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1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. (1-7) Shadrach and his companions refuse to worship it. (8-18) They are cast into a furnace, but are miraculously preserved. (19-27) Nebuchadnezzar gives glory to Jehovah. (28-30)1-7 In the height of the image, about thirty yards, probably is included a pedestal, and most likely it was only covered with plates of gold, not a solid mass of that precious metal. Pride and bigotry cause men to require their subjects to follow their religion, whether right or wrong, and when worldly interest allures, and punishment overawes, few refuse. This is easy to the careless, the sensual, and the infidel, who are the greatest number; and most will go their ways. There is nothing so bad which the careless world will not be drawn to by a concert of music, or driven to by a fiery furnace. By such methods, false worship has been set up and maintained.
8-18 True devotion calms the spirit, quiets and softens it, but superstition and devotion to false gods inflame men's passions. The matter is put into a little compass, Turn, or burn. Proud men are still ready to say, as Nebuchadnezzar, Who is the Lord, that I should fear his power? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not hesitate whether they should comply or not. Life or death were not to be considered. Those that would avoid sin, must not parley with temptation when that to which we are allured or affrighted is manifestly evil. Stand not to pause about it, but say, as Christ did, Get thee behind me, Satan. They did not contrive an evasive answer, when a direct answer was expected. Those who make their duty their main care, need not be anxious or fearful concerning the event. The faithful servants of God find him able to control and overrule all the powers armed against them. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst. If He be for us, we need not fear what man can do unto us. God will deliver us, either from death or in death. They must obey God rather than man; they must rather suffer than sin; and must not do evil that good may come. Therefore none of these things moved them. The saving them from sinful compliance, was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace, as the saving them out of the fiery furnace was in the kingdom of nature. Fear of man and love of the world, especially want of faith, make men yield to temptation, while a firm persuasion of the truth will deliver them from denying Christ, or being ashamed of him. We are to be meek in our replies, but we must be decided that we will obey God rather than man.
19-27 Let Nebuchadnezzar heat his furnace as hot as he can, a few minutes will finish the torment of those cast into it; but hell-fire tortures, and yet does not kill. Those who worshipped the beast and his image, have no rest, no pause, no moment free from pain, #Re 14:10,11|. Now was fulfilled in the letter that great promise, #Isa 43:2|, When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. Leaving it to that God who preserved them in the fire, to bring them out, they walked up and down in the midst, supported and encouraged by the presence of the Son of God. Those who suffer for Christ, have his presence in their sufferings, even in the fiery furnace, and in the valley of the shadow of death. Nebuchadnezzar owns them for servants of the most high God; a God able to deliver them out of his hand. It is our God only is the consuming fire, #Heb 12:29|. Could we but see into the eternal world, we should behold the persecuted believer safe from the malice of his foes, while they are exposed to the wrath of God, and tormented in unquenchable fires.
28-30 What God did for these his servants, would help to keep the Jews to their religion while in captivity, and to cure them of idolatry. The miracle brought deep convictions on Nebuchadnezzar. But no abiding change then took place in his conduct. He who preserved these pious Jews in the fiery furnace, is able to uphold us in the hour of temptation, and to keep us from falling into sin.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.
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Apollo 15 Moon Rock to be on display at Buffalo Geological Society Show
Gold, Apollo 15 Moon Rock, And Lectures To Be Featured At Buffalo Geological Society's 50th Annual Gem-Mineral-Fossil Show
The Buffalo Geological Society, Inc., is hosting the 50th Annual Gem-Mineral-Fossil Show which will be held on March 24-26, 2018, in the Grange, Market and NYS Police Buildings at the Erie County Fairgrounds, in Hamburg, NY. The BGS is featuring GOLD for this 50th Anniversary Show. We are hoping to have several special gold exhibits along with other minerals, fossils and lapidary specimens for the public to view. If you would like to exhibit your specimens, please contact Don Lapham, exhibit chair.
In addition, there will be demonstrators, the Mini-Mine for children, mineral and fossil identification, non-profit organization exhibits, dealers in gems, minerals, fossils, and jewelry will be available.
I am looking forward to returning to the show chair position to work with the many BGS members who have helped make the annual show one of the best in our region. This is a great opportunity to feature many of the BGS field trips, programs, and activities. If you have any questions, suggestions, or recommendations, please contact me at (716) 864-2701 or email me at email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Orient Game – Local Press
Here we take a look at the reports from the local journalists Granville Shackleton and Keith McNee from their respective newspapers.
Keith was taken ill at the game but still provided his report with a great feeling for the club, as did Granville. The both of them were passionate Clarets supporters.
It is worth pointing out that the two reports refer to different attendance figures. The 15,781 was the figure initially given out by Burnley Football Club but they later corrected this to 17,600.
It is widely believed that neither of these figures are any near accurate and certainly with the lack of room on the Longside and Bee Hole End the attendance was probably considerably more than either of these two figures.
Burnley Express Report
by Granville Shackleton
Not even the scenes following Burnley's First Division championship triumph 25 years ago could match those at Turf Moor on Saturday when, after 90 minutes that seemed more like 900, the Clarets finally avoided the threat of losing their Football League status. An afternoon of unbelievable tension began with the police asking referee George Courtney to bring the players off the pitch from their pre-match warm-up to delay the kick-off 15 minutes to allow thousands still outside the ground to get in. And when the match finally started at 3.15 p.m., there were 15,781 fans inside, the largest attendance at a Burnley League game for five years, since they won the Third Division championship.
With Orient also needing to win – but for a far happier reason than the Clarets – the match began at a furious tempo with both sides having a goal-scoring effort cleared off the respective goal lines in the opening two minutes. It was the Burnley fans' turn first to hold their breaths as a header from Orient's Terry Howard got past goalkeeper Joe Neenan only to be headed off the line by Peter Leebrook. And as play swept to the other end, the Clarets won a corner through Ian Britton. When this was sent over from the right, Joe Gallacher got above the visitors' defence to power in a header which full-back Kevin Hales booted off the line with goalkeeper David Cass beaten.
That was the pattern to be followed with Gallacher lunging at a cross from Leighton James and failing to connect by inches as the ball even then almost found the far corner of the net. Neenan needed his full height and then his fingertips to prevent a cross from Kevin Godfrey finding the lurking Chris Jones while in an immediate counter attack by the Clarets, Phil Malley met Billy Rodaway's cross to send a flashing header inches over the bar.
James almost caught Cass napping with a clever overhead kick following Gallacher's header from a free-kick by Peter Hampton before Gallacher, back in his own position as central defender, came so very close to giving Orient the vital first goal. His headed back-pass to Neenan went sadly wrong, Godfrey pounced and only a desperate lunge by Ray Deakin averted disaster, but not before the ball had screwed off his foot and shaved the angle of post and crossbar. Malley went desperately close from Neil Grewcock's pass, John Cornwell was just as near to breaking the deadlock following a right-wing raid, and then, in injury time in the first-half, the ground erupted.
Britton made the break down the right, found GREWCOCK, who cut inside and then, from twenty yards, sent a left-foot drive just inside the far post past the diving but well-beaten Cass. With news coming through that Swansea were beating Lincoln, the Clarets seemed to have won their own battle three minutes into the second half when Grewcock's perfect free-kick was headed home by BRITTON, the smallest player on the park. But if the delirious Burnley fans thought that was it, they were in for another half-hour of nerve-jangling tension as Orient became more and more dangerous and Burnley's efforts began to show on some ageing and even young legs in the side.
We had seen it before this season – the Clarets ahead and counting the points but then failing dismally to get any at all. And when Neenan came out to punch away a right-wing cross and only succeeded in giving it to Allan COMFORT, the tricky Orient winger volleyed into the roof of the net after 56 minutes and the fight for survival became even more intense. Britton could have eased the tension after 65 minutes when he swept a cross from Phil Devaney wide instead of into the corner of the net, but it remained with the Clarets having to defend desperately.
Every catch by Neenan was greeted with tumultuous applause, every desperate tackle by a Burnley player produced roars of approval. Hearts missed a beat or two as Malley hurled himself to block a goal-bound effort from John Cornwell, and Neenan dropped on a shot from the rebound from the dangerous and gifted Orient star Shaun Brooks. The crowd willed the ball away from Burnley's half and into Orient's, and Grewcock hit a post as the minutes ticked away, ever so slowly, it appeared to the Burnley fans.
Within seconds of Mr Courtney signalling it was all over, Burnley players disappeared under a sea of fans who invaded the pitch. They danced a conga, the respective fans finally applauded each other, and the Clarets reached the dressing room with only two shirts intact – those of Deakin and Leebrook. Skipper Deakin won the man-of-the-match award from sponsors Gilbraith Commercials, and it was presented to him by former Burnley star Alex Elder who said, "He led by example and experience."
But after so many disappointments this season, all eleven Burnley players were acclaimed as heroes with the least experienced, 18 year-old Phil Devaney, having run himself to a standstill. Hardly known by the Burnley fans six weeks ago, he has been pitched into the deep end, grasped the chance brilliantly and is one Burnley player who will probably look back in years to come and remember the season as a happy one. Some others won't and neither will the fans, certainly not the 2,000 or so regular loyalists who will now rightfully demand THIS MUST NEVER BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN AGAIN!
Burnley: Neenan, Leebrook, Hampton, Rodaway, Gallacher, Deakin, Grecock, Malley, James, Devaney, Britton. Sub: Hoskin (not used)
Orient: Cass, Cunningham, Hales, Smalley, Howard, Cornwell, Hughton, Brooks, Jones, Godfrey, Comfort. Sub: Castle (not used)
Back from the dead (Lancashire Evening Telegraph)
by Keith McNee
Neil Grewcock and Ian Britton will never be forgotten by Burnley fans after the goals they scored in this historic Turf Moor match to keep the club in the Football League.
Stockily-built winger Grewcock gave the Clarets a survival lifeline with a brilliant strike a minute before half-time beating three defenders in a brilliant crossfield run before hammering the ball past goalkeeper David Cass.
And when the former Leicester player hoisted over a free-kick in the third minute of the second half, Britton, the smallest man on the field, scored a rare headed goal to send supporters wild with delight.
But Grewcock and Britton were not by any means the only heroes of an epic game won by battling Burnley in front of a 17,600 crowd, who paid receipts of £42,000. So many people wanted to get into the ground to witness what could have been the Clarets' final Football League fixture that the start was delayed 15 minutes.
The team as a whole dismissed all thoughts of a nightmare season and of threatened oblivion to produce a brave, big-hearted performance that brought them exactly the result they wanted.
Nobody made a bigger contribution than Deakin, courageous at the heart of the defence, while the two youngest members of the side – right back Peter Leebrook and striker Phil Devaney, fought as never before during 90 minutes of agony and ecstasy.
It looked all over when Britton flicked in that second goal, but talented Orient left winger Alan Comfort had other ideas and was deter stick to the script.
In the 56th Joe Neenan missed a centre by Kevin Hales, and Comfort cracked a first time effort high into the net to make it 2-1. .
The last half-hour intolerably tense as Burnley hung grimly on to their slim lead, aware from the reaction of the crowd that things were going wrong for Torquay and Lincoln in their crucial matches against Crewe and Swansea. But when Spennymoor referee George Courtney brought it all to a merciful conclusion with Burnley still in front, that was the signal for a joyful pitch invasion the like of which has not been seen at Turf Moor for many a day. Make no mistake, the Clarets won on merit in their most vital ever fixture, but that scoreline just might have been different.
Leebrook cleared off the line early in the match, a misjudgement with a header by Joe Gallagher led to the alert Deakin turning Kevin Godfrey's shot against the woodwork and in the closing stages Burnley lived very dangerously again.
But against this, they scored two good goals when the pressure was right on them, and could easily have had several more against an Orient defence that did not always appear comfortable.
Britton and Gallagher went close early on, Cass saved an excellent overhead shot by Leighton James, who then laid on an opening for Phil Malley, but his snatched drive flew narrowly wide.
Grewcock, such a prominent member of the attack on this occasion, sent a late effort against a post after laying on a perfect pass to Britton, whose swerving shot went just outside a post with Cass struggling to cover the bottom corner of his net.
The way the players responded to the challenge of what had become the most important fixture in the club's 105-year history was truly magnificent and they deserved all the praise heaped on them afterwards.
It made quite a contrast to the wooden display against, for instance, Cardiff at Ninian Park, but a very hard lesson has been learned.
Burnley must never again be permitted to get so low so late in the season. It was a near-miracle that they survived at all, and there can be no doubt, that their supporters played a key role.
Grewcock and Britton scored the goals, but all 11 players get the merited appreciation of club and fans for their terrific; never-say-die approach which pulled Burnley to safety at their darkest hour.
BURNLEY: Neenan 6, Leebrook 7, Hampton 6, Rodaway 6, Gallagher, 6, Deakin 8, Grewcock 8, Malley 7, James 6, Devaney 6, Britton 7.Sub: Hoskin (not used).
ORIENT: Cass, Cunningham, Hales, Smalley, Howard, Cornwell, Hughton, Brooks, Jones, Godfrey, Comfort. Sub: Castle (not used).
Referee: G Courtney (Spennymoor).
Attendance: 17.600.
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On a Newly Discovered See Fish Album (Haiyu tu, 1736) and the Formation of Knowledge in the 18th Century China
- Dr. Ching-Ling Wang
- Date
- Wednesday 1 November 2017
- Time
- Series
- China Seminar
- Location
Van Wijkplaats
Van Wijkplaats 2
2311 BX Leiden
- Room
- 006
This lecture introduces a special newly discovered See Fish Album (Haiyu tu, 1736), composed by a local officer in Guandong in the collection of Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Illustrated books or albums of animals, birds, plants, fish, foreigners and aboriginals have emerged in the 18th century China. Such albums or books were commissioned to be made in the court and as well in local by the educated elites. The speaker will survey this album by putting into its pictorial context and historical context, through a detailed exam of the making of the See Fish Album to discuss issues of the formation and transmission of knowledge in the 18th century China.


