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July 9, 2020
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May 3, 2019, 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM @ Tomahawk Ridge Community Center
Techniques, styles, and tips taught with pastel, watercolor, acrylic, or oil. Individual instruction and peer assistance provided. Five and ten punch cards expire three months from date of purchase. For the supply list or to purchase a punch card call (913) 826-2830. No class, 1/21
May 3, 2019, 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM @ Arts & Heritage Center - Museum Foyer for Special Events
Enjoy a guided tour of the Museum free with your admission. Please meet your guide at the bottom of the stairs in the Museum.
May 3, 2019, 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM @ Arts & Heritage Center - Museum Foyer for Special Events
May 3, 2019, 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Once upon a time, there were four guys (Sparky, Smudge, Jinx and Frankie) who discovered that they shared a love for music and then got together to become their idols – The Four Freshman, The Hi-Lo's and The Crew Cuts. Rehearsing in the basement of Smudge's family's plumbing supply company, they became "Forever Plaid". On the way to their first big gig, the "Plaids" are broadsided by a school bus and killed instantly. It is at the moment when their careers and lives end that the story of Forever Plaid begins....
Singing in close harmony, squabbling boyishly over the smallest intonations and executing their charmingly outlandish choreography with overzealous precision, the "Plaids" are a guaranteed smash, with a program of beloved songs and delightful patter that keeps audiences rolling in the aisles when they're not humming along to some of the great nostalgic pop hits of the 1950s.
May 3, 2019, 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM @ Arts & Heritage Center - Museum Classroom
Come have fun when school is out! Explore history though crafts and projects, visit KidScape and the museum exhibits, play games, and enjoy down time. We provide one snack, bring a lunch and water bottle and dress for the weather - we will go outside if we can. We are open from 7:30-6, but you may drop off and pick up at any time. Call the museum's reservation line with questions at 913-715-2570.


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I just wonder when Americans will get sick of war. I doubt ever we have been fighting wars since our founding almost constantly.
I wish the President would be as swift to propose a real solution to the economic crisis, cut spending and promote the creation of real jobs for Americans as he was to intervene in matters of foreign policy. But then again he is ultimately looking out for himself, and a war is one way he may try to get re-elected.It's funny that he's doing the same thing for which he criticized the former administration and against which he campaigned.
Update. There have been at least 124 Tomahawk missiles fired so far:http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/03/23/libya_a_us_war_by_any_other_name_obama_gaddafi_qaddafi_109306.htmlAt $600 K per missile, that would amount to $74,400,000. Not bad for one weekend.
At $600 K per missile, that would amount to $74,400,000. Not bad for one weekend.
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The HI720 Checker®HC (Handheld Colorimeter) is a simple, accurate, and cost effective way to measure calcium. Designed as a more accurate alternative to chemical test kits, the HI720 provides quick, accurate results in a few easy steps.
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Shira Gura is a master S.T.U.C.K. coach and trainer. She is the creator of The S.T.U.C.K. Method®, author of the book Getting unSTUCK: Five Simple Steps to Emotional Well-Being (winner of the 2017 International Book Award in self-help), and host of the Getting Unstuck podcast. Trained in occupational therapy, psychology, and yoga, Shira is passionate about meeting people around the world via her courses, workshops and retreats, and guiding them to get unstuck in their lives and in their relationships.
David Van Nuys, PhD
Creator/Host of Shrink Rap Radio
Views: 35


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International Services at Mass General
The Mass General International Patient Center offers state-of-the-art comprehensive care and dedicated services for patients from around the world.
Resources for International Medical Professionals
Mass General services for global physicians, researchers and medical centers, including partnership and affiliation opportunities.
Medical Interpreter Services
Our interpreters facilitate access to hospital services for non-English, limited-English-proficient or deaf and hard of hearing patients at no cost.
#1 Hospital on the East Coast
Mass General is the #1 hospital on the East Coast, having been named #2 in America by U.S. News and World Report.
Contact Us
To get started with the International Patient Center, choose one of the following options.


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home Groups are small groups of families that meet weekly for connection and spiritual growth. Members of all ages, stages of life, and spiritual maturity are welcome.
Current Schedule:
we will start back in the fall
Call the church office to find out which Home Group is close to you!


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Imagine a plastic shark baring it's teeth at you while you're getting a hair cut — that's nothing unusual, if you're a regular at Jali Jali's! Here's a look inside the quaint barber shop before it closes for good at the end of this month.
Childhood Dreams Are Made of These
1:32 mins


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Are You Seeking The Hormone "Wizard"?
Posted June 24th, 2011
While Googling women's health topics I came upon the usual quick fixes, miracle creams and over-hyped, questionable treatments, as well as many reputable practitioners. It was there I saw the words "The Hormone Wizard". It's a clever name for women seeking answers and relief for the often-mysterious health challenge known as menopause. If you're seeking your own hormone "wizard" for your symptoms (mood swings, sleeping difficulties, sexual problems, hot flashes, memory loss, weight gain), let the Renewal Point show you how.
First, just a little history. Our understanding of women's health – particularly the role hormones play – has grown exponentially over the years. Did you know that in 1898 German doctors fed cow ovaries to a woman who was suffering from hot flashes after her own ovaries had been removed? I'm sure women (and most cows) are happy that treatment is no longer used. Fast forward to the '60s and the promise of hormone therapy came into full bloom with no mention of the side effects synthetic hormones can cause. When a woman turned a certain age she was given Premarin or Prempro and told to have a good life.
If you're seeking your own hormone "wizard" for your symptoms (mood swings, sleeping difficulties, sexual problems, hot flashes, memory loss, weight gain), let The Renewal Point show you how.
But, if you're like most women, you've no doubt read the often confusing and contradictory studies about traditional HRT. It's like you need a wizard of sorts to help you magically find your way and provide the answers.
At The Renewal Point we don't have a magic wand. Instead we have real medicine, real science and over 20 years of treating women going through menopause. We do that by offering a personalized plan that takes into account the fact that as far as hormone balancing goes, one size does not fit all. Your hormones are as different and as unique as your fingerprint. We are able to measure those differences in blood, saliva or urine tests to find the imbalances. We then use the "detect and correct" method for adding back safe, natural bio-identical hormones. Most importantly, we balance all the hormones in order to have an optimal response.
Hormones work much like the instruments in an orchestra. If one of these instruments is out of tune, it throws the entire concert off. Here is a list of some of the more important "players"…
- Thyroid – Energy, enthusiasm, weight control
- Adrenal – Cortisol and DHEA (sometimes the most pesky and critical to balance) help you manage stress, fatigue and moodiness
- Gonadal – Estradiol, Progesterone, Testosterone: femininity or masculinity, sexuality, brain function, skin, vaginal moisture, orgasm
- Pituitary – Growth hormones: probably the number one anti-aging hormone
- Brain Hormones – Seratonin, Dopamine, etc: communication central; controls all aspects of health (joy, brain power, memory, weight control, sugar and carb cravings)
Here's the story of a woman who came into the Renewal Point. Shelly was 55, married, the mother of two, and grandmother of three when we met in my office. She told me that her life should be happy and pleasant, but unfortunately it was not. She previously had a hysterectomy, tended to experience carb cravings and had a hunger for fast food, drank two glasses of wine per day, exercised three times per week, took multi-vitamins and had tried Premarin in the past, but discontinued because of the side effects.
She also complained of weight gain, feeling "flabby", vaginal dryness and a lack of sex drive. She experienced some emotional symptoms as well; poor sleep, irritability, hot flashes, a lack of mental focus and low energy. Does this sound like you?
We ran comprehensive tests and her labs revealed multiple hormone abnormalities that involved her thyroid, insulin, testosterone, estrogen, DHEA and growth hormone levels. Armed with that information, we were able to turn her life around by balancing her hormones into optimal levels. Consequently, all of her emotional symptoms and complaints disappeared.
In addition, Shelly lost 30 pounds, sleeps like a baby, and now enjoys her life. Her sex life has been restored, she experiences emotional wellbeing, and has more than enough energy left at the end of the day to play with the grandkids.
What magic did we perform at Renewal Point? No magic wand was used! What we did for Shelly was a comprehensive evaluation followed by thorough testing, completed with bio-identical hormones. And that's what we can offer you as well. Come to one of our free seminars and see what we're all about, visit our office and ask all the questions you may have.


