the lives of His followers is love (1 Corinthins 13:8-13) because faith will be unnecessary when all hopes are fulfilled. Being free from sin, we'll reside in a world that fully operates in love. We'll enjoy a perfect existence in the presence of our loving Lord; giving Him praise and worship forever. This is why Christ's followers share His good news, because we lovingly wish for all to know God, love God (which occurs for anyone who knows God), place their faith in Him, follow Him, and enjoy the life to come with Him (John 5:24). While we all deserve condemnation (Romans 3:10-12; Psalm 14:1-3; 53:1-3), none of us should wish the bad news on anyone (John 3:18-19; Romans 5:12).
No wonder Jesus states that to believe without being able to see [physical evidence] is a blessing (John 20:19-29), and Paul explains to the early church that faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Fortunately, faith is possible for any who seek and receive Him; accepting His gift (John 1:12; Revelation 3:20). And if we accept His gift, we'll be able to see it in our actions (John 13:35). Through His gift of the Holy Spirit (John 16:5-7), we'll produce fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
We must be careful, however, to claim faith in Christ with our words but not with our hearts. We musn't be white-washed tombs (Matthew 23:27-28). Faith in Christ is not intended as an insurance policy; allowing us to continue living in sin knowingly—without eternal recourse. Our Lord knows our hearts and minds (Jeremiah 17:10; Proverbs 15:11; Psalm 44:21; 69:5; Romans 2:16). Those of us who choose such an approach should not—on the Day of Judgment—expect to receive the salvation we claim to possess through faith in Christ (Matthew 7:21-27).
With true faith, there is no half-way. There is no option to possess a Jesus+ faith (in something else). True faith—as scripturally defined (Hebrews 11:1)—necessitates hope in what cannot be seen. If we place our faith in the world, then we shall pledge ourselves to the wisdom of the world, which isn't the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2). To place our faith in Jesus, requires us to believe in His divinity. It requires that we trust that He speaks (i.e. is) Truth, and to follow Him brings forth goodness and loving righteousness:
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones (Proverbs 3:3-8, NASB).
I have faith in Christ. I believe that we can trust God, who loved us while we were yet sinners. Our God sacrificed His own Son for our sins (Romans 5:8). Jesus is the bread of life, and the source of living water (John 4:13-14). Those who believe in Him shall no longer hunger and thirst (John 6:33-35).
Has anyone done more for us? No (1 Colossians 1:16)
What have we done for Christ? Nothing, unless we're following Him (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 15:58)
Who is greater than God? No one (John 10:29; 1 Samuel 2:2)
Who can rightfully question Him? No one (Job 33)
So, now that I've shared my faith, my question for you is this: where do you place yours?


text:
Manchester United 1 Sheffield United 0
United put their Premier League pursuit on the back burner to concentrate on the FA Cup as they welcomed Sheffield United to Old Trafford for the 3rd round.
It has been too long since United lifted the oldest club cup competition when they defeated Millwall in 2004. Since then Arsenal has gone on to take over the record of most wins so a run to the final is long overdue for the Red Devils.
Van Gaal and his players had spoken of their desire to win the cup in the build up to the clash so it was interesting to see how they approached it starting with a tie which on paper they should have, like the weather, stormed through.
With Young in the 'red zone', there was another chance for youngster Borthwick-Jackson to join a recalled Darmian in the back four and Fellaini received the nod in midfield with the duo of Carrick and Schneiderlin being given a rest.
Recalled loanee Will 'Mike' Keane joined the squad on the bench with other youngsters Lingard and Pereira. Memphis was once again made to bide his time as he was named as a substitute.
It was a rain lashed Old Trafford that welcomed the two sides who last met at this stage of the cup on the same day in 1995 when United prevailed 2-0 at Bramall Lane.
United got the match underway with hopes of seeing off the League One side without any nerves or jitters that have blighted their season.
United passed the ball well in the opening minutes without creating a clear chance on goal. Fellaini was too slow with his distribution from midfield when he had plenty of chances to spread the ball wide to increase the tempo of the move, but his lack of intensity gave the away side time to readjust.
After a quarter of an hour, it seemed that United's tactics were to bore the opposition to death, maybe the weather dampened the proceedings but even so this was awful from the home side.
De Gea was called into action when he tipped over a drive from Sammon but the Sheffield striker was penalised for a hand ball in the build-up.
Rooney then ballooned an effort high over the bar, then in the next attack, he failed to evade two defenders as Mata desperately waited for a cross.
Fellaini really looked to lack any purpose in his play as he gave a simple ball away in the middle of the park which provided Sheffield Utd with an opportunity to attack. Terrible and lazy play by the Belgian which cannot be accepted.
Darmian was trying his best to deliver the goods from the right wing, but the visitors were well organised at the back and dealt with everything United threw at them, which wasn't a lot to be honest.
Ten minutes before half-time Rooney was almost in on goal after a threaded ball from Herrera, but keeper Long reacted quickly by racing off his line to collect the ball at the captain's feet.
There was a shout for a penalty as Schweinsteiger seemed to be pulled back as he ran into the box chasing a through ball by Blind. It was all in vain as the referee waved play on.
Blind blasted over from the edge of the area with literally the last kick of the half and in that poor effort summed up the bad day United were having.
Half-time and those who had braved the rain witnessed a damp squid of a half in which United hadn't managed one effort on goal. Their play had reverted back to the desperate December displays and all this against a side from League One.
The visitors had come with a game plan to defend against United which had worked to frustrate the home team and the home fans who voiced their displeasure with boos once again ringing in the player's ears as they made their way down the tunnel.
Man United kicked off the second-half attacking the Stretford End with the hope of putting the dire first 45 minutes behind them with no changes made by van Gaal.
Hoofing the ball into the area aiming for the head of Fellaini, who made no serious effort to win the ball, was the best United had to offer.
The visitors began to sense the uncertainty in the home side and started to play some decent football without putting any serious pressure on De Gea's goal.
His changes had no immediate effect on the Red Devils' performance until Memphis tried his luck from distance. After his shot whistled wide it was met by a sarcastic round of applause by the crowd as it was by far the closest they had come.
Sheffield United managed to do what United couldn't after 70 minutes and had a shot on target from Basham which De Gea collected easily. At the other end Darmian did dig a shot out from close range but he was tumbling as he did and the chance was gone.
As the match entered the last ten minutes van Gaal made his last throw of the dice as he, at last, took off Fellaini and gave Pereira a chance to become the hero.
United did create a chance when Lingard placed a great ball in the area for Martial who was immediately closed down by the defence and as the ball was cleared Schweinsteiger was involved in a 50-50 collision and caught his knee, which at first looked likely to require the stretcher, but true to form he got up and ran it off so United wouldn't be reduced to ten men for the last five minutes.
Things went from bad to worse as a free kick was played into the danger area and was met by Martial, whose snap shot was saved but the loose rebound was not mopped up at the far post by Smalling.
On closer inspection, it was a close call for the penalty, but even though Memphis went to ground with more theatrics than a Shakespearean play he was definitely caught by the defenders studs. At the moment, United will accept anything they are given.
Full-time and thanks to Rooney's 93rd-minute penalty United will go into the bag for the 4th round draw and his spot kick certainly saved the home side's blushes, however, it will not detract from the fact that they were just plain awful.
The longer van Gaal sticks to his methods the quicker he will be on his way as it is clearly not working and the fact that his team can't overcome a League One side until added time doesn't exactly fill anybody with confidence for the challenges ahead.
Here was a chance for the Man United players to show they had turned the corner and put on a display of attacking football, but all they managed to do was to prove that even though they won they are not 'United' in any way, shape or form.
Thanks for reading.
Miles Dunton.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
What does it take to write, create or star in a Broadway musical? Hard work, talent, luck—all backed up by a good education. You have to supply the first three yourself, but PlaybillEDU™ can help you find the fourth.
Here is a rundown on where the cast and production team of the Broadway musical Waitress pursued their college studies. Visit PlaybillEDU.com to learn how you can follow in their footsteps. Individual school listings on the site are linked below.
Cast List:
Jessie Mueller: Syracuse University
Keala Settle: Southern Utah University
Kimiko Glenn: Boston Conservatory
Drew Gehling: Carnegie Mellon University
Nick Cordero: Ryerson University
Dakin Matthews: New York University
Christopher Fitzgerald: Rollins College & American Conservatory Theatre
Charity Angél Dawson: American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Thay Floyd: New York University
Molly Hager: New York University
Aisha Jackson: University of Northern Colorado
Jeremy Morse: New York University
Stephanie Torns: American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Ryan Vasquez: University of Michigan
Henry Gottfried: Yale University
Max Kumangai: University of Michigan
Ragan Pharris: Pace University
Production Credits:
Sara Bareilles (Music, Lyrics & Orchestrations): University of California, Los Angles
Diane Paulus (Director): Harvard University/Radcliffe College & Columbia University
Jessie Nelson (Book): University of California, Santa Cruz
Nadia DiGiallonardo (Musical Supervisor & Arrangements): Vassar College
Lorin Latarro (Choreographer): The Juilliard School
Scott Pask (Scenic Design): University of Arizona & Yale University
Suttirat Larlarb (Costume Design): Yale School of Drama
Christopher Akerlind (Lighting Design): Boston University & Yale School of Drama
Thomas J. Gates (Production Stage Manager): Niagara University
Visit PlaybillEDU.com to learn how you can follow in their footsteps!


