text:
Introduction to the Bible - 66 - Revelation
- Details
- Parent Category: About the Bible
- Category: Introduction to the Bible
- Published on Thursday, 10 April 2008 15:56
The Revelation of John
by Louis Berkhof
After the introduction and the apostolic blessing, 1:1-8, the book contains seven visions or series of visions, extending from 1:9-22:7, followed by a conclusion, 22:8-21.
I. The first Vision, 1: 9-3:22, is that of the glorified Christ in the midst of the Church, directing John to write letters of reproof, of warning, of exhortation and of consolation to seven representative churches of proconsular Asia, viz. to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, Thyatire, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
II. The second Vision, 4:1-8:1, reveals God as ruling the world's destiny, and the Lamb as taking the book of the divine decrees and breaking the seven seals of which each one represents a part of God's purpose, the first four referring to the terrestrial, and the last three to the celestial sphere. Between the sixth and seventh seals an episode is introduced to show the safety of the people of God amid the judgments that are inflicted on the world.
III. The third Vision, 8:2-11:19, shows us seven angels, each one having a trumpet. After an angel has offered up the prayers of the saints to God, the seven angels blow their trumpets, and each trumpet is followed by a vision of destruction on the sinful world, the destruction of the last three being more severe than that of the first four. Between the sixth and seventh trumpets there is again an episode describing the preservation of the Church.
IV. The fourth Vision, 12:1-14: 20, describes the conflict of the world with the Church of God. The Church is represented as a woman bringing forth the Christ, against whom the dragon representing satan wages war. In successive visions we behold the beasts which satan will employ as his agents, the militant Church, and the advancing stages of Christ's conquest.
V. The fifth Vision, 15:1-16:21, once more reveals seven angels, now having seven vials or bowls containing the last plagues or judgments of God. First we have a description of the Church that triumphed over the beast, glorifying God; and this is followed by a picture of the sevenfold judgment of God on the world, represented by the seven vials.
VI. The sixth Vision, 17:1-20:15, reveals the harlot city Babylon, the representative of the world, and the victory of Christ over her and over the enemies that are in league with her, the great conflict ending in the last judgment.
VII. The seventh Vision, 21:1-22: 7, discloses to the eye the ideal Church, the new Jerusalem, and pictures in glowing colors her surpassing beauty and the everlasting, transcendent bliss of her inhabitants.
The book closes with an epilogue in which the seer describes its significance and urges the readers to keep the things that are written on its pages, 22:7-21.
1. The Revelation of John is the only prophetic book in the New Testament. It is called a prophecy in 1:3, 22: 7, 10,18, 19. A nearer description of the book is given, however, in the name Apocalypse, for there is a difference between the prophetic books of the Bible in general and that part of them that may be said to belong to the Apocalyptic literature. Naturally the two have some eicments in common: they both contain communications, mediated by the Holy Spirit, of the character, will and purposes of God; and the one as well as the other looks to the future of the Kingdom of God. But there are also points of difference. Prophecy, while it certainly has reference also to the future of God's Kingdom, is mainly concerned with a divine interpretation of the past and the present, while the chief interest of Apocalyptic lies in the future. Prophecy again, where it does reveal the future, shows this in its organic relation with principles and forces that are already working in the present, while Apocalyptic pictures the images of the future, not as they develop out of existing conditions, but as they are shown directly from heaven and to a great extent in supernatural forms.
2. A characteristic feature of the book is that its thought is largely clothed in symbolic language derived from some of the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Hence its correct understaiding is greatly facilitated by studying the writer's Old Testament sources. Yet we must constantly bear in mind that he does not always employ the language so derived in its original significance. Compare ch. 18 with Is. 13, 14; Jer. 50, 51; 21:1-22:5 with various parts of Is. 40-66; Ezek. 40-48 ; 1:12-20 with Dan. 7, 10 ; ch. 4 with Is. 6; Ezek. 1, 10. But however dependent the author may be on the prophets, he does not slavishly follow them, but uses their language with great freedom. The symbolic numbers 3, 4, 7, 10, 12 and their multiples also play an important part in the book.
The external testimony for the authorship of the apostle John is quite strong. Justin Martyr clearly testifies that the book was written by "John one of the apostles of the Lord." Irenaeus whose teacher was Polycarp, the disciple of John, gives very decisive and repeated testimony for the authorship of the apostle. The Muratorian Canon mentions John as the author of the book, and the context shows that the son of Zebedee is meant. Hippolytus quotes the Apocalypse several times as a work of John; and that the John which he has in mind is the apostle, is clear from a passage in which he speaks of him as "an apostle and disciple of the Lord." Clement of Alexandria names the apostle as the author of the book, as do also Victorinus, Ephrem the Syrian, Epiphanius e. a. In the West Ambrose and Augustine repeatedly quote the Apocalypse as written by John the apostle, and Jerome speaks of the apostle John as also being a prophet.
This strong external testimony is corroborated by internal evidence: (1) The author repeatedly calls himself John, 11,4,9, 228, and there is but one person who could use the name thus absolutely to designate himself without fear of being misunderstood, viz. John the apostle. (2) The writer evidently stood in some special relation to the churches. of proconsular Asia (i. e. Mysia, Lydia, Caria and a part of Phrygia), which is in perfect harmony with the fact that John spent the later years of his life at Ephesus. (3) The author was evidently banished to the island called Patmos in the Aegean sea, one of the Sporades to the South of Samos. Now a quite consistent tradition, which is, however, discredited by some scholars, says that this happened to the apostle John; and there are some features that seem to mark this as an independent tradition. (4) There are also notes of identity between the writer and the author of the fourth Gospel and of I John. Like in John 1:1 ff. and I John 1:1, so also in Rev. 19:13 the name ὁ λόγος is given to our Lord. He is called ἀρνίον twenty-nine times in this book, a word that is used elsewhere only in John 21:15, as a designation of the disciples of the Lord. It is remarkable also that the only place, where Christ is called a Lamb outsid of this book, is in John 1:29, the word ἀμνός being used. The term ἀληθινός, found but once in Luke, once in Paul and three times in Hebrews, is employed nine times in the gospel of John, four times in the first Epistle, and ten times in the Apocalypse, though not always in exactly the same sense. Compare also with the repeated expression ὁ νιχῶν, 27,11,17, etc.; John 1633; I John 213,14; 44, 54,5.
Still there have been dissentient voices from the beginning. The Alogi for dogmatical reasons impugned the authorship of John and ascribed the book to Cerinthus. Dionysius of Alexandria for more critical reasons, but also laboring with a strong anti-chiliastic bias, referred it to another John of Ephesus. Eusebius wavered in his opinion, but, led by considerations like those of Dionysius, was inclined to regard that shadowy person, John the presbyter, as the author. And Luther had a strong dislike for the book, because, as he said, Christ was neither taught nor recognized in it; and because the apostles did not deal in visions, but spoke in clear words, he declared that it was neither apostolic nor prophetic.
The Tubingen school accepted the Johannine authorship of the Apocalypse, while it denied that the apostle had written any of the other books that are generally ascribed to him. A great and increasing number of critical scholars, however, do not believe that the apostle John composed the Apocalypse. Some of them, as Hitzig, Weiss and Spitta, suggest John Mark as the author, while many others, such as Bleek, Credner, Dusterdieck, Keim, Ewald, Weizsacker e. a., regard it as the work of John the presbyter. The principal objectipns urged against the authorship of the apostle are the following: (1) While the apostle in the gospel and in the first Epistle does not mention his name, the writer of this book names himself both in the first and in the third person. (2) The genius of the two writers is quite different: the one is speculative and introspective, the other, imaginative, looking especially to the external course of events; the one is characterized by mildness and love, the other is stern and revengeful; the views of the one are spiritual and mystic, those of the other are sensuous and plastic. (3) The type of doctrine found in the Apocalypse has a Jewish stamp and is very unlike that of the gospel of John, which is idealizing and breaks away from the Mosaic basis. In this book we find the Old Testament conception of God as a fearful Judge, of angels and demons, and of the Church as the new Jerusalem. There are twenty-four elders round about the throne, twelve thousand of each tribe that are sealed, and the names of the apostles are engraved on the foundation stones of the heavenly city. Moreover the necessity of good works is strongly emphasized, cf. chs. 2, 3 and also 14:13. (4) The style of the book is of a very distinct Hebraic type, different from anything that is found in the other writings of John. Instead of the regular and comparatively faultless construction of the Gospel, we here find a language full of irregularities.
