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Since 2007, we've been offering all customers the opportunity to offset the most carbon intensive portion of their trip - their flight - when they book their air travel with us. The emissions produced from flights are calculated (from departure region to destination region) and the cost of offsetting that flight is then included in the price quoted. Carbon offsets are optional on the airfares we sell, however we do encourage our customers to help us tackle climate change by choosing this option.
So if you book a Carbon Offset Flight through Intrepid, you'll fly with the knowledge that your environmental impact has been reduced.
An impressive number of Intrepid travellers have chosen to book our Carbon Offset Flights. In the first year alone our travellers offset 18,700 tonnes of carbon! Since then, we've offset a further 27,400 tonnes, meaning over 45,000 tonnes of carbon emissions have been offset since 2007. That's equal to approximately the amount of carbon that 2,796,047 trees would absorb over 10 years, or taking over 4,753 passenger cars off the road for an entire year!* We thank our thoughtful passengers for their consideration of the environment.
Intrepid Travel currently offsets our carbon by investing in internationally accredited compliant projects that are based in our biggest destinations, including China, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Brazil. These projects not only offset Intrepid's emissions but they also improve the environment of the local communities by providing an alternative to fossil fuels and therefore produce less pollution.
Our current offset project in is the Alize Çamseki wind farm in Turkey. The wind turbines produce approximately 82,000 MWh of electricity each year. In doing so, the wind farm prevents 52,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere each year. For further information check out the project files here.


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After more than three years of running Thesis, I've given the site a long overdue design update and switched to the Genesis framework. Aside from finally enabling threaded comments, most of the changes are just aesthetic for now. Stay tuned, however, for the likely addition of new sections and more frequent updates. (And if you're reading this via RSS, click over to check out the new site.)
To kick off the new design, I'm giving away a few books. Publisher Scout Books from Portland, Oregon, recently invited me to contribute to a new series of pocket recipe guides called The Cocktail Hour, launching with a trio devoted to rum, gin, and vodka. The books include recipes from me and many other West Coast bartenders and bloggers, including Camper English, Sue Erickson, Jordan Felix, Lauren Fitzgerald, Brian Gilbert, Ricky Gomez, Tommy Klus, Tom Lindstedt, Junior Ryan, Mike Shea, Daniel Shoemaker, and David and Lesley Solmonson, among others.
The books retail for $12 a set and would make a great stocking stuffer. For this contest, I'll randomly pick winners for the following prizes:
First prize (one winner) — A complete set of The Cocktail Hour: Rum, Gin, and Vodka, plus a copy of my out of print recipe guide from 2010, The Cocktail Collective.
Second prize (two winners) — A complete set of The Cocktail Hour: Rum, Gin, and Vodka.
To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post, one comment per person. I'll randomly select winners from the list of comments around noon on Wednesday, November 28, 2012.
Update 11/12/2008: The contest is now closed. Winners announced here. Thanks to everyone who entered!

subset: commoncrawl


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Product weight ~ 2.20g
The product purity - 585 (14k) gold
Metal type - 585 14K / white / yellow / red gold
The price is indicated for the product shown in the photo (changing the weight and width of the product, the price changes too).
You can choose the color of the product yourself.
Product price varies from product weight.
Product weight mismatch 5%
Delivery time: 5 - 15 business days
Gold color, width, gold purity, weights, zirconia - diamond size and quantity can be changed according to your request.
Want to make individual changes or have more questions, contact us by email: firstname.lastname@example.com or phone number. +370 671 597 75
• Quality Certificate of the Lithuanian Chamber of Commerce
• Quality and authenticity guarantee
• Free shipping throughout Lithuania
• Delivery of goods in Lithuania within 1 - 3 business days
• LP Express courier deliveries directly to your hands.
• We are responsible for the safe delivery of the goods.
Tags: Red, and, white, gold, brooch, "Spider's, web", Brooches


text:
Your company's data — client information, payment information, personal files, bank account details — is always at risk of falling into the wrong hands. And every day, security threats seem to come from a new place.
In this slideshow, we have collected some of the best advice that leading security experts have shared with IT Business Edge recently, identifying areas of data vulnerability and helping you develop strategies for securing your data and information systems.
Related Topics : Unisys, Stimulus Package, Security Breaches, Symantec, Electronic Surveillance
To protect the company from those insiders who abuse their privileged access and from hackers with stolen credentials, many companies are turning to a privileged access management (PAM) solution. ... More >>
Is fake news a security issue? Some say yes, as it can be used as a social engineering tool to spread disinformation and conceivably to get unsuspecting users to click on malicious links. ... More >>
Blockchain comes with many costs and is surrounded by confusion. Here, we examine realistic use cases, drawbacks and the potential of blockchain. ... More >>


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Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece®
At Helzberg Diamonds, we differentiate ourselves by the emphasis placed on the cut, polish, and symmetry of our finished diamonds. This is why we feature a diamond in our assortment whose precision cut is truly unique - The Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece®. It takes expert diamond cutters years before they are able to achieve the level of skill required to shape a Helzberg Diamonds Masterpiece® into its famous super ideal cut, resulting in less than one half of one percent of the world's diamonds meeting our stringent criteria.
Every Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece® showcases an exquisite "hearts and arrows" pattern, achieved by precisely aligning every cut and optimally proportioning every facet. Each gem must also achieve the highest possible grade for polish and symmetry - nothing less than "excellent"- making the Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece® an elegant tribute to love.


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Feb. 17, 2007
The Lady Bisons gave the Belmont Bruins a good scare, but they couldn't pull off the upset.
Belmont, the top team in the Atlantic Sun Conference, prevailed 67-53 in a game that was truly closer than the final score indicates.
In the women's basketball version of the "Battle of the Boulevard", the Lady Bisons outscored Belmont 17-8 in the first eight minutes of the second half to turn a 32-22 deficit into only a 40-39 disadvantage.
Belmont pulled six points ahead at 48-42 with nine minutes left to play on a lay-up by Shaunda Strayhorn. The Lady Bisons cut the lead back to three points at 48-45 with 6:12 left on a lay-up by point guard Catie Woods.
"I'm proud of how we came back," Lipscomb coach Frank Bennett said. "We are executing some things and getting some shots. Hopefully, we can keep getting closer with each game."
In the final six minutes Belmont turned the tide on the way to the final score.
"We had to come back from a long distance. You expend so much energy getting there that psychologically you have to work on getting over the hump instead of saying we are caught up and then kind of relaxing.
"You have to keep pushing when you catch up to them. That is a hard thing to do. When they jumped back out ahead it just gave us another mountain to climb."
In the first half Belmont led by as many as 15 points on two occasions.
"In the first half we were playing really poorly offensively," Bennett said. "Earlier in the year we would have lost this game in the first half. We have gotten to the point where we can hang in."
The Lady Bisons were led by Woods with 14 points and forward Rachel Davis with 10. Davis also led the team in rebounding with seven. The new level at which Davis is playing has been a bright spot late in the season for the Lady Bisons.
"Rachel has made huge progress," Bennett said. "Somehow it has clicked for her about focusing and not losing concentration and wasting possessions. She has had four games in a row where she has had very few mental mistakes. She has become a legitimate scorer.
"We have emphasized conditioning with her. She has been doing a lot of extra work on her own on our off days. She is in the best shape of her life."
The Lady Bisons shot 35.7 percent from the field, hitting 20-of-56 shots. They were four-of-19 from 3-point range, 22.2 percent. From the free throw line the Lady Bisons hit nine-of-15 attempts, 60 percent.
Alsysha Clark scored a game-high 20 points for Belmont. Amber Rockwell added 14.
Belmont was 24-of-62 for 38.7 percent from the field, including seven-of-19 from beyond the arc, 36.8 percent success rate. Belmont hit 12-of-16 attempts from the free throw line, 75 percent.
Clark and Tereva Moore each had nine rebounds as Belmont held a 41-39 edge on the boards.
"The first game this season they killed us on the boards," Bennett said. "In the first half we had the edge and we finished within two. We had a good effort on the boards."
The Lady Bisons are 6-8 in the A-Sun, 8-16 overall. They play two final home games with Gardner-Webb visiting Thursday at 7 and Campbell coming to Allen Arena at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Belmont is 13-1 in the conference, 19-5 overall.


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Slayer Hate-Filled Candy Jar is Perfect Gift for Valentine's Day
Slayer are offering a thoroughly metallic twist on those popular Valentine's Day treats known as "conversation hearts" as only Kerry King and co. can. You know 'em – those pink, white and yellow hard candies with phrases like 'Be Mine' or 'Kiss Me' etched on them. Well, the Slayer version of said candies are black and red and they come in a jar stamped with the red red Slayer logo. But that's not even the coolest part. The Slayer hearts boast phrases like 'Hate,' 'Kill' and 'Destoy.' There are even ones with the band's name imprinted on them. Happy Valentine's Day indeed.
It's only $12.99 a jar and the container can be repurposed once you gobble up all those deliciously hateful sweet treats. We recommend keeping the whole thing in tact and not eating the candies. Instead, put the jar on a shelf or a coffee table for all your metal friends to gawk at. It's certainly quite the, er, conversation starter.
We also recommend this item as a gift for female headbangers to purchase for their boyfriends. However, if you are a dude with a cool girlfriend who loves Slayer more than you do, nab one for her. Go here to purchase. Hurry! Valentine's Day is next week.