text:
Neurofeedback challenges the brain to better function. It is direct training of the brain function to address difficulties with disregulation. Neurofeedback is the process in which an individual learns to exercise their own brain activity, stretching and strengthening their brain. During the neurofeedback section you are able to see what your brain is doing by a direct reward system to the game or movie being viewed. During this session the brain is rewarded for going into a calming or more regulated direction, which ultimately trains the nervous system to function more efficiently.
Many people can benefit from neurofeedback. It can help with a variety of challenges for children and adults. These include ADHD, autism, sensory processing disorder, sleep issues, anxiety, and depression, amongst others.
At Sensory Solutions LLC we use the latest HD software available for neurofeedback. We use the Cygnet software program developed by the Othmers at EEGinfo. For more information on Cygnet visit www.eeginfo.com


text:
'Dear Ladies'
Religion | A new C.S. Lewis letter and the stresses of fame
by Stephanie L. Derrick
Posted 12/01/18, 10:59 am
May 1946 found C.S. Lewis tired of answering what had become a ceaseless stream of letters—mostly from Americans, the majority from women, and often about theology. A previously unpublished letter held at the British Library illustrates the commitment Lewis showed in private to serving those who taxed his time, energy, and, often, his nerves.
The cost of putting fellow Christians' needs before his own—imperfect as his efforts sometimes were—was real for Lewis, who preferred to spend spare hours reading, writing, and spending time with close friends. However, fortunately for us, Lewis' correspondence likely contributed to the creation of some of the author's most long-lived and loved fiction, The Chronicles of Narnia.
While he is best known today for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the Ulster author first became famous during the height of the Second World War when he delivered a series of popular broadcasts for the BBC explaining the core tenets of Christianity. Around the same time, Lewis also published a best-selling epistolary novel, The Screwtape Letters. As one contemporary explained, he used the form of the letter to creative effect, warning against the corruption of the soul with a measure of intimacy:
The letters are addressed by an elderly fiend who has attained the rank of under-secretary in the nether world to a young nephew who has recently joined the service, and contain advice on how to corrupt and lead astray human souls. Into this brilliantly original form Mr. Lewis has packed an extraordinary wealth of spiritual wisdom and counsel, and shows astonishing skill in piercing the armour of our complacency.1
Together, the BBC broadcasts and The Screwtape Letters put Lewis on the map of the Everyman and brought his voice into millions of homes. From the 1940s his name became increasingly associated with reasoned defenses of Christianity.
But this turn of events was not at all what Lewis had planned. Middle-aged Lewis had a robust career as a literary historian. His days were filled with tutoring, writing, preparing lectures, and socializing with like-minded colleagues, as a don at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was drawn into this unanticipated, brighter spotlight of fame little by little. An invitation to preach came two months after Britain declared war on Germany, which led to an invitation to write a book aimed at Christian readers, which in turn led to the BBC broadcasts, and then to speaking at the Royal Air Force bases … and the invitations kept coming. He turned down many but continued to lend his talents to worthy causes.
"As for retiring into 'private life,'" Lewis once remarked, "while feeling very strongly the evil of publicity, I don't see how one can. God is my witness, I don't look for engagements."2 The war, together with this sense of duty, made C.S. Lewis a household name and inflicted on the scholar a daily barrage of unwelcome mail.
"Oh the mails," Lewis once complained to a friend, "every bore in two continents seems to think I like getting letters."3 And, yet, he answered every one. Why he did not do what most of us would have done, and at least be selective in what he responded to, is accounted for by Lewis' belief that he had a moral obligation to all individuals that asked him for help.
"Every human being," he wrote, "still more every Christian, has an absolute claim on me for any service I can render them without neglecting other duties."4
People, however apparently insignificant, were the most important thing one encountered in ones' daily life. To an epistler who envied the bookish life Lewis lived, he replied, "Never forget this: souls are immortal, and your children & grandchildren will still be alive when my books have, like the Galaxy and Nature herself, passed away."5
Lewis also felt something more than duty, at least at times, toward the many people who came to him for help. Explaining himself to a (probably incredulous) friend, he wrote "my correspondence involves a great number of theological letters already which can't be neglected because they are answers to people in great need of help & often in great misery."6
That being said, so many acts of charity undertaken out of a sense of duty over many years are bound to wear on a person, and Lewis, who never claimed to be a saint, was no exception. He could be a little grumpy and a little curt as he churned out his replies from his desk in Oxford. It probably didn't help that people came seemingly out of nowhere to ask him, for example, whether he wanted to join The Society for the Prevention of Progress (in this case the "nowhere" was Walnut Creek, Calif.) or to ask odd favors.7 On one occasion, he wrote to the poet Ruth Pitter:
You know what awful things Americans ask one to do? I have a letter from a lady in dear old Kentucky asking me to look into the London Directory for the address of FERNANDO MARRAINE who lives at Harrow on the Hill and is described as a 'professor' of mathematics. This is accompanied by butter (praise) and jam (parcel) so I feel I cannot neglect it: nor can I get to London.8
Absurdity now came in regular doses, delivered directly to his door. Still, Lewis obliged. He could not have imagined it then, but his dutiful answering of his daily mail—whatever came and from whomever it came—gives us insight into the famous author's approach to what most of us also face: onerous tasks inflicted upon us by people we would rather ignore. Lewis was far from perfect in this regard, but his example is still worth considering. Take, for example, the following letter to a group of "ladies" we know little about, published here for the first time:
Dear Ladies,
Who told you that Christians must not go to the theatre, dance, play cards, drink, or smoke? The "World," you will remember, is mentioned along with the flesh and the devil. The Flesh means sexual vice (but not marriage), drunkenness (but not drinking) enslavement to indulgent habits (but not [illegible], not smoking just as much) and over-eating (but not enjoying one's meals). The Devil means occultism and magic in all their various forms (spiritualism, astrology, future-telling, avoiding 13, not walking under ladders). The World means worldly ends and ambition (inordinate interest in one's career, love of money, snobbery, desire to be in the right set, desire for popularity). Of course any of the innocent pleasures may have to be given up in a particular xtreme: e.g. cards must go if you can't play without becoming totally absorbed in it and drink must go if you can't drink without taking too much. But a list of general prohibitions such as you suggest is not in the spirit of Christianity at all: it is more like the old Jewish law, from which, as St. Paul says, we are 'set free'. The test of an innocent pleasure is whether you can with a clean mind give God thanks for it—as I certainly can for a glass of beer on a hot day but can not for being drunk: can be contended without it. It is not the pleasure but the enslavement to an act is bad. I don't myself know of a particular actor who has been converted—how shd. I—just as I don't happen to know of a particular postman who has. But I don't think that means that I must've lost the letter. You write again if I haven't been clear: meanwhile, all good wishes. Yours sincerely,
C.S. Lewis
One may notice that there is little suggestion of warmth in Lewis' reply. There is no greeting; rather, Lewis launches into his didactic spiel and closes rather abruptly. One might wonder how much Lewis' rather terse, almost dictatorial, tone has to do with the fact that he is addressing a group of women. Though we have no evidence of as much in this letter, the question would not be misguided. Lewis' male chauvinism—even by the standards of male, British intellectual culture in the 1940s—was commented on by some who knew him, including Owen Barfield and E.R. Eddison.9 Lewis referred to female students as "she-students" and to a women's college as a "she-college."10 Furthermore, there are hints that he particularly resented women for writing to him, saying once "It isn't chiefly men I am kept in touch with by my huge mail: it is women. The female, happy or unhappy, agreeing or disagreeing, is by nature a much more epistolary animal than the male."11 So perhaps the fact that Lewis was addressing women is one reason for his shortness.
However, there is more going on here than that. We do not know who these women were or what they had said to him, but we can be sure that they had touched on a few of Lewis' pet peeves.
First, it appears they parroted some tired, theologically unsound notions about Christian behavior—i.e., good Christians don't drink, smoke, or otherwise enjoy themselves—and if Lewis had intolerance for anything it was the touting of unexamined tenets. This was partly a matter of personality—Lewis once described himself as "by temperament, an extreme anarchist"—but it was also an effect of his training in logic and philosophy. And he was particularly irked by the addition of perfunctory requirements to the Christian faith, once saying, for example, "How little I approve of compulsion in religion may be gauged from a recent letter of mine to the Spectator protesting against the intolerable tyranny of compulsory church parades for the Home Guard."12 Lewis hated to see the joy of hope and faith—or of everyday living, for that matter—diminished by dogmas that were shaped more by social convention than sound religion.
It's also worth noting that Lewis resolutely held that contradicting or disagreeing with someone, in and of itself, should not be confused with the harboring of bad feelings. An argument should be followed wherever it led, for the sake of seeking truth. Lewis would thus often speak his mind freely and forcibly, assuming that whomever he debated would not confuse a well-laid-out argument as having anything to do with emotions Lewis may or may not have had toward his parrying partner. But this purist ideal was just that: an ideal.
Lewis' own colleagues, steeped in the same tradition of debate as he was, sometimes failed the litmus test. Lewis once wrote, "I had occasion to differ strongly from Parker at a committee this week, and, do you know, he came and said he was sorry he had had to disagree with me. That he should think this necessary shows the misconception but that he should do it is a great sign of Grace."13 Far removed as most modern readers are from such a model of intellectual discourse, it bears keeping in mind that the tone of the above letter probably reflects a bit of this philosophy.
Given all of this—the tiresomeness of writing letters, especially those that required the correcting of strangers' muddled thinking—it is striking that Lewis took as much pain as he did writing to these "ladies." He might have flippantly dismissed their claims and pointed them to a book, for example. Instead, he made the effort to discuss a Christians' response to drinking, smoking, and the like in the context of other temptations, as he thought it was laid out in the Bible, presumably in order that they, too, might not be encumbered by poor teaching. Lewis not only answered all his letters, he often did so with an earnest engagement of the matters put before him.
A little over a year after writing this letter, Lewis appeared on the cover of Time magazine and became a bona fide celebrity in America. The uptick in his correspondence became an even greater burden on his time and morale. He wrote to a friend, "As you will have noticed I've been having great luck with my books lately, and it wd. be affectation to pretend I hadn't got much pleasure out of it: but the catch is it increases the amount of letters one has to write almost beyond endurance."14
His brother helped him cope with the mail, and he somehow managed to stay receptive to the people who wrote to him: some became dear friends and one relationship evolved into romantic love. But the daily chore of answering people who demanded to know why he was an Anglican and not Catholic or what he had meant when he said that animals might have a place in heaven, drained away some of the joy he had found in writing about Christianity. To one correspondent he said:
I envy you not having to think any more about Christian apologetics. My correspondents force the subject on me again and again. It is very wearing, and not v. good for one's own faith. A Christian doctrine never seems less real to me than when I have just (even if successfully) been defending it.15
As I argue in The Fame of C.S. Lewis, Lewis' dogged commitment to answering his correspondents' ceaseless flow of letters likely contributed to the creation of some of the most beloved children's books of our time. He wrote the Chronicles of Narnia rapidly between the summer of 1948 and the spring of 1951, completing the series in 1954.16 Creating the worlds of Prince Caspian, Aslan, Lucy and the rest was an escape for the author as much as it was for their readers, the casting of a new enchanting spell on a faith that, in the writing of so many letters, also at times felt in need of new life.
Letter by C.S. Lewis copyright © C.S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Reprinted by permission.
1. J.H. Oldham, The Christian Newsletter no. 131, April 29, 1942.
2. The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume II: Books, Broadcasts and the War, 1931–1949 ed. Walter Hooper (New York: HarperCollins, 2004), 532.
3. Ibid, 1014.
4. Ibid, 482.
5. The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III: Narnia, Cambridge and Joy, 1950–1963, ed. Walter Hooper (New York: HarperCollins, 2007), 733.
6. Collected Letters, Vol. II, 109.
7. Ibid, 613.
8. Collected Letters, Vol. III, 796–7.
9. Barfield said in a meeting of The New York C.S. Lewis Society that Lewis could properly be called a misogynist on at least the "theoretical level," though decidedly not so in his personal relations with individual women. (CSL: The Bulletin of the New York C.S. Lewis Society, 3, no. 7 (May 1972): 2. On Eddison see Collected Letters, Vol. II, 546.
10. Collected Letters, Vol. II, 313 and 340, respectively.
11. Collected Letters, Vol. III, 195.
12. Collected Letters, Vol. II, 606.
13. Ibid, 362.
14. Ibid, 549.
15. Collected Letters, Vol. III, 762.
16. Alister McGrath, C.S. Lewis—A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2013), 266.
Stephanie L. Derrick
Stephanie is the author of The Fame of C.S. Lewis: A Controversialist's Reception in Britain and America, published by Oxford University Press.
Read more from this writer
Kenneth BPosted: Sat, 12/01/2018 12:54 pm
I'm again reminded of why I admire C. S. Lewis so much-- humility and work ethic with vigorous reasoning. Great article.
jtj51Posted: Sat, 12/01/2018 03:07 pm
Would that our public figures in this day and age could understand and practice this- "contradicting or disagreeing with someone without harboring bad feelings." And one only has to look at what passes for public discourse to echo the Professor's comments in the Narnia books--"What do they teach them in these schools?" Thank you for making my day with this delightful, thought-provoking piece.
DSPosted: Sat, 12/01/2018 10:28 pm
Interesting timing, WORLD. I am currently reading "Jack", by George Sayer, though I assume it has to do with yesterday being the anniversary of his birthday.
Russell in JapanPosted: Mon, 12/03/2018 06:21 am
Shouldn't "harbingering" actually be "harboring?"