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In my historical Jesus class yesterday, one of the topics was the twelve apostles. When the fact came up that there are discrepancies between the names listed in various Gospels, I suggested that one explanation might be comparable to the bands many of us love, but from which we can name the lead singer and lead guitarist, but are prone to get stuck on the others.
The band analogy also brings to mind the possibility of a change of lineup. I actually went to college with a fantastic drummer who was in a band in his school years. Eventually the band split to form two separate bands. One of them became Genesis. The other…well, let's just say it didn't.
Could the "lineup" of the Twelve Apostles have changed over time?
In the class discussion, a student also mentioned as a possible comparison to the first scenario the situation of governments, in which people know the names of the president, vice president, and Secretary of State, but are liable to forget the name of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
That led to some reflection on whether the Twelve could indeed have been Jesus' "cabinet." The saying about them sitting on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel is likely to be authentic, since it would probably not have been invented after Judas came to be viewed as a traitor and apostate – who would have made Jesus predict that he would occupy one of the twelve thrones after that? The saying, taken on its own, is compatible both with an apocalyptic view in which God was expected to install Jesus as Messiah and his representatives as judges/emissaries, and also with an expectation that they would set up a government and take control. And so this saying illustrates well why individual sayings, taken in isolation, cannot serve as a sound basis for reconstructing the historical figure of Jesus, without taking seriously the gist of our earliest sources as well, as Dale Allison has helpfully emphasized.
So which analogy seems most apt to you, or do you think the individuals whose names appear on some lists of apostles but not others ought to be accounted for in some other way? Was Thaddaeus the original drummer for "Jesus and the Twelve Apostles," or Jesus' Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, or just a guy whose name was hard to remember, a bit like…what's his name?