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Cosette Dudley is a third generation Californian who was born during the Great Depression. She began printmaking in the 1960's during the Free Speech movement and the Vietnam War. The struggle for peace, civil liberties, social and political justice, all had a powerful influence on her life and artwork.
The topics of her work; war and its lasting effects, executive orders, security risks, and quarantine, are unnervingly timely given today's political and social climate.
In the last twenty years, the environment and images of family history have emerged as powerful themes.
Cosette studied printmaking with Wayne Thiebaud and Barbara Foster. She has also worked with master printmakers at Crown Point Press, in San Francisco. She has participated in numerous group and solo shows in the San Francisco Bay Area, nationally and internationally.
Cosette's work can also be seen on her website.
Click on any image to view a slideshow:


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"We have found that titanium nitride is a promising candidate for an entirely new class of technologies based on plasmonics and metamaterials," said Alexandra Boltasseva, a researcher at Purdue and an author on a paper published March 27 in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Optical Materials Express. "This is particularly compelling because surface plasmons resolve a basic mismatch between wavelength-scale optical devices and the much smaller components of integrated electronic circuits."
Value of Plasmons
Metals carry electricity with ease, but normally do nothing to transmit light waves. Surface plasmons, unusual light-coupled oscillations that form on the surface of metallic materials, are the exception to that rule. When excited on the surface of metals by light waves of specific frequencies, plasmons are able to retain that same frequency, but with wavelengths that are orders-of-magnitude smaller, cramming visible and near-infrared light into the realm of the nanoscale.
In the world of electronics and optics, that 100-fold contraction is a boon. Circuits that direct the paths of electrons operate on a much smaller scale than optical light waves, so engineers must either rely on small but relatively sluggish electrons for information processing or bulk up to accommodate the zippy photons. Plasmons represent the best of both worlds and are already at the heart of a number of optoelectronic devices. They have not had widespread use, however, due to the dearth of materials that readily generate them and the fact that metals, in most cases, cannot be integrated with semiconductor devices.
Plasmonic Materials
Until now, the best candidates for plasmonic materials were gold and silver. These noble metals, however, are not compatible with standard silicon manufacturing technologies, limiting their use in commercial products. Silver is the metal with the best optical and surface plasmon properties, but it forms grainy, or semi-continuous, thin films. Silver also easily degrades in air, which causes loss of optical signal, making it a less-attractive material in plasmon technologies.
In an effort to overcome these drawbacks, Boltasseva and her team chose to study titanium nitride- a ceramic material that is commonly used as a barrier metal in microelectronics and to coat metal surfaces such as medical implants or machine tooling parts- because they could manipulate its properties in the manufacturing process. It also could be easily integrated into silicon products, and grown crystal-by-crystal, forming highly uniform, ultrathin films- properties that metals do not share.
To test its plasmonic capabilities, the researchers deposited a very thin, very even film of titanium nitride on a sapphire surface. They were able to confirm that titanium nitride supported the propagation of surface plasmons almost as efficiently as gold. Silver, under perfect conditions, was still more efficient for plasmonic applications, but its acknowledged signal loss limited its practical applications.
To further improve the performance of titanium nitride, the researchers are now looking into a manufacturing method known as molecular beam epitaxy, which would enable them to grow the films and layered structures known as superlattices crystal-by-crystal.
Technologies and Potential Applications
In addition to plasmonics, the researchers also speculate that titanium nitride may have applications in metamaterials, which are engineered materials that can be tailored for almost any application because of their extraordinary response to electromagnetic, acoustic, and thermal waves. Recently proposed applications of metamaterials include invisibility cloaks, optical black holes, nanoscale optics, data storage, and quantum information processing.
The search for alternatives to noble metals with improved optical properties, easier fabrication and integration capabilities could ultimately lead to real-life applications for plasmonics and metamaterials.
"Plasmonics is an important technology for nanoscale optical circuits, sensing, and data storage because it can focus light down to nanoscale," notes Boltasseva. "Titanium nitride is a promising candidate in the near-infrared and visible wavelength ranges. Unlike gold and silver, titanium nitride is compatible with standard semiconductor manufacturing technology and provides many advantages in its nanofabrication and integration."
According to the researchers, titanium nitride-based devices could provide nearly the same performance for some plasmonic applications. While noble metals like silver would still be the best choice for specific applications like negative index metamaterials, titanium nitride could outperform noble metals in other metamaterial and transformation optics devices, such as those based on hyperbolic metamaterials.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Optical Society of America.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:Gururaj V. Naik, Jeremy L. Schroeder, Xingjie Ni, Alexander V. Kildishev, Timothy D. Sands, Alexandra Boltasseva. Titanium nitride as a plasmonic material for visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Optical Materials Express, 2012; 2 (4): 478 DOI: 10.1364/OME.2.000478


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Try SalesTrip


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Disney announced today the renaming of its video game business unit Buena Vista Games to Disney Interactive Studios. The company will publish both Disney and non-Disney branded video games for all platforms.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It's part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today's pop culture.


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As you can tell by their faces! I think they are quite pleased that mum has been getting into this swapping thing. They are huge fans of dinosaurs so the gifts, with their dinosaur theme, were just perfect.
First there were 2 gorgeous softies who are right at home in our very jungly garden. I love what Jill has done with the fleecy fabric here - especially the light green check - which makes a very cute stegosaurus. And I love the shape of the T-rex. She's also used layered buttons for the eyes, which are also a great touch. There has been much (mostly) good-natured scrapping over the ownership of these 2 - it's so hard to share things that are this much fun!
Then the wonderful T-shirts with more dinosaurs... I know I posted these pics yesterday, but the boys are so gorgeous & the shirts so fantastic that I am going to indulge myself and post them again.
And best of all are the appliqued pennants! The boys were so delighted - they are very keen on pointing out who owns what at the moment ('that's my book', 'that's my puzzle', 'that's my....' repeat ad nauseam) so the fact that these had their names on was a HUUUGE hit. I had to rush round finding string, hammer & nails so that we could put them up over their beds straight away. Jill has made a great job of these too - making use of their favourite colours & some lovely fabrics.
We also got some super cute finger puppets, some dinosaur fossils (not the real thing, lol) and some extremely exciting American sweets. I also got a piece of lovely floral fabric & buttons! I feel like we really got lucky when we got matched with Jill & Nature Girl for our swap. Huuge thanks again for them & to Chloe at Mee Crafty for organising it all.


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Neighbors who park on city streets find orange notices this morning
Nov. 28, 2017 – West Bend, WI – Neighbors in West Bend had little mini heart attacks Tuesday morning as they woke up to find friendly reminders from West Bend police about the upcoming winter street parking regulations.
The fluorescent orange notice was tucked under windshield wipers or wedged in by the driver's side window.
Upon further review index-sized card was just a heads up note that winter parking restrictions would go into effect at 11 p.m. on December 1.
The basic rule of thumb for street parking is even side of the road on even numbered calendar days and odd side of the street on odd numbered calendar days.
The citation is $20 if you are on the wrong side.
Below is the verbiage from the city:
Beginning at 11 p.m. on December 1 and ending at 6 a.m. on April 1, no person shall park in any public street, alley or highway of the City between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. from December 1 to April 1, except that if not otherwise prohibited by this chapter, vehicles may be parked on the streets on the even-numbered side of the street on those nights which at 11 p.m. bear an even calendar date and continue to the following 6 a.m. and on the odd – numbered side of the street on those nights which, at 11 p.m., bear an odd calendar date and continue to the following 6 a.m.


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We have new updated chassis pictures for the Wave. These are currently being manufactured/tested at the factory. As a refresher, included are the (new) first prototype pictures we sent you guys. The "Wave Chassis 1 - 3" pictures are of the new design based off "LHL Pic 1 - 2". So the "Wave Chassis 1- 3" are what are being made.
We are still currently waiting for the software team to report back regarding the progress on the wifi/bluetooth. When that information becomes available, an update will be sent out.


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SINGAPORE - Using mobile phones while driving, heavy vehicles speeding and failing to keep left, reckless riding - these are some of the common offences that the Traffic Police's new road enforcers have encountered while out on patrol since June.
In a video posted on the Facebook page of Use Your RoadSense on Monday (Aug 8), the Traffic Police (TP) revealed footage of how its "stealth bike" team identifies the offences and in one case, chased down an errant motorcyclist for dangerous riding and speeding.
The two-minute clip has since racked up over 300,000 views and more than 7,200 shares.
"These 'men in black' look out for common traffic offences, such as driving while using the handphone, and ensure that motorists are ever-alert on the roads - a timely reminder not to #PokemonGo and drive," the post said.
The Singapore Police Force, which shared the video on its Facebook page, said that the traffic situation continues to show improvements in various areas, but there remain a minority of road users who endanger the lives of others.
It added: "The TP will continue to take strict enforcement against such errant motorists even as we focus on education and enforcement efforts; reminding them that all road users have a role to play in keeping our roads safe."
Also called covert officers, the TP's stealth bikers have been on the roads since June, in an attempt to clamp down on road offenders.
Clad in black jackets, the officers ride black 900c motorcycles that are easier to manoeuvre and have proven effective in curbing errant motorcyclists.
Here are the penalties errant motorists could incur for the following offences
Driving while using mobile communication devices
First offence: Fine up to $1,000 or imprisonment of up to six months, or both
Repeat offence: Fine up to $2,000 or imprisonment up to 12 months, or both
Fine up to $200 and up to 24 demerit points
Reckless/dangerous driving
First offence: Fine up to $3,000 or imprisonment up to 12 months, or both
Repeat offence: Fine up to $5,000 or imprisonment up to two years, or both