text:
It seems like it is the norm for corporations to restructure their companies to stay viable. The company I work for is no exception to the rule. In a sense I am being cooked in the squat. That is an old-fashioned term that means to be put under tremendous circumstances and expected to thrive. I was under the assumption that I would be getting an interview, a guaranteed interview. What took place versus reality is that no such thing happened. So that means it is time to go. From a dreadlocked perspective it is time to be looked at honestly by the world at large as a potential employee. I am not afraid of who I am but I will admit I haven't tested the (who I am) concept in the job market. But with the audacity of a company's mindset to reconfigure my salary leaves me no greater option than to leave. So looking forward seems to bring me to another journey.
Next Journey: Find a career that makes me happy and not just pays the bills.


text:
Metagon Reporter - Product Overview
Power with Simplicity
Metagon Reporter is the ad-hoc Business Intelligence query and reporting tool that allows non-IT people in small to mid-sized companies to turn their data into actionable information. It allows anyone in the firm to create their own reports quickly and economically, without requiring IT support, training, or professional consulting. It meets the needs of both "power" analysts and of decision-makers at all levels who simply need timely information presented in a meaningful way.
Those who need to create new reports will find the ease of use of Metagon Reporter Designer to be deceptive, since there is power and flexibility for all but the most complex requirements. Metagon Reporting Scorecard, on the other hand, is the perfect solution for those who simply want to run pre-designed reports, knowing that the data will always be current, and that they can customize the reports with a single click if desired.
The following white papers provide additional information on Metagon Reporter:


text:
When I first heard this song I kind of thought about the Kelsea Ballerini song Peter Pan. This one is kind of the other side of that situation.
Kelsea, who is brilliant, was looking at a situation as a girl that's with an immature guy. He doesn't seem like he'll ever grow up and she has to move on.
This song from newcomer Chris Bandi is about a guy that is looking back and realizing that maybe he missed an opportunity with a girl because he wasn't mature enough…but he's man enough now.
Man Enough Now – Chris Bandi
The production on this song is good. It's kind of a good fit with what's going on in country music now. It has a feel like it's modern while still sounding like it's rooted in country music. It's got a vibe that is pretty unique. You can't really compare it entirely to something else even though I get vibes of Tucker Beathard, Joe Nichols and maybe even a little Sam Hunt and Kane Brown.
It's a really solid song. We kind of looked at the theme and what's going on with the story and the lyrics. The performance is strong. You can really feel that it's likely that Chris has been through this situation in his life. And I can say that it's common for young guys to go through this phase. Maybe we don't mature as fast as others expect us to.
Really good song. I don't know if Chris is associated with a big label, but this one seems to have potential.
Chart Estimate: #10
CML Points: 86/100


text:
* Your list is public by default.
Alternative Titles
Japanese: みゆき
Type: TV
Episodes: 37
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Mar 31, 1983 to Apr 20, 1984
Premiered: Spring 1983
Broadcast: Unknown
Producers: Kitty Films
Licensors: None found, add some
Studios: None found, add some
Source: Manga
Duration: 25 min. per ep.
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Score: 6.721 (scored by 588588 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #47252
2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #7680
Members: 2,712
Favorites: 7