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|This user has made over 1,000 contributions to Wikiquote.
|This user is a administrator on the English Wikiquote. (verify // user)
|Babel user information
|Users by language
Hello, I'm Pmlineditor, an administrator here. If you need to contact me about any edits I have made here, feel free to use my talk page. Please don't bring matters of other wikis here; use my talk page in the respective wikis for that purpose or if I don't have an active talk page, please try Meta-Wiki.
I wasn't very active for the past two years, but I'll hopefully be active now as real life takes up slightly less time right now than it used to for the past two years. When I get time, I do maintenance work (categorizing, deleting pages marked for deletion, reverting vandalism and blocking vandals etc.). Sometimes I expand stubs, add intros for pages etc.
I'm an admin in the following wikis:
- Simple English Wikipedia (sysop, bureaucrat)
- MediaWiki wiki
- Meta-Wiki
- Simple English Wiktionary
I am active in cross-wiki antivandalism and I have steward rights in Wikimedia wikis.


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Grandpa introduces grandchild to the art of ice fishing–sharing a cozy ice shack, sorting colorful tackle, and finding ways to pass the time. But where are the fish? Will they ever catch a fish?
Seven hours pass.
Not one fish.
Has anyone seen a fish?
On the surface, it might seem like ice fishing, with its hours in a tiny shack awaiting an elusive crappie or pike, would not be a great match for kids. However, as scores of grandparents and parents know, this unique northern pastime holds special magic for a child.
One Frozen Lake tells the story of a grandfather and grandchild on several ice-fishing adventures. ramshackle ice towns sprout up. Ice shack neighbors share piping-hot cocoa and humorous stories. Eye-catching lures and jigs dance at the end of the fishing line. And mysterious, silvery ice tunnels connect the community above with the one below.
Will they ever catch a fish? Perhaps that's beside the point.
Deborah Jo Larson's engaging narrative, a celebration of her childhood spent on frozen lakes, comes alive with appealing scenes expertly crafted by award-winning children's book artists Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, who create shimmering worlds above and below the ice. One Frozen Lake tells of a tradition being passed from one generation to the next, a tradition that encourages spending unhurried time together sharing winter's gifts— and creating precious memories that last long after the ice melts.
This is Deborah Jo Larson's first picture book. Her fiction has appeared in Stories for Children online magazine. Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher have collaborated on over thirty books for children, including Dr. Seuss's My Many Colored Days and Garrison Keillor's Cat, You Better Come Home.
© Copyright 2012 Deborah Jo Larson. All rights reserved.


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When you connect your console to a TV or monitor, the console uses default settings based on your TV and cable type. In some cases, you can change these settings to improve video quality. If you use an HDMI cable, the console automatically selects the best settings.
The following settings are for a high-definition TV (HDTV) or monitor connected with an HDMI cable. The steps might be slightly different if you use a different cable.
Change the screen resolution
Many HDTVs display better colour if more colour information is provided. The Xbox 360 console can send additional colour data to your HDTV to optimise your picture.
Note Not all HDTVs accept additional colour information.
Reference levels
Standard: This is the default reference level. It should work for all displays. Select this option if Intermediate and Expanded yield poor colour quality.
Intermediate: Select this option if Expanded yields poor colour quality.
Expanded: Select this option for HDTV. This option does not work well for most VGA monitors and older HDTV displays.
Improve colour saturation and tint
Auto: Automatically set to RGB or YCbCr for resolution and content type based on HDMI recommendations.
Source: Automatically set to RGB or YCbCr based on the game or video source.
RGB: Set for HDMI-compliant displays. Displays games and videos in RGB format.
YCbCr709: Typically used for high-definition films.
YCbCr601: Typically used for standard-definition films.
If the image on your TV or monitor is compressed or stretched, try changing the screen format. The following steps are for a standard TV or monitor connected with a component A/V cable. The steps might be slightly different if you use a different cable.
To change the screen format
Thanks for your feedback!
Provide feedback for this topic
Would you like to contact Support regarding the "Improve the video quality of an Xbox 360 console" issue you were reading about or a different issue?


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En EspaÑol
Health Coverage: 1-855-840-4774
Health and Human Services: 1-855-697-4347
Employers: 1-855-683-6757
Log In
Sign Up
Enter your Employer Identification Number (EIN), if you have one.
We can help you set up JavaScript, so that you can see what we have to offer. Please call 1-855-840-4774 to learn how. You can call between 8 am and 9 pm Monday through Saturday, or between noon and 6:00 pm on Sunday.
Participating State Agencies
Please do not use the Forward, Back, Refresh or Stop buttons at the top of your browser. Using these buttons may cause an error. To move between pages, please use the Save and Next button at the bottom of the screen.
Thank you for beginning to apply. The program will save all your information through the previous screen. The information entered on the current screen will not be saved. When you return to the application, you will be asked to start from the current screen.
Are you sure you want to Exit? You can stay on the current screen by clicking "Cancel" or continue with exit by clicking "Continue."
When you click "SUBMIT APPLICATION," your application will be sent to a DHS worker for processing. Once the application is submitted, you will not be able to make changes or add information. DHS will contact you to request any missing documents and schedule an interview (if required).
Estamos atualizando nosso sistema de computador e teremos uma versão deste site traduzida en Espanhol e Português em breve. Até lá, por favor, ligue 1-855-840-4774 para perguntas de cobertura de saúde ou 1-855-679-4347 para perguntas sobre Programas de Serviços Humanos.
Estamos actualizando nuestro sistema informatico y queremos traducir este sitio al Espanol y Portugues. Hasta entonces, comuniquese al 1-855-840-4774 para preguntas sobre cobertura de Salud y para preguntas sobre otros programas de Sevicios Humanos favor de llamar al 1-855-679-4347.
Before logging off, you must re-submit your application. Please return to the application and click 'Next' through to the e-signature page and resubmit your application.
Changes made to your application during the last session have been saved but the process is not yet complete. The application must be resubmitted. Please click the button below to return to the application. Then, click "Next" throughout the application until you reach the e-signature page. Click "Submit" to resubmit your application.
Please wait while we process your request.


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Bruce Bogtrotter – hero of literature
The six-year-old and I have been continuing to plough through Roald Dahl books at bedtime. Since December, we have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Danny the Champion of the World, The BFG, and Fantastic Mr Fox. I've also read Dahl's memoirs, Boy and Going Solo, during my adult time, […]Read more


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Socialite Claiborne Swanson Frank, a Vogue alumna, has released a new book called "American Beauty," that has 100 portraits of other socialites.
The title is tasteful, but the book has been dubbed "The Yearbook" among New York's social elite and is being buzzed about for who made it in—and who didn't, says Page Six.
The book, published by Assouline, includes society A-listers like Aerin Lauder, Alina Cho, Georgina Bloomberg, Lauren Santo Domingo, Bettina Prentice, Arden Wohl, and Solange Knowles.
The book is on sale for $75 and can be purchased at Assouline boutiques or at Assouline.com.


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Harley Quinn Tank Dress
Will drive men crazy
You better watch out! Dressing like this might attract all the crazies, and that's no joke!
It really is a classic love story. Asylum psychiatrist falls hard for zany, green-haired, perma-smiling psychopath who has been known to menace the city. Psychiatrist helps crazy man escape asylum. Psychiatrist loses it and decides to don skin-tight court jester outfit, becoming crazy man's sidekick and accomplice. Hasn't this happened to you at least a dozen times?
No? Well, maybe it will if you start sporting this Harley Quinn tank dress around town. A girl can hope, right?
Harley Quinn costume print tank dress in Black and red, made of 95% cotton and 5% spandex. Listed in juniors sizing.
Please use the size chart below to find your size.
|28 in.
|30 in.
|32 in.
|34 in.
|28 in.
|30 in.
|32 in.
|34 in.
|30 in.
|31 in.
|32 in.
|33 in.
|Bottom opening
|36 in.
|38 in.
|40 in.
|42 in.
Note: The fabric of this tank is really soft and stretchy. For example, M size has a chest of 30", but it stretches to fit a 36" chest. But, if you like the garment to not be snug, you should go a size up.


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Job Information
BBVA Compass Financial Sales Advisor/Personal Banker/ Harlingen West in HARLINGEN, Texas
At BBVA, we are working to make banking better for everyone. That is where you come in. We are looking for smart, team oriented people who want to be part of a first-class workforce that gives people the tools they need to meet their financial goals, all while delivering an outstanding client experience. Learn more below.
Mission Market retail banking products and services to consumer and small business customers, face to face or over the phone, in order to grow, retain and maximize profit for the bank. Offer customized banking solutions to customers utilizing the account recommendation tool (ART) to capture the customer conversation and needs. Utilize Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to manage customer contact and leads to maximize new and existing deposit relationships through cross-selling of all retail banking products. Deliver an exceptional customer service experience while responding to daily customer inquiries.
The Financial Service Advisors at BBVA Compass help people build a better future.
- Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent professional experience.
2.Two years of proactive sales experience preferred for FSA (two years required for Sr. FSA and three years required for Sr. FSA II).
Retail banking experience preferred (two years required for Sr. FSA & three years required for Sr. FSA II)
Must be a mortgage certified employee (MCE) for Sr. FSA II.
Life and Health insurance required (Sr. FSA and Sr. FSA II only)
Series 6 and 63 investment licensing preferred. (preferred for Sr. FSA only & required for Sr. FSA II)
Meet credit report and criminal background/fingerprint requirements associated with Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry and/or Financial Industry Regulatory Authority registration process.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Exhibit a professional, helpful attitude along with the ability to positively interact with customers and co-workers.
Demonstrate ability to identify customer needs and implement an effective solution in a rapidly changing environment.
Able to meet deadlines and manage pressure to attain banking center sales while delivering an excellent customer experience.
Demonstrate proficient computer skills.
Assertive communication skills along with a focus for sales.
The position requires regular and predictable attendance and the ability to be punctual.
This position has no unusual physical requirements.
Most work is performed in a climate-controlled indoor facility during normal business hours, including weekends. Occasional outside sales activities are required.
This position requires on-going situational awareness of the facility and of the people in and around the facility to ensure personal and environmental safety.
Interruptions from customers, peers, managers or others are present with the need to prioritize tasks.
This position requires the ability to continuously view information on documents and on a computer screen, to conduct written and verbal communication, to sit and to manipulate objects.
This job frequently requires the ability to stand and to walk.
This job occasionally requires the ability to lift and/or carry up to 50 pounds.
Rarely, this job may require the ability to bend, kneel, stoop or climb stairs.
Job ID 2019-121576
Site Name TX-BROWNSVILLE/HARLIGEN-HARLINGEN WEST
Category RETAIL BANKING - BRANCH
Work Location US-TX-HARLINGEN
FLSA Status NON-EXEMPT
Type FULL TIME
EOE Statement Equal Opportunity Employer - Minority/Female/Disability/Veterans.


