text:
1,600 people in 24 cities living 4 values for 1 goal:
To use design to help our clients succeed.
We create exceptional environments that meet our clients' most complex design challenges.
We inspire people through our work by expressing timeless cultural, organizational and personal values.
We connect people and place with ideas that come from many minds and imaginations.
We care about serving our clients, enriching lives, improving communities and protecting our natural environment through design.
We are a global architecture, design, engineering and planning firm.
"@4240 already houses nearly 500 high tech jobs in the heart of St. Louis. It put the Cortex District on a competitive playing field with other research districts across the US. It is making St. Louis even more attractive to national companies, as evidenced by the establishment of Cambridge Innovation Center's first location outside of Massachusetts. "
This adaptive reuse project anchors the Cortex Innovation Community, a 200-acre mixed-use urban research district in midtown St. Louis.
Originally constructed in 1948 as a telephone handset factory, the three-story building was redeveloped by Wexford Science & Technology to provide flexible laboratory and office space for tenants involved in life sciences, research, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Preserving and highlighting the masonry structure's historic character, the design team retrofitted the building with modern, high-performance systems that enable it to function as a state-of-the-art research and office facility. Floor openings cut into the middle of the building allow skylights to illuminate a courtyard, light wells, the building's interior and a two-story concourse. By creating informal meeting and collaboration areas, the concourse functions as the "mixing space" for the complex.
Large floor plates and highly adaptable mechanical systems enable @4240 to support a variety of tenants, from small startups to larger, more established research organizations. The space includes fully equipped conference rooms, open meeting areas, green spaces, cafés and casual gathering spots.
The LEED Platinum-certified project features extensive use of renewable building materials and energy efficiency measures, including e a 50-kV photovoltaic array. The design and construction team worked within historic guidelines to restore the building's deteriorating brick facade, add insulation under a new roof and upgrade the industrial windows with historically accurate, insulated replacement glazing. The building is 45 percent more energy efficient than a typical lab and office facility.
Relocating the building's main entry promotes interaction with the newly planned Cortex Commons, a park-like green space that serves as the community hub for the district.
Located within walking distance of a planned public transit station, the building is near Washington University/BJC Medical Center and Saint Louis University. This location provides convenient access to additional scientific resources and partnership opportunities.
LEED Platinum
183,000 sq. ft. / 17,000 sq. m.
Interior Design
Laboratory Programming/Planning/Design
Landscape Architecture
Lighting Design
Master Planning
Structural Engineering
Company tenants
Amount of building leased to tenants
More energy efficient than a typical lab/office building
10 April 2015
"@4240 Hits 65 Companies, 450 Workers"
St. Louis Business Journal
29 October 2014
"Wexford's @4240 Building"
Tradeline Inc.
29 September 2014
"CIC@4240 Opens in St. Louis"
St. Louis Public Radio
5 June 2013
"University Will Anchor New Cortex Building"
Washington University in St. Louis


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Obamacare to hit home on Hill
Capitol Hill is about to get up close and personal with Obamacare.
As in being covered by Obamacare next year.
Story Continued Below
During debate over the law in 2009, Republicans insisted that if members of Congress were going to put their fellow Americans into health care exchanges, they and their staffs should be in there, too.
"It's necessary and only fair for Congress to live under the rules we pass for everyone else," said Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, one of several Republicans who pushed for that requirement.
( Also on POLITICO: Obama may enroll under health law)
But vague language in this part of the law — which was passed three years ago this Saturday — has led to a slew of quirks and questions.
Staffers who work in lawmakers' personal offices go into exchanges — but those who work for committees don't. And the lawmakers themselves get Obamacare — unless they are among the roughly 40 senators and 115 House members on Medicare.
And there's a big thorny unresolved question about money: whether members and staffers in exchanges will still get a significant part of their health insurance premiums subsidized by their employer, just like other government workers. If they lose that subsidy, it's like getting a pay cut of several thousand dollars.
"The sad thing is, too many Americans will be dealing with this in 2014 — not just Hill staffers," said Courtney Austin Lawrence, legislative director for Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). "My general concern with the exchange and Obamacare goes far beyond my own individual coverage. I think it's a bad policy for taxpayers, patients and physicians."
Ambiguities in the wording of the law also raise questions about whether long-promised retirement health plans could disappear for Hill staff. Those valuable benefits available after 20 years of service had been tied to participation in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, but the exchanges aren't part of FEHB.
Grassley says it's up to the Obama administration to make it all work out.
"The administration continues to reassure Congress and the American people that the implementation of the president's health care law is under control," he said. "So the onus is on the administration to answer all implementation questions and to avoid unintended consequences."
Several offices on Capitol Hill are quietly lobbying the Office of Personnel Management, which has to make decisions on the subsidy and retirement questions. Rules are expected to be released as soon as May, and exchange enrollment is supposed to start in October.
Democrats are hoping for a broad interpretation to allow the federal government to keep contributing to employees' premiums, even though they won't be in FEHB anymore, according to sources familiar with the conversations. They worry that if staffers' already low pay is cut further, the Hill is going to become a less attractive place to work.
"Many members have concerns about this possible decision by OPM and the potential impact that this could have on the quality of the House workforce," said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "We are hopeful this issue can be resolved as soon as possible to avert any impact on staff."
Today, the federal government pays an average of 70 percent of health care premiums for its employees — including members of Congress and their staffers. That's pretty typical of a large U.S. employer. And both Democrats who like the law and Republicans who hate it would feel the difference in their pocket if the subsidies vanished.

subset: commoncrawl


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The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own.
Here's your chance to share a photo of your favorite tractor.
Written by Larry Gay
The Hart-Parr Company of Charles City, Iowa, started building gasoline traction engines in 1902 and has been recognized by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as the builder of the first commercially successful tractor powered by an internal combustion engine. "Commercially successful" are the key words in the recognition statement as others such as Charter, Froelich, Paterson, and Huber had tried to build gasoline traction engines in the 1890s.
Charles Hart and Charles Parr started building gasoline engines in Madison, Wisconsin, after receiving their engineering degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1896. In 1901, they built a new larger factory in Hart's home town of Charles City, Iowa. The first two tractors, Hart-Parr No. 1 and No. 2, were built in 1902 and had different configurations and drive trains. However, both were powered with a horizontal, 2-cylinder engine with a 9-inch bore and a 13-inch stroke. The company rated them at 17 drawbar horsepower and 30 belt horsepower.
In 1903, Hart-Parr built 14 of the 17-30 tractors and 24 of the more powerful 22-40 size. The two models were similar, but the 22-40's engine had a 10-inch bore and a 15-inch stroke. The transmission provided one forward speed and one in reverse. The written warranty stated these tractors would successfully operate a threshing outfit and pull it over the road. The standard drive train was not designed to pull a plow, but three of the 22-40 tractors were equipped with a heavy-duty drive train for pulling a plow. All 40 of these tractors were sold and none were returned.
One of the 17-30 tractors built in 1903, serial number 1207, still exists today and is known as Hart-Parr No.3. It was sold to a farmer near Charles City and the company bought it back in 1924. However, in the following years the company misidentified it as an 18-30 with a 10-inch bore and a 13-inch stroke. This has resulted in almost every article and book about the early Hart-Parr tractors describing this tractor as being different than the other tractors built in 1903. However, all of the early Hart-Parr information describes No. 3 as a 17-horsepower machine and I measured a 9-inch bore and a 13-inch stroke when it was restored in 2003.
By the end of 1907, Hart-Parr had started using the word "tractor" to replace "gasoline traction engine," the 17-30 model had been discontinued, the tractors could burn kerosene or gasoline, almost all of the 22-40 tractors were being built with the heavy-duty drive train, and the company had built 507 tractors. The Hart-Parr sales catalogs issued from 1904 through 1907 describe the tractor with the 10-inch bore and 15-inch stroke as a 22-40 and the 22-45 doesn't appear until the 1908 catalog. However, later company publications erroneously described the tractors built from 1903 through 1907 as a 22- 45.
Larry Gay is the author of four farm tractor books, including A Guide to Hart-Parr, Oliver and White Farm Tractors. This book may be obtained from ASABE at 800-695-2723 or www.asabe.org, click publications, click history, click Oliver.
HHIS I should have tohghut of that!
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A variety of policies exist at Lycoming to protect individuals and property and we believe that each policy has a valid rationale. As a Lycoming student, you are responsible for abiding by all College policies.
Questions about any policy, procedure or aspect of the disciplinary process can be directed to the Residential Life Office or the Office of the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students.


