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2015 the year of ISIS
Forces of Evil
Behind Acts of Terror
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12)
The past century was one of unprecedented evil: 20 million killed in Stalin's purges, Hitler's extermination of six million Jews, 1.7 million massacred in the killing fields by Pol Pot, and the millions of lives lost trying to defend or defeat these ruthless leaders. And the carnage escalated quickly into the 21st century as mankind witnessed the fiery deaths of over 4,000 from suicide missions perpetrated against the United States on 9/11 by Al-Qaeda extremists. But an even more sinister and illusive foe has been terrorizing the world with random, demonic acts of evil. The Salafi jihadist militant group that follows an Islamic fundamentalist, Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam, ISIS has become more organized, more powerful and more evil than all other religious extremist groups.
2015 has been a year full of different terror attacks. We were shocked by those in Paris, San Bernardino, which has long battled high crime rates but got its mass shooting in 2015, where the perpetrators were "homegrown violent extremists" inspired by foreign terrorist groups. When we look at all the terror attacks effectuate we may wonder if the the hideous acts of terror around the world by radical Islamic militants were simply the function of an evil twist of character fueled by false religion, or are they provoked still further by a malicious, invisible force? Will the One true God bring an end to all this evil and terror?
Satan, Evil and Intelligent Beings
The Word of God leaves no doubt there is evil in the world. It tells us where it came into the world. It was by the greed of man that man was overtaken to rebel against God.
In the Bible we are told that by the years more and more people came into existence rebelling against their Most High Power. We also come to find out that even by the followers of Jeshua (Jesus Christ) there were those who were taken by fear and by lust of power and money, so that they doubted what Jesus should (Peter) do or betrayed their master teacher for some money (Judas). The apostle who resisted Jesus, Peter, was therefore called a Satan by Jeshua.
Going against the Will of God is considered being an opponent or adversary, which is being a Satan. In several languages it is translated as a personification of an evil doer or evil bringer. In English such a person or being, is also called a 'devil'. In the bible we are given several examples of such beings who do evil or who oppose God. As to the existence of a personal devil and his legions of demons, we can see that those possessed with 'demons' are the ones who have a psychological illness. The Bible gives a comprehensive description of Satan, his emissaries and his aims. Satan is represented in Scripture as being the orchestrator and source of evil in the universe — the unrelenting enemy of God and man.
In the Book of books, the Bible, we are shown that even some men of God became a victim of that Satan. Those books show clearly how it is from within those people that filth or evil came over them. They were weak and let themselves being seduced by their own thoughts. We can see that they them selves were at fault and that nobody outside them was to blame for they going wrong.
A god of this world
From the Scriptures we do know that several men opposed the Divine Creator and placed themselves higher than Him. Though we may not forget that nobody can be greater than God. Even Jesus knew very well that God was the greatest and that he could do nothing without God. Throughout history many people got an important position and as such became gods, i.e. higher placed people. As such we can find angels, Moses, Pharaoh, Apollo, Zeus being called gods, like Jesus was also called a god but none of them were the God of gods. Several of those higher placed beings also became worshipped as gods, whilst others rule the world as a god.
The Apostle Paul recognized the existence of a personal, invisible devil and gave him or them the title "god of this world." (2 Corinthians 4:4) Paul also called Satan
"the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2)
These words imply not only that there are evil principles at work, but that behind them there are invisible evil powers opposing all that is good.
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12)
Rulers of the darkness of this world
We must not think evil is something of one specific being, a singular "Satan". In all of us sits a Satan. We all can become victim of Satan, the evil within. If we are not careful and let our imagination go, and let our lust being taken over by our inner lust, we shall also become a Satan, an adversary of God like Peter at one time also was called a Satan.
Today we can see many adversaries of God at work. They are the Satan spoken of in the Hoy Scriptures. We are also warned of those who oppose the Almighty God, that they will be the rulers of the world and that there shall come a "prince of the devils". It shall come so fart that the world shall be put in chains by those adversaries of Allah or God. Even the angels, the celestial beings, shall come to see what happens on the world, and they too shall not be able to stop it. It shall continue until the Great or Last Day of this System of things.
Satan may have gained 'legions of angels', those beings who have actively supported his evil schemes, they shall be looked on by the faithful to God. Though the world shall continue to bring the unfaithful together trying to get more lovers of God away from Him. We are even told they would not mind to use all tricks to lure those people into their net. that is also what we are seeing today. Several people who have doubts about God and religion try to find a solution for their own life. They think those people from Islamic State or IS, can give them the right answer and give them an eternal happy life.
Islamic State does as if it is fighting for God, but when we look at their works, raping innocent girls, selling women as slaves, burning holy books and prayer houses (mosques and churches) we can see that those actions are against the Will of God. Their aim is to rule the world by creating their own state, the Islamic State. They do know, people are gone far away from God, and as such they are also an easy prey. In this world there is a lot of darkness and they make use of it to gain their power over all those who do not believe in the One True God.
Though they forget there are also others who as opposer of God want to rule the world. And in the bible we are told they too shall rise up against each other and claim to have the right to rule the world. as part of the signs of the last days we shall come to see that there shall start the Big Battle in the land of Euphrates and Tigris (Iraq and Iran) and that religion shall come up against religion, situations we can see today.
Together all those opposed to God shall do their best to have people to believe that either we should do away with all sorts of religion and should not believe in Allah or God, whilst others shall do their best to have people coming to their false religion. Satan or satans, the adversary or adversaries of God shall come to cooperate as mischief workers amongst men. For them the most important is that nobody shall be a follower of Jesus Christ (a Christian) or would worship God as a united Body in Christ. The Islamic fundamentalist group "Islamic State" is the Satan which shall never let up their unrelenting desire to create a society under their control. (Matthew 9:34; Isaiah 14:12-15)
Continued malicious meddling
What we see happening today is a result of continued malicious meddling by "Satan and the demons", the adversaries of god and those who are not sound in mind, as they prey upon the weakest of humanity. While fallen man is much to blame for these acts of violence, "wicked spirits" often enter sick or deluded minds, suggesting hideous acts of violence. The Scriptures describe in detail such incidents and the misery caused by evil spirit influence and possession. (Matthew 8:16; Mark 5:15; Luke 4:41; Luke 22:3)
Those who are inclined toward evil leave themselves open to suggestions from these wicked spirits. There are enough 'lunatics' or mad people who want to get their ideas into the mind of others. Some succeed cleverly to bring others in the ban of their thinking. Muslim extremists wreaking worldwide panic through acts of terror have been brain-washed by doctrines of 'demons', persons who have evil inside and want to bring that evil unto others, them believing that they have a God-directed mission to execute their victims. (1 Timothy 4:1) But, unlike the god of Muslim extremists, the God of real Muslims and the Judeo-Christian God, Jehovah, is a God of love, and He has told His children that there are seven things which are an abomination to Him — among these are hands that shed innocent blood, hearts that devise wicked plans, feet that run swiftly to evil and those who spread strife. (Proverbs 6:16-19) These activities describe well the acts of hateful extremists — no matter their religion.
16 There are six things that Jehovah does hate;+ yes, seven are things detestable to his soul:+ 17 lofty eyes,+ a false tongue,+ and hands that are shedding innocent blood,+ 18 a heart fabricating hurtful schemes,+ feet that are in a hurry to run to badness,+ 19 a false witness that launches forth lies,+ and anyone sending forth contentions among brothers.+ (Proverbs 6: 16-19)
While there are relatively few radicalised Muslims waging a war of terror, it is important to understand that the majority of Muslims are peace-loving. Christians must not succumb to the hysteria that creates fear of the entire Muslim community — most of whom are peaceable and reasonable. Remember Jesus' admonition:
"Love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:39)
Escalating into devastating worldwide violence of our day
Today's Headlines Written Nearly 2,000 Years Ago
In His foreknowledge, God could look down to our time and see the hate and greed in the human heart that would escalate into the devastating worldwide violence of our day. In His wisdom, God has permitted this extreme level of evil under "Satan's temporary reign" that it might teach an everlasting lesson to all mankind. god has given the world in the hands of man. It was man who accused God of not being fair and not giving him liberty. Now man has the liberty to choose how to rule and how to live. History has proven that they made a mess of it. This limited experience living in a world with evil is teaching mankind to hate iniquity and to long for a better day under a righteous ruler — Messiah.
Therefore, to provide hope to His people, God placed in His Word prophetic indicators which would point to the time when Satan's kingdom of evil would begin to collapse. Four signs were given to the prophet Daniel which would mark the time of the end — the end of this present evil world under the dominion of Satan. (Daniel 12:1, 4; Galatians 1:4)
12 "And during that time Miʹcha·el*+ will stand up,+ the great prince*+ who is standing in behalf of the sons of your people.+ And there will certainly occur a time of distress such as has not been made to occur since there came to be a nation until that time.+ And during that time your people will escape,+ every one who is found written down in the book.+ 2 And there will be many of those asleep in the ground of dust who will wake up,+ these to indefinitely lasting life+ and those to reproaches [and] to indefinitely lasting abhorrence.+
3 "And the ones having insight will shine like the brightness* of the expanse;+ and those who are bringing the many to righteousness,+ like the stars to time indefinite, even forever.
4 "And as for you, O Daniel, make secret the words and seal up the book,+ until the time of [the] end.*+ Many will rove about, and the [true] knowledge* will become abundant."+ (Daniel 12:1-4)
4 He gave himself for our sins+ that he might deliver us from the present wicked system of things*+ according to the will+ of our God and Father, (Galatians 1:4)
Signs for us to take heed
• "many shall run to and fro"
In the past 100 years, numerous modes of transportation have been invented, increasing the speed of travel from 20 mph to over 18,000 mph. This has been a blessing to most of humanity, but it has also brought with it a means for terrorists to spread their evil rapidly far and wide.
• "knowledge shall be increased"
More than ninety percent of all scientists who have ever lived are alive today, and more than fifty percent of the world's inventions have been created within the last three decades. Additionally, sophistication in communications allows man to see and hear global news instantly. This has created amazing tools to benefit mankind, but it has also provided terrorists the tools to spread their hate.
• Messiah will begin to "stand up" for Daniel's "people"
Israel's rebirth as a nation is a miracle of history. Never before has a nation been destroyed, its people dispersed to the ends of the earth and then — nearly 2,000 years later — regathered and reestablished as a nation. But, one of radical Islam's most hated enemies is Israel. This horrible reality of terror has been playing out almost every day since Israel's formation as a nation in 1948. And now, the other countries of the world are experiencing firsthand the fear of living their daily lives in expectation of yet another terrorist attack.
• "a time of trouble such as never was"
Unprecedented trouble is the hallmark of our time and is confirmed by these recent tragic events. True, the world has always had trouble, but, prior to 1940, the potential for the annihilation of humanity by the single flick of a switch was unheard of. In the first three quarters of the 20th Century at least 100 million lives had been lost to war (Time Magazine, March 9, 1970). Thirty-four wars were being waged in 1988 alone. And today, "the weak say I am strong." (Joel 3:10) A few, "the weak," have brought the strong nations of the world into a state of extreme distress. Weakness, fuelled by jealousy, hatred, misinformation and prejudice punctuates Daniel's vision of unprecedented trouble.
Maintaining Faith in an Unstable World
All four of these signs given to Daniel should give God's people hope that the end of Satan's evil regime is near. Yet, it is still hard to maintain faith in this unstable and frightening world. This makes it even more necessary that we, as Christians, take up the whole armour of God that we might be able to
"withstand in the evil day… having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God…" Ephesians 6:10-17
Yes, in this unstable world it takes an extreme, educated faith to believe that God's plan will provide a constructive end to all the tears caused by evil — to believe that God is not indifferent to every sorrow. The Scriptures declare that He desires mankind to live in a world without fear, but He now allows Satan (God's adversary) to rule for a limited time in order that each individual may learn valuable lessons — experiencing the results of evil and selfishness.
The world is quickly learning that it is helpless to win a war against evil. Thus we read,
"This sore travail has God given to man to be exercised therewith." (Ecclesiastes 1:13)
It is comforting to know that when God finally says through His Son, It is enough — peace be still, we can rest assured that there will be great changes in the earth, and all will begin to see that the permission of evil was both educational and preparatory to the ushering of mankind into the ages of blessing to come, wherein
"all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 28:14)
The promise is that once God, through His Son, puts an utter end to all evil,
"affliction shall not rise up the second time." (Nahum 1:9; Job 34:29)
9 What will YOU men think up against Jehovah?+ He is causing an outright extermination.
Distress will not rise up a second time.+ (Nahum 1:9)
29 When he himself causes quietness, who, then, can condemn?
And when he conceals [his] face,+ who can behold him,
Whether it is toward a nation+ or toward a man,* it being the same thing? (Job 34:29)
In other words, the harsh lessons of evil will never be necessary again when all the families of the earth learn, by contrast, that love, peace, righteousness and unselfishness are far more preferable than living in this present evil world. The depth of God's wisdom is shown in His foresight to devise a plan that provides for man's free choice and experience with evil, but nevertheless brings redemption through Christ which will result in eternal happiness.
The Desire of All Nations Shall Come
Though God has permitted Satan's evil influence for a relatively short time, He will soon put a stop to all evil and usher in His everlasting righteous Kingdom. Then the Scriptures assure us that all of "the inhabitants of the earth will learn righteousness" when the "knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the deep." (Isaiah 26:9; 11:9)
7 The path of the righteous one is uprightness.+ You being upright, you will smooth out the very course of a righteous one.+ 8 Yes, for the path of your judgments, O Jehovah, we have hoped in you.+ For your name and for your memorial+ the desire of the soul has been.+ 9 With my soul I have desired you in the night;+ yes, with my spirit within me I keep looking for you;+ because, when there are judgments from you for the earth,+ righteousness+ is what the inhabitants of the productive land* will certainly learn.+ 10 Though the wicked one should be shown favor, he simply will not learn righteousness.+ In the land of straightforwardness he will act unjustly+ and will not see the eminence of Jehovah.+ (Isaiah 26:7-10)
9 They will not do any harm+ or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain;+ because the earth* will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.*+ (Isaiah 11:9)
The time is coming when Jehovah, the Almighty God shall certainly bring home the world its own badness upon the productive land. The adversaries of God shall receive the consequences of their own error. Badness shall also come upon the wicked themselves. It is also written down that Jehovah shall actually cause the pride of the presumptuous ones to cease, and the haughtiness of the tyrants or ʽa·ri·tsimʹ Jehovah shall abase. (Isaiah 1:11) Then there shall come the moment that the adversary or all those who are under the spell of the adversary will be destroyed — never to hurt nor deceive the world again. Babylon and the defiled ones with all people shall be paid back according to their activities. According to all that they have done. The love of God will abundantly bestow blessings of life, peace and happiness upon all.
20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss+ and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he seized the dragon,+ the original serpent,+ who is the Devil+ and Satan,+ and bound him for a thousand years. 3 And he hurled him into the abyss+ and shut [it] and sealed [it] over him, that he might not mislead the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After these things he must be let loose for a little while.+(Revelation 20:1-3)
Yes, the influence of God's benevolent Kingdom will have an overwhelming transforming effect on the hearts of men. Of this mighty future work we read,
"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God." (Ezekiel 11:19-20)
There is great cause to rejoice, for it is the severity and hopelessness of the world's problems that mark us at the threshold of these promised Kingdom blessings. Just as the terror of today was prophesied, the resurrection of all who have ever lived is also assured in prophecy. Then, all those who perished in the terrors of this day will be reunited with their loved ones, and
"The desire of all nations shall come." (Haggai 2:7)
Legitimate Desires
What are Some of These Legitimate Desires?
Ask the homeless family living in times of unemployment,
"What is your desire?"
Their answer will be,
"If only we had a place to call home."
God promises:
"They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit. They shall not plant and another eat." (Isaiah 65:21-23)
Ask the father of a child dying of cancer,
"What is your desire?"
His answer will be,
"If only there were no sickness and crippling diseases, no cancer, no blindness, no pain and suffering."
Thank God! These desires will be fulfilled in His Kingdom:
"And no inhabitant will say I am sick." "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy." (Isaiah 33:24; 35:5,6)
And what will be the desire of the young man on the field of battle,
"If only there were no wars and man could learn to live in peace."
The Kingdom promise is:
"They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore." (Micah 4:3)
Ask the Mother of the young man killed at the hand of a terrorist,
"What is your desire?"
and she will say,
"If only I could hold him and see him happy again."
Yes, the most blessed promise of all, lost loved ones will be united once again in the resurrection.
"I will ransom them from the power of the grave…" (Hosea 13:14; Isaiah 25:8)
"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." (Isaiah 35:10)
These are but a few of the legitimate desires, which shall be satisfied. This is the promise of God's Kingdom to come, where His will shall be done on earth, as it is even now done in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
Close your eyes for a moment to the scenes of misery and woe, degradation and sorrow that yet prevail on account of sin, and picture before your mental vision the glory of the perfect earth.
Not a stain of sin will mar the harmony and peace of a perfect society, not a bitter thought, not an unkind look or word.
Love welling up from every heart will meet a kindred response in every other heart, and benevolence will mark every act.
There sickness shall be no more — not an ache nor a pain, nor any evidence of decay — not even the fear of such things.
Such will earth's society be, and weeping bereaved ones will have their tears all wiped away, when thus they realize the resurrection work complete. (Revelation 21:4)
The year of God
2015 might have been the year of ISIS, in 2016 they shall not be off the radar. We know that everything may become worse but those who believe in god have good prospects and may build on their hope which is build on those prophesies from the Holy Scriptures.
Let us use that bible to guide us through the times coming and let us look forward to the return of Christ.
For sure to all the suffering shall come an end. Looking at the signs described in the Bible we do know we are not so far off from the Last Days. Than we shall have the Day of Jesus, when he shall judge all. Let us make sure that we shall be by the ones justified to enter the small gate of the Kingdom of God, being pleased to be united as partakers of God's promise, united in the Body of Christ in the Year of God, notifying that the years of ISIS are over.
Preceding article:
Belgian Bible Students review of 2015
Additional reading
- What is life?
- Kitty Werthmann her account of grewing up in Austria under Nazi regime
- 150 Years after the 13th Amendment
- 2014 Religion
- Social media a destabilisation tool in the Middle East and Syrian conflict
- Islamophobic hate crimes rise in UK following terror attacks
- Wrong choices made to get rid of Assad
- Stronger than anything that wants to destroy
- Being Charlie 8
- French Muslims under attack
- Syrian but also Belgian connection to French attacks
- Refugee crisis, terrorist attacks and created fear
- Massive police operation in northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis
- Coming closer to the end of 2015 and the end for Donald Trump as presidential candidate
- Summary for the year 2015 #1 Threat and fear
- Summary for the year 2015 # 2 Strewn with corpses and refugees
- 2015 Human rights
- Stepping Toes 2015 in review
- Is ISIS a product of American in-action or a product of direct action
- Islamic State forcing the West to provide means for Kurdistan
- Paris attacks darkening the world
- Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam key suspect Paris terrorist attacks
- Trump brand of migrant demonization #2
- Bijbelvorsers Blogging annual report and 2015 in review
- The Existence of Evil
- Evil in the bible
- Heavenly creatures do they exist
- The "Mighty Ones"
- Angels in Old Testament History
- Guardian Angels?
- The Angels in World Affairs
- Evil in the bible
- Satan or the devil
- Lucifer
- Satan the evil within
- Christendom Astray The Devil Not A Personal Super-Natural Being
- Where does Satan lives?
- October month of witches and spirits
- Autumn traditions for 2014 – 2 Summersend and mansend
- Autumn traditions for 2014 – 3 Black Mass, Horror spectacles and pure puritans
- Autumn traditions for 2014 – 4 Blasphemy and ridiculing faith in God
- The Importance of the Prophetic
- Al-Fatiha [The Opening] Süra 1: 4-7 Merciful Lord of the Creation to show us the right path
- Arguments about believe and About Christianity versus Atheism
- To Soar In The Spirit You Have To Be Hard Core
- The redemption of man by Christ Jesus
- Sayings of Jesus, what to believe and being or not of the devil
- The Soul confronted with Death
- Intellectual servility a curse of mankind
- Running away from the past
- Being Religious and Spiritual 5 Gnostic influences
- Challenging claim
- Remember the day
- A voice cries out: context
- Getting out of the dark corners of this world
- God of gods
- The Song of The Lamb #1 Visions, symbols and suggested meanings
- Remain lovingly = No path for softies
- The chosen ones to fear or not to fear
- God my fence, my hope for the future
- Jesus Christ is the perfect security in storms
- Understand what the will of the Lord is
- Kingdom of God what will it be like
Further reading
- A Clash Within Civilization
- 'US Doesn't Understand What It's Doing in Syria' – CIA Veteran
- PA security forces warn of permeation of ISIS ideology; Laud Israel-PA-US cooperation
- Swedish govt in "panic" after ISIS letters give 3 days to convert to Islam or be decapitated
- Christian mothers, wives take up the fight against ISIS, whose women serve as suicide bombers and slaves
- Too Great a Sacrifice? The KDF Pull-Out Debate
- A Job far away from completion
- Indonesia: ISIS considers country un-Islamic
- Nearly 19,000 Civilians Killed in Iraq Since 2014, U.N. Reports
- From Paris suburb to bloody attack, portrait of IS jihadis
- Isis will fail to emulate Islam's great conquests. Here's why
- Stop ISIS by Welcoming Refugees
- Isis Develops 'Alrawi' Encrypted Messaging App for Android: Report (1)
- Isis Develops 'Alrawi' Encrypted Messaging App for Android: Report (2)
- Alarming Evidence Suggests ISIS is Now a US-Israel Proxy Army
- 'It's a criminal gang pretending to be a state': Discontent grows in ISIS 'caliphate' as oil funds dry up
- The Great ISIS Recession
- The Long Fight Against ISIS
- David Cameron criticises BBC for use of 'Islamic State'
- Meet the New Gangster Warlords of Latin America
- In God We Trust
- The War on Nothing
- Today's Victory Reminder: God Redeems Sinners
- Verse of the day – Forsake me not, O Lord
- Behold the Lamb of God!
- Redemption in Christ
- Grace, Redemption, and Bearing Fruit
- Looking Back at Life through the Lens of Romans 8:28
- Terorisme tidak harus dilihat dari lensa agama
- Dunia Orde Baru Akan Menguasai Dunia Dengan Teror