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Welcome to Gladstone Designer Homes, we can build the designer home of your dreams!
Chris Allen is a highly experienced local Gladstone builder. Chris has been in the Gladstone building industry for over 20 years and is about to hit a milestone of 200 homes. Building homes within the Gladstone, Tannum Sands and Calliope region for the past 20yrs, Chris Allen has earn't a reputation as a leading Gladstone home builder. Over the years Gladstone Home Builders have had many repeat customers and recommendations from existing satisfied clients.
Chris & Dianne Allen and their team at Gladstone Designer Homes pay close attention to their clients' needs over the past 20yrs years and have always prided themselves on giving clients what they want. View what our satisfied clients have to say.
Gladstone Designer Homes can provide flexibility for clients to design their own dream home - or modify one of their numerous home design plans they have on offer.
At Gladstone Designer Homes our team understand the stresses of building your home. The professional and experienced team at Gladstone home builders means that our clients are assisted and guided throughout the entire building process.
A new concept on offer from Gladstone Designer Homes is a free landscape garden design to go with their new home.
Phone us 07 4978 7997 today or call into your display home at the Corner of Dixon Drive and Sundew Street, Forest Springs, Gladstone today to discuss your new dream home.


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Petite Creations and headpieces for the woman who wants something to complement her outfit without covering her head. These petite creations are ideal for weddings or other special occasions such as the races or christenings.
Prices range from £ 290.00 - £ 450.00
Pillbox with flared veiling and large feather flower


text:
Starbucks Corp., already on a tear buying tea, juice and bakery companies, just snapped up its first coffee farm and is planning to double the number of people signed up for its loyalty programs.
The company is expanding its roughly 3-year-old My Starbucks Rewards program, allowing customers who buy Starbucks' packaged coffee in grocery stores to earn points that can be redeemed for free treats in the chain's cafes.
The Seattle giant, presenting at its annual investor meeting Wednesday, is calling the offering the "first cross-channel, multi-brand loyalty program" ever. The initial perk will be available in May, then expanded this fall to other Starbucks supermarket products.
And in April, patrons who buy from Teavana – a tea-focused chain Starbucks acquired in November – will be able to earn Starbucks points if they use the company's loyalty card or mobile app.
Starbucks predicted that such incentives will cause membership in the chain's loyalty program to double to 9 million people by the end of fiscal year 2013 from 4.5 million participants in October. The program already adds some 80,000 new members a week, according to Starbucks.
Starbucks predicts that the mall-based tea chain Teavana will eventually boom to at least 1,000 stores nationwide from 300 locations now. La Boulange, a bakery business Starbucks picked up last year, is projected to have products in 2,500 stores this year, up from the 400 San Francisco-area cafes that currently carry its goods.
Starbucks also expects Evolution Fresh, the juice brand it took over in 2011, to double its presence to 8,000 locations by the end of the year.
Continuing its buying spree, Starbucks said this week that it bought its first coffee farm – a 600-acre property in Costa Rica, where it plans to develop new types of coffee and test defenses against botanical diseases.
Starbucks also said during its investor meeting that it will pair with American Pioneer Manufacturing, a facility in Ohio, to begin producing a made-in-the-USA mug this fall. Some 100,000 of the ceramic cups will arrive in stores in the winter.
Over the next five years, Starbucks plans to open some 3,000 new stores in the Americas, with more than half of them in the U.S. By 2014, China will become the second-largest market for Starbucks behind the U.S.
And Chief Executive Howard Schultz didn't rule out that someday, China will become the company's top demographic.
Starbucks stock was trading slightly up in afternoon trading in New York, rising less than a percent, or 26 cents, to $57.09 a share during the investor conference.
Starbucks opens first store in tea-centric India
Starbucks goes glam with $450 stainless steel gift card


text:
Dear Mr. Weiner,
I know you're very busy trying to keep your NYC mayoral bid from ending up in the toilet, but I wanted to take a moment of your time to thank you for being a shining example of what NOT to do in your personal and professional life. You have reinforced just about every lesson I taught my children about how to behave publicly and privately, how to build trust in your relationships, and generally how to succeed in life. Kudos to you!
For example, we taught our kids not to put anything online or on their cellphones that they wouldn't want the whole world to see or hear, because once it's out there, you can't take it back and it will be there forever. You proved how true this is not once, but twice! Awesome!
We told our kids that cheating and lying would undoubtedly cause people to lose faith in you, to distrust you, and no longer want to stand behind you or support you. With the exception of your wife, just about everyone else who supported you has cut and run. Good job!
We told our kids it's OK to make a mistake. It's what you learn from that mistake and what you do to make amends for it that counts. After screwing up, you went out and did the same thing all over again. Well done!
We told our kids that trust is the most important thing in a marriage. I would be astounded if your wife still trusts you after your pervasive online trysts, but the vote's still out on that one.
Additionally, we taught our kids that,
... how you behave in your personal life will affect what people think of you professionally.
... irresponsible and socially undesirable behavior can destroy your career.
... no one likes a narcissist.
You illustrated each and every one of these principles perfectly. Way to go!
Anthony, I know a lot of people are fervently calling for you to withdraw from the mayoral race and clean up your act, but I'd like to encourage you to keep doing exactly what you're doing. As your numbers plummet dramatically in the polls, your supporters desert you, and your staff makes news for tell-all disclosures and foul mouthed rants, I look like a wise parent for all the advice I've given my kids over the years about how to live an upstanding life and not be a morally reprehensible human being: qualities that you continue to demonstrate against so effectively.
Negative behavior often goes unrewarded in our society but I, for one, am so appreciative of your stubborn resolve to continue your egomaniacal pursuit of a position in office that no one wants you to have. They say actions speak louder than words. Your public behavior is so much more effective in helping my kids make smart choices as they enter adulthood than any advice I could ever give them. Bravo!
Yours most gratefully,
Tracy Beckerman
Note: Tracy's new book, "Lost in Suburbia: A Momoir. How I Got Pregnant. Lost Myself, and Got My Cool Back in the New Jersey Suburbs" is now available. To get a copy for you or a cool mom you love, CLICK HERE


text:
6080 Center Drive, 6th Floor
Orange County, CA 90045 USA
Phone: 949-265-5882
[email protected]
For more than a decade, the Reaction Search Orange County Information Technology Executive Search Firm Specialty Team has provided its Information Technology clients with superior Information Technology talent acquisitions by matching Top Information Technology Professionals with Employers in the Orange County, California Metro Area.
Whether you are seeking a CFO or to build an entire Information Technology or audit team virtually overnight, Reaction Search Orange County Information Technology Executive Search Information Technology Firm is the answer; we connect time-strapped employers with talented Information Technology candidates.
Our highly trained executive recruiting firm has real-world Information Technology experience and insight, making them the best suited for conducting construction executive search to enhance the staffing infrastructure in both private and public organizations.
The Orange County Information Technology Executive Recruiting Specialty Teams provides recruiting services for clients in the Advertising, Biotechnology, Banking, Business Services, Information Technology, Construction, Consumer Products, Computer Software & Hardware, Finance, Human Resources, Healthcare, Insurance, Industrial, Legal, Marketing, Technology, Manufacturing, Medical, Outsourcing, Pharmaceutical, and Telecommunications industries.
Our Executive Recruiters Orange County team specializes in:
- President
- Senior Vice President
- Vice President
- Director
- Group Manager
- Manager
- Brand Manager
- Engineer
- Account Manager
- Account Executive
Fortune 500 Companies This is a list of the 2012 Fortune 500 Companies in metropolitan Orange County. There are 21 such companies within 50 miles of LA, 3 of which are located within the city of Las Angeles. The companies form the backbone of the Orange County economy.Fortune 500 Co., Orange County Metro Area.
- Walt Disney (66)
- Walt Disney
- Fox Entertainment Group
- DirecTV
- Mattel
- HealthNet
- Herbalife
- KB Home
- California Pizza Kitchen
- Cheesecake Factory
- In-N-Out Burger
- The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
- Farmers Insurance Group
- Capital Group
- Dole Food
- Guess
REDUCE HIRING RISK IN ORANGE COUNTY, CA Hiring the wrong person can be a costly mistake. Being one of the nation's leading executive search firms, Reaction Search can minimize the risks associated with recruiting a new employee. Our recruiting experts conduct in-depth candidate reviews to evaluate the competency and quality of each candidate we recommend to our clients. We conduct extensive background and reference checks. When we send you a candidate, we do so with the utmost confidence that the candidate meets your criteria, and would be an asset to your organization.