text:
As a native Easterner, I love the fact that Seattle is passionate about salmon.
Watching spawning salmon in wild streams is a special weekend outing in autumn. On a hot day in summer you can see these magnificent fish leap at the Ballard locks. Native tribal lore and conservationists' efforts keep salmon top of mind year-round in the Pacific Northwest.
I particularly love the fact we have five species to appreciate. Soon after moving to Seattle I put King, or Chinook, right at the top of my list. So I was happy to see that Mark Bittman finally got with the program, as my husband would say, and recently declared troll-caught Alaskan king salmon as the king of fish. He offers a simple recipe with few flavors to compete with the richness of the King fillet.
I'll save Mark's recipe "Gently Cooked Salmon with Mashed Potatoes" for another day. I perused scores of fish recipes last Friday before settling on a selection from Whole Foods recipes: Saffron-roasted salmon with tomato fennel compote. The salmon in this case was Sockeye salmon, flash frozen at sea. Sockeye is a bit drier and not as rich as King, thus my interest in the compote. Anything with fennel and leeks and capers had to be good. And it was doubly good.
In the future I might dissect this recipe and use the marinade for fish or chicken and prep the compote to accompany risotto, polenta or other fish. This time, the recipe was intact. And with toasted quinoa pilaf and steamed asparagus, the salmon made our meal worthy of a date night at home.
Fish on Friday, I like it.


text:
The Old Diet Soda And Mentos Experiment [VIDEO]
While doing a little Internet browsing, I came across this Diet Coke and Mentos experiment video. There are two variations of the experiment. One is the put Mentos candy into a bottle of Diet Coke and watch a soda geyser erupt. The other variation, which is displayed in this video gem, is to put the candy in the soda quickly, put the cap back on the bottle and throw it at the ground--it creates a rocket-like effect. Watch what happens next.
Did anyone flinch when the bottle came back at the camera? And, yes, according to the comments on his YouTube channel, the guy is OK.
If you want even more Mentos and Diet Coke action--here's a clip from The Late Show with David Letterman.
I have never tried this--have you?


text:
Widener University
An Ecosystemic Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse - Child Sexual Abuse Certificate Workshop Core Knowledge 2Presenter: Anthony Goldsmith, MA, BCETS
Child sexual abuse treatment is a specialized therapeutic approach to the traumatic symptoms that are caused by the experience of being molested. To fully understand the nature of child sexual abuse and its treatment, it is necessary to clearly define what it is (and isn't), explore the legal aspects of child sexual abuse, and examine its prevalence in our society. The workshop will include a review of the psychology of offenders, examine the interaction between offenders and victims, and explore how that interaction informs treatment of child and adult survivors of sexual abuse. Treatment goals and methods will be discussed. Finally, the workshop will address the impact of treating child sexual abuse survivors and self-care for therapists.
Webb Room, University Center
Widener University
Chester, PA 19013
NOTE: Widener University is ending the Certificate Program in February 2017. This course will not be offered again, so if you are interested in earning the certificate, you must attend this workshop.


text:
DETROIT (WWJ) — The Affordable Care Act takes full effect Oct. 1, and Michiganders may be wondering how it will affect them.
What the currently insured need to do (as it turns out, not much), what the uninsured need to do, where health insurance can be purchased and what new help there will be to buy it all will be covered by http://www.healthcarereformbasics.com, from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
"Health care is undergoing its biggest change since Medicare was created nearly 50 years ago," said Andrew Hetzel, vice president for corporate communications at the Blues. "People have lots of questions. We wanted to provide a place where people, on their own time, can explore health reform's impact, based on their own circumstances and coverage situation."
The site addresses many basic questions Michigan residents all have, from what is health care reform, to discussing potential impacts for consumers. HealthCareReformBasics.com addresses these questions and further breaks them down by allowing consumers to navigate through the website choosing a path specifically designed for them.
"The purpose of this website is to educate, and we hope to give people a more personalized experience in finding information that is relevant to their own circumstances," Hetzel said. "Health reform will affect different people in different ways. The best way to prepare is to explore – based on your family size, income and coverage situation – how it may affect you."
BCBSM will continue to update HealthCareReformBasics.com as new information regarding implementation of the ACA is available. Consumers can also sign up for email updates detailing changes in the law.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit organization, provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.4 million members residing in Michigan in addition to members of Michigan-headquartered groups who reside outside the state. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
For more company information, visit http://www.bcbsm.com.


text:
Sterling Silver and 9ct gold item code: 3SCRSNP
An ornate cross incorporating part of the true cross it was said to have wielded its protection over the House of Abberffraw. This collection beautifully brings to life the missing piece of the Welsh crown jewels.Crafted from sterling silver adorned with 9ct rose gold and white topaz, this exquisite Croes Naid pendant is the perfect gift for your loved ones.
✔ In stock
Contact Us
About Us
Clogau's Story
Autumn and May Jewellery Designs Ltd is an Official Clogau Online Partner.
See Clogau's Terms & Conditions.