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Although Cain Velasquez is a heavy favorite in his heavyweight title defense at UFC 160, the champion says there's no chance he would ever take Antonio Silva lightly.
The last guy to do that was Alistair Overeem, and the man-mountain known as "Bigfoot" knocked him out and seized this title shot Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
"I don't see this as anything less than a hard, grueling fight, and that's what I'm expecting," Velasquez said.
Yet Velasquez (11-1) realizes almost everybody expects him to wreck Silva (18-4) just as thoroughly as he did one year ago in a first-round knockout at UFC 146, leaving the 6-foot-4 Bigfoot in a bloody heap with hideous cuts on his face. Velasquez's first bout since losing the heavyweight title probably deserved an R rating for violence and gore, and he followed it up by reclaiming his belt in December with a dominant rematch win over Junior Dos Santos.
"To me right now, it's the most important thing to defend (the belt), just to hold on to it itself," Velasquez said. "This is the position that I want to be in, so I have to go out and perform."
Earlier on the UFC 160 card, former heavyweight champion Dos Santos returns to the octagon against surprising Mark Hunt and his late-career run of stunning knockouts, while light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira angles for a future title shot against New Zealand's James Te Huna. Gray Maynard will face T.J. Grant in a lightweight bout, with the winner likely getting the next shot at champion Benson Henderson this fall, and K.J. Noons makes his UFC debut against popular lightweight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.
Silva knows he's in an unlikely position, getting a rematch against a champion who thrashed him on the last edition of the UFC's annual heavyweight-centered Memorial Day weekend show in its hometown. But the well-traveled Brazilian veteran rebounded from consecutive losses to Daniel Cormier and Velasquez with stoppage victories over Travis Browne and Overeem, improbably earning another shot at Velasquez.
"Obviously in the first fight, I made a big mistake," Silva said through a translator. "But there were a lot of things that I did right going into that fight, and that, unfortunately, (fans) didn't get to see. So much of that has been maintained, and overall the main strategy is just not to let his elbows get near my forehead. That would be the change."
Silva realizes the UFC probably would have preferred to see Velasquez against Overeem, the touted Dutch kickboxer who still can't stop stumbling on a path to title contention littered with doping woes, upset losses and injuries. But Silva is confident he can improve on last year's showing against Velasquez, saying he won't get the same case of nerves he had before making his UFC debut.
And if nothing else, the bout is an intriguing contrast in sheer physics: The outsized Silva towers over the 6-foot-1 Velasquez, but can't match the champion's uniquely well-rounded athleticism.
"I would have to be born again to become faster than Cain Velasquez," Silva said. "I've got 30 pounds on him. He's going to be faster than me, so I need to work with what I have, and what I have is very, very heavy hands. … The heavyweight division is a division where anything can happen. One punch lands, and the fight is over."
Although Silva sometimes appears gangly and awkward in the cage, his physical curiosities mask a solid range of mixed martial arts skills.
The 33-year-old's career began in England and Japan before moving through various minor-league North American promotions, eventually leading him to Strikeforce and the UFC. Silva only got his first shot at Velasquez after a series of injuries scuttled an original bout against Roy Nelson.
But in February 2011, Silva proved why nobody should doubt he's got a shot against Velasquez: He stopped Fedor Emelianenko, the Russian star once perceived to be even more unbeatable than Cain is now.
"I like when people underestimate me," Silva said. "It's nice. I get to go out there, and I get to prove them wrong. There are no superheroes in this sport.
"Nobody is invincible."
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Total Run Time: 92 minutes (Additional scenes, 60 min., not reviewed)
Optional subtitles: English, Spanish, and French
available from: www.INHABITFILM.com $20.00
reviewer Alan Eddy, NOFA member, Wallingford, CT
This documentary is an introduction to permaculture for the general public, and speaks eloquently to the point of permaculture as a ray of hope in our world.
About eighteen people are interviewed about their work producing perennial crops, caring for livestock, preventing erosion, recycling nutrients, building soil and sequestering carbon, and restoring ecosystems. The film is divided into SUBURBS, CITIES, and FARMS. The film covers primarily the Northeastern and Midwestern U. S., with a glimpse of California. Permaculturist Ben Falk provides an introduction. The plants that are most benefi-cial for the land are also most beneficial for humans. Plants are a reverse carbon conveyor belt — taking carbon out of the air and putting it in the soil. Raising livestock helps regenerate degraded farm land. "Farm the water first, then the soil."
SUBURBS: The permaculturists interviewed are — Eric Toensmeier, Lisa Fernandes, Lisa DePiano, and Steve Whitman. There is a short sequence about composting toilets and another about using bicycle trailers to collect compost and recycling. Scenes are included of neighbors working together to implement permaculture designs. Multiple edible crops can be grown together in a small yard. The pawpaw, Asimina triloba, is an edible fruit native to North America and frequently mentioned in North American folklore.
CITIES: The people included are — Dwaine Lee, Andrew Faust, Paula Amram, Ari Rosenberg, Luis Sanchez, and Pandora Thomas. Topics include: growing food crops on rooftops, capturing rainwater from sloped roofs, planting neighborhood gardens and rain gardens in conjunction with local residents, and providing job opportunities for urban dwellers and ex-offenders. The potential of the urban landscape will surprise you!
FARMS: In this segment the experts are — Michael Phillips (2017 NOFA Conference keynoter), Keith Morris, Steve Gabriel, Rhamis Kent, Susana Kay Lein, and Mark Shepard. There is a sequence about growing shitake mushrooms on logs in a forest setting (the main pests are slugs, which are controlled by foraging ducks). Susana Kay Lein plants grain crops in succession without any tillage — an idea from Japan (The One Straw Revolution). New Forest Farm in Wis-consin replicates the "oak savanna" of ancient mammoths and bison — a fantastically productive habitat.
I grew up in the 1960s when environmentalists were saying: "humans are bad — we are a planetary disease." This film says: "wait a minute — it doesn't have to be that way. Humans CAN be good." We can not only sustain ecosystems but we can restore and regenerate them as well. Scenes with children are prominent in the film!
In 1979, I received a B. S. degree in Horticulture from Michigan State University and began joining organizations in order to explore new ideas: The Maine Or-ganic Farmers and Gardeners Association, The Bio-Integral Resource Center (an IPM group in CA), The New Alchemy Institute, and the Biodynamic Farming As-sociation. I read about permaculture but did not follow up at that time. Then followed a period of working in the field of green architecture (earning paychecks and paying bills). In April of 2016, I attended a session of the Environmental Film Series put on by two activists at our public library. The film was Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective. As the documentary unfolded, I thought: "this is what I have been searching for."


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How many screens do you have? Technology is all around us these days. It is fair to assume this abundance of technology has improved our every day lives, and for the most part, it has. The advancement of technology is not without its drawbacks though. Take Blue Light for example. According to The Vision Council, "Blue light, also known as high energy visible (HEV) light, is a type of light with short wavelengths emitting a higher energy. Blue light penetrates deep into the eye, so exposure may result in: damage to the retina exposing the eye to hidden spikes in intensity, long-term vision problems such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts, and suppressing the natural release of melatonin, disrupting sleep. Aside from sunlight, digital screens – like those of TVs, computer/laptops, smart phones and tablets – are the most common source of individuals' blue light exposure. More than 80 percent of Americans report using digital devices in the hour before going to sleep, which has been shown to disrupt sleep patterns by increasing alertness to the brain."
Check out the below infographic on this topic, and visit The Vision Council's "Blue Light Exposure and Digital Eye Strain" page for more information.
(click image to enlarge)
For more information on vision insurance or if you have any questions, contact CLH Insurance at 636.391.0700 or email email@example.com to connect with our insurance agents.


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Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Apple TV on Monday released a first glimpse of its new series The Morning Show.
The promo features the voices of Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell.
The teaser gives a tour of the newsroom as Aniston, Witherspoon and Carell discuss their goals as journalists and clash on set. The trio play morning show anchors Karen Kessler, Bradley Jackson and Mitch Kessler.
"I am a journalist. I can feel when the world needs me," Mitch (Carell) says.
"America loves me," Karen (Aniston) adds.
"I'm just here to deliver the news to America. That's all I ever wanted to do," Bradley (Witherspoon) says.
The Morning Show will explore the lives of the men and women who deliver the morning news. Apple TV gave the series a two-season order in November 2017.
Aniston and Witherspoon will also executive produce the show, which Kerry Ehrin wrote based on an original idea by Michael Ellenberg. Ehrin will serve as showrunner, with Mimi Leder as director.
Aniston and Witherspoon previously collaborated when Witherspoon guest starred on Aniston's show Friends. The Morning Show will mark Aniston's first series regular role since Rachel Green on Friends.
The Morning Show will premiere in the fall.


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So we're told the average office worker in the US could save the equivalent of 8 days a year by using keyboard shortcuts over reaching for the mouse every time. Have a read here to find out more.
I am a big fan of keyboard shortcuts - doing anything in a more efficient way has got to be a good thing. I try and tell my children about them as and when I can throughout our lessons together, but the other day, with a Year 4 class, it seemed like the right thing to do to unplug all the computer mice/computer mouses (take your pick) and declare the day:
This forced even those less confident computer users into using a suitable keyboard shortcut or method to solve the problem I had set them - to log on to the network, open a browser, log on to their email account and send an email.
Taking each of the three main areas in turn, the children had to use a number of 'tricks':
Area 1 - logging on to network
Area 2 - opening Chrome and accessing Gmail
1. Pressing [Windows Key] to open Start menu
2. Arrow keys and [Enter] to select Google Chrome
3. Ctrl-L to access omnibox to type gmail.com
Area 3 - signing in to Gmail; composing and sending email
1. Using [Tab] to move around the options; pressing [Space] to select something if their keyboard shortcuts didn't work (some anomaly with our system!)
2. 'C' to compose a message, [Tab] again through the various fields; [Shift]-[Tab] do go backwards
3. [Ctrl]-[Enter] to send a message
At which point 'normal service' was resumed. That was if they could work out how to plug the mouse back in again!
Leave a Reply.
June 2021


