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Dems' campaign ads help Cuomo beat back Moreland mess
ALBANY – Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rob Astorino has traveled to all corners of the state in recent weeks, trying desperately to call attention to questions surrounding alleged meddling by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office in an anti-corruption probe.
Since July 23, Astorino has held news conferences on the issue in Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Albany, Plattsburgh, Manhattan and Mineola, with more than a handful of radio interviews in between.
When New York voters turn on their televisions at the end of the night, however, it's quite possible they'll see something else: Slick, 30-second advertisements attacking Astorino on everything from his hiring practices to his $30,000-a-year consulting gig for a radio conglomerate.
With Cuomo and his party amassing a massive monetary advantage over his Republican foe, Democrats have pounded Astorino with a wave of attack advertisements since the Westchester County executive jumped into the governor's race in March.
And as Astorino hammers Cuomo for his office's behind-the-scenes role in guiding the Moreland Commission -- an anti-corruption panel Cuomo abruptly disbanded earlier this year -- Democrats continue to turn to paid television ads to offer a counter-narrative about Astorino.
The strategy of trying to paint a little-known, underfunded candidate in a negative light through advertising is hardly novel. It's been used repeatedly at the presidential level over the years, most recently in President Barack Obama's win over Republican Mitt Romney in 2012.
"If your opponent is really not at all serious, you don't even want to attack them," said John Geer, a Vanderbilt University political science professor who has extensively analyzed negative campaign ads. "But if you fear or believe that the person is going to be a credible challenger, you want to be the one who sets the definition."
The strategy thus far for Cuomo and the state Democratic Committee, which Cuomo controls, has been two-fold.
Cuomo's campaign -- which as of mid-July had about $35 million in the bank -- has spent about $4.8 million creating and airing advertisements since mid-January. The ads paid for specifically by the Cuomo campaign have painted the governor in a positive light: helping Superstorm Sandy victims and touting a program for boosting state contracts to businesses owned by veterans, for example.
The state Democratic Committee, meanwhile, spent nearly $2 million to an advertising firm from mid-January to mid-July. The committee's ads have relentlessly attacked Astorino, painting him as an "extreme conservative" and questioning his ethics.
Compare that to Astorino's spending: Just $308,530 for television advertisements since January, with much of that going to an advertising firm, according to state Board of Elections filings. As of mid-July, his campaign had $2.4 million on hand -- exactly half of what Cuomo's campaign spent on advertising alone.
Jessica Proud, a spokeswoman for Astorino's campaign, said Cuomo has been "nasty" ads since the beginning of the race.
"From the outset of this campaign, he has been airing the most nasty, untruthful attacks that have been labeled misleading by news organizations and even the chairman of the state Democratic party said they crossed the line," Proud said.
With Astorino unknown to most New York voters, the ads could be a voter's first impression of the first-time gubernatorial candidate.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC 4 New York/Marist College poll earlier this month found 54 percent of state voters did not know of Astorino or had no opinion of him, compared to 10 percent who weren't aware of Cuomo.
The poll showed Cuomo with a 35-percentage point lead over Astorino, similar to a Siena College poll released a week later.
"The calculation is that (Astorino) doesn't have a lot of money to define himself, so the Cuomo people are providing that courtesy of defining Astorino in ways that Cuomo people would have the voters see him," Marist pollster Lee Miringoff said. "It's very hard when you're outspent by a lot to not much, and when you're largely unknown."
The Westchester County Democratic Committee has gotten into the act, too, airing an ad in the county as Astorino traveled the state knocking Cuomo. Astorino, a former radio producer, gets outside income from a radio-consulting job, which he says doesn't conflict with his county executive role.
But in an ad from the Westchester County Democrats, a narrator says: "Why are you getting over $30,000 in outside money on top of your salary? How could you take money from a company you gave a contract worth millions?"
Another ad from the state Democratic Committee paints a similar picture: "It's petty, corrupt politics, and the taxpayers get the bill."
Peter Kauffman, a spokesman for Cuomo's campaign and the state Democratic Committee, said Astorino is "unknown to most voters and he has a bad habit of distorting his record to pander to audiences."
"His views are outside the mainstream of New York values and it's important that New Yorkers get to see the real Rob Astorino -- ultraconservative, anti-women's equality agenda, and the prince of cronyism from the county with the highest property taxes in the nation," Kauffmann said.
Astorino, meanwhile, has produced an ad hammering Cuomo for his office's role in the Moreland Commission saga. The U.S. Attorney's office is investigating the abrupt shutdown of the commission in March, and warned the Cuomo administration against tampering with any potential witnesses in its probe.
But his campaign hasn't yet been able to put it on air. A previous ad knocking Cuomo for the state's economic and business climate aired in the Buffalo market.
Earlier this month, The New York Times published a lengthy report that found top Cuomo aide Larry Schwartz tried to curtail subpoenas from the Moreland Commission to Cuomo allies. Cuomo had vowed the commission would be independent.
On the steps of the Capitol on Tuesday, Astorino accused Cuomo of changing his position on the Moreland Commission's independence, saying New Yorkers have a "right to know … what this governor knew and what he's hiding."
Cuomo has acknowledged his office gave the anti-corruption panel advice, but has denied any "interference" with its probe.
"Since he has been exposed at the center of the worst corruption scandal in New York's history, it's now clear to everyone that you can't trust a word Andrew Cuomo says," said Proud, the Astorino spokeswoman.


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We learn a lot of things in school.
Some of which are useful later in life, some of which are hurriedly memorized and then promptly forgotten, and some of which barely get a passing glance. In decades past, financial literacy wasn't an emphasis in school curriculum – unless you include the odd math problem that involved interest rate calculations. For all our years of education, as a nation we were woefully unprepared for one of the largest challenges in adult life: financial survival.
Recently, however, schools have begun to introduce various topics regarding financial literacy to the K-12 curriculum. Some states have fared better than others in this effort, with graded results ranging from A to F, as measured in an analysis done by the Washington Post.[i] Read on for the breakdown.
How we're doing so far
In its annual Survey of the States, the Council for Economic Education reported that not one state had added personal finance to their K-12 standard curriculum since 2016, and that only 22 states require high school students to take a course in economics. Only 17 of the 50 states require students to take a course in personal finance.[ii]
We can't count on schools (at least not right now)
While it's easy to pick on schools and state governments for not including financial literacy education in the past and for only making small strides in curriculums today, that's not solving the problem that current generations don't understand how money works. As with many things, the responsibility – at least in the short-term – is falling to parents to help educate younger people on financial matters.
Other financial literacy resources
Given the general lack of financial education provided in schools, unsurprisingly, most teens look to their parents to learn money management skills.[iii] Fortunately, there are some great online resources that can help begin the conversation and help educate both parents and children on topics such as budgeting, how (or if) to use credit cards, differences in types of bank accounts, how to save, managing credit scores, etc.
Pepperdine University offers a "Financial Literacy Guide for Kids, Teens and Students"[iv], which covers many of the basics but also provides a useful set of links to resources where kids and parents alike can learn more through interactive games, quizzes, and demonstrations.
Included highlights are mobile apps which can be useful for budgeting, saving, and so forth, and even listings of websites that can help kids find scholarships or grants.
So if you feel like you haven't learned quite as much about money and finances that you wish you had in school, contact me so that we can explore how money works together, and I can help put a strategy in place for you and your family!
[i] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/12/19/grading-u-s-states-on-teaching-financial-literacy-some-earn-as-while-others-flunk/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.3faad208d1d9\ [ii] https://www.councilforeconed.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2018-SOS-Layout-18.pdf\ [iii] https://www.juniorachievement.org/documents/20009/20652/2015+Teens+and+Personal+Finance+Survey\ [iv] https://mbaonline.pepperdine.edu/financial-literacy-guide-for-kids-teens-and-students/

subset: commoncrawl


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2 Secret Service supervisors in prostitution scandal have been identified
WASHINGTON – The identities of two Secret Service supervisors who have been pushed out of the agency in the wake of a prostitution scandal have been revealed.
Lawrence Berger, the general counsel for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said Thursday he is representing Greg Stokes and David Chaney.
Chaney and Stokes were part of the agency's uniformed division. A third employee, who was not a supervisor, has resigned. Berger said he could not comment on the investigation.
Eleven Secret Service employees are accused of misconduct in connection with the prostitution scandal at a Cartagena, Colombia, hotel last week. The tawdry affair erupted after an argument over payment between a Colombian prostitute and one of the employees spilled into a hotel hallway.
Ten military members are also being investigated.


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16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Monday, August 7, 1911: I wound up my driving this afternoon, and I'm not sorry either. Carrie was over this evening. We did some planning for that picnic, which we wish to have some time next week if we can.
Her middle-aged granddaughter's comments 100 years later:
Grandma began driving horses five days ago. As discussed in the August 2 entry, she probably was operating a horse-drawn roller that leveled the plowed ground in preparation for planting winter wheat.
As Grandma planned for the picnic, she may have thought about foods that she could take. Beets are in season, so a hundred years ago Grandma may have thought about taking Pickled Beets and Eggs to the upcoming picnic. Here's an old recipe that I use to make pickled beets and eggs.
Pickled Beets and Eggs
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup reserved beet water from cooking beets
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 piece stick cinnamon
2 cups cooked beets, sliced (leave beets whole if small)*
12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
Combine vinegar, beet water, sugar, and piece of stick cinnamon in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved then remove from heat.
Put sliced beets and hard-boiled eggs in a glass jar or other container. Pour cooked liquid over the beets and eggs. Chill overnight to marinate. (For darker eggs, chill for several days before serving.).
*Peel beets before cooking (or canned beets may be used–though that's probably less authentic).