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Previously appearing on Preston's Perspective's Blogspot Site in 2009…
The donning of the jacket. The acceptance speech. The cheers…there's nothing quite like a Hall of Fame Enshrinement. And this summer Jim Ed Rice received his rightful moment– and took his appropriate place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
I know many in the Boston era have voiced the famed "what if"? What if Rice hadn't attended Nebraska to play wide receiver and become an All-American safety/punt returner? What if the Red Sox had been able to sign their number one pick? But it just wasn't meant to be and Jim Rice as a Boston Red Sox is merely the flight of fantasy.
Although he did not play in the Game of the Century (freshmen were ineligible in 1971), Rice watched and learned from one of the most electrifying players ever in college football–and when 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers graduated, Rice took over the punt return duties with flair–although he didn't outrun tacklers, the South Carolina born mack truck bulled through them. A position switch to strong safety after his sophomore season gave the born hitter his stage.
Who could forget how Rice took the NFL by storm in 1975 with fellow rookie Fred Lynn? As ironic as this sounds, Lynn was also a Red Sox draft pick (he played both football and baseball at USC)–could you imagine the two playing side by side at Fenway instead of Foxboro? Manning the two safety positions in the Patriots defense the duo was dubbed the "Gold Dust Twins"— while Lynn played free safety like an all-star centerfielder (truth be told Lynn probably had better HOF credentials until his infamous 1981 holdout caused the Pats to trade him to the Los Angeles Rams-where he was never the same at Anaheim Stadium) Rice punished tight ends, running backs and wide receivers alike. He was titled the "most-feared hitter of his generation in the American Conference"…and was an instrumental part of the Patriots rise to dominance in the late 70's.
Rice's fumble causing hit of Ken Stabler in the 1976 AFC Divisional Playoff game held off a Raiders rally made possible when "Sugar Bear" Hamilton was whistled for roughing the passer a few plays earlier on the drive. Stabler and Oakland coach John Madden (who resigned after the year to become an executive for Greyhound–go figure)both maintain Stabler was tucking the ball away as Rice applied the hit…to no avail.
After disposing of the injury-ravaged Pittsburgh Steelers (Rocky Bleier's broken toe and Franco Harris' bruised ribs prevented the 1,000 yard rushers from taking the field) the Pats completed their miracle run by upsetting Minnesota in Super Bowl XI. Rice's late-game interception return for a touchdown is a fixture of NFL Films…and for those taking a closer look one can see a cast on Rice's wrist. Forgotten by most is that Rice broke his wrist in the Pats' final regular season game- and instead of taking the postseason off, played with a heavily buffered and taped cast at risk of the rest of his career. One can only surmise they wouldn't allow that in baseball.
Fresh off a Celtics NBA Championship (and Stanley Cups from the Bruins earlier in the decade), the Hub was soon dubbed the "City of Champions". Rice threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park the following April–and told Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk "they were next".
We all know what happened next–the Red Sox responded by winning the 1977 World Series…fans can recount the rest of the championship lineup in their sleep–starting with an outfield based on speed and defense– Dwight Evans, Rick Miller and Andre Dawson (picked up in the steal of the century for Juan Beniquez and Bob Stanley the previous winter) all won gold gloves…power on the corners with 3b Butch Hobson and 1b Cecil Cooper (thankfully wiser heads prevailed and he wasn't dealt for George Scott and Bernie Carbo in the offseason)… the middle infield of Denny Doyle and Rick Burleson…and veteran Carl Yastrzemski in his final season playing DH (Yaz's decision to retire on top may have hampered his Hall of Fame chances–instead of DHing into his early forties and finishing with 3000+ hits and 400+ homers, Captain Carl left the game with 366 homers and 2,724 hits that made him wait until his final year of eligibility for Cooperstown in 1998).
The Patriots dynasty would be short-lived; holdouts by Leon Gray and John Hannah would torpedo the 1977 campaign; 1978 would be marred by Rice's brief switch to wide receiver…put to rest when he knocked Oakland receiver Jack Tatum unconscious in a preseason game–ending the Raider safety's career with a massive concussion. Rice caught some heat for not visiting Tatum in the hospital, sending wide receiver Darryl Stingley instead. Pats fans recall that was the year coach Chuck Fairbanks almost left the team to for the University of Colorado. Rice made one of his best defensive plays ever— as the Nebraska alum took the ex-Oklahoma coach aside and told Fairbanks the folly of a move to a school that had no prayer in the Big Eight.
A return to the Super Bowl after the 1980 season would bring heartbreak; Steve Grogan's late interception by Herman Edwards sealing the Patriots loss to Philadelphia. While trips to the Pro Bowl and the playoffs would await Rice during the latter part of his career–his dream of one final shot at the title would come short in 1986–as the Patriots were routed by Chicago in Super Bowl XX (although Rice's return of a Walter Payton fumble for a touchdown on the game's first drive gave fans hope). Three injury marred seasons robbed Rice of much of his greatness that had been celebrated and he finally called it quits during the summer of 1989.
Rice's trip to Canton was rather intriguing–as a safety he was more of a run-stopper than an interception-collector…in fact when he played with Fred Lynn he never had more INT's than his teammate.Stat compilers that had taken over the process kept Rice at bay for years until cooler heads finally prevailed this past winter.
The waiting ends and the celebration begins…although one still wonders what may have happened had he chosen the diamond instead of the gridiron–Lynn too, for that matter. But that's for another day…like what would have happened had Butch Hobson stayed at Alabama and played QB for Bear Bryant.


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Tips to Choose the Perfect Picture for Your Canvas Prints
Are you excited about putting some of your favorite pictures on your wall at home? You must be thinking creatively how to make it look unique and classy. Well, we will be discussing some incredible tips for you to put your best photos on to canvas. It will make the entire picture more valuable and realistic. You might want to relive a nostalgic moment through those beautiful pictures of yours with your loved ones. To make it look different, you can try putting your picture in a canvas print and hang it on your picture wall. It will make the ambiance of your lounge more cozy.
Canvas Printing is Attractive:
Canvas printing is an attractive way to put pictures in your home or office. It gives a grand and classy look to the ambiance of the room it is placed in. This has become more of a trend now as many people find it to be beautiful and a realistic way to portray the picture and make it look more enhanced and glorifying to watch. It also adds value to the décor and makes it stand out by complimenting other decoration pieces and the color of the room. These are some of the reasons why Canvas Printing has become more popular than traditional printing. More and more people are adopting this trend with each passing day as they find it to be a practical way to put pictures in their houses.
Tips on Choosing the Right Photo:
To put your picture on a canvas, make sure you choose the right photo for the canvas print. This will make sure that your picture fits perfectly. Once your picture fits accurately, it will enhance the beauty of the picture more, giving it a more realistic look. That is why you should follow these steps for perfect canvas printing:
- Choose a good quality photo for your canvas printing:
Many old digital print companies pick out vintage images and try to enhance them and edit them in a way that looks a bit improved for canvas printing. But most of the time, these pictures do not look nice and attractive. That is why it is important to first choose the best quality picture for your canvas printing. Choose those pictures that have a high pixel density of around 150-33ppi. The sharper the picture, the more realistic it will look on the canvas. Choose pictures that are clear and are focused correctly. This easily adjusts the picture and will not make it look blur. It is not easy to edit and fix unclear and unfocused shots. If you try to do so, the resolutions will be a complete mess. So, always choose a quality picture so that it can be easily fixed through canvas printing.
- Pick the correct size and shape of the canvas:
This is one of the most important points to keep in mind while choosing the canvas. Make sure you know the accurate shape and size of the canvas that will easily fit your picture. With a portrait, a vertical canvas is always the best option for canvas printing. Landscape pictures should always be fixed in a horizontal canvas. This will focus the picture perfectly and will make the center alignment to adjust perfectly.C
- Make sure to check the size of your photo:
You should know the size of your photo which you will be providing for canvas printing. This will also help you in choosing the correct size of the canvas. You can simply do this by using a computer. Since we all have our pictures saved on our phones or laptops now, we can check the size of our pictures by clicking on the given option of 'properties'. This will even tell us the resolution of the picture, how high or low it is and whether it is perfect for canvas printing or not. We have these options available for our convenience; we just have to act smart to use them effectively.
From what other places can you choose your photo?
Now, this has been a common query for many newbies. You can choose your photos from where ever you have saved them, or even from where you have posted them on any of your social media accounts. You can choose your photos from your phone's gallery and transfer to your computer, either through email or Whatsapp. You can even pick one of the fan-favorite photos of yours from Facebook as well. Transfer them to your computer to check the size and the resolution of the photo; whether it is a perfect fit for canvas printing or not. This will even help you to check the resolution and sharpness of the pixels.
Does Canvas Printing Enhance the Ambiance of the home?
A canvas print enhances and beautifies the ambiance of any home. It surely gives an attractive look, as discussed above. It makes your picture wall look realistic and practical by adding some real colors and shades in the picture, which adds value to your place. Make sure that the picture you choose is of a perfect size and shape according to the room, and it should contrast the color of the room to make it look more attractive.
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Recently, the Institute of Family Studies published a blog post taking on the difficulty with obtaining statistics on adopted children's educational outcomes. The author conducted an analysis of a longitudinal study starting in 1998 that captured data of 19000 kindergartners in which information from 160 adopted children and families could be found. From the data, the author concluded that adopted children, "display above-average levels of problem behavior, exhibit below-average levels of positive learning attitudes, and score below average on reading and math assessments, despite their advantaged family background." Three reasons were hypothesized to explain these disparity: attachment issues, past trauma, and "genetic endowment."
As this critique suggests, the report makes alarming generalizations regarding what we can know about adopted children from this data, and about attachment, trauma, and genetics. First, attachment should not be just casually mentioned considering how attachment theory and DSM criteria for attachment disorders is often misapplied in adoption to pathologize and blame children for their experiences. Second, addressing trauma was regarded as nearly hopeless. No credit is given to resiliency or post-traumatic growth. Third, the idea that adopted children are genetically inferior to their adoptive parents because birth parents must be genetically inferior, as evidenced by adoptive parent wealth and education, is outrageous at very best.
The Atlantic, no stranger to publishing adult-centric articles that pathologize children, took this one step further. Its highlight of the IFS post went so far as to say reading books to children, sharing family meals, and being involved in school makes adoptive parents more invested in their children. One study they linked to used these criteria (among others, such as owning a computer) to measure how invested adoptive parents are in raising children not biologically related to them.