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TOKYO (Reuters) - Experts judged on Wednesday that a reactor on Japan's west coast is located on ground at high risk of an earthquake, setting in motion a process that will likely lead to the first permanent shutdown of a nuclear plant since the 2011 Fukushima crisis.
Mothballing the reactor at Japan's oldest nuclear station would be the most stringent measure adopted in Japan since the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station north of Tokyo exposed failings in nuclear oversight. The experts' finding is likely to send shockwaves through an industry that has long been used to a light touch from regulators.
"It is no longer business as usual. This is the beginning of a long-term restructuring of the nuclear power business in Japan," said a senior adviser on atomic policy, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to comment on safety issues.
Japan's nuclear operators, which only have two out of 50 reactors running while they await safety checks from the country's new regulator, have been too optimistic about their chances for early restarts, according to the adviser.
They are struggling under the weight of losses from having to import fossil fuels to make up for lost nuclear generation capacity, which has pushed the world's third-biggest economy into a record trade deficit.
A panel of seismologists advising the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) issued their assessment that a fault known as D-1 under the Tsuruga nuclear plant is active. This paves the way for NRA to rule that the station is too risky to operate.
"Erring on the side of safety, we believe the D-1 faultline is active," the panel concluded in its report.
"Safety levels (at Tsuruga) have been low and it is really just a matter of luck that there hasn't been an accident," Kunihiko Shimazaki, the head of the panel and a commissioner of the NRA, said after the report was finalized. "We are taking the first steps to correct the situation."
Reactors at five other nuclear stations are under review over the possibility they also sit on active faults.
Japan Atomic Power Co., which operates the two-reactor Tsuruga station, reacted angrily to the findings, which put the plant in breach of nuclear station siting guidelines set by the government. It accused the panel of bias.
"We deeply regret that they made such a conclusion this time and it is absolutely impossible for us to accept it," it said in a statement.
"We hereby ask the panel of experts to come to a fresh conclusion after reviewing existing data with a neutral and fair point of view, with discussion on a strictly scientific basis and clarification of the grounds of understanding."
While the NRA does not have legal authority to order a permanent shutdown, its chairman, Shunichi Tanaka, said in December the watchdog would not allow the Tsuruga No. 2 unit to restart, should the fault be found to be active.
The NRA was set up in September last year to replace a regulator that was widely criticized for being too close to the industry it was supposed to oversee.
The NRA's commission is expected to endorse the findings on Tsuruga as early as next Wednesday and decide what action to take when new regulations on reactors go into effect in July.
Those regulations would make the current guidance that nuclear stations cannot be built over active faultlines legally enforceable.
Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries. An earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 caused three reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima plant, the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years.
Tsuruga's No. 2 unit has 1,160-megawatts of capacity and is adjacent to the 357 megawatt No. 1 unit, Japan's oldest reactor.
That reactor, also under review over a possible active faultline, may also have to be mothballed as it is more than 40 years old, the lifetime limit for operations under policy introduced since Fukushima.
Reporting by Risa Maeda; Writing by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Ron Popeski


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The 13th annual Rhythm & Roots Festival announces its spectacular all-star lineup for 2010. Held at Ninigret Park in Charlestown, Rhode Island every Labor Day weekend, the festival has become a destination event drawing roots music and dance fans from all over the country. This year the festival is held Sept 3-5, 2010. Ninigret Park is located at 4890A Old Post Rd, (just off Route 1), Charlestown, RI 02813. For tickets and info: www.rhythmandroots.com, 1-888-855-6940. Hours: Friday, 5:00 pm to midnight and noon to midnight on Saturday and Sunday. (more…)
Posts Tagged 'Bo Diddley'
Rhythm & Roots Festival Line-Up Announced
Posted in Dirty Linen, Festivals/Tours/Events, tagged Bo Diddley, Bonerama, CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Danny Barnes Trio, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women, Donna the Buffalo, Ed Poullard & Preston Frank, Geoff Muldaur & the Texas Sheiks, Horace Trahan & the New Ossun Express, Hot Tamale Brass Band, Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys, Johnny Nicholas & the Texas All-Stars, Little Freddie King, Magnolia, Marcia Ball, Occidental Gypsy Jazz Quartet, Planet Zydeco, Red Stick Ramblers, Rhythm & Roots Festival, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, The Texas Tornados, Uncle Earl on May 6, 2010| 4 Comments »


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Visceral Mast Cell Tumor in Cats
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"
My cat was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor in his abdomen and prescribed cyproheptadine twice a day. I would like to know how this drug works against this disease.
Lili Duda, VMD, Section Editor of the OncoLink Veterinary Oncology Menu, responds:
Mast cells are white blood cells that play a role in allergic reactions, and are responsible for symptoms such as hives, redness/itchiness, and anaphylactic shock. Visceral mast cell tumor, or "mastocytoma", refers to a mast cell tumor that arises within the abdomen. Typically this means the spleen and/or intestines. The mast cell tumor may also be diffusely spread to other sites, such as the liver, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and skin.
Cats with visceral mastocytoma are usually ill, with signs such as lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. Many of the symptoms associated with mastocytoma are due to chemicals contained within mast cell granules, such as histamine. In the cat, histamine can cause allergic type symptoms, such as low blood pressure and difficulty breathing. In addition, histamine triggers stomach acid production which can lead to ulcers.
For cats with mast cell tumor of the spleen that are stable enough to tolerate surgery, removal of the spleen can result in significant improvement, even in cats that have involvement of the bone marrow. There is no known effective treatment for intestinal mast cell tumor, and this condition carries a poor prognosis, so treatment measures are aimed at supportive care. This typically includes antihistamine-type drugs that work on the two types of histamine receptors, H1 and H2. Drugs that block the H1 receptor include diphenhydramine (Benadryl), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), and other similar drugs. Drugs that block H2 receptor include cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), and other similar drugs. Cyproheptadine is an H1 antihistamine drug that is most commonly used as an appetite stimulant in cats, but can also be used to treat mast cell tumor.


text: More stuff I've done for WILDSTAR. Gotta give credit where credit is due. Thanks to Drew Whitmore for touching up some background elements and some effects. And thanks to Mindy Lee for giving good input for posing and costuming. And Cory Loftis for the gun sigils and originally designing all these characters in the first place...Oh and the robot in the Chua image was from Kory Hubbel's design.


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Message Board
Kate White Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that White has written!
Author White's Book Reviews
A Body to Die For
Warner, Jun 2003, 23.95, 294 pp. ISBN: 0446531480 Manhattan Crime reporter Bailey Weggins feels she needs some rest following her last dangerous investigation (see IF LOOKS COULD KILL). So she feels fortunate when she receives an invitation for a free weekend at the Cedar Inn, a posh nineteenth-century Asian-like spa in Warren, Massachusetts. Bailey plans to enjoy forty-eight hours of mud bath pampering. However, her mellowing ends rather qu...
If Looks Could Kill
Warner, May 2002, 22.95, 320 pp. ISBN: 0446530239 Early Sunday morning in Manhattan, Gloss Magazine editor Cat Jones frantically calls her true-crime writer Bailey Weggins to drop all plans including sleeping with her boyfriend to get over to her town house because something is wrong with the nanny. Cat says that Heidi does not respond to her knocks on her apartment. Bailey tries to convince Cat that the woman is probably sleeping with some guy...
Till Death Do Us Part
Warner May 2004, 24.00, 320 pp. ISBN 0446531758 One year ago, free lance reporter Bailey Weggins was the bridesmaid at her college roommate's wedding to wealthy businessman David Slain. Since them Bailey has not spoken to the new bride because Paige is trying build up her business as the next Martha Stewart with her television show, her catering and lecturing business. Out of the clear blue sky, one of the other bridesmaids calls Bailey and asks...