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Dash and KuvaCash Partner to Fight Inflation in Zimbabwe with Cryptocurrency
HARARE, Zimbabwe – November 21, 2017 Dash, the top digital currency for payments, has today announced an ambitious joint venture with KuvaCash, a program designed to solve Zimbabwe's ballooning inflation, collapsing currency, and declining national economy. KuvaCash is a Dash-record $550K USD undertaking, funded directly by the Dash treasury via its unique governance model, and aims to provide Zimbabwe with its first-ever peer-to-peer localized cryptocurrency payment service for anyone with a phone-number-based messaging system. Currently, locals wait hours in bank queues to access their money and are experiencing exorbitant fees on transactions. The Zimbabwean Government has tried to address the crisis by issuing bond notes matching the price of the U.S. dollar as a fix, but this remains a stop-gap measure, rather than a permanent money system.
CEO of Dash Core Ryan Taylor said, "I have been advocating for quite some time the potential benefits Dash can provide to economies with less stable currencies, and Zimbabwe seems a prime location for these benefits. This project in particular is well-researched with value propositions, branding, and go-to-market strategies tailored to the local market. Combining the ideal network – Dash – with a well-considered strategy should lead to a high probability of success."
Set to commence in Q2 of 2018, KuvaCash will introduce a cash replenishment model to instill confidence in residents, allowing them to cash out their digital currency into USD fiat at any time, greatly reduce transaction fees, and provide enhanced financial security and liquidity. Dash is the only cryptocurrency that allows instant payments between individuals and businesses at incredibly low cost of about three U.S. cents per transaction, compared to approximately $5 USD fees per bitcoin transaction, giving Zimbabweans a globally traded currency they can feasibly trade, spend, and receive, either locally or internationally.
Finance and Technology Director of KuvaCash Andreiko Kerdemelidis said, "The informal economy has U.S. dollars in circulation, but they are no longer being managed by banks and are physically quite dirty. People are scrubbing bills and hanging them up on clotheslines to dry, selling the cleaner bills at a 10-20% markup. The bonds the Zimbabwean government introduced in 2009 (pegged against the USD at a 1:1 exchange rate) are a stopgap measure, we don't know what the long-term plan is for these notes but it is fair to say that Zimbabweans currently prefer USD bills to extant mobile-phone based payment solutions or bond notes. KuvaCash will give locals an ideal alternative to improve their ability to do business and buy everyday goods and services without hassle, overpaying on fees, and using secondary markets. The people of Zimbabwe deserve a far better solution and we plan to give it to them."
KuvaCash is pursuing a money exchange and remittance license in Zimbabwe and the project is expected to receive government and reserve bank backing.
The entire proposal was approved and fully-funded by Dash's masternode system, making it the largest single proposal to date.
Taylor said, "KuvaCash has the potential to greatly lower the costs of transacting, and provides consumers with a store of value that is more easily secured than the physical cash used today. Combined, this should result in dramatic improvements to the economy by lowering the barriers to conducting commerce and savings that citizens face today. If our pilot in Zimbabwe is successful, we will possess a reference roadmap for addressing similar issues in other countries suffering from hyperinflation and volatile economic conditions."
KuvaCash will launch as a free, downloadable app to allow the seamless execution of trades, exchange to and from USD, as well as mobile payments and top-ups. The initial launch will service agents that will facilitate the infrastructure on the ground, ensuring physical kiosks are available for Zimbabweans looking to opt for a supplementary method of payment.
Dash Core CEO Ryan Taylor and KuvaCash Finance and Technical Director Andreiko Kerdemelidis are available for interview
About Dash:
Dash is the leading e-commerce and payments-focused digital currency, and the rising alternative to bitcoin. With over 1000% year over year growth in both value and trading volume since 2015, Dash has been consistently ranked in the top ten digital currencies by market capitalization and only one of the few offering safe, decentralized financial solutions to real world problems. Dash offers a form of money that is portable, inexpensive, divisible, and fast. It can be spent easily and instantly online at merchants across the globe, at much lower fees than credit and debit cards. With over 50 members on the development team and a unique blockchain mining and treasury model, Dash is the only major self-funded, self-governed organization in the cryptocurrency industry. This allows for constant development and funding for the entire project so community members can upload and vote on proposals, and if they are approved, they are paid for directly from the blockchain. Dash plans to unveil their landmark product Dash Evolution, the industry's first easy to use decentralized payments platform in 2018.


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The Clarion Fund has released a new film following up on their 2005 movie Obsession: Radical Islam's War against the West called The Third Jihad. Third Jihad paints a picture of a nefarious plot by a cabal that includes all mainstream Muslim organizations to take over and dominate America. The movie, reminiscent of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, centers around the purported discovery of a document describing a strategic secret plot by Muslims to undermine Democracy and replace it with Sharia' laws (More on the movie below).
Unless you were sleeping in a cave during the 2008 Presidential election you're probably aware that the mysterious Clarion Fund is the same organization that distributed 28 Million DVD's of their controversial film Obsession, which compares Islam to Nazism, in newspapers in swing states across America.
The movie was widely discredited for its cast of radical and extreme pundits, some of whom (Daniel Pipes, Brigitte Gabriel, Walid Shoebat, Steven Emerson) we have featured on LoonWatch. As our articles showed, these Islamophobes have a history of bigoted and derogatory statements regarding Muslims and Islam.
The film itself was compared to Leni Riefenstahl's 1935 pro-Nazi film Triumph of the Will. Broward-Palm Beach New Times called it "misleading and dangerous." Jeff VanDenBerg, director of Middle East Studies at Drury University, called the film "a blatant piece of anti-Muslim propaganda."
During the campaign to distribute Obsession, news reports at the time quickly revealed that their main motivation was to shift the focus during the Presidential election from the Economy to the issue of National Security, the area in which John McCain lead in polls:
"An editorial in the Palm Beach Post outlined the apparent political motivation behind the Clarion Fund campaign:
"Distribution of the DVD…was timed with the post-Labor Day start of presidential election season. About 95 percent of the papers that contained the DVD are in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and New Hampshire.
"Notice a pattern? Right, those are the swing states that most analysts believe will determine the election. The issue on which polls consistently show John McCain ahead of Barack Obama is national security. One way to make voters worry less about the economy and more about national security would be to send out a DVD that opens with clips of 9/11 and includes scenes of Muslims chanting 'Death to America!'"
The Clarion Fund is linked to Aish HaTorah, an Israeli educational and advocacy group. During the election there was a wide outcry as to whether or not the Clarion Fund violated its non-profit status by promoting John McCain on its website.
According to the Delaware Department of Corporations, Robert (Rabbi Raphael) Shore, Rabbi Henry Harris and Rebecca Kabat incorporated Clarion Fund. All three of whom are reported to serve as employees of Aish HaTorah International.
This is the track record with which we are confronted when it comes to the Clarion Fund, dishonest techniques stripped of any context in an attempt to further their own right-wing agenda.
The Third Jihad
This leads us to the Clarion Fund's newest hit job that paints mainstream American Muslim organizations as a fifth column, insidious secret society looking to rule the United States. The Third Jihad is essentially an updated and reconfigured version of Obsession or as some have called it "Obsession on steroids." Instead of the overt comparisons of Islam with Nazism, or of a cosmic battle between good and evil, the object this time is to warn against a threat they term "Cultural Jihad" carried out from within by American Muslims.
In Third Jihad, just as in Obsession, there is the cliche disclaimer at the start of the film that the movie is not about the vast majority of Muslims who are peaceful, yet in Third Jihad just as in Obsession, the rest of the film quickly and completely trumps what becomes an empty disclaimer. Both films fail to make consistent distinctions between Islam and Radical Islamism, and at times conflate the two. As the IPS (Inter Press Service) notes:
Radical Muslims, by having children, spreading their faith, and ensuring their ability to practice Islam as they see fit, are working a 'demographic jihad' in which they see themselves emerging as a majority and making Islam the dominant religion of the U.S. – eventually to take over the nation altogether – contend Jasser and the films creators.
But that prospect seems unlikely in the U.S., where Muslim Americans are generally regarded as well-assimilated and not radicalised.
The film itself also contains inconsistencies in terms of differentiating between Islam and radical Islam.
For example, the graphic that the film used to demonstrate the spread of an Islamic state across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe used a tiled picture of a green crescent with a star between its points. The crescent and star are the symbol of Islam in general.
The documentary was produced by the Clarion Fund, a U.S.-based non-profit that was embroiled in controversy last year when it distributed its last movie, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," to nearly 30 million homes in the 'swing states' that normally decide U.S. presidential elections.
Its 501(c)(3) status as non-profit means the group is legally exempt from paying taxes and is prohibited from involvement in electoral politics.
IPS investigations also tied the production and distribution of "Obsession" to right-wing Israeli groups and U.S.-based neoconservatives.
The central focus of the film is the purported discovery of a document which claims Muslim organizations are seeking to "destroy" the West from within and replace Democracy with Islamic law worldwide. This ploy is similar to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion which is a tract alleging a Jewish and Masonic plot to achieve world domination. Purportedly written by a secret group of Jews known as the Elders of Zion, the document underlies 24 protocols that are supposedly followed by the Jewish people.
The movie also suffers from a lack of credibility with most of the pundits it chooses to interview. For example one of the pundits is Tawfiq Hamid (!) who is labeled an ex-terrorist. Tawfiq's story is not corroborated by any independent sources, he has also made blatant statements describing Muslims as terrorists and Islam as evil. On the Orla Barry Show he stated, "the majority of Muslim are all passive terrorists. They believe in this evil. They support it either by money or emotionally they are not against it." He is also featured on radical Islamophobe Walid Shoebat's website and has appeared with him on talk shows and other venues.
This hate movie is available online and its central protagonist is Zuhdi Jasser who is also the narrator of the film. Jasser is cast as an all American hero, clips of him having moments with his family are reminiscent of episodes out of Full House, complete with sentimental muzak equivalent to the quality one hears in elevators. Jasser is the lone American Muslim (all the others are either "scared" or "silent") standing up against radicals. He is the "moderate" who is seeking to reform Islam while at the same time save America from the ignored threat of "homegrown radical Muslims."
Is Jasser an unbiased chronicler of American Islam, and is he the right advocate to counter radical Muslims?
Considering his radical associations and partisan attachment to the far right wing of the Republican party, the answers are no.
As Richard Silverstein writes, "To put it plain and simple, Jasser is a Muslim neocon." He created a 501c3 designated organization AIFD (American Islamic forum for Democracy) whose agenda is a "barely concealed" form of radical Republicanism. 501c3 designated organizations are not allowed to meddle in partisan politics.
Jasser has himself publicly participated in the political process. In this endorsement of a far-right pro-Israel Colorado Republican legislative candidate, he strangely takes aim at the candidate's Republican American Muslim opponent:
"A brief word about Mr. Sharf's primary opponent. Mrs. Rima Barakat Sinclair has no apparent record, prior to this election of…any traditional conservative issues. Previously, her sole political agenda seems to have been anti-Israel activism. Her candidacy seems to be more a product of Islamist politics than of ideas central to conservative American principles and activism. Sadly, candidates out of this mold, who conflate the Israeli-Palestinian crisis with their Islamic identity actually harm more than they help the genuine pluralistic advancement of American Muslims. Most Muslims are actually quite diverse in their domestic and foreign policy politics and do not accept the collectivist agenda of political Islam (Islamism)."
It is certainly no accident that Sinclair's opponent, Joshua Scharf, is a right-wing pro-Israel militant.
In this National Review interview, Jasser enthusiastically promotes a Republican agenda:
"Lopez: Do you like what you're hearing out of any of the presidential candidates?
Jasser: (First a necessary caveat – the following is my personal opinion only and in no way that of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy).
Yes, I think most of the Republican presidential field is much more honest than the Democrats in articulating the real stakes in this war of ideas of the free world versus the Islamists. While most of the Republican candidates are in the right anti-Islamist arena, only a few have been able to articulate it clearly enough and with enough candor to get my attention. I am far from making up my mind on a candidate yet, but am encouraged by a lot of what I see from some of the candidates.
I am most heartened by what I am hearing from Rudy Guliani's campaign, with Governor Mitt Romney very close behind in my mind. Mayor Guliani understands the toxicity of the Saudis and their Wahhabis…He is not afraid to articulate the conflict in ideas between Western freedom and Islamist theocracy…He names our enemies by name, and is not afraid to stand for principle and substance in foreign policy over diplomatic platitudes (i.e. against the Saudis, Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood), and other Islamists.
Governor Mitt Romney's campaign has also demonstrated a willingness to mince no words when discussing the ideologies we are facing. He identifies jihadists as our enemies and uses his important position of national and global leadership to clearly frame the debate as one between the ideology of Islamism (Caliphism, jihadism, and theocracy) versus freedom.
…John McCain's articulation of the stakes in the Iraq war has always been very impressive, and I hope that other candidates can look to his clarity on the issue as an example of principle."
His disclaimer is a laugh since the group's website lists him as founder and president. Only one other individual is listed on the entire website as a staff member of the group. No board members are listed (though he refers to the existence of one). So Jasser IS AIF. If Jasser is a right-wing Republican, so is AIF. Which makes a 501c3 designation problematic.
Jasser is also a member of the Middle East Forum created and ran by neo-con Daniel Pipes as well as "the pro-Israel and neocon Committee on the Present Danger. He has spoken before the Hudson Institute. He writes for Family Security Matters, Middle East Quarterly, and other far-right websites." If this doesn't give you a hint about the agenda that drives Jasser and the purpose of this film nothing will.
Third Jihad is the newest product that Clarion Fund and its supporters are seeking to peddle after Obsession failed to make Americans believe that there was an insiduous global conspiracy by Muslims to destroy the West. Its use of innuendo, hearsay, questionable associations and disreputable pundits makes the film fit nicely into the long history of demonizing propaganda that seems to be the hallmark of the Clarion Fund.