text:
Labeled NFS/Demo
The goal of the demonstration is to show passing of security labels over NFSv4 in a configuration similar to what might be found in a typical enterprise environment. Modern enterprise environments provide a number of centralized services for authentication and authorization, directory services, and network storage of user data, which are provided by the server component of the demonstration. These common services are provided using the following packages:
- Authentication Services - Kerberos
- Directory Services / Authorization Services - OpenLDAP
- Centralized User Data Storage - NFSv4
The client component of the demonstration utilizes these services to provide users with login access. Automated installation scripts allow clients to be rapidly installed and configured, differing only by the client kerberos credentials. The demonstration user will be able to access each client, with his or her user data available on each system.
Mandatory access controls are enforced on both the client and server in Multi Layer Security mode using SELinux.
NFS, Network File System
The NFS service enables files to be accessible across a network domain. The NFS service will provide user data directories (e.g. home directories). It will allow users to access their files from anywhere within the demo enterprise network.
NFS is a commonly used to provide distributed file services within enterprise networks. Using it for the network's user directories provides for:
- Centralized file control
- User based access control
- Easier data protection
- Backups
- Recovery
- Integrity
- Centralized access control
- User mobility between hosts within the enterprise (i.e. users access files from any machine)
NFS is standard on most Unix/Linux distributions. It is also supported by Microsoft Windows, OS X, and other operating systems.
Modifed Kernel for NFS
Support for labeled files was added to the NFS version 4 client and server. Label management interfaces are provided and the mounted file system functions as any other local, labeled file system.
Kerberos Authentication Service
Kerberos is an authentication system for distributed systems. Its use in the demo is to provide authentication services for access to the client hosts and the NFS and LDAP servers.
As Security is a key part of this NFS demo, Kerberos was chosen for its ability to provide an enterprise level authentication system. Kerberos has a number of qualities that lends itself to this:
- Integrates easily with NFS
- It is a mature service used in many enterprises
- Designed to be secure within open networks
- Support for Kerberos exists on almost all major platforms
- Unix/NetBSD/Linux Kerberos is integrated into many popular distributions (and some embedded Linux OS's.
- default authentication within the Windows family of clients/servers since Windows 2000 Professional/Server.
- default authentication product in Mac OS X.
- Cisco
- It is an open standard, IETF RFC 1510.
LDAP, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
LDAP is a simple network accessible directory service. It is used in this demo is to provide the user information necessary for client machines to perform user logins and mount the NFS provided home directories. More specifically, the LDAP server provides to the client machines:
- user name, uid, gid
- home directory locations
- login shell
The combination of these three services provide an example of a secure network file system that would be acceptable for a contemporary enterprise.
For the demo, the servers will most likely all run on the same host and there will be 1+ client hosts using the servers' services.
SELinux policy and configuration changes are required on both the client and server for all of the services to function properly together. Supplementary SELinux policy modules were developed for installation on the NFS server to augment the stock policy package. On the client several booleans needed to be turned on to allow the client side services to interact properly.
The server SELinux policy is largely a stock Fedora policy package, with some custom policy to address some issues with the stock policy that prevent RPC and NFS services from functioning properly. The stock policy defines domains and types for the network services that limit access only to required system resources for normal configurations and to contain failures. Additional SELinux policy rules were added to permit access to resources beyond those granted in the stock Fedora policy. The server policy source RPM contains source for the following policies:
- sefosrpc - Additional rules to permit portmap to bind to network ports and for creation of a socket file in /var/run.
- sefosnfsserver - Additional rules to permit the creation and management of files in /var/lib/nfs, and allow the starting/stopping of services required for NFS (nfsd, rpc.gssd, idmapd, etc).
Another policy module (sefosexports) is required to grant the kernel NFS server access to the file types being exported. The set of types allowed for export is fairly minimal, by default. It includes the following types:
- Read-Only Directories
- mnt_t - The NFS server requires at least read access to the parent directories of an exported directory. In the demonstration /mnt/export/home is exported, and as /mnt is of type mnt_t, read only access is required.
- home_root_t - This is the type of /home (and /mnt/export/home as it is /home via a local bind mount). In the demonstration user creation (and thus the creation of their home directories) is performed locally on the NFS server, so read-only and not read-write access is required by the NFS server.
- Read-Write Directories and Files
- user_home_t - User files are by default of type user_home_t. Read-write access is required for remote users to create and manage files.
The client SELinux policy is a stock Fedora policy package. Three booleans are enabled to allow Kerberos, NFS and RPC GSSD to function properly. The three SELinux booleans are:
- allow_kerberos - required for client-side Kerberos to function properly
- allow_gssd_read_tmp - required for RPC GSSD to read cached Kerberos credentials in /tmp (for passing credentials between NFS client and server)
- use_nfs_home_dirs - allow home directories (/home) to be mounted via NFS
Under the hood
Once the demo is setup, what happens when a user logs in?
If it the demo was setup properly, and the right username and password are used, the user should be able to login through GDM and have their home directory mounted with a normal and functional GNOME session initiated. Under the covers a complex series of steps involving Kerberos, RPC services, LDAP, automount and NFS that ensures authentication of the user as well as client and server systems and services. In a nutshell, here are the important steps that occur during a 'normal' user login:
- User account information is pulled from the LDAP server.
- Using the supplied username the server returns available account related information (UID, GID, shell, home dir, etc.)
- User authentication is provided through PAM, which is configured to use Kerberos
- Prior to acquiring the user Kerberos ticket, the client and server systems mutually authenticate to ensure the correct systems are being involved in the authentication steps.
- Assuming the correct password is supplied, the client system is able to authenticate the user and caches the users Kerberos credentials for later use.
- User home directories are mounted via NFSv4 by automount.
- Automount attempts to mount the users home directory and RPC GSSD provides the user's cached Kerberos credentials to the NFS server as only authenticated users are allowed to mount exported shares.
- UID/GID -> user name/group name mapping information (provided by the LDAP server) is used to associated user names with the UIDs and GIDs denoting ownership of the mounted files and directories. This information is used by the operating system to enforce discretionary access controls.
- The NFS client and server exchange security labels to allow SELinux to appropriately label files and enforce mandatory access controls.
More specific information describing how the services on the clients and servers interact, and mapping between different service namespaces can be found here:
Service Interaction and User Name Mapping
- Automated Client and Server installation via Kickstart
- Manual Client and Server installation
- Customizing the Server SELinux Policy
Information helpful for troubleshooting issues is included in-line in the manual installation instructions and at the end of the automated installation.
Binary packages are compiled for Fedora Core 9 systems using the Intel x86 architecture. Source RPMS are available (but not tested) for use on other releases or architectures.
The most recent versions of the packages binary packages and kickstart files are:
- http://www.selinuxnow.org/sefos/packages/ks.client.en.cfg - Client Kickstart
- http://www.selinuxnow.org/sefos/packages/ks.server.en.cfg - Server Kickstart
- http://www.selinuxnow.org/sefos/packages/kernel-2.6.28rc6-7.i386.rpm - Linux Kernel with Labeled NFS patches
- http://www.selinuxnow.org/sefos/packages/nfs-utils-1.1.2-7.fc9.labeled.i386.rpm - NFS Utils with Labeled NFS patches
- http://www.selinuxnow.org/sefos/packages/sefos-server-policy-0.2-1.fc9.i386.rpm - SELinux policy for labeled NFS server
- http://www.selinuxnow.org/sefos/packages/sefos-client-policy-0.1-1.fc9.i386.rpm - SELinux policy for labeled NFS client
Source RPMs and older binary packages are available at the same location: http://www.selinuxnow.org/sefos/packages


text:
Okay, we are now official with updates in a blog format. I know several of you had asked about this possibility – Denise and I had spoken about it at the onset of Steven's journey, and she reserved this URL then. But a blog is time consuming to set up, and she was getting lots of support on the Facebook Team Steven page and her time was simply dedicated to just being by Steven's side. I decided to take the info and run with it this weekend and post all my prior updates because we really needed a site to host the online donation button. Technically it's a joint venture, as I get all my info from her anyway, so here we are!
Steven was having pain in his upper abdomen last week for the first time since being back in Tulsa. He had surgery Thursday afternoon to place a temporary hemo-dialysis port in his neck, do a bone marrow biopsy and pull some fluid from his abdomen to determine what was going on there. His blood culture from the 22nd showed the infection is still in his blood, which could take 4 – 6 weeks to clear.
Good news: Bone marrow and fluid pulled from stomach both tested negative for cancer cells! Wonderful! They decided not to pull his chemo port during Thursday's surgery and will instead test his blood every day for infection. He had a lot of pain from his pancreatitis along with fevers through the weekend, and pain meds weren' t helping. They postponed starting chemo today since it knocks his immune system down so much. I was happy to hear he'll have another week to gather more strength beforehand. Instead they made a plan to drain the fluid from his abdomen.
On Friday morning Steven had awakened and wanted to stand up! His parents Steve and Denise helped him sit up for a while, and then he wanted to lay at the foot of his bed. He had his dad go out and get his suitcase because he wanted to see his own clothes and shoes. Awwww! 🙂 His mom said he's so ready to get out of that hospital! She said Friday morning was the strongest she's seen him since March 4th before they did his last chemo. Yea!!!
They got to move briefly out of ICU to the 3rd floor, but had to head back to ICU yesterday when they planned to drain the fluid – it's much easier to monitor blood pressure closely since losing so much fluid at one time can be dangerous. This is a step forward in relieving his pain and helping him get better. He also received dialysis yesterday. At the end, he pulled out his NG tube AGAIN! His dad asked why he did it and he said he had a dream that he didn't need it and would be healed if he pulled it out. 🙂 Awwww. I just love this boy. Yeah, he's on a lot of pain meds right now to make him comfortable … LOL. But still … his mom thought maybe he knows something they don't. The tube was put down the other nostril this time. Now the fluid being extracted is more yellowish rather than green, which is good!!! So perhaps he was right?! Onto healing!
Last night was kind of a scary one. His pain patch released too much medication after he started running a high fever through the night. His BPMs shot up over 170, his breathing was rapid, oxgen levels dropped. His mom said it was pretty frightening getting him back to normal. No dialysis today. They drained 5.5 LITERS from his abdomen this afternoon, which took about 90 minutes to complete. Last I heard, he was resting as they monitored to see how his body would react to the fluid being gone. Tomorrow they will do a dialysis treatment and then pull his temporary dialysis port. On Wednesday they will put in a permanent port, which will be good to have in place before they start chemo next Monday.
Denise's sister, Michelle Smith, helped organize an amazing benefit concert they had in Bristow, OK on Saturday night. My brother Jeff (Denise's hubby/Steven's stepdad) said the concert was awesome and that Michelle knew the right guy/people to bring. He said it was the best show he's seen in his life, because it was all about Team Steven. There was apparently such reverance and love in the room. It was a beautiful, peaceful time for people to come together to lift Steven up for healing. Thanks to Michelle and to everyone who helped!!!
For those who were unable to attend who still wanted to give a donation, check out the left side of the page! We now have an online donation capability! Yea!!! Convenience! PayPal does extract somewhat hefty fees (for credit card processing – but if it's linked to your bank account the fees are minor), so sending a check is still probably best if you want them to have the entire amount if you don't have a PayPal account, but we want something that works for everyone – TA DA!!!
🙂 (Yes, I'm happy to have mastered the donate button widget!)
As always, thank you for your continued good thoughts and prayers for Steven. I hope you like the new blog format and that it will be easy for you to access or send to your friends who are keeping Steven in their hearts. I added an email subscription area on the sidebar, so you can sign up for updates to be emailed anytime I create a new post! I am thinking of eliminating my email lists to that end, so that those of you who really want to follow closely can subscribe and do it via that avenue. What do you think? Or do you still want me to send an email out with a link every time I post an update? Let me know what you like.
Sending Steven lots of good thoughts in hope that he's feeling better after having that fluid drained!