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Matthew 11 is our text this morning, as we have the high and sacred privilege of examining the first 6 verses of God's Holy Scripture in this marvelous chapter. Before we look specifically at the text, however, let me see if I can't give you a little bit of a feeling for why this text is here and what it has set about to do.
Matthew's gospel answers the essential question facing men; that question is, "Who is Jesus Christ?" That is the focus of Matthew's gospel. For ten chapters, Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has told us who Jesus Christ is. He has presented Him as the Son of God, God incarnate, the King, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of Israel, and the Savior of the world. Over and over again, he has reiterated that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the living Lord, the Son of God.
In the effort that Matthew has made to do this, he has tapped every effective witness to the claims of Christ. It's as if he is an attorney, drawing witnesses into a courtroom who can give testimony to the claims that Christ made. If you look at the ten chapters in that way, you can see that they are really a series of testimonies to the deity of Jesus Christ.
For example, in chapter 1, we begin with the testimony of history as we see the genealogy and ancestry that points to Christ as Messiah. Then, we see the testimony of the virgin birth, as the text tells us He was uniquely conceived by the Holy Spirit without a human father. Then there is the testimony of fulfilled prophecy in chapter 2, as Christ fulfills the Old Testament predictions in detail. In chapter 3 is the testimony of the forerunner: John the Baptist, a prophet of God, a man filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, says, "This is the Messiah." In chapter 3 is the testimony of God the Father, who at the baptism of Christ said, "This is My beloved Son."
In chapter 4, we have the testimony of power as Jesus Himself defeats the arch-enemy of God, Satan. Then in chapters 5-7, we have the testimony of His words - the truthfulness, the power, and the authority of what He said verifying His claim. Then, in chapters 8-9, we see the testimony of His works: healing, casting out demons, raising the dead, forgiving sin. All of these testify to His deity.
Finally, in chapter 10, as we have been learning in the past few weeks, we see the testimony of His disciples. They were so convinced that He was the Christ that they were willing to pay the dearest price of loyalty to Him - death itself. So Matthew has laid out all of this tremendous evidence; all of these have been called, as it were, into the courtroom to testify that Jesus is the Christ.
As he approaches chapters 11-12, he has a new purpose in mind. Based upon all of this testimony, what is the reaction of those who have heard and seen? Matthew deals with that in chapters 11-12. In fact, he lists for us the various kinds of reactions to the claims of Christ. Through giving us brief narrative events in these chapters, he gives us categories of response to Jesus Christ. These chapters are filled with very common reactions to the claims of Christ, which were true then and are true today as much as they were then.
For example, in Matthew 11:1-15 is the response of doubt. From verses 16-19, we see the response of criticism. From verses 20-24, there is the response of indifference. Going to chapter 12, the first 21 verses deal with the response of rejection. Verses 22-23 are the response of amazement, and verses 24-37, the response of blasphemy. Verses 38-45 show the response of fascination.
Those are all the negative responses: doubt, criticism, indifference, amazement, rejection, blasphemy, and fascination. Each of them, in a sense, is kind of a unique response all its own, although there is some overlapping as well. But you'll notice that I said nothing about the last section of chapter 11 and the last section of chapter 12, because both of those deal with positive responses; the response of faith, the right response.
So by the time you have covered these two chapters, you have run the gamut of possible reactions to the claims of Christ and crystallized the categories. That is very helpful, because you'll find out as we move through these two chapters, we'll be able to see the varying responses that are just as true today as they were then, and understand, perhaps a little better, where people are coming from when they react to Jesus Christ.
The first response that he deals with is the response of doubt, and that's what we're going to look at in the first 6 verses. You might even call it perplexity or confusion, but doubt says it better than those terms, I think. Let me give you a footnote as we go in so that you'll understand something. When the New Testament talks about doubt, whether you're talking about the gospels or the epistles, it primarily focuses on believers. That's very important. It's as if you have to believe something before you can doubt it; you have to be committed to it before you begin to question it. So doubt is held up as the unique problem of the believer.
There is only one time in the gospels when it refers to unbelievers in reference to doubt, and when it does, it uses a word that means 'to keep in suspense.' It is a term that is used nowhere else in the New Testament. The normal terms that are used of the concept of doubt are used of believers.
I say that to encourage you, in a sense, that doubt is something that occurs in the life of a believer. In fact, the illustration in Matthew 11 happens to be John the Baptist. Unless you might think that John the Baptist was a weak believer, verse 11 will help you. It says, "Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist." If the greatest man that ever lived up until his time had doubts, then we can be a little comforted when we doubt, can we not?
So doubt is basically a problem encountered by believers. Over and over, for example, in Matthew, Jesus said to His disciples, "Oh you of little faith," and on some occasions, "How long will you doubt?" They had committed themselves to Him, and believed, but their belief, from time to time, hit some snags that made them doubt. Jesus said to them in Matthew 21:21, "If you have faith and doubt not, you will not only do this to the fig tree, but also," and He goes on to talk about moving mountains. He had to continually remind them not to doubt. It is amazing, but in Matthew 28, at the end, after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to them. Verse 17 says, "When they saw Him, the worshiped Him, but some doubted." Incredible!
We're not skipping Mark because there is nothing there; in fact, there are several passages in which the doubt of the disciples is discussed, but in Luke 12:29, He says, "Seek not what you will eat or drink, neither be of doubtful mind." Again, He tells them not to doubt, and He uses an interesting Greek word, meteorizo, from which we get the word 'meteor.' The word means 'to be suspended in midair.' It is used in Obadiah 4, in the Septuagint, of eagles flying in the air. He's saying, "Don't be hung in mid-air; get your feet firmly planted."
You'll remember that God said to Peter in Acts 20, in reference to taking the Gospel to the Gentiles, "Don't doubt. Trust Me; believe." In I Timothy 2:8, he said, "I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands, praying and not doubting." James said, "If you doubt, you're like a divided man, unstable in all his ways." So doubt is a matter that belongs in the life of a believer. That's the place it fits, not that it ought to be there, but it is. So we're not so shocked when we see the one who is the illustration of doubt being none other than John the Baptist. Let's read these six verses. Matthew 11:1-6.
"Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.'"
First of all, we'll examine the passage, and then we'll talk about the problem of doubt. Verse 1, "Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples." That is what went on in chapter 10: He had taught them, trained them, prepared them to go out into the world and represent Him. He knew that ultimately, they would be sent out, empowered by the Holy Spirit, after His ascension, and the whole building of the church would depend on their availability and ministry; they were critical. He had invested time in them, and now they were ready for their first training mission, their first short-term training exercise. After chapter 10, He sent them out, to go and carry on the things that He had stated to them in that chapter.
They did that, and it says, "He departed from there," that is, the place where they were sent, "And went on to teach and preach in their cities," and that means the cities of the disciples, which were the cities of Galilee. Eleven of the twelve of them, with the exception of Judas, were from Galilee. So He continued His Galilean ministry.
Remember, at the end of chapter 9, He had said, "Pray with Me that the Lord would send forth laborers." They prayed, they became the laborers, and now they are sent on their first mission. But as a true leader, having sent them, He doesn't just kick back; He does His ministry too. It reveals His leadership and His great heart for the work.
Notice it says He went, "To teach and to preach." We've already looked at that in Matthew 4:23 and 9:35; that was the twofold ministry of Christ: teaching and preaching, and they are different. The synagogue was a place where the Scripture was read and exposited. Philo, the historian, says the synagogue's main feature was to read and give a detailed exposition of Scripture. So the Lord would go into the synagogue, and since any resident expert who happened to be there could speak, He would take the occasion to speak, and He would take the Old Testament and give them the meaning of the Old Testament and apply it to Himself. He was an expository teacher.
He was also a preacher. The word means 'to proclaim,' and He would go from the synagogue to the streets and the hillsides, and the highways and byways, and the corners, and anywhere. He would preach and proclaim His Kingdom. So He continued doing this. We may also assume, based on verse 5, that He continued the miracles of healing, casting out demons, raising the dead, and forgiving sin. So the Lord goes on about His work.
He is alone now; the Twelve are gone. They are out on their first mission. As Christ is ministering, He is approached by two disciples of John the Baptist in verse 2. John had heard in his prison about the works of Christ, so he sends these disciples to ask, "Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?"
Remember, John was the forerunner of Christ, the one who announced His coming, the one who said, "Behold the Lamb of God," the one who said, "He must increase and I must decrease." John had already known Christ, already pointed to Christ, already baptized Christ. He had affirmed that he believed in Christ, but there were certain things that caused him to doubt. So he sends these two to say, "Is this the Messiah, or are we looking for someone else?" It reflects his perplexity and his doubt, even though he had affirmed his belief and had known about Christ.
For example, back in Matthew 9:14, Jesus is at the north end of the Sea of Galilee, and has called Matthew to follow him. Matthew has gathered together a lot of sinners for a feast, and it is in that setting that we see the disciples of John come to Him and ask Him a question. The point that I want you to see is that the disciples of John were sort of tracking Jesus. You see, John was in prison and he needed a report on how things were going, so some of his disciples would follow Jesus around. At this particular point, they got involved in the conversation.
Look at Luke 7:11-17, another utterly essential text. Here, Jesus raises from the dead the son of the widow of Nain. He touches the casket, and says, "Arise," and the dead son sat up and began to speak, so He turned him over to his mother. Then fear came upon them all, and they glorified God, and so forth. So He raised the dead, and the rumor went, "Throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region." Then there is this little note in verse 18, "Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things."
Let's go back to Matthew. The disciples of John were poking around the crowds and hanging around the edges, watching what Jesus was doing, because it was utterly important to John to fulfill his task as the one who announced the Messiah. He wanted to be sure that the one whom he had announced was indeed the Messiah. So his disciples stayed close to Jesus, as well as to John. It also indicates that although he was a prisoner, they had some kind of access and could come and see him.
It is also true, as another footnote, that he had some disciples who apparently didn't stay very close to him, because in Acts 19, we meet some of his disciples who never even knew about Jesus. He had a lot of followers. In fact, earlier in John, it says the whole city and the whole country was coming out to John the Baptist, so he had many followers. The ones who stayed very close to him and worked very closely with him, he dispatched to follow this Jesus around to be sure that he was right.
Now there were some reasons for him to doubt, so he asks this question. "Are you the one who is coming?" That sounds like such a vague question. Who was he talking about? That's only because the English text doesn't really say what the Greek text says. The Greek text says, "Are you erchomai," it's basically a participle, 'the coming one.' And it should be that way: "Are you the coming one?"
You should write that in your margin and capitalize it. The Coming One is a title for the Messiah. It is a Messianic title, like The Branch, The Seed of David, the King of kings, the Prince of Peace, the Coming One. In fact, it is one of the most common titles for the Messiah. In one form or another, it is used in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the epistles. It was first introduced in Psalm 40:7 and 118:26. The Messiah is called 'The Coming One.'
If we go back to Matthew 3:11, when John first speaks in the New Testament, he says, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I," in other words, 'The Coming One' is the term John used to refer to the Messiah. In Mark 1, Mark says, "Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, 'There comes One after me who is mightier than I.'" The Coming One again. That becomes a constant title for the Messiah; He is the Coming One.
In Luke 3:16, where Luke writes regarding John, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming." In the epistles, in Hebrews 10:37, the Messiah is called The Coming One. By the way, the Jews clearly understood this as a Messianic title, so what John is asking is very simple; he is saying, "Are you the Messiah, the One promised?" That's the first question. The second one is this, "Or do we look for another? Are we still looking for someone else?" This phrase indicates the element of Messianic expectation, but it indicates that he was perplexed. "Are you the One, or are we looking for someone else?"
John had doubt, and that's OK, in a sense. There are reasons why he had doubt, and we'll see those in a minute. The thing that was so good about John is that, when he had doubt, he went to the right source to have his doubt dealt with. Where did he go? To the Lord. Some people might want to say, "Well, John didn't believe," but that's not true. The form of the question implies that he believed but was having some perplexity. He's saying, in effect, "Should I continue to believe what I believe, or should I believe something else?" It's as if he's saying, "I believe that You're the Messiah; am I wrong in believing that?"
In a sense, the very fact that he would ask Jesus to answer this indicates that he hadn't lost his faith in Jesus, or he never would have gone to Him for assurance. If he is saying, "Please assure me that You are the Messiah," then he must have believed that to start with. He didn't just deal with his doubt in himself, and he didn't just talk about other people; that would have dragged everybody down in doubt. He went to the Lord. His faith had found a difficulty, a perplexity. You have had that, and so have I.
John believed, he preached, he expected the Messiah to fulfill the promises, he had baptized Him, he had pointed to Him and pronounced that He was the Messiah, and yet, he was confused. We shouldn't be too surprised, because he didn't really know everything, even though some of the things he predicted from his own mouth were from God. There were so many things that he didn't know that sometimes, he had a difficulty interpreting what he did know.
What do I mean by that? It's like I Peter 1:10-11 says regarding the prophets, that they inquired and searched diligently what manner of time the Spirit of Christ who was in them did signify, and what person. In other words, they prophets studied their own writings to figure out what they were saying because they couldn't figure out the exact person, or the exact time. That was John's problem. He wanted to be sure it was the right person at the right time, so he sent two disciples.