But we do not believe that these considerations necessitate the assumption that the author of the book cannot be identified with the writer of the fourth gospel. It is in perfect harmony with the usage of the historical and the prophetical writers of the Bible throughout that the writer conceals his name in the Gospel and mentions it in the Apocalypse. The different light in which we see him in his various books is the natural result of the vastly different character of these writings. We should also remember that a prophetic book naturally reflects far less of the personal character of its author than epistolary writings do. The alleged Judaeistic type of the teachings found in the Apocalypse does not militate against the authorship of John. In a symbolic description of the future condition of the Church it is perfectly natural and indeed very fitting that the author should derive his symbolism from Old Testament sources, since the Old Testament is symbolically and typically related to the New. It cannot be maintained that the Christological and Soteriological teaching of the Apocalypse is essentially Jewish. The Jews that oppose Jesus are denounced, 3:9; the Church is composed of people out of every nation, 7:9; salvation is the free gift of grace, 21:6; 22:17; and though the necessity of good works is emphasized, those are not regarded as meritorious, but as the fruits of righteousness, and are even called the works of Jesus, 2:26. The strongest argument against the authorship of John is undoubtedly that derived from the style and language of the book. There has been an attempt on the part of some scholars, as Olshausen and Guericke, to explain the linguistic differences between the Apocalypse and the Gospel of John by assuming that the former preceded the latter by about 20 or 25 years, in which time the authors knowledge of Greek gradually matured. But the differences are of such a kind that it may be doubted, whether the lapse of a few years can account for them. The language of the fourth Gospel is not that of the Apocalypse in a more developed form. While it is questionable, whether an altogether satisfactory explanation can be given with the data at hand, it seems certain that the solution must be found, at least in part, in the transcendent nature of the subject-matter and in the symbolic character of the book. The fact that the author so often violates the rules of Greek grammar, does not necessarily mean that he did not know them, but may also indicate that under the stress of the lofty ideas that he wished to express, he naturally resorted to Aramaic usage, which was easier for him. The facts in the case do not prove that the Greek of the Gospel is superior to that of the Apocalypse. In the former writing the author does not attempt so much as in the latter; the language of the one is far simpler than that of the other.
The apostle addresses the Apocalypse to "the seven churches which are in Asia," 1:4. Undoubtedly this number is not exhaustive but representative of the Church in general, the number seven, which is the number of completeness, forming a very important element in the texture of this prophetic writing. These churches are types that are constantly repeated in history. There are always some churches that are predominantly good and pure like those of Smyrna and Philadelphia, and therefore need no reproof but only words of encouragement; but there are also constantly others like Sardis and Laodicea in which evil preponderates, and that deserve severe censure and an earnest call to repentance. Probably the greater number of churches, however, will always resemble those of Ephesus, Pergamus and Thyatire in that good and evil are about equally balanced in their circle, so that they call for both commendation and censure, promise and threatening. But while there is a great difference both in the outward circumstances and in the internal condition of these churches, they all form a part of the militant Church that has a severe struggle on earth in which it must strive to overcome by faith (notice the constantly repeated ὁ νιχῶν) and that may expect the coming of the Lord to reward her according to her works.
1. Occasion and Purpose. The historical condition that led to the composition of the Apocalypse was one of increasing hardships for the Church and of an imminent life and death struggle with the hostile world, represented by the Roman empire. The demand for the deification of the emperor became ever more insistent and was extended to the provinces. Domitian was one of the emperors who delighted to be styled dominus et deus. To refuse this homage was disloyalty and treason; and since the Christians as a body were bound to ignore this demand from the nature of their religion, they stood condemned as constituting a danger to the empire. Persecution was the inevitable result and had already been suffered by the churches, when this book was written, while still greater persecution was in store for them. Hence they needed consolation and the Lord directed John to address the Apocalypse to them. Cf. especially Ramsay, The Church in the Roman Empire pp. 252-319.
It is but natural therefore that the contents of the book are mainly consolatory. It aims at revealing to the servants of Christ, i. e. to Christians in general the things that must shortIy (not quickly, but before long) come to pass. This note of time is to be considered as a prophetic formula, in connection with the fact that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and thousand years as one day. The central theme of the book is, "I come quickly," and in the elaboration of this theme Christ is pictured as coming in terrible judgments on the world, and in the great final struggle in which He is conqueror, and after which the ecclesia militans is transformed into the ecclesia triumphans.
2. Time and Place. There are especially two opinions as to the composition of the Apocalypse, viz. (1) that it was written toward the end of Domitians reign, about A. D. 95 or 96; and (2) that it was composed between the death of Nero in the year 68 and the destruction of Jerusalem.
(1). The late date was formerly the generally accepted time of composition (Hengstenberg, Lange, Alford, Godet e. a.) and, although for a time the earlier date was looked upon with great favor, there is now a noticeable return to the old position (Holtzmann, Warfield, Ramsay, Porter (Hastings D. B.), Moffat (Exp. Gk. Test.) e. a.). This view is favored by the following considerations: (a) The testimony of antiquity. While there are few witnesses that refer the book to an earlier date, the majority, and among them Irenaeus whose testimony should not lightly be set aside, point to the time of Domitian. (b) The antithesis of the Roman empire to the Church presupposed in the Apocalypse. The persecution of Nero was a purely local and somewhat private affair. The Church did not stand opposed to the empire as representing the world until the first century was approaching its close; and the Apocalypse already looks back on a period of persecution. Moreover we know that banishment was a common punishment in the time of Domitian. (c) The existence and condition of the seven churches in Asia. The utter silence of Acts and of the Epistles regarding the churches of Smyrna, Philadelphia, Sardis, Pergamus and Thyatira favors the supposition that they were founded after the death of Paul. And the condition of these churches presupposes a longer period of existence than the earlier date will allow. Ephesus has already left her first love; in Sardis and Laodicea spiritual life has almost become extinct; the Nicolaitans, who are not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament, have already made their pernicious influence felt in the churches of Ephesus and Pergamus, while similar mischief was done in Thyatira by the woman Jesebel. Moreover Laodicea, which was destroyed by an earthquake in the 6th (Tactitus) or in the 10th (Eusebius) year of Nero, is here described as boasting of her wealth and self-sufficiency.
(2). Against this and in favor of the earlier date defended by Dusterdieck, Weiss, Guericke, Schaff, are urged: (a) The late testimony of the Syrian Apocalypse that John was banished in the time of Nero, and the obscure and self-contradictory passage in Epiphanius that places the banishment in the time of Claudius. Cf. Alford, Prolegamena Section II. 14, where the weakness of this testimony is pointed out. (b) The supposed references in the Apocalypse to the destruction of the Holy City as still future in 111,2,13. But it is quite evident that these passages must be understood symbolically. Regarded as historical predictions of the destruction of Jerusalem they did not come true, for according to 11: 2 only the outer court would be abolished, and according to vs. 13 merely the tenth part of the city would be destroyed, and that not by Rome but by an earthquake. (c) The supposed indications of the reigning emperor in 13:1 ff., especially in connection with the symbolical interpretation of the number 666 as being equal to the Hebrew form of Nero Ceasar. But the great diversity of opinion as to the correct interpretation of these passages, even among the advocates of the early date, proves that their support is very questionable. (d) The difference between the language of this book and that of the Gospel of John is thought to favor an early date, but, as we have already pointed out, this is not necessarily the case.