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Tulsa Loop All-Star Posts
We've been checking the stats and have formed this roster of Tulsa Loop All-Star posts. Yes, these are the most popular and deserve their very own highlight post. Who says All-Stars are just for sports? Enjoy!
Tulsa Loop All-Star line up:
- Real Gas Station in Tulsa
- Beat the Heat :: Splash Pads in Tulsa
- Tulsa's Best Meat Markets
- Tulsa Bike Trails and Free Bike Rentals
- 100 of Tulsa's Best Restaurants
- Summer Camp 2009
- Art and Music Classes in Tulsa
- Fairs & Festivals
- Broken Arrow Farmer's Market
- Renew Your Tags Online


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Generation Identity are holding a Europe-wide conference at a secret venue in London and anti-fascists want to shut it down
This weekend the racist Europe-wide Generation Identity (GI) network, dubbed 'Nazi hipsters' by anti-fascists, are descending on London for a conference meant to establish their presence in the UK. Young far-right activists from all over the continent are expected in the city for a weekend of activity which is set to start on Friday evening and conclude on Sunday.
Austrian GI co-leader Martin Sellner, who was recently banned from UK and held in an immigration detention centre for three days, is attempting to enter the country again. Sellner is due to arrive at London Stansted airport at 19:15pm on Friday and is asking his supporters to gather at the airport, either to hear about him being denied entry or to welcome him to the UK.
Sellner was originally denied entry to the country because of his involvement in GI, which wants to see a white-only Europe created through ethnic cleansing, which it calls "remigration". Sellner was due to speak at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park after a meeting with UKIP's youth wing was cancelled after pressure, the second time this has happened in the past year.
Sellner and his alt-right vlogger girlfriend's detention sparked a number of far-right protests at Speaker's Corner and the area has now become a focus for anti-Muslim hatred, masquerading as being a campaign for free speech.
Video on the far-right's 'free speech' claims by Plan C
The conference on Saturday is being held between 10am and 5pm at a secret venue somewhere in the greater London area. Anti-fascists from @OpposeGI are claiming to have secured a ticket to the event and the venue is expected to be released on theirs and London Anti-fascists' twitter accounts as soon as GI inform attendees of where the conference is being held.
As soon as the location of the conference is made public anti-fascists will head to the venue, hoping to shut the conference down.
Speaking at the conference are a number of leading GI organisers from across Europe. Annika Franziska, the co-founder of German GI front #120db; Ábel Bódi, the co-leader and spokesman for the Hungarian GI branch and Lorenzo Fiato, the spokesman for the Italian GI branch are all scheduled to speak, along with Sellner if he makes it through the UK border.
Also due to address the conference are Damhnait McKenna, the public face of GI in Ireland and former squaddie and child boxer Charlie Fox from Eltham, South London. Fox, who uses the surname Roberts for his far-right political activity, is credited with helping build GI's UK presence.
Scouser Jordan Diamond, who uses to pseudonym James Windsor, was the public face of GI in the UK but is not listed to speak. Diamond was caught on camera denying the scale of the Holocaust after GI's initial meetings were infiltrated by a reporter and has kept a low profile since.
The conference is being chaired by Norwegian Tore Rasmussen who has been in charge of building up GI's UK presence. Rasmussen is a successful entrepreneur who holds director positions on a string of businesses based in Norway. Rasmussen has recently announced he's become the UK & Scandinavian manager for Phalanx Europa, the GI-linked merchandise store.
On Sunday, many of the conference attendees will head to Speaker's Corner to hear Franziska speak about the #120db campaign. This is an attempt by GI to co-opt the #MeToo movement and reinforce their argument for ethnic cleansing by cherry picking incidents of sexual violence by migrants.
In response the Anti-Fascist Network will be giving a talk about the kinds of violence all women face, with anti-fascists and feminists gathering at Speaker's Corner from 10am on Sunday.
GI are one of the fastest growing far-right groups in the UK and are filling the gap left by banned neo-Nazi terrorists National Action (NA). Many ex-NA activists have indicated their support for GI on social media and former NA member Jacob Bewick from Sheffield even joined GI.
Since launching in the UK in October GI have had a difficult time as the initial strategy meetings were infiltrated. Sellner, who was in London to address an extreme right-wing meeting attended by neo-Nazis, was caught on camera using the term "P*ki" and discussing the "Jewish Question" and "Muslim Question". The revelations in ITV's Exposure documentary meant GI's growth has been stunted, but a wave of activism and events have helped the group to overcome these difficulties.
ITV's Exposure documentary
The main strategy GI is following in the UK is trying to inject ethno-nationalism into the counter-jihad movement. The network has close links with former EDL leader Tommy Robinson who has produced propaganda for them on his YouTube channel and recently read a speech by Sellner after he was banned from entering the UK.
One of the ways GI have tried to push their ideas has been by giving out warm meals containing pork to white homeless people. This is a technique copied from GI in France where they would hold 'sausage and wine' protests in public squares to deliberately alienate Muslims and Jews.
GI have also been making forays onto university campuses, recently filming themselves doing a banner drop at Birkbeck student union which they claimed was in response to calls to decolonise philosophy reading lists at SOAS. These visits are part of an attempt by GI to recruit racist university students who can be indoctrinated into their white-only group. SOAS has been targeted by GI on several occasions over the past few months and stickers have appeared on other campuses.
But attempts to organise at universities could be about to backfire - a lot of students are expected to join the anti-fascist protests over the weekend, telling GI they're not welcome in London.
Anti-Fascist Network Facebook events
Saturday: Oppose Generation Identity Conference
So, what happened with this?
Found the info on Twitter. Looks like it didn't go well for the fascists: https://twitter.com/OpposeGI
so well done to everyone who went to oppose them.
Although as I suspected, looking at the photos of the fash I don't see a single "hipster" (even being very flexible with the term, considering hipsters don't really exist any more). Ditto with the above photo. So the label kind of looks like a lame mainstream media attempt at putting in the word "hipster" to be click bait…