text:
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Sis Toy
$14.99 $10.39
+ clip the $2.08 coupon
Total: $8.31
This is exclusive for Amazon Prime Members!! Sign up for Amazon Prime 30-day Free Trial.
- 75+ songs, sounds, tunes and phrases!
- Sis's hands, foot, ear, and light-up heart respond to baby's touch (5 activations in all!)
- Teaches 100 first words, introducing parts of the body, shapes, counting, the alphabet and more!
- 3 Smart Stages learning levels to grow along with your child
- Helps give your baby's developing sensory and fine motor skills a big boost
- Go HERE to purchase.
- Go HERE to see past Amazon Deals posted.
- Amazon Gold Box Deals of the Day.
- Today's Lightning Deals.
- Amazon Coupon offers.
- FREE Shipping for Amazon Prime Members or FREE Shipping with $25 purchases. FREE Shipping on book orders of $25+.
- Choose free no-rush shipping and get a $5.99 credit for Prime Pantry OR a $1 credit for eBooks & more – vary by user.
- Sign up for Amazon Prime 30-day Free Trial which includes FREE Shipping on items shipped by Amazon. Amazon Prime is a membership program that offers premium benefits for just $99 per year including FREE Shipping. Go HERE to start your Amazon Prime Membership.


text:
On The Air
Special Event Stations, DXCC Program, W100AW W1AW QSLs via Bureau, Amateur Code, Operating Resources, QSL Service, Centennial QSO Party, NPOTA, Logbook of the World, Operating Specialties, W1AW, International Grid Chase 2018, Hiram Percy Maxim 150th Birthday Celebration, Awards, Contests
Licensing, Education Training
FCC License Info and Forms, Volunteer Instructors/Mentors, Getting Licensed, College Students and Educators, Volunteer Examiners, License Certificates, What is Ham Radio, Amateur Radio in the Classroom, Courses Training, Get on the Air, Lifelong Learning
Member Directory, myARRL, Membership Certificate, Blind Membership, Join ARRL/Renew Membership, member feedback, Dues Increase FAQ, Member Discounts, Membership Levels, Member Support, Techquestion
Read the full article at http://www.arrl.org/news/view/well-known-dxer-and-dxcc-card-checker-peter-glasmacher-dk5dc-sk. STRAY SIGNALS does not claim ownership of the article. The original author is responsible for the content of this post


text:
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Within a 24 hour period, I was offered two contracts for two different stories from two different publishers. Needlessly to say, I happily accepted both.
First contract is for a Christmas short called 'CHRISTMAS MEMORIES' with Silver Publishing.
Part of Silver's '25 Days of Christmas'. Anthology. It is around 8000 words and it is a sweet and very sexy tale. With some humor thrown in of course.
I have never written a short story before, how do you cram all the elements of an effective narrative into less than 10,000 words? But I LOVE Christmas and found once I started writing, it all fell into place.
Have no idea if this is the cover for the stories, dang I hope so, he looks like how I describe my hero. Tentative release date is December 18th.
The second contract offer is from Evernight Publishing, who published my debut, TIMELESS HEART.
This contract is for a novella of around 28,000 it is a paranormal called BLACK LUST. It is the first novella of what I hope will be a trilogy and maybe beyond.
I had such a smooth and stress-free experience with Evernight the first time around, so I am really looking forward to working with them again.
Tentative release date is also sometime in December.
Looks like I will be having a very busy fall but I am relishing this. I also want to start writing a sequel to Timeless Heart, already have it plotted out so lots on my plate.
Thanks to everyone that supported me on this journey. It's not over yet.
28 comments:
- AnonymousSeptember 3, 2011 at 4:45 PM
Congratulations! I know I am looking forward to the Christmas one! Christmas romances are by far my favorite. Can't wait to read it!ReplyDelete
I am so happy for you! You didn't give up, and you have found your dream and you so deserve it! Congratulations a million times!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 3, 2011 at 5:36 PM
fantastic! wow, you really are moving ahead here, all the best and look forward to both releases!ReplyDelete
Wow, a double sale. Huge congratulations, Karyn!ReplyDelete
Wonderful Karyn, big congrats to you!!ReplyDelete
Once published these will also be added to my ever piling high list of e books to read. lol Haven't got an e book reader yet but one day. ;)
- AnonymousSeptember 3, 2011 at 11:37 PM
Congratulations, Karyn! :DReplyDelete
Congratulations Karen! I am thrilled for you! I hope to get there myself one day after family life slows down and I get a little time back to work on writing, I swear you have inspired me even more to keep on going! The Christmas one looks like it would be right up my alley, LOVE that cover.ReplyDelete
Thanks Eliza, I love Christmas as well. Christmas Memories will be it's own book (not part of an anthology) so that is cool.ReplyDelete
thanks so much. You have been a big support these last years and I can't thank you enough for that. Looks like I am off and running! Cheers~
Thank you jaundyce for the good wishes and your support. Mean a lot!ReplyDelete
Thanks so much Suzanna for everything. And you congrats, that means the world~ReplyDelete
Thank you Jen!ReplyDelete
lol, I don't want to even tell you about my TBR pile. 2+ boxes of books, plus ebook backed up on my laptop.
thanks Michelle~ReplyDelete
Thank you Renee!!ReplyDelete
Emily, how great to hear from you!ReplyDelete
Oh do keep going! A lot of these epubs take stories as short as 5000K, a good place to start. I am finding the novella (15-40K) an ideal length for writing. All the best to you!
Woohoo! Congratulations, I knew we'll being seeing more from you. Can't wait wait for there release.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:32 PM
Well done indeed, I am not surprised the way you can spin a story, all the best.ReplyDelete
Again, congrats!!!!! :) Nothing like keeping busy. Those story ideas just seem to pour out of you.ReplyDelete
I'll get back to you on things soon - seem a bit swamped again. :p
Thanks you so much Iron mum!ReplyDelete
I will let you know the closer it gets and when the dates are firm, cheers as always for your support!
thank you silakas,ReplyDelete
I will take that compliment! Cheers~
Thanks so much Kimberly. My brain is always humming that is for sure! Cheers for your support, you know what it means~ReplyDelete
Wow!! Congratulations!!!ReplyDelete
Thanks so much Deb, still in shock!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 11, 2011 at 5:24 AM
Hi Karen!ReplyDelete
Congrats on it,I'm really happy for you,I alway's thought you should write Books!But I'm a bit sad as well,you will have even less time for Crime Story now!And I have to wait till December to read your Books,I hope they will sell them here in Germany,will they be E-Books again or Paper one's?It's so great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a wonderful day! TC Irmtraut
Hi Irmtraut!ReplyDelete
Thanks you so much~I have lots of chapters of Crime Story all ready done so that will keep me going on the Sims front.
My upcoming releases are e-books and should be available at amazon.de if not, they will be at amazon.com. Also they will be available at the publishers websites as well as many other ebook sellers. I will let you know! You have a wonderful day as well mate~
Much congrats to you, Karyn!!!
I'm so very happy for you! :)
Thanks Pene!ReplyDelete
This is certainly a dream come true for me! I really appreciate the congrats!


text:
Let the record show, I spent a day shopping at the Mall of America in Minneapolis -- with my adult children -- and never actually bought anything.
Let the record further show that I think it's both a whacked and wonderful idea to have an overweight 45-year-old man live in a glass apartment for 30 days in the aforementioned mall in an effort to reform his diet and exercise habits. Clearly a career-making PR move by someone working for his sponsor, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
If I could exhibit countless hours of self-control in one of the world's cornucopia's of overdone crud, I'm comfortable applauding a self-employed actor named Scott who claims to have doffed 29 pounds and walked 250 miles (not "run" 250 miles as one TV station claimed) while exhibiting/reforming his lifestyle in a 20-by-30-foot glass enclosure.
The mall is roughly 4.2 million square feet and proclaims itself large enough to accommodate seven Yankee Stadiums (Minnesotans should be so lucky).
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune said the insurer's "Do" campaign comes against the backdrop of the state saying 60% of its adult residents are overweight or obese, and about $1 billion is paid to treat some of the consequences -- diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
As I was jotting this down, a new report indicated overall health of American workers in employer-sponsored health plans declined 2% between 2005 and 2009, judging by body mass index, blood pressure readings, alcohol and tobacco abuse and cholesterol rates. Thomson Reuters estimated that decline added about $670 per worker in health costs to employers and at least partly explains soaring insurance premiums. The estimate doesn't factor in disability or sick days.
Kinda explains why Scott was a wunderkind for weight-loss marketing. Kinda makes me wonder how many calories I burned while not shopping and not eating while mally-dollying.


text:
Sales Management Assessment
It's easy to put the blame on sales people when revenue is down or goals aren't being met. To consistently produce the results you prefer requires the company, the sales people and sales management doing their part. The Sales Management Assessment will help you evaluate the strength of the sales management element of the Ingredients of Sales Success.