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VANCOUVER, WA -- Nautilus Inc. is shopping around its commercial business after deciding to focus on its consumer businesses instead, the company announced this week.
Nautilus is actively seeking buyers for substantially all of the assets, liabilities and ongoing operations of its commercial business. This is a further step in the company's restructuring plan to improve its cost structure and focus on the consumer market through the direct and retail businesses.
Ed Bramson, Nautilus chairman and CEO, announced in August that the company was investigating a possible closure or sale of the commercial business. After discussions with potential acquirers for the entire commercial business, the company's executives decided that shareholders will benefit from selling the entire commercial business as one entity or selling individual assets. The company expects to present the commercial business as a discontinued operation in its financial statements beginning with the third quarter and record a loss on the estimated fair value of assets compared to the carrying value.
Assets of the company's commercial business include a manufacturing facility and three warehouses in Virginia, the StairMaster cardio brand and related stepper and StepMill lines, the commercial indoor cycling line (including the newly launched Authentic Cycling bikes with true power measurements), and commercial strength and cardio equipment (including the Nautilus One strength line).
"We believe this divestiture is in the best interest of our shareholders and will enable us to improve margins, utilize capital more efficiently and focus our organization on the branded consumer fitness business where we see superior growth opportunities," Bramson said in a prepared release from Nautilus. "Our business model and operations are now positioned to place greater emphasis on the brands in our direct-to-consumer and retail businesses and will enable us to better leverage our restructured consumer operating model."
Bramson also said that even though recent results in the company's commercial business did not meet expectations, Nautilus Commercial has many attractive and under exploited assets in the commercial fitness equipment market.
"Many of our leading fitness brands, including Nautilus and Schwinn, have strong recognition and customer loyalty in both the commercial and consumer markets," Bramson said. "In addition to the pure consumer brand, Bowflex, we will be retaining the Nautilus, Schwinn, and Universal brands as part of our ongoing consumer efforts through our direct and retail businesses. This will enable consumers to bring brands they associate with leading strength and cardio fitness equipment into their homes."
As previously announced, the company has engaged Robert W. Baird & Co., which will now actively assist in the sale of the commercial business.


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Major Section: RULE-CLASSES
See rule-classes for a general discussion of rule classes and
how they are used to build rules from formulas. An example
corollary formula from which a
:generalize rule might be built is:
Example: any theoremTo use such a
General Form: any theorem
:generalize rule, the system waits until it has
decided to generalize some term,
term, by replacing it with some new
v. If any
:generalize formula can be instantiated so that
some non-variable subterm becomes
term, then that instance of the
formula is added as a hypothesis.
At the moment, the best description of how ACL2
:generalize rules
are used may be found in the discussion of ``Generalize Rules,'' page
248 of A Computational Logic Handbook, or ``Generalization,'' page
132 of ``Computer-Aided Reasoning: An Approach.''


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Search the meaning of names for your baby boy or girl with our online name dictionary and encyclopedia!
Welcome to Baby Names Pedia - the online name dictionary and encyclopedia. Every baby name comes with concise name meanings, origins, pronunciation, list of famous bearers, popularity trends, variant popularity charts, and more. Search or browse your favorite names below!
Baby Name of the Week: Spencer