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Category Archives: My Journey
Some thoughts on my journey through cancer and into the deeper walk with my Father.
My 4 Fathers
I'm reposting "My 4 Fathers," to give my new friends some of my deep feelings about important Dads in my life. I hope it also reminds those who have already read it, to value, honor, and respect thet "Dads" you have.
How many fathers have you had? Were they good ones? I've had 3 dads in my life +1 – all of whom brought something special into my life that have contributed to who I am and what I am becoming.
My birth dad's name was James Robert Devers. He was one of 10 children and fathered a family of 7 children, of which I am smack dab in the middle, #4 child (1 sister – the eldest, and 5 brothers). Dad was a handsome, strong, viral, 6' 2" tall man, with sandy brown hair, bright blue eyes and a pleasant demeanor. He and my mom married when he was 22 and she was 16.
Though we lived on our own land, financially we would have been considered a lower income family; living without such amenities as indoor plumbing, a furnace, or electricity. We heated with wood and coal and lighted our home with kerosene lamps.
My dad was raised on a farm in north-eastern Virginia – you won't find many farms in that area now because it's mostly a bedroom community for Washington DC. He did not graduate from high school – having quit school to work on his dad's farm after the eighth grade. At age 17 he went to work for the railroad, doing manual labor on the "yards", where train cars came in for repairs.
James Devers was a man of integrity – if he gave his word, he kept it. He was a hard worker, an outdoorsman. My dad taught us by his life to not be lazy. He was self-sufficient and industrious.
As he continued to work for the railroad, Dad also did odd jobs for friends, extended family and neighbors. Plus he had a large garden in the summer to help feed his family. Any garden overage was taken to the farmers' market or given away. He was a very outgoing man, friendly to strangers – there were not many people in our town that he did not know. Dad felt that to have friends, you had to be friendly. He was optimistic, confident, and generous, especially to his girls. He was also proud and prejudiced.
He came from a stock of people who accepted bad news as a part of life. When he was diagnosed with cancer at age 64, he accepted death as inevitable – which didn't quite gel with his optimistic nature. He lived for only two more years.
Cancer brought him to faith in Christ – as he said to me from his hospital bed – "I know who I have to trust for heaven, and it's not me." And the person who led him to Christ was one that, due to Dad's racial prejudices, would not have been allowed into his inner personal space a few years before. But God's love does that – it takes down barriers and redefines us and our long-held beliefs.
At the time my dad became ill, I was single, living in NJ and attending a church there. My pastor and his wife had no children of their own and "adopted" me. I remember when my dad was diagnosed they said to me, "You will always have a home with us."
So, when my birth dad passed away, I had another dad. His name was Phil and he was basically a "city boy". He was raised as an only child in a middle income family. Phil was very different from my father, though about the same age. He was college and seminary educated, not of many words, and had a deep faith that had sustained him since youth. He was thoughtful and a good listener. He had a good sense of humor, but was not loud like my father. He also was a man of his word and chose his words carefully. He was a careful planner, financial saver, and wise investor. He was a "suit and tie man", where my birth dad was a work pants, work boots guy, except for occasions like weddings. Phil wasn't expressive with his affection, but he, along with my adopted mom, parented me as a young adult – shared their lives, even vacations with me and later with my husband.
My third dad was my father-in-law, Dave Alves. I think when he died I cried more than my husband did. He was upper-middle class, college-educated, and had served in the US Navy. He had risen from immigrant Portuguese status to a management position with an insurance firm. Dad Alves was a fun person. He filled a room when he entered. He was the entertainer at family parties. Outgoing, stubborn, but never quite sure of himself. He was warm and accepting and interested in kids – my husband's childhood friends loved being around his dad.
I also loved Dad Alves because he and his wife, Betty, had adopted my husband, David, from an orphanage when he was about age 4 or 5 years old. They took a chance on a kid who had been in 10 or so foster homes in the first couple years after being removed from his birth parents by the state of Massachusetts. Dave and Betty did a good job with him.
Dad Alves not only accepted me, but was proud of my vocal abilities and encouraged David and me in our Christian concert ministry – though not a follower of Christ at the time. He came to a commitment to Christ on his hospital bed after a heart attack. He died several months later.
All three of my "dads" contributed to what I have been and am becoming, by loving me, encouraging me in my particular ministry pursuits, validating my abilities, and modeling character traits such as: generosity, kindness, friendliness, integrity, hard work, honesty, truthfulness, and courage to face what comes your way. They also taught me the need for listening to others, taking time for fun, and applying yourself to your goals.
But my 4th dad is the best of all – and that's my Heavenly Father. Though I'm sure He was active in my life long before I recognized Him as "Father", He proves over and over how very precious I am as a daughter of His. He has provided me with tools not only for this life, but for the life beyond this one. Unlike my other dads, He has promised never to leave me or forsake me. He has promised to complete the work He has begun in me, to give me wisdom for each situation, to answer my prayers, to heal me, to save me from disaster, to be with me in trouble, to cause "all things to work for good" in my life.
I don't have to travel to visit Him, but I can have an audience with Him any time of the day or night. He listens to my yearnings, my pleadings, my supplications, my confessions, my complaints, my discouragements, my questions, my theorizing and my expressions of gratitude. His presence fills the room, especially the room inside me, more than either of my other dads. He points out my faults and weaknesses only to show me a better way and to lead me to learn to trust Him completely with my life.
Thank you, God for my three earthly fathers, and for being the ultimate Father for whatever "orphans" are out there, who want to be in a loving family with a loving Dad.
©2011, Marcy Alves
I Love Living in the USA
I love living in the USA; and amidst all the political and ideological clashes we face in this nation, I am still thankful that I live in a country where people are clambering to get in, not out.
While I don't claim to be a world traveler, I have visited several other countries for both ministry opportunities and pleasure. With each foray beyond the borders of the United States, I have been glad to come back "home". I realize that some of my discomfort in other countries has sometimes been due to not knowing the local language – having to work through an interpreter – but it's more than that.
Each culture, even those countries where English is the primary language, has necessitated adjustments for me; for instance using different English words for the same item – a sweater is a "jumper" in Aussie land, for instance.
But there are many other challenges, such as:
- Differences in monetary units, dollar exchange, and sales taxes that required constant mental calculations as to what a meal, service, or item actually costs
- Different expectations as to what is polite, or humorous, or taboo
- Hot weather with no air-conditioning
- Hard beds – no, make that very hard beds – on one of our trips we slept on a thin mattress on a bed made of cement – it was actually more comfortable sleeping on the floor.
- Strange food – I once ordered a "regular hamburger" at a MacDonald's in Australia and it was served with sliced beets on it; also once had tropical fruit pizza (I was expecting cheese and tomato sauce).
- Dangerous roadways and unusual public conveyances – once on a trip in Haiti I rode with a missionary friend in a "tap-tap" (a truck with bench seats in the back) which wound up the mountain on a major "highway" that offered a scenic view, accompanied by a drop-off ledge with no guard-rails and a very narrow shoulder.
- A lack of driving laws – or a lack of enforcement; in our travels we often don't know which – more than once we felt our lives endangered from what we considered reckless driving on roads in much need of repair or safety features.
In any event, whether the differences made a visit to foreign soil either challenging or enjoyable, I have always been glad to get back to the USA.
We have so much here in the United States to be thankful for: adequate food supplies, cheap gasoline (compared to other advanced nations – though the prices have crept up a lot in the past couple years), clean water, the best health care system anywhere, freedom of religion (so far), freedom of speech (so far – though there are many instances where this right is being challenged by the thought/speech control fanatics), the rule of law without military enforcement, the lowest jobless rate anywhere in the world (even with our present high unemployment rate); a volunteer military; and the most affable, generous people in the world.
There is something about the way Americans care about others who are facing disaster – both natural and man-made – and how they seek to alleviate suffering wherever they find it, that I admire. My fellow citizens are extremely generous and give more of themselves and their substance to others in need than do those from most other countries around the world. Americans are rescuers, often even to their own harm.