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From The Camera Club of NY website:
Within the past decade, zines and self-published books have established a significant presence in the contemporary art world, with many artists and independent publishers primarily focused on this medium.
The Camera Club of New York's Conversations Series will present a Zine and Self–Published Photo Book Fair on Saturday, July 31st from 1–6pm in its gallery space at 336 West 37th Street, Suite 206, (between 8th and 9th Aves) in New York City.
Artists are invited to submit up to 4 different books and zines (limited to 3 copies of each). The public will be invited to come, browse, purchase, and meet the burgeoning zine and self-published world. Submit your book or zine and be a part of the conversation.
To submit your zine or self–published book please mail or drop off your book during our gallery hours Monday–Saturday, 12-6pm
–If you do not include a self–addressed and stamped envelope for the return of your materials, your zine or books and any money received for any or all sales will be donated to The Camera Club of New York.
The postmarked deadline for submission is July 23rd, 2010.
If you have any questions please contact curator Lindsey Castillo at firstname.lastname@example.com
The Camera Club of New York is a not–for–profit arts organization with a commitment to the field of photography since 1884. In addition to classes, darkroom and studio facilities, CCNY is a sharing community of passionate, aspiring, professional, and fine art photographers.
For images or additional information contact John Stanley, CCNY Director, at 212–260–9927 or email@example.com
Image, Tuomas Korpijaakko


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The Gardnerian Book of Shadows, by Gerald Gardner, at sacred-texts.com
THE CHARGE, to be read while the initiate stands, properly prepared before the Circle.
[Magus]: Listen to the words of the Great mother, who was of old also called among men, Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arianrhod, Bride, and by many other names.
[High Priestess]: "At mine Altars the youth of Lacedaemon in Sparta made due sacrifice. Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full. Then ye shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me who am Queen of all Witcheries. There ye shall assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet who have not won its deepest secrets. To these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery, and as a sign that ye be really fre e, ye shall be naked in your rites, and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music, and love, all in my praise.' "For mine is the ecstasy of the Spirit, and mine is also joy on earth. For my Law is Love unto all beings. "Keep pure your highest ideals. Strive ever towards it. Let naught stop you or turn you aside. "For mine is the secret which opens upon the door of youth; and mine is the cup of the Wine of Life: and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality. "I am the Gracious Goddess who gives the gift of Joy unto the heart of Man. "Upon Earth I give the knowledge of the Spirit Eternal, and beyond death I give peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all things, and my love is poured out upon earth."
[Magus]: Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, She in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of Heaven, whose body encircleth the universe.
[High Priestess]: "I who am the beauty of the green earth; and the White Moon amongst the Stars; and the mystery of the Waters; and the desire of the heart of man. I call unto thy soul: arise and come unto me. "For I am the Soul of nature who giveth life to the Universe; 'From me all things proceed; and unto me, all things must return.' Beloved of the Gods and men, thine inmost divine self shall be enfolded in the raptures of the infinite. "Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold: all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals; and therefore let there be Beauty and Strength, Power and Compassion, Honour and Humility, Mirth and reverence within you. "And thou who thinkest to seek me, know that thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou know the mystery, that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee, for behold; I have been with thee from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."


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RingCentral, Inc., headquartered in San Mateo, California, is a venture capital-funded firm founded in 1999 that claims to have developed the first virtual phone system designed specifically to meet the needs of small businesses and mobile professionals.
The company's objective is to be the market leader in cloud computing-based telephony, and help small businesses manage their mobile, fax, and e-mail communications.
The company has garnered numerous industry accolades, including a 2010 Technology Pioneer Award from the World Economic Forum, a 2009 Webware 100 Award from CNET, and a Red Herring Top 100 Finalist in 2008.
In the decade since inception, the firm has grown to a staff of over 300 employees worldwide, with additional offices in Manila, Philippines, Odessa, Ukraine, and St. Petersburg, Russia.
RingCentral presently provides service throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and claims a customer list that numbers over 40,000 organizations.
RingCentral serves customers with 5 to 50 phone users, and combines a toll-free or local number with advanced call management, PBX, voicemail and Internet fax, enabling customers to set up multiple extensions with voicemail, automatically screen, forward, and place calls, take voicemail, send and receive faxes, and receive message alerts. In addition, a number of user devices are supported, including all SIP-enabled phones, standard phone with an ATA (analog telephone adapter), plus softphone and iPhone applications that are available as free downloads.
RingCentral's service offerings include RingCentral Mobile, RingCentral Fax, and RingCentral Office.
RingCentral Mobile is designed for small business to allow calls to be answered on an existing mobile, home, or office phone—or the user's PC. The system also allows outgoing and incoming faxes, automatically routes calls to any member of the team regardless of location, and provides callers with an auto attendant and a dial-by-name directory.
RingCentral Fax is an Internet faxing service that allows faxes to be sent by e-mail, Microsoft applications, and by phone. From e-mail, a fax is sent simply by entering the destination fax number in the e-mail address field, and then adding "@rcfax.com" to that number. Any text to appear on the cover page is then entered in the e-mail Subject field, and any documents to be sent are then attached.
Desktop applications can also be redirected to fax by opening any printable document, and invoking the RingCentral InternetFax tool. Road warriors can also use the service by logging into their RingCentral account, and opening the InternetFax tool. Incoming faxes can be sent to either a toll-free or local number, and then delivered to the users online account, where they are stored for 30 days, or can be downloaded to the user's PC for permanent storage.
RingCentral Office delivers a virtual PBX, VoIP phone service, and full-featured IP phones as one complete system, but without the bulky hardware. Service can be activated instantly, with customers given the option to set up their service online, and then plug in pre-configured, ready-to-use IP phones.
The system has an impressive list of features, including: multiple extensions for both local and satellite offices, with individually configurable answering rules; auto-receptionist, which can locate team members based on extensions, departments, business hours, or user-defined routing; voicemail with e-mail delivery, that allows voicemails to be retrieved online; music and messages on hold; advanced call management and answering rules, with hunt groups, call queues with virtual departments, routing and answering rules, call screening and blocking, and click-to-call out; and calling features that include advanced call forwarding, multi-way calling and call conferencing.
RingCentral pricing is extremely straightforward. Each Office plan comes with unlimited calling and faxing anywhere in the United States and Canada, unlimited calls and faxes to the local number, one toll-free or local main company number, one toll-free or local fax number, plus one local number per user. Three plans are available: a one-line plan for $49.95 per month, a four-line plan for $99.99 per month, and an eight-line plan for $179.99 per month. Additional lines are $24.99 per month. (There are also metered plans starting at $9.99 per month.)
In summary, RingCentral's service has the advanced features that would be expected from a company that has been in the VoIP business for over a decade: the ability to purchase and set up an account online in minutes; integrate mobile devices and existing phones into the system; connect teams in multiple locations with one system; manage and access calls, voice, and fax messages from a mobile phone; direct calls and faxes to any number, at any time, eliminating the worry of missing important communication.
Further information on the RingCentral solutions can be found at www.ringcentral.com. Our next tutorial will continue our review of various service providers hosted voice solutions.
Copyright Acknowledgement: © 2009 DigiNet Corporation®, All Rights Reserved
Author's Biography
Mark A. Miller, P.E. is President of DigiNet Corporation®, a Denver-based consulting engineering firm. He is the author of many books on networking technologies, including Voice over IP Technologies, and Internet Technologies Handbook, both published by John Wiley & Sons.


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From the Voices Education Project
Alice Walker is one of my favourite American poets and political activists. She is, I believe, a role model for all poets and all citizens of the world. In her recent essay, OVERCOMING SPEECHLESSNESS: A Poet Encounters "the horror" in Rwanda, Eastern Congo and Palestine/Israel," she details the horrors of hatre,d and the amazing capacity of women to survive, with references to each of those locations, most particularly Gaza.
There is no hiding what Israel has done or what it does on a daily basis to protect and extend its power. It uses weapons that cut off limbs without bleeding; it drops bombs into people's homes that never stop detonating in the bodies of anyone who is hit; it causes pollution so severe it is probable that Gaza may be uninhabitable for years to come, though Palestinians, having nowhere else to go, will have to live there.
She reminds us that Israel fed the South African Apartheid government a diet of arms and expertise, but that regime fell thanks to worldwide pressure. She encourages each of us to take action, to speak out, to make our voices heard so that we bring down the Israeli regime.