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The Jets have not beaten the New England Patriots since Week 16 of the 2015 season, but this year could be different.
Just ask Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman.
The Super Bowl LIII MVP has noticed what the Jets have done this offseason and expects Gang Green to be a challenge for the defending Super Bowl champions this upcoming season.
Tags: Jamal Adams, Le'Veon Bell, New England Patriots, Sam Darnold
Joe Namath says there is no doubt about it, Tom Brady is the best quarterback to play the game.
The Jets legend and Hall of Fame quarterback was asked about the greatest of all time at the position while on The Howard Stern Show on Monday, and while Namath has idolized many quarterbacks, none compare to the six-time Super Bowl champion who has tortured the Jets the last two decades.
"Tom is the best," Namath said. "I've been asked that question for many years -- Johnny [Unitas] was my hero, Otto Graham was great, Slingin' Sammy Baugh, I go back, these guys are great. But meantime, Tom has been challened more in recent history, certainly with huge games than anybody I can recollect -- and he stepped up every time."
Tags: Le'Veon Bell
Josh McCown was a mentor to Sam Darnold in the Jets quarterback's rookie year.
And even though he won't be around Darnold in his second year with New York after announcing his retirement and transition to ESPN NFL analyst, he is confident Darnold will show vast improvement in 2019.
"I tried to empty the clip with him and give him everything I could," McCown told ESPN's Rich Cimini. "He'll be just fine."
Tags: Josh McCown, Sam Darnold
TMZ Sports released audio from Le'Veon Bell's 911 call when he told the operator that two women left his house with more than $500,000 worth of jewelry.
Bell reported to police on May 25 that he returned home from the gym to find jewelry missing and his closets had been rummaged through.
On the phone call, Bell told the Hollywood (Florida) Police Department that when he returned home from his workout, the two girls "took my money, they took my watch, my jewelry, a couple more of my things of value out of my house."
Tags: Le'Veon Bell
Versatile running back Ty Montgomery had a few destinations he could have pursued in free agency this offseason. But he eventually decided the Jets was the place for him, even though he wouldn't be the main man in the backfield.
That title, of course, goes to Le'Veon Bell this season after he signed a long-term deal with New York. Still, Montgomery believed the Jets was the right fit, mainly because of the offense Adam Gase brings with him.
"You have to be smart," Montgomery told newyorkjets.com's Ethan Greenberg about Gase's offense. "You have to be able to catch the ball and you have to be able to run the ball. You can't have an imbalance and be at running back in this offense. It's actually pretty cool, it's challenging. I think it suits my abilities and I'm loving it."
Tags: Le'Veon Bell, Scott Thompson
GM Joe Douglas made key additions to the Jets' front office on Tuesday.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Jets added Browns GM Phil Savage and Ravens Director of Pro Personnel Chad Alexander. Later in the afternoon, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Colts VP of Player Personnel Rex Hogan has been hired by Gang Green to be Douglas' assistant GM.
The 54-year-old Savage's role is unclear, but he returns to an NFL front office for the first time since he was with the Eagles from 2010-12. Meanwhile, Alexander will serve as director of player personnel for the Jets.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The Jets' offseason has been a wild roller-coaster ride. It started at the bottom when they fired their head coach, peaked during free agency and the draft, then went on a wild spiral downward when they fired their general manager … and then somehow managed to come out of it OK.
In fact, not only do they seem OK now that GM Joe Douglas and his good buddy, head coach Adam Gase, are in charge; they are convinced they are on an uphill climb again. They are loaded with optimism. They feel like they are finally headed in the right direction. They believe a return to the playoffs is near.
Maybe they're right. Or maybe they're fooling themselves. For now, though, there has been an unusual amount of hope and excitement around the Jets as they wrapped up their spring organized team activities and mini-camps. Time will tell if that's warranted or not.
Tags: Chris Herndon, Derrick Jones, Leonard Williams, Le'Veon Bell, Parry Nickerson, Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, Sam Darnold, Trumaine Johnson, Ralph Vacchiano
Jets QB Josh McCown is officially hanging up his cleats, as he announced his retirement after 17 NFL seasons.
Penning his retirement in a Players' Tribune article, McCown reflected on "one heck of a journey" that he has gone through in his NFL career.
While some have expressed their belief that McCown would be a great coach, he will join ESPN as an NFL analyst beginning Wednesday.
Tags: Josh McCown, Sam Darnold
It's safe to say Jets special teams coach Brant Boyer was ecstatic to see not one, but two of his players reach the Pro Bowl last season. Kick and punt returner Andre Roberts and kicker Jason Myers both put together solid seasons, good enough to be voted among the NFL's best to represent the Jets.
But, now, Boyer doesn't have the luxury of those two on his depth chart any longer. Roberts is now a Buffalo Bill and Myers signed with the Seahawks, with both players not happy New York wasn't competitive in bringing them back.
Roberts, in particular, was one of the best return specialists in the NFL last season. He totaled 1,147 yards on 40 returns (29.4 ypr) with one touchdown, and had 324 yards on 23 punt returns (14.1 ypr) with a touchdown as well. That type of production will be hard to match, and Boyer knows it.
Tags: Andre Roberts, Jason Myers, Scott Thompson
Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |
To illustrate the lovely bond that bloomed between the 1969 Mets and their roommates at Shea Stadium, the Jets, John Schmitt tells the following story:
Schmitt, the center on the Jets' Super Bowl III champs, brought his young son, John-John, to the ballgame one night to see the great Tom Seaver pitch. Schmitt ushered John-John into the Mets' clubhouse, where Seaver was getting a pre-game massage. Schmitt did not want to disturb a fellow athlete's prep, but Seaver insisted.
"He got off the rubdown table, put on his jersey and hat and took a picture with us," Schmitt recalls. "He was great. Then he takes off his jersey, gets back on the table and went out and won the game that night.
Jets camp is in full swing, and there's a buzz in the Florham Park air. There's a new head coach, a new GM, and lots of fresh faces on the field.
Which players have the potential to be unheralded X-factors for the Jets this year? Here's five guys who have stood out so far.
Jonotthan Harrison (C)
Harrison is a familiar face after starting nine games over the last two years, but there was some thought that the Jets may pursue an upgrade at center this offseason. Instead, they stuck with Harrison, and the results are paying off.
Tags: Avery Williamson, Chris Herndon, Eric Tomlinson, Jordan Leggett, Leonard Williams, Neal Sterling, Sam Darnold, Trumaine Johnson
Todd McShay won't be joining college teammate Joe Douglas in New York.
According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the 42-year-old analyst has elected to stay with ESPN rather than taking a job in the Jets' personnel department.
Once Douglas was brought onboard, McShay told ESPN's Rich Cimini that he he was being considered for a front office position with the team. McShay and Douglas share a connection from their days together as teammates at the University of Richmond, but it sounds like McShay has decided to keep his current job in Bristol.
Joe Douglas made another change to the Jets' roster on Thursday, adding CB Mark Myers.
Myers, a Southeastern University product, signed with the Buccaneers last May after impressing during rookie camp as a tryout player. Myers stuck around with the Bucs during the preseason, but was later released when the roster was trimmed to 53 players.
Listed at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Myers started for four years at Southeastern, whose NAIA football program started from scratch in 2014.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - If there's one thing that defined the Jets in the final two years of the Todd Bowles Era, it was their maddeningly underachieving defense. Every year they seemed to have so much talent and potential, but the production just never matched.
The strong belief inside One Jets Drive is that storyline is about to change dramatically under new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Because if he can't get something out of this defense, then it's possible that nobody can.
The 60-year-old Williams was the most interesting, controversial, and by far the best hire that Jets coach Adam Gase made when he assembled his staff over the last few months. And it didn't take long for Williams to leave his mark on the team. His loud, profane voice has dominated spring practices, the same way his defensive players have often dominated on the field...
Tags: Jamal Adams, Jordan Jenkins, Ralph Vacchiano
Don't ask Joe Vitt about his relationship with Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
The Jets' senior defensive assistant had little to say Thursday when asked about working under Williams again, like the pair did in New Orleans, where they were both involved in "Bountygate."
"This is a National Enquirer question, or what?" Vitt tersely retorted. "I like Gregg. Me and him are friends. Next question."
Jamal Adams has already expressed his fondness for new Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
Perhaps one reason why is the tough love Williams showed him early on.
Williams recalled the first thing he said to the Jets' Pro Bowl safety the first time they met, and surely it'll light a fire within Adams.
Tags: Jamal Adams
At 42 years old, did new Jets GM Joe Douglas feel it was time for him to become a general manager? Was an opportunity like this something he was waiting for?
"I don't know if you know you're ready until you actually get there," Douglas told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Wednesday. "It's almost like the feeling before me and my wife Shannon were getting ready to have our first child."
Douglas added he thought he was prepared to be a father, and then when the baby was born, "whoa."
Tags: Sam Darnold
Joe Douglas has officially added to the Jets' roster for the first time as the team's GM.
During his introductory press conference, Douglas said that the Jets would use their No. 3 claim in the waiver wire to their advantage, and he's already making good on that claim in the early days of his tenure, as the Jets claimed CB Montrel Meander off waivers from the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday afternoon.
A Grambling State product, Meander originally signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent the majority of the season on the Browns' practice squad before finishing the year with the Raiders.
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- In Joe Douglas' first year in the Philadelphia Eagles front office they made a bold trade up in the draft to land quarterback Carson Wentz. Douglas quickly realized two things: The Eagles had the right guy at quarterback, and they needed to move quickly to build a winner around him.
There was an excitement and a sense of hope and purpose back then about the Eagles' immediate future - something that thanks to the presence of quarterback Sam Darnold, the Jets' new general manager is absolutely feeling again now.
"There was a sense of urgency in Philadelphia knowing that we had a young quarterback and we want to put the pieces around him," Douglas said. "I think there's going to be that same urgency here with a young quarterback like Sam. I think once you know you have the right guy, that's the sense of urgency. Let's go win right now. I think that confidence is here right now."
Tags: Sam Darnold, Ralph Vacchiano
"This is a good day, a really good day."
That's how Jets CEO Christopher Johnson opened up the press conference to introduce new GM Joe Douglas at the Jets facility in Florham Park on Tuesday.
Johnson and the Jets moved on from now-former GM Mike Maccagnan, though he did complete their draft and free agent moves. Head coach Adam Gase was given the interim role, as the Jets went searching for someone who "shared my vision for the team," as Johnson put it.
Tags: Le'Veon Bell, Sam Darnold, Scott Thompson
It wasn't long before new GM Joe Douglas made his first move for the Jets, as TE Neal Sterling was released on Tuesday.
Sterling re-signed with the Jets this offseason on a veteran minimum contract, but he has been injured this offseason which has kept him out of team practices.
With Chris Herndon having a solid rookie season in 2018, and Trevon Wesco drafted in the fourth round back in April, the Jets had the depth to let him go. Jordan Leggett is also on the Jets' depth chart...
Tags: Chris Herndon, Jordan Leggett, Neal Sterling
Bent, theJetsBlog.com Follow on Twitter
The Jets are scheduled to introduce their new general manager, Joe Douglas, to the media on Tuesday afternoon. Here are 10 questions we'd like to see Douglas answer:
1. What is your current assessment of the roster you are inheriting?
While Douglas may not go into specific players or position groups, it's important to get some sense of how far away he feels the team is from being a contender. Mike Maccagnan expressed confidence in the team a few months ago, but - having inherited it rather than built it himself - Douglas might be more willing to be honest about some of the weaknesses.
Tags: Le'Veon Bell, Sam Darnold
Former Jets TE Kellen Winslow Jr. was found guilty on Monday of raping a 58-year-old homeless woman last year in a town north of San Diego.
The verdict was reached in San Diego Superior Court, where the 35-year-old former NFL player was also found guilty of indecent exposure and lewd conduct but not guilty of one count of a lewd act.
Prosecutors used DNA evidence and pointed to GPS locations that placed Winslow where the women said the assaults happened to make their case while the defense argued inconsistencies in the accuser's stories and that the sex was consensual.
The Jets (unsurprisingly) had a loud offseason. For the most part, everything went pretty well. They hired a new coach, won the Le'Veon Bell sweepstakes, and drafted Quinnen Williams with the No. 3 pick in the draft. Then, they fired GM Mike Maccagnan after the draft, and new head coach Adam Gase briefly served as the interim GM. With new GM Joe Douglas in the fold, the organization appears finished with its major offseason moves.
For a franchise that seemingly can never escape controversy, the Jets enter the 2019 season with an exciting roster and plenty of reasons to feel optimistic. These are a few of them...
Sam Darnold's progression
Tags: Le'Veon Bell, Sam Darnold
Reunited and it feels so good for Bilal Powell and Sam Darnold.
The Jets and Powell initially parted ways this offseason, but he still finds himself with New York heading into the new season. After a workout on Friday, Powell signed a one-year deal to come back to Gang Green.
Darnold only had Powell in his backfield for seven games during his rookie season under center, but he is pumped to have him back in the mix when training camp kicks off in July.
Tags: Bilal Powell, Sam Darnold, Scott Thompson
Bent, theJetsBlog.com Follow on Twitter
New Jets general manager Joe Douglas spent most of his career with the Baltimore Ravens although he's been with Philadelphia for the past three years. Prior to that, he spent a year with the Bears, which is where his path crossed with that of then-Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase. With Gase and Douglas reunited in New York, it's worth looking back at the players drafted by Douglas' teams to see if we can identify any potential future targets for the Jets.
Ironically, two of the biggest offseason acquisitions for the Jets were two of the best draft picks from Douglas' time with the Ravens. Baltimore selected CJ Mosley in the first round in 2014 and Kelechi Osemele in the second round in 2012 and they've made six pro bowl appearances between them. However, are there any other selections that Douglas' teams made in the past who could be targets if they become available?
DL Timmy Jernigan - Philadelphia
Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The Jets have had their share of dysfunctional coach-GM relationships over the last decade, and there's no guarantee that this one will be any different. Give two alpha males relatively equal power -- or any power, really -- and clashes are bound to happen. There's always a chance things can get bad.
But at least this time the Jets are starting out on the right foot, even if they got there in a backwards way. Because a huge key for any sports operation is for a coach and general manager to share the same vision, to be able to work together and solve their differences in a professional way.
So it's nothing but a good thing that Joe Douglas, the new Jets GM, was the hand-picked choice of new Jets coach Adam Gase. Yes, that's the reverse of how it usually happens. But in the end, it won't matter how they got there, as long as the Jets' two most powerful people begin and remain on the same page.
Joe Douglas may not be the only new addition to the Jets front office.
The newly-hired GM is looking to build a staff around him and is considering ESPN college football analyst Todd McShay, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.
McShay, who has never worked in an NFL front office, told Cimini that he is one of several options Douglas is considering. The two were teammates together at the University of Richmond.
Bent, theJetsBlog.com Follow on Twitter
Now that the Jets have filled their general manager vacancy, there will inevitably be changes in the way the Jets put together their team.
While Joe Douglas, like Mike Maccagnan before him, has a background in scouting, there are plenty of differences in his approach.
Let's consider some of the main tenets, how they differ from those of Maccagnan and what this could mean for some of the players on the current roster.
Tags: Le'Veon Bell, Robby Anderson, Trumaine Johnson
The Jets have found their next general manager.
The team announced on Friday evening that Joe Douglas, formerly the Eagles vice president of player personnel, has agreed to terms to join the Jets' front office.
Per SNY Insider Ralph Vacchiano, Douglas did not make this easy for the Jets. The negotiations lasted several days and it took several offers from the Jets before Douglas finally accepted, according to an NFL source. At one point, some people close to him thought he would eventually turn the Jets down.