text:
Day 46
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Welcome to Day 46 of our Life Journal!
Click here for today's reading: Leviticus 25; Psalms 25, 26; Acts 22 (2012 Daily Bible Reading Plan)
Before you comment or read what I have posted, please read the following passages for yourself and complete your own S.O.A.P. exercise… How does this work?
S.O.A.P = Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
S cripture
(There was a discrepancy between my YouVersion reading plan and the LifeJournal.cc reading plan. I verified that the above plan is correct. (Lev 25; Ps 25, 26; Acts 22… NOT Lev 25, 26; Ps 25; Acts 22. I simply checked tomorrow's reading plan. : )
Leviticus 25:2-4, "'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards."
v 8, 11, "Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years… The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you…"
v 55, "the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."
Psalm 25, "In you, LORD my God, I put my trust."
Psalm 26, "I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered. 11 "I lead a blameless life…" That's a bold statement, coming from a guy (David) who had a man (Uriah the Hittite) killed so he could take his wife as his own! justsayin'
Psalm 26:2 "Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind…"
Acts 22 Paul gives his testimony… Never under-estimate the power of your testimony.
O bservation
I can't imagine taking off one out of every seven years… then, the year of jubilee!
Note: God wanted the land to also have a sabbath rest! His promise was provision and protection.
The whole idea of redemption… That slaves or land could be bought back, or redeemed… Jesus redeemed us! Galatians 3:13-14, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us… 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."
We have been "bought at a price" according to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
A pplication
In a sense, we are also slaves… but no longer slaves to the law or to sin, but to Christ, to righteousness… to the law of the Spirit that sets us free! Romans 6 addresses this at length. What a great chapter!
Still chewing on the sabbath rest… This is so impressed upon my heart of late. Obviously it's not possible today for us to simply take a year off… but I believe it's God's heart for us to take a sabbath, not because it is lawful, but because it is His desire for us to rest. Even God rested on the seventh day. Not because He was tired, but to model this concept for us! Don't get me wrong, I really try to take a day off, but it's what I DO (or don't do) on that day that is the issue.
P rayer
Thank you Lord for redeeming me. For freeing all of us from the law of sin and death! Thank you that it's your heart for us to rest…


text:
Bloomberg Businessweek's Josh Tyrangiel to Present "Welcome Address" at the 2012 Publishing Business Conference
The press has called him Bloomberg Businessweek's "Boy Wonder" … and his mission of drawing readers to the reinvented weekly business magazine "preposterous." Josh Tyrangiel was hired in fall 2009, at age 37, as editor of the new Bloomberg purchase of Businessweek magazine, which was, at the time of its purchase, reportedly hemorrhaging $800,000 a week. Adweek cited that figure at $63 million a year.
But Tyrangiel has proven the impossible possible, and under his leadership, Businessweek has grown in frequency, rate base, editorial and ad pages. Bloomberg Businessweek was named to Adweek's 2011 "Hot List" as one of the most influential magazines of the year, and Reuter's media columnist Jack Shafer recently wrote that Bloomberg Businessweek is "the best magazine in America."
Tyrangiel, formerly a deputy managing editor at Time magazine and the top editor of its online operation, was selected as the editor of the new Bloomberg Businessweek because of his understanding of both print and the Web.
According to a 2009 Bloomberg Businessweek announcement of Tyrangiel's hire, "During his tenure at Time.com, Tyrangiel boosted the Web site's traffic from 400 million page views in 2006 to what could be an estimated 1.8 billion page views this year. Previous to Time, Tyrangiel worked at Rolling Stone and Vibe magazines and served as a news producer at MTV."
In his editor's note in April 2010, introducing a newly redesigned Bloomberg Businessweek, Tyrangiel wrote: "To make this magazine an indispensable part of your life, we've expanded each issue by adding 20% more editorial pages and redesigned them to accommodate roughly twice the number of stories. In most businesses, that's called value for money."
He credited the magazine's new look to the goals of Creative Director Richard Turley: "to make the magazine easy to navigate, with small color cues for each section and bold, clean headlines. 'Design is best when you don't know it's there,' says Richard. 'We want the journalism to speak loudest.'"


text:
American Federal Bank offers online banking services to all its customers. American Federal Bank was founded in 1981 and is headquartered at 215 North Fifth Street Fargo, North Dakota 58102. It currently operates 13 branches in two states. Based on its fees, size, and account interest rates this bank receives a Smart Rating of 77 out of 100, which falls short of the average of 88 for a regional bank.
Judging from the relationship between bank's deposits and cash balances, we could say that the bank is having a slow growth and also are handling their money very inefficiently. The American Federal Bank is performing very poorly based on their financial stability rating of 1.55 as compared to the average financial stability rating of 3.01 of other regional institutions. Their total deposits are of $368 Million and their total assets are $490 Million.
American Federal Bank Login Instructions:
Step 1 – If a user wants to login to their online account they should first visit the Homepage (americanfederalbank.com) for the bank and search for the 'eBanking' at the top left side of the page. Here they should enter their 'Login ID', their 'Password' and then click 'Sign In'.
Forgotten User ID/Password
Step 1 – If a user has forgotten their password they should enter their 'Login ID' in the blank field of the 'eBanking' facility at the top left of the homepage and then check the box below this for 'Forgot Password'. They should then click 'Sign In'.
The user can also call on 1 (701) 461-5900 or if they want to they can visit the Bank Branch for further assistance.
How to Enroll:
Step 1 – If a customer wants to enroll for online banking they need to go to the bank's homepage and looking for 'eBanking'. Below this is a link 'Enroll' and the user must click on 'Personal'.
Step 2 – Now the user is must complete the 'Blank Fields' to complete the process
- Requested login ID
- Name
- Account number
- City
- ZIP code
American Federal Bank Information:
|Headquarter Address
|215 North Fifth Street Fargo, North Dakota 58102
|Official Website
|Routing Number
|Receiving Bank ABA
|Contact Number
|ATM Locations
|Android App


text: Welcome to "The Royal Comfort" – your home away home in the city of Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India. We are one of the most promising group of premium hotel chain here in the city of Bangalore. We are a 36room all new premium hotel property at Jayanagar, Bangalore and a stone's throw away from the Jayanagar Shopping Complex.


text:
MANILA, Aug. 19 -– Works on the P7.8 billion Laguindingan International Airport (LIA) is now in full swing.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said the state-of-the-art airport is a flagship project of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Northern Mindanao under the Mindanao Super Region program.
Target date of completion is Jan. 2012.
Delia Capicenio, project manager of the Laguindingan Airport Development Project (LDAP), said that the acquisition of the affected properties for the access roads being undertaken by the provincial government is now 100 percent complete.
The ground preparation for the access road, which costs P188 million, including road embankment, excavation and sub-grade preparation which started last July 2007 is now 38.27 percent accomplished.
Capicenio said that the main civil work of the airport costing P4.991 billion was started in January, last year, and is now 45 percent complete.
The groundwork on the temporary facilities of contractors, mobilization of contractors' resources at site such as materials, labor, equipment and site clearing is now in full blast.
Air navigation and support facilities will cost P708 million.
The LIA is funded with a loan secured by the Philippines and Korean governments.
The loan was sourced out from the various creditors in Korea. These are the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) for the original loan and US$ 22.40 million; EDCP for the supplemental loan amount of US$ 8.2 million; Export Credit, US$ 62.75 million; Nordic Investment Bank (NIB), US$ 13.38 million and the government of the Philippines, US$ 60.36 million. These amount to US$ 167.09 (P7.853 billion).
The total loan is payable in 20 years, with a grace period of 10 years. The repayment will start in 2010.
Once completed and operational, the LIA will create more employment, boost the economy of the region and more tourists to come. – by Lynda B. Valencia


text:
Artist: Henri Rousseau
Image from Wikimedia Commons
Today I offer you the following. Make of it what you will!
"Everything in this world has a hidden meaning. . . Men, animals, trees, stars, these are all hieroglyphics. . . When you see them, you do not understand them. You think they are really men, animals, trees, stars. It is only years later, that you understand."
— Nikos Kazantskis in Zorba the Greek~~~


text:
Like every other Pinterest addicted girl out there- I am currently addicted to chevron and not afraid to admit it. I also have a bunch of old frames from my Middle School/High School years that I'm just not a big fan of anymore. So with the leftover fabric from my cubicle remodel (post coming soon), I decided to upgrade one of my frames!
Here's what it started out as:
So, you'll want to remove the glass from the frame first. If you can completely remove the backing that would help! Mine was attached on one side so it made the inside section a little harder, but it wasn't too bad.
Next, cut out a piece of fabric about one inch larger than your frame on each side.
When I first draped my fabric over my frame, I noticed it was a bit sheer and you could see the pink and the stripes through it, so I painted the entire frame with a layer of random white crafting paint I had laying around.
Next, wrap fabric around frame like a present, secure on the sides with super glue or another type of glue.
Cut out the fabric in the center of the frame to a rectangle leaving about 1/4 inch hanging over the edge. Also, cut slits from the center all the way to the corners so you can fold the fabric in.
Fold in fabric and super glue it. Add back glass and picture!
Click here to get to my original Pinterest post of this craft and re-pin away!