It is impossible to tell, whether John wrote the Apocalypse while he was still on the island of Patmos, or after his return from there. The statement in 10: 4 does not prove the former theory, nor the past tenses in 1:2, 9, the latter.
3. Method. Of late several theories have been broached to explain the origin the Apocalypse in such a manner as to account satisfactorily for the literary and psychological features of the book. (1) The Incorporation theory holds to the unity of the Apocalypse, but believes that several older fragments of Jewish or Christian origin are incorporated in it (Weizsacker, Sabatier, Bousset, McGiffert, Moffat, Baljon). (2) The Revision-hypothesis assumes that the book has been subject to one or more revisions, (Erbes, Briggs, Barth). The last named author is of the opinion that John himself in the time of Domitian revised an Apocalypse which he had written under Nero. (3) The Compilation-hypothesis teaches that two or more sources fairly complete in themselves have been pieced together by a redactor or redactors, (Weyland, Spitta, Volter at least in part). (4) The Jewish and Christian hypothesis maintains that the groundwork of the Apocalypse was a Jewish writing in the Aramaic language, written about 65-70, that was later translated and edited by a Christian (Vischer, Harnack, Martineau). In connection with these we can only say that to us these theories seem unnecessary and in the majority of cases very arbitrary. There is every reason to maintain the unity of the Apocalypse. The use of written sources in its composition is an unproved assumption; but the author was evidently impregnated with Old Testament ideas and modes of expression, and drew largely on the storehouse of his memory in the symbolic description of the supernatural scenes that were presented to his vision.
Various principles of interpretation have been adopted with reference to this book in the course of time:
1. The older expositors and the majority of orthodox Protestant commentators adopted the Continuist (kirchengeschichtliche) interpretation, which proceeds on the assumption that the book contains a prophetic compendium of Church history from the first Christian century until the return of Christ, so that some of its prophecies have now been realized and others still await fulfilment. This theory disregards the contemporaneous character of the seven series of visions and has often led to all sorts of vain speculations and calculations as to the historical facts in which particular prophecies are fulfilled.
2. In course of time the Futurist (endgeschichtliche) interpretation found favor with some, according to which all or nearly all the events described in the Apocalypse must be referred to the period immediately preceding the return of Christ (Zahn, Kliefoth). Some of the Futurists are so extreme that they deny even the past existence of the seven Asiatic churches and declare that we may yet expect them to arise in the last days. As a matter of course this interpretation fails to do justice to the historical element in the book.
3. Present day critical scholars are generally inclined to adopt the Praeterist (zeitgeschichtliche) interpretation, which holds that the view of the Seer was limited to matters within his own historical horizon, and that the book refers principally to the triumph of Christianity over Judaeism and Paganism, signalized in the downfall of Jerusalem and Rome. On this view all or almost all the prophecies contained in the book have already been fulfilled (Bleek, Duisterdieck, Davidson, F. C. Porter e. a.). But this theory does not do justice to the prophetic element in the Apocalypse.
Though all these views must be regarded as one-sided, each one contains an element of truth that must be taken in consideration in the interpretation of the book. The descriptions in it certainly had a point of contact in the historical present of the Seer, but they go far beyond that present; they certainly pertain to historical conditions of the Church of God, and conditions that will exist in all ages, but instead of arising successively in the order in which they are described in the Apocalypse, they make their appearance in every age contemporaneously; and finally they will certainly issue in a terrific struggle immediately preceding the parousia of Christ and in the transcendent glory of the bride of the Lamb.
The particular form of inspiration in which the writer shared was the prophetic, as is perfectly evident from the book itself. The author, while in the Spirit, was the recipient of divine revelations, 11,10, and received his intelligence by means of visions, in part at least mediated and interpreted by angels, 110,19, 41,2, 51, 61, 177-18, 219. He received the command to write and to prophecy from God himself, 119, 104,11, 1413. And the "I" speaking in the book is sometimes that of the Lord himself and sometimes that of the prophet, which is also a characteristic mark of the prophetic inspiration. In chapters 2 and 3 f. i. the Lord speaks in the first person, and again in 16:15 and 22:7.
The canonical authority of the apocalypse has never been seriously doubted by the Church. Hermas, Papias and Melito recognized its canonicity, and according to Eusebius Theophilus cited passages from it. The three great witnesses of the end of the second century all quote it by name and thus recognize its authority. Hippolytus and Origen also regarded it as canonical. Similarly Victorinus, Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine. Gradually, however, the fact that Millenarians found their chief support in the book, made it obnoxious to some of the Church fathers, who deemed it inexpedient to read it in the churches. This explains, why it is absent from some MSS. and from some of the catalogues of the ancient councils.
The book is primarily a book of consolation for the militant Church in its struggles with the hostile world and with the powers of darkness. It directs the glance of the struggling, suffering, sorrowing and often persecuted Church toward its glorious future. Its central teaching is, "I come quickly!" And while it reveals the future history of the Church as one of continual struggle, it unfolds in majestic visions the coming of the Lord, which issues in the destruction of the wicked and of the evil One, and in the everlasting bliss of the faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ. Hence the book comes to the enemies of God's Kingdom with words of solemn warning and with threatenings of future punishment, while it encourages the followers of the Lord to ever greater faithfulness, and opens up to them bright visions of the future, thus inspiring the Church's constant prayer: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"


text:
William Abranowicz
"Ingredients are considered 'spices' in Algerian cooking," says Zadi, and this slaw illustrates his point, with olives contributing saltiness, carrots and sun-dried tomatoes adding sweetness, and fennel and parsley lending an incredible freshness. In the dead of winter, when vegetables are scarce, the clean flavors of this salad are as close as you're likely to get to a summertime farmers market.
- Yield
- Makes 4 servings
- Active Time
- 20 min
- Total Time
- 50 min
- 2 medium fennel bulbs with fronds
- 5 carrots, coarsely grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup Spanish green olives, pitted and finely chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon dried Aleppo chile or Espelette pepper flakes (optional), or to taste
- 6 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 3 tablespoons and reserve. Discard remaining fronds and stalks. Cut bulbs into thin matchsticks and toss with carrots in a bowl.
- Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, oil, olives, Aleppo chile (if using), and salt to taste and toss with vegetables. Chill, covered, at least 30 minutes (for flavors to develop).
- Just before serving, stir in reserved fronds and sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes and parsley over slaw.
- What to drink:
- Chateau Reynella McLaren Vale Grenache '04
Cooks' note:
Slaw, without fronds, tomatoes, and parsley, can be chilled up to 4 hours.
Per serving: 180 calories, 12 g fat (2 g saturated), 19 g carbs, 7 g fiber, 3 g protein (nutritional analysis provided by Nutrition Data) See Nutrition Data's complete analysis of this recipe ›

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
- 9.1 The immortality of the soul
- 9.2 Death
- 9.3 The afterlife of the soul
- 9.4 The beyond
- 9.5 The condition of souls in the beyond
- 9.6 Help for the departed
- 9.6.1 Intercession
- 9.6.2 The participation of the dead in Christ
- 9.6.3 Imparting salvation to the departed
9 Life after death
It is a fundamental Christian conviction that man lives on after physical death. Insights concerning life after death can be found in Holy Scripture. Beyond that, the doctrine of the afterlife is based on revelations of the Holy Spirit.
9.1 The immortality of the soul Back to top
Man is both a physical and a spiritual being. Holy Scripture understands the human being as an entity comprised of spirit, soul, and body (see 3.3.4). The material being of a person, that is the body, is transitory. It is taken from the earth and will return to the earth (Genesis 3: 19). Soul and spirit, by contrast, exist eternally (Matthew 25: 46). Thus we are justified in speaking of the immortality of the soul or of "life after death".
The immortality of the soul should not be equated with the biblical term "eternal life", which actually refers to eternal fellowship with God.