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*Calling all programmers!*
I've been searching for an easy-to-use IME for transliterated Sanskrit/Pali, but everything seems either overly complicated or difficult to obtain, e.g. requiring a Mac or something else less universally applicable.
I have for the last few years been using an IME for transliterated Chinese, called Pinyinput (also available in a Mac version), which is extremely easy. You just type the letter followed by the numbers 1, 2, 3, or 4 to have the corresponding tone mark appear over your letter. It's so much easier than fiddling around with other methods.
Alt+Shift to toggle between IME. (In this case the Chinese appears.)
Śākyamuni = S2a1kyamuni
As you can see, it super fast and easy. However, as this is actually for Chinese it only has a couple of the diacritical marks needed in Sanskrit/Pali; namely the accute ( ´ ) and the macron ( ¯ ).
All that would be needed to modify this system for Sanskrit/Pali would be the tilde ( ˜ ) and the dot ( . ) below/above consonants.
When I spoke with the developer of Pinyinput about it he said;
Unfortunately, I lack the techsaviness for this type of thing. So hopefully either we can find a developer on here who might be willing to do the modifications, or if we can get enough people to pledge a donation toward a Kickstarter project for this to be done...Pinyinput was written in C++ and the source code has been released under the GPL so is available for anyone else to download and/or modify if they wish, so long as they also release the source code for their changes.
It compiles cleanly using Visual Studio Express 2008 and is fairly modular, so I don't expect it would be too hard for someone who knew what they were doing to adapt it for another writing system.
This has been extremely invaluable for me in the Chinese version for essays, papers, discussions, etc.. Just wish we could have a version of it for Sanskrit/Pali input.
Anyone into it?


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Attached completed save with all DLC for PAL consoles. Would like to see someone else's PAL save so i can check it too (both i've seen above are NTSC).
Have no idea how it will load to ME2 w/o DLC, but ME3 eaten it without any problems - and that's the point, isn't it?


text:
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Republicans Thursday rejected an offer from U.S. President Barack Obama to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, calling it a step backwards.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner made the rounds on Capitol Hill, presenting a package calling for a $1.6 trillion tax increase, a $50 billion economic-stimulus program and new power to raise the federal debt limit without congressional approval, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The proposal stands firm on Obama's desire to allow Bush-era tax cuts on the wealthiest 2 percent of taxpayers to expire and postpones draconian spending cuts approved by Congress 18 months ago.
Without congressional action, on Jan. 1 George W. Bush-era tax cuts expire and draconian mandatory budget cuts kick in, a combination economists warn will send the U.S. economy back into recession.
Both House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., panned the offer.
"No substantive progress has been made in the talks between the White House and the House during the past two weeks," Boehner told a news conference.
"I'm disappointed in where we are and in the last couple of weeks."
In a written statement, McConnell was even more negative, accusing the administration of taking "a step backward, moving away from consensus and significantly closer to the cliff, delaying again the real, balanced solution that this crisis requires."
Boehner said Obama needs to outline spending cuts to jump-start the talks, something press secretary Jay Carney said the president already has done.
At the daily briefing, Carney said it's time for Republicans to get more realistic.
"The president will not sign any legislation that extends the Bush-era tax cuts for top earners in this country," Carney said.
"This should not be news to anyone on Capitol Hill. It is certainly not news to anyone in America who was not in a coma during the campaign season, because this was an explicit, repeated, and high-profile debate throughout the campaign."
Boehner and Obama spoke by phone Wednesday night, a discussion Carney said lasted 28 minutes and was described as a frank exchange of ideas.
Boehner also described his discussion with Geithner as frank.
"All eyes are on the White House. The country doesn't need a victory lap, it needs leadership," Boehner said.
Erskine Bowles, a chief of staff in Bill Clinton's presidency and the Democratic co-chairman of Obama's 2010 deficit-reduction panel, first described the White House's flexibility.
He said Obama was willing to consider limiting high-income tax deductions in exchange for not insisting tax rates above $250,000 a year rise. Republican leaders have said they were open to considering an end to some deductions.
Bowles also expressed pessimism a deal could be reached in Washington's current partisan climate, divided Congress and dwindling legislative calendar.
He put the chances of a deal by the end of the year at one in three.


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Local News
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Past Local News Articles
Can you help find Arthur?
posted: Wednesday 21st December, 2011
Defibshop aims to put heart in the community
posted: Thursday 9th June, 2011
Moss Farm Fisheries on the up
posted: Wednesday 27th April, 2011
Kingsland spends £1m on wine cellar
posted: Saturday 23rd April, 2011
posted: Wednesday 26th January, 2011
Grid thefts leave public at risk
posted: Monday 18th October, 2010
Victory for protesters after Barton Moss U-turn.
posted: Monday 8th March, 2010
Kingsland's high spirits
posted: Tuesday 2nd March, 2010
NuLife Glass moves HQ to Irlam
posted: Monday 1st February, 2010
Salford plans to build on Green Belt Land
posted: Wednesday 9th December, 2009
Sad farewell to true hero
posted: Friday 4th September, 2009
Port Salford gets green light
posted: Friday 24th July, 2009
Port Salford decision delayed.
posted: Thursday 23rd April, 2009
Video row case dropped.
posted: Friday 5th December, 2008
Stadium built by 2010 say Reds
posted: Friday 28th November, 2008
Bowling event saved by Steelworks Club
posted: Wednesday 26th November, 2008
Blackpool bike ride a success for A.B.C
posted: Thursday 13th November, 2008
Councillor Houlton defends his absence
posted: Friday 24th October, 2008
Hornets go 'full monty' for the girls
posted: Thursday 16th October, 2008
Improvements planned for local motorway junction
posted: Friday 10th October, 2008
Two car smash at Co-op
posted: Saturday 27th September, 2008
Honeymoon hero saves two lives
posted: Friday 26th September, 2008
Hornets look for level playing field
posted: Thursday 18th September, 2008
New plans for Salford Reds stadium
posted: Thursday 18th September, 2008
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With the history between the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, Friday night's renewal of the rivalry was hardly a backdrop for anything special.
What seemed to have a larger impact was for two of the main combatants who couldn't participate.
Kobe Bryant, of course, is still healing from his Achilles' tendon surgery. Tim Duncan was ruled out out of the game with a chest contusion after being hurt in the Spurs' opener against Memphis on Wednesday.
The Spurs, of course, swept the Lakers out of the playoffs last season just after Bryant was injured.
Playing without their future Hall of Famer, the Spurs relied on the usual suspects, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, to score a 91-85 victory at Staples Center.
"We let this one get away from us," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I thought this was one we could get, especially without Duncan. This was set up for us, we didn't do it."
D'Antoni still is searching for the right rotation. The Lakers bench outscored their starters, 45-40, and starting guards Steve Nash and Steve Blake combined to make only 3 of 20 shots.
"Still searching for the right combinations in there and we've got to get that settled — yesterday," D'Antoni said. "I've got to get it done in the sense we can't get too far behind. We've got to get a set group and go with it. We'll get there as quick as we can."
Friday, remarkably, was the first time the teams had met without one or the other's top star being on the floor since Nov. 22, 1996. Duncan was still at Wake Forest, and Bryant was in his rookie season trying to convince Coach Del Harris he deserved playing time.
Parker scored 24 points, Ginobili added 20 with three 3-pointers and Boris Diaw, starting in place of Duncan, hit a key 3-pointer with 1:39 left as the Spurs moved to 2-0. Kawhi Leonard added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Pau Gasol scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds for the Lakers but was the only starter in double figures. Nash started at guard after sitting out Wednesday's loss at Golden State but scored only five points on 1-for-8 shooting.
Jodie Meeks had 14 points and Wesley Johnson 12 for the Lakers (1-2). Xavier Henry played 22 minutes despite taking a hard foul while being fouled. He had a gash on his forehead that required nine stitches.
Bryant reflected on the duels with Duncan before the game.
"Tim and I obviously have a history and we have a long history of playing against each other and playing for our respective organizations," Bryant said. "I'm sure it was weird for him that we faced each other in the playoffs without me being out there. It'll be weird for me to play against the Spurs and not see him out there."
Bryant, of course, has established himself as the ultimate steely competitor, and even if Duncan's stoic demeanor might not betray it, he might be on the same level as Bryant in that regard.
"He's just as competitive," Bryant said. "There's just different ways of showing it and demonstrating it. He seems to be, at least when the cameras are around, pretty quiet in his demeanor. But I know what a competitor he is. I've seen it. He has an edge to him."
The Bryant-Duncan duel is a rare one, that of two players who have spent their entire career with the same franchise. Bryant has helped the Lakers capture five championships and Duncan has been on four title-winning teams.
"They're special people," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It comes from within and their competitiveness and mental toughness and they're willing to be consistent leaders and competitors night after night.
"A lot of people have good nights, but people like those guys understand it's their responsibility to do it night after night."
Bryant has not been able to imprint his will on this season's team, but the Spurs — to the dismay of the rest of the league — continue to churn out wins with their defense and execution.
That wasn't lost on D'Antoni.
"They're good anyway," he said. "They play. Obviously, Boris Diaw will come in and he's a great player. You know what they do, it's that they do it really well and it's tough to stop."
In his own way, Popovich said the same thing.
"Same boring stuff," he said. "I don't even have to be here. If they go out there, they either win or they lose. I'm being serious. Nothing changes."