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Chop 'til you drop dead
The Xbox Live Arcade, after nine long years, still doesn't have a whole lot of classic style strategy RPGs. Discounting tower defense, there's Band of Bugs, Greed Gorp, and a scant few others.
Enter Skulls of the Shogun: a new SRPG that seeks to mix things up a little bit while retaining the classic strategy formula.
Skulls is interesting in that it's a Strategy RPG without a grid, and it features cross-compatibility between three platforms.
Skulls of the Shogun (Windows 8, Windows Phone, Xbox Live Arcade [reviewed])
Developer: 17-Bit
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Released: January 30, 2013
MSRP: $14.99 (1200 MSP) Windows 8, Xbox Live Arcade/$6.99 Windows Phone
Skulls of the Shogun starts with an interesting and simple premise: you play the role of a recently deceased feudal-era Japanese General. In life, you were highly respected. In death, you're kind of a mess.
Your rambunctious avatar is not only without an army, but he's also in denial and refuses to stay dead. Almost immediately following the start of the story, you start amassing your army in the underworld, and plan your glorious return to honor — the only person who's standing in the way is the guy who killed you.
While the premise is fairly interesting in itself, Skulls augments it with funny dialogue, and a healthy dose of "l33t" speak, among some clever pop culture references.
The campaign consists of roughly 20 stages, as you rough and tough your way through the undead countryside in search of glory. The story isn't really a heavy hitter in terms of a deep rewarding narrative, but it's funny enough that it'll keep you going throughout, as you explore different zones based around seasons like Winter and Spring.
As you go about your business in the story, you'll slowly learn more about the game, and how it tries to change up the status quo a bit. Firstly, while units have a limited movement area (shown by a circular overlay when selecting units), they can go freely within that area, and attack or utilize the environment at will.
Some advanced strategies are present, and this is where the game shines tactically. The major is the soul wall technique, which allows you to bunch up your units to avoid counter-attacks, knock backs, and prevent damage. This simple addition (which is usually only an offensive bonus in other games) makes you think before you place any unit, and adds quite a bit of depth to the proceedings.
Eating skulls is also a big part of gameplay, as chomping on enemy remains will allow you to heal your units, and power them up into a super unit if they eat three in one map. The strategy involved with skulls is that you cannot eat your own fallen units, and eating a skull takes up an action — leading you to think before you erroneously waste a turn healing.
Then you have the game's other major component — rice paddy fields — which function as the game's currency. In order to gain rice, you have to "haunt" a special square, which takes both an action and a turn. In subsequent turns, you'll gain a resource for each haunted paddy, which allows you to buy more units in each map. Again, like skulls, this adds another element of depth as you decide which units will stay back and gain resources, which will defend and form a soul wall, and which will go on the offensive.
New units will also come into play, like the cavalry unit that has more movement than most, archers, fox spirits with a heal spell, and of course, your General, which gains the ability to meditate before making his first movement (to increase his maximum health), and engage in two actions on the same turn.
While Skulls of the Shogun does a great job of offering a decent amount of units, there's no inherent "wow" factor when it comes to gameplay. Although the traditional grid is tossed in favor of a circular movement shadow, it still feels about the same as the genre always has, minus the game's visual and vocal charm.
Most units don't really have "spells" in the traditional sense that carry from map to map. There's no real RPG progression system or anything to work for. You're kind of just moving from map to map starting over from square one, even if your units had amazing success or mostly all died in the previous level. While there are a few "challenges" (like losing less units for instance) to work through in each map, they don't really do anything to make you want to complete them.
Additionally, while you can "fast forward" enemy turns using LB, I feel like it doesn't actually speed things that much, and often times I'm finding myself fairly bored while I wait for units to do menial tasks. After playing games that have options to skip enemy turns entirely, it feels a bit jarring.
Thankfully, there's more than just a single-player component to the game, should you become complacent with the formula.
Multiplayer wise, Skulls of the Shogun is extremely impressive in that it basically offers every option under the sun for up to four people. There's full couch-coop, four player online play, and cross platform asynchronous play between Xbox Live, Windows 8 PC, and Windows Phones. I wasn't able to test out the cross-platform play function, but it operates the same as other modes — you just pick up where you left off.
These games play out in the same manner as the main story, just with up to three other human armies involved. There's creeps (enemy AI) on the map to dispose of, rice patties to fight over, and units to claim. In terms of the options, think Swords and Soldiers, in that it offers a very limited amount of maps and tweaks that all feel around the same.
If someone drops out at any time during these modes, an AI opponent will take over — so you don't have to worry about getting heavily invested in a match only to have it completely fall apart within seconds.
I wasn't enamored by Skulls of the Shogun, but I enjoyed my time with it. If you can find local friends that enjoy a good asynchronous strategy game (think local Advance Wars), you might get a bit more mileage out of this one.


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Instructors Sharpen Their Skills at Faculty Development Day
Those at the pinnacle of any profession get there by keeping abreast of the latest research, exploring new techniques, and continuously honing their skills. Nowhere does that ongoing education play a more important role than on college campuses, where instructor preparedness and state-of-the-art teaching methods directly impact the trajectory of virtually every profession. As the next generation trains to make a difference in the workplace, much of their learning lies in the hands of their teachers. To ensure APU faculty members stay at the top of their fields, the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA) provides resources and support that help them reach their full potential as educators and scholars.
Specifically, the center aids those looking for creative ways to integrate faith into their curricula, realize God-honoring diversity in their classrooms, improve faculty evaluation processes, and find the best ways to facilitate student success. One of CTLA's most popular offerings, the annual Faculty Development Day, draws more than 150 faculty members to interactive workshops where they collaborate with colleagues from various disciplines and gain a fresh perspective on their approach to teaching. This year's event, held May 16, emphasized the theme "Pursuing a Culture of Academic Excellence," and comprised 16 sessions. "This is an event for faculty by faculty," said Stephanie Juillerat, Ph.D., associate provost for CTLA. "It promotes best practices and creates a community of scholars where teachers move beyond their daily sphere of influence and discuss what works, what's new, and how to incorporate innovative methods into their own classrooms."
Highlighting the lineup of workshops, Adrien Lowery, Ph.D., associate professor of English, presented "Plagiarism-resistant Assignments That Your Students Will Enjoy." She not only offered her fellow professors ways to catch plagiarism, but also ways to prevent it. Her emphasis on strong classroom communities and building relationships between programs and students laid the foundation for the strategies in her handbook that included examples, handouts, and instructional materials.
Thomas Wilson, curriculum specialist in the Office of Innovative Teaching and Technology, addressed challenges to online learning. In his workshop titled "Point-and-Click Pedagogy: Could Your Online Students Achieve More?," he emphasized the human side of elearning with a focus on pedagogy rather than technology. Participants received research-based strategies for overcoming obstacles that impede online student achievement. Diverse activities enabled participants to identify and prevent challenges to student retention, master techniques for improving participation, and gain online faith integration ideas.
These, along with the remaining workshops, including "Utilizing Rubrics as an Act of Academic Excellence," "Going Beyond Rote: Training and Testing for Explained Thinking," "Right from the Start: Thriving in the Classroom," and "What the Best College Teachers Do: Guidelines for Natural Critical Learning Environments," shared a common purpose. "The ultimate goal of CTLA, and this event in particular, is to positively impact student learning," said Juillerat. "The better we equip our teachers, the better they equip our students."
Posted: October 23, 2013


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Cat stolen from rescue shelter found dead, mutilated in dumpster
Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find upsetting
A cat was taken from a Washington cat rescue and found dead in a nearby dumpster Tuesday.
A volunteer with Whisker City Cat Rescue in Shoreline called police around noon to report that an outdoor cat shelter was broken into and the cat housed inside, Quixote, was missing.
According to a post on the shelter's Facebook page, the cat seemingly put up a fight when he was taken. There was blood in the area of his enclosure.
The volunteer contacted police again just before 5 p.m. to say she found the Quixote, dead in the building's dumpster.
In an emotional video shared on the Whisker City Facebook page, a worker standing next to a dumpster announces the gruesome discovery to those who had been searching for the missing animal.
"I have some terrible, terrible, news to report. We just found Quixote in the dumpster, dead. Someone has killed this cat," the woman said. "This cat was locked up in his own place, under padlock, and someone tore open the cage, went in and took this cat out and murdered it."
King County Animal Control was advised of the incident.
The cat's head had been crushed in, according to a report from the King County Sheriff's Office. Whisker City's founder, April Brown, said it appeared that every bone in the cat's body had been broken.
Brown said she believes the cat was stomped and beaten to death with a broken chair leg.
"He didn't even look like a cat. How could you mutilate an innocent animal like that?" volunteer Erin Balda told KING 5. "Never did I imagine coming out to the garbage dumpster and finding him in there tossed away like a piece of trash."
Even more tragic, Quixote was headed for a new home. His new owner was supposed to pick him up on Friday.
The cat was turned over to the rescue shelter's owner, who will reportedly take it to a veterinarian for examination.
A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money to get Quixote's teeth and claws swabbed for human DNA in an effort to find his killer. Money raised beyond the goal will go toward a reward fund for tipsters and security equipment at the shelter.
Authorities say they are aware of another recent animal cruelty case in the area, in August. They said there's no evidence to show the cases are related at this time.