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|Rest is an important piece of wellness
Last week on our session, Ronna had been through a tough week. We spent much of our session discussing what was going on. We talked about how she felt, her thoughts on how her healthy lifestyle progress & the support she was getting from friends & family.
We ended up deciding she was due for a rest week, both mentally & physically.
Today was our session after her rest week. Big difference! Her circumstances haven't changed but was HAS changed is her attitude. Don't get me wrong, Ronna is a positive person. But it's clear she needed a break & I'm thrilled she was open to taking it.
We ALL need a break from time to time. It doesn't make us weak, or uncommitted. It doesn't mean we aren't reaching our goals. It's actually part of being healthy! Purposely taking time to recharge is a must. Hence vacation from work, school break & rest days/weeks from training.
Do you take rest days? How about rest weeks? If you do, congrats! If you don't, start doing it! You'll be a stronger & healthier person for it!
If you need a little guidance with your quest for a healthy, fit life let me know. It doesn't matter where you live or what level you are at, OnTrack Fitness offers fitness training for everyone!


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When: Thu., Nov. 7, 7 p.m. 2013
This class will help you think about, plan, design and deliver great presentations—ones that look great and persuade your audience to adopt your ideas. Using real-world examples (some of them good, and some not-so-good), students will learn the foundational theory behind history's greatest presentations, accompanied by practical tips and ideas for taking your visuals and talking points to the next level. Whether you use PowerPoint, Keynote, SMARTboard or flip charts, your presentations will never be the same.
Price: $15


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The 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is just a month away and the excitement is building for the tens of thousands of developers, retailers, programmers, distributors, venture capitalists, marketers and fans who will converge in Los Angeles for the videogame and computer industry trade show.
This year's edition will be particularly significant for console videogames given there will be no major new hardware announcements from the big three console makers (Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo), and since sales of physical software in the US continued on a downward spiral falling 27% in March from US$555 million in 2013 to US$406 million in 2014, according to research firm The NPD Group.
Soft spending on games for older systems and the fact that fewer new games were released in 2013 versus 2012 have been key factors in the recent software declines, but on the bright side, console sales of Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 have broken records – and NPD's software sales don't include digital sales, which continue to bring strength to the industry.
According to digital games research company SuperData, sales of digital games for March in the US totaled US$936 million, a 9% year-over year increase.
Taking a closer look at the console wars, Sony has been dominating its closest rival Microsoft of late leading hardware sales for the third consecutive month in March with approximately 370,000 PS4 units sold versus 311,000 for the Xbox One, according to NPD. And as of early April, Sony revealed it's sold seven million PS4′s worldwide, twice the number of PS3′s sold through the same lifecycle period.
In fact, results released this week from an upcoming International Data Corporation (IDC) report entitled Worldwide Video Game and Entertainment Console Hardware and Packaged Software 2014-2018 Forecast found that the research firm expects the PS4 to top all console sales with 51 million sold by 2016.
The report is not so glowing on Nintendo, which this week reported a US$230 million loss for the last fiscal year showing sales declines for its 3DS handheld system and for the underwhelming Wii U hardware, as well as weaker-than-expected Wii U software sales.
IDC predicts the Wii U will get a US$50 price cut worldwide late this year or by early 2015, but it won't be enough for Nintendo to gain ground on its competition.
To help right the ship, Nintendo announced today a new investment in the interactive toy market with Nintendo Figurine Platform, an upcoming line of products for the Wii U and its GamePad that uses near-field communication technology to both read and write data not unlike Skylanders and Disney Infinity.
Featuring popular characters from Nintendo games and expected to launch at the end of this year for Wii U software and by 2015 for 3DS software, the new platform technology will let users customize and evolve their characters.
Only time will tell whether the move helps turnaround Nintendo's considerable financial losses or go down as a failed investment in a last ditch effort to remain relevant.
The announcement is certainly not unexpected given the ongoing growth of the interactive toy market. According to NPD, sales of interactive gaming toys grew a whopping 70% in 2013 versus 2012.
As for the House of Mouse, its Disney Infinity platform – which harnesses the power of interactive gaming toys – was a big reason why the company's Interactive Group saw sales increase 38% for the second quarter of 2014.