9.2 Death Back to top
Holy Scripture provides various interpretations of the term "death".
First of all, the term describes a person's physical death, the end of his earthly existence. Once death has occurred, the soul and spirit have left the body.
"Spiritual death" is the separation of man from God, which is brought about through a life of sin (Romans 6: 23).
Holy Scripture also speaks of a "second death" (Revelation 20: 6; 21: 8). This refers to the separation from God which will take effect after the Last Judgement.
Finally, Holy Scripture also speaks of death as a power opposed to God, which seeks to threaten and destroy physical and spiritual life alike. At times this power is figuratively personified (Revelation 6: 8).
Jesus Christ conquered death and thereby made it possible for mankind to gain access to eternal life (2 Timothy 1: 9-10). His power was already manifested when He raised people from the dead (Matthew 9: 18-26; Luke 7: 11-15; John 11: 1-45), but above all in His own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15: 54-57).
At the end of all things, death will be relieved of all its power (1 Corinthians 15: 26; Revelation 20: 14).
9.3 The afterlife of the soul Back to top
In the Old Testament, the continued life of the soul after physical death is already suggested by formulations such as being "gathered to [one's] people" (Numbers 20: 23-24; 27: 12-13). The New Testament gives significantly clearer testimony concerning life after physical death (Luke 9: 30-31, 1 Peter 3: 19-20, and Revelation 6: 9-11).
The account of the events on the Mount of Transfiguration shows, among other things, that a person retains his personality after physical death: here Moses and Elijah appeared from the beyond and were also recognised as such.
Notions such as "soul sleep" or "reincarnation" (repeated lives on earth) are unfounded and stand in contradiction to biblical testimony (Hebrews 9: 27).
SUMMARY Back to top
Human beings live on after physical death. While the body is transitory, the soul will continue to live forever. It is immortal. (9; 9.1)
Jesus Christ has conquered death and thereby granted human beings access to eternal life. At the end of all things all power will be taken from death. (9.2)
The afterlife of the soul is attested in the Old and New Testaments. A human being retains his personality after physical death. (9.3)
9.4 The beyond Back to top
The term "beyond" generally refers to all realms, events, and conditions that exist outside of the material world. In a narrower sense this term refers to the realm of the dead (Hebrew: Sheol
The Old Testament describes the realm of the dead as a predominantly dark place (Job 10: 21-22) where the dead find themselves in a condition bereft of joy (Psalm 88: 10-12; 115: 17). Yet there is also a note of hope for redemption from darkness (Psalm 23: 4; 49: 15).
In His parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus, Jesus Christ referred to the bosom of Abraham, an image of security (Luke 16: 19-31). From this parable, further details can be derived:
After physical death, the human soul lives on in the realm of the dead. The individuality of the soul remains intact.
In the realm of the dead there is a place of security as well as a place of torment, which are separated from one another.
The place in which a person's soul dwells after death depends upon his conduct with regard to God's will during his lifetime.
The departed can become aware of their condition. Those who suffer in agony will hope for help.
Beyond that, the parable refers to Jesus' resurrection, and thus also to His sacrificial death and the possibility of redemption founded upon it. It figuratively illustrates conditions in the beyond at the time of the old covenant: the gulf between the realm of torment and the realm of security was impossible to bridge in the old covenant.
Through His merit, Christ, the "firstfruits" in the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15: 23), has overcome the Devil and defeated death (1 Corinthians 15: 55; Hebrews 2: 14). For the souls in the beyond He thereby also opened up a hitherto unimaginable proximity with God: the gulf between the realm of torment and the realm of security can now be bridged.
9.5 The condition of souls in the beyond Back to top
The condition of souls in the beyond is a direct expression of their proximity to, or remoteness from, God, and therefore varies greatly. Death has not brought about any change to the condition of the souls. Rather, their condition is identical to that which they had during their lifetime.
The term "realm" is sometimes used in connection with proximity to, or remoteness from, God. The realm into which a soul passes in the beyond depends upon how a person has conducted himself with respect to the will of God. In this each individual bears responsibility for himself. For instance, belief or unbelief, forgiveness or irreconcilability, love or hatred not only leave their mark on human beings during earthly life, but also in the beyond.
In 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 we read of the "dead in Christ". These are souls who were reborn of water and the Spirit, and who sincerely endeavoured to live in accordance with their faith. The fellowship with the Lord, into which they entered during their earthly lives through Holy Baptism with water and Holy Sealing, and which they maintained through Holy Communion, will continue after their death. Together with the faithful on earth, they belong to the congregation of the Lord, and find themselves in a condition of righteousness before God (see 22.214.171.124 and 4.8.2). For these souls, preparing for the return of Christ was the central element of their earthly lives, and the longing for this moment also fills them in the beyond. They were and remain devoted to the Lord, and will experience security and peace.
The Wisdom of Solomon 3: 1-3 already mentions the possibility of a condition of security: "But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery. And their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace."
The dead in Christ have access to the word of God. Through this word as well as through Holy Communion administered to them by Apostles (see 12.1.9 and 12.1.3) they receive that which they need for attaining eternal life.
There are also reborn souls who pass into the beyond who have not lived according to their faith. In order to rectify their deficiencies they need–as is the case on earth–the grace of God in word and sacrament.
Those souls in the beyond who have never heard of the gospel, never experienced forgiveness of sins, and never received any sacraments, find themselves in a condition of remoteness from God. This can only be overcome by believing in Jesus Christ, accepting His merit, and receiving the sacraments.
SUMMARY Back to top
The term "beyond" refers to all realms, events, and conditions that lie outside of the material world. Often the beyond is equated with the realm of the dead. (9.4)
Christ, the "firstfruits" in the resurrection, has conquered death and thereby made it possible for the souls in the beyond to enter into the proximity of God. (9.4)
The condition of the souls in the beyond is an expression of their proximity to God, or remoteness from Him, and is the same there as it was during their lifetime. Those who are reborn and who followed the Lord will find themselves in a state of righteousness before God. Souls who have never heard of the gospel, never had their sins forgiven, and never received a sacrament, find themselves in a condition of remoteness from God. This can only be overcome by believing in Jesus Christ, accepting His merit, and receiving the sacraments. (9.5)
9.6 Help for the departed Back to top
Ever since Christ brought His sacrifice, it has been possible for the condition of the souls in the beyond to change for the better. Thus salvation can still be attained even after physical death.
9.6.1 Intercession Back to top
Already at the time of the old covenant, there is evidence of the belief that it is possible to perform good deeds for the departed and thereby help alleviate their situation. The twelfth chapter of 2 Maccabees tells of Jews who had served idols and then died in battle. The living implored God to wipe out their sins, and collected money in order to buy animals and bring an offering of atonement. They did this because they were convinced that the dead would one day rise again.
Hope in the resurrection of the dead has always been a fundamental component of Christian teaching. Associated with it is also the conviction that intercessions for the dead are necessary, and that these intercessions will have an effect on them.
The same is true for the dispensation of sacraments for the dead. The biblical basis for this is found in 1 Corinthians 15: 29: in Corinth, the living were baptised on behalf of the dead. This practice inspired by the Holy Spirit has been readopted by the Apostles of today. From this developed the services for the departed that are customary today.
New Apostolic Christians intercede in prayer for the departed: they ask the Lord to help those who have gone into the beyond in an unredeemed state.
9.6.2 The participation of the dead in Christ Back to top
From 2 Maccabees 15: 12-14 it follows that departed souls can also offer intercessory prayers: "And this was his [Judas Maccabeus'] vision: that Onias, who had been high priest ... holding up his hands prayed for the whole body of the Jews. This done, in like manner there appeared a man with gray hairs, and exceeding glorious, who was of a wonderful and excellent majesty. Then Onias answered, saying, 'This is a lover of the brethren, who prayeth much for the people, and for the holy city, to wit, Jeremias the prophet of God.'" Moreover, Holy Scripture tells us that the spirits and souls of the righteous can worship and praise the Lord: "O ye spirits and souls of the righteous, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever" (The Song of the Three Holy Children 64).