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Duovir EP 150 mg/300 mg Tablet Description:
Duovir EP 150 mg/300 mg Tablet is a combination of two anti-HIV medicines: Lamivudine and Zidovudine. They prevent HIV (virus) from multiplying, thereby reducing the amount of virus in your body. They also increase the CD4 cell (white blood cells that protect against infection) count in your blood.
Duovir EP 150 mg/300 mg Tablet is used in the treatment of HIV infection.
Side Effects:
Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhoea, Headache, Tiredness, Insomnia (difficulty in sleeping), Muscle damage, Decreased white blood cell count (neutrophils), Anemia (low number of red blood cells).
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PrintiPrinting Impressions' Commercial Printing Supplier News for October 2008ng Impressions' Commercial Printing Supplier News for January 2009
January 1, 2009
August 1, 2007
Here's an exclusive, PRE-SHOW PREVIEW showcasing new products submitted by many of the exhibitors that will be displaying their wares next month in Chicago. Colter & Peterson will showcase the BASA 3, which features an automatic jogging system that can automatically form layers of printed sheets, align them accurately and transport them to the subsequent cutting process. The BASA 3 is appropriate for paper from 16-lb. bond to 125-lb. tag, and is effective when combined with a modern, rear-table-feeding system. Existing gripper transport systems can be retrofitted. Visit www.piworld.com/infocenter: enter #377 MBO America will introduce the Super KTZ, featuring a knife-folding unit that


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Volume 1, No. 2 - February 2010
Our division's mission is to protect the insurance-buying public by licensing competent and trustworthy individuals and entities, and expeditiously investigating alleged violations of the Florida Insurance Code.
The Pulse is the monthly online newsletter published for insurance agents, adjusters, agencies, and other licensees of the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Agent and Agency Services.
Based upon your responses to last month's inaugural issue, we've added a few more sections. On the left you can see Education Central and Compliance Corner. We hope these can consistently provide you with information related to continuing education requirements and compliance issues.
Be sure to bookmark our division's web site at:
Copyright © 2010 All Rights Reserved.


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Stella, Joseph
Stella, Joseph, 1877–1946, American painter, b. Italy, emigrated to the United States in 1896. He studied at the Art Students League of New York City with William Chase and later in Italy and Paris. He is best known for his cubist- and futurist-inspired paintings executed in the years around 1920. These works strikingly expressed the vibrancy and dynamism of life in New York City. The best known of this group is
The Bridge,from the series New York Interpreted (Newark Mus., N.J.). He later turned to more mystical subjects, in paintings notable for their strong color and incisive realism.
See biography by I. B. Jaffe (1970).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: American and Canadian Art: Biographies


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Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has detailed his plans for a streaming music service to be built in collaboration with Dr. Dre's headphones company Beats by Dre.
Reznor spilled his guts in this week's issue of The New Yorker, as detailed by Pitchfork on Monday.
The new music streaming service is currently known as "Daisy," though it seems based on Pitchfork's language that that may be subject to change.
Daisy will reportedly launch early next year and will be intended to compete directly with Spotify, and by extension Pandora, Xbox Music, and even Apple's still-unannounced iTunes Streaming service.
'Not what you're expecting'
Reznor announced the partnership with Beats by Dre in October, at the time saying, "It's probably not what you're expecting."
The "Closer to God" singer is reportedly helping to design Daisy, though his exact role is not totally clear.
Reznor reportedly told The New Yorker that Daisy will compare favorably with Spotify, saying, "'Here's 16 million licensed pieces of music,' they've said, but you're not stumbling into anything. What's missing is a service that adds a layer of intelligent curation."
Thus, Daisy "uses mathematics to offer suggestions to the listener... [but also] would present choices based partly on suggestions made by connoisseurs, making it a platform in which the machine and the human would collide more intimately," Reznor explained.
It's all in the math
Reznor said of existing music streaming services, "That first wave of music presentation which felt magical, the one where the songs are chosen by algorithms that know who you listened to... has begun to feel synthetic."
Daisy remedies that shortcoming by offerings suggestions selected by human "connoisseurs," as Reznor put it, alongside those suggested by the service's algorithms.
He reportedly said it's "like having your own guy when you go into the record store, who knows what you like but can also point you down some paths you wouldn't necessarily have encountered."
As The Verge pointed out on Monday, Beats by Dre and Interscope Records acquired steaming music service MOG over the summer, though it remains to be seen whether that has anything to do with Daisy.
Via Pitchfork


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We've been told (see previous blog post) to add more protein and calories to the 5-year-old's diet. Her weight has slipped from the 15th percentile to the 5th, but thankfully her blood tests came back pretty good. The only thing off was her prealbumin, which measures protein in the blood and is used to assess nutrition. Her prealbumin was 20, but it should be 21 to 41.
We've been advised to make every bite count. Since she tends to pick at her food, we need to make sure what she does eat has high protein and nutrition.
It's a little difficult, because while we need to add calories for the 5-year-old, we don't need to add them for her sister or her parents (that would be me). So we're focusing more on healthy high-protein ideas, rather than things like ice cream and milkshakes.
Here are some suggestions we've received. If you have other ideas for gluten-free high-protein or high-calorie snacks and meals, please add them in a comment.
- Oatmeal (Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oats) made with whole milk, instead of water
Gluten-free waffles, topped with peanut butter
Scrambled eggs, topped with cheese
Carnation Instant Breakfast drink — Use this drink, which contains added nutrients, to make chocolate milk and hot chocolate. Good at bedtime too (unless you have a problem, like we do, with too many liquids at bedtime)
- Cheese sticks
Ants on a log — celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins
KIND bars
Lifeway Pro-Bugs Whole Milk Kefir squeezable drinks (9 grams protein)
Stonyfield Farm Super Smoothies (10 grams protein)
Mixed nuts
Peanut butter balls rolled in gluten-free granola
- Whole milk yogurt
Hard-boiled eggs (pack for lunch)
Cottage cheese
Macaroni and cheese, with added extra cheese
Add cheese to vegetables
Add peanut butter to foods
Eat eggs two to three times per week
Eat beans one to two times per week (she likes black beans)


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London, England (CNN) -- Tradition dictates that with every World Cup there is a new official ball used for the tournament. But it seems that with every new ball there also comes a great deal of controversy.
It is hard to think of a World Cup that has gone by where a player or a coach has not complained about the ball.
In 2002, the Adidas "Fevernova" used in South Korea and Japan was lighter than those used before and was believed to help the more technical players, with Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon labeling it as a "ridiculous kiddie's bouncing ball."
And in 2006, Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn claimed that the same company's heavier "Teamgeist" ball was "built in favor of the strikers."
So after players got hold of the "Jabulani" -- launched for use at the 2010 tournament which begins in South Africa on June 11, and played with for the first time by teams this week -- the early signs are that this orb will prove no exception.
After his team's warm-up win against Saudi Arabia last Sunday, Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas unfavorably compared the Jabulani -- which translates as "to celebrate" in Zulu -- to a beach-ball.
Since playing with it in his team's friendly with Japan at the weekend, England's David James has become the latest of a number of high-profile goalkeepers -- along with Buffon and Brazil's Julio Cesar -- voicing their concerns over the ball.
"The ball is dreadful," the 39-year-old told reporters. "There are undoubtedly going to be some goals scored in this tournament which in previous tournaments with different balls wouldn't have been scored. It'll allow some people to score extra goals, but leave some goalkeepers looking daft."
But unlike past World Cups where strikers and goalkeepers were divided over the merits of the ball, this year those in-goal have been backed up by some on-field players too.
According the Jabulani's creator Adidas, revolutionary "grip and groove" technology combines with high-tech 3-D panels to make a ball which is both perfectly round and extremely aerodynamic.
But a string of top players from the 32 participating World Cup teams have complained that the more lightweight ball is hard to control and can be unpredictable in the air.
Marcos Tulio Tanaka, who scored a goal for Japan as well as an own-goal for England on Sunday, has described the ball as "difficult for defenders to deal with."
And Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini agrees. "The new ball is a disaster for strikers," he said. "It's fast and it weighs less than a normal ball."
But despite such pre-tournament disapproval, Adidas officials have staunchly defended the Jabulani ball. They insist that it has been designed to aid the players, with the latest advances in football technology in mind.
"We have created a ball that is small and heavy, allowing for maximum accuracy, perfect grip and exceptionally stable flight," Adidas head of global public relations Thomas Van Schaik told the official FIFA Web site.
English sports scientist Andy Harland, who came up with the concept for the new ball with a team from Loughborough University's Sports Technology Institute, has also been quick to stand up for his design.
Harland believes that it is a change in altitude -- not the ball -- which is causing the problems for the players.
"I've seen nothing that's concerned me," he told British broadcaster Sky Sports. "This ball has been around since December and been used since then around the world with very few comments.
"Teams have gone to altitude, and you've seen comments come out in those circumstances. Whichever ball you play with at altitude is going to be affected."
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has also hit back at critics of the ball, responding to Brazil striker Luis Fabiano's comment that the ball was "weird" and claiming that teams just want to use it as an excuse.
"It's a ball which has been used by a number of teams for months. It's Brazil who say that because they are afraid that they will not make it -- and it'll be due to the ball," Valcke said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"The teams are going to play with this ball. If Brazil win the World Cup playing with this ball it won't be a problem anymore!"
For Harland, too, the criticism of his Jabulani ball has not come as a shock.
"It's not entirely unexpected. Before every tournament players come out and voice their opinions," he said.
And like Valcke, he believes that all the pre-tournament controversy about the ball will disappear as the World Cup gets under way in South Africa next week.
"There are no secrets about this ball. The ball is designed to allow the very best players in the world to exhibit their skills.''