Jesus answered them in verse 4, and said, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see." He knew they had been around for a while, and seen a lot, and reported a lot, so He says, "Go and tell him more. Go back again and tell him that the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Go back and give him all the credentials."
Look again at Luke 7. This is absolutely thrilling. Luke records the same incident. He says they came and asked the question, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" Then look what happens in verse 21, immediately after they asked the question. "And in the same hour." Instantaneously, momentarily, immediately, "He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard.'"
You know what He did? He did a whole plethora of personal miracles and said, "Here, these are for John. Now go tell him." It wasn't second-hand; He just let the power fly, and then said, "You've seen it all, heard it all, go tell him." Clearly, those are the credentials of the Messiah. Then He gave a closing Beatitude in verse 6.
"And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." What does He mean by that? Well, it's a gentle rebuke, a gentle warning. "If you want to be blessed," He says, "Then don't stumble over me. Don't doubt." The word 'offended' is skandalizo; it means 'a trap.' "Blessed is the man who is not trapped." A trap was a crooked stick, and the bait was on the crooked stick, and when the animal grabbed the bait, the crooked stick fell, and the trap got him and he was dead. It became a word that meant 'offended.' So the Lord is saying this, "If you want to be blessed, don't allow anything I do or anything I say to lure you into the trap of doubt and make you stumble." Don't doubt, because if you doubt, you won't be blessed. It's a Beatitude: blessed is the man who doesn't doubt, but trusts.
It's a tender rebuke, and I need to add that it didn't eclipse the Master's love for this prophet, because in verses 7-15, He gives the greatest testimonial to anyone He ever gave in His whole life, written in Scripture. He tells us that this was the greatest man who had ever lived up until his time. That's comforting, isn't it? To know a man as great as this can doubt, and even when he doubts, his greatness is instantly reaffirmed.
The phrase which follows shows that his doubt did not lessen our Lord's esteem for him. Now we understand the basics of the passage, so let's talk about that. Why did John doubt, and why was he perplexed? As I looked at the text, I found four reasons why he doubted, and I believe they are the same four reasons why we doubt, why we have times in our lives when we doubt God.
Reason number one: difficult circumstances. Difficult circumstances tend to make us doubt. Humanly speaking, the career of John the Baptist had ended in disaster. John was this fiery, dramatic, dynamic, confrontive, bold, courageous man who preached exactly what needed to be preached to whom it needed to be said when it needed to be said and never had any fear. He was bold, powerful, aggressive. When he saw sin, he rebuked it, and rebuked it in the person in whom he saw it. That resulted in his being imprisoned. I mean, you have to be careful who you rebuke!
Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, had paid a visit to his brother in Rome. When Herod went to see his brother, he took a liking to his brother's wife, so he seduced her. When he returned home, he proceeded to divorce his own wife and then steal his brother's wife, whom he had seduced, and take her as his new wife. John the Baptist heard about that, and do you know what he did? He did not write an anonymous article; he went in the public view, in the face of Herod Antipas, and told him he was a rotten, vile sinner who was an adulterer and gave him the whole line right to his face. This didn't go over really big with Herod, who proceeded immediately to throw him in prison, and would have killed him, except he was afraid of the people, because the people thought he was a prophet.
Not just any prison, either. Five miles east of the northern tip of the Dead Sea, and fifteen miles south was an old, Herodian palace that had been turned into a fortress. It's name was Machaerus. In the bottom of it was a pit; a dark, stifling, stuffy, hot dungeon in the middle of that bleak desert. That's where he put John. For 18 months, John had been in the limelight - a free spirit in the wilderness, preaching, teaching, and proclaiming. The whole country was coming to him, and he was in the middle of the action. The crowds and the excitement were there, but now, for over one year, he had been in the blackness of a stifling pit without any fresh air. In modern times, the place is called Mukawir.
William Barclay may have captured some of the significance when he wrote, "John was the child of the desert. All his life, he had lived in the wide open spaces, with the clean wind on his face and the spacious vault of the sky for his roof. Now, he was confined within the four narrow walls of an underground dungeon. For a man like John, who had probably never lived in a house, this must have been an agony.
"In Carlisle Castle there is a little cell. Once long ago, they put a border chieftain in that cell and left him there for years. In that cell there is one little window, which is placed too high for a man to look out of when he is standing on the floor. On the ledge of the window there are two depressions worn away in the stone. They are the marks of the hands of that border chieftain, the places where, day after day, he lifted himself up by his hands to look out on the green dales across which he would never ride again. John must have been just like that, and there is nothing to wonder at and still less to criticize in the fact that questions began to form themselves in John's mind."
He was a true saint, a prophet of God, a great, holy, faithful, selfless, loyal prophet. He had done exactly what God told him to do, and he had done it well. He had announced the glorious coming of the Messiah, who would make all things right and set up His Kingdom. He was even a close relative to the Lord. He had been filled with the Spirit since the time he was in his mother's womb; he had taken the Nazarite vow - the highest level of spiritual commitment possible. Was this his reward? Was this it?
You see, doubt comes from our inability to deal with negative circumstances; trials. "If You're the God of all comfort, and the Christ that cares, why am I going through this? It doesn't square; I've been faithful." John must have thought, "Didn't Isaiah promise in chapter 61, verses 1-2, that when the Messiah came, He would free the prisoners and set loose the captives? What's going on here? This isn't the way it's supposed to be. Isn't there a place of blessedness for such a faithful man as I have been?"
Our doubts come like John's doubts. We convince ourselves that we belong to the Lord, and the Lord is going to care for us, and when something goes wrong, we really begin to doubt. We loose a child to death or unbelief, or loose a husband or wife, or mother or father, or a dear friend, or someone gets cancer or has a heart attack, or a child is struck by a car and crippled for life, and we begin to say, "God, is this what it's supposed to be like when You care and love us?"
If everything doesn't go the way it should go, we wonder if God loves us and fall easily into doubt. Once we start thinking that way, Satan gets behind it and just starts shoving. In our selfishness, ignorance, and failure to see the whole plan of God, and in our constant problem of getting tied down to this passing world, we doubt God. We doubt that He cares and loves us; we lose our job or something like that, and we just start questioning God.
John doubted because of difficult circumstances, and I understand that. But he did the right thing with his doubt - he went immediately to the Lord. That's the place to go if you have doubt over those kinds of things; go to the Lord. Yes, he had begun to stumble; verse 6 makes that clear. He was offended, and he had stumbled. But he asked the Lord to help him deal with his doubt, and he sent these two, and said, in effect, "Lord, would you help me?" The Lord was glad to respond, and even said, "Blessedness can come if you'll just trust me, even in the midst of mystifying circumstances."
Paul was in prison in Philippians 4, but he didn't doubt. He said, "I rejoice. Rejoice always, and again I say, rejoice. Be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication," he got tuned in to the Lord. He said, "I know how to be abased and how to abound; I know how to have everything and nothing. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and have the confidence that my God will supply all my needs." He went to the source.
Negative circumstances are tough, but all they need to do is drive us to the Lord, who will respond to those struggles by replacing our doubt with faith. What does verse 5 say? He said, "You tell John that the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them." What is that list? That's all the hurting, broken, crippled, crumbling people. And He's saying, "John, if you think I don't care about the people who are hurting, take a look at the kind of people I touch. I care. This, John, is only a preview of coming attractions in the Kingdom." That's what He's saying, "I do care. Can't you see that by the people I touch and reach out to?"
By the way, John's circumstances never got any better; they got worse - he got his head chopped off. Doubt comes from difficult circumstances, but that only gives us an opportunity to exercise faith. Faith, when it is exercised, gets stronger.
So He sends that little rebuke in verse 6 and says, "John, if you want to be blessed, don't doubt. Don't let anything lure you into the trap of doubt, not even difficult circumstances. I do care; can't you see that by the people I've touched? Some day, you'll be delivered. Maybe not in this world, but in the next."
The second thing that causes doubt is worldly influences. Notice that it says in verse 2 that John had heard about the works of Christ, and this confused him. It confused him because the works of Christ, the things Christ was doing, did not parallel what the people thought the Messiah should do. The people all thought that when the Messiah came, He would first knock off the Romans, wipe them out, and give Israel back her land. Secondly, they were thinking, "Free food!" an instant welfare state.
That's why, in John 6, when He fed the multitude on the hillside, they tried to make Him a king in the same chapter. They wanted health, wealth, and instant happiness. They thought all the wrongs would be made right, everything would be as it ought to be immediately; that was the existing expectation, and doubt is caused by worldly influence.
John had become a victim of the thinking of his day, saying, "Isn't it supposed to be this way?" Was Jesus supposed to be walking around, meek and lowly, with not much going on that changed the environment? The wrongs were still wrong, the injustices were still there, the sin was everywhere. It just wasn't the way it was supposed to be, and he had become victimized by the thinking of the people around him.
By the way, this is very clearly the problem of the disciples. They were forever fighting doubts about Jesus because they had these current expectations of the Messiah, and Jesus didn't live up to them. That's why, even in Acts 1, they're saying to Him, "Is this the time You're going to bring the Kingdom?" And He says to them for the umpteenth time, "You're still asking the same dumb question; it's not for you to know." That's why, even after all those years of being with them, He says in John 14, "Have I been so long with you and you still do not know who I am?" They had these confused concepts that came from the world around them.
One of the interesting things the Jews believe, and it comes up in Matthew 16, is that when the Messiah came, before He arrived, there would be a long succession of other guys who would come. A whole bunch of guys would come, and the Messiah would be the final one. That's why, in Matthew 16, Jesus said to the disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" They said, "Well, some say You're Elijah, some say You're Jeremiah, some say You're one of the prophets." He asked, "Who do you say that I am?" and they replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
What did that reflect? It reflected the current Jewish thinking that there would be a long string of people coming; first would be Elijah, then Jeremiah, then a bunch of prophets, then that prophet of Deuteronomy 18, and finally, the Messiah would come. When Jesus did not do what John thought He should be doing, John began thinking, "Maybe He's back up a few guys, and someone else." So he says, "Are you him, or do we look for someone else? Where are you in the line?" So he was even affected by that misinformation. The Jews expected the Messiah to be a certain thing, and it wasn't turning out that way, so there was confusion.
Jesus even said in Matthew 16, "I'm going to go and die," and what did Peter say? "Lord, let it not be so. You're not going to die; that's not in the plan!" And Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan! You don't even know the plan." You see, they never understood it.
On the night Jesus was going to be betrayed and taken to be executed, they were sitting around, arguing about who was going to get to sit on the thrones in the highest point of the Kingdom. And Jesus was talking about dying. They looked right by it. When the Lord was taken prisoner, Peter was so totally disillusioned that he went out immediately and denied Jesus three times. It didn't make any sense to him at all, and it didn't make any sense to Thomas, or to those on the road to Emmaus, who were moping, saying, "We thought He was the Christ."
They had all become victimized by what the people around them thought He should be. In fact, in John 10:24, the Jews said to Him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? Tell us who You are." You know what He said to them? "I told you who I was," but it flew over their heads. They weren't even on His frequency. He was saying it over and over, but their expectation was so different that they couldn't hear what He was saying.
We face the same causes for doubt today; we doubt because we're perplexed by the plan of God. I think the world imposes that on us. Have you ever heard this question? "If God is a God of love, why is the world so messed up? If Christ loves everyone so much, why do children die and people starve, or get diseases, and there is war and death? If your God is so loving, why doesn't He make things right in this world; why is there so much injustice? If your God is so loving, why is He sending people to Hell?" They say, "We'll tell you what kind of Christ we want, and if yours fits, we'll believe."
We cannot become victimized by that or we'll begin to doubt. We'll say, "I don't know. Why doesn't God do something? If there is a God, why are there so many false religions? If He wants everyone to love Him, and He's so powerful, why doesn't He wipe out the false religions so we'll all believe?" When you start letting the world dictate to you what God is to be and to do, and what Christ is to be and do, you'll look at the Bible and wonder, and be perplexed.
The world does not know God or His plan; they don't know Christ or understand who He is. The natural man does not understand the things of God, and if you begin to let the world force you to think that Christ must be who they say He must be, then you'll start doubting. Again, the solution is to go to Him.
What will you find when you go? He says, "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them." What does that mean? He says, "Look! Can't you see I'm the one who will make things right? I am reaching out to the poor, reversing disease and death. Can't you see it?"
It is limited, however, by the unbelief and sin of the world. Can't you see He is the one who is going to make it right, who has the power to make it right and reverse the curse? Someday He will, in his Kingdom. These are previews of coming attractions, a taste of what He will do in the future.
In Luke 7, the Jews said to Him, "Where is the Kingdom of God? You're the King and You talk about a Kingdom, but what are you doing about it?" He says, "The Kingdom of God is in your midst, but you just can't see it." He says to John, "See, I can do all that. I can stop disease and give resurrection life to the dead. I can touch the poor and preach good news to hurting people. It is going to be right, just trust Me for the right timing." Then He adds the Beatitude, "Be blessed by not doubting." Negative circumstances make us doubt, but we don't have to doubt. We don't have to doubt because of worldly influences either.
Thirdly, there is incomplete revelation. It says in verse 2 that John had heard. John had heard about Jesus and what was going on. His disciples had come back and said they had seen this and that, but he really doubted because he didn't have the opportunity for a firsthand look. I think there is a sense of legitimate doubt here. He didn't have the opportunity, like Peter said, to be an eyewitness of His majesty. He didn't have the opportunity, as John did, to handle Him with his hands, as he said in I John 1:1. He didn't even have a more sure word of Scripture, as we have. He didn't have a complete revelation; there was a lot missing and he was getting some stuff secondhand.