The dead and the living in Christ comprise a single fellowship. Together they are part of the Lord's work of redemption. In the beyond–as here–they will work in His mind, interceding with God for the unredeemed.
The events on the Mount of Transfiguration also reinforce the conviction that redeemed souls continue to be active in the beyond (Luke 9: 30-31).
9.6.3 Imparting salvation to the departed Back to top
According to 1 Peter 3: 18-20, those who died in the flood received special love and care from Jesus Christ: after His sacrificial death, He proclaimed the gospel to them in the realm of the dead. The fact that the departed need the proclamation of the gospel in order to "live in the spirit" is also stated in 1 Peter 4: 6: "For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."
Jesus Christ is Lord over the dead and the living. His gospel is equally valid for all. It is the desire of God that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2: 4-6; John 3: 16). This means that God's will to save is universal. Salvation is offered through the proclamation of the word, the forgiveness of sins, and the sacraments. All of these are likewise intended for the departed. For them as for the living, belief in Jesus Christ is indispensable for attaining salvation. Redemption occurs solely through Jesus Christ.
The Apostles fulfil the commission of Jesus–namely to proclaim the gospel, to forgive sins, and to administer the sacraments–upon both the living and the dead. They act in Christ's stead and in His name. Just as Jesus Christ brought His sacrifice on earth, salvation is also imparted through the Apostles on earth. Since sacraments always have a visible component, they can also only be performed in the visible realm. The effect of the sacraments as essential elements in imparting salvation is the same for both the living and the dead.
The dispensation of Holy Baptism with water, Holy Sealing, and Holy Communion to the departed is effected when the visible act associated with each is performed upon a living person (see 8 and 12.1.13). Here the salvific effect is not for the benefit of the living, but rather exclusively for the departed.
Departed souls who, through Holy Baptism with water and Holy Sealing, have experienced the rebirth of water and the Spirit are of equal standing with the dead in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4: 16).
SUMMARY Back to top
Since the sacrifice of Christ, salvation can still be attained even after physical death. (9.6)
New Apostolic Christians intercede in prayer for the departed: they ask the Lord to help the souls who have entered into the beyond in an unredeemed state. (9.6.1)
Together, both the living and the dead in Christ belong to the Lord's work of redemption. Both here and in the beyond, they will intercede with God on behalf of the unredeemed. (9.6.2)
God's will to save is universal. Jesus' commission to proclaim the gospel, forgive sins, and dispense the sacraments is fulfilled by the Apostles of today upon both the living and the dead. (9.6.3)
The effect of the sacraments is the same for both the living and the dead. The dead who have received the rebirth out of water and the Spirit have the same status as the dead in Christ. (9.6.3)


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The Killing of a Chinese Bookie – 1976
Director – John Cassavetes
Starring – Ben Gazzara, Seymour Cassel, and Timothy Carey
Film noir, was a movement in film, typified by stark, harsh imagery, criminal or crime elements, and an overwhelming sense of foreboding and unease. This particular style of film saw its birth from out of the optimism and idealism of American life in the post World War 2 era. The growing unrest Americans were feeling in the early 50s took root in the realization that this feeling of elation wouldn't last forever, and that the unified nationalism that got people through the war was finite. This ended up creeping into the social consciousness and eventually made its way out to popular culture, saturating the works with an often disaffected outlook on life that celebrated the strength and ingenuity of the bandit or gangster just as much as it did the policeman or community leader.
As the artists and tradespeople began to realize what it was and gave a name to it, the label of film noir, and all the gravity that came with it, came to be. Film noir became a tool, much like German expressionism, a visual and atmospheric means of conveying mood and the general psyche of a set of characters. All through the 60's, the power of the medium allowed for a more rapid reach to a more and more diverse audience. Anti-heroes became just heroes, and as such, became more appealing to a wider and wider set of audiences. These racy and taboo subjects became sought after by the masses, and eventually, gave way to studio sanctioned artistic freedom and championed the subversive nature of a lot of the best films of the 70s.
Films known for challenging the system and pioneering the path between commercial success and artistic integrity are the hallmark of the 1970s, and as such a filmic meeting of the methods and underlying themes that define film noir, with the freedom and influences indicative of the 70s, should be astoundingly and amazingly good. Add in an artistic, talented actor with a career worth of standout film performances as the director, and this should have been gangbusters. Well, it isn't, and it wasn't.
For a film with a very simple, straight forward plot, (man over-extends himself, man runs afoul of shady characters, man struggles to make it right while trying to stay alive) it seems only necessary that crafting and growing the characters would be the obvious emphasis of the film. Ideally the result would be a lean, mean story, free of excess frills and self-serving script. As it turns out, however, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a bloated, meandering mess from start to finish, and If you thought that my intro for this review was not only unnecessarily long but also more than a little over proud of itself, then you will be well prepared for what this film has to offer.
Even by 1976, John Cassavetes was an old hand at film work. A talented character actor, Cassavetes played pivotal roles in some of my very favorite films, from Rosemary's Baby, to The Dirty Dozen, to the fantastically underrated remake of The Killers. As a director, he is an aimless mess. He fetishizes and takes pleasure in watching his characters struggle, and ultimately fail to connect with one another as they drift through the narrow, tiny little lives that they lead. It seems to me that these are people who are so uncomfortable in their own skin that their only chance of survival is to band together and treat life as a war of attrition. Success for them, in any small measure is nearly impossible, and as such their misery and lack of ambition defines them. They are effectively one-dimensional personifications of a stick in the mud, or a wet blanket.
None of the charisma or energy that actors like Ben Gazzara and Seymour Cassel bring to their other work, shows through here. Perhaps most tragically, Cassavetes himself seemed to be so captivated by the lives of characters along these lines that he steeped himself in this same kind of oppressive, joylessness that became the calling card of his directing career. Where as Gazzara and Cassel could move on to other projects, and try on other characters, Cassavetes mired himself in films like Shadows, Faces, and Woman Under the Influence, (the latter two also made it on this list, only God knows why). The terrible part is that I've only seen clips of his other directorial efforts, and I was immediately turned off. I had to force myself to sit through this one, all the while hating the terrible club performances, the clunky "natural" dialog (which by the way, just seemed un-rehearsed, not natural), and the unnecessarily long and annoying closeups.
To call The Killing of a Chinese Bookie a film noir is to insult the genre. The power of films like Kiss Me Deadly, Double Indemnity, Murder My Sweet, as well as modern neo-noir films like Blade Runner, and Brick, is the strengths of the characters, not their weaknesses. The audience wants to root for capable people facing overwhelming odds, not someone who makes awful choices. Phillip Marlowe is smart, charismatic and ready for anything, where as Gazzara's Cosmo Vittelli is short-sighted, reactionary and not very bright. In short he is a victim of his own actions, and truthfully he gets what he deserves.
Though the settings, and plots of these films are similar, the differences represent a tremendous gulf between what film noir organically was during it's heyday, and what The Killing of a Chinese Bookie ended up being two decades later. While reading up on the making of this film, I happened upon an essay that explained, at least in part, one of the ways this film went wrong. In it, Cassavetes explained that Ben Gazzara was so in tune with the character that he'd had in his head, that he barely gave him any direction at all, and often would just let him roll through scenes without interruption. After reading that, it seemed pretty obvious that this was true, and served as proof that this film had no one to steer it in any direction at all, which is why it feels like it is in park throughout the entire thing.
Since a lot of people love Cassavetes' directing work far more than I, some even equate him with Hitchcock, Scorsese or Kurosawa in terms of importance, so it seems fair to include one of his films on this list, but three? I would have much rather seen the far more rich and noir-ish films of Jean Pierre Melville on this list, such as Le Cercle Rouge, Un Flic, Le Deuxieme Souffle, and Army of Shadows. I guess I'm glad that I've seen it, but only because that means I've gotten it out of the way, and don't have to see it ever again.