I love being able to travel from state to state, town to town, on highways and back-roads and to encounter folks who speak the same language, share the same feelings about living free, follow the same sports teams, root for the underdog, are quick to stop and help a stranded highway traveler with a flat tire, advise you on the best restaurant in town, or suggest the motel with the cleanest rooms.
I love football games, homecomings, 4th of July fireworks, parades with marching bands, summers at the beach, pizza, backyard barbecues, and baseball games.
I love the political process and the freedom to run for an office if you want to help change things in our nation. I love the debates – (however, I do wish that each side would take a minute to listen to the other viewpoint before jumping in with negatives). Though we need to learn to compromise on minor points in order to find common ground on the major ones, still we are free to disagree without fearing reprisal or imprisonment for holding a minority view in government.
I could go on and on, but I won't. I just want to say that I love living in America. I think it is very important to protect the freedoms we have of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".
I do not live in a war-torn nation.. I've never had my life threatened in any of the places I've visited, or feared for my life in any travel situation. I have not faced famine. I've not been persecution for my faith. I've not been imprisoned for having a "variant faith" or of seeking to win others to Christ. I am so thankful for every freedom we have.
I thank God for those individuals who have given and are now giving their very lives to preserve the freedoms we so often take for granted.
There is a slow erosion of many of the values we have held, which are woven into the fabric of our society – too much pulling on those threads and society as we know it will come unraveled.
So I continually lift our nation in prayer to God. I pray not just for God's blessing, but also for His mercy and grace to allow us to continue in the religious and personal freedoms we have come to enjoy and often take for granted.
Happy 4th of July to you!!
©2012, Marcy Alves (edited, 2014)
Mom by Birth, by Choice, by Design
How do you define "mother"? "Bing" dictionary defines "mother" as a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the egg which in union with a sperm grew into a child; a female parent."
I find those definitions to be inadequate. Because being a real mother has more to do with caring nurture, not an accidental relationship. Most women I know are moms by birth, by choice, or by God's unique design; they are either "momming" their own children, motherless kids, pets, friends, elderly parents, or other needy people (my husband would jokingly add "even their husbands").
I have had two special "moms" in my life, one by birth and the other by God-created circumstance.
My birth mom gave me life, as well as birthing 6 other children – 3 prior to me and 3 after. She took care of me until I was old enough to take care of myself – which to me was when I was about age 6 and thought I didn't need anyone to take care of me or tell me what to – until I got hungry or was afraid of the dark or got sick. My mom taught me to read by reading books with me, cut out paper dolls with me, made sure I attended school, and saw that I was fed and dressed for the weather. She listened to me when I needed to talk, corrected me when I tried to put the blame on others, defended me from my 2 older brothers until I was old enough to fight back, and was always available as a stay-at-home-mom – which gave me a great degree of security. She died while I was in college. You can read more about her in a previous blog post,
Shortly after I graduated from college, the Lord gave me another "mom". She is still Mom to me. She was my pastor's wife, a totally different person from my birth mom. She was a "birthless" mom, in the sense of physically bearing children. But she heart-adopted several young women, of which I am one. I was very involved in her life of ministry. She mentored me and encouraged me in my endeavors to serve the Lord. She involved me in the ministry of the church by taking into account my abilities, gifts and passions and channeling them. She made me a part of her retreats, special events, etc. by allowing me to use my musical gifts. She even launched me into teaching seminars on her retreats, even though I was untested and she knew that there were areas of disagreement on a few theological issues.
My second mom and her husband also involved me in their personal lives, invited me to share their vacations at the ocean and at their cottage on a lake in the Pocono Mountains. After I married, my husband, David was also included as one of the family. My second mom was Dorothy Worth, better known as "Dot". "Mom Dot" took an interest in my romantic life and often gave me her counsel on different boyfriends or tried to steer me toward those she was more favorable toward. She took me on shopping trips and taught me by her lifestyle how to do hospitality in the home.
Whereas my birth mom was a home-body, shy and a bit reclusive, countrified, unsure of herself in many areas, my second mom was confident, out-going and full of energy.
My birth mom was a "good woman", open to God, but not knowledgeable about the Bible or spiritual things. I had the privilege of leading her to the Lord Jesus during my first year of college. My adopted mom was a radio Bible teacher, who spent time in the word and in prayer. She gave me guidance and helped to round out my spiritual development. Later in her life, following a serious stroke, she was confined to a wheelchair, and lived in a total life-care facility in Lancaster, PA. Even there she played a big part in my life – encouraging and praying for me. She also played a mean game of Scrabble, challenging me whenever I visited her. She also keept up with the Phillies and the Philadelphia Eagles. Mom Dot passed away on December 21, 2016 at the age of 92. I really miss talking with her on the phone and reading to her from her Facebook page as her eyesight faded more and more.
Both moms – by birth and by God's direction are very special to me. They both had a profound effect on my life. They were both caring nurturers, each in her own way.
I have not birthed a child. My daughters are "born" out of a heart relationship with me and my husband. They are heart adoptions. We recently moved in with our special daughter, Tammy, and her husband, Lew. The others live a distance away, but there is still a heart-connection. Whether by birth or God's design, mothering can be very fulfilling.
A friend of ours was unable to bear children, so she and her husband adopted 7 children of mixed racial and national backgrounds. She is a super mom who home-schools her kids, teaches them about God's creation through outdoor schooling, shows them self-reliance by involving them in gardening and raising chickens, and loves them into the kingdom of God.
Another "childless" friend of ours is a free-lance "social worker". She does not work for an agency, but through her church and social contacts is always "mothering" people who need encouragement, help, caring nurture – no matter their age. Another friend who is single, invests herself in the lives of troubled youth. She has a "mom" heart.
If you are a "wannabe" mom who has not been able to conceive or carry a child to term or are unmarried and beyond the age of childbirth possibility, ask God to connect you with someone who needs a caring relationship – child or young adult – that you can minister to by loving nurture. Be a mom to someone who has longed to have a mother to encourage, counsel and care for him or her. I can testify from both sides of the picture that being a "mom" by birth, by choice, or by design is a very important and fulfilling role.
©2014, Marcy Alves
Living in Light of the Resurrection
I woke up on "Good Friday" a few years back, thinking of the day more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus was crucified.
I wondered how something so sad, like the death of a righteous man on a cross could be called "good". It seems that it should be called "sad" or "disappointing" based on the way the disciples of Jesus must have felt on that day.
Can you picture it? The one you had counted on who was going to rescue you from Rome; the hope of the Jewish people who would change the way religion was done, was now hanging on a cross – suffering the same fate as thieves and other law-breakers. How can that be good?
The events of that original Friday would have been justifiably the saddest day in the lives of the disciples if another promised event had not taken place on the Sunday that followed. The victory of the cross over sin and death was climaxed by the resurrection. Without the resurrection it would not have been a victory at all – not then and not now. And the church of Christ would not have survived into the 21st century.
The apostle Paul said several things about resurrection:
I Cor. 15:13-17,32
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.
The empty tomb sealed the deal. Death could not hold Jesus down. And it doesn't have to hold you down – His resurrection opened the way for us, a door into life – not only in the future, but right here and right now.
In a sense, what happened on Friday of that first "Easter" weekend needs to happen in each of our lives, in order for it's intended purpose to benefit us. A personal "crucifixion" has to take place:
Gal. 2:20a – "I am crucified with Christ:" says the apostle Paul.
I hadve to die to myself to come to Christ. Everyone of us who has had a true conversion experience has to come to this conclusion: there is nothing I can do to save myself, to get myself right with God; Jesus did that for me on the cross – He made a way for me to get right with God.