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Blog that contains the travels, life adventures, and thoughts of us!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas Day Two Years Later and the Current State of the U.S.
16 comments:
I have been following the Haskell saga since Kurt went on Infowars. You have done more then enough to bring this to the attention of the general public. The observation on the economy is spot on IMHO.
The expat option will bring it's own challenges. If you find a good country please share. Obviously not a specific address ; )
Would that some attorney somewhere would have been interested in taking on the US government, but I completely understand your point. It is so infuriating and frustrating to realize that "you can't fight the proverbial, 'city hall'". It might make a good movie. That is, an imagined attempt to bring a civil suit in this case. Perhaps those attempting a documentary of your experiences would consider expanding the story that way and reach a bigger audience. Maybe a big name movie producer would do it.
I am very sad you are not continuing your case. I understand that it was a difficult decision, but if honest, intelligent, even lawyer trained people like yourself don't get involved, who will? You have come so far since your first interviews. You have educated and inspired people(including me) and I wish you had continued the case. It would have made the situation even more black and white for everyone. Every generation needs to learn how to sustain liberty and then fight for it. Americans are getting dumb and lazy and have aquired huge debt, does that mean the best Americans should abandon ship? If the best liberty loving Americans leave, then we might as well throw in the towel. I hope you continue to stay involved, I will keep an eye on your blog. Ultimately we need SOLUTIONS and ACTION, and a few good leaders wouldn't hurt, maybe you can be one of them. I need to do more as well. Thanks for what you have and will do.
Well said Kurt. I totally agree with the decisions you have made. Dont 'waste' you $$ on the 'beast'. Use it to prepare.
All you have said is true.
God Bless you and Lori and your families..........
I have 'been awake' for years, but thanks to both of you, more people have 'been enlightened' to THE FACTS!!!
YOU have done your job..............now, prepare!
- TomT said...
Kurt and Lori,
I am with you guys on this decision. I agree with your perspective.
...and I have been following ya'll since Day 1, along with posting updates and a fairly complete Timeline.
Another point which underscores your decision is The Press. If any huge revelation came out during a civil trial, it would be squashed by the media.
A prime example of how this occurs is the December verdict, 1999 Memphis jury trial headed up by William F Pepper which PROVED in court that the government conspired to ASSASSINATE Martin Luther King. The transcripts of the trial are on The King Family website. Parts of the trial are on YouTube. The trial was deliberately not covered and the media's silence was deafening. One of the few reporters (Wendell Stacy) who stayed in the courtroom was fired.
"An Act of State"
The evidence of a government conspiracy to kill King is unimpeachable. The jury came back in an hour with the verdict.
So if the majority of Americans do not know about this landmark trial about an American icon, Martin Luther King, who has an official holiday in his name... ...then how in the hell are the vast majority of Americans going to have enough substance to rise above their shallow lives to become aware of the underwear bomber deception.
- sb10 said...
Thank you for being one of the people for keeping this issue in peoples' minds.
I know I might as well be spitting in the wind, but I will continue to voice my complaints to the U.S. government about how it conducts and handles our so-called airport security. Believe me when I say you are an inspiration.
God bless, and Happy New Year to you and your family.
Go with peace and G*d bless you and your wife. What you've done for the cause of righteousness is exceptional. Our nation is indebted to you, even though it may take some time for that to be fully realized. Though the Underwear Bomber case is settled at the moment, the fact that tyrants are still wrestling with the controls of our nation is still here and now. You guys have proven who you are to yourselves and for many in the world. It's unlikely you'll change your nature of seeking what is right and calling out what is wrong. With that, stay wide awake; enjoy the break from the case. But please stay true, and again, be alert. I tend to consider the times we live in now as Wide Awake Times for everyone in the know.
Dear mr Haskell,
About 2 years ago I phoned you from Amsterdam. We spoke briefly and I gave you a number in order to get you in touch with the Schiphol Airport police. After that I received phone calls from them telling me to back off, or else.
I just wanted to say I admire your courage and dedication. I can understand your decision not to file the law suit, given the emotional burden it must bring onto your family.
My thoughts are with you and Lori, I sincerely wish you all the best for the new year! greets, Jochem
- 1amWendy said...
Kurt and Lori, please consider joining Freedom to Travel USA, URL of which is posted below within the "identity" section. Also, you may find information posted on Chris Elliott's TSA News Blog of some interest. You are not alone.
There are many who are very aware of what has and is happening but we also know that the m*l*tary and g*vmnt has a NWO agenda along with B*ldrbrgs, Tr*lat com, CFR etc. I would like to take my family out of here too; where can we go? The denial of arial spraying is so ridiculous - watch the youtube video: What in the world are they spraying?
Hi Kurt,
I thought about you both when returning from Manchester Airport in England and their body scanner. Long queues of disgruntled travellers like myself, knowing you can't opt out of it and all of the madness driven by just one event - the event which you have done your best to expose.
While the rabbit hole is deep and there are many dead ends when looking into the reality of how this world works, the whole edifice is held together by the enormous power of the mass media. The news in most countries now repeats everything produced in the US and UK and they can literally tell the world that black is white and the world will nod dumbly and agree.
Bear this is mind - 25 years ago, the US conducted one bombing raid in Libya from a plane launched in the UK and there was huge debate in the UK about it. 25 years later and UK forces under the guise of NATO have literally destroyed the country of Libya with no mandate to do so and there is barely a whimper. We live in dangerous times.
Thanks for all the updates you have posted on the case. I agree with you, the US Govt wants this case forgotten so that the Underwear Bomber can move into myth.
KP in NZ
I wish you had taken on the case but respect your decision. I come from Nigeria, and it is heartbreaking seeing what his (umars) family are going through. They live with it everyday
Thanks Kurt. Youve made history. You will be remembered as one of the heros. Well done.
Hi Kurt and Lori - my family and I moved to Australia but there are quite a few gotchas. If you want to visit, or just talk about the legal nooses that are in place, feel free to contact me at gbell_spamless AT yahoo DOT cee oh em
- Dragonater said...
Until we get the fluoride out of the Prozac/water/beer, mercury out of the vaccines/teeth, and get the female hormone BPA out of food/soda/beer, men will continue to be afraid of their own govt's shadow.
I wish you could have filed your suit, just to see what little discovery you might get, then post the entire court file online and into the public record before any confidential settlement is reached.
Of course, your and your family's personal security and privacy would become an issue. But there are ways to manage that risk.
You can also write and publish a book about what you have learned. Transcripts of your TV and radio interviews, and blog posts, could comprise 95% of the text, with added research as required. You can self-publish with zero overhead at Cafepress.com, and Amazon.com can sell your Kindle PDF download.
i uploaded a video about the underpant bomber on my channel
i called my upload
Underpants full of Bullshit. they cant make this shit up
i admire your courage but I am not so sure central america is a very safe choice, its high crime at the best of times and it would be ver easy to arrange a crime to get you out of the way. You only have to see what happened to Beverly Eckhart, Barry Jennings, Dr David Kelly, Sean Hoare or Danny Jowenk to give a few examples