text:
By Johna Till Johnson
Photo by Vladimir Brezina
"All men shall be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them…" — Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne"
I've been listening to a lot of the singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen lately. I'm not alone in this; he's experiencing an (in my mind deserved) groundswell of popularity in the 14 months since he died.
His themes are universal and serious: the inevitability of loss, imperfectability of human nature, the ephemeral transcendence of love.
His fundamental stance is religious, but while it's rooted in his native Jewish tradition (he remained devout all his life), it draws from a broad set of perspectives, with a pragmatic bent. He once told the New Yorker: "Anything, Roman Catholicism, Buddhism, LSD, I'm for anything that works."
He wasn't joking. Over the years, he studied Scientology, became an ordained Buddhist monk, and studied at an Indian ashram—along with pursuing various intoxicants (from acid to alcohol) and ascetic practices (particularly fasting). His goal was less the abstract pursuit of enlightenment than to ameliorate the bouts of depression that struck him throughout much of his life.
Sylvie Simmons wrote a wonderful biography of Cohen in 2012, "I'm Your Man," One of the interesting paradoxes of Cohen's life is that although he was deeply embedded in the contemporary cultural matrix to a degree that's almost Zelig-like, his essential formality was fundamentally out of step with the "anything goes" ethos of the times.
The Jewish magazine Forward has an insightful obituary that highlights this: "The "absence of the casual" may well be one of the singular characteristics setting Cohen's work apart from his so-called contemporaries," writes Seth Rogovoy.
And it paid off in the long run—Cohen is one of the rare artists who pursued his craft with intensity and diligence all his life, and peaked as a performer in his 70s.
In a surprising twist that serves as a hopeful beacon to us late bloomers, after his business manager embezzled his money and left him broke early in the 2000s, he decided to go on tour to support his ex-wife and children. Although he had previously hated performing, he put together a stellar backup band and collaborated with them to develop innovative arrangements of his work.
The result was almost a decade of some of the best live performances in popular music history (you can find many of them in YouTube). Cohen not only accomplished his goal of earning back a fortune, he left a shining legacy that touches millions.
That "absence of the casual" is perhaps the most appropriate response to the inevitable tragedies of life, which may be one of the reasons Cohen's work is experiencing a renaissance.
The lines above ("until the sea shall free them") particularly resonated with me because the sea has always been associated in my mind with freedom. Towards the end of his life, my father (who was a naval officer) turned to me and said, "The open ocean is closer than they led us to believe."
He was referring, of course, to his imminent death, but what struck me was that he associated it with the open ocean—and freedom.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
SYNOPSIS: Time to party hardy. Hardly! It's more like time to bail when two psychotics gate-crash a perfectly delightful get-together and turn it into a gore-fest with a huge body count. Directed by Ruggero Deodato, House on the Edge of the Park makes no pretense — it's an exploitation flick complete with ritualistic torture. REVIEW: Written by: Gianfranco Clerici and …Read More »
Home | Tag Archives: Karoline Mardeck