Thank God, Jesus was raised from the dead! And because of His resurrection, I too can share in that resurrected life:
Gal. 2:20: " . . . nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (KJV)
I don't have to wait until I die physically to experience a resurrection. When I died to myself at the foot of the cross of Jesus, accepting His sacrifice for my sins and giving up doing it on my own, He raised me up spiritually. I have already been resurrected in Him. Now I am truly alive – and the life I live is His life in me.
The challenge for all of us is to reckon that we are dead to the old ways and now are freed to live in the light of the resurrection – for
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new is here." 2 Cor. 5:17
That's what is good about "Good Friday" – it had in view what was to come, and paved the way for us to be able to walk in the light and power of the resurrection, right here, right now.
Are you experiencing resurrection life?
The message of resurrection life is captured in a song from one of my music CD's. Hope you enjoy it:
©2011, Marcy Alves, revised 2015
Your Death on the Cross
Who was it that hung on the cross? It was a liar, an adulterer, a murderer, a thief, a fornicator, a greedy person, a hardened criminal, a selfish person, an abuser, an addict, and the list goes on and on. But how can I say this? Am I a blasphemer against our Lord Jesus?
Gal. 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" NRSV
Jesus hung on the cross for us, in our place. He died for all kinds of sin, for all kinds of sinners. Think you're not a sinner? I once thought I wasn't. Keep reading.
Gal. 5:19-22 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. NRSV
I was a young teenager when God spoke to me about my personal sins by leading a speaker at a youth meeting to use the Scripture quoted above. I had not done really bad things, but I saw myself in the list of sins in the verses above. We were very poor and I had jealousy and envy and sometimes anger about not being able to have things I wanted to have or live in the kind of house where I could comfortably invite friends over. I also had a lot of pride, which is probably why I was ashamed about our house and our poverty.
We were all in big trouble before the crucifixion of Jesus. But thank God:
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2: 24
I remember responding to an invitation the night of the youth meeting, to be cleansed from my sin. I told the Lord that I was wrong – I did have sin in my life – and that I was sorry. I asked for His forgiveness and He told me that because of Jesus death on the cross, I was already forgiven. It felt like a warm blanket of love had been placed round my shoulders that night. I have never doubted from that night that God loves me and that I have access to the God of the universe now through Jesus. I was re-born that night.
According to the Scriptures, all who have been re-born by the Holy Spirit of God were "crucified with Christ" on that cross.
Gal. 2:19-20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
You and I spiritually hung on the cross with Jesus – He felt our sin, our shame, our guilt. He took our punishment, our pain, our wounds into himself. We have been set free.
Rom. 6:5-6 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.
Because Jesus was raised from the dead, resurrected, we who are born again by His Spirit also participate in that resurrection, both now and in the future when Jesus returns. The power that was unleashed in the resurrection of Christ is available to us to live the life we have been called to live – one of victory over sin in this earthly life and over death itself when the physical body "dies". All this is through the gift of eternal life that was revealed in the resurrection of Christ and promised to all those who put their faith in Christ. Halleluiah!
Forget the Easter bunnies and colored eggs and chocolate candy. Praise the Lord that Jesus conquered death!
Happy Resurrection Day!!
©2012, Marcy Alves (edited 4/19/2014)
Thanksgiving: A State of Mind – An Expression of Faith
How do you celebrate Thanksgiving Day? Do you intentionally make the giving of thanks a part of your Thanksgiving observance? Or do you, as many other Americans, simply enjoy the meal with family or friends, oblivious to God's many blessings in your life? If you are thankful, do you express your thanks outwardly?
Thanksgiving is not just something you do, it is also a state of mind, and an expression of faith that recognizes the benevolent unseen Being who is responsible for all good gifts that come our way.
As a child I felt there was something different between the Thanksgiving meal and other dinners, even though it was not the habit at our house to say a prayer of thanks to God on Thanksgiving Day; in fact there were not many prayers said for any reason at our house. When I became a Christian as a young teenager, I asked if we could say a a prayer before the Thanksgiving meal, and my father permitted me to offer a prayer of thanks. My parents were not unthankful, but they didn't express gratitude in prayer. We were not taught that what we had came from God's hands, though He got credit for the rain when we needed it for our garden.
Now, as an adult, with my husband and family, and others with whom we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, we make it a point to share at least one thing we are thankful for as we sit at the dinner table.
In these days of economic downturn, compounded with a slow recovery from the loss of jobs over the past several years, and the ever-increasing government debt, an attitude of gratitude does not come easy; it has to be cultivated.
Here are some "gratitude starters" to help you develop a thankful heart:
- a roof over your head
- food to eat
- clothes on your back
- friends (come on, you must have at least one)
- family
- your job (your present job or one that's coming in the near future because you are trusting God for it)
- freedom of speech (while we still have it),
- a free country that, in spite of its shortcomings, is still a place where foreigners are clamoring to get into
- a sunrise or sunset,
- trees and flowers,
- snow, rain and early morning dew
- the ability to walk unassisted
- the ability to read
- the senses of smell, taste, touch, hearing and sight
- art and music
- hundreds of other things
A Christian's faith in a loving God is best expressed in the ability to see beyond present circumstances, as bad as they might be, and find things for which to be thankful. There are many blessings that appear to the person with a thankful heart.
There are numerous examples in Scripture of the offering of thanks, beginning with our Lord Jesus, who gave thanks to the Father every time He broke bread with the disciples and the throngs of people whom He fed with a few loaves of bread and a few fish (Matt. 14:17-21). In the Gospel of John, Jesus thanks the Father for hearing his prayers:
" . . . Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." John 11:41-42
The apostle Paul frequently referred to giving thanks: he gave thanks for people (Phil. 1:3), for the faith of converts (Rom. 1:8), for obedience of believers (Rom. 6:17), for spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:18), for victory over sin (1 Cor. 15:57), for answered prayers (2 Cor. 1:11), for people who cared for others (2 Cor. 8:15), for the gift of grace provided through Christ (2 Cor. 9:15), for financial support of the ministry (2 Cor. 9:12), for believers (Eph. 1:16), for pleasant memories of people (Phil. 1:3), for joy (1 Thess. 3:9), for strength and being chosen for service for God (1 Tim. 1:12), for everything (Eph. 5:20).
When should we give thanks and for what?
Eph. 5:15-16,19-20 " Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. . . . Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Phil. 4:5b-7 "The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
It's when we begin to express thanksgiving to God for everything and in the midst of everything, that our faith comes out and takes a bow and the peace of God settles around us like a warm blanket. Darkness is driven away and the glow of the Spirit shines in our inner being. This is true spiritual life – the life that Christ came to give us.
Col. 2:6-7 "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
What more examples do we need of thankful living in the midst of difficult circumstances, than the examples of the Apostle Paul and our Lord Jesus Christ?
The Apostle Paul received death threats and had to be sneaked out of a city for his safety; suffered shipwreck while being transported as a prisoner; was snake-bitten and beaten with a whip on several occasions; went hungry; was imprisoned and finally killed. But in the midst of it all, he gave thanks to God.
Jesus Christ, God's own Son, suffered persecution, criticism, verbal and physical abuse, lies about his character, rejection, misunderstanding (even from his closest followers), beatings, chains, an unfair trial, and death on the cross. But His life was a continual picture of trust in and thanks to His Father.
Why were our Savior and His followers, like Paul, able to endure hardships and constant crisis in their lives and still be at peace and full of joy? I believe it was because of their thankful hearts that came from their constant communion with God, punctuated with prayers of thankfulness, based on what they knew of the heart of our heavenly Father. They lived within the sound of His heartbeat.
May you develop a life of daily thanks to God for His gift of life through Jesus, and His continual provisions for you out of His heart of love. May hearing His heartbeat cause your heart to resonate with gratitude for every blessing.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
©2013, Marcy Alves
Related articles
- Thanksgiving = RESTFULNESS (gbmministry.wordpress.com)
- A Week of Thanksgiving: Be Thankful in All Circumstances by Mark D. Roberts (trinityspeaks.wordpress.com)