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- Publish date:
- Updated on
- Year
- 2005
Hurricane Stan bears down on Mexico
On this day in 2005, Hurricane Stan bears down on the Mexican coastline after passing over the Yucatan Peninsula. The storm brought torrential rains to Central America and caused a series of landslides over the next several days that buried several towns and killed more than 1,000 people. In Guatemala, the hardest-hit nation, two entire villages were turned into mass graves.
The storm began on October 1 as a tropical depression in the Caribbean Sea near southern Mexico. It attained hurricane status late on the night of October 3 in the Gulf of Mexico. Later that day, it made landfall on the Mexican coast. All during this time, Stan was battering Central America with tremendous rainfall. Much of the land in the area had experienced deforestation, making it much more vulnerable to landslides in wet conditions. The storm caused nearly 900 severe slides across the region.
In Guatemala, Mayan lakeside communities in the Solola region were devastated when the extreme weather triggered landslides of mud and rock. In Panabaj, approximately 700 people were buried by a slide over two miles long and 35 feet deep. The thick sludge made rescue work nearly impossible, although survivors did their best with shovels and axes. Five days later, Mayor Diego Esquina announced, "Panabaj will no longer exist. We are asking that it be declared a cemetery. We are tired. We no longer know where to dig." Even the bodies that were found could not be identified because they had deteriorated in the wet mud.
The indigenous people of Tyanchaj, living near Panabaj, also suffered a devastating landslide. Hundreds of people and homes were buried. Most were still missing five days later.
United States Army helicopters helped to evacuate injured survivors and brought supplies to the homeless. In some areas, local residents would not allow the Guatemalan Army to carry out relief efforts because of lingering anger over the army's 1990 massacre of their people during the country's civil war.
Hurricane Stan also caused floods in San Salvador, El Salvador, that killed more than 70 people. There were scattered casualties from the storm in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and Mexico. Overall, more than 2,000 bodies were recovered across the region. Approximately 3,000 were never found.


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Years ago I read in one of Giuseppe Tucci's book on Tibetan Buddhism about the mythological history of the first Tibetan kings. It is said that the first Tibetan kings descended from heaven through rope-like structures called dmu-thag and after their time on Earth was up they returned back to heaven in a similar fashion.
Let me provide some references that I could quickly cobble together:
Then there is the following article on the Tibetan mountain gods containing some rather interesting information:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyatri_Tsenpo wrote:
Tibetan mythology holds that the first kings were immortal, and would be pulled up to heaven by a cord which had first deposited them on earth. This is what is said to have happened to Nyatri Tsenpo as well.
Please consider the fascinating connections between the dmu-thag i.e. "the heavenly rope" and the rainbow.http://journal.oraltradition.org/files/articles/16ii/Xie_Jisheng.pdf wrote:
The Mythology of Tibetan Mountain Gods: An Overview
by Xie Jisheng
The phrase for "heavenly rope" in Tibetan is dmu-thag-smu-thag. The word dmu appears relatively late in Tibetan literature. Dmu is written as mu in Dunhuang literature, and etymological comparisons between various Tibeto-Burmese languages strongly suggests that mu- in Tibetan refers to "the heavenly god."15 As for the word dmu-thag, I believe it to be closely connected to the Tibetan word for "rainbow" (vjav). A rainbow could well be understood by early societies as a rope connecting heaven to earth, a rope sent down by the heavenly gods. Literally, dmu-thag means "the heavenly gods' rope." According to Tibetan literature, when the Tibetan king btsanpo died he looked like a rope under the "rainbow," and he went up to the heavens along the dmu-thag. It seems, then, that there is an intimate relationship between dmu-thag and vjav. In Pelliot's Tibetan text no. 126.2 ("The Formation of Dmu-thag"), we read that "from the lights in the sky and fog over the sea came the white curdle of the Bon religion. It is stretched by the wind, woven into threads, and wound round a tree. It is known as Dmuthag or g.yang thag ("fortune rope")."16 This text clearly identifies dmuthag with the rainbow.
As a result, many Tibetan history books hold that the first generation of Tibetan kings (btsan-po) descended from the heavens to the sacred mountains. For example, in Tibetan Historical Texts in a Duhuang Version we find that nyag-khri-btsan-po descended to the mountain of lha-ri-byang-mtheo ("the sacred mountain towering high in the north").
Perhaps I am comparing apples to oranges, but could there be a relation between the "Rainbow Body" of the Dzogchen tradition and the "immortal" kings of early Tibet, who also ascended to heaven in a rainbow-like fashion after concluding their reign on Earth?
It is interesting to note here that according to Choegyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche's book "The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen", page 129 (Chapter 8 - THE FRUIT), paragraph "The Great Transfer", the Dzogchenpa who achieves the "Rainbow Body of Great Transference" ('ja lus 'pho ba chen po) actually does not undergo the process of death at all i.e. not like with lower manifestations, where the pracitioner dies, but his body dissolves and only nails and hair remain.
Then I would further like to mix up the stew and add a quote from the Agganna Sutta
Could there also be a connection between the "Rainbow Body" of Dzogchen and the above quoted excerpt from Agganna Sutta i.e. humans being originally entities of light descending from a heavenly world and then losing their divine nature due to greed and other defilements?http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/AggannaSutta.pdf wrote:
Agganna Sutta
There comes a time, Vasettha, when, sooner or later after a long period this world contracts. At a time of contraction, beings are mostly born in the Abhassara Brahma world. And there they dwell, mind-made, feeding on delight, self luminous, moving through the air, glorious—and they stay like that for a very long time. But sooner or later, after a very long period, this world begins to expand again. At a time of expansion, the beings from the Abhassara Brahma world, having passed away from there, are mostly reborn in this world. Here they dwell, mind-made, feeding on delight, self-luminous, moving through the air, glorious and they stay like that for a very long time.
At that period, Vasettha, there was just one mass of water, and all was darkness, blinding darkness. Neither moon nor sun appeared, no constellations or stars appeared, night and day were not yet distinguished, nor months and fortnights, nor years and seasons; there was no male and female, beings being reckoned just as beings. And sooner or later, after a very long period of time, savory earth spread itself over the waters where those beings were. It looked just like the skin that forms itself over hot milk as it cools. It was endowed with color, smell, and taste. It was the color of fine ghee or butter and it was very sweet, like pure wild honey.
Then some being of a greedy nature said: "I say, what can this be?" and tasted the savory earth on its finger. In so doing, it became taken with the flavor, and craving arose in it. Then other beings, taking their cue from that one, also tasted the stuff with their fingers. They too were taken with the flavor, and craving arose in them. So they set to with their hands, breaking off pieces of the stuff in order to eat it. And the result was that their self luminance disappeared. And as a result of the disappearance of their self luminance the moon and the sun appeared, night and day were distinguished, months and fortnights appeared, and the year and its seasons. To that extent the world re-evolved.
And those beings continued for a very long time feasting on this savory earth, feeding on it and being nourished by it. And as they did so, their bodies became coarser, and a difference in looks developed among them. Some beings became good looking, others ugly. And the good looking ones despised the others, saying: "We are better looking than they are." And because they became arrogant and conceited about their looks, the savory earth disappeared. At this they came together and lamented, crying, "Oh, that flavor! Oh, that flavor!" and so nowadays when people say, "Oh, that flavor!" when they get something nice, they are repeating an ancient saying without realizing it.
And then, when the savory earth disappeared, a fungus cropped up, in the manner of a mushroom. It was of good color, smell, and taste. It was the color of fine ghee or butter, and it was very sweet, like pure wild honey. And those beings set to and ate the fungus. And this lasted for a very long time. And as they continued to feed on the fungus, so their bodies become coarser still, and the difference in their looks increased still more. And the good looking ones despised the others…and because they became arrogant and conceited about their looks, the sweet fungus disappeared. Next, creepers appeared, shooting up like bamboo…and they too were very sweet, like pure wild honey.
And those beings set to and fed on those creepers. And as they did so, their bodies became even coarser, and the difference in their looks increased still more…and they became still more arrogant, and so the creepers disappeared too. At this they came together and lamented, crying: "Alas, our creepers gone! What have we lost!" and so now today when people, one being asked why they are upset, say: "Oh what have we lost!" they are repeating an ancient saying without realizing it.
There exist interesting parallels between the Agganna Sutta and certain streams of the Jewish mystical tradition, where too it is stated that in the beginning man was an androgynus being of light containing both female and male elements in perfect harmony and that when Tikkun HaOlam comes ("Reparation of the Worlds") man's original nature will be established again.
Sidenote: In light of the above quote from Agganna Sutta, where it is stated that these original beings of light were neither male nor female in the beginning, the whole historical as well as modern antagonism between male and female seems redundant. Male and female seem to be 2 complementary parts of one being. Neither of them being higher or lower, but rather different i.e. each having what the other needs. This also seems to be perfectly exemplified in certain so-called sexual practices of Tibetan Vajrayana, where the male and female practitioner provide for each other, what they individually lack or have trouble to obtain.
Looking forward to your feedback and opinions.
A. Fulgens