So he says, "I need some firsthand information," and the Lord said, "OK. If you need some firsthand information, I'll give you some." Remember Luke 7; right there, on the spot, Jesus did massive miracles and said, "These are for John! These are John's miracles, now take them to him and tell him." The Lord filled in that space where he needed a more complete revelation.
How does this relate to you? Do you know why a lot of people doubt? Not only because of negative circumstances and worldly influences, but a lot of people doubt because they just don't understand God's revelation. You have to know the facts. He says, "Go tell John the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them." In other words, "Give him the revelation, give him the manifestation; tell him what I've done."
I would promise you that your doubt is erased as you daily expose yourself to the revelation of God. Let God speak through His Word; that spells the end of doubt. The two on the road to Emmaus, in Luke 24, were walking along. They were in the middle of doubt, confusion, and perplexity, and the Lord came along and opened to them the Scripture. He began to speak out of the Scripture the things concerning Himself, and their eyes were opened, and they saw Him. They said, "Did not our hearts burn within us as He spoke with us along the way and opened to us the Scripture?"
What dispelled their doubt was the revelation of Himself in the Scripture. We all need a firsthand manifestation of the living Christ to dispel doubt, and it comes through the pages of Holy Scripture. That's why the Bereans were more noble, because they searched the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. He gave them the evidence.
Fourthly, people doubt because of unfulfilled expectations. John says in verse 3, "Ask Him if we're looking for someone else. Do we look for another?" Why would he say that? Only because He hadn't fulfilled his expectations. What does that mean? When John preached about Christ, he said, "There comes one after me that is mightier than I, who comes with unquenchable fire, with a winnowing fan in His hand, by which He will separate the wheat from the chaff," which is judgment.
In other words, he says, "The Messiah is coming in holy judgment." That was his message; that's why he was always preaching, "Repent, repent, repent." In other words, "You'd better get your life right because the Messiah is coming." The implication was that if you're life wasn't right, you'd be judged. He was preaching that the Messiah was coming to judge. He expected the Messiah to land with brass feet blazing in fire, to come blasting evil things with divine thunderbolts. And here came Jesus, with a little group of twelve totally inept characters, meekly wandering around Galilee.
John just couldn't figure it out. Jesus was on a mission of mercy, and John's was a message of judgment, waiting for the fury and fire and flame and wrath. He was saying, "When are You going to blast Your enemies?" He sounds like David in Psalm 9, 10, 35, 52, 58, and all those psalms where David asked God to do in His enemies. He sounds like the people under the altar in Revelation 6, "How long, Oh Lord, how long will you tolerate this?" He's thinking, "If you're the Messiah, what's going on?" He has unfulfilled expectations.
Really, impatience can lead to doubt, when we expect divine intervention and it doesn't happen. You expect God to do something. If there is someone in your life who is a wretched, evil, vile person, and they seem to prosper all the time, you say, "How long will you let this happen, God? This doesn't seem to fit." Or maybe you've been looking for the Second Coming for so long, you just sort of gave up.
I think some people have been looking for the Rapture for so long, they just figure it will never come and have decided to be post-tribulationists. They've just thrown away imminence; they're so tired of thinking He could come at any minute that they've decided it would be much more comfortable to be post-trib and go right through the Tribulation, mark off the events as they happen, and know when He will come. I think it's more emotional than biblical.
Have you ever noticed how there are waves of prophetic interest? I'll preach a series on prophecy, and everyone will get really excited and start asking questions. "Do you think the Lord will come any minute?" And everyone will be really turned on about how the Lord could come, then six months later, He hasn't come, and everyone is back down to just the basic principles of living the Christians life. Thee or four years later, I come back and can jack them back up on the Second Coming, and they get their pajamas on and go sit on a roof somewhere, and are really excited about it, but He doesn't come. Then they're right back down again.
I've also discovered in my life that it's new Christians that get the most excited about Christ's imminent return. The ones who have lived for 40 or 50 years as Christians just figure they've been waiting a long time with nothing happening, so they just don't care anymore. John had all these expectations, and maybe you're like him, saying to yourself, "I wonder if He ever will come. Is this whole thing true?" I think people say, "Everyone has always believed that, but He hasn't come yet." II Peter 3:3 says, "Scoffers will mock His coming, saying, 'Where is the sign of His coming? All things continue as they were from the beginning.'"
Watch Jesus' answer. If you're worried about if He's going to come and set up the Kingdom, listen to this: "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them." Why does He say that? Those are all signs of the Kingdom, for in the Kingdom, all disease is eliminated, there will be a lessening of the power of death, the world will hear the Gospel. These were all signs of the Kingdom.
Isaiah 35 says that in the Kingdom, the blind, the deaf, the dumb, and the lame (and Isaiah 61 adds the poor) will all be healed and have the Gospel preached to them; those are Kingdom promises. He is saying, "John, if it's your Kingdom expectation that is causing you doubt, look again at these things. They are all the marks of the Kingdom; you're seeing them in a preview. It will come, so don't let anyone catch you in the trap of doubt, or you'll lose your blessing."
Mark this, the words of our Lord answer the problems of doubt. If you doubt because of difficult circumstances, look at His works; they prove He cares for a people in difficulty. If you doubt because of worldly influence, look at His works; He is in control, and will show it fully one day. If you doubt because of incomplete revelation, then look at His works, study them, read them, and see who He is. If you doubt because of unfulfilled expectation, look again, for these are the previews of what He will do in the Kingdom. If He could do them then, He proves Himself to be the one who can do them in the Kingdom.
The best part of this story is the part that Matthew doesn't put in, and it is this: John had his doubt removed by the Lord's answer. How do we know that? Look at Matthew 14:12; one verse tells us. It talks about John being beheaded and his head is brought on a platter. "Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus." Why did they tell Jesus? Because Jesus was the most important person, and they believed in Him. Why did they believe? Because John believed in Jesus, and had made them to believe in Jesus. The fact that they went immediately to Jesus is indicative of the fact that John was satisfied with the answer that he got. Jesus fit into their lives and their plan because He fit into John's plan.
We all doubt, know this. II Timothy 2:13 says, "If we believe not, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." When you doubt, God will be faithful; you won't lose your relationship to the Lord. He will be faithful because He can't deny Himself. He has affirmed that you are His child and He will hold on. Knowing that, you can have the confidence to go to God with your doubt, and He'll give you the answer you need. As Luke 12:29 says, "Neither be of a doubtful mind."
Father, we know that everyone's faith has weak moments, and no single chapter is the full story of a man's life. We all have struggles. Thank You for what You've taught us through Johhn, that you cared that he understood and that his doubt was removed. You didn't think any less of him, because you extolled him as the greatest man even though he had doubts. Father, the sign of his greatness was that he knew where to go with his doubts, so help us to know that as well. May we, as Paul instructed Timothy, pray without doubting, that You may be glorified thorough our faith. In Christ's name, Amen.
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I am an adolescent literacy graduate student and I am working on my final thesis. Your feedback will really help me.
In order to better support my son's learning, and give him the opportunity to work with others, I am starting a literacy class in my church, that will be disguised as a bible study. I will meet once a week with middle schoolers, and teach them reading comprehension and writing strategies, then assign them the reading for the week. They will then post their thoughts and reactions to the readings on a secure, monitored website, and respond to each other.
The ideology behind the study is the fact that adolescents tend to push each other to turn out better product when they are writing to one another. It would serve to keep them engaged, while learning and practicing new skills.
If you had the opportunity to put your child in a similar study, would you be interested? Why or why not?
Group competition study - opinions?
Since surveys keep getting posted, here is a place to put them.
Moderators: Theodore, elliemaejune
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Depends. If they are interested in the subject, then having a discussion group will cause them to write more and therefore hopefully improve. But I'm not sure children will work hard to improve their writing just because other children will be reading it. That requires somewhat of a competitive personality. It would be interesting if you could divide into a number of sub-groups, with all boys, all girls, boys and girls mixed, then see which groups perform best. Boys are more motivated by competition, so I'm willing to bet adding some form of scoring and ranking to the boys group would improve things there, while in the girls group the social aspects would probably be more important.
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A relationships guide for de Blasio
As Bill de Blasio was inaugurated Wednesday as the mayor of New York City, those on stage included a who's who of top dignitaries, and their proximity to the podium signaled their importance to the city's new leader. The closest? Hillary Clinton. Next up: Bill Clinton, who swore in the new mayor. Also in the front row: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
For de Blasio, these four figures are not just prominent politicians whose positions alone would have granted them seating privileges. They are among several people he will have some sort of relationship with in the coming years, whether personal, professional, or simply in the public imagination.
Story Continued Below
De Blasio knows some of these people well, and others hardly at all. But how he navigates these relationships could affect how he governs the city of 8 million as well as his national profile.
( QUIZ: Do you know Bill de Blasio?)
Here are seven key relationships New York City's 109th mayor must manage in the days ahead:
Barack Obama
The president had a strong professional relationship with Bloomberg, but a grudging personal one. His relationship with de Blasio is still in its early stages, though the existence of mutual friends could help it blossom.
De Blasio's best friend is Patrick Gaspard, and the new mayor has cited Gaspard as a key adviser even from across the oceans in his current post as ambassador to South Africa. Gaspard was the president's political director before becoming executive director of the Democratic National Committee, and he remains in touch with the White House.
Gaspard helped bring the new mayor together with Obama, starting long before de Blasio's candidacy took off by taking the then-public advocate and his family backstage to meet the president at an event in Philadelphia.
( From POLITICO Magazine: What De Blasio can learn from Teddy Roosevelt)
Another connection is Obama's political strategist, David Axelrod. Axelrod is a mentor, friend and former partner of de Blasio's top political consultant, John DelCecato, whose own ties to Obama run deep. A campaign adviser who cut some of the president's re-election ads, Del Cecato also coached the new mayor on engagement with the White House.
The two teams have generally been in lockstep, and that's not likely to change soon. De Blasio has already visited Obama in the White House as part of a group of mayors, and although two sources said a repeat visit isn't in the cards anytime soon, those who know the New York politician says he's been able to start building his relationship with the president without need for much advice.
"They've connected over shared values and agenda," said one person familiar with the relationship. "Both (are) passionate about economic disparities. It's been a very naturally forming relationship. Both have urban sensibilities and they're both a bit bookish with acute sense of the echoes of history."
( Also on POLITICO: The Clinton-de Blasio union)
All of that will be important as natural tensions are likely to arise going forward. De Blasio's going to want attention from the federal government that Obama probably won't be able to give, and Obama's going to be pressured to respond more fully to the kind of progressive politics that de Blasio represents.
Rahm Emanuel
With Bloomberg exiting the stage, the role of "mayor among mayors" is now open, and it's a void that both de Blasio and the Chicago mayor seem keen to fill.
So Emanuel raised a few eyebrows when he praised Bloomberg in a tweet on Dec. 30, writing: "Most importantly, @MikeBloomberg expanded the bounds of what cities can achieve — opportunity, safety, and accessibility."
It was a nod to Bloomberg that described him in the larger-than-life terms that he himself aspires to. De Blasio has been criticized as falling short of such prowess during his transition, which has been slow out of the gate.
Still, New York is New York. And Emanuel's election in Chicago got a fraction of the national media focus that de Blasio's did.
In the end, the pair could find it easier to cooperate than compete. After all, they share a similar set of concerns: crime, union contracts, pension costs.
Emanuel, a former congressman and one-time chief of staff for Obama, met privately with de Blasio soon after the New York City primary. And just ahead of de Blasio's inauguration Wednesday, the Chicago leader tweeted: Congrats to Mayor @BilldeBlasio on his first day building a strong, prosperous NYC.
Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg at one point called de Blasio's campaigning "racist." But since de Blasio won the Democratic primary _ effectively winning the whole race _ the outgoing mayor has publicly declined to criticize his successor and has said he doesn't want his aides to, either. People familiar with Bloomberg say he's kept that practice up in private, too.
How long the detente lasts remains to be seen, especially after a de Blasio inauguration in which criticism of Bloomberg's policies was commonplace, and thanks for his service were scant.
There are few people de Blasio owes his election to more than Bloomberg, though that wasn't by the latter's design. De Blasio capitalized on an anti-Wall Street populism and a sense of alienation among wide swaths of the city's voters, who suffered during the prolonged recession and felt the improvements the billionaire mayor made to the city largely sidestepped them.
That fact was on full display during the televised de Blasio inauguration — the former mayor sat rigidly as speaker after speaker effectively denounced his tenure. Even de Blasio, who did thank the mayor for his time in office, made it clear that he views his own ascension as a sharp departure from his predecessor.
There has never been much love lost between de Blasio, who's close with some of the city's union leaders, and Bloomberg; in both style and substance, they are opposites. De Blasio's "tale of two cities" mantra was aimed squarely at Bloomberg. The latter's description of the Democratic candidate's message as "racist" and reminiscent of class warfare drew widespread criticism.
With all that said, it's easy to assume that de Blasio thinks he doesn't need his predecessor. But Bloomberg is one of the world's wealthiest people, a mogul whose corporate ties in the city run deep. His social circle contains some of the Masters of the Universe who can make life difficult for de Blasio if they grow concerned with how he's governing.
Cynthia Nixon
The "Sex and the City" actress was prominently featured at de Blasio's inauguration — she sat on the stage and gave a short speech introducing one of the day's performers.