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Wolf Blitzer delivers the most important breaking news and political, international, and national security stories of the day. Tune to The Situation Room weekdays 5-7pm ET on CNN.
Brian Todd reports on the infamous hacker known as "Guccifer," who has now apparently targeted Hillary Clinton.
Her Bengauzi,right?jim Thomas Phx.Az.
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Our Verdict
Like its desktop cousin, Innovationbox's PassLocker for iOS offers a simple and streamlined interface for managing your logins and passwords. Instead of going for lots of features like its many competitors, the app focuses solely on storing your credentials and helping you retrieve them quickly.
PassLocker's sleek user interface reflects this primary goal by taking you directly to a list of stored passwords, which you can easily copy to your pasteboard and then use in other apps. Creating new entries is just as simple: All you have to do is provide a username and password, and the name of the service they are for.
Unlike other apps in this space, PassLocker does not implement an embedded Web browser that you can use to inject the various bits of information stored in your password locker onto HTML forms. Instead, you can copy any username to the pasteboard by tapping on a small accessory icon next to it in the app's main screen. Tapping on the row causes the display to switch to the corresponding password, which can also be copied using a similar mechanism.
Unfortunately, this mechanism also exposes each password in clear text. I must confess that I find this choice a little odd, because I suspect that most iOS users would expect a tap to cause something different to happen—for example, launching a browser to log you in, or perhaps take you to a different screen from where you can then access usernames and passwords individually. Frankly, I would expect the app to require a bit more effort on my part before giving up passwords for everyone to see.
Like its OS X counterpart, PassLocker for iOS requires you to enter a simple four-digit pin in order to gain access to your stored passwords. On a mobile device—and particularly on an iPhone, where the operating system uses a numeric keyboard with large keys that are hard to miss—this makes logging into the app much easier than a full-blown password. Alas, this approach introduces a significant weakness in the security of the mechanism the app uses to store credentials: Despite the use of a relatively strong form of encryption and a mandatory fifteen-second wait period after three failed login attempts, a brute-force attack that goes through all possible PIN numbers is fairly easy to pull off.
Luckily, this problem can be easily mitigated by password-protecting your device itself; even the standard four-digit PIN supported by iOS essentially doubles the security of PassLocker's built in security mechanism, bringing it to a much more acceptable level.
Thanks to the app's built-in support for iCloud, syncing your data across multiple devices (including OS X machines) is a breeze. Much like on the desktop, this feature worked without a hitch, quickly synchronizing all my logins in a matter of seconds. Besides, if you forget your PIN, iCloud makes it possible for you to recover all your stored credentials by simply reinstalling PassLocker and choosing a new secret number.
Bottom line
Despite its simplicity and ease of use, PassLocker for iOS shares many of the shortcomings that afflict its desktop-bound cousin. The lack of an internal browser, in particular, greatly reduces its usefulness by forcing you to constantly copy-and-paste multiple pieces of data between apps—an operation that can be time consuming on a mobile device. Still, the app, which requires iOS 5.0 or later and is compatible with both iPhones and iPads, costs just $2, making it a reasonable choice if you can live with its limitations.


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Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King, Jr.
One of the world's best known advocates of non-violent social change strategies, Martin Luther King, Jr., synthesized ideas drawn from many different cultural traditions. Born in Atlanta on January 15, 1929, King's roots were in the African-American Baptist church. He was the grandson of the Rev. A. D. Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church and a founder of Atlanta's NAACP chapter, and the son of Martin Luther King, Sr., who succeeded Williams as Ebenezer's pastor and also became a civil rights leader. Although, from an early age, King resented religious emotionalism and questioned literal interpretations of scripture, he nevertheless greatly admired black social gospel proponents such as his father who saw the church as a instrument for improving the lives of African Americans. Morehouse College president Benjamin Mays and other proponents of Christian social activism influenced King's decision after his junior year at Morehouse to become a minister and thereby serve society. His continued skepticism, however, shaped his subsequent theological studies at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, and at Boston University, where he received a doctorate in systematic theology in 1955. Rejecting offers for academic positions, King decided while completing his Ph. D. requirements to return to the South and accepted the pastorate of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
On December 5, 1955, five days after Montgomery civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to obey the city's rules mandating segregation on buses, black residents launched a bus boycott and elected King as president of the newly-formed Montgomery Improvement Association. As the boycott continued during 1956, King gained national prominence as a result of his exceptional oratorical skills and personal courage. His house was bombed and he was convicted along with other boycott leaders on charges of conspiring to interfere with the bus company's operations. Despite these attempts to suppress the movement, Montgomery bus were desegregated in December, 1956, after the United States Supreme Court declared Alabama's segregation laws unconstitutional.
In 1957, seeking to build upon the success of the Montgomery boycott movement, King and other southern black ministers founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). As SCLC's president, King emphasized the goal of black voting rights when he spoke at the Lincoln Memorial during the 1957 Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. During 1958, he published his first book, Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. The following year, he toured India, increased his understanding of Gandhian non-violent strategies. At the end of 1959, he resigned from Dexter and returned to Atlanta where the SCLC headquarters was located and where he also could assist his father as pastor of Ebenezer.
Although increasingly portrayed as the pre-eminent black spokesperson, King did not mobilize mass protest activity during the first five years after the Montgomery boycott ended. While King moved cautiously, southern black college students took the initiative, launching a wave of sit-in protests during the winter and spring of 1960. King sympathized with the student movement and spoke at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in April 1960, but he soon became the target of criticisms from SNCC activists determined to assert their independence. Even King's decision in October, 1960, to join a student sit-in in Atlanta did not allay the tensions, although presidential candidate John F. Kennedy's sympathetic telephone call to King's wife, Coretta Scott King, helped attract crucial black support for Kennedy's successful campaign. The 1961 "Freedom Rides," which sought to integrate southern transportation facilities, demonstrated that neither King nor Kennedy could control the expanding protest movement spearheaded by students. Conflicts between King and younger militants were also evident when both SCLC and SNCC assisted the Albany (Georgia) Movement's campaign of mass protests during December of 1961 and the summer of 1962.
After achieving few of his objectives in Albany, King recognized the need to organize a successful protest campaign free of conflicts with SNCC. During the spring of 1963, he and his staff guided mass demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama, where local white police officials were known from their anti-black attitudes. Clashes between black demonstrators and police using police dogs and fire hoses generated newspaper headlines through the world. In June, President Kennedy reacted to the Birmingham protests and the obstinacy of segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace by agreeing to submit broad civil rights legislation to Congress (which eventually passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964). Subsequent mass demonstrations in many communities culminated in a march on August 28, 1963, that attracted more than 250,000 protesters to Washington, D. C. Addressing the marchers from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" oration.
During the year following the March, King's renown grew as he became Time magazine's Man of the Year and, in December 1964, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite fame and accolades, however, King faced many challenges to his leadership. Malcolm X's (1927-1965) message of self-defense and black nationalism expressed the discontent and anger of northern, urban blacks more effectively than did King's moderation. During the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march, King and his lieutenants were able to keep intra-movement conflicts sufficiently under control to bring about passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, but while participating in a 1966 march through Mississippi, King encountered strong criticism from "Black Power" proponent Stokely Carmichael. Shortly afterward white counter-protesters in the Chicago area physically assaulted King in the Chicago area during an unsuccessful effort to transfer non-violent protest techniques to the urban North. Despite these leadership conflicts, King remained committed to the use of non-violent techniques. Early in 1968, he initiated a Poor Peoples campaign designed to confront economic problems that had not been addressed by early civil rights reforms.
King's effectiveness in achieving his objectives was limited not merely by divisions among blacks, however, but also by the increasing resistance he encountered from national political leaders. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover's already extensive efforts to undermine King's leadership were intensified during 1967 as urban racial violence escalated and King criticized American intervention in the Vietnam war. King had lost the support of many white liberals, and his relations with the Lyndon Johnson administration were at a low point when he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while seeking to assist a garbage workers' strike in Memphis. After his death, King remained a controversial symbol of the African-American civil rights struggle, revered by many for his martyrdom on behalf of non-violence and condemned by others for his militancy and insurgent views.
"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In his speech ¨I Have a Dream¨
Place where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.
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|Costa Rica