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Mon, 27 Aug 2018
University of Limerick is seeking to fill one graduate vacancy on its Governing Authority for the remainder of the term of office which runs to 30 November 2022.
All details on eligibility and voting are available here.
The deadline for completed nomination forms was 16h00 GMT Tuesday 4 September 2018. Voting in the election will be by electronic means only.
In order to vote graduates must be a member of UniversaL, UL's alumni online community.
Graduates may vote from 09h00 GMT, Tuesday 25 September 2018 to 15h00 GMT, Wednesday 26 September 2018.
Results of the election will be posted online by 16h00 GMT, Wednesday 26 September 2018.


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Today's Patriotic Quote:
"I shall know but one country. The ends I aim at shall be my country's, my God's and Truth's. I was born an American; I live an American; I shall die an American." Daniel Webster
Be Proud – Be Patriotic – Be American
See our American Flag clothing and accessories at


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Dr. Evana Janbeh
Specialist – Dermatology
Department: Dermatology and Cosmetology
Nationality: Syrian
Languages: English, Arabic
Location: Dubai – World Trade Centre
Contact: +971 4 372 8888
- Cosmetic procedures
- Fillers injections
- Botox injections
- Mesotherapy
- Phototherapy
- Chemical peeling
- Threads technique
- Minor skin surgery
- FemiLift Laser
- PDO Threads Lift
- All uses of laser therapy
- Hair removal
- Licensed Dermatology Specialist – Dubai Health Authority, United Arab Emirates
- Licensed Dermatology Specialist – Saudi Commission For Health Specialties SCFHS, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Licensed Dermatology Specialist – Ministry of Health, Syrian Arab Republic
- 2009 Master's Degree in Dermatology
- 2003 Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) – Damascus University, Syria
- Member – Emirates Medical Association, United Arab Emirates
- Member – Syrian Arab Society of Dermatology (SASOD), Syria
Dr. Evana Janbeh started her career as a dermatologist in 2005 with specialized medical centre in her home country, Syria.
In 2009, she moved to Saudi Arabia until 2018. In May 2018, she joined CosmeSurge as a Dermatology Specialist.
Dr. Evana is expert in all the cosmetic procedures such as Fillers injection (all kind of filler injection, face contouring, under eye injection and nose lifting). She performs advanced threads technique for face and neck lifting. And, uses Botox injection – advanced Botox injection for face, neck and hyperhidrosis for face, neck, hands and armpit; and Botox injection for face slimming.
Aside from these, Dr. Evana does mesotherapy by injecting microscopic quantities of pharmaceuticals, vitamins and minerals deep for the dark circles, hair loss and skin aging; phototherapy; chemical peeling (all kind of chemical peel for glowing and resurfacing of the skin and skin lesions as pigmantation and scars).
Dr. Evana is also expert in all cosmetic and treatment using laser for hair removal. She performs minor skin surgery and uses Fotofinder for early check of skin cancer and biopsy when needed.


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Andalusian researchers work on a device to "see" coronaviruses deposited on surfaces
April 14th 2020
The Carlos III health institute, from the Spanish Research and Innovation Ministry, provides half a million euros to create a prototype allowing a quick analysis without touching surfaces contaminated by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, by combining image acquisition systems in the whole optical and terahertz (submillimetric) ranges and analyzing them with artificial intelligence.
Researchers participating in the project are from the higher technical school of engineering at Seville university, Virgen del Rocio university hospital, Seville biomedical institute, Andalusian network for the design and translation of advanced therapies, TEDAX (EOD) from the national police force, joint research center from the EU commission and technological corporation of Andalusia, and Calar Alto Observatory as well.
Calar Alto faces the COVID-19 crisis
March 30th 2020
To cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest observatory on the European mainland has taken protective and restrictive actions for its staff and visitors, adapting its working model in a responsible way. The Calar Alto team is working mostly remotely to be ready to resume its usual operations once the current preventive measures will not be needed anymore.
The Calar Alto observatory has been adapting its working conditions to the circumstances of the pandemic hitting the country (and in some cases, anticipating the actions), while insuring the health and safety of its people as well as the integrity of its systems.
Storms in Jupiter cause a cyclone to split
January 7th 2020
A group from the Basque Country University has followed-up for one year a series of convective storms inside a cyclone on Jupiter and, by means of simulations, found that storms of this size could only have been generated by water condensation.
In February 2018, a series of convective storms occurred on Jupiter. They were storms with strong vertical movements and great precipitation development that were so powerful that they completely changed the region where they took place: a cyclone 28,000 km long, called a ghost cyclone -- owing to its weak contrast which renders it difficult to make out in observations from the Earth, although it could be observed from Calar Alto.
A more sustainable observatory: Calar Alto will be converted into an "energy island"
March 6th 2020
Calar Alto Observatory starts its energy transition thanks to a ERDF (European Regional Development Fund)-supported project.
Using biomass and solar energy will considerably reduce the ecological imprint of the observatory, as well as the costs associated to its energy needs.
The Calar Alto Observatory, the largest optical observatory in mainland Europe, has been, since its establishment in 1973, one of the motors of the development of Spanish astrophysics. Located in the Sierra de los Filabres (Almería), at an altitude of over two thousand and one hundred meters, the observatory faces considerable needs in energy derived from its situation in a high mountain range and its technological features. In the next months, thanks to a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/FEDER), the observatory will partially replace its energy sources to reduce its ecological footprint.
Possible satellite detected around the Trans-Neptunian object Varuna
December 11th 2019
Astronomers have detected hints of a satellite orbiting Varuna, an object located beyond Neptune, after observing it for nearly 15 years, in particular from Calar Alto.
Beyond Neptune, the eighth and last planet in the Solar System, orbit many Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). Lying at large distances (more than 30 times the one of the Earth to the Sun), TNOs preserve
fossil records of the nebula that gave birth to the Solar System. To date, about 2,500 TNOs have been discovered; among them, Varuna, a large TNO of nearly 1000 km in its longest (elongated) shape.
Solar Orbiter spotted with the Schmidt two days after launch
February 12th 2020
Using the Calar Alto Schmidt telescope remotely from Italy, a team from the Planetary Defence Office of the European Spatial Agency (ESA) managed to observe the Solar Orbiter satellite and booster two days after launch from Cape Canaveral. The observations were obtained in coordination with ESA's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC).
Despite a very bright (nearly Full) Moon these days, the quality of the sky and of the telescopes at Calar Alto has allowed Marco Micheli, an astronomer at ESA, to recover Solar Orbiter -- a joint ESA/NASA mission -- well after its launch in the morning of February 10, 2020 with an Atlas V rocket. After the ESOC's Mission Analysis team computed an accurate post-launch trajectory, Micheli pointed the Schmidt telescope to the expected position, and Solar Orbiter was indeed recovered in the field.
Public Surveys and new instrumentation for Calar Alto Observatory
November 20th 2019
The Calar Alto observatory (CAHA) is a key institution for the international astronomical community, for its highly competitive astronomical facilities (telescopes and instrumentation). From 2019 on, the current administration of CAHA includes the Junta de Andalucía as a new partner - replacing the Max Planck Gesellschaft -, and together with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) these two institutions manage the operation of the observatory.
The recent success of long-term observational projects already finished (CALIFA) or close to finalization (CARMENES), together with the innovative tradition in available instrumentation of CAHA, point to the necessity of a new call to the international astronomical community for scientific and technological proposals that will contribute to keep the level of excellence of the observatory.


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Below is the link for the CHEROKEE HS NJROTC CHIEFS store online!
There are more than 1,200 products that you can personalize with your name, number, and year. And the best part is every purchase benefits our unit!
There is no minimum order quantity on any product, and they ship out within 5 business days.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
NJROTC Online Clothing Store
Major Rory Meehan


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Encouraging Children to Speak Kindly
There are two Bible verses I've been talking about with the kids a lot recently. Here they are:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
Can you tell what we've been struggling with as a family? I feel like if the kids were actually following these guidelines it would probably mean "erasing" about half of what they say (we won't talk about how much of what I say would need to be erased). It happens over and over. One child says something rude or unthoughtful. The other child responds in kind (or worse), and things escalate from there. They both want to win, but when our family is in conflict everyone loses.
With summer vacation looming (does that adequately communicate how I'm feeling about that?), I definitely feel the need to come up with a plan that will help to encourage the boys to speak to each other kindly. I'm sharing my plan with you so that a) I will actually do it and b) maybe someone will have good advice for me about how to make it more successful.
My plan is to make stack of lego bricks and have a tub nearby of additional bricks that can be added to the tower. When I hear the boys say something kind to each other or their cousins, they will get to add a brick to the tower because they were "building others up". When I hear them saying unkind things, bricks will come off the tower. I'm thinking that there might be some "fake encouraging" over the first couple of days that we do this. Honestly, that doesn't really bother me. They are in such a habit of speaking negatively that the sudden onset of positive talk (even if it's not sincere) might help them get out of that rut. I'm thinking I'll offer some kind of a reward for when the tower reaches a certain number of blocks. Maybe something we can do together as a family, to connect to the relational aspect of this project.
So you might be thinking, "Wait, aren't you just addressing a symptom instead of a root cause?" I think that if I was doing this in isolation that would probably be the case. However, I'm really thinking of this as being a visual encouragement of something I talk about often with my kids. Our family should be a safe place. Out in "the world" people might put you down or embarrass you, but in our family we need to respect each other and take care of each other. When we treat each other the right way everybody wins and we all enjoy being around each other a lot more (and oh yeah, you are less likely to get sent to your room to play by yourself). Sometimes I feel like parenting must be a little like flying an airplane in the dark. I know where I'd like to end up but I'm not exactly sure if I'm doing a good job getting us there! I'm hoping this can be an "instrument" that will help us along our way.
Will you pray for me along this journey? I need to be a good example to my kids in the way that I build others up or respond to a negative comment! We really all need God's help to make good choices in this very challenging area.
This isn't really a new topic. Here's another way I've talked with my kids about Ephesians 4:29.