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I have been a huge Harry Potter fan since I was eleven and first read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets because the first book wasn't in at the school library. I have always enjoyed reading fan fiction, but I was never sure if I really wanted to write my own or not. However, I had a few ideas for stories, so I decided to try it out. I hope you enjoy!
I'm also participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org) this November. My username on there is mariacsteinmetz, send me a NaNomail if you're on too! The more the merrier, especially with NaNo! : )


text:
Regarding the AdvisorOne blog entry of Sept. 26, 2012 entitled, "HighTower Advisors: The New Face of Fiduciary?," I agree with author Knut Rostad's premise and conclusion. However, I would take issue with the opening statement that avoiding or managing conflicts of interest is, arguably, "[t]he centerpiece of a fiduciary's responsibility and the glue in an advisor/client relationship of trust and confidence." While one might accept this as true, one cannot "surmise [it] from the investment professionals who advised Congress as it crafted the Advisers Act of 1940, or the Supreme Court 1963 Capital Gains Research decision or, to fast forward, clear guidance that is offered by the SEC today."
The Capital Gains case continues to have a profound influence on the law governing investment advisors nearly a half-century after the Court's decision. The case often is cited for the proposition that Congress established a federal fiduciary duty for advisors when it passed the Investment Advisers Act in 1940. A careful reading of the Act and its legislative history, however, demonstrates that although Congress recognized certain advisors to be fiduciaries, Congress did not create or impose a fiduciary duty on advisors. Moreover, the Capital Gains case itself did not state that the Advisers Act created a fiduciary duty. Rather, the federal fiduciary duty was a creation of subsequent Supreme Court decisions, such as Santa Fe Industries v. Green and Transamerica Mortgage Advisers v. Lewis, which stated, in reliance on Capital Gains, that the Advisers Act created a federal fiduciary obligation.
After Santa Fe and Transamerica, the law governing advisers has developed against a backdrop of a federal duty, which has had important implications for advisors. The duty has expanded liability for advisors beyond liability for fraud, which is the prohibition adopted by Congress in the Advisers Act, and the duty has introduced an element of vagueness into the law governing advisors with respect to both the source and the content of the duty imposed.
Having said that, I wholeheartedly agree that there is no such thing as "zero" conflicts of interest. There will always be occasions where conflicts arise, such as the case where the advisor honestly believes that a particular mutual fund is the best choice for his client even though the advisor will be paid more than if another recommendation. In the context of CFP professionals, there is no distinction made between "technical conflicts" (whatever those may be) and outright conflicts.
However, not all conflicts are created equally. Advisors do not have a duty to disclose all current conflicts or future potential conflicts except when the conflicts are material, which may form the basis for Elliot Weisbluth's characterization of conflicts (see the HighTower Advisors' CEO's answer on the issue in this video). The basic definition of a Conflict of Interest for the purposes of CFP Professionals is as follows, "A conflict of interest exists when a CFP Board designee's financial, business, property and/or personal interests, relationships or circumstances reasonably may impair his/her ability to offer objective advice, recommendations or services." Section 2 of the Rules of Conduct, "Information Disclosed to Prospective Clients and Clients" goes on to narrow what must be disclosed, to wit:
2.1 A certificant shall not communicate, directly or indirectly, to clients or prospective clients any false or misleading information directly or indirectly related to the certificant's professional qualifications or services. A certificant shall not mislead any parties about the potential benefits of the certificant's service. A certificant shall not fail to disclose or otherwise omit facts where that disclosure is necessary to avoid misleading clients.
2.2 A certificant shall disclose to a prospective client or client the following information:
a. An accurate and understandable description of the compensation arrangements being offered. This description must include:
i. Information related to costs and compensation to the certificant and/or the certificant's employer, and
ii. Terms under which the certificant and/or the certificant's employer may receive any other sources of compensation, and if so, what the sources of these payments are and on what they are based.
b. A general summary of likely conflicts of interest between the client and the certificant, the certificant's employer or any affiliates or third parties, including, but not limited to, information about any familial, contractual or agency relationship of the certificant or the certificant's employer that has a potential to materially affect the relationship.
c. Any information about the certificant or the certificant's employer that could reasonably be expected to materially affect the client's decision to engage the certificant that the client might reasonably want to know in establishing the scope and nature of the relationship, including but not limited to information about the certificant's areas of expertise.
In other words, not just any information, but material information must be disclosed. It would be misleading under our rules for a CFP Professional to state that he/she has "zero" conflicts of interest because non-material conflicts arise frequently enough in an advisor/client relationship such that they must be distinguished from material conflicts.
The Supreme Court has, on numerous occasions, reaffirmed the traditional test of Basic, Inc. v. Levinson, 485 U.S. 224, 231-32 (1988) and TSC Industries, Inc. v. Northway, Inc., 426 U.S. 438, 449 (1976), that the materiality requirement under Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act is satisfied when there is "a substantial likelihood that the disclosure of the omitted fact would have been viewed by the reasonable investor as being important to his or her investment decision (including a decision to retain the security or not)." Thus, materiality depends on the facts and is to be determined on a case-by-case basis (pp. 238-241. Basic v Levinson, et al.)
Following the Basic and TSC Industries materiality definition, it seems incredulous that Mr. Weisbluth would have suggested that he had neither material nor non-material conflicts of interest since by definition some non-material or material fact will always exist in every advisory relationship. Although an advisor may have no material conflicts of interest, it does not follow that he has "zero" – a standard that is, for all intents and purposes, unachievable.
Ultimately, every CFP Professional and Investment Advisor has an ongoing obligation under our Practice Standards to disclose material conflicts of interest. In view of the ongoing nature of the obligation to disclose material conflicts and the fact that, as every financial adviser knows, and history has shown, material conflicts can arise at any time during a client-planner relationship, it is simply inappropriate for a CFP® professional to say to a client that he/she has zero conflicts of interest. Here, a question of materiality comes into play.
As mentioned above, CFP Professionals have a duty to disclose material conflicts of interest to clients. The more difficult question is: "How much disclosure is enough?" In a 2010 settled enforcement action, the SEC suggests that disclosure of material facts alone may not be sufficient, and that more explicit disclosure is needed when investment advice may result in additional compensation to the adviser. The case is Matter of Valentine Capital Asset Management.
The SEC's administrative order found that the advisor "fail[ed] to fully and adequately disclose a material conflict of interest" by not informing its clients that the advisor would receive an additional commission if its clients accepted its recommendation to switch from one series of a managed fund to another series in that same fund. The SEC reached this conclusion despite the fact that the advisor fully disclosed all commission costs to its clients.
Despite disclosure of the fees, the SEC found that the advisor was required to make "full and clear disclosure" about any conflict of interest in recommending the exchanges, and that it "failed to disclose to clients that [it] would receive additional commissions" if clients followed the advice. Consequently the SEC found that the advisor breached its fiduciary duty. The SEC charged the advisor with failing to tell clients that he would receive additional commissions if they switched from one series of a fund to another; the case settled with a censure, disgorgement of approximately $395,000 in commissions, and a $60,000 fine for the advisor's president.
In a release publishing recent amendments to Form ADV, the SEC addressed this type of conflict issue. The SEC noted that Item 5 of the amended form requires that advisers receiving compensation, such as commissions, attributable to the sale of a security or other investment product, disclose the compensation as well as "the conflict of interest it creates, and … how the adviser addresses this conflict."
Valentine should serve as a cautionary tale for all CFP Professionals. Not only is there no such thing as "zero" conflicts of interest but the nature of "material" is subject to change. Be careful and diligent. Keep abreast of regulatory developments and the latest literature. Many traps lie in wait for the careless or uninformed CFP Professional, including those regarding "material" conflicts during the client-planner relationship.