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Three out of four isn't bad. CBS has ordered the back nine episodes of three new comedies, "The Millers," "The Crazy Ones" and "Mom," after canceling "We Are Men" earlier this month after just two episodes,
Both "The Millers" and "The Crazy Ones" increased their ratings Thursday compared with last week, while "Mom" was down a bit on Monday.
None of the pickups are surprising.
FALL TV 2013: Watch the trailers
"The Crazy Ones," featuring veteran comic Robin Williams' return to network television, is the fall season's top new comedy, bringing in an average audience of more than 13.7 million and a rating of 3.6 in the key 18-49 age demographic, according to Nielsen.
Will Arnett's "The Millers," which benefits from a cushy lead-in by "The Big Bang Theory" on Thursdays, has drawn an average of more than 12 million viewers.
"Mom," which stars Faris and Allison Janney and was created by Chuck Lorre, airs on Mondays to an average audience of nearly 8 million.
The three comedies join NBC's "The Blacklist" and ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." in receiving full-season orders. Also, Fox has renewed "Sleepy Hollow" for a second season.
'Grand Theft Auto V' delivers shot in arm to game industry
TV ratings: 'Super Fun Night' slips, 'Modern Family' wins demo
'Glee' to sing final number next season, co-creator Ryan Murphy says
Follow on Twitter: @rfaughnder
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013 PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen
PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013
PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies


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Nord LB and KfW have provided €45 million in debt for the project in Lancashire, to be repaid over a period of 15 years.
The wind farm, which will comprise 12 Repower MM82 turbines, is scheduled to be commissioned in early September 2012.
Nord LB structured the project financing to include a €10-million KfW loan from the development bank's renewables support regime, which offers debt at cheaper rates than commercial banks.
The remainder of debt was provided by Nord LB on a commercial basis.