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The Democratic Party loses one of its icons. Bad weather slows AirAsia search. And the college football national championship is set.
It's Friday and here are the 5 things to know for your New Day
Party standard-bearer: The Democratic Party has lost one of its giants. Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo died yesterday at the age of 82. He had been hospitalized recently to treat a heart condition, but passed away, at home, from "natural causes due to heart failure," his family said. Cuomo's passionate and powerful keynote address at the 1984 Democratic political convention vaulted him onto the national political scene. President Barack Obama praised Cuomo for his faith in God and championing of progressive values in a statement issued by the White House.
* Bang! * Boom! * Pop! * Cheer! * Suddenly it's here! The New Year! 2015 beckons us to look ahead with best resolutions for the next twelve months and to reminisce on the dozen we laid to rest last night.
How about we start 2015 with an aspirin for that hangover and "5 Things to Know for Your New Day."
What we have in common: Wear red underwear if you want love - Brazil. Throw beans out the front door to ward off misfortune – Japan. Eat black-eyed peas and greens for luck and money – the American South. Pour molten lead into water to tell your fortune – Germany. New Year's traditions vary from culture to culture, but there's one that spans the globe – fireworks displays. From Sydney to L.A. the pyro blossoms were spectacular last night. Here are collections of the most luminous midnight skylines.
Searchers find more bodies while looking for the doomed AirAsia flight. Police officer deaths are up this year, and the numbers show it. And Palestinians miss approval of statehood by just one vote in the U.N. Security Council.
It's Wednesday, and here are the "5 Things to Know for Your New Day."
Wreckage on seafloor? Yesterday, the first wreckage scraps and a few bodies turned up; today, teams searching for doomed AirAsia Flight QZ8501 may have come upon something larger. It's not confirmed, but one official says he thinks sonar spotted debris on the floor of the Java Sea. Rescuers also found at least one more body. Ten have been recovered so far, one of them wearing a flight attendant's uniform. Yesterday, loved ones who inadvertently saw images of bodies in the water broke down - some fainted.
The first pieces of debris from AirAsia flight QZ8501 are found in the Java Sea. After both freezing and burning conditions, all passengers are off a fire-stricken ferry. And Ebola has now reached another European country.
It's Tuesday, and here are the "5 Things to Know for Your New Day."
Heartbreaking news: After three days of intense searching, officials say they've found debris from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 off the coast of Borneo. The plane disappeared Sunday with 162 people on board. Indonesia's President said search teams are now concentrating on finding and recovering bodies.


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Oct. 7, 2007 — -- October is the month of baseball's World Series, so it is an appropriate time to consider "56*," an article just published in the Canadian magazine Walrus. In it author David Robbeson asks, "Was Joe DiMaggio's fifty-six-game hitting streak the greatest feat in all of sports or merely a product of its time?"
The article strongly suggests that DiMaggio's legendary record might deserve an asterisk similar to that many have attached to Barry Bonds' recent breaking of Henry Aaron's home run record.
Robbeson's argument, which has been made before but never, I think, so thoroughly, revolves around one Dan Daniel.
Daniel was a baseball writer who had covered the Yankees for a long time, was a personal friend of many of the players, traveled with the team and submitted his expenses to it. He was also the official home-game scorer for the Yankees. He decided, among other things, whether any at-bat should be adjudged a hit by the batter or an error by the fielder, yet he was, in Robbeson's words, "as much a PR man as a reporter."
Specifically, Robbeson cites two games in the middle of the streak, the 30th and 31st, when DiMaggio managed just one hit. In each of these games, the hit was suspect and could well have, and perhaps should have, been deemed an error.
The first involved a bad bounce that hit off the shoulder of shortstop Luke Appling after he reached for it. Hits and errors were not immediately recorded on the scoreboard so, Robbeson writes, some spectators believed the streak had come to an end. Daniel, however, called it a hit.
The 31st game of the streak involved a fielding play that was also arguably an error on the part of Appling, who got his glove on the ball, but dropped it. Again Daniel scored it a hit.
How could this have happened without arousing more controversy? Robbeson argues that despite the present Olympian status of the streak, at the time American involvement in World War II was looming and attention to the then-29-game streak and its fluky extension was not intense and baseball attendance was quite low. Amazingly, the attendance in 22 of the games during the streak was less than 10,000.
In short, the streak wasn't that big a deal then.
There is no clip of the fabled streak by the Yankee Clipper on YouTube to decide the matter, so it will never be conclusively settled. There is, however, a counterargument, well stated by Steven Jay Gould.
Gould argues that these two, at best, weak hits as well as a couple of others seem out of place in a record set by a mythical hitter like DiMaggio. The reason is that people tend to believe that streaks are a causal consequence of courage and competence and that their lucky extension is somehow an affront to our conception of them. DiMaggio is too great a figure, people unconsciously think, to have his streak depend on such thin threads.
As psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman demonstrated years ago, however, people fervently mistakenly believe in hot hands, in clutch hitters, in coming through under pressure, and don't want to think of streaks as simply matters of luck. But luck is sometimes just that, and good hitters benefit more from it than do bad hitters. They will generally hit in longer streaks than will bad hitters just as heads-biased coins will result in longer strings of consecutive heads than tails-biased coins will.
In other words, DiMaggio's streak remained intact because of these calls by Daniel, but so what? Some lucky breaks and a dubious call or two are to be expected in a long streak.
Whether the streak was tainted by a biased scorer operating in a different historical context and under much less fierce media scrutiny can't be cleanly judged now. We can, however, understand something of the improbability of DiMaggio's feat by doing a few little calculations. (This is the time for mathphobes to check out.)
His lifetime batting average was .325. If, therefore, we assume as a first approximation that he generally got a hit 32.5 percent of the time he came to bat and hence made an out 67.5 percent of the time and that he came to bat four times per game, then the chances of his not getting a hit in any given game were approximately, assuming independence, (.675)^4 =.2076.
Remember independence means he got hits in the same way a coin that lands heads 32.5 percent of the time gets heads. So the probability DiMaggio would get at least one hit in any given game were 1 - .2076 = .7924.
Thus the chances of his getting a hit in any given sequence of 56 consecutive games was (.7924)^56 = .000 002 192, a minuscule probability indeed.
The number of times in a season that a hitter with a .325 batting average might expect to hit successfully in exactly 56 consecutive games is still tiny - .000 010. This number is determined by adding up the ways in which he might hit safely in some string of exactly 56 consecutive games.
The probability and expected number of streaks of length at least 56 straight games is about five times higher, but DiMaggio hit in only 139 games so his chances were somewhat less than this multiple of 5.
The conclusion is that such an extraordinary achievement "should not," probabilistically speaking, have yet occurred in the history of baseball.
There are many differences and a few similarities between Bonds' record and DiMaggio's. I leave them for readers to ponder.
Essential links:
John Allen Paulos, a professor of mathematics at Temple University, is the author of the best-sellers "Innumeracy" and "A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper," as well as of the forthcoming (in December) "Irreligion." His "Who's Counting?" column on ABCNEWS.com appears the first weekend of every month.


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[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/23/art.smokestacks4.gi.jpg caption=" Two Democratic sources tell CNN that climate change legislation is unlikely to make it to the Senate floor this year."](CNN) - Despite a new bipartisan push on climate change, legislation on the issue is unlikely to make it to the Senate floor this year, two Senate Democratic sources tell CNN.
That would be a blow to three senior senators set to unveil a much anticipated bipartisan measure dealing with climate change Monday morning.
The main reason sources say the prospects for the legislation are dim is because Senate Democratic leaders have decided to try to put immigration reform first on the agenda, and after that there likely won't be an appetite for another politically divisive issue before November's election – especially with a Supreme Court nomination ahead and a desire to stay focused on the politically potent issue of jobs.
The Democratic sources said the feeling in the Senate Democratic leadership is that immigration has more of a political upside for Democrats for several reasons.
Democrats know that Latinos who voted for President Obama and other Democrats in 2008 are furious that Democrats have not yet kept the promise to advance comprehensive immigration reform.
Immigration is especially critical politically for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who is down in the polls for his re-election bid in a state where a quarter of the population is Hispanic.
On Monday, Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut, and Senator Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, are slated to release legislation that would, among other things, set a goal of a 17 percent reduction in carbon emissions in the next 10 years.
A Kerry spokeswoman downplayed any talk of not moving on the issue before November.
"There are always people who think it's impossible to tackle big challenges in an election year, but Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman have been working overtime to produce an approach that can succeed," said Kerry spokeswoman Whitney Smith.
"The majority leader reiterated yesterday to them that he is committed to make this the year bi-partisan, comprehensive climate and energy reform passes the Senate and Senator Kerry knows the leader is tough and determined enough to make it happen."
Dana Bash, do please stop with your incessant bias.
I agree that immigration reform should be a bigger priority than climate change. Profiling based on the color of ones skin, the clothes one wears, or the hairstyle one chooses, is NOT where I would like our country to be. In fact, I am absolutely set against it.
This issue needs to be resolved, and fast.
Climate Bill is a job creator a race to the top to energy independent.
The first thing the Democrats need to do is to change the name of this to an Energy Independence bill. The contents of the bill will be the same but it will be more attractive to the majority of people who don't bother to read more than the cover. The bill is addressing our dependence on foreign sources of energy (oil is the big one). Drill baby drill isn't going to solve our energy problems. We need many other sources too.
Not a big deal. We've had our legislation that was already a BFD. Take that republicans!
the dems better cram through everything they can this year because it will be decades before dems regain the majority again, Americans will never forget the crap they have done since obummer was elected.
The gop is scared to death if the Democrats go forward with immigration reform,the reason its going to wakup a sleepin giant like it did in 2006,the gop can forget about winning calif,colorodo,illinois,nyork,in penn,in expect nevada in florida,in ohio to come in play for the democrats,the gop dont want the republican party to show its true color on this,if the tea party insult the latino cumminity along with right wing radio,its going to bring alot of hipanics to the polls in november forget about taking back anything in the the future republicans.
whats the buzz word "global warming or climate change" this is so confusing... i dont know where to send my ck ?
This is not just about energy independence, it's about the survival of life on this planet. anyone who thinks ANYTHING should be more of a priority than addressing climate change is sadly and dangerously mistaken. if the climate becomes inhospitable for human life, all the other problems we have will be petty indeed. if we twiddle our thumbs while we pass the tipping point, we're going to be very sorry. our kids and grandkids will have no quality of life at all and maybe no life at all. shame on the Democrats for not acting on this most vital issue of our time!!!!! and shame on the rethuglikkklans for putting out so much false information that some people actually think this is not a crisis!!!
i put climate change (the old global warming scare) above the theory of Weapons of Mass Destruction scare....both lies.
Probably. Cap and Tax doesn't sound so good right now as the Democrats are preparing for elections. They already rammed a healthcare bill down our throat that we just heard is going to cost us more money. That was no suprise to almost 60% of the country.
Immigration reform, closing the borders, not granting amnesty is very important and is years overdue. Global Warming is a gigantic hoax designed to make Al Gore a Billionaire.
I give this President, and congress so many kudos for tackling gigantic issues. They have not wasted time, and their progress for America will begin to bare fruit.
All I have to say is let's keep it moving on Immigration reform, Climate change, deficit reduction, etc.
These issues MUST be addressed.
Hi Haters!!!!!! 🙂
First, the junk science that the climate change hoax was based on has been acknowledged as inaccurate by the scientist who collected the data. So there is no evidence of man made global warming. The climate changes and there is nothing we should do about it. Remember there was an ice age...
Immigration reform... why are people so worried about profiling. Or maybe its so we must employee twice as many law enforcement so your great aunt Sally (lilly white and 90 years old) has to prove her citizenship. Just like she is strip searched and full body scanned at airports because of the little old lady terror threat.