text:
Picture the scene: our competent, clever, kickass heroine has just undergone a significant emotional change. Maybe she knows who the killer is, or has suddenly learned that a friend is in danger. Perhaps she's uncovered a crucial piece of evidence or identified a traitor. Or maybe it's something more personal: the death of a loved one, a startling revelation, the prospect of an unpleasant choice, an unexpected setback, a heated argument with a sexy-yet-frustrating antagonist. Whatever the catalyst, our heroine is energised, angry, likely upset and probably needing to blow off steam. So what does she do?
She goes alone into a dangerous situation, bites off more than she can chew, and promptly finds herself so overwhelmed that the next thing you know, she's captured, bleeding, unconscious, imperiled and generally up shit creek. While a male character in similarly dire straits will likely James Bond his way out of things via a sequence of improbable badassery – bullet-dodging, some deus ex machina assistance, a judicious application of poorly-constructed handcuffs and the inevitable revelation that being cornered was part of his plan all along – our heroine will, instead, be rescued by her handsome, protective male love interest, with whom she will then have some soulful eye contact and cuddling at the very least. And instead of feeling irked by this, the audience is meant to feel vindicated.
Because Prince Saves Damsel is one of the oldest tropes in the book, and not even the advent of Strong Female Characters (TM) has caused it to lose its power. Instead, we've simply warped it a little: the Damsel is now a Kickass Damsel, endowed with just enough agency, power and awesomeness to fool the casual observer into thinking that she, too, could potentially have her own James Bond moment. But ninety-nine times out of a hundred, she won't: the odds are stacked against her, not so she can show her strength by overcoming them solo, but as justification for her forthcoming rescue. Crucially, her decision to go alone into danger is always praised as bravery or self-sacrifice – a species of gendered martyrdom – or else couched in a language designed to give the impression that, however foolish her actions might seem in retrospect, they were wholly justified at the time: by anger, by urgency, by the unavailability or physical distance of allies. Ultimately, though, these excuses are all just component parts of a narrative sleight-of-hand trick constructed for a single purpose: to make us forget, or to disbelieve, that the heroine was ever really a Damsel.
Let me break down the narrative logic:
In order to have a charged, emotional moment with her love interest, the heroine – who, for a whole different set of sexist reasons, invariably struggles with intimacy – needs to be rendered vulnerable in his presence. Simply catching her at a moment of personal weakness won't do the trick: her issues are so deep-seated that unless she was actively dealing with some new trauma, she'd clam right up again – but generally speaking, that's the sort of major collision you save for later in the relationship, ideally as the catalyst for spending the night together (as per the classic hurt + comfort = sex/spooning equation). Right now, you're just trying to show that the sexy antagonist cares for her – but because you want to draw out their relationship, you can't have them kiss or screw right away; instead, they need to connect emotionally, but in a situation that realistically limits their ability to get it on. Solution: send the heroine into danger, watch her get wounded, and have the love interest show up to rescue her, not because she called him in as backup, but because he secretly cares so much for her wellbeing that he was heading to help out anyway. And voila! Not only is her vulnerability and physical weakness excused, but so is his protectiveness and greater competence – the classic Prince Rescues Damsel scenario reconstructed, but in such a way as to couch the Damsel's endangerment as strength and the Prince's heroism as sensitivity.
In other words, the Kickass Damsel requires rescue, not because she's inherently weak, but because her strength and independence are only sufficient for getting her nobly into trouble, not awesomely out of it. At the same time, her love interest's traditionally masculine protectiveness is justified both by her imperilment and his secret affections: he becomes the Badass Prince, whose aloof, macho and frequently antagonistic/sarcastic persona is ultimately constructed around a chivalrous, knightly core. Over and over again, we limit the competence of our female characters by placing them in perilous scenarios, not to test their skills, but to show how thoroughly they still need to be rescued; to make them vulnerable enough to fall in love, because if we wrote them as being emotionally well-adjusted and romantically inclined from the outset, they'd be deemed too feminine (whereas if we wrote them aromantically, they wouldn't be seen as feminine enough). And the thing is, none of these tropes are inherently toxic; it's just that, overwhelmingly, we don't seem to realise that the Kickass Damsel is a loophole character, designed to blind us to her patriarchal base by disguising her as a feminist icon, and so we end up lauding her as though she were something else.
And I just… I would like to see more recognition of this fact, and more effort taken to write action heroes and heroines who don't fit this mold so completely. Like triple-choc mudcake, some tropes are fine as a treat, but sickening if over-indulged – and in either case, you should never mistake them for broccoli.