text:
In one of our guest bedrooms, my wife has a large treasure chest. It's not filled with gold coins. This storage trunk is where she has always kept very important memorabilia—such as a 113 year old quilt made by her grandmother—since the beginning of our marriage over 38 years ago. On the outside of the canvas-covered trunk, are imprinted the initials M. M. for her maternal grandmother, Malinda Mann. This treasure chest is well over 100 years old.
Recently I read about a message given by Pastor Andy Stanley at Northpoint Church in Atlanta with this name, "Your Life is a Treasure Chest." In his message, Stanley said, "You are a unique blend of experiences, successes, failures, and opportunities that make you a unique treasure. For you to have a life that counts, you have got to figure out how to leverage all of this for the sake of others." I couldn't agree more.
When I was in my early 40's, I committed myself to pass on my life learnings to the generations behind me. Since that time, I've informally and formally tried to empty my treasure chest of valuables. Like your treasure chest, my failures, my successes, my life experiences, the combinations of good and bad, can all add value to those who are coming behind us.
You've probably heard some variation of this quote, "The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away." That's not only true of material things, but it is true of those valuables in your "treasure chest" of life experiences. And the older we get, the more our treasure chest grows!
Let me ask you, who could be benefitting from the treasure that is in you? Are you mentoring anyone? Have you taken inventory of your treasure chest to even know what you have that could bless someone younger?
And don't forget to your tabulate your failures in the total tally of your treasure chest inventory. Stanley went on to say, "It's your failures that in some ways makes you a better candidate to communicate to the generation that's coming behind you." People don't just want to know about your successes. They want to make sure they don't repeat your failures. When you think about it, others can learn far more from your failure than from your success.
So, who could benefit from all the great and not-so-great things in your treasure chest? Ask God to show you. What steps will you take this week to begin to distribute the wealth you've stored up?
QUESTION: What is one thing you want to share with the generation after you? Share your comment below.
One response to Your Life Is A Treasure Chest
Robert Dubois on May 1, 2013 at 2:16 PM
What is one thing you want to share with the generation after you?
Each person has something extra ordinary in their heart. Dreams that they will want to came reality. You just need to have Faith on it and not fear of it. That's your Treasure Chest, and each people have inside of them something special, find it out it's worth to find it. When you find it, you will sell everything to keep it. Because I'm telling you, each dreams that's God put in your heart it's a way that He loves you. But first, you need to have Faith if you want to come to past…
I read in the Bible this scripture; When he saw Jesus walking on the water, Peter say; "Lord, is it you? If it you… tell me to come close to you. And Jesus said; "come with me!" And Peter jumps out the boat and walk on the water few step before he starts to sink. If Peter has more Faith in his heart and not Fear at all, his dream will be in the past. But Peter, start to have Fear in his heart and he was sinking. "Lord Help Me!" He say's! And Jesus rescues Him.
When you ask Jesus to help you, don't fear, don't have any doubt in your heart and have Faith. This is a promises God give it to you and just for you only.
You have the right to be frustrated about the circumstance that's happens into your life but don't blame anybody, but blame yourself only. It's always easy to blame other or situation because you don't want to recognize that In each situation that's come to you is for one thing, is to learn and chose want you really want for your life. And if you do with love not with bad thought idea, you will have a lovely and happiness life.
One thing I want to say for young people, the next generation that will come after me. Ask you only one question. Before doing anything, ask to yourself; "Is it with love? I'm doing this or for other reason." If you do it for love, go for it! If you don't, don't do it. Don't forget life is a way to learn and do not start your life without love. You will not be happy without love. Have a lovely day full of happiness because God wants you to be Happy. Loves you all…
Robert Dubois, Cape Coral.


text:
This weekend, one of my favorite things on earth, Wiretap, came here to do a performance. (Why in God's name a Canadian show decided to time their arrival to Arizona in JULY is beyond me, though). Jonathan Goldstein is a genius, and in addition to being a Wiretap junkie, I've followed his stuff on This American Life and in print (both his essays and his novel). So I was beyond excited to meet him and have him sign his novel. But I was completely crestfallen when he told the hipster asshat in front of me in line that he LOVED the guy's tattoo. Of a bear playing a guitar. Which then made me all deflated and self-conscious and not wanting to seem like a loser groupie, so I lost all desire to explain what a mega-fan I am and to beg him to take me on as an intern on his show. So instead I just shuffled forward and had him sign my book without speaking anything more than "hello."
Aside from that, the performance reaffirmed just how awesome Wiretap is, especially since I learned that Doug Savage's sticky notes were a pivotal part of Jonathan's presentation. From now on, though, I might stick to listening to Wiretap rather than trying to seek it out in live form.


text:
"Live in the field of possibilities."
I have a number of canvases I have worked on and left and keep going back and looking at them and with this one I finally decided that I really didn't like it and it was time to recycle the hot mess it had become by covering it up with Venetian plaster. I should have taken a picture of it first but I really like the transformation.
The original canvas had a couple of paper circles that still showed through the plaster so I made them into some colourful abstract flowers instead. To give the canvas lots of texture I used a stamp when the venetian plaster was still wet.
The blue paint I thought was acrylic and I was adding water to it and trying to dab it off in places and then realized that actually I had mixed in a tube of oil paint with my acrylics and that is what it was, but in the end I really like the contrast and how it went onto the canvas. So it was a happy mistake as often art turns out to be.
The quote BE KIND I had painted onto the original canvas and I decided that I wanted to keep it in view on the revised piece – it is a reminder to always choose to be kind.


text:
While Nashville's country community still recovering from a sold-out 2016 CMA Music Festival, LOCASH's Preston Brust and Chris Lucas showed no signs of stopping going into release week for their newest album The Fighters, which was released Friday (June 17).
By the numbers, CMA Fest week included appearances at least three charity events, a performance at the 2016 CMT Music Awards and a show at the free Riverfront stage, plus tour dates in West Virginia, New York and Iowa.
"I don't know how to recover [from CMA Fest] because we just don't stop," Lucas explains. "Our recovery is when we get on a bus bunk."
Onstage and off, their energy blows the mind, and it's powered by a passion for living for their best tomorrow. Settling in at a posh photography studio in the Berry Hill neighborhood of Nashville, the two are all smiles over the excitement of the collection's hit lead single "I Love This Life," going gold, reflecting more than 500,000 streams and downloads.
Produced by Lindsay Rimes, The Fighters is full of radio-ready LOCASH music that built their loyal following for more than a decade. High-energy songs "Moonwalkin'," "All Day" and "Ain't Startin' Tonight" show the duo can do exuberant dance-ready pop as well as acts like Capital Cities and Walk the Moon.
They dip more into pop territory with the catchy commitment anthem "Ring on Every Finger," which was written by Thomas Rhett, Jesse Frasure and Josh Kear, while the collection's more tender moments are "I Know Somebody," "Shipwrecked," "Till the Wheels Fall Off" and "God Loves Me More."
Closing the 11-song album, the title track is for all loyal fans who use the duo's music as medicine with shout-outs to everyday heroes who take pride in what they do. In the chorus, they sing, "This one's for the blue collar 80-hour weekers/Sweat-stained heartland/Haggard on the speakers/Pickin' ourselves up out of the hot August dust/In God we trust/Cold beer in the left hand/Friday night catchin' on fire/This one's for you/This one's for the fighters."
With so much tragedy in the news lately, Brust believes the positivity radiating from their new music is something world needs at the moment.
"I really feel like 'The Fighters' is medicine for a lot of people's soul's right now," he says. "I feel like we're a country of fighters. We're tough. Even though it's hard, we still fight and get back up. And that song to me, when I think of the lyrics I get goose bumps. It's medicine for me. I'm glad we recorded the song. It means a lot."
Lucas is a father of two, and Brust is about to celebrate his first Father's Day as a new dad. Brust and his wife Kristin welcomed a daughter, Love Lily Brust, in January.
"It's just fun watching all that develops and the smiles and the cries that aren't real," he says. "I'm starting to catch on. I'm like, 'That's not a real cry.' Then she'll stop cryin' and then I'm like, 'Busted!' It's great. I love changing diapers. I don't know why I love it. I like being her little hero and changing her diaper. She goes from a cry to a smile."