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Deloitte presents in AmCham's US Individual Income Tax Seminar has been saved
Press releases
Deloitte presents in AmCham's US Individual Income Tax Seminar
21 February 2016 – Deloitte will present in a seminar on U.S. Individual Income Taxation hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain (AmCham) on Tuesday, 23 February 2016. AmCham Bahrain is a member of the global network of American Chambers of Commerce working on the promotion of commerce, investment and goodwill between the United States of America, the membership, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Deloitte's representative, Alex Jones, Director in the firm's US/UK High Net Worth group based in London, which delivers bespoke international tax planning solutions to CEOs, other high level executives and entrepreneurs, will discuss US tax issues for US expats and others holding US citizenship or green cards (as well as those holding significant US assets), including an overview of the reporting issues flagged up by FATCA that some individuals may not realize are required.
AmCham Bahrain President, Qays H. Zu'bi, stated: "There is a need for US citizens and persons with US investments to become informed about their US tax filing obligations. This tax seminar is a 'must attend' for anyone interested in the unique tax filing and bank report obligations imposed upon US individual taxpayers living and working abroad."
"AmCham is pleased to have Mr. Alex Jones from Deloitte, an expert in US expatiate tax issues, speak on this important topic, stated Mr. Zu'bi. "It is important to note that every US citizen is subject to tax on his/her worldwide income regardless of the source of that income. Persons born in the United States are citizens automatically. US citizenship doesn't depend on getting or having a US passport or social security number."
Topics to be covered during the seminar include:
- Recent tax developments and tax law changes
- Eligibility for the Foreign Earned Income and Foreign Housing Exclusions (FEIE)
- Foreign Bank Account Reporting requirements (FBAR)
- Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act for individuals (FATCA)
- Becoming compliant with US tax filing obligations and the programs available
- US tax consequences of doing business outside the US and investing in a foreign company
- Tax issues for individuals with significant investments in the US
"US taxpayers are subject to particular US tax issues, and this is even more the case for those who live or work outside of the US. Whether this relates to investment in non-US assets, creation of non-US businesses, foreign income taxes paid or having non-US family members can only complicate matters further. US reporting obligations and the recent introduction of FATCA make navigating the maze of rules even more critical," added Jones.
Mubeen Khadir, Tax Director with Deloitte Bahrain, highlighted the importance of US citizens needing to know their obligations, especially, in light of a number of initiatives aimed at increasing the level of tax information that is exchanged globally. He noted that Automatic Exchange of Information regimes such as FATCA and CRS (common reporting standard) allow tax authorities to gather information on accounts held by both individuals and entities at Financial Institutions worldwide. Ultimately, these are designed to tackle perceived tax evasion and to increase voluntary tax compliance.
To learn more or to register go to www.amchambahrain.org or call 1757 4743.
Press contact
Nadine El Hassan
Middle East Public Relations Leader
Deloitte & Touche (M.E.)
Tel: +961 (0) 1 748444
Fax: +961 (0) 1 748999
About Deloitte:
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a more detailed description of DTTL and its member firms.
Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte's more than 220,000 professionals are committed to making an impact that matters.
About Deloitte & Touche (M.E.):
Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) and is a leading professional services firm established in the Middle East region with uninterrupted presence since 1926.
Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through 26 offices in 15 countries with more than 3,300 partners, directors and staff. It is a Tier 1 Tax advisor in the GCC region since 2010 (according to the International Tax Review World Tax Rankings). It has also received numerous awards in the last few years which include best employer in the Middle East, best consulting firm, the Middle East Training & Development Excellence Award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), as well as the best CSR integrated organization.


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Chapter Rallies
The Diesel RV Club normally holds Rallies two weeks* prior to the FMCA International Family Reunion & Motorhome Showcases. A typical rally is about 4 days long at a top-tier motorhome resort with discount site rates, multiple maintenance seminars, hobby and how-to sessions, group social and get-acquainted times, silent auctions, access to some coach services and vendors, catered meals, evening entertainment, dancing, and time to see local sites. * Starting in 2017, Rallies will be held one week prior to FMCA;s Reunion.
Rally Registration
Two ways to Register:
Refund Policy
Refund Policy: Must notify the Treasurer at least 14 days prior to the start of the rally, and providing that no chapter funds have been expended. Upon replacement on Attendee List by moving from Waiting List, funds will be refunded, less any credit card fees if applicable.


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17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, July 16, 1912: I don't just exactly remember what I really did today.
Her middle-aged granddaughter's comments 100 years later:
Since Grandma didn't write much a hundred years ago today, I was thinking about what to write, and remembered that a reader commented several weeks ago that many people were getting ice boxes in the early 1900s—and that Jell-O was becoming popular.
I recalled that I had seen an advertisement for Jell-O and flipped through a couple magazines hunting it.
I found this advertisement in the July, 1912 issue of Ladies Home Journal.
In hot weather when the appetite is just a little off, and there is a peculiar craving for something cool and satisfying, nothing touches the spot like
It is so deliciously cool, so light, so wholesome, so nutritious—so tempting and good every way—that it satisfies the summer appetite as nothing else can.
Fruit of almost any kind can be added, as the housewife chooses, or left out, and in either case the dessert will be delightful.
There is no other dessert worth serving that can be made without cooking, and in hot weather no housewife wants to cook and fuss more than is necessary.
A Jell-O dessert can made in a minute.
Seven delightful flavors: Strawberry, Raspberry, Cherry, Lemon, Orange, Peach, Chocolate.
10 cents a package at all grocers'
The splendid recipe book, "Desserts of the World" illustrated in ten colors and gold, will be sent to all who write us and ask for it.
Le Roy, N.Y, and Bridgeburg, Can.


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My husband's birthday is always celebrated with a big chocolate cake. This year though I convinced him that cupcakes would be even better – I am not sure how I managed that one, but I did. I saw this chocolate cupcake recipe in Cook's Illustrated that looked so amazing, I just had to make them. They were filled cupcakes, and filled with ganache – but the best thing about this recipe is that all you did was put a dollop of ganache on top of the cupcake batter, and magically the batter bakes around it – forming a filling. Well, I just had to give it a try – and use my husband's birthday as the excuse.
I have to say, this ganache was something else – I wanted to just eat it plain…it was so rich and creamy – and incredibly smooth – it just melted in your mouth immediately. I was getting very excited to try the finished product. Ok, my husband likes his food, but he does have a discerning palate – he doesn't just settle for anything. He took and bite and told me they were the best cupcakes he has ever eaten in his life. From him, that is huge. We have had some pretty incredible cupcakes in our lives – but these were just ridiculously moist – the ganache didn't stay in one piece, it basically melted all over the center of the cake to make an even more intense moist chocolately center. Oh my. The frosting was pretty incredible as well – not too sweet, but nice and rich – and oh so smooth.
Well, at least I beat last year, but how am I going to top this one?
Ganache Filling:
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
- 1/3 cup (1 ounce) Dutch-processed cocoa
- ¾ cup hot coffee
- ¾ cup (4 1/8 ounces) bread flour
- ¾ cup (5¼ ounces) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- Pinch table salt
- 12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ganache Filling:
Place-chocolate, cream, and confectioners' sugar in medium -microwave-safe bowl. Heat
in microwave on high power until mixture is warm to touch, 20 to 30 seconds.
Whisk until smooth; transfer bowl to refrigerator and let stand until just
chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.
Chocolate Cupcakes:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan
(cups have ½-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners. Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl. Pour hot coffee over mixture and whisk until smooth. Set in refrigerator to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Whisk oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla into cooled chocolate-cocoa mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Place one slightly rounded teaspoon ganache filling on top of each cupcake. Bake until cupcakes are set and just firm to touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before frosting, about 1 hour.
Combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in bowl of stand mixer; place bowl over pan of simmering water. Whisking gently but constantly, heat mixture until slightly thickened, foamy, and registers 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes.
Place bowl in stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat mixture on medium speed until consistency of shaving cream and slightly cooled, 1 to 2 minutes. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, until smooth and creamy. (Frosting may look curdled after half of butter has been added; it will smooth with additional butter.) Once all butter is added, add cooled melted chocolate and vanilla; mix until combined. Increase
speed to medium-high and beat until light, fluffy, and thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds, scraping beater and sides of bowl with rubber spatula as necessary.
To frost, mound 2 to 3 tablespoons frosting on center of each cupcake. Using small icing spatula or butter knife, spread frosting to edge of cupcake, leaving slight mound in center.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling