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Menu Tools
Listed in: Physics and Astronomy, as PHYS-348
Formerly listed as: PHYS-48
David Hanneke (Section 01)
Wave-particle duality and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Basic postulates of Quantum Mechanics, wave functions, solutions of the Schroedinger equation for one-dimensional systems and for the hydrogen atom. Three class hours per week.
Requisite: PHYS 225 and 343 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Hanneke.


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Janet Jackson -- If the Glove Fits
Janet Jackson has been busting her butt rehearsing for a Michael Jackson tribute at the MTV Video Awards this weekend -- and it promises to be a nipple-free affair. We think.
Ms. Jackson is set to put on a huge MJ-honoring performance featuring 20 backup dancers -- which is being put together by some of the best choreographers in the world, including Frank Gatson and Travis Payne.
According to one of the dancers involved, some rehearsals have lasted 15 hours a day.
Once Janet is finished honoring her brother, we're told, "there won't be a dry eye in the house."


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Last week we learned that existing T-Mobile customers were getting screwed on the Nexus One. Chances are Google and T-Mobile will work this out, but if you are impatient, here is one way current customers can get the $180 price.
The same tipster that originally brought the discrepancy to our attention embarked on an epic journey to figure out how he could get out of spending the $379 price outlined for data plan upgrades in the Nexus One FAQ. In the end, Quinn managed to get the phone for $180, but it wasn't easy:
Starting the day of the release I attempted to secure a shiny new toy to replace my aging iPhone only to find out that Google/HTC/T-Mobile were hamstringing existing customers for anywhere from $100 - $200 on the cost of the phone, so I set out to get a fair price. I spoke with a long list of Customer Care/Billing/Tech Support/& Loyalty Specialists to work through the problem. A Tech Support agent along with help from Billing agents suggested that I add a line to my existing account, then swap the created phone number with the original after a cancellation and reuse request. This became difficult as someone on their end flagged my account wrong. I spent the better part of the next 36 hours asking if some flag had been activated on my account indicating I was no longer an Individual Regular Postpaid account. Only after threatening to cancel my account altogether did someone figure it out. Flag changed, I was now able to proceed. Added the line (865 area code), ordered the phone and waited for that to arrive. Once that was achieved, I called T-Mobile back to cancel my original line (not on contract - no fee) and file a reuse of the number. Then came the waiting game. This morning I awoke to a text message from T-Mobile stating that the number registered for the sim card was my original number (412 area code). To sum it up in steps:
Requirements: Non-contract T-Mobile Customer, ability to add a line
1. Add a line through Google check out process.
2. Wait for phone arrival.
3. Once acquired, call T-Mobile to cancel original number, then file a reuse request to swap it with the newly created number (similar to a number port)
4. Wait. (12 hrs elapsed time prior to the swap).
All said and done, Nexus One acquired for $179+taxes+$35 activation fee. One last caveat; by the end of the process, T-Mobile Specialists were getting weary of this method so I would verify they will do this for customers before proceeding.
Again, there are no guarantees, but in this situation Quinn managed to save $200 on the price of the phone. So, if your contract has expired, and you are willing to add a line then swap it later for your original number (if you have Google Voice there would be no need to swap numbers in the first place), it is worth inquiring about before you upgrade. [Thanks Quinn!]