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Custom vinyl stickers help your brand stick in the minds of customers.
An affordable advertising solution with a stunning gloss finish. Regular Vinyl Decal Film is back-adhesive (applied on the outside of the window). Select "Inside Glass" for front-adhesive if you wish to apply on the inside of the window facing out.
Features—Thickness: 3.4 mil. Full-color, single-side printing on white material. Select Shape or Exact Die-Cut for custom shapes. Car Safe uses a special adhesive to protect your car's paint. Clear Vinyl Decal Film available for additional cost. Life expectancy: 3 years. Before installing, read our Vinyl Decal Installation Instructions.
Best For—More permanent advertising in high-visibility store fronts and offices, as well as on vehicle fleets. Storefront window displays, office or vehicle door graphics, bumper stickers, etc. For full-coverage store window graphics, select Store One-Way Vision.
A transparent gloss adhesive film that is completely see-through from both sides of the window. Our unique white ink technology produces white or solid effects on any text and image when placed on a clear background. Text and image options include white ink, see-through color, or solid color. Background options include clear or transparent, see-through color.
Features—Thickness: 3.4 mil. Full-color, single-side printing and a pressure-sensitive, self-adhesive backing for outside application. Adhesive is removable for easy installation and repositioning (up to 1 year), but not reusable. Select "Inside Glass" option for front adhesive that applies on the inside of the window facing out. Life expectancy: 3 years. Before installing, read our Clear Vinyl Installation Instructions.
Best For—Advertising in high-visibility store fronts and offices. Only recommended for vehicle windows as small decals and stickers (select Car One-Way Vision for full coverage).


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Even after Fox News called the presidential election for Barack Obama, one man was still holding out for a Mitt Romney win. Karl Rove didn't hesitate to butt heads with the network on camera, rejecting Obama's projected win of Ohio and thus the election.
From Big Bird to Ann Coulter: Check out the 2012 election's hall of fame (and shame)"I think this is premature," Rove explained, after 74 percent of the vote had been tallied. According to the Fox News analyst, a large portion of votes from rural areas hadn't yet been tallied and could result in a Romney victory.Given Rove's history, his caution when it comes to early calls is understandable. He served as an advisor to George W. Bush, who won the 2000 election after Al Gore's premature "win" of Florida was contested and overturned.


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LOVE this theme! Bought it for our family blog? Install was easy with the added tutorial and Support from MPC is also superb. Thanks a bunch!!
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Filok is a personal WP Theme, suitable for personal or business blog . We are sure it will suits your needs. Easy to setup, enhanced with Massive Panel and Visual Composer. This combination makes creating content extremely easy. It has tones of build in option but it is still easy to use and understand.
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Posts Tagged 'Bicycles'
Tour de Cure 2012 "Super" Kick Off Party
RSVP to the 2012 Tour de Cure Kick Off Party!!
It will be held at Phil's BBQ Event Center on Saturday, January 28, 2012.
You must RSVP with Jim Duckworth at firstname.lastname@example.com
There will be free food, prizes, exhibits, and more information about this year's Tour!
Celebrate with the American Diabetes Association in this Kick Off Event!
More information is on our Facebook Event Page.
See you there!


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{testimonials black|Uncategorised|5}
Research has shown that boards of directors of nonprofit organizations that take time to regularly assess their performance are more effective than those that don't. Very often board members themselves, and those who connect to the board on a regular basis, have many ideas about what is working and what might be done better. One of the best ways to tap the potential for board members and others to contribute to improving board performance is to have them complete a well designed and tested questionnaire covering all facets of board performance. When summarized and analyzed, the results provide an excellent basis for learning and board self development.
This website provides access to a secure online board performance self-assessment questionnaire that can be used by your organization at no charge. The questionnaire is based on prior research into a variety of issues that reduce the effectiveness of nonprofit boards. The services provided through this website are part of a sponsored research project on board effectiveness being carried out by Professors Yvonne Cafik Harrison of the School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo, USA and Vic Murray of the School of Public Administration, University of Victoria, CANADA.
Nonprofit organizations participating in this community-based research project will be provided with a secure confidential report on the performance of their board as seen by its members and others who relate to it, as well as guidance on how to enhance the governance process. Many organizations have found this report to be a valuable resource for use in board development programs. To increase the ease of use and utility of this research and development system, we have added language translation (available in the footer of each web page) and live support. We have also streamlined our reporting system and created an annual subscription making Board Check-Up available on a continuous basis. Boards throughout the world can now use the system to assess performance, plan improvements, and check the effectiveness of development efforts over time.
Click on Testimonials above to see other's reactions to participating in this governance self-improvement project.
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text: Have a question concerning Nave's. When I open the window I have the search bar across the top, the two top boxes (one on the left the other on the right) containing the topics and underneath them the two boxes containing the Scripture references. The bottom right hand box with the Scripture references is so crammed that I can't read what verse it is. Is there a way to fix this and make it larger? I can make the window larger or smaller and it doesn't fix the problem. I attached an image with an arrow pointing to the box I want to expand and have more room for. I went to the help file and the picture it shows has the text fitting properly in the box! Any help would be much appreciated.


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Bead Weaving, Inspiration
Night Beads
It was the first warm day in months followed by an almost balmy night. I went outside to visit with our resident horse, Shasta. We live in a very unlit place. There are no streetlights on the top of this very big hill and the few houses are separated by lots of space and trees. The night sky is not hampered by competing lights from humans. I walked out of the garage and looked up in astonishment. The night sky was a deep blue dotted with stars I thought I could reach out and touch. I felt like a person who had been blind all her life and was for the first time seeing the night sky. There was a closeness about this sky, an intimacy like touch. The branches of the trees created lattice work that connected the stars. I was frozen in place with my vision turning into a physical sensation like touch. It was so intense I had to turn away, and in so doing I found myself looking into the gaping hole that is a garage. My eyes traveled along the surfaces of human made objects in a large, unattractive human made box. It was the epitome of ugliness in stark contrast to the overwhelming beauty of the sky. In that moment I understood the virtue of beads.
Most practical human made stuff is ugly. I am referring here to the practical stuff humans make like shopping centers and ugly couches and demanding signs that obscure the sky. I am not referring to the objects humans make when they create art. Almost everything nature dishes out is beautiful. It's hard to find fault with her lines and placements. She always arranges everything correctly on the page of our vision. Humans create obscene ugliness with which most of us live most of the time. I escape it to some degree by living remotely and I have the great advantage of being able to focus on nature's beauty without interruption.
What I understood about beads in that moment of grace with the night sky is that beads are consistently beautiful and uplifting. They are little stars we hold in our hand. They are intimate and smooth and they glow from within. They give us something rare: pure pleasure from a human mad form. They are each perfect little universes. We make things from them and as we do so we soak in their beauty. W are given the opportunity to see and to touch stars grabbed from the night sky. It made sense to me why people become addicted to these beads and why they keep buying more and more. They are filling up their cup with stars, hoping to never run out. The stars must exist in our own cups which is why we must take them home.
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2 Comments
I envy you your sky "not hampered by competing lights from humans" but not how long you have to wait for balmy nights up in your neck of the woods.
I think you are right about the source of our bead addictions and I love the way you said it.
Kudos to your Marketing Director for the new site and getting you blogging.
Hi Claudia,
You've captured so beautifully the feelings that beads bring up for me.
I'm so glad you shared this experience with us!
Many Hugs,


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Structure gallery
Non-Native Zinc-Binding Domain from Creb-Binding Protein (CH11)
[ PDB file ] [ PubMed link ]
This non-native structure corresponds to a fragment of the CH1 domain of CBP. Although the CH1 domain in its native form binds 3 zinc ions (Dames et al, PNAS 2002, 99, 5271-5276), this shorter domain binds only one zinc ion, through a different combination of zinc ligating residues. This novel zinc-binding fold is quite remarkable, given that a sequence, taken out of the context of a whole domain, is able to fold into a stable, yet different structure.