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Doctor in Southern China said four or five H1N1 patients die in his hospital every day
Posted by Author on January 1, 2010
By Fang Xiao, Epoch Times Staff,Dec 29, 2009 –
A doctor in Yulin City (玉林市), (Guang Xi Province) Southern China said four or five H1N1 patients die in his hospital every day. "Every hospital has deaths," he said. "We have deaths in the morning, the afternoon, and at night."
When a reporter asked the Yulin City doctor about the victims' details, such as names, ages, and occupations, the doctor was extremely cautious. "I dare not tell you any specific information. Victims are both young and old," he said……..
The Chinese Communist Party is covering up the extent of H1N1 in the country, according to reports.
Doctors throughout many of China's hospitals have received notices to not diagnose H1N1, according to recent research conducted by New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV).
Instead, doctors have been told to diagnose patients with "seasonal flu" or "pneumonia," with only the severely ill patients selected to undertake an H1N1 confirmation test.
"Now, we don't report [H1N1], we just say that it is flu," said one doctor on condition of anonymity. "The government does not care … There are plenty of regulations—if 10 people die, you cannot report all 10, you can only report one. Now, there are only lies."
A doctor from Eastern China's Shandong Province said that about 40 patients with H1N1 symptoms have been treated daily since September in his clinic, but the clinic reports zero.
Fever Patients Sent Home, Too Many to Test
Patients with fever are being told by Yulin City's Center for Disease Control (CDC) to stay home in quarantine, say doctors.
"We tested patients at first, but now there are too many. The CDC no longer tests the samples we send them," said a doctor at the fever clinic of Yulin City's First People's Hospital. He said 90 percent of fever patients probably have H1N1.
"We don't test patients because even the patients who test positive can only be quarantined at home and take common cold medicine," the doctor said. "There are too many patients. Now level-two hospitals and above are all designated as H1N1 hospitals."
Note: Hospitals in counties and average-sized cities are rated as level-two. Some large workplaces may have their own hospitals and are usually rated as level-two, such as hospitals in state-owned mining companies or oil companies.
An official at the Yulin City, Guangxi Province, CDC immediately hung up the phone when an Epoch Times reporter was introduced.
While doctors are saying that many people have died from H1N1, no official Chinese media information about the high number of deaths was found.
According to Guangxi News, the Guangxi Health Department reported two deaths in 14 cities throughout Guangxi Province for the week of December 14-20.
Regional health departments identify severe flu cases if patients keep having fever of 101.3 to 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for three consecutive days that cannot be lowered with common fever medicine and have other symptoms, such as severe cough, chest pain, mental confusion, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Schools Stop Classes
A Yulin citizen said almost all elementary schools, high schools, and colleges have again stopped classes. "The epidemic has started again," she said. "Most schools stopped classes for two weeks. Students dare not go to school, and no one dares to go out at night. The streets are quiet."
A woman said her son studies at Donghuan Elementary School in Yulin City.
A teacher at an English School in Yulin City said the school also closed for two weeks after three students and a teacher tested positive for H1N1.
"They found a student with fever and then called his parents to ask that the child take the H1N1 test," the teacher said. "Afterwards, the CDC sent people to the school to test the students. They sent students to the H1N1 hospital when they tested positive."
Disease control experts in Guangxi said the H1N1 epidemic is intensifying, with the coldest months yet to come. January and February are the most wintery months in Guangxi. Many people travel during the New Year and the Chinese New Year, a key period for preventing and controlling the H1N1 epidemic.
Read the original Chinese article.
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By Mary Bergin
Special to TravelWisconsin.com
Supper club dining is a Wisconsin thang, but no two supper clubs are quite alike and some seem more like distant cousins than sisters. Consider these splits in personality.
Explore these solid supper club choices and get more Wisconsin travel inspiration by subscribing to our newsletters. Watch on for a taste of the Wisconsin supper club experience, featuring Silvercryst in Wautoma.
Just about every bartender makes Old Fashioneds in Wisconsin, but rare is the supper club that sells its secret-recipe mix for the cocktail. Bottles of Hafner's Old Fashioned Mix, named after the longtime Sky Club bartender who created it, are shipped all over the country.
What else puts this third-generation family business on the map? Owners say the salad bar was invented here in 1950, when it was all you could eat for one price. That's still the deal, or you can visit once with a dinner of fish to steak.
Stop by the Dorf Haus to try something different – turtle meat, marinated with carrots and onions overnight. It kind of tastes like roast beef.
That's a one-of-a-kind offering for this supper club with German roots so deep that polka bands perform and the most popular buffet offers a full load of Bavarian fare in this tiny Dane County community.
Jake's Supper Club – Menomonie
Tainter Lake is known for its walleye, northern pike – and the prime rib served daily at Jake's. The record is 16 logs of slow-roasted beef served in one day, each weighing at least 14 pounds.
In summer, the tiki bar draws University of Wisconsin-Stout students (the campus is a 10-minute drive) and boaters from the neighborhood, especially on Sundays, when live music begins after brunch.
Every supper club serves fish, at least on Fridays, but the baked cod here is topped with a house-made blue cheese dressing, so popular that it is available by the pint. Also in high demand are cheese curds made with a from-scratch batter recipe.
If there's a wait for seating, look for a few beanbags to pitch outside. Some folks arrive by boat via the Mississippi River. Others drive the scenic Great River Road to this part of Vernon County.
Roepke's Village Inn – Chilton
Wisconsin's Holy Land got its nickname from the many hamlets that sprouted after German immigrants settled as farmers in the 19th century.
Each had a Catholic church, and it wasn't unusual for a tavern to begin business nearby. That's how Roepke's began in rural Calumet County.
Some customers make a meal out of the salad bar, whose recipes are generations old.
A fourth-generation family business in an unincorporated community with Dutch roots long ago learned how to serve their neighbors: This remains the place to go for special-occasion meals, weddings to funerals.
What Martin Van Abel began in 1848 as a rest spot during Brown County cattle drives today is known for country-style dinners that include Bernice's green beans, Duff's bean salad, dessert bars and more.
Looking for more classic choices for dining out? Try these historic supper clubs, and browse more in our directory.


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Since 2016, almost 1,000 people have signed up to raise money for world-leading cancer, neuroscience and mental health research as part of #TeamCardiff.
Dr Sara Jones (PhD 2000) is one of them.
But, unlike her team-mates, she will not be lining up on Castle Street in early October. Instead, Sara will be sporting Cardiff colours through Canary Wharf, over Tower Bridge and down The Mall as the University's first London Marathon runner on Sunday 29 April.
We – just about – caught up with her.
Sara, what does running for neuroscience and mental health research at Cardiff mean to you?
It's very close to my heart. My dad sadly passed away in 2016 after suffering with dementia. He was a brilliant scientist and was also living with Type 1 diabetes, but the battle with dementia was one he found hardest of all.
In addition, for the past 10 years I have been working for DECIPHer, a public health research facility involving Cardiff University. I know that research into these challenging areas is essential if we are to bring about real change and affect the next generation.
How did you get into running?
I started about six years ago. I could barely run a kilometre – but slowly I increased my distance before a friend suggested I enter a 5k race and after that, a 10k. The next thing I knew, I was signed up to run the Cardiff Half Marathon. The rest is history.
Running also helped my mental health. When dad was living with us, just going out for half an hour running and just clearing my head really helped. I do always feel better for getting out and doing it. And by hopefully improving the lives of others through fundraising for research, it's a win-win.
Have you ever undertaken a full marathon before? How does the challenge differ mentally and physically to that of the Cardiff Half Marathon?
I didn't ever believe that I could run a marathon, but as soon as I went over that 13.1 miles milestone in training I felt a lot more confident. Now I'm up to the full training distance, I believe I can do it. We'll see on the day!
How are your race day preparations going?
I've had so much support from friends who have run marathons before. I found the training plan that worked for me: a 16 week plan running four times a week consisting of two shorter runs on Tuesday and Thursday, a 10-13k on a Wednesday and a long run on Saturday. That and power pump weights on Monday. It's full on.
I started my training plan on 31st December and have completely stuck to it except for a brief cold resulting in me missing one of the midweek shorter runs. I felt dreadful about it! The dog has quite enjoyed it as he can come with me, too. He's only a terrier so 10k is about his limit.
"I'm motivated by the money raised for a good cause and fulfilling one of my items on my bucket list."
Do you have any training tips for aspiring marathon runners?
Believe in yourself. If I can do it, anyone can. I was never sporty at school and I just didn't ever see myself as a fit person. All you need to do it is a Couch to 5k programme and, if you want to, then build on that.
I compare training for a marathon to doing a PhD – you've just got to keep on at it. It's difficult if you lose motivation but it'll be worth it in the end. For the marathon, I'm motivated by the money raised for a good cause and fulfilling one of my items on my bucket list.
Similarly, do you have any fundraising tips you've learnt along the way?
Reaching out to an extended network of friends of friends has been fantastic – there has been generosity from lots of people who I didn't expect to sponsor me (though my husband has yet to donate!). The neuroscience and mental health cause really resonates. I have had a few tears on some of the runs when I think about Dad and the important work we can do.
I've also found that emailing people and companies has worked really well. I didn't realise that local shops and companies sometimes have a small budget to support fundraising so they often donate items.
What are you most looking forward to on the day – and most dreading?
It'll be an amazing weekend. I watch it every year on the TV so it will be so surreal running past so many famous London landmarks. A friend said it wasn't the finish line for them that was the most exciting, but it was when they ran across Tower Bridge which signifies half way. I'll also be running among countless celebrities – and with the elite, even if athletes such as Mo Farah will be running at twice my pace!
I'm not yet sure how I'll celebrate crossing the finish line by Buckingham Palace. I have a lot of family coming to London to support me from across the country and the hotel we're staying at has a hot tub. Maybe I'll celebrate with a long soak! I know I'll be wearing the finishers t-shirt and medal for weeks after the race.
You can support Sara via her Virgin Money Giving page. You can also follow Sara's progress on the day via the Virgin Money London Marathon App.