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But February made with shiver
with every link that I'd deliver…
Time for another look at some things that caught my eye this week. Recommendations can be sent anytime during the week to the e-mail address on my "about" page.
- I like a book trailer that really makes me want to read the book, and that's what I found in the promo vid for the comic novel, The God Cookie by Geoffrey Wood.
- Not so sure about this one, though. A somewhat backdoor approach to outreach by Lifechurch.tv under the website Satan Hates Life. Tell me what you think.
- Got King James Version Only friends? Here's some material to help you make a rational response to their issues — if rationality will help at all — from the blog Gazing at Glory.
- Blogger Rich Dixon thinks we're only considering two-thirds of a popular quotation from Augustine. Check out his thoughts at Bouncing Back.
- Pornography. It's not just a guy thing anymore. Here's an article from Rachel Zoller at Focus on the Family, Girls Snared by Porn and Cybersex.
- Speaking of which, writing Monday's Jewish-flavored post uncovered this page of recommended internet filtering software. (The referrer liked the K9 (free) program.
- New Blog of the Week: Downhill Both Ways. Let's just say the author, who most of you know, uses more than 22 words to tell a story.
- Here's a flashback to October, a Tullian Tchividjian post about How to Identify A Reliable Preacher. "…if we are going to grow we need to be sitting at the feet of reliable carriers of God's truth."
- Afraid? Anxious? Worried? Fearful? Check out this short post at Justin Taylor's blog at The Gospel Coalition.
- You shouldn't be a manipulator. But neither should you be manipulated. Sometimes manipulation comes disguised as the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. Check out the discussion at Resolved To Worship.
- A sad story out of Florida last week where two young street preachers were murdered, as reported in the Palm Beach Post.
- Jim Daly. Get to know that name. He replaces another J.D., James Dobson, as the voice — he's been president since '05 — of Focus. Here's the 411 on him from The Wall Street Journal.
- Okay, so here's the deal, I like to end each Wednesday Link List with a cartoon, and this week is no exception, with one from The Back Pew by Jeff Larson. But does anyone know why there's two versions circulating out there for this week's cartoon? ????


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What everyone's talking about:
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker survived Tuesday's recall election sparked by Walker's decision last year to cut union rights and benefits in the midst of a state budget crisis. But his victory leaves many asking if money from donors outside the state influenced the race. Anderson spoke with CNN's John King, Republican Consultant Alex Castellanos and Bill Burton, the former White House Deputy Press Secretary for President Obama, about what the recall vote could mean for the November general election.
We've been reporting on a Massachusetts school that uses electric shocks to try to control the behavior of special needs students. The Judge Rotenberg Center claims "aversive therapy" is successful and spares students from debilitating medications. As calls to ban the practice grow, questions remain about the FDA's stance on the device the school uses to deliver the shocks. We're Keeping Them Honest.
A U.S. drone strike killed Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Abu Yahya al-Libi, in Pakistan. The White House says his death was a "serious blow" to the terrorist group. Anderson spoke with the former Deputy Chief of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, Henry Crumpton, who says al-Qaeda may never recover.
Jurors were selected for the trial of former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky. He's facing 52 charges of sex abuse. The judge denied requests to keep the identities of the alleged victims anonymous when they testify. A surprise to our legal experts was the makeup of the jury–those with connections to Penn State were not automatically disqualified from serving.
Today's Scoop:
Senator John McCain is alleging that the Obama administration leaked counterterrorism secrets online to bolster the president's foreign policy credentials. He has a lot of bipartisan support from lawmakers. Some are joining McCain in his calls for a special investigator. Anderson talks to McCain about his claims.
A teen who faced incredible adversity overcame homelessness, hunger and abandonment. Thanks to the support of her community and her ambition, Dawn Loggins will be attending Harvard in the fall. Tune in tonight for her remarkable story.
A look ahead:
The FBI is searching for the man who took Osama bin Laden's place on the Top 10 Most Wanted list. They've been chasing dangerous child predator Eric Toth for four years. We'll report on the case and the hunt for the former teacher.
Just for laughs:
After Actress Amanda Bynes was arrested for a D.U.I. and sideswiping a police car, she reached out to none other than President Obama–on Twitter, landing her on our RidicuList!
And, find out what the AC360 staff gave Anderson for his 45th birthday. Go behind the scenes of his birthday ambush.
Post by: Deena Sami
Filed under: AC360° Weekly Buzz
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


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This multi-layered Colin Low documentary offers a visual exploration of his personal collection of war etchings and woodcuts. Collected over 5 decades, these images, including extremely detailed miniatures, were nearly impossible to accurately capture on film. The images so fascinated and haunted Low that he shot them in 35 mm and developed techniques - used here for the first time - to show the fine lines of stamps and the microscopic details of tiny copperplate etchings with startling clarity. In Moving Pictures, Low traces his growing awareness of war, the perversion of art into propaganda, and the technological advances that have led to more efficient creation and dissemination of images - as well as more effective weapons of mass destruction.
Moving Pictures, Colin Low, provided by the National Film Board of Canada