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Of the 7 deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back–in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you. So says Frederick Buechner, in his book, Wishful Thinking Transformed By Thorns. Paul has said quite a bit about anger in the verse we have been studying lately. In these two verses, Paul sums up his teaching about anger, and then tells us about what should replace it. We should not live in anger, but in forgiveness.
In verse 31, we have five things listed in a row, and then one summary word given at the very end. One scholar has helpfully pointed out that this list is progressive. First, Paul talks about bitterness. Bitterness is that form of anger that stays inside, in the heart. We are usually blind to our bitterness. Nevertheless, we might know that we are unhappy. One of my professors told a story of a woman who came to him for counseling. She was unhappy with life, but didn't know the way out. So, my professor told her to keep a journal. She was supposed to say what happened, what were the possible responses to it, how did she actually respond, and what did she think about it. After a few months, she gave that journal to my professor, who read it, and went through with a colored pen, underlining every statement that indicated bitterness. He told the woman what he had done, and gave it back to her. What she said was so interesting. She said, "The lady who wrote this was a very bitter lady." She did not know that she was bitter in her heart! She kept on blaming everything and everyone around her for the problems in her life. I wonder if any of us do the same thing. We want to justify ourselves, and so we make everyone around us look bad, so that we're the only one left standing at the end. That comes from a bitter heart. The other problems with bitterness involve our accusations against God. We think we deserve a better life than we are getting. Then we come to expect such a good life. So, when we don't get it, we get bitter. Bitterness, of course, takes a while to develop. People are not usually bitter overnight. The solution is Jesus Christ. Did He have the life He deserved on earth? No, He most certainly did not. He had a life full of suffering. But He was not bitter. He came because we deserve much worse in life than what we are getting. He came so that we could have the forgiveness of sins. He can understand you. He knows what your life has been like, and He can sympathize with you. And He can forgive your bitterness against God. Let it go. Let go of your bitterness, and embrace the joy of new life in Christ.
The second thing in this list is rage. This word usually refers to an outburst, or the tendency to burst out, and do something in wrath. So, it is more intense than bitterness, but of much shorter duration. Usually, this happens when we feel that we have been wronged in a specific instance. Billy Sunday was talking with a lady once, and he came up with a perfect illustration for this. The lady was saying that there was nothing wrong with her losing her temper. She blew up, and then it was over. Sunday said, "So does a shotgun. But look at the damage it leaves behind." The kind of rage that Paul is talking about in this word is the shotgun kind of rage. It is an "action" kind of anger, not primarily a "word" kind of anger. It is what might happen if someone punches you in the face, and you immediately get into a fight with that person. Let us consider for a moment how we ought to react. First we need to know that we are not required to strike back. That is only one of the many responses that we could have. Just realizing that can be a turning point for some people who are prone to these outbursts. You do not have to react in a shotgun fashion. Instead, you can say, "I forgive you, as Christ has forgiven me." As we will see, since God has forgiven us, so also ought we to forgive one another.
The third word Paul uses here is a word that describes a boiling pot of anger. It is a fairly steady, longer-lasting hot kind of anger. We might use the phrase "our blood is boiling." A good example of this is King Ahab. You will remember that he wanted Naboth's vineyard. However, Naboth would not sell the land that had belonged to his family for generations. And so, Ahab went home, Jezebel his wife asked him what was the matter. And Ahab vented to his wife, who came up with the suggestion of murdering Naboth in order to have the vineyard. As Benjamin Franklin says, "Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame." And that was true enough in Ahab's case, since he died a very shameful death, as did Jezebel. If some of us are prone to this kind of anger, then we need to remember God's anger against sin. Is it a sinful anger? That is a difficult question to remember to ask, since anger is an emotion that clouds the mind. We are not usually thinking all that clearly when we are in a boiling rage. Nevertheless, as Paul says, we should not be mastered by anything except Jesus Christ. Do we really have the right to be angry? That is the question that the Lord asked Jonah as Jonah lost that plant that gave him some shade. Jonah thought he had the right to be angry, since God had spared Niniveh when Niniveh repented. God as much as told him to shut up, since Jonah was angry at God. It is important here to remember that if we are angry at God, it does absolutely no good to deny that we are. God knows our hearts anyway, so it is useless even to try to hide it from Him. Instead, we should confess and ask God to change our hearts.
The fourth word that Paul uses here is a word that describes someone shouting out loudly in anger. It is that torrent of words that come pouring out of an angry heart. They are usually loud. A father of three won a shouting contest with a roar louder than a passing train. "If you want a war, you go!" Yoshihiko Kato shouted. The sound meter registered 115.8 decibels, louder than the racket of a train passing overhead on an elevated railroad. For that winning shout, Kato won the $750 grand prize of the 10th annual Halls Year-End Loud Voice Contest. Kato admitted that he probably built up his loud voice shouting at his children. What does shouting accomplish, exactly? Well, it usually makes you feel powerful, although the truth of the matter is that the person who can control and master their anger is a lot more powerful than the one who simply gives in to it. Such shouting also makes people afraid of you, particularly those people who are under you in authority. It never convinces anyone else of your point of view. You may shout someone into silence, but it will not be an agreeing silence. It will be a sullen and rebellious silence. Instead of shouting out at people, we should be crying out to the Lord out God to guard our tongues and lips.
The last word is the worst word of all. Literally, it is blasphemy. Now, as this word is used in the New Testament, it can refer either to slander against someone else, or it can refer to blasphemy against God Himself. The last result of rage is that we attack that person with our words, and sometimes with our actions. All of anger (and we are talking about unrighteous anger here) is opposed to forgiveness. You simply cannot forgive someone if you are angry with that person, and stay angry with that person. However, speaking against someone what is false, or speaking against God something that is blasphemous is the worst sin that is in the category of anger. You are burning all your bridges with this one. In fact, this sin seeks to eliminate the possibility of forgiveness. We need to remember that forgiveness is more powerful. God's grace is more powerful. Nevertheless, it is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that is the unforgivable sin. We need to repent of our slander against one another, and our blasphemy against God. Putting away all evil, as Paul says, is the same thing as putting on Christ.
Paul gives us three words that describe first and foremost how God acts with us. God is kind to us, not treating us as our sins deserve. Kindness is doing good to someone even if that person doesn't deserve, and maybe even doing it precisely because that person doesn't deserve it. An illustration: British statesman and financier Cecil Rhodes, whose fortune was used to endow the world-famous Rhodes Scholarships, was a stickler for correct dress–but apparently not at the expense of someone else's feelings. A young man invited to dine with Rhodes arrived by train and had to go directly to Rhodes's home in his travel-stained clothes. Once there he was appalled to find the other guests already assembled, wearing full evening dress. After what seemed a long time Rhodes appeared, in a shabby old blue suit. Later the young man learned that his host had been dressed in evening clothes, but put on the old suit when he heard of his young guest's dilemma. This illustrates not only kindness, but also hospitality as its finest.
The second word that Paul uses here is "compassionate." Again, to illustrate: in the early days of his presidency, Calvin Coolidge awoke one morning in his hotel room to find a cat burglar going through his pockets. Coolidge spoke up, asking the burglar not to take his watch chain because it contained an engraved charm he wanted to keep. Coolidge then engaged the thief in quiet conversation and discovered he was a college student who had no money to pay his hotel bill or buy a ticket back to campus. Coolidge counted $32 out of his wallet — which he had also persuaded the dazed young man to give back! — declared it to be a loan, and advised the young man to leave the way he had come so as to avoid the Secret Service! That is compassion and mercy. Another illustration will help us here: A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death. "But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy." "But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied. "Sir," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for." "Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman's son. No one on whom we have mercy deserves it. But then, neither did we deserve to have mercy from God. And yet, He has given it to us. Magnificent, isn't it?
And lastly, one of the best ways to show mercy and compassion, and kindness, is to forgive one another. In this respect, Paul tells us what our motivation should be. God has forgiven us. Therefore, we should forgive one another. The parable of the ungrateful servant is something I have brought up rather a lot in recent sermons. There is a reason for that. It is the best illustration of this principle that we are ever going to find. God has forgiven us a debt that we can never repay. In return, He asks us to forgive those who have sinned against us, even in major ways. They have not sinned against us nearly as much as we have sinned against God. Therefore, we should forgive them. So, we can see from all this that anger has many forms, many expressions, some subtle and remaining in the heart, some coming out in actions and some in words. But the answer to all of those sins is the forgiveness of God leading to our forgiving one another. Do not be angry, but rather forgive.


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