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Wednesday, May 09, 2012
the greatest of these is love
21 comments:
- traci said...
that time did fly by. it does seem like she just went of on her new adventure. i am sure you are over the moon to have her back. enjoy every minute.
- 7:43 AM, May 09, 2012
- Between You and Me said...
so happy for your girl but that video wrecked me.
{in a great way}
gonna pick up that book for pre-marital counseling....what a great asset!
- 8:42 AM, May 09, 2012
- Jboo said...
Sweet post and your college girl and other girlss are such a reflection of you and your hub's wonderfulness and good work!
Hope you have a great week!
- 9:01 AM, May 09, 2012
- Love Being A Nonny said...
You are blessed beyond measure to have your sweet, beautiful, sold-out-to-Jesus girl!
- 9:43 AM, May 09, 2012
- Debby said...
So glad that your beautiful daughter is back home for the summer. She is a special one for sure.
That video........I am still shedding tears. How strong this couple is. I'm beyond words.
- 10:30 AM, May 09, 2012
- Kim said...
I would love to say something profound, but I am trying to scrape myself back together after seeing that video... my. word. Love is amazing.
Enjoy your summer with your girl!
- 12:04 PM, May 09, 2012
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful story. Such a sweet young couple & an inspiration to all!
- 12:08 PM, May 09, 2012
I love this so much as I just registered my oldest for middle school and my youngest for pre-school in the same year. It's tough on a mommy and this post is so relative and just made me cry. Above all the noise, love is all that matters. Thank you for sharing. We are kindred sentimental spirits. Blessings, Anna
- 12:39 PM, May 09, 2012
- Simply Me Art said...
Thank you for Reminding me to be Grateful for the Wonderful Life I've been given. Your Posts and Family always put a Smile on my Face.
A Touching Beautiful Video, I'm in Tears as Usual!
- 1:05 PM, May 09, 2012
- Jen Kershner said...
Holy wow! That was amazing. I am, of course, all teary and sniffly now. Amazing. I know I already said that but wow...amazing! I want to hug my sweetie now.
I hope you have a happy summer with all of your little chicks under one roof.
- 1:33 PM, May 09, 2012
- Tiffany said...
Hi Paige!
Hooray for your oldest being home for now! I love how you wrote about mothering you girls!
And thank you for posting this video - I have not seen it! Amazing couple! Amazing women of God!
- 2:29 PM, May 09, 2012
- Jeannine said...
thank you for sharing that beautiful video...
and congratulations on surviving freshman year! It sounds like Savannah absolutely THRIVED! What more can we hope for? God bless you!
- 4:54 PM, May 09, 2012
- Stacey said...
what is the link for this video? i would really love to share it. very powerful! i am not grateful enough for my health & my loved ones health. thank you for sharing!
- 8:41 PM, May 09, 2012
Hey Mrs. Knudsen...
My name is Abi and I am 14 years old. I found your blog and I love reading it everyday to see your awesome girls and hear about your life. My dad is a pastor and so I've been brought up by wonderful Christian parents too. I messaged Savannah on Instagram and told her how much I look up to her without even meeting her! Thanks for encouraging me, and making me laugh each day!
Sincerely, Abi H.
- 9:00 PM, May 09, 2012
- Cate said...
Paige, so happy your daughter's first year away was so positive and that she's home now!
What a beautiful video. Thank you for sharing.
Happy Mother's Day - you are an amazing Mom.
- 9:31 PM, May 09, 2012
- Jodi said...
That year did go by very fast, it seems like yesterday when she first started. I am sure it's so nice to have all the girlies under one roof for a while. Sounds like she is going to have a wonderful summer!
I video was awesome Paige...thank you so much for sharing! How inspirational.
Take care!
- 10:45 PM, May 09, 2012
Awesome video..What a beautiful couple..Glad your oldest is home from college..It goes fast for sure..
- 11:22 PM, May 09, 2012
- Lindsey said...
I remember crying in the sorority house when I read the post about dropping Savannah off. Nine months later, I think I'm tearing up even more reading this post. Warms my heart to read how she has done so well at UGA this past year. Clearly, she is making her mark...and she's making that mark for her Lord and Savior. Oh, if we could only take her passion and put it into the hearts of others! Makes me thrilled that she is going to get to be intentional in sharing it with some middle schoolers this summer!
I know you're thrilled to have all your brood back under one roof for the summer. Soak it up!
- 9:34 AM, May 10, 2012
- LLH Designs said...
What a HUGE gift for your daughters to all know how proud of them you are. It's something I wish I had heard more from my own mom. She had a hard time saying it. Still does! You're blessing your girls BIG TIME!
- 7:31 PM, May 10, 2012
- LLH Designs said...
Oh, WOW. Just watched the video after leaving guy first comment. I love John Piper and was feeling all "in the know" and prideful about my knowledge and THEN...saw what sacrificial, Christ like love really looks like. Humbled beyond measure tonight. xo!
- 8:00 PM, May 10, 2012
- cheryl.mccann said...
Paige - you and i are kindred spirits. for the past 10 months, every time i pull the 5 plates from the cupboard - instead of 6 - i am reminded of my boy. he will be home on thursday from his first year at uni - and i am so thankful that he is as over the moon excited to be coming home - as i am to be having him here. he too has had a wonderful year of greatness - with many adventures, excellent grades, good friends and a closer walk with Jesus. it is so hard to let them go, but so satisfying when they become the adults you always hoped they would be. ps - thanks for that video - so amazing.
- 2:59 PM, June 05, 2012