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Kabbalists On The Language Of Kabbalah, Part 4
Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.
The Wisdom of Kabbalah Does Not Speak of Our Corporeal World
Such is the Torah. It has a body, which is the Mitzvot of the Torah, called "bodies of the Torah." This body clothes in dresses, which are stories of this world. The fools in the world see only that clothing, which is the story in the Torah, and know nothing more. They do not observe what exists underneath the clothing of the Torah [the inner content of the Torah, Kabbalah].
The Book of Zohar with the Sulam [Ladder] Commentary, Parashat BeHaalotecha, Item 62
This [external, general] story in the Torah is [only] the [external] clothing of the Torah. Whoever thinks that that clothing is the actual Torah, and that there is nothing else within it, will be cursed [his soul will remain corrupted, egoistic; he won't correct it] and [therefore] he will have no share in the next world [in the state of bestowal and love that follows our current uncorrected state]. This is why David said, "Open [the Creator] my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from Your law [Torah]," observing what is beneath the clothing of the Torah.
The Book of Zohar with the Sulam [Ladder] Commentary, Parashat BeHaalotecha, Item 60
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Catamaran Tiki 26 Sailing 1000 Miles of the Adriatic Sea
Izola – Brindisi
Catamaran Tiki 26 Sailing 1000 Miles of the Adriatic Sea. We left Izola on the 2nd of September in 2004 at 9am. My friend Janez Puharic was on board in the first part of the journey. First we landed on the 4th of September at 10pm in a small fishermen dock called Portorose 10 NM north of Pescara.Janez left the catamaran there and returned to Slovenia by train while I waited for the weather to settle. From the Italian Portorose (no lighthouses and the small light is for boats with draft of 1m max only), I sailed out on the 6th of September at 5 pm and the next day on the 8th of September at 7pm I landed on the Gargano peninsula in the town of Rodi Garganico. I only slept over there and set off the very next morning at 7 am. After a quiet sailing I found myself in the middle of 4 m waves during the night. This night surfing dance started late in the afternoon and has not stopped until 8 am when I sailed to a marine at the army airport in Brindisi.
Brindisi – Lastovo
In marine I met friends: a 24 meter wooden sailboat Barbarosa. We were celebrating our meeting for the next two days. Luckily our wine supplies never ran out. Of course the Italians were extremely excited about the Slovene wine Refošk. So I drank their wine and they drank mine.
Spirito Santo
The way back was less stressful. Early in the morning I sailed out of the harbor, late in the afternoon, normally at daylight, I sailed to a new marine. There was hardly any wind. Ariki was moving with the speed of a snail from 0 to 3 NM/h max. That is why daily routes were shorter. I landed in Monopoli for the first time on the old dock under a fortress and the next day in Santo Spirito. Before the entrance my Tomos motor would not start, and the sails were already put down. There was 8 NM wind blowing from exactly the right way. So with 1.4 NM I sailed into the dock without sails. And the last 100 m I was pulled by very kind locals – fishermen.
From Spirito Santo to Vieste Tomos was roaring all the way. The wind came in the evening when I already sailed into the dock. From the side came such a strong blow that I hardly made Ariki flow past a rocky jetty.
From Vieste I set off the very next morning, when there was still dark. I was in a hurry due to the arrival of a new weather front. I was longing for cheaper beer and Slovene words. In Italy you pay 3,5 EUR for a beer.
For the first 12 NM Ariki was run by outboard Tomos and afterwards it broke down and would not start anymore.
I spent an hour dealing with it in the middle of a heavy boat traffic in the Adriatic Sea. Boats were sailing past Ariki up and down and I could not go anywhere. And then the wind started to blow. Easily for the first half an hour and then it got stronger and stronger. For the last 20 NM to Lastovo Ariki was facing 2,5 m waves, It was 3 NM before I would reach the island when the wind stopped. It started raining. In half an hour I sailed to Skrivena Luka when it was pouring down with rain and I hugged a big refrigerator full of Slovene beer.
Lastovo – Susak
I stayed on Lastovo for two days and I meet Iztok and Nejka from Kamnik there. They were hitchhiking so I gave them a lift to Stari grad on Hvar. That is where Mira and my 10-year-old Špela were waiting for Ariki because Špela got a week off from school.
First we sailed off to Jaki in Stiniva. Already last year when he was living in Kranj I promised to him that I will show him my catamaran… so I sailed to him since I was close by. Also several charter boats sailed to Stiniva. Austrians on a large motorboat that nearly broke the pier while sailing in and there was a boat with a Slovene couple on it from Bled.
Charter or fishing boats
You rarely meet a sailboat on the Italian side of the Adriatic. I met only a couple of them per day and sometimes I met none. Therefore there were many fishermen out there. Thousands of them sailing in the territorial zone.
In Croatia it is exactly the opposite: fishing boats come rarely and all you see are thousands of plastic wannabe boats. Although September is in it 2nd half already, in the evening all bays are full.
Our family sailing ended without any trouble. We left from Hvar for Šolta and slept over in a nice bay on the other side of the island. Already the next day we were walking around the Jezera on Murter.
There I was woken up by fishermen at four in the morning. The crew was asleep while I sailed towards Tjelaščica on Dugi otok. I anchored exactly when it was time for breakfast. Afterwards we enjoyed in swimming and doing nothing.
The next day we sailed on to the inner side of the island in Sali and then to the Rivanj island and to Sestrunj where we enjoyed a long walk.
It was the first thing in the morning that we sailed on towards Susak and landed there at 5 pm.
Susak – Izola
Weather forecast is no good. Spela needs to go back to school tomorrow so I put the "crew" on the boat for Losinj, luckily it was the last one before a storm. I was alone on Ariki again. So I walked around the island and "met people". Wine from Sanseg is great, you only pay 60 Croatian KN per liter in a bar for it. There are hardly no tourists here anymore, even though there are many locals there. Good company guaranteed.
Winter is coming
Velebit was put in a white snow coat and wind came above the sea. Bora over 60 knots. Austrians on a charter boat few miles away from Susak were in trouble. When trying to save the boat one member of the crew fell into water and drowned. She was found after a few days on the Italian side. Also the boat was found, several miles in front of Ravena, completely unharmed. Again SOS call due to panic and the lack of virtue?
I waited five days for the weather to settle and on the 6th day I was headed for Pula. Kvarner stroke again. I was tumbled, stirred and shocked like never before. I only got 5 knots wind, and the waves steep and up to 1.5 m but so short that they could not have been any shorter.
In the evening I anchored in front of Barbariga and spent a quiet night there. The next day in the evening I was drinking beer in Novi grad. The next morning a warm wind from the South was blowing. I sailed close to the shore, around the cape of Savudrija and reached Yachting center around noon in the Izola shipyard.
I returned home! 1000 miles of Adriatic without an autopilot. I sailed like they used to sail in the old days. Hours and hours on a bench with a steering in my hand. It was nice no matter if the sun was burning, if the moon was shining, or a storm was raging.


text: Running a deep till rig remains a popular way to loosen farm ground, but the finish left by a lot of rigs isn't popular. Blu-Jet offers a solution for its Sub Tiller 4 rigs with the new folding roller. The folding design means you can add a roller and still fold up the rig for transport. The folding roller starts at $7,700. For more information, call (800) 658-3127, or visit www.thurstonmfg.com.


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Secrets of a Stranger - (Book 1)
When John becomes aware his dark secret from his past is uncovered by a stranger, he is thrusted into a world of chaos and punishment as he tries to keep the secret hidden
Arrival of a Stranger - (Book 2)
Detective Tom Harris is in a race against time to find the serial killer who is wreaking havoc in his town of Mead, Colorado. The "Arrival of a Stranger" leaves no clues, no motive, and no pattern for the murders, just the bodies that keep climbing in number and the gory crime scenes left behind for the Detective to encounter.
Sane Asylum
Jane tries to prevent a paranormal team who wants to investigate Winslow Asylum by sharing her own haunting experience and the horrific events that occurred as a young woman mistakenly committed there and forcing her to question her own sanity.
Coming Soon!
Gifted -
After a near death experience from an accident. Sara gains the ability to see into the future. She struggles knowing when people are going to die and tries to convince them of their fate. When they don't believe her she has to try to figure out a way to save them. This gripping thriller is a roller-coaster that puts you into the mind and comparing what you would do with this new found gift or curse.
Coming Soon!
Revelations of a Stranger - (Book 3)
The final part of the Stranger Series. Tracy Manning finds herself in a place she's only dreamed about. by escaping her past. A covenant of only women. A society built in the middle of no where, but this group survives from the help of each other. She finally realizes the concept at first was an amazing change she needed, but soon finds out what the leader has really planned all along. Death to the male race!
Coming Soon!


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At Venture Captive Management, LLC, it is our intention to make our clients aware of the financial regulatory compliance issues that impact their insurance company.
We have staff members specifically dedicated to compliance. Primarily, we're well-versed in the insurance regulations of the company's domicile. Each state and jurisdiction has their own version of a Department of Insurance that dictates how an insurance company should be created, funded, and operated. This starts with the initial application and follows through to the annual audit process. Details of operations are constantly under scrutiny.
Insurance companies are primarily financial institutions and their main function is to protect their owners from financial loss by providing funds to cover damage and/or injury from the owner's operations. As a financial institution, several outside departments of revenue are involved in the oversight of the company. Whether the insurance company is domiciled on-shore or off-shore, the taxing entity of the owner's operating company's domicile requires that their tax regulations be satisfied.
At VCM, we are not tax experts, but as captive insurance management experts, we need to be knowledgeable enough to advise our clients when to seek financial regulatory compliance advice. We do not always know what part the insurance company plays in its owner's overall tax strategy, but we know the insurance company is only one piece of a successful organization. We work with insurance tax experts in every venue that serve our clients to make sure these clients are receiving the kind of advice that supports their business decisions.
Financial Regulatory Compliance for All Industries
Every industry has its own regulation and compliance oversight bodies whether it's OSHA, the Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services or any of a host of other regulatory authorities. Your insurance company MUST meet the standards for a "real" insurance company or you'll be fined and/or lose the protection you've invested in.
Nowhere is this more important than in the healthcare business where HHS through Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements has set the standards for what qualifies as an insurance entity. At VCM, we understand the importance of meeting reimbursement guidelines. When our healthcare companies are audited by HHS, their captives managed by VCM have successfully meet the challenges of these State and Federal agencies.
In order to meet the growing demands of insurance regulations and compliance, we are ever-vigilant in researching and meeting the guidelines imposed on our insurance company owners.