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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1920 John Murray edition)/Chapter 3
Two days after, Mrs. Graham called at Linden-Car, contrary to the expectation of Rose, who entertained an idea that the mysterious occupant of Wildfell Hall would wholly disregard the common observances of civilized life, - in which opinion she was supported by the Wilsons, who testified that neither their call nor the Millwards' had been returned as yet. Now, however, the cause of that omission was explained, though not entirely to the satisfaction of Rose. Mrs. Graham had brought her child with her, and on my mother's expressing surprise that he could walk so far, she replied, - 'It is a long walk for him; but I must have either taken him with me, or relinquished the visit altogether; for I never leave him alone; and I think, Mrs. Markham, I must beg you to make my excuses to the Millwards and Mrs. Wilson, when you see them, as I fear I cannot do myself the pleasure of calling upon them till my little Arthur is able to accompany me.'
'But you have a servant,' said Rose; 'could you not leave him with her?'
'She has her own occupations to attend to; and besides, she is too old to run after a child, and he is too mercurial to be tied to an elderly woman.'
'But you left him to come to church.'
'Yes, once; but I would not have left him for any other purpose; and I think, in future, I must contrive to bring him with me, or stay at home.'
'Is he so mischievous?' asked my mother, considerably shocked.
'No,' replied the lady, sadly smiling, as she stroked the wavy locks of her son, who was seated on a low stool at her feet; 'but he is my only treasure, and I am his only friend: so we don't like to be separated.'
'But, my dear, I call that doting,' said my plain-spoken parent. 'You should try to suppress such foolish fondness, as well to save your son from ruin as yourself from ridicule.'
'Ruin! Mrs. Markham!'
'Yes; it is spoiling the child. Even at his age, he ought not to be always tied to his mother's apron-string; he should learn to be ashamed of it.'
'Mrs. Markham, I beg you will not say such things, in his presence, at least. I trust my son will never be ashamed to love his mother!' said Mrs. Graham, with a serious energy that startled the company.
My mother attempted to appease her by an explanation; but she seemed to think enough had been said on the subject, and abruptly turned the conversation.
'Just as I thought,' said I to myself: 'the lady's temper is none of the mildest, notwithstanding her sweet, pale face and lofty brow, where thought and suffering seem equally to have stamped their impress.'
All this time I was seated at a table on the other side of the room, apparently immersed in the perusal of a volume of the Farmer's Magazine, which I happened to have been reading at the moment of our visitor's arrival; and, not choosing to be over civil, I had merely bowed as she entered, and continued my occupation as before.
In a little while, however, I was sensible that some one was approaching me, with a light, but slow and hesitating tread. It was little Arthur, irresistibly attracted by my dog Sancho, that was lying at my feet. On looking up I beheld him standing about two yards off, with his clear blue eyes wistfully gazing on the dog, transfixed to the spot, not by fear of the animal, but by a timid disinclination to approach its master. A little encouragement, however, induced him to come forward. The child, though shy, was not sullen. In a minute he was kneeling on the carpet, with his arms round Sancho's neck, and, in a minute or two more, the little fellow was seated on my knee, surveying with eager interest the various specimens of horses, cattle, pigs, and model farms portrayed in the volume before me. I glanced at his mother now and then to see how she relished the new-sprung intimacy; and I saw, by the unquiet aspect of her eye, that for some reason or other she was uneasy at the child's position.
'Arthur,' said she, at length, 'come here. You are troublesome to Mr. Markham: he wishes to read.'
'By no means, Mrs. Graham; pray let him stay. I am as much amused as he is,' pleaded I. But still, with hand and eye, she silently called him to her side.
'No, mamma,' said the child; 'let me look at these pictures first; and then I'll come, and tell you all about them.'
'We are going to have a small party on Monday, the fifth of November,' said my mother; 'and I hope you will not refuse to make one, Mrs. Graham. You can bring your little boy with you, you know - I daresay we shall be able to amuse him; - and then you can make your own apologies to the Millwards and Wilsons - they will all be here, I expect.'
'Thank you, I never go to parties.'
'Oh! but this will be quite a family concern - early hours, and nobody here but ourselves, and just the Millwards and Wilsons, most of whom you already know, and Mr. Lawrence, your landlord, with whom you ought to make acquaintance.'
'I do know something of him - but you must excuse me this time; for the evenings, now, are dark and damp, and Arthur, I fear, is too delicate to risk exposure to their influence with impunity. We must defer the enjoyment of your hospitality till the return of longer days and warmer nights.'
Rose, now, at a hint from my mother, produced a decanter of wine, with accompaniments of glasses and cake, from the cupboard and the oak sideboard, and the refreshment was duly presented to the guests. They both partook of the cake, but obstinately refused the wine, in spite of their hostess's hospitable attempts to force it upon them. Arthur, especially shrank from the ruby nectar as if in terror and disgust, and was ready to cry when urged to take it.
'Never mind, Arthur,' said his mamma; 'Mrs. Markham thinks it will do you good, as you were tired with your walk; but she will not oblige you to take it! - I daresay you will do very well without. He detests the very sight of wine,' she added, 'and the smell of it almost makes him sick. I have been accustomed to make him swallow a little wine or weak spirits-and-water, by way of medicine, when he was sick, and, in fact, I have done what I could to make him hate them.'
Everybody laughed, except the young widow and her son.
'Well, Mrs. Graham,' said my mother, wiping the tears of merriment from her bright blue eyes - 'well, you surprise me! I really gave you credit for having more sense. - The poor child will be the veriest milksop that ever was sopped! Only think what a man you will make of him, if you persist in - '
'I think it a very excellent plan,' interrupted Mrs. Graham, with imperturbable gravity. 'By that means I hope to save him from one degrading vice at least. I wish I could render the incentives to every other equally innoxious in his case.'
'But by such means,' said I, 'you will never render him virtuous. - What is it that constitutes virtue, Mrs. Graham? Is it the circumstance of being able and willing to resist temptation; or that of having no temptations to resist? - Is he a strong man that overcomes great obstacles and performs surprising achievements, though by dint of great muscular exertion, and at the risk of some subsequent fatigue, or he that sits in his chair all day, with nothing to do more laborious than stirring the fire, and carrying his food to his mouth? If you would have your son to walk honourably through the world, you must not attempt to clear the stones from his path, but teach him to walk firmly over them - not insist upon leading him by the hand, but let him learn to go alone.'
'I will lead him by the hand, Mr. Markham, till he has strength to go alone; and I will clear as many stones from his path as I can, and teach him to avoid the rest - or walk firmly over them, as you say; - for when I have done my utmost, in the way of clearance, there will still be plenty left to exercise all the agility, steadiness, and circumspection he will ever have. - It is all very well to talk about noble resistance, and trials of virtue; but for fifty - or five hundred men that have yielded to temptation, show me one that has had virtue to resist. And why should I take it for granted that my son will be one in a thousand? - and not rather prepare for the worst, and suppose he will be like his - like the rest of mankind, unless I take care to prevent it?'
'You are very complimentary to us all,' I observed.
'I know nothing about you - I speak of those I do know - and when I see the whole race of mankind (with a few rare exceptions) stumbling and blundering along the path of life, sinking into every pitfall, and breaking their shins over every impediment that lies in their way, shall I not use all the means in my power to insure for him a smoother and a safer passage?'
'Yes, but the surest means will be to endeavour to fortify him against temptation, not to remove it out of his way.'
'I will do both, Mr. Markham. God knows he will have temptations enough to assail him, both from within and without, when I have done all I can to render vice as uninviting to him, as it is abominable in its own nature - I myself have had, indeed, but few incentives to what the world calls vice, but yet I have experienced temptations and trials of another kind, that have required, on many occasions, more watchfulness and firmness to resist than I have hitherto been able to muster against them. And this, I believe, is what most others would acknowledge who are accustomed to reflection, and wishful to strive against their natural corruptions.'
'Yes,' said my mother, but half apprehending her drift; 'but you would not judge of a boy by yourself - and, my dear Mrs. Graham, let me warn you in good time against the error - the fatal error, I may call it - of taking that boy's education upon yourself. Because you are clever in some things and well informed, you may fancy yourself equal to the task; but indeed you are not; and if you persist in the attempt, believe me you will bitterly repent it when the mischief is done.'
'I am to send him to school, I suppose, to learn to despise his mother's authority and affection!' said the lady, with rather a bitter smile.
'Oh, no! - But if you would have a boy to despise his mother, let her keep him at home, and spend her life in petting him up, and slaving to indulge his follies and caprices.'
'I perfectly agree with you, Mrs. Markham; but nothing can be further from my principles and practice than such criminal weakness as that.'
'Well, but you will treat him like a girl - you'll spoil his spirit, and make a mere Miss Nancy of him - you will, indeed, Mrs. Graham, whatever you may think. But I'll get Mr. Millward to talk to you about it:- he'll tell you the consequences; - he'll set it before you as plain as the day; - and tell you what you ought to do, and all about it; - and, I don't doubt, he'll be able to convince you in a minute.'
'No occasion to trouble the vicar,' said Mrs. Graham, glancing at me - I suppose I was smiling at my mother's unbounded confidence in that worthy gentleman - 'Mr. Markham here thinks his powers of conviction at least equal to Mr. Millward's. If I hear not him, neither should I be convinced though one rose from the dead, he would tell you. Well, Mr. Markham, you that maintain that a boy should not be shielded from evil, but sent out to battle against it, alone and unassisted - not taught to avoid the snares of life, but boldly to rush into them, or over them, as he may - to seek danger, rather than shun it, and feed his virtue by temptation, - would you -?'
'I beg your pardon, Mrs. Graham - but you get on too fast. I have not yet said that a boy should be taught to rush into the snares of life, - or even wilfully to seek temptation for the sake of exercising his virtue by overcoming it; - I only say that it is better to arm and strengthen your hero, than to disarm and enfeeble the foe; - and if you were to rear an oak sapling in a hothouse, tending it carefully night and day, and shielding it from every breath of wind, you could not expect it to become a hardy tree, like that which has grown up on the mountain-side, exposed to all the action of the elements, and not even sheltered from the shock of the tempest.'
'Granted; - but would you use the same argument with regard to a girl?'
'Certainly not.'
'No; you would have her to be tenderly and delicately nurtured, like a hot-house plant - taught to cling to others for direction and support, and guarded, as much as possible, from the very knowledge of evil. But will you be so good as to inform me why you make this distinction? Is it that you think she has no virtue?'
'Assuredly not.'
'Well, but you affirm that virtue is only elicited by temptation; - and you think that a woman cannot be too little exposed to temptation, or too little acquainted with vice, or anything connected therewith. It must be either that you think she is essentially so vicious, or so feeble-minded, that she cannot withstand temptation, - and though she may be pure and innocent as long as she is kept in ignorance and restraint, yet, being destitute of real virtue, to teach her how to sin is at once to make her a sinner, and the greater her knowledge, the wider her liberty, the deeper will be her depravity, - whereas, in the nobler sex, there is a natural tendency to goodness, guarded by a superior fortitude, which, the more it is exercised by trials and dangers, is only the further developed - '
'Heaven forbid that I should think so!' I interrupted her at last.
'Well, then, it must be that you think they are both weak and prone to err, and the slightest error, the merest shadow of pollution, will ruin the one, while the character of the other will be strengthened and embellished - his education properly finished by a little practical acquaintance with forbidden things. Such experience, to him (to use a trite simile), will be like the storm to the oak, which, though it may scatter the leaves, and snap the smaller branches, serves but to rivet the roots, and to harden and condense the fibres of the tree. You would have us encourage our sons to prove all things by their own experience, while our daughters must not even profit by the experience of others. Now I would have both so to benefit by the experience of others, and the precepts of a higher authority, that they should know beforehand to refuse the evil and choose the good, and require no experimental proofs to teach them the evil of transgression. I would not send a poor girl into the world, unarmed against her foes, and ignorant of the snares that beset her path; nor would I watch and guard her, till, deprived of self-respect and self-reliance, she lost the power or the will to watch and guard herself; - and as for my son - if I thought he would grow up to be what you call a man of the world - one that has "seen life," and glories in his experience, even though he should so far profit by it as to sober down, at length, into a useful and respected member of society - I would rather that he died to-morrow! - rather a thousand times!' she earnestly repeated, pressing her darling to her side and kissing his forehead with intense affection. He had already left his new companion, and been standing for some time beside his mother's knee, looking up into her face, and listening in silent wonder to her incomprehensible discourse.
'Well! you ladies must always have the last word, I suppose,' said I, observing her rise, and begin to take leave of my mother.
'You may have as many words as you please, - only I can't stay to hear them.'
'No; that is the way: you hear just as much of an argument as you please; and the rest may be spoken to the wind.'
'If you are anxious to say anything more on the subject,' replied she, as she shook hands with Rose, 'you must bring your sister to see me some fine day, and I'll listen, as patiently as you could wish, to whatever you please to say. I would rather be lectured by you than the vicar, because I should have less remorse in telling you, at the end of the discourse, that I preserve my own opinion precisely the same as at the beginning - as would be the case, I am persuaded, with regard to either logician.'
'Yes, of course,' replied I, determined to be as provoking as herself; 'for when a lady does consent to listen to an argument against her own opinions, she is always predetermined to withstand it - to listen only with her bodily ears, keeping the mental organs resolutely closed against the strongest reasoning.'
'Good-morning, Mr. Markham,' said my fair antagonist, with a pitying smile; and deigning no further rejoinder, she slightly bowed, and was about to withdraw; but her son, with childish impertinence, arrested her by exclaiming, - 'Mamma, you have not shaken hands with Mr. Markham!'
She laughingly turned round and held out her hand. I gave it a spiteful squeeze, for I was annoyed at the continual injustice she had done me from the very dawn of our acquaintance. Without knowing anything about my real disposition and principles, she was evidently prejudiced against me, and seemed bent upon showing me that her opinions respecting me, on every particular, fell far below those I entertained of myself. I was naturally touchy, or it would not have vexed me so much. Perhaps, too, I was a little bit spoiled by my mother and sister, and some other ladies of my acquaintance; - and yet I was by no means a fop - of that I am fully convinced, whether you are or not.