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Last seen on April 20, 2017 leaving Disneyland with his father, paternal grandmother and a third adult, little 5 year old Aramazd Andressian Jr., aka Piqui, has now been missing for over 7 weeks.
It was learned that Andressian Sr. was spotted in Orange County on the morning of April 21, then later that day at Lake Cachuma. Piqui was not seen with him. In the early morning hours of April 22, Andressian Sr. was located in Arroyo Park lying next to his gasoline doused BMV in a state of faked unconsciousness. Piqui was no where to be found. Andressian Sr. has been named a person of interest, since he was one of the last people seen with Piqui and claimed Piqui was with him at Arroyo Park on April 22. He has also provided authorities with "inconsistent" and "misleading" statements.
Last month Arroyo Park was searched more thoroughly (based on a "credible tip"), and Andressian Sr.'s mother's Montebello home was searched for evidence. Authorities have declined to reveal what they uncovered, but did disclose that searches were related to leads they had developed.
After working through the evidence they have now gathered, Los Angeles law enforcement officials determined that Piqui's father had driven the roads between Solvang to Nojoqui Falls and along Highway 154 south of Lake Cachuma in what appears to be a loop some time after they all left Disneyland but before Andressian Sr.'s next credible sighting at Lake Cachuma on April 21. As a result, this week 150 search-and-rescue personnel began a new, intense search for Piqui in those areas of the Santa Ynez Valley. The first leg of this search is focusing on roadside stops to determine if he hid Piqui somewhere out there, handed him off to someone, or if he discarded anything off of the sides of the roadways. The search efforts include scent dogs, deputies on horseback, drones, and a helicopter.
If Andressian Sr. had originally meant to take the cowardice way out and intentionally end his own life after the disappearance of Piqui, he may try it again. We hope authorities are also keeping a close eye on him while they slowly close in on him.


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About Me
I started painting when I was 6 years old and I haven't really stopped since. Art is why I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. I continually think art will help us understand the biggest of questions and the smallest of trivialities.
Working artist. Freelance illustrator. Professional picture framer. Art education teacher.
My History
I grew up in Washington, DC. I attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a major in painting and drawing and a minor in performance art. I graduated from SAIC with a BFA in 2005. I have worked for various museums and galleries in Chicago and Washington, DC including: The Phillips Collection, Atlas Galleries, Smithsonian, and the Art Institute of Chicago. I was recently working in Baltimore, MD where I was working on new pieces involving collage and mixed media. I've recently decided to take on still life and portraits in oil paint and watercolor, and applying different encaustic techniques to various substrates and textures.


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Tank Commanders!
We're launching our month-long series of festive specials titled the March of Nations today! With some incredible discounts on offer from December to January next year, we're confident that you'll find a good bargain somewhere along the way.
This mini-special is the first to accompany the main March of Nations special, which will run for a full month from December to January next year (click here to find out more about that). We're offering additional discounts specifically for the USSR tank line, as well as a x2 Crew EXP for all battles for this duration. Find out more below!
Event Start: 16 December, 2013 (Monday) @ 13:30 - 14:00 UTC+8 (06:00 UTC)
Event End: 20 December, 2013 (Friday) @ 13:30 - 14:00 UTC+8 (06:00 UTC)
All Tier V USSR Vehicles (Premium tanks not included)
All Tier VI - VII USSR Vehicles (Premium tanks not included)
Think this special is abnormally light? That's because it's an addon to the main special of the month: the March of Nations. Almost everything is on offer right now, including discounts on Consumables, Crew Re(training) and even Crew Skill Resets. Not to mention a rare 15% off for ALL Tier VIII - X vehicles!


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Blackjack Super 21 is a multi-hand blackjack variant played with 6 decks and according to the traditional rules – players win if their hand has a higher value than the dealer's but does not exceed a total of 21. The payout rate for natural Blackjack hand is lower than the standard 3:2 unless the hand is suited.
Blackjack Super 21 allows the player to bet on 1 - 5 hands at the same time – to start the session, one must submit at least one Ante bet and click on the "Deal" button. After the cards are drawn from the shoe, the following options will appear on the screen:
• Hit – request an extra card to be drawn from the shoe and added to your hand. Players can request multiple cards, except after doubling or splitting Aces, in which case only one extra card will be dealt (or one per each Ace, when split). If you hit 6 times without busting, 6-Card Charlie rule will be applied, and the hand will win automatically – even if the dealer has a natural blackjack (a 10-value card and an Ace).
• Stand – request no additional cards and challenge the dealer
• Split – separate the cards that have the same value and play them as two individual hands. Re-splitting is not permitted.
• Double – raise the Ante and draw a card. Doubling will limit the Hit option to just one more card, after which the player must Stand.
• Insurance – a side bet offered if the dealer's up card is an Ace; if the players decide to take the Insurance, 50% of the Ante will be added to the initial bet.
• Surrender – forfeit half of the Ante bet if the dealer's up card is strong
Dealer must stand on 17 or draw on 16 and the player's natural Blackjack always win.
The average RTP percentage rate of Blackjack Super 21 is 99.22% and the highest payout rates (2:1) are awarded for:
• Ace of Diamonds with a matching-suit 10-value card
• 6-card hand with a 21 total
The Insurance bet is also paid 2:1 while the rest of the winning hands produce even pay.
Although the players will be able to surrender their Ante, the move should be generally avoided unless:
• The dealer has 9, 10, or an Ace against the player's hard 16 that does not consist of two 8s
• The dealer has 10 against the player's hard 15
Otherwise, players should:
• Hit on soft 15, hard 8 or a lower value hand
• Stand on soft 18, hard 17 or higher hands
• Stand on hard 12 – 16 if the dealer's up card is 2 - 6
• Double on 10 – 11 unless the dealer's up card is higher, in which case, one should Hit
• Double on 9 or soft 16 - 18 if the dealer's up card is 2 - 6
• Split Aces and 8s
• Split 2-2, 3-3, 6-6, 7-7, or 9-9 if the dealer's up card is 2 - 6
Even though the natural Blackjack payout is only 1:1, the Super 21 variant compensates for the reduced payout by increasing the rate for the 6-card hands, as well as for the diamond natural Blackjack. Another advantage is that these suited Blackjacks do not even require an extra side bet.


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Dirty Noses and Running Pigs
January 4, 2010
I don't know why, but I really really like when Scarlett and Pippi run. This video is from a couple weeks ago when the ground wasn't frozen.
Baby Pigtures: Pippi Longstocking
January 4, 2010
I was just looking at the Happy Trails Facebook page and came across some pictures (or as my brother made up: pigtures) of Pippi shortly after she arrived at the sanctuary. I had forgotten how little she was when she arrived! She's not any bigger than Gretel and Butler are now in these pictures! It's so incredible to see how she still makes the exact same expressions as she did as a piglet!
Okay, okay, I'm a pig-mother in love. I can't help it; my heart went flip-flopping in my chest when I discovered these! Honestly, this pig is the reason Justin and I have pigs, the reason I fell in love with them!
This is such a typical Pippi expression!
The insides of her ears were completely black when she arrived; I used to just sit in her pen with her and pick gunk out of her ears! Cool!
I hope you enjoyed these. And if the volunteer who posted these on Facebook sees this, thank you so so so so much for posting them! You made my week!
Meeting the New Brother
December 14, 2009
Well, everything went off swimmingly. We picked up the new little boy, Butler, this morning. I'll let the video of him meeting Gretel speak for itself. I just went out to check on them and they were snuggled up together in the straw, looking as adorable as possible. I forsee a very close friendship coming.
As for the other pigs… Scarlett was very interested in her new baby and is very pleased to now have two pig toddlers and one human toddler (Sutter Moore) to look after.
Pippi quickly decided that the new pig was not, in fact, edible. Bummer for her.
Cap'n Butler
December 13, 2009
Gretel trying to decide if she REALLY wants a brother or not
Make sure to check back tomorrow to see what will surely be adorable footage of the girls meeting their new brother, Cap'n Butler. Butler is a bit younger than Gretel, and will become her roommate until they're both pig enough big enough to live safely with Pip and Scarlett.
We're adopting Cap'n Butler from Happy Trails. He ended up there a couple of months ago after he was found barely alive on the Towpath in Canal Fulton, obviously dropped there. The nice ladies who found him took him to Barberton Vet Hospital, and I volunteered to pick him up from there and transport him back to Happy Trails for Annette. When I met him, he was skinny, full of worms, but still the sweetest pig ever. We're so excited to bring him into our lives, and even more excited for him and Gretel to have each other to play and snuggle with!
Check out the current Happy Trails newsletter to read Butler's full story!