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No 'Poo continued
Part 2
So it's been 7 days since I started this No 'Poo trek and there have been a handful of interesting developments. It seems that I am the guinea pig amongst those closest to me. Truthfully, I'm kind of enjoying the weird status I've achieved. So many people are happy to hear the good things so far, but today… alas, I break the bad news.
I knew going into this that it couldn't possibly be all these great and wonderful things only. I had an additional challenge with my long tresses as well. But before I share in the troubles of going No 'Poo, lemme tell you about all of the good things!
So the lack of flaking head from dry scalp… well, it has gotten better. As the day(s) wore on there flaking started a little bit here and there, but it was noticeably less. When I looked at my hairline on that first day I could still see some skin even though it wasn't flaking while brushing or blow drying. On the second washing it was even less and today, I don't have any dry skin along my hairline. This is great news! Here I was thinking I was in dandruff denial, when it really was dry scalp all along (outside of the flaking I had none of the other typical dandruff symptoms).
Today was no 'pooing 3… no 4 in the last 7 days. I've had to make the baking soda mixture once more (after the initial mixture) and the citric acid mix is still the first bottle. I have no itchy head problems like I usually do, even when I have my hair pinned up and pulled back in a pony tail. I still have no tangles when my hair is wet after washing it. Not one. So I'm going to guess that the dry scalp, itchy head and tangles are all problems that have come to existence because of the shampoo/conditioner combo.
Now for the bad news. The detox. I read that there was a detox period. I knew it was coming. The stage where the scalp is still producing the same quantity of oil as though you were stripping it of all of it's natural oils, blah blah blah. But what no one bothered to mention was HOW MUCH oil the head was producing.
Holy effing crap Batman, I mean really now?! I feel like I'm showing in baby oil. Or better yet, vegetable oil! My hair has been pinned up AND pulled back because he greasy mess that it's turned into is nearly impossible for me to stomach. I know and understand that it will go away. I mean, logically, I get it. But there's got to be something in the meantime, right? Some way to lessen the gross-factor of my hair being plastered to my head and wanting to stick straight out in any direction I brush it, right? RIGHT?!
The answer is simply no. Short of going back to my old shampooing ways, there's no other solution. I looked. I googled. I found other people who couldn't make it through the detox phase because their bucket of goo head was driving them mad. Believe me, it's tough.
So today I was talking to K at work and she was thinking of being her home's guinea pig. Trying to ween herself off of the shampoo by doing every other day with the traditional shampoo and the baking soda exchange for a week and then every 2 days, etc. Thus making the detox phase less traumatizing but postponing the "All clear" for longer as well. Today I used a bit of shampoo. I get it, I'm setting myself back a few days. I know. Trust me, I know.
I'm just a weak soul. Especially when it comes to my hair. I don't have a tiny body. I don't have long legs, or an actress' face. But I have always had really awesome and beautifully healthy hair. And this greezy mess is making me want to shave my head. No really, it is. So I broke down and used some shampoo first thing in the shower. Then proceeded to do the baking soda/citric acid combo. It didn't fix the problem. Hell it didn't really remove all the oil from my hair either. But it's slightly more tolerable than it had been.
Noah asked me in a comment on my first post about what I was doing for the citric acid ratio. The first bottle I used was 1/2 tablespoon of citric acid crystals to 1 cup of water. This is roughly half what I saw posted regarding how much lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to use with water. Maybe this is just much more than needed. Next bottle I'm going to try 1 teaspoon of citric acid crystals to 1 cup of water. Maybe this will also help with the greasy factor. Maybe skip this phase once a week. In the meantime, I'm going to use a tiny bit of shampoo once a week until this entire greasy head thing has ceased.
Other than that I have no complaints. It's super easy. I've adjusted to the method of rubbing my scalp instead of trying to get a lather. I've also read some more on SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) and what it does exactly. It's basically an irritant and the foaming agent. Yay foam! I love the foam. But I'm working on getting over my foam love in favor of the other benefits.
Here's to getting through this detox phase… cause I'm over that part.Filed under living green | Comments Off on No 'Poo continued
No 'Poo has gone viral… almost
Part One
The other day, while on Facebook, a friend of mine linked an article about how to clean your hair without shampoo. I read through the article, and then decided to read through a handful of other articles (there are 5 different links in there, if you're curious about what I've been reading) before making a decision about this process. When I turned around and shared the link with my own friends… I won't lie, I was surprised by the amount of interest from so many others. At least 3 other people relinked the same article and there were TONS of comments on everyone else's posts as well as my own (and by ton I meant more than 4).
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm internally a hippy, even if on the outside I refuse to wear patchouli or burn incense ALL the time. I don't smell like sage, and I don't own a single skirt that goes to my ankles. But I am interested in decreasing my own personal carbon footprint (to be PC about it) as well as decreasing the quantity of junk I put in my body as well as what I put on my body. There are a hundred different reasons for a thousand different people, but mostly it's because I'm tired of having weird unexplainable crap happen to my body. It's time to make my body a place of zen… again… like when I was a little kid. It's my own little personal biosphere, really, when you think about it. Why not make it a happy place instead of an always conspiring against you place. And yes, my body is constantly conspiring against me.
In almost all of the pictures I've seen about what people's hair looks like, the styles all seem to be of a short nature. I have absolutely nothing against short hairstyles, but I do not have one of those. My hair, at the longest point, goes to the middle of my back. I believe this poses an entirely different set of rules and processes while going No 'Poo. Like my hair did not feel "de-greased" when I used the baking soda mixture. I used it, rinsed, used it, rinsed, then finally broke down and used a teeny bit of shampoo to actually degrease my hair, used the baking soda again.
Now here's where my crazed yarn love and small stint in dying comes into play. When you dye natural fibers (like wool and silk), you need to make sure the dye is acidic. It is also suggested that you use similar ingredients as the ones mentioned for the "conditioner" portion of all of this. To balance the pH of your hair and bring it back to normal. So instead of using apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (which is hard to find sans sugar and other junk in it), I have citric acid crystals (or powder). You need a lot less of this in your conditioner mixture, but it accomplishes the same thing as the vinegar and lemon juice. It also has no scent or color what-so-ever.
I noticed a definite difference in the texture of my hair when I put the "conditioner" in my hair and let it sit for about 15 seconds or so. After rinsing it out I finished my shower like any other. The real interesting stuff seemed to be things I noticed after I was dressed and dealing with my hair outside of the shower setting.
Even with shampoo and conditioner, when brushing my hair (yes while wet… yeah yeah, I know the warnings and I don't care) I often had tangles. With the baking soda/citric acid combo, I had not even one tangle. This may have been a fluke since it really is only the first day and I have nothing else to compare it to, but if this is a trend that will continue, my hair and head will be happy for the change.
On a typical shampoo day, it takes somewhere between a half hour and an hour to deal with my tresses. That includes putting some sort of shiny-fier if I'm going out and want extra shiny hair, blow drying and flat ironing for lack of fly-aways and style. Half hour is pretty generous for short timing, as it's usually much longer. My hair always seemed to hold gallons of water even after I had towel-dried and even somewhat air-dried my hair. However, with the No 'Poo process I had none of this. My hair started to have the dry-flippy bits within minutes of towel-drying. Also, blow drying AND flat ironing took half the amount of time it normally does. Half. This is mind blowing. I decided on a hair style that requires me to actually DO something with it all the time. It was a poor choice, but a cute hairstyle. What's a girl to do?! Apparently, ditch the shampoo and you are blessed with you time being yours again.
Another thing to note is that I have dry scalp. It flakes like dandruff, but isn't dandruff. But I have super oily hair. It's really quite the conundrum. It doesn't even make sense!! Until I read through so many things regarding the detergents in shampoo. I understand the biosciences of the body and know that my scalp is working overtime to adjust, but I'm stripping everything with shampoo. Got it. While my scalp is still noticeably dry along the hairline, there was no flaking. No flaking while blow drying my hair. No flaking when brushing AFTER it was dry. No flaking the next morning (aka this morning).
Again I point out that this is all stuff that stuck out for me. Things I definitely noticed without realizing that there might be a difference. I know there's a detox period of about 2 weeks in which my scalp still produces the same quantity of oil as it was when using shampoo. So I might find that I'm "shampooing" every other day for the first couple of weeks while I try to keep my hair from turning into a fire hazard.
I will keep you posted on the progress and changes. I figure there will be complaints at some point about the process, and I will gladly document those too.Filed under it's called life!, living green | Comments (8)


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When I saw the words "Authentic Soccer" adorning the cover of Pure Futbol, I assumed I was in for a gameplay experience that was at least somewhat grounded in reality. While players do have to adhere to the laws of gravity in Ubisoft's second outing to the soccer pitch (after the decent Academy of Champions Soccer on Wii), that's pretty much the only similarity between real soccer and Pure Futbol. But that's fine. A little misnomer could be overlooked if the game delivered a fun arcade experience, but sadly, that's nowhere near the case.
Pure Futbol uses five-on-five soccer in a style that's reminiscent of EA Sports' FIFA Street series from years back. Shots leave smoke trails behind them, there are over-the-top dribbling moves, and crosses send the world into a slo-mo mini-game of sorts. Depth is added to each of the two shot types in the game thanks to a meter that must be charged to a point before releasing the button at exactly the right moment. The mechanic is fine, but it totally zaps the user's ability to aim the shot. No matter how hard I tried, whenever I perfectly hit the timing of the shot meter and landed a "pure" strike of the ball, my control was totally eliminated. The same goes for lesser shots that don't quite land in the "pure" section of the shot meter.
For a soccer game, shooting the ball is obviously important, but Pure Futbol stumbles right out of the gate with a shooting mechanic that removes entirely too much control from the user. Other moves don't perform all that well, either. Too often simply dribbling and cutting on the field tries your patience as your player is slow to respond to simple inputs like making a quick pass. Speaking of passing, players are really, really bad at it. While their passes are usually on target, they have no sense for how to pace them properly in different situations. If a player is making a break towards the goal, the pass should be crisp and quick, but in Pure Futbol it looks no different than if a defender made a leisurely pass back to his goalie.
Speaking of goalkeeping, the AI of your net minder doesn't fare much better. I once had an opposing forward shoot on goal, only to have my keeper dive in the opposite direction. The offensive player made no move to fake out my goalie, so I have no idea what he was thinking diving the other way. The artificial intelligence only gets worse from there with players who pass and dribble the ball directly out of bounds from time to time.
The AI in Pure Futbol is, in a word, bad. Sadly the campaign mode doesn't help. You have a limited amount of weeks to take your created team and its captain from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the heap. I'd be fine with this setup if only games were presented in a creative and different way. Needless to say, they aren't. All you get are games with a standard time or score limit and that's about it. Different locations on the map might provide a tournament and you'll earn players that can be used in your lineup, but the overall structure of campaign mode falls flat in a big way.
My frustrations worsened as the poorly designed foul system showed itself. Pure Futbol penalizes players for slide tackles that aren't penalties at all. It's made even stranger by the fact that you're playing on fields with no referees and in environments that feel very "street" with no acknowledgement of that undeniable fact. Why are fouls called at all? In my mind, they have no place in this sort of game.
Online gameplay is just as bad, as none of your actions in the single-player campaign mode carry over to Xbox Live or PSN. Instead you'll have to rebuild an entire team using "Pure Points" that are earned in-game. I suffered tremendous lag in my online efforts, but that could've been due to the location of my opposition more so than anything else.
Graphically, Pure Futbol is a real mess. The framerate suffers quite a lot whenever the camera zooms out to reveal a good chunk of the field (which it does quite a bit). Player details are cartoonish and you'll have a tough time deciphering who's who on the pitch. Animations are also very angular. It goes without saying that Ubisoft has a long way to go if it wants to compete in the soccer market. The one upside is that the presentation elements that pop up after goals are exciting enough.
Closing Comments
Pure Futbol is a mess of a soccer game. Its cover claims that an authentic experience awaits, but what's actually in store for players who pick up this game is far from the real deal. That'd be fine if the game embraced its arcade roots, but it shuns them instead.
The mechanics that are present don't produce a functional soccer experience and the AI only hurts its chances of providing any sort of fun. I'd say players scratching and clawing for one final virtual soccer game before the World Cup kicks off later this week might want to give Pure Futbol a quick glance, but most sane people will just look to any other title on the market for a better time.