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Sold Out $395.00
Photo in this listing is the exact piece you will receive.
Need it cut shorter? Note cut length (min. 56") in "Special Instructions" at checkout.
Product Summary: Bring a touch of history and a new focal point to your living space. Our AUTHENTIC, century old reclaimed wood fireplace mantels are handcrafted from historic homestead-era farmsteads and retired buildings that we salvage from throughout the Midwest. Dakota Timber kiln dries and processes these mantels in Fargo, ND USA.
Finish Details: All of our mantels are hand sanded and unfinished. Hang them as-is or if you are feeling like some DIY time you can tackle the finishing yourself.
Additional Info: Mantel dimensions can vary +\- 1"
Shipping: Mantels ship in 5-7 business days
Option Add-On's: Add our innovative floating shelf bracket system for an easy install. You can also opt to add a clear-coat finish if desired.
Click HERE to view our install guide!
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I don't know how to write. Which is unfortunate, as I do it for a living. Mind you, I don't know how to live either. Writers are asked, particularly when we've got a book coming out, to write about writing. To give interviews and explain how we did this thing that we appear to have done. We even teach, as I have recently, students who want to know how to approach the peculiar occupation of fiction writing. I tell them at the beginning—I've got nothing for you. I don't know. Don't look at me.
I've written six books now, but instead of making it easier, it has complicated matters to the point of absurdity. I have no idea what I'm doing. All the decisions I appear to have made—about plots and characters and where to start and when to stop—are not decisions at all. They are compromises. A book is whittled down from hope, and when I start to cut my fingers I push it away from me to see what others make of it. And I wait in terror for the judgements of those others—judgements that seem, whether positive or negative, unjust, because they are about something that I didn't really do. They are about something that happened to me. It's a little like crawling from a car crash to be greeted by a panel of strangers holding up score cards.
Something, obviously, is going on. I manage, every few years, to generate a book. And of course, there are things that I know. I know how to wait until the last minute before putting anything on paper. I mean the last minute before the thought leaves me forever. I know how to leave out anything that looks to me—after a while—forced, deliberate, or fake. I know that I need to put myself in the story. I don't mean literally. I mean emotionally. I need to care about what I'm writing—whether about the characters, or about what they're getting up to, or about the way they feel or experience their world. I know that my job is to create a perspective. And to impose it on the reader. And I know that in order to do that with any success at all I must in some mysterious way risk everything. If I don't break my own heart in the writing of a book then I know I've done it wrong. I'm not entirely sure what that means. But I know what it feels like.
I do no research. Given that I've just written a book that revolves around two London Met police detectives, this might seem a little foolhardy. I have no real idea what detectives do with their days. So I made some guesses. I suppose that they must investigate things. I tried to imagine what that might be like. I've seen the same films and TV shows that you have. I've read the same sorts of cheap thrillers. And I know that everything is fiction. Absolutely everything. Research is its own slow fiction, a process of reassurance for the author. I don't want reassurance. I like writing out of confusion, panic, a sense of everything being perilously close to collapse. So I try to embrace the fiction of all things.
And I mean that—everything is fiction. When you tell yourself the story of your life, the story of your day, you edit and rewrite and weave a narrative out of a collection of random experiences and events. Your conversations are fiction. Your friends and loved ones—they are characters you have created. And your arguments with them are like meetings with an editor—please, they beseech you, you beseech them, rewrite me. You have a perception of the way things are, and you impose it on your memory, and in this way you think, in the same way that I think, that you are living something that is describable. When of course, what we actually live, what we actually experience—with our senses and our nerves—is a vast, absurd, beautiful, ridiculous chaos.
So I love hearing from people who have no time for fiction. Who read only biographies and popular science. I love hearing about the death of the novel. I love getting lectures about the triviality of fiction, the triviality of making things up. As if that wasn't what all of us do, all day long, all life long. Fiction gives us everything. It gives us our memories, our understanding, our insight, our lives. We use it to invent ourselves and others. We use it to feel change and sadness and hope and love and to tell each other about ourselves. And we all, it turns out, know how to do it.
Related: Read Keith Ridgway's interview with Cressida Leyshon about his short story "Goo Book," which appeared in the April 11, 2011, issue of the magazine.
Illustration by Richard McGuire.