Protein-binding surfaces of GNF and USF1
[ PubMed link ]
Space filling representations of GNF (blue) and USF1 (red) are shown. These two zinc fingers interact with one another and the residues that are thought to make up the binding interface are shown in yellow. The protein-binding surface of each finger was identified using a combination of chemical shift perturbation studies and mutagenesis.
Ninth Zinc Finger of U-shaped (USF9)
[ PDB file ] [ PubMed link ]
USF9 has the same zinc ligation topology as USF1 but the two fingers share only 14% sequence identity outside of the zinc ligands (blue). However, USF9 adopts an almost identical fold to USF1, with a short β-hairpin (orange) and an α-helix. Furthermore, USF9 is also able to interact with the N-terminal finger of GATA-1.
First Zinc Finger of U-shaped (USF1)
[ PDB file ] [ PubMed link ]
U-shaped is a member of the FOG family of transcription factors, which interact with GATA proteins to control gene expression in various tissues. U-shaped has nine zinc fingers. The structure of the first finger of U-shaped (USF1) is very similar to that of a classical zinc finger, consisting of a short β-hairpin (yellow) and an α-helix. The central zinc atom (green) is ligated by 1 His and 3 Cys residues (blue), in contrast to classical fingers, which have a CCHH zinc ligation topology. While many classical fingers bind to DNA, USF1 has been shown to interact with the N-terminal zinc finger of GATA-1.
N-terminal finger of GATA-1 (GNF)
[ PDB file ] [ PubMed link ]
The structure of GNF consists of two distorted β-hairpins and an α-helix, with a central zinc atom (green) ligated by four cysteine residues (red). GATA-1 interacts with transcription factors from the FOG family using this N-terminal zinc finger. This interaction is crucial for GATA-1's ability to correctly regulate gene expression in hematopoetic cells.


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The recent catwalk show at Seaton Delaval Hall discussed in the previous post was inspired by some of the dashing and dramatic women who grew up and lived at the house in the 18th-century.
The family was known at the time as the 'gay Delavals' because they encouraged travelling players to call at the house, put on plays themselves and subjected visitors to practical jokes.
There are stories of bedroom walls suddenly being hoisted up like theatre scenery, of a bed being flooded with water and of a bedroom with upside-down furnishings designed to unsettle guests who had had too much to drink.
These slightly naive but rather vivid portraits, attributed to Edward Alcock (fl. 1757–1778), show just a few of the 18th-century Delaval women: four of the five daughters of John Hussey Delaval, Lord Delaval, and his wife Susanna Robinson.


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A is for TEDActive, the satellite simulcast of Vancouver's TED program, this year held in Whistler. It's a cheaper version of the main event — tickets cost half the main price of $7,500 — and has events and tours built around its mountain location.
B is for Stewart Brand, the environmentalist, futurist and a 1984 inaugural TED speaker, whose "de-extinction" talk last year showed it may be possible using old DNA to bring back species long thought gone.
C is for Chris Anderson, whose Sapling Foundation bought TED from its founders in 2001 and turned it into the global phenomenon it now is. Oh, and also for "curator," Anderson's oddly appropriate title.
D is for David Rockwell, the New York architect TED commissioned to design its new laser-cut signature amphitheatre for the Vancouver Convention Centre. The thousands of pieces will take four days to erect.
E is for expensive. Tickets for the sold-out TED started at $7,500 this year with proceeds to Sapling Foundation's works. It's all about networking and access. After all, the talks are published online for free.
F is for TED Fellows, a mentorship program that since 2009 has sought out 328 of the world's brightest young innovators, scientists, artists and social entrepreneurs, helping to amplify and publicize their work.
G is for Charmian Gooch, the co-founder of Global Witness, who is this year's $1-million TED Prize winner. Her society investigates and exposes corruption in developing countries, particularly around natural resources.
H is for health breakthroughs, one of TED'S frequent themes. The new Peek Vision app of this year's TED Fellow, Andrew Bastawrous, aims to cheaply eradicate avoidable blindness in developing countries.
I is for ideas. That's the entire basis of TED'S concept, rendered into its motto "Ideas worth spreading," which it cheekily modifies online daily, such as "well, the spreading is up to you."
J is for artist Janet Echelman, who with Aaron Koblin designed TED'S 227-metre aerial art display hanging outside the Vancouver Convention Centre. It will employ some interactive digital lights, we're told.
K is for Sir Ken Robinson, whose 2006 TED talk "How schools kill creativity" has been viewed a combined 31 million times on TED and YouTube. He's now a perennial speaker at TED.
L is for Sara Lewis, the Tufts University evolutionary ecologist whose unusual research into the sexual habits of fireflies promises to be one of the more striking talks at this year's TED.
M is for Monterey, Calif., the original home of TED from its birth in 1989 until 2009, when the event was moved to Long Beach. In 2013, TED announced it was moving to Vancouver for at least two years.
N is for net worth. As in the collective net worth of many of the speakers and attendees — such as Bill and Melinda Gates and Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page — which could float a mid-sized country.
O is for original. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, TED has lots of competition, including BIL, which bills itself as a "quirky, populist, unconference", and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan's public salons.
P is for TED Prize, an annual award to an innovator to help enable their "wish to change the world." Started in 2005 as multiple winning $100,000 prizes, it was changed in 2013 to a single $1 million prize.
Q is for questions that many unnoticed scientists, authors, entrepreneurs, designers and artists have asked — and the answers that have led them to be highlighted by TED, which helps spread the answers widely.
R is for Richard Saul Wurman, architect and designer, who founded TED in 1984 with Harry Marks as a one-off conference around the convergence of technology, entertainment and design. (Hence, TED.)
S is for six, the number of years it took for another TED to be organized after the unprofitable 1984 inaugural event, which also featured one of the first demonstrations of the Apple Macintosh computer and Sony compact disc player.
T is for time, as in the 18 minutes each main stage speaker has to deliver their talk. There is a countdown clock on the stage. The 50 "All-Stars" are given only four minutes, leading one person to quip that it's akin to a bunch of "jazz riffs."
U is for unusual. As in some of the jobs this year's TED speakers have. Such as David Kwong, "cruciverbalist"; Bjorn Lomborg, "global prioritizer"; and Jill Bolte Taylor, "neuroanatomist".
V is for visual. TedTalks, the collective reference to more than 1,600 influential speeches TED has put online for free viewing since 2006, and which as of late 2013 had been viewed more than 1.9 billion times.
W is for Taylor Wilson, who at 14 built a working nuclear fusion reactor in his garage, earning him a speech at TED in 2012. Now the young nuclear scientist is back, talking about "saving seaports from nuclear terror."
X is for TEDx, the free licence franchise TED created, allowing anyone to put on non-profit mini-versions of the bigger show. It is now so popular an average of eight TEDx events are organized around the world daily.
Y is for You. You generally won't know who's coming to TED. The organization guards its attendees' privacy jealously, and accredited media can't name them or use cameras without an attendees' permission.
Z is for Zak Ebrahim, a peace activist and TED speaker this year whose radicalized father assassinated Rabbi Meir Kahane and participated in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
This whimsical look at TED is from the Vancouver Sun's Jeff Lee who will be at next week's TED conference. Follow him in the paper and at vancouversun.com Monday through Friday.


text: Some clubs teach photography or Photoshop classes at no charge for youngsters or at Senior Centers. There are clubs and councils that prepare print photo galleries for local hospitals, Community Centers, or senior facilities. Photography clubs and councils have offered their services at no charge to photograph animals for adoption at shelters, children at school events, or glamour shots for cancer survivors. Clubs and councils have donated their members' prints for auction to raise money for relief efforts. Other clubs and councils prepare photo shows specifically to share with community groups. Help with these projects and other community service efforts is available for PSA member clubs and councils.