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There is a lot of comparsion charts in the Internet. I am not going to copy & paste any of those. What I did is just a small performance test for both. New Nexus 7 vs the old one. Just to check how does both perform in real life (not math benchmarks) I did a simple test. Compared a boot time of both. The difference seems to quite impressive! Check the video to see it by yourself. Continue reading…
Test: 4G LTE Speed Test
Network: Play / P4 Sp. z o.o.
Location: Lublin, Poland (30.VI.2014)
Device: Nexus 5
Down: 37.96 Mb/s
Up: 20.30 Mb/s
This post is just to inform that my eBook "Make Money on Android" won't be available for sale anymore. I have decided to stop selling it as the market is changing each day and I do not have time to update it. In this place I would like to say thank you to all buyers! I have heard a lot of good words about the eBook and I know it has helped to a lot of you to build high and stable income. As I have heard some of you are making even more than me. I am very happy that I could help so many developers.
Once again a big Thank you and Good luck!
As most of you know Google have changed their policy lastly. They have enforced advertisers to follow their rules. Most importantly if you want to use notification or icon ads in your app you must display opt in/opt out information. Without it your app may be removed from listing for breaking Google Play Developer Program policy.
It is just a quick news that "Subscribers Text Counter" has been updated. Many of you have used it on your blogs but in last days the twitter counter stopped to work. In latest version it is fixed plus a few more features and fixes have been added. Below you will find complete list what have been changed in last 2 days (there was quite a few smaller updates from version 1.6 to 1.6.4).
The roaring success of both Google and Apple App stores have opened up a whole new vista of opportunities for developers and designers. But only a few of all people who jump into the app developing business actually taste success. If you want your app to be successful, there are some key aspects you should devote you utmost attention to.
Most probably you have already heard about last Google Play Developer Program policy changes. There is a lot of rumor on the Internet. Most blogs and News site says about the end of Notification Ads as new policy says:
Ads must not simulate or impersonate system notifications or warnings.
It was my first thought as well. The end is coming. But some people on the Android forums and some mails I have exchanged made me wonder about intention of Google. Did they written that notification Ads are forbidden or…? Lets look on the content policy a little closer.
Just as promised I have prepared new version of my "Make Money on Android" eBook. It is based on previous edition with a lot of content added and some edited. Subtitle has been changed to "How to make $3000.00 on free Android apps" (instead of $1500.00) as info included have easily doubled my income. Moreover newest version have 3o pages in total (instead of 20). Now I have good and bad news. Firstly the good news. Updated version of eBook is free for all who have previously purchased old edition! You just need to login with your password to my blog members area to download it! If you still do not have your password (bought eBook before I have set up login/password system), please contact me via my web form with your purchase ID. Now the bad news. If you have not previously bought my eBook the new price is $29.95 (instead of $19.99). Anyway as you may see in comments on the purchase page it is worth the price!
If you are wondering what new may be found on the eBook – here is the summary:
- New monetization methods for you free Android apps (double your current income!)
- How to make more money without ADs and no additional work…
- Updated promotion methods chapter!
- Updated income stats!
- And many fixes and improvements!
If you think the price is too high you need to verify comments of current buyers again! I am not charging per page but for the knowledge that for many of other Android developers have doubled or even tripled their income! Price has been set on $29.95 to be sure that only developers who are really interested in Android development and want to invest money in their business buy it. I do not want to spread all of the info around to people who are not serious about their business.
If you are looking for more info about my eBook please visit my purchase page. All comments from readers of new eBook version are welcome and highly desired (under this post).
Good Luck!
Chris (aka KreCi)
If you want very short answer I can tell you on the beginning on this post. Yes! It is definitely worth to implement LeadBolt on your Android apps! I was very afraid before done it and had a lot of doubts. I was afraid of reaction of my users. I was afraid of bad comments. I was afraid of loosing downloads. After some experimenting now I know that there is a bad and good way of doing it. Moreover at all I have tripled my daily income from ads.


text: Check out the list of Upcoming Movies . Being up-to-date it has been easier than ever before! See latest complete list of the Upcoming Movies with their Releasing Dates & Official Trailers, Latest Posters and latest information on the casts, Producers and Script Writers. The Upcoming Movies listing by See Latest is only based on the real time announcements by the producers/production houses. The release dates of Upcoming Movies of the year might be dissent, and We also cover latest movies which are already released in 2023 and new movies releasing in the upcoming weeks. The list of Movies in calendar 2023 can be incomplete and will be updated by See Latest.


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Natural Stone
Geology 101 refresher: Granite, marble, limestone, and soapstone are all formed inside the earth under enormous amounts of heat and pressure. So it makes sense that, once turned into countertops, they are particularly resilient. For this and other reasons, all of these natural slabs are increasingly popular, but granite is the rock star — despite its price, its sales in the United States should soon surpass even those of the much-cheaper laminates (see below). Like other stone varieties, granite is a style champ, delivering a certain sleek look and sturdy feel that you just don't get from covered particleboard. And in terms of durability, the ultradense granite performs best out of all the rock countertops. Still, all are porous, and therefore susceptible to stains and bacteria, so you have to seal and reseal them (the exceptions: pretreated versions, from companies like DuPont and Cosentino, that require no follow-up care). Prices for stone surfaces typically start at $35 to $75 per square foot, then increase based on availability (granite is the easiest to come by), degree of detailing, and complication of installation. (Note: None are do-it-yourself.)
At $5 to $25 per square foot, laminate countertop — made of layers of paper covered in a thin veneer and affixed to particleboard — is the go-to choice for budget shoppers. But the almost two million people who select laminate each year are likely swayed by convenience as much as price: Manufactured in sheets, laminate can be cut to any specifications and installed (even by you) with the most ease. Maintenance is a breeze — household cleaners won't damage the finish and, unlike stone, laminates never require resealing. The main negative: Over time, the paper veneer is apt to get scratched and worn, and if it is damaged, you'll have to replace the entire section. Plus, only the top layer is finished (not the rough wood edges), so generally it can't be used with such stylish options as under-mount sinks. (Companies like WilsonArt promise that will soon change.)
Engineered and Solid Surfaces
These man-made marvels have the look and heft of natural stone minus the upkeep. The engineered variety consists of pieces of quartz (nearly as scratch-resistant as diamond) embedded in an epoxy resin. To look for: Caesarstone, Silestone, and Zodiaq. Solid-surface toppers — sold under names like Corian and Swanstone — are 100 percent synthetic and contain no natural stone. As a result, solid surface isn't as tough as engineered, but here's the advantage: Its composition is consistent from top to bottom, so you can sand away minor burns or cuts. Both are readily available and cost about the same as real stone (solid ranges from $35 to $85 per square foot; engineered from $40 to $80). And, yes, they require professional installation.
More From Good Housekeeping
Want to learn more about countertop surfaces? Check out The Best Kitchen Countertop Surfaces to see GH's top picks.


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Adventure Time is a great cartoon show, one that makes having a child a lot more fun than it would be if all I had to listen to was the screeching of Fairly Odd Parents every single day. Tapping very much into the Internet generation and its love for random oddity, Adventure Time is a fascinating and silly show that manages to retain a sense of innocence despite its often dark subject matter.
Absolutely none of that is discernible from playing Adventure Time – Legends of Ooo: Big Hollow Princess.
Adventure Time – Legends of Ooo: Big Hollow Princess (iOS)
Developer: Cartoon Network
Publisher: Turner Broadcasting
Released: June 07, 2012
Legends of Ooo takes the form of a traditional point-and-click adventure game. Finn and Jake are moved in tandem by touching any desire area on the screen, items are picked up by pointing at them, and can be dragged from the inventory toward environmental objects and characters. It's a simple interface for a simple game, which would be fine and dandy if the decision to stay "simple" wasn't taken to such extreme degrees.
There is really not much of a game to this fifteen-minute experience. Within a series of mostly empty environments, our heroes face challenges consisting almost entirely of talking to someone, finding out what they need, and picking up their required item on the next screen. There are no real puzzles to speak of, you just fetch items that are placed a short distance away from the person that wants them. Once or twice, there's a tiny sliver of thought required, such as putting stepping stones in a lake to reach an object, but they are insultingly simple and demand no more effort than simply dragging your finger two or three times.
The story and dialog is bland, providing none of the charm of the television show. Jake and Finn engage in lame banter and rely on out-of-context show references while familiar supporting characters show up for cheap applause. In theory, an adventure game based on Adventure Time is hilarious and has a ton of potential. Sadly, whoever made this didn't care about the potential, and simply squirted out a quick waste of time in order to cash in.
The production values are pretty miserable, too. While it provides a visually comparable representation of Adventure Time, the awful looped music is soulless and indicative of how lackluster the game is. Even worse is the fact that only Jake, Finn, and the Ice King have any recorded voiceovers, making conversations with other characters sound weird and disappointing anybody who'd want to hear Choose Goose actually speaking. Fact of the matter is, you can't have Lumpy Space Princess appear on the screen and then present all her dialog as text. Her voice is what makes the character.
The final insult is that, very much like the Regular Show iOS game, this is actually a free browser title that is being released on iTunes for money. Only a dollar, yes, but a dollar too much when the free version isn't even worth the fifteen minutes it takes to beat.
Adventure Time fans would do better to wait for WayForward's upcoming DS game, because that stands a chance of actually being good. This is little more than a shameless little attempt to make a quick buck at the expense of a fun little show. I know it's a show primarily for kids, but even kids can reasonably expect better than this.


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News Room
Government Links
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission — an independent agency which regulates the commodity futures and option markets in the United States.
- Department of Commerce
- EDGAR Online — the leading source of SEC filings and related business intelligence, including real-time access and advanced searching of SEC filings.
- Federal Agencies — Unannotated index of Federal agencies on the Internet.
- Federal Internet Guide — The Washington Post has created a useful site that links to all branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial) while also linking to the independent agencies and government boards and commissions.
- GPO Access — a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government.
- Securities and Exchange Commission — an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory agency responsible for administering the federal securities laws.
- SEC Filings — search the SEC's EDGAR database for corporate filings.
- Thomas — Legislative information from the Library of Congress.
- U.S. Consumer Gateway — A "one-stop" link to a broad range offederal information resources available online.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Federal regulatory agency established to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment.